A nutritionally balanced, hypocaloric diet has been the recommendation of most dietitians who are counseling patients who wish to lose weight. This type of diet is composed of the types of foods a patient usually eats, but in lower quantities. There are a number of reasons such diets are appealing, but the main reason is that the recommendation is simple—individuals need only to follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid recommends that individuals eat a variety of foods, with the majority being grain products (e.g., bread, pasta, cereal, rice), eat at least five servings per day of fruits and vegetables; eat only moderate amounts of dairy and meat products; and limit the consumption of foods that are high in fat or sugar or contain few nutrients. In using the Pyramid, however, it is important to emphasize the portion sizes used to establish the recommended number of servings. For example, a majority of consumers do not realize that a portion of bread is a single slice or that a portion of meat is only 3 oz.
