Naked Truth: Xenoestrogens

T-Nation has printed an interview with Dr. John K. Williams about xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens are man-made chemicals that can enter the body and mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen.

Natural estrogens act with a larger molecule called a receptor, and once they do so, the biological activity associated with that hormone is turned on. You're basically flipping on a switch. Xenoestrogens fit in the same receptors that estrogen does and do the same thing that the natural hormone does. But in addition they can also turn-on more receptors — sometimes synergistically — making the effect of the estrogen or xenoestrogen more profound.

This article is a must-read for anyone who is concerned about their health. Xenoestrogens may be largely responsible for the rapid increase in cancer rates over the last 50-100 years, for the increasingly early onset of mensus in girls, for impotence in men, and a host of other health issues.

There have been plenty of studies showing a correlation between chemicals in the environment and the effects they have on the poor folks that are exposed to them. The earliest one I can think of is the one showing the women in Guatemala who were hitting puberty at 3-4 years old. They think this was caused by being exposed to tons of xenoestrogens.

One of the most recent articles, from just a couple years ago, showed that xenoestrogens can and do collect in our adipose tissue. Researchers took tissue samples from over 400 adults and 75% of the samples were found to have significant levels of xenoestrogens. DDT and its derivatives were present in 98.3% of the samples.

The scary thing is that, firstly, we're all carrying around xenoestrogens in our body fat, and second, it also showed us that different xenoestrogens act together synergistically to magnify their estrogenic properties. Basically the more you have, the more variety you'll have, and thus the more likely the xenoestrogens are going to pronounce themselves in different sorts of effects, from decreased sex drive to more awful things like cancer.

An added benefit of this article is that it debunks claims that the ban of DDT (a very harmful xenoestrogen) has resulted in millions of deaths. Michael Crichton is fond of making that claim as part of his rejection of the global warming science.

Soy -- The Reality Behind the Bean

I've been arguing against soy for years due to its many health issues. Here is another article calling its health claims into question, from the Guardian Unlimited.

In the West, we have not only neutralized any healthy qualities in soy, we have made the unhealthy aspects more pronounced. Here is an explanation, from the article, of how soy is used in Asian countries:

Dawson describes the traditional craft method of transforming the soya bean through fermentation, so that its valuable amino acids become available but its antinutrients are tamed. The process involves cooking whole soya beans, complete with their oil, for several hours, then adding the spores of a mould to the mix, and leaving it to ferment for three days to begin the long process of breaking down the proteins and starches. This initial brew is then mixed with salt water and left to ferment for a further 18 months, during which time the temperature will vary with the seasons. The end result is an intensely flavoured condiment in which the soya's chemical composition has been radically altered. Traditional miso is similarly made with natural whole ingredients, slowly aged.

The basic idea is that fermented soy is okay, all the rest is crap, or worse....

Should we worry about soya in our food? 

Whether you know it or not, you'll probably be eating soya today. It's in 60% of all processed food, from cheese to ice cream, baby formula to biscuits. But should it carry a health warning? Felicity Lawrence investigates

For Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, the saga of soya began in Monty Python-style with a dead parrot. His investigations into the ubiquitous bean started in 1991 when Richard James, a multimillionaire American lawyer, turned up at the laboratory in New Zealand where Fitzpatrick was working as a consultant toxicologist. James was sure that soya beans were killing his rare birds.

"We thought he was mad, but he had a lot of money and wanted us to find out what was going on," Fitzpatrick recalls.

Over the next months, Fitzpatrick carried out an exhaustive study of soya and its effects. "We discovered quite quickly," he recalls, "that soya contains toxins and plant oestrogens powerful enough to disrupt women's menstrual cycles in experiments. It also appeared damaging to the thyroid." James's lobbying eventually forced governments to investigate. In 2002, the British government's expert committee on the toxicity of food (CoT) published the results of its inquiry into the safety of plant oestrogens, mainly from soya proteins, in modern food. It concluded that in general the health benefits claimed for soya were not supported by clear evidence and judged that there could be risks from high levels of consumption for certain age groups. Yet little has happened to curb soya's growth since.

More than 60% of all processed food in Britain today contains soya in some form, according to food industry estimates. It is in breakfast cereals, cereal bars and biscuits, cheeses, cakes, dairy desserts, gravies, noodles, pastries, soups, sausage casings, sauces and sandwich spreads. Soya, crushed, separated and refined into its different parts, can appear on food labels as soya flour, hydrolysed vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, protein concentrate, textured vegetable protein, vegetable oil (simple, fully, or partially hydrogenated), plant sterols, or the emulsifier lecithin. Its many guises hint at its value to manufacturers.

Soya increases the protein content of processed meat products. It replaces them altogether in vegetarian foods. It stops industrial breads shrinking. It makes cakes hold on to their water. It helps manufacturers mix water into oil. Hydrogenated, its oil is used to deep-fry fast food.

Soya is also in cat food and dog food. But above all it is used in agricultural feeds for intensive chicken, beef, dairy, pig and fish farming. Soya protein - which accounts for 35% of the raw bean - is what has made the global factory farming of livestock for cheap meat a possibility. Soya oil - high in omega 6 fatty acids and 18% of the whole bean - has meanwhile driven the postwar explosion in snack foods around the world. Crisps, confectionery, deep-fried take-aways, ready meals, ice-creams, mayonnaise and margarines all make liberal use of it. Its widespread presence is one of the reasons our balance of omega 3 to omega 6 essential fatty acids is so out of kilter.

You may think that when you order a skinny soya latte, you are choosing a commodity blessed with an unadulterated aura of health. But soya today is in fact associated with patterns of food consumption that have been linked to diet-related diseases. And 50 years ago it was not eaten in the west in any quantity.

Read the whole article.

Fitness News You Can Use (June, 2006)

Here is the June edition of FitBits:

FitBits
Exercise ETC’s Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS

It’s official: Dog owners are more active, healthier

Dog ownership may be an effective intervention among adults and children for promoting physical activity. This study examined the relationship between walking, physical activity levels, and potential psychological mediators between people who owned dogs and those who did not.

A random sample of men and women aged 20 to 80 years participated. Questionnaires were mailed out in 2004 to collect information about demographics, dog ownership, leisure-time walking, physical activity levels, and theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Results of the analysis showed dog owners spent more time in mild to moderate activities and walked an average of 300 minutes a week compared to 168 minutes for non-dog owners.

The results of this analysis indicate an additional benefit to dog ownership. It appears that there is an increase in physical activity associated with the obligation to walk the dog. Fitness Professionals may be able to promote this additional exercise benefit to those who are thinking of getting a dog.

Brown, Shane. and Rhodes, Ryan. Relationships Among Dog Ownership and Leisure-Time Walking in Western Canadian Adults. Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2006; 30(2), 131-136.

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Men and women perform squats differently, putting women’s knees at risk

It is generally accepted that female athletes exhibit different movement patterns compared to men, which increases their risk for ACL injury and patellofemoral pain. Why these differences occur is not so widely understood. Muscles of the trunk, hip and knee influence the orientation of the lower extremity during weight bearing activities. The purpose of this study was threefold: first, to compare the orientation of the lower extremity during a single leg squat among male and female athletes; second, to compare the strength of muscle groups in the trunk, hips and knees between the two genders; and third, to evaluate the association between trunk, hip and knee strength and the orientation of the knee joint during activity.

Twenty-four male and 22 female athletes served as subjects. Muscle force was measured in each subject for trunk flexion, extension and lateral flexion, hip abduction and external rotation, and knee flexion and extension. The frontal plane projection angle of the knee during a 45-degree single leg squat was also determined.

Results of the study show that men and women move in opposite directions during a single leg squat. This is consistent with other studies which show that women performing athletic moves (cross-cutting maneuvers, jump landing, etc.) tend to begin in a valgus (knock-knee) posture and move even more further into valgus, as opposed to men who begin in a valgus posture but move to more neutral alignment. This study also demonstrated that women produce less force than men in all muscle groups tested (with the exception of trunk extension.) The projection angle of the knee during the single leg squat was most closely associated with hip external rotation strength.

This is another study that documents the importance of balanced strength in the trunk, hip and knee musculature for proper knee mechanics, since women are more prone to collapse their knees inward (valgus) than men. Results of this study also indicate the importance of adequate range of motion in the hip adductors and strength in the hip external rotators. Fitness Professionals should pay close attention to strength and range of motion deficits in the trunk, hip and knee musculature and program to correct these deficits.

Willson, John, D. et al. Core strength and lower extremity alignment during single leg squats. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006, 38(5), 945-952.

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Weighted walking speeds metabolism, even at slower speeds

Walking is often recommended for exercise because it is low cost, easy to do, and functional, but walking does have its limitations. Those with limitations may not be able to achieve a walking speed that would facilitate cardiorespiratory or musculoskeletal improvements, and walking may not provide enough of an overload for those with higher fitness levels. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how oxygen consumption, exercise intensity, vertical ground reaction forces and loading rate were affected while using a weighted vest during treadmill walking.

A total of ten subjects performed a standardized walking test under four weighted-vest conditions (0, 10, 15, 20% of body mass). The walking test consisted of 4-minute stages at the following speeds: 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 miles per hour.

The results showed a significant difference in oxygen consumption in the weighted vest condition at all walking speeds. Vertical ground reaction forces increased as speed and vest mass increased. In regard to loading rate, using a weighted vest with 15 and 20% body mass showed a significant difference.

The results of this study support the use of a weighted vest to increase the metabolic cost and the dynamic loading of the skeletal system during walking and can also help Fitness Professionals determine appropriate vest mass. At lower walking speeds it may be necessary to use more weight to increase metabolic cost. At higher walking speeds a lower amount of weight will increase the metabolic cost. This study also indicated that the increases in ground reaction and loading forces were greater in all weighted vest conditions (22%) compared to the increases in metabolic cost (9%). This would indicate that wearing a weighted vest could significantly increase the mechanical stresses placed on the skeletal system without experiencing undue physiological strain.

Puthoff, Michael, L. et al. The effect of weighted vest walking on metabolic responses and ground reaction forces. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006, 38(4), 746-752

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Exercise benefits for the elderly may be more universal than expected

Many older adults are under the impression that they are too old to begin exercising and have little faith that they can improve function. These psychological barriers often affect motivation and adherence. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of walking and resistance training on the function of older adults.

The subjects consisted of 45 women and 19 men with an average age of 83.5 years from an independent living facility. Subjects were divided into a walking group, a strength-training group, and a non-exercising control group. The subjects were supervised during training that took place twice a week for 4 months.

The participants who were in the walking and strength training groups showed significant improvements in overall body strength, flexibility, balance and agility compared to the control group. Interestingly, the results of this study showed improvements in areas that were not specifically trained. It appears that in advanced old age the benefits of exercise may be more universal and less exercise specific, since the lower the fitness level the easier it is to establish an overload. Fitness Professionals could share this research with older adults to help document that it is never too late to begin an exercise program, which may be able to both offset age- related loss of function and preserve function longer.

Simons, Robert and Andel, Ross. The Effects of Resistance Training and Walking on Functional Fitness in Advanced Old Age. The Journal of Aging and Health. 2006; 18(1), 56-69.

CrossFit: Workouts for the Brave

For those of you out there who like it to hurt when you work out, at least sometimes, I'd like to recommend CrossFit.

Here are a couple of sample workouts:

Friday 060721

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

• Walking lunge, carrying 25 pound dumbbells, 10 steps
• Weighted pull-ups, with 25 pound dumbbell, 10 reps

Post number of rounds completed to comments.

Monday 060724

Thruster 3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1
Post loads to comments.

This is what a thruster looks like. They have videos or slide shows for all the exercises so you can see what kind of hell you are getting yourself into.

If you like tough workouts, give this site a shot. If you try it, le me know what you did and how it goes. I'm going to try some of these myself.

Prevention's 100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever

From Prevention Magazine, their top 100 diet tips -- and I make no claim to their value here, just reproducing the article for those who might be interested.

I might caution that this is from the American Dietetic Association, so the info is likely to be ten years or more out of date in some cases. And it will not be too useful for those serious about body composition. For the general reader, however, it's probably relatively harmless.

Renew your commitment to weight loss with help from top nutrition pros. By Top Dietitians of the American Dietetic Association

Got a diet dilemma? Ask a true diet pro: an RD, or registered dietitian. Her job is turning complex nutrition research into doable plans for real people.

Courtesy of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), we took our readers' eleven toughest diet problems and ran them by some of the top dietitians in the US: RDs who, in addition to their private careers, serve as media spokespersons or heads of specialty practice groups for the ADA.

Here's what they told us, in their own words. These tips are solid gold, learned from successful experience with thousands of clients. Some tips are new. Some you've heard before, but they're repeated because they work. This treasure trove of RD wisdom could change your life-starting today.

I Can Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now. What Should I Do?
1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions--unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Are there Any Easy Tricks to Help Me Cut Calories?
7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.

8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.

9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.

10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.

11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a year.

13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.

14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."

17. Use mustard instead of mayo.

18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.

19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.

20. Take your lunch to work.

21. Sit when you eat.

22. Dilute juice with water.

23. Have mostly veggies for lunch.

24. Eat at home.

25. Limit alcohol to weekends.

How Can I Eat More Veggies?
26. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.

27. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.

28. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.

29. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.

30. Rediscover the sweet potato.

31. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as "lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.

32. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.

33. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).

34. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.

Can You Give Me a Mantra that will Help Me Stick to My Diet?
35. "The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one. Period."

36. "I'll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere."

37. "I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now."

38. "I am a work in progress."

39. "It's more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating."

I Eat Healthy, but I'm Overweight. What Mistakes Could I Be Making without Realizing It?
40. Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters "diet by day and binge by night."

41. Don't "graze" yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it.

42. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.

43. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks.

44. Ignoring "Serving Size" on the Nutrition Facts panel.

45. Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.

46. Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.

What Can I Eat for a Healthy Low-Cal Dinner if I Don't Want to Cook?
47. A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.

48. The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage. Then at home, have an apple or baby carrots.

49. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple.

50. Precooked chicken strips and microwaved frozen broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese.

51. A healthy frozen entree with a salad and a glass of 1 percent milk.

52. Scramble eggs in a nonstick skillet. Pop some asparagus in the microwave, and add whole wheat toast. If your cholesterol levels are normal, you can have seven eggs a week!

53. A bag of frozen vegetables heated in the microwave, topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.

54. Prebagged salad topped with canned tuna, grape tomatoes, shredded reduced-fat cheese, and low-cal Italian dressing.

55. Keep lean sandwich fixings on hand: whole wheat bread, sliced turkey, reduced-fat cheese, tomatoes, mustard with horseradish.

56. Heat up a can of good soup.

57. Cereal, fruit, and fat-free milk makes a good meal anytime.

58. Try a veggie sandwich from Subway.

59. Precut fruit for a salad and add yogurt.

What's Your Best Advice for Avoiding those Extra Holiday Pounds?
60. Don't tell yourself, "It's okay, it's the holidays." That opens the door to 6 weeks of splurging.

61. Remember, EAT before you meet. Have this small meal before you go to any parties: a hardboiled Egg, Apple, and a Thirst quencher (water, seltzer, diet soda, tea).

62. As obvious as it sounds, don't stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you'll find you eat less.

63. At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.

64. For the duration of the holidays, wear your snuggest clothes that don't allow much room for expansion. Wearing sweats is out until January.

65. Give it away! After company leaves, give away leftover food to neighbors, doormen, or delivery people, or take it to work the next day.

66. Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.

67. Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.

68. Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.

How Can I Control a Raging Sweet Tooth?
69. Once in a while, have a lean, mean salad for lunch or dinner, and save the meal's calories for a full dessert.

70. Are you the kind of person who does better if you make up your mind to do without sweets and just not have them around? Or are you going to do better if you have a limited amount of sweets every day? One RD reported that most of her clients pick the latter and find they can avoid bingeing after a few days.

71. If your family thinks they need a very sweet treat every night, try to strike a balance between offering healthy choices but allowing them some "free will." Compromise with low-fat ice cream and fruit, or sometimes just fruit with a dollop of whipped cream.

72. Try 2 weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.

73. Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.

74. Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

75. Try these smart little sweets: sugar-free hot cocoa, frozen red grapes, fudgsicles, sugar-free gum, Nutri-Grain chocolate fudge twists, Tootsie Rolls, and hard candy.

How Can I Conquer My Downfall: Bingeing at Night?
76. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

77. Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.

78. Drink cold unsweetened raspberry tea. It tastes great and keeps your mouth busy.

79. Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands.

80. If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.

81. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after Dinner."

82. Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.

83. Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

84. Eating late at night won't itself cause weight gain. It's how many calories--not when you eat them--that counts.

How Can I Reap Added Health Benefits from My Dieting?
85. Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.

86. Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. To fill up healthfully and tastefully, try this sweet, fruity breakfast full of antioxidants. In a blender, process 1 c nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 1/3 c frozen strawberries (no added sugar), 1 peeled kiwi, and 1 peeled banana. Pulse until mixture is milkshake consistency. Makes one 2-cup serving; 348 calories and 1.5 fat grams.

87. If you're famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts--. The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.

88. Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients. If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.

89. Making just a few changes to your pantry shelves can get you a lot closer to your weight loss goals. Here's what to do: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil. Same goes for breads--go for whole wheat. Trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them canned tuna, sliced turkey breast, and lean roast beef. Change from drinking whole milk to fat-free milk or low-fat soy milk. This is hard for a lot of people so try transitioning down to 2 percent and then 1 percent before you go fat-free.

90. Nothing's less appetizing than a crisper drawer full of mushy vegetables. Frozen vegetables store much better, plus they may have greater nutritional value than fresh. Food suppliers typically freeze veggies just a few hours after harvest, locking in the nutrients. Fresh veggies, on the other hand, often spend days in the back of a truck before they reach your supermarket.

91. Worried about the trans-fat content in your peanut butter? Good news: In a test done on Skippy, JIF, Peter Pan, and a supermarket brand, the levels of trans fats per 2-tablespoon serving were far lower than 0.5 gram--low enough that under proposed laws, the brands can legally claim zero trans fats on the label. They also contained only 1 gram more sugar than natural brands--not a significant difference.

Eating Less Isn't Enough--What Exercising Tips Will Help Me Shed Pounds?
92. Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

93. When you're exercising, you shouldn't wait for thirst to strike before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Try this: Drink at least 16 ounces of water, sports drinks, or juices two hours before you exercise. Then drink 8 ounces an hour before and another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. Finish with at least 16 ounces after you're done exercising.

94. Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk--and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!

95. Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.

96. Drinking too few can hamper your weight loss efforts. That's because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn't how much you drink, it's how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.

How Can I Manage My Emotional Eating and Get the Support I Need?
97. A registered dietitian (RD) can help you find healthy ways to manage your weight with food. To find one in your area who consults with private clients call (800) 366-1655.

98. The best place to drop pounds may be your own house of worship. Researchers set up healthy eating and exercise programs in 16 Baltimore churches. More than 500 women participated and after a year the most successful lost an average of 20 lb. Weight loss programs based on faith are so successful because there's a built-in community component that people can feel comfortable with.

99. Here's another reason to keep level-headed all the time: Pennsylvania State University research has found that women less able to cope with stress--shown by blood pressure and heart rate elevations--ate twice as many fatty snacks as stress-resistant women did, even after the stress stopped (in this case, 25 minutes of periodic jackhammer-level noise and an unsolvable maze).

100. Sitting at a computer may help you slim down. When researchers at Brown University School of Medicine put 92 people on online weight loss programs for a year, those who received weekly e-mail counseling shed 5 1/2 more pounds than those who got none. Counselors provided weekly feedback on diet and exercise logs, answered questions, and cheered them on. Most major online diet programs offer many of these features.

Technorati Tags: Prevention Magazine, Diet Tips, American Dietetic Association, 100 Best Diet Tips

Why Your Workouts Suck: 7 Points to Ponder

From Charles Staley's site, an excellent article aimed at more serious weight trainers.

Why Your Workouts Suck: 7 Points to Ponder

Hey, if your workouts DON’T suck, great! But even the most successful athletes and gym rats have bad workouts from time to time. Here’s why...

1. You Call It A “Workout.” The language you use affects how you view the World. Think for a moment about what images you conjure up when the word “exercise” is used as opposed to “training session.” Or “diet” versus “nutrition plan.” When you use the word “workout,” you’re at a disadvantage right from the start. Now you can call it whatever you want of course, but at Staley Training Systems, we use the term “training session.” The word “training” implies a purpose... above and beyond burning calories or looking buff at the beach. It implies the acquisition of skills. So have some respect for the words you use!

2. It’s No Fun. A lot of people have a hard time with the notion that going out of your comfort zone can be “fun,” but, I believe that human beings are essentially goal-seeking creatures. We enjoy stretching ourselves in pursuit of higher achievements. We are competitive at our core, especially when we have a strong reason behind what we’re doing (see point #4 below). Many people attempt to distract themselves at the gym by listening to music, scoping out the hot chick/dude on the treadmill, or talking on the phone. What I’d suggest however, is to learn to love the process...think of every rep as an athletic performance...make it a game...fake it till ‘ya make it! Also, learn to love the process as much as, if not more than, the result.

3. You’re A Sadist. Now although it’s true you’ll need to get out of your comfort zone to make progress in any area of your life, there’s no point in seeking pain! I call this principle “The Law of Sustainable Progression.” It simply means that small but sustainable changes will ultimately result in more progress than large but non-sustainable changes. Think of it this way: you can’t lose a significant amount of strength, muscle, or any other positive fitness attribute in one day, no matter how slothful you are for that 24 hour period. This being true, it also stands that you also can’t make noticeable gains in one day, or even one week, even if you push yourself mercilessly. Dr. Steven Covey, author of the best-selling Seven Habits book series calls it “the law of the farm.” Covey likes to say that “You might be able to cram for a final exam, but you can’t cram on the farm.” He’s simply referring to the fact that in natural systems, things take time; no matter how impatient you might feel. So be patient, and again, learn to enjoy the process as much as the result.

4. You Don’t Have A Plan. Quick: What’s your primary training objective for 2006? If it took you more than 5 seconds to answer, you don’t have a plan. My second question to you is “Why not?” Isn’t it worth the time and effort to develop a clear, compelling mission? After all, when you have a strong enough “why,” the “how’s” take care of themselves. I’ve written extensively about goal-orientation in the past, and most people understand the rudimentary mechanics of setting goals. However, many people fail to set goals that are compelling (which means “to pull.”) If have a goal, great! But do you have a goal that’s pulling at you, that’s just begging to be accomplished? If not, I’d suggest you get to work…if you’re TRULY serious that is.

5. You Have No Support. I think it was Einstein who said (and I’m paraphrasing) “The moment you have a unique idea, you become a minority of one.” And guess what? The moment you start getting serious about training, you also become a minority of sorts. Your friends and family will question the sanity of your new lifestyle. People will ask you why you want “all those muscles” anyway?! They’ll warn you about the dangers of creatine while they wolf down their third Crispy Crème. They’ll talk to you about how their doctor says weight training is unhealthy. Sound familiar? You need a training partner at a minumum, or I think I recently heard something about a Distance Coaching Group somewhere didn’t I? ;-)

6. Your System Is Bad. Having a sound methodology can spell the difference between miserable and remarkable. While there are endless varieties of bad systems, most of them fall into the category of what we call “The Terrible Triad:” single-joint exercises performed slowly on machines. The “wonderful triad” then, refers to multi-joint exercises performed at an accelerated pace using free weights. Here’s why: First, multi-joint movements (squats, presses, lunges, pull ups, and so on) not only train more muscle per exercise, they also make greater demands on the stabilization function of your smaller synergistic muscles. Second, faster movement speeds result in greater muscular tensions than slower movement speeds. I bet you are thinking; “But I insist on lifting weights under complete control!” To which I respond: did I ever say you shouldn’t use complete control? Why is it that people think speed and control are mutually-exclusive ideas? And finally, if you’re a beginner, machines are OK for now. But just like you eventually shed your training wheels, I’d urge you to shed your machines as well. It doesn’t have to happen overnight, but it should happen, because muscles are meant to control resistances, not just push against them!

7. You’re Soooo Confused. It’s remarkable to see how many people fail to take action because they think they don’t know enough yet. So allow me let you in on a little secret: you know all those big dudes in the gym...those really intimidating guys lifting gargantuan weights as they yell and scream to celebrate their own beastly dominion over the weights? A lot of those guys don’t know what they’re doing either. It’s just that they don’t realize that they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s really no way to shortcut the learning process— everyone starts out not knowing, and then over time, their knowledge grows. So by all means, read, ask questions, read this newsletter, hire a trainer (be careful though), and learn as you go. You’re going to make mistakes. Then you’ll learn from those mistakes. Eventually, you’ll know so much that you’ll have a whole new set of questions!

Technorati Tags: Charles Staley, Weight Training, Program, Plan, Workouts

Would You Buy This Product?

Is offending the customer the best way to sell product?



Technorati Tags: Xenadrine, Commercial, Offensive

Reducing Carbohydrate Intake Results in Weight Loss

Here is the abstract of a recent study looking at the results of restricted carbohydrates on health. Results indicate a 30 percent reduction in calories, an increase in protein intake, a reduction in trans fatty acid consumption, a loss of weight (mostly as fat), lower LDL cholesterol, and an overall reduction of cardiovascular disease risk.

I've been a fan of a reduced-carb lifestyle for years, and this is another study in a growing pile that supports that pointof view.

Effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on emerging plasma markers for cardiovascular disease
Richard J. Wood , Jeff S. Volek , Steven R. Davis , Carly Dell'Ova and Maria Luz Fernandez Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:19 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-19
Published

4 May 2006Abstract (provisional)

Background
Increasing evidence supports carbohydrate restricted diets (CRD) for weight loss and improvement in traditional markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD); less is known regarding emerging CVD risk factors. We previously reported that a weight loss intervention based on a CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) led to a mean weight loss of 7.5 kg and a 20% reduction of abdominal fat in 29 overweight men. This group showed reduction in plasma LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and elevations in HDL-cholesterol as well as reductions in large and medium VLDL particles and increases in LDL particle size. In this study we report on the effect of this intervention with and without fiber supplementation on plasma homocysteine, lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

Methods
Twenty nine overweight men [body mass index (BMI) 25-35 kg/m2] aged 20-69 years consumed an ad libitum CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) including a standard multivitamin every other day for 12 wk. Subjects were matched by age and BMI and randomly assigned to consume 3 g/d of either a soluble fiber supplement (n = 14) or placebo (n =15).

Results
There were no group or interaction (fiber x time) main effects, but significant time effects were observed for several variables. Energy intake was spontaneously reduced (-30.5%). This was accompanied by an increase in protein intake (96.2 29.8g/d to 107.3 29.7 g/d) and methionine intake (2.25 0.7g/d, to 2.71 0.78 g/d; P < r =" .436," r =" .385,">

Conclusions
A diet based on restricting carbohydrates leads to spontaneous caloric reduction and subsequent improvement in emerging markers of CVD in overweight/obese men who are otherwise healthy.

You can read the whole, open access article here.


Technorati Tags: Low carb diet, Carbohydrate restriction, CVD risk, Nutrition & Metabolism, Research

Fitness News You Can Use

Here are a few recent studies collected by FitBits.

Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS


Teach the obese that “NEATness” counts!

As obesity levels in children and adults continue to rise it is important for Fitness Professionals to understand contributing lifestyle causes and develop strategies to overcome them. To date, inactivity and excess caloric consumption are common denominators among overweight/obese adults and children. However a new line of research is starting to emerge referred to as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) which refers to the caloric cost of posture allocation (standing, walking and fidgeting). NEAT is the energy expenditure of daily activities that are not considered “planned” physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in NEAT between inactive lean subjects and mildly obese subjects.

Twenty healthy men and women served as subjects. Five men and women had BMIs of 23 classifying them as “lean” and five men and women had BMIs of 33 classifying them as “obese.” The subjects wore sensitive monitoring equipment which collected data every half second for 10 days giving the researchers 25 million data points on movement and posture for each subject.

The results showed that the obese subjects were seated for 164 minutes longer each day than the lean subjects. The energy expenditure for the extra movement of the lean group averaged 352 calories a day, which is the equivalent of about 36 pounds in one year.

Fitness Professionals should use this information to encourage their clients to increase physical activity throughout their day. In addition to planned exercise sessions, clients can burn a significant number of calories without taking time out of their busy schedules. Fitness Professionals should develop a list of tips to incorporate movement into everyday life such as walking at every opportunity, standing versus sitting whenever possible, and instead of e-mailing a colleague walk to their desk instead.

Levine, J. A., et al. Interindividual variation in posture allocation: Possible role in human obesity. Science. 2005, 307, January 28, 584-586.


DOMS does not necessarily reduce volume of exercise

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs with unaccustomed exercise or when the volume or intensity of exercise greatly exceeds baseline levels. DOMS is related to connective and contractile tissue microtrauma, which results, from the tension and strain produced during eccentric muscle actions, as well as to inflammatory responses after the injury. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the response of the elbow flexors to a second bout of eccentric exercise performed at 80% to 100% of the initial maximal bout of exercise.

Fifty-one athletes served as subjects. Each subject performed 30 eccentric actions of the elbow flexors with 100% of their maximal isometric force. Three days later all subjects except the control group performed a second bout at intensities of 100%, 90% or 80%. The researchers measured muscle damage based on range of motion, muscle soreness, muscle proteins in the blood and other criteria.

The results showed no significant changes in any of the indicators of muscle damage. Subjects in the 80% and 90% intensity groups were able to complete the second bout of exercise as directed, however most of those in the 100% group required some spotting.

These results suggest that it is possible for athletes to complete a second strength training session three days after the first session if the intensity is reduced by 10% to 20%. This intensity should not increase muscle damage or slow down in the recovery process. Fitness Professionals should take this information with a couple of precautions: Athletes have different goals than the general population and may be more motivated to exercise even with soreness; this may not be the case for the average healthy adult. Also, keep in mind this was only done one time in this study, and for one body part. It would seem reasonable to question whether an increase in damage and or recovery time might occur if this were done on a regular basis.

Chen, Trevor, C. Responses of elbow flexors to two strenuous eccentric exercise bouts separated by three days. National Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2006, 20(1), 108-116.


Exercise vital for breast cancer survivors

Each year over a million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. With the increasing incidence and number of survivors it is becoming evident that greater efforts must be directed toward improving the physical functioning and quality of life of this special population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an 8-week full-body resistance and aerobic exercise program in breast cancer survivors.

Thirty-four breast cancer survivors average age 57.7 served as subjects. All subjects were at least 6 months post-cancer treatment. The resistance program consisted of twice weekly strength training sessions for both upper and lower body; all exercises were performed with 8-12 repetitions. Aerobic sessions were held 3 days a week at an intensity of 65%-85% of maximal heart rate. The duration began with 15 minutes in the target heart rate zone and gradually increased to 30 minutes over the 8 weeks.

Significant reductions in skinfold measurements and waist & hip girth wee noted, as well as significant increases in both upper and lower body strength and endurance. Trunk flexibility and flexibility in both shoulders improved significantly. Quality of Life Assessment score improved significantly and no incidents of lymphedema or injury were reported.

The results of this study document the value of full-body resistance training and aerobic training in survivors of breast cancer. Clients with breast cancer whose physicians recommend exercise are significantly more active than those who receive no recommendations. Fitness Professionals should use the results of this study to promote exercise to both survivors and their physicians.

Birinder, Singh, B. Full-body exercise training improves fitness and quality of life in survivors of breast cancer. National Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2006, 20(1), 14-21.


Caffeine during exercise boosts performance

A number of investigations have reported improved performance following caffeine ingestion during exercise. Most of these studies used prolonged endurance exercise and single bouts of high-intensity exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute caffeine ingestion on prolonged intermittent sprint performance.

Ten male athletes served as subjects for this study. Each subject completed two sprint trials, 7 days apart, sixty minutes after ingesting caffeine or a placebo. The total amount of sprint work performed during the caffeine trial was 8.5% greater than that performed during the placebo trail during the first half and 7.6% greater in the second half. Mean peak power was also significantly greater in the caffeine trial compared to placebo.

The results of this study indicate that ingestion of caffeine can improve performance of intermittent sprint exercise, which is representative of the demands of many team sports. The amount of caffeine used in this study was moderate (6 mg per kilogram of body weight). In this study urinary caffeine levels 2.5 hours following ingestion ranged from 3.5 to 9.1 which is below the 12 level set by the International Olympic Committee for a positive caffeine test.

Schneiker, K.T., et al. Effects of caffeine on prolonged intermittent sprint ability in team sport athletics. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006, 38(3), 578-585.

Technorati Tags: FitBits, Exercise ETC., Research, Studies, Fitness, Health

Coffee Counters Alchohol's Damage to Liver

Well, it's good to know that the coffee I drank to wake up each morning after a hard night of drinking (back in the day) was saving my liver from damage. Too bad it didn't save any of the brain cells that drowned.

Coffee may counteract alcohol’s poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis, researchers say.

In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 percent. The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.

It is unclear whether it is the caffeine or some other ingredient in coffee that provides the protection, said study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

Of course, there is a better way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Klatsky said.

“The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking” of alcohol, he said.

The participants ranged from teetotalers, who made up 12 percent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 percent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.

Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ’s ability to filter toxins from the blood. Klatsky said the new findings may help explain why some people’s livers survive heavy alcohol use.

Hepatitis C and some inherited diseases can also cause cirrhosis. But the study found coffee did not protect the liver against those other causes of scarring.

Improved liver function
The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Coffee’s effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.

Cirrhosis from all causes kills more than 27,000 Americans a year and sends nearly 400,000 to the hospital.

The findings, published in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer.

The data came from members of a Northern California health plan. Their coffee consumption was noted only at the beginning of the study, which the researchers admitted was a limitation. They were followed for an average of 14 years.

The researchers found no reduced risk of cirrhosis for tea drinkers. Tea has less caffeine than coffee and there were fewer heavy tea drinkers in the study, so if caffeine is the protective ingredient, an effect may not have shown up for tea in the study, Klatsky said.

Technorati Tags: Coffee, Liver, Alcohol, Cirrhosis

Tips on Beating Emotional Eating

Jillian is the female drill sargent on The Biggest Loser, a very fit trainer with a no-nonsense approach to losing the weight. Here are her thoughts on beating emotional eating. This is good advice.

Recognize and Stop Emotional Eating
Jillian Michaels offers her advice

by Jillian Michaels

Jillian shared her steps to recognizing and overcoming emotional eating.

# When you think you're hungry, you need to stop yourself right off the bat as you're going for the fridge. Just learn to stop yourself and ask yourself in that moment, "Am I even hungry?"

# Evaluate: Is your stomach growling? Do you feel weak? Are you tired? When was the last time you ate? Was it three or four hours ago? Ask yourself those questions. The first thing to do is write down, "Okay, I'm hungry." On a scale of 1 to 10, I want you to ask yourself, "How hungry am I?" Are you a 5, are you a 1, are you a 10 (10 being the hungriest)?

# Now, next step, I want you to write down ‑- if, in fact, you're not hungry, and you've eaten an hour or two ago ‑- what's going on for you emotionally. Take a look ‑- explore yourself and your feelings. What's going on? "Well, you know what, I'm anxious, man." "We have layoffs at the office." "I'm going through a breakup." Identify the emotion and what's going on inside of you.

# The next step is, now that you've recognized it, you need to face it in order to conquer it. So now you've got to look at this and ask yourself, "Can this issue be resolved in the now?" Do you have the ability to deal with it? Did you have a fight with your mom? Can you call her and rectify it? Yet sometimes life just sucks, man. Maybe, you know, your dog died. Who knows, sometimes things just suck.

# If you're at that point where you can't resolve the issue, you need to find ways of nurturing yourself and pampering yourself that are not food related. Know yourself. Do you collect stuff? Do you like to go on eBay and thrift shop? What are your hobbies? Put together a family album. Write your memoirs. Do stuff that's incompatible with self-destruction and that will help. That's why a lot of the contestants on the ranch ‑-, when they were working out so hard and taking such good care of themselves ‑- often, I think, didn't eat enough because they begin to associate eating with being self-destructive.

# At the end of the day, here's also what I would say: Sometimes, you know what, sometimes it just doesn't work. Make a healthier choice. Have air-popped popcorn, not Cheetos. Have sugar-free Popsicles for 25 calories instead of Ben and Jerry's. When all else fails, make a healthier choice.

Jillian's diet and fitness tips for beginners
Read an excerpt from Winning by Losing

Technorati Tags: Emotional Eating, Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, Weight loss, Diet tips

Core Training

Everything you know about core training is wrong, so says Mike Robertson, writing for T-Nation. He's a pretty smart guy, so I read the article. And I agree, it matches some research I've seen popping up here and there. Give it a read and see if it makes sense to you, too.

Here is a taste:

Let's start off with a quote from Shirley Sahrmann regarding the role of the abdominal muscles:

"The most important aspect of abdominal muscle performance is obtaining the control that is necessary to:
(1) appropriately stabilize the spine,
(2) maintain optimal alignment and movement relationships between the pelvis and spine, and
(3) prevent excessive stress and compensatory motions of the pelvis during movements of the extremities."
~ Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, p. 69.

What Ms. Sahrmann is getting at here is when you have the right amount of abdominal or core strength, not only do you stabilize the spine optimally, but you can carry this optimal relationship over to movement (squatting, deadlifting, lunging, etc.).

While it's obvious that very few of us have an optimal relationship at rest, this is magnified more so when we're asked to perform complex or heavily weighted movements (such as squatting, deadlifting, lunging, etc.). Think about it, if you're in poor alignment when you're just standing around, how bad is it going to be when you're trying to move heavy iron?

So what happens when we have weakness of the core? I'll let Porterfield and DeRosa explain:

"Weakness of the abdominal wall results in an increase in the anterior rotary motion of the pelvis (anterior pelvic tilt). The motion increases extension and compressive loading of the lumbar facets."
~ Mechanical Low Back Pain, p. 137.

If we're looking solely at the spine, the anterior pelvic tilt produced can increase low back pain, but what else can it do? This anterior pelvic tilt puts increased stress on the anterior joint line of the knee, and also puts the hamstring in a position of constant stretch, leaving it open to strains as well.

The article has some Flash videos in it, so you'll to download a Flash Player if you don't already have one installed.


Technorati Tags: T-Nation, Mike Robertson, High Performance Core Training, Core Training, Abs

Low-Cost Introduction to Coaching

My partner, Kira, is currently completing a Life Coaching certification. She needs a certain number of hours of coaching to move to the next level. Although Kira is already a licensed therapist with seven years' experience working with people, the coaching program requires additional hours. In order to obtain the hours she needs, she is offering a special 5-session package for $100, which is quite an outstanding deal.

If you want to work on issues of weight and body image, personal boundaries, creativity, life balance, or anything else that might make you happier, healthier, and more whole, contact Kira and get an introductory session at no cost.


Technorati Tags: Life coaching, Life balance, Wholeness, Body image

Video: Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho tries on a new pair of shoes, then shoots the ball off of the crossbar 4 straight times.



Technorati Tags: Ronaldinho, Soccer, Brazil, World Cup, Nike

FDA Wants Restaurants to Cut Portion Size

From USA Today, the FDA actually makes sense. Now that is news.

A new report suggests restaurants should dish food and fight fat at the same time, meaning menus with more fruits and vegetables, smaller portions and better nutritional information.

With burgers, fries and pizza the Top 3 eating-out favorites in this country, restaurants are in prime position to help improve people's diets and combat obesity. At least that's what is recommended in a government-commissioned report being released Friday.

The report, requested and funded by the Food and Drug Administration, lays out ways to help people manage their intake of calories from the growing number of meals prepared away from home, including at the nation's nearly 900,000 restaurants and other establishments that serve food.

The 136-page report prepared by The Keystone Center, an education and public group based in Keystone, Colo., said Americans now consume fully one-third of their
daily intake of calories outside the home. And as of 2000, the average American took in 300 more calories a day than was the case 15 years earlier, according to Agriculture Department statistics cited in the report.

Today, 64% of Americans are overweight, including the 30% who are obese, according to the report. It pegs the annual medical cost of the problem at nearly $93 billion.

Consumer advocates increasingly have heaped some of the blame on restaurant chains like McDonald's, which bristles at the criticism while offering more salads and fruit. The report does not explicitly link dining out with the rising tide of obesity, but does cite numerous studies that suggest there is a connection.

The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower-calorie choices, and include more such options on menus. In addition, restaurants could jigger portion sizes and the variety of foods available in mixed dishes to reduce the overall number of calories taken in by diners.

Bundling meals with more fruits and vegetables also could improve nutrition. And letting consumers know how many calories are contained in a meal also could guide the choices they make, according to the report. Just over half of the nation's 287 largest restaurant chains now make at least some nutrition information available, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"If companies don't tell them, people have no way of knowing how many calories they are being served at restaurants. And chances are, they are being served a lot more than they realize," said Wootan, adding that Congress should give the FDA the authority to require such disclosure.

But the report notes that the laboratory work needed to calculate the calorie content of a menu item can cost $100, or anywhere from $11,500 to $46,000 to analyze an entire menu.

That cost makes it unfeasible for restaurants, especially when menus can change daily, said Sheila Cohn, director of nutrition policy for the National Restaurant Association.

Instead, restaurants increasingly are offering varied portion sizes, foods made with
whole grains, more diet drinks and entree salads to fit the dietary needs of customers, Cohn said. Still, they can't make people eat what they won't order.

"It's not really the responsibility of restaurants to restrict the foods that they offer," Cohn said.

Survey data suggest that consumers are sticking to old standbys, even when offered healthier fare.

When Americans dined out in 2005, the leading menu choices remained hamburgers, french fries and pizza, according to The NPD Group, a market research firm. The presumably healthier option of a side salad was the No. 4 choice for women, but No. 5 for men, according to the eating pattern study.

Government officials, scholars, industry representatives and consumer advocates contributed to the report.

It's rare that the FDA makes sense about anything, but in this case, they are on target. The downside is that this will never be enforced, so if you want to eat wisely when dining out, you'll need to take the iniative and do some research on your own.

Carb Health has nutrition info for some fast food restaurants.
Bodybuilding.com has a food nutrient database that is searchable.

Or go to a used bookstore and pick up a copy of Corrine Netzer's Complete Book of Food Counts, which includes restaurant foods.


Technorati Tags: Nutrition, FDA, Serving Size, Food Counts, Health, Diet

New Diet Books Hitting the Shelves Soon

This is courtesy of CalorieLab Calorie Counter News, permalink here.

New diet books in the bookshops for June

Coming off of the busy release schedule of April and May, publishers have eased off in diet-related titles for this month (but they’ve compensated with some really long book subtitles).

June 1
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
John Robbins (Forward), et al. (BenBella Books)

Oh, man, first it was the French, and then the Japanese. Now The China Study tells us that Chinese eat 20 percent more calories than Americans, but are one-third less fat. The claim that it’s not how much you eat, but what you eat (hint: think vegetables), is one of the convention-challenging findings in the paperback edition of last year’s book about the study that New York Times nutrition editor Jane E. Brody called “the grand prix of epidemiology.”

Secrets of Longevity
Maoashing Ni (Chronicle Books)

Acupuncturist to Hollywood celebrities, herbologist, and Tai Chi master Dr. Maoshing Ni’s latest book on living a longer, healthier life is right up to date with its recommendation to eat blueberries, but, as an Amazon reviewer notes, a little behind the times with its recommendation of “8 x 8″ glasses of water.

June 2
The Ultimate Smoothie Book: 130 Delicious Recipes for Blender Drinks, Frozen Desserts, Shakes, and More!
Cherie Calbom (Warner Wellness)

Author Calbom’s popular 2001 all-things-smoothie guide gets a facelift this month, with a new edition that includes 29 more recipes than the original offered. Self-styled “Juice Lady” Calbom even includes a few low-carb smoothie options this time for those still faithful to an Atkins approach to weight loss.

June 5
The GL Diet For Dummies
Nigel Denby, Sue Baic (John Wiley & Sons)

The glycemic index/glycemic load diet took off in Europe before it was generally known in the U.S., so it’s appropriate that the publishers of Wiley’s Dummies series tapped two English dieticians to write this new release. The authors promise “no more calorie counting” — just glycemic load counting. But since GL numbers are small, they’re easier to count, and are certainly easier than dieting using the metric system.

June 13
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Nina Planck (Bloomsbury)

Lard and pork bellies are health food? So says farmer’s market advocate Nina Planck in this new book that maintains that much of what we’ve been eating since the end of World War II has been disastrous for our health. Ms. Planck says that she has lost 25 pounds and seen her cholesterol and lipids fall by eating her diet of animal fat-rich “real food.” What would the Chinese say to that?

June 15
The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
Donna Gates, Linda Schatz (Body Ecology)

Do all your problems stem from yeast? Author Gates promotes this theory in the ninth edition of this somewhat disorganized but well-meaning (according to Amazon reviewers) book.

June 27
The Great American Detox Diet : Feel Better, Look Better, and Lose Weight by Cleaning Up Your Diet
Alex Jamieson (Rodale Books)

Lower price, longer subtitle, for the paperback release of last year’s vegan detox diet by “Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock’s girlfriend, vegan chef Alex Jamieson.
June 30
Slimming Secrets of the Rich & Famous
Adele Parker (John Blake)

If author Parker’s 2003 book Celebrity Slimming Secrets didn’t lead to celeb diet satiety for you, you’ll want to preorder her new book, which covers Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Aniston, among others. This time around, there’s a special emphasis on post-pregno slimming.

I don't endorse any of these books. The only two diet books I have endorsed so far are The Paleo Diet and The South Beach Diet. I think they both are sound approaches to overall nutritional health. And both favor reduced carbs -- especially grains -- and increased protein.


Technorati Tags: Diets, Nutrition, Books, South Beath Diet, Paleo Diet

Build Your Own Training Program

I favor full-body workouts for a variety of reasons, not least of which is efficiency and efficacy. I also favor multi-joint movements over isolation movements. So when I construct a program for myself, these are my primary concerns: good use of time, little or no isolation work, go heavy, use supersets, and limit use of machines if possible (this is rough in a "family gym," like Bally, that isn't designed for serious lifting).

Tony Gentilcore, writing at T-Nation, has put together an article that uses the basic theory that I favor and will help you build a solid program on your own. He also provides a sample program so you can see what it might look like.


Technorati Tags: Weight training, Program design, Bodybuilding, Workout, Program Design for Dummies, Tony Gentilcore, T-Nation

Cut Carbs to Lower Cholesterol

Excellent article from MSNBC:

NEW YORK - Trimming carbohydrate intake results in healthy improvements in cholesterol levels, even if a person doesn't lose an ounce, a new study shows.

"These dietary fads tend to come and go," Dr. Ronald M. Krauss of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in Oakland, Calif., told Reuters Health. "In the case of low carbohydrates, people shouldn't be so quick to throw that away and move on to the next diet. Limiting carbohydrates can be beneficial even if people aren't successful at losing weight."

Scientists now believe that carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, can cause unhealthy changes in blood fats by causing fat to collect in the liver — just as it does on one's thighs or belly. These fats eventually find their way into the bloodstream, Krauss explained. Cutting down on these fat deposits by cutting carbs reduces fat levels in the blood, and may also boost the body's ability to break down fats that do reach the bloodstream.

To investigate whether moderate reduction in carbohydrate intake might affect cholesterol levels, Krauss and his team had a group of 178 overweight men eat a standard diet including 54 percent energy intake from carbohydrates for one week.

The men were then randomly assigned to continue the same diet, or switch to a 39 percent carbohydrate diet, or a 26 percent carb diet for three weeks.

For an additional five weeks, men ate a similar diet but their calorie intakes were reduced to produce weight loss. In the final four weeks of the study, their energy intake was adjusted for weight stabilization.

Compared to the men who stayed on the standard diet, those with the lowest carb intake showed reductions in harmful triglycerides and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. They also enjoyed an increase in the ratio of "good" HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol levels, and other improvements in their blood fat profile.

These healthy changes were seen whether or not the men were eating less saturated fat, and whether or not they lost weight.

The 54 percent carbohydrate diet resembles the normal diet many of us consume by following standard dietary recommendations, Krauss said. People can cut their carbohydrate intake to a level similar to that used in the study by "avoiding the kinds of food we don't need in our diet anyway — sugary foods, white rice, pasta, white bread," he added.

"This type of diet really needs to be done in consultation with a dietitian to get the balance that we used," Krauss emphasized. But such a diet, he noted, is much less restrictive than, for example, the Atkins' approach, and would relatively simple to follow.

This should be the dietary approach recommended by all doctors and by the government, but it will take another thirty years, millions more dead from diabetes and heart disease before they take the obvious steps.

Technorati Tags: Diet, Nutrition, Low carbohydrates, Cholesterol Reduction, Health

Creatine Update from T-Nation

T-Nation has a new article on creatine, the most widely studied sports supplement ever. It's a round table featuring Chris Shugart, David Barr. and Dr. Lonnie Lowery.

You can read the whole article here.

Here are the highlights:

• There's no need to load with mega-doses. Just take 3 to 5 grams a day for a couple of weeks. After that, take 3-5 grams only after training. No need to take it on off days after that.
• A full "reload' every few weeks isn't necessary.
• The best time to take creatine is after training.
• Always use micronized creatine.
• If you use a properly formulated post-training drink like Surge, toss your creatine in there. It's a darn good "delivery system."
• Sodium does help creatine get into the muscle, but you probably get enough already so no need to add this to your diet.
• Creatine has a "smart drug" effect that's pretty darn cool. You may want to use a little creatine just for that. Old folks may benefit from it too, as it can help combat muscle wasting that comes with aging.

I personally think that creatine is an essential nutrient. In addition to what they mention here, creatine has been shown to reduce cholesterol, improve memory, strengthen the heart, supress the herpes virus (and maybe other viruses as well), improve glucose metabolism, and several other benefits.

This was good for me in one way: I have been taking up to 10 grams a day. So it appears I have been wasting the stuff in that I need no more than 3-5 grams a day, and only on training days.

Technorati Tags: Creatine, T-Nation, Chris Shugart, David Barr, Lonnie Lowery, Surge

Nike: Ronaldo vs Zlatan

Skills, it's all about skills.



Technorati Tags: Soccer, World Cup, Skills, Ronaldo, Zlatan, Nike

One-Third of Americans Have Diabetes

From UPI:

One-third with diabetes don't know it

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- One-third of U.S. adults with diabetes don't know they have the disease, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta who analyzed national survey data from two periods -- 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2002 -- found about 2.8 percent of U.S. adults don't know they have diabetes.

The study, published in the June issue of Diabetes Care, notes that type 2 diabetes accounts for up to 95 percent of all diabetes cases and virtually all undiagnosed diabetes cases.

"It's important to know if you have pre-diabetes or undiagnosed type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Larry Blonde, chair of the National Diabetes Education Program. "You should talk to your healthcare professional about your risk. If your blood glucose is high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, losing weight and increasing physical activity will greatly lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes."

For those with diabetes, controlling blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol will prevent or delay the complications of diabetes, according to Blonde.

Here are a few blog posts that address diabetes and reducing the risk:

High Intensity Exercise Prevents Diabetes Better Than Low Intensity
Cinnamon May Help Prevent Diabetes
Study: Drinking Coffee Reduces Type-II Diabetes Risk
Eat Fiber to Protect Your Heart
The Power of Will

Really, it's very simple:
Exercise regularly
Eat lean meats, vegetables, and whole grains
Get 7-8 hours of sleep
Avoid sugar, white flour, trans fats, and junk food

Technorati Tags: Type-II Diabetes, Prevention, Heart Disease, Exercise, Diet, Nutrition, Sleep