Best Choices Diet from Best Health Secrets

The Best Choices Diet
BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Rapid weight loss Rapid weight loss programs are almost always temporary plans that severely restrict caloric intake, exclude large groups of nutritious foods and are simply not designed to promote long-term good health	Choose healthy foods ... and exercise The goal is to reduce your caloric intake by eliminating unhealthy foods and beverages, and by enjoying moderate portions of these Better Choices. If you are still overweight and not losing, decrease your caloric intake and/or increase your exercise.
Low-this, high-that diets Most diets demonize carbohydrates, fats or protein. Formulas are basically just hype.	Choose a balance of carbs, fats and protein The secret to success is to eat moderate amounts of healthy foods in each group. Portion control will keep the pounds off.
CARBOHYDRATES BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Refined flour products Most breads, pizza crusts, cookies, pastries and cake. These are high-glycemic carbs that contribute to a number of health risks.	*Choose low-carb, high-fiber 100% whole grain bread and pasta products.** To reduce the glycemic effect effect of any carbohydrate, combine it with a healthy fat or protein. This slows down absorption.
Sugars and most artificial sweeteners Honey, sucrose, dextrose, corn syrups, maltodextrin, aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet 'n Low), acesulfame potassium. Artificial sweeteners perpetuate the cravings for sweets, and there are questions about their safety.	Stevia (with Inulin Fiber (FOS), xylose or sucralose If you must sweeten, use Stevia, a safe natural sweetner, or xylose a molecular cousin of sugar with none of the glycemic or decay promotion effects of sucrose (common sugar). Xylitol is one brand of xylose. Splenda is the familiar brand of sucralose. It is best to just avoid sweetners, though.
Starchy vegetables Corn, white potatoes, rice, and pastas.	Choose green leafy and colorful vegetables - 6 servings or more daily Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, cauliflower —fresh, organic whenever possible—never canned. Note: Sweet potatoes are a healthier alternative to white potatoes, 100% whole-wheat pastas are healthy in moderation, and brown rice is better than white rice.
Breakfast cereals Most cereals are high in sugar content, (and low in fiber).	Choose high-fiber low-carb foods Fiber is the "good" carbohydrate. Try to get 25-35 grams of a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber daily. If you shop carefully, you can find some cereals that are not high in sugar and provide dietary fiber, like old-fashioned (slow-cooked) oatmeal or Omega-3 flax cereals, like Nature's Path Flax Plus.
High-sugar fruits Such as bananas, grapes, dates, raisins.	Choose brightly colored fruits Such as strawberries, blueberries and other berries, cherries and peaches. The antioxidants in apple peel could help protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
Snack Foods Beware of high sugar, trans-fats, empty calories.	Enjoy vegetable, fruit, and nut snacks Walnuts and almonds are particularly nutritious. A moderate amount of dark chocolate (cocoa) is also healthy -- it has been associated with lower blood pressure.
PROTEINS BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Large meat portions Such as supersized burgers, all you can eat buffets and over 4 oz steaks.	Choose 3 to 5 oz protein portions of protein Good rule of thumb - the size of the palm of your hand.
Fatty meats Such as sausage, ground beef, chicken or turkey skins and marbelized steaks.	Choose fish, shellfish, fowl, soy and (limited) lower-fat beef protein Omega-3 rich fish are the best choice. Try to buy organic and/or grass-fed chicken, turkey or beef. Buffalo is quite healthy.
Breakfast meats like bacon and sausage. High in saturated fats.	Choose a egg or two daily The egg is nature's perfect food. Look for Omega-3 rich eggs from free-range grass-fed chickens.
Low-protein vegetarian diets	Choose vegetable protein or all natural whey protein concentrate. Try Stevia sweetened, flavored whey protein: mix in a glass of water with a meal. Soy protein is also great!
FATS BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Trans fats These extremely bad fats are toxic to the body and should be avoided altogether. They are usually not labeled as such, so look for "partially-hydrogenated" oils. That includes most processed, packaged, manufactured foods, margarine, chips, fried foods. Poly-unsaturated fats These fats are destructive over time; poly-unsaturated fats are highly unstable and oxidize readily, especially when heated. Think of oxidation as rust. Oxidation in the body contributes to disease, aging and oxidized cholesterol, a cardiovascular health risk. Beware of salad dressings with soybean oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil. Saturated fats Saturated fats offer little nutritional value, a lot of calories, and contribute to cardiovascular disease. Low-carb diets that recommend eating a lot of fatty meats are not good for your overall health.	Choose extra-virgin olive oil, for cooking and salads. extra-virgin olive oil is an especially healthy monounsaturated fat. Canola oil is OK for a second choice. Choose Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) EFAs are an enormously important form of fat, vital to cardiovascular, mental and overall physical health. Optimal health relies on a 2-1 ratio of abundant Omega-6 EFAs to the Omega-3 EFAs. You can only get Omega-3 EFAs from fatty fish, or in a less potent form from flaxseed or (in small quantities) from nuts. Because you should not eat fish in large quantities due to toxins, it is necessary to supplement with fish oil, a concentrated source of the most potent Omega-3 EFAs known as DHA and EPA.
BEVERAGES BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Soft drinks (both regular and sugar-free) They are nutritionally bankrupt and contain plenty of caffeine, sugar and/or harmful sweeteners.	Choose purified water 8 glasses per day. Drinking plenty of water helps in 3 ways: it makes you feel more full, increases metabolism and helps flush toxins out of the body.
Sweet fruit juices Most fruit juices contain concentrated or added sugar. Unsweetened cranberry and pomegranate juices are recommended, however, and the occasional serving of low-sodium tomato juice is good too.	Choose a glass of red wine daily. One 6 oz serving a day of non-sweet red wine is anti-oxidant rich, and moderate levels of alcohol have been shown to lower the risk of cardivascular disease. Red wine may also reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Over-indulgence is more risky than no alcohol at all.
Excess caffeine More than 2 cups of coffee a day, for example. Some soft drinks contain more caffeine than coffee, and have dire health implications, especially for children.	Choose anti-oxidant rich green tea instead
MORE TIPS & GUIDELINES BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Coffee creamers Most non-dairy creamers contain trans-fats. Dairy creamers contain both saturated fat and milk sugar.	Choose unflavored soymilk creamer (SILK brand is good) Very healthy, tastes like cream. You can even steam it for a healthy latte.
Sugar-laden desserts	Can't resist dessert? At least consume it at the end of a full meal to reduce the glycemic effect. Better yet, enjoy a healthy dessert of fruit.
Farm raised salmon In addition to the presence of antibiotics, toxins and artificial color, farm raised fish do not eat the same diet as wild fish.	Choose wild caught salmon or artic char Wild caught fish have naturally higher levels of the very healthy Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Commercial low-carb and other diet products These often have high fat content and include trans fats. Weight-loss diets may help lose weight but do so at the expense of your long term health.	Choose from healthy carbohydrates - better choices And remember, calories DO count. If you need to control your weight, watch food portions closely.
SUPPLEMENTS BAD CHOICES	BETTER CHOICES
Meal replacement products Read the label—they contain plenty of chemicals and artificially produced vitamins and minerals of questionable quality and potency.	Choose to get most of your nutrition from healthy food. Real foods, especially vegetables and fruits, contain readily absorbable natural vitamins and minerals, and many substances called "phytochemicals" that you will never find in manufactured food.
Cheap chain store vitamins and minerals Cheap is not the way to go to get a quality product at the desired potency. Some vitamins are hazardous when consumed in excessive quantities. Most are useless if the quality and delivery system are substandard.	Choose a high-quality multi-nutrient Total Balance is made with the highest quality of ingredients, in precise quantities, and enteric-coated to ensure maximum absorption in the lower instestine. We recommend it based on proven quality and results.
Getting your Omega-3 EFAs from fish, or inexpensive chain-store fish oils You'd have to eat a lot of fish, and commercially available fish contains too many toxins to eat daily. Inexpensive fish oils often contain the same toxins.	Choose high-quality molecularly distilled high-DHA fish oil, 1 grams of EPA/DHA daily. No other supplement offers so many benefits for good mental, physical and cardiovascular health. Read about the many benefits of fish oil in our blog
Stimulants, appetite depressants, starch blockers, fat blockers, ephedrine, diet shakes, etc. Don't use any of them. Period.	Choose high-quality supplements Even if you eat a fairly healthy diet, you will likely need to add calcium (500-1000 mg), magnesium (250-250 mg) and Vitamin D3 (1000 IU and 20 minutes of sunlight daily). Most agree extra Vitamin C and a mixed-tocopherol vitamin E are beneficial as well. * "Whole grain" guarantees no degree of health benefit, make sure you choose "100% whole grain" (wheat, oats, etc.)

The Best Choices Diet