Nutrition

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.

Posted by Joel Marion

If you’re looking to transform your body, then protein is perhaps the most important macronutrient you could ever have on your side.  It’s the macro with the highest thermic effect of feeding (i.e. you burn calories by eating it), it helps you regulate insulin by causing the secretion of insulin’s antagonist, glucagon, and it provides the vital building blocks for building muscle and recovery.

BUT, it’s also typically the most expensive macronutrient, and THAT’S the problem I’m here to solve today with the below 5 DIRT CHEAP protein sources:

#1 – Eggs. A dozen eggs provides 72 grams of protein for about $1.69.  At that rate you can even go Organic and have an extremely inexpensive meal.

#2 – Whey. At anywhere from 50 cents to $1 for 20 grams you just can’t go wrong.  One of the purest, most bioavailable protein sources available.

#3 – Beans and Lentils. A can of beans or lentils packs about 45 grams of protein (and fiber!) for about a buck!

#4 – Cottage Cheese. 48 grams of protein ready to eat out of the container for $1.69 – not too bad!

#5 – Tuna. Perhaps the cheapest of all lean protein sources, a can of tuna yields approximately 42 grams of protein for just under $1.

Getting your daily protein requirements (I recommend about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass daily) doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive by any means; in fact, it can be DIRT CHEAP by getting a good portion of your daily protein from the above sources.

Feel like I saved you at least 5 bucks on your next daily grocery run?