For a diabetic a diabetic diet is very important to managing their condition, and in some cases even working towards reversing it. In general this type of diet restricts calories, while controlling the ratio of carbohydrates and fats. Here’s some more information on diabetes in general, and the diabetic diet.
Before discussing the diabetic diet it’s important to understand the two types of diabetes. In general there are two types of this disease type I diabetes which is generally diagnosed in children and young adults and was previously called juvenile diabetes, and type II diabetes which is a more common form of diabetes. With type I diabetes the body does not produce insulin, while with type II diabetes the cells generally ignore the insulin. Both forms of the disease respond well to a diabetic diet, although it is more likely that type II diabetes can actually be avoided or reversed in early stages.
In general the diabetic diet is geared towards attaining ideal body weight for controlling and managing diabetes. There is a simple formula for calculating the estimated ideal bodyweight for any person. For a woman begin with 100 pounds at 5 feet tall, at 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet, while if under 5 feet subtract 5 pounds for each inch under 5 feet. Here’s a quick example a woman who is 5′4 tall ideally should be 100+20 pounds, in other words 120 pounds. For men start with 106 pounds for a height of 5 feet than add 6 pounds for every inch about 5 feet. So for a 6 foot tall man ideal weight would be 178 pounds.
Many people have different opinions on the perfect diabetic diet, however some general elements are in common. For a person with type I diabetes diet should be approximately 35 calories per kilogram of body weight per day, that’s 16 calories per pound of body weight per day. That means a 160 pound man should eat about 2500 calories per day. Type II diabetes requires approximately 1500 to 1800 calories per day for loss, then differing amounts of calories to maintain ideal body weight.
In a general a diabetic diet carbohydrate intake should be about 50% of the daily caloric intake. It is often believed that even lower card-levels are healthier for Diabetic patients, but higher percentages of fat in the diet has its own problems. Sometimes this can be offset by substituting mono unsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats in the place of saturated fats.
Popularity: 18% [?]
The grapefruit diet is one of the earliest known Hollywood fad diets. It dates back to the 1930s, and many Hollywood stars of the time swore by it. It remained popular until the mid-1970s, when it became one of the diets that was faxed around from machine to machine, popularly known as xerox lore. The diet is attributed to the Mayo Clinic, which clearly states that it has nothing to do with the diet and that the diet is not good.
Originally the grapefruit diet was an Atkins style diet that added one half grapefruit before each meal. There was no cheating on this diet only three meals a day and no in between meals snacks. The diet claimed that people could lose 10 pounds in 10 days, or 5 pounds in five days. It is also commonly claimed that a dieter might not lose any weight on the first four days but then 5 pounds would magically drop off on the fifth day. It was based on the claim that grapefruit contains fat burning enzymes, something that has never been proven.
In 2004 a scientific study determined that it is possible that the grapefruit diet helps people lose weight. Participants in the study lost 3.6 pounds on average in a 12 week span, eating one half grapefruit before each meal. Those who drank the serving of grapefruit juice at each meal lost just slightly less weight in the same period of time. Many of the participants lost more than 10 pounds in 12 weeks. The doctor who conducted the study found that the grapefruit diet seems to reduce levels of insulin. However, all the participants slightly enhanced their exercise programs, which may account for the lost weight.
Here are the rules for the grapefruit diet:
- Eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day, this is a must. - Eat only until you are full at each meal. - Eat everything listed for each meal, do not skip foods, they are specifically formulated to help burn fat. - Grapefruit is a catalyst that starts fat burning. Do not change the amount of grapefruit. - Drink only up to 1 cup of coffee at meals. - Never eat between meals. - Butter can be used. - Do not eat desserts, breads, white vegetables, or sweet potatoes. - Eat any amount of meat, salad and vegetables to make you full. - It’s important to eat into you’re full because the more you eat the more we will lose. - Follow the diet for 12 days, skip two days, then start again. - Eat one half grapefruit, or drink 18 ounce glass of grapefruit, with each meal.
Now you can go try the grapefruit diet.
Popularity: 20% [?]
The Mediterranean diet is a diet based on eating the foods people who live in the Mediterranean basin eat. The Mediterranean basin is an area that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea and has mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. This area includes areas of France, the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian peninsula, and the Balkan Peninsula. It also includes areas of the Sahara desert, and Africa.
The most known form of the Mediterranean diet was created in the mid-1990s by a Harvard health professor named Walter Willett. The diet calls for regular physical activity, along with abundant plant food, fresh fruit as a dessert, olive oil, dairy products, fish and poultry, up to four eggs each week, red meat in small amounts, and wine. The fat in this diet is controlled, only up to 35% of calories, saturated fat at less than 8% of total calories. It’s considered a low-fat high dietary fiber diet. It has been around since 1945 when the version of the Mediterranean diet was first published Ancel Keyes who lived in Italy. But it did not become popular until the 1990s.
One of the main features of the Mediterranean diet is its use of olive oil instead of the animal fats used typically in American diets. Olive oil is known to lower cholesterol levels in the blood, as well as blood sugar and blood pressure. Studies show that olive oil helps prevent ulcers and is an effective treatment for certain types of ulcers, as well as important for preventing cancer. Red wine also adds to the mix in that it contains elements with antioxidant properties.
The Mediterranean diet is really a series of diets partially recommended by the American Heart Association. The one part of the Mediterranean diet that the American Heart Association doesn’t like is a high percentage of calories from fat. The heart association points to the growing problem of obesity in countries around the Mediterranean basin, which is a serious health concern. However, the American Heart Association doesn’t like the fact that most of the fat in the Mediterranean diet comes from olive oil, mono saturated fat, that doesn’t raise cholesterol. That’s a good thing for heart health, but healthier hearts in the Mediterranean areas may be more due to increased physical activity rather than strictly to diet.
A lot of information on various forms of the Mediterranean diet can be found on the Internet. Start with a search on Google.
The fat smash diet was a diet book written by Dr. Ian Smith, and made popular on a VH1 show called Celebrity Fit Club where B. list celebrities competed to lose the most weight. The diet is based on changing bad habits in both eating and exercise.
Ian Smith, the fat smash diet author, has quite a resume. He graduated from Harvard, is a medical contributor to the view television program, a medical columnist for men’s health magazine, and sits on the Board of Directors of the American Council on exercise. He also happened to be the head judge on celebrity fit club, a show that was designed around his book and fat smash diet plan.
The fat smash diet is separated into four phases designed to smash bad habits and create new healthy habits. These phases are:
One detox: This is a nine day period on the fat smash diet during which the body and mind are purged of impurities, and during which Dr. Smith claims people can lose anywhere from 6 to 10 pounds. This phase includes some strange but ineffective suggestions such as weighing yourself in the nude and being photographed in a bathing suit.
Two foundation: This is a three-week phase of the fat smash diet during which many foods removed in the detox phase are re-added to the diet. These include the 3 ounces of meat or seafood, and is based on portion control rather than calorie count.
Three construction: This a four-week phase is a time during which the dieter creates an eating plan that incorporates foods they enjoy. These foods can include desserts, pasta, bread, and many other foods restricted another types of diets such as the Atkins diet. In the fat smash diet moderation is the key.
Four Temple: This is the portion of the fat smash diet that lasts the rest of your life. Dr. Smith refers to the work done in the other three phases as the Temple, which must be maintained with continued diligence in moderation achieved through self-control.
Fat smash diet has both good and bad aspects. The initial 6 to 10 pound weight loss is really due to severe calorie cutting which can be dangerous. In addition the nine day detox is considered unhealthy by many health experts. But many of the general principles of the fat smash diet are good ones including exercise and moderation in all foods eaten.
Popularity: 17% [?]
The zone diet is considered a fad diet created by a biochemist named Barry Sears. In reality it’s not a fad diet in that it is not planned to only be consumed in short periods, but rather to become the normal eating habits for a person. It is considered a low carbohydrate diet, however is more based on balancing hormones and therefore does not restrict carbohydrates as much as other low carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet.
The basis of the zone diet is a ratio of calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats all of 40 to 30 to 30. Some nonscientific studies done by various television shows have shown that the diet can indeed produce reasonable weight-loss. In fact, many of these nonscientific studies show that people gain muscle mass while losing weight on the zone diet. Many of the people in these studies also reported that of all the low carbohydrate diets, the zone diet was easiest to fit into an everyday lifestyle.
The zone in zone diet refers to a hormone balance in which insulin levels are perfect, glucagen levels are perfect, and thus the body releases various anti-inflammatory chemicals similar to aspirin but without side effects. In addition, claims Sears, the natural anti-inflammatories help with heart health. Another benefit of the zone diet is that once the human body is in this hormonal balance it becomes more efficient and stops storing excess calories as fat. Thus, with no fat stored, and with stored fat used as energy, the body loses weight. Later Sears added a Omega three and Omega six fatty acids to the diet, through such supplements as pharmaceutical fish oils.
A typical zone diet meal was described by its creator in the following manner. In every meal eat enough protein to fit in the palm of your hand, as many non-starchy raw vegetables as you can take, just enough carbohydrates to maintain mental clarity, and just enough oils to stop hunger.
This zone diet has a famous weight loss case in its files, that of the man who weighed over 1200 pounds. After two years on the zone diet he lost nearly 1/3 of that weight, all that after trying everything he could think of including liposuction that had nearly been fatal. The man’s current diet consists of 2000 calories broken up into six meals per day. It includes egg white omelets, fresh salads, chicken, fish, and other healthy foods mandated by the zone diet.
Give the zone diet a try, but be careful.
Popularity: 22% [?]
The South Beach diet is a wildly popular diet, that’s why South Beach diet recipes are so in demand. The reduced carbohydrates called for in the diet don’t mean that food has to be bland. From American to Italian, from German to Mexican, the South Beach diet recipes take on many forms. Here are just some of the terrific foods you can eat on the South Beach diet.
The first of the South Beach diet recipes to examine is chicken Marcela. This one begins with a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, adds an onion, a cup of mushroom slices, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, half cup of dry Marcela wine, 2 tablespoons of minced parsley, and chicken broth. Pound chicken between two pieces of waxed paper, then season it with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the chicken, cook it until it’s done. Cook onions and mushrooms until they’re soft, then add the wine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. If you need more liquid at this point add a little bit of the broth. Now pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken, and the recipe is complete. This will serve four, and has only 3 g of carbohydrates with 336 total calories.
Another of the terrific South Beach diet recipes takes us to the east, in Thailand. This is Thai style chicken salad. It includes a pound of cooked chicken breasts sliced thinly, 3 cups shredded Napa cabbage, 3 cups peeled jicama cut into strips, a sweet red pepper, some mint, some cilantro, and a dressing made with Thai fish sauce. It’s very simple to make mix together the salad ingredients, mix together dressing ingredients, then toss them together. It makes four servings and has 8 g of carbohydrates in 297 total calories. It really looks delicious.
How about south of the border with South Beach at recipes? This recipe for fajitas includes a soy sauce, a recommendation from a cook in a Mexican restaurant. ½ to 2 pounds of skirt steak or chicken is cut into strips, combined with a medium onion, two bell peppers, quarter cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of wine juice, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and 2 tablespoons of oil. Combine all the liquid ingredients, added to the meat strips to marinade for about 30 minutes. Then cook on a skillet or grill, the meat first and then the vegetables. This serves five, has 4.5 g of carbohydrates in a total of 307 calories per serving.
With the right South Beach diet recipes, it’s like not even being on a diet.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Fad diets are diets designed to be followed for only a short period of time. Another popular culture meaning for the term is a diet that becomes wildly popular for a period of a few months to a few years, and then fades into obscurity. Some of these fad diets include the cabbage soup diet, the Atkins diet, and the cookie diet.
Another name for the fad diet is food fadism. This refers to any form of food that becomes popular for a short period of time such as the fad diet. These generally have some common elements, including:
- Some elements of the food are said to have miraculous properties. - Many other foods are completely eliminated from the diet, because they are thought to have negative properties.
As example of these elements of fad diets in the diet, take the Atkins diet. In this diet carbohydrates are the Keystone element that is negative and therefore to be avoided. Carbohydrates take on both of the common elements in that removing carbohydrates from the diet creates a near magical metabolic state in which fat is burned at an incredible rate. This diet had a number of short periods of extreme carbohydrate avoidance, followed by long periods of sustainable low carbohydrate eating. Unlike many fad diets the Atkins diet was designed to be something a person could stick to for a long period of time.
The Atkins diet was also one of these fad diets in that huge popularity was fairly short-lived. For a number of years the Atkins diet was everywhere, and everyone seemed to be following it. Entertainment magazines were full of movie stars and music stars and sports stars who claimed amazing weight loss and fitness all due to the Atkins diet. But after the death of Dr. Atkins, the diet became much less of a household word.
Many fad diets can be quite dangerous. Even a diet like the Subway diet, as first presented in the commercials, could have problems. It was based on the legend of Jared, a young man who’d lost nearly 250 pounds in only a year by eating Subway sandwiches, baked chips, and diet soda. In reality Jared cut his caloric intake from over 10,000 calories a day to only 900. Such an extreme level of caloric intake cuts and rapid weight loss is unhealthy. Even so, the Subway diet when followed in moderation can work. Particularly because the diet included exercise — Jared walked 6 miles a day while losing the weight.
Beware of fad diets. A healthy combination of reasonable diet and exercise in the long-term can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In the world of fad diets almost nothing can be more absurd than the cookie diet. This diet is based on a mixture of amino acids baked into a cookie designed to control a patient’s hunger.
Fad diets seem to be everywhere these days. In general a fad diet is a diet which is designed to last for short periods of time, during which large amounts of weight can supposedly be lost. Often times, like the cookie diet, these diets rely on one miracle food with amazing properties for weight loss. In this sense they are something like the old traveling medicine shows, in which a slick talking salesman would expound on the virtues of some magical formula created by a Guru of some type.
The cookie diet was created by a physician named Sanford Siegel in 1975 while he was researching a book on the effect of natural foods on hunger. This cookie diet consisted of patients eating six cookies each day in place of meals, then eating a reasonable dinner. There were about 500 calories combined in the cookies, and the dinner could be 300 calories in the evening. Very quickly the cookie diet became a huge success, with 14 clinics in Florida and 10 in Latin America expounding this amazing weight loss formula. In the middle 1980s over 200 doctors were prescribing Dr. Siegel’s cookie diet in their own practices. It was at this time that shakes and soups were added to the mix, these also containing the amino acids that control hunger.
There is another version of the cookie diet referred to as the Hollywood cookie diet because it became popular with many Hollywood stars. This diet received a great deal of media attention in part because of the PR efforts of attention grabbing stars and starlets. This diet is similar to the original in that it consists of a cookie for breakfast, a cookie as a snack in the morning, a cookie for lunch, a cookie as a mid-afternoon snack, and then a reasonable dinner. Each cookie contains approximately 150 calories, loaded with fiber, protein and 13 vitamins and minerals.
Do yourself a favor avoid the cookie diet. If you want to lose weight, or maintain a healthy eating lifestyle, simply lower the amount of calories you eat from everyday foods and add some exercise. In general this is a much healthier way to lose or maintain weight than relying on some fly by night miracle food, even if it is endorsed by someone you recognize from a movie.
In order to lose weight you must take in fewer calories than you use. Many diets, like the Slim fast diet, follow this general principle — having a dieter eat less than they normally burn. Let’s take a look at the Slim fast diet to see just how effective it can be.
Before determining the general effectiveness of the Slim fast diet let’s take a look at just how this diet works. Basically it relies on replacing two meals a day with the nutrition shake — in this case the Slim fast shake. The dieter can eat a sensible dinner, and can also eat two pieces of fruit and the Slim fast nutrition bar as snacks. In general the plan averages about 1200 calories a day. This is about 500 less than the average female diet and 1000 less than the average male diet. Even without exercise, which Slim fast recommends, this diet will result in weight loss.
One of the most important aspects of any diet is certainly present in the Slim fast diet - ease-of-use. When people can easily follow and easily maintain a diet they’re most likely to have success with it. This diet also includes drinking a lot of water. The 6 to 8 cups of water called for in the Slim fast diet are healthy.
One great problem with the Slim fast diet is that it is difficult to get needed vitamins, minerals and other nutrients necessary for healthy living. Most of these are found in the average foods that people eat, but not all are found in the Slim fast shake or nutrition bars. It’s also very easy on this diet, and something that many people have done, to cut out that sensible meal. The thinking is that by skipping a meal while still drinking the shakes people would lose weight more quickly. But this is a great danger, because cutting calories to that extent is not healthy. In addition, as already stated, the shakes alone do not provide many of the elements needed in a healthy diet.
Some people have found success with a modified Slim fast diet. This is something like eating two normal meals a day and replacing only one with the Slim fast shake. That can be very effective, especially if the replaced meal is lunch, which many working people often eat at fast food restaurants.
Like any diet, the Slim fast diet can work, but it must be followed with caution. Use common sense.
The Jenny Craig diet was begun by Genevieve Guidroz, an American weight-loss guru. The Jenny Craig company began in Australia, began offering its diet program in America in 1985, and was purchased by Nestlé in 2006. Today the company has over 550 weight-loss centers in the United States and other countries. Read on For more information.
Jenny Craig calls itself one of the largest weight management companies in the entire world. It has a simple formula for weight loss — good nutrition and basic activities. It’s a well-known formula for weight loss and healthy living used throughout the fitness world. The Jenny Craig diet doesn’t only seek to help people lose weight, it seeks to establish a long term lifestyle for healthy living. In this sense it’s much more than a fad diet.
The Jenny Craig diet has had a number of celebrity spokespeople. One of the most famous was Kristie Alley, former star of Cheers, who also appeared in some Star Trek movies. She became the spokesperson in 2005, and people were startled to see how much weight she gained since her days on Cheers. Her work for Jenny Craig came after she had ballooned to over 200 pounds, and appeared in a comedy documentary called Fat Actress. As of November of 2006 she claimed to have lost 75 pounds in the Jenny Craig diet. A number of people questioned whether Kristie really lost weight while on the diet.
The Jenny Craig diet program includes one-on-one counseling session with consultants. These are not certified professional nutritionists nor are they health professionals. Jenny Craig trains them in turn only for the position. The way the Jenny Craig diet works is this. Members join, then select from a number of different plans each of which comes with a set of prepackaged food. The entire menu is preplanned and includes items from the company’s line of over 75 frozen foods and dry foods, to which people add store-bought items such as dairy products and vegetables. Later in the diet, clients can create their own menus selected from a set of Jenny Craig foods. Finally for half the week or more meals no longer include these Jenny Craig foods.
The website Web M.D. tested the Jenny Craig diet to determine if it was worthwhile, and a healthy way for people to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most of the staff found the food tasty, comparable to frozen food items found in most grocery stores, and indicated that the diet was a good way to lose weight quickly over the short-term. So give the Jenny Craig diet a try.
Popularity: 13% [?]
