South Beach Diet: The Three Phases

The South Beach Diet is essentially an eating plan that holds the principle that one must eat the right carbohydrates and right fats in order to have a healthy life full of vitality and a great looking body. Consequently, what you eat; and indeed what foods are good and what are bad for you, is a paramount principle in the South Beach Diet.

In the South Beach Diet plan, you must eat the right carbohydrates and the right fats. South Beach Diet plan is very trendy, with a lot of people following it these days. Although a lot of people consider the South Beach Diet as a popular diet, many are still not aware about the foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet.

This calls for the important question - What then are the foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet, and what foods must one eat?

The first thing you need to know are the principles of the South Beach Diet, so that you can then fully understand the foods that are good and bad for you. The South Beach Diet is specifically divided into three different phases. Each phase has its own distinction and limitation. However, knowing the foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet requires a great focus on the phase one of the diet. Why? The foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet are largely stated in Phase one.

The first phase of the South Beach Diet is considered to be the most challenging and strict phase of the diet, because there are so many foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet' first phase. The main foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet particularly in the first phase are beef rib steaks, honey-baked ham, breast of veal, all yogurts, ice cream, milk including whole, low-fat, soy, and full fat cheeses, beets, carrots, corn, yams, fruits and fruit juices, all alcohol.

It is also essential to remember that aside from those foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet, there are also some sorts that are included in the foods to generally avoid in the South Beach Diet and these include all starchy foods such as bread, cereal, oatmeal, matzo, rice, pasta, pastries and baked goods among other similar foods.

So the foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet are really carbohydrates. It is recommended to avoid carbohydrates on the South Beach Diet for so many reasons. The main theory behind this reasoning is that once weight decreases, the followers of the diet begin to metabolize carbohydrates properly and the longing for carbohydrates will consequently disappear.

In the South Beach Diet it is also recommended that the dieter must to eat three balanced meals a day, and to eat enough so that the dieter does not feel hungry all the time. It is estimated that on average, the expected weight loss which a dieter can achieve during the phase one of the diet is eight to thirteen pounds.

On the second phase of the South Beach diet, basically the foods that were barred during the first phase are now allowed in this second phase. It is recommended that the dieters remain on phase two and continue losing weight until they have reached their weight goal. As far as how long it actually takes to lose the weight, that really depends on how much the dieter wants to lose.

The third and last phase of the South Beach diet is one where one continues maintaining good eating habits for the rest of the dieter's life. By this stage, the dieter would have adopted the South Beach diet plan as their natural eating habit for life.

By simply following the South Beach Diet, you can achieve your best body weight. You can be healthy for life and also have a great looking body. By knowing the foods to avoid on the South Beach Diet, you can achieve any weight and fitness goals you may have.

Losing weight with the South Beach Diet is great if your are overweight. If you would like to find another another alternative then try a cheap diet program that I have reviewed, or a review of the best fitness book that I have read.

Fad Diets and Quick Fixes Vs. Proper Eating Habits

Americans spend around 30-50 billion dollars each year on fad diets, quick fixes, and gimmicks. While spending only a small amount each on proper dieting methods like eating healthier foods and exercising regularly. Why is it that we spend so much more each year on the quick fixes as opposed to practising better eating habits? That is because healthy eating provides you with a weight loss of anywhere from less than 1/2 a lb. to 2lbs. a week with anymore than that being unhealthy and not long term. While fad diets promise a large weight loss with little or no effort and no exercise. Fad diets are made to get your attention when your thinking "Well my reunion is exactly a month away and I would like to lose 30lbs.", or "I really need to lose that extra 14 lbs. to fit into my bikini and I've only got two weeks to do it" Today I am going to review and talk about a few different diets in the two categories. I have been on every diet from Atkins to The Zone and countless fad diets, while also trying to keep in mind a few words of wisdom my mother has always shared with me especially when it comes to dieting, "If it sounds to good to be true then it probably is."

A few ridiculous fad diets I have tried in the past.

Most recently: The One Day Diet - The very sound of this diet should have been a turn off, but because I am just like everyone else in America I think "Hey a diet I only have to be on for 24 hours!" This diet promises a weight loss of 2 lbs. a day if you don't eat anything except a few tiny diet "wafers" and water for 24 hours and then the next day you can eat what you like. After reading this I went out and spent the fifty dollars for the 2 weeks supply of "wafers" thinking that it was a magical wonderful thing.

Well the truth is, it's NOT! I started out each day ready to do the diet but only after a few hours gave in to hunger because I was weak and so irritable and extremely miserable. I don't know what made me think eating every other day was going to be the answer.

The 48 hour "Miracle" Diet- This diet I can say is probably the most common fad diet I have seen, with beautiful thin people claiming they got their bodies from drinking this "miracle" juice two days out of the week. Well after viewing the commercials all the time on tv, and reading countless NEGATIVE reviews I decided to spend the twenty bucks on the juice and try it out. It promised a weight loss of eight to ten pounds in two days. I started out the first day with my first serving of juice and went on about the day, or at least I tried to. Drinking this juice caused a horrible diuretic effect which left me stopping at every gas station on the way to my destination. While also leaving me so pail from lack of nutrition it wasn't even funny. It was the worst 20.00 dollars I have ever spent.

The Cabbage Soup Diet- I went on this diet believing the promise of a weight loss of ten pounds a week. I was wrong! This diet lets you have as much of this special cabbage soup which you make yourself and let's you eat only certain foods on certain days such as all fruits one day, all veggies the next, and that sort of thing. This diet leaves you miserably hungry and unsatisfied, while also being another horrible diuretic, with losing very little or no weight and gaining it quickly back. It is hardly worth your time.

Conclusion on fad diets- Fad diets like I said are just gimmicks to get your attention don't waste your money. Any weight loss you get will be water weight or even worse muscle mass and these diets will have extremely negative effects on your metabolism.

With that being said here are a few diets that WORK. *My top three favorites.

Slim fast- When I was a young teen I lost around 70lbs on this diet. It worked really good, but the downside is that it is so expensive. If you can afford this diet then I recommend it to you. If you cannot afford it then don't do it, because when you don't have the money for the shakes or bars then it will just cause weight gain. I lost around three pounds a week. Learn more at http://www.slimfast.com

Definitely a good one: Atkins (or low carb)- This diet is an EXTREMELY wonderful diet. With the right foods in your fridge and eliminating the bad ones totally from your diet, you will lose a good amount of weight pretty quickly from my experience. After researching the diet a little make sure it's something you can stick with because you won't maintain the weight loss well if you can't stick with it. I lost around five pounds a week. Visit http://www.atkins.com for more information.

My number one personal favorite: Weight watchers- This diet is a GREAT one, everything is done in a system of "points" with EVERY food including fast foods having a point value. You get a target points number depending on how much you weigh. It is reasonably inexpensive because you have to spend no money on special foods and nothing is cut out of your diet. It is a great way of learning proper eating habits for the rest of your life. The only cost is about forty dollars when you first start, so you can get the start up kit with everything you need in it! You can continue to go to the meetings although not required help immensely, and are on average around eleven dollars a week. I lost around seventeen pounds each month and kept it off fairly easily. The costs vary. Visit http://www.weightwatchers.com for more information.

In conclusion I hope that this article was helpful to you in someway, and I wish you the best of luck on your weight loss journey. While you look for a plan that's right for you please keep in mind the quote from my mother I mentioned earlier, "If it sounds to good to be true then it probably is."

Which Diet Suits You Best?

The hallmark of a modern developed society seems to be people with those ugly bulges. And lots of dieting ads! Okay, let's face it. We will have to live with dieting. The question then is how to do it effectively and safely.

Dieting refers to regulated food intake to satisfy a short-term goal: losing weight or adding it. Diet refers to the food items that form the dieting process.

Human beings need essential nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. A well-balanced diet must meet these nutritional requirements or it could threaten general health and physical fitness. The diet must make the person healthy enough to be active and still provide only enough calories that can be burned away in the course of a day without it accumulating as fat.

The fact is not every diet works for everyone. That is because there are metabolic differences between individuals. The challenge is to choose a diet that works for you. This you can do only with the help of a physician.

Diet pills are quite popular among health-conscious individuals. Some diet pills are associated with comprehensive dietary programs. However, these diet pills, especially the ones containing vitamins and minerals are not effective weight-loss tools for everyone. Some medicines cause short-term weight loss, but the loss is normally accompanied by dangerous side-effects.

Diet drugs can be classified into diuretics and stimulants. Diuretics induce water-weight loss, while stimulants such as ephedrine increase the heart rate and reduce appetite. These drugs can also cause kidney and liver damage. The stimulants increase your risk of sudden heart attacks and also cause addiction. Always look for FDA approval for these diet drugs.

Exotic dieting patterns are not just ineffective, but dangerouus as well. Starvation diets are undertaken by many to gain that perfect figure - the lean and athletic Ally McBeal look. But these diets are normally counterproductive. Yo-yo dieting refers to alternating periods of feasting and famine. It too is quite ineffective. When you starve, the body responds by decreasing metabolism. When you begin consuming food agan, the food gets stored as fat. These adjustments leave the dieter feeling lethargic and fatigued.

Certain medical conditions require special diets. A diabetic person is put on a diet for managing the blood sugar level, while mild hypertension is partly cured by following a diet of fruits and vegetables and a diet low in fat and sodium. The hypertension diet could focus on weight loss, if controlling blood pressure is necessary. Celiac disease patients follow a gluten-free diet, while people with kidney disease are required to follow a low-sodium diet to lessen the load on the kidneys. Lactose-intolerant people leave out milk products from their diet.

Many diets include medicinal plants. These herbs include leaves, bark, berries, roots, gums, seeds, stems, and flowers. They come in the form of tablets, capsules, liquid beverages, bark pieces, powders, tinctures, fluid extracts, creams, lotions, salves, and oils. These medicines include herbal products which are avaiable over-the-counter or at health food stores. However, it's always better to consume medications prescribed by doctors and provided by pharmacists.

Go on a diet if you need to. But play it safe, and do it in consultation with your doctor. And remember, if one diet does not work for you, it doesn't mean you have failed. You could still find a diet regimen that will work wonders for you!

To know more about finding which diet [http://www.safe-diet.info] suits you the best and will be more effective, go here: [http://www.safe-diet.info]

What Exactly is the Mediterranean Diet?

By its name alone, the Mediterranean diet attracts a lot of current and would be dieters due to its exotic name. But what is it exactly? One concern of the Mediterranean diet is that it allows 40% fat consumption compared to the 30% of the American Heart Association. Let's go into more detail as it seems a waste to just let it go without giving it a fair reading.

The Mediterranean diet evolved from the respective diets of countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin. Among the countries surrounding the basin are the south of France, southern Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. Originally introduced by American doctor Ancel Keys, the diet failed to gain popular recognition until the 1990's. Based on scientific data, people around the Mediterranean basin had lower rates of cardiovascular disease compared to Americans who, for all intents and purposes, consumed the same relative amount of fat. One possible explanation is the presence of olive oil and red wine. Olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood while red wine contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are anti-oxidants that also help the body when dealing with allergenic material, viruses and cancer causing agents.

Another contributing factor to a European's better health could be the fact that they tend to walk more than Americans do. Questions have also been raised as to whether the Mediterranean diet contributes enough iron and calcium to the diet. Green vegetables and goat cheese have been found to contribute these nutrients respectively.

The thing about the Mediterranean diet is that its foods are often rich and tasty thanks to olive oil. Normally, margarine and hydrogenated oils lack the flavor that olive oil gives out. Another part of the diet is regular but moderate consumption of red wine. Saturated fat consumption is low as opposed to high amounts of monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. This is due to the fact that the diet includes big servings of fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, olive oil and fish.

In comparing the food pyramid of the United States against the Mediterranean diet, people of the Mediterranean consumed fruits, vegetables and grain just as Americans do. The main difference lies in the fact that Americans consume more red meat. Consumption of cold water fish is also prominent in the Mediterranean diet. This results in reduced risks of heart disease, cancer and improved immune system functions. Compared to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) pyramid, the Mediterranean diet contains little saturated and trans fat that raise cholesterol in the blood. The USDA's pyramid does not differentiate from healthy and unhealthy fats.

Characteristically speaking, the Mediterranean diet has high consumption of olive oil. Breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables likewise have a high rate of consumption in the diet. Fish and poultry as well as wine are moderately consumed while eggs and red meat are rated as very low in consumption.

The problem with most diets is that they tend to be extreme. Some diets, like the vegetarian diet, limit a person to just eating fruits, tofu, yogurt and vegetables. Other diets would require high protein intake while severely limiting intake of the other food groups. Like a user friendly computer, the Mediterranean diet does not go to extremes to achieve a desired result. The diet allows for consumption of tasty foods. This allows the dieter to actually enjoy the gastronomic delights normally prohibited by other diets. A solid testament to this fact rests on the presence of wine in the diet.

The most surprising aspect of the Mediterranean diet is that fat is regarded as a healthy dietary component. Keep in mind that it is the fat that gives food most of its flavor. Two substances, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, are considered to be healthy and are not restricted in the diet. Olive oil, canola oil and nuts are good sources of monounsaturated fat while fish, vegetables and nuts contain the healthy omega-3 acids. Saturated fats and trans fat, on the other hand are considered to be unhealthy as they contribute to heart disease. Red meat, butter cheese and milk are sources of saturated fat while processed foods contain hydrogenated oils from which trans fat comes from.

From what has been written so far, and from all the sources and references where this article was taken from, the Mediterranean diet comes highly recommended by health professionals. The Mediterranean diet maintains a healthy but tasty, smorgasbord of delicious foods with which you can maintain a healthy diet without the need to sacrifice flavor and variety. While we appreciate the people who struggle and strive to come up with healthy diets, good food carries more weight in our stomachs.

Author Ray Darken - Ray often writes for and works with The Mediterranean Diet. If this link is not working you can paste this one into your browser safe-and-easy-weightloss.com or if you'd like more news and broader access to diet and nutrition information try Diet Reviews & Tips. If this link isn't working, you can paste this one into your browser diet-reviews-and-tips.com

Trying To Find The Best Diet Pill?

Trying to find the best diet pill may seem like an impossible task, especially with the multitude of diet pills available for purchase. Many people purchase a diet pill only to find out that the pill makes them feel jittery, nervous, or often has no effect at all.

Diet pills frequently contain the same or similar combination of ingredients and rarely contain anything new, innovative, or undiscovered to the supplement / weight loss industry. So, how can you find the best diet pill when most diet pills are made with similar ingredients?

One of the most common problems associated with taking diet pills is that the person taking the diet pill is uneducated about the dosage, effects, and promises offered as they relate to each diet pill. The research at http://www.diet-pill-review.com finds that there are three factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding to take a diet pill.

Dosage:

It is important to take the pill exactly as recommended on the product label. Some people choose to increase the dosage thinking that the product will work faster or better. This is not the case, and many people become sick in response to the large dose. Reviewers at http://www.diet-pill-review.com often suggest that the recommended dosage be cut in half to give the body time to adjust to the stimulant in the diet pill. After the body has adjusted, it is fine to begin taking the regular dosage as recommended on the product label.

Effects:

The effects listed on the product label are there because these are the effects that the product has had on 'some' of the test group. Some of the diet pill testers may be fine taking the product, while others may have adverse effects. The diet pill companies print this information to educate the buyer as well as to protect themselves from lawsuits. The consumer needs to read the label and educate themselves before taking the product. Many people who are sensitive to caffeine are surprised when the diet pill makes them feel nervous or nauseous, but this information is likely printed on the product, so with a little research these affects can be avoided.

Promises:

If you read the fine print on product claims for diet pills and other weight loss supplements, you will see 'results not typical' printed very small somewhere where you are not expected to look. The diet pills advertised on television are responsible for some of the most outlandish claims. The results claimed in these advertisements are often unattainable within the given amount of time outlined in the ad. Don't expect to see results in two weeks like a lot of ads claim.

Wouldn't it be great if you could read reviews for diet pills from actual users of each diet pill? Diet Pill Reviews http://www.diet-pill-review.com has taken the trouble out of searching for the best diet pill. You can read reviews of over 150 of the most popular diet pills available.

Copyright 2006, Diet Pill Reviews

Diet Pill Review is the leading authority on diet pills, weight loss supplements, and fat burners. Our site provides over 150 reviews for today's most popular diet pills. http://www.diet-pill-review.com

Best Fad Diets

What are the best fad diets? It's a question I'm often asked. Unfortunately, I'm not really in favour of fad diets, so it's a difficult one to answer.

It's not that I'm against all fad diets on principle. But if there's one message I'd like you to take away from my website, Obesity Cures.com, it's that there's no silver bullet. No one shot cure ... no best fad diets.

That's the message I hope you take away from this article.

Your ideal weight loss solution should comprise a basket of cures, each chosen to suit your specific needs. A diet, fad or not, may be one ingredient of that basket. But one size does not fit all.

However, if you are going to choose a fad diet as part of your weightloss basket, you should at least be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

In this article, I'll outline some of the main categories of fad diets and some of the pros and cons of each.

High-Fat, Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Millions of Americans have joined the low-carb craze and started high-fat, low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet and the Zone Diet. They are made up of about 60% fat, 10% carbohydrate, and 30% protein.

These fad diets say you can eat high amounts of fat and protein while getting very low amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables.

The main premise of the low-carb diet is that a diet low in carbohydrates leads to a reduction in body's production of insulin.

The end result is that fat and protein stores will be used for energy. So you stuff yourself full of unlimited amounts of meat, cheese, and butter, and only eat a small portion of carbohydrates.

But here's the catch...

People who start the diet usually lose a great amount of weight, but it's not permanent weight loss. Instead of burning fat, they lose water and precious muscle tissue.

Furthermore, these diets are low in several nutrients and contain excess amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, substances that increase the risk of heart disease.

Plus, regardless of what they claim, the enormous amounts of protein put a strain on your kidneys.

Not exactly a promising contender for the best fad diets title!

Moderate Fat Diets

Next, there are the moderate fat diets. Moderate fat diets include diets like Weight Watchers, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, Herbalife and Jenny Craig.

These diets are made up of about 25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, and 15% protein. They encourage the intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and essential fatty acids found in foods like olive oil and salmon.

These diets are usually nutritionally balanced if the dieter eats a variety of foods from all categories. For example, Weight Watchers operates on a point system where foods get a number of points based on calorie, fiber, and fat content.

Dieters get a specific number of points they can use for the day. While it's not encouraged, they may choose to spend most of their points on carbohydrates instead of balancing it out. This could lead to deficiencies in nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc.

Herbalife counters this shortcoming with a range of nutritional shakes and vitamin products.

If followed properly (and backed by judicious supplementation), these diets are probably the most successful for losing weight and keeping it off... A possible contender for the best fad diets title.

Low and Very Low-Fat Diets

Finally, you have your low-fat and very low-fat diets. Fad diets in this category include the Dr. Dean Ornish's Diet and the Pritkin Plan, among others. They are made up of about 13% fat, 70% carbohydrates, and 16% protein.

These diets are mostly vegetarian diets and don't recommend eating a lot of meat. Like the low-carb diets, you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods. Because you can't eat a lot of meat, these diets are deficient in zinc, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids.

Also, it is so restrictive that people find a hard time staying on it for life and end up gaining their weight back.

So, that's a brief outline of some of the main fad diet categories. And, yes, you're right I haven't told you definitively what I think are the best fad diets. But read the above carefully and you'll see I've nudged you in a certain direction.

That's as far as I'm prepared to go without knowing more a

bout your specific circumstances.

This is really something you need to decide for yourself. Your needs will be different from others.

While rapid weightloss diets are generaly inadvisible, perhaps you have valid reasons for needing to lose weight fast. In which case, maybe a low-carb diet, despite its many disadvantages, is what you need right now. You can always switch to a different program later.

The choice is yours...

But don't decide right now.

To help you make a better informed choice, I've devoted a page on my website to fad diets with links to summaries of the more popular ones - http://www.obesitycures.com/best-fad-diets.html

And be sure to browse the rest of the site while you're at it. You might well find something else that suits your needs better than even the best fad diets.

Alan Cooper is a journalist with 20 year's experience and the publisher of ObesityCures.com, a site with the ambitious aim of being a "one-stop-shop" for impartial information on obesity and weight loss solutions - including fad diets, prescription weightloss pills and natural weight loss aids.

Don't Be Confused About Low Carb Diets - 7 Key Points Explained

With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of

information, it's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes

to the value and safety of low-carb diets. It seems like heated

debates are raging everywhere!

Whether it's Atkins, the South Beach or some other low-carb plan,

as many as 30 million Americans are following a low-carb diet.

Advocates contend that the high amount of carbohydrates in our

diet has led to increasing problems with obesity, diabetes, and

other health problems. Critics, on the other hand, attribute

obesity and related health problems to over-consumption of

calories from any source, and lack of physical activity. Critics

also express concern that the lack of grains, fruits, and

vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of

some key nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and

several minerals.

Any diet, weather low or high in carbohydrate, can produce

significant weight loss during the initial stages of the diet.

But remember, the key to successful dieting is in being able to

lose the weight permanently. Put another way, what does the scale

show a year after going off the diet?

Let's see if we can debunk some of the mystery about low-carb

diets. Below, is a listing of some relevant points taken from

recent studies and scientific literature. Please note there may

be insufficient information available to answer all questions.

- Differences Between Low-Carb Diets

There are many popular diets designed to lower carbohydrate

consumption. Reducing total carbohydrate in the diet means that

protein and fat will represent a proportionately greater amount

of the total caloric intake.

Atkins and Protein Power diets restrict carbohydrate to a point

where the body becomes ketogenic. Other low-carb diets like the

Zone and Life Without Bread are less restrictive. Some, like

Sugar Busters claim to eliminate only sugars and foods that

elevate blood sugar levels excessively.

- What We Know about Low-Carb Diets

Almost all of the studies to date have been small with a wide

variety of research objectives. Carbohydrate, caloric intake,

diet duration and participant characteristics varied greatly.

Most of the studies to date have two things in common: None of

the studies had participants with a mean age over 53 and none of

the controlled studies lasted longer than 90 days.

Information on older adults and long-term results are scarce.

Many diet studies fail to monitor the amount of exercise, and

therefore caloric expenditure, while participants are dieting.

This helps to explain discrepancies between studies.

The weight loss on low-carb diets is a function of caloric

restriction and diet duration, and not with reduced carbohydrate

intake. This finding suggests that if you want to lose weight,

you should eat fewer calories and do so over a long time period.

Little evidence exists on the long-range safety of low-carb

diets. Despite the medical community concerns, no short-term

adverse effects have been found on cholesterol, glucose, insulin

and blood-pressure levels among participants on the diets. But,

adverse effects may not show up because of the short period of

the studies. Researchers note that losing weight typically leads

to an improvement in these levels anyway, and this may offset an

increase caused by a high fat diet. The long range weight change

for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.

Most low-carb diets cause ketosis. Some of the potential

consequences are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion.

During the initial phase of low-carb dieting some fatigue and

constipation may be encountered. Generally, these symptoms

dissipate quickly. Ketosis may also give the breath a fruity

odor, somewhat like nail-polish remover (acetone).

Low-carb diets do not enable the consumption of more calories

than other kinds of diets, as has been often reported. A calorie

is a calorie and it doesn't matter weather they come from

carbohydrates or fat. Study discrepancies are likely the result

of uncontrolled circumstances; i.e. diet participants that cheat

on calorie consumption, calories burned during exercise, or any

number of other factors. The drop-out rate for strict (i.e. less

than 40 grams of CHO/day) low-carb diets is relatively high.

What Should You Do? - There are 3 important points I would like

to re-emphasize:

- The long-range success rate for low-carb and other types of

diets is similar.

- Despite their popularity, little information exists on the

long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets.

- Strict low-carb diets are usually not sustainable as a normal

way of eating. Boredom usually overcomes willpower.

It is obvious after reviewing the topic, that more, well-designed

and controlled studies are needed. There just isn't a lot of good

information available, especially concerning long-range effects.

Strict low-carb diets produce ketosis which is an abnormal and

potentially stressful metabolic state. Under some circumstances

this might cause health related complications.

The diet you choose should be a blueprint for a lifetime of

better eating, not just a quick weight loss plan to reach your

weight goal. If you can't see yourself eating the prescribed

foods longer than a few days or a week, then chances are it's not

the right diet. To this end, following a moderately low fat diet

with a healthy balance of fat, protein, carbohydrate and other

nutrients is beneficial.

If you do decide to follow a low-carb plan, remember that certain

dietary fats are associated with reduction of disease. Foods high

in unsaturated fats that are free of trans-fatty acids such as

olive oil, fish, flaxseeds, and nuts are preferred to fats from

animal origins.

Even promoters of the Atkins diet now say people on their plan

should limit the amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat.

Atkins representatives are telling health professionals that only

20 percent of a dieter's calories should come from saturated fat

(i.e. meat, cheese, butter). This change comes as Atkins faces

competition from other popular low-carb diets that call for less

saturated fat, such as the South Beach diet plan. Low-carb

dieting should not be considered as a license to gorge on red

meat!

Another alternative to "strict" low-carb dieting would be to give

up some of the bad carbohydrate foods but not "throw out the baby

with the bath water". In other words, foods high in processed

sugar, snacks, and white bread would be avoided, but foods high

in complex carbohydrates such as fruit, potatoes and whole

grains, retained.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes

only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any

disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any

health care program.

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News [http://www.lifestyle -health-news.com] and Medical Health News [http://www.medical-health-news.com] where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.