What is the Best GERD Diet Food?

When you are stressed with what to eat when you are experiencing GERD, you ought to be prepared to assume that there is no easy answer. Evidently, many people have GERD, and yet lots of them still living with it just fine. But the hardest part is that what to eat when you have GERD is not something that one person can answer for another, for the reason that the state is something that is so different from person to person.

The Gerd Diet Suggestions

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A good GERD diet includes of foods that are not unusual to us and are incorporated in the nutritional chart as recommended for everybody. The GERD diet restrictions for those who have gastro esophageal reflux disease are not as bad as some people might think of. The foods for gerd diet consist of low fat meats, turkey and fish also along with almost all vegetables. The breads that may consume are only those made from non fat or low fat milk.

What is the Best GERD Diet Food?

The straight answer of what to eat when you have GERD is actually to eat anything that doesn't set your GERD off. Many doctors and physicians claims that a person with GERD should avoid spicy and foods that have a lot of acidic qualities. Of course, this is almost certainly a good idea, but the bottom line is that lots of people who have GERD don't have symptoms when they eat spicy foods. They may have symptoms when they take certain kinds of fruits, or other types of things.

There are a few types of foods that are well considered as being GERD diet foods. This includes fresh vegetables and fruits, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, baked potatoes, ground beef, egg whites, fish, cheese, cream cheese, cookies, potato chips, and salad dressing. All of these are GERD diet foods because rather than infuriating your condition they in fact going to help relieve your symptoms.

Fresh vegetables are a part of archetypal GERD diet suggestions from doctors and dieticians. Fruits like bananas, peaches, pears, a variety of melons and berries and apples are highly recommended. Expert GERD diet suggestions also consist of low fat breads, grains, herbal teas, and juices except for citrus juices.

Suggestions for GERD diets take account of breakfast items such as apple juice, bananas, jam and whole grain cereals. Lunch suggestions contain lean beef, vegetable soup, fruit salad (no citrus fruit) or a green leafy salad with no tomatoes. For dinner you can choose to have a green leafy salad, skinless chicken breast, brown rice, whole grain bread, and a variety of vegetables. If you follow the GERD diet suggestions from doctors and dieticians in your meals you might be able to reduce your GERD symptoms in no time.

The matter of GERD diet foods is one of big significance. This is for the reason that people who suffer from GERD should be avoiding certain foods so that they do not worsen their condition. For example you want to avoid alcohol and spicy foods as well as anything that is greasy or oily. This is because all of these foods are going to make worse your condition and worsen your symptoms.

If you keep close to your doctor's suggestions for a GERD diet you will probably have to get rid of items from your diet such as fatty foods, items containing spearmint and peppermint, whole milk, chocolate, creamy soups and other foods that come in a cream substance.

Foods that should be removed or drastically reduced in your diet due to agitating the lower esophagus are citrus fruits, tomatoes, coffee, tea and all beverages that contain caffeine. Spicy foods can cause problems for some people who have GERD. Avoid eating that is high in fat like sausage, bacon and chicken skin. Keep away from breads that are made from high fat or are made with whole milk.

If your situation persists, then you may have to think of a more serious treatment than GERD diet foods. Lessening the size of your meals is one of the first things you should do here, and try eating meals at least a few hours before your bedtime may help to lessen reflux by allowing the acid in the stomach to reduce and the stomach to empty partially.

Through exercising on a regular basis is also going to have a great impact here. Even if this means by just walking around the block. You should work in hand with a nutritionist to find out about your particular state and about what the best treatments is going to be. Maintaining your weight is going to be a crucial part of your treatment, because being overweight is in fact one of the strongest risk factors for GERD.

Lifting the head of your bed although may looks like very simple but effective thing to do. An increase of about six to nine inches will help to keep the acid from refluxing up into your throat. This can be done by placing wooden or cement blocks under the foot of your bed, and if this is not achievable then you can always place in a foam wedge between your mattress and the box spring as this will help you make higher your body from the waist up.

What is the Best GERD Diet Food?

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit acid reflux gerd to learn more about nutrition for gastritis and gerd and other gerd diet suggestions.

My Medifast Diet Menu

I remember when I was first researching medifast.  I've been on this diet for quite a while and have had a good deal of success.  But, when I was just starting out, I had a lot of questions - most of which had to do with the food.  I wanted to know how it tasted, how hard it was to prepare, and what kind of choices were available.  After all, medifast is a very effective diet, but what good is that going to do you if you can't stomach the food and therefore won't stick with it? So, in this article, I will try to provide you with the information I wish that I had.  I'll show you a typical medifast menu during a regular day in my life.

First, A Quick Background On How Medifast Works: First off, you need to know that you will eat six times per day on this diet.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, it helps you from being hungry and second, it revs your metabolism so that you continue to burn calories.  You are provided with the foods from the company for five of these meals. You will make one, larger healthful meal yourself.  This is called the "lean and green."  There are over 70 food choices available and most are better tasting than I expected.

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The foods in this diet are low in calories and high in protein.  This combination is, at least in my opinion, the reason that this diet is very effective for most people.  Basically, your body has not choice but to burn it's own fat, since it's no longer getting excess carbs.

My Medifast Diet Menu

Breakfast: OK, so on to my basic menu.  I was concerned about this because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  And, knowing this is a low carb diet, I was afraid that I was going to have to eat bacon and eggs for every meal.  Luckily, this isn't the case.  There are many things that you can chose from here, including eggs, oatmeal, protein bars, shakes, pudding, etc.

Mid Morning Snack: Since I have to eat six times per day, I have a mid morning snack at about 10:00.  I like to mix the hot chocolate and the cappuccino to make a "safe" mocha.  This is very tasty and gives me my caffeine fix.  The cappuccino is also part of the "momentum" line which boosts your metabolism.

Lunch: I usually have a later lunch since I've already eaten twice (about 1:30.)  I really like the chili because it is versatile. Sometimes, I will have it straight up and other times, I'll put some fat free sour cream and salsa with it.  If I am really feeling adventurous, I'll wrap this in a fat free tortilla, add lettuce and tomatoes, and call it a burrito.  (I do this same thing with the eggs sometimes for lunch.)  There are also soup options or the very popular shakes or bars. 

Mid Afternoon Snack: Before I went on this diet, I would often grab my very beloved lemon creme cookies from my company's vending machine at about 4:00.  Obviously, this doesn't happen anymore.  But, the pudding is a good substitution.  Also, the pudding can be used as a base to make muffins, cookies, etc.  Sometimes, I'll just have a bar.  I really like the peanut flavored bars and the chocolate mint, which to me taste like the thin mint girl scout cookies.

Dinner: Technically, you can have your "lean and green" meal at any time.  But, I almost always have it at dinner so that I can cook and be with my family.  Honestly, I've incorporated a lot of salads and stir fry veggies into their diet as well so that I don't have to cook two entirely different meals.  I'm not as elaborate with this meal as a lot of people.  I've become spoiled by the convenience of having most of my meals ready made.  Mostly, I will grill some lean meat and just add a bagged salad or stir fry.

Nightly Snack: This is usually a toss up and I like to mix it around.  Sometimes, I will have the chips or crackers with fat free dip. Sometimes, I'll go for the fruit drink over shaved ice for a snow cone. Often, I freeze the ready to drink shakes and eat it like ice cream.  Sometimes, my laziness kicks in and I'll just rip the wrapper off a bar or go for oatmeal.

Hopefully, this article has given you a bit of an idea of what life on this diet is like.  It's much easier and doable than I expected and I've tried (and failed at) countless diets. This one has been the best fit for me.

My Medifast Diet Menu

Lindsey Price is the author of the free ebook "Getting The Most Out Of Medifast," which includes tips, information, specials, and a off or a two weeks free coupon. To get a free copy (immediate download / no information required), click here. You can also visit her diet review website at http://easiest-diet.com/medifast/html

Acid Reflux Diet Menu To Avoid Heartburn

Acid reflux diet menu is very important for people who suffer from acid reflux frequently. Acid reflux or gastric reflux or GERD, which is commonly referred to as heart burn is a condition where the contents of the stomach find their way back to the throat instead of the digestive system. The acid, the bile and pepsin cause a burning sensation in the throat. The burning sensation can be felt all the way along the stomach, chest and throat. This condition is called acid reflux or heartburn. This may be caused due to excessive acid in stomach or due to food allergies. There are acid reflux and heartburn remedies like medications, home remedies and lifestyle modifications.

You should follow some lifestyle modifications that are listed below.

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1. Avoid eating large quantities of food. Big meals produce more acids. It is better to eat five times a day in small portions.

Acid Reflux Diet Menu To Avoid Heartburn

2. Finish your dinner at least two hours before going to bed.

3. Observe which food causes heartburn by maintaining a food diary.

4. Drink plenty of water.

5. If you are overweight or obese take steps to reduce your weight.

6. It is better to say goodbye to alcohol. If it is not possible, restrict the intake of alcohol

7. Stop smoking

8. Keep your head straight while eating.

9. Eat slowly

10. Exercise regularly.

Before formulating a diet plan, foods to be avoided, foods to be taken in moderation and foods that are safe must be known.

Foods To Be Avoided In Diet Menu For Acid Reflux

1. The first in the list is all types of fried and spicy foods.

2. Fruits to be avoided include citrus fruits.

3. Processed food

4. Chocolates

5. Coffee

6. Soda drinks

7. Milk

8. Vegetables like raw onion

9. Meat

10 Baked foods like high-fat butter cookies.

The foods that can be taken in moderation include fruits like grapes, blueberries and peach; dairy products like yogurt and cheese, vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and drinks like non alcoholic beer.

Foods That Are To Be Included in Diet Menu For Acid Reflux

1. Rice

2. Bread

3. Fruits like apples, pears and bananas

4. Vegetables like green peas, beans, carrots and potatoes.

5. Fat free chicken, fish and ground beef

6. Egg white

7. Fat free cheese and cream.

8. Green tea

9. Oats

Now that the foods to be avoided and foods to be taken in plenty and moderation are clear, acid reflux diet menu can be planned.

For breakfast you can have 2 slices of wheat bread, white omelet, slices of melon and a cup of green tea. You can have an apple or a banana for mid morning snack. For lunch you can have rice and fat free chicken stew and boiled or baked fish. Raw carrots or cucumber can be had for mid afternoon snack. For dinner you can have pasta cooked with chicken or ground beef and vegetables like beans and carrots. Salads that have fat free dressing is also recommended. For desserts you can have fruit salad with custard or apple pies.

You need not worry that you have to starve or have a boring menu if you are suffering from acid reflux. All you need to do is be creative in your cooking. You can cook tasty dishes if you avoid the foods that cause heartburn. To add flavor to the dishes you can add ginger that treats gastric reflux. Include a variety of dishes in your acid reflux diet menu and make sure that you cook with care to avoid getting acid reflux.

Acid Reflux Diet Menu To Avoid Heartburn

AcidRefluxandHeartburnRemedies.com believes in a natural and holistic approach to curing your heartburn pain. It is our belief that antacids and other heartburn medicines reduce the amount of stomach acid produced, which creates even more health-related complications. It is not the stomach acid that is the problem, but the foods we eat.

For more information about acid reflux and heartburn remedies, please visit our website at http://www.acidrefluxandheartburnremedies.com.

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad

The Greek salad is the quintessential Greek lunch enjoyed sitting in the sun at gingham laid tables overlooking the turquoise waters of the warm Mediterranean Sea. It evokes the senses: pleasant memories of warm sunshine, fresh herbs, tasty tomatoes and cheeky but handsome waiters.

Greek food is renowned for its simplicity, and the authentic Greek salad is no exception. It is simple to prepare, using simple fresh ingredients. But how can you recreate the authentic Greek salad when you are back home? It's worth doing, because this simple dish is tasty, healthy, and evokes those memories of vacations by the sea. But it's important to get it right.

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So let's do it!

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad

To be as authentic as possible, it is important to try and use the freshest, tastiest ingredients just like the Greeks would do. The problem is, many of the ingredients we have available are forced-grown, and often inorganically grown. This affects the quality and also the taste. Many restaurant owners in the resorts in Greece are farmers too (or their cousin Kostas is.) The ingredients they use would often be picked that day from their own farms, organically grown and nurtured by Nature.

The best we can do in our home country, is try and get fresh local ingredients from local shops who advertise local produce, or genuine farmers' markets -- or grow our own! However, the one thing we must accept is that the prime ingredient, Feta cheese, must come from Greece itself -- because if it doesn't, it isn't Feta.

Ingredients

½ red onion
½ a long cucumber
1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicums)
1-2 big soft red tomatoes
A big rectangular slab of Feta Cheese
Extra Virgin olive oil
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Lemon juice (if desired)

Some local variations include capers (Santorini), and a softer, less salty cream cheese instead of feta (Crete).

Method

This is a salad remember, so it's not complicated. But here's a few tips.

Take the ingredients (except the feta) out of the fridge about 1 hour before you make up the salad. Salad vegetables always taste better when not fridge cold, especially tomatoes.

Use local, organic produce for the best taste.

Use extra virgin olive oil, again for the taste.

The Greeks generally peel the cucumber, so why not do the same?

Chop the vegetables into fairly decent-sized chunks and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with plenty of olive oil, and a little lemon juice if you want to.

Pop the slab of feta on the top and drizzle with more oil, then sprinkle with oregano.

Have a good chunk of granary bread handy, because there'll be some lovely olive-oily juice at the bottom when you finish.

A soft, light white wine goes well with this authentic Greek Salad!

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad

Graham Yates wrote this article. To learn more about Greek and Cretan food, and the World Famous Cretan Diet, visit http://www.completely-crete.com/

2000 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

The 2000 calorie diet plan limits a person's daily intake of food to 2000 calories. This is almost close to the normal amount of calories a person consumes in a day. But the difference between a 2000 calorie diet plan and a normal everyday eating is that the 2000 calories from a diet plan come chiefly from fruits, vegetables, nuts and other nutritional food stuff rather than from foods that contain saturated fats. Following the 2000 calorie diet will keep you hale, healthy, energetic and brisk. With this 2000 calorie meal plan, your odds of reducing your weight and maintaining it at the desired level is more because you don't have to worry about adjusting calories and food stuffs after the weight is lost. Against normal conceptions, a healthy diet like this can also be very tasty and so sticking to the diet plan will not be a difficult task at all. Consequently all the pieces those are required to achieve a healthy weight loss and to maintain a perfect body shape fall into their places correctly with the 200 calorie diet plan.

Sample 2000 calorie diet plans:

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In general terms, a 2000 calorie diet plan can be made up using two servings from the fruit group, seven servings from the grain group, eight servings from the vegetable group, three servings from the dairy group and eight servings from the meat and bean group. This comes to around six ounces of grains, two and a half cups of vegetables, two cups of fruits, five and half ounces of meat and beans, three cups of milk and six tea spoons full of oil. In a 2000 calorie meat plan, you should limit the sugar intake, avoid trans fats, eat lots of whole grains, limit the intake of saturated fats by consuming mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats. Moreover around 20% to 35% of your calorie intake per day should come from dairy products. Now we will have a look at two simple, tasty 2000 calorie diet plans which will give you an idea of how the actual diet must be framed.

2000 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

Sample Diet 1:

Breakfast:

Two scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, two slices of whole wheat grain toast, a single cup of skimmed milk and one serving of jam and preserves will make the ideal breakfast for a 2000 calorie diet plan.

Morning Snack:

The morning snack can be anything of your choice but the total calorie content of your morning snack should be around 100 calories.

Lunch:

You can dine on anything you like as long as the total calorie count for lunch comes around 450 calories. Three crunchy tacos would be an excellent choice for lunch.

Afternoon Snack:

Enjoy any dairy product for an afternoon snack. Low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese and low fat yoghurt are a few suggestions. Just a keep an eye on the calorie content so that it does not exceed 110 calories.

Dinner:

Three ounces of steak (oven roasted, grilled or pan roasted), a small baked potato, margarine, half a cup of beans (baked), whole grain bread and a mixed salad made of lettuce or spinach with a little lemon, a table spoon of shredded cheese, a slice of tomato and cucumber and a 60 calorie salad dressing of your choice.

Bedtime Snack:

You can have a bedtime snack of a cup of skimmed milk blended with half a cup of strawberries.

Sample Diet 2:

Breakfast: (570 calories)

Omelet from three egg whites and one yolk with chopped onions and garlic, two slices of whole wheat bread with jam, natural fat-free yogurt and a small piece of fruit. This will make up the mouth watering breakfast for a 2000 calorie diet plan.

Lunch: (530 calories)

Lunch comprises of chicken pasta salad, four tablespoons of whole wheat pasta and fruit juice worth 90 calories.

Snack: (200 calories)

Two slices of malt loaf with a thin smear of butter.

Dinner: (800 calories)

Chili Con Carne, salad with light dressing, and one small low-fat fruit trifle.

Whatever the diet you follow make sure that you drink lots of fluids. Water is the best option to keep your body hydrated. You can also drink liberal amounts of green tea and other zero calorie beverages. Always say a strict no for alcohol, coke and even diet coke. Drinking a lot of calorie less fluids cleanses your body of all toxins and it keeps your body's metabolism ticking.

This 2000 calorie diet plan does not supply very low calories like other diet plans and hence are considerably trustworthy to follow. But it is always safe to consult with your doctor or dietician and tell them about your diet plans and get their approval of the same before you start with your diet. This will put your mind at ease as you will be sure that you are headed on the right path. Happy Dieting!

2000 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

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Low Purine Diet - Food List

In this article we will detail a low purine diet food list to assist you in correcting your diet to get rid of gout. High purine foods have long been know as the main culprit for gout attacks. If you have a diet that is high in purine then the purine that you have in your body can convert to uric acid which causes severe gout attacks. Many doctors will prescribe medications that are designed to reduce uric acid levels in the body but wouldn't it be a lot better if we could get rid of uric acid in the body by cutting it off by the source... purine. By following the low purine diet food list in this article you can greatly reduce the levels of purine in your body.

Gout is actually a form of arthritis that mainly attacks middle aged men's big toes but it can cross the sexual boundary and also effect women. It has also been know to appear in other joints of the body such as the fingers, knee, the elbow and even the wrists. Gout is a 100% controllable form of arthritis and by simply following a few guidelines you can make gout a thing of the past.

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Low Purine Diet Food List - Avoid these high purine foods!

Low Purine Diet - Food List

- Seafoods

- Red meats

- Gravy

- Fish Roe

- Gizzards

- Kidneys

- Lentils

- Beans

- Scallops

- Shrimps

- Mushrooms

- Yeast

- Alcoholic Drinks

- Peas

Checking your daily diet plan and making sure you remove these foods from it can help you prevent gout or cure gout completely. The best way to follow your low purine diet food list, daily diet plan is to write it out and keep it on the fridge at home and/or work so that you follow it as best you can. Also, write out a mini diet plan and keep it in your wallet or purse so that no matter where you are you can always have access to your diet plan.

Low Purine Diet - Food List

To complement this low purine diet [http://www.causes-of-gout.com] food list you should also add an omega-3 fish oil capsule and 1,000mg-1,500mg of vitamin C to your daily schedule. The fish oil is excellent for keeping your joints lubricated and supple while the abnormally large dose of vitamin C has been proven to reduce uric acid levels in the body. To learn the 5 secrets the doctors won't tell you about getting rid of gout visit [http://www.causes-of-gout.com]

4 Tips for High Blood Pressure Diet - Food to Eat and to Avoid

When you discover that you have hypertension or pre-hypertension, the first thing doctors do, they prescribe medication. However, the right diet can dramatically reduce your blood pressure as well, sometimes so much that you will not need any drugs. Find out what a high blood pressure diet is and how you can easily incorporate it into your lifestyle.

An ideal diet for high blood pressure will be:

• Low in sodium (salt)
• Low in saturated fats and cholesterol
• High in antioxidants and vitamins
• High in potassium and magnesium

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In other words, a diet generally associated with healthy living and a high blood pressure diet has a lot in common. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean at all that all you will have to eat from now on is steamed broccoli. For example, the best thing for high blood pressure diet is to go for a baked potato rather than French fries or a chicken sandwich not a hamburger. The most important thing is to limit foods that lead to increasing blood pressure.

4 Tips for High Blood Pressure Diet - Food to Eat and to Avoid

Tip 1: Eat more home cooked meals

The easiest way to maintain a diet that will help with high blood pressure control is to prepare meals yourself from fresh products rather than eat prepackaged food. Almost all precooked meals are high in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol, while low in other important nutrients. Home cooking takes more time of course, but there are plenty of healthy and incredibly tasty recopies that take only 15-20 minutes to cook.

The recommended sodium intake for people with hypertension is less than 3000 mg a day, and an average American consumes 7000 to 9000 mg... A good way to cut down on salt is to stay away from packaged condiments. Would you believe that just one serving of ordinary tomato sauce usually contains about 250 mg of sodium? That will be additional 250 mg, to a meal that already contains salt. The same can be said about most salad dressings. Using a spoon of olive oil instead of bottled salad dressing on your salad will make a great difference.

Tip 2: Select foods high in potassium and magnesium

Now when you know what foods to avoid, let's talk about what foods are beneficial. Most fruits and vegetables are good because they are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium (that is unless you add salt to them, of course). But the most beneficial veggies and fruits are the ones that are high in magnesium and potassium. Both minerals have been proved to reduce blood pressure.

Best foods for potassium are:

• Apricots
• Sultanas and Raisins
• All Bran
• Figs
• Dried mixed fruit
• Most Seeds and nuts average (unsalted)
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Bananas

For magnesium look at:

• Black Beans
• Broccoli
• Peanuts
• Oysters
• Scallops
• Soy milk
• Spinach
• Whole grain cereal
• Whole wheat bread

Tip 3: Consult a physician for best high blood pressure diet

Everybody should follow general food recommendations to lower you blood pressure. However, there might be specific foods that you in particular should avoid or add to your diet. The reason is that as most people, you may have not only high blood pressure, but other health problems and your diet should address them all.

Also if you are overweight, that can greatly affect your blood pressure. The first thing you doctor will suggest is to choose a diet that will help you lose weight. While if your weight is normal, your diet will be different.

Tip 4: Choose diet to prevent high blood pressure

As they say, to prevent is always better than to cure, so even if you don't have any problems with blood pressure, it is a good idea to follow high blood pressure diet. Many studies have shown that hypertension is hereditary, so you should be particularly careful if your parents suffer from high blood pressure.

4 Tips for High Blood Pressure Diet - Food to Eat and to Avoid

Tanya Turner is a publisher of High Blood Pressure 101 where you can find information in plain English about high blood pressure diets and other ways to prevent and control hypertension

Fructose Malabsorption Symptoms, Diet, Food To Avoid

Fructose malabsorption is a common digestive problem seen in people with low fructose absorption ability. Here we will discuss the causes, symptoms and the diet food needed for a patient suffering from fructose malabsorption. This disorder is mainly caused due to the lack of fructose or fruit sugar carriers in the small intestine of patient. As a result, intestine will get accumulated with fructose leading to dietary fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption. Small intestine of a patient with fructose malabsorption grabs less than 25 gm of fructose while it ranges from 25 to 50 gm in the case of normal person. Fructose malabsorption can be caused as a result of celiac disease, over use of high fructose corn syrup or due to overgrowth of bacteria in small intestine. Disease may be also inherited from parents or can be formed due to chemotherapy, and dumping syndrome.

Do you know what will happen to the unabsorbed fructose? When reaching large intestine, the unabsorbed fructose in food is metabolized by colonic bacteria to small fatty acids and gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane. This may create in the formation of flatulence which is the expulsion of gases from rectum. Now we will come to the effects caused by malabsorption of fructose.

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Patient suffering from this disorder is subjected to rapid bacterial fermentation, high osmotic load, poor skin, nail and hair. When not considered at earlier stages, it may even lead to osteoporosis and anemia. Disease alters bacteria profile, promotes mucosalbiofilm, decrease folic acid amount, tryptophan and zinc concentration in blood. Occurrence of severe stomach ache followed by constipation or diarrhea is another problem suffered by fructose malabsorption patients. Disease creates many ill health like vomiting tendency and bloating in patients. Patients even show signs of mental depression.

Fructose Malabsorption Symptoms, Diet, Food To Avoid

Treatments for fructose malabsorption can be done according to the test results based on hydrogen breath test and stool test. Following diet with proper medication is the best way to control disease. Patients must avoid the consumption of food items with more fructose than glucose. Fructose monosaccharide is sweeter than glucose but occupies an equal caloric value as that of glucose. Watermelon, honey, pears, apples, spinach, pumpkin and fruit juice concentrates are some of the food items which contain a greater ratio of fructose when compared to glucose. Unsweetened milk, yogurt and cheese are preferred than sweetened milk products. Favored fruits include berry fruits and citrus fruits which contain a fructose level equal to or less than glucose.

Patients are advised to avoid over consumption foods with high fructan level, sorbitol and xylitol. Sorbitol or glucitol, derived from glucose usually makes fructose absorption slower leading way to osmotic diarrhea. Pears, grapes, apricots, plums, raspberries and strawberries contain a high amount of sorbitol concentration. Xylitol is a substitute for sugar usually found in vegetable and fruit fibre. Mushrooms, raspberries and plums are some of the food contents rich in xylitol. Try to reduce regular inclusion of pizzas, cakes and biscuits in diet. Taking glucose rich fruits like banana in diet enhances the fructose absorption to a great extend. With proper diet and medication, fructose malabsorption can be easily controlled.

Fructose Malabsorption Symptoms, Diet, Food To Avoid

Read more about Diabetes Natural Treatment. Also know about Diabetes Home Remedies.

Sample Diabetes Diet Menu

When a person is diabetic they are advised to go to a licensed dietician in order to provide them with a diabetes diet menu.

The diabetes diet menu is a specialized kind of diet that aims to help a diabetic lose weight and reduce their blood sugar levels. A reduction 500 calories in a daily basis can result to a pound of weight lost in a week's time.

\"diet Menu\"

The diabetes diet menu gives you an option in choosing the meal that would complement the required calories you need each day. Each menu that is given by the dietician provides calories in such a manner than 50 percent are for calories, 20 percent are from proteins and 30 percent coming from fats.

Sample Diabetes Diet Menu

Each meal is complimented by a snack so you wouldn't have to go hungry at all. These meals are to be complemented by exercise in order for you to achieve the goal you need, which is of course reducing your weight.

Below is a sample diabetic diet menu that covers for an entire day.

• Breakfast sample menu

o 2 4½-in waffles laced with 2 tsp margarine
o 4 Tbsp light syrup
o 1 cup yogurt
o ¾ cup blackberries
o A cup of Coffee or tea

• Lunch sample menu

o 1 cup chili with beans
o 12 crackers
o ½ cup broccoli or ½ cup cauliflower
o 1 apple
o A diet soda

• Dinner sampe menu

o 4 oz hamburger in a 1 hamburger bun. It is laced with 1 tablespoon ketchup, 2 lettuce leaves and 2 tomato slices
o 1 cup of celery sticks
o 1 cup of watermelon
o 2 tablespoon of peanut butter for the sticks
o Skim milk

Diabetics are required to lose weight in order for their body to improve its tolerance to insulin. Insulin is used by the body in order to effectively convert sugar into energy. The body cannot properly transpose sugar into energy because of the high levels of fats in the system.

The body becomes tolerant to the insulin it secretes and by then the body cannot effectively use the glucose in the blood. When this happens the body needs to inject higher dosage of insulin in order to counter act the amount of glucose in the blood.

We should take note that a diabetes diet menu doesn't mean they will have to stop eating sweets or their favourite dishes. The diabetic only needs to reduce them in a minimal level.

Sample Diabetes Diet Menu

For more diabetes diet menu information, visit Diabetes Diet Menu Guide and Start Reversing the Effects of Diabetes though a proper diet.

1200 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

A 1200 calorie diet is nutritionally adequate for most of the people for a healthy, safe and permanent weight loss. Starving your body with fewer calories will slow down your metabolism and consequently using up of the calories by the body will also get decreased. This will result in a tired and emaciated body and also the weight loss will not be as much as expected because the calories are still stacked up inside the body.

Following a daily diet of 1200 calories is shown to be nutrition rich to support a healthy body and also brings about the calorie deficit which eventually leads to weight loss. Of course, the actual calories that should be taken depends on a lot of factors such as age, gender, metabolic rate, body size and other medical conditions to name a few. 1200 calorie diet plan fits most of the people on average but it is necessary to confirm with a doctor or dietician before starting with the diet.

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How to choose the best 1200 calorie diet menu?

1200 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

The diet plan should be chosen in such a way that it strikes a proper balance of the macronutrients. The macronutrients include proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The calories that come from the macronutrients should be ideally distributed as follows: 15% of the calories should come from proteins, 55% of the calories should come from carbohydrates, 30% of the calories should come from fats and only less than 10% of the total calories should come from saturated forms of food.

When the diet plan is composed of healthy, nutritious and wholesome food it will keep your food cravings in check and you will feel full for longer. Moreover there will not be any compromise to your health when you follow a diet that satisfies all the above conditions. A diet is followed to make us healthy, supple, strong and slim. Any proper diet should work to achieve all of these. Therefore make sure that you take nutritious food whose calories add up to 1200 or so.

Sample 1200 diet plans:

Below are two diet plans whose total calorific value comes around 1200. From this you can get an idea of how to construct your diet.

Sample 1:

Breakfast

One whole wheat muffin with a spoon of peanut butter and half a banana.

Mid-Morning Snack

An apple and few almonds.

Lunch

2 slices of whole wheat bread; 2 oz. low sodium turkey breast; 1 oz. cheese; a lettuce, an orange, a tomato and a spoon of mustard.

Mid-afternoon snack

8 oz. low fat yoghurt

Dinner

3 oz. skinless grilled, baked or boiled chicken breast.

A cup of cooked broccoli and 2/3 of a cup of brown rice.

Snack

A cup of milk and two fat free fig cookies

Sample 2:

Breakfast

A hard boiled egg, 2 slices of whole wheat bread smeared thinly with butter and a large slice of watermelon.

Lunch

100gms of baked potato and baked beans and 100gms of reduce fat cottage cheese.

Snack

Muesli meal replacement bars.

Dinner

Pasta salad made with olive oil. Wash it down with tinned tuna in brine.

Typically any 1200 calorie diet plan can be broken down into the following proportions: The breakfast is the most important meal of the day and makes up 300 calories of the entire 1200 calories. The mid-morning snack adds up to 100 calories, lunch to 300 calories and the mid-afternoon snack to 50 calories. Finally the dinner contributes to 450 calories of the total. Any nutrition rich diet plan that follows this breakdown can achieve good results in terms of weight loss. Snacks can be taken at any time of the day where you feel the need to snack. But timing is important for breakfast. Make sure that you finish you breakfast within an hour of the time you woke up at. For the rest of the day, timing is up to you and you can divide the calories as you want among the meals, but make sure that the total calories don't exceed 1200.

Last but not least, wash down you meals with lots of water. Adequate amount of water is absolutely essential for maintaining the metabolism and for the healthy functioning of the body. Keeping your body well hydrated is an important factor that constitutes weight loss. Make it as a habit to drink at least eight glasses of water each day. It may look difficult at first, but once you start making conscious efforts it will no longer seem as hard as it was at first.

A word of caution:

Before you kick start on a diet, please catch up with your doctor or dietician and get expert advice on the meal plan that you have formulated. This is especially important for pregnant or breast feeding women. You don't want to follow some diet and weaken you body, so always ask for the doctor's opinions and then jump into your diet plan.

1200 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

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Dukan Diet Menu - What Can I Eat on the Dukan Diet?

Have you heard of the new French diet? The latest import from France, the Dukan Diet is altering the way people think about dieting. Doctor Dukan created a method that offers more than flavorless cardboard fake food and it is not a heart-attack waiting to happen with fats and fatty steaks. During the Dukan Diet, you can enjoy delicious, nutritious foods during every stage of the diet.

In short, the Dukan Diet is a four-stage diet where you shed pounds quickly and avoiding gaining back the weight you lost.

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Phase One: Attack You start in the first phase called the "attack" phase - lean proteins are your first stage of attack on your fat. You will only eat lean proteins, chicken, seafood, lean beef and lean ham as advised by Dr. Dukan. You can use lemon juice on fish or chicken. Stay away from fatty meats. You can enjoy shellfish like lobster and shrimp during this phase.

Dukan Diet Menu - What Can I Eat on the Dukan Diet?

Phase Two: Cruise In the cruise phase or second stage, a long list of approved vegetables is added and alternated with the all-protein days. Examples are lettuce, chard, spinach and broccoli. Avoid starchy vegetables.

Phase Three: Consolidation During the third or consolidation phase, you will begin to add in bread, low-fat butter, fruits, pasta and the other foods you enjoy. Not a free-for-all, Dr. Dukan gives instructions for what foods and how much to eat during this phase.

Phase Four: Stabilization In the final phase or stabilization, you can eat just about anything - six days a week. On the seventh day, you will go back to the all-protein diet from the first phase.

What's on the Dukan Diet Menu During the first phase, Dr. Dukan shares lots of terrific recipes to get you creatively thinking about recipes of your own. With tons of options like shellfish and chicken, lean ham and lean beef, you have good proteins to start with. Dukan suggests using spices liberally to make delicious dishes. Try grilled shrimp with herbs, sashimi, lemon garlic chicken on the grill, eggs scrambled with basil or chervil and more.

During the cruise phase, you can enjoy all of those good proteins along with tons of yummy veggies. Again, Dr. Dukan gives recipes to assist you during the diet including one for beef and vegetable kabobs and some other terrific and easy to execute recipes. What you can and cannot eat in each phase are clearly explained, so it is not hard to develop your own creative recipes within the guidelines.

During the third and fourth stages - you can enjoy bread, fruit, cheese and other foods. The guidelines are specific about how much you can eat of the newly added foods each day. How much weight you have lost during the first two stages will determine how long you will stay in the third phase. For anyone who has a sweet tooth, Dr. Dukan also offers some fantastic dessert recipes that you can enjoy while dieting. You can find these Dukan Diet dessert recipes and tons of other information on the new French diet on my site.

Dukan Diet Menu - What Can I Eat on the Dukan Diet?

For Dukan Diet Recipe ideas and tons of important info about what you can and cannot eat on the diet, the doctor's favorite weight loss secret ingredient and more, click ---> Dukan Diet Recipes

A Fatty Liver Diet Menu - What Should You Eat?

Fatty liver is a very common disease in developed countries, even though it is not very known. Though it can be a very light disease and only cause tiredness or some nausea, it can grow into cirrhosis and complete liver failure and increases the risk of obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

For this reason it is important that you take care of your liver.

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The basic rules for a healthy liver are:

• Exercise daily (this activates the metabolic functions of the liver)
• Eat rightly. Research shows that a diet high in leafy vegetables, fruit, and grains and low in meat is best for the liver. Milk has also been linked to liver problems and it is best that it is avoided. The same goes to any product derived from milk, such as cheese, or yogurt.
• Take supplements that help the liver regenerate. Some supplements, such as milk thistle and turmeric, have been proven to regenerate the liver beyond what was thought possible - they have even reversed cancer in experimental settings and are being tested very actively.

A Fatty Liver Diet Menu - What Should You Eat?

Here is what a fatty liver diet menu would look like:

Breakfast

You can start the day with, for example, a banana and oatmeal (prepared with ginger). If you know you will be eating a mid-morning snack, which is recommended, you can have instead just a fresh juice (try apple and carrot). Take the supplements.

Lunch

Because most people don't have time to cook at lunch, you will have prepared your meal the day before. For that reason a sandwich is perfect, for example, a tofu sandwich with lots of lettuce and tomato.

Dinner

There are thousands of recipes you could fit here. Because most people are not familiar with them I will give you a plain recipe of beans and rice with brussels sprouts, peas, and carrot. Fruit for dessert. However, you can browse the net for vegan recipes (some are really tasty).

Snacks

Juice made with fruits and vegetables or simply eating fruit or carrot sticks. For your snacks, at least while you are still healing, stay away from store-prepared snacks, even those "healthy" snacks.

Once a week or so you can treat yourself with meat, fish, milk, chocolate, or anything you like. If you can do without them you will heal much faster, but they won't reverse any progress you made during the week if eaten in moderation.

A Fatty Liver Diet Menu - What Should You Eat?

If you want more information about making your food choices to help heal your liver, check out LiverCare101.com. You'll learn about the causes of liver disease and what you can do to stop them and what supplements will aid in the process.

Detox Diet Food Do's and Don'ts

If you're planning a brief detox diet, you'll want to make sure you eat the foods that increase your chances of success and avoid the foods that will hurt your efforts. Here is a list of the best and worst foods to eat while you're on the diet.

Best Detox Diet Foods

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• Fruit: You can eat any fruit including fresh, frozen, dried or canned in natural fruit juice. This includes apples, bananas, pears, oranges, grapefruit, satsumas, sultanas, raisins, pineapple, mango, kiwi fruit, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, nectarines, peaches, and melons.
• Fruit juice: Either make homemade fruit juices or smoothies from fresh fruit, or drink ready-made juices. Make sure ready-made juices are labelled as pure or unsweetened.
• Vegetables: Eat any vegetables including fresh, frozen or canned in water (without salt added). This includes carrots, onions, turnip, swede, sprouts, cabbage, peppers, mushrooms, corn, peppers, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, salad, tomatoes, and cucumber.
• Beans and lentils: Eat any beans, including those that have been dried or canned in water. This includes red kidney, haricot, cannellini, butter, black eye, pinto, red lentils, green lentils and brown lentils.
• Potatoes: Eat all types
• Brown rice and rice noodles
• Rye crackers and rice cakes
• Fresh fish: Eat any fresh fish including cod, mackerel, salmon, lobster, crab, trout, haddock, tuna, prawns, Dover sole, red mullet, halibut, lemon sole, monkfish, and swordfish. You can eat canned salmon and tuna in water.
• Unsalted nuts: Eat any, including Brazil, peanuts, almonds, cashew, hazel nuts, macadamia, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio, and walnuts
• Unsalted seeds: Eat any, including sunflower and pumpkin.
• Plain popcorn: Eat without sugar or salt
• Live natural yogurt
• Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Garlic, ginger and fresh herbs
• Ground black pepper
• Honey
• Water: Drink at least eight ounces of tap or mineral water a day.
• Herbal or fruit teas

Foods to Avoid During Your Detox

Detox Diet Food Do's and Don'ts

• Red meat, chicken, turkey, and meat products such as sausages, burgers, and pate
• Milk, cheese, eggs, cream
• Butter and margarine
• Any food that contains wheat including bread, croissants, cereals, cakes, pies, pastry, quiche, or battered and breadcrumbed foods
• Salted nuts
• Chocolate, candy, jam and sugar
• Processed foods, and ready-made meals and sauces
• Alcohol
• Coffee and tea
• Sauces, pickles, store-bought salad dressing, and mayonnaise
• Salt
• Carbonated drinks, both sugar and diet

Now that you know the dos and donts of detox diet foods, you're halfway to success!

Detox Diet Food Do's and Don'ts

With the help of this body cleansing detox diet, you'll look and feel better than you did when you were in high school. Click here.

Dukan Diet Menu

The Dukan Diet plan is super-popular in France and is now gaining momentum in other countries as well. In France alone, it is estimated that over 1.5 million people have used this diet and there are many positive testimonials about it.

In this article I want to go over the Dukan Diet Menu options to help you see what you can eat while on this weight loss plan. There is no one strict menu that this program uses but it's still important for you to know exactly what you can expect.

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The Dukan Diet has 4 distinct phases, each with its own guidlines and purpose. Some of the phases deal with losing weight and others with maintaining it after you're already shed your excess weight. This makes the food choices on each phase somewhat different than those on the other phases.

Dukan Diet Menu

Dukan Diet Menu Phase by Phase

The first phase on this diet plan is called the Attack Phase. This is a purely protein consumption phase. You have all protein for 3--10 days. The book explains how to determine whether you need to follow this phase for just 3 days or the full 10. It depends on how much you need to lose.

As this is an all protein phase, your food chocies basically amount to: beef, chicken, other poultry, low fat or no fat dairy products, seafood, and fish. As you can imagine, this is not going to be an easy phase to go through due to the low range of food choices.

The cruise phase is the second phase of the Dukan Diet. On this phase you have more food choices. Mainly, you can add vegetables to your diet. However, you can only have them every other day. The rest of the time it's still protein only. You can have practically any vegetable that you want except for the starchy ones such as potatoes, peas, and so on.

On the consolidation phase that comes next, you can add bread, pasta, and fruit to your eating routine. However protein is still the foundation of your diet. You do have 2 free meals each week to eat evening "non diet" things, so you can indulge yourself quite a bit.

On the last phase, the one that's about maintenance and not weight loss, you can eat what you want six days of the week and do an all protein day on the seventh. This is how the Dukan Diet plan works.

Dukan Diet Menu

For more information about the food on this diet visit Dukan Diet Menu and Tips. To see how well this diet works, click here: Does the Dukan Diet work? John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now runs a weight loss forum and publishes a diet and fitness newsletter.

Guidelines for Choosing the Best Prepared Weight Loss Meals Online

With the increasing popularity of companies providing weight loss prepared meals, customers who would like to capitalize on the convenience of prepared diet meals are turning to market front runners such as NutriSystem and e-Diets for weight loss meals shipped to their home. NutriSystem, a public corporation, produced 8 million dollars of revenue in 2009. e-Diets, also a public corporation, generated million over the same year. The two companies contend with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, which offer prepared diet meals, although not for home delivery.

Weight loss meal delivery services offer consumers the convenience of getting daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack selections shipped every week, bi-weekly, or monthly. Many corporations provide you with personalized shipping and delivery schedules. The benefit for dieters is that the diet meals are portioned and created to stick to regular healthy specifications for weight loss. Consumers will no longer need to count calories, fat grams, saturated fat, and carbohydrates. Weight loss meal planning might be a difficult task for men and women unfamiliar with nutritional guidelines. This service has the distinct benefit of saving people the work connected with adequately shopping, purchasing, and making their own dinners.

\"Diet Meals\"

Some other "weight loss meal only" suppliers include Chef's Diet, Medifast, Seattle Sutton, Nu-Kitchen, BistroMD, Diet to Go, and Freshology. As each merchant fights for their percentage within the niche, they have various twists for the kinds of weight loss foods they offer. NutriSystem generally has the lowest price, but their meals are shelf stable and never call for refrigeration. Medifast is a company with a food selection of mostly powered soups. Many of the other vendors have prepared meals, but there are quite a variety of offerings, so you need to study them closely. A number of companies provide local or regional fresh weight loss meal plans. Several try to be unique regarding their technique for how they determine the nutritional values of their selections, and almost all companies want to have you to commit to automatic deliveries.

Guidelines for Choosing the Best Prepared Weight Loss Meals Online

Other Online Weight Loss Programs
There are many businesses with strong positions and reputations from the gourmet prepared meals niche, that offer diet menu plans. Generally speaking, the quality of corporations specializing in gourmet meal delivery, have higher quality weight loss meals. A lot of consumers are prepared to accept less when it comes to a top quality complete meal because they are going on a diet. Consider the likelihood that the largest diet meal delivery organizations, such as NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and many of the others, tend not to offer restaurant quality meals you will expect to experience at a fine dining establishment.

Emerging vendors within this category of high quality and healthy diet food include DineWise and Healthy Chef Creations. DineWise could have the biggest a la carte menu of foods to lose weight, and Healthy Chef Creations provides organic weight loss meals. These businesses have already specialized in substantial gourmet menus, so you will not likely find it hard to create a custom weight loss meal plan. Usually, the diet-only corporations have minimal menu alternatives and replacement options. These businesses are also not too reliant on requiring you to take advanced deliveries, but they provide it as an option.

Helpful Tips for Choosing Having Weight Loss Meals Delivered
Getting any kind of weight loss meal plan on the internet will require some study and comparison shopping to find the ideal company suitable for you. How much weight you intend to lose is directly in proportion to the length of time you may be on the program. These weight loss tips will allow you to make the best selection for your needs:

• Read consumer evaluations for any organization you may be thinking about. Customers taking the time to share their experiences allow you to make use of their insight. For those who have purchased a weight loss meal plan, post your review, and share your experiences with other people.
• Understand how many calories a dieting plan offers. Daily caloric intake can vary from 800 to 2,000 calories daily. Determine the best number of calories to suit your needs will help you from becoming hungry and sticking with your program. It is usually better to shed pounds slowly.
• Look at terms of canceling carefully. Several corporations make it easy to cancel. Some companies might include one last week of their service determined by once you cancel the order.
• Look for a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Guarantees can range from nothing, to shipping conditions only, to a full refund in case you are unhappy with the program. Most of the time, organizations with higher cancellation rates have less in the way of guarantees.
• Determine how much you may have to supplement the program. Will you have to buy salads, snack foods, or cook your own dinner? Do your best to be aware of what you get and what you will have to get.
• Will the company try to sell you add-ons? Several corporations might try to get you on a monthly nutritional supplement plan combined with buying meal plans.
• Understand your financial budget. The best way to find value is always to select a weight reduction program that combines the significance of top quality meals you will get pleasure from as well as the cost of their food. The lowest priced food to buy is normally going to be the least expensive food to eat.

Just one final thought about an effective weight loss program is routine workouts. Prepared diet food companies typically tend not to offer physical exercise programs, but all reduced calorie diets achieve much better and quicker results when you incorporate reasonable physical fitness into your way of life.

Guidelines for Choosing the Best Prepared Weight Loss Meals Online

Find out more about Weight Loss Meals and Prepared Meals to discover the appropriate service for your needs. Read and post shopper evaluations. Cut costs with discount online coupons.

Weight Watchers Baked Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favorite comfort foods is macaroni and cheese. Some people use it as a side dish but I prefer to make it a main dish. I have made and eaten many variations of this dish but I recently found a Weight Watcher recipe that is more friendly to my figure and tastes really great.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

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Ingredients

Weight Watchers Baked Macaroni and Cheese

12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

12 oz fat-free evaporated milk

8 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (colby cheese may be substituted for cheddar cheese or use a combination of both)

1 tbsp  Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tbsp dried bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook pasta according to package directions but do not add fat or salt. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream. Set aside.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges (this is called scalding). Reduce heat to low, add cheese and simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

 Add cheese mixture to pasta and mix well. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over pasta.

Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 8.

Weight Watcher Points Value 

5 points per 1 cup serving

My family and friends really enjoy this version of macaroni and cheese and most don't even realize that it is a Weight Watcher recipe. You don't have to be on a diet to enjoy this rich, creamy, and flavorful macaroni and cheese.

Weight Watchers Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Judy Scuderi is an Information Specialist currently living in central Florida. She is an avid cookbook collector and a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. Check out her book reviews at: http://floridamuse.wordpress.com

Is Nutrisystem Select Better Than Regular Nutrisystem?

I'm starting to get a lot of questions about Nutrisystem's new gourmet frozen foods line (called "select.") People want to know if the select line is better than the basic line. And, if it is better, they want to know if it's worth the additional cost. In the following article, I'll go over some of the details and differences in the select line to help you determine if you'd consider it better than the regular plan. Hopefully, this information will also help you evaluate if it's worth the additional cost.

Nutrisystem Basic And Select Work In The Same Way: Before I go over what sets the frozen line apart, I want to stress that the real difference between these two plans is in the additional food selections. You will still eat the diet meals five times per day. You still add in your own fresh sides. The calorie to carb to protein ratio remains the same, as does the nutritional value. The premium status of the select line is due to the quality and convenience of the frozen foods.

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Both Nutrisystem Lines Share Some Of The Same Foods, But There Are Two Weeks' Worth Of Frozen Foods Added To The Select Line: There's a misconception that the foods in these two lines are totally different. This isn't necessarily the case. The premium plan does include two weeks' worth of some of the more popular items in the basic line. But, half of the order (two weeks' worth) includes the new frozen entrees. (Of course, like with any of the packages, you can chose your own foods rather than going to with "favorites.")

Is Nutrisystem Select Better Than Regular Nutrisystem?

For breakfast, the new frozen foods are foods like pancakes, french toast, a breakfast burrito, and an omelet. Some of the lunch favorites are centered on the new lunch melts such as the ham and cheese, the meatball, and the steak and cheese melts. There's also chicken fajita and chicken quesadilla sandwiches. For dinner, they've added chicken and shrimp alfredos, glazed turkey, ravioli, turkey pepperoni pizza, Salisbury steak, macaroni and cheese, and stuffed shells.

The dessert options are standouts for me because they include ice cream products (which obviously you don't typically find on a diet.) There's sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and fruit and ice cream bars.

So, Is The Nutrisystem Select Line Worth The Money? Is It Really Any Better Than The Regular Package?: This really does depend upon your taste and preferences. With the premium option, you are given two weeks' worth of additional variety with the new frozen foods. And the taste on these new items is very good. But there are many of the basic foods that I find to be very good as well. There is a premium price for the frozen foods. Depending on the specials running, you're generally looking at around more for the entire month. That's about more dollars per week or around more per day.

Since the select line is a package, you can usually use coupons for it, but you'll still be paying somewhat of a premium. Whether this is worth it to you depends upon how much you like the basic line. I find that most people really do like the taste of the frozen foods, particularly the desserts. And some people would rather pay a bit extra for this. Many people have the attitude that since they're going to be eating the diet meals quite regularly, they may as well make this as appealing and pleasurable as is possible.

Is Nutrisystem Select Better Than Regular Nutrisystem?

To get the latest Nutrisystem coupon codes for the packages discussed in this article, please check out my blog (where you can also read my free e book "Getting The Most Out Of Nutrisystem" which includes recipes, the latest specials (weeks free or up to 0 off), information on all of the programs, tips, support, and motivation. Check it out if you like at http://celebrity-diet-review.com/

How to Lose Weight on Medifast - Three Tips to Help You Shed the Pounds

I'm sometimes asked to share some of the tips and tricks that I used along the way to lose a decent amount of weight on medifast. Sometimes people assume that I have some mysterious "secret" or that I found a way to cheat but to still make progress. These assumptions aren't entirely true. There were some things that I learned which definitely made life on this diet easier, but there was never any major cheating or deep dark secrets.

In the following article, I will discuss how you can lose weight on medifast in what should be a relatively quick and painless process.

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Understand And Embrace Ketosis: Before I really researched the meat and potatoes of this plan, I assumed that medifast allowed you to lose weight because you were limiting your calories. This is true, but this assumption is really over simplifying things. There are actually two ways that the weight comes off. The first is probably what you suspected. You're eating a restricted amount of calories. But, you're also going to be restricting your sugar and carbohydrate intake while bumping up your protein and fiber consumption.

How to Lose Weight on Medifast - Three Tips to Help You Shed the Pounds

Now, before you think that this sounds difficult, know that the company pretty much does the work for you. The foods have been modified to meet all of these criteria. You really do not have to do anything other than educate yourself about how to prepare a "lean and green meal." As long as you eat what's in your order and follow the instructions, this is already taken care of.

The reason that this is so important is because ketosis is where your body begins to turn on its fat stores rather than using carbs to fuel itself. This makes your weight and fast loss somewhat accelerated. And, this also makes some of the actions that you may be tempted to participate in (like skipping meals) extremely ill advised.

Yes, you will be eating six times per day on medifast. This is accomplished through five of the diet's meals and one larger "lean and green." This may seem like a lot. But, the meals are small. Although you may be tempted to cut out one or two of these meals each day, resist this at all costs. In order for ketosis to happen, your body needs support through eating. If you skip this, you place ketosis in jeopardy which in turn means that you might be losing less weight than you may have hoped.

Understand That Your "Lean And Green Meal" Is So Important: I sometimes have people who email me and ask if they can just eat one of the diet meals in place of this main meal that you fix yourself. While it's understandable that it's very nice to have your meals already done for you, the "lean and green" is there for a reason. The doctors who developed medifast understood that it's important to get fresh foods and they also knew that, eventually, it was going to be important for dieters to learn how to plan for and make their own healthful meals. You may think that you're taking the easy way out by skipping this, but in the long run, it's not the greatest idea.

Also, it's very important that you understand and follow the guidelines that medifast will give you for preparing this meal. Think about it this way. You've worked very hard in being compliant with your other five meals and therefore are not going to have any problem with ketosis. But, if you chose foods that are high in calories or carbs in your main meal, then you have potentially negated all of your hard work and may jeopardize your potential fat burning and weight loss. It's just not worth it to risk this.

There are lots of resources on the medifast site and also on third party blogs that provide recipes and tips to help you with this. Making the most of this meal doesn't have to mean being a gourmet cook or being overly restrictive. It just means being smart about your choices.

Don't Be Overly Restrictive Or Too Hard On Yourself: I know that it might sound like I'm being overly restrictive or strict. I don't mean to be. I know first hand that their is some leeway in this diet. I myself add sugar free syrups to many of my diet meals as well fat free cheese and sour cream. This has not had any negative impact on my weight loss. Also, you don't have to be hard on yourself or to over think this. The research and counting really has been done for you. There is no need to over analyze any part of the process. You really can limit your responsibilities only to following the plan.

It's also important to understand that most every one cheats at some point. This is built into the medifast diet. It's not that big of a deal unless you allow it to continue on so much that you don't revisit your goals and continue on with the plan. A couple of days of cheating isn't likely to derail you too badly. But if you never get back on the diet, then obviously your weight loss is going to stop as soon as you are no longer following the diet.

It's my opinion that as long as you follow the medifast plan to a reasonable degree and keep at it until you see the results that you want, there is no reason that you can't be as successful as many others have been.

How to Lose Weight on Medifast - Three Tips to Help You Shed the Pounds

Want more resources to help you to lose the most weight on medifast? Lindsey's Medifast Review Website features recipes, a list of all of the foods (including design a menu), videos, tips, coupons ( off or two weeks free), information and products related to success on this diet. She also offers a free ebook ("Getting The Most Out Of Medifast") to help you get started. You can visit her at http://easiest-diet.com/.

Understanding Meats: Why Red Meat is Red and Why White Meat is White

Animal muscle turns to meat after slaughtering. Meat is surrounded by a layer of connective tissues, consisting almost entirely protein collagen. Meat tissues are composed of three main factors, water, protein (connective tissue) and fat. Carbohydrate also appears in meat as it gives the browning effect of meat when cooked. Without this carbohydrate, the desirable flavor and appearance of browned meat would not be achieved.

Meat are mainly referred as red or dark and white meat. Red or dark meat is mainly made up of muscles with fibers that are called slow fibers. These muscles are used for extended periods of activity, such as standing or walking and need a consistent energy source. The protein myoglobin stores oxygen in muscle cells, which use oxygen to extract the energy needed for constant activity. Myoglobin is a richly pigmented protein. The more myoglobin there is in the cells, the redder or darker, the meat is. Red meat is red because the muscle fibers that make up the bulk of the meat contain a high content of myoglobin, which are colored red. Myoglobin, a protein similar to hemoglobin in red blood cells, acts as a store for oxygen within the muscle fibers.

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White meat is made up of muscles with fibers that are called fast fibers. Fast fibers muscles are used for quick bursts of activity, such as fleeing from danger. These muscles get energy from glycogen, which is also stored in the muscles. White meat as in fish has a translucent "glassy" quality when it is raw. Animal such as calf and pigs are also categorized as white meat. Veal meat is white because it is slaughtered after the calf been milk fed, approximately up to one year old. Pigs are lazy animal; they are not as active as cows, so their body contains more fat than any other animal. White meat is white because there is less usage in the muscle. Myoglobin content is low in these muscles. This is why chicken breast, pork and veal are slightly pink or white, before or after cooked. Fish is white because it lives in water and does not need to support its own body weight. Basically, there are no myoglobins in these muscles.

Understanding Meats: Why Red Meat is Red and Why White Meat is White

The difference between meat and fish muscle tissue is that there is no tough connective tissue between the muscles and bones.

Cows and pigs are both sources of dark meat, though pig is often called "the other white meat." Pigs muscles do contain myoglobin, but the concentration is not as heavy as it is in beef. Chickens have a mixture of both dark and white meat, and fish is mainly white meat. Chicken spend a lot of time walking around and standing. Their thigh and leg muscles are used constantly, so the meat from these parts is slightly darker than its breast. Since they rarely fly, and then only for very short distances, the meat that comes from the breast and wings is white. In contrast, wild birds such as ducks fly a lot; the meat from their breasts and wings is dark. Same goes with their legs, as they use them for swimming.

Cows spend a lot of time standing, walking and so their muscles are constantly being used. Therefore, beef has a fairly high concentration of myoglobin and is dark red. Pigs also can spend quite a bit of time standing and roaming around. The pink color of pork is due to myoglobin, but because the animals used for pork and veal are young and small, their muscles are less developed and do less work. Therefore, pigs and calf have a lower concentration of myoglobin in their muscles than cows. The only similarity between these four animals is that they are mammals on land. Fish float in water and do not need constant muscle energy to support their skeletons. Most fish meat is white, with some red meat around the fins and tail, which is used for swimming. The pink colored of some fish, such as wild salmon and trout, is due to astaxanthin, a naturally occurring pigment in the crustaceans they eat. Fish such as sharks and tuna has a dark or red flesh because it contains more myoglobin as they are fast swimmers and a migratory fish.

Juiciness and tenderness are two very important factors when it comes to meat quality. Both factors are influenced by the cut of meat and how long the meat is cooked. The more a muscle is used, the stronger and therefore tougher, the cut of meat will be. In contrast, the longer meat is cooked, the more liquid it loses and the tougher it becomes. Factors that also influence tenderness and juiciness are: The animal's age at slaughter, the amount of fat and collagen (connective tissue) contained in particular cuts and to a small degree, brining.

Collagen is a long, stiff protein that is the most prevalent protein in mammals. It's made up of three separate molecules composed of amino acid chains, twisted around each other, something like the way fibers are twisted around each other to form a rope. This structure is what makes the collagen so strong; this strength is also what makes it more difficult to break down. The more collagen there is in a piece of meat, the tougher it is to cut and to chew. Skin is mostly collagen, as are the tendons that connect muscles to bones. For cuts that are high in collagen, cooking with methods that use slow, moist heat, such as stewing or braising, are the best. Collagen is soluble in water and when it is cooked slowly with moist heat, it becomes gelatin.

Collagen can be less tough by slicing up the meat into smaller pieces, which makes the fiber smaller and easier to break apart. Weight-bearing muscles and muscles that are constantly used contain higher amounts of collagen than muscles that aren't used for support or aren't used as frequently. Cows and pigs have higher amounts of collagen in the legs, chest, and rump. Pork is generally more tender than beef, because pigs are usually slaughtered at a younger age than cows and so their muscles are less developed and have less collagen than those of cows.

Fish muscles are quite different from those in mammals. Fish float in water and so don't need muscle to support their weight. Their muscle fiber are very short called myotomes and are held together by connective tissue called myocammata, which is much more delicate than collagen and breaks down much more easily when cooked. The only muscles that most fish use extensively are around the tail and fins (areas that aren't eaten as often by humans), which are used for constant cruising around in the water. Once caught, (dead) fish are stored in an ice room with standing temperature of 1-3°C.

Understanding Meats: Why Red Meat is Red and Why White Meat is White

Farouk is a professional Chef and has worked and travelled all over the world. As well as working full time as a senior Chef, Farouk regularly writes interesting articles such this one on meats and also contributes frequently to http://www.chefspencil.com

A Medifast Diet Food List - Examples of What You'll Eat on This Diet

People often ask me if it's possible to see a list of foods that you eat while on the medifast diet. The list for the diet is extensive. There are over 70 food choices. And, the possibilities for the "lean and green meal" that you prepare for yourself each day are endless. Still, I can offer you a list of possibilities in the article below to give you some idea of the food choices that you have on this diet.

A List Of Possible Medifast Breakfast Foods: Every one is different of course. So, what I might eat for breakfast may not sound all that good to you. But, possible choices for me are the plan's latte, cappuccino, oatmeal, and eggs. There's also the shakes, bars, and brownies. And of course, within each category, there are different flavors. For example, if you are considering the oatmeal, you can chose between blueberry, peach, apple cinnamon, and maple/brown sugar.

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Medifast Snacks Food Choices: Now, you are supposed to eat five of the plan's meals each day in addition to the larger meal that you need to provide. (Everything but the "lean and green meal" is prepackaged and made already for you.) So, since you have to cover this five times, most people will eat breakfast, lunch, and three snacks. For me, I have one snack mid morning, one in the afternoon, and the last one a few hours after dinner. This is in addition to breakfast and lunch.

A Medifast Diet Food List - Examples of What You'll Eat on This Diet

For snacks, the choices are things like pretzels, cheese puffs, pudding, shakes, bars, juice drinks, and brownies. Again, there are several flavors within each food category. For example there are two kinds of bars (all with their own flavors) and several kinds of shakes from which to chose. In terms of shakes, most people will opt for the regular 55, at least at first. With bars, I usually stick with the crunch bars. You can have more than one of these per day. With the maintenance bars, they only want for you to have one per day.

Medifast Lunch Food List: This diet offers a lot of different soups, stews, and chilis in several different flavors. Examples are chicken and rice, chicken noodle, crab, vegetable beef, cream of broccoli, cream of tomato, and cream of chicken. There is also a pretty good chili. I eat these a lot, but sometimes, I will make an egg burrito or wrap using the diet eggs. Other times, I will take my lean and green option at lunch time and eat out (sensibly of course.) And, you are also free to chose any of the shakes and bars or any other item on the menu for lunch.

Medifast Dinner Foods: As I alluded to, most people chose to eat their own prepared meal at dinner. This allows them to sit down to a meal with their family. This is not a requirement though. You can have this meal anytime that you want. I know some folks that eat their larger meal at breakfast or lunch and then chose one of the smaller diet meals for dinner.

A Medifast Diet Food List - Examples of What You'll Eat on This Diet

Want to see the entire Medifast diet food and product list? Visit Lindsey's Medifast Review Website. You'll find a full meal list, videos, tips, coupons information, and products related to success on this diet. She also offers a free weight loss ebook at http://easiest-diet.com/