A Diet And Exercise Plan That Will Last

A Diet And Exercise Plan That Will Last
By Robert Hirscheimer

Planning on making a new year's resolution to lose weight and get into shape? If you are like the majority of the population, you will tell yourself that you will eat better and exercise more. If that's all you intend to do, like most people you will fail within two weeks.

Don't you wish you could capture the will and determinationyou sometimes have to lose weight and get into shape?Unfortunately, the little voice inside our head is not alwayshelpful. Along with the positive messages and visualizationsof a slimmer healthier person, you are also tempted by the comfort and satisfaction that your favorite foods provide, albeit only for a moment.

You may want to try a new trend that is helping dieters get lean and stay that way, by creating a website dedicated to yourhealth. Your website could include all your positive thoughts, meal plans, and strategies for losing weight. If and when you are tempted to slip into your old habits, you can visit your website to remind yourself why you need to stick to your new lifestyle. Just the act of creating the website will have a positive effect because it will help entrench all the reasons you want to be healthy.

The website can be a place where you post pictures of yourself at a time when you were at your biggest, to give yourself motivation not to return to that form. You could also uploadpictures of yourself when you may have been slim years ago, orimages of someone you would like to look like.

Your website is a great place to keep track of your training schedule. You can create an exercise plan and document yourprogress daily. It is also recommended to create a page on the website that will be your journal where you can enter everything that happens in your life on a daily basis.

Your personal website is a way that people close to you can keep track of your progress even if they live across the world. If you prefer the website remain for yourself only it can be password protected. The website or online journal can be particularly useful if you travel a lot. You can post entries from any computer no matter where you are. You can also review the website for motivation, meal ideas, exercise routines, or to update your journal.

Making a personal website requires no technical skills and is as easy as filling in forms and clicking on a few buttons. You can use a website builder that makes it as easy as 123. Give it a try. What do you have to lose other than a few pounds!

Robert Hirscheimer is the President of http://makeswebsites.com the #1 website builder on the Internet. Makeswebsites.com allows anyone to create an incredible website for a diet and health plan, a family, a business, a foundation, an association or for any purpose. The company also operates the largest Event website builder on the Internet, where anyone create an awesome website for their wedding, class reunion, family reunion, new baby, or any event. Go to http://www.myevent.com or Go to http://www.makeswebsites.com to start a 7 day free trial with no credit card required. The cost is only $9.95 after the free trial.

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Weight Loss Diet Choose The Best And Persevere

Weight Loss Diet Choose The Best And Persevere
By Paul Cris

There are many weight loss diet programs in the market. The ones that are most popular and known worldwide are the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet. Both have their pros and cons, but people have been known to benefit from these diets.

Your slimming down not only depends on the weight loss diet that you choose but also on your level of motivation. If you are motivated enough and feel the need to lose weight within a set time frame, you will be able to achieve it. But if you do not have any weight loss goals and if you are not motivated, you would most probably be cursing the weight loss diet. This is a fact, and it happens with most.

Remember that changing a weight loss diet will not have the desired effect, though you may feel that there is, in the initial stages. Perseverance is the key to lose weight. You need to persevere and if you perspire as well then it will yield even better results. By perspire, I mean, that you should be physically active along with the weight loss diet. Try to jog or walk for an hour at least every single day. This combination will surely get the desired results.

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1637.html http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1637.html

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How to Attract Hot & Sexy Single Women Using Don's Diet

How to Attract Hot & Sexy Single Women Using Don's Diet
By Don Diebel

Have you put on a few extra pounds and would like to trim down to look more attractive to the opposite sex?

Well, I've got an easy diet to follow that will melt away the pounds. It works great for me and it will work for you too! I call it, Don's Diet.

Unfortunately some single women are not attracted to men who are overweight and have a pot-belly. Of course, it works both ways in that a lot of men are not attracted to overweight single women.

With persistence, determination, dedication and willpower, you can easily have a lean and trim body that will attract hot & sexy single women like a magnet. And you can accomplish this without knocking yourself out at the gym.

All you need to do is follow my diet, take some supplements I recommend, and walk or jog for 20-30 minutes three times a week.

Well, let's get started. First, we will start with the diet. Here's a list of the foods you are allowed to eat daily:

• Campbell's Beef with Vegetables and Barley soup or Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup.
• Quaker Oaks Instant Oatmeal (Maple Brown Sugar or Plain) or Quaker Oaks Instant Grits with Butter. Both of these come in boxes with individual packets.
• All the Fruit and vegetables you want to eat.
• Combine lean chicken or turkey with your choice of vegetable for a meal.
• For sandwiches, use extra lean ham or turkey and use mustard. Also, if you want a hamburger, buy the all vegetable patties. My favorite are called Boca Burgers. Also, be sure and use low calorie bread.
• Eat healthy sandwiches using canned tuna or salmon packed in spring water. Use a low fat or fat free salad dressing for your sandwich spread.
• Eat salads daily with lettuce and tomatoes and use low fat or fat free dressing.
• Snack on carrots, raisins, celery, pickles, rice cakes, animal crackers, and graham crackers.
• Last, but most important, drink 8 glasses of water a day - If you get bored with plain water, just make sugar-free instant lemonade, cool-aid, or ice tea.

To curb your appetite, take the Amino-Acid supplement called Phen-Cal available at your local health food store. It is completely safe to take with no side effects. It works on the chemicals in your brain to curb your cravings for food.

P.S. Consult with your doctor before taking and dietary supplements.

And the last part of the losing weight program is exercise. You will be able to lose the weight without the exercise, but you will lose a lot more weight if you do exercise. Just simply walk, jog, or use a treadmill 20-30 minutes a day, three times a week.

Well, that's it...Just follow Don's Diet and you will easily lose 2-3 pounds a week. Try it...you've got nothing to lose but weight and making yourself more attractive to all those hot & sexy single women you've been dreaming about.

This article written by Don Diebel (Americas #1 Singles Expert). If you would like more free dating tips on how to successfully meet, date, attract, and become intimate with women, please visit his website at: http://www.getgirls.com.

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Low Carb Diet Is It A Good Way To Lose Weight?

Low Carb Diet Is It A Good Way To Lose Weight?
By Paul Cris

It is a true fact that the people following a low fat diet lose weight drastically. But recent clinical studies prove that people reducing carbs steadily, lose weight more rapidly. Look at the negative and positive aspects of the diet before committing to any diet program.

There are different kinds of diets such as Atkins diet, South Beach Diet, the Zone Diet, Sugar Busters, and Protein Power diet etc which aim at reducing the consumption of fatty foods. The two main ingredients that increase your weight rapidly are refined flour and sugar. They increase the glucose levels in the blood, and help the pancreas to produce more excessive insulin. Due to the excessive amount of insulin the carbs are easily converted into fats. When your food comprises of low carbs, the pancreas produces less of insulin. The unnecessary stored fats are burnt and you swiftly start losing weight. When you stick to the low carb diet the level of glucose in the body is less and you are less prone to diabetes.

Due to the increased level of insulin production, hormonal changes take place and you develop blocked pores in your skin. These problems later lead to skin diseases like acne, pimples, whiteheads etc.

Some people cannot simply desert the carb rich foods because they are strongly accustomed to the taste. Such people must use substitutes like breads with wholesome grains. You can continuously enjoy with your favorite dishes while reducing your weight.

Apart from abiding to a particular diet pattern, it is also important to plan an exercise routine. As far as possible, keep a track of your weight and gradually increase your exercise duration. Make sure that you are strictly following the diet pattern you have chosen.

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1595.html

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The Cabbage Soup Diet Success Can Be Yours

The Cabbage Soup Diet - Success Can Be Yours
By Jennifer Maskill

When I first heard about the Cabbage soup diet, I thought it was too good to be true. So how can a 7 day diet take as much as 14lbs off you?Cabbage is among several foods that have a negative calorie value. This means that they use up more calories in digesting than they actually give in energy value. Among these kinds of foods are Celery; Asparagus; Beet Root; Broccoli; Carrot and Cauliflower. So in theory the more you eat of it, the more weight you will lose.

The reason is very simple: Your body burns more calories digesting the ingredients, than their calorific content.This diet is fast, and fat-burning, and the secret is that you will burn more calories than you consume.

Fat Burning Cabbage/Vegetable Soup Recipe:

1 Small Head Green Cabbage
4-6 Spring Onions (chopped) or 2 large cooking onions
1-2 lbs Carrots
2 Large Green Peppers
1 Bunch Celery
2 Packet Vegetable Soup Mix (dry)
2 Large Cans Crushed or Diced Tomatoes

Cut vegetables into small to medium bite sized pieces, cover completely with water, boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, (about 30 minutes) season with salt, pepper, bouillon cubes, parsley, or hot sauce according to taste.

7 Day Meal Plan:

DAY 1: Any fruit EXCEPT banana today. Cantaloupe and watermelon are lower in calories than most fruits. Eat only soup and fruit today.

DAY 2: All vegetables. Eat until you are full with fresh, raw, or canned vegetables. Try to eat green leafy vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas, or corn. Eat vegetables along with your soup at dinner time. Tonight reward yourself with a baked potato and butter! Do not eat any fruits today.

DAY 3: Eat all the soup, fruits, and vegetables you want. Do not have the baked potato today. If you have eaten as above for three days and not cheated, you should have lost 5-10 pounds.

DAY 4: Bananas and skimmed milk. Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much skimmed milk as you can today. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates, as is the milk. You will need the potassium and carbohydrates today.

DAY 5: Skinless chicken (or lean beef) and tomatoes. You may have 10 to 20 ounces of chicken OR beef and as many as 6 fresh tomatoes (or canned) on this day. Eat the soup at least once this day.

DAY 6: Beef and vegetables, eat to your hearts content today. You can even have 2 - 3 steaks if you wish with green leafy vegetables. No baked potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once!

DAY 7: Brown Rice, Unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables. Again be sure to stuff yourself and eat your soup

The following are not allowed on this diet:

Alcohol
Bread
Carbonated drinks including soft drinks

Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day, along with any combination of the following: black coffee, black tea, unsweetened fruit juices, cranberry juice, and skimmed milk.

You may eat a cup of bran or fibre cereal with skimmed milk if you suffer from constipation during this diet.

This is by no means a long term diet plan. However if you follow it for the whole 7 days you will notice a difference because the soup itself doesnt contain any calories so the magic is you will be burning lots more calories than you are taking in.After following this diet for 7 days although I didnt weigh myself, I did measure my body parts and I lost a total of 11 inches.

The best way to use the diet plan successfully, is to do a week of the cabbage soup, then eat healthily for a week, then do the soup again for another week. You can carry on doing a week on and a week off for as long as necessary.

Although lots of people fail simply because they cant stomach the soup continually, I found that the best way to go about it is to do only enough soup for a couple of days at a time. This way, each time you make it you can vary the amounts of each ingredient so that it tastes slightly different each time and you wont get sick of it.

There are forums available for more help and info and of course to support you on your road to success.

http://s12.invisionfree.com/Cabbagesoupdiet
http://www.aboutcabbagesoupdiet.com/board/

I am a 35 year old mum of 2 striving for the body that I have always wanted. My blog is at http://jembielife.blogspot.com

http://jembie-creations.has.it

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Diet and Exercise Program For Permanent Weight Loss Part 2

Diet and Exercise Program For Permanent Weight Loss Part 2
By Mike Berg

In Part 1 of this series, I explained how the only way to permanently lose weight is to change your lifestyle. Dieting will almost always result in an initial loss of weight (both fat and lean muscle) however, once you go off your diet you will rapidly gain back the weight you lost. In addition, since your body is designed to protect itself from a lack of calories, it will also put on additional stores of body fat. The old adage one step forward, two steps back applies to this type of yo-yo dieting.

I also discussed your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) and how that plays into your weight loss plan. If you go on any type of extreme diet, your body will simply lower its BMR even further in order to survive. The goal is to increase your BMR not decrease it.

So, you're probably asking, How can I possibly eat 5-6 meals a day and still lose weight? By eating more frequent, yet smaller meals, you are allowing your body to maintain if not increase its BMR. Also, you will avoid insulin spikes that happen when you eat only once or twice a day.

Below is a sample diet for one day. You can alter this, play around with it but with a little planning, you can stick to this while you aim for your desired weight:

Sample Diet For One Day

Assuming a weight of 220lb
Breakfast:
4 eggs scrambled (Only use 1 yolk) using non stick spray- 145 Calories
1 piece of whole grain toast with butter substitute-Approx 100 calories
8 oz NON fat milk-90 calories
1 piece of fruit:(Banana-Approx 110 calories)
(Apple-Approx 80 calories)
Total calories: Approximately 300-400

Mid Morning Snack
Nutrition bar (Balance bar-Approx 200 calories)

Lunch:
Chicken breast, no skin, baked or broiled.
Salad (lettuce, cucumber, any salad type veggie..NO cheese)
with olive oil and vinegar or NONFAT dressing: About 150-200 calories
Total calories: 350-400 calories

Mid Afternoon Snack
Balance bar or
1-2 oz of lightly salted cashews-Approx 250-300 calories or
One serving of low carb protein drink

Dinner:
4-8 oz Ground turkey (lean) burgers, no cheese-Approx 160-320 calories
Salad as per lunch-150-200 calories
Serving of veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, grean beans etc-50 calories
Approx 350-550 calories

Snack before bed:
Jello
Diet Popsicles

No carbs 2-3 hours before bed other than veggies with dinner!!!

With a little imagination you will find that you'll quickly come up with other items that you can add to this diet and make it your own.

In Part 3 of this series, I will discuss the importance of exercise. Not only for your weight loss program but as part of your lifestyle.

Mike Berg has been involved in bodybuilding and fitness as an enthusiast and trainer for over 20 years.

Visit his website at http://www.milleniumfitness.com

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Soups Add Variety and Spice to Your Diet

Soups - Add Variety and Spice to Your Diet
By Allen Bohart

On a cold autumn or winter day, nothing warms the tummy like a nice hot bowl of soup. As a child, one of my favorite winter activities was to eat some chicken noodle soup filled with saltine or ritz crackers. Even now, I love to have a nice piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch on Sundays.

Soup is not just for defrosting oneself after spending some time in the chilly outdoors, though. Soups also make great appetizers for dinner parties and great anytime meals when you feel like eating light.

As a kid, I used to think that soup must necessarily come from a can or a packet, and that there were really only 2 kinds of soup, chicken noodle and vegetable beef. Adulthood has really opened my eyes to the dizzying array of soup recipes out there. Clam chowder has become one of my absolute favorite soups.

Soups come in all manner of consistencies, flavors, and heartiness. Here are just a few:

broth: Liquid resulting from meat, poultry or vegetables that have been simmered.

bouillon (boo-yoh): A clear thin broth made typically by simmering beef or chicken in water with seasonings.

bouillabaise (boo-yah-beys): a soup or stew containing several kinds of fish and often shellfish, usually combined with olive oil, tomatoes, and saffron.

bisque: a thick cream soup, esp. of pured shellfish or vegetables.

chowder: a thick soup or stew made of clams, fish, or vegetables, with potatoes, onions, and other ingredients and seasonings.

gumbo: a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes fil as a thickener.

As you can see, soups come in many varieties, offering something for nearly every palate and diet. If you're feeling like having something a little different for your next dinner party, then try a good soup for an appetizer. Try to match your soup to the entree in order to give a little preview of what's to come. For instance, if you are serving a broiled salmon as an entree, then a good fish chowder might make an excellent appetizer for the meal.

Soups have something to offer nearly everyone, regardless of your tastes and preferences. Try a hearty, thicker soup if you are particularly hungry, or a lighter soup if you are not so hungry. If you're wanting to put a little variety into your diet, then soups are an excellent way to do so.

Allen is a life-long writer and reader who writes on a number of subjects including cooking, writing, and Internet marketing. Allen has several cooking related websites including sites about soups and stews, beef recipes, and pork.

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A Correct Diet is Vital for Rabbits

A Correct Diet is Vital for Rabbits
By Matthew Homfray

Many people keep rabbits rather than dogs and cats because rabbits can be happily left at home alone all day while their owners are out at work. Though often happy on their own, they are by nature social creatures that enjoy the company of their owners and other animals in the household. They are best kept in pairs because they form strong bonds with each other. They will play with toys, seek out and follow humans, and enjoy being stroked. Most rabbits will use a litter tray and so can live indoors in the house, but they can sometimes be destructive.

A rabbits natural response to pain or distress is to sit quietly, preferably hidden from view. As a result, many diseases and causes of suffering can be easily overlooked. Though the life expectancy of a domestic rabbit is potentially 10-12 years, few make it to this age. The sad thing is, many of these diseases are preventable.

An incorrect diet can be the underlying cause to many health problems. Rabbits are strict herbivores that eat a variety of plants in the wild. Although they prefer grass and leaves, they can digest more fibrous foods and are able to survive on sparse vegetation. They do NOT need a high calorie diet, as their digestive system has evolved to use bacterial fermentation to break down fibre and form nutrients.

Their teeth are continually growing and being worn down, to cut and grind food before it enters the stomach. Any undigested food that reaches the colon is split into large and small particles, and sent in opposite directions. The small particles pass into the cecum, which is the fermentation chamber full of bacteria. These bacteria break down the particles to form volatile fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients. Large particles that are difficult to break down pass rapidly through the colon, are compressed, and are excreted as hard fecal pellets. Once or twice a day, the motility of the colon changes and the cecum (fermentation chamber) contracts to expel its contents as slightly larger, softer fecal pellets. These are known as cecotropes.

Rabbits eat these pellets of feces, the cecotropes. They are often consumed as they come out of the anus, and are a rich source of nutrients. If this cycle is broken, it disrupts the healthy bacteria that live in the rabbits digestive tract. In very young rabbits, this can cause death by enterotoxemia, i.e. overproduction of toxins by a population of bacteria that is unbalanced and out of control. It can take a while for a rabbit to achieve a stable healthy gut flora (bacterial population), hence why young rabbits are so susceptible.

So, what should I be feeding my rabbit? The best foods for rabbits are grass and wild plants as they are palatable, low in calories, high in fibre and wear the teeth down. Leafy green vegetables are very good, such as spinach, cabbage, kale and carrot tops. Remember that when a new food is introduced, it can cause a flurry of cecotropes, which must not be interpreted as diarrhea. On the contrary, it is perfectly normal and healthy!

Low calorie but high fibre foods are GOOD, high calorie but low fibre foods are BAD! Rabbits on a low fibre diet tend to produce softer cecotropes which can stick to the fur around the anus, especially if the fur is fluffy. If this same diet is high in calories, as many of the commercial ones often are, then the rabbit is more likely to be fat and unable to reach their anus to eat the cecotropes. The end result is that a foul smelling mass of matted fecal material accumulates under the tail which is unpleasant for both the rabbit and the owner. Moreover, the skin under the matted feces becomes sore and the smelly, moist area attracts flies. This then leads to flystrike, which is very distressing and often fatal.

Are teeth problems related to diet? Dental problems are possibly the commonest reason why vets see rabbits. There is universal agreement amongst experts that mixed muesli-type diets are at least partly responsible for these teeth problems. Although these types of rabbit food are cheap, tasty and convenient, they are totally unsuitable for rabbits. They are high in calories and low in fibre, and even if the manufacturer claims to have a balanced mixture of ingredients, many rabbits will cherry pick certain bits from the bowl. This means that certain tasty components such as peas or maize, which are very calcium deficient, are selectively eaten while less palatable ingredients are ignored.

The continual growth of the rabbits teeth is reliant on calcium intake, so when a rabbits diet is deficient, it draws the calcium from its bones instead. This disrupts the tooth structure and can lead to wonky teeth, abscesses, blocked tear ducts, osteoporosis and spinal problems. In addition, rabbits with poor teeth cannot groom themselves properly and so can get mite infestations, leading to scaling and itchy skin.

Poor teeth also make the rabbit unable to eat hay, so the proportion of fibre in the diet decreases and causes digestive problems, as discussed earlier. By and large, if a rabbit is eating large amounts of hay it is an indicator that it has healthy teeth.

Dr Matthew Homfray is part of the online veterinary team at WhyDoesMyPet.com. Visit us today to ask your pet question.

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A Comparison of Various Types of Popular Diets Today

A Comparison of Various Types of Popular Diets Today
By Brad Howard

There are so many types of diets out there that it can be quite confusing for people to choose one that's right for them. Just remember that not all people are the same and while a certain type of diet can work for one person, there is a very good chance that it won't provide the same results to another. To know the most appropriate diet plan for you, always consult a professional dietician or nutritionist.

Diets in Review

The Atkins Diet, conceived by Dr. Robert Atkins, is arguably one of the more popular diets in recent years. The Atkins diet considers carbohydrates and trans fats as the culprit for most cases of obesity. The diet rejects the established food pyramid and singles out the high-intake of carbohydrates as the cause of many metabolic disorders. The Atkins diet focuses on a lean protein diet, a careful intake of carbohydrates, and vitamin supplements.

The Beverly Hills Diet is a relatively questionable diet plan which emphasizes the correct combination of foods to aid in natural weight loss. It claims that specific reactions of food chemicals, such as enzymes, aid in burning fat in the body. Central to this plan is the abstinence from protein during the initial eleven days, during which time only fruit is allowed. Carbohydrates can be taken on the eleventh day while protein can be taken on the nineteenth. This diet is not based on any medical evidence though and nutritionists claim that it deprives people of essential nutrients.

The Body for Life Diet is a fitness and weight loss program that emphasizes correct eating habits as well as exercise, aerobics and weight-lifting. Meals are broken into six small meals a day. There is good variety in the meals, so nutrient deficiency is rare. The carbohydrates are usually taken earlier in the day, in order for them to be utilized the rest of the day. Weight-loss is not as dramatic as with other diets, but the plan is more balanced. Moreover, because of the emphasis on exercise, the plan is generally considered well-balanced. It usually lasts for only twelve weeks and so is not really a long-term diet program, although it could be with proper planning.

The Bodybuilding Diet focuses on producing muscle mass. This by itself can eliminate fat over time, but the emphasis is on supplementing a body workout regimen, rather than altering one's dietary habit. This diet focuses on the high intake of protein and complex carbohydrates.

The High Protein Diet is quite similar to the Atkins Diet, but emphasizes on eating almost double the amount of protein intake. It's quite controversial because many experts believe it to be harmful and unbalanced. Its ability to provide immediate weight loss to those who follow it, however, makes it extremely popular.

The Mediterranean Diet is not a strict diet but more of a lifestyle change. It is influenced by the observed healthy lifestyle of those living in the Mediterranean region. The diet consists of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, moderate intake of fish and low intake of meats and cheese. An active lifestyle is also required.

Considered the healthier alternative to the Atkins diet, the South Beach Diet discriminates against bad carbohydrates, but unlike Atkins, also warns against the consumption of saturated animal fats. The diet is made by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist who was not satisfied with the high fat content of the Atkins diet.

The Zone Diet is a diet plan that focuses on the correct proportional intake of carbohydrates, protein and fat to induce the correct balance of hormones which affect hunger and metabolism. Experts perceive it as a well-rounded diet plan although they are doubtful if the diet works in the way that it says it does.

Brad Howard knows The Secret to long lasting weight loss. Give him someone with little to moderate knowledge and armed with The Secret, they'll see quicker results than 97.3% of all people, even those that possibly know more on the subject.

If you've ever wondered why many of these armchair gurus are still a little overweight, it has everything to do with, The Secret.

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Organic and Natural Pet Food Is the Raw Food Diet Right for Your Pet

Organic and Natural Pet Food Is the Raw Food Diet Right for Your Pet
By Dan Buchman

Dogs are natural hunters and carnivores. Dogs have evolved from the wolf and its digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of evolution. Dogs have very short intestinal tracts which allows for the consumption and digestion of raw foods. Dogs are considered omnivores as they eat a variety of grasses, vegetables and berries in addition to meats. The question is - Should you feed your dog a raw food diet?

A raw food diet is just that - raw food. It can consist of foods such as raw chicken (bones included), raw beef bones, juiced vegetables and canned fish. The main idea is to feed your dog the food raw (uncooked). Raw bones are easily digested and the minerals and enzymes are naturally absorbed by your dog's system. It is important to transition your dog to a raw food diet slowly. Your dog may experience diarrhea or constipation at first so go slowly and monitor any significant changes in your dog's health. A recommended transition method is to combine the raw food diet with your dog's dry kibble at first. Also consider rotating the raw food used as well. If organ meat is not being used regularly then add organ meat once or twice a week. The main point is to be careful and make sure you understand the methods and process behind a raw food diet.

The benefits of a raw food diet can help your dog battle common issues and aliments such as: allergies, hot spots, flea infestations, continual shedding, poor dental and gum health, immune disorders, and degenerative diseases. The benefits of a raw food diet are abundant but there are risks and pet owners should be fully aware of these risks before jumping in too quickly.

Pet owners need to be very careful when introducing a raw food diet to their pet. Do your research first and learn the proper methods and precautions of a raw food diet. Learning the facts about the proper preparation is important. Information such as: what is the proper or best method for thawing raw meat?; should a microwave oven be used for thawing?; is raw pork safe, should I avoid raw pork?; do I need to be concerned about bacteria? Before converting your dog to a raw food diet, first be an educated and informed pet owner. If you are interested in converting your dog to a raw food diet and are not sure or you have many questions then consult with your veterinarian first.

Many higher-end pet stores now carry a raw food diet product line that has taken much of the risk and mystery out of the raw food diet concept. This allows you to safely take advantage of the raw food diet benefits without exposing your dog to some of the potential risks associated with the improper usage of a raw food diet. These higher-end pet stores (most are available on-line through their websites) also offer a wide range of commercial frozen and dehydrated raw foods consisting of raw meats, grains and fresh vegetables. All the proper food handling is taken care of as well as the proper food proportions for your pet. This is a great way to introduce your pet to a raw food diet without all the risks. These higher-end pet stores also specialize in a complete line of organic and natural pet food and supplements. The link provided below has several website reviews, start your research there.

About the Author

Dan is an Internet Marketer as well as a dog enthusiast. Given the recent issues with the dog food recalls, Dan is using his Internet Marketing interests to heighten the awareness of this issue and help with relevant research. Dan has researched and identified multiple product/supplier sources that offer natural and organic alternatives for your pet's nutrition to maintain a healthy lifestyle.Additional product/supplier resources will continue to be added to his site as well as important and relevant articles - http://www.organic-dogfood.com - please check back often.

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How to Safely Feed Your Dog A Homemade Diet

How to Safely Feed Your Dog A Homemade Diet
By Kathy Coffey

With the pet food recall mounting, many pet owners are turning to their kitchen to try to keep their pet safe. There are many great books out there containing recipes for homemade dog foods. Just remember to keep a few basic facts in mind when choosing the ones that are right for your dog.

First, a well balanced diet for a dog consists of 40% meat. 30% vegetables, and 30% protein. These are their needs over time, it does not mean that every recipe that you select contain these proportions.

Remember to always cook your pets meat. Many people believe that since dogs killed their prey for thousands of years and ate the meat raw that they should continue to eat their meat raw. What you need to keep in mind when making this decision is that the dog is no longer killing their prey. We are. And as we are processing it, sometimes it comes into contact with salmonella and other forms of bacteria. So although raw meat sounds like a good idea, there are other things to consider.

Some foods are toxic to dogs.
Alcoholic Beverages can cause intoxication, coma and sometimes death
Bones from Fish and Poultry can obstruct or lacerate the digestive system,
Coffee, Tea or any other form of Caffeine can be toxic and cause problems with the heart and nervous system
Citrus Oil Extracts can cause vomiting
Grapes and Raisins can cause damage to the kidneys
Large Amounts of Liver can cause vitamin A toxicity (affects muscles and bones)
Macadamia Nuts contain unknown toxin which affects the digestive and nervous system.
Mushrooms can contain toxins which can cause shock and result in death
Onions and Garlic can cause anemia (many homemade recipes contain small amounts of garlic which is widely thought to be acceptable for dogs - poisonous for cats however)
Raw eggs can lead to skin and coat problems
Raw fish if fed regularly can lead to loss of appetite, seizures and sometimes death

Work your homemade dog food recipes around these basic facts.

Wendy and Jack Volhald, well known and respected dog trainers, have been making their own homemade dog foods for over 30 years. In their book, Dog Food Secrets, they share some of their recipes for homemade dog foods that have enabled their dogs to live longer and longer with each generation. According to a National Survey done by the Newfoudland Club of America, the normal lifespan of a Newfoundland in 1998 was 6.2-6.7 years. Using the recipes for homemade dog foods found in their book, Dog Food Secrets, their dogs live to be up to 15 years of age.

We all love our pets and want only the best for them. You may feel as though you cant make your own recipes for homemade dog foods, there are many books out there to help. Just remember, we have been successfully feeding our children well balanced diets for years and with a little knowledge you can feed your best friend too. At least youll know what they are eating.

For more information on the pet food recall:

http://petfoodrecall-dogs.blogspot.com/

For more information and ebooks:

http://pipelinebooks.com/

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Artichokes and the Mediterranean Diet

Artichokes and the Mediterranean Diet
By Nuria Roig

Artichokes are a winter vegetable of the Mediterranean diet with a reputation for being healthy. However, here we are more interested in their culinary virtues, in their slight-bitter nutty-like flavor that makes them delicious and special.

Their physical appearance is also special, and at first, artichokes may puzzle inexperienced non-Mediterranean home cooks.

To tell you the truth, I remember once feeling put off by the artichokes I saw in a Ghent food store. They looked completely inedible to me. They were huge and had a brownish-green color, the leaves were all open and hollow to the touch, and as dry as if they had been exposed to the desert sun for weeks. Now you know how an artichoke shouldn't be when you buy it.

You could hardly call those Belgian artichokes flowers. Indeed, the flowers are what we eat. They are the edible part of the artichoke plant, or more accurately, the unopened flower head of this enigmatic thistle plant.

Let's clarify things. When buying artichokes, choose compact and tightly packed ones. The leaves should be closed, or they are too old and useless for cooking any decent Mediterranean dish based on artichokes. A little darkening in the outer leaves is no big deal, but accept only a little. Artichokes shouldn't feel too light in your hands either; this is another sign that they were harvested too long ago.

Artichokes in the Mediterranean landscape

Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean basin, and every spring they shoot up their deep blue and purple colors in the Mediterranean fields. Together with wild asparagus and mushrooms, green and purple artichokes are used in a variety of dishes that connect us to a Mediterranean cuisine understood as the landscape in a pan, a Catalan cuisine motto and the motto of my web site, as my readers know.

In my homeland of Mediterranean Catalonia, we are very fond of those three plant foods, and have many traditional dishes that use them. I don't know about wild mushrooms, but artichokes and asparagus are considered an aphrodisiac, which makes artichokes even more appealing.

Now you can find acceptable artichokes all winter, but it is in the spring when they are at their best. In the northern part of the Mediterranean, artichokes are harvested from February to March. In the southern Mediterranean, the harvest lasts longer, beginning in December or even November.

Some meal ideas with artichokes

Simply boiling them in water with a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar is the quickest and easiest method. In this case, do not use an aluminum or iron pot, because they turn an ugly dark color.

You can saute them, stuff them with rice or shrimps, grill them, and roast them in the oven. For those who love eating raw vegetables, the heart leaves certain varieties of small purple artichokes can be eaten raw in a salad.

One recipe I find particularly delicious is rice with artichokes. Their slight bitter flavor and the sweetness of the rice make for a surprising contrast. An artichoke omelet is another great culinary idea, and in some coastal and champagne producing regions south of Barcelona, it often accompanies a superb traditional salad dish called xato.

Combined with chicken or rabbit, artichokes are also extraordinary. If you like to blacken the rice of your paella, add some artichokes and fava beans to it. But grilling artichokes in the open air is unsurpassable in its simplicity. It's an open air celebration, another excuse to go grilling with your friends, as they say in the Catalan region surrounding the Ebre (Ebro) River, about 125 miles (200 km) south of Barcelona.

Season the whole artichokes generously with extra virgin olive oil and some salt, and put them on the grill. Traditionally, while you are busy eating the barbecued meat, the artichokes are grilling. Once they are done, pull off the outer burned leaves, and eat the tender ones and the delicious heart, where the olive oil has concentrated.

Here's another simple dish with artichokes suitable for preparing outdoors: Do your best to get small heirloom purple artichokes, pull off a few outer leaves, cut the artichokes in half lengthwise, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and grill them. Toast two slices of country-style bread, and put the grilled artichokes in between. You will not believe how delicious it is until you try it.

The drawback of artichokes

Sommeliers find artichokes very frustrating. The taste of artichokes is so persistent, and it lasts for so long in the mouth that they don't find any wine that is right for them.

I admit that whenever I eat grilled artichokes I commit a sin. I pair them with a strong red wine like Priorat or an unpretentious house red wine, although I know that it breaks the laws of wine connoisseurs. But that's what people did before sommeliers had their say, so... no drawbacks with artichokes after all.

Here's a very little known recipe for artichokes you eat with knife and fork, not using your fingers: Artichoke recipe from the Mediterranean Catalan Roussillon

Nria helps you explore delicious Mediterranean diet recipes, undiscovered Catalan cuisine, and hidden wine countries from the inside. Visit www.mediterranean-food-recipes.com to keep up to date on the fascinating world of the Mediterranean cuisine, and experience the joy of cooking.

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7 Ways to Make Alkaline Diet Benefit You

7 Ways to Make Alkaline Diet Benefit You
By Beverly Taylor

The premise of an alkaline diet is that the nutrients found in supplements, alkalizing foods, and water can bring the body back to balance. These vitamins, minerals, and herbs infuse the body with new energy, vitality, and better health.

Alkaline foods and water must be consumed in order to provide nutrients the body needs to neutralize acids and toxins in the blood, lymph, tissues, and cells.

When pH balance inside the body is out of balance the body tries to correct that sensitive pH balance. That process shows up as uncomfortable symptoms, including colds, flues, allergies, diseases, viruses, and bacteria.

When the pH level in our body is unbalanced, almost any area of the body can be affected. For example when the nervous system is effected as the result of unbalanced pH balance it shows up in the form of the depression. When cardiovascular system is effected we could have heart disease or experience other heart-related problems, including thickening and hardening of the arteries, coronary heard disease, pain or discomfort in the chest, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart failure. When muscles are effected we often feel fatigue and lack of energy. When skin is effected by improper pH balance we age quicker than normal.

When the bodys pH level is in balance, the body reaches ideal weight and corrects negative health challenges naturally.

Transition to a more alkaline healthy diet requires a shift in attitude towards food. The important point to remember is that small changes go a long way. Add more alkaline foods to your diet gradually.

7 Sure-fire ways to make alkaline diet benefit you:

1) Reduce the consumption of sugar and products made from sugar, including soda pop, pies, ice cream, jello, jams & jellies, artificial juices, puddings, doughnuts, corn syrups, chewing gum, sweetened drinks, cookies, breakfast cereals, liqueurs, mixed drinks.

2) Avoid processed foods and condiments including ketchup, salad dressings, pickles, luncheon meats, canned fruits, breads, relish, cheese dips, peanut butter, prepared seafood, frozen vegetables, crackers, canned soups, hot dogs, sausages, sweetened yogurt.

3) Avoid cooking and heating foods and drinks in microwave.

4) Avoid dairy, meats, fried foods and fast foods.

5) Increase your consumption of raw vegetables and raw fresh fruits (without sugar). You should include raw vegetables in every meal. If your breakfast is so small that you only eat toast or cereal, stop eating toast and take fresh fruits or vegetable juices instead. If your lunches are usually consist of sandwiches try to substitute it with a raw salad or a vegetable juice. Have a large salad before you eat a heavy entree at dinner. This way, you will be sure to eat all of the salad instead of finding yourself too full to finish it.

6) Grains form the base of a balanced diet and are important in maintaining the alkaline balance in the body. Grains are great source of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients, including folic acid, fiber, carbohydrates antioxidants and phytoestrogens. The Department of Food and Science and Nutrition at University of MInnesota determined that consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease. By eating grains you can eat less but feel full. Grains should comprise about 20% of your diet.

7) Don't forget to hydrate. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of good quality of water each day. Add liquid minerals to increase the quality of water.

If you follow these easy 7 steps it will allow you to create the proper alkaline balance within your body.

Creating the proper alkaline balance within your body will bring you increased quality of life. You'll start seeing immediate improvements in your health. Your energy will increase, your concentration will be stronger. You'll build strength, stamina, and resistance to diseases. Your entire body will function more efficiently just like it was meant to do.

Get free e-course that shows you step-by-step how to reverse acidic condition and create proper alkaline balance within your body. Visit this link for details: http://www.pH-health.com

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Training Diet And Preparation For Kickboxing Tournaments

Training, Diet And Preparation For Kickboxing Tournaments
By Yoshi Kundagawa

The true origins of kickboxing date back over 2,000 years but although classed as a martial art, Kickboxing Tournaments are relatively new and the sport of kickboxing was started in the US in the early 1970s. Many American Karate practitioners were sick of the strict controls placed on all traditional forms of martial arts tournaments and formed a break away group and thus kick boxing came into being with full contact kicks and punches that were formally banned in martial arts competitions At that time many people were worried by the chance of high injury rates so protective clothing was added and safety rules were put into place. The kickboxing tournaments we see today vary in style and are closely related to their traditional martial art style.

People take kickboxing classes for a number of reasons and learning kickboxing techniques is a great way of protecting yourself. Kickboxing classes are becoming extremely popular for fitness and many personal trainers are adopting forms of kickboxing for their clients. Most importantly are those individuals to whom kickboxing is their sport and indeed to some that are totally committed, kickboxing becomes a way of life and entering kickboxing tournaments a personal challenge.

Preparing for these tournaments is heard work as fitness levels must be high. Not only does the artist have to deliver powerful kicks and punches but has to be fit enough to avoid their opponent and or recover from the impact themselves. It is necessary to build up muscle strength and tone the entire body with weight training, increase endurance with cardiovascular work such as running, skipping and jumping etc. Flexibility is all important not only when competing in kick boxing tournaments but to limber up and relax before hand to eliminate stress and strain and help avoid serious injury and also to cool down afterwards to avoid muscle stiffness.

Diet needs to be strictly adhered to. Low in fats, high in protein and the necessary amount of carbohydrates as fuel. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables round off the diet. It is necessary for all of us to drink enough water and it is recommended that the average person needs about 8 glasses a day and those in high exercise groups such as the kick boxer training for and entering kickboxing tournaments will require much more. The martial artist must stay hydrated at all times for peak performance. If not the artist will suffer from muscle soreness, fatigue and will not recover as quickly. Junk food, alcohol and caffeine are a no go. As with all martial arts the power of the mind is all important. Controlling our emotions and concentrating on our movements can make the difference to winning or loosing. Keeping tempers under control and relaxing into our moves makes for stronger and more accurate kicks and punches.

Preparation for kickboxing tournaments depends a lot on the level of fitness and the determination of the martial artist and can take a considerable amount of training and indeed time.

Yoshi E Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers themixed martial arts industry. For a free report on Kickboxing Tournaments visit his blog.

Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist coveringthe martial arts world. Too much time at his computereating donuts reduced him to couch potato status.He's on a quest to recapture his youth and fitness.You can read his blog at http://www.martialarts3000.com

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Your Ironman Diet and Coconut Oil

Your Ironman Diet and Coconut Oil
By Ray Fauteux

Over the years I've always been on the look-out for a diet or diet supplement that would enhance my training and improve my race times.

It was almost by chance that I happened upon coconut oil and its use as a diet supplement. I was cruising the net one day and came across an article on the subject and like many other intriguing diet ideas I've stumbled upon in the past, decided to give it a try.

I've always believed that I had no business writing about any diet unless I had tried it myself. To my way of thinking that's the only way to pass on relevant, honest information to readers. As a result I've tried a variety of different diets and supplements over the years and coconut oil is one of them.

To be quite honest, I was just blown away by the results I experienced when I incorporated coconut oil into my training diet.

First a bit of science behind the coconut diet:

Coconut oil is comprised of fatty acids called medium chain triglycerides or MCT'S. In nature, coconut oil has the largest concentration of these MCT'S outside of human breast milk. Vegetable oils, on the other hand, are made up primarily of long chain fatty acids or LCT'S.

For quite some time now scientific literature has claimed that LCT'S tend to produce fat in the body, while MCT'S promote what is called hermogenesis. Thermogenesis increases the body's metabolism, producing energy.

This has been common knowledge in the animal feed business for years. It you feed animals vegetable oil, they gain weight and produce more fatty meat. If you feed them coconut oil, they will be very lean.

Tests on rats published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that MCT rats gained 15% less weight than rats fed LCT'S. The conclusion:

MCT diets result in decreased body fat related to increased metabolic rate and thermogenesis.

Similar tests were conducted on humans at Vanderbilt University in 1989 with the same basic results.

Regardless of scientific study result, I prefer to try these things on my own and see the results first hand.

Over twenty years of competition and numerous diets, the LEAST I ever weighed was 150-151 pounds. This was my competition weight. If I were to weigh myself on any given race morning, my weight would be in this range, give or take a pound. That all changed when I included coconut oil in my diet.

I weighed myself on the first day of the diet as I always did when I tried something new, and wouldn't step on a scale again for one month. I live by this rule when trying something different in my diet. My start weight was as usual, 151 lbs.

I added 5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day to my meals. Usually when you buy coconut oil it will be solidified. I just leave mine at room temperature and in few days the whole container is liquified. I don't store it in the fridge because it will solidify again. If it is solid, its easy enough to melt down into liquid form if you're in a hurry.

I added it to my oatmeal in the morning, to my pasta, and used it in smoothies. I always use olive oil in my salads and started adding 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to every salad. It's an amazingly versatile product. You can easily come up with your own cooking uses for it.

When you use it in food its not an unpleasant taste and most of the time you won't even know its there. Combine it with your food anyway you like, but aim for at least 5 tablespoons a day and stick with it. Like any diet, there's really not much point even starting unless you're committed to it.

Well, I did this for exactly one month. Then I stepped back on the scale. WOW! 142 pounds!

I was 10 pounds lower than I had been over the past 20 years! I could not believe it. Remember that for the month I used coconut oil, I was in full Ironman training. Any diet you ever try should be done in conjunction with a fitness regimen. So I believe this is an ideal addition to any Ironman's diet. Or ANY athlete's diet for that matter.

A few things I noticed:

Along with losing weight, my energy level increased.

Even though I lost 10 pounds, I seemed to have the same amount of over-all strength. This is crucial to an athlete. What makes some athletes so amazing is their strength to weight ratio. In other words, you can be a 120 pound woman, but be very strong for that weight. Take it a step further and imagine the consequences if you become 110 lbs and don't lose any strength and have increased energy.

Imagine yourself running a marathon carrying a 10 pound bag of potatoes on your back. Now imagine running the same marathon without the bag of potatoes and more energy.

A perfect example of what I mean by strength to weight ratio is Lance Armstrong.

When he was fighting cancer he lost tons of weight of course, but when he won that battle and became healthy, he never did gain back all of the weight that he originally had. Yet, he became stronger. In other words, his strength to weight ratio changed big time. It seems that his body chemistry changed for the better.

When I watch him climb those endless mountain passes in the Tour, I'm just amazed at how lean he is and how strong he is and how high his energy level is.

Of course we can't all be the exceptional athlete Lance is, but I truly believe that incorporating coconut oil into ones diet can have a profound effect on any athletes training and racing results.

My name is Ray and I've been an endurance athlete for over 25 years. I've competed in over 30 marathons, 2 --- 50 mile races, 14 Ironman triathlons and countless shorter races.

I've created a website called Ironstruck. The main purpose is to provide training and racing tips for the beginner triathlete and novice Ironman.

come for a visit......

http://triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com

also..Ironstruck the book, has been published online and can be viewed here....

http://www.lulu.com/content/543252

It is available in paperback or download and may well be the most valuable Ironman Triathlon guide you might ever purchase.

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Dieters Need More Calcium

Dieters Need More Calcium
By Marilyn Pokorney

Women on diets need more calcium than normal to avoid boneloss, say Rutgers University researchers.

Studies showed a weight loss diet of 1.5 pounds a week for 6weeks cuts absorption of calcium. In 57 postmenopausaldieters it was discovered that those women who took 1,800 mgof calcium a day absorbed 78 percent more calcium than thosewho took only 1,000 mg a day. To prevent bone loss, womendieting after menopause should get 1,700 mg of calcium aday, the experts say.

For people on low-fat, high fiber diets calcium requirementsare also higher. Studies show that 19 percent less calciumis absorbed. It is theorized that the healthier diet movesfood faster through the gastrointestinal tract.

While it is common knowledge that calcium is necessary forbone-growth research shows that calcium also fights fatabsorption. Studies reveal that calcium blocks fat storagein fat cells. A minimum of 1,000 mg. of calcium dailyimproves total cholesterol and good HDL, but lowers bad LDL.

Despite the publicity of the importance of calcium forhealthy bones research shows that consumption has gone downover the past 30 years.

Experts recommend 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitaminD daily for people under 50, and 1,500 mg of calcium and 800IU of vitamin D for those over 50. The safe upper limit forcalcium intake has been set at 2,500 mg a day. Experts thinkgoing above that on a daily basis may invite kidney stoneformation.

Once started, never stop taking calcium/vitamin Dsupplements daily. USDA researchers found that after a 3-year study over one-third of participants stopped taking thesupplements. Within one year women lost all bone-densitygains and men lost their gains in two years.

For those who are lactose intolerant calcium and vitamin Dsupplementation is even more important because it will bedifficult to get the daily requirement through diet alone.

For those allergic to cow's milk. Drink enough soy milk togive you 500 mg of calcium per glass as compared to 300 mgin cows milk. Studies at Creighton University in Omaha,NE, showed that 25 percent less calcium is absorbed from soymilk as cows milk.

For more information on calcium and coral calcium: http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/evitaminscalcium.htm

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Author: Marilyn Pokorney - Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and theenvironment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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The G. I Diet and benefits for Losing Weight

The G. I Diet and benefits for Losing Weight
By Wayne Mcgregor

The glycemic index diet or G.I. diet is gaining a reputation as a healthy way to lose weight. Although more of a way of eating rather than a diet, more and more people following the G. I way achieve their weight loss goals. Many health experts agree that the Glycemic Index diet, if followed correctly, can be a great way to weight loss success, especially for those who struggle with conventional low calorie diets or dieters who have trouble controlling their appetite.

The G.I diet is similar to the low carb diet but it is not as strict and targets the types of carbs rather than the quantity of carbs for each meal. There is also a focus on the correct timing of the two basic types of meals a carb or protein meal. The science behind the timing and types of meal makes G.I dieting a potent way to help lose fat stores, safely and relatively quickly.

The G.I diet is all about Insulin and controlling blood sugar levels.

Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate our blood sugar; actually it lowers blood sugar levels by stimulating cells to absorb any excess sugar from the blood. The problem with Insulin is it also causes fat cells to take up excess fatty acids from the blood. Often we ingest a meal which includes both sugar and fats so if any meal includes foods which have a high Glycemic Index then the fat from that meal can be easily stored on the hips.

There is an established theory that if one can control insulin levels then one can control how much fat the body will store from each and EVERY meal. Fat can only be stored when Insulin is present, and Insulin is only released when blood sugar levels become elevated.

What raises blood sugar?

Carbohydrate in foods will raise blood sugar if it is absorbed too rapidly. The types of foods which cause rapid absorption of sugar are all those with a high G.I index rating.

The basics of the G.I index

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate foods by assigning them a number ranging from 0 to 100. The number indicates the rate at which the food raises blood glucose levels during its absorption. The higher the value the quicker the sugar is absorbed.

A high Glycemic index food has a value of 70 and above. A G.I value of 56-69 is considered medium and any foods lower than 55 are considered a low Glycemic index food. Foods with a low G.I are best as they digest more naturally and help provide a steady supply of energy over the course of several hours, it also makes us feel fuller for longer.

Is the G.I Diet simple?

The diet sounds simple because foods are generally chosen from the low G.I food list, but it gets complicated when you create a meal made up of many different food items, each with a unique G.I value. The idea is to make sure most items which make up every meal have a low Glycemic index, thus the overall G.I of the meal stays within the low to medium range.

Gaining complete nutrition

There are some foods which have a high G.I rating but are considered a healthy nutritious food. In these cases healthy high G.I foods can be combined with low G.I foods to maintain low-medium G.I value, plus help create a complete nutritional intake. An example is baked potato (high G.I) topped with baked beans (low G.I). There are also low G.I foods which should be limited. Fresh meat and poultry contains no sugar so the G.I. will be very low, however, they do contain lots of fat and protein so the energy content will be high. Remember calories do still count!

One positive point about the G.I meal plan is its possible for dieters to enjoy the odd treat item once or twice each week, maybe an occasional dessert after a light dinner. As long as these bad items are NOT eaten alone it should not ruin the diet plan.

Benefits of G.I. way of eating:

1. Enjoy tasty foods but limit storage of fat
2. Enjoy some favourite foods AND still lose fat
3. Increased energy level and wellbeing
4. Control of blood sugar
5. Less hunger feelings
6. Less craving for sugary foods
7. Less bloating feeling after meals
8. Ability to eat more food if desired
9. Less risk from diabetes and other diseases
10. No strict calorie reductions

Wayne Mcgregor has written hundreds of articles on effective ways to lose weight. His website provides tons of free weight loss information and help, including lists of G.I foods.http://www.weightlossforall.com/glyemic-list-breadcereals.htm

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Fraud Diet Fraud

Fraud - Diet Fraud
By Michael Russell

In this article we're going to cover a little known type of fraud, though becoming more and more common and a bigger problem each year, this is diet fraud.

The fact is, a great number of people in the world and especially in the United States are overweight. It is one of the largest growing health concerns in this country and getting worse every year. Because of this problem, diet programs are everywhere. Many of them like Weight Watchers have been around for a very long time and are reputable companies. Unfortunately, there are a great number of diet plans out there that are flat out fraudulent in that they promote a weight loss program that doesn't work or is just plain dangerous.

So, how does one recognize these fraudulent diet programs? Unfortunately it is not easy to do. Many of the criminals who commit this fraud do so in such a manner that their diet plan or meal looks legit. Add to this the fact that they are preying on poor people who are at the end of their ropes when it comes to losing weight and it becomes very easy to get these people sucked into the fraudulent program. Having said that, there are some things to look out for that may alert you to a possible fraud.

Many of the latest diet programs can be seen on infomercials on television. One thing to watch out for is information that seems too good to be true, such as losing inches from your waistline in a matter of days. Even if a program like this were to work, which is doubtful, it is dangerous to lose weight that quickly. For a truly healthy diet and exercise routine you shouldn't lose more than a pound or two each week. If a program says you will lose some crazy amount like 10 pounds in 10 days then most likely the program is either fraudulent or very dangerous.

Another thing to look out for when it comes to diet programs is the testimonials. Take a look at the people on these commercials. In most cases they are far from having need of a diet. Many look like fashion models or paid actors and actresses. Be wary of before and after photos as with today's technology it is very easy to doctor a photo.

Another thing to watch out for is any plan that says you can lose weight without any exercise or that you can lose weight by just putting on their special heat treated tummy trimmer or whatever nonsense they call it. There is no way to lose weight in a healthy manner without proper diet and exercise. Anyone who says differently is not to be trusted.

Mostly, use your common sense. If you see a weight loss plan that looks too good to be true then most likely it is and all it is going to make you lose is the money that you spent on the plan itself.

Good common sense will pick out a diet scam with no trouble at all.

-------------------------------------------------------
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Fraud
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Diet For Healthy Prostate Why Soy Is Not Just For Women

Diet For Healthy Prostate - Why Soy Is Not Just For Women
By Rebecca Prescott

Researchers from Canada have found that having a diet of red meat, organ meats, soft drink and bottled water increased the risk of getting prostate cancer. They compared the diets of 80 men with prostate cancer, and 334 healthy men, and the diet just described more than doubled the risk of developing prostate cancer.

So what prostate diet can reduce the risk of prostate cancer? Swedish researchers examined the diet of 1499 men with prostate cancer and 1130 men who were healthy, and they published their findings in the Cancer Causes and Control journal. They found that eating foods rich in phytoestrogens decreased the risk of prostate cancer.

Phytoestrogens are plant molecules that have a weak estrogenic effect. They are made converted in the intestines from plant precursors by bacteria as they digest food. They are taken up by the same parts of the body that process the hormone estrogen.

Interestingly, one of the treatments for prostate cancer by doctors involves using estrogens to reduce the level of testosterone in men with advanced prostate cancer. It does this indirectly, through its effect on the hypothalamus, as less luteinizing hormone releasing hormone is produced by the hypothalamus. This means not as much luteinizing hormone is released by the body, which suppresses the production of testosterone.

High doses of estrogens for men can lead to cardiovascular complications. But phytoestrogens obtained from diet, in less quantities than a drug, and with a milder effect to start with, should not pose a problem. And researchers don't yet know what exactly causes phytoestrogens to have such a protective effect, whether it is similar to that of the estrogen treatment for advanced prostate cancers. And they don't know which phytoestrogens are the most active.

So what phytoestrogen foods could you include in a diet for a healthy prostate? Soy beans and nuts are a good source. Soy and nuts contain a type of phytoestrogen called isoflavones, whilst berries and seeds contain lignans. Foods could include peanuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and berries.

The only possible concerns with soy is that a study in mice found that male mice that had a type of heart disease that people also have, suffered heart failure when fed a soy based diet. Whether this extrapolates to the human population is yet to be established. But it may be wise for those me who have this particular genetic heart condition, dilated cardiomyopathy, to be cautious about soy products in their diet.

But for other men, soy products could be good news. A meta analysis, which is a study of related studies, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that diets high in soy lowered men's risk of prostate cancer by 30%.

Another important mineral to consider for men is zinc. Zinc is used by men's bodies to make some of the male hormones, and for general prostate health. A deficiency in zinc can lead to problems with the testicles, the prostate, and the health of the sperm. Foods that are great sources of zinc include seeds like pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower; nuts like almonds, brazil, cashews and walnuts; and foods like lettuce, oats and onions. Raw onion is particularly suggested by Paul Bedson, a natural therapist. He also suggests vegetable juice made of equal parts of beetroot, carrot, and cucumber in cases where the prostate gland is enlarged. Cranberry juice, a cup drunk three times a day, is also recommended in this case.

References:

1. phoenix5.org/Infolink/advanced/estrogen.html
2. Australian Healthy Food, March 2006
3. Australian Healthy Food, November, 2005
4. Paul Bedson, The Complete Family Guide To Natural Healing
5. nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65785&m=1NIE213&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub

If you're interested in a health prostate supplement that promotes healthy prostate, bladder and kidney functions, click here. Rebecca Prescott runs this site which presents comprehensive reviews of vitamins and supplements.

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7 Things to Know About a Diabetic Diet

7 Things to Know About a Diabetic Diet
By John Mancini

If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you are probably experiencing many emotions all at once. You have a lot of questions that need answers, one of which is how well can you control your disease with a diabetic diet. The diet that you follow will play a large roll helping you control your diabetes instead of your diabetes controlling you.

1- There are no sets of guidelines that have been written in stone for the control of diabetes for every person. However, there are certain things suggestions for all diabetes patients, in fact, for all Americans, that should be followed to maintain a healthy life style. These suggestions are based on US dietary guidelines for healthier eating.

2- These guidelines suggest limiting fat intake, limiting dietary cholesterol, a diet rich in fiber, eat fresh fruits in moderation, limit the amount of protein that is eaten and reduce your salt intake. The goal for everyone, especially those with diabetes, is to set a goal of five servings of fruit and vegetables, six daily servings of whole grain foods and two servings a week of fatty fish.

3- When buying the food that are needed for a diabetic diet, it is important to read the labels, it is especially important since most food labels show daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. This is higher than most diabetic diets allow for. Therefore, the values given will need to be recalculated into grams and calories and adjust that into their own diet plans.

4- When measuring foods for your diabetic diet, it is important to weigh the food also to get the right amount of daily caloric intake. Every diabetic should have a food scale that can measure down to the gram (equal to about 1/28 ounce), in addition to normal measuring spoons and cups. The food should be measured after it is cooked to ensure the right amount is being served.

5- The timing of meals is also important on a diabetic diet. No meal should be skipped, the reason for this is simple, especially for those individuals who are insulin dependent. If you skip meals, you run the risk of upsetting the delicate stability that exists between the insulin and the food consumption. For a lot of diabetes patient the administration of insulin is calculated to correlate closely with the timing of meals

6- Eating between meals is also discouraged for diabetic patients. This is because if too much food is eaten at the wrong times, it can lead to weight gain and mess with the work that the insulin injections are doing to control the disease. It is very important to follow the diabetic diet that is set up for you by your doctor.

7- If there are any questions regarding your diet or your diabetes in general, do not try to answer them yourself. Call your doctor, the office staff will be more than willing to set up an appointment for you to discuss any of the concerns you may have with your physician.

John Mancini has been writing about Diabetes online and offline for a long time. Visit http://diabetics-home.info or http://diabetics-home.com to read more about matters like diabetes and diabetes supply.

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The Discus Fish Diet

The Discus Fish Diet
By K Madsen

Feeding Discus Fish can be challenging at times. While they have no specific nutritional preferences, and can be be fed on just about any high protein fish food, they're often extremely cautious to new foods, and will go without eating for up to 4 weeks before accepting a new food.

This is obviously not very healthy, particularly not for younger fish, so the wise thing to do is to ask what they are being fed at the time of purchase, and then take things from there.

When trying to change their food, do not use the starving technique to get them to eat the new food, but rather feed them with a mix of the foods, and gradually change from one to the other.

The best thing to do is to, over time, get them used to a varied diet, rather than just sticing to one kind of food. So what kinds of food should be part of their diet?

Fish Flakes

Just about any will do - but it's better to stick to a top brand one for quality control purposes. Discus Fish prefer to be fed at mid water to bottom levels, so you may have to soak and squeeze the flake food first.

Bloodworm

Definately a firm favorite with the discus fish, which can and should be used once daily. Make sure you use frozen irradiated worms, because there's less chance of them having parasites in them.

Brine Shrimp

Discus Fish love frozen brine shrimp, and they contain important vitamins and minerals that will enhance the colour of the discus fish, and keep them in a good overall shape. Defrost and rinse them before feeding.

Granules and Freeze Dried

On this one you're spoilt for choise, and they are all good for Discus Fish food. It's a good idea, however, to stick to the top makes (like Tetra Bits) to ensure good quality. Some of the cheaper brands can cause bloating and constpation, because they absorb water, and expand when the fish have eaten them.

Foods to avoid

Beef heart or pork heart has traditionally been fed to Discus Fish to promote good colouration and fast growth - but there's issues with feeding your discus a diet high in mammalian protein. Also, live foods should be avoided as the health risks involved in using them far outweigh the benefits.

Sticking to the menu above is well better - it's simply not worth taking the risk.

General feeding tips

As a rule of thumb - it's better to feed too little than too much - if you're not sure how much food to give. Discus Fish are slow eaters that will graze and pick at their food, and should be allowed to do so at their own pace. 5-10 minutes is usually enough for them to eat well. If they are less than that you may want to feed a bit more - but be careful not to overfeed them - because this will affect the water conditions in a negative way.

Find more advice, tips and valuable resources on how to keep Discus Fish at Squidoo.com

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6 Dieting Tips to Lose Weight

6 Dieting Tips to Lose Weight
By Paul Cris

If you are planning to follow a regular diet, then concentrate on a few dieting tips that are quite simple and easy to implement. Always consult a physician before starting a diet.

Observe your weight every weekend and see that you do not lose more than 1 or 2 pounds. Remember that you cannot lose your weight within just a fortnight. When you check your weight periodically, you may notice that your weight has remained constant. So, do not become frustrated and observe a fast, but continue your modest diet as before to reasonably lose weight.

Here are a few tips for a healthy diet

1)Lace mustard powder on your bread instead of mayonnaise that contains heavy dose of fat.

2)Do not consume fried food frequently, so as an alternative boil, bake or roast it.

3)Drink about 6-8 glasses of water a day so that you can flush the toxins out of your body.

4)Limit your alcohol intake as it contains a lot of calories.

5)Make it a point to visit the grocery store only after your meals because you will obviously buy in lesser quantities. Strictly purchase according to the list you have prepared at home.

6)Read the carton carefully to know the proportion of each nutrient present in the food. This way, you can avoid buying those foods that contain high quantity fats or carbohydrates and concentrate on buying items with high content of fibers.

Finally it is an important point to note that starvation will never burn the calories of the body. On the contrary, it slows the process of metabolism and stores fat. Therefore never skip a meal or observe fasting before visiting a restaurant. If you want to maintain the shape of your body, exercise program is an essential activity. Besides burning the calories from the body, it is necessary to bring your weight under control at all times.

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn1573.html

You are welcome to republish the above article only if you add our hyperlinked URL.

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5 Tips to Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet and Control

5 Tips to Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet and Control
By Peter Wallander

If you are one of the millions of people that are diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) every year, you undoubtedly have questions as to how to live with this new situation. It may surprise you to know that by following an Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet, you can help keep your IBS under control.

1- One of the easiest changes that can be made to your diet is to avoid eating foods that are known to cause gas, for example, broccoli and beans. Beware however, that foods are not the only thing that can cause gas, apple juice and grape juice can have the same effect on your body.

2- Its best to keep a food journal to help you identify which types of food and drink cause you to become gassy and therefore cause IBS flare-ups. This journal can be as simple as writing down a food and how you felt after eating it to noting the time of day, who you ate with and how you were feeling when you ate. The point is that keeping some type of a journal will pinpoint which foods cause you issues.

3- Another Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet secret is to stay away from caffeine, sorbitol (used as a sweetener) and alcohol, all of which can aggravate the bowel and cause symptoms to flare up. It's best to pass up high-fat foods such as pastries and other desserts for the same reasons.

4- There are a couple of rules that don't directly relate to Irritable Bowel Syndrome diets, but that do involve making diet changes for other reasons that could have an effect on the IBS symptoms. For example, it is thought that Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) symptoms can also cause IBS flare-ups, by taking dietary steps to alleviate the PMS symptoms; you will in turn be keeping the IBS symptoms at bay.

5- As with any medical issue, you should always consult your physician with any questions or concerns that you have. They will be your best source forinformation about controlling this disease given your personal situation.

Visit http://ibs-treatment.info or http://irritable-bowel-treatment.info to learn more about ibs treatment and irritable bowel syndrome diet.

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Healthy Dieting: Eat 5 Meals a Day and Lose Weight!

Healthy Dieting: Eat 5 Meals a Day and Lose Weight!
By Sacha Tarkovsky

A lot of fad diets rely on depriving the body of food, but if you look at creatures in nature you will see that you need to eat regularly for healthy dieting.

While you need to eat regularly you need to know about portion size in relation to your body for healthy dieting and this is relationship is explained below.

Understand the concepts of regular eating and portion control and you can enjoy healthy dieting, lose weight and never feel hungry.

Lets look at these concepts in more detail.

3 meals a day is a man made concept

If you look at healthy eating three meals a day (or less on many diets) is not ideal, you should be eating five meals a day.

Some simple examples from nature will illustrate this point.

Bears are creatures that eat huge meals infrequently to sustain them. They carry a lot of body fat to feed them over time i.e they are binge eaters.

If you look at animals such as dear, elk and horses they graze and have similar proportion of body fat to humans.

These animals are eating every few hours, our ancient ancestors did and you should to for healthy dieting.

There are reasons why you should, that are linked to our body and how it functions.

By eating frequently you achieve the following:

1.Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and curbs over eating.

2.Eating more often keeps your metabolism working quickly so you burn calories more efficiently.

3.Food is also absorbed more efficiently and quickly when we eat regularly.

In affect you will feel healthier and have more energy as you will be using your metabolism as nature intended.

This is what healthy dieting is all about:

Creating the ultimate conditions to burn fat, in the most efficient way and never feeling hungry.

OK I can eat 5 meals a day how much can I eat?

Here you need to know about portion control.

Eating five times a day means you can eat enough to satisfy you, but its important to know how much you can eat in relation to your body size and there is a very easy way of doing this.

You can count calories, but lets be frank who has the time or inclination to do this?

The trick is to use your hand.

A portion should be the size of your fist or the size of your palm.

Want a baked potato?

Get one the size of your fist

Want some fish?

Get a portion the size of your palm

Eat naturally for healthy dieting

Now you need to eat quality fat carbohydrate and protein.

The trick here is to eat naturally from the earth and avoid additives and sugar.

For example, a meal should contain the three groups how about Salmon, brown rice and veagatbles? Or maybe a baked potato Turkey and vegetables?

Follow the above and you can eat 5 meals a day.

If you are in a hurry make your other two meals up before hand, some nice tasty salads (go easy on the dressing) some rice and fish.

Other healthy dieting tricks

Make sure you eat breakfast (the most important meal of the day) and get as much fibre as you can, as a lot of it is not absorbed and passes through the body. It also makes you feel full and has generally less calories than other foods.

The other trick is to drink lots of water ice cold. Many hunger pangs are simply thirst pangs, so get plenty of water by drinking it ice cold.

Your body has to heat it to body temperature and you will burn 400 calories a week!

Now you have done the above you will feel healthy and control your weight as nature intended.

Dont forget a bit of exercise and by this we dont mean hours in the gym. Simply do some brisk walking dont take the lift try and walk up the stairs etc

Add in some swimming or cycling twice a week, its not to hard and remember, we were not born to just sit around were active beings.

Healthy dieting made simple

The above diet tips will help you burn fat efficiently, eat as your supposed to, feel healthier and fitter which is what healthy dieting is all about.

Simply think about how we evolved through time and you will see the logic of the above.

Healthy dieting

For more tips on healthy dieting nutrition supplements as well as free newsletters and ezines visit =>http://www.net-planet.org/health.html

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Top Five Reasons You Should NOT Go On A Diet This New Year

Top Five Reasons You Should NOT Go On A Diet This New Year
By David Otto

As the New Year approaches, the rush to the Mecca of yearly weight loss attempts is upon us and with so many solutions out there the one that seems to be good ol faithful is the diet. Ol faithful, now wouldnt that insinuate a tried and true solution? Well, not this year it seems and your chances are pretty darn good it will never be if long term weight loss is the goal.

When the word diet comes to mind, the phrase calorie deprivation can always be associated with something that asks you to take in fewer calories than your body needs to sustain basic metabolic function. You can lump ninety nine percent of the commercial diets in there as well as the diet centers. Just look at all of the repeat customers who believe it worked for them in the past. Here are five empowering truths about your typical diet that will hopefully steer your vehicle of weight loss ambition down another path and have you place the blame on the diet and not your lack of willpower or ability to commit.

1. The scale lies! The only thing the scale can do and do very well is tell you how many pounds you weigh under gravity at any given moment; thats it! It cant distinguish between fat, muscle, bone, organ or water weight. So when the diet counselor announces, Denise has lost 5 pounds her first week, she has lost three things: The first is what most of us now know and thats water, which is meaningless in the pursuit of long term weight loss yet a wonderful trick to make you think its working. The other two things are some fat and some muscle. One of those you want to lose the other you definitely do not.

2. Your body backs off on thyroid hormone production. Your body is a wonderful machine that is down right ignorant to what you are trying to do. Yeah, you know you are trying to lose weight but your body thinks you are starving so in an effort to slow things down and conserve fuel, it backs off production of these metabolic regulators to get your body better at burning fewer and fewer calories.

3. Your body begins to feed off of its own muscle tissue. This is bad, bad, bad but yet so good for your morale because even when you lose muscle the scale says keep it up, its still working. Muscle is the actual location where fat is burned and where the bulk of the calories are burned within your body (even at rest). So in the bodys continuing effort to slow things down, it sees muscle tissue as a calorie burning liability and begins to literally eat away at its own calorie burning furnace. So would it make sense to slowly cripple your bodys ability to burn fat effectively by depriving it of calories and forcing it to feed off of its own muscle? Nope.

4. Your body is priming itself for fat storage. Now that youve compounded a slower thyroid with a loss in muscle mass, your body is now able to survive off of fewer calories. But since your body thinks it is starving it needs some stored fuel for survival. Its nothing more than a protective mechanism thats been around since humans first walked the earth so in an effort to conserve fuel your body is producing more of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase which primes your fat cells for storage. Why? Because fat is the source of fuel your body can survive off of the longest.

5. Your brain eventually sends out neurotransmitters that force you to give in and blow the diet. The binge; its the point where you cant take it anymore. Willpower (so you think) is shot and that one little cookie turns into everything the pantry and refrigerator has to offer. Heres the a-ha. It has very little to do with willpower but instead is a physiological response that drives you to the quickest source of energy; sugar and enriched carbohydrates. Why? Because your body is saying you need energy to find food you moron, youre starving. Those neurotransmitters are also driving you to the source of fuel you can live off of the longest; fat. Couple that with a body thats primed to readily convert simple sugars and enriched carbohydrates into fat and you have a bathroom scale thats going to be a ticking time bomb for delivering emotional distress about five to seven weeks after you began the diet.

Look, diets do not work for human beings if long term weight loss is the goal and this is further evidenced by Americas forever expanding waistlines. Theres no need to keep citing statistics; just look around. In a 50 billion dollar fitness and weight loss industry that almost always fails to give you what you pay for and then has you blaming yourself for failing, it is vital to understand that a diet is a flawed approach that willpower and commitment have very little to do with. Lack of commitment will only be a limiting factor to your success when you do have the right approach and a diet is not one of them. So this New Year, make a resolution to NOT go on a diet but instead to find a solution that will allow you to take control of the way you look and feel this year and the rest of the years to follow!

David Otto * All Rights Reserved

David Otto is a Personal Trainer in the Newport News/ Williamsburg area of Virginia who specializes in body transformation. For more information on how you can change the way you look and feel, send an email to DavidO635@aol.com

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5 tips for a Healthy Juvenile Diabetes Diet

5 tips for a Healthy Juvenile Diabetes Diet
By Alissa Carter

Over the last few years my own diet has changed dramatically. As someone who is blessed with a naturally slim frame I have never had to diet to lose weight, but I maintain my current healthy weight with a great diet/eating plan. In fact, if you do plan on losing more than about a stone in weight then I would visit your doctor for more tips on how to do this without risk.

To tell you that how I maintain weight is perfect would be totally wrong of me, but I can advise you to follow my steps because I know what works and what doesn't. But before I really begin I must also say that I have been brought up by great parents who taught me to eat everything, and so I do! If there is something that you don't like, there are loads of other diabetic recipes and ideas that you will eat and appreciate.

I am a student and I like to buy fresh and organic produce from where I live. I believe that this is important because it can be the most good for your body and contain more nutrients and vitamins than most supermarket produce. I like to source food from my fortnightly farmers market in town, which sells amazing meat and dairy produce and fresh in season fruit and vegetables. This is another important thing to remember, that eating fruit and veg in their season means that they will taste better as well as doing you good. I have a lot of influence from Western European cuisine (mainly France and Italy) as you will tell, but I do not profess to be a chef and everything is easy to make and very convenient.

I have read countless diet books and diabetic recipe/diet books, and I came to a conclusion that I think really works. I fused all the good things from the diets (but not from every diet) and sort of put together my own one. We will call this the Juvenile Diabetes Healthy Diet.

The ules that I would lay down are as follows:

1. Cut back on snacks and then change the type of snacks you eat.
Certainly my biggest downfall although it wasn't really apparent to me. When I first started at University, I had little or no routine which meant that filling my day was difficult and popping into the kitchen for a snack, no matter how healthy it felt, was a regular occurence. This is one of the hardest things to do for some people, but establishing a great routine is essential to great diabetes care. The types of snacks to be eating are unsalted nuts, dried unsweetened fruit, fresh fruit, fresh veg (I love fresh red pepper and cucumber), dark chocolate (richer and nicer and you only want 2 squares usually).

2. Cut back on white flour, embrace wholemeal carbs.
This is the most essential part of your diet, and the thing that can show the biggest increase in loss of weight. Some diets in fact jsut focus on this point, and are ery successful. Wholemeal (especially stoneground wholemeal) is so good for you and has so much more flavour in it that switching is much easier than you think. Most people are really surprised at the ranges you can get in you supermarket, again remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is freshest with least perservatives or added ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice is great with a lovely nutty texture. Wholemeal pasta is great and for your potatoes I would totally recommend the smaller new potatoes.

3. Stop drinking cocktails, start drinking wine.
Cocktails are full of sugar, colourants and preservatives. As a student I have had loads of practice at going out and not drinking cocktails, so my drink of choice is Malibu and Diet Coke if I feel I have to drink something and I make it last all night. I can then top up with Diet Coke (which has almost no sugar in it) and it looks as though I am drinking Malibu, who is to know. If you are out at a restaurant, red wine is much better than anything else you can order, (except water of course!) and it has been proven that the anti-oxidants in red wine are great for keeping a healthy heart. The recommended amount is one glass a day with your evening meal.

4. Start cooking more fruit and vegetables.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. And there are so many different ways in which to cook vegetables, but I find that raw is the best follwed closely by steamed. Both of these ways preserve all their natural goodness aswell. I will follow this post with another diabetes recipes post.

5. Drink more water.
I know you have heard people say this many times before, but the benefits of drinking more water are endless. A few tips on how to get more water into your day are firstly to put bottles of water at all the places you go in the house or work. So keep one in your desk, on your desk, a glass in the kitchen, the bedroom, the sitting room, etc. Try and drink all these glasses up and you will be well on your way to 8 glasses a day. The trick is to add a glass every few days or so, if you try to drink all that water in one go you won't be so inclined to drink 8 glasses again, trust me! Have a go, it's amazing how great you will feel.

For further tips on living with diabetes, visit Juvenile Diabetes blogspot

This article was submitted by Alissa Carter, she is also owner of the Prom dresses website.

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