Crazy Diets You Should Avoid

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American showman P.T. Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute." Whether they realize it or not, a lot of people are suckers when it comes to dieting. Desperate for a quick fix to their weighty problem, they abandon established ways to lose weight (like exercise and eating less) and instead pursue crazy diet plans that make no sense at all.

The allure of fad diets lies in the way they are packaged. They are endorsed by movie stars and other celebrities. Some have the names of "doctors" attached to them. They are simple to follow - they identify good and bad foods - and promise or guarantee dramatic results. They claim that you can eat what you want and still lose weight even without exercise. They provide people with instant solutions and instant gratification because some weight is lost. But what is often lost is water not fat and this is quickly replaced the next time you drink or eat.

"We want something and we want it now. Moderation, variety and balance in the diet takes effort, long-term commitment and lifetime change and people aren't patient," said Joy Short, an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at St. Louis University in St. Louis.

God's Diet, for example, is a very restrictive diet that prevents you from eating the things God didn't make. Dietitian Melissa Payne of the Orlando Regional Health Care in Orlando, Florida, describes it as a "radical" diet since it has a long list of foods to avoid, especially those containing sugar.

The Blood Type Diet recommends different diets for the different blood types since food is supposedly metabolized in a unique manner by each blood group. Type O people are said to be the "cro-magnon type" and should eat nothing but lean meat while type A individuals belong to the Roman Empire and should subsist on vegetables. On the other hand, Types B and AB can eat anything. Experts warn that Type O people who follow this diet are at risk of heart disease from consuming too much fat while excluding certain food groups in your diet can deprive you of essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

In the Grapefruit Diet, grapefruit is said to have fat-burning enzymes and will do all the work for you. Aside from one small, isolated study (that appears to have been sponsored by the citrus industry), there is no scientific evidence to support this ridiculous claim, according to Liz Neporent, trainer and author of "The Fat-Free Truth."

To get back into shape following childbirth, Elizabeth Hurley supposedly followed the Caveman Diet. Proponents of this diet say that the modern practice of eating three meals a day is unhealthy. Only one meal a day is allowed similar to our prehistoric ancestors. The best time to eat is at night and your meal should consist of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. Experts say this diet is dangerous since you're starving yourself to death.

In the Cabbage Soup Diet that is espoused by Sarah-Michelle Gellar, you eat nothing but cabbage soup for seven days along with fruits, vegetables, fish, and chicken. Proponents claim you can lose 10 pounds a week since cabbage soup keeps you full. While this diet is rich is anti-oxidants, it is unhealthy since weight loss is due to fasting and you can lose muscle mass as your body burns protein not fat.

Another variation is the Coconut Diet followed by Jennifer Aniston where you eat - surprise! - nothing but fat-rich coconut oil to lose fat (if you're confused, so am I!). The menu consists of butter, egg yolks, meat fats, and lard. This diet will supposedly boost the immune system but it's more likely to hurt your heart.

To lose weight, eat sensibly and don't restrict yourself to certain foods like the above diets. Remember that there are no good foods or bad foods, only bad diets! All foods can be part of a healthy diet so there's no need to limit your choices. If you've tried everything and failed, get back into shape with Zylorin, the safe and effective weight loss supplement that will enhance your diet and exercise program. Check out http://www.zylorin.com for details.

Why Should We Eat Like a Mediterranean?

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The Mediterraneans were always aware of healthy eating habits. Mediterranean fasting and diets are very popular because most of their meals are low in fat, low in carbohydrates. There are many Greek and Turkish recipes available online that will qualify as detox diets. Different recipes for preparation of several varieties of vegetable soup using combinations of fiber and nutrient rich ingredients can be accessed and gained from wide choice of diet sites online as well as offline.

Cabbage soup is a very popular and included in detox diet . It is very satisfying and gives you a feeling of fullness. This is the best part of the fiber rich food. It is very satiating and always prevents you from over eating. So is Gazpacho. A type of Spanish soup prepared from tomatoes, red peppers, bell peppers, green and yellow cucumber and fresh garlic clove. This soup is served hot or cold.

Another great detox and dieting diet recipe is called "Dave's Detox Surprise". This great tasting detox soup is prepared from following ingredients. Firstly 2 quarts of water is brought to a simmer. Later add to it 2 finely chopped onions, two half of a garlic clove, finely minced, four stewed tomatoes (after removing the skin) and then diced. To this add two chopped carrots, 7 pieces of sliced mushrooms, 3/4 of a cup of brown rice and two beef bullion cubes. Let this soup simmer for about one hour on a low heat, then is best, served hot.

To add to the taste serve "Dave's Detox Surprise" along with a boiled entree of Red pepper, sprinkled with pure organic lemon juice and a side dish of fresh and organic green beans with mushrooms and crushed fine almonds. This combination would certainly be a delicious mouth watering meal!

Your food selection for preparation of any detox diet recipes that you like will certainly test your creativity. Idea of being able to eat the food you can enjoy will motivate you to stay on track and not give up the challenge. The more variety of recipes that you can come up with, the much easier your detoxification and dieting process will be. It is rightly said variety is the spices of life. There is a saying in Asian culture , "A cup of organic brown rice is worth a thousand diet recipes".

Diabetics Should Eat Fruits and Root Vegetables

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Root vegetables and fruits are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. Many studies show that diabetics who do not eat fruit and root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots or beets, are at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. Recent studies from Oxford University in England and Arizona State University show that diabetics should eat fruits and root vegetables with other foods to slow the rise in blood sugar that can cause cell damage (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2006; Journal of the American Dietetic Association, December, 2005).

Diabetics are at high risk for heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, kidney failure and damage to virtually every tissue in their bodies. These serious side effects are caused by blood sugar levels rising too high after meals. When you eat food, it passes into the stomach where the pyloric sphincter closes and prevents food from entering the intestines. The stomach squeezes and mixes its contents and only when solid food is converted to a thick soup does the pyloric sphincter open and permit food to pass into the intestines, where sugar is absorbed immediately to cause a high rise in blood sugar. If you eat nuts along with the potatoes or fruits, the fat in the nuts keeps other foods eaten with them in the stomach for a longer period of time and therefore blood sugar levels do not rise as quickly. Any slowly-digested foods that contain fats or protein will have the same effect, so eat your fruits and root vegetables with other foods, not alone as snacks.

Ham and Bean Soup - Smoky Perfection

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Ham and Bean Soup recipes can be found anywhere but rarely are they tasteful, generally bland and mostly containing the same ingredients. Not many carry that unique twist and flavor that we yearn for. This " Smoked " Ham and Bean Soup Recipe has that unique twist with a new taste to leave a flavor in your mouth that will leave you yearning for more.

So take a deep breath of fresh air because from here on in it's going to be a smoking day with a delicious reward.

You Will Need :

1 Lb. Bag Dry Great Northern Beans
1 Hickory Smoked Ham Hock
2 tsp. Wright's Liquid Smoke Flavoring " Hickory Style " ( found in the condiment aisle ). I choose Wrights smoke flavoring because the only added ingredient is water and it doesn't have that chemical taste.
1 tsp. Mustard Powder
2 Carrots, peeled and cubed
1 Large Red Onion, peeled and chopped
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed / chopped
3 Fresh Tomatoes, Cored and diced
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
5 C. Chicken Stock
3 C. Water
1/4 C. Fresh Parsley, Chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. White Pepper

OPTIONAL : 1 C. Cubed Ham

1. First you need to soak your beans for 12 hours, I prefer soaking them overnight.

This helps
to drastically reduce the cooking time of the beans


to preserve the nutrients


to reduce the amount of indigestible complex sugars that create "gas".

2. After soaking the Great Northern Beans, strain the beans and rinse them.

3. Add the Great Northern Beans, 5 cups chicken stock, 3 cups water, 1 hickory smoked ham hock, carrots, parsley, tomatoes and 1 bay leaf to a large pot.

If you decide to use the chopped ham, which is optional, then you should add it now.

4. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

5. After the pot simmers for about 20 minutes, heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic, red onion, celery and 2 teaspoons of Wright's "Hickory Style" Liquid Smoke Flavoring. Saute for 5 minutes.

6. Now add the contents of the frying pan to the large pot along with 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder and 1 teaspoon white pepper stir well and simmer for another 45 minutes. Stir Occasionally.

Note : You can pick the ham off of the ham hock and return it to the Ham and Bean Soup if your not using chopped ham. I prefer this method.

Now for a few last touches to finish off your ham and bean soup.

Stir it well and do a taste test. Does it need something? salt? more pepper? Add it now if you feel that it does.

8 Things You Should Know About Carrots

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In this article I want you down on carrots when they were rated one of the below are the vegetables.

For those who hate him and in all the circumstances, I emphasize that we are to hate again. You still have to put up with them as a boiled or steamed as a vegetable, there are many ways to hide them to be exciting, wonderful addition to your diet.

Until a few years ago, I must admit that the carrots were one of my animals hate, but after tastingcarrot cake my wife, I immediately changed my mind. Unfortunately, you are doing a lot of sugar in it have, so it's not a conscious diet.'ll See the recipe on my site and you can try for yourself. I know that my kids think it's wonderful.

The list that follows are eight things you should know. The first thing would be for them that carrots are rich in vitamin A. This vitamin is good for the eyes, especially if older thanhelps with night vision devices. Please note, no cracks on rabbits and glasses.

Now, this did next surprised me, since I do not recognize that they have a good amount of vitamin C, which I'm sure we all know, is one of the essential vitamins, we have a healthy body.

Passing carrots contain potassium, which is one of those things that you need a certain daily dose. Potassium helps to lower cholesterol and also helps with muscle control, and things like dry skin andacne is a good example.

The next two things you should know about are that carrots are great for tissue growth, and at the same time your bones will be strengthened so it will help against things like arthritis.

For the last three reasons I suggest that you go out and buy yourself a juicer as carrot juice as a drink or mixed with different fruits is one of the finest things you can have. So for those of you on a diet this juice is ideal. A cup of juiced carrots and fruit between 70 and 100 calories per cup, depending on the mix of fruit with carrots.

Another reason for carrots as a beverage, depending on what fruit you choose, can be a great antioxidant. And if you work out the pollution and all waste that some of our foods, it is important that we restore the balance.

Last but not least is the fact that by squeezing your carrots and with the addition of fruits such as oranges, apples, bananas, kiwi fruit (try the gold are)Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I think we realize that there is so much higher that if one is to take vitamin tablets.