Saturday, April 30, 2011
The 411 on Nutrition Labels
From the Huffington Post.
"Have you looked carefully at a nutrition label recently? I did so only because I had the label from a protein bar in my hand while waiting on a long line without anything to read.
The print is large enough to read without a magnifying glass and there was enough information to keep me occupied until I reached the cashier. Like many people who turn over a box or bar to look at the food label, I was immediately drawn to the serving size and calories per serving. Underneath this crucial information (at least crucial for anyone attempting to watch calorie intake) was the number of calories from fat. Having just eaten the protein bar, I was gratified to see that the number was 60--not low but at least not astonishingly high either.
Serving size may not seem very important, but it is. Some very high-calorie, high-fat snack foods get away with a low-calorie count by claiming an unrealistic number of servings. I remember looking at a package of cupcakes and was horrified to see that a serving was half a cupcake. Who eats half a cupcake? But by stating such an absurd serving size, the manufacturer could say this was a low-calorie food. Serving size is important but often overlooked when buying a main course meal such as macaroni and cheese or a chicken-rice bowl. The meal may seem to have a reasonable amount of calories for the serving size given. But if you are planning to make a meal out of mac and cheese and are really hungry, would you be satisfied with the one-cup serving stated on the label? Probably not. And eating another serving could increase the calorie count to an unacceptable number. Fat calories are a revelation as well, especially if the food doesn't appear to be made with much fat. Baked goods like cookies that taste more doughy than fatty may contain more than half their calories from fat.
The right side of the label lists the amounts of certain nutrients in grams and on the same line also gives the %DV, which means percent of daily value. It is the amount of a nutrient public health experts believe we should all be eating daily. However, the percent DV is a little tricky to understand. It is the percent of the nutrient in the food item relative to the daily requirement. An asterisk by the %DV sent me peering at the bottom of the label. There, in tiny print, was a statement that percent daily values are based on a 2000-calorie a day diet. This means that if I am planning on consuming 2000 calories today, I will need to eat a certain quota of various nutrients. If I eat 4000 calories or 1000 calories, my nutrient needs will go up or down accordingly.
This information may be misleading. The bar says that the protein content is equivalent to 30 percent of the protein needs of someone on a 2,000-calorie diet. But if I go on a diet and decide to eat 1,400 calories a day, do I need less protein? What if I'm training for the Iron Man competition and use a 4000-calorie diet? Do I require more protein? How do I calculate my own needs if my calorie intake is not 2000 a day? Is algebra required to do this? Is there an App for that?
Many nutrient needs are not based on caloric intake but on other criteria such as muscle mass or, in the case of calcium, on age and gender. For instance, adolescent girls and menopausal women need more calcium than women of other ages. Perhaps the next edition of food labels will make this concept easier to understand.
On the other hand, the label makes it easy to spot a food with high levels of things like sodium. If the label indicates that the sodium content of the food is l00 percent of the daily value, then it is probably too high for most people, regardless of how many calories they are eating.
There is more information. The bottom half of the label displays the vitamin and mineral content. The bar I ate contained quite a few, which may explain why it tasted faintly of a vitamin pill. The list does not give actual amounts of the vitamins and minerals but does list the percent of the daily value, again based on eating 2,000 calories a day.
And the final bit of information, which runs like a banner at the bottom of a TV newscast, tells me I should be eating 40 percent of my calories from carbohydrates and 30 percent each from protein and fat.
Is this information helpful? It certainly is in making decision about what foods to buy. Think how easy it is to decide what yogurt to buy if you want one with a substantial amount of protein and calcium. Or, if you are deciding between two high-fiber breads, you might discover that one really doesn't have that much fiber, even if it is called whole grain. People with medical conditions that make it necessary to limit certain nutrients such as protein, sodium or cholesterol depend on food labels.
Certain medications require avoiding or consuming particular nutrients, and I know someone whose medication for Parkinson's disease works better when foods with a particular ratio of protein to carbohydrate are consumed. Our book, "The Serotonin Power Diet," advises the dieter to eat, at specific times of day, foods with a high-carbohydrate, low-protein and low-fat content so their brains make new serotonin. Since we couldn't list all the foods that would meet this requirement in the book, we asked our readers to check the food labels.
My major reservation with food labels concerns the percent daily value information. It is important to realize that the food labels will point you in the right direction to obtain the nutrients you need. But I doubt that most of us will keep a running tally of what we are eating each day to see how close we come to meeting our requirements for manganese, phosphorous or even protein and vitamin C based on the percent of that nutrient in the food we just ate. But if we are influenced even a little by this information, it is worthwhile. And who knows? Maybe one day we will be able to obtain it on our smartphones with the math done for us."
"Have you looked carefully at a nutrition label recently? I did so only because I had the label from a protein bar in my hand while waiting on a long line without anything to read.
Serving size may not seem very important, but it is. Some very high-calorie, high-fat snack foods get away with a low-calorie count by claiming an unrealistic number of servings. I remember looking at a package of cupcakes and was horrified to see that a serving was half a cupcake. Who eats half a cupcake? But by stating such an absurd serving size, the manufacturer could say this was a low-calorie food. Serving size is important but often overlooked when buying a main course meal such as macaroni and cheese or a chicken-rice bowl. The meal may seem to have a reasonable amount of calories for the serving size given. But if you are planning to make a meal out of mac and cheese and are really hungry, would you be satisfied with the one-cup serving stated on the label? Probably not. And eating another serving could increase the calorie count to an unacceptable number. Fat calories are a revelation as well, especially if the food doesn't appear to be made with much fat. Baked goods like cookies that taste more doughy than fatty may contain more than half their calories from fat.
The right side of the label lists the amounts of certain nutrients in grams and on the same line also gives the %DV, which means percent of daily value. It is the amount of a nutrient public health experts believe we should all be eating daily. However, the percent DV is a little tricky to understand. It is the percent of the nutrient in the food item relative to the daily requirement. An asterisk by the %DV sent me peering at the bottom of the label. There, in tiny print, was a statement that percent daily values are based on a 2000-calorie a day diet. This means that if I am planning on consuming 2000 calories today, I will need to eat a certain quota of various nutrients. If I eat 4000 calories or 1000 calories, my nutrient needs will go up or down accordingly.
This information may be misleading. The bar says that the protein content is equivalent to 30 percent of the protein needs of someone on a 2,000-calorie diet. But if I go on a diet and decide to eat 1,400 calories a day, do I need less protein? What if I'm training for the Iron Man competition and use a 4000-calorie diet? Do I require more protein? How do I calculate my own needs if my calorie intake is not 2000 a day? Is algebra required to do this? Is there an App for that?
On the other hand, the label makes it easy to spot a food with high levels of things like sodium. If the label indicates that the sodium content of the food is l00 percent of the daily value, then it is probably too high for most people, regardless of how many calories they are eating.
There is more information. The bottom half of the label displays the vitamin and mineral content. The bar I ate contained quite a few, which may explain why it tasted faintly of a vitamin pill. The list does not give actual amounts of the vitamins and minerals but does list the percent of the daily value, again based on eating 2,000 calories a day.
And the final bit of information, which runs like a banner at the bottom of a TV newscast, tells me I should be eating 40 percent of my calories from carbohydrates and 30 percent each from protein and fat.
Is this information helpful? It certainly is in making decision about what foods to buy. Think how easy it is to decide what yogurt to buy if you want one with a substantial amount of protein and calcium. Or, if you are deciding between two high-fiber breads, you might discover that one really doesn't have that much fiber, even if it is called whole grain. People with medical conditions that make it necessary to limit certain nutrients such as protein, sodium or cholesterol depend on food labels.
Certain medications require avoiding or consuming particular nutrients, and I know someone whose medication for Parkinson's disease works better when foods with a particular ratio of protein to carbohydrate are consumed. Our book, "The Serotonin Power Diet," advises the dieter to eat, at specific times of day, foods with a high-carbohydrate, low-protein and low-fat content so their brains make new serotonin. Since we couldn't list all the foods that would meet this requirement in the book, we asked our readers to check the food labels.
My major reservation with food labels concerns the percent daily value information. It is important to realize that the food labels will point you in the right direction to obtain the nutrients you need. But I doubt that most of us will keep a running tally of what we are eating each day to see how close we come to meeting our requirements for manganese, phosphorous or even protein and vitamin C based on the percent of that nutrient in the food we just ate. But if we are influenced even a little by this information, it is worthwhile. And who knows? Maybe one day we will be able to obtain it on our smartphones with the math done for us."
Lifelong Exercise Gives Elders Hearts Like Young People
From the Sacramento Bee.
"If you're looking for motivation to start an exercise routine, Dr. Paul Bhella has found it for you.
The JPS Health Network cardiologist was part of a team that conducted nationally recognized research that revealed how a lifelong commitment to physical fitness can preserve heart muscle equal to or even exceeding those of younger, healthy people who do not exercise.
The eye-opening findings highlight the importance of maintaining regular physical activity during one's life, he said.
"This shows how a life-long commitment to exercise has multiple beneficial affects on the heart and blood vessels," Bhella said.
Bhella presented the research this month at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology. The study was performed with Texas Health Resources and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
He is the first to acknowledge that telling people that exercise is good for them is no news flash. But this research shows how it benefits them and suggests how much exercise is necessary to achieve those benefits.
Bhella and a team of researchers studied the hearts of people over 65 who exercised varying amounts in their lifetime, including those who did not do it at all. They also looked at people under 35 who were healthy but physically inactive.
As people age, their hearts naturally lose mass and elasticity. That puts older people at higher risk of heart failure."
The JPS Health Network cardiologist was part of a team that conducted nationally recognized research that revealed how a lifelong commitment to physical fitness can preserve heart muscle equal to or even exceeding those of younger, healthy people who do not exercise.
"This shows how a life-long commitment to exercise has multiple beneficial affects on the heart and blood vessels," Bhella said.
He is the first to acknowledge that telling people that exercise is good for them is no news flash. But this research shows how it benefits them and suggests how much exercise is necessary to achieve those benefits.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Forager? Adventurous Eater? There's An App for That!
From Just Means.
"Wild Edibles" a new app for aspiring foragers provides a useful tool in identifying wild plants for human picking and consumption.
The app draws on the extensive knowledge of "Wildman" Steve Brill, a well-known forager and environmental educator.
The app includes up to 8 images for each plant with detailed descriptions, photos of similar plants, information on poisonous lookalikes, and medicinal information for natural health.
Techniques and methods for harvesting the plants are also included in the app, which has a free "lite" version. After the harvest, recipes are conveniently offered.
The search function allows the user to search by season, habitat, edible part, and type. The app covers 165 plants, plus 52 lookalikes, including fruits, nuts, roots, and greens.
As foraging becomes increasingly popular, this app is designed mostly for the novice forager who needs to avoid unintentionally picking a dangerous lookalike plant. For those a bit more advanced, the same company has introduced several sets of foraging flashcards categorized by food type and season.
With the rapidly changing and sometimes confusing food scene, there are several other useful apps for this trying to eat more sustainably.
Seafood Watch offers free recent suggestions on fish and sushi selections.
Locavore uses your phone's GPS (or personal tracking capabilities) to highlight local farms and farmers' markets nearby. The user can then browse the farmer's page to see what is in season, or to search for a specific item.
The free Fooducate app allows users to scan the bar codes of grocery items and then grades it nutritionally. It then offers better alternatives. The rating system is based on the amount of processing put into any item, as well as nutritional content. Not every item in the grocery store is available in this app, but developers continue to add new products, and the app has improved over time.
Whole Foods also offers a free recipe app to help users plan their meals while shopping. It features a shopping list and directions to their stores. Epicurious has a similar recipe app."
"Wild Edibles" a new app for aspiring foragers provides a useful tool in identifying wild plants for human picking and consumption.
The app draws on the extensive knowledge of "Wildman" Steve Brill, a well-known forager and environmental educator.
The app includes up to 8 images for each plant with detailed descriptions, photos of similar plants, information on poisonous lookalikes, and medicinal information for natural health.
Techniques and methods for harvesting the plants are also included in the app, which has a free "lite" version. After the harvest, recipes are conveniently offered.
The search function allows the user to search by season, habitat, edible part, and type. The app covers 165 plants, plus 52 lookalikes, including fruits, nuts, roots, and greens.
As foraging becomes increasingly popular, this app is designed mostly for the novice forager who needs to avoid unintentionally picking a dangerous lookalike plant. For those a bit more advanced, the same company has introduced several sets of foraging flashcards categorized by food type and season.
With the rapidly changing and sometimes confusing food scene, there are several other useful apps for this trying to eat more sustainably.
Seafood Watch offers free recent suggestions on fish and sushi selections.
Locavore uses your phone's GPS (or personal tracking capabilities) to highlight local farms and farmers' markets nearby. The user can then browse the farmer's page to see what is in season, or to search for a specific item.
The free Fooducate app allows users to scan the bar codes of grocery items and then grades it nutritionally. It then offers better alternatives. The rating system is based on the amount of processing put into any item, as well as nutritional content. Not every item in the grocery store is available in this app, but developers continue to add new products, and the app has improved over time.
Whole Foods also offers a free recipe app to help users plan their meals while shopping. It features a shopping list and directions to their stores. Epicurious has a similar recipe app."
Vegetable Gardening in a Small Space
From the Newark Advocate (NJ).
"Many folks would love to grow their own fresh vegetables, but perhaps they are short on space or time. If you've got space for a pot of flowers on the patio or balcony, then you, too, can grow vegetables. Here are some tips for creating and stretching a small garden space.
Preferably, you want to create a garden where conditions are ideal for growing vegetables: full sun, well-drained soil, away from trees and shrubs, close to a source of water, and reasonably level ground. But even if you're lacking in those areas, you still can garden in less-than-ideal settings.
Eggplant
There are several techniques for getting the most production out of a limited amount of space. Most planting charts indicate wide spaces between rows to make maintenance easier, but, instead, you can plant in shorter blocks of wide bands. Interplant a fast growing crop with a slower growing crop, so that by the time the slower grower needs more space, the faster one has been harvested. For example, mix radish and carrot seeds together when planting. Radishes grow quickly and are ready to harvest in about four weeks, so as you harvest those, the carrots have more room.
Tomatoes
Look for dwarf varieties when choosing seed or transplants; they may be described as compact, patio, or bush-type plants. Plan to replace early crops such as lettuce and radishes with beans or chard in mid summer. Most cool-season spring crops can be planted again in late summer for a fall harvest.
If your soil is too compacted or poorly drained, consider making a raised bed garden. Even raising the soil just a few inches will improve drainage of water. Raised beds also tend to warm up and dry out sooner in spring, allowing for earlier planting. And if you have limited mobility, you can even make the bed tall enough to make it more accessible, so that you don't have to bend to the ground or kneel.
Hot Peppers
Container gardening is similar to raised beds, but perhaps on a smaller scale. So, even if you have no plot of ground to till, you'll be amazed at what a few containers on the patio or balcony can produce.
Vertical Garden
Container gardens tend to dry out a bit faster than a traditional ground bed, so you'll definitely need to be close to a source of water. Container gardens can be made of almost any material; plastic, clay, wood, cement or even metal. Many household items can be modified for growing plants, including tubs, crates, buckets, bushel baskets, whiskey barrels, tires, wheel barrows or cinder blocks. Your container garden is limited only by your imagination. Just make sure that whatever you use, the bottom of the container has holes for excess water to drain away from the roots.
If you still want more space, check to see if your local area has a community garden, where, for a reasonable fee, you can rent a small plot. Usually the plot will be tilled for you, and frequently there is a community water source for you to haul water in buckets or possibly run hoses. Community gardens are a great way to share space, resources, knowledge and perhaps even your harvest."
Vegetables you can grow upside-down. The only fruits I could find were berries (and yes, tomatoes are a member of the berry family).
"Many folks would love to grow their own fresh vegetables, but perhaps they are short on space or time. If you've got space for a pot of flowers on the patio or balcony, then you, too, can grow vegetables. Here are some tips for creating and stretching a small garden space.
Preferably, you want to create a garden where conditions are ideal for growing vegetables: full sun, well-drained soil, away from trees and shrubs, close to a source of water, and reasonably level ground. But even if you're lacking in those areas, you still can garden in less-than-ideal settings.
Eggplant
Tomatoes
If your soil is too compacted or poorly drained, consider making a raised bed garden. Even raising the soil just a few inches will improve drainage of water. Raised beds also tend to warm up and dry out sooner in spring, allowing for earlier planting. And if you have limited mobility, you can even make the bed tall enough to make it more accessible, so that you don't have to bend to the ground or kneel.
Hot Peppers
Vertical Garden
If you still want more space, check to see if your local area has a community garden, where, for a reasonable fee, you can rent a small plot. Usually the plot will be tilled for you, and frequently there is a community water source for you to haul water in buckets or possibly run hoses. Community gardens are a great way to share space, resources, knowledge and perhaps even your harvest."
Vegetables you can grow upside-down. The only fruits I could find were berries (and yes, tomatoes are a member of the berry family).
New Clues As To How Gastric Bypass Combats Diabetes
From Yahoo Health.
"Gastric bypass surgery has been known to improve blood sugar control, often sending people with type 2 diabetes into remission, but experts have long wondered exactly how that happens.
Now, a new study provides some clues.
Circulating amino acids linked with insulin resistance decline dramatically in those who have the bypass surgery, the researchers discovered. They compared 10 obese people with diabetes who had the surgery with 11 who lost weight through dieting.
"Something happens after gastric bypass that does not happen as much after the diet-induced weight loss," said Dr. Blandine Laferrere, an associate professor of medicine at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University, both in New York City.
The study is published in the April 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
The surgery, which reduces the stomach to the size of a small pouch, also modifies the junction between the stomach and small intestine. It leads to a dramatic reduction in the level of circulating amino acids that have been linked with diabetes.
"The fact that gastric bypass results in the remission of diabetes in the majority of patients is not new," said Laferrere. According to background information in the study, 50 percent to 80 percent of diabetes cases go into remission after the surgery.
What doctors have been trying to figure out, she said, is why the bypass surgery is so good at making the diabetes disappear. "The diabetes improves almost immediately, before a significant amount of weight loss occurs," she said. "That points out it is something other than the weight loss."
In the new study, the researchers evaluated biochemical compounds involved in metabolic reactions in the participants. Each group had lost about 20 pounds.
The investigators found that the bypass patients had much lower levels of amino acids known as branched-chain amino acids, and the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.
"Those changes in the amino acids could be implicated in the mechanism of diabetes remission after gastric bypass," Laferrere said.
Experts know the amino acids are linked with insulin resistance partly due to animal studies, she said. "If you supplement the diet of rats with branched-chain amino acids, you can induce more insulin resistance," she explained.
However, Laferrere said, the finding does not mean all obese people with diabetes should pick surgery over dieting. The surgery is highly invasive, she noted, and not everyone is a candidate.
While the findings are intriguing, she said, it's too early to apply them to diabetes treatment. Eventually, she added, after experts understand more about how the surgery affects the amino acids, it may be possible to apply the findings to develop better diabetes treatments or a less invasive surgery.
The new study adds weight to other research finding a link between the decline in branched-chain amino acids and the decline in insulin resistance, said Dr. Thomas J. Wang, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a coauthor of the perspective accompanying the study.
"It's known that gastric bypass rapidly reverses insulin resistance, which is one of the principal biochemical abnormalities that precedes diabetes," Wang said.
"This study really does help to confirm that hypothesis that branched-chain amino acids do go down more in people who have weight loss surgery," he said. While it lends support to the idea that there is a link between the reduction in the amino acids and the decline in insulin resistance, it does not yet prove cause and effect, Wang added.
"It shows people who get weight loss surgery have a bigger drop in their branched-chain amino acids. What is not yet proven is whether that reduction in branched-chain amino acids is the reason their insulin resistance declines," he pointed out.
Wang and his coauthor, Dr. Robert Gerszten, are co-inventors on patent applications related to metabolite predictors of diabetes.
Wang and Gerszten also pointed out that the number of obese people with type 2 diabetes was 171 million worldwide in 2000. By 2030, that number is expected to double. Therefore, they wrote, a detailed understanding of the role of the amino acids in diabetes would be valuable."
So what foods are highest in branched chain amino acids? High forms of protein: meat (red meat in particular), dairy, and protein powders.
Interested in a D-I-Y form of gastric bypass-style weight loss without the actual surgery? Lower your protein intake, but don't forget that actual surgery patients have an OVERALL calorie reduction due to restricted intake, so lower overall intake--especially meats. This means a low-protein form of calorie restriction, or cat food dish-sized meals heavy on vegetation and low on meats, dairy, and other high forms of protein (like powders) every few hours.
Do gastric bypass patients lose muscle as a result of protein restriction? I don't know, but I'd think so. Have you seen a healthy vegan? I haven't.
By giving the body less caloric intake, it begins to learn how to burn fat again, and usually there are ample stores of fat available for this. My concern is this: what happens AFTER the target weight loss goal is achieved--how does one prevent continued, unwanted weight loss when you can only eat so much before throwing it up? Sometimes it does happen--a gastric bypass patient slowly becomes underweight/anorexic and has to have the surgery reversed.
Here is a WebMD page on BCAAs. I found this side effect pretty interesting, and may be relevant to what happens in obese adults:
So is leucine the magic bullet? I leave you to sleuth that one out!
"Gastric bypass surgery has been known to improve blood sugar control, often sending people with type 2 diabetes into remission, but experts have long wondered exactly how that happens.
Now, a new study provides some clues.
Circulating amino acids linked with insulin resistance decline dramatically in those who have the bypass surgery, the researchers discovered. They compared 10 obese people with diabetes who had the surgery with 11 who lost weight through dieting.
"Something happens after gastric bypass that does not happen as much after the diet-induced weight loss," said Dr. Blandine Laferrere, an associate professor of medicine at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University, both in New York City.
The study is published in the April 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
The surgery, which reduces the stomach to the size of a small pouch, also modifies the junction between the stomach and small intestine. It leads to a dramatic reduction in the level of circulating amino acids that have been linked with diabetes.
"The fact that gastric bypass results in the remission of diabetes in the majority of patients is not new," said Laferrere. According to background information in the study, 50 percent to 80 percent of diabetes cases go into remission after the surgery.
What doctors have been trying to figure out, she said, is why the bypass surgery is so good at making the diabetes disappear. "The diabetes improves almost immediately, before a significant amount of weight loss occurs," she said. "That points out it is something other than the weight loss."
In the new study, the researchers evaluated biochemical compounds involved in metabolic reactions in the participants. Each group had lost about 20 pounds.
The investigators found that the bypass patients had much lower levels of amino acids known as branched-chain amino acids, and the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.
"Those changes in the amino acids could be implicated in the mechanism of diabetes remission after gastric bypass," Laferrere said.
Experts know the amino acids are linked with insulin resistance partly due to animal studies, she said. "If you supplement the diet of rats with branched-chain amino acids, you can induce more insulin resistance," she explained.
However, Laferrere said, the finding does not mean all obese people with diabetes should pick surgery over dieting. The surgery is highly invasive, she noted, and not everyone is a candidate.
While the findings are intriguing, she said, it's too early to apply them to diabetes treatment. Eventually, she added, after experts understand more about how the surgery affects the amino acids, it may be possible to apply the findings to develop better diabetes treatments or a less invasive surgery.
The new study adds weight to other research finding a link between the decline in branched-chain amino acids and the decline in insulin resistance, said Dr. Thomas J. Wang, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a coauthor of the perspective accompanying the study.
"It's known that gastric bypass rapidly reverses insulin resistance, which is one of the principal biochemical abnormalities that precedes diabetes," Wang said.
"This study really does help to confirm that hypothesis that branched-chain amino acids do go down more in people who have weight loss surgery," he said. While it lends support to the idea that there is a link between the reduction in the amino acids and the decline in insulin resistance, it does not yet prove cause and effect, Wang added.
"It shows people who get weight loss surgery have a bigger drop in their branched-chain amino acids. What is not yet proven is whether that reduction in branched-chain amino acids is the reason their insulin resistance declines," he pointed out.
Wang and his coauthor, Dr. Robert Gerszten, are co-inventors on patent applications related to metabolite predictors of diabetes.
Wang and Gerszten also pointed out that the number of obese people with type 2 diabetes was 171 million worldwide in 2000. By 2030, that number is expected to double. Therefore, they wrote, a detailed understanding of the role of the amino acids in diabetes would be valuable."
So what foods are highest in branched chain amino acids? High forms of protein: meat (red meat in particular), dairy, and protein powders.
Interested in a D-I-Y form of gastric bypass-style weight loss without the actual surgery? Lower your protein intake, but don't forget that actual surgery patients have an OVERALL calorie reduction due to restricted intake, so lower overall intake--especially meats. This means a low-protein form of calorie restriction, or cat food dish-sized meals heavy on vegetation and low on meats, dairy, and other high forms of protein (like powders) every few hours.
Do gastric bypass patients lose muscle as a result of protein restriction? I don't know, but I'd think so. Have you seen a healthy vegan? I haven't.
By giving the body less caloric intake, it begins to learn how to burn fat again, and usually there are ample stores of fat available for this. My concern is this: what happens AFTER the target weight loss goal is achieved--how does one prevent continued, unwanted weight loss when you can only eat so much before throwing it up? Sometimes it does happen--a gastric bypass patient slowly becomes underweight/anorexic and has to have the surgery reversed.
Here is a WebMD page on BCAAs. I found this side effect pretty interesting, and may be relevant to what happens in obese adults:
Low blood sugar in infants: Intake of one of the branched-chain amino acids, leucine, has been reported to lower blood sugar in infants with a condition called idiopathic hypoglycemia. This term means they have low blood sugar, but the cause is unknown. Some research suggests leucine causes the pancreas to release insulin, and this lowers blood sugar.
So is leucine the magic bullet? I leave you to sleuth that one out!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"All I'll Ever Know I Learned Way Back in Med School" Part 2--Controlled Substances
Here we go again with the outdated lessons and inadequate (or even non-existent) follow-up training—this time it’s doctors, pharmacists, prescriptions, and controlled substances.
Prescription abuse is defined as medication use by someone other than the patient, or taking the medication expressly for the feeling it gives you. Rampant use of prescriptions, especially controlled substances (painkillers, tranquilizers, etc.) is occurring among teens and others looking for a cheap high, and they’re finding much more trouble than they bargained for, such as a trip to the E.R. (or worse).
Doctors are not well trained in prescribing controlled substance medications to begin with (some not at all), and neither doctors nor pharmacists are trained in the art of spotting signs of substance abuse or addiction. Few have had any sort of follow-up training since med school, and few have had any training at all in diversion of drugs for illicit use. There is no current training going on to identify abusers and addicts.
Does this scare you? It should, and it should make you wonder if pharmacists and doctors themselves aren’t to blame for some small part in illicit drug trade, and creating the foundation which addicts are built on.
One day years ago, I stood in line at Walgreen’s while other customers were picking up their prescriptions. No identification was ever asked for, and literally anyone could’ve walked right up to the counter and gotten someone else’s prescription with the mere mention of a last name. If a person were using someone else’s identity and prescription, they’d have no trouble getting refills, provided the drug came with refill requirements. From there, these drugs could be sold on the street or taken for the cheap high.
Now I will go so far as to presume somebody would ask for ID if the prescription was for a controlled substance, but I can’t swear to it not having witnessed it. I used to deal with the military for my medical needs, and they asked for ID regardless of what you had coming from the pharmacy. If it was a controlled substance, you had to sign for it before receiving it. The pharmacist had to read some sort of Miranda-type speech about not being responsible for addictions or abuse of the medications…but this was the military. Does anybody ever see this going on at Walgreen’s, Eckerd, or CVS? My local Rite-Aid (once an Eckerd) asks for ID with each and every customer!
Sam’s Club pharmacy made me sign a book every time I needed new needles for my diabetic cat! I’ve never had to sign for needles anywhere else I purchased them.
It’s no wonder we have a drug problem in this country—they’re relatively easy to get hold of, and it would seem that nobody’s trained in how to stop us.
Prescription abuse is defined as medication use by someone other than the patient, or taking the medication expressly for the feeling it gives you. Rampant use of prescriptions, especially controlled substances (painkillers, tranquilizers, etc.) is occurring among teens and others looking for a cheap high, and they’re finding much more trouble than they bargained for, such as a trip to the E.R. (or worse).
Doctors are not well trained in prescribing controlled substance medications to begin with (some not at all), and neither doctors nor pharmacists are trained in the art of spotting signs of substance abuse or addiction. Few have had any sort of follow-up training since med school, and few have had any training at all in diversion of drugs for illicit use. There is no current training going on to identify abusers and addicts.
Does this scare you? It should, and it should make you wonder if pharmacists and doctors themselves aren’t to blame for some small part in illicit drug trade, and creating the foundation which addicts are built on.
One day years ago, I stood in line at Walgreen’s while other customers were picking up their prescriptions. No identification was ever asked for, and literally anyone could’ve walked right up to the counter and gotten someone else’s prescription with the mere mention of a last name. If a person were using someone else’s identity and prescription, they’d have no trouble getting refills, provided the drug came with refill requirements. From there, these drugs could be sold on the street or taken for the cheap high.
Now I will go so far as to presume somebody would ask for ID if the prescription was for a controlled substance, but I can’t swear to it not having witnessed it. I used to deal with the military for my medical needs, and they asked for ID regardless of what you had coming from the pharmacy. If it was a controlled substance, you had to sign for it before receiving it. The pharmacist had to read some sort of Miranda-type speech about not being responsible for addictions or abuse of the medications…but this was the military. Does anybody ever see this going on at Walgreen’s, Eckerd, or CVS? My local Rite-Aid (once an Eckerd) asks for ID with each and every customer!
Sam’s Club pharmacy made me sign a book every time I needed new needles for my diabetic cat! I’ve never had to sign for needles anywhere else I purchased them.
It’s no wonder we have a drug problem in this country—they’re relatively easy to get hold of, and it would seem that nobody’s trained in how to stop us.
The OTHER Energy Crisis
Besides the oil and gas price problem that plagues us, courtesy of Wall Street and politics, there is another one permeating our lives: personal energy. This one affects our very being, and it goes untended day by day.
We only have 24 hours in a day, yet we try to cram 36 hours worth of stuff into them. Whether we acknowledge it or not, anyone who has kids has a built-in second job. To add to that, many low-income workers have more than one job outside the home (sometimes two or three). Where does the energy come from to do all these tasks? Mostly from sugar and caffeine.
Granted, Wall Street has nothing to do with this one, and politics only has some influence on it—the rest comes from you. Your allocation of resources has the most dramatic effect on this problem, and the resources I speak of are time, food, money, and attention. You want too much from too little, whether it’s time, money, nutrition, or conscious thought.
To preserve something for yourself at the end of the day, try to cut back and focus on what matters. Clean out those “personal” closets, if you will. Find ways to streamline your tasks at work, alternate ways to GET to work (for relaxation on the way), streamline chores at home, and streamline your spending and eating.
Ask yourself what matters to you. Find better ways of “fueling” yourself to achieve it while finding ways to slough off the mundane. Just freeing up time to think will go a long way in determining what else is really important to you, and worth achieving.
Once you have made free time to think and act better toward yourself and your life, make a plan for maintaining it. How are you going to keep this new way of life going? How are you going to handle the mines that occasionally crop up and serve to derail you on our new path?
Feeding your brain properly fuels the most valuable organ in your body, which will in turn reward you with ideas for streamlining to gain time, money, and all the rest…okay, not ALL the rest, but the stuff that matters most.
You can’t have it all, and you shouldn’t want it all. Stop killing yourself trying to get it all!
We only have 24 hours in a day, yet we try to cram 36 hours worth of stuff into them. Whether we acknowledge it or not, anyone who has kids has a built-in second job. To add to that, many low-income workers have more than one job outside the home (sometimes two or three). Where does the energy come from to do all these tasks? Mostly from sugar and caffeine.
Granted, Wall Street has nothing to do with this one, and politics only has some influence on it—the rest comes from you. Your allocation of resources has the most dramatic effect on this problem, and the resources I speak of are time, food, money, and attention. You want too much from too little, whether it’s time, money, nutrition, or conscious thought.
To preserve something for yourself at the end of the day, try to cut back and focus on what matters. Clean out those “personal” closets, if you will. Find ways to streamline your tasks at work, alternate ways to GET to work (for relaxation on the way), streamline chores at home, and streamline your spending and eating.
Ask yourself what matters to you. Find better ways of “fueling” yourself to achieve it while finding ways to slough off the mundane. Just freeing up time to think will go a long way in determining what else is really important to you, and worth achieving.
Once you have made free time to think and act better toward yourself and your life, make a plan for maintaining it. How are you going to keep this new way of life going? How are you going to handle the mines that occasionally crop up and serve to derail you on our new path?
Feeding your brain properly fuels the most valuable organ in your body, which will in turn reward you with ideas for streamlining to gain time, money, and all the rest…okay, not ALL the rest, but the stuff that matters most.
You can’t have it all, and you shouldn’t want it all. Stop killing yourself trying to get it all!
Gardeners Share First-Time Garden Advice
From the Sun-Times (AR).
"Floyd and Arrah McMahon of Peoria, Ill., like to talk about everything they did wrong when they started gardening in the late 1970s.
They rented a plot of land much too large for their needs, even with four young children.
"We got out their with our little hoe and pitchfork and found out the ground hadn't been farmed in years," Arrah says.
The first thing they had to buy was a rototiller. With no water available nearby, they found themselves transporting jugs of water to the site. Plus, they emphasize, their garden was too far from their home. If they didn't get there everyday, the weeds and critters took over.
"In other words, we took on too much," Floyd says.
Floyd has a few other choice bits of advice for this year's crop of first-time vegetable gardeners, especially if they think growing will save money the first year.
"If they plant a garden just to save money, they're going to be disappointed. If they're foolish enough to count their time, they're going to be broke," says Floyd.
Then there's the cost of preserving and freezing the harvest, he adds.
But why listen to the McMahons? Almost 40 years after their initial gardening mishaps, they're still gardening. In fact, they're Master Gardeners, certified by the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.
The answer may come from Keith Crotz, an organic gardener/farmer in Peoria with an entrepreneurial streak.
In 2009, after the stock market crash, seed sales went up 40 percent, says Crotz, who sells seeds from the heirloom vegetable varieties he grows to Seed Savers Exchange of Decorah, Iowa, a leader in the field of seed preservation.
Sales went up in 2010 also, but only by 10 percent. So far this season, seed sales have jumped by 43 percent among those who kept gardening after 2009. In other words, Crotz says people want to try more plants and grow bigger gardens.
"For the first three years, it costs money to grow your own," he says. "But after that, it's eight to one in your favor."
Crotz and Arrah McMahon suspect rising food prices will prompt more people to try their hand at vegetable gardening this year. The real benefit, they say, is the taste of fresh-picked vegetables grown close to home.
Floyd says it took him and his wife two or three years to wise up, leave the rented plot and start a vegetable garden in their own backyard. Now that the kids have grown up and left home, they've scaled back their vegetable gardening in favor of flowers and other decorative plants.
But Floyd, 79, and Arrah, 80, haven't lost the vegetable gardening bug completely. They simply mix a few vegetable plants in with their perennials while maintaining a small 10-by-10 plot that gets full sun for tomatoes, green peppers and bush squash.
Floyd also spends most of the winter in the basement, pampering seedlings on fluorescent-lit planter trays. Before the first frost, he moves many of them to the patio into the hotbed he built from old windows. There, they "harden out" or get sturdy enough to handle the stress of moving from inside to the ground.
The McMahons planted early spring crops of radish, lettuce and spinach in mid-March. Meanwhile, their homemade hotbed is filled with transplants, from petunias, dahlias and dichondra to peppers, Salad Burnett and tomatoes.
"When the time comes, they're all going in the ground," Floyd says.
And after some 40 years of gardening, he's doing what he advises first-time vegetable gardeners to do: Start slow, start small."
Most of your money's going to be spent on tools to get the job done, so borrow or rent what you can to save costs. The second biggest cost is soil amendments, but once you get your soil in tip-top shape, all it takes is compost to maintain it.
I also recommend you buy transplants instead of seeds if you have a bird problem like I have (the neighbors have dozens of bird feeders in the back yard, and are huge bird fans). Green seedlings look like worms to birds, and they'll eat every one you plant. This saves time and money--you get about a month's head start on the growing season, and you end up with actual edible crops...sometimes too much.
One benefit to the neighbor's bird fetish: no bugs for MY garden! This means I don't need to spray pesticides. This year, all I did was plant, water, and walk away--the sky did the rest.
"Floyd and Arrah McMahon of Peoria, Ill., like to talk about everything they did wrong when they started gardening in the late 1970s.
They rented a plot of land much too large for their needs, even with four young children.
"We got out their with our little hoe and pitchfork and found out the ground hadn't been farmed in years," Arrah says.
The first thing they had to buy was a rototiller. With no water available nearby, they found themselves transporting jugs of water to the site. Plus, they emphasize, their garden was too far from their home. If they didn't get there everyday, the weeds and critters took over.
"In other words, we took on too much," Floyd says.
Floyd has a few other choice bits of advice for this year's crop of first-time vegetable gardeners, especially if they think growing will save money the first year.
"If they plant a garden just to save money, they're going to be disappointed. If they're foolish enough to count their time, they're going to be broke," says Floyd.
Then there's the cost of preserving and freezing the harvest, he adds.
But why listen to the McMahons? Almost 40 years after their initial gardening mishaps, they're still gardening. In fact, they're Master Gardeners, certified by the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.
The answer may come from Keith Crotz, an organic gardener/farmer in Peoria with an entrepreneurial streak.
In 2009, after the stock market crash, seed sales went up 40 percent, says Crotz, who sells seeds from the heirloom vegetable varieties he grows to Seed Savers Exchange of Decorah, Iowa, a leader in the field of seed preservation.
Sales went up in 2010 also, but only by 10 percent. So far this season, seed sales have jumped by 43 percent among those who kept gardening after 2009. In other words, Crotz says people want to try more plants and grow bigger gardens.
"For the first three years, it costs money to grow your own," he says. "But after that, it's eight to one in your favor."
Crotz and Arrah McMahon suspect rising food prices will prompt more people to try their hand at vegetable gardening this year. The real benefit, they say, is the taste of fresh-picked vegetables grown close to home.
Floyd says it took him and his wife two or three years to wise up, leave the rented plot and start a vegetable garden in their own backyard. Now that the kids have grown up and left home, they've scaled back their vegetable gardening in favor of flowers and other decorative plants.
But Floyd, 79, and Arrah, 80, haven't lost the vegetable gardening bug completely. They simply mix a few vegetable plants in with their perennials while maintaining a small 10-by-10 plot that gets full sun for tomatoes, green peppers and bush squash.
Floyd also spends most of the winter in the basement, pampering seedlings on fluorescent-lit planter trays. Before the first frost, he moves many of them to the patio into the hotbed he built from old windows. There, they "harden out" or get sturdy enough to handle the stress of moving from inside to the ground.
The McMahons planted early spring crops of radish, lettuce and spinach in mid-March. Meanwhile, their homemade hotbed is filled with transplants, from petunias, dahlias and dichondra to peppers, Salad Burnett and tomatoes.
"When the time comes, they're all going in the ground," Floyd says.
And after some 40 years of gardening, he's doing what he advises first-time vegetable gardeners to do: Start slow, start small."
Most of your money's going to be spent on tools to get the job done, so borrow or rent what you can to save costs. The second biggest cost is soil amendments, but once you get your soil in tip-top shape, all it takes is compost to maintain it.
I also recommend you buy transplants instead of seeds if you have a bird problem like I have (the neighbors have dozens of bird feeders in the back yard, and are huge bird fans). Green seedlings look like worms to birds, and they'll eat every one you plant. This saves time and money--you get about a month's head start on the growing season, and you end up with actual edible crops...sometimes too much.
One benefit to the neighbor's bird fetish: no bugs for MY garden! This means I don't need to spray pesticides. This year, all I did was plant, water, and walk away--the sky did the rest.
Malady Makeover--Rosacea
From Energy Times.
"Life is full of simple pleasures: a day at the beach, a glass of wine with friends, a spicy bowl of curry. But these pleasures can become problems when they trigger rosacea, a condition marked by facial flushing and roughness estimated to affect more than 16 million people.
Rosacea’s visible nature can lead to feelings of awkwardness. “Rosacea affects a person’s self-esteem and may lead to social withdrawal,” says Jeanette Jacknin, MD, holistic dermatologist and author of Smart Medicine for Your Skin. In a survey by the National Rosacea Society, nearly 76% of the respondents said that rosacea hurt their self-confidence.
Visible Impact
Rosacea’s emotional impact is heightened by the fact that it affects the nose and central face. (The chest, ears, neck or scalp can also be affected.) Persistent redness and bumps may be accompanied by the appearance of fine blood vessels and the skin may itch, swell or feel dry. “A bulbous red nose may develop slowly if the condition is untreated,” says Jacknin; the prominent nose of W.C. Fields was caused by this condition, called rhinophyma.
Up to 50% of patients develop ocular rosacea, marked by burning, gritty eyes and recurring styes, infections that cause red bumps to form on the eyelids. Jacknin says eye problems can come before or after skin symptoms develop, or occur on their own. Ocular rosacea can damage the cornea, causing blurry vision.
Rosacea, which runs in families, occurs most often in fair-skinned people. “I don’t think I’ve ever see people with real dark skin having rosacea,” says Alan Dattner, MD, founder of Holistic Dermatology in New Rochelle, New York and a founding member of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Task Force for Nutrition and the Evaluation of Alternative Medicine.
Rosacea tends to occur in cycles of remissions and flareups sparked by triggers such as heat and sun exposure. Hot drinks and spicy foods can also set off an outbreak; other common triggers include alcohol, tomatoes, citrus fruits and chocolate. “Anything that stimulates blood coming to the face is a possible trigger,” explains Dattner. “It’s a vicious cycle: Someone gets embarrassed, they flush, they become embarrassed about their rosacea, they flush some more.”
Scientists are studying why rosacea develops. Microbes, food allergies, an over-reactive immune system and glitches in the interaction between nerves and blood vessels have all been implicated. Studies have found a potential link between ocular rosacea and bacteria associated with Demodex mites, normal skin inhabitants that are more abundant in rosacea patients (Ophthalmology 5/10).
The number of factors helps explain why each patient experiences rosacea differently. “It’s like a lock and key. The same substance may cause a reaction in one person and not another,” says Dattner. He tells people to check their facial reactions with a hand mirror “so they can figure out ways to avoid making the rosacea worse.”
Cooling the Burn
The first step in controlling rosacea is to avoid anything that triggers a flareup. Jacknin suggests wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 every day, even when indoors, and a hat when outside. Avoid extremes of heat and humidity; this means no hot baths or showers and avoiding hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas.
Larger version here.
Exercise is as important for people with rosacea as for anyone else but “take care not to become overheated or flushed, or to sweat profusely,” Jacknin cautions. Early morning or late evening workouts can help you avoid the worst heat of the day.
Proper skin care is crucial. Use lukewarm water and a very mild soap or cleanser, and don’t scrub; blot the skin dry with a soft towel. Jacknin says to use only fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, water-based cosmetics. If you have ocular rosacea, take particular care of your eyelids. The NRS recommends cleaning them twice a day with either plain water or baby shampoo on a wet washcloth.
Jacknin says that some people with rosacea report good results with either horse chestnut cream or rose-wax cream applied twice a day. For visible blood vessels, Jacknin suggests diluting essential oils of borage, rose, cypress, neroli or lemon in evening primrose or jojoba oil and applying the mixture sparingly to affected areas. (All topical therapies should be tested on small patches of skin first to check for irritation.)
Caring for rosacea from the outside isn’t enough; it’s essential to understand what’s going on inside. “You need to determine what’s off in your digestive system,” says Dattner. “If you have a lot of allergies to specific foods, eating those foods over and over again is going to keep producing inflammation.” This can lead to leaky gut syndrome, in which a damaged bowel lining allows irritants such as undigested food particles to pass into the bloodstream.
Finding a diet that’s less likely to set off your rosacea means determining which foods cause your symptoms and cutting them out of your diet. Jacknin also recommends avoiding animal and hydrogenated fats, junk food, refined sugars and artificial flavorings and preservatives.
Instead, Jacknin suggests eating more vegetables—especially the vitamin B12-rich dark-green varieties—fruits, whole grains and such lean sources of protein as fish and skinless chicken. Drinking at least eight glasses of filtered water daily helps flush toxins out of the body.
Jacknin recommends a number of supplements for rosacea including a high-quality multivitamin, preferably one based on whole foods; beta-carotene, 25,000 IU twice a day; vitamin B complex; vitamin C, 500 mg with bioflavonoids, three times a day; zinc, 25 mg twice a day; flax seed oil, 1,000 mg three times a day; acidophilus- and bifidus-based probiotics twice a day; and digestive enzymes. (Tailor a supplementation plan to your needs in consultation with a trained practitioner.)
Jacknin also suggests homeopathic remedies depending on your particular symptoms. For example Arsenicum album, 30x or 15c, is appropriate if the rash is dry, burning, flaky and scaly. A trained homeopath can help you in your search; find one through the National Center for Homeopathy.
The best way to keep rosacea from limiting your life is to keep looking for solutions. “Rosacea is a manifestation,” says Dattner. “It’s not just one cause, one problem.”
I remember reading on the web somewhere years ago that rosacea originated in the liver. When my M-I-L got it, I couldn't find the article about rosacea and the liver...and still can't to this day! From reading the article above, I can see now how the liver plays a role in rosacea, and I can also see a rosacea-arthritis link (a lot of the foods to avoid are in common with both diseases).
Noting the foods to avoid, could a Paleo diet come to the rescue once again?
Visible Impact
Rosacea’s emotional impact is heightened by the fact that it affects the nose and central face. (The chest, ears, neck or scalp can also be affected.) Persistent redness and bumps may be accompanied by the appearance of fine blood vessels and the skin may itch, swell or feel dry. “A bulbous red nose may develop slowly if the condition is untreated,” says Jacknin; the prominent nose of W.C. Fields was caused by this condition, called rhinophyma.
Up to 50% of patients develop ocular rosacea, marked by burning, gritty eyes and recurring styes, infections that cause red bumps to form on the eyelids. Jacknin says eye problems can come before or after skin symptoms develop, or occur on their own. Ocular rosacea can damage the cornea, causing blurry vision.
Rosacea, which runs in families, occurs most often in fair-skinned people. “I don’t think I’ve ever see people with real dark skin having rosacea,” says Alan Dattner, MD, founder of Holistic Dermatology in New Rochelle, New York and a founding member of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Task Force for Nutrition and the Evaluation of Alternative Medicine.
Rosacea tends to occur in cycles of remissions and flareups sparked by triggers such as heat and sun exposure. Hot drinks and spicy foods can also set off an outbreak; other common triggers include alcohol, tomatoes, citrus fruits and chocolate. “Anything that stimulates blood coming to the face is a possible trigger,” explains Dattner. “It’s a vicious cycle: Someone gets embarrassed, they flush, they become embarrassed about their rosacea, they flush some more.”
Scientists are studying why rosacea develops. Microbes, food allergies, an over-reactive immune system and glitches in the interaction between nerves and blood vessels have all been implicated. Studies have found a potential link between ocular rosacea and bacteria associated with Demodex mites, normal skin inhabitants that are more abundant in rosacea patients (Ophthalmology 5/10).
The number of factors helps explain why each patient experiences rosacea differently. “It’s like a lock and key. The same substance may cause a reaction in one person and not another,” says Dattner. He tells people to check their facial reactions with a hand mirror “so they can figure out ways to avoid making the rosacea worse.”
Cooling the Burn
The first step in controlling rosacea is to avoid anything that triggers a flareup. Jacknin suggests wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 every day, even when indoors, and a hat when outside. Avoid extremes of heat and humidity; this means no hot baths or showers and avoiding hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas.
Exercise is as important for people with rosacea as for anyone else but “take care not to become overheated or flushed, or to sweat profusely,” Jacknin cautions. Early morning or late evening workouts can help you avoid the worst heat of the day.
Proper skin care is crucial. Use lukewarm water and a very mild soap or cleanser, and don’t scrub; blot the skin dry with a soft towel. Jacknin says to use only fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, water-based cosmetics. If you have ocular rosacea, take particular care of your eyelids. The NRS recommends cleaning them twice a day with either plain water or baby shampoo on a wet washcloth.
Caring for rosacea from the outside isn’t enough; it’s essential to understand what’s going on inside. “You need to determine what’s off in your digestive system,” says Dattner. “If you have a lot of allergies to specific foods, eating those foods over and over again is going to keep producing inflammation.” This can lead to leaky gut syndrome, in which a damaged bowel lining allows irritants such as undigested food particles to pass into the bloodstream.
Finding a diet that’s less likely to set off your rosacea means determining which foods cause your symptoms and cutting them out of your diet. Jacknin also recommends avoiding animal and hydrogenated fats, junk food, refined sugars and artificial flavorings and preservatives.
Jacknin recommends a number of supplements for rosacea including a high-quality multivitamin, preferably one based on whole foods; beta-carotene, 25,000 IU twice a day; vitamin B complex; vitamin C, 500 mg with bioflavonoids, three times a day; zinc, 25 mg twice a day; flax seed oil, 1,000 mg three times a day; acidophilus- and bifidus-based probiotics twice a day; and digestive enzymes. (Tailor a supplementation plan to your needs in consultation with a trained practitioner.)
Jacknin also suggests homeopathic remedies depending on your particular symptoms. For example Arsenicum album, 30x or 15c, is appropriate if the rash is dry, burning, flaky and scaly. A trained homeopath can help you in your search; find one through the National Center for Homeopathy.
The best way to keep rosacea from limiting your life is to keep looking for solutions. “Rosacea is a manifestation,” says Dattner. “It’s not just one cause, one problem.”
I remember reading on the web somewhere years ago that rosacea originated in the liver. When my M-I-L got it, I couldn't find the article about rosacea and the liver...and still can't to this day! From reading the article above, I can see now how the liver plays a role in rosacea, and I can also see a rosacea-arthritis link (a lot of the foods to avoid are in common with both diseases).
Noting the foods to avoid, could a Paleo diet come to the rescue once again?
Being House-Bound Linked to Alzheimer's in Elderly
From Yahoo Health.
"Seniors who are "housebound" seem to have nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
The research doesn't prove that being confined to the house causes dementia, and other factors could explain the association. Still, the findings raise questions about the possible cost of isolation, said lead investigator Bryan D. James, a postdoctoral fellow at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.
"People who don't leave their home as much aren't engaging with their environment and meeting new people," James said. "They may not be using their minds as much."
But James and his colleagues noted that underlying brain disease may also explain the results -- that is, people may not be getting out as much because the insidious workings of Alzheimer's or another form of dementia may affect the way one moves through the world long before they affect memory or speech.
Alzheimer's disease afflicts an estimated 5.2 million people in the United States. That number is expected to grow to as many as 7.7 million Americans by 2030 as the Baby Boom generation ages.
The new study, published online April 15 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, looks at something known as "life space."
"[Life space] is actually a measure that has come into vogue with gerontologists lately," James said. "Mostly it's been a measurement of mobility, figuring out whether people are getting around their environment, how much they're seeing that's different from their couch or bedroom or living room."
Researchers followed 1,294 seniors from two separate studies of older adults whose health was being tracked over time. At the beginning of this study, none of the elders showed signs of dementia. Over an average of 4.4 years, 180 developed Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that people who reported that they never left their home environment during a given week were about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease in the five years of follow-up as those who traveled out of town. The research, James said, offers "a new way to see who's going to be more likely to develop dementia in the future."
The study also found that those who did not go beyond their driveway or front yard were also more likely to develop mild cognitive disorder, which can be an early manifestation of Alzheimer's.
There are some caveats to the research. Some of the participants lived in retirement homes and may have led full lives without needing to leave the buildings where they live; however, they were still counted as being housebound.
Still, the researchers found that the connection between isolation and Alzheimer's disease remained even when they adjusted their statistics so they wouldn't be thrown off by factors such as depression, social networks, disease and disability, as well as age, sex, education, race or preclinical dementia.
Why does all this matter? "People are interested in figuring out who's going to develop Alzheimer's and new ways to target more people likely to develop it," James said. "Maybe with the limited interventions we do have available, we can target them toward people who aren't leaving their homes."
Dr. James R. Burke, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Duke University Medical Center, said isolation could offer a clue to possible dementia problems before they become obvious. "This will be particularly important when disease-modifying therapies are available, so that evaluations can be started and interventions considered before there are significant cognitive problems," Burke said.
"This paper is consistent with, but extends, previous findings that physical activity, intellectual engagement and social stimulation are important to delaying cognitive decline," Burke added."
So the socially-inept and physically disabled are doomed in old age...well, maybe not. They make motorized wheelchairs for the disabled.
The research doesn't prove that being confined to the house causes dementia, and other factors could explain the association. Still, the findings raise questions about the possible cost of isolation, said lead investigator Bryan D. James, a postdoctoral fellow at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.
But James and his colleagues noted that underlying brain disease may also explain the results -- that is, people may not be getting out as much because the insidious workings of Alzheimer's or another form of dementia may affect the way one moves through the world long before they affect memory or speech.
The new study, published online April 15 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, looks at something known as "life space."
Researchers followed 1,294 seniors from two separate studies of older adults whose health was being tracked over time. At the beginning of this study, none of the elders showed signs of dementia. Over an average of 4.4 years, 180 developed Alzheimer's disease.
The study also found that those who did not go beyond their driveway or front yard were also more likely to develop mild cognitive disorder, which can be an early manifestation of Alzheimer's.
There are some caveats to the research. Some of the participants lived in retirement homes and may have led full lives without needing to leave the buildings where they live; however, they were still counted as being housebound.
Still, the researchers found that the connection between isolation and Alzheimer's disease remained even when they adjusted their statistics so they wouldn't be thrown off by factors such as depression, social networks, disease and disability, as well as age, sex, education, race or preclinical dementia.
Why does all this matter? "People are interested in figuring out who's going to develop Alzheimer's and new ways to target more people likely to develop it," James said. "Maybe with the limited interventions we do have available, we can target them toward people who aren't leaving their homes."
Dr. James R. Burke, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Duke University Medical Center, said isolation could offer a clue to possible dementia problems before they become obvious. "This will be particularly important when disease-modifying therapies are available, so that evaluations can be started and interventions considered before there are significant cognitive problems," Burke said.
"This paper is consistent with, but extends, previous findings that physical activity, intellectual engagement and social stimulation are important to delaying cognitive decline," Burke added."
So the socially-inept and physically disabled are doomed in old age...well, maybe not. They make motorized wheelchairs for the disabled.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Gardening Tips From the Rooftop Balconies of New York
From Treehugger.
"A delicious new book, called Rooftop Gardens: the Terraces, Conservatories and Balconies of New York is a bit of architectural/garden porn. It's a compilation of photos and descriptions of some very stunning and sophisticated balcony gardens, high above the steamy streets of the Big Apple.
Every picture is enough to make you green with envy. But there is also something green to learn from many of them.
The authors behind the book come from serious New York wealth so these are pictures of places that mere mortals wouldn't normally see. Hence the gardens depicted seem to belong to the lives of the rich and the very rich and are designed by some well-known landscape architects.
But there is always something to be learned from these masters of the art, even if their end goal was not to create the most environmentally correct garden on the block. There are lots of good ideas that can be gleaned and applied to more modest balconies or rooftops.
For a rooftop or a balcony, most planting will be done in pots, large and small. While not every structure will support pots of these size, the idea of large and small plants and using varying shapes is important. Also it is interesting to note that trees can thrive in pots. That's good because they provide some shade and visual height.
Finally someone addresses the issue of shade. It's one thing to sit up there, it's another to fry. This lovely pergola will be covered by vines, probably grapes, or they could be wisteria and will provide a delightful place to have an al fresco lunch for friends.
These dramatic tree trunks form a good barrier along the balcony. Not only do they add some shade cover, they are also an interesting way to block off an area for some privacy.
Don't forget to plant herbs in some of the planters. Lavender, as shown here, smells wonderful, attracts bees and has beautiful purple flowers in spring. Cooking herbs such as basil, coriander, and parsley may not look chic enough for this balcony but they are pretty handy and yummy to have around. Rosemary is a perennial so it lasts through winter and grows huge, they could use some here.
Bamboo grows tall and fast (and it is very eco). So it is an easy and lovely choice for boxes and planters. In a short time you have wall covers for an ugly backdrop, lovely shaped leaves that blow in the wind, and almost instant privacy."
Here's some more:
The photos in the book are even better! Here are a few:
Salivating yet? These can be done on level ground in your back yard too!
"A delicious new book, called Rooftop Gardens: the Terraces, Conservatories and Balconies of New York is a bit of architectural/garden porn. It's a compilation of photos and descriptions of some very stunning and sophisticated balcony gardens, high above the steamy streets of the Big Apple.
Every picture is enough to make you green with envy. But there is also something green to learn from many of them.
The authors behind the book come from serious New York wealth so these are pictures of places that mere mortals wouldn't normally see. Hence the gardens depicted seem to belong to the lives of the rich and the very rich and are designed by some well-known landscape architects.
But there is always something to be learned from these masters of the art, even if their end goal was not to create the most environmentally correct garden on the block. There are lots of good ideas that can be gleaned and applied to more modest balconies or rooftops.
These dramatic tree trunks form a good barrier along the balcony. Not only do they add some shade cover, they are also an interesting way to block off an area for some privacy.
Here's some more:
The photos in the book are even better! Here are a few:
Salivating yet? These can be done on level ground in your back yard too!
Updated: Many Americans Ill-Informed About Red Wine and Sea Salt
From HealthDay News. One is sugar in a glass, the other hypertension in a shaker--what's the confusion?
"Most Americans have heard that red wine has health benefits, but many don't understand the need to limit consumption, finds an American Heart Association survey.
The majority of respondents also mistakenly believe that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt, the survey found. The poll was conducted to assess awareness about how wine and sodium affect heart health.
Of the 1,000 adults polled, 76 percent agreed with the statement that wine can be good for your heart, but only 30 percent knew the AHA's recommended limits for daily wine consumption.
Consumption of any type of alcohol should be limited to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. In general, that's about eight ounces of wine for men and four ounces of wine for women.
Drinking too much of any type of alcohol can increase blood pressure and lead to heart failure, stroke, irregular heartbeat, cancer and obesity.
"This survey shows that we need to do a better job of educating people about the heart-health risks of overconsumption of wine, especially its possible role in increasing blood pressure," AHA spokesman Dr. Gerald Fletcher, professor of medicine - cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla., said in an AHA news release.
The survey results, released Monday, also indicate that most respondents don't know the primary source of sodium in their diets and are confused about low-sodium food choices. Consuming too much sodium can increase blood pressure and boost the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Forty-six percent of respondents incorrectly said table salt is the primary source of sodium in American diets. In fact, processed foods such as soups, canned foods, prepared mixes, condiments and tomato sauce account for up to 75 percent of sodium consumption in the United States.
Sixty-one percent of respondents believe that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt. But sea salt and Kosher salt are chemically the same as table salt (40 percent sodium).
People should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, the AHA says. In order to limit sodium intake, read nutrition and ingredient labels on prepared and packaged foods, experts advise."
What is the connection? Both sugar and salt affect the heart.
As for that 1500 mg./day recommendation, I refute that, because you only need 500 mg./day to maintain electrolyte balance. I suppose some people will do or say anything to stay employed, and this AHA "heart lobby" is doing it's level best to overstate the sodium limits while restricting the sugar limits severely. Are they trying to tell us something (like maybe sugar is a worse enemy than salt), or are they trying to tell us the WRONG thing? You gotta wonder.
Want low-sodium salt? Look to nori flakes. They also come in a shaker, and are available in health food stores and Oriental markets.
UPDATE: If it's resveratrol you're looking for in the wine, you can get it from just about any dark-colored berry, cherries, red/purple grapes, cranberries, etc., and you don't have to cook them or make wine from them, either--heat destroys the resveratrol. Also, peanuts, peanut butter, and dark chocolate contain it too, but to date, scientists have found the only dark chocolate that carries sufficient amounts of resveratrol is Dove brand dark chocolate.
The majority of respondents also mistakenly believe that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt, the survey found. The poll was conducted to assess awareness about how wine and sodium affect heart health.
Of the 1,000 adults polled, 76 percent agreed with the statement that wine can be good for your heart, but only 30 percent knew the AHA's recommended limits for daily wine consumption.
Consumption of any type of alcohol should be limited to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. In general, that's about eight ounces of wine for men and four ounces of wine for women.
Drinking too much of any type of alcohol can increase blood pressure and lead to heart failure, stroke, irregular heartbeat, cancer and obesity.
"This survey shows that we need to do a better job of educating people about the heart-health risks of overconsumption of wine, especially its possible role in increasing blood pressure," AHA spokesman Dr. Gerald Fletcher, professor of medicine - cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla., said in an AHA news release.
Forty-six percent of respondents incorrectly said table salt is the primary source of sodium in American diets. In fact, processed foods such as soups, canned foods, prepared mixes, condiments and tomato sauce account for up to 75 percent of sodium consumption in the United States.
Sixty-one percent of respondents believe that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt. But sea salt and Kosher salt are chemically the same as table salt (40 percent sodium).
What is the connection? Both sugar and salt affect the heart.
As for that 1500 mg./day recommendation, I refute that, because you only need 500 mg./day to maintain electrolyte balance. I suppose some people will do or say anything to stay employed, and this AHA "heart lobby" is doing it's level best to overstate the sodium limits while restricting the sugar limits severely. Are they trying to tell us something (like maybe sugar is a worse enemy than salt), or are they trying to tell us the WRONG thing? You gotta wonder.
Want low-sodium salt? Look to nori flakes. They also come in a shaker, and are available in health food stores and Oriental markets.
UPDATE: If it's resveratrol you're looking for in the wine, you can get it from just about any dark-colored berry, cherries, red/purple grapes, cranberries, etc., and you don't have to cook them or make wine from them, either--heat destroys the resveratrol. Also, peanuts, peanut butter, and dark chocolate contain it too, but to date, scientists have found the only dark chocolate that carries sufficient amounts of resveratrol is Dove brand dark chocolate.
Study--Omega 3's Good For Heart, But Not Prostate
From Yahoo Health.
"High levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in the blood may be associated with an increased risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer, while elevated levels of unhealthy trans-fatty acids may lower the risk, a new study suggests.
Researchers examined data from a U.S.-wide study of more than 3,400 men, and found that those with the highest blood percentages of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were two-and-a-half times more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than those with the lowest DHA levels.
DHA is an inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fatty fish. In the study, the men consumed the DHA primarily from fish rather than fish oil supplements.
The study also found that the risk of aggressive prostate cancer was 50 percent lower in men with the highest blood levels of trans-fatty acids, which are abundant in processed foods and associated with inflammation and heart disease.
There was no link between prostate cancer risk and omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in most vegetable oils and are thought to promote inflammation, according to the researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
None of the three types of fats were associated with the risk of low-grade prostate cancer.
The study appeared online April 25 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers noted that "the most striking aspect of our findings is that they were not in the directions hypothesized."
"We were stunned to see these results, and we spent a lot of time making sure the analyses were correct," Theodore M. Brasky, a postdoctoral research fellow in Hutchinson's Cancer Prevention Program, said in a Hutchinson news release. "Our findings turn what we know -- or rather what we think we know -- about diet, inflammation and the development of prostate cancer on its head and shine a light on the complexity of studying the association between nutrition and the risk of various chronic diseases."
But, Brasky and his colleagues don't believe men who are concerned about heart disease should stop using fish oil supplements or eating salmon or other fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
"Overall, the beneficial effects of eating fish to prevent heart disease outweigh any harm related to prostate cancer risk," Brasky said. "What this study shows is the complexity of nutrition and its impact on disease risk, and that we should study such associations rigorously, rather than make assumptions."
Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, added that, "Nutritionally, studies are very difficult to assess, since most of the participants take large amounts of the supplement being studied. Most physicians would recommend eating a healthy diet of fish, vegetables and fiber without overdoing supplements, as their benefit in one area may outweigh the risks in another."
So does this mean Homer Simpson's donut habit is actually PROTECTING him? Are the evil trans-fats going to be allowed back into our food, or just men's food? I say put 'em in beer--that's the quickest distribution method I can think of! :)
Here's MY idea of a proper Father's Day gift. Does FTD sell this? Maybe 1-800-FLOWERS? I know--let's change Marie Osmond's "Paper Roses" song to Bacon Roses...
"High levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in the blood may be associated with an increased risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer, while elevated levels of unhealthy trans-fatty acids may lower the risk, a new study suggests.
Researchers examined data from a U.S.-wide study of more than 3,400 men, and found that those with the highest blood percentages of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were two-and-a-half times more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than those with the lowest DHA levels.
DHA is an inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fatty fish. In the study, the men consumed the DHA primarily from fish rather than fish oil supplements.
The study also found that the risk of aggressive prostate cancer was 50 percent lower in men with the highest blood levels of trans-fatty acids, which are abundant in processed foods and associated with inflammation and heart disease.
There was no link between prostate cancer risk and omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in most vegetable oils and are thought to promote inflammation, according to the researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
None of the three types of fats were associated with the risk of low-grade prostate cancer.
The study appeared online April 25 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers noted that "the most striking aspect of our findings is that they were not in the directions hypothesized."
"We were stunned to see these results, and we spent a lot of time making sure the analyses were correct," Theodore M. Brasky, a postdoctoral research fellow in Hutchinson's Cancer Prevention Program, said in a Hutchinson news release. "Our findings turn what we know -- or rather what we think we know -- about diet, inflammation and the development of prostate cancer on its head and shine a light on the complexity of studying the association between nutrition and the risk of various chronic diseases."
But, Brasky and his colleagues don't believe men who are concerned about heart disease should stop using fish oil supplements or eating salmon or other fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
"Overall, the beneficial effects of eating fish to prevent heart disease outweigh any harm related to prostate cancer risk," Brasky said. "What this study shows is the complexity of nutrition and its impact on disease risk, and that we should study such associations rigorously, rather than make assumptions."
Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, added that, "Nutritionally, studies are very difficult to assess, since most of the participants take large amounts of the supplement being studied. Most physicians would recommend eating a healthy diet of fish, vegetables and fiber without overdoing supplements, as their benefit in one area may outweigh the risks in another."
So does this mean Homer Simpson's donut habit is actually PROTECTING him? Are the evil trans-fats going to be allowed back into our food, or just men's food? I say put 'em in beer--that's the quickest distribution method I can think of! :)
Here's MY idea of a proper Father's Day gift. Does FTD sell this? Maybe 1-800-FLOWERS? I know--let's change Marie Osmond's "Paper Roses" song to Bacon Roses...
Monday, April 25, 2011
A Diet Rant for a Newsless Monday
You ever get tired of reading/hearing about the latest diet crazes, but you check into them anyway, and find out they're just derivations of the Mediterranean diet?
Take for example:
The TurboCharge diet--eat lots of protein and fat one day, no protein but lots of veggies another day, a little protein and a little veggies the next day, fast one day, then pig out and eat lots of protein, fat, AND veggies the last day. That's only 5 days, so you're supposed to fast the other two I guess. No grains.
And some dieting oldies:
The Keto Diet--lots of protein and fat, but little vegetation. No fasting.
Atkins diet--3 stages, with the first being a high-protein, high-fat stage, followed by an introduction of some veggies and carbs, then a maintenance stage consisting of the Mediterranean diet. No fasting.
Pritikin/Ornish diet--low fats, low protein, and high on carbs and veggies. No fasting.
The SCD diet (specific carbohydrate)--no grains, only certain dairy products, certain beans, and lots of protein and fat. No fasting.
Paleo diet--lots of protein, fat, and veggies, a little fruit, maybe some nuts, and no dairy or grains. No fasting.
CRON diet--much like the Pritikin/Ornish diet above, but uses lower carb beans and limited grains. No fasting. Restricts calories to certain limits.
I could go on, but I'm starting to see a trend: most these diets have one of two things in common--either fasting or no grains (CRON being the only oddball). They seem more like detoxes rather than diets. Most of them wanted you to buy their endorsed food products (those who had them), which is where they made their money.
Then we have the grandaddies of them all: Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Weight Watchers, which rely on calorie restriction by selling you hideously over-priced restricted-calorie portions of manufactured foods. You get charged for the convenience of having someone else measure out your meals, although to their credit, only Weight Watchers allows you to eat REAL foods instead of boxed meals, but you have to keep score of what you eat the entire time. Lower-calorie foods = lower points, so you're naturally going to be steered toward vegetarian selections and water to keep the points down.
UPDATE: there's an Xtravaganza Diet circulating in northern Europe, and it consists of pre-packaged soups and teas--sound like the old Atkins regimen or the Nutrisystem method? You're supposed to eat 3 soups and drink 3 teas daily, and that's it. No fasting, and no grains, but you sure are calorie-deprived. I've found no real benefit to this diet, other than vanity--no medicinal value of any kind. In fact, just the opposite is true.
Some diets actually have medicinal purposes (like the Keto diet), and the Paleo diet has also been shown to alleviate many chronic diseases, but the rest have so far only proved to alleviate you of chronic vanity and an over-filled wallet.
Veganism also seems to "cure" high cholesterol, but that's because food cholesterol comes from meat, eggs, and fat. No meat, no cholesterol intake! Too bad Bill Clinton gave up meat to save his heart--it wasn't the meat, Bill, it was the sugar! You gonna give THAT up too? Dump those liver LDL-pumping grains!!
Diets are like credit reports and Hallmark greeting cards--there's one for every occasion (like the Dukan diet for Kate Middleton's upcoming wedding, consisting of mainly oat bran and other fibers so she can shit herself skinny!), and the trick isn't to find one that takes the weight off, but rather one you can stick with for the rest of your life. All of them are surely a change from what you're eating now, and all of them will likely cause weight loss...but only if you stick with your chosen program.
For me and my food allergies, Paleo is my winner, but not for weight loss, but because that's all I can eat. I like the fact that other people out there eat like I have to, but they CHOOSE to, so I'm no longer an outlier. An only. Dietary outcast. It's nice to find baking recipes I don't have to make substitutions for.
Actually, I have two winners--Paleo and SCD, because neither use grains, and SCD does use certain dairy and certain beans, but not much for baking--mostly for main dish recipes. Any dairy can be worked around with nut cheeses, and both use eggs and coconut oil. When they call for dairy, it's usually dry curd cottage cheese, true Greek yogurt (no thickeners), or farmer cheese--all are "dry" forms of milk, and these can be worked around with homemade nut cheeses or Paleo yogurt made from nut milk.
Weight loss = zero. Contentment = 100%. Hunger = zero. If I exercised more, I'd probably lose weight, but I'd rather focus on being healthy and not suffering from anaphylaxis every time I turn around.
It's just funny how nearly everything I'm reading and posting lately seems to include some new health finding of illness relief from a diet that contains no grains, or some new diet comes out that emphasizes low carbs and more (or different) exercise. All roads seem to be leading to the same place...again. I wonder what the Blue Zones centenarians ate, and whether or not it included grains--I'll have to re-read that book. I know they moved more...much more, and led a hand-to-mouth existence (or darn near it), and ate mainly local and/or wild foods, but whether or not it included grains, I don't remember offhand. Good thing I have the book to look it up.
Take for example:
The TurboCharge diet--eat lots of protein and fat one day, no protein but lots of veggies another day, a little protein and a little veggies the next day, fast one day, then pig out and eat lots of protein, fat, AND veggies the last day. That's only 5 days, so you're supposed to fast the other two I guess. No grains.
And some dieting oldies:
The Keto Diet--lots of protein and fat, but little vegetation. No fasting.
Atkins diet--3 stages, with the first being a high-protein, high-fat stage, followed by an introduction of some veggies and carbs, then a maintenance stage consisting of the Mediterranean diet. No fasting.
Pritikin/Ornish diet--low fats, low protein, and high on carbs and veggies. No fasting.
The SCD diet (specific carbohydrate)--no grains, only certain dairy products, certain beans, and lots of protein and fat. No fasting.
Paleo diet--lots of protein, fat, and veggies, a little fruit, maybe some nuts, and no dairy or grains. No fasting.
CRON diet--much like the Pritikin/Ornish diet above, but uses lower carb beans and limited grains. No fasting. Restricts calories to certain limits.
I could go on, but I'm starting to see a trend: most these diets have one of two things in common--either fasting or no grains (CRON being the only oddball). They seem more like detoxes rather than diets. Most of them wanted you to buy their endorsed food products (those who had them), which is where they made their money.
Then we have the grandaddies of them all: Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Weight Watchers, which rely on calorie restriction by selling you hideously over-priced restricted-calorie portions of manufactured foods. You get charged for the convenience of having someone else measure out your meals, although to their credit, only Weight Watchers allows you to eat REAL foods instead of boxed meals, but you have to keep score of what you eat the entire time. Lower-calorie foods = lower points, so you're naturally going to be steered toward vegetarian selections and water to keep the points down.
UPDATE: there's an Xtravaganza Diet circulating in northern Europe, and it consists of pre-packaged soups and teas--sound like the old Atkins regimen or the Nutrisystem method? You're supposed to eat 3 soups and drink 3 teas daily, and that's it. No fasting, and no grains, but you sure are calorie-deprived. I've found no real benefit to this diet, other than vanity--no medicinal value of any kind. In fact, just the opposite is true.
Some diets actually have medicinal purposes (like the Keto diet), and the Paleo diet has also been shown to alleviate many chronic diseases, but the rest have so far only proved to alleviate you of chronic vanity and an over-filled wallet.
Veganism also seems to "cure" high cholesterol, but that's because food cholesterol comes from meat, eggs, and fat. No meat, no cholesterol intake! Too bad Bill Clinton gave up meat to save his heart--it wasn't the meat, Bill, it was the sugar! You gonna give THAT up too? Dump those liver LDL-pumping grains!!
Diets are like credit reports and Hallmark greeting cards--there's one for every occasion (like the Dukan diet for Kate Middleton's upcoming wedding, consisting of mainly oat bran and other fibers so she can shit herself skinny!), and the trick isn't to find one that takes the weight off, but rather one you can stick with for the rest of your life. All of them are surely a change from what you're eating now, and all of them will likely cause weight loss...but only if you stick with your chosen program.
For me and my food allergies, Paleo is my winner, but not for weight loss, but because that's all I can eat. I like the fact that other people out there eat like I have to, but they CHOOSE to, so I'm no longer an outlier. An only. Dietary outcast. It's nice to find baking recipes I don't have to make substitutions for.
Actually, I have two winners--Paleo and SCD, because neither use grains, and SCD does use certain dairy and certain beans, but not much for baking--mostly for main dish recipes. Any dairy can be worked around with nut cheeses, and both use eggs and coconut oil. When they call for dairy, it's usually dry curd cottage cheese, true Greek yogurt (no thickeners), or farmer cheese--all are "dry" forms of milk, and these can be worked around with homemade nut cheeses or Paleo yogurt made from nut milk.
Weight loss = zero. Contentment = 100%. Hunger = zero. If I exercised more, I'd probably lose weight, but I'd rather focus on being healthy and not suffering from anaphylaxis every time I turn around.
It's just funny how nearly everything I'm reading and posting lately seems to include some new health finding of illness relief from a diet that contains no grains, or some new diet comes out that emphasizes low carbs and more (or different) exercise. All roads seem to be leading to the same place...again. I wonder what the Blue Zones centenarians ate, and whether or not it included grains--I'll have to re-read that book. I know they moved more...much more, and led a hand-to-mouth existence (or darn near it), and ate mainly local and/or wild foods, but whether or not it included grains, I don't remember offhand. Good thing I have the book to look it up.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
High-Deductible Health Plans Bring Equal Savings to All
From HealthDay News. This would be HSAs and HDSAs.
"Poor people and those with chronic health problems are no more likely than others to cut back on health care when they're enrolled in high-deductible health plans, according to a new study.
Conducted by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit policy research organization, the study contradicts earlier studies, which found that so-called "medically vulnerable" people were more likely to slash their spending while they were on the plans.
High-deductible plans are health insurance policies that require the person who's insured to pay for most medical care out-of-pocket before coverage kicks in after a certain dollar amount has been spent each year. About 20 percent of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance had a high-deductible plan in 2009, according to the researchers.
Such plans have become increasingly popular as a way to help control health costs, and the RAND researchers said that many of the insurance exchanges being established as part of the health-reform law to help the uninsured find coverage will offer high-deductible plans.
The new study examined the experiences of more than 360,000 families who enrolled in high-deductible health plans offered by their employers from 2003 to 2007. Participants lived in low-income areas and included those with a family member who had heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease, which the researchers said are the five most costly chronic illnesses.
Spending on health care fell among all families in the high-deductible plans, compared with those enrolled in traditional insurance plans, but the spending drop among medically vulnerable families was no different from that of other families, the study found.
However, the researchers noted that the medically vulnerable families all had a family member who worked full-time and had benefits, which may have affected the results.
The findings are reported online in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy.
"One important issue is whether high-deductible health plans will leave low-income and chronically ill patients with inadequate access to health care," Amelia Haviland, lead author of the study and a statistician at RAND, said in a news release from the organization. "We did not find greater cutbacks for medically vulnerable families," she noted.
"The evidence suggests that non-vulnerable families, low-income families and high-risk families are equally affected under high-deductible plans," Haviland said."
Probably because they've figured out that top have affordable health care, you must first care about your health, then do something about it!
Most HSA plans have a $1000 or higher deductible, and most low-income families don't have $1000 or more laying around to spend on miscellaneous trips to the doctor. Compare that to an HMO plan, which costs about $700/month for a family, but only has a $5 or $10 co-pay (all the patient needs to worry about). Now who's got the Cadillac health care plans?
"Poor people and those with chronic health problems are no more likely than others to cut back on health care when they're enrolled in high-deductible health plans, according to a new study.
Conducted by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit policy research organization, the study contradicts earlier studies, which found that so-called "medically vulnerable" people were more likely to slash their spending while they were on the plans.
High-deductible plans are health insurance policies that require the person who's insured to pay for most medical care out-of-pocket before coverage kicks in after a certain dollar amount has been spent each year. About 20 percent of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance had a high-deductible plan in 2009, according to the researchers.
Such plans have become increasingly popular as a way to help control health costs, and the RAND researchers said that many of the insurance exchanges being established as part of the health-reform law to help the uninsured find coverage will offer high-deductible plans.
The new study examined the experiences of more than 360,000 families who enrolled in high-deductible health plans offered by their employers from 2003 to 2007. Participants lived in low-income areas and included those with a family member who had heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease, which the researchers said are the five most costly chronic illnesses.
Spending on health care fell among all families in the high-deductible plans, compared with those enrolled in traditional insurance plans, but the spending drop among medically vulnerable families was no different from that of other families, the study found.
However, the researchers noted that the medically vulnerable families all had a family member who worked full-time and had benefits, which may have affected the results.
The findings are reported online in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy.
"One important issue is whether high-deductible health plans will leave low-income and chronically ill patients with inadequate access to health care," Amelia Haviland, lead author of the study and a statistician at RAND, said in a news release from the organization. "We did not find greater cutbacks for medically vulnerable families," she noted.
"The evidence suggests that non-vulnerable families, low-income families and high-risk families are equally affected under high-deductible plans," Haviland said."
Probably because they've figured out that top have affordable health care, you must first care about your health, then do something about it!
Most HSA plans have a $1000 or higher deductible, and most low-income families don't have $1000 or more laying around to spend on miscellaneous trips to the doctor. Compare that to an HMO plan, which costs about $700/month for a family, but only has a $5 or $10 co-pay (all the patient needs to worry about). Now who's got the Cadillac health care plans?
Couch-Potato Kids: It Shows in Their Eyes
From HealthDay News.
"Young children who spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games have narrower eye arteries than kids who are more physically active, new Australian research reports.
Narrower arteries are a marker of future cardiovascular risk, and the narrower the vessels, the higher the risk, the experts said.
"Changes to the retinal vessels give a good idea of what is going on in the rest of the body, particularly the heart," said Dr. Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, who conducted the research. "In adults, we've found that narrower retinal arteries signal increased risk of hypertension [high blood pressure] and heart disease."
Gopinath and her colleagues evaluated 1,492 six-year-olds in Sydney, tracking the hours they spent in both physical activity and sedentary pursuits.
The researchers took digital photos of the vasculature in the back of each child's eye and calculated the average vessel width.
Overall, the kids spent a daily average of 1.9 hours of screen time and 36 minutes of physical activity. But those kids who spent more than an hour in daily outside activity had wider vessels, on average, than those spending less than half an hour outside.
"We found that kids who spent more than one-and-a-half hours [in screen time] were more likely to have adverse effects on the retinal vessels," Gopinath said.
The narrowing associated with each hour of screen time was similar to the amount associated with a rise of 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) in systolic blood pressure (the top number) in kids, the researchers found.
So, how much physical activity is enough?
"It's hard to say based on the findings from this study, but we believe that the data shows that replacing one hour a day of screen time with physical activity could help in minimizing the unfavorable influence on the retinal vessels," Gopinath said.
The research looks at the effects of sedentary activity in a new way, according to Dr. Audina Berrocal, a pediatric retinal specialist at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
"When you look at the retina, it's an indicator of what is going on in your body," she said. "The health of the retinal vessels reflects overall cardiovascular health."
Berrocal stressed that parents should know it's not the TV or computer time affecting the retinal vessels, "it is the lack of exercise." And that lack of exercise often gets worse as screen time climbs.
"In reality what they are saying is, if you don't exercise, it is going to affect your vessels even as a child," she said.
While the research looks at cardiovascular risk in a new way, the message is an established one, Berrocal added. "What I think it tells you is what every parent knows. The more your child is outside moving and doing exercise, the healthier that child will be."
The study findings are published in the April 20 online edition of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association."
An hour a day of activity is certainly cheaper than a pair of glasses that's going to get progressively stronger and more expensive throughout a lifetime!
"Young children who spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games have narrower eye arteries than kids who are more physically active, new Australian research reports.
Narrower arteries are a marker of future cardiovascular risk, and the narrower the vessels, the higher the risk, the experts said.
"Changes to the retinal vessels give a good idea of what is going on in the rest of the body, particularly the heart," said Dr. Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, who conducted the research. "In adults, we've found that narrower retinal arteries signal increased risk of hypertension [high blood pressure] and heart disease."
Gopinath and her colleagues evaluated 1,492 six-year-olds in Sydney, tracking the hours they spent in both physical activity and sedentary pursuits.
The researchers took digital photos of the vasculature in the back of each child's eye and calculated the average vessel width.
Overall, the kids spent a daily average of 1.9 hours of screen time and 36 minutes of physical activity. But those kids who spent more than an hour in daily outside activity had wider vessels, on average, than those spending less than half an hour outside.
"We found that kids who spent more than one-and-a-half hours [in screen time] were more likely to have adverse effects on the retinal vessels," Gopinath said.
The narrowing associated with each hour of screen time was similar to the amount associated with a rise of 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) in systolic blood pressure (the top number) in kids, the researchers found.
So, how much physical activity is enough?
"It's hard to say based on the findings from this study, but we believe that the data shows that replacing one hour a day of screen time with physical activity could help in minimizing the unfavorable influence on the retinal vessels," Gopinath said.
The research looks at the effects of sedentary activity in a new way, according to Dr. Audina Berrocal, a pediatric retinal specialist at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
"When you look at the retina, it's an indicator of what is going on in your body," she said. "The health of the retinal vessels reflects overall cardiovascular health."
Berrocal stressed that parents should know it's not the TV or computer time affecting the retinal vessels, "it is the lack of exercise." And that lack of exercise often gets worse as screen time climbs.
"In reality what they are saying is, if you don't exercise, it is going to affect your vessels even as a child," she said.
While the research looks at cardiovascular risk in a new way, the message is an established one, Berrocal added. "What I think it tells you is what every parent knows. The more your child is outside moving and doing exercise, the healthier that child will be."
The study findings are published in the April 20 online edition of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association."
An hour a day of activity is certainly cheaper than a pair of glasses that's going to get progressively stronger and more expensive throughout a lifetime!
Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Linked With Lower IQ
From Yahoo Health. Could this be another clue to curing "obesity of the mind" diseases? This tells us why we all should eat organically--Roundup is rounding US up!
"Babies exposed to pesticides before birth may have significantly lower intelligence scores by age 7 than children who were not exposed, three separate studies published on Thursday said.
Results from the studies -- two in New York and one in an agricultural community in California -- suggest prenatal exposure to pesticides can have a lasting effect on intelligence.
In one study, a team at the University of California Berkeley found that every tenfold increase in prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides corresponded with a 5.5 point drop in overall IQ scores in children by age 7.
"That difference could mean, on average, more kids being shifted into the lower end of the spectrum of learning, and more kids needing special services in school," Berkeley's Brenda Eskenazi, who led one of the three studies published online in Environmental Health Perspectives, said in a statement.
The two other studies -- one at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the other at Columbia University -- also examined prenatal exposure to pesticides and IQ in children at age 7.
The teams at Berkeley and Mount Sinai sampled pesticide residues in maternal urine, while the team at Columbia tested umbilical cord blood levels of chlorpyrifos, part of a class of pesticides known as organophosphates that are known to be toxic to brain cells.
Until it was banned for indoor residential use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, chlorpyrifos was one of the most widely used insecticides for residential pest control.
In the Columbia study, researchers sampled 265 New York City minority children born before the ban. The higher levels of chlorpyrifos in the babies' umbilical cord blood were linked with lower performance on two different IQ tests.
Children who were in the highest 25 percent of exposure levels scored 2.7 points lower on IQ tests than children whose exposures were in the lowest quarter of the study.
The UC Berkeley study involved 329 children whose mothers enrolled when they were pregnant.
Urine samples were taken twice during pregnancy from the mothers and after birth from the children at regular intervals between ages 6 months and 5 years.
The team said while prenatal exposure to pesticides were significantly linked with childhood IQ, pesticide exposure after birth was not, suggesting exposure during fetal brain development was a more critical period than childhood exposure.
Children in the UC Berkeley study were exposed to pesticides in 1999 through 2000. Since the 2001 ban, use of organophosphates in the United States has fallen by more than 50 percent, but agricultural use of chlorpyrifos is still permitted.
"It is vitally important that we continue to monitor the levels of exposure in potentially vulnerable populations, especially in pregnant women in agricultural communities, as their infants may continue to be at risk," Dr. Robin Whyatt of Columbia said in a statement."
"Babies exposed to pesticides before birth may have significantly lower intelligence scores by age 7 than children who were not exposed, three separate studies published on Thursday said.
Results from the studies -- two in New York and one in an agricultural community in California -- suggest prenatal exposure to pesticides can have a lasting effect on intelligence.
In one study, a team at the University of California Berkeley found that every tenfold increase in prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides corresponded with a 5.5 point drop in overall IQ scores in children by age 7.
"That difference could mean, on average, more kids being shifted into the lower end of the spectrum of learning, and more kids needing special services in school," Berkeley's Brenda Eskenazi, who led one of the three studies published online in Environmental Health Perspectives, said in a statement.
The two other studies -- one at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the other at Columbia University -- also examined prenatal exposure to pesticides and IQ in children at age 7.
The teams at Berkeley and Mount Sinai sampled pesticide residues in maternal urine, while the team at Columbia tested umbilical cord blood levels of chlorpyrifos, part of a class of pesticides known as organophosphates that are known to be toxic to brain cells.
Until it was banned for indoor residential use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, chlorpyrifos was one of the most widely used insecticides for residential pest control.
In the Columbia study, researchers sampled 265 New York City minority children born before the ban. The higher levels of chlorpyrifos in the babies' umbilical cord blood were linked with lower performance on two different IQ tests.
Children who were in the highest 25 percent of exposure levels scored 2.7 points lower on IQ tests than children whose exposures were in the lowest quarter of the study.
The UC Berkeley study involved 329 children whose mothers enrolled when they were pregnant.
Urine samples were taken twice during pregnancy from the mothers and after birth from the children at regular intervals between ages 6 months and 5 years.
The team said while prenatal exposure to pesticides were significantly linked with childhood IQ, pesticide exposure after birth was not, suggesting exposure during fetal brain development was a more critical period than childhood exposure.
Children in the UC Berkeley study were exposed to pesticides in 1999 through 2000. Since the 2001 ban, use of organophosphates in the United States has fallen by more than 50 percent, but agricultural use of chlorpyrifos is still permitted.
"It is vitally important that we continue to monitor the levels of exposure in potentially vulnerable populations, especially in pregnant women in agricultural communities, as their infants may continue to be at risk," Dr. Robin Whyatt of Columbia said in a statement."
High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet May Reverse Kidney Failure
From Yahoo Health. First, they say a high-protein, low-carb diet CAUSES kidney problems...
"Kidney failure is a main complication of diabetes, but a lab study on mice showed that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet could reverse that in eight weeks, US researchers said Wednesday.
The extreme food plan is known as a ketogenic diet and is often used to treat children with drug-resistant epilepsy. It starves the body of carbs and sugars, thereby tricking the body into burning fat for fuel instead of glucose.
The diet is so restrictive it must be devised with an expert's help. Meal options may include scrambled eggs with cream, a bacon and butter omelet, or lettuce doused in mayonnaise.
Doctors theorized the diet might work for diabetics by blocking the toxic effects of glucose, a simple sugar made as the body metabolizes food but that can become harmful in diabetics who lack enough insulin to regulate it.
Ketogenic Pyramid = "Paleo Diet" with dairy
So the team at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York took two groups of mice that were genetically predisposed to having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Half were fed a standard, high-carb diet while the other half received a ketogenic diet.
After eight weeks, kidney failure was reversed in the ketogenic-fed mice, said the study published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.
"Our study is the first to show that a dietary intervention alone is enough to reverse this serious complication of diabetes," said lead author Charles Mobbs at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"This finding has significant implications for the tens of thousands of Americans diagnosed with diabetic kidney failure, and possibly other complications, each year."
According to the National Institutes of Health, 24 million people in the United States have diabetes, and close to 180,000 people are living with kidney failure linked to their diabetes.
Mobbs said the diet is not likely to be suitable as a long-term fix in humans, but said the findings indicate even as little as a month on the regime could be enough to "reset" the body and avoid kidney failure.
Mobbs said the findings should "help us identify a drug target and subsequent pharmacological interventions that mimic the effect of the diet."
His team is planning more studies to explore the ketogenic diet's impact on other neurological diseases such as retinopathy which causes loss of sight."
More information on the ketogenic diet. If you currently suffer from kidney failure, please note that the diet has so far only worked in RATS--I don't know if it's been tested on humans yet. Your best bet is to look for a clinical trial.
Noting the effects this diet has on blocking carbs and sugar from being burned, this may also be the way to better treat "obesity of the mind" diseases like ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer's, and autism.
"Kidney failure is a main complication of diabetes, but a lab study on mice showed that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet could reverse that in eight weeks, US researchers said Wednesday.
The extreme food plan is known as a ketogenic diet and is often used to treat children with drug-resistant epilepsy. It starves the body of carbs and sugars, thereby tricking the body into burning fat for fuel instead of glucose.
The diet is so restrictive it must be devised with an expert's help. Meal options may include scrambled eggs with cream, a bacon and butter omelet, or lettuce doused in mayonnaise.
Doctors theorized the diet might work for diabetics by blocking the toxic effects of glucose, a simple sugar made as the body metabolizes food but that can become harmful in diabetics who lack enough insulin to regulate it.
So the team at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York took two groups of mice that were genetically predisposed to having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Half were fed a standard, high-carb diet while the other half received a ketogenic diet.
After eight weeks, kidney failure was reversed in the ketogenic-fed mice, said the study published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.
"Our study is the first to show that a dietary intervention alone is enough to reverse this serious complication of diabetes," said lead author Charles Mobbs at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"This finding has significant implications for the tens of thousands of Americans diagnosed with diabetic kidney failure, and possibly other complications, each year."
According to the National Institutes of Health, 24 million people in the United States have diabetes, and close to 180,000 people are living with kidney failure linked to their diabetes.
Mobbs said the diet is not likely to be suitable as a long-term fix in humans, but said the findings indicate even as little as a month on the regime could be enough to "reset" the body and avoid kidney failure.
Mobbs said the findings should "help us identify a drug target and subsequent pharmacological interventions that mimic the effect of the diet."
His team is planning more studies to explore the ketogenic diet's impact on other neurological diseases such as retinopathy which causes loss of sight."
More information on the ketogenic diet. If you currently suffer from kidney failure, please note that the diet has so far only worked in RATS--I don't know if it's been tested on humans yet. Your best bet is to look for a clinical trial.
Noting the effects this diet has on blocking carbs and sugar from being burned, this may also be the way to better treat "obesity of the mind" diseases like ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer's, and autism.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Dr. Oz and Weight Loss Specialists Giving Diet Advice
From News Fusion. It would seem Dr. Oz has done a flip-flop about weight loss advice, judging by the book he wrote on it, and reading this article.
"Today in an attempt to help people lose excess weight once and for all, the Dr. Oz Show was all about getting the most common weight loss questions answered in Dr. Oz’s “Your Toughest Weight Loss Questions” segment of the show. To help answer questions, Dr. Oz invited Dr. Adrienne Youdim of Cedars-Sinal Weight Loss Center, Registered Dietitian Leslie Bonci, and Dr. Evelyn Minaya to the show.
The first topic was whether or not there was anything to the Blood Type Diet. Dr. Oz explained that type “O” blood is the most common and the oldest blood type. He said the thought is that since it’s the oldest blood type, people with type “O” blood should eat the oldest foods which mainly consist of protein including poultry, lean meat and fish. Although Dr. Oz didn’t mention them, there were also greens on the sample plates along with the protein. Since we had no agriculture and no grains to eat in early history, grains should be very limited in the diet.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim of Cedars-Sinal Weight Loss Center said there is no evidence that your blood type affects your compatibility with foods or your ability to lose weight. She said while there is nothing actually wrong with the diet, she considered it too restrictive.
Dr. Oz went on the explain that Type A blood type was an agrarian blood type, meaning that one would need to eat a diet consisting of mainly soy protein, grains and organic vegetables.
He said people with Type B blood were descended from Nomadic peoples and would need to eat a diet of low-fat dairy and to avoid wheat and lentils. Leslie Bonci said that with the availability of foods we now have, she believes that people have to find something they can stick with.
Dr. Oz said that it might make sense that our ancestors diets are better for us, but we can’t prove it. He suggested eating lean protein, lots of vegetables, whole grain and low-fat dairy to take one naturally in the right direction for weight loss.
The second question was how to stop emotional eating. Ms. Bonci suggested we still eat what comforts us but to think about the quantity we intake for damage control. She also said to pick one type of food, whether it be salty, spicy or crunchy and only eating it when we feel the need for emotional eating.
The third question was how many calories do you need to eat in a day to lose weight. Dr. Oz said it is a question he hears all the time. Dr. Youdim said it essentially depends on your metabolism, height and weight. She said for women that generally means a calorie intake of 1200 or possibly up to 1600 calories a day.
Dr. Oz said that www.doctoroz.com has a calorie calculator as part of the “Move it and Lose It” one can use to calculate how many calories they should be eating while trying to diet.
How can one lose fat without losing muscle was the fourth question. Dr. Youdim said the often fad diets have you lose weight quite quickly, but you are also at a risk of losing muscle mass. She said when you lose lean mass, your metabolism actually drops, so you lose weight less quickly. She recommended exercise and strength training to keep from losing muscle mass. She also recommended 70-80 grams of protein intake per day. Ms. Bonci said that protein needs to be a part of every single plate and not just eaten all at one meal.
The fifth question was how to control problem snacking. Ms. Bonci suggested making a snack a mini-meal, where you have more than one thing on the plate that would require a utensil as it would help slow you down. She said it will help one feel fuller and do less of the mindless munching. Dr. Oz said he loved the idea and to get rid of the snacks and just eat a small meal.
Why do we crave sugar so much was the sixth quesiton. Ms. Bonci said we crave sugar because it gives up pleasure, but most of the time we don’t think about the amount we are eating. Dr. Oz suggested what works for him which is having a few pieces of a candy treat and then drinking a glass of water to wash the sugary taste from your mouth. He believes the taste just makes you want to eat more.
The seventh question concerned why it’s so hard to lose weight after menopause. Dr. Youdim said that this is a common problem and women often need to boost their exercise levels and decrease the amount or types of food they eat after menopause. Ms. Bonci suggested using an 8″ plate and having foods that involve more chewing, with the largest portion being vegetables, a smaller portion of lean protein and the smallest portion being whole grains. She said one need to have protein in the morning and with every meal each day. Dr. Oz mentioned that breakfast needs to be eaten within the first hour of waking in the morning.
Dr. Oz said the tenth question, how to lose belly fat was the biggest one of all. Dr. Minaya said it is normal to develop a fat pack during pregnancy and that there is all the time in the world to lose it. She said the emotional part of being a new mother can also increase fat around the stomach, buttocks and thighs due to an increase in cortisol. She said that an increase in stress causes an increase in weight throughout your life.
Dr. Oz explained that organ fat or visceral fat that forms around the organs causes high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis. Dr. Youdim said a good rule of thumb to help reduce belly fat is 30 minutes of exercise 5 times per week and lowering caloric intake.
Dr. Oz demonstrated 2 simple exercise that he said can help and even be done during commercials. Getting on his hands and knees on the floor, he called them the cat and dog poses. For the cat pose, he said to lift your stomach up and suck your belly button towards your spine while holding your head down, and then to hold the pose for a breath of 4, then relax and raise your head back up for a count of 4. He said if it was too easy, to do it with your knees raised slightly off the floor.
The dog pose was the same, except for adding a wag to the tail. The tail wag consisted of raising one foot while leaving your foot on the ground, and turning your head toward your foot and then repeating it with the other foot and turning your head to look at the other side. He said to do that for 30 seconds on each side. Dr. Oz said to do the cat and dog exercises together for a nice little workout in 2-3 minute increments.
The eleventh question was about what foods contribute to belly fat and what foods reduce belly fat. Ms. Bonci said the first thing one needs to do is think about the beverages they drink as a source of calories. She also said there are a lot of calories and alcohol and that it makes you hungry. She also said eating sugar makes you want to eat more.
She said to have plenty of colors on the plate and add more fiber to the diet, have lean meats and low-fat dairy and to even add beans. She also said to add good fats, but not a whole bag of almonds, just a few at a time.
Dr. Oz said to avoid packaged foods, partially hydrogenated oils and enriched flour. To reduce belly fat, he said to eat more avocados, whole grains and to drink green tea as they help burn fat. Dr. Oz said if you don’t like them the way they are to spice them up so you will. He said if you don’t like it, you won’t eat it."
So it seems Dr. Oz caught a little of the gospel of Dr. Peter Adamo.
This also explains why the so-called "Paleo diet" isn't working for my husband! Apparently, the Paleo diet works best for Type O and B bloods, according to Dr. Adamo's works. Some cavemen are older than others, I guess, as far as genotype is concerned.
"Today in an attempt to help people lose excess weight once and for all, the Dr. Oz Show was all about getting the most common weight loss questions answered in Dr. Oz’s “Your Toughest Weight Loss Questions” segment of the show. To help answer questions, Dr. Oz invited Dr. Adrienne Youdim of Cedars-Sinal Weight Loss Center, Registered Dietitian Leslie Bonci, and Dr. Evelyn Minaya to the show.
The first topic was whether or not there was anything to the Blood Type Diet. Dr. Oz explained that type “O” blood is the most common and the oldest blood type. He said the thought is that since it’s the oldest blood type, people with type “O” blood should eat the oldest foods which mainly consist of protein including poultry, lean meat and fish. Although Dr. Oz didn’t mention them, there were also greens on the sample plates along with the protein. Since we had no agriculture and no grains to eat in early history, grains should be very limited in the diet.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim of Cedars-Sinal Weight Loss Center said there is no evidence that your blood type affects your compatibility with foods or your ability to lose weight. She said while there is nothing actually wrong with the diet, she considered it too restrictive.
Dr. Oz went on the explain that Type A blood type was an agrarian blood type, meaning that one would need to eat a diet consisting of mainly soy protein, grains and organic vegetables.
He said people with Type B blood were descended from Nomadic peoples and would need to eat a diet of low-fat dairy and to avoid wheat and lentils. Leslie Bonci said that with the availability of foods we now have, she believes that people have to find something they can stick with.
Dr. Oz said that it might make sense that our ancestors diets are better for us, but we can’t prove it. He suggested eating lean protein, lots of vegetables, whole grain and low-fat dairy to take one naturally in the right direction for weight loss.
The second question was how to stop emotional eating. Ms. Bonci suggested we still eat what comforts us but to think about the quantity we intake for damage control. She also said to pick one type of food, whether it be salty, spicy or crunchy and only eating it when we feel the need for emotional eating.
The third question was how many calories do you need to eat in a day to lose weight. Dr. Oz said it is a question he hears all the time. Dr. Youdim said it essentially depends on your metabolism, height and weight. She said for women that generally means a calorie intake of 1200 or possibly up to 1600 calories a day.
Dr. Oz said that www.doctoroz.com has a calorie calculator as part of the “Move it and Lose It” one can use to calculate how many calories they should be eating while trying to diet.
How can one lose fat without losing muscle was the fourth question. Dr. Youdim said the often fad diets have you lose weight quite quickly, but you are also at a risk of losing muscle mass. She said when you lose lean mass, your metabolism actually drops, so you lose weight less quickly. She recommended exercise and strength training to keep from losing muscle mass. She also recommended 70-80 grams of protein intake per day. Ms. Bonci said that protein needs to be a part of every single plate and not just eaten all at one meal.
The fifth question was how to control problem snacking. Ms. Bonci suggested making a snack a mini-meal, where you have more than one thing on the plate that would require a utensil as it would help slow you down. She said it will help one feel fuller and do less of the mindless munching. Dr. Oz said he loved the idea and to get rid of the snacks and just eat a small meal.
Why do we crave sugar so much was the sixth quesiton. Ms. Bonci said we crave sugar because it gives up pleasure, but most of the time we don’t think about the amount we are eating. Dr. Oz suggested what works for him which is having a few pieces of a candy treat and then drinking a glass of water to wash the sugary taste from your mouth. He believes the taste just makes you want to eat more.
The seventh question concerned why it’s so hard to lose weight after menopause. Dr. Youdim said that this is a common problem and women often need to boost their exercise levels and decrease the amount or types of food they eat after menopause. Ms. Bonci suggested using an 8″ plate and having foods that involve more chewing, with the largest portion being vegetables, a smaller portion of lean protein and the smallest portion being whole grains. She said one need to have protein in the morning and with every meal each day. Dr. Oz mentioned that breakfast needs to be eaten within the first hour of waking in the morning.
Dr. Oz said the tenth question, how to lose belly fat was the biggest one of all. Dr. Minaya said it is normal to develop a fat pack during pregnancy and that there is all the time in the world to lose it. She said the emotional part of being a new mother can also increase fat around the stomach, buttocks and thighs due to an increase in cortisol. She said that an increase in stress causes an increase in weight throughout your life.
Dr. Oz explained that organ fat or visceral fat that forms around the organs causes high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis. Dr. Youdim said a good rule of thumb to help reduce belly fat is 30 minutes of exercise 5 times per week and lowering caloric intake.
Dr. Oz demonstrated 2 simple exercise that he said can help and even be done during commercials. Getting on his hands and knees on the floor, he called them the cat and dog poses. For the cat pose, he said to lift your stomach up and suck your belly button towards your spine while holding your head down, and then to hold the pose for a breath of 4, then relax and raise your head back up for a count of 4. He said if it was too easy, to do it with your knees raised slightly off the floor.
The dog pose was the same, except for adding a wag to the tail. The tail wag consisted of raising one foot while leaving your foot on the ground, and turning your head toward your foot and then repeating it with the other foot and turning your head to look at the other side. He said to do that for 30 seconds on each side. Dr. Oz said to do the cat and dog exercises together for a nice little workout in 2-3 minute increments.
The eleventh question was about what foods contribute to belly fat and what foods reduce belly fat. Ms. Bonci said the first thing one needs to do is think about the beverages they drink as a source of calories. She also said there are a lot of calories and alcohol and that it makes you hungry. She also said eating sugar makes you want to eat more.
She said to have plenty of colors on the plate and add more fiber to the diet, have lean meats and low-fat dairy and to even add beans. She also said to add good fats, but not a whole bag of almonds, just a few at a time.
Dr. Oz said to avoid packaged foods, partially hydrogenated oils and enriched flour. To reduce belly fat, he said to eat more avocados, whole grains and to drink green tea as they help burn fat. Dr. Oz said if you don’t like them the way they are to spice them up so you will. He said if you don’t like it, you won’t eat it."
This also explains why the so-called "Paleo diet" isn't working for my husband! Apparently, the Paleo diet works best for Type O and B bloods, according to Dr. Adamo's works. Some cavemen are older than others, I guess, as far as genotype is concerned.
Harvard Professor Underlines Brain's Need for Physical Activity
From the Daily Emerald (OR).
"The Healthy Campus Initiative — a recent push to make the University eat healthier, exercise more and stop smoking — may now be heading in a new direction, focusing on the direct connection between brain and body activity.
This new angle has been largely influenced by Harvard University Medical School professor John Ratey, who spoke Friday to a packed room in Columbia 150 about the relation between exercise, nutrition, brain function and education throughout the human life . Ratey is an assistant clinical professor at Harvard and has authored or co-authored eight books about mental conditions — most notably attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
A common theme during Ratey's lecture was an emphasis on the importance of physical activity as play.
"It's built in … something we need to do; we need to play," Ratey said. "We're moving out recess and P.E. and ignoring essential components of letting learners be better learners. ... the best recess was the one with the least equipment. That speaks to what play is."
But the backbone of Ratey's lecture was about the research he has done into the direct effects of exercise on thought.
"The question people always want to ask is, ‘What's the minimum I can do?'" Ratey said, spurring laughter from the crowd. "The pre-frontal cortex is sleepy in people with ADD. This is the part that's always turned on by exercise. Brain volume increases with exercise."
Paul van Donkelaar, a University associate professor of neuroscience, was among those who worked to bring Ratey to campus. Van Donkelaar said he'll be working with others at the University in a roundtable format to find a clearer direction for the Healthy Campus Initiative.
"Where do we go from here?" van Donkelaar suggested as a question the Initiative will try to answer. "Hopefully, we'll create some actions to move forward from here."
Lou Radja, an international speaker and Portland State University alumnus, gave a short introduction detailing his work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, giving an example of improving the health of a community. After the lecture, Radja offered a message similar to van Donkelaar's about how the knowledge Ratey has shared with the audience should now be put to good use.
"Oh, it was great; I was anxious to listen to (Ratey)," Radja said of the lecturer after he had finished. "I thought it was a healthy dose of both knowledge and action … I am hopeful people can act. Faith without action is dead."
Anne Summers, founder and director of Healthy In Oregon, a statewide community health advocacy group, had a direct connection with Ratey and was able to encourage his and Radja's participation.
Toward the end, Ratey opened the floor to a short question-and-answer period, and one of the last questions came from Eugene 4J physical education teacher Rachel Farkas.
Farkas said afterward she would like the opportunity to learn more about the community-wellness efforts. She thought an effective option would be to see more University students helping in the local schools.
"We need to know more about it," Farkas said. "I think it would be great to have college students on campuses … our kids need more role models."
Ratey said he thought the event was well-organized and was impressed by the campus and community attendance, despite it landing on a Friday night.
"A standing ovation is always nice to get," Ratey said. "I think (Healthy Campus Initiative) is a great idea — to put health in the minds of all students and faculty."
Loss of brain volume is also an indicator of mental decline and the onset of Alzheimer's. Apparently, exercise helps combat Alzheimer's.
I saw a show on TV last night about autism (PBS), and the more I watched, the more I got the idea that all these brain diseases (ADD/ADHD, autism, Alzheimer's, etc.) may be related. I also get the feeling that they're all tied together by brain malnutrition, lack of exercise (causing possible circulatory/respiratory problems-- not enough air and/or blood), and too much of the wrong kinds of sugar (some prenatally from Mom, some built up over a lifetime of abuse, and some abuse built up over generations and handed down genetically).
I guess you could call these diseases "obesity of the mind." I may be wrong (I am no scientist), but my inner voice tells me this is what's happening.
Is there currently any special diet for autism, ADD/ADHD, or Alzheimer's, other than the "protein-rotation" I found on the web? Nope. Maybe there ought to be one, instead of getting hysterical about vaccines!
Gout, osetoporosis, and diabetes are all tied together by sugars and how they turn the blood acidic. Our bodies rob our bones trying to neutralize it all. Cut the sugar, neutralize what goes in with alkaline foods, and the health problems are solved without new and fancy drugs, like Uloric.
"The Healthy Campus Initiative — a recent push to make the University eat healthier, exercise more and stop smoking — may now be heading in a new direction, focusing on the direct connection between brain and body activity.
This new angle has been largely influenced by Harvard University Medical School professor John Ratey, who spoke Friday to a packed room in Columbia 150 about the relation between exercise, nutrition, brain function and education throughout the human life . Ratey is an assistant clinical professor at Harvard and has authored or co-authored eight books about mental conditions — most notably attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
"It's built in … something we need to do; we need to play," Ratey said. "We're moving out recess and P.E. and ignoring essential components of letting learners be better learners. ... the best recess was the one with the least equipment. That speaks to what play is."
But the backbone of Ratey's lecture was about the research he has done into the direct effects of exercise on thought.
"The question people always want to ask is, ‘What's the minimum I can do?'" Ratey said, spurring laughter from the crowd. "The pre-frontal cortex is sleepy in people with ADD. This is the part that's always turned on by exercise. Brain volume increases with exercise."
Paul van Donkelaar, a University associate professor of neuroscience, was among those who worked to bring Ratey to campus. Van Donkelaar said he'll be working with others at the University in a roundtable format to find a clearer direction for the Healthy Campus Initiative.
"Where do we go from here?" van Donkelaar suggested as a question the Initiative will try to answer. "Hopefully, we'll create some actions to move forward from here."
"Oh, it was great; I was anxious to listen to (Ratey)," Radja said of the lecturer after he had finished. "I thought it was a healthy dose of both knowledge and action … I am hopeful people can act. Faith without action is dead."
Anne Summers, founder and director of Healthy In Oregon, a statewide community health advocacy group, had a direct connection with Ratey and was able to encourage his and Radja's participation.
Toward the end, Ratey opened the floor to a short question-and-answer period, and one of the last questions came from Eugene 4J physical education teacher Rachel Farkas.
Farkas said afterward she would like the opportunity to learn more about the community-wellness efforts. She thought an effective option would be to see more University students helping in the local schools.
Ratey said he thought the event was well-organized and was impressed by the campus and community attendance, despite it landing on a Friday night.
"A standing ovation is always nice to get," Ratey said. "I think (Healthy Campus Initiative) is a great idea — to put health in the minds of all students and faculty."
Loss of brain volume is also an indicator of mental decline and the onset of Alzheimer's. Apparently, exercise helps combat Alzheimer's.
I saw a show on TV last night about autism (PBS), and the more I watched, the more I got the idea that all these brain diseases (ADD/ADHD, autism, Alzheimer's, etc.) may be related. I also get the feeling that they're all tied together by brain malnutrition, lack of exercise (causing possible circulatory/respiratory problems-- not enough air and/or blood), and too much of the wrong kinds of sugar (some prenatally from Mom, some built up over a lifetime of abuse, and some abuse built up over generations and handed down genetically).
I guess you could call these diseases "obesity of the mind." I may be wrong (I am no scientist), but my inner voice tells me this is what's happening.
Is there currently any special diet for autism, ADD/ADHD, or Alzheimer's, other than the "protein-rotation" I found on the web? Nope. Maybe there ought to be one, instead of getting hysterical about vaccines!
Gout, osetoporosis, and diabetes are all tied together by sugars and how they turn the blood acidic. Our bodies rob our bones trying to neutralize it all. Cut the sugar, neutralize what goes in with alkaline foods, and the health problems are solved without new and fancy drugs, like Uloric.
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