April 2005

April 5, 2005 10:51 - Low Cholesterol Recipe

The below low cholesterol recipe shows how to incorporate low cholesterol principles into your cooking.

Spinach and Garlic Fish

Ingredients:

1 slice of your favorite oil-rich fish
1/8 leaf of Spinach
1/4 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 brussell sprouts
1/2 Carrott
1/8 cup Brown Rice
1/8 cup of canned lentils

Method:

Preheat the oven for 200 degrees centigrade. Chop the spinach and garlic finely and add to the olive oil.

Place the rice in a saucepan and fill with water until rice is covered by the water. Cook the rice until the water is absorbed and rice is firm. Add the lentils.

Prepare your fish by scraping or slicing skin away. Place the fish on an appropriately sized piece of alfoil and pour the olive oil mixture over the fish. Fold the alfoil over the fish and place in an oven dish. Put the fish in the oven for 30 minutes.

Wash your vegetables (brussell sprouts and carrot) thoroughly, scrub them with a brush. Chop the carrot into three equal pieces and place them with the brussell sprouts into a steamer. Steam them for 20 minutes or until tender but still firm.

To serve, place rice on the plate with vegetables on top and the fish to the side.

Recipe serves 1.

You can find more information about low cholesterol recipes and an explanation of mediterranean diets which have been touted as heart healthy diets by some researchers.

Other regional diets such as asian diets have also been found to be low in all fat and contain plenty of veggies.

The low cholesterol recipe above is able to lower cholesterol because of the use of some key ingredients like olive oil (a source of monounsaturated fat), fish (eating fish atleast once per week is recommended due to its content of omega 3 fatty acids which has been shown to decrease triglyceride levels1).

The use of green leafy vegetables (shown to contain high amounts of anti-oxidants and folate) and the use of wholemeal grain and cereals (containing high amounts of fiber which may increase the rate at which cholesterol is expelled from the body.) For a more in depth look at how to lower cholesterol, I've outlined lowering cholesterol principles here.

Low cholesterol recipe references:

1. Wahlqvist (2002) Food and Nutrition Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd. p. 421

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April 9, 2005 23:10 - Soy, the possible weight loss quiet achiever !

I love using soy products, they've been around for a long time, but only fairly recently have become popular.

Soy is one of those controversial foods that no one is really a hundred percent sure about, some swear by them, some feel they've been touted as health foods incorrectly.

No matter what your opinion of them, they do have some benefits that you might not be aware of. The most obvious of these benefits are that they have a low glycemic effect (has a GI value of between 34 - 44 - very low glycemic index) when consumed and some soy products are high in fiber. I say some soy products, because 1 cup of soy flour contains approximately 8 g of fiber (pretty high considering normal all-purpose wheat flour contains only 3 g of fiber in 1 cup), while some soy milks can contain up to 3 g of fiber, but some will have little to no fiber in them. Now if you've been here before you know how fiber and eating a low glycemic diet can benefit both your health and weight loss efforts, if not then see this page on fiber and supplements and this page on the glycemic index.

There is however, actual clinical data to suggest that soy products can have tangible benefits when you're trying to lose weight. Researchers observed 90 overweight individuals to evaluate the effects of a low fat high soy protein diet over six months. They split the participants into three groups - a control group which just received lifestyle counselling, a group that received the low fat high soy protein diet, and a group that received the low fat high soy protein diet plus physical activity. The results of the study found that both the groups that received the low fat high soy diet (-8.9+/-3.9) lost significantly more weight than the control group (-6.2+/-4.2 kg). No changes were evident though in fat free mass between the groups, and an improvement in glycemic control and lipid profile was noted which is consistent with other research done in the area.

So what does this mean, well, it means that soy products could be useful foods to have in your diet if you are wanting to lose weight, without losing that weight in muscle.

Does this mean, you should change your diet over to soy products. This is a personal issue that you need to discuss with your dietition or doctor. I cannot really say yes or no. For those who, like my family, have a sensitivity to dairy products, they are a great alternative, but for those who do not, substituting every food you eat for soy may not be a wise choice. Particularly for children, the elderly and for athletes who want to increase muscle mass, consuming dairy products may still be the best food for your muscles.

References:

Nutrition Data on White Wheat Flour

Nutrition Data on Soy Flour

Nutrition Data on Calcium Fortified Soy Milk

Nutrition Data on Soy Milk

Weight loss without losing muscle mass in pre-obese and obese subjects induced by a high-soy-protein diet.

Dietary Protein to Support Anabolism with Resistance Exercise in Young Men

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April 10, 2005 10:24 - Free Dietition and Lifestyle Coach

I know that some of you who visit Savvy Fat Burning Food live in Australia and perhaps some of you in Brisbane, and want or need access to health care in relation to fitness and losing weight. I thought that you might be interested to know that The University of Queensland is running a study into reducing risk of heart and blood vessell complications, which requires people with type 2 diabetes, with no known heart disease, and they are offering their participants the services of a dietitian and lifestyle coach free. See their pdf file here. You can contact them on 3240 7650.

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April 11, 2005 22:48 - Eating the Fat Burning Foods Way To Stop Binge Eating At Night

Some of you who have been to the Savvy Fat Burning Foods website, may have at least once or twice exhibited either binge eating behaviour and/or eating at night. While these terms are used by lay people fairly loosely, binge eating and night eating represent two separate clinical eating disorders.1

If you have exhibited clinical binge eating behaviour at any time, then, you may or may not realise that this is more a psychological concern than a dietary concern as binge eaters often eat whether or not they are hungry. Night eaters however, may eat out of frustration, inability to sleep3 or any number of other factors.

These disorders are truly crippling for those who are afflicted. But not all people who eat at night, I believe, are subject to a psychological disorder. Obesity is truly a complex issue that is not black and white with respect to its causes and treatment. These can differ significantly amongst individuals - even though the outward signs are the same.

There are some individuals who are so desperate to burn fat, that they cut their caloric intake so dramatically, that by the end of the day, they are so tired, often weak from hypoglycemia, and hungry that they can't help but eat. If you believe that you're night eating is truly based on feelings of hunger and not an emotional need (frustration or anxiety), then there may be some simple fat burning foods methods that you can employ to combat these feelings of hunger at the end of the day.

1. Eat six small meals throughout the day. This will ensure that your body has enough fuel to burn throughout the day. Depending on the foods eaten, it can provide lasting energy and will mean that you are less likely to feel hungry and then snack on junk or convenience foods.

2. If you are prone to night snacking, as opposed to "Night Eating", eat breakfast cereal after dinner. One study has suggested that it may be beneficial, if you are prone to snacking at night, to eat a ready-made meal, such as breakfast cereal.2 Researchers conducting this study found that their participants who ate cereal at night 90 minutes after dinner lost significantly more weight than those who did not eat cereal, and that they were able to reduce the amount of calories they took in by -396.50 +/- 641.6 kcal (the no cereal group were only able to reduce their caloric intake by -23.22 +/- 889.60 kcal).

Having said this, not all breakfast cereals are created the same, so if you want to try eating cereal at night for yourself, a low fat, high fiber cereal would be a good choice.

In fact, while I think of it, there are some other advantages to eating cereal at night. While eating the cereal, you're also going to be consuming the milk, which is a rich source of calcium. Calcium is absorbed by bones quicker when you are sleeping, so especially for men and women, this is important when thinking about osteoperosis.4

3. Make sure your caloric intake is sufficient to support your body's normal functioning. Don't make it impossible for your body to support its basic functioning. If you are not consuming enough energy, you could be causing your body to think that you are in starvation mode and it will effectively save energy for use later, and the way that it does this is to store fat - and this is not what we want when you're trying to burn fat.

So avoiding the snacking at night could be as easy as implementing these three fat burning foods strategies into your lifestyle. Always though, check with your health care professional before you implement any changes to your diet, because, as I commented earlier obesity is a complex issue, and there is no black and white, so be sure to ask your health care professional if this is right for you at this point in time.

References

1. Night eating in obesity: a descriptive study. Nutrition. 2002 Jul-Aug;18(7-8):587-9.

2. Evening ready-to-eat cereal consumption contributes to weight management. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Aug;23(4):316-21.

3. Two forms of disordered eating in obesity: binge eating and night eating. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Jan;27(1):1-12.

4. Saxelby, C (2002) Nutrition for Life Hardie Grant Books, P. 63

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April 13, 2005 22:24 - Fat Burning Food Tips

Many people have written in, saying that they exercise every day but still can't lose weight. When I look at the foods that they've eaten in the past week, I usually find out why.

Exercise by itself, usually will do little to help you lose weight, if it is not accompanied by an appropriate meal plan to induce weight loss. Barasi (1997) gives a good example of this by pointing out that jogging for 45 minutes three times per week would only cause your body to expend 1000 calories for that week. At that rate, it would take up to two months to lose even 1 kg.

When fat burning food meal plans are included in the weight loss strategy along with similar regular exercise, a possible weight loss of 1 kg per week may be achieved with a dietary energy deficit of about 1500 Cal/day.

Barasi also suggests that eating a meal just after exercise can enhance the thermic effect of food (the amount of energy burned by digesting the food). A 2003 study indicating that the thermic effect of carbohydrates can be heightened when the individual exercises prior to the meal, measured oxygen consumption in 9 healthy volunteers and found that it was 14% higher in the group who had done resistance exercise. This effect though does appear to only occur with high carbohydrate meals.

While this study is limited in that it only observed a small amount of participants, it does suggest that there is some evidence for eating after exercise to burn the most calories and fat. Further study will of course be required to determine exactly how this is occurring and whether this effect occurs when this pattern of exercising and eating is followed over a longer period of time.

References

Barasi (1997) Human Nutrition Oxford University Press

Denzer CM, Young JC. The effect of resistance exercise on the thermic effect of food. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Sep;13(3):396-402.

Thyfault JP, Richmond SR, Carper MJ, Potteiger JA, Hulver MW. Postprandial metabolism in resistance-trained versus sedentary males. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Apr;36(4):709-16.

Further information can be sought from sources such as these:

The obesity epidemic: both energy intake and physical activity contribute.

Harvard Health Publications - Scroll down to the headline Fit and fat?: When exercise doesn't produce weight loss

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April 16, 2005 22:52 - Why You Need To Eat Fat ?

In the past, many dietitions and nutritionists have recommended that a low fat diet was best when trying to lose weight. While this is still true, many people took this to mean that they should eat no fat, which could sometimes cause problems of its own. You see fat is not your enemy, you need it to function at your best.

Fat is a substance made up of fatty acids and glycerol and it is necessary to transport essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K around the body, as well as provide a "shock absorption" effect for the vital organs.

There are many different types of fats, and the fats that the body requires but cannot manufacture are termed "essential" and referred to as essential fatty acids or vitamin F.

The RDI of fat is about 30% of your total energy intake, and one or two tablespoons of a poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated fat (20 - 40 grams) is all that you need to provide your body with the essential fatty acids that it needs. So it is really a very small amount, enough to put in your frying pan and cook a steak or some chicken.

So fat is not your enemy, you need it, just make sure that you don't overload your body with too much of it.

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April 17, 2005 15:12 - Beware some weight loss E-books

Is the weight loss e-book you're thinking of buying worth the money ? For those who are not internet savvy, webmasters often post free articles on the net to get the word out about their internet sites and to help educate the consumer about their particular area of interest. When they do this, the articles are available for free, and can be viewed by anyone - not just webmasters. When other webmasters use these articles, they are also made available to the public for free.

When this is applied to the weight loss industry, what can happen is that unethical webmasters use these free articles, and put them together to form an e-book. So many times what you find is that the book is filled with articles you can view on other websites for FREE.

I view this as a blatant attempt to profit from other people's weight loss problems, and not any real attempt to help at all - just an attempt to sell books and make money - since they are not offering anything of value that's new, but articles that are available for free - if they really wanted to help, why not post them on their site for free as well - since the articles they got were free to them !

Now, not all weight loss e-books will be the same, certainly, there are some quite good ones out there, but by far the better use of your money will be to spend $50 on a session with your dietition, rather than $50 on a weight loss e-book that can only talk generally about weight loss.

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April 21, 2005 20:03 - What you need to do to eat a better, healthier diet and lose weight.

Eating healthily is something that some people find difficult. Is this because they are lazy, they don't care. Usually not, weight loss is a multi-faceted problem, of which diet is just one component. There are a number of approaches that when combined can mean increased long term successful weight loss, these approaches include dietary counselling, treatment for abnormal physiological states, and fitness training among others.

When losing weight becomes an issue for a person, the natural response is to look for answers to their problem. The hard thing to realise is that there is no easy answers for everyone. The diet best for you, may not be the diet best for someone else and it really takes a trained professional to at least point you in the right direction to find the best diet for the individual.

So if you're looking for answers about the best diet in the world, how to analyse the health aspects of foods, we've analysed aspects of pizza here, tossed in a healthy pizza recipe.

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April 23, 2005 21:41 - Poll Results - Weight Loss and Poverty

We found out what 127 respondents felt about poverty and obesity in our online anonymous poll. The results are listed here.

During the last couple of months, I've asked the people who've visited our website here at Savvy Fat Burning Food whether they thought poverty was linked to the obesity epidemic in America.

There were 127 respondents in total to the anonymous poll.

43.3% of these respondents felt that weight loss was linked to poverty, while 56.7 respondents felt that economics are not a factor in the current weight loss issues that America is facing.

These results indicate that it is a fairly even split between whether respondents felt economics is an issue within the obesity epidemic, although more respondents felt that it does not play a part. While this provides an insight into what respondents feel, it doesn't actually give an indication as to the reality of whether it does or not.

Researchers seem to be hinting at the fact that poverty may indeed be linked to obesity.

Drewnowski (2003) in his review of the literature commented that poverty and obesity may be linked.

The International Obesity Task Force found that obesity rates varied from region to region, but were higher in countries such as North America, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe. They comment that obesity is usually associated with poverty even in the poorer, developing countries.

Now for those individuals who answered no - this may indicate that it truely does not play a role, or it may indicate that they do not FEEL that it plays a role atleast for them - there is no way of knowing. For those who answered yes, indicated that their perception of their own situation indicated that socio-economics can play a role (at least for the individuals themselves) in health and obesity rates.

Certainly researchers are finding that for certain populations within certain regions this is the case.

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April 23, 2005 23:23 - More Americans Are Becoming Pre-Diabetics by Jesse Cannone

The incidence of metabolic syndrome, sometimes called pre-diabetes, is increasing. The condition is characterized by obesity, especially around the abdomen, dyslipidaemia (especially high levels of triglycerides and low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol), hyperglycaemia, and hypertension.

As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is also increasing, researchers are trying to determine whether treating metabolic syndrome will be more effective in cutting diabetes rates than focusing on the prevention of obesity and other risk factors for diabetes. Studies have found that people with metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers suggest that modest, healthy lifestyle changes may be most effective in treating metabolic syndrome and preventing its subsequent type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

British Medical Journal July 12, 2003;327:61-62 (Full Text Article)

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and best-selling fitness author. He is known for his hard-hitting and to the point style and offers a great free email newsletter called Fitness Success News, which you can subscribe to at his website.

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April 24, 2005 00:01 - Quick Easy Healthy Tips

I always find that being prepared and organised means I'm less stressed and more in control.

When cooking, I try to cook more food than is required. The benefit of this is that when I'm in a rush, or too tired to cook, I've got something half or fully prepared that I can heat up. Then the temptation to order in or get take away is minimised and we don't resort to fast food.

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April 25, 2005 16:04 - Dietary supplements--surprise pills?

Title of Research:   Dietary supplements--surprise pills?

Year Research Published:  2005

Publishing Journal and Reference:  Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2005 Mar 17;125(6):750-1.

Authors  Hendset M, Lunder N, Refsum H, Island TK.

Country Research Conducted In:  Norwegion

Research Summary  Researchers evaluated two different dietary supplements, Thermo-X 650 and Purple Burn. Researchers analysed the supplements themselves as well as the urine and serum samples from individuals taking the supplements. The researchers were surprised to find that the Thermo-X 650 contained chemicals such as diazepam, clonazepam, ephedrine and metabolites when serum samples were analysed and ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine after intake of the Purple Burn supplement. Researchers call for the need for manufacturers to accurately disclose the ingredients of the supplements.

Notes:  Having only read the abstract on this research, I cannot be sure of how many individuals were tested, over what period of time and how the supplements were administered. Having said this, any appearance of chemicals such as those listed above, even in small amounts need to be disclosed to the general public for the greater good of public health. Apart from interacting with the herbal ingredients themselves, they can interact with other drugs taken by the unsuspecting individual. For this reason it is best to run any herbal supplement past your doctor to be absolutely sure.

Source:  Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2005 Mar 17;125(6):750-1.

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April 25, 2005 21:07 - Fat Burning Supplement Ephedra Ban Lifted April 14 2005

In April 2004 the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) announced that the popular fat burning supplement Ephedra and supplements containing ephedra were banned.

Just 11 days ago, on the 14th April 2005, a federal utah judge, Judge Tena Campbell overturned the FDA's ban on nutraceutical products containing ephedra citing that the FDA may have proved that it is dangerous at high doses, but could not prove that doses of 10mg or less of ephedra was dangerous. This ruling came about because two herbal supplement companies brought a lawsuit against the ban and wanted supplements to be classified by the FDA as food not drugs.

There is mixed reaction to this decision, medical and consumer groups are filing behind the FDA's original decision to ban the herbal supplement. Consumers who used to use supplements containing ephedra alkaloids are starting to wander when they'll be available and the industry itself is in a state of confusion.

Medical groups are hoping that the FDA will appeal the decision and keep the ban in place, citing the fact that ephedra may not be effective in doses of 10mg or less, which means that there is the temptation for those who used to take higher doses, to take 10 10mg doses to get the desired effect. The problem is that ephedra, because it is natural, was sold under uncontrolled conditions over the counter.

The real issue over and above the ephedra ban, is should herbal supplements be classified by the FDA as food or drugs. Forbes.com reported that the President of the American Herbal Products Association feels that supplements should be considered food and do not need to go through clinical testing. 1, while medical researchers feel that these supplements need to be classified as drugs so that their safety and efficacy can be proven beyond doubt.

More Information:

Consumer Advisory Ephedra

Supplement Watch on Ephedra

What Do YOU think, should ephedra be banned ? Leave what you think by clicking on the comments link below.

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April 27, 2005 13:20 - Sugar Substitutes, Aspartame and The Others

If you're always looking for ways to cut your calories, then most likely you've already consumed a product that may have contained aspartame. However, protein sweeteners may offer you more alternatives as sugar substitutes in the future. For some individuals who are battling diabetes, obesity, caries and hyperlipemia, sugar substitutes may be useful tools in cutting caloric intake. The report gives an overview of protein sweeteners and how they may be used in the future.

(Read Article)

April 28, 2005 22:41 - Quick Easy Healthy Tips

Vitamins allow your body to break down the food you eat and convert it into food. There are exactly thirteen different vitamins that your body needs. With the exception of Vitamin D and K, they all have to be provided through the food you eat.

When people go on radically restrictive low calorie diets, sometimes for long periods of time or on and off, there is a very real possibility that the food that they do eat, isn't enough to provide their body with enough of or the right types of vitamins. In this situation, although it is decidely better to get your vitamins from food (because of the low risk of over-dosing and the delivery of other nutrients to aid the absorption of these vitamins), a multi-vitamin supplement may be necessary.

If you are on a very low calorie diet, or you have been on one for a long time, then taking a supplement may be in your best interests. Consult your doctor if you feel this applies to you. However, the better tact may be to stop the extremely low calorie diet, and just eat healthily. Not sure what this means ? See your dietition for advise.

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April 29, 2005 12:06 - Dietwatch Launches Interactive Emotional Eating Tool - Mastering Food

Dietwatch announced today that they've partnered with Dr. Roger Gould who has in the past developed computer assisted therapy programs such as Mastering Stress. Dr Roger Gould is an established expert in mental development and was formerly the head of the U.C.L.A. outpatient and community psychiatry department. He has developed several scientifically tested programs based around his research. His Mastering Stress computer assisted therapy program took clients through a 10 week program exploring each persons specific problems individually. Gould stipulates that these programs are not intended to replace extended face to face therapy.

His Mastering Food program provides the user with 12 guided sessions, focussing on a specific new psychological aspect of compulsive eating. In their recent press release today, Dietwatch described the program as a tool "where members are challenged to take what they have learned in the guided sessions and apply it to their own situtations". The sessions are accompanied by workbooks and personal reports.

Dietwatch represents one of the largest diet centers on the web, it's main competitor being Diet.com. They provide the tool as a paid add-on in addition to their services already provided.

Sources:

Dietwatch Launches Dr. Roger Gould's Master Food (Press Release)

Mastering Stress Website

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