Calorie King
CalorieKing is an online weight loss club and software developer with a program centred around healthy eating and exercise ("calories in, calories out"). The company offers products and services tailored specifically for the United States and Australian markets. As well as offering help for people who wish to lose weight, there are also programs and support for those who want to maintain their current weight, or to gain weight. The web sites' resources also include forums, and an extensive library of recipes and health and weight loss related articles contributed by company staff as well as other organisations and contributors.
Counting calories is a common yet frustrating method of food monitoring, but now dieters and anyone interested in being knowledgeable about what they eat can turn to a convenient online resource: the Calorie King.
About Calorie King
This innovative website was launched in 1996 to help promote food awareness rather than mindless dieting. The philosophical goal to “set the food record straight” combines the idea of straightforward information with tools for lifelong weight control through healthier, informed food decisions. By offering visitors a rich diet of updated information and interactive resources, the company strives to alter society’s perceptions of food and encourages improved eating habits that lead to healthier lifestyles instead of just a temporary diet plan.
In 2003, a three month intensive program – Calorie King University – was introduced to educate users about nutrition, weight management, and lifestyle changes to promote better health. In 2004, that educational option was followed by the Nutrition and Exercise Manager desktop software, giving users another convenient tool to track their progress. Today, the website offers a wide range of materials to help users discover the many options healthy eating habits can encompass, as well as providing constant updates and ongoing support as users work their way toward better food awareness.
Available Tools
There are many online tools available for users to track not only the number of calories in their favorite foods, but also to monitor their eating and related lifestyle habits. Popular website features include educational materials, interactive tools, and the ever-growing food database.
Educational Materials
A successful dieter is one who understands what foods meet their nutritional needs, who knows how diets do and don’t work, and who is willing to learn more about diet trends and fads before blindly signing up for restrictive meal plans or alternative treatments. Calorie King provides a startling array of educational materials to help users learn more about their diets, including:
- Informational articles about diet myths, nutrition, children’s and teens’ dietary needs, and motivational topics.
- Illustrated portion guides for popular foods that demonstrate the increase in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and proteins as portion sizes increase.
- Recipes for any meal or taste preference with an emphasis on nutritional awareness and balance.
Food Database
The food database is undeniably the most popular feature. This comprehensive guide has information on more than 55,000 food items, including brand name products, restaurant menus, fast food calories, and general types of food, from alcohol and soda to soups, chocolate, bread, tofu, fruits, chips, and more.
Categorized entries make both searching and browsing convenient, and each type of food offers average data as well as specific information on calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, sodium, protein, and other nutritional components. Visitors can increase the serving size for an instant appraisal relevant to their eating habits, and each entry’s calorie breakdown includes the percent of recommended daily values for further comparisons.
Interactive Options
Users can personalize their online experience by taking advantage of the interactive features, such as:
- Simple quizzes to gauge grocery shopping habits, emotional eating tendencies, types of dieters, a chocoholic predisposition, and more.
- Calculators to provide personalized body mass index and exercise target heart rate results, as well as to help users understand how exercising contributes to the calories burned from a meal, snack, or treat.
- Forums, blogs, and live chats for members to share their triumphs and setbacks, building a supportive community of like-minded individuals.
- Success stories with a wide range of weight loss totals and before-and-after pictures to encourage both current and new users.
Learning More
Visitors can learn even more about dieting and nutrition by becoming website members for a modest fee (access to informational articles, most interactive tools, and the comprehensive food database does not require membership). A free e-mail newsletter is also available, as well as various shopping options for related merchandise.
How Calorie King Can Help Dieters
Unlike many calorie-oriented websites, Calorie King is not about dieting or losing weight through counting calories. Instead, the website promotes intensive awareness about the properties of food to help users make informed decisions about their eating habits. Rather than promoting dieting as a temporary measure, dieting is viewed as a lifestyle habit that helps determine an individual’s health and wellness, both things that can be improved with the tools and information available.
- Calorie King is a useful informational website with an extensive database of food entries, nutrition articles, and other resources to help everyone gain better control of eating habits through the most effective diet tool possible: education. With many interactive features and support options, every dieter can find the tools to help them succeed.
The CalorieKing Program
If you're like everybody else, you've lost weight before. What most of us aren't so good at, though, is keeping the weight off over time. The CalorieKing Program is a step-by-step, well-guided but self-driven series of levels structured to build a foundation for successful, permanent weight loss. You'll be given the basic science, practical steps and behavioral changes you need to lose and manage your weight for a lifetime.
For more information, visit CalorieKing com.
Basics of the Diabetic Diet
The basics to diabetic diet meal planning are simple once we understand the way our body breaks down food. Everything we eat is broken down into sugar eventually. Sugary foods such as sweets or fruit hit the bloodstream almost immediately, followed by the slower starches (carbohydrates, or carbs), which take an hour or two to break down depending on their complexity. Proteins are next, taking about four hours, then between six and eight hours the fats finally break down. If strict attention is paid to diet and exercise, many diabetics can control their blood sugar with minimal dependence on medication.
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no " diabetes diet," per se -- and that's good news! The foods recommended for a diabetes diet to control blood glucose (or sugar) are good for those with diabetes -- and everyone else. This means that you and your family can eat the same healthy foods at mealtime. However, for people with diabetes, the total amounts of carbohydrates consumed each day must be monitored carefully. Of the different components of nutrition -- carbohydrates, fats, and proteins -- carbohydrates have the greatest influence on blood sugar levels. Most people with diabetes also have to monitor total fat consumption and protein intake, too.
To keep your blood sugar levels in check, you need to make healthy food choices, exercise regularly, and take the medicines your health care provider prescribes. A dietitian can provide in-depth nutrition education to help you develop a personalized meal plan that fits your lifestyle and activity level, and meets your medical needs.
The management of diabetes includes many facets: diet, exercise, medication management (whether oral medications, insulin administration, or both), and checking blood sugars regularly. All of these are very important for keeping blood sugar levels within normal limits to prevent the complications of diabetes. Complications can include cardiovascular disease, impaired sight or blindness, neuropathy (losing the sense of feeling in extremities such as the feet), and kidney failure. People with diabetes should seek the advice of a physician for management of their condition. They should also speak to a dietitian to design a meal plan tailored to their lifestyle.
What is Diabetes?
The condition is centered around a hormone called insulin. Insulin is like a key. It opens the doors to the body’s cells so food that is eaten, which is broken down into glucose, can enter the cells and make energy. In one type of diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin to open the doors to the cells. In another type the body is producing plenty of insulin but the cells will not open their doors - this is insulin resistance. The end result in either case is too much glucose in the blood, which is called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. The excess sugar in the blood can lead to the complications of diabetes.
Why Do Diabetics Need to Watch Their Diet?
Diet is an integral part of the management of diabetes. In fact, many individuals with this condition manage their blood sugars with diet and exercise alone. It is food, most specifically carbohydrate, which is broken down into glucose, or sugar, that cannot enter the cells to produce energy. What someone eats is a part of his or her overall personal lifestyle. A diet for diabetes, therefore, should be personalized to what each diabetic is able and willing to do. It is a good idea to meet with a dietitian to figure out a meal plan. Many insurance companies are now covering sessions with a dietitian, especially for newly diagnosed individuals.
Moderate weight loss, considered to be 10% of usual body weight, is beneficial to type 2 diabetics in that it can help lower blood sugars, fats in the blood, and blood pressure.
What To Eat?
The goal of the diabetic diet is to provide all the calories and nutrients the diabetic needs while keeping blood sugars as close to normal as possible. Diabetics should include foods from all of the food groups in their diets. The carbohydrate food groups, those that raise the blood sugar, are starches (grains), fruits, and dairy. When having these foods it is important not to have too many at once and to spread them out throughout the day. This will help keep the blood sugar at a steady level as opposed to having a load of carbohydrates at once, which will quickly raise the blood sugar.
Sugars such as sweets, candy, and other desserts are best to be avoided. These have the fastest affect on blood sugar, and are counter-productive to weight loss efforts. Many manufacturers are now making diabetic versions of desserts that are sugar-free. Even so, these foods may contain sweeteners that can raise the blood sugar or have other adverse effects. They should be used in moderation.
When having a high carbohydrate food such as bread, milk, or fruit, including protein along with it will slow the rate of absorption of the sugar into the bloodstream. For example, try combining peanut butter on an apple or turkey on bread. It is also wise to choose high fiber foods, such as whole wheat bread instead of white bread, because these foods digest more slowly, again slowing the rate at which the sugar enters the bloodstream.
It is important not to skip meals. Six small meals a day instead of the traditional three square meals is recommended. This goes back to the idea of keeping blood sugars steady. If meals are skipped entirely, or only two big meals are eaten in a day, the blood sugars can fluctuate wildly.
If a diabetic consumes alcohol, it is best to do so with a meal. Generally, alcohol will not affect blood sugar levels if diabetes is well-controlled. A person on an insulin regimen can consume one drink per day for women and up to two drinks for men with a meal without any adverse affects (1 drink = 12oz. of beer or 5oz. of wine). If the blood sugar levels are out of control or triglyceride levels are elevated, alcohol should not be consumed..