Follow tips to keep to your diet in preparation for what is often the biggest annual meal for most Americans

Laura Bransfield, a dietitian, said that the typical Thanksgiving “pig out” is perfectly acceptable as long as it the exception to otherwise stable, healthy eating habits.

Consumption habits during Thanksgiving dinner may result in the development of poor eating habits that will stick with you for the remainder of the food-heavy holiday season.

Bransfield recommends treating the special holiday dinner as a unique occasion, saying that so long as your diet is balanced and healthy before and right after Thanksgiving it isn’t a “big deal”.

However, taking Thanksgiving as an opportunity to begin a spree of out-of-control eating for upcoming holidays is why so many individuals gain weight over the winter.

Bransfield also suggests avoiding the notion that starving yourself on the day of Thanksgiving, saying that your typical, balanced diet should be followed for lunch and even breakfast to ensure that you are appropriately hungry for the meal.

What you put on your plate is important

What you choose to add to your plate is also a considerable factor in staying healthy, with Bransfield suggesting less stuffing, less turkey, and a lot more vegetables to fill you up.

Bransfield says the best strategy most dietitians recommend is to fill at least half your plate with vegetables, and assign the other half to proteins and starchy foods rather than piling your plate high with mashed potatoes, macaroni, and other carbohydrate-rich food.

Lastly, Bransfield mentions how important perception of the holiday is to establish a healthy eating strategy for the other special dinners spread across the holiday, such as Christmas dinner.

Bransfield adds that as long you treat Thanksgiving as a very special, rare occasion rather than an excuse to stuff yourself you won’t have trouble sticking to a decent diet.

Will consuming a diet of cabbage soup assist in weight loss?

A diet called The Ultimate Cabbage Soup Diet is promising potential dieters a ten pound weight loss in only a week, but does it mean dieters can’t eat anything except cabbage soup, and what are the health benefits – if any?

The CSD, as the name entails, consists primarily of cabbage soup – in as much quantity as you want – and vegetables and fruits. The diet is quite restrictive, and requires low consumption of fatty food items and high consumption of fibre rich foods.

The plan is set over the course of seven days, and begins with the first day of cabbage soup, free consumption of fruits, a small serving of either natural yogurt (low fat) or skimmed milk, coffee or tea, and salad dressing (no fat, or low fat).

The second day is cabbage soup, free consumption of vegetables, a single baked potato, and the same servings of natural yogurt or skimmed milk and salad dressing as the first day.

Diet is highly restrictive but can result in weight loss, although is not sustainable long-term

The third day’s meal plan is identical to the first day’s. The fourth day is cabbage soup, up to six bananas, eight small glasses (240ml) of skimmed milk or natural yogurt (7 servings, no more than 240ml).

The fifth day is cabbage soup, free consumption of fish of any sort, free consumption of chicken, a maximum of six tomatoes, and one serving of skimmed milk or natural yogurt with salad dressing (no fat, or low fat).

The sixth day is cabbage soup, free consumption of fish and chicken as the fifth day, free consumption of vegetables, and one serving of either natural yogurt (low fat) or skimmed milk, coffee or tea, and salad dressing (no fat, or low fat).

The seventh day is cabbage soup, free consumption of vegetables, free consumption of fruits one serving of either natural yogurt (low fat) or skimmed milk, coffee or tea, and salad dressing (no fat, or low fat).

Although dietitians state that the diet will result in weight loss, it is not a healthy long-term sustainable solution for health or weight loss goals.

The very first study lasting for a long duration using MRI technology to map fat deposits and how it changes showed a positive side effect of the Mediterranean diet and a moderate level of exercise.

A new diet study recently published in the journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation, revealed that throughout 18 months, a Mediterranean-low-carb beats a low-fat diet when decreasing pools of fat in the body, even though weight loss is moderate.

“Weighing patients or using blood tests to detect changes hasn’t, until now, given us accurate pictures, literally, of how different fat deposits are impacted disproportionately by diet and exercise,” said Prof. Iris Shai of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, an investigator of the trial using CENTRAL MRI.

“These findings suggest that moderate exercise combined with a Mediterranean/low carb diet may help reduce the amount of some fat deposits even if you don’t lose significant weight as part of the effort.”

Trial

CENTRAL MRI consisted of a random and controlled trial that involved 278 sedentary, somewhat overweight up to obese women and men, and was the first instance where MRI imaging technology had been used to map changes within multiple fat-storage pools in the body over 18 months of the Med and low-fat diets.

The study had been initiated by the university’s scientists and the Dimona Nuclear Research Center as well as Soroka University’s Medical Centre in Israel. Researchers from the US-based Harvard University and Germany’s Leipzig University collaborated as well.

“We learned in this trial that moderate, but persistent, weight loss may have dramatic beneficial effects on fat deposits related to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases,” said Shai.

Shai also mentioned that any Mediterranean diet that is rich in unsaturated fats in addition to low carbs is more of an effective tactic than moderate-carbohydrate and low-fat diets when attempting to dramatically decrease fat-storage pools.

“The CENTRAL study demonstrates that improving nutritional quality and being physically active can improve cardio-metabolic risk markers through changes in visceral/ectopic fat deposits that are not reflected by changes in body weight alone,” concluded Shai

If losing and maintaining weight loss is exclusively about calories consumed and calories burned, can you eat anything you like if it’s within a caloric limit?

A new fad diet called Calories In, Calories Out – or CICO – is founded on the premise of being able to consume anything so long as you fall within a daily calorie limit.

Individuals following the CICO diet must burn more than they consume calorie-wise, and all calories are perceived as being equal: healthy foods like veggies and fruits are on the same level with junk food and candy, all that matters is how many calories each food item contains.

Nutritional experts disagree with the CICO’s approach to dieting, stating that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not inextricably linked with weight loss. Just because an individual can lose weight, does not necessarily mean he or she is healthy.

Weight loss is not the only factor to consider, nutritionists say

Clinical nutrition professor Lona Sandon admitted that CICO-followers may indeed lose weight over time through restricting calories, but may also be at a risk for serious nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition.

Nutritionist Samantha Heller agrees with Sandon’s statement, saying that most people are so determined to lose weight and maintain a slim, lean figure that they disregard the importance of general health.

Heller adds that it is crucial to eat things of nutritional value to maintain the body’s health: on the CICO diet, an individual could eat exclusively chocolate and candy bars for their daily calorie allotment and still lose weight, but would eventually suffer from malnutrition.

Heller went on to say that research reveals pursuing fad diets that are unsustainable in the long term (heavily restrictive or avoiding too many key food groups) may actually result in serious long-term issues, such as heart disease and a higher risk for obesity.

Experts Reveal 2018’s Most Followed Diet

An expert reveals the “number one diet for 2018” due to help people shed extra pounds gained over the winter months.

After consuming Thanksgiving meals or Christmas feasts filled with calories and carbs, as well as high-caloric beverages over New Year’s Eve, many people are expected to think of a new diet they hope to follow in 2017 as they attempt to get into shape, however they won’t know exactly what diet will work for them.

Josh Axe, DNM, DC, and CNS said the best diet for everyone to follow in 2018 will be the keto diet.

“The keto diet, also known as the high-fat, low-carb diet, will be the fastest growing of 2018 … and possibly the next 10 years,” Axe said to mydomaine.com. “If done correctly, research suggests shifting your body into a ketogenic state cannot only fuel a healthy weight, but it can also lead to a host of other health benefits,” he mentioned.

The Keto Diet

The ketogenic or keto diet is one that emphasises low carbs and the majority of the calories to come from high-fat sources.

“Ideally, the ketogenic diet should include three different types of fats: saturated fat (from animal products like fatty meat, butter, and potentially, full-fat dairy), monounsaturated fats (from olive oil or avocados), and polyunsaturated fats (from fish, certain oils, and small amounts of nuts and seeds),” stated Axe.

This diet is meant to provide dieters with healthy fat doses that are due to provide energy to the body over the duration of a day.

“Some of the reasons that the ketogenic diet is unique and so effective are that it helps reduce hunger and cravings, helps balance hormones, improves energy levels, supports cognitive performance, and provides protection against disease long-term.”

He concluded with how the keto diet is an easier way to diet and essentially the opposite of the typical concept of dieting.

Intermittent fasting has been quite a hot topic with regards to losing weight, recently. Recently, it’s been alleged that it also helps slow aging. Is that true?

Intermittent Fasting & Aging

To state the obvious first, if you generally put yourself on an intermittent fasting diet, on your non-fasting days, if you’re smart, you’d be focusing more on consuming foods that are higher in nutritional value so you can not feel so hungry on the days that you’re starving.

You would also keep away from foods with empty calories- in other words, a high number of calories but little actual nutritional value. Why? Because it would fill you up, but you’d still feel tired when you’re fasting, because your body isn’t actually adequately fed. So if you do this, you’re likely to find yourself eating healthier. And healthier bodies lead to healthier looking skin, hair, more energy, which could all contribute to a lower biological age.

Warnings About The Diet?

According to recent studies, participants that have been put on an intermittent fasting diet plan had a higher dropout rate in comparison to a regular diet plan (38 percent in comparison to 29 percent.) This suggests that intermittent fasting might be even harder than regular dieting, which seems pretty difficult for us to follow already. Therefore, you should be warned that this is difficult so you can not be so hard on yourself.

Here are some tips to make the diet easier for yourself. First, one days when you’re not fasting, make every calorie count. In western diets, it’s very common to eat junk food and things that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. This makes your body go through what is called “hidden hunger.” You’ve eaten a lot of what makes you gain weight but you’re not actually getting the nutrients you need. So when you’re on your non-fasting days, make sure you eat foods high in nutritional value. Another tip is to have meals that are satiating, like plant-based fats, foods with lots of herbs and spices. You can also up your volume. You can eat a lot of what has few calories, rather than little of what has many calories.

Another tip is not to fast on days where you’re most active. On your fasting days, you can resort to light yoga or some stretching.

“The Drinking Man’s Diet” was an experimental “meat and booze”-oriented weight loss diet, which gained popularity Robert Cameron’s self-report book about it in the 1960’s. So what is it? Is it safe?

“The Drinking Man’s Diet:”

The Drinking Man’s diet basically emphasizes drinking a few glasses of alcohol for lunch and dinner, having meat regularly and restricting your carbohydrate intake to 60 grams per day. There’s no need for calorie counting, you can drink as much as you’d like, eat as much protein as you’d like, but with limited carbs.

Some examples of the carbs you’d need to limit are: pastas, rice, baked goods, potatoes, beans, grains and beans. These are basically foods that are low in actual nutrients but high in carbohydrates. You’re also advised to limit alcoholic drinks that are highly sweetened or are high in carbs,

What you’re encouraged to eat on this diet is a lot of meat: chicken, steak, lobster claws, frog legs, raccoon, whale, opossum, and other high-protein foods.

The recommended meals per day would be:

For breakfast: 2 bacon slices, or ham, 1 boiled or fried egg, tea or coffee, ¼ of a cantaloupe or 4oz tomato juice.

For lunch: Broiled chicken, fish or steak, 1 soda whiskey or dry martini, asparagus or green beans, tomato salad or lettuce and 2 dry wine glasses.

For dinner: Tea or coffee, a shrimp cocktail, highballs or martini, 2 pate-stuffed celery stalks, green beans, brussel sprouts (1 cup), cauliflower (1/2 a cup), 2 dry wine glasses, an avocado drizzled with French dressing and cheese, 1 serving of pork, beef, lamb, veal or chicken.

Is It Healthy/Safe?

The diet gained popularity following Robert Cameron’s 50-page self-report of the diet and his account of how it made him lose weight easily.

“Did you ever hear of a diet which was fun to follow?” Cameron wrote. “A diet that would let you have two martinis before lunch, and a thick steak generously spread with Sauce Bearnaise, so that you could make your sale in a relaxed atmosphere and go back to the office without worrying about having gained so much as an ounce?”

However, shortly after the book gained popularity in the 60’s Harvard’s Public Health School issued a review of the diet and deemed it to be “unhealthy to follow.” One reason is that the daily alcohol intake exceeds the daily limit for your overall health. Alcohol is also a large contributor to weight gain, as it contributes to 7 calories per gram of alcohol.

Even if the diet works with regards to weight loss, weight loss does not necessarily mean you’re getting healthier. The lack of emphasis on acquiring a balanced diet could mean that you’re not getting your daily intake of fruits and veggies, legumes and whole grains, which are essential to your nutrition.

The trick behind this diet, though, is that it focused on what can be commonly enjoyed by people in Western society. You can use this trick to create your own personalized diet revolving around your favourite foods. You can pick a couple of “guilty pleasure” foods to stick to- within reason- while ensuring that they’re somehow combined with a wide variety of healthy foods.

A man in New Delhi, who had been previously diagnosed in 2012 with stage four colorectal cancer claims he cured himself of this deadly disease due to switching to an all vegan diet,  consisting of only plant-based foods and no animal-based products.

Perforated Colon

Robby Mooberry, aged 43, was brought to the hospital due to a perforated colon caused by stage four cancer, that had begun to spread to other parts of his body including the bowels, liver and lymph nodes. According to his condition, this father-of-two was estimated to have only one week to live.

Doctors suggested a procedure to implant a colostomy bag, proceeded by an ileostomy, and two rounds of chemotherapy treatment in addition to radiation therapy.

Surprisingly, after enduring surgeries and his initial dose, the man took a pause to detox and rid his body of all these chemicals before continuing the treatment, with his cancer than having downgraded to stage 3A.

According to reports, Mooberry and his wife Amanda, who was also a vegetarian, began a vegan diet in November 2012 as studies have indicated a diet with sugars and processed food items can increase the growth rate of tumors.

Upon returning for the next scan a year later, his cancer had decreased by a whopping 80 percent total.

Comments

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mooberry told the Daily Mail. “I was always a healthy person, I didn’t expect it.”

Although Mooberry was overwhelmed by the results of his vegan diet, he explained to the Daily Mail he wouldn’t prefer people to associate his experience with an endorsement of the vegan diet.

“I’m not standing on my soapbox saying everyone needs to go plant-based and vegan,” he stated.

This husband, father, and Las Vegas bartender now celebrates five years of being cancer-free as he and his wife also tend to their 20-month-old twins. Mooberry also began running a modest cancer charity in order to help others who share his suffering.

Ariel Winter managed to overcome her issues with her body image to maintain an enviable figure

19-year-old actress Ariel Winter is not shy to show off her gorgeous curves in lovely outfits whenever she can, so it isn’t a surprise that Winter dedicates time and effort to maintain her body.

A source who is close to Winter stated that the star does not follow any specific diet plan, but she does ensure that she consumes healthy foods as often as possible and avoids processed, sugary foods as well as junk and fast foods.

The source went on to add that Winter is careful to control her portion sizes, and makes sure she eats primarily vegetables, foods that are rich in fiber content, whole grains, fresh fruits, as well as eggs, chicken, and fish.

Winter makes sure to drink as much water as she can during the day to stay hydrated and boost health: she drinks a minimum of three liters on a daily basis, and never drinks soda of any sort, even diet sodas.

Winter’s rigorous routine keeps her happy and fit

The source mentioned that Winter is highly dedicated to maintaining a regular work-out routine, going to the gym as often as she can (the minimum is four days per week). Winter also trains with fellow celebrities Gunnar Peterson and Levi Meaden.

Meaden also enjoys accompanying Winter on hikes, and Winter does not regret the high amount of effort she puts into keeping active, healthy, and fit.

Winter has struggled in the past with her body image, and the source claims that Winter is finally at peace with how she looks and extremely proud of all that she has accomplished thus far to meet her fitness and health goals.

Winter is a role model for countless female fans, and is happily thriving both professionally and personally – she makes sure to surround herself with body-positive friends.

The Calories-In, Calories-Out diet (CICO) could be a dangerous path to weight loss, experts warn

The CICO diet is founded on the concept of counting calories through monitoring the energy you intake and expend and adjusting the number of calories you consume so as to stay in a deficit and lose weight.

The tactic of counting and restricting calories to achieve weight loss is an old technique that has appeared in diets throughout the ages, and although restricting and monitoring calories can be beneficial for some individuals, it can also be unhealthy if done incorrectly.

Health professionals and nutritionists are wary of the CICO diet because they fear that some individuals may focus exclusively on the number of calories consumed rather than the nutritional value of foods consumed.

Aisling P. Jones, the spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, stated that weight loss is more complex than simply restricting calories to a certain number every day: a healthy diet must be sustainable in the long term and healthy.

A sustainable, healthy diet must factor in nutrients, not just calories

Jones offered an example of unhealthy eating while still keeping within a certain caloric intake limit: for example, an individual could eat exclusively Mars bars over the course of one day and still keep within a set calorie limit.

Theoretically, that same individual could continue to subsist off a diet of candy bars or other sugary, processed foods while never exceeding more than 1,500 calories daily: but that person will not be healthy, and will not be able to sustain such a diet.

Jones goes on to say that inevitably, when a person feels tired, hungry, and unable to exercise after depriving themselves of nutritionally-rich foods, they will end up abandoning the “diet” and return to regular food consumption, thus gaining back any weight that may have been lost.