It's not easy to find a good diet!

What school should I adopt?
How do I balance effectiveness while maintaining good health?
There are some essential criteria for evaluating diets and eliminating the less serious contenders. When you finish this quiz, you'll have the tools to guide you through the maze of options that are out there, and to assess the diet you're on now. Then you can make up your mind!

Question 1: Does the diet allow you to eat at the table with your family or other diners?

Question 2: Does it allow for a fairly satisfying breakfast?

Question 3: Does it include at least 3 dairy products during the day (skim or partly skim milk, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, light cheese...)?

Question 4: Is a 100-150 g (3-5 oz.) portion of meat or fish allowed at least 5 times a week?

Question 5: Are "unlimited" fresh vegetables allowed?

Question 6: Is fruit consumption limited to 3  a day?

Question 7: Is a small amount of starches permitted every day (bread, cereals or crackers, or else rice, pasta or potatoes)? 

Question 8: Is 5-10 g (1-2 tsp.) of butter (or 2-3 tsp. of cream) and 1-2 tsp. of oil (3-4 tsp. light dressing) allowed every day?

Question 9: Does the diet encourage you to use all the resources available for healthful, flavorful cooking (steaming, microwaving, cooking in the oven or "en papillote"), using herbs and seasonings?

Question 10: Are you able to not eat the same thing every day? 

If you answered YES to most of these questions, you've found a well-balanced diet. The problem with many diets is that they do not provide a healthy balance of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, iron, calcium, etc. If the diet is too drastic, dietary deficiencies will upset your body and your health, morale and physical condition will suffer the consequences. A diet should be long-term: these are the ones with lasting effects.