03/24/2009
Top 5 Tips for Weight Loss
Replace calorie-dense foods with more nutritious calorie-dilute foods.
It's easy to lose weight while consuming a plant-based or vegan diet (provided you eliminate the oils) because the fiber content of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes will fill your stomach without the consumption of many calories. It takes 3,000 calories of meat to fill your stomach, while it takes only 200 calories of vegetables.
Don't rely on willpower.
The best way to stick with a plan of dietary excellence is to sanitize your house and office -- get rid of the bad foods and stock up on good foods. If your choices for a sweet treat are melons, apples, and pineapples, you'll choose one of those. If the choice is between fruit and cookies, and you're like me, you'll probably at least some of the time, choose the cookies!
Exercise!
Most people will find it difficult to achieve and maintain optimal weight and body composition without exercise. It's common for people losing weight to plateau at some point, and the scale does not start to move down again until they start moving!
Be patient.
It takes 90 days for people to feel satiety on a low-fat, law-salt, low-sugar diet. Your cravings for bad foods will go away once you stop consuming them regularly.
If you fall off the wagon, start again!
It's common for people who want to stop smoking to try several times before they succeed. Friends and family encourage them to keep trying, since we all know that smoking is a terrible habit. Yet when people revert back to old eating habits for awhile, they often consider themselves failures and stop trying.
Dietary excellence will not only help you to achieve ideal weight, but will also help you to reduce your risk of disease, and improve your length and quality of life! Keep trying until you get it right!
Top 5 Tips for Disease Prevention
Reduce the amount of animal protein in your diet
Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University has been conducting research on the effects of diet on health for decades. According to his findings, which you can read more about in his best-selling book, The China Study, animal protein is a powerful cancer promoter.
In laboratory experiments conducted at Cornell University, lab rats were given aflatoxin, a known cancer-causing agent and then fed diets with varying amounts of animal protein. Researchers concluded that the development of foci (clusters of cells that grow into tumors) was dependent on the amount of animal protein in the diet -- at 20% of calories from animal protein, all of the animals developed foci. At 5% animal protein, none of them did. When animals with foci development were fed a lower protein diet, foci development was reduced sharply. The researchers had, literally, found a way to "switch on" and "switch off" cancer.
Later, in extensive populations studies in China, Dr. Campbell's researchers found that the influence of animal protein on the development of cancer and other diseases in humans was significant. The percentage of animal protein in the diet was highly predictive of cancer rates, and even accounted for differences in health outcomes among family members.
Achieve and maintain ideal body weight and body composition.
People who are overweight not only have a higher risk of developing degenerative diseases, but are a high risk of dying from them as well. Additionally, carrying extra body fat causes increased production of hormones like estrogen and testosterone, which contribute to significantly increased risk of breast, prostate and other cancers.
Women should strive for a body composition of about 20% body fat, while men should keep body fat at around 17%.
Eliminate dairy products
The consumption of cow's milk products has been linked to juvenile diabetes, chronic infections, constipation, asthma and allergies in children; and breast and prostate cancer in adults. Remember cow's milk is for cows!
Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes!
Plant foods a rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, fiber and other nutrients that are essential for health, and which offer protective effects from degenerative disease. The healthiest people on the planet eat the most plant foods, and the least amount of animal foods daily!
Exercise!
The human body was designed to move! Exercise helps you maintain optimal weight and body composition, lowers cholesterol levels, helps to keep hormone levels in check, assists in building strong bones, elevates your mood and stimulates your immune system.
Strive to spend 45-60 minutes per day in your target heart zone, and include aerobic and strength training, as well as flexibility exercise like yoga in your daily routine.
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