A positive attitude, determination, exercise, and counting calories: are these the key ingredients to successful weight loss? Not always. There are many reasons why going on a diet doesn't always produce the hoped-for results. For example, unlike what many people think, in most cases cutting calories is not enough to achieve weight loss goals.

An alternative solution that does not rely exclusively con counting calories focuses on other equally important parameters, which are not always sufficiently emphasized. These parameters include the glycemic index and the glycemic load (GL), which measure the effect of food on blood sugar levels; potential renal acid load (PRAL), which estimates the alkalizing effect of food; and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), which estimates the antioxidant properties of food. Being able to assess the combined effect of the factors on a given diet plan can make the difference between achieving long-lasting, mental and physical balance and well-being and the frustration of undergoing deprivation only to achieve uneven results.

"What's important is to balance micro- and macro-nutrients in order to obtain weight loss, if necessary" - explains Edoardo Debelli, a nutritionist and co-founder SBS srl. "According to this approach, a plate of whole-wheat pasta, farro, or even potato gnocchi, flavoured with sautéed vegetables and a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil, is far preferable to the 70 grams of plain pasta prescribed by traditional diets. Eating such a meal at lunch makes it possible to fill up on antioxidants and keep blood sugar levels low and weight under control".

SBS srl - Scienza Benessere Salute is a start-up by Innovation Factory, AREA Science Park's business incubator.  It makes its market debut with "Innovation Diet", a professional software that helps nutritionists and dieticians formulate personalized diet and nutrition plans, which can also take into account the results of genetic tests, in order to provide more accurate responses to specific individual needs.

"As a professional in this sector - Debelli points out - I analyzed the various solutions currently available for the medical treatment of nutrition-related problems and realized, together with my partner Francesca Ruggiero, that many of the key parameters for a healthy diet are not taken into consideration in weight loss plans, neither alone nor in combination. We believe the moment has come to redress this shortcoming, and thanks to our work with Innovation Factory we think we have achieved our goal".

How to use Innovation Diet

On the basis of the patient's anthropometric data, medical history, and diet habits, the nutritionist or dietician chooses the desired type of diet  (e.g. low GL diet, zone diet, genetic diet, vegetarian diet, sports diet, weight maintenance diet, etc.) and obtains a nutritional profile covering a week or a month. The micro- and macro-nutrients for this nutritional profile are then automatically factored in. The software makes it possible to fine-tune the diet plan, by manually adding changes to reflect the patient's tastes or the advice of the nutritionist/dietician, for instance by adding more antioxidants or alkaline-forming foods. In the case of genetic diets, the plan will automatically eliminate or add the foods that are most suitable to the patient's genetic profile.

Innovation Diet provides an array of options such as low GL diets, genetic diets, zone diets, vegetarian diets, etc., depending on the specialization chosen by the nutritionist/dietician.