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The Miracles of Atkins Diet and its Role in Appetite Suppression

August 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Appetite suppression is one of the most common effects of the Atkins Diet program. In fact, followers of this miraculous diet have been astonished to find that their appetitive diminished to a considerable degree when following the Atkins regimen. The familiar hunger pangs between meals that used to plague dieters are almost non-existent in an Atkins diet program. With this attribute alone, it makes it easy on the dieters to stay on the program. The synergistic effects achieved from the combination of food of the Atkins diet, is probably responsible for the appetite suppression effects experienced by many dieters.

Protein Power

Atkins diet uses a lot of protein in its program. Protein has more satisfying power than carbohydrates in satisfying hunger. Probably you have experienced splurging on a high carbohydrate meal, only to feel hungry a few moments later. Carbohydrates have less satisfying power than proteins and this is the reason why Atkins dieters who stay on a high protein diet are less likely to experience hunger pangs.

The Miracles of the Humble Egg

Do you know that eggs are great for suppressing appetite? Eggs are used extensively in the Atkins diet program as an excellent source of protein. Recent studies show that eating eggs for breakfast actually gives you the ability to avoid hunger pangs throughout the day. In the study, one group had eggs for breakfast while one group had bagels and cream cheese. Interestingly, the calorie count for both meals is the same. Participants are required to keep track of what they ate throughout out the day and the level of hunger they feel during the tests. Amazingly, the results of this study indicate that those who were on eggs for breakfast ate less during the day than those who were on bagel. Those who had eggs for breakfast were less likely to splurge during each intermittent meal.

The amazing properties of the eggs

Each egg contains about six grams of protein. This may be a small amount, but it goes a long way to balance blood sugar and creates a feeling of satisfaction. These are necessary to help curb cravings during the day. The lutein and xenazanthin contained in the egg yolk has beneficial effects on the eyes. It is a good idea to eat the eggs in whole and not merely the white, if you want to garner full benefits from the consumption of eggs. Choline is also found in abundance in eggs, which is essential for the brain function and memory retention.

Atkins Vegetables

The most popular vegetable to be used in the Atkins diet program is the broccoli and cauliflower. These vegetables also possess appetite suppressing effects. In addition to being bulky, which makes them ideal for a weight loss program, it makes the tummy feels full that will in turn trigger a signal in your rain that releases certain chemical that will dramatically reduce appetite.

Every time your tummy feels full, your body will reduce its appetite. Regardless of the nature of the contents you use to fill up your belly that creates the feeling of fullness, your body will react y sending messages to your brain signaling that it is full. Therefore you can avoid hunger pangs during your weight loss program. If vegetables is not your cup of tea, you can create similar effects with psyllium husk and water.

Keep it small

The key to success in the Atkins diet is to have a few small meals throughout the day. Instead of consuming one large meal three times a day, spread the calorie intake to a few smaller portion. This will help your brain release essential hormones and signals to urn off fat effectively. Spreading your meals also helps to balance the sugar in the blood. On a high carbohydrate diet, you will cause the sugar levels to soar every time a meal is consumed. This feeling of fullness lasts only for a few hours and then you are back to your original hungry feeling again.

The Atkins Solution

Wit the Atkins diet, you get only what your body needs with every meal. With the correct protein, and vegetable diet, your body gets the quick energy it needs from the vegetables, while protein helps to balance the blood sugar level throughout the day, so you will be spared from hunger pangs during this diet program.

The Atkins diet is a wonderful appetite craving solution that gives you what your body needs without robbing it off its essential energy.

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Cost Savings Tips with the Atkins Diet

August 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The health benefits of the Atkins diet are all too well-known, but at the same time the diet might prove to be expensive to most. Since the diet requires only fresh foods, including fresh meats, it might reduce more weight than just in your tummy. Here are some much-required steps to reduce costs when following the Atkins plan.

The first thing you must do is to be innovative with your meal plans. The diet books that you might be referring might contain names of some expensive ingredients. It is not exactly important to go with these expensive stuffs; the authors mention them only to make their books seem more exotic. Instead you can plan out some simple recipes that are within the ambit of the Atkins diet and don’t suffocate your wallet either. You can very well enjoy the low carbohydrate meals when still economizing on costs.

Another tip is to buy the meats in bulk. Stock up on the chicken, fish and beef. This helps you to get the foods at attractive prices. You can store them in freezer bags in small meal-sized portions if you want. It will be easy for you to take one bag out and defrost it when its time for a meal. The best part is that you can then cook these meats in several different ways and keep the cooked parts for refrigeration too. you can spice them in different ways and make your diet interesting.

Reduce the tender meats if you are following a budget Atkins diet. Tender beef and fillet mignon may burn a hole in your pocket. You can do very well with the rawer meats and cook them a little more in order to make tender enough for eating.

If meats are proving to be too costly, you can make do with eggs and tofu. These are much cheaper and provide the same amounts of protein. Nuts can be a good protein source, but they are expensive. If a particular recipe wants the opulent macadamia nuts, you can try substituting them with peanuts, walnuts and almonds that may not have the same taste, but have the same quantities of proteins.
Do not make the mistake of buying the precut salads that are present in the shops. You might have to pay as much as $2 to $3 per bag and that could become expensive. It is better to buy the different salad vegetables and chop them up to make salads at home. This will give you much more salad at the same cost and the exercise of making the salad will do you good too.

You can try the meats that are on sale. Look out for such offers in the stores. Try using the meats that are on sale instead of those that are called for in the recipe. If there’s a turkey recipe, but there’s a chicken sale in your supermarket, substitute the turkey for chicken. But make sure you do not deviate from Atkins’ permissible list of foods.

It is also advisable to buy as less of the low carbohydrate foods as possible. These are very expensive foods and they are not good for health either. They contain chemicals in them, and might also have carbohydrates despite their label, which can make your Atkins routine redundant. Use these low carbohydrate foods only when you have no other option.

Always plan your meals in advance. Effective shopping always helps to reduce costs. Do not go to the stores when hungry, because then you end up buying more. Buy for a week in advance. This makes the Atkins program much more affordable.

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Sugar Cravings with The Atkins Diet

August 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You can never know which foods contain sugars and which do not. In fact, most of the whole grain breads that we so commonly consume contain some form of the sugar or another. The consumption of sugar is quite predominant on a national scale in America.

People who do not eat blatantly sugary foods like sweets might still feel a craving for sugars when they are on the Atkins diet. Most of the foods that seem to be healthy carbohydrate foods actually have sugar present in them. That is the reason why when you go on an Atkins diet, you feel something like withdrawal symptoms for them.

Sugar is deeply related with the energy levels of the body and hence the overall wellbeing of the body through the bloodstream. That is why the cravings are felt when the sugar levels in the body go down. This is compounded by the fact that our normal diet consists of foods that are high in sugar. Concentrated sugars in the food will proportionately increase the sugar levels in the blood too. That is why organs like the pancreas get confused and might release excess insulin to combat this increased level. Too much of this happening can trigger the onset of a pre-diabetic condition in the body. The reason behind this is the excessive functioning of the pancreas due to which it can no longer function normally.

The Atkins diet can effectively stop this vicious circle. That said, it is necessary to add that the Atkins diet will not stop the cravings that you have on its own. We are so much used to sugar-rich foods that it becomes very difficult to come out of the desire for them.

Planning does help, though. The point is to strike a balance with the protein, fat and the fiber present in the diet so that the blood sugar does not fall to drastically low levels. It is also important not to starve for long periods. This can be achieved by healthy snacks. The snacks help to actually keep the blood sugar at proper levels. Snacks like boiled eggs, nuts, seeds and cheese are permitted in the Atkins diet. These help to fight the sugar craving without actually having to eat the sugar-rich foods.

Most times, when a person gets sugar cravings, it is indicative of a nutritional deficiency. A craving for chocolate might indicate a deficiency of magnesium. These can be controlled by multivitamin supplements, which are good for people on an Atkins diet. You can also supplement your diet with zinc and chromium.

Brushing teeth is a surprising way to fight off sugar cravings too. If your are on an Atkins diet and are getting the pangs for consuming some sugar-rich foods, then you can stave them off by using the Listerine breath strips or by simply brushing your teeth. These help to benumb your mouth. Another very simple method is to drink two glassfuls of water. Keeping a full stomach helps too.

The common tactic of keeping all the sugar foods out of your reach is also helpful. Do not reach out for your refrigerator when you get those sugar pangs; instead go out and take a walk. You will find that you can forget your desire for sugar when you do this. Enlist your friends’ support to help you overcoming the sugar pangs. There are also Atkins diet forums on the Internet that can support you.

Substituting what you crave for with a low carbohydrate version of it works well too. You will find yourself less desirous for that particular food by doing that. Today, there is a long list of low carbohydrate products on the store shelves that you can use – you have low carbohydrate chocolates, ice creams, candies and yogurts. You can use these to stay more faithful to the Atkins diet plan without sacrificing your sweet tooth.

People on the Atkins diet cannot avoid the cravings for sugar. But these methods can help you to stave them off and remain loyal to your diet and thus to your weight loss regimen.

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