The following low carb diet tips describe just a few of the ways that sugar addictions are damaging to the body. To uncover more about why sugar addictions are undesirable and how they upset a low carb diet, read ‘Lick The Sugar Habit’ by Nancy Appleton, PhD. The research in her book contributed to these diet tips.

First, a sugar addiction can suppress the immune system. As far as low carb diet tips go, this is probably the most important reason to avoid sugar. A study at Loma Linda University evaluated the effects of sugar on phagocytes, the white blood cells of the immune system that eat up bad bacteria and undesirable invaders. Simply put, the more bacteria vanquished by the phagocytes, the stronger the immune system, and the less chance for disease. One Loma Linda study showed that sugar caused the phagocytic index to drop significantly, which had a negative effect on the amount of junk that could be decimated by the immune system.

Avoiding sugar addictions is a vital consideration when discussing low carb diet tips. Most people don’t realize how sugar speeds up aging, causing premature wrinkles, gray hair, and chronic health challenges. When sugar is consumed regularly, the pancreas can become over stimulated and produce excess insulin. Excess insulin can cause normal blood sugar levels to diminish, and hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, may develop. Hypoglycemia can result in exhaustion, memory loss, increased heart rate, anxiety, headaches, and tremors. These may appear to be diseases of the elderly, but more and more young people are experiencing these assaults on their youth. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should look carefully at how sugar addictions cause them. in addition, it is wise to pay attention to low carb diet tips that call for the complete elimination of sugar.

Too many people are unaware that a sugar addiction can cause arthritis, among other age related diseases. Arthritis is a condition usually associated with old age, but now there are many signs that sugar is playing a part in younger people developing arthritic symptoms. As mentioned in other low carb diet tips, a body that is distressed due to mineral imbalances produces inflammation in the bones, joints and cartilage. Problems arise when sugar is consumed as it interrupts this delicate mineral balance. When one mineral decreases, another may proliferate, and in some cases, excess calcium will end up in joints, causing arthritic spurs and other problems associated with bone or joint diseases. Eliminating a sugar addiction and following smart low carb diet tips usually results in natural weight loss, and this helps achy joints, like knees and and ankles, just by taking a load off.

This is a brief look at the many ways that sugar disrupts the body’s balance and contributes to chronic health challenges. It is hard to avoid sugar in foods being sold at grocery stores. However, at specific online health food stores, you can find low carb diet tips, low carb foods and drinks, healthy snacks for kids, nutrition for athletes and other natural foods that are not full of refined sugars.

Cliff Everett Smith is the owner/operator of http://www.besthealthfoodstore.net, an Internet health food store that sells advanced, all-natural low carb foods and drinks. He is also a fitness fanatic and professional actor. See his natural weight loss plan for intelligent low carb diet tips that actually produce results.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the closer to the natural state of food the better. Overly processed foods, and pre packaged foods often have lost most of the original nutrients they contained if they have any at all.  Often times the healthiest foods are the most basic and simple foods there are.

Keeping balance means getting a healthy amount of each of the macro-nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  Yes you need fat, just the right kind.  In fact this goes for all the macro-nutrients.  Most diets and dieters fail because they either focus on one macro-nutrient too much or not enough.  You need all of them in order to maintain any diet.

Protein – choose lean meats low in saturated fat.

Carbohydrates – complex carbohydrates like whole wheat pasta are much better than their refined counterparts like white pasta.

Fats – probably the most controversial of the three, fat gets a bad rap.  If it were possible to eliminate all fat from your diet you would die.  Obviously we need it, we just need the right type of fat at the right times, in moderation.  Fat is the most calorie dense food there is, at 9 calories per gram it has more than twice as many calories per gram than carbs.

Let’s not forget vegetables and fruits.  The average person needs from 8-9 servings per day, more if you are struggling with health.  So how do we go about incorporating all of this into a quick diet that is easy to prepare and doesn’t cost a fortune?

Keep it simple – eating a serving of lean protein with most meals along with a vegetable and a serving of carbs is all you need.  There are endless combinations with those three simple and easy macro-nutrients.

An example – one serving of salmon 5-6 ounces, a mixture of beans and rice and broccoli. All simple, healthy and easy to prepare, simply change the meat, the vegetable and the carb with variations.  These are the basics of the quick diet – simple, healthy and cost effective.