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You see it almost everywhere in a grocery store, the promotion of “healthy” alternatives for our old favorites. Baked potato chips, whole wheat cereals, pro-biotic yogurt, low-fat cookies just to name a few examples of this new food trend. But are these health foods really that much more healthy for us?
It turns out that many of these foods that are touted as “healthy” alternatives are just as fattening as the foods they’ve replaced. A perfect example of this is the choice of granola over other conventional breakfast cereals. There is no doubt that granola is a healthier choice because it contains whole grains and more fiber than processed cereals, but some brands of granola contain over 600 calories per cup, which is about 5 times more calories than a cup of Fruit Loops.
There is so much misleading advertising that will have you believe that a certain food is a “healthy” choice, only to find out that it is no better than eating a bag of Doritos. The worst of this type of misleading advertising that I have come across was found quite innocently on the back of a Diet Pepsi bottle. As I was reading the labels I saw a big, green dot on the back that stated “Smart Choices Made Easy” along with the website address smartspot.com. Ever curious about an easy way to identify healthy foods, I went to the website and was blown away by how manipulative and deceptive the “health foods” industry has become.
This is a statement directly from the Smart Spot Program site:
Meet Smart Spot-the symbol of smart choices made easy. It’s a quick way to be sure that the products you’re choosing are contributing to a healthier lifestyle. Foods and beverages marked with the Smart Spot symbol can help you make better choices for you and your family.
You’ll find the Smart Spot logo on more than 300 products including the following brands:
- Baked! Lays®
- Life® Cereal
- Gatorade® Thirst Quencher
- Quaker® Oatmeal
- Diet Pepsi® Cola
- Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars
- Tropicana® Pure Premium® Orange Juice
For those of us who have struggled with our weight and have had to watch what we eat, this list is a huge joke. These items listed here are full of sugars, carbohydrates and fats. I was dumb-founded that an established program like this would be so nutritionally blind. I was seeking to find the sponsor of this program, assuming it would be an association with some authority, but was not surprised at all when I realized that the program is run by Pepsi and all of the products listed in this program are Pepsi products. Shame on you Pepsi.
When choosing healthier foods it is very important to find ones that are low in calories. When comparing calories between products always be aware that serving sizes may be different, which will affect the products nutritional values. Of course the best way to find healthy foods to eat is to stay away from processed foods all together and stick to foods that either you make yourself or are perfect the way they are, such as fruits and vegetables.
When I first began exercising I didn’t care where on my body the fat disappeared because, quite frankly, I had a lot to lose everywhere. But once I started getting down to a more reasonable size I started to visualize the “perfect” body that I was going to magically sculpt out of what muscle I had built and fat I had left. In my mind I decided where my body would take fat from and where it would leave it – a flat stomach (take the fat from there), nice breasts (leave the fat there), a perky booty (take most of the fat but leave me a little), and so on.
A flat stomach was one of my biggest wishes and had been a dream of mine for many years. I still had quite a ponch on the front so I decided the best way to get rid of it was to start doing cruches like crazy. Over the next two months that followed I did sit ups until my abs screamed murder. Every few days I would do a side profile in the mirror and examine my gut. To my frustration, even after two months and thousands of sit ups, my gut was only a little smaller than when I started.
Needless to say, I was very discouraged.
I now know the truth about losing body fat, which was taught to me by my trainer at the gym, and I will share it with you – You Cannot Spot Reduce Fat! When your body loses fat, it loses it from all over, not just in one area, regardless of the exercises your are doing. This is not to say that my sit ups didn’t build up my stomach muscles, cause they did. And this isn’t to say that sit ups don’t burn calories, cause they do. But sit ups won’t burn the fat away from your stomach any better than they will burn the fat away from your back, chest, legs or arms.
If you want to have a nice flat stomach, or even a six pack, then heed my advice. To get this you will need to lose most of the fat on your body. So be prepared, ladies, to buy a smaller bra size if a flat stomach is your dream too.
How much protein should you consume every day as part of a healthy diet?
Many people seem curious about how much protein they should be eating every day. Although there are many diet and nutrition sources that will give you different values for these numbers, there is a basic rule of thumb for your daily protein needs that can be simply calculated.
According to the Food and Nutrition Board that establishes the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), you should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds you consume 64.8 grams of protein daily – 180 X 0.36 = 64.8
The Food and Nutrition Board also states that 15% of your daily calorie intake should come from protein. For example, if you consume 2000 calories a day, 300 of these calories should come from protein sources.
Eating enough protein is part of a healthy diet, whether you are a long-distance runner or a librarian. But if you consume too much protein, or are on a diet, such as the Atkins Diet, that involves eating a lot of protein, you can do more damage than good for your health. Over the short-term, too much protein in your diet will result in water loss from the body, but over the long-term excess dietary protein can lead to many other serious health conditions.
Following the protein daily dietary guidelines to the right will help you to ensure you are consuming enough protein for all of the important functions that it does in your body. This table gives a helpful list of the protein and its percent calories that is contained in many common foods. As you can see, protein doesn’t have to come from animal sources so even vegetarians and vegans can get enough protein to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
Protein Packed Recipe:
This is one of my favorite recipes and is absolutely packed full of protein while being low in calories. I use sushi grade tuna and sear the steak on the grill for only 15-20 seconds on each side. If you are a fan of tuna sushi then this kind of tuna tataki is to die for. If you don’t like eating raw fish, then cook it through as the recipe describes. It is delicious either way.
Asian Tuna Steaks
- 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. orange juice, (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1-1/4 tsp. sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp. sodium-reduced soy sauce
- 2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated, or 1-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tbsp. scallions (green onions), chopped
- 1 lb. (454g) tuna steak (at least 1-inch thick)
Directions:
In a stainless steel bowl or plastic resealable bag, combine first 6 ingredients. Add the tuna and let marinate for 20 minutes. Broil or grill the tuna 6 inches from the heat source for 4-5 minutes per side. Cook until desired doneness is reached.
Per serving: calories 173, fat 6.3g, 34% calories from fat, cholesterol 53mg, protein 25.8g, carbohydrates 2.2g, fiber 0.2g
Is there evidence that Acai Berry aids with weight loss?
What is the real deal with Acai Berry? Does this new “Superfood” really promote weight loss as one of its touted benefits?
Acai berry, pronounced (ah-sigh-ee), comes from a palm tree that grows in the Amazon Rainforest. This berry contains very high amounts of antioxidants (Anthocyanins and Polyphenols) as well as iron, calcium, essential fatty acids, phytosterols and fiber. These all are proven to contribute to overall health, including building muscle, aiding digestion and increasing energy.
Acai Berry Fatty Acids – Acai berry contains a plentiful amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids. These fats are essential for good health and can only be obtained from food as the human body cannot produce them itself. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to help regulate the body’s blood sugar levels, which helps keep hunger at bay and may be the contributing factor to acai berry’s ability to aid weight loss.
There is currently a debate about how much omega-3 versus omega-6 one should have in their diet and studies have shown that there are benefits and risks to too much of either. According to the Merck Manual, an authoritative medical text, essential fatty acids should make up 1-2% of the dietary calories for adults, with a suggested ratio of 10:1 for omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids. Acai berry contains Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids in a similar ratio found in olive oil, which is in a 10:1 ratio.
Acai Berry Fiber – Acai is high in fiber, which helps with digestion and moving food through the body. In this way, excess food is eliminated rather than absorbed and turned into fat. Similar to the fatty acids mentioned above, fiber also helps to curb hunger.
Acai Berry Amino Acids – The Acai berry is rich with essential amino acids along with trace minerals that are vital for proper muscle contraction and regeneration. This increases muscle growth and performance, which enhances the body’s ability to burn calories.
How much Acai do you need to eat to reap the benefits for health and weight loss? Because Acai Berries are so jam packed full of antioxidants, it is recommended that people be cautious about fat losseffects such as weakness, fever and toxicity. Nutritional experts suggest discussing with your doctor what your optimal dosage of antioxidants is. There are currently no recommended dietary guidelines for Acai.
What does Acai Berry taste like? If you are a fan of raspberries and chocolate, then you will probably enjoy the taste of acai. Acai can be described as having a sharp fruit flavor similar to unripened raspberries, combined with a mildly bitter taste of cocoa.
Acai does show promise to aid in weight loss. Although there are no human studies to back this claim, there are hundreds of testimonials online from people saying that it helped them to lose weight. Eating or drinking Acai is not a miracle fat loss treatment, but it will help make your body healthy. Until there are human studies conducted it is not possible to say how much Acai should be consumed for weight loss benefits, if it has any at all.
I’m sure you’ve heard it, that explanation for the phenomenon when you’ve been exercising and dieting and your weight stays the same, “Muscle weighs more than fat. Even though you aren’t losing weight you’re still losing fat.” I’m sorry to say that this is one of the most regularly shared weight loss myths between dieters.
When I began exercising regularly as part of my diet regime I noticed there would be times when my weight would stand still. I recall a span of five days when I worked out like mad at the gym and stuck to my diet and was aghast every morning when I weighed myself and my weight was exactly the same. I’m talking exactly, not up or down, just the same. I began thinking that perhaps this was my body’s way of getting revenge from taking away all those delicious calories and making it go to the gym.
The majority of my workout is cardio, but I do strength training for 30 minutes 3 times a week. I can’t say exactly how much muscle I gain from this program, but for hypothetical reasons I will estimate that I gain an average of 0.5 lb of muscle a week. Now, it is true that muscle is denser than fat (see below for fat vs. muscle example), but weight is weight. So if I gained half a pound of muscle, then did I lose only a half a pound of fat, or are there other factors at play?
After reading lots of articles about muscle building and general muscle physiology I can offer these three factors as explanation for my stubborn weight loss – water retention, glycogen storage and muscle gain.
Water Retention – there are a number of reasons you will gain water weight; you haven’t been drinking enough water so your body stores more of it; excess salt in your diet; monthly hormonal changes; water stored with glycogen in muscles.
Glycogen Storage – glycogen is carbohydrates kept for future use that is stored in the liver and muscle tissue along with a large amount of water that is needed for its metabolism and can account for weight gain following carbohydrate intake.
Muscle Gain – as I hypothesized above, I expect my average muscle gain to be about half a pound every week, which I expect contributes relatively very little to explaining why sometimes your weight plateaus.
As you can see, gaining muscle has very little to do with stubborn weight loss. If you are sticking to your diet, are exercising regularly (making sure to mix up your exercise routines) and your weight is still at a stale mate, then make sure to drink plenty of water, avoid salt in your diet and reduce the amount of carbohydrates you are eating.
Density of Muscle versus Fat
Density is simply the ratio of mass to volume. The density of fat is about 0.9g/ml whereas the density of muscle is about 1.06g/ml. (For conceptual purposes, it is helpful to convert 1 ml = 0.06 cubic inches.) If you gain one pound of muscle and lose one pound of fat your weight will stay the same but you will lose 4.6 cubic inches of body volume (e.g. inches around your waist) as demonstrated using these calculations:
454g (1 lb) muscle x 0.06 cubic inches/1.06g = 25.7 cubic inches
454g (1 lb) fat x 0.06 cubic inches/0.9 g = 30.3 cubic inches
25.7 cubic inches gained – 30.3 cubic inches lost = 4.6 cubic inches lost
This example demonstrates that if you gain the same weight of muscle that you lose in fat, hypothetically your weight will stay the same, but you will still lose inches from your waistline.
There has been a lot of hype around calorie shifting recently in the world of weight loss. Calorie shifting is quickly becoming a regular weight loss term to describe a type of diet that is intended to increase your body’s metabolism naturally. The concept of calorie shifting has been present in many fad diets over the years, but has been made very popular by the Weight Loss 4 Idiots diet.
Weight Loss 4 Idiots Diet, also known as “Fat Loss 4 Idiots” is an online diet. It can be adapted to accommodate vegetarians as well as some of your basic likes and dislikes of foods. Once this information has been entered, you will be provided with an 11-day diet plan. During this diet plan you will be given simple meals to prepare and eat 4 times a day. Each meal ranges in calorie content, carbs and fats. You are also supposed to eat each meal at different times of the day throughout the week. All this fluctuation in eating times and calories per meal is the basis of their “calorie-shifting” diet. It is said that by shifting your calorie intake around all the time, your body will be forced to burn calories at a higher rate.
Although most of the foods in the Weight Loss 4 Idiots diet are low-carb and low-fat, there are no portion controls. You are supposed to eat as much of the food listed for a meal, such as cottage cheese, until you are satiated, but not stuffed. For this reason, people find the Fat Loss 4 Idiots pretty “idiot-proof” because there is no calorie counting and measuring of food. The diet also recommends that you walk for at least 30 minutes each day.
Weight Loss 4 Idiots boasts on their website “Lose 9lbs in 11 days”. I was intrigued by a diet that doesn’t have portion control, and was skeptical of the results they claim, so I looked around online for reviews. I found many, many people who are having success with this diet, mostly women. Although a few people did lose 9 lbs in the first 11 days, weight loss typically began to decrease as the weeks went on.
The pros for this diet is that it is simple to follow, gives you 3 cheat days every 11 days, and encourages daily exercise. The con for this diet is that it is low in fruits and vegetables and very high in protein, which can be hard on the body.
Does Weight Loss 4 Idiots and calorie-shifting work as a diet? I see evidence that there are a number of people who are having short-term success with losing weight on this diet. My biggest concern is that this diet is not teaching you how to eat properly for long-term weight loss and weight management. Smaller portions, a healthy balanced diet and regular exercises that include cardio are essential in developing a healthier lifestyle and are not a part of this diet plan.
I was enjoying a perfectly cooked rare beef fillet mignon yesterday when I was rudely interrupted by my friend who thought it pertinent to tell me that “Red meat stays in your digestive tract for 3 months, you shouldn’t eat it”. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this myth about the digestion of red meat taking 3 months, but I always thought it seemed rather far fetched. For my benefit, and now yours, I decided to find out the truth about red meat digestion.
I think it’s helpful to begin by defining what red meat is. According to Wikipedia, the nutritional definition of red meat is simply meat that comes from mammals. Meat from poultry is considered “white meat”.
How long does it take for red meat to be digested? According to Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, red meats on average take from 1 to 3 days to be completely digested and eliminated from the body. Red meats take much longer to digest than other foods because of their high protein and fat content.
Is eating red meat a few times a week bad for you? After reading many journals and articles, there seems to be a general consensus that red meats should be eaten only on occasion, such as once a week. The primary concern about too much red meat in the diet is that it is high in saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol. Other concerns about red meat stem from it being linked to the development of some serious diseases, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. According to a study published by the American Cancer Society, people who eat 3 or more ounces of red meat per day, which is equivalent to the amount of meat in a hamburger, are 30-40% more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon. People who eat processed meats, such as ham, bologna and bacon are in the highest risk categories for colon cancer and rectal cancer.
The message here seems to be that red meat should be eaten at most a couple times a week. Other foods, such as poultry, fish and beans are great red meat substitutes that provide lots of protein and should be eaten more frequently. When you do eat red meat, choose smaller portions and lean cuts. When preparing, red meat should be baked, broiled, or poached, rather than frying or charbroiling (BBQ’ing) it.
Recently a woman in my office went on the Master Cleanse. I was tempted to call it a diet because she lost a bunch of weight, but actually the purpose of Master Cleanse is to rid the body of toxins.
The Master Cleanse is also known as the Lemon Cleanse, Lemonade Diet or the Maple Syrup Diet. These alternative names stem from the primary ingredients of the diet, which is…you guessed it, lemon juice and maple syrup. This cleanse was originally developed by Stanley Burroughs and was published in his book “The Master Cleanser” in 1941.
By following the directions in the book, people are able to adapt the cleanse to their detoxifying needs. The cleanse itself is very straightforward and includes drinking a large quantity of a “lemonade” concoction that includes water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. The cleanse also recommends drinking a cup of Senna leaf tea in the morning or before bed and the occasional saline wash that involves drinking salt water.
The woman in my office who just tried this cleanse swears by it. She claims that it helped her body to purge all kinds of toxins and now she feels better than she ever has. It’s also true that she lost about 15 pounds in two weeks, but as the Master Cleanse book clearly states, at least half of this weight loss is water. I admit that my co-worker was pretty cranky some days while doing the cleanse, which is not usually her character, but she also seemed to have an unusually high amount of energy for someone who is not eating any solid foods. I’ll wait to see if she keels over in the next few days, but if not I think the Master Cleanse may be worth a try.
When I first started dieting the weight just flew off of me, but now things are definitely slowing down. I’m not at a weight loss plateau yet, but I’m having to work harder to lose the pounds. My goal each week is to lose 2 pounds, which is considered ideal weight loss if you do it safely. I was flabbergasted when I looked into how many calories I have to burn to lose even one pound of body fat – 3500 calories. So, to lose two pounds a week, I will have to burn an excess of 7000 calories from my diet . I have calculated my BMR value (using the BMR calculator), which is 1600 calories a day. The BMR value is how many calories my body needs just to perform its basic functioning, such as breathing and keeping my heart beating. What this means is that if I eat 1600 calories a day and do absolutely nothing but lie in bed, my weight should stay the same. At my current weight, my doctor has instructed me to eat a minimum of 1800 calories a day. So how does all of this work if I’m to lose 2 pounds a week? From a few calculations, I figure I burn an additional 600 calories a day driving to work, walking in the office, doing the odd chore at home and watching tv. Some days are more physical than others, but thats a guestimate. Basically, I will need to exercise the rest of the calories away. If I consume 12,600 calories a week and my body functions and daily life activities burn an average of 15,400 calories a week, then I will need to burn off an average of 4200 calories a week, or 600 calories a day, to meet my weight loss goal of losing 2 pounds a week.
Here’s a brief list of activities I can do to burn 600 calories:
- 76 minutes of Aerobics: low impact
- 60 minutes Aerobics: high impact
- 60 minutes Aerobics, Step: low impact
- 42 minutes Aerobics, Step: high impact
- 104 minutes Aerobics: water
- 60 minutes Bicycling, Stationary: moderate
- 40 minutes Bicycling, Stationary: vigorous
- 52 minutes Circuit Training: general
- 60 minutes Rowing, Stationary: moderate
- 50 minutes Rowing, Stationary: vigorous
- 70 minutes Stair Step Machine: general
- 139 minutes Weight Lifting: general
- 70 minutes Weight Lifting: vigorous
- 42 minutes Bicycling: 14-15.9 mph
- 75 minutes Golf: carrying clubs
- 119 minutes Golf: using cart
- 70 minutes Hiking: cross-country
- 60 minutes Ice Skating: general
- 60 minutes Racquetball: casual, general
- 60 minutes Rollerblade (inline) Skating
- 42 minutes Rope Jumping
- 52 minutes Running: 5 mph (12 min/mile)
- 42 minutes Running: 5.2 mph (11.5 min/mile)
- 46 minutes Running: 6 mph (10 min/mile)
- 33 minutes Running: 6.7 mph (9 min/mile)
- 70 minutes Swimming: general
- 60 minutes Tennis: general
- 92 minutes Walk: 4 mph (15 min/mile)
- 83 minutes Walk: 4.5 mph (13 min/mile)
- 70 minutes Walk/Jog: jog <10 min.
*to get these values I used the calculator found here Calories Burned – Exercise Calculator
As you can see, burning an excess of 600 calories a day is actually not that hard. There are a lot of activities that you can do to reach this goal. This list really shows what it takes and the kind of commitment you need to make. As for me, my new goal will to be to do aerobic exercise for one hour 5 days a week and build from there. I guess it’s time to buy myself some new running shoes.
If you were, or are, a soda drinker like myself, then likely one of the first things you did was switch to diet sodas when you decided to lose weight. What many people still don’t know, however, is that artificial sweeteners commonly used in diet sodas, such as aspartame, may actually cause some pretty serious health effects and be addictive.
Aspartame, also marketed under the brand name Equal® and Nutrasweet®, is found in many types of foods and drinks and is not limited to only diet varieties. A few common examples of drinks that contain aspartame include Crystal Light, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi.
Is it unhealthy to eat and drink products that contain aspartame? Well, the aspartame issue really seems to be split because there is lacking medical evidence that aspartame has been the sole factor for causing negative health effects. But for people who claim to have been affected by aspartame, their symptoms included Headaches/Migraines, Dizziness, Seizures, Nausea, Numbness, Muscle spasms, Weight gain, Rashes, Depression, Fatigue, Irritability, Tachycardia, Insomnia, Vision Problems, Hearing Loss, Heart palpitations, Breathing difficulties, Anxiety attacks, Slurred Speech, Loss of taste, Tinnitus, Vertigo, Memory loss, and Joint Pain. Some medical professionals also believe that the metabolism of aspartame may cause more serious health conditions such as Brain tumors, Arthritis, Multiple sclerosis, Epilepsy, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Mental retardation, Lymphoma, Birth defects, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, and Thyroid Disorders.
What is in Aspartame that makes it potentially hazardous to your health? Aspartame contains 10 percent methanol, which is rapidly digested in your body. When it is metabolised methanol is converted to formaldehyde and then formic acid. Chronic formaldehyde exposure at even very low doses has been shown to cause immune system and nervous system changes and damage as well as headaches, general poor health, irreversible genetic damage, and a number of other serious health problems.
Is aspartame addictive? There are many people who claim that aspartame-containing foods are addictive. In addition to methanol, aspartame contains two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartic acid acts as an “excitatory” neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, in the brain, stimulating neurons to fire. Phenylalanine also easily enters the brain and is transformed into neurotransmitters that can further interfere with normal brain function. This altered brain chemistry caused by aspartic acid and phenylalanine may be responsible for the addictive nature of aspartame.
Aspartame in Diet Beverages – Drinking the occassional diet soda will likely not cause any permanent health problems, however drinking diet beverages all day long can have accumulative negative effects on your health. It is best to err on the safe side of this issue and avoid foods and beverages containing aspartame. Stick to be best diet beverage out there…water, and drink plenty of it.
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