Diet and Fitness, Winning Tactics For Weight Loss

Tell me, does this describe you? 'I tried a zillion diets in fits and starts and was never successful.' Just going on a diet will not give you a complete healthy persona. I finally paid attention to what everybody was saying, but I was too lazy to do.

I added exercise and fitness to the equation. We also need to stay fit as well as diet to lose weight. Our true wealth is our health. Isn't it worth your time bring it into peak condition and maintain it? Diet fitness is all about an accurate mix of diet and an appropriate fitness program.

This basically includes three levels of consideration:
1. Balance-A balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, mineral salts and fiber in well proportionate quantity. Carbohydrates are the source of energy so these play an important role in balanced diet. Intentional inclusion of all foods from fruits to vegetables and meats to grains.

2. Moderation- portion control, small quantity at regular intervals. I had to laugh when I heard the results of a 5-year study costing millions of dollars the government ran to find out why the population of the US is getting heavier. The results…they determined we eat larger quantities! 'Super Size it!'

3. Variation - wide variety in foods,means higher chances of complete nutrition. And variety in your workout routine means a greter chance of sustaining it.

It is a well-known fact that poor diet leads to diseases, like obesity, even cancer and heart disease. The link between diet and physical fitness has well been established and recognized as a science in itself. It's the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. How do you balance diet and fitness? What changes in your diet and fitness regimes will prove to be the most beneficial ones?

These questions may have been on your mind for a long time but you didn't know where to start. I let the paralysis of analysis prevent me from getting started for a long time. I wanted the 'perfect' fitness plan. My advice? Just get started anywhere, but get started. There are the solutions at your doorstep. First and foremost, you need to ensure that the diet you are on, supplies you enough strength and energy to carry out the fitness training which means:

The basic fitness diet should:
1. Have a wide variety of foods-- wholegrain breads and cereals for vitamins and minerals, leafy green vegetables for iron fueling, fruit for adequate fiber, lean meat and Fish (lowers cholesterol and helps prevent cancer) and low fat dairy products.

2. Enable you to have optimal weight and energy to carry out daily activities with ease.

3. Enhance quick and complete recovery during exercise.

4. Supply enough fluids to have maximum hydration. 5. Provide both short and long term benefits and ease of maintenance.

When the above criterion is satisfied, you can confirm that you are on a diet that is not starving you or running you the risk of malnutrition and weakness. Fitness programs can include not only basic gymnasium but modern techniques like dancing, aerobics and yoga for variety and fun. If it is enjoyable it will be easier to maintain.

Make no mistake about it, fitness regimes help you speed up the process of loosing weight along with the diet. That is the key, the magic diet accelerator. So eat healthy, exercise and be wise!

About the author:
Bill Urell reviews only the best diet and fitness plans, tips, and articles that promote healthier lifestyles. Visit us and claim your FREE E-Cookbook, as a welcome gift.
http://www.online-weight-loss-resources.com

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Healthy eating for vegetarians and vegans

Study after study has revealed the importance of a balanced diet to good health. Eating a balanced diet, one that is rich in all the various minerals and vitamins needed for a healthy body, can present quite a challenge for vegetarians and vegans.

That is because maintaining a good balanced diet in the absence of one entire food group, such as meat and poultry, can be difficult. Meat and other animal products contain significant amounts of important nutrients, such as protein, calcium and B vitamins.

Vegan diets present an even larger problem, since vegans go a step farther and eliminate dairy products and eggs as well as meat. Vegans in particular often have trouble getting the vitamin B12 they need and often must rely on vitamin supplements for this important nutrient.

Of course that does not mean that vegetarians and vegans cannot enjoy good health. Many vegetarians and vegans can and do enjoy levels of health much better than their carnivorous peers. It simply means that vegetarians need to pay somewhat closer attention to their dietary needs, and to be on the lookout for signs of dietary deficiencies. The key to a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, as with all types of diets, is practicing moderation, eating a variety of foods, and keeping nutritional needs in balance.

One of the most frequently cited concerns by family members and friends of vegetarians and vegans is how they will get the protein they need from a diet devoid of animal flesh. However, getting sufficient protein is usually not a concern for vegetarians, since most American diets tend to contain more protein than they need.

Vegetarians who eat dairy products can get all the protein they need from dairy products, from soy based products and from beans, nuts, lentils and seeds. There are many non animal sources of protein, so most vegetarians should not have a problem getting sufficient protein.

Even vegans, who eschew all animal based products, even milk and dairy products, typically do not have a problem with protein deficiency. That is because nuts, seeds, lentils, pinto beans, split peas, soybeans, garbanzo beans, black beans, white beans, kidney beans, navy beans and many more all have lots of protein.

Vegan meals are often rich in tofu and other soy based products, and these products contain sufficient protein to meet the needs of most vegans. In addition, the many bean based vegan recipes are excellent sources of protein. For instance, a cup of cooked beans contains the same amount of protein as a two ounce serving of meat.

As with protein, nutritional deficiencies are generally of no more concern to vegetarians than they are to the general population. Vegetarians who follow a balanced, nutritious diet should have no problem meeting their daily nutritional needs.

Vegans on the other hand, are more susceptible than vegetarians to nutritional deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D. That is because the most common sources of these important nutrients are all animal based, either meat or dairy products.

Of these three nutrients, the hardest to replace on a vegan diet is vitamin B12. The primary sources of vitamin B12 in the diet are all animal based. For this reason, vegans are generally advised to take vitamin B12 supplement, or to eat foods that have been fortified with vitamin B12. There are a number of such foods on the market, including nutritional yeast and soy milk.

Calcium is also a concern for vegans, since the primary sources of dietary calcium are milk and other dairy products. Again, calcium fortified foods such as some soy milk and certain cereals are important to maintaining a healthy vegan diet. The same is true of vitamin D, another primarily animal based nutrient.

The bottom line is that it is possible to maintain excellent health while avoiding meat and dairy products. The key is to follow a well balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, and make smart food choices.

About the author:
Zaak O'Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You'll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

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Atkins diet new controversy - low carb recipes and low fat recipes at loggerheads!

Dr Atkins diet has been at the heart of heated controversy in recent times.

On May 26, 2004 A Florida businessman filed suit against the makers of Atkins diet, based on low carb recipes, as opposed to rival diets which favor low fat recipes.

The businessman claimed as a consequence of following Dr Atkins diet, he suffers from severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty and a stent. He is seeking a court injunction banning Atkins Nutritionals from marketing its products without a warning of potential health risks and asks for compensatory damages.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM, www.pcrm.org) reported that :"about 30 percent of individuals on an Atkins diet experienced increases in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol of at least 10 percent in a study published May 18, 2004, in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Two study participants dropped out because of elevated cholesterol levels and a third developed chest pain and was subsequently diagnosed with coronary heart disease."

High protein low carb recipes based diets such as Dr Atkins diet have been criticized by major health organizations including the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Kidney Fund.

The Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association states, “High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.”

The PCRM also says they have received more than 560 complaints of illnesses and fatalities allegedly related to Atkins-type diets - low carb recipes - through an on-line registry...including more than two dozen reports of potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and the reported death of a 16-year-old girl in Missouri who was following a low carb diet.

According to PCRM President Neal Barnard, M.D Atkins diet proponents "push dieters to avoid healthy foods, like rice, beans, and pasta, while ignoring the risks of high-cholesterol, high-fat meat and cheese. The idea that cholesterol and saturated fat don’t matter is a dangerous myth.”

In additon to CHD - coronary heart disease - Atkins diet has also been blamed for a number of other "atrocities", such as: colon cancer, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis, complications of diabetes, and to cap it all: constipation, headache, bad breath, muscle cramps, diarrhea, general weakness.

In an article titled: "Low Carb Diet Truth - Why Atkin's Low Carb Diet Doesn't Work", Keith Klein (www.ineedcarblo.com) notes that "Low carb diets don't produce long-term results. These diets do not work, and are bad for the health."

Also, "In the case of the low-carb diet, the down-side outweighs the up-side by a huge margin.

A problem that adds to the confusion is the simple fact that cutting back on carbohydrates works, at least for a quick drop in body fat and body water.

The piece of the puzzle missing for most dieters is the long-term effects on the body due to such a drastic reduction in carbohydrates."

To solve the long-term effects problem, low-carb diets such as the South Beach Diet introduce carbohydrates after the 14 days initial phase.

But what does the other side say? As expected, we hear a totally different story.

One of the most articulate of the Atkins diet defenders is Anthony Colpo (www.theomnivore.com).

Here is a quick summary of his "6 myths" article:

1. Coronary heart disease (CHD)
If you want to maximize your chances of avoiding CHD, a diet high in antioxidants and phytochemicals, a low glycemic load, and regular consumption of omega-3 fats, appears to be just what Dr Atkins diet recommends.

A low carb diet based on paleolithic food choices, that is, a diet based on free-range animal products and low carbohydrate, low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!

2. Low-Carbohydrate Diets Contain Too Much Fat, and Fat Makes You Gain Weight

Some folks have been so inculcated with the simplistic "fat makes you fat" theory that they just cannot believe a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat.

The fact is, high fat diets can result in spectacular fat loss - as long as carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your bodyfat percentages will head north real quick!

The Standard Western Diet (SWD) is typically high in both fat and carbohydrate - and often leads to obesity.


3. Low-carb, High-Protein Diets cause Osteoporosis
A review of the research in this area shows that high protein intake, in the presence of alkalinising fruit and vegetable intake and adequate calcium intake, either has no adverse affect on bone mass or has a positive affect on bone mass.

We can see that a low-carbohydrate, high fat, high protein diet is a far better choice for building strong bones than a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

It ensures adequate intake of protein; it replaces acid-forming, phytate-containing grains and legumes with alkalinising fruits and vegetables; and the fat content of such a diet assists the absorption of fat-soluble bone-building vitamins like Vitamin D and K.

4. High-Protein Diets Cause Kidney Disease
Bodybuilders and strength athletes have been consuming high-protein diets for decades. Given the widespread global participation in these activities, if the claims of kidney damage were true, by now there would be an enormous number of case studies of ex-bodybuilders and strength athletes afflicted with kidney disease.

Needless to say, this is not the case.

A comparison of healthy subjects eating 100g or more of protein per day with long-term vegetarians eating 30g or less of protein per day concluded that both groups had similar kidney function. The subjects were aged 30-80 and both groups displayed similar progressive deterioration of kidney function with age.

Individuals with healthy kidney function have little to fear from higher levels of protein consumption.

5; Low-Carbohydrate Diets Put You In Ketosis, And Ketosis Is Dangerous!

First of all, it should be pointed out that not all low-carb diets induce ketosis. Carbohydrates can be restricted, but not necessarily to the point where ketosis is induced (daily carbohydrate intake of 50g or less seems to be a reliable benchmark).

If carbohydrate intake is kept low enough however, one eventually enters a state known as ketosis, characterised by a measurable increase of ketones in the bloodstream.

Ketones are an intermediate product of fat breakdown, and are an alternative source of energy to glucose. Ketosis indicates a heightened state of fat-burning.

Contrary to the alarmist claims of some critics, there is nothing dangerous about ketosis. One of the more important functions of ketones is to serve as an alternative fuel source for the brain - contrary to the claims of some that the brain can only use glucose for fuel.

Despite the hype, healthy people have little to fear from ketosis - unless they have a strong aversion to losing fat!

6; Low Carb Diets Are An Unproven Fad!
This has to be the most ridiculous criticism of all, especially when one considers its source.

The human species has been eating a meat-based diet for 2.4 million years, and analysis of the diets consumed by recent hunter-gatherer societies (the best available surrogate for paleolithic nutrition) shows that plant foods comprised, on average, one-third of daily food intake - the rest was derived from animal products.

What's more, the bulk of these plant foods were low-glycemic, low-carbohydrate items such as nuts, seeds, wild fruits and vegetables.

Carbohydrate-rich cereal grains did not appear in any meaningful quantity in the human diet until the onset of the agricultural revolution some 10,000 years ago.

Humans evolved on meat-based, low to moderate carbohydrate nutrition, meaning that low carbohydrate diets are far more in accordance with man's genetic evolution than the low-animal fat, high carbohydrate nonsense that is currently espoused by mainstream authorities.

The anti-animal fat, high carbohydrate diet concept is a mere 4 decades old, nothing more than a speculative construct of mid-twentieth century researchers who were at a loss to explain the high prevalence of CHD in modernized countries.

While the paleolithic diet kept the human species thriving for over two-million years, the track record of the high-carbohydrate, grain-based diet movement is atrocious - their persistent, fanatical rantings against animal fats have been remarkably successful in driving people towards vegetable fats and carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs, the increasing consumption of which has been accompanied by alarming increases in the incidence of obesity and Type-2 diabetes

And here is his conclusion, which I quote as is:

"Those criticising low-carbohydrate diets often do so under false pretenses. They unfairly equate high-carb, high-fat diets with low-carb, high-fat diets, even though they have vastly different metabolic effects.

Another tactic employed by such critics is to create fear of possible adverse effects, which upon closer inspection only concern individuals with certain metabolic defects. As we have seen, this tactic is applied to claims of kidney damage and ketoacidosis, even though there is no evidence that low-carbohydrate diets initiate these ailments.

Indeed, hypertensive kidney damage and ketoacidosis are complications of diabetes, a disease associated with excessive carbohydrate intake.

Years ago, I believed the high-carbohydrate propaganda and followed a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. When it became apparent that this diet was not conducive to optimal health and performance, I had no choice but to experiment. Through trial and error I adopted a paleolithic-style low-carbohydrate diet. The result has been a marked improvement in energy, mental focus, blood sugar control, and an ability to maintain year round single-digit body-fat levels. I encourage all my personal training clients to follow low-carbohydrate nutrition, and those who take my advice invariably experience benefits similar to my own."

There you are, with the pro and cons of Atkins diet.


About the author:
Drawing from his 30-year experience as a medical translator, teacher, traveler, musician, writer, deep multicultural awareness plus worldwide ancient spiritual traditions, A.M.Sall helps people "turn all their living days into quality time" in his self-development community at: http://www.health-beauty-wellness.com
Sign-up for free lifelong membership and claim your free "Healthy Foods" minicourse.

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Can You Still Buy Ephedra?

With millions of people aiming for successful weight loss, many are still interested in diet pills and want to buy ephedra. Perhaps you are wondering...can I still buy ephedra?

The answer is yes, you can still buy ephedra. Not all countries have placed bans on allowing people to buy ephedra. These countries may believe that ephedra is still useful for weight loss or other condition. Some countries, such as the United States, allow you buy ephedra as long as the active amount is limited to less than 10mg of pure ephedrine. In fact, the only place to order the pure form ephedra is though Ephedra Energy at www.EphedraEnergy.com

People on weight loss programs still want to buy ephedra because it reduces appetite and stimulates fat metabolism, making it one of the most effective weight loss supplement in existence. Perhaps you want to buy ephedra because it increases the metabolic rate so that your body burns fats and sugars more efficiently.
Do not buy ephedra if you are expecting a miracle cure by itself. For true weight loss success, don’t discount consuming natural foods with a high nutrient to calorie ratio and increasing your daily physical activity. With a balanced diet, exercise and ephedra as a supplement, not many people have reported lack of results. Ephedra is powerful enough to help you lose weight quickly, however, you cannot take ephedra forever. Once your optimal weight is achieved, the habit of a good diet and exercise are critical in maintaining that optimal weight level. For more information on ephedra and other diet products you can also visit www.DietWeightLossNews.org

As a side note, there are some non-Ephedra pills you can try out free of charge as well. One I would recommend is www.NightDietPlus.com which can be taken before you go to bed and will not keep you up. It contains no caffeine or stimulants. I’ve actually tried them both. The NightDiet Plus is more subtle and the Ephedra is, quite powerful.

The information in this article is not to be used as medical advice. As always, you should seek the advice of a physician before consuming any diet pill(s) and starting a diet.

About the author:
Todd Brenner is currently the Executive Vice President of Fitness By Design. He serves on the board for Business Consultant Group of North America and has 23 years of business operations experience. He holds a PHD in Business from Columbus State Univeristy. Copyright ©2005.
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