Slim-Fast Finally Lowers the Sugar!

At last Slim-Fast - makers of one of the most popular diet programs in the world - has reduced the amount of refined sugar in some of its products. The huge amount of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup most Slim-Fast products contain is the #1 reason I've never recommended this weight loss plan to anyone. (In case you don't know, consuming significant amounts of refined sugar on a daily basis is one of the worst things you can do to your overall health, especially in terms of long-term disease-prevention.)

Here is the press release from yesterday:

A Breakthrough in Calorie Control and Nutritional Balance With Up to 50% Less Sugar and Great Taste

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Slim-Fast today announced a major reformulation of its product lineup, marking the biggest nutritional shift in the brand's 25-year history. The innovative new line will include an extensive range of nutritionally balanced products with up to 50% less sugar, all part of a new weight loss program called the Slim-Fast Optima Diet. The new diet combines the latest thinking in clinically proven weight loss with the great taste that consumers demand.

As nutritional science evolves, more and more health experts are urging consumers to reduce their intake of sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) released a global report in May linking sugar intake to higher levels of obesity. This report also included recommendations for the food industry to develop products with better nutritional value and less sugar.

"Slim-Fast's approach to weight loss has always centered on providing solutions that offer nutritionally balanced calorie control," says Terry Olson, General Manager and Vice President of Marketing, for the Slim-Fast brand, a business unit of Unilever. "Our new Slim-Fast Optima Diet with less sugar applies the latest thinking in clinically proven healthy weight loss, with the additional benefit of a complete weight loss program that includes daily meal planning and exercise advice."

Slim-Fast Optima Diet Leads the Way

The Slim-Fast Optima Diet arrives at a time when health experts are calling for healthier weight-loss solutions instead of trendy, extreme diets that, unlike Slim-Fast, do not provide the balanced nutrition required to promote short- and long-term, healthy weight loss.

"The number of fad diets has skyrocketed, but with the help of authorities like the WHO, consumers are finally realizing that a balanced approach to calorie control is the only effective strategy for achieving long-term weight loss success," says Dr. Steven Heymsfield, The New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY. "I applaud responsible brands, such as Slim-Fast, that continue to evolve their current offerings to reflect the knowledge we have in terms of what constitutes balanced nutrition."

New Slim-Fast Optima Diet: A Nutritionally Balanced Approach for Healthy Weight Loss

With the launch of the new Slim-Fast Optima product line, Slim-Fast is also offering a nutritionally balanced weight loss program called the Slim-Fast Optima Diet which provides guidance on sensible meal planning, recommendations to help dieters make smart nutritional choices and the added benefit of free personalized support. The new weight loss program includes recipes offering a healthy balance of proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats that are in compliance with nutritional recommendations from leading health authorities such as the American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association, National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.

Snacking daily on a variety of healthy foods including fruits and vegetables and Slim-Fast Optima Snacks is also encouraged, all of which are designed to help dieters feel satisfied. The Slim-Fast Optima Diet also recommends regular exercise and offers the added benefit of free support online at http://www.slimfast.com, where dieters can find exercise programs designed for every fitness level and personalized meal planning.

New Slim-Fast Optima Line: A Breakthrough in Calorie Control with Less Sugar

The Slim-Fast Optima Diet builds on the essential foundation of Slim-Fast's convenient, shakes, meal bars and snacks, which are now formulated with several additional benefits. The products offer a significant advancement in calorie control and nutrition-with up to 50 percent less sugar per serving than the original line. Slim-Fast Optima shakes are now also formulated with 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance for calcium-a 10 percent increase per serving over the original line.

Slim-Fast's latest innovation continues to provide many of the original product benefits. For example, the new shakes contain fiber, healthy fats and all of the essential vitamins and minerals. With the results of consumer tests showing that the new shakes deliver great taste even with half the sugar, dieters can look forward to enjoying the wide variety of flavors in the Slim-Fast Optima line.

Optima Pricing and Availability

The Slim-Fast Optima line, which will be available at major retailers nationwide in September, will offer an extensive variety of shakes, meal and snack bars in 13 delicious flavors. The suggested retail prices: 6-pack of shakes is $6.99; 6-pack of meal bars is $5.99; and a 6-pack of snack bars is $3.69.

About Slim-Fast

Slim-Fast offers diet plans that combine great-tasting meal replacements with nutritional snacks and sensible meals incorporating lean meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In addition to the Slim-Fast Optima Diet, Slim-Fast also offers a diet for low carb lifestyles that delivers delicious taste and variety, and moreover offers essential daily nutrition and limits saturated fat intake.

Slim-Fast also provides dieters with the resources that they need to not only lose weight, but to keep it off long-term. Free personalized support is available on line at http://www.slim-fast.com, and by phone at 1-800-SLIMFAST, providing access to Slim-Fast dieticians; activity and food logs to track progress; buddy programs; and web chats with experts.

The efficacy of Slim-Fast's structured approach to weight loss and weight management has been consistently proven in over 30 clinical studies. Noteworthy, is a 10-year community study that recently reported significant weight-loss benefits for those residents using Slim-Fast periodically to manage their weight versus those who did not (on average a 33-pound benefit for Slim Fast users versus the non-Slim-Fast users). Studies have also shown that Slim-Fast's approach was effective in helping to reduce risk factors for specific diseases and conditions (like cardiovascular disease and diabetes), associated with excess weight.

Learn more about the Slim-Fast weight loss plan...