HEALTHY FOOD AND NUTRITION FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS, HEALTH AND VITALITY! REACH YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT NOW!

HELPFUL TIPS FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS & REACHING YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT! (PART 3 OF 4)

My last two Weekly Blog posts emphasized the major health issues resulting from following a poor diet, using food for emotional purposes, and lacking proper physical exercise. Last week, we explored ways in which we can combat obesity and overweight through an intelligent and balanced physical exercise program.. Today, we will take a look at some minor changes we can introduce into our diet and our eating habits in order to move towards a healthier/ 'ideal*' weight and maintain it! (*as defined last week; one that allows your body and mind to function optimally so you may achieve your highest potential in life.)

By following a few simple tips and implementing minor changes in your nutritional intake, you will soon find yourself effortlessly moving toward your natural weight.

1. Don't skip breakfast, or any other meal for that matter. All scientific studies agree on the fact that skipping meals starves your system and lands itself to overeating later in the day, and most particularly at dinner time, which is the time when we should eat the least!  You need brain power and physical strength to function all day long and therefore you should eat a healthy and balanced breakfast and lunch. Skipping meals often sounds like an attractive option because it may help you lose some weight in the short term but it will run havoc in your body in the long run and even have you pack on some extra pounds once you break your diet and return to your regular meals as your body will have switched itself into automatic storage mode.

2. Avoid late eating. End the day with a small and easily digestible meal. Liquid foods (soups, fresh juices), fresh fruits and vegetables are a great option to satisfy your senses while leaving you feeling light and at ease. Ideally, try to eat at least 4 hours before going to bed. Also, If you can try, strive to take your last meal around 6pm. You can always have a light snack after if you need to. Keep in mind that once the sun goes down, we begin a new cycle where nature no longer supports the digestive process through solar energy. That's why it's never a good idea to eat heavy foods at night! One of the most recent findings on weight gain is that late dinning and snacking is responsible for most of it!

3. Eat small(er) meals. Our ancestors had PHYSICAL needs that required them to eat large meals. They worked hard in physically demanding occupations. Eating healthful portions provided them with the necessary energy to complete their tasks and replenish their bodies. Nowadays, most of the jobs we carry out are done sitting at a desk for hours at a time only using our brain power. Our dietary needs are therefore much different. Still, somehow we have failed to adapt to these new circumstances and our food intake has become completely disconnected from our physiological needs. Further, when eating is not completely dictated by social conventions, it is primarily performed for emotional reasons in an effort to try and fill the emptiness we feel inside and to avoid 'feeling' our real emotions rather than to fuel our bodies and brain. 

4. Reduce your food intake slowly. It is completely unrealistic to expect someone who is used to eating large portions of food to stop eating in this manner from one day to the next. The most effective method to switch to smaller meals is to slowly and progressively reduce your food intake. If you cut your food consumption by 5-10% a day, you will begin the process of gradually shrinking down your stomach to its original (healthy) size. This represents taking out about 1 teaspoon of food from each and every meal; which is very easily done. In this manner, you will have reduced your food intake by 35-70% within a week. This case scenario only applies if you are eating large portions. So it you eat in reasonable proportion, don't change anything. If you are unsure about what a large portion might look like, picture the 'normal' size of a stomach (not overstretched by over eating) which should be about the size of your fist. So, next time you prepare a meal, make sure that it can more or less fit in your fist; and if it doesn't, start cutting your food intake as described above until it does. This method works really well and feels very easy on both the body and the mind.

5. Don't eat till you're too full. Whenever possible, try and stop eating right before that last uncomfortable bite! The rule here is simple, 'if you feel uncomfortably full, you've eaten too much!' So, eat slowly and mindfully, enjoying every single bite until you are satisfied and appeased, not saturated. Yogic studies have demonstrated that for optimum functioning and nutrition the stomach should be filled with 1/3 of air, 1/3 of water, and 1/3 of food. Following that principle will keep your digestive system extremely healthy, let you enjoy boundless energy, and delay the aging process significantly.

6. Practice Conscious Eating as an extension of Conscious Living. So, be sure to savor every bite you take when eating. Remember that you are nourishing your body, not your mind. Food should not be used to fill a sense of emptiness we may carry within, or to bury problems and stress factors under 'layers'. Be present in your eating in the same way that you are in your daily life. By doing one thing at a time and making the connection between this presence of spirit in your action and the physical and mental well-being you experience as a result, you will gain a much deeper experience of your own life. 

7. Chew your food really well. Nutrition experts recommend chewing each bite of food up to 50 times (whenever possible) until the food becomes almost liquid and easily washes out of your mouth into your throat. The rationale for this is that using the enzymes present in your saliva optimally helps to break down and pre-digest the  food you eat. This in turn makes it easier for the rest of your digestive system to finish the vital absorption and elimination processes that follow. 

8. Stick to healthy snacks! If you feel the need to eat outside of mealtimes - which may happen from time to time, and will most likely happen when you first start curbing your appetite and reducing your food intake to shrink your stomach back to its normal size, consider eating a few smaller meals throughout the day or adding 1-2 healthy snacks in between meals. Good examples of healthy snacks include fruits such as apples, kiwis, or bananas - which are very filling yet not extremely calorific, vegetables such as raw carrots, broccoli, or celery, etc. If you need something more 'substantial' such as nuts, stick to a handful and favor fresh* nuts such as almonds. (*In order to rehydrate nuts and make them more easily digestible, simply let them sit in pure water for about 8 hours. Then rinse them and store them in a glass container in your fridge. Enjoy the delicious taste of fresh nuts for days without feeling full or packing up some extra pounds!) 

9. Consuming Superfoods such as delicious tasting blue green algae (E3Live) is yet another even healthier option if you get hungry in between meals. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, this kind of natural food is regarded as especially beneficial because of its superior nutrient profile and health-protecting qualities. E3Live also boosts your metabolism, removes waste material from your body and helps your body burn calories faster. Because it comes in liquid form, it is easily digested and absorbed by the body, thereby instantly delivering optimum nutrition to your cells. Again, remember that it is your cells you are feeding, not your mind!  

10. Other great choices of natural hunger suppressants in liquid form that are filled with health-giving properties include raw coconut water and green tea. Nothing is more refreshing, boosting and revitalizing in the hot summer months (iced green tea)! They also help with digestion and elimination.

11. Think of air, or more specifically oxygen, as food. Now that we've established that food is not necessarily what we think it to be, we can bridge the gap between what we call eating empty calories and feeding our body at the cellular level through nutritious foods too. Oxygenating your body forms an essential part of nourishment and to keeping healthy and having boundless energy. By practicing specific breathing techniques regularly, or simply applying conscious breathing throughout the day, we are able to bring the maximum amount of oxygen to our cells and optimize the removal of waste materials (such as carbon dioxide) within the body.

12. Eat according to your region, climate and season. After shifting from eating habits that primary revolved around emotional contentment to actual physical nourishment that involve smaller volume and conscious eating, it is a time to bring a new factor into consideration when selecting what items should be included in your diet or not. Nutritional needs vary according to our region, climate and the specific season we are in. In the summer time, you will have noticed that you feel less hungry and that you crave lighter and more 'watery' foods such as fresh fruits and summer veggies that keep you 'cool'. Conversely in the winter, you will find yourself drawn to heavier, heartier, and more filling foods that stick to your bones and provide you with the extra heat, energy and fat your body needs to maintain its normal temperature. Continually eating foods that don't match the needs created by your immediate external environment will bring your body and mind out of balance. For instance, If you live in a tropical climate and eat too many 'fatty' foods, you will soon pack on all the extra fat your body doesn't need and start feeling sluggish. Macrobiotic principles clearly expound on the reasons why it is important to mostly eat food that grows in your region. The outside environment produces what we need naturally and so it is important to eat the food that grows where we live so  that we can remain physically, and thereby also mentally, balanced. That's essentially what plants and foods that grow in nature around us do; they balance the external environment, restoring the balance between the Yin and the Yang in every living thing.

The list of nutritional tips for permanent weight management provided above is to be continued. So, tune in next week  for our weekly "Health & Wellness" blog post covering Part 2/2 of Food/ Lifestyle for Healthy Weight Management. We will provide you with all the necessary information on great foods to incorporate into your diet to balance both body and mind, keep healthy and attain your permanent weight loss objectives or simply achieve your 'ideal' weight. 

For more on how to effect permanent changes in your life or ways to achieve permanent weight loss and gravitate towards your ideal weight, consider our Holistic Cleansing Programs which cater to all dimensions of your being. Visit us at www.thesouthbeachdetox.com and www.letloverule.us.

TOP TIPS TO FIGHT COLDS AND FLUS NATURALLY AND EFFECTIVELY

Following yesterday's Top 10 Tips to keep colds and flus away this winter, here are a few easy tips to apply of you do get sick and wish to treat yourself holistically.

1. Continue consuming as many zinc-rich foods as possible. Refer to my blog from yesterday for more details. A natural Zinc spray is a great addition. Buy the one with echinacea and elderberry to both boost your immune system further and soothe your throat

2. Discontinue the use of ALL dairy products until all mucus - even simple sniffles, has disappeared. Even traditional doctors will tell you to cut out all dairy when sick!

3. Drink lots of water… The more you drink, the more you flush out impurities and germs

4. Drink lots of miso soup with lots of sea vegetables and mushrooms. Refer to my blog from yesterday for the best kinds to get.

5. Lots of greens and fruits are great too. Leafy greens are filled with vitamin C; so are coconut water, kiwis, and citrus fruits!

6. Drink freshly squeezed lemon juice or tea. This is also a great drink to have first thing in the morning to stimulate bowel movement and help the body get rid of bacteria and impurities stuck in the colon.

7. You can add a little honey to your lemon tea if it's too bitter for you or for your stomach. Honey is great for coating your throat and soothing it. It helps reduce coughing too.

8. If you don't like honey, licorice tea or licorice juice extract are great natural products to soothe your throat. 

9. If you suffer from high blood pressure, don't use licorice. instead, use slippery elm in little chewable tablet which will coat your throat instantly. You can buy them for less than $3 for about 30 tablets in any health food store and they have no added sugar.

10. Use raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to kill germs and break down the mucus. Drink at 3- 8 oz glasses of water with 1 teaspoon of ACV a day, before each meal. ACV is a widely recognized health tonic and has been used as a proven remedy for many common ailments, pains and aches for a very long time (Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine used it extensively to treat his patients.)

11. Remember to scrape your tongue a few times a day in order to remove the accumulation of bacteria there. See yesterday's blog for details.

12. Do 'Neti' to unclog or prevent the clogging of your nostrils. Removing bacteria and dried up mucus there will be extremely helpful. See yesterday's blog for details.

13. A great technique to help remove blockages in your nostrils is to set up a simple steam inhalation tent in your home. Using boiling water safely placed in a big salad bowl or in the original pot you used to boil it, stand or sit above the water (not too near so you don't burn your face) with a towel over your head so that you can keep the rising heat/ evaporating water in the little tent you have formed with your towel. In order to further enhance the effectiveness of steam inhalation, use aromatic herbs. Some traditional favorites are sage and eucalyptus, which can make the steam more soothing. These herbs are also antibacterial, and using aromatics in this manner can help reduce the chance of secondary bacterial infections that can follow viral respiratory conditions. You can add sage or eucalyptus to the boiling water by the whole leaf or as an essential oil - try a teaspoon of the oil, or a small handful of the leaves. Both are available at health food stores.

14. Gargle with sea salt - using about a teaspoon of natural sea salt per 8 oz of tepid water. You will find that after gargling, mucus and phlegm will naturally come up to the surface (throat) and you will feel the urge to spit it out.  Do it at least 3 times a day for about a minute at a time.

15, If your head fills like a 'big balloon' filled with water, use some cayenne pepper powder (preferably organic), either sprinkled in your food or as a 'tea'. The later is pretty harsh to take so adding it to a soup is probably a better option.

16. Act fast. If you pay attention to your body, you will notice that there are warning signals when you are about to get sick. First signs that you are getting sick include body aches and soreness, overall lethargy and the 'undeniable' itchiness at the back of your throat. If any of these signs are present, start following the tips outlined above and those from yesterday's blog.

17. And if you didn't act fast enough or if that just wasn't sufficient, use garlic and goldenseal root as natural antibiotics - a great alternative to chemical antibiotics usually prescribed that kill all the 'friendly' bacteria in our intestinal flora. 

18. Rest plenty, don't exercise - especially if you have fever, try to sweat out the toxins (saunas, hot baths, wrapping yourself in layers of clothes and blankets, etc.) eat less to redirect the energy normally used for digestion to healing and you will heal much faster!

19. Once you are better, consider detoxing your body and switching to a healthier diet so you may bring your body back to an alkaline state where it will remain free of dis-ease.

For more information on natural cures, remedies, healing, and detoxing, follow our daily blogs and visit us at www.thesouthbeachdetox.com

Food & Nutrition: 'Americans Say Their Diet Is Healthy, but Is It?'

Food & Nutrition: 'Americans Say Their Diet Is Healthy, but Is It?'

WebMD Health News

By Denise Mann

Reviewed By Laura J. Martin, MD

January 4, 2011

The belief we may have about being healthy eaters seem to be a rampant misconception amongst Americans as a recent WebMD survey revealed.  For more about the biased perception of eating healthy when many of the food we actually eat are not, read below.  For more on how to achieve a healthy and balanced diet, visit us at www.thesouthbeachdetox.com

Survey Suggests Eating Habits Don’t Match the Belief of Most Americans That Their Diet Is Healthy.

Jan. 4, 2011 -- Close to 90% of Americans say they eat a healthy diet, but their penchant for sugary foods and drinks suggests otherwise.

A new Consumer Reports Health telephone poll of 1,234 adults showed that 52.6% of respondents said their diet was “somewhat healthy,” 31.5% thought their diet was “very” healthy, and 5.6% said they were “extremely” healthy eaters.

But 43% of them said they drank at least one sugary soda or sugar-sweetened coffee or tea drink per day, and around one-quarter

said they limit the amount of sweets and fat they get each day.

'These not-so-healthy eating habits may sabotage their diets and their waistlines', says Nancy Metcalf, the senior program editor for Consumer Reports Health in Yonkers, N.Y.

“Drinking your calories is a really bad idea,” she says.”If you have to drink or eat something sweet, drink a diet soda or eat a piece of fruit,” she says.

The poll also showed that Americans rarely, if ever, count their calories, and just 13% weigh themselves daily. As a result, it’s no surprise that 33% were off when they self-reported that they had a healthy weight when they actually had BMIs in the overweight or obese range, the new poll showed.

There may be a discrepancy between what people think is a healthy diet and what they actually eat, Metcalf says.

Her advice? “Write down everything you eat for a week, and look at it honestly and ask yourself, ‘Is this a healthy diet?’”

Still, Americans did exhibit some healthy eating habits.

Fully 78% said they ate breakfast daily. “Eating breakfast is associated with better weight control because your hunger never gets in front of you,” Metcalf says. Most people choose fruit, fruit juice, or cold cereal for breakfast, the new poll showed. Cheerios was the favorite breakfast cereal.

Most and Least Favorite Vegetables

As far as veggies go, one-third of participants said they eat five or more savings of fruit and vegetables every day. 

The most popular vegetables were:

lettuce or salad greens

tomatoes

carrots

potatoes (not sweet potatoes)

broccoli

corn

peppers

By contrast, the least popular vegetables were:

parsnips

Swiss chard

bok choy

turnips and rutabagas

artichokes

eggplant

okra

SOURCES:

Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor, Consumer Reports Health, Yonkers,NY

Consumer Reports Health diet poll.

Food & Nutrition: 'Stevia FAQ: Questions and answers about stevia sweeteners.'

Food & Nutrition: 'Stevia FAQ: Questions and answers about stevia sweeteners.'

WebMD Feature

By Stephanie Watson

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

September 17, 2010

Nothing can replace the natural sugar you get from natural, unprocessed fruits.  If you really need to add sugar to your food until your taste buds become more attuned to the delicious, health-giving natural sugars, you may want to turn to natural sugar derived from plants such as Stevia.  Just make sure they are not heavily processed along the way or else you'll be losing the benefits of choosing a natural alternative for sugar.  For more on the various choices of sugar substitute and how they compare, read below.

What is stevia?

Stevia rebaudiana is a shrub native to South America. Its leaves have been used there for centuries to sweeten beverages. It is also an approved food additive in other countries, including Japan, Brazil, and China.

In the U.S., stevia products were long sold as dietary supplements -- but not as a food additives or ingredients -- because of safety concerns. In 2008, the FDA stated that the use of a refined stevia preparation called Rebiana is "generally recognized as safe," and can be used as a food ingredient. Products include, Good & Sweet, PureVia, Reb A, SweetLeaf Stevia

Sweetener, Sun Crystals (which combines stevia and sugar), and Truvia.

Fresh stevia leaves can be found at many farmers markets. The FDA now also allows certain refined stevia preparations to be used in food and drinks.

What does it taste like?

Stevia-based sweeteners have zero calories, yet are as much as 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). Some products may have a bitter taste.

Are stevia sweeteners artificial?

"I think that the FDA didn’t require good-enough testing," Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), says in an email to WebMD. "That said, [Rebiana] is probably safe.”

In April 2010, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that studies showed no risk of toxicity from highly purified stevia sweeteners. The CSPI still argues that more testing of these products is warranted.

Can stevia sweeteners be used in baking?

Yes, they can. Many product web sites have conversion charts to help.

How does stevia compare with other sugar substitutes?

Here is an overview of various sugar substitutes, including stevia.

Aspartame

What is it: Two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine; and methanol. Brand names are Equal and NutraSweet.

How it's used: Equal tabletop sweetener, diet soft drinks such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, some sugar-free desserts,including gelatin desserts, yogurt, and puddings.

Advantages: Tastes similar to sugar. Enhances sweet flavors, especially fruit flavors.

Drawbacks: Should not be consumed by people with phenylketonuria (PKU). Controversy continues about whether aspartame is linked to increased cancer rates. Government agencies say it is safe. A recent study from an Italian cancer institute found more lymphomas and leukemia in rats fed very large amounts of aspartame. The CSPI recommends avoiding it.

Saccharin

What is it: Benzoic sulfinide.

How it's used: Sweet'N Low tabletop sweetener, Tab diet cola, salad dressings, baked goods, canned fruit.

Advantages: Less expensive than other artificial sweeteners. Stable at high temperatures, so can be used for baking. Passes through the body unaltered.

Drawbacks: After studies in the early 1970s linked saccharin consumption to bladder cancer in rats, all food containing saccharin was required to carry a warning label. But studies in humans showed no consistent evidence that saccharin causes bladder cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. The warning label is no longer required. The CSPI advises avoiding saccharin because of studies that link it to cancer in rodents.

Acesulfame-K, or Ace-K

What is it: Acetoacetic acid and the mineral potassium.

How it's used: Usually in gums, confections, cough drops, and carbonated and alcoholic beverages, often in combination with another sweetener. Also sold as Sunett or Sweet One.

Advantages: Extends shelf life of diet drinks. Can be used for cooking and baking. Not metabolized or absorbed by the body.

Drawbacks: Government health agencies say it is safe. The CSPI advises avoiding it and has asked the FDA to require more tests. Can taste bitter on its own; better tasting when blended with other sweeteners.

Sucralose

What is it: A sugar molecule chemically altered by replacing three hydroxyl groups with three atoms of chlorine.

How it's used: Splenda tabletop sweetener and baking products. Also in yogurt, fruit juices, ice cream, dairy products, some diet beverages, and flavored waters, sometimes combined with Ace-K.

Advantages: Consumer groups have not raised the safety concerns with sucralose that they have with other sweeteners. Can be used in baked goods more readily than other artificial sweeteners. No effect on blood sugar levels.

Drawbacks: Although better suited for baking than other artificial sweeteners, it's still not a perfect substitute for sugar.

Neotame

What is it: A derivative of a combination of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine.

How it's used: Sweetener and flavor enhancer for other ingredients, such as mint. In some store-brand juices and gums.

Advantages: More stable than aspartame, meaning a better fit for baked goods. Although it shares some ingredients with aspartame, neotame has not prompted the same safety concerns with consumer groups. It does not carry a warning label for people with PKU.

Drawbacks: Rarely used.

Stevia

What is it: Extract from the stevia plant.

How it's used: Dietary supplement and tabletop sweetener.

Advantages: Less is more. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar, so less is needed. It is an option for people with diabetes as it does not affect blood sugar levels.

Drawbacks: Some extracts have a bitter taste. It is billed as "natural," but technically is processed.

SOURCES:

FDA.

News release, European Food Safety Authority.

Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, executive director, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, national spokeswoman, American Dietetic

Association, nutritionist, Massapequa, N.Y.

'

The benefits of Fitness & Physical Exercise: 'Fit and Healthy Men: Wellness Tips From the Pros'

The benefits of Fitness & Physical Exercise: 'Fit and Healthy Men: Wellness Tips From the Pros'
WebMD Feature
By Stephanie Watson
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
December 17, 2010

The secret to building strong and healthy muscles lies in eating a healthy and balanced diet. While as a vegan, I would not recommend the use of animal protein and would sooner replace it with a healthy vegetarian alternative such as soybeans, beans, almonds and large doses of the 'fountain of youth and strength' E3Live, I support switching to lean protein sources and command the balanced plan NFL athletes follow. I'd most definitely stay away from all protein shakes and powder, simply because the level of concentration is so high that it creates huge residues and waste material that are then stored in unduly places.So if it's high doses of healthy protein you are in need of, be sure to click on the E3link above this article so you may find out more about it.  For more about the NFL diet of choice and its health and fitness benefits, be sure to read the article below.

Eat to Lose Weight and Build Muscle: How the NFL Does It

NFL players work out hard, both on the field and in the gym. But for them, training is only part of the equation. They also need to eat right. "If you're only doing one, you might not get the body you want, and you might increase your risk of injury," says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and team sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Diet is very important to me as a player," Cincinnati Bengals safety Chris Crocker wrote in an email. "High protein is my main focus, while incorporating a higher level of carbs the night before the game."
Contrary to popular belief, eating everything in sight isn't a plus in the NFL. Having an unhealthy body weight will only slow you down and make you more sluggish and susceptible to injury, says Barry Rubin, head strength and conditioning coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. "You can't outrun your calories," he says. "If you start doing that, you're going to get hurt. You're going to over-train."
If you want to get in shape like an NFL pro, you need to eat like an NFL pro, and that means getting enough protein and the right balance of nutrients in your diet.

Go Pro…tein
There's a reason pro athletes won't go anywhere without their protein. It's an essential ingredient in every cell of the body, including the muscles.
During a workout, your body goes into a catabolic state, where it's breaking down muscle.
Once you're done lifting, you want to put it back into an anabolic state, where it's building muscle again. "It's so important post-workout to get something in your body to start that anabolic phase," says Rob Livingstone, MS, CSCS, SCCC, a strength and conditioning professional in Norcross, Ga., who has trained many pro athletes.
Bonci says 'the goal with eating protein is to optimize performance and build lean muscle mass. Ideally you want to get in a serving of protein both before and after a workout', she says.
When you eat your protein, don't take it solo. "You've got to have some carbohydrates," Livingstone says. "There's got to be some sugar in that protein to increase the absorption."
Carbs not only help your body grow muscle, but they also provide you with
fuel for your workout.

Lean, Not Bulk
During the season, former Tennessee Titan defensive tackle Torrie Griffin was burning so many calories on the field that he had to down upwards of 8,000 calories daily just to maintain his 290-pound playing weight. "That is, I would say, a standard portion for some of the guys," he says. "I was one of those who had to work to keep the weight on."
Griffin, who is now a certified personal trainer and owner of TTrain Fitness Bootcamp in Atlanta, doesn't recommend the kind of diet he and his teammates ate to stay big. For breakfast, they'd down supersized restaurant portions of waffles, eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. At dinner, they'd pack in two burgers, mac and cheese, and fries. "In general for
the linemen, it was three very large meals," Griffin recalls. "I didn't really think about how much of the bad stuff or fat and calories were in the food when we ate out."
The only guys who need to be as huge as defensive linemen are defensive linemen. If you work a desk job and eat like a lineman, the only thing that's going to grow is your belly. Guys who work out but eat nothing but junk food will gain fat on top of their muscle and bulk up. "When you're talking about lean muscle mass, you've got to have a clean diet ... a balanced diet of protein and carbohydrates [with a] low level of fat, and lots of fruits and vegetables," Livingstone says.
For that, you're better off taking nutrition tips from the NFL players who keep their dietslighter, and cleaner.
Crocker only gets 3,000 to 3,500 calories on days when he trains. "As a free safety it is best for me to be lighter on my feet so I am able to get to the ball and get to the plays a lot quicker." He says he can cover the field faster when he's a pound or two lighter.
If you're working out three days a week, you can eat about 15 calories per pound of body weight, according to Bonci. Men who work out five days a week can up their calorie count to 20 per pound. That doesn't mean everyone gets a free pass to eat more than 3,000 calories a day, though. "The range of calories you require on a daily basis varies greatly, and is dependent upon your weight, your activity level, your age, and your muscle mass,"
Bonci says. "So one size does NOT fit all when it comes to determining your calorie cap!"

Your NFL Plate
For most NFL players, eating is a no-brainer. They've got nutritionists on staff, and during the season they eat three meals a day in the team's cafeteria. If you're not a pro, you need to do the meal planning yourself, but you can incorporate elements from the NFL diet.
There's really no big secret to eating like an NFL pro. It's all about balance.
Your plate should look like this:
One-third lean protein
One-third fruits and vegetables
One-third healthy carbs (whole-grain rice, pasta, or bread)
Crocker starts his day with a breakfast of turkey sausage and egg whites with tomatoes and spinach. Lunch is usually a grilled chicken sandwich with a mixed green salad, or sliced ham on wheat with applesauce. And dinner is lean protein -- chicken, pork, or beef -- with brown rice, steamed green beans, and a mixed green salad. If he's hungry between meals, he snacks on cereal bars or fresh fruit.
The bulk of your nutrition should come from what's on your plate, but if you're not getting enough vitamins and minerals from food alone, it's OK to take a daily supplement, Bonci says. Nutritional supplements can help you make up for what you're missing in your diet, but they shouldn't replace it.
"It's very important that the supplement remain a supplement," Livingstone says. "If supplements start to take over the diet, they're not doing their job." Supplements can't provide the same quality of vitamins and nutrients as whole foods like chicken, fruits, and vegetables.
Also, be wary of the specialized supplements marketed to athletes, because they're not always safe. Some supplements that are used to increase athletic performance have been linked to side effects like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and nausea.

Food & Nutrition: 'Obesity Linked to Lower Vitamin D Levels'

Food & Nutrition: 'Obesity Linked to Lower Vitamin D Levels'

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

December 17, 2010

While artificially supplementing vitamin D has not proven to be beneficial for overweight people looking to increase the level of vitamin D in their blood, excessive synthetic supplementation has been shown to have negative effects.  Therefore, the overweight population should seek other ways to remedy their vitamin D deficiency including of course losing weight.  The proven health benefits of vitamin D are many and we should all seek to keep adequate levels of this important vitamin which plays a role in calcium absorption and helps prevent bone-related diseases.  For more, read below.

Researchers Suggest Obese People May Need More Vitamin D in Their Diet

Dec. 17, 2010 -- 'New research adds to the evidence linking obesity with lower levels of vitamin D, and the finding could help explain why carrying extra pounds raises the risk for a wide range of diseases', researchers say.

The study suggests that people who are obese may be less able to convert vitamin D into its hormonally active form.

Researchers measured levels of vitamin D and its hormonally active form 1,25(OH)2D in almost 1,800 people being treated at a weight loss clinic in Norway.

Most of the people were overweight and 11% were considered morbidly obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher.

'The more the study participants weighed, the lower their vitamin D levels tended to be', study researcher Zoya Lagunova, MD, of the Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Center in Oslo, Norway, tells WebMD.

She says it makes sense that obesity is associated with lower vitamin D levels since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.

The study appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

“Much of the vitamin D produced in the skin or ingested is distributed in fat tissue,” she says. “So obese people may take inas much vitamin D from the sun, food, or supplements as people who are not obese, but their [blood] levels will tend to be lower.”

Amazing Vitamin D, Nutrition's Newest Star

'Vitamin D and Obesity'

Along with calcium, vitamin D has long been recognized as important for bone health. But in recent years studies have suggested that the vitamin plays a part in a host of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

'Perhaps not coincidentally, obesity is a known risk factor for many of these diseases', Lagunova says.

The researchers concluded that 1,25(OH)2D levels might be a better measure of vitamin D in obese people than circulating levels of the vitamin.

But Clifford J. Rosen, MD, of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, is unconvinced.

Rosen tells WebMD that 1,25(OH)2D is more difficult and costly to measure and is not a very good indicator of vitamin D

status.

He adds that 'while people who are obese do tend to have lower vitamin D levels, the clinical relevance of this is unclear'.

Lagunova and colleagues conclude that people who are obese may need more vitamin D in their diets or greater exposure to the sun than thinner people.

“Obese people may need more vitamin D to end up with the same levels as a person whose weight is normal,” Lagunova says.

Vitamin D: Too Much of a Good Thing?

'But it is far from clear if taking large doses of vitamin D in supplement form is beneficial or even safe, regardless of a person’s body weight', says Rosen.

An osteoporosis researcher, Rosen served on an expert panel that reviewed the vitamin D research and concluded that most people get enough of the vitamin without taking supplements.

The panel, convened by the independent health policy advisory group Institute of Medicine (IOM), published its findings late last month.

The IOM committee found the evidence suggesting a role for vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of non-bone related diseases to be inconclusive. It also warned that intake of vitamin D over 4,000 IU (international units) per day increases the risk for harm to the body.

Rosen says 'there was no suggestion that obese people needed extra vitamin D to maintain adequate levels'.

Rutgers University professor of nutritional sciences Sue A. Shapses, PhD, also served on the IOM panel. She calls the research suggesting a protective role for vitamin D against non-bone-related disease “compelling” but far from conclusive.

“We know that vitamin D deficiency is not good, but most people are not deficient,” she says. “And there are just too many unanswered questions to recommend that people take high doses of vitamin D in supplement form.”

SOURCES:

Lagunova, Z. Journal of Nutrition, online edition, December 2010.

Zoya Lagunova, MD, department of radiation biology, Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical

Center, Oslo, Norway.

Clifford J. Rosen, MD, senior scientist, Maine Medical Center Research.

Sue A. Shapses, PhD, professor, department of nutritional sciences, Rutgers University.

Food & Nutrition: The Benefits of Fiber for Weight-Loss, a Healthy Heart and Energy Levels

Food & Nutrition: 'Dietary Fiber and Weight-loss: The Benefits of Fiber for Your Heart, Weight, and Energy"

WebMD Feature by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

December 31, 2010

Following a higher-fiber diet will not only be extremely healthful and sensorily satisfying for you but it will also help you shed or keep away the extra pounds a more processed diet may have put on you.  For more on the health and overall benefits of a high-fiber diet, read the WebMD feature below. 

High-fiber Diets and Weight Loss

If you’re overweight and want some help losing weight, start eating foods high in fiber. Dietary fiber is not a magic weight loss weapon, but it has the power to help fill you up without filling you out.

Here’s why: One of the most effective ways to lose those extra pounds is to control hunger, the dieter’s Achilles heel. Hunger is affected by many things, including when you eat, and the composition of your meals -- the amount of fats, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and water content.

Eating healthy high-fiber foods makes you feel full, so you can resist eating more food than you need. Fibrous foods also can take longer to chew, giving your brain time to get the signal that you have had enough to eat.

Read on to learn about losing weight by eating a high-fiber diet.

How Dietary Fiber Helps Weight Loss

'Studies show that most people eat about the same weight of food each day', says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. If you choose high-fiber, water-rich foods -- such as broth-based vegetable soups, salads, fruits, and vegetables -- instead of foods without fiber and water, you can eat the same weight of food but feel full on fewer calories.

A 2009 study in the journal Appetite compared the satiety or fullness factor of apples, applesauce, and apple juice with added fiber before lunch. People who ate an apple before lunch ate 15% fewer calories than those who ate the applesauce or drank apple juice. This suggests that the fiber in the whole apple was more filling even when compared to the juice that had added fiber.

Beyond the fiber content, crunching and chewing a whole piece of fruit stimulates your senses and takes longer to eat. So psychologically, it may also be more satisfying than beverages or soft foods. Chewing also promotes saliva and the production of stomach juices that help fill the stomach.

Fiber at Breakfast Is a Healthy Weight Loss Habit

In its tracking of the eating habits of successful dieters -- those big losers who have kept weight off for years -- the National Weight Control Registry has found that most eat breakfast regularly. And cereal is one of their morning rituals. 'In general, eating cereal -- especially high-fiber cereals -- is beneficial for weight loss', says fiber expert Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, a professor at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul and member of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. “Studies that look at what people eat show those who eat more carbs, more fiber, and cereal in general weigh less than those who eat less fiber, carbs, and cereal.”

How Much Dietary Fiber Do You Need?

Most women should get at least 25 grams and most men 38 grams each day to gain all the health benefits of fiber, according to the Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference Intake. The problem is that most Americans get only about half that when not on a diet and even less when dieting, especially on low-carb diets. Tufts University researcher and professor of nutrition Susan Roberts, PhD, has shown that people who eat 35 to 45 grams of fiber a day are less hungry when losing weight and lose more weight than people who eat less fiber. (But beware of consuming fiber as a bulk laxative; it can sap your body of needed nutrients and vitamins.) “There is no downside to eating a diet rich in fiber,” Slavin says. “And the potential health gains are significant.”

Does Type of Fiber Affect Weight Loss?

Fibers come in a variety of forms: 

Fiber is either soluble or insoluble: Soluble dissolves in water, insoluble does not. Both of these types are fiber are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts.

“Dietary” fiber refers to the fiber found naturally in the foods that we eat.

“Functional” fibers such as inulin are added to packaged foods to boost their fiber content. These fibers are isolated or extracted from a plant or animal source, or they are manufactured.

Although all fiber is healthy, research indicates that fiber from whole foods may aid weight loss the most – likely because those high-fiber foods are also low in calories. “As a registered dietitian, I always say ‘food first,’” Slavin tells WebMD. “No one fiber is perfect, so eating a wide variety of fibers is the perfect solution to gain all the health benefits of fiber,” Slavin says. “Not only will you trim your waistline with a high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, but also reduce the risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, diverticulitis, and constipation."

Add Fiber Calories Wisely and Slowly

Slowly adding more fiber to your diet can avoid bloating and gas by giving your body time to adapt. It is also important to drink plenty of liquids while increasing fiber. Try these tips for adding more low-calorie foods to your meal plan to boost fiber while keeping calories in check:

• Eat whole fruits instead of fruit juice.
• Snack on veggies.
• Make vegetables a main course.
• Add a filling vegetable salad instead of a starchy salad as a side dish with meals.
• Enjoy a bowl of vegetable-based broth soup before meals.
• Start the day with a high-fiber cereal topped with fruit and low-fat dairy.
• Eat more beans.
• Make all your grains whole and limit them to a few servings each day.
• Add nuts and seeds to your weight loss plan, but keep the portions small because they are high in fiber and calories.

Experts are quick to point out that fiber alone won’t peel off the pounds. You still need to eat a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and get regular physical activity. But controlling or maintaining your weight is easier with a diet rich in fiber.