NutriSystem Diet Review

Diet Review

By Amy Paturel and Karen Asp

If reconstituting sloppy joes and Asian noodles with water and heat sounds appetizing to you -- and you never tire of eating not-so-great faux food meal after meal -- you may do well on Nutrisystem. Foods rate low on the Glycemic Index (GI), meaning they break down slowly in the body and encourage blood sugar levels to remain stable. Although the Nutrisystem Nourish plan is a new incarnation of the original, both are low-calorie programs that do help dieters shed pounds. No counting, measuring or cooking required. The only remaining question is whether dieters can maintain their results once they're no longer relying on prepackaged foods.

Is the Nutrisystem Diet healthy?

Yes. With 55 percent of calories coming from low GI carbs, 25 percent of calories from protein and 20 percent from fat, Nutrisystem is a balanced plan. It contains fewer than 5 percent of calories from saturated and trans fats, less than the recommended sodium intake and it recommends at least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables.

What do the experts say?

"The addition of soluble fiber and omega 3s is a positive step as it emphasizes the importance of fiber and healthy fats, something NutriSystem was somewhat lacking before," says Suzanne Farrell, M.S., R.D., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and owner of Cherry Creek Nutrition in Denver, CO. "However, following a low GI diet for weight loss has not been shown to be effective."

Another cause for concern, according to Farrell: maintenance. "While food delivery programs (like Nutrisystem) might offer portion controlled meals, they are not retraining you on how to eat and how to pick out the best ingredient -- so you're only successful while you're ordering their product. And the plan doesn't teach healthy lifestyle changes to ensure maintenance of the loss (things like tools for eating out, cooking, meal preparation, label reading and exercise)."

Who should consider the Nutrisystem Diet?

People who can't be bothered with preparing their own food and don't mind subsisting on prepackaged, ready-made, military-like rations.

Bottom Line

For dieters who crave convenience Nutrisystem can help take off the pounds. It's a low-calorie, nutritionally sound plan, but subsisting entirely on prepackaged foods may be unrealistic for many people. And maintaining weight loss may be difficult when dieters return to eating in the real world.

See the Nutrisystem Diet at a Glance
See What You Can Eat on the Nutrisystem Diet