The Traffic Light Diet

What it is: The traffic light diet separates foods into three color categories based on their calorie count and nutritional value. Diet author Judith Wills promises that dieters will lose 1 pound per week on this plan.

How it works: Foods are separated into three color-coded categories: red, amber and green. Red refers to foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional content, foods that dieters should only eat occasionally. Amber foods – potatoes, lean meats, pasta - are cautioned because they are high in nutrients, but also in calories. Green foods, like vegetables, fruits and low-fat milk, are go-aheads and dieters are encouraged to eat those most frequently.

What you do: The plain is very straightforward: dieters are permitted as much green food as they like, moderate amounts of amber foods and are encouraged to avoid red foods or consume them sparingly.

Benefits: The diet allows people to choose from a wide range of foods and does require calorie counting or have many strict guidelines. The book outlines several variations of the traffic light diet and helps dieters choose the most appropriate diet for them.

The Down Side: The traffic light diet is not scientifically proven and may not be effective for everyone.