Showing posts with label cut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cut. Show all posts
Cut High Fructose Corn Syrup to Lose Weight
Monday, May 5, 2014
(Article first published as Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Diabetes and Abdominal Fat? on Technorati.)
As Americans continue to fight a losing battle in the war against abdominal fat, newly emerging information from the Endocrine Society implicates high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with the metabolic disorder which leads to diabetes and storage of fat around the waist. HFCS is found in virtually every processed food and drink available on grocery store shelves because it’s inexpensive to produce, and readily available due to government subsidies.
Extensive research reveals that HFCS is metabolized much differently than regular sugar by the body. Although HFCS contains about the same amount of calories as sugar, the calories don’t register as being consumed by the brain, causing you to eat more before you feel full. Additionally, HFCS consumed from an early age affects the immature fat cells, forcing higher numbers to become mature abdominal fat cells in adult life.
HFCS promotes belly fat from early childhood, a problem with significant health implications considering the massive amounts of sweetened, processed foods and soft drinks consumed by children and teens. This research underlines the critical importance of eliminating HFCS from our diet at an early age, allowing our metabolism to release stored fat and lose weight naturally. Follow these steps to flush HFCS from your diet.
Step 1: Eliminate Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices
Americans consume nearly 45 pounds of HFCS every year, and one of the primary sources is sweetened beverages. Soft drinks and fruit juices contain between 150 and 200 calories per serving, and those calories don’t register as part of the total caloric intake for the day. This means that calories from HFCS sweetened drinks are much more likely to be stored directly as abdominal fat, making it very difficult to lose weight. Substitute water and tea which can be sweetened with the natural sweetener stevia, if necessary.
Step 2: Avoid Fast Foods and Processed Foods
Fast food is notorious for providing little nutritional value, and it’s loaded with HFCS in items you may not even suspect. In an effort to make their offerings more appealing to the taste buds, fast food makers pump high fructose corn syrup into shakes, salad dressings, chocolate milk, condiments, hamburger buns and even certain meats have been injected with the sweetener.
Virtually all processed and ined foods are laced with high amounts of the obesity sweetener. Read nutritional labels on all processed food items with a special eye on ketchup, pancake and cake mixes, luncheon meats and hot dogs. Substitute foods in their natural form which haven’t been created in a food manufacturing lab. Choose not to be a test subject in this very dangerous experiment.
Step 3: Choose 100% Organic Foods
Choose foods that remain in their most natural form which are typically found in the outer aisles in most food markets. When reading labels, look for ‘100% organic’, as this is your only guarantee no HFCS or other chemical contaminants have been added. Fill up on plenty of raw, leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and unprocessed meats to avoid the temptation from HFCS laced foods. Be caul to limit fruit consumption, as fructose is fruit sugar, and in excess can cause many of the same problems as its processed twin.
High fructose corn syrup is a metabolically active, unnatural sweetener which has been shown to alter the normal distribution of fat in the body. Humans didn’t evolve to process calories from HFCS, as it has only been in the food supply for the last 40 years. Help children and your family develop a healthy diet which is free of HFCS by reading all food labels and avoiding fast and processed foods, sugary drinks and fruit juices. Weight loss will be a welcome side effect as belly fat is naturally released and health is rapidly restored.
Extensive research reveals that HFCS is metabolized much differently than regular sugar by the body. Although HFCS contains about the same amount of calories as sugar, the calories don’t register as being consumed by the brain, causing you to eat more before you feel full. Additionally, HFCS consumed from an early age affects the immature fat cells, forcing higher numbers to become mature abdominal fat cells in adult life.
HFCS promotes belly fat from early childhood, a problem with significant health implications considering the massive amounts of sweetened, processed foods and soft drinks consumed by children and teens. This research underlines the critical importance of eliminating HFCS from our diet at an early age, allowing our metabolism to release stored fat and lose weight naturally. Follow these steps to flush HFCS from your diet.
Step 1: Eliminate Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices
Step 2: Avoid Fast Foods and Processed Foods
Fast food is notorious for providing little nutritional value, and it’s loaded with HFCS in items you may not even suspect. In an effort to make their offerings more appealing to the taste buds, fast food makers pump high fructose corn syrup into shakes, salad dressings, chocolate milk, condiments, hamburger buns and even certain meats have been injected with the sweetener.
Virtually all processed and ined foods are laced with high amounts of the obesity sweetener. Read nutritional labels on all processed food items with a special eye on ketchup, pancake and cake mixes, luncheon meats and hot dogs. Substitute foods in their natural form which haven’t been created in a food manufacturing lab. Choose not to be a test subject in this very dangerous experiment.
Step 3: Choose 100% Organic Foods
Choose foods that remain in their most natural form which are typically found in the outer aisles in most food markets. When reading labels, look for ‘100% organic’, as this is your only guarantee no HFCS or other chemical contaminants have been added. Fill up on plenty of raw, leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and unprocessed meats to avoid the temptation from HFCS laced foods. Be caul to limit fruit consumption, as fructose is fruit sugar, and in excess can cause many of the same problems as its processed twin.
High fructose corn syrup is a metabolically active, unnatural sweetener which has been shown to alter the normal distribution of fat in the body. Humans didn’t evolve to process calories from HFCS, as it has only been in the food supply for the last 40 years. Help children and your family develop a healthy diet which is free of HFCS by reading all food labels and avoiding fast and processed foods, sugary drinks and fruit juices. Weight loss will be a welcome side effect as belly fat is naturally released and health is rapidly restored.
Green Leafy Vegetables May Cut Diabetes Risk
Saturday, March 8, 2014
A recent meta-analysis of 6 prospective cohort studies, which included more than 223,000 people, found that:1"Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes."The reduction in risk was modest, just 14% for consuming a little over a serving a day. And the benefit was seen specifically with green leafies, not with vegetables on the whole, with fruit, or with fruit and vegetables combined.
Green leafy vegetables in these studies included spinach, kale, lettuce, and other greens. Had the definition of "green leafy vegetables" been broad enough to include other members of the cabbage and lettuce families, and green herbs such as parsley, dill, and fennel, there might have been a more pronounced benefit, suggest the authors.
Possible mechanisms for the benefit include omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and numerous antioxidant compounds all of which are found in green vegetables and all of which have been linked to a lower risk of diabetes or insulin resistance on their own.
1 Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Incidence Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, British Medical Journal, August 2010
Mediterranean Diet Helps Cut Risk of Heart Attack Stroke Results of PREDIMED Study Presented
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Results of the PREDIMED study, aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. They show that the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.
The study has been coordinated by the researcher Ramon Estruch, from the Faculty of Medicine of the UB and the Hospital Clínic -- affiliated centres with the health campus of the UB, HUBc -- and has had the collaboration of the professor Rosa M. Lamuela and her team from the Natural Antioxidant Research Group of the Faculty of Pharmacy -- located at the campus of international excellence BKC -- which determined the biomarkers of Mediterranean diet consumption.
The research is part of the project PREDIMED, a multicentre trial carried out between 2003 and 2011 to study the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The study was funded by the Carlos III Health Institute by means of the cooperative research thematic network (RETIC RD06/0045) and the CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn).
A total of 7,447 people with major cardiovascular risk factors participated in the study. They were divided into three dietary intervention groups: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts), and a low-fat diet (animal and vegetable). A dietician visited the patients every three months and they attended dietary training group sessions, in which they received detailed information about the Mediterranean and the low-fat diet, and the food included in each one. Moreover, they were provided with shopping lists, menus and recipes adapted to each type of diet and each season of the year.
During the study, those participants who followed any of the two types of Mediterranean diet received freely extra-virgin olive oil (one litre per week), and nuts (30 grams per day; 15 grams of walnuts, 7.5 grams of almonds and 7.5 grams of hazelnuts).
After five years, it has been proved that participants who followed any of the two types of Mediterranean diet showed a substantial reduction in the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.
According to the researchers, the results of PREDIMED study are relevant as they prove that a high-vegetable fat diet is healthier at a cardiovascular level than a low-fat diet. The authors state that the study has been controversial as it provides new data to reject the idea that it is necessary to reduce fats in order to improve cardiovascular health.
Hopefully, these results will provide new erences to prevent cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the design and methodology used can be easily transferred to the biomedical sector.
Strawberry and Blueberry Flavonoids Cut Heart Attack Risk in Women by One Third
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Thousands of research studies over the past decade have heralded the critical importance of eating a diet filled with flavonoids from a variety of brightly colored vegetables and fruits to help prevent and even treat many chronic illnesses. Most plants and fruits rely on flavonoid compounds for protection against the environment and to propagate and flourish. These same properties support human health by altering genetic expression and specifically targeting essential metabolic processes to ward off diseases such as cancer, dementia and the most prevalent killer of men and women, cardiovascular disease.
Anthocyanins from Eating Berries Dramatically Lowers Heart Attack Risk in a Large Sampling of Women
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Healthdeveloped a study to analyze a specific sub-class of flavonoids, called anthocyanins, that has been shown to help dilate arteries, counter the buildup of plaque and provide other cardiovascular benefits. Publishing in the journal Circulation, the scientists found that women who ate at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week had significantly fewer heart attacks. Blueberriesand strawberries contain high levels of anthocyanins that have shown cardiovascular benefits in past research studies.
Lead study author, Dr. Eric Rimm noted “Blueberries and strawberries can easily be incorporated into what women eat every week… this simple dietary change could have a significant impact on prevention efforts." The researchers developed a cohort of 93,600 women nurses, aged between 25 and 42 who completed dietary questionnaires every four years for a period of 18 years.
Eat Three to Five Servings of Fresh Mixed Berries Each Week to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Over the course of the study review period, 405 women experienced a heart attack. The study team found that women who consumed the most blueberries and strawberries had a 32-percent reduction in their risk of heart attack as compared to women who ate the berries once a month or less. Interestingly, the results did not change in women who otherwise ate a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables, providing solid proof that the flavonoids provided by the berries were responsible for the heart attack risk reduction benefits.
The study authors concluded “We have shown that even at an early age, eating more of these fruits may reduce risk of a heart attack later in life.”The study results were independent of other risk factors, such as age, high blood pressure, family history of heart attack, body mass, exercise, smoking, caffeine or alcohol intake. While this study was conducting using a large sampling of women, eating between 3 and 5 servings of fresh berries each week can dramatically lower heart attack risk for men and women alike.
Cut Sugar to Boost Your Immune System
Monday, January 20, 2014
(Article first published as Cut Sugar and Carbs to Live Longer, Drop Weight Faster on Technorati.)
Normally, our immune system remains at high alert, waiting to detect a potential threat or rogue cancer cell. This system that we rely on for our good health and longevity can be compromised by eating a diet high in sugar and junk carbs. Not only do these foods threaten our survival, but they also cripple our metabolism causing us to gain weight.
While this may sound like a simple concept, research shows that less than 5% of people who set out to make a dietary modification are able to see it through and benefit from the change. Any dietary alteration is difficult and must be done slowly. You know that you need to wean yourself off sugary treats, refined carbs and fast junk food, but don’t try to do it cold turkey.
Some of the foods you will want to use as sugar alternatives include all members of the berry family. They’re naturally sweet and are packed with antioxidants and chemical messengers which stimulate the immune system into action. Fresh leafy greens and especially cabbage, spinach and broccoli are vegetable choices which will fill you up quickly and pack a big nutritional punch. Almonds and flax seeds have been shown to regulate your immune response and also assist in natural weight loss.
The Standard American Diet is dangerous to your health. We consume far too much sugar and processed high carbohydrate junk foods which are literally destroying our immune system and leading to an early death. While this may sound overly dramatic, research provides solid proof that what we eat slowly erodes our natural defenses to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Sugar Knocks Out Our Immune Response
The results of a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that a diet high in sugar and fast-releasing carbohydrates increases the risk of death from inflammatory disease by three-fold. Many of the top killer diseases are inflammatory in nature, including coronary artery disease and many forms of cancer.
The study found that higher than normal levels of sugar in the blood were bound to white blood cells which prevented them from identifying and attacking pathogens. Fortunately there are several steps you can follow to dramatically lower your risk of developing an inflammatory illness and reverse your systemic sugar burden.
Step 1: Slowly Cut Sugar and Carbs
Slowly drop one item from each meal and substitute with a healthy alternative. Continue eliminating sugar and processed carbs for two weeks, and then drop them altogether. After 30 days of dietary purging and substituting, you’ll find that you feel great and don’t miss the health destroying foods at all. Natural foods will taste good, and you’ll lose weight without much effort.
Step 2: Foods That Boost Your Immune System
Step 3: Immune Boosting Supplements
The top nutrient for powering your immune system is Vitamin D. This pro-hormone has been shown to directly influence over 200 genes which respond to natural threats to your health. Vitamin C is essential for a strong immune system as it is required for building new white blood cells. Rounding out the list are Vitamins E, zinc, selenium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Compliment your sugar-free diet and lifestyle by adding these critical supplements to your disease-fighting arsenal.
When our immune system is functioning properly, we’re able to maintain optimal health. Anything which compromises this intricate system will result in illness. Many people consume one-third to a half of their calories in the form of sugar and refined carbohydrates, placing them at significant risk for disease, as well as contributing to the obesity epidemic. Slowly substitute immune fighting foods for health eroding sugar and carbs, and you’ll be on the road to natural weight loss and vibrant health.
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