Nutrition

Jeff Behar asked:


The Three Day Diet is a fad diet dating back to 1985. Followers of the Three Day Diet are promised up to a 10 pound weight loss in three days. The allure of the the Three Day Diet is the promise of up to a 10 pound weight loss in three days. The reality is that most of that weight loss is likely due to fluid loss and not the more desirable fat loss.

How the Three Day Diet Works

As the name suggests, the Three Day Diet lasts only three days, though it’s said that it can be repeated indefinitely, as long as you alternate with 4-5 days of undefined normal eating. The purpose of returning to your usual eating style is to keep your metabolism from slowing, reverting to fat-storing, starvation mode

The Three Day Diet is a regimented plan that must be followed exactly for three days at a time, followed by normal eating for four or five days before opting to resume the plan again.

The Three Day Diet is a very specific food plan that must be followed precisely. Portions must be eaten exactly as specified and dieters are warned not to overeat — otherwise the promised 10 pound weight loss may not be achieved. Likewise, dieters should not under-eat, even if they are not hungry.

The combination of the suggested foods included in this plan is supposed to create a unique metabolic reaction and boost fat burning.

The Three Day Diet Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

1/2 cup tuna

1 piece toast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

Dinner

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans

1 cup carrots

1 apple

1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 piece toast

Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 boiled egg

1 piece toast

Dinner

1 cup tuna

1 cup carrots

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup melon

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

What Food is Allowed on the Three Day Diet

The Three Day Diet gives you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you stick to mostly natural foods.n addition to its strict daily food prescription, dieters drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.

The Three Day Diet consists of ordinary foods found in your kitchen. No special expensive recipes or ingredients are required. You don’t have to buy frozen diet meals.

You can add herbs, salt, pepper, lemon, vinegar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mustard and ketchup to your foods.

What Food is Not Allowed on the Three Day Diet

Processed food such as frozen meals, crackers, ramen soups, cake mixes, chips and candy have to be avoided. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice.

Known Benefits of the Three Day Diet

The main advantage of the Three day diet is that it helps you lose weight fast.

Apart from this fast weight loss Three Day Diet is also having other advantages like increasing your body energy, healthy skin, reduces allergies and enhanced sexual drive. Other advantages include:



The Three Day Diet can flush your body of toxins in the process as long as you stick with the program and do not overeat.



The Three Day Diet is simple to follow, reasonably cheap, less time consuming and there is no complicated recipes to follow.





The fasting of the 3 day diet can make the body to heal naturally.

Digestion uses up strength in the form of fat and muscles from our energy store Fasting also appears to release a hormone that stimulates the immune system. It also gives your intestinal system a chance to clean itself and the body time to flush out the waste products of metabolism.

A regular practice of fasting is said to also  help prevent a buildup or backlog of metabolic debris in the body, diminishing the possibility of serious illness.

Potential Risks of the Three Day Diet

Some people feel dizzy, weak, unable to concentrate and complete daily activities.If you are looking for a weight loss program and exercise plan that will help you maintain your health, weight, strength, and more, then this diet is not for you. This diet might only offer you temporary weight loss, and might not have enough nutrients in it to help you workout on a regular basis.

What the Experts Say About 3 Day Diet

“There is no such thing as a Cleveland Clinic diet,” says Cindy Moore, director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic. “It is an urban legend that is not nutritionally sound, and the only reason it causes weight loss is because it is so low in calories, not because of any food combinations or metabolic reactions.”

Following a plan with fewer than 1,000 calories a day concerns Moore. “The plan yields about 1,000 calories a day which has the ability to lower metabolism so when you revert back to normal eating, you regain weight even quicker.”

Because the 3 Day Diet is so low in carbohydrates, it’s likely the initial weight loss is primarily water weight, as carbohydrate encourages your body to retain water. As soon as the dieter goes back to consuming a normal amount of carbohydrate, the water weight comes back.

There has been a lot of research to help us understand why weight cycling occurs. When we diet, our body still requires a set number of calories to function each day. If we do not get it from food, our body will break down its own energy stores in fat and muscle to survive. It has long been established that a diet that promotes more than a two-pound per week weight loss will break down muscle tissue for energy at a more rapid rate than it will break down fat stores for energy. Whereas, the slower one loses weight, the less our body uses lean muscle tissue for energy and the more it uses our fat stores. Lean muscle is the last thing a dieter wants to lose. Muscle tissue is the source of our metabolic rate. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn each day. The less you have, the less you burn each day. Thus, even slow weight loss diets will burn some muscle tissue for energy, particularly when unaccompanied by exercise. Choosing to lose weight fast without exercising is a no win combination that is a strong predictor of weight cycling.

Bottom Line About The Three day Diet

The Three Day Diet is a simple a low calorie diet. There is nothing magical no mystical chemical reaction that goes on as some seem to think.

The only reason that a person on this diet would lose weight is due to the severe calorie restriction. Because of the low amount of carbohydrate in the diet, it is also possible that a person on this diet will primarily lose water weight. As soon as the dieter goes back to eating a normal diet and consuming a normal amount of carbohydrate, this water weight will be gained back.

The other demerits of three day diet are:



The Three Day Diet is that never educates the dieter on how to achieve sustainable, healthy weight loss.



The diet is so monotonous, dieters gladly return to their old eating habits.



There is no documentation or scientific explanation of how the Three Day Diet food combination burn fat, increase energy, cleanse the body, or lower cholesterol.





There are numerous alternatives to the Three Day Diet that are much healthier, and will produce better results.

Look for a well-balanced weight loss plan that controls calories every day, includes exercise, and allows a wide variety of healthy foods. To lose weight, it is simply not enough to eat a prescribed diet for three days without addressing eating habits that cause weight gain.

 

Jeff Behar asked:


The Biggest Loser Diet is a calorie-controlled, carbohydrate modified, fat reduced, weight loss diet geared to help you burn pure fat from the body. It also help to do so without deprivation or loss of energy.

How The Biggest Loser Diet Works

The Biggest Loser Diet guides you to choose foods that are closer to their natural source, particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, because your body processes and uses them much more efficiently to build health. Whole foods are those that have not been modified from their natural state, or have been modified only a little bit, for example, through cooking. Foods that have been substantially modified are classified as processed foods. For example, blueberries are a whole food but blueberries toaster pastries are not.

Whole foods are higher in fiber, which aids in weight loss, both because it is filling and because it helps reduce the number of calories that your body absorbs after a meal. Further, whole foods are much less fattening than processed foods because they do not contain added sugar or other sweeteners. Nor do they contain added fats or oils.

This is a low calorie diet based on the Biggest Loser pyramid of 4-3-2-1 (four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one “extra”), along with good old-fashioned exercise. Eat a diet based largely on fruits, vegetables and lean protein, add a heavy dose of physical activity and you will lose weight, lower cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and become stronger and more energized.

The Biggest Loser Diet is based on a diet is high in lean protein. Protein has a hunger controlling effect on the body, which is why higher protein diets are so effective for weight loss and fat-burning.

What Food is Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet gives you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you stick to mostly whole, natural foods. Over the course of the 12-week program, you can expect to eat small, frequent meals containing plenty of fiber and protein, for fullness without too many calories.

The Sample Meal Plan for The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet plan includes one week sample meal plans for 1,200, 1,500 and 1,800-calorie diets, along with some recipes. Forty-five percent of the total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 25% from fat.

The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups:



4 servings of fruits and vegetables

3 servings of protein — lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy

2 servings of whole grains

1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories



What Foods are Not Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Die doesn’t allow eating any appetite stimulating white foods like bread, pasta, or potatoes.  You have to keep daily food logs, watching portion sizes, and drinking 48-64 ounces of water each day round out the basic plan.

Dieters are urged to choose foods that are not processed and contain no added fats, sugar, or salt.

How to Benefit from The Biggest Loser Diet

There is a simple formula for you, put together by the Biggest Loser doctors and nutritionists.  

Your present weight X 7 = Your daily caloric needs for weight loss.

Your calorie count should never be static; in fact, it’s a moving target. As you lose weight, you’ll need to readjust your daily calories downward in order to keep losing at a good pace and break through plateaus, should your weight loss ever seem stalled. Your Biggest Loser online program will make this adjustment for you, and change your meal plans as necessary.

Note: Everyone is different, and we all burn different amounts of calories at different rates. So if you and a partner, friend, or buddy follow The Biggest Loser Diet, one of you might lose weight at a different rate, faster or slower, than the other from week to week.

Additional Suggested Health Benefits of The Biggest Loser Diet

The biggest loser diet program contains a detailed cardio and strength-training program that increases in intensity for a fat-busting boost.

It works because you burn more calories than you eat, and if you follow the prescription for eating healthy, whole foods every few hours, you shouldn’t have to deal with hunger.

Potential Risks of The Biggest Loser Diet

Sounds simple enough, but when you don’t have a personal trainer pushing you, as the TV contestants have, it is difficult to stay motivated. If you’re motivated by the television program, you have to struggle hard at home with this sensible and straightforward approach.

Whilst The Biggest Loser Diet doesn’t provide viewers with a realistic format for exercise, it does motivate them to get started and that is a good thing.

What the Experts Say about The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet has certain advantages. When you eliminate refined starches and sugars or the appetite stimulating foods, hunger and appetite go way down because blood glucose and insulin spikes are minimized.

The diet is endorsed by the American Dietetic Association.  According to American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, the Biggest Loser Diet is a worthwhile diet– as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.

Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles also endorses the diet. According to Bowman, “The Biggest loser Diet is very similar to the plan we use at our clinics, using very low-fat and lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables (with an emphasis on vegetables), and avoiding refined grains — which has proven to be successful because the diet is very satiating,” she says. Bowerman also recommends that dieters get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, either in a supplement or by eating low-mercury types of fish twice weekly.

American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, endorses the Biggest Loser Diet — as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.

Bottom Line Evaluation of the Biggest Loser Diet

Only four components of food supply calories: protein and carbohydrates (4 calories per gram), alcohol (7 calories per gram), and fat (9 calories per gram).  Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, and water do not supply calories.

Diet-wise, no matter what you’ve heard, calories really do count, and they count big-time. If you don’t eat fewer calories than you burn off, there will be no weight loss.

Nishanth Reddy asked:


The South Beach Diet is considered to be a healthy diet, which is concerned on the right carbohydrates and the right fats for a healthy body. As such, many people were drawn to it believing that the South Beach Diet is really the best diet for them.

However, out of this good reputation that the South Beach Diet maintained, still there are some attacks and bad comments about the diet. Well, we don’t need to be surprised about this, for this is how the world is set.

What then is the importance of the principle of “yin and yang” if there is only one side for everything? There could be biases, prejudices, and imbalances, right?

So, even though there is really no noted “big” South Beach Diet danger, still there are certain resources which hold that the South Beach Diet danger surface when the improper application of the diet is made.

Lack of Information and Understanding

Numerous resources have noted that part of the South Beach Diet is the lack of information or understanding about the diet. From the word “lack” alone, a sort of South Beach Diet danger is then viewed.

According to many studies, the South Beach Diet danger surfaced for the reason that the South Beach Diet is very demanding for those that are accustomed to carbohydrate-rich diets.

Lapsing Into the Old Eating Habits

In line with such view for the South Beach Diet danger, it is also noted that one of the largest South Beach Diet dangers surface when there is a lapsing into the old eating habits.

This was considered to be a South Beach Diet danger for the reason that this lapsing will result in speedy weight gain. Along with that, this part of the South Beach Diet danger may then be a new way of life.

Lack of Willpower

In relation to such fact, another support states that a great South Beach Diet danger will also surface when there is a lack of willpower exerted for the diet, especially from the carbohydrates lovers.

In fact, it is a common view that there is always the South Beach Diet danger of lapsing back into old eating habits and increasing the carbohydrate consumption without even realizing it.

Steps To Overcome These South Beach Diet Dangers

So to battle this one of the common South Beach Diet dangers, Dr. Arthur Agatston himself recommends that the dieters who do lapse and end up on placing some of the weight back on should then be immediately switch back to the first phase of the South Beach Diet for a short while.

This recommendation is given not only to battle such South Beach Diet danger but also to prevent from the occurrence of several South Beach Diet dangers. It is also interesting to know that if this South Beach Diet danger is not prevented earlier, this will lead to an excess in weight gain.

With such mentioned possible South Beach Diet dangers, the South Beach Diet then received mixed reviews from most dieters. Despite the South Beach Diet dangers, many people still consider the South Beach Diet as an updated version of the Atkins diet that is a far more balanced diet.

Only one thing that this diet plan does do is really to educate the dieters in eating the correct food to reduce heart disease, high cholesterol levels, and other South Beach Diet dangers.

Jeff Behar asked:


The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day meal plan, aimed at achieving fast weight loss. It is said to have originated Sacred Hearts Hospital to stimulate weight loss for surgery patients.

How the Cabbage Soup Diet Works

The cabbage soup diet is based on a fat-burning soup that contains negligible calories. The more soup you eat the more weight you should lose. The cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight loss.

The typical claimed intent of the diet is to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight in a week, though nutritional experts point out that it is impossible to lose that much fat within a week.

Cabbage Soup Diet Plan

* Day 1 - Cabbage soup plus as much fruit as you like, excluding bananas.

* Day 2 - Cabbage soup plus vegetables including 1 jacket potato with a little butter.

* Day 3 - Cabbage soup plus fruit and vegetables excluding potatoes and bananas.

* Day 4 - Cabbage soup plus up to eight bananas and as much skimmed milk as you like.

* Day 5 - Cabbage soup plus up to 20 ounces of beef and up to six tomatoes.

* Day 6 - Cabbage soup plus as much beef and vegetables (excluding potatoes) as you like.

* Day 7 - Cabbage soup plus brown rice, vegetables (excluding potatoes) and unsweetened fruit juice.

What Food is Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet

Dieters are allowed only water and cabbage soup they want, plus a very restricted set of other foods. The 7-day cabbage soup diet plan insists on sticking to the small list of allowed foods on alternate days, along with two daily bowls of fat-free cabbage soup. Other specific foods that can be eaten including fruit, vegetables, skim milk, and meat. Dieters are also advised to drink plenty of water.

What Food is Not Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet

You are allowed to eat all you want of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables as specified in the diet. Be sure to eat your soup at least once everyday. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice on days when fruit is allowed.

Effectiveness  of the Cabbage Soup Diet

Weight loss will probably occur due to the low calorie intake. It allows people to eat as much cabbage soup as they want each day, which should sound appealing to dieters.  After all, dieters love to hear that they can eat unlimited amounts of food and still lose weight fast. It is not a long-term weight loss solution, but is known to be effective over the short term.

Known Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet

On some original documents mentioning the diet, it was claimed the diet is designed for obese heart-surgery patients, so they could lose weight quickly and therefore be at lower risk of complications during surgery. However, these claims remain unverified. Because no one has ever officially claimed to be the creator of the diet, there really isn’t any reputable organization that represents it.

Additional Suggested Health Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet

* Fast weight loss.

* The change from some of our normally junky eating habits can be  beneficial.

* Vegetables from the Brassica family (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) have been found to aid in preventing cancer.

Potential Risks of the Cabbage Soup Diet

* This diet plan is not recommended for children and adolescents.

* Since the cabbage soup diet only last for seven days, this diet plan shouldn’t cause people in good health any long-term problems, but people who have special dietary needs, including diabetics, should definitely consult a doctor before starting the cabbage soup diet.

* After one week, dieters must stop for at least two weeks before attempting the diet once more.

* Do not do this diet more than four times a year or more than once every three months. It is not a long-term solution to weight loss.

* Due to the lack of energy that the cabbage soup diet will give you, your energy stores in both your muscles and liver will be greatly reduced, resulting in a lower body fluid content, which results in you headache and feeling tired throughout the day.

* You may get too much sodium from the combination of soup mix, bouillon and juice.

* It has also been noted that flatulence (the presence of a mixture of gases in the digestive system) is a common side effect of the diet.

* Dieters often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the 7-day diet plan.

What the Experts Say About the Cabbage Soup Diet

Many individuals and medical professionals are critical of the diet. It is claimed that most of the weight lost is water and not fat, and therefore not permanent. In addition, the recipe for the soup as often given has an extremely high sodium content, usually to make it palatable, and the diet provides practically zero protein for several days at a time. Many people report feeling weak and light-headed during the course of the diet.

The blandness of the soup means that few manage the entire seven days, and often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the week-long diet. However some diets such as the negative calorie diet basically look at the nutritional properties of the cabbage soup diet, and make it more interesting by combining other foods that have the same effect.

Bottom Line

Weight loss will occur due to the low calorie intake.

Consensus is  this is not a very nutritionally sound plan and certainly not one to live on.

Extensive use can damage your health and this diet is one that should not ne used as a primary long term method for weight loss.

Gary Vaughn asked:


The vast majority of people start dieting in order to lose weight. Losing weight can be accomplished in a number of ways. A diet is simply a specific method for accomplishing that task.

When one decides that they need to lose weight, the first thing that must be considered is the reason for wanting to lose weight. Is the weight loss going to be directed at a way to gain better health or is it more of a vanity reason? The reason for dieting is as important as the method used to lose the weight.

If attaining a more healthy lifestyle and striving for better health is the reason, it should not be of any concern how long the dieting takes to achieve the weight loss goal, if in fact there is a goal. If good health is the main objective, length of time should not be an issue because the diet should simply be a part of a life-style change in which the dieting change would be a long-term part of the life-style anyway.

If, on the other hand, vanity is the reason and the dieting person is hell bent on losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time in order to fit into an object of clothing or simply to look great at the class reunion in a month, the method chosen for dieting will be completely different and, most likely, quite unhealthy.

Long term lifestyle type diets are usually of the type that occur in small increments of weight loss and continue as exercise is slowly increased and more healthy food, in smaller portions is consumed. These are usually quite simple diets that don’t cause a significant amount of suffering as long as the dieting person is committed to the long-term goals.

The vanity type diet is usually a quick but very self-denying diet in which the dieting person eats very little or eats foods that do not tempt the pallet as far as taste or attractiveness go. Often, very large amounts of water are incorporated into these diets and most people do not drink enough water to begin with. When they are confronted with the need to increase their water intake significantly, they hesitate or they are not very compliant. Water, when one is not thirsty, simply does not taste very good.

The vanity diet also usually requires a substantial increase in activity in the form of exercise and most people have a strong aversion to that form of activity.

There are also diets that are not in either the lifestyle change nor the vanity dieting lists but are really a forced lifestyle change that is completely necessary for the dieting person to continue to live. Once such diet is the diabetic diet. If one ignores their diabetes and continues to eat large amounts of carbohydrates, as most Americans do, they will eventually suffer serious health deterioration. So, the necessary-for-life diets are not the ones we are really concerned with in this article.

There are a number of different diets available for each of the non-necessity diets. The basic lifestyle change diet has already been described though some of the latter day fad diets are also appropriate for long-term dieting if the person doing the dieting is indeed dedicated to the lifestyle change. Some specific fad diets that would work for this person are the Atkins or low-carb diet, The Zone diet or the South Beach diet.

The extreme vanity diet person can also use the low carb diet for fast weight loss or they can try starvation or if they really want to lose weight fast and suffer a bit more but at least retain some type of decent health, they can attempt the Lemonade Diet.

The lemonade diet is highly effective but is more a fast than a diet and a special mixture of water, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and syrup are required. One must be highly dedicated to losing weight for this diet to work as no food is allowed for a period of at least ten days and the Lemonade dieter will feel worse before they feel like a million dollars. The diet is extremely effective for losing ten pounds or more in ten days though. The added benefit of this diet is that it does a thorough job of cleaning the colon.

Each one of the above mentioned diets should be highly suspect and not just accepted for it’s reputation or the current fad. One who is considering dieting should, at the very least, buy the book that is written about the diet in order to learn how the diet works with the body and effects the different body systems. Each of the authors has a lot of information included in their book about these concerns.

The main point of this article is to point out to anyone who is considering dieting that they should be very careful and choose a diet that meets their goals and health concerns. Don’t blindly go into any diet without knowing how it’s supposed to effect you, what you’re supposed to eat while on the diet, how much weight you are expected to lose in a specific period of time and what are the benefits and health concerns that attach to that diet.

In fact, it is a very good idea to discuss any diet plans with your health care professional prior to starting or even considering one of the above diets.

Jeff Behar asked:


About the Alkaline Diet

Eating alkaline foods or starting an alkaline diet refer to consuming those foods and drink which have an alkaline effect on the body. This effect is based upon the ash residue that remains after our foods are consumed.  Some foods leave an acid ash, whereas others leave an alkaline ash. Conveniently for us, our bodies have been designed to categorize which foods leave which kind of ash into the body.

The Alkaline diet (also known as the alkaline acid diet and the acid alkaline diet) is a controversial dietary protocol based on the consumption of mainly fresh fruit, vegetables, roots and tubers, nuts, and legumes and avoiding grains, dairy, meat and excess salt, in order to balance the acidity and alkalinity (the “pH balance”) of one’s body.

In recent years it has been a popular topic among authors of diet and nutrition.

How the Alkaline Diet Works

The alkaline diet offers a simple, basic understanding of what causes the body to become ‘out of balance’. Through what has become the typical Western diet largely based around meat, dairy, sugars, alcohol, saturated fats and caffeine, millions of us have created a hostile, acidic environment within our bodies.

The pH level of our internal fluids affects every living cell in our bodies and the effect that over-acidification can have upon the health of our bodies is immense, with a chronically over acidic pH creating an extremely negative environment which affects all cellular functions from the beatings of the heart to the neural workings of the brain.

When our pH level is unbalanced, almost any area of our bodies can be negatively affected creating results such as cancer, heart disease, obesity, weight problems, allergies, fatigue and premature aging as well as problems with our nervous system, cardiovascular system and muscles.

Goals

The nature of body varies but most of us should aim to eat 75-80% alkaline foods and a maximum of 20-25% acid forming foods.

What Food is Allowed

To begin to alkaline diet it is important to start consuming alkaline foods and drinks while eliminating acidifying foods and drinks from your diet. As a rough guide you should try to remember:

* Vegetables (spinach, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumber, lettuce, courgette, cabbage, greens, swede, squash (summer, butternut, yellow etc)

* Salads

* Essential Fats (such as Udo’s Choice, Flax/Linseed, Evening Primrose, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil etc)

* Fruits (ONLY - Lemons, Lime, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Tomato, Avocado)

* Soy, Grasses and Sprouts

What Food is Not Allowed

Sugar, dairy, meat (apart from fish occasionally or when transitioning), caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, wheat, yeast, fruit (apart from those mentioned above), bad fats (saturated, trans-fatty acids, hydrogenated) and salt.

The most effective way to reverse the trend of over-acidification is to ‘cleanse’ the body of toxins and rapidly create an alkaline environment in which the body can heal itself. Cleansing is a natural, holistic method of healing in which the body detoxifies itself and regenerates healthy vibrant cells, effectively becoming more alkalized.

Known Benefits

USDA Study has shown Alkaline foods prevent muscle and bone loss. Alkaline diet is similar to a practice in the traditional Chinese medicinal diet, in which patients with minor illness is made to eat vegetables or fruits and forgo nuts and meat, a practice called “quench the fire”.

Additional Suggested Health Benefits

According to some alternative medicine practitioners, the shift to an acid-producing diet is the cause of a number of chronic diseases. Some practitioners recommend the alkaline diet if a person has the following symptoms and other illnesses have been ruled out.

* Lack of energy

* Excessive mucous production

* Nasal congestion

* Frequent colds and flu

* Anxiety, nervousness, irritability

* Ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, benign breast cysts

* Headache

Potential Risks of the Alkaline Diet

An alkaline diet is a diet that emphasizes, to a varying degree, fresh fruit, vegetables, roots and tubers, nuts, and legumes. Because Alkaline Diets promote the exclusion of many foods, thos can be harmful to the body.

The alkaline diet should not be used by people with acute or chronic kidney failure unless under a doctor’s supervision. People with pre-existing heart disease and those on medications that affect potassium levels in the body should check with their doctor first.

What the Experts Say About the Alkaline Diet

Advocates of alkaline diets claim that they help you lose weight, increase your energy, and even reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Although conventional doctors do believe that increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables and reducing one’s intake of meat, salt, and refined grains is beneficial to health, most conventional doctors do not believe that an acid-producing diet is the foundation of chronic illness. In conventional medicine, there is evidence, however, that alkaline diets may help prevent the formation of calcium kidney stones, osteoporosis, and age-related muscle wasting.

The common belief among most medical practitioners, however, is that the blood alkalinity (pH) is not significantly affected by diet, except for pathological cases (e.g., of ketoacodos produced by diabetes).

Bottom Line

Studies of alkaline diets are limited to animal and test tube trials. There’s no scientific evidence at this time that alkaline diets are beneficial to humans.

HAZEL LEONG asked:


The Grapefruit Diet is a quick and effortless way to drop weight, at the same time as rising in general health and wellness. Recognized in the 1930s as the Hollywood Diet, the Grapefruit Diet has been called a fashion diet by many. The theory behind the grapefruit diet is simple enough. The fruit, it is claimed, contains an enzyme that actually helps you burn fat. However, a revise in 2004 by Dr Ken Fuijioka and the nourishment and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic establish that there was a physically powerful association between the use of grapefruit at each meal and weight failure. Grapefruit diet could be said to be one of the offshoots of the modern generations obsession with losing weight and appearing attractive. This has propelled the fame of the Grapefruit Diet owing to its ease and efficiency.

The Grapefruit Diet consists of overwhelming either half a grapefruit or a goblet of grapefruit juice before each serving of food. The good information is that grapefruits are low down in calories and sodium, and has been exposed to reduce cholesterol levels and the danger of rising diabetes. Needless to say, a balanced diet consisting of all the essential nutrients is needed for sustaining good health.

Research has also shown that eating large amounts of grapefruit often causes diarrhea. The use of grapefruit reduces the level of insulin in the body, which in turn is vital in the blood sugar and fat metabolism directive processes. This allows you to procedure the power from your expenditure, and the margining in grapefruits block the uptake of fatty acids, ornamental weight loss instead of fat storage. The key to keep in mind in the Grapefruit Diet is to diminish utilization of insulin.

A smallest amount use of 8 classes of wet a day is wanted, and having a cup of coffee is allowable but not confident as it obstructs the weight defeat procedure. The grapefruit is vital in the diet as it boot starts the fat burning procedure. However, nutritionists advise against this kind of fad diet, because a diet based on only fruit is considered nutritionally unsound. Work out is also not confident at what time you are on the diet as the near to the ground calorie intake does not give enough energy to hold up your just behavior.

A universal Grapefruit Diet weight failure menu consists of bacon and eggs in the daybreak, and serving of meat and salads for lunch and dinner You can, for instance, take a healthy helping of grapefruit, but along with other essential nutrients which are not found in the fruit. It also includes a not obligatory previous to bed snack, such as a goblet of milk or tomato juice.

All these meals are proceed with either semi a grapefruit, or an 8oz glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice. Critics point out that the grapefruit diet is like any other mythic fad diets, which come and go every now and then. The most excellent part of this diet is that there is no limit on the amount of meat and salads you are overwhelming, so you don not have to be anxious about leaving hungry. The use of lard generously in training of food is also confident.

However effectual the Grapefruit Diet may be, it can only be follow on a 12 day series, with a 2 day smash in flanked by before resume the diet. You do not need to alter your habit of eating. Of course you will still need to do some exercises in order to make the diet even more effective. It is a strictly small term diet, and study has shown that it is likely in the direction of drop up to ten pounds in two and a half months. According to the study mentioned above, in twelve weeks, one can lose 3.6 pounds if one takes the grapefruit diet and do some exercise everyday. The diet is supposed to not be careful for use longer than this occasion period, as it lacks the necessary food groups for a fair diet and overall wellness, and has a most limit of 800 calories a day, which is inadequate for daily nourishment.

In a nutshell, the Grapefruit Diet has been established to work, and is extremely efficient. Although the pace of losing weight is considered slow, the diet still has its advantage over other dieting plans since you will probably find it a lot easier to stick to this diet. However, it is powerfully optional only as a short term guide to heaviness loss, and wants to be follow with a better diet in the long term for continued weight trouncing.