Which is best?

After a two year exhaustive study published findings in the New England Journal of Medicine the low carb diet edged out both the Mediterranean and low fat diets for healthy weight loss. Apparently, low carb diet is no longer classified as a fad diet with the release of the NEJM findings. According the study it is healthy and appears to now take its place among fully accepted and documented weight loss programs.

In the study there were health markers that were assessed along with weight loss, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and markers for inflammation. Low-carb dieters were no worse off than low-fat dieters at any point in the two year study. In fact in most cases they were better off.

One area that caught people off guard were cholesterol levels. The low carb dieters improved their cholesterol profiles better than the other two, critics had predicted the opposite. But the low-carb approach seemed to trigger the most improvement in several cholesterol measures, including the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, the “good” cholesterol. For example, someone with total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50 would have a ratio of 4 to 1. The optimum ratio is 3.5 to 1, according to the American Heart Association.

What sets this study apart are two things, length and commitment. It lasted two full years which is much longer than most and over 85% of the participants stuck with the program which is very impressive.

Study participants on the low carb diet experienced the sharpest most rapid weight loss because the low carb diet is very satiating and you just don’t feel like eating a lot.

The study also recommended that your protein and fat come from non animal sources like nuts, seeds, and soy. You can have some chicken and fish but what is definitely off the menu is bacon cheeseburger.

Low Carb Dieters may also be interested in the following articles:

Kicking Carb Cravings
Carbs Burn Fat
Carb Clean-Out Plan

We have also created a carb database to help low carb dieters easily make healthy food choices.

In a study published in Current Biology scientist have shown that for guy crickets a diet with an 8 to 1 ratio of carbs to proteins were optimum for maximum sexual activity. Within the female cricket community a ratio of 1 to 1 carbs/proteins heightened fertility, however, this diet did lead shortened lifespans for the lady crickets.

So can we apply the cricket study results to people?

Probably not…

Yet researchers agree that humans do have gender-specific nutritional needs as well and offer the following advice when picking a diet.

• Look closely at the individual
• Gender
• Reproductive stage in life

Recently a study has found that green tea improves the inner wall of lining of the circulatory system. Specifically, green tea appears to improve how the endothelial cells that line the interior of our circulatory system work.

Researchers at the Athens Medical School (Greece) discovered that after consuming green teat he brachial artery had dilated. With dilation there is an increase in blood flow, and increased blood flow is a very good thing for your cardiovascular health.

Green tea is an antioxidant powerhouse with levels a 100 times of vitamin C and 25 times that of vitamin E. Catechins appear to be the most effective antioxidants in the tea. Recent research is building in support of green tea’s ability to reverse damage to cells. If this is the case what other positive health effects does green tea have?

Sounds like a good reason to add green tea to your diet.

These foods specifically help support nitric oxide production which in turn leads to a much healthier cardio profile.

Egg Whites If eating the yolk does not appeal to you, instead, eat only the protein-rich whites. Almost all restaurants offer a variety of egg-white omelets that are not only tasty, they are heart healthy.

One of the primary nutritional advantages of egg whites is they are a good source of nitric oxide boosting protein.

Garlic When garlic is crushed or sliced it releases a sulfurous compound called allicin, which gives it not only its pungent odor but also is curative abilities, because it is powerful antioxidant.

Green Tea Green tea contains a major antioxidant called EGGG (epigallocatechin gallate), which appears to kill cancer cells without harming healthy ones. EGGG as an antioxidant combats oxidative stress and in so doing, protects your endothelial cells from invading molecules.

Flaxseed Flaxseed can be a very important player in maintaining cardiovascular health. Its seeds can be left whole and shewed, or make into meal or an oil. Whatever form you prefer it will do wonders for your cardiovascular health.

One of the best antioxidant supplements for your nutritional arsenal. Flaxseed oil is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber. It has a startling 53 grams of omega-3 per 3.5 ounces fo the oil,compared to 11 grams in an equal amount of canola oil.

Soy A growing number of nutritionists and scientists are finding themselves persuaded by the mounting evidence supporting a role for soy in a heart-healthy diet. Researchers at the University of Milano in Italy wrote, ” The soybean diet is the most potent dietary tool for hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels).” In the New England Journal of Medicine scientist reported that when eating an average of 47 grams of soy protein a day rather than animal protein, total cholesterol levels dipped 9.3 percent, LDL cholesterol declined 12.9 percent, and triglycerides fell 10.5 percent.

Dark Chocolate The benefits of chocolate and cocoa powder rest with substances called polyphenols, which are antioxidants that can minimize free radical damage and preserve nitric oxide.

Pennsylvania State University researchers pointed out in their published paper, dark chocolate can increase your antioxidant intake, but it is only one means of doing so. Because of the high caloric content it should be a small part of an overall healthy diet.

The biggest drawback to dark chocolate is that is contains tons of calories. Warning - consume chocolate only in moderation.

Red Wine Researchers have been impressed by large epidemiological studies showing that people who drank a glass or two of wine a day had a greater life expectancy, and were less likely to develop heart disease.

Scientists began studying the specific ingredients of wine under the microscope. They found that red wine in particular is rich in polyphenols - antioxidants that interfere with platelet aggregation and also appear to protect nitric oxide and markedly stimulate nitric oxide production.

Wine and other types of alcohol can also increase the levels of HDL cholesterol in the blood and may interfere with the inflammatory processes that can contribute to heart disease.

Grape Juice If you are not into red wine there appears to be another simple way to reap many of is benefits another way - purple grape juice. Grape juice contains the same polyphenols that are found in red wine; it just has not been fermented.

Blueberries If you are looking for a potent source of antioxidants, you can’t do much better than blueberries. Blueberries are believed to function by preserving the bioavailability of nitric oxide.

The U.S Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition research Center on Aging at Tufts University, blueberries were ranked as the best source of antioxidant activity and nitric oxide protection when compared to forty other fruits and vegetables - better than strawberries, better than kale, better than garlic, spinach, and every other food that was tested. They are also a good source of fiber. Blueberries contain plenty of pectin, which may be best known as a cholesterol-lowering fiber found in apples, most other fruits and vegetables.

Pomegranate Juice Studies out of Israel have shown that pomegranate juice may be vying to be the richest known source of natural antioxidants - possessing more healthful polyphenols than red wine and green tea. The juice from pomegranates can not only protect against increases in cholesterol levels, but it can also actually lower cholesterol counts. In animal studies, pomegranate juice effectively reduced the severity of atherosclerosis.