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Wellness Tip of the Day
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Stay full for longer: Include protein and complex carbs in every meal and snack. Think peanut butter on toast or turkey-Swiss roll-ups.
When it comes to successful dieting, what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. That’s because the two often go hand in hand. Choosing foods with protein and fiber can help keep you fuller for longer, so you’ll be less likely to snack. Anything that takes a longer time to digest will move more slowly through your system, giving you sustained energy and satiety. As we all know, being overly hungry can make us grumpy, irritable, anxious — and prone to gargantuan snack attacks. Try to include some protein and complex carbohydrates in each meal and snack.
Chocolate Milk the New Post-Workout Drink
After you workout it is vital that you get food into your system. Now it may surprise you what you could use for that post workout meal. A new study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, reports that athletes who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages.
“Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise,” according to co-author Joel M. Stager, PhD, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University. “Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts.”
The study was done on cyclists who were given one of three beverages; low-fat chocolate milk, a traditional fluid replacement sports drink or a carbohydrate replacement sports drink
On their second workout the chocolate milk drinkers were able to workout out twice as long as the sport drink users, and as long as those who consumed the fluid replacement drink. The researchers theorized that chocolate milk contains the proper carbohydrate to protein ratio for optimal post workout drink. The researchers also note that chocolate milk is a great-tasting and cost-effective alternative to many sports drinks. Another important factor is that milk contains calcium to build… [ read more ]
Jamie Oliver Calls For Global Action To Tackle Obesity
This article titled “Jamie Oliver calls for global action to tackle obesity” was written by Robin McKie, for The Observer on Saturday 3rd September 2011 23.07 UTC
Levels of obesity across the globe are reaching epidemic proportions, according to medical experts. Now the crisis is to be the focus of a major debate at a UN medical conference in New York.
A coalition of nutrition and health experts – ranging from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to former government chief scientist Sir David King – are urging western nations to play a key role in halting the dramatic rise in numbers of obese people across the planet.
“There seems to be a trend with developing countries wanting to follow in the footsteps of the western world, and copy their patterns of fast food and consumerism,” Oliver told the One Young World conference in Switzerland on Friday. The phenomenon was a particular problem in India, South America and the Middle East, he said. Oliver added: “Pre-packed convenience food is seen as a symbol of being ‘modern’ in developing countries, but the problems it causes are long-term, and costly.” “Diet-related diseases are two of the top five causes of premature death for people under 60 years old. They look set to create an absolute catastrophe over the next 30 to 40 years if nothing changes.”
Oliver’s aim is to encourage heads of state and the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, to “sit up and take notice” at a summit on non-communicable disease in New York… [ read more ]
Soda Fall Flat
Digesting food and drink is calorie-burning work; it’s called the “thermic effect.” But sugary soft drinks cause less calorie burn than beverages that contain a blend of nutrients. Researchers at New York City’s St. Luke Hospital gave 20 patients either sugar water or a beverage containing a mixture of protein, fat and carbohydrate, like chocolate milk. “The mixed-nutrient beverage resulted in a thermic effect 36% greater than that of the sugar drink,” says study author Marie-Pierre St.-Onge, Ph.D. The combo drink took more energy to digest, which increased calorie burn by 23 calories. That may not sound like much, but it could add up to pounds over a year’s time.
Wellness Tip of the Day
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Make your vitamin D supplement work even harder. Taking it with your biggest meal of the day boosts the vitamin’s absorption.
Not getting enough vitamin D? Instead of taking it on an empty stomach or with a light meal, down your vitamin D supplement with the biggest meal of the day. According to a recent study at the Cleveland Clinic, taking vitamin D with large meals can significantly boost its absorption. Researchers selected 17 men and women who had low levels of vitamin D, despite taking supplements, and instructed them to take their pill with their biggest meal. After two to three months, participants’ vitamin D levels had increased by 50%. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosis.
Clinical trials of vitamin D with calcium supplementation have demonstrated a benefit by reducing fractures related to osteoporosis. This is an evolving field of study with many more trials needed to show benefit or lack thereof as it relates to other conditions and diseases. Check with your doctor to find out if you should consider taking vitamin D supplements.