Friday 19 September 2008

The Mediterranean Diet: Healthy Dietary Advice from Across the Sea

The popularity of the Mediterranean Diet began with a rather simple equation: the people of Greece and Southern Italy tended to eat a diet rich in fat, yet had less cardiovascular disease than people in the U.S. How could this be? The answer seems to lie in the Mediterranean’s reliance on the monosaturated fat known as olive oil. Olive oil forms the basis of Mediterranean cooking—it is the key ingredient in preparing everything from pasta to steak. Olive oil is also considered an antioxidant, so it can be effective in the fight against cancer.

However, following the Mediterranean Diet can be a challenge. While 40 percent of one’s total calories are derived from fat, dieters can only eat small portions of red meat. Even fish and poultry are de-emphasized, as are milk and milk products. However, unlike other diets, the Mediterranean Diet allows you to eat a fair amount of bread and potatoes, and you can eat eggs as often as every other day. You can even drink wine in moderate amounts.

It should be pointed out that the Mediterranean Diet offers little in the way of saturated fat or trans fat. This means that dieters have to avoid certain oils as well as margarine, peanut butter, cakes and cookies. Dieters are also encouraged to cut the total amount of fat they eat each day.

A study conducted in France showed that people who had had at least one heart attack who planned their meals according to a Mediterranean diet were less likely to suffer from subsequent heart attacks than those who followed a typical diet recommended by the American Heart Association. Another study conducted last year indicated that those who used the Mediterranean diet, exercised, and abstained from smoking were less likely to die than those who followed a traditional diet.

However, not all the foods found in a typical Mediterranean Diet are considered healthy choices. For instance, cheese-rich lasagna and ravioli can be roadblocks to weight loss. In addition, tiramisu and canolli can also cause an individual to pack on the pounds.

A number of dieticians recommend taking the best elements of the Mediterranean Diet and incorporating them into your lifestyle in order to achieve good health and weight loss. This means emphasizing vegetables in your diet, along with whole grains and nuts. You might be surprised to learn that the average Mediterranean consumes red meat less than twice a week. If you’re following the Mediterranean path, you should also ban the butter and sugary snacks and opt for fruit when selecting a dessert.

But there are also other parts of the Mediterranean lifestyle which should be considered when you are attempting to lose weight. Mediterraneans tend to walk and bike a great deal, which contributes to their calorie-burning. In addition, meals tend to be a leisurely affair. As a result, the body has time for proper digestion.


A typical Mediterranean menu would include cereal and banana for breakfast; minestrone soup and a slice of garlic bread for lunch; and pasta primavera and berries for dinner. One of the great advantages to the Mediterranean Diet is that it is a feast for the senses—the colors are bold, the flavors are enticing, and the aroma is unbeatable.

Cardiologist Michael Ozner has been recommending the Mediterranean Diet to his patients for almost 30 years. In response to the diet’s popularity, Ozner published a book called Miami Mediterranean Diet, which offers hundreds of tips for cooking up Mediterranean specialties.

In addition to helping people lose weight, the Mediterranean Diet has been credited with improving longevity for people within the Mediterranean Basin. Therefore, the diet is considered a healthy, life-giving alternative to a number of other diets that are on the market today. But perhaps the diet’s biggest selling point is the fact that dieters say it helps to satisfy their cravings—while enabling them to lose weight. Therefore, a number of people see the Mediterranean Diet as the ultimate “un-diet,” a weight management plan that doesn’t scrimp on taste.

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To your weight loss,

Mohd Shahreil
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Wednesday 17 September 2008

The Detox Diet: Losing Weight the Natural Way

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If you prefer the natural way of life—organic foods, home-grown vegetables, and fishing for yourself—the detox diet may be just what you’re looking for. This diet plan is designed to rid the body of any toxic materials. Because of the numerous chemicals that exist in our world, a number of individuals say a detox diet is necessary for good health in the long-term. With the detox diet, the body rids itself of toxins through the skin and lungs. The diet may be accompanied by other holistic health techniques, such as the administration of nutritional supplements, hydrotherapy, and physical activity.

How, exactly, does the body become contaminated by toxins? The contamination can occur as a result of food additives, mercury, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Through the process of digestion, the body takes in the toxins. In addition to promoting weight loss, a detox diet can help heal migraines, stomach trouble, colds, and joint pain. It may also be effective against heart disease and arthritis.

You should not start a detox diet without talking to your health care provider. It may be that you are suffering from symptoms such as pain or fatigue because you have a serious illness that must be treated. In such a case, the detox diet alone may not be enough to cure what is ailing you.

A detox diet may not always be appropriate. But if you believe you have ingested a great deal of chemicals and you find yourself fatigued, the detox diet may be beneficial for your overall health and well-being. Detox diet enthusiasts say it should be followed at least twice a year in order to improve one’s health. If you suffer from a specific disease, however, you may need to maintain the program for a protracted period of time.

You may notice immediate results from your detox diet. These results can include enhanced energy, better skin, easier digestion, and clearer thinking. Once your detox diet is complete, you should attempt to replenish your body with nutrients in order to, in effect, “build your body” back up.

However, there are certain individuals who do not make good candidates for a detox diet. These include heart disease patients, cancer patients, and kidney disease patients. And, while a detox diet can cleanse your body, it should not be considered a substitute for your ordinary medication. In fact, you should never stop taking medication without talking to your physician first.

It should be noted that there are side-effects that have been associated with the detox diet. These include migraines, skin problems, or fatigue. Usually, however, these side-effects disappear in time. As a result, a number of people actually use their vacation time in order to engage in detox so that their work will not be compromised.

You’ll be happy to know that there are a number of foods you can indulge in while on a detox diet. These include fruits, vegetables, rice, chickpeas, fish, oil, and herbal tea. While following the diet, you’ll also need to drink eight glasses of water in order to eliminate waste from the blood. However, you should not drink immediately before or after your meals. You should also make sure that you chew your food thoroughly in order to promote proper digestion.

However, there are also a number of foods that you will have to give up. These include sugar, milk, eggs, wheat products, gluten, and caffeine-filled beverages. You must also avoid foods with preservatives, yeast, chocolate, and anything that is high in fat.

Is it possible to lose weight with the detox diet? Most definitely. But you could have a difficult time keeping the weight off since you will eventually have to go off of the diet. However, it is possible that some of the dietary guidelines that you observe while detoxing will continue long after the diet is over. Also, just giving up alcohol will ensure that you will lose weight. For instance, you may find that you simply lose your taste for food high in fat content. Nevertheless, the detox diet can be quite challenging—especially if you are emotionally attached to the foods that are banned. Yet, in time, you may decide that going on the detox diet was the best move you ever made.

To your weight loss,

Mohd Shahreil

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DISCLAIMER:
This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
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