Diva Approved: Networking with a Mission

MY DIVA DIET is now partnering with other health and fitness organizations and medical practitioners to spread our mission of good health to all. Included in the Diva Approved part of our website you will find our networking partners as well as other recommendations for health and fitness organizations, companies, products and more.


One of our networking partners is the Weight Loss Institute.
They had this to say about MY DIVA DIET and our website.

Searching for the right type of diet might be a hard thing to do for us, women. Mostly nowadays, when there are hundreds of diet pills, fat burners, appetite suppressants and diet plans all over the internet and deciding which one worth trying out is even harder than the whole weight loss procedure. Getting the needed help would be necessary, finding a site; a helping hand which can really help us would be useful. Mydivadiet.com might give you the needed help and even more, all this in the best, lightest atmosphere, the site is giving us.

At mydivadiet.com every woman can find the diet books she needs. The My Diva Diet workbook is giving you all the necessary information one needs to know about overall health, proper nutrition, tips, which can help you burn fat and improve your health forever. This workbook is for woman of all ages, including diet quiz, tips for fat reduction, special diets and effective diet guides. And what is the best, this site is only for us, women. My Diva Diet is presenting you intelligent and easy ways to lose weight and health regain. With the help of this book, you will not find out which are the best fat burners and diet pills, this book is giving you real, healthy and effective diet solutions, without talking you into the consumption of harmful chemicals and drugs.

The design of the site is the first thing that catches your sight. It seems like you have gotten into a cartoon with the latest graphics. The site gets you into a fairy tale world where villains rule your diet habits and superheroes rescue you from them. Although the site s cartoon like the services and solutions offered are real and true.

Even more they are useful and helpful. So if you want to know how to defeat your diet villains, and how to avoid becoming like Sat Fat, who is consuming too much fat and cholesterol, Joe Stuft who is overeating, Al and Cole who are drinking too much alcohol or Junkster who is eating too much junk food. So visit My Diva Diet and learn how to lose weight and live a healthy life without drugs chemicals and fat.

You will find the Weight Loss Institute on our Diva Approved page with more valuable information from them and others. Stay Tuned for more networking partners.

Dieting on Miracles: Quick-Fix Diet Solutions

Why restrictive and unbalanced diets don't work and how they actually contribute to poor health, a slower metabolism, energy reduction, and weight gain.

Americans shell out over $58 billion a year on weight loss products. With all this money being spent, are we any leaner? NO. In fact 67% of the American population is overweight or obese and childhood obesity is on the rise, with one out of three kids considered overweight or obese. So what is the problem?

Other than the obvious diet pitfalls of overeating, junk food consumption and lack of exercise, there is another culprit — the never-ending quest to find a quick-fix solution to our health and fitness woes. We seek out and find diet programs and products that are marketed today as "miracles" that are basically gimmicks full of false promises, magic potions, and misleading propaganda. Most of these counter-productive systems result in yo-yo dieting and can be quite dangerous.

There is no quick fix for fat loss, optimal health, and longevity, but the good news is that there is a way. You don’t have to starve or deprive yourself to lose weight! The next time you decide to go on a weight-loss diet program, open our eyes and spot the quick-fix diets. Don't believe the hype; think twice before you waste your time, money, health, and sanity. No sensible diet program will ever compromise your physical or mental health for the sake of looking good.

Some commonly used formulas for weight loss:

• Liquid diets Low-calorie diets
• High-protein, low or no-carbohydrate, high-fat diets
• Low-protein, high-carbohydrate, no-fat diets
• "One type of food" diets
• Processed, packaged, and man-made food diets

Bottom line on quick-fix diet programs: restrictive and unbalanced diets don't work––they actually contribute to poor health, a slower metabolism, energy reduction, and weight gain.

#1 - Poor Health
Since most quick-fix diets restrict calories or do not allocate the proper nutrient ratio (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), and even completely eliminate important vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they put you at a nutritional risk. Another problem is that if you consume too much of any nutrient like protein, it can put undue stress on your kidneys and other internal organs. And if you consume excessive man-made food products, you are at risk of the perils of excessive amounts of additives and preservatives. All of these scenarios set the stage for a number of health problems during your diet, in the immediate future, and further down the line.

#2 - Deception and Dehydration
Many quick-fix diets promote low-carbohydrate intake, of which when you drop carbohydrates in your diet, you will lose weight. However, most of the weight lost in this manner consists only of glycogen and water. The problem with this type of weight loss is that you are deceived into believing that you are losing fat. In reality, once carbohydrate intake resumes (even the good carbs) and the water weight and glycogen are restored, you will mistakenly believe that you've regained the fat back.

Since the human body is over 60% water, this kind of diet and weight-loss result has a more serious consequence; it may lead to dehydration. Dehydration can cause fatigue, crankiness, stiff joints, headaches, nausea, aches, electrolyte imbalances, and much more. Severe dehydration can cause seizures, coma, or even death.

#3 - LBM (lean body mass)
Reduction Reduction in muscle mass is a common result of any type of low-calorie, low- carbohydrate, or starvation program. In fact, as muscle mass is lost, metabolism slows––the opposite of what the goal should be of any credible diet program. A daily intake of less than 1000 calories is considered starvation, and the human body will automatically try to salvage body fat just for survival.

#4 - Decrease in Energy
When calories are restricted, especially carbohydrates, the body's main source of energy is limited. This energy is needed for the body and the brain to function properly. Otherwise, you'll begin to feel tired, cranky, and mentally slow. You also will not have the energy you need to be active and exercise. Calories do so much for your body-–they provide energy, life, vitality, and so much more.

#5 - Body Fat increases
Any type of restrictive or unbalanced diet is a recipe for failure. The hype behind quick-fix diets is often unsubstantiated, based on gimmicks and full of false promises. They offer ways to lose weight fast with no regard for health and safety; the results will always be questionable. And after trying a quick-fix diet program, any attempt to resume normal, proper eating patterns will often lead you to regain more weight than you lost. Compounding the problem, regaining weight that you worked so hard to lose creates desperation, which often causes many to seek another quick fix. This process eventually leads to chronic yo-yo dieting, which is a vicious, unhealthy, frustrating, expensive, and dangerous cycle.

There is a rise in sound (proper) diet programs that will help you lose weight and gain health. There are now widely accepted, well-researched nutritional principles found in most well respected, leading diet programs, ones that are not marketed as miracles, that don’t offer quick-fix solutions, but truly provide hope, not hype!

Most fitness experts, nutritionists, diet gurus, and well-informed doctors agree that we should consume clean and wholesome foods and liquids to attain and maintain low body fat and vibrant health. We should eliminate junk food, fast food, fried food, and highly processed food. The real debate begins over how many calories we should consume each day and the nutrient ratio, which can be somewhat complicated and should be calculated based on your lean body mass, activity level, gender, age, goals and other variables.

The other debate exists over whether it is better to be a vegetarian or vegan, or not––each providing plusses and negatives to the health and wellness equation. Most also agree that fat loss is where it's at, not just weight loss, that real and lasting weight-loss results don't happen overnight, and getting fit is best accomplished when you include exercise. According to Web MD, "proven weight-management strategies include a balanced diet with reduced calories with a regular exercise regimen." The master key to low body fat, vibrant health, and longevity is not found in a miracle program or product (including diet pills and potions) but a lifestyle of the proper diet and exercise regimen!

First on Blogcritics: Sci/Tech Dieting on Miracles: Quick-Fix Diet Solutions
Author: Christine Lakatos — Published: Nov 19, 2009 at 5:00 pm
More Sci/Tech articles...
www.MyDivaDiet.com

Diet Book Now on Amazon

MY DIVA DIET: Compact Version -- Sound Nutrition Made Practical is now on Amazon.com only $9.99

MY DIVA DIET brought you one of the most comprehensive diet books on the market today by incorporating a user-friendly interactive WORKBOOK format to ensure women achieve and maintain their goals for a leaner, healthier, and more functional and vibrant body-for life. MY DIVA DIET is back with the "Compact Version", where we have taken all of the core value and nutritional information (with a few minor updates) from the WORKBOOK and condensed it so that you can have the meal plans, recipes, guidelines, and special guides at your fingertips and be on your way to attaining the results you are seeking--RIGHT NOW!

Over twelve years in the making, MY DIVA DIET: A Woman’s Last Diet Book and WORKBOOK implements well‑researched nutritional principles found in many respected, leading diet programs; ones that do not offer quick‑fix solutions that are found in so‑called “fad” diets. By establishing the “Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health,” MY DIVA DIET addresses the root causes of why women gain excess body fat and ruin their health. Rather than another quick‑fix solution, MY DIVA DIET is a safe and effective method for achieving permanent weight loss, while improving health.

MY DIVA DIET offers HOPE not HYPE!

MY DIVA DIET: A Woman’s Last Diet Book was released in August of 2008 and has received rave reviews...

Included in MY DIVA DIET: Compact Version are five solid sections

• SECTION ONE – The Introduction
• SECTION TWO – The Analysis
• SECTION THREE – The Guidelines
• SECTION FOUR – The Menu Plan for Fat Loss
• SECTION FIVE - The Guides -- #5 includes Food Pyramids for both Reduction Maintenance as wells as a "cheat sheet" and four MY DIVA DIET Guides
  

1. MY DIVA DIET Food Preparation, Cooking and Meal Planning Guide: 52 Tips
2. MY DIVA DIET Grocery Shopping Guide Phase One–Diva Reduction
3. MY DIVA DIET Restaurant Eating Guide: 52 Tips
4. MY DIVA DIET Society Guide

About the Author
Christine Lakatos, creator of the MY DIVA DIET fat‑loss system and workbook, has been involved in the health and fitness industry since 1980, and has been a personal fitness consultant and trainer since 1989. ACE certified since 1995, she has studied scientific back training, program design, Swiss ball training, rehabilitation training, scientific core conditioning, strength training for women, maternal and infant nutrition, childhood and adolescent nutrition, and weight management for teens, plus much more.

Christine has won titles in many competitions: 1993 Ms. Fitness San Diego, 1990 Ms. Fitness USA—Top 10 finalist, 1990 Steel Rose Championship finalist, and 1989 Ms. San Luis Obispo. She has also made promotional appearances for the health & fitness industry for: Thane Fitness Co., Power Gym, KESQ TV 3 Midday Show, Muscle Mag Video, Joe Weider’s Muscle & Fitness camp (counselor), Parillo Performance, Strong & Shapely, and Ironman magazine. She was also an American Gladiators (1990) contestant.

Now in her forties and the proud mother of two daughters, Christine strives to make sure women and young girls understand that there is no quick‑
fix to fat loss, improving health, and increasing
longevity, and that dieting to lose weight is not
about deprivation. She teaches that the key to fat loss
and vibrant health is accomplished with accurate
knowledge and coupled with accountability,
courage, discipline and motivation.


Get or stay in shape for the Holidays with MY DIVA DIET
Happy Holidays!

NEWLY RELEASED: MY DIVA DIET: Compact Version

“When a diet book delivers it’s worth its weight in gold”. Tailored just for women of all ages (teenagers to women over sixty), MY DIVA DIET promises fat loss and better health by providing a power-packed diet book, presented in a unique fashion using “Fitness Superheroes” and “diet villains”.

Over 12 years in the making, MY DIVA DIET implements well-researched nutritional principles found in many respected, leading diet programs; ones that do not offer quick-fix solutions that are found in so-called "fad" diets. By establishing the “Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health,” MY DIVA DIET addresses the root causes of why women gain excess body fat and ruin their health. Rather than another quick-fix solution, MY DIVA DIET is a safe and effective method for achieving permanent weight loss.

MY DIVA DIET brought you one of the most comprehensive diet books on the market today by incorporating a user-friendly interactive WORKBOOK format to ensure women achieve and maintain their goals for a leaner, healthier, and more functional and vibrant body–for life. MY DIVA DIET is back with the “Compact Version”, where we have taken all of the core value and nutritional information (with a few minor updates) from the WORKBOOK and condensed it so that you can have the meal plans, recipes, guidelines, and special guides at your fingertips and be on your way to attaining the results you are seeking––RIGHT NOW!

Sound nutrition made practical!



Now on CreateSpace and soon to be on AMAZON.COM
ONLY $9.99

MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book WORKBOOK still on AMAZON.COM

Calories: Friends or Foes?

Ten things you should know about calories, and why men can eat more than women and get away with it.
Opinion in Sci/Tech — by Christine Lakatos — on Nov 02, 2009

Like the word diet, the word calorie gets a bad rap, especially when it comes to losing weight. Let’s take a little journey so we can better understand what calories are and how they work in the human body.

1. What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit of food energy. In nutrition terms, the word calorie is used instead of the more precise scientific term "kilocalorie" which represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water one degree centigrade at sea level.

2. What do calories do?
Human beings (and animals) need energy to survive and they require energy from food. Our food has three main components: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They are digested in the intestine, then broken down into their basic units: proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into sugars, and fats into fatty acids. The body uses these basic units to build substances it needs for growth, maintenance, and activity.

3. What is BMR?
BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. BMR is basically the amount of energy your body needs to maintain normal body function. This includes the function of vital organs like the heart, lungs, brain and nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles, and skin, and accounts for about 60-70% of calories burned in a day. The amount of energy required by these processes must be met before any of those calories can be used for food digestion and physical activity.

4. What can affect one’s BMR?
One’s BMR can be influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors: genetics, age, gender, weight, body surface area, body fat percentage, body temperature and health, external temperature, glands, diet, and exercise. Here a few explanations.

Genetics:
Some people are born with faster BMR, some with slower.

Age:
BMR reduces with age. Because of the increase in cellular activity (cells undergoing division), BMR is highest during the growth spurts that take place during childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy. BMR peaks at age twenty for males and females, then decreases by about 2% per decade throughout life. This decline during adulthood may result partly from a decrease in physical activity and the subsequent loss of muscle tissue.

Gender:
Due to a greater percentage of muscle mass (lean tissue) and a lower body fat percentage, men generally have a higher BMR than women.

Body fat percentage:
The lower the body fat percentage, the higher the BMR. Since the male body has a lower body fat percentage–they generally have a 10-15% higher BMR than women.

BMR and Muscle Mass:
Muscle tissue is metabolically, highly active even at rest, whereas fat tissue is not. Thus, lean body mass (LBM) greatly influences a body’s energy requirements and, in conjunction, its nutrient needs. An increase in muscle mass, for both males and females, will elevate BMR.

Starvation and Restrictive Dieting:
Metabolic rate can drop to as low as 20-30% during a period of starvation and restrictive low-calorie dieting. This drop is due to the body’s effort to conserve energy (and its eventual loss of lean tissue) by slowing its BMR. This slowing process is a natural protective mechanism that conserves fat stores when a food shortage occurs. Because of this, consumption of fewer calories than required to sustain BMR will be counterproductive, and can actually cause body fat levels to increase.

5. What impact does exercise have on BMR?
While we can’t change our genetics, age, gender, height or (in most cases) our environment, we can change our body composition. We can decrease our body fat and increase our lean body mass (LBM), which will mean a higher metabolic rate. Changing our body composition is done through proper diet and exercise — two things that will directly impact BMR.

Exercise can increase BMR and, depending on intensity and duration, the metabolic rate may remain elevated for several hours afterward. During sustained, large-muscle exercises like running and swimming, people can generate metabolic rates that are ten times higher than their resting values. Exercise will also increase your muscle mass, which will then increase your BMR.

This is why many top athletes can consume high amounts of calories and still maintain low body fat. The value of exercise cannot be overlooked — it is critical for both short and long-term weight loss; it prevents obesity, poor posture, muscle and bone loss, pre-mature aging, depression, and many other health issues, and it facilitates ultimate fitness levels; physically, mentally, and emotionally.

6. Calculating daily calories. Gender: why men can eat more than women and what women can do about it.
Whether you are interested in health, fitness or weight loss, calories should always be calculated according to your personal BMR, activity level and other variables. While gender is an influential factor for women, it is not necessarily the culprit when it comes to a lower BMR. Instead, a woman’s lower BMR is due to a smaller proportion of muscle mass to fat. That said, females should consume fewer calories than men (childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and athletes excluded). Girls, don’t despair; if you exercise you can eat more. Even though exercise in general increases BMR, strength training is the master to key to the development and protection of lean body mass, which as stated earlier, increases BMR, thus guaranteeing weight loss. However, there is a limit to how much muscle mass females can or want to have on our physique, so we as women have to deal with our limitations when it comes to calorie consumption.

Still, both male's and female’s food consumption should always match their BMR and activity level. If the goal is weight loss or maintenance, neither gender should eat more calories than needed. On the other hand, if we swing in the other direction and don’t eat enough (anything under 1000 calories per day), our predicament is just as grim.

7. Not all calories are created equal.
We get our calories from three main sources, each with a different function and energy potential. In a healthy diet even for weight loss or maintenance, balance of all three nutrients is crucial.

Protein is the "cellular building block" and is a main component of bones, muscles, organs, glands, cartilage, skin, and blood. It also aids in the development, maintenance, and repair of all body tissue and the formation of hormones, enzymes, and other body chemicals. Protein is important for growth and development during childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy.

Carbohydrates are our chief "energy source", providing energy for all bodily functions and muscular exertion. They are also the only source of energy for the brain, nervous system, and red blood cells. Carbohydrates help regulate protein and fat metabolism and are required to break down fats in the liver. They help regulate blood glucose levels, assist in digestion and assimilation of other nutrients, and they provide nutrients for bacteria in the intestinal tract that aid digestion.

Fats supply "necessary nutrients" like essential fatty acids from mono- and polyunsaturated fats. They aid in growth, maintenance of healthy skin, vitamin absorption, and regulation of bodily functions. Although fats are not the chief energy source like carbohydrates, they do provide energy and are considered the most concentrated fuel source. Fats aid in heart and brain health, prevention of certain cancers, and help reduce other ailments like depression, inflammation, and blood pressure.

8. Each nutrient has a particular energy potential.
The caloric energy of a particular food depends on how much protein, carbohydrate, and fat it contains. Most foods contain mixtures of these three nutrients and are classified by which is most predominant. A food rich in protein, like beef, actually contains a lot of fat, while a carbohydrate-rich food like grain contains small traces of both fat and protein.

Caloric yield by nutrient type:
• one gram of protein: four calories
• one gram of carbohydrates: four calories
• one gram of fat: nine calories
Even though alcohol is not a nutrient it does contain calories: one gram of alcohol equals seven calories.

9. Weight control is a question of energy balance:
Energy in = Energy expended = WEIGHT STABLE
Energy in > Energy expended = WEIGHT GAIN
Energy in < Energy expended = WEIGHT LOSS

Although calories are necessary to sustain life and each nutrient has a particular function for health and well being, an excess of any of these will be converted by the liver and stored as fat. Even good calories, when consumed in large amounts, can end up doing harm.

Like many well-designed machines, the body stores energy for future use. Its primary means of storage is fat, or adipose tissue, which lies beneath the skin and surrounds the organs. You can think of fat and its caloric potential as a gas tank for the body. But, unlike a gas tank, the body’s capacity to accumulate an energy reserve is almost limitless. Calories consumed in excess of the body’s needs are stored as fat (in your fat cells — around your internal organs and visible places like your hips, butt, thighs, etc.).

10. Good news!
It sounds simple, but in reality it is somewhat complex. Calculating the correct amount of calories (energy) to consume each day for both men and women, then trying to figure out the proper nutrient ratio can be like trying to do your first science project when you were ten. Considering the facts and the critical role calories play in life, wellness, activity, health, fitness as well as weight loss, at the end of the day or in the context of this subject matter, the beginning of the day, we can conclude that calories are our friends, providing we are consuming pure and wholesome foods.

First on Blogcritics--Sci/Tech
Calories Friends or Foes?
All this and more in MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book

"Diet Villain" ALERT: SHOOGA (sugar)

SHOOGA: Using too much sugar, and too many sugar derivatives, and sugar substitutes

Over consumption of sugar is a rapidly growing problem in America today. The Center for Science in the Public Interest notes that we eat 20% more sugar now than in 1986. The average American eats twenty teaspoons of added sugar a day, aside from natural forms of sugar like lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. With so much sugar being consumed, it’s no wonder we face growing problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health issues.

Sugar:

Sugar primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beets and goes through a refining process. Table sugar (granulated white sugar), which is stripped of all vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids and trace elements during the refining process, is pure sucrose. Sugar can affect health in a myriad of ways–suppress the immune system, cause free radical formation in the bloodstream, produce a significant rise in triglycerides and increase in total cholesterol, cause hypoglycemia, kidney damage, produce an acidic stomach, overstress the pancreas, increase risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, increase the amount of fat in the liver, cause hormonal imbalance, increase in the body’s fluid retention, lead to many mineral deficiencies, speed up aging, cause headaches, including migraines, promotes tooth decay and periodontal disease. Sugar also contributes to hyperactivity, anxiety and depression, diabetes, osteoporosis, weight gain and obesity. And this is the abbreviated list.

Dietary sugar is primarily comprised of refined sugar cane or sugar beet. Table sugar (granulated white sugar) is pure sucrose and is stripped of all vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids, and trace elements during the refinement process.

* Notes

• One level teaspoon of table sugar contains 15 empty calories, which means that these calories have little, if any, nutritional value.
  
• Beyond the sugar we add to our coffee or tea, we consume sugar in a myriad of packaged foods where its content is disguised by other names, like “high fructose corn syrup”, which can cause fat gain and health problems.
  
• Read the ingredients panel on just some of the hundreds of cereals currently on the market today. See my blog "Food Facts: Cereal"
  
• Just because you don’t use table sugar or eat high-sugar cereals doesn’t mean you are avoiding sugar in your diet. Just read the labels on other packaged, man-made food products.
  
• Be aware of other sources of sugar, like molasses, syrup, jams, etc.
  

* Total Daily Sugar Intake Rules

• Avoid eating or adding table sugar to your food.
  
• Since there is plenty of sugar occurring naturally in some foods (e.g. dairy products, fruits, vegetables), try to keep your extra sugar intake to no more than 50 grams per day.
  
• Be very selective in your extra sugar sources.
  
• If you need sweet, use honey (1 Tbsp. = 17 g) or agave nectar (1 Tbsp. = 8.2 g).
  
• Begin to read labels on packaged foods—you will be truly amazed at how many products contain sugar and/or sugar derivatives--IT IS EVERYWHERE
  
• Train your taste buds to start enjoying the natural tastes of whole food and liquids, and you will reap the rewards of a leaner body, better health, and a more vibrant look. And, you will avoid many potential health issues.

FYI
Fructose and High Fructose Corn Syrup:
Fructose is one of three simple blood sugars that are primarily found in honey, fruits, and some vegetables. While fructose is a very important source of energy for many body processes, over-consumption can overwhelm the body’s ability to process it, causing the excess to be converted to fats in the bloodstream (triglycerides). The presence of excess triglycerides has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, appetite de-regulation (feelings of dissatisfaction or hunger which may lead to weight gain), and potential insulin resistance (which leads to the onset of type II diabetes).

If you are serious about losing weight and gaining (re-gaining) your health, sugar is one "diet villain" you need to be aware of and conquer! It is is MOST man-made, packaged, and processed foods. So save the sugar for those rare times you want to "cheat on your diet"!

===============
Sugar substitutes (artificial sweeteners)
Artificial sweeteners are chemicals or natural compounds that offer the sweetness of sugar without as many calories. Because the substitutes are much sweeter than sugar, it takes a much smaller quantity to create the same sweetness. Products made with artificial sweeteners have a much lower calorie count than do those made with sugar. Artificial sweeteners are often used as part of a weight-loss plan or as a means to control weight gain.

For more information on artificial sweeteners check out the MayoClinic.com.

Commonly Used

#1. Aspartame:
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener (the white powder in the little blue packets) commonly used in “diet foods” like soft drinks, drink mixes, gelatin desserts, low calorie frozen desserts, etc. Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), is a chemical combination of two amino acids and methanol, and has recently been linked to cancer and neurological problems.

#2. Saccharin:
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener found in “diet” products, soft drinks, sugar packets, and fountain drinks at restaurants. In animal studies saccharin has caused cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, blood vessels and other organs. In 1977 the FDA wanted to ban saccharin because of these animal studies, but congress intervened and permitted its use as long as there was a warning label. In 2000 saccharin was removed from the list of cancer causing chemicals and Congress passed a law removing the warning label. As a result, use of saccharin in soft drinks and other foods will likely increase, and so will the incidence of cancer.

#3. Splenda:

Splenda is the trade name for sucralose, a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. It is true that the Splenda molecule is comprised of sucrose (sugar) — except that three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule have been replaced by three chlorine atoms.

According to Women to Women: A great website full of information on this topic

"Evidence that there are side effects of Splenda is accumulating little by little. Sucralose has been implicated as a possible migraine trigger, for example. Self-reported adverse reactions to Splenda or sucralose collected by the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center include skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain. These show up at one end of the spectrum — in the people who have an allergy or sensitivity to the sucralose molecule. But no one can say to what degree consuming Splenda affects the rest of us, and there are no long-term studies in humans with large numbers of subjects to say one way or the other if it’s safe for everyone."

#4. Stevia:
Stevia (STEE-vee-uh) is a South American shrub whose leaves have been used for centuries by native peoples in Paraguay and Brazil to sweeten their yerba mate and other stimulant beverages.

Stevioside, the main ingredient in stevia (the two terms are often used interchangeably), is virtually calorie-free and hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar. “So it appeals to many people as a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners,” says Mark Blumenthal of the pro-herb American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas.

Cancer. In the laboratory, steviol can be converted into a mutagenic compound, which may promote cancer by causing mutations in the cells’ genetic material (DNA). “We don’t know if the conversion of stevioside to steviol to a mutagen happens in humans,” says Huxtable. “It’s probably a minor issue, but it clearly needs to be resolved.” Read more from Nutrition Action

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that offer the sweet flavor of sugar without the calories. There is much debate on their safety and MY DIVA DIET does not recommend them.

* Notes
The long-term harmful effects of some artificial sweeteners are documented. However, as new ones come on the market, their effects will remain unknown until the harm is already done.

• According to some researchers, nutritionists, and diabetes experts, artificial sweeteners may have carcinogenic properties and be linked to increased risk of tumors, seizure disorders, chronic headaches, and hyperactivity in children.

* Sugar Substitutes Rule

• To become genuinely healthy and fit you should avoid unnecessary sugar and artificial sweeteners while developing a taste for foods and liquids in their natural forms.

DON'T LEAVE YOUR HEALTH TO CHANCE -- skip the artificial sweeteners and use fruit, honey, or agave nectar instead!

Sugar is part of Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories of the Five Factors Affecting Body Fat & Health.

We are your "fitness superheroes", Super Fit Diva and Paw–ready to EXPOSE, ATTACK and DEFEAT the "diet villains" in your life! To learn more about the 18 "diet villains" check out our website www.MyDivaDiet.com.

You can also take our 32 Question Diva Diet Quiz.

Stay tuned for our next featured "diet villain"!

E.C.L. Empower–Challenge–Legacy

Super Fit Diva and Paw
You can win the battle for health and fitness!