5 Magic Numbers Every Dieter Needs to Know

By Yemliha Toker

Does this sound familiar? You've been watching yourself all week (avoiding junk, skipping seconds) and still, your weight is exactly the same as it was a week ago-or worse, even inched up a pound or two. It's hard to remember that weight loss is a long-term process, you've got to stay patient. But I've learned that focusing on just your weight can sabotage your motivation. So instead here are five other numbers to think about. Keep track of these and your overall health (as well as your weight) ought to improve.

1. Waist circumference
By now, you've probably heard enough experts blast BMI (body mass index, or a ratio of your weight to your height), saying it's not a good measure of body fat and health. Instead, you should know how many inches your waist measures. That's because the fat that accumulates around your middle is linked to a host of health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even death. One 2010 study examined more than 100,000 Americans age 50 and older and found that people with the biggest waist size had about twice the risk of dying as the slimmest.

Numbers to know: Aim for less than 35 inches for women and 40 for men.

2. Daily calorie requirement
Our health books editor loves to point out the one thing most successful weight-loss programs have in common: They cut calories. Why? Chances are you consume way more than you realize or need.

Number to know: Most not-too-active middle aged women should consume around 1,600 calories a day to lose weight; men should consume 2,000 to 2,200. Try Mayo Clinic's calorie calculator tool for a personalized guesstimate that takes age, activity levels, and other factors into account.

3. Daily fiber intake
You probably scan food labels for calorie and fat content. But if I asked you how much fiber you're eating each day, I bet you wouldn't know (and it's probably half of what you should get). The big deal about fiber and weight loss is that it takes your body a long time to digest it compared to other nutrients. This tamps down hunger cravings and prevents blood sugar spikes. You know how can feel voracious an hour after eating a jumbo plain bagel? That's probably because your meal had no fiber.

Number to know: Many experts recommend 25 to 35 grams a day (a medium apple and a cup of oatmeal each have four, for example); some would love to see us eating even more. Most adults get about 15 grams a day. If you're pretty low on the fiber intake, add it slowly to avoid feeling bloated.

4. How much you sleep
Sleep helps the body regulate complex hormonal processes that affect our appetite, cravings, and weight. There's now ample research that shows people who get less sleep are more likely to be overweight and munch on junk food than those who get more. Skimping on sleep may sabotage your diet as much as the Snickers calling your name from the office candy bowl.

Number to know: If you're consistently getting six hours or less, your sleep habits may be tampering with your weight-loss goals. Most adults need seven to eight hours a night. A good clue you're getting enough: not needing an alarm clock to wake up.

5. How many steps you take each day
More and more research shows it's not the hour we spend sweating it out in the gym that counts, but all the incremental activity that adds up over the course of the day from things like taking the stairs, walking over to a colleague's desk instead of emailing, or standing and pacing while you chat on the phone. Sitting down is bad for your body and your metabolism-our hunter-gatherer ancestors were constantly on the move, and so we've evolved not to sit still for hours on end.

Number to know: The magic step count (which you can learn by wearing a pedometer) is 10,000 a day. Most inactive people get 2,000 or fewer.

Article Source:  5 Magic Numbers Every Dieter Needs to Know

You Are What You Eat, Revisited

By Yemliha Toker

Over the four years of the study, participants put on an average of about 0.8 pounds per year, or 3.2 pounds over the entire study. Perhaps a gain of 0.8 pounds per year doesn't seem like too severe a problem, but over 20 years' time, it's going to swell up to 16 pounds--potentially enough to contribute to becoming overweight and to health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

The No. 1 weight-gain perpetrator

Perhaps surprisingly, the researchers discovered that the food most strongly linked with the participants' gains in weight was the humble potato chip. Yep, this mild-mannered but ubiquitous snack food was responsible for about one-half of the 3.2 pounds that the average study subject put on over the four-year period.

Some other consumable culprits

Overall, if eaten in large quantities, potatoes themselves were responsible for 1.28 pounds of an average participant's 3.2-pound weight gain. Likewise, these three other food categories were each believed to also be responsible for packing on an additional pound of weight during the study:

sugar-sweetened beverages

unprocessed red meats

processed meats

Behaviors can put on weight too

The study also mentioned several other factors besides diet that were involved in gaining weight, including

drinking alcohol -- for each alcoholic drink averaged per day, participants gained 0.41 pound by the end of the four years

stopping smoking -- participants who quit during the study put on 5.17 pounds over four years

watching TV -- for each hour of TV averaged per day, participants gained 0.31 pound over the four years

On the flip side

During the four-year study, the researchers also identified some foods that were significantly linked with weight loss, with yogurt at the top of this "good" list. All of these values in pounds signify the weight lost from averaging one serving of a particular "good" food per day over the four-year span. All values were statistically significant (P <0.005).

eating an average of one serving of yogurt over four years was associated with a total loss of 0.82 pound

nuts, a total loss of 0.57 pound

fruits, a total loss of 0.49 pound

whole grains, a total loss of 0.37 pound

vegetables, a total loss of 0.22 pound

Including more of these foods in your diet over time might not result in dramatic weight loss, but may, in the long run, result in slimming of the waistline and decreasing your risk for the significant diseases mentioned above.

Other things associated with weight loss

Regular physical activity was linked with a 1.76-pound loss of weight over the four-year study period. No surprise, therefore, that exercising, as well as stopping smoking and cutting back on TV and alcohol also appeared to be important in keeping the weight off.

My take on this study

Although these findings might not seem like earth-shattering news, this study does pinpoint the healthiest weight-loss foods that you must include in your diet--foods such as yogurt (soy yogurt if you're vegan or have issues with dairy), fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.

Nuts are healthy, of course, but moderation is encouraged if you're having weight challenges (that is, no more per day than a 1/4-cup serving) since they're chock-full of calories. (A person innocently snacking on a bowl of nuts has been known to consume over 2,000 calories in one sitting!)

Probiotics, or healthy bacteria, might be a factor in yogurt's weight-healthy benefits, since recent studies of these good bacteria have revealed that they promote weight-friendly hormones.

Of course, I'd go with the non-sugary kind of yogurt, especially the Greek and Icelandic styles, which have much more protein than regular brands and satisfy your appetite much better.

Prebiotics--the healthy foods that our bodies' good bacteria like to eat--are found in fresh fruits (bananas are super-high in them), vegetables, and whole grains.

Prebiotics might also help keep our gastrointestinal tract happy, which is always a good thing, and might be weight friendly as well.

Moderation is crucial. There isn't one magical food or ingredient that we should be eating all of the time. When you're shopping for fruits and vegetables, buy all the colors of the rainbow, so you will be eating a whole array of different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (cancer-fighting agents).

To your health, dear readers!

Article Source:  You Are What You Eat, Revisited

When Inflammation Goes Bad

By Yemliha Toker

But inflammation is a funny thing. Sometimes, the body comes to believe that normal healthy tissue is infected or is a foreign object, and then the immune system starts to fight against and destroy that healthy tissue.

This second type of inflammation--when inflammation goes awry--is believed to be involved in many chronic illnesses that plague us today. Heart disease, many cancers, and possibly even diabetes and obesity seem to be due at least in part to the body becoming chronically inflamed.

Fight It With Good Goods
Since inflammation can sometimes trigger these diseases, it seems logical to find ways of keeping low-level, chronic inflammation to a minimum inside our bodies.

Well, luckily, researchers have discovered that certain foods and dietary habits are linked to lowering levels of inflammation. Also, if you are already living with some of the diseases mentioned above, you might want to encourage your body's healing processes by eating an anti-inflammatory diet.

What Is An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
Actually, it's not a diet per se, but a way of eating that, in short, encourages consumption of natural foods instead of packaged ones. Such a diet also calls for eating foods that have been identified by researchers as being able to decrease inflammation--for example, salmon. This fish is naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have turned out to be Mother Nature's big-time inflammation tamers.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Tips
You can read about the anti-inflammatory diet in many places, but I've been most impressed by the information on Dr. Andrew Weil's website. I'm going to summarize his main points below.

Include as many fresh food as possible, including plenty of fruits and vegetables right out of the garden.
Try not to eat processed foods and fast foods. Particularly avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup--and please note that the Corn Refiners Association is now calling this non-food "corn sugar."
Eat a variety of foods.
Eat more whole grains like brown rice and bulgur wheat. During the processing of these crops, the grain is kept whole and intact, or else is cracked into only a few large pieces.
Whole-wheat flour is no longer a champion. Products made with it have the same glycemic index as those made with white flour, so whole wheat probably won't stabilize your blood sugar level as well as, say, brown rice and bulgur.
Consume more beans, winter squash, and sweet potatoes.
Decrease your intake of saturated fat. Eat less butter, cream, high-fat cheese, un-skinned chicken, whole milk, and fatty meats, as well as of any products made with palm-kernel oil.
Use extra-virgin olive oil as your primary cooking oil or, alternatively, expeller-pressed, organic canola oil.
Also acceptable: organic, high-oleic, expeller-pressed sunflower and safflower oils.
Avoid the regular types of oils. Regular safflower, canola, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, and mixed vegetable oils are not as nutritious.
Avoid margarine, shortening, and all products listing them in their ingredients, as well as any products made with partially hydrogenated oils or palm kernel oil.
Include avocados and nuts in your diet.
Consume foods high in omega-3-fatty acids, such as salmon (choose wild over farm-raised fish), sardines, herring, black cod, hemp seeds, and flax seeds. (Grind up the seeds first.).
Take fish-oil supplements if you're not eating oily fish at least twice a week. Dr. Weil recommends buying only "molecularly distilled" products, which are certified free of heavy metals and other contaminants.
Decrease your consumption of animal protein, except for fish and high-quality, low-fat, natural cheeses and yogurts.
Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general, and from soybeans in particular. Also look into whole-soy foods, as opposed to foods made with processed soy.
Drink pure water. (Note: Expensive bottled waters are not only environmentally unsound; they are also not guaranteed to be pure. Look into buying a high-quality water filter.)
Drink teas instead of coffee, including white, green, or oolong tea.
If you drink alcohol, red wine is the preferred kind.
Enjoy (in moderation) plain, dark chocolate that has at least 70-percent cocoa content.

My Thoughts About The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Dr. Weil's outline above might sound overwhelming, but if you think about it, it's really pretty basic:

Eat natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible.

Steer clear of saturated fats, particularly animal fats.

Increase fiber consumption by eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

Eat more ancient grains, which have the added advantage of being free of gluten, the protein in wheat that can cause serious chronic inflammation in some people.

If you're a vegan/vegetarian and aren't eating fish oils of any kind, you can still get the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids by taking high-quality DHA/EPA supplements. (DHA and EPA are abbreviations for two of the omega-3 fatty acids: docosahaxanoic acid and eicosapentanoic acid, respectively).

Consider adopting at least a few of these tips right now, particularly if your diet doesn't incorporate many anti-inflammatory practices. Then gradually begin to add other foods and strategies that appeal to you. See if such a diet helps you feel better overall.

Of course, always check with your doctor before starting or changing supplements. This includes the omega-3 supplements, which are natural blood thinners, or might otherwise be inappropriate for a particular person.

Article Source:  When Inflammation Goes Bad

How to Dine Out and Stay Healthy

By Yemliha Toker

What these researchers found out about fast food was pretty impressive, from a (bad) health perspective: Each one of those speedy breakfasts, lunches, or dinners contained an average of more than 1,750 milligrams (mg) of sodium.

To put these findings in perspective, consider that the new U.S. government dietary guidelines recommend that a person consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium--over the course of a whole day. Would you be shocked if I also told you that over half of those 6,500 single meals (57 percent of them) contained more sodium than the 1,500 mg daily supply?

Far too much salt

And how much sodium does the human body really require in a day? Only about 500 mg. And yet, the experts estimate that the average American swallows between 6,900 mg and 9,000 mg of sodium every day.

Since 1 teaspoon of salt contains roughly 2,000 mg of sodium, this means that the average American is downing up to 4 1/2 teaspoons of salt each and every day! If a high-sodium diet can leave you feeling bloated, what must these folks be feeling?

A hazardous substance

For people sensitive to sodium, such as those with a family history of hypertension, people with diabetes, African Americans, and the elderly, the accumulation of too much salt in the body can be particularly risky--it can, for example, increase one's chances of getting heart disease, a leading killer. Add to this the fact that about half the people with high blood pressure aren't even aware that they have hypertension--and, Houston, we've got a problem here.

Consuming less sodium in restaurants

Now that you know that restaurant food in particular is laden with piles of sodium, maybe it's time for us all to review the tips given by the American Heart Association (AHA) to reduce sodium intake when dining out:

Get to know which foods are low in sodium, and look for them on the menu.

Ask for your dish to be prepared without salt.

When you order, be specific about how you want your food prepared.

Don't add salt to your food. Instead of the salt shaker, reach for the pepper shaker.

Ask for fresh lemon and squeeze its juice onto your dish instead of using salt. (Lemon juice goes well with fish and vegetables, for example.)

And consume less fat as well

As always, we've got to also continue to keep track of the calories and fat when dining out. What should your daily target be for calories and fat? The AHA now recommends that most adults, besides limiting their sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day, consume no more than about 2,000 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat (the artery-clogging kind) each day.

Healthy options are possible--even at McDonald's (sort of)

So how are you supposed to navigate the unhealthy meals being dished out by so many of today's eating establishments? If you find yourself at a McDonald's, for example, what can you do to stay healthy? The medical and health news publisher WebMD recommends steering clear of the fatty offerings and going with the Egg McMuffin, which totals

300 calories

12 grams of fat (5 grams of it saturated fat)

2 grams of fiber

protein that should help you feel satisfied for hours

But... please know that the McMuffin falters in the sodium department, containing as it does a whopping 820 mg of the stuff, or a little more than half the daily limit of 1,500 mg.

... And even at Burger King (sort of)

In Burger King, you could choose the Egg and Cheese Croissan'wich, which provides

• 320 calories

• 16 grams fat (7 grams of it saturated)

• 11 g of protein to keep your hunger at bay

Like the McMuffin's, however, the Croissan'wich's sodium content is still too high: 690 mg.

If you're ordering lunch at Burger King, the chicken baguette sandwich will supply you with 350 calories and 5 grams of fat.

A great source of dietary info from restaurants

HealthyDiningfinder is a website that has teamed up with restaurants and with registered dietitians to help diners in the U.S. find--and restaurants to serve--food that passes or surpasses a list of healthy-eating criteria. The website shows diners a selection of restaurants in their area that offer tasty, dietitian-approved, menu choices, while it inspires the restaurants themselves to offer healthier choices.

The site also provides tips on how to decrease the content and consumption of calories, fat, and sodium. In order to meet HealthyDiningfinder's "Sodium Savvy" criteria, for example, an entr�e can have no more than 750 mg of sodium, whereas appetizers, side dishes, and desserts must contain no more than 250 mg.

Playing with HealthyDiningfinder

Here's how I had fun playing with this website:

Go to the search mechanism on HealthyDiningfinder.com and you'll find the search parameters listed in a column down the left-hand side of the page.

Type in your city, state, and zip code. (It's not necessary to enter your exact street address.)

Narrow your search to within 5, 10, 15, 20, or 50 miles of your house, depending on how far you're willing to drive for a meal.

Don't bother choosing a "Price Range"--you might as well see all the restaurant options available out there.

I clicked on only 1 "Cuisine" choice at a time--"American/Family"; "Asian/Chinese"; "Italian"; Fast/Quick"; "Mexican"; "Seafood"; "Other"; etc.). By choosing just a single category each time, I could keep my search results simple.

Click the "Apply" button after each of your "Cuisine" choices, take note of the results, and then go back to the search page and unclick your last choice. Choose another type of cooking that you're interested in and click "Apply" again. Repeat as long as you want to keep looking.

I also didn't bother to choose any of the 3 Specialties--"Sodium Savvy," "Kids LiveWell," and "Coupons"--because whenever a restaurant popped up in the search results, its specialties were automatically listed below its name and logo.

A couple of surprises

HealthyDiningfinder's search form worked pretty well for me, although it presented me with a couple of surprises. A Hooters restaurant here in Baltimore, for example, proudly listed 7 "Healthy Dining Options"--who knew? And when I searched "Seafood," not a single restaurant turned up, even when I extended the search out to 50 miles. I have to assume that the "Seafood" category was not functioning, since I live in Baltimore, a city that sits right on the Chesapeake Bay and is world-renowned for its piscine delights. Oh--that reminds me of 1 further step:

8. At some point in your search, be sure to click on the last category, "Other." When I finally got around to searching it, several seafood places did pop up--although none was a Baltimore great.

The point is, with a little planning and the help of HealthyDiningfinder, you can indeed find healthy meals when you dine out.

Article Source: How to Dine Out and Stay Healthy

Are You Getting Enough Probiotics?

By Yemliha Toker

Probiotics are the "good" or "healthy" bacteria that live in our gut and keep our gastrointestinal tract in optimal health. It's estimated that this nice mix of microflora growing in our intestines amounts to some 100 trillion bacteria--10 times more than the 10 trillion total cells making up our bodies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations define probiotics as "microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits to the host." But just how much probiotics is "adequate," and how can you work them into your diet?

How much--or many--do you need?

You may have seen TV ads featuring Jamie Lee Curtis touting a particular yogurt for its "healthy bacteria"--but is eating an occasional carton of yogurt going to be enough? Hardly--research suggests that in order to ingest a "therapeutic" amount of bacteria, we need to eat a dollop of yogurt that contains around 10 billion "colony-forming units" or CFUs (aka "bacteria"). And since many of the yogurts you can buy in grocery stores, including the one Jamie is holding up for the camera, contain bacteria "only" numbering in the millions, that's not going to be nearly enough.

Benefits even from run-of-the-mill yogurts having "active cultures"

But in spite of most yogurts' relatively paltry bacterial numbers, even those merely containing "active cultures" can still help with certain gastrointestinal ailments, including:
constipation
diarrhea
lactose intolerance
inflammatory bowel disease
colon cancer
infection with H. pylori (the bacteria that's linked with peptic-ulcer disease)

Researchers at Tufts University have cited additional benefits to be had from yogurts with active cultures:
enhancement of the body's immune system
decrease in the time food takes to go through the bowel
positive changes to the microflora of the gut

Foods containing probiotics

Probiotics, which include such bacterial species as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, and yeast, can be found in foods such as:
yogurt
milk
miso tempeh
soy beverages

Benefits of higher doses of probiotic bacteria

Lactobacillus acidophilus, the one with lactic-acid bacteria (and abbreviated L. acidophilus on food labels), is the most well-known healthy bacteria and comprises the largest family of probiotics. L. acidophilus can also be ingested in supplements, with doses ranging from 1 billion to 35 billion or more per serving. These products with the highest doses are typically found online rather than at pharmacies and grocery stores. What are the potential health benefits of probiotics in these higher doses that you won't find in yogurt? Researchers have found that high-dose probiotics have many health benefits, including:
treatment of diarrhea
treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
reduction of the recurrence of bladder cancer
prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections
shortening of duration of intestinal infections
prevention and treatment of inflammation after colon surgery (also called pouchitis)
prevention and management of eczema in children
possible prevention of kidney stones (because L. acidophilus can encourage the growth of another bacteria, O. formigenes, which can decrease the risk of kidney stones)

Side effects or risks associated with the use of probiotics

While probiotics are generally found to be safe, only a few studies have been conducted on elderly, young, or immune-compromised populations. In populations where probiotic use has been studied, though, side effects are typically mild (for example, increased gas or bloating).

General considerations

As with any supplement, always check with your doctor before beginning a new regimen.

It's important to note that dietary supplements (including vitamins and minerals) are not regulated by the FDA and therefore these products might not have the quality or purity that's suggested by the label.

Choosing a well-known brand, or buying products bearing a USP label, will ensure that the product is safe.

Consumer Reports is a good place to verify if your particular probiotic contains the numbers of bacteria advertised on the label.

Article Source:  Are You Getting Enough Probiotics?