This can be a safe diet if done correctly, and if you ensure you are getting adequate calories and nutrition when youre eating, says Shapiro. Overall, IF diets (including more extreme versions, like OMAD) are unlikely to cause harm to adults who are a healthy weight, overweight, or who have obesity, notes a July 2017 review in Annual Review of Nutrition.

But OMAD is a restrictive eating approach that wont necessarily appeal to everyone. If youre following OMAD, youll need to take care not to overeat or overindulge on unhealthy foods during your main meal. You may also struggle to fit an entire days caloric intake into one large meal or find yourself feeling uncomfortably full after eating this much in one sitting. Theres also a lack of research on the long-term effects of OMAD

Moreover, OMAD may actually be unsafe for certain groups of people. This includes people who are pregnant or nursing, who are younger than 18, and people who have an eating disorder or a history of disordered eating, says Moskovitz.

Shapiro also advises that people living with diabetes who are taking insulin should not follow this diet, as OMAD can affect blood sugar levels. In general, people with diabetes need to eat balanced meals regularly throughout the day, adds Moskovitz. Going prolonged periods of time without eating can lead to harmful blood sugar lows followed by subsequent highs once a larger meal is inevitably consumed, she explains. This pattern of inconsistent eating can make it difficult to keep blood sugar levels low and stable.

Finally, if you often have gastrointestinal (GI) issues like bloating or an upset stomach, OMAD may not be a good fit for you. This diet requires you to eat a lot of food at one time, which may cause GI discomfort.

Still, many people who are not in these categories will decide to move ahead with OMAD and if youre one of these individuals, know that careful planning is key. If youre going to attempt it, you still have to make sure youre doing your best to eat balanced and nutritiously and make sure youre still eating enough calories for the day if you want to stay healthy, advises Moskovitz. Fasting alone wont be beneficial if [youre] not carefully constructing the meals youre eating in that time frame.

Always speak to your doctor before starting a new diet, especially if youre managing an underlying health condition or taking medication, or if OMAD represents a dramatic change in the way you eat.

If you are interested in trying OMAD but have not yet tried other types of IF, start slowly, suggests Shapiro. Start with a 12-hour fast and then build up to 14 or 16 hours. Then try OMAD for a few days once you have eased your body into it, she explains.

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What can you add to a wide variety of foods, from cereals to salads, thats crunchy, filling, and flavorful and good for your heart? The answer is nuts. While all varieties of nuts are chock full of important nutrients, walnuts may be especially good for protecting cardiovascular health, according to a recent study in the journal Circulation that supports earlier research in this realm.

The Walnuts and Healthy Aging study is a randomized controlled trial supported by a grant from the California Walnut Commission that tracked healthy older adults living in two communities. For the study, researchers recruited 708 adults ages 63 to 79 living in Loma Linda, California, or Barcelona, Spain, and split them into two groups. One group added a half-cup of walnuts to their daily diet for two years, while the other group ate no walnuts.

After two years, average levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were modestly lower in the walnut group. Of note: nearly a third of the participants were taking cholesterol-lowering statins, so the average cholesterol levels of both groups were already in a normal range. The researchers speculate that the cholesterol-lowering benefits from walnuts might be more pronounced in people with elevated cholesterol levels. There is no way to know from the current data if this is true.

"This recent trial confirms what earlier studies have found, namely, that that adding walnuts to your diet appears to improve your cholesterol levels," says Dr. Deirdre Tobias, an obesity and nutritional epidemiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Womens Hospital. The new trial also lasted much longer than past walnut studies. However, its not clear what foods were being replaced by the walnuts in the participants diets, which might affect the magnitude of benefits the researchers saw. For example, replacing unhealthful, ultra-processed snacks with walnuts would presumably have a greater benefit than a lateral move from healthy options to walnuts, Dr. Tobias explains.

The researchers also analyzed the concentration and size of the LDL particles. Smaller, more dense LDL particles are more likely to trigger atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaque inside arteries thats the hallmark of most cardiovascular disease that results in heart attacks or strokes.

The walnut eaters had lower levels of these smaller particles. They also had decreased levels of intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL), which are also linked to a rise in cardiovascular-related risks. And even though a half-cup of walnuts contains about 185 calories, the walnut eaters did not pack on any extra pounds.

Earlier research has found that people who eat nuts regularly are less likely to have heart disease, and many studies have focused specifically on walnuts. In 2018, Dr. Tobias and colleagues published a meta-analysis and systematic review of studies that examined how eating walnuts affects a persons blood lipids and other heart-related risks. The review included 26 controlled trials involving a total of more than 1,000 people. It found that walnut-enriched diets led to lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, the most common form of fat in the bloodstream.

Although all nuts are good sources of healthy unsaturated fats, walnuts are especially rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This is a precursor to the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA found in fatty fish that are known for their heart-protecting powers. Our bodies convert ALA to EPA and DHA, although the efficiency of this varies from person to person.

Whats more, walnuts are usually eaten raw. So they have greater antioxidant abilities than nuts that are usually eaten roasted. (Antioxidants help prevent or reduce the artery-damaging oxidation that contributes to heart disease).

If a half-cup of walnuts a day sounds like a lot, its good to know that eating even half that much may still be beneficial. In fact, the FDA allows a qualified health claim on some nuts (including walnuts). Foods made with them are permitted to include the following statement: "Eating a diet that includes one ounce of nuts daily can reduce your risk of heart disease." An ounce of walnuts is about a handful, or one-quarter cup.

As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Walnuts: A worthy addition to your daily diet? - Harvard Health

THE BEST diet for weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes has been revealed by experts.

They reviewed a dozen studies to compare popular diets that have all been promoted to help diabetics drop the pounds.

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Weight loss is hugely beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes because it can make their condition more manageable.

It may also reduce the risks of potentially deadly complications.

It is usually obesity that causes the onset of type 2 diabetes in the first place.

On the other hand, losing a substantial amount of weight, around 15kg if you are obese, could put the type 2 diabetes into remission, Diabetes UK says.

It removes abnormal body fat from the liver and pancreas, helping to restore organ function and allow insulin to work better.

Regardless of type 2 diabetes, losing weight can also make you feel energised, sleep better, get active and have a better mood.

Knowing the importance of weight loss for those with type 2 diabetes, researchers led by the University of Glasgow wanted to conclude the most effective way of doing it, publishing their findings in the journalDiabetologia.

They considered low-calorie diets, low-carb, high-protein, vegetarian, Mediterranean, high healthy-fat and low GI foods diets.

The only one the researchers praised was a low-calorie diet made of between 500 to 1,500 calories per day.

It may come as no suprise that cutting calories very low leads to weight loss.

But the analysis suggested it was a liquid-based diet - with shakes and soups as opposed to food - that worked best for weight loss leading to remission.

The best formula was meal replacement liquids of 800 calories a day for 12 weeks, followed by a high carb low-fat diet combined with some shakes and soups.

The researchers said: Very low energy diets and formula meal replacement appear the most effective approaches, generally providing less energy than self-administered food-based diets.

No other diet was found to support weight loss for those with type 2 diabetes - even common low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean strategies.

People using these diets saw no more than 2kg of weight.

It suggested there was no point in cutting out entire food groups to lose weight, and rather reducing portion sizes generally was the way forward.

Dr Lucy Chambers, Head of Research Communications at Diabetes UK, said the study answers important questions.

It also supported findings from the charitys own research - that low calorie diets for 12 weeks have the best success rates.

The DiRECT study, funded by Diabetes UK, showed a low calorie diet can help a quarter of type 2 diabetes patients lose 15kg or more of weight, and put 86 per cent of those into remission.

The results of the trial mean the NHS is now trialling it across the UK.

Dr Chambers said: Diets that focus on reducing calories, such as low-calorie meal replacement diets, rather than reducing intake of certain nutrients or foods groups, such as carbohydrates, were found to give people with type 2 diabetes the best chance of losing weight and going into remission.

"Even a small amount of weight loss can have a really positive impact on health and wellbeing.

Its important to remember that theres no one-size-fits-all diet for diabetes.

Low-calorie diets can be challenging, and if you have type 2 diabetes and want to lose weight, getting support from a healthcare professional can help you find an approach that is safe and works for you.

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The best diet to lose weight and reverse Type 2 diabetes revealed... - The Sun

As global trade in red and processed meats has increased, so have chronic diseases associated with meat consumption, a study looking at data from 154 countries found on Thursday.

Researchers focused on illness and death rates from three diseases strongly linked to red and processed meat consumption: colorectal cancer, type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

They drew on meat import and export figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to find out where in the world red and processed meats had become more available.

They then checked these findings against health data from the Global Burden of Disease project.

"The increased intake of red and processed meat products via trade caused the abrupt increase of diet-related non-communicable diseases," the study published in the British Medical Journal concluded.

The adverse effects of a diet high in red and processed meats is well known.

But the international trade of these products also has far-reaching impacts on the climate, through greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss, through shrinking habitat, the study noted.

"Few international initiatives and national guidelines for sustainable diets explicitly address the spillover impacts of the meat trade across countries," they said.

They calculated a worldwide increase in related deaths of nearly 75 percent between 1993 and 2018, with major variations by geographical region.

While they estimated a 55 percent rise in related deaths in developed countries, the rate of increase in developing countries was more than double: 157 percent.

"These higher rates are because many developing countries around the world exponentially relied on red and processed meat imports to meet their increased meat demands under rapid urbanisation and income growth," the study says.

Over the years covered by the study, developing countries expanded imports while rich ones expanded exports, the findings showed.

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The study suggests that to achieve healthier and more sustainable diets, international dialogue should involve both health and trade bodies, citing the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"Regional trade agreements of the WTO accelerate red and processed meat flows among countries," it said, and suggested it could coordinate with UN health and food agencies to improve future trade policy.

Since it is observational, the study can suggest but not confirm the cause-effect relationship between meat trade and diet-related illnesses.

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Diet-related illness increases with availability of red meat: study - Yahoo News

Tis the season for desserts, cocktails and everything thats delicious.

Although diet advice does change throughout the years, likely most health experts would agree: You dont want an excessive amount of sugar in your system. Occasional treats and splurges are fun, but a diet thats consistently filled with excess sugar can lead to things like obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Our bodies do need sugar, but youll want to steer clear of added sugars, like in processed food, which can be way more than what we need.

Follow these steps to limit the amount of sugar you consume daily, and improve your overall health.

A lot of people dont realize just how much sugar theyre consuming in their drinks every day.

A soda can have as much sugar as a candy bar.

Even if you dont eat candy or chocolate, you could still be overindulging when it comes to sugar.

Buying sugar-heavy coffee daily will absolutely cause your sugar intake to skyrocket. As hard as it may be, you have to skip the sugary drinks in favor of water.

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Simply switching to water with every meal will most definitely limit the amount of sugar you consume daily.

Healthy choices in the morning will set you up for success.

The sad truth is, a lot of breakfast food is full of sugar. Donuts, muffins, pancakes with syrup, and cereal can all be chock-full of unwanted sugar.

High sugar intake in the morning will leave you feeling sluggish instead of energized. Opt for healthier breakfast options like a fruit smoothie, oatmeal or eggs.

Dont let breakfast skew your sugar intake for the rest of the day.

There are probably a lot of foods you believe are low in sugar that actually arent.

Sugar can even hide in bread or dried fruit. Dont play the guessing game when it comes to sugar -- know exactly how much sugar is in everything youre purchasing.

Unfortunately, reading the label isnt always easy, as manufacturers use many names for sugar. Search the nutrition label for high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, maltose, dextrose, rice syrup, or molasses.

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When you get smarter about checking your nutrition labels, youll be more in control of the amount of sugar you consume.

Its fine to have dessert on occasion, but if youre a daily dessert eater, it might be time to cut back.

If youre eating something sweet every time you have a meal, your sugar intake might be too high.

If you find your sweet tooth is hard to control after you eat, try having a few pieces of fresh fruit. Allow natural sweetness to quell your cravings.

Remember, its OK to have sweet treats in moderation. Being militaristic about your diet will drain you and may cause you to give up on healthy eating entirely.

So, dont be afraid to grab some candy now and again, just make sure you arent also consuming too much sugar on a daily basis.

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3 easy ways to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet - KSAT San Antonio

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Hellooo, omega-3 fatty acids, aka essential fats that can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, lower your blood pressure and triglycerides and assist in reducing inflammation. Omega-3s are also rich in vitamin D and selenium, protect the heart from erratic cardiac issues, improve blood vessel function and can even aid in prenatal and postnatal neurological development.

Since our bodies dont produce omega-3s autonomously, its imperative that we consume them through food or supplementsand fish are packed with them. One to two three-ounce servings of fatty fish a week can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease by 36 percent, says the American Heart Association (AHA). Then again, fish are far from the only source of omega-3s out there. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in chia, walnuts, hemp, algae oil and more, says Stoler.

Fish has also been scientifically proven to work wonders for your brain. Research shows that eating baked or broiled fish at least once a week can significantly lower your risk of Alzheimers disease, according to the Fisher Center for Alzheimers Research Foundation. Fish is also known to reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses, lower triglycerides, reduce blood clotting, lower your stroke risk and aid with irregular heartbeats, says the Mayo Clinic. Due to all these perks, its recommended by the AHA that we have two servings of fatty fish a week (either 3 ounces cooked or a cup of flaked fish). On the pesco Mediterranean diet, youre likely going to consume even more per week.

If you still need convincing, the Mediterranean diet can even possibly boost your mood, meaning its fish-filled cousin can, too. In a 2017 study by BMC Medicine, researchers monitored a group of people with depression for 12 weeks as they tried the meal plan. By the end of the study, most participants reported a major improvement in their symptoms. Scientists have also noted a connection between fish and anxiety reduction. While a definite explanation hasnt been discovered, researchers believe omega-3s can travel to the brain easily and positively communicate with mood-regulating molecules and neurotransmitters, says JAMA Network.

Fish and other popular Mediterranean diet foods have also been found to improve headaches and migraines. If you suffer from chronic headaches, they may be triggered by nutritional deficiencies, says Maria Marlow, integrative nutrition health coach and author of The Real Food Grocery Guide. More magnesium (which is found in leafy greens, beans, nuts and seeds), riboflavin (which is found in broccoli, eggs and almonds) and omega-3s can counteract those deficiencies.

And of course, a major benefit of this diet plan is that theres no calorie counting required and no food groups are totally off limits (although refined sugars are largely avoided, which is inherently good for your health). The pesco Mediterranean or regular Mediterranean diets could be easy ways for you to eat more nutritiously (or even possibly lose weight) without feeling like youre depriving yourself.

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What Is the Pesco Mediterranean Diet? We Asked a Nutritionist - PureWow