There are no more Weight Watchers.
The 55-year-old weight-loss empire just rebranded itself as WW, in what it says is a move to focus more on wellness, and less on weight.
"No matter what your goal is – to lose weight, eat healthier, move more, develop a positive mind-set, or all of the above – we will deliver science-based solutions that fit into people's lives," WW CEO and President Mindy Grossman said in a release.
But whether you call it dieting or not, the company now known as WW has long assigned a point system to foods.
The idea is to encourage people to stay away from less healthy items, like a slice of cake, by making those account for more of a person's daily food-intake total. Foods that are perfectly healthy to eat in abundance, on the other hand, get a low point value.
According to Weight Watcher's old rubric, some vegetables always counted for zero points. But in 2017, the company expanded its list of guilt-free foods, saying dieters need not count points anymore when it comes to many other fruits, veggies, and nutrient-rich proteins. In December, Weight Watchers released an updated list of more than 200 zero-point foods that followers of the diet plan can eat in unlimited quantities. The list of zero-points items even includes things like eggs and fish.
That idea might seem counterintuitive, since many people assume that dieters are at risk of overeating.
"These foods form the basis of a healthy eating pattern," Gary Foster, Weight Watchers' chief scientific officer and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, told Business Insider. "Very few people come to Weight Watchers because they've had a problem overdoing it on salmon, legumes, beans, and chicken."
In other words, people just don't tend to binge on satiating, healthy foods. And WW doesn't want any feelings of guilt to be associated with eating an extra helping of salad or another bite of fish.
The no-points-list includes apples, mushroom caps, scallions, and tangerines. Here are some of the most surprising entries on it, and the nutrition research that led them to be included.
Eggs, including the yokes
Recent research has shown that for most healthy adults, eggs don't have a huge effect on blood cholesterol levels. And if you like your breakfast eggs topped with a little red salsa, go wild. That's a points-free food now, too.
Many kinds of beans, including black, butter, navy, white, and fat-free refried beans
Beans and legumes are categorically low-fat, high-protein sources of fuel that give you lots of potassium, magnesium and filling fiber. Green beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans are point-free too, as are lentils.
Caviar and shellfish
If your wallet can handle it, you can have as much caviar as you like. In fact, most fish and shellfish — like crab and lobster — are fine to eat with abandon.
According to Weight Watchers, people don't tend to overeat seafood, so it's simply not worth measuring out into gram-specific servings. They'd rather have clients eat these types of proteins until they feel satisfied.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider