According to at least one popular diet web site, millions of dieters around the world may be using the wrong oil on their salads, or taking the wrong omega-3 dietary supplement pill.

For years, millions of people have been pouring flax seed oil over their salads, adding it to recipes and menus, and taking big capsules of it on a daily basis. The idea was to get something called EPA, DHA, and GLA from the essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids it contains. The problem is that to get GLA, EPA and DHA from flax oil, you need a special digestive enzyme. And, guess what? The news from Level1Diet.com is that only young, healthy people make enough of the enzyme to do the conversion from flax oil into these special nutrients that people are looking for.

What are all these initials and why do people want them? EPA, DHA and GLA are called essential fatty acids because your body can't make them by itself. You must eat foods (or take supplements) from outside sources containing either Lenoleic Acid (LA) or Alpha Lenolenic Acid (LNA). Flax seed oil contains both of these.

• GLA: Gamma Linolenic Acid
• EPA: Eicosapentaenoic Acid
• DHA: Docosahexaenoic Acid

And, if you can properly digest these essential fats, then you get two wonderful health boosters for your body called EG1 and EG3 (prostaglandin series-1 and series-3). These are terrific aids in fighting inflammation. And, when you reduce inflammation, you help your body prevent major diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and many more.

What if you can't digest the flax seed oil? Well, you will end up making too much of something called EG2 (prostaglandin series-2). As you might guess, this actually INCREASES your levels of inflammation, and therefore increases your risk for all the major diseases associated with inflammation -- and that's a big list of diseases, as scientists are reporting these days. The Level1Diet.com site lists dozens of these associated diseases, adding up to possibly 73% of all the deaths each year in the U.S.

So, for years people have been buying flax oil to get these vital nutrients. And all this time they may have actually been making matters worse. Or, at least many people have not been improving their health, despite their efforts.

Here is the break down -- The issue is that the Linoleic Acid flax seed oil contains has to be converted into Gamma Linolenic Acid using Delta-6 Desaturase D6D enzyme. And D6D is made inoperative by high levels of insulin (duh), alcohol, pollutants, and high levels of Omega-6 Fatty acids from vegetable oils and fried foods, trans-fatty acids, etc. Also, D6D becomes less available anyway as we age, and there is evidently a genetic mutation that makes people into diabetics (by family groups of course) that is basically simply a mutation that makes people not as capable of making D6D as normal people. It is felt that this mutation is probably the true cause of the familial component in the genesis of type-2 diabetes, and naturally likely of most inflammatory disease and metabolic syndrome.

A simple digestive enzyme deficiency, which is possibly inherited among up to 40-50% of people or sometimes even more in some regions (apparently about 90% of the Pima Indians in Arizona, for example). Estimates vary, but the inability to use D6D is very common. So, a simple digestive enzyme can be a major cause involved in many of our worst diseases. Who'd have thought it?

OMEGA-3 Alpha-Linolenic Acid LNA (part of flax oil) + D6D -> ... -> Eicosapentaenoic Acid EPA -> Series-3 Prostaglandins [inflammation fighters

OMEGA-6 Linoleic Acid LA (in many vegetable oils, incl. flax oil) + D6D -> ... -> Gamma Lenolenic Acid GLA -> ... -> Dihomogamma Linolenic Acid DGLA -> Series-1 Prostaglandins [inflammation fighters

NOTE that D6D is required to generate both of these this way, from vegetable oils, and it is often not available for diabetes and many pre-diabetics or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistant folks.

Incidentally, if you eat the wrong stuff and D6D stops working, then you get Arachidonic Acid (AA), which leads to making Series-2 Prostaglandins... those are the bad guys involved in most inflammatory disease states.

Everybody affected by most of the major types of disease in the U.S. usually wants to boost Series-1 and 3 Prostaglandins, and lessen Series-2. We're manipulating our diet to get that to happen. That's most of our strategy. There's more, i.e. burning more with exercise, eating less etc.

SOLUTION?

The idea is to make an end run around the missing or not-working D6D issue. Fish oils give you EPA and DHA with needing to be converted by D6D. Borage oil gives you GLA with using D6D. So the answer is simply to add them into your diet.

Take Borage Oil (GLA), which gives you GLA without needing D6D (best source). Recommended daily dose is about 300mg of GLA from one 1,200mg oil capsule for most normal sized people - up to twice that for very large people.

Take Fish Oil, which gives you EPA without needing D6D (best source). Recommended dose is about 2.4 grams a day of the total EPA and DHA in the oil you are using. That usually means about 3-4 pharmaceutical grade capsules, or up to 10 normal standard health store grade capsules. Both these oils together will get you more of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin series-1 and series-3 molecules. And you don't get as much of the pro-inflammatory series-2 prostaglandins that would come from not being able to convert flax seed's omega-6 fatty acids into DGLA and therefore ending up with too much arachidonic acid -- whenever you're insulin resistant, inflamed or for some other reason unable to produce or use enough delta-6 desaturase D6D enzyme.

Thomas Bond is the founder of the Level1Diet.com anti-inflammation health program. He is the creator of the unique Food Guide Football(tm), a replacement for the Food Guide Pyramid. The Food Guide Football features fats at one small end of the football, sugars at the other end, vegetable proteins like beans, peas and nuts in one vertical stripe around one end, and animal proteins like fish, chicken, turkey and lean beef, as the other stripe around the other end, with the large middle of the football representing fruits and vegetables. The Food Guide Football represents a low fat, low simple carbohydrate, moderate protein and high complex carbohydrate diet formula. Specific foods and supplements are recommended to achieve and maintain a low inflammatory state of health.

If all of that complex chemistry stuff is confusing, just take Level1Diet.com's word for it. A capsule or two of flax seed oil probably won't hurt you, and it may help you. However fish oil and borage oil should ABSOLUTELY HELP YOU. Take them instead.

For more information, contact:

www.Level1Diet.com
Thomas Bond
561-627-6221
ceo@level1diet.com

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Before you run out and stock up on chocolate bars, read the whole article please. Yes! Yes! Yes! There really ARE health benefits of chocolate, and it CAN be a part of a weight loss program. There are a few things to know first.

First we talk about the boring stuff...free radicals, antioxidants, and flavonoids:

Free radicals: These little rascals, I mean radicals, are unstable atoms or groups of atoms that occur in the body as a result of everyday atomic processes in reaction to such intrusive things as pollution, cigarette smoke, and sunlight. They are a natural part of the process of being alive, but they can damage cells, and research seems to implicate them, at least to some extent, in the growth of cancer, cardiovascular disease, strokes, cataracts, and other problems related to age.

Antioxidants: The free radicals are unstable because they have lost an electron, and they begin to steal electrons from other atoms and molecules within the body. This creates more free radicals and more damage, even to the DNA itself. Antioxidants have an extra electron to spare and lend it to the free radicals, thereby stopping their destructive rampage. The antioxidants will also turn the free radical into a waste product, allowing it to be flushed (no pun intended) from the body. There are many antioxidants, but some of the more common sources are vitamins C & E. They are also available in many fruits and vegetables.

Flavonoids: Android, asteroid? No relation. Flavonoids are pretty common throughout nature, and they are anti- a lot of bad health things. As you may have guessed, they are also antioxidants. They are found in all kinds of stuff, such as red wine, tea, and beer...AND...Chocolate! Oh yeah! You can also eat the fruits and veggies mentioned above and get them, but chocolate's more fun, right?

NOW THE BAD NEWS ABOUT CHOCOLATE

Not all chocolate is created equal...at least in the finished product. The more processing that is involved generally removes more of the flavonoids. Therefore, dark chocolate probably contains the most flavonoids and provides the most antioxidant qualities.

Unfortunately, chocolate by itself doesn't taste too good, so to make it palatable, fats and sugars are added. Those are the really bad things about chocolate, particularly if you are on a diet or in some other type of weight loss program

CHOCOLATE AND WEIGHT LOSS

As you can imagine, there is not a lot you can do about the ingredients added to chocolate. These ingredients are, for the most part, exactly the sort of things you need to avoid in your diet or on your weight loss program. However, regularly adding reasonable amounts of chocolate products to your diet can help you attain your weight loss goals in indirect ways.

Occasional chocolate treats are not of any great importance if you are doing everything else right. One candy bar or chocolate chip cookie is not going to destroy a week's worth of adherence to your weight loss program. In fact, knowing that you can allow yourself a treat or reward for being good can help you get over some of the tough parts. This is particularly true if you have the sort of self control to keep portion sizes reasonable and spaced at sensible intervals.

You can also be proactive and head off the carb cravings that sometimes push you over the edge by drinking some low-carb chocolate milk for example. You won't get as much of the benefits from the flavonoids, but satisfying yourself in advance with the taste and texture of the drink, or other snack, may help you retain control.

One of the major reasons diets and other weight loss programs fail is because people feel deprived. It is better to commit the occasional small dietary sin than to give up completely. Integrating chocolate and other foods you enjoy in controlled-portion servings can help you make your weight loss plan a success.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. You can find his blog on health and fitness at http://nodiet4me.blogspot.com Find a weight loss program that lets you eat chocolate at http://diet.free-business-hosting.com

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As we all know by now, Weight Watchers is based on a points system and that point system basically runs the diet and everything in the diet is based on this point system. There are a few variations of the POINTS system but there isn?t much of a difference at all. The main differences are based on how the dieter looks at fiber and how much fiber they want to eat. If the dieter uses fiber as a ?point enhancer?(reducer) then they would substitute the 50 pt. value in the Weight Watchers Formula for a 70 pt. base value. Other variations are that the POINTSfinder manual calculator that is handed out in Weight Watcher meetings does not reach a points value of 2 until after 70 calories have been reached, rather than 50 as the formula states. This makes the point values 20 pts. higher than first thought.

As time has progressed, so has the Weight Watchers diet. Recently the diet has started to take into consideration how much people want to exercise and how that affects the point system in a whole new way. Certain exercises are given certain negative point values to offset eating some foods that might not have been allowed in earlier variations of the diet.

The Core Plan

When the Atkins Diet and the South Beach diet became more and more popular, Weight Watchers had to come up with a different variation to compete with these diets to be able to keep their dieters happy and feeling like they were still using a diet that was modern and up to day. So, the Core Plan was invented to mirror the Atkins and South Beach diets respectively. In essence, the Core Plan eliminates certain foods all together and focuses on ?core? foods that they should eat until satisfied but not full. These core foods are basically deemed healthy foods from all food groups. Still staying with the points system, dieters are allowed 35 pts. a week to eat non-core foods.

The Flex Plan

This is yet another variation that was touched on above that includes exercise into the Weight Watchers equation. A set number of points are given for a given day based on the dieters current weight. Then, the number of points could be increased when the dieter would exercise. This is a reference to the clever title ?flex? which allows the dieter more points that are not based on their weight that they could use each week, but are not required to use.

TurnAround

This program was adopted in late 2004 and incorporates all the above plans into one big plan, and was created to help a person maintain a healthy lifestyle beyond just eating foods with points assessed to them. The program includes healthy foods of course, but also 8 Good Healthy Guidelines, activities, and support of other Weight Watcher members. This well balanced plan is supposed to help a dieter maintain their weight through a lifetime maintenance plan.

Weight Watchers is a diet that is tried and proven by millions of people around the world. Find more info and blog entries about this time-tested diet and other great diets here at http://www.eweightlossblog.com, or you can find great health tips and diet tips here at http://www.ihealthblog.com

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A detox diet plan is not aimed at weight loss. It aims to cleanse and revitalize the body by combining natural organic foods, herbs and simple exercises to purge the body of accumulated toxins. Over time, consumption of processed foods, non-vegetarian foods, and sugars leads to clogging of the inner walls of the colon with waste matter. This results in overloading of internal cleansing organs like liver and kidneys. They become sluggish, allowing the toxins and bacteria to re-enter the circulatory system instead of total elimination through feces, urine or sweat. These toxins result in fatigue, infections of skin and other organs, migraines, flatulence, heartburns, constipation and many other serious diseases. A regular detox diet plan can rid the body of the accumulated toxins and lead to an active disease-free life.

General Detox Diet
This diet is not for diabetics, low blood pressure patients, anorexic people or teenagers, as it does not provide sufficient fuel for their physical activities. It can be a weeklong diet of liquids, organic raw fruits and vegetables to cleanse the system. Gradually re-introduce other foods but refrain from consuming non-vegetarian and processed foods. Certain natural herbs too can be used.

24-Hour Detox Diet Plan
This is a simple and quick way to revitalize your system, after a binge or over indulgence.

Morning
One glass of pomegranate juice (most powerful natural anti-oxidant) with a few almonds (source of oil and proteins)

Mid Morning Snack
One bowl of brown rice (source of vitamins and minerals in carbohydrate and some tofu (protein).

Lunch
One glass pomegranate juice and big helping of mixed green salad (provides bulk and essential nutrients) drizzled with a tsp of olive oil or vinegar.

Mid-day Snack
One-glass of pomegranate juice and a handful of almonds.

Dinner
One glass of pomegranate juice and a large bowl of brown rice.

Drink at least 8 ? 10 glasses of water daily. This detox diet will provide 1200 calories and wholesome nutrition to rid your body of toxins within 24 hours. It may help in losing about 600 grams of body weight and, if followed regularly once a week, will keep your body healthy and active.

Jason writes about various topics, health and fitness being one of his main focuses. Detox diets are all the rage these days, so Jason spends much of his time writing about various detox diet plans.

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There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan to lose weight and get healthier. But, rather than examine diet plans or the details of how and why low-carb diets work, here are some useful tips that can be used in any diet plan -- and, really, in any sensible approach to eating.

Tip 1: Drink 8 to 10 Glasses of Water Every Day

You've heard this one over and over. But, it isn't easy and too few people actually do it. Your body needs water to keep your system clean, to process food, to keep your skin in good shape and more. Sure, it'll use any liquid, but pure water works best. But - there's no taste, at least with pure water. This can be difficult since we're conditioned to want sweetness and flavors. But, it gets easier the more you do it. It's a matter of re-conditioning your taste buds, and yourself. Once started, you'll begin to crave water.

Drink a glass, or even two, as soon as you wake up. Especially in the beginning, those are the easy two. And they'll help you remember.

If you can't stand the taste of water, try a purifying pitcher or filter, or add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water - but no sugar or sweetener. Check out the flavored waters, too. Just keep an eye out for additives.

Tip 2: Eat Breakfast

Don't skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning - do it! Breakfast is vitally important to good health and weight control. According to Dr. Barbara Rolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again.

Eating breakfast is good for overall weight loss and it helps you stay on track with your diet the rest of the day. Skip breakfast and you're more likely to binge.

Short on time? Keep hard-boiled eggs and high-fiber, low starch fruit in the fridge. If you plan to eat fruit during the day, breakfast is a perfect time to do it.

Tip 3: Eat 3 Meals and 2 Snacks Every Day

This could be a hard adjustment to make. Hey, you're busy! You already have a full-plate. When are you going to eat more?

But, exactly like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism, so will eating more often. This also helps you curb bad-carb intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur regularly throughout the day.

Tips 4: Avoid White Foods

This is an easy way to remember what not to eat. If it's made from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn - just say no. Yes, those rice cakes are actually an unhealthy high-carb snack.

Look for color. Buy broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers, green beans and peas, brown rice (in moderation), leafy greens like kale and spinach, apples, melons, oranges and grapes.

Not only colorful, they're also high in fiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eating colorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet variety as well as give you added health benefits. Eat your veggies.

Tip 5: Prepare Your Own Food

While more restaurants offer so-called low-carb menu items, many of them are not ideal low-carb fare. There are many recipes for quick and easy meals that you can prepare yourself at home. Do this as often as possible.

Cooking your own foods, you know exactly what the contents are and you'll be able to better control hidden sugar and other processed junk.

This tip saves you money too. Even if you end up going to the grocery store more often, you'll save versus eating out.

Tip 6: Eat Some Protein At Every Meal And With The Snacks

In addition to everything that's been discussed before, eating protein helps you burn more calories. Jeff Hample, Ph.D., R.D., a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association says that, Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so you burn more calories getting rid of them.

Beautiful - eat a protein rich snack and lose weight. How about a few slices of turkey or ham or some string cheese?

Eating protein also helps you feel full so you're less likely to crave unhealthy snacks.

Tip 7: Invest In Good Cookbooks

Can?t figure out what to eat? Need variety? Get a cookbook. Granted, not all recipes in a cookbook are low-carb, but you'll be surprised at the number of low-carb and low-carb friendly recipes you can find in your standard Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Cookbooks are great reference tools that contain handy tips on purchasing cuts of meat and preparing meats, fruits and vegetables in new and exciting ways.

Plus, new low-carb cookbooks are hitting the shelves all the time. So be sure to take advantage of these resources to try something new, different and delicious.

So that's the seven tips, but here's an extra. Stay out of the center of the supermarket. It'll be easier to stick with your low-carb lifestyle if you learn this common thread in most grocery store designs: the healthy foods are on the perimeter aisles.

Think about it, when you go into the grocery all the healthy stuff, fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products, tend to be around the stores walls. You only rarely need to enter the center aisle areas if it's a store that keeps butter and cheese in the center near the frozen foods. Usually all of the foods that you need for your low carb diet can be found on the perimeter of the grocery store.

Train yourself to start on one end of the outer aisle and work your way around. It will be much easier to avoid carb cravings and fill your basket with healthy items if you do so.

Just these few tips can make a significant difference in how successful you can be with your diet. Use them as part of your approach to dieting and a healthier lifestyle. You'll love your new self.

Copyright 2005 Richard Keir

Richard writes on a variety of health and e-business subjects. http://www.Carb.Werkz.org has recipes, articles, news and diet resources. For more tips, low-carb diet information, and books and manuals vist http://www.Carb.Werkz.org

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Although no one is sure what causes it, there are possible risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome. Most of them are unavoidable. Women are more likely to develop IBS than men and symptoms seem to show up more often in people between the ages of 16 and 40 than at other times. But, anyone can get IBS and a lot of people do. It is a very common syndrome.

You may be able to avoid some of the possible risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome. Diet plans that include more fiber and less fat may prevent flare ups. Keeping a food and symptoms diary can help you identify food sensitivities. Milk and dairy products are a problem for many people, but not for all. It is important when using irritable bowel syndrome diet plans to include a multi-vitamin, a calcium supplement and any other nutrients that may be excluded by following a strict diet. Water is important to everyone, but those who suffer from IBS should be sure to get at least 64 ounces or eight 8 ounce glasses per day of plain water. Those who have IBS with diarrhea need the water to replace lost fluids and avoid dehydration. IBS with constipation may be relieved by increasing water intake.

Other possible risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome include stress and emotional issues. While stress and anxiety may not cause IBS, most people who suffer from IBS have stress management problems. Leading a fast paced lifestyle, eating fast food, eating on the run, etc...All can lead to stomach upset. Learning stress management techniques is often recommended for those who suffer from IBS. Those who follow diet plans for irritable bowel syndrome should remember to eat slowly, chew thoroughly and eat in a relaxed environment, not at the desk.

Eating large meals is another of the possible risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome. Diet plans should be tailored to several small meals per day, rather than two or three large meals per day. Eating every couple of hours, rather than letting six or seven hours pass between meals is healthy for many reasons and may help relieve or prevent symptoms of IBS.

Taking certain medications may be possible risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome. Antibiotics and drugs containing sorbitol, a sugar substitute, have been linked to IBS in scientific studies. Anti-depressants, which are sometimes used to treat IBS, have been linked to the syndrome, as well. There are many anti-depressants on the market and some are more likely to trigger symptoms than others. It is important to tell your doctor what medications you are taking, even if they seem unrelated to your symptoms.

When designing unique irritable bowel syndrome diet plans, you may want to remember that farm animals (cows, pigs and chickens) are typically fed antibiotics. Too much meat in the diet could cause problems. Fish is a better choice than beef or pork. Beans and other legumes are also excellent sources of protein and a serving of spinach supplies as much iron as a steak. While you may be unable to avoid all of the possible risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome, diet plans that follow these suggestions will certainly reduce your chances of developing IBS or reduce your symptoms if you already have it.

For more information about irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems, visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com

Patsy Hamilton has more than twenty years experience as a healthcare professional and currently writes informational articles for the Digestive Disorders Guide. Read more at http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com

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Overweight can cause a lot of troubles to one personally alongside other health related issues. Studies have shown that overweight invariably leads to health issues such as hypertension, cardiac troubles, sleep apnea and diabetes. Further, being obese could hamper one?s freedom to move, run, or sit comfortably in a standard chair. The only way out of this mess is to shed those extra pounds around your waist by embracing some healthy weight loss diet plan and follow it religiously. In the following paragraphs, you?ll see few important tips that could help one effectively reduce his/her weight to healthier proportions.

Every healthy weight loss diet plan proposed by dieticians and nutritionists starts with a simple suggestion - reduce the food intake to the optimum amount. But it is the most difficult of the things to implement and it will take a lot of mental effort from your side to tune your mind to say NO to victuals.

Reducing the food all in a sudden could adversely affect one?s health. Hence reduction in food intake also means adopting a healthier and balanced diet schedule. As a rule of thumb, embrace a healthy weight loss diet plan that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains, alongside drinking lots of water, at least 8-10 glasses a day. It would be prudent to chart a healthy weight loss diet plan for oneself than following text book quick weight loss programs such as Mediterranean Diet, Hollywood diet, lemonade diet or slim fast diet.

And finally, backup your efforts with a strict fitness regime to burn away those extra calories from the body. Make it a practice to spend 30 min in the gym daily. A short stroll in the garden or in the street in the evening is also is advisable.

To conclude, whichever healthy weight loss diet plan you choose, it will be hard work overall ? both physical and mental ? to shed those extra kilos you have gained over the years by hard eating. But the end result is worth all the efforts put in. And that will be a test of your mental resolve as well.

We have made the most comprehensive research on diets. Find the results only on the Quick weight loss programs guide. Find all about diets on http://www.911dietplans.com

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