Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe To Consume?

Artificial sweeteners are sugar (sucrose) substitutes that are generally a lot sweeter, and contain less calories, than sugar. There are currently six artificial sweeteners approved for consumer use by the FDA: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, neotame and rebiana.

One of the main concerns about these sweeteners is their potential cancer risk. The concern arises from laboratory studies of rats fed high doses of these sweeteners, especially saccharin and aspartame, and went on to develop various cancers including bladder, brain, lymphomas and leukemias. However, currently, there doesn’t appear to be clear evidence of association between artificial sweeteners and cancers in humans. But, this has not quieted the hundreds of thousands of reports by consumers of side effects experienced from using these additives.

There’s even concern regarding the latest sweetener to hit the market , rebiana (marketed as Truvia and PureVia), an extract of the Stevia plant that is hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose. The FDA is classifying rebiana as GRAS (generally regarded as safe). However, the Stevia plant is still labeled as a dietary supplement because the FDA has not permitted its use as a food additive. Some say the FDA was under tremendous pressure by food companies to approve rebiana’s use as a food additive. Whatever the case may be, officially, artificial sweeteners are deemed safe for consumption (except for aspartame which is NOT safe for people with the genetic condition phenylketonuria). However, if you are truly concerned about potential side effects of artificial sweeteners, then moderation in regular sugar consumption is a very realistic and achievable goal for most people – and a much more healthier one.

Source: RightHealth.com

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How Many Calories To Lose Weight

Many people think that not eating a lot is a quick way to lose weight. However, the fact of the matter is that calories are needed to lose weight in the long term. Without eating food, the body will go into starvation mode and weight loss will actually stop instead of move forward.

Although some people realize that starvation is actually a counterproductive way to lose weight, they don’t know how many calories that they need to eat to lose weight.

The best way to do this is for an individual to track how many calories they eat on a daily basis. Many people say that 2000 calories are a typical day’s worth of calories. In actuality, though, that really depends on the weight and size of each individual. Women usually eat around 2000 and men around 2700. Most people are shocked when they find out how much (or how little, but usually the former) they eat once they actually write everything down.

Common practice is to figure out how many calories one eats per day, and then subtract a certain amount of calories during the “diet period”. As a general rule, if one reduces 500 calories per day, at the end of 7 days, they will lose one pound (3500 calories).

While the body does respond to eating the same amount of lower-calories every day for the short-term, it plateaus after a while. A good tactic to fight back is to calorie cycle. By calorie cycling, you might eat 2000 calories one day, 2500 the next, and 1500 the next. This constantly keeps your body “on its toes”.

The general rule of calorie cycling is to figure out how many calories that you were going to eat if you were going to go on a traditional diet, multiply it by 7, and divvy the calories out for the week. For example, if one was going to eat 1800 calories a day, that would be 12,600 calories for the week. Calorie cycling would be eating, for example, 1600, 1800, 1600, 2000, 2200, 1600, and 1800.

Rachel has lost 100 pounds herself, and is passionate about helping other people do it too. She has been featured in Woman’s World, among others.

You can check out more about calorie cycling on her website at YAY Food.

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Health Dangers of Salt

Health practitioners have been telling us for years that excessive salt is not good for us – it causes hypertension (or high blood pressure) which in turn increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.  According to researchers, reducing salt is one of the least expensive ways to help people live longer and cut down on medical costs.

New Scientist has an excellent article on the health dangers of salt.  Well worth the read.

Part of the article that I found very interesting:

Earlier this month the US Institute of Medicine recommended government intervention to reduce salt intake. However, the food industry is fighting a bitter rearguard action against any such move. The salt industry’s annual turnover is several billion dollars and it has no plans to downsize. Thus, in advance of the new US guidelines, articles have appeared in The New York Times and elsewhere claiming that the evidence for reducing salt is not clear-cut.

This controversy is fake. The evidence for salt reduction is clear and consistent. Most of the “contradictory research” comes from a very small number of scientists, most of whom are linked to the salt industry. However, it takes skill to spot misinformation and subterfuge. And so the confusion is successfully promulgated.

It is a familiar story. The tobacco industry spent decades denying that smoking caused fatal diseases. Their very successful strategies included accusations of scientific conspiracies, selective use of scientific evidence, and paying scientists to produce evidence to contradict the public health experts and confuse the public. In general, the food industry is more ethical, but it is far from squeaky clean.

Here are some additional resources for you:

• Government of Canada – http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php - Sodium is a nutrient found in table salt and many other foods. While the body needs some sodium to function, too much may lead to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Most Canadians consume more sodium than may be good for their health.  A diet high in sodium is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene  http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cardio/cardio-salt-initiative.shtml - Americans consume roughly twice the recommended limit of salt each day – causing widespread high blood pressure and placing millions at risk of heart attack and stroke.

There are dozens of reputable sources of information on the internet about the dangers of salt intake.

So how do you go about reducing the amount of salt you eat?  Unfortunately as with most products purchased at grocery stores – you can’t.  Salt is added as part of the manufacturing process.  However you can certainly read labels to select those products with the least amount of sale, in addition you can choose to reduce and possibly eliminate the amount of salt used at home when preparing food from scratch.

Here are eight tips to help you:

1. Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned “with no salt added” vegetables.
2. Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types. 
3. Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table.
4. Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
5. Choose “convenience” foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings — these often have a lot of sodium.
6. Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium.
7. When available, buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods.
8. Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium. 

When you are grocery shopping, look for these words on packages:

1. sodium free
2. very low sodium
3. low sodium
4. reduced (or less) sodium
5. light in sodium
6. unsalted

Now I know that using salt “brightens” up the food, and brings out its flavor, but if you try you can find great substitutes for salt. Make foods tasty without using salt. Try these flavorings, spices, and herbs:

For Meat, Poultry, and Fish

Beef	Bay leaf, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, pepper, sage, thyme
Lamb	Curry powder, garlic, rosemary, mint
Pork	Garlic, onion, sage, pepper, oregano
Veal	Bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, marjoram, oregano
Chicken	Ginger, marjoram, oregano, paprika, poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme
Fish	Curry powder, dill, dry mustard, lemon juice, marjoram, paprika, pepper

For Vegetables:

Carrots	Cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Corn	Cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley
Green Beans	Dill, curry powder, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme
Greens	Onion, Pepper
Peas	Ginger, marjoram, onion, parsley, sage
Potatoes	Dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage
Summer Squash	Cloves, curry powder, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Winter Squash	Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion
Tomatoes	Basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper

And finally, here are some definitions to help you understand common sodium labels.

• sodium-free: less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving
• very low sodium: no more than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving
• low sodium: no more than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving
• reduced sodium: at least 25 percent less sodium than a comparable product
• lite/light in sodium (including lightly salted products): at least 50 percent less sodium than a comparable product

As their names imply, salt-free products meet standard criteria for being sodium-free and no-salt-added/unsalted products have no salt added during processing.

Here is to your health!

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Does Lack Of Sleep Increase Weight?

For years I’d been told that I need to get enough sleep, in order to not gain weight.  Well, then I must have been not getting enough sleep for years.

But most recently this also appeared on the New York Times.  Here is what part of the article says on lack of sleep:

“Scientists have known for years that skimping on sleep is associated with weight gain. A good example was a study published in 2005, which looked at 8,000 adults over several years as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sleeping fewer than seven hours a night corresponded with a greater risk of weight gain and obesity, and the risk increased for every hour of lost sleep.”

Read the full article…

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Obesity: Food Kills, Flab Protects

Found an excellent article on New Scientist today: Obesity: Food Kills, Flab Protects.

To read it, click DOES FAT PROTECT.

Enjoy!

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: does fat protect, does flab protect, food kills, obesity

Obesity In The US

While there are statistics all over the place about the high cost of obesity, and the damage it causes the health care system – whether that be in Canada, the US or any other country one thing is certain that as the economic times have changed which has forced many families to take on more – such as both parents working or parents having to take on 2nd jobs and leaving kids behind to fend for themselves obesity has increased.

Parents that have to work, naturally will have less time to spend with their kids – as a result those kids may spend more time on the couch instead of outside playing.  In fact when you look at the playground, who do you see?  Generally kids where one parent is at home – not very often will you see kids by themselves.

While that is quite a generalization as there are skinny kids that may not be outside playing, are they necessarily healthy?  Just because you’re skinny doesn’t mean healthy.

I came across an excellent article about Obesity in the US on the CDC website – http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.  They provide an animated map of the US that shows obesity rates from 1985 to 2008.  The 1985 map is primarily white, with some states in the < 10% or 10% – 14% categories.  Fast forward to 2008 and it’s anywhere from 20% to as high as OVER 30% with only one state in the 15% – 19% range (Colorado).

The article goes on to show the rate of obesity among minorities – white, non Hispanic, Hispanic and black non Hispanic.  It’s clear from the graphs that obesity is in epidemic proportions in many ethnic communities.

The final image that they provide is the prevalance of obesity by county and right below that the number of cases of diabetes.  It becomes clear when you view both of these that there is a high correlation between obesity and diabetes.

The fact is that we need to do more to lose weight – and not just an empty promise to ourselves that we’ll start “tomorrow”.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: obesity in the US, Weight Loss

Men – Strengthen Your Mind, And Body

Unconventional Ways to Strengthen Men’s Bodies and Minds

Author: Joshua

When yoga comes to mind, most men get images of flower painted rooms, women humming chants, and soft nature music in the background. But what a lot of men don’t know is that they actually have the most to gain from yoga.

Yoga alleviates sore muscles, loosens stiff backs, and clears the mind of daily stresses from work. Yoga stretches increase oxygen flow to the muscles, allowing your muscles to stay active longer. This gives men long lasting boosts of energy that help increase focus and productivity in their careers and daily lives.

Millions of men who have already tried yoga report having a better night’s sleep after a few yoga sessions. Once men master their breathing, they are more able to relax before going to bed and their paced breathing gives them a deeper, more rejuvenating night of sleep. Think this is crazy? Ask the Tennessee Titan’s and other athletes from the NFL who have already reported a decrease in fatigue and an increase in energy after incorporating yoga stretches into their daily warm-ups.

Yoga has also been reported to decrease the pain and side effects of many ailments. For example, yoga benefits asthma sufferers by decreasing or completely eliminating asthma attacks. Yoga also tremendously decreases blood pressure by allowing participants to relax and concentrate on their own self-awareness. In a recent study, five out of twenty high blood pressure patients who participated in a daily yoga experiment stopped taking their blood pressure medication completely. Yoga also decreases blood sugar and increases joint movement, which is a huge benefit to those that suffer from diabetes and arthritis, as well.

Yoga is beneficial to men and women, but men usually shy away from yoga because of their stereotypical view of the exercise. It is important that all men are encouraged to try yoga. The benefits to their health are enormous.

Along with the proper balance in your exercise routine, a healthy diet is also important. Try an easy, on the go solution. Many products are available over the counter or online for purchase that can help with everything from joint flexibility, memory, prostate health, and hair loss.

About the Author:

Get more information about Mens Supplements and Natural Prostate Health, please visit www.GoProsTect.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Unconventional Ways to Strengthen Men’s Bodies and Minds

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Low Calorie Diet May Slow Aging

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reuters – A 20-year study of monkeys shows that a reduced-calorie diet pays off in less disease and longer life, U.S. researchers said on Thursday, a finding that could apply to humans.

Read the full article – Low-calorie diet slows aging in monkeys (Reuters)

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