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The idea that organisms can live longer, healthier lives by sharply reducing their calorie intake is not exactly new. Laboratory research has repeatedly demonstrated the anti-aging value of calorie restriction, often called CR, in animals from nematodes to ratswith the implication that the same might be true for humans.

In practice though, permanently reducing calorie intake by 25 to 50 percent or more sounds to many like a way to extend life by making it not worth living. Researchers have also warned that what works for nematodes or rats may not workand could even prove dangerousin humans, by causing muscle or bone density loss, for example.

But now two new studies appear to move calorie restriction from the realm of wishful thinking to the brink of practical, and perhaps even tolerable, reality. Writing in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of WisconsinMadison and the National Institute on Aging reported last month chronic calorie restriction produces significant health benefits in rhesus monkeysa primate with humanlike aging patternsindicating that CR mechanisms are likely translatable to human health. The researchers describe one monkey they started on a 30 percent calorie restriction diet when he was 16 years old, late middle age for this type of animal. He is now 43, a longevity record for the species, according to the study, and the equivalent of a human living to 130.

In the second study, published this week in Science Translational Medicine, a research team led by gerontologist Valter Longo at the University of Southern California (U.S.C.) suggests it is possible to gain anti-aging benefits without signing up for a lifetime of hunger. Instead, a fasting-mimicking diet, practiced just five days a month for three monthsand repeated at intervals as neededis safe, feasible and effective in reducing risk factors for aging and age-related diseases.

Some researchers, however, still find the calorie-restriction argument unpersuasive. Leslie Robert, a biochemist and physician at the University of Paris who was not involved in the two new studies, says pharmaceutical approaches offer greater anti-aging potential than inefficient and apparently harmful diets. The important thing, adds Luigi Fontana, a longevity researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis who also was not involved in the new work, is if youre doing a healthy diet, exercising, everything good, without doing anything extreme, without making life miserable by counting every single calorie.

Rozalyn Anderson, a researcher in the Wisconsin study, does not necessarily disagree. Life is difficult enough without engaging in some bonkers diet, she says. We really study this as a paradigm to understand aging. Were not recommending people do it. The combined results in the Nature Communications paper show aging is malleable in primates, she explains, and that aging itself presents a reasonable target for intervention. Whereas conventional medicine views aging as a fight against cancer, cardiovascular issues, neural degeneration and other diseases, she adds, calorie restriction delays the aging and vulnerability. Instead of going after diseases one at a time, you go after the underlying vulnerability and tackle them all at once.

Despite her reservations about recommending CR, Anderson praised the work of the research team in the Science Translational Medicine study for pushing this forward for possible application in clinics. In that study, test subjects followed a carefully designed 50 percent calorie restricted diet (totaling about 1,100 calories on the first day and 70 percent (about 700 calories) on the next four days, then ate whatever they wanted for the rest of the month.

Longo, the gerontologist at U.S.C., says the underlying theory of the on-again/off-again approach is that the regenerative effects of the regimen occur not so much from the fasting itself as from the recovery afterward. By contrast, long-term, uninterrupted calorie restriction can lead to the sort of negative effects seen in extreme conditions like anorexia.

The calorie-restricted diet in Longos study was 100 percent plant-based and featured vegetable soups, energy bars, energy drinks and a chip snack as well as mineral and vitamin supplements. It included nutrients designed to manipulate the expression of genes involved in aging-related processes, Longo explains. (Longo and U.S.C. are both owners of L-Nutra, the company that manufactures the diet. But he says he takes no salary or consulting fees from the company and has assigned his shares to a nonprofit organization established to support further research.)

Even the five-day-a-month calorie restriction regimen was apparently a struggle for some test subjects, resulting in a 25 percent dropout rate. But health benefits in the form of decreased body mass and better levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol, along with other factors, showed up after the third month and persisted for at least three monthseven after subjects had returned full-time to a normal diet. Notably, given concerns about other forms of calorie restriction, lean muscle mass remained unchanged.

The benefits were greater for people who were obese or otherwise unhealthy, Longo says. But those individuals might also need to repeat the five-day regimen as often as once a month to the point of recovery, he adds, whereas individuals who are already healthy and athletic might repeat it just twice a year.

Neither of the two new studies argues the benefits of CR necessarily add up to a longer life. Longevity in humans is still an unpredictable by-product of our myriad variations in individual biology, behavior and circumstance. The objective, according to researchers, is merely to make the healthy portion of our lives last longer.

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The Hunger Gains: Extreme Calorie-Restriction Diet Shows Anti-Aging Results - Scientific American

12 ways to make dieting easier Men's Fitness "To be successful in the long run, I don't think absolute restriction is all that important," Mazur says. Rather, it's more important to find balance, moderate, and take the time to fit in those foods you really enjoy. "Take an 80/20 approach," he ...

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12 ways to make dieting easier - Men's Fitness

Jake Edmiston, For the Sun-News, LCPS Health 2:04 p.m. MT Feb. 15, 2017

Jake Edmiston(Photo: Darren Phillips)

With a multitude of diets on the market how is one supposed to know which diets are legit?

Today, popular diets are all around us: Paleo (restricts dairy, legumes, grains and oils), vegan (no animal products), vegetarian (allows eggs and dairy, no animal meat), Zone (counts calories and macronutrient percentages), South Beach (carbohydrates initially restricted then gradually added back in, focus on lean meat and vegetables), Weight Watchers (group setting where food is tracked by points), and Atkins (high fat, low carbohydrate diet). If your goal is to lose weight any diet can help in the short term. However, the problem is that people do not often make permanent lifestyle changes with these diets. Instead, people lose a little weight then quit the diet and typically put on more weight than they originally lost.

What is a person to do? What is the secret to picking a diet that will help you lose weight and be healthy? Fortunately, everyone already knows the secret. The secret is eat more fruits and vegetables, choose whole grains (brown rice instead of white), eats nuts and legumes (walnuts, almonds/beans, lentils), avoid processed sugary foods and beverages (candy bars, sodas, snack cakes), and consume less animal products.

Following these steps leads to successful weight loss. When whole foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains are the star of your plate there is not a lot of room left for unhealthier options.

If youre the type of person who needs a plan to follow, then it is okay to follow a diet. However, there is one key question to ask yourself, Can I implement this change for the rest of my life? Because in truth diets do not work, rather, healthy lifestyle changes will literally change your life. Changes need to be sustainable and easy to incorporate into your everyday routine.

A major barrier people face when looking to make positive lifestyle changes in their diet is the idea certain foods are off limits. For example, I could never give up macaroni and cheese. Thats my favorite. Or, I love my moms homemade apple pie. I cant go on a diet because I know I cant give up eating that. This does not have to be the case, however. Lifestyle changes dont have to mean giving up your favorite comfort foods or treats. Dont give up eating the foods you love because that is not sustainable. Instead, focus on eating whole, less processed foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains most of the time and allow yourself to enjoy the foods you love periodically so you never feel deprived. Just be sure treats do not become a daily occurrence. Above all, dont let perfection stand in the way of positive lifestyle changes.

Some suggestions for lifestyle changes can be:

1. Drink water instead of sodas/sugary beverages.

2. Eat a piece of fruit like an apple for an afternoon snack daily.

3. Incorporate more salads into your meals, but limit creamy dressings.

4. Try one new vegetable a week.

5. Look up recipes and cook at home using whole foods a few nights a week.

6. Check ingredient lists, looking for fewer listed ingredients and for ingredient names you are familiar with.

Talking to a dietitian can help you come up with some personalized lifestyle changes meeting your individual needs.

Making sustainable changes is hard. Some people do better with making several changes at once, and some do better slowly implementing changes. Think about what strategy works for you. Make goals today to add more whole foods, including vegetables and fruits, to your meals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a person who increases his or her fruit and vegetable intake has lower risks for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and others.

So, the next time you are hungry, remember: dont let perfection be the enemy of the good. Make sustainable lifestyle diet choices by adding more whole foods to your meals.

Jake Edmiston is an NMSU dietetic intern working with LCPS Nutrition Services. He can be reached at hwedmist@nmsu.edu

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The secret diet - Las Cruces Sun-News

This article originally appeared on Time.

Want to keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy for years to come? Keep these meals and snack items away from your cart and out of your regular diet. Save them for occasional indulgencesat mostand replace them with heart-healthy swaps whenever possible.

Fast-food burgers The science on whether saturated fats are truly linked to heart diseaseisnt entirely clear. When consumed in moderation, high-quality, grass-fed beef may even have some heart-health benefits, says Dr. Regina Druz, associate professor of cardiology at Hofstra University and chief of cardiology at St. John Episcopal Hospital in New York City.

But in general, Druz says, saturated fats from animals, especially when combined with carbohydrates, appear to have a deleterious effect on heart health." Avoiding fast-food restaurants, which tend to use lower quality ingredients and unhealthy cooking methods, is always a smart way to cut back, she says.

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Processed and cured meats Cold cuts and cured meats (likebaconand sausage) can be high in saturated fat. But even low-fat options tend to be very high in salt. Just six thin slices ofdeli meatcan contain half the daily recommended level of sodium, according to the American Heart Association.

The majority of people should be on a salt-restricted diet because of sodiums link to high blood pressure, says Dr. Laxmi Mehta, director of the Womans Cardiovascular Health Program at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Not everyone needs medication to make big strides, she says. Sometimes my patients with elevated blood pressure are able to make significant improvements just by adjusting their diet."

Deep-fried foods Several studies have linked the consumption offried foods,like French fries, fried chicken and fried snacks, to an increased risk of heart disease. Conventional frying methods create trans fats, a type of fat shown to raise the bad type of cholesterol and lower the good kind.

If youre making a veggie stir-fry at home and youre preparing it with olive oil and coconut oil, theres certainly nothing wrong with that, says Druz. But what most people understand as typical fried food, the kinds you dont prepare at home, should certainly be avoided.

Candy For many years, fat was branded as the biggest dietary cause of heart disease. But a report published last year inJAMA Internal Medicinerevealed that studies funded by the sugar industry were largely responsible for pushing that belief. Now, experts say that diets high inadded sugarmay be just as big a threat by contributing to obesity, inflammation, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for heart disease.

The debate in cardiology has pivoted from saturated fat and cholesterol to sugar, says Druz. If there is one ingredient I would say anyone with heart disease or risk for heart disease must avoid, its added sugar in any form.

Soft drinks and sugar-sweetened juices For many Americans, the largest source of added sugar in their diets isnt from food, but from beverages. Recent government reports found that more than 60% of children, 54% of adult men, and 45% of adult women hadat least one sodaor sugar-sweetened drink a day between 2011 and 2014.

Sugary cereals Even foods that seem like part of a balanced diet, like breakfast cereals, can be loaded with sugar. Eating refined carbohydrates and sugars in the morning is going to produce inflammation and make blood sugar go up and down, so youll crave more sugar throughout the day, Druz says. Instead, she recommends having fruit along with an egg or avocado on whole-wheat toast.

Cookies and pastries Most baked goodsespecially those that are commercially producedare full of sugar and are likely made with saturated fats (like butter or palm oil) or trans fats (like partially hydrogenated vegetable oil). You have two ingredients that work with each other to give somebody the worst possible nutritional profile," Druz says.

Margarine There may be room for debate about the cardiovascular risks associated with saturated fats, like butter. Whats more certain is that diets high in trans fats appear to definitely raise a persons risk of heart disease.

Trans fats are common in sticks of margarine that are solid at room temperature, which are often marketed as a healthier alternative to butter. To be safe, choose asoft, spreadable margarinethat contains no partially hydrogenated oils, or stick with olive oil instead.

Meat-lovers pizza After cold cuts and cured meats, pizza ranks second on the American Heart Associations list of salty six foods. (Other salt bombs to watch for include soups, condiments, and salad dressings.) Pizzas sodium contentas well as its saturated fatgoes way up as you pile on extra cheese and meat-based toppings. When eating out or getting delivery, limit yourself to one or two slices, and opt for veggie toppings instead.

Diet soda It may be fat-free and zero-calorie, but diet soda has a dark side. People are under the impression that theyre healthy, and theyre really not, says Druz. Research continues to mount linking the cola to the development of heart-disease risk factors like obesity and diabetes.

Some studies show that people who drink diet sodas tend to overcompensate andconsume more caloriesthan they otherwise would, while other research suggests that chemicals in diet soda may actuallyalter gastrointestinal bacteriaand make people more prone to gaining weight. While it may have no sugar, its not a heart-healthy choice, says Druz.

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The 10 Worst Foods For Your Heart - Essence.com

You don't need supplements to live a healthy life. If you exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, get sleep, and avoid stress, you will prevent health problems while gaining muscle and losing fat. But the right supplements can absolutely take your health and fitness to the next level. Life happenssometimes you travel, sometimes you get sick, and sometimes you eat two pounds of french fries in one sittingand it's nice to have a little help.

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If you want a boost, read on for a list of health and fitness supplements you might want to consider taking. And if you want to avoid a wrongful death lawsuit, check out the supplements to avoid.

Most supplements that people "swear by" have as much scientific backing as the flat earth theory. Fortunately, fish oil has plenty of positive evidence behind it.

First, it helps your heart. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk of death for people who have had a heart attack. Second, it can help cancer patients improve their quality of life. Third, fish oil offers anti-inflammatory benefits that reduce arthritis pain (and are safer than anti-inflammatory drugs).

If these health benefits aren't appealing enough, consider this: Research shows fish oil boosts how much fat you burn while exercising. One study even found that three weeks of fish oil supplementation slashed body fat by two pounds.

Inside your gastrointestinal tract, you have more bacteria than you have cells in your entire body. And while there are (obviously) bad bacteria, there are also plenty of good bacteria essential for health, digestion, and fighting off sicknesses.

Many of us, however, don't have enough good bacteria in our gut due to poor diets, stress, and even past illnesses. For those who don't eat fermented foods all the time, try supplementing with probioticsthose that contain plenty of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria bifidumand prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria.

Most supplements that people "swear by" have as much scientific backing as the flat earth theory.

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According to a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition, less than 3 percent of Americans get enough fiber. (Actually, most of us aren't even close.) But good levels of dietary fiber are associated with all kinds of health benefits like reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, several cancers, andof courseconstipation.

The best way to get fiber is to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, and veggies every day. But for the moments you can't, keep a fiber supplement close at hand.

A lot of what we think we're deficient in is exaggeratedexcept for magnesium. Western diets tend to be low in magnesium despite the critical role it plays in the brain, heart, and muscles.

As for health benefits, magnesium supplementation can lower blood pressure (if you're at risk), reduce depression, enhance exercise performance, improve sleep quality, and protect against Type 2 diabetes. And if you have a deficiency, adding magnesium to your diet can increase testosterone too.

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If you lift weights and want to add more muscle, I strongly recommend some kind of protein powder. Everyone knows protein is needed for muscle growth; plenty of studies show that protein supplementation accelerates your muscle growth more than working out without it.

Granted, a chicken breast is probably better for you than a shake. But is a protein drink a simple and easy way to get everything you need for muscle recovery after a workout? Hell yeah.

Preworkouts are safe, just as long as you don't take too much. As researchers from UNC cautioned, "Adverse effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure increases, and potential effects on lipids and blood glucose." (Death is also a side effect.)

But are they worth it? The evidence still is inconclusive. If you're looking for a pre-workout boost, stick with the old fashioned cup of coffee or teait will give you gentle surge of energy without the heart attack.

Fat burners don't actually burn fat: They suppress hunger, elevate your metabolism, and raise your body temperature so you burn more calories. They also commonly include ingredients like caffeine, carnitine, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid, and capsicum. (There's decent evidence that capsicum, or pepper, is a life-extender when eaten alone.)

The evidence with fat burners, however, is dicey. Some research found a slight reduction in body fat while others cite dangerous side effects and urge caution. (Fat burning supplements are regulated as "foods" by the FDA, not "drugs," and can contain hidden ingredients.)

My advice? Ditch fat supps and use the ultimate fat burner: diet and exercise.

Anthony J. Yeung, CSCS, is a fitness expert and founder of groombuilder.com.

6 Fitness Myths That Do More Harm Than Good

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5 Supplements You Might Actually Want to Take - Esquire.com

Yo-yo dieting: What it is and how it can wreck your body Men's Fitness ... for weight loss is to take it steady," Higginson says. "Our work suggests that eating only slightly less than you should, all the time, and doing physical exercise is much more likely to help you reach a healthy weight than going on low-calorie ...

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Yo-yo dieting: What it is and how it can wreck your body - Men's Fitness

The first edition of The China Study, the book that helped propel plant-based eating into the mainstream, was released 12 years ago. After selling more than 2 million copies, inspiring the documentaries Forks Over Knives and PlantPure Nation, influencing dozens of cookbooks, spinning off a guide book, sparking a grassroots network of plant-based groups and launching a plant-based certification program at Cornell University, an updated edition hit bookstores just before New Years.

Like the first edition, this expanded edition is written by scientist T. Colin Campbell and his son Dr. Thomas M. Campbell. The books structure and much of its prose remain the same and its scope continues to be broad, including the research in China from which the book draws its title, along with the findings of a variety of studies ranging from lab research and patient studies to wide-ranging epidemiological investigations that show a strong relationship between eating mostly plants and health. The updated edition features refreshed statistics and new research that validates the original claims.

If youve read The China Study or seen the films, you know the elder Campbell spent decades at Cornell University conducting nutrition research, including his work that discovered cancer in lab animals can be turned on and off by adding or removing dairy protein from their diets, and his cancer investigation in China that found a strong link between animal-based eating and cancer (which in 1990 the New York Times called the Grand Prix of epidemiology). What he uncovered caused him to radically reassess what he and his family were eating and ultimately to write The China Study and the 2014 bestseller Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition.

The younger Campbell co-wrote the initial book. In the time since, he completed his medical studies and was appointed director of a plant-based medical practice called the Program for Nutrition in Medicine at the University of Rochester in upstate New York.

The hardcover edition of The China Study has gone through 21 print runs, and the paperback has been printed 45 times, according to Jennifer Canzoneri, marketing director at Dallas-based publisher BenBella Books.

Canzoneri said the book was not an overnight best-seller. Rather it picked up speed over the years. In those same years, the elder Campbell lectured widely, including in Portland in 2011 at the annual banquet of Mercy Hospitals attending physicians. The book was well-known in health food circles by then, and later that same year the airwaves were filled with reports of former President Bill Clintons adoption of a vegan diet to reverse his heart disease. He often mentioned The China Study in interviews.

The success of the book took us a little by surprise, Thomas Campbell told me by phone from his office in Rochester.

He recalled being rejected by a number of publishers before BenBella decided to take a chance on the manuscript. BenBella publishes a full catalog of vegan and vegetarian books.

In 2005, the book didnt really fit into an existing market category, Campbell said. Diet books were on store shelves, he said, but no books that offered science-based nutrition research.

BenBella Publisher Glenn Yeffeth said when he first read the manuscript he was immediately captivated.

The book was very compelling, and the abundance of scientific studies supporting their conclusions was a feature, not a bug, Yeffeth said. I think most readers are tired of diet books based on opinion rather than established science.

The China Study not only sells well, but it, and the related films, have led to dozens of cookbooks. (Neither Thomas Campbell nor T. Colin Campbell have a financial stake in the films or the cookbooks, although they have written forewords for some of the books.)

These days, its become something of a family affair: Nelson Campbell (also T. Colins son) produced the PlantPure Nation film and his wife, Kim Campbell, wrote The PlantPure Nation Cookbook, published in 2015, and The PlantPure Kitchen, released last month.

BenBella will release The China Study Family Cookbook this spring, which is written by Deb Sroufe and edited by LeAnne Campbell, T. Colins daughter. Her other related cookbooks include The China Study Cookbook, The China Study All-Star Collection and The China Study Quick & Easy Cookbook.

The current Amazon top 20 list of best-sellers in the vegetarian category contains eight books related to The China Study or the two films.

Thomas Campbell told me in addition to writing The China Study Solution in 2015, he has used the research to create a medical practice that dispenses plant-based meals in place of pills. Campbell and his colleagues offer consultations to people with a range of conditions, from diabetes to cancer.

Patients supply their goals, and Campbell helps them generate a plan. He also offers a seven-day intensive program, complete with cooking classes, at a nearby spa; and an eight-week intensive program.

Campbell and his father both know the University of Rochester practice is an outlier and that most hospitals have a long way to go before doctors know how to use diet as medicine; societal resistance to the scientific evidence they present for plant-based eating is among the books themes.

In the updated chapter on heart disease, as in the rest of the book, the acronym WFPB appears often and stands for whole-foods, plant-based. The Campbells write that, since the first edition was published, there has been virtually no serious discussion in the cardiology community about the possible use of dietary interventions even though a WFPB diet can prevent and treat heart disease.

Meanwhile, the evidence that this approach works continues to build. This is clear in the revised edition, where statistics have been updated and new medical research added.

For instance, the updated edition includes information on the recent prostate cancer work of Dr. Dean Ornish. Known for his work reversing heart disease using a plant-based diet, Ornish conducted a randomized trial of 93 men with elevated PSA scores (a marker of the slow-growing disease) who chose to monitor the progression of the disease rather than seek traditional treatments. Ornish divided the men into two groups, with one group prescribed a plant-based diet and stress reduction and the other group prescribed the standard watchful waiting care. The study was published in 2005 in the Journal of Urology, and has been updated many times since then.

The Campbells write that after one year, the vegan group saw a decline in their PSA scores compared to the traditional group. Even more remarkable, only 5 percent of the dietary change group needed conventional cancer treatment after two years compared to 27 percent of the men who were in the standard care group.

The Campbells write: Every doctor should tell every man with prostate cancer to stop consuming dairy immediately and embrace a WFPB diet.

Another new section reviews the evidence that has accumulated in the past decade linking meat and dairy-heavy diets to diseases of the mind, including Alzheimers. Memory loss, disorientation, and confusion are not inevitable parts of aging, but problems linked to that all important lifestyle factor: diet, the Campbells write in the updated book.

The last section of the book provides an overview of the cultural, corporate and institutional barriers standing in the way of more people learning that common diseases can be prevented and reversed by eating a diet centered on whole plant foods.

The barriers, Thomas Campbell told me, are beginning to crack. He cited the increasing number of research-heavy books about plant-based diets and increasing attendance at national plant-based medical conferences. Campbell also mentioned subtle but important shifts in institutional language.

If you look at the executive summary in the recent dietary guidelines, the term plant-based was used all over, Campbell said. That would have never occurred 10 years ago.

Ill be curious to see where the next 10 years bring us now that this expanded edition of The China Study is on the market.

Avery Yale Kamila is a freelance food writer who lives in Portland. She can be reached at

[emailprotected]

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

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Updated 'China Study' has clear prescription for plants, not pills - Press Herald

When you hear a science-y word linked with weight loss, your ears can't help but prick.

The latest one to get the attention of shredders is ketosis, a metabolic state achieved when you go on a low carbohydrate, high-fat diet that sees the body rely on "ketones" in the blood instead of glucose for energy.

Ketosis is caused when the body starts to break down body fat for energy, and is a sought-after state for people who want to blitz body fat.

Shifting your body into a ketogenic state is no easy feat given you have to subsist on a diet that's comprised of 20 percent protein, 75 percent fat and five percent carbohydrate.

Sports scientist Ben Greenfield says it takes the body anywhere from two weeks to six months to move into a ketogenic state.

"Once done, its done, and you have achieved fat-burning status that can stick with you for life," writes Greenfield, who says the ketogenic diet improved his triathlon performance, reduced hunger, improved mental clarity, reduced gas and bloating, and lowered inflammation markers.

Pretty convincing stuff however Melanie McGrice, a leading dietitian who runs online weight loss programs, told Coach that widespread studies into healthy weight people following ketogenic diets are lacking.

The keto lifestyle also puts you at risk of some pretty significant side effects.

"There is a risk of constipation because sometimes you are not getting as much fibre, and there is a risk of calcium deficiency as people often cut out dairy," she says.

"There is also concern about what low-carb diets will do to our gut microbiome [bacteria] because most prebiotic foods are really rich in carbohydrates."

Diabetes UK warns that actively trying to get your body into ketosis is potentially dangerous because high levels of ketones can make the blood acidic.

Greenfield also notes that a ketogenic diet can lead to high cholesterol, triglycerides and thyroid issues.

"Some people feel they have reduced energy although report having increased energy," McGrice says.

"It's very difficult to follow such a strict diet in today's culture especially anybody who wants to have a social life. Going out for dinner or to a wedding or somebody's house for dinner is very difficult."

Greenfield recommends using ketogenic supplements to help your body thrive in a ketogenic state. They contain ingredients such as beta-hydroxybutric acid (BHB), healthy fats and sometimes caffeine.

But McGrice is skeptical that they could work and says it's likely the caffeine or calories that are giving you energy.

"I havent seen any research that suggests that theres any benefits to providing the body with additional ketones, and physiologically, I cant imagine why it would as they are more of a byproduct," she says.

There is a place for ketosis McGrice says it's a good state to aim for if you are overweight with insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes, but she wouldn't recommend it for a healthy weight person who just wants to drop a few kilos.

"I feel that there is not enough research [into whether] people of a healthy weight should be trying ketogenic diets," she says.

"I don't think there is any benefit for them but there can be some benefit sometimes for some people who are trying to lose weight.

But it would only work for somebody who finds it suits their lifestyle like they don't have a family to cook for and are not an emotional or binge eater."

McGrice adds that, if you are thinking about going keto, you should first speak to a dietitian experienced in this kind of diet. (Unsurprisingly, relying solely on blogs and Facebook pages for your ketosis knowledge isn't the best idea...)

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Ketosis: Why ketogenetic diets might not be your best weight-loss solution - 9Honey

One of the more popular diets running around the public consciousness as of late is the alkaline diet or alkaline ash diet. You see a lot of websites and programs dedicated to the alkaline diet.

At its basic level, the alkaline diet is supposed to balance out the pH levels in the bodys blood and urine. But what are the alkaline diet benefits? What are alkaline foods? If you are curious about the alkaline diet plan, weve got the basics for you.

We cover the health benefits, alkaline ash diet foods, and everything you need to know if youre considering this popular diet.

The first thing to know when researching an alkaline diet is that it may work, just not for the reasons that many sites and books tell you it will. The entire focus of the diet is to eat foods that balance the pH levels in your blood and urine.

The fact is that our body has a number of built-in systems to regulate the pH in blood because if it were to change due to outside forces such as food, you would probably die. One such system of our body that helps regulate pH is releasing or exhaling carbon dioxide.

That being said, the diet may be able to entirely change the pH levels in your urine, but testing urine is not a very good way to test your bodys overall pH levels.

All things considered, the benefits of an alkaline diet are not in balancing pH but in the diet itself. The alkaline diet promotes healthy eating. The diet promotes eating a lot of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

Its also a diet thats low in meat, gluten, and dairy. All of this has many positive health benefits.

The alkaline diet is a decent diet for weight loss. Consuming large amounts of fruits and vegetables will add a great deal of fiber to your diet, which is helpful for weight loss because it helps the body feel full for a longer time period.

Fruits and veggies are also beneficial because they are naturally low in calories and saturated fat. Combine this with regular exercise, and youve got a pretty winning combination.

Diets filled with fruits and vegetables also tend to be good for overall health as the fiber that can be found within has been shown to benefit heart health. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables also are believed to fight free radicals, which could make them effective as prevention methods for various cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

While the alkaline diet may not work the way it is advertised, it definitely does have a number of health benefits that you may want to consider. At the very least, it is a fairly well-balanced diet for weight loss if you combine it with exercise.

If the alkaline diet sounds like it may be for you and your health goals, the next step is to figure out the different types of food you can and cannot eat while on an alkaline diet and which foods you can eat in moderation. Weve already done a little work to help you out.

As with many diets, one of the hardest things to figure out is what you can and cant eat. Here we explore the alkaline diet foods to eat, and you may be surprised by what is allowed on the diet. Keep in mind this is a general overview; there are a number of variations of the alkaline diet, so you may want to also consult with a doctor and or a nutritionist.

Most vegetables are allowed. Both leafy greens and root vegetables are available to you, and you can eat as much of them as you want. Beets, cauliflower, kale, onions, are all examples of the allowed vegetables.

Fruits are perfectly good for the diet as well, including apples, berries, bananas, various melons, and oranges. Most versions of the alkaline diet suggest that the fruits and vegetables be eaten as close to whole as you can get. Eat them raw or steamed with as many of the vitamins and nutrients intact.

The alkaline diet also gives a leg up to many vegetarians as tofu is allowed. Other proteins that fall in with the alkaline diet are almonds and chestnuts.

When looking at the above list, its pretty healthy with a wide range. You have enough foods to allow you to make many different types of meals as opposed to getting stuck with one thing only. But it should be noted there are also a number of foods that do not go with this diet.

While there is a wide range of foods to eat while on an alkaline diet, there are also a number of foods you should avoid. Most animal products like meat, eggs, cheese and dairy are suggested to be eaten in very small amounts or avoided altogether.

The same goes for whole grains and their products like bread. Gluten is also not suggested, so pasta is ruled out. In terms of beverages, anything with caffeine isnt allowed nor is alcohol.

Processed foods and cereals (natural cereals as long as they follow the above guidelines are okay) are also to be avoided. The below chart is much abbreviated view of the alkaline foods you should eat and avoid.

Note: We have not covered all the foods in this table. The list of alkaline foods is much larger than this.

Alkaline diet refers to eating foods with an alkaline pH, which is between 7 and 14. pH below 7 is acidic and pH at 7 is neutral. Ideally our body should have a pH between 6 and 7.5. pH is basically the hydrogen ion concentration in any ingredient.

Excess of acidic as well as alkaline pH is bad and can affect your health is various ways. If your pH levels are too acidic, you may experience health conditions such as weight gain, kidney issues, diabetes, or osteoporosis.

On the other hand, if your pH levels are excessively alkaline you may feel sluggish and worn out. Although this lacks enough evidence, this has mainly been based upon observation and experience, along with some studies by various nutritionists and naturopaths.

Also, the pH levels throughout the body are not the same. They are different in stomach, blood, and urine. You can check your pH levels on the basis of these symptoms and pH tests. So, ideally your diet should depend on the overall acidity or alkalinity of your body.

Alkaline diet prohibits eating whole grains, lentils, dairy products and so on. While they should be eaten in moderation, they have great health benefits that you miss out on in this diet.

Also, a lot depends on how the foods you eat are metabolized and broken down in the body; this process changes their basic pH altogetherthe best example is lemon.

Also, our body needs a certain amount of acids that aid in digestion. Our stomach has an acidic pH with the presence of hydrochloric acid and pepsin among other acids.

If the levels of these acids are low, it may lead to digestion issues. Acids are also required to help ward off infectionsour body is acidic when our immune system fights an infection.

Excess acidity is obviously bad and can be controlled through exercise, refraining from alcohol, and drinking the required amount of water, along with a balanced diet. So, while the alkaline diet is by and large nutrition-based, one cannot simply have only alkaline foods.

At the end of the day, is the alkaline diet good or bad? Its mostly good, just not in the way its promised. The health benefits of an alkaline diet do not come from it balancing the pH in your blood stream or urine.

Unlike many fad diets, the alkaline diet is good for you; the benefits of an alkaline diet lie within its promotion of eating healthier and cleaner.

Just maintain a regular exercise program, and you will have yourself a pretty good routine for weight loss and your health. Also, remember that it is essential to check your basic body tendency of acidity or alkalinity and consult your doctor if required, before you start this diet.

Related:

Sources: Collins, S., Alkaline Diets, WebMD, March 11, 2016; http://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/alkaline-diets Alkaline Diet: The Key to Longevity and Fighting Chronic Disease? Dr. Axe; https://draxe.com/alkaline-diet/ Leech, J., The Alkaline Diet: An Evidence-Based Review, Authority Nutrition; https://authoritynutrition.com/the-alkaline-diet-myth/ Ramsdale, S., What is the Alkaline Diet and does it work? Marie Claire, February 3, 2017; http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/alkaline-diet-what-is-it-and-does-it-work-117075 Ryan, M., Alkaline Acid Food Chart, Greenopedia; http://greenopedia.com/alkaline-acid-food-chart/

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Alkaline Diet: Benefits, Foods to Eat and Avoid - Foods4BetterHealth

Youve read all the books, listened to all the experts on TV, and tried every diet pushed your way.

But it hasnt worked. You still havent lost the weight. Or, more likely, you lost some weight and then put it all back on.

We all know why: diets are often completely unrealistic and almost always unsustainable.

What if I told you that you that theres another way to lose weight, feel awesome, and actually learn something to take with you for the rest of your life?

Would you just sit down, randomly push on the pedals, and press any key at your whim?

Of course not. You wouldnt know what youre doing so how could you expect to make music?

Unfortunately, when it comes to applications like taking our health into our own hands, for some bizarre reason, this simple logic is ignored. We all want some quick fix, the magic elixir. We each want to be the exception to the rule. Dieting doesnt work for anyone else, but Im different.

Mozart, one of the greatest child prodigies of all time, took nine years to become a master composer. Prodigy is just another word for training. Even he couldnt shortcut it.

If you want to be fit and lean for the rest of your lifethe fantasy we all desiresomething you never have to think about, then wouldnt it serve you to think of your diet and lifestyle as a long-term project and not something that has an expiration date?

Thats why I look to the mastery model of skill acquisition to guide my clients toward their health and weight goals.

But it takes practice. It requires adopting a system, committing to daily practice, and trusting in the process.

Thanks to Robert Green, in his epic book, Mastery, heres how mastery works (and how you can apply it to your diet):

1. The Blueprint

If youre learning to play the piano you will need to immerse yourself in all of its elements: the pedals, the keys, your hand positioning, how to sit, where to look, the scales, the music theory, the sheet musicall of which provide the foundation for every piece of music ever played.

They arrange in such a way as to provide a blueprint for how you must engage the process.

This is where we begin. You will learn about diets (not dieting), nutrition, what foods are good for you, how much of those foods you can eat (hint: a lot), calories, sugar. The facts, in other words. The foundation you need to actually succeed.

Without this, youre just pushing random keys.

2. An Instructor / Coach

When learning to play the piano, you wont get very far without an instructor. How will you even know where to start? How will you know how to distinguish good from bad habits? The importance of the apprenticeship model for learning and skills acquisition cannot go unstated.

As your diet coach, its on me to prove that I have your best interests at heart. To create an environment in which you feel like its safe to be yourself. Someone you trust. Someone who keeps you connected to your intentions. Frankly, someone who knows what hes doing.

And perhaps most important of allsomeone whos been through what youre going through.

3. Identify and remove barriers to success

When learning to play the piano, there are obvious barriers to success: not knowing how to use the pedals, not knowing how those pedals interact with the keys, not knowing the exact sound each key makes. Thats why you need a model, an instructor, a coach.

But there are also other barriers to your success: people, habits, mindsets.

Maybe theres a person in your life who doesnt want you to spend time on a new endeavor. Maybe that person has a habit of not committing to healthy or inspiring practices. Maybe that person has a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset and quits when things get too difficult. Maybe that person finds themselves giving in to easy temptations, and wants you to join.

As far as your health and diet are concerned, removing temptation is a necessary condition of success. You will not be successful if you are constantly beleaguered or oppressed by cravings and temptationsthe very things that youre trying to overcome. This is especially true at the beginning of your journey, as our primary objective is to re-establish center. Willpower is not enough. Self-control is overrated. You will constantly be led astray when chasing the treat, or trying to avoid it.

Barriers include all unhealthy foods that should be removed or discarded from your personal living environments (work, home, car, etc.), and which should be replaced with healthy options.

4. Practice and repetition

We learn best through practice and repetitionthrough actually doing the thing, rather than intellectualizing it. Would you learn to play the piano by reading about it, or by doing it? Which is infinitely more effective?

The more you play, the more easily youll be able to play. Not holding yourself to impossible standards of success, but by working your way through the music. Adapting to your internal orientation, your particular style, the demands on your life. The same holds true for living healthily.

Just as the notes give architecture to your playing, we will focus on the cues, rewards, and routine that define your current set of eating habits. We will train new routines by planning, preparing, and strategizing day by day, building out a framework of success that integrates into your particular lifestyle.

To think about it another way, after training healthy decision after healthy decision, no matter the context or challenge, this behavior will become natural to you. Youll have developed a whole new set of instincts. At a foundational level, your relationship with food will have changed.

5. Feedback and Accountability

If you dont seek feedback, or are resistant to critique, your growth will stagnate. It helps to gain as much feedback as possible from others, especially your coach or instructor, to have standards against which you can measure your progress.

If you dont seek out feedback, if youre not completely open to it, it will be all the harder to manage your most challenging, compulsive food binging moments. If youre not comfortable making yourself vulnerable and asking for help, why wouldnt you say F**K it and go off-plan and eat the entire pizza? Those same emotions that make it hard to ask for help are the ones that are teasing you to eat the pizza.

6. Automation and Flow

You started with the basics of playing the pianolearning how the pedals work, how the keys work, your hand positions. You practiced, over and over, because repetition is the mother of all skill. You sought feedback from a master, or at least someone whos much more experienced than you. You took that feedback. You put it into practice.

Now, you sit down at the piano and play. You dont consciously think OKAY, now its this key, now this key, because you dont need to. Because now, you know how to play the piano. Playing is automatic.

Easy, even.

Its the same with food, with your eating habits, with your diet: you no longer have to think about it. Its no longer a fight between healthy or unhealthy. Should I, or shouldnt I? Eating healthily is just what you do, instinctively.

Thats automation.

Flow is when you reach a point where your mind is totally absorbed in the practice. Everything else is blocked out. You become one with the tool or instrument or thing youre studying. The musician becomes one with the piano, and in the case of your diet, you become one with yourself. Because when it comes to your diet, you are the instrument. The food, your choices, are the keys.

It is not something that can be put into words because it is embedded in your body and nervous system. You just know it. You live it. You are it.

7. Mastery

Im stealing directly from Robert Greene here:

When you practice and develop your skill, you transform yourself in the process. You reveal to yourself new capabilities that were previously latent. You develop emotionally. Your sense of pleasure becomes redefined. What once offered immediate pleasure in the form of sugar or candy or plastic-wrapped fast food comes to seem like a distraction, a collection of empty entertainments now robbed of their allure. Real pleasure comes from overcoming challenges, feeling confidence in your new abilities, gaining fluency in skills, making choices that are right for you, and experiencing the power that this coherence brings.

You never stop practicing, because youre totally immersed in it. Theres no getting outside of it because its become you.

You can start today.

And some more good news: you dont have to master your diet to lose weight, to get in shape, to feel good, to look good, to finally have a solution thats realistic and sustainable.

The mastery model provides just that: a model. A new mental representation of how to go about treating your health and getting healthy. Its not a race, its a process. Its a skill you can train.

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Photo credit:Getty Images

See more here:
The 7 Steps of Mastery: the New Way to 'Diet' - The Good Men Project (blog)

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