Diet

Following the Mediterranean diet has been correlated with preventing heart disease, stabilizing blood sugar, and reducing blood pressure. But now, researchers have found another potential benefit of this thoroughly studied eating plan: a healthier pregnancy. A study published on July 23 in the journal PLOS Medicine found that the Mediterranean diet led to a significantly lower risk of gestational diabetes and a reduction in excess weight gain during pregnancy. Health benefits of the Mediterranean diet In the study, researchers in the United Kingdom studied more than 1,100 moms-to-be of various ethnicities who had certain risk factors for pregnancy complications, like obesity and chronic high blood pressure, at five inner-city hospitals. The study found that the Mediterranean-st...

Now, coffee has become the central component of a weight loss plan some refer to as "the coffee diet." What is the coffee diet, exactly? The plan, based on the 2017 book The Coffee Lover’s Diet by medical doctor Bob Arnot, involves drinking a minimum of three cups of light roast coffee daily, due to its higher polyphenol antioxidant content. (Coffee polyphenols are linked to a reduced risk of a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.) In fact, you can have as much coffee as you’d like, either decaf or regular, as long as you hit the three-cup minimum. Dr. Arnot includes a good deal of research in the book about coffee’s ability to curb appetite, reduce fat absorption, boost metabolism, improve circulation, and burn fat. (Some of the benefits Dr. Arnot pr...

From the ketogenic diet to intermittent fasting, the internet churns out a never-ending supply of new diet trends that well-meaning people swear will change your life. On Reddit, the preferred platform of many bio-hacking bros, these diets often take on a life of their own. People share their experiments, success stories, and occasionally problematic diet ideas. Such is the case with the "OMAD" diet subreddit, which has amassed more than 50K active members, according to a Reddit representative. OMAD stands for "one meal a day," and it's an extreme version of intermittent fasting that involves eating for one hour and not eating for the other 23 each day. Followers of the diet say that you can eat whatever you want during your daily meal, and while you fast you can only have calorie-free ...

The coffee diet is a relatively new diet plan that’s rapidly gaining popularity. It involves drinking several cups of coffee per day while restricting your calorie intake. Some people have reported short-term weight loss success with the diet. However, it has some significant downsides. What is the coffee diet? The coffee diet was popularized by the book “The Coffee Lover’s Diet” by Dr. Bob Arnot. In the book, Dr. Arnot claims that drinking coffee several times per day can boost your metabolism, burn more fat, block calorie absorption, and decrease your appetite. He was inspired to write the book after studying the people living on the small Greek island of Ikaria, which has a large population of healthy elderly people. He believes their health and longevity is a result of thei...

Your diet and your mental health can be related more than you think. There are several studies that stated that people who eat a lot of meat, sweets, fried food, refined sugars, and high-fat dairy are more likely to show symptoms of depression. Luckily, it can all be fixed or improved with some healthy eating habits. So, here’s how junk food affects your depression and a good clean diet can cure it. What came first? Depression or a bad diet? What causes what? Let’s break it down. Depression is often pushing sufferers to adopt unhealthy eating habits which can result in pretty common dietary patterns associated with depression like reduced appetite, binge-eating on sugary and fatty foods and skipping meals. Diet can also be a good indicator of your risk and levels of depression. Pe...

Apple cider vinegar is a sour liquid made from fermented apple products. Many people believe that it is a cure-all for a variety of health conditions, including gout, and some research does suggest that it could be beneficial. Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when uric acid crystals build up in the joints. These crystals typically cause redness, pain, and swelling in the joints and tissues surrounding them, especially in the lower limbs. In a 2016 study, researchers gave male rats on a high-fat diet 7 milliliters (ml) of apple cider vinegar per kilogram of body weight each day. After 30 days, there was a significant reduction in the animals' food intake and body weight. In the same study, apple cider vinegar also lowered blood sugar levels and improved serum li...

When clients tell me about their attempts to lose weight, I find that many cherries pick tactics from different diets to create a hodgepodge of strategies that work for them. It’s a savvy way to find a just right approach that generates results and has staying power—a must for keeping lost pounds at bay. Now, researchers at the Université Laval in Canada believe they have found their own magic combo. Dubbed the “satiating diet” and touted as a hybrid of the Mediterranean and keto diets, it supports weight loss and good health, and doesn’t require extreme measures, proponents say. I looked into it, and here's what I found. What is the satiating diet? According to a 2017 study by the Canadian researchers, the satiating diet consists of the following daily: at least four servings eac...

With the rise in a number of people suffering from obesity, the importance of following weight loss diets is gaining momentum. There are a lot of fad diets in today's time that claims to cut down weight quickly. But these diets follow a restrictive pattern and eliminate one or more class of foods, which are otherwise essential for our nutritional needs. Going on such diets may help you lose weight faster but might backfire later. Feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration may crawl in, which will eventually make you eat more to beat the stress. Moreover, all kind of foods is important for the normal functioning of the body. You need carbs as much as you need fats. So now, the health experts have come to the conclusion that the most beneficial and sustainable way of maintaining weight is...

"Eat less and move more." Oh, such simple advice, but is maintaining a healthy weight really that simple? We live in an era of nutritional misinformation and opinions galore. These days, it seems that everyone feels qualified to offer expert advice on diet, exercise and weight loss. With rising obesity rates all around the world, we are constantly searching for approaches to better manage our weight and our health. For decades, the main strategy for losing weight has been to cut back on calories; what nutritionists call an “energy-restricted diet.” Although this often works in the short term, it rarely produces long-term success. It backfires because it can lead to greater feelings of hunger after the weight is lost, more obsessive thoughts about food and eating, and a greater risk of o...

One of the most frustrating things about dieting is when the results don’t remotely match the effort. Well, in many cases, it’s because your diet is terrible for you. If you’re wondering what those diets are, here’s her list—ranked from bad to worse—and what you should do for better health instead. Acid Alkaline Diet For those who stand by the alkaline acid or alkaline ash diet, reaching a goal weight isn’t just about minimizing energy intake and increasing output, it’s also about maintaining the ideal pH balance. To keep the body from getting too “acidic,” which could lead to metabolic or respiratory acidosis: people should eliminate meat, sugar and processed food, and go for more “alkaline” foods such as fruits, vegetables, tofu, nuts, seeds, and legumes. The result is weight lo...