Waistline Index Grows as Emerging Markets Eat Fast Food

by | Apr 8, 2013 | Diabetes, Fats, Food Choices, General Health, Nutrition, Obesity, Sensible Eating, Weight gain | 0 comments

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If anyone doubts the correlation between the increased consumption in fast food and the steadily growing waistlines in both men and women would do well to have a quick peek at this rather informative article from Bloomberg. It shows a direct correlation between the influx of fast food chains into many countries around the world in the late 80s and the average weight gain and waist size increase that has been measured in these countries today.

 Now while it may be unfair to lay the dietary ills of all these reason converts to fast food at the doors of the likes of McDonald’s and Pizza Hut and Dominoes and fill in the blank, it is certain that the changes in diet encouraged by the successful advertising of these companies has had an adverse effect on the eating habits of the countries that they have steadily been achieving a significant market share within.

Link to the article

How carbs are throwing your hormones out of whack

by | Apr 8, 2013 | Carbs, Degenerative Diseases, Diet, Nutrition | 0 comments

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It seems nearly everyday that there are studies coming out that show the correlation between the amount of sugar that we as both a population and individuals consume and the slow but steady rise in one health problem or another.

In this particular article the author shows quite clearly that hormone imbalances suffered by both men and women are the result of our hormonal system under daily attack from the unhealthy things in the food that we eat. As the author says the number one hormonal imbalance in general society is chronically high insulin levels. He goes on to say that the primary problem is related directly to our diets.

We all know that sugar will cause insulin levels to rise but any carbohydrate-dense food will do the same. It goes on to say that this chronically high insulin levels and fluctuating blood sugar levels are a major source of stress on the body and these imbalances can in turn upset the regulation of other hormones.

But it’s not all bad news. As the article also reveals a number of simple steps that everyone of us can take in order to reset our bodies and overcome the problems.

Link to the article

How much weight can we lose

by | Apr 5, 2013 | Diet, Weight Loss | 0 comments

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In answering the question how much weight can I lose, I think we should really change the question slightly and say “How much weight should I lose?” after all that obviously depends on where you were starting out from.

If you’re very fat then obviously you can lose a lot of weight, that’s only normal. On the other hand, if you’re fairly thin and you’re only slightly overweight, well it’s an obvious answer, you can’t lose as much.

But really the final answer to that question is within reason you can lose as much weight as you want to. You are the limiting factor, nobody else. You have to decide exactly what type of body shape you want and then make sure that you do everything in your power to get it. Now that obviously means that you need to diet but it also may mean you need to add exercise into the mix as well.

The fact is as I said earlier, you are the limiting factor, you are in charge nobody else. Now of course you can delegate some of that power if you like to your doctor but really, it’s you who should take the responsibility. You have to remember that you are only one of his patients but you are all you have. You’re your own person and there’s nobody else in charge of you nor there be anybody else in charge of you.

The bottom line is it’s up to you to make the ultimate decision. It’s up to you to carry it through as well. So how much weight can I lose? As much as you want to just make sure you’re in charge.

Study looks at relationship between weight and exercise

by | Apr 4, 2013 | Diet, Exercise, Fat Loss, Weight gain | 0 comments

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Professor Larry Tucker

Professor Larry Tucker

This is a fascinating study in which Professor Larry Tucker took 254 ladies of whom about half are considered obese. For a whole week they wore accelerometers which measure actual movement as well as the intensity of activity that the people are going through and all the results were carefully recorded.

Some 20 months later the same participants wore accelerometers for yet another week and the results of their activity were recorded and then the two results were compared.

Briefly what the study found was that over those intervening 20 weeks the physical activity of the obese participants dropped by 8% whereas the non-obese ladies had essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they undertook putting it simply Dr. Tucker ahs now measured proof of what many of us have already understood – that in activity least the weight gain and that weight gain means that you’re less inclined to be active which results in a gradual downward spiral of inactivity which leads to further weight gain which leads to further inactivity and so on down.

But Dr. Tucker now has measured proof that it’s possible to break that cycle and indeed reverse it simply by becoming more active and deliberately so because the more active you become the less likely you are to put on weight, in fact you are more likely to start losing weight which then enables you to be more active making both your health and activity levels move in the right direction.

Link to the Brigham Young University News Release

 

How to Count Carbs on the Atkins Diet

by | Apr 4, 2013 | Carbs, Fat Loss, Low carb | 0 comments

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Managing carbohydrate intake is the heart of the Atkins diet plan. In addition to computing your daily carbohydrate intake, you will gradually reintroduce carbohydrates back into your diet in a specific sequence called the carbohydrate ladder.

Steps

Compute Net Carbs
The Atkins diet focuses on net carbs, which is the quantity of carbohydrate in a food less the amount of dietary fiber and sugar alcohols.

  1. Find the number of total carbohydrates in a food on the food’s nutrition label. Total carbohydrates are found in the top section of the label after the product’s sodium content.
  2. Find the quantity of dietary fiber in the food. Dietary fiber is usually located as a subheading beneath the total carbohydrate count.
  3. Subtract the amount of dietary fiber from the amount of total carbohydrates. If the product contains 20 grams of total carbohydrates and 3 grams of dietary fiber, then the product contains 17 net carbs.
  4. Look for sugar alcohols. Because sugar alcohols are not easily absorbed by the body, they do not count against your net carb total. If the food label contains a listing for sugar alcohol quantity, then you can subtract sugar alcohol content from your total carbohydrate count in addition to subtracting dietary fiber.
  5. Use a carbohydrate-counting guide. Many guides for foods that contain both their carbohydrate and dietary fiber counts are available in bookstores or online. These are especially helpful for foods that do not come with nutrition labels.

Count Carbohydrates During the Induction Phase
In the Induction phase, you should consume no more than 20 net carbs per day. In subsequent phases, you can consume more as long as they don’t interfere with your weight loss.

  1. Start by consuming 12 to 15 grams of net carbs through eating foundation vegetables. Foundation vegetables include leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus.
  2. Eat high-fat, low-carb dairy products during Induction for your remaining carbs. Examples include hard cheeses, cream and sour cream.

Count Carbohydrates During the Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) Phase
Increase your carb intake gradually during OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss). Every week, add 5 grams of net carbs to your diet. As long as you continue to lose weight, you can continue gradually adding more carbohydrates to your diet. If weight loss stalls, you can gradually cut back on your carbohydrates until you start to lose weight again.

  1. Start eating nuts and seeds again. Avoid chestnuts, which contain too many net carbs.
  2. Add in some fruit the next week. You can eat berries, cherries and melon. Avoid watermelon, however, because it will raise your blood sugar rapidly.
  3. Vary your dairy. After you incorporate fruit, you can add in whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses, including ricotta and cottage cheese.
  4. Add legumes next. These include chickpeas, lentils, peanuts and beans.
  5. Drink some tomato or vegetable juice cocktails after you add in legumes. Continue to avoid fruit juices with the exception of lemon and lime juice.

Count Carbohydrates During Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance
Add 10 grams of net carbs each week during Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance. Your weight loss should slow to a crawl during this period because you are working to find your Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium, or ACE. Your ACE is the number of net carbs you can consume each day without gaining weight.

  1. Eat a greater variety of fruit. Enjoy apples, citrus fruits and other fruits that are lower in sugar but high in fiber. Be wary of fruits high in sugar such as banana, pineapple and watermelon.
  2. Start eating high-carb vegetables again. You can add winter squash, peas and carrots back to your diet. Avoid regular potatoes.
  3. Add whole grains after you add high-carb vegetables. Focus on whole grains and continue to avoid high-carb refined grains such as white bread and white rice.

Tips

  • In addition to watching your weight, pay attention to your cravings. If you start to crave more carbohydrate after adding additional net carbs to your diet, then you are probably eating too many carbs.
  • Throughout each phase of Atkins, make sure to consume 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrates each day by eating foundation vegetables.

Warnings

  • Don’t allow yourself to gain more than 5 pounds without addressing your carbohydrate intake. Lower your daily carb intake by 10 to 20 grams until your excess weight retreats.

Things You’ll Need

  • Carbohydrate counting guide

 

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Count Carbs on the Atkins Diet. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Low-Carb Diet May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease

by | Apr 3, 2013 | Degenerative Diseases, Diabetes, High Fat Diet, How Your Body Works, Low carb diet, Nutrition, Preservatives, Sugars | 0 comments

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You know it’s curious when many people ask me about what I think they should do about such and such a condition. They all seem surprised when I say “well, let’s have a look at what you’re eating before we go any further” because over the years I found truly that so many of the problems, diseases, illnesses both physical and mental far too often have a source or certainly a highly contributory factor in what we eat and having watched my mother suffer with Parkinson’s disease and many of her friends and those in that generation suffer with Alzheimer’s as well.

Nothing yet has convinced me that there’s not quite a bit of truth that the gradual lowering in quality of our food has contributed quite strongly to the gradual increase in many of the health problems that we as a society suffer which is why I’m quite happy to  recommend the article that I’m linking to below by Dr. Mercola who’s looking at the work of another doctor, Dr. Ron Rosedale, who’s a prominent  expert in low carb and high-quality fat approach to improving health and the article points to a very interesting conclusion that Alzheimer’s might well be considered as brain diabetes.

It’s well worth a good read as not only do they point out some of the more cutting edge work about exactly what casues Alzheimer’s but they lead on from that and tell us about how we can avoid Alzheimer’s just by simple changes in our diet and behavior to a certain extent anyway, fairly recommend as well and I hope it helps you.

Link to the article