Numerous diets have been recommended over the years. Heart-healthy diet books are available including Esselstyn’s “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, Campbell’s “China Study” and Sears “Zone Diet”.

These diets promote hormonal balance, lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and promote healthy weight loss. They may also be beneficial in type II diabetes, as the foods promote more stable blood sugar levels.

While the foods recommended by the different sources vary, possibly due to personal tastes, there are some commonalities.

Foods to Avoid

Although Esselstyn’s diet is plant-based and most of the others focus heavily on fruits and vegetables, there are some plant foods that should be avoided.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should avoid:

Coconut (high in saturated fats) § Vegetables with creamy sauces (creamed corn, creamed peas, etc.) § Fried or breaded vegetables (French fries, onion rings, etc.) § Canned fruit packed in heavy syrup (because of the added sugars) § Frozen fruits with added sugars

Grains are plant-based foods, but refined grains should be avoided, because of their effects on blood sugar levels and their high calorie content. Combination foods such as cakes and pies are high both in refined grains and added sugars.

Some foods to avoid:

White bread Muffins Frozen waffles Doughnuts Biscuits Granola bars

The diet should be low in total fat. Esselstyn recommends the near elimination of beef, pork, turkey, chicken and other meats. Some diets are less restrictive, but there is a general agreement that meat is a big problem, because of the saturated fat.

Cheese is another problem food. It is the largest source of saturated fat in the American diet. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels.

There is agreement that trans-fats should be eliminated. They are listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated oils. Vegetable shortening and lards are examples of trans-fats.

Foods to Eat

Fish, as long as it is baked or grilled, can be eaten in nearly unlimited quantities and can be used to replace meat in the diet.

All raw fruits and vegetables are good choices.

Berries are particularly healthy because of all the antioxidants they contain. Antioxidants may help prevent the oxidation of fats in the bloodstream.

Yogurt may be beneficial, because of the probiotics it contains. Probiotics help to balance gut flora, which makes your digestive system more efficient. Some studies suggest the food keeps your gums healthy, too.

Unlike refined grains, whole grains help to keep your arteries clear. They contain soluble fiber that absorbs cholesterol from foods and that produced by your liver. Cholesterol leaves the liver and enters the digestive system. If it is not carried away as waste with soluble fiber, it can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Oatmeal and brown rice are good choices.

The healthiest fats include those found in fish like salmon, those in olive oil and those in nuts. As you can see, there are plenty of foods to choose from and this is only a short list. You just may need some new recipe books for your heart disease diet.

The post Heart Disease Diet – Foods to Eat – Foods to Avoid appeared first on HealthPlace.com.

In modern times, dieters have come to look upon the ketogenic diet as a solution to weight loss and nutritional management. In fact, it has garnered quite a bit of spotlight amongst other diets, many of which are easily said to be adaptations of the ketogenic diet with varying similarities. It can be considered trendy, but setting aside it being trend-like, the ability for the practice of ketosis to facilitate weight loss is proven and consistent if done successfully—and in that sense, it’s no passing fad.

The main proponent to its growing popularity, however, is the idea that the diet limits the individuals’ intake of carbohydrates, which reduces the cravings for carbs more and more over time, and as a result of less craving, the individual will then be able to consume fewer calories without feeling the need to indulge. It is pretty well known that if one’s intake of calories is lowered, weight is lowered congruently. Similarly, it’s become much more mainstream in recent years that ketogenic diets are well known for lowering weight effectively.

Nonetheless, the ketogenic diet should beconsidered as an effective means and not a trendy diet made of fluff. As popular as many diets are, utilizing ketosis and keeping up with it is not largely “popular”—or rather, frequently maintained for weight loss by crazed dieters desperate for a quick solution—because maintaining a ketogenic diet requires a generous amount of discipline.

Despite this, the ketogenic diet is still used for weight loss by those who are committed to ketosis and understand its underlying functions and effectiveness. In most cases, those who would most benefit from this type of diet in regards to weight loss are those that are overweight due to food cravings and the temptations of gluttony, but in particular, carbohydrates. Many people crave foods high in carbs, and it’s quite easy to do so, as this includes foods such as bread, pasta, and sugar, to name just a few. Carbs can be found in a large amount in many of the foods accessible for consumption, but if one is able to limit or restrict high-carb foods, results can be made.

Although advertising and hype around similar diets, like the Adkins Diet (not to insinuate it is ineffective), can make such results too good to be true, there is plethora of knowledge on ketosis and the ketogenic to be found in bookstores and by surfing the web. Looking past those who try to throw you a sales pitch, rather, there is an abundance of scientific literature that is

well researched and shows just how empirically sound ketosis can be for weight loss, and of course, epilepsy and seizure control. According to the experts who have published studies and research in various medical journals, the research in this field does in fact indicate that a low carb diet is more effective at reducing weight than a low fat diet. What researchers also found was that even though the low carb diet proves to be more effective, if it cannot be consistently maintained for the long term, weight loss is not going to be maintained.

The post The Use of Ketosis for Weight Loss appeared first on HealthPlace.com.

What is the ketogenic diet in the simplest terms possible? A good way to conceptualize the ketogenic diet is thinking of it as training your body to use fats as energy (axiomatically “burning fat”), by reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. A ketogenic diet can be most generally characterized by being a non-pharmacologic diet that is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. When under ketosis, your body is “trained” to use fats as energy. If there is no dietary fat in your blood, your body will begin to start utilizing your body’s fat as energy. Once you understand the ketogenic at its most base level—ketosis—it’s pretty difficult to think it couldn’t work efficiently for losing weight, let alone all of it’s other accolades and benefits—like its use of treatment for epileptic seizures.

To better understand fully what a ketogenic diet consists of, let’s take a thorough look at what happens before, during, and after ketosis, breaking down concepts as clearly as possible. If one is to undertake such a diet, this is incredibly necessary for proper implementation and definitely determines success or failure with the diet.

The post The Basics of a Ketogenic Diet appeared first on HealthPlace.com.

What are trans-fats?

Trans fats are fats that have had hydrogen added to them in order to make them solid at room temperature and last longer. Many packaged foods, margarines, and vegetable shortenings contain trans fat. If you read the label and see “partially hydrogenated oil” you can be sure that you are eating these unhealthy fats.

Why are they bad?

Trans-fat has come under scrutiny lately because of its harmful effects on our health. These fats can raise your LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, raising the risk of coronary heart disease. In some studies, trans fats have been shown to have an effect on learning and concentration in laboratory animals, as opposed to animals who were given foods containing other types of fat. Trans fat are as bad for you, if not worse than, the saturated variety and should be avoided at all costs. According to the Food and Drug Administration, as of 2006, all food manufacturers will be required to list “trans fat” on their nutrition labels.

How can I avoid them?

The best way to avoid trans fat is to eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods. Fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains are your healthiest choices. If the ingredients on a package list “partial hydrogenation”, avoid consuming them.

The post A Healthy Diet Means Avoiding Trans-Fat as well as Saturated Fat appeared first on HealthPlace.com.

Well you might be. You can’t get away from all the talk about South Beach, Atkins, Low Carb, Zone … you name it, they’re talking about it. It’s on TV, in magazines… everywhere you look.

And of course there are the pills, drugs and other expensive methods to lose weight. While they may be appropriate in certain cases, by and large they aren’t necessary. Some can actually be dangerous to your health.

What does work, what’s been proven to work time and time again is something very simple… a lifestyle change. You may not want to hear it, but it’s true.

You can’t eat thousands of calories, rich desserts, sugary snacks, excess fat and tons of carbs, get little or no activity and expect to lose weight with a pill!

You’ll be surprised to know that you don’t need to stop eating or have to exercise for hours every day to lose weight. Just a few simple lifestyle changes added daily can turn your life around quickly. You will start to lose weight within days and feel better as well.

Here are 4 tips you can use to get started today:

– Drink water.

Drinking lots of water is probably the single most important thing you can do for your health. Water delivers nutrients throughout your body, flushes toxins out of your system and aids in digestion. When you get up in the morning, start with a full glass of water before you start your day (add a little lemon if you like). Then get at least 10-12 additional glasses of water in throughout the day.

– Eat slowly.

Chew your food 10-12 times before swallowing. Your saliva starts the digestion process, and if you don’t chew enough, your stomach has to work twice as hard and many times you don’t get much out of the foods you eat — except maybe some indigestion :).

– Split your entree.

When eating out, split your entree with your dining companion. Most restaurants now serve portions that are up to 8 times the recommended serving size. Supplement with a salad, soup or vegetable to complete your meal.

– Avoid sodas.

Did you know that an average soda has 14 teaspoons of sugar? Not only are these empty calories and carbs that take you on a blood sugar roller coaster and adds pounds, the sugar also can also cripple your immune system for up to 5 hours leaving your body working overtime and open to infections, viruses and the effects of stress.

Drinking one soda a day alone can pack on 16 lbs of unwanted weight! Skip that soda and watch the weight go away.

Additionally, recent studies have linked increased soda consumption with certain cancers and a loss of essential minerals from our bodies.

The post Diets Dont Work appeared first on HealthPlace.com.