The Joy of Seeds

Resisting the urge to snack – or at least on something unhealthy – is one of the difficulties many dieters face. Finding alternative, healthy snacks is usually high on the list of priorities. One option that certainly fits the bill, and are becoming increasingly popular, are small and unassuming seeds.

They’re packed with plenty of essential vitamins and minerals, are low in fat and a recommended low GI food. In fact, the GI diet suggests that seeds slowly release energy, which in turn helps to reduce hung pangs. Amongst the many seeds on offer, popular nibbles include sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, linseed and hemp.

All seeds are packed with fibre and low in sugar, but hemp has even more and linseed can have a laxative effect. The tiny sesame seeds, which are easier to eat if mixed in with another seed, have a high calcium content, and tasty green pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain valuable vitamin C, iron and zinc.

What I’ve found works well is to have a jar of mixed seeds handy, prominently placed in the kitchen or wherever you’d usually find yourself reaching for a biscuit. You can buy mixed packs of seeds from health food stores, or buy them individually and mix them yourself. Sometimes I throw in a few sultanas or dried fruit, such as papaya or pineapple, or even a few nuts.

Do be aware of some of the seeds available to buy, which have been roasted or fried, making them less-healthier than their unadulterated counterparts.

As well as nibbling on seeds when you feel an urge to snack, you can also use them in cooking. For example, try sprinkling a handful of seeds onto salads, into low-fat yogurt, on your cereal in the morning or even chuck a few into a stir-fry. They may be tiny in size, but seeds really are healthy and very versatile!

By Rachel Newcombe

A year-long US study that compared the results of four popular diets with overweight pre-menopausal women revealed a clear “winner”, but didn’t really inspire confidence in terms of actual number of pounds lost.

The women involved in the study had a BMI (body mass index) of 27-40, which ranges from overweight to obese. The diets followed and compared were Atkins, the Zone, Ornish, and LEARN. Statistically speaking, the Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets yielded virtually the same results, ranging from approximately 3.5 pounds to 5.7 pounds over the course of the year. The Atkins diet, however, yielded the largest weight loss in numbers–10.36 pounds.

Just over 10 pounds over the course of a year, however, falls short of what most overweight and particularly obese women are striving towards. Nevertheless, considering that of the four diet plans, Atkins has the lowest carbohydrate intake, we might conclude that lowering carbohydrates is the most ideal method for losing weight.

Other studies reveal that a person’s particular insulin response, whether they are high secretors or low secretors, can at least partially determine the type of diet that is most effective. The most impressive findings were for high insulin secretors, who were found to lose a significant amount of weight on a low glycemic diet plan. They didn’t fare as well on a low-fat diet.

A blood test will determine whether you are a high or low secretor, but there is a generalized rule of thumb that involves eyeballing body shape type. Generally, pear-shaped people (people who tend to gain weight first on the bottom and hips before they gain weight on the arms and waist) are low secretors; while high secretors generally sport an “apple” shape–they tend to gain weight first on their waist and upper body.

The Atkins diet, like many popular diet plans, has received a mixed bag of kudos and criticisms. While most studies and experts agree that lowering our intake of simple carbohydrates is beneficial, it’s the high fat and high protein elements of the Atkins diet that invites controversy. Some have recommended that this diet plan shouldn’t be followed for more than six months, for example, and in fact doesn’t have as successful results beyond the six-month point.

While it may be comforting to follow a specific diet plan, such as Atkins or the Zone, it may be worthwhile to read up on a number of different diet plans and pull out some of the better ideas from each. Of course, experimenting with different plans makes sense as well, simply because it is growing increasingly clear that there is no miracle diet that works for everyone, in spite of what many marketers will have you believe!

The Mediterranean Diet

One of the secrets to the heart-healthy and popular Mediterranean Diet is the use of olive oil in cooking and over salads.

Americans consider the Mediterranean Diet somewhat of a paradox–even though the traditional diet of many people living in the Mediterranean Basin is rather high in fat consumption, the incidence of heart disease and obesity is lower. This is thought to be due to the Mediterranean diet’s emphasis on monounsaturated fats as opposed to saturated animal fat, as well as high fiber consumption.

The main components of the Mediterranean Diet are:

• the use of olive oil in cooking and salads
• the consumption of large amounts of plant foods and fruits
• fruits as the main dessert
• yogurt and cheese
• red wine
• low consumption of red meat
• fish and poultry
• high consumption of legumes and unrefined cereals

This is not a fad diet. Instead, it is what we like to think of as a “food lifestyle”.

In summary, if you would like to follow a food plan that mimics the Mediterranean diet, you’ll be cutting out or cutting down on foods like margarine and hydrogenated oils, coconut oils, palm oils, red meat, overly processed foods, and simple carbohydrates; and you’ll be focusing on the use of olive oil in cooking, fish and poultry, fruits (especially oranges), vegetables, legumes, yogurts, olives, and feta cheese. Get the large majority of your daily protein from fish and legumes. Drinking wine in moderation is good, but only with meals.

Italian Salad

People who follow the Mediterranean Diet often love it because they don’t have to heavily restrict their consumption of food in general–instead, they change their focus to certain foods that actually do taste great! As with any diet plan, it’s most effective with regular exercise.