3 Valuable Effects of the Mediterranean Diet Regimen

A Look at Research into the Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

Introduction

Significant research studies have been undertaken since 1970
designed to isolate the benefits of the Mediterranean diet
scheme. While the research into the possible benefits of the
Mediterranean diet is ongoing and not yet complete, scientists,
researchers and nutritionists from around the globe have
concluded from their extensive research that the Mediterranean
diet is beneficial on a number of levels:

1. Reducing the incidence of certain diseases

2. Increasing longevity

3. Providing for an overall healthier lifestyle

The Mediterranean Diet and Disease Risk Reduction

Over the course of the past thirty years, a significant amount
of research has been undertaken to consider the possibility that
the Mediterranean diet might be useful in lowering the incidence
of certain types of diseases. A number of significant studies
have been undertaken in this regard, including research that has
included an analysis of the dining habits in people in different
countries around the world over time.

These studies initially were motivated by the fact that the
people who populate the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea
tended to have lower incidents of different types of serious
diseases that are on the increase in many different countries
around the world. In this regard, researchers wanted to
determine whether the reason the people of the Mediterranean
region seemed to enjoy better health was environmentally driven
or the result of their particular diet regimens.

These studies have demonstrated that Mediterranean diet appears
to be effective in lowering the incidence of certain types of
diseases:

1. Cancer (including breast cancer and colorectal cancer)

2. Coronary Disease

3. Other Cardiovascular Disease

Hypertension

The Mediterranean Diet and Increased Longevity

Of course, it goes without saying that if a person is able to
reduce the risks of certain diseases through his or her diet,
that person has a far better chance of living a longer life. In
addition, it has been demonstrated that the substantial benefits
of the Mediterranean diet have a cumulative effect on and for
the human body.

What this means is that the longer a person follows the dining
practices of the peoples of the Mediterranean region, the more
ingrained the benefits of the diet become within the body. In
simple terms, by utilizing and practicing the Mediterranean diet
over time, a person will enjoy lasting benefits that will
prolong his or her life.

By way of example, one might consider the negative consequences
of smoking. If you elect to smoke cigarettes over a long period
of time, you will cause irreparable harm to your body.
Conversely, if you diligently follow the guidelines of the
Mediterranean diet over time, your body will enjoy definitive
and lasting benefits that will include good health and a longer
life.

The Mediterranean Diet and Your General Health

Research has demonstrated that people who follow the
Mediterranean diet are afflicted with fewer minor ailments such
as colds and the flu than are their counterparts who follow
other types of dining routines. In short, and on many levels,
research over the course of three decades that people who follow
a Mediterranean diet are afflicted with fewer illnesses, have
more energy and suffer from the effects of being overweight or
obese far less often than people who utilized other dietary
practices.

Conclusion

In summary, research suggests that the Mediterranean diet can
provide you with solid and lasting benefits on three crucial
fronts:

1. Lowering the risks of serious diseases and ailments

2. Adding years to your life

3. Keeping you healthy on a day to day basis

Any one of these tremendous benefits warrants a person taking a
close look at adopting the Mediterranean diet regimen into his
or her daily routine.






Why the Mediterranean Diet is Good for Women

Six Reasons the Mediterranean Diet Promotes Good Health

Introduction

Over the course of the past forty years, women the world over
have become particularly concerned about their diets. They have
become concerned about diet related issues for two primary
reasons:

Women have expressed concern over how a particular diet plan
effects their appearances

Women have expressed concern over how a particular dies plan
effects their health

As a result, a growing number of women have found themselves
attracted to the Mediterranean diet. When it comes to the
Mediterranean diet, there are six primary reasons why women find
themselves strongly attracted to the diet regimen.

Weight Loss and Healthy Weight Maintenance

In many countries around the world, a record number of women are
being classified as overweight and even obese. As a result, a
growing number of women find themselves seeking effective and
healthy dieting regimens to lower their weight to appropriate
levels -- for both cosmetic as well as health reasons.

The Mediterranean diet has proven itself to be very effective at
providing a means through which women can lose weight in a
healthy manner. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet has proven
incredibly effective as being a solid path a woman can take to
maintain a generally ideal and healthy weight.

Anti-oxidants and Aging

The Mediterranean diet regimen is flush with foods that are rich
in anti-oxidants. This includes leafy, dark green vegetables as
well as certain fish that are common features in this dietary
scheme.

Anti-oxidants have been proven to slow the appearance of aging
in women. Additionally, anti-oxidants have been demonstrated as
being effective at preventing organ and skin deterioration in
women. The consumption of foods that are high in anti-oxidants
has been proven to enhance longevity in both women and men.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is an ailment in which a person ends up
afflicted with both Type Two diabetes and hypertension. Most
experts believe that diet can play a significant role in
reducing the likelihood of metabolic syndrome in men and women
who are prone to the ailment.

Without exception, medical experts who have studied the cause
and effect of metabolic syndrome universally have agreed that
the Mediterranean diet is the perfect dietary scheme to prevent
and control metabolic syndrome.

Heart Disease

Multiple studies in a number of different countries have
concluded that the adoption of the Mediterranean diet lowers the
incidence of heart disease in women (and men). Indeed, an
analysis of the incidence of heart disease in the Mediterranean
nations suggests that the use of the Mediterranean diet can
lower the incidence of heart disease in women from twenty-five
to forty percent.

Hypertension

Recent scientific studies have examined the rising incidence of
hypertension amongst women. Many researchers attribute the
increase in hypertension amongst women in recent years to a
number of changes that have occurred in their lives, including:

-- a greater number of women entering the workforce

-- a growing number of women being forced to juggle the raising
of children with a full time career

-- the food and beverage choices that women are making in the
21st century

Research studies in a dozen different countries over the course
of the past twenty years have suggested that the Mediterranean
diet is effective at lowering the incidence of hypertension in
men and women. Because the Mediterranean diet is high if fruit,
vegetables and whole grains and because the diet is low in
saturated fats, most nutritionists and other experts believe
that the dietary scheme works to lower hypertension in both men
and women.

The Mediterranean diet combined with regular exercise has been
demonstrated to have a marked effect on reducing the incidence
of hypertension amongst middle aged women.

Breast Cancer

Perhaps the most important "ingredient" of the Mediterranean
diet is olive oil. Save for fresh fruits and vegetables (in most
instances) olive oil universally is present in the Mediterranean
diet. As a result, on the surface, the diet scheme appears to be
high in fat. Indeed, upwards to thirty percent of the caloric
intake of the Mediterranean diet does come fat. What is
important to keep in mind is that nearly 100% of the fat in the
Mediterranean diet is unsaturated and comes directly from olive
oil. In other words, the fat in the Mediterranean diet
essentially is healthy. Olive oil, and the fat contained in the
product, simply does not trigger the negative consequences that
flow from saturated fats, from animal fats.

In addition, there have been several important scientific
studies undertaken in the past decade that have demonstrated
that a diet high in olive oil works to lower the risk of breast
cancer in women. Thus, one of the beneficial results of adopting
the Mediterranean diet is a lowering of the risk for breast
cancer.






Atkins Diet - Good or Bad? The 6 Steps Analysis

The Atkins diet, without a doubt, has been the most controversial diet of all time. Seldom does a week go by that the news media does not mention the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972 by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, is considered the most extreme of the low carb diets. Hundreds of research studies by universities and research teams throughout North America, Europe, and Asia have been conducted on the Atkins diet. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan The Atkins diet, as with any diet program, has its good and bad points - but, whatever side you are on, one thing is for sure. Dr. Atkins, and the Atkins diet, has done for the diet and nutrition industry what Mohammad Ali did for the boxing industry. Dr. Atkins created new awareness and introduced new concepts that will forever affect how we look at diets for weight loss as well as diets for health. Although the low carb diet was first written about in the late 1800's, low carb dieting truly came to life with the birth of the Atkins diet. Let's take a look at three good and bad points of the Atkins diet. Atkins diet - the good stuff. 1. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT FASTER THAN ANY OTHER DIET. The human body is designed to use two different fuels to sustain life - glucose from carbs or ketones from fat. Glucose is the primary fuel, fat the backup. Every weight loss diet is based on the concept of burning fat. Conventional diets generally are designed to burn fat by starvation - by eating fewer calories than you use every day. This causes the body to dip into its reserve energy source - the fat surrounding your abdomen and your thighs first. The Atkins diet approaches fat burning a different way. It limits the glucose (carb) intake so the body adjusts itself to using ketones (fat) as its primary fuel. Normally within three to four days of starting, your body is literally a fat burning machine on the Atkins diet. 2. THE ATKINS DIET DOESN'T LEAVE YOU HUNGRY. Unlike most conventional diets, the Atkins diet is not based so much on calorie intake. Dr. Atkins does, however, warn that you should not stuff yourself but only eat until satisfied. Also, since you are replacing carbs with protein, and the main protein source is meat, a high percentage of each meal will consist of meat and fat. Meat and fat are more fulfilling and much slower to digest. Not only do you feel more satisfied at dinner, but it will stay with you longer on the Atkins diet. 3. THE ATKINS DIET IS SAFE AND HEALTHY. The vast majority of studies show the Atkins diet to be extremely healthy, in comparison to other conventional weight loss and lifestyle diets. Nearly every study shows the Atkins diet the winner in reducing cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. In addition, many cases of acid reflux, sleep apnea, and diabetes have either had the symptoms reduced or completely disappear while on the Atkins diet. Also, you'll often hear "we have no way of knowing the long term safety of low carb diets". Fact is, the Atkins diet has been around for over 30 years - longer than most other weight loss programs. Although first written about at the end of the 19th century, the low carb diet has actually been around for centuries prior to that. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan How so? The North American Eskimo. Their diet has primarily been no or very low carbs. Yet chronic diseases that are epidemic today, such as diabetes and heart disease, were practically unknown among the Eskimos. At least this was true until they were introduced to sugar and white flour. The Eskimos have been well studied and found to be a healthy and hardy bunch, even after centuries of living on a low carb diet. Yes - a low carb diet much more extreme than even the Atkins diet. Atkins Diet - The Bad Stuff. 4. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT TOO QUICKLY. The primary concern here is toxic overload. When toxins enter you body, either from environmental sources or from additives in prepared foods, your body's defense mechanism will quickly try to eliminate them through the liver and kidneys. Quite often the overload is such that the body will also hide some of these toxins in your fat cells. When burning fat these toxins are released again into your bloodstream. You can experience toxic overload when you burn fat too fast, as in the first weeks or months of the Atkins diet. 5. THE ATKINS DIET CAUSES FATIGUE. Yes, initially it does - for a couple of reasons. First, switching fuels from glucose to ketones is stressful to the body. It's a drastic change in your metabolism. You might say it's similar to mild drug withdrawal. Many people actually do have a "carb addiction" and not even realize it. Secondly, as we learned a minute ago, your body will quite likely be working hard dealing with toxic overload if burning fat too fast, as early in the Atkins diet. 6. THE ATKINS DIET LACKS GOOD NUTRITION. Plant life is the basic nutritional source for all living creatures, including humans. When an animal eats plants, some of the nutrients, such as calcium and other minerals, are sent to different parts of the body where needed. And even if we eat an animal from nose to tail, including the bones, we are still missing some of these nutrients and essential enzymes that are burned up in the metabolic process. Good nutrition suffers when we drastically limit carbs, particularly with the induction phase of the Atkins diet. Atkins Diet - Is It Right for You? The Atkins diet has been proven safe, effective and Dr. Atkins' nutritional concepts are basically sound. This is probably the best choice for fast weight loss for an upcoming wedding or cruise - or to jump start your new life. A lot of water and a GOOD vitamin supplement are strongly recommended with ANY diet, but particularly with the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet can be adjusted to a less aggressive program if you have a lot of weight to lose and wisely choose to lose the pounds more slowly over a longer period of time. This would be less stressful, much healthier and give the stretched skin a chance to shrink. Skipping the induction phase is one way. You may find this more sustainable over the long haul using the Atkins diet. One important key to health and success with any low carb diet is to make every carb count by choosing nutrient dense live carbs. These include fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and green beans. This is critical where total carbs are very limited - such as with the first two stages of the Atkins diet. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan Â



Diet and Weight Loss Tips


Strip That Fat Diet - This is a very fun and easy online diet. It consists of an online diet generator which lets you create your own meal plans, 2 diet books, a recipe book and a calories guide.


Master Cleanse Recipe - Master Cleanse Diet is sometimes known as the Lemonade Diet. It has become very popular since Beyonce Knowles publicly stated that this diet allowed her to lose huge amounts of weight.


Easy Veggie Meal Plans - is a fat loss system that shows you how to make delicious, filling, and healthy vegetarian meals that will help you burn belly fat fast while improving or maintaining your health and energy.




Five Reasons Why the Mediterranean Diet is a Healthy Choice in the 21st Century

If you are a person who has been on the hunt for a solid diet plan, you may feel overwhelmed much of the time. In the 21st century it is nearly impossible for a person to turn on a television set or open a newspaper without being bombarded with advertisements for a variety of different diet plans and products. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan With the tremendous array of diet plans, programs, supplements and aids on the market, it can seem nearly impossible to select a diet plan that can and will best meet your needs now and into the future. More importantly, it can be hard to discern if one or another of these various diet schemes actually is a healthy course to pursue. In many instances, fad diets really are not based on the fundamentals of healthy living. As you go forward considering what type of diet plan or regimen will best serve your interests and improve your health into the future, you will want to take a look at the benefits that can be had through the Mediterranean diet. While there are multiple reasons why the Mediterranean diet is a healthy approach, there are five primary reasons why the Mediterranean diet is a good choice. 1. The Benefits of Fruits, Vegetable, Fiber and Whole Grains A major component of the Mediterranean diet includes the regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Medical experts and nutritionists universally agree that a person should eat between five and six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables (or steamed items) on a daily basis. People who adhere to the Mediterranean diet actually end up eating more than the minimum recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables. As a result, nutritionists in different parts of the world have taken to recommending a Mediterranean based diet regimen to their clients. Similarly, doctors who consult with their patients about healthy eating practices oftentimes find themselves recommending the Mediterranean diet in this day and age. Beyond fruits and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet includes healthy amounts of dietary fiber and whole grains. Fiber and whole grains have proven effective in lowering the incidence of heart disease and some types of cancer. 2. The Benefits of Olive Oil -- Avoiding Saturated Fat Some people have a fundamental misperception about the Mediterranean diet. These people have heard that the Mediterranean diet is high in fat. On some level, there is some truth in the conception that the Mediterranean diet is higher in fat than are some other dieting programs. A person following the Mediterranean diet does take in about thirty percent of his or her daily calories from fat. (Most diets recommended the intake of calories from fat at the rate of about thirteen to fifteen percent per day. However, these diets are contemplating the ingesting of animal fat.) The vast majority of fat that a person on the Mediterranean diet consumes comes from olive oil. In other words, the fat found in the Mediterranean diet is not the dangerous saturated fat that can cause disease, obesity and other health concerns. In fact, research has demonstrated that there are a number of solid benefits to consuming olive oil, including a reduction of the risk of the incidence of breast cancer in women. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan 3. Dairy in Moderation While the consumption of low or non-fat dairy products in moderation can be beneficial in some instances, many people the world over rely on heavy creams, eggs and other fat filled dairy products in their daily diets. The Mediterranean diet is low in dairy. Indeed, any dairy products that actually are included within the diet regimen is low fat. A person is considered an extremely heavy egg eater if he or she consumes four eggs in a week. 4. Red Meat in Moderation Very little red meat is included within the Mediterranean diet. When it comes to meat items, this diet relies on moderate amounts of lean poultry and fresh fish. As a result, people who follow the Mediterranean diet plan have lower levels of “bad” cholesterol and higher levels of “good: cholesterol. In addition, because of the inclusion of lean, fresh fish in the diet, adherents to the Mediterranean diet enjoy the anti-oxidant benefits that are found in certain fish oils and products. 5. A Well Balanced Dieting Scheme In the final analysis, the Mediterranean diet is gaining acclaim from experts and adherents the world over because it is a balanced dieting program. Study after study demonstrate that a balanced diet that is low in fat and that includes fruits, vegetable, whole grains and lean meat works to ensure total health and wellness. Conclusion The Mediterranean diet is a comprehensive regimen for healthy living. By following the strictures of the Mediterranean diet, a person can enjoy improved wellness, a reduction of the risk of certain diseases and, in many instances, a longer life. Click Here Get Best Fat Loss Health Diet Plan Â



Diet and Weight Loss Tips


Strip That Fat Diet - This is a very fun and easy online diet. It consists of an online diet generator which lets you create your own meal plans, 2 diet books, a recipe book and a calories guide.


Master Cleanse Recipe - Master Cleanse Diet is sometimes known as the Lemonade Diet. It has become very popular since Beyonce Knowles publicly stated that this diet allowed her to lose huge amounts of weight.


Easy Veggie Meal Plans - is a fat loss system that shows you how to make delicious, filling, and healthy vegetarian meals that will help you burn belly fat fast while improving or maintaining your health and energy.




Diabetes Diet - The Low Glycemic Index Diet is Much More Than Just a Fad Diet

A diabetes diet is crucial when a person suffers from diabetes. The low glycemic index diet is not a special food package but is just a little more than a diet plan for healthy living for people in general. A low gi diet is not a special food that is packaged by a pharmaceutical company, and can be purchased off the shelf.

DIETARY CONTROL AND WEIGHT CONTROL

Dietary control in type 1 diabetes is very important. This diabetes diet focuses on balancing insulin intake with food intake and energy expenditure from physical activity. Diet counseling and teaching is a must for the diabetic to know what works out best for them. Weight control is an especially important part of the management of type 2 diabetes. Weight loss, in any case, should not be the only or even the primary goal for people concerned about their health. Nevertheless, weight loss should be a big concern since overweight conditions will typically aggravate the diabetic condition. Weight loss through diet and exercise is especially important for overweight people with pre-diabetes as well.

CHOLESTEROL

Diabetics should stick with unsaturated fats, since animal fats and trans fatty acids are a major source of cholesterol and have a variety of negative effects on the health of the heart, especially for the diabetics. For many years, soy was promoted as a food that could help lower cholesterol and improve heart disease risk factors. But an important 2006 American Heart Association (AHA) review of studies found that soy protein and isoflavone supplement pills do not really have any decisive effects on cholesterol or heart disease prevention. Reducing consumption of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids is the first essential step in managing cholesterol levels through a diabetes diet. Low-fat diets that are high in whole grains, fiber, legumes, and fresh produce offer health advantages for cholesterol control.

In diabetes diets fats should make up about 30%-35% of the caloric intake, but that does not mean just any type will do. Low carb diets generally restrict the amount of carbohydrates but do not restrict protein sources. The American Diabetes Association states that low-fat diets can help reduce weight in the short term (up to 1 year). Research indicates that chromium, zinc and magnesium-rich diets may help lower type 2 diabetes risk.

THE GLYCEMIC INDEX

People who have diabetes should use the glycemic index to select foods, especially among carbohydrates. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates, certain foods or food groups, according to the effects they have on your glycemia, which can help you decide the best things to include in your diabetes diet plan. The glycemic index helps determine which carbohydrate-containing foods raise blood glucose levels more or less quickly after a meal. That is the basement of the low glycemic index diet. A major analysis suggested that choosing foods with low glycemic index scores may have a significant effect on controlling the surge in blood sugar after meals. Substituting low for high-glycemic index foods may also help prevent weight gain.

One easy way to improve the glycemic index of a meal is to simply replace sugar and starches with legumes (dried peas, beans, and lentils) and whole grains. Adding foods with organic acids (pickles, yogurt) to meals may reduce the impact of foods with high glycemic scores on blood sugar. A study on children with type 1 diabetes suggested that the glycemic index offered as many choices as other diets, i.g. the exchange diet, and they did not report feeling any greater limitations. Foods high on the glycemic index include bread, white potatoes, and pasta while low-glycemic foods include whole grains, fruit, lentils, and soybeans.

A healthy diabetes diet is basically a balanced diet. In general, a low glycemic index diet is not very different from the healthy, balanced diet doctors recommend for everyone. For people who have diabetes, the treatment goal for a diabetes diet is to achieve near normal blood sugar levels.

There is no such thing as a single diabetes diet, though. There is no longer a single diabetes diet that will suit everyone. Furthermore, if you are suffering from diabetes, then enhancing your knowledge level with more of diabetes diet information is a must. Though the administration of insulin and medication is necessary, a healthy diet based on the low glycemic diet information will go a long way in seeing you living a healthy life. The best way to control your blood sugar starts with the most up-to-date diabetes diet information available.

Go ahead, learn more about the low glycemic index diet. There are plenty of sites in the Internet to take this first step. And then, start your own healthy diet as soon as possible!





JOSE TALAVERA - Health advisor. Diabetes expert, consultant and author. If you like this article, please visit the web site below for more advice and resources for diabetics: http://conquer-diabetes.blogspot.com. Otherwise, you can also visit a low GI diet review site to read an honest testimonial: http://low-gi-diet-breakthrough-review.blogspot.com




Fast Diet Or Fast, Safe, Healthy Diet?

A Fast Diet program is something that every overweight person wanting to lose weight desires. That's why, numerous diets billed as 'fast diets' have cropped up, some of which do work quickly.

However, that is only part of the picture. While a Fast Diet may produce quick results, it invariably involves health risks. Only a diet that follows a specific scientific principle can truly be a Fast Diet that is also safe and healthy.

Three Types Of Diets Despite all the grand terminology used to describe them, basically, dieting programs are of three types: the first are those that focus on reducing food (calorie) intake to burn off excess fat in the body. These are purely starvation ones.

The second type are those that use non-conventional, medically unrecommended tactics to burn off excess fat in the body, while at the same time also restricting your food consumption.

The third type is those which burn off fat through regulating food intake in a manner that ensures not only fast weight loss, and also safe and healthy ones.

All three types work in varying degrees but, while the first type involves ill-advised starvation, the second one involves consuming foods, such as alkali ones, that can affect your health.

Risks

Starvation, for instance, because of the deprivation of food, deprives your body of vital nutrients such as, proteins and vitamins that are necessary to keep your energy levels high. Lack of these nutrients leads to health complications, such as, deficiency diseases, besides leaving you feeling week and hungry.

Similarly, non-conventional diets, such as acid alkali ones, for example, can lead to alkalosis marked by symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, numbness, tingling sensations, muscle spasm, light-headedness and twitching of muscles.

Fast, Safe And Healthy Diets

For a diet to produce results quickly and yet remain safe and healthy, it ought to effectively burn off the fat already stored in your body, not just the food that you eat, while at the same time providing your body with its daily requirement of nutrients.

It is a scientific fact that this can be achieved by shifting the calories you eat in such a way as to stimulate your body to effectively burn off the stored fat in your body.

Any dieting program that uses the shifting calorie method is not only going to truly burn off fat quickly, but will also be a safe and healthy one. This is the kind that must be your first choice.

These are the third type of diets and their hallmark is that they make you eat your usual foods, but in different combinations, so that your body gets all its nutrition, while at the same time burning off excess fat present in your body.

The problem, however, is that, though safe and healthy they maybe, almost none of the third type of diets are based on any well-researched tangible scientific theory to produce quick results.

Instead, they are mostly good old home remedies being sold as commercial diets under the name of a fast diet.

Largely, these diets are put-together by those who know more about making money, than those who have any real knowledge about how the human body works. That is why, though these are safe, they do not work rapidly and the weight you lose through them is limited and takes a long time.

Proven Diet

From among the so-called fast and safe diets of the third type, only one diet really employs the shifting calories method. This diet has provided amazing, quick and safe results for hundreds of thousands of overweight people. This diet also provides various options, such as vegetarian and non-vegetarian and works wonders for those who follow it as instructed, without cheating. The diet is called Fat Loss 4 Idiots and produces clearly visible results in as little as 2 weeks. It is also a very easy to follow.

It is beyond the scope of this article to get into detailed analysis and information about this diet, but you can read it all from this author at this website: Fatloss4Idiots Exclusive.

Whatever else you do concerning dieting, remember to opt for a fast diet program that is also safe and healthy. There is no point in losing weight at the expense of ending up with more serious other health complications.





About The Author: Oliver D'Souza is an accomplished journalist and weight loss researcher. He also runs a Weight Loss products review website called Fat Loss Exclusive




Sonoma Diet Reviewed: The Pros & Cons Of The Sonoma Diet!

Can you imagine yourself basking in the sun while enjoying a plate full of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats? In between each portion of food or meal you are sipping a glass of fine wine, aware of your location surrounded by hikers, bikers, and small slopes scattered with olive trees?

Well, whether you can or not this is the scenario offered by one of the latest diet programs available. The Sonoma Diet by Dr. Connie Gutterson is a Weight Loss Plan that promotes the healthy flavourful eating style of the Mediterranean and Sonoma Valley, California. However is all this self-promotion, self-marketing illusions to attract customers, or will does it actually work?

This article answers this question by detailing the Pro's & Con's within the Sonoma Diet to help prospective dieters determine whether the program will suit them.


The Sonoma Diet:
Pros


- SIMPLE:

The Sonoma Diet is extremely simple for dieters to use. There are no formulas to calculate as with the Weight Watchers Program, and no counting grams or calories daily. Rather plate and bowl sizes are used for portion control.

- EMPHASISE THE POSITIVE:

The emphasis of the Sonoma Diet Program is on what you do eat rather than what you cannot eat. Although the program does still have a list of forbidden foods that dieters are supposed to avoid.

- SAVOR THE FOOD:

There is focus within the Sonoma Diet on eating slower and savouring food. This is punctuated by healthy use of fine wines with meals after the initial 10-day period. By using tasteful recipes meals are enjoyed, and by slowing down dieters prevent over-eating.

- NUTRITION:

The Sonoma Diet has a strong nutritional component, promoting dieters eating a number of phytonutrients and antioxidants. This is key for the diet as it is based on nutrition not starvation. The dieter remains healthy and keeps their metabolism rate at an effective level.

- WHOLE FOOD EMPHASIS:

Emphasising wholefoods in the diet and very few processed foods helps dieters with health gains as well as weight loss.

- STRUCTURED DIET

There are definitely several weight loss programs and diets out there that lack a prescribed structure for their participants to follow. One of the Sonoma Diet's strong points is their step-by-step guidance, however this is obviously a personal choice of each individual.


The Sonoma Diet:
Cons


- LACKS FLEXIBILITY

An analysis of the diet proves that majority of Wave 1 menus only offer around 950-1100 calories for women, and 1050-1300 for the men. Once you get to Wave 2 diets are only given an extra 200-300 calories. Now while this is going to be effective in weight loss, it is difficult for people to live by. People will be starving within the first week and over a long term this isn't sustainable for most dieters.

- LACK OF GUIDANCE WHEN HUNGRY

Given the hunger levels that some may experience during the Sonoma Diet there is a lack of instruction on what to do and what to eat when hungry.

- LIMITED SIZES, PARTICULARLY VEGETABLES

Compared to most other diets, the Sonoma Diet has a extremely controlled volume of food, particularly when it comes to vegetables. The lack of vegetables available may be unintended but people will generally experience a shock when it comes to the amount of food they can consume when sticking with the portion sizes of the Sonoma Diet.

- FORBIDDEN FOODS

By emphasising wholefoods the Sonoma Diet is doing a great job at providing dieters with nutrients. However the number of forbidden foods doesn't leave dieters with that many alternatives or substitutes in terms of sugars, fats, etc. This may be difficult for dieters to handle.

- LACK OF CARBS IN WAVE 1

In many diets the risk of carb crash exists. However the Sonoma Diet is designed as a low carb diet and has no means for managing this risk, which may occur in the diets first phase, Wave 1.

In concluding it is clear that the Sonoma Diet offers both positives and negatives for potential dieters. It is important for each individual dieter to way up these issues in terms of their own personality and make a decision that suits them personally. If you like a structured diet with a focus on flavours, health and well being then the Sonoma Diet is for you. However if you need a greater level of flexibility and food consumption an alternative might be recommended.








Five Reasons Why the Mediterranean Diet is a Healthy Choice in the 21st Century

If you are a person who has been on the hunt for a solid diet plan, you may feel overwhelmed much of the time. In the 21st century it is nearly impossible for a person to turn on a television set or open a newspaper without being bombarded with advertisements for a variety of different diet plans and products.
With the tremendous array of diet plans, programs, supplements and aids on the market, it can seem nearly impossible to select a diet plan that can and will best meet your needs now and into the future. More importantly, it can be hard to discern if one or another of these various diet schemes actually is a healthy course to pursue. In many instances, fad diets really are not based on the fundamentals of healthy living.
As you go forward considering what type of diet plan or regimen will best serve your interests and improve your health into the future, you will want to take a look at the benefits that can be had through the Mediterranean diet.
While there are multiple reasons why the Mediterranean diet is a healthy approach, there are five primary reasons why the Mediterranean diet is a good choice.
1. The Benefits of Fruits, Vegetable, Fiber and Whole Grains
A major component of the Mediterranean diet includes the regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Medical experts and nutritionists universally agree that a person should eat between five and six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables (or steamed items) on a daily basis.
People who adhere to the Mediterranean diet actually end up eating more than the minimum recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables. As a result, nutritionists in different parts of the world have taken to recommending a Mediterranean based diet regimen to their clients. Similarly, doctors who consult with their patients about healthy eating practices oftentimes find themselves recommending the Mediterranean diet in this day and age.
Beyond fruits and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet includes healthy amounts of dietary fiber and whole grains. Fiber and whole grains have proven effective in lowering the incidence of heart disease and some types of cancer.
2. The Benefits of Olive Oil -- Avoiding Saturated Fat
Some people have a fundamental misperception about the Mediterranean diet. These people have heard that the Mediterranean diet is high in fat. On some level, there is some truth in the conception that the Mediterranean diet is higher in fat than are some other dieting programs. A person following the Mediterranean diet does take in about thirty percent of his or her daily calories from fat. (Most diets recommended the intake of calories from fat at the rate of about thirteen to fifteen percent per day. However, these diets are contemplating the ingesting of animal fat.)
The vast majority of fat that a person on the Mediterranean diet consumes comes from olive oil. In other words, the fat found in the Mediterranean diet is not the dangerous saturated fat that can cause disease, obesity and other health concerns. In fact, research has demonstrated that there are a number of solid benefits to consuming olive oil, including a reduction of the risk of the incidence of breast cancer in women.
3. Dairy in Moderation
While the consumption of low or non-fat dairy products in moderation can be beneficial in some instances, many people the world over rely on heavy creams, eggs and other fat filled dairy products in their daily diets. The Mediterranean diet is low in dairy. Indeed, any dairy products that actually are included within the diet regimen is low fat. A person is considered an extremely heavy egg eater if he or she consumes four eggs in a week.
4. Red Meat in Moderation
Very little red meat is included within the Mediterranean diet. When it comes to meat items, this diet relies on moderate amounts of lean poultry and fresh fish. As a result, people who follow the Mediterranean diet plan have lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and higher levels of "good: cholesterol.
In addition, because of the inclusion of lean, fresh fish in the diet, adherents to the Mediterranean diet enjoy the anti-oxidant benefits that are found in certain fish oils and products.
5. A Well Balanced Dieting Scheme
In the final analysis, the Mediterranean diet is gaining acclaim from experts and adherents the world over because it is a balanced dieting program. Study after study demonstrate that a balanced diet that is low in fat and that includes fruits, vegetable, whole grains and lean meat works to ensure total health and wellness.
Conclusion
The Mediterranean diet is a comprehensive regimen for healthy living. By following the strictures of the Mediterranean diet, a person can enjoy improved wellness, a reduction of the risk of certain diseases and, in many instances, a longer life.
Site Owner & Publisher Ray Darken - You can gain much more detail from Ray's sites along with other relevant information at The Mediterranean Diet or http://www.safe-and-easy-weightloss.com/wordpress/






Is the New "High-protein Low-saturated Fat" Diet the Answer to Weight Loss?

The heated debate, within diet circles, that began a few years ago and continues today is over the effectiveness of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate, type diet versus its counterpart, the high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.
To the delight of the Atkins diet enthusiasts, recent studies have suggested that a diet high in protein and low in fat has a greater effect on diet induced thermogenesis (calorie burning) than a high carbohydrate low fat diet.
Before we go further we need to familiarize you with a few terms we will be discussing in this article. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the total energy your body burns in a day. TDEE consists of 3 components: diet induced thermogenesis (DIT), basal metabolism, and physical activity.
DIT is the increase in the body's temperature that is caused by the digestion and absorption of a meal. This rise in temperature results in calorie burning. Yes, we actually burn calories simply by eating and scientists have long believed that DIT may be a factor, in reducing obesity; and that obese people may have defective DITs - although this hasn't been proven yet. Once scientists identify the link between DIT and obesity on a molecular level, it could essentially pave the way for the development of drugs in the treatment of obesity. That's still however, in the future.
In a recent study at the University of Arizona, published by the American College of Nutrition, a group of young healthy women were given 2 sets of diets. (1) One diet was high in protein and low in fat and the other was high in carbohydrate and low in fat. Scientists were trying to compare the thermic effect (DIT) of protein versus carbohydrate during the digestion and absorption of meals. Keep in mind, as the body's temperature increases (by DIT), so does the number of burned calories.
Evidence from this study showed that postprandial (following a meal) thermogenesis increased 100% more with the high-protein low-fat diet versus the high-carb low-fat diet. Although protein had a greater effect on DIT, the study did not evaluate weight loss or the long term effects of this type of diet. The results did suggest that this type of diet may have a positive effect on weight loss.
Scientists concluded that a diet high in protein, moderate in carbohydrate and low in fat contents may promote a higher rate of weight loss compared to the high carbohydrate, low fat diet. On the other hand, they also warn that high protein diets may affect kidney function in those that have kidney conditions, but not in healthy individuals.
Furthermore, they recommend daily protein intake should not exceed 2 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight. The American daily average is 1 gram per 1 kilogram. Further studies are required to assess the long term effects of high protein, low fat dieting.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that DIT or the thermic effect of a meal only represents 3-10% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). So we must keep things in perspective. Basal or resting metabolism accounts for up to 70% of TDEE and energy expenditure from exercise is responsible for the rest. Logic dictates, therefore that these two take precedence over DIT.
The other big influencing factor in weight loss is the reduction of daily food intake. Let's look at the input/output equation: x (Input) - y (Output) = z. Daily output and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) are the same thing. If you ate fewer calories (x) than your body burned (y), z would have a negative value. If you consumed more calories than your body expended, z would be positive. A negative balance in the equation results in weight loss, a positive value causes weight gain. It's that simple.
In the above study, the high protein low fat type diet involves 2 factors of Input: Food composition and food quantity. In this diet, food composition (food selection) consists of a certain combination of macronutrients (high protein, low fat). Food intake (Input) affects the DIT which causes a certain increase (energy expenditure) on the Output part of the equation. And, as food composition varies so does the DIT. Food composition, though, can only have a limited effect on DIT. Remember DIT only represents 3-10% of the TDEE (Output). And food composition (high-protein, low-fat), accounts for a percentage of DIT, which represents even a smaller value. Food quantity, on the other hand, can have a tremendous effect on the equation - as it increases, the balance becomes more positive. If it surpasses TDEE then you gain weight - quite independently of DIT.
As a result, there can be a downside with respect to DIT involving the high-protein low-fat diet or any diet for that matter. With this diet, as protein intake increases so does the DIT. The problem is, however, that the food quantity (Input) also increases. The point here is that there is a limit to the amount of protein you can ingest before your body starts storing it as fat. Because DIT doesn't account for expending a lot of calories (3-10% of TDEE), and food composition (high-protein, low-fat) accounts for a percentage of DIT, there's only so much protein you can ingest before you start getting a surplus of calories. And excess dietary protein just as excess carbohydrate or fat is stored as fat in the body's adipose tissue. The only other factor that can compensate for the excess of protein intake is an increase in exercise participation. Although, that would defeat the purpose for obvious reasons.
Physical activity, however, can have a large effect on the Output part on TDEE (Output). Not only does it account for a much larger energy expenditure than DIT, countless of studies have shown that regular physical activity actually increases basal metabolism, which accounts for up to 70% of TDEE. As a result, regular exercise participation essentially has a compounding effect on the calorie burning process.
As we can see then, the bulk of weight loss and weight gain comes down to the quantity of calories ingested (Input) and calories burned (output). Furthermore, exercise and metabolism are responsible for approximately 90%-97% of TDEE. Energy expenditure from DIT is almost insignificant in comparison. DIT is just not effective enough to produce a negative caloric balance independently of total caloric intake, energy expenditure from exercise and basal metabolism - especially for most overweight individuals. And it would be unrealistic for overweight or obese people to rely exclusively on DIT to lose weight. These people are either overeating, aren't active enough or have low basal metabolic rates - or a combination of all three factors.
So, it still looks like there's no easy way out - you actually have to work, if you you're going to lose weight. The easiest way to achieve that is with the efficient use of all Input and Output components. That also means you must know your priorities. Most of your efforts should be spent in finding an adequate balance between a reduction of total daily caloric intake and a sufficient level of physical activity. And emphasis on DIT should take on a secondary role.
But wait, before you put on your running shoes and begin another diet plan, you might want to hear some very interesting news. There are certain cultures around the world whose diets contain just as much fat and carbohydrate (if not more) as in the American diet. Yet they are slimmer, and have much fewer occurrences of heart disease and cancer than their American counterparts.
Recent studies have shown that people in certain Mediterranean regions and in France manage to stay healthier and are less obese than those in other western countries. Let's look at the French first.
In a study by Adam Drewnowski of the University of Michigan, scientists examined the eating habits of 1,637 men and 1,576 women in America and compared them to those of 5,000 French adults. They studied their overall diets based on diversity (foods from 5 major food groups), variety (total number of foods consumed daily) and moderation (according to USDA dietary guidelines). (2)
The results were quite surprising. They found that the French ate more foods that were higher in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than their American counterparts. The study also showed that the French diet complied with very few of the USDA dietary recommendations for eating healthy. In addition, the findings showed that 99% of French women's diets had saturated fat contents in excess of 10% of total daily calories. What's shocking is that, on average, the French are thinner and have fewer occurrences of heart disease than Americans.
The possible harmful effects of the high fat content in the French diet, however, were offset by diet diversity and variety. Drewnowski pointed out that "the low fat approach is very good but not if it comes at the expense of dietary variety."
The USDA recommends that diets should consist of a variety of foods. According to the American part of the study, just one in ten men and one in sixteen women consumed food from all five food groups (Meat, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and grains). The other thing is that the French have more active lifestyles than Americans do. Americans typically drive more, walk less and participate in more sedentary type of leisure activities.
Similarly, a Mediterranean diet study also showed that the diet was high in fat, more diverse and had greater variety than the American diet. According to research, certain Mediterranean people, particularly from the Greek island of Crete, had fewer cases of heart disease and were thinner than Americans.
The difference in this study, however, was a crucial finding that suggested food variety and diversity created a certain dietary ratio. This was a ratio between 2 types of fatty acids present in the Mediterranean diet. These fatty acids are found in plant sources and fall into 2 groups: The omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. You have probably heard of the multiple health benefits of these essential fatty acids many times before. They are called essential fatty acids (EFAs) because the body cannot produce them - they can only be obtained from food sources.
Although omega-6 fatty acids are essential to the diet, the omega-3 group has more significant therapeutic properties. Omega-3s contain powerful antioxidants that are known to fight against heart disease, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, improve mood disorders to name a few.
The other benefit of omega-3s according to research is that they also have an amazing ability to control body fat. Omega-3s control the quantity of adipose (fat) tissue by regulating the amount of fat that goes into fat cells and the amount that is burned up for energy. (3, 4) Omega-3s have also been shown to increase fat oxidation in the body - the process by which fat is broken down and used as fuel for energy. (4) This further promotes a reduction in body weight that consists of fat mass.
According to scientists the key factor in diet composition is that the French diet and more so the Mediterranean diet consist of higher intakes of foods containing omega-3s than the American diet. In other words their diets contain a better (lower) omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than the American diet. And that's the key. One of the main reasons Americans have lower intakes of omega-3s is because of their high intake of processed food. Food processing is largely responsible for removing a lot of the omega-3 content from food.
On the other hand the French and Mediterranean diets are more abundant in whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. And so their intake of omega-3s is considerably higher. In addition, the people of Crete eat 10 times more fish (rich source of omega-3s) than Americans do. Other important sources of omega-3s in the Mediterranean diet were: fish, purslane (wild plant high in omega-3 content), walnuts, figs and various other unrefined carbohydrates. By the way, the most abundant source of omega-3s is found right here in North America, and that's flax seed oil.
As we can see, two different cultures manage to stay healthier and slimmer than North Americans while eating foods that contain high fat, carbohydrate and protein contents. The key differences are that their diets contain more unrefined foods; they consist of foods from all food groups and have more variety. As a result they have higher intakes of omega-3s (lower omega-6: omega-3 ratio) than other Western cultures. In addition, both these groups of people are more physically active than Americans.
Now, you can put on those sneakers and walk (or jog) to the supermarket for a new supply of fresh wholesome food.
Refernces:
1. http://www.jacn.org, "Postprandial Thermogenesis Is Increased 100% on a High-Protein, Low-Fat Diet versus a High-Carbohydrate, Low-Fat Diet in Healthy, Young Women, retrieved 10 June 2005 from http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/55
2. http://www.sciencedaily.com, "Healthy diets need fat, according to new study", retrieved 22 June 2005 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980424031929.htm
3. Parrish et al. "Dietary fish oils limit adipose tissue hypertrophy in rats." Metabolism, Mar 1990, 39(3):217-9
4. Parrish et al. "Dietary fish oils modify adipocyte structure and function." J Cell Physiology, Sep 1991, 148(3)
5. Baillie RA, et al. "Coordinate induction of peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase and UCP-3 by dietary fish oil: a mechanism for decreased body fat deposition." Prostaglandins Leukot Essential Fatty Acids, May 1999, 60(5-6)
John Tiniakos helps make weight loss easier through proven weight loss methods using information and analysis from the worlds leading scientists.
For more information and to subscribe to his free monthly newsletter that includes valuable, up to date tips on diet, weight loss and health visit http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/natural.htm






History of the Mediterranean Diet

Eating Well for Good Health

Introduction

In recent years, a growing number of men and women in different
countries around the world have become increasingly concerned
about their health. Because of the fact that many people have
become more concerned about their overall health, these men and
women have paid closer attention to what they eat on a regular
basis. In the final analysis, these men and women are making
dietary decisions designed to improve their general health and
wellbeing.

As people have become more conscious of their health and diet, a
considerable number of these same men and women have become
interested in the Mediterranean diet regimen. If you are, in
fact, a person who appreciates the interrelationship between
diet and health, you may have a definite interest in the history
of the Mediterranean diet regimen.

Before you can appropriately understand what the Mediterranean
diet is all about, you need to appreciate that it is more of a
concept than a specific dining routine. In reality, there is no
such thing as a Mediterranean diet common to all of the
countries in the Mediterranean region of the world. Rather, the
"Mediterranean diet" consists of those food items that people
who live in the various nations in the region consume in common.

The Origins of the Mediterranean Diet

The concept of the Mediterranean diet is derived from the eating
habits and patterns of the people who populate the countries of
Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco. As a
result, the Mediterranean diet actually includes a tremendous
array of delectable food. In point of fact, if a person elects
to adopt the concept of the Mediterranean dining scheme, or if a
person elects to follow a Mediterranean diet regimen, he or she
will have the ability to enjoy a remarkable assortment of
scrumptious fare.

The diet of the peoples that have populated the regions around
the Mediterranean Sea actually have remained nearly completely
unchanged for well over one thousand years. The history of the
region is replete with examples of men and women living longer
than similarly situated people who consumed alternate diets.
Through the centuries, the people of the Mediterranean Sea
region have enjoyed longer lives that people in other parts of
the world at the same historical epoch.

At the heart of the Mediterranean diet are foods and beverages
that are indigenous to the geographic landmass surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea. In short, the development of the
Mediterranean dieting and dining pattern initially developed by
providence. The people of the region naturally and
understandably ate those foods and drank those beverages that
readily were available in and around their homes.

The Historical Elements of the Mediterranean Diet Scheme

As mentioned previously, over the centuries, the diet of the
peoples of the Mediterranean Sea region has remained essentially
unchanged. The Mediterranean diet consists of the bountiful
consumption of a number of healthy food items including:

Fresh fruit

Fresh vegetables

Low fat nuts

Whole grains

Monounsaturated fat

In a similar vein, the Mediterranean diet utilized by people for
generation after generation excludes or limits certain food
items that have been deemed harmful in recent scientific
studies. These less than desirable food items include:

Saturated fats

Red and fatty meat

Rich dairy products

Fatty fish

The Historical Effects of the Mediterranean Diet Scheme

As has been alluded to earlier in this article on the history of
the Mediterranean diet regimen, the people who inhabit the
region have a demonstrably lower rate of heart disease and
related ailments that oftentimes have a direct dietary
connection. With the advent of scientific studies that have
correlated the incidence of health problems with a poor diet,
the positive effects of the Mediterranean diet have become self
evident.

Research over the course of the past two decades has
conclusively demonstrated that the men and women who populate
the Mediterranean region are afflicted with heart disease and
similar ailments far less often than people in other regions of
the world. The experts who have conducted these studies have
concluded that there is a strong likelihood that the diet scheme
that is common in the Mediterranean region is responsible for
maintaining the good health of the people who live in that
corner of the globe throughout the past one thousand years.

Conclusion: The Expansive Use of the Historical Mediterranean
Diet Scheme

During the past twenty years, a significant number of people in
different countries around the world have turned their attention
towards finding healthy diet regimens that are low in saturated
fat and that include bountiful servings of fresh fruits and
vegetable. Consequently, the Mediterranean diet has caught the
eye of innumerable people who want to include healthy eating
into their overall course of prudent living. In short, the
Mediterranean diet encompasses foods and beverages that, when
consumed in moderation, can work to lessen the threat of some
serious diseases and can aid in creating the necessary
foundation for a long, hearty lifetime.






Atkins Diet - Good or Bad? The 6 Steps Analysis

The Atkins diet, without a doubt, has been the most
controversial diet of all time. Seldom does a week go by that
the news media does not mention the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972 by cardiologist Dr.
Robert Atkins, is considered the most extreme of the low carb
diets. Hundreds of research studies by universities and research
teams throughout North America, Europe, and Asia have been
conducted on the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet, as with any diet program, has its good and bad
points - but, whatever side you are on, one thing is for sure.
Dr. Atkins, and the Atkins diet, has done for the diet and
nutrition industry what Mohammad Ali did for the boxing
industry. Dr. Atkins created new awareness and introduced new
concepts that will forever affect how we look at diets for
weight loss as well as diets for health. Although the low carb
diet was first written about in the late 1800's, low carb
dieting truly came to life with the birth of the Atkins diet.

Let's take a look at three good and bad points of the Atkins
diet.

Atkins diet - the good stuff.

1. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT FASTER THAN ANY OTHER DIET. The
human body is designed to use two different fuels to sustain
life - glucose from carbs or ketones from fat. Glucose is the
primary fuel, fat the backup. Every weight loss diet is based on
the concept of burning fat. Conventional diets generally are
designed to burn fat by starvation - by eating fewer calories
than you use every day. This causes the body to dip into its
reserve energy source - the fat surrounding your abdomen and
your thighs first.

The Atkins diet approaches fat burning a different way. It
limits the glucose (carb) intake so the body adjusts itself to
using ketones (fat) as its primary fuel. Normally within three
to four days of starting, your body is literally a fat burning
machine on the Atkins diet.

2. THE ATKINS DIET DOESN'T LEAVE YOU HUNGRY. Unlike most
conventional diets, the Atkins diet is not based so much on
calorie intake. Dr. Atkins does, however, warn that you should
not stuff yourself but only eat until satisfied. Also, since you
are replacing carbs with protein, and the main protein source is
meat, a high percentage of each meal will consist of meat and
fat. Meat and fat are more fulfilling and much slower to digest.
Not only do you feel more satisfied at dinner, but it will stay
with you longer on the Atkins diet.

3. THE ATKINS DIET IS SAFE AND HEALTHY. The vast majority of
studies show the Atkins diet to be extremely healthy, in
comparison to other conventional weight loss and lifestyle
diets. Nearly every study shows the Atkins diet the winner in
reducing cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. In
addition, many cases of acid reflux, sleep apnea, and diabetes
have either had the symptoms reduced or completely disappear
while on the Atkins diet.

Also, you'll often hear "we have no way of knowing the long term
safety of low carb diets". Fact is, the Atkins diet has been
around for over 30 years - longer than most other weight loss
programs. Although first written about at the end of the 19th
century, the low carb diet has actually been around for
centuries prior to that.

How so? The North American Eskimo. Their diet has primarily been
no or very low carbs. Yet chronic diseases that are epidemic
today, such as diabetes and heart disease, were practically
unknown among the Eskimos. At least this was true until they
were introduced to sugar and white flour. The Eskimos have been
well studied and found to be a healthy and hardy bunch, even
after centuries of living on a low carb diet. Yes - a low carb
diet much more extreme than even the Atkins diet.

Atkins Diet - The Bad Stuff.

4. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT TOO QUICKLY. The primary concern
here is toxic overload. When toxins enter you body, either from
environmental sources or from additives in prepared foods, your
body's defense mechanism will quickly try to eliminate them
through the liver and kidneys. Quite often the overload is such
that the body will also hide some of these toxins in your fat
cells. When burning fat these toxins are released again into
your bloodstream. You can experience toxic overload when you
burn fat too fast, as in the first weeks or months of the Atkins
diet.

5. THE ATKINS DIET CAUSES FATIGUE. Yes, initially it does - for
a couple of reasons. First, switching fuels from glucose to
ketones is stressful to the body. It's a drastic change in your
metabolism. You might say it's similar to mild drug withdrawal.
Many people actually do have a "carb addiction" and not even
realize it. Secondly, as we learned a minute ago, your body will
quite likely be working hard dealing with toxic overload if
burning fat too fast, as early in the Atkins diet.

6. THE ATKINS DIET LACKS GOOD NUTRITION. Plant life is the basic
nutritional source for all living creatures, including humans.
When an animal eats plants, some of the nutrients, such as
calcium and other minerals, are sent to different parts of the
body where needed. And even if we eat an animal from nose to
tail, including the bones, we are still missing some of these
nutrients and essential enzymes that are burned up in the
metabolic process. Good nutrition suffers when we drastically
limit carbs, particularly with the induction phase of the Atkins
diet.

Atkins Diet - Is It Right for You?

The Atkins diet has been proven safe, effective and Dr. Atkins'
nutritional concepts are basically sound. This is probably the
best choice for fast weight loss for an upcoming wedding or
cruise - or to jump start your new life. A lot of water and a
GOOD vitamin supplement are strongly recommended with ANY diet,
but particularly with the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet can be adjusted to a less aggressive program if
you have a lot of weight to lose and wisely choose to lose the
pounds more slowly over a longer period of time. This would be
less stressful, much healthier and give the stretched skin a
chance to shrink. Skipping the induction phase is one way. You
may find this more sustainable over the long haul using the
Atkins diet.

One important key to health and success with any low carb diet
is to make every carb count by choosing nutrient dense live
carbs. These include fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage,
spinach, and green beans. This is critical where total carbs are
very limited - such as with the first two stages of the Atkins
diet.






An Analysis on the Elementary School Food Guide Pyramid

Do you usually concentrate on eating a diet that is healthy and well balanced? Are you a parent or a school teacher who is interested in teaching your children how to eat all of the foods they are supposed to eat on a regular basis? Are you intrigued about the food guide pyramid? Is it correct that you possess the desire to obtain an interpretation or analysis of this system? By reading this article, you will learn how the food pyramid was developed, what it consists of, why it is so important to follow and why it was introduced to elementary school students.

How long has the food guide pyramid been around? It was introduced in 1894.

The Components of the Food Guide Pyramid

The foods pyramid contains six classes of foods we are supposed to include in our diet on an everyday basis. The first food group concentrates on bread, cereal, rice and pasta. We are supposed to eat six to eleven servings from this group every day. The second section concentrates on fruits. It is recommended that we consume two to four servings of fruit every day.

The third portion concentrates on vegetables. The recommended guidelines call for eating three to five servings of vegetables every day. The fourth group concentrates on meat and plant foods. We are urged to consume two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts every day.

The fifth section focuses on dairy products. It is recommended that we eat two to three servings of milk, yogurt and cheese every day. The sixth section focuses on junk foods. We are supposed to only consume fats, oils and sweets sparingly.

Origin of the Elementary School Food Guide Pyramid

I do not know who invented the foods pyramid or exactly why it was invented. I am guessing it was developed to easily teach people how they should eat to become healthy and strong; have plenty of energy and thinking abilities; reduce the amount of time they spend being sick and reduce their chances for suffering from serious or life-threatening diseases and illnesses. Elementary schools probably decided to present this model to their students to magnificently educate them on how they should eat and how much of something they should eat. It is pretty difficult to forget the image of a pyramid that consists of six sections that clearly illustrate what we should include in our daily diet.

You have learned something special about the elementary school food pyramid.





http://www.life123.com/health/nutrition/food-guide-pyramid/history-of-the-food-guide-pyramid.shtml

http://pages.prodigy.net/efduffy/usa.html

Todd Hicks owns Skill Development Institute, an enterprise that provides a keyboard typing lesson and academic study guide. To become a great typist or student, visit Skill Development Institute. http://sdinst.blogspot.com




How Safe is Fat Loss For Idiots Diet?

Since the year 2005 when the website for Fat Loss for Idiots has been launched, a lot of followers have supported the site, showing their diligence on paying a visit every now and then, as well as giving credit to the services rendered by such a website. Seemingly, the hanging question at the end of each inquiry is: How safe is Fat Loss for Idiots?

For nearly four years now, Fat Loss for Idiots has been religiously receiving praises more that it gathers criticisms. So far, the safety of it is more often than not the subject of almost every visitor's reviews to the website and the diet plan.

But for the purpose of giving a much more clear-cut answer to this question, first, there is a need for us to examine what really are the main thrusts of Fat Loss for Idiots. This way, our analysis on its safety would be fair to both sides concerned.

First, this program is not saying that the key to fast elimination of weight is in eating low-fat and low-calorie foods. This is most of the time taken as a misnomer. What the program is trying to get across is that, people gain too much fat because of their habit of eating unhealthy foods in wrong eating intervals. Food intake in wrong intervals may be really detrimental to health since our body might be developing a wrong pattern of eating that would likely result to the accumulation of much unwanted and could-not-be-used calories in the body.

As openly stated in many medical journals, an inquiry on the safety of Fat Loss for Idiots may put into examination and analysis its use of the technique that somehow 'tricks' the body not to feel starvation. You should be warned that people who are considering to be undergoing this program should be equally askance about possible consequences of this. In lieu of this, Fat Loss for Idiots is saying that the technique they use is a more stable version or balance of what its contemporaries use. This means that they only allow people to eat until they are short of full. Furthermore, Fat Loss for Idiots program allows clients to eat until 4 meals every day. These four meals, it must be clarified, however, should be taken only with two-hour intervals in each time. This way, customers would not really be deprived of eating the food choices of their own. Plus the fact that the foods that they would be freely choosing are assured of the nutrients that their bodies only need.

We could not, however, eliminate the fear among people and their mindset that this program may be nothing but a scam. Nonetheless, if we are just to consider and give credit to what people themselves are saying. They are a big bulk who, themselves, experienced the difference after they have undergone such program. A little careful inquiry, really, could never do any harm. In addition, precautious listening to words of mouth might help us answer our own query about the safety of the Fat Loss for Idiots diet.



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The Benefits of a Hair Analysis

Have you ever been to a medical doctor with persistent health symptoms, but the doctor can't see anything wrong and all the expensive lab tests merely determine nothing's there?
YOU know something's wrong though, because you are on the receiving end of the pounding headaches, the uncontrollable twitches in your arms and legs followed by shooting pains. YOU are the one who cannot get a good night's sleep. YOU know you are experiencing heart palpitations, dizziness, and blurred vision. And YOU are tired of STRESS as the blame while your doctor suggests you see a psychotherapist.
Well, your body can tell you what traditional medicine cannot…but you have to pay attention to what it's trying to translate using those disturbing health symptoms. Two ways to understand your body's "cries for help" are to remove ALL foreign, man-made food chemicals from your diet, clean-up your outside environment, and get a hair analysis to determine what's going on inside of you.
The protein in your hair holds the composition of your body's tissues for a permanent period of time. This is why hair testing is used in forensic medicine. By analyzing toxin and nutrient levels using a hair analysis, a trained nutritionist can typically tell what toxins have accumulated in your body and what vitamins and minerals are depleted (in turn, causing an imbalance in body function). The hair analysis can clearly spell out what your body is trying to tell you using its symptomatic warning signs such as those nasty migraine headaches.
Humans are exposed to over 14,000 food chemicals daily. And, this doesn't take into account the abundant environmental toxins we are exposed to. The hair analysis is an excellent tool to identify specifically which toxins are inside your body and what vitamins and minerals they may have depleted.
As I discovered through my own disease recovery from an inaccurate diagnosis of "Graves' Disease," I couldn't fight what I couldn't see. It wasn't probable I would cure my disease if no one knew the cause, and unfortunately my internist didn't have a clue as to what caused my thyroid symptoms. The hair analysis was the "road map" I used to see what was going on inside of my body, and it helped me save my thyroid gland. I cured my "incurable disease" in thirty days.
In most cases, the hair analysis can mark the root cause(s) of illness. But, the key to a good hair analysis is in the interpretation - a lost art amid traditional medicine, yet a critical step in disease recovery.
For more information about the benefits of a hair analysis or to submit a hair sample, contact Dr. Hull at http://www.janethull.com/ or http://www.hairanlysisprogram.com/






The Diet and Your DNA

The weight loss business has grown into a huge global industry, with hundreds of different diets, books, exercise plans and other miracle products on offer. Most of these so called miracle cures lay claim to a scientific foundation and generally sell themselves as unique solutions.

Appetite suppressants, fat burning supplements and even chemicals that block carbohydrates or fat from being metabolized are all on offer. The array of products is mind-boggling and can leave the consumer bewildered not to mention vulnerable.

A couple of years ago the DNA Diet hit the headlines for alleged financial exploitation of its customers. The company behind it, which operates online, sells DNA kits - the idea is that the customer takes a sample from the cheek then sends it in for analysis. The company then structures a bespoke diet, unique to that particular individual. Cost of this service ranges from a few hundred dollars to in excess of $1000, with ongoing consultation and dietary supplements raising the cost still further. Those charged with investigating the diet's claims have failed to validate it scientifically. Furthermore, the costly dietary supplements on offer from this company are largely made up of concentrated vitamins, which are possibly dangerous due to their high concentrations. Most notably, analysis of the supplements supplied showed that the same formula was delivered to the customer regardless of the nature of the DNA supplied! So in other words the solutions are not bespoke at all.

During their investigation, the investigators posed as 14 bogus customers, buying the DNA kits from a total of four different website shop fronts. They filled out comprehensive questionnaires with various different demographic details, and all questionnaires were returned together with DNA samples from both a young girl and an adult male. Given the DNA samples were the same, the advice received might also have expected to be the same but this was not the case. Not only did the advice vary wildly, it also included some blindingly obvious elements, such as informing the customers that smoking can damage the health. At the time of writing the company has still not been ordered to change its business practices; the investigation continues.

Caveat emptor! In the diet industry the potential customer needs to maintain a healthy level of skepticism, otherwise they may be taken for an (expensive) ride.





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Is There Really a Colitis Diet Cure?

Whether unintentionally or otherwise, people often can't help themselves in advising you of their own special health cure and even such a condition as colitis is not immune. If you let it be known that you are suffering from colitis symptoms, you will no doubt find someone who will voluntarily impart that they know just the thing for it. In fact, it is important to close your ears to the vast majority that have a colitis cure.

Now all of these may have been helpful in a case that was supposed to be colitis, but you are doing yourself a great injustice if you assume that your case is just like that one and consequently, that the remedy which worked so miraculously in their case will do the same for you. To put a damper on it, colitis is just not like that.

Let me take your diet is not an infrequent request when friends get together and discuss their current health and well being. It is gratifying to know that more and more people are acknowledging the fact that diet is so important in the treatment of their health condition. What they should know, however, in order to be really effective, it must be formulated to meet their particular needs. Otherwise, it is just about the same as asking your friend to loan you their bunch of keys. One of them may fit the lock on your home, but the chances are it will not. It is therefore imperative to establish what kind of a lock you have to open.

Applying this to colitis, can't you see how important it is to know what the objective of your diet should be? The essential element to know is the nature and extent of your colitis. Put simply, the actual diagnosis of colitis requires to be definitely determined. Is the large colon only affected by inflammation towards the end of it, namely proctitis, or is there more extensive evidence of inflammation. Any guess made as to the extent is certainly not a worthwhile guide to use as the basis for treatment. Neither a good guess nor anything short of divine intuition will take the place of a thorough physical examination and a carefully thought out diagnosis by your doctor or hospital consultant.

A diet, to be effective, must be fashioned to your needs, as indicated by a thorough physical examination, including a urine analysis. By this, you doctor can see how your body is handling the various foods that you feed it. For example, if you have sugar in the urine, this indicates that you are not effectively using starch and sugar in your food. The doctor will therefore alter the usual pattern of your diet to meet these needs.

It is therefore not possible to give a general colitis diet which meets the needs of every case. It is for this reason that you should realise that it is not possible to apply to yourself the diet of somebody who you hear was cured for colitis. By all means discover what others are doing in terms of diet and other methods, in fact this should form part of your effective colitis management to reduce its daily impact, but don't assume that what was a cure for colitis for someone will be yours also.





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Why Most Forex Traders Use Technical Analysis

If not 'technical analysis', then what? The flip side of this is known as 'fundamental analysis'. You need to know the difference before understanding why most Forex traders these days use technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis relies on a more instinctive feel for the Forex market aligned with copious experience over many years of trading. Without wanting to generalize too much, traders who apply fundamental analysis have been in the business for a long time, long enough to have seen consistent ebbs and flows in different currencies and to know which factors will determine their value.

Before the average punter was able to dabble in the currency markets, Forex trading was only available to major banks and we all know how conservative banks are. Decades of experience provided a wealth of information and a clear idea on how currencies would behave in whatever the current climate of the day. Additionally, computer technology was unavailable so fundamental analysis dealt more with observation, gut feel, and copious record keeping.

The mainstream advent of computers into the trading world meant that numbers could be keyed in, jiggled around within defined parameters, and spat out to reveal the most likely path to success. The most basic way to understand one major reason why most Forex traders use technical analysis these days is to use the illustration of the calculator. Our grandparents and great-grandparents had to rely on their brain matter to come up with answers to complex sums. Our generation is trained to use calculators and computers.

Technical analysis is mathematics and statistics-based. It deals with past performances of currencies and uses technology to analyze future expectations.

Technical analysis is believed to be more accurate because it is based on cold, hard facts but when all's said and done, there's no 100% fail safe way to predict the currency market's movements. Technical analysts feed historical price data into a computer which then provides information on patterns that have occurred over more than a century of foreign exchange trading. These patterns are compared with real time movements and predictions are made.

Today's young guns of Forex trading take advantage of training courses and mentors to learn how to perform complicated technical analysis. The highly experienced stalwarts continue to rely on fundamental analysis because it's what they're accustomed to and frankly, there is no reason to stray off a proven path.

Another reason why most Forex traders use technical analysis is because it's tangible and easy to track. It provides facts and figures, not information that can be interpreted one way or another. That means it enables traders to enjoy uniformity in the information they can use and it creates somewhat of a level playing field.

Technical analysis is also easier to learn than fundamental analysis which takes years of experience to grasp. Considering the influx of young professionals into the area of Forex trading, it's not hard to understand why computers are so heavily involved. Raised on a steady diet of computer technology, instant gratification and easy acquisition of knowledge, this generation has taken to technical analysis with gusto.



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Is Dieting The New Slavery?

For something that is meant to offer freedom and happiness, dieting sure has a habit of making prisoners of startling numbers of people.

With it now being 200 years since the abolition of slavery in Britain, a move which strangled the great wave of Afro-American stolen people into the New World and started the countdown towards the eventual outlawing of US slavery itself, perhaps now is the time to take proper stock of the real reasons behind this more modern scourge.

Whilst no-one should take the metaphor too far and fully equate the visceral agonies of slavery with the emotional imprisonment of lifelong food issues (that would be an insult to those who suffered and died in a foreign land), neither should we ignore the pain and indignity of self-image distress.

And the fact very much remains that dieting is not a simple choice or a self-elected misery for which individuals can simply assume full responsibility for the cause, or hence full responsibility for the cure. Knowledge and techniques are in the this case a prerequisite for freedom.

Historians may forever argue about which came more forcibly first, a sense that non-European races were inherently inferior, or whether economic forces, driving an insatiable desire for cheap new labour, in turn drove the dehumanisation.

Whatever, just as big themes of social theory resonate through the heart of slavery, so classical and modern social theories underlie current food despair.

Cultural power, as in racial dominance, are at the root of the slavery, along with economic power, as in the Marxist analysis that capital will develop its own ways, means and methods wherever opportunity can be sensed. There is always the fear that utility will trample humanity.

But that model of analysis obviously doesn't fit neatly alone over the top of the current obesity crisis and the interwoven existence with dieting. What forces are at play and how to do go about recognising them, so that the unhappily food and image obsessed can regain their mental and bodily poise and equilibrium, freed of fatness obsessions and bodily fat itself?

One could argue that it is the power of gender domination at play. It is true that for centuries women have been greatly pressurised by the male view of optimal female beauty and sexuality. But surely this still cannot be the entire picture after the accumulation of several decades of female re-balancing of the gender scales? Indeed, it is very clear that not only obesity but also the associated failed dieting are becoming almost as much male as female issues. There are obviously gender power issues still in play but we need to look further afield for a fuller picture.

Social theory in the last thirty or so years has been taking a far closer look at culture itself through the lens of consumption and consumerism and these perspectives perhaps have much to inform a better understanding of obesity and weight loss issues.

Researcher and theorist Pierre Bourdieu developed a post-Marxist theory which linked aesthetic taste to class positioning. Through his notion of cultural capital, there are always options across every segment of the social spectrum. In the case of dieting, there is everything from ludicrously expensive celebrity colonic irrigationists, through to the tackiest fad diets in supermarket tabloid papers. You can spend a fortune or virtually nothing, yet still dieting has you trapped.

There is a sense with Bourdieu's work which echoes the Frankfurt School theorists of earlier decades, namely that cultural aspiration is a game of fixed boundaries and it is unlikely to provide any deep or lasting satisfaction. Dieting may be seen as a cultural artifact. It has become so controversial and contested because it is a cultural construction which intrudes onto the altogether more concrete territory of physical health - and because, on this very clearly lit territory, it has abjectly failed in its stated intentions.

This is one of the key viewpoints which dieters can learn to take. Our attitudes towards food and eating and dieting, whatever might be said or written, rarely have simple life-sustaining nutrition as their primary purpose. Class, gender, culture and power are inevitably wrapped over just about every mouthful we put, or don't put, into our mouths.

Those who wish to achieve permanent, painless and natural weight control would do well to launch their own, individual campaigns against the enslavement of dieting. It doesn't take hundreds of years of struggle and violence. All that is required is a simple, clear and ever so satisfying shift of perspective. The big difference this time round is that otherwise it is ourselves who are being enslaved.








Metabolic Diet - Things to Do Before Getting Started With This Weight Loss Program

The Metabolic Diet can be the response to everybody's dieting pursuit. Unlike all other diets, it is like a living entity as it adjusts itself to each individual's macronutrient requirements. By using this, you can fit in your metabolism to the type of diet that is best for you.

Before getting started on the metabolic diet, you must first do the following:

• Get a complete physical examination from your doctor. This should include blood tests, thyroid function test, cholesterol levels, liver function array, serum potassium, serum uric acid and fasting blood sugar. Your doctor may also require other tests.

• Your cholesterol level must first be tested. In this diet, you will be burning a massive amount of fat for energy. Because of this, much of the saturated fats and cholesterol will be utilized in the process. It is essential that your cholesterol levels must first be checked so you would know how much can be used up and that there is enough left for your body to function properly. If it is found out that you suffer from a cholesterol problem, then there are modifications that you can make to regulate your cholesterol intake.

• Monitor your metabolic index. It is advised that anyone who wants to adopt the metabolic diet must first weigh himself and get a body fat analysis. It must be understood that there are times when there is not much weight loss but the non-evident body fat is being reduced. By knowing your body mass, body fat level and height, you will have a better idea of whether you are losing body fat apart from of the change in body weight.

• Re-evaluate the ingestion of medications. If you are taking diuretics, consider using them only when it is necessary, for the reason that the higher At-Lower Carb diet's capacity to help you lose water.





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Diet, Exercise Beat Drugs At Combating Type Ii Diabetes

This week the British Medical Journal published a meta-analysis of the best approaches to treating type II diabetes. What the heck is a meta-analysis? It is where a research group looks at all the previous studies they can find on a particular subject and puts them all together to see how much the studies agree. This particular meta-analysis looked at all the ways to treat type II diabetes, whether it were drugs, herbs, diets, exercise or combinations.

Diet, Exercise better than Drugs.

The researchers found that lifestyle approaches (diet and exercise) were at least as effective as drugs in treating type II diabetes. This is an incredible finding because it provides scientific evidence for what many of us interested in natural approaches have already suspected. Furthermore, the report concluded that lifestyle approaches had far fewer side-effects than drug therapies. This finding is not too striking but good to see the science nonetheless.

So why are drugs so heavily used in treating type II diabetes when they appear to be unnecessary in so many cases? There are a couple of main reasons. First, people want a quick fix. Drugs provide that. Second, people don't want to work that hard to get better. Drugs, also provide that. They are easy and relatively fast.

But the flip-side of the coin is, why would you willingly take a drug for the rest of your life and suffer the side-effects when you don't have to? It all goes back to basic psychology. People do things to get pleasure and avoid pain. In many cases, the pain of lifestyle adjustment outweighs the pain of drug side effects and the pleasure of not needing drugs.

Change is the only Option

The irony is that anyone who actually makes the necessary adjustments, starts to exercise and eat better, actually gets so much more pleasure. If people could just magically expose themselves to the increased pleasure that they would experience by living better they would have no problem getting started. You have to create in your mind a future that you know gives you much greater pleasure than you are experiencing now and realize that the only way to achieve that is to change your lifestyle.

If you have type II diabetes I hope that you will take this new evidence to your doctor and find a way to improve your condition and wean yourself off all the drugs. Work with your doctor to increase your exercise routine, eat better, take high quality nutritional supplements and cut back on the drugs. If your doctor is so pro-drug that they are blind to these approaches then GET A NEW DOCTOR. You deserve to live the rest of your life moving toward more pleasure and away from pain. Don't give up the fight.

Copyright (c) 2007 The Brain Code LLC