Weight-loss and Nutrition
Index of articles
Weight-loss
and Nutrition Myths
Myth:
Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight.
Fact: Your body needs a certain
amount of calories and nutrients each day in order to work properly. If
you skip meals during the day, you will be more likely to make up for those
missing calories by snacking or eating more at the next meal. Studies show
that people who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who eat a
nutritious breakfast. A healthier way to lose weight is to eat many small
meals throughout the day that include a variety of nutritious, low-fat,
and low-calorie foods.
Myth:
"I can lose weight while eating anything I want."
Fact: This statement is not
always true. It is possible to eat any kind of food you want and
lose weight. But you still need to limit the number of calories that you
eat every day, usually by eating smaller amounts of food. When trying to
lose weight, you can eat your favorite foods--as long as you pay attention
to the total amount of food that you eat. You need to use more calories
than you eat to lose weight.
Myth:
Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
Fact: It doesn't matter what
time of day you eat--it's how much you eat during the whole day and how
much exercise you get that make you gain or lose weight. No matter when
you eat your meals, your body will store extra calories as fat. If you
want to have a snack before bedtime, make sure that you first think about
how many calories you have already eaten that day.
Try not to snack while doing other
things like watching television, playing video games, or using the computer.
If you eat meals and snacks in the kitchen or dining room, you are less
likely to be distracted and more likely to be aware of what and how much
you are eating. (If you want to snack while watching TV, take a small amount
of food with you--like a handful of pretzels or a couple of cookies--not
the whole bag.)
Myth:Certain
foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage soup, can burn fat and make
you lose weight.
Fact: No foods can burn fat.
Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body
uses energy, or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight
loss. The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories
you eat and be more physically active.
Myth:Natural
or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective.
Fact: A product that claims
to be "natural" or "herbal" is not necessarily safe. These products are
not usually tested scientifically to prove that they are safe or that they
work.
Some
herbal or other natural products may be unsafe to use with other drugs
or may hurt people with certain medical conditions. Check with your doctor
or other qualified health professional before using any herbal or natural
weight-loss product.
Myth:
Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.
Fact: Fad diets are not the
best ways to lose weight and keep it off. These eating plans often
promise to help you lose a lot of weight quickly, or tell you to cut certain
foods out of your diet to lose weight. Although you may lose weight at
first while on these kinds of diets, they can be unhealthy because they
often keep you from getting all the nutrients that your body needs. Fad
diets may seriously limit or forbid certain types of food, so most people
quickly get tired of them and regain the lost weight.
Research suggests that losing
1/2 to 2 pounds a week by eating better and exercising more is the best
way to lose weight and keep it off. By improving your eating and exercise
habits, you will develop a healthier lifestyle and control your weight.
You will also reduce your chances of developing heart disease, high blood
pressure, and diabetes.
Myth: Nuts
are fattening and you shouldn't eat them if you want to lose weight.
Fact: Although high in calories
and fat, most (but not all) types of nuts have low amounts of saturated
fat. Saturated fat is the kind of fat that can lead to high blood cholesterol
levels and increase the risk of heart disease.
Nuts are a good source of protein
and fiber, and they do not have any cholesterol. In small amounts,
nuts can be part of a healthy weight-loss program. (A 1-ounce serving of
mixed nuts, which is about 1/3 cup, has 170 calories.)
Myth: Eating
red meat is bad for your health and will make it harder to lose weight.
Fact: Red meat, pork, chicken,
and fish contain some saturated fat and cholesterol. But they also have
nutrients that are important for good health, like protein, iron, and zinc.
Eating lean meat (meat without a
lot of visible fat) in small amounts can be part of a healthy weight-loss
plan. A serving size is 2 to 3 ounces of cooked meat, which is about the
size of a deck of cards. Choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat such
as beef eye of the round, top round, or pork tenderloin, and trim any extra
fat before cooking. The "select" grade of meat is lower in fat than "choice"
and "prime" grades.
Myth: Fresh
fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than frozen or canned.
Fact: Most fruits and vegetables
(produce) are naturally low in fat and calories. Frozen and canned fruits
and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh. Frozen or canned produce
is often packaged right after it has been picked, which helps keep most
of its nutrients. Fresh produce can sometimes lose nutrients after being
exposed to light or air.
Myth: Starches
are fattening and should be limited when trying to lose weight.
Fact: Potatoes, rice, pasta,
bread, beans, and some vegetables (like squash, yams, sweet potatoes, turnips,
beets, and carrots) are rich in complex carbohydrates (also called starch).
Starch is an important source of energy for your body.
Foods high in starch can be
low in fat and calories. They become high in fat and calories when you
eat them in large amounts, or they are made with rich sauces, oils, or
other high-fat toppings like butter, sour cream, or mayonnaise.
Try to avoid high-fat toppings
and choose starchy foods that are high in fiber, like whole grains, beans,
and peas.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends 6 to 11 servings a day from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
group, even when trying to lose weight. A serving size can be one slice
of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, or 1/2 cup of pasta, rice, or
cooked cereal.
Article by: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/.
Do you know how to cook a juicy salmon? How to avoid crying when cutting
onions? How to prevent avocados from turning black? Visit The Eclectic
Cooking Ezine, portal to cooking and nutrition featuring freelance writers,
doctors, and authors. Free weekly newsletter subscription: update@eclecticcooking.com
Are
You Overweight?
By Lydia Jensen
Oh no, not another lecture on weight,
health and nutrition! So, I'll keep this light. Just a few tips and
suggestions for better living and a longer life might be a better approach.
If you keep your weight under control, you avoid developing many types
of health problems. What does overweight really mean? Most of us would
like to lose a few pounds, so how can we do that?
Quite simply put, if you are a woman,
you should try to keep your waist measurement to 35 inches (88 cm) or less.
If you are a man, you should keep your waist measurement to 40 inches (100
cm) or less.
Losing a small amount of weight,
reduces your chances of developing some common diseases. If you reduce
your weight by 10 percent, you decrease your chances of developing diseases
even more. Slow and steady weight loss of about one pound per week is safer
and an easier goal to reach and maintain. Very rapid weight loss,
can cause you to lose muscle rather than fat. Along with weight reduction,
long-term changes in your eating and physical habits are the best approach
to weight loss and to maintaining a good, healthy condition.
Look at your eating habits. Do you
need to re-educate your taste buds? Try to eat a variety of foods, such
as pasta, rice, bread and other whole-grain foods. Eat plenty of fruits
and vegetables. These foods will fill you up without increasing the calories
from foods full of oils and fats.
Along with your healthy diet, you
need to include physical activities in your life.
Spend less time watching television
and/or playing video games. Try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity
a day on several days of the week. You can do the activity in spurts -
10 minutes, 20 minutes at a time. Walk to the store or take the stairs
instead of the elevator. We have just joined a gym because our physical
activities are rather limited during the cold winter months in northern
Europe. I have been out to play golf with a friend on numerous occasions
this winter. We have played golf in the snow, hail, rain and wind storm.
A little dangerous swinging those irons in a storm, especially when there
is thunder and lightening, so on occasion we did have to pack up and go
home. Whenever I suggested to this golf friend that perhaps we should quit
and go in, she always responded, "The fresh air is good for us!" My tennis
is restricted to two hours of indoor tennis once a week. And my walks with
the dog are shorter and a bit irregular during the winter months. By going
to the gym two or three times a week, I start by cycling 4-5 kilometers,
then proceed to work on the abdominals, back, hips, buttocks, legs and
arms, and finish with a 12-minute walk-and-jog combination. A very invigorating
and relaxing workout. That way I keep fit for the summer activities of
cycling, outdoor tennis, and golf tournaments. We keep fit, and we have
found that we eat less and enjoy our food more.
Join us by looking at your diet and
physical activities. Improve your life. Health does not depend on age,
it depends on you.
Article by: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/.
Do you know how to cook a juicy salmon? How to avoid crying when cutting
onions? How to prevent avocados from turning black? Visit The Eclectic
Cooking Ezine, portal to cooking and nutrition featuring freelance writers,
doctors, and authors. Free weekly newsletter subscription: update@eclecticcooking.com
Exercise
melts body fat
By Lars Jensen
If you want to reduce your body fat,
focus on increasing the amount of exercise you get rather than decreasing
your food intake. A recent national study was conducted using two groups
of sedentary men, one group in their 20's and the other over age 65. A
lot was learned from this accumulated data, and it is interesting to note
that there was a significant relationship between lack of physical activity
and fat. Not surprisingly, the most sedentary men had the most body fat.
These studies have also indicated
that the government's current recommended daily allowance for calories
does not correlate with the body's actual energy needs. For example, although
2,400 calories have been calculated for older men, they, in fact, burned
an average of 2800 calories daily.
The leading experts now recommend
that people who want to lose weight start increasing their physical activity.
Just being more active in general (such as climbing the stairs instead
of taking the elevator, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting
up instead of lying down as well as showing some excitement and enthusiasm
instead of boredom), are actions that more effectively burn calories and
reduce body fat. Everyone seems to have lost sight of the value of being
active. Consider this, a half-hour aerobic workout accounts for far less
energy expenditure than our minute-to-minute movement in the office or
at home.
Millions of people are trying to
lose weight, spending approximately $30 billion a year on diet programs
and products; often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the
same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained
whatever weight they lost. A national panel recently sought data to determine
if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single
program could do so.
Being seriously overweight, particularly
obese, predisposes individuals to a number of diseases and serious health
problems. It is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive,
some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.
People who diet without exercising
often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while
dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the
weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time,
increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.
Walking is one of the best exercises
for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining
good posture and improving a positive self-concept.
Article by: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/.
Do you know how to cook a juicy salmon? How to avoid crying when cutting
onions? How to prevent avocados from turning black? Visit The Eclectic
Cooking Ezine, portal to cooking and nutrition featuring freelance writers,
doctors, and authors. Free weekly newsletter subscription: update@eclecticcooking.com
USDA
COORDINATED NUTRITION RESEARCH PROGRAM
ON HEALTH AND
NUTRITION EFFECTS OF POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS
DIETS
January
10, 2001
Consumers spend billions of dollars annually in attempting to lose weight
through various diet regimes, yet they know relatively little about the
short- and long-term health effects of these popular weight-loss techniques.
The USDA sponsored Great Nutrition Debate last year uncovered a long-neglected
need for rigorous research on popular diets. At the National Nutrition
Summit held in May, 2000, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced
the development of a research program on weight-loss strategies.
The USDA and its Human Nutrition Research Centers will lead this effort
to provide science based information to American consumers to better evaluate
the appropriate weight-loss strategies to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
This initiative is responsive to the popularity of various diets - many
of these diets have not been adequately tested for efficacy and safety
- as well as responsive to the growing concern about the increase in obesity
in the American population. Are there any adverse health consequences to
certain type of diets? How quickly should weights be dropped? Will the
weight stay-off? What motivates people to lose weight and to maintain weight?
What are the barriers to losing weight and/or to maintaining weight? To
fill this knowledge gap, USDA is launching a coordinated nutrition research
program on popular diets.
PHASE
ONE: WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?
A white paper examining the existing scientific literature on weight reduction
has revealed it is the total calories consumed rather than how much fat,
carbohydrate, and protein (the nutrient composition of a diet) are consumed
that is the major determinant of weight loss. Current research doesn't
reflect the effect of the nutrient composition of a diet on a person's
ability to maintain the weight lost over a long period of time. Furthermore,
it is not known what impact eating behaviors, environment, physical activity,
and other psychological and physiological factors have in the maintenance
of weight in adherence to a diet. In addition, scientific data on long
term benefits or detriments of various weight loss regimes are scanty.
As a part of phase one, USDA's nationwide food intake survey, the Continuing
Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-96 data was analyzed to look
at the dietary patterns and selected measures of nutritional status and
the Body Mass Index of a representative sample of U.S. adults. The analysis
found that individuals on a moderate fat, high carbohydrate diet as recommended
by the Food Guide Pyramid were more likely to maintain weight loss.
PHASE
TWO: WHAT DO CONSUMERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DIETS?
The information gained from the literature review on popular weight-loss
diets and the analysis of USDA's nationwide food intake summary data will
be key in structuring the plan for the new diet research. Public comment
will be solicited at the public meeting on January 11, 2001. This input
will be used for the final research design which will be coordinated and
implemented by USDA and its Human Nutrition Research Centers.
The largest part of the coordinated research effort will be devoted to
a series of prospective studies on both the long- and short-term health
and nutrition effects of the various types of popular diets. Prevention
of weight gain and weight maintenance is important to the health of all
Americans. The goal of this research is to provide scientifically validated
and clear information to help the millions of overweight and obese Americans
who often can lose the weight initially but find maintaining the weight
loss or a healthy weight nearly impossible.
For additional information on the white paper summary visit http://www.usda.gov
