High Protein Diets: Good or Bad?

Lose weight while feasting on steak, burgers, cheese, and bacon? All without feeling hungry? What’s not to love? Meat lovers have flocked to high-protein, low-carb plans like Atkins, Zone, Protein Power, and Sugar Busters. While these diets can work, you need to carefully consider the risks and rewards before deciding if one is right for you.

How Much Protein?

Most Americans get 12%-18% of their calories from protein. With a high-protein diet, it can be much more than that. Protein may be half of your day’s calories. Most of this extra protein comes from animal sources like meat, eggs, and cheese. Often, these diets severely restrict foods like cereals, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Do they work? Research says yes.

How Do High-Protein Diets Work?

When you cut out carbohydrates, you lose weight quickly because you lose water. Then, with no extra carbs, the body begins burning its own fat for fuel. This is called ketosis. This may make dieting easier because you feel less hungry. But ketosis can cause headaches, irritability, nausea, kidney trouble, and heart palpitations.

Are High-Protein Diets Safe?

Medical experts don’t agree. The American Heart Association doesn't recommend high-protein diets. Too many fatty meats and dairy foods can raise your cholesterol and risk of a heart attack. Not eating vegetables and grains robs your body of fiber and important nutrients. But high-protein diets can help fight obesity. A more moderate diet, which cuts fat but doesn’t cut too many carbohydrates, may work safely.

Starting a High-Protein Diet

Be choosy. The most nutritious high-protein plans are low in fat and include some carbs. Avoid extreme plans, with huge helpings of fatty meats and not many vegetables and grains. Your doctor may be able to steer you to better plans.

Say Hello to High-Protein Beef

Nothing says protein like a nice, juicy steak. And if you choose a lean cut, you will get all of the protein with far less fat. In fact, a lean cut of beef like a top round steak has barely more saturated fat than a similar-sized skinless chicken breast.

Think White Meat

Chicken and poultry pack plenty of punch in a high-protein diet. If you choose white meat, you’ll get a lot less fat than if you eat dark. To slim your meal down even further, remove the skin, which is loaded with saturated fat.

Don't Overlook Pork

Pork offers plenty of protein without too much fat, if you know what type to buy. Look for tenderloin, top loin, rib chops, sirloin steak, or shoulder blade steaks. What's more, the cuts available today are 31% leaner than they were 20 years ago.

Fish Offers Healthy Fats

Fish is a no-brainer -- it's loaded with protein and almost always low in fat. Even the fish that have more fat, such as salmon or tuna, are good choices. That's because the fat in these fish is generally the heart-healthy kind known as omega-3 fatty acids. Most diets don't contain enough of this good-for-you fat that may lower your risk of cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.

Eggs Are a Cheap Form of Protein

Eggs do have a lot of cholesterol, but one a day is safe for healthy adults. The yolk has all of the cholesterol and less than half the protein, so you might opt for egg whites. But even if you eat the yolk, remember that only a small amount of the cholesterol in food gets into your bloodstream. Saturated fats and trans fats are more likely to raise your cholesterol levels.

Soy: It's High in Protein, Too

Tofu, soy burgers, and other soy-based foods are nutritious plant-based sources of protein. An added bonus: Eating 25 grams of soy protein daily may help lower cholesterol.

Beans: Full of Fiber and Protein

Beans pack a powerful one-two punch -- they are loaded with protein andfull of fiber. Along with protein, fiber helps you feel full longer and also helps lower cholesterol. One-and-a-half cups of beans has about as much protein as 3 ounces of broiled steak.

Low-Fat Dairy

Milk, cheese, and yogurt are not only protein-rich; they also provide calcium for strong bones and a healthy heart. Low-fat, nonfat, or reduced-fat dairy products can help you keep calorie counts down

Go Whole Grains, Go Fiber

Most high-protein diets limit grains, so make sure the grains you do eat are pulling their weight. Stay clear of white breads and pastas and choose their whole-grain cousins instead. Whole-grain versions are rich in fiber, which can be lacking in a high-protein diet. High-protein cereal or energy bars can give a quick boost, too. Just make sure they’re not high in sugar or fat.

Leave Room for Fruits and Veggies

Make sure you leave room for fruits and vegetables in a high-protein diet. These nutritious gold mines contain powerful antioxidants that aren't found in most other foods, and research suggests that people who eat plenty of fruits and veggies may lower their risk of cancer.

More Protein, More Risks?

The medical community has concerns about high-protein diets, especially when used long-term. Diets that are high in saturated fat and low in fiber, like many high-protein diets, can increase cholesterol levels and may raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. Other potential health risks when high-protein diets are used long-term include brittle bones (osteoporosis) and kidney disease.

Improve Your Memory

Tips to boost your memory and keep it strong for years to come.

Sometimes I think my memory is actually too good. Like when I realize I still know the lyrics to nearly every song released in the '80s. Or that I can recite, verbatim, lines from at least half a dozen episodes of Seinfeld and Sex and the City. But then I'll go to transfer a load of laundry into the dryer and discover that it's already dry; seems I forgot to ever turn on the washer. Or I'll forget my neighbor's name — again. Could it be that sitcom dialogue and song lyrics are taking up so much brain space there's none left for remembering when my next dentist appointment is or whether I've mailed the mortgage payment this month?

There's certainly a lot more information to commit to memory these days. "I used to have one phone number, one bank account, and no passwords," my 73-year-old mother says wistfully. "Now, between work, home, and my cell, I have four phone numbers, plus a bank-account number and PIN, and at least seven passwords, including a code for the copy machine in my office."

She blames 21st-century information overload for her everyday memory lapses — misplacing her glasses or walking into the kitchen only to forget what she needed there. "There's some truth to that," says Gary Small, M.D.,director of the Memory & Aging Research Center at UCLA. "And it's also likely that because there are more memory challenges now, our slips are more noticeable."

But Dr. Small won't let my mom — or me — off that easily. "Our lives may be more frenetic, but we actually have the capacity to remember much more than we do," he says. "We simply need to work on improving our attention."

Fortunately, research is yielding new ways to do that, to sharpen memory now and keep it strong as we get older. Read on for these short- and long-term strategies.

Tricks to Prime Your Memory 

You've been chatting with another guest at a party. Afterward, you remember that she's a graphic artist and that her son goes to the middle school near your house, but you have no idea what her name is. How could you forget something so basic when you can recall those other details? In truth, you didn't. With all the facts that came at you in the course of your short conversation, you never really learned her name in the first place. Our ability to commit new information to memory slows down over the years, explains Glenn Smith, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at the Mayo Clinic. In order to help the process along, you need to focus your mind. These tricks will help jog your memory by forcing you to pay attention.

Repeat yourself. 

Locking the door, taking your vitamins, unplugging the iron — there's a reason they're called mindless tasks. To help get a routine activity lodged in your brain, say it out loud as you do it ("I'm popping my multi"), advises Cynthia Green, Ph.D., president of Memory Arts LLC, a company that provides memory fitness training. The same trick — repeating aloud "I'm getting the scissors" — fends off distraction as you head into the kitchen for them. Memory experts also advise that you repeat a person's name as you're introduced ("Hi, Alice") and again as you finish your conversation ("Nice talking with you, Alice"), but if that feels forced, just repeat the name to yourself as you walk away.

Bite off bigger pieces. 

Since your brain can process only so much information at a time, try chunking bits together. By repeating a phone number as "thirty-eight, twenty-seven" instead of "3, 8, 2, 7," you only have to remember two numbers, not four, Dr. Small points out. If you need to buy ground beef, milk, lettuce, cereal, and buns, you might think "dinner" (burgers, buns, lettuce) and "breakfast" (cereal and milk). 

Give words more meaning. 

When you're introduced — let's say to Sally — you can make up a rhyme ("Sally in the alley") or connect the name to a song ("Mustang Sally"). Some people swear by devices like mnemonics. One New York City dog owner never leaves for the morning walk without her three b's (bags, biscuits, ball) and two t's (telephone, tissues). 

Create unlikely connections. 

Jennifer Rapaport, a mother of three in Somerville, MA, switches her watch to the other wrist when she needs to remember something. The oddity of not finding the watch where it should be triggers her recall. 

Stop trying so hard. 

You're watching an old movie on TV and can't think of the lead actor's name. "What is it?" you fret. "Why can't I remember?" Then an hour later, as you're peeling carrots, "Clark Gable" pops into your head. "Anxiety distracts us, making it even harder to remember," says Dr. Small. De-stressing — taking deep breaths, thinking of something pleasant — can break the cycle. 

Build a Better Brain 

For information to get stored in our memory, it goes through stages: encoding (when you learn it) and consolidating (when it becomes fixed in long-term memory). The final step is retrieval (when you call it up). Good health habits can boost all of these. 

Sleep on it.

Anyone who's ever stayed up with a new baby recognizes that next-day brain fuzziness, when it seems like nothing really registers or is available for recall later. That is what's happening. Different parts of the brain are responsible for creating different types of memories — a face, a name, or just the recollection that you met someone, explains Gary Richardson, M.D., senior research scientist at the Sleep Disorders Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "Sleep is what helps knit all those memories together." You also need sleep to make long-term memories last. Studies at Harvard Medical School have shown that when people are given a random list of words to memorize, those who then sleep will recall more words afterward than those who are tested without a chance to sack out. 

Address your stress.

Ever wonder why, when you're already having a maddening day, your memory goes on the blink, too? Blame the stress hormone cortisol. When you're on edge, it increases in the hippocampus — the brain's control center for learning and memory — and may interfere with encoding information or retrieving it. Cumulatively, this can be serious: "As you get older, chronic elevated cortisol levels are linked to memory impairment and a smaller hippocampus," says Shireen Sindi, a researcher in the department of neurology and neurosurgery at McGill University. Another compelling reason to deal with issues that make you stressed.

Eat to your brain's content.

Foods that keep your heart healthy are also good for your brain. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (including sardines and salmon) fight artery-damaging inflammation. Ditto for walnuts. Berries, especially blueberries, are loaded with anthocyanins — potent antioxidants that protect cells, including those in the brain. Blueberries may also have the power to create new pathways for connection in the brain: These connectors tend to die off with age, but in animal studies, blueberry consumption has been shown to help restore them, says Jim Joseph, Ph.D., director of the neuroscience lab at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University.

Take a walk (down memory lane). 

When you exercise, your brain gets a workout of its own. A new study of 161 adults ages 59 to 81 found that the hippocampus was larger in those who were physically active. "Fitness improvement — even if you've been sedentary most of your life — leads to an increase in volume of this brain region," explains Art Kramer, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois and coauthor of the study. And the bigger the hippocampus, the better able you are to form new memories. You don't have to live at the gym. "Just get out and walk for an hour a few days a week," says Kramer.

Practice paying attention. 

What color hair did the barista who made your latte this morning have? Was your husband wearing a blue or red tie? Even if you'll never need the information, forcing yourself to observe and recall the details of your day sharpens your memory, says Dr. Small.

Play mind games. 

Doing something mentally challenging — working a crossword puzzle, learning an instrument — creates fresh connections in your brain. "You can actually generate new cells in the hippocampus," says Peter Snyder, Ph.D., professor of clinical neurosciences at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. Those new cells build cognitive reserves that are important for creating new memories and may protect against memory loss — even dementia — later in life. Games that work to improve processing speed may deliver an extra boost, Smith has found. In a group of older adults, his (company-funded) studies of the computer game Brain Fitness showed that players had a significant improvement in cognitive skills, including memory, compared with those in a control group. Anything that requires working against the clock can help. "A timed game like Boggle or Simon will force you to pay attention, work quickly, and think flexibly," says Green.

Test Your Memory 

You need about 30 minutes for this quiz (although the exercise itself takes less than five). Set a timer for two minutes, then study the words below. When the bell rings, put the list aside and do something else that will distract you — check e-mail, read the paper. Twenty minutes later, write down as many of the words as you remember (in any order):

Violin 

Balloon 

Stereo 

Building 

Strawberry 

Cradle 

Mast 

Lizard 

Teacher 

Oven

What Your Score Means 

8 or more words: 

You're a memory superstar. Make sure you follow the long-term strategies so you'll keep your title. 

5 to 7 words: 

This is typical for a middle-aged person. Learning a few brain-boosting tricks will help. 

4 or fewer words: 

A low score doesn't mean you're headed for senility, but you should take a look at your life — the issue may be your stress levels — to see what might be interfering with your memory. —

Gary Small, M.D., author of iBrain (HarperCollins)

AMFAR Inspiration Gala 2013 Fashion

amfAR Inspiration Gala 2013 has come to New York. The series take place in five major cities of the world each year including São Paulo, Paris, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. Yesterday the stars, designers, and models gathered at The Plaza Hotel to honor, Valentino, Jennifer Lopez, and Alan Cumming. There were also Carly Rae Jepsen who performed at the event, Candice Swanepoel, Uma Thurman, and others.

 Jennifer Lopez in Tom Ford

Jennifer Lopez opted for a slinky sparkly blue dress by Tom Ford to attend the event. She accessorized her look with Harry Winston jewelry and a black clutch.

 Carly Rae Jepsen in Carlie Wong

Carly Rae Jepsen looked amazing in Carlie Wong dress with a semi-sheer patterned overlay. The singer styled the look with an aqua bracelet and a golden box clutch.

 Dree Hemingway in white dress

Dree Hemingway wore a cure white dress with a net skirt. She carried a big clutch and completed the look with white sandals and matte pink lipstick.

 Eniko Mihalik in feather gown
Eniko Mihalik also opted for a dramatic feather train dress bedazzled with crystals and styled with a dramatic clutch in a similar color. Mihalik also sported statement earrings and curls.

 Lindsey Wixson in black sheer gown
Lindsey Wixson wore a dramatic black sheer gown embroidered with fur and crystals. The model also sported dramatic earrings and red lipstick.

Uma Thurman in pink gown

Uma Thurman wore pink for the ocascion. Her gown featured a corset and a beautiful skirt. The actress finished her look with metallic sandals and some jewelry.

 Candice Swanepoel in Theysken’s Theory
Model Candice Swanepoel appeared with platinum locks on the carpet wearing Theysken’s Theory top and skirt with a dramatic train.

Summer 2013: What’s New in Nails?

Ever since smart phones replaced handbags as the “It” accessory, nails have gotten their fair share of the limelight. (Chalk it up to all the texting, tweeting and Instagram-ing they’re now busily engaged in.) So why not try a statement-making manicure worthy of its own hashtag? New technology allows for more creativity than ever. Here, eight photo-ready trends that will have you garnering followers on all your feeds.

Foil manicure

Like confetti for your nails, this metallic, multi-colored manicure screams “party.” Inspired by London’s Fashion Week runways and edgy street style, Ciaté’s Very Colourfoil Manicure kit, $19, gives nails a mirror-like shine with tiny glints of rainbow-hued foil. First, apply one of three creamy polishes to create a solid base. Next, use the Foil Fix Glue to adhere tiny pieces of Colourfoil paper to tips. (The set includes 30 sheets, so you can try different styles, from color-blocked Mondrians to French nails.) Finish with a clear topcoat, then sit back and enjoy your handiwork for up to two weeks.

Holograph Nails
For sure Jerrica Benton and her alter-ego Jem would have rocked SuperBlack’s Holographic manicure, $12. The handmade batches, formulated and bottled by creator Natalie Dee in Columbus, Ohio, come in five holographic shades ranging from a galactic black (Whip) to an oceanic blue (Torque). And, amazingly, they are 4-free (with no Formaldehyde, dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, or Formaldehyde resin), so you can apply them without worrying about your health or the environment.

Glow-in-the-dark nails
Illamasqua’s limited edition Paranormal UV Nail Varnish, $17, will have you clamoring for black lights like a co-ed in a club. That’s because the three vibrant shades, which appear neon green, violet and pink in daylight, glow in the dark. Even the clear shade takes on an eerie iridescence at night, so get ready to surprise unsuspecting after-dinner companions. Inspired by the unknown—with spooky names like Omen, Séance, Ouija and Geist—this lacquer collection will take you from summer soiree to All Hallow’s Eve in style.

Chalkboard polish
If you’re on Pinterest, you’ve seen chalkboard paint updating everything from refrigerator doors to Mason jars. Now the quirky, retro-classroom surface is appearing on nails—just waiting for your own doodles and personalized messages. The Ciaté Chalkboard Manicure Nail Set, $25, includes a black matte polish, four water-soluble colored chalk pens (nostalgically named Teacher’s Pet, Satchel, Jump Rope and Recess), and a special topcoat to seal your artwork, while delighting your inner child.

Polka Dots
Black and white look anything but basic in the form of Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dot in Chalk Dust, $6 in drugstores. The granulated polish, suspended in a clear base, gives your nails a chic Dalmatian finish. Try it on short, slightly rounded nails for an evening out. They’ll instantly dress up an LBD—just leave the cocktail rings at home.

Glittery nails
Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle? But if major chunks of glitter on your nails make you feel like you raided your toddler’s art supply cabinet, try Orly’s MegaPixel FX collection, $9 each, instead. The formula’s ultrafine particles have a multidimensional, textured effect when painted onto tips. For a smoother, glossier, sophisticated finish, just apply a clear topcoat. In six hues, ranging from silver to aqua to black, this is one polish you’ll have to hide from the kids.

Press-On Gel Manicure
If you’d rather DIY, try a press on. New formulas, like the ones from Broadway Nail imPress Press-On Manicure, $8 for 24, come in dozens of professional designs (marblized, animal print, ombré, florals, to name a few), are as easy to apply as a sticker, and can last up to a week. Bonus? No drying time, and the ability to mix-and-match styles. If hot pink leopard is too much for you, just try two on either ring finger and paint the rest a complementing shade of magenta.