Posts Tagged ‘food’

Low Carbohydrate Stupidity

June 8th, 2007

The latest buzz word for todays diet scams and prepackaged food rip-offs is “low carb”. “Eat all the fat and meat you want and still lose weight.” Yeh, when your cold dead body starts to dry up!

Let’s make one thing clear, without carbohydrates you die. Carbohydrates; fruits, vegetables, and grains provide the fiber, sugar, and electrolytes your body needs to survive. Without these vital nutrients, you die.

How did this carbohydrate stupidity get started? It started as the result of confusion about a new discovery called the glycemic index.

When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar level rises. Excessive blood sugar is not good for your body. To clear the sugar from your bloodstream, your pancreas releases insulin. This causes the sugar to be stored in your fat cells.

The fact is that you need some sugar in your blood because thats where your energy comes from. Without blood sugar, neither your muscles nor your brain will work. But excess blood sugar is a problem.

New research has discovered that eating certain refined carbohydrates causes your blood sugar to rise much higher and stay high longer than eating whole carbohydrates.

Note: As you age, your pancreas becomes less efficient at producing insulin. As a result, sugar is not effectively cleared from the bloodstream, resulting in diabetes.

The gylcemic index uses the blood sugar rise caused by eating pure sugar as a guide for rating other foods. Pure sugar has a glycemic index of 100. To stay thin and healthy, you need to avoid foods with a gylcemic index higher than about 50.

The gylcemic index of thousands of foods has been measured by monitoring thousands of peoples blood sugar after eating the food, and then calculating an average. The results have been published and you can find gylcemic tables on the Web.

What are the offending foods?

1. Any food made of refined flour; bread, cake, cookies, cereal, crackers, donuts, etc.
2. White rice.
3. Potatoes.

The above foods will cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly and stay high for a long period. If the above foods are a regular part of your diet, you will be gaining weight uncontrollably. Avoid these foods and your weight will gradually fall back to a normal weight zone.

What are the good carbohydrates?

1. 100% stone ground whole wheat bread.
2. Whole grain wheat bran cereal.
3. Surprisingly, pastas like spaghetti, macaroni, and ravioli have glycemic indexes lower than 50.
4. Even more surprising, chocolate has a glycemic index less than 50.

Most fruits and vegetables have a low glycemic index, but there are some exceptions. Oranges and grapefruits have a low glycemic index but turn them into juice and the glycemic index zooms up. Beans and nuts have a low glycemic index, but watch those calories! Plain baked beans have 240 calories per cup and walnuts have 190 calories per ounce. And just because a product contains a food with a low glycemic index doesnt mean the product’s recipe has a low glycemic index.

Locate a good glycemic index table and use it to select low glycemic index carbohydrates to replace the high glycemic index foods in your diet.

Dont be fooled by listening to the low carbohydrate stupidity. Dont eat only fat and meat. That would cause health problems that will eventually lead to your death.

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Written By: Stephen Bucaro

Low Carb Christmas Enchiladas!

May 31st, 2007

We low carbers tend to think that Mexican food is off limits… NOT! This girl lives in California and I have some awesome recipes from friends for some Mexican food that is music for your mouth… not to mention your tummy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Before you start to build the enchiladas… whip out that Girl Scout motto and be prepared! You can fix this stuff a couple of days in advance and then whip it together for your guests or for a quick supper after a day of Christmas shopping.

Okie dokie… prepare the Chile Sauce recipe below and refrigerate so it READY. Also, cook the chicken and chop it!

Oil-righty then… here we go…

CHILE SAUCE

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 cup chili powder (if you like it hotter, add more!)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pureed tomatoes (lowest carb count you can find)
1 chicken bouillon cube

Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onions are clear. Sprinkle flour and stirring quickly, cook for one minute.
Add remaining ingredients mixing well and stirring often. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Makes two cups.

Now for the Enchiladas…

FIRST… prepare the Filling (recipe below):

FILLING:

1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded… your preference
1 cup Chili Sauce
1 cup sour cream
Salt to taste

Saut onion in butter and add other ingredients. Set aside while preparing tortillas for BUILDING enchiladas!

Now lets build enchiladas…

Olive oil
12 low carb tortillas
2 cups cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Jack cheese grated

Heat oil in heavy skillet and cook tortillas just a few seconds. Combine the cream and chicken stock until well blended.
After cooking each tortilla, dip each one in the chicken stock and cream mixture. Spread filling mixture on the tortillas (kinda like peanut butter on a sandwich), roll the tortilla, placing the seam side down on a baking dish. By the way, this dish should be big enough to hold 12 of these puppies!
After all tortillas are filled and rolled, pour the remaining liquid over them. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a 350 oven until hot and cheese is melted… about 25 minutes.

Serves 12

Carb count for Total Recipe:

107 grams carbs/19 grams fiber = 88 net grams of carbs
ADD the carb count for your tortillas! WOW… this is ONLY 7.3 grams of carbs per serving and if you ADD 3 net grams for the tortilla it is still only 10.3 grams for a very special treat.
Who says low carb cooking is boring??
VIVA FIESTA and FELIZ NAVIDAD…
ITS A LOW CARB CALIFORNIA FIESTA CHRISTMAS!

Recipe from the FIRST Low Carb Christmas Cookbook! by Jan McCracken Now ONLY $9.95
Low Carb Christmas Cookin’- With an Old-Fashioned Cook! 224 fun-filled, sometimes hysterical pages! http://www.lowcarbcookin.com

Jan McCracken is an author and self-publisher of 39 gift books and cookbooks. Born in the Midwest and former owner/innkeeper of a country bed and breakfast in Branson, MO, she has been cooking since she was seventeen years old (she wont tell us how many years that is)!

Jan has been living the low carb lifestyle for eight years. Her long-term goal is helping people understand that food is truly the great medicine, prevention and healer of disease.

jan@lowcarbcookin.com

Written By: Jan McCracken

Low Carb Diets on the way out…Taste is Back!!!

May 27th, 2007

To see the low carb diets on the way out is a somewhat reflective process, not that I was an advocate of ketogenic diets at all unless you have Adolescent Epilepsy, but bringing the low carb or ketogenic diet into the forefront of our American Society meant that more people were being educated about obesity, food and eating.

This acknowledgement about food was astounding and became overwhelming , causing restaurant chains and some farmers to really suffer from these trendy diets, people have lost farms that have been in their families for years , businesses that lend job and economic stability to an area, have gone out of business or lost business, all on a dietary whim, with no research done on the side-effects of not eating what these diets restrict.

What side effects? you ask. Okay, so you’ve lost a bunch of weight by eating tons of meat and fat, maybe your cholesterol numbers aren’t out of reach, but, have you had your bowels checked lately? You know, eating that much meat and fat can only do one thing to your intestines and colon, and that’s putrefying products in the bowels. Pretty disgusting, huh?

As you grow older, you lose the ability to digest food like you use to when you were young and had lots of enzymes . Sometimes, that comes from just age, but sometimes it comes from disease and antibiotic use, the point being that, the low carb diet’s started you out on food that you may not be able to absorb anyway so you haven’t been absorbing the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to start, process or finish some important tasks.

So what’s the harm in that, you may say, I’ve lost weight and feel great, and I don’t feel sick. You probably wouldn’t. There are illnesses that you never see coming until it’s to late. One of the leading causes of Colon Cancer, is eating an over abundance of meat and fat, and not having the ability to digest that protein and fat in the system. When enough damage is done, you don’t absorb minerals and vitamins like you are suppose to, and you start to develop other problems, more serious problems, like cancers.

I will have to admit, that the Atkins type diets do advocate not eating the processed and manufactured foods that break down so fast into sugars you can almost hear run into the veins! And that is still true, the human body was designed to do the work of breaking down complex carbohydrates into a more simple usable energy. The break down of a whole grain, fresh vegetable or fruit product also take a certain amount of energy, so not only does your body use energy to break this healthy food down, you also have the benefit of a lot of fiber, which will keep the intestines and colon clean and functioning well.

So, what’s the next trend, I think the next trend is going to be the old fashion weight loss plan. This is a tried and true method of weight loss that anyone can do and it tastes great. This would involve healthy, low or slow absorbing carbohydrates, counting and burning calories, and exercise! A balanced diet, along with knowing how many calories you need to eat per day, to either maintain your weight, or lose weight, and an exercise program to give your bones and muscles a reason to stay strong, not a trendy type diet, but a healthy lifestyle that you can live with for the rest of your life, that still has room for an occasional treat now and then. Low carb is out, the new trend is healthy and better tasting proportions.

D.S. Epperson is the top formulator for Home Blend Gourmet / South Pacific Health, a leader in the functional food industry in the U.S.. With 20 years of experience in Nutritional Biochemistry, she has written reference books on botanicals and manufacturing of medicines from botanicals, and published articles on health, fitness and foods. She has formulated over 240 formulas and inventions for health, the environment and agricultural uses, and continues to research and study microbial advantages in nutraceuticals and functional foods. For more information or to view the articles that she has written: http://www.sugarblend.com.

Written By: D.S. Epperson

Low Carb Diet Pills

May 19th, 2007

Low Carb Diet Pills – A Low Carber’s Dream, or a Misleading Marketing Ploy?

Low carb diet pills have become more popular and more manufactured as the popularity of carb-aware diets grows. Some may think the whole carb craze is over – but boy are they wrong! It’s not over, and won’t ever be over because of one simple fact – it works! Yes, carb-smart diets, as they have been dubbed by the media, are the lifelong way to keep the pounds off, keep your heart, body and mind healthy, and live longer. This seems to be irrefutable.

So, do carb blockers and low carb dieter’s diet pills and products really help to inhibit the absorption of excess carbohydrates when we overindulge and go over to the “carb side”?

Low carb diet products, from specialty foods to supplements, despite some skepticism and scoffing, are still very much a way of life for thousands who swear by the power of low carb intake as a means of losing large amounts of weight, and more importantly, as way of life to maintain a healthy weight as well as maintain healthy body functions such as heart and digestive health.

The argument over low carb diets benefits seems to stem from the first big fad for low carbers, the Atkins diet, which advocated some big “no no” foods such as bacon and eggs, which are loaded with unhealthy cholesterol, salts and saturated fats.

The straight Atkins approach no longer seems to be the way to go. The Atkins diet soon gave way to more balanced, lower fat, and heat healthy diets such as the Zone Diet, South Beach Diet and other spawns of these balanced, low calorie diets like Body for Life.

All of these diets advocate a similar approach – carbs in moderation – and when carbs are consumed – make them the healthy whole grain kind.

Basically, this means you still take carbs in, they are just not the unhealthy, body clogging variety such as white breads, rices and pastas, but rather whole wheat products in moderation, and “slow burning” carbs that absorb into the system and take longer to be burned up than simple carbohydrates.

This means no refined sugars, only natural fruits, and no refined flour products. The low carb diet pills that work will actually help to convert “bad carbs” into “good carbs, by making refined flours, pastas and sweets change from fast burn to slow burn carbs.

While we’d all love to say we can stick to such diets 24/7, there are ALWAYS temptations around every corner. How are you supposed to enjoy food, and enjoy the occasional social event or social convention such as the winter holidays, without indulging in some “carb overload” once in while, right? Wouldn’t it be nice to block these excess carbs?

Don’t get me wrong, I do not advocate this type of diet on an ongoing basis, but rest assured there are low carb diet pills that really work to absorb excess “carbage” (I just made that up, like it?), for when you indulge, or even if you feel you’ve had a day where you are not going to be or have not been disciplined enough with your diet. One such carb blocking ingredient, derived from a type of bean, has actually has been clinically proven to work to inhibit excess calorie storage for over-consumption of high-carb foods.

Low carb diet pills that contain the only clinically proven ingredient called “Phase 2″ actually slow and inhibit the absorption and hence fat storage causes by excess quantities of carbohydrates. This unique compound called Phase 2, promotes weight loss, reduces carb cravings, slows the absorption of bad carbs, and lowers triglyceride levels.

Low carb diet pills have been proven to be most effective when taken just before a meal with carbohydrates, although they also have been proven to still have some effect when take during or shortly thereafter a carb-rich meal.

About the author:

Visit Low Carb Diet Pills for information on the effective carb blocker/low carb diet pills talked about in this article. Danna Schneider is the founder of CosmeticsGalore.com, a cosmetic enhancement product review site.

Written By: Danna Schneider

What You Should Know About Low Carb Diets!

May 11th, 2007

What is a Low Carb Diet? You’ll do away with bad carbs and bad fats, and start eating good fats and good carbs. What you need to understand is that you are not really on a diet, but changing the way you eat. Eating the wrong foods consistently throws your body out of balance. Most of us tend to overdue it eating processed carbs. What do I mean by processed carbs? Basically, there are two kinds of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Some refer to them as bad and good carbs, fast and slow digestion carbs and others. Here are some basic explanations:

SIMPLE CARBS – Foods with simple or refined carbohydrates most often have a low nutrient content and a high-glycemic index. They are metabolized quickly (quick to digest). They enter the bloodstream and rapidly elevate blood sugar levels, then fall dramatically within a short span of time. In order to keep the body running healthy and stable, it is recommended that these type foods be limited. Examples of these simple or overprocessed carbs are white bread, potatoes, and sugary treats like cookies, candy, cupcakes and cakes, and beverages like cola products.

COMPLEX CARBS – Foods with complex carbohydrates contain many nutrients and have a low- to moderate-glycemic index. Higher fiber content in these foods means slower digestion, which is healthier for the body (including reducing mood swings and food cravings). And these foods are considered good choices by health advisors. Examples of these complex carbs are whole grains, most fruits and vegetables. Legumes, plants of the pea or bean family, are also in this category.

WHICH IS BEST?? Studies show that low-carb diets can help with weight loss; which means that the carbs need to be of the complex, low-glycemic type. The key is eating whole, real, unprocessed food found as close to nature as possible.

WHY DOES YOUR BODY NEED CARBOHYDRATES ANYWAY? Carbohydrates cause your body to produce a hormone called Insulin. Insulin is responsible for the movement of glucose (sugar) from the food you eat into the cells of your body to be used for energy. Excess glucose (that is not burned as energy) is then stored as body fat.

Years of consuming too many carbohydrates can lead to a sensitivity of the cells to Insulin. This can result in the body having to make more (and more) Insulin to get the same job done. Over time over-production of Insulin can lead to high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity and type II diabetes and more. A side effect of Insulin over-production is that it actually causes more fat to be deposited.

EATING LOW CARBS WORKS WITH YOUR BODY.

All the food you consume provides energy for your body. Your body burns fuel in this order: carbohydrates / fat / protein. So, by limiting the carbohydrates you eat, it is perfectly natural for your body to burn fat next. Your body will go inward and start burning your own body fat for fuel. Because of this store of body fat, you wont feel hungry and you will maintain a more even blood sugar level throughout the day.

One important thing to note here is … it is not eating too much fat that makes you overweight – it is eating far more carbohydrates than your body needs to use for energy.

It is important, however, that any and all dietary planning should be made under the guidance of your own medical practitioners. Also, drinking 8 glasses of water a day and consistent exercise is vital to your body’s health. This content only presents overviews of low-carb research for informative purposes and does not replace medical advice from a professional physician.

About the author:

Theresa is an avid cook and gardener. Visit her blogs for more information, articles, recipes and more: Low Calorie Recipe, Low-Fat-Recipes and Low Carb Recipe

Written By: Theresa Sontag

Weight Loss – Low Carb Diet Plans

May 7th, 2007

When most people want to lose weight the first thing they usually do is start a diet. And a diet to most people means “stop eating”.

Wrong!

A healthy diet should consist of eating less of the foods that contain calories from simple carbohydrates (sugar and processed flour) and more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and good sources of protein. This is the basis of a good low carb diet plan.

As a matter of fact, a good diet should have you eating more instead of less! Not more food, but more often.

The body’s a wonderful mechanism. It’s geared towards one important goal. Survival. When your body feels threatened by the lack of food it automatically assumes that you’re starving.

To combat this condition the body will start breaking down muscle to use as energy and saves its fat stores for the last ditch effort to save itself from what it thinks is immanent death.

This is bad on two fronts.

First, by using muscle tissue for energy you’re losing precious lean mass which is metabolically active. This means that you need energy to support muscle which helps to keep your metabolism running at a higher pace. Higher metabolism means more calories burned even in a resting state.

Fat, on the other hand, doesn’t need any energy to support it. It’s simply “dead” weight.

Secondly, the body will start storing more fat because it’s preparing itself for the worst. Your survival is your body’s most important concern so it’ll do whatever it can to stay alive.

So what can you do if you want to eat less without starving yourself and sending your body into this defense mode?

Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day.

This works on two levels.

By eating more often you won’t get hungry as quickly and your metabolism will stay raised because you’ll be digesting food more often. Digesting food uses calories just like any other physical activity.

So here’s the plan. Eat four or five meals a day. Not what most would consider a meal (main course with two sides and dessert!), but a small portion of protein along with some fresh fruits and veggies.

This can be accomplished with a little planning and preparing in your spare time.

Cook your weeks worth of meals – skinless chicken’s an excellent source of protein and can usually be purchased in a big pack or value pack from your local grocery store – and refrigerate it in separate packages, one for each meal.

Egg whites are a very good source of protein too. By mixing three or four whites with one yolk and tossing it into the microwave for approximately 90 seconds, whipping it and tossing it back in for another 60 seconds, you can have some nice fluffy scrambled eggs practically anywhere. Without all the cholesterol!

Buy your produce and clean it, separating it too into meal size portions. All this can be done in a few hours on the weekend.

Buying some disposable storage containers can help keep things convenient and organized.

Try to eat every three hours or so to keep your metabolism and energy up. This’ll help you stay away from those snacking binges too.

Also, drink lots of water. Water will help to cleanse your body and make you feel full.

So you see, with a little planning and by adhering to a low carb diet plan sometimes eating more can be better!

About the author:

Jay is the web owner of http://www.weight-loss.biz/weight-loss-program/ Weight Loss Program, a website that provides information and resources on nutrition, weight loss programs, and fitness. You can also visit his website at: http://www.diet-pill.info/south-beach-diet/ for South Beach Diet

Written By: Jay Bauder

Understanding Carbs to Stay Healthy

April 29th, 2007

Low carb diets are popular. How good are they? How healthy are they? It all depends on what you know about the difference between different types of carbohydrates.

Common table sugar represents 20 to 25 percent of the daily caloric intake of Americans who live on the typical All American processed food diet. In the early 1800s average sugar consumption was about 12 pounds per person a year. In 1997, it was 152 pounds per person. Is that too much? You bet it is. Its making us old before we need to be.

Do we need carbohydrates? No, we dont. They are non-essential to the human diet. We do need water, fat, and protein. It is possible to survive for long periods without carbohydrates providing fat and protein needs are met. Fat and protein are broken down to make building blocks of carbohydrates as food and energy. This is something the carb-rich processed foods industry doesnt tell us.

Regardless of what is known about carbohydrate needs, we continue to consume massive quantities of carbohydrates. Therefore, its important to know which carbs are better than others. Its simple: All carbs are broken down into sugar in the body. The key is the rate and the amount that determines the level of sugar in the blood.

Complex carbs such as green leafy veggies, brown rice, potato, whole grain products, and fruits break down slowly. The result is a gradual rise and fall in blood sugar. It is generally understood that most complex carbs are good for you.

Refined, simple carbs such as cake, ice cream, cookies, breakfast bars, so-called cereals, and refined grains break down quickly in the body. This causes rapid elevation of blood sugar levels. These are not good for your health.

It should be understood that while refined carbs should be avoided because they are harmful, some complex carbs such as potatoes are not good because of their relatively fast breakdown.

How do you determine which carbs are really good, and what to avoid? Simple. Become familiar with something called the Glycemic Index of foods. When you look at a glycemic index for foods, bear in mind that the lower the rating, or number, the slower the digestion and absorption process and the better it is for your health.

As useful as the glycemic index is, you will need to learn which foods are good for you.. For example, a cup of low fat ice cream has a glycemic index of 50, which is lower than the glycemic index of a baked potato. Thats because the glycemic index rating of a refined sugar product is lower than that of a starchy food! So, learn to discern the difference between refined sugars and everything else. Just assume that if its made in a factory, its suspect!

Here are some glycemic index numbers for some popular food choices:
Baked Potato: 85; Cheerios: 74; Fanta soft drink: 68; Cheese pizza: 60; Banana: 54; Sweet potato: 54, Low fat ice cream: 50; Carrots: 49; Grapefruit juice: 48; All-bran: 42; Spaghetti: 41; Apple: 38; M&Ms (peanut): 32; Peanuts: 15; Yogurt, lot fat, artificially sweetened:14.

You can see from the above how misleading, yet useful the glycemic index can be.

The bottom is this: Do your homework. Dont rely on advertising or uninformed advice of well meaning friends to give you guidance about healthy eating. Making educated choices about what you put into your body puts you in the drivers seat and allows you to be in charge of how healthy you are, and how quickly or slowly you age.

About the Author

Barbara Morris, R.Ph., is a 76-year-old working pharmacist and recognized expert on unique anti-aging strategies. Author of Put Old on Hold, her message is for Boomers who want to feel and function as a healthy 40 or 50 year old for 25 or more years. She calls it Liberation Living a process she has discovered that bypasses infirmities and indignities of traditional old age. http://www.PutOldonHold.com

Written By: Barbara Morris

Santa Goes Low Carb!

April 21st, 2007

North Pole- The word is out! Due to an “unpublished dilemma” last Christmas Eve Santa has gone Low Carb!

Sources reveal that Santa was stuck in a chimney somewhere in California for over an hour last Christmas Eve – how embarrassing! The incident certainly wreaked havoc with his jolly schedule for the most important night of the year. In the aftermath, it caused Santa to really stop and think.

After careful consideration – Santa and Mrs. Claus decided they could not risk a repeat of the incident, but more importantly the risk factors associated with Santa’s health – oh my! Right after the holidays, Santa visited his primary care physician for a complete physical. A “new lifestyle” was decided upon – It’s the “Low Carb Lifestyle” for Santa!

Santa has Changed His Mind – Changed His Heart – and is Losing Weight for Life! Will this make Santa “less jolly”? Absolutely not! Fat is not what makes Santa jolly! His weight goals are not to be a skinny “Twiggy Santa” but rather a “healthy weight Santa” with less inches (for some VERY obvious reasons). The keyword here though for Santa is: HEALTH!

Our sources tell us that Santa has more energy than ever, his creativity and staying power seem to be at an all time high! He has hired more elves this season just to keep up with him! The jolly fellow is even less stressed this season.

The absence of stress seems to be relative to the fact that his chances of losing his jolly lifestyle to diabetes, heart disease and obesity have been considerably reduced by his new choice of a healthy eating lifestyle! Santa has serious work to do and HEALTH has become his priority!

In fact, our elf resource reported that we are going to see a big shift in “stocking stuffers” this Christmas. Huge orders are being received and warehoused at the North Pole for “sugar free” candies and low carb treats! Santa’s sleigh is going to look like a “sugar free zone” this year!

With Christmas quickly approaching, as Santa’s inches have dropped away, the “sewing elves” are working round the clock in altering Santa’s RED wardrobe!

So this Christmas watch for an even “more jolly” Santa and just a “little less” of him but a much healthier and happier Santa ’cause he’s gone Low Carb!

And…”Laying his finger aside of his nose and giving a nod, up the chimney he [easily] rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,”HAPPY [LOW CARB] CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!”

http://www.LowCarbcookin.com
Home site of Low Carb Christmas Cookin’
The FIRST Low Carb Christmas Cookbook!
Low Carb Christmas Cookin’- with an Old-Fashioned Cook!
224 fun-filled, sometimes hysterical pages!

Jan McCracken is author and self-publisher of 39 gift books and cookbooks. Born in the Midwest and former owner/innkeeper of a country bed and breakfast in Branson, MO, she has been cooking since she was seventeen years old (she wont tell us how many years that is!

Jan has been living the low carb lifestyle for almost eight years. Her long-term goal is helping people understand that food is truly the great medicine, prevention and healer of disease.

jan@lowcarbcookin.com

You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your website, or other publication as long as the article content is not altered and the resource box is included. Please add byline with active link. Notification of the use of this article is appreciated. Thank you!

Written By: Jan McCracken

What are the benefits of the low-carb diet?

April 17th, 2007

Are you one of those who hate dieting? Well, you are not alone, almost all of us hate the deprivation from food that dieting brings to us. Aside from the fact that our parents raise us to believe that food intake is necessary to keep us energetic, especially carbohydrates. Potatoes and breads are the essential members of our diet from morning, noon and night. Therefore, we resent the idea that carbohydrates are not good for us.

However, your thinking might change upon reading the low-carb diet overview. In the low-carb diet overview, you will learn that energy does not come from carbohydrates alone. Low-carb diet overview will also tell you that good fats convert to energy much like carbohydrates, as we know it to be. Low-carb diet overview will likewise tell you about the recommended carbohydrates like whole grain, fruits and vegetables. However, you should minimize intake of carbohydrates to as low as 10% of your total calorie intake. If you can maintain your consumption of carbohydrates to as low as 10% of your calorie intake, you should eat more fats and moderate protein. Then, the low-carb diet overview will be the best tool to compliment your weight loss regimen and avoid jumping on the obese bandwagon.

The low-carb diet overview will explain how you can best manage your weight. In contrast with the belief that carbohydrates are necessary to build your energy profile, fat may replace carbohydrates in this arena.

You will also learn from the low-carb diet overview that it is the best diet for obese individuals. Diabetics may also use the low-carb diet overview to combat the cause of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia and type II diabetes because studies show that low-carb diet attacks the condition called hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia is a condition where insulin levels in the blood are elevated.

It may also be helpful knowledge you will get from low-carb diet overview is the advantages one will get from low-carb diet. Sustained weight loss is one advantage of low-carb diet. Another advantage you will learn from low-carb diet overview and low-card dieting is stable blood sugar, this is specifically important for diabetics and those people prone to diabetes. If you have a relative who is a diabetic, then you are one of those people prone to diabetes. Low cholesterol level is also an advantage of low-carb dieting. Some low-card dieters also report being more energetic than their counterparts who are not dieting.

Finally, here are some basic guidelines you will get from the low-carb diet overview. You should limit your carbohydrates intake to 10% or less of your total calorie intake. You will also find the list of allowed foods, you will also find the list of foods to avoid and foods with hidden sugar in the low-carb diet overview. Avoiding food containing sugar and white flour is also part of the low carb diet. Avoiding caffeine and drinking lots of clean and clear water also help in the dieting process. Taking fiber supplements and vitamin will help during the initial stage of low-carb dieting, you will understand this need better upon reading the low-carb diet overview.

Low-carb dieting is good for everyone who wants to loose weight, so try it to experience a trim lifestyle. However, when you finally decide to try it, after reading the low-carb diet overview, visit your health care professional just to be sure that low-carb dieting is really, what you need.

About the Author

For free advice, tips and education about weight loss, fitness and dieting visit Weight Loss Information at http://www.effective-weight-loss.info

Written By: Christine Edwards

Low Carb Diet Plan – When More Is Better

March 28th, 2007

When most people want to lose weight the first thing they usually do is start a diet. And a diet to most people means “stop eating”.

Wrong!

A healthy diet should consist of eating less of the foods that contain calories from simple carbohydrates (sugar and processed flour) and more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and good sources of protein. This is the basis of a good low carb diet plan.

As a matter of fact, a good diet should have you eating more instead of less! Not more food, but more often.

The body’s a wonderful mechanism. It’s geared towards one important goal. Survival. When your body feels threatened by the lack of food it automatically assumes that you’re starving.

To combat this condition the body will start breaking down muscle to use as energy and saves its fat stores for the last ditch effort to save itself from what it thinks is immanent death.

This is bad on two fronts.

First, by using muscle tissue for energy you’re losing precious lean mass which is metabolically active. This means that you need energy to support muscle which helps to keep your metabolism running at a higher pace. Higher metabolism means more calories burned even in a resting state.

Fat, on the other hand, doesn’t need any energy to support it. It’s simply “dead” weight.

Secondly, the body will start storing more fat because it’s preparing itself for the worst. Your survival is your body’s most important concern so it’ll do whatever it can to stay alive.

So what can you do if you want to eat less without starving yourself and sending your body into this defense mode?

Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day.

This works on two levels.

By eating more often you won’t get hungry as quickly and your metabolism will stay raised because you’ll be digesting food more often. Digesting food uses calories just like any other physical activity.

So here’s the plan. Eat four or five meals a day. Not what most would consider a meal (main course with two sides and dessert!), but a small portion of protein along with some fresh fruits and veggies.

This can be accomplished with a little planning and preparing in your spare time.

Cook your weeks worth of meals – skinless chicken’s an excellent source of protein and can usually be purchased in a big pack or value pack from your local grocery store – and refrigerate it in separate packages, one for each meal.

Egg whites are a very good source of protein too. By mixing three or four whites with one yolk and tossing it into the microwave for approximately 90 seconds, whipping it and tossing it back in for another 60 seconds, you can have some nice fluffy scrambled eggs practically anywhere. Without all the cholesterol!

Buy your produce and clean it, separating it too into meal size portions. All this can be done in a few hours on the weekend.

Buying some disposable storage containers can help keep things convenient and organized.

Try to eat every three hours or so to keep your metabolism and energy up. This’ll help you stay away from those snacking binges too.

Also, drink lots of water. Water will help to cleanse your body and make you feel full.

So you see, with a little planning and by adhering to a low carb diet plan sometimes eating more can be better!

About the author:

Find out more about Diet and Nutrition at healthandfinesse.com

Written By: Nicky Pilkington