Don’t Be Fooled by Diet Foods – Lora Smith

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Kick The Can For Good - Lora Smith
Don't Be Fooled by Diet Foods - Lora Smith

Lora Smith

Don’t be Fooled by “Diet” Foods!

Think you’re making good food choices, working out, but STILL not losing weight?   “Diet” foods may be sabotaging your efforts.  Here’s the scoop on some of the worst offenders…

1.  “Healthy” Salads — Any salad listed in the “lite” section of a menu must be a good choice right?  On the T.G.I. Friday’s® menu, the pecan-crusted chicken salad which contains mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and celery, has 1,360 calories. Wow.

2.   Wraps  — Some tortillas can contain as many calories as 4 pieces of bread, more carbs, and twice as much fat. And that’s before you add any filling.   And a wrap has more room to spread things like mayo, cheese and dressing.

3.   Granola – Have you ever read the label of your favorite granola?  Most varieties are high in sugar, and the serving size is usually only ¼ to ½ cup.  If you’re filling your cereal bowl with this stuff every morning, no wonder you are not losing.  Instead look for low-sugar, minimal- ingredient granolas like Bare Naked, and limit your portions to 1 serving at a time.

4.   Dried Fruit – Dried versions of your favorite fruits are as much as four times the calories of their fresh counterparts.  (Keep this in mind when shopping for granola too as some varieties contain dried fruits!)

5.   Bran Muffins — the average bakery muffin can contain as many as 630 calories. It might be better than a banana or blueberry muffin because of the extra fiber, but most of them are still packed with sugar and butter. Eat one bran muffin from Dunkin’ Donuts® for example and you’ll be consuming 480 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 46 grams of sugar.

6.   Pumpkin-Flavored Baked Goods –  Like bran, pumpkin has lots of stuff that’s good for you. But pumpkin doesn’t mean diet food.  The pumpkin muffin at Dunkin’ donuts has 630 calories and 28 grams of fat.  A pumpkin muffin from Panera Bread® has 530 calories and 20 grams of fat, and the pumpkin scone at Starbucks® has 470 calories and 22 grams of fat!

7.   Sushi  (Fish wrapped in rice and seaweed) — Some sushi has calorie levels so high it might just shock you. Spicy tuna and other similar rolls can contain as many as 450 calories and 11 grams of fat (the bad kind) per serving.

8.   Olive Oil –: It’s a good fat and helps you burn fat. But don’t overdo it.  You only need two tablespoons per day to get the benefits. (Good “note to self” when dunking bread in it at a restaurant!)

9.   Anything marketed as “skinny” — “Skinny” varieties of drinks, ice cream, and other favorite indulgences might be better choices BUT pay attention to small serving sizes and read your labels!  A Skinnygirl Margarita, for example, at 100 calories per 4 oz, is not so “skinny” if consuming much more than 1 cup.

10.  Diet Soda – if you read my article last month you know I’m passionate about helping people “kick the can” for good!!  Zero-calorie diet soda may actually cause weight GAIN by preventing your body from properly absorbing the nutrients in other foods that you eat.

So how do you make the right choices in a world filled with “diet” traps?  Ask about nutrition and read food labels. You won’t even have to give up the foods you like because you’ll know how to work them into your food plan the right way.  After a while, you’ll be a pro at it and enjoy the weight loss that comes with it.

For weekly nutrition and fitness tips like these, go to www.turbolora.com, click Join and sign up for the free Team Beachbody membership.

Lora L. Smith

Independent Team Beachbody® Coach

Certified TurboKick™ Instructor

ls@turbolora.com

www.10DayNutritionChallenge.com

www.shakeology.com/lorasmith

 

Filed Under: Alcohol, Diet, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Loss Tagged With:

The Cause of Alcohol’s Benefits to Heart Health – Walter Jessen Phd.

May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Cause of Alcohol's Benefits to Heart Health - Walter Jessen
The Cause of Alcohol's Benefits to Heart Health - Walter Jessen

Walter Jessen Phd

Many biomedical research studies have supported a relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and cardiovascular health. Now, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have discovered how light to moderate drinking can help to prevent heart disease.

In the study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, researchers found that alcohol at moderate levels of consumption inhibited a protein called Notch. Notch proteins are a family of proteins that are important for cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell death. In blood vessels, when Notch proteins are stimulated by high levels of cholesterol, smoking or changes in blood flow, they cause smooth muscle cells to multiply and can lead to the development of arterial plaques. The accumulation of smooth muscle cells together with immune cells is the central cellular feature of atherosclerosis, a condition where fatty material collects along the walls of arteries. The fatty material thickens, hardens and eventually blocks the arteries, putting you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Blood vessel remodeling — when vessels change shape and thickness in response to injury — occurs as the atherosclerotic plaque within the vessel enlarges.

Researchers assessed the effects of moderate amounts of alcohol in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and in the carotid arteries of mice. In both cases, regular, limited amounts of alcohol inhibited Notch. In a mouse model of vessel remodeling, daily feeding of alcohol – equivalent in people to two drinks per day – inhibited Notch in the vessel wall and markedly reduced vessel thickening. These findings may eventually help scientists create a treatment for heart disease that simulates the positive effects of light to moderate alcohol consumption.

While all this sounds good, however, dietary guidelines make it clear that no one should start drinking or drink more frequently on the basis of potential health benefits. Moreover, the line between moderate alcohol consumption and drinking too much is thin; once you get to 3 – 4 drinks per day, mortality rates double and the risk of congestive heart failure, pancreatitis, and certain cancers, including breast, liver, and lung, increase. If you choose to drink, it suggested that you limit your drinking to 12-ounces of beer, 5-ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

Filed Under: Alcohol, Health, Heart Health Tagged With:

Productivity and Other Drugs

April 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Robby Slaughter
Robby Slaughter

Robby Slaughter

A left over saying from Just-Say-No era insists: “I’m not high on drugs, I’m high on life.” While you may cringe when hearing this statement, most of us can also silently acknowledge its allure. Everyone wants to be happy. Don’t we all—at one time or another—partake in caffeine, alcohol or cigarettes as a way to make life easier? Would we really be better off if we were completely, 100% drug-free?

The philosophical questions may be murky, but our scientific knowledge of drugs is incredibly rich. Researchers have extensively studied how we metabolize these chemicals. We understand their short-term impact in almost every part of the body and we have extensive data about long-term effects.  The psychology of drugs, however, may be even more interesting to layman than the biochemistry. Current models explain patterns of use, abuse and addiction with startling accuracy. We know why we start, how to stop, and the reasons it’s so hard to quit.

Ash TrayOf all of the casual drugs, however, alcohol may be the most curious. Although about half of adult Americans consume beer, wine and liquor at least monthly, the vast majority of those who drink do so safely and without any serious health risks. Yet according to a 2010 study from the Centers for Disease Control, a record 15% of all Americans “regularly binge” on alcohol. Most people don’t have a drinking problem, but those who do put themselves at a serious threat of injury, disease or death.

Furthermore, the physiological effects of this drug create a devastating paradox. Most drinking occurs in environments where you need to have good judgment, yet alcohol impairs judgment! The worst time to make a decision about whether you are too buzzed to drive is when you are under the influence. Sober people make good choices; drunks make bad choices.  Instead making us more cautious, alcohol generates one of the most self-destructive emotions possible: a false sense of confidence.

The ultimate purpose of any drug is substitution. We use caffeine instead of getting enough rest; we smoke cigarettes instead of relieving stress through healthy means; we drink alcohol to escape the day and give us a sense of satisfaction. When used in moderation, most substances are not dangerous. Yet there is an alternative to drug use to address our day-to-day challenges.

Instead of drinking glass after glass, consider the impact of being productive. Conducting and completing tasks generates a sense of accomplishment. Finishing your work on schedule gives you the time to relax. Knowing that you’ve fulfilled your promises may be the greatest drug of all. Best of all, getting hooked on being productive will only make your healthier and happier!

Robby Slaughter is a Principal with Slaughter Development, an Indianapolis-based business process and workflow consulting company. His new book, Failure: The Secret to Success is available now at www.failurethebook.com.

Filed Under: Alcohol, Caffeine, Drugs, Environment, Smoking Tagged With:

To Drink Or Not To Drink – Abby Fox

April 16, 2011 By 9 Comments
Alcohol
Abby Fox

Abby Fox

The question that we face so often, unless you have joined the rest of us “fitness freaks” with staying away from alcohol. It is tough to decide against it when all of your friends are drinking, but it may be the best decision you make regarding your health. If the chart below isn’t enough to encourage this decision, let me tell you a little more…

Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Arthritis Increases risk of gouty arthritis
Cancer Increases the risk of cancer in the liver, pancreas, rectum, breast, mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Causes physical and behavioral abnormalities in the fetus
Heart Disease Raises blood pressure, blood lipids and the risk of stroke and heart disease in heavy drinkers.  Heart disease is generally lower in light to moderate drinkers.
Hyperglycermia Raises blood glucose
Hypoglycemia Lowers blood glucose, especially for people with diabetes
Kidney Disease Enlarges the kidneys, alters hormone functions, and increases the risk of kidney failure
Liver Disease Causes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis
Malnutrition Increases the risk of protein-energy malnutrition,; low intakes of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6 and riboflavin, and impaired absorption of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and zinc.
Nervous Disorders Causes neuropathy and dementia; impairs balance and memory
Obesity Increases energy intake, but not a primary cause of obesity
Psychological disturbances Causes depression, anxiety and insomnia

Alcohol consumption will indefinitely pack on the unwanted LBS. We all know exactly what the term “beer gut” means. The reason why this phenomenon accumulates is not the 3am pizza and Taco Bell runs. Well they will have something to do with it! But it is due to the livers ability to metabolize all of the alcohol. Only the enzymes in the liver can metabolize ethanol. When ethanol is in our digestive system, along with other food, it will take priority. The liver prefers fatty acids for energy (fuel) but will not get to the fat if is forced to focus on breaking down the alcohol. With that said, fatty acids are stored and usually for good.  When the liver is put through such havoc, its cell structure is damaged permanently. With this change, the livers ability to metabolize fat is impaired.

You have probably heard me say “sugar eats muscle,” need I say more?? As we are striving towards our best conditioned bodies, why would be pour a bunch of sugar down our throats? Alcohol reaches the brain in about 60 seconds. Of course many factors play into how much a person should drink to stay responsible. Gender, age, sex, height, and family history will all play a role in making that decision. But on average you should stick to one ounce of ethanol per hour. The liver can digest that and will not be thrown into shock.

Like everything in life, we need balance. I will definitely join my family at Thanksgiving Dinner for a glass of red wine, or on Christmas Eve with my mom and her traditional “spiced egg nog.” Just remember what the goal is, and that EVERY decision will either build up or break down the body!

Filed Under: Alcohol, Environment Tagged With:

Weight Loss and Alcohol

April 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
cocktail
Donna Phelan

Donna Phelan

There has been a lot of discussion in the media of late regarding the health benefits of alcohol consumption.  Study after study has shown that moderate (1-2 drinks daily) amounts of alcohol can lower the risk of heart disease by as much as 25% as well as increase the levels of “good cholesterol.”  Alcohol carries a lot of social benefits as well – turning shy people into the life of the party; teaching white men how to dance; and who hasn’t enjoyed life that much more thru a pair of “beer goggles”!  Yes, I’ve heard ALL these arguments from those in our weight loss program trying to convince me that a bit of wine has so many positive benefits that surely it can’t hurt their weight loss.  Can it?

cocktailThere are people on both sides of this argument, but personally, I see no harm with most things – in moderation – for individuals who are living a healthy lifestyle.  The key part of that last sentence, however, is healthy lifestyle. The fact is, alcohol has NO PLACE in a weight loss regimen.  No place.  The reasons for this are many.

First off, alcohol is empty calories. There are many foods which you will never see on any sensible weight loss plan that still have some nutritional value – not so with alcohol.   Alcohol lowers blood sugar levels.  This leaves you feeling hungry, a recipe for overeating.  Alcohol also dehydrates the drinker.  We all know the importance of staying properly hydrated for facilitating weight loss as well as supporting our work out regimen.  And, despite the drowsy relaxed, feeling that usually accompanies its consumption, alcohol has been shown to actually disrupt sleep.   Proper rest is another key element of the weight loss process.

But, here’s the kicker…  according to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol inhibits fat loss. I could provide the scientific explanation for this, but here is the short version:  your body metabolizes alcohol differently than it metabolizes fat and carbs.  When you put alcohol in, your body begins working to eliminate it from your system immediately, and the processing of food becomes secondary.  This leads to food being stored and synthesized as fat, which can lead to weight gain.

Alcohol GlassesThe evidence is pretty clear – moderate alcohol consumption CAN result in some health benefits.  But, don’t kid yourself.  A healthy lifestyle produces similar results, without the hangover!   See you in the gym!

Filed Under: Alcohol, Cholesterol, Environment, Weight Loss Tagged With:

Alcohol Consumption: Don’t Overdo It

April 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
5 TIps to Keep the Air Friendly at Home - Phoenix Cavalier

GraphAlcohol is available throughout much of our country, and while there have been varying degrees of stigma associated with alcohol, it remains popular overall. Though consumption has decreased historically, “binge drinking” is seeing a rise in some groups, primarily those aged 18-25.

  • Current Use – At least one drink in the past 30 days.
  • Binge use – 5 or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past 30 days.
  • Heavy use – 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days.

In 2009 binge alcohol use was 1.6 percent among 12 or 13 year olds, 7.0 percent among 14 or 15 year olds, 17.0 percent among 16 or 17 year olds, 34.7 percent among persons aged 18 to 20, and peaked among those aged 21 to 25 at 46.5 percent. The rate of binge drinking was 41.7 percent for young adults aged 18 to 25. Heavy alcohol use was reported by 13.7 percent of persons aged 18 to 25. These rates are similar to the rates in 2008 (41.0 and 14.5 percent, respectively). (1) (see chart)

Is Alcohol Good For You?

With so many articles about alcohol, let’s address one simple question: can alcohol be good for you? The short answer is ‘Sometimes’. Read on to get the full answer so you can start making smarter choices when you’re considering whether or not to have another drink. While alcohol has been part of human civilizations for centuries, it’s also carried with it know risks due to a loss of mental and physical abilities. While there are risks to drinking too much alcohol, science over the past twenty years has been revealing the positive role alcohol can play in overall health, when enjoyed in, you guessed it… moderation.

Adapted from AskMen.com: The French scientist Dr. Serge Renaud, who showed the world that wine is good for the heart has a new discovery: two to three glasses of wine a day reduces death rates from all ailments by up to 30%, said Dr. Serge Renaud, whose findings appeared in the journal Epidemiology. “Wine protects not only against heart disease but also most cancers.” Renaud’s study of 34,000 middle-aged men living in eastern France supports what has become known as the French paradox: Frenchmen who eat lots of saturated fat often still live a long time. Results were the same for smokers, nonsmokers and former smokers, he said, and there were no differences between white-collar and blue-collar drinkers. Studies in the United States found a drink of almost any type of alcohol can lower death rates by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Renaud, also points out, “Wine is a more diluted form of alcohol, which is important to the body and, if taken moderately at mealtime, it is easily absorbed,” and wine acts against other heart ailments and cancers because of the antioxidant action of polyphenol compounds in grapes he explained. (2)

Alcohol GlassesThe Four-Two-One Formula

There are benefits to a small amount of alcohol but put simply, after four glasses of wine using a standard 5-ounce volume, or two standard 16-ounce bottles of beer, the positive effects are diminished. It’s also important to note that alcohol content differs from one brand to another and distilled spirits have a much higher alcohol content making one serving a daily maximum. Also, be sure to take into account whether or not the alcohol is being consumed along with a meal, on an empty stomach the body metabolizes alcohol very quickly and the affects are likely to be more dramatic. (2) Overall the best advice is to proceed with caution: simply put, there is no gathering worth your life; so enjoy in moderation and skip the next party that’s promoted with an ‘all you can drink’ sign. You’ll be glad you did.

Stay food-informed to stay well,

Phoenix R. Cavalier

Source 1: http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduhLatest.htm

Source 2: http://www.askmen.com/sports/health/14b_mens_health.html

Filed Under: Alcohol, Environment Tagged With: