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

Chocolate May Boost Brain Power

If you are one of my clients, and you are reading this, the answer is NO!

CNN reports on new research suggesting chocolate may boost brain power:

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new study hints that eating milk chocolate may boost brain function.

"Chocolate contains many substances that act as stimulants, such as theobromine, phenethylamine, and caffeine," Dr. Bryan Raudenbush from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia noted in comments to Reuters Health.

"These substances by themselves have previously been found to increase alertness and attention and what we have found is that by consuming chocolate you can get the stimulating effects, which then lead to increased mental performance."

To study the effects of various chocolate types on brain power, Raudenbush and colleagues had a group of volunteers consume, on four separate occasions, 85 grams of milk chocolate; 85 grams of dark chocolate; 85 grams of carob; and nothing (the control condition).

After a 15-minute digestive period, participants completed a variety of computer-based neuropsychological tests designed to assess cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving.

"Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions," Raudenbush told Reuters. And consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time.

Previous research has shown that some nutrients in food aid in glucose release and increased blood flow, which may augment cognitive performance. The current findings, said Raudenbush, "provide support for nutrient release via chocolate consumption to enhance cognitive performance."

If you are trying to lose weight, avoid the chocolate. Other studies show chocolate may be addictive. Stick to green tea or coffee for a little brain boost. Or try some l-tyrosine for a brain boost without the jitters.

Technorati Tags: Chocolate, Brain power, Theobromine, L-tyrosine

Nike Soccer: Brazil

Watch the whole ad, the goal at the end is worth it.




Technorati Tags: Nike, Soccer, Brazil, World Cup

High Intensity Exercise Prevents Diabetes Better Than Low Intensity

From Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin:

How does exercise prevent diabetes?

An exciting study from Yale shows that intense exercise is far more effective in preventing and controlling diabetes than exercising at a leisurely pace (Journal of Applied Physiology, January 2006). Inactive, healthy, non-obese women over 72 years of age were started in training programs of hard (80 percent of aerobic capacity), moderate (65 percent) and easy (50 percent). All three groups did the same amount of work, burning 300 calories per session. The intense group had a great improvement in their ability to use sugar and suppress fat formation, while the low intensity group had little benefit.

This means that intense exercise can help both to prevent and to treat diabetes. The most tissue damage occurs immediately after eating, when blood sugar levels rise the highest. After you eat, sugar goes from the intestines into the bloodstream. The only places that sugar can be stored are in your muscles and liver. When your muscles are not exercised, they are full of sugar and sugar has no place to go after it enters your bloodstream. On the other hand, when your muscles are exercised, they empty their stored sugar. Then when you eat, sugar can go from the intestines into the bloodstream and then immediately into the muscles, preventing a high rise in blood sugar.

The exciting news from this study is that the more intensely you exercise, the greater the protection from developing diabetes and the better the control of your diabetes if you already have it. A word of caution: 75 percent of diabetics die from heart disease and some people can suffer heart attacks during intense exercise, so check with your doctor first.

This is good information to use on my clients who think that walking the dog around the block is cardio. At least I know that two or three times a week they get their muscles emptied of glucose when they train with me. That has to help a little bit.

Technorati Tags: Diabetes, Weight training, Glucose, Blood sugar, Exercise, Intensity

A Short Article on HIIT Cardio

This is from Critical Bench. If you can read a magazine or a book while you are doing cardio, and you are in good health, you're wasting your time. This article explains why.

HIIT YOUR CARDIO HARD
by Zach Bashore

High-Intensity Interval Training is a workout strategy that is intended to increase performance with shorter training sessions. High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is one of the best methods for muscle retention and fat loss. Studies have shown that long endurance activities such as aerobics cause the breakdown of muscle tissue, which is why HIIT should be emphasized. HIIT and interval training are very similar and the only difference between them is the intensity in which they are done. Interval training is a varying of intensities within a workout, where you add a low-intensity session with a high-intensity session.

You can perform your interval training in many ways, and you should also use variety. It can be performed on a stairmaster, mountain bike, local track, or a stationary bike. As with all methods of exercise, you should rotate the type of exercise performed to keep your body from adapting. If you desire longer-lasting results, cardiovascular work should be a priority on your fitness to-do list. Your main emphasis in exercise should be for cardio health, strength-training, and for flexibility. As with most cardio exercise, you should track your heart rate, distance, intensity, length, target heart rate, calories burned, and cool-down time.

One of the great things about HIIT is that it can be applied to other activities as well. Running stairs, riding a stationary bike, a stair-stepper, or any activity where you can shift from high intensity to low intensity will work wonders. Let's say that you're going to add HIIT to running sprints or steps. Start working in intervals! Jog for a certain amount of time, sprint for a certain amount of time, followed by a short jogging session, and keep repeating a certain sequence until your time is finished.

We've always been told that low-intensity aerobic exercise is the best method for ridding the body of unwanted fat. However, new research proves this opinion to be false. The reason that this low-intensity opinion of cardio exercise came about is a study that showed that lower intensity cardio burns a greater percentage of calories from as opposed to carbs. In research, HIIT has been shown to burn fat 50% more effectively that that of lower-intensity exercise. HIIT speeds your metabolism and keeps it running at a fast rate for up to sixteen hour after your workout. The bottom line is that HIIT burns a higher number of calories than that of lower-intensity.

If you are looking to burn fat quickly, HIIT is the way to go. However, not everyone's responds properly to this method. Diabetics whose body already has problems managing carbs should not train with HIIT. Other people who have just started a workout program should start with low-intensity and slowly start incorporating intervals as they get more advanced. The demands of HIIT can only be used by experienced trainees because newbies will simply give up after the first day of hard work. Take things one day at a time and the results will be experienced at a later time.

Del.Icio.Us Tags: Cardio, Fat loss, HIIT, Critical Bench
Technorati Tags: Cardio, Fat loss, HIIT, Critical Bench