Author and editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines, David Zinczenko claims to have the formula to burn belly fat and get washboard abs in just six weeks by changing the way you eat and exercise.

Updated with new research, a portion distortion decoder, and tips on using food to boost health, the New Abs Dietfor Women is easier to use and even more effective at melting belly fat than Zinczenko’s 2007 book, Abs Diet for Women, he tells WebMD by email.

Diet and exercise work better together than alone. In order to get flat abs, you need both. Half of the book is devoted to strength and interval training exercise diagrams to guide your fitness plan of 20 minutes, three days a week during weeks three to six.

The plan promises up to 12 pounds of belly fat weight loss during the first two weeks of the plan, when exercise is optional, although walking is highly recommended.

Tips throughout the book provide solid and helpful dieting advice. But whether you’ll get flat abs is less certain.

“While improvement in the appearance of stomach muscles is possible with a healthful diet and exercise, losing up to 12 pounds of belly fat in two weeks is unrealistic,” says weight loss nutritionist Elisa Zied, MS, RD.

The New Abs Diet for Women: What You Can Eat

Front and center on the plan are the 12 power foods featured in the menu plans. These foods are highlighted because they are nutrient-rich, contain protein, calcium, and healthy fats. Portion sizes are prescribed to keep calories in check, even for power foods.

Within the 12 power foods, there are lots of options to add variety and satisfy a wide range of palates.

The New Abs Diet 12 Power Foods – (acronym spells abs diet power)

1. Almonds and Other Nuts eaten with skins intact.
2. Beans and Other Legumes
3. Spinach and Other Green Vegetables
4. Dairy: Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese
5. Instant Oatmeal: Unsweetened, unflavored
6. Eggs
7. Turkey and other lean meats. Lean steak, chicken, fish
8. Peanut Butter – All-natural, sugar-free.
9. Olive Oil
10. Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals
11. Extra- Protein powder(Whey)
12. Raspberries and Other Berries

Eat six mini meals a day with an emphasis on protein, prescribed at every meal to keep you feeling satisfied and to repair muscles. Meals are centered on power foods showcased in three weeks of diet plans and recipes. Calories range from 1400-1600 daily.

Drink plenty of water, limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks per week, and once weekly you can splurge on a cheat meal and eat anything you like.

What’s not on the menu are refined carbs, baked goods, sugar, white rice, pasta, high fructose corn syrup, fried foods, margarine, foods made with partially hydrogenated oils, whole-fat dairy, fatty meats, saturated fat, and trans fats.

The New Abs Diet for Women: How It Works

The No. 1 predictor of weight gain is dieting, Zinczenko says. He advocates six small meals daily to keep the body well fed with healthy food to encourage burning fat while retaining muscle.

Power foods, healthy proteins, and slow-burning carbs — along with resistance exercise — is the crucial mix for keeping muscle mass and accelerating fat loss, Zinczenko says.

Though The New Abs Diet for Women claims not to be a diet, it is indeed a diet with a detailed plan. It’s not a short-term diet, though — it’s a healthy eating plan that Zinczenko wants women to use for life.

Designed to improve your appearance and your health, the plan can also lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce risk of diabetes and certain forms of cancer, Zinczenko says.

The New Abs Diet for Women: Experts’ Views

Eating six small meals per day (with protein at every meal and lots of healthy foods in controlled portions) and regular exercise are the strengths of The New Abs Diet for Women, says Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, Georgia State University nutrition professor emeritus.

But Rosenbloom notes certain contradictions throughout the book. “It claims not to be a diet, yet there are menu plans for a diet averaging 1400 calories,” she says.

Another contradiction is the promise of building muscle, which requires adequate calories, protein, and strength training. “This will be hard to achieve on menu plans [of] less than 1600 calories and during the first two weeks, when exercise is optional,” Rosenbloom says.

Lots of studies are mentioned throughout the book but the lack of detailed references makes it hard to substantiate, Rosenbloom says.

“His promise of pure fat loss is hard to deliver because there is no such thing as a formula that guarantees pure fat loss. Rapid weight loss is more likely to be more water weight than fat loss,” Rosenbloom says.

Developing six-pack abs requires very low levels of body fat and strength training. “You can’t turn fat into muscle, what you can do is lose fat and build muscle,” says Rosenbloom, editor of Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals (due out later this year),

And even if you follow the diet and exercise plan to the letter, there is no guarantee you will achieve flat abs. “Flat abs is dependent on multiple factors, including genetics, your body shape, activity level, and more,” Zied says.

The New Abs Diet for Women: Food for Thought

Written in a clever and engaging style, The New Abs Diet for Women is a template for a healthier diet targeted to women who want to grow stronger and get rid of unwanted fat.

It is a sensible, realistic eating plan with an emphasis on nutrient-rich foods, calorie control, and regular fitness. And it’s full of helpful tips.

Eating healthy foods six times a day can be a very effective way to manage hunger and cravings. But it is easy to overeat, so you need to carefully control your portions.

Follow the simple guide to strength training, good nutrition, and exercise and you will lose weight and improve muscle strength. But like many other diet books, some of the claims and promises may be exaggerated, overstated, or without research evidence.

Original article:  http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/new-abs-diet-for-women-diet-review

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Review

Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, is director of nutrition for WebMD. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

I know from experience that our busy lives do not make it easy. Nobody has the time or stamina eat or exercise properly. Simply, there is no time, or at least everybody thinks that. The good news is that you can make time.

I am 36 years old and I was never the sporting type. Four years ago I started Pierre Dukan’s diet, but this time I combined it with trips to the gym. In six months I lost 48,4 lbs by following Dukan’s regime and visiting the gym three times a week. Now is 2012, and I am still 182 lbs, mostly muscle. My life’s quality improved greatly. I sleep better, I feel better, I am almost always in a great mood and my self-esteem is on the level.

All that was possible because I wanted it to happen. I also found my “wellness” truth. I found what foods my body agrees with, and how much exercise I need according to my goals. With time everything become easier, I developped healthy eating habits and my body and health changed gradually – from poor to great.

Here is a list of foods or drinks I try to avoid or limit:

Food list

• Any type of bread or pastry
• Mayonnaise
• Milk cream
• Most types vegetable oils
• Pork meat
• Any sweets (chocolates, candy, etc)

Drinks list

• Any soda type drinks (Coca Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, etc)
• Any type of Spirits (Voda, Whiskey, Gin, etc).

For cooking and salads I use cold pressed olive oil. I drink mostly wine or beer. Concerning meat, fish, chicken and beef are my preferences. And two extremely important hints:

• Eat at least 3-4 times a day
• Do not eat between 19:00 and 08:00 (if you are hungry, drink a litter of water and go to bed).

12 Dangerous Food Additives: The Dirty Dozen Food Additives You Really Need to be Aware Of
Original article at www.SixWise.com

In the United States, more than 3,000 substances can be added to foods for the purpose of preservation, coloring, texture, increasing flavor and more. While each of these substances is legal to use (at least here in the States), whether or not they are all something you want to be consuming is another story all together.

With any processed food you run the risk of coming across additives, and reading through ingredient labels can be like trying to decode a puzzle.

The food colorings that make candy pretty colors have been linked to cancer and tumors of the brain,
thyroid, adrenal gland and kidney in animal studies.

Of course, eating largely fresh, whole foods is the best way to stay away from unsavory additives, but, assuming you do include some processed foods in your diet, the following additives are ones you surely want to stay away from. Look for them on ingredient labels and if one turns up, take a pass.

Propyl Gallate

This preservative, used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling, might cause cancer. It’s used in vegetable oil, meat products, potato sticks, chicken soup base and chewing gum, and is often used with BHA and BHT (see below).

BHA and BHT

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are used similarly to propyl gallate — to keep fats and oils from going rancid. Used commonly in cereals, chewing gum, vegetable oil and potato chips (and also in some food packaging to preserve freshness), these additives have been found by some studies to cause cancer in rats. If a brand you commonly buy uses these additives, look for a different variety, as not all manufacturers use these preservatives.

Potassium Bromate

This additive is used in breads and rolls to increase the volume and produce a fine crumb structure. Although most bromate breaks down into bromide, which is harmless, the bromate that does remain causes cancer in animals. Bromate has been banned throughout the world, except for in the United States and Japan. In California, a cancer warning would likely be required if it were used, which is why it is rarely used in that state.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many packaged foods, including soups, salad dressings, sausages, hot dogs, canned tuna, potato chips and many more. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, an author and neurosurgeon, there is a link between sudden cardiac death, particularly in athletes, and excitotoxic damage caused by food additives like MSG and artificial sweeteners. Excitotoxins are, according to Dr. Blaylock, “A group of excitatory amino acids that can cause sensitive neurons to die.”

Many consumers have also personally experienced the ill effects of MSG, which leave them with a headache, nausea or vomiting after eating MSG-containing foods. To find out more about the side effects associated with MSG, as well as a complete list of which foods contain it, see our past article MSG: If it’s Safe: Why do They Disguise it on the Labels?

Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)

This artificial sweetener is found in Equal and NutraSweet, along with products that contain them (diet sodas and other low-cal and diet foods). This sweetener has been found to cause brain tumors in rats as far back as the 1970s, however a more recent study in 2005 found that even small doses increase the incidence of lymphomas and leukemia in rats, along with brain tumors.

People who are sensitive to aspartame may also suffer from headaches, dizziness and hallucinations after consuming it.

Acesulfame-K

Acesulfame-K is an artificial sweetener that’s about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It’s used in baked goods, chewing gum, gelatin desserts and soft drinks. Two rat studies have found that this substance may cause cancer, and other studies to reliably prove this additive’s safety have not been conducted. Acesulfame-K also breaks down into acetoacetamide, which has been found to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits and dogs.

Olestra

Olestra is a fat substitute used in crackers and potato chips, marketed under the brand name Olean. This synthetic fat is not absorbed by the body (instead it goes right through it), so it can cause diarrhea, loose stools, abdominal cramps and flatulence, along with other effects. Further, olestra reduces the body’s ability to absorb beneficial fat-soluble nutrients, including lycopene, lutein and beta-carotene.

Sodium Nitrite (Sodium Nitrate)

Like diet soda? The aspartame that’s used to sweeten it increases lymphomas, leukemia and brain tumors in rats — even in small doses.

Sodium nitrite (or sodium nitrate) is used as a preservative, coloring and flavoring in bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish and other processed meats. These additives can lead to the formation of cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines.

Some studies have found a link between consuming cured meats and nitrite and cancer in humans.

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

The process used to make hydrogenated vegetable oil (or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) creates trans fats, which promote heart disease and diabetes. The Institute of Medicine has advised that consumers should eat as little trans fat as possible. You should avoid anything with these ingredients on the label, which includes some margarine, vegetable shortening, crackers, cookies, baked goods, salad dressings, bread and more. It’s used because it reduces cost and increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods.

Blue 1 and Blue 2

Blue 1, used to color candy, beverages and baked goods, may cause cancer. Blue 2, found in pet food, candy and beverages, has caused brain tumors in mice.

Red 3

This food coloring is used in cherries (in fruit cocktails), baked goods and candy. It causes thyroid tumors in rats, and may cause them in humans as well.

Yellow 6

As the third most often used food coloring, yellow 6 is found in many products, including backed goods, candy, gelatin and sausages. It has been found to cause adrenal gland and kidney tumors, and contains small amounts of many carcinogens.

Recommended Reading

Sources

CSPI’s Guide to Food Additives

Harmful Chemicals

Wikipedia: Neurotoxicity

Original article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35819203/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Atkins New Book

The new Atkins diet book, an updated version of the popular high-fat eating plan, promises that kind of quick result. “The New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great” promotes a program called the “optimal protein diet” that certainly appeals to our cheeseburger cravings (minus the bun, of course). The revised diet book is already a best-seller, but is pumping up protein and cutting carbs really the best way to slim down safely and stay that way? Losing weight that fast could be harmful .

While this latest Atkins incarnation includes far more vegetables, it still shuns, especially in the beginning, healthful whole grains, fruits and legumes. Even when it does allow for some of the vilified carbohydrate-rich foods in later phases, the amount of total carbs suggested continues to fall very short of Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations, as well as the government’s current Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

In fact, a recent two-year study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that reduced-calorie diets led to weight loss in overweight adults regardless of which macronutrients — protein, fat, or carbohydrate — were emphasized.
And a just published follow-up study in the Annals of Internal Medicine noted that obese people who followed either a low-carbohydrate or a low-fat diet for one year maintained a modest weight loss — 5 pounds and 9.5 pounds, respectively — at three years. While those who followed a low-carb diet lost more weight initially, they tended to regain more weight by the end of three years.
“These results highlight the difficulty in sticking to a low-carbohydrate diet, as carbohydrate intake did not differ between the low-carbohydrate or low-fat dieters by three years,” according to Dr. Marion Vetter, R.D., one of the study authors. “For some people, low-fat diets may be easier to sustain over time.”
Despite efforts to blame carbs for our stubborn pudge, a study published in the November 2009 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition detected no differences in weight-loss maintenance after one year between those who followed a high-protein diet and those who followed a high-carb diet after three months of weight loss.

Before you order that steak
That said, protein does appear to satiate more than carbs or other fats, triggering hormones and other chemicals to send “feel full” messages to the brain. Some research has shown that boosting protein in your diet increases fullness and reduces how many calories you consume.  Consuming dietary protein also increases thermogenesis, meaning more calories are used to digest, absorb, and metabolize protein than for either carbohydrate or fat. It also helps you hold on to lean muscle mass that often shrinks while dieting.

Consuming more protein (while reducing carbohydrate and/or fat intake) has also been shown in studies to improve insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, blood lipids (including cholesterol), and other cardiovascular risk factors. A high-protein diet has also been shown to control blood pressure, especially when the protein comes from plant sources. In older people, adequate protein intake also protects against age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass.

But before you order your next big steak or turkey club sandwich, be mindful that not all proteins are created equal.

Animal sources such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt are considered sources of complete proteins since the proteins they contain are made of all the essential amino acids. These foods also boast vitamin B12, folate, biotin, and iron.

The downside is fatty meats (especially processed ones like hot dogs, salami and bacon), poultry (like fried and/or skinned varieties), and full-fat (and even reduced-fat) versions of dairy products deliver lots of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Too many of these foods (especially in large portions) can mean too many calories — and elevated blood cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

Choose animal-derived proteins in their lowest fat form, such as sirloin, flank steak or round cuts; fish; and low-fat or nonfat dairy foods. Keep portions small to maximize nutritional benefits while minimizing health risks.

Of the plant proteins such as nuts and seeds, grains, legumes — dried beans, peas, lentils and soybeans — vegetables, and to a lesser extent fruits, only soy is considered a complete protein. All others are incomplete proteins, which means they lack one or more essential amino acids. Plant proteins pack in fiber, folate, potassium, calcium and magnesium, but have little, if any, saturated fat and no cholesterol. Choose some of these foods each day to get enough essential amino acids, especially if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Watch portions since legumes, nuts, and seeds pack in lots of calories in relatively small amounts.

If you have kidney problems or any other disease or condition that warrants a lower protein diet, be sure to consult with a doctor and registered dietitian.

Although the protein and weight-loss connection appears promising, it’s not a secret weapon for getting skinny. No matter which diet claims to help you shed pounds quickly, it’s not advisable to lose more than one to two each week. Anything more than that and your metabolism may slow down and actually make your body a less efficient fat-burner. Shedding pounds too fast increases your risk of gallstones, nutritional deficiencies and other serious health problems.

Elisa Zied, R.D., is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She is author of “Nutrition at your Fingertips” and co-author of “Feed Your Family Right!”

“Cleansing is basic for elimination of every kind of disease.” ~ Stanley Burroughs

“Since the days of Jesus Christ, who fasted for 40 days, men and women have abstained from food for many reasons; for health, for political ends and for spiritual enlightenment.” ~ Herman Schneider

According to Stanley Burroughs, an alternative health practitioner who wrote “The Master Cleanse” book, due to consuming huge quantities of unhealthy food, food waste is stored in our bodies—“Disease, old age, and death are the result of accumulated poisons and congestion throughout the entire body. These toxins become crystallized and hardened, settling around the joints, in the muscles, and throughout the billions of cells all over the body.”

Thus, our bodies naturally start cleansing in order to stop the poison damage. As a result, we experience discomfort and sickness, and many try to “fix” the problem with antibiotics or other drugs, which only suppress the natural process. Such discomfort often appears after holiday feasting as “even the very best of foods in excess can create problems.”

In 1940, Burroughs created the master cleanse diet, which had been proven to be a successful way to lose weight and cure a variety of diseases.

For the cleansing program, he chose lemons, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, laxative tea and sea salt. Each one of the ingredients has a specific purpose and is vital for the successful completion of the diet.

Lemons and limes are “the richest source of minerals and vitamins of any food or foods known to man,” he says.
Even though the lemon is an acid fruit, it becomes alkaline as it is digested and assimilated, and is in fact, the best aid toward proper alkaline balance.

Maple syrup is chosen due to its large variety of minerals and vitamins (Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Chlorine and Silicon; Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C; and Nicotinic Acid and Pantothenic Acid) and cannot be substituted with any other sugary product such as honey for example. The maple syrup can be Grade A (fewer minerals), Grade B (more minerals and more maple taste), and Grade C (more minerals than Grade B). All of them can be used, but the syrup must be organic.

The laxative herb tea needs to be organic if possible, one that is mild to the stomach. Organic senna laxative tea is a good choice.

The cayenne pepper breaks up the mucus and adds more B and C vitamins.

The sea salt is used to wash out the entire digestive tract. Burroughs says enemas and colonics should not be used for this purpose because they are harmful for the system and won’t cleanse the colon as good as the sea salt water bathing. The regular iodized salt won’t work.

Here’s what Burroughs says about the lemons and maple syrup working together:

“The lemon is a loosening and cleansing agent with many important building factors. The ability of the elements in the lemon and the maple syrup working together creates these desired results. Its 49% potassium strengthens and energizes the heart, stimulates and builds the kidneys and adrenal glands.

*Its oxygen builds vitality.
*Its carbon acts as a motor stimulant.
*Its hydrogen activates the sensory nervous system.
*Its calcium strengthens and builds the lungs.
*Its phosphorus knits the bones, stimulates and builds the brain for clearer thinking.
*Its sodium encourages tissue building.
*Its magnesium acts as a blood alkalizer.
*Its iron builds the red corpuscles to rapidly correct the most common forms of anemia.
*Its chlorine cleanses the blood plasma.
*Its silicon aids the thyroid for deeper breathing.

It truly is a perfect combination for cleansing, eliminating, healing, and building.”

In addition, everyone with addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, coffee, cola drinks, etc. will lose the cravings and will “be free from slavery to these many habit-forming and devitalizing elements of modern living.”

“The chemical changes and the cleansing have a way of removing the craving and the many probably deficiencies. Thus, the desire for the unnatural types of stimulants and depressants disappears.”

So, here’s how it’s done:

2 tablespoons lemon or limejuice (about ½ lemon)
2 tablespoons organic maple syrup (not maple flavored sugar syrup)
1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
8 oz water

Combine the juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz glass and fill with water. Stir and drink. Always use fresh, preferably organic, lemons or limes, and never canned or frozen ones. Six to twelve glasses of the lemonade per day are usually enough. However, if you get hungry, just drink another glass of the lemonade. You must not eat any food during the diet! Don’t use vitamin pills/supplements either. During the cleansing, some people will feel weakness, dizziness, vomiting (rarely), or pain in the joints of the body. It is the result of poisons circulating through the blood stream rather than a lack of food or vitamins, explains Burroughs. The lemonade contains all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the body to stay without food for up to 40 days. Yes, you can do the diet for up to 40 days as the minimum is 10.
If you feel weak, just take it easy and rest more, although most people feel perfectly fine and are able to even work out.

If you are overweight, use less maple syrup for the lemonade. For those who are underweight, add more syrup. You are allowed to drink as much water as you want in addition to the diet.
Drink laxative tea at night before you go to bed. If you have never drank laxative tea before, you will feel discomfort and pain in the stomach during the first two or three days because the tea will be cleansing huge amounts of stored food waste in your system. In a couple of days the stomach will get used to it and the pain will go away.

How to make the salt water wash:

In a full quart of warm water add two teaspoons of sea salt. Drink the whole quart first thing in the morning. The salt and water will then quickly wash the entire track in an hour, so it’s a good idea to stay home for an hour after you drink the salt water.
“The salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pick up the water and the blood cannot pick up the salt.” If the salt water wash doesn’t work the first time, try adding a little more salt and drinking more water. In short, the laxative tea at night loosens up the stored waste, and the salt water washes it out easily in the morning.

How to break the diet:

Breaking the diet is the most important part. It may have serious consequences if done improperly.

First and second day after the diet:

Drink several glasses of freshly squeezed oranges during the day. According to Burroughs, “The orange juice prepares the digestive system to properly digest and assimilate regular food.” Drink as much water as you need.

Third day:

Orange juice in the morning; raw fruit for lunch; fruit or raw vegetable salad at night, and that’s all. You are now ready to get back to regular eating.

After the successful completion of the cleansing, however, many people prefer to continue with a healthy diet. They also start eating less than what they were eating prior to the cleansing. You are to gain back some of the lost weight which is inevitable, but overall it’s up to you to keep the results for longer through choosing carefully what to eat.

Burroughs and The Nutrition Outside the Lemonade diet will follow.