Healthy Eating for a Lean Body  

This may be the simplest diet ever. Follow these three guidelines and you'll quickly find that when it comes to eating for a healthy, lean body, everything else is just details.

1. Embrace Fat
You won't store it if you aren't eating too many total calories. For example, research shows that diets containing upward of 50 percent fat are just as effective for weight loss as those that are low in fat. "Fat is filling and it adds flavor to your meals, so it helps you avoid feeling deprived," says Alan Aragon, M.S., a nutritionist based in Thousand Oaks, California. So go ahead: Enjoy the fat in meat, dairy, avocados, olive oil, and nuts. Aragon's rule of thumb: Shoot for half a gram of fat for every pound of your desired body weight.

2. Prepare Your Own Meals
Think of it this way: As your number of home-cooked meals increases, your fast-food visits decrease. And USDA scientists recently found that men eat 500 more calories on days they consume fast foods compared with days they don't. Not sure where to start? Try "The only 7 meals you need for 2008" on the previous page. You'll find that cooking for yourself is your gateway to delicious meals made with healthy, fresh ingredients.

3. Eliminate added sugars
"This is the simplest way to clean up any diet," says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., the author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. According to a USDA survey, the average American eats about  20 teaspoons of added sugar daily, or 317 empty calories. The researchers report that 82 percent of that added sugar can be attributed to soda, baked goods, breakfast cereals, candy, and fruit drinks. What's not on the list? Meat, vegetables, whole fruit, and eggs, along with unsweetened whole-grain and dairy products. Eat accordingly. Advertisement Advertisement Daily Dose

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