For people of the Mediterranean region, the Mediterranean diet has been a healthy way of eating for hundreds of years and has become an adapted diet for people from all over the world because of the many health benefits it offers.

The basic diet is one that is rich with local foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish. Carbohydrates are abundantly found in the form of whole grain breads and pasta. Meats and dairy products are consumed rarely and are limited.

Pizza has been found to be a staple food for many of the people in the region and is often the main course offered along with a healthy salad.

Pizza night in itself has come to be enjoyed by people all over the world.

What better way could there be to enjoy pizza night than the Mediterranean diet way, homemade, rich in flavor and nutrients and enjoyed with family and friends.

Start with whole wheat pizza dough, I cheat and purchase mine in the bakery department of my local super market, or you can be real ambitious and make your own.

Flour your work surface and then roll the dough out thin to your liking; I start by punching the dough into the basic pizza shape and finish by rolling out thin.

Place your crust on a pizza pan and sprinkle and brush both sides of your pizza lightly with olive oil and place in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 2-4 minutes and remove. Now you are ready for some true pizza fun.

For Greek pizza, lightly spread ricotta cheese, top with chopped tomato slices, sliced black olives and spinach. Sprinkle lightly with shredded mozzarella, and feta cheese for a delightful and nutrient rich white pizza. Bake at 475 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (watch for crust and cheese browning),

For an Italian twist, replace ricotta cheese and spinach with a light marinara sauce with mushrooms and add garlic to taste. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and sliced black olives.

Add anchovies to either pizza for excellent flavor and additional nutrients.

For a true pizza night experience you can roll out 8 inch personal size pizzas and have guests experiment with a number of different ingredients and toppings as they create their own unique pizzas to share among the group.

By: Daniel Zarrilli

The acai berry diet is now all the rage. People are now drinking acai berry juice by the gallon in hopes that it will help them lose 10, 15, even as much as 20 pounds in a month. Like all diet scams, the acai berry juice diet is really a load of baloney when it comes to actual results.

I mean seriously, do people really believe that simply drinking berry juice is going to make them lose weight? Weight loss is a huge business and for some reason it seems that people will fall for anything just to lose some excess weight. It really IS possible to lose 20 pounds in a month but the acai berry juice diet is not the way to go.

One of the most effective way of being able to lose 20 pounds in as little as a month has more to do with science than simply consuming bogus diet products. By eating the correct combination of calories, rapid and safe weight loss is simple.

How Does It Work?

So, exactly how does this easy method work? I doubt anyone wants to read a full course on body chemistry so I’ll just summarize the process for you.

When you eat particular foods your brain gives off certain hormones that tell your body whether to burn these calories as energy or store them on your body as fat. Obviously you want it to do the latter. Just by knowing what foods to eat together lets your body know to increase its metabolism. This, in turn, lets you burn away all your unwanted fat.

Just think, you can actually eat more and still lose 20 pounds in a month. By shifting your calorie consumption, weight loss is a snap. No more denying yourself your favorite meals, waking up hungry in the middle of the night, trying to starve yourself thin. And certainly no more of that gulping down acai berry juice.

By: Steve Estes

“Eat healthy and be active” is the universally acknowledged theory to staying fit. Food has to be appealing to the eyes and kindle the taste buds too. The Mediterranean diet is a healthy balanced diet of plant food cooked in “good” fat. That does not mean there is a total cut on animal products. The Mediterranean diet pyramid recommends animal fat and products to be taken in small quantities occasionally. In a Mediterranean diet a major portion includes vegetables, cherries, spinach, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, watermelon, eggplant and potatoes. Whole grain bread, pastas and cereals are the main course in the diet. Fruit is the most preferred dessert. The food is followed by wine that is consumed in small or moderate amount. Wines are prepared from grapes, pomegranates and persimmons. The diet is also inclusive of dairy products especially cheese that is to be taken in a small quantity.

Mediterranean cuisines are known for their wonderful taste and time saving cooking practices. The recipes widely make use of olive oil in cooking, garnishing and salad dressing. It is a low saturated fat that acts as an antioxidant too. Dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese are added flavors used in a very low amount. For instance, cheese is used only for flavor and not excessively as a cooking base. Butter and margarine are almost absent in the diet. Similarly, fish, poultry and meat are often grilled or roasted and never fried.

The recipes do not make use of any processed food. For instance they would prefer fresh spinach to processed and salted canned food. Mediterranean diet recipes are unique for their flavor and taste. Most of the flavors in various food preparations come with the use of onion, garlic, spices such as cinnamon, clove, pepper, oregano, Italian parsley and certain natural herbs like basils — all cooked in olive oil. There is also wide use of citrus juices such as lemon and orange used in cooking. In fact, wine is used in recipes whether it be a main dish, salad or dessert. The recipes vary from state to state, and are fresh vegetables and other plant food produced locally. However, most of the flavor favors remain the same like the olive oil.

By: Kevin Stith

Can modern medicine play a role in the struggle against obesity? Xenical has traditionally been a prescription only capsule prescribed to obese patients, and recently, the FDA released the other diet pills over the counter – Alli.

Both products contain the active ingredient Orlistat, a lipase inhibitor that helps prevent fat being absorbed into the body.

1. SAFETY OF OF XENICAL AND ALLI DIET PILLS DIET PILLS

When taken at meal times, Orlistat reduces the amount of fat that is broken down in the stomach and absorbed into the body by about 30%. Instead, fats are expelled naturally in faces, thus helping towards weight loss.

It sounds ideal for those of us who struggle to keep to a healthy diet. However, the active ingredient, Orlistat, is usually only prescribed to obese people with a body mass index in excess of 30kg/m?. So if you are not dangerously overweight, it may not be the right option for you.

2. SIDE EFFECTS

- Uncontrollable anal discharges (taking this drug could result in embarrassing situations)

- Oily stools

- Diarrhea or loose stools

- Liver inflammation

- Fatigue.

3. ARE THERE ANY SAFE EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES?

There are hundreds of weight loss products on the market, but few have been clinically proven to be effective. There are products on the market that are proven to have very similar benefits to Orlistat in reducing fat in take, but with out the nasty side effects.

* Hoodia – You can consider this diet capsule to get rid of your obesity problems naturally. Supplements in Hoodia features high potential to reduce weight significantly. I has the capacity to restrain your appetite by up to 2000 calories each day.

* Opuntia Ficus-Indica – Another most valuable natural weight loss supplements to reduce your weight. It is also called as Barbary or Indian Fig. It is very effective in the process of weight loss. Researches have found that cacti fibers are of great use, when it encounters exess fat. It holds up instantly and creates big molecule for your body to take up. Moreover, this process helps to reduce the cholesterol level in your bloodstream.

* Shellfish – It greatly help to reduce your weight above your expected level. It is advisable by the dieticians to consume three times a week to get a positive outcome.

* Proactol – the UK weight loss pills is a relatively new weight management product that also reduces fat from the food we eat by around 30%, but in a different way.

It is a safe, clinically proven fat binder based on a patented fiber complex, that rather than just preventing fat from being broken down, pulling in fat molecules and binding them into a viscous solution in the stomach. Fat is prevented from entering the body without the embarrassing side effects. Initial user feedback is extremely positive, and as well as reducing fat intake.

4. BENEFITS

- Helps to suppress appetite

- Helps to reduce cholesterol levels

- Decreases food cravings

As with the most weight loss supplements, the best way is the combination with a healthy diet and exercise.

By: Karel Micek

One of the best-known diets that has caught people’s attention in recent years is the South Beach Diet. But for those who have only heard of it, but know little about it, maybe you need a description of how it works. This short South Beach primer is for you.

South Beach is divided into three phases. Phase 1 is where you start losing weight. In this phase, which covers the first two weeks, the dieter learns how to eat in a completely different fashion. You’ll learn to start eating normal-size portions rather than the monster helpings that Americans have grown accustomed to. You’ll get in the habit of eating meats such as beef, chicken, shrimp and fish. You’ll also eat lots of vegetables, nuts,cheese and eggs. There will be plenty of salads with dressing that has olive oil in it. The diet calls for three square meals a day, properly balanced. South Beach also allows you to eat two snacks a day, and even drink diet soda.

But during those first two weeks, you won’t eat any bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, or any baked goods. In fact, you won’t even eat fruit. After the two weeks are finished, you can start adding those foods into your meals again, but they’re taboo during the first 14 days.

In Phase 2, you start adding some of the foods that you had eliminated back into your diet. However, you’ll add them back in a healthy manner. The idea is to keep a correct balance of carbohydrates so that you keep losing weight. In this second phase, since you have balanced your body and your diet, you can bring back into your eating patterns such things as rice, pasta, cereal, potatoes, fruits, and yes, even chocolate. As part of the South Beach Diet, you’ll learn the difference between good carbs and bad carbs–and make good carbs a regular part of your daily eating. Phase 2 will last until you reach your target weight. After you reach this target, you can add more foods into your daily meals, yet eating in a way that will maintain your desired weight.

Phase 3 is the maintenance phase–wherein you keep your current, healthy weight by permanently changing your eating patterns. The problem with most diets is that they will give you definite weight loss, but after you’ve achieved your desired weight, and end the diet, you typically start eating in your old patterns again, and regain the weight.

The South Beach Diet allows you to eventually get back to eating most of the foods you love, most normal foods that every other person loves. However, it shows you how to do it in a way that your eating remains balanced and your portions remain healthy-sized, so that you never eat too much of the stuff that made you overweight in the first place. Your new permanent diet will have a lot of vitamins and minerals, and will contain healthy fats such as omega-3 oils and olive oil. You’ll also learn to eat and love whole grains, good carbohydrates, and you’ll eat in healthy amounts foods such as chocolate, wine, etc.

In short, you will have achieved a new lifestyle that will be both healthy and yet delicious.

By: Candie Zimmer

Losing weight has gone to the extent of calorie counting as an addition to good diet nutrition. It is said and proven that losing weight the healthy way must include a balanced calorie diet from all food groups. Hence, many dieters are working on their math when it comes to the amount of calories they take in every day on each food they eat. For fish lovers, calories in salmon can be the major concern since salmon is known to be one of the faves when fish is the topic.

Salmon has a high content of healthy fats or known as the Omega 3 fatty acids. In general, it is deemed low in calories and can actually be eaten at least two meals in a week. The problem however lies with what you add to it when you cook it, or even how you cook it really matters when it comes to calorie counting. Anything you add to your salmon recipe like dressings can negate the good side of the fish.

For some however, who are totally into minimizing the intake of calories for many reasons but still want salmon on their diets, it will help to know the different calories found in different kinds of Salmon. This will help you choose the best salmon for you. Here is a list of salmon portions in 100g sizes and their calorie count:

o Salmon, canned, red: 195 cal
o Salmon, canned, pink: 185 cal
o Salmon Atlantic: 155
o Salmon Tasmanian: 150
o Salmon, Chum: 130
o Salmon, Chinook: 100
o Salmon, Smoked: 100
o Salmon, Sockeye: 185

Given the list above, you can now choose wisely as to what salmon is perfect for your diet and how you should cook it. When burning the calories in salmon is your major concern however, don’t fret as it is easy to burn calories in salmon. Here is how:

o Walking for an hour
o Jogging for 30 minutes
o Swimming for 20 minutes
o Cycling for 40 minutes
o Eating Fruits rich in antioxidants like Acai berry fruit

By: Faviano Torres

If you are looking for the best diet pills that work, you are probably feeling a bit confused and discouraged at this point– because there are many diet pill reviews out there, and none of them will tell you whether or not they work for your individual body type. Additionally, most of those diet pills are very expensive, so you are feeling hesitant to purchase the supplements because you don’t know if they will work for you.

The easiest way to find the best diet pills that work for your body type is to actually TRY them. A diet pill sample is much more effective than reading a diet pills review, because you will be able to see how your body reacts to the formula and then you will be able to tell if they will actually help you lose weight.

Many weight loss supplement companies offer free samples to people who are interested in their product, all you need to do is to provide your information and let them know that you want to try it. Most of these companies will require you to pay a nominal shipping and handling fee (usually anywhere from $3-$5), and then they will send you enough pills for you to sample them for a few weeks.

Here is the reason these companies are willing to send their product for free: they want you to like the product so that you will continue to purchase it in the future. It is a perfect win-win situation, because it allows you as the consumer to sample it risk-free to see if you like it, and then if you do like the product you have the option to continue using it after your free trial period is finished.

Sampling weight loss supplements is the best way for you to find the best diet pills that work for your body type, and you won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars. That is the best combination possible: losing weight and saving money at the same time!

By: Calista Meade

Diet pills under 20 dollars can be difficult to find in an industry full of hyped up ads of expensive diet pills claiming amazing results almost too good to believe. But, there are diets pills out there for under 20 dollars and one of the best ways to find these deals is by shopping for diet supplements online. Before you start shopping for diet pills online you need to take the time to research and study the pills available and narrow the field to the ones you are most interested in. This can be done by first talking with your doctor about the ingredients in diet supplements and making sure you have pick ones that will not cause drug interaction problems or allergic reactions. Also, consider the side effects to ensure they are side effects you can deal with.

Once you know which diet supplements you are most interested in you can do a bit of research about them to make sure they are quality ingredients being made by reputable companies. This will help you rest assured that you are not taking something that will harm you or if you decide you don’t like the pills, give you a problem in returning them. When looking for the right diet supplements you should look for samples that are free or cheap so you have a chance to try these pills before you spend the money to take them on a regular basis. This is a great way to try before you buy, especially on something so important.

Diet pills under 20 dollars do exist, but regardless of the diet supplements you are most interested in you need to take the time to make sure you are getting a quality product that’s been made by a good company. This is how you know you can trust in the diet pills to help you with your weight loss goals. You can lose the weight with a solid plan of healthy eating, regular exercise and diet pills that works and happens to be at a great price.

By: Calista Meade

There have been many debates on the usage of acai berry. While some say that acai berry needs to be used as soon as you start to gain weight, others are of the opinion that acai berry needs to be used as a last minute resort, when other products have failed. Without taking this debate further, let us end the topic right here by getting to a suitable conclusion.

It Is Not A Food Supplement

The very first reason why you need not worry about the timings is because acai berries are not a food supplement. If you wish to buy acai berry, you need to do so like any other food item. The main reason behind this phenomena is the very fact that a fruit does not require prior permission to be adjusted in your daily routine. Hence, contrary to the popular belief, this is not a food supplement at all. It can therefore be easily adjusted in your daily food.

You Can Have At All Times

It is interesting to note that like all other fruits, even this variety has no strings attached to its consumption. In case you wish to eat it every day, you can do so without any fear. If you do include it in your daily diet, you would have the advantage of remaining slim throughout the rest of your life. Hence, it does not matter whether you are grossly overweight or on the verge of becoming one-if you like, you can always start the natural treatment as and when you please. The choice is entirely in your hands.

By: Mark M Morris

The Acai berry is an amazing little berry that has recently taken America by storm. This little berry has been used in its native country of Brazil for hundreds of years for its powerful properties. I am sure if you have logged on to the internet in the last six to seven months you already know that the Acai berry possesses great weight loss benefits, but this is no where near the limit of its positive effects on the body.

Weight loss is always a good thing if you are overweight, and the Acai berry does in fact support the metabolism. But more than weight loss, or any other cosmetic issue, this has been coined “the number one super food in the world”. This might sound like a wild claim but this is full of astounding antioxidants, and is considered by researchers to be the most nutritious fruit on earth. Before the wide publication of the Acai berry, the blueberry was thought to contain the highest amount of antioxidants in a fruit. However, researchers have concluded that one Acai berry contains 7 times the antioxidants that one blueberry contains.

The role of antioxidants in the body are endless, they have been linked to anti-aging, caner prevention, increased stamina, immune support, and much more. Since the Acai berry is full of these amazing antioxidants it of course has been linked to all these things also.

Every herb and natural supplement that shows promising results in the areas of disease prevention and cure is put to the test by researchers and scientists. These researchers and scientists are not trying to sway the results to the positive side, they simply are putting the supplement through the motions and the outcome is their result. In the case of the Acai berry tests, researchers at the University of Florida had this to say:

“Acai berries triggered a self destruct response in up to 86% of human cancer cells”. University professor Stephen Talcott also had this to add…”This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope. We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies. A lot of claims are being made, but most of them haven’t been tested scientifically. We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects.”

While the “conclusive scientific” results are still out on the extreme health properties of the Acai berry, research has already shown us that antioxidants are completely and utterly essential to aging gracefully and disease free. The discovery of the Acai berry and its tremendous amounts of antioxidants is a huge a gift to any health conscious person. The body’s ability to fight free radicals decreases with age because of a depleted supply of these essential antioxidants. This overload of free radicals, and no antioxidants to fight them, is what causes the progression of the aging process, as well as the development of certain mid life diseases.

By: Brandy S. Widner