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WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Mental Wellness, Nutrition & Diet August 2, 2020August 31, 2020 0 Comments

Life-Changing Diet Hacks for Weight Loss

Selfies, mood lighting, and more fresh tips that will help you drop pounds.

Ten years ago, we all thought the secret to weight loss was eating less and moving more—that’s what doctors told us, after all. And that’s true, but there are some secret weight loss tricks that can score you bonus points.

We now know that everything from our environment and mentality to our stress levels and biology influence the size of our fat cells—and our pants. Thankfully, a pool of forward-thinking experts have made it their mission to devise solutions to counteract newly-discovered weight loss saboteurs—and we’ve brought them right here to your screen.

Read on to discover these fascinating and effective weight loss tricks you probably haven’t tried before. One of them could be the key to that lifelong flat belly you’ve been looking for.

Keep a diary

And nope, it’s not about keeping a food or workout journal. A recent study revealed that when women who were unhappy with their weight completed a one-time, 15-minute writing exercise about an important personal issue, they went on to lose at least 3 pounds over a three-month period, while their counterparts who wrote about an unimportant topic gained 3 pounds. “Researchers believe that reflecting on values can serve as a buffer to the stress and uncertainty that leads to emotional eating and help in maintaining self-control in difficult situations. To reap the benefits at home, Forberg suggests pulling out a journal, setting the timer, and free-flowing about what’s important to you. “Write as though no one else will read it. Come clean with what’s bugging you. It may surprise and enlighten you.

Reorganize your plate

Most people think of their protein or meat as their meal’s main event, but it’s time to change the way you think. “Place flavorful vegetables front and center on lunch and dinner plates, accompanied by sides of protein and whole grains,” suggests Dietitians. By simply rearranging your plate, you’ll automatically consume fewer calories and take in more health-protective vitamins and nutrients.

Take a selfie

It turns out that a picture can be worth a lot of lost pounds. A recent study from a nutrition clinic in Colombia revealed that people who took routine photos of themselves while on a weight loss plan were more likely to finish the plan than the non-selfie snapping participants—and a whopping 71.3 percent met their goal weight. So instead of waiting for that one exciting “After” pic, get snappy with yourself right away and throughout the process.

Practice self love

Beating yourself up over food is a knowledge-behavior gap many unsuccessful dieters fall into. It’s important to try to stop the negative self-talk, says Dietitians. “I often suggest imagining that your desire to overeat is a lovable 5-year-old child. “You don’t want to berate or shame your appetite—that only leads to more dysfunctional eating.” Instead, treat yourself with respect, understanding, and affection, as you would that child.

Display the grocery store receipt

Post your grocery receipt on the refrigerator door. “This visual reminder will help you eat healthy items before they go bad,” says Dietitians. “Cross off the items you’ve eaten so you know what you have left waiting for you. “This is a really effective way to encourage yourself not to let things go to waste.

Order off the kid’s menu when doing carry out or delivery

Over the last two decades, restaurants have grown our portions all out of proportion. And we’d like to believe all restaurants will let you order off the children’s menu while dining in-house, but it’s not always that simple; it really is against some management policies—and you may never even see the mini menu in the first place. To skirt around the awkwardness, order off the kid’s menu when you’re doing carry out or delivery; it’s a great trick at lunch when you can pretend the meal is for your child or someone you’re a nanny for.

Chant a mantra

When it seems near impossible to have the willpower or to not get down on yourself about your efforts, try chanting a mantra that has a personal meaning to you, suggests Jen Comas Keck, personal trainer and Owner of Beauty Lies In Strength. If you’ve been working on your fitness, for example, something like “I feel stronger and healthier every day that passes” may be effective. While some mantras can be almost like yoga phrases, others are rules to live by.

Listen to music when working out

Sure, your time on the treadmill may seem like a great time to catch up on the news and your favorite sitcom, but doing so might make your cardio session less effective. According to a Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology study, fast-paced, motivational music that includes phrases like “push it,” “I believe,” and “work it” can help you move faster and subconsciously motivate you to keep at it, which will supercharge your weight loss progress.

Do your grocery shopping online

“One of the easiest ways to ensure your pantry is stocked with healthy foods is to shop online. I can order everything from gluten-free oats and organic mustard to raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and have them delivered to my door without rummaging through 10 health-food stores. It has changed my life and has allowed me to use that saved time for taking care of myself.”

Make one small grocery swap every week

Whether you’re shopping online or at your local grocery store, commit to making one healthy swap each week. Always buy a bag of chips as a treat? Leave them on the shelf and pick up one whole-food ingredient you’ve never tried before. “Not only is it good for your body, it’s good for your brain—plus, it will encourage you to get a little creative with your meals. “And who knows, you may find a new ingredient you love!” Some of favorite “risks” include nori (seaweed sheets) and jicama, a juicy and slightly sweet Central American root vegetable that looks like a potato!

Make healthy food super convenient

When we’re in a hurry or about to pass out from hunger, we’re going to grab whatever we can get our hands on first. For this reason, it’s important to make healthy foods like fruits and veggies the most convenient foods in your kitchen to pick up and consume, says Dietitians. Place pre-cut veggies in the front of your fridge, put a bowl with fresh, grab-and-go fruit on your counter and store treats like cookies and chips on a high cupboard shelf so they are out of sight and of mind. Better yet, keep these treats out of your home altogether. This makes giving into a passing temptation—or feeding a rumbling tummy with junk—much more difficult.

Set a carb curfew

If you love pasta, giving up carbs altogether can lead to progress-derailing binges down the line. Not to mention, giving up the food you love is no way to go through life—no matter how badly you want to drop a size. Instead of cutting out carbs totally, give yourself a carb curfew. “If they have a post-dinner snack, they stick to protein-rich, high-fat foods like almonds or 2% milkfat string cheese,” he explains. This is because, he adds, axing carbs at night flips the fat-burning switch by increasing the amount of fat-burning hormones released while we’re asleep.

Variety is the spice of life. The more variety we have, the more we eat. If you must keep packaged foods like cereal or crackers in the house, limit yourself to one kind. It’ll help you consume it more slowly.

Mentally binge

A recent Science study found that fantasizing about eating an entire packet of your favorite candy before indulging may cause you to eat less of it. For the study, researchers asked participants to imagine eating 3 or 30 M&Ms, and then invited them to help themselves to some of the candies as a “taste test.”

Pack on the protein

In addition to fiber, protein is another important player in the weight loss game because it requires more energy to burn than carbs or fats and thus keeps you fuller longer. In fact, in a study in the journal Appetite, researchers from the University of Missouri compared the satiety effects of high-, moderate-, and low-protein yogurts on 24 to 28-year-old women, and they found Greek yogurt, with the highest protein content, to have the greatest effect. For an added boost of protein and flavor, consider swapping Greek yogurt as a savory ingredient in some of your favorite recipes (it’s easier than you think!) and topping your Greek yogurt with some fresh berries.

Choose the high top table

If you’re noshing at a bar or simply have a tiny urban apartment, eating at a high top doesn’t seem like a big deal. But it’s all those other times it can make a difference. Instead of settling into a big cushy booth, skip the best seat in the house for a scientifically-proven better-for-you-seat at a high top. As it turns out, people with tables deep in the restaurant are 73 percent more likely to order that triple-fudge chocolate cake. Dietitians finds that people at these tall tables are inclined to eat a bit more healthily by ordering more salads and fewer sweets.

Open the blinds

Instead of dragging yourself through the dark to the coffee pot when your alarm goes off, open all the blinds! Studies show that people who get direct exposure to sunlight in the mornings between 8 a.m. and noon reduce their risk of weight gain, regardless of how much they eat. Researchers think it’s because the morning sun helps synchronize your metabolism so you burn fat more efficiently.

De-Motorize your life

Public transit and elevators may save you time, but they also prevent you from burning calories. Research shows that habits, like using a dishwasher rather than washing dishes by hand, using a leaf blower instead of a rake, and taking the elevator instead of the stairs results in the average person burning 111 fewer calories per day. That adds up to a whopping 10 extra pounds a year! The takeaway here is a simple one: de-motorize your life whenever possible—your gut is sure to thank you.

Redefine what m&m means

The best M&M ever? Meditation and magnesium. Chronic stress prompts a surge in the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol, which can tear down muscle fiber, impair blood-sugar metabolism, and boost the brain chemical neuropeptide Y, which sparks cravings. To keep cortisol levels down, meditate for 10 to 30 minutes daily. Calming practices normalize cortisol levels and boost levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone serotonin. To boost the benefit further, pop 250 milligrams of magnesium daily. The mineral aids muscle contraction and relaxation and has been shown to boost lipolysis, a process by which the body releases fat from its stores.

Know the 3-day rule

Eating like Gwyneth all week and then turning into the Cookie Monster on the weekend can make you worse off than you might expect. Here’s why taking a “vacation” from your healthy eating is so bad: Only eating unhealthy food for three consecutive days will not only cause you to gain weight and eat more unhealthy calories, but it can also shift your gut microbiota towards the same pattern that has been associated with obesity, revealed a study by Australia’s University of New South Wales. So be sure to keep cheat meals as cheat meals (not days!).

Never eat if you’re feeling emotional

To lose weight, you need to first learn the difference between emotional hunger, which comes on suddenly, and physical hunger, which comes on gradually and is often accompanied by physical cues like a growling stomach. First, realize that although a bad feeling will eventually go away; the calories you consumed while you were feeling down, will not. And the next time you’re feeling emotional, don’t try to mask your emotions or distract yourself. Experts say that truly experiencing your emotions will teach you that it’s possible to tolerate them head-on. Once you’ve done this exercise, it’s time to find a new, healthy coping strategy. Hitting the gym or calling a friend to vent are both solid options.

Invest in a good water bottle

Drinking more water can help fill you up and subsequently consume fewer calories, but if you’re sipping the stuff out of a BPA-laced plastic water bottle, you may be doing your figure a disservice. A 2011 Harvard study found that adults with the highest concentration of BPA in their urine had significantly larger waists and a 75 percent greater chance of being obese than those in the lowest quartile. To aid your weight loss efforts, steer clear of products that may contain BPA in the lining. Also, be particularly leery of plastics that sport a #7 recycling symbol on them—that’s a good indicator that BPA may be present.

Be careful about your produce

A similar situation as above holds true for fruits and veggies. If you aren’t eating organic or taking the time to rinse off the pesticides on conventionally grown crops, you could be derailing your valiant weight loss efforts. Research suggests exposure to pesticides may impair metabolism. “They have been shown to poison the mitochondria so it cannot burn fuel. “Fuel that is not burned turns to fat.”

Dine with a dude

It may not surprise you that women eat smaller portions when dining with male company, but what may shock you is the same is true for men with other guys. According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, women ordered items with 15 percent fewer calories when eating with men as opposed to women. Surprisingly, when men sat with other men (think: beer-and-wings night), they also ordered fewer calories—22 percent less, in fact! Researchers say the results speak to unconscious scripts about how men and women think they should behave in each other’s company.

Try active acts of kindness

If you have trouble motivating yourself to move more—which is one of the most effective ways to burn calories—commit to doing one active act of kindness daily. Knowing someone else’s happiness and wellbeing is on the line is a great motivator. Not sure where to start? Return your shopping cart to the store rather than leaving it in the parking lot and log those extra steps, pick up your own coffee instead of asking an intern to grab it for you so you stay moving during the sedentary workday, or give up your seat on the bus or subway so you can actively stand. Every bit of movement can get you one step closer to success!

Pick Green tea more often

We simply adore green tea for several well known reasons.

Makeover your Netflix and chewing

You’re on your fourth episode in your Netflix binge, but this time it’s going to be different. Forget digging your hand into a bag of chips or cookies. To lose weight, make sure you plan your snacks rather than reaching for whatever you feel like in the moment. This is critical because a University of Houston study found that the more TV people watched, the worse their food choices became. Plus, research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people who eat while distracted eat 10 percent more in one sitting than they would otherwise.

Switch your cut of meat

Next time you find yourself craving a cut of beef, ask your butcher for a sirloin tip side steak instead of the filet mignon. Although the former isn’t naturally as tender as the latter, it’s a very flavorful cut of protein that your taste buds will love. Plus, the swap saves you 132 calories every 3.5-ounce serving to help with your weight loss! Use a chef’s secret and salt your meat for an hour at room temperature before cooking it. The salt draws out the juices of the cut and tenderizes the protein, making it more flavorful and tender.

Dim the lights before eating

Have trouble eating reasonable-sized portions? Try dimming the lights and putting on some soft music. According to a study published in Psychological Reports, soft lighting and music leads noshers to eat less and enjoy their food more. That’s what we call a win-win.

Use smaller bowls

Researchers found that people who were given larger bowls served and ate 16 percent more than those given smaller bowls. Take advantage of the visual illusion with belly-friendly mini bowls or ramekins.

Have soup as an appetizer

Eating an appetizer of a broth-based soup or even an apple can reduce total calorie intake over the course of the meal by up to 20 percent, according to a series of “Volumetrics” studies at Penn State. Make sure you grab for the red, not the green, apple—researchers find that red versions are one of the best fruits for weight loss.

Nix Morning Snacks

A recent study found that mid-morning snackers tended to snack more throughout the day than afternoon snackers, resulting in compromised weight loss efforts. Instead of looking for a mid-morning snack, make sure your morning meal is one of High protein meal.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Mental Wellness July 9, 2020August 31, 2020 0 Comments

Take Precautions While Eating if You are in 40s

The best part about being a grown-up is having the freedom to do—and eat—whatever you want. But it’s time to start fueling your body, the right way now that your thirties are here!

Even if you don’t feel any different than you did in your teens and twenties, the body changes in ways that make it harder to lose weight and remain in good health. To help you age gracefully into a body you’ll want to flaunt no matter how many years go by, the Eat This, Not That! research team dug into the science of aging and nutrition to uncover the foods that should never pass your lips after you’ve celebrated the big 40. Read on to find out which foods to chuck from your pantry, and then learn how to age even more gracefully with the help of these ways to get healthy after 40.

Flavored yogurt

Even if you’ve started slathering on the wrinkle cream, no product changes the fact that your skin is beginning to age. After 40, collagen production slows and elastin—the protein that keeps skin firm—begins to break down, causing fine lines to form. Although it’s impossible to stop the aging process, it’s possible to keep your youthful complexion later into life by cutting back on sugar, a nutrient that’s been shown to accelerate wrinkling and sagging.

Already cutting back on candy and cookies? Don’t assume you’re in the clear. Many sources of the sweet stuff are hiding in less obvious places like bread, ketchup, and flavored yogurts. Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom flavored yogurt line, for example, has about 22 grams—or an entire day’s worth—of sugar in each 6-ounce container. That’s more sugar than you’d find in an entire pack of Dark Chocolate.

Calm your sugar cravings by snacking on a sweet piece of fruit. We’re fans of all produce, but bananas are, hands down, one of our favorites.

Canned soup

A cutting-edge study by Cambridge University researchers found a connection between high blood pressure and skin aging. Compared to their older-looking counterparts, female study participants with fewer wrinkles also had lower blood pressure. Although the connection between the two issues remains unclear, there’s no harm in cutting back on sodium, a mineral that’s known to raise blood pressure. Not sure how to start scaling back? Head to your pantry and take a hard look at your shelf-stable soups. U.S. guidelines call for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, but many popular cans carry 40 percent of the day’s recommended salt intake in just one serving. But that’s not the only reason you should stay away from the stuff. Many soup cans are laced with BPA, a chemical that’s been linked to cancer, infertility, and weight gain. Our suggestion: Next time you’re craving something warm and comforting, head to the kitchen and whip up one of these best soups that burn fat instead.

Pop-Tarts and breakfast pastries

Put your hands behind your head and step away from the Pop-Tarts—and all of those sugary muffins and scones, too. You’re a grown up now; it’s time to start eating like one. Most sweet a.m. treats pack over a day’s worth of sugar into a standard sized serving that spells trouble if you want to become a parent one day and live to see your kids grow up. Sugary diets cause a slew of health problems, including insulin resistance, which can lead to PCOS, a condition that’s been linked to female infertility. And if you’re lucky enough to start a family despite your diet, your sugar habit may lower the odds you’ll live long enough to see your little one grow up. People who consume between 17 and 21 percent of their daily calories from added sugar have a 38 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared with people who consumed 8 percent or less of their calories from added sugar, according to recent findings. To stay safe, ditch the junk and kick off your day with some of these best breakfast foods for weight loss instead.

Special Protein Bars

Fructose, dextrose, glycerin, sorbitol, zinc oxide, whey protein, palm oil. No, that isn’t the recipe for your niece’s Silly Putty, those are just some of the ingredients that go into Special meal replacement bar. Appetizing, right? “While younger folks can get away with skipping breakfast or simply eating a starchy ‘weight loss’ cereal or bar, research suggests that eating 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal is ideal—especially as we age. Aside from its some ingredients and high sugar count, Special Protein Bars are not-so-special bar only packs 10 grams of protein, which won’t do much in terms of keeping you full and satisfied until lunch. If you typically reach for a bar like this, swap it out for a homemade protein shake. All of these best protein shake recipes are sure to satisfy your tastebuds and help you stay lean and fit for life.

Cola

If you and your spouse are thinking about starting a family, consider soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi your archenemies. The reason? They’re laced with potentially cancer-causing dyes and are the primary source of added sugar in the American diet. And not only does sugar negatively impact ovulation, but it’s also been linked to poorer sperm motility, too. Simply put, sipping the stuff may make it more difficult for you to conceive.

Oreos

Whether you like Red Velvet Oreos, the Birthday Cake variety or can’t live without the Mega-Stuff, all of these cookies have one thing in common: They’re filled with empty calories and waist-expanding fat. “When we’re younger, eating healthier seemed pointless when you could just go to the gym 24/7 to lose weight,” says registered dietitians. “Unfortunately, as the body ages, exercise still has plenty of positive benefits, but weight loss is often not one of them.” When it comes to dropping pounds, staying away from calorie-dense, hard-to-put-down snacks like Oreos is key.

Cocktails and beer

As we age, the body doesn’t metabolize alcohol as efficiently, and drunk junk food cravings become harder to ignore, warns dietitians. “It’s also increasingly difficult to get a good night’s rest with alcohol in your system. While you may have been able to get away with minimal sleep in your 40‘s, that’s not the case in your 40’s and beyond. Sleepless nights lead to carb and sugar cravings the next day, which can contribute to further weight gain. What’s more, alcohol sucks the moisture out of your skin, which temporarily makes fine lines more noticeable and, over time if you continue to booze, causes the skin to lose elasticity and form wrinkles.

White bread

Unless your go-to bread is made with whole grains, consider it a “Not That.” Though you may not think of the popular breakfast carb as a sweet indulgence, the body converts refined carbohydrates into sugar and then glucose, a nutrient that damages collagen and other wrinkle-fighting proteins. What’s more, when it comes to bread, bagels and even pasta, picking whole grains over refined will help keep your blood sugar levels even kneeled, aiding weight maintenance and weight loss, giving you a more youthful figure.

Veggie burgers

Finding your first gray hair is a day you’ll never forget. It’s one of those pesky reminders from Mother Nature that you’re a full-blown adult—and an unwelcome one at that. The best way to keep early graying at bay is to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, a nutrient naturally abundantly beef. So unless you’re a vegetarian don’t cut the cow out of your diet. Worried about the fat and calories? Go for grass-fed. It’s naturally leaner than conventionally raised meat and packs higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and turbocharge fat loss.

Iced coffee

Drinking a caffeinated beverage out of a straw—how most of us down our daily iced coffee—is a skin-aging double-whammy. During the day, we’re exposed to skin-stressors like UV rays, but while we sleep our cells repair themselves. However, downing too much caffeine can interfere with sleep quality, cutting into this rejuvenation time and prematurely aging the skin. What’s more, researchers have found that repetitive facial movements, like sipping through a straw, can cause fine lines and wrinkles.

Instead of sucking down your daily iced coffee with skim, sip on hot green tea, which may ward off wrinkles by fighting inflammation and improving the skin’s elasticity.

Sugar-free snacks

If you’ve become thicker around the middle since turning 40, it may be a sign that your liver isn’t functioning optimally. Avoiding toxins like artificial sweeteners will help the vital organ work more efficiently, and in turn, slim your middle. To jump-start the detox process, kick foods make with fake sweeteners (like sugar-free gum, candies, and snacks) to the curb. And for more ways to slim your middle, check out these weight loss tricks.

Produce loaded with pesticides

Reaching 40 means that you’ve had four decades to accumulate toxins from food, which can negatively affect metabolism and hormone balance, explains Smith. Researchers have also found that men who consume the most pesticides through produce have far fewer motile sperm than guys who’ve eaten the least—not good news if you’re trying to start or expand your family. The most popular produce that has the highest amounts of pesticides and should be organic whenever possible include: apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

Margarine

Butter alternatives like margarine are often made with partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common trans-fats. You may have heard that this type of fat is linked to heart disease, but what most people don’t know is that it may also accelerate the skin’s aging process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. When the skin gets damaged by the sun, it breaks down the skin’s elastin and collagen. But that’s not all, studies have also found that eating margarine can cause chronic inflammation, which may also accelerate wrinkle formation.

Healthy Choice Pineapple Chicken

“When you were younger, you may have been able to starve yourself to drop a quick ten pounds before bikini season, but this is almost impossible once the age ‘odometer’ turns to 40. Not to mention, it’s really unhealthy, ” warns a registered dietitian. Skip the unappetizing microwave diet meals—they tend to lack satiating nutrients like fiber and pack excess salt, sugar (this meal has almost an entire day’s worth of the stuff) and chemical additives your body simply doesn’t need.

Bacon

Bad news, bacon lovers: This beloved breakfast food may make your skin start to sag well before your AARP card arrives. The reason: Sixty-eight percent of bacon’s calories come from fat, with almost half of that being the saturated variety. Besides contributing to weight gain and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, saturated fats can cause inflammation that accelerates skin aging. Bacon and other processed meats also contain sodium nitrate which, according to a 2013 study published in the journal European Cytokine Network, enhances oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress can cause structural changes in collagen and elastin (the proteins that keep skin looking young), resulting in premature wrinkles, explains St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology researchers. Luckily, you don’t have to give up bacon altogether to keep your skin smooth. Just switch to a nitrate-free variety with less than 2 grams of fat and no more than 1 gram of artery-clogging saturated fat (like Applegate Natural Good Morning Bacon) and cut yourself off after two slices.

Skinny coffee drinks

When it comes to drinks laced with artificial sweeteners, just say no! Researchers say these Frankenfoods confuse our bodies by making us expect calories that aren’t there which interferes with our body’s ability to regulate what we eat. The result is what they call “metabolic derangements” like poor insulin response and elevated glucose levels, which can lead to fat storage and a host of illnesses like metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. “If drinks with artificial sweeteners are a staple of your diet, it’s best to kick the habit to maintain health and prevent diseases throughout the aging process.

Butter Popcorn

In it’s purest form, popcorn is a healthy snack filled with energizing whole grains. But like many things, the food industry has managed transformed something wholesome into something harmful to our health. Butter Popcorn, for example, has three grams of artery-clogging trans fat per bag. That’s particularly alarming since the FDA has required trans fats to be removed from foods by 2018.

Soy sauce

Puffy, dark circles under the eyes tend to become more pronounced with each passing birthday—and being dehydrated makes matters even worse. To wake up looking refreshed, steer clear of moisture-sucking salty foods like soy sauce (a mere tablespoon of the stuff has a whopping 879 milligrams of sodium) and drink plenty of water.

Salami and hot dogs

Meat may be considered the ultimate man food but if you gobble down the wrong kinds, your sperm may pay the price. A 2014 study published in the journal Epidemiology found an association between eating processed meats like salami and hot dogs and lower sperm count. And interestingly enough, the meat’s saturated fat content—a nutrient previous associated with poor sperm quality—wasn’t to blame. The study authors hypothesize that there’s something that happens during processing that’s detrimental to sperm quality—they’re just not quite sure yet what that is.

Coffee ice cream

An after-dinner scoop of coffee ice cream—which has the caffeine equivalent to a half-shot of espresso—may have never messed with your sleep before, but once you’re in your 40s, caffeine can take more of a toll on the body. “As we age, our circadian rhythms change, as do our hormones, which can make us more sensitive to caffeine and affect our ability to sleep soundly,” says Smith. What’s wrong with getting a little less sleep? In a recent study of more than 500 participants, researchers found that losing a mere 30 minutes of shut-eye increased their risk of obesity by 17 percent! Yikes! Metabolism slows down as we age, so slacking on shut-eye will only add fuel to the waist-expanding fire.

Doritos

With each passing year, the body requires and burns fewer calories. This makes it all the more important to eat reasonable portions as you journey further into adulthood. Sounds easy enough, right? Sure. Until you pick up a bag of Doritos. Everyone knows that when you open a bag, you’re bound to polish it off—and it’s no surprise, really. The recipe for the popular chip was specially designed so that no single flavor overpowers another. When foods lack a dominant flavor, people are less apt to feel full and, in turn, consume more, say researchers. What’s more, one of the first ingredients on the food’s label is monosodium glutamate (MSG), an additive that’s been known to increase appetite and make foods taste more appetizing. With all of these factors working against you, it’s really no wonder you’re defenseless when Doritos come around

Sports drinks

Whoever invented the Gatorade Drink—the tradition in which winning sports teams dump coolers of the stuff on their coaches—was really on to something. One scan of the nutrition label and it’s clear: The sports drink is better off seeping into the sidelines than your stomach. Sure, it provides critical post-workout electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, but it also serves up a hearty helping of calories and sugar. And the fact is, you likely don’t need the extra calories and sugar found in the sports drinks—no matter how hardcore your Crossfit or barre class may be. “As we age, our metabolism slows, we’re also less active and more stressed which can change the way that the body metabolizes calories and sugar.” The less sugar you have in your system, the better it is for your abs and overall health

Coffee creamer

Coffee creamer and sunblock have more in common than you might think. They both contain titanium dioxide, an ultraviolet radiation blocker that doubles as a whitening agent. Besides lurking in many conventional creamers, it’s also found in seemingly ‘healthy’ bottles like So Delicious’ coconut milk-based varieties. The additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice, and may also have health implications in humans, according to a recent review of the chemical. Coffee creamer is also typically packed with trans fats, often hiding under its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Pretty much all of Coffee Mate’s products have this scary ingredient that has been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years old. If you’re working hard or don’t want to forget where you parked your car, this is one ingredient you should steer clear of. Need another reason to stay away? Nutritionists say trans fats can cause inflammation, which can exacerbate aches and pains, brought on as the result of a sports injury and aging.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness May 22, 2020August 27, 2020 0 Comments

What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Soda

The changes are remarkable—yes, even when you give up the diet versions, too.

Drinking soda is an easy habit to fall back into—it’s everywhere, and it’s easy to consider diet versions to be a relatively harmless vice. A sip for nostalgia’s sake or a quick caffeine hit can lead back to a three-a-day habit.

We had two diet experts tell us what happens to your body once you finally give up the colorful carbonated menace for good. And—spoiler alert—in their view, soda isn’t just bad for you; it’s dangerous.

You’ll reduce sugar cravings

Cutting the calories from sugar-spiked soda is a no-brainer: At 150 calories a can, those can add up to serious poundage. But diet soda packs on the pounds as well—it’s just more passive-aggressive about it. “Artificial sweeteners affect our sense of satiety,” says Dietitians.

“Our bodies have evolutionarily developed to expect a large amount of calories when we take in something exceedingly sweet, and those artificial sweeteners are from 400 times to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar. It causes a couple things to happen: The muscles in your stomach relax so you can take in food, and hormones are released. With artificial sweeteners, your body says, ‘Wait a minute, you told me you were going to give me all this high-calorie food.’ It can actually send some people searching for more food, out of lack of satisfaction.”

You’ll lose weight

“Even though diet drinks are calorie-free, they cause insulin to be released in your gut because their artificial sweeteners are sweet like sugar, and that actually prevents weight loss,”. “Insulin is your body’s primary fat-storage hormone, so it will have the body hold on to any extra fat. “Trying to lose weight by trading a Coke for a Diet Coke is doing the body just as much harm, if not more, because of all the chemicals in the calorie-free version.” While you’re weaning yourself off of your soda habit, add these fat burning foods to your diet, some of which actually block adipogenesis, the process by which fat is stored on your frame.

You’ll increase your immunity

The acidity in soda is bad news for your digestive system, eroding tooth enamel and worsening acid reflux. But diet sodas are especially treacherous for your gut—and the far-reaching bodily systems it affects. “Researchers are finding that artificial sweeteners may affect our healthy gut bacteria, which can affect everything from blood-sugar control to weight management to disease—how our immune system works and how our body responds to infection.

You’ll Have Stronger Bones

The caramel color in soda contains an artificially created phosphorus that can be bad for long-term bone health, says Dietitians. Phosphorous is a natural chemical found in foods like beans and grains, but the mutant variety found in dark soda is like a dinner guest who refuses to leave. “Basically, you’re taking something that exists in nature but making this hyper-absorbable form of it. “Your body doesn’t have the choice whether to absorb it or excrete it, so it can cause calcium to leach out of bones. It’s particularly bad for anybody with kidney disease.

You’ll have more energy

No shocker here: The caffeine in soda is not your friend. “Drinking too much caffeine can make you dehydrated, and it can overstimulate the nervous system, making you fatigued and exhausted,” says Dietitians. “I find that when people cut back on caffeine they have more energy because the caffeine causes very big highs and lows.

In practice, Dietitians has seen what happens when you stop drinking soda, and it can lead to a positive domino effect. “There is way more energy for our bodies in real food than in processed foods,” she says, adding, “When people cut back on processed items, they often look for more fresh foods and make better choices. By giving up soda, it may seem like you’re making one change, but it can actually change a couple aspects of your diet for the better.”

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Mental Wellness, Metabolism, Nutrition & Diet, Weight Loss April 20, 2020August 27, 2020 0 Comments

Health Mistakes You Need to Stop Making After 40

It’s time to face reality: you’re no longer a spring chicken, so it’s time to stop acting like one.

If you’re seeing this, congrats! You made it past 40! Now keep reading this story so you can make it to 80 and beyond. We asked the country’s top doctors, nutritionists, and mental health professionals how you can optimize yourself and live happier, healthier and longer than ever. Click through to discover how.

Be Aware of Hormonal Factors

It’s hard not to notice the changes our bodies go through, but the underlying causes might not be so obvious. “We can experience hormonal changes as we get older, which can change the way food is metabolized and the way our bodies use and produce energy,” says Nutritionist. “As a result, it can be a frustrating reality for many when they notice more fat around their middle (especially for women).“

Out Mantra: Come to terms with the fact that your body simply does not process food the same way and commit to a mindful lifestyle in which you’re able to make healthier choices.

Balance Your Blood Sugar

It’s not an exact science, but changes in mood, energy or sleep can signify that your blood sugar might be out of whack. “It’s important that we’re eating consistently for blood-sugar balancing which is really the key [to staying fit in your forties]. The fat that tends to collect around the midsection is all about blood sugar and cortisol levels.

Out Mantra: A good way to stabilize things is to avoid the blood sugar spikes and crashes caused by empty carbs like white bread and pasta.

You’re Likely Over Caffeinated

Chances are it’s not the first time you’ve been told to scale back on the coffee, but it’s about time to do it! “For caffeine, I’d suggest about one glass per day. Depending on what you’re having, that’s between 35-80 mg per day, but really no more than that. “Also know that decaf does not mean caffeine-free.” Too much caffeine can cause insomnia, irritability and, when used as a quick fix for an energy dip rather than reaching for whole foods, you rob your body of a chance to fuel itself properly, which won’t fix the underlying fatigue.

Fuel Energy Dips With Whole Food—Not Junk

It doesn’t matter how old we are, energy dips and wacky cravings can always throw us for a loop. “People don’t clinically have blood sugar control issues, but they can feel when their blood sugar is not well balanced. “Clues to that are feeling really fatigued throughout the day, waking up super tired, or having energy crashes. When it’s crashing we likely need to be fed, but what happens is that people caffeinate which can make it worse.”

Out Mantra: Reach for protein-rich or healthy-fat items like chicken, fish, or nuts when you feel your battery dying to level out your blood sugar.

Don’t Supplement Without Speaking to a Professional

It’s easy to get pulled into the world of quick fixes and “magic pills,” but tread with caution when it comes to supplementation. “I recommend getting your vitamin D checked to see how much, or if, you need to supplement,” says Smith. “Most people can benefit from a probiotic or fish oil supplement, but it’s always wise to have a conversation with a professional about your diet and have someone with trained eyes look at your blood work.”

Schedule Sleep

When you were 20, you might have gotten away with getting only four or five hours of sleep, but those days are long gone. You’re likely being pulled in a million different directions, but it’s crucial to your health and sanity that you schedule adequate sleep each night. “We need seven to eight hours of sleep per night,” says Smith. “Also, as we get older we might need more sleep.”

Cut Out Empty Calories Once and For All

One of the biggest changes we experience in our 30s and 40s is how our body uses and processes calories. The ever-feared slowing of the metabolism is actually somewhat of a reality. “Focus on cutting out empty calories, because they add up quickly and don’t leave you feeling full. Avoid wasting your nutrient needs on empty calories items like chips, soft drinks, and latte syrups.

Eat Breakfast Within One Hour of Rising

If you’ve never been a breakfast person, it’s better late than never. “Meal timings are really important for your metabolism,” says Nutritionists. “The best thing we can do is make sure that we’re re-fueling our bodies by eating breakfast within the first hour of waking up.”

Eat Every 4-6 Hours

Not only is it important to kickstart your metabolism first thing in the morning with a healthy breakfast, but to keep it humming you’ve got to eat consistently throughout the day. Nutritionists suggests eating every four to six hours post-breakfast to keep your body fueled and using energy efficiently, which can assist with any fat burning goals.

Aim For 20-30 Grams of Protein Per Meal

You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to seek out protein consistently. The nutrient is crucial to maintaining and building muscle mass as we age. “It’s important to make sure we have 20 to 30 grams of protein at every meal. That’s ideal to help keep that muscle mass strong,” says Nutritionists. The more muscle you have, the less overall fat sits on your body. “Less muscle mass means a higher body fat percentage. At rest, lean body mass is active, burning calories, which is why having more lean muscle means a faster metabolism. Fat, at rest, is inactive, so overall metabolism is slower.

Reach for More Antioxidants

By now you probably know that antioxidants are healthy, but the nutrients are especially important as we age in order to prevent and fight against problems that may arise such as skin damage or even certain cancers. “I also think as we go into this age we’re thinking about antioxidants and cell health. Maybe our joints are aching a little bit more. So you should be incorporating a good amount of antioxidants from fruits, veggies, nuts and beans into your diet.

Get In Your Omegas Every Day

In the last decade, fats became trendy. But regardless of hype, healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly beneficial to your health and body functions. “By increasing omega-3 intake, you can really help decrease joint pain. In your 20s, you never felt your joints at all — you just thought you were Gumby — but now is the time to be kinder to your joints in order to stay active so that you have the ability to do the things you like to do.

Out Mantra: Wild salmon is our favorite go-to source for omega-3s.

Modify Your Movements

It may suddenly feel like you have to erase everything you’ve learned in the last 20 years or so regarding exercise, but there’s no need to drop your favorite workouts — just modify. “Find different modifications for your activities and stay positive about it. You may not be able to go out and do the long runs you used to do or lift as heavy, but there are still great lower-impact options such as cycling or doing lighter lifting with more frequent reps.

Make Your Diet More Heart Healthy

When you were younger the last thing you probably thought about was your heart health, but being mindful of your ticker is very important as we get older. The earlier you make heart health a priority, the better because prevention is the most effective measure you can take.

Out Mantra: “Focus on higher fiber foods and lower cholesterol foods to make sure your heart stays healthy. Also, look to healthier fats and oils and try to omit some more processed meats like bacon.

Kick Up Your Calcium Intake

At this point in your life, you should also be thinking about bone density and what you can do to strengthen it. “After the age of 40, it is important to make sure you maintain healthy bones to avoid developing osteoporosis. It usually occurs in people over 50 and increases risk of fractures. To maintain bone density, consume 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium daily along with vitamin D and moderate exercise. About three servings of dairy will suffice, but talk to your doctor if you need additional help fitting in your daily dose.

Supplement with B12

Older adults typically have a higher risk for vitamin B12 deficiency because of our ability to absorb the vitamin decreases. “Vitamin B12 is important for proper nerve function and red blood cell production. Older adults should aim for 2.4 micrograms per day. B12 can be found in dairy, eggs and fish. However, it’s always a good idea to consult a professional to make sure you’re getting an adequate amount and if not, they can suggest options for supplementation.

Work on Prevention

Your 40s can be a hectic time, thanks to career moves and family. The reality is that the chaos likely isn’t going away anytime soon. “I think it’s important to really realize that things are not going to get better, so prevention is your best key. “Start working on yourself today versus 10 years from now. We know that, on average, people are gaining 1 to 2 pounds per year, so if you’re working toward it now and your metabolism is still functioning well, I think it’s really helpful in the long term.”

Buy New Plates

Sometimes cleaning up your diet is as simple as buying new dishware. “Using smaller plates to cut back on your portion sizes can be helpful. Ditch the 12-inchers and start using the 9-inch ones.

Make It a Group Effort

You may feel like you’re juggling everyone else’s priorities but your own, but it’s important to realize you don’t have to go about your own goals solo. “Our 30s and 40s can be a pretty busy time for work, family and friends, and so planning in advance can be really helpful,” says Nutritionists. “Even if you’re meal prepping with friends, meet up on a Sunday to do a healthy meal swap for the week. With something like that, at least you’re eating at home versus going out to eat.”

Advocate For Yourself

Just because you put everyone else’s needs first doesn’t mean you have to throw your own needs out the window. More than ever, it’s important to make room for yourself. “I think that between work, social life and family, it doesn’t necessarily get easier, so you have to advocate for yourself. “Make sure you’re getting good sleep, that you’re being active and that you’re incorporating those key pieces in a healthy lifestyle. It’s also important to make time to do the things you enjoy doing, rather than beating yourself up at the gym, when you have a free moment.”

Phone a Friend

If you find yourself cutting your runs or walks short due to boredom, recruiting a friend can help you get to the finish line. “Enlisting your friends to go on a walk can make it more entertaining for you, which can actually end up making the activity or walk last longer. If plans don’t match up, try calling a friend on your daily walk to help make the activity more enjoyable so you’ll stay engaged and follow through.

Toss Complicated Recipe Books

It’s hard enough gathering the whole family for a meal and finding the time to make it in the first place, so don’t beat yourself up if you skipped that fancy lasagna recipe tonight. “Try to find the most bang for your buck foodwise. “Look for things that are convenient to make versus a two-page recipe. Most of the time, that isn’t really feasible anyway.” Cutting back on the prep will make achieving your health goals that much easier.

Test Out a Meal Delivery Service

What better way to reduce time spent making healthy meals than by delegating the responsibility? “There’s a shift toward pre-made foods or meal-delivery services,” says Nutritionists. “For families who eat at home, this could be helpful, as long as they’re catering to their nutrition needs.” Need some help selecting one?

Talk to a Dietitian

What may have worked for you 20 years ago, may not cut it anymore. It’s vital to consult an expert when it comes to nutrition to ensure that you’re meeting the needs of your changing body. “Meeting with a Registered Dietitian can help you navigate the food base that’s out there, whether it’s food you make at home or if you’re eating out. They can give some good advice for getting healthy food on the go and point out healthy food choices overall,” says Nutritionists.

Keep Moving No Matter What

Whether you’re able to run, walk, swim or ride a bike—whatever you do, don’t stop moving. “Once we reach age 30, our bodies start losing muscle mass — about half a pound of muscle a year,” says Zuckerbrot. “This results in a slower metabolism. Inactive people can lose up to 3-5% of muscle mass per year. Staying active can help reduce this.”

Make a True Effort to Switch Up Your Diet

If you haven’t realized yet, hitting the gym extra-hard won’t undo the damage of that burger and fries the same way it did 20 years ago. “If a person eats the same exact thing they ate in their 40s and 50s as they did in their 20s, they’ll experience weight gain because their metabolism is slower and because they have naturally less lean muscle mass. Get serious and start being more mindful and choosy with your food options. Fine-tuning your eating habits now will allow your body to function better long term.

Scale Back the High-Intensity Workouts

You may have felt unstoppable in your prime, going for five-mile runs and lifting heavy weights. But as we age, our bodies aren’t able to tolerate the same level of intensity. “As we get older, we might have different body aches and things might feel different. When you’re young you can get away with doing more high-intensity workouts and I think people really rely on that to stay fit and thin. However, while movement is super important, we need to do what is good for our bodies as we get older.

Don’t Try to Out-Exercise Your Diet

If you’ve been one to hit the gym extra hard after a weekend binge, you’re not alone. Often we turn to exercise to correct diet mistakes, but that solution doesn’t last forever. “I’ll see a lot of chronic exercisers that will use exercise as a form of getting rid of calories,” says Smith. “Our ability to do that as we get older changes — our bodies change, and our metabolism changes.”

Out Mantra: It’s important to separate food versus exercise and focus on eating well. Make exercise something that’s not going to beat your body up.”

Strength Train

We experience a big change in the ratio of body fat to muscle as we age because it becomes more difficult to build and maintain muscle mass. “After the age of 40, people should try to maintain, if not increase, their muscle stores and lean body mass,” says Zuckerbrot. “More lean muscle will lower body-fat percentage and keep metabolism from slowing down. Strength or resistance training is more effective than cardiovascular activity in the preservation of precious muscle mass. A study done by the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that resistance training significantly increased lean body mass in participants, while cardiovascular exercise significantly decreased it.”

Be Wary of Cardio

Any kind of movement is beneficial to your overall health, but beware of the appetite-boosting effect of a heavy cardio workout if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight. “Cardio stimulates appetite and people end up eating more sometimes than if they hadn’t worked out. “People often feel entitled to eat more post-activity, overestimate calories burned in the gym and underestimate caloric intake.”

Start a Food Journal

If you’ve never logged what you eat, doing so might increase your weight loss or fitness results tenfold. Food journaling is a good way to stay accountable to what you eat and how often you work out. By writing down your progress and reviewing it regularly, you can better assess your starting point and pick out any areas that may be holding you back.

Meditate

Going to the gym will strengthen your body, and meditating will work out your mind. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that taking time to meditate daily can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression and even pain. If you’ve never tried meditating, yoga can also be a good practice to start with to help ease you into that type of mindful state.

Stop Avoiding the Doctor

It can be incredibly beneficial to consult a trainer on matters of fitness and to reach out to a dietitian to help put together a healthy eating plan, but when it comes to basic health practices you should be seeing a doctor annually as a method of prevention. “It’s important to regularly check in with your health-care team as we get older. Everyone should have a primary care doctor or internist who knows their medical history, as well as specialists, as need be. It’s important also to listen to our bodies. If something hurts, don’t ignore it—It hurts for a reason, get it checked out!.

Fill Up On Fiber

Fiber was important two decades ago, and it’s still important now. “Fiber helps keep bowel function regular, helps lower risk for colon cancer, and is good for overall heart health. Aim for over 30 grams of fiber per day.

Out Mantra: Fiber is found in fruits like raspberries, vegetables like artichokes, whole grains like beans, peas, and legumes.

Increase Potassium Intake

Although we’re not saying you should need to double your banana consumption, it is important that you increase your potassium intake. “Increasing potassium intake and lowering sodium or salt intake can help lower risk for high blood pressure. Good sources of potassium include most fruits and vegetables like bananas, potatoes, avocados, and spinach.

Minimize Your Micro-Stresses

A bad commute, a sniping co-worker, a long line at the Whole Foods—these little micro-stresses, which we tolerate every day as a part of life, can lead to a macro problem. Stress, as we’ve learned, taxes your heart.

Out Mantra: Meditating for 10 minutes every morning can help you better face whatever comes your way.

You’re Not Foam Rolling

Foam rollers—you know, those hardened tubes made from, yes, foam, at the gym—work wonders on sore joints, bad backs and tired muscles. (They also help stimulate the lymphatic system, which can make you feel more relaxed.)

Out Mantra: Add five minutes of foam rolling before every workout, or when you’re relaxing in front of the TV, and see what we mean.

You Think the Grass is Greener

Most of us spend decades working hard enough to own a proverbial house with a lawn—only to look at your neighbor’s and think, “I want his.”

Out Mantra: At your age, it’s entirely appropriate to be ambitious. Just don’t confuse ambition (i.e. working to get what you want) with envy (i.e. not being happy with the amazing things you have).

You’re Compromising

You can enjoy your midlife without the crisis. One way is to eliminate regrets smartly and systematically, instead of letting them pile up.

Out Mantra: Make a list of the ways you’ve made compromises in your life—we mean the compromises that make you feel less like you. Then examine and unpack each, and write down how you’d like things to be better six months from now. Then work with a professional—career counselor, therapist, life coach—to achieve what you want, without blowing up your life.

You Think You Can Do What You Did

After 40, don’t stop living—just live differently. If you stayed out until 4 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night back in your 30s, consider going out to the club just one night a week these days, or leave a few hours earlier (particularly if you have children who wake you early).

Out Mantra: It’s important to realize that this isn’t scaling back. It’s you evolving into a newer, healthier you—one who needs seven to nine hours of sleep consistently.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating April 14, 2020August 27, 2020 0 Comments

Foods That Ease PMS Symptoms

Pop some pumpkin seeds

If you’re cranky and seem to snap at the drop of a hat in the weeks leading up to your period, we can’t say we blame you. PMSing is never a good time! The good news is, you get through Mother Nature’s visit without making your man wish he never put a ring on it. How? By munching on pumpkin seeds. The tiny yet powerful seeds may be able to ease your symptoms (and are likely the answer to your roommate’s prayers). Just one ounce of the seeds serves up 75 percent of your day’s magnesium which can make you nicer and ward off water retention (it’s a win-win!). The nutrient can also help relax your blood vessels, nixing painful PMS headaches, too. Mix pumpkin seeds into your salads and veggie side dishes for a touch of crunch and some much-needed PMS relief.

Dreaming of Daiquiris?

Debloat with dressed up melon

Having a hard time buttoning those skinny jeans that just fit a couple days ago? Breathe easy: you didn’t gain weight! In the days leading up to your period, your body begins storing sodium and fluids. Instead of trading in your favorite pants for sweats and leggings, try munching on honeydew melon to de-bloat. Research suggests the fruit contains a compound called Cucumis melo, a diuretic that helps flush excess fluid from the body. That sugar and alcohol-filled daiquiri you’re craving, however, does the opposite. The bottom line? Skip the fruity cocktail and stick with the fruit if you want to zip up your pants.

Instead of noshing on the fruit plain (boring!), make a mint, cilantro and melon salad. Here’s how: Combine chunks of honeydew, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, mint and a touch of sugar in a bowl. Mix together and scarf it down.

Dreaming of Death by Chocolate?

Open up a can of beans (hear us out)

Before we even get into their benefits, you should know this is leading to a brownie recipe. Beans are a magnesium–rich food that helps boost serotonin levels and diminish water retention. When choosing a can to prepare, stick with no salt-added varieties. Sodium can make your body hold onto water, undermining the bean’s bloat-busting effects. Bonus: These small but mighty seeds are antioxidant-rich and loaded with other good-for-you nutrients like iron, fiber, copper, zinc and potassium. Add beans to salads, soups, or whole-grain pastas and rice dishes. Craving something more indulgent? Here it is, folks, the healthy bean brownies we promised: Blend 15 ounces of black beans and 1 cup of water together in a blender. Combine with a package of organic brownie mix and combine until smooth. Bake in a greased baking dish for 25 minutes on 350 degrees F.

Craving Movies and Popcorn?

We give you permission to indulge

Yes, you just read that right! Popcorn is a powerful PMS fighter for the same same reason Ezekiel bread is beneficial– it’s a whole grain that boosts the production of serotonin. Stick to unsalted varieties like Newman’s Own Organics Unsalted Pop’s Corn to keep salt-induced bloating at bay while simultaneously improving your mood. So go ahead, pop a fresh bag and turn on Netflix. If there’s any time you get a free pass to binge-watch Scandal guilt-free, it’s this week. Just pass on the red wine.

About to Down That Whole Sleeve of Cookies?

Toast up a piece of bread

If every month, like clockwork, you get wild cravings for cookies and as emotional as you did the first time you watched The Notebook, you’re not alone. The tears are flowing and your appetite is going wild because your serotonin (the mood-boosting, feel-good hormone) levels have dipped. Carb-rich foods (like those cookies calling you like a siren song) help to increase the amount of the hormone in your system. That’s why those cravings are so hard to say no to— your body is hunting for a hormonal overhaul. Instead of caving to your inner Cookie Monster, turn to a healthy source of complex carbs like whole grain bread. The raisins in the Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Whole Grain Bread provide natural sweetness to nip your sugar craving in the bud while the vitamin B6 and manganese-rich whole grains help boost your mood. Toast up a slice as a mid-morning mood-boosting snack.

Drowning Your Depression in Donuts?

Fight the blues with a bit of yellow instead

If during Mother Nature’s monthly visit you typically feel so blue you want nothing more than to lie in a dark bedroom, we may have the cure you’ve been looking for: saffron. A British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology study found that consuming the yellow-hued spice can significantly reduce PMS symptoms including feelings of depression. How? The spice increases serotonin levels, which typically drop before menstruation. Although saffron is one of the most expensive spices, a little of it goes a long way. Use it to whip up African, Middle Eastern, and European-inspired dishes and reap the PMS-busting benefits. The only caveat? You’ll need to crawl out of bed to do your cooking, or cajole your significant other into whipping up dinner (just promise them you’ll do the dishes).

Sporting a Stubborn Craving for Chunky Monkey?

Make a healthy variety at home

In the weeks leading up to your period you do you speak without your edit button or turn into Cruella Deville? If you said yes, that’s totally okay. Luckily for you, if you’re looking to reel it in a bit, we have a sweet suggestion: banana ice cream. A 2010 study of nearly 3,000 women published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology found that consuming calcium-rich dairy products with added vitamin D can lower the risk for nasty PMS symptoms by as much as 40 percent. Vitamin-D fortified milk fits the nutritional bill. Although you may typically reach for skim milk because it’s the lowest in calories, vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means you won’t get all the benefits unless you opt for a varieties with a bit of fat. Pour some into your morning oatmeal to reap the benefits all day long. Or if you’re craving some Ben & Jerry’s try making our Banana Milk, a healthy spin on their classic Chunky Monkey (fudge chunks and walnuts not included, sorry). Simply blend a ripe banana with a half-teaspoon of vanilla and a cup of milk, pour in a cup and guzzle it down. Bonus: bananas help fight PMS-bloat.

Do You Self-soothe with Chocolate?

Try chia seeds instead

Heidi Montag is downright terrifying, so it’s really no surprise that L.C. spent the majority of her time on The Hills crying her eyes out. If you blubber and bawl half as much as she did on air while you have your period, you’re in serious need of a nutritional fix. Adding some omega-3s to your plate may just do the trick. Researchers think the nutrient may function like an antidepressant, although they aren’t sure exactly which mechanisms are involved quite yet. Some researchers believe the nutrient makes it easier for serotonin to pass through the cell membranes; in turn, making the effects of serotonin more powerful. While omega-3 can be found in salmon, enriched eggs, and grass-fed beef, we like chia seeds because they are portable and easy to pop into just about anything. Add the small, but mighty seed into cereal, smoothies, and homemade baked goods to boost your intake and keep menstrual blues at bay.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Metabolism, Nutrition & Diet March 7, 2020August 27, 2020 0 Comments

Things You Didn’t Know About Caffeine

Very few of us can get through the day without the extra jolt provided by caffeine. Caffeine is by far the most popular drug on the planet with billions of people consuming it each day, primarily via beverages like coffee, soda, and several teas.

Caffeine is truly a remarkable chemical that has many positive impacts on the body and mind—but it can cause serious problems if consumed in excess. Few of us really understand how powerful it is, but it’s time to change that. We break it down, below, with everything there is to know about this energy-boosting substance.

It Mimics a Vital Molecule in the Brain

We’re about to get real science-y on you, real fast, but it’s worth it. (We promise!) Adenosine is an important molecule that acts as a neurotransmitter (or a substance that transmits nerve impulses) in the brain. Caffeine’s chemical structure is similar to that of adenosine, allowing it to “mimic” adenosine and to bind to the same receptors in the brain. Adenosine makes you drowsy and depresses the central nervous system when it binds to the receptors, but when caffeine is present, it leaves fewer of these transmitters for adenosine, which “speeds up” your brain activity.

You Shouldn’t Drink It First Thing in the Morning

Contrary to what you think, you actually don’t need caffeine right when you wake up. The reason: Your body’s cortisol levels are highest in the morning–it peaks about 20-30 minutes after you wake up—and then is lowest at night to help your body relax for sleep. Mixing high levels of cortisol with caffeine can increase your tolerance, making caffeine less effective. The best time to drink coffee is mid-morning and mid-afternoon, which are the times when your cortisol is lowest.

Caffeine Takes About 10 Minutes to Kick In

Caffeine has an impact on your body in as little as 10 minutes and reaches its peak level of effectiveness within 45 minutes of your first sip. You could feel the effects of the caffeine for about three to five hours after you finish that Cuppa Joe, depending on how fast your body metabolizes it.

Most of Us Consume Caffeine Daily

Ninety percent of people consume caffeine at some point during the day, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And while Americans love designer coffee drinks, it doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of coffee-drinking countries. According to 2013 data from EuroInformer.com, Finland consumes the most with 9.6 kg per capita of roasted beans, which works out to about 2.64 cups per person, per day.

It Affects People Differently

Age, race, and gender are just a few of the things that can influence how caffeine is processed in the body. As a rule, women generally metabolize caffeine faster than men, and smokers process it twice as quickly as non-smokers. People of Asian backgrounds tend to metabolize caffeine slower than people of other racial backgrounds, too.

Your Body Can Tolerate Caffeine… to a Point

Adults in good health can generally tolerate a whopping 400 mg of caffeine a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. But what you can and should do can be a blurry line once things become a habit; heavy caffeine use is described as regularly drinking between 400 and 600 mg a day.

Espresso Contains the Most

A shot of espresso has the most caffeine per ounce, clocking in at 51.3 mg while drip coffee contains about 18.1 mg. Espresso beans are no different than regular coffee beans; the only difference is in the preparation process, making it much more concentrated than regular drip coffee.

Energy Drinks Have More Caffeine Than Advertised

A 2012 study found that many energy drinks don’t put accurate caffeine counts on nutrition labels and that they often contain more than advertised. Popular energy drinks like Red Bull, AMP, and Monster contain about 10 mg per ounce, giving those who drink it a jolt of 120 mg or more per 12-ounce can.

Caffeine from Coffee and Green Tea is Good for You

Caffeine is most plentiful in coffee and green tea, but that’s not all these all-natural beverages have to offer. Both coffee and green tea are chock full of antioxidants that can help fight off free radicals. Green tea also contains catechin, including the powerful compound called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, that is shown to help fight belly fat.

Energy Drinks Are a Terrible Source

It isn’t the caffeine in energy drinks that is unhealthy; it’s the other ingredients put in each concoction by manufacturers. Energy drinks are routinely stuffed full of sugar, artificial colors, and other ingredients like taurine, panax ginseng root extract and L-carnitine—all ingredients that are not fully explained and many of us don’t understand.

Some Coffee Brands Have More Caffeine Than Others

Think you’re getting the same cup of coffee at McDonald’s as you do at Starbucks? Think again: A 2014 study conducted by Thrillist found that there’s a big difference in coffee depending on where you buy it. McDonald’s coffee comes in at about 9.1 mg of caffeine per ounce while Dunkin’ Donuts contains 12.7 mg per ounce and Starbucks at a whopping 20.6 mg per cup.

Dark Roast Coffees Have Slightly Less Caffeine Than Light Roasts

It may seem strange since espresso is dark and contains a lot of caffeine, but dark roasted varieties of coffee have less caffeine than lighter roasts. This is because lighter roasts are exposed to less heat than dark blends. That said, you won’t notice a huge difference in your energy between the two.

Caffeine is Found in Over 60 Plants

Caffeine is a naturally-occurring found in over 60 plants. The most well-known as coffee beans and tea leaves, but it’s also present in cocoa beans and yerba mate, guarana berries, and guarusa. Dark chocolate—made from cocoa beans—contains more caffeine than its milk chocolate counterpart. Just don’t give any chocolate to your pup; even though dark chocolate is a superfood for humans, it’s a “worst” on our list.

You Can Become Dependent on It

When caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors, the brain responds over time by creating more of them. As that happens, the chemistry of the brain changes, resulting in the need for more caffeine to create the same effect.

Too Much Can Be Toxic

It is possible to die from a caffeine overdose, but the exact amount it will take to kill a person isn’t entirely clear. It’s estimated that it’ll take consuming about 150 to 200 mg of caffeine per every 2.2 lbs. of body mass in relatively short time to kill an adult. That works out to about 75 to 100 cups of coffee.

The Most Dangerous Form is Powdered Caffeine

The deaths of at least two young men have been linked to the ingestion of powdered caffeine, a substance that is almost 100 percent caffeine. One teaspoon of the powdered chemical is equivalent to about 26 cups of coffee, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Caffeine is Safe-ish for Pregnant Women

Moms-to-be can drink caffeine, but it’s best if you keep it in moderation because it can cross the placenta and affect the heart rate of an unborn child. The Mayo Clinic says that a daily caffeine intake of 200 mg a day is generally fine for both mom and baby, but your doctor should have the final call..

The Majority of Kids Drink Caffeine Every Day

A 2014 study by the American Heart Association found that nearly 73 percent of children in the United States consume some sort of caffeine every day. Children over six can only tolerate about 100 mg of caffeine a day; younger children even less. Energy drinks—the popular choice among kids—clocks in at way over the recommended amount of caffeine at 300 mg. This overexposure leads to thousands of emergency room visits a year, and the same 2014 AHA study found that 40 percent of the 5,156 calls to poison control centers for “energy drink exposure” involved children ages six and under.

It Can Be Absorbed Through the Skin

Can you get a caffeine jolt from soap? One maker of the caffeine-laced soap Shower Shock says so, selling a lather that “contains approximately 12 servings/showers per 4-ounce bar, with 200 mg of caffeine per serving.” Though it technically can be absorbed through the skin, general consensus in the science community says it’s unlikely it’ll be enough to get the same effects as drinking it.

A Ton of Products Contain Caffeine

Caffeine is present (either naturally or added) to a variety of products. You might not even realize some of the products have caffeine since the U.S. FDA doesn’t require it on nutrition labels. Ice cream, especially coffee flavors, can contain as much caffeine as a can of soda. Some brands of breath fresheners, sunflower seeds, and even beef jerky also infuse caffeine into their creations.

It Can Stop Hair Loss

Shedding more hair than you used to? A German doctor says that caffeine can help reverse the loss. Dr. Adolph Klenk has created a line of therapeutic shampoos and topical treatments designed to treat hair loss by applying caffeine directly to the hair. You’d have to down 40 to 50 cups of coffee to get the same effect, according to Dr. Klenk, because the body metabolizes the caffeine before it has a chance to make its way to the hair root. Want shiny, silky hair and hoping to prevent hair loss?

Caffeine Withdrawal is a Real Problem

Caffeine affects the central nervous system and, like other drugs, can cause withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it. In fact, in 2013, the dependency on caffeine was added as an anxiety disorder to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Luckily, unlike other drugs, the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal will take care of themselves over time without the need for treatment.

Caffeine Can Cause Weight Gain

The catechins in caffeine-laced green tea can help with fat loss, but consuming too much caffeine can actually make you gain weight. The reason? Copious amounts of caffeine boost cortisol. Cortisol helps control our bodies, but it’s also one of the biggest culprits of weight gain—especially belly fat.

It Can Help You Poop

There’s a reason why so many people high-tail it to the bathroom after a cup or two of coffee. Coffee has been shown to promote a “gastrocolonic response” in the body shortly after consumption. A 1990 study published in the journal Gut also found that coffee promotes the release of Gastrin, a hormone that can increase colonic activity.

It Won’t Help You Sober Up

Coffee has long been the go-to drink for those trying to “sober up” after a night of drinking. The truth is that the caffeine in coffee won’t help your body metabolize alcohol faster, but it can make your body think you’re more sober than you actually are, thanks to its stimulant effects. Your best bet: Call a cab and let the coffee wait until morning.

It Can Decrease Your Stroke Risk

Caffeine was once believed to increase the risk of stroke, but a study of 83,000 women published in the journal Circulation showed that women who drink coffee had less risk of stroke than those who don’t drink it on a regular basis.

Caffeine Can Improve Your Workout Performance

Need a little extra motivation to hit the gym? Drink a cup of tea or coffee. Caffeine is shown to increase adrenaline levels in the blood. Adrenaline—the “fight or flight” hormone—readies your body for physical exertion. For best results, drink a cup of simple black coffee about 30 minutes before you hit the treadmill or weight room.

Caffeine Can Ease the Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

A study published in the online issue of Neurology in 2012 examined how caffeine affects the alertness of people with Parkinson’s disease who were showing symptoms of daytime sleepiness. Participants took a 100 mg caffeine pill twice per day for three weeks, then a 200 mg pill twice per day. Six weeks in, those taking the caffeine pills showed a five-point improvement over those in the group who were given placebos.

It Can Boost Your Mood

Do you notice you’re happier after a cup of coffee? That’s not just your imagination. By blocking adenosine, caffeine also stimulates the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that’ll make you feel happy, less sluggish and more content with life.

It Can Boost Your Memory

Having trouble remembering names? Take a swig from that glass of iced black tea. A study conducted at Johns Hopkins found that test subjects who were given caffeine and then shown a series of images were better able to recall patterns 24 hours later than those who didn’t consume caffeine.

Sodas Contain the Least Amount of Caffeine

Sodas are terrible for the body for a variety of reasons, but it’s not because of caffeine content. A typical 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola actually only contains about 34 mg of caffeine. That said, some brands (like Jolt) can contain much, much more, so always read the labels. Or just stop drinking soda, which has been proven to cause a “soda belly” in regular drinks, which is similar to a beer belly.

Some Pain Relievers Contain Caffeine

Caffeine is shown to help alleviate pain, so many pain relievers (including Excedrin, Midol, and others) contain some with other active ingredients. Two Excedrin Migraine tablets have 130 mgs, which is as much as a cup of coffee. So, taking even a few doses a day can make you hit your caffeine limit of 400 mg. Add a couple of cups of coffee in and that’s well above the daily amount that you’re advised.

It Helps With Erectile Dysfunction

A study published in the journal PLOS One found that caffeine has a relaxing effect on arteries, which helps improve blood flow to the penis. Those who consumed between 85 and 170 mg were 42 percent less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

It Boosts Your Metabolism

An excessive amount of caffeine consumption doesn’t do your waistline any favors, but studies have shown that it can boost metabolism for a few hours after consumption.

Decaf Does Not Mean Caffeine-Free

Sipping a cup of decaffeinated coffee might seem like an easy way to get the taste of coffee without the stimulating effects, but a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology found that of the nine decaffeinated brands studied, all but one contained caffeine. The doses ranged from 8.6mg to 13.9mg, much less than regular coffee. It’s not that anyone is trying to trick you; it’s just that coffee with less than 1 percent caffeine by weight. Regular coffee hovers around 2 percent and coffee flour is at 2.5 percent.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Nutrition & Diet, Weight Loss February 3, 2020August 27, 2020 0 Comments

Best Tips for Running for Weight Loss

It’s all about running smarter, no longer or harder.

Runners seem to come in two forms. There are the sleek gazelles, whose lean, athletic bodies dart around the roadways effortlessly. And then there are the rest of us, plodding along, adding up the miles and wondering why you’re still not losing weight no matter how many pairs of sneakers you burn through. But the key to losing weight when you run isn’t to run longer or harder. It’s to run smarter.

So says Eric Orton, an ultramarathoner (he once ran for 36 hours straight), who knows a lot about extreme running. But going over the top with your training isn’t the best way to fire up those fat burners. In fact, running less often, and less hard, might be the secret key to losing more weight.

Orton has collected his best secrets in a book of his own, The Cool Impossible. But we got him to share his absolute best running for weight-loss tips with us. And after hitting the pavement, make sure you’re maximizing your fat burn with these best-ever snacks for weight loss!

Be strategic when you hit a roadblock.

If you’re not losing as much weight as you want when running, it may be because you’re trying too hard: “The tendency can be to push too hard on all of your runs,” Orton says. “But rest and recovery is when the body rebuilds and gets stronger and during this time is often when great weight loss occurs. So if you’ve been hitting it hard, take a rest and recovery week where you do 50% [less running than usual],” he says.

Lose weight fast, and then slow.

When the time comes to make your runs more rigorous, try very short, faster efforts interspersed with walking or easy running breaks in between—rather than running steady and hard for a long period of time. “And when bumping up run intensity, look to do hill repeats or inclined intervals on the treadmill,” Orton says. “The hills recruit more muscles than flat running and allows you to get in the important higher intensity with less impact.” Or change up your routine to intersperse long, slow runs with days of short, quick runs. “It could be as simple as adding in more intensity to one or two of your weekly runs,” he says.

Your run isn’t the only thing that should be slow. Consider investing in slow carbs—meaning carbs that are digested slowly and keep you feeling fuller and energized longer. Sweet potatoes are the king of slow carbs, loaded with fiber and carotenoids, and antioxidants which stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, helping to prevent calories from being converted into fat. And their high vitamin profile (including A, C ,and B6) give you more energy to burn on the road.

Focus on consistency, not intensity.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking every run has to be long, strong and perfect.

“Aim to make the majority of your weekly miles as easy as you can, so running is enjoyable,” says Orton. “Consistency and frequency is key for weight loss. Focus on doing less, more often.” For example, he continues, “If you are used to running 3 times a week for 45 min, strive for 4-5 times per week at 20-30 minutes, and build from there.”

Don’t be afraid to eat carbs the night before your run. One study in the European Journal of Nutrition put two groups of men on identical weight-loss diets. The only difference? Half of the group ate their carbs throughout the day, while the second group reserved carbohydrates for nighttime. The result? The nighttime carb group showed a significantly higher diet-induced thermogenesis (meaning they burned more calories digesting their food the next day).

Mix up your movement.

Think of running as a varied activity—rather than a one-note push—and you’ll lose weight faster. “You must continue to challenge your body,” says Orton. “Avoid doing the same type of running all of the time. Add an element of play and surprise.” If you typically do treadmill runs or the same lap at a gym or field, consider trail running: Running trails is an amazing way to explore nature and makes running feel like an event in itself—not exercise. And always pack a pair of running shoes when you’re visiting a new city. It’s the best way to sightsee. “This again puts focus on the activity and not on weight loss, and makes it much more sustainable and physically and emotionally rewarding.”

Consider snacking on some dark chocolate right after your run. U.C. San Diego researchers found that adults who regularly eat chocolate are actually thinner than those who ate chocolate less often, regardless of exercise or calorie intake (the chocolate fans actually took in more calories each day). But make sure it’s high-quality dark chocolate: look for the words “70% cacao” or higher.

Train smart on your off days.

To keep your body in optimal condition and your weight loss steady, Orton recommends incorporating bodyweight exercises with the use of a fit ball. “This not only trains you for full-body strength but also helps the body to move better and keep your supporting muscles strong and active,” says Orton. (Don’t forget: muscle burns more calories than fat!) “Swimming is also an amazing cross-training activity that acts as a form of recovery—like a massage.”

Your best off-day meal could be quinoa. It’s a complete protein, meaning that it contains the complete chain of amino acids that are necessary for muscle building and fat loss. It’s also high in the amino acid lysine, which helps you burn fat and maintain healthy bones and skin. And according to a study published in the journal Food Chemistry, quinoa has the highest level of betaine, a chemical that revs your metabolism and actually shuts down the genes that encourage belly fat to hang around.

Create some fun goals.

Perhaps weight loss is your primary reason to run, but try not to let your brain know that. Weight loss isn’t necessarily as fun or rewarding as some easier, more tangible goals. “Create a long-term goal for your running so the focus becomes the running, rather than the weight loss,” Orton advises. Whether that’s doing a 5k fun run or just making it a full lap around the football field, set your sights on tangible, running-related victories to set yourself up for success.

Maybe you should finish your run at a nearby Chipotle, and then order a bean burrito. Beans are high in the chemical butyrate, which encourages the body to burn fat as fuel, and rich in soluble fiber. According to a study at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, for each 10 grams of soluble fiber that study subjects added to their diet, they lost 3.7% of their belly fat in a year!

Skip the music.

We know you’re thinking that’s crazy (we did, too), but just hear Orton out.

“I love music just as much as running, but very very rarely ever listen to music when I’m hitting the paths or concrete,” he says. “This should be a time for the mind to become aware of the exercise and can be a very powerful time for self-reflection, personal discovery and even a creative time that can help with your career or passion projects. This self-awareness also creates a “flow” in the brain, similar to the zone, but more predictable,” Orton explains. If running without Beyoncé is too horrible to bear, consider easing into it by enjoying the last 10 minutes of your run in silence. This is an especially good time because excitement is kicking in knowing you’ve almost made it—sans music.

Another good thing to go without: breakfast. A study from Northumbria University found that people burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach. Just be sure that when it comes time to eat.

Surprise! Don’t worry about fancy running shoes.

When we asked Orton what shoes he’d advise purchasing if you’re a running for weight loss regime, his answer surprised us. “[Before investing in a high-end pair of shoes, my first] answer would be to focus more on building foot strength. The strength of our feet directly affects how well we move and run and activate other important running muscles.” Focus on building foot strength by trying out some barefoot balance moves—first flat-footed, and then balance with your heel lifted up. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, Orton recommends finding a slant board or wobble board at the gym. “Building foot strength is such a simple act, but so very potent for your running health. Once you’ve devoted time to this, then simply find shoes that feel best for you. As you develop better foot strength, gravitate to a shoe that has a flat bottom and thinner sole,” he says.

Your feet should be strong, but so should the flavor of your food. A compound in cayenne pepper, called capsaicin, has proven to suppress appetite and boost the body’s ability to convert food to energy. Daily consumption of capsaicin speeds up abdominal fat loss, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found. Just one gram of red pepper (about 1/2 a teaspoon) can help manage appetite and increase calorie burn after a meal, according to a study by Purdue University researchers.

Listen to your heart.

While we’re on the apparel topic, you might want to consider investing in a heart rate monitor: “Educate yourself on the use of a heart rate monitor so you can run at your own level of ability and intensity. This is key to help you continue to improve, lose weight, and not over train,” says Orton. In terms of clothing, make sure you’re dressing for the demands of your regional weather. This will not only improve the enjoyment factor in your runs, but also make sure you can’t pull the “I have nothing to wear” card when weather gets in the way.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Mental Wellness, Weight Loss January 19, 2020August 31, 2020 0 Comments

Weight Loss Tips for Night Shift Workers

Because not everyone who wants to lose weight works from 9 to 5.

Marianne, an emergency communications dispatcher, works the night shift: sleeping during the day and working at night. She tries to follow the advice she sees on the Eat This, Not That! site, and largely does so (like eating several times throughout her “day” to keep massive appetite attacks at bay).

“But no one seems to address the fact that so many people don’t work conventional hours,” she told ETNT. “I would love to see someone address this group of people with suggestions on how they should eat healthy.” Well, we’re here for you, Marianne. Although a healthy diet doesn’t change (your RDAs will still be the same!), there are plenty of other weight loss and healthy living variables for anyone who doesn’t work a “regular” day job.

In fact, if you’re working the night shift, science has shown that shedding weight and keeping it off can be harder on you than others.

Why? Well, for starters, a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study found that night shift patterns monkey with the metabolism of employees, causing them to use less energy than they normally would over the course of a day. The unfortunate effect was even more pronounced when these nocturnal employees finally hit the hay as the sun finally came up: The study participants burned between 12 percent and 16 percent fewer calories than when sleeping at nighttime.

The upshot of this and similar findings is that workers on the night shift have to be particularly smart about their choices to maintain a healthy weight, as well as to avoid some chronic diseases associated with night work. The tips below should be enough to get you up and running—although it won’t be to go for a run outdoors at lunchtime.

Throw on Your Shades

If the sun is already up by the time your shift is over, put on a pair of sunglasses before stepping out into the daylight or commuting home around sunrise. A blast of daylight will further mess with your body’s production of melatonin, the naturally produced hormone that signals to our bodies that it’s time for bed.

Create Some Sleep Triggers

By doing the same thing for at least an hour before bedtime, you’re actually programming sleep triggers. Over time, your brain will begin to associate those things with bedtime and fast track you into fat-burning slumber after your night shift—even while everyone around you is getting up and getting going. These sleep triggers could include listening to relaxing music, writing in a sleep diary (see #4), taking a hot shower (#5), turning down the thermostat (#6), meditating (#7), or chowing down on a big bowl of good carbs before bed. Wait, what?

Yes! Eat Carbs Before Bed

If you’re hungry after your shift, have a carb-heavy meal. Wait; can that be right? Your body burns carbs for energy, but if you eat them before you go to sleep, your body just stores them as fat, no? Well, the pasta-nomics of weight loss aren’t quite so simple. One study in the European Journal of Nutrition put two groups of men on identical weight loss diets. The only difference? Half of the group ate their carbs throughout the day while the second group reserved carbohydrates for nighttime. The result? The bedtime carb group showed a significantly higher diet-induced thermogenesis (meaning they burned more calories digesting their food after they got their eight hours ).

Another study in the journal Obesity saw similar results. Bedtime carb eaters lost 27 percent more body fat—and felt 13.7 percent fuller—than those on the standard diet.

Keep a Sleep Diary

Do you really have an accurate read on how much sleep you are or aren’t getting? It’s always best to work from data, even if you’re the one logging the quality and duration of your sleep and if you’re working nights, recording how you sleep is doubly important. Simply list each complete hour you were asleep in bed, and each partial hour (including naps). Then make a note of the events that may have influenced your sleep. Did you exercise that day? Drink a lot of coffee? After two weeks, read through the whole thing, looking for patterns. The results may surprise you.

Take a Hot Bath or Shower

A UCLA study of some of the world’s last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes noted that temperature drops were an important sleep cue for our paleolithic forebears. Even if you’re going to bed as the sun begins to climb, you can recreate a sunset-like temperature drop by taking a hot bath or shower. The dip might make your pound-shedding shuteye deeper and make you fall asleep faster.

Lower the Temp in Your Boudoir

Want another way that a lower temperature can help night workers fend off love handles and the health problems they can precipitate? A striking new study published in the journal Diabetes suggests that simply blasting the air conditioner or turning down the heat in winter may help us attack belly fat while we sleep. Colder temperatures subtly enhance the effectiveness of our stores of brown fat, aka the fat that keeps you warm by helping you burn the fat stored in your belly. Participants spent a few weeks sleeping in bedrooms with varying temperatures: a neutral 75 degrees, a cool 66 degrees, and a balmy 81 degrees. After four weeks of sleeping at 66 degrees, the subjects had almost doubled their volumes of brown fat. (And yes, that means they lost belly fat.)

Relax Your Mind

“Yoga offers a variety of benefits, from increased flexibility and strength to a calmer mind. Striking some poses before bed can have a powerful influence on sleep quality because of yoga’s focus on breathing and meditation. You can try a few relaxing yoga poses; Balfe-Taylor recommends the Deaf Man’s Pose. “It can calm the nervous system, release the shoulders and neck and, most importantly, allows you to focus inward, block out stress and relax.

Make Bedtime Crunch Time

According to Combat the Fat author Jeff Anderson, new research suggests that you may be able to spot reduce body fat from your abdomen. Before hitting the sheets, do a quick set of crunches, reverse crunches, and a jackknife set. Then go to sleep safe in the knowledge that your quick workout has given your body a little help in shifting that tire while you’re zonked out.

Wake Up and Hydrate

For Nutritionists, one of the best and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt after waking is to drink water (she suggests 20 to 32 ounces) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slowed, and unless you woke up in the middle of your daytime slumber to swig some water, it didn’t receive any fluids. Nutritionists suggests completely rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink. “My clients who have implemented this report less bloating, more energy and a smaller appetite,” she says. Her motto for getting your inner furnace stoked and ready: “Rehydrate, then caffeinate!”

Let the Light in

Hopefully, it’s still light out by the time you get in your 7-9 hours of sleep. Go get some of that sunshine while you can. When the hormones that control hunger go haywire, they make us crave junk food. That’s bad, but it can get worse if you don’t get some light into your life when you awake from your slumber. A study published in the International Journal of Endocrinology showed that sleep-deprived adults who were exposed to dim light after waking had lower concentrations of the fullness hormone leptin while those in blue light (the kind from energy-efficient bulbs) had higher leptin levels. As you’re vertical throw open your blackout curtains, or if it’s already dim outside, turn on those energy efficient lights. By letting some light into your life, you’ll get some life into your weight loss goals.

Then Fit in Some Cardio

According to Nutritionists, the best strategy for lowering body fat percentage is to work out soon after waking up. “Hit the gym and do some treadmill sprints on an empty stomach to burn fat. “Your body is already in a calorie deficit, and it will ignite your body’s fat-burning ability.” Glycogen levels are depleted during sleep, so your body will utilize body fat as an energy source.

Plan Your Meals

Nurses are no strangers to taking graveyard shifts. On a website for working nurses, Alice Burron writes: “One simple way to combat the disadvantage of working a night shift is to make sure you come to work with nutritious meals and snacks planned out ahead of time. Also make plans ahead of time for immediately after you get off work so that you are not tempted to grab fast food or go out to eat.

Cut 50-60 Calories from Your Daily Diet

Research has found that people burn fewer calories when they sleep during the day and log their waking hours after the sun’s gone down. To come to this finding, the University of Colorado at Boulder researchers studied 14 healthy adults for six days. For two days, study participants slept at night and stayed awake during the day, then they reversed their routines to mimic the schedules of night owls. When participants slept during the day, researchers found that they burned 52 to 59 fewer calories than they did while catching their Zzz’s in the evening—likely because the schedule messed with their circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that plays a major role in metabolism function. If you have no choice but to sleep during the day, plan to cut 50-60 calories from your daily diet. Yes, it stinks, but we told you in the very beginning that it would be harder for you than others.

Swallow Some Vitamin D

All Americans should be supplementing their diet with vitamin D. But since humans synthesize vitamin D from sunlight as well, it’s particularly important to do so for those of us who burn the midnight oil for a living. Vitamin D is essential for preserving metabolism-revving muscle tissue. While you can nail 90 percent of your recommended daily value (400 IU) in a 3.5 ounce serving of salmon, a daily supplement makes a lot of sense. Other good dietary sources: tuna, fortified milk and cereal, and eggs.

Close the Curtains

Before you head out to start your shift, make a point of closing all the curtains in your house and invest in some blackout curtains for your bedroom. Light-blocking curtains make a huge difference when it comes to falling asleep after working the night shift. Outside light makes it harder for your mind to shut down, even if you think you’re immune to such instinctive signals. Melatonin, the hormone involved in putting your body to sleep, is compromised when light is present.

WORKPLACE WEIGHT LOSS HACKS…

Don’t Eat in the Cafeteria

Bright lighting tends to make people eat faster and consume more according to a 2012 study from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. Researchers who outfitted a Chicago Hardee’s with dim lighting found that patrons lingered longer, yet consumed less than the normal lighting conditions usually experienced in the restaurant. When you eat during your night shift, try and do so in an environment in which you feel relatively relaxed, and you’ll likely achieve tip #13 without even trying to.

Get a Standing Desk

Ideally, we sleep about eight hours for every 24. Most people spend another seven to ten hours sitting at their desk. That means most of us spend the overwhelming majority of our time sedentary. Our bodies simply aren’t adapted for this level of inactivity; most of humans’ evolutionary history involved being active, searching for food and fuel. Jubilee says that one way to burn more calories daily is to stand more and sit less. She cites a British study which found that standing at work burned 50 more calories per hour than sitting. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider this: If you stand for just three hours of your day, in one year you’d expend more than 30,000 extra calories—which amounts to about 8 pounds of fat! If your night gig has you sitting for the duration of your night shift, raise your desk to take advantage of this easy, calorie-torching hack.

Don’t Overdo it with Coffee

Have a few cups of java for a metabolism boost, but if you’re never seen without a mug at your lips, that could work against you, says nutritionist. Caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant. If you’re constantly consuming it, you may not eat much—or realize how hungry you really are—until you get home and gorge. “Not eating enough throughout the day can make your metabolism sluggish. “By the time you eat dinner, instead of immediately using that food for energy, your body is aggressively storing it as fat, just in case it will be deprived again.”

Sneak in a Mini Workout

Forget slogging on the treadmill for hours. Research printed in the journal Physiological Reports showed that people who did five 30-second bursts of max-effort cycling, followed by 4 minutes of rest, burned 200 extra calories that day. That’s just 2.5 minutes of work for a resting metabolism boost that will last 24-48 hours! You probably don’t have a stationary bike handy at your place of work, but a similar result could be achieved by performing burpees, jumping jacks or jumping rope.

Get a Weight Loss Buddy

If you’re worried about gaining weight on the night shift, it’s highly likely that plenty of your co-workers share the same concerns. Instituting changes can be easier when you know that those around you are in the same boat and a lot of research has demonstrated how people’s lifestyle choices affect the lives of those around them. Try sending an email or putting something on a bulletin board that acknowledges the health and weight loss challenges that night shift workers face and invite your coworkers to join you in instituting some changes that have been scientifically proven to be effective.

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Healthy Eating, Mental Wellness, Nutrition & Diet October 28, 2019August 27, 2020 0 Comments

Know Your Habits Which Makes You Fat and Sick

You exercise regularly, eat your fruits and veggies and never miss an annual exam—and it’s paying off. You look and feel great! But even though you’re fit and healthy right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean your daily so-called “good” habits will help you maintain your well-being into the future. Read on to learn about the mistakes you may be making, and how you can avoid them. Your future self is sure to thank you!

You Drink Out of a Plastic Bottle

You know how important it is to stay hydrated, which is why you’re never seen without a bottle of Poland Spring by your side. While we commend you for getting your daily dose of H20, you should seriously consider trading your throw-away bottle for the reusable, BPA-free variety. Bisphenol A, commonly referred to as BPA, can negatively impact fertility in both men and women and has also been linked to obesity. Don’t believe it? The science doesn’t lie: A 2011 Harvard study found that adults with the highest concentration of BPA in their urine had significantly larger waists and chance of being obese than those in the lowest quartile.

You Don’t Drink This Tea

Green tea blasts flab. Researchers attribute the fat-burning properties of green tea to catechins, specifically EGCG — the name of a group of antioxidative compounds that fry adipose tissue by revving the metabolism, increasing the release of flab from fat cells (particularly in the belly), then speeding up the liver’s fat-burning capacity.

You Don’t Go to Sleep Early Enough

According to the National Sleep Foundation, most of us don’t get enough shuteye. Over time, this can lead to weight gain, anxiety, depression and insulin resistance—which can trigger type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. A good night’s rest fuels the production of fat-burning hormones, so logging a solid seven or eight hours of sleep each evening should be a priority.

You Don’t Moderate Your New Diet

If you’ve just hopped on the paleo or low-carb bandwagon, proceed with caution. “Often diets that cut out entire food groups do not allow for the balance and moderation we need to follow a healthy, lifelong eating plan,” warns Zanini. “Plus, dieters who follow these plans may be prone to potentially dangerous nutritional deficiencies. Or they may simply get bored with their restricted plan and end up overeating down the road.”

Your Home-cooked Portions Are Too Big

Just because your meal is healthy doesn’t mean you don’t have to practice portion control. Remember, even virtuous foods have calories! Half of your plate should be filled with veggies and the remaining half should hold a cellphone-sized serving of lean protein, a fist-sized serving of grains and a bit of fat no larger than the size of your pointer finger.

You Don’t Get Tested for Nutritional Deficiencies

Although you may get scanned for high cholesterol or diabetes at your annual exam, M.D.s don’t typically test or look for physical signs of nutritional deficiencies—which can be dangerous! Nutritionists suggests having your vitamin D levels checked if nothing else. “Many people are deficient and don’t even know it—and not getting enough may increase the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and certain types of cancer,” she warns.

You Shun Healthy Fats

You know that eating trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease, weight gain and stroke, so you’re smart to stay away. But not all fats need to make your “do not eat” list. Consuming healthy fats like flax seeds and nuts can actually help you slim down and stay healthy. “Fats not only help us absorb many of the vitamins from our diets, but they also help keep us fuller longer, which can aid weight loss efforts,” explains Zanini. She suggests consuming one serving of healthy fats each time you sit down to eat. This could be 1/4 cup of almonds or walnuts, some sautéed veggies cooked with a tablespoon of olive oil or a few slices of avocado.

You Don’t Ask How Restaurant Food is Cooked

Chefs often add fat and salt to make meals taste better—but these ingredients aren’t necessarily something they advertise on the menu. Since you’ve already taken such care to choose a meal that sounds healthy, take the extra step and ask your server if there is any cream or butter in your dish. If these is, ask for your veggies and meats to be cooked dry and have sauces come on the side so you control how much ends up on your plate. After crunching the numbers, we discovered that no matter what kind of restaurant you’re dining at, you can save up to 1,000 calories at each meal by making this simple request!

You Ignore Sodium

Your favorite trail mix only has 150-calories, but did you check to see how much sodium is lurking inside the package? All too often, those who aren’t suffering from a health condition overlook that part of the nutrition label. “Americans consume, on average, about 50 percent more than the daily recommended intake of salt, and most of the excess sodium is coming from processed foods like frozen waffles, bagels, cheese cottage cheese, veggie burgers and salad dressings,” says Loy. Sticking to The Institute of Medicine’s daily recommendation of 2,300 milligrams per day or less can help you keep a bloated belly, high blood pressure and other health conditions at bay.

You Can’t Give Up Soda

What do synthetic estrogen, flame retardants and rocket fuel all have in common? As we learned in the book Zero Belly Diet, they can all be found in a can of your favorite diet soda. BPA, the synthetic estrogen, is used to soften the plastic that lines the can; colas contain caramel coloring shown to cause cancer in humans; and citrus-flavored sodas contain BVO, a flame retardant used in rocket fuel that may reduce fertility and negatively affect thyroid hormones. Nearly all popular diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener that raises glucose levels, overloading the liver and causing the excess to convert into fat.

You Always Buy Low-fat Treats

If every time you have a cookie craving you buy a low-fat package, you may be doing your body a disservice. Not only are diet foods typically filled with enough sugar to derail even the most disciplined dieter, but these faux sweet treats are also made with additives that can make you feel unsatisfied. In turn, you’ll likely consume far more calories than you intended. To stay trim, eat the real thing, but downsize your portion. If you love ice cream, for example, skip the fro-yo and have a small scoop of premium.

You Don’t Eat Organic

Throughout your life, you accumulate toxins from food and drink, which can lead to obesity. Many of those come from pesticides and hormones in produce and meat. Choose organic fruits and vegetables and hormone-free meat.

You Eat Too Fast

We get it — we’re all busy and often have to eat fast and on the fly. But that often gets in the way of losing weight, because we’re not giving our stomachs time to register that we’re full. Here’s a trick: Divide your plate in two. Eat half, and do something else for 30 minutes. It’ll still be there when you get back, but your hunger may have left the building.

You Don’t Keep Healthy Snacks Around

“Always be prepared for a busy or unpredictable day by keeping healthy snacks on you, at your desk, in your car,” says nutritionists. They suggest having almonds or other unsalted nuts, apples, bananas, chia bars, protein bars, or other fruit and nut bars close at hand. Shapiro says that if you have to skip breakfast, lunch, or even dinner during your quest to look your best, you can keep your energy levels up while making healthy choices.

You Go Straight for the Couch

After a long day at work, it’s tempting to flop on your cozy couch and not move until it’s bedtime. But, even if you’re reading or online shopping while your significant other watches their favorite shows, it still mimics that sedentary post-work lifestyle. A recent analysis of studies found that for every two hours spent watching TV, the risk of developing diabetes or heart disease increased by 20, 15 and 13 percent, respectively. Scientists are still figuring out exactly why sitting is so detrimental to health, but one obvious and partial explanation is that the less we move, the less fuel we require; the surplus blood sugar floods the bloodstream and contributes to diabetes and other weight-related risks.

You Don’t Eat Enough Protein

Consuming enough protein is important for two reasons: Protein is satiating, which staves off overeating; and protein maintains muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn, even at rest. Much of retaining muscle mass is dependent on exercise. Part is down to protein intake. Eat more lean meats, fish and Greek yogurt, and you’ll keep your fat-burning engines revved.

You Skip Weights at the Gym

Muscles are what keeps our metabolism high and as we age, our muscles slowly start to get smaller, therefore allowing our metabolism to slow down. To counteract this, Shapiro recommends that we start lifting weights. “No, you won’t get big and bulky. In fact, you’ll stay lean,” she says. That’s because weight training causes you to burn more calories per workout than cardio sessions, and you continue to burn them post workout.

You Don’t Watch Empty Calories at Restaurants

Going out to eat is a minefield of wasteful carbs: The bread basket, free tortilla chips, two-for-one cocktails… You can indulge, but be strategic about it. “I always recommend picking your poison. “Bread or carbs, alcohol or dessert – choose one, not all three.” All of these pack empty calories, so by only having one of the three, you limit your total intake.

You Always Clean Your Plate

And you don’t necessarily need to. Eat until you’re 80% full, then stop. In Japan, this method is called hara hachi bun me, which roughly translates to “eat until you are eight parts (out of ten) full. Remember, you can always eat a high-protein snack later.

You Don’t Relax After Work

You manage to avoid the office candy bowl, which is pretty impressive, but you’ve got to let off some steam somehow. If you don’t, it could lead to chronically elevated cortisol levels, causing sleep and immunity problems, blood-sugar abnormalities and weight gain. Nutrition and Dietetics says stress relief is very individualized. Give a few different tactics a try and see what works best for you. Practicing yoga, meeting up with friends and unplugging from technology for an evening are all worth a shot.

You Don’t Eat Regularly

An irregular eating schedule can undercut your metabolism. Research from John Moores University in Liverpool found that women who fluctuated between eating low- and high-calorie meals were less happy with their bodies than those whose plates contained a similar number of calories from meal to meal. But it’s not just fluctuating meal size that can derail your weight-loss goals. A Hebrew University study from 2012 found that mice that were fed high-fat foods sporadically gained more weight than mice that ate a similar diet on a regular schedule. Your move? Figure out how many calories you need to achieve your desired weight, and evenly divide that number by the three, four or five meals and snacks you eat per day. Aim for each of your meals to be roughly that size and eat them at about the same time each day.

Your Diet is Too Strict

That’s a recipe for disaster. “When my clients feel like they aren’t able to enjoy something indulgent from time to time, it often leaves them with hard-to-ignore cravings,” says dietitian. “I allow my patients to eat 100 discretionary calories each day, so they can satisfy their cravings without falling off track.”

You Keep Temptation in Your Kitchen

“Whether it’s ice cream, cookies, candy, chips or other items, just knowing that your trigger foods are in the kitchen or office desk can derail any healthy eating program”. “This is especially true between 3 p.m. and bedtime, when cravings tend the be the most difficult to ignore.” One of the best ways to overcome a passing craving is to keep the foods you typical crave out of the house. Can’t imagine kicking your favorite cookies out of the house for good? Nutritionists suggest individually portioning the foods you tend to overeat. If you know each Ziploc bag of cookies is 150 calories, you’ll be less likely to go back for a second serving.

You Eat Bagels and White Bread

Unless your go-to bagel is made with whole grains, consider it a “Not That.” Though you may not think of the popular breakfast Carbs as a sweet indulgence, the body converts refined carbohydrates into sugar and then glucose, a nutrient that damages collagen and other wrinkle-fighting proteins. What’s more, when it comes to bread, bagels and even pasta, picking whole grains over refined will help keep your blood sugar levels even-keeled, aiding weight maintenance and weight loss, giving you a more youthful figure.

You Eat when You’re Stressed

When stressful situations strike, popping open a can of soda can make it seem like everything’s going to be all right. But we know better, and now you will too: People who drink just two cans of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared to those who drink fewer, a study from the American Journal of Public Health found. Plus, cola is filled with artificial dyes that are possible human carcinogens and sweeteners that can lead to weight gain and obesity-related diseases. Next time you’re pulling your hair out, mix a cup of low-fat, plain yogurt with a tablespoon of raw nuts. The duo serves up a hefty dose of lysine and arginine, amino acids that decreases feelings of anxiety and stress.

You Eat when You’re Depressed

Although you may hear your sweet tooth calling when you’re feeling down in the dumps, it will serve you best to ignore it—especially if you’re craving white chocolate. White chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, since it contains no cocoa solids. That means it also lacks the ability to stimulate the euphoria-inducing chemicals that real chocolate does, especially serotonin. If you’re going to grab some chocolate, the darker the better. More cacao equals more happy chemicals and less sugar—which would only pull you down and make you frown.

You Keep Your Kitchen Open All Night

Nighttime fasting—aka closing the kitchen early—may help you lose more weight, even if you eat more food throughout the day, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism. Researchers put groups of mice on a high-fat, high-calorie diet for 100 days. Half of them were allowed to nibble throughout the night and day on a healthy, controlled diet, while the others only had access to food for eight hours, but could eat whatever they wanted. The result of the 16-hour food ban? The fasting mice stayed lean, while the mice who noshed ’round the clock became obese—even though both groups consumed the same number of calories! Push back breakfast until 10 am to slim down and reset your body.

You Don’t Take Nutrition Advice

Good news! By reading this, you’re already forming habits that can help you shed pounds. When Canadian researchers sent diet and exercise advice to more than 1,000 people, they found that the recipients began eating smarter and working more physical activity into their daily routines. Not surprisingly, the habits of the non-recipients didn’t budge.

You Eat Free Restaurant Food

Breadsticks, biscuits, and chips and salsa may be complimentary at some restaurants, but that doesn’t mean you won’t pay for them. Every time you eat one of Olive Garden’s free breadsticks or Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you’re adding an additional 150 calories to your meal. Eat three over the course of dinner, and that’s 450 calories. That’s also roughly the number of calories you can expect for every basket of tortilla chips you get at your local Mexican restaurant. What’s worse, none of these calories comes paired with any redeeming nutritional value. Consider them junk food on steroids.

You Watch Way Too Much TV

A University of Vermont study found that overweight participants who reduced their TV time by just 50 percent burned an additional 119 calories a day on average. That’s an automatic 12-pound annual loss! Maximize those results by multitasking while you watch—even light household tasks will further bump up your caloric burn. Plus, if your hands are occupied with dishes or laundry, you’ll be less likely to mindlessly snack—the other main occupational hazard associated with tube time.

You Order the Combo Meal

A study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing shows that compared to ordering a la carte, you pick up a hundred or more extra calories by opting for the “combo” or “value meal.” Why? Because when you order items bundled together, you’re likely to buy more food than you want. You’re better off ordering your food piecemeal. That way you won’t be influenced by pricing schemes designed to hustle a few more cents out of your pocket.

You Stay Too Late at Work

When you work later, you also eat later and go to sleep later, both of which lead to unwanted pounds. A study in the journal Nutrition Research found that those whose last meal was closest to bedtime took in more calories during the day. If you typically log late nights at the office, you could be diminishing the quality of your sleep and increasing your odds of weight gain. When you don’t feel rested, ghrelin–the hunger-stimulating hormone–goes into overdrive, increasing feelings of hunger even when the body isn’t in need of food.

You Sit Too Much

We sit an average of 67 hours a week — that’s nine hours a day sitting, six hours lying down, and only about seven hours out of every 24 spent actually moving. And our sedentary jobs now cause us to burn 100 fewer calories a day than we did 50 years ago. That alone translates to gaining an extra 10 pounds a year. A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that a two-minute walk every hour can offset the effects of too much sitting.

You Order in Lunch at Work

A study found that just having a lot of take-out options near your work or along your commute to work makes you twice as likely to be obese. Think about that for a moment: Just the mere presence of take-out food increases your risk of obesity. The best thing for you to do is pack your lunches and at least two snacks to make sure you don’t have to go searching for food elsewhere.

You Drink Too Much Coffee

We wouldn’t dare ask you to forgo your morning cup of coffee…or even your 10 a.m. cup. But you might want to skip that 3:00 coffee run. Too much caffeine can lead to insulin resistance and increased fat storage, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. When the 3:00 slump hits, go for a walk or work out instead.

You Give in to Work Stress

When you’re stressed at work, you are more likely to gain weight because you’re more likely to want to hide under the covers when you get home. A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people with high levels of job stress are 26 percent more likely to be inactive during their downtime than those with low-stress jobs. A University of Rochester study echoed these results, finding that stress at work leads to behaviors like watching TV and less exercise. It’s one thing for your job to make you unhappy. But if it’s making you unhealthy, it might be time to start looking around.

You Eat Processed Meats

Many brands of bacon, sausage, hot dogs and deli meats contain nitrates, a preservative that interferes with the body’s natural ability to process sugar, which increases the risk for diabetes. It can also increase up your odds of thyroid and colon cancer. If that weren’t bad enough, most processed meats are also loaded with sodium, a known contributor to hypertension that can make you bloat and set you up to develop heart disease. Read the ingredients and look for meats that are free of nitrates.

You Sleep with the Light on

Exposure to light at night doesn’t just interrupt your chances of a great night’s sleep, it may also result in weight gain according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Study subjects who slept in the darkest rooms were 21 percent less likely to be obese than those sleeping in the lightest rooms.

You Bring Your Phone and iPad into the Bedroom

Research suggests that the more electronics we bring into the bedroom, the fatter we get—especially among children. A study in a journal found that kids who bask in the nighttime glow of a TV or computer don’t get enough rest and suffer from poor lifestyle habits. Researchers found that students with access to one electronic device were 1.47 times as likely to be overweight as kids with no devices in the bedroom. That increased to 2.57 times for kids with three devices. Leave your iPad in the living room!!

WellnessKichen Drinks & Beverages, Nutrition & Diet September 6, 2019August 27, 2020 0 Comments

You’re Drinking Water Wrongly If,

If you went several days without drinking water, you’d be in a world of trouble. But the idea that eight glasses a day is optimal—well, that’s soggy logic.

In 1945, The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences claimed that the body needed two-and-a-half liters of water a day (which is actually ten cups of water a day, even more than the widely-referenced eight)—without citing a clinical study! Not only did people take this recommendation as fact, they also ignored the next sentence: “Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.”

While ensuring that you’re adequately hydrated is important, how many of us view hydration doesn’t quite jibe with what the science tells us. Below, we’ve found the most common ways you could be drinking wrong, and what you should be doing instead. Read up, drink up, and don’t make these water mistakes count as one of the habits that make you Sick and Fat.

You Discount the Water Content of Solid Foods

About 20 percent of our daily H2O intake comes from solid foods — fruits and vegetables in particular. Although it’s good to be mindful of how much water your body asks for, you can also hydrate with fruits and veggies, most of which are largely water. A cucumber, for example, is 96.7 percent water. Lettuce, celery, tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit and green peppers are more than 90 percent water. Unlike pure water, however, these foods are rich in a range of nutrients and vitamins. Eating a significant percentage of your water is an excellent way to achieve your health and fitness goals.

You’re Drinking More Water Than You Need

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), “the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.” If you’re forcing yourself to chug through gallons of water, you might be drinking too much. And yes, there is such thing as “too much,” especially since there’s no scientific proof that drinking extra water has any health benefits.

Drinking too much can cause hyponatremia, which is also called “water intoxication”, a condition in which the sodium levels in the blood become dangerously low and can result in swelling in the brain, seizures, and coma. Under normal conditions, you’d have to drink a huge amount of water to experience hypernatremia; however, if you’re a serious runner or a particularly salty sweater, you could harm yourself by downing H2O too quickly.

You Leave A Glass on Your Night Stand

One thing that isn’t on the list of good things to before bed – Drinking water. The reasoning is quite intuitive: “If you drink too much right before bed, you may find yourself waking up multiple times in the middle of the night to urinate,” Instead, “start to taper off your fluid intake about three hours before bedtime,” which will allow your body to process the water and use the restroom before snuggling under the covers.

You Drink Water while Standing

Drinking water while standing does not allow your kidneys to properly filtrate the water. As a result, the impurities tend to get retained in them and the bladder. This can cause urinary tract disorders, and in more serious cases can even lead to the kidneys suffering permanent damage. Since the water goes directly through, the requires nutrients and vitamins don’t reach the liver and digestive tract. This is because when you stand and drink water, it travels through the system really fast and you risk your lungs and heart functions.

You’re Still Drinking Water Out of Plastic Bottles

We’ve said it dozens of times, and we’ll say it again: stop drinking your water from plastic bottles! These throw-away bottles are commonly made with Bisphenol A (or BPA for short), a hormone-disrupting chemical that can negatively impact fertility in both men and women, may promote cancer, and has also been been linked to obesity.

You’re Not Pairing Water with Lemon

Not only does throwing in a couple slices of lemon to your water add some zing to your bland beverage, it may also help you lose weight. D-limonene, a powerful antioxidant found in lemon peels, stimulates liver enzymes to help flush toxins from the body, according to the World Health Organization. Not only does the lemon peel help rid your body of inflammatory toxins, but the extra bit of vitamin C from the juices that seep into the water will help your body curb cortisol levels; and that’s good news since cortisol is the stress hormone that tells your body to store fat.

You Forget to Grab A Glass Upon Waking

If you aren’t drinking water in the morning, your metabolism is likely taking a hit. According to dieticians, one of the easiest and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt is to drink 20 to 32 ounces of water (2-3 cups) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slows, and your body just went around eight hours without fluids—which are essential to hundreds of metabolic processes. Dieticians suggests rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink: “My clients who have implemented this report less bloating, more energy, and a smaller appetite,”

You Don’t Down One Between Alcoholic Drinks

Alcohol decreases the body’s production of anti-diuretic hormone (a compound that helps your body stay hydrated), so when you move onto that third round of booze, your body becomes increasingly dehydrated. And when you’re dehydrated, you can feel sluggish and bloated—two things that will act against you if you’re trying to drop a few pounds. “Make sure you have at least one or two glasses of water for each drink—and that you never drink on an empty stomach,”

You Don’t Realize Your Body Wants Water—Not Food

It’s not just you. In fact, there are several Reasons Why You’re Always Hungry, and not drinking enough water is one of them. A study in the journal Physiology & Behavior suggests people inappropriately respond to thirst over 60 percent of the time by eating instead of drinking. And that means you’re eating more calories than you need to. So, next time you’re hankering for a snack just after you finished a meal, try knocking back a cup of water before diving into your snack drawer and wait 20 minutes. If you’re still hungry, then you can eat something.

You Don’t Steep it With Green Tea

Water is still water even when you put a teabag in it. To get even more bang for your hydrating buck, why not make that teabag green tea? Researchers find that this leaf is particularly efficient at blasting flab thanks to its concentration of catechins: a group of antioxidative compounds that fry adipose tissue by revving the metabolism, increasing the release of flab from fat cells (particularly in the belly), then speeding up the liver’s fat-burning capacity. Sounds like a nutrition hole-in-one to us!

Or You Do Drink It with Tea… But It’s Bottled

Yes, we just recommended drinking your water in tea form, but we need to mention it’s best to brew your own rather than buy it in a bottle.

You Only Drink It Ice-Cold

Have you ever heard of the ayurvedic teaching that it’s easier for the body to absorb warm water and that it’s more soothing to the stomach? What about that ice-cold water kicks the body’s metabolism into gear? Despite one lonely 2003 study which found that people who drank ice water experienced a 30 percent increase in metabolism, there’s no evidence to support that cold water will help increase your metabolism any more than warm water. And there’s certainly no evidence to suggest that the body absorbs water any differently depending on the temperature. The take-home? Drinking water, period, is infinitely more important to your health and well-being than the temperature at which it’s served, so don’t turn down a glass if there’s no ice in it.

You’re Fooled By ‘Healthy’ Bottled Waters

Yes, they may “water” in their name, but these bottled beverages tend to be just as caloric—and sugar-laden—as a soda. If you want to infuse some flavor and nutrients into your water, we’d recommend adding a slice of lemon, strawberries, and mint to your water.

You Add Artificial Flavorings

Squeeze bottles are touted as a low-calorie way to flavor your water, but they’re usually just full of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. That’s bad news since studies have shown that the high-intensity artificial sweetener sucralose, which is 1,000 times as sweet as table sugar, can confuse your sweetness receptors and cause you to overeat the next time you consume something that’s naturally sweetened.

You Don’t Drink it When You’re Tired

You don’t always need coffee to stay awake. Not only should you drink plenty of water during the day to stay hydrated, but you should also reach for a glass when you start feeling groggy. “In fact, even slight dehydration can significantly drain your energy levels“. That’s because your brain is made of 80 percent water, so your mental abilities and functions seriously depend on it. Sip on a glass, and mental flexibility automatically improves by 14 percent, according to one UK study.

You’re Not Drinking Enough

Updated guidelines by the Institute of Medicine recommend 91 ounces of water per day for women and 120 for men. However, they note that “the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.” If you feel hungry, your mouth feels dry, or your urine looks like apple juice, you’re not drinking enough water. Make sure to carry around a BPA-free water bottle and have that be your go-to when those mid-day cravings start to emerge. And when you don’t hydrate with enough H2O, you’ll have to suffer the consequences.

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