|
|
|
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia
The incidences of eating disorders in our society have been steadily increasing over the last few years. It now occurs in 1 out of every 100 women. Nineteen out of 20 people who suffer from eating disorders are young women between 18 and 25.
...
Hair Loss: Know The Cause, Know The Cure
Don’t you envy those young men in the streets with full heads of hair? Hair has always been considered a man’s crowning glory, while hair loss has been regarded as signs of ageing and unattractiveness. So, losing hair has always been a problem for...
Hair Loss: Peoples Reaction to Losing Hair
The most common type of hair loss, is called Androgenetic
Alopecia and is a hereditary condition that accounts for the
vast majority of all cases of baldness in men and women.
The condition varies between the sexes with women seeing...
The Fountain of Youth & Your Hormones
Everyone has heard of the mythical "Fountain of Youth", but very few realize that it actually does exist. And even fewer realize that it exists inside every one of us. Yes, it's there right within you, just waiting to be activated !! Juan...
The Mind - How To Visualize To Realize Your Dreams
Ah, yes... The mind is such an abstract, infinite and miraculous marvel. It has the extraordinary ability to transmute and manifest your desires into their physical counterparts. You can achieve anything that your mind can conceive, as long as you...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Low-Carb Diets: Are You Losing More than Weight?
Low-Carb Diets: Are You Losing More than Weight?
by Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc.
http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com
The average American eats about twice as much protein than what they require. Some people, in the pursuit of thinness, are going on low-carb diets and are eating up to four times the protein their body needs. Protein deficiency is certainly not a problem in America. So exactly how much protein do you really need? Much less than you think.
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 to 9 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 essential for making 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.
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 how much lean body mass you have, ideal weight is used instead of actual weight. Infants, children, pregnant and nursing women require more protein.
People on low-carb 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 low-carb diets, at least temporarily, is 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 flush it 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 for every 1 gram increase in animal protein ingested the body loses an average of 1.75 milligrams of calcium in the urine. Additionally, as calcium and other minerals are leached from our bones, they are deposited in the kidneys, which 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 beans, legumes and soyfoods, also provide fiber, which helps 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 of 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 causes less calcium excretion 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 olive and canola oils), you can avoid the pitfalls of the typical high-protein low-carb diet. You will 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 healthy way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat nutritiously and make permanent lifestyle changes that allow you burn more calories than you take in.
Copyright © 2005 Monique N. Gilbert. All rights reserved.
Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. is a Health, Nutrition, Weight-Loss and Lifestyle Coach; Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor; Recipe Developer; Freelance Writer and Author of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. Monique has offered guidance in natural health, nutrition, fitness, weight-loss and stress management since 1989. She can be reached at http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com
****************************************
About the Author
Monique N. Gilbert helps people get healthy and manage stress. Through her coaching program and writings, Monique motivates and teaches how to improve your well-being and vitality with balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy living. For more information, visit - http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Hair Loss and Its Causes -- familydoctor.org |
| Information about hair loss from the American Academy of Family Physicians. |
| familydoctor.org |
|
| Welcome to Hairloss.com |
| Provides men and women with information about thinning hair, baldness, and hair replacement. |
| www.hairloss.com |
|
| Consumer Hair Loss Information & Support. What really works? |
| Find out how you can stop your hair loss today. The latest research, hair transplant info, b&a photos, forums, newsletter, info on Propecia and Rogaine and ... |
| www.hairlosstalk.com |
|
| MedlinePlus: Hair Diseases and Hair Loss |
| National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases The primary NIH organization for research on Hair Diseases and Hair Loss is the ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Hair loss |
| This is generally the least expensive and safest approach to hair loss. Hair pieces should not be sutured to the scalp because of the risk of scars and ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Hair Loss |
| Hair loss treatment information including products such as Propecia, Avodart, Nizoral, Rogaine, nonsurgical hair replacement and hair transplants for ... |
| www.regrowth.com |
|
| Hair Loss |
| Article about how it grows, causes of hair loss, kinds of treatment, and tips to keep it healthy. |
| www.kidshealth.org |
|
| ahlc.org | The American Hair Loss Council | Welcome |
| The American Hair Loss Council is the nation's only, unbiased, not-for-profit agency, dedicated to sorting through this information, discovering what works ... |
| www.ahlc.org |
|
| Male hair loss |
| Male hair loss is the most common type of hair loss. It is caused by increased sensitivity to male sex hormones (androgens) in certain parts of the scalp, ... |
| www.netdoctor.co.uk |
|
| AAD - Hair Loss |
| However, if you are concerned about excessive hair loss or dramatic ... The constant pull causes some hair loss, especially along the sides of the scalp. ... |
| www.aad.org |
|
| Hair loss - MayoClinic.com |
| Hair loss may result from heredity, medications or underlying medical conditions. |
| www.mayoclinic.com |
|
| Hair loss help - Hair Transplant Doctors - Hair loss product ... |
| Hair transplant doctor & hair loss treatments - hair loss forum and information on Rogaine, Propecia, Dutasteride. |
| www.hairlosshelp.com |
|
| American Hair Loss Association - Home Page |
| Provides consumer hair loss information. Devoted to finding a cure for hair loss and increasing worldwide awareness and understanding of this disease. |
| www.americanhairloss.org |
|
| Hair Loss Treatment & Product Reviews - Folica.com |
| Clinically proven to regrow hair better than any other topical treatment, Spectral DNC is the world’s most effective topical hair loss treatment. ... |
| www.folica.com |
|
| Hair Loss Treatments Ireland |
| Advice on how to combat thinning hair, baldness plus hair replacement. Also suppliers of the hairmax LaserComb. |
| www.hairloss.ie |
|
| Hair Loss and other health information |
| /Find Hair Loss health articles and videos and other Hair Loss health topics. |
| sciencedaily.healthology.com |
|
| Find hair-loss information and treatment options. |
| Male pattern hair loss can be treated. Read about this FDA-approved hair-loss drug. |
| www.propecia.com |
|
| Hair loss and Hairloss advice on all hair loss treatments ... |
| Information on hair loss and thinning hair as well as treatment details including propecia and minoxidil. |
| www.stophairlossnow.co.uk |
|
| Regaine® - Hair Loss Treatment for Men and Women |
| Hair loss affects 40% of men under 35. Regaine for Men is the only ... Regaine for Women is proven to help prevent further hair loss for 4 out of 5 women, ... |
| www.regaine.co.uk |
|
| Hair loss, balding, hair shedding. DermNet NZ |
| Authoritative facts about the skin from the New Zealand Dermatological Society. |
| dermnetnz.org |
|
|