HEALTH, DIET AND NUTRITION FAQ’s

Joe Greece asked:


Proving what most of us already knew, a recent study concludes a vegetable diet can save your life by significantly reducing hardening of arteries. Strengthening of the arteries or atherosclerosis frequently afflicts middle age people and senior citizens. The new study shows that it may be possible to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by 38% with a vegetable diet.

The study used specially bred mice that rapidly develop atherosclerosis. These mice were bred to have elevated low-density lipoprotein or LDL, also known as “bad cholesterol.” Half of the mice were fed at least 30% of their diet from freeze-dried broccoli, corn, green beans, peas and carrots. Of the mice fed the vegetable diet of 30%of total caloric intake, plaques in the blood vessel were 38% smaller than those of the mice without the vegetable diet. Lead researchers on this study said “This suggest how a diet high in vegetables may help prevent heart attacks and strokes.” This study was sponsored by General Mills Company; Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center contains NC Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Health practitioners have long recommended a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and grains to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Below are the conclusions on the importance of A Fruit and Vegetable Diet Why is a fruit and vegetable diet important? Eating vegetables provides health benefits – people who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Eating a diet that includes fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases. Eating a diet that includes fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain cancers, such as stomach, mouth, and colon-rectum cancer. Diets rich in foods that contains fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Eating fruits and vegetables rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and may help to decrease bone loss. Eating foods such as vegetables that are low in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.

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Chess McDoogle asked:


With a vegetable soup diet you can lose weight and pack your body full of nutrients. There are different approaches you can take to a vegetable soup diet. For instance you can go all out and do an exclusive vegetable soup diet, or you can simply replace it with a few of your meals, which will cut down your overall caloric intake, while adding a huge amount of nutrients to your diet that you normally would not get. Here are some extremely important vegetable soup diet pointers to keep in mind:

1. Canned vegetable soup. Buying canned vegetable soup from the store is not the way to go for a true vegetable soup diet. The sodium content is way too high and the vegetable content is often weak. This can easily lead to bloating and a false sense of nourishment and nutrition, thus not providing all the true great benefits that a vegetable soup diet can have.

2. Following an easy book recipe. Standard vegetable soup diet recipes tend to involve adding a lot of salt to the mix causing the broth to once again contain a high level of sodium. Many vegetable soup diet recipes call for potato’s which have a relatively high glycemic index count which one may not want when their goal is to lose weight with the vegetable soup diet. Keep these things in mind and don’t allow them to be the centerpiece contents of your vegetable soup diet. Use very sparingly.

3. Create the easiest, healthiest vegetable soup diet. Utilize a food processor and/or juicer. With most of these you can just stick your vegetables right in the machine and what happens is you get a puree juice from the vegetables, and you also get the left over “pulp” as well in a separate container. This makes it perfect for a vegetable soup diet. You get both the broth and leftover vegetable chunks at the same time. Now of course for your vegetable soup diet you can also add your own cut up fresh vegetables.

I make a tomato soup this way and then throw in fresh broccoli and bits of green pepper. This is not only good, but amazingly filling for a vegetable soup diet! You can also add in some fresh herbs or spices and you have a very unique, tasty, and filling vegetable soup diet that you’d never find in a can.

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Bianca Worsley asked:


Among the hundreds of detoxification diets available on television and the internet, the one popularly known as “Beyonce’s Diet” has attracted the most publicity and has gained widespread acceptance. Although Beyonce does not endorse or recommend any single diet program or products, she occasionally has spoken frankly about her success with detox dieting and vigorous exercise. You probably can credit widespread publicity for some surge in her diet’s popularity; and you probably can credit some of the diet’s acceptance to its strong similarity with a detox diet program endorsed by Oprah Winfrey’s in-house naturopath, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Still, most of the diet’s popularity derives from its simplicity and effectiveness.

Stripped of fluff and hype, Beyonce’s weight-loss program has three essential components: heavy doses of antioxidants in teas, healthy beverages, and tablets; supplemental colon cleansing with multi-herb, high-fiber tablets that promote efficient, effective digestion and peristalsis; and a regular daily routine of cardio-vascular exercise and strength training.

Unlike more extreme cleansing and weight-loss programs, Beyonce’s Diet does not automatically prohibit solid foods, but it stresses eating organically-grown fruits and vegetables, high-fiber multi-grain cereals, and legumes. The diet’s guidelines restrict consumption of meat and dairy products-especially cheeses, canned, packaged and processed foods, all of which subvert detoxification and fat-burning.

In far less technical terms, Beyonce’s Diet derives a lot of its appeal from three built-in fail-safes: it tastes good, it satisfies hunger and prevents cravings, and it is just plain healthy. Even in its most radical all-liquid form, it still tastes good and satisfies.

Colon cleansing remains the most controversial element in Beyonce’s program, because it carries some risk: Excessive cleansing can disrupt delicate equilibrium in your gastrointestinal system, robbing it of essential digestive bacteria and rendering it too alkaline. Unless a professional recommends aggressive colon cleansing, you lose just as much weight and get just as many health benefits from increasing your intake of whole-grain breads, high-fiber cereals, and low-fat yogurts, all of which provide essential nutrition and stimulate proper digestion.

Both traditional and alternative practitioners claim Beyonce’s unofficial endorsement of detox dieting represents a mixed blessing. On one hand, it encourages weight-conscious hip-hop fans-better known as teen-age girls-to eat considerably more fruits and vegetables than studies show they usually eat; and it similarly encourages them to forego their favorite burgers and fries in favor of more natural, healthier alternatives. It similarly encourages teen-aged girls to develop realistic ideals of body images and attractiveness, because Beyonce definitely has curves and muscles.

On the other hand, Beyonce’s widely-publicized results contribute to unrealistic expectations about weight loss: She reportedly lost more than thirty pounds in about a month-not excessive, but also not typical. Diet promoters tend to exaggerate the benefits of cleansing and overlook the substantial benefits of strenuous daily exercise. Successful weight loss naturally depends upon burning more calories than you take in; without exercise, burning stored fat remains almost impossible. Moreover, the Beyonce Diet’s promoters and fans frequently neglect to mention how the diet itself contributes to vigorous exercise: Because capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne pepper, has powerful pain-relieving effects, it helps the body recover from marathon dance workouts and intense strength training. More evidence of the common sense and everyday wisdom that inform Beyonce’s plan, assuring that she can stick with it and succeed.

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Dean Iggo asked:


Looking for a diet to lower triglycerides? You had your blood tested, and your doctor is telling you that if you don’t get your triglycerides down you could have a heart attack or stroke? Here’s what you need to know about eating the right diet to lower triglycerides.

What Are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a type of fatty acid in your body. When you eat more calories than you use, your body converts the excess calories into fat in the form of triglycerides and stores it in fat cells. Some of the triglycerides are always circulating in your blood. Triglycerides provide an energy reserve for your body. Whenever you need extra energy, your body breaks the triglycerides down into energy packets that your cells can use.

Excess triglycerides circulating in your blood, however, can clog up your arteries and cause damage to your pancreas. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150. If your triglycerides are above 200, they are too high. Triglycerides are usually measured as part of a “lipid panel” that also measures your cholesterol, including HDL and LDL.

Risk Factors for High Triglycerides

The most important risk factor for high triglycerides is obesity. You are also at risk for high triglycerides if you have diabetes, thyroid problems or kidney disease. Some forms of high triglycerides are inherited. Some medications, such as estrogen, birth control pills, water pills, beta blockers and steroids, can cause high triglycerides. Eating too much sugar and fat, and drinking alcohol can also cause high triglycerides.

Eating a Healthy Diet to Lower Triglycerides

Diet and exercise are the best way to lower your triglycerides. If you cannot get your triglyceride levels low enough with diet and exercise, you may need to take triglyceride-lowering medications. Here are the dietary guidelines for lowering triglycerides:

Decrease your calories and increase your activity. You have to use more energy than you take in if you want to lower your triglycerides. There is no magic bullet.

Eliminate sweets, sugars and processed carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are fine. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Complex carbohydrates are nutrient rich, and contain vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including antioxidants.

White sugar is poison to you. It causes your blood sugar to spike and fall until you develop insulin resistance. It contains no nutrients, only energy. It converts almost immediately to triglycerides. Corn syrup and corn sugars are just as bad, and they are in everything. Read labels, and watch out for sweeteners and flavorings. Any ingredient that ends in –ose or –ol is probably some kind of sugar.

Count carbs and don’t eat a lot of high calorie, high carbohydrate foods. Lean meat, fruits and vegetables, and low fat dairy products should make up the bulk of what you eat.

Watch the amount and type of fat in your diet. Eliminate saturated and trans fats. Use small amounts of monosaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil. Add omega-3 fats by eating fish or adding flax seed to your food.

Don’t drink. Alcohol causes triglyceride levels to rise rapidly. If you are trying to lower your triglycerides you should eliminate alcohol from your diet.

For more information on a diet to lower triglycerides, check out the DASH diet or the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Change) diet.

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John Davenport asked:


The Lemonade Diet (better known as the Master Cleanse) has been around for decades since it was first created by Stanley Burroughs. Since then, it has been used by thousands of people including some celebrities like Beyonce. But does the Lemonade Diet really work? This article will attempt to answer that question and more.

The Lemonade Diet is a detox diet. This diet flushes your body clean of toxins and pollutants which have accumulated inside of it. It can product a tremendous weight loss in a very short time. In that sense, the Lemonade Diet does work. The singer Beyonce herself lost 20 pounds with it, and I know of other people who have also lost weight by following this diet. However, no lemonade diet review will be complete without stating that this isn’t such an easy diet to follow. The detox occurs when you eat very little, and lemons actually make a substantial part of your eating when you use this diet.

The good thing is that you’re only supposed to follow this diet for 3-10 days at the most. Over that and it can be unhealthy. So, this diet can produce results fast. However, it is only good as a kick start for a more traditional exercise and eating routine. Something you can follow for months and years.

This means that you may use this program to get your weight loss process off the ground and shed a lot of pounds. But afterwards, you need to start working out and eating sensibly to continue losing weight and improve your health and fitness levels.

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Gordon Bryan asked:


I don’t know about you, but if I had to pick a diet to go for from a list of names, this one has got to be a pretty early choice!

A diet that involves maple syrup? How about throwing in some waffles for good luck!
So, is this a diet that’s as good as it sounds…?

Well, no, not really.

If you follow it you’ll lose weight, for sure, but once you’ve read the reason for the weight loss, you probably won’t be so keen – at least I hope not!

You don’t, as you may have guessed, pop open a tube of maple syrup and sit back for some heavy duty pancakes, the maple syrup in question is more like tree sap, and when you combine it with cayenne pepper, water and lemon, you have the basis of the diet.

If you’re thinking ‘that cant be all there is?’ well that *is* all!

You survive on this concoction and nothing else.

It was originally written as a detox plan, but let’s put aside for now the fact that our liver, kidneys and pancreas were designed for natural detox, it’s the weight loss aspect that I want to focus on.

How does this diet cause you to lose weight? By only giving you about 500 calories a day, that’s how!

The weight will *always* come off at that low level of calories, the initial water loss if nothing else will see huge results.

The plan itself recommends it for only short doses, so how much evidence do you need that it’s unhealthy, when it says so itself! Any diet must pass the basic test of being sustainable for it to even be considered.

The maple syrup diet fails, miserably. Unhealthy, unpleasant to stick to, with absolutely no long term benefits.

The maple syrup diet may have a sweet name, but don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s something it isn’t.

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Rachel Newman asked:


The diet generator is the most important element of the Idiot Proof Diet. In fact, without it, the diet wouldn’t work at all. Of course, the idiot proof diet handbook is very important, but the diet generator takes precedence. But what is the idiot proof diet generator and what does it do?

As I said, this is the heart of the Idiot diet. The reason for this is that it is programmed to produce a calorie shifting menu from the list of food items the user of the diet chooses.

Each person who uses the diet selects his or her favorite food items from a long list of available items. In this way each person gets a menu comprised of their favorite foods, which makes the diet much easier to do and stick to for a long time. But the items themselves need to be presented in a specific way which fits the calorie shifting weight loss method. This is the job of the diet menu generator, and this is why I say it is the heart of the diet.

It produces a menu for 11 days, after which the user gets 3 days to eat what he or she wants. Then the user can produce a new 11 day menu. It can be an entirely different menu since it is again made up of the food items the user of the diet chooses to eat.

The Idiot Proof Diet generator has a vegetarian version as well as a regular version, so basically everyone can do the diet.

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Robert Hills asked:


The role of diet and nutrition is very important in Crohn’s disease and should be considered as an important add-on treatment to medical therapies. Although there is no evidence to show that the condition is caused by nutritional factors, the food you eat can affect the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.

Dietary guidelines for Crohn’s disease vary depending on the severity of the disease, location of the inflammation, and symptoms. As crohns disease is characterized by inflammation along the digestive tract it is often difficult for the body to absorb enough of the essential nutrients that it needs to function well. In addition, people with Crohn’s disease often experience a decrease in appetite.

During an acute phase of crohns disease, bulky foods, milk and milk products may increase diarrhea and cramping. Generally, the patient is advised to eat a well-balanced diet, with adequate protein and calories. Diet may have to be restricted based on symptoms or complications.

Because Crohn’s Disease affects the area of the intestines where a lot of the absorption of nutrients takes place, taking supplements is usually advised. The greatest amount of digestion takes place just beyond the stomach in the small intestine. An inflamed intestine as in the case with Crohn’s Disease is not able to fully absorb and digest the nutrients from food. As a result Crohn’s Disease sufferers are often unable to properly digest and absorb carbohydrates, fats, proteins as well as many vitamins and minerals. Over 40 percent of individuals diagnosed with Crohns Disease showed that they can eat enough food but can’t absorb it adequately, especially carbohydrates. A high quality nutritional supplement can provide the nutrients the body needs for proper health.

Here are some general dietary guidelines for Crohn’s disease:
Eat a well-balanced diet Drink plenty of fluids to offset losses from diarrhea Consult with your doctor if you need to take vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements Limit high-fiber foods (whole grains, raw vegetables and fruits, beans and nuts) Avoid foods that seem to worsen the symptoms Limit dairy products

What is the best Diet for Crohns Disease?

Unfortunately there is no single effective Crohn’s disease diet which will reduce symptoms for all patients. A Chrons disease diet may vary from individual to individual and may need to be changed, depending on symptoms or complications.

Most dietitians with experience of Crohn’s disease simply recommend a healthy balanced diet free of any foods that aggravate the symptoms. Generally, foods that make Crohn’s disease symptoms worse are processed products, gas-forming fruits and vegetables, alcohol, lactose, caffeine and foods high in fat.

Choosing a proper diet for Chron’s disease is important. The detection of foods that seem to worsen the symptoms and the introduction of foods that help ease them is a slow but essential part of overcoming Chron’s disease.

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Alen I Green asked:


These days it is really easy to follow Mediterranean diet menu because most of the restaurants have a choice of Mediterranean dishes, so that is not a problem to eat outside.
The majority of Mediterranean dishes are easy to prepare, because most of the products shouldn’t be prepared, you just need to cut them.

Especially easy to cook are all kinds of pasta (just boil it for about 15 minutes).
Also you can call it simple diet because you do not need to count anything; you just need to eat named types of products.

While the diet does not cause a big weight loss, it helps develop a habit for a healthy diet that permanently eliminates the dropped kilograms (you will lose 1 kilogram per week).
The diet gives you an opportunity to choose from a variety of tasty dishes.

There are a few restrictions on the amount of food and alcohol (do not consume more than 100-150 grams of fish and meat a day and not to drink more than one glass of wine a day. This diet is very healthy in lowering pressure and normalizing level of cholesterol in blood. Many people who tried to follow this diet claim that it helps reduce pain if you have arthritis.

Sample menu for the day:

Breakfast – some fruit, a bit of fresh bread and fruit juice or water.
Lunch – salad with tuna, anchovies, olives, olive oil and several cups of water.
Dinner – a large sweet pepper stuffed with rice, meat, tomatoes and herbs, sprinkled with olive oil and baked; salad and fresh bread; a glass of red wine.

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Glen D. Williams asked:


It never seems to fail! Every month, a bazillion new fad diets are started to sell a book, seminar or food product. Every month, a mega-bazillion people risk their health, even their lives, for the fast and easy way to look like the latest super-model. You may even lose weight, but fad diets can have serious side effects. Of course, you should consult your doctor about any diet program, but this article will review some of the effects of the fad diet and suggest an alternative.

The Fad Diet-Lose Weight Fast And Easy: It kind of makes sense to stay away from anything that claims to be fast and easy. Fast and easy diet claims are especially dangerous. While researching weight loss on the Internet, I found hundreds of different fast and easy diet plans, from a vinegar diet, to fasting, to all liquids. I don’t have to tell you. If you’re reading this, you probably saw all those and are hoping this article will give you something new. Instead of the new fast and easy fad methods, we’re going to suggest a boring, old, slow and hard method that’s safe, healthy and permanent. That’s because, even the best fad methods place serious starvation stress on the body.

Starvation Effects: Many people wonder why they can’t just stop eating or take some other drastic action, like eating only carrots to get the pain of dieting over quickly. Even the nutrient-rich liquids and other, more reputable fads put the body under the effects of starvation, causing serious stress to the system. Unless the weight loss is gradual and the nutrients are balanced, all kinds of negative health effects can come from dieting starvation. Low carbohydrate diets can put too many of the wrong kinds of fats into our bodies. Low protein, vegetarian diets can lead to muscle wasting. All of the rapid weight loss programs carry significant risk. If someone is saying you can safely lose more than 2 pounds per week, take the program to your doctor before committing. The fads seem to always have the before and after pictures and success stories, but no one wants to hear from those who didn’t succeed, or worse, got sick following the diet program.

Heart Attack, Stroke And Coma: Fortunately, the seriously dangerous diet programs get shut down quickly. Unfortunately, for every one that’s shut down it seems a dozen start up. Dieting is serious business. People diet because they have over-indulged in the eating arena. Often, they want a fast remedy, so they can get back to over-indulgence. Fad diets are almost always fast programs that alter our nutritional balance. Many programs have caused illness and death from heart attack, stroke, hypoglycemic coma, anorexia nervosa, etc. We can’t have all the cake we want and a trim figure, too. When it comes to eating, if we try to get it all we risk losing it all.

Gain Weight Fast: Let’s talk about what happens if we succeed in our weight goals using a fad diet. Now, after months of denying ourselves, we have to find some way to live our thinner lives without a permanent diet plan. Fad diets…even the recently popular and successful low carb plans show a very rapid weight gain by those transitioning from the diets. We can’t go back to normal eating because that’s what made us fat, but no one has taught us how to do anything but go on a weight loss diet. The weight loss and gain roller coaster keeps our bodies in a perpetual state of stress, which, incidentally, increases our appetites. There has to be a more sensible approach.

Using Common Sense: The sensible approach is what we were taught since elementary school. We can lose weight by following a healthy eating plan. It’s the well-balanced diet your doctor has been telling you about since you’ve had a doctor. I wish I hadn’t waited until I was 100 pounds overweight and had diabetes before I caught on to this plan. Yes, it’s old and boring! Nobody’s going to like you when you tell them you lost the weight by the “eating right” diet. Yes, it’s slow! It could take you 3-4 times the fad diet schedule, to reach your ideal weight. Here’s some good news about eating right to lose weight: It’s the safest method! It’s permanent! That’s right! You never have to be on a weight loss diet again, because what you did to lose the weight is what you continue to do to maintain it.

So, we can stay on the dangerous fad diet roller coaster, or we can eliminate fad diets entirely by eating a well-balanced diet all the time.

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