Type of Counseling:  do-it-yourself, some interactive support via their website

Typical Cost:  varies, generally under $250, can range to $300 per month

Type Program:  do-it-yourself, meal replacements

Type of Foods Used:  regular grocery store foods, plus meal replacement drinks

At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available?  Yes

Nutri Pharma UK LTD

The Lodge

Badminton Court

Church Street

Amersham

Bucks

HP7 0DD

United Kingdom

Nutri Pharma’s Website: www.nutripharma.com

Customer service: 1-877-458-6400

Scan Diet^TM Website: www.scandiet.com

Scan Diet^TM, developed by a Scandinavian doctor, is a nutritionally complete meal replacement product for consumers who are striving to lose and/or maintain their weight. It is based upon 15 soy-based powdered meal replacements that you mix with water (not milk). It is also claimed to be more than that. Scan Diet^TM is a nutrition strategy that guides you though the phases of weight loss using a personalized program, based on your body’s needs and your lifestyle.

The Scan Diet^TM powder can be purchased from Rite Aid and GNC stores. GNC operates more than 4,200 retail outlets throughout the United States and 26 foreign markets including Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. On the website is a GNC store locator. The product may also be purchased via www.drugstore.com.

Nutri Pharma is the functional foods company that researched and developed Scan Diet^TM. Nutri Pharma specializes in nutritional products for special dietary uses, such as weight loss and cholesterol reduction. Nutri Pharma products are based on a patented soy protein formulation, using isolated soy protein with isoflavones, cotyledon soy fiber, and soy phospholipids. The company was founded in 1993. Nutri Pharma also partners with hospitals, universities, and organizations such as Protein Technologies International and vitamin retailer General Nutrition Corporation.

Scan Diet^TM provides meal specific plans to support three nutritional strategies:

• Short-period weight loss (1200 calories per day)

• Steady weight loss (1500 calories per day)

Each Scan Diet^TM packet has 160 calories (800-960 calories on the Attack Plan, 5 meal replacements per day) with a nutritionally complete balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates-plus fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Besides the powdered meal replacements, the Attack Plan permits only fruit and vegetables. The Balance Plan includes 3 drinks plus fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, and some meat. The Control Plan requires one or two meal replacement drinks plus a broader variety of whole foods. It is recommended that you move on to the Balance Plan after no more than 12 weeks.

If you visit www.scandiet.com, you will find a website supporting this do-it-yourself program. Here, once registered, free of charge, you will find the following features, with some interactive support:

• Chat rooms

• Bulletin boards

• Recipes

• Tips

• BMI calculator

• FAQs

If you want additional motivational support, the following are available:

• Motivational tips from Rochelle (a motivational speaker and trainer)

• Online meal progress tracking

• Daily meal plans

• My daily planner… basically a worksheet/diary of what you eat and how much you exercise each day

• Fitness support and weekly emails about nutrition and exercise, from Paul the personal trainer.

When you call the 800 phone number, you may have to leave a message and wait for someone to get back to you.

The cost of this plan is high. The company says that Scan Diet costs only $1 –2 per meal and can be found at GNC stores across the nation and all Rite Aid stores with an in-store Live Well Center. However, you must use 5 meal replacements per day, at a cost of $10. If you do this for 30 days, that will cost you $300 for the month!

In 2001, scientists from The New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital presented clinical proof that Scan Diet^TM was an effective tool for weight loss and cholesterol reduction. The findings were from the first in a series of randomized controlled trials. Results showed that patients in the group using Scan Diet lost more than 15 pounds on average and lost significantly more weight than those in the control group who consumed similar calorie levels. In addition, the Scan Diet subjects experienced a reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol.

According to the website www.diet-i.com,  clinical trials for the Scan Diet^TM have focused on weight loss attained when eating the powdered soy meals, but there is no evidence that the plan works for long-term weight loss or that it improves your eating habits. This seems to be a fairly good meal replacement plan that is available overseas as well as in the United States. It does allow you to augment the meal replacement drinks with fruits and vegetables, so that you’re not on a total liquid diet that most people find very difficult. To the company’s credit, they do have a supporting website, with features similar to Slim-Fast. However, in the opinion of BestDietForMe.com analysts, this can be an expensive plan if you stick with the Attack Plan for a while ($10/day). This is its main drawback. If you used the Attack Plan for two months, for example, that would cost you $600.

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