Low-carb / High-protein Diets

Low-carb / High-protein Diets by Eric Schmidt

Some of the more popular diets out there today come in the form of low-carb. There are multiple approaches to why they say this works, from the idea that it’s easier to gain weight from carbohydrate calories than from protein and fat calories to the idea that eating fewer carbs will promote weight loss due to the fact that unbalancing your diet will cause an increase in your metabolism.

Your body doesn’t need carbohydrates for fuel, it can survive solely on protein and fat if necessary, but your brain can’t, the brain requires carbohydrates, it has no way of using protein or fat energy, which is enough reason for many people to avoid low-carb diets.

Low-carbohydrate diets also promote ketosis, when weight loss occurs, fats and proteins are used by your body to create energy, when the body has a lack of carbohydrates it can’t properly break down the fats into fatty acids for fuel which produces ketone bodies, causing ketosis. Ketosis sounds bad but it really isn’t, however one of the side effects of ketosis can be bad breath, caused by acetones (one of the bodies from ketosis) being expunged through your breath.

As I mentioned earlier one of the benefits claimed by the promoters of low-carb diets is that unbalancing your diet will increase your metabolism, this simply is not true. Other than short term bursts from drugs, the only way to raise your metabolism is through exercise.

The American Heart Association has plenty to say on low-carb diets, including the Atkins, the Zone, Sugar Buster, and the Stillman diet. Robert H. Eckel, M.D., chairman of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee had this to say, “They put people at risk for heart disease and we’re really concerned about this”. “These diets will raise the… bad cholesterol and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly heart attacks.”

Judith Stern, professor of nutrition and internal medicine at the University of California, Davis said this on the subject, “You want my response to Atkins saying that his diet can lower your cholesterol and do all sorts of good things for your heart, you know what my response is? Bull!”

Yes, LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) does usually drop as people lose weight from low-carb diets, however, that is due to the weight loss itself, NOT the manner in which it was lost. Plus, it has been shown that if people continue on this diet as a weight sustainer after the weight is lost, “Many people’s LDL goes up if they remain on the diet…” said Eckel.

Plus, the nutrition committee of the American Heart Association issued a science advisory warning about high-protein diets, they stated:

• Such diets may produce short-term weight loss due to dehydration.

• Weight loss may also occur through caloric restriction resulting from the fact that the diets can be relatively unpalatable.

• These diets often restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients.

• Individuals who follow these diets are at potential risk of cardiac, renal, bone and liver abnormalities overall.

• Any improvement in blood cholesterol levels and insulin management would be due to weight loss, not the change in your food.

• A very high protein diet is especially risky for patients with diabetes because it can speed the progression of diabetic kidney disease.

7 Quick And Easy Teen Weight Loss Tips

7 Quick And Easy Teen Weight Loss Tips

Are you looking for some quick and easy teen weight loss tips? Then you’ve come to the right spot! These positive weight loss tips will get your overweight teen off that couch, away from the computer and on his or her way to a happier, healthier life!

One of the biggest contributing factors to being overweight as a teen has to do with a sedentary lifestyle. There’s so much entertainment geared towards sitting in front of a screen that kids tend to do just that. What motivation does your teen have to leave the screens behind and get some exercise? The key to these teen weight loss tips is to make exercise fun!

Teen weight loss tip #1: Does your teen like to spend time at the mall? Teach them the art of window shopping – fast window shopping! Take your teen to the mall early in the morning and join the mall walkers. As you walk at a brisk pace, your teen can check out all the store windows. This can even serve as a fashion education for you, Mom or Dad!

Teen weight loss tip #2: Racquetball! Many physical activities help a person work off a bad mood, but racquetball allows your teen to pummel a bad mood! Teenagers are not lacking in emotional ups and downs. This ramped up tennis-like sport can really work off stress and calories at the same time. Check out your local parks and recreational facilities for free courts and go purchase a couple of cheap racquets and balls for you and your teen.

Teen weight loss tip #3: Let’s go fly a kite! Kites can actually become a pretty cool hobby that offers exercise as well. Find a big field free of trees and go run some kites. This might be something a group of your teens friends will find fun and challenging as they learn to do tricks with their kites. Hey, maybe they’ll start a new trend!

Teen weight loss tip #4: Bring your teen to the gym with you. Most fitness clubs offer use of their entire facilities for teenagers. If this is something in your budget, it can be a great way to help your teen make exercise a part of their lives. There are so many options for working out at a gym that your teen is bound to find an activity they love. They might even be encouraged by observing healthy people at work on their bodies.

Teen weight loss tip #5: Become running (or walking) buddies! Going for a run or brisk walk in the morning with your teen not only benefits your child, but you as well. So set those alarm clocks a little earlier and hit the road. I haven’t met many teenagers that love to jump out of bed in the morning, so you may have to use a little bribery. It takes three weeks to make something a habit, good or bad. Tell them if they run with you for three weeks, you’ll buy them that new video game they’ve been wanting. Hey, I know, bribery isn’t the best parenting method, but break the rule for something this important! You’re giving your child a chance to form an exercise habit that they just might keep for a lifetime!

Teen weight loss tip #6: Golf. What? Tiger Woods is in fantastic shape! Alright, so I realize that golf isn’t as ramped up as the rest of these tips, but walking an 18-hole course over two hours burns more calories than you might think. Couple that with carrying a golf bag and you’ve got a pretty decent activity! Obviously, you need to leave the golf cart behind. Besides, if your overweight child is less of the athletic type and more of the book worm, intellectual type, he or she will probably enjoy a skilled sport such as golf.

Teen weight loss tip #7: Exercise classes. If you don’t belong to a gym, our local community center or parks and rec organizations might offer classes for your teen to explore other areas of exercise. Perhaps your teen just hasn’t found something they like. There are so many forms of exercise out there that the possibilities are endless: yoga, Pilates, Yogalates, kick-boxing, karate, Kung Fu, hip-hop…

The best teen weight loss tip I can give you is to just get your teen moving. Be a positive influence for your teen and get moving with them!

Various Types Of Vegetables And Fruits That Can Be Placed On A Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet

Various Types Of Vegetables And Fruits That Can Be Placed On A Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet 
by Muna wa Wanjiru

A vegetarian weight loss diet can help you to see the changes that you can make to the way that you eat and live. While you are looking at the different vegetables and fruits which can be used in a vegetarian diet you should look to the best ways of preparing these items.

You will find that planning a vegetarian weight loss diet is not one that will be boring. There are a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, spices and condiments that you can use in your diet to make them more interesting.

Also if you are serious about losing weight by going through with a vegetarian weight loss diet then you should see if there is any way that you can reduce or change the way that certain dressings and fillings are made.

You will find there are various types of vegetables and fruits that can be placed on a vegetarian weight loss diet. These different vegetables all contribute to the way that your health and metabolism can change for the better.

While being on a vegetarian diet does mean that you will be eating more green vegetables and leafy greens you don’t have to worry about losing sight of some of your favorite meats.

By looking at the various ideas about what is considered as the right quantities of vegetables you can control the way that these foods interact in your meal. This is one of the main aspects that you should look into with a vegetarian weight loss diet.

To this end your best source of cooking and preparing information can be found in various recipe books. These recipe books can be ones that you find in book stores and also online. From all of these you will be able to look at vegetarian foods from lots of different countries.

You may want to see good, healthy vegetarian weight loss diets which you can get from various countries. With all of this information and that of the nutritional value that you can get from different vegetables you will have the foundations for building good eating habits that can last you through your lifetime.

In your vegetarian weight loss diet you can see about changing various foods that are added to make your meal. For instance you can see how sautéed foods taste with a minimum of oils. The addition of raw and blanched vegetables will provide an interesting contrast to your meals.

By looking at all of these different ways to have good food you maximize your health status. A vegetarian weight loss diet coupled with vigorous exercise will provide you with the energy and new lease on life that you have been craving.

Dieting With Pills Yields Positive Results

Dieting With Pills Yields Positive Results by Jim Mackey

Who could have predicted that we would spend billions of dollars each year on diet pills? Yes, billions. These tiny little capsules, powders, juices and patches, that we are so certain provide the absolute cure for a thin, slender body, rake in substantial amounts of money each year and have very little regulation. They are as varied as diets on the market and provide everything from fat burning and weight loss, to increased energy, sex drive, more youthful skin, metabolism boosters and appetite suppression

The most recent breakout on the diet pill scene is Alli. It's a first, as it's the only one available without a prescription stamped with an FDA approval. It's the lesser-dose sister of Xenical, a prescription diet pill that's only available from your doctor for obese individuals. Those taking Xenical, must have physician clearance and be committed to a diet low in calories and fat. Xenical and Alli both use the active ingredient Orlistat.

If you'll remember, Orlistat was the popular food additive in the 90s that was linked with serious bowel problems. The WOW! brand potato chips being the most popular of those products. Many diet pills have side effects, many due to the high doses of caffeine they contain, like racing heart, nausea and the jitters. Alli and Xenical have side effects like uncontrolled gas, urination and bowel movements. This is preventable when you stick to the recommended diet guidelines.

Alli and Xenical, unlike many diet pills, are not solely responsible for weight loss. Both require you stick to a low-fat, low-calorie diet. When you manage what you're eating, Alli and Xenical can help you shed about 50% more weight than when you're solely following a diet. How does that work? The active ingredient Orlistat makes it so that the body is not able to digest about a 25% of the fat you're eating. Blocking the absorption of these fats makes it possible to lose weight. And since you're already eating a low-fat diet, 75% that gets through is a much smaller number.

If you've ever visited a Web site for a diet pill, they usually look like giant tabloid advertisements and typically leave visitors with more questions than they do answers. The Alli site is quite different- once again sticking out as a clear leader in the diet pill industry. The Alli Web site offers journals, calorie counters, meal planners and grocery lists and a community to converse with other Alli users.

Alli seems to be the most reliable diet pill on the market. It's managed to stay fairly clear of the usual controversy and has the FDA approval, which none of its competitors can claim.With all of the yo-yo approvals for Ephedra and Ephedrine and the questionable "certified" Hoodia floating around- people should definitely question any supplement they're thinking about using

Green Tea Can Help You To Lose Weight

Green Tea Can Help You To Lose Weight.

In recent studies, drinking green tea on a daily basis has pointed to help weight-loss. Now it doesn't mean you drink lot of glasses of green tea a day, you will lose weight by the end of the day. It does not work like that. Burning fat and losing weight takes a many of factors to achieving your goals. These factors include your daily work out routine, eating, sleeping patterns, and so forth. All these factors come together, but within this article I'll recite you how green tea can be advantageous towards your weight-loss goals and as well tell you why it should be included in your diet.

If you're a big tea drinker like myself, you should know that green tea has more fat and caloric burning characteristics. With these characteristics, green tea contains the favorable compounds: Theanine, Catechins, Flavonoids, and Tannins. All of which contain anti-oxidant and medicinal attributes. These anti-oxidant attributes are able to prevent certain cancers. Green tea also contains epigallocatechin gallate (ECCG). You may have seen the abbreviation ECCG on some bottled products, and if you've been wondering what it is...Basically ECCG has been known to act as an appetite suppressant. which it will help you crave less for certain foods you desire most and help you lose weight at the same time. The consumption of green tea will also speed up your metabolic rate for burning calories. Green tea is also known to burn a certain harmful fat called visceral fat which is linked to diabetes.

There's also a group of polyphenols called Catechins that green tea extract contains. The ingesting of Catechins will help lower body fat and also decrease cholesterol levels. In scientific studies, it's been researched that the consumption of green tea will actually prevent from fat cells enlarging and multiplying. Thus, another reason why you should drink green tea. And as another weight-loss benefit, one cup of green tea usually only contains about four calories and is a great alternative to coffee as green tea also contains caffeine. From time to time, try to slow down on the coffee intake and replace it with a cup of tea. A cup of green tea will have more healthy benefits from consumption compared to coffee. As coffee will contain an unnecessary amount of sugars and calories that will only slow down your progression of losing weight.

As you've read, green tea has proven itself to have help to weight-loss and as well as a couple other health benefits.

Diabetic Diet Plan - Manage Diabetes with Diet

Diabetic Diet Plan - Manage Diabetes with Diet by: Dr John Anne

If some is suffering from diabetes, it means that his body cannot produce insulin in normal fashion. As a result, it increases the glucose level in the blood. Switching to healthy diabetic diet plan can be of help at this time. Planning for an appropriate diet is a crucial part of your treatment journey, because it can manage the level of glucose in your blood.

Sensible selections of food along with healthy and disciplined lifestyle are the two key success points of diabetic treatment. A healthy diabetic diet plan must include six essential factors such as restricting consumption for sweet products, frequent eating, attentive towards carbohydrate consumption, consume plenty amount of whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, eating low-fat products, restriction in alcohol consumption.

Diabetic Diet
If you are having diabetes, it doesn't mean that you should start eating special foods or depend on only strict diabetic diet plan. In most of the case, it is simply switching to a variety of foods in moderate amounts but following a fixed timing.

You should not follow a complicated diabetic diet plan, rather your diet should comprise with a wise selection of nutrients and low in calorie and fatty contents. There are two essential factors that you must not forget while preparing your diet plan. One is eating foods at regular time every day and the second point is the selection of healthy food in right amounts.

Carbohydrate counting is a crucial part for healthy diet plan, especially if you are on insulin medication. In fact, fat and protein counting is not as important as carbohydrate counting is. But that doesn't mean you should not be careful enough about the fat or protein intake. High calorie and high fat always increase the risk of various health complications including cardiac problems, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Diabetic Diet and Sweets Consumption
The fact says if you are suffering from diabetes, all your near and dear ones continuously warn you not to have sweets in your diet. Contrary to popular belief, scientific studies confirmed that sweets may not produce any harm if it can be used in a balanced amount in the meal plan. Although, different sweets affect blood sugar level in a varied fashion, but the total carbohydrate count matters the most. If you consider a small amount of sweets in your overall diabetic diet plan, it will not harm your health.

Vegetarian Diet
Some people believe that switching to a vegetarian diet may cure their diabetes problem, but it is not totally correct. Well, it can be managed well with vegetarian diet compared to a non-vegetarian one. In that sense, vegetarian diet can be a wise inclusion to diabetic diet plan.
There is no hard-and-fast rule for preparing a vegetarian diet plan. Vegan diet is the austere form of vegetarian diet. Vegans typically do not feed themselves on any sort of animal products such as dairy and egg. However, other vegetarians can eat these products.

An austere vegan diet comprises of almost no-cholesterol content in it. It also contains low saturated fat. It is mostly prepared with a generous selection of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. These food products are essentially high in fiber. Typically, a vegetarian diet offers lesser calories than non-vegetarian one. So it is beneficial for diabetic patients.

Vegetarian diet is an effective choice in diabetic diet plan because of its weight loss ability which significantly benefits people with type-II diabetes. Some scientific studies confirmed that vegetarian diet can make the body more receptive to insulin.

Vegetarian diet can not cure diabetes, but of course it can alleviate various diabetes-related symptoms including cardiovascular disease and kidney problems. But, obviously this is profoundly dependent on the selection of food.

If you have diabetes and you are planning to change your diet to a vegetarian one, you should consult your dietician. The dietician can guide you for the best selection of diabetic diet plan suitable to your health system

How Diet Affects Your Skin

How Diet Affects Your Skin by Franchis

If you want a healthy skin, it is important fo ryou to have a healthy diet- a diet which contains adequate amount of vitamins, minerals and proteins. Balance is the key word. Diet should supply all the nutrients needed to build health, namely, protein, carbohydrates, fats, essential fatty acids and all the essential vitamins and minerals. Choose foods with plenty of B vitamins like B-2 and B-3. Multivitamins are nutritional supplements subject to continued debate surrounding their efficacy. Most doctors agree the best way to get these value nutrients into your body is through food, which is good news, because the cost of vitamins can add up over time.These foods convert calories into energy for metabolism and are components of enzymes that maintain normal skin function. Vitamin C works by reducing the damage caused by free radicals, a harmful byproduct of sunlight, smoke, and pollution. Fish contains oils that will help nourish your skin. This diet includes fish options at lunch and dinner to add luster and softness to your complexion.

Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Not only are they full of the vitamins your skin needs, they'll have the side effect of helping you feel better and possibly lose weight in the process. This diet includes plenty of dark orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash) and dark green (broccoli, spinach, kale) vegetables -- all of which are high in vitamin A. Zinc is for boosting the immune system and promoting optimum health.

Don't be surprised that even at your age, whatever it is, that you still aren't sure what type of skin you have. Sometimes it can be oily; sometimes it feels completely dehydrated, and yet moisturizers seem too oily even for your dehydrated skin. By putting your skin on a diet, it will help your skin revert back to its natural state, so you will be able to detect what its real type is, and what its needs are, helping you find suitable products that will work for you.

Healthy Skin Diet Tips

1. Vitamin B1 aids skin health by helping to keep the circulation normal.

2. Ground flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-three fatty acids, which promote good skin health. This meal plan adds flaxseed to your breakfast cereal for a healthy start to your day.

3. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine deficiency can result in dermatitis or eczema.

4. Vitamin E helps promote great skin, which is why this diet includes nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds -- which are high in vitamin E -- as snacks.

5. Eating fish can also be very beneficial to your complexion. The oils in fish will actually help to feed moisture to your skin. It is suggested that at least one meal per day include some type of fish, either fresh or canned. Even canned tuna qualifies in this department!

6. Don’t forget dairy products, especially milk, and make sure to include vegetable oils in your diet along with yogurts. Always avoid junk food as much as possible.

7. Water. As if you couldn't guess! Water flushes the toxins in your body out so icky stuff doesn't get stored inside - and start showing itself on the outside. We love water. Water loves us. It should be turned into some kind of song.If you are worried about your skin and you think that changing your diet might help, then you should talk to a doctor or dietician, who will be able to help you make the right choices.

Super Fast Weight Loss - Lose Weight Without Hunger

Super Fast Weight Loss - Lose Weight Without Hunger by Jim Keayes

You know the problem with most diets and weight loss plans?
Either the food is totally bland and boring or the hunger is so intense that you just can't bear it, so you give in and fall off the wagon… again!

So how many diets have you been on and how many have you fallen off?
Probably lots… right?
Maybe you even followed through on some of them, lost a bunch of weight but then felt safe to return to your old eating patterns (cause they're so much fun) and then slowly but surely… back came the weight.

Why do you think that is?
Why is it that after we finish a weight loss drive we almost always end up back in the same old rut… over-eating and packing on the weight.

I've watched friends of mine blow off 100 pounds or more, one of them fast and the other over the course of about 2 ½ years.
Guess what?
They've both packed that weight back on again… one of them even more that the hundred pounds that was lost.

Can you imagine how disheartening that must be? I haven't asked because I don't want to embarrass them, but I can imagine.You know what? These aren't bad people. These aren't people who suddenly one day said: "I think I'll get fat today". No! It happened gradually. And when they lost the weight it was a real effort of discipline to stay on the plan.And after they lost that 100 pounds they felt safe and powerful… as though they had licked the problem.But they hadn't licked it at all. It was still lurking just around the corner waiting to pounce.It's called carbohydrate addiction… and once you get it you don't get over it for many years. It's very patient waiting for a moment of weakness to strike and set you back on that old negative binging treadmill again.But don't give up hope just yet… there is a way!You got the carbohydrate addiction because you have been eating the North American Fast Food diet, rich in processed carbs and sugar and pop. This diet continually spikes your blood sugar, multiple times a day for years, and eventually your system can no longer absorb the blood sugar into your muscles, so it lays it down as fat.As long as you're eating those high GI carbs you don't have a chance. But if you can stop for as little as 5 days you can have this thing licked.

If you can overcome the carbohydrate cravings then you can lose weight permanently… and if you go on a program that avoids those high GI foods you won't fall back into the bingeing trap.

The Chocolate Diet

The Chocolate Diet BY Cristina Vazquez

You've heard of the South Beach Diet, the Hollywood Diet, and of course, the Atkins Diet. Well, I'm starting my own new diet. It's called the Chocolate Diet. The kind of diet where you can lose weight and still eat chocolate every day.

Diets that don't include chocolate don't work. Slip up once with a candy bar and your diet is out the window. Cutting cocoa is not rational. If you give up chocolate, you might as well give up your diet. Depriving yourself of this delight can cause you to leave your diet all together. Why give up chocolate, anyway? It's good for you! Yes, I said it. It's good for you. Research suggests dark chocolate, rich in anti-oxidants, may lower bad cholesterol. And don’t forget about its mood lifting properties-- you can practically call it an anti-depressant.

So how does the Chocolate Diet work? 2 ounces of dark chocolate per day. That's 100 calories, folks. Will that alone cause you to lose weight? I like to tell myself that, but no. But it will add a little sanity to your pain-staking regimen of exercise and calorie counting. It can help you actually keep your diet if your diet consists of chocolate every day, right?

So if you're going on a diet, don't exclude chocolate from it. Go on the Chocolate Diet. Exercise, eat sensibly, and eat chocolate every day.

Egg Grapefruit Diet

Egg Grapefruit Diet by MATTHEW CORGAN

This new diet is the egg grapefruit diet. For a healthy breakfast eating one hard boiled egg with a half grapefruit without sugar will reduce calories that would be eaten from bacon or sausage. In this diet you can drink Fat free milk or 1% milk. Absolutely no whole milk. Orange juice or cranberry juice is another alternative.

Hashbrowns are fine to eat in this diet because it is smaller portions. Apple cider or apple cider vinegar are another possible addition to this diet. Diets should be followed by day and meal. If you don't plan it will be easier to give up on the diet. That is one of the downfalls of this diet that many people give up less than a week into it.

Many people can't try this diet because they don't have enough time to organize a meal like this with their busy schedules. It takes time and effort like any other diet. It is borderline a fad diet because it requires too much planning and celebrities are endorsing the idea.

But this diet is not balanced and is missing a lot of carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins. People have lost steady weight with this diet and it is very appetizing. It is slowly gaining popularity in the Northeast as of summer 07'. The Grapefruit diet originated in South Carolina and was changed to the Egg Grapefruit diet as it spread north.

Plan meals carefully and this diet should be easy and good luck for those trying the diet.