Posts Tagged ‘diet’
The past year hasn’t been kind for diet soda, with multiple studies associating it with everything from an increased risk of heart attack and stroke to weight gain.
Two of these studies, presented earlier this year at the American Diabetes Association, link drinking diet soda with a wider waistline, and associate aspartame (found in many diet drinks) with unhealthy increases in blood sugar.
Another study by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, recently reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, suggests that drinking diet soda every day might actually increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Study researcher Helen P. Hezuda, Ph.D. warns, “Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised.”
In the study linking diet soda with a bigger waistline, it was found that diet soda drinkers’ waistlines increased 70% more than non-diet soda drinkers over the course of the 9.5-year study. Additionally, those who drank two or more diet sodas daily had an average waist circumference nearly 500% larger than participants who didn’t drink any diet soda
The University of Miami study followed 2,600 adults for ten years, ultimately finding that those who drank diet soda every day were 44% more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke than non-diet soda drinkers.
University of Miami lead researcher Hannah Gardener cautions, “What we saw was an association. These people may tend to have more unhealthy habits.” Although, admittedly, she and her colleagues did try to account for those factors in the study.
When it comes to diet sodas and soft drinks, Helen P. Hezuda, Ph.D. sums it up nicely: “They may be free of calories but not of consequences.”
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Seems simple: eat less, exercise more. We all know it by heart. So why can’t we do it?
Commitment isn’t just important, it’s essential. But it’s only the beginning. The key to successful dieting is bridging the gap between what you want to do and actually doing it. The desire is there – you just need a plan.
Strategy #1: Be very specific
Do not make vague goals like “I want to lose weight”. You are setting yourself up to fail. Motivation happens when your brain detects a difference between where you are and where you want to be.
When you are specific about your goal (I want to lose 15 pounds), that difference is clear, and your brain starts throwing resources (attention, memory, effort, willpower) at the problem.
Here is an example of a clear target: “I want to weigh 125 pounds. I weigh 145 now, so that’s a difference of 20 pounds.”
Being specific gives you clarity because you’ve spelled out exactly what success looks like. That means more motivation and increased odds for success.
Strategy #2: Create an “OK-to-eat” plan
Faced with unexpected temptations like the dessert menu or the catered work lunch we end up eating things that sabotage our weight-loss goals.
The best way to guarantee you make the right choices is to create an “execution” plan.
For example:
“If the dessert menu arrives, I’ll order coffee.”
“If I am at a business lunch, I’ll have a salad.”
Studies suggest that coming up with safe-to-eat plans make you two to three times more likely to reach your diet goals.
Strategy #3: Track your success
Monitor your progress. Be clear about the gap between where you want to go and where you are now. Keep getting on that scale; mark the days you exercise on a calendar.
When you think about the progress you’ve made, stay focused on how far you have to go, rather than how far you’ve come. If you want to drop 20 pounds, and you’ve lost 5 so far, keep your thoughts on the 15 that remain.
When we dwell too much on how much progress we’ve made, it’s easy to feel a premature sense of accomplishment and start to slack off.
Strategy #4: Be a realistic optimist
Losing weight isn’t easy. It turns out that it’s important to accept this. Believing you will succeed is key, but believing you will succeed easily (what I call “unrealistic optimism”) is a recipe for failure. Take it from the women, all obese, who enrolled in a weight-loss program in one study.
Those who thought they could lose weight easily lost 24 pounds less than those who knew it would be hard. The successful dieters put in more effort, planned in advance how to deal with problems, and persisted when it became difficult. So don’t try to tamp down your worries, they can help prepare you for shape-up challenges.
Strategy #5: Strengthen your willpower
The capacity for self-control is like a muscle: It varies in strength from person to person and moment to moment. Just as your biceps can feel like jelly after a workout, your willpower “muscle” gets tired when you overtax it.
To strengthen it, pick any activity that requires you to override an impulse (such as sitting up straight when your impulse is to slouch), and add that to your daily routine. And take baby steps. Instead of going junk-free overnight, begin by eliminating, say, those chips you eat by the bag, and substitute them with a fruit or vegetable.
Hang in there, and sticking to your diet will become easier because your capacity for self-control will grow.
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The last thing we need is another excuse for not getting up for that early morning workout or having another scoop of ice cream. But recent research shows that people you eat with may have a subtle yet powerful influence on our eating habits. This may lead us to overeat especially if you are eating with someone new in your life, for example, a loved one or business associates or clients.
In a study published in the journal PLoS One, Dutch researchers invited 70 pairs of women to dine together in a lab set up to look like a restaurant. The women, they found, tended to take bites of food at roughly the same time and mimic each other’s overall eating behavior.
This mirroring was three times more common at the beginning of the meal than at the end, however, which suggests that the women, who were strangers, may have been trying to make a favorable impression on each other.
The findings help explain previous studies showing that people tend to adjust their food intake to match that of their eating companions, and tend to eat more with others than when dining alone.
“This demonstrates the power of social influence over food intake,” says lead author Roel Hermans, a doctoral candidate in developmental psychopathology at Radboud University Nijmegen.
Although Hermans and his colleagues can’t say for sure that the study participants were matching bites in order to win each other over, past research suggests that people use this type of imitation when they’re trying to get others to like them.
This may actually be a sensible strategy, since at least one study has found that people aren’t as well-liked by their dining partners if they eat conspicuously small amounts of food.
“It’s important that people become aware of these factors,” Hermans adds. “As long as such important influences on intake are not wholeheartedly acknowledged, it will be difficult to make healthy food choices and maintain a healthy diet, especially in eating contexts in which people are often exposed to the eating behavior of others.”
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If so, you are not alone. Experts say that 1 in 133 Americans have actually been diagnosed as gluten intolerant, however many more may have gluten sensitivity and not even know it. While gluten sensitivity might cause some uncomfortable symptoms, actual gluten intolerance must be managed with a strict gluten-free diet, or it could turn into Celiac Disease.
What is Gluten?
Gluten belongs to a class of proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other grains. Gluten is very sticky, like glue. For those who have sensitivities, this “glue” or gluten causes an immune reaction in the small intestine and damages the villi or inner surface of the small intestine. This impairs a person’s ability to absorb vital nutrients, resulting in vitamin and mineral deficiencies that deprive the brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment.
What are the Symptoms of Sensitivity or Intolerance?
There are a variety of symptoms that may indicate a gluten intolerance, including:
- nausea
- diarrhea
- abdominal swelling
- large and frequently foul-smelling stools
- weight loss
- anemia
- skin rashes
- mouth sores
- muscle cramps
- joint or bone pain
- dental problems
- general weakness or fatigue
- irritability or depression
Can Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity be Cured?
There are no treatments that fully cure this condition; however, it can be effectively managed by diet. Eat nothing that contains gluten. Also, avoid an over consumption of sugar and keep away from dairy products. Read the labels carefully. A great variety of gluten-free food products are now available in health food stores and supermarkets.
What Should I Eat if I’m Sensitive or Intolerant to Gluten?
If you are sensitive or intolerant to gluten, avoid gluten in all its forms (wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats) and be sure to include organic fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as organic legumes (lentils, beans, and peas), corn, rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, nuts and sunflower seeds in your diet.
Why Is Gluten Intolerance So Prevalent Today?
Why is there such an influx in gluten intolerant people today? Some experts blame the problem on genetically modified foods (GMO). Fortunately, non-GMO foods are becoming more available; please read the labels of the food you buy and try to avoid GMO foods.
Additionally, it has been noted that breast fed babies rarely get celiac disease. Usually the first solid foods introduced to babies are cereals. Babies cannot digest cereals, because the enzyme to digest grains is found in the saliva, and chewing is necessary. This can irritate the delicate lining of the small intestine. The lining becomes damaged and loses the ability to absorb essential nutrients.
Many gluten-intolerant/celiac people suffer from malnutrition, which may be responsible for other medical conditions. For example, the inability to digest and absorb vitamins A, D and K may cause bone pain and lower back rib cage pain, because Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium. Anemia is common due to poor absorption f folic acid, iron, vitamin B12 and K.
Herbal Solutions for Gluten Sensitivity and Intolerance
The addition of one or more of the following herbs can support these vitamin/mineral imbalances in a natural way.
- Beet root – provides vitamins A, B, C, folic acid, boron, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphate, potassium.
- Carrot – a great source for beta-carotene, vitamin B, C, D, E, and K, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and traces of other minerals.
- Spinach – provides vitamins A, B-2, B-6 and K, and mineral rich.
- Spirulina – a good source of beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, vitamin K, chlorophyll, ferrous oxide (a broken-down form of iron), chromium, zinc, manganese, cadmium, lithium, copper and protein.
- Chlorella – vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6, B-12, C, E, 60-70% digestible protein, niacin, iron, copper and zinc Alfalfa
- Alfalfa – also good protein source, as well as providing vitamins A, B, B-12, C, Biotin, D, E, K, chlorophyll, lots of iron, copper, zinc, niacin, chromium, cadmium, bismuth (not commonly found in other foods). Alfalfa is known as a plant that has all the nutrients one needs to survive.
- Rosehip – a good source of vitamins A, B-1, B-2,B-3, non-acidic vitamin C and bioflavonoid, E, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc.
We know that the typical American diet — filled with processed food and added sugar — is making us fat. But it’s also making us depressed, according “The Happiness Diet,” a new book that links food to feelings.
