I am going to say for the record that most diet plans are geared exclusively to losing weight but aren't focused at all for general health and well being.  They are usually food restrictive (like the "cabbage" diet or "cereal" diet) and are meant to help someone drop weight quickly but aren't meant to keep the weight off.

My favorite is watching diet infomercials talk about how great their pill or diet plan is but then have a long disclaimer that says it works if combined with a proper diet and regular exercise.  Ummmm...okay...sounds like common sense to me, doesn't it?

The last big diet craze happened roughly 10 years ago when Dr. Atkins advocated his low-carb high-protein diet.  This resulted for many in rapid weight loss while on the diet but also rapid weight gain once the person broke the diet.  It also had a lot of health risks associated to it.  Many people had gout episodes because the foods they ate created excessive amounts of uric acid.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that this diet put people at risk for other things like heart disease.  If I remember correctly, didn't a couple people die while on the Atkins diet?

While it is true that these fad diets don't work.  It is also true that people are looking for ways to really lose the weight and keep it off.  There is only one diet that I can think of that not only will help with losing weight....it is also heart and body healthy.  It is what I call the sensible diet plan.

There are some general problems with diet plans and regimes overall. The first one is that most of the diets are restrictive, meaning that they restrict the foods that you can and can't eat. While you should restrict foods (because not all foods are good for you), the problem with doing weight watchers, LA diets, ect is that the foods that they recommend are processed foods and aren't in their natural state.

These diets also tell you that you can eat some sweets (which they sell you) and once again, what you get is processed foods, ladened with chemicals and additives that your body is going to have to somehow process.

Now you tell me....

What is more sensible?- A diet that consists of microwavable food that may be low in calories or simply a diet that consists of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats that are organically grown?

A diet in which you eat only certain types of food and restrict others even when they are good for you OR a diet that we, as humans, have been eating since the dawn of time?

We aren't talking about those quick lose 20 pounds in a month kind of diets here. We are talking about changing your lifestyle and not only losing weight doing so but leading a healthier life altogether.

The Authors, Jaime Larose and Antonio Valadares, are probably two names that you haven't heard of but both have expertise in the field of nutrition and health. Rated by personal trainer in NYC, Jaime has been featured in the NYtimes as well as a bevy of other popular magazines.

The approach is simple. A healthy lifestyle will not encourage weight loss...it will make you healthier and less prone to disease and illness.

If there was one book that I would suggest to everyone, this is it.

Click here for more information about the Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook.

1. If food was not created by God, don't eat it. If while reading the ingredients list, you can't pronounce the words, then it is a safe bet that God didn't create it as food. This includes man made fats, preservatives and chemical excito-toxins in our food.
   
2. If food has been altered by man, don't eat it. This includes genetically modified foods and refrined grains, dairy that has been pasteurized or homogenized and grain fed meats.
   
3. Don't let any food become your God. If you can't say no to alcohol, sugar, junk food, coffee, ect. then you have a problem.
   

While most diet plans focus solely on weight loss, I think that a sensible diet plan would be a diet that you not only lost weight but you also was healthier because of it.  There are 3 basic changes that I can guarantee you will not only lose weight but will have you feeling like you were a teenager again.  But I have to warn you.  This is a lifestyle change and it won't be easy....

First Change- Remove the BAD fats from you diet and replacing them with GOOD fats...

There is a belief that fat in general is a bad thing. This is largely thanks to government propaganda that made all fat the bad guy in the diet. In the early 90's, fat free products started popping up all over the place and people started to rationalize that eating a bag of fat free or low fat potato chips was better for you. Even before that, the public was told that real butter was worse for you than margarine (it isn't...in fact real butter is loaded with omega 3's and omega 6's).

So what is a bad fat?- hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, rancid vegatable oils...there are all linked to cancers, chronic fatigue and neurotoxic syndrome. Bad fats are also linked to chronic inflammation which is the key to 21st century medicine.

Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes...all at diseases associated with chronic inflammation.

What oils and fats are Hydrogenated?  Cottonseed oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil...trans fats like margerine and synthetic butters...corn oil, canola oil...

Almost every bread, cookie, boxed food and cracker box has trans fat or some type of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil in its ingredients

Examples of GOOD Fats:

• Raw nuts and seed (not roasted)
• Grass fed meats
• Coconut oil
• Cod liver oil
• Grape seed oil
• Almond butter
• Raw cheeses
• Organic eggs
• Full Fat Plain, unsweetened and organic yogurt
• Canned Sardines
• Butter
• Olive Oil and olives (NOTE: not all olive oil is real)
• Full Fat Raw Milk
  

If you can't do anything else, I suggest you do this. There are hundreds of studies that link commercial meats (the meats you get in the grocery store) with cancer and heart disease.

The reason for this is simple: Commercial meats are loaded with hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, and pesticides.

Commercial meats are fed grain, not grass as god intended them to be fed. This has created a world of problems. There are studies that have confirmed that grain fed beef changes fatty acid ratios and denatures the good fats. Grass fed, free range meats also offer many fatty acids that are missing in the SAD such as aracodonic acid, congegated linoleic acid as well as the proper ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Choose Raw Cheeses, raw milks or unsweetened organic yogurt....grass fed, grass finished, free range, cage free and hormone, steroid and antibiotic free. Avoid farm raised or Atlantic Fish due to PCG's and dioxins.

Good Sources of Protein:

• Cold Water Fish such as salmon, mahi-mahi, mackerel and sardines
• Organic eggs
• Cottage and Ricotta cheese
• Pheasant, duck, goose, quail
• Venison
• Lamb
• Chicken and turkey
• Beef
• Raw cheeses....
  

Our infatuation with sugar is going to be the death of us all...really. Sugar actually suppresses the immune system, adds empty calories in our diet to make us fat(ter) and is all in all generally an empty nutrient with absolutely no real benefit to humans. Sugar robs the body of nutrients which leads to modern day diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, ADHD, ADD and chronic fatigue.

High Glycemic or refined sugars cause elevated glucose which in turn exlevates insulin which leads to premature aging, type II diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Oh, and did I mention that it will also cause weight gain?

Sugar.....

• Lowers the immune system response
• Promotes Yeast growth
• One can of soada has 9-11 teaspoons of sugar
• Today an average america will eat 120 pounds of sugar per year.  Compare this to the early 1900's where the average was just 5 pounds per year.