Monday, April 23, 2007

People with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20 and 25 can get their insurance rates decreased by up to 20%. Those of you that do not know what your Body Mass Index (BMI) is, there is a free BMI in left column of this page.On an average of 14 million americans are taking some type of drugs to lower their cholesterol levels. There are lots of foods that lower your cholesterol. Here is my favorite 3 foods that help me lower my cholesterol.

Salmon Salmon does more than lower your cholesterol it has omega 3 fatty acids aswell.

Garlic Garlic helps you lower your LDL cholesterol and it helped increase your HDL choleserol.

Blueberries Blueberries are a good source to keep your cholesterol levels low. It contains a antioxidant called 'pterostibene'.

118 Reasons Why Alive!

118 reasons why Alive!® formulas are the most complete multivitamins and Whole Food Energizers™29 Vitamins & Minerals * 24 Fruits and Veggies * 12 Green Foods * 18 Amino Acids * 12 Degestive Enzymes* 12 Organic Mushrooms * 10 Essential Fatty Acids * plus Citrus Bioflavonoids in rapidly dissolving tablets,vegetarian Vcaps®, effervescent drink mixes, and Ultra-Shake™ powders with soy or rice-pea protein.It's nutrition you can feel

Boosting your Metabolism

Boosting your metabolism
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April 22, 2007 6:00 AM
A slow metabolism is often the scapegoat for problems with body weight. Dieters may comment that they are having trouble losing weight because they have a slow metabolism and envy the capability of thinner persons to maintain their lower weight because of a high metabolism. What is metabolism and how much does it relate to weight control?
Most people use the term "metabolism" to mean the rate at which the body uses calories. Calories are used for important body functions like breathing, heart rate, waste removal, growth and repair of tissues. Even while you are sleeping, these activities take place. This is referred to as your "resting metabolic rate" (RMR) or "basal metabolic rate" (BMR).
Additional calories are obviously used when the body is moving, with the rate of calorie burning increasing as the activity becomes more intense. Calories are also needed to process food eaten — digestion and absorption.
The resting metabolic rate varies from one person to another because of a number of factors. One of these is genetics. Some people are born to burn calories at a faster pace than others. Besides genetics, a body supporting more muscle, may also have a higher metabolism. Men tend to have a higher metabolism than women.
The timing and availability of food (calories) consumed can affect the rate of calorie burning as well. When the body undergoes periods of food deprivation, it slows the metabolism in order to conserve calories. Activities such as yoyo dieting (severely restricting calories followed by overeating) or skipping meals can set up this type of response by the body. This makes it more difficult but not impossible to lose weight.
If the body is so determined to protect itself from starvation, then how do we maximize our metabolism to lose weight? One of the best responses is to be physically active. Some activities burn calories. Those involving strength building can increase or protect muscle — muscle burns calories. More muscle means more calorie-burning. Metabolism is also raised somewhat for a period of time shortly after exercise.
Some recent studies are suggesting a relationship between sleep and body weight. People who get less sleep tend to weigh more. Adults should be getting around 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, while children and teens need at least 9-10 hours. Not only does sleep alter messengers in the body that regulate appetite, but being awake longer, may mean more time to eat. A number of overweight individuals consume extra calories, especially from less healthy calorie-dense foods, in the evening. Going to be earlier could prevent this extra eating episode. Some people mistake feeling tired for being hungry.
A common pattern of eating among overweight individuals is to eat minimally throughout the earlier part of the day and then consume larger amounts from mid-afternoon through the evening. This might look like a cup of coffee or more in the morning, skipping breakfast and lunch or eating minimally until getting home late afternoon. The body then tries to compensate by over-consuming for the rest of the day.
The alternative pattern, which is likely to result in a more normal body weight, is eating three meals with healthy snacks between. This means eating every three to four hours. The body is then comfortable with consistent fuel coming in throughout the day and does not slow the gears down. The added benefit is that your brain and your body will have adequate energy. It also means you will be in better control of the amounts and type of foods you eat.
To increase the chance that the food from each of these meals and snacks lasts for the three to four hours, try matching a carbohydrate source (your primary fuel) with protein and fiber. This allows the energy from the carbs to be available in a "time-release" type fashion. More processed/refined carbs tend to be used up more quickly and leave you low on fuel before the next eating episode.
Some supplements and weight loss products claim to boost metabolism — some actually do while others do not. Those that do only change the metabolism slightly. Most of these contain some form of stimulant that raises your heart rate. This can produce negative side effects such as heart palpitations, elevated blood pressure, trouble sleeping, and anxiety. It can also be dangerous if you are taking certain medications.
Safer ways to boost your metabolism and prompt healthy weight loss include doing at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week and doing exercises to increase or maintain your muscles by taking them to fatigue two to three times a week. For cardiovascular exercise, the longer and/or more intensely you exercise, the more calories you burn. If you are using weight machines or free weights, skip a day between working the same muscle so the muscle has a chance to recover.
Food goals include eating every three to four hours and choosing carbs plus protein plus fiber each time you have a meal or snack. Start the day by eating within about an hour or so after waking to kick-start your metabolism.
Pamela Stuppy, MS,RD,LD is a registered, licensed dietitian with nutrition counseling offices in York, Maine, and at Whole Life Health Care in Newington. She is also the nutritionist for Phillips Exeter Academy.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Teenager dies

A HEALTHY young woman collapsed and died just three weeks after starting to take a weight-loss "wonder drug".Marie Malone, 19, was chatting to a friend on her mobile phone when she suddenly called out before dying of heart failure on her bed at her home at Iluka in Perth.
Her parents have spoken about their tragedy – thought to be the first Australian death linked to weight-loss drugs – hoping to prevent further fatalities and to warn others about the appetite suppressant Reductil.
Peter and Steph Malone are horrified that the drug is still available on prescription.
And they said Marie's shocking death in April last year was senseless because she didn't have a weight problem and didn't need the drug.
"My God, she died for absolutely nothing," her carpenter dad said, fighting back tears.
"She was 75kg at 1.7m. She was athletic and strong. But she wasn't remotely obese. She was gorgeous."
Mr Malone, 47, was angry Marie got the drug through a GP, who he believed should have told her to persevere with diet and exercise instead.
The GP told the Malones their daughter was prescribed the drug because she asked for it.
Last year, the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee said sibutramine – Reductil's chemical name – was a "moderately plausible explanation" for Marie's death.
A Therapeutic Goods Administration report said it was possible the drug was a factor.
A spokeswoman for Abbott Pharmaceuticals, Reductil's distributor, said the TGA had not contacted it about Marie's case.
The company was committed to patient safety and routinely monitoring the safety of its products.
Sibutramine had been prescribed to more than 360,000 Australians and about 19 million patients worldwide.
A Federal Health Department spokeswoman said there had not been an "unusual number" of adverse effects with Reductil and it would not be taken off the market.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Myth or Fact?

Food
Myth or fact? Test your diet knowledge
By Janet Helm / Chicago Tribune
Tucson, Arizona Published: 04.18.2007
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Myths about nutrition seem to linger for years, just like urban legends. Remember the one about grapefruit burning fat? What about coffee stunting your growth? Maybe you're still holding on to the belief that gelatin will make your nails stronger.
No doubt, you've fallen for a few weight-loss myths, too. It's easy to do with the constant crop of fad diets promising a quick fix. Who can forget the cider vinegar and cabbage soup diets?
Now desperate dieters are turning to options such as the "master cleanse" or lemonade diet and other so-called detox diets. All too often, these extreme weight-loss regimens are popularized in the pages of celebrity magazines.
Other food fads that may be trendy but come up short on true benefits, include the "raw food" movement — based on the false premise that cooking kills vital food enzymes required for digestion — and "food combining," which is the far-fetched concept that starches and proteins should not be eaten in the same meal because they somehow compete with each other.
Can you separate food fact from myth? Take the test and find out.
Calories eaten at night are more fattening
Myth. It is total calories that count, not the time of day you eat them. Many diet books may warn against eating after 8 p.m., but there is no "witching hour" that makes food more likely to adhere to your hips.
That said, avoiding late-night eating may be a smart strategy to help you eat less, said dietitian Elisa Zied of New York City. People who don't eat all day and then come home and devour everything in sight are probably eating more than they think. So space your meals throughout the day and keep track of total calories, not the clock.
Skipping breakfast helps you lose weight.
Myth. Studies show that breakfast skippers actually compensate for those missed calories by eating more throughout the day.
And you have to eat the right food: If you grab only a doughnut, you may be ravenous before lunch because of a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar, Zied said. She suggests a morning meal that contains fiber and protein.
People who regularly eat breakfast tend to have better luck losing weight and keeping it off.
Your body can't tell the difference between honey and sugar
Fact. Honey seems to have a more "natural" appeal, and some people claim it's less fattening. But as far as your body is concerned, there is no difference if you dip into your sugar bowl or squirt from your honey-bear bottle. Honey and sugar are both broken down into glucose and fructose.
Honey is a bit sweeter than sugar so you might use less, but that's the only benefit. Raw sugar, turbinado sugar, brown sugar and evaporated cane juice are all basically the same, too. They may be slightly less refined than white sugar, but that only means more molasses, which is nutritionally insignificant. (And by the way, sugar does not cause diabetes — another popular nutrition myth.)
Fasting helps rid the body of toxins
Myth. A fast may give you the perception of "cleaning out" your body's impurities, but there is no scientific evidence that this is true, Zied said. Our body is pretty self-sufficient. We have our own "detox" system that filters out harmful products on a daily basis. You don't need to deprive your body of food to make that happen.
Nor will fasting keep weight off. The promise of losing "8 pounds overnight" may be alluring, but this is water weight, not fat, and it likely will be regained just as quickly.
Low-fat always means low in calories
Myth. If you see the word "low" on the label, that's your clue to look a little further, suggested dietitian Susan Moores of Minneapolis. Check for serving size and the number of calories on the Nutrition Facts label. Low-fat foods often contain the same number or even more calories than regular versions.
That's particularly true for fat-free foods. If fat is taken out, something else is put back in — and that's often sugar. Some studies suggest that snacks with low-fat labels simply entice you to indulge, so you end up eating more calories than if you selected the regular version.
You can still eat shrimp and other shellfish on a cholesterol-lowering diet
Fact. Shrimp may be high in dietary cholesterol but it's low in saturated fat, which is a bigger culprit in raising blood cholesterol. Studies now suggest that saturated and trans fats tend to have a greater effect on our blood cholesterol than the cholesterol we eat, according to dietitian David Grotto, a Chicago-based American Dietetic Association spokesman. Experts still advise us to keep a lid on dietary cholesterol to keep our hearts healthy (300 milligrams a day), but we should be even more vigilant about saturated and trans fat. So as long as it's not battered and fried, there may be no need to say sayonara to shrimp.
Multigrain foods are always made with whole grains
Myth. The only way to know for sure is to see if "whole" is in front of every grain in the ingredient list, Moores advised. "Multigrain" only means the product was made with several grains. You can't assume that whole grains were used. The same is true for "7-grain" or "cracked wheat." Even breads and cereals that say "made with whole grains" may contain few whole grains. Look for products labeled "100 percent whole grain."
Olive oil has fewer calories than other fats
Myth. Somehow, with all the buzz about the heart-health benefits of olive oil, people forget that it's still a fat, said dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix of New York. All oils are 100 percent fat and supply basically the same number of calories — about 120 calories per tablespoon. "Light" olive oil has nothing to do with the number of calories: That simply refers to the flavor. So even though olive oil contains the "good" monounsaturated fats, be mindful of how much you douse or drizzle.
Organic food is always more nutritious
Myth. Few studies have compared organic and conventionally grown foods, according to food toxicologist Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe program at the University of California-Davis. Some evidence suggests that organic produce may be higher in certain antioxidants, but there appears to be no nutritional advantage to organic milk and meat, he said. The descriptor refers to the practices on the farm and not the nutritional content of the final product. When it comes to the snack aisle, don't assume that "organic" gives you the green light to load up.
Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh
Fact. Just-picked vegetables do have more vitamins and minerals, but the nutrient levels can drop the longer that produce is stored. Frozen vegetables are flash-frozen soon after picking to lock in nutrients. You can limit the loss of nutrients by steaming or microwaving with a little water or stir-frying with a bit of oil.

Appetite Suppressants

Appetite suppressants, sweeteners and more…
Fabuless is a new natural ingredient developed for use in dairy products. It is produced exclusively for Dutch ingredients group DSM by Swedish-based Lipid Technologies Provider and used in dairy applications.
It is an oil-in-water emulsion that consists of a minimal amount of palm and oat oil. The specific oat fraction digests very slowly, allowing the ingredient to penetrate deeply into the intestinal system. The body will identify a relatively high level of undigested fat at a relatively late stage of the digestive process. In this way the hunger signals it would normally start sending are suppressed.
DSM says that independent clinical studies show that respondents using Fabuless not only eat less, but still feel pleasantly satisfied. The company can help food producers to develop products that fit their brand and will provide hands-on experience in all processing and technical aspects. Recently, Portuguese manufacturer Adagio introduced an appetite-reducing fermented milk drink, Adagio Versus, based on Fabuless.
It adds that the well-established safety of the main raw materials makes it easier to introduce into the food category than many other nutraceuticals designed to help control weight, such as botanicals or new ingredients not traditionally used in foods. These must be submitted to European authorities with a safety dossier before being permitted on the market.
Cargill offers Xtend Sucromalt from its sweetener portfolio, a slow-release carbohydrate that promises a sustained energy release and a lower glycaemic response, meaning longer-lasting satiety. The company also offers Xtend Isomaltulose, a slowly digestible sweetener.
Xtend Sucromalt is derived from sucrose and maltose, provides the full energy of sucrose, and has a clean, sweet taste. Because it is a syrup, it allows food and beverage manufacturers to apply the benefits of a sugar alternative with slow energy release and low glycaemic response to an even wider range of applications. It can also replace multiple sweeteners and bulking agents in many formulations. This allows food manufacturers to simplify ingredient labels and potentially reduce the amount of simple sugars in the formulation.
While not yet included in the US Code of Federal Regulations to allow a dental health claim, Xtend Isomaltulose is tooth friendly, which means it cannot be fermented by bacteria in the mouth and therefore supports oral health.
Anne Mollerus, global product line manager, says the company is seeking EU approval for Xtend Sucromalt while Xtend Isomaltulose already has novel foods approval in Europe. Both sweeteners have GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) status in the United States and together they offer the benefits of slow energy release, a blunted glycaemic response and a sweet taste for a very wide range of applications.
Xtend Isomaltulose is obtained from sucrose by enzymatic conversion. It provides the full energy of both glucose and fructose, but is released over a longer period of time. It has a clean, sweet taste and, because it is a syrup, it enables food and beverage manufacturers to apply the benefits of a sugar alternative with slow energy release and low glycaemic response to an even wider range of applications. The slow energy release supports a balanced energy supply to muscle and brain, making the product perfect for the formulation of sports drinks, energy drinks and tablets, cereal bars and meal replacements.
Dr. Fred Brouns, Cargill's manager of Nutritional Sciences Europe, says, "Our research gives a good initial indication that Xtend Isomaltulose triggers the body's satiety regulating mechanisms - which potentially helps make a person feel more full and reduces hunger pangs. In addition, Isomaltulose, through its low blood glucose and insulin response helps the body to burn more fat as a source of energy, compared to when consuming normal sugar. Both of these are promising for developing new products in the context of increased prevalence of obesity, especially in children."

Sunday, April 15, 2007

weight loss supplements

Everyone has there own opinion which weight loss supplement works best for them. I am just trying to get some information from everyone.

Hoodia

Hoodia is currently the most talked about weight loss product in North America. Hoodia is one of the rarest botanicals in the world. It is a cactus plant that grows only in South Africa. Scientists have isolated several compounds in hoodia that helps suppress appetite. It contains a molecule called P57 that is ten thousand times as active as glucose. It goes to the brain and makes those nerve cells feel as if you are full and this in turn stunts your appetite. It simply tricks the brain into thinking that you are full. To date, there are no known adverse side effects caused by using hoodia.Hoodia is so safe that is is classified as a dietary supplement and not a medicine..