Obesity an Economic Problem July 21, 2009

Paul Zane Pilzer, a world-renowned economist, says the problem with obesity is an economic problem. Instead of marketing to new customers, it is less expensive for food companies to sell more products to existing customers. (He says it will cost an average $100 to market to a new customer who may or may not like the product after trying it.)

He uses an example to illustrate his point. If you have never tasted a banana and after trying the banana, you may want to have another one because of its good taste. You may want a second or third one but you will most likely say no after the third banana. Then you would want to try another type of food, such as an apple. This way, your body gets different nutrients from different foods.

But the food companies want to keep their existing customers. They altered the food chemically (particularly children’s foods) so you will never get tired of it. But just in case that you do, they can always change the formula so you won’t be able to stop eating their products.

If these existing customers like certain celebrity, then the food company will pay the celebrity to promote their product in the commercial.

If a person usually feels full after eating 60 ounce of potato chips, then the food company makes 50-ounce bag of potato chips. Then the consumer will have to open a second bag to feel satisfied and they know we usually finish both bags.

These food companies are doing all these to get more sales (I understand that it’s what companies do) but it is conflicting to our health and weight loss goals. I refuse to be these food companies’ lab rat and I won’t let my children have these unhealthy foods. I’ll stick with natural, wholesome foods that our ancestors had been doing fine with for thousands of years.

Weight Loss & Health July 20, 2009

I have not post on my blog for quite a while now.
After researching on the different weight loss tips and diets (Mediterranean, Zone Diet, etc), I’ve realized that it all comes down to the basic rules of healthy eating and lifestyle.
All those new diets, new gimmicks are just ways to keep us interested and buy more stuff.
When did the food industry become like this? With so many choices that we don’t know how to eat anymore.
I’ve realized that I shop at the local farm market more and more. The food they sell are in its original form (not processed).
Right now, I am not trying to lose weight. I used to count how much food I ate, fussing over what I ate and worrying a lot about gaining weight.
Right now, I consider food as a mean to make me healthy. I just go to the local farm market and I can buy almost anything there because most came directly from the farm. I just make sure I include vegetables at every meals and eat fruits everyday. It has made my life way easier than counting calories.
The basic rules of health are still the same as in Hippocrate’s time (460-337 B.C.) when there are no commercials to brainwash us on how we should eat and look.
1. Eat the proper amount and type of food to get the nutrients our body needs. (Google Canada’s Food Guide. It is a good resource and if you can’t find it, just leave me a comment and I’ll email you a copy).
2. Avoid harmful chemicals, hormones or foods high in calories, fat, sugar or salt (just think natural, avoid processed foods).
3. Be active everyday.

That’s it!

Acidic Foods and Weight Gain July 19, 2009

Acidic body encourages the overgrowth of yeasts and fungi which interferes with digestion and absorption. Nutrient deficiencies may lead to weight gain. In addition, yeasts and fungi produce toxins in the colon that may enter the blood stream. The liver have to work extra hard to get rid of the toxins in the body and compromises its ability to metabolize fat and sugar. The liver also produces large amounts of bad cholesterol to bind to toxins.

Fat protects our body from environmental toxins, food preservatives and other chemicals found in processed foods. To prevent toxins from circulating in the blood throughout the body and damage our organs and tissues, the body stores fat that can bind to toxins and buffer against acid. High protein diets are usually more acidic in nature and may backfire in our weight loss efforts.

To prevent the body from holding on to its fat stores, we have to eat foods that help to balance our body pH. An easy way to help optimize our body pH is by adding freshly squeezed lemon juice into your water. This helps to alkalize our body pH. It is also great for cleansing the liver. Do not use bottled lemon juice found in the supermarket and do not add sugar.

Although lemon is acidic in itself, when digested and absorbed by the body, it produces alkalizing effect in the body.

Also, reduce the consumption of sugar, salt, unhealthy fat, meat and dairy products. If possible do not eat any processed, packaged, prepared and refined food or drink any alcohol.

How to Conquer Emotional Eating July 18, 2009

Emotional eating is eating when you are not physically hungry. It is not a physical need to eat but rather an emotional need. Emotion is the one of the major reasons why people overeat. When some people feel sad, empty, stressed or lonely, they eat food as a way to comfort themselves and for emotional support. But eating rarely solves the problems that gave rise to the negative emotion in the first place. What’s worse, people usually feel worse about themselves after eating too much or eating food they know they shouldn’t have eaten.

We have to learn how to distinguish the difference between emotionally hunger and bodily hunger. According to researchers from the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center, five major differences between emotional hunger and bodily hunger are:
1. Bodily hunger occurs gradually whereas emotional hunger arises suddenly.
2. Bodily or physical hunger is felt blow the neck (ie. stomach) while emotional hunger is felt above the neck (ie. in your head).
3. When you are craving for specific comfort food like ice cream and pizza, it is usually emotional hunger. When you are physically hungry, you are open to any food.
4. Emotional hunger needs to be satisfied immediately. Physical hunger usually can wait.
5. People usually feel guilty after eating for emotional reasons but if you eat for physical hunger, you won’t feel guilty afterwards.

Emotional hunger usually stems from lack of support and love from people. To solve this problem, surround yourself with family and friends who support you and love you. Replace the comfort food with the love of people who care about you. Most importantly, remember to appreciate and love yourself for the wonderful human being that you are.

Flat Belly Diet – Part 3 July 17, 2009

The Four-Week Eating Plan
There are three very simple rules for the Flat Belly Diet
eating plan. The first rule: Eat 400 calories per meal and four meals per day (for a total of 1,600 calories per day). Second rule: Eat every four hours. So you will be eating a meal every four hours. Third rule: Include a monounsaturated fatty acid with every meal (some MUFA ideas include: almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashew, etc).

Five categories of MUFAs:
1. oils
2. olives
3. nuts and seeds
4. avocados
5. dark chocolate

There are lots of recipes in the book as well as recipes for vegetarians. Also included is a food journal. You have to write down what and when you eat, your hunger level before and after the meal, and emotions related to the foods you are eating.

My favorite part of the book is their “optional” Flat Belly Workout that includes cardio to burn fat, a strength component, and core exercises to tone the midsections. They have photo illustration of strength and core exercises that you can do at home. Also they have two versions of each exercise – a hard version and an easy version.

In my personal experience, the best way to get rid of belly fat is by doing aerobic exercise. Not doing crunches or abdominal exercises as I used to believe. I borrowed a book on running for beginners from the library, started the training following the instructions in the book. In three months, I got rid of my flabby belly without changing my eating habits.

Flat Belly Diet – Part 2 July 16, 2009

Stress & Cortisol on Belly Fat
When we are under stress, our adrenal gland secretes a hormone called cortisol to increase blood pressure and blood sugar to get ready to fight or flight. Cortisol stimulates the appetite for sugar and fat, signals the body to store fat around the organs in preparation for famine. There are many ways to reduce stress. Getting at least seven hours of sleep every night, meditation, staying positive and doing exercise can all help to reduce the level of cortisol in the bloodstream.

Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart
It is a diet plan to flush out excess fluids, waste and gas in the digestive system by eating lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You have to follow their Four-Day Anti-Bloat Menu provided in the book but basically, the plan is to cut down salt, excess carbohydrates, gassy foods, sugar substitutes, pops, alcohol, coffee, tea, acidic fruit juice, hot coca, fried food and spicy food. Also stop chewing gums and eat cooked food instead of raw food. In addition, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, reduce stress, eat slowly and take a quick five minute walk after every meal to release the air trapped in your digestive track.

Flat Belly Diet – Part 1 July 15, 2009

A research study published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care has shown that monounsaturated fat (found in olive oil, nuts, avocados) can help reduce the accumulation of visceral belly fat. The researchers divided subjects into three groups that were put on diets high in saturated fat, high in carbohydrates or high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). MUFA has shown promising effect on reducing belly fat and is in the center of the Flat Belly Diet.

The Flat Belly Diet is consists of two parts:
1. Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart
2. Four-Week Eating Plan

The Flat Belly Diet also includes an optional exercise program. The author claims that the Flat Belly Diet plan works without exercise although it is recommended for overall health. The author suggests that if you don’t workout regularly already, start with the diet first. After you’ve successfully incorporated the diet plan into your lifestyle, then you can change the habit of not exercising regularly.

Fat is an essential composition in our cells and our body. Excess body fat around your abdomen area however is linked with higher health risks for heart disease and diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, a waist measurement above 35 inches for women and above 40 inches for men regardless of body weight is a sign of excess visceral fat (fat around organs).

Check out the famous Flat Belly Diet here:
Flat Belly Diet

Assessment of Fat Distribution July 14, 2009

Fat distributed centrally is strongly associated with risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and breast cancer in women. Beer belly or an apple body shape is an indication of excess body fat in the upper body. This type of body shape is more common in men. Women generally have more fat around the hip and thigh area by design. The fat in the lower body (pear shaped) carries a much lower health risk than in the upper body (apple shaped).

The waist to hip ratio is used to assess fat distribution. Measure your waist circumference and hip circumference. Divide the waist value by the hip value. If the ratio is above 1.0 in male or above 0.8 in female, the health risk is increased.

Later, an expert panel on health and obesity concluded that waist circumference only is a better indicator for abdominal fat and a better predictor of negative health risk than the waist/hip ratio.
People who have a BMI of 25 to 34.9, the disease risks are increased if they have a waist circumference of over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women.

As technology advances, more accurate methods are created to measure visceral fat. The latest analysis tests the blood levels of a protein called RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4). RBP4 is secreted by fat cells (especially the visceral fat) and blood levels of RBP4 are substantially higher in people who are overweight.

Know Your Ideal Weight July 13, 2009

Being overweight or underweight both have their health risks. We know that being overweight is not only “unfashionable” but it is associated with higher risks of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, etc. On the other hand, being underweight puts a person at higher risks of infection because the immune system is weakened. Underweight is also associated with lower energy, osteoporosis, absence of menstruation in female, hair loss and anemia.

So how much should you weigh? The Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to estimate the healthy body weight of a person. It is calculated by taking body weight in kilogram divided by the square of your height in meters.

BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height2 (m2)

A BMI that falls between 18.5 and 25 indicates optimal weight. A BMI greater than 25 suggests overweight. BMI over 30 suggests the person is obese. Keep in mind, the BMI does not assess body composition. Not all weight gain is due to excess fat. The increase in weight could be fat, muscle or fluid. A body builder could have mostly lean body mass with no excess fat and have a high BMI. This is because muscles weigh more than fat. The easiest way to know your body composition is to buy a scale with the function to measure your percent body fat. But again, this is just an estimate for body fat and is not an absolute scientific method for determining your body composition.

Balance Food Intake from Different Food Groups July 12, 2009

There are many different types of diets for weight loss out there. The low-carb diet, the low-fat diet, the high-protein diet, etc. In reality, the body needs a variety of nutrients from all the different food groups to perform its functions properly and efficiently. The key to weight loss is not cutting down on one food group or another, it is choosing a variety of food from all food groups but in moderation.

There are four major food groups: 1) Grain products, 2) Vegetables & fruit, 3) Milk products, 4) Meat & alternatives. The body requires nutrients from all the different food groups to function properly. Eat a variety of foods from the four major food groups to get all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients required by the body. It is also easier to control weight if you are getting enough nutrients for the body to perform all its functions efficiently.

Weight gain is caused by consuming more calories than used whether the calorie is from carbohydrate, protein or fat. Carbohydrate and protein can both be converted into fat directly or indirectly if more is consumed than expended.

Every meal, include a variety of vegetables, whole grains and proteins. The key is moderation in weight loss. It is a great opportunity to meet your quota of the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables when you choose your snacks. Choose baby carrots, apples, or bananas as between meal snacks to increase your fruit and vegetable intake.