You may wonder what is special about the Therabreath products. If you have read my book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease then you are fully aware of how balancing the pH in your mouth helps to prevent cavities and fight / prevent gum disease!

If you didn’t know that, you should read the book. This is the kind of information that most dentists don’t reveal to their patients.

Anyway, what is special about the Therabreath mouthwashes is that they are a neutral pH - unlike the majority of mouthwashes out there. This means they can help move your oral pH towards neutral.

This helps to protect your teeth and your gums. Imagine using it right before bed - wouldn’t that be a very sensible time to balance your mouth’s pH?

And how about when you get up in the morning? After sugary / acidic meals? After that mid-day snack? After drinking an acidic beverage (like many sodas and energy drinks)?

The list goes on and on.

Right now you can massively stock up on Therabreath mouthwashes and products with the best deal you are likely to see for another year.

Check out the Special Offer here.

And I’m going to make the deal even better for you. What was I talking about when I mentioned the pH of the mouth a few moments ago?

If you are wondering you will probably want to get the full story from my book:

What You Should Know about Gum Disease

Right now, you can take advantage of the Therabreath special and score my e-book - that is a digital version of my book that you read from your computer screen.

You could literally be reading it after taking advantage of the Therabreath special. No need to wait for shipping because it is digital and you can download it to your computer and read it immediately.

Here is how you can do that:

1. Order the Therabreath Special

2. E-mail your receipt to me. Email it to David @ tobeinformed.com

3. As soon as I receive your receipt, I will send you a link to download this important 248 page e-book. You can then start to read it immediately.

That is simple and easy.

Once you use the Therabreath mouthwashes, you’ll be glad that you stocked up. If you go to a retail store and tried to get this much, you’d spend WAY more money. And with the special they are offering FREE GROUND SHIPPING. Considering the weight of this mouthwashes alone, you are saving a lot right there.

All you do is order and sit back, it all comes to you. No shipping charges!

Well, I’m excited that people will get an opportunity to take advantage of this and that is why I don’t mind giving my e-book away to help with additional saving and to give you information you didn’t have before - information that many dentists do not or will not mention to their patients!

Take advantage now before this special ends. You can still get the Therabreath mouthwashes after the special ends, it will just cost a lot more. Check it out.

Warm Regards,

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

* special Note: I’m sad to say this offer is only available in the United States of America. Sorry about that. You can still download the free Bad Breath Bible (a different book - about bad breath)

You may wonder what is special about the Therabreath products. If you have read my book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease then you are fully aware of how balancing the pH in your mouth helps to prevent cavities and fight / prevent gum disease!

If you didn’t know that, you should read the book. This is the kind of information that most dentists don’t reveal to their patients.

Anyway, what is special about the Therabreath mouthwashes is that they are a neutral pH - unlike the majority of mouthwashes out there. This means they can help move your oral pH towards neutral.

This helps to protect your teeth and your gums. Imagine using it right before bed - wouldn’t that be a very sensible time to balance your mouth’s pH?

And how about when you get up in the morning? After sugary / acidic meals? After that mid-day snack? After drinking an acidic beverage (like many sodas and energy drinks)?

The list goes on and on.

Right now you can massively stock up on Therabreath mouthwashes and products with the best deal you are likely to see for another year.

Check out the Special Offer here.

And I’m going to make the deal even better for you. What was I talking about when I mentioned the pH of the mouth a few moments ago?

If you are wondering you will probably want to get the full story from my book:

What You Should Know about Gum Disease

Right now, you can take advantage of the Therabreath special and score my e-book - that is a digital version of my book that you read from your computer screen.

You could literally be reading it after taking advantage of the Therabreath special. No need to wait for shipping because it is digital and you can download it to your computer and read it immediately.

Here is how you can do that:

1. Order the Therabreath Special

2. E-mail your receipt to me. Email it to David @ tobeinformed.com

3. As soon as I receive your receipt, I will send you a link to download this important 248 page e-book. You can then start to read it immediately.

That is simple and easy.

Once you use the Therabreath mouthwashes, you’ll be glad that you stocked up. If you go to a retail store and tried to get this much, you’d spend WAY more money. And with the special they are offering FREE GROUND SHIPPING. Considering the weight of this mouthwashes alone, you are saving a lot right there.

All you do is order and sit back, it all comes to you. No shipping charges!

Well, I’m excited that people will get an opportunity to take advantage of this and that is why I don’t mind giving my e-book away to help with additional saving and to give you information you didn’t have before - information that many dentists do not or will not mention to their patients!

Take advantage now before this special ends. You can still get the Therabreath mouthwashes after the special ends, it will just cost a lot more. Check it out.

Warm Regards,

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

* special Note: I’m sad to say this offer is only available in the United States of America. Sorry about that. You can still download the free Bad Breath Bible (a different book - about bad breath)

The combination of the chronic sore throat and the bad breath left her uncomfortable and feeling less confidence in herself. She didn’t want to get too close to people when talking.

Anyway, I turned her on to some oxygen containing mouthrinses and they had some mild affect on her bad breath but did nothing for her chronic sore throat.

Then she tried these lozenges that contain a special kind of probiotics. She said she felt instant relief. She is feeling better and will continue to - provided the probiotics take root and make themselves at home.

Those with this particular strain of bacteria in their mouth and throat very seldom suffer from bad breath. This lozenger treatment is also very popular in Europe.

I’m glad she is feeling better and free of chronic sore throat pain. I think she will also feel more confident too. I’m delighted we came upon this solution that seems to have worked for her.

If you want to read more about these probiotics click here.

David Snape

Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

I do not have a lot of facts surrounding the irradiation of food. Much of what I have found is speculatory in nature. However, YOU, as a consumer have the responsibility to educate yourself about the benefits and detractors of irradiated food.

If I know a food has been irradiated, I don’t want it. I’d rather throw it away than eat it. There is no way to know what that ‘dead’ food will do to you, especially over the long term.

I’m a big believer in the natural enzymes that occur in foods and I believe they are good for the body. But with irradiated food you get a lot of dead enzymes. I don’t want that. Do you? Denatured proteins? Mutated or deformed molecular structures? Who knows what all this will do to us? Do we really know what is truly needed or are our scientists playing a guessing game with OUR lives.

Can you blame the scientists? They are simply producing studies that are paid for by people and companies who have the money to pay for such research. Do you think the information provided isn’t distorted or slanted in favor of the payer under such circumstances? Or if they are not, do you think the temptation is there? And if it is, how many will succumb to that temptation?

I’m asking for a reason: to stimulate dialog on these issues and other related ones.

The following FAQ does not come from an unbiased source. However, at the same time, I think it is worth taking a look at. As I mentioned before, each person is going to have to go after an education about radiation and food form himself / herself. The information isn’t very likely to come to you!

Here is the FAQ I found: http://www.purefood.org/irrad/irradfaq.cfm#1

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
ISBN: 978-0-9814855-0-8

PS: Thanks to Danny for bringing us good information to share on this site. Keep us informed Danny!

Benjamin Franklin once quoted “She laughs at everything you say. Why? Because she has fine teeth.” We can now probably add “and a healthy heart.” Recent research studies have shown a striking association between poor dental hygiene and coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease may be responsible for 20% of deaths across the world and almost 50% of deaths in developed countries. A study from Boston University School of Dental Medicine in Massachusetts, published in the March 9, 2004 issue of Circulation reported that patients with five poor oral health pathologies have a 70% probability of having coronary heart disease. Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, reported in the December 2005 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also demonstrated a significant association between tooth loss and the prevalence of coronary heart disease. This large study involved 41,891 adults aged 40 to 79 years living in 22 states and in the District of Columbia. Periodontal disease in heart attack survivors was also found to cause a rise in inflammatory markers, putting them at a greater risk of future heart attacks, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The underlying cause of coronary artery disease is atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. This is usually associated with several modifiable risk factors (e.g., smoking, systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol levels) and some non-modifiable risk factors (e.g., age, gender and family history). However, atherosclerosis is also known to follow bacterial (Chlamydia Pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori) or viral (Cytomegalovirus and Coxsackie B) infections. Recent data has confirmed that persistent dental infections also contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Such infections release several toxins which insult the delicate inner lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelium. There is also an associated immuno-inflammatory response, which causes further injury. C-reactive protein, a sensitive marker of inflammation and a predictor for future cardiovascular events, is consistently elevated in patients with chronic dental disease.

The earliest phase in gum disease, gingivitis, is an inflammation caused by the accumulation of plaque. Plaque is a soft, sticky, colorless film above the gum line. It results from the interaction of sugars and starches with bacteria normally found in the mouth. Plaque can provide shelter for over 400 species of bacteria and other microorganisms. In the early stages gingivitis may not produce any symptoms. However, as the bacteria grow and proliferate, it can cause red, puffy, swollen or tender gums that bleed during routine brushing or flossing. There may be a constant bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth. Gingivitis may be aggravated by an underlying illness or by hormonal changes associated with pregnancy or puberty. Medications such as steroids and those used for seizures, high blood pressure, and organ transplants can suppress the immune system and encourage bacterial infection in the gums.
Unchecked, the plaque of gingivitis will gradually build up between the teeth and gums, in damaged or faulty fillings, and around partial dentures, bridges, and braces. The gums may also begin to form pockets below the gumline, trapping food and more plaque, resulting in an infection or even an abscess
formation. This is called periodontitis and can only be treated by a dental professional. At this stage, pus may start oozing from between your teeth and gums. As the disease progresses, bacterial toxins eventually break down the underlying bone and connective tissue that holds the teeth in place. The ultimate outcome is tooth loss.

An unknown author once said, “You don’t have to brush your teeth—just the ones you want to keep.” Regular brushing and flossing will help prevent gingivitis and its later complications. And as the scientific data suggests, it will also protect your heart. The famous US writer, Fannie Fern said “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Perhaps we should also keep in mind that “The way to heart disease may be through a man’s mouth.”

Shashi K. Agarwal, MD is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases. He has in private practice in New York City and New Jersey. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shashi_Agarwal_MD

Get : What You Should Know about Gum Disease Now.

But it happens every so often. This is what happens when we get frustrated and don’t understand the situation:

As with most of these website offers, yours is bogus as well and designed to drive someone to the point of giving up. Instead, I’ve chosen to give you some feedback. There’s is no way in hell to obtain the offer from coupon code A-PER10 as advertised on your website. It applies free shipping (big deal……..there’s free shipping with a $99 offer normally!) and free tube of toothpaste. There’s no way to get the serum that is advertised, and my guess is that the book and other information after the product is received would never be forthcoming either. Thanks for yet another frustrating website offer experience………..

This is my very patient reply:

It seems strange that you would write this to me. The free shipping may be on 99$ orders and up but it is not on available on a 98 dollar product with this vendor. You can only get that with the coupon code or if you bought something extra to push you over the 99$ minimum.

The coupon code does work. And you automatically get the AktivOxigen serum in the same box your Hydro Floss comes in.

It clearly states on the site that you email me your receipt and in exchange I send the link to download the e-book for free.

I put a lot of time and effort into writing that book and it shares a whole lot of information that it is very likely your dentist never told you.

I could focus on the negative aspects of your email, but I choose not to do that.

Instead, I have written back to you clarifying the facts. If you have some further questions, you may ask.

Here is the reply and my follow up. A simple misunderstanding or frustration or what???

If I would automatically get the serum, why does your website add the normal price into my order? Why would I give a credit card number on an order that should be $98 according to the coupon code (including shipping, toothpaste and serum) when even after applying the coupon code the website gives the credit on the toothpaste but adds in the normal price on the serum? Would you do that? If the coupon code is legitimate, then I would expect the total cost to be $98, including the shipping, toothpaste, and serum. I would suggest that you pretend to place an order yourself, and if it works for you, then please share the “secret”, and I will be happy to place my order.

Thank you.

My Reply:

You must have accidently added the serum to your shopping cart.

If you look at the actually line that says Hydro Floss on it, you will see that it says something like:

“Hydro Floss with Aktiv-Oxigen Serum”

Why don’t you try removing the Serum from your shopping cart which will also remove any additional charge?

Person’s reply and the final outcome:

Yes, I’ll try that - thank you for getting back to me

Then:

Thank you Dave - I obviously misjudged your website/advertising, and I apologize. Thank you for walking me through this - I look forward to receiving all products.

Wow - This was a strange communication in my book and speaks to how many of us, including me, tend to react when we feel we have been wronged some how.

Comment below if you have anything you would like to reflect about this conversation.

Thanks

Dave

PS. if you are wondering where this offer is that she is talking about:

It is here: http://oralirrigatordiscount.com

Dear Dave -

We sent out a Free Shipping notice on Friday that was supposed to be for just this weekend only, however when I stopped in the office today I saw that there were 82 phone messages! My Patient Care Counselors willl be returning all these calls on Monday, however it seems obvious that many of you were not able to take advantage of the Free UPS Ground Shipping special this weekend.

Because of this, I’ve decided to extend the Free UPS Ground Shipping on ALL Orders for Monday and Tuesday ONLY.

For Monday, July 21st and Tuesday July 22nd, 2008, Ending at 11:59PM on Tuesday Night, ALL GROUND UPS SHIPPING on TheraBreath products is ABSOLUTELY FREE, regardless of the size of your order.

-> CLICK HERE TO SAVE <-

By far, the fastest and easiest way to order is online, however if you have questions please call us at 800-973-7374 Extension 2296 from 8:00am - 5:00pm PST and we’ll be happy to help by phone.

Sincerely,
-Harold Katz, DDS

PS. RIGHT NOW we are also having a SUMMER WHITENING SALE on our Deluxe Teeth Whitening Kit. Usually $73.00, the kit is now available for only $49.95. If you ever wanted to try our powerful whitening system designed for sensitive teeth, now is a perfect time! Click here for more info on this terrific offer. (and the free shipping applies to this kit too!)

——————————————————————————–

FREE SHIPPING PROMOTION - TERMS
Free shipping is available in the continental US and is only valid on Ground Shipping.

Overnight and Second Day Air shipping will be discounted by $10 per order. Offer may not be combined with any other offers or coupons.

SENT FROM:
California Breath Clinics
750 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
800.97.FRESH Ext 2296 or 323.993.8320 Extension 2296

** You might also want to check out this post on Therabreath Coupon Codes before going there.

A news media feeding frenzy erupted recently when a new diet study broke in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Almost all the reporters got it wrong, wrong WRONG! So did most of the gloating low carb forumites and bloggers. Come to think of it, almost everyone interpreted this study wrong. Some valuable insights came out of this study, but almost everyone missed them because they were too busy believing what the news said or defending their own cherished belief systems …

The new study, titled, “Weight Loss With a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in issue 359, number 3.

I quickly read the full text of the research paper the day it was published. Then, I shook my head in dismay as I scanned the news headlines.

I found it amusing that the media turned this into a three ring circus, putting a misleading “low carb versus high carb,” “Atkins vindicated” or “Diet wars” spin on the story. But that’s mainstream journalism for you, right? Gotta sell those papers!

Just look at some of these headlines:

“Study Tips Scales in Atkins Diets Favor: Low Carb Regimen Better Than Low Fat Diet For Weight And Cholesterol, Major Study Shows. “

“Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off “

“The Never-Ending Diet Wars”

“Low Carb Beats Low Fat in Diet Duel.”

“Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says”

“Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down”

Some of these headlines are hilarious! I wonder if any of these reporters actually read the whole study. Geez. Is it too much trouble to read 13 pages before you write a story that will be read by millions of already confused people suffering the pain and frustration of obesity?

Here’s a quick look at the study design.

The low fat restricted calorie diet was based on American Heart Association guidelines. Calorie intake was set at 1500 for women, 1800 a day for men with 30% of calories from fat, and only 10% from saturated fat. Participants were instructed to eat low fat grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes and to limit their consumption of additional fats, sweets and high fat snacks.

The Mediterranean diet group was placed on a moderate fat, restricted calorie program rich in vegetables and low in red meat, with poultry and fish replacing beef and lamb. Energy intake was restricted to 1500 calories per day for women and 1800 calories per day for men with a goal of no more than 35% of calorie from fat. Added fat came mostly from nuts and olive oil.

The low carb diet was a non-restricted calorie plan aimed at providing 20 grams of carbs per day for the 2 month induction phase with a gradual increase to 120 grams per day to maintain the weight loss. Intakes of total calories, protein and fat were not limited. However, the participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of protein (more on that bizarre-twist shortly).

The study subjects were mostly male (86%), overweight (BMI 31) and middle age (mean age 52)

Here were the study results:

There were some health improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure and other parameters in the Mediterranean and low carb group that bested the high carb group. That was the focus of many articles and discussions that appeared on the net this week. However, I’d like to focus on the weight loss aspect as I’m not a medical doctor and fat loss is the primary subject matter of this website.

All three groups lost weight. The low carb group lost 5.5 kilos, the Mediterranean group lost 4.6 kilos and the low fat group lost 3.3 kilograms…. IN TWO YEARS! Whoopee!

My conclusion would be that the results were similar and that none of the diets worked very well over the long term!

Amanda Gardner of the US News and World Report Health Day was one of the few reporters who got it right:

“Diet plans produce similar results: Study finds Mediterranean and low-carb diets work just as well as low fat ones.”

Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times also came close with her headline:

“Long term diet study suggests success is hard to come by: In a tightly controlled experiment, obese people lost an average of just 6 to 10 pounds over two years.”

Even this headline wasn’t 100% accurate. The study was HARDLY tightly controlled. Tightly controlled means metabolic ward studies where the researchers actually count and control the calorie intake.

The problem is, you can’t lock people in a hospital or research center ward for two years. So in this study, they used a food frequency questionnaire. Sure, like we believe what people report about their eating habits at restaurants and at home behind closed doors! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

“No! I swear Dr. Schwarzfuchs! I swear I didn’t eat those donuts over the weekend! I stayed on my Mediterranean diet. Honest!”

One of the most firmly established facts in dietetics research is that almost everyone underreports their food intake BADLY, sometimes by as much as 50%. I’m not saying everyone “lies,” they just forget or don’t know. In fact, this underreporting of calorie intake is such a huge problem that it makes obesity research very difficult to do and conclusions difficult to draw from free-living studies.

Another blunder in the news reports is that this study didn’t really follow Atkins diet parameters OR even the traditional low fat diet for that matter, so it’s not an “Atkin’s versus Ornish” showdown at all.

If you actually take the time to read the full text of the research paper it doesn’t say ANYTHING like, “Atkins is the best after all.” That’s the spin that some of the news media cooked up (and what the Atkins foundation was hoping for).

It says, “The diet was based on the Atkins diet.” However, the sentence right before that says, “The participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein.” Vegetarian Atkins?

The chart on page 236 says the low carb diet provided 40% of calories from carbs at 6, 12 and 24 months. If I’m reading that data properly, then the only low carb period was a brief induction phase in the very beginning.

Does that sound like Atkins? 40% carb sounds more like the Zone diet or my own Burn The Fat program to me.

The Atkins Foundation, which partially supported this study, told reporters, “We feel vindicated.” HA! They should have paid the reporters and told the researchers they felt ripped off and they wanted a refund for misuse of their research grant!

After carefully reading the full text of this study, there are many interesting findings we could talk about, from the differences in results between men and women to the improvements in health markers. Here’s what the study really says that stood out to me. It’s what I would have talked about if the newspapers or TV stations had called me:

1. “Mediterranean and low carb diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets.”

I can agree completely with that statement. All three diets created a calorie deficit. All three groups lost weight. Low carb lost a little more, which is the usual finding because low carb diets often control appetite and calorie intake automatically (you eat less even if you don’t count calories). Also, if body composition is not indicated, there’s an initial water weight loss that makes low carb diets look more effective in the very early stages.

2. “Personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.”

Absolutely! Nutrition should be individualized based on goals, health status, body type, activity level and numerous other factors. Different people have different phenotypes. Some people are more predisposed to thrive on a low carb approach. Others feel like crap on low carbs and do better with more carbs or a middle of the road approach. Those who dogmatically follow and defend one type of diet or the other are only handcuffing themselves by limiting their options. Iris Shai, a researcher in the study said, “We can’t rely on one diet fits all.” Hmm, far cry from “Atkins wins hands down,” wouldn’t you say?

3. “The rate of adherence to a study diet was 95.4% at 1 year and 84.6% at 2 years.”

THIS was the part of most interest to me. When I read this, immediately I could have cared less about the silly low carb versus high carb wars that the news reporters were jumping on.

I wanted to know WHY the subjects were able to stick with it so well. Of course, that’s boring stuff to journalists… adherence? What does that word mean anyway? Yawn - not interesting enough for prime time, I guess.

But it was interesting to me, and I hope YOU pay attention to what I found. The authors of the study wrote:

“This trial suggests a model that might be applied more broadly in the workplace. Using the employer as a health coach could be an effective way to improve health. The model of group intervention with the use of dietary group sessions, spousal support, food labels, and monthly weighing in the workplace within the framework of a health promotion campaign might yield weight reduction and long term health benefits.”

Hmmmmm, lets see:

* Dietician coaching
* Group meetings
* Motivational phone calls
* Spousal support
* Workplace monitoring (corporate health program)
* Food labels - calorie monitoring
* Weigh-ins (required and monitored)

Wow, everything helpful to long term fat loss that sticks. Can you say, ACCOUNTABILITY? These factors help explain the better adherence.

By the way, the adherence rate for the low carb group was the lowest.

90.4% in low fat group
85.3% in the Mediterranean group
78% in the low carb group

Here’s the bottom line, the way I see it:

First, please, please, please learn how to find and read primary research and take the news media stories with a grain of salt. If you want to know who died, what burned down or what hurricane is coming, tune in to the news – they do a GREAT job at that. If you want to know how to lose weight or improve your health, look up the original research papers instead of taking second hand information at face value.

Second, those who prefer a low carb approach; more power to them. Most studies, this one included, show at the very least that low carb is an option and it’s not necessarily an unhealthy one if done intelligently. I also have no qualms with someone claiming that low carb diets are slightly more effective for weight loss, especially in the short term, free living situations. Is low carb superior for fat loss in the long haul? That’s STILL highly debatable. It’s probably superior for some people, but not for others.

Third, low carb people, listen up! Even if low carb is superior, that doesn’t mean calories don’t count. Deny this at your own peril. In fact, this study shows the reverse. The low carb group was in a larger negative energy balance than the high carb and Mediterranean group (according to the data published in this paper), which easily explains the greater weight loss. Posting the calories contained in foods in the cafeteria may have improved the results and helped with compliance in all groups.

When energy intake is matched calorie for calorie, the advantage of a low carb diet shrinks or disappears. For most people, low carb is a hunger management or calorie control weight loss advantage, not metabolic magic (sorry, no magic folks!)

Fourth, choose the nutrition program that’s most appropriate for your personal preferences, your current health condition, your genetics (or phenotype) and most important of all… the one you can stick with. Then tend your own garden instead of wasting time criticizing how the other guy is eating. Your results will speak for themselves in the end. Take your shirt off and show us.

If I were forced to choose only one approach (and thank god I’m not), I would recommend avoiding the extremes of very low carb or very low fat or very high fat or very high carbs. Balance makes the most sense to me, and the research suggests that this helps produce the highest compliance rate. That’s not rocket science either, it’s common sense. If you have a serious fat loss goal, as when I compete in bodybuilding, then a further reduction in carbs and increase in protein makes perfect sense to me as a peaking diet.

If an extremely low or extremely high carb diet worked for you, great. But generalizing your experience to the entire rest of the world makes no sense. Arguing from extremes is the weakest form of argument.

The reason I have THREE nutrition plans (three phases) in my own fat loss program is because programs with flexibility and room for individualization beat the others hands down in the long term. In fact, I wrote an entire chapter in my e-book about unique body types, how to determine yours and how to individualize your nutrition – it’s THAT important.

If you have more choices, you have more power. The people who are shackled by dogma and narrow thinking are stuck. They also risk missing what’s really important. Things like:

Personalization
Adherence
Long-term Maintenance
Accountability
Social Support

and…

CALORIES!

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach
www.tobeinformed.com/burnfat

PS. If you want to learn more about a balanced, flexible and proven approach, which teaches nutritional individuality and which can produce similar weight loss in one month, month after month, that the subjects of this study produced in TWO YEARS, (if you ADHERE to it!), then visit my fat loss website.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.tobeinformed.com/burnfat

After carefully reading the full text of this study, there are many interesting findings we could talk about, from the differences in results between men and women to the improvements in health markers. Here’s what the study really says that stood out to me. It’s what I would have talked about if the newspapers or TV stations had called me:

1. “Mediterranean and low carb diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets.”

I can agree completely with that statement. All three diets created a calorie deficit. All three groups lost weight. Low carb lost a little more, which is the usual finding because low carb diets often control appetite and calorie intake automatically (you eat less even if you don’t count calories). Also, if body composition is not indicated, there’s an initial water weight loss that makes low carb diets look more effective in the very early stages.

2. “Personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.”

Absolutely! Nutrition should be individualized based on goals, health status, body type, activity level and numerous other factors. Different people have different phenotypes. Some people are more predisposed to thrive on a low carb approach. Others feel like crap on low carbs and do better with more carbs or a middle of the road approach. Those who dogmatically follow and defend one type of diet or the other are only handcuffing themselves by limiting their options. Iris Shai, a researcher in the study said, “We can’t rely on one diet fits all.” Hmm, far cry from “Atkins wins hands down,” wouldn’t you say?

3. “The rate of adherence to a study diet was 95.4% at 1 year and 84.6% at 2 years.”

THIS was the part of most interest to me. When I read this, immediately I could have cared less about the silly low carb versus high carb wars that the news reporters were jumping on.

I wanted to know WHY the subjects were able to stick with it so well. Of course, that’s boring stuff to journalists… adherence? What does that word mean anyway? Yawn - not interesting enough for prime time, I guess.

But it was interesting to me, and I hope YOU pay attention to what I found. The authors of the study wrote:

“This trial suggests a model that might be applied more broadly in the workplace. Using the employer as a health coach could be an effective way to improve health. The model of group intervention with the use of dietary group sessions, spousal support, food labels, and monthly weighing in the workplace within the framework of a health promotion campaign might yield weight reduction and long term health benefits.”

Hmmmmm, lets see:

* Dietician coaching
* Group meetings
* Motivational phone calls
* Spousal support
* Workplace monitoring (corporate health program)
* Food labels - calorie monitoring
* Weigh-ins (required and monitored)

Wow, everything helpful to long term fat loss that sticks. Can you say, ACCOUNTABILITY? These factors help explain the better adherence.

By the way, the adherence rate for the low carb group was the lowest.

90.4% in low fat group
85.3% in the Mediterranean group
78% in the low carb group

Here’s the bottom line, the way I see it:

First, please, please, please learn how to find and read primary research and take the news media stories with a grain of salt. If you want to know who died, what burned down or what hurricane is coming, tune in to the news – they do a GREAT job at that. If you want to know how to lose weight or improve your health, look up the original research papers instead of taking second hand information at face value.

Second, those who prefer a low carb approach; more power to them. Most studies, this one included, show at the very least that low carb is an option and it’s not necessarily an unhealthy one if done intelligently. I also have no qualms with someone claiming that low carb diets are slightly more effective for weight loss, especially in the short term, free living situations. Is low carb superior for fat loss in the long haul? That’s STILL highly debatable. It’s probably superior for some people, but not for others.

Third, low carb people, listen up! Even if low carb is superior, that doesn’t mean calories don’t count. Deny this at your own peril. In fact, this study shows the reverse. The low carb group was in a larger negative energy balance than the high carb and Mediterranean group (according to the data published in this paper), which easily explains the greater weight loss. Posting the calories contained in foods in the cafeteria may have improved the results and helped with compliance in all groups.

When energy intake is matched calorie for calorie, the advantage of a low carb diet shrinks or disappears. For most people, low carb is a hunger management or calorie control weight loss advantage, not metabolic magic (sorry, no magic folks!)

Fourth, choose the nutrition program that’s most appropriate for your personal preferences, your current health condition, your genetics (or phenotype) and most important of all… the one you can stick with. Then tend your own garden instead of wasting time criticizing how the other guy is eating. Your results will speak for themselves in the end. Take your shirt off and show us.

If I were forced to choose only one approach (and thank god I’m not), I would recommend avoiding the extremes of very low carb or very low fat or very high fat or very high carbs. Balance makes the most sense to me, and the research suggests that this helps produce the highest compliance rate. That’s not rocket science either, it’s common sense. If you have a serious fat loss goal, as when I compete in bodybuilding, then a further reduction in carbs and increase in protein makes perfect sense to me as a peaking diet.

If an extremely low or extremely high carb diet worked for you, great. But generalizing your experience to the entire rest of the world makes no sense. Arguing from extremes is the weakest form of argument.

The reason I have THREE nutrition plans (three phases) in my own fat loss program is because programs with flexibility and room for individualization beat the others hands down in the long term. In fact, I wrote an entire chapter in my e-book about unique body types, how to determine yours and how to individualize your nutrition – it’s THAT important.

If you have more choices, you have more power. The people who are shackled by dogma and narrow thinking are stuck. They also risk missing what’s really important. Things like:

Personalization
Adherence
Long-term Maintenance
Accountability
Social Support

and…

CALORIES!

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach
www.tobeinformed.com/burnfat

PS. If you want to learn more about a balanced, flexible and proven approach, which teaches nutritional individuality and which can produce similar weight loss in one month, month after month, that the subjects of this study produced in TWO YEARS, (if you ADHERE to it!), then visit my fat loss website.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.tobeinformed.com/burnfat

You can get free shipping and a discount on these handy machines by using this code when you check out at vitamix.com : 06-001857

Best,

Dave

Are you sad about all of the suffering that goes on in the world?

War. Disease. Famine. Neglect. Poverty. Madness. Selfishness.

It’s everywhere.

As a person’s focus becomes more and more narrow, he sees less and less of these things. - But they are everywhere.

Why are we so selfish as human beings?

The most useful explanation for all of these things is to be found in the book, “Zhuan Falun” by Li, Hongzhi

Get your copy today. Read it. Learn it. Love it.

You’ll be happier in the end.

Get Your Free copy of Zhuan Falun