Safe diet plans should include items from every food group and provide at least 1,200 calories per day. Diets that forbid entire sections of the food pyramid or suggest very low calorie intake are dangerous and unhealthy, and will not help with long-term weight loss.

If a diet claims you will lose weight fast or involves taking diet pills or using meal replacements, you should be leery. A safe diet plan is one where you can eat a wide variety of healthy and nourishing foods while learning portion control and sensible food choices.

Watch your calories. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health conducted a study and found that a heart healthy, low calorie diet will help you not only lose weight, but keep it off no matter what percentage of your calories come from fats or carbs. This means that a safe diet plan is one that includes heart healthy choices but you don’t have to severely restrict your intake of cabs or fats.

You don’t have to deprive yourself. If you love pasts, choose a whole grain version. If you are a meat eater, choose lean cuts like the tenderloin. Choose heart healthy fats to prepare your foods; olive oil is a good choice. Balance your menu so you pair low calorie side dishes with high calorie main dishes. This will form the basis of a safe diet plan you can follow the rest of your life.

Eat lots of fruit and veggies. You can eat a lot more food for fewer calories when you fill your plate with vegetables and fruits. A safe diet plan includes smaller portions for foods like meat and pasta and larger servings of healthy vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables have high water and fiber content, which means they fill you up for fewer calories and they keep you feeling full for longer. Fill at least one-third of your plate with fruit or vegetables at every meal, and choose oranges or green peppers for mid-afternoon snacks instead of processed snack foods.

Portion control is important to a safe diet plan. This will limit your calories without you having to constantly count calories all day. Measure your portions until you are able to judge them by sight. According to the USDA, a serving of pasta is about a handful or one half cup and a serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards or about three ounces.

It is easy to consume more servings than you realize and all of those calories add up. A great diet plan is to stick to one or two servings of carbs and protein each meal and fill the rest of your plate with vegetables. Be sure to cook your vegetables in a healthy way like grilling or steaming.

Think Variety. The American Heart Association emphasizes the importance of dietary variety for both nutritional benefit and to keep your diet interesting. Include foods from every food group, and vary the items you choose.

A safe diet plan includes protein like chicken, fish, beef, lentils, and beans on a rotating basis. Good carbohydrate choices are brown rice, pasta, potatoes, and quinoa. A great diet plan includes eating a lot of fresh produce when it is in season and ripe. Vary your food choices and try new things, you may discover new healthy foods you never knew about.

Don’t waste your time and money. If you really want to lose weight, we have reviewed several personal diet plans for quick weight loss. You can also watch my videos about healthy diet plans to lose weight quickly.

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