Coach Judd's Wellness Blog

How to Stop Sugar Addiction

2012-02-03T18:46:00.001-08:00

We take for granted the idea that sugar is bad for our bodies. And yet, we eat more and more of the stuff. Why? Well, we can’t say for sure but there’s some evidence to suggest sugar is an addictive substance.

A 2008 study by researchers at Princeton University supported the hypothesis that under certain circumstances, rats can become sugar dependant. The animals in the experiment displayed behaviors similar to those associated with addictive drugs, including binging, craving and opiate-like “withdrawal” marked by signs of anxiety and behavioral depression.

Learning how to stop sugar addiction can help prevent a life-long sentence in which addicts face the dangers of diabetes, obesity and a host of other health ailments.

What type of sugar addict are you?

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of four natural wellness books, including “Beat Sugar Addiction Now,” says that beating sugar addiction doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach.

Teitelbaum lumps sugar addicts into four categories:

Chronically exhausted, energy-drink addicts, or as Dr. Teitelbaum calls the beverages, ‘energy loan-shark drinks.’
Hungry, irritable sugar addicts who might be likely to tell you, “If I don’t eat now, I’m going to kill you.”
Those with chronic congestion, sinusitis or spastic colons.
Women who are perimenopausal (as well as some men who might have deficient levels of hormones like testosterone).

“Sugar cravings exist because food processors dump 150 pounds of sugar per person per year,” says Dr. Teitelbaum.

Reaching for sugar because you’re tired

The first of Teitelbaum’s type of sugar addict seeks a serotonin surge to bypass a rough day. Instead of popping into the local saloon for a quick beer, the sugar addict fantasizes about “[w]alking into a bar, asking for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and having the bartender obligingly slide a pint down the bar,” says Teitelbaum.

The problem with this approach: Initially, serotonin will rise, causing a feeling of euphoria, but the insulin resistance will backfire, causing further exhaustion.

The cure, according to Teitelbaum, is fairly simple: “Taking a good multivitamin powder, and adding in a five gram scoop of ribose [Ironically, a sugar, but one that is made naturally by your body], getting enough sleep, getting daily moderate-intensity exercise, and eating 4-5 balanced meals with all-natural food should help defeat sugar cravings.”

I’m hungry, I need sugar NOW!

The adrenal glands, which rest on top of your kidneys play a vital role in controlling blood sugar.

Teitelbaum’s second type likely suffers from adrenal fatigue. “This person is the ‘Feed me now or I will kill you’ variety,” says Teitelbaum. The adrenals also make the stress hormone, cortisol, helping us to adapt to ‘fight or flight’ situations. Cortisol speeds up production of blood sugar during stress.

“If the adrenals are exhausted from stress and sugar is the only food that’s fueling your system, you’re going to see a lot of irritability when hunger arises,” says Teitelbaum.

The solution, besides eating balanced meals: Getting enough Vitamin C, licorice (Opt for the root, which helps slow down cortisol production), Vitamin B5 and adrenal gland supplements.

Does sugar make your runny nose worse?

Candida yeast, which primarily colonizes in the digestive tract, feeds on sugar. Teitelbaum says that scientists have yet to isolate what exactly the candida yeast secretes that ends up stimulating sugar cravings.

For those with candida overgrowth or who often have runny noses, or more serious sinusitis and digestive complications like spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Teitelbaum suggests taking probiotics every day, as well as an antifungal natural supplement and, of course, cutting down on sugar.

“When you kill the candida the sugar cravings go away,” says Teitelbaum, who adds that only addressing the problem with probiotics and not cutting down on sugar is like saying, “Will a fire hose help put out a fire? Yes — but not if you keep pouring gasoline on the fire.”

Chronological clock cravings for sugar

As people age, hormone levels, including sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone may plummet. According to Teitelbaum, depression and anxiety can result from hormonal imbalances. Sugar is often the go-to quick fix for the blues.

A simple solution, especially for peri- or menopausal women: eating a handful of edamame every day to make up for the depleted estrogen levels. Teitelbaum also suggests supplementing with bio-identical hormone replacements when needed.

Some sugar addicts may need dopamine

Karen Paquette, a naturopathic doctor based in Solana Beach, Calif., says that those who have insatiable sugar and food cravings might have an underlying condition with brain chemistry, most notably a lack of dopamine, the feel-good chemical.

“We can get a temporary uplift in dopamine from food so that’s why some people indulge in sugar, to make up for the deficit of the dopamine neurotransmitter,” says Paquette, who recommends those with sugar addiction receive a neurotransmitter panel test along with a blood test for a genetic marker for enzyme deficiency.

Do you need to go 100 percent sugar-free?

No, says Teitelbaum. "Why bother living to 120 years old if you have to give everything up?" he says. "Indulge a bit in dark chocolate, which I consider a health food."

Eating fruit is also not a concern according to Teitelbaum, but he does strongly urge sugar addicts to abstain from fruit juices.

"They’re just as bad as regular soda."

Carrots and Carotenoid Compounds

2012-02-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Did your mother nag you when you were a kid to eat your vegetables, especially carrots? Turns out mom was right, carrots have several health benefits.

Here are some carrot nutrition facts to prove mom knew best.

The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health claims that foods rich in Vitamin A, like carrots, can help with the following:

· Bone growth
· Cell differentiation (cells know which tissue to become a part of, like blood, brain, lungs, etc…)
· Immune system regulation (white blood cell production to fight off viruses and bad bacteria)
· Surface lining integrity (eyes, lungs, intestines and urinary tracts)

Carrots contain antioxidants called, appropriately, carotenoids, which are natural red, yellow, or, of course, orange-colored compounds found in plants. Beta-carotene, one of approximately 500 types of carotenoids, is the well-known antioxidant component in carrots.

All carotenoids are important, as a diet rich in them may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancers, including bladder, cervix, colon prostate, larynx and esophageal.

Several studies (such as this one focusing on lung cancer, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology) have proven that a diet high in carotenoids leads to a reduced risk of cancer.

In the book ‘150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,’ author Johnny Bowden, Ph.D. in nutrition, dedicates an entire chapter on carrots. He says in the book that although carrots are best-known for their beta-carotene, they also contain alpha-carotene, which might be equally as protective against diseases, if not more so, than beta-carotene.

One study by Japanese biochemists suggested that alpha-carotene was ten times more powerful than beta-carotene in inhibiting tumor growth.

Alpha- and beta-carotene convert in the body to Vitamin A, hence the reason for a single serving of carrot’s 200 percent suggested Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin A.

Aren’t carrots good for the eyes?
The micronutrients in carrots that promote optimal vision are two other of the five major carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin, which are the only carotenoids found in the retina. They may help in the prevention of macular degeneration and cataracts, according to one study in the Archives of Opthamology.

The aforementioned Dr. Bowden’s ode to carrots also mentions that carrots contain a purple pigment—rhodopsin—which helps with vision in dim lighting.

Nutrition data for carrots
Eating just three medium-sized carrots contain:

· 6-8 mg of calcium

· 58 mg of potassium

· Approximately 7 percent DV of magnesium, phosphorous and Vitamin C

· 30,000 International Units (IUs) of Vitamin A

· 15,000 IUs of beta-carotene

· 6,000 IUs of alpha-carotene

· 5 grams of fiber

But aren’t carrots high in sugar?
Nutrition data from the FDA says that one-half cup of baby carrots contains three grams of sugar. One gram of carbohydrates (sugar) equals four calories, thus a single serving of carrots has 12 calories of sugar out of the 30 total calories.

So, should you ditch carrots?

No, suggests Diane Madrigal, a San Diego-based clinical nutritionist. “Carrots are extremely healthy whether or not you have diabetes, because in its whole nutritious form, you’re getting all the nutrients and fiber, which will slow down the release of sugar,” she says.

But Madrigal says that because Vitamin A, which carrots are loaded with, is a fat-soluble vitamin, to get the most out of carotenoids, eat them with a little fat.

“Hummus, guacamole, tzatziki and babaganoush are excellent dips for carrots,” says Madrigal.

What if I start turning yellow from eating too many carrots? Is that bad?
Beta-carotene may accumulate in your skin if you eat too many carrots, coating it with a yellowish tint. This discoloration, scientifically referred to as ‘carotenemia,’ is usually harmless. If your skin changes color, cut down on your dietary beta-carotene and discontinue any supplements that contain it. The whites of your eyes, however, should not turn yellow. If so, seek immediate medical help.

Sugar Nutrition Facts

2012-01-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Sugar: Our brains can’t function without it, yet it’s considered a dietary evil.

Should sugar be avoided like the devil, or is it OK to have plenty of it as long as it’s in the form of fruit sugar (fructose)? Or does the answer lie somewhere in between?

Some sugar nutrition facts to ponder...

A nutritional paradox, sugar is vital for all life on Earth, supplying every muscle, organ and cell in our body, while simultaneously being blamed for the obesity and diabetes onslaught in this country.

Is sugar culpable in bloating the health care system, feasting on nearly 20 percent of the U.S. economy?

Perhaps Dr. Andrew Weil says it best on his website: “The problem with … sugar is not that [it is] ‘bad’ for you, but that we eat far too much of [it].”

No doubt nearly every nutritionist on this planet feels the same as Weil. The American Heart Association has the facts to prove it. The AHA recommends no more than 9 teaspoons a day of sugar per day for men (equal to 150 calories, or about a little more than a can of regular soda) and 6 for women (100 calories).

The average daily sugar consumption for an American: 22 teaspoons (330 calories, yikes!)

Consuming 330 calories a day, equals 2,130 calories per week, equals 9,240 calories per month. Trying to lose weight, specifically body fat? Consider that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat. Doing the math, this is an excess of almost two pounds per month.

Gaining two pounds of body fat a month leaves you 24 pounds heavier in a year. It’s easy to see how the battle of the bulge is lost.

What about alternative sweeteners? Are they healthier?
What if people switched from white table sugar to one of the following alternative sweeteners:

Agave nectar
Molasses
Raw organic honey
Evaporated cane juice
Brown sugar (raw)

The two biggest advantages of alternative sweeteners is that they contain trace minerals (calcium, manganese, iron, zinc and potassium) that aren’t found in white table sugar.

Some sweeteners also have a lower glycemic index (GI) rating than regular sugar, thus potentially raising blood sugar levels less quickly than white table sugar. High blood sugar levels may contribute to diabetes and other health problems.

For example, agave nectar has a glycemic index of only 30 compared to the simplest broken-down sugar known to man and the chemical compound that fuels our brain: glucose, which has a GI rating of 100.

Honey averages 55 on the GI scale; fructose averages about 20; lactose (milk sugar) checks in at 46 and sucrose (common table sugar; a combo of fructose and glucose) has a GI of 68.

If fructose has a lower GI, should I eat a fruit salad for dessert?

As Weil mentioned above, sugar is sugar and too much of it may cause you to gain weight, not to mention the damage to your teeth. Despite some sweeteners eliciting stronger, more effective insulin releases to help regulate sugar’s distribution in the bloodstream, all sugars are pure carbohydrate and contain mostly empty calories, with the exception of the trace minerals in alternative sweeteners and fruit.

But eating too much fruit at one time can cause both indigestion (including the embarrassing kind) and can cause blood sugar levels to crash below normal levels.

The bloodstream can only circulate so much glucose before the sugar gets processed by the liver and stored as body fat.

What about zero calorie sweeteners?

Most health experts recommend natural, plant-based sweeteners like xylitol; another recommendation by many natural health practitioners is to avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

The American Cancer Society, however, claims that aspartame does not cause cancer and is safe for consumption.

The bottom line: if you’re trying to watch your weight, limit your intake of all sugars. If you have a sweet tooth, opt for small amounts of stronger-flavored alternative sweeteners that have lower GI loads. To keep blood sugar levels down, always eat some natural fat and protein either before or with a sweet food.

How to Improve Flexibility

2012-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

You’ve gone enough years with your muscles and joints feeling stiff and achy every morning. This year is going to be different. You’re going to start a stretching routine several days a week.

Are you new to stretching? Here’s how to improve flexibility.

There are three main pillars of overall wellness, according to many conventional fitness experts: muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility.

How many pillars support your health? For many U.S. adults who do manage to make time for exercise, two out of three ain’t bad, as the saying goes. After a long day of work, perhaps it’s a trip to the gym for a run on the treadmill and some weights.

Most people, however, neglect stretching. Sure, yoga and Pilates have become popular, but many people remain sedentary all day at work and at home.

As for trying yoga for the first time, the thought of contorting an inflexible body into a pretzel-like figure in front of others intimidates some enough to prevent them from ever entering a yoga studio.

Just like dieting advice, stretching theory varies greatly
Isn’t it frustrating to hear all the conflicting advice about what to eat and what not to eat? Eggs are healthy one decade; the next they’re vilified by the fat police. The same is true with stretching. We’re told to stretch but then we’re told not to stretch before certain activities.

One study by exercise physiologists at Florida State University suggests that if you’re going for a run or performing some other endurance exercise, static stretching can lower your cardiovascular endurance.

Static stretching is when you hold a certain stretch for a prolonged period of time.

There are several other types of stretching techniques, including:

Active Isolated Stretching
Dynamic flexibility
PNF stretching
Ballistic stretching
Isometric stretching

How long should I stretch and how long should I hold the stretches?
As if there aren’t enough different types of stretching to confuse you, different styles of stretching suggest holding a stretch, or pose, for different periods of time. For example, there’s one style of yoga — Yin Yoga — that holds each asana, or pose, for five full minutes. The theory goes that it takes that long to fully relax a muscle into a greater state of flexibility.

Aaron Mattes, a rehabilitation specialist and developer of an athletic stretching technique called Active Isolated Stretching suggests holding stretches for no longer than two seconds.

Conventional flexibility fitness for decades has advocated holding a stretch for 20-30 seconds.

Now I’m totally confused. So what type of stretching should I do?
As the aforementioned study suggests, don’t do static stretching first thing in the morning, especially if you’re going to go for a run.

Consider performing a dynamic flexibility routine before any athletic activity. Although dynamic flexibility hasn’t been shown to remarkably improve flexibility, it does prepare the body quite well for activity and may feel like your joints have greater range of motion.

Examples of dynamic flexibility include controlled leg swings, arm circles and torso/hip rotations.

If you want to improve your flexibility and are recovering from an injury or surgery but want professional guidance, consider hiring a personal trainer or therapist who is schooled in Active Isolated Stretching or PNF techniques, the latter of which can dramatically improve range of motion.

If you enjoy the meditative nature of static stretching, it’s best to think of static stretching as a cool-down. Consider doing static stretching (gentle yoga classes incorporate static stretching) in the evening, especially after going for a long walk.

Isometric stretching is recommended for people who don’t do enough strength training. Nearly everyone is familiar with pushing against a wall with one leg forward to stretch the calves. This is an example of an isometric stretch.

I can almost do a full split. What can I do to improve flexibility?
For those who have been stretching for several years and want to break through a flexibility plateau, consider using deep-breathing techniques. Trying to do a full split but can’t quite get all the way? Deep exhales as you’re going further into the stretch should help. Also, stretching at the beach, on sand, will help get you into a deeper split.

Can’t get to the beach? If you have access to smooth surfaces like wood, wear two pairs of socks and grab onto a chair as you deep breathe your way into a full split.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

2012-01-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

The signs of serious high blood pressure can go undetected for years. Here's what to look for.

Is your New Year’s Resolution ‘to get in shape’? If it’s been a while since you’ve worked out, take it easy and pay attention to symptoms of high blood pressure.

Approximately 65 million Americans have hypertension and about 50 million Americans belong to health clubs. No doubt millions more will join shortly after the New Year and many gym newbies will have high blood pressure.

Often referred to as the ‘Number One silent killer’ because symptoms can go unnoticed for years before triggering a massive heart attack or stroke, high blood pressure can lead to the following symptoms while working out:

Headache
Dizziness
Shortness of Breath
Feeling Nauseous
Double or blurred vision

High blood pressure isn’t in itself the leading cause of death in the U.S.; heart disease, cancer and stroke are the top three. But high blood pressure may be responsible, at least in part, for developing these potentially fatal conditions.

It’s for this reason why many doctors acknowledge that hypertension is the Number One killer in the U.S.

How the Silent Killer Strikes
Other deadly symptoms of high blood pressure include blocked arteries, kidney failure, heart attack and brain hemorrhage.

Obesity is one cause of high blood pressure, so it’s important to exercise but at a low intensity if beginning a weight-loss and exercise program.

The responsible way to start an exercise program, if it’s been a long time since your last workout, is to first get clearance from your doctor.

This is especially true if you haven’t had your blood pressure tested in a long time. Even if you’re not significantly overweight, you may have high blood pressure.

Why do I have to ask my doctor if exercise is right for me?
Most likely, your doctor will encourage your exercise program. Even so, there’s always the possibility that because of high blood pressure, an abnormality may rule out any exercise as a precaution until the problem is diagnosed and addressed.

Anybody that’s received the surprising news they need bypass heart surgery can relate. It wouldn’t be good if they went for a stroll on the treadmill.

Which came first, the anger or the hypertension?
It’s human to get angry; anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing to feel. It’s how we relate to it and manage it, though, that can influence blood pressure.

Know someone who has bulging veins popping out of their forehead when they get angry? Afraid they’re going to burst at any second? This is the type of person vulnerable to elevated blood pressure levels (normal is about 120 over 80).

Prolonged high blood pressure can ultimately lead to premature death.

How can I prevent symptoms of high blood pressure?
Obviously, unhealthy lifestyles like smoking and eating junk food, excess sodium and sugar, may lead to high blood pressure. But you can take baby steps in lowering it by practicing some of the following:

Moving Meditation: Take tai chi or qigong classes or workshops. Tight on cash? Watch a YouTube video, though you’ll have better chances of sticking with it if you do it with a group or friend.
Silent Meditation: Silent yoga or still meditation is an excellent way to manage high blood pressure. By focusing on the breath, you’ll improve blood and oxygen flow. It’s been scientifically demonstrated to do so.
Eat More Foods Rich in Potassium: Sodium and potassium play off each other in a game of balance, much like a see-saw within our trillions of cells. The so called Sodium/Potassium pump refers to the intracellular fluid proportion of both these minerals. Eat some French fries loaded with salt and there’ll be more sodium and less potassium. Eating more potassium-rich foods in your diet helps lower blood pressure, studies have found.

3 New Year's Wellness Resolutions for 2012

2011-12-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

Unless you believe that the world will end in 2012 because that's when the Mayan calendar ends, it might be a good idea to set some wellness goals for the New Year.

The goals might be the same ones you set for last year and the year before, and that's fine. I may have even written about these same goals in last year's blog. But they're all worth repeating because they can dramatically help with:

weight loss
energy
pain-relief
sexual performance (This could be linked with energy, but it's such a marketable bullet-point, it's hard to resist including it.)

All the benefits you'll receive from implementing these goals daily are inter-connected. A stronger immune system will give you better energy. Following the goals may result in better digestion and nutrient absorption, which in turn strengthens immunity, which leads to more energy.

Get the picture?

Already follow these principles? Please pass this info on. With 2 out of every 3 U.S. adults either overweight or obese, we all need to play our part in making our country healthier.

Stop the preaching already. Get to the Goals!

1. Eat More

That's right...more, not less. It sounds counter-intuitive with 66 percent of us significantly overweight to recommend eating more. But most people don't eat enough, especially in the morning to properly fuel for the day.

Many still skip breakfast; those that don't tend to eat unbalanced breakfasts that are loaded with carbs (read: sugar) like toast or muffins or waffles with orange juice. An unbalanced or skipped breakfast will throw you off for the rest of the day. The only way to attain steady energy for the rest of the day after an improper breakfast is eating a balanced lunch and a nap. But for those that don't have time for a nap, eating a balanced breakfast with enough calories is critical to having good, streamlined energy.

Remember, food should neither make you hyper, nor make you crash. Eat 3-6 meals a day (Obviously, the more meals, the fewer calories per meal should be eaten), and you'll enjoy rock-steady all-day, all-night energy; no naps needed.

2. Exercise less....

Am I on the Mayan prophecy bandwagon? Do I believe the end is near, so why bother exercising? No, but I do think the key to effective weight loss and all-day steady energy is to exercise as often as you eat: at least 3 times a day, in shorter bursts than traditional workouts.

Good for you if you have to sit all day at work but manage to squeeze in a trip to the gym. But even if you workout for an hour at the gym, sitting for several hours at a time will result in poor blood circulation and tight muscles.

If you're sedentary most of the day, try to do short bursts (as little as a few minutes is highly effective) of exercises that combine strength with flexibility, such as doing a push-up into downward dog. Try to perform at least one set every couple hours.

3. Eat enough Omega 3 fatty acids and less Omega 6 fatty acids

Omega 3 fatty acids have received lots of praise from the mainstream media and nutritionists over the last decade, and for good reasons that aren't over-hyped. Indigenous cultures may not have known an Omega 3 fatty acid from a spear, but they did intuitively know what foods were rich with them.

A very healthy dietary fat, Omega-3's may prevent Alzheimer's. They may also help lower blood pressure and triglycerides, which are processed by the liver and stored as potential energy in the form of body fat.

(Eating too much of anything will result in the body storing triglycerides. This includes protein, which is erroneously presumed to not cause body fat storage by Atkins Diet followers.)

So frequently eat a natural source of Omega 3s (at least a few times a week), such as salmon or walnuts. Don't get fooled into eating cereals or chewing gum with fortified Omega 3's. There's actually no gum with Omega 3s but you get the picture. There's no substitute for cold oily fish and walnuts. Flax and Chia seeds and sardines are also excellent sources. A recent study's results on Omega 3 supplements showed that the pills did not improve Alzheimer's. This is a major bummer but shows that there's nothing like the real thing. If you have inflamed and achy joints, ditch all sugars from your diet and eat more whole food sources of Omega 3s.

Just as ancient civilizations boiled animal bones into soups despite not ever hearing of the word 'calcium', old-world cultures instinctively knew which Omega 3-rich natural foods stimulated health. As advanced technologically as we are, most of us have only realized these benefits for at most 10 years.

If you want to improve your body composition, increase energy and stay healthy, following these 3 tips could result in your breakthrough year, in which you take control of your health and prevent highly preventable trips to the doctor and paying for medications.

Good luck and have a happy, healthy 2012.

Why Potassium Can Save a Life

2011-12-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

When it comes to dietary minerals, calcium gets most of the attractive glory. Consider it the Brad Pitt of nutrition. Sodium, with its unhealthy, high-blood-pressure-inducing, bad-boy image is the Charlie Sheen. But what about potassium? Often misunderstood, neglected and closely related to sodium, it’s the Emilio Estevez (Sheen’s brother) of essential minerals.

What are the best sources of potassium and why is this dietary mineral so important?

Potassium plays several critical roles, including:

· Regulating cell function and electrolyte balance
· Muscle contraction (including the heart)
· Transmitting nerve impulses
· Metabolizing proteins and carbohydrates
· Regulating blood pressure

Most people know that a diet high in processed foods is often loaded with sodium, which can cause high blood pressure. But many people don’t realize that it’s possible to lower blood pressure by reducing sodium intake and increasing another electrolyte salt: potassium.

Research has proved that despite only 20 to 30 percent of Westerners having optimal blood pressure, a diet higher in potassium and lower in common table salt can regulate blood pressure levels as well as possibly preventing strokes.

You’ll want to shoot for about 4,000 milligrams of potassium per day if you’re concerned about blood pressure and electrolyte balance.

Here are some of the top sources of potassium:

1. Tomato paste and other tomato products: According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, tomato products, rich in the free-radical compounds, lycopene and Vitamin C, have the highest potassium content, checking in at a whopping 2,657 mg per cup. Chances are, you’re not going to eat a whole cup of tomato paste in one sitting, but eat it frequently (great for a spread on crackers and cheese), and you’ll reap the benefits of a loaded source of potassium in your diet.

2. Orange juice (unsweetened): Although not the best choice for people concerned with their blood sugar levels, orange juice does have over 1400 mg of potassium in a 6-oz. serving. By comparison one whole orange has less than one-tenth the amount of potassium, but by all means, do not skip out on eating whole foods like oranges. Eat some protein and natural fat to counteract the blood sugar spike that may occur when drinking orange juice.

3. Beets: One cup of boiled, cooked beets has over 1300 mg of potassium. Ancient Romans used beets as a cure for constipation. Your digestive tract depends on muscular movements to pass food through and we all know by now that potassium helps with muscular function.

4. Beans: Beans come in many varieties but nearly all contain adequate amounts of potassium. One cup of white beans has nearly 1200 mg of potassium. Make a salad with some beans and beets and you already have over half your recommended daily intake of potassium.

5. Dates: Like orange juice, dates are relatively high in sugar compared to other fruits, so take caution. But one cup of dates (Noor variety) has 1168 mg of potassium.

Where are bananas on the list?
It’s common perception that bananas contain lots of potassium. But one average banana contains 350 mg. Banana’s close relative, the plantain has more potassium. One medium raw plantain has nearly 900 mg. There are other fruits that have even higher levels of potassium. Dried apricots contain nearly 2000 mg; dried figs contain 1010 mg; avocados have 400 mg. In general, dried fruits contain lots potassium.

What are other good sources of potassium?
If you eat a balanced diet rich in whole food sources of nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit, along with a moderate amount of humanely-raised animal protein, you should have no problem getting enough potassium in your diet.

Soybeans, almonds, pistachios, parsley, bran and potatoes are also on the potassium A-list.

Those with compromised kidneys, however, need to be avoid eating too much potassium.

How to Reduce Stress

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips for alleviating pressure created by too much stress....

Having a heart-pounding, nail-biting, blood-pressure skyrocketing kind of day? Or week? Or past several years? It's time to learn how to reduce stress.

Leaving your high-stress levels unchecked can lead to the following health problems:

Chronic hypertension
Heart disease
Gastrointestinal disorders like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Tension headaches
Skin disorders
Sexual dysfunction

If IBS and sexual dysfunction don't get your attention, perhaps this sobering statistic will: stress is widely regarded as the number one killer in the U.S.

Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases are, for the most part, attributed to stress, be it lifelong-lifestyle choices like poor nutrition, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

High-pressure jobs, combative relationships with family and spouses, white-knuckle commutes and financial burdens are also major stressors. Perhaps it's impossible to magically make these stressors disappear, but it's mostly how we deal with stress that will determine our health.

To deal with the bad stressors in life (as well as the good; stress is stress to the body), you'll want to:

Practice breathwork and meditation at least once daily
Engage in moderate-intensity exercise daily
Eat three balanced whole-food meals at regular times daily
Gain a new perspective on the important things in life
Learn to express emotions without acting out on anger

Easier said than done, but if left unchecked, your stress could slowly — or quickly — subtract years from your life.

I'm too busy to meditate. What should I do?

No matter how many kids you have to whip up an omelet for in the morning and whisk away to school, you can always wake up 10 minutes earlier and find a quiet place to focus on slow, meditative breathing. This will calm the mind tremendously.

If it's absolutely impossible to meditate in the morning, make sure you leave some time in the middle of the day, when all the kids are at school. Even if you have a demanding job, say personal assistant for a Fortune 500 executive, go to your car if that's the only place that affords you privacy and focus on slow deep breathing, paying no mind to extraneous thoughts about life's problems.

Evening, before getting in bed is critical to managing stress levels. Don't let the stressors of the day flood your mind and body, possibly leading to a bad night's sleep. Find somewhere quiet with no television or Wi-Fi devices or bright lights to focus on doing nothing but concentrating on slow, full-belly and chest expansion breathing. Thoughts will come into your head but pay no mind to them.

What's the best exercise to combat negative stress?

Many people go to the gym for a workout that gets the stress out of them, but some workouts actually lead to more stress. The popularity of boot-camp style workouts are an example. Sure, they'll whip your butt into great cardiovascular shape, but potentially at the risk of adding more stress.

If you're a "type A" personality focused on financial goal motivations first and foremost in life, you'll want to, besides considering changing your perspective on life, pick an exercise routine that will relax you instead. Moderate yoga (such as Hatha) offers the benefits of focusing on controlling the breath, while simultaneously getting your heart rate up (but not too high) and strengthening muscles and bones.

If you absolutely have to do triathlon-style training, be sure to complement with relaxing and rejuvenating moving-meditation type exercises like Qi Gong or Tai Chi.

Why does stress make my belly ache?

If you've gone the past few decades in life eating much refined carbohydrate, white-flour and sugar-laden foods, you may have a weakened gastrointestinal system. Eating bad foods, including to those that you are sensitive (wheat, soy, corn) can compromise the mucosal barrier in your gut, which is your body's first line of defense against pathogens. Most of your immune system lies within your gut, so eat the wrong foods year after year, and you may end up with more than just a tummy ache.

What can I do to control my anger? My boss is a complete jerk!

Learning to express how you feel without letting your emotions get in the way is as difficult as learning Swahili: difficult, but not impossible. Just getting the basics can be life-transforming.

There are plenty of classes and workshops on Non-Violent Communication (a.k.a. "compassionate communication"), possibly led by facilitators in your area. The major steps to learning how to express your anger include:

Making an observation (My boss yelled at me today)
Stating calmly how the observation makes you feel (It made me feel angry, upset, stressed-out)
Declaring your needs (I have a need for respect and kindness)
Formulating a request (I request of my boss to stop yelling at me and talk to me in a calm tone)

Most negative stress is caused at either the home or workplace. Learning to communicate feelings is indeed like learning a second language, but doing so can extend your life and reduce stress.

Weight loss for diabetics

2011-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's important for diabetics to keep their blood sugar levels even as they attempt to lose weight....

November is American Diabetes Month, and with about 8.3 percent of Americans having diabetes—and another 80 million at risk of becoming diabetic—it’s crucial for all of us, not just nutritionists and celebrity fitness trainers, to pass on some of these tips on weight loss for diabetics.

The overwhelming majority of diabetics have type-2 diabetes, sometimes referred to as, “The Lifestyle Disease.”

Poor nutrition choices and lack of exercise are almost always the culprits of diabetes. “Nutrition illiteracy,” which can be defined as lacking the knowledge that certain foods are unhealthy, as well as access to affordable healthy options, can both be factors in becoming diabetic.

There are currently no cures or immunity to diabetes, but it is possible to control it.

If you have type-2 diabetes, safe and effective weight-loss strategies include:

Eating at least 3-5 smaller, balanced meals
Drinking enough water
Avoiding eating products with white flour and refined carbohydrates
Including lots of fiber in the diet
Exercising daily

What is a balanced meal?
For those who are nutritionally literate, it might be obvious what constitutes a balanced meal. But for many diabetics who have gone through much of their life raised on sugary cereals, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, fries, Coke and other junk food, it might not be so obvious what constitutes a balanced meal.

Every meal you eat should be at regularly-spaced intervals. Try to go no more than three to four hours without eating. Have breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch at noon, an afternoon snack at 4 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Try sticking to the same eating schedule every day as this will help regulate blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three macronutrients and all three should be eaten at every meal to maintain steady blood sugar levels.

The majority of carbohydrates you eat should come from vegetables (both cooked and raw). Earlier in the day, at breakfast and lunch, you can have a moderate amount of low-starch carbohydrate such as wild rice, oat bran, oatmeal and quinoa, a grainy, high-protein alternative to other blood-sugar spiking carbohydrates like white rice and pasta.

Try to limit your portion sizes of carbohydrates to a fist or fist and a half. Your protein choice should also be limited to about the size of your fist. Good protein choices to choose from at every meal include:

Lean meat and poultry
Fish
Eggs
Soybeans (don’t opt for soy meat substitutes)
Protein powder (perfect for late-morning smoothies)

Dietary fats are the third component of balanced meals. Fats get a bad rap in the media. Eating fat won’t necessarily make you fat. Eating more calories than you burn and consuming too much sugar without burning them by exercising will make you fat. Natural fats help slow down blood sugar and regulate insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. Some nutritionists think that eating full-fat ice cream is actually better for you than fat-free because the fat prevents blood sugar spikes. The problem, of course, with eating any ice cream variety is portion control.

Examples of natural fat include:

Olive oil
Egg yolks
Avocados
Nuts and seeds
Flaxseed oil

The amount of natural fat at every meal should generally be low, as in a tablespoon of olive oil on a salad or an eighth of an avocado and a handful of sunflower seeds and one egg yolk.

If you need to snack, it’s best to eat something that contains all 3 macronutrients, such as an apple with celery and a wee bit of peanut butter.

In addition to eating at least three small balanced meals throughout the day, here are some other tips for diabetics who need to lose weight:

Drink at least eight, 8-oz. glasses of water per day
Have most of your calories come from vegetables
Melt a tablespoon of butter over your veggies and sprinkle some sea salt to make them more appetizing.
If you eat at least 21 meals a week (three a day), allow yourself two very small ‘cheat’ snacks per week. Try to make them healthy ones like one small square of dark chocolate.
Try to walk after every meal for at least 10 minutes. This will help regulate blood sugar.

Iron for vegetarians

2011-12-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Mixing plant-based iron sources with foods that are also high in Vitamin C can increase iron absorption....

Vegetarians, rejoice! Although it might be commonplace to assume that non-meat eaters have lower iron levels than omnivores, numerous studies have proven that there is no noticeable difference between the two groups.

But if you're a concerned vegetarian, here’s a primer on iron for vegetarians.

Iron, an essential mineral, has several functions, including:

Helping transport oxygen to the cells
Making ATP (adenosine triphosphate), our cell’s main energy producer
Aiding in blood cell creation
Supporting protein structures in the body
Creating connective tissue in the body

Vegetarians have good reason to fear lacking adequate amounts of iron. Low iron levels can lead to anemia, which can result in numerous negative side effects, including lethargy, shortness of breath and headaches.

Strict vegetarians are more at risk for developing iron-deficiency anemia than those who also eat some fish and eggs.

Although the iron from some vegetarian sources is harder to absorb than animal-flesh protein, mixing plant-based iron sources with foods that are also high in Vitamin C can increase iron absorption.

Some of the best vegetarian sources of iron include:

Whole grains
Dried beans
Egg yolks
Dried fruits

Iron supplements are encouraged for vegetarians who don’t get enough iron-rich foods. But, they are not absorbed by the body as effectively as the best whole food sources that are naturally rich in iron.

Did Popeye get enough iron from spinach?
Popeye was strong to the finish because he ate his spinach — or most people would like to believe.

In terms of iron density per 100 calories, spinach is unparalleled in its iron content, checking in at over 15 mg. In other words, 100 calories of spinach has the same amount of iron as eating 1700 calories of sirloin steak, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.

But, if Popeye ate spinach alone, his iron absorption levels might be low. The problem with spinach is that it’s high in oxalic acid, which binds to iron and hinders absorption.

What other foods have oxalic acid?
Whole grains, which, if you’re paying attention, are aforementioned as a great vegetarian source of iron, but they are also high in oxalic acid. So are beans and nuts.

What to do? Eat foods that are high in Vitamin C, which helps absorb iron. Examples include broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes (tomato juice as well), potatoes and red and green peppers.

Other sources of iron-rich foods for vegetarians
One cup of cooked soybeans has almost 9 mg of iron. Cooked lentils are also an excellent source, containing nearly 7 mg. Quinoa has over 6 mg. Swiss chard checks in at 4 mg per cooked cup and black, pinto and kidney beans all have at least 3 mg. And one large potato has 3.2 mg of iron.

Two types of iron
In general, dried beans and dark, leafy green vegetables are excellent sources of iron. On a per-calorie basis, vegetarian sources of iron are often touted as being better sources of iron than meat. But there are two forms of iron: heme and non-heme sources.

Meat contains both non-heme and heme iron, the latter of which is generally regarded as easier to absorb by the body than non-heme sources. Vegetarian and vegan sources of iron are comprised entirely of the non-heme form of iron.

Because of this fact, you’d think vegetarians suffer from iron deficiencies much more than omnivores, but vegetarians who consume plenty of Vitamin C have, for the most part, adequate levels of iron.

Vegetarians are lucky that most vegetables that are high in iron are also high in Vitamin C.

Benefits of drinking water

2011-12-08T12:54:00.001-08:00

Most people think it's obvious to drink water; why then are most of us dehydrated?

You’d think that most Americans would know to drink plenty of water throughout the day. But some estimates reveal that three-quarters of all Americans are dehydrated. In case you’re one of them, here are the benefits of drinking water.

Staying hydrated offers many benefits:

It detoxifies the body. Water helps flush toxins out of organs, carries nutrients to cells and provides a moist environment for the ear, nose and throat, according to the Mayo Clinic. The kidneys and liver do a miraculous job of flushing out toxins, even if you’re dehydrated, but the Mayo Clinic also says that these two vital organs have a much easier job cleansing our systems if we are properly hydrated.
It lubricates joints. According to the National Institutes of Health, cartilage, the slippery coating at the end of each bone, is comprised of 65 to 80 percent water. Synovial fluid keeps cartilage healthy, slick and smooth, properly cushioning joints if properly hydrated. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day to possibly stave off osteoarthritis, the most common form of the joint disease known as arthritis.
It can curb appetite. Could it be that of all the hundreds of diets and thousands of weight-loss books to hit the market, water is one of the most efficient appetite suppressants? At a meeting last year of the American Chemical Society, the results of a clinical trial was announced, confirming a long-standing belief—but surprisingly, never-before supported by research—that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals consumed 75-90 fewer calories per meal. That’s almost 300 fewer calories per day and 8,400 fewer calories per month. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat. You do the math. Water can help with calorie control.
It can help with mental well-being. One study, conducted by Tufts Universityresearchers on college athletes, concluded that subjects who engaged in high-intensity aerobic exercise for at least an hour and did not properly hydrate, were more prone to feeling angry and depressed. The study’s lesson: our mood is sensitive to fluid balance.
It can possibly prevent and heal headaches. Very little research exists to support the claim that staying hydrated can prevent headaches, as well as being able to reverse the effects of headache if a subject is dehydrated. But one small pilot studyconcluded that intensity and duration of headaches was reduced after increased water intake.
It can prevent constipation. As reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, low fluid intake was a prime cause of constipation. The colon, the study mentions, is not only a storage house for waste matter, it also plays a major role in fluid and electrolyte absorption. Simply put, if you don’t drink enough water, your colon won’t absorb enough water to effectively pass your waste.

How much water should I drink?
Guidelines for the amount of water you should consume daily are inconclusive and controversial. The old standby ‘8x8’, or eight, eight-oz. glasses of water per day, is still a popular recommendation. But another school of thought suggests that most food we eat is comprised of water, so we don’t really need to drink at least eight glasses a day.

Considering that many Americans are going through life dehydrated, it would make sense to follow the ‘8x8’ rule, and then some. Individual traits, such as gender, weight, basal metabolic rate and activity level, all have a role in determining how much water one should drink.

Side effects of steroids

2011-12-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Are steroids as bad as we think?

Reached a plateau at the gym? Can’t bench press five more pounds? Some are tempted to 'juice it up.' Government statistics estimate that more than one million Americans use anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass. Are steroid users really at risk from developing dangerous side effects of steroids?

Most people are familiar with many of the deleterious effects the media reports when it comes to taking anabolic steroids, such as:

Acne
Shrunken testicles
Aggressive and violent behavior
Liver dysfunction
Gynecomastia (feminine breast tissue development)

While it’s true that steroids can cause irreparable harm to the body, modern steroid users in general are better educated than ‘muscle heads’ of the past when it comes to avoiding side effects. And for those who only take steroids short-term, research indicates that they are not sentenced to a life filled with medical problems. Here are a few examples of what studies say about some steroid side effects:

Hormone changes. The body’s natural testosterone levels plummet when someone uses anabolic steroids. This is why the testes stop producing testosterone and can eventually shrink. But a study in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology says that “the alterations in cell counts, HDL cholesterol, liver function and most hormones of the pituitary-testicular axis induced by a long-term abuse of AAS [anabolic androgenic steroids] were reversible after stopping medication for over one year.”
Chronic liver problems. A study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise concluded that rats given anabolic steroids over an eight-week period eventually had normal liver function restored. Most people would contend, though, that zealous human steroid users would take steroids for more than one cycle. But another government-sponsored study, concluded that after a three month withdrawal from anabolic steroids, human liver function returned to normal.
Bad skin. Applying a topical anti-androgenic cream can alleviate steroid-induced acne, suggests a study by the University of Toronto’s Division of Dermatology. That and also knowing which types of anabolic steroids to take can help some users avoid acne.
‘Roid Rage’. Increased hostility and aggressiveness is often associated with illicit steroid usage. But could it be that only people who are aggressive to begin with are the only ones prone to display ‘roid rage’? In one study of 109 men, aged 20-50, who were administered testosterone injections, only five people exhibited manic characteristics.
Female-like breasts. Now that most modern anabolic steroid users have access to online forums and a pharmacist-worthy compendium of knowledge, it’s possible to avoid developing excess estrogen in the body by taking anti-estrogen compounds.

There are several other potentially serious side effects of anabolic steroid use including impaired immune function, kidney damage, sterility, high blood pressure and more.

It’s important to know, however, that not all illegal steroid users are destined to a lifetime of chronic health problems, especially if users quit.

Anabolic steroids remain illegal. Human biochemistry is an extremely delicate and complex science and altering your hormones, even if the side effects can be reversed, could potentially affect other systems of the body.

For these reasons, anabolic steroid usage should be avoided completely.

Best home workout

2011-12-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Save money and get fit with these exercises you can do at home....

With some personal fitness trainers charging $75-$100 per hour and gym memberships costing at least a few hundred bucks a year, it’s no wonder people are working out more at home.

With winter fast approaching, finding the best home workout is a necessity if you don’t want to lose the battle of the bulge.

The beauty of working out from home is that you don’t need much space or equipment. Are you a busy beaver? Home workouts also don’t require a lot of time if your goal is to get lean and super fit.

Twenty-minute bursts of exercise can be just as effective as much longer cardio sessions; new research has proven that shorter bursts are actually more effective.

If you want to use some equipment at home, consider using the following:

Exercise ball (65 cm if you’re an average-size male; 55 cm for females.)
Jump rope (Unless you have ‘popcorn’ ceiling and don’t know how to skip rope like Rocky.)
Yoga mat (If you have hardwood floors.)
Push-up bars (Don’t have bars but do have dumbbells? They can double as push up bars.)
Foam roller (For core strengthening and massage.)

If you’re going to do a short home workout, you should pick exercises that challenge your whole body. Don’t waste your time just doing dumbbell biceps curls. If you absolutely must do them, at least combine it with a full-weight body squat.

You’ll also want to pick exercises that get your heart pumping. Those arm curls don’t tax your cardiovascular system nearly enough if you want to get in better shape in less time at home.

Because you lack the time to do a standard complete gym workout—warm-up; cardio; weights; cool-down; abs; stretch—your home workout exercises should also incorporate flexibility.

Ideally, you’ll want to find exercises that combine at least two of the following three benefits:

Strength
Flexibility
Cardio endurance

Which exercise combines all three?

One of the best exercises that combines all three benefits is the downward dog/upward dog combo. Matt Furey, a former martial arts champion and collegiate wrestling champ at Iowa is a guru on weights-free workouts. His program ‘Combat Conditioning’ features the downward dog into upward dog.

Furey’s version of this exercise is called ‘Hindu Pushups’ and Furey would no doubt be willing to admit that he didn’t invent this exercise; ancient strongmen of India did.

Many people are familiar with a downward dog. If you widen your stance by about a foot in the downward dog and then swoop forward into the upward dog and repeat 20 times (7-10 if you’re a yoga novice), you’ll strengthen your arms and core, stretch your hamstrings and core as well as your lower back and calves.

And oh yeah, your heart will be pumping as well.

For those who enjoy pushups, one of the best exercises to develop strength and get the heart rate up, you can perform a regular pushup and as you reach the peak of the pushup, push yourself into a downward dog.

Take a 30 second breather after doing several reps if necessary. Then do bodyweight squats, followed by core exercises like slow-motion/minimal movement (a couple inches at most) crunches either on the exercise ball or on the foam roller.

Don’t have either? Hook your feet under your couch and perform a set of 5-7 crunches that take 10 seconds on the return phase (the ‘lowering’ or ‘negative’ phase). You won’t be able to do 100 crunches, nor should you ever try to; abs are physiologically designed for short bursts.

Repeat 3-5 circuits of the Hindu pushups or regular pushups to downward-facing dog; bodyweight squats and core and you’ll get a highly effective, short home workout.

Do you have 5-gallon water bottles delivered to your home? Use them to do one arm deadlifts.

Use your imagination to come up with a home workout that suits your needs and interests.

Why Drinking Just One Can of Regular Soda a Day Will Kill You

2011-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love those attention-grabbing headlines? They're fun to write once in a while, just to make sure your audience is listening.

The truth is, drinking one can of soda a day will most likely not kill you, though it could contribute to a myriad of other health problems.

But hyperbolic headlines aside, here's an example of how easy it is for someone to pack on the pounds from just drinking one regular soda a day. Before that, though, it's necessary to jump ahead and say what's NOT the moral of the story: Drink diet soda.

Diet soda has more dangerous, toxic chemicals than the periodic table of elements and can leach calcium from your bones, so don't go assuming that after reading this you can chug diet soda until the cows come home.

So here's how one can of soda per day can lead to someone becoming obese:

One can of coke has 140 calories, all of which are from simple sugars. Drink one every day and that's 980 calories per week and 3,920 per month.

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. You do the math. Actually, I've been doing it so far, so I'll finish the fat formula. Just from drinking one can of coke every day, you'll put on over one pound a month, which of course is over 12 pounds a year. After making lifestyle choices like this for a few years, it's easy to see how someone can put on 40 pounds or more in a short time.

This of course assumes that someone's basal metabolic rate (calories burned at complete rest) plus activity level equals the amount of calories consumed, i.e. take in 2,000 calories, burn the same amount. Considering that 66% of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, you can assume that it's not just the can of coke that's tilting the scale towards rapid weight and fat gain.

Most nutrition-illiterate individuals aren't just guzzling one-12 oz. can of Coke; they're filling up their Big Gulps and parking as close to the front door as possible and getting no exercise.

Please do your part in helping educate your friends and family how harmful junk food and a sugar-rich diet is for them and for the country. Almost 20% of the U.S. economy is devoured by health care costs. It shouldn't be only up to wellness coaches to lead Americans towards a health paradigm shift that emphasizes prevention; it should be up to all of every single one of us that gets it.

I think using the can of Coke example is an easy way to show someone how easy it is to pack on the pounds. The Centers for Disease Control predicted that by the year 2050, a full one-third of U.S. adults could be diabetic. Obesity and diabetes are highly preventable. Now is the time for the U.S. to make a radical shift in consciousness towards health.

How to Get Rid of Belly Fat

2011-10-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

You’ve tried it all: ab machines, celebrity detox diets, laxatives, even skipping meals, yet none of these methods seem to help you slim down.

Here’s the real skinny on how to get rid of belly fat.

Some ways to help you burn stubborn fat around your midsection involves:

· Avoiding sugars and starches as much as possible
· Getting enough essential fatty acids in the diet, which can help metabolize body fat
· Tweaking your exercise routine
· Managing stress levels
· Correcting hormonal imbalances

By now, hopefully you realize that gimmicky gadgets that target your abs won’t help you get rid of fat around your midsection. Ab machines may help somewhat in strengthening your rectus abdominis muscles (the ‘6-pack’ superficial layer in the front of your core), but they won’t burn fat.

And by extension, it’s impossible to do what’s called ‘spot reduction’ fat burning. Running on a treadmill for 45-minutes at a high intensity may indeed help you burn fat, but there’s no telling where on your body Mother Nature plans on burning up your fat stores.

It could be in your saddlebags, buttocks, back or chest; there’s just no telling.

The Aerobic vs. Anaerobic debate
So what’s the best method of exercise to burn belly fat (and fat circulating in the bloodstream)?

For decades, exercise gurus and scientists recommended sustained (at least 30 minutes) aerobic exercise in the so-called ‘fat-burning zone,’ which is often regarded as approximately 50-70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

There are still plenty of aerobic advocates who claim that aerobic exercise is king, but recent research and new fitness training schools of thought have a different opinion.

Several repetitions of high-intensity, short-burst exercise of 30-60 seconds, followed by a recovery period will burn significantly more calories than a steady-tempo jog on the treadmill.

Really want to burn belly fat? Then train like an Olympian
It’s no wonder that Olympic athletes like track and field sprinters are chiseled Adonis’s with virtually no abdominal fat. You don’t have to be a world-class athlete but you can train like one (if you’re physically fit) if you want to burn belly fat.

Try raising the treadmill to the highest incline and sprinting at the highest speed (on most machines, this will be 10 m.p.h.) for 30 seconds, then lower the treadmill all the way down and reduce the speed to 3 m.p.h. until your heart rate recovers. Repeat several times.

If you’re not into high-intensity training, you’ll still want to implement cross-training into your routine, whereby you mix weight/resistance exercises with cardio exercises. Pick exercises that involve virtually every muscle.

For example, do any variation of squats or deadlifts, followed immediately by a round of jump roping or jumping jacks. Doing 10 sets of this will boost your metabolism and hopefully burn fat around your midsection.

Mix it up
Another vital tenet of belly-fat burning exercise is to frequently alter your training routine. Ever notice that people who walk on the treadmill for 2 hours at the gym rarely make any improvements to their physique? Though long walks can help stave off disease, they most likely will do little to burn body fat.

You must train at a higher intensity and constantly trick your body to prevent routine adaptation. Keep doing the same thing and your body won’t burn fat as effectively.

Got stress? It may show on your belly.
Some adults who exercise regularly and claim to eat healthy still have trouble getting rid of that extra 5-10 pounds of love handles and belly fat. Stress is the likely culprit.

Stress of any kind—including exercising too hard and failing to refuel the body properly and getting enough rest—leads to adrenal fatigue and floods the body with the hormone cortisol.

When excess cortisol courses through the body, it can have a negative effect on DHEA production, a hormone that is one of the precursors to the sex hormones like testosterone.

If you’re testosterone levels are low, you’ll have a harder time burning belly fat and gaining lean muscle. Consult your physician or wellness practitioner to test your hormone levels.

Home remedies for insomnia

2011-10-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Did you toss and turn in bed last night, robbed of a rejuvenating deep sleep? Counting sheep didn’t help? Here are some natural home remedies for insomnia that will hopefully help you enjoy a more restful sleep.

Though insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, it’s a symptom (usually of some form of stress) rather than a disease. Of all the people who suffer from it — more than 60 million a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Services — relatively few people with chronic insomnia discuss it with their doctor. For those who do, usually the only treatment suggested is sleeping pills.

Sleeping pills might help you fall asleep in the short term, but their efficacy usually wears off over time. Also, sleeping pills typically don’t induce a natural deep-sleep cycle that helps our body’s multitude of systems get a fresh start for the next day.

More natural treatments for insomnia include:

Controlling the sleep environment
Eliminating stimulants
Maintaining a strict sleep schedule
Natural herbal supplements
Winding down at night and meditation
Exercising

Watching television before bed: A no-no
Although suspenseful cable-TV shows about serial killers can be entertaining, especially after a long, monotonous day at work, watching TV right before bed can release adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) into your bloodstream.

If you have chronic troubles sleeping at night, try not to watch TV of any kind right before bed. You’ll also want to completely power down your computer, smart phone, iPad and all other wireless devices. Although there’s no concrete scientific evidence that WiFi devices can induce insomnia, it’s common sense that these devices won’t help you wind down at night, unless you have an app that mimics the sound of a babbling brook or migratory songs of whales.

Other environmental factors to consider include turning off all lights by 10 p.m., the hour that your cortisol levels should start dipping way down.

That cup of coffee you had at 3 p.m. could be keeping you up

The half-life of caffeine lasts for several hours. That means the effects of that big cup of coffee you had at work — which you gulped down perhaps because you didn’t eat enough throughout the day and now you’re feeling sluggish — lasts well into the night. By 9 p.m., several dozen milligrams of that cup of coffee is still active in your system. Sure, you may be able to fall asleep, but most likely you won’t enjoy a rejuvenating deep sleep.

Alcohol also can disrupt deep-sleep cycles. Although it can help you fall asleep, you’ll most likely wake up wide-eyed in the middle of the night if you have too much to drink.

Ben Franklin had it right
For those who work graveyard shifts, it might be impossible to live the motto: “Early to bed, early to rise,” but even those who have to work in the middle of the night can benefit from maintaining a strict sleep schedule, going to sleep at the same time every day. For those who work normal hours, try to be in bed by 10 p.m. with the lights out.

Try taking a hot shower or bath around 9 p.m. Add some all-natural bubble bath, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and light a candle in the bathroom. Lavender, for reasons that are not completely understood, has also proven in some studies to promote more restful sleep. Purchase some lavender and an essential oil diffuser and place near your bed.

Popping pills is OK, but try to take natural ones
Tryptophan is the amino acid found in turkey and is possibly the reason that millions of Americans get a restful catnap after a Thanksgiving holiday meal. Tryptophan is broken down into 5-HTP, which is then converted by the body into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, commonly known as the sleep hormone.

Melatonin as well as 5-HTP can be purchased at most natural markets that sell supplements. Consider starting with 5-HTP as it is converted into serotonin, the pleasure chemical that many people with depression don’t have enough of. Most of melatonin production occurs in the gut. Have your doctor or someone trained in lab diagnostics to check your melatonin levels. If they are low, it’s possible you may have a chronic gastrointestinal infection that you may not be aware of, which could lead to sleep disruptions because of low melatonin.

Exercise and meditation

Try to get regular exercise most days of the week. You can split up exercise routines into smaller segments during the day. But don’t exercise at a high-intensity late in the day, as you may have trouble winding down. The more stressful your life is, the greater the need for meditation, which ideally should be done every morning and night for at least 10 minutes.

Sleep journaling and CBT
According to the National Institutes of Health, a type of counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve the anxiety linked to chronic insomnia.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia includes regular, often weekly, visits to a clinician, who will give you a series of sleep assessments, ask you to complete a sleep diary and work with you in sessions to help you change the way you sleep.

How much cardio should I do?

2011-10-20T17:58:00.001-07:00

With so much conflicting information about fitness in the media, maybe you're wondering "how much cardio should I do?"

The short answer: it depends.

The amount of cardiovascular exercise you'll want to engage in should be predicated on your goals.

Are you training for a marathon or other race?
Is weight loss your goal?
Want to fit both strength training and cardio in your routine?
Don't have a lot of free time to squeeze in a 45-minute run?
Just want to get in better shape?

For general guidelines, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise three to five times per week.

What does moderate intensity mean?

If you can't carry a conversation during a jog, swim, bike or other aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping for a sustained period of time, you're working out too hard. This is especially true if you're new to exercise or concerned about flooding your body with the stress hormone, cortisol.

Moderate intensity is generally viewed as, after a proper warm up (think: brisk walk for five to 10 minutes), elevating your heart rate to about 50 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate.

There are more scientifically precise ways of determining your maximum heart rate. The best method, especially for those who are around 40 years old or older and overweight is to do a treadmill stress test administered by a medical professional.

One formula that's often used for the general public is to take your age and subtract it from 220 and then multiply that by anywhere from .50 to .65, which will give you a heart rate guideline for moderate intensity.

The Karvonen formula is also cited as more reliable, though you'll have to know what your resting heart rate is to figure out your moderate intensity training range based on this formula.

I'm training for a marathon. How much cardio should I do?

Before answering that question, first ask yourself why you want to train for a marathon. Is it just to prove that you can achieve a monumental task? Make sure you have a thorough understanding of sports nutrition and don't have any underlying health issues (an irregular heartbeat, for example).

If you're cleared by your physician and have studied sports nutrition extensively, you'll want to do cardio at least 5 days a week for several weeks if not months prior to a race. Each session should last well over an hour.

I lift weights and want to keep muscle. Won't too much cardio burn away my muscle mass?
If you're concerned about cardio exercise wasting away your muscle tissue, two to three moderate intensity cardiovascular sessions per week of 30 minutes should be enough.

Keep in mind that it's possible to sustain your heart rate at an aerobic capacity for 30 minutes or more during weight lifting. Full-body exercises like deadlifts and squats use your whole body and will tax your heart. To keep up your heart rate, consider focusing on muscular endurance by lowering the amount of weight lifted and increasing the amount of repetitions.

If you're concerned about staying as strong as possible, don't lift too light but do jump rope in between lifts to keep your heart rate up.

I don't have time to do 45 minutes of cardio at one time. What should I do?
Split up your routine. Performing two 20-minute sessions of cardio per day (jumping rope, climbing stairs or bleachers) a day has been proven to be just as effective, if not more so, than one continuous cardio session.

Cardio conclusion

Elite athletes and endurance exercisers thrive on doing high-intensity cardio for prolonged periods, provided that they supplement with adequate nutrition and rest. The average person would do well getting their heart rate up to at least a moderate intensity level five to six days per week. Striking a good balance between resistance and cardio exercise will be most beneficial. Pick an exercise program that accomplishes both to save time. Get clearance from your doctor before starting any exercise program.

What's the best meal replacement/protein bar?

2011-09-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

The short answer: none of them!

I don't pretend to know everything about nutrition but I do know the most crucial component: nutrient density.

There's no need to ever eat a meal replacement bar (MRB) or protein bar, ever, ever, ever. Protein bars and MRBs are nowhere near as nutritious as real, whole food sources.

Who truly doesn't have time to eat real food? Maybe an E.R. surgeon? There are very few of us who can't at least shove a slice of organic turkey breast down their gullet along with a handful of nuts.

Are you that E.R. surgeon who slices and dices for 12 hours straight? Have a nurse hand-feed you; just don't drop any crumbs into the patient's innards.

Are you a traveling salesman or cop, frequently on the road and accustomed to making a pit-stop at the 7-11 for a quick pick me up (though the boost will be artificial and short-lived)?

Bring a small cooler with you in the car and load it will fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, lean protein slices, string cheese, organic beef jerky and of course plenty of water.

Office workers who scarf down a bar after work and then go to the gym would get better nutrition eating a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack with the above choices. If you don't have time for a real lunch, consider eating a handful or two of these snacks every 90 minutes. You'll keep your energy up and even increase your metabolism.

For those who do plenty of resistance training, you'll want primary protein sources to encourage muscle repair. Nuts are a fine complimentary protein source, but not one to rely on for significant muscle growth. If it was, bodybuilders would be scarfing down cashews after a workout, not egg whites.

Organic chicken legs (drumsticks) are a compact and healthy major source of protein. And they're easy to prepare. Just throw in the oven the night before work. If you're averse to eating them cold, take them out of the fridge in the morning and a few hours later, when it's time for your mid-morning snack, it'll be at a palatable temperature. Don't worry about it spoiling and getting e. coli if your immune system is working fine.

We could go on and on about the actual ingredients in bars, how they are artificial and many even potentially harmful. Even seemingly more health-conscious picks can have lots more sugar than a whole food source. But that should be a given. It's a wonder then why so many people opt for bars. Sure, they're easy and cheap, but just as so is always having a bag of mixed nuts handy. Ideally, you don't wait until you're hungry to have a snack. By then, your metabolism and blood sugar has slowed way down.

So if you're starving and buy the latest organic greens bar, don't be surprised if that's all you eat for lunch doesn't leave you feeling even more lethargic 30 minutes after you eat it.

There's no substitute for 3 meals a day balanced with the right ratio of the 3 macronutrients (fats, protein, carbohydrates). What's the right ratio for you? Well, that's the hard part. That takes food journaling, paying attention to how you feel, and time. But take my word, eating a plate of brown rice, a drumstick and a salad is better than a bar any day, for almost everybody. Even a couple pieces of turkey breast, an apple and a handful of cashews would be, too.

Think about that next time you reach for a bar.

How to increase good cholesterol

2011-09-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Shortly after World War II, doctors and researchers discovered that cholesterol is a component of arterial plaque. It wasn’t long after this discovery that the medical establishment waged war on cholesterol, blaming it as a major contributor to heart disease. Four decades later, many are stumped as to how to increase good cholesterol.

Simply put: It’s not as straightforward as many people would hope.

In fact, the subject of cholesterol is very controversial. Ask one doctor who follows the mainstream medical liturgy of how to increase good cholesterol and you’ll likely hear the following:

Replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats.
Substitute animal-based products with soy foods for heart health.
Possibly take prescription drugs to reduce your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
Perform daily aerobic exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week and you can raise your HDL levels, or “good” cholesterol.

It’s safe to say there are no doctors who would argue with the fact that exercise can boost HDL levels.

However, some doctors disagree with the American Heart Association’s claim that, “High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. As your blood cholesterol rises, so does your risk of coronary heart disease.”

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics lists approximately 80 medical doctor members all of whom disavow mainstream medical advice about how to raise good cholesterol.

Although not a member of the Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, Palm Desert, Calif.-based, Dr. Jon Dunn said back in 2008, “Overall I believe that cholesterol by itself is essential to our health and well-being, and the majority of negative publicity surrounding cholesterol serves only to profit the pharmaceutical industry.”

Cholesterol, Dunn asserts, is not the main culprit for heart disease. So what is? According to Dunn, it’s inflammation, and the following methods — in addition to regular exercise — can reduce your risk for arterial inflammation, and as a side benefit, can increase HDL levels, or what’s commonly called in the mainstream medical realm as good cholesterol:

Don’t cook with vegetable oils other than olive oil.
Avoid high sugar/processed food; white flour products; alcohol and nicotine.
Maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Correct hormonal imbalances.
Manage stress levels.

You can increase HDL cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation, according to Dunn by consuming some of the following foods and supplements:

Dark fruits (blueberries, dark cherries, blackberries, dark grapes)
Omega 3 fatty acids (in the form of whole, coldwater oily fish like salmon or fish oil supplements, 1200-2400 milligrams, 2-3 times per day with meals)
Magnesium: 200 mg 1-2 times perday
Calcium citrate: 500 milligrams daily
Alpha Lipoic: 100–500 milligrams daily

In his book "The Cholesterol Myths," Swedish doctor Uffe Ravnskov, who is the spokesman for the International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, argues that saturated fat is unjustly blamed for causing heart disease. On the contrary, Ravnskov posits that saturated fats, such as animal protein, which contain cholesterol, are important for overall health.

Dr. Thomas Cowan, another doctor who has doubts that cholesterol should be blamed for heart disease suggests the following for those with high levels of LDLs, and thus want to increase good cholesterol:

Take a liver-cleansing supplement
Supplement with artichoke extract
Lower carbohydrate intake

Bloomfield, Mich.-based Dr. David Brownstein, another member of the International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, claims that Vitamin C can also reduce inflammation, which, according to him, is more important than worrying about eating foods like organic, all-natural animal-based products that contain cholesterol. His recommendations:

2,000-5,000 milligrams per day of vitamin C
Drink enough water
Don’t eat refined foods

There are always exceptions to the rule. Some people are just dealt a bad genetic hand of cards and are at risk of dying young while having high cholesterol levels. But an increasing number of doctors are saying that rather than worrying about increasing good cholesterol, worry instead about reducing inflammation in your body.

How to strengthen your lower back

2011-09-05T16:08:00.001-07:00

According to the American Chiropractic Association, 31 million Americans experience low back pain at any given time. If you have chronic back pain, here’s how to strengthen your lower back.

Before getting into exercises that strengthen the lower back, it’s important to understand why so many people experience back pain.

Most cases of chronic back pain are due to muscle imbalances. As a result, in the last decade or so, “core” has been the buzzword in the fitness industry. Strengthening your lower back and eliminating muscle imbalances has everything to do with strengthening your core.

Think of your core as a corset hugging your vital organs and spine. Some people think that the core is your stomach. Wrong. Your stomach is a relatively small organ that helps break down food. Others think that the core is the abdominal muscles but the ‘abs’ are only a small component of the core.

Perform some crunches and you’re only strengthening a part of the core.

Here are all the muscles of the core you’ll need to strengthen to help you avoid back pain:

Rectus Abdominus (commonly referred to as the ‘abs’)
Obliques (known by some as the ‘side abs’)
Transverse Abdominis (deepest layer of the abdominals)
Spinal Erectors (muscles that keep the spine upright)
Glutes (the bottom of the core, the largest muscles of the body)

Together, all the muscles above form a three dimensional group of muscles that resembles a shipping box. Your rectus abdominus, which runs from the bottom of your breast bone all the way to your pelvis is the front of the box.

The obliques are the sides of the shipping box. The spinal erectors form the back of the box and the glutes are the bottom of the box.

The transverse abdominis, the deepest of four layers of abdominal cavity musculature can be thought of as the contents of the box.

These muscles, collectively, run up and down, across, and diagonally. Using the shipping box analogy, if one of the dimensions of the box, say, gets soaked with water, the integrity of the box will be compromised. The same thing occurs with your muscles. If one or more group of core muscles is weaker than the others, especially the deep transverse abdominis muscles, the lower back will feel it.

Here then are some basic exercises to strengthen your lower back:

Plank
Basic crunches
Oblique crunches
Prone opposite arm-leg raises
Exercise ball bridges

Perhaps the most important exercise to begin with and practice daily is the plank. Millions of trainers and physical therapists attest to the planks ability to activate and strengthen the deep abdominal cavity muscles. Depending on what exercise physiologist you ask, there are three or four layers of muscles in the abdominal wall.

If you’re doing a plank correctly, your deep intrinsic muscles will be shaking. This shaking is indicative of your muscles being activated and the brain-skeletomuscular communication being in sync.

Most people that do crunches perform dozens of repetitions. This is a waste of time and though you might be strengthening the abdominals, what’s really getting the workout are the hip flexors. Not a bad thing necessarily, but if your goal is to strengthen the front of the core, keep in mind that the abdominals don’t need endless repetitions to get strong.

To perform a crunch correctly, get in a sit up position, but try to hold your head off the ground and feel your shoulder blades barely making contact with the floor. Look up at the ceiling or sky and peel your shoulder blades just one to two inches off the ground and hold for a three count as you breath out.

You should be shaking. Return very slowly back to the starting position. Inhale and immediately come back up. Remember that only a micro movement is necessary to properly stimulate the abs.

Try to perform 10-12 reps. To strengthen the obliques (the sides of the core), simply twist to one direction at the top of the movement. Return to starting position and then repeat to the other side. Remember to hold at the top for a couple of seconds.

Performing 3-5 of these exercises on a daily basis for as little as 10 minutes may help strengthen the core and help you mitigate back pain.

How to relieve stress

2011-09-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Has your life become like a country song lately? Lost your job? Spouse walked out on you? Truck broke down? Dog ran away? Fret not, partner; it’s not the end of the world. Here’s how to relieve stress.

Whether it’s emotional, mental, physical, environmental or social stressors, the following tips will help you deal with — and eventually overcome — whatever roadblocks life has overwhelmed you with.

To combat stress, you’ll want to:

Eat more
Meditate
Exercise
Rest and re-evaluate
Balance hormonal levels

I’m already overweight — and stressed out. You’re telling me to eat more?

Yes. Many people who lead stressful lives tend to skip meals and binge. Skipping meals results in the body undergoing more stress. Skipping breakfast or going several hours (more than five) between meals results in your metabolism screeching to a halt and blood sugar levels dropping to less-than-ideal levels.

To relieve stress, you’ll want to fuel your body regularly. Make sure to eat at least three meals a day and have a snack in between meals, if necessary to regulate blood sugar levels. As much as possible, avoid high-starchy foods like pasta, pastries, breads and any foods loaded with white flour. Flooding the body with foods like these will spike blood sugar levels and won’t help you relieve stress.

Stress zaps the body of energy. Resupply yourself with balanced meals and snacks that always include protein, natural fats and low-starch carbohydrates. Indulge in a little piece of milk or dark chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I’m going through a divorce. How is contemplating my navel going to help pay alimony?

Meditation won’t miraculously erase your stress overnight. But over time, setting aside as little as 10 minutes in the morning and evening for meditation can help you relieve stress. There are many forms of meditation.

To combat stress, one of the best forms is to focus on one thing: your breathing. Throughout our hectic day, we forget to take deep breaths. We hold on to our breath and bottle up the stress inside.

Our chest and upper back muscles get tight. Sitting still (can be in a chair; doesn’t have to be like Buddha cross-legged) and focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply, each lasting about a 3-Mississippi count, can have a profound relaxing effect.

Try to not think about the stressors in your life, but it’s OK if you do. Think of bad thoughts as dark storm clouds quickly moving through the sky (your brain). Let stressful and negative thoughts come in one ear and quickly out the other.

Focusing on the flame of a lighted candle, while concentrating on breathing, also helps put stressful situations in perspective. Seldom are our problems as serious as we think they are — in the grand scheme of the universe.

I already do triathlons, but I’m still stressed out. How can exercise help me?

Most people know that exercising regularly can help deal with stress. If you have a stressful job, say slaving away on Wall Street for the big bucks, maybe you’re already hitting the gym to get the stress out of you. But working out too intensely can actually make you more stressed out. How? High-intensity workouts can flood the body with cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone.

The more cortisol coursing its way through your system, the more your adrenals will become fatigued. Your adrenal glands, which rest on top of your kidneys, release the hormones that help you battle stress. Too much cortisol will leave your body struggling to battle stress. High-intensity workouts may add to sluggish adrenals.

If you have lots of stress in your life, pick an activity that will help balance your already hyper mind. Yoga or Pilates are just two examples of exercise modalities that may help relieve stress.

Are you really held captive eternally to your stressful life?

If you’re determined not to have a stressful life, make changes that remove yourself from stress. Do you have a friend who stresses you out and unloads all her drama on your lap? Distance yourself from that friend, no matter how long a history you have with her. Wall Street slave: do you really need to make as much money as you’re earning, at the expense of all that stress? Quit and find a less stressful job.

Unemployed and can’t find work in your field? Scour the Web for outside-the-box opportunities. Become a caretaker for an estate in another country. Pack up your family and move to a less stressful environment. The confining and debilitating walls of stress will only box you in if you let them.

Decades of stress can wreak havoc on your health. Balance hormones to counteract it.

All that cortisol flooding your system over the years can throw your hormones out of whack, compromising every system of your body. Seek a medical professional like a naturopathic doctor to help you reestablish correct and balance hormonal pathways.

How much protein do I need?

2011-09-05T16:05:00.001-07:00

Steak and eggs for breakfast. Ham and cheese for lunch. Chicken teriyaki for dinner. Too much protein in one day? Or just right? If lately you’ve asked, “How much protein do I need daily,” here are some guidelines.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients that we require on a daily basis, and should be consuming at every meal, along with carbohydrates (ideally, only in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables) and natural fat.

There are nine essential amino acids, which constitute the building blocks of protein. Eating high-quality sources of protein (for example: lean grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, wild salmon, minimally processed cheese, etc.) that contain the full spectrum of amino acids, have the following health benefits:

They repair body cells
They build and repair muscles, bones, skin, nails and hair
They support immune function
They develop and maintain organ function
They control many of the important processes in the body related to metabolism

Leading health websites, offer general guidelines for protein intake.

According to WebMD, protein requirements differ based on age:

Infants require about 10 grams a day.
Teenage boys need up to 52 grams a day.
Teenage girls need 46 grams a day.
Adult men need about 56 grams a day.
Adult women need about 46 grams a day.

For pregnant or lactating women, WebMD recommends increasing intake to 71 grams of protein a day.

Percentage of total calories is another measure of protein intake. The Institute of Medicine suggests that adults get between 10 percent and 35 percent of their total daily caloric intake from protein.

Why general protein suggestions may be insufficient

The Institute of Medicine suggestion is a huge gap, and one that fails to account for unique biological differences. The WebMD and governmental agency guidelines might be a good starting point, but fail to account for activity levels.

For example, take the aforementioned pregnant or lactating woman, advised by WebMD to consume 71 grams of protein per day. But what if the woman is still very active, lifts weights and is very tall and muscular? Perhaps 71 grams of protein per day wouldn’t suffice.

Maximum protein intake for inactive adults

Before figuring out what’s the best daily protein intake for you, many people first want to know what the maximum daily protein intake should be. As another general rule, if you’re not a competitive athlete or bodybuilder, take 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. A 170-pound adult male, then, should not exceed more than 153 grams of protein per day.

And if I pump iron regularly, how much protein should I eat per day?

Many bodybuilders, perhaps the most protein-conscious segment of society, use the following formula to determine adequate (for encouraging muscle growth and cell repair) protein intake per day. Keep in mind that this formula is for serious weightlifters only, those who spend 5-6 days in the gym, performing 1-2 hours of resistance training:

Take your body weight (example: 200 pounds)
Find out your body fat percentage using a trusted method like skinfold caliper test at a gym (example: 15 percent)
Multiply your body fat percentage times your overall weight (200 x .15 = 170)
Take your lean body weight (170) and multiply times 1.14 = 194 grams of protein

Holy cow, that’s a lot of ... um, cow. Again, eating 200 grams of protein per day should only be done by experienced and accomplished weightlifters.

I’m not a lifter. I’m trying to lose weight. How much protein do I need?

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2005 that found that increasing protein from 15 percent to 30 percent of total calories — and reducing fat from 35 percent to 20 percent of calories — resulted in sustained weight loss. So make sure you’re getting enough protein, because if you don’t, chances are you won’t feel full. This will lead to eating more belly-fattening refined carbohydrates.

There are some individuals who would do well on a lower protein diet, especially those with kidney or liver diseases. For most people, the WebMD and government recommendations are adequate guidelines. If you’re an avid exerciser, consume more protein than the recommendations. Always speak to a medical professional before deciding to eat five steaks a day to get massive muscles.

Know more about how much protein you need on a daily basis? Leave us a note in the comments below.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

2011-09-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Does it sometimes feel like you have to take on a second mortgage to eat healthy? Is $10 a pound for organic meat out of your league? If so, here are some guidelines on healthy eating on a budget.

Breakfast

If you’re trying to save money on food, don’t skip breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day because it revs up your metabolism. Try to eat by 10 a.m. to fuel your system. Buy the following items from a natural grocer and for less than $20 a week, you can have a healthy breakfast every day:

Free-range, organic eggs (large; $4-5 per dozen)
Sprouted grain or rice flour bread ($4-$5 per sliced loaf)
Organic spinach ($2 a bunch)
Grass-fed cheese ($5 a pound; use cheese substitute if dairy intolerant)
Avocado ($1-$2 per)

Making an egg sandwich every morning with the above ingredients should satiate you for at least three hours or longer, before you’re ready for a snack or lunch. Sure, you could save even more money by buying industrial, large factory-farmed eggs, white bread and nacho cheese dip but that most likely would not be considered healthy eating by most nutritionists.

Getting tired of breakfast sandwiches? Oatmeal or quinoa cost up to $5-$6 per box. Mix in a handful of fresh berries, a dab of cream (a little fat is good for you and will keep you full longer) and almond butter.

Lunch

Time for lunch yet? Nutrient-dense salads are a perfect way to eat healthy on a budget. Organic spring mix salad, or spinach, or any other bunch of greens costs much less than a ticket to the movies. But eating greens alone won’t satisfy. If you ate oatmeal for breakfast, throw in one or two chopped hard-boiled eggs. Here are some other ingredients to make a satisfying, inexpensive, healthy salad:

Raw sunflower seeds
Olives
Blueberries
Walnuts
Feta cheese
Canned tuna or sardines (if you like the smell and taste)
Edamame (unprocessed soy beans)

All these healthy salad ingredients will last you for at least a week, keep you full for several hours and won’t break the bank.

Dinner

Don’t have time to make a salad for lunch? Make one for dinner. Better yet, prepare your salad at night, after the kids have gone to bed. It will only take you about 5 minutes to prepare. Make sure you pack your salad with enough protein and natural fat so you won’t get hungry an hour after eating and then go to splurge at a restaurant.

You can, of course, also eat a salad for dinner. But to mix things up, try making a quinoa pasta dish. A box of quinoa spaghetti from Ancient Harvest (organic and gluten free) costs less than $3 from most natural markets. If you’re single and cooking for yourself, a box will last you at least a few days. Cooking for kids? Quinoa pasta comes in other varieties besides spaghetti, including vegetable medley spiral noodles. Alternate between the pastas and for about $15 a week, you should have enough for the whole family.

Add some veggies and spices and voila, a delicious, healthy budget-minded dinner.

The secret to eating healthy for cheap

The key to eating healthy on a budget is not to eat out. Sure, there are plenty of healthy options when eating out, but if you’re concerned with saving as much money as possible, cook at home.

Grill up a pound of wild sockeye salmon (about $10-$12 a pound) and cut into little pieces and mix in with the quinoa pasta to receive the mega-nutritious benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

There are plenty of other ways to eat a healthy, budget-conscious dinner. Got a hankerin’ for some meat? Healthy, humanely raised meat is cost-prohibitive for most people on a budget. Explore food co-ops in your area or go in with some friends on home-delivered small-farm, grass-fed meats to reduce the cost.

It’s no wonder that many low-income families eat unhealthy foods. Buying all organic can be expensive. But for around the same price as a fast-food value meal, you can cook yourself something healthy. It might just save you money on health care in the long run.

How to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

2011-09-05T16:02:00.001-07:00

Are you one of the approximately one in three American adults with high blood pressure? If so, here are some general guidelines on how to lower blood pressure.

Perhaps it's the stressful job you've had for years — or the stress of finding a job — that's caused your systolic (pressure while heart beats) and diastolic (pressure in between beats) to soar above "140 over 90" (mmHg), the standard benchmark for high blood pressure.

If you're diabetic or have kidney disease, the National Institutes of Health recommends maintaining a blood pressure under 130/80.

Besides stress, other factors can lead to high blood pressure, including:

Race and ethnicity (African Americans are more susceptible to high blood pressure)
Gender
Age (blood pressure tends to rise with age)
Unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking
Genetics

High blood pressure itself usually has no symptoms, but if left untreated, it could potentially lead to coronary heart disease, kidney failure or stroke. There's a good reason high blood pressure, or hypertension as it's also known, is referred to as "the silent killer."

To lower blood pressure, you'll want to do the following:

Eat a little dark chocolate
Drink moderate amounts of alcohol (2 drinks maximum per day)
Exercise
Quit smoking
Take potassium
Manage stress

You had me at dark chocolate. Really, dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure?

The above list of ways to lower blood pressure is by no means in order of importance. Exercising, meditating and managing stress, and of course, cessation of unhealthy lifestyle choices are paramount to combating high blood pressure.

But, yes, dark chocolate has been clinically proven to help lower blood pressure. In a study published in BioMed Central, researchers compiled over 50 years of clinical trials that measured the effect of cocoa on blood pressure. The conclusion: dark chocolate was more effective in reducing blood pressure than the placebo, especially for those with hypertension or pre-hypertension.

You also had me at "drink alcohol." That lowers blood pressure as well?

A 2001 study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health studied the health of approximately 20,000 Spaniards and found that those who drank moderate amounts of any alcohol enjoyed better overall health. The Mayo Clinicreports that heavy drinkers who cut back to the recommended level of one to two drinks a day may be able to lower blood pressure by a few points. It's probably a good idea, however, to abstain from alcohol if alcoholism runs in your family, or if you are on medication. Ask your doctor if it's safe for you to consume alcohol in moderation.

I hate exercising. Even if I did like it, I don't have time to go to the gym. What should I do?

Exercising makes the heart muscle pump blood more efficiently. Improve your cardiovascular capacity and your heart won't have to work as hard pumping blood. You don't have to run a marathon or train for a triathlon to get your ticker in better shape. If you have to, wake up earlier or come home from work earlier or take a longer lunch break and take a brisk walk.

Walking at a decent pace most days of the week for 30 minutes will significantly improve your cardiovascular health. With your doctor's clearance, try walking up a steep flight of steps one to three times per day. (A good measure of a decent pace: you should be slightly winded while carrying on a conversation.)

Gentle yoga, tai chi and breathing classes all may help to lower blood pressure. You don't have to partake in extreme exercise to lower blood pressure. A University of New Mexico study concluded that although hypertensive individuals were once recommended by the medical establishment to avoid resistance training, moderate levels of it as well as aerobic exercise will reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Ok, I'll give exercise a try. How else can I lower my blood pressure?

Foods and supplements rich in potassium may help lower blood pressure, according to some clinical studies, including a small-scale study at Harvard Medical School. Eliminating or reducing caffeine intake can also help lower blood pressure. If you're on high blood pressure medication, don't quit cold turkey; talk to your doctor first or consult a Naturopath.

Banana nutrition facts

2011-09-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

The banana is perhaps the oldest recorded fruit in the world as well as the most consumed. But some dieters avoid bananas like a slippery peel. Are bananas unhealthy? Or have some carb-phobic dieters gone bananas? Here are some banana nutrition facts...

Considered a healthy staple for thousands of years, the banana is now shunned by some low-carb dieters because of its sugar content.

Most dieticians and nutritionists would caution diabetics and those with blood sugar and metabolic deficiencies to be careful with banana intake, especially over-ripe bananas.

Diabetics—and those who burn up carbohydrates very quickly—would be better off opting for green-tipped bananas. Eating some protein and natural fat along with a banana can also help manage blood sugar levels.

So how much sugar is in a banana? And are bananas healthy for most of us?

One medium-sized banana (approximately 7 inches long) contains 14 grams of sugar. Is 14 grams a lot? It depends what kind of sugar comprises the 14 grams and how quickly those sugars spike blood sugar levels.

Blood sugar spike from eating bananas

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an all-yellow ripe American banana has a glycemic load (GL) of only 13 on a scale of 100. But an average banana’s glycemic index (GI) is approximately 50. What is the difference between GL and GI? The glycemic load is generally regarded as a more accurate indicator of a carbohydrate’s effect on blood sugar levels.

A banana’s glycemic load is considered medium (11-19 is medium; low = 10 or less; high = 20 or more), which supports the theory that those with blood-sugar sensitivities should be at least slightly cautious with banana consumption, especially overly ripe ones.

Bananas’ many health benefits

Athletes love bananas for the quick and sustained burst of energy provided. But even professional couch potatoes enjoy many benefits of eating bananas, including:

Battling depression: bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan, which converts into serotonin, the body’s natural mood-enhancing chemical.
Keeping the pipes flowing: high in fiber (3 grams), bananas can stimulate the bowels, reversing constipation.
Stress management: a single banana contains about 12 percent of your daily potassium needs. Stress reduces potassium levels. Fatigued? Irritable? Have high blood pressure? Eat bananas.
Helping heartburn: bananas, for most people, are a natural antacid.

High vitamin and mineral content

Low-fat dieters also love bananas as they contain virtually no fat. Bananas do have a gram or two of protein, but where a banana really shines nutritiously is in its vitamin content. A banana is high in the following:

Vitamin C: 17 percent of recommended daily value in one banana
Vitamin B6 (22 percent; good for the nervous system)
Folate (6 percent; good for cell repair)

Bananas are also high in the mineral manganese (good for bone health), supplying 16 percent of the recommended daily value. Are you susceptible to cramping? Magnesium can help prevent cramps and bananas contain 8 percent recommended daily value.

Conclusion: bananas are part of a healthy diet

Although a banana is 93 percent carbohydrate, dieters who are leery of carbs should not, by and large, exclude bananas from their diet. Bananas are not a perfect, complete food, as they do not contain all the essential amino acids. For those who crash a couple hours after eating lunch, a banana could be part of a smart, healthy snack, though it would be best combined with a higher protein snack like cheese.

A healthy diet should include several servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and a banana or two a day, for most people, should be part of that game plan.