While the majority of people go on the Atkins diet in order to lose weight, many also go on it to improve their health and to prevent disease.

What the Atkins diet allows you to eat
The Atkins diet is truly different to any diet that has come before it and it is due to this that it has stuck around for longer than most. The big plus with this diet is that it doesn’t leave you feeling frustrated as it allows you to eat foods which are regarded as rich and fulfilling.

The Atkins diet relies on the person eating a diet that relies heavily on proteins and surprisingly fat. The basis of the diet includes red meat, fish, which included any kind of shellfish, chicken, cheeses and you are able to cook with butter if you wish – not bad for a diet.

Carbohydrates however should be mainly cut out of the diet, the diet allows you around 20 grams of carb`s per day. During the first two weeks this is essential and is what gives the diet its boost during the early weeks. During this time you will lose weight if you stick to the régime even though you won’t have to count how many calories you eat and in actual fact you could well be eating more calories than you were before.
Following the first couple of weeks you can then gradually add a few carb`s back into your diet, however you have to be sensible regarding this. The carb`s you should introduce back into your diet are fiber, however foods such as milk, white bread, pasta and potatoes will remain on the no-no list and this is just something you have to live with and adapt too. You can add certain fruit such as berries, some whole grain foods and vegetables after the first couple of weeks but until then you will have to refrain.
What you are intending to do with this diet is to be strict with yourself in the beginning and then when you have lost the required amount of weight you can then gradually add more carb’s back into the diet, providing of course you are sensible and you are able to maintain the weight.

Of course as with all forms of diet, whatever they consist of, exercise plays a very important role in the Atkins diet and is crucial if you wish to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.

Weight Watchers is an example of a well-known weight loss program. This program is based on eating a set number of ´points´ each day, 1 point being equivalent to 70 calories. The reasoning is that it is easier to count point values than calories. As with almost every diet, Weight Watchers encourages exercise to boost weight loss. There are support meetings and Weight Watchers also has its own line in diet foods, to make it easy to count points and to give you plenty of choice.

The Atkins diet was extremely popular when it was launched. On this diet, your carbohydrate intake is extremely limited but you can eat unlimited protein and fat. This is a heavy duty weight loss program that has many fans but also many critics, claiming it is unhealthy to eat this way. The diet is popular and it is possible to shed a lot of weight very quickly on it (although there are unpleasant side effects such as smelly breath). The South Beach diet came along after a while claiming to be the new Atkins. Like Atkins, the South Beach diet restricts carbohydrates but does not allow such a free rein on fats, claiming them to be unhealthy for the system. With the Atkins plan, the combination of protein and fat results in ketosis. This is when you start to burn your own fat for energy instead of burning carbohydrates. With South Beach, you might experience hunger pangs since the ketosis is not present.

Jenny Craig has 550 weight loss centers in the United States alone and offers one on one consultations, private weekly weigh-ins and specialized Jenny Craig food at the center. If you cannot attend, there are phone meetings. This diet encourages a balanced lifestyle, rich in exercise and healthy food.

There are literally thousands of fad diets out there too, such as the Cabbage Soup diet or, recently in the news, Beyoncé´s maple syrup and pepper diet. Such diets can result in drastic weight loss over the first few days but quickly become boring and that is when cravings set in. Few people can eat nothing but cabbage soup for anything more than a couple of days.

If you want to lose weight, you must remember that what works for one person might not work for another. Some people swear by Atkins or Weight Watchers, but you need to find out what your triggers are and what makes you overeat. Then you can decide which weight loss program agenda would suit you the best.

While the majority of herbal remedies are thought to be safe and are made by natural elements such as flowers, they can be just as potent as Western drugs and just as dangerous if taken in large doses or should you be allergic to any of the ingredients. Yet it is not hard to buy ready-made remedies that claim to cure almost any illness and help relieve symptoms. A search on one of the popular search engines will present you with a multitude of herbal shops, department stores and even supermarkets which supply them or you can even buy them online.

Health risks with some associated herbal remedies
Recently several ingredients have come into the spotlight as being particularly dangerous and which can present a serious health hazard. These ingredients are in some of the most commonly used off the shelf herbal remedies that can be bought freely anywhere.

Stricter regulations are being called for when it comes to Chinese herbal remedies, here are some of the ingredients that you should be extremely cautious of using when purchasing herbal remedies.

Aristolochic is giving people cause for concern and is found in over thirteen popular Chinese herbal products. While the acid used is from plant matter it can cause severe problems due to it being toxic to the kidneys that can eventually lead to kidney failure. Using a product that contains this ingredient for any length of time has also been linked to an increased risk in cancer of the kidneys.

Herbal breast and penis enlargement products have also come under the spotlight as some have been linked to having ingredients that could be harmful rather than helpful. At the very least, many of the products that claim they can help you to enlarge have shown no actual proof of them being able to do so.

Another ingredient which is used in many herbal products and which can be bought freely is St Johns Wort, this is thought to have an affect on sperm DNA and compromises the viability of sperm when used in high concentrations. St Johns wort is a popular supplement said to help those who suffer from depression, however evidence has shown that its effectiveness is giving some cause for concern, particularly in cases of major depression.

Ephedra is causing concern and has in fact now been banned from many shelves, Ephedra is a common ingredient found in diet and energy boosting products. However it was found to cause a whole host of problems and illnesses both minor and major. It is thought to raise blood pressure, put stress on the nervous system and has been linked to those who have had strokes and heart attacks.

So apparently what we think will do us good can in fact have the total opposite effect, if misdiagnosed or used without proper due care and attention. With this in mind, it is of utmost importance to consult a doctor before beginning any supplemental regimine.

There is what is called the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measure of body fat, calculated using a formula that requires the height and the weight of an adult (either man or woman). Persons with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight. A person is considered to be of normal weight if his or her BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9; overweight if the BMI is between 25 and 29.9; and obese if it is 30 and above. If the BMI is 40 or exceeds 40, then the person is said to be morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is also described as a ‘clinically severe obesity’, that requires urgent medical intervention.

The BMI figures given above are compiled and supplied by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). One problem with the BMI is that it does not give the right estimate of the body fat in cases of persons with a muscular build (as in the case of athletes) or those who have lost their muscle mass (as in the case of old people). Usually, however, the BMI is a fair indicator of obesity.

When you have accumulated excessive fat in the body tissues, you have obesity, a condition that may increase the risk to several health conditions such as diabetes, ailments of the heart, stroke or paralysis and so on. Excess weight is always a health risk. Millions of people (more than a third of the adults) suffer from obesity and the attendant health problems. Included among them are those with morbid obesity. It is estimated that almost 5 to 10 percent of the obesity-affected population is in need of immediate medical care and treatment, because of morbid obesity.

That over-eating causes overweight or obesity may not be news. Nevertheless, there may also be some other factors responsible for obesity. A large number of scientific studies link obesity to genetic factors. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have been studying the occurrence of obesity in the Pima Indians of Arizona and Mexico for decades, because they are among the most obese people in the entire world, some of them weighing more than 500 pounds. That amounts to very severe obesity. No wonder, most of them, especially the Pima tribes in Arizona, are found to have diabetes and heart problems. Certain people therefore are genetically predisposed to obesity. Processed or fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, with little or no time devoted to physical activity or exercise and with no need or even desire to walk (the advent of the car being the culprit here) are found to contribute to obesity. In addition, some medical conditions like hypothyroidism and steroid-intake result in obesity.

Excessive weight, which is usually visible in a person’s girth, or the circumference of the person’s waist, due to the accumulation of too much fat in the abdomen, leads to serious health risks, including death in severe cases of obesity, especially morbid obesity. Therefore, irrespective of the causes of obesity, it is essential for obese people to take suitable steps for losing as much weight as is necessary to bring it to the level of normal BMI.

By adopting a lifestyle diet you can begin to take steps towards not only becoming a healthier person but also a happier and peaceful one. Although the idea of making big changes puts people off and admittedly it can be a little more time consuming, aren’t you worth the hassle?

What is a lifestyle diet?
A lifestyle diet is all about changing all aspects of your life including your diet in order to gain a fitter healthier body and mind. It’s about not only changing your diet but also understanding why you need to change it, you have to realize what makes a diet a healthy one and what exactly is in the food you are continually putting into your stomach. Quite simply what you eat affects your body and lifestyle more than you think, after all when you stop and consider that food is the foundation for your bones, muscles, cells and every single system in your body including your mind. Now can you see why you should follow the lifestyle diet? If not here are some good reasons why.

A recent study conducted at the American institute for cancer research showed that around 30% to 40% of all cancers could be linked to dietary factors.

If you are planning a family then you should know that what you eat affects your sperm and can play havoc with a man`s fertility. Men who don’t get enough vitamin C greatly increase the chances of genetic damage occurring to the sperm, so this alone is worth considering changing your diet for.

Thousands of people die each year from heart attacks and following smoking and a lack of exercise, the diet plays a huge factor. In order to maintain a healthy heart you simply have to maintain a healthy diet, which means plenty of fresh fruit and veg and cutting down on take out foods.
Filling your body with chemicals and additives isn’t healthy with processed foods holding very little nutritional value. Although many additives have now been banned from food you should still be very cautious about what you include in your daily diet.

Being overweight and not getting enough exercise leads to many problems with the health and this is the first place you should consider starting when thinking about changing your lifestyle.

All the little things that bother us on a daily basis all add up to living an unhealthy lifestyle, the small pains and aches, headaches from stress, problems such as insomnia and back pain, even mood swings. All of these things can be attributed to your lifestyle, and are particularly affected by what we eat. Eating poorly and unhealthily means that are bodies are out under much stress and so aren’t able to cope as efficiently, continuing with an unhealthy diet can only lead to more serious health issues and problems.

A) Begin planning a healthier diet for your family and eating healthier meals. A good place to start is with the United States Department of Agriculture, the home of the original food pyramid. Read their dietary and fitness guidelines for people of all ages to plan accordingly for your family needs. Contact them at:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

http://www.usda.gov

B) Eat heavier meals earlier in the day, and stop snacking after 7 PM. Eating in front of the television without pre-portioned meals and snacks is a no-no, too. In other words, don’t grab a bag of chips and head to the television set. If you measure them in a small bowl first, OK. Otherwise, you can mindlessly much away at the entire bag before you know it, while your attention is drawn to the show you’re watching.

C) Add low-fat and no fat foods into your family diet to test the difference for everyone. Often by making healthy substitutions like applesauce for oil in a recipe, no one can tell the difference, yet you have a much healthier recipe.

D) Experiment with veggies, too. Try different salad dressings, low-fat peanut butter and lite cheese spreads as veggies dips.

E) Plan activities together away form screens. Get out from behind computers and Xboxes and go on family walks each night with Fido. Hit the bikes on the weekend to ride out for breakfast or a lunch picnic. Participate in marathons to help charities. Get with neighbors for block parties and play volleyball. And check local health clubs and recreation centers for family fun nights.

F) Seek the advice of your family doctor for vitamins and supplements for everyone.

G) Get a healthier attitude together by enjoying comedy together more. Many sitcoms last 30 minutes in the late afternoon or early evening after dinner. Schedule a time with your mate as a sitcom date and laugh together.

Don’t stop here! Check out videos, books and other resources at the library like:

“The Family Fitness Fun Book: Healthy Living for the Whole Family,” by Rose R. Kennedy, Lori Baird, and Rose Kennedy (Paperback – Jun 21, 2005).

“Lean Mom, Fit Family : The 6-Week Plan for a Slimmer You and a Healthier Family,” by Michael A. Sena, Kristen Straughan, and Thomas P. Sattler (Paperback – Jul 14, 2005).