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Diabetes, which affects more than 6% of the US population or over 18, 000, 000 people [i], is diagnosed when the body is not creating or effectively utilizing the hormone called insulin. As a result, much-needed energy from sugar, starch, and other sources are not being exploited as effectively as they should. This can lead to severe adverse health consequences, including nerve, ocular, and kidney problems [ii].

While genetics and environmental factors play a role, the exact cause of diabetes is as yet undetermined. However, one thing is precisely clear to those with this condition: eating right is vitally important.

Generally speaking, people with diabetes do not eat a standard “one size fits all” diet. Rather, they must adhere very closely to the healthy eating guidelines prescribed by their doctor. Read the rest of this entry »

This scares me to death, every day you walk down the street it is becoming more and more apparent that the average person is becoming larger and this trend has escalated over recent years. Why are they getting fatter? Here are some reasons…

· Less incidental activity
· Automated and computerized lifestyle
· Longer working hours and less leisure
· Increased consumption of processed foods
· Our food servings are larger than ever

Being overweight, or obese, has now moved from a social nuisance and domestic embarrassment to an official disease. The American Heart Association has announced obesity is a major risk for heart disease. Read the rest of this entry »

(ARA) - There is no question about the fact that the low carb diet is in. Magazine covers proclaim its success, books like “Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution” and “The South Beach Diet” remain on the top sellers list week after week, and stores that specialize in low carb foods are popping up all over the country.

Low carb products now account for over $2.5 billion dollars in retail sales every year. The effects of this trend can be seen in the grocery store. According to Maureen Putman of the Hain-Celestial Group, sales of high carbohydrate foods such as pasta and bread are down 7.5 and 3 percent respectively. At the same time, sales of foods in the low carbohydrate categories, such as breakfast sausage, are up 7.5 percent.

The Low Carb Diet is based on the theory that over consumption of carbs and the way our bodies process them is a key factor in obesity. The low carb diet restricts processed and refined carbohydrates and limits the consumption of sugar, breads, pasta and starchy vegetables. If the body burns fat and carbohydrates for energy, by limiting carbs it burns fat. Read the rest of this entry »

How’s this for a diet: Take in fewer calories than you expend and you’ll lose weight. I just read another article that suggested this as the sure-fire way to lose weight. Of course it’s true, and about as useful as telling an alcoholic he can beat his problem by not drinking. Yeah, right.

Have you noticed that almost every diet is guaranteed to work if you follow it? Of course, it’s your fault if you don’t do what they say, right? What a bunch of nonsense. If you can’t stick to a diet, then it doesn’t work - not for you, anyhow, and what’s the difference if it works for others?

You Are Unique

Don’t let someone sit there biting their nails for the fortieth year in a row tell you it’s willpower you need. Of course it would be wonderful if you could force yourself to do whatever you decided to do. The truth, however, is that we each have our areas of difficulty, and our ways of operating. No one but you can judge just how hard you actually are trying, or even what you need to do. Read the rest of this entry »

Question: What are some of the benefits of healthy nutrition? What makes a healthy diet worth it?

Answer:
The effects of having a healthy nutritional diet are innumerable. The human body needs various nutrients and minerals to keep it functioning in tip-top shape, and the only way this can be accomplished is by maintaining a healthy diet including vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are necessary to the body for three different reasons; they are crucial for obtaining energy, helping your body grow, and repairing worn out tissues. If your diet lacks certain necessary vitamins, your health may suffer. Therefore, the primary benefits of healthy nutrition are mainly that it keeps your health up.

A sound nutritional schedule is recommended by doctors when a patient is inflicted with any of a number of diseases. Keeping your nutrition up when afflicted with such diseases as cancer or aids can be key to your survival. Read the rest of this entry »

Cholesterol may differ depending on the lifestyle, gender or the heritage of the individual. Every one of us can do certain things to live healthier, longer lives. One of those alternatives includes maintaining cholesterol at the right level. However, the truth is even young, thin, physically fit people can have high levels of cholesterol, even though chances of higher levels amplify due to certain factors. Lifestyle management can alter some of these factors while others require a more aggressive approach to include cholesterol-lowering medication. Carrying around excess weight usually increases the level of “bad” cholesterol.

The majority people don’t know that there is good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Unfortunately, those efforts to provide an easy explanation of cholesterol measurement actually misrepresent it. Improving your own HDL-to-LDL ratio practice exercise regularly, jogging, walking and eating balanced diet food that is low fat foods. The main factors in changing your body’s LDL /HDL ratio in your favor. Losing weight can also helpful. There is proof that alcohol, in control, can have some small beneficial effect in raising HDL levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Recent TV news showed that various food brands are offering low carbohydrate foods due to public demand. That just shows how poorly informed the public can be.

The Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/) tells us that “Every day your body requires certain nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and protein, to function properly. Too much of one nutrient or not enough of another can influence your health.”

Encyclopedia Britannica (http://www.britannica.com) tells how carbohydrates can be classified, but they are all described as molecules of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. “Carbohydrates are the most abundant molecules in all biology.” Read the rest of this entry »

People everywhere are searching for the elusive miracle drug that will cure their weight loss problems for ever. Weight loss supplements can assist you in the weight loss process but are far from the miracle and only solution you should seek. Weight loss supplements and other diet drugs can aid you in your digestive and other bodily functions, but they are unlikely to assist in obtain your goal weight in the long term.

Over-the-counter herbal or ‘natural’ weight loss supplements bring in big dollars for their manufacturers. But some claims about the supposed weight loss benefits of herbal weight loss supplements or ‘natural’ fat-burning pills or appetite suppressants are very misleading.

When used under medical supervision in conjunction with a proper diet and exercise program, weight loss supplements can be effective - at least in the short term. Although having said that the body does adjust quickly to many diet drugs and supplements, so the benefits can fade away very rapidly. If weight loss supplements are not used in conjunction with a proper weight loss program that incorporates a well balanced diet and regular exercise, they are not likely to be effective. Indeed some supplements may even disrupt your system causing weight gain and other harmful side effects. Read the rest of this entry »

(ARA) - The days are getting shorter; the air is getting colder. Are you nervous about losing the summer figure that you worked so hard to achieve? Winter will be here before you know it and so might those extra seasonal pounds. Now there is an easier way to help ward off the dreaded winter weight.

Ongoing research continues to indicate that use of the dietary supplement conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may reduce body fat while increasing lean muscle tone. This naturally occurring fatty acid appears to slim the body and increase metabolism by building muscle mass. CLA reduces body fat and can be used to bolster any dieter’s fat reduction program. In addition, CLA is believed to keep fat cells from refilling with fat, protecting dieters from regaining lost weight.

“CLA is in no way a ‘magic bullet’, but it is a valuable fat reduction supplement for any diet regimen, ” explains Delbert Dorscheid, MD, assistant professor of medicine, University of British Columbia. “Keeping lean body mass and speeding up fat loss are the keys to successful body composition changes. CLA, used in conjunction with diet and regular exercise, can help people achieve this desired effect and keep their bodies from regaining fat.” Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry.

Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat.

Can you exist on salad, topped with Flax seed oil dressing, for the rest of your life?

People believe that they must pay penance for their eating sins. Dietary and exercise torture seems to be good for the conscience and the prescription of the day.

How else can we explain “off the wall” diets and “extreme” exercise programs? Read the rest of this entry »