You are recommended to limit your consumption of sugary foods and foods rich in simple carbohydrates such as white bread, rice and pasta. This is because they are rich in calories and can provide for weight gain, which will make your gout worse. At the same time, you should get sufficient amounts of healthy carbohydrates and fiber. These are found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
Drinks are an important part of the diet for gout. Alcohol prevents the efficient elimination of uric acid from the body, so it is best to limit its consumption to the very possible minimum or to avoid it completely. At the same time, you should drink plenty of water to help your body eliminate uric acid naturally.
The Alkaline Diet My Review
There are numerous people who want to lose weight and lower their risk of serious diseases. The alkaline diet is one of the options which they can go for. This type of diet is supposed to provide a variety of health benefits and to be perfectly safe. Is this the case? Use this objective review to find out.
What is the alkaline diet? Despite the scientific name, this diet is actually very simple. It is designed to help you keep your blood slightly alkaline with pH level within 7.35 to 7.45. In order to achieve this, you need to consume foods that promote alkaline pH levels. These include vegetables, certain types of fruits, legumes and whole grains. At the same time, you need to eliminate acid-promoting foods from your meals. These include meat, poultry, fish and dairy products plus processed foods, sugary foods and ones made from white flour.
What are the effects of the alkaline diet and how effective is it? There is no scientific evidence to prove that the pH level of the blood is affected either directly or indirectly by the foods which we eat. However, this does not mean that this type of diet does not have health benefits. Generally, the supporters of this type of diet claim that when the pH level of the blood is optimal, certain essential minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium are better absorbed by the body and improve its functioning while protecting it from internal and external threats.
Research has shown that people on this diet are generally healthier and at lower risk of some serious diseases like heart disease and cancer and colon cancer, in particular. There are also findings which show that the alkaline diet may help for the restoration of the hormonal balance, reduce bone density loss and relieve low back pain to an extent. Still, more scientific evidence is necessary to confirm these findings.
Is the alkaline diet safe? Doctors confirm that this diet is generally safe. The foods included in it should provide all the nutrients which your body needs. Besides, the consumption of water is encouraged and caffeinated drinks and alcohol are forbidden and this should also bring health benefits. Still, the alkaline-promoting foods may make your urine more alkaline and this increases the risk of kidney stones. In addition, the diet may affect the potassium levels in the body and this may have an adverse effect on the health of people suffering from heart disease.
Is the alkaline diet the best for you? Weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself.But remember is not an one size fit all diet plan -- it requires a very stricted commitment on your part.
The Caveman Diet Reviewed
There are all sorts of modern-day advancements and findings in the area of health and nutrition that can make us fitter and healthier and help us live longer. However, there are also experts who suggest that we should go back to the diet of our ancestors who lived 10,000 years ago. Are you ready for the caveman diet?
The caveman diet actually has many different names. It is also known as the Paleolithic or Paleo diet and the Stone Age diet. Irrespective of its name, the basic principle is the same. You are supposed to eat only foods which were present in the diet of our ancestors when they were hunter gatherers.
The caveman diet includes foods like meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, nuts, vegetables, fruits and berries. These are all foods that can be found in nature and picked up even though today they come from farms. The major foods which are excluded from this type of diet are dairy products, legumes, sugar and sugary foods and potatoes. In general, all processed and canned foods including processed oils should not be consumed.
You can use herbs and spices to flavor your food, but the consumption of salt should be reduced to the very possible minimum. In fact, you should go without salt altogether if you can.
There are also some special rules regarding the drinks which you can consume while you are on the caveman diet. You can drink only water, green tea and coconut water. You cannot consume any other beverages.
Can the caveman diet provide health benefits? Many nutrition experts say that this diet can lower the risk of heart disease, promote weight loss, treat skin problems and give you more energy. There is more scientific evidence needed to confirm this, but it seems that this type of diet can help us be lean, strong, agile and energetic just like our ancestors who were hunter gatherers.
There are also those experts who are skeptic about the caveman diet. They point out that it excludes foods like milk and whole grains which have been proven to have various nutrition benefits. They argue that the long-term use of such a diet may have an adverse effect on the system of the modern-day person that has adjusted to the foods that came about with the introduction of farming.
Overall, the caveman diet may be able to provide health benefits, but it may not be helpful in the long term. One important thing to note is that our ancestors exercised a lot so you may want to do this as well irrespective of whether you go on this diet or not.
The Glycemic Index Diet Explained
The weight loss diets which are based on scientific findings and measures are naturally more attractive and more trusted by people. One such diet is based on the glycemic index of foods. It has gained great popularity in recent years so it is definitely advisable to look at it in greater detail.
The glycemic index diet is designed to help you consume foods with healthy carbohydrates. These foods cause only a slight increase in the blood sugar levels and most of them are rich in fiber. That way, hunger pangs and cravings are avoided. You feel full while consuming smaller amounts of calories and this helps you lose weight.
The glycemic index shows how carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels. All the foods are assigned a number between 1 and 100. Pure glucose has a score of 100. The foods fall into three major groups. Those with a score of over 70 are rated as high. Those with a score between 56 and 69 are rated as moderate and those with a score of less than 55 are rated as low.
Eating foods with low glycemic rating is the major principle of the glycemic index diet. Usually, these are combined with lean protein and healthy fats so that dieters can keep their metabolism working properly. In general, dieters should not feel discomfort while losing weight. They should get sufficient amounts of nutrients and vitamins and minerals.
Various studies have shown that the glycemic index diet promotes weight loss by helping dieters control their hunger pangs and cravings and by reducing the amount of calories consumed daily. The program comes with other health benefits as well. Researchers have found that it lowers the risk of serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
There are also those nutritionists who completely renounce this diet. They claim that the glycemic index is way too complex and not always accurate. This is because the score that each food gets depends on a range of factors such as the cooking methods used, any additional ingredients used and the level of processing which the food has undergone. These factors can vary greatly so it is difficult to make precise calculations. Furthermore, some generally healthy foods which are good for you have a high glycemic score.
It is up to you to decide whether to go on the glycemic index diet or not. In general, many experts say that it is simpler to evaluate foods containing carbohydrates on basic principles and using common sense.
The Grapefruit Diet and Its Effectiveness and Safety
One of the earliest weight loss diets which have survived to the present time is the grapefruit diet. It was developed in the 1930's and was supposedly highly popular with the Hollywood stars at the time. That is why it is often called the Hollywood diet. Is it good for the modern-day person? Use this guide to find out.
The grapefruit diet is based on this citrus fruit. It is thought that it contains a specific enzyme which can burn fat and help you lose weight. Along with eating fresh grapefruits or drinking fresh grapefruit juice in certain amounts every day, you need to consume lean protein and drop foods rich in carbohydrates. Basically, you can eat veal, fish, poultry and vegetables in small amounts. Specific plans are available to those who want to follow the diet.
No study so far has proven that grapefruit contains a unique enzyme that is a potent fat burner. However, the health benefits of this fruit are undeniable. It contains only a few calories. It is rich in vitamin C another powerful antioxidant and in fiber as well. One study conducted in 2006 showed that people who retained their traditional diet and consumed 4 ounces of fresh grapefruit juice daily lost 3 pounds over 12 weeks on average.
Experts say that the grapefruit diet can really help you lose weight. However, this is not because of any magic enzyme that grapefruit contains but because of the smaller amount of calories that you consume. It is true that grapefruit can help you control hunger pangs and give you some energy, but this is pretty much everything that it can do for you.
Due to the low calorie intake, most people do not feel particularly well during the initial days of the grapefruit diet. Symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, nausea, dizziness and headaches are not uncommon. These, however, will go away once your body adjusts to the diet. You should not experience any nutrient, vitamin or mineral deficiency when you follow the program.
The main drawback of the grapefruit diet, according to nutrition experts and physicians, is that you are highly likely to regain weight when you go back to your normal eating habits. Still, it is possible to avoid the so called yo-yo effect if you reintroduce foods excluded from the diet gradually.
Weigh the pros and cons of the grapefruit diet carefully and decide whether it is the right one for you.
The Mediterranean Diet
There are many diets popular with people for their ability to keep the dieters healthy and in good shape. One such diet is the Mediterranean Diet, a diet that is traditional for the people of Southern Europe. It is common in countries like France, Greece, Italy, and so on. In fact, all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are called Mediterranean countries and the food habits of the people living in these countries form the basis of a diet called Mediterranean diet.
In the strict sense of the term as it is construed as a specific diet to lose weight, the Mediterranean diet is not a diet per se. But the fact that people living along the coast of the Mediterranean have long and healthy lives has made people take notice of this diet. It is also a fact that people living in Mediterranean countries have much less incidence of ailments like cancer and heart diseases.
There is no Mediterranean diet per se
To be precise, there is no single Mediterranean diet as Greeks eat foods that are different from those consumed by the people in Italy. The cuisine of France and Spain is also different. But there seems to be a common thing connecting the foods of these Mediterranean countries. All the recipes have an emphasis on fruits, olive oil, beans, nuts and whole grains. The use of herbs to give flavor to recipes is another major characteristic. These people eat fish and seafood once or twice a week. They also seem to enjoy dairy and poultry products while they have red meats, wines and sweets only on special occasions.
It was Dr. Ancel Keys who popularized the Mediterranean diet in the 70’s though it was not until 1990’s that people all over the world realized the potential of this diet. It could be used to lose weight and to live a healthy life. Olive oil, one of the major ingredients in the Mediterranean diet, is known to lower the blood sugar and cholesterol levels, thereby helping patients who suffer from hypertension. The people of the Mediterranean countries consume red wine while those in other countries prefer beer. Red wine is known to contain flavonoids. These are active antioxidants that clean the body from toxins.
One can see the benefits by comparing the Mediterranean population with American people
When one makes a comparison between American people and those living along the Mediterranean coast, it becomes clear that a Mediterranean diet helps to prevent many types of lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and so on. Talking of benefits, there is obviously a longer lifespan, lower risk of high blood pressure, and lower risk of becoming overweight. This is evident if one looks across the population of the Mediterranean countries.
The healthy effects of the Mediterranean diet have been the subject of research and there have been a lot of studies to analyze this particular diet and to verify the claims made by experts about the diet. It has been found to be a balanced diet promoting good health and keeping weight under control, apart from reducing the risks of several diseases. However, it would be wrong to attribute all the health benefits to the Mediterranean diet alone as there is a clear difference between the lifestyles of the people living along the Mediterranean coast and those living on the American continent. In fact, the Mediterranean diet has been described by some as more of a lifestyle that makes good taste meet good health.
What is amazing is that different countries along the Mediterranean enjoy different diets that are dependent upon the availability of foods and the cultural preferences of the people. However, there are similarities that allow specialists to design a diet for all health conscious people across the world known as the Mediterranean diet. Most of the foods eaten in the Mediterranean region are simple and there are no deep fried food recipes. The plant foods dominate the diet and they are full of antioxidants and all the necessary vitamins and minerals that are required by the body on a daily basis. The presence of micronutrients and fiber in the Mediterranean diet ensures the prevention of many chronic diseases. There is scientific evidence to support the claim that Mediterranean diet helps for weight loss and also for increasing the life span.
The Morning Banana Diet My Review
When weight loss diets are endorsed by celebrities, they automatically become popular worldwide. This is the case with the morning banana diet, which originally came from Japan. Learn more about it so that you can decide for yourself whether to adopt it or not.
The morning banana diet is extremely simple to follow. The main rule that you need to keep is to consume only bananas for breakfast. You can drink only water at room temperature. Throughout the day, you can have any number of meals and snacks. There are absolutely no restrictions to the type of foods that you can eat and their amount. Still, you can have only one sweet snack in the middle of the afternoon. Another important rule is not to have any kind of dessert, ice cream, dairy products and alcohol after 8 in the evening.
Can bananas actually help you lose weight? There is no solid evidence to confirm that these fruits contain a substance that burns fat more effectively and more quickly, despite the various claims made. There are some who attribute the supposed weight loss properties of bananas to the enzymes they contain, but generally the body has enough enzymes to regulate metabolism.
A more plausible theory for the effectiveness of bananas for weight loss is the present of resistant starch in them. This type of fiber promotes fullness and may stimulate fat burning. It may also block the conversion of some carbohydrates. Still, it is thought that the amounts of resistant starch present in bananas are not sufficient to bring about any considerable change in metabolism.
Generally, there is little evidence to support the claims that the banana diet works for weight loss. So far, it has not been scientifically proven that bananas contain a chemical compound that burns fat. Besides, when you are allowed to eat anything you want, you may not get the slimming results that you expect. Still, trying this diet is highly unlikely to do you any harm since it does not involve fasting or the consumption of minimal amounts of certain types of nutrients.
You can try the morning banana diet to see if bananas will actually keep you feeling full throughout the day and help you consume smaller amounts of other types of food. It is best if you plan your daily intake of food so that you get sufficient amounts of lean protein and healthy carbs and consume fewer calories. This will certainly help you lose weight.
The Philosophy behind the Macrobiotic Diet
It is often said that dieting alone cannot bring you any weight loss and health benefits. That is why many people prefer to adopt a complete lifestyle approach. The macrobiotic diet is designed to change your entire perception of eating and to allow you to look at it in a philosophical way. Find out more about this very intriguing diet which gets its name from the Greek word for long life and extends into a specific way of life.
The macrobiotic diet is based on the traditional Eastern philosophy of Zen Buddhism and has some modern elements as well. The goal of the dieter is to achieve the balance between yin and yang. There are yin foods. These are foods that are cold, passive and sweet. There are special yang foods as well. These are hot, salty and aggressive. Some foods are completely excluded as they are rich in toxins.