Protein is a vital nutrient, essential to your health. In its purest form, protein consists of chains of amino acids. There are 22 amino acids that combine to form different proteins, and 8 of these must come from the foods we eat. Our body uses these amino acids to create muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs. Proteins help replace and form new tissue, transports oxygen and nutrients in our blood and cells, regulates the balance of water and acids, and is needed to make antibodies. However, too much of a good thing may not be so good for you. Many people are putting their health at risk by eating to much protein. Excessive protein consumption, particularly animal protein, can result in heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and kidney stones. As important as protein is for our body, there are many misconceptions about how much we really need in our diet, and the best way to obtain it.

The average American eats about twice as much protein than what is actually required. Some people, in the pursuit of thinness, are going on high-protein diets and are eating up to four times the amount of protein that their body needs. Protein deficiency is certainly not a problem in America. So exactly how much protein does your body really need? Much less than you think. According to the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, as little as 50-60 grams of protein is enough for most adults. This breaks down to about 10-12% of total calories. Your body only needs 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To calculate the exact amount you need, multiply your ideal weight by 0.36. This will give you your optimum daily protein requirement in grams. Since the amount of protein needed depends on the amount of lean body mass and not fat, ideal weight is used instead of actual weight. Infants, children, pregnant and nursing women require more protein.

People on high-protein diets are consuming up to 34% of their total calories in the form of protein and up to 53% of total calories from fat. Most of these people are unaware of the amount of protein and fat that is contained in the foods they eat. For instance, a typical 3-ounce beef hamburger, which is small by American standards, contains about 22 grams of protein and 20 grams of fat. You achieve quick weight loss on these diets because of this high fat content. High fat foods give you the sensation of feeling full, faster, so you end up eating fewer total calories. However, this type of protein and fat combination is not the healthiest. Animal proteins are loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat. Many people on these diets also experience an elevation in their LDL (the bad) cholesterol when they remain on this diet for long periods. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood clog arteries and is the chief culprit in heart disease, particularly heart attack and stroke. So while you may lose weight in the short-run, you are putting your cardiovascular health in jeopardy in the long-run.

Another reason weight loss is achieved on these high-protein diets, at least temporarily, is actually due to water loss. The increase in the amount of protein consumed, especially from meat and dairy products, raises the levels of uric acid and urea in the blood. These are toxic by-products of protein breakdown and metabolism. The body eliminates this uric acid and urea by pumping lots of water into the kidneys and urinary tract to help it flush out. However, a detrimental side effect of this diuretic response is the loss of essential minerals from the body, including calcium. The high intake of protein leaches calcium from the bones, which leads to osteoporosis.

Medical evidence shows that the body loses an average of 1.75 milligrams of calcium in the urine for every 1 gram increase in animal protein ingested. Additionally, as calcium and other minerals are leached from our bones, they are deposited in the kidneys and can form into painful kidney stones. If a kidney stone becomes large enough to cause a blockage, it stops the flow of urine from the kidney and must be removed by surgery or other methods.

Plant-based proteins, like that found in soy, lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL (the good) cholesterol. This prevents the build up of arterial plaque which leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease, thus reducing the risk heart attack and stroke. The amount and type of protein in your diet also has an important impact on calcium absorption and excretion. Vegetable-protein diets enhance calcium retention in the body and results in less excretion of calcium in the urine. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis and kidney problems. Interestingly, kidney disease is far less common in people who eat a vegetable-based diet than it is in people who eat an animal-based diet. By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein and replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, like that found in olive and canola oils, you can avoid the pitfalls of the typical high-protein diet. You will be able to improve your health and regulate your weight while enjoying a vast array of delicious, nutritionally dense, high fiber foods.

Remember, eat everything in moderation and nothing in excess. Also, the only healthy way to achieve permanent weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in. Anything else is just a gimmick.

For more information about soy, visit the Virtues of Soy website.

Related articles: Pierre Dukan’s Protal Plan – High Protein Diet

Avoid sweets. Overly sweet foods have the tendency to make you want for more. When you are thinking about popping that piece of candy into your mouth, get your toothbrush and brush your teeth instead. It’s ok to give yourself a treat once in a while but don’t eat the whole thing. Cut it in half and throw away the other half. When you feel like eating, wait for 10 minutes to see if the craving will go away. Do not set goals that are impossible to achieve. Aim for something that is within your reach. It would put less pressure on you and you are most likely to succeed. Getting enough sleep is advised.

Drinking the right amount of water is also essential. Six to eight glasses a day is adequate enough to make water act as a diuretic thereby cutting down water retention. Water also slows down your appetite and makes you feel full if taken before a meal. It is also suggested to go on a diet with one or more peers. Supporting each other, sharing and caring for each other would yield a higher success rate.

Instead of eating, find something else to do. Whenever you get that craving to eat; when you’re angry, happy or sad, go shopping, clean the house or read a book. Do something that will take your mind away from eating.

If you like eating late at night, have a slice of bread or a piece of cracker before going to bed. It would also help to have a glass of water or a fruit ready at your bedside in case you wake up at night and feel hungry.

Do not use food as a prize when you want to reward yourself. Buy a dress, shoes or a book these things will not make you go off on your diet.

Weight is constantly fluctuating. Your weight in the morning could be lighter than if you weigh yourself at night. Imagine sticking to your diet only to find out that you weigh heavier. Weigh yourself at the same time to avoid feeling down. You can also do a special food arrangement with every meal you prepare. Making it festive and cheerful to make you get interested in the food and stop yourself from eating too much.

Avoid fattening foods or drinks that are easy to consume in large amounts. Always keep foods that contain high fiber like raw vegetables or fat-free popcorn; these can easily satisfy and fill you.

Don’t skip meals. Do not eat anywhere else except at the dining table. This will help you keep your mind on the food as you eat slowly and savor each bite, don’t forget to count as you chew everything ten to twenty times. Don’t go to the kitchen unless it is time to eat. Most of all don’t go on a diet for other people do it for you.

Read more Dieting Tips. You can alse use our calculators for measuring your progress.

by Jane Fonda

Article original link: http://www.jane-fonda.net/healthy eating/

If you’ve said it once, you’ve said it a hundred times: You want to eat healthfully and lose weight. Why then are you on a first name basis with the folks at the fast food drive-thru?
It must be because eating well requires too much time and effort.
Not so. In fact, once you commit to a healthier way of eating and learn a few tips and tricks, food shopping and meal preparation are a snap.
But first, it helps to bone up on the basics of staying fit and trim, starting off with the process by which our bodies utilize energy we derive from food.

Why we gain pounds when we don’t eat enough?
Some scientists theorize that our “set point” plays a big role in weight gain and loss. (Set point is the weight each of our bodies naturally gravitates toward, depending on such genetic influences as metabolism and our number of fat cells.) We each have a sort of thermostat that kicks into action if our body suddenly loses too much fat; it attempts to bring us back to our set point by increasing our appetite. It may also force the body to use muscle tissue for the energy that should be coming from food, which causes our metabolism to drop and diminishes our ability to burn calories from food we eat every day.

Do you know what is the Yo-Yo effect.

Food ScalesSo what, then does “eating to lose weight” mean? First of all, it means eating enough food to keep you from feeling hungry and your thermostat from kicking into fat retaining mode.
Then, for energy and good health, we must eat a wide variety of healthy foods, without consuming more than our metabolism burns as energy. And with regular exercise, we can maintain the right amount of muscle mass to ensure a healthy metabolism.
Switching to a low-fat diet makes cutting calories quite a bit easier. Consider that a gram of fat has 9 calories, while a gram of protein or carbohydrate has just 4 calories. You can also eat a greater volume of low fat food without risking weight gain. But bear in mind that all calories count, whether from fatty or fat free foods. If we eat more calories that we burn, they will stored as fat no matter that their source.

How to feed your body the right foods
The foods most of us eat on a daily basis may lack sufficient vitamins and minerals to let our bodies work optimally. Often, they contain an excess of substances that drag our energy down and keep our weight up.
More than half of the calories we put in to our mouths come from sugar, animal fats, and alcohol, which have no fiber and little nutritive value. I like to call it the Standard American Diet, with the all to fitting acronym SAD. The sad diet accelerates the aging process by depriving our cells of the nutrients they need to regenerate and fight off certain diseases. Few of us think about whether what we eat on any given day does what food should do: nourish us, providing the fuel and building blocks our body needs.
Sound complicated? Actually, when you get right down to it, it’s as simple as eating three healthwise meals a day, starting with breakfast.

Healthy Muffins from Jane Fonda’s Cooking for Healthy Living Book

The number one rule: Never skip breakfast. If you do, or if you eat an inadequate breakfast, by late morning, your energy will start to lag, and you’re going to reach for more coffee or a sugary treat.
So what makes a good breakfast?
Sufficient complex carbohydrates (1/2 cup of cereal or 1/2 bagel or a low fat muffin); a small amount of protein (4 – oz glass of milk or 4 oz of yogurt or 4 oz of non fat cheese) and fruit (a 4-oz glass of fresh fruit juice or piece of fruit). Complex carbs are bulky and take a while to digest, leaving you more satisfied.
Proteins help offset fatigue. And fruit will help bolster your nutrient intake.
Lunch is the best time to fill your daily protein requirements, since you’ll need the boost to counteract afternoon slump. Chicken, seafood, legumes or yogurt will fit the bill.
Be sure to combine your protein with a complex carbohydrate so you feel full.

Because complex carbs are so satisfying, dinner should emphasize these. Some researchers believe carbohydrates also trigger the release of serotonin, a brain chemical that can promote better sleep. Chose from pastas, vegetables and legumes for your carbs. Have protein in small portions – use it like a garnish.

When it comes to dessert, realize that it does have to be waistline expanding to be delicious. (My recipe for scrumptious chocolate cheese cake, proves you can reduce fat and calories without sacrificing the taste.)

Now that you know a little more about what kinds of foods your body needs to function at its best, you can more easily plan your meals – a crucial step for those seeking to lose weight.

Set aside a few minutes at the beginning of the week to select the meals you want to prepare and the arrange your grocery list around the items you’ll need. Not only will the list make shopping more convenient and economical, but it will guard against impulse buys when you head down the chip and candy aisles. If you’re trying to lose weight, planning will also help reinforce self discipline To make sure you get a full range of vitamins and minerals, be certain to eat a varied diet that includes plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Last, but not lease, find recipes that enable you to cook food to maximize taste, texture and nutritional value – without adding calories or fat. That’s one of the most important steps in adopting a healthier way of eating.

Ways to shop wisely
Experienced cooks firmly believe that knowing how to shop is essential to cooking tasty meals. A wise shopper can pick the best quality ingredients, with the best taste, texture and nutritive value – at the best cost. Here are a few tips on how to shop with health in mind:

Buy Fresh produce often.
Try not to buy too many fresh fruits and vegetables at any one time. They begin to lose vitamin C after two or three days in the refrigerator, and even more quickly when left at room temperature.

Purchase frozen produce during winter
In the winter, chose frozen fruits and vegetables (which retain much of their nutritional value) so you can still eat favorite out of season foods at a reasonable cost.

Avoid empty calories.
Shop with an eye toward getting the most nutritive bang for your buck and calories. This means avoiding processed foods, which usually cost more and are far higher in fat, sugar and salt than fresh foods.

Learn to read labels.
The label can give you all the pertinent information you’ll need about nutrition and content. A careful look at the ingredients on packaged foods can also tip you off to the presence of chemical additives that you’ll want to limit in your diet. Like monosodium glutamate.

Shop along the supermarket walls.
Concentrate on low-fat dairy, seafood, poultry and meats, and choose a variety of produce colors, since each one offers different nutritional value. Most important are dark greens, such as broccoli and cabbage; reds, such as bell peppers and tomatoes; and yellows and oranges, like cantaloupes, carrots and squash.

Low Fat Munchies
A between meal snack can help stave off hunger, provide extra energy and help you avoid overeating later on. Be careful to limit snack potions to one serving, except when it comes to fresh veggies – you can munch on them to your heart’s content. Here’s some of my favorite snack suggestions:

1. Bake an extra potato for a snack (Good quality potatoes are delicious eaten plain, at room temperature.)
2. Bake your own tortilla chips to dip into salsa. (Limit servings to no more than a handful.)
3. Keep a bowl of washed seasonal fruit always available on your counter or table.
4. Drink a glass of water when you’re hungry. A lack of water is often mistaken for hunger pains.
5. Carry salt-free rice cakes to munch on during mid-morning or late afternoon snack attacks.
6. Prepare carrot and celery sticks, raw cabbage, Belgium endive, chicory or zucchini, and have them ready to eat in the refrigerator.

It’s Simple. Healthy eating has never been easier, thanks to the new nutrition label. Here’s the good news:

• Most foods in the grocery store must now have a nutrition label and an ingredient list.
• You can buy with confidence. Claims like “low cholesterol” and “fat free” can be used only
  if a food meets new legal standards set by the government.

You are looking at a new label if it’s titled Nutrition Facts. Old labels may still be around for a while, so don’t be surprised if you see them.

Why Read the Label?

Read the label to help choose foods that make up a healthful diet. Eating a healthful diet can help reduce your risk factors for some diseases. For example, too much saturated fat and cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol (a risk factor for hear disease). Too much sodium may be linked to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

You can download a simple food label guide probided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

• Avoid as much as possible fatty food, including fat from vegetables.

• Reduce salt quantities.

• Drink a lot, like 2 liters/day (slightly more than 1/2 gallon). Water is your best partner here, if possible drink diuretic waters like Evian or Vittel (sold at Wholefoods). Avoid sparkling water due to the sodium (salt).

Thoughts…

As soon as he started practicing, Dr. Dukan realized that all the Cartesian theories and principles around nutrition and diets, were based on the fooled assumption that one could remove the temptation within overweight people for eating and convert them into calory-counting bureaucrats!!!

According to Dr. Dukan, most obese people are not obese by chance; there’s a psychological side that has to be considered and understood and which goes down to the profound explanation of eating habits and self-commitment.

His conclusions were that overweight persons who are trying to loose weight need a fast return with, quickly, tangible results to build up their self-confidence and motivation. They also need precise objectives to be set with pre-defined and predictable phases in order to enable them to appreciate their efforts, comparing the results against the initial objectives.

“This method is dedicated to those who tried everything, who lost weight, often – too often – and who are looking, beyond everything else, for the certainty that in return of a committed and flawless effort, but limited in time, they will, first of all, lose weight and, even more, will enjoy the result of their effort and will live with the comfort and the body that they are reclaiming.” Dr. Pierre Dukan.

Related articles:

• Pierre Dukan – Protal Plan Diet
• Nutrition Facts in the context of healthy eating and dieting
• The First Customized Diet Book by P. Dukan M.D.
• Pierre Dukan, M.D. – Q&A the new “My Weight Book”
• Pierre Dukan, M.D. Protal Plan – Nutrition Facts
• Pierre Dukan, M.D. – Exclusive Interview