Do you eat Medifast Scrambled Eggs for breakfast and a salad for lunch, then find yourself eating nonstop from the time you get home until you go to bed?

Or do you eat perfectly all week only to blow it on the weekends with large meals and alcohol?

Try taking a balanced approach to eating all week long, so you don’t feel deprived. Make time for both breakfast and lunch, and be sure to eat all 5 Medifast Meals and your full Lean & Green Meal throughout the day.

If it helps, have a snack of Medifast Soy Crisps on hard days. Don’t reward yourself with food at the end of the week; instead, plan other treats - a new book or CD, a massage, or an outing to a sporting event.

Sometimes the hardest thing about the Medifast Plan is being honest about what you are actually eating. Remember only you know exactly what foods you eat and when. Think about how you can become more honest about your food. Some ideas to begin: write down EVERYTHING you eat and weigh and measure your food to get exact portion sizes. Remember, honesty is the best policy.

Also, if you’ve got high blood pressure, or are African-American or middle-aged, you’ve got to curb your salt intake to keep your health in check. Make sure you get enough potassium (at least 4.7 grams daily), which counteracts salt’s effects and helps lower blood pressure. Eating more fruits (on maintenance) and veggies is an easy way to get more pot assium into your diet. Enhance food’s flavor without salt by using herbs and spices (break out the Mrs. Dash!). When you do use salt, consider opting for mineral-rich sea salt instead of refined salt.

The best way to avoid being tempted by high-calorie treats is not to have them around in the first place. When you’re at the grocery store, skip the chips, candy, sugared sodas, and other junk food. Instead, stock the fridge and pantry with healthy snacks like Medifast Soy Crisps, Medifast Crackers, vegetables, fruit (maintenance), and sugar-free popsicles. And if you’re thinking about your kids - they don’t need the sugary and carb-filled snacks either. Get them used to healthy eating with healthy snacks.

Breakfast is the most important time to eat a good breakfast. For most people, time scarce in the morning.

If so, try some of these speedy but healthy ideas. Just don’t skip breakfast - it really is the most important meal of the day!

• Medifast Scrambled Eggs or Medifast Oatmeal - perfect for breakfast!
• Medifast Ready-To-Drink Shakes: the perfect grab and go breakfast.

For those in the maintenance phase of the Medifast Plan, try these options:

• Fruit, yogurt and granola: If there’s no time to slice up some fresh fruit, put your favorite frozen fruit into a portable cup (with a lid) and add yogurt. Top with granola. Remember to grab a spoon!
• Whole grain English muffin with peanut butter and sliced banana.

INTRODUCTION
Medifast and Take Shape for Life is committed to maximizing health and wellness through it’s provision of soy-based meal replacement weight control programs. In light of recent controversy, including books, slanting soy, Medifast feels it is their duty to provide the latest evidence-based recommendations regarding the use of dietary soy for healthcare providers.

The following document provides a comprehensive summary of the latest scientific information regarding soy and its relationship with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, menopause, bone health, and kidney function, as well as addresses any safety concerns regarding soy.

Medifast’s soy-based meal replacements provide a healthy way of achieving the optimal amount of dietary protein crucial for weight loss while still preserving lean muscle mass. In addition to preserving calorie-burning lean muscle tissue, dietary protein stimulates thermogenesis more than carbohydrates or fats and is the most satiating macronutrient. Soy protein is a healthy alternative to animal-based proteins that tend to be high in fat and saturated fat.

Both human and animal studies have demonstrated a favorable effect of soy protein on body weight and fat distribution. In a 12-week study comparing soy protein meal replacements to milk-based protein meal replacements as part of a low energy diet, soy MRs were associated with greater weight loss (Anderson & Hoie, 2005).

HEALTH BENEFITS
Cardiovascular Disease
Soy’s isoflavones, genistein and diadzein, protect the heart by boosting the activity of LDL receptors that remove ‘bad’ cholesterol
from the bloodstream. Additional ways soy may protect the heart are through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potentially
anti-thrombogenic properties (Clair & Anthony, 2005). Randomized controlled trials have also shown that soy decreases homocysteine levels in both men and women (generally post-menopausal)

BOTTOM LINE:

• Medifast meal replacements are made from the highest quality soy protein with the highest levels of naturally-occuring isoflavones.
  
• Soy is inversely associated with all-cause mortality.
  
• Soy protein protects against coronary risk factors and 33 of Medifast’s meal replacements carry the Heart Healthy Claim.
  
• Soy may improve the metabolic abnormalities of metabolic syndrome.
  
• Men who consume soy may have lower rates of prostate cancer.
  
• Soy appears to have a protective effect against premenopausal breast cancer. The verdict is still out among postmenopausal females, or females with a past personal history
  or family history of breast cancer. The verdict is also still out regarding the use of soy and Tamoxifen. Medifast recommends that patients follow the NCI guidelines and the advice of their physician or breast cancer specialist.
  
• Soy appears to protect against cancers of the GI tract and may help eradicate H. Pylori infections.
  
• Soy helps with vasomotor symptoms of menopause
  and positively affects other menopause-related health conditions.
  
• Soy has no adverse effects in euthyroid individuals.
  Individuals with hypothyroidism on synthetic thyroid hormones
  do not need to avoid soy in their diets. General guidelines
  are to consume soy meals three hours before or after taking thyroid hormones; closely monitor labs; and ensure adequate iodine is consumed.
  
• There is evidence to suggest that soy confers a protective effect on bone. The benefits of soy on bone health may be garnered most during peri-menopause or early post-menopause.
  
• Soy does not alter sexual function, behavior, or affect sterility.
  

The amount of oxalate in 5 Medifast meal replacements,
as part of the 5 & 1 diet plan, is well beneath the ADA’s daily cut-off value for calcium oxalate stone-formers.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
For most people, the benefits of incorporating soy protein as part of a healthy diet plan far outweigh the potential (or hypothetical)
risks. This is particularly true for overweight or obese individuals, who are more likely to suffer from a comorbidity that would be responsive to soy. Medifast is a pioneer in recognizing the dual benefit that can be potentially gained by offering the highest quality soy protein, rich in isoflavones, as part of their clinically-tested weight control program.