Categories
- Addiction
- Allergy
- Alternative Health
- Beauty Products
- Career & Job Opportunity
- Chicken
- Children
- Dental
- Diabetes
- Diet
- Diseases & Conditions
- Drinks
- ENT
- Exercise
- Fat
- First Aid
- Fitness
- Food Addictives
- Gear
- General Health
- Hair Care
- Health Advice
- Health Care Software
- Health Insurance
- Health Safety
- Heart Disease
- Herbal
- Infection
- Issues
- Massage & Spa
- Medical Conditions
- Mental Health
- Muscle
- Nutrition Facts
- Oral Health
- Planning
- Pregnancy
- Protein
- Skin Care
- Stress
- Surgery
- Taking Care
- Taste
- Therapy
- Vegetables
- Weight Issues
- Women's Health
- Yoga
metabolism
The Harm in Hype The Danger of Crash Dieting
We’ve all seen and heard of superstars who went into special diets to get the bodies that we would all kill for. Besides rigorous gym workouts, crash diets are hugely becoming prominent in the weight loss department. But are they as good as they sound, or are we simply failing to read the fine print on them? Atkins, Cabbage Soup, South Beach, Zone…you name it. There’s every diet in the book – different approaches but all promising to be effective in getting you back in shape by letting you lose a substantial amount of weight. They can promise all they want, but can they deliver?
According to Jenna Anding, a nutrition specialist at the Texas A&M University, fad diets are not really centered on the importance of essential nutrients and do not promote healthy dietary and lifestyle choices that are necessary in sustaining an ideal weight.
This means that while you may lose inches off your waist and pounds off the scale, you may suffer the more harmful effects of crash dieting. Experts have reported that fad diets prevent a dieter from getting the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that he or she needs for his or her body to function well. Furthermore, studies have shown that crash dieting has left dieters cranky, unable to concentrate, weak and easily fatigued.
The following are specific cons of fad diets:
Short-term weight loss with possibility of rebound
The bottom line is, weight loss through crash diets is not consistent. A dieter may see changes on the weighing scale but the restriction and boredom of the weight-loss program can soon send him or her back to unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. When this happens, the yo-yo effect takes place. A fad diet that is suddenly ceased causes a sudden weight gain, and a sudden accumulation of fat. This makes the dieter look around for a new fad diet, and the same cycle repeats itself. Every time, however, the dieter gets bent more and more out of shape.
Increased tendency towards critical health problems
Carbohydrates, dairy, veggies, fruits and meats are all necessary part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, fad diets eliminate a lot of these, so the lack of nutrients makes a dieter more susceptible to heart ailments, blood pressure problems, and even cancer.
Gout and kidney conditions such as kidney stones are also a common effect of fad dieting. Diets like these focus on high protein and low carbohydrates. This creates an overload of uric acid and calcium oxalate, the substances that form kidney stones and cause gout.
Ketosis is another medical condition brought about by the deficiency in carbohydrates. Low-carb diets send metabolism in a frenzy that causes nausea, vomiting and very bad breath.
Reduced agility, endurance and resistance
A balanced diet and eating in sufficient amounts allows the body’s cells to repair and regenerate themselves. Furthermore, it also helps the body’s immune system do its job better. A restriction on carbs causes low blood pressure, and therefore more fatigue.
This guest post was written by Johanna Almazar R.N. Johanna writes health and fitness articles for HealthandFinesse.com.
Fish Oil Omega 3 Fatty Acids Benefits For Weight Loss
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for proper bodily function and provide several health benefits as well. People with coronary heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, anxiety and depression are likely to benefit from them. Omega 3 fatty acids have also proven to improve memory, prevent cancer, reduce inflammation and fight obesity issues. In this article am going to cover about the weight loss aspect and how fatty acids can play an important role in helping people lose weight.
Omega 3 fatty acids are abundant in oily fishes, fish oil, nuts, seeds and certain fruits and oils. Fish oil notably is rich in omega 3 fatty acids like Eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). Regular intake of these fatty acids can combat obesity or help people with overweight problems get leaner. One thing you need to know is you can’t expect to lose weight simply by taking fish oil without proper nutrition and exercise. These are the basics which you need to adhere to but following a weight loss routine and including fish oil will definitely speed up the weight loss process.
Fish oil is categorized mostly as polyunsaturated fats and while it’s effective for weight loss, you might wonder how fats can actually be beneficial for losing weight. People often associate fats with gaining weight which is a big myth and it’s not true. You don’t get fat simply by eating some fats. Contrary to popular belief, the main culprit is not fats itself but a surplus of calories. Calories can come from protein, carbohydrates and fats. For sure, fats have more calories than protein or carbohydrates but you can also gain weight simply by consuming too much simple carbohydrates. This is usually the case for many overweight people as excess glucose or sugar from carbohydrates is stored as fats.
One thing you need to know is not all fats are equal. Fats like saturated, hydrogenated and trans fats are unhealthy and are also bad for weight loss while polyunsaturated fats from fish oil are the good dietary fats. They are beneficial for your heart and have amazing weight loss benefits like:
Boosting your metabolism – people with a sluggish metabolism are more prone to fat storage and eventually weight gain. This is why it’s imperative that you boost your metabolism. Your metabolism is simply the rate at which your body processes food to release energy. Some of the ways to increase your metabolism are building muscles and including fat burning foods in your diet. Oily fishes like salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies or simply fish oil have fat burning properties and will create a spike in your metabolic rate.
Enhancing protein synthesis – to build muscles, you need to consume a protein-rich diet. Protein contains amino acids. You need these amino acids to your muscles for repair and rebuild. This is known as protein synthesis. But sometimes not all of them are metabolized effectively for your cells to build muscles. In a way, you’re not getting the most out of your protein intake. Fish oil can aid in stimulating protein synthesis and this will result in better amino acids absorption for your cells to build more muscles.
Igniting your fat burning furnace - if you want to lose weight, you need to reduce your overall body fat percentage. One way to do this is to undertake regular cardio workouts and performing muscle building exercises. When you build muscles, you need to eat protein, carbohydrates as well as healthy fats like fish oil as per a specific ratio and 4-5 times per day in small quantities. You can’t rely on only protein alone for complete muscle gains. Adding fish oil in this type of nutrition pattern will have a positive effect on your fat burning furnace even when idle. So you’ll burn more fat and lose more weight.
Fish oil is usually available in the form of softgels which you can just swallow and the recommended dosage is 3-4 times per day to be taken with your meals. If you’re not making use of fish oil omega 3 fatty acids for your weight loss routine, you’re missing out on an important aspect of your nutrition which provides not only numerous health benefits but can also trim inches off your waistline.
Author Bio
This is a guest post by Jean Lam who enjoys writing on health and fitness and sharing tips on one of the most commonly asked questions which is how can i lose weight.