Thursday, December 29, 2011

All About Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms, Potential Treatment and Prevention


A friend recently shared that with me and I wanted to pass it on to you, good reader, because it is everything I believe an internet meme should be: Funny, a little sad and very informative. On to more serious things.

Diabetes is, indeed, an increasingly widespread problem. According to the American Diabetes Association, as of January 26 2011,  25.8 million Americans have diabetes and the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2007 was a whopping $174 billion. Surely, something must be done. So what can you do to prevent becoming another notch in diabetes belt? Read on.

What Causes Diabetes?
Diabetes comes in two flavors: Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which your body no longer creates its own insulin, a hormone produced in the fantastically named islets of Langerhans of the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. This is sometimes called "insulin dependent" diabetes because people with this form of diabetes must take daily insulin injections to survive. The exact causes of type 1 diabetes is not completely clear but it may be effected by genetic and/or environmental factors. It is also theorized that a specific virus could cause the immune system to attack the pancreatic cells responsible for insulin production.

Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the condition. It can be a case of either insulin resistance, meaning that the body cannot make use of the insulin that it produces, or an insufficient production of insulin. Again, the exact mechanism behind type 2 diabetes isn't totally understood but genetics and lifestyle are definitely involved. The condition is much more prevalent among obese, sedentary individuals.

There is no known cure for either form of diabetes but both conditions can be controlled. Type 2 diabetes is preventable.

Symptoms
Unfortunately, some of the symptoms of diabetes seem so harmless that the disease often goes undiagnosed. The American Diabetes Association lists the following symptoms:

Type 1 Diabetes

  • Frequent urination
  • Unusual thirst
  • Extreme hunger
  • Unusual weight loss
  • Extreme fatigue and Irritability

Type 2 Diabetes

  • Any of the type 1 symptoms
  • Frequent infections
  • Blurred vision
  • Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
  • Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
  • Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
 They also warn that type 2 diabetes can even display no symptoms. There are many other complications that can arise when diabetes goes undiagnosed so if you feel that you show the above symptoms, please see your doctor. The list of complications can be found here.

Potential Treatment and Prevention
Controlling blood sugar levels is key to controlling both forms of diabetes and, unfortunately, there is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes. There is much that can be done for type 2 diabetes, however.

Ben Franklin said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Granted, he was speaking about fire fighting, but the principal also applies to diabetes.

An interesting series of new studies hints that green tea may be able to add "anti-diabetic" to its ever growing and somewhat ridiculous list of benefits. Of particular interest is a 2004 study published in the British Medical Journal of Pharmacology which found that green tea consumption helped to control blood sugar in humans. 

But the number one way to prevent type 2 diabetes is... diet and exercise! Obesity plays a huge role in type 2 diabetes so losing and controlling your weight is one of the most effective steps you an take. This has been demonstrated by Dr. Osama Hamdy of the Joslin Diabetes Center with his Why WAIT program. The program includes a balanced diet, exercise and guidance from a team of cross-disciplinary health professionals. Participants in his program have experienced enormous improvements in their diabetes-related complications and have been able to control there blood sugar levels. It is also a well established fact that exercise increases the body's sensitivity to insulin.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Fat Loss Zone: Is it Possible to Workout Too Hard? Can You Burn Muscle?

I recently experienced a small victory in my budding career as a blogger: I had my first spam comment. The comment was promoting a specialized workout program that made use of the so-called "fat loss zone" and stated that many people are actually working out too hard and that your exercising could be counterproductive. I had heard this theory before. Indeed, if you've ever used a treadmill, you've probably been exposed to it in the form of those little "heart rate zone" charts. But I have never experienced it myself, even when training for a race and knew little of the science behind it. So I decided to investigate.

What is the Fat Loss Zone?
The fat loss zone refers to a range of heart rate achieved during low-intensity cardiovascular exercise that supposedly helps you burn fat more efficiently. Proponents go even further and state that if you workout too hard, bringing your heart rate above this zone, your body will start to burn muscle for fuel.

Is it True?
To a point, yes. It is true in that the fat loss zone exists. It is false,however, in that it has been misinterpreted. Despite what people say, the body does not burn a higher amount of fat in this zone but it burns a higher percentage of fat. Your body is constantly using a blend of fat and carbohydrates as fuel in varying amounts depending on its immediate demands. According to the endurance sports experts over at Active.com "At lower intensities the body may burn 50 percent of the calories from fat, while at higher intensities it may only burn 35 percent. But at higher intensities you burn way more total calories—and more fat calories overall—than you do at lower intensities." 

Does the Body Burn Muscle for Fuel at High-Intensities?
No. The only time your body turns on muscle reserves for fuel is during crash or starvation diets. Muscle is very important to literally everything you do and your body doesn't want to give it up. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tested the effect of exercise intensity on both muscle and fat loss and found no correlation.

Is it Possible to Workout Too Hard?
Of course it is. But not because it makes you lose muscle. It's possible to workout too hard because you can hurt yourself through overuse and other injuries. Consult your doctor or other healthcare provider before beginning any exercise routine and listen to your body while figuring out which intensity works for you.

Bodybuilding legend and prolific writer Clarence Bass wrote an excellent and well-researched article on this topic that I highly recommend if you would like more information.

 

Friday, December 9, 2011

Healthy Canned Tuna Recipe

Canned tuna is a staple of the bodybuilder or high-protein dieter. Or, at least, it should be. Tuna is convenient and an excellent source of lean protein. A single can of tuna has about 41g of protein and only 5g of fat and no carbohydrates.

To put this in perspective, active men need somewhere around .45g of protein per pound of body weight. This means that a 180 pound man should have about 80g of protein daily. So a single can of tuna can give you over half of your daily protein intake.(The recommended protein intake for women varies wildly from source to source but the FDA recommends around 40g per day for the average women. Fitsugar has this handy chart.)

But canned tuna can be extraordinarily bland. And since it is a fantastic post-workout meal, many times people eat it plain, out of the can. Which is sad.

So the following is my solution for a delicious, easy tuna meal. Feel free to adjust the sauces and seasonings to taste.
Tuna Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
  • Head of cabbage
  • 2 cans of tuna
  • Cup of rice
  • 2 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  • Garlic powder, to taste
  • Ground ginger, to taste
  • Cilantro, to taste
Set the rice boiling. Standard jasmine rice works but sweet rice is better. You can make your jasmine rice a little sweeter and stickier by soaking it for about 30 minutes in cold water and then scrubbing it. Boil it in the glutenous water. Boil the rice for 20 minutes or until the rice is soft and the water has steamed out.

While the rice is boiling, peel off the largest cabbage leaves. You may need to cut out the thickest part of the stems because you need the leaves to be flexible.

The rice should still be boiling so you have time to jazz up that tuna. Empty the tuna into a bowl and add the soy, teriyaki, garlic, cilantro and ginger. Mix it thoroughly.

Once the rice is done, scoop some into a cabbage leaf, toss on some tuna and enjoy. Alternatively, since the procedure of making the rolls might be too time consuming, you can put the rice and tuna in a bowl. Shred the cabbage on top.

This little meal is high in protein and fiber so it should fill you up pretty thoroughly and give you what you need for a full muscle recovery.

There are many things you can do with a humble can of tuna, but this is one of my favorites.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Acne: Causes, Myths and Remedies

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 85 percent of people will have acne at some point in their lives. It's not surprising then that people spend enormous amounts of money each year on all sorts of gizmos and cremes and pads to cure their acne. Let's look at what causes acne, what doesn't cause acne and things you can do at home.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and the following is no replacement for the advice of a dermatologist. I do not endorse any acne treatment and do not take responsibly for any potential side effects of these remedies.

 Cause(s) of Acne
Acne is a complex occurrence that can have any number of causes. However, there are three main factors are responsible for the most common forms of acne.

Your skin is covered in pilosebaceous units which consist of a hair, a hair follicle and a sebaceous gland. Also coating the skin is a generally harmless bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes. The sebaceous gland produces an oily substance called sebum that the bacteria feeds on. When sebum produce spikes, such as during periods of abnormal hormone levels like puberty, conditions are ripe for a bacterial population boom. The increase in bacteria gets the immune system all riled up and white blood cells rush to the pilosebaceous unit to killed the excess bacteria. In the ensuing micro-brawl, the enzymes used by the white blood cells cause an inflammation of the follicle.

Another common cause, leads to an interesting and life-changingly gross fact: The visible layer of your skin is just a collection of dead skin cells, fat and sebum. Excess sebum can mix the dead skin cells and make a sort of plug. Under this plug, the bacteria go nuts.

Myths
There are a few things people have given credit with causing acne. Namely, these are greasy foods, chocolate and dirty skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, none of these things causes acne. 

Home Remedies
There most simple option is often the best: Wash your skin with a gentle cleanser. Avoid products such as scrubs and astringents which can irritate the skin and make matters worse. For over-the-counter products look for cleansers and creams with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as the active ingredient. There are also several alternative "natural" options for acne treatment.
  1. Tea Tree Oil - There is evidence that this oil may be as effective as benzoyl peroxide. Tea tree oil tends to work more slowly, however, and has an interesting list of possible side effects including contact allergies and possible breast growth in young boys. This product should not be used by people with acne rosacea.
  2. Eucalyptus Oil - This natural oil contains chemicals called flavonoids and chalconoids both of which have antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The effectiveness of eucalyptus oil against common acne was demonstrated in a 2004 study in "Letters in Microbiology." Allergies to eucalyptus oil are possible and severe, especially in children. Topical exposure to the oil has caused slurred speech and unconsciousness.
  3. Cucumbers - The common cucumber is chock full of various vitamins and minerals that contribute to skin health including vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. A 2010 study in the "African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology" found that skincare products that contain cucumber are more effective than those that do not. However, the study did not test cucumbers on their own so more research is needed.
There are, of course, many other products that may help with acne. The important things to look for an a soothing, anti-inflammatory cleanser.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Coffee: Calories, Nutrition and Add-ons

Coffee is a marvelous discovery. And Americans love their coffee, drinking about 400 millions cups of the stuff every day. But we aren't satisfied with just coffee. We add milk, cream, half & half, soy milk, sugar, syrups and all sorts of other nonsense to it to the point that its own mother wouldn't recognize it.

So this begs a few questions: How many calories are in coffee? Is coffee good for you? What about all the accessories?

 According to the USDA, a 6 oz. cup of black coffee has a measly 2 calories.

Whether or not coffee is good for you is largely dependent on you. Coffee is famous, of course, for it's caffeine content but it has so much more to offer. The complex combination of hundreds of compounds contained in coffee means that it can produce many different outcomes when used by different people with different health conditions. The Harvard School of Public Health reports that research suggests coffee may be beneficial for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's Disease, liver cancer, cirrhosis and heart disease.

Fun Fact
Coffee beans contain a chemical called 
cafestol which can greatly 
increase your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. 
Brewing coffee through a paper filter reduces
the amount of cafestol
that gets transferred to your cup. 

So, what about the add-ons? 

I made you a gift. It's a chart.

Coffee Nutrition




One More Fact
Cinnamon makes a delicious addition 
to your coffee without
adding calories or anything else.
and lower blood pressure.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Big World Network: A House Divided

Now it's time for a little unrelated, shameless self-promotion.

This coming Wednesday, November 9th, Big World Network will officially launch at www.bigworldnetwork.com/. I am incredibly excited about this website. Big World Network will provide free serialized novels which means that every week a new "episode" of the story will be released, very similar to how TV shows work. The series will be available in both audio and e-book formats through iTunes (as podcasts) and Amazon.

And my science-fiction story "A House Divided" will be among the series featured. For more information about the story and an interview with yours truly click on over to My Sweet Wolf.

So check out Big World Network on Wednesday, November 9th!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Cold Home Remedies Review

Fight it though we may, cold season is upon us. And with it comes the hoard of old wives' tales, folk remedies and herbal treatments that have developed by just about every culture that has ever faced the sniffles. Some of them are interesting and quite useful, some of them... aren't.

Disclaimer: The following is not intended to replace medical advice from a qualified doctor. The information provided represents the research surrounding various folk remedies. Herbs can have powerful and potentially dangerous interactions with other treatments and should only be taken under the direction of a qualified health care professional. Consult your doctor if you are sick.

Without further ado and in no particular order:

Echinacea
This native American herb is probably on of the most popular for preventing and treating the cold and other upper respiratory problems. Studies suggest, but do not prove, that the plant chemicals found within echinacea may support immune function, reduce inflammation, reduce pain, support hormone balance, kill viruses and have antioxidant effects.  By far, the most popular use of echinacea is to prevent and treat the common cold. And its effectiveness at that is up for debate.

It is incredibly hard to prove or disprove prevention. For example: I have had this computer, upon which I type these very words, for about 4 years now. In that time, I have never been mauled by a bear. Therefore, my computer must prevent bear attacks. And you can never convince me otherwise.

The same logic can be applied to the claim that echinacea shortens the duration of the cold. How do you know how long the cold was planning to stay?

Several studies have shown that drinking echinacea tea can help to reduce the severity of cold symptoms, but several others disagree. An analysis of the entire body of research published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded this way "Echinacea preparations tested in clinical trials differ greatly. There is some evidence that preparations based on the aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea might be effective for the early treatment of colds in adults but results are not fully consistent. Beneficial effects of other Echinacea preparations, and for preventative purposes might exist but have not been shown in independently replicated, rigorous randomized trials."

Translation: It might work, it might not.

Zinc
Zinc has been included in cold remedies for years but the science behind it was always a bit dubious. Until now. A recent review of the research published in the Cochrane Library found that zinc lozenges appear to be beneficial for reducing the symptoms of the cold. But they can also cause nausea so use discretion.

The review did not include zinc-based nasal sprays in the review. These have been known to cause people to lose the ability to smell.

 Vitamin C
This little vitamin has gotten some big press over the years and has been touted as doing just about everything, including cure cancer. But even with all it's rabid supporters,there is no concrete proof that vitamin C prevents or treats the common cold.

Chicken Soup
Everybody knows this one. It's a classic. But it seems as though the ingredients in classic chicken soup have anti-inflammatory effects that can help to sooth the throat and nasal discomfort associated with the common cold. Chicken soup is also full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which promote overall health. And the psychological comfort derived from it shouldn't be overlooked either.

Monday, October 31, 2011

The Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet Plan Review

I never anticipated spending so much time discussing diets in this blog but, as I sort through Google to see what people are curious about, diets are a constantly recurring topic. And it's no wonder, really. Obesity is still on the rise despite the seemingly counteractive rise in diet plans and weight loss solutions. Instead of helping, however, all these conflicting theories and plans and gizmos seem to just be confusing people all the more.  And being told to simply practice a "balanced diet" doesn't appear to help because, well, what is a balanced diet?

In the new, revised release of his book with Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Mahmet Oz (of the Dr. Oz show), details what he calls "The Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet." The diet is also described on his website, in a comprehensive, step-by-step format.

Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet Protocol:
The diet is designed to work on a two week cycle with nine steps.

The first day involves purging your home (and any satellite stashes) of any foods that contain simple sugars and syrups. You are allowed to keep some table sugar, honey and maple sugar for cooking, however. Also doomed by this process are trans fats, saturated fats and any flour that is not 100 percent whole grain or whole wheat. Day one also involves going to shopping to replace all the food you just got rid of and Dr. Oz provides an extremely detailed and complete shopping list. Included in that shopping list is a pedometer to help you reach your new goal of 10,000 steps per day. This number is the number of steps the American Heart Association recommends everyone walk daily and, for the average person comes up to just around 5 miles.

Day two not only introduces the 10,000 steps but also requires to you drop 100 calories from your regular diet.

Days 3 through 7 are about building coping strategies and support systems.

Days 8 through 14 require you to take daily waist measurements and weigh yourself. Keep a journal of the results.

Repeat.

Pros, Cons and Everything in Between
The biggest plus for the Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet is that it is sensible. Cutting only 100 calories a week is easy and, although 10,000 steps sounds daunting, when you consider that it's your total steps for the day as opposed to a single bout it seems more feasible. The emphasis on building a support system from both your doctor and family/friends will help you to stick to the diet and changing harmful eating patterns will contribute to lifestyle change. Which is really what a good diet should be about.

The shopping list is full of healthy, flavorful food with only a few odd ingredients that might require some familiarization with their use and flavor. The shopping list even allows for pizza and wine. If that's not a balanced diet then I don't know what I'm doing with my life.

Unfortunately, the sensibility of the diet may be the reason for drop-out. The recommended weight loss by countless health organization is around 2 pounds per week and this diet is likely to achieve that. But the average dieter wants to lose weight much faster than that.

The plan also makes no recommendations for exercise apart from the 10,000 steps. That goal is great and will contribute to cardiovascular health but to lose a significant amount of weight and get in shape, your exercise routine also needs to be balance. Strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training should all be included.

Overall, the Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet is a healthy weight loss guide that doesn't rely on difficult tactics or "magic bullet" foods. If you decide to give the plan a try, be patient and realistic about your exercise goals. Talk to your doctor about your goals and involve him or her in the process. They can help you monitor vitals such as cholesterol and blood pressure which can be markers of fitness levels and give you encouragement.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Paleo Diet: Review, Side Effects and General Response

Diet ideas come from all over the place. And, as the market becomes increasingly cramped, new theories are formed based on some really strange sources. One emerging view of diet and fitness that is gaining traction is called "evolutionary fitness." The Paleo Diet (A.K.A Paleolithic Diet or Caveman Diet), is based on this evolutionary fitness model and encourages adherents to emulate to the diet habits of humans before the agriculture revolution.

Let's Get This Out of the Way: I should state, from the beginning, that I do not agree with all of the ideas found within Paleo Diet literature regarding our evolutionary history and the dietary preferences of our genes. That does not mean, however, that I discount the diet completely. The following represents my impressions of the diet based on the literature and studies that I have read. I have not tried this diet myself.

Paleolithic Diet Protocol:
There are several books on this diet that present variations on the theme, although the idea is generally attributed to Walter L. Voegtlin who wrote about it during the 1970s. The overall guiding principle of this diet is to only eat foods that would be available to hunter-gatherers. That means wild game, fish, vegetables and nuts with a heavy emphasis on protein. Again, the exact proportions of macronutrients are still up for debate but generally speaking the diet requires lots of protein, less carbs and very little fat. The diet is pretty restrictive. Foods not allowed, according to Diets in Review, include grains, beans, dairy products, sugar, salt, legumes (like peanuts and cashews), flour, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Sweets are allowed in the form of honey but are limited. The only beverages allowed by the Paleo Diet are water, coconut water and green tea. Althought, I'm not sure who came up with the idea of cavemen drinking green tea.

Research and Evidence:
There is an incredible amount of research about this diet, and the vast majority of it is positive. One study, in particular, tested the effects of a paleolithic-type diet when followed for only 10 days. The diet resulted in improvements in blood pressure, glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles. But the subjects did not lose any weight. It should be noted that this study was performed with a very small sample group of only 9 people.


A similar study used a larger group of 20 volunteers, 14 of which actually followed through. This study lasted for 3 weeks. The researchers observed improvements in body composition, weight loss and blood pressure but a significant decrease in the caloric intake and calcium levels.

My 2 Cents:
A high protein, whole foods diet is nothing new and is most definitely beneficial... sometimes. There is an enormous body of evidence to suggest the importance of grains and oats, especially for athletes. But the paleo diet, unlike other high-protein protocols, does allow for carbohydrates from other sources. The restrictive nature of the paleo diet can lead to deficits of certain micronutrients, specifically calcium and vitamin A, so I would recommend  supplements if you plan on attempting this diet.

Sustainability is always a main concern when it comes to diets. And, while there are many advocates of this diet that have been on it for years, restrictive diets are always difficult to maintain. This diet is also touted in innumerable variations and seems to be sort of up for interpretation which can easily lead to confusion.

If you're considering this diet, talk to your doctor or a dietitian.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Home Remedies: Teething

A close friend of mine, who writes the blog My Sweet Wolf, recently wrote a post about the trials she is enduring as her baby boy begins a most dreaded phase: Teething. This inspired me to do some research on things you can do at home to sooth the pain and discomfort associated with this stage of development. Because extensive and obsessive research is my answer to all of life's problems.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as medical advice. I am not a doctor or even a parent. This post simply represents the results of my research. All of my sources are cited throughout. This post, obviously, is no substitute for advice from a real doctor.

First off, it seems that the simplest solution is, again, the best one: Let your baby chew. According to TLC Family, anything that is chewy, non-toxic, clean and not going to choke the baby is fair game. But that's way too general. That article from TLC gives some great solutions for baby-safe teething options. Here are some highlights along with suggestions I found elsewhere:

A frozen banana - Peel a banana and freeze the whole thing. Let your baby gnaw on that. The baby should  love the sweet flavor and the cold will help to sooth his gums.

Chamomile Tea Pops- Chamomile tea has a long history of use in traditional medicine, particularly as a calming herb. A few studies have even shown that chamomile can be effective in calming children with colic and may also help to sooth a teething baby. Make the tea as you normally would and freeze it into ice cubes or pops for your baby. Although the studies showed no adverse side effects from chamomile in infants, it should be noted that an allergy to chamomile is possible.

Cold Carrots- Wash or peel a whole carrot fresh out of the fridge and give that to your baby. Again, the cold will help relieve some of his pain.

A Word About Pain Killers
Children's strength pain relievers, such as Tylenol, can be used but should never be given to a baby more than 3 times in one day. Always consult your doctor before giving your baby any medication. Pain-killers can have serious effects on children and infants if not used properly. Never give your baby aspirin, as this can cause a life-threatening condition called Reye Syndrome.

Numbing gels are also available and can be applied to the babies gum for temporary relief, lasting about 30 to 40 minutes. Again, talk to your doctor before using these products.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

HCG Diet: Protocol, Side Effects and Review

The HCG Diet Protocol is the new kid on the fad diet block. The diet promises rapid weight loss, with reports of more than 50 pounds lost in just over a month, with minimal effort. Those types of claims get my attention.

What is the HCG Diet?
The HCG diet requires that the dieter take supplements of the hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) which are available in a number of forms from any number of companies. This hormone is present in both men and women, but spikes in women during pregnancy. Supporters of the diet claim that HCG helps in weight loss by redistributing fat away from the "trouble spots" like the stomach and butt. They also claim that HCG causes the body to burn fat as it's primary fuel.

But the diet requires much more than just taking hormone drops. The HCG Protocol calls for an extremely restrictive diet plan. For the first two days of taking the hormone, you are required to load up on high fat foods. On the third day, the diet calls for a sudden drop to no more than 500 calories per day. The only foods allowed during this phase are fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meats. After about a month, the diet tells you to stop taking the hormone but maintain the 500 calorie diet for three days. You then enter the maintenance phase which allows you to bring caloric intake up to 1500 per day.

Side Effects, Concerns and General Skepticism 
First, let's talk about the HCG hormone. There is no scientific evidence to prove that this hormone plays any role in weight loss. The most commonly cited study to suggest this action of the hormone was published in 1973 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study, however, involved a small sample group of only 40 women. The study used the same 500 calorie diet as promoted by the HCG diet plan which had apparently already been in use for a few years. However, several studies in the years following found that HCG had no significant effects and no recent evidence exists to support these claims.

But, people are losing weight on this plan. Which is exactly what you would expect to happen when you eat less than half of the calories the average person needs to support healthy biological functions. This type of starvation diet will lead to nutritional deficits and you will have to take a number of supplements to just maintain the bare minimum intake of vitamins and minerals. According to the Mayo Clinic, rapid weight loss may cause gall stones. HCG also has some interesting side effects which include fatigue, irritability, headaches and male breast enlargement.

Due to the highly restrictive, and somewhat dangerous nature of this program, it is not designed to be followed for long periods of time which means that any weight lost is very likely to return. Even the maintenance protocol endorsed by some HCG websites in severe. One website recommends that when you gain more than 3 pounds over your goal weight, you should take a "Steak Day." This involves eating nothing for breakfast and lunch but having a large steak and apple for dinner. 

The main problem with this diet, and most other crash diets, is that it does not encourage any real lifestyle change and does not make an room for exercise. In fact, it's not even recommended that you exercise when following such a restrictive diet because your body will not have the fuel to perform the activity or recover properly.

The HCG diet will, doubtlessly, help you to shed the pounds at incredible rates. But, this is accomplished by essentially starving yourself which is not typically a recommended method of weight loss. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Vegetables and Genetic Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in both men and women in the United States. The sad part is that most of the risk factors can be controlled through proper diet and exercise but our genes has always been considered one of the factors we have no power over.

Well, not anymore!

A new study, published in the journal "PLoS Medicine" challenges the view that we are slaves to our genetic make-up. And it all comes down to, yet again, eating your vegetables.

According to the researchers, the genetic factor responsible for heart disease is small variations in the 9p21 gene. This has been shown in previous studies to increase risk by up to 30% but the exact risk varies from case to case. The PLoS study tested the effects of diet on the expression of this 9p21 gene in 27,000 people from different ethnic backgrounds. The study concluded that people who were at risk from 9p21 but ate a diet rich in raw vegetables, fruits and berries reduced their risk of heart disease to the point that the individual's risk was the same as someone without 9p21 variations.

In other words, a healthy diet effectively blocked the negative effects of the subject's genes.

More research is needed to completely understand the exact mechanism by which this occurs but it does strengthen the constant push towards eating healthy.

Note that the researchers specified the diet must include raw vegetables, fruits and berries. In many cases, cooking will destroy the healthy compounds in foods and, depending on the cooking method, can add all sorts of oils and fats.

I enjoyed the fact that the researchers used the phrase "prudent diet." Prudent involves a type of thought-process that takes into account the future effects of a decision and acts accordingly. So think about your meals and snack, plan them out. Try to avoid impulse eating.

This study provides pretty solid evidence that the food choices you make can drastically effect your cardiovascular health, despite a genetic predisposition.  

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Mustard: Spicy, delicious steriods

Mustard is fantastic stuff, in my opinion. And I'm not just talking about the spicy condiment, although that is a magnificent condiment, vastly superior to bland old ketchup and mayo. The mustard greens, as well, are a highly under-appreciated food. And now I have science on my side.

A new study published in the difficultly named "Journal of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology" or "The FASEB Journal" found that mustard and a few other plants may have some surprising benefits. The plants contain a hormone called homobrassinolide which is a type of brassinosteroid specific to these plants. Brassinosteroids promote cell growth in plants as well as protect the plants from different stressors. This study shows that these homobrassinolides have a similar effect on muscle growth. The response is similar to those achieved through anabolic steroids including increase in both the number and size of muscle fibers.

It's important that no one see this as a magic bullet, however. The amount of mustard you would have to eat to get sufficient amounts of the hormone to experience substantial muscle gains is outrageous. What this study does mean is that mustard could be useful in the treatment of any number of conditions and diseases that cause extreme muscle lose. Much, much more research is necessary before this type of treatment is possible and I do not recommend starting your own regimen of mustard supplementation.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Exercise and Brain Health

In his book "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain," David Eagleman brings up a very interesting point. He mentioned it somewhat in passing but I, as is my way, became obsessed with it. Eagleman mentioned that occasionally when mentally sharp and lucid people die, doctors later find that the deceased brains had all of the physical damage associated with Alzheimer's Disease. These people had not had Alzheimer's. Or at least they had, by staying mentally and physically active, managed to keep the disease from affecting them.

This idea thoroughly fascinated me and that was just compounded when I saw this. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic conducted an analysis in which they reviewed over 1600 research papers and found strong evidence to suggest that exercise has neuroprotective effects. Exercise was shown to improve memory, increase neuroplasticity, prevent dementia and other cognitive impairments. Specifically, these benefits were shown with aerobic exercise.

The researchers used a very broad definition of "aerobic exercise" and included anything that raised the heart rate and increased the body's need for oxygen.

More research is needed on the exact relationship between neurological health and aerobic exercise but you can't go wrong exercising regularly. So now you have just one more reason!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Exercise During Pregnancy: Give Your Baby A Headstart

The benefits to both mother and child of exercising while pregnant are not breaking news. After research showed that when mom exercises it helps to strengthen the fetus' heart, prenatal yoga and the like became a massive industry. But even that was not enough motivation for some mothers. Which is understandable. People who aren't pregnant have a hard time exercising.

But here's a new reason to get out there.

First off, consider these "Youth and Cardiovascular Diseases Statistics" from the American Heart Association. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and teenagers are obese. Obesity, defined as excessive amounts of body fat, is a major contributing factor to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. And more and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which used to be a diagnosis reserved exclusively for people over 40.

So the earlier parents can intervene and begin building a healthy cardiovascular system in their children, the better. "In the womb" is just about as early as it gets.

And according to a study at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, women who exercise while pregnant can actually improve the postpartum cardiovascular health of their children. The study followed 61 expectant mothers who exercised 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week in different forms of exercise. The workouts included power walking, running, weight lifting and yoga. The babies of the exercisers were actually born with lower heart rates than the babies of non-exercisers.

A low heart rate indicates that the heart is working more efficiently and is, therefore, more healthy.

But I don't want to see any pregnant ladies running marathons. Check with your doctor before you begin any exercise program. Chose moderate intensity exercises like walking, swimming or cycling. If you had been involved in running or strength training prior to your pregnancy than you can probably continue after receiving clearance from your doctor. After the first trimester, avoid any exercise that requires you to lay on your back. This article from the American Council on Exercise covers these points nicely.

The article also includes this sadly necessary warning that is so thoroughly written it bares quotation: "Also avoid sports and activities with increased risk of trauma or falling, such as ice hockey, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, horseback riding and downhill skiing. Scuba diving can be fatal for a developing fetus."

By engaging in a well-designed workout program while pregnant you can, quite literally, give your baby a head start towards a healthy heart.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Exercise Myths: Spot Training

Spot training, or spot reduction, is an insidious myth that we all secretly foster and want to believe in. Things would be so easy if you could get a 6-pack just by doing enormous amounts of crunches every day. I have spoken to so many female clients who desperately want to believe that they can lose weight in their stomach and arms but not in their butt. But, alas, this is yet another fitness myth.

So what exactly is this idea of "spot training?" This is the belief that you can target weight loss in one area of your body without changing other areas. This is rampant in exercise informercials where a new product is promised to give you "buns of steel" or "rock hard abs."

Let's take the example of abs. I commonly talk to people, especially young guys, who are frustrated because they do, in some cases, a hundred crunches a day and still do not have the abs they want. But when I ask them about their overall diet and exercise program it is severely lacking.

Fat makes up a layer between the muscle and the skin, meaning that it covers the muscle. Absolutely no research, as we will see, confirms the idea that muscles that are being worked consume the fat around them. Weight loss is a function of total body metabolism not individual muscles. Your body does not care where the fat that it's burning is coming from. You don't get to chose. Sometimes it all up to genetics where you lose weight. These crunch-happy guys may have gigantic, sculpted abs but until they shed the fat, the world my never know.

One study had an interesting idea. The researchers thought that, if spot reduction were true, the playing arm of professional tennis players would have much less fat than the inactive arm. While the playing arms were bigger in circumference, they had the exact same fat composition as their other arms. 

But this study was a little light and still left room for doubt.

This next one, however, did not. The University of Massachusetts had 13 male students perform 5000 sit-ups over the course of the 27 day study. Before and after the intense crunch-fest of a study, fat biopsies were taken from the stomach, back and butt of each subject. At the end of the 27 days, fat reduction was the same across all three sites.

More information on this can be found in my previous post on "toning."

Weight loss is a fantastic and essential fitness goal. But be realistic about it and know that in order to slim down your arms, legs, waist, butt or stomach, you're going to have to put the work in to lose weight all the way around.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Quick, Easy, Healthy Pancakes: Russel Farms Mix

 Disclaimer: The following represents my honest opinions of this product. I have not been compensated or solicited in any way.


"Just Add Water" is generally not a comforting slogan. We associate it with infomercials and snake oils and it really has become somewhat of a joke. Which is a shame. Because occasionally a quality product comes along in which "just add water" means fantastic things.

A family farm in Rhinebeck, NY has created such a product. Several such products, actually. While it is true that pancake mixes and biscuit mixes are nothing new, it is also true that traditionally they are considered an inferior and often unhealthy option. Russell Farms' mixes retain all of the convenience of these other mixes but replace some of the nastier ingredients with all natural products.

I recently made my first batch of pancakes, ever, in my life, with the aid of Russell Farms Buckwheat Pancake Mix and the results were stunning. The pancakes were delicious and filling. But this is a health and fitness blog so we need more substantial reasons to discuss this product.

Like nutrition facts:
Let's compare this with a popular, commercial brand which will not be named in the interest of not getting powerful people mad at me. In the same 1/3 cup serving, this "other" pancake mix contains 160 calories, 4.5g fat (1g saturated, 1.5g trans), 410mg of sodium, 40mg of potassium, 26g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 1g sugar and 3g protein. So this other brand has slightly less calories but the calories it does have come from bad sources, like fat and trans fat, of which Russell Farms has very little. And Russell Farms is a great source of all the important breakfast nutrients discussed in the post on breakfast: Carbs, protein and fiber. Granted, this other brand does provide potassium and B vitamins, but these can be made up in other ways and are not as important as the other nutrients.

The ingredients are also note-worthy.

These are all comforting, natural things that belong in pancakes. Even the strangest of them, calcium phosphate, is a natural leavening agent. There is no soy and nothing that involves the words "partially hydrogenated." Without going into too much detail, we'll say that hydrogenation produces trans fats which are known to raise bad cholesterol levels while lowering good levels and stiffen the walls of the arteries. Needless to say, you should not eat them.

Russell Farms pancake and biscuit mixes are a healthy, fast breakfast option. Open the bag, "just add water" and toss it on the skillet. The balance of macronutrients is perfect to set the dietary tone for the day and while they are a local company, they are available online here.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Pain-free Crunches!

The crunch is a fundamental ab exercise. It can be a vital step towards attaining the mythical "6-pack" while reducing risk of back injury and providing you with the core strength necessary to properly carry out a variety of other exercises and activities. Unfortunately, the crunch is generally done flat-out wrong. Doing any exercise incorrectly can cause strain, pain and possibly serious injury which, understandably, will discourage their future inclusion in your workout plan. Many people do not use this basic, important exercise because it hurts them to do so.

Which is a shame and injustice that must be corrected.


During a crunch, the goal is to use the muscles of your stomach to lift your torso off the ground. This can be difficult. So, in an effort to help themselves many people will lace their fingers behind their head and pull their neck forward. This puts enormous amounts of strain on the relatively weak muscles of the posterior neck and results in neck pain. This also increases the tendency to round the lower spine, which should be kept straight.

Occasionally, people anchor their feet while doing crunches by placing weights on them or tucking them under a piece of furniture. Don't do that. This will engage the leg and hip muscles and reduce the amount of actual work that your abs are doing. While this isn't likely to cause injury, it is very likely to waste your time.

To do a crunch properly, lay on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Choose a hand position that works for you and tighten your abs to lift your torso as high as you can. Keep your neck straight and neutral throughout the movement. Focusing on a spot on the ceiling will help. Make sure there is a space between your chin and your chest. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. If you experience lower back pain or have difficulty keeping your back on the ground, try placing your calves up on a bench or chair.



The hand positions can make a large difference in the difficulty of the crunch. The easiest position places your hands on the floor at your sides. To make it slightly harder, cross them on your chest. And the hardest way to do a crunch, without adding weights, is to place your hands on the back of your neck. The closer your hands are to your head, the harder the crunch will be. Again: do not lace your fingers together on the back of your head.

While alone they won't give you a 6-pack (I'll talk about the Spot Training Myth another time) well-executed crunches can be a major contributor to your abdominal strength. Having a strong core will improve your posture, which will strengthen your back and in general, will probably feel better about yourself.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Weight Loss Myths: Crash Diets

Weight loss is, without a doubt, the most common fitness goal. It is also one of the most frustratingly difficult to achieve. A basic understanding of the mechanics of weight loss (and weight gain) and its contributing factors might help to demystify this most fundamental step towards fitness.

In its simplest form, weight loss is a result of a caloric deficient. Which is a fancy way of saying that you are burning more calories than you are eating. So the best way to lose weight quickly is obviously just to eat very little, right? To an extent but, as always, the body is much more complicated than that. These complicated little details are the downfall of a particularly insidious form of diet called the "crash diet."

Crash diets are extreme and restrictive and generally ignore proper nutrition altogether. They are intended for rapid weight loss over a short period of time and, if used, should not be maintained longer than instructed. Here's a quote from Crash-Diets.com, an online guide and supporter of crash diets: "If you undergo any crash diet longer than it is intended, you may encounter health problems as it restricts certain essential nutrients needed by the body."

Note that those nutrients being restricted are "essential." They are necessary and vitally important and your intake of them should not be tampered with.

So what's the problem? There are two issues that crash diets tend to overlook which make them an unfavorable solution: Sustainability and basic nutrition.

Sustainability

Calories are the fuel of your body. Even if you were just laying around in bed all day, most people would burn somewhere around 2000 calories just breathing, pumping blood and all the other things we don't think about that keep us alive.

This exact number, referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate, is different for everyone and can be calculated pretty accurately with this handy little tool here.

Crash diets generally require caloric intake to be lower than your BMR and, in some cases, even lower than 1,000 calories per day. Remember, these numbers don't take into account any physical activity.  You can't put half a tank of gas in your car and expect it to go as far as it does on a full tank.

Just like a car that's running out of gas, your body will begin to slow down when on an extremely restrictive diet. If you drop your caloric intake too low, about 1200 according to most dieticians, your body will start to panic and go into starvation mode. Your metabolism slows and you will actually stop losing weight. You may even start to gain it back.

Any weight lost using a crash diet, is not likely to stay lost.

Basic Nutrition

There are six basic nutrients that are necessary to the body. These are water, protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Each of these substances performs a unique and essential function in the body and must be present in sufficient quantities to get its job done.

Carbohydrates and fat are the basic sources of calories and are constantly being broken down to their raw caloric value and subsequently burned for fuel. Carbohydrates and fat also tend to be the most commonly vilified nutrients and are excluded from most crash diets.

A major problem is that, as mentioned previously, these extremely low calorie diets actually slow down your metabolism. The best way to speed up your metabolism is regular aerobic exercise which can't be done without a proper balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. So now the dieter's muscles aren't being strengthened through exercise but they are being cannibalized by the body to compensate for the fuel it isn't receiving through diet.

Crash diets will absolutely help you lose weight. But the weight is more than likely to return quickly and you are going to be unhealthy throughout the course of the diet. The best solution is still the good ol' fashion balanced diet and exercise. Here's a good article about how to lose weight quickly and safely while exercising from the fine folks over at WebMD. 



Friday, August 19, 2011

Sensa Weight Loss

Everybody is intrigued by a magic-bullet solution, especially in the realm of weight loss. The idea that a food, diet or supplement can help you drop enormous amounts of weight without all that pesky "exercise," "life-style change" and "healthy eating" is all we need to hear to pique our interest. The Sensa Weight Loss System claims to offer just that.

According to their official website, all Sensa requires you to do is sprinkle the product, which resembles salt over your food. That's it. The manufacturers offer two studies to support the efficacy of Sensa, during both 6 month long studies subjects were instructed not to make any changes in their diet or exercise routine. All they had to do was sprinkle the flavorless crystals over all of their food. The average weight loss was 30.5 pounds in the initial study and 27.5 pounds in the second study.

It should be noted here that while these studies are published on the Sensa manufacturer's website, I could not find them in any reputable journals.

The crystals are a very specific type of stimuli called "tastants" which activate the taste receptors and, in the case of Sensa, the smell receptors. The addition of these tastants to your food will make you feel full faster, making you eat less. This result has, in fact, been shown in a number of older studies. One such study can be found here and shows that the inhalation of certain odors can aid in weight loss.

So it appears as if the evidence shows that Sensa works. But just because something helps you lose weight, should you use it? Tapeworms are a great way to shed the pounds while eating whatever you want, but I don't recommend using them.

There are a couple of reasons for my caution when it comes to Sensa.

1) From the Sensa website: "SENSA® contains Maltodextrin (Derived from Corn from the USA), Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors. SENSA® also contains Soy and Milk ingredients. SENSA® is sodium-free, sugar-free, calorie free, gluten-free, and there are no stimulants, drugs or MSG." Maltodextrin is the particular bone of contention here and the internet is full of claims that it is, or is similar to, MSG. There is no clinical evidence to this claim. Overall, the ingredients to Sensa are not fully disclosed, understandably, but it is essentially a food DIY additive and people trying to help healthy, natural, whole foods would probably want to stay away from it.

2)In most cases, obesity is the result of a lifestyle and in order for weight loss to be maintained the problematic lifestyle needs to change. Sensa does not require any change which means that once you stop using it, you will gain the weight back. To be fair, Sensa does recommend diet change and exercise and even offers menu plans and exercise suggestions. But, when the majority of the propaganda claims that those changes are unnecessary and the suggestions are buried pretty deep in the website, what is the likelihood that they will be followed?


3)The cost. A month supply of Sensa costs $60 so the overall cost would depend on how long you plan on using the product. But for around the same amount, you could get a gym membership and make some lasting changes.


Sensa has responsible amount of clinical and anecdotal evidence which support it's claims but the weight loss would be temporary at best. Call me old fashioned but, I still think it's better to make lasting changes in your diet and exercise routines.


Friday, August 12, 2011

What To Eat Before A 5K?

This coming Saturday, August 13th, I'll be running my first race. As a kid, I suffered from chronic asthma and would very quickly get winded just watching someone else run. Thankfully, I no longer sound like a donkey-duck hybrid when I run but it has been a struggle. As you know, I am somewhat obsessed with goals so about a year ago I decided that I would run a 5K.

Two weeks before the race, I over-worked my calves and couldn't run. But now I'm fully recovered, faster than I was and ready to go. Well, I'm almost ready: I still have to eat breakfast Saturday morning.

And, at the risk of being a nag, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

So I've been doing a considerable amount of research about how I should prepare for my race. My friends, here are my findings.

First off, let's address the issue of "carb loading." There is definite truth to the importance of carbohydrates for endurance athletes. Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel, especially during the early phases of exercise when they provide 40 to 50 percent of your energy. Carbohydrates are broken down and turned into glucose, the fuel, and stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. So packing on the carbs makes sense, right? Within reason. If glucose is your fuel source then the muscles and liver where it is stored are your gas tank. Just like a real gas tank, they have a threshold. Remember that just because you aren't running a mile, doesn't mean your muscles aren't working. Your body is perpetually creating, storing and burning fuel. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you generally have enough fuel. On top of that, it takes a considerable amount of time, around 24 hours, for carbohydrates to be properly broken down and stored. This means that chowing down on a pound of pasta the morning before the race won't do me any good. Also, the typical running time for a 5K is somewhere around 30 minutes or less and the muscles really don't require excess amounts of carbs for anything less than 90 minutes of intense activity. I do not plan on my measly 3.1 miles taking anywhere near 90 minutes.

Another common practice is to eat extra sugar or honey before a race for a quick boost of energy. This is not a good idea. Excess water is used to move the sugar into your cells and athletes of any sort cannot risk dehydration. Also, all that extra sugar forces your body to respond with extra insulin which will then cause a sharp decrease in blood sugar levels. Running with low blood sugar will make you feel slower, dehydrated and nauseous. None of those are good experiences on race day.

That's a lot of "don'ts". Here are the "do's".

DO drink somewhere around 8 glasses of water before the event but no more than 30 minutes before you start running. Too much water too soon will slow you down, make you feel bloated and possibly lead to stomach cramps.

DO eat a small meal 3 to 4 hours before the event. This gives your body ample time to process everything, get it where it needs to be and settle your stomach. Eat a meal consisting of complex carbohydrates like bread, cold cereal, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Starches break down easily and are put to work quickly. Avoid sugars, caffeine and fats.

DO eat foods you enjoy and know that you tolerate well. There's undeniable value in eating food you like before you take part in an event. The importance of going into a race happy should not be ignored.

For example: My race begins at 9:30 so I will wake up at 6, pass on the coffee and begin drinking enormous amounts of water. I will then eat a giant bowl of rice with some egg white (no yolk to limit the amount of fat) and a piece of fruit.

That's it. A 5K is a relatively short endurance race and doesn't really require any special diet. Just eat a hearty breakfast of complex carbohydrates you enjoy and remember that race day is not the day to experiment with a new food or supplement. This article from Colorado State University is the source of most of my material here and is worth a read.

Enjoy your run!
 

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Most Important Meal of the Day? Breakfast.

We've all heard it since we were kids: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But since most people are in a rush in the mornings and don't have time to prepare anything that even resembles "healthy," breakfast generally consists of prepackaged, processed, sugary junk. So in an effort to avoid that pitfall, health-conscious but misguided people often fall into another snare: they skip breakfast altogether.

It's a sad state of affairs, really.

Is breakfast really that important, though? Is it actually the most important meal of the day or is this one of those mom-myths like "your face is going to stay that way" and "that toad is going to give you warts"?

Well... it seems like this one's true. Breakfast is, as the name suggests, a breaking of the fast you've experienced since dinner the night before. When you stagger into the kitchen, you've probably gone anywhere from 10 to 15 hours without food. That's a long time considering our bodies generally get fed every 4 hours or so. The body's main source of fuel is a simple form of sugar, derived from the wrongly vilified carbohydrates, called glucose which powers the brain, muscles and red blood cells. Even though you don't generally think of sleep as a busy time, your body and brain are still hard at work and burning up their glucose stores. If you skip breakfast, you leave your brain running on fumes until you finally eat something and when you do, it probably won't be a healthy choice.

A healthy breakfast will set the dietary tone for the day and will give you the nutrients your body needs recover from the fast appropriately. We'll talk more about what is a "healthy" breakfast later.

Some people purposely skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight. This is counterproductive at best. During long periods of not eating your blood sugar drops and the typically large meals that follow lead to an enormous spike in insulin. This causes the body to store up excess fat. This effect is compounded if you workout on an empty stomach because you will be much more hungry afterwards. Also, your workout will not be nearly as effective. A study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that people who ate a light meal before endurance training burned more calories, specifically those from fat for up to 24 hours after the workout.

Ok so breaking the fast is key to your activity level during the day. But what qualifies as a health breakfast? It depends on who you ask. A good practice is to make breakfast count for about 25 to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake. This means if you're an active person using a 2,000 calorie die, your breakfast should be around 500 to 600 calories. According to the IDEA Fitness Journal, breakfast should be a balanced meal of  carbohydrates (oats or cereals), fiber (fruits, beans or vegetables), and protein (low-fat milk, yogurt, eggs, nuts, beans or whole grains). Notice that breakfast should be low-to-no fat.

And now the good part. Here's my favorite recipe for some fantastic breakfast bars that are easy to make, store and grab on the go. You can use this basic method and switch up some of the ingredients to make these fit your taste or any special dietary needs. For example: Peanut butter can be replaced with cashew or almond butter; honey can be switched out for agave nectar. I put the walnuts in instead of almonds or another nut because 1) I like them and 2)they have lots of omega-3s. The flax seeds are here for similar reasons but can just as easily be removed to make room for raisins or whatever dried fruit you like.

Breakfast Bars (click here for nutritional information) 
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Crush, chop or otherwise process the nuts and set them aside. 
  3. Combine the peanut butter and honey in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until it's melted and smooth. Keep an eye on the heat because this mixture can start to burn fairly easily. 
  4. Add the cinnamon and vanilla.
  5. Add the oats, walnuts and flax. The oats are a bit tricky to add because it quickly dries the mixture. I recommend using a large spoon or spatula to make sure the peanut butter/honey binds to all the oats.
  6. Pour the mixture into greased baking pan and cook it for 15 minutes.
  7. Cut into nine equal pieces.
That's it! These bars give a nice balance of macronutrients and about 498 calories. While a full breakfast of fruit, oatmeal, yogurt and nuts is the best option these bars only take about 30 minutes to make enough to last about a week and are ready when you need them. This an easy way to make sure you stay on schedule and make mom happy by having a complete breakfast. 

Friday, July 22, 2011

How can I Tone Up?

This is not a submitted question but one that I see plastered all over the internet, addressed in magazines and "solved" by new fad diets and exercise routines so much that I had to throw my 2 cents in. Despite the plethora of "information" out there telling people how to achieve the fabled and sought-after toned look, the answer to this question is fairly simple.

Toning is a myth. Or, at the very least, it's a misnomer. When people talk about toning, they mean that they want to increase the definition of their muscles and achieve a firmer look. A major problem is that many times people, especially women, who set this goal for themselves attach the statement "I don't want to get bigger" and begin to develop in themselves a phobia of strength training. But let's start over and take this myth apart one vague and insidious bit at a time.

Muscles cannot firm-up or become more defined. Muscles can only grow or shrink.

Fat can likewise only increase or decrease.

Any physical effects of exercise are a result of the balance of these two factors. Because fat sits on top of muscle, the amount of fat we have on our bodies can mask the amount of muscle.

So to increase muscle definition we need to increase muscle mass and decrease fat. But how do we do that? Not by doing thousands of crunches and certainly not by falling into the trap of another related and obsolete myth: Low weight/high reps. This technique doesn't work the muscles hard enough for them to grow and doesn't raise your heart rate enough for you to lose weight. Since muscle gain and weight loss are the two key factors here, this method won't work. Of course, no exercise is truly useless but the results won't be significant enough to make you want to continue and most definitely won't give you that coveted "toned" look.

So, decent cardiovascular training and proper diet will be important to help you lose weight and expose the rippling glory of those muscles... if they're there. If the muscles aren't present, we have to build them. That means strength training. With weights. Heavy ones. "But I don't want to get bigger!" you say. I know, and you probably won't. It takes years of concentrated, specialized training and dieting to achieve a "bulky"' look and pile on pounds of muscle. On the other hand, muscle burns enormous amounts of calories. Even when you're sleeping muscles are responsible for about 25% percent of your metabolism. The more muscle you have and the more you work it, the more calories you'll burn and the more weight you'll lose. It's one of the few beneficial cycles we can get ourselves stuck in.

The next logical question is "What kind of training should I do?" That is a highly personalized thing to figure out and may take some experimentation and time with a trainer. However, I can give you some guidelines.

  • Pick a weight that will limit you to between 8 and 12 reps. That doesn't mean you can quit on the 12th, that means you have to quit on the 12th. The amount of resistance should exhaust your muscles after 12 reps.
  • Stick to compound movements with an emphasis on large muscle groups such as the legs, chest and back. These muscles are going to give your metabolism a huge boost when they're drained and compound exercises will engage multiple muscle groups. Common compound exercises include bench press, lunges and squats. (See ExRx in the links section for a great selection of exercises)
  • Use interval training in your cardio workout. This type of run/walk workout is generally effective in burning fat quickly.
  • Try circuit training. This involves a fast moving strength workout that works every muscle group with no rest between exercises so it keeps your heart rate up, killing two birds with one stone. 
"Toning" is a vague and imprecise expression and, as discussed in the post on goals, to be successful we need to be specific about what we want to achieve. To really be able to transform our bodies we need a balance of weight loss and muscle gain. 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Exercise to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Here's a fun fact: In 1775 James Watt created the first reliable steam engine and soon after that, the idiom "blow off some steam" came into use. This phrase refers to the fact that without proper exhaust, a steam engine would explode from the pent-up pressure. That's still an apt analogy for what can happen to people.

I don't think it would be a major revelation to anyone that exercise reduces stress and anxiety. And it's a seemingly natural response. Our bodies react to stress with a complex spike of hormones that often result in a burst of activity. 

But the exact mechanism and extent of this reaction is still being explored with new potential being uncovered constantly. Which is great because the more good we know can come from all that time at the gym, the more time we're likely to invest. But, we'll discuss this a little bit more later.

For now let's talk about research. Exercise can do a lot more then just release pressure, it can actually help you to cope with stress as it presents itself. This is accomplished in an number of ways.

Possibly the most significant is that exercise stimulates the creation of shiny new brain cells in the region of the brain associated with memory and learning. Why is that significant? Think about this: SSRI antidepressants have the same effect. These new cells may help the brain to adapt more quickly to any number of stressors. Since all of our reactions come from our brain, as the chief of the Central Nervous System, the better equipped the brain is to deal with new situations the better our overall reaction will be. 

A new study put this theory to the test on people with "high anxiety sensitivity," which as a fancy way to say that they are at a higher risk to experience panic attacks. People with high anxiety sensitivity are frighten by the physiological effects of panic namely nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath and that fear makes the event worse on them. The study took 145 adults with no history of panic attacks and put them in a room where the air contained a mixture of carbon dioxide. The addition of the gas in the room created the above-mentioned symptoms of panic and the subjects were later asked to indicate their level of anxiety. The researchers found that people who regularly took part in high-intensity exercise had a significantly lower stress response to the ordeal.

Again, with feeling: The researchers found that people who regularly took part in high-intensity exercise had a significantly lower stress response to the ordeal.

So now we come to the practical application. How much and what type of exercise is needed?

For the purposes of this discussion, we're going to extend the typical definition of "exercise" to include all forms of high-intensity physical activity that result in a prolonged elevation in heart rate. The American Council on Exercise recommends 20 minutes 6 to 7 days of the week. Keep in mind, this isn't restricted to the gym sort of exercise just get your pulse up and make your muscles work. Play with your kids, take your dog for a walk or get some housework done. Sports are another good option. Tennis, racquetball, volleyball or squash all involve the type of activity needed to effectively "blow off some steam" and pump out some new brain cells. 


A few cautions, though. Try to avoid exercising at work, even if the office has a fitness center. You're still at work and still surrounded by work-related stress. Find the type of exercise that works for you: People who are uncomfortable in crowds may prefer to workout alone while people who crave a social aspect will probably want to attend classes. And if the time needed for exercise is still too much for you to squeeze in, here's a tip: Four 10 minute bouts of exercise have the same benefits and burn the same calories as one 40 minute session. Try taking a break every 90 minutes and going for a walk, climbing stairs, stretching, or just doing some body-weight exercises for 10 minutes.


Who couldn't use some help in coping with stress? A little bit of exercise is all it takes to prepare your body and mind to deal with whatever the day may throw at you and more research is being conducted constantly to explore the benefits of exercise for people who suffer from depression and anxiety.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Question: Is it true that people with ulcers and other stomach problems should avoid spicy foods?

Contrary to the outdated but still well-loved belief of many, spicy foods do not cause peptic ulcers. That distinction goes to a bacteria known as H. pylori. Overuse of NSAID pain relievers, like aspirin and ibuprofen, is also a common cause.

But that wasn't your question, was it? The issue here is whether or not people who already have ulcers should avoid spicy foods. That one is a controversial topic with large heaps of evidence on both sides of the argument.

On one side you have an innumerable amount of anecdotes from peptic ulcer sufferers who report increased pain when they ingest spicy food. To be fair, this only makes sense. Spicy food bares all the markings of a stomach irritant and it's only logical to assume that it would increase the acid content of the stomach and thereby cause additional pain to people with ulcers.

On the other side, we find our old friend Science who doesn't care what other people think "makes sense." A 2006 article published in "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition" reviewed the findings of many other studies of capsaicin, the spicy in spicy foods, on the stomach. They did not report that it worsens ulcers but the findings were such that they were actually able to call capsaicin a "benefactor." Here's a quote from that article that I feel explains everything wonderfully: "Capsaicin does not stimulate but inhibits acid secretion, stimulates alkali, mucus secretions and particularly gastric mucosal blood flow which help in prevention and healing of ulcers." So spicy foods have the potential to reduce acidity in the stomach and thicken the mucous lining the stomach which can sooth and possibly even heal ulcers. The article also revealed the results of a survey which showed that gastric ulcers are three times more likely in cultures that do not habitually eat spicy food.

Of course this is not to say that ulcer sufferers should start munching on habaneros like they were apples and pouring heaps of cayenne over every meal. Many stomachs have not gotten the memo and are still irritated by large amounts of spicy food. Start slow and back off if you start getting heartburn and always, always, always talk this over with your doctor first.

Spicy foods have the potential to help in the prevention and treatment of peptic ulcers but, just like everything else, have to be used in moderation.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Question: How are kettlebells different from other weights?

A kettlebell is a medieval looking thing that closely resembles a cannonball with a thick handle. Their exact origins are a bit cloudy but the two prevailing theories are that the kettlebell originated either in the Scottish Highlands or back in the 1700s in Russia when the word first appeared in a Russian dictionary. But, as these things often do, the kettlebell has recently had a resurgence. And proponents of the modern-day kettlebell phenomenon claim that it provides enormous improvements in strength, balance, and cardiovascular fitness in a shorter period of time.

The strength and balance aspects are easy. Kettlebell exercises generally involve compound movements, which engage multiple muscle groups, and are preformed quickly. Any strength training has the potential to improve balance but the fast, swinging movements of a kettlebell workout would logically challenge your balance even more.

But what about the claims of weight loss and cardiovascular health? What does science say?

It appears that science agrees with these claims, for the most part.

An independent study conducted by the American Council on Exercise tested the efficacy of kettlebells in delivering the aerobic workout that they promise. The study produced interesting results. An intense 20 minute workout burned around 400 calories both aerobically and anaerobically, roughly equivalent to running a 6 minute mile. The subjects' heart rates also skyrocketed to working at an average of 93 percent of their maximum. To put this in perspective, the typical workout is done at about 70 percent. The researchers concluded that the kettlebell swing workout (detailed in the study) meets the industry recommendations for improving aerobic capacity which means that it is an effective form of strength training that will also help people to lose weight. It should be noted that all of the subjects were trained and experienced with the use of a kettlebell.

But always remember: there is no such thing as a magic bullet. Kettlebell promoters make some outrageous claims like kettlebells can increase running speed and provide dramatic improvements in strength and body composition in "just minutes a day!"

That sort of language should always send up red flags.

Kettlebells can be a very beneficial training tool when used to supplement, not replace,other forms of strength training. The movements involved in kettlebell workouts are fast and dynamic with lots of room for injury if  your form isn't perfect and if your muscles are weak. Kettlebells should be worked up to using other forms of strength training and you should start slow, at a low weight.

The American Council on Exercise recommends women starting at 8 to 15 pounds and men using 15 to 25 pounds. As the exercise becomes easier, increase reps and decrease recovery time between sets. If that's still too easy then, and only then, should you increase the weight of the kettlebell.

Click here for more information on the study and kettlebell exercises.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Question: Is it possible to use too much olive oil?

Short answer: Yes.

Slightly longer answer: Yes, and here's why.

Amongst oils, olive oil has a sterling reputation. This is because olive oil is a rich source of a little thing with a big name called "monounsaturated fat." These fatty acids are typically thought of as "good" fats because they have been shown to improve cardiovascular health by lowering LDL (the bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (the good cholesterol).

The problem is that "good" fats are still fats. And all fats are extremely high in calories. A single tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains about 120 calories, all of which are from fat.  A good guideline to remember is that only about 25 to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake should be from fats. This includes the monounsaturated kind.

I'll use the fabled "2000 Calorie Diet" to demonstrate how easily this can get out of hand. Sticking to the low end and having only 25% of your diet from fat, that would allow you 500 calories from fat over the course of a day. That's roughly equal to the calorie content of 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Keep in mind, however, that doesn't leave room for fat to enter your body by any other source that day. No dairy, no meats, no nuts, no grains.

While olive oil is the good fat and you should try to make it constitute most of your fat intake throughout the day, it needs to be used in moderation. Stick to around 1 or 2 tablespoons a day and you'll keep your heart healthy without packing on the pounds.

Search Amazon.com for extra virgin olive oil

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Beetroot Juice - Nature's Humble Energy Drink

There are a plethora of "performance enhancing"drinks and supplements on the market that work on a variety of biological functions. Some are just straight caffeine, others attempt to increase levels of certain hormones, still more pump you full of carbohydrates or proteins and a relatively new group to the mix utilize nitrates to boost muscle endurance.

The specific nitrate at work here is converted to one helpful fellow called nitric oxide, not to be confused with nitrous oxide which is laughing gas. Nitric oxide is a gas that acts in the body as a neurotransmitter, meaning that it carries messages from the brain. In it's messaging work, however NO is directly responsible for controlling the flow of blood and oxygen to certain parts of that body when they need it most.

But there's something special about how NO does it. Think of it this way: You have a narrow tube and you're trying to blow water through it. Give enough time you can move a large amount of water but to increase the flow you have to increase the amount of pressure you put behind it. You'd have to really puff up your cheeks and struggle a bit. Or you could just use a wider tube.

NO opens and relaxes the blood vessels which allows more blood to travel through them while also lowering blood pressure. Nitric oxide supplements have been very popular amongst body builders for years.

So... what's this got to do with beet juice?

Well in addition to the effects of NO, beets have an as-of-yet unexplained ability to reduce the oxygen needs of your muscles.

Since 2009 a host of studies have been released showing exactly how much it can help people, specifically those involved in endurance training. The first of these studies was led by the University of Exeter in the U.K and found that an intake of 500ml (about 16 fluid ounces) increased the subjects' ability to endure exercise substantially. Those that took beetroot juice lasted 92 seconds longer on a bike than the control group for a 16% increase.

Another study showed that these benefits also work for low-intensity activities, like walking. This means that beets have a potential for helping those who struggle with daily activities but more research is still needed.

The most recent study tested these effects directly on endurance athletes and also isolated the active ingredient. The subjects, club-level competitive cyclists were asked to complete time trials at 2.5 and 10 miles. They biked each race twice, once with normal beet juice and again with a juice that had had the nitrates removed. Here are the results: "On average, riders [who had taken normal beet juice] were 11 seconds (2.8%) quicker over the 4km distance and 45 seconds (2.7%) faster over the 16.1km distance."

In all of these studies, the magic number was 500ml (or 16 ounces) of beet juice.

It should be noted that anyone with kidney problems or hypocalcemia (low calcium) should talk it over with their doctor before getting crazy with the beet juice. Also, a harmless but somewhat unnerving side effect of beet consumption is red or pink urine. So don't panic if that happens.

While the function of the nitrates in beet juice do not rival the muscle-increasing effects of some other commercially available NO supplements, the pulpy red juice will like be enough to give everyone from endurance athletes to slightly active people an edge.

Friday, July 1, 2011

And now for something completely different: What's the Deal With Hiccups?

I am, by nature, an obsessively curious person. One night my curiosity got the better of me  when I was being plagued by hiccups so badly that I couldn't sleep and I decided that I had to understand them better. The following are the results of that research:

What causes hiccups?

Hiccups, A.K.A synchronous diaphragmatic flutter and singultus, involve a surprisingly complex mechanism which is not completely understood, despite how common they are.
The short answer is that hiccups are caused by a spasm of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle which sits just under the lungs and helps in both inhalation and exhalation by either pushing or pulling on them. When the diaphragm gets on the fritz it jerks sharply on the lungs, pulling air in. The quick-moving gulp of air slaps the epiglottis closed and makes the classic, irritating, "hic" noise.
But what makes the diaphragm act up? Quite the number of things, actually. The most common causes are overeating or eating too quickly. But hiccups can be, in rare circumstances, symptoms of serious nervous disorders. Other infections can also cause hiccups.

"Cures"

There is an innumerable and absurd amount of hiccup "cures." The vast majority are based on folk medicine and some are just down right funny.
Here's some of the best I've found. Some may work, some may just be entertaining. So that you know that I'm not making these up to mess with you, I've included my sources for some of the truly strange ones.
  • Drink a teaspoon of fresh onion juice ("Secret Food Cures" by Joan & Lydia Wilen)
  • Hold a mouthful of water and firmly press each of your middle fingers into your ears. Count to 100, then swallow and unplug your ears ("Secret Food Cures" by Joan & Lydia Wilen)
  • Sing opera. This one actually makes sense to me since opera requires control of the diaphragm and should whip it back into shape.
  • Place a teaspoon of salt on half of a lemon and then suck the juice out of the lemon.
  • Visualize a rabbit.
  • A classic remedy involves swallowing a teaspoon of granulated sugar. The irritation should interrupt the nerve impulse causing the spasms.
  •  Many people have advocated bending forward and drinking a glass of water. You'll have to tip the glass away from you and drink out of the far end.
  • Of course, everyone's heard of getting the hiccups scared out of you. Turns out, this could also overload the vagus nerve and stop the spasm.
  • Pull hard on the tongue (Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology)
  • You know that strange little ball that hangs in the back of your throat? The uvula? Gently lift it with a spoon (Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology)
  • Take a deep breath. Sip an entire glass of water while plugging your nose. (I forget where I read this one but it has always worked for me)
Interestingly, there are even hiccup "medications" available.

Could they help you lose weight?

A question I've been asked, and seen asked on various websites, is: How many calories do hiccups burn?
I've done a considerable amount of research and come up with this answer: Not enough to matter. I could find no reliable source which says to me that the people who would be in charge of figuring out that sort of thing don't consider it worth their time. If I had to guess I would say that the number is less than one calorie. The mechanism behind hiccups, even the most painful case, is a short, reflexive spasm which does not require very much energy to accomplish.