Bigger Breakfast = Better Life

February 11, 2012 2 Comments

Eggless Eggs with Whole Grain Toast, Orange Wedges, and Fruit Juice

“Breaking the fast” in a big way is perhaps the best tactic in curbing daily cravings, controlling appetite, losing weight and maintaining weight loss, and staying happy, according to a new study out of Tel Aviv. Researchers found that a 600-calorie breakfast which even included something indulgent like chocolate cake (!!) compared to a low-carb 300-calorie breakfast, was significantly more successful at helping obese individuals lose weight over a 7-month period. Not only did the breakfast indulgers lose weight, but the bigger breakfast also helped them maintain their health focus and happiness because they weren’t depriving themselves of chocolatey love and great nutrients in general.

The study deets: A group of nearly 200 obese women and men were divided into 2 groups and  required to eat the same calories each day: 1400 for women, and 1600 for men. The only difference was that one group ate a low-carb, 300-calorie breakfast (aka the “Skimpy Breakfast Group”), and the other group (aka the “Big Breakfast Group”) ate a balanced 600-calorie breakfast which included cookies, cake, or chocolate. Both groups lost an average of 33 lbs per person for the first half of the study. However, for the second half of the study, the Skimpy Breakfast Group REGAINED 22 lbs per person on average, whereas the Big Breakfast Group lost an additional 15 lbs per person, making their total weight loss 40 lbs MORE per person than the Skimpy Breakfast Group at the end of the study.

The take-home message: Start Big, End Small and At Peace.

Sample 600-Calorie Balanced Breakfasts (including chocolate):

Tofu scramble
Whole grain toast with almond butter (1 piece)
Fresh fruit
Coffee with 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
2 pieces dark chocolate

OR

Large bowl oatmeal made with:
Old-fashioned rolled oats (or gluten-free rolled oats), apple, raw cashews, cinnamon, & non-dairy milk
Fresh Fruit
2 Tbsp dark chocolate covered raisins

OR

Shamrock Smoothie - 12 ounces (1.5 servings) with added Hemp Protein Powder
Large Bran Muffin with added chocolate chips

OR

Bran flakes with banana and unsweetened soymilk
Whole grain toast with peanut butter
Orange
Chai tea with vanilla almond milk

What are some other nutrient-infused power breakfasts you love?

Filed under Meal Planning, Research, Sweets, Weight Control

And Here It Is: Diet Soda Causes Heart Problems

February 2, 2012 4 Comments

Photo by: Rafakoy

Diet soda always seemed so good to be true, didn’t it? Sweet but no calories? A sugary, bubbly, and guilt-free green card? Well, a new study out of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center found that people who drank diet soda daily had a 43% increased chance of suffering a vascular event (heart attack, stroke, vascular death) than people who drank none, and that was after taking into account pre-existing vascular conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome. The researchers are unclear why diet soda had such harmful effects. Interestingly enough, however, researchers found that regular soft drink consumption and a more moderate intake of diet soft drinks did not appear to be linked to a higher risk of vascular events.

I’ve long discouraged diet sodas and artificial sweeteners because while they can technically help you meet your fluid needs, they leave your body wondering why it didn’t get any sugar out of the sweet-tasting beverage, causing you to eventually crave and scavenge for sugary treats. This makes you grumpy and crazy, and causes you to cycle through diet sodas, candy bars, guilt, more diet sodas, free-based sugar, and so on. Plus, many individuals feel more anxious after consuming artificial sweeteners and often have trouble falling asleep at night, regardless of caffeine consumption.

If you need to sweeten and a touch of real raw sugar or agave nectar won’t do it, stevia powder like Truvia (made from stevia leaves) has zero calories and is made from nature, not chemistry. Plus, it doesn’t have the unhealthy heart or  sugar-craving delirium side-effects. For beverages, however, straight up water jazzed with fresh fruit and cucumber wedges, or filtered water seltzered with the at-home Soda Stream, are always best.

Sorry to bear the bad news, diet soda lovers! But, the good news is that after 3 diet soda-free weeks, your taste buds will adjust and you’ll be clear out of the health risk woods. Plus, you’ll feel shockingly amazing. No more panicked vending machine runs!

Filed under Carbs, Detox, Energy, Research, Sweets

Vitamin D DanDy

January 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

Photo by: Barry Bridges

Are you feeling unexcited about your recent lottery win, or less energized about the energizing aspects of your life? If so, it may be time to load up on vitamin D. New stats show that 70% of Europeans have low Vitamin D levels, and I was reminded of this potential as I gazed out my window this morning at a snow-covered yard and a sun-deficient sky. Also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is produced when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight strike your skin. It’s found naturally in very few foods, added to some foods, and also available as a supplement.

SPF 8 and glass windows block vitamin D’s synthesis, darker skin produces less vitamin D with sunlight exposure, and cloud cover and shade reduce UV rays by about half, which is why it’s no surprise that many, many “I used to have energy” folks are coming up short this time of year. If you live at 42 degrees north latitude (I’m talking to you, northern Cali to Boston!), UV energy is insufficient from November through February. Once summer hits, it’s crucial to soak up a little bit of sun to refuel your tank.

How much do you need?
Just 5-30 minutes of summer sun from 10 AM – 3 PM twice a week to your face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen will do the trick. You make about 20,000 International Units (IU’s) with just 20 minutes of summer sun. If you go the supplement route—necessary in winter months—the recommended intake is 400-1000 IU’s per day. However, some doctors and researchers recommend 2,000-4,000 IU’s daily for people with normal levels, and 5,000-10,000 IU’s daily for people with below normal levels. Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol, a synthetic form of D) is less bioavailable than Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol, animal-derived, and the kind that the sun makes in your skin), which means you need more D2 than D3 to increase your blood levels of Vitamin D when sunshine isn’t around.

Why is D so essential?
Bones need it for calcium absorption, and it’s also critical for neuromuscular and immune function, reduction of inflammation, and may be helpful in preventing cancer of the breast, ovary, colon, and prostate, and improving mood, depression, and energy levels especially during winter-time months. Plus, vitamin D research is getting close to proving it’s key role in preventing and treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, heart disease, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and other medical conditions.

Anything else?
A brand spankin’ new study just found that adequate Vitamin D could reduce inflammation and aging of the eyes as it improves retina health. Plus, previous studies have found Vitamin D deficiency to be a complication with liver disease and linked with increased risk of asthma among African American kids. Adequate Vitamin D levels are crucial for cancer prevention and survival, and are even pointing to increased survival among elderly women. For more info on D facts and figures, check here.

Where to Get It in the Winter
Many foods are fortified with Vitamin D, and say so on the label: Super sources are non-dairy milks including Earth Balance Soymilk which contains more Vitamin D than other non-dairy milks (120 IU’s per cup compared to 100 IU’s per cup). Non-dairy milks are also fortified with Calcium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B12.

So where do you get your D? Time for a sunny vacation perhaps?

Filed under Asthma, Bones, Energy, Inflammation, Kicking Cancer, Research, Vitamin D

Mediterranean Diet Increases Lifespan

December 27, 2011 2 Comments

Mango Summer Salad from SKINNY DISH!

A friend of mine always joked that healthy eating doesn’t make you live longer, it just seems longer. Well, looks like I can finally prove him wrong! A conglomerate of four studies to be published by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg has shown that a diet rich in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains, and low in meats and dairy foods increases lifespan and lifetime health. Read the summary here. Just in time to set those veggie-heavy New Years Resolutions. And, I guess I can continue my healthy eating preachery in 2012!

Filed under Getting More Veggies, Heart Disease, Research, Weight Control, Whole Grains

That Crazy hCG Diet is Finally Proven Ineffective and Dangerous

December 13, 2011 1 Comment

Dinner on the hCG Diet, by Sifu Renka

The very low calorie diet recommended in conjunction with the pregnancy hormone hCG for supposed appetite suppression and weight loss is unproven and potentially dangerous as outlined by the Hormone Foundation–a public education affiliate of the Endocrine Society–in their new “Myth vs. Fact: The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Diet” fact sheet.

Included in the risks of taking injected hCG are long-term breast cancer risk for premenopausal women, blood clots in both men and women, ovarian cysts in women, reduced sperm count and infertility in men, and breast enlargement and tenderness in both men and women. In addition, very low calorie diets put individuals at risk for nutrient deficiencies that can’t be met by multivitamins, and cause gallstones and irregular heartbeat. Read the article about the fact sheet here.

Looks like we’re back to chowing delicious veggies, downing health-promoting water, and dancing Latin-style. Hurray!

Filed under Research, Weight Control

Protein, not Sugar, to Cure Afternoon Slump

November 22, 2011 3 Comments

Photo by: NutsInBulk

When you start dragging your heals around 3:00 in the afternoon and then literally drag your heals to the vending machine for a sugary energy boost, turns out the sweet Charleston Chew (do they make those anymore?) or the bag of jelly beans are some of the worst things you could get. The best? Planter’s Mixed Nuts, a protein-rich granola bar, or another similarly high-protein snack.

Researchers dedicated to understanding the afternoon slump and then beating it with food (slump quashers), just published their recent findings in the journal Neuron. Apparently the orexin cells in your brain–which stimulate wakefulness and tell your body to use up energy–are not only blocked by glucose (carbs/sugar), but the amino acids in protein actually block the blocking ability of the glucose. Block blockers! So, once your lunch has digested and a whole army of glucose is floating around your bloodstream, you’ll start to get sleeeeepy. But no you wont! Eat some protein sans sugar (unsweetened nuts, edamame beans, etc.) and quash that snoozy feeling. As an added bonus, grabbing protein rather than pretzels, fruit, or candy this time of day actually helps with weight control too. Read more about those details and your new friends the orexin cells here.

For avid Bitchin’ Dietitian followers, you may remember my VERY FIRST BLOG POST addressed this important topic, and it looks like I pretty much nailed it.

Filed under Energy, Research, Snacks

SALT: Helpful in Lowering Cholesterol & Triglycerides?

November 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

Photo by: Nana Odile

Don’t you just LOVE salt? Just a small amount accentuates flavors in foods and makes them SO MUCH MORE enjoyable. If you agree, you’ll be happy to hear that only 50% of people with high blood pressure are sensitive to salt and that reducing it’s consumption helps lower their blood pressure (not new info).

But today, it gets better! The American Journal of Hypertension published a monster meta-analysis (an analysis of many many studies on a certain topic) showing not only that reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure only negligibly (that’s fancy for ‘barely worth it’), but also lowering salt intake greatly INCREASES blood cholesterol levels (by 2.5%) and triglycerides (by 7%).

So, while OD’ing on processed garbage loaded with salt and deficient in true nutrition is still a not-so-good idea, there’s a chance that reintroducing the sea salt shaker to your greens and beans, and dipping your avocado rolls in soy sauce may actually help your blood lipids–even folks who have high blood pressure. Raise that shaker and lemme hear a “La Hiem!”

Filed under Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Research

Low-Junk, High-Veggie Childhood Diet = Better Adult Health

November 1, 2011 2 Comments

Child wisely chooses a plum over an albeit healthy homemade donut, while wearing a DISC-related shirt

Seems obvious, no? A child who eats lots of fruit, veggies, brown rice, quinoa, and lentils is likely to be a healthy adult, right? Yes, it’s obvious. But the coolest thing that has just come out of the DISC Study (Dietary Intervention Study in Children) is that a mere moderate increase in high-fiber foods and moderate decrease in high-fat and high-saturated fat foods during childhood and adolescence appears to have a significantly positive impact on how soon and how fast age-related health changes happen in adulthood.

So, the occasional salad bar-eating kid is likely to have better blood pressure and blood sugar control well into adulthood compared to the kid who goes for fries and chicken cosmos every day. While kids seem more resilient to fatty foods, their health destiny is being planned.

Small changes, big results. For ways to get veggies and other fibrous grub into your kids, check here.

Filed under Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Getting More Veggies, Kids, Research

Coffee Consumption Lowers Risk of Skin Cancer

October 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

5 AM Latte

A new study from Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study found that after examining the dietary habits of nearly 73,000 nurses from 1984 to 2008, women who consumed 3 or more cups of coffee per day had a 20% lower risk of developing Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer. Men had a 9% reduction in risk, and no connection was seen for either women or men for Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) or the rare but potentially fatal melanoma.

Coffee’s protective effect appears to be related to the caffeine, so decaffeinated coffee showed no protective effect. While BCC is rarely fatal, there may be consequences of treatment, including disfigurement. Plus, developing any kind of cancer increases the risk for developing other cancers–in this case, other skin cancers, lymphoma, and testicular cancer. Read more about the research here.

Need a delicious way to enjoy your morning joe? Try this heavenly 5 AM Latte!

Filed under Coffee, Kicking Cancer, Research

Meat and Dairy-Free Diet Reduces Risk of Chronic Diseases Considerably

September 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

Chili Cook-Off by Bitchin' Dietitian

Couldn’t have said it better myself. In a report issued to all military police in the UK, physicians explain how simply ditching dairy foods and meat could drastically reduce the most serious chronic diseases. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at the Cleveland Clinic explains that on plant-based diets, patients lose weight, blood pressure normalizes, and type 2 diabetes improves or resolves, as do angina, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral vascular and carotid disease.

“We are potentially on the cusp of what could be a seismic revolution in health. This will never come about from another pill, another procedure, another operation, or construction of another cardiac cathedral. It will come about when we are able to show the public the lifestyle that will halt and eliminate 75% of these common, chronic killing diseases. The most essential component of this lifestyle is whole food plant-based nutrition.” Read more and all about it here.

Start with a few veggie-only days per week and you’ll soon see… whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, veggie chili for lunch, and a bean and rice fajita burrito for dinner isn’t so hard or bad… in fact, it’s pretty divine.

Filed under Diabetes, Getting More Veggies, Healthy Eating is Easy, Heart Disease, Kicking Cancer, Research, Weight Control

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