Are Fat-Free Foods Making Us Fatter?

August 30, 2008 | 6 Comments

Photo by Slushpup
Many processed fat-free or low-fat foods have just as many, or more, calories as the full-fat foods.

That is because usually sugar is added to the low-fat versions to make up for the flavor that is lost when the fat is removed. The end result … you eat more calories and gain more weight.

And in reduced-fat foods, goods fats may have been replaced with bad fats.

Take for instance peanut butter. Often times the naturally good fat is removed from low-fat versions of peanut butter and replaced with sugar and hydrogenated oil. This leaves us with minimal calorie reduction (or perhaps increased calories), double the carbs, and less heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

Another example of good fat being lost … fat-free dressings on salads. Not only are these dressings commonly loaded with sugar to boost the taste, but necessary fat is removed. Fat in dressing helps our body absorb fat-soluble nutrients found in vegetables, such as lycopene, vitamin K, beta-carotene, and lutein. Salad dressing fats also increase brain function, energy production, and, for women, hormone development. A good choice for salad dressing would be a balsamic vinaigrette which is an oil-based dressing that has a lot of taste in a small amount.

So once again, we have a case where labels are deceiving.

Be sure to read the nutrition facts on the label and compare calories and sugars of fat-free foods to original foods. And don’t overlook the serving size. Sometimes fat-free foods use smaller serving sizes so it appears as though you’ll be eating fewer calories and less fat.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Beauty, Blog, Health, Superfoods, Weight Loss, Women's Health

10 Things Your Dog Should Never Eat

August 28, 2008 | 8 Comments

Photo by Laertes
Dogs will eat just about anything they can get their teeth onto.

They are scavengers. And they have such a keen sense of smell that they can sniff out anything. Therefore, it is very important for us, the owners of these sweet canines, to keep out of their reach foods and household items which they are attracted to, yet which are also dangerous to their health. Afterall, we do want to keep them around as long as possible.

10 Things Which Can Be Harmful To Our Loyal Companions.

Chocolate. Like most humans, dogs too are crazy about chocolate. But while health advisers give humans a good excuse to eat dark chocolate … it is high in antioxidants … unfortunately for man’s best friend it is potentially lethal. Chocolate contains various chemicals (called methylxanthine alkaloids) and these chemicals can cause an increased heart rate and/or constriction of the arteries when consumed by a dog in even a small amount. Consuming large amounts could possibly kill a dog. If your dog consumes chocolate, contact your vet or an emergency animal hospital immediately. If treatment does not occur within 4 to 6 hours, the result could be cardiac arrest, seizures, coma, or death.
Anti-freeze. For some odd reason, dogs love to eat this too. And they’ve got the teeth to open the container. It should be kept in a tightly closed cabinet as it can damage your dog’s kidney.
Coffee. Again, this is something more harmful to dogs than to humans, and it is just as dangerous as chocolate. It can lead to heart rate increase, seizures, diarrhea, coma, and even death.
Mistletoe and other poisonous plants. Simply put, mistletoe can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and depression. Many plants are poisonous and the results from eating them can be anything from a mild stomach ache to death.
Wild mushrooms. Some mushrooms can cause liver and kidney damage, abdominal pain, and anemia.
Acetaminophen. When a dog is in pain, we may be tempted to give it something for relief. But only two extra-strength acetaminophen tablets in a 24-hour period can kill a small pet. The pain reliever can lead to anorexia, vomiting, depression, and vomiting. High doses can be fatal.
Onions. Onions can cause liver damage, anemia, and diarrhea.
Moth balls. The primary chemical in moth balls, naphthalene, is extremely toxic to dogs and can result in tremors and seizures.
Apple and cherry trees. The fruit won’t hurt them, but the leaves and roots might.
Baby pacifiers. I just had to add this one from experience. When my toy poodle was a puppy, he bit off and swallowed the tip of a baby pacifier. It swelled and blocked him up. He could not pass it through and it had to be surgically removed.

What strange thing has your dog eaten?

Update: Cocoa mulch should be included in this list. Because it smells like chocolate, dogs are attracted to it. It contains caffeine and theobromine, which is the same ingredient used to make chocolate and which is very toxic to dogs.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Blog, Nutrition, Pet Health

How Strength Training Keeps Women Young

August 22, 2008 | 7 Comments

Women who do not strength train lose about 5 pounds of muscle every decade of their adult life. And they replace it with fat … that is, about 15 pounds of fat per decade.

No longer a men’s only sport, women today are participating in strength training and proving that they are just as capable as men of developing strong muscles. In fact, strength training is important for everyone and women should train the same as men. Take a look at this video of Natalie Wolfolk.

Ladies, if you won’t even consider strength training for fear that you will develop big burly muscles, I beg you to put all fears aside. Strength training for women leads to strong and shapely muscles, not big manly ones. This is due to the fact that women have lower testosterone levels than men. Women will only get bulky by using steroids or pro-hormones.

Strength training builds muscles, but that’s nothing compared to what it does for your health.

Strength training helps you stay young. A strength training study led by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D, author of “Strong Women Stay Young,” which involved women aged 40 to over 60, concluded that the women, after only one year of weight training, were physically 15-20 years younger. These women lost their fat and replaced it with muscle, and their strength tests matched those of women in their 30’s and 40’s. Without reading any further, this alone should tempt you to start a strength training program, such as this one over at StrongLifts.com. Strength training may be the best anti-aging defense available.
Weight lifting, combined with cardio and good nutrition, is possibly the best way to lose weight. Quite simply, muscles burn fat! The more muscle you have, the more calories will be burned. Each pound of lean muscle mass burns 35-50 calories per day. Cardio alone is not enough. Following a good cardio workout, your body will continue to burn calories for half an hour. Strength training does much better! Your body will continue to burn calories for up to two hours following a good strength training workout. Adding cardio to your workout schedule will help you burn fat faster and allow you to eat more. Take note though, when you weigh yourself, your scales may tell you that your weight hasn’t changed. That is because muscles weigh more than fat. It is possible to go down in clothing size while your scale is reading the same weight.
Adding muscle increases metabolic rate. As we age, our metabolism slows down, and as a result we start to lose muscle mass, we lose bone density, and we gain fat. As muscle is lost, fat takes over. It is important to keep muscle mass up so as to combat that nasty cellulite that so easily forms on our thighs and our glutes.
Strength training will increase bone density thereby making your bones stronger. Okay, ladies, it’s true. We start out with smaller muscles, more body fat, and frailer bones than men. (But don’t take that to mean we are the weaker sex.) As we age, we are at greater risk for age-related problems such as osteoporosis, loss of balance, and fractures. Increasing your muscle greatly reduces these risks.
Better performance in sports and life in general. Another common fear for women about strength training is the risk of injury. Yes, there is always the possibility. But at the same time strength training will help prevent injuries which are common from day-to-day sports and activities. Having strong bones, ligaments, and tendons reduces risk of injury. It will also help control lower back pain.
Strength training is good for the heart. Women are at an increased risk for heart disease after age 40 so this is a welcomed added benefit.
Strength training builds confidence. By reducing overall body fat and toning muscles, you will look better, feel better, and have increased confidence in yourself.

A lifestyle that includes a good strength training program provides better quality of life.

But that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. Strength training can be done with little to no equipment. You may even use your own body weight by doing push ups, pull ups, chin ups, and ab crunches.

And you do not have to be able to lift more than twice your weight like Natalie above. Strength training can be done at a level of your choosing. But take it from someone who has been doing it for quite a while. After seeing the results of a new toned body, strength training can become addictive. If you are like me, you’ll eventually feel you’ve reached a plateau and need to move up to the bigger stuff.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Blog, Health, Strength Training, Weight Loss, Women's Health

Today’s Olympic Champions Are Going Farther And Faster Than Ever Before … And The Rest Of Us Can Too

August 18, 2008 | 1 Comment

Photo by Incase Designs

How are today’s Champions reaching overwhelming speeds on the race tracks?

With Michael Phelps surpassing Mark Spitz at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, along with many other amazing feats happening there, the question arises … what are these athletes doing these days in preparation for the Olympics?

You may take a look at the fitness clothing and shoes that they wear (surely for a hefty price) and think these things are making a big difference. But when Spitz competed and earned his title as the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, he did so simply in a regular swimsuit, without either the goggles or the swim cap.

Today’s athletes are competing into their 30’s and 40’s as well.

Take for instance 41-year-old Dara Torres, who is one of the oldest Olympians at the 2008 Olympics. Dara is a personal inspiration to me. Quoted for saying, “You can’t put an age limit on your dreams,” she is competing against (and defeating) women young enough to be her children. Unheard of? No. Unusual? Yes. And to prove that she has been competing fairly and naturally and not illegally doping, she has requested extra testing be done on her.

So what’s their secret?

Today’s champions endure intense training. They train longer and they train harder. They aren’t necessarily born with just the right genes. As Dr. Joyner at the Mayo Clinic stated, “Many genes contribute to performance, but it isn’t likely that one individual would have the right combination of all genes that would give you a natural competitive edge.” Dr. Joyner also attributes new world records being made to the fact that today’s athletes have improved medical care, plus there are many more athletes, from more countries, participating.

But there is one other secret they have that stands out.

These Olympic Champions have a strong mind and have a strong faith in themselves. With that faith, they are achieving world records. These athletes are proving to the rest of us that, whatever age we are, we can achieve great fitness, build good physique, and even fight aging. No matter what our health or fitness goals are, with good mental determination, we can achieve them.

But we first have to get off the sofa. And stop dreaming of being a champion, and go out and become one. No excuses!

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The Smog In Beijing And Its Affects On Our Athletes

August 9, 2008 | 1 Comment

I am happy with the peace.
Originally uploaded by Luo Shaoyang

While our world leaders and our best athletes meet in Beijing for the 2008 summer olympics, should we be concerned for their health?

Well, the smog certainly doesn’t seem to be harming the young girl and her friend in this precious photo which was taken in Beijing.

But what are the experts saying about the affects Beijing’s polluted air will have on the world’s best athletes?

The air pollution in Beijing is considered to be among the world’s worst. In fact, it has been found that Beijing and its surrounding areas have the world’s highest levels of nitrogen dioxide … which is poisonous to the lungs. As a precaution from getting sick, some of the athletes have unboarded planes wearing masks. And as a result, they are being accused of spating in the face of China which has so graciously welcomed them.

But these athletes have been training for many years for this event. Are they being over cautious or are they taking necessary steps to protect their performance during perhaps the biggest event of their lives?

According to experts, exercising athletes take in seven to eight times more air than a sedentary person and they are more likely to be affected by the pollution. And while all athletes and spectators are at risk for having respiratory problems, people with pre-existing lung or heart conditions, such as the case with USA cyclist Mike Friedman, are at a higher risk for having severe problems. All that being said, one would conclude that the athletes are justified in wearing masks.

But experts are also saying that the pollution is a fine gas. And while a mask will provide some protection, no mask will provide adequate protection. Basically, there is little to nothing the athletes can do to stop the exposure to the pollution.

Looking at the flip side, perhaps unboarding a plane with a mask on your face is going just a little over board. Afterall, the experts claim that a person is more likely to be affected due to inhaling more air “while exercising”. How many athletes will actually be wearing their mask during exercise? Then again, it is the individual athlete’s health … and their moment to shine … and therefore it should be their choice when it comes to protecting their health. The choices they made are what got them there in the first place.

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Why Do We Need Lycopene Anyway?

August 7, 2008 | 3 Comments

Photo by LWY
If you regularly read about eating healthy foods, then I’m sure you’ve read it too … “Tomato sauce provides us more lycopene than raw tomatoes.”

But rarely do we hear why we need lycopene. So here is the scoop on lycopene and the “why” for which we need to eat our spaghetti.

What is lycopene?

Lycopene is a disease fighting antioxidant. It is found in watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, guava, papaya, and, of course, red and orange tomatoes. It is the compound that gives these foods their color. And lycopene comes in different forms too. Some of which are easier for our body to absorb. While it is true that red tomatoes have more lycopene than do orange ones, the orange varieties (while harder to find) provide a form of lycopene that our bodies more readily use. And, for instance, heating up tomatoes as you would when making tomato sauce (vs. raw tomatoes) creates another form of lycopene which is easier to absorb. That is why tomato sauce is a better source for lycopene than raw tomatoes and why we should eat our spaghetti … preferably with sauce made from orange tomatoes.

Lycopene is believed to …

Be good for heart health as it may lower the risk of heart disease.
Have anti-cancer protective effects, especially for protection against prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
Be an excellent source for managing high blood pressure (recent studies say).

And another good-to-know tidbit …

Eat your lycopene with a healthy fat, such as olive oil. Lycopene needs fat to latch onto in order to be absorbed by the intestinal wall.

So add a little olive oil to that spaghetti.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Blog, Health, Superfoods