Category Archives: weight loss

Some Graphs Showing why we Get Fat

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Obesity rates have tripled since 1980 and have increased particularly fast in children. This must be due to changes in the environment because our genes don’t change this quickly.

This article contains graphs with historical trends and results from obesity studies, showing some of the main reasons why we get fat.

People Are Eating More Junk Food Than Ever

Food Spending, Smaller
At the turn of the 20th century, people were eating mostly simple, home-cooked meals. Around 2009, about half of what people ate was fast food, or other foods away from home.

This graph actually underestimates the true change, because what people are eating at home these days is also often based on processed foods.

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Sugar Consumption Has Skyrocketed

Sugar Consumption in the UK and USA

Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.

Numerous studies show that eating excess amounts of added sugar can lead to a much greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer .

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The Obesity Epidemic Started When The Low-Fat Guidelines Were Published

Low Fat Guidelines and Obesity Epidemic

 

There was an epidemic of heart disease running rampant in the U.S. in the 20th century. A lot of scientists believed fat, especially saturated fat, to be the main dietary cause of heart disease (although this has since been disproven). This led to the birth of the low-fat diet, which aims to restrict saturated fat. Interestingly, the obesity epidemic started at almost the exact same time the low-fat guidelines first came out.

Putting the emphasis on saturated fat, while giving processed low-fat foods high in sugar a free pass, may have contributed to negative changes in the population’s diet. There are also massive long-term studies showing that the low-fat diet does NOT cause weight loss, and does not prevent heart disease or cancer.

 

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People Are Drinking More Sugary Drinks and Fruit Juices

Caloric Beverage Consumption in USA

The brain doesn’t “register” liquid sugar calories in the same way as it does solid calories.  That’s why liquid sugar calories are usually added on top of the daily calorie intake. Unfortunately, most fruit juices are no better and have similar amounts of sugar as soft drinks. Studies have shown that a single daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage is linked to a 60.1% increased risk of obesity in children.

Sugar is bad… but sugar in liquid form is even worse.

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People Don’t Burn as Many Calories When Working

Trends in Occupation-Related Physical Activity

The graph above shows how people are now burning around 100 fewer calories per day in their jobs, which may contribute to weight gain over time.

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People Are Eating More Refined Vegetable Oils

Fat Consumption in USA

The fats we are eating have changed dramatically in the past 100 years or so.

At the beginning of the 20th century, we were eating mostly natural fats like butter, ghee and lard… but then they were replaced with margarine and vegetable oils. These refined oils are highly inflammatory, leading to disease.

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People Are Sleeping Less

Historical Sleep Trends in Hours Per Night
Poor sleep can affect various hormones, contributing to increased hunger and cravings. In recent decades, average sleep duration has decreased by 1-2 hours per night.

Short sleep duration is one of the strongest individual risk factors for obesity. It is linked to an 89% increased risk in children, and a 55% increased risk in adults.

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People may argue about the causes of obesity… whether it is sugar, carbs, fat, or something else.But the fact is, the diet and environment have changed has altered the way our brains and hormones work. These changes affect the biological systems that are supposed to prevent us from getting fat. This is the underlying reason for the increased calorie intake and weight gain, NOT a lack of willpower.
Be Healthy.

Why Eat Protein

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Does it really matter, if we eat protein, how much and what kind of protein we consume?

Consider this:

Proteins have many different functions, for example:

  • Part of your DNA – your genetic inheritance!
  • Enzymes  are proteins which make everything happen, e.g. to break down food for absorption; to regulate the entry of nutrients through cell walls, and the removal of waste-products; to grow, develop, move, reproduce.
  • Hemoglobin is a protein which, with iron, carries oxygen around the body
  • Myoglobin and elastin – These are the two main proteins in muscle fibers
  • Bones are mainly proteins, with calcium, magnesium and phosphate;
  • Hormones which regulate metabolism
  • Antibodies which circulate in blood to protect against infections and
  • Keratin which forms hair and nails.

A popular belief among a section of Indians is that protein is required mainly by men,  but as we  can see above, women also have DNA and Hemoglobin and hormones. Duh!

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Protein and Chronic Diseases

There’s growing evidence that high-protein food choices can lower the risk of several diseases and premature death.

Cardiovascular disease

Research conducted at Harvard School of Public Health has found that a high-protein diet may be beneficial for the heart.

A randomized trial known as the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart) showed that a healthy diet that replaced some carbohydrate with healthy protein (or healthy fat) did a better job of lowering blood pressure and harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol than a similarly healthy, higher carbohydrate diet.

Diabetes

Studies showed that substituting one serving of low-fat dairy products or whole grains for a serving of red meat each day lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by an estimated 16 to 35 percent.

Cancer

Optimum levels of Protein contribute to Optimum Immunity, which can help protect against Cancer.

Osteoporosis

High-protein diets have been linked with increased bone-mineral density, and thus stronger bones.

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Protein and Weight Control

The same high-protein foods that are good choices for disease prevention may also help with weight control.

1. Dietary protein reduces hunger. Protein is the most satisfying of all the macronutrients. High protein meals suppress appetite by creating a feeling of fullness. This reduces calorie consumption thereby promoting weight loss.

2. Protein digestion and metabolism burns more calories. Both dietary carbohydrate and protein provide the same amount of available energy, 4 kilocalories per gram, but it takes about 25% more of that energy to process protein. This means more calories are burned in digesting the same weight of protein, compared to carbohydrates.

3. Protein increases lean body mass or muscle. Muscle burns calories. When people shed weight, muscle mass is usually lost. But studies show that overweight dieters are more likely to lose fat instead of muscle by following a higher protein, lower calorie diet. The muscle-building effect of a higher protein diet is further boosted with resistance exercise.

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How Much Protein

Experts advise consuming between 1 and 2 grams of protein per kg of  body weight.  Skew on the higher end for those who are very active,  if you’re trying to lose weight, growing children, pregnant women, or the elderly, as they tend to lose muscle mass. Choose the low end for healthy adults.

Even more important: Aim to get at least 30 of those grams at breakfast, says Donald Layman, Ph.D. (That’s roughly the amount you’ll get from two eggs and a cup of cottage cheese.) After fasting all night, the body is running on empty and may start drawing on muscle tissue for fuel if you don’t replenish its protein stores first thing in the morning. Plus, studies have found that protein-rich breakfasts can help regulate appetite all day.

Every meal we eat, every snack we consume, must contain protein to keep blood sugar levels in balance and maintain energy.

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You may be Low on Protein if

You Crave Sweets
One of the first signs you’re low on protein: You start craving sweets and feel like you’re never quite full. One of protein’s most critical functions is keeping your blood sugar steady—which means if you’re lacking, your glucose levels will be all over the place, encouraging you to reach for a quick fix like candy.

 

Your Brain Feels Foggy
Balanced blood sugar is essential for staying focused. So when you’re protein-deprived and your glucose levels are fluctuating constantly, you may feel a little foggy, because you don’t have a steady stream of carbs to fuel your brain. Protein at meals helps time-release the carbs for steady energy rather than up and down spikes. If you’re relying only on “fleeting foods,” such as crackers or bread, you’ll only experience short bursts of mental energy, followed by the fog.

Your Hair is Falling Out
Protein is the building block of all of your cells—your hair follicles included. “If your hair follicles are strong, they keep your hair on your head, despite the tugging we do all day and the wind going through your hair. But if you’re chronically skimping on the scalp-stabilizing nutrient, you may notice that your strands start thinning (although, keep in mind, this can also be a sign of other conditions, like thyroid trouble).

You Feel Weak.
We all know that protein is essential for building muscle. And if you don’t get enough of it, your muscles may start to shrink over time. As a result, you may feel weak and unable to do the exercises you once excelled at.

You Get Sick Constantly

Protein is needed to build all the compounds in our immune systems. So if you seem to catch colds or infections more often than everyone else—and you’re otherwise in good health—a protein deficiency may be to blame.

Keep up the Protein Intake. And Stay Healthy!

Sugar Makes You Fat. Fat makes You Thin. Really.

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The U.S. government’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is poised to reverse 40 years of “advice” and scrap longstanding guidelines about avoiding high-cholesterol food. In a draft report, cholesterol as found in foods like egg yolks is no longer listed as a “nutrient of concern.”

The cholesterol bogy has been used for several decades to terrify a whole population. For many years, cholesterol levels were considered the ultimate measure of health and fitness in America.

Suppressing cholesterol is not about health. It’s about making money, and the people who created the cholesterol myth did so to make trillions of dollars.

Suppressing cholesterol is like placing something over your car’s heat indicator light expecting to prevent the car from overheating. This is pitiful nonsense, but  literally millions of people along with their doctors are thoroughly indoctrinated with this myth. People are actually paying $600 dollars a month for statin drugs to lower cholesterol, that are offending their health far more than elevated cholesterol. A lot of folks are probably using their grocery money to buy these drugs.

Elevated cholesterol and a bad ratio of HDL and LDL is an indicator of an insulin problem. High levels of insulin continuously stimulate production of cholesterol.

Once and for all, fat does not make fat. It does not raise cholesterol or triglycerides and fat consumption does not put on body fat. In fact, fat consumption takes off body fat inside and outside. And what’s shocking, you have to eat fat to lose fat. Good fats, not trans fats or refined oils. Good fats are coconut oil, olive oil, ghee and butter.

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Eskimos live on fat — an enormous amount — and they have almost no heart disease, diabetes or obesity. But their fat is omega-3 fat, not omega-6. Why does all the pretended research against fat fail to mention this?

A low fat diet makes you FAT.

Carbohydrates, processed sugars and chemical-laden processed foods are what stimulate body fat storage — and sales of cholesterol drugs. And the caution from government panels and their propagandists against cholesterol drove many people to consume foods high in sugar and carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates stimulate large quantities of insulin, which directly stimulates radical rises in cholesterol. Even though carbohydrates themselves are fat-free, excess carbohydrates end up as excess fat. So the insulin that’s stimulated by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat. It also tells it not to release any stored fat. And this makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only produce excess insulin that makes you fat, they make sure you stay fat. This is how lethal excess carbohydrates are.

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The medical people who are trying to force your cholesterol down to zero forgot to tell you that as your cholesterol level falls to a certain point, you jump from the frying pan of heart disease risk into the fire of death by all sorts of other diseases.

What kind of diseases? Cerebral hemorrhage, gall bladder disease and many types of cancer; falling cholesterol is a marker for several types of cancer. Cholesterol need not be lower than 180 mg/dl to 200 mg/dl range.

Look for a physician trained in Integrative / Functional medicine near you to give you a personalised Healthy Eating plan.

And Be Healthy!

The Friendly Neighborhood Gut Bacteria

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 We know that our gut contains, what are commonly referred to as “the friendly bacteria.” The actual number is over 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) bacteria. Counting the gut, the bacteria in cavities such as our sinuses, and then the large numbers on our skin, these microbes outnumber human cells by a factor of 10 to 1!

Even more striking is that the microbial genes of this “human microbiome” (as renamed by the National Institutes of Health in 2007) outnumber human genes by a factor of 100 to 1! Since all life is carried out by genetic information, this amazing statistic begs the question—are we more bacterial than we are human? Is this a symbiotic relationship?

Previously unsuspected functions of the human microbiome are being discovered. For instance, “neurological/brainbased” disorders such as depression or autism may very well have their true root origins in the gut! Science now knows that there are more nerve cells in the GI tract than in the human brain, making the gut a kind of “second brain.” These second brain neurons are closely linked to the first brain.

All nerve cells “talk” to one another through chemical messages called neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. The big discovery here is that the microorganisms in our gut also make these neurotransmitters! During times of stress, our gut bacteria may be talking to our “first brains” through the neurons located in lining of our GI tract. Anxiety may indeed be a “gut feeling” coming from our human microbiome.

 

These gut bacteria play a vital role in

Immunity and Auto-Immune Diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Celiac Disease, Type 1 Diabetes and many many others

Vitamin Synthesis and Hormone Regulation

General health and Weight management, including Obesity

 

Dysbiosis can cause

Allergies including Skin Ailments

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Type II Diabetes

Stomach, Liver, Gall Bladder, Colorectal cancers

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Abnormal gut bacteria in infants may be one cause of colic, or excessive crying, recent research suggests. In the study, colicky babies (who cry for more than three hours a day without a medical reason) had a distinct bacterial “signature”: They had higher numbers of bacteria from a group called Proteobacteria in their guts compared to babies without colic.
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and many many other conditions.

 

All disease begins in the Gut – Hippocrates

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The type, number and health of these invaluable bacteria is affected positively or adversely by

Diet and Nutritional Status. A diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods along with cultured or fermented foods is recommended, with supplementation as required. Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods, low in fermentable fibers or containing toxins like wheat and industrial seed oils that cause leaky gut need to be avoided.

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‘Pro’biotics – such as those in natural yoghurt and fermented foods can help counteract inflammation and control the growth of disease-causing bacteria, eliminate toxins, reduce risk of allergies, benefit mood and mental health and normalize weight. In fact, probiotics may be the new antidepressants.

Xenobiotics – chemicals which affect our hormones – can wreak havoc.

Environmental Toxins, including those in our Home Care and Personal Care products are equally responsible for illnesses.

‘Anti’biotics – are lethal to these good bacteria. Other pharmaceutical drugs also affect these bacteria to varying degrees. Other medications like birth control and NSAIDs are equally harmful.

Chronic Stress

Chronic Infections

Caesarean Birth – Inoculation of Maternal microbiota from the vaginal fluids does not occur. In fact, it it microbes from the skin of hospital staff which colonises the newborn, and exposes her to infections, allergies and serious health challenges.

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Contact an Integrative Medicine practitioner near you to learn how you can make your gut bacteria healthy again.

Who knew it could be so simple to Stay healthy!

 

 

 

 

Deep Frying. Should we? Which Oil to Use?

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Deep-fried foods – ooh, sooooo tempting!

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But we avoid deep frying for health considerations. However, deep frying at home certainly does not have to be unhealthy. It largely comes down to the type of oil you use, and how you use it.

When a food is submerged in oil at 350-375°F, its surface cooks almost instantly and forms a type of “seal” that the oil cannot penetrate. At the same time, the moisture inside the food turns into steam, cooking the food from the inside. The steam also helps to keep the oil out of the food. If the temperature is too low, the oil will seep into the food, making it greasy and sickening. If the temperature is too high, it can dry out the food and oxidize the oil.

This is also the reason why deep fried is paradoxically better than shallow fried, which typically happens at lower temperatures.

We want to select oils which are stable at high temperatures. The more saturated the fats in an oil are, the more stable they are when heated. Taste obviously matters as well. When deep frying, oils that have a “neutral” flavor are generally preferred.

The Winner: Coconut Oil is The Healthiest Oil For Deep Frying

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the best choice overall.

Studies have shown that even after 8 hours of continuous deep frying at 180°C, its quality does not deteriorate.

Over 90% of the fatty acids in coconut oil are saturated, which makes it very resistant to heat.

Saturated fats used to be considered unhealthy, but new studies show that they are a completely harmless source of energy.

Additionally, coconut oil has numerous health benefits. For example, it can help kill harmful bacteria and viruses, and may even help you lose belly fat.

There are several other good options to consider.

Olive Oil

One study found that olive oil can be used in a deep fryer for over 24 hours before it oxidizes excessively. In theory, this makes it a great choice for deep frying. However, the flavor and fragrance of olive oil may not hold up well when heated for a long time.

Palm Oil

Palm oil consists mostly of saturated and monounsaturated fats, making it a great choice for deep frying.

Ghee

Traditionally, ghee is used in India and the Middle east for deep frying, and is a healthy choice.

Fats and Oils That Should Not be Used For Deep Frying

There are several fats and oils that you should definitely not use.

This includes industrial vegetable oils.

Production of Vegetable Oil

These oils are extracted from seeds, and need to go through very harsh processing methods. They are high in polyunsaturated fats, with a terrible Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio, and up to 4% of the fatty acids in them are toxic trans fats. Not only should you avoid them for deep frying, but you should make an effort to avoid them altogether.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Soybean, Corn, Canola oil (rapeseed oil), Cottonseed, Safflower, Rice bran , Grape seed, Sunflower and Sesame oil.

Take Home Message

Ever since fat was demonized, deep frying has had a terrible reputation. It is true that with the wrong oils, such as harmful vegetable oils, deep-fried food is most definitely bad for you. But with the right oils, you can enjoy the occasional deep-fried treat (preferably home-made) without the guilt. For certain foods, it can take the flavor to a whole new level.

So we can Stay Healthy and still Enjoy!