Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 31, 2009 under Newsletters | 
In This Issue
- Artificial sweeteners
- Your questions answered: How healthy is agave nectar?
- Cinnamon: a very healthy spice
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably bought a few things in the ‘diet’ section of the supermarket. Diet sodas, sugar-free yoghurt and other items containing artificial sweeteners.
When I was doing the research to write my latest E-book Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets, I found some startling research carried out on rats which found that the rats who ate artificially-sweetened yoghurt gained more weight than the rats who ate sugar-sweetened yoghurt. It seems that sweeteners are very good appetite stimulants. Similar research on humans came up with the same results.
I find it quite astounding that this fact is kept so ’secret’. And I feel very sorry for all the people out there who have been consuming these products in good faith and putting artificial sweetener pills in their tea and coffee.
More info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written which includes this information and lots of other helpful stuff
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q. “I see agave syrup everywhere being sold as a healthy sweetener. Is it really as healthy as the claims would suggest?”
Answer
Agave syrup (made from the agave cactus) is sold as a natural alternative to sugar, and many people buy it, believing that it is healthier. Agave is no more “natural” than sugar or other syrups, as it undergoes considerable processing. It is often recommended for diabetics as, chemically-speaking, it is mostly fructose, whereas sugar also contains glucose, which diabetics must avoid.
Unfortunately, consuming a lot of fructose tends to speed up the rate at which you accumulate body fat, especially the “visceral” fat which is linked with heart disease[1]. So it seems Agave syrup is not that healthy after all.
[1] Bantle JP, Raatz SK, Thomas W, Georgopoulos A (2000). Effects of dietary fructose on plasma lipids in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, 1128-1134.
Among other things, my new E-book “Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets” advises on a much healthier natural sweetener. You can get it here
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/download.html
If you have a question you’d like to see answered in the newsletter, please use this link and put “Newsletter” in the Subject box
http://www.health-diets.net/contact/
CINNAMON: A VERY HEALTHY SPICE
If you are on one of my diets, you may find that the extra vegetables and beans give you a bit of tummy gas. One of the best ways to combat this is to drink spice tea containing cinnamon and cloves. Cinnamon is a “carminative”, which means that it helps to control the intestinal bacteria which produce gas. It also helps to suppressing the growth of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida yeast, and some parasitic worms.
In Chinese medicine, cinnamon is believed to aid weight loss by driving off excess water retention. In Western medicine, it is now suggested that consuming only half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help to prevent diabetes and the pre-diabetic condition known as “metabolic syndrome” [2].
[2] Khan A, Safdar M et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003 26(12) 3215-8.
Cinnamon can be sprinkled on cooked fruit, cereals or oats (porridge), and can also be added to curries. The “Yogi” brand of spice teabags containing cinnamon is now available in many supermarkets.
Wishing you good health and happiness
Linda
–
Linda Lazarides
http://www.health-diets.net
LINKS
New E-book: Flat Stomach Secrets
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
Books and factsheets
http://www.health-diets.net/downloads/
Personal support
http://www.health-diets.net/lindalazarides/consultations.html
Waterfall Diet Survey
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm
Useful Supplements (USA)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/180
Useful Supplements (UK)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/196
Waterfall Diet FAQs
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/category/waterfall_diet_faqs/
Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/LindaLazarides
Posted by Linda Lazarides on under Newsletters |
In This Issue
- Food cravings
- Waterfall Diet Survey
- Your questions answered: Swollen legs in hot weather
FOOD CRAVINGS
I may be biased but I think low-carb and GI diets are on the way out. They’ve had a good run for their money, but I’ve just been trawling through the latest archives of medical research and have been discovering new facts which I think will make these diets obsolete.
I’ve worked a lot with people who want to lose weight, and it’s very clear that the biggest problem is not how to shed a few pounds by temporarily changing your eating habits. The biggest problem is food cravings. People can’t bear to give up their favourite foods for very long. The minute you’ve lost those pounds, you go straight back to the foods you crave, and the weight comes straight back too. We’ve all been there and know how tough it is, even with Weightwatchers.
No diet is the real solution unless it makes things less tough and really helps people to reduce their cravings.
New research is showing that certain food ingredients commonly found in the supermarket cart, not only intensify cravings, but also put your fat gain hormones into overdrive. This fat is gained mostly around your middle.
Neither low-carb, GI nor Weightwatchers programs take these new facts into account.
Here’s more info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written based on the new research findings
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
WATERFALL DIET SURVEY
For those of you who have been following the Waterfall Diet, there is now a feedback form which you can fill in online. (It only takes a minute.) I would really love to get your feedback, as this helps to get more doctors interested in the diet. So please do try to visit the form if you can:
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
“I suffer in warm weather from swollen ankles and a slight increase in weight but only during 2/3 months in the summer. the swelling goes down overnight. I’ve seen my doctor but he has no remedy for me! I dread the summer. I bought the Waterfall Diet book but cannot work out exactly where my problems fit in as 80% of the year I am fine. Can you help me in any way?”
Answer
This is such a common problem. I wish I’d been able to write this newsletter during the summer when the answer would have been more helpful. When this problem occurs, it means that the heat is expanding the veins in your legs so much that they are temporarily losing their ability to cope with the effects of gravity. You can strengthen your veins by eating the recommended Waterfall Diet dark blue and purple fruits and a bit of orange or lemon pith and peel every day. During the course of the day, try to sit down a few times with your feet up and give your legs a gentle massage with cooling witch hazel gel. Walking is very helpful for swollen legs, so try to do as much as you can. Also lie on your back and pretend you are on a bicycle – make cycling movements with your legs in the air. The herbs horse chestnut, ginkgo biloba and butcher’s broom are also helpful.
If you have a question you’d like to see answered in the newsletter, please use this link and put “Newsletter” in the Subject box
http://www.health-diets.net/contact/
Wishing you good health and happiness
Linda
–
Linda Lazarides
http://www.health-diets.net
LINKS
New E-book: Flat Stomach Secrets
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
Books and factsheets
http://www.health-diets.net/downloads/
Personal support
http://www.health-diets.net/lindalazarides/consultations.html
Waterfall Diet Survey
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm
Useful Supplements (USA)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/180
Useful Supplements (UK)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/196
Waterfall Diet FAQs
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/category/waterfall_diet_faqs/
Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/LindaLazarides
Posted by Linda Lazarides on May 15, 2009 under Newsletters |
Dear Friend
You are receiving this newsletter either because you signed up for it or contacted me via one of my websites.
In This Issue
New Blog
Waterfall Diet Book New Edition
Stress Can Make You Fat
Herb: Butchers Broom
Strategy For Food Cravings
Tips For Reducing Alcohol
MY NEW BLOG ADDRESS: http://www.health-diets.net/blog/
WATER RETENTION
There are some useful FAQ postings on the blog, for those following the Waterfall Diet
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/category/waterfall_diet_faqs/
WATERFALL DIET BOOK – New Edition published January 2010. This has three new chapters, dealing with water retention in legs and ankles, water retention in pregnancy, tummy fat and water, and holistic remedies for water retention. The diet section is hopefully now much clearer and starts with a proper seven-day meal plan.
Some important new research in the new edition:
1. STRESS CAN MAKE YOU FAT
When you are under stress all the time, you are constantly producing too much cortisol (a hormone produced by your adrenal glands). Cortisol not only suppresses your immune system and gives you water retention, it also reduces the power of most of your other hormones (including thyroid) and makes you accumulate fat around your middle. Wow.. If you’re developing middle-age spread it could be time to take up meditation as well as running and swimming!
2. BUTCHERS BROOM: This is now known to be one of the best herbs to take for swollen legs. But it’s not suitable for use during pregnancy (which, unfortunately, is a major cause of swollen legs). Ordinary orange peel (including the white pithy part) is rich in the flavonoid hesperidin, which has been used to good effect along with Butchers Broom in clinical trials. You only need to eat a bit every day, so shred it finely and add to desserts or whizz it into some fresh orange juice.
FOOD CRAVINGS
A major cause of overweight! We all know what it’s like to even consider doing without our favourite foods – Aaaagh…!
I’ve used a helpful technique on myself and with my clients for many years. Let’s take chocolate (many people’s downfall!) as the first example. Here are the Don’ts:
1. Don’t keep it in the house.
2. Don’t keep it in the house.
3. Don’t keep it in the house.
Now that is clear (I hope…), here are the ‘Do’s':
1. Do decide on your chocolate ration. E.g. instead of 1 medium bar once a day, decide on one medium bar once a week.
2. You may already have a favourite chocolate brand, but now you are going to look for an expensive, luxury brand instead, that you can only buy if you travel some distance to a special shop. Find one that you like as much as (or preferably more) than your usual brand.
3. On the allocated Treat Day, travel to the special shop, buy exactly the ration you have decided on, and no more. You can eat it whenever you want.
4. During the rest of the week, a hot chocolate drink can help you feel that you’ve had a treat. I make mine by whisking a teaspoon of cocoa powder into a cup of hot rice milk. It’s not the real thing but if you’re determined to let it take your mind off your cravings then it will. Ready-made hot chocolate powders tend to be high in sugar so try to use pure cocoa powder for this. Rice milk and almond milk are naturally sweet.
IS ALCOHOL YOUR DOWNFALL?
For most people, going out with friends means consuming a lot of drinks with them. Don’t forget there are lots of brands of alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer. Wine can be mixed with sparkling mineral water to make a spritzer. At home, it’s too tempting to finish off a bottle of wine just to avoid wasting it. So buy half-bottles instead of full bottles.
PERSONAL SUPPORT
Many people have quite a number of questions, which is only natural, but owing to the sheer numbers involved it is impossible to provide a free service to answer them all! Now I’m available to write you a personal Health & Diet Programme. There’s a special introductory rate so don’t delay too long. http://www.health-diets.net/lindalazarides/consultations.html.
Wishing you good health and happiness
Linda
Linda Lazarides
Download my books and factsheets at http://www.health-diets.net/downloads/
