Diets & Dieting

What is a keto diet? “Keto” has been the diet buzzword for the past five years or so, and with good reason – a ketogenic diet delivers. Most people who “go keto” lose weight while experiencing increased energy and reduced hunger.

You have embraced healthy fats like butter and coconut oil, and adapted a fresh, real food approach to fueling your body. As a result you’ve shed pounds without feeling deprived, your energy levels have soared, and your cravings have been suppressed. But… you still feel slightly uncomfortable about telling your doctor the good news. Dietitian Cassie offers her top ten tips in sharing your new lifestyle with your doctor.

Ten years. It's been ten crazy, fantastic, sometimes frustrating years that I've tried to live the low-carb lifestyle. What is has not been, is perfect. Or rather, I haven't been perfect, and I'm okay with that.

Losing weight is a complex project. There are so many variables to consider when pursuing a thinner you. Age, metabolism, environment, current health status - all these things play a role in our venture to obtain better health and a sleek, athletic form.

Diabetes Health recently published an article by diabetes expert Hope Warshaw that has stirred up quite a hornet's nest in the low carb community. In her piece titled Type 2 Diabetes: From Old Dogma to New Realities, Warshaw discusses what she believes are basically old wives' tales about diabetes care, while recommending a fantastic new treatment. The problem here? Her ideas are not new, fantastic or even scientific. And that old wives' tale, or "old dogma" as she likes to phrase it, happens to be what science has proven to work for those wishing to sustain healthy blood sugar levels. What is the old dogma you ask? A low carbohydrate diet.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". - Benjamin Franklin Here we are at the beginning of a new year once again. Hordes of people are evaluating their lives and resolving to make changes. For many this will include health related resolutions. Some will try to stop smoking. Some will try to drink less. Others will resolve to remove unwanted stress from their lives. There will be those that promise to actually use that treadmill or elliptical that currently has about 6 shirts, two pairs of jeans and a carelessly flung sock or two hanging from it.

Now I think I've heard it all about why overweight and obese Americans can't seem to lose weight. It's their muscle's fault! This Newsday article points to a new study that found the muscles of obese people have been altered genetically to essentially gather fat even after weight loss.

Last time, we started talking about the history of diets and dieting. I pointed out that although the word diet actually refers to those things that are customarily eaten, these days we usually mean an attempt to lose weight.

With this article, I'm starting a series of columns that look at the history of diets and dieting - the plans and the personalities behind the plans. We are all so used to the idea of diets, that it is hard to believe there was ever a time when the "D word" wasn't on everyone's lips from morning to night.