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Posts Tagged ‘Diet’
Monday, October 12th, 2009
 Amazing as they taste, donuts are among the foods that you must keep off your menu. They melt in your mouth, give you your sugar rush, and make you feel satisfied. Still, donuts are as hollow in nutrition as they are at the center.
Donuts are made using hydrogenated oils. These oils translate to trans fat, and they are responsible for increasing your level of low density lipoproteins or LDL’s. As we all know, LDL’s are cause of plaque that clog the arteries that results to cardiovascular problems.
Donuts are also made using refined flour. Refined flour may fill you up, but they contain very little nutrients that you need to stay fit. Too much of will leave you very little room for other nutritious foods. Refined flour also lacks fiber, which is needed for proper elimination of body wastes.
To make donuts taste better as flour is bland, you need to put in a lot of sugar and several artificial flavorings. Each donut can contain as much as 4.6 grams of sugar, which about 10% of your daily recommended sugar intake for a 2000 calorie diet.
All in all, a single donut is jam packed with empty calories that can only make you gain weight. A single, sugar-glazed donut has about 200 calories per serving. One donut is not simply enough to make you feel full. You eventually have to take in 2 to 3 donuts to satisfy your craving. Add in some other flavorings such as chocolate and you will be adding 60-100 calories. That would give you up to 900 calories in just one sitting, nearly a third of your recommended calorie intake. No matter how you look at it, donuts do not give you any nutritional benefit whatsoever.
Tags: Diet, Donuts, health
Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Ketogenic diet, or Keto diet as it is commonly called, is a diet plan that consists of high fat, adequate protein, low to zero carb diet. The aim of this diet is to force your body to utilize fats and put you in a state of ketosis.
 To fully understand how ketogenic diet would work for weight loss, you must be familiar on how the body produces energy for basic bodily functions. Cells get their energy from glucose, a type of sugar that can only be found in carbohydrates. Any excess glucose will be converted to glucagon in the liver and also stored as fats. A limited amount of glucose in the diet will make your body use the stored glucagon in your liver, as well as convert fats into glucagon. This conversion is called gluconeogenesis, which is initiated by lipolysis or breaking down of fats.
Because of the absence of glucose, your body is forced to produce ketones. Ketones are a byproduct of fat metabolism, and are utilized by the body as energy instead of glucose. An excess amount of ketones in the blood will result to a state called ketosis. Now, it is important to understand that ketones are only utilized by muscles and organs, but not by the brain. Ketones in the brain are considered toxic and life-threatening and can produce coma. Such is the state that happens in ketoacidocis, a condition commonly experienced by diabetic patients.
Experts and proponents of the ketogenic diet attest that the state ketogenic state that you are in is not similar to those experienced by diabetic patients. The ketogenic phase that you experience in the ketogenic diet is called Ketosis-lipolysis. Although you have high amounts of ketones in your body, it is not enough to produce detrimental effects.
Once you see the menu for a ketogenic diet program, you may find that it is somewhat similar to Atkin’s diet or Southbeach diet. It is somewhat true, but also somewhat false. The purpose of the previously stated diet is, of course, fat loss. The purpose of the ketogenic diet, however, is also fat loss combined with muscle mass retention. With ketogenic diet, it is important that you have an active lifestyle to have the full benefits of the diet. That means regular sessions at the gym, working out, and fitness training.
Before you go for this type of diet, make sure that you do not have any medical or metabolic disorders that will be made worse. These can be but not restricted to: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. Consult your doctor and do appropriate lab tests before you undergo ketogenic diet. The Ketogenic diet might not be the diet you want to do for your P90x extreme workout or your Shaun T Insanity Workout.
Tags: carbs, Diet, fat loss, kentos, ketogenic diet, low carbs, low carbs diet, metabolism, muscle retention, protein, weight loss
Posted in Healthy Eating, weight loss | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
The 3-Day Diet is a form of fad diet introduced in the late 1980’s with the purpose of losing 10 lbs in just one week. Those who follow this diet plan attest to its success, but others are finding it a hard time to get around it. You follow the diet for three days, and then come back to “normal” way of eating on day 4-7. The cycle goes on until you have achieved the desired weight loss.
Those who follow the 3-day diet believe that the menu plan will force a metabolic reaction that will help you burn fat to lose some extra pounds.
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Breakfast
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Lunch
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Dinner
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1st Day
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Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A piece of toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A half a cup of tuna
A piece of toast |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A half a cup of carrots
A piece of fruit |
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2nd Day
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Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
An egg cooked in whatever prerence
A piece of toast |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A cup of tuna
A piece of toast or 5 saltine crackers |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A cup of vegetables side from ½ cup of carrots
A half cup of vanilla ice cream.
2 hotdogs or meat of equivalent portion size (2 oz.) |
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3rd Day
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Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
5-8 pieces of saltine crackers with a slice of cheese
An apple or a grapefruit |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A piece of toast with egg |
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 little packets of Sweet & Low or Equal (or water)
A cup of tuna
A cup of carrots
A cup of cauliflower
A half cup of vanilla ice cream. |
If you look closely at the menu, the mix of food and portions are not enough to produce a metabolic reaction other than slowing it down. There is no fat-burning process that would result to a reduction of weight. There is severe caloric reduction, leaving you with almost 1000 calories in a day. This severe calorie restriction is the cause of weight loss, not to mention loss of water. You will only take in approximately 4 glasses of water in a day. Aside from that, the severe lack of carbohydrates will reduce your body’s ability to retain water. Both elements are needed to maintain physiologic processes in the body. A prolonged application of the 3-day diet will lead to health complications because of lack of proper nutrition.
This is not a diet you want to do for your Brazil Butt Lift workout, Insanity Workout, or the P90x Workout. These workouts have their own nutrition guides that you should follow.
Tags: 3 day diet, Calorie restriction, Diet, fat loss, lose fat, three day diet, weight loss, Weight Lost
Posted in weight loss | No Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
 Hot dogs are America’s favorite food. About 20 billion hot dogs are consumed annually, with the bulk resting on New Yorkers. No one can deny that they taste good. But fact is, the better they taste, the worse they are for your health.
Hot dogs are mainly made from meat trimmings that are deemed unappealing to be served in their true form. Several additives such as food coloring and seasonings must be added heavily to improve its color, texture, and taste. Preservatives are also added to prolong its shelf life in your freezer.
A single hot dog can contain as 137 calories. Now add some mayonnaise, bread, and the oil that you need to cook your hot dog, it can give you as much as 300 calories in total. You need to do a lot of physical activity to burn off just the calories from just one hot dog alone.
Hot dogs are also known to be loaded with sodium. One hotdog can contain about 28% of your daily recommended intake. One type of dangerous sodium found in hot dogs is sodium nitrate; a chemical compound known to cause cancer.
Hot dogs are also high in fat. The fat is added either as an extender or something to improve its flavor. Regardless of the reason, fat is only good if it is consumed sparingly. A hot dog can be made with 25% fat. This can lead to cardiovascular problems later on.
There is no harm in eating a hot dog every once in a while. If it becomes a daily part of your diet, it will eventually cause harm in your health making you wish that you practiced extreme moderation in eating them.
Tags: Diet, health, Hot Dogs
Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
 The Atkins diet is a diet devised to help you lose weight by altering your diet to program your metabolism. The diet is programmed to lessen consumption of carbohydrates while maintaining the level of protein and fat intake. Most are attracted to this type of diet as others profess the ability to lose 20-30lbs of body weight in a month.
Dr. Atkins believe that carbohydrates is the main culprit in storing fat in the body as it is the main source of simple sugars that can be turned into glucose. The fewer amounts of carbohydrates we consume, the more we will burn fat from our system. Fat is burned because the body does not have any other source of energy to utilize for maintenance of bodily functions. The breakdown of fat is a process called lipolysis (lipo = fat, lysis =break down or disintegrate). As the body is burning down fat for numerous tissue functions, ketones are produced as a byproduct of fat metabolism. Since ketones are considered toxic to the body, it is excreted in numerous ways:
- Through your lungs, producing that fruity breath common in diabetic patients
- Through your liver to the feces
- Through your kidneys secreted via urine production
It is believed that the production of ketones will limit the production of insulin. If insulin is very limited, the amount of glucose for the body is also regulated. You will only have enough glucose for the cells and not producing excess glucose to be stored as glucagon that in turn is stored as fat. There is still a wide debate on how healthy this diet would be, but others claim that several medical conditions can arise from the diet. Check with your physician and nutritionist to see if the diet can be good for your current physical condition.
If you want to get in the best shape of your life. Diet is only half the battle. You need an exercise program like the Insanity Workout or the P90X to get you in tip top shape.
Tags: Atkins Diet, Diet, Insanity Workout, P90X
Posted in Healthy Eating, Insanity Workout, Nutrition | No Comments »
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