This 'cleansing' diet, involving juices of fruit and vegetables, has become a favourite of celebrities

THEYare known as juice detoxes, and cleanses and have taken over the dieting world in recent years.

Juice diets focus on peopleconsuming liquid mixes of fruit and vegetables with the aim of promoting healthy, radiant skin, weight loss and clarity of mind but do they work?

Alamy

The cleansing process involves the person taking inonly fruit and vegetable juices for nutrition, while abstaining from other food consumption.

The detox diets can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Some plans can involve the user consumingjust liquids, while others can include solid foods as a snack or meal.

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Juicing presents a quick way to easily inject some quality nutrition into your diet.

Many of the detoxes involve restricting calories consumed and limiting the amount of unhealthy foods taken into the body.

In many cases, participants will blend fruit and vegetables to drink, or buy ready-made juice drinks for this time.

Times Newspapers Ltd

Many nutritionists do not recommend the diet thanks to the high sugar contentfound in fruit-based juices.

As the sudden rush of sugar hits the blood stream, the body reacts by releasing insulin to encourage cells to take up the sugar.

A dip in energy can occur, as the body quickly reacts to utilise the sugar, leavingyou feeling flat or tired and causing some people to reach for more sugary foods.

The Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of California, Liz Applegate, confirmed that the body doesnt need any help in getting rid of toxins.

She also said that the diet is often low in protein, which is needed to build healthy immune cells.

Getty Images

Juice detoxes are have a reduced fibre content, which is an important as it helps to remove waste products from the body, such as excess hormones.

Hunger pangs, stomach pains, moodiness, headaches and changes in bowel functions are just a few of the side effects of the diet.

Here are nine more reasons why the juice detox may have negative impacts on your health.

The juice diet has become a popular health trend among Hollywood celebrities, who view the detox as a way to rapidly lose weight and to flush toxins out the body.

Blake Lively and Nikki Reed are said to be fans of consuming juices such as Blueprint Cleanse products, which are made from 100 per cent raw fresh fruits and veggies.

Juices are also said to be a favourite among celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Miranda Kerr.

Getty Images - WireImage

Last year,Peter Andre turned back time as he revealed an incredible six-pack after going on a strict juice diet.

Another fan of the diet is Vicky Pattison, who revealed her incredible new size 8 body after embarking on a juice diet retreat.

Earlier this year, the Geordie Shore lass returned to the Portugal haven to shape-up and detox after Christmas.

Read more:
What is the juice diet, how does it work, is it dangerous and are there any success stories? - The Sun

Kate Middleton is saidto have used the high-protein, low-carb diet before the Royal Wedding

IT began in France to re-educate people about how to eat healthily, and now has an army of A-list fans, including Kate Middleton and Jennifer Lopez.

The Dukan diet fad is a high-protein, low-carb eating plan which started in France under the name Je ne sais pas maigrir, which translates as I dont know how to lose weight.

Getty Images

Getty Images - WireImage

Getty Images

But is it safe and does it work? Here is everything you need to know.

Created by nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan over a decade ago, the Dukan diet quickly became a firm favourite of the 1.5 million French women who followed its plan.

It claims to help dieters lose up to 10lbs within a week by the dieter focusing on protein-high foods and cutting out carbohydrates completely.

The restrictive diet includes four phases, attack, cruising, consolidation and stabilisation, with dieterseating just protein and vegetables and avoiding high-carb foods.

Rex Features

During the attack phase, dieters must stick to meat, fish, eggs and non-fat dairy products, which are designed to promote rapid weight loss.

Dr Dukan lets dieters consume a daily tablespoon of oat bran which swells in the stomach to promote fullness and also helps ease constipation.

The cruising phase focuses on the user alternating pure protein and vegetable days, and is designed to promote a weight loss of 2lbs a week.

On the vegetable days, Dukan dieters can consume an unrestricted amount of vegetables, along with meat, fish and non-fat dairy products.

Getty Images

Consolidation phase revolves around preventing weight gain that can occur in a rebound effect to rapid weight loss.

During this period, pasta, cheese, fruit and bread are slowly reintroduced back into the diet.

The final stage, stabilisation, lets diets consume whatever they please, apart from one day a week which must be strictly protein-only.

The Dukan Diet cuts out carbs, which are the bodys preferred energy source, and forces the body to use a different fuel fat stored in the body.

Apart from keeping to low-fat, low-salt and high-protein foods, theres no restriction on how much you can eat during your first two weeks.

The aim isgradual weight loss of up to 2 pounds a week and to promote long-term weight management.

Getty Images

The Dukan diet isnt nutritionally balanced, which is acknowledged by the fact you needa vitamin supplement and a fibre top-up in the form of oat bran.

Theres a danger this type of diet could increase your risk of long-term health problems if you dont stick to the rules.

The British Dietetic Association said that it is not advisable to cut out entire food groups and even Dr Dukan has said that there are some side effects.

The start of the diet can come with a range of side effects including bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia and nausea from cutting out carbs.

The lack of wholegrains, fruit and vegetables at the start of the diet can also cause constipation.

Getty Images

After the diet spread like wildfire a host of celebrities have sworn by its effects.

Kate Middleton reportedly dropped two dress sizes using the diet in the run up to the Royal Wedding.

Other celebrities who are said to have done the diet to return to their svelte pre-baby figures are Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen.

Go here to read the rest:
What is the Dukan diet, is it safe, what foods are restricted and are there any success stories? - The Sun

A LOWFODMAP diet is a diet with a difference it wont help you lose weight.

But it can help prevent symptoms such as bloating, wind and abdominal pain.

Alamy

Intrigued?Heres what you need to know

The low FODMAP diet was developed by a team at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and has now been successfully adapted inthe UK by researchers at Kings College London and implemented at Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust in London.

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols Catchy, right?

Getty Images

Put simply, these are sugars and carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed by the small intestine and digestive system leaving them able to feed intestinal bacteria.

A such, high FODMAP foods can fuel symptoms such as pain, bloating, and flatulence in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The low FODMAP diet seeks to avoid these foods a list which includes garlic, onions, cakes and cheese.

The low FODMAP diet differs from many other diets in the way that weight loss is not its goal and it is unlikely that following a low FODMAP plan will help you shed the pounds.

Instead, the diet prevents symptoms such as bloating, wind and abdominal pain all associated with IBS.

High FODMAP foods increase in the amount of water in the small intestine which may contribute to loose stools and also feed bacteria in the gut which can result in gas.

By choosing low FODMAP foods, which include spinach, chicken, bananas and blueberries, you can avoid these symptoms.

Getty Images

Some high FODMAP foods to avoid include:

Oligiosaccharides

Avoid these: Onions, wheat, leeks, nectarines, barley, rye, lentils, pistachios, kidney beans, broccoli

Eat Instead: Quinoa, corn, potato, buckwheat, pumpkin, cucumbers, tomato, courgettes and gluten-free items

Disaccharide (Lactose)

Avoid these: Milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, yogurt

Eat Instead: Feta, cheddar cheese, lactose-free products, soy or almond milk alternatives

Monosaccharide (Fructose)

Avoid these: Apples, mangos, honey, pineapples and pears

Eat Instead: Banana, blueberries, raspberry, strawberries

Polyols

Avoid these: Mushrooms, cauliflower, prunes, blackberries and sugar alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol)

Eat Instead: Almonds, pine nuts, Brazil nuts and stevia

Garlic and onions should be avoided entirely.

Getty Images

The low FODMAP diet is still a relatively new concept in the UK but gradually more and more GPs and gastroenterologists are referring patients for advice from a registered dietitian with experience of the low FODMAP diet.

While the diet is safe, it is also quite a complex approach to food so it is important that you receive good quality advice if youre serious about following it.

The low FODMAP diet is effective for treating digestive issues and is successful at alleviating gut symptoms for around 70 per cent of people with IBS who try it.

Beth Trueman, 22, was first struck by extreme bloating as a university student two years ago.

She has since learnt how to cope with her chronic illness since discovering a low Fodmap diet, which helps to keep her symptoms at bay.

Dr Ayesha Akbar, aconsultant gastroenterologist also recommended the diet for those hoping to overcome bloating.

The rest is here:
What is the low FODMAP diet, how does it work, is it safe and are there any success stories? - The Sun

Farm raised tuna see improved feed conversion, survival on diets with plant-based proteins, says Illinois Soybean Association.

The association has been working to develop diets for several types of tuna, said Mark Albertson, director of strategic market development. The decision was made to work on tuna diets after methods of farming the fish were developed.

It recently completed a series of studies looking at the use of diets with plant-based protein sources for farm hatched juvenile Bluefin Tuna in Spain, yellowfin tuna in Panama and juvenile Bluefin tuna in Mexico, he said.

Tuna is known to be the most challenging species to try to feed, especially with a plant-based diet because theyre so carnivorous in the wild, he told us.The idea of trying to feed them a soy-based diet is really difficult, but weve been toying with this for a while, and we fed other species that are quite carnivorous. Now that theyve been hatching them, it seemed the right time to take a crack at it.

The group saw some positive results with its alternative diets around the survival rate of juvenile, farm-raised fish, feed economy and feed conversion (FCR), he said.

[The] farm raised fish [sector] is the fastest growing use of soy, he said. There is more soy being used around the world for aquaculture than beef production.

Fish in the Panama trial were wild caught then moved to a closed system, said Alejandro Buentello, the association researcher, in his report. Fish were transitioned onto a moist pellet feed.

In the trial, fish had improved feed conversion on the formulated diet, but weight gain and condition were better with the control diet, said the researcher. However, it appears improved diet formulation may address the issue.

The fish used for the trials in Mexico were wild-caught and then raised in fish ranches, which is a practice in that area, said Albertson. However, most fish produced in that manner are fed dead sardines.

We dont think tuna ranching is sustainable, he said. In the practice, both the tuna and the sardines have to be caught, he added.

There was a transition period to use the alternative diet, but it allowed for a 3:1 feed conversion ratio after acclimation, he said.

A sardine-based diet has an FCR of 17.8 to 14.1, according the associations report.

We changed them from a sardine diet to soy sausages, he said. We developed sausages that slowly sank, and then we mixed them with ones that floated and then [used] 100% that floated you can see how much the fish are eating, and when theyre floating we could retrieve those [uneaten] and feed those again. There was zero waste once we were able to transition.

By changing the feed source from dead sardines to a formulated feed, there also is the possibility of reducing disease from use of fish in the diet, he said. We were able to eliminate any possibility of transmitting disease through the feed if you lose a cage of 2,000 tuna thats millions of dollars, he added.

Fish were given the moist pellets previously tested in Panama for 54 days, again the feed conversion was better for fish getting the pelleted diet and final body weight were similar for fish getting the control and the pelleted diet, said the researcher. But, condition was slightly lower for fish getting the formulated diet.

Were excited with our research because, if youre not relying on sardines, you can put your (farm) in other places, said Albertson. The water where most fish are ranched is too cold for optimal production, he added.

In the study in Spain, the juvenile tuna were transitioned to a weaning feed after use of enriched rotifers and copepod nauplii as a first feed, he said. Seven feeds from different sources were examined in the trial.

The soy-based feed was able to outperform the others in terms of survivability of the fish, he said. Were new at this so we thought this was great, he added.

In overall production, the diet was third for growth performance, reported the researcher.

The tested diets were supplemented with a DHA-product to improve omega-3 levels and some incorporated amounts of krill oil as an attractant, said Albertson.

Additionally, to design the diets soy protein concentrate had to be used instead of soybean meal, he said. They like protein, but soybean meal has both protein and carbohydrates [and those] can cause enteritis in carnivorous fish, he added.

Using the concentrate removed the carbohydrates from the soy-based ingredient, he said.

With most animal feeds were competing against other plant-based feeds, but when it comes to fish feeds for carnivorous fish its sardines and fishmeal, so we can afford to do some things with the tuna diets that we couldnt with catfish or tilapia diets, he said. The economics are a little different.

The transition to tuna diet research is the latest step in a long process for the association.

Weve really worked our way up to tuna, he said.Weve worked our way up from vegetarian fish to omnivorous fish to the most carnivorous fish.

However, work on the tuna diets is not completed. The group is hoping to get support to continue its work this summer.

We do think this will increase demand for soybeans, he said. In our opinion, the reason we have the soybean checkoff is to do something that someone else isnt already doing, and this was a big risk for us.

Soybean producers may not see an immediate return on the work being done to design tuna diets, he said.Tuna is a major species, and not only does it have the potential to help soybean farmers be more profitable, we think it is the right thing to do from the sustainability aspect of it, he added.

Go here to see the original:
Feeding tuna 'holy grail' for Illinois Soybean Association - FeedNavigator.com

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) Most of us put very little thought into the food we eat, but one local family has to think about every bite their little girl takes. A lot of foods could leave her with brain damage.

Two-year-old Norah Kasprzyk has a rare metabolic disorder called Phenylketonuria, which means she doesnt have the liver enzyme needed to process phenylalanine, an amino acid found in protein. Phenylalanine can build to toxic levels in the central nervous systems of people with PKU, leading to mental retardation and other disorders.

Norah Kasprzyk was diagnosed with PKU when she was just days old after the results of the standard heel prick test every newborn gets came back abnormal. Norah was the only baby born with PKU in Western New York in 2014, her mother, Staci, told News 4.

PKU affects about 1 in 10,000 infants born in the United States, and can only be managed through an extremely strict diet and frequent blood tests. Shes on seven grams of proteins for the day, Staci Kazprzyk explained. You have to pre-plan your entire day of eating.

MORE | Click here to learn more about how you can help find a cure and raise awareness about PKU

Maintaining the low-protein diet is extremely difficult. Phenylalanine is in everything from meat to eggs to nuts to dairy; its in all food made with the sugar substitute aspartame; even a lot of vegetables and grains have too much protein for Norah to safely eat.

The family has to specially order a lot food for Norah and its very expensive. The pasta that you and I would eat is a dollar a box at the super market, whereas we have to order her pasta, and its $14 or $15 a pound, Norahs dad, Eddie, said.

Thats nothing compared to the cost of the special PKU formula Norah has to drink every day. Its a version of protein without phenylalanine in it and it costs $40/can.

Its something shes going to be on for the rest of her life, Eddie Kasprzyk pointed out.

Unfortunately, PKU is so rare, insurance doesnt cover a lot of the food and formula needs, which is something the Kasprzyk family is asking lawmakers to change. Theyre heading to D.C. in May to try to get support for the Medical Nutrition Equity Act, which would require the insurance companies to cover the formula.

But, their ultimate goal is for Norah not to need the formula anymore. They want a cure for PKU.

One of my dreams is just to take Norah and get ice cream with her, Eddie Kasprzyk said. Just be able to enjoy a slice of pizza. Just to be a kid.

And be able to eat what everyone eats, be able to go to a birthday party and have cake like everybody else does. Just for her to live a normal life, Staci Kasprzyk added.

Thats why Eddie and Staci are co-chairing the Lifting the Limits for PKU gala fundraiser at the Statler on April 29 as they work to collect money to fund critical research that will hopefully one day find a cure for PKU.

The National PKU Alliance has different research projects that theyre working on currently. Where our money is going currently is stem cell research so we can see if that can possibly help, Staci Kasprzyk explained.

MORE | Click here to buy tickets to the gala or make a donation

You can learn more about the event on Facebook, on the National PKU Alliance website, or by contacting Staci and Eddie Kasprzyk by phone at 716.725.3212 or by email ltlbuffalo2017@gmail.com

2 y.o. Norah has a rare metabolic disorder called PKU. She can't eat more than 7 g of protein a day. Now, her family is fighting for a cure pic.twitter.com/KbMoi2DVUF

Katie Alexander (@KatieNews4) April 18, 2017

Go here to read the rest:
Cheektowaga family fighting to cure PKU - wivb.com