Tag Archives: diet

Cholester-uh oh!

Posted by getPHYT in Nutrition and tagged with , , , ,

Cholesterol? Isn’t that something only my parents worry about? Actually, if your family has a history of cholesterol problems you may have to worry too. The CDC recommends preventative blood cholesterol screenings in young teens who are at high risk of developing heart disease; those who smoke, are obese, have diabetes and a family history of heart disease. If you have high cholesterol your doctor can recommend lifestyle changes and medication to lower your levels.

There are two sources of cholesterol in our bodies. The first source is our bodies themselves. Your genes and family history determine how much it makes of the good and the bad cholesterol.  The second source is the foods we eat.

Cholesterol in your body

Seventy five percent of the cholesterol in your body is made by your body, mainly by your liver and other cells. Your genes decide how much of the good and the bad cholesterol your body will make. The bad cholesterol is called Low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Too much LDL can build up in your arteries and create something called “plaque,” a thick, hard deposit that restricts blood flow; this condition is known as arteriosclerosis. The danger of arteriosclerosis is that it can cause a heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) the “good” cholesterol (think “hero” for “H” to remember the difference between the two) moves the bad LDL cholesterol out of arteries to the liver where it can be excreted from the body. Still a little confused? Check out this animation by the American Heart Association

Checkpoints:

  • Too much LDL cholesterol in your body is bad because it can lead to heart disease, stroke and heart attack.
  • Your body itself, influenced by your family genetics, determines how much of the bad and the good cholesterol your body will make.

Dietary cholesterol

Photo by Luke Yu

Photo by Luke Yu

About 25% of the cholesterol found in your body comes from the food you eat. The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 300mg of dietary cholesterol daily. If you’re like me and enjoy starting off your day with eggs you should know that 1 egg has 186mg of cholesterol. What the yolk?! So if you’re getting a “2 over easy egg special”, know that you are consuming above the recommended intake of dietary cholesterol. Now don’t run to the fridge and begin chucking eggs yet. Eating those two eggs aren’t going to go straight to your arteries.  It depends on your body (think genes) how much of that dietary cholesterol will actually raise the bad LDL cholesterol in your body. Also, there is an easy solution to get rid of cholesterol in eggs:  just eat the egg whites. The egg yolk, the yellow stuff, is where all the cholesterol is found. Don’t know how to separate an egg yolk? Here’s a creative instructional video how: How to Separate Egg Yolk From Egg White? 

What can I do?

To maintain a healthy heart, you should make sure you are eating a healthy diet full of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and limited amounts of trans fats, saturated fats and dietary cholesterol. Fruits, veggies and whole grains have fiber, which aid in the prevention of cholesterol building up in your body.

Remember fats? If you don’t, read up on them here: Reading a Nutrition Label:  Part II. Trans fats, the worst fat for you are bad for two reasons; they raise your LDL and lower your HDL at the same time. Saturated fats are also bad for you for similar reasons. If you are concerned about cholesterol levels in your body you should stay away from trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol. It is the combination of the three that affects your heart health the most.

Image Source: Gag Cartoons

Quiz:

1)     Dietary cholesterol is the only thing that raises cholesterol levels in my body.

False! Only about 30% of people’s cholesterol levels are affected by the levels of dietary cholesterol they eat. Remember! Your body itself, influenced by your family genetics, determines how much good and bad cholesterol your body will make.

2)     If I eat eggs I am more likely to have a stroke or develop heart disease.

False! Although 1 egg has around 180-200mg of dietary cholesterol, studies show that eating eggs daily did not elevate risks of heart disease or stroke.  

3)     Cholesterol is found only in animal products

True

4)     I am worried about my cholesterol; I only need to worry about dietary cholesterol on the nutrition label.

False! Trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol together are all important to look at.

For more information on cholesterol and heart disease, check out the American Heart Association.

By HEATHER KOWALSKI

About these ads

Reading a Nutrition Label, Part I

Posted by getPHYT in Nutrition and tagged with , , ,
Photo by Alyssa Llamas

Heart Healthy Honey O’s, Diet friendly Special K, oh my! When you walk down the grocery aisle, food products scream things like: “LOW FAT”, “LOW SODIUM”, “PROMOTES HEALTHY HEART”. But what really qualifies as “LOW FAT” or “LOW SODIUM” and what do they mean for your health?

Most people are only familiar with three aspects of a nutrition label: fat, calories and carbohydrates, as all those diets out there tell you to focus on how much you should be eating of each. So to truly know what is good for you to eat, turn the box over to the nutrition label and let’s start from the top.

Serving Size
At the very top of the label, right underneath NUTRITION FACTS you will find SERVING SIZE, which is the amount of the product that is normally served. Serving size is usually listed in measurements like cups, grams, ounces, etc. This allows you to compare nutrition facts between other products. By looking at SERVING SIZE, I can basically say “OK 1/2 a cup of cereal A has 125 calories whereas 1/2 a cup of cereal B has 200 calories”.

If there is anything to remember on the nutrition label, it’s SERVINGS PER CONTAINER. This tells you exactly what it sounds like, how many servings there are in the container. As most people don’t carry around measuring cups with them nor eats exactly one serving size, the best way to find out how much you are eating is to estimate. For example, I have a box of macaroni and cheese (see the nutrition label below), there are 3 servings in this box, and so if I eat about half of what I made, that’s roughly 1 1/2 servings (3 x 1/2 = 1 1/2). So by simply multiplying everything by 1 1/2, I can figure out what I am actually putting in my body. In this case I am consuming 18 grams of fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, etc.

Now if I was going to eat that entire box of macaroni and cheese, in which there are 3 servings, I would multiply everything by 3.  So for the entire box, I would be eating 36 grams of fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol and so on.

image source: Kraft

Calories
Moving on down the label, the next thing you see is CALORIES. Calories are a measurement of energy, so the label is telling you how much energy you are getting from this food. Most people should consume 2000 calories a day, but this varies, depending on your sex, age, and level of physical activity. For more guidelines on caloric intake see chapter 2, page 14 of this USDA document, but be sure to talk to your doctor before changing your diet.

As a general guide, calorie rankings are as follows:

  • 40 calories = LOW
  • 100 calories = Moderate
  • 400 calories = HIGH

CALORIES FROM FAT tells you what it sounds like, how many calories are coming from fat. If you’re eating something where it’s calories from fat are half of the calories, it’s probably not the best nutritional choice you can make, since half of whatever you’re eating is fat!

Back to the mac n’ cheese example, if you ate that whole box you would consume 1,080 calories, of which 330 comes from fat. That means eating that 1 box of mac and cheese is HALF of your daily calorie intake! So imagine this, would you rather eat one thing that has 1080 calories or 4 things, that can add up to 1080? Spend your calories wisely and watch out for EMPTY CALORIES! Empty calories are found in things that have low nutritional value and don’t make you full, like soda and candy. So think of calories as a bank; you’re given $2,000 a day to live off of. How would you spend it? Would you spend it on things that aren’t going to make you full or give you the nutrients you need?

Check in next month for information on fat and cholesterol. In the meantime, check out the Food and Drug Administration’s guide on nutrition facts. Curious about your foods? You can check the manufacturer’s website online, like I did for mac n’ cheese, to find nutrition labels for your favorite foods.

By HEATHER KOWALSKI

Can Someone Please Tell Me

Posted by getPHYT in Chronic Diseases, Healthy Living and tagged with , , , , , , ,

“What’s cholesterol?” “Um, it’s bad for you, and it’s this thing that clogs your arteries?” That might get you partial credit (probably not). Just like calories, cholesterol is one of those elusive terms. We know what calories and cholesterol are, but defining them can be challenging.

image source: Purdue

So back to my first question: “What’s cholesterol?” If this was on a bio exam, the correct answer would most likely be: “a eukaryotic sterol that in higher animals is the precursor of bile acids and steroid hormones and a key constituent of cell membranes; synthesized by the liver and other tissues, but some is absorbed from dietary sources, with each kind transported in the plasma by specific lipoproteins” (Medical Dictionary) GOT IT? OK GOOD.

NOT GOOD. NOT OK. Unless you’re a bio student, that definition is kind of useless. So here’s the what-does-it-really-mean-why-should-you-care explanation of cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance, found in our bodies and many foods. It’s used in the production of hormones, cell membranes, and bile acids, which help digest food (Livestrong). Though our bodies need cholesterol to function properly, too much can be bad. Extra cholesterol can accumulate in the arteries and form cholesterol deposits, aka plaque. Over time, the plaque narrows the arteries, allowing less blood to pass through.

Atherosclerosis, which is the condition of cholesterol buildup, can lead to dangerous complications such as coronary heart disease (heart attack and angina), kidney disease, and stroke. If plaque completely blocks an artery carrying blood to the heart, then a heart attack occurs. It can also happen if an area of plaque ruptures and causes a clot in a coronary artery. Chest pain, aka angina, is caused by plaque that partially blocks a coronary artery, which reduces blood flow to the hear (CDC).

There is good cholesterol and then there’s also bad cholesterol.

image source: Cartoon Stock

  • Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol. High levels can lead to buildup in the arteries and cause heart disease. Unfortunately, LDL cholesterol makes up the majority of the body’s total cholesterol.
  • High-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol is the “good” cholesterol. It carries cholesterol back to the liver, which then flushes it from the body. HDL helps reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Here are some statistics from the CDC that will help illustrate the cholesterol problem in the United States:

  • Approximately one in every six adults—16.3% of the U.S. adult population—has high total cholesterol. The level defined as high total cholesterol is 240 mg/dL and above.
  • People with high total cholesterol have approximately twice the risk of heart disease as people with optimal levels. A desirable level is lower than 200 mg/dL.
  • More women than men have high cholesterol in the United States.

The most important thing you need to know about cholesterol is how to keep it at a normal level. A desirable level is lower than 200 mg/dL (Mayo Clinic). Follow these tips from the CDC:

  1. Get a blood test.
  2. Eat a healthy diet. Try to include high-fiber foods, fish, nuts, and olive oil into your daily meals (Mayo Clinic).
  3. Maintain a healthy weight.
  4. Exercise regularly.
  5. Don’t smoke.
  6. Treat high cholesterol

Try out these Low-Cholesterol Recipes from Food Network!

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Summer, Summer, Summertime

Posted by getPHYT in Healthy Living, Physical Activity & Exercise and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, Huffington Post shared 100 Tips for a Healthier Summer. That’s a lot. So, I’ve chosen the best of the best (and the most doable).

Here are getPHYT’s top 10 picks!

1. #3: Start with a high-fiber breakfast of complex carbohydrates. Try crispy whole grain cereal, a berry-studded bran muffin or chewy nine-grain bread. Summer days are long and jam-packed with fun, outdoor activities, which can be draining. Start your day off with a nutritious breakfast to give you a much-needed boost of energy. The Best Part of Waking Up is Breakfast!

2. #18: Be sure to have protein with all meals and snacks. Remember that we’re trying to burn fat and maintain muscle. It’s important to feed our muscles when we’re busy with fat-torching exercise! Get your grill on! Check out these recipes from Bobby Flay.

3. #25: Good hydration is important year round, especially when you’re actively exercising. It’s even more important in the summer months, so be sure to keep your water bottle with you at all times. Water keeps you hydrated, keeps you cool, and keeps “things” moving when you’re focused on a healthy, high-fiber diet. Don’t get a heat stroke. Hydrate yourself.

4. #33: Baked, broiled, grilled or poached usually mean less or no added fat. Pass on the fried or sautéed menu choices. Here are some fresh, healthy summer recipes courtesy of Food Network.

5. #48: Skip the second helpings — get used to having one serving. “Please, sir, I want some more.” NO!!!

6. #51: Go nuts! Sure they’re high in fat, but they’re mostly good fats and a small amount goes a long way. A few almonds and an apple make a quick and portable snack choice. Going to a theme park or taking a road trip? Take some nuts with you! They’re the perfect snack!

7. #66: Kabobs are great. Cut veggies such as peppers, eggplant, or zucchini in even-sized pieces and thread them on skewers with cherry tomatoes or mushrooms before popping them on the grill. When they’re all the same size, they’ll cook at the same rate. And they’re low in calories and high in fiber. Click here for recipes for 50 different kinds of kabobs. 

8. #88: Whether you’re watching television or talking on the phone, stand up! It burns more calories than sitting, and every calorie counts! What?! That’s easy!

9. #93: Instead of sunbathing on your vacation, get active! Plan a biking or hiking trip this year. Visit at least one of the 397 National Parks in the United States this summer and Park it Like it’s Hot.

10. #97: Get plenty of sleep. It’s easier to overeat when you’re tired. Caffeine, sugar and simple carbs are the worst choices for a pick-me-up. You’ll be ready to take on the day after a good night’s sleep. Rock-a-bye Baby!

Have a great summer!

image source: memegenerator.net

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Silent but Deadly

Posted by getPHYT in Chronic Diseases, Nutrition and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Silent but deadly AND caused by mass consumption of bean burritos? No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m referring to high blood pressure (aka hypertension), the real silent killer. DUN DUN DUN!

68 million people in the United States have high blood pressure. There are 313,682,908 people in America (Census). So, 68 million is quite significant. According to the CDC, 1 in 3 adults have hypertension.

High blood pressure is a major health concern because it leads to heart attack and stroke, which are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. “In 2008 alone, hypertension was a primary or contributing cause for death more than 347,000 Americans. High blood pressure is also a major risk factor for other diseases such as congestive heart failure and kidney disease.” (CDC). So, hypertension is pretty much the root of all evil health problems.

early cuff sphygmomanometer, 1904. image source: antique scientifica

What does high blood pressure really mean? Blood pressure measures the “force of blood pushing against artery walls” as it circulates throughout the body. Imagine pumping air into a tire. Too much air pressure can damage the tire. Similarly, high blood pressure can damage arteries.

120/80 or lower is normal blood pressure (BP). 120 is the systolic BP and 80 is the diastolic BP.

  • Systolic BP: Pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. This is when blood is being pushed through the arteries.
  • Diastolic BP: Pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.

140/90 or higher is high blood pressure. So, you better check yo self before you wreck yo self.

Can somebody NOT pass the salt, please? Eating too much sodium increases the risk for developing hypertension. The average American consumes 3,300 mg of sodium per day (CDC). That’s twice the recommended limit for most adults. “The Institute of Medicine recommends 1500 mg of sodium per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans and advises everyone to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day, the Tolerable Upper Limit” (CDC).

Photo by Alyssa Llamas

Reducing sodium intake can reduce blood pressure. Decreasing sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day could prevent 11 million cases of hypertension each year, explains the CDC. Resist the urge to add salt to your (probably) already salty food.

Whats the difference between “salt-free” and “unsalted” or “low sodium” and “less sodium”? Is there a difference? Don’t be fooled by food labels! Use this guide, courtesy of Mayo Clinic, to decode sodium content:

  • Sodium-free or salt-free. < 5 mg of sodium/serving, So, technically, it’s not salt-free.
  • Very low sodium. ≤ 35 mg of sodium/serving
  • Low sodium. ≤ 140 mg of sodium/serving
  • Reduced or less sodium. 25% less sodium than the regular version. Check the label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
  • Lite or light in sodium. 50% less sodium than the regular version. Check the label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
  • Unsalted or no salt added. No salt is added during processing of a food that normally contains salt. However, some foods with these labels may still be high in sodium because some of the ingredients may be high in sodium. Sneaky, sneaky!

If you’re interested in the biology of sodium’s effect on the body, then check out Livestrong‘s Why Does Sodium Increase Blood Pressure?

Here are some tips from the CDC on how to maintain a normal blood pressure:

  • Have your blood pressure checked and then monitor it regularly.
  • Maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Watch your alcohol intake (fewer than two drinks per day for men, or one drink per day for women).
  • If you have been prescribed blood pressure medication, take it as directed.
  • If you have trouble with side effects, talk to your healthcare professional about other medications you can try.

image source: LOLCATS

On a less serious and very much smelly note, enjoy these FARTASTIC posts from Thought Catalog:

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Thinspo/Fitspo…Which Should You Follow?

Posted by getPHYT in Physical Activity & Exercise and tagged with , , , , , ,

Running across Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram these days, I notice many posts encouraging young girls to get thin. I love flipping through fitsperation blogs, myself (they’re great motivators). But thinsporation? Certainly, it’s not healthy to be overweight or obese. Certainly, these blogs are sending the right message…Wrong.

There is a clear difference between “Fitspo” blogs and “Thinspo” blogs. Out of “Thinsperation” came pro-ana and pro-mia blogs and boards. (If you don’t know what pro-ana and pro-mia stands for…it’s pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia, respectively.) Imagine the most popular forms of social media being used by teenage girls spreading tips and motivation on starving themselves, or worse, vomiting from their binges. It isn’t a pretty sight. Better yet, imagine these same blogs being masked by ideas of encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

What I want to do is clear the confusion between these two social media trend topics, “thinspo” and fitspo”.

“Fitspo” is defined as “images of active, strong, and fit women that promote proper exercise and diet. May also include images healthy foods…” (Urban Dictionary). The “fitspo” Tumblrs that I have come across showcase pictures of healthy dishes to encourage eating right.

image source: A Healthy Way of Life

And the Instagram photos that are categorized as “fitspo” showcase women exercising or motivating phrases:

image source: Shape Up Now

The main message “fitspo” images are sending is that in order to be strong and healthy, one must eat right and exercise regularly.

“Thinspo”, on the other hand, encourages young women to get skinny by unhealthy means. And  sometimes, while doing this, it disguises itself as a healthy means of achieving a desired weight (NY Daily News).

image source: Thinsporation Pro Ana

It is extremely important for young people to know the difference between these two trends because adolescence is such an impressionable time. We live in a society that says, if it’s posted on the Internet, it must be true. But it isn’t. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines, there are two important points in achieving and keeping a healthy weight (Myplate.gov):

    1. Maintain a calorie balance overtime (which would mean cutting calories for people who are overweight/obese)  AND
    2. Consume more foods packed with nutrients (which are vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, lean meats, beans, fat-free/low-fat dairy products, fish, nuts, and seeds)

Also, don’t forget to exercise! People should treat exercise like they would brushing their teeth or getting some sleep. And always remember, there are other sources out there, other than social media, to help with dieting and exercising.

By ARIELLE COLON

Oh Schmidt

Posted by getPHYT in Mental Health, Physical Activity & Exercise and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you watch New Girl, then you’re probably familiar with Schmidt. Nine out of ten times, he’s pretty much what you see in that video. But in episode 15 (Injured), Schmidt said something…profound. For once, he wasn’t JAR’d.

“Treat your body like a temple. Treat your body like a temple” – Schmidt.

Here’s how:

1. Eat healthy. This does not mean going on a Whole Foods (whole-lotta-money) diet. Click here for some tips from My Plate on how to stretch those food dollars. Make sure to include grains, veggies, and fruits into your everyday meals. Beware of Suga Suga Suga and Step Away from the Big Mac. And can we get some Waters All Around, Please? Thanks. Eat healthy and you may have what it takes to be America’s Next Fruit Ninja!

2. Be active. The CDC recommends 1 hour of physical activity every day for children & adolescents and 150 minutes of moderate-intense aerobic activity each week for adults. Keep your Head in the Game and play sports! Hear music and Just Dance!

3. Wash your hands. None of us know where those Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all have been. Plus, Clean Hands Save Lives.

4. Don’t smoke. Duh! So, want to go to college? Then you better quit smoking! Click here for tips from former smokers.

5. Stay positive. Stress Stinks! Don’t let your Horrible Bosses get the best of you. And don’t forget about those new years resolutions you made not too long ago. We Like Number 16 of Thought Catalog’s 20 New Year’s Resolutions for 20-Somethings.

6. Get sleep. The CDC recommends 7-9 hours of sleep. Rock-a-bye-baby!

7. Get check-ups. Make sure you’re up-to-date with all of your vaccines and tests. Sexy and I Know It? Yea, that’s great. But did you know that healthy is the new sexy? So if you get sick or feel pain, make an appointment with your doctor. Don’t go playing doctor and diagnosing yourself using WebMD. It’s Trichy Trichy Trichy.

For more info, check out CDC’s Tips for a Safe and Healthy Life.

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

The Best Part of Waking Up…

Posted by getPHYT in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , ,

smoked salmon omelet. best breakfast I've ever had.

is Breakfast! I love breakfast. It’s the best meal of the day. Breakfast burritos. Omelets. Waffles. Bagels. Hash browns. Bacon. Croissants. Bobcats. Need I say more?

Like many of you out there, I don’t like waking up early. In fact, I’ve carefully calculated the precise time I must wake up to get ready for work, make breakfast, drive the 4.7 miles to the office, walk down the 6 flights of stairs in the parking garage, greet the security guard, ride the elevator up to the 10th floor, and clock in at exactly 8:30am. And as I go through e-mails at my cubicle, I eat breakfast.

We’re usually rushing in the morning. Often times, we’re victims of the charming and not-so-innocent snooze button. With the blink of an eye, a five-minute-snooze has become a twenty-minute nap and we’re 30 minutes behind schedule. Despite the hustle and bustle of the morning, it’s important to make time for breakfast.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Eat Breakfast:

  1. You need breakfast to jump start your day. After your recommended 8-hour beauty sleep, your brain needs a fresh supply of glucose to help you focus on the tasks ahead.
  2. Breakfast has essential nutrients, such as folate, iron, B vitamin, and fiber, that help you function.
  3. Breakfast is good for your heart unless you eat 10 pounds of bacon (please don’t). Eating breakfast helps prevent diabetes and lowers blood pressure.
  4. Eating breakfast may help prevent metabolic syndrome disorders like obesity and insulin resistance. “Researchers found that the time of fat intake matters; when eating fat early, metabolism worked efficiently and affected the animals’ response to different types of food later in the day” (thedailymeal.com).
  5. If you eat breakfast daily, then you’re less likely to develop eating disorders. Wait, what?  Often times, people skip breakfast to lose weight. One less meal means less calories, right? Wrong (See #8).
  6. Eating breakfast can boost your immune system.Take that! Mucus-making-monsters!

    spinach-feta cheese omelet and asparagus. fancy postgrad breakfast.

  7. An egg a day can keep the pimples away. How? Eggs have lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant, which preserves the skin’s elasticity and protects skin cells from free radical damage. The best part about eggs is their versatility: sunny side up, over easy, over medium, scrambled, boiled, not to mention, omelets and eggs-benedict!
  8. Have you ever skipped breakfast and found yourself starving by noon? Luckily, your sweet supervisor brought donuts for the office. Your co-workers, on the other hand, aren’t so lucky. You just ate 4 donuts. Oops. Breakfast helps to prevent overeating and attempts to satisfy desperate hunger with quick and easy fixes. “Prolonged fasting can [also] increase your body’s insulin response, which increases fat storage and weight gain”(thedailymeal.com). Eating breakfast can help you get bikini-ready! Woo Spring Break!
  9. Breakfast gives you a boost of energy. Yay for productivity! “Breakfast replenishes your glycogen stores, which supply muscles with immediate energy” (the dailymeal.com).
  10. Breakfast can help you live longer. Say what? Studies show that century-old folks are regular breakfast eaters. Breakfast regs are also less likely to develop fatal habits like smoking and excessive drinking.

So, break the fast and eat breakfast! You’ll be surprised at how little time it takes to make breakfast.

Don’t know how to a boil an egg? Here’s how! Hard Boiled Egg 101

And here are some morning melodies to get your day started! Rise & Shine!

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Don’t Let It Go To Your Head

Posted by getPHYT in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

carne asada fries & ca burrito

California burrito. Carne asada fries. Bacon-wrapped anything. Honestly, why must this trio of coma-inducing, artery-clogging scrumptiousness be so irresistible? “Please sir, I want some more.” Oliver definitely wouldn’t have been the only kid in the orphanage to say that if “more” meant an extra serving of carne asada fries.

Unless you have the self-control of a ninja, it’s close to impossible to just have one bite of insert your favorite fatty food here. Is it the food that keeps you commin’ back for more? Or is it you? According to The Journal of Clinical Investigation, your fav fatty foods may be messin with your mind.

image source: milkandcookies.com

The new study shows that “high-fat foods cause damage to the hypothalamus – an area in the brain responsible for hunger, thirst and the body’s natural rhythms and cycles – in rodents” (CNN). Though this hypothesis has not yet been proven in humans, it may help us better understand the science between diets, exercise, and willpower and improve obesity treatment.

Dr. Michael Schwartz, the study’s lead author, explains, “The human body is designed to regulate how much fuel is stored as fat through a process called energy homeostasis. For a normal-weight person, that’s good.  But once a person becomes obese, his or her body seems to want to stay at that new weight permanently” (CNN). Consuming lots of fatty foods builds your tolerance for fat consumption. Your body becomes accustomed to a certain level of fat and your brain is telling you more, more, more! Therefore, it becomes harder to lose weight.

So, get off the train before the weight gain! It’s important to establish healthy eating habits early on. Here are some recipes for healthy, low-fat meals. Bon appetit!

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Waters All Around, Please?

Posted by getPHYT in Physical Activity & Exercise and tagged with , , ,

+shroom burger = heaven (image source: farm3.static.flickr.com)

Whenever my friends and I go out to eat, we usually all get water. Unless we’re at Red Robin, then of course we’ll splurge and order Freckled Lemonades. But 96% of the time, we’re free-water-drinkers. You may call us thrify, but I say we’re just being healthy. OBVIOUSLY.

And it’s a good thing we do skip out on sodas! Soft drinks, which include soda, fruit punch, lemonade, sweetened powder drinks (like Kool Aid and Tang), and sports and energy drinks, have been linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and weak bones. And if you’re reading this while sipping on a Coke Zero, I got some bad news for you. Studies have also shown diet soda to be a cause of weight gain. DUN DUN DUN!

“The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup. That’s the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose). If you were to drink just one can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year”(Harvard). It’d be like freshman 15 over and over again.

While drinking your $1 Sweet Tea from McDonalds, do you ever notice that you’re eating way more? McDouble, McChicken, Small Fries, and Apple Pie? Unlike solid foods, fluids are less satiating and less satifisying (Harvard). You just don’t get that full feeling you usually get when chewing your food. Therefore, you tend to keep eating since you don’t feel full.

“In the Framingham Heart Study, men and women who had one or more soft drinks a day were 25 percent more likely to have developed trouble managing blood sugar and nearly 50 percent more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome.” High blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess weight, especially around the tummy, high levels of triglycerides, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol up the odds for diabetes and heart disease. And obesity and diabetes are major risk factors for heart disease, which is the #1 cause of death in the United States!!! (Harvard)

look how small a bottle of coke used to be!

Got milk? If you’re a heavy soft drink drinker, then you probably don’t. Milk is rich in calcium and protein and provides important vitamins like Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. Soft drinks generally lack these quintessential nutrients. So trade that glass of tang for a glass of milk!

Ever get that “I’m drinking soda but I won’t get fat” feeling while enjoying a semi-delicious diet soda? Sorry to break it to you, but diet sodas may cause you to gain some extra ell-bees. Diet sodas have artificial sweeteners instead of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. “Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself (mayoclinic.com).” Diet sodas may help cut calories and lead to weight loss, but on the long-run, some studies have shown that this may not be the case. For those who count calories, artificial sweeteners are a godsend. So how could something with zero calories cause weight gain?

We often associate sugar with sweetness and energy together. On the other hand, artificial sweeteners add sweetness but don’t supply us with energy. In fact, aspartame (Equal) is 180x sweeter than sugar and sucralose (Splenda) is 600x sweeter than sugar! The Harvard School of Public Health explains, “The human brain responds to sweetness with signals to, at first, eat more and then with signals to slow down and stop eating. By providing a sweet taste without any calories, artificial sweeteners could confuse these intricate feedback loops that involve the brain, stomach, nerves, and hormones. If this happens, it could throw off the body’s ability to accurately gauge how many calories are being taken in.” This explains how zero calories from a diet soda can easily turn into 1000 calories.

There is an upside to artificial sweeteners. Since artificial sweeteners aren’t carbs like sugar, they generally don’t raise blood sugar levels, so they’re great sugar alternatives for people with diabetes (mayoclinic.com). And unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners don’t contribute to tooth decay!

sweeeeeeeeeeeet

Are artificial sweeteners safe? Can they cause cancer? According to the National Cancer Institute, there are no studies of sweeteners (commercially available in the United States) that provide clear evidence to prove its association with cancer in humans. Artificial sweeteners are safe and are regulated by the FDA. The FDA does one of two things. The FDA will review and approve the substance or can declare it to be “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). This descision is based on scientific data that proves the substance to be safe for its intended use or “a lengthy history of common use in food that they’re generally considered safe and don’t require FDA approval before sale” (mayoclinic.com).

Here are the FDA approved artificial sweeteners (Harvard):

  • aspartame (Equal®, NutraSweet®, others)
  • acesulfame-K (Sunett®, Sweet One®)
  • saccharin (Sweet’N Low®, Necta Sweet®, others)
  • sucralose (Splenda®)
  • neotame (no brand names)

To help you decide whether or not to use sugar substitutes, check out Health.com’s 10 Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes.

It’s the holiday season, which means lots of delicious (high-carb & high-fat) food. So save yourself from those extra calories in soft drinks and drink water instead! And if you’re feeling fancy, add a slice of lemon to your H2O (health benefits of putting lemon slices in water).

By ALYSSA LLAMAS