Fighting Obesity
Index of Diseases / Health Conditions
The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.
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Other Web Resources on Weight Loss: |
Health Risks Associated with Obesity
The difference between being overweight and obese ...
Foods & Beverages That Are Helpful for Weight Control
Action Plan for Weightloss
Fat May Not Be Making You Fat by Maggie Z. Mathews
The "Yeast Infections & Obesity" Link
If you crave baking products Wheat Sensitivity could be YOUR Problem
The Obesity Epidemic: Is Plastic Making Us Fat?
Health Risks:
Obesity ...
- Increases your risk of type-2 diabetes by 300%
- Increases your risk of high cholesterol by 200%
- Increases your risk of heart disease by 200%
- Increases your risk of arthritis by 200%
- Increases your risk of high blood pressure by 200%
The difference between being overweight and obese ...
Doctors use the body mass index (BMI) to determine whether someone is overweight or obese. Your BMI is determined by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered obese. Visit nhlbisupport.com/bmi to calculate your BMI.
Unhealthy conditions, such as excess weight, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel, reflux, migraines, ADD, irritability, PMS and more, are increasingly being linked to diets high in sugar, bread, pasta, white rice, potato, cereals, snack foods and baked goods.
The "Yeast Infections & Obesity" Link:
Fungi need sugar to create their preferable acidic environment. They create this environment by releasing chemicals that trick the body into thinking blood sugar is low, causing intense carb cravings.
The patient is likely to suffer from fatigue and brain fog in addition to the intense food cravings; and will be tempted to eat sugary / high-carb foods that promote yeast growth - resulting in a vicious circle of cravings and binges. This can only be resolved by removing any food items from the environment and replacing them with healthy snacks that will help decrease appetite and resolve the yeast infection, as well as introducing food items that help balance internal yeast.
Click here to find out what you can do about yeast infections.
Action Plan for Weightloss:
- Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function): please visit this webpage for information
- Diet:
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found in grass-fed meats and poultry, whole-milk dairy products, and eggs. Meat typically sold at grocery stores are corn or grain fed, not grass-fed. Grass-fed animals have as much as 500 times the amount of CLA as conventional animals fed grains and feed. Organically raised grass-fed animals also have more lean protein and less fat. They have been raised without hormones and antibiotics.
In a study published in Journal of International Medical Research study participants received CLA or placebo for 3 months. They were instructed not to make any changes in their diet and lifestyle during the study. The result was that the CLA group had a significant reduction in body fat percent from 21.3% to 17.0%, and a reduction in body weight. .
According to another study, published in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition found an average reduction of six pounds of body fat in the CLA group, compared to the placebo group. This study found that about 3.4 grams of CLA per day is needed to obtain the beneficial effects of CLA on body fat. The lead of this particular study,
Dr. Michael Pariza conducted this research together with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the results were reported in August 2000 to the American Chemical Society. He stated "it doesn't make a big fat cell get little. What it rather does is keep a little fat cell from getting big."
Pariza's research did not find weight loss in his group of 71 overweight people, but what he did find was that when the dieters stopped dieting, and gained back weight, those taking CLA "were more likely to gain muscle and not fat.''
Another study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana, found that CLA improved insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetic patients, and moderately reduced the blood glucose level and triglyceride levels.
Recent studies have shown that CLA can:
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- Enhance your metabolism.
- Build muscle mass. CLA helps people reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass in people who exercise.
- Lower your cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Prevent and treat diabetes by lowering insulin resistance. CLA can be a treatment for people with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
- Boost your immunity.
- Fight all three stages of cancer: initiation, promotion as well as progression. Also, CLA reduces the potency of the dangerous carcinogens that cause cells to mutate.
- Fructose - making us fat ... The reason why people on low-carb diets lose weight may very well be because they are get less fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly. A recent study shows that the type of carbs someone eats can be as important as the amount. Although fructose is naturally found in high levels in fruit, it is also added to many processed foods, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup.
For this study, six healthy people performed three different tests involving drinking various mixes of glucose and fructose. Researchers found that fructose turned into body fat much more quickly, and that having it for breakfast changed how the body handled fats at lunch. (Sources: NBC5 July 25, 2008 Journal of Nutrition June 2008, 138:1039-1046 )
- Eliminate any food items from your kitchen that are high in refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. That is the most important aspect. We are addicted to many food additives and in weak moments, we won't be able to resist them. We need to eliminate them from our environment, if we are serious about losing weight and getting well.
- People with weight problems tend to suffer from uncontrollable food cravings and don't realize that certain foods are causing these cravings (please refer to: "Yeast Infections & Obesity"). Cutting out those foods will give you back control over what you eat, as you will be able to choose on the basis of what is good for you, rather than what you are addicted to. Giving up those unhealthy addictive food items (in my case it's wheat -- even whole wheat) may appear to be a huge sacrifice, but you'll find that once you have changed your diet, your food cravings will disappear and you will learn to love healthful food items. For example, I make my favorite pancakes with almond flour, instead of wheat flour that I am sensitive to -- and I like those pancakes just as much. Even more importantly -- you will feel so much better. I would always feel tired, "muddy-brained" after eating wheat. More information on wheat sensitivity.
- Sugary food items should be entirely eliminated and replaced with healthy foods instead. My favorite healthy snack: a healthy trail mix. Skip those with "yogurt-coated raisins or nuts " as they contain unhealthy additives / transfats / sugars. A good trail mix should contain seeds, nuts, dried fruits. I found this satisfying and very filling. Click here for my favorite trail mix recipe.
- People with weight problems tend to suffer from uncontrollable food cravings and don't realize that certain foods are causing these cravings (please refer to: "Yeast Infections & Obesity"). Cutting out those foods will give you back control over what you eat, as you will be able to choose on the basis of what is good for you, rather than what you are addicted to. Giving up those unhealthy addictive food items (in my case it's wheat -- even whole wheat) may appear to be a huge sacrifice, but you'll find that once you have changed your diet, your food cravings will disappear and you will learn to love healthful food items. For example, I make my favorite pancakes with almond flour, instead of wheat flour that I am sensitive to -- and I like those pancakes just as much. Even more importantly -- you will feel so much better. I would always feel tired, "muddy-brained" after eating wheat. More information on wheat sensitivity.
- Vitamin C: A study led by nutrition researchers from Arizona State University found that too little vitamin C in the blood stream correlates with increased body fat and waist measurements. The scientists report that the amount of vitamin C in the blood stream is directly related to fat oxidation – the body's ability to use fat as a fuel source – during both exercise and at rest. The controlled four-week study involved 20 obese men and woman. Half of the participants were given a 500 mg vitamin C capsule daily and the control group took placebos.
- Vitamin B6: Brazilian researchers at the University of Sao Paula discovered that the B6 vitamin speeds fat lost. They found that for each extra milligram of B6, dieters got from foods they lost an extra 3.3 pounds. University of Michigan's Mark Moyad, MD comments: "B vitamins are tied to metabolism increases, mood improvement, stress reduction and reduction of triglycerides stored in belly fat -- all of which may lead to weight loss.
B6 is said to help the dieter to:
- Burn calories instead of storing them
- Reduce get-fat hormones
- Reduce cravings
Researchers recommend for dieters to aim at 5 mg of B6 from food sources per day. According to Dr. Moyad, eating foods naturally rich in B6 is extremely safe. As for supplements, he recommends they be taken only under medical supervision, as B6 can interfere with epilepsy drugs and also excessive levels of B-complex supplementation have been linked to breast cancer.
Surveys in the U.S. have shown that dietary intake of vitamin B6 averages about 2 mg/day for men and 1.5 mg/day for women. A survey of elderly individuals found that men and women over 60 years old consumed about 1.2 mg/day and 1.0 mg/day, respectively; both intakes are lower than the current RDA.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin B6 Life Stage Age Males (mg/day) Females (mg/day) Infants 0-6 months 0.1 (AI) 0.1 (AI) Infants 7-12 months 0.3 (AI) 0.3 (AI) Children 1-3 years 0.5 0.5 Children 4-8 years 0.6 0.6 Children 9-13 years 1.0 1.0 Adolescents 14-18 years 1.3 1.2 Adults 19-50 years 1.3 1.3 Adults 51 years and older 1.7 1.5 Pregnancy all ages - 1.9 Breast-feeding all ages - 2.0 Ref.: Linus Pauling Institute Food
Serving
Vitamin B6 Liver 3 ounces 1.22 mg Garbanzo beans 1/2 cup 0.57 mg Chicken breast 1/2 0.52 mg Pork loin 3 ounces 0.43 mg Banana 1 medium l 0.43 - 0.68 mg Salmon, wild, cooked 3 ounces* 0.48 mg Turkey, without skin, cooked 3 ounces 0.39 mg Lean roast beef 3 ounces 0.32 mg Chicken, light meat without skin, cooked 3 ounces 0.51 mg Potato, Russet, baked, with skin 1 medium 0.70 mg Spinach, cooked 1 cup 0.44 mg Trout 3 ounces 0.29 mg Sunflower seeds 1 ounce 0.23 mg Spinach 1/2 0.14 mg Hazelnuts, dry roasted 1 ounce 0.18 mg Vegetable juice cocktail 6 ounces 0.26 mg - Stock up with fruits, vegetables and low-fat or no-fat dairy products. It is very important to forgo any refined flour / white flour food items and opt for whole grains instead. Do note that people with wheat intolerances may need to cut out all wheat products to lose weight and improve their health.
- Fish Oil: Researchers at the University of South Australia found that study subjects who took six 1-gram omega-3 fish oil capsules daily, in addition to exercising three days a week, lost 4.4 pounds more than exercisers who skipped the suplement. The oil's fatt acidds are believed to activate fat-burning enzymes, while execise increases metablic rate.
- Click here to find the best and the worst fish to eat.
- Supplements, such a good quality Cod Liver Oil, are also an option. There are some lemon-flavored version that are not unpleasant to eat (click on the link for more info).
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found in grass-fed meats and poultry, whole-milk dairy products, and eggs. Meat typically sold at grocery stores are corn or grain fed, not grass-fed. Grass-fed animals have as much as 500 times the amount of CLA as conventional animals fed grains and feed. Organically raised grass-fed animals also have more lean protein and less fat. They have been raised without hormones and antibiotics.
- Detoxify Your Body: "The body naturally manufactures fat in abundance to incarcerate and absorb chemicals and toxins that accumulate over time. As you cleanse the body, one can expect fat and inches to be substantially reduced." - J. K.Paulsen, M.D. is a Bariatric Physician and a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. Avoid toxins in food and in your environment as much as possible.
Exercise: discuss an exercise regiment with your doctor.
- Supplements: A recent analysis of past studies in which people took conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) found that in general, a dose of about 3 grams daily led to a modest decrease in body fat. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2007).
Fat May Not Be Making You Fat
by: Maggie Z. Mathews
Again and again we are told that “Obesity in America is Epidemic” and that this health threatening condition is being spread worldwide. Look around you and no doubt you will conclude that obesity is rapidly spreading. We blame it all on a sedentary life style and the Mc Donald’s / TV / Computer / Video games generation.
Statistics seem to confirm these points. For the first time in world history more people are overfed rather than underfed. Overweight children at historic highs. An estimated 15 % of boys and girls 6 to 11 years of age are overweight. Children are gaining more weight over the summer than during the school year. Computer and video game “screen time” shows an astonishing 8 hours a day in the United States. Throw in fast foods and this will all explain the current plague of obesity and along with the plague of diabetes which is increasing in rate at an astonishing rate.
Blame it all on fat we are told. If we reduce our fat levels all of this will go away. However it may be that our problems of obesity are a direct result of our cutting out and reducing fat intake not the other way around.
Isn’t it amazing you would think? As a society we have cut our fat intake and cholesterol levels to the bone and yet we get fatter and fatter and have ever increasing amounts of diabetes in our society?
It may well be that it is not the fat that is bad for us – rather it is the refined carbohydrates specifically that are the evil ones. This includes – refined sugars as found in bread and other baked goods, potatoes , yams and obvious refined sugar containing foods such as ice cream , candy , soft drinks , beer and fruit juices.
Mankind was not created to eat a diet high in starches or grains, let alone refined sugars. It was only when man invented agriculture, in the recent past that grain products and concentrated sugars were introduced into our diets.
It is not fat that will make you fat. It is not by eating fat that you will have a much greater chance of diabetes and other health problems. It is not even high serum cholesterol, from eating fatty foods such as steaks or butter that will do you in but rather the amount of these refined starches and sugars in your diet.
On top of that we are told that obesity is simply a result of sedentary behaviors – sitting in front of the TV or video games rather than exercising. In fact it is the other way around. People, who exercise, get hungry, eat and gain weight.
We get fat because of tons of insulin in our bloodstream.
Insulin is needed by our body to break down fat. Obese people need more and more insulin to burn off the fat in their bodies. The fatter you are, the more insulin your pancreas will pump out after a meal. It’s a like a drug addict needing more and more drug to get a high. The body’s need to have more and more insulin to burn the same amount of fat in an obese person is referred to as “insulin resistance”.
It’s the refined carbohydrates and starches that cause the body to secrete insulin in the first place. Fat does not matter. In the end it’s all about refined sugars and wheat products such as pasta that cause our problems and not fat.
In the end obesity and our plague of ever increasing diabetes is not about fat, fatty foods and fat intake and not exercising but rather about our intake of refined sugars, bread and pasta products. It is not about fat and cholesterol. They really do not matter much when it comes to making you fat and obese.
About The Author
Maggie Z. Mathews http://www.mmedsolution.com ...
Foods That Are Helpful for Weight Control:
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Eat a lot of vegetables. Also, eat a mixture of fresh and cooked vegetables, which should all be cleansed thoroughly to remove pesticides and herbicides.
- Eat foods rich in the Vitamin B6 (scroll up or click here for info)
- Avoid excessive carbohydrates. The three worst culprits are sweetened drinks (sodas and fruits drinks), pasta and breads. While desserts are bad, they are never eaten in as high a volume as these three. Breads are high on the glycemic index — a measure of how fast a carbohydrate is broken down and absorbed into the blood. The faster it enters the blood, the greater the secretion of insulin — the process that causes us to be hungry. Foods low on the index are absorbed more slowly. Your source of carbohydrates will be beans and lentils.
- Tea: Heavily marketed for weight loss is a tea called Wu-Long Tea, which is a brand of Oolong Tea. Oolong Tea is cheaper than Wu-Long and available at many grocery stores. Oolong Tea has unique polyphenols that balance blood sugar by helping cells use glucose more efficiently. This is significant, as elevated blood sugar is the main cause of body fat. Women in a Chinese study drank 32 ounces of Oolong Tea a day (about four large mugs) and lost three pounds a week. For even faster weight loss, place one Oolong tea bag and one green tea bag in one mug of hot water. The epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea revs the metabolism, so the body burns two-and-a-half times more calories per day.
- Bee Pollen - A powerful "superfood" that naturally balances hormones and chemicals in the body. It also improves the metabolism and helps reduce cravings for food. Bee pollen is so packed with vitamins and amino acids that one tablespoon is the equivalent of three servings of fruits and vegetables. Can be eaten plain or sprinkled over your smoothie, yoghurt or cereal.
- Coconut (use instead of other oils for sauteeing)
- Almonds (Avianweb's favorite - make great snacks that reduce your appetite. Use Almond Flour instead of wheat flours.)
- Fiber-rich Pineapple's bromelain and Papaya's papain are specialized enzymes that fight fat on many fronts.
In addition to breaking down protein to reduce abdominal bloat, they dissolve fat-trapping waste in the circulatory system and the lymphatic system for prompt elimination. These enzymes also rev fat-burning liver function and neutralize inflammatory compounds, reducing fat-storing gut inflammation (triggered by hidden allergies to dairy or gluten).
(Source: Susan Ciminelli, author of: The Ciminelli Solution: A 7-Day lan for Radiant Skin - Collins 2006)
- Barley - Please note that barley contains gluten and must be avoided if you are a celiac patient or allergic to barley.
- Garlic ... Figs ... Prunes ... Olive Oil (instead of other oils) ... Yams ... Yogurt
Below is my favorite trail mix recipe:
Healthy Trail Mix Recipe
- 2 cups raw almonds (I love almonds as they decrease my appetite to a point that I forget to have lunches ... they are very healthy too - click here for info)
- 1 cup cashews or other nuts
- 2 cup dried fruits / berries
- 1 cup pumpkin seed
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
Customize by adding your own favorite seeds and nuts.
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