Diet Life Today

The Gracies are considered the first family of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). They attained perfection in their ground-and-pound combat on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Gracie Jiu Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) was founded by brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie in 1925. Carlos was trained by the Japanese jiu-jitsu master, Maeda Hatsui. Carlos was a brilliant street fighter who incorporated Hatsui’s grappling techniques with Western-style boxing.

Helio, too, is considered as one the most-gifted martial artists in the world. He became famous for beating several combat artists in no-holds-barred fights throughout Brazil. Helio brought BJJ to the United States with his sons Royce, Rorion, and Rickson. These young Gracies became prime fighters in MMA tournaments around the world. Rorion is the co-founder of Ultimate Fighting Championship, an elite MMA organization and is the Major MMA promotion in USA.

The success of the Gracies in MMA is attributed not only to their strenuous training but also because of their strict diet. The Gracies spent most of their lives fighting and they never had the comfort of being sick and unprepared in the day of the fight. It was important for them to be healthy at all times. Being healthy frees them of the stress and anxiety that may experience during or before the fight. Heeding an excerpt by the great philosopher Hippocrates, Let your food be your remedy, Carlos studied various eating methods and took harmful methods away from his regimen.

Known as the Gracie Diet, this eating regimen focused on food combinations. The objective was to prevent blood acidity and fermentation that could be caused by unhealthy chemical reactions of food within the body. This procedure may hamper the digestive process which is the most energy consuming stage in the body. According to Carlos, keeping the acidity or the alkalinity (pH levels) of the blood is crucial in the digestive process because pH levels of food should be kept neutral for maximum transformation of the food. He added that some food combinations of food kept the pH levels in the blood neutral while others made it acidic or alkaline. The pH imbalance in food may cause several illness like hardening of the arteries, osteoporosis and and stiff joints which may lead to arthritis.

The diet is composed of several food tables divided in the following groups:
Group A: Animal protein, fats and oils, and vegetables.
Group B: Cereals.
Group C: Sweet fruits.
Group D: Acid foods (in majority fruits).
General guide lines of the diet:
Foods from group A combine with each other and with one of group B.
Foods from group C combine with each other and with one of group B.
Foods from group B do not combine with each other.
Foods from group D can only be consumed individually.
Banana and milk are not included in any of the groups since they have chemical combinations of their own.
Observations:
Egg yolk (raw or cooked), coconut, coffee, brewers yeast, and many varieties of teas are compatible with any food, for they are considered neutral.
Avoid: Sweets, canned goods, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, mustard, pickled foods, and vinegar.
Never eat: Pork and derivatives.
Bread: To be less fermented, it should be made out of pure or natural flour and eaten 24 hours after baked. Also, it should be eaten as toast or oven warmed.
No alcoholic beverages.
Not smoking.
Drinking a glass of water when you get up and before you go to sleep.
Important: In order to avoid a chemical conflict, it is essential that meals are at least 4 hours apart. Do not eat anything between meals.

It is difficult to notice the long-term effects of proper eating habits if people are in their twenties, thirties, or forties. Many modern diets are formulated by young men and gained credibility based on theory. Helio Gracie, however, is a living proof that the Gracie diet is as effective if not better than other diets out in the market. By following strict combination of food he still manages to enjoy superb physical and mental health that enables him to teach and train people in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The pH diet stresses a balanced approach to eating. By limiting the intake of acidic foods and increasing the intake of alkaline foods one can achieve optimum health. One of the main factors in the fight against acidic pH levels is sugar. Sugar is an epidemic in our modern world. The average American consumes 2 to 3 pounds of sugar each week, that translates to over 135 pounds of sugar per person per year. This alarming number is attributed to the wide popularity of sugar as an additive. Sugar is in everything, hiding in various forms. Sucrose, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrups are active ingredient in all processed food and condiments. These highly refined sweeteners leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those who are starting out on the pH diet due to their universal acceptance as a necessary evil

With sugars radical effect on insulin levels, the body has no fighting chance against the damage. When insulin levels drop; so do the release of growth hormone. These growth hormones depress the immune system that leaves the body open to a host of diseases and maladies. Insulin also inhibits the bodys ability to fight off weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels. Put quite simply, the higher in simple sugars a food is, the more likely it will promote fat storage in the body. These stored fat cells play a host to acidic waste that in turn degrade the structure of red blood cells in the bloodstream.

Sugar also fights for control of the cellular development in the body with Vitamin C. From a structural standpoint, Vitamin C and Simple Sugar are quite similar. As sugar levels go up in the body, they compete with one another when they enter cells. If there is a higher concentration of sugar in the bloodstream which will allow more sugar into thirsty cells leaving little to no room for Vitamin C. Without the phagocytizing effects of Vitamn C on cellular structures they are unable to fend off the attacks of viruses and bacteria. Lower white blood cell counts equal a suppressed immune system that isnt strong enough to protect the body.

Sugar is devoid of vitamins and minerals and upon absorption steals vital micro-nutrients to help it metabolize into the system. A deficit is created when these micro-nutrients are not replaced. This deficiency causes fat cells and cholesterol to not be metabolized thus leading to high blood pressure and obesity. The ability of sugar to raise insulin levels artificially eventually leaves the pancreas dysfunctional and the body dependent on sugar. This is commonly referred to as diabetes. Simple sugars have also been attributed to gallstones, mood disorders, heart disease and even asthma. With all of the negative effects that sugars have been clinically linked to, is it any wonder that sugar is also one of the most acidic things you can put into your body.

Cancer is the most dangerous result of heavy sugar dependence. Cancerous cells thrive on lactic acid. This lactic acid produced by fermenting glucose is transported into the liver. A more acidic PH is produced by this buildup of lactic acid in the cancerous cells, the highly acidic nature of cancerous tumors is testament to this. The connection between sugars and unhealthy acidic levels in the bloodstream is clearly drawn through the connection of glucose (sugar) and cancerous cells. Simple sugars are quite simply a poison to the body that will eventually deteriorate the quality of cellular development and suppress the immune system to the point of failure.

By balancing the diet with an 80% alkaline and 20% acid induction of foods, supplements, and beverages you can decrease the risk of disease in the body. By replacing simple sugars with more complex ones or alkaline-based sweeteners such as Stevia, one can decrease the dependence on simple sugars and avoid bad health. Look carefully at ingredient labels and be aware of the many names that simple sugars hide behind. Become educated on how the body metabolizes simple sugars, as well as how carbohydrates can be broken down into simple sugars in the bloodstream. By arming yourself with information you can improve the quality of your life.

Stress and Weight Loss: Why Dieting Alone Is Not Enough

Many individuals struggle with attaining and maintaining their ideal weight. Many people spend enormous amounts of money on gym memberships, personal trainers, and dietitians but achieve very minimal or unsatisfactory results.

More than just a problem of metabolism and food intake, recent studies show that stress and anxiety might be among the top reasons why people have a hard time losing weight. The human body actually responds to stressful situations by initiating a burst of energy; and by increasing metabolic rates and blood flow. The body also produces a substance called Cortisol, a natural steroid-like hormone that is also called the stress hormone. It is known as thestress hormone because large amounts of this substance are released whenever a person feels stressed out. It is an important hormone in the human body because it is used by the body for proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, immune system function, and inflammatory response. However, high levels of cortisol may do more harm than good. When people becomes stressed, the adrenal glands produce more cortisol that release sugar in the blood which leads to additional weight gain. People who secrete higher levels of cortisol as a reaction to stress tend to eat more food that is high in carbohydrates, fats, salt, and sugar. This includes sweets and other processed foods that are less healthy and may lead to weight gain.

Many people tend to eat more food to suppress emotional stress and depression. They use snacks and food indulgence as escape routes to deal with pain or pressure that they experience. People who partake in these activities are termed as emotional eaters. The addictive qualities of food is probably the reason why people eat when they are stressed. For example, chocolate promotes the release of substantial amounts of opiates that improves mood and satisfaction.

One of the big reasons why there are more people who gaining unwanted weight or obese is because many are too stressed and too busy to prepare healthy meals at home. Because of this, they opt to eat food from the nearest fast food. Fast food meals contain many empty calories that are responsible for unwanted weight gain.

To keep stress levels under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated during stressful situations. The following methods have been proven to be very beneficial in relaxing the mind and the body:

Keeping a journal or diary
Self-hypnosis
Exercise
Yoga
Listening to music
Sex therapy
Tai chi
Meditation
Sex

Losing weight is not just about lifting weights and cutting down on fats and carbohydrates. Of course, exercise alone cannot guarantee that those extra pounds will be shed. But certainly, mental health is critical in any completing a weight loss program. Changing one’s eating habits, engaging in physical activities, and having a positive mindset all play a complimentary role in losing weight. Maintaining a stress-free lifestyle and the practice of stress management techniques may lead to healthier, happier lives.

The South Beach Diet continues to create its own name in many parts of the world. Along with its rapid widespread, many issues surrounding the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol came to surface. With this fact, the number of studies concerning the South Beach Diet and alcohol increases and as such, still many unanswered questions are left.

Speaking about the issue on the South Beach Diet and alcohol, it is commonly noted that the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol is best explained when referring to natural principle behind the South Beach Diet and alcohol. This simply means by looking to every detail mentioned in the South Beach Diet principles and relate it to the function of the alcohol in the diet.

The South Beach Diet in the first place is an eating plan that bears the principle for right carbohydrates and right fats for a healthy life. As such, the South Beach Diet is generally divided into three different phases. With this division, the existence of the somewhat bond between the South Beach Diet and alcohol becomes evident.

According to many studied, the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol is best explained when knowing that the South Beach Diet does not really favor the intake of alcohol in the diet. This explanation between the South Beach Diet and alcohol is in fact shown that during the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet, alcohol is not allowed along with other cookies and goodies. But many people that were given such explanation between the South Beach Diet and alcohol often question the real reason for such restriction. Well, the real reason for such restriction for alcohol in the diet holds that alcohol cause swings in blood sugar that make the South Beach Dieters hungry. This is in fact the purpose of the first two weeks of the diet to eliminate the dieters cravings for food.

Along with such explanation for the relationship of the South Beach Diet and alcohol, another support is given that the alcohol is eliminated in the diet knowing that it has a high level of sugar will hinder the goal of losing weight for about eight to thirteen pounds.

Numerous studies conducted for the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol however shows that a moderate alcohol intake is not that really bad. It is for the reason that it help in slow stomach emptying, and therefore slows the rise and fall of blood sugar, which is the main goal in the South Beach Diet. However, in the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol, it is noted that an excess in alcohol intake doe turn into sugar and can be a diet buster.

So if you absolutely have to have one, it is then necessary to go for a low-carbohydrate version. Another study that shows the relationship between the South Beach Diet and alcohol have shown that hard alcohols have less potential to raise the blood sugar, though they certainly are not that virtuous. But still it is commonly noted to best stay away from it for better health.