NutriSystem Nourish Diet plan is a "send you the food" diet plan. Its sales in 2006 totaled $435 million through September, so it is a major factor in the $800 million home delivery diet food market. It attained the No. 1 spot on Forbes magazine's Best 200 Small Companies in America. Competitors are Jenny Craig, who started as a NutriSystem employee, and "Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating". NutriSystem had approximately 800,000 customers in 2006.The NutriSystem Diet is based on the Glycemic Index of Carbohydrates. Foods with a low glycemic index raise your blood glucose levels slower and over a longer period of time than foods with a high glycemic index. Combined with a low fat diet, exercise, and frequent smaller portioned meals, the glycemic index diet is supposed to reduce hunger (due to a constant blood glucose). There is some support for weight loss and health benefits of low glycemic-index diets in controlled scientific studies, however, some other studies have suggested there is no long-term benefit to these diets."Americans, aided by the restaurant industry, have lost all sense of what normal portioning is," according to the company's chief nutritionist, Jay Satz. A goal of the program is that the education about portion size will shift to the person's consumption of other food when the program ends.The diet consists of 3 meals plus dessert/snacks which cost about $10 per day. Clients order the food up front and receive a shipment every 28 days, which forms the base for each meal. None of the food needs refrigeration. You must supply 50% to 60% of the total food for the diet on your own, in the form of fresh fruit, salads, low GI carbohydrates including bread, eggs and low or no-fat yogurt and cheese. Clients can customize their orders to include their favorite foods from a list of approximately sixteen breakfasts, thirty lunches, twenty desserts/snacks, and forty dinners. Substitution in client food choices are made by the NutriSystem warehouse in many cases, but can be corrected quickly and at no cost by calling their headquarters. Vegetarian, Type II Diabetic, and Silver (senior citizen) plans are available in addition to normal male and female meal plans.In 2005 the core group of customers were women in their 20's through 50's. In 2006, the company increased its marketing to men. Mike Golic, Dan Marino, Don Shula, and John Kruk are among those who have endorsed this product.The company started out in 1972 selling a liquid protein diet, which it abandoned in 1978 due to the growth of competition. It then started selling food which was packaged and preserved with the latest techniques in portion controlled packages, to take the decisions out of dining. The company went bankrupt in the early 1990's and closed down its weight-loss centers, where customers weighed in and got their meals. It reemerged in 1999 as an internet advertiser, and a publicly traded company, with the meals shipped to consumers. CEO Michael Hagen shifted advertising to TV, using satisfied customers in ads. Clients can call, email or chat online with the weight loss counselors for advice or support. The average customer stays on the program 10 weeks and loses 20 pounds. Many regain the weight lost, and many come back for more delivered diet meals. NutriSystem's 2007 market value was approximately 2 billion dollars. References^ Hopkins, Stella M. "Your meal's in the mail: Diet food delivered to your door a red-hot trend." Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Jan 20, 2007. pg. 1 Source type: Wire Feed ProQuest document ID: 1197558441 Text Word Count 756 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1197558441&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ Whelan, David "Before...and After." Forbes. New York: Oct 30, 2006.Vol.178, Iss. 9; pg. 170. Cover story. Source type: Periodical ISSN: 00156914 ProQuest document ID: 1149695121 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1149695121&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ Brand-Miller J, Holt S, Pawlak D, McMillan J (2002). "Glycemic index and obesity". Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 76 (1): 281S-5S. PMID 12081852. ^ Livesey G (2005). "Low-glycaemic diets and health: implications for obesity". The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 64 (1): 105-13. PMID 15877929. ^ Jenkins D, Kendall C, Augustin L, Franceschi S, Hamidi M, Marchie A, Jenkins A, Axelsen M (2002). "Glycemic index: overview of implications in health and disease". Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 76 (1): 266S-73S. PMID 12081850. ^ Raben A (2002). "Should obese patients be counselled to follow a low-glycaemic index diet? No". Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 3 (4): 245-56. PMID 12458971. ^ Kiley, David, "My Dinner With NutriSystem." Business Week. New York: Sep 19, 2005., Iss. 3951; pg. 84. Source type: Periodical ISSN: 07398395 ProQuest document ID: 896350641 Text Word Count 540 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=896350641&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ Mclaughlin, Molly K. "NutriSystem Nourish; NutriSystem Nourish gives you instant portion control by providing you with its own packaged food." PC Magazine. New York: Apr 26, 2005.Vol.24, Iss. 7; pg. 108. Source type: Periodical ISSN: 08888507 ProQuest document ID: 816663801 Text Word Count 192 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=816663801&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ Burling, Stacey. "Shapely Success Selling diet food so sexy, simple!" The Philadelphia Inquirer. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: May 21, 2006. pg. 1. Source type: Wire Feed ProQuest document ID: 1039763531 Text Word Count 1433 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1039763531&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ http://www.nutrisystem.com/about/^ Palmeri, Christopher, "How NutriSystem Got Fat And Happy. Business Week. New York: Sep 19, 2005., Iss. 3951; pg. 82. Source type: Periodical ISSN: 07398395 ProQuest document ID: 896350811 Text Word Count 893 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=896350811&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)^ Hallinan, Joseph T., "Investor Appetite Is What Diet Firm May Really Lose." . Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Feb 1, 2007. pg. C.1 ISSN: 00999660 ProQuest document ID: 1207628791 Text Word Count 809 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1207628791&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD (subscription)