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Atkins Diet Plan - What’s it All About?

• Published in Is Coffee Healthy or not?
• Written by Alen
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• Subota, 25 Rujan 2010 16:19

by: Martin Smith

A typical breakfast consists of 3 or 4 strips of bacon, two or more eggs and coffee. A snack would maybe be chunks of cheese and a cup of coffee with cream. Dinner might be a huge steak fried in butter. Sounds really good right? It sounds so tempting but there is a trade-off. You will have to give up carbs such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice, and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits, veggies, and milk at least in the beginning.  The theory is that when you cut out carbs your body are forced into burning fat that your body has stored to give it energy. Your body burns more calories when burning fat than when it is burning carbohydrates and you will lose weight more quickly. Your blood sugars stabilize which prevents overeating.  The first phase of the Atkins Diet Plan is the Introduction Phase and must be followed for at least two weeks. You are only allowed to consume 20 grams of carbs a day. You can load up on as much red meat, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, mayo, cream, and butter. It is during this phase that your body switches from the burning fat to burning carbs.  The second phase is the ongoing weight loss phase. During this phase you increase your carb intake by about 5 grams daily until you find your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. The most carbs that you can eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week. Breads, pasta, potatoes, and rice are still off limits.  The third phase is the pre-maintenance phase that you enter when you have only five to ten pounds to go to meet your goal weight. Your carb intake increases by ten grams each day for a week in order to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs and the final phase of maintenance.  The fourth phase is called lifetime maintenance and intended to help you keep your motivation. Carbs are limited to less than 90 grams a day. Get used to it though because you will be on a low carb diet for the rest of your life.  There are some concerns about the long-term effects of the Atkins Diet Plan and other low carb plans. There is such a high consumption of fat, particularly saturated fats and this can cause an increase risk of heart disease.  The Atkins diet eliminates some nutrients and this could cause deficiencies and other health problems in the future. Since there is a limited intake of bone building calcium you could be at increased risk of Osteoporosis. A very limited intake of antioxidant nutrients could cause problems such as heart disease, cancer, and premature aging.  One drawback of the Atkins Diet is that it can become boring. Vegetarians have difficulty with this diet because veggies, seeds, and nuts are off limits in the first stages. The diet does present a view of healthy eater, which keeps us healthy and free from disease.  Other concerns are that the initial weight loss comes back quickly when you go off the Atkins plan and a lot of people drop out in the induction phase. The carbs are very low and ketosis can result which is dangerous for a diabetic or anyone else for that matter.  This diet is high in cholesterol and you can develop constipation and/or heart disease because of the high fat content. Since the diet is low in fruits and vegetables, it also lacks cancer-fighting antioxidants. The most serious drawbacks to the Atkins plan are that it is not intended for long term use and there are unsafe if not downright dangerous side effects.  A few positive notes about the Atkins Plan are that it works! You lose a lot of weight quickly and you can eat as much as you want of certain foods especially protein and fat.  The Atkins Diet eliminates to a great degree carbs from rice, pasta, potatoes, breads, some fruits and veggies. It also eliminates cancer-fighting antioxidants. It is a high fat and high protein diet that can increase the risk for certain diseases like high cholesterol and heart disease.  On the upside, this is one diet that actually works but it is not a diet that you can be on for an indefinite period of time. Once you go off the program and resume more ‘normal’ eating the initial weight loss will come back. Also, as with any diet plan check with your doctor to be sure you can safely do it.  To conclude let me give you a reminder. The Atkins diet is not for long term use and it has inherent health risks. If you need to lose weight you may already be at risk for heart disease and high cholesterol, the Atkins plan has the potential of actually increasing those risks.  (c)www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com  Reprint Rights feel free to publish this article on your website but you must agree to leave all active links contained within 'About The Author' intact and "as is" and NOT hidden behind a java or redirect script.

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Atkins Diet Plan - What’s The Catch

• Published in Is Coffee Healthy or not?
• Written by Alen
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• Subota, 25 Rujan 2010 16:19

by: Martin Smith

The Atkins diet Plan breakfast can usually composed of eggs strips of bacon and coffee. A snack might include coffee with cream, and chunks of cheese. A huge steak fried in butter could be dinner. Doesn't this sound really good? It seems very tempting but there is a catch.  In the beginning you will have to give up most carbs, such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits. In theory, when carbs are eliminated from the diet, the body burns stored fat. Weight loss is quicker because fat burns more calories than carbs.  Stable blood sugar levels help you to feel fuller thereby damping your appetite. The Induction is the first phase of the Atkins diet, which you follow for at least two weeks. Only 20 grams of carbs a day, but you can eat lots of red meat, chicken, fish, eggs cream and butter. That you want.  During this phase, your body learns to burn fat and not carbs. The ongoing weight loss phase is the second stage. Add 5 grams of carbs a day until you get to your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. How many carbs can YOU eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week? Bread, pasta rice and potatoes are still taboo.  The pre-maintenance or third phase is started when you have only 5-10 pounds left to lose in order to reach your goal weight. Yes! Now you get to add 10 grams a day for one week, to your carb intake, to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs to your diet, and to the final phase of the diet.  Lifetime maintenance, phase 4, teaches you ways to stay motivated. Your carb intake is limited to 90 grams in a day. You will be eating low carbs for the rest of your life. Some doctors have expressed concern about the long tern effects of the Atkins and other low carb plans.  High saturated fat consumption may cause an increased risk of heart disease. The lack of certain nutrients in this diet could cause future health problems. The limited intake of calcium could possibly put you at risk for Osteoporosis. The low antioxidant nutrients could lead to cancer, heart disease and premature aging.  The Atkins diet is boring in the Induction phase. Vegetarians have a hard time with Atkins, particularly in the early stages, due to the limited amount of vegetables, nuts seeds and beans. The Atkins diet presents an image of good health from a proper diet. Some are concerned that once you go off the diet the weight comes back quickly.  The very low carbs in this diet could cause ketosis which can be dangerous for diabetics. The high cholesterol of this diet may cause constipation and heart disease because of the high fat content. This diet, low in fruits and veggies is consequently low in antioxidants that fight cancer. The Atkins plan is that it's not intended for long term use and has serious side effects.  The Atkins Plan works, it is that simple. Weight loss is rapid and you can eat as much protein and fat, as you would like. The carbs eliminated by the Atkins diet can cause a loss of antioxidants which are known to prevent some cancers.  This high fat, high protein diet can increase the risk of elevated cholesterol and heart disease. This Diet really works, although some believe you can't stay on it long term. If you go off the diet or cheat , you will begin to re-gain the weight. Once you start eating a more normal diet the initial weight loss will return.  As with any diet check with a physician-to make sure you are healthy to begin with. The Atkins diet, some believe, is not for long term use and that it poses some serous health risks. If you are overweight, you are already at risk for heart disease and other health problems, and Atkins could increase those risks.

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Barista Expresso Coffee Machines

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• Subota, 25 Rujan 2010 16:18

by: Lorna Mclaren

are very easy to control. They have excellent easy-to-press buttons and a colored power indicator that’s easy to read. You can tell the machine is on because this indicator button will light up. This is just the beginning when it comes to the fantastic features of Barista Expresso Coffee Machines.  The portafilter on Barista Expresso Coffee Machines works well. It is a pressurized type of portafilter, so you get a 23-25 second brew time for a double shot of fantastic expresso, compared to an inadequate 10-11 second brew time on other lesser models. The portafilter is also easy to load and use. It does offer plenty of loading room for fulfilling espresso coffee shots, and it also holds heat well. This means you’ll have the proper temperature for extracting espresso beans. This can make the difference from a good start in the morning to a great start!  For steaming and foaming milk, Barista Expresso Coffee Machines offer the ordinary wand. It is made from stainless steel, which is much better than plastic, but it only has single hole on the tip. The wand can make foam easily for your lattes, but some users have found it easy to use the wand in a swirling motion to create the really fine foam. This may be a picky feature that only espresso coffee aficionados look for, but if you are one of these aficionados, you will appreciate the difference this feature will make.  One thing all users of Barista Expresso Coffee Machines will appreciate is just how easy it is to move the steaming wand around. The wand is the perfect height and length, unlike other machines with their wands that are too short and low. These inadequate wands then force you to move your machine to the edge of your counter just to get your pitcher of milk in the right position. This can be awkward and dangerous. With the Barista, there is no such issue. You can leave the machine where it is and still fit the pitcher underneath.  Inexperienced users of Barista Expresso Coffee Machines, on the other hand, may have trouble at first using the wand. You might find the wand creating giant bubbles in your milk. This will happen if you put the tip in the wrong position. Of course, with practice, patience and time, you will be able to create those sought after tiny top bubbles for your latte. Then your local coffee house will be out of luck. You won’t need to go there anymore.

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Beef up your Coffee Collection with Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafes

• Published in Is Coffee Healthy or not?
• Written by Alen
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• Subota, 25 Rujan 2010 16:17

by: Lorna Mclaren

If you love your coffee you are in the right site. If you are keen on having the best coffee accessories then this is the place to find out all about the Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafe. If your coffee is as important to you as my coffee is to me then read on.  Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafes pour one mean cup of coffee. Experts all rave about the added perks that the Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafes have compared to your standard coffee pot drip and espresso machines. Most of these compliments are about coffee that blows their mind, or how they closed their eyes and could imagine themselves on a gondola in Venice, Italy. And that’s coming from the experts. Imagine what the espresso from the Braun carafe will do to your friends and to your social life.  Firstly, the Braun 4 cup espresso carafes get your espresso to the perfect temperature which is essential. Believe it or not, most coffee makers, even the espresso makers, fail to get the proper water and coffee temperature. This leaves your coffee lifeless, since proper liquid temperatures are essential for the optimal extraction of coffee bean oils. Why should you not enjoy the full flavor of the bean?  Expert tests on these Brauns, though, show that they get liquid temperatures more than 10 degree Fahrenheit higher than other machines. For those curious about exactly what level of heat we’re talking, the carafes should have upwards of 200 degrees by the end of brewing. Other lesser machines keep the temperatures down around 180 to 185 degrees.This is a big difference temp and consequently in the flavour of the coffee produced.  The Braun 4 cup espresso carafes also do an excellent job of making sure all of your grounds are used. The more ground that are used up then the more coffee flavor will filter through for you to enjoy. You want to make sure your machine has a proper dispersion pattern in the filter basket with its steam output. That way, as much as possible will be “spent grounds”. The Braun didn’t leave too many spent grounds, according to experts, though it did leave some. This, however, is no reason to pass on this mean coffee machine. For such great tasting coffee some things are forgivable.  Possibly the finest feature of the machine is its high-quality stainless steel carafe. A stylish addition to any kitchen decor. Many Braun 4 cup espresso carafes come with a “brew-through” design. This means that you don't need to place a lid on it after brewing, or clamp down a lid for that matter. Even after letting it sit around for a couple of hours, the carafe still should retain a lot of those high temperatures we talked about earlier. As for cleaning, the stainless steel should not be much more of a bother compared with glass pots.  All you need now is to make the calls, gather the friends and sit an enjoy the scents and tastes of Italy from the comfort of your own kitchen all through the tantalizing aroma of coffee expertly brewed. Salute!

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