Nutrition Tips For Women

A new study suggests that drinking diet sodas and other soft drinks with artificial sweeteners may lead to weight gain. The reasoning given is that when your taste buds taste sweetness, you body automatically prepares itself for a load of calories. When this isn’t done, it can completely mess up our metabolism.

A Purdue University study released in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience discerned the above data in a study done with rats. The rats which were fed the diet sodas gained weight. Apparently, drinking diet sodas simulates hunger which then causes us to over-eat. Health 24 writes:

Psychologists at Purdue University’s Ingestive Behaviour Research Centre reported that, relative to rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar with 15 calories/teaspoon, the same as table sugar), rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat, and didn’t make up for it by cutting back later, all at levels of statistical significance.

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Don’t obsess over calories

Eat until you’re full, but not stuffed. Try to choose wisely, but don’t stress yourself and becomes obsessed over every meal- your diet won’t last and it will just back-fire in the end.

Never Go 4 Hours Without Eating

If you do, you’ll come into a situation- be it your kitchen or a cafe- where you’ll be starving and you’ll binge eat. Not a good idea.

Put down your fork between bites

For those of us who are fast eaters and need to train ourselves how to eat like a mentsch this is imperative. Every few bites put down your fork - this way you’ll enjoy your food more and you’ll eat less.

Drink 2 Cups of Water with Every Meal

A great way to fit in all of our 8 cups of water every day is by doing this. (yes, FDA requirements are 8 glasses a day, hard to believe, but that’s really how much we’re supposed to drink.) Water cleans out your entire system and washes much of the filth. The same way our houses need to be washed or else they’ll be filthy, so too our bodies need to be washed internally to rid itself of filth.

For those of us who simply don’t have time to exercise there are solutions. Yes, I do believe that many of us with full time jobs and growing families really do not have the time for exercise.
(I’m letting you off the hook this time and not telling you to prioritize and make time for what’s important.)

Park a few blocks away from your destination

This has a few benefits. Free parking, not being stuck in parking lots, and having some space and time to breathe and think before entering your designated domain.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator

It’s always easier to just be lazy and take the easier way. Taking stairs, though provides great exercise both in terms of aerobic and resistance-strength training. Climbing incorporates different muscles than regular walking and is a great boost to overall fitness.

Walk to places that are close enough to your house

A good brisk 15 minute walk can do wonders for your health. And remember even more important than being the right charted weight is being fit.

We’ve all heard that Italians don’t get heart attacks even when they’re over-weight because they use olive oil in their foods instead of regular vegetable oil and margarine which clogs arteries. We may come to conclude well, then this must mean that olive oil is great for us and we can and should start frying all our foods in olive oil.

But guess what, olive oil is still oil- surprise, surprise- meaning it’s loaded with tons of calories. Foods, even if they are supposedly good for you, need to be looked at as a whole picture. Olive oil is great, but remember the golden rule- moderation. (Not to mention, olive oil won’t go with every food as a substitute for oil.)

We’ve all seen hundreds of ads for protein bars, energy chocolate bars, carbohydrate bars, etc. that are so full of fiber than on the weight watchers diet we tell ourselves that we can probably count it as zero points.

Now I’ll reveal something to you- a deep secret- even though you probably know it. The reason why it may be a revelation is because subconsciously we’re still affected by it. Here’s the scoop: (shhhhh……..don’t tell anyone) Advertisers Mislead and Lie. There it is- the secret is out.

Energy bars are usually so shock full of sugar and usually average around 400 calories that unless you substitute one bar for a meal- guess what will happen to you? You’ll gain weight. Yes, that’s right. Not lose weight, but gain weight.

Think of all the common heard myths about bread:
“Bread is fattening”
“Bread is the most important staple of your diet”
“White bread is poison”
“Sugary cereals will help your kids do better in math (yes,that was actually a misleading advertising campaign trying to promote pictures of cocoa puffs and sugar flakes with the headline reading “kids who eat breakfast do better in math.”)
“Bread is an unhealthy carbohydrate”

Here’s the real scoop. A healthy diet leaving you feeling full and energetic must include carbohydrates. Does it have to be bread? Bread is one of the best choices- an average piece of bread has only 70 calories and 1 gram of fat. (Remember 30% of our diet is supposed to be fat, let it at least be healthy fats.)

On the other hand, just because something is marketed as healthy bread, doesn’t mean it’s automatically a good choice. Whole grains are always an ideal, but that’s not the whole story. If your bread is whole grain, but full of sugar and “healthy additives” it may be a bad choice in terms of fat and tons of extra calories.

When choosing breads it’s most important to look at the full picture. Take into account whole grains, fat, and fiber. One hard thing to judge, especially in today’s fiber crazed world, is to decide whether the fiber is actually worth it. Yes, we all need fiber in our diet, but if it comes at the expense of another 100 calories per slice, think again.

Nearly a third of anti-depressant studies are never published and nearly all of these indicate that the medication didn’t work. A new phenomenom called selective publishing is taking place in the medical world. This can lead to inappropriate prescriptions that may do more harm than good.

There were five studies for Pfizer’s Zoloft, but the three showing the drug to be ineffective were not published. A fourth study, ruled questionable by the FDA, was written and published to make it appear that the drug worked.

A Glaxo spokeswoman said the company posts the data from all of its trials, positive or negative, on the Internet.

“GlaxoSmithKline agrees that public disclosure of clinical trial results for marketed medicines is essential and fully supports registration of all trials in progress,” she said.

“Pfizer is committed to the communication of results of all registered clinical studies, regardless of outcome. More specifically, we have committed to disclose clinical trial results within one year after study completion for all of our marketed products,” Pfizer spokesman Jack Cox said in an e-mail.

Turner and his colleagues did not find out who was to blame for not publishing the studies. He said medical journals may have played a role by deciding they would rather publish favorable results.

“There’s an expectation that if you get a positive result, that’s what you’re supposed to do, and if you get a negative result you have failed,” said Turner. “The first impulse is to say, ‘I was wrong. Maybe I should move on to something more interesting”‘ so the results may never get written up.

Read on

We’ve all heard that caffeine is nearly deadly. It’s unhealthy, it causes addictions, it generated super highs followed by a crash etc. The reality, though, tells us something phenomenal. Many UV protection creams contain caffeine and caffeine can be used to treated face flushing and “redness” due to its ability to quickly constrict face muscles. The skin guru discusses the benefits of caffeine:

Caffeine’s blood vessel-constricting benefits also make it a go-to ingredient in many eye creams (like MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Eye Crème, for example), as it can quickly minimize redness and puffiness.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory benefits, though, caffeine is starting to get lots of attention for its antioxidant properties when used both topically and orally. (That morning cup o’ joe might not be so bad after all!)

In fact, research suggests that both oral and topical caffeine may offer powerful anticarcinogenic benefits. A series of studies performed on mice found that caffeinated green and black teas prevented sun damage and even repaired damage once it occurred, whereas decaffeinated teas did not.

One particularly promising study suggested that topical caffeine may also repair UV damage - and that it may prove to be a stronger antioxidant than certain green tea polyphenols, currently among the strongest and best-researched antioxidants around. (On a related note, coffeeberry, which comes from the fruit of the coffee plant, is also getting a lot of attention lately as the next big antioxidant.)

Just a word of caution, though. Make sure to drink plenty of water if you drink coffee because caffeine can be very dehydrating.

Here are HG’s [hungry girl’s] TOP ATE picks for the best new snacks in the 100-calorie category! In no particular order …

Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie Ice Cream Sandwiches, Vanilla and Chocolate

(1 sandwich: 100 calories, 1.5g fat, 65 mg sodium, 21g carbs, 2 - 3g fiber, 8 - 10g sugars, 2g protein)

Who else but a fit (dare we say HOT) polar bear could come up with these genius snacks? A chunky swirl of ice cream (either chocolate or vanilla) is smushed between two soft, chocolately, cookie-like wafers to form a super-cute, slightly smaller version of a classic round ice cream sandwich. Yum! Super-low in fat with a side of fiber, these chilly treats clock in at just 1 Point each, if you’re counting.

Chex 100 Calorie Snacks, Chocolate-Caramel and Cheddar

(1 pouch: 100 calories, 2.5 - 3.5g fat, 190 - 320mg sodium, 17 - 18g carbs, 0 - 1g fiber, 2 - 6g sugars, 1 - 2 g protein)

Who doesn’t love Chex Mix? This particular snack mix line covers pretty much any craving you may have — sweet, salty, crunchy, cheesy … chocolatey … caramel-y?! (Don’t worry; the cheesy Cheddar flavor and the Chocolate Caramel variety are two different versions). Once only available in those huge multiple-portion bags (yikes!), we’re very, VERY grateful that these new portion-controlled packs exist. Three cheers for Chex!

Sport Beans Energizing Jelly Beans

(1 package: 100 calories, 0g fat, 80mg sodium, 25g carbs, 0g fiber, 19g sugars, 0g protein)

These flavor-packed jelly beans from the makers of Jelly Belly are the most fun ‘n tasty sport snacks we’ve ever chewed. They actually make us want to put on our running shoes and go work out (but we’re pretty sure it’s only to combat the midday gobbling of what’s essentially sugary candy!). There’s a lovely line-up of flavors, but our favorite is Fruit Punch. We say, if you’re gonna chew candy, it may as well be pre-portioned and vitamin-infused. Woohoo!

Keebler Right Bites, Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Fudge Dipped Mini Cookies

(1 pouch: 100 calories, 3.5g fat, 70mg sodium, 14g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 2g protein)

Watch out, Girl Scouts — the Keebler elves are coming for you (heh heh heh!). Those crafty, pointy-shoed sprites have come up with the ultimate guilt-free swap for your insanely popular Thin Mint cookies. Fans of mint and chocolate will flip for these. Scout’s honor!

Oberto 100 Calorie Jerky Bites, Teriyaki Turkey Jerky and Original Beef Jerky

(1 pouch: 100 calories, 1 - 1.5g fat, 400mg sodium, 9 - 10g carbs, 0g fiber, 5 - 8g sugars, 12 - 13g protein)

If you get all jazzed over dried meat snacks, the latest treats from Oberto will knock your jerky-lovin’ socks off. These protein-packed snack bites are an awesome on-the-go option to keep in your purse, car, or desk. Choose from Original Beef Jerky and Teriyaki Turkey. Even though ordinary jerky isn’t all that bad in the calorie and fat departments, serious fans of the stuff know that those multi-serving bags are often inhaled in one sitting.

100 Calorie Packs Lorna Doone

(1 pouch: 100 calories, 3g fat, 120 mg sodium, 16g carbs, 0g fiber, 6g sugars, 1g protein)

And Nabisco is back in the game — yay! These buttery shortbread Lorna Doones are the latest (and we say the GREATEST) snack in the Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs line. Warning! The addictive nature of these cookies can make it hard to keep your snacking down to one pack. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Hostess 100 Calorie Packs, Chocolate Cake/Chocolate Icing

(3 cakes: 100 calories, 3g fat, 140mg sodium, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 10g sugars, 2g protein)

The idea of eating three cupcakes for 100 calories is almost too exciting to entertain. Really. And even though these creme-filled cakes are itty bitty, we’re still crazy about ‘em. The 5 grams of fiber they’re zapped with makes up for the fact that these treats are missing the classic Hostess squiggle. Guess you can’t have everything! (And YES, we really DO miss the squiggle!)

Breyer’s Double Churned 100 Calorie Cups, Cookies & Cream
(1 cup: 100 calories, 2g fat, 65mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g fiber, 12g sugars, 3g protein)

Giving slow-churned ice cream a run for its money, Breyer’s Double Churned low-fat ice cream is now available in single-serving cups. There’s a Vanilla Fudge Swirl version, but the flavor we’re dying over is Cookies & Cream! These cups are quite possibly the most satisfying 100 calories of ice cream we’ve ever had.

At what level is the line passed between assertive marketing and misleading consumers with aggressively titled labels? That’s the question the FDA adressed in regards to seven pharmaceutical companies who marketed menopausal drugs as hormone replacements. The FDA decided that products labeled “bio-identical hormone replacement” were misleading and sounded as if the medication was an equal replacement to natural bodily hormones.

“We want to assure that Americans receive accurate information about the risks and benefits of drug therapies,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, FDA’s chief medical officer and acting director of the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In addition to today’s regulatory action, FDA is publishing an informational article for women on its consumer health information web page that provides the facts to make informed decisions about these unapproved therapies. Women taking these drugs should discuss with their health care providers the drugs’ risks and whether they’re getting effective treatment.”

The pharmacy operations receiving warning letters use the terms “bio-identical hormone replacement therapy” and “BHRT” to imply that their drugs are natural or identical to the hormones made by the body. FDA regards this use of “bio-identical” as a marketing term implying a benefit for the drug, for which there is no medical or scientific basis.