Health Tips

Does the insulin release hypothesis have a scienific basis? Are there double blinded studies or physiologic data? Do you know of a published article? I am just curious as a avid artifical sweetner fan...

you go girl! keep on giving the knowledge!

Thanks Goldie! I will be sure to keep posting (I already have the next week of posts planned )

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Posted by soontoobemrsk

Alyssa, Agave is a GREAT substitute. I completelyyy forgot about that one. Once again, completely natural.

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i actually stumbled upon it by tasting the Agave Tequila and fell in love

Tip Number Two:

Snack ideas

Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are extremely nutritious. They contain an array of essential vitamins. They keep you satisfied because they ARE a fat, but they are a good fat *I will go into good and bad fats in another post*. Eating just a handful of nuts or seeds will be sufficient. The most nutritious nuts are: almonds, walnuts, and cashews (in that order). The most nutritious seeds are: flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds (in that order). (Obviously do not eat nuts or seeds if you are allergic).

*Raw nuts are even healthier. They can be found at Trader Joe’s*

Yogurt: I am a big fan of yogurt for two reasons. First, it is dairy which is great for your bones. Second, it is a natural source of bacteria. I know this sounds gross, but it’s really a good thing. Our small intestines and large intestines (which I will call our gut from now on) are filled with millions of bacteria. We need these bacteria for our intestinal flora to maintain balance and to break down and absorb nutrients correctly. I know this doesn’t seem an important thing to maintain, but it’s EXTREMELY important. First, for weight loss. If you are not absorbing food correctly, you will not feel satisfied and will, in turn, eat more. Second, for general health. If you are not absorbing food correctly, you will eventually become nutrient deficient and have to either supplement in extremely large doses (I’m not just talking about a daily vitamin here) or take vitamin shots.

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit: If you have a sweet tooth and find yourself always reaching for the candy/cake/cookies, whatever it may be, fruit is a great substitute for you. Fruit is naturally sweet and packed with vitamins and miners. Specific fruits (especially berries, apples, peaches, mangos, and melons) contain extremely high levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants are kind of complex but I will give a very simple explanation. As we age (I’m not talking about the aged here, I’m talking about everyone) our bodies produce free radicals, which damage our cells. Free radicals have been linked to certain cancers, heart disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. Antioxidants combat free radicals.

Raisins (or any dried fruit): Any dried fruit, just like any fresh fruit, is good for you. I picked raisins specifically due to their high iron levels. Many women are iron deficient/anemic (due to menstruation). Anemia can cause fatigue and in extreme cases, difficulty breathing (as anemia is a lack of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in red blood cells).
*Read labels on all dried fruit. Do not get the type of dried fruit that has “sugar” or “corn syrup” as an ingredient. Some dried fruit also contains sulfur dioxide, which is used for preservation, but is not recommended for asthmatics.*

Hummus: If you’ve never had it before, it’s a Mediterranean staple made from chickpeas and sesame seeds…and it’s delicious. It is extremely nutritious and can be used as a spread on whole wheat crackers, pita, and bread. It is also a delicious (and lower fat that vegetable dip) dip for vegetables.

Vegetables: I personally like vegetables like mini-carrots to take to go. I realize that some people hate vegetables and this would not be a very enjoyable option for those people.

Tuna: This seems like a strange snack, but tuna is very filling, nutritious, and lean. I’m not talking about tuna salad here (which is filled with calories due to the mayonnaise), I’m talking about tuna straight from the can. It is surprising good when eaten with tomatoes or lettuce.

These are just a few examples. If anyone has any questions about the nutrition value of other snacks, please add them and I will respond back with an answer.

yay! i need to go to an Allergist and get tested for food allergies. I've had some nuts REALLY bother me (throat closing up) and some don't. I enjoy Almonds a lot too!

Ladies Yoplait has the light yogurt which IMO is absolutely the best. You can get flavors like Chocolate Cheesecake, Banana Pie, Key Lime Pie, White Chocolate Strawberry, etc, etc. You CANNOT taste the aspartame/Splenda taste in it either (which is why I love it!) Plus at only 80-100 calories (depending on which flavor) you can't go wrong.

I honestly have found that by eating yogurt on a daily basis, it has helped my stomach. a lot of foods upset my stomach (fruits & veggies) and this (along with Papaya Enzyme pills) has smoothed it out!

The only problem with yoplait light is that it has artificial sweetener in it.

You're right, papaya is great for your stomach (not just pills, the fruit also!)

I figured I would stop by and offer some tips that have helped me. I lost 45 lbs since September and these are some things that have helped me lose weight:

-Do excercise whereever you are, whatever you're doing. Walking around the mall counts as excercise. Do squats while you wait for something to heat up in the microwave. Do crunches on a commercial break. I found this helps me get in a few minutes extra excercise per day.

- Fiber One bars are a GREAT snack and keep you full!

-A favorite recipe of mine: Spread hummus on a whole wheat pita. Top with low fat mozzarella cheese, peppers, and onions (and/or shredded grilled chicken). Put in the toaster oven until cheese melts. It's delicious!!

-If you know you're going out for dinner, plan ahead. Eat less during the day!

-For lunch I make whole wheat turkey wraps. I put lots and lots of lettuce- so I get at least one of veggie servings in!

-Fat free hotdogs and turkey dogs are great substitutes for regular hot dogs during BBQ season.

-Substitute mustard for mayo whenever possible. Even honey mustard is better than mayo.

-If you HAVE to have soda (and diet wont do) try Coke Zero- it tastes like the real thing!

HTH

For those with a sweet tooth, these are some delicious foods that arent high in fat and calories but taste like they should be:

Vitamuffins and vitatops (100 calories/1 WW Pt)

Light Ruffles Potato Chips (75 cal or 1 WW per 15 chips)

All Bran Crackers (2 WW Pts per 18 chips)

WW Cakes!! Chocolate and the lemon ones

Reduced Fat chips ahoy (1 pt per cookie)

From Waldbaums- butterfly bakery sugar free muffins (150 cal./4 WW pts).

once again, great advice! there is a bag of dry fruit that i sometimes by at costcos but i'm not sure if the ingredients in it are healthy. Is sulfur dioxide a cause of gas?

I've tried hummus before but i didn't really like it. I guess it has an acquired taste so i will probably try it again.

Sulfer dioxide can cause gas. It's known to give people who are prone to gas and stomach issue (IBS etc.) a problem.

There are also many different types of hummus. Traditional hummus is made of chick peas and sesame seeds, but there are many flavors such as lemon, garlic, etc. They usually have different flavors at big supermarkets (waldbaums, stop and shop, trader joes)

Sorry to digress a bit, but I just got an email from Sparkpeople about 'The low down on sugar substitutes'! They are soo late with this since Pamela so graciously enlightened us to this, last week! You rock girl!

Tip Number Three:

Salads are not as healthy as you think.

You go to a restaurant and think “I’m going to be healthy. I will get a Caesar salad”. Well, the salad is healthy (kinda)…that’s about where it stops. Dressing is FILLED with fat…and not good fat. You could pretty much eat a burger for the number of calories you’re taking in while eating a Caesar salad.

Also, salads (without dressing), while low in fat and calories, don’t really do much for you nutrition wise. Salads are mainly lettuce, and the nutritional value of lettuce is pretty much zilch (especially iceberg lettuce). If you are at a restaurant and would like to order a salad, a better options than iceberg lettuce would be romaine, red leaf, or bibb/Boston.

Better yet, if you are at home and making a salad as part of a meal or as your whole meal, you would be better off making a salad of other fruits and vegetables which actually have nutritional value. You would be surprised by how many interesting salad combinations you can come up with. One example? Cranberry Spinach Salad: Spinach (tastes like lettuce, but has amazing nutritional benefits), toasted almonds and bits of dried cranberries are tossed together in a bowl and dressed with a sweet and tangy vinegar and olive oil. (If you have the choice, always use olive oil versus regular oil or dressing. Olive oil is filled with nutrients and omega fats). It is surprisingly delicious and has way more depth of flavor than your classic iceberg lettuce salad.

Tip Number Four:

Soda leads to osteoporosis.

Soda is probably once of the worst things you can do to yourself. In addition to containing “empty” (useless) calories and artificial sweeteners (if you drink diet soda), soda contains phosphoric acid.

Every vitamin and mineral level needs to be in perfect harmony and balance for your body to maintain itself…including phosphoric acid. Well, as it turns out, phosphorous is in direct relation to calcium. As your blood phosphorous levels increase, which occurs when you drink soda, your phosphorous-calcium levels are no longer in balance. In order to maintain this balance, your body pulls calcium out of your bones and into your blood. Now your phosphorous-calcium levels are in balance, but the amount of calcium in your bones has decreased. As you all know, decreased levels of calcium in your bones cause decreased bone density…which causes osteoporosis. Although signs of osteoporosis may not set in until your forties (some people develop it at a young age too), do yourself a favor and kick the habit now.

Wow this is scary, good thing I am an occasional soda drinker but I am gonna stop cold turkey

Alesia,

Thanks so much for the compliments haha! I'm better than sparkspeople yay!

i didn't drink soda for close to 6 years and didn't miss it until i had a diet dr. pepper. man that stuff is good.

soda also really eats away at your teeth, enamel and all that good stuff. they say if you drink it, drink it through a straw and then have water after. same goes for lemonade, it eats away at the enamel. Yuck yuck yuck!

thanks for the info.

I was wondering what is your take on V8 fusion. are they as healthy as advertised?