Diet-Related Diseases Which Can Affect Your Health

Many of us are thinking about living a healthier lifestyle by beginning a weight loss plan. And most of us probably already know that there are many good reasons to do so. But choosing the best diets for our eating habits, lifestyle and goals is just the first step in a long journey back to better health.

The truth is that many of us will fail before hardly just beginning on our diets. And that can be because of many things. Perhaps there was too much change going on at once, which can make things seem very overwhelming, and make our old eating habits look a lot easier than sticking with something new.

But when considering whether or not to drop a diet, we should also consider what we risk by doing so. Continuing with old habits may seem like less work, but in the long run, it can serve to shorten our lives. There are a host of diet-related diseases that can be avoided when we decide to make a change for the better.

Older Means Riskier

The older we get, the more likely we are to develop certain diseases related to diet. Some of the more common are high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis. High blood pressure can be the main cause of many other types of medical traumas, such as stroke and kidney failure. And so by watching the amount of sodium we consume, we can cut our risk of creating the perfect conditions for these 'offshoot' traumas to occur. Increasing our intake of calcium and losing weight are two other ways that high blood pressure can be avoided.

Diabetes has become a mainstay in our modern lifestyles where automation, which decreases our activity levels, meets a less healthful food supply. Over time, as the body is inundated with high amounts of processed carbohydrates, it becomes less able to handle this unnatural state. Eventually high sugar levels cause harm to the pancreas, which must deal with these sugars by storing them as fat.

Osteoporosis is what happens when the body's bones become brittle and prone to fracture. This loss of calcium can occur as the result of many causes. This disease affects both men and women, although gradual calcium loss occurs earlier for women than for men, accelerating after a woman begins menopause. An increase in calcium intake as well as exercise can help prevent bone loss. The one thing to understand about osteoporosis avoidance is that no amount of calcium intake will replace that already lost, making prevention the best and most important thing to do.

Unhealthy Diet Factors

Our modern diet is full of disease-causing elements. We may think that our busy lives demand food that has been preserved, pre-packaged or made in minutes. But it's this very perception that needs to change in order for a diet or exercise plan to be maintained over the long-term. There are many alternatives to the processed meat, preservatives and sugars we consume. One needs only conduct a little research online to discover the many options which are available

Of course, there are many other diet-related diseases which plague millions of American citizens. And many of these are a part of a cycle of stress and unhappiness as well. And so taking a look at our overall lives and seeing where positive changes can be made can contribute greatly to the success we achieve in our diet and weight loss plans.

Figuring out which plans are the best diets for you can be a challenge if you don't know where to begin or aren't mentally prepared to start a new plan. But The Diet Mindset can give you the insight you need to begin your journey to a healthier you.

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Meal Timing May Affect Weight Loss, Study Says

A new study conducted in Spain and published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests there is a correlation between when you eat and how successfully you lose weight. As it turns out, meal timing is almost as important as what's for dinner.

Background Information

There are a few relevant bits of information that research has already told us about meal timing and its effect on weight loss.

First, eating a meal soon after waking up helps to jump start your metabolism. By skipping breakfast, your metabolism is forced to start conserving calories instead of burning them.

Spreading your calories out throughout the day also increases your metabolic rate because you're forcing your metabolism to stay active. We know, for example, that eating 2, 300 calorie meals a few hours apart is far better than eating 1, 600 calorie meal in the same amount of time even if you end up eating the exact same things.

The Study

Marta Garaulet and Dr. Frank Scheer, who is the director of the medical chronobiolosy program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recorded the progress of two separate groups participating in a 20-week weight loss regiment. The first group, dubbed the "early eaters," ate lunch before 3 p.m. while the second group, dubbed the "late eaters," ate lunch after 3 p.m. (In Spain, it is common for lunch to be the largest meal of the day, comprising approximately 40% of their daily caloric intake.)

The Results

The researchers found that the first group, the "early eaters," lost 25% more weight than their counterparts in the "late eaters" group. The researchers did not notice a difference in weight loss based on when participants ate breakfast and dinner.

Controls

Garaluet and Dr. Scheer controlled for other factors that lead to weight loss like energy expenditure (exercise levels), what the participants ate, appetite hormones, and sleep patterns so there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Limitations

The nature of this study was observational, meaning it cannot imply causation, it can only show a correlation. To imply causation, the researchers would have to randomly assign participants to two or more groups and then change the independent variable accordingly.

Takeaway

The study mentioned several possible explanations for these results. First, you have a biological "clock" that regulates your internal organs. If you're eating a large meal later in the day when your metabolism is getting ready to slow down, those extra calories may stay with you longer than you'd like. Another possible explanation cited is that for whatever reason, participants in the "late eaters" group had a smaller breakfast or no breakfast more often than the "early eaters." The authors suggested that some people may be more genetically wired to eat later in the day, which could disrupt their internal timing.

The most important thing for you to do is to eat a large breakfast. You'll ultimately consume fewer calories throughout the day and your metabolism will work hard all day long to burn those calories.

If possible, avoid eating a large dinner, especially if you go to bed soon afterwards. Instead, try shifting your calories towards earlier meal times. For example, eat 100 extra calories for breakfast, lunch, and have a larger mid-afternoon snack than usual. Also, load up on fruits, vegetables, and lean meats at dinner. They're filling, easy for your metabolism to handle, and low-calorie options.

Eating at the right time is easy with this meal plan. You'll learn when to snack and how large your meals should be to keep your metabolism running strong all day long!

For more easy to understand information about nutrition, fitness, general well-being, and simple every day substitutions, visit http://www.delveintohealth.com/

Thanks for reading!

Nathaniel

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