1.Protein is essential for muscle development as well as being a source of 22 amino acids which are necessary for the production of enzymes and hormones in the body.

2. How much protein you do need every day?
The Institute of Medicine of the National Institute of Science has concluded that daily protein intake should be 10-35% of our total calorie intake. Men need more protein than women. So, if you are dieting, then forget the lettuce leaf and celery stick diets! Get your daily protein intake!

3. Protein has a major impact on our level of hunger. If you don’t get enough protein in a meal, you will be hungry again soon; even if it contained thousands of calories. Did you realize that the number one reason people failed at dieting was because they got hungry? Makes sense really. If you are hungry, then you are more likely to eat the first snack you come across which is likely to be one of those high calorie junk food items! If you maintain good protein intake during the day, you just won’t feel hungry and are less likely to cheat!

4. Muscle Mass. By increasing the protein levels in your diet, you are also helping to build muscle mass which in turn raises your “resting metabolic rate” – that is the number of calories your body burns even when you are sleeping. This helps the Calories Eaten vs. Calories burnt ratio without increasing your exercise! So you can either eat more calories during the day and still maintain your weight, or it can help burn fat so you lose weight faster if you are dieting.

5. Good Protein vs Bad Protein? Protein from animal sources (meats, dairy, eggs) typically contains high levels of saturated fats which are both high in calories as well as being the “bad fats”. Eating white meat (poultry, not pork) and deep sea oily fish are good, but by far the “best” are the vegetable proteins. The most plentiful and probably the best is Soy protein.

5. A Balanced Diet
Completely removing non-protein foods from your diet is not good either; you do need to eat a balanced diet that contains all the other nutrients your body needs. For weight loss (fat burning), you should be eating a daily calorie intake approx 500 calories less than your RMR (Resting Metabolic rate). Have a Colorful meal containing fruit and vegetables from all the “color groups” except White. White foods are typically the high energy starchy foods like wheat flour, rice, pasta, corn etc. Make sure you have enough whole grains, and nuts as well. An important note is that simply adding Cocoa powder to a White food – like wheat flour, to make it chocolate colored and flavored does NOT mean it is safe to eat!

6. Don’t over do it!
There is some evidence amongst athletes that having too much animal based protein can cause problems in people pre-disposed to certain medical conditions relating to kidney and liver function. Typical commercial bodybuilding protein supplements are 90%+ whey based. Another reason to concentrate on protein supplement systems that are primarily soy based!

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‘The Mediterranean diet’ is probably the most realistic and safest way not only to lose weight, but to also help prevent serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

There have been countless studies on this type of diet by scientists keen to discover why heart problems and obesity are so low in the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

This nutritional concept includes a high consumption of fruit, vegetables and grains, a medium consumption of olive oil, fish and white meat and a low consumption of red meat, dairy products and saturated fats. Red wine also plays a part in some versions of this diet as it contains powerful anti-oxidants called ‘polyphenols’ which offer protection against cardiovascular diseases. In fact the ‘American Heart Association’ refers to the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ as the ‘gold standard’ in heart disease prevention.

The most important element in this diet is ‘olive oil’ which acts as a healthy substitute for commonly used saturated fats such as butter and margarine. Studies by various institutions including ‘The Harvard School of Public Health’ have discovered that olive oil contains extremely beneficial properties which can lower the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing blood cholesterol levels.

This research also found that patients with ‘hypertension’ who purposely switched to a diet with a high olive oil consumption were able to reduce their ‘anti-hypertensive’ drug dose by up to 50%!!

Olive oil is also thought to lead to a reduced risk of some cancers and even diabetes.

One of the other key aspects of the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is the low consumption of dairy products such as cheese, cream and milk. The belief for instance that cows’ milk is beneficial as it contains calcium is far from the truth. Research has shown that as the calcium in cows’ milk is pasteurized, it is therefore inorganic meaning it becomes largely unusable in the human body. Did you also realize that full fat milk is mainly made up of puss cells? Vegetables, especially root vegetables are much better sources of calcium.

A diet low in dairy products will not only make you feel less lethargic, it will boost your energy and improve the condition of your skin. This will obviously be beneficial to those who suffer from skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.

The ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is without doubt the only option you should consider in any effort to lose weight. Many popular diets like those of the ‘high-protein’ variety are extremely harmful and although they sometimes succeed in delivering their promises of ‘shedding weight’, the chances of keeping this weight off are very unlikely. Extreme dietary modifications are impractical – if not impossible – for most people to maintain on a long-term basis.

Due to the fact the majority of these diets do not even incorporate a consistent or stable eating program, the noticeable reduction in weight is actually the body’s loss of water rather than actual fat.

If weight is lost too quickly there can also be up to a 6% loss of muscle tissue along with any fat lost. If the weight is then re-gained, MORE fat replaces the lost muscle. This usually means you will eventually become FATTER after finishing the diet!

The simple fact is, if you want to successfully lose weight for the long-term and protect yourself from illness, the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is the diet for you!

The Mediterranean Diet is probably the most realistic and safest way not only to lose weight, but to also prevent serious disease.

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