Posts Tagged ‘hypertension’

6 Great Ways to Enjoy Your Low Carb Diet

May 23rd, 2007

If there is one low carb diet complaint that we hear over and over again, it’s that a low carb diet is so boring. Sure, they don’t always use those words, but that’s what they mean when they say “there’s not enough variety,” or “it gets so monotonous,” or “there’s nothing to eat.” Luckily for you, these carb complainers are wrong. No one ever said that low carb dieting had to be boring. In fact, low carb dieting is not about restriction, but about enjoying really delicious, really diverse foods.

There are many ways to begin enjoying your low carb diet today! Here are 6 simple ways you can turn your low carb diet into a high taste adventure!

1.Mix It Up

Start thinking outside the “I can’t eat anything” box and start seeing all the things you can eat on a low carb diet. You’d be surprised how many foods open up before your eyes when you stop focusing on what you can’t eat and being looking around at what you can.

2.Get Spicy

If you do nothing else to break your low carb blahs than fill your cupboards with assorted spices and seasonings, you’ll still be thankful. Dress up your low carb foods with fresh herbs and tangy marinades. Add zip and zest with flavorful dressings and mouth-watering marinades. Jazz up your menu with lip-smacking low carb syrups and spicy sauces. The key is taking the bland and making it bold!

3.Go Meatless

Dump the notion that you have to eat meat every day and try a vegetarian dish a few days a week. Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat like one. In fact, studies have shown that vegetarians who follow a well-balanced low-carb, low-fat, high-fiber diet often have a lower chance of coronary artery disease, hypertension, and obesity. If that’s not enough convincing, try any of the many meat substitutes in your local store. Whether you’re looking for fish, chicken, steak, or sausages, you’ll find that the meatless version of each often has the same consistency and taste as the original. The beauty of it, of course, is these meat-free dishes are often dramatically lower in fat and calories than the meats they replace. In most cases, the protein count is higher, and the net carbs are very low too!

4.Make It Green and Leafy

Make boring a thing of the past as you fill your repast with green leafy salads topped with all kinds of low carb treats! Turn your side salad into the main dish by adding any of the following in real or veggie versions: chicken, crab meat, shrimp, tuna, or turkey. Color your garden delights with any kind of cheese and top with the perfect crunch of non-starchy vegetables, including alfalfa sprouts, chives, mushrooms, radishes, and snow peas.

5.Have a Snack Attack

When the idea of having a steak for dinner just isn’t enough to get you through the afternoon, it’s time you had a snack attack. Fill up on low carb snacks to give your tummy something to smile about. For something nutty, try small portions of macadamia nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, or walnuts. For something cheesy, there’s nothing more fun than playing with (and eating) string cheese. Or, for the ultimate treat, make a super smoothie. Make a smoothie by mixing your favorite low carb protein powder in water, or soy milk with your favorite berries and a pinch of Splenda.

6.Low Carb Doesn’t Mean No Carb

When nothing else is helping you get over your low carb blues, remember this: Low carb doesn’t mean no carb. Your job is to rid your diet of refined and processed carbohydrates and replace them with the good stuff: whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and fruits high in nutrients and fiber. When you realize that you don’t have to go carb-free to let go of the pounds, you’ll stop waiting and begin enjoying all the foods that are available to you on your low carb diet!

About the Author

Sylvie Charrier is the author of the revolutionary new book “Living La Vida Low Carb: The Vegetarian Way”. As a busy work-at-home mom, she discovered simple ways to get more results from her low carb diet. She shares her recipe makeovers and health tips on her website http://www.VegetarianLowCarb.com/Enjoy-Your-Low-Carb-Diet.html

Written By: Sylvie Charrier

Are Atkins Diet And Low Carb Diets Safe?

April 25th, 2007

Are low carb diets safe? How safe is Atkins diet? Are low carb and Atkins diets dangerous to your health? These are burning questions for dieters all over the world.

I have personally tried low carb diets and Atkins diet and these diets made me lose weight very quickly. However not only did I lose body fat weight, I also lost muscle weight. I had very obvious muscle and fat loss because I can visually see my reduced muscle mass in the mirror.

This certainly isn’t healthy. Furthermore, the more muscle mass that you lose, the less toned your body shape is. The end result is that you will end up thin and yet looked flabby with lose skin.

The frustrating part will be that after you are off the low carb or Atkins diet, you will very probably gain back all the weight that you have loss and even more. This is because your muscles are active and they continuously burn calories. Since you have less fewer muscle mass now, your body’s metabolism or capacity to burn calories slows down tremendously.

In other words, when you put on weight again, you are putting on body fat instead of muscles if you do not exercise. You will be fatter and less healthy than before you went on the low carb or Atkins diet. To compound matters, because of lesser muscle tissues resulting in lower metabolism and thus lesser calories being burnt, you are going to get fatter.

Since then I have stayed off both low carb and Atkins diet. Both types of diets are almost similar as they require you to cut down drastically on your consumption of carbohydrates. Atkins diet went a step further by advocating almost no carbohydrate consumption for 2 weeks before adding some carbs to your meals gradually thereafter.

Besides losing muscles, how safe are low carb diets? This is what Dr Lyn Steffen and Dr Jennifer Nettleton from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health commentated in a Lancet report, “Low carbohydrate diets for weight management are far from healthy, given their association with ketosis, constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache and general fatigue to name a few.”

The doctors warned that the diet increases protein load on the kidneys and alters the balance of acid in the body. This also results in loss of minerals from the bone stores and affect bone strength. The doctors went on to say that, “Our most important criterion should be indisputable safety and low carbohydrate diets currently fall short of this benchmark.”

Dr Atkins, the creator of the Atkins diet died in 2003 after he was alleged to have slipped on an icy road and hurt his head fatally. However his medical report stated that he had a history of heart attack, hypertension and congestive heart failure.

Were Dr Atkins medical conditions related to his low carbohydrates diet is anybody’s guess. Do you want to take the risk by going on a low carb diet? I don’t think I will. If I ever want to lose weight again, I will rather go on the proven method of healthy eating and regular exercises instead of jumping on any fad diets.

About The Author:

Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of actors, fashion models, pageant contestants and celebs. See his websites for more articles http://www.sgfitness.com and http://www.sgfitnessonline.com

Written By: Chris Chew