If you're looking to lose either 5 pounds or 50 pounds, here's a simple math equation for you:
Healthy Diet > Exercise
Exercise is great for the body, there's no doubt about that. But in the end, our diets determine how much flab hangs over our pants. Check out Time Magazine's article about this: Click here
No matter how healthy you are, it only takes one meal to make your blood literally curdle. Your heart will work around 30% harder and your triglycerides will around double just after one fatty meal.
However, not all fat is bad. Check out this video from ABC's show "The Doctors" in the episode called "Fat: Everything You Never Knew."
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sodium: The Hidden Evil
Labels: health, processed foods, sodium 1 comments
"Current health advice warns against too much sodium. This warning is based on research suggesting that eating high amounts of sodium may contribute to the development of high blood pressure in certain people. High blood pressure may then lead to heart disease, kidney disease or stroke." [source]
Watch out... before you decide to eat those frozen dinners and box meals, consider the following information. First off, let's state the basics:
*It is suggested that we have no more than 1,500-2,400 mg of sodium a day. This replaces your daily loss of sodium. In fact, one teaspoon of salt is enough to meet this daily requirement.
* Sodium is 100% necessary for the body to stay alive. It helps the body absorb major nutrients, maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, transmit nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles.
The amount of sodium kept in the body is regulated by the kidneys. When sodium levels are below normal, your kidneys conserve sodium. When sodium levels are high, they release sodium in your urine. Okay, so say your kidneys can't get rid of enough sodium. Then, the sodium leaks into your blood. Since sodium attracts water, your blood volume gets higher, making it harder for the blood to work to get through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in the arteries (...if you haven't guessed it already, we're talking about increasing blood pressure right now). This can lead to heart attacks, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease.
A pinch here and a dash there can quickly add up, so be aware and count your milligrams! 11% of the average American's salt intake comes from cooking. But when you're cooking, you can physically see the amount of salt you are adding to your food. Now, what about the salt that you can't see?
77% of the average American's sodium comes from processed or prepared foods.
When reading the front of the box, you will see things like "Low-Sodium" or "Sodium Free". Here is what they really mean:
*Sodium-free and salt-free: less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
*Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.
*Light in sodium: 50% less sodium than the comparison food.
*Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.
We typically consume more sodium than we need daily, especially those of us who love to eat our food out of boxes and bags. Here are some ways to cut sodium intake:
Strategies to cut salt intake include:
*When you cook, either add small amounts of salt or none at all.
*Prepare foods with sodium-free spices such as basil, bay leaves, caraway seeds, curry, garlic, ginger, lemon, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sesame and thyme. You'd be surprised how much sodium they put in spices.
*Add little or no salt at the table. Learn to enjoy the natural flavors instead of adding salt to enhance them.
*READ LABELS (I can't stress this enough), looking for sodium content.
*Eat high-salt foods in moderation or look for low-sodium options.
*Eat foods that are lower in sodium, such as fresh vegetables and salads, homemade soup, shredded wheat, puffed rice or wheat, oatmeal, low-sodium, ready-to-eat cereals, salt-free matzo,beverages such as fresh fruit juices, seltzer water, or sodas other than club soda or saccharin-flavored soda, sandwiches with nitrite-free meats, such as turkey and chicken breast
The following are foods that are especially high in sodium:
*Food prepared in brine, such as pickles, olives, and sauerkraut
*Salty or smoked meats, such as bacon, bologna, corned or chopped beef, frankfurters, ham, lunch meats, salami, salt pork, sausage, and smoked tongue
*Salty or smoked fish, such as anchovies, caviar, salted and dried herring, sardines, and smoked salmon
*Beverages such as saccharin-flavored soda and club soda
*Snack items such as corn chips, potato chips, pretzels, salted popcorn, salted nuts, and crackers
*Sodium-heavy spices and sauces, such as bouillon cubes, celery salt, garlic salt, seasoned salts, soy, steak sauces, Worcestershire, and barbecue sauce
*Cheeses, especially processed types
*Canned and instant soups, canned or frozen vegetables
*Ready-to-eat cereals
*Fast food (Just stay away from this in general and your body will thank you!)
*Baking soda and baking powder
*Prepared horseradish, ketchup and mustard
Watch out... before you decide to eat those frozen dinners and box meals, consider the following information. First off, let's state the basics:
*It is suggested that we have no more than 1,500-2,400 mg of sodium a day. This replaces your daily loss of sodium. In fact, one teaspoon of salt is enough to meet this daily requirement.
* Sodium is 100% necessary for the body to stay alive. It helps the body absorb major nutrients, maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, transmit nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles.
The amount of sodium kept in the body is regulated by the kidneys. When sodium levels are below normal, your kidneys conserve sodium. When sodium levels are high, they release sodium in your urine. Okay, so say your kidneys can't get rid of enough sodium. Then, the sodium leaks into your blood. Since sodium attracts water, your blood volume gets higher, making it harder for the blood to work to get through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in the arteries (...if you haven't guessed it already, we're talking about increasing blood pressure right now). This can lead to heart attacks, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease.
A pinch here and a dash there can quickly add up, so be aware and count your milligrams! 11% of the average American's salt intake comes from cooking. But when you're cooking, you can physically see the amount of salt you are adding to your food. Now, what about the salt that you can't see?
77% of the average American's sodium comes from processed or prepared foods.
When reading the front of the box, you will see things like "Low-Sodium" or "Sodium Free". Here is what they really mean:*Sodium-free and salt-free: less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
*Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.
*Light in sodium: 50% less sodium than the comparison food.
*Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.
We typically consume more sodium than we need daily, especially those of us who love to eat our food out of boxes and bags. Here are some ways to cut sodium intake:
Strategies to cut salt intake include:
*When you cook, either add small amounts of salt or none at all.
*Prepare foods with sodium-free spices such as basil, bay leaves, caraway seeds, curry, garlic, ginger, lemon, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sesame and thyme. You'd be surprised how much sodium they put in spices.
*Add little or no salt at the table. Learn to enjoy the natural flavors instead of adding salt to enhance them.
*READ LABELS (I can't stress this enough), looking for sodium content.
*Eat high-salt foods in moderation or look for low-sodium options.
*Eat foods that are lower in sodium, such as fresh vegetables and salads, homemade soup, shredded wheat, puffed rice or wheat, oatmeal, low-sodium, ready-to-eat cereals, salt-free matzo,beverages such as fresh fruit juices, seltzer water, or sodas other than club soda or saccharin-flavored soda, sandwiches with nitrite-free meats, such as turkey and chicken breast
The following are foods that are especially high in sodium:
*Food prepared in brine, such as pickles, olives, and sauerkraut
*Salty or smoked meats, such as bacon, bologna, corned or chopped beef, frankfurters, ham, lunch meats, salami, salt pork, sausage, and smoked tongue
*Salty or smoked fish, such as anchovies, caviar, salted and dried herring, sardines, and smoked salmon
*Beverages such as saccharin-flavored soda and club soda
*Snack items such as corn chips, potato chips, pretzels, salted popcorn, salted nuts, and crackers
*Sodium-heavy spices and sauces, such as bouillon cubes, celery salt, garlic salt, seasoned salts, soy, steak sauces, Worcestershire, and barbecue sauce
*Cheeses, especially processed types
*Canned and instant soups, canned or frozen vegetables
*Ready-to-eat cereals
*Fast food (Just stay away from this in general and your body will thank you!)
*Baking soda and baking powder
*Prepared horseradish, ketchup and mustard
Thursday, April 22, 2010
How To Eat Fruit
Labels: fruit, health, our bodies 0 comments
It may seem so elementary. Yes, we cut it up and pop it in our mouths. But believe it or not, there is actually a way to eat fruit that benefits your health.
1. Eat fruit raw. It is easier to digest, and cooking the fruit destroys the nutrients the body needs for energy from it. You don't get the nutrients, just the taste.
2. Eat fruit early in the day. As mentioned in the previous blog entry, fruit contains fructose, and fructose is turned into energy. By eating fruit early in the day, your body will have the energy it needs.
3. Eat fruit on an empty stomach, not as a dessert after a meal. Well, fruit as a dessert sure beats a brownie (or two... or three, let's be honest)! Okay, let's say you have toast and fruit for breakfast. As your body digests your food, the fruit is digested quicker than the bread. Now the fruit is ready to go into the intestines, BUT WAIT... that stubborn bread is still hanging out waiting to be digested, so the fruit's exit door is blocked off. As the body breaks down that bread, the fruit, shall we say, gets bored, and it ferments and turns into acid. So, it is better to eat fruit alone or before meals. Do you ever feel like you burp a lot after eating fruit? Or have to run to the bathroom? WELL that is why you should eat fruit alone! Your acids are mixing in your stomach and you bloat! Besides bloating, what other things can happen if you don't eat fruit alone? Gray hair, balding, anxiety, dark circles under your eyes... need I go on?
4. All fruits become alkaline in your body. Yes, lemons and oranges are just a few of the commonly assumed "most acidic" fruits. It is a myth that more acidic fruits will enhance the acidity of your stomach. Research shows that all fruits become alkaline in your body.
5. Do not cook your fruit. I know I already went over this, but cooking fruit destroys the nutrients in that fruit, and the only thing your body gets is the flavor. Cooking fruit destroys all of the vitamins. So apples vs. apple sauce? Apples are healthier because they are raw, and apple sauce is made from cooked apples.
1. Eat fruit raw. It is easier to digest, and cooking the fruit destroys the nutrients the body needs for energy from it. You don't get the nutrients, just the taste.
2. Eat fruit early in the day. As mentioned in the previous blog entry, fruit contains fructose, and fructose is turned into energy. By eating fruit early in the day, your body will have the energy it needs.
3. Eat fruit on an empty stomach, not as a dessert after a meal. Well, fruit as a dessert sure beats a brownie (or two... or three, let's be honest)! Okay, let's say you have toast and fruit for breakfast. As your body digests your food, the fruit is digested quicker than the bread. Now the fruit is ready to go into the intestines, BUT WAIT... that stubborn bread is still hanging out waiting to be digested, so the fruit's exit door is blocked off. As the body breaks down that bread, the fruit, shall we say, gets bored, and it ferments and turns into acid. So, it is better to eat fruit alone or before meals. Do you ever feel like you burp a lot after eating fruit? Or have to run to the bathroom? WELL that is why you should eat fruit alone! Your acids are mixing in your stomach and you bloat! Besides bloating, what other things can happen if you don't eat fruit alone? Gray hair, balding, anxiety, dark circles under your eyes... need I go on?
4. All fruits become alkaline in your body. Yes, lemons and oranges are just a few of the commonly assumed "most acidic" fruits. It is a myth that more acidic fruits will enhance the acidity of your stomach. Research shows that all fruits become alkaline in your body.
5. Do not cook your fruit. I know I already went over this, but cooking fruit destroys the nutrients in that fruit, and the only thing your body gets is the flavor. Cooking fruit destroys all of the vitamins. So apples vs. apple sauce? Apples are healthier because they are raw, and apple sauce is made from cooked apples.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Why is "fruit sugar" better than refined sugar?
Labels: fruit, health, our bodies, sugar 0 comments
So I found this website and it is amazing! So many people always are wondering what a good daily meal plan is for being healthy and losing weight.. and this site has one! Here is the link that goes directly to the daily plan. The website even has a meal of the day, a healthy food of the day, I mean it's got everything.
Last entry I talked about sugars. Remember, stay around the 22 grams of sugar a day. Try that out for a week. If you think about it, you get 52-ish weeks in a year. Can't you devote at least one of those to trying something new that also benefits your body? Be proactive and get healthy, just starting with a one-week trial. I promise you, your body will love it.
Back to the sugar thing. Try one week really paying attention to sugar content in what you eat. ALWAYS look at the nutrition label on everything you buy. You will be surprised by the hidden evils in some common foods.
Let's talk about sugars in fruits vs. refined sugars. I was on the phone with my mother yesterday and she brought up a good question: If I eat fruit all day, how is that different sugar-wise than eating candy or cereal all day? The sugar in fruit is natural: it's called FRUCTOSE. Fructose is broken down by the body slowly (that is why it is best to eat fruits earlier in the day) and converted into SUCROSE and GLYCOGEN. Fructose, compared to cane sugar, has a very low Glycemic index (meaning a smaller rise in blood sugar and help in controlling diabetes). Got all that?
A huge difference between the two sugars is how quickly our bodies break them down. When we digest sucrose (remember, fructose comes from fruit, not sucrose), the body quickly breaks it down into semi-equal parts of fructose and glucose (the sugar our bodies use for energy: both physical and mental). When our bodies sense a sudden increase of glucose in our blood, the body quickly pushes the pancreas to get more insulin into the bloodstream; this will help burn that extra glucose as energy. Any glucose that isn't turned into energy turns into glycogen (our body's' short-term energy supply). If our glycogen level is already full, the extra glycogen gets turned into fat. Bummer. Fun fact: A typical adult will have about 3/4 lb. of glycogen stored in their body at any given time, mainly in muscles or liver.
That was a ton of information. Let's recap: Why is fruit sugar (fructose) better for you than table sugar (sucrose)? Sucrose messes up our sugar levels in our bodies as our bodies quickly process the sucrose, and eventually sends the pancreas into overload as it quickly acts to create insulin to send into the bloodstream. Fructose is broken down very slowly by the body, which allows much more time for our bodies to react to the fructose. It's good news for diabetics too!
In case you are ever wondering how much sugar/calories/anything are in your fruit (or veggie, or whatever), go here. It's a great site that will help inform you about how much of what you are putting into your body. Type your food into the box that says "Food Search".
Enjoy your fruit without guilt!
Last entry I talked about sugars. Remember, stay around the 22 grams of sugar a day. Try that out for a week. If you think about it, you get 52-ish weeks in a year. Can't you devote at least one of those to trying something new that also benefits your body? Be proactive and get healthy, just starting with a one-week trial. I promise you, your body will love it.
Back to the sugar thing. Try one week really paying attention to sugar content in what you eat. ALWAYS look at the nutrition label on everything you buy. You will be surprised by the hidden evils in some common foods.
Let's talk about sugars in fruits vs. refined sugars. I was on the phone with my mother yesterday and she brought up a good question: If I eat fruit all day, how is that different sugar-wise than eating candy or cereal all day? The sugar in fruit is natural: it's called FRUCTOSE. Fructose is broken down by the body slowly (that is why it is best to eat fruits earlier in the day) and converted into SUCROSE and GLYCOGEN. Fructose, compared to cane sugar, has a very low Glycemic index (meaning a smaller rise in blood sugar and help in controlling diabetes). Got all that?
A huge difference between the two sugars is how quickly our bodies break them down. When we digest sucrose (remember, fructose comes from fruit, not sucrose), the body quickly breaks it down into semi-equal parts of fructose and glucose (the sugar our bodies use for energy: both physical and mental). When our bodies sense a sudden increase of glucose in our blood, the body quickly pushes the pancreas to get more insulin into the bloodstream; this will help burn that extra glucose as energy. Any glucose that isn't turned into energy turns into glycogen (our body's' short-term energy supply). If our glycogen level is already full, the extra glycogen gets turned into fat. Bummer. Fun fact: A typical adult will have about 3/4 lb. of glycogen stored in their body at any given time, mainly in muscles or liver.
That was a ton of information. Let's recap: Why is fruit sugar (fructose) better for you than table sugar (sucrose)? Sucrose messes up our sugar levels in our bodies as our bodies quickly process the sucrose, and eventually sends the pancreas into overload as it quickly acts to create insulin to send into the bloodstream. Fructose is broken down very slowly by the body, which allows much more time for our bodies to react to the fructose. It's good news for diabetics too!
In case you are ever wondering how much sugar/calories/anything are in your fruit (or veggie, or whatever), go here. It's a great site that will help inform you about how much of what you are putting into your body. Type your food into the box that says "Food Search".
Enjoy your fruit without guilt!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Blame it on the sugar
Labels: health, our bodies, sugar 0 comments
Do you schmear the fake "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" all over your whole wheat bread for breakfast as you take a drink from your glass of orange juice and eat your "healthy" cereal? Do you REALLY believe that the fake butter is natural? Is it good for you? NO to both. Food items that are altered from their original state are mixed in with several chemicals and crazy other things that make it.. well.. not good for you.
Oh. And that whole wheat bread that is supposedly supposed to be healthier for you than white bread? Whole wheat bread contains a ton of sugar. Surprised? Yeast needs sugar to react.. and any kind of bread contains a ton of sugar. Orange juice contains a ton of sugar as well. Don't believe me? Go check the carton in your fridge! You should be having no more than 22 grams of sugar per day, according to nutritionists. Looking at the container of ORGANIC (yep, that's right) orange juice in my fridge right now, I see that there are 24 grams of sugar in just ONE CUP! My advice... squeeze your own and save money (and your bodies).
It's not that sugar is bad for you. We all need sugar in our bodies to survive. However, too much sugar will (yes, I'm going to say it...) make you fat! Like many other things, anytime our bodies are filled with more fuel than needed, your body needs to do something with the excess. In the case of sugar, excess glucose is turned into fatty acids by the liver and return into the bloodstream where it is delivered throughout the body and stored as fat! Main regions where the "excess-sugar-turned-to-fat" is stored are the hips, stomach, breasts, and butt.
But it doesn't end here! Once those areas are full of adipose (fat cells) tissue, the fatty acids begin to spill over into organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. This raises blood pressure, restricts organs, and weakens the immune system! Ya, it's bad news for the body.
...I bet you're about ready for some good news
There are TONS of foods that you can still eat and not harm your body. Here's a list of just a few:
-apples
Oh. And that whole wheat bread that is supposedly supposed to be healthier for you than white bread? Whole wheat bread contains a ton of sugar. Surprised? Yeast needs sugar to react.. and any kind of bread contains a ton of sugar. Orange juice contains a ton of sugar as well. Don't believe me? Go check the carton in your fridge! You should be having no more than 22 grams of sugar per day, according to nutritionists. Looking at the container of ORGANIC (yep, that's right) orange juice in my fridge right now, I see that there are 24 grams of sugar in just ONE CUP! My advice... squeeze your own and save money (and your bodies).
It's not that sugar is bad for you. We all need sugar in our bodies to survive. However, too much sugar will (yes, I'm going to say it...) make you fat! Like many other things, anytime our bodies are filled with more fuel than needed, your body needs to do something with the excess. In the case of sugar, excess glucose is turned into fatty acids by the liver and return into the bloodstream where it is delivered throughout the body and stored as fat! Main regions where the "excess-sugar-turned-to-fat" is stored are the hips, stomach, breasts, and butt.
But it doesn't end here! Once those areas are full of adipose (fat cells) tissue, the fatty acids begin to spill over into organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. This raises blood pressure, restricts organs, and weakens the immune system! Ya, it's bad news for the body.
...I bet you're about ready for some good news
There are TONS of foods that you can still eat and not harm your body. Here's a list of just a few:
-apples
-oranges
-pears
-plums
-grapes
-bananas (not over-ripe)
-grapefruit
-oatmeal
-lentils
-whole corn
-sweet potatoes
-yogurt
-beans
Something I've really gotten in the habit of doing lately is reading the ingredients list off of everything before I buy it. It has become sort of a strange passion of mine, and I encourage you to start being more aware of what you are putting into this "Temple" of a body that God has given you. Here is a list of things to WATCH OUT for:
-Overall, stay away from processed and packaged foods as often as possible (they tend to include tons of artificial sweeteners... which KILL the liver!)
-Overall, stay away from processed and packaged foods as often as possible (they tend to include tons of artificial sweeteners... which KILL the liver!)
-sucrose
-maltose
-dextrose
-fructose
-galactose
-glucose
-arabinose
-ribose
-xyose (what the.. HOW do you pronounce this!? If you can't pronounce it, DON'T EAT IT!)
-deoxyribose
-lactose
See a pattern? The ending of -ose means SUGAR!!! These are ALL fake names for SUGAR!
Be careful.. even "healthy" juices and foods contain these ingredients.
Be careful.. even "healthy" juices and foods contain these ingredients.
Just try it. Stick to no more than 22 grams of sugar a day and see what happens to your body. That "bloated" area around your stomach will shrink (or even disappear if you keep it up), you will feel more energized throughout the day, and over time, your body won't crave sugar as often. It takes will power, but it is so worth it.
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