Diet Is A Four-Letter Word

In reality diet is defined as the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods) or to eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight. However, the word "diet" conjures up all sorts of things; deprivation, hunger and restrictions being just a few.

More often then not, when one discusses going on a diet, one becomes resigned to the fact that life will become unpleasant; meals will become bland and boring and eating won't be any fun. The word "diet", just like all those other four-letter words, is whispered in a kind of hush. It slips off one's tongue reluctantly. It stirs up feelings of dread and doom and makes one feel defeated even before one starts. What a shame; it doesn't have to carry so much weight or have so much power. We, the people, need to take the reins and steer the course we intend on taking.

And while I believe that diet is a 4 letter word, I also think that the word "exercise" is just as daunting. Personally I hate to exercise. I know I need to move and to be active and I know that the more active I am, the more calories I will burn. But tell me I have to exercise and I will swiftly head off in the other direction. I don't want to diet and I really don't want to exercise.

That's okay, because I know how to move and I know how to eat. Therein lies the secret of success.

Because I have such an aversion to diet and exercise, when it came time for me to lose those unwanted pounds that had slowly crept on (seemingly from nowhere), I had to create a plan of my own. My plan involves eating foods that are healthy for you and adding movement to everything you do. The best part of my plan, though, is that it allows me to eat my very favorite foods. I don't have to stop putting cream in my coffee, eating my favorite chocolate or having dessert.

When I finally gave in to the fact that I don't like to go to a gym, follow an exercise video or use some expensive fancy equipment, I was able to devise a personal plan that worked for me. I strongly believe that it will work for everyone. It is simple, user friendly and doesn't cost a thing! The basis of the plan is easy; move more today than you did yesterday and give some attention to the foods you eat. And eat in smaller portions; use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate, a dessert bowl instead of a soup bowl and eat one bite of that something you love instead of ten. Make a conscious effort and you will see results.

First of all, any movement that you make, that is more than you made the day before, will contribute to the burning of calories. Step it up a notch; move more and burn more. You can exaggerate your movements as you go through your normal daily activites. Whether it is doing household chores, going to get your mail from the box or watching T.V., there is a way to incorporate more movement. And while you might start off slowly, the more you move, the easier it becomes. And the easier it becomes, the more you move. It becomes a visious cycle, but one that is healthy for you and ends with the most positive of results.

When it comes to food, the first and most important necessity is to STOP EATING FAST FOODS and stop drinking sodas (drink lots of water instead)! You can eat well, you can eat healthy and you can eat the things you love...in moderation. I lost 45 pounds without starving myself or giving up any of the foods I find so appealing. I was honest enough with myself to know that there were certain foods I didn't want to do without. If it meant I had to move a little bit more, than so be it.

Now, while I found a way to incorporate more movement into everything I do, one secret to my success is dancing. And I was doing it way before Kirstie Alley and Janet Jackson testified that they used dance to shed the pounds. The secret is to put on music that you love and then dance your heart out. When I'm home alone and there's no one there to see me make a fool out of myself, I rock the music and dance around the house like a crazy person. It's fun and it works!

So, in closing I'd just like to say, if you banish that four-letter word (diet) from your vocabulary, eat well, but in moderation, drink lots of water and step up your movements, you can be successful at losing those unwanted pounds.

Good luck!

Addie Scott is an author and a Webmistress and has published numerous online articles. She has just completed her ebook, A Smaller You, drawn from her own personal experiences. For more information on this easy-to-use weight loss plan and guide to healthy eating, go to www.asmalleryou.com While there, be sure to sign up for her FREE newsletter.

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The Zone Diet Overview

The Zone Diet is all about balance. Nothing is eliminated from the diet. Carbohydrates are enjoyed as are proteins and fats. The thing is they are the right proportion to each other and calories do matter in The Zone Diet.

The Zone Diet was invented by Dr. Sears. There is a website on The Zone Diet which explains the principles of this way of eating. They explain that The Zone Diet is not actually a diet but rather it should be a lifestyle. The key to the Zone Diet is getting the right proportions of fat, protein and carbohydrate into your diet. They promote that your diet consists of 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat and 30% protein. They do not prohibit any foods.

When you read about The Zone Diet you can not help but notice the common sense approach of this diet. When people go on low carbohydrate diets such as The Atkins Diet they often complain of fatigue. They are encouraged to eat as much fat and protein as they want to at the beginning. Dr. Atkins believed that this would undo what had been done psychologically by having constantly deprived yourself of much needed fats. He believed that fats were an important part of a diet and once people rejected the idea that fats were bad for you, they would enjoy fats again and eventually the body would take care of regulating how much you actually needed.

Well, people soon found out as they ate as much steak and chicken skin as they wanted to that they had no energy to even climb a flight of stairs let alone try to exercise. As The Atkins Diet swept the nation, many newspaper articles began to surface on how The Atkins Diet was the perfect diet for sedentary couch potatoes. But for people who wanted to begin exercising and living a healthier lifestyle, it did not appear to be a smart choice.

In contrast, people on The Zone Diet claim to have a lot of energy because they are eating in a sensible well balanced way right from the start. The Zone Diet also puts an emphasis on a sensible old fashioned concept: counting calories. Many of the new fad diets of the eighties and nineties continued along the path of Dr. Atkins and promoted forgetting all about calories. Their claim was that counting calories made people begin to obsess about food. Many diets encouraged the idea that when eating well, the body will regulate appetite and the dieter will naturally be eating the right amounts especially since the idea of deprivation has been taken away. The fact is that this approach has not worked for many people. Many people continue to overeat and simply don't lose any weight.

The Zone Diet has re-introduced common sense. Dr. Sears states that to achieve hormonal balance it is important to eat the right foods in the right proportion but also in the right quantity. His diet encourages eating snacks but the total daily caloric intake must be kept under a certain number. The Zone Diet spells out that to "stay in the zone" each meal must consist of 500 calories or less and each snack must be under 100 calories.

For people who have not had success with the latest diets and eating fads, it might be worthwhile to try a new fad which actually brings back age old tried and true concepts.

Follow the weight loss journey of the Token Fat Girl at the All Natural Weight Loss Blog where she has written her own Zone Diet Review

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Bodybuilding Diet Guide

Are you a beginning bodybuilder but don't have a proper bodybuilding diet? This article will talk about bodybuilding diets and what you should do to use them. Below are the three steps to a good, nutritional, bodybuilding diet.

1. The first step is a pretty simple one. You need to have carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in an appropriate amount for every meal. The appropriate amount is 40% of your meal should be carbohydrates, another 40% should be protein, and the final 20% should be fats. It is important that you eat these amounts for each meal otherwise you will not get the results you want.

It is extremely important because if you only eat a certain thing a part of your body will crash. If you eat only carbohydrates your body will crash because it is storing all the carbohydrates that were not used into fat. Also, if you only eat protein your body will not have enough energy and it will not be able to turn the protein you just ate into muscle because that process requires carbohydrates.

2. The second step to a good bodybuilding diet is that you eat small portions throughout the day rather than big meals twice a day. This is important to bodybuilders for two reasons. The first reason is if you don't eat for a few hours your body begins to lose muscle and gain fat, a process in which your body turns to a catabolic state. The reasons this occurs is because your body thinks that it is starving so it begins to eat your lean muscle tissue and prepares to store calories as fat. The other reason is because if you eat several times a day your metabolism will increase which will help you keep the fat off.

Following those two reasons you should prepare to eat around five meals a day. You should space these meals so that you are eating about every 3 hours. This will change depending on the program you are working, your gender, and the goals you wish to accomplish.

3. If you are looking to build muscle mass it is important that you change up your calorie intake. I recommend that you do five days of high calorie intake and follow that with two days of low calorie intake. To figure out what amount of calories you need to take in you do the following formulas:

-Lean body mass times 15 will find the amount of calories you need to take in on a high calorie day.

-Lean body mass times 12 will find the amount of calories you need to take in on a low calorie day.

If you are looking to lose fat while you are trying to build muscle you need to tweak the above program a little bit. You should do five days of low calorie intake followed by 2 days of high calorie intake. You can still use the above formulas you just need to switch the days around.

Thats just one of the many bodybuilding diets that are out there but if you follow those three simple steps you should have a good, healthy bodybuilding diet.

Michael Parker reveals what women really want at his how to build up muscle website for ways to build muscle and attract women. Get your free copy of "How Your Physique Affects the Female Mind" right here now. http://www.musclyjerk.com

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Diet & Nutrition

Despite the widespread use of juice and food-supplemental therapy, it is my considered opinion - based upon sound theory and long experience - that the use of fruit and vegetable juices and special foods, in addition to, or as a substitute for a fully balanced diet, is;

• unwise,

• not in accordance with the fundamental principles of natural healing and

• ultimately, counter-productive.

I strongly disapprove of this practice.

The use of ‘food supplements’ – no matter what form or nomenclature, is a desperate deviation into the realm of ‘curative dietetics.’

Any attempt to supply allegedly missing trace elements or vitamins by eating extra foods or juices will be unsuccessful, and can only lead to disappointment, frustration and sometimes, tragic results.

If you want to produce the best;

• Blood

• Cells

• Tissues

• Organs

• Systems

…then we must put into our body the best quality product.

The best food for the human organism is a combination of;

• Fruits – approx 50% of our diet.

• Raw or lightly cooked vegetables – approximately 35% of our diet.

• Starches (complex carbohydrates) – approximately 10-15 % of our diet.

• Proteins (concentrated foods) – approximately 5-10 % of our diet.

For the average person – on a daily basis - this weighs out to approximately;

• 750 gms of fruit

• 4-500 gms of vegetables

• 1-200 gms of starch

• 60-100 gms of protein

These amounts will be adjusted ‘slightly’ to accommodate the individual’s lifestyle pattern.

There is no thing – manufactured or grown - that has any more power than that which is contained in the metabolism of each and every cell that makes up your person.

You cannot add to the sum total of your vitality.

You can only conserve that which you presently possess.

A diet based on the information contained above will provide an environment conducive to the free flow of blood, lymph and nerve force.

For the betterment of your health and vitality – stick to a diet of living, live, whole foods.

Kevin

Kevin Hinton is a renowned Natural Health Educator & Advocator who has assisted a broad range of people to reinvigorate their lives through common-sense Natural Health practices. He is a trusted advisor to many in the corporate world in Australia and North America who recognize the life-improving value of Natural Health habits. His experience in the field reveals that adopting practical Natural Health habits usually helps drive success in other areas of life. Visit kevin @: http://www.thehealtheducator.com

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Best Weight Loss Programs for Combating Fat

It's coming. The signs are already everywhere and you just know the inevitable. With the market brimming with calorie- laden processed foodstuffs combined with the sedentary lifestyle of today, more and more people are facing the problem of getting fat. Not just plain fat- obese.

Obesity can't all be that bad if it's just the mocking and the inability to do most normal things like running and climbing a long length of stairs… then again, with obesity comes high blood pressure, heart diseases, respiratory problems, diabetes and arthritis among other ailments. If you want to live long enough to enjoy your golden years, gear up for another version of the Battle of the Bulge.

Obesity does not choose its victims. It can sink in as early as the age of six and decreases life expectancy by an average of 7- 20%, not to forget that the pollution and stress will make those numbers rise even higher. Factors to obesity include age, gender, genetics, stress, lifestyle and of course, food.

Most weight loss programs target the elimination of unnecessary calories or those calories beyond a person's required basal metabolism- that's the amount of calories needed to keep a person's basic bodily functions up and running normally. However, with the fads and trends of "Kate Moss" models, some programs go as far as starvation and gastric bypasses.

These are not recommended for a lot of reasons but let's enumerate some for good measure:

1) Quick weight loss tactics only mean quick weight loss- not permanent, not long- term and not healthy.

2) Complications can and will arise from drastic measures beginning with the lack of nutrients. Besides, obese people usually don't do well under the knife unless the doctors say so.

3) Do you really want liposuction? Or cutting off a part of your stomach or intestine?

Some programs focus on removing the sources of fat from a person's diet. The Eat More, Weigh Less does just that by encouraging fruits, vegetables, whole grains and little meat without any caloric restrictions whatsoever as long as the fat content falls below 10% of what you eat. The Pritkin diet also goes along these lines. But before choosing any of these diets, one must consider that fat- the unsaturated kind- is also essential to our body. Some critics have said that these diets are not for everyone, especially those who have high- fat bodies, as the diet will only lead to an inadequacy in fatty acids.

The Atkins diet promotes protein since Dr. Robert Atkins believes that carbohydrates are the main causes of obesity. The diet would allot a person meals consisting of 36% protein, 8% carbohydrates, 53% fat or for maintenance 24% protein, 40% fat, 31% carbohydrates. Another popular diet called the South Beach diet also makes meat a hero by advocating foodstuffs that are high in protein, high in fiber, low in carbohydrates and low in animal fats. Although the South Beach diet was developed for those with a high risk of getting diabetes or heart diseases, the aforementioned diet does not balance the basic food groups.

Then there's the McDougall Project for Maximum Weight Loss, which is basically a vegan diet. Think greens and yellows as these should make up 1/3 of what you eat.

Another example is the Weight Watchers Winning Points program. Based on your statistics and details, the program will allot you "points" that you can use when choosing what to eat. All you have to do is to remain within that range by taking care to select what's right. Vegetables almost have an equivalent of 0 while fruits have 1-2 points per serving. Complex carbohydrates and fats have the highest.

What you can do to get the best program for you is get to the root of the problem and attack from that point. Be idealistic when setting goals. The weight lost per week should fall in the range of ¾- 2 lbs and not exceeding 3. It will be slow at first. Weight lost during the early stages will be mostly water fat so a doctor's supervision is really needed if you plan on losing a lot of pounds.

The body will adapt quickly to the diet so prep up the arsenal with a combination of aerobic (running) and anaerobic (weight training) exercise. In order to maintain this, exercise for at least 15- 30 minutes in increasing increments per day.

The program should also include help for when hunger anxiety attacks and depression urges you to binge. Losing weight involves the mindset too.

Those are just some examples of diet programs, which promise weight loss. But here's catch, what works for others may not work for you. For example, there's such a diet that dictates what you can and can't eat based on your blood type. One can't guarantee same results on such general terms. Weight and build depends on a lot of factors and not just on a single basis as blood type. Word of advice: have a weight loss program tailored for you. Specialists can aid you on this one and with their supervision you will win this fight!

About The Author

Dr Nathalie Fiset is a family doctor and a certified hypnotherapist. For more information go to: http://www.reachyouridealweight.com http://www.aperfectharmony.com or http://www.a-1hypnosis.com

The Low Glycemic Index Diet And Its Benefits For Diabetics

The popular Low Glycemic Index Diet is certainly nothing new and is proven to work both as a weight loss plan and in controlling diabetes. An astounding number of Americans currently suffer from diabetes, a good majority of which experience symptoms due to improper weight management.

This Lower GI Diet is especially helpful to diabetics because it incorporates foods with a low Glycemic Index to control the amount of sugars and carbohydrates your body is forced to regulate. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or are looking to create a healthy lifestyle and manage your weight, speak with your primary physician about beginning a proper Glycemic Index Diet.

The best benefits of starting a Glycemic Index Diet for diabetics include:

The inclusion of some carbohydrates:

Individuals with diabetes are severely discouraged from beginning a diet that restricts the intake of carbohydrates. Even though your carbohydrate level should be monitored since your body turns most carbs into sugar, every adult diet should include at least 130 grams of carbohydrates each day. These carbohydrates work as fuel for the body, providing you with much needed vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The controlling of your diabetes with a Glycemic Index Diet alone:

If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, usually associated as a major side effect from being obese, you may be able to control your condition without medications or injections. By carefully monitoring your Glycemic Index, you can work to control what food items your body must work to process. Since this diet only includes foods that can be successfully processed by a diabetic’s body, your body will not have to try to process foods that can be potentially harmful.

The quality foods included on the Glycemic Index Diet:

The foods allowed on the Glycemic Index Diet are wholesome and healthy. Many fresh fruits and vegetables are included in the diet, as well as whole grains and lean meats. This diet will allow you to eat healthy, and therefore to lead a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, many of your favorite foods are on the Glycemic Index Diet list, so you can still enjoy the occasional treat.

The prevention of other diseases:

The Low Glycemic Index Diet also affects the body in the prevention of other diseases besides diabetes. Many individuals at risk for heart disease should look into starting a Low Glycemic Index Diet to protect themselves against this deadly disease. Researchers have found that a Low Glycemic Index Diet works better against preventing heart disease than a traditional low fat diet, and it is much more effective than the popular low carbohydrate fad diets.

Before you begin any diet or lifestyle change, be sure to contact your primary care provider. Speaking with this professional individual will allow you to completely understand the correct way of beginning the diet and ensure the diet will work best for someone in your situation. Furthermore, you will want to address any potential medical problems that may result from beginning a Low Glycemic Index Diet to ensure that you will remain healthy while seeking to begin a better lifestyle.

Remember, the Low Glycemic Index Diet is not a typical diet. Instead it is a lifestyle change. Once you begin your trip down this road, you should strive to remain on the diet on a long term basis. If you are a diabetic, you may not be able to allow yourself binges on unhealthy foods without paying a costly penalty, so use this diet to your advantage in controlling your condition.

About The Author

Wesley Atkins is a fitness and nutrition coach. His website “The Low GI Diet Breakthrough” reveals his inside secrets, tips, and resources that allow his students to routinely lose up to 19 pounds in just 21 days. To claim your free report visit: http://www.lowgidietbreakthrough.com

Low Fat Weight Loss Diet Secrets

Although not as popular now as the more heavily publicized diets such as Atkins, South Beach and The GI diet, low fat diets still have a great deal to recommend them.

Although diets based on lowering the amounts of carbohydrates, recommend the intake of a variety of fatty foods, many dietitians have long been of the opinion that a low fat and high fiber diet is the best combination for weight loss and health.

There have been many diet books covering the low fat weight loss diet, such as the Rosemary Connelly Diet. This maintained that a very low level of fat together with an increased amount of dietary fiber, as in whole meal bread, pasta and brown rice, would aid weight loss and help you to maintain a satisfactory level.

Although a low fat weight loss diet is generally considered to be one of the more sensible diets, you should always consult your doctor before starting a new pattern of eating. One of the easiest ways to start a low fat diet is to cut down on the amount of fried foods that you eat. There are perfectly acceptable alternative ways of cooking most foods that are normally fried. An easy way to get a good start with a low fat weight loss diet is to buy a steamer. Lowering your intake of butter and margarine is another simple way to lower your intake of fat and help weight loss.

When cooking meat it is possible to remove some of the fat before you start cooking and if you also grill the meat instead of frying it, you have removed a substantial amount of fat and possibly helped towards your weight loss goals.

Cutting down on eating pastry is a good way to help weight loss. A good low fat weight loss diet can be a very healthy way to lose those extra pounds. Weight Loss Basics

Although there are an ever-growing number of diet books, plans and groups, many people just want to achieve weight loss by sensible healthy eating, rather than following a particular fad or fashion. Where do you start your weight loss program? Also, unless you are on a low carb weight loss diet, wholegrain foods such as pasta, whole grain bread and rice are usually accepted as being beneficial, both generally and for weight loss.

Lean meat and fish and also the occasional portion of oily fish such as salmon, are another group of foods that are usually thought to be beneficial to weight loss and general health.

There are, of course, many foods that are not generally recommended by dieticians as be effective for weight loss, such as refined sugar products and many fried and especially deep fried foods.

It is of course not just the food that you eat, but the way that you eat it that is thought to have an effect both on your health and your weight loss.

Download your free report entitled "Powerful Weight Loss Strategies" and discover how to lose weight naturally and easily. Also, be sure to download your bonus free report and discover how to get six pack abs quickly and easily.

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Low Fat Diet to Strengthen Immunity

The immune system is filled with protective cells called white blood cells. There are many and all work to kill bacteria, pathogens, eat harmful cells, and neutralize toxins including metabolic waste. Some even make antibodies. Our bodies must constantly regenerate and build new white blood cells, especially when harmful toxins enter.

If we want to truly defend ourselves, there are nutrients from foods that you certainly don’t want to miss out on. Eating healthy will keep your body ready to defend itself anytime the “bad guys” come to visit.

First of all, it is a good idea to know that white, refined sugar has an adverse effect on the immune system. It can literally stop your immune system from working. Junk foods and processed foods are not much better as they contain no natural nutrients that your body can use to make the white blood cells when needed. In addition, they are full of the harmful toxins that your immune system will want to defend you against.

Fresh Whole Vegetables are full of phytonutrients that your body uses to keep your immune system strong. These phytonutrients stimulate the release of enzymes within our bodies to protect cells and rebuild damaged cells. They also fight cancer. Our bodies come into contact with carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) every day. We also constantly make cells, and some rogue cells may reproduce themselves leading to damage or cancer of an organ. In many cases our bodies’ recognize and attack these out-of-control cells. Phytonutrients help our bodies do this and can also shut down pre-cancerous cells and neutralize carcinogens.

Veggies that are the strongest for immunity include; carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, kale, red and green peppers, broccoli and the dark leafy greens such as turnip greens, collard greens, spinach and romaine lettuce.

Fresh Whole Fruitsare also full of phytonutrients. They are immune building and natural detoxifiers of the body. Fruits are full of antioxidants and enzymes that protect our cells from damage. Many of the berries and red apples are high in flavinoids that protect us from heart disease.

Fruits for immune building include; pink and red grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, red apples, red grapes, bananas, cranberries, tomatoes, mangoes, tangerines, nectarines, peaches, oranges and watermelon.

Omega 3’s are healthy fats that have an immune building quality. They are anti-inflammatory and help prevent auto-immune disorders. They are needed in order for the body to absorb certain vitamins.

Foods containing Omega 3’s include; ground flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans and pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, salmon, mackerel, and herring.

Good Bacteria found in the intestinal lining, keep your immune system healthy. These healthy organisms stimulate the immune system, increase antibodies, and inhibit the absorption of pathogenic organisms such as e.coli and salmonella. Be sure that you and your children consume healthy, live bacteria especially at times of illness.

Foods containing good bacteria are; yogurt (check the label for live bacteria), and fermented foods such as homemade sauerkraut, miso and kifir.

Folate is essential for preventing damage to blood vessels and brain cells and ensures DNA integrity. The dark leafy greens are high in folate and include the following; spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard, turnip and collard greens, and kale.

Cindy Papp was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1992. She started cleansing in 1994 which lead to total recovery in 1998. She is free of the disease to date. Her experiences led her to manage a holisitic health center, become a Ceritified Nutritional Counselor, a Certified Colon Therapist and trained in massage therapy. She went on to own and operate a health center in the San Fernando Valley of California, specializing in total body cleansing, until she sold it 2004.

Cindy has put much of her expertise on cleansing on her website http://www.springclean-cleanse.com where you can learn more about the right way to cleanse, and how to choose the best cleanse for you.

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Low Fat Diets May Not Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

For years we've heard that to protect yourself from heart disease you should follow a "low fat" diet. Even many hospitals and health professionals still stick to this rule of low fat diets at the risk of omitting heart healthy foods. New research from the Women's Health Initiative dietary modification trial published in the February 8th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported their findings of an 8-year follow up study. One of the reports showed that postmenopausal women who followed a low fat (20% of calories from fat) diet did not have a lower risk of heart disease. This makes things confusing since we have been taught for years that low fat equals better heart health. The two go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. Before we all ditch the low fat model and rush to eat our favorite high fat fare there are a few more pieces to this puzzle to know.

This study did have some limitations. First of all, they were depending on self-reporting from the participants for an 8 year process. This of course leads room for discrepancies since we all eat on auto pilot most of the time. It would be hard to say you followed a strict low fat diet for 8 years without writing down what you ate every day. Also they didn't take into account other lifestyle factors such as exercise or stress management. All can contribute to the risk level of heart disease. Not only that, some of the authors disclosed they had their hands in the pharmaceutical cookie jar…another article for another time.

Limitations or no limitations the study still shows that postmenopausal women who likely were following a fairly low fat diet still were shown not to improve their heart health. This actually doesn't surprise me in the least. The old general low fat diet is no longer the most effective heart healthy diet. A matter of fact, some fats are shown to protect our heart.

So let's get down to the details. There are fats that are protective and fats that are shown to increase risk. Decreasing certain fats is still a good rule of thumb. These fats are saturated fats which are found in animal products, coconut and palm kernel oil. So sticking with lean meats such as poultry and fish, and choosing low fat dairy products is still a good choice. The second fat to decrease is Trans Fats which are found in many packaged convenience foods including certain margarines, crackers, and chips. Trans Fats are now located on the nutrition label under "Fats".

Now, just because a food is high in fat or all fat doesn't mean it will put us at risk of heart disease. For example fats found in nuts, olive oil, canola oil, avocados, flax seeds, and fish oils have been found to be protective for the heart by helping to lower cholesterol and decrease inflammation. This wouldn't go along with the old rule of the low fat diet. In fact, just last year one of the hospitals in my local area was still telling people they couldn't have natural peanut butter or avocados on their heart healthy diet. It's time to update those handouts with new research. This doesn't mean more is better either. There is a proper balance of adding healthy fats to the diet, around 30% of calories from fat.

A Heart Healthy diet is not just about the fats. There are all kinds of foods that you can add that help lower cholesterol and protect your heart by providing powerful antioxidants. For example, blueberries are one power player for heart health by providing antioxidants and research supports that it can lower cholesterol. All from a tiny, little, round fruit. Simply adding oatmeal every day or adding a little honey to your tea can help lower cholesterol. There are many foods we can add for heart health and they pack a serious punch.

The last thing to note on this study is that we are looking at a very general look into low fat diets. Unfortunately, one size doesn't fit all. One person may have family history of heart disease which may put them at greater risk. Another person may want to lose some weight along with lowering cholesterol. This person may need to follow a little lower fat than the other since fat does carry a lot of calories. Everyone is different and while general health guidelines are important, if you are someone who needs more detailed information then seek some help from a professional that can give you an individualized plan.

(c) 2006 Meri Raffetto

Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She specializes in weight management and offers online programs to help people reach their weight loss and health goals. Sign up for her free e-newsletter at http://www.reallivingnutrition.com

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Low Fat Diet May Improve Survival in Breast Cancer

A fairly stringent low-fat diet in women with early-stage breast cancer resulted in a very impressive 42% risk reduction in cancer recurrence or death in women with hormone receptor-negative tumors, according to the second follow-up data analysis from the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) presented at the December 2006 29th Annual Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Antonio.

The study was started in 1994 and is the first large scale randomized clinical trial which, so far, shows that dietary changes can strongly affect outcomes in women with breast cancer who also receive conventional treatment. The findings are very exciting, and are holding up through a second interim analysis, but plans call for three more years of follow-up to confirm the results. The next planned re-analysis of the data is scheduled towards the end of 2007. In addition, another confirmatory study is planned to start in early 2007 by the Canadian National Cancer Institute and other smaller studies are underway.

WINS was a multi-center trial involving almost 2500 women, ages 48 to 79, who were randomized either to a dietary intervention arm or a control group who ate their usual diet. The randomization was performed after patients underwent standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer. The intervention arm was closely directed by physicians and dieticians, and involved reducing fat consumption from about 57 grams per day in the regular diet control group to an average of 24 grams per day in the intervention arm. The intervention arm resulted in an average 6 pound weight loss after 5 years. Follow-up for this study is now approaching 6 years.

The recurrence and death rate amongst the entire group reached only borderline statistical significance with an approximate 15% risk reduction. However, among the 362 patients who had hormone receptor (estrogen and progesterone) negative breast cancer, the overall mortality was 6% in the intervention arm and 17% in the control group. Similarly, the combined death or recurrence rate was 9.8% in the intervention arm, compared to 24% in the control group. This represents a 42% risk reduction of recurrence or death.

Although the mechanism by which this occurs is not clear, the most likely reason is an effect on insulin, insulin-like growth factors and moderation of the inflammatory cascade. In other words, it is likely related to how sugars are processed and inflammation is handled by your body.

At this time, although confirmation of these results is pending, a motivated woman could consider following the WINS diet as published in J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 2004;104:551. It is not clear if partial benefit is derived from a low fat diet that is not quite as stringent as the one tested. Therefore, in order to approach the reported results, one has to be very committed to a very significant dietary modification.

If these results are confirmed in breast cancer, it is very tempting to speculate that this effect may be true in other cancers as well, especially hormonally related or mediated cancers like endometrial and ovarian cancer.

Steven A. Vasilev MD,MBA,FACOG,FACS is a fellowship trained and board certified gynecologic oncologist, which means he is specially trained and certified to take care of women with gynecologic cancers using a broad spectrum of skills. He has practiced at academic as well as private centers, has been on the faculty of three universities and continues to be involved in research and education. You can visit http://www.gyncancerdoctor.com to learn more about screening, prevention and treatment of gynecologic cancers. You can also visit a one-of-a-kind site devoted to life, love and intimacy after cancer http://www.cancervival.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Vasilev_MD

Weight Loss and Snacking - can they go together?

Snacking in itself is not bad for you, but it’s your choice of what food you eat to tide you over until your next meal that can be the baddie.

If you snack on junk food, that is usually full of unhealthy fat, you will be more likely to have a weight gain rather than a weight loss.

Here are 7 ways you can snack and not mess up your weight loss programme:

• Healthy Snacks, give them a fair try
• Keep away from Trans Fats
• Read the small print on the labels
• Energy Bars are not all they are cracked up to be
• You don’t have to have a snack just because the clock says it’s time
• High fat snacks ….. run a mile
• Ignore the TV ads that tempt you to eat unwisely

Healthy Snacks, Give Them A Try

If you must snack, go for the healthy alternatives. In the fridge or your lunch box have some ready prepared fruit and vegetables. You could peel a carrot, slice it up into bite size pieces and chew on it slowly. You will be amazed at how quickly this will satisfy you. And as mother used to tell you, ‘Eating carrots will help you see in the dark.’

Or have a nice crispy apple. Wash it but don’t peel it. Most of the goodness is in the skin.

Low fat biscuits can also help to keep you on track.

Have foods that are baked or grilled rather than fried.

Keep Away From Trans Fats

Trans Fats (bad fats) are the fats that raise your Cholesterol.

Cholesterol is the fat that clogs up your arteries, and as the blood is unable to flow smoothly, it can have the effect of giving you high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart problems or strokes.

Foods containing Trans Fats could be found in Microwave Snack foods. If you see ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ listed on the label, alarm bells should be ringing in your head.

Read The Small Print On The Labels

Get out your magnifying glass, be like Sherlock Holmes and play detective.

Study the labels on the food you buy. Forget about the adverts telling you how wonderful they are, rather check for yourself what’s in it.

What you are looking for is the Nutritional Value. The label should tell you:

• How many calories are in each portion?
• Grams of fat per portion
• Saturated Fat
• Trans Fat
• How much calcium is in each portion
• Protein
• Sugar
• Salt

Work out for yourself, how much salt you are eating each day. It has been found that we should not be eating more than 6 grams of salt each day. You may be shocked to find that you are having more than your daily recommended amount of salt in one meal, so you could be over your limit if you eat more than one meal a day.

Also if the label says it contains Trans Fat. Do yourself a big favour and put the packet/tin back on the shelf and your heart will thank you for it.

Be sure to check how the manufacturers work out what they consider a portion. Often their portions are for birds and I mean the feathered type.

Energy Bars Are Not All They Are Cracked Up To Be

Those bars that are said to be packed with energy and power, should be scrutinised for what’s in it.

It’s a common belief that sugar gives you energy. But too much sugar can mean you end up with higher blood sugar levels than your body can cope with.

Maybe the label tells you that the bar is low in Carbohydrates, that’s fine, but what it doesn’t tell you, is that it is also low in fibre and probably higher in fat.

Be afraid; be very afraid, if it tastes good … it’s likely to be loaded with sugar.

So ideally, the perfect energy bar for you should contain the following.

• At least 3 grams of Fibre
• At least 5 grams of Protein
• Lower amounts of fat
• No saturated fat
• And fewer than 20 grams of sugar.
• Low in salt

You Don’t Have To Have A Snack Just Because The Clock Says It Is Time

If you have got into the habit of having a snack at 11.00 in the morning and again at 3.00 pm, do you really need it?

Say you had a high protein breakfast or lunch you should manage to get through to your next meal without the need to snack.

Yet if you had a high carbohydrate meal (either breakfast or lunch) you probably will be peckish, so a snack will prevent you from going into starvation mode.

Why is a High Protein meal better than a High Carbohydrate one?

The High Protein meal will be digested more slowly, so filling you up gradually over several hours.

While the High Carbohydrate meal fills you up instantly, but you will be feeling hungry much sooner. As High Carbohydrates are normally full of Calories, then having a High Carbohydrate snack as well, thus taking in even more calories, that weight loss plan you have been following is now about to fly out the window.

So if the clock tells you it’s snack time, only have a snack if you are really hungry. Then have a High Protein snack, it’s much less Calories in it.

High Fat Snacks … Run A Mile

High Fat snacks can encourage you to overeat.

Pennsylvania State University Researchers did a test on some rats, they fed the rats a High Fat diet; this resulted in the rats overeating. The researchers compared these results with rats fed a Low Fat diet.

The conclusion the Researchers came to was that there is a Hormone that is secreted then sends a message to the brain saying, ‘Stop eating now, you’re full up’. But on a High Fat diet, this Hormone was suppressed, and so the rats just went on eating. .

Ignore The TV Ads That Tempt You To Eat Unwisely

While you are watching TV, especially during Prime Time, have you noticed the number of adverts for snack foods? And of course these snacks are made up of junk foods; high in fat and salt.

As we know, these advertisers are paying thousands of pounds to get their adverts put in these prime spots. So the TV viewer is suddenly convinced that they are in need of a snack. Sure enough, when next at the Supermarket, he/she will deliberately seek out that advertised product. The mentality is …… if it’s advertised on the TV it must be good.

The advertiser has won again. And you lose your weight loss goals.

About The Author

Eva Moffat has helped many people with their Weight Loss problems over the years. Now it is your turn to be helped. For more of Eva’s practical help, visit Eva’s Weight Loss Site http://eva-moffats-free-weight-loss-info.blogspot.com

The Big FAT Lie

Over two thirds of Americans are over weight, and half of them are considered obese. Most of the remaining third of Americans are concerned about becoming overweight! While we are obsessed with avoiding food that is high in fat, America has the dubious distinction of its population having the highest percentage of overweight people of any nation in the world! England is number two!

One of the most common and harmful misunderstandings is the misinformation (lie) that we are fat because we eat too much fat. Though eating excess fat can contribute, the primary culprit for excess body fat and many degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes is NOT eating foods high in fat, but eating too much carbohydrates and sugar, and especially in combination with fat, such as French Fries and corn or potato chips. People on a high carbohydrate and low fat diet tend to be more unhealthy, carry more excess body fat and don’t live as long.

Putting the Brakes to Your Metabolism!

What creates excess body fat, more than anything else, is a high RATIO of the carbohydrates to protein and fat, and especially certain types of carbohydrates that have a high conversion rate to fat. When the percentage of a meal (not just for the day) is higher in sugar or carbohydrates (a long chain of sugar molecules), much more of that food will be converted to fat instead of being burned as energy (calories). The effect of this is putting the brakes on your metabolism, which results in lower energy and greater storage of fat. Obviously, this is NOT what you want!

Plus this sets up a vicious cycle of over eating. Once the carbohydrates are converted to fat, you get a blood sugar drop, which makes you hungry for more carbohydrates. So you eat more to raise your blood sugar, and the whole vicious cycle repeats! Soon, you’ve gained weight, and feel even more like a failure.

According to the Glycemic Research Institute, many of the “fat-free” foods are much more fattening than they were before the fat was removed, because sugar has been added (and often disguised) to compensate for the low fat!

This is because carbohydrates and sugar, and especially certain carbohydrates, stimulate insulin production. Insulin directs your body to convert the food to fat and store it as fat instead of just burning it as energy. To measure this fat conversion and storage effect, foods are rated by what is called the glycemic index. The higher the index, the higher percentage of that food and the other foods eaten with it, will be converted to fat, regardless of the fat content of the food.

So for an example, eating high glycemic foods like baked potato, rice cakes, corn flakes or cooked oatmeal which are low in fat, is more fattening than eating a juicy beef steak or a bowl of ice cream!

High Fat Conversion Foods

These are some common foods with their glycemic index numbers, that are especially high on this index, and thus stimulate fat storage:

Common sugar (sucrose)—92

Macaroni and cheese—92

Potatoes (mashed—100; French fries—107; baked—121; potato chips—high)

Corn—78; pop corn—79; corn chips—105; corn flakes—119

Pizza—86

White rice—83; brown rice—79

White and wheat bread—101

Cold cereals (most). E.g. Life—94; Grapenuts—96; Cheerios—106; Total—109

Cooked cereals (e.g. Cream of Wheat—100, oatmeal—87 (steel cut is less)

Bananas—77

Most juices and all drink mixes and soft drinks (97)

Desserts (ice cream—87); donuts—108

Fat-free bottled “lite” dressings (due to added corn syrup and maltodextrins).

High fructose corn syrup—89

Maltodextrins—150 (added to many foods, but deceptively not counted as sugar!)

Did you notice that some of these foods are worse than pure sugar? It is wise to eat these foods sparingly. And when you do eat these foods, balance the glycemic index for the whole meal by eating low index foods with them.

Fat Burning Foods

Here are some of the foods that are rated as having a low glycemic index:

Fructose—32

Trutina Dulcem (a fruit sugar fifteen times sweeter than regular sugar)

“Super sugars” (glyconutrients)

Stevia—though not “approved” by the FDA as a sweetener, it is often used as such

High protein foods (e.g. fish, meat and eggs)

Most vegetables including sweet potatoes and yams

Beans—40

Salads—low

Avocado—low

Stone ground bread and sprouted grain—low

Barley—36

Rye—48

Most pastas—varies; spaghetti—59 (but very low nutritional value)

Berries—low

Cherries—32

Apples—54

Oranges—63

Peaches—60

Pears—53

Dairy products; whole milk—39 (there are other concerns mentioned previously)

Soy milk—43

Seeds and nuts—as low as 21 (peanuts)

Butter (in moderation—far superior to margarine)

Olive oil

Soy beans—25

Celery—very very low

There is one other huge advantage to using low glycemic foods besides weight control: longevity! According a study by T. Par entitled "Insulin Exposure and Aging Theory" in the Journal of Gerontology - 1997; 43:182-200, high insulin levels, which result from consuming high glycemic foods, promotes accelerated aging. Both calorie restriction and a low glycemic index diet appear to be important for longevity, BUT a diet of low glycemic foods is even more effective than calorie restriction for longevity.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the book entitled, "How to Cure and Prevent Any Disease," and is posted by Lori Wilton and Ray Gebauer. Lori and Ray are business partners. Ray has written numerous books, articles, and pamphlets on health concerns, personal development, and success. Lori Wilton is an independent wellness consultant who specializes in glyconutrient education and has overcome her own health challenges through the understanding and practice of good nutritional principles. She and her husband Bill are in church ministry in Oregon. Lori is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

To get your FREE report entitled, “The Ten Deadly Health Myths of the 21st Century” click here: www.living.well.myglycostore.com.

Fat Loss Lies - The Lie Behind Low Fat Foods

Many people try low fat or even no fat food, thinking that if they cut the fat out of their diet, they will naturally lose fat and pounds. A lot of diet plans are based on that idea and while it may be good for the bank accounts of the people who market these diets, the results of many who use these diets can be discouraging.

It is so disappointing when most of these people see their weight loss prayers go unanswered, because the fat doesn't dissolve, sometimes it even increases. And then you're left puzzled and thinking: "How can this be happening?"

What the manufacturers and advertisers of low fat or zero fat food don't tell you, is that our body turns a lot of other food groups into fat. For example, everybody knows that sugar is fattening, but sugar has no fat in it! How can it be fattening? That is the big lie behind low or zero fat foods.

The truth of the matter is that if we eat too much sugar at the wrong time, our body won't know what to do with it. This isn't only true for sugar, it is true for a lot of other foods as well. If you eat too much white bread or too much pasta, your body won't know what to do with all that either.

Once the body doesn't know what to do with the food we put into it, it turns it to fat. Why? Because the body believes that fat is security. Our body remembers the time when our ancestors lived in the wild and had to struggle to get food in order to survive. The more fat the body has, the longer it can go on without food. In our modern society we have no such fears, of course, but that's how the body acts. It's nature and there's nothing we can do about it.

What we can do is stop viewing low fat foods as the answer to our weight loss problems. It is not!

What we should do is follow a diet that lets us eat the right kind of fat with the right combination of carbs, protein and sugar at the right time of day. If we follow a diet like that, the fat and pounds will come off in no time.

To read more on a diet plan that combines the right kind of fat, carbs, proteins and sugar, click here: Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review

John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He is an advocate of safe dieting and fitness. He writes about a diet which is based on correct eating on this dedicated webpage. Read his review at: http://squidoo.com/fatloss4idiotsdiet

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Davenport

My Diet Secret For Fat Burning

I'm not a "low-carb guy" by any means, but I have found something that works wonders for fat loss. And it does involve cutting back on whole-grains.

Back in December, I substituted more fruits and vegetables for any whole-grains in my diet, and I was as lean as I've been in years with this approach. So if you're trying to lose fat and look better than ever this summer, try this approach.

Here are some easy changes to make.

a) Instead of having toast for breakfast, have an apple.

b) Usually have a side of rice at lunch? Have 1 cup of broccoli.

c) Typically have a bowl of cereal at night? Have an orange and an ounce of pecans (or walnuts or almonds), instead.

Think I'm out to lunch?

Check this study ...

(For science nerds like me, here's the reference: Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 85: 1465-1477, 2007.)

Woman on a low-fat diet that ate more fruits and vegetables lost more fat than another group of woman on only the low-fat diet.

After 1-year, the low-fat, fruits and vegetables group (LF-FV) lost more weight than another group of woman on the low-fat (LF) diet only.

Why?

The LF-FV group reported being less hungry, thanks to being able to eat more food than the LF group.

So you'll eat fewer calories if you are filling up on fruits and vegetables, while keeping un-necessary fat out of the diet.

And isn't the summer a great time to implement this program? With watermelon, berries, apples, and cherries all in great abundance, you can satisfy your sweet tooth naturally, while burning fat with the Turbulence Training fat loss workouts at home.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Craig's bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Ballantyne

Summer Diet Tips

Summertime means warm weather, outdoor barbeques and competing to wear the shortest shorts possible. Well, maybe only for the ladies. But, many body-conscious individuals find themselves dreading this season due to the fact that they gained a few pounds. While a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy weight are year-round goals one should strive for, it’s especially important to keep yourself hydrated and in good condition during these long summer months.

Why?

Well, for the first reason, unless you live in Antarctica, it’s hot outside! Being overweight and trying to do daily tasks can be extra hard on your heart when the thermometer’s pushing 95 degrees. When your body sweats, you lose water and a lot of sodium. It’s vital to keep hydrated and drink tons of water. Keep a bottle of water on your desk or even on your kitchen counter. You’ll drink it out of habit because it’s there, I promise! It’s also light years healthier than carbonated soda, which can deplete your body of calcium and loads on the calories.

How Not to Overheat:

If you must be outside during the hottest parts of the day (around 11am-3pm) then a good idea would be to slather on the sunscreen. Drink water consistently and try to get into air-conditioning at least a few minutes every hour. Scorching temperatures can give you heat exhaustion, or worse, heat stroke. Feel dizzy or your stomach hurts? These are the warning signs of heat exhaustion. Head indoors periodically to relieve your system from the sun.

Healthy Foods to Cool You Down:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Not only will they give you the Vitamin C you need and contribute to weight loss, they actually drop your body temperature. Lettuce, melons, celery and oranges have lots of water in them, which can pump up your hydration levels.

Reasons to Skip Fast Food:

Use this summer to really get in shape. By avoiding fried foods, did you know you can actually feel cooler than someone who downs McDonalds everyday? Grease has a heated thermal effect on your system, making you feel sluggish and groggy. Grab a salad with chicken for protein, which tricks your body into feeling fuller than if you scarfed down a mouthful of carbs.

Lose Weight:

A great hint to feeling cooler and having more energy throughout the summer is cutting the fat. Literally. Why not join a gym or even compare programs for diets? 6StarReviews.com is a source you can go to in finding an online diet suitable for your body and financial situation. They say one diet program, eDiets, gives their customers recipes formulated for specific diets, expert advice and weight loss journals. Stay healthy and don’t add to the 66.3% of Americans over the age of 20 who are currently overweight or obese. Your body will thank you.

Kelly Liyakasa is a staff writer for 6StarReviews.com. Kelly Staller is site manager at 6StarReviews.com, a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then Visit our site at 6StarReviews.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Liyakasa

Gastric Bypass Diet Tips

That’s why many patients who follow a gastric bypass diet, as a continual treatment method following their bariatric surgery, experience excellent weight loss results. In most cases, if the gastric bypass diet is followed strictly, patients will drop about 50% to 90% of their overall excess fat! The surgery itself and the following recovery months are tough, but they are also very likely to turn your life from “miserable” to “happy”. The rigors of the gastric bypass diet seem less severe when results start showing.

Weight loss diet

The gastric bypass surgery has medical risks but it is also threatened by the determination of the patient. While surgical problems are very rare and often just minor complications, the gastric bypass diet that follows is often the main problem. Smart eating after the operation is essential and it includes both the number of calories that are ingested every day and the actual amount of food. Malnutrition is often a risk with post surgery gastric bypass diet programs. Many patients simply give up the diet after a few months and the problems soon start to develop. Improper gastric bypass diet methods may lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, excessive sweating, nausea, hair loss and other similar problems.

How to follow the gastric bypass diet

The main element of your battle with excessive weight, after the bariatric surgery is over, refers to one single word: determination. The psychological strength you need after the surgery is essential, as you will have to follow a stricter life style and a more rigorous gastric bypass diet. Make sure your friends and family are supporting you 100% in your journey to eliminate excessive fat. You should also stick to the requirements of the gastric bypass diet, no matter how tempting some “minor” changes might look. Vitamin and mineral supplements are often a good addition to your post operative gastric bypass diet, but make sure to consult with your surgeon before taking them.

Find out more about weight loss and gastric bypass procedures by following the resources listed below:

Gastric Bypass Information
For updated news please visit our website Gastric Bypass Expert.

More resources from this author are available below: * Paper Shredder Expert

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Rad

How Jenny Lost 10 Pounds With A Low Fat Low Calorie Diet

Jenny was overweight. This person tried using Atkin's and two others that focused on eating food that was high in protein and not on carbohydrates but this did not seem to work.

Luckily, a friend who had the same problem before dropped by. Understanding Jenny's situation, this individual offered a different approach such as the low fat low calorie diet.

What is a low fat low calorie diet? This regimen requires the individual to limit the food intake of those that are high in fats and calories.

This diet is almost on the borderline of turning anyone into a vegetarian but the good news is, it doesn't. This means the individual will still be able to enjoy some of life's pleasures by merely cutting down the number of ounces in fish, poultry and meat being consumed.

A lot of vegetables will be eaten to replace the ounces of meat lost per serving but studies have shown this to be good because these have lowest numbers of calories. Since Jenny wasn't sure if this could work, this person decided to try it out for a month then see what happens.

This diet requires the person to eat more of the leafy green ones instead of anything else. This can be done 7 times a day or more in half-cup servings that can be changed to different vegetables per meal.

Aside from eating vegetables, the person will also have to cut down on fruit juices and soft drinks. This is because the artificial ingredients used in these products will just replace the fat that was lost in eating those green leaves.

Vegetables may not be that filling compared to eating a slab of meat. This is the reason it is safe to have a piece of fruit or some cheese as part of the snack.

One good plan is called the 1200-calorie diet plan. This involves eating meals and snacks from four to six time a day.

The reason why the person will eat these many times in a day is because of the small portions in each meal. Before eating, the individual will have to measure that it does not exceed 1200-calorie count. Should this happen, something else will have to be substituted in the meal.

People are advised to eat slowly to be able to let the brain register the satisfaction feelings. This should be accompanied by drinking lots of water daily as well as taking a multivitamin supplement to ensure the person gets the complete nutrients.

The individual will just have to be creative in preparing different meals composed of vegetables and some small amounts of meat daily.

Jenny lost 10 pounds after a month into the new program. This was the first time that this person ever lost anything after trying almost everything there was in the market. Feeling more could be shed, this continued for the succeeding month with better results than expected.

Almost a year later, Jenny who once weighed 200 pounds was now about 135 pounds. The entire wardrobe had to be changed since the clothes were too big to wear which made this person both happy and healthy.

The low fat low calorie diet that worked for Jenny may also work for those who need to lose weight. It is best to consult a doctor first before starting any dietary program.

For more weight losing tips, please visit http://www.burn-fat-lose-weight.info/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Lee

Is the new "High-Protein Low-Saturated Fat" Diet The Answer To Weight Loss?

The heated debate, within diet circles, that began a few years ago and continues today is over the effectiveness of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate, type diet versus its counterpart, the high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.

To the delight of the Atkins diet enthusiasts, recent studies have suggested that a diet high in protein and low in fat has a greater effect on diet induced thermogenesis than a high carbohydrate low fat diet.

Before we go further we need to familiarize you with a few terms we will be discussing in this article. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the total energy your body burns in a day. TDEE consists of 3 components: diet induced thermogenesis (DIT), basal metabolism, and physical activity.

DIT is the increase in the body’s temperature that is caused by the digestion and absorption of a meal. This rise in temperature results in calorie burning. Yes, we actually burn calories simply by eating and scientists have long believed that DIT may be a factor, in reducing obesity; and that obese people may have defective DITs - although this hasn’t been proven yet. Once scientists identify the link between DIT and obesity on a molecular level, it could essentially pave the way for the development of drugs in the treatment of obesity. That’s still however, in the future.

In a recent study at the University of Arizona, published by the American College of Nutrition, a group of young healthy women were given 2 sets of diets. (1) One diet was high in protein and low in fat and the other was high in carbohydrate and low in fat. Scientists were trying to compare the thermic effect (DIT) of protein versus carbohydrate during the digestion and absorption of meals. Keep in mind, as the body’s temperature increases (by DIT), so does the number of burned calories.

Evidence from this study showed that postprandial (following a meal) thermogenesis increased 100% more with the high-protein low-fat diet versus the high-carb low-fat diet. Although protein had a greater effect on DIT, the study did not evaluate weight loss or the long term effects of this type of diet. The results did suggest that this type of diet may have a positive effect on weight loss.

Scientists concluded that a diet high in protein, moderate in carbohydrate and low in fat contents may promote a higher rate of weight loss compared to the high carbohydrate, low fat diet. On the other hand, they also warn that high protein diets may affect kidney function in those that have kidney conditions, but not in healthy individuals.

Furthermore, they recommend daily protein intake should not exceed 2 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight. The American daily average is 1 gram per 1 kilogram. Further studies are required to assess the long term effects of high protein, low fat dieting.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that DIT or the thermic effect of a meal only represents 3-10% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). So we must keep things in perspective. Basal or resting metabolism accounts for up to 70% of TDEE and energy expenditure from exercise is responsible for the rest. Logic dictates, therefore that these two take precedence over DIT.

The other big influencing factor in weight loss is the reduction of daily food intake. Let’s look at the input/output equation: x (Input) – y (Output) = z. Daily output and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) are the same thing. If you ate fewer calories (x) than your body burned (y), z would have a negative value. If you consumed more calories than your body expended, z would be positive. A negative balance in the equation results in weight loss, a positive value causes weight gain. It’s that simple.

In the above study, the high protein low fat type diet involves 2 factors of Input: Food composition and food quantity. In this diet, food composition (food selection) consists of a certain combination of macronutrients (high protein, low fat). Food intake (Input) affects the DIT which causes a certain increase (energy expenditure) on the Output part of the equation. And, as food composition varies so does the DIT. Food composition, though, can only have a limited effect on DIT. Remember DIT only represents 3-10% of the TDEE (Output). And food composition (high-protein, low-fat), accounts for a percentage of DIT, which represents even a smaller value. Food quantity, on the other hand, can have a tremendous effect on the equation – as it increases, the balance becomes more positive. If it surpasses TDEE then you gain weight - quite independently of DIT.

As a result, there can be a downside with respect to DIT involving the high-protein low-fat diet or any diet for that matter. With this diet, as protein intake increases so does the DIT. The problem is, however, that the food quantity (Input) also increases. The point here is that there is a limit to the amount of protein you can ingest before your body starts storing it as fat. Because DIT doesn’t account for expending a lot of calories (3-10% of TDEE), and food composition (high-protein, low-fat) accounts for a percentage of DIT, there’s only so much protein you can ingest before you start getting a surplus of calories. And excess dietary protein just as excess carbohydrate or fat is stored as fat in the body’s adipose tissue. The only other factor that can compensate for the excess of protein intake is an increase in exercise participation. Although, that would defeat the purpose for obvious reasons.

Physical activity, however, can have a large effect on the Output part on TDEE (Output). Not only does it account for a much larger energy expenditure than DIT, countless of studies have shown that regular physical activity actually increases basal metabolism, which accounts for up to 70% of TDEE. As a result, regular exercise participation essentially has a compounding effect on the calorie burning process.

As we can see then, the bulk of weight loss and weight gain comes down to the quantity of calories ingested (Input) and calories burned (output). Furthermore, exercise and metabolism are responsible for approximately 90%-97% of TDEE. Energy expenditure from DIT is almost insignificant in comparison. DIT is just not effective enough to produce a negative caloric balance independently of total caloric intake, energy expenditure from exercise and basal metabolism - especially for most overweight individuals. And it would be unrealistic for overweight or obese people to rely exclusively on DIT to lose weight. These people are either overeating, aren’t active enough or have low basal metabolic rates - or a combination of all three factors.

So, it still looks like there’s no easy way out – you actually have to work, if you you’re going to lose weight. The easiest way to achieve that is with the efficient use of all Input and Output components. That also means you must know your priorities. Most of your efforts should be spent in finding an adequate balance between a reduction of total daily caloric intake and a sufficient level of physical activity. And emphasis on DIT should take on a secondary role.

But wait, before you put on your running shoes and begin another diet plan, you might want to hear some very interesting news. There are certain cultures around the world whose diets contain just as much fat and carbohydrate (if not more) as in the American diet. Yet they are slimmer, and have much fewer occurrences of heart disease and cancer than their American counterparts.

Recent studies have shown that people in certain Mediterranean regions and in France manage to stay healthier and are less obese than those in other western countries. Let’s look at the French first.

In a study by Adam Drewnowski of the University of Michigan, scientists examined the eating habits of 1,637 men and 1,576 women in America and compared them to those of 5,000 French adults. They studied their overall diets based on diversity (foods from 5 major food groups), variety (total number of foods consumed daily) and moderation (according to USDA dietary guidelines). (2)

The results were quite surprising. They found that the French ate more foods that were higher in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than their American counterparts. The study also showed that the French diet complied with very few of the USDA dietary recommendations for eating healthy. In addition, the findings showed that 99% of French women’s diets had saturated fat contents in excess of 10% of total daily calories. What’s shocking is that, on average, the French are thinner and have fewer occurrences of heart disease than Americans.

The possible harmful effects of the high fat content in the French diet, however, were offset by diet diversity and variety. Drewnowski pointed out that “the low fat approach is very good but not if it comes at the expense of dietary variety.”

The USDA recommends that diets should consist of a variety of foods. According to the American part of the study, just one in ten men and one in sixteen women consumed food from all five food groups (Meat, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and grains). The other thing is that the French have more active lifestyles than Americans do. Americans typically drive more, walk less and participate in more sedentary type of leisure activities.

Similarly, a Mediterranean diet study also showed that the diet was high in fat, more diverse and had greater variety than the American diet. According to research, certain Mediterranean people, particularly from the Greek island of Crete, had fewer cases of heart disease and were thinner than Americans.

The difference in this study, however, was a crucial finding that suggested food variety and diversity created a certain dietary ratio. This was a ratio between 2 types of fatty acids present in the Mediterranean diet. These fatty acids are found in plant sources and fall into 2 groups: The omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. You have probably heard of the multiple health benefits of these essential fatty acids many times before. They are called essential fatty acids (EFAs) because the body cannot produce them – they can only be obtained from food sources.

Although omega-6 fatty acids are essential to the diet, the omega-3 group has more significant therapeutic properties. Omega-3s contain powerful antioxidants that are known to fight against heart disease, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, improve mood disorders to name a few.

The other benefit of omega-3s according to research is that they also have an amazing ability to control body fat. Omega-3s control the quantity of adipose (fat) tissue by regulating the amount of fat that goes into fat cells and the amount that is burned up for energy. (3, 4) Omega-3s have also been shown to increase fat oxidation in the body - the process by which fat is broken down and used as fuel for energy. (4) This further promotes a reduction in body weight that consists of fat mass.

According to scientists the key factor in diet composition is that the French diet and more so the Mediterranean diet consist of higher intakes of foods containing omega-3s than the American diet. In other words their diets contain a better (lower) omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than the American diet. And that’s the key. One of the main reasons Americans have lower intakes of omega-3s is because of their high intake of processed food. Food processing is largely responsible for removing a lot of the omega-3 content from food.

On the other hand the French and Mediterranean diets are more abundant in whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. And so their intake of omega-3s is considerably higher. In addition, the people of Crete eat 10 times more fish (rich source of omega-3s) than Americans do. Other important sources of omega-3s in the Mediterranean diet were: fish, purslane (wild plant high in omega-3 content), walnuts, figs and various other unrefined carbohydrates. By the way, the most abundant source of omega-3s is found right here in North America, and that’s flax seed oil.

As we can see, two different cultures manage to stay healthier and slimmer than North Americans while eating foods that contain high fat, carbohydrate and protein contents. The key differences are that their diets contain more unrefined foods; they consist of foods from all food groups and have more variety. As a result they have higher intakes of omega-3s (lower omega-6: omega-3 ratio) than other Western cultures. In addition, both these groups of people are more physically active than Americans.

Now, you can put on those sneakers and walk (or jog) to the supermarket for a new supply of fresh wholesome food.

References:

1. http://www.jacn.org, “Postprandial Thermogenesis Is Increased 100% on a High-Protein, Low-Fat Diet versus a High-Carbohydrate, Low-Fat Diet in Healthy, Young Women, retrieved 10 June 2005 from http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/55

2. http://www.sciencedaily.com, “Healthy diets need fat, according to new study”, retrieved 22 June 2005 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980424031929.htm

3. Parrish et al. "Dietary fish oils limit adipose tissue hypertrophy in rats." Metabolism, Mar 1990, 39(3):217-9

4. Parrish et al. "Dietary fish oils modify adipocyte structure and function." J Cell Physiology, Sep 1991, 148(3)

5. Baillie RA, et al. "Coordinate induction of peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase and UCP-3 by dietary fish oil: a mechanism for decreased body fat deposition." Prostaglandins Leukot Essential Fatty Acids, May 1999, 60(5-6)

About The Author

John Tiniakos helps make weight loss easier through proven weight loss methods using information and analysis from the worlds leading scientists. To subscribe to his free monthly newsletter that includes valuable, up to date tips on diet, weight loss and health visit http://www.nulife-weightloss.com. For more information on his latest ebook “Nulife Natural Weight Loss Program” visit http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/natural.htm.

info@nulife-weightloss.com

A Healthy Diet Plan

Introduction

Free diet plan is based on balanced intake of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in different calorie count. Free diet plan stimulates your body burn the fat much easier, only by changing your daily calorie intake. Free diet plans are so common in society that many people have very restrictive ideas about what is healthy and natural in free diet plans eating. The best thing about free diet plan is that you burn the fat only.

Diet

Studies show that a lifestyle approach to nutrition, not a short term crash diet, is most likely to lead to permanent weight loss. You should consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Monitor your weight or the way your clothing fits on a weekly basis and add or take away calories from your current diet according to what has been happening with your body.

Plan

The Diet Planner is merely a pattern to show individuals an example of what can be eaten for a certain number of calories while dieting. Be sure and follow the information outlined in the Planner Information. The first rule when formulating a diet plan should be to count calories. Don’t pay attention to any free diet meal plans, grapefruit diet plan or loss weight fast anorexia tips you’ve read in the newspapers.

Health

Health & Fitness – Choosing a free diet program is a very difficult task. Healthy eating varies in response to your free diet plans hunger, emotions, schedule, and accessibility to free diet plans food. Healthy eating means leaving half your free diet plans dessert on your plate because you have recognized you are full and satisfied. Healthy eating means being able to eat when free diet plans and to continue eating until you are both physically and psychologically satisfied.

Calories

Try adding or subtracting 100-200 calories per day, and test that level for about a week before you make a decision. The rest of your daily calories can come from carbs. If you are willing to track calories, use a maintenance figure you know is accurate as a starting point, or multiply your body weight by 15 to get an approximation of your maintenance calorie level. *If you have 150-200 pounds to lose, you will need to add an additional 400 calories per day to your diet plan. Do NOT go below 1,200 calories per day or you may lose your hair, your muscles, and any chance of winning the Lotto. If you require a 1,500 calorie diet, simply add 150 more calories to your daily diet. The above calculations are based on average calorie intake of 2250 calories.

Conclusion

Highly effective people and free diet plans achievers always double up and do two things at once whenever possible. We're all in the same boat in the free diet plans beginning and free diet plans intermediate learning stages. So far, the best free diet plans book I've ever read on free diet plans for fat loss is Chris Aceto's "Everything You Need to Know About free diet plans. In addition, free diet plans also contain antioxidants and phytochemicals which have been shown to prevent cancer, heart disease, strokes, and other diseases. A recent study of 23 lean men and 23 obese men found little difference in the total number of free diet plans calories each group consumed. No more than 25 percent of your total free diet plans calories should come from fat, fewer than 10 percent from saturated fat, the most damaging form discussed in detail in the GHF free diet plans component.

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The Problems with Diet Pills

Diet pills have been popular for at least 30 years and there have been many different pills in that time. In looking at diet pills we can see that things have really changed with the way that diet pill makers have targeted fat loss. In just the last few years we have seen the following:

ECA Stack – A combination of ephedrine for energy, caffeine for energy and aspirin to stop the shakes ( how could this really be good for you

Ma Huang – and ephedrine substitute that was seen through fairly queickly but is not yet banned like ephedrine is.

Fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine – also known as phen phen was also banned by the FDA.

What do all of these diet pills have in common? They raise your metabolism to a ridiculous level and try to use this to lose weight. Although at the time these seemed to be a good idea of course they have all been linked to cardiac problems because of the way that they caused hypertension.

Now we see a new breed of diet pills on the market and these pills are a bit different. For one thing the new diet pills do not seem to try to raise hypertension levels but instead look at the way that you body works and how you look at food.

One of the stimuli that these new breed of pills try to help you is by stopping your from being hungry so that you do not binge. A good example of this is Hoodia. The only problem with Hoodia is that it is almost impossible to find because of the demand so most companies try to fake you out by putting such low levels in their pills that they will not help curb your food cravings at all.

The next kind of diet supplement would be something like green tea extracts. What green tea does is curb your appetite but more importantly it helps to naturally increase the rate that your body burns fat without raising your metabolism and causing dangerous hypertension.

In looking at the past and present of diet pills you can see that as the diet industry has matured you are now finding more and more types of products that are safer for you because the products are aiding your body in losing fat instead of the old way of diet pills just forcing you to burn fat.

I hoped this article has not scared you to much about diet products. Do you want to learn more about a proven, natural green tea weight loss product? My review of Avatrim can answer some questions.

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Summer Low Fat Diet Tips

Summertime means warm weather, outdoor barbeques and competing to wear the shortest shorts possible. Well, maybe only for the ladies. But, many body-conscious individuals find themselves dreading this season due to the fact that they gained a few pounds. While a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy weight are year-round goals one should strive for, it’s especially important to keep yourself hydrated and in good condition during these long summer months.

Why?

Well, for the first reason, unless you live in Antarctica, it’s hot outside! Being overweight and trying to do daily tasks can be extra hard on your heart when the thermometer’s pushing 95 degrees. When your body sweats, you lose water and a lot of sodium. It’s vital to keep hydrated and drink tons of water. Keep a bottle of water on your desk or even on your kitchen counter. You’ll drink it out of habit because it’s there, I promise! It’s also light years healthier than carbonated soda, which can deplete your body of calcium and loads on the calories.

How Not to Overheat:

If you must be outside during the hottest parts of the day (around 11am-3pm) then a good idea would be to slather on the sunscreen. Drink water consistently and try to get into air-conditioning at least a few minutes every hour. Scorching temperatures can give you heat exhaustion, or worse, heat stroke. Feel dizzy or your stomach hurts? These are the warning signs of heat exhaustion. Head indoors periodically to relieve your system from the sun.

Healthy Foods to Cool You Down:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Not only will they give you the Vitamin C you need and contribute to weight loss, they actually drop your body temperature. Lettuce, melons, celery and oranges have lots of water in them, which can pump up your hydration levels.

Reasons to Skip Fast Food:

Use this summer to really get in shape. By avoiding fried foods, did you know you can actually feel cooler than someone who downs McDonalds everyday? Grease has a heated thermal effect on your system, making you feel sluggish and groggy. Grab a salad with chicken for protein, which tricks your body into feeling fuller than if you scarfed down a mouthful of carbs.

Lose Weight:

A great hint to feeling cooler and having more energy throughout the summer is cutting the fat. Literally. Why not join a gym or even compare programs for diets? 6StarReviews.com is a source you can go to in finding an online diet suitable for your body and financial situation. They say one diet program, eDiets, gives their customers recipes formulated for specific diets, expert advice and weight loss journals. Stay healthy and don’t add to the 66.3% of Americans over the age of 20 who are currently overweight or obese. Your body will thank you.

Kelly Liyakasa is a staff writer for 6StarReviews.com. Kelly Staller is site manager at 6StarReviews.com, a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then Visit our site at 6StarReviews.com
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