Healthy Resources, Healthy Weight Loss

Acai Berries: Feel Like Wasting Your Time (And Money)?

1 Comment 12 July 2010

Acai berries...another fad diet that does not work!

An Internet search for acai berries is like browsing a list of spam emails. A majority of these so-called ‘balanced reviews’ that weigh the ‘pros and cons’ of acai berries are thinly veiled marketing ploys that involve getting you to give up your credit card details for a free trial of acai berry supplements which you’ll find extremely hard to cancel later. Against all of these expert opinions, you may think, what makes my diatribe any different? Well, I work as a nutrition counselor, advising people on wholesome food and fitness. That’s my 9 to 5. I’m also a loving mother of two kids, whom I try to teach to think logically about nutrition, and I’ve never advocated a single fad diet. I am also not trying to sell you anything, and this blog post will not lead to some place where you can purchase some dubious supplements like acai berry or any other product.

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Healthy Resources, Healthy Weight Loss

The South Beach Diet: Sounds Compelling – But Does It Work?

1 Comment 08 July 2010

The South Beach Diet is expensive to follow.

Despite how popular the South Beach Diet is, I would never recommend it to any of my clients who come in for nutrition consultations. In this article, I’ve compiled research on why the South Beach Diet is not a replacement for a healthy diet.

The South Beach Diet was developed by cardiologist Dr. Agatston in the 1980s as a strategy to help his patients reduce their risk of heart attack. The diet is based on the idea that good carbohydrates are those that score low on the glycemic index[2] and that the dieter could consequently ‘kill’ the hunger pangs that accompany high sugar intake. Though some of Dr. Agatston’s ideology is sound, like introducing oily fish and nuts, the extreme phases of the diet, i.e. lack of solid exercise and lack of evidence-based research make this diet a poor choice overall.

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Healthy Food Facts, Nutrition Facts

Power Food: Soy

1 Comment 05 July 2010

Fact: Animal meat is a source of complete protein.

Fact: Soybeans and soy are also a complete source of protein.

Soy is a very healthy superfood

What are complete proteins? Wikipedia defines complete or whole proteins as “a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acids for the dietary needs of humans.” Soy’s complete proteins are similar in composition to egg whites and milk protein and are also easy to digest.

Soy is also low in saturated fat and contains zero cholesterol. It’s important to keep your cholesterol count low as it can clog your arteries and put you at risk for heart disease, a major killer. Soy is also a great source of fiber, which is key for a healthy digestive system and can actually help lower cholesterol.

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Healthy Resources

Fact: One Third of all Cancers Are Preventable!

0 Comments 01 July 2010

Prevent cancer!

One in every eight deaths worldwide is due to cancer [1]. Most people know someone who has been affected: a friend, sibling, parent or distant relative. This post is all about the simple ways you can help prevent cancer from happening to you and your loved ones.

Genetic Markers

The first rule is to know your enemy. Having family members with a history of cancer put you at a higher risk. Investigate your family tree and list any and all genetic ailments you find, not just cancer, e.g. diabetes, hypertension, depression, high blood pressure, migraines, muscular dystrophy and congenital heart disease, which are also hereditary or at least influenced by genetics. Once you have this list, consult with your doctor about your personal risk. Some doctors may wish to sugarcoat it in order not to cause unnecessary worry; that’s fine, but you should ask him/her to be as realistic with you as possible.

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Healthy Resources

The Grapefruit Diet: An Entire Diet Based On One Fruit?

0 Comments 30 June 2010

Studies have shown that the Grapefruit Diet is not only unhealthy but dangerous!

The Grapefruit Diet (a.k.a. the Hollywood Diet), introduced during the 1930s, is one of the oldest fad diets. It’s one of those fad diets (like all of them!) that are just too good to be true. Through a combination of fatty meat, grapefruits and grapefruit juice[2], the Grapefruit Diet allegedly burns fat at high rate. The diet also includes limiting grains, fruit and vegetables.  Sound risky? It is… Advocates of the diet claim that it’s a “10 day, 10 pounds off diet,” but studies have shown it’s not only unhealthy, it’s also dangerous[2]. Also, can you really picture yourself eating grapefruit all the time, every day of your life? It’s just not a realistic regiment for most people.

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Healthy Resources, Healthy Weight Loss

The Atkins Diet: Eating Steak To Lose Weight?

1 Comment 15 June 2010

The Atkins diet is a high protein diet that is harmful to the body.

As a nutritionist, it pains me to think that people keep subscribing to fad diets, which can greatly endanger your health and lead to the ballooning effect, i.e. when a person diets and then balloons back to his/her original weight weeks later. Plus, limiting your diet to only a few food groups can even harm your body. This has inspiredme to start a series to explain the real deal behind fad diets. Today, I’ll start with one of most popular fad diets: the Atkins diet.

The entire basis of  Atkins is that a low-carb diet allegedly puts humans into a state of fat-burning ketosis, which Dr. Atkins claimed could help people to burn 950 calories more per day. However, one of the world’s leading medical journals, “The Lancet” conducted a study which concluded that there was no such metabolic advantage[1], and that dieters were just eating fewer calories out of boredom [2].

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Healthy Weight Loss

How To Get Rid of Belly Fat

0 Comments 30 May 2010

Time to lose that belly fat!

“I will lose weight” is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the world. It’s also the one resolution most of us fail to keep.

Despite the odds, and what the scale may tell you, you are capable of losing that weight! Fat is only a temporary part of you, and you can lose it. In this post I’d like to dispel some weight loss myths as well as give you some essential tips and tricks so you can finally lose that belly flab.

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Healthy Weight Loss

Maintaining Your Diet at the Buffet Table

2 Comments 27 May 2010

Buffet tables make you forget you're on a diet.

If everyone carried little comic thought bubbles above their heads near buffets, I wouldn’t be surprised to find these statements inside them.

“I didn’t eat lunch. That means more room for buffet dinner!”
“I’m on a diet – I guess I’ll eat salad with all that dressing first.”
“They might run out – let me get a big plate!”
“I’ll only eat the expensive stuff. Haha.”
“Oh good, buffet. I’ll diet tomorrow!”

It does seem rather unfair that you need to take 5,000 steps to burn through a single hot dog. Just think of what gorging yourself at the buffet table will do to your diet. Burning off what you ate at the buffet table will take many more times that – it could take hours upon hours of exercise. But how do you maintain your diet faced with a feast of epic proportions?

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Healthy Cooking Tips

Foodie On A Budget? Use A Misto Sprayer!

0 Comments 24 May 2010

Misto, the gourmet olive oil sprayer

Everyone has those cave man memories. Remember when cable only had a few channels? Remember life before email? Remember when dinosaurs roamed the Earth? Well, I have such a story. I used to pour these great big tablespoons of olive oil onto my dishes when teaspoonfuls were more than enough. I drizzled my salads incoherently with no restraint, making them wilt under the weight of all that oil when I could’ve used much less. There was even a time I used to spend too much on cooking oil sprays. Now there’s a budget-friendly, superior alternative was within grasp: a Misto sprayer.

I am in no way affiliated with the Misto company. In fact, you are welcome to use any number of other brands. I’m reviewing this product because it’s one I’ve tried and am comfortable using.

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Healthy Cooking Tips, Nutrition Facts

How to Cook Vegetables By Color

0 Comments 20 May 2010

Color denotes how best to cook your veggies.

Though recipes are the gourmand’s ’safe bet’ in an uncertain world, wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply cook a vegetable based on its color, knowing how to craft culinary morsels with only a swift and assured glance? Trouble yourself no more. By the end of this guide, you will be armed to the teeth with enough knowledge to please any discerning palate.

All vegetables have pigments. Pigments are an indicator of how the vegetable should be cooked or eaten. The golden rule is to preserve a vegetable’s natural color to ensure that its nutritional content stays intact.

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