DIET PLAN

The Atkins diet is the focus of these comments from the American Heart Association:

"The Atkins diet holds the controversial belief that low fat is not the only way to go for a healthier lifestyle and weight control. Dr. Atkins blamed carbohydrates (grains, pastas, fruits, potatoes) for weight gain. He believed that if you reduced your carbohydrate intake then you would lose weight. Too many carbohydrates in your diet encourage your body to retain fat."

When the body absorbs simple carbohydrates quickly, it causes an insulin response that speeds the conversion of calories to fat. The plan focuses on the consumption of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and vita-nutrient supplementation. It also restricts processed and refined carbohydrates (which make up to approximately more then 50 per cent of people’s diets). It encourages you to eliminate sugar from your diet as this contributes to a slower metabolism.

The Atkins diet is designed to be a program on which you can maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime and it is highly suitable (but not restricted) to those who prefer eating animal protein. The diet offers people who have failed on a low-fat diet a healthy, effective and safe alternative. Instead of carbs and sugar, eaters are allowed plenty of fat and protein.

Four Phases of Atkins Diet Plan

There are four phases to the Atkins diet, they are: 1) Induction, 2) Ongoing Weight Loss, 3) Pre-Maintenance and 4) Lifetime Maintenance.

During Phase 1 (Induction), you restrict carbohydrate consumption to 20 grams each day, obtaining carbohydrate primarily from salad and other non-starchy vegetables.

In Phase 2 (Ongoing Weight Loss), you increase carbohydrate in the form of nutrient-dense and fiber-rich foods by 20 grams daily in the first week and then 30 grams daily in the next week until you gradually lose weight. Then you subtract 5 grams of carbohydrate from your daily intake so that you continue sustained weight loss.

In Phase 3, known as ‘Pre-Maintenance’, you make the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance by increasing the daily carbohydrate intake in 10 gram increments each week.

In the last phase of the Atkins Diet Plan (Lifetime Maintenance), you select from a wide variety of foods while controlling carbohydrate intake to ensure weight maintenance.

There are mixed views on the Atkins diet amongst health experts and dieticians. Many experts are critical of low carb diets but have not totally discounted the Atkins diet as an effective method of losing weight. Although they do assert that it is too early to adopt the low carb diet, health experts do concede that it is worth exploring. One main criticism of the Atkins diet is that it does entail frequent meat consumption.

However, followers argue that the program can be tailored for different preferences and metabolisms. After the first phase (known as the ‘Induction phase’) the Atkins diet plan can be modified. Despite the immense popularity of the diet, the Atkins diet plan continues to have many skeptics. Another criticism of the diet purports that a person is unlikely to keep the weight off over the long term. However, this claim could just as easily be applied to many low-fat or low-calorie weight loss plans, on which dieters are likely to feel hungry.

New Mediterranean Diet

Have you heard about the Mediterranean diet? Here’s the facts from American Heart.org, the official website of the American Heart Association.

What is the "Mediterranean" Diet?
There's no one "Mediterranean" diet. At least 16 countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Diets vary between these countries and also between regions within a country. Many differences in culture, ethnic background, religion, economy and agricultural production result in different diets. But the common Mediterranean dietary pattern has these characteristics:

·  high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds.

·  olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source

·  dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten

·  eggs are consumed zero to four times a week

·  wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts

Does a Mediterranean-style diet follow American Heart Association dietary guidelines?
Mediterranean-style diets are often close to our dietary guidelines, but they don’t follow them exactly. In general, the diets of Mediterranean peoples contain a relatively high percentage of calories from fat. This is thought to contribute to the increasing obesity in these countries, which is becoming a concern.

People who follow the average Mediterranean diet eat less saturated fat than those who eat the average American diet. In fact, saturated fat consumption is well within our dietary guidelines.

More than half the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil). Monounsaturated fat doesn't raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.

The incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries is lower than in the United States. Death rates are lower, too. But this may not be entirely due to the diet. Lifestyle factors (such as more physical activity and extended social support systems) may also play a part.

Before advising people to follow a Mediterranean diet, we need more studies to find out whether the diet itself or other lifestyle factors account for the lower deaths from heart disease.

Blood Type Diet

A blood type diet is a nutrition plan based around your blood type. This kind of diet became popular with the release of Peter D’Adamo’s book Eat Right 4 Your Type. The book continues to be a bestseller. D’Adamo claims that the diet will not only bring about weight loss — but can assist with allergy and infection resistance, and will achieve overall good health.

What is a Blood Type Diet?

Most of the population has blood type O. Here the prescribed diet is low-carbohydrate, high in proteins (such as meat and fish), and low in dairy products. The author suggests specific foods to avoid; such as avocados, brazil nuts, and oranges. Type O should also engage in lots of exercise.

Blood Type A should avoid red meat, eat plenty of fish and vegetables, with a low dairy intake. Light exercise only.

Blood Type B should avoid chicken and bacon, eat plenty of meat and dairy, some fish, and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Blood Type AB combines the A and B diets.

Is This Diet For Real?

The author claims that much of the recommendations are based on scientific evidence – but perhaps it is too early to make this claim. Metabolism and/or sugar/insulin sensitivity are probably key factors in deciding diet – not blood type. Two people can have very different metabolisms and have the same blood type. One could be sensitive to carbohydrates or sugar, whilst the other needs a high carbohydrate diet.

Weight loss and other health improvements may occur on this diet – not so much because of blood type combinations, but because of a healthier diet! The author encourages people to cut down on processed and refined foods. Good advice for anyone regardless of blood type.

The book also includes low calorie diets that will probably bring about weight loss in anyone (once again, regardless of blood type).

Sample Meal Plans for the Blood Type Diet

Type B Menu
Breakfast
Fluidizer cocktail
Rice bran cereal with banana and skim milk
Grape juice
Lunch
Sandwich – thin slice of cheese, thin slice of turkey breast, two slices of bread, mustard or mayonnaise
Green salad
Herbal tea
Snack
Fruit juice sweetened yogurt
Herbal tea
Dinner
Broiled Fish with steamed vegetables
Fresh fruit
Herbal tea or coffee / Type O Menu
Breakfast
2 slices toasted Ezekiel bread with butter
6 ounces vegetable juice
Banana
Herbal tea
Lunch
Organic Roast Beef, 6 ounces
Spinach Salad
Apple or pineapple slices
Water
Snack
1 slice of cake
Herbal tea
Dinner
Lamb and asparagus stew, steamed broccoli, sweet potato.
Mixed fresh fruit
Herbal tea (beer or wine allowed)
Type A Menu
Breakfast
Water with lemon
Oatmeal with soy milk and maple syrup
Grapefruit juice
Coffee or herbal tea
Lunch
Greek salad
Apple
1 slice sprouted wheat bread
Herbal tea
Snack
2 rice cakes with peanut butter
2 plums
Green tea or water
Dinner
Tofu Pesto Lasagna, Broccoli,
Frozen yogurt
Coffee or herbal tea (red wine if desired) / Type AB Menu
Breakfast
Water with lemon, 8 ounces diluted grapefruit juice, 2 slices Ezekiel bread, Yogurt-Herb Cheese, Coffee
Lunch
4 ounces sliced turkey breast, 2 slices rye bread
Caesar salad
2 plums
Herbal tea
Snack
Tofu Cheesecake
Iced herbal tea
Dinner
Tofu Omelet
Stir-fried vegetables
Mixed-fruit salad
Decaffeinated coffee (red wine if desired)

More recipes ideas can be found here.

Banned Foods

Any diet containing a long list of banned foods can be difficult to follow. Eat Right 4 Your Type and the various blood type diets included encourage a predominantly meat and fish diet, while grains, potatoes, cereals, breads, pasta are not encouraged. Interestingly, certain vegetables and fruits are also banned.

Blood Type Diet


According to Dr. Peter DÁdamo, author of Eat Right For Your Type, a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and the foods you eat. This reaction is part of your genetic inheritance. This reaction is caused by a factor called Lectins. Lectins, abundant and diverse proteins found in foods, have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. So when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or bodily system and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area.

Fortunately, most lectins found in the diet are not quite so life threatening, although they can cause a variety of other problems, especially if they are specific to a particular blood type. For the most part your immune systems protect you from lectins. Ninety-five percent of the lectins you absorb from your typical diets are sloughed off by the body. But at least five percent of the lectins you eat are filtered into the bloodstream and different reactions in different organs.

Your blood type diet is the restoration of your natural genetic rhythm. Your blood type diet works because you are able to follow a clear, logical, scientifically researched plan based on your cellular profile. Each food groups are divided into three categories: Highly beneficial ( food that acts like Medicine), Foods allowed (food that are no harm to the blood type) and Foods not allowed (food that acts like a Poison)

Simpler List
Diet Profile / Allowed / Limited / Food to avoid for Weight Loss purpose / Food that help with Weight Loss
Type O / High Protein:
Meat eaters / Meat
fish
vegetables
fruit / grains
beans
legumes / wheat
corn
kidney beans
navy beans
lentils
cabbage
Brussels sprouts
cauliflower
mustard greens / kelp
seafood
salt
liver
red meat
kale
spinach
broccoli
Type A / Vegetarian / vegetables
tofu
seafood
grains
beans
legumes
fruit / meat
dairy
kidney beans
lima beans
wheat / vegetable oil
soy foods
vegetables
pineapple
Type B / Balanced omnivore / meat (no chicken)
dairy
grains
beans
legumes
vegetables
fruit / corn
lentil
peanuts
sesame
seeds
buckwheat
wheat / greens
eggs
venison
liver
licorice
tea
Type AB / Mixed diet in moderation / meat
seafood
dairy
tofu
beans
legumes
grains
vegetables
fruits / red meat
kidney beans
lima beans
seeds
corn
buckwheat / tofu
seafood
dairy
greens
kelp
pineapple

Blood Type Diet - Type O

Type Os thrive on intense physical exercise and animal protein. Unlike the other blood types, Type Os muscle tissue should be slightly on the acid side. Type Os can efficiently digest and metabolize meat because they tend to have high stomach-acid content. The success of the Type O Diet depends on the use of lean, chemical-free meats, poultry, and fish. Type Os don't find dairy products and grains quite as user friendly as do most of the other blood types.

The initial weight loss on the Type O Diet is by restricting consumption of grains, breads, legumes, and beans. The leading factor in weight gain for Type Os is the gluten found in wheat germ and whole wheat products, which interferes with insulin efficiency and slow down metabolic rate. Another factor that contribute to weight gain is certain beans and legumes (lentils and kidney beans) contain lectins that deposit in the muscle tissues making them less "charged" for physical activity. The third factor in Type O weight gain is that Type Os have a tendency to have low levels of thyroid hormone or unstable thyroid functions, which also cause metabolic problems. Therefore it is good to avoid food that inhibits thyroid hormone (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mustard green) but increase hormone production (kelp, seafood, iodized salt).

Several classes of vegetables can cause big problems for Type Os, such as the Brassica family (cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) can inhibit the thyroid function. Eat more vegetables that are high in Vitamin K, which helps the clotting factor which is weak in Type Os. The nightshade vegetables can cause lectin deposit in the tissue surrounding the joints.