The Mediterranean diet has its origins on the countries that face the Mediterranean Sea: Southern Italy, Spain, Greece, Crete, ex-Yugoslavia, Turkey and Tunisia.

Along their unlucky story plain of hunger and misery, these people were able to set a diet based on their land’s products, mainly vegetarian.

It was insufficient, but better than the northern one, as the durum wheat proteins are better than the corn ones, used on the north, that caused the pellagra(disease caused by the lack of vit.B group).

With the social and economic development of the last century, the south diet began to enrich itself with animal protein food to reach the rich countries level nowadays.

During this process, it reached a point of quite perfection, having supplied its proteins lack but still conserving its original formula. It was about 1950-1960, and during this period, people from Mediterranean area, mainly from South Italy, had lower death rates of cronical-degenerative and neoplasia metabolic diseases.

The Mediterranean food model is a program in which some typical food (olive oil, pasta, bread and legume, vegetables and fresh fruit, wine) are wisely matched with proper animal products quantities (meat, specially the white ones, fish, dairy products and eggs).

An interesting characteristic of this food model is the use of non-fat condiments (spices, herbs, sugo, lemon, red pepper, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, rosemary, bay, parsley, sage, thyme, ecc) that allows a low sodium diet.

In this diet it is possible to prepare a single dish using these typical ingredients, having a complete, balanced and economical meal.

The Mediterranean diet uses to be presented as a pyramid, where the quantities of each group of food (vegetables and fruit, carbohydrates and so on) are proportional to the size of the pyramid level.

The vegetables are at the lower part of the pyramid, together with the fresh fruit and one should eat 5-6 portions a day.

The next level is occupied by the carbohydrates with 4-5 portions a day, then oil and fat with 2-3 portions a day followed by dairy products with 2-3 portions a day.

Follows meat, fish, eggs, cold cuts and legume with 1-2 portions a day and at the top the sweets with 1 portion a day.

The portions were established by studies, but one can easily apply the idea with the self good sense. Even if one does not weight 150gr to make a fruit portion, or 10gr to make a portion of oil, just balancing the diet following these proportions will work.

There is a new entry in this pyramid – the physic movement. Aside each level there’s the movement recall.

The people from Mediterranean area did not suffer from the so-called “civilized” diseases because they used to work on the fields, walk to and from everywhere. Surely they did not seat for hours in front of a computer or tv as people do nowadays.

So, to avoid sedentary, it is important to walk 30 minutes a day, for at least 6 days a week. This walking time can be easily found just parking far from the office, making the stairs instead of waiting for the lift and so on.

The Mediterranean diet became known because during studies it was proved that it is healthy and helps keeping the right weight, other than being easy to do. It is important to have a food model that matches with the nowadays life style, as people do not have time enough to follow big changes in their routine.

Another positive factor is that it is easy to industrialize some typical products as pasta, olive oil, bread and others, being then able to spread it to large range of population.

The European countries involved asked UNESCO to recognize the Mediterranean diet as World Heritage and is should happen during 2009.

By: Ana Maria Da Costa

Due towards the widespread awareness about the wellness aspects, people have started out to focus on decreasing their excess pounds. However, the procedure is not always functional, simply because from the busy way of life, they could not allot sufficient time on the course of weight loss.

The pills available within the market to decrease weight are growing in demand, because of this reason. Pills don’t expect as well significantly effort or time to spend for pounds loss, yet gain the anticipated pounds loss. Once, you decide to make use of the pills to bring down your pounds, ensure to choose the best diet pills.

Most of these pills aren’t verified for their effectiveness. Hence do not pick out the one that seems handy, as it may be the marketing tactic from the company. To ensure the best diet pills, you require to consider various elements to make it match your require.

Generally, weight loss supplements are divided into two categories. One is made out of compound or synthetic elements, whilst the normal items are made of herbal ingredients. Generally, the best diet pills are the pure botanical ones, as they’re safer, as opposed to the synthetic pills, that is susceptible to side effects. The chemical supplements may also react with medications you already take and trigger varied risks in your wellness.

Pills are also divided according to the function. It may be either metabolic process booster or appetite suppressant. When the metabolic process fee gets quick or sluggish, it may lead to pounds gain.

This will help your body to burn tremendous fats and high fat calories, quicker than prior to. However, should you tend to more than consume among your meals and fill your stomach with empty high fat calories, you certainly need appetite suppressants. It definitely prevents the uncontrollable eating urges and thereby reduces pounds.

Some best diet pills have both these functions, together and may include even the absorption blockers, which immediately rinse out extra calories and fats. The pills you intake might be the best diet pills, but make sure to incorporate wholesome diet and routines along using the pills, to magnify the result.

By: Johnnie H Barr

The Atkins Diet Plan was created by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960′s. He made changes to a diet he read about in the Journal of the American Medical Association, because he had his own issues with weight. After success with the diet, both for him and patients, he then wrote Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution in 1972 (which I still have), and then the revised Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. A lot of disagreement surrounds this diet, and many people have had success with it.

Atkins recommends staying away from:

Refined carbohydrates

Sugar

Flour

High fructose corn syrup

Saturated fats are not a problem, but avoid the trans fats from hydrogenated oils

There are 4 stages in the Atkins Plan:

Induction Phase:

The first phase of this low carb diet is designed to put your body into ketosis. Ketosis means that the body will produce ketones from the fat, and is used as fuel instead of carbs. It causes you to lose some weight fast as your body burns carbohydrates from your reserves. This phase is also very strict. Meat, eggs, oil and butter are allowed. A certain amount of cheese is allowed as well.

Ongoing Weight Loss:

In this phase of the Atkins plan, a carbohydrate ladder is followed by slowly building up your carbohydrate intake, you still lose, but you’re learning your glycemic intake levels, and curbing your cravings.

There is a full list of allowed food in the Atkins Diet book, but some of the food you’re allowed to have is vegetables from the Induction phase, nuts, berries, some fruit and starchy vegetables.

Pre Maintenance:

You enter pre maintenance as you approach your goal. Carbs are increased again, until you are able to eat enough without gaining weight.

Lifetime Maintenance:

A bigger range of food is allowed once you have achieved your weight loss objective. Carbohydrate consumption is increased a bit more as well. You stay at this stage for the rest of your life. Should you start to gain weight, you go back to a previous Atkins diet phase until you lose weight.

Advantages of the Atkins Plan:

If you’re a meat lover, this is the diet for you.

You’ll keep your sugar level down

You’ll burn fat

You can eat whenever you want

Things to watch out for when starting Atkins:

People say that they can’t do Atkins because it makes them feel weird, dizzy or just generally funky. Compare it to the alcoholic who has stopped drinking: they go thru DT’s – detox on some level, some have it really bad, and some don’t. You can – and should – expect a reaction with any diet that you go on that eliminates the garbage in your body.

Disadvantages of the Atkins Plan:

I’ve had friends say they get really tired, feel sick to their stomachs, and experience headaches in the beginning the Atkins Diet Plan. Carb withdrawal? I haven’t cut my carb intake too much in the recent past, so I can’t judge.

Low carb intake. I’m happy to switch to healthier carbs, but I won’t eliminate them.

By: Elizabeth Ramer

Following the Atkins Diet rules helped me to lose 120 pounds in about eighteen months. While I am thrilled with the results, I found that when I first started the hardest part was sticking with rules until I got a real feel for what I could and couldn’t do as I went through the four phases.

It sounds funny, but the part of the diet that I actually found easiest was also the strictest – the Atkins Diet Induction rules. I was on this phase for about two weeks, and it really kicked off my weight loss. The reason I found it so easy was because it was so strict. There was very little room for “fudging” the diet because the guidelines were so specific.

Induction Rules

The Induction rules are very straightforward: Lots of protein and a healthy amount of fats. No refined sugar or wheat products. Lots of water and liquids that don’t contain sugar or sweeteners (except some Splenda).

Eat till Satisfied, but NOT Stuffed

I ate three meals a day without fail – it was important to do this so that my body adjusted to burning off the fat and not going into a “fasting” mode when I went too long without eating. I also stuck with one of the cardinal rules of the Atkins program – I ate until I felt full and satisfied, but not stuffed. I found that over time that I had this feeling of satisfaction sooner rather than later, so I learned to really listen to my body.

Stick to the Allowed Foods on the List

I never ate margarine or hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Even a little bit of these can stall an entire day’s worth of eating properly according to the rules. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt were out, as was fruit and fruit juice. Grains were a big no-no, and I paid attention to these rules.

Eat the Proper Amounts

I also paid attention to amounts – for instance, only three or four ounces of cheese and no more. It can be tempting to eat a lot of the things you are allowed, but you need to keep the quantities in balance. If you’re still hungry and have already eaten your allowance of cheese, for instance, eat some meat or add more salad vegetables to your diet. This is easy to do because Dr. Atkins’ Induction diet rules call for up to three whole cups of salad greens every day!

Surprisingly, since I knew exactly what was permitted, it was easy for me to stick to the Atkins diet menu. I just kept a list of acceptable foods handy (a copy of the rules on my refrigerator and another in my wallet for eating out) at all times. I knew this was the strict portion of the diet rules and so I stayed within the boundaries all the time, including drinking eight glasses of water every day.

Phases II, III and IV

The other phases (Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance) were a bit trickier. The Atkins Diet Rules are always pretty clear, but as you move from phase to phase you have to listen more to your body and adjust amounts and types of food accordingly. One of the things that took me a bit of time was learning just how many carbohydrates I could eat in a day without stalling my weight loss.

The Diet is Not Hard to Follow

Following Dr. Atkins’ rules helped me to gauge what “low carb” meant for my particular metabolism, but it took some fiddling around with my diet for a few days. The nice part of it was that, with new foods allowed and more leeway, I had a lot of fun learning and adjusting. It really taught me how much of a pleasure the Atkins diet can be because I could eat so many things.

The most important part of the Atkins diet rules is understanding carbohydrates and how much of them you can or can’t eat. Fortunately, the book, “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution,” clearly outlined everything for me. It contained specific lists of foods that I could eat and even broke it down into a “ladder” so that I knew which carbs were best and which were only borderline.

For instance, according to the Atkins diet, seeds and nuts are lower carb than whole grains or starchy vegetables. The Atkins diet works for me because everything is broken down so clearly and you know exactly how to keep track of your carbs.

If you’re trying to lose weight, I encourage you to take a good look at Atkins. The Atkins diet rules make it easy because you start with a strict set of rules that will get your weight loss started – a real motivator! After you’ve started, the rules become less strict so that you can stick with it for a long time without feeling deprived. And finally, Dr. Atkins has written so much about the program that you can find an answer to every food question you could possibly have, making it easy to follow the rules!

By: Kevin Urban

Today’s society is obsessed with looks, with physical appearance. “Beauty” far from being “in the eye of the beholder” seems to be splashed on every magazine, television screen and poster setting – for women especially – impossible standards to live up to. We are taught that the world’s perception of you matters, and women aspire to being the kind of beautiful that seems impossible to reach.

This world renowned plan, promises a chance of achieving that standard, of fulfilling the dream many of today’s women have. The founder, cardiologist Dr. Agatston knows what he’s talking about – this isn’t a starvation plan, it’s a lifestyle change that can change the way you look, improve your health and still enable you to eat delicious, nutritious food.

To help participants understand the diet better, here’s a few of the facts:

1. The first two weeks are an initial stage which heavily limits the number of carbohydrate products consumed. After this comes the lifetime diet, to change the way you eat every day.

2. Undesirable fats and sugars are frowned upon, but plenty of healthier alternatives are suggested.

3. This diet is not typically “low” anything – it is not a deprivation diet. It is balanced and healthy, unlike fad diets.

4. One of the best things about this plan is allowing people to snack for the whole day to remove their hunger while maintaining their metabolism. The portion sizes of the meals are substantial enough to make you feel full.

5. This plan claims to lower the risk of developing diabetes by limiting refined carbohydrates and replacing them with complex carbohydrates and fiber.

6. The main drawback of this plan is the initial stage that spans the first two weeks. During this stage, many food products are limited, including some carbohydrates and dairy products.

7. In the weeks following the initial stages, the diet focuses on crave-controlling, and helping you to get rid of your food cravings. This is so you can re-introduce foods you may like, but may not be healthy, in moderation.

8. The initial stage unbalances the levels of nutrition in the body. It is likely that the weight lost at the beginning of this diet is lost through water-loss. Because of this, you may feel dehydrated.

9. Although the initial stage is essential, it can be extremely challenging. A lot of participants may be unable to complete this stage, and thus strength of will is required.

10. Like all diets, this plan requires a strong will and a lot of dedicated to be successful.

11. Participants should be aware that weight levels often fluctuate within the first few stages on this eating plan. Also, it may be unsuitable for coeliacs.

Dr. Agatston’s goal for improving the heart through the South Beach diet is good. But a careful review on the advantages and disadvantages is always advised.

By: DT Walker

Acai berry is an exotic fruit which is found deep in the Amazon forests of South America. While Acai berry is often taken in the form of a drink, little do people known about its great medicinal benefits. Well, Acai berry is a great drink no doubts and it tastes well too. But do you also known that it is a storehouse of permanent energy. Well, simply read on to find out more about this fact. ?

Acai Berries Are Natural Cleansers?

One of the biggest advantages of Acai berries drink is that it is a natural cleanser. Well, like it or not, if you feel the need to associate yourself with a suitable energy drink, you need to give due credit to the juice from the Acai tree. The main reason why it provides instant energy is because it contains antioxidants which in turn are considered essential for keeping your body free from harmful free radicals. Once your body is flushed of its toxins, it is not only healthy, it is also allowed to maintain its energy levels it all times. Hence, the wonder berries from Acai are simply picture perfect when it comes to maintaining your energy stores.?

They Are Fortified With Vitamins And Minerals?

The second advantage of opting for the Acai drink is the abundance of vitamins and minerals. When you have all the essential vitamins in a single fruit juice, you would automatically manage to maintain your energy levels at all times. Hence, you need to include it your daily diet.

By: Hilary Smith