1) Should You Skip Your Meals? Skipping a meal is not recommended for good health or for dieting. This will not help to lose weight or to keep healthier. Instead take lesser food in your meal that should be a balanced diet. You will notice in every fast weight loss program, skipping your meals is not suggested.

2) Use High Fibres Foods: Your meals must include the high fibre food items. This will keep you away from heart diseases, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Examples of foods rich in fibre are vegetables, fruits, cereals, beans, whole-grain breads etc

3) What To Take In Meat? You can take meat and flesh for proteins for your body. The best meat for your health skin removed chicken meat, fish, lean beef and turkey breast etc. Try to avoid the fattier meats.

4) Vitamin D Intake: It is recommended to take 3 servings of Vit.D containing food, everyday. Examples are fat free milk, cheese and yogurt. The supplements of vitamin D and calcium are also available in the market and you can take them too. This will also help you in teeth whitening and strong gums and teeth.

5) Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is also very necessary for your body health. You must take some quantity of food items that are vitaminB12-fortified.

6) You Can Take Health Snacks: Snacks are not always bad. You can take some healthy snacks like whole wheat crackers, low fat cheese, low sodium soup, dried apricots etc. The snacks that are rich in fast sugar are not good for your health. The examples of non-healthy snacks are soda, cakes, chips and candies etc.

7) Plenty of Water Intake: Human body is made up of 75% of water and water is also essential for proper functioning of whole body. So, drink water and water based fluids or juices in intervals, every day.

I see promises like these all the time… and you know what? In almost all cases it’s a complete and utter CROC!

The other day I discovered an excellent page on The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website that debunks many of the common diet misconceptions with factual reasoning.

The advice is right on the money and I’d even go as far as to say it should be required reading for anyone who is overweight, knows nothing about weight loss and wants to get on track with their eating habits.

So here are the main diet myths and the myth-busting facts that shoot them down:

Myth 1: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss

Fact: Fad diets often promise quick weight loss. You may lose weight at first. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow and may be unhealthy if they do not provide all of the nutrients your body needs. Losing weight at a very rapid rate (more than 3 pounds a week after the first couple of weeks) may increase your risk for developing gallstones. Diets that provide less than 800 calories per day also could result in heart rhythm abnormalities, which can be fatal.

Myth 2: High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight

Fact: There has been little scientific study on the long-term health effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets. But getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan, especially if you are eating too much fat and cholesterol, which may raise heart disease risk. If you eat too few fruits, vegetables and whole grains, it may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber. Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day can lead to the buildup of ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood, which is a risk factor for gout (a painful swelling of the joints) and kidney stones. Ketosis may be especially risky for pregnant women and people with diabetes or kidney disease.

Myth 3: Starches are fattening and should be limited when trying to lose weight

Fact: Foods high in starch (also called complex carbohydrates) are an important source of energy for your body. Many foods high in starch, like bread, rice, pasta, cereals, beans, fruits, and some vegetables (like potatoes and yams) are low in fat and calories.

Myth 4: Certain foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage soup, can burn fat and make you lose weight

Fact: No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may kick-start up your metabolism for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss.

Myth 5: Natural or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective

Fact: A weight-loss product that claims to be “natural” or “herbal” is not necessarily safe. These products are not usually scientifically tested to prove that they are safe or that they work.

As an example, herbal products containing ephedra (now banned by the U.S. Government) have caused serious health problems and even death.

Myth 6: Low-fat or fat-free means no calories

Fact: A low-fat or fat-free food is often lower in calories than the same size portion of the full-fat product. But many processed low-fat or fat-free foods have just as many calories as the full-fat version of the same food—or even more calories. They may contain added sugar, flour, or starch thickeners to improve flavor and texture after fat is removed. These ingredients add calories.

Myth 7: Fast foods are always an unhealthy choice and you should not eat them when dieting

Fact: Fast foods can be part of a healthy weight-loss program with a little bit of know-how. Some tips –

Myth 8: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight

Fact: Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This may be because people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would. It may also be that eating many small meals throughout the day helps people control their appetites.

Myth 9: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain

Fact: It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight.

Myth 10: Lifting weights is not good to do if you want to lose weight, because it will make you “bulk up.”

Fact: Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories—even sitting still.

Myth 11: Nuts are fattening and you should not eat them if you want to lose weight

Fact: In small amounts, nuts can be part of a healthy weight-loss program. Nuts are high in calories and fat. However, most nuts contain healthy fats that do not clog arteries. Nuts are also good sources of protein, dietary fiber, and minerals including magnesium and copper.

Myth 12: Eating red meat is bad for your health and makes it harder to lose weight

Fact: Eating lean meat in small amounts can be part of a healthy weight-loss plan. Red meat, pork, chicken, and fish contain some cholesterol and saturated fat (the least healthy kind of fat). They also contain healthy nutrients like protein, iron, and zinc.

Tip: Choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat and trim all visible fat. Lower fat meats include pork tenderloin and beef round steak, tenderloin, sirloin tip, flank steak, and extra lean ground beef.

Myth 13: Dairy products are fattening and unhealthy

Fact: Low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese are just as nutritious as whole milk dairy products, but they are lower in fat and calories. Dairy products have many nutrients your body needs. They offer protein to build muscles and help organs work properly, and calcium to strengthen bones. Most milks and some yogurts are fortified with vitamin D to help your body use calcium. Tip: The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming 3 cups per day of fat-free/low-fat milk or equivalent milk products.

For more information on these guidelines, visit www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines

Myth 14: “Going vegetarian” means you are sure to lose weight and be healthier

Fact: Research shows that people who follow a vegetarian eating plan, on average, eat fewer calories and less fat than non vegetarians. They also tend to have lower body weights relative to their heights than non vegetarians. Choosing a vegetarian eating plan with a low fat content may be helpful for weight loss. But vegetarians—like non vegetarians—can make food choices that contribute to weight gain, like eating large amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.

Vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as nonvegetarian diets to make sure they are balanced. Nutrients that nonvegetarians normally get from animal products, but that are not always found in a vegetarian eating plan, are iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein.

One Final Tip: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories you eat and be more physically active. Forget hyped up marketing promises. If you want to shed pounds just focus on these two things.

Follow the link to view the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s page on Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths.

We have a Startling Revelation to make: YOU CAN CHEAT DEATH!

How?

In fact there are five simple ways of cheating death…

1. Quit the Fags
2. Lose Weight
3. Get Fit
4. Drink Less Booze
5. Eat Right

If you can manage all five of these you will reduce your risk of death by a factor of 8 !!!

If you’re thinking “um…. der” you’re not alone.

For this is nothing here that hasn’t been common knowledge for years! Despite this, someone at Harvard University found need to fork out some cash to do a proper study. Robert van Dam, PhD, of Harvard University’s School of Public Health, looked at death risk and five lifestyle factors: cigarette smoking, being overweight, low physical activity, light or moderate alcohol use and low-quality diet.

The study beginning in 1980 and followed 77,782 female nurses ranging in age from 34-59 years old.

Of the 8882 deaths over 24 years:

• 1,790 were from cardiovascular disease
• 4,527 were from cancer
• 55% of those deaths were estimated to have been due to smoking, lack of physical activity, being overweight, and low-quality diet
• 28% of the deaths were tied to smoking

They also concluded

• Having five of the five risk factors increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by a factor of eight compared with having none of the risk factors.
• The risk of dying from cancer was three times higher; and
• The risk of dying from any cause was four times greater.

However those with a light to moderate alcohol intake (1 drink or less daily) were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who do not drink any alcohol.

Read the full report here.