Dieting, weight loss, diet recipes, nice abs, lose weight

2007-08-31T02:56:00.000-07:00

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Weigh Down Diet

2007-08-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

Gwen Shamblin is an American Christian non-fiction author and leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The most distinctive aspect of her writing is its combination of weight loss programs with Christianity. Shamblin is married and has two children. [1]

According to her website, Ms. Shamblin is a registered dietitian, consultant and an instructor of nutrition at University of Memphis. [2] Before she started writing, she earned a master’s degree in dietetics from University of Tennessee, in Knoxville.[3]

The Weigh Down Diet
Gwen Shamblin is the author of The Weigh Down Diet (ISBN 0-385-49324-X). First published in 1997, this diet advises using spirituality to avoid overeating and has sold more than 1.2 million copies.[4] Since that time she has written Rise Above (ISBN 0-7852-6876-6) and a devotional book called Exodus (ISBN 1-892729-00-8).

Shamblin teaches that there are two very different needs in each person; a need for food and an emotional need. According to Ms. Shamblin, people should only eat when they feel real, physical hunger and stop when full; prayer and Bible reading will fill emotional needs instead of food. Overeating is equated with greed. A core principle of the Weigh Down Diet, when people feel an urge to snack but are not experiencing true physiological "hunger", Shamblin encourages participants to read the Bible instead. [5]

Raw Foodism

2007-08-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

Raw foodism is a movement promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often vegan as well as organic foods, as a large percentage of the diet. A raw food diet consists only of foods which have not been heated above a certain temperature. The maximum temperature varies among the different forms of the diet, from 92ºF to 118°F (33°C to 48°C). A raw food diet is a vegan diet and includes a selectıon of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (including whole grains).

A raw foodist is a person who consumes primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the person is. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. They generally believe raw food prevents and/or heals many forms of sickness and many chronic diseases, this proves true in most cases. Freezing food is considered acceptable by many raw foodists; Although decreasing enzyme activity, it is still a raw food and some choose to preserve nuts and seeds in a freezer.

South Beach Diet

2007-08-25T02:33:00.000-07:00

The South Beach diet is a diet plan started by Miami, Florida-area cardiologist Arthur Agatston which emphasizes the consumption of "good carbs" and "good fats". Dr. Agatston developed this diet for his cardiac patients based upon his study of scientific dieting research. The diet first appeared in a book of the same name published by Rodale Press.

Dr. Agatston believes that excess consumption of so-called "bad carbohydrates", such as the rapidly-absorbed carbohydrates found in foods with a high glycemic index, creates an insulin resistance syndrome—an impairment of the hormone insulin's ability to properly process fat or sugar. In addition, he believes along with many physicians that excess consumption of "bad fats", such as saturated fat and trans fat, contributes to an increase in cardiovascular disease. To prevent these two conditions, Agatston's diet minimizes consumption of bad fats and bad carbs and encourages increased consumption of good fats and good carbs.

The diet has three phases. In all phases of the diet, Dr. Agatston recommends minimizing consumption of bad fats.

Phase I
The diet begins with Phase I, which lasts two weeks. Dieters attempt to eliminate insulin resistance by avoiding high or moderately high-glycemic carbohydrates, such as sugar, candy, bread, potatoes, fruit, cereals, and grains. During this phase, Dr. Agatston says the body will lose its insulin resistance, and begin to use excess body fat, causing the dieter to lose between 8 and 13 pounds. For the first two weeks, you'll eat normal-size helpings of meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and nuts. You'll have three meals a day, plus snacks, and it will be your job to eat until your hunger is satisfied. During this period, you'll start shedding weight, changing your body chemistry, and end your cravings for sugars and starches.

Phase I: Authorized foods
- Beef: Lean cuts, such as sirloin (including ground), tenderloin, top round
- Poultry (skinless): Cornish hen, turkey bacon (two slices per day), turkey and chicken breast
- Seafood: All types of fish and shellfish
- Veal: Chop, cutlet, leg; top round
- Lunchmeat: Fat-free or low-fat only
- Cheese (fat-free or low fat): American, cheddar, cottage cheese (1–2% or fat-free), cream cheese substitute (dairy free), feta, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, ricotta, string
- Nuts: Almonds (15), peanut butter (2 tbs), peanuts (20 small), pecan halves (15), pistachios (30)
- Eggs: The use of eggs is not restricted unless otherwise noted by your physician. Use egg whites and egg substitute as desired
- Tofu: Use soft, low-fat or lite varieties
- Vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, beans (black, butter, chickpeas, green, Italian, kidney, lentils, lima, pigeon, soy, split peas, wax), broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms (all varieties), snow peas, spinach, sprouts (alfalfa), turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini
- Fats: Canola oil, olive oil
- Spices and seasonings: All spices that contain no added sugar, broth, extracts (almond, vanilla, or others), horseradish sauce, I can't Believe It's Not Butter! spray, pepper (black, cayenne, red, white)
- Sweet treats (limit to 100 calories per day): Candies (hard, sugar-free), chocolate powder (no-sugar-added), cocoa powder (baking type), sugar-free fudgsicles, sugar-free gelatin, sugar-free gum, sugar-free popsicles, sugar substitute

Phase II
After 2 weeks, Phase II begins. Whole grain foods, fruits and dairy products are gradually returned to the diet, although in smaller amounts than were likely eaten before beginning the diet, and with a continued emphasis on foods with a low glycemic index (a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels in the first two hours. It compares carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal).

Phase III
After the desired weight is obtained, the diet calls to move into Phase III, a maintenance phase. In Phase III the diet expands to include three servings of whole grains and three servings of fruit a day.

The diet distinguishes between good and bad carbohydrates, and good and bad fats.

"Good carbs" are high in fiber or high in good fats, and have a low glycemic index, that is, they are digested and absorbed slowly. Other preferred carbohydrates are those with more nutritional value than the alternatives. For instance, brown rice is allowed in moderation, but white rice is discouraged. When eating any carbohydrates, Dr. Agatston recommends also eating fiber or fat to slow digestion of the carbohydrates.
"Good fats" are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, especially those with omega-3 fatty acids. Saturated and trans fats are bad fats.
The diet emphasizes (1) a permanent change in one's way of eating, (2) a variety of foods, and (3) ease and flexibility. Eating whole grains and large amounts of vegetables is encouraged, along with adequate amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids, such as are contained in fish. It discourages the eating of overly refined processed foods (particularly refined flours and sugars), high-fat meats, and saturated fats in general.

The diet does not require counting calories or limiting servings—Agatston suggests dieters eat until they are satisfied. Dieters are told to eat 6 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with small snacks between each meal.

In 2004, Kraft Foods licensed the South Beach Diet trademark for use on a line of packaged foods that would be designed to meet the requirements of the diet.

Shangri-La Diet

2007-08-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

The Shangri-La Diet (ISBN 0-399-15364-0, published in 2006) is a book by Seth Roberts, an associate professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. The term also refers to the weight loss plan described in the book.

In the book, Roberts explores the hypothesis that modern food products are so consistent in labeling, presentation, and flavor that people have developed strong conditioned responses to these foods, which he calls flavor-calorie associations. These associations, Roberts believes, lead the body to raise its weight set point, like a thermostat, triggering hunger and storing the excess calories as fat against future scarcity.

To bring weight under control, Roberts advocates consuming small amounts of very bland but calorie-dense foods, such as extra-light olive oil (not to be confused with extra-virgin olive oil) or sugar water. Diabetics, Roberts warns, should use the oil, not the sugar water. The oil or sugar water should be consumed at least an hour away from (i.e. before and after) anything with flavor, even toothpaste. According to Roberts, this practice dissassociates flavor from calories, convincing the body to lower the set point, suppressing appetite, and thereby inducing weight loss without hunger. It is this aspect of the diet that inspired the name "Shangri-La."

Additionally, the book suggests "extra credit" techniques to further assist in lowering the body's set point, such as focusing on foods with lower glycemic indexes (similar to the South Beach Diet), consuming food with more subtle flavoring (such as sushi), and seeking out or creating foods with novel flavor combinations that the brain has not yet learned to associate with calories, which Roberts calls "crazy spicing."

According to Roberts and other practitioners of his plan, the diet's appetite-reducing properties are dramatic, often nearly immediate, and sustainable. Roberts states he lost fifty pounds on the diet over a period of months with virtually no effort, then intentionally gained ten back when his gauntness prompted his friends to ask after his health, and has now maintained the 40-pound weight loss for years by consuming just enough bland calories each day to remain at his desired weight. Dieters at Roberts' Shangri-La forum frequently write of being "Thanksgiving full" after consuming what they consider ridiculously small meals, of their formerly favorite foods no longer seeming appealing, and of an almost complete lack of interest in (or even outright aversion to) food.

Roberts' flavor-calorie association theory was first published as part of a 2004 article on self-experimentation as a source of scientific ideas in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences. This article is available at Roberts' official site.

Sex Diet

2007-08-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

A sex diet is a lifestyle which maximizes the health benefits of regular sex. It is not technically a diet in the sense of a food-based regimen, but colloqually one in the sense of a system meant to increase health.

Properly performed, sexual activity may cause a number of health benefits, such as decreasing depression and boosting immunity. Sexual activity provides exercise, encouraging weight loss, and promoting cardiac health. [1] Some scientific studies show that intimacy is a factor in determining lifespan, and some informal studies have shown that frequent sex can improve intimate relationships. [2]

There is controversy about the necessity of monogamy in attaining the health benefits of sex and/or intimacy.

Some sex-diets involve a routine of partner-supported exercises designed to tone muscles and improve flexibility. Another type of sex-diet focuses simply on improving the experience of sexuality by extending and amplifying the orgasmic response.

Advocates, including the President of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists, have noted the science behind the fitness and relationship benefits of the diet. [3]. Kerry McCloskey, author of The Ultimate Sex Diet estimates that a half hour of sex burns about 200 calories.[4] However, the actual weight lost in this diet is hard to calculate.

References
Kerry McCloskey (October 2004). The Ultimate Sex Diet: The Super Sex Diet That Works. True Courage Press. ISBN 1-933111-50-X.
Denise Mann (2005-02-07). Get Sexual for Better Weight Loss. Weight loss and sex. WebMD Inc..

Scarsdale Diet

2007-08-25T02:30:00.001-07:00

The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet is a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie weight-loss diet system and accompanying book by Scarsdale, New York physician Dr. Herman Tarnower and Samm Sinclair Baker. The Scarsdale Medical Diet is still popular today.[citation needed]

The Scarsdale Medical Diet specifies a very specific and structured diet that is to be followed exactly for the first 14 days. Another 14 day period follows that still specifies certain foods to eat, but is less structured. A grapefruit for breakfast each day is meant to supply enzymes necessary for burning the 700-calorie per day diet. Artificial sweeteners are used in place of sugar.

Critics acknowledge that the diet gives quick results but say that weight loss on the plan results simply from the reduced caloric intake; is mostly water; is quickly regained; and that the diet is so extreme as to be unhealthy.[citation needed] However, many followers of the diet report positive results.[citation needed

Rastafarian Diet

2007-08-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

Ital or I-tal is food approved of in the Rastafari movement. The word derives from the English word vital, with the initial syllable replaced by i. This is done to many words in the Rastafari vocabulary to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature.

Early adherents adopted the dietary laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Though there are different interpretations of ital regarding specific foods, the general principle is that food should be natural, or pure, and from the earth. Rastas therefore avoid food which is chemically modified or contains artificial additives (e.g., colour, flavourings, and preservatives). Some also avoid added salt in foods. In strict interpretations, foods that have been produced using chemicals such as pesticides and fertiliser are not considered ital.

In common with religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Ethiopian Christianity, Rasta prohibits the eating of pork. Some Rastas also avoid eating shellfish because, in common with pigs, they are considered to be scavengers. Most Rastas consider the ital diet to forbid the consumption of all red meat, many do not eat fish or those fish over 12 inches in length, and some are strict vegetarians.

Stricter interpretations also avoid food that has been preserved by canning or drying and even prohibit the use of metal cooking utensils. Foodstuffs such as grass and other herbal remedies are permitted within this diet. In this case, only clay and wood cooking pots, crockery, and cutlery are used. Few adherents of ital follow the strictest interpretation; some Rastas do not adhere to them at all.

Pritikin Diet

2007-08-25T02:26:00.000-07:00

The Pritikin Diet was created by Nathan Pritikin and enhanced by his son Robert Pritikin. It is a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. (cf. Atkins diet)

The Pritikin Program was often described by Nathan Pritikin, its creator, as “mankind’s original meal plan.” That’s because the focus of the Pritikin diet is unprocessed or minimally processed straight-from-nature foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as black beans and pinto beans), whole grains such as brown rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams, lean meat, and seafood.

The Pritikin Program also emphasizes another key characteristic of humankind up until the last century: plenty of daily exercise, including at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise like brisk walking, weight training two to three times weekly, and stretching, optimally every day.

This return to basics may be precisely what’s needed to return affluent societies to good health. In several studies published since 1975, scientists at UCLA and other research institutions have found the Pritikin Program effective in preventing the major diseases that afflict modern society, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. The Pritikin Program has been documented to improve cholesterol profiles better than cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins, and has also been found to lower blood sugars, normalize blood pressure, and shed excess weight.

Practicing the Pritikin Diet
The practice of the Pritikin Diet holds that in order to feel satisfied and stop eating, a human being needs to consume enough food, of any sort, until he has ingested a certain amount of bulk, that is, physical weight. Fat, as a food source, is not unhealthy in itself; it is necessary to good health. Fat contains more calories per pound, however, than carbohydrates, and therefore eating fat is essentially choosing more calories for the same amount of "fullness" according to Pritikin's hunger satisfaction theory. The result: a given quantity of fat adds more calories for the same amount of fullness provided by an equal weight of food from other sources.

The stomach and the body, according to Dr. Pritikin's theory, do not "know" whether the bulk ingested consists of fat or anything else. The body knows only whether it has obtained sufficient bulk to feel sated. Hence the Pritikin principle advocates a low-density, high-bulk diet. This means a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, lean meats and fish, and plenty of nonsoluble fiber, all of which generally promote good health. Processed, high-fat foods, on the other hand, should be avoided--not simply because they have additives and artificial ingredients--but rather because they are low-bulk and high-calorie.

The Pritikin Diet was most popular in the 1970s and is less so today. The Pritikin Diet calls for balanced meals with foods of recognized nutritional value: fresh vegetables, fruit, and above all fiber--which reduces the risks of colon cancer and helps the body remove cholesterol.

Pollotarian Diet

2007-08-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

Pollotarianism (also called pollo-vegetarianism) is a neologism to denote a dietary choice, in which a person does not consume mammalian meat such as beef, pork, and lamb, but does consume chicken. As with lacto-ovo vegetarianism, there are usually no restrictions on non-flesh animal products such as dairy and eggs.

Terminology
Terms for this diet arose in response to growing numbers of people (particularly in the United States) who have restricted diets that do not meet the definition of more restrictive diets such as vegetarianism or veganism. As such, the term pollo-vegetarian (which is sometimes used to describe the diet) is a misnomer because vegetarians do not eat any animal meat; the term pollotarian is accurate.

The word pollo is derived from the Latin for chicken. "Pesce-pollotarianism" (or chickifishitarian) is a pejorative neologism that means one who includes both chicken and fish in their diets as well as non-meats (see flexitarianism), but pescetarianism and pollotarianism are separate entities.

Rationale
There are many rationales for maintaining a pollo-vegetarian diet. One is that of health, based on findings that red meat is detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high amounts of saturated fats. [1] [2]

For some the rationale is ethics: believing that either the treatment, or simply the killing and eating, of mass market "meat" mammals is unethical. The rationalization for eating chickens in this case is usually either "I have to eat some kind of meat" (see complete protein) or "chickens are less intelligent than other animals".

Some believe that the treatment (specifically the caging) of mass market meat mammals is unethical, and only eat free-range chickens that are not caged.

References
^ E Giovannucci, EB Rimm, MJ Stampfer, GA Colditz, A Ascherio and WC Willett, "Intake of fat, meat, and fiber in relation to risk of colon cancer in men"., Cancer Research 54, 2390-2397, (May 1, 1994)
^ Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPh and Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPh, "Types of Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review"., Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 1, 5-19 (2001)

Plant-Based Diet

2007-08-25T02:24:00.001-07:00

Plant-based diets are diets that are based on plant foods. Staples of this diet include rice, corn, grain, barley, and potatoes with additional fruits, nuts, legumes, and vegetables.

It is closely associated with vegetarianism and veganism.

Pescetarian Diet

2007-08-25T02:22:00.000-07:00

Pescetarianism (also known as pescevegetarianism[1] or pesco-vegetarianism) is a dietary choice, in which a person — known as a pescetarian — will not eat the flesh of any animals other than fish or other types of seafood. Other animal products like eggs and dairy may be part of a pescetarian diet. Pescetarianism is the chosen diet of some people for various reasons; most commonly cited are health benefits.

Health benefits
One of the most commonly cited reasons is that of health, based on findings that red meat is detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high amounts of saturated fats. [2] [3] Furthermore, eating certain kinds of fish raises HDL levels, [4] [5] and some fish are a convenient source of omega-3 fatty acids, [6] and have numerous health benefits in one food variety.[7] Some health websites also state that pescetarianism lifestyle is a more healthy diet than vegetarian and vegan ones[8].

It can be claimed conversely that fish also contain toxins such as mercury and PCBs,[9] though a careful selection of fish can ensure a low-risk or toxin-free product.[10][11]

Comparisons to other diets
Pescetarianism is similar to a traditional Mediterranean diet, which focuses on seafood, grains, fruits, and vegetables. However, the Mediterranean diet does not entirely exclude meat from land animals as pescetarianism does. While pescetarians and vegetarians often cite similar reasons in selecting their dietary choices, pescetarianism is not a type of vegetarian diet.[15] Vegetarians do not consume the flesh of any animal, including sea animals; any diet that includes fish or other sea animals is not a vegetarian diet. However, since pescetarians do not eat mammal-meat or bird-meat, they experience many of the same social pressures as vegetarians, so that the two groups may sometimes have common interests. Occasionally -- and controversially -- terms such as pesco-vegetarian and semi-vegetarian have been used in place of the term pescetarian.

While both groups often cite environmental issues as a rationale behind their diets, pescetarian and vegetarian diets can be each environmentally unfriendly if precautions are not taken, due to the problems of overfishing, by-catch and in both diets, habitat destruction through arable farming. For this reason, some pescetarians focus on eating species that are most sustainably fished and avoid many farmed fish (e.g. salmon).

No-Grain Diet

2007-08-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

The No-Grain Diet is a book and diet plan developed by osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola. He claims that overconsumption of grains and sugars is the cause of many degenerative diseases, such as diabetes and cancer as well as obesity. Recently, he is calling this diet the "Total Health Program" including a 3-stage "Nutrition Plan".[citation needed]

The No-Grain Diet emphasizes organic vegetables with limited fruits, quality meats, eggs and oils such as virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil. It discourages the eating of any grain-products, sugars, most fish, most polyunsaturated oils and processed foods.

The diet goes against the recommendations of most mainstream nutritionists and dieticians; for example, the American Dietetic Association recommends fish and polyunsaturated oils as part of a healthy diet.[1]

The book was number 5 on the New York Times bestseller list for May 18, 2003.[2]

References
^ Dietary Fats Fact Sheet from the American Dietetic Association. Accessed April 24, 2007.
^ New York Times bestseller list for May 18, 2003. Requires registration to access.

Perricone Diet

2007-08-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Perricone (IPA pronunciation: [pɛrəkon) is a dermatologist who has written several books, primarily on the subjects of weight loss and maintaining the appearance of youth. He is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, from which he received his MD. He has appeared in two special programs on PBS. He sells his own line of skin care products.

Perricone presents himself as a radical in the dermatological community, repeatedly encouraging his audience to challenge the status quo. He compares his work relating diet to skin care with Ignaz Semmelweis's work on hand washing and the spread of disease in the 1800s.

Books
Perricone has written five books. These all take a similar "three-tiered" approach to skin problems. The three tiers are diet, supplements, and topicals. The books share some general recommendations, but each contains unique material.

The Wrinkle Cure
Perricone's first book, The Wrinkle Cure, published in 2001, suggests a diet and products that can allegedly slow, or even reverse, the visible aging process. Some of his most notable recommendations are a diet high in salmon (primarily for its omega-3 fatty acids), supplementation of lipoic acid, and topical application of vitamin C ester and DMAE.

The Perricone Prescription
Published in 2002, The Perricone Prescription, recommends a "rejuvenating" program of diet, exercise, and skin care that is intended not only to improve one's appearance, but also to increase energy and to reduce the risk of several major health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Many of the recommendations, such as a diet high in fish, are repeated from The Wrinkle Cure. The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller.

The Acne Prescription
Published in 2003, The Acne Prescription is a follow-up to The Perricone Prescription targeted at those who are suffering from acne, especially (though not exclusively) those who have older, drier skin that does not respond well to treatments intended for oily adolescent skin. The book is particularly notable for attacking the widely held opinion in the dermatological community that there is, with few exceptions, no correlation between diet and acne, high intake of iodine is an acknowledged exception. Perricone claims that foods do have anti-inflammatory (and therefore anti-acne) and pro-inflammatory effects; which foods fall into which category is somewhat counterintuitive. For example, apples are in the anti-inflammatory food list, while bananas are considered pro-inflammatory. This book's paperback version was released under the title "Clear Skin Prescription" in 2004.

The Perricone Promise
Published in 2004, The Perricone Promise offers a new theory of aging circulating around neuropeptides, and focuses on an extensive diet intended to regulate them. He claims that the diet can be helpful in simultaneously losing weight and smoothing wrinkles, as well as improving one's mood and decelerating aging. New topical recommendations are also included, the primary one being a neuropeptide-based serum exclusively sold by Perricone's company that currently costs $570 per bottle (a 3-month supply), far more than any of Perricone's other products.

The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet
Published in 2000, The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet describes how a version of the face-lift diet introduced in previous books can also be helpful in losing weight without losing body tone. New supplement regimens are introduced along with an updated version of the salmon-rich Perricone diet, as well as several new recipes.

Paleolithic Diet

2007-08-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

The Paleolithic diet (abbreviated Paleo diet) is also known as the caveman diet, prehistoric diet, Stone Age diet, or hunter-gatherer diet. It is the diet of wild plants and animals that various human species (see Homo (genus)) habitually consumed during the Paleolithic period (the Old Stone Age), a period of about 2 million years duration, ending about 10,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens, invented agriculture. The modern version of this diet uses domesticated sources in lieu of the wild sources of the original hunter-gatherer diet.

Those who advocate that contemporary humans should regularly consume a Paleolithic diet base their advocacy on the premise that natural selection had 2 million or more years to genetically adapt the metabolism and physiology of the various human species to such a diet, and that in the 10,000 years since the invention of agriculture and its consequent major change in the human diet, natural selection has had too little time to make the optimal genetic adaptations to the new diet. According to those advocates, physiological and metabolic maladaptations result from those suboptimal genetic adaptations, which in turn contribute to many of the so-called diseases of civilization.[1]

Those considerations give rise to a simple theme for adhering to a Paleolithic-type diet in modern times: if a food item resembles one that can be found in the wild, obtained with bare hands or simple tools, and ingested immediately without cooking, processing, and by simple preparation (i.e., peeling, cracking, washing, etc.), and cause the consumer no ill effects either during or after consumption, then it can be considered edible, and therefore permissible to eat. Any food meeting this standard can then be cooked and prepared by the simplest means that are practical and consumed in modest quantities. Food exclusions comprise those introduced in the human food supply late in the course of human evolution, in particular after the invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago: cereal grains, legumes and dairy products.[2]

Practices

Foods in the diet
Foods which are included in the diet are ones that can be obtained by using Paleolithic tools and practices, like meat (preferably game, though many followers of the diet eat farmed meat for practical reasons), fish, and gathered or foraged fruits, leaves, and roots of plants, mushrooms, nuts, eggs, and honey.

Some practitioners allow the use of oils derived from those foods which can be obtained and produced through Paleolithic means and are edible in their natural, uncooked state. Examples could include sesame oil, olive oil, and safflower oil, but not oils derived from beans (for example, peanut oil) or grains (for example, corn oil). Others avoid the use of any oil, as it is a processed food.

The non-animal foods available in the diet are the same as those available in raw veganism. However, there are two fundamental differences between raw veganism and the Paleolithic diet: Firstly, practitioners consume meat and other animal products (in fact usually more is consumed than on a standard modern diet, in some cases substantially more). Secondly, any and all food may be cooked if desired.

Foods not in the diet
Vegetable foods which are not edible raw and unprocessed are excluded from the diet. The foods falling into this category are mainly grains (wheat, corn, rice, etc.), starchy vegetables (i.e., beans, and potatoes), certain fruits and nuts (e.g. cashews), and refined sugars. Alcoholic beverages are generally excluded because fermentation is also a form of processing, although some Paleolithic eaters allow certain exceptions (i.e., wine, since fermented (over-ripe) fruit can be found and consumed in small quantities with little ill effect). Dairy products are excluded despite being edible raw, since they cannot be found or consumed easily in nature, at least in any considerable quantity, and are consequently a post-agricultural food.

Intake
The generally prescribed proportions of protein, fat, and carbohydrate are approximately 20-35%, 30-60%, and 20-35% respectively by calories. By calories the diet is commonly around 45-65% animal products and 35-55% plant products. Alternatively, because of the large amount of water in fruits and vegetables, the diet is, by weight, roughly 2/3 plant products and 1/3 animal products.

Consequently, because of the high water content of fruits and vegetables, it is generally accepted that slightly less non-food water is required for optimal health. This is also supported by the fact that fresh water is not always readily available in the wild and that humans must rely on other sources for their water needs. This is not a reduction in need for water, but a shift in where water can be obtained.

The vitamin and mineral content of the diet is very high compared to a standard diet, in many cases a multiple of the RDA.

Food sources and preparation
For many practitioners of Paleolithic nutrition, the foods' source is just as important as the kind of foods being consumed. It is common practice to obtain Paleolithic foods from as natural a source as possible. Farmed meats, especially those organically farmed, are available from many natural sources, from free range poultry to grass fed beef, with many proponents preferring, though not as practical, wild game meats like quail, rabbit, and venison.

It is common practice among Paleolithic eaters that when cooking, unconventional cooking means should be avoided, such as the use of microwave ovens, and that foods are cooked just enough to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present.

Modern-day practitioners of the Paleolithic diet must be careful to get necessary nutrients found in foods that are not on the diet. For example, milk and other dairy products are a major source of calcium and vitamin D for most people following the conventional Western diet. Late Paleolithic people probably got sufficient calcium from wild vegetables and from gnawing the bones of animals they ate.[5] Vitamin D can be synthesized by the body upon sufficient exposure to sunlight, and can be obtained from cod liver oil, and from oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna.[8] Since cultivated vegetables have less calcium than their wild counterparts, since excessive exposure to sunlight has been linked to skin cancer, and since it can be expensive to eat fish several times a week, many followers of the diet may choose to take calcium and vitamin D supplements to be sure they get enough of these nutrients.

Ovo-lacto Vegetarian Diet

2007-08-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

A lacto-ovo vegetarian is a vegetarian who is willing to consume dairy products (i.e. milk and its derivatives, like cheese, butter, or yogurt) and eggs. Lacto means "milk" and ovo means "egg".

In the Western world lacto-ovo vegetarians are the most common type of vegetarian. Generally speaking, when one uses the term vegetarian a lacto-ovo vegetarian is assumed. Lacto-ovo vegetarians are well-catered to in restaurants and shops, especially in Europe and metropolitan cities in North America.

Some lacto-ovo vegetarians who are motivated by ethical reasons may avoid fertilized eggs as well as caviar, feeling that both involve the killing of beings or torture and exploitation of source animals.

A lacto-ovo vegetarian usually doesn't eat poultry, meat or fish. However, cross-culturally, different cultures recognize vegetarianism differently. For example, there are many Japanese vegetarians consider fish to be vegetarian, and Indian vegetarians who consider eggs to be non-vegetarian.

In contrast, a vegetarian who consumes no animal products is called a vegan.

In the airline industry a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal is known by the acronym VLML.

Ornish Diet

2007-08-25T01:58:00.001-07:00

The Ornish Diet is a somewhat popular diet that was developed by Dean Ornish M.D. in his book Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. It is a diet that is specifically formulated to reverse heart disease but has recently been used as a weight-loss program. This vegetarian diet emphasizes low-fat, filling foods, including legumes and other high-fiber choices.

The Ornish Diet is a very strict one. It places very strict limitations on all foods containing more than very slight amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat. Meat and fish are not allowed, although nonfat dairy products and egg whites are permitted in limited quantities. This diet promotes complex carbohydrates (fruit, grains, etc.) and limits simple ones (sugars, honey, alcohol.) The most controversial part of the diet is its prohibition on nuts and fish, which some researchers claim actually protect the heart. The Ornish diet is 10% fat, 20% protein, and 70% carbohydrates. According to his book "Eat More, Weigh Less," the typical American diet is 40% fat, 20% protein and 40% carbohydrates. To complement his suggested diet, Dr. Ornish advocates physical activity and meditation.[1]

To view a talk by Dr. Ornish about his program, visit: [2]

Organic Foods Diet

2007-08-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.[1] For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.

Increasingly, organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms[2] — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. Now, organic foods are becoming much more widely available — organic food sales within the United States have grown by 17 to 20 percent a year for the past few years[3] while sales of conventional food have grown at only about 2 to 3 percent a year. This large growth is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the market

TYPES OF ORGANIC FOOD
Fresh food
Fresh, "unprocessed" organic food, such as vegetables and fruits are purchased directly from growers, at farmers' markets, from on-farm stands, supermarkets, through speciality food stores, and through community-supported agriculture (CSA) projects. Unprocessed animal products like organic meat, eggs, dairy, are less commonly available in "fresh" form.

In Australia, organic eggs must be from free-range hens, rather than from battery chickens[5]. Animals for the organic market may not be fed growth hormones or drugs such as steroids or antibiotics.

Processed food
Often, within the same supermarket, both organic and conventional versions of products are available, although the price of the organic version is usually higher (see modern developments). Most processed organic food comes from large food conglomerates[6] producing and marketing products like canned goods, frozen vegetables, prepared dishes and other convenience foods.

Processed organic food usually contains only organic ingredients, or where there are a number of ingredients, at least a minimum percentage of the plant and animal ingredients must be organic (95% in Australia). Any non-organically produced ingredients must still meet requirements. It must be free of artificial food additives, and is often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions (no chemical ripening, no food irradiation, and no genetically modified ingredients, etc.).

They may also be required to be produced using energy-saving technologies and packaged using recyclable or biodegradable materials when possible.[5]

Okinawa Diet

2007-08-25T01:52:00.000-07:00

The Okinawa diet is a commercially promoted weight-loss diet based on the standard diet of Ryūkyū Islanders. People from these Japanese islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) are reported to have the longest life expectancy in the world. This has in part been attributed to the local diet, but also to other variables such as genetic factors, lifestyle, and environmental factors.

The diet consists of a relatively low intake of calories, with fish and other types of marine foods as some of its main staples. The principal focus of the diet consists of knowing how many calories per gram each food item contains. They posit that there is a tight correlation between the high proportion of Okinawans over 110 years of age and the relatively low caloric density of their diet.

The proponents of this diet divide food into 4 categories based on caloric density. The "featherweight" foods, less than or equal to .8 calories per gram which one can eat freely without major concern, the "lightweight" foods with a caloric density from .8 to 1.5 calories per gram which one should eat in moderation, the "middleweight" foods with a caloric density from 1.5 to 3.0 calories per gram which one should eat only while carefully monitoring portion size and the "heavyweight" foods from 3 to 9 calories per gram which one should eat only sparingly.

The typical Okinawan reaching 110 years of age has had a diet consistently averaging no more than one calorie per gram and has a BMI of 20.4. The average overweight 50-year old American of today with a BMI of 28 eats a diet averaging 1.7 calories per gram.

Natural Foods Diet

2007-08-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

Natural foods are foods that do not contain artificial ingredients and are minimally processed. They are usually more nutritious than refined foods. Natural foods do not include ingredients such as refined sugars, refined flours, milled grains, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, artificial food colors, or artificial flavorings.

Sucanat, stevia, raw honey, agave syrup and maple syrup are sweeteners often used in place of white sugar in a natural foods diet. Sea salt is also preferred over table salt.

Proponents of natural foods diets argue that refined ingredients promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Natural food movement
Natural foods were made popular in America and Western Europe during the 1970s. Its principles include avoiding artificial ingredients and 'processed' foods such as refined sugar and white flour.

Food produced or sold according to the ideals of the natural food movement is sometimes known colloquially as 'health food,' although many people also use that term in a broader sense to mean any type of healthy eating.

Although in modern times the natural food diet has largely been only practiced by a minority, it has frequently influenced the way the wider population eats[citation needed].}}.

Many groceries, restaurants and cookbooks utilize and promote natural foods. Natural foods are sold at natural food stores, food cooperatives, and larger chains such as Whole Foods Market.

Mediterranean Diet

2007-08-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Mediterranean diet is a modern[1] nutritional model inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of some of the countries of the Mediterranean basin, particularly Greece and Southern Italy.

Common to the diets of these regions are a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread, wheat and other cereals, olive oil, fish, and Red Wine. The diet is often cited as a beneficial one for that it is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

Although it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Salerno, Italy, the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found.

One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Mediterranean diet. Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.

Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle, and environment may also be involved.

Some questions have been raised as to if the diet provides adequate amounts of all nutrients, particularly calcium and iron. Nonetheless, green vegetables, a good source of calcium and iron, are used in the Mediterranean diet as well as goat cheese, a good source of calcium.

References
^ Alberto Capatti et al., Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History, p. 106.; Silvano Serventi and Francoise Sabban, Pasta, p. 162.
Martin Bruegel, "Alimentary identities, nutritional advice, and the uses of history" [1]
Bruno Simini, "Serge Renaud: from French paradox to Cretan miracle" The Lancet 355:9197:48 (1 January 2000) at Science Direct (subscription)

Master Cleanse Detox Diet

2007-08-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

The Master Cleanse detox diet, also known as the Lemonade Diet was created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 and made popular by Peter Glickman through his book Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days, which promotes Burroughs' regimen to a modern audience.[1]

The Master Cleanse is said by Stanley Burroughs to eliminate toxins and congestion that have built up in the body.[2] Dr. Ed Zimney has argued that, while toxins (such as mercury from the ingestion of Fish) do accumulate over time, lemon juice and maple syrup could "not in any possible way eliminate any of these toxins." [3]

Recently, the cleanse received media attention as a result of being embraced by some celebrities. The singer/actress Beyoncé did it for 10 days and lost 22lbs (9kg) for her role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls.[1] Howard Stern's cohost Robin Quivers claims to have lost 73 lb using the Master Cleanse. Similarly, Jared Leto says he lost the weight he gained to play 'Mark David Chapman' (he gained 72 lbs.) all from the master cleanse [1][4]

Supporters of the Master Cleanse have credited it with helping them lose weight, increase energy, and even alleviate some chronic diseases.[5]

The Diet
Although the the recipe varies from source to source the ingredients are generally the same. The Master Cleanse involves eating no solid food. The diet is for a recommended minimum of ten days, although it is not uncommon for people to stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time. In addition, to help elimination, cleansers drink a cup of herbal laxative tea each evening and a saltwater drink or another cup of laxative tea each morning.[2][5]

Criticism
One critic of the Master Cleanse has pointed to an "alarming lack" of essential nutrients, citing a deficiency of protein, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium.[6] As a result of these deficiencies, individuals on the diet may experience dizziness, delirium, and fainting in the short term, with possible damage to the body occurring in longer-term applications.[6] Dr. Joel Fuhrman attributes these effects to detoxification, which he says passes after the toxins are eliminated.[7] Other authors assert the benefits of fasting are related to its lack of nutrients.[7][8][9][10]

People with intestinal conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome may experience added discomfort while on the cleanse. There is a risk that the saltwater "flush" may remove both beneficial and harmful bacteria from the body.[6] A no-food diet may cause the gut to stop passing food, resulting in constipation, or may make the consumption of food immediately after the fast painful.

Medical authorities say that those who try the Master Cleanse to lose weight will gain it back in time.[4] Beyoncé denounced using the cleanse as a weight-loss program, stating, "I wouldn't recommend it if someone wasn't doing a movie ... there are other ways to lose weight."[1] Proponents of the cleanse do not recommend it solely for weight loss, instead focusing on its alleged detoxifying properties.[5]

Dr. Sunil Patel of Halifax's Queen Elizabeth Health Centre and other medical professionals have suggested that the cleanse operates as a placebo and has no other health benefits.[1][3] Others have pointed out that one benefit of the Master Cleanse is that it helps patients re-examine their lifestyle and embrace healthy eating.[6]

Macrobiotic Diet

2007-08-25T01:17:00.001-07:00

Macrobiotics, from the Greek "macro" (large, long) + "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other local foodstuffs (vegetables, beans, etc.). Although in macrobiotics people may opt to use Japanese ingredients (Japan being the cradle of the contemporary Macrobiotics), according to the general guidelines, people should use the ingredients that are found locally (e.g. mustard instead of ginger) and avoid the use of sugar, coffee, and other highly processed/refined foods. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.

Low-Protein Diet

2007-08-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

A low-protein diet is a diet in which people reduce their intake of protein. A low-protein diet is often prescribed to people with kidney or liver disease.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet

2007-08-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

Low-carbohydrate diets or low-carb diets are nutritional programs that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties consumption of certain carbohydrates with increased blood insulin levels, and overexposure to insulin with metabolic syndrome (the most recognized symptom of which is obesity). Under these dietary programs, foods high in digestible carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins, fats, and/or fiber.

Practices and theories
The term low-carbohydrate diet today is most strongly associated with the Atkins Diet. However, there is an array of other diets that share to varying degrees the same principles (e.g. the Zone Diet, the Protein Power Lifeplan, and the South Beach Diet). As mentioned above there have been diet recommendations that follow the same principles in existence since before the twentieth century. As such it is difficult to summarize all of these diets and draw a sharp distinction between these and other diets. There is, therefore, no widely accepted definition of what precisely consistutes a low-carbohydrate diet. For the purposes of this discussion, we focus on diets that reduce (nutritive) carbohydrate intake sufficiently to dramatically reduce or eliminate insulin production in the body and to encourage ketosis (production of ketones to be used as energy in place of glucose).

Although originally low-carbohydrate diets were created based on anecdotal evidence of their effectiveness, today there is a much greater theoretical basis on which these diets rest. The key scientific principle which forms the basis for these diets is the relationship between consumption of carbohydrates and their effects on blood sugar (i.e. blood glucose) and hormone production. Blood sugar levels in the human body must be maintained in a fairly narrow range to maintain health. The two primary hormones related to regulating blood sugar levels, produced in the pancreas, are insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels, and glucagon, which raises blood sugar levels. In general, most western diets (and many others) are sufficiently high in nutritive carbohydrates that virtually every meal causes substantial insulin production and shuts down ketosis which causes excess energy in the diet to be stored as fat (discussed in the next section). By contrast, low-carbohydrate diets, or more properly, diets that are very low in nutritive carbohydrates, discourage insulin production and tend to cause ketosis which, according to some, can actually cause excess dietary energy as well as excess body fat to be eliminated from the body. Although these diets remain controversial there are clinical studies related to their effectiveness.[20][21]

Low-carbohydrate diet advocates in general recommend reducing nutritive carbohydrates (commonly referred to as "net carbs," i.e. total carbohydrates reduced by the non-nutritive carbohydrates) to very low levels. This means sharply reducing consumption of desserts, breads, pastas, potatoes, rice, and other sweet or starchy foods. Some recommend levels as low as 20-30 grams of "net carbs" per day, at least in the early stages of dieting (for comparison, a single slice of white bread may contain 15-25 grams of carbohydrate, almost entirely starch). The diets often differ in the specific amount of carbohydrates allowed, whether certain types of foods are preferred, whether occasional exceptions are allowed, etc. Generally they all agree that processed sugar should be eliminated, or at the very least greatly reduced, and similarly generally discourage heavily processed grains (white bread, etc.). They vary greatly in their recommendations as to the amount of fat allowed in the diet although the most popular versions today (including Atkins) generally recommend at most moderate fat intake.

As a related note, there is a set of diets known as low-glycemic-index diets (low-GI diets) or low-glycemic-load diets (low-GL diets), in particular the Low GI Diet by Brand-Miller et al.[22]. In reality, low-carbohydrate diets are, literally speaking, low-GL diets (and vice versa) in that they specifically limit what contributes to the glycemic load in foods. In practice, though, the diets that call themselves low-GI/low-GL diets differ from those calling themselves low-carbohydrate diets in the following ways.

1) Low-carbohydrate diets treat all nutritive carbohydrates as having the same effect on metabolism and generally assume that their effect is independent of other nutrients in food. Low-GI/low-GL diets base their recommendations on the actual measured metabolic (glycemic) effects of the foods eaten.
2) As a practical matter, the so-called low-GI/low-GL diets generally do not recommend diets with glycemic loads low enough to minimize insulin production and induce ketosis whereas the so-called low-carbohydrate diets generally do.
Another related diet type, the low-insulin-index diet, is very similar except that it is based on measurements of direct insulemic responses to food rather than glycemic response. Although the diet recommendations mostly involve lowering nutritive carbohydrates, there are some low-carbohydrate foods that are discouraged as well (e.g. beef).[

Living Foods Diet

2007-08-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

Raw foodism is a movement promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods, as a large percentage of the diet. A raw food diet consists only of foods which have not been heated above a certain temperature. The maximum temperature varies among the different forms of the diet, from 92ºF to 118°F (33°C to 48°C). A raw food diet is a vegan diet and includes a selectıon of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (including whole grains).

A raw foodist is a person who consumes primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the person is. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. They generally believe raw food prevents and/or heals many forms of sickness and many chronic diseases. Freezing food is considered acceptable by many raw foodists; Although decreasing enzyme activity, it is still a raw food and some choose to preserve nuts and seeds in a freezer.

Food preparation
Many foods in raw food diets are simple to prepare, such as fruits, salads, meat, and dairy. Other foods can require considerable advanced planning to prepare for eating. Rice and some other grains, for example, require sprouting or overnight soaking to become digestible.[citation needed] Many raw foodists believe it is best to soak nuts before eating them, in order to activate their enzymes.[citation needed]

Preparation of gourmet raw food recipes usually call for a blender, food processor, juicer, and dehydrator.[citation needed] Depending on the recipe, some food (such as crackers, breads and cookies) may need to be dehydrated. These processes, which produce foods with the taste and texture of cooked food, are lengthy.[citation needed] Some raw foodists dispense with these foods, feeling that there is no need to emulate the other non-raw diets.[citation needed]

Care may be required in planning a raw food diet, especially for children. There is little research on how to plan a nutritionally adequate raw food diet; however, nutritionists and raw M.D.s are usually willing to provide professional advice.[citation needed] Raw foodists claim that with sufficient food energy, essential fatty acids, variety and density, people of all ages can be successful at eating raw foods, although whether the diet works for any one person depends on their unique metabolism.[citation needed]

Avoiding poisoning
As the consumption of raw foods gains popularity, some unsafe foods have entered the diets of humans. The following should be consumed with caution:

Buckwheat greens are toxic when raw, particularly if juiced or eaten in large quantities by fair skinned individuals. The chemical component fagopyrum is known to cause severe photosensitivity and other dermatological complaints.[16][17]
Kidney beans, including sprouts, are toxic when raw.[18]
Rhubarb: when eaten in sufficient quantity, leaves can be toxic when raw, stalks are completely safe to eat when harvested early.
Potatoes: a member of the nightshade family, produce the toxic alkaloid solanine when they turn green. Solanine can be neutralized by cooking in a deep fryer.[19] In processed potatoes such as chips and fries, there is little hazard since peels are removed and they are fried.[20][21]
Raw foods contain bacteria and may contain parasites, which may cause foodborne illnesses. Heating to high temperatures destroys most bacteria and parasites.

Lacto Vegetarian Diet

2007-08-25T01:09:00.000-07:00

A lacto vegetarian diet is a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and kefir but excludes eggs. "Lacto" originates from the Latin word for milk. Within Indian culture this diet is often what is meant by the term vegetarian.

Lacto vegetarians choose to consume dairy products, but abstain from specifically eating eggs. Cheeses which include animal rennet and yoghurts which contain gelatin are also avoided. This diet may be adopted by vegetarians wishing to lower their cholesterol levels, in view of the high amount of cholesterol contained within egg yolks.

On ethical grounds, people might believe consuming eggs is the same as consuming animal flesh or potentially running the risk of killing an unborn/unhatched animal. Consuming dairy products does not involve killing animals, and when managed properly the calves are not denied an adequate supply of their mother's milk, and the human can still consume the excess milk for essential nutrients and vitamins.

This diet is popular with many followers of Eastern religious traditions, such as Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It has also been popularised internationally since the 1960s by the Hare Krishna movement.

The greatest proportion of vegetarians such as those in India or those in the classical Mediterranean lands such as the Pythagoreans are or were lacto vegetarian.

Kosher Diet

2007-08-25T01:02:00.000-07:00

Kashrut or kashruth, kashrus (Hebrew: כַּשְרוּת, kašrûṯ ) or "keeping kosher" (Hebrew: כָּשֵר, kāšēr) is the name of the Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Hebrew term kashér, meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law). Some Jews may not eat non-kosher food (but there are no restrictions for non-dietary use, for example, injection of insulin of porcine origin. The Islamic equivalent for Muslims is halal food, which overlaps considerably with kosher, but is not identical. Food not in accord with Jewish law is termed treif, trafe (Yiddish: טרייף from טְרֵפָה ṭərēp̄āh, "torn"); the Hebrew term refers to animals (from a kosher species such as cattle or sheep) which had been either incorrectly slaughtered or mortally wounded by wild beasts and therefore were not fit for human consumption. Among Sephardim, it typically only refers to meat that is not kosher. Sometimes, non-kosher food in general may be dismissed with the colloquial term chazir-treif, which literally means "as unfit as pork", the pig having become perhaps the most notable symbol of the non-kosher animal.

Many of the basic laws of kashrut are in the Torah's Book of Leviticus, with their details set down in the oral law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) and codified by the Shulchan Aruch and later rabbinical authorities. Many varied reasons have been offered for these laws, ranging from philosophical and ritualistic, to practical and hygienic; see below for examples and explanations.

The word kosher has been borrowed by many languages, including English. In its strictest meaning it means "fit", but as in Yiddish it also generally means legitimate, acceptable, permissible, genuine or authentic in a broader sense.

Principles
There are many rules and details of kashrut, not all of which can be detailed in an article. Among different branches and communities of Orthodox Judaism there are differences of detail and nuance.

Key principles of kashrut are:

Restrictions on permissible foods (See Kosher foods):
Land animals must be mammals which chew their cud (ruminate) and have cloven hooves.
Birds of prey are prohibited.
Fish must have fins and scales, and other seafood is prohibited.
All insects are forbidden, except for certain species of Kosher Locust.
Meat and milk (and anything made with dairy and meat products) cannot be served in the same meal, or cooked using the same dishes or utensils, or stored in a way that could cause them to intermingle. Observant Jews have separate dishes for meat and milk.
Kosher slaughter of animals and birds. Kashrut requires all animals (and birds) to be slaughtered by a trained individual (a shochet) using a special method of slaughter, shechita. Among other features, shechita slaughter severs the jugular vein, carotid artery, esophagus and trachea in a single cut with an unserrated, sharp knife.
In the case of birds or land animals, the body must be checked post-slaughter so as to be certain that the animal had no medical condition that would have caused it to die of its own accord.
Blood from a bird or land animal is forbidden to eat, while blood from a fish is kosher.
Blood must be thoroughly removed from all meat, using one of several methods such as soaking and salting, or broiling.
Utensils (and whole kitchens) which are used with non-kosher foods are generally considered to have been rendered non-kosher, and will transfer that non-kosher status to kosher foods. Alternatively, such utensils may be made kosher again by one of several methods appropriate to the utensil and circumstances. These methods include immersion in boiling water, heating, and other methods.
Food cannot have been prepared by Jews in a manner which violates the Shabbat (Sabbath).
On Passover, special rules prohibit leavening (chametz). These rules include prohibitions on certain grains susceptible to leavening, the products of such grains, and similar products. Any utensils which were used in preparing and serving chametz are also forbidden on Passover. Observant Jews traditionally have separate sets of meat and dairy utensils for Passover use only. The prohibition against chametz on Passover is much more stringent than the year-round laws of kashrut.
Certain foods must have been prepared in whole or in part by Jews, including:
The following are observed universally in Orthodox circles
Wine (Kosher wine)
Certain cooked foods (bishul akum)
Cheese (gvinas akum)
The following are not universally observed even in Orthodox circles
Bread (under certain circumstances)[1][2][3]
Certain dairy products (cholov Yisroel)[4][5][6]
Biblical rules control the use of agriculture produce: for produce grown in the Land of Israel a modified version of the Biblical tithes must be applied, including Terumat HaMaaser, Maaser Rishon, Maaser Sheni, and Maaser Ani (untithed produce is called Tevel); the fruit of the first three years of a tree’s growth or replanting are forbidden for eating or any other use as Orlah [2]; produce grown in the Land of Israel on the seventh year is Shviis, and unless managed carefully is forbidden as a violation of the Shmita (Sabbatical Year).
The following rules of kashrut are not universally observed:

The rule against eating new grain (Yoshon) outside the Land of Israel
In addition, some groups follow various eating restrictions on Passover which go beyond the rules of kashrut, such as the eating of gebrochts or garlic.[3]

Conservative Judaism follows a number of leniencies, including:

Permitting kashering with less than boiling water under certain circumstances (which permits a dishwasher to be used for meat and dairy dishes, although not at the same time, provided the dishwasher will not absorb particles of the food)
Classifying various chemical additives derived from non-kosher meat products as nonfood and permissible (for example, permitting rennet from cow's stomachs to be used in cheese and horse-hoof gelatin in foods)
A variety of additional details.[specify]
Although Reconstructionist Judaism and some perspectives within Reform Judaism encourage individuals to follow some or all aspects of the kashrut rules required by the more traditional branches, these branches do not require their observance and do not maintain their own sets of required rules.

Types of foods
For more details on this topic, see Kosher foods.
Foods are kosher when they meet all criteria that Jewish law applies to food and drinks. Invalidating characteristics may range from the presence of a mixture of meat and milk, to the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed properly, or even the use of cooking utensils which had previously been used for non-kosher food.

Identification of kosher foods

Kosher meat dishes in the Jüdisches Museum (Berlin)- 18th and early 20th century.
Dairy dishes in the Jüdisches Museum (Berlin)- 19th centuryFor more details on this topic, see Hechsher.
Store-bought foods can be identified as kosher by the presence of a hechsher (plural hechsherim), a graphical symbol that indicates that the food has been certified as kosher by a rabbinical authority. (This might be an individual rabbi, but is more often a rabbinic organization.) One of the most common symbols in the United States is the "OU", a U inside a circle, standing for the Union of Orthodox Congregations (or "Orthodox Union"). Many rabbis and organizations, however, have their own certification mark, and the other symbols are too numerous to list.

A single K is sometimes used as a symbol for kosher, but as a letter cannot be trademarked (the method by which other symbols are protected from misuse) in many countries, it only indicates that the company producing the food considers it to be kosher.

The hechsheirim of certain authorities are sometimes considered invalid by certain other authorities. [citation needed]

It is not sufficient to read the list of ingredients on a product label in order to determine a food's kosher status, as many things are not included in this list, such as pan lubricants and release agents (which may be derived from lard), flavorings ("natural flavorings" are more likely to be derived from non-kosher substances than others) and others. Reading the label can, however, identify obviously unkosher ingredients.

Producers of foods and food additives can contact Jewish authorities to have their products certified as kosher: a committee will visit their facilities to inspect production methods and contents, and issue a certificate if everything is in order. In many cases constant supervision is required.

For various reasons, such as changes in manufacturing processes, products which were kosher may cease to be so; for example, a kosher lubricating oil may be replaced by one containing tallow. Such changes are often coordinated with the supervising rabbi or organization to ensure that new packaging, which will not suggest any hechsher or kashrut, is used for the new formulation. But in some cases existing stocks of preprinted labels with the hechsher may continue to be used on the now non-kosher product; for such reasons, there is an active "grapevine" among the Jewish community, as well as newspapers and periodicals, identifying which products are now questionable, as well as products which have become kosher but whose labels have yet to carry the hechsher.

Jenny Craig Diet

2007-08-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Jenny Craig (born Genevieve Guidroz in 1932 in Berwick, Louisiana) is an American weight loss guru who founded Jenny Craig, Inc.

Raised in New Orleans, Genevieve Guidroz married Australian Sidney H. Craig. Although neither had formal training in nutrition or exercise, Mrs Craig developed a weight loss regimen that led to creating a weight-loss company in the mid-1980s with her husband. Their company was one of the pioneers in transforming weight loss into a booming industry. In 1983, she started her first commercial weight loss program in Australia. The success of their program inspired the couple to expand to the huge American market in 1985 where they established headquarters in La Jolla, California, and eventually added weight loss centers in Canada, Puerto Rico and New Zealand.

The couple sold the majority of their interests in Jenny Craig, Inc., in 2002 to ACI Capital, a New York-based private investment firm, and MidOcean Partners, a New York and London-based private investment firm. On June 19, 2006, they announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell the company to Nestlé in a transaction valued at approximately $600 million.

Thoroughbred horse racing
In 1995, Sidney and Jenny Craig purchased the 237-acre Thoroughbred horse racing stables, breeding operation, and training center in Rancho Santa Fe, California formerly owned by sportsman Gene Klein. The area is home to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Forbes.com ranked Rancho Santa Fe's ZIP code (92067) as the second most expensive ZIP code in the United States real estatemarket for 2005.

The Craigs are actively involved in racing and have owned a number of successful thoroughbreds. Their colt Dr Devious finished seventh in the 1992 Kentucky Derby but was then shipped to race out of England where he won the 1992 Epsom Derby. That same year, their future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly Paseana won the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Gulfstream Park. In 2003, their horse Candy Ride won six races in a row including the GI Pacific Classic Stakes in which he set a new Del Mar track record for 1¼ miles.

Philanthropy
Jenny and Sidney Craig are involved in a number of philanthropic causes including the San Diego Hospice, Easter Seals, United Way/CHAD, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Peace At Home's domestic violence program, among others. In 1992, they committed $10 million to Fresno State University for its School of Business and Administrative Services, later renamed the Sid Craig School of Business. In 1996, they committed another $10 million to the University of San Diego, $7 million of which was used to build the Jenny Craig Pavilion, a multi-use sports pavilion that was dedicated in October 2000.

Freak Accident
From her book, The Jenny Craig Story: How One Woman Changes Millions of Lives, she discusses her muscle disorder focal dystonia, and her one and only regret in life. "I would not have gone to sleep on that couch," she says recalling the regretful accident. "I fell asleep and my head fell forward, resting on my chest, and as it happens sometimes, I guess my mouth was open. A commercial came on the television really loudly and when my head snapped up my lower teeth locked over the upper teeth and I had to pry them down." She continues: "The trauma created a problem called focal dystonia. Five hundred thousand people in America have some sort of form of focal dystonia. It can even be an eye twitch. It's really a neuromuscular disorder that creates abnormal movement." Craig says she lost use of all the muscles in her entire mouth and jaw area. The 71-year-old mother of two admits she was terrified. "I was petrified," she says. "I didn't know what it was and that's why I kept looking for a diagnosis. They did MRIs and they said I was in perfect health." But her condition was not getting any better. "I was getting progressively worse," she says. "My muscles were all stripped. So as they got weaker and weaker, it was more difficult for me to speak." Although she was now unable to do commercials and give speeches on behalf of her multi-million dollar company, Craig persevered, visiting 18 doctors, with 18 different methods. They suggested everything from acupuncture to physical therapy to Botox, which she said she received 12 injections of. "It was the most painful thing ever," she says. "I've had two children and combining both births, this was worse." Undiscouraged by the failing treatments, she was determined to find the right doctor. "I said, 'I'm going to keep trying to find someone who can help me.' And after 18 doctors I finally found someone who was willing to reconnect the muscles," she says. "But he couldn't guarantee that I'd ever speak the same way again." Craig underwent a four-hour surgery where dissolvable screws were implanted in her jaw. Although she may never fully regain her former speech, she says she's got nothing to complain about. "I'm happy to be able to communicate, I'm healthy, and I have a great life. I have so many things to be grateful for, I can't focus on the one negative."

References
Biographies for Jenny and Sidney Craig at the Jenny Craig, Inc. official website
eonline interview

High Protein Diet

2007-08-25T00:58:00.001-07:00

A high protein diet is often recommended by bodybuilders and nutritionists to help efforts to build muscle and lose fat. It should not be confused with low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet, which are not calorie-controlled and which often contain large amounts of fat.

While adequate protein is required for building skeletal muscle and various other tissues, there is ongoing debate regarding the use and necessity of high protein diets in weight training and bodybuilding. Various sources advise people to consume anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day (1.4–3.3g per kg) [1] [2]. However, many medical professionals believe that consuming more protein than the Recommended Dietary Allowance provides no benefits, and that the excess is merely burnt for energy or excreted.

While there was initial suspicion that high protein diets increased the risk for renal failure, studies have shown that kidney problems occur only in people with pre-existing kidney disease [3]. (Still, it should be noted that such problems may become apparent only when the stress of extra protein is applied to the kidneys.) Similarly, the long-held concern that it could worsen hepatic encephalopathy (brain disease due to malfunction of the liver) appears to be ungrounded.

Hacker's Diet

2007-08-25T00:53:00.001-07:00

The Hacker's Diet is a diet plan created by the founder of Autodesk, John Walker, outlined in an electronic book of the same name, that attempts to aid the process of weight loss by more accurately modeling how calories consumed and calories expended actually impact weight. John Walker notes that much of our fat free mass introduces signal noise when trying to determine how much weight we're actually losing or gaining. With the help of a graphing tool (Excel is used in the book), he addresses these problems. Factoring in exercise, and through counting calories, we can calculate our total energy expenditure (basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food, and day-to-day exercies) and cut back our calorie intake, or increase our exercise to lose weight.

Precautions
John Walker has nothing to do with medicine or nutrition in his professional life. As he writes, it "is a diet book by somebody who spent most of his life fat."

Consuming too few calories may result in muscle loss in addition to fat loss. Though not proposed in the electronic book, many of the tools shown on this page allow their users to track body fat percentage as well. Tracking body fat percentage will allow you to determine your body's fatty mass.

Dieting as an Engineering Problem
Walker describes the diet as approaching weight loss "as an engineering problem"[1], claiming that his approach enabled him to reduce his weight from 215 pounds to 145 pounds in a year, and keep it stable afterwards.

Walker cuts the problem down to the barest elements, modeling the human body as a "rubber bag" where one can ignore many small variables such as food type, frequency, metabolic rates and even exercise as not greatly important to the central problem. Calories consumed compared to calories used is the key, according to Walker; if one eats more calories than one burns, one gains weight; if one eats fewer calories than one burns, one loses weight. All that is necessary to consistently lose weight, at the desired rate, is to monitor the intake, monitor the weight loss rate and make the desired proportional adjustments to reach the desired goal, a very simple control systems problem.

The Body as a System
Walker also goes to some lengths to introduce the reader to simple feedback and control systems, providing spreadsheets to demonstrate feedback, oscillation and data smoothing to illustrate his arguments. Data smoothing is a key element of the monitoring system, preventing the dieter from becoming discouraged by short term failure to lose and to be able to concentrate on the long term trend.

While the diet is a fairly straightforward calorie-counting approach, what makes it successful for many is the unique focus on feedback through monitoring of weight using engineering principles. Techniques are presented for Excel aided or paper and pencil data smoothing to allow the dieter to adjust the diet for themselves using the long term trend and to not be discouraged by short term fluctuations based on water retention or other factors.

Another important factor in the diet's approach is using the trend line as a control system to allow the dieter early warning of relapse after the target weight is reached. As Walker states "The vast majority of people who lose weight end up, in relatively short order, gaining back every pound they lost." A quick check of the trend line provides an easy way to make small adjustments in intake, allowing much greater control of weight for life.

Tools
Walker uses Excel spreadsheets to log weight and produce charts, but provides a list of other software packages that may be used.

Online services which provide tracking and charting services of the kind described in the book include The Hacker's Diet Tracker and PhysicsDiet.com. For the Palm, the program The Hacker's Diet provides mobille tracking and charting services.

As of August, 2007, Walker provides a free online tracker and grapher at his Fourmilab website.

Exercise
Walker says "You don't exercise to lose weight (although it certainly helps). You exercise because you'll live longer and you'll feel better."[2]

Even though Walker says that weight loss is not the goal of exercise, he devotes an entire chapter of the book to it. Walker suggests combining the diet with exercises derived from the Royal Canadian Air Force 5BX exercise program.[3]

References
1 Introduction. The Hacker's Diet. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
2 The Eat Watch. The Hacker's Diet. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
3 What, Me Exercise?. The Hacker's Diet. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.

Grapefruit Diet

2007-08-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

The Grapefruit Diet also known as the Hollywood Diet, an 18-day diet, dates to 1930 Hollywood.

This so-called fad diet regained popularity in the mid-1970s as a bit of Xeroxlore. It is occasionally attributed (erroneously) to the Mayo Clinic, which has expressed a decidedly negative opinion of the diet, considering it unbalanced and possibly dangerous. However, a 2004 study led by Dr. Ken Fujioka at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found in a 12-week pilot study that on average, participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds and those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. Additionally, many patients in the study lost more than 10 pounds.

Dr. Fujioka found that grapefruit diet appears to reduce insulin levels and thus, affects blood sugar regulation. Bear in mind that the pancreas secretes insulin in response to the amount of carbohydrate ingested (also affected by the glycemic index and glycemic load of a food or meal) and that grapefruit by itself is considered by some to be low glycemic.

Another theory is that the fruit's low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat.

Still another explanation for the weight loss in the Scripps Clinic study can be found in the report -- participants "slightly enhanced their exercise regimens." Depending upon what "slightly enhanced" means, this might well account for the weight loss observed.

This diet may have some risk, as regular eating of grapefruit may increase risk of breast cancer in women, according to a 2007 study.

Graham Diet

2007-08-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

The Graham diet was invented around 1829 by Sylvester Graham, a self proclaimed "Physiological Reformer". It was based mainly on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat and high fiber, and excluded meat and spices altogether (see vegetarianism). Very fresh milk, cheese, and eggs were permitted in moderation, and butter was to be used "very sparingly" [1].

Graham believed that adhering to the diet would prevent people from having impure thoughts and in turn would stop masturbation (thought by Graham to be a catalyst for blindness) among other things. He was a prolific writer and speaker for his cause, which was sternly opposed to "bad habits" of the body and mind. During the 1830s, the diet had a moderate response from the mostly puritanical faction of the American public, so much so that at one point it was strictly implemented on students of Oberlin College by David Campbell (a disciple of Graham's). During the period in which it was enforced, some rebellious students took it upon themselves to eat off-campus, and at one point a professor was fired for refusing to stop bringing his own pepper for use with his meals. The diet was eventually renounced by the college in 1841 following a public outcry.

The Graham cracker invented by its namesake as a staple for the diet is its only lasting legacy today.

Glycemic Index Diet

2007-08-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Glycemic index (also glycaemic index, GI) is a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels. It compares available carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal) glycemia. The concept was invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto.

Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion have the highest glycemic indices. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have a low glycemic index. A lower glycemic index suggests slower rates of digestion and absorption of the sugars and starches in the foods and may also indicate greater extraction from the liver and periphery of the products of carbohydrate digestion. A lower glycemic response is often thought to equate to a lower insulin demand, better long-term blood glucose control and a reduction in blood lipids. But in fact, some foods having a low glycemic index or having very little carbohydrate cause a high insulin response or raise blood lipids.[citation needed] The insulin index may therefore also be useful as it provides a direct measure of the insulin response to a food.

The glycemic index of a food is defined by the area under the two hour blood glucose response curve (AUC) following the ingestion of a fixed portion of carbohydrate (usually 50 g). The AUC of the test food is divided by the AUC of the standard (either glucose or white bread, giving two different definitions) and multiplied by 100.

The average GI value is calculated from data collected in 10 human subjects. Both the standard and test food must contain an equal amount of available carbohydrate. The result gives a relative ranking for each tested food.[1]

The current validated methods use glucose as the reference food, giving it a glycemic index value of 100 by definition. This has the advantages in that it is universal and it results in maximum GI values of approximately 100. White bread can also be used as a reference food, giving a different set of GI values (if white bread = 100, then glucose ≈ 140). For people whose staple carbohydrate source is white bread, this has the advantage of conveying directly whether replacement of the dietary staple with a different food would result in faster or slower blood glucose response. The disadvantages with this system are that the reference food is not well-defined, and the GI scale is culture dependent.

Glycemic index of foods
GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows:

Classification / GI range / Examples
Low GI / 55 or less / most fruit and vegetables (except potatoes), wholegrains, basmati, rice or pasta
Medium GI / 56 - 69 / sucrose, candy bar, croissant, some brown rices
High GI / 70 or more / corn flakes, baked potato, some white rices (eg. jasmine), white bread

A low GI food will release glucose more slowly and steadily. A high GI food causes a more rapid rise in blood glucose levels and is suitable for energy recovery after endurance exercise or for a person with diabetes experiencing hypoglycemia.

The glycemic effect of foods depends on a number of factors such as the type of starch (amylose vs. amylopectin), physical entrapment of the starch molecules within the food, fat and protein content of the food and organic acids or their salts in the meal — adding vinegar for example, will lower the GI. The presence of fat or soluble dietary fibre can slower gastric emptying rate thus lowering the GI. Unrefined breads with higher amounts of fibre generally have a lower GI value than white breads.[2] Many brown breads, however, are treated with enzymes to soften the crust, which makes the starch more accessible. This raises the GI, with some brown breads even having GI values over 100.

While adding butter or oil will lower the GI of meal, the GI ranking does not change. That is, with or without additions, there is still a higher blood glucose curve after white bread than after a low GI bread such as pumpernickel.

The glycemic index can only be applied to foods with a reasonable carbohydrate content, as the test relies on subjects consuming enough of the test food to yield about 50 g of available carbohydrate. Many fruits and vegetables (but not potatoes) contain very little carbohydrate per serving, or have very low GI values. This also applies to carrots, which were originally and incorrectly reported as having a high GI.[3] Alcoholic beverages have been reported to have low GI values, however it should be noted that beer has a moderate GI. Recent studies have shown that the consumption of an alcoholic drink prior to a meal reduces the GI of the meal by approximately 15%.

Disease prevention
Several lines of recent scientific evidence have shown that individuals who followed a low GI diet over many years were at a significantly lower risk for developing both type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease than others, but the results obviously depend on the two diets being compared. High blood glucose levels or repeated glycemic "spikes" following a meal may promote these diseases by increasing oxidative damage to the vasculature and also by the direct increase in insulin levels. [5] In the past, post-meal hyperglycemia has been a risk factor mainly associated with diabetes, however more recent evidence shows that postprandial hyperglycemia presents an increased risk for atherosclerosis in the non-diabetic population.[6]

On the other hand there are regions, such as Peru and Asia, where people eat high-glycemic index foods such as potatoes and rice, but without a high level of obesity or diabetes. The high consumption of legumes in South America and fresh fruit and vegetables in Asia likely has a lowering glycemic effect in these individuals. The mixing of high and low GI carbohydrates produces moderate GI values.
The glycemic index is supported by leading international health organisations including the American Diabetes Association.[7]

Weight control
Recent animal research provides compelling evidence that high GI carbohydrate is associated with increased risk of obesity. In human trials, it is typically difficult to separate the effects from GI and other potentially confounding factors such as fibre content, palatability, and compliance. In the study (Pawlak et al, 2004), male rats were split into high and low GI groups over 18 weeks while mean bodyweight was maintained. Rats fed the high GI diet were 71% fatter and had 8% less lean body mass than the low GI group. Postmeal glycemia and insulin levels were significantly higher and plasma triglycerides were three-fold greater in the high GI fed rats. Furthermore, pancreatic islet cells suffered "severely disorganised architecture and extensive fibrosis". The evidence in this study showed that continued consumption of high glycemic index carbohydrates would likely have led to the development of severe metabolic abnormalities.

Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet or GFCF Diet

2007-08-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

A gluten-free casein-free diet (or GFCF diet) eliminates intake of the naturally-occurring proteins gluten (found naturally in wheat, barley, and rye) and casein (found in milk). The Autism Research Institute and other advocacy groups recommend the diet as a treatment for autism and related disorders.

Background and theory
In the 1960s, Dohan speculated that the low incidence of schizophrenia in certain South Pacific Island societies was a result of a diet low in wheat- and milk- based foods.[1] Dohan proposed genetic defect as a probable etiology for schizophrenia, wherein individuals were incapable of completely metabolizing gluten and casein. The consequence of incomplete metabolism is excess peptide levels in the gastrointestinal tract, which Dohan hypothesizes are responsible for schizophrenic behaviors.

The possible relationship between gluten, casein, and autism was first articulated by Kalle Reichelt, M.D. in 1991. Based on studies showing correlation between autism and increased urinary peptide levels, Reichelt hypothesized that some of these peptides may have an opiate effect. Further work determined opioid peptides such as casomorphines (from casein) and gluten exorphines and gliadorphin (from gluten) as possible suspects, due to their chemical similarity to opiates. Reichelt hypothesizes that long term exposure to these opiate peptides may have effects on brain maturation and contribute to social awkwardness and isolation. On this basis, Reichelt and others have proposed a gluten-free casein-free diet to minimize the buildup of opiate peptides and promote typical development of brain function.

Reichelt's hypothesis is not generally regarded as a definitive etiology for autism, nor is the GFCF diet advocated as a "cure".

Effectiveness of the GFCF diet
Reports on the effectiveness of the GFCF diet come overwhelmingly from testimonials of individual parents or teachers. Reported results range from no discernible effect to claims of complete recovery following implementation of a gluten-free casein-free regimen. There have been insufficient adequately designed, large-scale controlled studies and clinical trials to state whether the GFCF diet is effective.A small single-blind study has documented fewer autistic behaviors in children fed a gluten-free, casein-free diet but noted no change cognitive skills, linguistic ability or motor ability.This study has been criticized for its small sample size, single-blind design which may have skewed results on the basis of a "parent placebo effect".

A 2006 double-blind short-term study found no significant differences in behavior between children on a gluten-free, casein-free diet and those on regular diets. A long term double-blind clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health is scheduled for completion in April 2008; preliminary results are not yet available.

Practical implementation
Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on
Gluten-FreeThe implementation of a GFCF diet involves removing all sources of gluten and casein from the child's diet. Gluten is found in all products containing wheat, rye, and barley and may sometimes contaminate oats grown nearby or processed on the same equipment as gluten-containing cereals.[citation needed] Because a gluten-free diet is a well-established treatment for other disorders, such as celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, there are many gluten-free breads, pastas, and snacks available commercially. Gluten-free cookbooks have been available for decades. Casein is found in dairy products such as milk or butter, but is also present in smaller amounts in many substitute dairy products such as margarine (in the form of whey) or vegetarian cheese substitutes, which use casein to provide texture.

While testimonials vary, a significant fraction report symptoms similar to withdrawal in the early stages of GFCF diet implementation. Positive testimonials also vary in the time required to see improvements in autistic behaviors; some reports claim an immediate reduction in such behaviors while others take up to a year or more to achieve noticeable results. These observations are the result of parent and teacher reporting and have not been substantiated in terms of formal diagnostic criteria or quantitative behavioral assessments.[citation needed]

Other indications
Those suffering from celiac disease and/or dermatitis herpetiformis are instructed to avoid all forms of gluten, though their metabolic disorders are apparently distinct from the autism-related metabolic disorder hypothesized by GFCF proponents

Gerson Diet

2007-08-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Gerson diet is a diet devised by Dr. Max Gerson (1881 - 1959).

Gerson believed that cancer and other degenerative and autoimmune diseases are caused by chronic malfunctions in cell metabolism, and that they can be effectively treated by restoring proper cell functioning through a diet which is high in potassium and low in sodium. He advised a diet of fresh vegetables and fruit, with minimum cooking and ideally without animal or dairy products, fats, or sugars.

Professor Richard Kefford, director of the Westmead Institute of Cancer Research is particularly concerned about cancer patients persuaded to undergo the diet which involves the use of ground coffee enemas which can cause colitis (inflammation of the bowel), fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and in some cases septicaemia. The US FDA has warned against this regime, which is known to have caused at least three deaths.

The diet is (perhaps not remarkably) similar to the change in eating patterns recommended by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Slimming World Diet

2007-08-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

Slimming World is a British company which runs over 5,000 weight loss classes a week across the UK. Adults who are seven or more pounds overweight may join a local Slimming World class and pay a weekly fee to attend classes. In 2005 the cost on joining was £10 and the weekly charge £4.25. Slimming World calls its diet plan "Food Optimising."

Classes are led by self-employed consultants. At each class members are weighed and the loss or gain is shared with the group. At no time is a member's actual weight mentioned. During classes members also share tips, experiences, and ask for advice. Prizes are given for the "slimmer of the week" and "slimmer of the month."

Consultants do not have quotas to meet for total weight loss among their membership, but do with class attendance, and there are financial incentives for achieving targets.

Slimming World was founded in 1969 by Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who serves as chairman. Caryl Richards has been managing director of the company since 2001. Slimming World has 215 employees in its head office.

Food Optimising
Food Optimising leads to weight-loss through a calorie-restricted diet. On the plan many foods, known as "free foods," which are judged to have a low calorie content for how filling they are or how nutritious they are, may be eaten in unrestricted amounts. Members are encouraged to eat four small portions per day of foods which are higher in calories, but which provide ample supplies of vitamins, minerals or dietary fibre.

The Food Optimising plan classifies each day as an original (or red) day or a green day. Many foods are classified differently depending on whether it is a red or green day.

The red day "free foods" include most fruits and vegetables, white fish, lean meats and eggs. The restricted "healthy extras" include milk, cheese, bread, grains, beans, potatoes and dried fruits.

The green day "free foods" include fruit and vegetables, grains, beans, pasta, tofu, and eggs. The "healthy extras" include milk, cheese, bread, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, meat, and fish.

All other foods are assigned a syn value by Slimming World based on their nutritional profile.

Exercise
Exercise is not a formal part of the Slimming World plan. They do encourage their members to be active, but the focus of the groups is placed on diet.

When people exercise while trying to lose weight they may make progress which is not reflected by weighing themselves. Muscle is denser than fat, so members may find that their weight loss slows or stops altogether when they exercise at the same time as following a diet plan, as fat stores are used up and muscles are strengthened.

The Slimming World literature acknowledges this and tells members not to be discouraged if they find that this is the case. Each member has a Food Optimising book in which to record their progress which also contains space to record changes in their body measurements (bust and waist). This enables and encourages them to see any change in their body shape even when there is a slow down in the weight loss.

Health and pregnancy
The Slimming World plan follows the UK government's healthy eating guidelines. Following a pilot program in 2001–2 with Derby Primary Care Trust, Slimming on Referral was launched to encourage doctors to refer patients to Slimming World classes. Under the program the first few class fees are subsidized.

With permission from her midwife a pregnant woman may continue to follow the Slimming World plan. New mothers may attend classes starting six weeks after giving birth, even while breast-feeding.

Company history and products
The weekly classes are at the heart of the Slimming World business. However they do offer other products and services.

The company sells recipe books and other books to accompany their diet plan. For people unable or unwilling to attend classes, they offer postal membership and an online program called BodyOptimise. BodyOptimise costs more than the classes, but offers more support than postal membership and is more flexible than attending classes.

In January 1998, Slimming World Magazine was launched, sold exclusively to members. It went on general sale to the public in January 1999 with a circulation in excess of 255,000 copies.

Prior to 2004, Slimming World assigned its naughty-but-nice foods "sin values." Some found the idea of foods being sinful as negative and offputting. Weight Watchers in the UK, Slimming World's main competitor, even advertises under the slogan "Where no food is a sin." Slimming World always said that "sins" were intended to be seen as tongue in cheek, but members and non-members alike were divided over whether they found it the idea of "sinning" fun or discouraging.

As of January 2004, sin values were renamed "syn values," short for synergy, according to Slimming World. In addition to countering the criticism from Weight Watchers, the change to syn values gave Slimming World the opportunity to revise and recalculate the values. Publications that predate 2004, such as recipe books and lists of sin values, are now out of date.

Joel Fuhrman Diet

2007-08-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Joel Fuhrman is an American family medicine physician and author. He maintains a medical practice in Flemington, New Jersey, and specializes in treating some major illnesses through nutrition and changes in diet.

Views on nutrition
His books introduce the idea of nutrient density, as expressed by the formula Health=Nutrients/Calories. He reasons that there is an excessive consumption of calorie rich food in American society, and accordingly a minimizing of foods high in phytonutrients in our modern diet. According to his argument, this has resulted in a paradoxically overfed but undernourished (and therefore diseased) population in the developed world. Fuhrman's conclusions link such a diet to higher incidences of ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases (e.g. arthritis), cancers, and high blood pressure.

Fuhrman advises that one should base their eating on mainly fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes, while minimizing to eliminating animal products (meat and dairy items), and simple carbohydrate (or processed) foods. In contrast to other diets, such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, which restrict the amount of food a diet can eat, Fuhrman's guidelines specifically indicate to eat as much as one wishes from the "allowed" groups. The reasoning is that whole plant foods are so high in fiber and bulk that the dieter will achieve satiation (a feeling of fullness) long before they are able to consume too many calories from these foods.

Fuhrman maintains that feelings of sickness caused by skipping a meal, such as light-headedness, stomach cramping, and headache, are not symptoms of hunger, but symptoms of detoxification. He refers to these symptoms as "toxic hunger" and states that they eventually go away as the dieter adjusts to eating a low calorie, high phytonutrient diet.

Fuhrman's claims have been subjected to peer review and his books reference peer-reviewed studies.

Bibliography
Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss - ISBN 0-316-73550-7, (Little Brown & Company; 1st edition January 15th, 2003)
Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right - ISBN 0-312-33805-8, Publisher: St. Martin's Press (August 1, 2005)
Cholesterol Protection for Life - ISBN 0-9744633-1-0, Publisher: Gift of Health Press (September 15, 2004)
Fasting & Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease - ISBN 0-312-18719-X, Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 15, 1998)

Fruitarian Diet

2007-08-24T23:45:00.002-07:00

Fruitarianism is the pursuit of a strict form of vegan diet that is limited to eating the ripe fruits of plants and trees. Fruitarians (frugivores[1] or fructarians) eat in principle only the fruit of plants.[2] As with other dietary practices, such as vegetarianism and raw foodism, some people consider themselves fruitarians even if their diet is not 100% fruit. The reasons for this may be either they simply do not manage to reach this percentage, or that they still are on their way to reach it gradually, or they think or feel that a lower percentage (for instance 75%) is good enough for them. As long as the percentage is higher than 50%, they are (predominantly) fruitarian.[3] Usually fruitarians who include foods other than fruit follow a vegan diet

Fruitarian definition of fruit
When discussing food, the term "fruit" usually refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy (including plums, apples, and oranges). Botanically, though, some foods commonly called "vegetables" (including the bell pepper, tomato, and cucumber), as well as nuts and grains, are fruits.

Fruitarians use differing definitions of what is considered a "fruit."

Definition of fruitarian
Some fruitarians will eat only what falls (or would fall) naturally from a plant, that is: foods that can be harvested without killing the plant. These foods consist primarily of culinary fruits, nuts, and seeds. Many do not eat grains, believing it is unnatural to do so, and some fruitarians feel that it is improper for humans to eat seeds. Additionally, there are fruitarians who believe they should eat only plants that spread seeds when the plant is eaten. Others eat seeds and some cooked foods.

Many fruitarians use the botanical definitions of fruits and consume pulses,while others include green leafy vegetables and/or root vegetables in their diet. Some occasionally consume some dairy products as well.

Motivation
Some fruitarians believe fruitarianism was the original diet of mankind in the form of Adam and Eve based on Genesis 1:29.[13] They believe that a return to an Eden-like paradise will require simple living and a holistic approach to health and diet.[citation needed]

Other fruitarians wish to avoid killing in all its forms, including plants.[14]

Some fruitarians say that eating some types of fruit does the parent plant a favor and that fleshy fruit has evolved to be eaten by animals, to achieve seed dispersal.[15] Fruit seeds passed in feces may sprout in a pile of ready-made fertilizer, encouraging proliferation of the plant, but only if one defecates outside, which most Westerners do not. Fruit cores or pits, however, will be tossed aside to sprout too near the parent plant to gain any benefit.

According to Herbert Shelton, the founder of Natural Hygiene, "fruits are also appealing to man's visual, olfactory and gustatory senses"[16] and "man is naturally frugivorous".

Fruitarianism is indicated by anthropologist Dr. Marvin Katz as humankind's natural diet.

Criticisms
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health "natural food sources of vitamin B12 are limited to foods that come from animals."[19] Though, in reality, B12 is produced by bacteria. Therefore, like vegans (but unlike lacto-ovo vegetarians), fruitarians need to include a B12 supplement in their diet. This is a non-trivial problem for fruitarians because the most common non-animal source of B12 supplements is yeast, which is a fungus.[citation needed]

Many notable advocates of fruitarianism in the past, including Morris Krok,[20] Johnny Lovewisdom, Walter Siegmeister/Raymond Bernard, and Viktoras Kulvinskas ate considerable quantities of vegetables and occasional cooked foods and vegetables. Others switched to other unorthodox lifestyles (including breatharianism and liquitarianism (juices only), or recommended against the diet once they stopped.

Lack of protein in fruit can make the lifestyle difficult to sustain, and can lead to the condition of hypoproteinemia

Food Combining Diet

2007-08-24T23:45:00.001-07:00

Food combining is the term for an unproven nutritional approach that focuses less upon the quantity and kind of food consumed, and more upon the timing of their consumption. For example, advocates sometimes recommend that carbohydrates and citrus fruits should not be consumed at the same meal, claiming that the enzyme that digests carbohydrates (amylase) can only function in an alkaline environment.

Many of the assumptions used to justify food combining are not supported by biological and medical science, and there is currently little evidence supporting real-world success for these theories. One randomized controlled trial has been reported in the peer-reviewed medical literature, which found no evidence that food-combining principles were effective in promoting weight loss.[1]

History
William Howard Hay introduced food combining to United States in 1911. His approach was based upon the ideas current at the time regarding the alkalinity required to digest the food in the stomach and the pH of food itself. Herbert M. Shelton also contributed a food classification based on the type of nutrients in products. Shelton categorized foods into three groups—protein products, carbohydrate products and "neutral" products—and recommended eating proteins and carbohydrates at separate meals.

Flexitarian Diet

2007-08-24T23:44:00.001-07:00

Flexitarianism is a term used in the United States to describe the practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons. They may eat meat and/or other animal products sometimes. For example, a flexitarian might make only vegetarian dishes at home, but eat dishes including meat or fish at the home of family or friends. There is a wide range in the circumstances and outer boundaries of their dietary practices, which resist easy classification. The term semi-vegetarianism is sometimes also used to convey roughly the same meaning as flexitarianism.

In 2003, the American Dialect Society voted flexitarian as the year's most useful word and defined it as "a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat". Use of the word “flexitarian” has become wide spread, showing up in newspaper articles and “almost vegetarian” blogs.

It should be noted that while the term itself is useful, it encompasses a very broad range of possibilities. Therefore, there is a basis for caution in terms of what type of flexibility is expected of any individual who identifies with it.

Origin of term
The earliest known use of the term "flexitarian" occurred in the October 17, 1992 issue of the Austin American-Statesman. In this issue, reporter Linda Anthony wrote an article titled, "Acorn serves up 'flexitarian fare'". The article discussed the recent opening of the new Acorn Café and stated that owner Helga Morath calls her fare "flexitarian".

Fit for Life

2007-08-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

Fit for Life is a diet and lifestyle promoted by Harvey Diamond and Marilyn Diamond, which stems from the principles in Natural Hygiene. As the title of the book suggests, Fit for Life claims how to lose excess body weight and maintain good health via long term dietary and lifestyle practices, rather than short term dieting. In the Fit for Life book series many dietary principles are recommended including eating only fruit in the morning, eating predominantly "live...high-water-content" food (as per the raw food diet), and if eating animal protein to avoid combining it with complex carbohydrates (such as bread, rice or pasta). Tony Robbins promotes the Fit for Life principles and veganism to increase energy levels in his book Unlimited Power.

In Fit for Life: A New Beginning (2001), Harvey Diamond claims to have experienced a series of fortuitous coincidences (also known as synchronicity) during his research period and writing of the Fit for Life books, recommending the book The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.

Despite its popularity, it has received criticism from dietitians and doctors for espousing pseudoscientific theories, which include describing the human body as being "cleansed" or "clogged" and a variety of other claims that are inconsistent with medical science. Few would deny the value of eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, as it may lower the chance of developing heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Fit for Life, however, goes beyond this to argue that these can only be eaten in combination with certain other foods -- a claim that the authors (now divorced) do not support with any evidence or studies in their book.

In Fit for Life II (1989) the Diamonds warned against eating artificial food additives such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, which at the time was being promoted by the food industry as a healthy alternative to saturated fat. The Diamonds' claims were disregarded by the food industry and criticised by various dietitians. Now nearly twenty years later hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil are regarded by health officials, such as those in New York City, to be so toxic that food containing the additive is classified on a par with food containing rodent droppings [1]. Harvard's School of Public Health researchers have estimated that trans fat, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, contribute to the death of 30,000 U.S. citizens per year, and many more worldwide.

Diet for a New America

2007-08-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Diet for a New America is a 1987 book by John Robbins, advocating a "plant-based," vegan diet. Considered by many in the vegan and animal rights movements to be one of the most important books in recent times, Diet for a New America contains Robbins's opinions on the meat and dairy industries, world hunger and human health.

Dr. Hay Diet

2007-08-24T23:31:00.001-07:00

The Dr. Hay diet (also called the Hay Diet) is a nutrition method developed by the New York physician William Howard Hay in the 1920s. It claims to work by separating out food groups into those which are "alkaline, acidic and neutral". Acid foods are not combined with the alkaline ones. "Acid" foods are protein rich, meat, fish, dairy, etc., and "alkaline" the carbohydrate-rich starch foods like rice, grains and potatoes.

It is also known as the food combining diet, and many authors have written books expressing its merits and selling recipes.

The food-combining diet has been the subject of one peer-reviewed randomized clinical trial, which found no benefit from the diet in terms of weight loss.[1]

A similar theory, called nutripathy, was developed by Gary A. Martin in the 1970s,[1] and Robert Young also promulgates an alkaline-acid diet.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet

2007-08-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or the DASH diet is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH) to control hypertension. A major feature of the plan is limiting intake of sodium,[1] and it also generally encourages the consumption of nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables while lowering the consumption of red meats, sweets, and sugar. It is also "rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber."[1]

The DASH diet is based on NIH studies that examined three dietary plans and their results. None of the plans were vegetarian, but the DASH plan incorporated more fruits and vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, beans, and nuts than the others studied. Not only does the plan emphasize good eating habits, but also suggests healthy alternatives to "junk food" and discourages the consumption of processed foods. The NIH has published a guidebook, "Your Guide to Lowering your Blood Pressure With DASH", which details the nutrition facts of popular mainstream food items and their healthy alternatives. The manual also provides samples of meal plans and proportions along with their associated nutritional information. The last pages of the manual provides a list of resources and how to obtain them.

The diet reduced systolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg in patients with normal blood pressure. Those with hypertension dropped by 11 and 6, respectively. There are several eating plans included in the diet, with the daily caloric intake ranging from 1900 to 2500 dietary calories.

Diabetic Diet

2007-08-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

The diet recommended for people who suffer from diabetes mellitus is one that is high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, but low in fat (especially saturated fat). Patients may be encouraged to reduce their intake of carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index. However, in cases of hypoglycemia, they are advised to have food or drink that can raise blood glucose quickly, followed by a long-acting carbohydrate (such as rye bread) to prevent risk of further hypoglycaemia.

Recently, Diabetes UK have warned against purchase of products that are specially made for people with diabetes, on the grounds that:[1]

They may be expensive,
They may contain high levels of fat and
They may confer no special benefits to people who suffer from diabetes.

Early history of diabetic diet
Frederick Allen, in the days before insulin was discovered, recommended that people with diabetes ate only a low-calorie diet to prevent ketoacidosis from killing them. This was an approach which did not actually cure diabetes, it merely extended life by a limited period. The first use of insulin by Frederick Banting in 1922 changed all that, and at last allowed patients more flexibility in their eating.

Exchange scheme
In the 1950s, the American Diabetes Association, in conjunction with the U.S. Public Health Service, brought forth the "exchange scheme". This was a scheme that allowed people to swap foods of similar nutritional value (e.g. carbohydrate) for another, so, for example, if wishing to have more than normal carbohydrates for pudding, one could cut back on potatoes in one's first course. The exchange scheme was revised in 1976, 1986 and 1995 (Chalmers & Peterson, 1999, p85). However, not all diabetes dietitians today recommend the exchange scheme. Instead, they are likely to recommend the same healthy diet that is recommended for every one, that is, one that is high in fibre, involves eating a good range of fruit and vegetables (ideally, five portions a day) and one that is low in both sugar and fat, especially saturated fat.

Carbohydrates
The American Diabetes Association in 1994 recommended that 60-70% of caloric intake should be in the form of carbohydrates. This is somewhat controversial, with some researchers claiming that 40% is better,[2] while others claim benefits for a high-fiber, 75% carbohydrate diet.[3]

An article summarizing the view of the American Diabetes Association[4] contains the statement "Sucrose-containing foods can be substituted for other carbohydrates in the meal plan or, if added to the meal plan, covered with insulin or other glucose-lowering medications. Care should be taken to avoid excess energy intake." Sucrose does not increase glycemia more than the same number of calories taken as starch. Although it is not recommended to use fructose as a sweetener, fruit should not be avoided because of its fructose content.

Timing of meals
For people with diabetes, healthy eating is not simply a matter of "what one eats", but also when one eats. The question of how long before a meal one should inject insulin is one that is asked in Sonsken, Fox and Judd (1998). The answer is that it depends upon the type of insulin one takes and whether it is long, medium or quick-acting insulin. If patients check their blood glucose at bedtime and find that it is low, it is advisable that they take some long-acting carbohydrate before retiring to bed to prevent night-time hypoglycemia.

Alternatives
Dr. Richard K. Bernstein has a diet plan that is substantially different from the plan recommended here and he is harshly critical of the standard ADA diet plan for diabetics. His plan includes very limited carbohydrate intake (30 grams per day) along with frequent blood glucose monitoring and for diabetics using insulin, frequent small insulin injections if needed. His treatment target is "near normal blood sugars" all the time.

Cambridge Diet

2007-08-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Cambridge Diet is a low-calorie weight loss plan developed in 1970 by Dr. Alan Howard at Cambridge University, England[1]. It was first used exclusively in weight loss clinics, and then launched as a commercial product in the United States in 1980, with distribution in the UK beginning in 1984.[2] The Cambridge diet became very popular in the United States in the 1980s, and the Cambridge company says it has helped over 15 million people lose weight.

The diet formula is intended to harness "the excellent weight loss properties of starvation", while providing enough protein to protect lean tissue, the right level of carbohydrate to promote a mild ketosis (the body's fasting mode, which burns body fat) and eliminate a sense of hunger, and the right levels of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids to maintain good health.[2] The meals are intended to combine all necessary food groups to satisfy a body’s nutritional needs, in order to allow a person to stop craving foods and overeating.

The company recommends eating only three of their pre-packaged meals a day (a total of 500 calories or less), for the fastest weight loss, or combining their meals with some regular food for more gradual weight loss. The food consists of nutrition bars, shakes, soups, or formulas in various flavors. Cambridge also recommends at least eight glasses of water a day.

The diet discourages alcohol, chewing gum, and high-energy exercises while on this diet.

Controversy

The Cambridge Diet has been subject to much criticism and speculation in recent times, due in many ways to the controversial views of Cambridge Diet founder John Parish

- In America a full investigation is being led by top scientists into the connection between Cancers of the Bowel, Mouth, and Colon, and Impotency as possible effects of long term Diet use

- Some have dismissed the Cambridge Diet as the standard 'Hollywood Fad' Diet. Famous users include Posh Spice, Penelope Cruz and Beyonce Knowles. Kelly Osbourne has described the Diet as 'tasting like crap' and that anyone would lose weight when 'starved'

-Cambridge Diet founder John Parish has caused outrage with his links to far right political party the BNP. His views have come under criticism as being rascist. He was quoted as saying I originally invented the formula for the progression of the Ayran race however what he means by this is unclear.

-Pacifists have launched full campaigns against the use of the Diet which feeds various armies across the world. Parish commented that the army contracts have made him 'richer than his wildest dreams'. Amnesty have brought into question the policy of selling food to the Chinese regime occupying Tibet. Parish would only say 'The Cambridge Diet is a perfect way of ensuring soldiers get the essential vitamins and minerals needed to do their duty' also commenting that 'it is not my responsibility to decide who is right and wrong in a military contact. I am just a businessman' also adding that 'I'm sure Hitler and Mussolini would have used the Diet if it had been around during the Second World W

Buddhist Diet

2007-08-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

Buddhist cuisine is a kind of East Asian cuisine mainly for the believers of Buddhism. It is known as zhāi cài (zhāi means "purification" or "discipline", cai means "cuisine" or "vegetable") in China, and shōjin ryōri (shōjin means "devotion", ryōri means "cuisine") in Japan, and by many other names in other countries.

Common sources for Buddhist foods
Buddhist vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared wheat gluten, also known as "seitan" or "wheat meat", soy (such as tofu or tempeh), agar, and other plant products. Some of their recipes are the oldest and most-refined meat analogues in the world. Soy and wheat gluten are very versatile materials, because they can be manufactured into various shapes and textures, and they absorb flavourings (including, but not limited to, meat-like flavourings), whilst having very little flavour of their own. With the proper seasonings, they can mimic various kinds of meat quite closely.

Some of these Buddhist vegetarian chefs are in the many monasteries which serve wu hun and mock-meat (also known as 'meat analogues') dishes to the monks and visitors (including non-Buddhists who often stay for a few hours or days, to Buddhists who are not monks, but staying overnight for anywhere up to weeks or months). Many Buddhist restaurants also serve vegetarian, vegan, non-alcoholic, and/or wu hun dishes. Some Buddhists eat vegetarian only once per week or month, or on special occasions such as annual visits to an ancestor's grave. To cater to this type of customer, as well as full-time vegetarians, the menu of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant usually shows no difference from a typical Chinese or far-Eastern restaurant, except that in recipes originally made to contain meat, a chicken flavoured soy or wheat gluten might be served instead (e.g. "General Tso's chicken" made with flavoured wheat gluten).

Calorie Restriction Diet

2007-08-24T23:16:00.001-07:00

Calorie restriction or Caloric restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake in the hope that it will improve health and retard aging. In human subjects, CR has been shown to lower cholesterol, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. Some consider these to be biomarkers of aging, since there is a correlation between these markers and risk of diseases associated with aging. Except for houseflies (below), animal species tested with CR so far, including primates, rats, mice, spiders, Drosophila, C. elegans and rotifers, have shown lifespan extension. CR is the only known dietary measure capable of extending maximum lifespan, as opposed to average lifespan. In CR, energy intake is minimized, but sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients must be eaten. To emphasize the difference between CR and mere "FR" (food restriction), CR is often referred to by a plethora of other names such as CRON or CRAN (calorie restriction with optimal/adequate nutrition), or the "high-low diet" (high in all nutrients aside from calories, in which it is "low"). Other names for the diet emphasize the goal of the diet, such as CRL (calorie restriction for longevity), or simply The Longevity Diet, as in a recently published book by that name.

Cabbage Soup Diet

2007-08-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

The Cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of low-calorie cabbage soup over the space of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight-loss and requires no long-term commitment. Indeed, it was arguably the first short-term diet to become popular [citation needed], and inspired several copy-cats based around similar principles.

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.

The origins of the diet are unknown, and it first gained popularity as a piece of faxlore in the 1980s. The cabbage soup diet has many names, usually linking the diet to a mainstream institution, including the "Sacred Heart Diet", "Military Cabbage Soup", "TJ Miracle Soup Diet", and "Russian Peasant Diet". All of the institutions named have denied a link with the diet[1]. As a general rule, most if not all forms of the diet emphasize that the dieter can consume as much cabbage soup as he/she wants. 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.

Many individuals and medical professionals are critical of the diet. It's claimed that most of the weight lost is water, 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.

On a practical level, the most common forms of the soup recipe have been criticized as being bland, though spicy variations have appeared. Even so, 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. It has also been noted that flatulence is a common side effect of the diet.

A frequent comment on the soup is that it makes a good low-calorie filler meal, but is not substantial enough to be relied upon as a dietary staple. The newer, healthier versions of the cabbage soup diet however take the fact of missing protein into account and add protein (diary and protein shakes) to the diet plan while decreasing sodium.

Breatharian Diet

2007-08-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

Inedia is the alleged ability to live without food. Breatharianism is a related concept, in which believers claim food and possibly water are not necessary, and that humans can be sustained solely by prana (the vital life force in Hinduism), or according to some, by the energy in sunlight. The terms breatharianism or inedia may also refer to this philosophy practiced as a lifestyle in place of the usual diet. While it is often seen as an esoteric practice performed by eastern ascetics, recently some groups such as the Breatharian Institute of America [1] have promoted the practice as an option for anybody, once the proper techniques for accessing it are made known.

Current scientific theories about nutrition and generally accepted common sense both indicate that a person who follows this practice in the long term would die of starvation or dehydration. Breatharians have seldom submitted themselves to medical testing, and currently there is no evidence to support their claims.

Prominent skeptic James Randi has this to say about Breatharianism:
There are some claims that are far too implausible to warrant any serious examination, such as the "Breatharian" claims in which the applicant states that he can survive without food or water. Science conclusively tells us all we need to know about such matters, and the James Randi Educational Foundation feels no obligation to engage applicants in such delusions.

Atkins Diet

2007-08-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

The Atkins Nutritional Approach, popularly known as the Atkins Diet or just Atkins, is the most marketed and well-known of the low-carbohydrate diets. It was adapted by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s from a diet he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association and utilized to resolve his own overweight condition following medical school and graduate medical training. After successfully treating over ten thousand patients, he popularized the Atkins diet in a series of books, starting with Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution in 1972. In his revised book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins updated some of his ideas, but remained faithful to the original concepts.

The Atkins franchise (i.e., the business formed to provide products serving people "doing Atkins") has been highly successful due to the popularity of the diet, and is considered the iconic and driving entity of the larger "low-carb craze". However, various factors have led to its dwindling success and the company, Atkins Nutritionals of Ronkonkoma, New York, founded by Dr. Atkins in 1989, two years after the death of the founder filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July of 2005 and re-emerged in January 2006. The Atkins logo is still highly visible through licensed-proprietary branding for food products and related merchandise.

Nature of the diet
The Atkins Diet represents a departure from prevailing theories. Atkins claimed there are two main unrecognized factors about Western eating habits, arguing firstly that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups; and secondly, that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, and that only trans fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Consequently, Dr. Atkins rejects the advice of the food pyramid, instead asserting that the tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and that the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin-inducing foods in the diet. While most of the emphasis in Atkins is on the diet, nutritional supplements and exercise are considered equally important elements.

Atkins involves the restriction of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning stored body fat. This process (called lipolysis) begins when the body enters the state of ketosis as a consequence of running out of excess carbohydrates to burn. Dr. Atkins in his book New Diet Revolution claimed that the low-carb diet produces a "metabolic advantage" where the body burns more calories, overall, than on normal diets, and also expels some unused calories. He cited one study where he estimated this advantage to be 950 calories a day.

Atkins restricts "net carbs", or carbs that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber (which are shown to have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels) from total carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols need to be treated with caution, because while they may be slower to convert to glucose, they can be a significant source of glycemic load and can stall weight loss. Fructose (eg, as found in many industrial sweeteners) also contributes to caloric intake, though outside of the glucose-insulin control loop.

Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic load.

PHASES
There are four phases of the Atkins diet: induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance.

INTRODUCTION
The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day (grams of carbohydrates minus grams of fiber, sugar alcohols, or glycerin), 12 to 15 net grams of which must come in the form of salad greens and other vegetables. The allowed foods include a liberal amount of all meats, fish, shellfish, fowl, and eggs; up to 4 ounces (113 g) of soft or semi-soft cheese; salad vegetables; other low carb vegetables; and butter and vegetable oils. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed during this phase [1]. Caffeine is allowed in moderation so long as it does not cause cravings or low blood sugar. If a caffeine addiction is evident, it is best to not allow it until later phases of the diet.[2] A daily multivitamin with minerals is also recommended.

The Induction Phase is usually when many see the most significant weight loss — reports of losses of 5 to 10 pounds per week are not uncommon when Induction is combined with daily exercise.

Atkins suggests the use of Ketostix, small chemically reactive strips used by diabetics. These let the dieter monitor when they enter the ketosis, or fat burning, phase.

Weight loss will vary by person, especially based on the amount needed to lose, but most people average approximately 10% of their total weight loss within the Induction period. Other indicators of ketosis include a metallic taste in the mouth, or bad breath.

ONGOING WEIGHT LOSS
The Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase of Atkins consists of an increase in carbohydrate intake, but remaining at levels where weight loss occurs. The target daily carbohydrate intake increases each week by 2 net grams. A goal in OWL is to find the "Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing" and to learn in a controlled manner how food groups in increasing glycemic levels and foods within that group affect your craving control. The OWL phase lasts until weight is within 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of the target weight. At first weeks you should add more of the induction acceptable vegetables to your daily products. For example, 6-8 stalks of asparagus, salad, one cup of cauliflower or one half of avocado. The next week you should follow the carbohydrate ladder Dr Atkins created for this phase and add fresh dairy. The ladder has 9 rungs and should be added in order given. One can skip a rung if one does not intend to include that food group in one's permanent way of eating such as the alcohol rung.

The rungs are as follows:

Induction acceptable vegetables
Fresh dairy
Nuts
Berries
Alcohol
Legumes
Other fruits
Starchy vegetables
Grains

PRE MAINTENANCE
Carbohydrate intake is increased again this time by 10 net carbs a week from the ladder groupings, and the key goal in this phase is to find the "Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance", this is the maximum number of carbohydrates you can eat each day without gaining weight. This may well be above the level of carbohydrates inducing ketosis on a testing stick. As a result, it is not necessary to maintain a positive ketosis test long term.

LIFETIME MAINTENANCE
This phase is intended to carry on the habits acquired in the previous phases, and avoid the common end-of-diet mindset that can return people to their previous habits and previous weight. Whole, unprocessed food choices are emphasized, with the option to drop back to an earlier phase if you begin to gain weight.

POPULARITY
The Atkins Nutritional Approach gained widespread popularity in 2003 and 2004. At the height of its popularity one in eleven North-American adults were on the diet [3]. This large following was blamed for large declines in the sales of carb-heavy foods like pasta and rice (sales were down 8.2 and 4.6 percent, respectively, in 2003 [4]). The diet's success was even blamed for a decline in Krispy Kreme sales [5]. Trying to capitalize on the "low-carb craze," many companies released special product lines that were low in carbohydrates. Coca-Cola released C2 and Pepsi-Cola created Pepsi Edge, which was scheduled to be discontinued later in 2005. Unlike the sugar-free soft drinks Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, which had been available for decades, these new drinks used a blend of traditional sweetener and the diet drinks' artificial sweeteners to offset the allegedly inferior artificial sweetener flavor. These "half-and-half" drinks declined in popularity as soft drink makers learned to use newer sweeteners to mask the flavor of aspartame (or completely replace it) in reformulated diet drinks such as Coca-Cola Zero and Pepsi ONE.

Robert Atkins died from a fatal head injury sustained in a fall on ice in 2003. The nutritional plan suffered from rumors and allegations that he was obese at the time and had died from a heart condition as a result. On July 31, 2005, the Atkins Nutritional company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the percentage of adults on the diet declined to two percent and sales of Atkins brand product fell steeply in the second half of 2004.

The Low Carb Revolution was a one-hour (with commercials) documentary television special on the Atkins diet. The special, which aired on Food Network Canada, on April 25, 2004, described how this diet works, had success stories, and quickly presented some recipes.

CRITICISM

An analysis conducted by Forbes magazine found that the Atkins Nutritional Approach (the boxed retail food product created by Atkins to facilitate the Atkins diet) is one of the five most expensive diet plans of the ten plans Forbes analyzed. Although Forbes found that Atkins diet was significantly less expensive than Jenny Craig and only slightly more expensive than Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet nevertheless involved more than an 80% premium over average American food expenses. [6]

Low-carbohydrate diets have been the subject of heated debate in medical circles for three decades. They are still controversial and only recently has any serious research supported some aspects of Atkins' claims, especially for short-term weight-loss (6 months or less).

But many in the scientific community also raise serious concerns:

Dr. Robert Eckel of the American Heart Association says that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets put people at risk of heart disease [7]; A long term study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2006 found that women reduced heart disease risk by eating more protein and fat from vegetable sources [8]. In fact it should be seen as evidence that a diet high in vegetables, and not meats or dairy, will actually improve heart health.
A 2001 scientific review conducted by Freedman et al. and published in the peer reviewed scientific journal Obesity Research concluded that low-carb dieters' initial advantage in weight loss was a result of increased water loss, and that after the initial period, low-carb diets produce similar fat loss to other diets with similar caloric intake. [9]
The May 2004 Annals of Internal Medicine study showed that Atkins Dieters had significantly more diarrhea, general weakness, rashes and muscle cramps. Atkins.com now suggests a fiber supplement.
Also, acidity from the typically high protein intake may cause osteoporosis in women.[3]
Those with preexisting kidney problems should avoid consuming protein, see protein toxicity.
Opponents of the diet also point out that the initial weight loss upon starting the diet is a phenomenon common with most diets, and is due to reduction in stored glycogen and related water in muscles, not fat loss. They claim that no evidence has surfaced that any diet will cause weight loss unless it reduces food energy (calories) below the maintenance level, and reports have indicated that successful weight loss due to the Atkins diet may be the result of less food energy being consumed by the dieter, rather than the lack of carbohydrates. [10] They further point out that weight loss on fad diets, which typically restrict or prohibit certain foods, is often due to the fact that the dieter has fewer food choices available. Also, a diet of low-carb foods may quickly become dull to many people, meaning that their appetite is somewhat naturally suppressed as they become hungry for carbs, but the dieter either has none handy or resists this hunger.

It is claimed that there is bad breath and fatigue under the Atkins diet: [11], [12], and Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 68(2001): p.761. The presence of acetone in the breath of an Atkins dieter may indeed be detectable during ketosis, and in fact, quantitative measurement of acetone concentration in exhalation is a reliable indicator of ketosis [13]. Atkins himself acknowledged in the Revised Edition of his books that this phenomenon (bad breath) can and often does occur during the Induction and OWL phases.

On May 27, 2004, Jody Gorran, a 53-year-old Florida businessman with a family history of heart disease, filed a lawsuit in federal district court against Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. and the estate of Dr. Robert Atkins, claiming that the Atkins diet regimen caused severe heart disease, making it necessary for him to undergo angioplasty. He sought a court injunction banning Atkins Nutritionals from marketing its products without a warning of potential health risks, and asking for compensatory damages. Gorran's complaint was dismissed by the court in December 2006 as being meritless, with the court stating, "Defendants' books and food products are not defective or dangerous products within the meaning of products liability law."[4]

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a PETA-connected, anti-meat eating organization which is opposed to the Atkins diet, states that in East Asian countries such as Thailand or Japan, the average person's diet consists of mainly carbohydrates such as rice and noodles, yet these groups have very low rates of obesity. If so, this may contradict Atkins' claim that high levels of carbohydrate consumption cause obesity, although studies show that obesity is increasing in Asia.[5] In addition, coronary heart disease is much less prevalent in Asia.[6]

EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF THE DIET
Several randomized, controlled studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, have concluded that dieters on the Atkins diet have achieved weight loss comparable to or greater than other diets, up to 1 year. Blood lipids have also improved, and no serious adverse effects have been observed. There are no rigorous studies to show the results after 1 year.

In the largest, most recent randomized, controlled study, published in JAMA (March 7, 2007), by Gardner at Stanford University, women "lost more weight and experienced more favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months" than in other diets. The study followed 311 premenopausal, nondiabetic women, age 25-50. The women lost significantly more weight (mean 4.7 kg) on the Atkins diet than on 3 higher-carbohydrate diets (LEARN 2.6 kg, Ornish 2.2 kg, and Zone 1.6 kg), without increasing cardiovascular risks. Changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and mean blood pressure significantly favored Atkins over the other three diets. The authors conclude: "Concerns about adverse metabolic effects of the Atkins diet were not substantiated within the 12-month study period."[7]

When the Atkins diet was introduced in the 1970s, it was immediately attacked by existing experts, who claimed it was unhealthy and would fail. Subsequent studies have not supported those fears:

"The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss for the first six months, but the differences were not significant at one year. The low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease. Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets." — New England Journal Of Medicine, Volume 348:2082-2090, 22 May 2003, Number 21
"better participant retention and greater weight loss...greater decreases in serum triglyceride levels" — Annals Of Internal Medicine, 18 May 2004 | Volume 140 Issue 10 | Pages 769-777 (Journal Editor's note: "While the study suggests the efficacy and relative safety of the low-cholesterol diet, the high dropout rate, self-directed adherence to the diet, and relatively short observation period challenge the generalizability of the findings.")
"sustained weight loss [at 6 months]" — Atkins funded, non-randomized, non-control intervention trial, American Journal of Medicine, Volume 113, Issue 1, July 2002, Pages 30-36.
"When carbohydrates were restricted [during a 2-week study on 10 obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes], study subjects spontaneously reduced their caloric intake to a level appropriate for their height, did not compensate by eating more protein or fat, and lost weight. We concluded that excessive overeating had been fueled by carbohydrates." "In addition to the calorie reduction and weight loss, subjects experienced markedly improved glucose levels and insulin sensitivity, as well as lower triglycerides and cholesterol." This is not a controlled study in that there was no control group; it merely observed the effect of putting ten obese diabetics on the Atkins diet; this is "the only study of the Atkins diet to have been conducted in the strictly controlled environment of a clinical research center where every calorie eaten and spent was measured." — Annals of Internal Medicine, 15 March 2005.
The strongest evidence is randomized, controlled studies published in peer-reviewed journals. The greater the number of subjects, and the longer the subjects are followed, the more powerful the study. To date, the longest studies are 1 year, so the effects of the diet over longer durations are not known.

Proponents of the Atkins diet feel much of the criticism leveled at the diet comes from statements and opinions of individuals and associations, rather than from controlled and reviewed studies. Advocates of the diet dispute criticisms based on the fact that a low-carb diet is likely to be high-fat and allegations that fat, especially saturated fat, is harmful. Atkins backers maintain that, unlike trans fat, which can result from partial hydrogenation, fully saturated fat is not harmful. Proponents cite Gary Taubes who, in a 2001 article in Science, 291 (5513): 2536, claims that the oft-cited "consensus" opinion against saturated fats derives from political rather than scientific motives.

Critics of the Atkins diet may focus particularly on Atkins, or on low-carb dieting in general. Proponents claim that critics fail to consider that people are built differently, and as with any diet, the Atkins may not be effective for some people.

Continuing research supports the idea that saturated fat may be cardio-protective in some populations, see http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/5/1175, "Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women" and http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/5/1102 , "Saturated fat prevents coronary artery disease? An American paradox."

The 22 May 2003, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published two scientific, randomized studies comparing standard low-fat diets to low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins Diet. In both studies, subjects lost more weight on the low-carbohydrate plans at 6-months but not at 1-year. The editors noted that "Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets."

A research study carried out by the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania, reported in May 2003 that the Atkins diet raised levels of HDL (or "good") cholesterol by an average of 11% and reduced the amount of triglycerides in the bloodstream by 17%. This counters one of the chief criticisms of Atkins' approach, which is that cholesterol is raised by eating fatty foods and meat.

In another study, conventional dieters' HDL cholesterol raised by 1.6% while their triglyceride levels improved. Weight loss was also statistically greater in the Atkins dieters after three and six months compared with the conventional dieters (although this did not remain statistically significant after a year). The study followed the diets of 63 obese men and women. (See New Scientist, 21 May 2003.)

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE DIET
Many people incorrectly believe that the Atkins Diet promotes eating unlimited amounts of fatty meats and cheeses. This is a key point of clarification that Dr. Atkins addressed in the more recent revisions of his book. Although the Atkins Diet does not impose limits on certain foods, or caloric restriction in general, Dr. Atkins points out in his book that this plan is "not a license to gorge."

Some criticism of the diet seems to be based on a confusion between ketosis and ketoacidosis. Ketosis is short for Benign Dietary Ketosis, which is a normal metabolic process that results when glucose is not available as a source of energy. The body then burns mostly fat, both directly and through conversion to ketones which make the energy of fat available in water soluble form. Ketoacidosis is a metabolic crisis due to the inability to utilize glucose because of a lack of insulin and in which there is an abnormal accumulation of ketones exacerbated by severe dehydration as the kidneys spill the useless glucose, losing water in the process. This occurs in diabetics, in a related form in alcoholics, and also in starvation.

Another common misconception arises from confusion between the Induction Phase and rest of the diet. The first two weeks of the Atkins Diet are strict, with only 20g of carbohydrates permitted per day. Atkins claims that a dieter can safely stay at the Induction Phase for several months if the person has a lot of weight to lose. Once the weight-loss goal is reached, carbohydrate levels are raised gradually, though still significantly below USDA norms, and still within or slightly above the definition of ketosis.

The Induction Phase is also known for its comparatively lower intake of dietary fiber, and this is often misconstrued as characteristic of the diet as a whole. In fact fiber supplements, such as psyllium husks, are recommended for the early stages. It is often misstated that those on the diet do not consume enough vegetables and fruits. However those who follow it properly should not face this problem as even the Induction Phase allows for adequate amounts of dark green leafy vegetables, for example. Many people who try Atkins have reported eating more vegetables while on the plan than they ever did before.

BOOKS
Robert C. Atkins (2004) Atkins for Life: The Complete Controlled Carb Program for Permanent Weight Loss and Good Health, 370pp, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-641-67892-4
Robert C. Atkins (2001) Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution book, 560 pp, Avon Books; Revised ed., ISBN 0-06-001203-X, ISBN 0-09-188948-0
Robert C. Atkins (2000) Dr. Atkins' Age-Defying Diet Revolution: A Powerful New Dietary Defense Against Aging, Saint Martin's Press, LLC, ISBN 9780312251895
Robert C. Atkins (1999) Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution: Nature's Answer to Drugs, 416 pp, Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster), ISBN 0-684-84488-5.

Abs Diet

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The Abs Diet is a nutritional diet created by Men's Health Magazine editor David Zinczenko. It is designed to be implemented as a life-style change.

The diet emphasizes the so-called Twelve Power Foods. The diet recommends six small meals spread throughout the day, approximately two hours after each other. Each major meal (breakfast, lunch, diner) should contain at least three of the Power Foods. The snacks in-between the meals should contain at least one Power Food.

12 POWER FOODS

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and legumes
Spinach and other green veggies
Dairy (fat-free/low-fat)
Instant oatmeal (no sugar added)
Eggs
Turkey/lean meat (steak, chicken and fish)
Peanut butter (all-natural, and limit to 3 tablespoons per day max)
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
Whole grain bread/cereal
Extra protein (whey) powder
Raspberries and other berries

EAT OFTEN FOODS

Apples
Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Brown rice
Canadian Bacon
Canola oil
Citrus fruit and juices
Fruit juice (sugar-free)
Lean game (ostrich, etc.)
Garlic
Lentils
Mushrooms
Melons
Peaches
Peanut oil
Peas
Peppers
Popcorn (fat-free)
Shellfish (bivalves)
Soup (broth-based)
Sunflower seeds
Sweet potatoes

EAT OCCASIONALLY

Baked potatoes
Beer (light)
Butter (light)
Chocolate
Coffee
Lamb
Lasagna
Lunchmeat
Macaroni
Margarine
Nuts
Pudding
French fries (only if not cooked in vegetable oil)
Graham crackers
Granola (low fat)
Ham
Honey
Ice cream (low fat)
Jam and marmalade
Pork tenderloin
Rice
Sauerkraut
Sorbet
Sherbet
Veal
White wine
Frozen yogurt
The diet also includes an exercise program.

BOOKS

The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life by David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker. Hardcover [ISBN 1-57954-998-5] 2004, Softcover [ISBN 1-59486-216-8] 2005.

The Abs Diet Get Fit Stay Fit Plan: The Exercise Program to Flatten Your Belly, Reshape Your Body, and Give You Abs for Life! by David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker. Hardcover [ISBN 1-59486-409-8] 2005.

The Abs Diet Eat Right Every Time Guide by David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker. Paperback - Jan 5, 2005)

The Abs Diet 6-Minute Meals for 6-Pack Abs: More Than 150 Great-Tasting Recipes to Melt Away Fat! by David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker. Hardcover [ISBN 1-59486-546-9] 2006.

The ABS Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life: For Women by David Zinczenko. Hardcover [ISBN 1-59486-309-1] 2007.
There is also a workout DVD and some book titles are available as audio books.

100-Mile Diet

2007-08-22T03:08:00.000-07:00

The phrase 100-Mile Diet was coined in 2005 by James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to describe their one-year local eating experiment that was chronicled on independent news and culture website The Tyee. By eating food grown or produced within 100 miles of their home, they confronted the statistic that food in North Amercia typically travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate (Halweil 2002). They chose the distance 100 miles based on the natural geography of their region: the vast Coast Mountain Range begins 100 miles from the mouth of thefraser River where they live in the Pacific Northwest.

Their one-year experiment--which ran from March 21, 2005, to March 21, 2006--was inspired by a foraged meal they ate at their remote wilderness cabin in northern British Columbia. They began to wonder if they could eat more like that in the city. While MacKinnon and Smith are the next generation to the 1960s back-to-the-landers, the urban nature of their experiment was a crucial difference, now that 80 percent of people in North America live in cities (US Census 2000; and Canada Census 2001). MacKinnon and Smith got up-close-and-personal with issues ranging from the family-farm crisis to the environmental value of organic pears shipped across the globe. They reconsidered vegetarianism and sunk their hands into community gardening. They ate a lot of potatoes.

In April 2006 they founded the 100-Mile Diet Society, hoping to keep the momentum of their experiment going, after media attention ranging from the BBC to Utne Reader convinced them they had tapped into a serious grassroots longing for reconnection with food. In the first few months they gained thousands of members (called “100-Milers”) pledging to eat local foods (“100-Mile Meals”) across North America. In fall 2006 they developed a 100-Mile Thanksgiving campaign, which garnered support from Treehugger.com, Local Harvest, the National Farmers Union, Locavores, and many Slow Foods chapters. The city government of Albany, New York, started its own eat local challenge. For MacKinnon and Smith's work promoting local eating, Maclean's magazine of Canada named them to its 2006 Honour Roll (July 1, 2006) and they were also named to the Outside 100 (Top people, places, ideas and things) in December 2006.

Smith and Mackinnon have written a book on their experience: called Plenty (Harmony Books, April 2007) in the United States and The 100-Mile Diet (Random House, April 2007) in Canada.

Most Popular Diets

2007-08-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

100-Mile Diet
Abs Diet
Atkins diet
Banta Diet
Best Bet Diet
Blood Type diet
Body for Life
Breatharian diet
Buddhist diet
Cabbage soup diet
Calorie restriction
Cambridge Diet
Candida control diet
Cretan diet
Diabetic diet
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or the DASH Diet
Dr. Hay diet
Detox diet
Diet for a New America
Fat Resistance Diet
Fat Smash Diet
Feingold diet
Fit for Life diet
Flexitarian diet
Food combining diet
Fruitarian diet
Joel Fuhrman diet
Slimming World diet
Gerson diet
Gluten-free, casein-free diet
Glycemic Index diet
The Graham Diet
Grapefruit diet
Hacker's diet
Halal diet
Hallelujah diet
High protein diet
Hunza diet
Jenny Craig diet
Junk food diet
Kosher diet
Lacto vegetarianism
Lean for Life
Liquitarian diet
Living foods diet
Low-carbohydrate diet
Low-protein diet
Macrobiotic diet
Master Cleanse Detox diet
Mediterranean diet
Montignac diet
Natural Foods Diet
Natural Hygiene diet
Negative calorie diet
Okinawa diet
Organic food diet
Ornish Diet
Ovo-lacto vegetarian diet
Paleolithic diet
Perricone diet
No-Grain Diet
Pescetarian diet
Personal Diets
Plant-based diet
Pollotarian diet
Pritikin diet
Rastafarian diet
Scarsdale Diet
Sex Diet
Shangri-La Diet
South Beach diet
Raw foodism
Rice Diet/Duke University diet
Sonoma diet
Sugar Busters diet
T-Factor Diet
The Diet Smart Plan
The Optimal Diet
Total Wellbeing Diet (developed by CSIRO)
Vegan diet
Vegetarian diet
Warrior Diet
Weigh Down diet
Weight Watchers
Zone diet