Archive for July, 2009
Liquid and Detox Diets Really Just a structure of Starvation?
I’ve been around lengthy ample, and intuned with the diet and weight loss circuit, to see a lot of fad diets and kind of crazy weight loss theories and diets, and one of the most perplexing to me is the liquid and detox diet, which go hand in hand considering a detox diet is usually one that is based in the dieter mostly just drinking some sort of concoction.
I even tried one, the most popular and well known detox diet, called the Master Cleanse, whose directions come in a neat little pamphlet-like yellow booklet, and instruct the user to prepare a concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, and drink only that for days, combined with preparing a salt water internal enema, where you drink warm salt water and basically poop within a half hour, cleansing the intestines and the colon – it’s called something like a “salt water bath”. My boyfriend went on the Mater Cleanse with me, he lasted one day and I lasted three. We hated it to be honest.
I know that they say that after day three is often when you lose any desire for food, but for me quite frankly, I felt that it just wasn’t normal. And for someone who has struggled with eating disorders her whole life and still lives with the demon of bulimia from the past, I felt like not eating was just another (accepted) mold of an eating disorder. I hated having to smell people’s lunches and foods when I went out to the mall during that duration, and I even suffered through watching my boyfriend eat a piece of pizza since he hopped off the wagon before I did.
Honestly, for the few pounds I would have lost that would have been all water weight anyways – you don’t lose any fat that short term – I just felt that it was sort of a weird disguise for a starvation type eating disorder. I know there are some that swear by the health effects of the cleanse, but for me, it just wasn’t the right thing, and I personally believe that you can eat right and cleanse the body through eating, not starvation, better than you can by only consuming liquids and defacating more often, which is what these diets are designed to do for you.
There are some who do the cleanse regularly, a couple times a year, and swear by it, and that’s great for them, but I just don’t think it’s for everyone, and I don’t think that it should be primarily used for weight loss aims, I think it should be used as more of a cleansing – break from food and it’s trappings sort of thing, otherwise, you’re going to tread in dangerous territory with thinking that that will be a expanded term weight loss goal getter for you.
Original post by EatingToLive
DHA in Alzheimer’s disease
Results from two large studies using DHA, an omega 3 fatty acid, were reported today at the Alzheimer’s organization 2009 worldly Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna. One of the trials was conducted by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the second by Martek Biosciences Corporation (Martek), the primary company that makes algal DHA for supplementation. The NIA trial lasted 18 months and was conducted in humans with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Martek’s trial was six months, and the compound was tested in healthy public to see its effect on “age related cognitive decline” (ARCD). Both studies used Martek’s algal DHA……..
Original post by Heather Craven
The Wonderful Walnut
Everyone always talks about one nut in specific that is so good for your health and is loaded with those omega 3 fatty acids that are so good for your heart, diet and well being, the almond, that it seems that another great nut has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle. I used to be an almond devotee and only put those in my yogurt, until I discovered that walnuts have about the same calorie substance, and additionally have some additional health benefits to the almond with in my opinion, more taste and texture, and seemingly more filling fiber composition.
So, don’t walnuts have omega 3 fatty acids in them too? They certain do! In fact, their substance of these healthy fats may rival that of the almond, it’s just not as widely used of a nut and may not be considered as portable and easy to snack on as the almond. Walnuts plus have fiber in them, so you’re getting added dietary advantage of filling up faster when you eat them. In my opinion, they are superior to the almond that way, as I feel twice as satisfied after eating walnuts as I do almonds. It seems to take more almonds to build me feel like I’ve eaten sufficient. But that may just be my personal preference.
Walnuts plus contains vitamin E, which is a great vitamin to incorporate into the diet, and often doesn’t get as much intake as it should in the American diet. It plus has magnesium, another mineral that is hard to get in many processed foods and in such a pure, natural design. But the walnut is additionally an excellent source of plant derived protein, so you can eat it and get your protein composition without eating the animal fat, so it’s a great nut for vegetarians and vegans to incorporate into their diet.
Walnuts plus contain B vitamins, which are a great source of energy. You do want to be careful not to overeat walnuts, as they are caloric in nature, like most other nuts, but eating them in moderation is the best way to enjoy their healthy benefits and great, rich and satisfying taste. I like to snack on a few with an apple sometimes, or I additionally like to put them in my yogurt and fruit in the dawn to add some crunch and interest in my breakfast, and plus to add the additional protein and vitamins.
Original post by EatingToLive
Can Alpha Lipoic Acid Regulate Blood Sugar?
We all know that regulating our blood sugar levels is key to maintaining a healthy weight, and plus to maintaining a healthy heart and other healthy organs, but it is additionally key in losing weight considering our blood sugar levels are a HUGE contributing factor to our appetites. whether your blood sugar wildly fluctuates all through the day, you will notice that your appetite seems nearly totally out of control at times, which just means your body thinks it needs more fuel in the anatomy of food, in order to keep normally functioning and additionally to keep the body sharp and able to perform physical activities.
When your blood sugar plummets, you experience ravenous starvation, and the foods you eat and the combination you eat them in contributes greatly to whether your blood sugar stays at a stable level all day. For instance, I guarantee that whether you eat a breakfast loaded with simple carbs and sugars, you will feel on the verge of passing out within a few hours, considering the sugary breakfast caused a huge surge in blood sugar immediately that was not sustainable due to high sugar and low protein. What pursues is a “crash” in the blood sugar levels that makes you feel lethargic, moody and unable to focus – oh, and very hungry!
So, to avoid these crashes, many citizens believe that taking the antioxidant supplement alpha lipoic acid with every meal helps their body to correctly regulate it’s blood sugar levels for hours after a meal. Many citizens even believe that it can virtually “cure” diabetes when it is taken properly and conistently. It is not totally clear why it might do that, but for some reason taking the supplement is thought to slow down the absorption of simple sugars and carbohydrates into the blood stream, creating more of a stability that lasts a lot longer than it would without the supplement of alpha lipoic acid.
Alhough alpha lipoic acid is primarily used and known as an antioxidant supplement, it has shown benefits to many folks who are hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic by bringing their blood sugar into normal ranges, particularly when consumed with each meal. It is thought to even help regulate blood sugar when a huge “no no” meal is consumed, like a large stack of pancakes drowned in maple syrup in the daylight. For that reason, it’s really a mold of natural appetite suppressant whether you think about it, since blood sugar spikes and falls aftermath in huge appetite gains.
One of it’s side effects in excess doses is actually known as being low blood sugar, but when taken properly, many citizens report that it helps greatly with the regulation of their blood sugar. Some have even taken readings after meals with and without the alpha lipoic acid and have consistently gotten better, more stable readings when they take their meals with the supplement, so it’s worth googling whether you think you may have blood sugar issues.
Original post by EatingToLive
When Buying Bread, Go for Fiber
We recently started adding sandwiches to our lunch routine, which previously had consisted mainly of things like Subway and Lean Cuisines that were around 300 calories or slightly more or slightly less. Of course, the Lean Cuisines I always bought were the Italian versions, things like the Lasagna Florentine and the Chicken Parmesan, since they felt like you were being naughty without actually breaking your diet,and while eating pasta to boot. I like the Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones considering they offer an alternative to a nice hot lunch that isn’t so high in calories and teaches you how to control your portions and hopefully get filled up on less food.
I know there is a lot of criticism out there on them considering they aren’t very nutritious and can tend to be small portions that don’t really fill you up, but I personally think they are a great way to re-teach how to control portions while still enjoying your food. For their lack of “nutrition” all I can tell you is that I always add a piece of fruit or some veggies to them anyways, and I get my fiber and vitamins that way, or I add some grated parmesan cheese and a little salad to form it more complete.
Speaking of parmesan cheese, many public don’t know that, but it’s a great low calorie addition to your Italian meals, ringing in at only 20 calories for a whole tablespoon, which goes quite a enlarged way with parmesan cheese. whether you happen to like grated romano cheese better, like me, it brings the same amount of calories to the table, so you can add that robust cheesy flavor for minimal calorie count.
Back to the sandwiches and the bread you should choose though. I could tell you to choose a nice, light wheat bread that rings up at about 40 to 50 calories a slice, but I’ve had those before and quite frankly they are like eating air. For double the calories, you can additionally get double the fiber by buying one of the bigger, more robust loaves of bread, like the kind by Sara Lee and Pepperidge farm which feature nutty, fiber filled selections with things like ground flax seed and whole wheat for maximum fiber count.
You should try for anything 4 grams and above per slice. I even found one at 6 grams per slice considering it added inulin fiber to it, and let me tell you, when you eat that bread every day it really does help to keep you regular, which helps contribute to weight loss and healthy weight maintenance. Now, as far as choosing good meats to go on it, I try to stick to only low fat, lower salt meats, but whether nothing else I go with low fat. that can be a nice light shaved turkey breast, a light ham, or even a light turkey pastrami, but you won’t get a low sodium count on that one of course.
Once in a while you can splurge on red meats like roast beef or even a london broil, but it’s probably best to stick with lighter meats like ham, chicken and turkey. I don’t add cheese to my sandwich either, just a little horseradish sauce, which is low cal to start with, and a little bit of light mayo.
Original post by EatingToLive
Cheap Food Equals More Pounds
Yeah, unfortunately there are few exceptions to the rule of cheaper foods being worse for you, both in terms of health and wellness, and your ability to keep a undoubtful size and weight. That’s why some public do feel that the economy being worse is actually going to construct us fatter, considering citizens are being forced to eat cheaper foods that are devoid of fiber and high in calories and fat, and plus considering folks aren’t able to afford fresh produce and higher priced food items that tend to be healthier (like foods that are purchased at health food stores, and organic produce, etc.)
Not only are cheaper foods usually higher in things like fat and sodium and high in empty calories, but they are processed, which means they don’t have many nutrients that are readily absorbed, and actually end up making you more hungry in the end for junk foods, considering they don’t truly nourish the body. However, there are some items that you can always buy that aren’t too highly priced that plus aren’t poor for you, and believe it or not, even some of the higher priced whole foods stores aren’t riding high on the prices lately.
I just went to our local natural foods store and found that they had tons of specials and incentives to shop there. I even bought natural sulfate free shampoos and found that they were priced lower than they ever had been there, much to my obvious delight. The produce of course is always going to cost a little more when it’s organically grown, but you’ll find that it additionally tend to satisfy you more and stick with you for a longer day – at least it does for me. All in all, eating organic, whole and natural foods is a win/win situation in the end, and you actually may end up spending the same amount of money on it considering you eat less of it, although it is more expensive.
Original post by EatingToLive
