Nutrition Frenzy

Scientists hope findings lead to pill that helps shed pounds, control diabetes

Fight fat with fat? The newest obesity theory suggests we may one day be able to do just that.

Just like good and bad cholesterol, there apparently are good and bad types of body fat. Scientists until recently believed this good fat, which spurs the body to burn calories to generate body heat, played an important role in keeping infants warm but by adulthood was mostly gone or inactive.

Now three studies — from researchers in Boston, Finland and the Netherlands — show that some good fat remains in adults, affecting metabolism and potentially offering a target to help people shed pounds.

Brown is good

The good fat is actually brownish, while the more predominant bad fat is white or yellow. Brown fat is stored mostly around the neck and under the collarbone. White fat tends to concentrate around the waistline, where it stores excess energy and releases chemicals that control metabolism and the use of insulin.

All three research groups documented the presence and activity of the brown fat by examining tissue samples from some patients and using high-tech imaging that indicated how much sugar, and therefore calories, the fat burned.

One group from Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School and three hospitals in Boston looked at scans done on nearly 2,000 patients to diagnose various health problems. The other two groups scanned small numbers of patients, first at room temperature and then after a couple hours in mild cold, about 60 degrees.

Here’s what the scientists learned about brown fat:

Lean people had far more than overweight and obese people, especially among older folks.
It burns far more calories and generates more body heat when people are in a cooler environment.
Women were more likely to have it than men, and their deposits were larger and more active.

A good way to avoid weight gain as you age? Eat.

Research shows that people who eat meals regularly throughout the day tend to have smaller waists than people who sometimes skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Get Regular
Regular eaters not only weigh less and have smaller waists but also are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome or experience insulin resistance — conditions that can pave the way for heart disease and diabetes.

Plan for More
An even better plan? Eat many small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. This helps keep your appetite from getting out of control, so you eat less overall throughout the day.

Anti-Meal-Skipper Recipe
Are you typically too time-pressed to eat breakfast? Make these simple, scrumptious muffins this weekend so you’ll have an easy grab-and-go option during the week:

Apricot-Wheat Germ MuffinsNutty toasted wheat germ and tangy dried apricots give these muffins a homey, satisfying flavor. Plumping dried fruit before adding it to the batter keeps the muffins moist.

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice, divided
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk, (see Tip)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Combine apricots and 1/4 cup orange juice in a small bowl. Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. (Alternatively, bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat.) Set aside to plump.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, oil, orange zest, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup orange juice. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Add apricots and mix just until blended. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon wheat germ.
5. Bake the muffins until lightly browned and the tops spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.

Nutrition Information
Per muffin
Calories: 242
Carbohydrates: 38g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
Cholesterol: 36mg
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Potassium: 138mg
Sodium: 184mg

Caffeine eases aftereffects of athletic exertion, new study suggests

Let’s hear it for Coffee!!! HOORAH!!!

That cup of coffee that many gym rats, bikers and runners swill before a workout does more than energize them. It kills some of the pain of athletic exertion, a new study suggests. And it works regardless of whether a person already had a coffee habit or not.

Caffeine works on a system in the brain and spinal cord (the adenosine neuromodulatory system) that is heavily involved in pain processing, says University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Robert Motl. And since caffeine blocks adenosine, the biochemical that plays an important role in energy transfer and thus exercise, he speculated that it could reduce pain.

So the researcher, a former competitive cyclist, divided 25 fit, college-aged males into two distinct groups: subjects whose everyday caffeine consumption was extremely low to non-existent, and those with an average caffeine intake of about 400 milligrams a day, the equivalent of three to four cups of coffee.

Unexpected results
After completing an initial exercise test in the lab on a stationary bike to determine maximal oxygen consumption or aerobic power, subjects returned for two monitored high-intensity, 30-minute exercise sessions.

An hour prior to each session, cyclists — who had been instructed not to consume caffeine during the prior 24-hour period — were given a pill. On one occasion, it contained a dose of caffeine measuring 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (equivalent to two to three cups of coffee); the other time, they received a placebo.

During both exercise periods, subjects’ perceptions of quadriceps muscle pain was recorded at regular intervals, along with data on oxygen consumption, heart rate and work rate.

Five easy ways to helpyour metabolism speed up.

Exercise more. When you walk, run, or lift weights, you increase the energy required of your body, which raises your metabolism then, and for hours afterward.

Work out with weights. During weight training, muscle tissue is stressed; afterward, it’s repaired — which raises metabolism.

Practice portion control. This helps ensure you don’t overload your metabolism with a surplus of unusable energy (that is, food).

Use a food scale or measuring cups to identify proper portions. Or use your hand as a guide. A fist equals a serving of fruit, a cupped hand equals a serving of cereal or grains, two cupped handfuls equal a serving of leafy green vegetables and an open palm equals a serving of meat.

Eat smaller meals more often. Some experts recommend eating smaller meals throughout the day, known as grazing. “Grazing helps normalize blood sugar levels rather than producing three large spikes, which is what happens eating three meals a day,” says Nick Flynn, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.

Determine the amount of calories you need at Mypyramid.gov. Then keep that number in mind as you transition from eating three ordinary-sized meals to five smaller ones.

Laugh it off. When researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, put people into a “metabolic chamber” (a small room that measures heat output in order to calculate a person’s metabolic rate) and showed them funny videos, the subjects’ metabolic rates rose by 10 to 40 calories. It’s a small increase, but every calorie counts for those seeking weight loss, says lead researcher Maciej Buchowksi, PhD.

iReporter Jason Dinant on a quest for six-pack abs has sweet tooth binge; Men’s Health model and fitness expert said falling off wagon is OK if temporary; Dinant reports that so far, his abs are looking more like a four-pack He eats 16 egg whites, 1¼ pounds of meat, 4 cups of veggies, potatoes, rice a day.

Midway through Jason Dinant’s fitness journey to get six-pack abs by June, the 27-year-old had a breakdown.

After months of eschewing junk food in favor of lean protein — egg whites, chicken breast and vegetables — he devoured pie. The slice came from Marie Callender’s, drizzled with caramel, loaded with candied apples and layered with cream cheese.

Yes, it was delicious, Dinant said.

Then he got home and had a Tootsie Roll. Then, he ate a Klondike ice cream bar.

The breakdown came late February after months of following a lean diet. It also came with consequences.

“When I woke up the next day, I had a horrible stomach ache,” Dinant said. “My trainer said once you’re on the diet, you can try to go back and have a day where you binge on bad food and it’s going to give you a stomach ache.”

Since January, CNNhealth has been following the progress of three iReport contributors as they strive to meet their New Year’s diet and fitness goals.

One of them is Dinant, a Las Vegas, Nevada resident, who wanted to get a six-pack by summer in time for his 10-year high school reunion. He also wants to show off a chiseled stomach on his blog called “Naked Boy News,” where he stands shirtless to give “the naked truth about today’s news.”

The junk food breakdown came after almost two months of staying on a lean diet. The self-described “candyaholic” often craved his favorite treats like York Peppermint patties, macaroons, Mounds bars and Coca Cola.

Some experts say moderate exercise can have a beneficial effect on cold symptoms; If your symptoms are all located above your neck it’s usually safe to work out; Even if you pass the “neck rule,” you should take it easy and stay hydrated; To avoid catching germs at the gym, don’t touch your face after handling equipment

Are you sniffling, sneezing and coughing? If you’re like most people, you probably don’t relish the thought of lacing up your sneakers and hitting the road (or the gym) when you have a cold or flu. But those who persevere when they’re sick and don’t break their exercise routine may be on to something. Some experts argue that moderate exercise can actually have a beneficial effect on cold symptoms, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Exercisers in general tend to catch fewer colds than their sedentary counterparts, research suggests. If done regularly, moderate exercise can halve the number of days you spend with cold symptoms, according to a series of studies conducted in the 1990s. While working out may help fend off viruses, even the most dedicated gym goer will come down with a cold at some point.

Not everyone who feels under the weather should exercise, however.

Experts like to cite a rule of thumb known as the “neck rule.” If your symptoms are all located above your neck (stuffy nose, scratchy throat, headache), you almost certainly have a head cold and can hit the road or treadmill safely. If, on the other hand, you have a fever, congestion in your chest and lungs, or feel achy, it is probably a sign of flu, bronchitis, or another more serious ailment, and you should rest up. (Exercising with a fever will make you more vulnerable to dehydration, among other ill effects.)

Great Q&A from Diet and Fitness Expert Dr. Melina Jampolis, Physician Nutrition Specialist:

My 10-year-old daughter struggles with her weight. We have been told by our family doctor that she is “off the charts” on weight. She is currently 4 feet 6 and weighs 105 pounds. We walk 2-3 miles several times per week; I also try and provide healthy meals, etc. We have had her thyroid checked; her blood-work all came back normal. I am curious on how many calories she should have daily to try and guide us on how much she should be eating. Any useful tips would be greatly appreciated.

Expert answer:
Hi Julie — With almost one in three children today overweight or obese, you are not alone in your struggle and in your concern for your daughter. Childhood obesity is an important predictor of adult obesity and has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and psychosocial issues. While I strongly believe that public policy changes are critical to combat this growing epidemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics has released an extensive set of guidelines that may help you.

Your goal for your daughter at this age should be geared more towards weight maintenance rather than weight loss, allowing her to grow into her weight as she ages and her height increases. If she does lose weight, the AAP suggests that weight loss for children aged 2-11 be no more than 1 pound per month and older children should lose no more than 2 pounds per week. It is critical that adopting a healthy lifestyle become a family affair, as it appears you are doing by promoting regular walking and healthy meals. Avoid overly restrictive behavior or making your daughter feel punished or deprived from the things that the rest of the family enjoys. Here are a few more tips from the AAP guidelines along with a few of my suggestions for implementation.
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Great general recommendations from THE USDA’s MyPyramid.gov. Discuss with your health care provider first before starting any change in diet or exercise.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended.
To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage calories and increase physical activity.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Engage in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight.
To reduce the risk of chronic disease in adulthood: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, at work or home on most days of the week.
For most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or longer duration.
To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements.
To sustain weight loss in adulthood: Participate in at least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity while not exceeding caloric intake requirements. Some people may need to consult with a healthcare provider before participating in this level of activity.
Achieve physical fitness by including cardiovascular conditioning, stretching exercises for flexibility, and resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance.

FOOD GROUPS TO ENCOURAGE
Consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day are recommended for a reference 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. In particular, select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week.
Consume 3 or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day, with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products. In general, at least half the grains should come from whole grains.
Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products.

Reverse Crunches are great for abs!

Here’s the ab exercise I do two times per day. Trying to describe them to friends is difficult, especially just by description.

Here it is:

From Erin Kurdyla at Self magazine:

The Move-Reverse Crunch

Lie down on your back, hands at your sides. Bring legs into your chest, knees bent 90 degrees. Squeeze a ball (towel) between your knees. Then contract abs to curl your hips off the floor, and slowly lower down to start. Repeat for 3 sets of 12.

Tip: Breathe!!!! During ab work it’s easy to forget about your breathing, but it’s important and makes the movements safer and easier. Remember to contract and exhale, release and inhale.

Great lists from Exercise at About.com.

First, figure out how much time you spend doing the following:

Sitting at a desk
Sitting in a car
Sitting in front of a TV
Sitting in front of a computer
Eating out at restaurants
Drinking alcohol
Eating fast food or junk foods
Staying up late/not getting enough sleep
Now, how much time do you spend:

Being active in general (taking the stairs, walking instead of driving, gardening, cleaning, etc.)
Doing cardio exercise
Strength training for all muscle groups with challenging weights
Preparing your own meals and snacks and eating fruits, veggies and whole grains
Reading food labels
Tracking your calories
Sleeping
Dealing with stress in a healthy way
If you spend more time doing the things in the first list than the second, it’s time to reevaluate your priorities and decide what you really want for yourself. Living healthy means spending time and energy on your body–moving it around and paying attention to what you put into it. Staying in an unhealthy lifestyle means you can avoid expending energy, time and effort…but at what cost?

Gabrielle Reece of Yahoo Health has these great hints and tips for living a healthier lifestyle!

1. Drink only water, with the exception of your beloved coffee in the morning. According to studies, this would eliminate 20% of our caloric intake and help all of our body functions run more smoothly.

2. Cut down your portions
I’m not even going to say what to eat and not eat. I’m just saying if you are having that sub at lunch cut it in half. We all overeat, so just eat until you are full. I’ts difficult to do, so halve the food and get it away from you. If it’s sitting there you will want to eat it.

3. Don’t skip breakfast
You will have a 70% chance of overeating throughout your day if you skip breakfast.

4. Keep a food journal
This will help you see exactly what you are eating and when. You will even be able to see patterns of grabbing food at stressful moments, etc. Journaling just makes you aware and in charge of your food–not the other way around.

5. If you can avoid it, don’t eat after 7 p.m.
On business dinners or birthday gatherings don’t worry about it. But when you can, try to finish eating earlier in the day.

These are great tips for anyone wanting to be healthier. This is a great start, along with cutting out processed foods, cutting down meats, increasing your vegetable intake (minus the starchy, carb-loaded vegetables). Another great tip is to walk at least 30 minutes per day! Good luck!

Sweaty slobs, cell phone chatterboxes irk their fellow gym-goers

Jacqueline Stenson over at MSNBC health has this great article about gym etiquette.

It’s likely that anyone who’s spent time at a health club has seen some bad behavior, including the equipment hogs, the slobs who leave cardio machines dripping with sweat and the muscle men who grunt loudly as they lift oh-so-heavy weights that they have no intention of putting away.

But these are just a few of the ways that exercisers can be rude and obnoxious at the gym, fitness instructors say. Sometimes, things get downright nasty.

I had to break up a cat fight,” says Peggy Gregor, group exercise director at Healthtrax Fitness and Wellness in Bethel Park, Pa.

It happened after a woman new to an ongoing fitness class took the spot on the floor that another attendee regularly claimed. A verbal argument ensued and quickly turned physical.

Dealing with divas, dolts
So how should you deal with these divas and dolts at the gym? If someone is hogging the triceps press, you could politely ask if you could take turns. Or if they’ve left huge weight plates on the leg machine, you could ask the person to please remove them.

But Gregor and other instructors generally recommend speaking to a gym employee about bigger complaints. Taking matters into your own hands can breed animosity among members, sometimes even causing
brawls.

They say good fitness professionals stay on top of bad behavior and nip it in the bud when it starts. They talk to the offender, which usually goes a long way. In some cases, they may need to give warnings and even revoke memberships if the behavior doesn’t improve.

How do you deal with gym offenders?

In my article, “How I lost 41 Pounds”, I discuss how I mentally prepared to lose weight and how I went about eating and exercising.

I firmly believe that one must deal with losing weight, exercising in their minds first, or they will ultimatley fail. The year before I lost weight but gained it back. Why? Because I hadn’t wrapped my mind around wanting to lose weight first. Sure, the prospect of losing unwanted fat was appealing, but there was no long-term plan to keep the weight off.

Losing weight is a lifetime committment. No pillls, liquids or strange diets will ever work unless you’re totally and 100% committed to sticking with them for the rest of your natural born life. That would get old, at least for me.

What did work for me, was eating sensibly: A variety of fruits and vegetables, fixed in appetizing looking and tasting ways. I knew I wouldn’t stick to eating steaming lumps of goo twice a day for the next thirty or forty years. So, I began buying vegetarian and low-fat cookbooks. I still eat meat (afterall, i’m a midwestern-meat-and-potatoes boy from the midwest). Over the past few years, I have definately opened my palate to new foods and experiencing new and interesting tastes.

Exercise was a four letter word. But, I knew I had to do something or i’d die of a heart attack or stroke. I lost 41 pounds by walking. It took a year, and I followed the FDA’s recommended guidelines of losing a pound a week. No, it wasn’t exacty a pound a week. The first few weeks I lost ten to twelve pounds, then nothing for weeks and weeks. Then five or six more came off. That’s how weight loss worked for me. It came off in spurts. There was plateaus when I felt like giving up, but I kept picturing myself at my previous weight.

What do I suggest? Start small, make acheivable goals, expand your palate.

Calorie Cutback Cuts Women’s Odds of Middle-Age Weight Gain

Women who don’t try to eat less more than double their risk of substantial weight gain in middle age, a three-year study shows.

If you’re a 40-something woman, it doesn’t matter whether you’re thin or overweight — odds are, you’ll gain weight over time if you don’t make an effort to cut back on what you eat.

The finding comes from a study of 192 women with an average age of 40 by Brigham Young University researchers Larry A. Tucker, PhD, and Laura Bates. The women were not obese, had not yet reached menopause, and did not smoke.

At the start of the study the women underwent detailed physical exams, including measures of weight and body fat. They also underwent a seven-day analysis of the food they ate, in which they weighed and recorded every bit of food they put into their mouths.

Three years later, the women underwent another round of physical exams and food-intake analysis. The bottom line was no surprise: Women tend to gain weight and body fat as they age and become less physically active.

But not all women gained weight. Even if they didn’t exercise more, women who made an effort to eat less were 69% less likely to gain more than 2.2 pounds and were 2.4 times less likely to gain 6.6 pounds or more.

It’s never too soon, or too late, to watch what you eat, Tucker and Bates suggest.

Personal trainer says even a 10-minute workout gets you closer to fitness goals

NUTRITION

Dr. Melina Jampolis, a San Francisco, California, physician nutrition specialist, is the diet and fitness expert for CNNhealth.com. She focuses exclusively on nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention and treatment.

1. Go for very specific goals.

Make an actual list. Don’t be vague. Instead if “looking better,” write down specifics, such as being able to run around with kids at the park or not wearing a baggy T-shirt to the beach. It’s an internal motivator.

2. Volunteer.

Good karma could be good fitness. Volunteer activities such as coaching a youth soccer game, walking shelter dogs or cleaning up a beach encourages movement and exercise, Jampolis said. When it comes to burning calories, think outside the gym.

“Look for active volunteer opportunities with any form of movement,” she said.

Cheryl Forberg is a behind-the-scenes nutritionist for NBC’s show, “The Biggest Loser.” She is a registered dietitian and chef. She has a weekly blog and is the author of the book “Positively Ageless.”

1. Make over your kitchen.

Get rid of foods that have lower nutritional values, such as white sugar, bread and pasta. If junk food isn’t in your kitchen, you can’t be tempted, Forberg said.

2. Healthy snacking helps.

Having a snack sustains healthy blood sugar levels and energy. This way you don’t feel famished and end up overeating. She recommends a piece of fruit with a protein or healthy fat — perhaps a few nuts with an apple, a cheese stick or a carton of yogurt for a snack.

“Combining protein and carbohydrates keeps you full longer and sustains blood sugar longer and keeps your energy levels,” she said.

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You really can power up your metabolism with the right menu

Eat enough

You need to cut calories to lose weight. But going too low delivers a double whammy to your metabolism. When you eat less than you need for basic biological function (about 1,200 calories for most women), your body throws the brakes on your metabolism. It also begins to break down precious, calorie-burning muscle tissue for energy, says Dan Benardot. “Eat just enough so you’re not hungry — a 150-calorie snack midmorning and midafternoon between three meals (about 430 calories each) will keep your metabolism humming.”

Rev up in the morning

Eating breakfast jump-starts metabolism and keeps energy high all day. It’s no accident that women who skip this meal are 4 1/2 times as likely to be obese.

Drink coffee or tea

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java jolts can rev your metabolism 5 percent to 8 percent — about 98 to 174 calories a day. A cup of brewed tea can raise your metabolism by 12 percent, according to one Japanese study. Researchers believe the antioxidant catechins in tea provide the boost.

Fight fat with fiber

Research shows that some fiber can rev your fat burn by as much as 30 percent. Studies find that women who eat the most fiber gain the least weight over time. Aim for about 25 g a day — the amount in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.

Buy the big bottle

German researchers found that drinking 6 cups of cold water a day (that’s 48 ounces) can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily — enough to shed 5 pounds in a year. The increase may come from the work it takes to heat the water to body temperature.