The Diet of L.O.V.E.

L.O.V.E. Diet Program

A Holistic Approach!

My L.O.V.E. Diet is a program with a unique wholesome approach to the big epidemic that plagues our society--obesity. In this work I attempt to bring and combine together the Mind-Body-Soul experience with the scientifically proven aspects of the DASH diet (see page 131) with an emphasis on a “healthier” Mediterranean diet. This Healthier and wholesome combination of the fruits, vegetable with moderation in animal protein has been taught by the prominent Jewish scholar, philosopher and physician, the Maimonides, centuries ago. This diet also encompasses several other well balanced diets.

A Mind-Body-Spirit Experience

It is essential, crucial, critical, required, necessary, logical, scientific and mandatory that you approach any goal that you set for yourself in life as a Mind-Body-Spirit experience. After all, you are a combination of these three interconnected, dependent and inseparable components. It is impossible to concentrate on one component and let go of the others. It is absolutely impossible, and attempts to do this will fail. It is a significant point that needs to be addressed, learned and understood by every person who wishes to improve his/her life including dieting.

Remember, your body is a sacred Temple. Your body is the temple of GOD to be looked after. Within this temple rests your inner soul, the divine extension of the infinite G-D. Doesn’t that beautiful inner soul desire and wish a nourished and healthy place to rest in, in order to manifest its powers?

A Simple Approach!

Simple Rules For Getting Well and Staying Well!

The main secrets for attaining a healthy life are as follows:

You should be thankful for what you have. Always bless the lives of others as well as yourself. Learn to forgive and let go of negative feelings, so you can get on with your life. This will allow you to be less stressed. Always be a peacemaker, and don't gossip. Meditate everyday, wherever, whenever you can. Increase your daily physical activities and exercise if you can. Do not smoke or drink alcohol, and limit caffeine to moderate amount if at all. Sleep well, and get in touch with your inner soul, nourish it through spirituality. Be positive, and take care of your appearance. Remember you are a beautiful human being and find ways to accentuate your outer beauty. This will help to bring out your inner beauty. Keep yourself well groomed. If you are a lady, put on make-up for yourself. Put on make-up even if you are not going anyplace. It helps you to bring out your self-confidence. Being pretty is not always weight limited, but eat healthy. Add more fruits, herbs and vegetables, to your diet and don’t forget to spice it up.

Fad Diets: Think Before You Dive!

It is estimated that approximately 50 million Americans are currently on some form of diet to lose weight. Even though some succeed in losing the weight, greater percentages fail to maintain their weight loss and they regain the weight or even gain more weight. Obesity and being overweight in the United States has been on the rise and has become a major public health problem. By some estimates, more than 40% of Americans are considered overweight. This has led our society to search for an easy and effortless way to lose weight, kind of the "magic bullet" to help us lose weight quickly and effortlessly. But almost all these fad diets are full of empty promises and usually are not free of health dangers, not to mention the emotional impacts on our self-esteem and confidence!

Fad diets are a temporary and short-lived approach to weight loss that doesn’t work over the long haul. These diets promise results that they can’t deliver. Food choices are often not balanced and the caloric intakes are very restricted. These diets are like time bombs that can jeopardize your health at any time.

Most popular diets are those that promote low carbohydrate and high protein intakes and promise significant weight loss. These diets are typical low calorie diets in disguise, but with some potentially serious consequences.

Atkins Diet and Its Health Concerns

The health concerns of Atkins and other high protein fad diets are: increased rate of colon cancer, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased kidney function, increased formation of kidney stones, osteoporosis as well as many others.

These fad diets and programs, especially Atkins diet, emphasize an intake of large amounts of meat, fat, and dairy products that are loaded with cholesterol, saturated fat, and animal protein.

The American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association, and the American Kidney Fund have all published position papers warning people of the health hazards and various dangers associated with low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets. The health dangers of the Atkins diet are numerous. People who pursue these crazed and unbalanced diets are consequently at risk for deficiencies in vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities.

A clinical study last year showed that high-protein diets may cause permanent loss of kidney function in anyone with reduced kidney function. In addition, other studies in the past have shown a strong association between diets with a heavy intake of meat and a significant increase in the risk for colon cancer and osteoporosis. As for the calcium losses on high protein diets (i.e., Atkins diet), it can reach on average 50-60% above normal. These heavy losses of calcium can severely affect that part of our population at risk for osteoporosis and ultimately increase the rate of bone and hip fractures.

It is now evident from some studies that in the short term you can lose weight on the Atkins diet. In reality any diet can make you lose some weight early on. But what the Atkins diet proposes is the worst and most dangerous diet for the long term. Dieters following this fad will pay for this skewed and irresponsible diet with their health. This is the absolute worst diet you could imagine for the long-term. In my opinion, the Atkins diet is the most unbalanced and unhealthy diet plan out there. This diet can wreak havoc on your cardiovascular and skeletal system, not to mention the increased risk of certain cancers.

Proponents and promoters of the Atkins diet falsely claim that diets low in carbohydrate force the body to turn to other fuels for energy and that cutting out carbohydrate-containing foods will lead to weight loss. Therefore, they claim that due to the lack of carbohydrates, the body attempts to get energy from fats and proteins in the diet or from body fat itself.

It is a misconception that only carbohydrate-rich foods are the cause of obesity. Several clinical trials and large epidemiological studies on Asian and Mediterranean people have shown that people who consume a large amount of carbohydrates in the form of rice, noodles, and vegetables in general have lower body weights compared to Americans. This fact even holds true after they have immigrated to the United States. For example, Asian-Americans who eat large amounts of meat, dairy products, and carbohydrates are not as heavy as Americans in general.

Low-carbohydrate diets characteristically include cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and protein that exceed the recommended daily allowances and current dietary guidelines, and are certainly very low in fiber and other important dietary ingredients. Therefore, it is a fact that high-protein diets restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients for a healthy body and adequate nutrition. Similarly, vegetarians, who generally follow diets rich in carbohydrates, typically have significantly lower body weights than omnivores.