It’s the New Year and many of us make resolutions about dieting. It sounds good, but is dieting the best way to approach nutrition? Is it even good for us?

Who needs a weight loss diet?

The answer is no one.  Weight loss diets are temporary measures that most often result in greater weight gains after the diet ends. If we want to lose weight permanently, we need a lifestyle change that includes healthy eating patterns and regular exercise.

Weight loss is a long process if it is to succeed. A healthy weight is the result of a healthy lifestyle, not from a temporary diet. There are a number of things we can do as we begin our paths to ideal health:

• Find our ideal body weight using an online calculator and strive for no more than 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week.
• Make cooking a priority in our lives so we can lose weight by eating fresh, healthy foods rather than processed foods.
• Remember that the way we eat while we lose weight needs to become the way we eat for the rest of our lives or we will regain all the weight we have lost. That kind of yo-yo effect is hard on our hearts.

Looking for ways to learn more about good nutrition in general?

Oasis Health Habits for Adults is a great place to learn about good nutrition and healthy living.  With support from Anthem Foundation, Oasis offers Healthy Habits for Adults, a program that provides guidance for adults who want to make simple changes to their health through nutrition and physical activity.

Led by trained volunteers, the weekly, one-hour sessions include preparation of healthy snacks, as well as lessons about healthy food choices and low impact exercise. Some of the topics include:

• recognizing foods that are good for us
• tips for eating healthy on a budget
• understanding food labels
• how to reduce salt and sugar intake
• simple exercises that older adults can do at home

Participants also receive free Healthy Living Guide for Adults, a resource packed with practical tips to make healthier living easier.

In 2018, Healthy Habits for Adults programs are happening at Oasis centers in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA; St. Louis, MO and Indianapolis, IN;, and with community health partners in Tucson, AZ and Richmond, VA.

Find out more about the program and what’s happening in these locations throughout the year.

Guest blogger Bobbi Nelson completed her dietetic education at the University of Alabama and trained at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia. She works with older adults in the northern Virginia/metro Washington D.C. area.  Her work focus on how proper nutrition can increase the quality of life for healthy clients as well as for people living with chronic diseases. She has been published in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ weight loss newsletter and has worked with patients with Parkinson’s disease.