Should I Try a Fad Diet?

Lots of people look at fad diets as a quick answer for weight loss. You've seen the many ads on the internet and in magazines that say that you can lose lots of weight in only a few days time. These ads are very enticing!

Is this type of weight loss really possible? Yes, but... in many instances the weight loss from a fad diet is temporary and usually due to loss of water weight. The body is made up of a large percentage of water so as soon as the body rehydrates itself, the weight that was lost so quickly will go back on just as quickly.

There are also reasons why a fad diet is not good for you.

1. Many times a fad diet will tell you to focus on a single food type and avoid all others. This means you miss out on all the nutritients your body needs. For good health you need a more balanced diet approach.

Quite often these fad diets will even tell you to take vitamins and supplements to make up for all the nutritional deficiencies you experience while on the fad diet. However, your body may not be able to absorb all the nutrients from the recommended supplements. Plus, many of the foods that help you absorb nutrients are banned on fad diets.

2. Fad diets are usually so restrictive or unappetizing that after a short time you begin having overwhelming cravings for other foods. This leads to binging on the wrong foods and stopping the diet. This quitting can also wreak havoc on your self esteem as you beat yourself up for not having enough willpower to stick to the diet.

3. Fad diets are temporary solutions to weight issues. Even if you do follow through to the end with a fad diet you have not made permanent healthy changes in the way you handle food. Fad dieters tend to be yo-yo dieters who gain and lose the same pounds (and maybe some extra) again and again.

No matter what you see in the media about quick weight loss diets, realize that these diets will never work as a long term solution. Weight loss done correctly will be a lifestyle change; one that you can live with. Combine eating a sensible amount of a variety of healthy foods with regular exercise and you're going to be the winner at losing!

Healthy Eating Is For Kids Too

I have asked Diana Walker, author of Craving Secrets, to give us some healthy eating tips for our kids. I felt that Diana, with her 30 years of experience in the Health and Wellness field, could give us some excellent information. Her field of interest is cravings for common foods like sugar, salt, fast food, coffee, soda, fried foods, and carbs.

7 Healthy Eating Tips for Kids
By Diana Walker

A lot of people ask me questions about how they can eat healthy.

A very high priority is the impact that their eating habits have on their children. As a parent, you're responsible for the health and well-being of your child. Nowhere is that more important than in the area of their eating. Healthy eating habits established in childhood can increase your child's chances for a long and healthy life.

These tips will help you improve your kids' eating habits, and also eat healthier yourself. If you set a good example for your kids with healthy cooking and eating, you are going to make a big impact on their life.

1. Eat Whole and Raw Foods

The first tip I'd like to share with parents is that they need to focus their diets as close to nature as possible. I know it can seem like it's hard to take time to prepare healthy meals when you are balancing work, school and other activities. But raw and whole foods are very easy to prepare, and something that your kids will love to do. Unprocessed foods are free of chemicals, additives and other things that your kids shouldn't be eating.

2. Eat lots of Fiber

Fiber is very important to eating right and keeping your system balanced. Adding fiber into your child's diet is easy if you focus on fresh whole foods. Fruits and vegetables have an abundance of natural fiber. You can also substitute white flour products with whole grain products. If you aren't already, make the switch to whole grain bread and pasta and brown rice. Also start to incorporate some of the ancient grains like quinoa, amaranth, spelt, and kamut.

3. Eliminate Sugar

Sugar is a big problem in the average American diet, and it can definitely be a problem in children's diets. You can introduce healthy sugar substitutes into your home to satisfy sweet cravings without all of the side effects. You can cook with agave nectar and stevia to create baked good and other sweet treats. Read the labels on packaged foods to make sure you're not giving your kids extra sugar.

4. Avoid Artificial Sugar Substitutes

If you think aspartame, Splenda and other sugar substitutes are safe, think again. All major artificial sweeteners have been linked to neurological problems, metabolism problems and a whole host of other troubles. Don't feed your kids these harmful chemicals. There are many other natural sweeteners that you can use, like honey, agave necter and stevia, that don't have the side-effects of chemical sweeteners.

5. Provide Lots of Water

Giving your kids plenty of water to drink is important to their overall health. There are a lot of negative effects associated with dehydration, and it's easier to get dehydrated than you might think. Dehydration can cause headaches, muscle weakness, mood imbalances and food cravings. Offer water first before any other beverage, and serve it with silly straws to make it more fun.

6. Plan Ahead

Serving healthy foods gets a lot easier when you plan ahead. The number one reason people feed their children fast food is because of lack of planning. Schedule meals and stock your pantry with quick, healthy alternatives. Don't rely on fast food, pizza and other unhealthy alternatives. Learn how to prepare three to five “emergency” quick meals. Stock up on healthy snack alternatives for your kids, and they'll learn to make the right food choices.

7. Get your kids involved in the kitchen...at any age.

Healthy eating habits are strengthened when your children grow up knowing how to prepare good, quality food. No matter what your child's age, he or she can be a big help in the kitchen. Younger kids can wash, mix and pour. Older children can help measure and learn basic cooking skills. Your teenager can prepare entire meals. Learning how to eat healthy as a family will help you instill good eating habits that will last a lifetime.


Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
www.thecravingscoach.com/blog
Author - Craving Secrets

Why Should I Eat Organic?

Are you concerned about the growing levels of chemicals that may be in your food? Current farming practice is to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers to control insects and weeds, and to help grow bigger, prettier products that ship better. But these pesticides and chemicals end up in and on the food that we buy fresh, canned, and frozen at our local grocery store as well as in the food we eat when dining out.

Sure, we wash our produce but is that enough? Some will say it's not and encourage you to go to organic food as an alternative. If you read any book about detoxifying your body you’ll find it's recommended that you choose organic food whenever possible. Some analysts claim that organic foods have higher nutritional values than the same foods grown with pesticides.

So what does organic mean?

When a food claims to be organic, it has been grown free of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth hormones (where animals are concerned) and other genetically engineered substances. A food grower has to submit to a lengthy certification process in order to claim that foods are organic.

Some foods are being labeled Certified Naturally Grown but this is not the same as being certified organic. Look for the USDA Organic label in the US. Sometimes food is labeled Made with Organic Ingredients. This is not the same thing. You need to read the small print to learn exactly what you're getting. It can be very misleading.

Organic food is generally more expensive and can gouge into the family food budget, but prices continue to come down as more people choose organic. Pursuing a more natural diet can lead to better long term health, and this is ultimately better for you and your wallet.

Where can I find organic foods?

Most grocery stores now have an organic area in their produce departments. Even large stores like Costco and Wal-Mart are offering more and more organic choices. You will probably find the best deals on organic fruits and vegetables at a farmer’s market. The key is to buy what's in season locally.

Be sure to wash all of your produce, organic or not, just before serving by rinsing them under strong running water and scrubbing the skin gently to remove dirt or residue. Use a vegetable brush if needed. You can also use one of the commercial vegetable and fruit cleaners now on the market.
Eating organic is not an all or nothing thing. It's not so easy to go totally organic, but if you can incorporate more and more of it into your daily diet, you're on the right track

Healthy Eating vs. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Congratulations. You've made the decision to eat healthy and get some exercise. You're not only going to feel better but also have a better quality of life because of your decision. You're leaving behind lots of fat, sugar, and caffeine, and your body is going to like that.

There's more to the story of longevity and good health in our lives. What we eat is only part of our health; attitude, mental health, background, family history, environmental exposures, physical activity, and other factors play into it too.

It's all about balance. You don't have to be perfect with your food all the time. Having a chocolate chip cookie or a morning mocha now and then isn't going to cause you to kick the bucket early. Remember moderation and balance in all aspects of your life.

Changing your lifestyle and eating habits can be tough. If you immediately say no to everything you've previously enjoyed, you can end up feeling deprived. This negative feeling can lead you to say "All is lost, I give up" when you slip up and have one cookie. Or it can have you thinking "This is too hard, I can't live this way, I give up". Feeling deprived is the downfall of many dieters.

The lesson here is to make lifestyle changes gradually. Try changing just one thing at a time and don't move on until that change has stuck. For instance, cut back gradually on your soda until you're totally on water. Gradually doing this helps you to not feel deprived and also helps with the withdrawal from caffeine and sugar. It's harder to stay with something if you're having serious withdrawal headaches and grumpiness.

Instead of dwelling on what you can't have, concentrate on adding things to your life to make it healthier and more satisfying. Add walking the dog around the park or playing hide and seek with your kids to your daily routine. Instead of thinking about that double cheeseburger you can't have, go to the movies or dancing with a loved one.

Remember balance. It is your life and you are free to make choices. You can choose to occasionally have your favorite treat, and when you do so, really enjoy it without guilt. Keep the big picture in mind - your good health - and you'll do just fine.

Every now and then I find a food book that's worthy of mentioning to you. It has to be a book that's not the same old stuff about dieting. It has to be a book that makes me take a fresh look at healthy eating.

I've found one such book lately called Craving Secrets, by Diana Walker. It's like a mini encyclopedia ebook about cravings.

• Do you know why you crave chocolate?
• Do you know what may be missing from your diet that could lead to that craving?
• Do you know what you can eat or drink or do to help you with the craving?

We all know that cravings can screw up the best weight loss intentions. How many times have you started out gung ho and ended up eating a whole bag of chips? This book explains why you have these cravings and what to do about them.

Along with the ebook is a very informative Q&A audio. When I listened to the audio I realized that this author really knows her stuff! I can see why she's called the Cravings Coach.

Check this out - after you read the book, Diana will answer any of your email questions for the next month. Wow, think of the possibilities when you have your own personal cravings coach!

The book is laid out in an easy to read format, and what she says makes perfect sense. My favorite thing about the book is the Conquer the Craving section after each topic.

So if you're trying to get yourself off sugar, chocolate, bread or any other craving then this book, Craving Secrets, is a good buy in the right direction. Just think about how great you're going to feel when you stop putting so much crap into your personal machine - your body. It would be nice to have more energy, wouldn't it? Make this your year.

Coffee, Tea or... Water?

Stop right now and think about what you've had to drink over the last week. Are you living on coffee and soda? How's your water intake? Are you squirming as you think of your answers?

You're not alone. Many people drink caffeinated beverages for their "pick me up" benefit, but what they may not realize is that they're trading off their long term health for the short term buzz. Yes, caffeine is a stimulant, but it's also a diuretic which means it takes away water from the body instead of replacing it. Caffeine is also addictive and you may well find yourself needing more and more of it to get the same buzz. Drinking too much caffeine can possibly lead to headaches and anxiety.

Soda is a double whammy. Not only does it have caffeine, but it packs lots of refined sugar. Yes, you get short bursts of energy but you're soon feeling tired as the sugar burns off. You crave more sugar, and the cycle keeps repeating itself.

The very best beverage for our body is water. It depends on your size, but an average adult should drink about 8 (8 oz) glasses of water a day. There are so many health benefits linked to drinking water that I can't list them all here. There have been many instances when common ailments, such as headaches, have been improved when more water was consumed. Our bodies need water to function smoothly.

Your best bet for better health is to wean yourself slowly from caffeinated and sugary drinks and replace these with water. If you go cold turkey you might get a severe headache and be extremely grumpy. It may be better to slowly go from "fully loaded" coffee to "half caff" coffee and then to decaf.

Some people don't like water, but its a taste that can be acquired. The more you drink it, the better you will like it. Try it different ways like with ice or with a slice of lemon. Try drinking it through a straw.

If you like tea then try green tea. It has less caffeine than regular tea or coffee, and it has high amounts of EGCG, which is an antioxidant. You can also drink herbal teas in small quantities and these may help your sweet tooth.

Whatever you put in your mouth has an affect on your body. This is also true with the beverages you drink. Do yourself a favor - cut back on the coffee and pop, and drink your water!