Diets in Fashion 2013 - The Morning banana diet

The Morning Banana Diet

This diet developed as a group-developed diet program, and there are many

theories about why it has proven to be effective to many. Physicians who have

tried the diet, or who have been consulted in connection with the books,

magazine articles, and television reports about the diet, have also offered their

theories. 

As the diet enters the Western dietary mainstream, various theories

have been put forth by researchers, and (of course) banana promoters.

The Morning Banana diet was developed by Hitoshi Watanabe, who studied

preventive medicine in Tokyo, and his pharmacist wife, Sumiko. The diet has

since gained popularity by word of mouth, web sites, TV shows, magazine

articles, and a book written by the Watanabes.

The diet plan is, in its essence, is a very simple plan. For breakfast, one has only bananas and room-temperature water. Then, one can eat whatever one likes for lunch, dinner, and snacks, so long as one does not eat after 8 p.m.

There are some minor restrictions:

• no ice cream

• no dairy products

• no alcohol

• no dessert after dinner

• the only beverage you may have with meals is room-temperature water

• only one sweet snack is allowed during the afternoon

You will note that in this philosophy the number of calories is not controlled so

although it may help with digestion it may well lead to weight increase. This

diet swept through Japan as the latest dietary fad – I think that says it all.

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The Diets in Fashion in 2013 - Part 3 - The Paleolithic Diet

The Paleolithic Diet or Caveman Diet

The basic principles of this 'cave man diet' are so simple.  

This diet insists that one should only eat foods that were available to our Paleolithic ancestors. All major dietary components are covered- (i.e. vitamins, fats, protein, fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants and phytosterols etc). This is for the simple reason that it is the only diet that is coded for in our genes - it contains only those foods that were "on the table" during our long evolution, and discards those which were not. 

The diet includes meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, low-starch vegetables, root vegetables, herbs, spices and some fruit and nuts. It should be noted, however, that our Paleolithic ancestors did not pollute the water supplies or add chemicals to naturally growing foodstuffs.

The theory is that our early ancestors limited themselves to this diet because that was what their bodies (and therefore our bodies) had evolved to need. This is of course not entirely true. The main reason that Paleolithic man limited himself (apparently) to the above food types was not that their bodies had evolved to need only a limited diet, but that there was nothing else available. 

Foods to AVOID on this diet:

Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles

· Beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, 

   snow-peas and peas

· Potatoes

· Dairy products

· Sugar

· Salt

Foods to EAT on this diet:

· Meat, chicken and fish

· Fruit

· Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)

· Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond. Do not eat peanuts (a bean) or cashews (a family of their own)

· Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.

 Try to increase your intake of:

· Root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes

It will take some time for your body to adjust to the changes you may experience on this diet. There is a huge surge in your vitamin intake. There is 

a huge decrease in your toxin intake. So take it easy whilst your body adjusts, but int he long term you could feel healthier.

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Here comes the sun - The power of Vitamin D3

Here comes the sun…

Everything on this wonderful planet of ours needs sunlight, we need it for growth and for happiness. The challenge most of us have in our Western, technological based lives is that our daily working routine means we spend most of the day in-doors, meaning we miss out on all of the amazing bright rays of sunlight that hit our planet.

Sunlight delivers so many benefits to our bodies, remember how happy and relaxed you felt after a holiday in the sun, or how wonderfully calm you feel when lying in a park in the Summer. Sunshine warms and reinvigorates every cell in our body, and our bodies need it to make Vitamin D to allow for absorption of calcium and phosphorus to maintain health bones and a healthy immune system. The vitamin acts like a hormone, once activated by the kidneys it travels in the bloodstream to the gut carrying the message - get calcium!

So, Sunny days not only lift the spirit, they provide us with a real physiological benefit.

To maintain optimum health we really need to get outside in the sunshine for at least 10-15 minutes a day and feel the power of the sun on our skin.

Heavy D, Slimmer You

Numerous studies have shown vitamin D's crucial role in maintaining a healthy body weight, so as the moment of truth with your bathing suit inches closer, you might be cursing your sweet tooth for the belly bulge you can't seem to shed but it may well be what you're not eating that's actually responsible.
By fueling your body with the D-rich nutrients it needs to get out of a fat-storage state and into a fat-burning one, you could potentially speed weight loss by up to 70 percent.

Vitamin D3 is a very unique micro-nutrient that may have an affect on maintaining a healthy weight. It acts as a hormone that could play a sweeping role in the proper regulation of several body processes including regulating the immune system and also controlling our metabolism.

It has also been discovered that receptors in your brain need vitamin D3 to keep hunger and cravings in check as well as to pump up those serotonin levels, which will elevate your mood. (Good thing, since dieting often comes with a heaping side of crankiness.)
Our bodies can only produce Vitamin D3 if we are exposed to sunlight or by taking a supplement. If you’re mostly working and relaxing in doors you may need to take a supplement of Vitamin D3 to keep your serotonin levels up and help prevent depression.

Vitamin D rich foods

A far more satisfying way to up your Vitamin D level is to get more of the vitamin from your diet. We can absorb Vitamin D from some food types, including Shitake and Button mushrooms, Mackerel and most oily fish including Salmon. Apart from fabulous oily fish, you should also include shrimps and seashells in your diet and to keep your levels topped up consider taking a supplement of fish oil, specifically cod liver oil or a Vitamin D3 supplement daily.

To boost your happiness and health, book yourself a holiday in the sun to start with, stick to using the sun screen though as that plays a vital part in protecting our skin from the damaging uvb-a rays that can cause cancer and think about taking a vitamin D3 supplement to keep strong, happy and healthy and when everyone around is suffering the sniffles you'll be smiling.

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