Paleo Diet

While archeologists continue to find long buried - and often highly preserved - bodies of our great ancestors who perished many thousands of years previously, there is one thing that the majority will agree upon. This is that our fore bearers were physiologically extremely fit, with physiques that were designed to encourage power and speed when living upon their wits. Perhaps unsurprisingly many of the traits needed for a classic hunter-gather lifestyle are still in demand within contemporary society, and an entire culture has risen based upon the advantages of following a strictly Paleo diet.

As much as modern diets tend to encourage either occasional days of fasting, or limiting calorific diet, the Paleo diet is near enough to being the exact opposite. Were we lucky enough to be able to discuss and compare our lifestyles with those of our ancestors, the simple truth that we would learn would be that food is there to be consumed - as much as possible - whenever available. In a world without refrigeration (or convenience stores) the fact is that when a prey or harvest was brought into the group, it would be devoured as swiftly as possible before the food began to perish and spoil.

Before becoming too excited, the Paleo diet is based upon the notion that food is a scarce resource that absorbs the overwhelming amount of our ancestors time. Forget any notions of a happy caveman at one with nature, the fact is that throughout the dawning years of human civilization life was a struggle exclusively centered upon surviving until the next day. To achieve this groups had to be mobile, and tribes tended to be commonly on the move in the search of animal prey and in according to the movement of the seasons.

Thankfully today everything needed to follow such a diet is available at incredible convenience, and the advantages of following a diet that removes processed or refined foods is well known to researchers. Such diets tend to be focussed very much upon maximizing the amount of protein that will be consumed - however far from being a carnivores delight the truth is that such proteins are found from a wide variety of sources. Research suggests that fish and scavenged nuts provided far more calorific energy that prime steaks during this period - not a bad thing at all remembering that oily fresh fish is far better for the body than cuts from mammals that will invariably be stacked with unhealthy fats.

By no means ought it to be assumed that a Paleo diet is all about eating fish and meat - the fact is that when combined with other traditional foodstuffs - collected and distributed through modern day knowledge - the diet ought to be exceedingly rich in minerals and nutrients. For our ancestors, bringing down a deer or other such mammal could never be guaranteed, especially enough to feed larger groups, therefore gathering berries, herbs and fruits was a far more lucrative means of ensuring future survival. With such foodstuffs often considered today to be ranked among the 'super-foods' it's no surprise that enjoying such a diet can be incredibly good for overall health, and especially the digestive tract.

As a diet it is ideal when combined with modern processes - there should be nobody out there who is going to have to eat their meat anyway they dislike it. Indeed archeological evidence implies that for tribes on the move, being able to set up camp and slow cook meats over open fires was the preferable way of not just cooking but also curing the food for future use. All it needs is to cut out the refined, starchy foods that would be alien to our fore-bearers and there is no reason why a rich, slow cooked stew cannot be exceedingly healthy, packed with protein and essential vitamins. Perhaps it's best just to play a nod to ancestry, and acknowledge that the Paleo method offer a hearty, and versatile menu that is truly the most traditional - and long serving - of diets.

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Steps To A Gluten-Free Diet For Improved Mental Health

For people with gluten intolerance, good physical and mental health requires a complete diet change. At first it can seem impossible because so many foods contain gluten.

But the popularity of the gluten-free diet is now making life just a little simpler for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities.

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website includes a plethora of information about gluten-free foods. They even have some recipes for people who can’t consume gluten, ranging from coconut chicken soup to spinach pesto, to chicken and asparagus pizza.

The website celiac.com also has a “safe gluten-free food list,” which includes items like corn, eggs, fruit and milk. Some oats are acceptable to eat, but it depends on whether or not they’ve been contaminated with gluten in processing.

For people who don’t know if they’re gluten intolerant or not, it might be time to try a trial gluten-elimination diet.

“Eliminate it from your diet for no less than four weeks and then reintroduce it,” said Heather Schrock, a nutritional therapy practitioner.

“If your symptoms return, you are sensitive. It is very important that you completely eliminate it though and that is where the difficulty may lie. Gluten is hidden in thousands of food and personal care products. That's right, even gluten in your lotion can affect someone with gluten sensitivity.”

Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, a training director at Bay Area Family Therapy & Training Associates, said in an email that there are numerous gluten-free grains that people can consume as part of a healthy diet.

For example, in order to bake bread, cookies, cakes and pizzas, people can use gluten-free flour such as tapioca, coconut, rice and corn. She added that people can now choose from some gluten-free noodles now as well.

“Changing diet may seem like a daunting task, but really, everything is out there ready to be used as substitute,” Beaudoin said.

“The main challenge is the first step: figuring out what you’ll eat at every meal. Once that transition is accomplished, the dietary change can be completely enjoyable and easy to follow.”

She also said that in order to find out if you’re intolerant to gluten, you can take a test, but you have to be eating gluten at the time so the blood test shows your body’s reaction to gluten. Or you can try the elimination diet and go off of the potential reduction of negative symptoms.

Dr. Wendie Trubow, the quality director of Visions HealthCare who has celiac disease, said in an email that sometimes people who eliminate gluten from their diets will have a “washout period” where they feel worse during the elimination time period.

However, she said it’s best for people to stick with a gluten-free diet for at least two weeks, and then reintroduce gluten for two days at every meal to see if they are really tolerant or not.

She added that people on a gluten-free diet still have plenty of food options, such as an assortment of rices like jasmine, brown, basmati and wild rice. Buckwheat, quinoa and millet are also grains that are gluten-free. She suggests putting them in a rice cooker to save time in food preparation.

There are a potpourri of websites and resources that contain gluten-free foods, recipes, and even lists of gluten-free (or gluten-free friendly) restaurants.

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Weight-Loss Plans Ranked By Real Dieters

Need to drop a few pounds—or more than a few? If so, there’s a lot of good news in our new survey of 9,000 dieters and their experiences with 13 weight-loss programs.

We looked at four well-known commercial plans—Jenny Craig, Medifast, Nutrisystems, and Weight Watchers—and nine do-it-yourself (DIY) plans such as the Atkins Diet, Slim Fast, and the South Beach Diet. The survey, one of the largest ever to compare specific diets, allowed us to rate them based on people’s overall satisfaction with the programs. We also looked at the typical amount of weight our dieters said they lost.

4 Diet Rules You Can Break

The people we surveyed freely chose the diets they used and decided for themselves how long to stay on them. They had to rely on their own motivation or seek a boost from meetings or counseling, but they did not benefit from the frequent reminders, free food, and other methods often used to keep participants in clinical trials until the very end of a study. As a result, our ratings provide a unique view of how the diets work in the real world.

MyFitnessPal (MFP), a free smart phone app and website, got one of the top satisfaction scores. And while Weight Watchers is still the people’s choice, chosen by four out of 10 Consumer Reports’ readers, its scoring on satisfaction is not as impressive as MFP’s.

Here are other highlights from the survey:

DIY Plans

Of the nine DIY plans, MFP received an overall satisfaction score of 83 and top marks for maintenance, calorie awareness, and food variety. The Paleo Diet, which instructs dieters to eat like a caveman, received an 80 score, followed by the Mediterranean Diet (77) and SparkPeople (76) which, like MyFitnessPal, is an app and website.

Commercial Plans

In the commercial category, Weight Watchers got one of the top reader scores (74), followed by Medifast (70), Jenny Craig (66) and Nutrisystem (56). In terms of initial weight loss, Medifast was the only commercial plan to receive an above average rating. In fact, dieters said they lost more weight on the low-calorie Medifast program than any other diet rated by Consumer Reports: a typical weight loss of 20 to 43 pounds for men and 14 to 40 pounds for women. Weight Watchers received top scores for allowing a variety of foods and for encouraging calorie awareness, exercise, and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

What works for weight loss? Psychologists weigh in

As a companion to our survey of dieters, we worked with the American Psychological Association to survey 1,328 licensed psychologists on how they dealt with patients’ weight and weight-loss challenges in their practice. They repeatedly identified emotional factors as not only an important factor in clients’ weight problems but also the major barrier to overcoming them.

Asked what they found helpful, seven of 10 psychologists who worked with patients on their weight problems identified these three strategies as “excellent” or “good”:

• Cognitive therapy, which helps people identify and correct dysfunctional thoughts that lead to unhelpful emotions and behaviors. For example, someone who eats a cookie at a party might blame it on a lack of willpower, conclude she’ll never get the weight off, then proceed to eat more cookies. Cognitive therapy would teach the person to think of the cookie as a one-time-only slip-up, because everybody makes mistakes.
• Problem-solving aimed at overcoming barriers to weight loss. A patient who says he’s too tired after work to go to the gym might consider, with the therapist’s help, alternatives such as a run or walk at lunchtime or working out in the morning or on weekends.
• Mindfulness training, an approach that trains people to allow negative thoughts and emotions to come and go without dwelling on them, and instead concentrate on living and enjoying the moment.

Many of the psychologists said they collaborated with other professionals to help clients with weight problems. Though primary care physicians were the most common partner cited, the psychologists found that colleagues specializing in weight issues, nutritionists, and registered dietitians were the most helpful in addressing weight issues.

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Diet and Depression

Unfortunately, there isn't a one-size-fits-all diet plan that can help control depression. In fact, no research has indicted that a specific eating plan will help you manage the symptoms or effects of depression.

The good news is that while certain foods may not completely eliminate the symptoms of depression, sticking to a healthy and well-balanced diet and keeping a healthy weight may help in the overall treatment of depression. Here are some tips for making the most out of your healthy diet.

Managing Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have plenty of known health benefits, including possibly helping slowing the growth of cancerous tumors. Scientists have also discovered evidence linking a deficit of omega-3 fatty acids and depression. Specifically, research indicated that cultures that consume small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids have a higher incidence of depression. Other research indicates that those consuming little or no seafood, which is rich in omega-3s, are more likely to suffer from depression. To make sure you're getting enough, eat fish, especially salmon and tuna, as part of a balanced diet. Nuts and dark green leafy vegetables are also good sources of omega-3s.

Carb Up – Calm Down

If you're suffering from depression, the Atkins Diet may not be the right choice for you. That's because eating foods that are high in carbohydrates (such as pastas and breads) naturally raises the amount of serotonin in the brain. And as the level of serotonin in the brain rises, anxiety levels drop, making it easier to calm down. So go ahead and indulge with that bagel, but remember it's still important to make the right choices when it comes to carbs. Whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables supply carbs as well as fiber and nutrients without a lot of extra sugar.

Double Up on Vitamin D

Vitamin D has also been shown to increase the levels of serotonin present in the brain, but it is unclear precisely how much vitamin D is the right amount. The strongest research points to vitamin D being particularly helpful in relieving the effects of seasonal affective disorder. Speak to your doctor to determine is taking a supplement or trying to increase the vitamin D in your diet is right for you.

Seek Out Selenium

Selenium is an element that is essential for good health, and several research studies have suggested a link between selenium deficiencies and depression. Some additional research studies have seemed to indicate that taking selenium may in fact actually decrease feelings of depression. Selenium can be found in nuts, whole grains, beans, seafood and lean meats. Too much selenium can be toxic, however, so talk to your doctor before taking any selenium supplements.

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4 Dieting Rules You Can Break

If living with your parents taught you anything, it's that the more rules there are, the more you want to break them. And losing weight can seem like nothing but rules.

Fortunately, rebellion has its advantages: Disregarding strict food guidelines could be the secret to a successful slim-down. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that people with a flexible approach to eating-one that allows for sweets and other perceived slip-ups-had a better record of maintaining weight loss than dieters with an "all or nothing" strategy.

How can you do it without skidding into a diet danger zone? We got top nutrition pros to confess the supposedly vital weight-loss principles they violate. Employ their secrets to stay satisfied without gaining an ounce.

Dieting Rule #1: Eat five small meals a day

Who breaks it? Renee Melton, R. D., director of nutrition services for the mobile weight-loss program Sensei."My schedule doesn't give me time to prepare healthy snacks, much less eat them, so I make sure I get what I need in three squares a day."

Why you can, too. The "graze, don't gorge" philosophy is based on the premise that having frequent small meals keeps your blood sugar steady, your metabolism ramped up, and your appetite in check. But some studies show a link between obesity and eating more than three times a day, most notably in women. More frequent noshing means more opportunities to overeat. Plus, says Melton, having to constantly think about what you're going to eat can be stressful, especially for emotional eaters.

Do it right. To keep hunger pangs from overriding your willpower throughout the day, eat fiber-rich foods at mealtimes—they make you feel fuller and take longer to digest. Shoot for 21 to 25 grams a day, starting with a high-fiber grain cereal like Kashi's GoLean with low-fat milk and fruit. For lunch and dinner, Melton says, fill half your plate with produce, a quarter with carbs, and the other quarter with lean protein.

Dieting Rule #2: Avoid white bread, rice, and pasta

Who breaks it Christine Avanti, clinical sports nutritionist and author of Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads. She was raised on homemade "white" pasta by her Italian immigrant grandparents.

Why you can, too. Carb lovers have long been warned against highly processed products because they're believed to cause a blood sugar spike. But research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people on high-carb diets were slimmer than their pastaphobic counterparts even when they threw "bad" carbs like white bread into the mix of fiber-rich whole grains.

Do it right. Follow the U. S. Department of Agriculture recommendation of six ounces of carbs each day, and make sure at least half come from whole grains. Then measure out a serving of refined carbs, such as a cup of cooked white pasta, and dig in guilt-free. If a single cup isn't gonna do it for you, pair your pasta with filling protein, like a meaty red sauce made with extra-lean ground turkey.

Dieting Rule #3: Don't eat late at night

Who breaks it? Ann G. Kulze, M. D., author of Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet: A Simple Plan for Permanent Weight Loss and Lifelong Vitality. She sits down to dinner every night at 9 p.m. or later.

Why you can, too. "A calorie consumed at 9 p. m. isn't handled any differently by your body than one consumed at 9 a. m.," Kulze says. It's less about when you eat than how much you eat. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that obese women were more likely than svelte women to eat meals late at night, but they were also more likely to eat more, period. And a study by the USDA showed that your metabolism hums along at the same rate no matter how you time your meals. And delaying dinner does have one undisputed advantage: It helps eliminate late-night snacking, one of the worst diet busters.

Do it right. One reason you're likely to stuff yourself late at night is that you're ravenous from not having eaten since lunchtime. A healthy snack in the late afternoon (around four if you're planning to eat at nine) can help you avoid this pitfall. Studies have found that the fat in nuts is particularly satisfying, so grab a 100-calorie pack of almonds when you're on the go. When you finally find the time for dinner, actually sit at a table, and nix the distractions. Scarfing a meal in the car or in front of the TV means you usually aren't paying attention to what—or how much—you're eating.

Dieting Rule #4: Skip dessert

Who breaks it? Judith S. Stern, Sc. D., a professor of nutrition and internal medicine at the University of California, Davis. She has a "few bites of something decadent" when she dines out.

Why you can, too. We all discover a little more room beneath our waistbands when the dessert tray rolls by. Studies show that when you're offered a variety of foods, you never achieve what's known as taste-specific satiety; your appetite is stimulated anew as each novel flavor is introduced. Outsmart your taste buds by planning ahead. Stern's trick: She looks at the dessert menu along with the main menu, and if she decides to end the meal with, say, a dark-chocolate tart, she'll always choose a salad dressed in a little olive oil and vinegar to start and then have an appetizer as her entree.

Do it right. Desserts are unsurprisingly high in calories, and chain restaurants tend to serve enormous portions—an Applebee's chocolate chip cookie sundae has 1,620 calories and 73 grams of saturated fat! Order off the kid's menu or get something to share. Also consider sorbets and chocolate-dipped fruit, which satisfy a sweet tooth for fewer calories. Dining at home? Try the chocolate raspberry parfait Avanti prepares: Top a half cup of fat-free ricotta cheese with a teaspoon of cocoa powder and a quarter cup of fresh or frozen raspberries. "This snack offers just enough sweetness to calm a sugar craving," she says, "and it's packed with filling protein."

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Best Weight-Loss Diets

The best diet to lose weight on is Weight Watchers, according to weight-loss experts who rated the diets below for U.S. News. The Jenny Craig diet program and the Raw Food Diet come in close behind. Some other diets outperform these for fast weight loss, but long-term weight loss is more important for your health.

#1. Weight Watchers Diet
(3.8 out of 5.0)
This popular points-counting diet helps dieters drop pounds—and keep them off. In experts' ratings, Weight Watchers bested all other ranked diets for both short-term and long-term weight loss. But that doesn't guarantee it will work for everyone. Its average rating of "moderately effective" for long-term weight loss reflects the difficulty dieters have staying on the wagon, even when using the best weight-loss diet available.

#2. (tie) Jenny Craig Diet
(3.5 out of 5.0)
As a weight-loss diet, Jenny Craig outranked nearly all of its competitors. Experts appreciated, among other aspects of the program, the value of the emotional support provided by its weekly one-on-one counseling sessions. A few experts, however, questioned whether dieters can expect to keep the weight off once they're weaned from the diet's prepackaged, portion-controlled foods. Though not factored into its ranking, Jenny Craig's cost is relatively high.

#2. (tie) Raw Food Diet
(3.5 out of 5.0)
The raw food diet can deliver both short- and long-term weight loss, experts concluded, since raw foodists typically eat fewer calories than other people. But the restrictive and labor-intensive diet certainly isn't for everyone.

#4. Volumetrics Diet
(3.4 out of 5.0)
Volumetrics helps dieters drop pounds—and keep them off. It scored well in both the short- and long-term weight loss categories, comparable to or better than many other diets. Because it focuses on satiety, or the satisfied feeling that you’ve had enough, it’s “more likely to be successful” than other diets.

#5. (tie) Slim-Fast Diet
(3.3 out of 5.0)
Slim-Fast claims dieters will drop one to two pounds a week. Experts awarded the program relatively high scores for short-term and long-term weight loss, indicating their optimism the pounds will stay off, too.

#5. (tie) Vegan Diet
(3.3 out of 5.0)
Going vegan gives you good odds of losing weight and keeping it off, according to experts. Veganism is also an effective weight-control method. But vegans must be “very committed,” as one expert put it, because forgoing all animal products can be challenging.

#7. Atkins Diet
(3.2 out of 5.0)
In keeping with its emphasis on helping dieters shed pounds fast, the Atkins program rated well for short-term weight loss but was judged by experts as less impressive over the long haul. On balance, it came out slightly ahead of the middle of the pack.

#8. (tie) DASH Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
With an emphasis on healthful, filling foods that don’t pack lots of calories, the government-developed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) drew reasonably good ratings from experts, despite not having been designed as a weight-loss diet. They judged it to be about as good for short-term weight loss as for long-term weight loss.

#8. (tie) Eco-Atkins Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
Experts regarded Eco-Atkins as much more effective for short-term weight loss than for long-term weight loss. It “may be difficult to consistently adhere to,” one expert said, because it is largely a “do-it-yourself diet.”

#8. (tie) Mayo Clinic Diet
(3.1 out of 5.0)
Among weight-loss plans, the Mayo Clinic Diet tied with DASH and Eco-Atkins. While needed evidence is lacking, experts' ratings reflect their believe that Mayo, if followed, could deliver modest weight loss, both short- and long-term.

#11. (tie) Mediterranean Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
As a weight-loss plan, the Mediterranean diet didn't overwhelm the experts, but it’s not built to be one. It is up to the individual to keep watch over the scale.

#11. (tie) Ornish Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
Experts deemed the Ornish Spectrum plan to be OK, but not great, for people searching specifically for a weight-loss diet. Its greatest strengths lie elsewhere.

#11 (tie) South Beach Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
South Beach helps dieters drop pounds—fast. But our experts felt it’s less likely that they’ll actually keep the weight off long-term. We found little research indicating that the diet is sustainable or that it helps dieters maintain weight loss over the long haul.

#11. (tie) TLC Diet
(3.0 out of 5.0)
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) isn't designed to be a weight-loss diet. But if sensibly followed, it can produce weight loss, experts said, because it's a fundamentally sound approach to eating. One plus: It requires no extreme measures such as shunning carbs or meat.

#15. Vegetarian Diet
(2.9 out of 5.0)
For weight loss, the vegetarian diet is slower off the starting line than most alternatives. But it gains back some ground over the long haul, beating out about half the field on long-term weight loss. Although vegetarianism isn’t designed to be a weight-loss plan, building in a calorie restriction and filling the menu with healthful foods could help dieters shed some pounds.

#16. (tie) Medifast Diet
(2.7 out of 5.0)
Medifast landed near the bottom of the pack for overall weight loss. While dieters will likely drop pounds quickly on Medifast, most experts felt they’d regain the weight. The diet's relatively low ratings for long-term weight loss pulled it down in the ranking.

#16. (tie) Nutrisystem Diet
(2.7 out of 5.0)
Nutrisystem also earned better ratings for short-term weight loss than for long-term weight loss. Experts were doubtful dieters could keep off the weight once they graduate from prepackaged meals and transition to cooking on their own again.

#18. Zone Diet
(2.6 out of 5.0)
Experts weren’t convinced that the Zone diet helps keep weight off over the short or long term. While it “provides a dose of dietary discipline,” one said, portions are small, and the diet requires a lot of work, which can make adhering to it difficult.

#19. Glycemic-Index Diet
(2.5 out of 5.0)
The glycemic-index diet doesn’t have much potential as a weight-loss diet, according to experts. It premise of favoring "good" carbs over "bad" hasn’t been scientifically validated, and dieters won’t have enough guidance to drop the pounds and keep them off, they concluded.

#20. Paleo Diet
(1.9 out of 5.0)
If weight loss is the goal, the Paleo diet will likely disappoint, in the judgment of our panel of experts. While they gave it slightly higher scores for short-term weight loss than for long-term, on the whole it was the least effective for weight loss of all 20 diets they reviewed.

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