For centuries now, the benefits of green tea diets have been the subject of countless writings and scientific investigations.

More than four thousand years ago, green tea diet has become a staple beverage for most Asians because of its countless health and medicinal benefits. It is said that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was the first one to have discovered green tea diet. Emperor Shen Nung was reported to have been boiling water when some leaves of a nearby plant fell into his pot. The leaves actually came from Camellia sinensis, the herb from which green tea diet is extracted.

Having a green tea diet is associated with several health benefits. One of the benefits of having a green tea diet is providing a potential cure for cancer. According to some studies, certain substances in green tea diet can destroy cancer cells without harming any neighboring healthy tissues. This substance in green tea diets is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

The results of the study on the cancer benefit of green tea diets were astounding and it led to further more researches that investigate other aspects of green tea diet. In a study conducted by American and Swiss scientists in the University of Geneva, it has been found that the EGCG found in green tea diets can increase the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. They concluded that this is due to the ability of antioxidants present in green tea diet to stimulate thermogenesis, otherwise known as fat metabolism. According to their findings, people who were on a green tea diet exhibited a significant four percent increase in their normal metabolic rates. This led the scientists to conclude that green tea diet has a major contributing factor in weight loss.

Another study conducted in China was designed to investigate further on green tea diet’s weight loss benefit. They decided that since green tea diet can significantly increase fat metabolism, then green tea diet probably would help lowering down cholesterol levels as well. Their hypothesis was proven when they introduced green tea diet on 240 people with mild to extremely high cholesterol levels. After only twelve weeks, they observed that those on a green tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their cholesterol levels.

Based on the above study, it can also be hypothesized that green tea diet can cure obesity. Green tea diet’s catechin polyphenols can delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body. These enzymes are the ones responsible for storing calories into fats in the body. By delaying these enzymes, green tea diets can therefore lessen fat concentration and prevent obesity in people.

This being a truly remarkable nutritional supplement, green tea dieting is used to improve the body’s health in many ways. Further studies were made on the benefits of green tea diets. The latest ones were able to prove that green tea diet can effectively protect the skin from damage due to ultraviolet light radiation. Green tea diet is also widely recognized as a substance that can protect against many different cancers such as stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer of the colon, oral cancer, prostate cancer, and breast and cervical cancers.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Calvin Johnson brings over 25 years of nutrition, fitness, and healthcare experience into the Health Nut Shop. Powered by Quixtar, quality nutrition is only a click away at www.healthnutshop.com

People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don’t believe me? Just tune-in to any source of advertising…you’re instantly bombarded with the latest diet schemes and “Hollywood” food fads.

Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering…Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before…

- A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese…up about eight percent from earlier estimates.

- Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine million are overweight…triple the rate in 1980!

- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese.

For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer calories to sustain our normal body weight.

Think about it for a moment…

Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our favorite snack. Whether it’s television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal routine have disappeared…activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere.

And please do not misunderstand me…I appreciate comfortable living just as much as the next person. But, here is the problem…

With all of our modern day conveniences and “cushy” style of living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before. Consider a few of the following examples comparing what we eat “today” vs the 1970′s (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):

- We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970′s, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our “produce” choices.

- We’re drinking less milk, but we’ve more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets.

- We’ve cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we’re eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970′s.

- We’re drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970′s, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.

- We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.

- Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People are consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person’s calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers!

Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it’s “OK” to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions equate to better value.

It’s time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a normal part of our life!

We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits… slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life. And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient as you work toward your goal!

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Find out more about Mental Health at healthandfinesse.com

Part II -

…Thus, this reality has led me to Brink’s Unified Theory of Nutrition which states:

“Total calories dictates how much weight a person gains or loses;
macro nutrient ratios dictates what a person gains or loses”

This seemingly simple statement allows people to understand the differences between the two schools of thought. For example, studies often find that two groups of people put on the same calorie intakes but very different ratios of carbs, fats, and proteins will lose different amounts of bodyfat and or lean body mass (i.e., muscle, bone, etc.).

Some studies find for example people on a higher protein lower carb diet lose approximately the same amount of weight as another group on a high carb lower protein diet, but the group on the higher protein diet lost more actual fat and less lean body mass (muscle). Or, some studies using the same calorie intakes but different macro nutrient intakes often find the higher protein diet may lose less actual weight than the higher carb lower protein diets, but the actual fat loss is higher in the higher protein low carb diets. This effect has also been seen in some studies that compared high fat/low carb vs. high carb/low fat diets. The effect is usually amplified if exercise is involved as one might expect.

Of course these effects are not found universally in all studies that examine the issue, but the bulk of the data is clear: diets containing different macro nutrient ratios do have different effects on human physiology even when calorie intakes are identical (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11).

Or, as the authors of one recent study that looked at the issue concluded:

“Diets with identical energy contents can have different effects on leptin concentrations, energy expenditure, voluntary food intake, and nitrogen balance, suggesting that the physiologic adaptations to energy restriction can be modified by dietary composition.”(12)

The point being, there are many studies confirming that the actual ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins in a given diet can effect what is actually lost (i.e., fat, muscle, bone, and water) and that total calories has the greatest effect on how much total weight is lost. Are you starting to see how my unified theory of nutrition combines the “calorie is a calorie” school with the “calories don’t matter” school to help people make decisions about nutrition?

Knowing this, it becomes much easier for people to understand the seemingly conflicting diet and nutrition advice out there (of course this does not account for the down right unscientific and dangerous nutrition advice people are subjected to via bad books, TV, the ‘net, and well meaning friends, but that’s another article altogether).

Knowing the above information and keeping the Unified Theory of Nutrition in mind, leads us to some important and potentially useful conclusions:

An optimal diet designed to make a person lose fat and retain as much LBM as possible is not the same as a diet simply designed to lose weight.

A nutrition program designed to create fat loss is not simply a reduced calorie version of a nutrition program designed to gain weight, and visa versa.

Diets need to be designed with fat loss, NOT just weight loss, as the goal, but total calories can’t be ignored.

This is why the diets I design for people-or write about-for gaining or losing weight are not simply higher or lower calorie versions of the same diet. In short: diets plans I design for gaining LBM start with total calories and build macro nutrient ratios into the number of calories required. However, diets designed for fat loss (vs. weight loss!) start with the correct macro nutrient ratios that depend on variables such as amount of LBM the person carries vs. bodyfat percent , activity levels, etc., and figure out calories based on the proper macro nutrient ratios to achieve fat loss with a minimum loss of LBM. The actual ratio of macro nutrients can be quite different for both diets and even for individuals.

Diets that give the same macro nutrient ratio to all people (e.g., 40/30/30, or 70,30,10, etc.) regardless of total calories, goals, activity levels, etc., will always be less than optimal. Optimal macro nutrient ratios can change with total calories and other variables.

Perhaps most important, the unified theory explains why the focus on weight loss vs. fat loss by the vast majority of people, including most medical professionals, and the media, will always fail in the long run to deliver the results people want.

Finally, the Universal Theory makes it clear that the optimal diet for losing fat, or gaining muscle, or what ever the goal, must account not only for total calories, but macro nutrient ratios that optimize metabolic effects and answer the questions: what effects will this diet have on appetite? What effects will this diet have on metabolic rate? What effects will this diet have on my lean body mass (LBM)? What effects will this diet have on hormones; both hormones that may improve or impede my goals? What effects will this diet have on (fill in the blank)?

Simply asking, “how much weight will I lose?” is the wrong question which will lead to the wrong answer. To get the optimal effects from your next diet, whether looking to gain weight or lose it, you must ask the right questions to get meaningful answers.

Asking the right questions will also help you avoid the pitfalls of unscientific poorly thought out diets which make promises they can’t keep and go against what we know about human physiology and the very laws of physics!

BTW, both ebooks also cover supplements for their respective goals along with exercise advice.

There are of course many additional questions that can be asked and points that can be raised as it applies to the above, but those are some of the key issues that come to mind. Bottom line here is, if the diet you are following to either gain or loss weight does not address those issues and or questions, then you can count on being among the millions of disappointed people who don’t receive the optimal results they had hoped for and have made yet another nutrition “guru” laugh all the way to the bank at your expense.

Any diet that claims calories don’t matter, forget it. Any diet that tells you they have a magic ratio of foods, ignore it. Any diet that tells you any one food source is evil, it’s a scam. Any diet that tells you it will work for all people all the time no matter the circumstances, throw it out or give it to someone you don’t like!

Article References:

(1) Farnsworth E, Luscombe ND, Noakes M, Wittert G, Argyiou E, Clifton PM. Effect of a high-protein, energy-restricted diet on body composition, glycemic control, and lipid concentrations in overweight and obese hyperinsulinemic men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jul;78(1):31-9.

(2) Baba NH, Sawaya S, Torbay N, Habbal Z, Azar S, Hashim SA. High protein vs high carbohydrate hypoenergetic diet for the treatment of obese hyperinsulinemic subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1999 Nov;23(11):1202-6.

(3) Parker B, Noakes M, Luscombe N, Clifton P. Effect of a high-protein, high-monounsaturated fat weight loss diet on glycemic control and lipid levels in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2002 Mar;25(3):425-30.

(4) Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L, Astrup A.Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1999 May;23(5):528-36.

(5) Piatti PM, Monti F, Fermo I, Baruffaldi L, Nasser R, Santambrogio G, Librenti MC, Galli-Kienle M, Pontiroli AE, Pozza G. Hypocaloric high-protein diet improves glucose oxidation and spares lean body mass: comparison to hypocaloric high-carbohydrate diet. Metabolism. 1994 Dec;43(12):1481-7.

(6) Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD. A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr. 2003 Feb;133(2):411-7.

(7) Golay A, Eigenheer C, Morel Y, Kujawski P, Lehmann T, de Tonnac N. Weight-loss with low or high carbohydrate diet? Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996 Dec;20(12):1067-72.

(8) Meckling KA, Gauthier M, Grubb R, Sanford J. Effects of a hypocaloric, low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss, blood lipids, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and body composition in free-living overweight women. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2002 Nov;80(11):1095-105.

(9) Borkman M, Campbell LV, Chisholm DJ, Storlien LH. Comparison of the effects on insulin sensitivity of high carbohydrate and high fat diets in normal subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1991 Feb;72(2):432-7.

(10) Brehm BJ, Seeley RJ, Daniels SR, D’Alessio DA. A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Apr;88(4):1617-23.

(11) Garrow JS, Durrant M, Blaza S, Wilkins D, Royston P, Sunkin S. The effect of meal frequency and protein concentration on the composition of the weight lost by obese subjects. Br J Nutr. 1981 Jan;45(1):5-15.

(12) Agus MS, Swain JF, Larson CL, Eckert EA, Ludwig DS. Dietary composition and physiologic adaptations to energy restriction.Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Apr;71(4):901-7.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Will Brink writes for numerous health, fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications. His articles can be found in Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Oxygen, Women’s World, The Townsend Letter For Doctors and many more. His website is www.brinkzone.com

People go on diets a variety of reasons including health reasons or trying to fit into new summer beach cloths. If you are going to go on a weight loss diet program, think about the reasons for why you want to do it in the first place. Now ask yourself, are you going to “Lose weight for Health or Cosmetic Reasons?”

But now, there is another reason why it is important to eat less and lose weight.

According to a recent study by scientists in the United States by eating less and losing weight, reducing our calorie intake we can increase our life span.

By restricting calorie consumption over long periods scientists show that it increases the lifespan of rodents and other short-lived species, but it has never been shown to occur in humans.

A team at Louisiana State University studied four groups of 48 men and women over six months, who were given varying amounts to eat.

In the “very low-calorie” group, subjects were given 890 kilocalories a day until they lost 15 per cent of their weight, followed by a weight maintenance diet. Scientists found evidence of changes in the body that have been linked to prolonging human life.

The studies show that sustained calorie restriction caused a reversal in two of three previously reported biomarkers of longevity, a decrease in energy expenditure and a reduction in DNA fragmentation, reflecting less DNA damage,” a paper in the journal Jama said.

While these studies are preliminary longer term studies are needed insure prolonged effects on the human ageing process.

Scientists found that a strict low-calorie diet can decrease DNA damage linked with aging.

During the study people ate as little as 890 calories a day for six months. Their insulin levels fell and metabolisms slowed changes that are thought to increase longevity.

The findings are provocative, but preliminary. Longer-term research will try to sort out whether such changes can meaningfully extend people’s lives, said senior author Eric Ravussin of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University.

“They are the first proof that what has been observed in rodents seems to be also working in humans,” Ravussin said.

The latest study appears in Journal of the American Medical Association.

“It’s very exciting,” said Dr. Evan Hadley, director of the NIA’s geriatrics and clinical gerontology program.

“It’s a step forward but not the whole journey,” said Hadley, whose agency is part of the NIH.

Dietary guidelines for weight maintenance recommend about 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day, depending on age, gender and activity level, with the higher amount generally for very active men.

Non-liquid weight loss diets used in the study were high in fruits and vegetables with less than 30 percent fat.

Blood tests showed substantial decreases in the amount of age-related DNA damage in each of the three dieting groups, compared with their initial levels. That kind of microscopic damage is linked to cancer and other age-related ailments, but it’s unknown whether the small changes seen in the study would affect the study volunteers’ disease risks.

Insulin levels also decreased after six months in all three reduced calorie groups. Core body temperature also dipped slightly in two low-calorie groups but not in the liquid-diet or control group.

The results show that the diets are safe, and not impossible to follow, Hadley said.

Everyone wants and desires to lose weight. We all have different reasons why we should lose weight and try to decide on a diet. You have to know what these reasons are and who to ask to help you in achieving all your weight loss and health goals. Now if you want live longer just go on the weight loss diet of your choice. It’s as easy as that. As they say, “Just Do It”!

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Glenn Freiboth is a Certified Health Advisor lives in Illinois and has helped many overweight and obese people lose weight and keep it off. Get weight loss products at www.GetYouHealth.com

There’s recently been a LOT in the weight loss news concerning green tea.

Green tea’s weight loss effects have been causing more and more people to start sipping the ancient Japanese brew.

But just how does green tea help you lose weight? And does it really work or is it all just hype? This article gives you the real facts about drinking green tea to lose weight.

Advantages of Drinking Green Tea for Weight Loss:

1) Green tea revs up your metabolism

A study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure (a metabolism ‘boost’).

The researchers also concluded that that over a 24-hour period, green tea extract increases the metabolic rate by 4%. These effects are probably due to the high concentrations of catechin polyphenols found in green tea. These work to help intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis (the rate at which your body burns calories).

2) Green tea inhibits fat absorption and helps glucose regulation

Experts tell us that the catechins in green tea help to inhibit the movement of glucose into fat cells. Green tea may also act as al glucose regulator. It helps to slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal. This prevents high insulin spikes (lots of insulin promotes fat storage) and the subsequent fat storage.

3) Green tea may help reduce appetite

Scientists at the University of Chicago found that green tea caused rats to lose up to 21 percent of their body weight. Rats injected with a green tea extract lost their appetites and consumed up to 60 percent less food after seven days of daily injections. This may have something to do with the blood sugar regulating effects of green tea.

4) Green tea can help you save calories on your morning brew.

We are a nation hooked on our java. Be it the regular double-cream, double-sugar standard or that mocha, dappa, frappucinno, the calories we ingest just to get our morning caffeine is wreaking havoc on our waistlines.

If you want to save mega-calories in the morning but still get your caffeine fix, try substituting green tea for coffee. Or have a green tea in the afternoon instead of that 700 calorie mocha-chillate dream. You’ll definitely notice the difference in your waistline after a few weeks.

So there are 4 ways that green tea can help you with weight loss. But how much do you actually have to drink to get these amazing metabolism boosting effects?

Experts vary but the general consensus seems to be that 3 – 5 cups of green tea per day is optimal. Doing this can help you burn an extra 70 calories per day which amounts to 7 pounds per year. Pretty good for not exercising or cutting calories, right?

However, 3 – 5 cups can be a lot for some people, so you might also want to consider green tea extract, green tea pills or a green tea patch.

Disadvantages of Drinking Green Tea For Weight Loss:

#1) Green tea is not a magic bullet

While some people will tell you that green tea is the be-all-end-all for weight loss success, I think the keyword here is balance. You’re not going to eat 5000 calories a day, drink a cup of green tea and make it all go away – it just isn’t going to happen. A healthy diet and increased exercise will go a long way in helping you lose weight and keep it off.

#2) Be cautious of the caffeine if you have health problems

For some people that have heart troubles, high blood pressure or stimulant sensitivities, the caffeine in green tea may not be the best idea. If you’re worried about the caffeine from green tea, try taking green tea extract. Most green tea extract is made from decaffeinated green tea so you can still get the weight loss benefits without the caffeine.

If you think the caffeine may be a problem, make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea for weight loss. Also make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Bottom Line: Green tea helps you with weight loss by boosting your metabolic rate, regulating your blood sugar, suppressing your appetite and giving you something else besides that high calorie, high sugar coffee beverage to drink in the morning. While it’s not the magic bullet, it can definitely give you a boost in weight loss and in your overall health!

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Kathryn O’Neill is a contributing writer to Diet and Weight Loss Reviews . For more free weight loss tips and diet reviews, visit www.freetobethin.com.

What? Did I say losing weight is easy? Yes, I did. It IS easy at first, it’s keeping up with it that’s the problem.

We all love the novelty and intrigue of trying something different and starting the next new “fad” diet plan is no exception. But unfortunately, the outcome for most of these plans is unsatisfactory. Once the novelty and excitement wear off we’re usually right back to where we started.

Whether you like to eat low carb, low fat, or low calorie, no diet plan will help you keep off those pounds unless you change your eating habits for life. In fact, researchers say that most diet programs don’t help when it comes to keeping off the weight. In most people studied regained weight after 6 months and were back to their old weight about a year after starting a diet plan.

The problem is that most diet plans are based on eating a certain type of food, or counting this and cutting out that and not on the way that real people eat in real life situations. In order for you to stick to an eating plan (or diet) that you can maintain for life, you need to pick one that you is compatible with the way you eat and live.

The criteria for a successful diet is simple – the key to losing weight and keeping it off is to make sure your everyday eating habits and energy intake are balanced to your energy expenditure.

The reason 95% of commercial diets eventually fail is because they violate this simple principle. They are designed for the “quick fix”, not for normal everyday eating that can last a lifetime. Most commercial diets require additional time and effort to start and follow, and worse, attempt to deprive us of our favorite foods and stop us from eating at our favorite restaurants.

Here’s why many diet plans fail (does this sound familier?)

- You start a new diet program. You go out and buy all the foods you need, prepare some meals in advanced and you’re good to go. You’re totally motivated with this new exciting program and you’re losing weight and look great!

- Now your normally busy day is getting even busier. There are kids to take care of, bosses to satisfy, and of course there are always those new diet guidelines to learn and follow.

- Suddenly, your workload is increased and you have no extra time in the day for anything so you skip preparing some of the special diet meals and snacks.

- Now your stockpile of ‘diet foods” is running low. You’ve got no time to go to the grocery store so you zip to the corner convenience store. Of course, none of the diet foods you need are to be found there so you stick some snacks into your basket (well, you have to eat something don’t you?).

- Soon you find that you have no diet foods, you’re back to eating just like you used to and your gaining back all that weight you lost.

The problem is that any diet that doesn’t fit into your regular lifestyle probably won’t work unless you make some huge changes in your life. Otehrwise, you will eventually find that the restrictions, regulations and requirements of your new diet are incompatible with your normal eating habits.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t try a commercial diet – on the contrary, many of the diet sites have great long term menus and incorporate foods that normal people eat. They also have excellent tracking tools, forums and other helpful things that can help you stay on your eating plan. They thing is that you have to realize that this “diet” is for life and pick one that will allow you to enjoy life the way you want to, whether that be eating out a lot or conforming to the way you like to exercise.

So if you want to lose weight and keep it off, find a diet that is practical, nutritious and in-balance with your everyday energy requirements, whether it be low carb, low calorie, low fat or whatever you prefer. Do this, and you are guaranteed success!

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Lee Dobbins is the owner of Low Carb Resource where you can find more about low carb eating, the glycemic index and dieting. Visit the dieting article archives for more dieting tips.