One of the most motivating services I provide weight loss clients is diet analysis. A somewhat sophisticated diet software program with more than 20,000 foods (including some fast food restaurant foods and many packaged foods) can quickly give me information about the fat, carbohydrate and protein content of a diet. I sit with the client in front of the computer, give her or him the printout of the results and ask if, based on what the analysis reveals, they would be willing to make any shifts in their diet. With a few strokes on the keyboard I can show them how those minor changes can affect their caloric, vitamin and mineral intake.

The programs that do this are very expensive. Until recently that expense gave me good leverage because the typical consumer wasn't interested in paying hundreds of dollars just because they were interested in tracking their diet for a short period of time. If they were, they could find a scaled down but they were pretty limited.

Now diet analysis is available at no cost for anyone who wants to take the time to go through the process. The USDA database is now available for download to your computer at no charge. This program lists up to 117 nutrients for more than 6000 foods. Although your favorite food might not be there, you can add the information yourself if you have the label in which the food was originally packaged. Analyzing recipes is trickier because you have to enter each ingredient. However, if you want to track your intake (and adjust your diet if it isn't meeting your goals) this is a good place to start.

To get your free download go to http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp. As for me, I'm off to seek other ways to keep my clients coming back.