The Zone Diet

So what does the field of biotechnology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Zone Diet have in common?

Nothing, except for the fact that Barry Sears who is the founder of the Zone Diet had something to do with each of these factors. Of course, his book ‘Enter The Zone: A Dietary Road Map’, a New York best-seller that promises much more than weight loss, by saying that a person who follows this diet will find themselves “feeling alert, refreshed and full of energy”.

Being a researcher, his claim is that the diet helps the body to work in “a metabolic state in which the body works at maximum efficiency” by maintaining a diet of 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 40 percent carbohydrates.

If that’s not enough, you can find yourself decreasing the risk of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes and what’s more – increase your performance levels as an athlete.

But there’s more to the Zone diet than empty promises because it is backed up with Sears’ theory and diet regimen which is all about controlling hormones such as insulin, glucagon, and eicosanoids, and that comes from eating every meal with a protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of 0.75 along with not allowing five hours or more to pass between each meal.

Fresh vegetables and fruits apart from leafy green vegetables while not forgetting eight glasses of water a day are some of the common tenets of the Zone Diet, and while you will only gain access to the recipes if you purchase Sears’ books or try a website such as FormulaZone, there is no doubt that most people who have tried this diet have given it a thumbs-up for both the science that it is based on as well as the positive results that they have seen with this diet.

Filed Under: Diet

The Low Fat Diet

low-fat-diet

It’s a known fact that the yolk of the chicken egg contains the most cholesterol that you will find in most foods yet until they found that this form of animal cholesterol doesn’t affect the heart in any way, doctors recommended that the egg yolk was best avoided!

It only goes to show how much we are really sure of when it comes to health in terms of a proper diet, however, there’s one thing that you can count on – it’s the omission of certain types of fat from your food that can reduce cholesterol levels, and thus prevent heart disease or even a stroke while being an aid for losing weight.

Yes, we’re talking about the harmful saturated and Trans fats as opposed to the unsaturated fats that are good for you. Once you watch out for these fats and are selective about foods that contain these nutrients, you will find yourself on a low fat diet.

Going on a diet such as this one doesn’t mean you eliminate all fats as some of them are required for the body such as the essential fatty acids including monounsaturated fats that not only lower cholesterol levels but tend to increase good cholesterol as well.

Yet another thing to take into consideration when choosing to go on a low fat diet is to avoid foods that are high in sugar while not forgetting that it also helps in losing weight only if it is undertaken step-by-step and one day at a time for a long duration rather than as a crash diet.

Not only should you eat your food slower, don’t forget to add foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, beans, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry. Finally, in consulting a dietician, you’ll find that they will recommend eating 4-6 small meals a day.

Filed Under: Diet

The Negative Calorie Diet

The equation is simple: You eat foods loaded with calories, and your desire to lose weight will only remain a dream. Almost every diet that you can find out there is busy crunching numbers so that you can reduce the number of calories you can consume, thus reducing or maintaining weight in both the short and the long term.

In this regard, the negative calorie diet is different from the rest, and despite the argument by prominent experts who say that there are no “negative calorie” foods, this diet is based on the fact that for the body to assimilate the nutrients of the foods in this diet, fat has to be burnt in order to do so.

Take for example an orange which is about 50 calories. According to the theory surrounding the negative calorie diet, the body burns up more food energy in order to digest the food as opposed to the 50 calories that the orange provides. So every time you eat food that is low in calories, this negative calorie effect takes place making it very easy for you to lose weight without needing to work out regularly. Yet there’s a factor that must be taken into consideration for the success of this diet: your metabolism rate.

Critics have also pointed out that most of the foods that are considered to be negative calorie foods by this diet isn’t so and that the idea of the body burning more calories than the food consumed hasn’t been proven yet – however, there are several people who have considered this diet to work for them.

Interestingly, most of the foods on this diet are either fruits or vegetables, and since many people might not be able to live on such a stringent diet, it is a good idea to replace your snacks with the foods recommended with this diet.

Here’s an article that gives you a list of foods that burn more calories than they contain.

Filed Under: Diet

The Ketogenic Diet Menu

Ketosis is a process in the body where it draws on the fat stored for energy as opposed to converting the carbohydrates that are a common nutrient found in the foods that you eat on a daily basis. The most body resorts to using the fat stored for energy, the more fat gets burnt!

This is the principle that the ketogenic diet menu is based on, which, simply put consists of foods that are high in fat, low in carbohydrates and moderate with protein content.

While it has used to treat epileptic children and can work well for patients with both Type I & II Diabetes, its primary purpose is to use the process of ketosis in order to help people lose weight.

But has it worked so far?

According to researchers, it has worked well for not only people who have been ill with the aforementioned diseases but it is an excellent diet for weight loss.

Some of the foods on the ketogenic diet menu that are high in protein include a variety of meats and vegetable salads, and it is said to benefit bodybuilders because of its high protein diet that intensifies their workout routine as soon as the ketosis process takes over.

Here is a sample ketogenic diet that you can follow if you are interested:

Meal – Breakfast: Use 15g coconut oil to scramble 3 eggs and frozen vegetables on a pan.

Meal – Lunch: Coconut milk smoothie with half a scoop protein powder, almonds and blueberries.

Snack: Almonds, a handful or two.

Meal – Dinner: Ground beef, 15% fat, fried in butter with vegetables on the side.

And if you still aren’t convinced about the health benefits of the ketogenic diet plan, then you could read more about this diet at this link.

Filed Under: Diet

The Tracy Anderson Diet

So what do Courtney Cox, Madonna and Gwyneth Palthrow have in common?

It’s the Tracy Anderson Diet which is taking Hollywood by storm, if you will, and all the aforementioned celebrities are dancing to the whims of a celebrated professional dancer from New York who had to take matters into her own hands in order to keep that perfect body by following a diet of her making.

While critics say that this diet is a dangerous one and which can lead to malnutrition, the reason for their scathing reviews is because this diet is a macrobiotic in nature, and is strict one at that which could have effects that could lead to extreme weight loss as well as anorexia.

It’s not surprising that being a woman herself, her objective was to find a way to stay slim that would be acceptable for every woman. But wait a minute – a thumb of rule is to not only focus on diet but to exercise as well, and this is what is making the Tracy Anderson Diet so popular.

Since the program is for about 30 days, the first thing that people who purchase her DVD will do is set their fitness goals and understand why it’s important to work towards them. Perhaps, another reason why this diet is popular is because it works as a platform for those who haven’t been too cognizant about staying in shape for some time.

And taking advice from a professional dancer seems to be the way to go because if there’s anyone who understands the challenges of staying in top condition, it’s this brand of people who have to work twice as hard as everyone else to find success.

Another element in this 30-day program is that there are different sequences of exercises that have to be performed for 10 days that will tone your body while not necessarily making you a bodybuilder. Again, this is another reason why this should appeal to people who don’t work out regularly.

Filed Under: Diet

The 17 Day Diet

17-day-diet

While the word “diet” begins to make sense as soon as you put on a few pounds, it is incorrect to actually perceive it to be that way. Diet should ideally be a daily thing that you follow and less of having to resort to when you feel that you are putting on those extra few pounds.

Since this is the opinion of many, and very hard to follow, we do have diets that actually produce results these, and most recently, the 17 day diet has been generating a lot of publicity, thanks to the reach of social media and the efforts of Dr. Mike Moreno.

According to the doctor himself, the diet is for almost anyone who wishes to lose weight since it isn’t restrictive which can be the biggest cause for people to drop out sometimes as soon as they’ve begun the diet.

Yet it doesn’t end after 17 days (which is considered to be the toughest cycle of the lot) as there are three more cycles that finally settles the person who completes 52 days into a lifelong cycle of healthy eating. Which brings me to my first point about a balanced diet that should built into your daily routine.

It should be noted that the diet is not for people who are sick, Type 1 diabetics, teenagers or even those women who are pregnant or lactating as the diet tends to be very low in calories for the first cycle of 17 days.

If you want to know more about the 17 day diet, here is a link that you can follow in order to catch up with the pros and cons, success stories and developments that have made it so popular. So, just remember that if you’re not in it for the long haul, then there’s no point being in a diet at all!

Filed Under: Diet

400 Calorie Meals

400-calorie-meal-plan

If there’s anything that true about weight (or fat) loss, it is that no matter how much exercise you do, you cannot lose as much fat as you would like especially if you are on an unhealthy diet. In this tussle between Diet and Exercise, what, when and how much you eat always wins out, and so portion control as well as keeping track on the calorie amount on a daily basis is always a sure shot way to lose weight successfully, and keep it that way.

So what’s the solution, you might ask?

While there are a slew of diets that you can opt for, one such approach that has shown success over the past few years is sticking to 400 calorie meals. And just before you assume that it is another strict, rigid and boring routine that you have to keep track off while not being able to eat what you want, think again.

According to experts, the idea of following the 400 calorie meal diet is said to bring about effortless weight loss, and there are a host of ideas that are available for you to try. (Read the article at this link for some interesting 400 calorie meal ideas for all.)

What makes these meal plans so unique is that each meal consists of about 380-420 calories each which is said to be the ideal amount per meal whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner. So, the biggest advantage of following a diet such as this is that you will be able to enjoy a decent amount of variety as opposed to the other types that have been made popular over the years.

But also keep in mind that you have to work out every now and then…

Filed Under: Diet

The Prasouda Diet

mediterranean-diet

So what does Southern Italy, Crete and Greece share in common apart from their geographical location?

Very simply, it is the Mediterranean or the Prasouda Diet which was introduced in the 1940s by Ancel Keys (an American doctor) who was living in Salerno, Italy. While several experts today believe that it is indeed a healthy diet, the initial response wasn’t such a positive one because people living in Mediterranean countries generally ate a lot more fat-ridden foods and yet stood a far lesser chance of dealing with cardiovascular disease.

But what is the Prasouda Diet and how is it different from the others, you might ask?

If you lived in the aforementioned countries, you’d understand that the Mediterranean Diet is not but a combination of foods that have been eaten for centuries in these countries resulting in a healthy lifestyle, thanks to the food being unprocessed and natural in nature.

Some of the foods that are eaten are:

#1: Vegetables, fruits, legumes are consumed in large quantities

#2: Unrefined Olive Oil is used extensively for this diet

#3: Fish, Cereals and Dairy – Consumed in large quantities as a part of this diet

#4: Meat – Not surprisingly, very little meat is consumed with this diet

#5: Nuts – is a common feature of this diet as a snack

Yet this is not just a diet (replete with supplements) but is actually considered to be a way of living in these countries. What makes this diet so special is that your internal organs are cleaned up while not only losing weight but having good skin as well. Apart from these health benefits, here is a study that discusses the Prasouda diet and its link to cutting diabetes risk.

And if you are interested in following this lifestyle (and not diet), you can find a sample Prasouda diet plan at this link, which must be followed up with exercise too.

Filed Under: Diet

The Kim Kardashian Diet

the kim kardashian diet

There are so many things that keep Kim Kardashian in the news these days, whether it is her distaste for Melissa Molinaro and her “Super C-U-T-E” Old Navy ad or her marriage to Kris Humphries (a ‘power forward’ for the New Jersey Nets).

She definitely has a body to die for. A lot of people want to know what the kim kardsahian diet is. It’s actually very straightforward: It is based on the simple principles of watching what you eat in terms of calories and getting plenty of exercise.

the kim kardashian diet

Rumor has it that she is on QuickTrim Weight Loss supplements, but maintains a balanced diet and exercise and does not eat unhealthy foods.

Here is the detailed diet plan:

Breakfast: Smoothie made with peanut butter, bananas and protein veggie powder
Lunch: Cobb salad with ranch dressing, iced tea with 5 sachets of Equal sugar sweeteners
Snack: Sugar cookies, sliced apple with 1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
Dinner: A tiny slice of pizza bread, 6 ounces grilled salmon served with pesto sauce, a cup of brown rice, 2 cups broccoli

She has also been on a macrobiotic diet plan as well as The Cookie Diet. If you are adding a supplement to your diet, remember that abusing such supplements in any way can be dangerous to your health. There are programs such as Narconon to help you if you are struggling with an addiction to diet supplements.

Filed Under: Diet

The Basics of the Slow Carb Diet

Health experts have discovered that many people are having success on a so-called slow carb diet, which is based on eating foods with a low-glycemic index. Foods with a low GI break down glucose in your body slowly, keeping your blood sugar levels constant throughout the day. No more counting calories or carbs on this diet – just follow the rules and try to keep your meals simple.

Instructions

1 Eat as much as you want of the following foods: proteins (lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and cottage cheese); vegetables (except white potatoes); legumes (peas, lentils, beans, and nuts); and healthy fats (fish oil, saturated fat, olive oil and flax seed). Try spreading out your meals, and eating 4-5 smaller meals a day.

2 Avoid eating any white carbohydrates: white bread, white rice, white cereals. Even many whole grain breads and cereals contain high fructose corn syrup, so limit your consumption of those.

3 Avoid eating fruit, unless you’re doing so within two hours after a workout. Your body converts fruit to fat if you eat too much of it. Avoid drinking milk, which easily makes your body gain fat, and avoid eating any kind of junk food or sodas. Stick with water, coffee or tea, if you can.

4 Sample meals on this diet might include eggs (or egg whites) with black beans for breakfast, beef with black beans and mixed veggies, tuna salad with olive oil & nuts, turkey burgers, steak with peas, or grilled chicken and white beans mixed in a green salad. Stock up on canned black beans, white beans and frozen vegetables, so you will always have them on hand.

5 Proponents of this diet advise that when you’re eating out, the easiest restaurants to find meals consistent with this diet are Mexican. Simply order meals with beef or chicken, and substitute additional black/red beans or vegetables for rice. Beware of fatty or creamy sauces when eating out.

6 Eat anything you like on your cheat day. An appealing option for the slow-carb diet has been recommended by Tim Ferriss, author of “The Four-Hour Workweek,” who successfully lost 20 pounds on this diet. He suggests setting aside one day a week as your cheat day. You can eat everything you’re missing – junk food, white carbs, sodas, even candy bars – on your cheat day. By doing this, believe it or not, you increase your fat loss by keeping your metabolic rate high.

Filed Under: Diet
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