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Is Diet Soda Bad For You?

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A question that is asked by many people; "Is Diet Soda Bad for You?" Most diet sodas contain an artificial sweetener called Aspartame, which the majority of experts conclude, is not good for you. So, the simple answer to whether or not diet soda is bad for you is in fact "yes", it is bad for you! However, it is good to keep in mind that just about anything is bad for you if it is consumed in excess quantities.

While dieting, many people find that certain methods work well for them. Some dieters will even drink diet soda as a means to control their food cravings. There is no scientific evidence to support that consuming diet drinks works for this. However, many dieters are unwilling to part with their diet soda for this reason.

A lot of people claim that "soda is sweet, it tastes good and it even provides a reward while dieting". One reason the consumption of diet soda is popular is because it provides a sweet tasting alternative to a popular sweetener, high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup is the sweetener for most regular sodas. This ingredient is well known for being high in calories and low in nutritional value. Therefore, companies involved in making diet drinks are looking to provide consumers with a different kind of sweetener.

Aspartame is the artificial sweetener of choice for many of today's popular diet sodas. There is wide spread debate in scientific and medical communities about whether or not Aspartame can be directly linked to several life threatening diseases. Do an online search for the word "Aspartame" if you are interested in finding out more about this debate.

Although, any effective diet program takes a commitment, diet plans that are too strict for the individual dieter will usually not be effective. The dieter on an excessively strict weight loss program will often "fall off the wagon" and give up. Therefore it is important to find a balance in what works for you while dieting.

While finding this balance, it is encouraged to provide yourself with rewards. If diet soda is part of your reward, consider cutting down on it gradually. You will thank yourself in the end for consuming less diet soda because it's ingredients are in fact, bad for you!

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Source by Erin Bishoff

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Differences Between Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet

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Many critics would say that to follow the Atkins Diet will in the long term do more damage to your health than good but the followers of Atkins swear by the fast weight loss and renewed energy.

What exactly is the Atkins Diet? Well in 1972 Dr Robert C Atkins introduced his Diet Revolution to the masses as a low carbohydrate, high protein, and high fat diet. It went against the ideas of much of the medical community but Dr Atkins had not just dreamed up the diet. He based his finding on years of research with his patients following low carb diets.

If we go way back in time what did our ancestors eat? When humans first evolved on the planet what was there for them to eat? Certainly no fast food outlets with their 24/7 drive through or vast supermarkets filled with every kind of food known.

We were hunter-gatherers. Basically we ate what we hunted and gathered. Large mammals would be hunted, killed and ate together with berries, nuts and some edible herbs. As we had evolved over millennia to be nourished by what was available to eat so our bodies had adapted to handle the foodstuffs of the time.

Our bodies are adapting still to try and get the best nourishment out of today's diet but this adaptation is a slow, slow process. We were not designed to eat refined carbohydrates or sugars. Our salt intake was never meant to be as high as it is. We are basically omnivorous and were made to eat meat and vegetables. This is the diet from which we find it easiest to gain nourishment. This is close to the Atkins Diet.

Dr Atkins found that his patient's health improved following his diet. Could it simply be that a return to the diet it was designed for is the best for the human body?

People have a right to choose to be vegetarian or to consume vast quantities of fast food but do they then have the right to complain that they do not feel well? If we design a road car and then try and take it off road should we be surprised that it gets stuff after a while?

The Atkins Diet works that much is known and as to long term problems well its has been around since 1972, how much longer does it require to be tested for before the medical profession accept it?

South Beach Diet – a phrase that is commonly heard but is seldom understood. This is just another truth behind the emergence of another diet. So what's the big deal?

Well, the South Beach Diet is considered as the "biggest thing" that the slimming world has ever introduced. But where exactly did the South Beach Diet come from? Here is the answer: the South Beach Diet was actually formulated by a person named Dr. Arthur Agatston after the realization that some of his patients were having little success by using conventional low carb-high fat diet plans like the Atkins diet which is also popular around the globe.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, being a cardiologist and knowing the condition of his patients, had the main concern of finding a diet that would promote a perfectly healthy heart. Finding no such source for that diet exhausted, he decided to form his own diet plan and that was to become known as the South Beach Diet.

According to the testonomy of Dr. Agatston, since the introduction of the South Beach Diet, many people who followed the diet actually lost an average of 13.6 pounds almost double the 7.5 pounds lost by those who use the strict "Step II" of the American Heart Association (AHA) diet. Along with that, it was also found that when following the South Beach Diet many people showed greater decrees in their waist-to-hip ration and triglycerides, and their good to bad cholesterol ratio improved even more.

Generally, the South Beach Diet, in a word, is not considered as a low carbohydrate diet as it is commonly associated. It is a fact that the idea behind the South Beach Diet is to lose weight in a way that is healthy for those who follow it.

The South Beach Diet, unlike the low carbohydrate diets usually encourages the dieter to choose between the good and the bad carb foods. As such, the dieter is required to eat more fruits and vegetables and even wholegrain bread in contrast to other low carb diets. So, in the South Beach Diet, there is more of a sense of "yin and yang", that it is more balanced than any other low carb diets in the whole world.

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Source by Darren Williger

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Low Carb Diets Vs Low Fat Diets – Finding Right Diet For Weight Loss

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A common doubt that arises for many wanting to lose weight and belly fat quickly is to choose between low carb and low fat diets. While there are heated arguments concerning problems with low carb diets with high percentage of fat, what one fails to realize is to strike a proper balance between these foods.

Finding the right diet for weight loss should follow the below guidelines.

a) Finding foods that are not rich in carbs or fats but containing each in moderate amounts.

This could be a real smart approach without regrets. You will not have to skip your carbs or fats completely. You are always free to consume the foods you like, but in MODERATE quantities. This could be the smartest and fastest way to achieve your desired body shape. This approach involves small changes in lifestyle. The effects of this approach are long lasting when compared to starving for weight loss.

b) Identifying foods that boost your metabolism.

Identifying foods that BOOST METABOLISM is very important instead of just looking at foods for less fats or less carbohydrates. If you find a food that is rich in carbs but if you are convinced that it can boost your metabolic rate and can burn fat effectively, you can definitely go for it. Same approach holds good if you find a high fat food that can accelerate your metabolism.

Hence you should overcome the doubts and arguments concerning low fat vs low carb diets and actually should start looking at foods that INCREASE YOUR FAT BURNING RATE regardless of percentage of fat or carbohydrates in them.

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Source by Kamalkk Kannan