Is there any reality behind the ads that promise quick and easy weight loss without diet or exercise? There are false claims of weight loss programs and products around the world for many years. Before you spend money on products that promise fast and easy results, weigh the claims carefully.
The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering…Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before…
- A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or
obese…up about eight percent from earlier estimates.
- Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine
million are overweight…triple the rate in 1980!
- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese.
When it comes to evaluating claims for weight loss products, the Federal Trade Commission recommends a healthy portion of skepticism.
Think twice before wasting your money on products that make any of these false claims:
Wouldn't it be nice if—as the ads claim—you could lose weight simply by taking a pill, wearing a patch, or rubbing in a cream? Too bad claims like that are almost always false.
Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. A reasonable goal is to lose about a pound a week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet, eating a variety of nutritious foods, and exercising regularly.
"Lose weight without diet or exercise!"
Achieving a healthy weight takes work. Take a pass on any product that promises miraculous results without the effort. Buy one and the only thing you’ll lose is money.
“Lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods!”
Beware of any product that claims that you can eat all you want of high-calorie foods and still lose weight. Losing weight requires sensible food choices. Filling up on healthy vegetables and fruits can make it easier to say no to fattening sweets and snacks.
“Lose weight permanently! Never diet again!”
Even if you’re successful in taking the weight off, permanent weight loss requires permanent lifestyle changes. Don’t trust any product that promises once-and-for-all results without ongoing maintenance.
“Block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories!”
Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that there’s simply no magic non-prescription pill that will allow you to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories. The key to curbing your craving for those “downfall foods” is portion control. Limit yourself to a smaller serving or a slimmer slice.
“Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”
Losing weight at the rate of a pound or two a week is the most effective way to take it off and keep it off. At best, products promising lightning-fast weight loss are false. At worst, they can ruin your health.
“Everybody will lose weight!”
Your habits and health concerns are unique. There is simply no one-size-fits-all product guaranteed to work for everyone. Team up with your health care provider to design a personalized nutrition and exercise program suited to your lifestyle and metabolism.
“Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream!”
You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight.
Source: Advice from the Federal Trade Commission
Useful links and resources:
* How Eating Can Help You With Weight Loss?
* 7 Bad Eating Habits You Should Change Immediately
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Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Medifast Diet - A popular diet and weight loss program
As people are more relaxed nowadays and due to easiness in our lives they are tend to put on weight. With the widest use of technology in our society we are getting comfort and so less hard work. At the same time we are concerned about weight loss or diet programs because we know that weight gain is not a good symbol. There are many diet programs which can help us maintain our weight, but few diet or weight loss diets are more popular then others and one of those is 'medifast diet'
According to 'Web MD.com':
'The Medifast program is a very low-calorie, no-brainer approach to weight loss. There's no counting calories, fat grams, or carbs; you just eat or drink six times a day.'
Medifast weight loss system was created or launched 27 years ago as a meal replacement program. Now people around the world are enthusiastic to follow this diet program for weight control or other purposes.
Why this diet is getting popularity?
The popularity and likeness of the Medifast program is due to the limited decision making. You choose five daily meal replacements from an assortment of portion-controlled shakes, puddings, eggs, oatmeal, chili, bars, or soups, plus prepare one "lean and green meal." Soy or whey protein are the basis for the meal replacements, which are designed to help dieters feel satisfied on the very low-calorie plan.
The primary Medifast weight loss program, "5 plus 1," calls for five daily Medifast meal-replacement drinks or foods (all available only through the company) plus one "lean and green" meal, consisting of lean meat or fish plus salad or green vegetables.
Dieters are allowed 5-7 daily ounces of lean meat or fish. The meal options are broken down into "lean," "leaner" and "leanest." If you choose leaner options, additional healthy fats are allowed. The lean meats and fish may be grilled, baked, boiled, broiled, or poached.
Add three servings of raw, steamed, grilled, baked, or boiled vegetables to the lean meat or fish to complete the meal. Vegetables are listed from lowest to higher carbohydrate content, and the ones highest in carbs -- carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, onions, and Brussels sprouts - are excluded.
To get more information about this 'medifast diet' or 'medifast weight loss program' you can consult your family doctor and get the advice. May be you can also get information about local 'medifast diet' centre.
You can also search online for more tips, learning and suggestions regarding this diet.
Source link: 'Web MD.com'
Useful links:
* 'Medifast1.com' offers the meal-replacement products and support.
According to 'Web MD.com':
'The Medifast program is a very low-calorie, no-brainer approach to weight loss. There's no counting calories, fat grams, or carbs; you just eat or drink six times a day.'
Medifast weight loss system was created or launched 27 years ago as a meal replacement program. Now people around the world are enthusiastic to follow this diet program for weight control or other purposes.
Why this diet is getting popularity?
The popularity and likeness of the Medifast program is due to the limited decision making. You choose five daily meal replacements from an assortment of portion-controlled shakes, puddings, eggs, oatmeal, chili, bars, or soups, plus prepare one "lean and green meal." Soy or whey protein are the basis for the meal replacements, which are designed to help dieters feel satisfied on the very low-calorie plan.
The primary Medifast weight loss program, "5 plus 1," calls for five daily Medifast meal-replacement drinks or foods (all available only through the company) plus one "lean and green" meal, consisting of lean meat or fish plus salad or green vegetables.
Dieters are allowed 5-7 daily ounces of lean meat or fish. The meal options are broken down into "lean," "leaner" and "leanest." If you choose leaner options, additional healthy fats are allowed. The lean meats and fish may be grilled, baked, boiled, broiled, or poached.
Add three servings of raw, steamed, grilled, baked, or boiled vegetables to the lean meat or fish to complete the meal. Vegetables are listed from lowest to higher carbohydrate content, and the ones highest in carbs -- carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, onions, and Brussels sprouts - are excluded.
To get more information about this 'medifast diet' or 'medifast weight loss program' you can consult your family doctor and get the advice. May be you can also get information about local 'medifast diet' centre.
You can also search online for more tips, learning and suggestions regarding this diet.
Source link: 'Web MD.com'
Useful links:
* 'Medifast1.com' offers the meal-replacement products and support.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Get online support for your diet plan
It is always better to get advice and suggestion about your health concerns and diet plan. If you are worried about your weight gain and don't know where to start checking your calorie intake or plan to start exercise to make you fit, then internet provides lots of helpful information regarding weight loss or diet. 'Calorie Connect' is one of those sites which offers free information about supporting you with your diet plan.
'Calorie Connect' is an online utility based site which helps you to maintain your diet while providing you nutrient and calorie information from your foods.
It offers interactive personal nutrition and exercise information health conscious people need to make positive choices about their physical health and well being.
Mission: 'People can achieve and maintain a healthy physical lifestyle by accurately recording their diet and exercise information, and then acting positively to improve their numbers until they reach their wellness goals. To assist people in their quest to achieve their goals we have created a service that is statistically detailed while also being user-friendly. By regularly accessing their personalized pages on the Calorie Connect website our members can see at a glance if they are hitting their nutrition and exercise targets.'
How the site helps you?
You get detailed food consumption information, exercise data, and personalized charts and tables
You get detailed personal analysis on the calories you consume and burn. Their nutrition and profile pages help our you keep track of fourteen essential nutrients. Their xercise page allows you to record exercise activities and to assess progress towards weekly and monthly goals. At last you get the report containing detailed nutrient and exercise information.
The best thing about the site:
Calorie Connect membership is free. There are no fees or hidden costs for accessing any part of the Calorie connect website.
To become a member you need to provide some information like your height, weight, sex, and age data to create a personal profile.
Start from here: Calorie Connect
'Calorie Connect' is an online utility based site which helps you to maintain your diet while providing you nutrient and calorie information from your foods.
It offers interactive personal nutrition and exercise information health conscious people need to make positive choices about their physical health and well being.
Mission: 'People can achieve and maintain a healthy physical lifestyle by accurately recording their diet and exercise information, and then acting positively to improve their numbers until they reach their wellness goals. To assist people in their quest to achieve their goals we have created a service that is statistically detailed while also being user-friendly. By regularly accessing their personalized pages on the Calorie Connect website our members can see at a glance if they are hitting their nutrition and exercise targets.'
How the site helps you?
You get detailed food consumption information, exercise data, and personalized charts and tables
You get detailed personal analysis on the calories you consume and burn. Their nutrition and profile pages help our you keep track of fourteen essential nutrients. Their xercise page allows you to record exercise activities and to assess progress towards weekly and monthly goals. At last you get the report containing detailed nutrient and exercise information.
The best thing about the site:
Calorie Connect membership is free. There are no fees or hidden costs for accessing any part of the Calorie connect website.
To become a member you need to provide some information like your height, weight, sex, and age data to create a personal profile.
Start from here: Calorie Connect
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Are you obese?
Are you obese?
It is difficult to say because everyone has its own body structure. But definately there are some measures or calculations which can tell us if you are obese or not?
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height.
When someone is obese, it means they have put on weight to the point that it could seriously endanger their health. This is caused by a combination of eating too many calories and not doing enough physical activity.
Currently, over half of women, and about two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis.
How do I know if I'm overweight?
You can tell from your Body Mass Index, or BMI, whether you are overweight or obese. To work out your BMI use "BMI calculator".
Your BMI is calculated using the following equation:
Your weight in kilogrammes (kg) divided by your height in metres (m) squared
So a man who weighs 85kg and is 1.75m tall will have a BMI of 28. A body mass index over 25 is defined as overweight, and over 30 is defined as obese.
Dietary advice
To maintain a healthy weight, it's important to follow a balanced diet.
Physical activity has benefits not only for controlling body weight over the long term, but also in controlling appetite. It has beneficial effects on the heart and blood that help to prevent cardiovascular disease.
If you want to lose weight, it's important not to go on a 'crash diet' but to change how you eat and organise a new diet that you can keep to all the time (not just when you're trying to lose weight).
If you go back to eating more calories than you need, you will put the weight back on.
Try:
- trimming the fat off meat
- choosing low-fat varieties of dairy and other products
- increasing your intake of starchy foods instead of fatty ones
- eating less of sugary foods
- increasing your intake of a variety of fruit and vegetables (aim to eat at least five portions a day)
- Sometimes certain medical conditions and drug treatments can cause weight gain. - - Ask your GP for advice if you are suddenly gaining weight for no apparent reason or if you are on medication.
If you would like advice about losing weight, talk to your GP or a dietitian.
Check out your BMI with our BMI Calculator.
Source: "Eat Well.gov.uk"
Useful sites and links:
* The Weight Wise website has been developed, and is managed by, the British Dietetic Association (BDA)
* Obesity is the official journal of The Obesity Society. Available in print and online, Obesity is dedicated to increasing knowledge, fostering research, and promoting better treatment for people with obesity and their loved ones
Link: "Obesity"
* Read about obestiy at the site from "World Health Organization"
* Obesity informaion at: Medline Plus
Related posts:
* Link between your food allergy and weight gain
* Weight loss can be maintained by avoiding fast foods
* 'Project Weight Loss' - A community to help you live a healthy life
It is difficult to say because everyone has its own body structure. But definately there are some measures or calculations which can tell us if you are obese or not?
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height.
When someone is obese, it means they have put on weight to the point that it could seriously endanger their health. This is caused by a combination of eating too many calories and not doing enough physical activity. Currently, over half of women, and about two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis.
How do I know if I'm overweight?
You can tell from your Body Mass Index, or BMI, whether you are overweight or obese. To work out your BMI use "BMI calculator".
Your BMI is calculated using the following equation:
Your weight in kilogrammes (kg) divided by your height in metres (m) squared
So a man who weighs 85kg and is 1.75m tall will have a BMI of 28. A body mass index over 25 is defined as overweight, and over 30 is defined as obese.
Dietary advice
To maintain a healthy weight, it's important to follow a balanced diet.
Physical activity has benefits not only for controlling body weight over the long term, but also in controlling appetite. It has beneficial effects on the heart and blood that help to prevent cardiovascular disease.
If you want to lose weight, it's important not to go on a 'crash diet' but to change how you eat and organise a new diet that you can keep to all the time (not just when you're trying to lose weight).
If you go back to eating more calories than you need, you will put the weight back on.
Try:
- trimming the fat off meat
- choosing low-fat varieties of dairy and other products
- increasing your intake of starchy foods instead of fatty ones
- eating less of sugary foods
- increasing your intake of a variety of fruit and vegetables (aim to eat at least five portions a day)
- Sometimes certain medical conditions and drug treatments can cause weight gain. - - Ask your GP for advice if you are suddenly gaining weight for no apparent reason or if you are on medication.
If you would like advice about losing weight, talk to your GP or a dietitian.
Check out your BMI with our BMI Calculator.
Source: "Eat Well.gov.uk"
Useful sites and links:
* The Weight Wise website has been developed, and is managed by, the British Dietetic Association (BDA)
* Obesity is the official journal of The Obesity Society. Available in print and online, Obesity is dedicated to increasing knowledge, fostering research, and promoting better treatment for people with obesity and their loved ones
Link: "Obesity"
* Read about obestiy at the site from "World Health Organization"
* Obesity informaion at: Medline Plus
Related posts:
* Link between your food allergy and weight gain
* Weight loss can be maintained by avoiding fast foods
* 'Project Weight Loss' - A community to help you live a healthy life
Monday, September 15, 2008
'Project Weight Loss' - A community to help you live a healthy life
It is a fact that we learn from our mistakes, but the easiest way to learn is from other's lives. The people around us can teach us the real life lessons. As we all know that if you want to live a healthy life for long, you should maintain a healthy diet and weight. Those who are 'over weight' are at high risk of inviting serious diseases. The best solution to get the awareness is to have contact with the people who have similar target of living a healthy life.
Project Weight Loss is a community for those who want to live healthy. It helps you to maintain balanced diet and achieve an active lifestyle which is essential for weight loss and healthy living.
Here you'll find weight loss articles, weight loss blogs , clubs, and a forum where you can post diet and fitness questions and answers.
More features of the site
There are many tools which are offered at the site like as:
- menu planner helps you create healthy diet plans;
- the calorie counter counts the calories in your meals and tells you if that's more than you need to reach your ideal weight;
- the workout planner helps you choose exercises to burn excess calories;
- the BMI calculator calculates your current and ideal body mass index.
Project Weight Loss is a community for those who want to live healthy. It helps you to maintain balanced diet and achieve an active lifestyle which is essential for weight loss and healthy living.
Here you'll find weight loss articles, weight loss blogs , clubs, and a forum where you can post diet and fitness questions and answers.
More features of the site
There are many tools which are offered at the site like as:
- menu planner helps you create healthy diet plans;
- the calorie counter counts the calories in your meals and tells you if that's more than you need to reach your ideal weight;
- the workout planner helps you choose exercises to burn excess calories;
- the BMI calculator calculates your current and ideal body mass index.
Labels:
articles,
diet,
health,
healthy living,
weight loss
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Link between your food allergy and weight gain
I am overwieght from few years and I could not realize that food allergy could cause weight gain. During search for health related sites, I read the articel written by a doctor and the content was readly helpful to understand my recent condition. I am sharing this article with my readers. And hope that this information would help us understand the relation between food allergy and weight gain.
According to a theory, if you eat foods that you are allergic to, instead of using the food as energy, your body will hold onto the calories in these foods for a longer period, and you could develop an addiction to them.
"Food Addiction, Food Allergy and Overweight"
From: Sephen Levine, Ph. D
Have you ever eaten something - a bowl of ice cream, a piece of cheese, an orange - and felt hungrier than before? Do you have urges for a particular food and find it hard to satisfy your craving unless you eat that particular food?
If the answer is "yes" to either of these questions, then you have a food allergy. If you are also fat, then chances are your food allergy is making you fat.
Food sensitivities may cause allergic people to crave those foods to which they are allergic. Just as a drug addict suffers withdrawal symptoms when the drug is withdrawn, allergic people experience discomfort when they lose access to a particular food.
Obese people can testify to the overwhelming power of food allergy addiction. Compulsive eaters crave and continue to eat those allergenic foods to which they are addicted day after day. The obese person has no idea that his daily food cravings or eating habits are based on a physiological need to stop withdrawal symptoms caused by food allergy addiction.
The phenomenon of simultaneous allergy and addiction to both foods and chemicals is now well accepted by doctors specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. These specialists, known as clinical ecologists, believe that many chronic health problems, such as migraine, fatigue, depression, and arthritis are caused by allergies to foods and chemicals and affect approximately one-third of the population living in industrialized countries.
It is commonly observed that the same food may cause different reactions among different people. An individual’s genetic predisposition to allergies will determine which part of his body will become the vulnerable target organ or tissue. Any major organ may become involved: the symptoms of cerebral allergies include hyperactivity, depression, irritability, headaches and some forms of schizophrenia; hypoglycemia is a manifestation of pancreatic malfunction, frequently caused by allergy; while in other cases, the blood vessels may be the target organ with the resulting signs of vasculitis and edema. The symptoms are compounded and are generally more severe following frequent contact with an allergy-provoking food.
Water retention, or edema, is particularly common among allergic individuals and is an important contributing factor to obesity. The removal of an offending food will often result in a rapid water loss of five to ten pounds within a week’s time, all without the use of a diuretic.
Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., who practices preventive medicine in Mill Valley, California, has observed this water retention phenomenon frequently among patients in his allergy clinic. He found that following the initial water loss, the person tends to lose fat more easily, even without dieting. Rosenbaum states: "food sensitivities can cause the body to retain both water and fat." Often, Rosenbaum believes, the big weight loss that occurs when someone follows a low-allergen diet has nothing to do with the quantity of calories in the diet.
The following scenarios by Dr. Rosenbaum illustrate the dramatic weight loss achieved among patients following the elimination of allergy-provoking foods from their diet: "One of my patients who was found to be sensitive to dairy products decided to substitute bread and beer to make up for the removal of milk and cheese from his diet. He was probably consuming even more calories and still managed to lose ten pounds in the first month without even trying. The next time I saw him, his pants were falling off."
"Another one of my patients, a woman in her early thirties, was undergoing a stressful period when she came to my office. She had sensitivities to wheat and dairy products and adopted a ‘what-the-hell type attitude,’ continuing to eat those foods regularly. Besides seeing her weight balloon from 140 to 180 pounds, she developed a gnawing depression and irritability."
"Finally, after several months of self-abuse, she stopped eating wheat and dairy products. After a few months on the allergen-free diet, she is back to 140 pounds. Her friends have remarked about her wonderful transformation and were amazed at the way the weight had just come off by itself."
Dr. Rosenbaum believes that food sensitivity exerts its most profound effect on the limbic portion of the brain. This section of the brain houses the control centers of our emotions as well as memory and vegetative functions, including body temperature, sexuality, blood pressure, sleep, hunger and thirst. Food allergies seem to affect most of these vital functions.
This neurophysiological analysis is shared by William Philpott, M.D., a clinical ecologist from Oklahoma City, who has written extensively on the subject. Dr. Philpott speculates the frequent contact with allergenic foods triggers a rise in the brain opioid enkephalin. The enkephalin is a narcotic produced by the body that is as addictive as externally supplied narcotics.
The primary food allergens are coffee, dairy products, wheat, eggs and corn. In Oriental countries, rice is a prominent allergen. Among vegetables, white potatoes and lettuce are potent allergens. Marshall Mandell, M.D. of Norwalk, Connecticut and author of "Dr. Mandell’s 5 Day Allergy Relief System", found that 92.2 percent of hospitalized schizophrenic patients were allergic to one or more common substances. When Dr. Mandell tested a group of patients diagnosed as hard-to-treat neurotics, he found that 88 percent of them were allergic go wheat, 50 percent to corn and 60 percent to milk.
Charles McGee, M.D., who practices clinical ecology in C’oeur D’Alene, Idaho, and is the author of "How To Survive Modern Technology", was asked whether in his opinion, food and chemical allergies could be a major cause of obesity, he replied: "There are many people who are addicted to all sorts of foods. The ones who are addicted to coffee, do not necessarily get fat. If they are addicted to sugar or wheat, they may end up running around with candies or wheat-containing crackers in their pockets to satisfy the craving. What’s most important is that it’s extremely difficult for these allergic individuals to lose weight unless they ultimately gain control of their food allergies. They must identify the particular allergens, break the craving and then eliminate the chemical or food."
To understand both allergic and associated addictive phenomenon we can look at the two conditions, both as aspects of food intolerance. In allergy-addiction, there are three principle stages: the first stage is characterized by an acute allergic reaction to a toxic substance. Recall the first time that you, or someone whom you know, smoked a cigarette.
Most frequently, the individual will find the smoke distasteful and may even have clinical symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and dizziness.
This acute reaction can be taken as evidence that the cigarette smoke has some toxic effects on the body. After smoking becomes a habit, the symptoms are no longer noticeable. Your body gets used to the smoke and the symptoms are said to be "masked," or hidden. The masking can be considered an adaptation by the body to tolerate the poison with which it comes in frequent contact. Even though there are overt symptoms, the adaptation to this obvious toxin takes its toll in terms of chronic body stress.
During this period, the adaptation is so strong that you become dependent on cigarettes, or in other words, "hooked." You must smoke at regular intervals to avoid withdrawal symptoms. When you try to quit, your body craves the cigarettes: you are addicted in the truest sense of the word, and you will experience the addictive aspect of the "allergy-addiction syndrome."
It is significant that all addictions are similar in this regard - whether cigarettes, coffee, heroin, wheat or milk products. The final stage occurs when the body fails to maintain adaptation and experiences the allergic and addicted symptomatology simultaneously. This is the stage in which chronic symptoms of disease emerge.
Now just about any clinical symptom can result from the allergy-addiction syndrome. Dr. Ellen Grant reported in the medical journal, Lancet, that 85 percent of migraine sufferers could be rendered symptom-free when the followed a diet excluding the ten most common food allergens. Some of the most provocative agents were cigarettes, coffee, and birth control pills. The evidence is also strong for the allergic causation of arthritis, asthma and diabetes.
The allergic reaction itself can result in a drastic reduction in blood sugar with the accompanying symptomatology: weakness, hunger and irritability. Allergic hunger is pathological in that it does not respond to the normal satiety control center in the brain when food is consumed in normal amounts, so both the addictive and allergic responses to allergy can cause uncontrollable eating behavior.
In one case history of a 37 year old woman who had trouble with many different weight reduction programs, including the HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) diet, the drinking man’s diet, the Stillman diet, it became evident that after each partially successful episode of weight reduction she would regain her weight.
The reason for this lady’s difficulties was later found to be food allergies. In the 6-hour oral glucose tolerance test, we found a marked hypoglycemic curve: the blood sugar dropped from 220 at 1 hour to 45 mg percent at 3 1/2 hours. At this time she experienced severe shakiness, giddiness, nausea and shortness of breath as well as other symptoms. She was assured that once the food allergen was determined and eliminated from her system, the symptoms of hypoglycemia would disappear.
People who are allergic to sugar experience a craving for sweets. One patient ate 50 twinkies a day and although her stomach would hurt, she would keep on eating. When her husband left for work in the morning she would take a tablespoon of sugar as soon as he was out the door, because it would make her feel good.
She would actually get high on sugar. Three or four hours later she would go into a depression and had attempted suicide several times. Her suicide attempts were prompted by withdrawal symptoms. The woman didn’t get well until a conscientious physician wrestled with the etiology of her problem, namely a food allergy. Now she realizes that she must read all food labels for ingredients.
Patients afflicted with allergy-addictions will usually experience a sense of well being after a month on an allergen-free diet. Many individuals lose excess water from their tissues and achieve a weight loss of from 10 to 15 pounds.
Dr. Rosenbaum, as well as other nutritionally oriented allergists rely on other methods besides avoidance of the allergenic foods. Vitamin C and mineral bicarbonates are used extensively in allergy clinics throughout the country. The mineral buffers should not include sodium, which is a hypertensive agent and can make a person more prone to edema, but instead the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium. These buffers will neutralize the acidity caused by the allergic reaction and alleviate stress, thereby inducing symptomatic relief.
As little as tone teaspoon of this combination of nutrients can totally knock out hunger cravings caused by food allergies as well as eliminate the withdrawal symptoms caused by exclusion of the addictive foods.
This is symptomatic relief, but works dramatically and also gives a clear indication that the symptoms were caused by allergic phenomenon. If the nutrient combination eliminates your hunger then you can be sure that your hunger was induced by some aspect of the allergy-addiction syndrome.
Functional food and chemical allergies have been largely ignored by most medical doctors. One reasons for this is that there has been no miracle drug that can be heavily promoted by the drug companies, so the doctors would not be encouraged to diagnose the disease and then treat it. Until now there has been no simple, easy cure for allergies. Nutritional treatment in the form of vitamin, mineral, amino acid and glandular supplements accompanied by avoidance of allergenic foods offer the critical answer to this problem.
Certain aspects of nutritional medicine can fall under the heading of, what the author calls. "Nutritional Pharmacology." The most striking example of this in regard to food allergies and weight reduction is the success achieved in combining buffers of mineral bicarbonate and vitamin C. Through readjustment of the normal pH balance in the body, you can eliminate many of the symptoms of food allergy, especially hunger. This simple test, using a highly buffered Vitamin C solution and observing whether it controls your appetite is an excellent diagnostic procedure for the determination of food allergies. Patients with multiple and severe allergies are well advised to visit a clinical ecologist or nutritionally oriented allergist.
Source: Health-food-addiction
- Another article at the same topic:
Weight Gain Due to a Food Allergy
- Mechanisms of Food Allergy
According to a theory, if you eat foods that you are allergic to, instead of using the food as energy, your body will hold onto the calories in these foods for a longer period, and you could develop an addiction to them.

"Food Addiction, Food Allergy and Overweight"
From: Sephen Levine, Ph. D
Have you ever eaten something - a bowl of ice cream, a piece of cheese, an orange - and felt hungrier than before? Do you have urges for a particular food and find it hard to satisfy your craving unless you eat that particular food?
If the answer is "yes" to either of these questions, then you have a food allergy. If you are also fat, then chances are your food allergy is making you fat.
Food sensitivities may cause allergic people to crave those foods to which they are allergic. Just as a drug addict suffers withdrawal symptoms when the drug is withdrawn, allergic people experience discomfort when they lose access to a particular food.
Obese people can testify to the overwhelming power of food allergy addiction. Compulsive eaters crave and continue to eat those allergenic foods to which they are addicted day after day. The obese person has no idea that his daily food cravings or eating habits are based on a physiological need to stop withdrawal symptoms caused by food allergy addiction.
The phenomenon of simultaneous allergy and addiction to both foods and chemicals is now well accepted by doctors specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. These specialists, known as clinical ecologists, believe that many chronic health problems, such as migraine, fatigue, depression, and arthritis are caused by allergies to foods and chemicals and affect approximately one-third of the population living in industrialized countries.
It is commonly observed that the same food may cause different reactions among different people. An individual’s genetic predisposition to allergies will determine which part of his body will become the vulnerable target organ or tissue. Any major organ may become involved: the symptoms of cerebral allergies include hyperactivity, depression, irritability, headaches and some forms of schizophrenia; hypoglycemia is a manifestation of pancreatic malfunction, frequently caused by allergy; while in other cases, the blood vessels may be the target organ with the resulting signs of vasculitis and edema. The symptoms are compounded and are generally more severe following frequent contact with an allergy-provoking food.
Water retention, or edema, is particularly common among allergic individuals and is an important contributing factor to obesity. The removal of an offending food will often result in a rapid water loss of five to ten pounds within a week’s time, all without the use of a diuretic.Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., who practices preventive medicine in Mill Valley, California, has observed this water retention phenomenon frequently among patients in his allergy clinic. He found that following the initial water loss, the person tends to lose fat more easily, even without dieting. Rosenbaum states: "food sensitivities can cause the body to retain both water and fat." Often, Rosenbaum believes, the big weight loss that occurs when someone follows a low-allergen diet has nothing to do with the quantity of calories in the diet.
The following scenarios by Dr. Rosenbaum illustrate the dramatic weight loss achieved among patients following the elimination of allergy-provoking foods from their diet: "One of my patients who was found to be sensitive to dairy products decided to substitute bread and beer to make up for the removal of milk and cheese from his diet. He was probably consuming even more calories and still managed to lose ten pounds in the first month without even trying. The next time I saw him, his pants were falling off."
"Another one of my patients, a woman in her early thirties, was undergoing a stressful period when she came to my office. She had sensitivities to wheat and dairy products and adopted a ‘what-the-hell type attitude,’ continuing to eat those foods regularly. Besides seeing her weight balloon from 140 to 180 pounds, she developed a gnawing depression and irritability."
"Finally, after several months of self-abuse, she stopped eating wheat and dairy products. After a few months on the allergen-free diet, she is back to 140 pounds. Her friends have remarked about her wonderful transformation and were amazed at the way the weight had just come off by itself."
Dr. Rosenbaum believes that food sensitivity exerts its most profound effect on the limbic portion of the brain. This section of the brain houses the control centers of our emotions as well as memory and vegetative functions, including body temperature, sexuality, blood pressure, sleep, hunger and thirst. Food allergies seem to affect most of these vital functions.
This neurophysiological analysis is shared by William Philpott, M.D., a clinical ecologist from Oklahoma City, who has written extensively on the subject. Dr. Philpott speculates the frequent contact with allergenic foods triggers a rise in the brain opioid enkephalin. The enkephalin is a narcotic produced by the body that is as addictive as externally supplied narcotics.
The primary food allergens are coffee, dairy products, wheat, eggs and corn. In Oriental countries, rice is a prominent allergen. Among vegetables, white potatoes and lettuce are potent allergens. Marshall Mandell, M.D. of Norwalk, Connecticut and author of "Dr. Mandell’s 5 Day Allergy Relief System", found that 92.2 percent of hospitalized schizophrenic patients were allergic to one or more common substances. When Dr. Mandell tested a group of patients diagnosed as hard-to-treat neurotics, he found that 88 percent of them were allergic go wheat, 50 percent to corn and 60 percent to milk.
Charles McGee, M.D., who practices clinical ecology in C’oeur D’Alene, Idaho, and is the author of "How To Survive Modern Technology", was asked whether in his opinion, food and chemical allergies could be a major cause of obesity, he replied: "There are many people who are addicted to all sorts of foods. The ones who are addicted to coffee, do not necessarily get fat. If they are addicted to sugar or wheat, they may end up running around with candies or wheat-containing crackers in their pockets to satisfy the craving. What’s most important is that it’s extremely difficult for these allergic individuals to lose weight unless they ultimately gain control of their food allergies. They must identify the particular allergens, break the craving and then eliminate the chemical or food."
To understand both allergic and associated addictive phenomenon we can look at the two conditions, both as aspects of food intolerance. In allergy-addiction, there are three principle stages: the first stage is characterized by an acute allergic reaction to a toxic substance. Recall the first time that you, or someone whom you know, smoked a cigarette.
Most frequently, the individual will find the smoke distasteful and may even have clinical symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and dizziness.
This acute reaction can be taken as evidence that the cigarette smoke has some toxic effects on the body. After smoking becomes a habit, the symptoms are no longer noticeable. Your body gets used to the smoke and the symptoms are said to be "masked," or hidden. The masking can be considered an adaptation by the body to tolerate the poison with which it comes in frequent contact. Even though there are overt symptoms, the adaptation to this obvious toxin takes its toll in terms of chronic body stress.
During this period, the adaptation is so strong that you become dependent on cigarettes, or in other words, "hooked." You must smoke at regular intervals to avoid withdrawal symptoms. When you try to quit, your body craves the cigarettes: you are addicted in the truest sense of the word, and you will experience the addictive aspect of the "allergy-addiction syndrome."
It is significant that all addictions are similar in this regard - whether cigarettes, coffee, heroin, wheat or milk products. The final stage occurs when the body fails to maintain adaptation and experiences the allergic and addicted symptomatology simultaneously. This is the stage in which chronic symptoms of disease emerge.
Now just about any clinical symptom can result from the allergy-addiction syndrome. Dr. Ellen Grant reported in the medical journal, Lancet, that 85 percent of migraine sufferers could be rendered symptom-free when the followed a diet excluding the ten most common food allergens. Some of the most provocative agents were cigarettes, coffee, and birth control pills. The evidence is also strong for the allergic causation of arthritis, asthma and diabetes.
The allergic reaction itself can result in a drastic reduction in blood sugar with the accompanying symptomatology: weakness, hunger and irritability. Allergic hunger is pathological in that it does not respond to the normal satiety control center in the brain when food is consumed in normal amounts, so both the addictive and allergic responses to allergy can cause uncontrollable eating behavior.
In one case history of a 37 year old woman who had trouble with many different weight reduction programs, including the HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) diet, the drinking man’s diet, the Stillman diet, it became evident that after each partially successful episode of weight reduction she would regain her weight.
The reason for this lady’s difficulties was later found to be food allergies. In the 6-hour oral glucose tolerance test, we found a marked hypoglycemic curve: the blood sugar dropped from 220 at 1 hour to 45 mg percent at 3 1/2 hours. At this time she experienced severe shakiness, giddiness, nausea and shortness of breath as well as other symptoms. She was assured that once the food allergen was determined and eliminated from her system, the symptoms of hypoglycemia would disappear.
People who are allergic to sugar experience a craving for sweets. One patient ate 50 twinkies a day and although her stomach would hurt, she would keep on eating. When her husband left for work in the morning she would take a tablespoon of sugar as soon as he was out the door, because it would make her feel good.
She would actually get high on sugar. Three or four hours later she would go into a depression and had attempted suicide several times. Her suicide attempts were prompted by withdrawal symptoms. The woman didn’t get well until a conscientious physician wrestled with the etiology of her problem, namely a food allergy. Now she realizes that she must read all food labels for ingredients.
Patients afflicted with allergy-addictions will usually experience a sense of well being after a month on an allergen-free diet. Many individuals lose excess water from their tissues and achieve a weight loss of from 10 to 15 pounds.
Dr. Rosenbaum, as well as other nutritionally oriented allergists rely on other methods besides avoidance of the allergenic foods. Vitamin C and mineral bicarbonates are used extensively in allergy clinics throughout the country. The mineral buffers should not include sodium, which is a hypertensive agent and can make a person more prone to edema, but instead the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium. These buffers will neutralize the acidity caused by the allergic reaction and alleviate stress, thereby inducing symptomatic relief.
As little as tone teaspoon of this combination of nutrients can totally knock out hunger cravings caused by food allergies as well as eliminate the withdrawal symptoms caused by exclusion of the addictive foods.
This is symptomatic relief, but works dramatically and also gives a clear indication that the symptoms were caused by allergic phenomenon. If the nutrient combination eliminates your hunger then you can be sure that your hunger was induced by some aspect of the allergy-addiction syndrome.
Functional food and chemical allergies have been largely ignored by most medical doctors. One reasons for this is that there has been no miracle drug that can be heavily promoted by the drug companies, so the doctors would not be encouraged to diagnose the disease and then treat it. Until now there has been no simple, easy cure for allergies. Nutritional treatment in the form of vitamin, mineral, amino acid and glandular supplements accompanied by avoidance of allergenic foods offer the critical answer to this problem.
Certain aspects of nutritional medicine can fall under the heading of, what the author calls. "Nutritional Pharmacology." The most striking example of this in regard to food allergies and weight reduction is the success achieved in combining buffers of mineral bicarbonate and vitamin C. Through readjustment of the normal pH balance in the body, you can eliminate many of the symptoms of food allergy, especially hunger. This simple test, using a highly buffered Vitamin C solution and observing whether it controls your appetite is an excellent diagnostic procedure for the determination of food allergies. Patients with multiple and severe allergies are well advised to visit a clinical ecologist or nutritionally oriented allergist.
Source: Health-food-addiction
- Another article at the same topic:
Weight Gain Due to a Food Allergy
- Mechanisms of Food Allergy
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Weight loss can be maintained by avoiding fast foods.
It is a very common fact that habit of eating fast food can lead you to gain weight and if you are planning to shed it then you have to avoid it.
But for fast food lovers there is a way to enjoy their favourite food with some precautions. And away from home when you don't have any choice for healthy eating you can go for fast food restaurants but be choosy and keep in mind:
** Keep portion sizes small. If the fast-food restaurant offers several sandwich sizes, pick the smallest or order half a sandwich, if available. Bypass hamburgers with two or three beef patties, which can pack more than 1,000 calories and 70 grams of fat. Instead, choose a regular- or children's-sized hamburger, which has about 250 to 300 calories. Also, skip the large serving of french fries or onion rings and ask for a small serving instead. This switch alone saves about 300 calories. Or better yet, select a lower calorie option.
** Choose a healthier side dish. Take advantage of healthy side dishes offered at many fast-food restaurants. For example, instead of french fries choose a side salad with low-fat dressing or a baked potato. Or add a fruit bowl or a fruit and yogurt option to your meal. Other healthy choices include apple or orange slices, corn on the cob, steamed rice, or baked potato chips.
** Go for the greens. Choose a large entree salad with grilled chicken, shrimp or garden vegetables with fat-free or low-fat dressing on the side, rather than regular salad dressing, which can have 300 or more calories per packet. Watch out for high-calorie salads, such as those with deep-fried shells or those topped with breaded chicken or other fried toppings. Also, skip salad extras such as cheese, bacon bits, croutons and fried chips, which quickly increase your calorie count.
** Opt for grilled items. Fried and breaded foods, such as crispy chicken sandwiches and breaded fish fillets, are high in fat and calories. Select grilled or roasted lean meats — such as turkey or chicken breast, lean ham, or lean roast beef.
** Have it your way. Don't settle for what comes with your sandwich or meal. Ask for healthier options and substitutions. For example, ask for reduced-fat mayonnaise or mustard on your sandwich. Or at a fast-food Mexican restaurant, request salsa with your meal instead of shredded cheese and nacho cheese sauce. Try to avoid special dressings, tartar sauce, sour cream and other high-calorie condiments.
** Watch what you drink. Many beverages contain a large number of calories. For example, a large soda (32 ounces) has about 400 calories. Instead, order diet soda, water, unsweetened iced tea, sparkling water or mineral water. Also, skip the shakes and other ice-cream drinks, which can contain more than 1,000 calories and all of your saturated fat allotment for the day.
These 6 points are suggested from "Mayo Clinic Staff", which is a medical education and research foundation (MFMER). Mayo clinic is a non profit medical practice dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of virtually every type of complex illness. Mayo clinic team of 2,500 physicians and scientists deal in medicine - patient care, medical research and academic education.
Original Article and site link:Healthy diet
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Thursday, August 30, 2007
Boost your metabolism rate to stay slim
Everybody wants to stay fit, healthy and slim, but for fat or over weight persons, it is sometimes very difficult to keep their weights in control. A lot of diet or food consciousness is required to stay slim. But there are some tips that can help us boost our metabolism rate to keep our weight in control.
Why metablism rate is concerned in staying slim?
The answer lies in 2 words, which are "ENERGY CONVERSION"
What is "Energy Conversion"?
"Food broken down in the digestive tract is absorbed into the bloodstream and dispersed into cells throughout the body where it fuels energy. In lean people, heat production goes up by as much as 40 percent after a meal. In overweight people, it may rise ten percent or less, which means food energy is stored as fat rather than burned."
Tips to boost your metabolism rate!
There are natural nutritional supplements you can take to help activate your nervous system and boost your metabolism rate so that dietary fat is converted to energy, not stored as body fat:
* Green Tea contains polyphenols, which have powerful antioxidant properties. But, the real “kicker” is its ability to help you burn calories. In a recent study, participants taking green tea extract burned an additional 500 calories a week compared to those taking caffeine or a placebo. I recommend drinking at least three eight-ounce cups daily (to provide roughly 240-320 mg of polyphenols). If you prefer not to drink the tea, try: 300-400 mg daily of green tea extract (Be sure the product is caffeine-free and standardized to 80 percent total polyphenol and 55 percent epigallocatechin.); or 100 mg of green tea polyphenols, taken three times daily. (This is caffeine free.)
L-carnitine. It has been know to keep your hear healthy. But it is found in helping overweight peoples, speeding their metabolism and drop extra pounds. In many cases it is observed that they had greater energy, and could exercise more frequently and vigorously.
L-carnitine is an amino acid that picks up fatty acids in your blood and takes them to your cells where they’re used for the production of ATP, your most readily available form of energy.
Many women are carnitine-deficient, especially vegetarians and those in mid- life and beyond. Red meat is the best source of carnitine, but too much red meat can disrupt the acid/alkaline balance that is so important to overall good health.
Doctors recommend taking 1,000 mg of L-carnitine a day.
Calcium & Magnesium. Doctors recommend you take both calcium and magnesium to help counteract acidity when trying to lose weight. This will bring your body back to an alkaline state, which gives you the necessary oxygen to efficiently break down and get energy from the foods you eat. Plus, magnesium helps promote a healthy inflammatory response in your body. If you’re trying to lose weight, take at least 1,000 – 1,500 mg of calcium and 500 – 750 mg of magnesium per day.
These tips are courtesy of Dr. Susan M. Lark, M. D, having a 28 years of clinical experience, is one of the foremost authorities in the fields of clinical nutrition and preventive medicine.
Source link of the post: Weight Loss
For weight loss techniques, detox diet and other health related articles:
http://urhealthndiet.com/
Why metablism rate is concerned in staying slim?
The answer lies in 2 words, which are "ENERGY CONVERSION"
What is "Energy Conversion"?
"Food broken down in the digestive tract is absorbed into the bloodstream and dispersed into cells throughout the body where it fuels energy. In lean people, heat production goes up by as much as 40 percent after a meal. In overweight people, it may rise ten percent or less, which means food energy is stored as fat rather than burned."
Tips to boost your metabolism rate!
There are natural nutritional supplements you can take to help activate your nervous system and boost your metabolism rate so that dietary fat is converted to energy, not stored as body fat:
* Green Tea contains polyphenols, which have powerful antioxidant properties. But, the real “kicker” is its ability to help you burn calories. In a recent study, participants taking green tea extract burned an additional 500 calories a week compared to those taking caffeine or a placebo. I recommend drinking at least three eight-ounce cups daily (to provide roughly 240-320 mg of polyphenols). If you prefer not to drink the tea, try: 300-400 mg daily of green tea extract (Be sure the product is caffeine-free and standardized to 80 percent total polyphenol and 55 percent epigallocatechin.); or 100 mg of green tea polyphenols, taken three times daily. (This is caffeine free.)
L-carnitine. It has been know to keep your hear healthy. But it is found in helping overweight peoples, speeding their metabolism and drop extra pounds. In many cases it is observed that they had greater energy, and could exercise more frequently and vigorously.
L-carnitine is an amino acid that picks up fatty acids in your blood and takes them to your cells where they’re used for the production of ATP, your most readily available form of energy.
Many women are carnitine-deficient, especially vegetarians and those in mid- life and beyond. Red meat is the best source of carnitine, but too much red meat can disrupt the acid/alkaline balance that is so important to overall good health.
Doctors recommend taking 1,000 mg of L-carnitine a day.
Calcium & Magnesium. Doctors recommend you take both calcium and magnesium to help counteract acidity when trying to lose weight. This will bring your body back to an alkaline state, which gives you the necessary oxygen to efficiently break down and get energy from the foods you eat. Plus, magnesium helps promote a healthy inflammatory response in your body. If you’re trying to lose weight, take at least 1,000 – 1,500 mg of calcium and 500 – 750 mg of magnesium per day.
These tips are courtesy of Dr. Susan M. Lark, M. D, having a 28 years of clinical experience, is one of the foremost authorities in the fields of clinical nutrition and preventive medicine.
Source link of the post: Weight Loss
For weight loss techniques, detox diet and other health related articles:
http://urhealthndiet.com/
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