The problem with most diet and meal plans? They either aren't the foods you like or they aren't the foods you want to prepare. Medifast is an example of how you can find foods you like (some you may not, it's a matter of pallette), and find that they are easy to prepare. However, with many diets, people get into consuming unhealthy foods, and you might not even be aware of it. Here's an overview of the foods that are doing some of the most damage in most American diets. The three whites - sugar, salt, and flour - should be avoided, along with many tens of thousands of other things. If you focus on what you should eat and drink (water?), it makes a healthy diet a whole lot easier. Here's more from Fox --

SEATTLE - Right now, one in three Americans is overweight, but a new study says that all Americans will be overweight in 40 years. Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet foods. But some choices are better than others.

"There's never going to be one particular food that's marketed to help you lose weight that's going to do it," said Dr. Ann Kulze, nutrition and wellness expert. Low-calorie frozen meals are usually a good choice, but not always. "Avoid the great white hazards, these refined carbs, white flour, white rice, white potatoes, sugar," Kulze said.

Another diet food loser is the liquid lunch. "Liquid calories simply do not suppress the human appetite to the same degree of solid food calories," Kulze said. Low-carb foods? Proceed with caution.

"Just because something is labeled low-carb does not mean it's going to be low in calories or even healthy for you," Kulze said. Fat-free foods have also lost steam. "The only fat-free food I recommend to anyone -- people that want to lose weight or people that are healthy weight -- is fat-free milk," she said. read more...

Bottom line: You can take the guess work out of your diet if you just start by focusing on the obvious. That is, fruits and vegetables are to be consumed more than you do now - since, according to statistics (or estimates), the average American consumes less than half of what they need per day. Second, just don't drink anything with sugar in it. Period. That will eliminate a lot of calories, unhealthy ones if you consider that most have high-fructose corn syrup as their main source of sugar. And, if you need a SIMPLE diet plan where you don't have to guess about what foods and when, then try Medifast. It's not everything, but it's a great start to a healthy and fit figure. Those things will get more than 75% of the way to your weight loss goal (if you have one!). The Health & Wellness Institute recommends you focus on healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, and let your body's weight take care of itself...which it will!

HWI

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.