Diets

Lower your risk of kidney stones with DASH diet

According to the latest findings you can greatly reduce your chances of developing kidney stones by including more fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains in your diet and less sodium, sweetened drinks, red meat, and processed meats.

The study included over 240,000 men and women who completed periodic surveys on their diets and other lifestyle habits over a period of 14 to 18 years.

The diet, known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or "DASH", advocates eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and moderate amounts of low-fat dairy and lean meat and fish.

Following the DASH diet may cut down on kidney stones as well as improve high blood pressure.

Read more:
Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH

'DASH' diet may prevent kidney stones - Rueters

Which diet is right for you?

With over 53 popular diets to choose from (WebMD) which one works the best? Often it would seem that the most successful diets would be the ones that advertise the most you know them; Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, etc.

A study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and published Feb., 26, 2009, in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals some surprising facts.

"The hidden secret is it doesn't matter if you focus on low-fat or low-carb," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more calories with exercise is key, according to Dr.Nabel.

 “This new information should focus weight loss approaches on reducing calorie intake rather than any particular proportions of fat, protein or carbohydrate. This is important information for health professionals who prescribe weight loss for their patients, and for adults who are seeking ways to sustain a healthful eating pattern,” said Frank M. Sacks, M.D., principal investigator of POUNDS LOST and Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in the Nutrition Department at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Read more:
Heart-Healthy, Reduced-Calorie Diets Promote Long-term Weight Loss

Old-Fashioned Calorie-Cutting The Only Diet That Works

3 foods to help prevent cancer

Scanning through my news feeds this morning I came across this article, "Expert: 40 percent of cancers can be prevented through diet". A powerful headline and well worth the read.

According to David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D., himself a cancer survivor,  cancer cells develop all the time in a healthy body and  we are all equipped with natural defenses that can counteract these rogue cells. The sad truth however according to Dr. Servan-Schreiber is that our dietary habits inhibit our natural defenses.

Dr. Servan-Schreiber in this article states that the 3 most powerful foods in helping the body counteract cancer cells are the spice turmeric, broccoli and green tea.

His book "Anticancer: A New Way of Life" has been on the bookshelves since September.

This year manage your weight in steps, lots of them.

Another new year and another set of commitments to make lifestyle changes. One of the most popular of those desired changes is to lose weight or get in shape. Obesity is poised to be our country's next major health crisis. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are currently overweight or obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The lifestyle changes usually associated with loosing weight or weight loss aren’t easy, as anyone who has tried it knows. This year try focusing on getting more steps in each day.  It's easier that swearing you are going to stop eating this or joining a gym and it works!

When you put the body in motion you burn calories, strengthen bones and muscles, increase your oxygen intake, feel better and loose weight.

You can start with simple changes like parking the car a farther from the entrance to a store and getting a few extra steps or start using the stairs instead of the elevator. Simple steps such as these can actually cause a person to lose weight over the course of a year, providing there is no increase in your caloric intake.

An inexpensive tool called a pedometer makes tracking these steps fun and lets you know exactly how you are progressing.

In recent years, pedometers have emerged as popular tools that are easy to use (clipped to a pocket or waistline) to count steps walked per day. The devices are affordable, selling for as little as $7 to $25. This could be key to your commitments to make lifestyle changes and increase physical activity.

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine found that the use of a pedometer resulted in significant increases in physical activity and weight loss as well as improvements in blood pressure.  

"Much to my surprise, these little devices were shown to increase physical activity by just over 2,000 steps, or about 1 mile of walking per day," said, Dena Bravata, MD, MS, a senior research scientist in medicine. "This goes a long way toward helping people meet the national guidelines for daily physical activity."

Dr. Bravata's study, which is the first published review of literature on the effectiveness of pedometers, appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Just over 2,100 steps might not sound that much, but it equates to a 27 percent increase in physical activity—which is really astounding," said Bravata.

So this year make a difference, buy a pedometer, set goals to increase you total steps each week and enjoy the changes it will make in your lifestyle ans waistline this year.

Walk 2000 More Steps a Day and Never Gain Another Pound - About.com
Walking for fitness: How to trim your waistline, improve your health - Mayo Clinic
Pedometers help people count steps to get healthy - Stanford School of Medicine 

Major differences in the costs leading diet weight loss programs

As the rising costs of food and energy causes consumers to tighten their belts on spending, a new study indicates major differences in the costs of the nation’s leading diet weight loss programs. An independent cost analysis conducted by National Business Research Institute, Inc. (“NBRI”) studied the overall cost to consumers of seven of the leading programs: Alli, Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss Centers, NutriSystem, Slim-Fast, Weight Watchers (Center and Online) and The Zone.

The research considered the overall costs for each program including registration fees, weekly/monthly fees, renewal fees, counseling fees, online fees, pre-packaged food costs, grocery store costs, and recommended supplement costs. The study also specifically reviewed food costs such as pre-packaged foods, supplements and grocery items such as produce, meat and dairy as recommended by each program.

The analysis found that the NutriSystem Advanced Women’s Program, using the commonly used auto-delivery option, had the lowest overall monthly program costs. According to the study, NutriSystem’s monthly costs for pre-packaged food were $293.72 and $198.40 for supplemental grocery store food items such as fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and grains for a total monthly cost of $492.12. NutriSystem does not charge any fees for membership, counseling, newsletters, e-classes or access to their community site.

The nationwide increase in grocery prices of produce, meats, dairy and grains has had a significant impact on overall monthly costs. Using the GroceryGuide.com website to search for specific food and product items as well as grocery or other coupons can bring dramatic savings to the consumer.

Simply go to GroceryGuide.com enter your zip code, select the store you shop at and search for specific food items and coupons. If you don't find what your looking for change to another store or product.

See how the weight loss diets rated: National Business Research Institute, Inc.