If anyone knows anything about fitness, it’s that a low fat diet is healthiest way to avoid serious diseases, right? Maybe wrong.

In many instances quality research has shown just opposite…that a low fat diet, sometimes even a vegetarian diet, can be harmful to your health. Although vegetarian and low-fat diets have been proven to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, they have not demonstrated significant reductions in deaths from any disease.

The Low-Fat Approach Popular diets of today encouraging low-fat approaches, such as diets of Dr. Pritkin, Dr. Ornish, Macrobiotics, and Weight Watchers, are generally effective with weight-loss and reduction in blood fats. The low-fat approach has even been proven to overcome serious illness successfully.

But majority of dieters find these plans difficult to stick with. And most research trials have not shown these diets effective in decreasing death rates from diseases in general, long-term.

Fats in a meal make you feel more ‘full’. They slow time it takes for your stomach to empty, thus ensuring you will not feel hungry too soon.

Generally, high-carb, low-fat meals have opposite effect. The stomach empties quicker and insulin levels increase following meal. This means you may be hungry sooner than you’d like.

Research shows higher insulin levels of a low-fat, high-carb diet may predispose you to adult onset diabetes, hypoglycemia, and even heart disease.

The Low-Carb Approach These diets claim that limiting carbs, like sugars, grains, fruits, and some vegetables, is solution. The Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, and even Zone Diet all suggest if you cut out carbs or have a balance of fat/carbs/protein in every meal, you will experience weight loss and better health. Many dedicated dieters find this to be true.

Although a low-carb diet can cause weight loss, goal of any program should be life long radiant health. It is still up for debate if this approach leads to any significant health advantages. It is possible to hasten heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and aging with a diet too high in wrong fats and too low in essential nutrients from various fruits and veggies.

Many health care professionals find it difficult to prescribe to either of above theories. If there is no definitive answer in either direction that is indisputable, then there must be a middle ground.

A Healthy Solution for Everyone It is difficult to imagine that reducing intake of wonderful fruits and vegetables that keep people well is way to a healthy future. Research will back this up. The average American already ingests too little fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other factors present in whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.

Pain behind knee is something many of us have or might experience if we play sports that involve bending at knees, running, tennis, or any activity that puts strain on area.

Here are some things you need to keep in mind if you ever experience such pain behind knee:

1. Possible Arthritis

This is one of most common causes of pain in knee. In fact, if you are over age of 65 one in two of you have arthritis with knee been one of most common joints involved.

The pain of arthritis is usually a dull tooth ache pain that is occasionally sharp with sudden movements. The pain is usually located over your joint line (where tibia meets femur) and in front of knee. Mild and sometimes severe swelling is associated with this pain. The pain is worse when you exit a chair or car. It is also worse with any prolonged walking or standing. The pain is usually better with rest, heat (sometimes ice), wrapping knee and pain medication.

Occasionally knee may catch on rough uneven surfaces of your cartilage. Patients often complain of grinding in knee, and occassional popping.

2. Minor Tear of Cartilage Surface

Rather then a cyst or fluid build-up, causes of pain behind knee might simply be slight micro tears in cartilage. This can be treated with same solutions at end of this article. Tears, if minor, require no surgery and will heal on their own depending on time allowed for healing and if activity that aggravates it is avoided.

3. Baker's Cyst