Fad Diet Analysis
Nutrition
Mon/Wed 9:30-12:20
2/16/10
Fad Diet Critique
MEDIFAST
Medifast is an extremely popular diet because of the fast results most people see while following this diet. It was developed by physicians and has been recommended by more than 20,000 doctors since 1980.
Medifast claims to be a low calorie, low fat diet that many people have joined. The plan is based around high protein shakes, bars and soups. The most popular choice is the 5 and 1, which consists of 5 Medifast meals and 1 “lean and green” meal. The caloric intake claims to be somewhere between 800 and 1,000 calories per day; however, when I entered a daily diet sample into the Diet Analysis program, I found a significant difference. The sample recommended a Medifast ready to drink Dutch chocolate shake for breakfast. Mid morning, a suggestion of Medifast scrambled eggs with a dash of parsley. Lunch was the first half of the lean and green meal, suggesting six ounces of roasted turkey with one cup of steamed mustard greens topped with one teaspoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. The mid afternoon snack was a Medifast strawberry creme shake blended with ice and water. The remaining portion of the lean and green meal was suggested for dinner and included Medifast’s cream of broccoli soup with one-half cup steamed broccoli added for texture. A night snack of a vanilla shake was also shown. Using the dietary recommendations in the dietary analysis program for me, this sample meal plan only provided me with 54% of the calorie intake, or 773.24 kcalories. With a RDI of a minimum of 1200 kcals, this diet is insufficient in meeting metabolic goals, thus requiring supplements to enhance metabolism. Also, the carbohydrate requirements were 54.98 g, when I have a recommendation of 160-231 g per day. The fat requirement of 32-55 g per day were also not met, only providing 17.85 g. The only energy nutrient requirement that was met, and actually exceeded, was the protein
Mon/Wed 9:30-12:20
2/16/10
Fad Diet Critique
MEDIFAST
Medifast is an extremely popular diet because of the fast results most people see while following this diet. It was developed by physicians and has been recommended by more than 20,000 doctors since 1980.
Medifast claims to be a low calorie, low fat diet that many people have joined. The plan is based around high protein shakes, bars and soups. The most popular choice is the 5 and 1, which consists of 5 Medifast meals and 1 “lean and green” meal. The caloric intake claims to be somewhere between 800 and 1,000 calories per day; however, when I entered a daily diet sample into the Diet Analysis program, I found a significant difference. The sample recommended a Medifast ready to drink Dutch chocolate shake for breakfast. Mid morning, a suggestion of Medifast scrambled eggs with a dash of parsley. Lunch was the first half of the lean and green meal, suggesting six ounces of roasted turkey with one cup of steamed mustard greens topped with one teaspoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. The mid afternoon snack was a Medifast strawberry creme shake blended with ice and water. The remaining portion of the lean and green meal was suggested for dinner and included Medifast’s cream of broccoli soup with one-half cup steamed broccoli added for texture. A night snack of a vanilla shake was also shown. Using the dietary recommendations in the dietary analysis program for me, this sample meal plan only provided me with 54% of the calorie intake, or 773.24 kcalories. With a RDI of a minimum of 1200 kcals, this diet is insufficient in meeting metabolic goals, thus requiring supplements to enhance metabolism. Also, the carbohydrate requirements were 54.98 g, when I have a recommendation of 160-231 g per day. The fat requirement of 32-55 g per day were also not met, only providing 17.85 g. The only energy nutrient requirement that was met, and actually exceeded, was the protein