Our new program Beyond the Scale is designed to help you eat healthier, live happier, and lose weight. A big part of that is our new SmartPointsTM system. It's an easy-to-understand program that assigns a value to every food you eat. By sticking to foods that have lower values you'll naturally be steered towards healthier food choices. Simple, enough right?
Here are 5 tips that will help you better understand and unlock the power of the SmartPoints system.
1) The same amount of calories can translate into lots of different SmartPoints values
All calories are not equal. Our new SmartPoints™ plan is based on the latest in nutritional science, nudging you toward a pattern of healthy eating with more fruits, vegetables and lean protein, and less sugar and saturated fat. The goal: great weight loss plus healthier eating habits. (That’s what’s known as a win-win.)
See how 300 calories can translate into a wide range of SmartPoints values (and nudge you toward the healthier choice).
See what we mean? With SmartPoints, it’s about pinpointing healthy choices. You can still eat anything you want — it’s your choice! You’re the explorer, we’re the map.
2) Sugar and saturated fat love to hide in some surprising foods
1 medium chai latte: 18 g sugar
1 bowl of tomato soup: 10 g sugar
1 oz of cheese: 6 g of sat fat
1 croissant: 7 g of sat fat
1 glass of orange juice: 7 g of sugar
The SmartPoints plan clues you in to hidden sugar and saturated fats without having to look at a food label. You’ll be nudged toward healthier choices, which will soon become second nature. But if that latte is still what you want? Go for it. It’s all a matter of trade-offs — and using your Weekly SmartPoints!
3) Lean protein can be found in all kinds of foods (not just chicken and fish).
Lean protein is a great way to stretch your SmartPoints Budget. It’s also an important nutrient for your body (remember in school when you learned that protein was one of the body’s building blocks?). So eat up!
Beans and lentils: 9 g of protein per half cup — SmartPoints value: 3
Non-fat dairy, like unsweetened Greek yogurt: 23 g per cup — SmartPoints value: 3
Tofu: 8-10 g per half cup — SmartPoints value: 2
Eggs: 6 g for 1 egg — SmartPoints value: 2
Canned tuna: 16 g in a 3 oz can — SmartPoints value: 1
Lean pork loin: 23 g for 3 oz — SmartPoints value: 3
Flank steak: 106 g in 1 steak — SmartPoints value: 3
4) You don’t need to worry about sugar in fruit
While there IS naturally occurring sugar in fruit (and some veggies), whole fruit is full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. We want you to eat it, so it stays zero!
5) SmartPoints works!
When we asked participants in a study on SmartPoints what had changed for them, after 3 months they reported a reduction in food cravings and experienced increases in stamina and flexibility.