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by David Zinczenko

Remember when Britney Spears was a baby-faced singer with some cute dance moves? Remember when Lindsay Lohan was a funny actress who made neat movies? Remember when Tiger Woods was a great golfer who never made a wrong move?

Remember when breakfast was the healthiest meal of the day?

Food marketers didn’t shave Britney’s head, or sneak rum into Lindsay’s Coke, or teach Tiger how to text message. But they sure have done a job on breakfast. And that’s too bad, because a smart breakfast ought to be the most important meal of the day. And eating a good one ought to be easy. Studies show that people who take time for a morning meal consume fewer calories over the course of the day, have stronger cognitive skills, and are 30 percent less likely to be overweight or obese.

But when food marketers get their hands on it, “a hearty breakfast” turns into something more like “a heart-unhealthy breakfast.” Because an unhealthy heart is exactly what many of the country’s most popular breakfast joints are setting you up for, by peddling fatty scrambles, misguided muffin missiles, and pancakes that look like manhole covers. These foods are loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates, which catapult your blood sugar, sap your energy levels, and tell your body to store fat. Start your day this way and you’ll be ready for a second breakfast—and a nap—before 11 a.m. To help you avoid the morning mishaps, we searched out the good, the bad, and the greasy and uncovered some of the best and worst breakfast foods in America.

#6: Worst Breakfast Beverage
Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream (venti, 24 oz)
720 calories
27 g fat (17 g saturated)
103 g sugars

Pure black coffee is one of the world’s most potent elixirs. In fact, research shows that a morning cup can help decrease your risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and type-2 diabetes. That’s good news, since 77 percent of U.S. adults over 18 years of age drink coffee on a daily or occasional basis. But here’s the problem: There’s a big difference between an untainted cup of joe and the souped-up, sugar-loaded blends (this particular drink contains 26 scoops of sugar) that list coffee as one of the ingredients. And this Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha is the definition of caffeinated indulgence. You can switch to an equally delicious and refreshing drink (Starbucks has plenty, such as the caffe mocha, which is still coffee with chocolate in it, after all), and cut 520 calories in the process!

Drink This Instead!
Iced Caffe Mocha (16 oz, no whipped cream)
200 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
26 g sugars

Bonus tip: Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, researchers from Canada found.

#5: Worst Pastry Breakfast
Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun
1,100 calories
56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)
47 g sugars

This isn’t breakfast—this is dessert. And an atrocious one at that. The only speck of nutrition to be found in the bun comes from the nuts. Too bad they’re coated in sugar. This dangerously bloated bun contains nearly an entire day’s worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. That’s as much as you’ll find in 8 White Castle hamburgers. The Cinnabon Stix below are far from a healthy breakfast, but they’re better than nothing (albeit barely).

Eat This Instead!
Cinnabon Stix
379 calories
21 g fat (6 g saturated, 4 g trans)
14 g sugars

#4: Worst Scrambled Eggs Breakfast
Bob Evans Border Scramble Biscuit Bowl
1,028 calories
57 g fat (25 g saturated)
3,055 mg sodium

Bob Evans also offers a Border Scramble Omelet, which contains nearly 400 fewer calories than this overflowing biscuit bowl. The difference in is the bowl itself (several hundred calories of carbohydrate-loaded dough) and the cheese sauce—this biscuit bowl boasts a Queso sauce that no one in his or her right mind would consider a healthy topping. Instead of switching to the Border Scramble Omelet, however, cut another hundred calories by choosing the Garden Harvest, which is also loaded with vegetables.

Eat This Instead!
Garden Harvest Omelet
542 calories
38 g fat (17 g saturated)
1,762 mg sodium

Bonus Tip: Walking into a restaurant doesn’t have to feel like a stroll through a minefield.

#3: Worst Breakfast Sandwich
Denny’s Grand Slamwich
1,320 calories
90 g fat (42 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,070 mg sodium

Word to the wise: If a restaurant menu item is named for its monstrous size, there’s not a chance it’s good for you. Words like “Grand” and “Big” and “Double” are all tip-offs: Steer clear of this Frankenfood at all costs. This ginormous breakfast sandwich comes with a day and a half worth of sodium, as much saturated fat as you’ll find in 42 strips of bacon, and the caloric equivalent of four and a half cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.

Eat This Instead!
Veggie-Cheese Omelette
500 calories
37 g fat (12 g saturated, 0 g trans)
940 mg sodium

#2: Worst Pancakes
Friendly’s Apple Caramel Walnut Pancakes
1,540 calories
30 g fat (11 g saturated)
2,290 mg sodium

Friendly’s has one of the worst breakfast menus of any restaurant we’ve seen—we had to customize the “Eat This Instead” order below to make it even worth considering. Quick tip: When eating at Friendly’s, never order anything sweet or pastry-like, like these pancakes. No matter what you’ve ordered, you’re guaranteed at least 900 calories. And that’s before you get to the sides. For the best breakfast meal, choose protein-rich foods, like eggs, and skip all sugar- and carbohydrate-laden sides, like toast, muffins, or pancakes.

Eat This Instead!
Super Sizzlin’ Bacon Combo (with 3 scrambled Egg Beaters, hold the toast)
570 calories
29 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,310 mg sodium

Bonus tip: Most people wouldn’t assume pancakes are a healthy choice. But what about those who are trying to eat healthy and end up with a plate full of calories and fat?

#1: The Worst Breakfast in America
Cheesecake Factory French Toast Napoleon
2,460 calories
61 g saturated fat
1,769 mg sodium
246 g carbohydrates

The Cheesecake Factory never fails to amaze us. This outrageous restaurant consistently earns the title of “Worst” on nearly every list we create. Their French Toast Napoleon is no exception—it contains well over a day’s worth of calories (that’s about the equivalent of 19 bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, to give you some idea). It also has 61 grams of saturated fat (three times your daily limit). The only saving grace here is that not all of Cheesecake’s breakfast items are inedible. You’ll be safe if you stick to the healthy (and healthy sounding) scramble, below.

Eat This Instead!
Shiitake Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Scramble
570 calories
16g saturated fat
994 mg sodium
13 g carbohydrates

Bonus Tip: Improve the way you look and feel—fast and forever—with these 25 Best Nutrition Secrets Ever! They’ve helped people lose 10, 20, 30 pounds or more in record time–and can help you too! (Bonus: You don’t have to stop eating your favorite foods or go on a diet.)

WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN EATING?

With millions of children and adolescents are overweight or obese and the risks for many chronic diseases increasing, a study of childrens’ diets has revealed some disturbing truths.

“The epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents is now widely regarded as one of the most important public health problems, especially in the US,” said Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH, RD, and Susan M. Krebs-Smith, PhD, MPH, RD, both of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute.

“Most experts agree that the solution will involve changes in both diet and physical activity, in order to affect energy balance. For diet, this means a reduction in energy from current consumption levels…This paper identifies the major sources of overall energy and empty kilojoules, providing context for dietary guidance that could specifically focus on limiting kilojoules from these sources and for changes in the food environment.

“Product reformulation alone is not sufficient – the flow of empty kilojoules into the food supply must be reduced.”

The study

For two to 18 year olds, the top sources of energy were grain desserts, pizza, and sodas. Sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas and fruit drinks combined) provided almost 10% of total kilojoules consumed. Nearly 40% of total kilojoules consumed by two to18 year olds were in the form of empty kilojoules from solid fat and from added sugars.

Half of empty kilojoules came from six foods: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.

Researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative survey with a complex multistage, stratified probability sample.

Trained interviewers conducted in-person 24-hour dietary recalls with all eligible persons, using automated data collection systems that included multiple passes. Kilojoules from solid fats and added sugars were calculated from the USDA MyPyramid Equivalents Database (MPED).

Empty kilojoules were defined as the sum of energy from solid fats and added sugars.

Sugar-sweetened drinks and obesity

Children of different ages get their energy from different sources. For example, the top five sources of energy for two to three year olds included whole milk, fruit juice, reduced-fat milk, and pasta and pasta dishes.

Pasta and reduced-fat milk were also among the top five sources of energy for four to eight year olds. Top contributors of energy also varied by race/ethnicity.

In an accompanying commentary, Rae-Ellen W. Kavey, MD, MPH, University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Rochester, NY, discusses the role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the development of obesity in childhood.

Dr Kavey writes, “High added sugar consumption which occurs most commonly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors, both independently, and through the development of obesity. Multiple studies have shown that presence of these risk factors in childhood is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and early cardiovascular disease.

Reduce sugary drinks, reduce heart risks

“Randomised trials of nutritionist-guided interventions show us that diet change can be accomplished and is associated with important cardiovascular benefits. This combined body of evidence suggests that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages should be considered a critical dietary approach to reducing cardiovascular risk in childhood.”

A study of how school vending machines can influence the dietary choices of students is presented in the same issue.

Researchers from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health found that the availability of vending machines in schools was associated with buying snacks or beverages from vending machines instead of buying school lunches.

They also found that although healthier choices were available in school vending machines, the most common choices by students were less healthy snacks and beverages. – (EurekAlert, October 2010)

by Anthony Alayon

When it comes to chewing gum and weight loss, many believe that gum is fattening or can cause you to not achieve your fitness goals.  However, this is not the case as chewing gum does not have nearly the amount of calories to cause you to gain weight.  But being that there is a ton of misconception floating around the internet and media about this topic, I decided to write an article and tell you exactly why it is not unhealthy  to chew gum and how it can help you lose weight if you apply a cool technique that I will show you in a minute.

So before I show you my cool trick on how to lose weight by chewing gum, I wanted to break down a few of the most common ingredients that I have found in chewing gum and show you why they will not make you fat.  With that being said, the most common ingredients found in gum are as follows:

Chewing Gum Ingredient #1: Softeners

Softeners are what makes the gum nice and moist.  If softeners were not an ingredient, the gum would likely become too hard to chew.  A common softener includes glycerin.  Glycerin is not bad for you as long as large quantities are not consumed.  There has been debate as to whether glycerin is classified as a carbohydrate or not, but for the purpose of this article and chewing gum, there is not a problem with it when it comes to losing weight.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #2: Sweeteners

These are the ingredients found in chewing gum that make it taste sweet.  Now here is where you will want to look at the back of the label.  I suggest that you pick a gum that has all natural sugars in it.  There are some companies that use aspartame and corn syrup as sweeteners.  As long as you do not chew a pack of gum a day, these sweeteners will be ok.  However, ALWAYS try to stick with sugars as the preferred sweetener as it is all natural and is the healthiest of all the sweeteners mentioned above.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #3: Flavorings

This is the ingredient that gives gum its unique flavor.  For example, spearmint, peppermint, fruit, orange, etc. are all common flavors that one can buy at a local convenience store or gas station.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #4: Gum Base

This is the ingredient that makes your gum appear as a stick of gum.  Without it, you will likely not have gum that is chewable.

So now that you have the 4 main ingredients to chewing gum, I would now like to tell you my little known trick to losing weight while chewing gum.

The trick is to chew gum after you eat a meal!  So for example, after you eat breakfast and lunch, chew a piece of gum as you normally would.  What studies have shown as well as my experience with using this method is that you are not as hungry and do not have the cravings that you normally would.

Now this trick may not work for you but I always carry gum with me and chew it after a meal and it has proven to keep my appetite in check.  However, the results are not so drastic that you will lose 10 pounds in a month but it can help to prevent any unnecessary snacking that can kill your weight loss progress.

Important Note: As a reminder, always try to purchase gum that has all natural ingredients.  If some ingredients are synthetic, it will not make a huge difference but just be conscious of this and look for the all natural ingredients I mentioned above for the best options.

The 3 Things KEEPING You From a Flat Belly by coach josh
www.7daybellyfat.com

Doctors agree that internal belly fat is the most deadly kind of body fat there is. Studies show it dramatically increases the chance of illness such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and even depression (suicide).

And if that wasn’t bad enough, that dreaded belly bulge makes us look unattractive and it can demolish our self-esteem and confidence to boot.

But, what makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that belly fat is considered by many to be the most stubborn and impossible weight to penetrate and burn. It’s like the “Fort Knox” of body fat. Here’s why:

PROBLEM #1: Your Hormones Are Out of Whack: Chronic stress causes your body to release a fat-storing hormone called cortisol. The more cortisol your body releases, the more belly fat you store. Plus, eating the wrong foods causes the fat-storing hormone insulin to skyrocket, while a fat-burning hormone called glucagon gets turned off. (Hello, belly fat!)

PROBLEM #2: Your Belly-Burning Furnace Is Busted: When you want to lose a lot of weight, you should cut calories for long periods of time, right?

WRONG.

Cutting calories magnifies nutrient deficiencies in your body. This results in severe cravings as your brain sends emergency “low nutrient signals” to your stomach to eat more food.

Problem is, most people end up eating more “nutrient-dead food” which causes cravings to completely spiral out of control. (If you feel hungry all the time, now you know why.)

After about a week of dieting, your body is genetically programmed to fight back by lowering the hormones responsible for keeping your metabolism humming along (like the calorie-burning thyroid hormones). At the same time, it will increase the “hunger hormone” leptin. (Double whammy.)

As a result, your weight loss will come to a screeching halt, lickity split.

At this point, to keep burning fat you’ll be forced to reduce your calories even lower, and/or do MORE exercise. (Not fun… I’ve been there.)

PROBLEM #3: Your Food Is Laced with Obesity Additives: GIANT food manufacturers make BIG bucks creating “Frankenstein foods” that are stripped of belly-burning nutrients and stuffed full of dirt-cheap, artificial preservatives that make your belly bulge.

I call these chemicals Obesity Additives and studies show:

* They cause a mineral imbalance that results in bloating and excess water weight.
* They addict us by altering brain chemicals called neurotransmitters – just like the street drugs cocaine, morphine and nicotine do!
* They cause pounds of “toxic waste” to accumulate in our digestive tracks. (Believe me, that belly bulge or “pooch” is not all belly fat.)

Those are the 3 BIG obstacles keeping you from EVER getting a flat belly. But don’t worry: there is a real SOLUTION

If you are working with the Alive Experience there issue should be disappearing, if your not…well.