Faddy diets ‘out of fashion’
She said that while a regular weight loss plan might require the dieter to take in 25 percent fewer calories, intermittent diets may suggest two days of a 75 percent calorie cut interspersed with five days of normal healthy eating. But the key to these diets – such as the 5:2 diet in which followers eat as little as 400 calories on two “fasting” days per week – is that dieters won’t succeed if they “pig out” and eat whatever they want on non-fasting days. Harvie’s research shows those who succeed in losing weigh on these diets find the fasting days lead them to also have a lower food intake on normal days – leading to lower calorie intake overall. HUNTING FOR FOOD Mark Berry, head of plant biology and biochemistry at the consumer company Unilever’s research and development unit, says there are also positive signs in data from studies of “Palaeolithic” or stone-age diets – plans designed to mimic the diet of pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers of that era. A sign of its current popularity is that “Paleo diet” was one of the most “Googled” terms of 2013. The idea is based around foods that can be hunted, fished or foraged for – meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Berry said his research showed little impact on glucose response in the body in people eating a Palaeolithic diet, but did find a significant impact on hormones that signal satiety and tell the brain the eater is full.
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Other strange diets named as the worst they have followed include the chewing gum diet, the eggs-only diet, the baby food diet, the Mars bar diet and the peanut butter diet. Dr Jacquie Lavin, Slimming World head of nutrition and research, said: “The unpleasantness of faddy diets that encourage severe calorie restriction and/or eating only one food type appears to be having the knock-on effect of persuading people to look for something more sustainable. “This is good news as not only can fad diets be very unhealthy, they’re also incredibly damaging to self-esteem and can cause people to lose confidence in their own ability to make long term changes. Fad diets lead to feelings of hunger, deprivation and boredom, making them impossible to keep up in the long term. The result is that slimmers are almost destined to be left beating themselves up and feeling like a failure for not being able to ‘stick at it’ when really it’s the diet that’s failed for being too strict in the first place. “Pledging to lose weight is well known as the most popular New Year’s resolution, but as this survey shows, more and more people are recognising the importance of following a realistic healthy plan. “A healthy flexible eating plan based around normal every day foods is more likely to fit in with the family and will have the added benefit of improving their health as well as yours.” :: The survey was of 3,508 people who joined a Slimming World group from January 1.
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Diabetics benefit from high-protein diets without risk, study finds
Weight loss in both groups plateaued after that time. “Far from seeing any problems caused by the high-protein diet, the participants’ weight loss resulted in improvements to their renal health, as well as to their overall cardiovascular health and the control of their blood-sugar levels,” says Professor Clifton, who is also co-author of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet book. “These benefits were seen in participants on both the high-protein diet and the standard diet , which is a good message for diabetic people who are looking to lose weight and improve their wellbeing. “Even modest weight loss has been shown to provide a range of health improvements for diabetic people.” The results of this study have been published online in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases and in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. More information: E. Pedersen, D.R. Jesudason, P.M.
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Grain-free diets miss out on several benefits
One study found the average gluten-free diet contains only six grams of fibre, well below the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation of 21 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/garcinia-cambogia-extract—crucial-data-released-231403591.html to 38 grams of fibre per day. The fibre in whole grains, including whole wheat, is important for bowel regularity, may protect against colon cancer, contributes to a feeling of fullness and could lower cholesterol and help regulate blood sugars. The bottom line: The best diet is not a passing fad. It’s one garcinia cambogia extract you can stick to for life. A balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products or their alternatives, lean protein sources and the occasional treat or two will meet your nutritional requirements and help keep you healthy over time.
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