Miracle Muffins Diet Information

Miracle Muffins� are a very flexible food. They can be enjoyed by anyone who is searching for healthier muffins. It is compatible with the most popular weight loss programs. Some of these programs such as Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, NutriSystem, and The Zone are briefly described below. Weight Watchers: Since the early 1960s, Weight Watchers has been a kind of guru for people struggling with weight problems. The Weight Watchers program got its start when a few friends began meeting weekly to discuss how to best lose weight. That group of friends grew to millions of men and women around the world, who all follow the Weight Watchers mantra. That mantra? Dieting is just one part of long-term weight management, Weight Watchers believes. A healthy body results from a healthy lifestyle -- which means mental, emotional, and physical health. Weight Watchers does not tell people what they can or can't eat. The goal is to help people make healthy eating decisions and encourage them to enjoy more physical activity, thereby losing weight safely and sensibly -- and keeping it off. At local group meetings, Weight Watchers members get motivation, mutual support, and encouragement in handling the challenges encountered in the process of changing behavior. For those who can't get to the meetings, Weight Watchers has added a number of tools on its web site. The Weight Watchers' TurnAround program offers two plans to follow for healthy weight loss. One retains the original approach of keeping track of points assigned to food; the newer plan does away with points altogether. Do you prefer to track and control the calories you eat? You'll want the Weight Watchers' Flex Plan -- which essentially is Weight Watchers' traditional program. Do you prefer to focus on eating wholesome foods without counting or tracking? The new Core Plan is for you. Both plans are built around Weight Watchers Healthy Eating Guidelines -- recommendations about daily intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, water, protein, multiple vitamins, sugars and alcohol, healthy oils, and whole-grain foods. The Weight Watchers program is based on good, old-fashioned "calories in, calories out" advice. The essentials of Weight Watchers' two TurnAround plans follow: The Flex Plan: This plan is the cornerstone of the original Weight Watchers philosophy: "Eat the food you love and lose weight." No foods are prohibited. Instead, each food is assigned points based on the food's calorie, total fat, and dietary fiber content. Each member has a target Daily Points Range, calculated based on their body weight. For example, a 5-foot-6-inch woman who weighs 180 pounds would be allotted between 22 and 27 points each day. A "Points Finder" helps members calibrate the points value of a recipe or a packaged product using the Nutrition Facts label. The initial Weight Watchers' goal is to reduce body weight by 5% to 10%, and the ultimate weight goal is a BMI less than 25. For those who have a lot of weight to lose, the goal is to lose in increments of 10% -- which helps people stay motivate. The Core Plan: This is a new approach for Weight Watchers. It allows members to control calories by focusing their eating on a core list of wholesome nutritious foods, but without counting or tracking. The list includes foods from all the food groups: fruits and vegetables; grains and starches; lean meats, fish, and poultry; eggs, and dairy products. The foods in this core list are low in fat and calories. An occasional treat outside the list is allowed.

NutriSystem: The NutriSystem diet is the ultimate in convenience. Dieters who don't want to think about portion sizes, planning, shopping for or cooking meals will love the NutriSystem diet plan. You simply make your food selections and then get a month's worth of meals delivered to your door in microwave-ready pouches. Overall, the diet is healthy. The meals are low in sodium, saturated and trans fats, and include whole grains and a wide variety of foods. And portion-controlled meals offer an advantage for anyone who has trouble with portion size. The NutriSystem diet plan started in 1972. Since then it has undergone many changes, and today features the NutriSystem Advanced plan (launched in 2008), a "glycemic advantage" approach promoting "good carbs," low fat, healthy protein, and high-fiber ready-cooked meals. NutriSystem Advanced meals also contain soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to promote heart health and feelings of fullness. The glycemic index is a popular weight loss tool, based on the idea that foods ranking low on the glycemic scale help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings. The premise of the NutriSystem plan is eating high-fiber, low-fat foods with optimal amounts of lean protein to curb cravings and satisfy hunger on fewer calories. Women follow a 1,200-calorie plan and men are allowed 1,500 calories per day. Meals are chosen and delivered via mail from the Internet-based diet program (nutrisystem.com). Meal and dessert options are available in shelf-stable pouches that can be conveniently heated in a microwave oven. The food costs approximately $280-310/month (plus additional costs for supplemental items from your local grocer). In addition to receiving the prepared meals, dieters are encouraged to learn to modify their eating behaviors. They receive a 12-week, self-guided "Mindset Makeover" behavioral guide, written by Temple University obesity expert Gary Foster, PhD, which addresses everything from curbing cravings to the importance of social support. In addition, diet and fitness guidance, a weight loss community, and support are available online. Counselors are also available over the telephone. Exercise is recommended while following the NutriSystem diet plan. Dieters can use the demonstration CDs included in their packet or choose online fitness plans that can be tailored to various fitness levels. Options include aerobics, yoga, and resistance-training programs. Dieters choose from more than 120 entrees and desserts that promise to be balanced in protein, fat, and "good" carbs. The diet is made up of 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 20% fat. Most of the NutriSystem meals are lower in saturated and trans fats, sodium (approximately 1,800 milligrams per day), and rich in whole grains. The meals are supposed to be supplemented with 6 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Dieters eat five meals a day, which should help control hunger. Atkins: Steak with Bearnaise sauce, eggs, and bacon; cheddar cheese omelets -- don't hold the yolks; Roquefort dressing and silky smooth avocado cream soup made with real cream? These rich foods are allowed as part of the controversial diet described in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, a phenomenal best seller, and several follow-up books. The Atkins diet promises that not only will you lose weight -- and not be hungry -- with a low-carbohydrate diet, but you'll also be on the road to better heart health and memory function, as well as other wellness benefits. The diet is based on the theory that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. Our bodies burn both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but carbs are used first. By drastically reducing carbs and eating more protein and fat, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently. Although it's undoubtedly the weight-loss claims -- and noted success stories -- that are selling the books, the Center for Complementary Medicine in New York (which Atkins founded) claims that most people follow the Atkins diet for weight maintenance, good health, and disease prevention. What You Can Eat: By restricting carbohydrates drastically to a mere fraction of that found in the typical American diet, the body goes into a state of ketosis, which means it burns its own fat for fuel. A person in ketosis is getting energy from ketones, little carbon fragments that are the fuel created by the breakdown of fat stores. When the body is in ketosis, you tend to feel less hungry, and thus you're likely to eat less than you might otherwise. However, ketosis can also cause a variety of unpleasant effects (such as unusual breath odor and constipation) in a small number of people. As a result, your body changes from a carbohydrate-burning engine into a fat-burning engine. So instead of relying on the carbohydrate-rich items you might typically consume for energy, and leaving your fat stores just where they were before (alas, the hips, belly, and thunder thighs are popular fat-gathering spots), your fat stores become a primary energy source. The purported result: weight loss. In slightly more detail, consider what happens when you eat a high-carbohydrate meal. Sugar from the carbohydrate quickly enters the bloodstream. To keep the blood sugar from rising too high, the body secretes insulin. Insulin allows the extra sugar to be stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen, but these stores are rapidly filled to capacity. The insulin then converts any extra sugar to fat -- the stuff we're trying so hard to get rid of. According to the Atkins theory, if the body keeps on making "too much" insulin -- as it tries to deal with the "excess" sugar -- it may become less responsive to insulin and eventually may develop the metabolic disorder, diabetes. The Atkins theory states that this should properly be called "unstable blood sugar" since the blood sugar level rises and then drops quickly.

South Beach: The South Beach Diet is truly a food lover's diet. It's about living well and loving what you eat. But it's also practical, flexible, easy, and effective. The diet is divided into three Phases. The first Phase lasts two weeks and is designed to eliminate cravings and kick-start weight loss. The second Phase is intended to produce long-term, steady weight loss. You'll stay in Phase 2 until you reach a healthy weight. Then you'll move to Phase 3, the lifestyle Phase. This is how you'll eat and live 365 days a year - and it's the key to maintaining your new, healthy weight. Phase 1, the shortest Phase, lasts for just two weeks and is designed to eliminate cravings for sugar and refined starches - and to jump-start your weight loss. The purpose of Phase 1 is to stabilize blood sugar (which minimizes cravings), making it ideal for people who are prediabetic or diabetic, as well as for those who need to lose a lot of weight. The focus of this two-week period is on eating plenty of nutrient-dense, fiber-rich (and guaranteed delicious!) foods that satisfy your appetite. Your meals include lean protein, such as fish and other seafood; skinless white-meat poultry, and lean cuts of beef (vegetarians can enjoy meat substitutes, tofu, and beans); high-fiber veggies; reduced-fat cheeses; eggs; low-fat dairy; and healthy, unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, nuts and seeds, and extra-virgin olive and canola oils. During Phase 1, you'll fill up on dishes like Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Spinach and Goat Cheese, Seared Pecan Salmon With Lentils, Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops, and more. The South Beach Diet encourages snacking, so you'll also get to choose two tasty snacks each day, like Spicy Nut Mix, reduced-fat cheese, and veggies with our zesty Peanut Dip. Plus, you'll dine on delicious desserts (every day!), including Chilled Espresso Custard, Heavenly Lemon Mousse, and our famed Ricotta Cr�me. With all the options - from gourmet meals to on-the-go snacks to quick weeknight dinners - you won't feel hungry or deprived! Phase 2 is the long-term weight-loss Phase of the plan. It's also the perfect place to start for those people who have 10 pounds or less to lose, who don't have problems with cravings, who don't have excess belly fat, or who simply want to improve their health. In Phase 2, you'll eat everything in Phase 1 plus good carbs, such as whole-grain bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, fruits, and even more veggies, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and peas. Of course, you'll continue to enjoy snacks and dessert too, including dark chocolate! In fact, you'll eat delicious meals, like Coconut Chicken, Shrimp Scampi, Pesto Pasta Salad, and Pork and Black Bean Quesadillas. Side dishes include Nutty Brown Rice and Baked Sweet Potato Fries. And don't forget snacks: Smoked Salmon Canap�s With Horseradish Cream, Peppery Cheese Popcorn, and black bean dip with baked whole-grain tortilla chips are a few of the many snacks you'll choose from. Then, cap off your dinner with a decadent dessert, like Green Tea Truffles, Chocolate Berry Cups, or Dark Chocolate Bark With Walnuts. Best of all, you'll eat all these delicious foods and still lose weight and get healthier. By now, you've adopted the South Beach Diet lifestyle, making smart food choices that fit the way you live. That's what Phase 3 is all about, and it begins once you reach your healthy weight. In Phase 3, you'll continue to follow the principles you learned in Phases 1 and 2, but because it's the lifelong stage of the plan, it includes almost every kind of food and it allows for additional occasional indulgences. It is the key to maintaining a healthy weight for life. On Phase 3, you can dine on meals like Dutch Apple Pancakes (a terrific weekend brunch), Chicken Pot Pie, Asian Chicken Salad With Wonton Crisps, and Pepper-Spiked Beef Stew. Phase 3-friendly sides include Farmers' Market Pasta Salad, Apple-Butternut Squash Soup, and corn on the cob. As for snacks, you can choose from fare like Triple Berry Cooler, Pecan-Stuffed Dates, and tropical fruit salad. And you'll indulge in desserts like Chocolate Pie With Crispy Peanut Butter Crust and Chocolate Fondue. Imagine eating this way for the rest of your life! Zone: What is The Zone? Besides being the title of a mega-seller diet book, Enter the Zone, the Zone is a place where we find ourselves "feeling alert, refreshed, and full of energy," according to author Barry Sears, PhD. Sears, a former researcher in bio technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the book's co-author Bill Lawren maintain that life in the Zone is what wellness is all about. Like other popular diet books, The Zone diet offers more than just weight-loss claims. By retooling your metabolism with a diet that is 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrates, The Zone diet contends that you can expect to turn back encroaching heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Another much-touted advantage is better athletic performance. Sears doesn't come right out and claim he has found the cure for heart disease or diabetes, or how to win athletic competitions, but instead he provides glowing anecdotes from people who have taken The Zone diet to heart. What The Zone diet does boldly claim is that much of the current thinking about good nutrition -- a diet high in carbohydrates, low in protein, and fats -- is "dead wrong." What's more, Sears contends, that type of diet has contributed to our risk of contracting serious, even life-threatening ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and possibly cancer. His new book, The Anti-Inflammation Zone, takes a closer look at disease and how his diet combats the inflammation he says is an underlying factor behind the development of serious illness as well as weight gain. As a former scientist, Sears devotes considerable time to discussion of the science on which he based his theory. Put simply, the Zone is a "metabolic state in which the body works at peak efficiency," and that state is created by eating a set ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The Zone diet does not recommend that you eat fewer calories than you're currently consuming, just different ones. Although the book has a more complicated and exacting measurement of what to eat, it can be simplified as: * A small amount of protein at every meal (approximately the size of your palm or one small chicken breast) and at every snack (one in the late afternoon, one in the late evening) * "Favorable" carbohydrates twice the size of the protein portion -- these include most vegetables and lentils, beans, whole grains, and most fruits * A smaller amount of carbohydrates if you have chosen "unfavorable" ones -- these include brown rice, pasta, papaya, mango, banana, dry breakfast cereal, bread, bagel, tortilla, carrots, and all fruit juices. Dairy products are not verboten, but The Zone diet devotes little time to them, except to explain how quickly they release glucose. Sears prefers egg whites and egg substitutes to whole eggs, and low-fat or no-fat cheeses and milk. Weight Watchers� is the most popular weight loss program in the country. They offer healthy, flexible program that utilizes a patented formula to calculate the "POINTS� " value of any food product. An important component to this program is the weekly meeting and the online support. Miracle Muffins� fall well within the acceptable range for a bread product. To learn more about this program and to find a local meeting, click on http://www.weightwatchers.com/ or to buy a book on this program click on Amazon.com. WEIGHT WATCHERS� and POINTS� are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. Weight Watchers International, Inc. does not endorse or sponsor Miracle Muffins� in any way. Atkins� is a low carbohydrate lifestyle (fiber is permitted and encouraged) that focuses on forcing your body to burn fat by limiting the types of foods allowed. Miracle Muffins� are well within the acceptable range by having only 5 grams of effective carbohydrates. To learn more about this program, click on http://atkins.com/ or to buy a book on this program, click on Amazon.com.

ATKINS DIET� is the exclusive trademark of Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. does not endorse or sponsor Miracle Muffins� in any way.

The South Beach Diet teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats. Miracle Muffins� are well within the acceptable range by having only 5 grams of effective carbohydrates. To learn more about this program, click on http://www.southbeachdiet.com/ or to buy a book on this program, click on Amazon.com.

The South Beach Diet was designed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D. Dr. Agatston does not endorse or sponsor Miracle Muffins� in any way.

Sugar Busters� is a nutritional lifestyle that explores the insulin-fat relationship. The glycemic index of foods is used to help determine which foods are more likely to stimulate inuslin production. Miracle Muffins� are designed with low glycemic ingredients making them ideal for this diet. To learn more about this program, click on http://www.sugarbusters.com/ or to buy a book on this program, click on Amazon.com. For more information on the Glycemic Index, click on Amazon.com.