1. Skipping breakfast helps with weight loss. Actually skipping breakfast slows down your metabolism for the rest of the day and causes your body to retain calories as fat. Basically, you’re putting your body into starvation mode where it assumes that since you didn’t eat breakfast food must be scarce. As a result, your body tries to store up fat as a survival mechanism.

2. You won’t burn fat unless you work out for more than 20 minutes. Your body actually burns fat around the clock. Even when you’re not exercising, bodily functions require energy to happen, and a faster metabolism will cause the body to simply burn more calories while at rest.

3. Being overweight runs in the family. Heredity makes up only about 25 percent of how our body weight ends up. The other 75 percent is all down to our daily activities and choices about food. Therefore, don’t think that because your parents were overweight means you’re doomed to it as well. Our individual choices account for the bulk of what we look like.

4. Avoid frozen fruits and veggies because they aren’t as healthy as fresh ones. Unless you eat the fruit or vegetable at its peak of nutrition, right after it is picked, you’re getting it at a loss. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutrients in transit from farm to store, so unless you live on a farm you’re not likely to catch it in that state. Being frozen immediately after being picked, however, does preserve the nutrients until you get it home and ready to use. So in fact, this myth is not only wrong, the exact opposite can be true.

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Source:

• http://shine.yahoo.com/vitality/10-weight-loss-myths-debunked-162300007.html

Scientists have speculated that hormones may play a bigger role in metabolism and weight loss than many had realized. Many obese dieters were dismayed to see weight they’d worked so hard to lose return a ways later, as it seemed their metabolism slowed and the cravings to eat slowly increased (New York Times).

In a series of Australian studies researchers found that lower-calorie diets consistently resulted in hormonal changes that then led to increased food cravings. The hormone changes actually made the participants feel hungrier, which ultimately led many of them to fail long term in keeping the weight off. “You are putting your body into a circumstance it will resist,” Dr. Leibel says. “You are, in a sense, more metabolically normal when you are at a higher body weight.” (New York Times)

There’s a saying: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. As it turns out, research is showing that this approach can keep the weight off better than conventional approaches. In the book The Big Breakfast Diet, by Daniela Jakubowicz, the idea of eating a 600-800 calorie breakfast is highlighted as kicking up the metabolism (WebMD). This triggers the body to use more energy, and thus burn more fat, passively the rest of the day.

Many experts agree that eating big dinners can be bad. This is partially because the evening tends to be lower energy as far as activities go, and also because big meals tend to happen later in the evening when the body may not have the chance to thoroughly digest food before bed. Food that is not fully digested ends up either wasted or increases the amount of fat stored.

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Sources:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/health/biological-changes-thwart-weight-loss-efforts-study-finds.html?_r=2
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-big-breakfast-diet

The Feet

The way your feet meet the ground makes all the difference. Many people run so that their heels hit the ground first, which can transfer a force over twice your body weight through your foot and leg. In short bursts this isn’t a big a deal, but when running for a distance this can create a lot of stress on the knees and legs.

Running so that the front part of your feet are the contact point greatly reduces this stress, says Daniel Lieberman, professor of human biology at Harvard. This is true whether you’re wearing shoes or running barefoot. In fact, runners using the front of the foot method received half the injuries those running on their heels did in his study.

Technique

Running properly is all about technique, and has fairly little to do with your choice of footwear. One of the first things to keep in mind is the length of your stride. If you’re landing on your heels, you need to shorten the stride; whereas if you’re landing on your toes you need to lengthen the stride slightly. From there, it’s important to push off the ground hard. It gives you greater lift and also reduces impact. Engage your quads, glutes, and calves to push with the landing leg rather than simply bend the knee to absorb the landing. These muscles are designed for this type of push and it will enhance speed and efficiency.

Posture and Form

Posture is important as well. Lean with your chest as if you’re being pulled forward, and never with your hips. Keep your arms close to your sides, arcing backward and down to build momentum as they swing.

This should get you started on proper form, making your run more efficient. This in turn will allow you to run faster and longer, increasing the productivity of the workout.

Polyphenols are a plant-based chemical that help protect against free radicals in our body’s cells. This can help reduce risks of heart disease and even some types of cancer. Popcorn, according to a recent presentation of the American Chemical Society, contains almost twice the polyphenols of the average fruit. It’s no replacement for fruit in terms of the other nutrients fruits provide, but it’s still significant.

How much polyphenol are we talking?

“A single serving of popcorn – about two tablespoons of unpopped kernels – contained up to 300 milligrams of polyphenols, the researchers found. By contrast, the average polyphenol content of fruit is about 160 milligrams per serving, while a single serving of sweet corn contains 114 milligrams.”
- CNN article on popcorn

Popcorn is also 100 percent whole grain, making it surprisingly viable part of a healthy diet. The healthiest way to eat popcorn is using plain kernels, but adding a small amount of oil or butter is okay. Other low-calorie methods of sprucing up popcorn include Parmesan cheese or even chili pepper (if you want a kick). A less healthy, but tasty, style is to put a little chocolate syrup into the bag and shake it, lightly coating the popcorn.

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Further Reading:

• Popcorn packed with antioxidants

“Which vitamins are important?” This is an important question to ask when deciding which supplements to take.

B Vitamins

Vitamin B12 helps keep the nerve cells healthy, and also aids in making DNA. Some people are believed to be naturally less able to absorb B vitamins from foods, which can lead to deficiencies. Deficiencies can also occur for those that have restricted diets in which they must avoid certain foods. You can take a specific B vitamin regimen, but in most cases a multivitamin is fine, as most of them contain B vitamins.

Calcium

Those that eat plenty of leafy vegetables probably get enough of Calcium. Otherwise, 500mg per day is said to be a sufficient supplement. It’s important to note, doctors say, not to view Calcium supplements as a replacement for Calcium-rich foods. Calcium helps with bone health, but there is another vitamin that is arguably more important, because it regulates how the body uses Calcium.

Vitamin D

Found in fatty fish, meats, and soy, Vitamin D aids in the absorption of Calcium. According to Dr. Maroon, 50-60% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. The need for supplementation in this area is strong; most people should take at least 800IU per day of it.

Vitamin D has also has been linked to having beneficial effects related to depression and mood, and even weight loss. According to WebMD, low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to depression, so it stands to reason that a healthy supplementation of this vitamin can be useful for anyone.

Vitamin C

Found in citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables, Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant for the body’s cells. This protects them from free radicals, which can happen when cells convert what we eat into energy. It’s important to note that Vitamin C is water soluble, and ends up going through the body fairly quickly. Any Vitamin C your body can’t use during that time is excreted as waste, so taking large doses of Vitamin C in one serving isn’t that useful. Rather than taking over 1000mg at once, taking 500mg three times per day in the event of a cold is better.

Melatonin

While Melatonin itself is not a sleep aide, it can help balance the sleeping and waking cycle. Sleep discorders affect over 50 million Americans.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland to regular the circadian rhythm. When you’re in the dark, your body starts producing it. Because of this, being in bright lights during the night can throw off melatonin production, which can negatively affect the quality of your sleep. Taking low doses of melatonin, such as 1-2mg, can help restore this balance and get you a steadier night’s sleep.

Fish Oil

This is an important fatty acid in which just about everyone could use a boost. Fish oil can help with everything from cardiovascular health to reducing inflammation (which can help with arthritis). Cold water fish, like salmon, sardines, anchovies, or herring are rich in this. Fish oil is also said to have beneficial affects on the brain, even improving memory relative to those with a deficiency.

Related Reading:

Choosing A Multivitamin

3 Essential Supplements

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Sources:

• http://health.yahoo.net/articles/alternative-medicine/photos/11-common-dietary-supplements-explained#1
• http://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20120110/low-levels-vitamin-d-may-be-linked-depression

Curry For Arthritis Treatment

Many over the counter drugs for arthritis contain circumin, which helps reduce inflammation. Best yet, circumin has no side effects. This is a pleasant contrast to several other medications people take for arthritis pain. Janet Funk, researcher at the University of Kansas, found that tumeric (in which circumin is a major component of) had major effects on test mice bred to develop arthritis. “The turmeric almost completely prevented the onset of arthritis,” Funk says (Fackelmann).

Curry Vs. Cancer

In laboratory studies on mice, and a few studies with humans, curry has been shown to “close down the genes that cause breast cancer” (Miller). Curry has also been shown to bolster the effects of taxol, a drug used in chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. Studies thus far have produced hopeful results that curry will also help stabilize pancreatic cancer, which is difficult to treat.

Curry For Alzheimer’s

“One of the culprits of Alzheimer’s is a dangerous plaque that debilitates victims ability to function properly” (Miller). The yellow pigment in curry powder, circumin, helps block this plaque and protect the brain. A great testament to this is the fact that India, known for its use of curry in various dishes, has only 25 percent the Alzhemier’s rate of the United States (Miller). “Indians eat from 100 to 200 milligrams of curry each day,” typically (Fackelmann).

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References:

Fackelmann, Kathleen. “Tasty Curry Might Have A Fringe Benefit.” USA Today. N.p., 08 01 2007. Web. 23 Feb 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-01-07-curry-cover_x.htm>.

Miller, Renee. “Curry Power Health Benefits.” eHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/print/about_5470818_curry-powder-health-benefits.html>.

For example, actually drinking 10 cups of coffee would take time (several hours probably), and you’d be very aware of just how much you were taking in as you did so. With the ability to basically take a deep breath and receive the same caffeine as a cup of coffee, one could conceivably reach this level much more quickly. Though Cool’s article points out that it’d take a whopping 8,000mg to actually die from caffeine overdose, more than 700mg per day is considered a high dose and can cause rapid or irregular heart rate.

Are high levels of caffeine really dangerous?

A new federal report found a huge surge in emergency room visits among people who consume highly caffeinated energy drinks, sold under such brand names as Red Bull, Monster, and Full Throttle, with more than 13,000 Americans a year requiring ER treatment for side effects, and at least four documented deaths. (Cool)

The popularity of this product has seemingly spawned another one in a similar vein: The Vicks Inhaler.

The application is the same, which is to say that you inhale the medication through a small device. While some sources indicate that overuse can cause nasal and throat irritation, by and large it seems there are no health risks associated with its use.

Sources have indicated the Vicks Inhaler is also safe to use during pregnancy. As with all medications, however, ask your doctor if you’re concerned about the safety a drug with your lifestyle. Note that while it has been deemed safe for pregnancy, it is not intended for direct use by a person under the age of six.

Want a shocking statistic? The average medical costs associated with obesity are $147 billion per year!

With extra pounds becoming a bigger problem than ever, now is definitely the time to commit to a diet and exercise plan if you’re been putting it off. If you’re looking for some help with this, ask a dietitian or a local fitness instructor, or mention it to Dr. Tselides on your next visit!