5 Metabolism Boosters: Separating Fact From Fiction
Don't eat close to bedtime. You may have been told not to eat too close to bedtime because of the theory that your metabolism slows down at night and you'll lose less weight than you would if you ate the same food earlier in the day. Not true, says Donna L. Weihofen, MS, RD, health nutritionist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisc. "Calories count whether you eat them in the morning or at night. The problem with nighttime eaters is that they are usually eating far more calories than they think, and the calories are denser."
Drinking water speeds metabolism. Drinking plenty of water is healthful for a number of reasons, but it doesn't make your body burn calories faster. It can help you feel full, which may keep some cravings at bay. "But that effect doesn't last very long," Weihofen cautions. "One of the things that does help is soup before a meal. A broth-type soup does help cut down on the amount of calories you will eat." Of course, broth won't speed metabolism, either, but it will help you stick to your diet plan.
Eat at the same time or at certain times every day to burn calories. Some diets recommend eating every couple of hours, while others advise sticking to a consistent schedule or number of meals for weight-loss success. Following a set schedule may help you stick to a diet plan, but doesn't help you burn more calories. "There's no magic to that," explains Weihofen. "It's whatever fits your lifestyle and your diet."
Eating breakfast boosts metabolism. Eating breakfast on a regular basis is important for shedding pounds, but not solely because it improves your metabolism, says Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "People who eat only one meal a day will shut down their metabolism. So breakfast is partly a metabolism-booster and it is partly to make sure you stay on track for the rest of the day," notes Banes. People who eat breakfast are less likely to binge later in the day, which of course promotes weight loss.
Build muscle. The reality is that there is only one way to enhance metabolism: Build more lean muscle mass. "The best way to increase metabolism is by incorporating physical activity, both cardio and weight training, to increase lean muscle mass, which is what burns the calories!" advises Dr. Anding.
Even at rest, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, Anding says. So weight-loss programs that encourage strength training and other forms of exercise to improve your metabolism are your best bet.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Foods That Flatten Your Belly
Deflate that spare tire with these fruits and herbs that naturally trim belly fat
The top belly-fat blasters have actually been a part of a healthy lifestyle since the beginning of time, but you may not have thought of them to help slim your waistline.
Watermelon: A hydrating fruit rich in lycopene, it will increase your body’s arginine levels, an amino acid that ups the body’s fat-burning potential. At the same time the juicy red fruit helps the body burn fat, it also builds lean muscle. Just 1 cup a day does the trick.
Dill: Add this herb to veggies (especially cabbage), fish, casseroles, soups and stews, Dijon mustard or reduced-fat mayo to ease gas and bloating. You'll also get the added benefit of speeding up the breakdown of carbs and proteins in the gut.
Pineapple and Papaya: These two tropical fruits contain the enzyme bromelain, which has anti-inflammatory properties and shrinks belly fat. Many women know the disappointment of having a waistline that spills over the top of her waistband. But think of taking your first steps toward a slimmer middle this way--to change your waistline you have to first change your mind. Think differently about food and make food choices that work for you, rather than against you.
Mint: An herb, yes, but this one goes the extra belly-fat burning mile. Mint leaves trigger the release of extra bile from the gallbladder, which is important because it helps the body to digest fat. For a quick remedy to belly bloat (maybe you want to ease into that little form-fitting black dress?) add 10 crushed mint leaves to 2-4 cups of roasted dandelion tea every day and you could lose two or more pounds in 10-14 days.
Dandelion Root: I like roasted dandelion root tea to beat belly fat. The dandelion root increases liver function, which flushes toxins and excess water from the belly area and in turn gives you a flatter tummy. Just 2-4 cups a day does the trick.
The top belly-fat blasters have actually been a part of a healthy lifestyle since the beginning of time, but you may not have thought of them to help slim your waistline.
Watermelon: A hydrating fruit rich in lycopene, it will increase your body’s arginine levels, an amino acid that ups the body’s fat-burning potential. At the same time the juicy red fruit helps the body burn fat, it also builds lean muscle. Just 1 cup a day does the trick.
Dill: Add this herb to veggies (especially cabbage), fish, casseroles, soups and stews, Dijon mustard or reduced-fat mayo to ease gas and bloating. You'll also get the added benefit of speeding up the breakdown of carbs and proteins in the gut.
Pineapple and Papaya: These two tropical fruits contain the enzyme bromelain, which has anti-inflammatory properties and shrinks belly fat. Many women know the disappointment of having a waistline that spills over the top of her waistband. But think of taking your first steps toward a slimmer middle this way--to change your waistline you have to first change your mind. Think differently about food and make food choices that work for you, rather than against you.
Mint: An herb, yes, but this one goes the extra belly-fat burning mile. Mint leaves trigger the release of extra bile from the gallbladder, which is important because it helps the body to digest fat. For a quick remedy to belly bloat (maybe you want to ease into that little form-fitting black dress?) add 10 crushed mint leaves to 2-4 cups of roasted dandelion tea every day and you could lose two or more pounds in 10-14 days.
Dandelion Root: I like roasted dandelion root tea to beat belly fat. The dandelion root increases liver function, which flushes toxins and excess water from the belly area and in turn gives you a flatter tummy. Just 2-4 cups a day does the trick.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The top 10 vitamin and mineral deficiencies
These are the top 10 vitamin and mineral deficiencies I've found in the majority of my patients.
I'm certain these deficiencies extend to the larger North American population . . .
Iodine
Vitamin B12
Magnesium
Vitamin C
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
And also . . .
Vitamin D
Sulfur
Zinc
Chromium
Potassium
You already know about iodine deficiency and how it can lead to cancer. But take the second item, vitamin B12, for example.
Because of the typical American diet that creates heartburn and acid reflux, there is a huge business in antacids, including both over-the-counter antacids and prescription proton-pump inhibitors, which claim "just one pill a day."
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The TRUTH About CARB 'S Blood Sugar & Fat Loss
The TRUTH About Carbs, Blood Sugar & Fat Loss
(Eat Your Heart Out With This 45-Second Trick)
You've probably heard that carbohydrates are perhaps the WORST thing you can eat when trying to lose fat or transform your body, and for most people, that's 100% true.
You see, due to years of consuming a diet full of processed carbs, most people have grown VERY insensitive to one of the most important hormones in our body—a hormone that can either be a huge asset to your body transformation goals, or a total fat loss and health-derailing nightmare.
The name of this hormone is insulin.
And it's function is to help your body keep blood sugar at bay, clear it quickly from your bloodstream after a carbohydrate meal, and (hopefully) shuttle those carbs to be stored in muscle tissue for energy instead of info fat cells, driving up your weight.
I say "hopefully" because that's actually the exact opposite of what occurs when most people eat carbs.
Going back to insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate tolerance, due to a diet full of processed, insulin- and blood-sugar-spiking carbohydrates, most folks are suffering from some level of insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin is no longer able to efficiently remove blood sugar from the blood stream.
The result? Dramatically reduced fat burning, increased blood sugar levels and increased fat storage.
Even worse, insulin resistance can (and often does) lead to type II diabetes and an array of other health problems over time, such as an increased risk for Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders, premature aging, heart disease, and even stroke…and it all leads back to insulin sensitivity.
Ideally, when you consume carbohydrates, here is what you want to happen:
1. Minimum insulin release. This occurs when your body is highly sensitive to insulin. When it is, only a small amount of insulin is necessary to effectively and efficiently clear sugar from your blood to its storage sites. This is great news because your body has an incredibly difficult time burning fat in the presence of insulin. The less insulin you have floating around, the better.
2. Quick and efficient blood sugar clearance. Again, this will occur when your body is highly sensitive to insulin.
3. Maximum glycogen uptake. Glycogen is the term used for stored carbohydrate in muscle tissue and the liver. When these tissues are highly sensitive to insulin, the vast majority of blood sugar will be stored within them as an energy reserve, instead of being converted to fat.
4. Minimum fat storage. When you increase insulin sensitivity, your body will choose to store your carbohydrate intake as energy, again in lean muscle tissue and the liver, instead of body fat.
Again, your body's ability to tolerate carbohydrates all comes down to your insulin sensitivity and your body's ability to quickly and efficiently shuttle carbohydrates to lean tissue and not fat.
So how can you increase insulin sensitivity?
Well, you could go completely low-carb for an extended period of time in an attempt to repair your insulin receptors and increase insulin sensitivity. But for most, that's a rather dreadful option and even then you'd need to very slowly reintroduce carbohydrates back in to your diet to avoid massive fat gain.
No thanks.
Fortunately, you DON'T need to go low-carb or no-carb… at all.
In fact, many times you can enjoy even MORE carbohydrates than you currently are while losing even more fat when you utilize this one simple trick:
SUPERCHARGE your insulin sensitivity before each carbohydrate-containing meal in just a few seconds with the below 5 ingredients – each of which has been clinically shown to dramatically improve both insulin sensitivity and your body's ability to process carbs.
Here they are:
#1. Cinnamomum Burmannii, a potent extract harvested from Indonesian cinnamon bark that has been shown to effectively assist in managing blood sugar after a carbohydrate-rich meal while increasing your body's ability to process the carbohydrates you eat by up to 10 fold!
#2. Berberine. This rare plant alkaloid has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine in India. Berberine works slightly different by improving the signaling between insulin and its associated receptors while also increasing carb uptake by lean muscle for energy, not fat.
#3. Pterocarpus Marsupium is another all-natural herbal remedy used by Ayurvedic physicians in India. In fact, Pterocarpus Marsupium is so effective that it was shown in a recent Indian Journal of Medical Research study to reduce blood sugar levels 2 hours after a meal by a whopping 21%.
#4. 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a natural phytochemical extracted from the Fenugreek herb harvested in the remote regions of Eastern India, has been scientifically shown to increase carbohydrate storage in muscle cells while decreasing carbohydrate fat storage through the sensitizing of insulin receptors in muscle tissue.
4-hydroxyisoleucine has also been shown to interfere with the process by which the body converts muscle protein to sugar for energy. This encourages fat loss (instead of muscle break down) and aids in the retention of calorie-burning lean muscle as you lose fat. This is great news because the more lean muscle you hold on to as you diet, the more calories your body naturally burns without any extra effort on your part
#5 - R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA). Alpha Lipoic Acid is a naturally occuring fatty acid made up of two isomers, S-ALA and R-ALA, of which the R isomer has been shown to be significantly more effective and bioavailable. In fact, R-ALA is clinically proven to increase insulin sensitivity by an impressive 25% in just 4 weeks and is so powerful at managing blood sugar that it's even used by German doctors for the treatment of various nervous system conditions caused by high blood sugar.
(Eat Your Heart Out With This 45-Second Trick)
You've probably heard that carbohydrates are perhaps the WORST thing you can eat when trying to lose fat or transform your body, and for most people, that's 100% true.
You see, due to years of consuming a diet full of processed carbs, most people have grown VERY insensitive to one of the most important hormones in our body—a hormone that can either be a huge asset to your body transformation goals, or a total fat loss and health-derailing nightmare.
The name of this hormone is insulin.
And it's function is to help your body keep blood sugar at bay, clear it quickly from your bloodstream after a carbohydrate meal, and (hopefully) shuttle those carbs to be stored in muscle tissue for energy instead of info fat cells, driving up your weight.
I say "hopefully" because that's actually the exact opposite of what occurs when most people eat carbs.
Going back to insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate tolerance, due to a diet full of processed, insulin- and blood-sugar-spiking carbohydrates, most folks are suffering from some level of insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin is no longer able to efficiently remove blood sugar from the blood stream.
The result? Dramatically reduced fat burning, increased blood sugar levels and increased fat storage.
Even worse, insulin resistance can (and often does) lead to type II diabetes and an array of other health problems over time, such as an increased risk for Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders, premature aging, heart disease, and even stroke…and it all leads back to insulin sensitivity.
Ideally, when you consume carbohydrates, here is what you want to happen:
1. Minimum insulin release. This occurs when your body is highly sensitive to insulin. When it is, only a small amount of insulin is necessary to effectively and efficiently clear sugar from your blood to its storage sites. This is great news because your body has an incredibly difficult time burning fat in the presence of insulin. The less insulin you have floating around, the better.
2. Quick and efficient blood sugar clearance. Again, this will occur when your body is highly sensitive to insulin.
3. Maximum glycogen uptake. Glycogen is the term used for stored carbohydrate in muscle tissue and the liver. When these tissues are highly sensitive to insulin, the vast majority of blood sugar will be stored within them as an energy reserve, instead of being converted to fat.
4. Minimum fat storage. When you increase insulin sensitivity, your body will choose to store your carbohydrate intake as energy, again in lean muscle tissue and the liver, instead of body fat.
Again, your body's ability to tolerate carbohydrates all comes down to your insulin sensitivity and your body's ability to quickly and efficiently shuttle carbohydrates to lean tissue and not fat.
So how can you increase insulin sensitivity?
Well, you could go completely low-carb for an extended period of time in an attempt to repair your insulin receptors and increase insulin sensitivity. But for most, that's a rather dreadful option and even then you'd need to very slowly reintroduce carbohydrates back in to your diet to avoid massive fat gain.
No thanks.
Fortunately, you DON'T need to go low-carb or no-carb… at all.
In fact, many times you can enjoy even MORE carbohydrates than you currently are while losing even more fat when you utilize this one simple trick:
SUPERCHARGE your insulin sensitivity before each carbohydrate-containing meal in just a few seconds with the below 5 ingredients – each of which has been clinically shown to dramatically improve both insulin sensitivity and your body's ability to process carbs.
Here they are:
#1. Cinnamomum Burmannii, a potent extract harvested from Indonesian cinnamon bark that has been shown to effectively assist in managing blood sugar after a carbohydrate-rich meal while increasing your body's ability to process the carbohydrates you eat by up to 10 fold!
#2. Berberine. This rare plant alkaloid has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine in India. Berberine works slightly different by improving the signaling between insulin and its associated receptors while also increasing carb uptake by lean muscle for energy, not fat.
#3. Pterocarpus Marsupium is another all-natural herbal remedy used by Ayurvedic physicians in India. In fact, Pterocarpus Marsupium is so effective that it was shown in a recent Indian Journal of Medical Research study to reduce blood sugar levels 2 hours after a meal by a whopping 21%.
#4. 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a natural phytochemical extracted from the Fenugreek herb harvested in the remote regions of Eastern India, has been scientifically shown to increase carbohydrate storage in muscle cells while decreasing carbohydrate fat storage through the sensitizing of insulin receptors in muscle tissue.
4-hydroxyisoleucine has also been shown to interfere with the process by which the body converts muscle protein to sugar for energy. This encourages fat loss (instead of muscle break down) and aids in the retention of calorie-burning lean muscle as you lose fat. This is great news because the more lean muscle you hold on to as you diet, the more calories your body naturally burns without any extra effort on your part
#5 - R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA). Alpha Lipoic Acid is a naturally occuring fatty acid made up of two isomers, S-ALA and R-ALA, of which the R isomer has been shown to be significantly more effective and bioavailable. In fact, R-ALA is clinically proven to increase insulin sensitivity by an impressive 25% in just 4 weeks and is so powerful at managing blood sugar that it's even used by German doctors for the treatment of various nervous system conditions caused by high blood sugar.
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