Hints 4 Life
Nutrition.
Health.
Yoga.
Adventure.
Certified Nutrition & Health Counselor and Yoga Instructor
Weight Loss Update:
It might not be about calories-in vs. calories-out anymore.....
Could it be all the chemicals in our food making us fat? According to a new study by the White House this just might be the case why traditional diets don't work anymore.
They call them endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs and chances are they are in a lot of your food right now unless you eat fresh and organic.
These chemicals are being called "obesogens" because they promote weight gain and obesity. These are just another part of America's obesity crisis. Many of these chemicals in our food and drink work by mimicking estrogen- the very hormone that doctors DON'T want women taking any more. Remember now if you will, the endocrine system is made up of all the glands and cells that produce the hormones that regulate our bodies. Growth & development, sexual function, reproductive processes, mood, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism and the way our bodies use food- it's all controlled by hormones.
Your endocrine system is a finely tuned instrument that can easily be thrown off-kilter. "Obesogens are thought to act by hijacking the regulatory systems that control body weight" This is why endocrine disruptors are so good at making us fat. An apple a day may have kept the doctor away 250 years ago but that apple today comes loaded with obesity-promoting chemicals - 9 of the 10 most commonly used pesticides are '"obesogens", and apples are one of the most pesticide laden foods out there.
We can reverse the "obesogen" effect by eating organic, avoid plastic water bottles, avoid microwaving our food in plastics, drinking filter water and eating pasture-raised (grass fed) meats.
Sad Day for Happy Meals...
In June 2010 the Center for Science in the Public Interest told McDonalds that it would file a lawsuit unless the company dropped the toy gimmick or was willing to negotiate. They contended that under state consumer-protection laws it's unfair and deceptive to dangle toys in front of kids to get them to nag their parents to go to McDonald's. Insiders are remarkably frank when they talk about the toys. "Happy Meals" prove that you could actually "brand" a meal and make children harass their parents for it, " says consumer-marketing gure Adam Hanft.
"We knew that we needed a toy to make it work," said Joe Johnson, who was on the advertising-agency team in the early 1970s that invented the McDonald's Fun Meal, which later added a toy and became the Happy Meal.
Junk-food companies, like McDonald's, love to sanctimoniously opine about parental responsibility. And while everyone agrees that parents should be telling Jenny or Johnny, "We're eating home tonight". Few parents want to be saying "no" each time a TV ad unleashes a new wave of "pester power".
The average kid asks his parents for something nine times before the parent gives in...what's a mother or father to do under this assault?
In April, Santa Clara County, California, banned the inclusion of toys with unhealthy restaurant meals. Let's hope others follow their lead.
Sugar By Any Other Name...
Growing research suggests that ADDED sugars or sugar-sweetened beverages boots the risk of disease. We know ADDED sugar contributes to obesity, which in turn increase the risk of cardiovascular disease & type 2 diabetes. The heart association now urges Americans to slash their total sugar intake to 100 calories per day for women and 150 calories for men.
Exactly what are ADDED sugars? They include high-fructose corn syrup, ordinary table sugar, honey, agave syrup, and all other sweeteners with calories. Some critics consider high-fructose corn syrup the real villain and table sugar gets a free pass.
What's wrong with ADDED sugars?
Just for starters...they're not good for your teeth. Also, you can't afford the empty calories. Empty calories are from foods (including ADDED sugar) that have zero nutritional value whatsoever. ADDED sugars usually crowd out healthy foods and thus can lead to diabetes.
Soft drinks are largely responsible for our intake in ADDED sugars. Research shows that sugary liquids may make us fatter because they don't curb our appetite for more food. You don't compensate by eating less at the meal or later the same way you would if the calories where from solid foods. This also includes sports drinks, energy drinks and sweetened teas. High Fructose diets over time block the leptin signal in the brain (the hormone that tells your brain to stop eating)
Minimizing ADDED sugar also helps keep a lid on high blood pressure. There is no place for added sugar in most people's diets and certainly not if you're on a diet that's designed to lower blood pressure.
Remember most sugary foods are junk foods......soda, cinnabon, krispy kreme, dunkin donuts, snapple, entenmann's hostess, sara lee, little debbie, etc. These and others like them are high in sugar and low in nutrients not to mention the worthless white flour.
What to do?
*Shoot for 100 calories (6.5 TEAspoons or 25 grams) a day of ADDED sugar if you're a women and 150 calories (9.5 TEAspoons or 38 grams) a day if you're a man. Even less may be better.
*Don't drink sugar-sweetened beverages. Limit fruit juice to 1 cup per day
*Avoid all added sugars or limit them greatly
*Don't worry about naturally occurring sugar in fruit, milk, and plain yogurt.
*Sugar numbers on the label combine ADDED sugar with natural sugars. So if a food contains little or no milk or fruit the numbers are mostly ADDED sugars meaning you don't need them. The FDA is being lobbied to change this but it takes time and money as the big food manufacturers are fighting this proposal.
*check serving size on each label.
The Year of the Salt Feb 2010
This information appeared in the annual report by CSPI Dec 2009 and is worth repeating.
Salt
is probably the single most harmful ingredient in the American diet,
with excessive use causing heart attacks and stroke. Unfortunately,
salt and other sodium-containing additives are pervasive in our food
supply: from 700 mg of sodium in a cup of soup...to 5,000 mg in a
dinner at Olive Garden...to salt injected into chicken breasts to keep
them moist. Keep in mind that the government recommends no more than
1,500-2,300 mg of sodium per day, depending on age.
One recent success is
Read your labels. Opt for no salt added foods. It's always better to season foods on your own so you can control the amount. Drink water
Hints4Life E-Newsletter, May 2007
Surviving the Summer BBQ
It's that time of the year! Summer BBQ and cook outs! How can you enjoy all the fun without putting away all that fat & calories? Plus what's a Vegetarian to do?
Hosting a BBQ this summer?
How about including this delicious and nutritious Bean Salad recipe at your next BBQ or cook out? Every guess will enjoy and they won't even know it's good for them! Attending a BBQ bring this dish along so you know there will be something good to eat.
Use canned beans to save time (just be sure to rinse them good)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
1 can chick peas
1/2 can of corn
1 diced red pepper
1 diced green pepper
1 table spoon of parsley (or to taste)
olive oil & balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
chill before serving.
you can experiment with different beans!
Happy Grilling
Sarah
Hints4Life E-Newsletter, December 2007
Red Wine & Sulfites (revisited)
Now that the holiday season is upon us I thought it fitting to send out a short message about a topic that comes up very often. As many people ask me questions about alcohol as they do about food. So I thought this was a fitting time of year to address the old red wine & headache question.
Many times I have heard that people experience headaches after drinking red wine even if they only have a few glasses.
What's the deal?
Researchers disagree as to why some people may experience headaches after drinking wine. Some say it may be the sulfites, some say it may be the histamine and others say tannins or simply the alcohol may be to blame for that day after headache. So I did some research and here's what I found out.
*Sulfites (or sulfur dioxide) is a fruit preservative widely used in dried fruit and wine. We also produce it in our bodies at the level of about 1000 mg (milligrams) per day.
*All wines contain sulfites. Yeast naturally produce sulfites during fermentation but most wine makers add more as a preservative.
*The levels in wine average 80 mg/liter or about 10mg in a typical glass.
*Wines cannot contain more than 350 mg/liter sulfites
*Wines with more than 10 mg/liter must have a "contains sulfites" warning label
*Wines must have less than 1 mg/liter to have a label that says "Contains No Sulfites"
*Many sweet white wines contain more sulfites than red because they have a higher sugar content.
One piece of research I found said that organic wine must be made without adding sulfites. However, I have had organic wine from Oregon, California & Spain and they all had the label "Contains Sulfites"
I did find one organic wine that was labeled "Contains No Added Sulfites" This brand is called Frey. They do not carry it at Sparrows in Hoboken but they do carry it in A&P liquor store (Clinton & 7th). I have also found this wine in the city at a local liquor store. You can also Google "organic" or "no sulfites" and find others wines in this category.
So even though there is no scientific research that proves sulfites in red wine cause headaches I find drinking organic wine that only has the naturally occurring sulfites makes a big difference.
The only way to know if it is the sulfites causing the headaches for you is to do a little experimenting on your own. I did it with some friends and yes I did notice the difference between the "no sulfites added" and the wine with added sulfites.
Remember red wine is also healthful because of their antioxidants so finding a way to enjoy a few glasses without the headache would be wonderful.
Happy hunting!
Cheers,
Sarah
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