Does having a normal weight mean you are always healthy?

Most medical authorities utilize the BMI (body mass index) as a means to determine if a person may be at risk for heart disease and diabetes, as well as overweight. However according to the Archives of Internal Medicine,  a quarter of even  normal weight adults had high blood pressure and high triglycerides, and high blood glucose blood work-ups, putting them at risk  for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease.

So what’s the take home message here? Just because you are within a normal weight range doesn’t mean you will automatically be and remain healthy. You still have to have healthy eating habits, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep from getting common diseases. You may have a family history or even your ethnicity may put you at risk for any given health condition.

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." Confucius

Bad Carbs and Eye Health

The continuing popularity of the low-carb craze keeps finding more evidence to support its cause. Here’s some news regarding eye health. Note this is about the unhealthy, simple and refined carbohydrates which are also related to numerous other health conditions prevalent today including weight gain, heart disease and diabetes.

New details about the association between high carbohydrates and cataract risk have emerged from a study reported in the June 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 81, pages 1411-1416). Those who consume  simple and refined carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic index were more likely to develop age-related eye degeneration. Once again we are advised to stick with more whole food choices and cut back on the sugary sweets and sodas.

Also there are numerous other topics regarding specific foods that are "insightful" to eye health. For example  low-carb frequently means high protein and fat intake but there were some interesting facts about how too much protein and the unhealthy fats may be harmful for healthy eyesight. Once again it's all about the right balance and whole foods. Consume sugar and refined carbs in moderation not as your usual staple!

Eating Slowly Can Help With Weight Loss

Perhaps you've heard that eating more slowly can help with weight loss. Here's why: When food enters digestive tract, hormones are released by the gut. These hormones signal the brain that we are full.  But this process takes time.  When you eat too quickly, by the time your brain gets the signal that you are satisfied, you've eaten way more calories than you actually need. Excess calories lead to weight gain. 

A study in an upcoming issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism demonstrates this effect. The researchers found that people who took 30 minutes to finish a serving of ice cream had higher levels of certain gut hormones and tended to feel fuller than those who ate the same size serving more quickly.

Eating more slowly can allow you to reduce your caloric intake but still leave the table feeling satisfied.  It can be hard to slow down in such a fast paced society, but here are some tips to help you slow down:

Don't eat in front of the TV, computer, or while reading

Set up an environment where you feel relaxed while eating

Put your fork down between bites

Chew your food completely

Don't eat in the car or on the run

What tips do you have to help slow down eating?

Too much sugar = Prison?

With Halloween and the holidays looming right ahead of us I happened to notice this bit of news around candy consumption with children. “Willy Wonka would be horrified. Children who eat too much candy may be more likely to be arrested for violent behavior as adults, new research suggests.” The study was published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry and paid for by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

Now that’s a pretty bold statement but when you think about it I believe there really could be  a lot of merit in continuing on with these types of studies. Blood sugar disturbances (especially hypoglycemia) can alter mood chemistry dramatically and probably even more so with children. This is definitely worth taking a more serious look at. (Note that a person can have hypoglycemia for years and it may go completely undetected.)

Readers what do you think? How do you or your children act when they consume too much sugar?

A "New" Diet Plan? - 1

This diet may not be new to some but I would guess that the majority of people who are overweight have not looked into this plan of eating.  Most people have heard of inflammation and its link to heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and it could definitely be making it harder for you to lose weight too. 

This diet is about leptin which is a hormone which helps regulate appetite. Monica Reinagel, MS and Nutrition Data’s own chief nutritionist, author of  the Nutrition Data blog and The Inflammation Free Diet Plan, states that:  “Normally, leptin helps guard against weight gain by down-shifting your appetite and up-shifting your metabolism.  And as Dr. Galland argues in The Fat-Resistance Diet, systemic inflammation creates “leptin resistance,” which makes it even harder to lose weight than it already is.” Inflammation is the big factor in all this.

So if you’ve tried every other diet without results you might want to consider this unique healthy plan. And, it's not just for weight loss. It can definitely benefit anyone who suffers with any kind of ongoing inflammation and pain in their body. Check out Monica’s book above (and her blogs on the topic) and or use the IF Ratings  tool for over 10,000 foods  conveniently available here at Nutrition Data that help you control inflammation just by  controlling specific food choices in your food plan. 

Saturday I’ll review the plan in its nutshell form.

Still Hungry After Eating a Meal?

 The other day I discussed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an addictive substance. Today I would like to address its link with leptin and appetite management. Have you ever had the feeling that you just aren’t satisfied after consuming a meal? Maybe it's because you consume too much HFCS in the processed foods you consume and drink. Here's why:

Your fat cells produce hormones and they impact how much you eat and how much fat you burn. One of these hormones is leptin and it normally balances hunger, increases fat burning and reduces fat storage. When you limit consuming HFCS, leptin helps you control your appetite and your cells are able to communicate in the proper way.

But if you are eating a diet with excessive fructose, the sugar gets metabolized in fat cells, then the fat hormones release surges in leptin. Over time, if your body is exposed to excessive leptin, you will become resistant to it. 

If you become leptin resistant your body no longer hears the messages telling it to stop eating, you remain hungry and continue to eat more. The cycle will perpetuate itself as you keep consuming too much fructose in a diet heavy in sugar (sugar also contains  fructose) and HFCS. 

If you are want to manage your appetite better I encourage you to read  labels carefully on any processed food you consume and do not eat anything with HFCS and of course limit your intake of regular sugar.

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup an "Addiction?"

Recently I was given the  opportunity to read an interesting medical abstract by Dr. Robert Lustig, (The Bariatrician, 2009, Volume 24, No. 1, pg. 10). Dr. Lustig  is a neuroendocrinologist and member of the Endocrine Society Obesity Task Force. He states that HFCS acts metabolically similar to that of ethanol, a central nervous system toxin derivative, after consuming alcohol. 

Without even realizing it, (or maybe they  know somehow?) the food manufacturers of HFCS have developed a quite “legal” addictive substance adding to our obesity epidemic. The fructose in HFCS apparently has a direct effect on the central nervous system in the hedonic (pleasure producing) pathway of the brain similar to alcohol. It impacts the central nervous system signaling addiction like cravings to the individual consuming HFCS. But instead of intoxication which you may normally experience from alcohol you have over consumption of a food or beverage that contains HFCS. Dr. Lustig states that HFCS should be regarded as “alcohol without the buzz.”

Remember though, natural occurring fructose (not the man made form from HFCS) coming fresh unprocessed whole fresh fruit does not contain enough fructose to cause any of the problems associated with HFCS. It is though, the consistent high intake of the manufactured high fructose corn syrup and high sugar items (both sugar and HFCS contain fructose and sucrose) from sodas, fruit juices and the numerous other food sources commonly found in  processed foods that generate health problems.

References:
Lustig, Robert H. MD, the Fructose Epidemic http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/4/537

Fish Oils for Weight Loss

Fish oils have become the current thing for fighting heart disease but it  keeps getting better. It now seems that increased blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked to a lower incidence of obesity. Researchers are suggesting that the EPA and DHA fatty acids can play an important part in weight management and the infamous belly fat so many are plagued with.

So help your heart and your weight by eating fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines a few times a week (or consume high quality fish oil supplements). Note that when one loses weight usually heart conditions improve too. And don’t forget all the other healthy benefits of consuming fish. (There's a few quick and tasty fish recipes on this last link, so enjoy!)

Choose Color for Health and Weight Loss

I am always telling my clients the importance of eating enough fruits and vegetables. And although all vegetables have some valuable nutrients here’s a way of defining the vegetables that provide you with the most nutrients, especially if you frequently shortchange your diet in this area. Simply choose fruits and vegetables with the most color. These fruits/vegetables contain the most potent nutrients called phytonutrients.

Choose red vegetables such as red peppers, tomatoes and watermelon. Choose orange as in apricots, carrots and cantaloupe. Select yellow and green vegetables like artichokes, corn, lettuce, and your leafy greens like chard and collards. Don’t forget the cruciferous group like broccoli and cabbage. And last but not least and everyone’s summer favorites, select the blue and purple foods with all the berries that are so readily available right now.

The good news about all these foods is that they are all low in calories, high in fiber, taste great and benefit us with our weight loss efforts, as well as providing us with great health benefits. Don't forget that Nutrition Data has some really great tools to actually help you personalize your own individual food plan so you get all the other nutrients you need in your daily diet.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Weight Loss

Vitamin D seems to be in the limelight lately. Maybe it will be singled out as the vitamin of the decade award! Seriously though, now it seems it may help promote better weight loss besides maintaining strong bones, lessening hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

“Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, a new study found. The results, which suggest a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss, were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.” More study needs to be done but it would not surprise me.

Vitamins may not be miracle cures but they all work together just like an orchestra and if one vitamin is out of tune the "whole band" could eventually become out of tune. And the way most of the population eats it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out how deficiencies can occur. Vitamin D may be especially hard to obtain because it is best absorbed from the sun. Most of us just don’t get outside enough to obtain this important nutrient. Even Dr. Mercola who takes a more holistic view on health has his say about vitamin D and its importance beyond bone health and cancer.