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Category: Dieting

Dieting

How Intermittent Fasting Affects Your Gut

Because I’m so passionate about the health and nutrition of my clients, I love researching and trying the latest diet trends.

So I became curious as I observed the increasing hype about intermittent fasting (IF).

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Exactly what it sounds like, fasting for specifically allotted times, and the most common ways of practicing IF are the “5:2” or “16:8” methods.

In the 5:2 method, you fast for 2 different 24 hour periods over 7 days. The 16:8 method entails fasting for 16 hours every day and eating for an 8 hour window each day, e.g. 12pm-8pm.

Personally, I’ve been doing the 16:8 method for the past month and I’m loving it!

However, one person's anecdotal experience is only an opinion.

So as a mental health professional, I did further research to better understand how IF affects (my favorite topic!) gut health.

So let's look at the science and research findings...

The Gut As An Organ

As I share in almost every newsletter – which is backed by extensive research - the gut is an organ that influences many bodily functions including weight, immune strength, inflammation, energy levels, and metabolism. With 100 trillion bacteria, the gut keeps our bodies healthy… if we properly feed it through diet and lifestyle habits.

IF's Effect On The Gut

According to the National Institutes of Health, fasting helps the body use fat instead of glucose as a main source of energy. IF has also been shown to improve the bacterial (aka gut flora) composition, decrease the risk of obesity, and help maintain our natural circadian rhythms.

While your gut is also affected by other factors including stress, dietary/lifestyle choices, and exercise, IF can be a big contributor in healing your gut. A clinical study on overweight women showed that IF promoted weight loss, reduction in body circumference, and lowering cholesterol. A second study showed that IF helped lower blood pressure and blood sugar.

The good news: All of the above health improvements lead to a healthier gut!

How Should I Successfully Implement Intermittent Fasting?

Follow these suggestions so you can better acclimate to an IF lifestyle:

  1. Hydrate with water and unsweetened herbal teas.
  2. If following the 16:8 fasting method, brush your teeth right after dinner to avoid night eating.
  3. Eat more protein (ideally at least 30% of your calories per meal in protein).
  4. Avoid processed and sugary foods during non-fasting times and opt for healthier, whole food choices instead.
  5. During fasting periods, maintain a regular to mild exercise regimen to boost your energy.

As you have now learned, intermittent fasting delivers many benefits, including improving your gut health.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or support if you decide to try IF to enhance your gut and overall body health!

Break Free of Your Imperfections

In this video, discover how focusing on your imperfections can lead to your downfall.

We are our own biggest critics, but focusing on your imperfections, trying to change them using unnatural techniques or going to extremes are not healthy ways to fix the problem. To truly find out where the problem lies, first you have to look inward, at yourself.

Often obsession with the physical has to do with an internal struggle. Learning ways to improve yourself and own your imperfections are the best option. Watch my video today to see how I assumed responsibility for my imperfections to improve them, and learn how you can too!

The Vegan Diet: Fad or Fun?

The vegan diet is not a new concept--the roots of veganism can be traced back to ancient Indian and eastern Mediterranean societies, and the term "vegan" was coined in 1944 by the Vegan Society. However, the idea of a completely animal-product free diet has become increasingly popular within the last couple of decades, whether from a weigh loss or animal cruelty prevention standpoint. Vegetarianism and the Paleo Diet, both less extreme versions of the same idea, are prominent as well. But are these diets really healthy?

A vegan diet is based around the idea that all animal products must be cut from one's diet. While meat, cheese, milk, and eggs are all obvious foods to avoid, items such as mayonnaise, gelatin, honey, and whey also make the list. A diet based on fruits and vegetables can be very helpful for different people, but the large diet restrictions may be hiding possible health problems.

The major problem with restricting all animal products from your diet is the lack of nutrients the restriction can cause. Animal products are the only source of many nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and DHA. Concern over a vitamin D and calcium deficiency, low iron levels, and a lack of protein sources is well founded too. Yet, with research and knowledge about your body, these deficiencies can be managed and prevented.

A lack of vitamin B12 can cause general weakness, nerve problems, constipation, depression, and unhealthy weight loss. However, B12 supplements are available, and nutritional yeast (which tastes cheesy and is a great cheese substitute) is also loaded with B12. Both of these are great options to cut the risk of a deficiency.

DHA, the most active form of Omega-3 fatty acids, is primarily found in animal proteins. The plant form of Omega-3s (ALA) is inefficiently converted to DHA in the body, so Omega-3 supplements are necessary if no animal protein is consumed. Omega-3 supplements are fairly accessible and easy to find, so this is not a huge deterrent.

Vegan diets often use dairy substitutes, of which more and more are fortified with vitamin D and calcium. Besides dairy substitutes, calcium can be found in certain vegetables, nuts, and fortified fruit juices (usually orange juice). Vitamin D can be obtained from time in the sun, as well as most fortified foods. If all else fails, vitamin D and calcium supplements can be found very easily.

Lastly, iron deficiency and lack of protein can be a cause for concern as a vegan. Beans, green leafy vegetables, and fortified dairy substitutes all provide adequate iron in a diet. If these foods are incorporated daily, there is minimal risk for iron deficiency. As for protein sources, there are many unexpected vegan-friendly foods that contain decent levels of protein. Legumes; nuts and nut butters; tempeh and tofu; hemp; chia seeds; and chickpeas all surprisingly contain protein! If all else fails, hemp protein powders are great in shakes and oatmeal.

As with any healthy eating program, it seems veganism can be beneficial if done correctly. While the vegan diet does not seem to cut foods based on their weigh loss merits, the absence of animal products generally leads to lower bad cholesterol levels, less bad fats consumed, and less sugar ingested. However, knowledge of how to eat healthily in the absence of animal products is necessary to prevent unhealthy consequences based on a restrictive diet. If you are interested in veganism, make sure you have done your research and understand the changes needed to maintain proper nutrition.

As a side note, many vegan diets rely on soy products for protein and as a dairy substitute. While soy has been a great source of contention in the nutrition community, it is worth noting that the American Cancer Society deems it fairly harmless (although the suggested daily intake is less than 25 grams of soy protein). If you are interested in a vegan lifestyle, it seems that soy inclusion can be up to your personal preference.

Sources:

"Exploring the Vegan Fad: Healthy or Hurting." The Collegian. Kansas State University. 

"14 Best Vegan and Vegetarian Protein Sources." Health.com. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20718479,00.html

"5 Reasons Why Vegan Diets May Be a Bad Idea." RSS 20. 

"A Brief History of Veganism." Time.

What Not to Do When Losing Weight

Today, we will look at advice from WebMD about losing weight the right way. There are so many people who find themselves unable to lose weight because they chose a diet that was never designed to actually work for them. In an article written by Kathleen Zelman titled, “7 Things Never to Do to Lose Weight” she lists things to avoid actually reduce people’s chances of losing weight. A few of them are the following:

  • Starvation, Fasting, or very low carb diets
  • Supplements that make grand promises
  • Cleanses or Detox plans

When dieting, she encourages people to, “choose a diet that works best for your lifestyle. The best diet is the one you can stick with long-term. Use common sense, listen to your body, be mindful of what you eat, and pass on expensive, risky, and worthless weight loss schemes or products that are unproven.”

I encourage you to read through this article and keep these 7 tips in mind as you move forward toward your weight loss goals and desires. It is important to take care of your body as you lose weight and this article is a great way to do just that! I am excited to hear about your progress in the coming weeks and months!

Female Hormones and Weight Loss: The Top Four

Our bodies, both male and female, produce of many different types of hormones, which serve an array of functions. Yet, when it comes right down to it, Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone and HCG are the main ones we must address when it comes to female pubescent growth, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause and aging.

Estrogen is made in the adrenal glands, fatty tissue and the ovaries. Its primary functions are to promote breast growth in puberty, assist with the growth of the uterus lining in the beginning of the menstrual cycle and maintain bone strength by working with calcium, vitamin D and other minerals to prevent bone loss. Small amounts of estrogen are present within a man's body, also. (livestrong.com)

Progesterone is also produced in the ovaries and adrenal tissue. While estrogen is busy at work at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, progesterone performs in the second half of the cycle. After ovulation, progesterone prepares the lining of the uterus for the egg to be implanted. Production begins to wane in a woman's 40s, and after menopause. Low progesterone levels can cause symptoms such as irritability, mood swings, weight gain, depression, pain and osteoporosis. If progesterone is low, estrogen becomes the primary sex hormone, leading to what is termed "estrogen dominance."(livestrong.com)

Testosterone is considered a male hormone, but just as a small amount of estrogen is produced in men, a small amount of testosterone is produced in women. Testosterone is made by other hormones, DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) and DHEA-S (a type of DHEA), which are steroid hormones produced in the adrenal glands. Testosterone performs the same function in women as it does men, just to a lesser degree. It strengthens a woman's energy level, libido, bones, muscles and sexual responsiveness to stimulation. (livestrong.com)

HCG

HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) is produced in the cells that make up the placenta during pregnancy. It is this hormone that is detected in both blood and urine pregnancy tests. Upon conception, levels of hCG double every three days, but then level off after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The role of hCG in pregnancy is to maintain the production of progesterone, which warms the body and maintains the lining of the uterus in pregnancy. (livestrong.com)

So, as long as these hormones are being produced at appropriate levels and in perfect balance, all is well in terms of our growth, health, weight, menstrual cycles, pregnancies and the normal aging process. However, in today’s stressful society, combined with poor eating habits, lack of exercise and sleep, pollution, chemicals and constant stimulation from the environment (IE: cell phones, computers, television, noise, artificial light), our hormones are rebelling. Specifically, we are designed to eat foods in their natural state, to be active—not sedentary, to have time to rest and enjoy life.

Rather, we are living in an unnatural state, constantly being challenged by daily stressors. This causes a domino effect in our bodies to react in a ‘fight or flight’ mode, producing elevated levels of cortisol, which wreak havoc on our [female] hormone levels, metabolism, weight and sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being. To add insult to injury, we are consuming processed foods and meats infused with antibiotics and hormones—not meant for our systems to assimilate. It is no wonder we are living in an age of epidemic obesity, diabetes, depression, anxiety, severe PMS, heavy periods, infertility, heart disease, excessive bone loss and osteoporosis, as well as addictive disorders—as a means to cope.

This is why it is so very important for you as a woman and human being, to begin to become aware of what you put in your body, how much exercise and enjoyable activity you are getting and how much rest, for both body and mind, you are allowing yourself to have. Though it is challenging to make lifestyle changes, you must do so in order to feel good again.Your hormones can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Continuing to become overwhelmed and exhausted, is a primary reason for your health problems and why you have hormone imbalances.We were meant to have balance in our lives, but because we don’t, we are effected down to the cellular level. It is easier than you might think, to begin eating healthier foods, drink plenty of water, get your body moving, learn to decompress and to sleep well. You deserve to feel energetic, happy and at peace.

Stop Wasting Time: 9 Weight Loss Myths Debunked

It is not easy to lose weight. Not only is the process itself difficult, but it is compounded with an ever-increasing wealth of knowledge that can be as suspicious as it is confusing. The large and profitable fitness and health industries take advantage of the conflicting rules, diets, and regimens that proclaim weight loss, muscle gain, and that “perfect” physique. Aside from the so-called “miracle” pills and diets (see our previous posts), there abounds an incredible amount of myths, legends, and fairytales of weight loss “commandments” — and some of them are more than ineffective — they’re counter-effective.

Myth #1: Snacking between meals is a no-no

Dietitians recommend frequent, small meals throughout the day, as opposed to three bulk meals. This prevents you from eating too many calories at once. Frequent meals also prevent cravings for unhealthy foods, especially if snacks are made of more wholesome choices, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Myth #2: Avoid fast food

While fast food isn’t an ideal choice as a dietary staple, most restaurants offer a selection of healthier options for those who are conscious about their diet. Smaller portions are always available by choosing to eat less of a meal and salads or fruit can be found at nearly every fast food chain.

Myth #3: Carbs are bad

Carbohydrates are essential nutrients that provide energy for the human body. This is extremely important, especially for those who exercise because carbs fuel workouts. All carbs are not created equal — processed carbs are significantly less healthy than natural ones found in whole grains and fruits.

Myth #4: Calorie-torching superfoods

Foods cannot increase the burning of calories because they cannot affect metabolism. Dietitians recommend consuming foods high in fiber and water content instead. They will stay in your system longer, thus reducing hunger.

Myth #5: Constant exercise and dieting deters weight gain

The metabolism slows with age and the body is in a constant state of change. Exercise regimens and diet become stale over time — the body becomes acclimated to routine quickly. The only way to balance acclimation and metabolism changes is with a flexible diet and exercise routine.

Myth #6: Eat less and exercise more

For long-term results, this type of formula isn’t sustainable. While this may work for short-term results, it is much safer and effective to find a balance. Side note: if the goal is to build muscles, caloric intake should increase because building muscles requires more calories.

Myth #7: Realistic weight-loss goals

Research shows that more realistic goals can lead to less achievement. Conversely, when ambitious goals are set, people are more likely to attain them due to their difficulty. Reach for the stars — not the ceiling.

Myth #8: Check with your patient first

There is actually no need to consult with a patient to test readiness before they begin a fitness regimen. Studies show that, measurement of patient readiness has any indicator on weight loss success.

Myth #9: Sex burns a lot of calories

The 100-300 calorie estimate dates back to an old, and very small study. In fact, sex is not the calorie-torcher many would hope it to be. More recent studies estimate that sex burns an average of 14 calories instead.

The sheer volume of information available can make it difficult to decide which “facts” about weight loss are actually myths. While these myths claim to provide fast tips and hard facts to speed up and maintain weight loss, they end up becoming sources of frustration and disappointment when they don’t work as well as they claim — our outright backfire. It is true that some people may have medical/nutritional needs that make some of the above myths viable, but they are in no way the commandments of weight loss.

Sources:

The Grapefruit Diet: An Entire Diet Based On One Fruit?

Studies have shown that the Grapefruit Diet is not only unhealthy but dangerous!

The Grapefruit Diet (a.k.a. the Hollywood Diet), introduced during the 1930s, is one of the oldest fad diets. It's one of those fad diets (like all of them!) that are just too good to be true. Through a combination of fatty meat, grapefruits and grapefruit juice[2], the Grapefruit Diet allegedly burns fat at high rate. The diet also includes limiting grains, fruit and vegetables.  Sound risky? It is... Advocates of the diet claim that it's a "10 day, 10 pounds off diet," but studies have shown it's not only unhealthy, it's also dangerous[2]. Also, can you really picture yourself eating grapefruit all the time, every day of your life? It's just not a realistic regimen for most people.

At least we were able to retrieve a grain of truth from the hysteria. Research by the Scripps team found that obese people who added grapefruit to their diets were able to lose more weight[3] than those who didn't. It was discovered that grapefruit helped people manage their insulin levels, which is good news for diabetics looking for healthy food options. However, it is very important to note that the test group was on a well-balanced diet when they added grapefruit to their meals. They were not on the highly dubious no-vegetable, no-carb diet described above.  Which goes to show you that adding fruit to your diet can sometimes lead to pleasant, unexpected results, and that fad diets can never equal a healthy, balanced diet.

[1] Scott, Jennifer R. (2008-11-10). "What You Need to Know About The Mayo Clinic Diet". About.com: Weight Loss. About.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.

Diet Companies And What You Should Know About False Advertising

Diet Companies And What You Should Know About False Advertising

Deceptive advertising and weight loss products (unfortunately) go hand in hand. Many products include intentionally misleading testimonials and marketing methods to sell their products, when in truth their products may be dangerous or provide no benefit. Customers flock to products seeking simple solutions, only to find their investment wasted.

But there is hope as diet companies get caught and penalized by the government for their deceptive practices. 

Two such diet companies are Sensa and HGC Diet Direct. Sensa, you may recall, was a diet product comprised of “sprinkles” placed on to food to create feeling fuller after a meal and encouraging weight loss. As it turns out, the weight loss claims touted by the brand in their marketing tactics, as well as the before and after pictures, were not accurate, ultimately leading to a $26.5 million payout by Sensa to its customers.

Not all of these class action lawsuit settlements work in the customer’s favor, however, like in the case of HGC Diet Direct. HGC claimed to market a human hormone supplement that could aid in weight loss, which were later found to be unfounded and misleading. But unlike Sensa, HGC was unable to pay the settlement, causing the judgment to be suspended (and customers being left only with a thinner wallet).

Beware Of Weight Loss "Miracle" Products

False advertising methods are rather common with diet companies, and 99.9% of “miracle” products result in (at best) disappointment and smaller bank accounts and (at worst) bodily damage to their customers.

Is life full of miracles? Yes!

But as a trained health coach with over 14 years of experience, I can tell you there are no miracles when it comes to weight loss.

Your path to losing weight (and more importantly - keeping it off forever) is a realistic approach based on applying proven nutrition, fitness and healthy cooking strategies to live a healthy lifestyle.

Have you or anyone you know fallen prey to a weight loss scam? Please share!

Credits:

  1. "Weight-loss companies charged with false advertising." CNN. January 8, 2014.http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/08/health/weight-loss-companies-fraud/

2. "FTC Orders Weight Loss Companies to Pay $34M to Consumers." Top Class Actions. January 13, 2014. http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/12884-ftc-order…

Surfing The Internet To Lose Calories?

Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk
Get Fit And Sexy While Surfing The Internet

After our previous article on how to turn television time into a more stimulating exercise (either physically or mentally), I was inspired to write about how to make computer time more healthy and how to lose calories while sitting. Most people complain that they spent a lot of time chained to their desks and want to know how they can add some fitness to their workdays.

First of all, are you following the rules of healthy computer usage? For every hour you sit down in front of your computer or at your desk, you should spend five minutes stretching your legs, preferably walking outside while thinking calm, gentle thoughts. These exercises you can do at your desk may not seem like much, but that can already add up to 30 minutes of exercise a day or more, while making you more productive at work, since stretching and centering exercises reduce the number of careless mistakes made at work.

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Does Spicy Food Burn Fat?

Eat Hot Stuff. Become Hot Stuff. Nice!

My husband turned me on to spicy foods after we got married, and now I love turning on the heat!

But I Don’t Like Spicy Food!

If you don’t like spicy food, it may be just because you haven’t tried the right kind. Perhaps the spicy food you tried was far too spicy, or you tried to wash it down with water, which swirls the spiciness around your mouth and makes spicy food even hotter. If you would like to neutralize the spiciness, Isuggest that you eat your spicy dish with a glass of non-fat milk to lessen the sensation. If you still can’t take the heat, you can skip this article. But I warn you - you’re missing out on something delicious, not to mention something very potent for weight loss!

Hand Me The Chili Flakes Now

As you may have already guessed cayenne pepper will increase your core metabolism through the naturally occurring substance known as capsaicin. In an article by the New York Daily News, men who drank coffee and ate red pepper snacks for one day burned about 955 calories more than those who didn’t. The men in the study were given free reign to pick what food they wanted to eat, so this information may help food ‘grazers’ who absent-mindedly pick at foods.. That means you should go for the hot stuff first, or opt to add chili flakes to your food. A lot of dishes can be spiced up, especially dishes which are already tomato based.

How Many Pecks of Pickled Peppers (Did Peter Piper Pick)?

But the question is: how much spicy red pepper should you eat? In order to replicate the study and hopefully achieve similar results, you need to consume a lot of red pepper, namely about 19 grams of red peppers and 200 mg of caffeine [1]. That means a cup of coffee at every meal, something I don’t advocate, as the recommended daily limit is 300 mg of caffeine (two cups of coffee per day). What I can recommend is that you exchange the caffeine for the much safer option of green tea, which also has fat-burning benefits.

In another study published by a Japanese scientist in the eminent British Journal of Nutrition [2], the subjects were fed four different kinds of soup. One of these soups had a strong dose of red pepper and the others had weaker amounts of red pepper or placebos. It was discovered that those who ingested the soup with the strong dose of red pepper significantly lowered their fat intake – not to mention decreased their appetite!

How Do I Start?

You might want to start the hot food nights at your house by hosting Spanish-style tapas nights, where you can serve a variety of small Spanish appetizers that taste great with a lot of heat. Or try cooking an Asian fusion meal for dinner, which often requires spicy ingredients. Take it slow, and try to build up your tolerance over time. Is your mouth watering yet?
Hot Feedback Wanted

So did we light your fire? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Should You Drink Green Tea and Expect to Lose Weight?

Catechins In Green Tea Aids Weight Loss

The Japanese, particularly the ones who live on the island of Okinawa, are amongst the longest-living people in the world. One factor may be because of all the green tea they drink. Today I’m going to discuss green tea…that hot, steamy drink that is commonly served as ‘house tea’ with your sushi and now shows up in markets and bodegas in glass bottles and cans. A lot of people are aware that drinking green tea can help you lose weight, but I’d like to dish out the details so you know exactly how to utilize this weight loss tool for your body.

Green Tea’s Combo Attack on Fat

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How To “Sneak In” That Exercise

Jogging is a good form of exercise, but there are others too!

Exercise is essential to weight loss, health, happiness, strong bones, heart health and preventing disease, so it's time to find one that you enjoy. Don't wait any longer - get started TODAY!

Excuses

It's time to find the time to exercise. It may already feel like your day is too full with so many different things, but your body can't afford to skip exercise. I suggest making a list of all of the things that fill your day, and then numbering them from highest to lowest by priority. Surely something can be cut or at least reduced so you can try and squeeze in some activity. Exercise doesn't have to mean breaking a 60 minute sweat at the gym each day.  Start out with just 20 minutes a day 3 times per week, and increase from there. It can be during your lunch hour at work or early in the morning before anyone else in your household wakes up. Anything you start with is better than the absence of it, so just get your body moving!

Exercise Choices

Start by identifying what you like to do because exercise should be something you look forward to - it can be 20-30 minutes of your own time to think, listen to music, organize your thoughts. Do you like to walk, swim, dance, jog, do yoga, bike, watch videos, roller blade, ice skate, or play any sports? It can also be incorporated into things you probably already do, such as clean the house, walk up stairs, lift groceries, or walk around the mall. These are all different ways you can integrate exercise into your daily routine.  Just be sure that you put good energy into these chores and do them long enough to get a cardiovascular workout, which is a minimum of 20 minutes.

Hope you liked today's article! Tell me how you've started to get your body moving and your heart pumping!

Should the “3 Day Diet” See the Light of Day?

Avoid high sodium meat packed with preservatives

I make a point to keep abreast of every fad diet around, and I was alarmed to find yet another terrible diet is on the march: the 3-day diet [1]. This awful diet causes the person to eat small breakfasts and lunches, which is fine, but then tells you to consume a cup of ice cream or two beef franks along with dinner! The portions are just ridiculous, and it looks like anyone on this diet must want to starve during the daytime and then stuff him or herself at night. Which is not the point of a diet, especially with heart disease on the rise, since the last thing we need is more sodium from preserved meat such as beef franks.

The second biggest flaw in the 3-day diet is that it tells you to drink four glasses of water a day [1]. You need more water than that, and it's really too bad that water's role in successful dieting is often neglected. Water is one of the easiest ways to feel full without packing on the pounds - or even becoming sluggish and slow during your workday [2]. Water keeps your system running smoothly, helps prevent headaches and helps keep your kidneys running in tip-top shape, resulting in better fat-burning metabolism.

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What Fad Diet Supporters Don’t Tell You

Examine the psychological side of dieting

Healthy weight loss is the main topic on this blog, and though I always discuss the technical aspects I feel people should know, I think it's important to evaluate the psychological side too. Emotional eating or eating because of stress are often overlooked, but they are just as serious as the foods you choose to eat. As humans, we are wired to eat for survival. But there's a 15-minute delay between actually being full...and our minds reporting to us that we're already full, which is called your appestat. This means your appestat can create a hunger battle within your mind since it has a lag time between your mind and your stomach feeling full.  Today I'd like to discuss two salient points that I feel fad diet supporters have failed to tell you as they relate to the psychological side of dieting.

A Healthy Diet Is Not About Pain!

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The Zone Diet: Useless Jargon or Solid Weight Loss Plan?

Flipping through Dr. Sears' book, I was alarmed to see that the book was full of 'success stories' while not containing an ounce of independent research I could evaluate. WebMD's latest article on the Zone Diet seconds my concern about the validation of this diet’s success.

The American Heart Association Does Not Recommend The Zone Diet.

If you toss all the pricey meal plan books and glossy guides aside, The Zone Diet offers a relatively simple diet plan for you to follow - eat a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and whole grains, but in a rather strict and unwieldy 40-30-30 ratio[1]. Call me crazy, but I don't want to force my clients to work out their meal ratio to this absolute percentage. Nor did I agree with Sears' evaluation of 'brown rice' as a bad carbohydrate source, and his recommendation that we eat ice cream as it was a 'good fat', as ice cream is an undisputed source of saturated fat.

Some research online also revealed the story of Manuel Uribe, the most famous Zone Diet devotee who lost 400 lbs from his original weight of half a ton [2]. Read on, and you'll discover that the bed-ridden Uribe had a dedicated team of doctors planning his six carefully crafted meals. Is this an option for the average person? Not likely.

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The South Beach Diet: Sounds Compelling – But Does It Work?

The South Beach Diet is expensive to follow.

Despite how popular the South Beach Diet is, I would never recommend it to any of my clients who come in for nutrition consultations. In this article, I've compiled research on why the South Beach Diet is not a replacement for a healthy diet.

The South Beach Diet was developed by cardiologist Dr. Agatston in the 1980s as a strategy to help his patients reduce their risk of heart attack. The diet is based on the idea that good carbohydrates are those that score low on the glycemic index[2] and that the dieter could consequently 'kill' the hunger pangs that accompany high sugar intake. Though some of Dr. Agatston's ideology is sound, like introducing oily fish and nuts, the extreme phases of the diet, i.e. lack of solid exercise and lack of evidence-based research make this diet a poor choice overall.

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Fact: One Third of all Cancers Are Preventable!

Prevent cancer!

One in every eight deaths worldwide is due to cancer [1]. Most people know someone who has been affected: a friend, sibling, parent or distant relative. This post is all about the simple ways you can help prevent cancer from happening to you and your loved ones.

Genetic Markers

The first rule is to know your enemy. Having family members with a history of cancer put you at a higher risk. Investigate your family tree and list any and all genetic ailments you find, not just cancer, e.g. diabetes, hypertension, depression, high blood pressure, migraines, muscular dystrophy and congenital heart disease, which are also hereditary or at least influenced by genetics. Once you have this list, consult with your doctor about your personal risk. Some doctors may wish to sugarcoat it in order not to cause unnecessary worry; that’s fine, but you should ask him/her to be as realistic with you as possible.

Stop With The Tobacco

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The Atkins Diet: Eating Steak To Lose Weight?

The Atkins diet is a high protein diet that is harmful to the body.

As a nutritionist, it pains me to think that people keep subscribing to fad diets, which can greatly endanger your health and lead to the ballooning effect, i.e. when a person diets and then balloons back to his/her original weight weeks later. Plus, limiting your diet to only a few food groups can even harm your body. This has inspiredme to start a series to explain the real deal behind fad diets. Today, I’ll start with one of most popular fad diets: the Atkins diet.

The entire basis of  Atkins is that a low-carb diet allegedly puts humans into a state of fat-burning ketosis, which Dr. Atkins claimed could help people to burn 950 calories more per day. However, one of the world's leading medical journals, "The Lancet" conducted a study which concluded that there was no such metabolic advantage[1], and that dieters were just eating fewer calories out of boredom [2].

However, some people who start on the diet are greatly encouraged by the fact they suddenly lose 2-4 pounds in the first few weeks. Cause for celebration? No! The weight that dieters lose in those first few weeks is usually water weight. The extreme lack of carbohydrates results in depleting glycogen stores, which releases the reserve water locked in your body[3]. This is not fat, and you will gain it back.

There are several dangers that low-carb diets pose[2]:

- Cholesterol

Studies in 2009[2] have shown that dieters on low-carb diets actually increased their cholesterol levels, and since then twodeaths (by cardiac arrest) of dieters on such low-carb diets have been reported.

- MG, or Methylglyoxal is a glycotoxin that causes blood vessel and tissue damage. In a 2005 study (Beisswenger, et al.) it was shown that MG levels in Atkins dieters doubled shortly after the diet started.

- The Atkins diet is a high protein diet, and Wikipedia contains a harrowing story about such diets:

"High protein diets can cause the loss of calcium and a lowering in urinary citrate levels, which may lead to osteoporosis and kidney stones (Ornish,2004). Ketone bodies are excreted in urine with cations to neutralize the charge, so the body is losing essential cation minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which in one case led to the death of a sixteen-year-old girl. She died from ventricular fibrillation arrest two weeks after starting a high protein-low carbohydrate diet. During resuscitation attempts she had hypokalemia (lower than normal amount of potassium in the blood) and also hypocalcemia (lower than normal amount of calcium in the blood)[14] Ornish also wrote that the Atkins diet leads to constipation in 70% of the subjects, 65% had halitosis (bad breath due to exhaled ketones), 54% were experiencing headaches, and 10% reported hearing loss.[14]"

So how does the Atkins Diet compare to a simple reduced calorie diet? According to the New England Journal of Medicine[3], two groups of obese people were tested. One group was on Atkins, and the other was on a reduced calorie diet. The obese group on Atkins showed slightly better weight loss on the low-carb diet after six months, but there was no longer any difference during the 12 months. The verdict? Don't buy into the hype. Once you stop the Atkins diet, with its limiting and exhausting food restrictions, you'll gain those pounds right back.

[1] The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9437, Pages 897 - 899, 4 September 2004

How To Get Rid of Belly Fat

Time to lose that belly fat!

"I will lose weight" is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions in the world. It's also the one resolution most of us fail to keep.

Despite the odds, and what the scale may tell you, you are capable of losing that weight! Fat is only a temporary part of you, and you can lose it. In this post I'd like to dispel some weight loss myths as well as give you some essential tips and tricks so you can finally lose that belly flab.

Abandon Hype All Ye Who Come Here

[Read more...] about How To Get Rid of Belly Fat

Maintaining Your Diet at the Buffet Table

Buffet tables make you forget you're on a diet.

If everyone carried little comic thought bubbles above their heads near buffets, I wouldn’t be surprised to find these statements inside them.

“I didn’t eat lunch. That means more room for buffet dinner!”
“I’m on a diet – I guess I’ll eat salad with all that dressing first.”
“They might run out – let me get a big plate!”
“I’ll only eat the expensive stuff. Haha.”
“Oh good, buffet. I’ll diet tomorrow!”

It does seem rather unfair that you need to take 5,000 steps to burn through a single hot dog. Just think of what gorging yourself at the buffet table will do to your diet. Burning off what you ate at the buffet table will take many more times that – it could take hours upon hours of exercise. But how do you maintain your diet faced with a feast of epic proportions?

Slices of Genius

[Read more...] about Maintaining Your Diet at the Buffet Table
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