Diet and Nutrition
Get Fit Today UK
What Diet is For Me - D
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or the DASH Diet
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The detox diet has a cool name and with the lifestyles in the UK it sounds really viable, have a read and see you you can live without alcohol for a while, on your journey towards a great body and personnal fitness.
A detox diet is a dietary regimen involving a change in consumption habits in an attempt to detoxify the body, by removal of toxins or other contaminants. Proponents claim it improves health, energy, resistance to disease, mental state, digestion, as well as aiding in weight loss. Many scientists, dietitians, and doctors, however, regard 'detox diets' as less effective than drinking a glass of water, and view 'detox diets' as generally harmless (unless nutritional deficiency results) but a waste of money.
"Detox" diets usually suggest that water, or fruits and vegetables compose a majority of one's food intake. Limiting this to unprocessed (and sometimes also non-GM) foods is often advocated. Limiting or eliminating alcohol is also a major factor, and drinking more water is similarly recommended.
Photo by Chris 27
By choosing to eat a healthy balanced diet you'll already have started to manage diabetes by helping to control your blood glucose levels, blood fats and blood pressure. It will also help to regulate your weight. If you're overweight it's especially important to try and achieve and maintain a lower weight. Even small weight losses lead to surprisingly big reductions in the risk of diabetes and will also reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
Finding the balance between the amount of carbohydrates and fat is important. Cut down on the amount of fat you eat - particularly saturated (animal) fats, as this type of fat is linked to heart disease. Choose monounsaturated fats, e.g. olive oil and rapeseed oil. Aim to eat a portion of oily fish at least twice a week.
Eat regular meals based on starchy carbohydrate foods - such as bread, pasta, chapattis, potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals. Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Where possible, choose wholegrain carbohydrates, these are high in fibre and will help you to control your blood glucose levels (see article on Carbohydrates).
Whether diabetic or not, an adult needs daily:
- two servings of protein foods eg lean meat, fish, eggs or pulses (eg lentils)
- at least five servings of starchy carbohydrate foods
- at least five servings of fruit and vegetables
- three servings of low-fat dairy foods
Drink alcohol in moderation. As with non-diabetics, drink a maximum of two to three units for women and three to four units for men per day. Spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Remember that alcohol contains calories so keep it to a minimum to help you lose weight. A unit is a small glass of wine or half a pint of beer, or a pub measure of spirits. If you're taking tablets to help control your blood sugars, remember that alcohol can make hypoglycaemia (low blood sugars) more likely to occur, so never drink on an empty stomach.
The Diet Smart Plan is a weight loss plan developed in 2005 and can be found in the book released the same year. The subtitle to the book, Small Changes for Big Results, is a summary of the idea of this weight loss plan asking participants to make a few strategic changes to their normal dietary habits rather than a complete overhaul of a dieters daily menu. The premise of the plan is that awareness of eating habits will alter behavior and thus promote weight loss and future weight management. The plan is a calorie conscious plan that asks participants to eat at least five times a day and weigh in twice a day to achieve weight loss gradually rather than promising short term results that often lead to drastic measures or frustration.
Participants adopt diet strategies and tips in an effort to overcome the pitfalls that usually derail weight loss efforts. Some of these strategies include a "blind arm strategy" where low-calorie snacks are made accessible in areas such as pantries and higher-calorie junk food are made less accessible. "Counting your chips", where tortilla chips from a community basket in a Mexican restaurant are separated to ensure they stop eating at one serving.
Hypertension or the DASH Diet
The DASH eating plan follows heart healthy guidelines to limit saturated fat and cholesterol. It focuses on increasing intake of foods rich in nutrients that are expected to lower blood pressure, mainly minerals (like potassium, calcium, and magnesium), protein, and fiber. It includes nutrient-rich foods so that it meets other nutrient requirements as recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
The first DASH study involved 459 adults with systolic blood pressures of less than 160 mmHg and diastolic pressures of 80-95 mmHg. About 27 percent of the participants had high blood pressure. About 50 percent were women and 60 percent were African Americans. It compared three eating plans: a plan that includes foods similar to what many Americans regularly eat; a plan that includes foods similar to what many Americans regularly eat plus more fruits and vegetables; and the DASH eating plan. All three plans included about 3,000 milligrams of sodium daily. None of the plans was vegetarian or used specialty foods.
Food group |
Daily Amounts |
Nutritional Gains |
Low-fat or fat-free dairy |
2-3 |
Calcium, potassium, magnesium and protein |
Vegetables |
4-5 |
Potassium, magnesium and fibre |
Fruits |
4-5 |
Potassium, magnesium and fibre |
Grains and grain products |
7-8 |
Carbohydrates and fiber |
Meat, Poultry and fish |
2 or fewer |
Protein and magnesium |
Nuts, seeds and beans |
4-5 per week |
Magnesium, potassium, protein and fiber |
Fats and oils When choosing oils, select heart-healthy monounsaturated ones like olive, canola and peanut oils |
2-3 |
This applies to added fat; all other food choices should be low-fat |
Sweets |
5 per week |
Make these treats low-fat whenever possible |
Results were dramatic. Participants who followed both the plan that included more fruits and vegetables and the DASH eating plan had reduced blood pressure. But the DASH eating plan had the greatest effect, especially for those with high blood pressure. Furthermore, the blood pressure reductions came fast—within 2 weeks of starting the plan.
The second DASH study looked at the effect on blood pressure of a reduced dietary sodium intake as participants followed either the DASH eating plan or an eating plan typical of what many Americans consume. This second study involved 412 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two eating plans and then followed for a month at each of the three sodium levels. The three sodium levels were a higher intake of about 3,300 milligrams per day (the level consumed by many Americans), an intermediate intake of about 2,300 milligrams per day, and a lower intake of about 1,500 milligrams per day.
Results showed that reducing dietary sodium lowered blood pressure for both eating plans. At each sodium level, blood pressure was lower on the DASH eating plan than on the other eating plan. The greatest blood pressure reductions were for the DASH eating plan at the sodium intake of 1,500 milligrams per day. Those with high blood pressure saw the greatest reductions, but those with prehypertension also had large decreases.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Updates at DASH.
The Dr. Hay diet is a nutrition method developed by the New York physician William Howard Hay in the 1920s. It claims to work by separating out food groups into those which are "alkaline, acidic and neutral". Acid foods are not combined with the alkaline ones. "Acid" foods are protein rich, meat, fish, dairy, etc., and "alkaline" the carbohydrate-rich starch foods like rice, grains and potatoes.
It is also known as the food combining diet, and many authors have written books expressing its merits and selling recipes
So as you can see a easy diet to follow but again have a chat with your local health professional to see what is wright for you.
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