Lifestyle Choices

Nothing can equal the joy of sitting in a happy bar. This is an unspoken wish of every bachelor who finishes the whole day work. Yet many a bar is a place where the biting winds outside are more than matched by the cold criticisms that reign within. (more…)

It is easy to adapt all of the recipes and meal plans. Here are some simple suggestions for making the recipes vegetarian:

• Replace the meat or fish in a recipe with Portobello mushrooms or aubergine, but remember that this will raise the carbohydrate levels in the recipe. You will also need to take extra whey-protein drinks and maybe increase your intake of nuts and high protein snacks to keep your protein levels high enough.

• Cook with tofu instead of the meat or fish. However, tofu has a quarter as much protein per gram as meat and a third as much as most fish. This means that not only should you replace the meat or fish in a recipe with a higher amount of tofu, but you should also add whey-protein powder to the recipe or supplement your meal with a whey-protein shake.

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Foods (and drinks) that are ‘out’

Avoid sugar in its many disguises and foods that contain fast-releasing carbohydrates with a high-GL score.

Avoid bad fats, which occur in foods high in saturated, hydrogenated, processed fats or damaged fats, such as sausages, fried food and junk food.

Stop eating any foods you’re allergic to, and find alternatives. Avoid alcohol during the first two weeks to a month on your diet, as its effect on the blood is similar to sugar.

Limit or avoid caffeinated drinks. Ideally, avoid coffee altogether and have no more than two cups of weak tea a day. Caffeinated fizzy drinks are very bad news as they play havoc with your blood sugar levels and will leave you craving more. (more…)

Now that you understand the core principles of low-GL eatingand have decided on your personal goals, it is time to take a closer look at what you can eat, and how much you can eat, on the Alford Low-GL Diet. You won’t need to worry about rigid discipline, hunger pangs, expensive foods or excluding foods. Just focus on eating low-GL foods and the rest will take care of itself.

There are two main stages to the Alford Low-GL Diet:

Stage one The weight-loss diet will take you to your target weight.

Stage two The maintenance diet is a diet for life.

And there are five main rules for the weight-loss diet:

1 Eat no more than 40GL a day (or 55L on the maintenance diet).

2 Have an additional 5GL for drinks and desserts for 10 GL on the maintenance diet). (more…)

Seeking and Complying with Medical Advice

Some people purposely avoid seeking the advice of a physician because they fear that something may be wrong. This occurs in spite of the evidence that delay in treatment greatly increases the risk of death for many diseases that can be cured or controlled. In addition to medical readiness exams for those beginning exercise (see Concept 4), regular preventive medical exams are important. After age forty, a yearly preventive exam is recommended for all people. Young adults probably need a regular medical examination less often, but a regular examination is important for all people to help in the early diagnosis of problems. Regular self- examination for breast (females) and testicular (males) cancer are recommended, as are periodic mammograms and PAP tests for females (especially after age forty), and a prostate test for males. Other important behaviors that should be considered are listed as follows:

• Be familiar with the symptoms of the most common medical problems in our culture.
• If symptoms are present, seek medical help. Many deaths could be prevented if the early warning signs of medical problems were heeded.

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