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In this new century, news media are finally aware that America’s major health problem is obesity. Excess weight not only contributes to almost every health risk, it can actually multiply the risk factors, including those from tobacco. It has already been reported that tobacco causes more deaths than AIDS / HIV, maternal mortality, automobile accidents, homicide and suicide combined, yet obesity makes the risks even higher.

You don’t have to be 300 pounds overweight for fat to be harmful. Being “pleasingly plump” or even leaner can be enough to increase your risks of various ailments, such as cancers, diabetes, heart disease, memory loss, menopause, osteoporosis, PMS, stroke.

Just substituting margarine for butter is not enough, especially if the spread is made with hydrogenated oils or “trans fatty acids”. Read the rest of this entry »

Not deep fried potatoes.

Not potatoes smothered in butter, margarine, or sour cream.

Low fat yogurt can be used as a topping, plain or with herbs and spices.

But try potatoes that are baked, boiled, fried on a non-stick surface with a minimum of oil or non-stick spray, chopped into soups and stews, and on, and on.

It is extremely unfortunate that deep fried and salted potatoes (”french-fries” or pomme de terre frit” or “pomme frit”, and potato chips) are so tasty, and are now the most popular of all fast foods. But severely restrict your intake if you don’t want heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses. Read the rest of this entry »

Following a diet program of any sort can sometimes be restricting depending on different circumstances. A Strict diet program can be hard to stick to and the best diet programs are the diet programs that you can definitely stick with for the rest of your life.

The best advice for a diet program is a healthy balanced diet using all food groups, drink plenty of water and exercise very regularly. Sticking with this type of diet program is not restricting in any way and gives you a huge variety of foods to choose from. Watch your fat intake and really stop and think about what you are about to put into your mouth. You know if you are eating junk or eating a healthy diet.

It’s up to you at the end of the day to educate yourself on what type of diet program is ridiculous and which are sensible and maintainable for a lifetime. The secret is exercise. Your diet program simply must include exercise if you want the best results in the shortest possible time. Read the rest of this entry »

…is a wonderful word that is too little appreciated by people in North America and many other countries. Just look at recent news.

Prevention applies to mega forest fires (controlled burns in advance), earthquakes (better construction in California than Iran saved lives during similar levels of earth tremors), and many diseases.

Unfortunately, the medical - pharmacology complex finds it far more profitable to treat diseases with pills and “procedures” (surgery), than to prevent them with good diet and lifestyle practices.

Unfortunately, most of us prefer magic cures to taking responsibility for our own health. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s now on top since low carb recipes have turned the food pyramid upside down.

The craze over low carb recipes is one of the major reasons why beef is back! Until recently, the beef industry leaders had about as much interest in celebrity doctors and their low carbohydrate recipes as I do in thinking about eating liver…ugh! But thanks to The Atkins Diet recipes, Dr. Phil’s Diet,and Hollywood’s Hottest Diet- The Zone Diet, low carbohydrate recipe program, red meat sales are skyrocketing. And you know what that means! The wholesale price of beef is up 100% in less than two years. Soooooo, now you know to thank the craze over low carb recipes for skyrocketing beef prices! For heaven’s sake, beer manufacturers and ice cream makers are even marketing low carb products these days. Read the rest of this entry »

Low carbs and high protein is the way to lose weight, or so you’ll hear from one diet guru, and he has the testimonials to back it up. Low fat, lots of carbs and fresh fruits and veggies, says another - and he’s got the back up from satisfied users, too. A third swears that you need to count the amount of sugar; another tells you the enemy is white flour - if you want to lose real weight and keep it off, who do you listen to?

Take a look at the brief summaries below for a quick overview of the pros and cons of each of the popular types of diet plans.

Low Carb-Hi Protein Diets

Diets like the Atkins, the South Beach and the Zone Diet all recommend restricted carbohydrates and allow liberal amounts of protein, including protein derived from animal sources. Generally, they limit the overall amount of carbohydrates, or teach you to differentiate between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates. Bad carbohydrates, which are forbidden, include white flour, white bread, and white sugar. Read the rest of this entry »

Industry spokes persons and publications of various national governments assure us that MSG is good for us, with no detrimental effects.

Such assurances are totally meaningless to those of us who find even small amounts of MSG can cause a feeling of swelling head, headache, spaciness, anxiety, and make it difficult to sleep.

(Going on a chocolate binge can do the same to me.)

Hydrolyzed Protein (HP) is made from various foods (such as soybeans, corn, wheat, or milk whey) by acid hydrolysis. This is usually made into flavor enhancers for processed foods. HP is often used with MSG. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick, what’s the first thought that pops into your head when you hear the word “diet?” Probably that when you’re on one, you feel like you’re going to “d-i-e” right?!

WHAT EXACTLY IS A DIET?

Most people believe that a diet is something that involves pain, suffering, and giving up foods we enjoy. Some of the symptoms of “being on a diet” usually include being hungry and cranky all the time. But this is not really the true meaning of the word and if you get hung up on all the negative stuff, you’ll miss the entire concept. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about how wrong for our bodies the current recommendations from our most respected medical institutions are. Well-known diet gurus and nutritional researchers have stepped up to the plate to declare that the high carbohydrate, low fat diet regimens recommended by such institutions as the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the United States Department of Agriculture are misinformed, and frankly unhealthy.

Instead, they charge, our diets should include lots of high quality protein, fat should not concern us, and carbohydrates are the enemy. This has set the stage for battles between the weight loss industry and the health industry - with the only agreement between them seeming to be the need to lose weight. Read the rest of this entry »