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The 10 Worst Diet Myths

2007-09-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

1.average 200ml pure juice contains approximately six fruits. The human body copes well with small amounts of fructose and glucose from eating single servings of fresh fruit, where the pulp slows down rapid absorption of these simple sugars. Juices place a burden on the body to produce insulin in an effort to cope with large amounts of quickly absorbable sugars. In other words, eat your fruit, don’t drink it.
2. Fat free is the only way to dietHealth authorities have recommended “low fat” or “fat free” diets for almost four decades. The reasoning was that fat contains more kilojoules (38 kJ) as opposed to carbohydrates and protein, containing 17 kJ per gram.
It makes mathematical sense that if you eat equal quantities of these nutrients, fat will be most fattening. This equation discounts several important facts: fat offers the highest satiety value, and severely restricting it from your diet will lead to incessant hunger, and also make it a lot more difficult to stick to any diet.
The second discounted point is the GI-lowering effect of fat with meals, and thirdly, the life-saving anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fats. By restricting all fats, we have probably increased our exposure to inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers.
3. Base your meals on cereals and starchesThe Food Guide Pyramid has indeed become our tombstone. Many years of starchy eating (6 – 11 portions per day, as recommended) have fuelled our abdominal fat stores. This could lead to an increased production of insulin in response to chronic, large amounts of blood sugar release from starches.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are a healthier alternative to starchy eating, since their biochemistry call for less insulin release. Fresh fruit and vegetables should be used to substitute half of our starches. No diet based on starch will promote or sustain weight loss.
4. Jelly babies and marshmallows are fat free, and not fatteningThe food industry knows you confuse fats and sugars, and exploits this. If you think you can regularly, safely indulge in a packet of “fat free” jelly babies while you’re trying to lose weight, you have fallen in the trap. These products might be fat free, but contain concentrated sugar, with a high insulin-stimulating action. High insulin release is exactly what you want to avoid if you want lasting success with weight loss.
5. Eat at least five fruits dailyThis recommendation assumes that these five fruits will substitute extras in your diet, such as starches or desserts. It’s no use eating your daily junk diet, plus five fruits to soothe your conscience. Then even fruit is fattening.
6. Avocado pear is fatteningThis healthy fruit has been unfairly blamed as fattening for too long. Fruit is generally fat free, and the fat in avocado is not “high fat”, “bad fat” or even fattening. Also – it has no effect on your cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
7. It’s what you eat – when is not importantWe often skimp on our food intake during the day, and then by 5 p.m. our natural drive for blood sugar replenishment overrides all reason. One of the main purposes of breakfast is to get a solid, slow supply of blood sugar going. Topped up by a sensible lunch and late-afternoon snack, your supper should be smallest of your meals.
Breakfast has 16 – 18 hours to metabolise, lunch has 10 – 12 hours, and supper usually has two or three hours before we expect our sleeping bodies to cope with the digestion of the largest meal of the day. “Breakfast like a king and supper like a pauper” are indeed words of wisdom for typical western eating.
8. Apple cider vinegar breaks down fatsThe only thing apple cider vinegar breaks down is the lining of your stomach. It will not make you thin, and what’s more, it could cause stomach ulcers if the vinegar is taken on a regular basis.
9. Breakfast cereal and breakfast bars will make you thinIf you want to kick-start your insulin production to put your body in effective fat storage mode, try doing this. Having high-GI starch as your meals, plus bars loaded with sugars, harmful fats and more refined starch in between, will make sure that you become a yo-yo dieter. Be prepared to be a lot worse off than you were when you started this ridiculous diet.
10. Cream crackers, rice cakes and popcorn are ‘free foods’Firstly, the need for free foods means that your diet has little satiety value, or you are stimulating glucose and insulin spikes in a self-perpetuating cycle by means of bad eating habits.
Secondly, no refined starch-based foods are ‘free’. The term ‘free’ refers to the low-kilojoule content of these foods, but by frequently eating ‘free’ starches, you are stimulating insulin production, and again, putting your body in good fat-storage mode. This has little to do with kilojoules.

2007-09-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward
-- By Mike Kramer, Staff Writer
"Fall seven times, get up eight." - Japanese Proverb"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." - Chinese Proverb"Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never." - Winston Churchill"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel JohnsonThese quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time."Two steps forward, one step back" is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, "1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward" means that instead of grousing or feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube. A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they "have to start over". Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame. With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.Guilt can be debilitating to your healthy habits. When you mess up (or even when things are messed up for you), it’s natural to feel guilty. At that point, you have a choice: to let that guilt plummet you into a cycle that could spit you out worse off than before, or to accept the step back and say "where do I go from here?"Of course, consistent success is still something to strive for. You don’t want to roller-coaster up and down. That’s an "old" habit, remember? And the 1Step/2Step strategy doesn’t lessen the need to do your best. You should still work hard to keep those steps back from happening. But it helps to be prepared with a plan and a positive attitude for when they do happen.

The 10 Worst Diet Myths

2007-09-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

2007-09-30T23:50:00.001-07:00

Soda Sabotages Your Diet
FREE DAILY DIET TIP
By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer
Sunday, August 19, 2007

Fifteen pounds in one year. That’s how much weight you could gain by drinking just one regular soda every day. At around 150 calories each, and with no nutritional value whatsoever, sodas should definitely be classified in your book as a “once in a while” treat, not an everyday indulgence. Not only is your waistline at risk if you have an uncontrolled soda obsession, but your health is, too. According to the Nurse’s Study of more than 50,000 women, those who had one or more sodas every day not only gained extra weight, they also raised their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 83%. If you must indulge in a daily soda, try diluting part of your regular soda with diet soda and then moving over completely to the diet soda side. Or, if you want total control over your life and what you put in your body, fill up on water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s the best drink available for your body, and it’s free.

2007-09-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

Fill Up on FiberHow do you know if you're getting enough fiber in your diet? Well, kids, there are a couple of pretty obvious symptoms if you're not:
You're constipated. Ouch, I know, but it's true. You should be having at least three bowel movements a week. If not, chin up and try adding more fiber-filled foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, to your diet and see if that doesn't fix the plumbing!
You're hungry a lot. Well, you could be hungry for a number of reasons, including emotional ones, but fiber is also a legitimate suspect. Fiber helps you feel full, and if you're not getting that warm, fuzzy, fullness feeling, it may be because you need to eat more... you guessed it: fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
So fiber can help keep you regular and make you feel full. The FDA also considers it to be a powerful fighter against cancer, diabetes, and heart disease as well as digestive disorders and obesity.
As a general rule, you should eat as many veggies and as much salad as you possibly can (dressing is on the side, please!) because this will make you feel full and keep you from overeating other, more fattening foods. Fill up!

2007-09-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

How To Exercise For Different Body Shapes
www.hotexercise.com
Everyone has a certain type of body shape. You might be a pear shape, an hourglass shape, a ruler shape, or an apple shape. Let’s take a quick look at what these shapes mean.

For Men:

Pear Shape – Before you accuse me of calling you a fruit, read on! A man with this type of body shape is usually larger in the hips and thighs than in the chest and arms. He is usually petite in the arms and chest. A lot of men with this body type have an athletic type build.

Hourglass Shape – No, guys. This doesn’t mean you’re girly. This is actually the shape many football players have, with small waists and hips, and broad shoulders and muscular thighs.

Ruler Shape – You are probably pretty thin, with minimal muscle build up.

Apple Shape – This type of body shape means that the man has a larger chest and arms, with a small waist. Men with this body shape usually have a small butt and legs, and may look top heavy.

For Women:

Pear Shape – You have larger hips, with a smaller chest and arms. Most women with this body type have flat stomachs and chests.

Hourglass Shape – This is one of the favorite shapes of a woman. Your shoulders and hips are about equal in width, and you have a small waist and normally flat tummy.

Ruler Shape – You have a thinner body, with minimal curves.

Apple Shape – You have larger shoulders and larger breasts, with smaller thighs, and thinner or smaller hips and butt.

Unfortunately, we all get our body shapes genetically, which means “tough cookie,” if we want to get rid of them. However, we can utilize targeted exercises to shape up our bodies, and this will help us look great, no matter what body shape we are. Here are some great targeted exercises for each shape.

Pear Shape – For this shape, you need some great exercises that will balance out the difference in the bottom part of your body, and the upper part. Do aerobic activities that target the lower body, and resistance exercises for the upper body. You will be slimming the lower part, and building the upper part. Some great ones for you are push ups, chin ups, leg lifts, jumping rope, and elliptical training.

Hourglass Shape - Cardio is great for this body shape, along with resistance exercises. Try things like swimming, stationary biking with a bit of resistance, jumping jacks, bicep curls, shoulder presses and squats. This kind of exercise will help keep your weight in check, ensure a good balance between upper and lower body.

Ruler Shape – You don’t really need to do much extra. Your regular and balanced routine is fine, and ensuring that you get a healthy diet and nutrition. Some people with shapes like this want muscle building, so go for resistance training that targets the upper and lower body.

Apple Shape – Most likely, if you have this shape, you want to focus on losing weight. Losing weight all over will balance out your larger upper body. Do low resistance exercises with lots of repetitions, such as stair climbing, running and incline walking.

Good luck, and remember, we might not be able to change our body shapes completely, but we can change them for the better.

Chocolate,Minus the Love Handles

2007-09-17T00:23:00.000-07:00

By Carly Young, LifeScript Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Other than on Valentine’s Day, about 75% of chocolate purchases are made by women. When this romantic holiday rolls around, it’s the men who are doling out the treats. From heart-shaped boxes of caramel-filled delicacies to teddy bears holding milk chocolate roses, men spend a whopping $1 billion on sweets in the days leading up to the year’s most romantic holiday. It’s the one gift he can count on to be a success. But what’s a figure-conscious girl to do when faced with a 10-pound box of Godiva chocolates? Here’s how to indulge in your guy’s thoughtful gift without breaking the calorie bank:- Purchase an opaque, airtight container to store your bounty in. This way, you won’t feel pressured to polish off the box before the candies go stale.- Once your chocolate is safely stored, set a limit for yourself before you open the lid, say, one piece every night.- Store the treats in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. You’ll have to thaw each one for an hour before eating, which gives your more time to contemplate whether you really want it.Did your sweetie give you racy lingerie along with those chocolates? Slip it on while you indulge. While form-fitting attire is sexy, it’s also unforgiving and a good reminder to not eat the whole box. After all, it’s way too easy to overindulge when you’re wearing elastic-waist, XL sweatpants.

6 Foods to never eat

2007-09-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

By Jaclyn Johnson
There will always be those fattening foods that are easy to make, easy to get, and easy to crave. You think “OK, I know this is bad but it can’t be that bad!” Think again. Here are the top seven foods you should never ever feed your family or yourself!

1. Doughnuts It’s hard to resist the smell of a doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat.
According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5-ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won’t satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat.
"Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar ‘swings’ or extreme fluctuations,” eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said.

2. Cheeseburger with fries The age-old classic may be delicious but think twice before sinking your teeth into that Big Mac. The saturated fat found in cheese burgers has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer.
“In fact, fast-food portions are gargantuan, almost double the calories per meal compared to 20 years ago," Susan says. "Twenty years ago the average fast-food cheeseburger had about 300 calories. Today’s BK Whopper with cheese has 720. To burn the excess 420 calories, you’d have to run for 40 minutes. For example, in 1985 a medium French fry had 240 calories, 2.4 ounces. Today’s ‘medium’ is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories.
"This fast-food meal of cheeseburger and fries has way too many calories and fat grams, not to mention grams of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and sodium.”
Let’s break down this meal. First, take the white-flour bun (refined carbohydrates), then add some processed cheese (saturated fat and trans fat, plus lots of additives and preservatives) and then top off with fried red meat (cholesterol and saturated fats). And let’s not forget about the condiments such as the always fattening mayonnaise.
Not sounding so appetizing anymore, huh? Oh, and let’s not forget about the infamous side dish. You cheeseburger will most likely come with a side of French fries, which is sadly the most popular vegetable dish in the U.S. Don’t kid yourself, French fries are not vegetables, they are extremely high in fat and contain a tiny amount of nutrients.

3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets With the recent class-action lawsuit between The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and KFC, the health risks posed by fried foods are becoming more public. The CSPI is suing the food chain for their use of cooking oil containing unhealthy trans fats. The lawsuit seeks to order KFC to use other types of cooking oils and to inform customers how much trans fats KFC’s food contains.
Foods cooked in highly heated oils (most notably partially hydrogenated oil) have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other serious health risks if ingested regularly. A 10-piece chicken McNugget from McDonald’s has 420 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1120 milligrams of sodium. One Extra Crispy Chicken Breast from KFC has around 420 calories and eight grams of saturated fat. So unless you want to super size yourself, it’s best to make a clean break with fried foods.

4. Sugary Cereal Not all cereals are created equally. And while your kids might beg for the latest cookie or marshmallow chocolate surprise cereals, it is a safe bet they are about as healthy as a dessert. Keywords to look out for are puffed, dyed and sweetened.
Most kids’ cereals are so highly processed they no longer look like the grains they were originally made from. A healthy alternative is oatmeal. Although, if you are buying pre-packaged oatmeal make sure to check the label and see how much sugar it contains, you might be surprised.
"A little sugar isn’t a problem but when the first ingredient on the box is sugar, then watch out," she said.
"There is no fruit in Froot Loops. But the unsweetened original Rice Krispies are fine, and you can sweeten them naturally with blueberries and strawberries.”

5. Processed Meats. What falls under the category of processed meats? Hot dogs, sausage, jerky, bacon, certain lunch meats (polony) and meats used in canned soup products. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative.
A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite can act as “a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body.” So eliminate these meats from your diet before they eliminate you!

6. Canned soup. Sometimes regarded as a healthy food, soups can be very deceiving. You must stay on your guard because many canned soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives such as MSG. Just one serving (which is roughly one cup) can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt. Also, steer clear of soups that are cream-based, they can be high in calories and fat.
Susan says it is important to “read labels from back to front. Ignore the health claims, and instead focus on the ingredients and serving size. Watch out for hydrogenated fat (trans fat) and sodium. If you’re buying bread to go with you soup, the first ingredient should be whole grain -- either whole wheat, rye or other grain. If it just says ‘wheat bread,’ that doesn’t mean whole wheat.”

We all want our family to be healthy and happy, so steer clear of these foods.
Dear Dr. Abby: I Hate My Body!
By Dr. Abby Aronowitz DearDrAbby.com
Dear Dr. Abby: I just hate my body. Sometimes it motivates me to diet, but sometimes I just don’t care. How do you make peace with your size if you hate it? --Disgusted
It’s not easy. We have been brainwashed to believe that fat is ugly, and research has proven that discrimination against overweight people is common. Therefore, if we are overweight we have internalized the message that we are unattractive and therefore hate ourselves.
Where did you learn that you are less attractive or less worthy as a person? Sometimes we hear this from family members, or society at large. However, the most damaging messages come from yourself. Putting yourself down is unacceptable.
Catch yourself insulting yourself. Would you ever say these things to anyone else? Never! It would be considered rude and abusive. Well, here’s a lightbulb; it’s abusive to say them to yourself, too!
From now on you’re not allowed to hate yourself for anything you wouldn’t hate another person for. You’re not allowed to say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to another person. Self acceptance begins by eliminating disgusting self talk. It doesn’t mean you like your body; it simply means you’re not abusing yourself over it.
Think about a friend who struggles with their weight; do you love them more or less depending on how many fat cells they have at any given time? Offer yourself the same kindness.
Learning occurs best in an atmosphere of support, rather than criticism. We take better care of that which we love than that which we hate. Treating yourself with the respect you would afford another could actually help you to live a healthy lifestyle.
Eliminate the negative evaluation, and simply accept your body as it is -- the product of your struggle at this point in time. Now, give yourself a hug!

Diet Extra: Controlling Your Hunger
By Dr. Nancy Tice eDiets Physician and Psychiatrist
Learning to manage your hunger is a very important key to staying on a weight loss plan long enough to lose the desired weight. Hunger is a natural by-product of limiting your food intake, and it's very important to learn the difference between true hunger and a psychological desire to eat. Once you are able to identify these feelings, you’ll need to learn to control your responses to them.

The basic process of hunger can be likened to a traffic light: green means start eating, yellow cautions that you're nearing the fullness point and red means stop. Our physiology is actually designed to give us the green, yellow or red lights, which could theoretically end the whole calorie-counting business in favor of simply eating according to physical hunger and fullness.
Unfortunately, the practice isn't that simple. For one thing, distractions get in the way of physical sensations. Though our body says "green light," we might not be able eat at that moment. Often, people eat when they are too hungry and continue to eat well beyond a comfortable feeling of fullness. Doing this consistently can lead to weight gain.
Satiety refers to how long you'll feel full. In other words, how long the light will stay red before turning green again. Many factors influence satiety. A long list of hormones and physical mechanisms trigger hunger and satiety. For example, low blood glucose and a hormone called neuropeptide Y (NPY) are thought to stimulate hunger. Conversely, hormones such as serotonin and cholecystokinin (CCK), as well as many nutrients in the blood, contribute to satiety.
Despite the laundry list of reactions that physiological hunger and satiety trigger, appetite is what most often determines how much we eat. Nearly everyone eats for reasons other than just being hungry. Some people have learned to eat "by the clock," so they eat on a schedule whether they are hungry or not. Others eat in response to mood: sadness, anger, anxiety, boredom or happiness. These triggers are types of psychological hunger, and they can be very powerful cues to eat -- and to overeat. This is why it is helpful to keep a food journal and write down how you’re feeling before, during and after you eat for reasons other than hunger.
Mechanisms that control learning behavior vary. Hunger and appetite are the big go signals; satiation and satiety are the main stop signals. A useful scale to gauge your hunger by is:
1. You're so hungry you feel dizzy and irritable.
2. You need to eat and you’re having trouble concentrating.
3. You feel physical signs of hunger (stomach rumbling).
4. You're starting to feel like food.
5. You feel just right -- perfectly comfortable.
6. You are comfortably full.
7. You feel a little too full.
8. You feel stuffed.
9. You’re very full and might need to unbutton your pants or loosen your belt.
10. You feel intensely uncomfortable.

If you recognize that you often wait too long to eat or you often eat beyond the point of comfort, you might gain some benefit by keeping a written record of your own feelings of hunger, using this scale. Take a look at what and how much you eat -- when you are too hungry versus the times you eat when hunger is just beginning. See if you can move your eating schedule to accommodate your true need for food.

What else can you do?
· Eat protein foods at each meal. Protein acts as an appetite suppressant to help control hunger pains.
· Avoid simple sugar foods. And, if you do succumb to them, ensure they are mixed with a meal.
· Eat smaller meals. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help reduce the intensity of hunger pains and keep your metabolism revved up.
· Consume high fiber foods. At each meal, consume high fiber foods first to fill your stomach and speed satiety.
· EXERCISE! It regulates appetite to control hunger and food intake (not to mention burning calories and building muscle).

Diet Myths Exposed
By Susan Burke eDiets Chief Nutritionist-
Knowing the difference between truth and fiction when it comes to food and nutrition can help you lose weight and maintain your weight, too. The misconceptions about food are many, but here you'll get just the facts.
Myth: If you're on a diet, you can't eat nuts.
Fact: Scientific research shows that adding nuts to your diet not only increases the nutritional value but also adds to satiety, or satisfaction, which may help you eat less overall. The Reno Diet Heart Study showed that nut eaters tended to have lower body weight and be at lower risk for heart disease.
Besides supplying protein, fiber and different vitamins and minerals, some nuts, including walnuts and almonds are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Since nuts are high in fat, that makes them high in calories. So, instead of snacking on nuts, use them in your meal plan as a value-added item in a recipe. For example, add chopped walnuts or slivered almonds to salads and casseroles for flavor, crunch and enhanced nutrition. One ounce or about 1/3 cup of chopped nuts contains approximately 170 calories.

Myth: All high GI foods are bad.
Fact: Glycemic index is so confusing! Healthy foods like carrots and baked potatoes have a higher GI than sugar and white bread. The glycemic index ignores portion size and amount of total carbohydrate, including fiber. The glycemic load is a better assessment of food value. GL tells you how much carbohydrate is in the food, rather than just how high or how rapidly it raises blood sugar levels. The food is scored based on both the GI and the total carbohydrate value per serving, so that higher fiber foods are favored.
The eDiets Glycemic Impact plan provides high fiber, low-fat menus, and excludes refined high GI foods, while including low GL whole foods. eDiets' GI Plan uses the total amount of carbohydrate, the amount and type of fat, as well as the fiber and salt content as important dietary considerations in formatting your plan.

Myth: Brown sugar is better for you than white sugar.
Fact: According to the Sugar Association’s web page, the body utilizes all sugars essentially the same as refined white sugar, or sucrose, a carbohydrate. Whether it’s brown sugar (which is generally white sugar coated with molasses), honey or cane sugar -- even “natural” or raw sugar. All dietary sugars are metabolized similarly, converted into glucose and either used for energy, or stored as fat. In moderation, it can add pleasure and satiety to your diet; in excess, it can cause cavities and weight gain.

Myth: When you're pregnant, you can eat for two.
Fact: Some women use pregnancy as an excuse to throw diet caution to the wind, but unless you’re underweight to begin with, or carrying multiples, health experts don’t recommend adding calories (and then only 300 daily) until the second trimester. The risks associated with maternal obesity range from increased risk for diabetes to eclampsia, miscarriage and premature birth.
Quality is much more important than quantity. Eat for you, not for two. Include the following in your diet: folic acid in dried beans, green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals; calcium and magnesium from low-fat dairy; lean protein from fish, skinless poultry, lean meats, soy and dried beans; and vitamins, minerals and fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Myth: Eating too much sugar gives you diabetes.
Fact: Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar, but eating sugar isn’t the cause. Too many calories, regardless of the food source, will cause weight gain. Obesity is closely related to incidence of type 2 diabetes, as well as gestational diabetes.
A sedentary lifestyle accompanies obesity as the two main risk factors for type 2 diabetes. A study published in Diabetes Care (April 2003) concluded that sugar does not cause diabetes, and that sugar in moderate amounts could be incorporated into a healthy diet, even for someone with type 2 diabetes. The research does point to activity as an important factor in normalizing blood sugar.

Myth: Potatoes should be avoided because they’re too high in carbs.
Fact: Potatoes are relatively “high” in carbs, but that’s because they’re so low in fat. Whatever color potato you choose -- red, brown, white or orange sweet -- potatoes are powerhouses of essential vitamins and minerals. The Washington State Potato Board says that an average (5.3 oz) potato with the skin has only about 100 calories, and incredible nutrition:
· 45 percent of the daily value for vitamin C
· As much or more potassium (720 mg) than bananas, spinach or broccoli
· Trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc
· Zero grams of fat, saturated fat or cholesterol
· Approximately 3 grams of fiber (scrub the skin and eat entire potato).
How the potato is prepared makes the difference between health and junk: fried potatoes are fat sponges; mashed with cream and butter provide more calories than nutrition.

Myth: To build bigger muscles, you need to eat more protein.
Fact: Just eating protein won’t “create” muscles. You need to stress the muscle with increasingly heavy weight and increased repetitions to do that. And to fuel that action, you need a balanced diet, consisting of protein, fat and carbohydrate.
Body builders are convinced that they need additional calories from protein, due to the undue stress they’re putting on their muscles, but other health experts advise a more balanced approach, increasing calories from unrefined carbs and healthy fats as well as lean protein sources to fuel intensive workouts.

Myth: To avoid developing high blood cholesterol, you shouldn’t eat eggs.
Fact: The type of fat you consume on a regular basis is more responsible for your blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, saturated and trans-fats increase the risk for certain illnesses including heart disease, but good fats, including monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids, lower the risk.
The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats. Research shows that dietary cholesterol is less of an influence in blood cholesterol than the mix of fats in the diet. Eggs, although high in dietary cholesterol, are relatively low in fat and saturated fat; a large egg contains only approximately 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of it saturated, and 2.5 unsaturated. If you already have high cholesterol, limit your egg consumption, and certainly avoid trans- and saturated fat. The American Heart Association doesn't recommend restricting eggs in normal people, but recommends everyone prepare them without added saturated fat or trans-fat (butter or margarine).

Myth: Fasting is a good way to lose a few pounds.
Fact: Fasting does not produce permanent weight loss. In fact, eating smaller meals more frequently helps you lose weight more reliably. Skipping meals or fasting sets you up for failure. You don’t eat all day long, so you think, “Hey, I deserve to make up for it at dinner," and proceed to overeat.
Fasting lowers your metabolism to conserve calories, sensing a deprivation. You lose touch with your hunger and satiety clues when you fast and overeat to compensate. “Naturally thin” people eat when they’re hungry -- and stop when they’re full. Make that your goal.

Myth: Raw foods are more nutritious than cooked.
Fact: While overcooking food is certainly not recommended, the benefits of cooking food include making it easier to digest, improving the taste, providing variety because you can add flavors and spices, and making the food safer to eat.
Cooking can even enhance the nutritional value. For example, cooking tomatoes (including tomato sauce) enhances the lycopene, an antioxidant that promotes immunity. Some valuable foods such as dried beans need cooking to be digestible, and raw meat and fish are unsafe to eat.

Introduction

2007-09-12T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is a little site that we have set up to help keep everyone out there on the same journey motivated. We will be posting lots of ideas and recipes on here to help keep things interesting.

Lands and myself (Des) will be the hosts, if you have any questions we can be contacted on abcweightloss@gmail.com, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to ask, or suggest:)
we are all in the same boat, so lets make it a fun ride.

look forward to hearing from you all.

regards
Des