More than Just Lines on a Map: Best Practices for U.S Bike Routes
Which is the best way to lose weight?
1. WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO
Lose Weight?
THE TOP DIETS EXPLAINED FOR AN INFORMED DIET CHOICE
STEVE SYMES
Medical Publisher
IPPTS Associates
steve@ipptsassociates.co.uk
http://ipptsassociates.co.uk
2. WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE
WEIGHT?
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided a Diet 10
"as is". The author, publishers and marketers
of this information disclaim any loss or 6. Eating to Feel Full 12
liability, either directly or indirectly as a
consequence of applying the information 7. What is the Acai Diet? 13
presented herein, or in regard to the use and
application of said information. No guarantee 8. Is Dieting Really the Answer? 15
is given, either expressed or implied, in
regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or 9. The Basic Paleo Diet 17
acceptability of the information.
10. Why Diets May be Dangerous 19
11. The HCG Diet Explained 21
12. Who Needs a Gluten Free Diet? 23
Which is the Best Way to 13. Why the Vegan Diet is Considered Strict
Lose Weight? 25
14. Low Carb Diet – Safe or Not? 26
Table of Contents 15. Pros and Cons of the High Protein Diet 28
Introduction 2 16. How about a Diet for Diabetics? 30
2. How to Choose from the Diet Plan Muddle Conclusion 32
4
3. What is Your Goal in Dieting? 6
4. Are Diets Healthy or Harmful? 8
5. The Mediterranean Diet – a Diet that is Not
2
3. best for you.
That is why we have written this ebook for
you – to make it easy for you to find the best
Introduction way to lose weight for your body and lifestyle
preferences.
So, which is the best way to lose weight?
This ebook is a complete answer to your task.
Read it carefully and you WILL have the
answer.
So, read on and you will find out:
1. How to Choose from the Diet Plan Maze:
Yes. There is such an awe inspiring selection
these days that it has become a maze which
takes care to navigate through. Read this
and find out how to recognize a good diet
plan from the mediocre, and the hyped-up
scams.
Unfortunately, I have to tell you that there is 2. What goal is in Dieting? Know yourself and
no single best way to lose weight. People put define your goal in some detail and you will
on the pounds for a wide range of reasons, get more enjoyment from your successes
and their body make-up also varies. In be much more likely to stick to the diet
addition to that, the actions which people will you choose.
be willing to take also varies enormously
between individuals. Where one person may 3. Are Diets Healthy or Harmful? Be able to
be willing to start a diet plan which requires a quickly assess which diets are good for
big change to their eating habits, and keep to you and which might actually be harmful.
it, others will drop out and fail a system which
would otherwise have achieved great results 4. Learn that the often quoted
for them. For those people a less demanding "Mediterranean Diet" is not really a "single
diet plan and maybe less rapid results might diet", but as the diets of the Mediterranean
be better. countries vary so much, is more to do with
healthy diets from that part of the world, and
With this in mind we hope that you will how you decide which the best ones are.
appreciate that in the quest for the best way
for YOU to lose weight, there really is no
alternative to carry out some research and
reading about the best and most popular
weight loss plans and diets around, before
you decide on the one which you think will be
3
4. this in our chapter on the HCG diets
available.
11. Some people are suffering from a specific
sensitivity to many of the foods we eat, but
don't even realize it. Could this be
you? Read: "Who Needs a Gluten Free
Diet?" and you'll know.
5. "Eating to Feel Full" is a chapter which
gets to the root cause why people so often
fail in their dieting. Don't miss reading this
one!
6. Find out about the ever popular Acai Diet,
and the advantages of his amazing food
7. But, wait a minute! Stop and think while 12. The Vegan diet was one of the first of
reading this chapter: "Is Dieting Really the many, and has many devotees. It is not an
Answer?". This is where we get you to judge easy diest to keep to, and that's why we
upon your real aims in the quest for a recommend you read the chapter about "Why
slimmer you. the Vegan Diet is Considered Strict".
8. We explain the Basic Paleo Diet and how 13. Learn about the popular "Low Carb Diet"
people are going back in time to find their and whether it is really safe or not, and strip
weight loss solution. away any confusion in your mind caused by
conflicting stories you read about low
9. Now, despite our earnest wish to help you carb diets.
in your search for weight loss, we want to
be quite clear that care is needed when 14. Once you have read the previous chapter,
dieting, so we have written this chapter on you will want to learn the Pros and Cons of
"Why Diets May be Dangerous". the High Protein Diet, which is covered in
that chapter.
10. The HCG Diet recently burst on the
scene as a brand new concept. Surely, by 15. Finally, last but not least, learn about
using a hormone which would make us fell diets for diabetics.
less hungry the problem of hunger leads us to
cheat on our diets would be a thing of the 2. How to Choose from the Diet Plan
past? Find out what we really think about
4
5. Muddle confusing. But here is one piece of good
advice:
Many people worldwide jump on the
bandwagon of trying to look as slim and Do not fall prey to aggressive advertising
beautiful as their favorite celebs. They worry of a diet plan
about a few inches on their waist or hips and
try diet after diet to make themselves It is one thing discovering the need to lose
slimmer. Even more people are actually very weight and to get back into shape and
obese or overweight and do occasionally try entirely different thing to have a clear
to diet to correct their problem, but often with knowledge of how to begin and where to turn
dismal lack of success. Then there are the to. There are myriad plans to confuse a
people who are always on the lookout for a layman and he often goes by the popularity of
magic pill or a diet that will make them slim a diet plan or the recommendation of a friend
overnight or in a short time period. Naturally or a relative who has already made use of a
enough, they too usually meet with failure. diet plan. There are far too many confusing
voices pulling the mind of a person in
different directions. There are the
advertisements of magic pills and a magic
fruit doing it all for you with all you are
required to do is to pop them once a day to
stay slim and trim.
Do not make the mistake made by
thousands before you
There are thousands if not millions, of people
who have paid and then felt dejected as they
could not find the right path through the maze
of calorie counting and all the related advice
that has become customary with all the diet
A lot of companies capitalize on the desire of plans sold on the internet these days. People
the people to get back into shape to look slim feel cheated as they did exactly what they
and sexy like those Hollywood celebrities. were required to do by their respective diet
The internet is full of diet plans that make plans. They counted the calories, restricted
ridiculous claims to allure people to buy them. the food items, and even exercised in the way
It is indeed a tough job to make sense of a and manner in which they were asked in their
diet plan unless you happen to be a doctor or diet plan. Yet they could not achieve the
a nutritionist as many plans use medical weight loss goals they had in their minds
jargon. If you are overweight and interested in when they invested in the plan.
diet plans you may have become
overwhelmed as to just which diet plan you No single diet plan can work for all people
should undertake. When there is so much
choice the situation becomes even more
5
6. It is a good idea to have someone
knowledgeable become your mentor and
guide you through the maze of diet plans.
This is because your mentor will understand
where you stand and where you want to be at
the end of the diet plan. He will also know
your body and its needs and requirements
and will recommend a diet plan that is tailor
made to work for you. If you are obese this
mentor should be a healthcare practitioner.
A doctor will be able to guide you to the best
diet plan for your needs while keeping a
check on your overall health to ensure that
the diet does not have any ill-effects on your
body.
One thing that people fail to appreciate is that 3. What is Your Goal in Dieting?
all of them are unique as they have different
genetic makeup and dispositions towards
food items. There are a lot of people suffering
from various medical conditions. Imagine a Most people would simply say that their goal
person suffering from high blood pressure or in dieting was to lose weight, but when you
diabetes expecting to lose weight in the same look at the specifics there are often many
way as a normal healthy individual. It is a fact different types and degrees of goals in
that nearly all diet plans are made by dieting. Some people just want to lose
nutritionists keeping in mind the requirements enough weight to fit into their favorite dress or
of normal people and it would be foolhardy to for a special occasion such as a wedding.
expect same results in all individuals. Others diet so that they will feel more
energetic. Still others want to find a diet so
The promises made by diet plans make us that they can look prettier or show their
excited initially and we readily do things as muscles more.
we are directed. But soon the initial euphoria
is over and the user finds the counting of
calories and the restrictive food list bit too
much to follow. If the results are visible, it is
bearable but it is when the user finds that
despite his best efforts, he is not shedding
extra fat that he becomes desperate.
Get a mentor
6
7. goals. There are many bodybuilding
champions and gym experts trying to teach
people about the efficacy of their diet plan. It
becomes a dilemma as one finds more diet
plans for weight loss than he needs. Different
people have different expectations from their
diet plans. However, whatever the reason for
starting a particular diet is, the fact remains
that people expect their plans to be super fast
and efficient. They want to get visible results
in a short time period.
A large proportion of the population seems to
be in search for that best diet plan that will
make them healthy and fit. We are living in
times when we have little time for anything,
including the diet that we want because it will
work miracles for us. So busy are our lives
that we seem to hardly find some time for
workouts and exercise. In a scenario like this,
going to bed late at night and rushing to office
in the morning along with having a poor diet
makes matters worse for us.
It is heartening to see the increasing health
and dieting awareness among people. They
are motivated to lose fat and to get back into
shape. More and more people are waking up
to the dangers of poor diet coupled with
social drinking and smoking. If you are one of
the millions of people who have made up
their minds to get into action by sticking to a
good diet tailor made for your requirements,
you must at least have the goals of your diet
clearly spelt out in your mind. It is easy to fall in the nets of internet
marketers and buy a diet plan just because it
The Internet is a treasure house full of diet seems to be in all places and because it is
plans described as the number one diet plan in
recent times. But you must keep in mind that
The Internet has emerged as the best source no diet plan is perfect and can meet the
for those looking for various diet plans based requirements of all people. Thus there is no
upon their age, gender, and weight loss
7
8. perfect diet plan for all people as they have In general, diets are for three main objectives;
differences in their genetic makeup and to gain weight and build muscle, to lose
genetic predispositions. The different bodies weight or to maintain or improve the weight
have different reactions to food items. There you have achieved. No diet needs to be
is difference in the way people feel after adhered to 100% all the time. You can alter a
having consumed them. diet to suit your specific needs by adding or
taking away certain food items or amounts.
Match the plan to your own specific goals This can more easily be done once you have
established the actual reason and goal of the
You must decide on a particular diet plan only diet for you personally.
after taking a good look at your requirements
and then matching them to the objectives of 4. Are Diets Healthy or Harmful?
the diet. There can be a yawning gap
between what a plan can do for you and what While the word diet usually refers to the
you actually want to accomplish. A diet can combination of foods that we eat normally, it
drastically change depending upon your final has also come to mean a certain regimen of
goal which is why you must have a clear food that contains restriction of certain food
vision of your goal. groups in order to aid weight loss. Many
people follow various diets in order to lose
Do you want to have a great body that weight, while a few too thin people diet in
looks stunning in swimwear? order to gain weight.
Do you want to look and feel confident?
Do you want to get a cure for an ailment?
Do you want to adopt a diet in order to
improve your performance in a sport?
Do you want to lose weight and fat?
Do you want to gain weight?
Do you want to have a muscular body?
Do you want a combination of any of these
goals?
These are some goals that are general in
nature. One can also have very specific goals
in mind like reducing their waistline by 3-4
inches, losing 25 pounds of weight,
increasing the chest by 5 inches, and so on.
Some people might even expect their diet to
be able to reduce cholesterol levels for them Dieting is not new and people have been
while there are some who take up a diet to using this way to control the intake of certain
stay away from cardiovascular disease. food items for ages. But the craze for
reducing one’s weight to look more attractive
You can have a plan customized to suit and sexy has become a passion and this
your objectives rage has given birth to dozens of different
8
9. diets that claim to produce fast results. can consume. What many dieters fail to
However, it is a fact that not all diets are realize is that the body needs a minimum
suitable for all individuals. A more important number of calories every day to keep
question is whether all of these diets are performing in an optimal fashion. This
healthy or not. This is being discussed in minimum intake of calories for an adult man
forums and dieticians and nutritionists are is around 2250 calories while it is 1940
being asked regularly. Let us find out the calories for adult women. This difference of
truth. 300 calories between a man and a woman is
due to differences in their metabolism and
We are all aware of the importance of the also because of the differences in their body
food we eat for our body. Various food items makeup.
provide the vitamins and minerals required by
the body to keep functioning. Food items also Diets force bodies to accept changes in
provide our bodies with energy and protein to calorific intake in a drastic fashion
grow and survive. When we start a diet, we
are often depriving our body of essential The problem with nearly all the diets on the
nutrients. In the initial stages of dieting our internet (and also those that are being sold
body does not get the fuel it needs for through books offline) is that they force the
survival which makes it draw energy from the body of an individual to accept drastic
stored fat but in the later stages, there can be changes in the calorific intake and the types
a breakdown of the body’s own muscles of foods that are allowed to be consumed.
causing lots of problems. This may seem normal, but actually this
induces headaches, nausea, and a feeling
Even the diet considered best may not be that something is wrong somewhere. Most
healthy for your body people in their excitement of trying to reach
their goal forget about the basic needs of
With the passage of time, the desire to be in their body.
shape and to look attractive and young has
become stronger than ever before. It is this In many cases while a person may be using
desire that has given birth to new and the help of a diet to get back into shape
innovative ways to lose weight fast. People thinking he is obese and needs to diet, the
use them to be able to wear one size smaller real culprit is his total lack of exercise. In
dresses. How a dieting method becomes other cases, only minor changes need to be
most successful and ‘the best ever’ is made in the diet of a person to let him lose
something that is very intriguing indeed. But weight and get back into shape. In their
the fact of the matter is that today one can desire to earn more, people have become so
find dozens of different diets all promising to busy that they have forgotten that their bodies
be the most effective and to produce visible need a little bit of exercise. And when it
results in the shortest possible time. comes to exercise one is not asked to run a
marathon or do 100 sit-ups. Cycling to work
One simple fact behind all dieting plans is and walking to take the kids to school are
that they make the metabolism of the body simple exercises that can keep a person in
faster so that it burns more calories than it great shape.
9
10. So if you are looking for a diet that will not
make you unhealthy, keep away from fad
diets and choose sensible eating habits that
limit the amount of sugar and fats you have.
In this way you won’t be at risk from an
unhealthy diet.
5. The Mediterranean Diet – a Diet
that is Not a Diet
The Mediterranean diet has attracted more
attention recently. Many diets are popular
with people for their ability to keep the dieters
healthy and in good shape and one such diet
is the Mediterranean Diet, a diet that is
traditional for the people of Southern Europe.
People in countries such as France, Greece,
Italy, and so on eat this diet, though in reality
it is not the same in each country. Nor can it
be said to be a diet in the strictest sense of
the word.
It is really the fact that people living along the
coast of the Mediterranean have long and
healthy lives has made people take notice of
this way of eating. It is also a fact that people
living in Mediterranean countries have much
less incidence of ailments like cancer and
heart diseases.
There is no Mediterranean diet per se
To be precise, there is no single
Mediterranean diet as Greeks eat foods that
are different from those consumed by the
people in Italy. The cuisine of France and
Spain is also different. But there seems to be
a common thing connecting the foods of
these Mediterranean countries. All the
recipes have an emphasis on fruits, olive oil,
beans, nuts and whole grains. The use of
herbs to give flavor to recipes is another
10
11. major characteristic. These people eat fish by experts about the diet. It has been found
and seafood once or twice a week. They also to be a balanced diet promoting good health
seem to enjoy dairy and poultry products and keeping weight under control, apart from
while they have red meats, wines and sweets reducing the risks of several diseases.
only on special occasions. However, it would be wrong to attribute all the
health benefits to the Mediterranean diet
It was Dr. Ancel Keys who popularized the alone as there is a clear difference between
Mediterranean diet in the 70’s though it was the lifestyles of the people living along the
not until 1990’s that people all over the world Mediterranean coast and those living on the
realized the potential of this diet. It could be American continent. In fact, the
used to lose weight and to live a healthy life. Mediterranean diet has been described by
Olive oil, one of the major ingredients in the some as more of a lifestyle that makes good
Mediterranean diet, is known to lower the taste meet good health.
blood sugar and cholesterol levels, thereby
helping patients who suffer from What is amazing is that different countries
hypertension. The people of the along the Mediterranean enjoy different diets
Mediterranean countries consume red wine that are dependent upon the availability of
while those in other countries prefer beer. foods and the cultural preferences of the
Red wine is known to contain flavonoids. people. However, there are similarities that
These are active antioxidants that clean the allow specialists to design a diet for all health
body from toxins. conscious people across the world known as
the Mediterranean diet. Most of the foods
One can see the benefits by comparing eaten in the Mediterranean region are simple
the Mediterranean population with and there are no deep fried food recipes.
American people
When one makes a comparison between
American people and those living along the
Mediterranean coast, it becomes clear that a
Mediterranean diet helps to prevent many
types of lifestyle diseases such as type 2
diabetes, cancer, heart diseases,
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and so on. Talking
of benefits, there is obviously a longer
lifespan, lower risk of high blood pressure,
and lower risk of becoming overweight. This
is evident if one looks across the population
of the Mediterranean countries. The plant foods dominate the diet and they
are full of antioxidants and all the necessary
The healthy effects of the Mediterranean diet vitamins and minerals that are required by the
have been the subject of research and there body on a daily basis. The presence of
have been a lot of studies to analyze this micronutrients and fiber in the Mediterranean
particular diet and to verify the claims made diet ensures the prevention of many chronic
11
12. diseases. There is scientific evidence to list that can perform the task of suppressing
support the claim that Mediterranean diet the hunger pangs keeping us feeling full most
helps for weight loss and also for increasing of the time. Why buy hunger suppressants
the life span. from the market when you can eat some
biscuits and even plums to get a feeling of
In fact, if you took out the junk food and fullness? But why are we dependent upon
deep-fried foods of the Western world and food items to ring the alarm bell in our minds
added more fish and fruit, their diet would not to tell us that we do not need to eat? Why not
look all that different from that of the depend upon our own biological clock that
Mediterranean diet. seems to work so very well for small babies
and toddlers. They suddenly stop showing
6. Eating to Feel Full interest in food when they get cues from
inside the body that they are no longer
The main trouble with diets is that they hungry.
restrict the intake of food and so the dieters
get hungry. It is natural that hungry people
want to eat and so the diet fails because the
person could not stick to it. If we were not
hungry, then we would not eat nearly so
much. The trouble with being hungry is that it
makes you eat faster than you should and so
you eat more than your really need to.
Nutritional scientists agree that we need to
eat differently; we need to eat things that
make us feel fuller for longer.
We know that we become obese when we
eat more than our body requires because our
larger stomach takes more food to feel full. Children know when to stop eating, but often
But if our bodies can be made to feel full all parents make their kids ignore the internal
the time, we will obviously not feel hungry cues by encouraging them to empty their
and grab a bite either at home or outside. plates.
This is the basic idea. You just need to know
how to eat less and still feel full. This sensitivity to the feeling of fullness
Manufacturers have understood the decreases when babies start getting lectures
requirements of the people and now they are from their parents to finish everything that is
coming up with food items that are high on in their plate. A child is force fed and asked to
protein but low in calories so that they fill the ignore internal signals that he gets from his
stomach. These food items prevent the own body. A baby learns to drain the bottle of
hunger pangs that are blamed for our milk completely as he knows that his mom
overeating leading to obesity. will love him for this act. And this becomes a
habit later on and may lead to the child
There are many food items on our everyday
12
13. becoming obese. Putting on weight is natural Acai diet, which makes use of a small purple
under these circumstances as the hormones berry from palm trees in the jungles of Brazil
that make you feel full decrease in amount and other places. The natives have been
and number inside the brain. These adding this Acai Berry to their food simply
hormones, called PYY decrease in number because it was there to be eaten. They didn’t
as one grows overweight. There is then less make a diet out of it at all.
likelihood of you feeling full when you really
are, and so you will continue to eat even However, Acai Berry has been the talk of the
though your body has had enough. town ever since American celebrities started
to make use of this fruit for weight loss. With
Some food items are better fillers than others. Hollywood stars going gaga over the efficacy
There are some food items like fruits and of the fruit, it was only natural for people to
vegetables that are known as fillers because become interested in this small fruit from the
they contain a lot of air, water and fiber to fill Amazon jungle. If something is being
the stomach and make a person keep feeling endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, one can imagine
full even for a long time after eating such its mass appeal and the craze for it among
foods. Not many know that the healthiest of people. The same happened with Acai Berry
them all, the apple, contains 25% air which is when Oprah praised the fruit as being
why it is an excellent filler food item. Apples effective for losing body fat.
produce a hormone called GLP which is
known to send satiety signals to the brain
when it is being digested. The trick with fillers
is to eat them early even before starting a
meal so that once digested, they start to send
satiety signals thereby stopping us from
eating more.
Those who eat out in restaurants a lot of the
time might find it difficult to eat an apple
before their meal. However, they can get
around the problem by asking for salads,
which have lots of fiber and water and so
make you feel full. Diets that are high in The Acai diet is no full diet plan like most
protein will keep you feeling full for longer as other popular diets, but it is an attempt to
you will have noticed if you have eaten a reap the benefits of this amazing fruit by
large steak. adding it to one’s daily diet. If you are on an
Acai Berry diet, all it means is that you are
7. What is the Acai Diet? following a certain diet plan but adding Acai
Berry to your diet every day. Now there may
Often a fad diet only becomes popular due to be variations in consuming Acai Berry in
the media blowing it all out of proportion terms of quantity and frequency, but this is
when they hear of some film star who tried it basically what an Acai Berry diet is.
out. This was most likely the case with the
13
14. It is well known that the anti oxidant features viewers to stay away from this wonder food.
of the Acai Berry are more powerful than But the most alluring part of all the praise of
those of any other food item. Other properties Acai Berry concerns its ability to slow down
of the fruit include helping with digestion, the aging process. For women past their
improving cardiovascular health, increasing youth, Acai Berry has emerged as a
mental alertness, improving vision, and wonderful option not only to lose their fat to
slowing down the aging process which makes get back into shape but also to slow their
it a big hit among men and women aged over aging and appear young and attractive for a
40. As far as losing weight and staying slim is long time.
concerned, the Acai Berry has been proven
to be full of essential fatty acids and amino The benefits of Acai Berry have been blown
acids that increase metabolism and curb out of proportions and it has been projected
appetite making us stay away from snacks as a wonder food capable of solving all
and junk foods. weight related problems such as obesity.
More important are its abilities to ward off
Acai has many health benefits various ailments and the unique ability to
slow down aging.
Acai Berry is not a fruit that is easily available
like other fruits and one has to search for it in So even if it doesn’t help you lose weight,
health food stores and stores that supply taking the Acai Berry will help you to be
health supplements to gyms and the public. healthy. However, if you are simply taking
The increasing popularity of this fruit has nutritional supplements that are supposed to
forced many popular chains to introduce contain the fruit, it would be wise to look at
smoothies containing Acai Berry. However, the amount of the berry in each dose. It could
despite the amazing claims that are being be that you are not eating nearly as much of it
made by companies selling Acai Berry as you think.
products and advertisers showing images of
celebrities having lost weight supposedly as a 8. Is Dieting Really the Answer?
result of eating Acai Berry, there is no
evidence to suggest that one can lose weight When so many people go on diet after diet
directly by consuming the Acai Berry fruit. But and yet there is still a problem with obesity, it
if doctors and health experts are hell bent on really makes you wonder just what those
praising Acai Berry when they appear on diets are all about. Are they nearly as good
popular TV shows, it is only natural and as they are supposed to be? Or is it the fact
logical for people to go for the Acai Berry diet that people simply don’t stick to them as they
in large numbers. are supposed to? As with most problems
there is not just one answer.
For example, when a famous doctor appears
on the Oprah Winfrey show praising Acai
Berry for its ability to ward off ailments of the
skin, eyes, and other organs of the body
through its anti oxidants that remove free
radicals from our bodies, it is hard for the
14
15. others in your daily diet the right answer to
the problem of obesity?
The fact that emerges after taking a hard look
at the number of people resorting to dieting is
that as the number of people on a diet
increases, so does the number of obese
people. What does this indicate? It simply
tells us that all those diets that claim to help
people reduce their weight do actually
achieve their goals but only for as long as the
people are following the diet. The high protein
diet that is also a low carbohydrate diet does
not ensure that people will continue to remain
in shape after giving up on this diet. There is
no evidence to support the claim of long term
weight loss made by several diets popular on
the internet.
To make the matter worse, low carb diets
virtually eliminate the normally healthy food
items such as fresh fruits and whole grains.
Vegetables and milk are also denied to those
Part of the problem is that today, people have on a crash diet making less energy available
a fast lifestyle that leaves little time for to cause weight reduction. No diet can tell
exercise and coupled with a dietary intake you how to avoid gaining weight once you are
that is full of colas and burgers this makes a done with the diet. This is the reason why
sure shot recipe for disaster. Mothers go to there are 54 million American adults on this
work and that leaves them feeling too tired to or the other diet trying to maintain or lose
cook proper meals that are not full of fat and some weight and yet the number of people
sugar. It is much quicker and easier to buy who are obese is at an all time high. What
fast food that is full of fat. does this startling fact tell you? It tells you
that if dieting was so effective, most of the
This reflects the culture of consumerism and people should have been lean and not obese
materialism that we are living in. However, today. Although there is no doubt that diet
what is good to see is that many people are does help for losing weight fast only about
making conscious efforts to get back into 10% are able to maintain this reduced weight
shape by trying to lose weight. We are in the while the remaining 90% gain weight to
midst of a gym culture with many people become obese again.
working out hard while there are millions
doing things using the other common method Slowed metabolism is what causes fat
- sticking to diet plans to lose weight. But is loss
avoiding certain foods and including few
15
16. What happens in the case of diets that are will certainly get a few pounds off your body
restrictive in nature is that they lower the but it will never teach you how to change your
pace of the metabolism of the person. The eating habit to stick to this diet. Also, sticking
body goes into a conservation mode to a diet is difficult because of the counting of
consuming little resources. This does lead to calories, avoiding carbohydrates and
weight loss but it is also a threat to the health choosing good fat over bad fat. It all begins
of the individual. There are threats like with a lot of excitement and thrill but becomes
anemia and poor immune system. These are a pain in the neck and one starts to feel as if
usually a result of poor nutrition. Even the he is being punished. It happens that one
best of diets cause your body to burn more continues with a particular diet as long as he
calories than you can eat. This is the main can keep up his motivation levels and then
reason why your body is forced to shed fat. drops it to gain weight again.
Another reason for the failure is pure habit.
The truth is that it is hard for people to
change their dietary habits because they get
used to eating a certain way and cooking a
certain way - and of buying certain foods. It is
all done through habit and you really have to
work at changing that. It takes effort to seek
out different kinds of foods and ways of
cooking.
9. The Basic Paleo Diet
There is no mystery about the basic Paleo
diet. While there has been a lot of talk and
debate about the Paleo diet on television,
what it really means is a very basic kind of
diet as one might suppose our long dead
ancestors to have eaten. Back in caveman
days there were no fast food chains, no
candy bars or fried chips. Man had to hunt for
his supper or go without. That means he got
a great deal of exercise while looking for his
dinner, so any fat had little effect on him.
If one were to look into the reasons why diets
are not a permanent solution to weight loss, What is the basic principle behind the
they would see that these diet plans are too Paleo Diet?
hard to keep following for a long time. Can
you stay on spinach or cabbage soup twice a Also known as the caveman diet, the Paleo
day as your food for any length of time? This diet is believed to be the diet which humans
had millions of years ago when they were
16
17. mainly hunters and gatherers. The caveman and also had limited amounts of vegetables
lived on natural food that he could obtain from and nuts and fruits.
plants and trees in addition to the meat of the
animals he hunted. Seafood, animal fat and Our bodies could not adapt to the sudden
meat, eggs, nuts, fish, vegetables etc change in diet
constituted the food of the Paleolithic man.
His diet was rich in proteins and animal fat In sharp contrast, the food that mankind
and had few carbohydrates. With the started to eat after the introduction of
passage of time and the introduction of the agriculture was alien to the bodies and the
sedentary life as part of civilization, mankind genetic make-up of human beings at that
introduced many other foods for taste and time. This caused havoc with the metabolism
variety into its diet moving away from nature. and this resulted into the development of
many civilization and lifestyle diseases such
Is the introduction of agriculture the as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases,
culprit? and so on. Today we are facing scores of
diseases that were unheard of in earlier
times, and most of these ailments are a result
of the modern lifestyle and the diet we have.
Today we are getting away from nature and
consume far too many food items that are
bad for our bodies. These include all junk
food and fried and fatty food items like
burgers and hot dogs and steaks. Coupled
with the intake of alcohol, colas, and tobacco,
lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle this
has led to many diseases that we can protect
ourselves from if we revert to the diet
consumed by our ancestors who were faster,
more agile, and fitter than us.
The reason why mankind shifted away from
the Paleo diet was the introduction of
It is not that the Paleo diet is just an attempt
agriculture some 10,000 years ago. Large
to imitate the diet pattern of the Paleolithic
quantities of grains and pulses found their
man without any scientific basis. What we
way into our diet. Food items like rice and
can do is analyze and understand the health
pulses along with poultry and dairy products
benefits of the food items consumed by the
became prominent in our diet replacing lean
Paleolithic man and try to compare them with
meats and seafood. The Paleo diet included
what we are eating today. Ultimately, our aim
mostly foods that suited our process of
is not to eat meat raw or to start eating the
evolution and our bodies got full nourishment
way the Paleolithic man did but to have a diet
from a wide variety of animal meat such as
that makes us healthier and more energetic
pork, bison, lamb, fish, beef etc. The Paleo
than we are today.
diet did not have dairy products and grains
17
18. A comparison of the Paleolithic man to nutrients and often leaves us wanting more. It
today’s man gives us a clue is no surprise that obesity has become a
problem. When we seek a miracle diet it is
because we are tired of being overweight and
unsatisfied with out appetites. But it is a rare
diet that will cure all our problems.
The number of obese individuals is increasing
day by day despite the growing awareness of
the benefits of staying in shape. People have
become conscious of their appearance and
they have started making concerted efforts to
lose weight to look young and smart. But in
their endeavor to look slim, millions undertake
dieting in an unscientific and haphazard
manner that can be dangerous for their health
and well being.
Just compare and contrast an average Homo
Sapiens (man) in modern times with a Homo Though there are better methods for losing
Sapiens during the Paleolithic times and you weight and toning the body such as doing
will find that whereas today’s man is dull, out workouts at the gym, most people find it
of shape, overweight, afflicted with diseases tiresome and exhausting in addition to being
and living a stressful life, a Paleolithic man inconvenient as they cannot take time out
was fast and agile, fit and in shape, tall and every day to hit the gym at the right time. This
muscular, athletic, and sharp. And what could has given birth to a number of popular diets
be the reason behind this sudden that have been designed to help people who
transformation in the species? It has got to be dream of losing weight quickly. Knowing the
agriculture and the prominence of grains and fact that different people have different body
dairy products in our diets today. makeup and different reactions to various
food items, there can be no single diet or diet
Even so, such a diet as we have today may plan that can be labeled as perfect or ideal for
still not cause us to gain weight if we did not all. That is why it becomes prudent to consult
overeat and if we got more exercise in our one’s health care provider or doctor before
daily routine. As mentioned before there is starting a particular diet, irrespective of how
never just one reason or cure for a problem popular and effective it might be claimed to
such as obesity. be.
10. Why Diets May be Dangerous If there are genuine, result producing diet
plans devised by nutritionists and doctors,
Most people expect miracles from a diet and there are also fad diets that promise to make
therein lays the danger. Our sedentary a person slim and sexy in a very short time
lifestyle does not use up many calories and period. In addition to quick weight loss, these
yet our food does not contain the essential fad diets also promise health benefits. Yes,
18
19. talking in general terms, making a person the person is off the diet. This is the reason
lose weight does provide him with health why nutritionists refer to such diets as yo-yo
benefits but the fact of the matter is that these diets.
diets do more harm than good to an
individual. Some diets require people to go on It is quite easy to identify fake/fad diets. Do
a very restrictive food regimen that provides not fall prey to the false claims made by a
calories sufficient to survive only. This kind of particular diet if it proposes focusing on one
diet lacks vital nutrients and can severely food group while avoiding all other groups.
harm the individual in the long run. Also, there is no reason to believe tall claims
and promises unless there is scientific
Dieting is a short term solution only evidence to support the claim. There are
thousands of people suffering from eating
disorders like bulimia, binge eating, anorexia
etc who say that they were all right until they
went on a fad diet suggested by their friend.
Our society and the standards it has set for
beautiful and sexy are also responsible for
millions of teenagers and adults going into
starvation mode every now and then with a
desire to become size zero. Experts are of
the opinion that this is a dangerous way to
measure the health of an individual. There
are all sorts of misconceptions like the ones
that fat is bad and that a fit person is
someone who is thin.
If we think of a balanced diet at one extreme
and eating disorders with obsession for some
foods while ignoring others is at the other
extreme, fad diets must occupy a place close
to eating disorders. Dieting is better
controlled in nature although there is nothing
natural about the diet or the lifestyle that goes
with it.
If dieting were so effective in providing
permanent loss of weight, there would not be People often say that this is a throw-away
so many obese people in the world today. society and that people expect instant results
You have to take into account the fact that and the same applies to dieting. This is one
millions of people that are on a diet get no reason that fad diets are so popular. We do
permanent results. The truth hurts but with not have the time and inclination to do hard
most of the so-called wonder diets, the weight workouts at the gym or even exercises at
lost by an individual is quickly regained once home and this sets the conditions right for fad
19
20. diets. We don’t stop to think that it has taken HCG was accidentally discovered in the
years to pack all that weight on and so it urine of a pregnant woman
should come off more slowly.
HCG is actually a hormone that is produced
11. The HCG Diet Explained by the body of pregnant women when they
conceive. There are HCG-testing kits
available in the market. These are designed
to confirm the pregnancy of a woman. The
Many people suffer from being overweight or name of the hormone is Human Chorionic
obese, often due to their lifestyle and poor Gonadotropin and the strange fact that
food choices. But as the media constantly Doctor Simeons observed was that after
harps about the dangers of obesity more giving birth to babies, the health of women
people are looking to get back into shape. deteriorated and they lost weight. The doctor
They want to be both healthier and more concluded that the loss of weight was
attractive to others and so they look for a diet because of the hormone taking away stored
to help them. fat from the body of the woman to provide
nourishment to the fetus via the placenta. If
this was really so, small amounts of this
hormone synthesized in laboratories could
help people who want to lose weight as the
hormone seemed to have the potential to
drain fat cells of the body.
HCG is considered a fat eater
The good thing about the hormone HCG is
that it eats up extra fat inside the body of a
person. It eats the fat that is stored in hips,
thighs, buttocks, waist, arms etc. This is the
The realization that being overweight is so fat that is not used for anything. There are
unhealthy has given rise to dozens of diets people who say that this fat could be eaten
that have been designed to make people lose up by any low carb diet. Then why use a
weight and inches to achieve their dream hormone for this purpose? The fact is that a
shape that will allow them to wear two size low calorie diet forces the body to eat up all
smaller clothes. One such diet that was types of fats like normal reserve fats as well
accidentally discovered by a doctor while he as extra fat. Another problem that is observed
was working on malnutrition in is that after stopping a low calorie diet, a
underdeveloped countries is the HCG diet. person regains weight fast.
Just what is this HCG diet and what are its
implications for all those who want to get rid
of their obesity in a quick and efficient
manner? Let us find out in this article.
20
21. The consumer is the final judge provided
there is no harm
Many experts claim that it is impossible for a
diet that provides just 500 calories a day to
meet the nutritional requirements of the body,
including all the vitamin and mineral
requirements. However, people desperate to
lose weight fast are seen going for the HCG
diet because of the promises made by
companies marketing HCG products –
companies that want to get rich as quickly as
HCG diet works on the basis of suppression people what to get thin. One thing is certain -
of hunger and the direction the hormone the HCG diet is either a wonder or a fraud
issues to the body to make use of fat as a that only the users can tell. Some believe it to
fuel for the body. The HCG diet consists of a be the miracle cure for obesity while others
mere 500 calorie per day diet containing have no success with it.
unprocessed foods along with drops of HCG
hormone given under the tongue or through 12. Who Needs a Gluten Free Diet?
an injection. The patients are asked to follow
this diet for 45 days and they are told that
they will lose 2 pounds per day.
Not all diets are made for losing or gaining
There is no scientific evidence to support weight. Some diets are simply to stop people
the claim getting sick and the gluten free diet is one of
them. Gluten is a protein found in some
However experts say that this is unlikely even grains like wheat, rye, barley and malts.
though there are thousands of cases in which Gluten is also used as a thickening and
people have actually reported a loss of 2-3 stabilizing agent in many recipes for breads
pounds per day when following the HCG diet. and ice-creams. The trouble is that in certain
Experts say that this weight loss may be a individuals gluten causes many severe
result of the very low calorie diet and not digestive problems.
HCG. Despite testimonials and before and
after photos of individuals following the HCG
diet for 45 days, there is very little or no
scientific evidence to support the theory that
the rapid weight loss is due to the human
pregnancy hormone HCG. As of today, there
are no FDA approved HCG products for
weight loss available in the market. In fact,
FDA has not sanctioned manufacturers
claiming rapid weight loss through their HCG
based products.
21
22. have different symptoms but they all respond
to a gluten free diet. Being a parent of a child
suffering from gluten intolerance is not an
easy task as it is hard to find a gluten free
food for the kid all the time and at all the
places where your family goes. One cannot
remove gluten from a food item once it has
been prepared. Grain is commonly used in
the preparation of food items and it is often
hard to know by the list of ingredients
whether the food item contains gluten or not.
That is why many a times celiac patients eat
There are a lot of people around the world gluten unknowingly.
who are born with intolerance towards gluten
and they suffer from many ailments when One has to learn to live with celiac disease
gluten comes in contact with their small
intestine. This is a medical condition known Once a celiac, always a celiac means that
as celiac disease. It afflicts nearly 0.5% of the once a person is diagnosed with gluten
world's population. This disease affects more intolerance, he has to remain on a gluten free
Caucasians than people from other races. diet for the rest of his life. What this implies is
There are nearly 3 million victims of celiac that knowing about different foods and
disease in the US alone. deciding on a gluten free diet after consulting
a dietician is a good idea for a person. Of
What is a gluten free diet? course it is very frustrating for a kid to remain
stuck with gluten free food items but soon he
There is currently no permanent cure for learns the importance of a gluten free diet for
celiac disease and the only treatment for a himself. There are also many substitutes for a
person diagnosed with it is a gluten free diet. food item containing gluten. Today, there is a
It is hard for a person to be diagnosed early greater awareness about the disease and far
as the symptoms of the damage to the lining more gluten free food items are available in
of small intestine come to light only when a the market than a decade ago.
person complains of cramps or suffers from
vitamin and mineral deficiency. There are
also other symptoms like gas, diarrhea, and
bloating. These symptoms remain as long as
person continues to eat foods containing
gluten. It is when a patient with celiac disease
gives up gluten completely that he gets cured
as his small intestine heals up in the absence
of gluten. This is the significance and Oats is one food item that has been a topic of
importance of a gluten free diet. debate among experts as to whether it
contains gluten or is safe for celiac patients to
All patients suffering from celiac disease may consume. There are nutritionists who say that
22
23. it is safe for adults to consume oats while
there are also studies which show that eating
oats may be detrimental for kids having
gluten intolerance. The problem with oats lies
not with the grains but the manufacturing 13. Why the Vegan Diet is
process that contaminates the product with
Considered Strict
gluten. With no final verdict, it is better for
gluten patients to stay away from oats.
One has to learn to live with the knowledge
As you may have known, the word vegan
that staying away from foods containing
comes from vegetarianism. All vegan diets
gluten is the best way to remain disease free
exclude food items obtained from animal
and live a happy and healthy life. There are
sources. This is not only meat, but things
many foods that do not contain gluten and the
such as eggs and even honey. Those people
patient is free to eat them. The list includes
who are classed as vegetarians do not
many beans and nuts, eggs and meats that
always adhere strictly to this principle. Some
are fresh, all fruits and vegetables, a lot of
of them eat eggs and honey and just exclude
dairy products, and so on. There are many
meat and meat by-products.
grains and starches that can be eaten by a
patient such as rice, millet, arrowroot,
Anyone who refuses to eat all food items
amaranth, soy, sorghum, etc.
coming from animal sources are called total
vegetarians and the diets consumed by these
Wheat, barley and rye are three grains that
people are vegan diets. There are lots of
the celiac patient must avoid at all costs if
vegan diets but all of them have the same
they are to remain well. Beers – made with
principle. They do not include any item
rye or barley - cakes and cookies, breads,
derived from the animal world and remain
cereals and French fries are all foods that
dependent upon plant food alone.
must be left on the shelf when a celiac
sufferer is shopping. However some of these
foods may be now labeled gluten free and so
they are safe to eat.
Being a vegetarian is a matter of choice and it
would be better to label it as a lifestyle
adopted by people and not just a diet. It
would be incorrect to say that being vegan is
any better than being a non vegetarian and
there would be proponents as well as
opponents of both veganism and non
23
24. vegetarianism. One can become a vegan there are more processed foods with very
anytime - he just has to stop eating meat and small quantity of vegetables and fresh fruits.
all foods derived from animal sources. On the other hand, the diet of a vegan
contains mostly vegetables and fruits in
One can also be a vegan out of fear as there addition to nuts and legumes. These food
are religions advocating and preaching items are known to provide lots of energy and
veganism or he can choose veganism just are also full of fiber which keeps the stomach
because he does not like the idea of animals full and prevents overeating. What this means
being killed for consumption. Around 1% of is that vegans are much less likely to become
the population in the US is vegan while the obese and overweight than non vegetarians
number is lower in the UK - only around 0.5% and vegetarians.
of all Britons are vegan. The number of
vegetarians is huge in countries like India If you have been a non vegetarian all your life
where slaughtering animals for their meat is but have decided to become a vegan, you will
considered unethical by a high percentage of find that within a month or so of eating food
people. items coming from plant sources, your bad
cholesterol levels will go down to normal. At
The Vegan is a strict vegetarian avoiding all the same time, good cholesterol levels will go
animal products up to make you and your doctor happy.
However, there is a slight confusion among Most people who eat animal meats know that
people as they believe that all vegetarians these meats are a great source of proteins
are vegans. This is not true as a vegetarian and they think that veganism will deprive
has no objection to eating honey while a them of these proteins. But this is not true at
vegan is strict and would not eat anything of all as there are beans and tofu that provide
animal origin. A vegan might even refuse to protein in sufficient amount to a person. In
wear silk as it comes from an animal source. fact plant based proteins get absorbed in the
They do not eat eggs or dairy products, while body much more easily and quickly than
many vegetarians do. Thus it would be animal proteins.
correct to treat vegans as a subset of
vegetarians. They are very strict and would However, true vegans may lack one thing and
not use any product coming from animal that is vitamin B12. Anyone who is a vegan
sources. But the main question is not why for a long time should consider taking
people are becoming vegans but what the supplements of B12, however, if you intend to
health benefits of veganism are. adopt a vegan diet for a short time and have
previously eaten meat, you will have a good
A vegan is more energetic than a non supply of B12 in your body that will last for
vegetarian some months.
Vegans say that they feel a boost in their 14. Low Carb Diet – Safe or Not?
body energy. This is what first time vegans
say as they stop eating meat. If one looks at The low carbohydrate diet - or low carb diet
the diet of an average American he finds that for short - is another diet that many people
24
25. find helps them to lose weight at least initially. However, there is a lot of controversy
This is hardly a new diet as it has been in surrounding the efficacy of a low carb diet. A
existence for quite some time. And in fact, person on a low carb diet no doubt loses
there are not just one, but many variations of weight but this happens too quickly. Also, this
it around. weight loss comes from muscle and water
loss and not from the loss of fat in the body.
The basic premise of all low carb diets is that This is the reason why a person taking this
when the diet is extremely low in diet cannot retain the results and quickly
carbohydrates, the body produces very low regains the lost weight. Also when losing
levels of insulin and starts to use its own fat weight for good is your objective, losing lean
and protein resources for its energy muscle mass may be damaging to your own
requirements. But is this safe? body makeup as muscle mass is helpful for
burning calories even when the body is in a
rest mode. When there is reduced muscle
mass in the body, you know that you cannot
burn calories easily and thus you will quickly
gain weight after stopping this type of diet
plan. Your weight will go up even with an
average calorie intake.
Low carb diets are also known as ketogenic The trouble with the low carb diet is that like
diets. This is because a low carb diet makes many other quick diets it does not produce
a body produce ketone bodies that are permanent results. If this is the situation, why
required by different body parts such as the are people so attracted to low carb diets and
brain as they cannot make use of the stored why are there so many low carb diets in
fat for their energy requirements. When this place? Perhaps the reason lies in the ability
happens, there is a varnish like smell coming of these diets to make a person lose weight
out of the mouth of the person and he also rapidly.
feels tired and nauseated most of the time.
These are some of the side effects of a low
carb diet that is mostly undertaken for quick
weight loss, so hopefully it is finished with
before that comes to pass.
As the name implies, the food intake is so
arranged that the body is able to receive very
few carbohydrates. But this requires fat and
protein content to be increased and this
means taking more meat, butter and cheese
while cutting down on bread, pasta, alcohol,
rice etc. This is also the reason why a low
carb diet looks easier to undertake. It gives
you the liberty to eat more butter and cheese.
25
26. not balanced. For a balanced diet, a person
must have fruits and green vegetables that
provide the essential nutrients required by the
body on a daily basis. Another factor that
makes low carb diets unhealthy is the too
high protein content. This large amount of
protein puts the kidneys under a lot of stress
as they work at a much harder rate.
Low carb diets are notorious for causing
weight loss quickly but rapid weight gain
afterwards. That is why they are referred to
as yo-yo diets. You can see by this that the
low carb diet is one that is better avoided. If it
is chosen, then it should only be for a short
time.
15. Pros and Cons of the High
Protein Diet
A high protein diet is pretty much the opposite
Believe it or not, most of us love diet plans of a low carb diet. It is often undertaken by
that produce visible results in a short time athletes and bodybuilders to increase their
period. So if there is a diet that can make us muscle mass. However, an increasing
wear a dress 1-2 sizes smaller in a matter of number of people interested in losing weight
days, most of us would go for that diet as it is also choose the high protein diet to help
hard to resist the temptation of looking them. A high protein diet is not only about
attractive in a short time irrespective of the eating lots of meat, but protein supplements
fact that the magic lasts for a short time only. in the form of snack bars and shakes.
You must have seen Hollywood stars
shedding weight quickly to meet the demands However, there are controversies surrounding
of a character. This is no magic. It is done high protein diets as some nutritionists
using a low carb diet. However, it has to be believe that consuming too much protein may
remembered that a low carb diet does not lead to high stress levels in the body. High
produce permanent weight loss and one protein consumption may also lead to failure
tends to regain the lost weight quickly after of the kidneys in some cases. There is a risk
dropping a low carb diet. of dehydration associated with the
consumption of too much protein as the
If one tries to analyze a low carb diet based metabolizing of protein requires large
on the way in which it has been designed, it amounts of water.
becomes apparent that the ingredients are
26
27. While consuming a high protein diet for a needs protein at all stages of life for a variety
short time period can produce quick weight of reasons and body functions. Protein makes
loss results, it should not be continued for up a large proportion of cells, muscles, and
more than three or four months for health bones. If protein is required in high amounts
reasons. Another reason for the popularity of during childhood for better growth and
high protein diets among people who want to development, it is required to maintain
lose weight is that proteins seem to have a immunity levels and to prevent degeneration
better capacity to satiate hunger than fats and of muscles and bones at all times. Protein
carbohydrates. Coupled with a suitable helps significantly in warding off infections
exercise regimen, a high protein diet has and ailments.
been shown to produce better weight loss
results. High levels of protein have been RDA suggests taking 56 grams of protein
shown to help people fight their hunger in a daily for adult men and 46 grams of protein
better manner. This is perhaps a result of the per day for adult women. This amount of
brain receiving much lower signals from protein is not considered high and is easily
appetite stimulating hormones. managed by men and women. For building
muscles and for weight loss, you need to
consume much larger amounts of protein.
You need more than a hundred grams of
protein per day. Unless you have a renal
problem, there is no danger in increasing the
intake of protein but it is better to slowly raise
the consumption. In a high protein diet meant
for weight loss, more than 30% of the daily
calories come from proteins. If losing weight
is your only goal, you can have large
amounts of protein to cut down on
carbohydrates as proteins are known to
suppress hunger also.
As with many other diets, there is not a single
high protein diet but a range of different high
protein diets all emphasizing the increased
intake of meats, egg whites, and poultry. Due
to their low biological value, plant proteins are
not included in any high protein diet plan. In
addition, it is a known fact that plant proteins
lack essential amino acids.
There are many benefits that a person can
get from a high protein diet and anyone can
But how to decide on protein levels for a high
go for a high protein diet irrespective of what
protein diet? It is well known that our body
his goals and objectives are. Some of the
27
28. important benefits include: Many people get diabetes because they are
overweight or obese. This terrible disease is
Increased lifespan a chronic one with no cure. If you get it mildly
Slowed down signs of aging and can lose weight, it may not bother you
Improved immunity too much. Often tablets are all that is needed
Lower risk of cardiovascular diseases to keep it under control. But for those whose
Building of muscle mass bodies do not manufacture an insulin it poses
Improved performance levels a more severe problem – and treatment.
More effective weight loss
For the management of diabetes in an
Protein is one component that is vital for effective manner, it is ideal if obese or
growth, repair, and maintenance of all our overweight diabetics stick to a diet plan that
body organs, tissues and cells. And this aims to reduce their weight by half to one
includes our muscles and bones as well. pound every week, according to a recent
Muscles are mostly made up of proteins. So if study performed at University of Maryland. In
you want to have a muscular build, it is addition, what diabetics need is some regular
imperative to go on a high protein diet. exercise.
Fortunately this is one diet that seems to A diabetic’s diet is mainly to control
work and has few side effects if not taken for blood sugar levels
too long a period of time. So if you want to
lose weight but not muscle it is the one to There is a misconception among people that
choose. as diabetes is a sugar control disease, a diet
for a diabetic must be one without any sugar.
This is not the case, and there is no specific
sugar restriction for diabetics. The actual
mission of a diet for a diabetic is to control
glucose and also to control blood fats and
lipids. But experts feel that in addition to
controlling blood sugar levels, the diet of a
patient should also focus on weight loss as it
helps to reduce the chances of complications
that are commonly seen in a disease like
diabetes.
Thus it is clear that though weight loss may
not be the primary objective for the diet of a
diabetic, it is desirable to keep diabetes
complications at bay. This is achievable by
striking a delicate balance between the
16. How about a Diet for Diabetics? proteins, carbohydrates and the fats that a
diabetic is allowed to get through each meal.
Even a small amount of weight lost is
28
29. significant in the case of diabetes patients as The patient gets the calories and all the
it saves them not just from complications of nutrients that are necessary to maintain a
diabetes but also from heart disease. healthy lifestyle while at the same time
ensuring that the blood sugar levels are kept
There are many different diets that are low within the normal range. However, the
recommended to diabetics and their latest trend is to aim for weight loss even if it
variations mainly revolve around making is minimal to keep diabetes complications
changes in the intake of protein, fat, and away. There can be no two opinions about
carbohydrates. There are diets with high or the need for a diabetic diet plan that controls
low carbohydrate intake and with high protein blood sugar levels and also works to reduce
intake. There are also diets with restrictions your weight if you happen to be a Type 2
on calories. The different people have diabetic and at the same time are overweight.
different body makeup so they respond
differently to changes in the composition of The latest research on diabetes has made
their diet. The reaction to a diet for diabetics some stunning revelations. A person with
is also dependent on whether the weight of diabetes is seen to have significantly reduced
the patient is distributed evenly or blood sugar levels when he is made to lose
concentrated around the abdomen. weight. Even if the diet of a diabetic is made
to reduce his weight by 5-10%, he is found to
Recent research is in favor of weigh loss have much lower blood sugar levels.
in addition to control of blood sugar
Let there be no doubt about the fact that
diabetics need the same nutrition and almost
the same nutrients that normal people need.
The only requirement is to closely monitor the
glucose levels in the blood. In some cases,
there is a need to watch the overall calorie
count while in other cases there may be a
need to keep a tab on sodium, cholesterol, or
the sugar in the food items.
In general, a diabetic can consume most
items from the category comprising of grains,
breads, and starches while he should
consume fewer items from the category
comprising of oils, fats and sweets. There is
Every diabetic has different dietary needs as
only partial restriction when it comes to the
his genetic makeup and responses to
category comprising of fruits and vegetables.
different food items are different. There was a
time when diet plans for diabetics were all
No diabetic should ever go on any diet
generic in nature but recent advances in
without the knowledge and advice of his
science have made it possible to customize a
doctor. To do so could lead to coma and
diet as per the needs of a diabetes patient.
death. Even when a diabetic goes on a
29
30. special diet made for him by the doctor, it has 14. And, while on the subject you discovered
to be done with frequent checks by a nurse or the Pros and Cons of the High Protein Diet
doctor. So remember if you are a diabetic,
ordinary diets are not for you. 15. Finally, you learnt about those
all-important diets for diabetics.
Conclusion
So, you can now consider yourself quite an
In this eBook you learnt: expert in the best diets…
1. How to Choose from the Diet Plan Maze But we have found that some people are still
undecided, or have tried all the diets which
2. How to choose set and succeed in a goal we have talked about in this eBook so far and
in Dieting want something new. If that’s you, then
read-on for our Special Report!
3. What Diets are Healthy or Harmful
4. That the often quoted "Mediterranean Diet"
is not really a "single diet" SPECIAL REPORT:
5. Why the fact of "Eating to Feel Full" is
important Is It Possible To Burn Fat,
Get Healthy and Fit, in Just
6. The advantages of the Acai diet
15 Mins Per Day... Without
7. Why you should stop and think "Is Dieting Gyms, Fad Diets or
Really the Answer?"
Supplements?
8. You understood about the Basic Paleo Diet
According to Rob Poulos, CEO & Founder of
9. We spent some time considering "Why Zero to Hero Fitness, and owner of the
Diets May be Dangerous" popular website Fat Burning Furnace the
answer is yes!
10. You found out why the HCG Diet burst on
the scene, but was found to contain some "From an early age I was lucky to have
problems had to struggle with my own weight. I say
'lucky', because my own struggles caused me
11. Found out who needs a Gluten Free Diet to be so determined to find a quick and
simple solution to getting the kind of body and
12. You considered the Vegan diet living the type of life I wanted. Had I been
born skinny, you would never have even
13. You learnt about the popular "Low Carb heard of me. But I wasn't, so here I am!
Diet"
I've lost almost no weight at all from hours
30