empowereddoctor.com - nutritionanddiet

Five Overlooked Food Factors in Weight Loss

2008-11-25

Losing weight isn't just a matter of cutting and burning calories. There are certain inherent qualities of foods, which, if you understand them, can help you craft an eating strategy that will magnify the effectiveness of your fat loss efforts. Your food's "thermic effect." You burn more calories depending on what type of food you're eating. It takes more calories, for example, to digest, absorb and assimilate protein than other food types. So the more proteins you eat, which have a higher co-called thermic effect of food (TEF), the more calories you'll burn.

10 Dark Secrets of the Food Industry

2008-10-30

With the public health crisis known as obesity reaching emergency proportions in the United States, the public spotlight is turning on the makers of the highly processed, high-calorie junk foods that help to fuel the growing calamity. In a recent study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese, and 11 percent were extremely obese.

Eat Differently as You Age

2008-10-16

As people get older, their metabolism begins to change. And this means their intake of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals must change, too, or their health might suffer. "All the nutritional things that we need to be concerned about as younger adults are even more important as we get older," says Alice Lichtenstein, professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Tips on Living to Be 100

2008-10-13

The number of centenarians in America has been steadily rising over the past century - from about 3,000 in 1950, to 37,306 in 1990, to 73,674 in 2004, the most recent year in which those 100 or older have been counted. And the U.S. Census Bureau expects there to be some 1.1 million in the year 2050 - provided bogeymen such as ever-increasing obesity and diabetes don't wreck the predictions. But the secret of living to be 100 or better isn't just in the genes. In fact, a variety of researchers believe genetic factors account for only 25 percent to 35 percent of a person's longevity. The other 65 percent to 75 percent is determined by one's lifestyle.

Calorie Overload Creates Brain Imbalances

2008-10-08

Overeating can cause the brain to lose control and cause damage potentially leading to diabetes, heart disease, and other ills - according to new U.S. research. Eating too much appears to make a usually dormant immune system pathway in the brain, sending out immune cells to attack and destroy non-existent invaders. The finding could help explain why obesity causes so many different diseases, and also may offer a way to prevent obesity itself.

A Beauty Spa in Your Refrigerator

2008-10-01

You just might discover the best cosmetic medicine not at your local plastic surgeon or spa but at your local grocery store. Experts have identified an increasing number of "beauty foods" that act to add youthful qualities to skin, hair and teeth. For example, salmon and other omega-3-fatty-acid-rich foods help smooth wrinkles. Cranberries help whiten teeth. And spinach, broccoli and Swiss chard help produce glossy, well-conditioned hair.

Eight Strategies to Reduce Triglycerides

2008-09-29

High triglycerides in your bloodstream can be just as much a danger signal for the health of your heart as high cholesterol, according to the Harvard Heart Letter. Trouble is, people's awareness of the threat of cholesterol, hyped in the media for years, is far greater than that of triglycerides, the most common form of fat in food and the blood. Researchers have determined that the triglyceride danger threshold is 200 milligrams per deciliter of blood. So if your level is above that, the best way to reduce it is to change your lifestyle in the following eight ways.

Five Foods to Slim By

2008-09-25

Instead of getting on a fad diet, only to crash and burn a few weeks later, it's best to eat wholesome, natural foods in five or so small meals a day, according to anti-aging expert Dr. Maoshing Ni. Dr. Mao, as the doctor of Chinese medicine and author of the best-selling book Secrets of Longevity is known, says a good weight-loss diet includes lean proteins, such as chicken breast; legumes, such as split peas and lentils; and whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fad diets, he says, almost inevitably deny a person some important nutrients, leading to cravings all too often cause the dieter to regain his weight - and perhaps even more. He advocates eating the following as part of a sensible weight-loss program:

Alternatives to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

2008-09-23

If you have high cholesterol and you're brimming with confidence in synthetic pharmaceuticals, then statin drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor and Levitor are for you. If, however, you lean toward medicating your body with natural products, there are a variety of items that have been scientifically proven to lower cholesterol - without the serious side effects of statin drugs that include severe memory loss, muscle cramps, liver toxicity, hair loss, heartburn and nausea.

Sleep Is Food for Your Body

2008-09-18

Just as important as food, water and exercise for the health of your body is sleep. In fact, without sleep, animals in the laboratory die in a matter of weeks. In humans, lack of sleep works havoc on biological systems. It not only causes the relatively minor symptoms of drowsiness, irritability and concentration difficulty, but it appears to also cause hormonal changes that result in increased appetite, weight gain, obesity and greater risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. It also contributes to motor vehicle and on-the-job accidents.