Common Questions About Nutripoints
Question: How does Nutripoints™ differ from the Weight Watcher’s Points® system?
Answer: Nutripoints has been used in the U.S. since 1988 and in 10 countries worldwide since 1990. It is a positive approach to better nutrition–you try to get more points, not less. So it’s not about deprivation and limiting–it’s about getting more good foods. It is based on an analysis of 26 factors in foods, so it’s very comprehensive. Over 3600 foods are analyzed, so you can find nearly any food you are interested in. Nutripoints is not a weight-loss program–it’s a healthy eating plan for everyone, although most people lose weight and fat on it, simply by making better choices and desiring to eat less calories naturally.
Question: What is the goal of the Nutripoints Program?
Answer: The goal of the Nutripoints Program is to identify the best foods for the human body–overall–period. These foods have the most of the best nutrients, and the least of the worst harmful factors in foods. The individual then selects the foods they love the most from the tops of the food lists. In doing so, they have developed the best diet for them personally that is possible.
Question: Is Nutripoints good for diabetics, people with hypertension or hyperlipidemia, heart problems or cancer?
Answer: Of course if you have any of the conditions listed above, you should seek the recommendation and advice of your doctor or other health professional supervising your diet and overall medical care. However, in most cases Nutripoints is very beneficial to people with these conditions. Here’s why:
- Nutripoints is low in calories, sugar, fat, and high in fiber–which is helpful for diabetics.
- Nutripoints is low in sodium, calories, and fat–which is helpful for hypertensives.
- Nutripoints is low in total fat, saturated fat, calories, sugar, and high in fiber–which is helpful for people with hyperlipidemia and heart disease.
- Nutripoints is low in calories, fat, alcohol, and high in fiber, foods high in vitamins A and C, and cruciferous vegetables–which is helpful for preventing cancer.
- Nutripoints is high in “nutrient density” which means it’s high in nutrition per calorie–this is good for body’s overall functioning which can keep it running at peak performance and prevent disease.
Question: How did you develop your formula to calculate Nutripoints?
Answer: The Nutripoints formula is a proprietary formula which gives positive and negative credit to every food for 26 unique factors. Each factor is rated on a scale and compared to the standards for the optimal amounts for good health, and the maximum limits to prevent disease. The standards used are based on the recommendations of the American Dietetic Association, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Research Council.
Question: How did you gather your data to analyze the foods and calculate Nutripoints?
Answer: The data used was gathered from multiple sources to assure accuracy. Sources include the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) database, and three other comprehensive nutrient databases. Data for brand-name foods was gathered from the manufacturer’s laboratory analyses, or USDA-extrapolated data.
Question: Is Nutripoints for everyone?
Answer: Nutripoints is designed for adults 18 years of age and older, based on the meal plans. It can be used for younger individuals to help them select the highest rated foods in their diet. The meal plans, however, would need to be modified to correct for calories, protein and calcium, since these needs vary greatly for different ages under 18. We plan to develop a program for children at different age groups in the future, but for now kids or parents can use the scores to help choose the best foods overall in the diet.