Here is my outline. Feel free to criticize or add or whatever. I'm planning on using this thread to write the content for each section as I go. This article is intended to educate a newbie to the foundations of whole-food based nutrition.

How to structure a diet

1. Define goals
2. Determine caloric needs to meet those goals
3. Make allocations of caloric bank between body's needed macronutrients
4. Select foods that best meet those allocations
5. Rank these foods by nutritional densities
7. Purchase these foods and learn to cook with them
8. Eat and enjoy

Defining goals
Defining a diet goal is incredibly straightforward and should only take a few minutes. Remember, however: just because it's simple doesn't make it any less vitally important. Defining a goal gives you a solid focal point of motivation and an target to be working towards.

I encourage you to be specific in picking your goals. Pick a pants size. Pick an chest size. Pick something you can really visualize and measure.

From there, we can determine the next step: Do you need to gain or lose?

Hmmm... perhaps I make things more difficult than they need to be, but I can never define a goal in a matter of a minute or two or even ten.

Got any advice on that front?

It's all about what YOU want. Think about your hopes, dreams, and desires. Then think about distorting them through a shallow, vain mirror.

First, I would like you to define exactly what it is that you mean by whole-food based nutrition.

Assume your audience knows nothing. We're all stupid.

Sorry. Whole foods are simply unprocessed foods. I use this term loosely, but basically I'm referring to anything that you'd normally buy-and-cook. This excludes all the fancy weird supplements and such.

It's going to be no surprise to anybody, but my summary on "approved foods" will be centered around lean protein and high fiber.

That's what I was guessing you meant, but I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page to start with before you went any further.

So I'm thinking of re-writing this but for the "I want to tone up and lose fat" sort of crowd. At the same time, there's so much literature already out there that I'm wondering if I'd be better off just linking to it all.

Any inputs?

I also need to remember to compile a list of bodyweight-based exercises (and do-it-at-home cardio stuff) for everyone who wants to be more fit but doesn't want to hit the gym. Or for the people who are gym nuts but travel and get stuck in hotel rooms and such.

That's a tough decision. You don't want to waste your time repeating what other people have said and just adding to the already vast information pool people have to wade through to get good (versus fad) information about health/dieting/etc. However, if you have something new to say, or you can say it better than anyone else, or you have a way of succinctly combining together everything (useful) that's already been said, it would be worthwhile to continue.

But, for it to really be worthwhile, people have to be able to find it and it has to pass through their screen. I think most people are so overwhelmed with all the information (and mis-information) out there that they either 1) ignore it all, or 2) just grab onto the first thing (or things) that seem to jive with what they already believe. There are the few that actually do extensive research, but those are the people that will probably already know most of what you will be putting together. I suppose if you make it the most comprehensive, easy-to-read, fabulous version of the information (or you have something new to say), they will gravitate toward it.

Who is your desired audience? You said newbies (earlier), so what do you want to give to these newbies? Something new, something comprehensive, something simple, all of the above? How will it stand out from what everyone else is saying? Or will it? If not, then linking might be best.

How about giving a really good overview/summary/synthesis of information and providing links to more specific information (i.e. the studies that back up what you are saying, the "experts" that say the same thing, food plans that are already set up by someone and/or instructions on how to do it, etc)? That way, people can follow the basics of what you are saying (blindly if they choose), but if they are really interested (and they should be), they can read up on the research you have done. So, you are giving them a "quick and dirty version" (which is great for the American public, and gets them started at least) and some GOOD resources (which is good for the small percentage that actually gives a sh*t). Yes, no?

What is it that most newbies want to hear? I think that what I'm writing is too detailed and will just confuse most newbies.

For those of you who have ever considered dieting... what approaches did you find the most helpful?