Healthy Weight Loss

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is, surprisingly, one of the most overlooked.

It's breakfast!

There is growing evidence that suggests simply eating breakfast -- every day -- helps people shed pounds and inches.

Imagine... eating to lose weight.

It actually makes good sense. For starters, people who skip breakfast tend to be hungrier throughout the day... and they actually overcompensate for the missed meal.

Also important, is the fact that the absence of a good morning meal slows down your metabolism. You stop producing the enzymes that metabolize fat and promote weight loss. In essence, it stays with you, rather than being burned throughout the day.

But what you eat for breakfast is important. Many people eat high calorie, high carb breakfasts... like bagels, toast, muffins, pastries, and sugary drinks like coffee... and even, fruit juice. These meals pack on calories quickly (a latte and a muffin is 660 calories!) The far better bet is a low calorie meal that's high in protein... or fiber... or both!



Did You Know?

Water can play a SIGNIFICANT role in weight loss and weight management! For one, drinking water increases metabolism helping you burn more calories than when you don't drink it. But water has another important and powerful property -- it makes you full!



3 Great Ideas for Great Nutrition

A lot of people think that eating well is difficult. It doesn't have to be.

Here are a few simple ideas that can go a long way toward achieving your nutrition and health goals.

1. Be PRO Protein

Did you know that protein helps manage hunger? It's true. When protein is absorbed it sends a signal to the brain to decrease your hunger. This feeling of satiety reduces cravings, making it easier to eat well. Protein also raises your resting metabolism by maintaining muscle mass. Imagine that! Burn more calories by simply going about your day!

2. Re-Define Snacking

Isn't it frustrating when you eat balanced meals, and have little to show for it? Oftentimes, snacking is the culprit, meaning it may not be what you eat at mealtime that's hurting you, but what you eat in between. If you're prone to snacking, re-define what constitutes a snack. Sweet pineapple, apple slices, delicious grapes or a clementine can be as satisfying as a cookie. Same goes with trail mix, nuts, or a healthy shake.

3. Take a Multivitamin

Eating well is about more than just maintaining a good figure. It's also about the health promoting nutrients good foods provide to our bodies. Taking a multivitamin is a very easy way to make sure you're getting nutrients that support a healthy heart, skin, bones, energy levels, and brain function.

Is Your Weight Healthy?

People put a lot of stock into the number they see when they step on a scale. We have preconceived ideas of what we want to weigh. And what we should weigh. But healthy weight is about more than a number on a scale. What's right for one person is unrealistic or unreasonable for another. In other words, you may be more at risk -- or closer to your goal -- than you might think.

That's why nutritionists and other health professionals often base decisions on something other than just weight. They use another metric called Body Mass Index or BMI, for short.

What you should know about BMI.

BMI uses a scientific formula to determine a person's safest, healthiest weight based upon their weight and height. It's important to know yours, as research shows a high BMI can be associated with serious health risks including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Your BMI and what it means.
< 20 = Slender / Lean
20-25 = Ideal Weight Range
25-30 = Overweight (25-27 could be healthy range if large-boned and heavily muscled)
30+ = Very Overweight / High Risk
40+ = Extremely Overweight / High Risk for Health Complications .


BMI provides a helpful guideline for achieving the weight range that's healthiest for you!

Surprise! It's Not Just Vegetables!
Why PROTEIN is KEY when it comes to your immune system...

Everyone knows that diet is important when it comes to warding off sickness and disease. But people who focus on fruits and vegetables for an immunity boost are overlooking a key part of the equation. Protein.

Why? Amino acids are the building blocks of all the body's cells -- including the cells that power your immune system. They come from protein. Don't consume enough of it and you manufacture fewer white blood cells for fighting antigens (bacteria, viruses, allergens, etc.). "To increase immune cell proliferation, you need protein and amino acids," says Simin Nikbin Meydani, Ph.D., associate director of the Jean Mayer Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

It is well established that the typical person eating a western-type diet consumes more daily calories than he needs. High-calorie snacks filled with fats and sugars contribute to these extra calories. Protein packed bars, drinks, soups, and nuts are far superior to other snacks because of the inherent differences between protein and sugars and fats.

First off, protein is more satisfying than the other two macronutrients because of specific signals it sends to the brain. When we snack on protein instead of sugars and fats, the body feels more full which helps people control their appetite between meals thus cutting calories and controlling their weight. Recent clinical research has supported this physiologic phenomenon.

A second reason for choosing protein as a snack is its thermogenic effect. This refers to the metabolic tax a food puts on the body after we eat it. This metabolic tax for protein is much higher than sugar or fat because the body uses more energy to digest it. This means that when you choose protein over the other two, you are burning more calories during the process of digestion. Having this higher tax rate is good because protein tends to be low in caloric content, so the body is working harder on fewer calories.

A third reason to choose protein snacks over sugars and fats is the body's need to replenish the building blocks of muscle tissue. Muscle is important for our daily activities and it determines our metabolism. So the more we maintain our healthy lean muscle mass, the higher we maintain metabolism.

The next time you reach for a snack, avoid high-calorie chips, cookies, candies and sweets. They are generally much higher in calories, and they offer little nutritional value to the body.
Our skeleton seems so hard and durable that it’s difficult to believe that bones are really rigid organs that undergo metabolic processes, just as other organs do.

In a process called remodeling, bone tissue is built up and broken down throughout the lifespan in response to growth, injury and other factors. Bone is built up where it is needed - and removed where it is not required - in an ongoing fashion.

Bones are in a growing stage up until about 30 years of age, a time when this tug-of-war favors bone buildup. This is one reason why taking in enough calcium – the primary mineral that is stored in bone – is key during this period of bone growth. When plenty of calcium is available, bone mineral density can hit its peak.

As we get older, though, physical changes and changes in diet and lifestyle can impact bone health and tip the balance between bone buildup and breakdown unfavorably. Not taking in enough calcium (or vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the mineral), inactivity, smoking and hormonal changes that occur with aging can all affect bone mineral density.

Taking charge of your diet, curbing alcohol intake and participating in regular activity that includes weight-bearing and strength-training are all good strategies for promoting bone health. With regular effort, you’ll give yourself the very best chance of having healthy bones–no bones about it!
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