Are you already questioning your overzealous New Year's resolutions to lose weight? Good. Effective weight reduction shouldn't need to interfere with truly important things in life. An effective strategy is to gradually modify your diet to contain a variety of foods that will meet your essential nutrient requirements without too many calories. This is “;step one”; in promoting both short and long-term health. And remember, good nutrition is only part of a healthy lifestyle. Good exercise habits are equally important.

Question: Why is it important to meet essential nutrient needs?

Answer: Normal body function requires all of the essential nutrients in adequate amounts. Running short on even one essential nutrient will compromise one or more key biological functions. For example, without enough of a nutrient as basic as water, concentration and memory can be compromised, headaches are more likely, and even eyesight can be impaired.

Meeting the body's needs for all essential nutrients requires getting back to basics and eating a wide variety of foods both across and within all the major food groups. Doing this in a way that meets nutrient needs becomes increasingly difficult if a person is too severely limiting their caloric intake and variety of food choices.

Q: What foods contain essential nutrients?

A: Most foods contain at least a few essential nutrients, with the possible exception of sugar. But virtually all foods are lacking some nutrients. This is the main reason that nutritionists for decades have been encouraging people to consume a wide variety of foods. Food variety is part of the formula to ensure that you are getting all 50 or so essential nutrients on a regular, if not daily, basis.

For the most part, foods contained in a specific food group have similar nutrient strengths and weaknesses. Thus, eating across all of the food groups makes consuming adequate nutrients much easier.

Q: What is required to benefit from exercise?

A: Slowly build up the amount of time and intensity you put into exercise. Find activities that you enjoy and can fit into your life. If you can't find 20 minutes to exercise, engage in at least 10 minutes of physical activity at a time. You still reap health benefits.

National physical activity guidelines recommend building up to about two-and-a-half hours of moderate aerobic physical activity per week. Examples include brisk walking, easy cycling and doubles tennis. If you are capable of more intense exercise, you can get the same benefits in half the time. In addition to these aerobic exercises, aim for muscle-strengthening exercises two times a week.

Q: What New Year's resolutions are likely to provide the most long-term benefit to weight loss and health?

A: Resolve to eat a wide variety of foods from all food groups. Eliminating even one food group decreases your ability to obtain all your essential nutrients. Also, always include physical activity in any weight loss plan. Exercise increases your calorie needs and helps to avoid the usual drop in metabolism that goes along with extreme calorie cutting. Burning more calories with exercise makes it easier to meet your essential nutrient needs because you can eat more food. Always aim for variety, moderation and balance.

Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. and Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S. are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.