Weight Watchers unveils its PointsPlus System to encourage dieters to lose weight in a healthier way. 

This new program emphasizes eating a healthy, well-balanced diet of nutritious foods.

Weight Watchers programs are based on assigning dieters a specific amount of points to eat each day based on their weight-loss goals. 

Under the old Points System, a food's value was based on how many calories it contained – foods with more calories were worth more points. Participants could lose weight by consuming an unhealthy diet of high-fat, low-fiber foods as long as they met their goal at the end of the day.

Now through its PointsPlus System, Weight Watchers is teaching dieters to choose healthy foods. 

A 100-calorie Little Debbie Nutty Bar, with 6 grams of fat and no fiber, is no longer interchangeable with a 100-calorie apple, containing 0 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber.

Under the new program, all fruits and most vegetables have been assigned a 0 points value, so dieters can fill up on them. Points are now based on a food’s nutritional value and how the body processes it.

Weight Watchers is also encouraging its members to eat Power Foods, which are low in fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium. These Power Foods are also high in fiber to help dieters stay fuller longer.

The PointsPlus System is only part of Weight Watchers’ new focus on the overall health of its members. According to the Weight Watchers website, it is designed to be part of a program of nutritional education, exercise and support from counselors and fellow dieters.

Choosing which foods to eat each day to follow the Weight Watchers diet will no longer be a pure mathematical exercise. Dieters on the new PointsPlus System will select foods that give them the proper nutrition to lose weight and be healthy.