Can “Diet” Make You Fat? The Truth about Artificial Sweeteners

Added sugar is a disaster and many people are trying to avoid it.

But most of us are accustomed to sweet foods, and don’t want to live our lives without them.
For this reason, various artificial chemicals have been invented to replicate the effects of sugar.
These are substances that can stimulate the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

They usually have no calories and don’t have the harmful metabolic effects of added sugar.
These chemicals are known as “artificial” sweeteners… as opposed to “natural” sweeteners like sugar or honey.

These chemicals are very sweet, and they are often added to foods and beverages that are then marketed as weight loss friendly… which makes sense given that they are virtually calorie free.
However, despite increased use of these low-calorie sweeteners (and diet foods in general), the obesity epidemic has only gotten worse.

The evidence regarding artificial sweeteners is actually fairly mixed and the use of these substances is highly controversial.

So… what is the truth about artificial sweeteners? How do they affect appetite, body weight and our risk for obesity-related disease?

Let’s have a look…

There Are Many Different Types of Artificial Sweeteners

There are numerous different artificial sweeteners available and the chemical structure varies between them.

What they all have in common, is that they are incredibly effective at stimulating the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

In fact, most are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram.
Some of them (such as aspartame) do contain calories, but the total amount needed to provide a sweet flavour is so little that the calories you ingest are negligible (1).

Here is a table showing the most common artificial sweeteners, how sweet they are relative to sugar, and brand names they are sold under:


Then there are other low-calorie sweeteners that are processed from natural ingredients and therefore don’t count as “artificial.”

This includes the natural zero-calorie sweetener stevia, as well as sugar alcohols like xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol and mannitol. Sugar alcohols tend to have similar sweetness as sugar but less than half as many calories.

This article is strictly about the artificial sweeteners… but you can read about the natural ones here.

Artificial Sweeteners and Appetite Regulation

Animals, including humans, don’t just seek food to satisfy energy needs.
We also seek so-called “reward” from food. Sugar-sweetened foods trigger brain chemicals and hormones to be released, part of what is known as the “food reward” pathway (2, 3, 4, 5).
“Food reward” is crucial to feeling satisfied after eating and shares brain circuitry with addictive behaviors, including drugs (6, 7, 2).

While artificial sweeteners provide sweet taste, many researchers believe that the lack of calories prevents complete activation of the food reward pathway. This may be the reason artificial sweeteners are linked with increased appetite and cravings for sugary food in some studies (8). Magnetic imaging in 5 men showed that sugar consumption decreased signalling in the hypothalamus, the appetite regulator of the brain (9).

This response was not seen with consumption of aspartame, suggesting that the brain does not register artificial sweeteners as having a satiating effect. It may be that sweetness without the calories leads to further food seeking behavior, adding to your overall caloric intake. But… there have also been studies where artificial sweeteners did not affect appetite or caloric intake from other foods (10, 11).

In a 6 month study of 200 individuals, replacing sugary drinks with either artificially sweetened drinks or water had no effect on food intake (12).

Bottom Line: Some researchers believe that artificial sweeteners do not satisfy our biological sugar cravings in the same manner as sugar, and could therefore lead to increased food intake. However, the evidence is mixed.

Sweeteners and Sugar Cravings

Another argument opposing artificial sweeteners is that the unnatural sweetness encourages sugar cravings and sugar dependence. This idea is logical considering that flavor preferences in humans can be trained with repeated exposure (13). For example, we know that reducing salt or fat for several weeks leads to a preference for lower levels of those nutrients (14, 15). Sweetness is no different.
While this is not proven, it does seem to make sense. The more we eat of sweet foods, the more we want them.

Bottom Line: The strong sweetness of artificial sweeteners may be causing us to become dependent on sweet flavor. This could increase our desire for sweet foods in general.

Observational Studies on Artificial Sweeteners and Body Weight

Many observational studies have been conducted on artificial sweeteners. These kinds of studies take a group of people and ask them about various factors, such as what they eat. Then many years later, they can see whether a particular variable (such as artificial sweetener use) was associated with either an increased or decreased risk of disease.

These types of studies don’t prove anything, but they can help us find patterns that warrant further investigation. Several of these studies have paradoxically found that artificially sweetened drinks are linked to weight gain rather than weight loss (16).

However, the most recent review, which summarized the findings of 9 observational studies, found that artificial sweeteners were associated with a slightly higher BMI, but not with body weight or fat mass (17). I should point out that this study was industry sponsored. It doesn’t mean that the results are invalid, just that we should be extra skeptical because the funding source of a study can often skew the results and the interpretation of the data (18).

That being said… correlation does not imply causation, so these studies don’t prove anything one way or the other. Fortunately, the effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight have also been studied in numerous controlled trials (real science).

Bottom Line: Some observational studies have found artificial sweeteners to be linked with increased weight, but the evidence is mixed.

Controlled Trials on Artificial Sweeteners

Many clinical trials have concluded that artificial sweeteners are favorable for weight control (19, 20, 21, 22). One of the largest trials looked at 641 children aged 4-11 years who had to drink either 250 ml (8.5 ounces) of an artificially sweetened drink, or the same amount of a sugary drink every day for 18 months.

The children who were assigned the artificially sweetened drinks gained significantly less weight and less fat than the sugar-drinking children (19). The most recent review of 15 clinical trials found that replacing sugary drinks with their artificially sweetened versions can result in modest weight loss of about 1.8 lbs (0.8 kg), on average (17).

Two other recent reviews led to similar findings (23, 24). So… according to the best available evidence, artificial sweeteners appear to be mildly effective for weight loss. They certainly don’t seem to cause weight gain, at least not on average.

They certainly don’t seem to cause weight gain, at least not on average.

Bottom Line: Numerous controlled trials have studied the effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight. On average, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with diet beverages may cause weight loss of about 2 pounds.

Artificial Sweeteners and Metabolic Health

All of this being said, health is about way more than just weight. There are some observational studies (again, studies that don’t prove anything) linking artificial sweetener consumption to metabolic disease. This includes an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Sometimes the results are quite staggering… for example, one study found that diet soft drinks were linked to a 121% greater risk of type 2 diabetes (25). Another study found that these beverages were linked to a 34% greater risk of metabolic syndrome (26). This is supported by a recent high-profile study on artificial sweeteners, showing that they caused a disruption in the gut bacterial environment and induced glucose intolerance in both rats and humans (27).

It is known that the bacteria in the intestine (gut flora) are incredibly important for health (28, 29, 30).
Whether artificial sweeteners cause problems by disrupting the gut bacteria needs to be studied further, but it appears that there may be some cause for concern.

Take Home Message

Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners may be helpful in reducing body weight, but only very slightly at best.

Their intake certainly does not seem to cause weight gain, at least not in the short-term. At the end of the day, artificial sweeteners are not “toxic” like some people make them out to be, but I’m not convinced that they’re perfectly safe either. The research goes both ways… and the decision about using them must come down to the individual.

If you’re healthy, happy and satisfied with the results you’re getting and you happen to use artificial sweeteners… then there’s no need to change anything. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. However… if you suffer from cravings, poor blood sugar control or any mysterious health problem, avoiding artificial sweeteners may be one of many things to consider. Different strokes for different folks.

Source: Authority Nutrition

5 Foods To Help Wean Yourself Off Sugar

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

On my weight loss healing journey, my starting place for radically transforming my health was to eat real foods, especially vegetables. 

My patient Lynette was almost in tears. “Every diet I’ve ever been on has failed!” she told me in frustration. “And it’s always for the same reason — my awful sweet tooth. I just don’t have any willpower.”

“Lynette,” I said, “This is not a matter of willpower. It's not a matter of discipline. It boils down to one thing: your microbiome.”

 

Why You Crave Sugar

If your microbiome is out of balance, your sugar cravings can feel like an alien force that has taken over your body. That’s not surprising: your cravings are the product of unfriendly bacteria that have high jacked your microbiome: the community of trillions of bacteria living within your body.

Both friendly and unfriendly bacteria inhabit your microbiome in an ongoing battle for dominance. The friendly bacteria are a crucial aspect of your health, helping to govern your digestion, appetite, metabolism, immune system, mood, mental sharpness, heart health, and bone development.

By contrast, the unfriendly bacteria find numerous ways to undermine your health. If you crave sugar, the unfriendly bacteria are frequently the culprits. Many of the unfriendly bacteria feed on simple sugars — the easily digested carbohydrates that are found in sweet and starchy foods.

Basically, they crave sugar. And when your unfriendly bacteria crave sugar, so do you.

 

The Solution: Balance Your Microbiome

Luckily, as I told Lynette, there is a simple solution. Shift the balance within your microbiome from unfriendly to friendly, and your sugar cravings will disappear. Eating microbiome-friendly foods is a great place to start.

Below are five foods that can help balance your microbiome and free you from your sugar cravings.

 

1. Kimchee

This spicy fermented cabbage is a traditional Korean dish that has grown in popularity over the last few years. You can find it in many health-food stores or order it online. Although the traditional dish is very hot and spicy, many companies now make medium and even mild versions.

As a fermented food, kimchee is loaded with live bacteria, which I admit doesn’t sound very appetizing. However, when you picture those friendly bacteria supporting your weight-loss efforts, lifting your mood, and vanquishing your sugar cravings, you will be delighted to welcome them into your micro biome.

 

2. Kefir

A fermented milk drink popular in the Balkans and the Middle East, kefir tastes something like liquid yogurt. It’s delicious as a beverage or poured over a dish of fresh berries. You can even find kefir made from goat’s-milk. Kefir is also rich in live bacteria, which makes it a wonderful microbiome-friendly weight-loss food and a terrific way to end your sugar cravings. I often suggest to my patients that they use kefir in their protein shakes and smoothies, for an extra microbiome boost in the morning.

 

3. Jerusalem Artichokes

Kimchee and kefir are natural probiotics — sources of live bacteria. Jerusalem artichokes are your go-to prebiotic—a food that nourishes your friendly bacteria and helps them to dominate. Prebiotics in, sugar cravings out. Not to be confused with regular artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes are small, knobby, starchy root vegetables also known as “sunchokes.” They are rich in inulin, which is one of your friendly bacteria’s favorite foods. Soon they'll be one of your favorite foods, too! Scrub them clean as you would a potato and steam them, bake them, or enjoy them raw, sliced thin, with lemon and olive oil.

 

4. Leeks

This elegant green vegetable is another delicious prebiotic, an inulin-rich food that alleviates sugar cravings by nourishing your healthy bacteria. Slice them into a soup, omelet or steam them lightly and dress with vinaigrette. Your microbiome will thank you, and so will your taste buds.

 

5. Grapefruit

Drinking fruit juice — even grapefruit juice — can actually promote sugar cravings because the juice is full of simple sugars. But eating grapefruit in sections or cut in half is a terrific way to break a sugar craving. The fiber in grapefruit is a natural prebiotic that nourishes your healthy bacteria, while the grapefruit itself helps to balance your insulin levels and stabilize your blood sugar.

 

Free at Last

Sugar cravings can be a powerful force, one that even the most iron-willed among us finds hard to resist. But if you nourish your microbiome you can put your sugar cravings to rest.

That’s what Lynette found. After only a few days on my Microbiome Diet, she felt a sense of ease with food that she hadn’t experienced for a long time. And after just two weeks, her sugar cravings had vanished.

“Honestly, I feel liberated,” she told me at our last meeting. “My appetite is my own again, and the ‘alien force’ is gone!” 

Source: Mind Body Green

Weight Loss 101 - How to Lose Weight

commons.wikimedia.org  / weight loss pyramid

Losing weight can be a challenge and keeping it off after you've lost it is often just as difficult. When it comes to weight loss, especially fat loss, there needs to be a combination of the right diet along with resistance training. There are many things that can help you and hurt you when it comes to weight loss, but here are 10 tips on how to lose weight fast that can help just about anyone.

 

1. Do NOT starve yourself - Many people think weight loss is strictly about creating a calorie deficit. This is true to some degree, but in order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to nourish your body with the right foods. When you put yourself through extreme, low calorie diets, your body goes into "starvation" mode and begins to store excess fat and slow your metabolism. It does this because it thinks you are going to STARVE if it continues to burn calories at a normal pace.

2. Limit your starchy carbs - Starchy carbs like white rice, white bread, tortillas, chips, etc make losing fat difficult. Help yourself by packing your diet with non-starchy carbs like vegetables! Brown rice and wheat bread are OK too, but don't overdo it.

3. Consume more protein, fiber and water - Protein provides your muscles with the nourishment it needs to grow and stay healthy. Weight loss doesn't do much good if you're just losing muscle! Fiber has numerous benefits, and ironically, most people don't eat enough fiber! Fiber helps you feel fuller, controls blood sugar, reduces the risk of stroke, improves skin, increases heart health, and more! Check out this article to learn more about the benefits of fiber.

4. Get a good night's sleep - Your body does most of it's growing and repairing during sleep, not while you're at the gym or exercising outside. Without a good 7-9 hours of sleep every night, you'll be stuck wondering how to lose weight. Allow your body the time it needs to get healthier. Go to bed!

5. Start a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program - Countless studies have proven that HIIT is more effective in a shorter amount of time than steady state cardio. If you're trying to lose weight for a wedding, reunion or just because, High Intensity Interval Training is the fastest way.

6. Limit your sweets - Obviously if you're wondering how to lose weight, eating cookies, candy and cake isn't the way to do it. However, the real key is to watch out for hidden sugars in places like juice, high sugar fruits, and yogurt. Avoid anything with a high sugar content. Some classic sugar risks are pop, candy, dried fruit, fruit yogurt, granola bars and cereal. Be sure to check the nutrition facts before you mow down on a "healthy" snack.

7. Don't avoid weight lifting - People often avoid lifting weights because they're so worried about their weight going up. Building muscle is a good thing, and an essential thing when it comes to how to lose weight and keep it off. Muscle naturally burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day. You will see a drastic difference in how you look (which is typically what people care about when it comes to exercise) if you start focusing on building muscle and lowering your body fat percentage, rather than just looking at your weight.

8. Try to keep your stress LOW - Stress raises Cortisol levels which can increase hunger and cravings for things you shouldn't be eating! Try some de-stressing activities like yoga or tai chi. Even things like a hot shower, reading, and meditation will help.

9. Consider working with a personal trainer - Personal trainers will ensure that you have an effective and efficient workout. They also work hard to provide the right motivation and encouragement while monitoring your form to keep you injury free. If you're new to weight lifting or exercising, this is a very important step towards getting healthier and losing weight.

10. Pick a time you can exercise at consistently - Exercising requires a habit. The easiest way to stick to your work out is to find a time that works for you almost every day. Don't try to just wing it whenever you're available. Block off 30-60 minutes on your work out days and stick to those times. Make it a routine.

If you're always wondering how to lose weight fast, this is a great place to start. There are many things that contribute to weight loss, and every person is different, however, if you stick to these guidelines, you will see results.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8488437

10 Things the Processed Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

By Donna Gates, Body Ecology

We've been led to believe that processed foods seem like the answer to today’s busy lives. New fads and fancy advertisements make promises that keep us coming back for more. The sad reality is that processed products are everywhere we look, making them increasingly harder to avoid. 

Processed foods are also more convenient - that's what it really comes down to in an ever increasing time poor society. It's so much easier to bake a cake by opening up a box, pouring out a dry mix, and adding an egg and some oil than starting from scratch. But what is the price we really pay for this seemingly great convenience?

1. Processed Foods Are Addictive and Can Cause You To Overeat

Whole foods are made up of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber and water. When foods are processed the components of these foods are modified (for example, fiber, water and nutrients are removed) and in other cases, components are concentrated. In each case, processing changes the way they are digested and assimilated in your body.

Eating highly processed or highly concentrated foods can artificially stimulate dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter), which plays a role in addiction. In this way, you are eating foods that lack nutrients and fiber, but create a pleasurable feeling. A food addiction starts because you feel good when you are eating these foods and they make you think they taste better. You crave that pleasurable feeling again and again and voilà…this is what starts a food addiction.

2. Processed Foods Are Linked to Obesity

Additives in processed foods, like high fructose corn syrup, sugar and MSG have been linked to weight gain and obesity. 

Dr. Mercola recently reported about a new study that showed childhood obesity could be reduced by 18 percent, simply by cutting out fast food advertisements during children’s programming. The Australian government is clearly more concerned about their children’s health as television advertisements to children were banned several years ago.

3. Processed Foods Often Contain Ingredients That Do Not Follow The Principle of Food Combining

This can lead to low energy, poor digestion, illness, acidic blood and weight gain. An example would be a frozen meat and cheese pizza. Cheese (a dairy product), meat (an animal protein) and pizza crust (a grain product) make a terrible food combination that can wreak havoc on your digestive health.

4. Processed Foods Contribute to An Imbalanced Inner Ecosystem

This can lead to digestive problems, cravings, illness and disease. Beneficial microflora cannot survive in your digestive tract when you are poisoning them. Like us they thrive on foods that are made by nature not by man.

5. A Diet High in Processed Foods Can Lead to Depression, Memory Issues and Mood Swings

Ingredients in processed foods are often the lowest cost and sub-par, nutritionally. For example, the fats and oils used in processed foods are refined, which means they are stripped of the essential fatty acids necessary for healthy blood sugar levels, moods and memory. Your heart, hormones and brain suffer when you choose to eat these fats and oils. Instead choose organic, unrefined or “virgin” fats and oils.

6. Processed Foods Often Go Hand In Hand With “Eating on the run” or Multitasking

Most people will choose convenience if they are on the run and in today’s busy lives, who of us isn’t? Unfortunately, multitasking while eating causes people to lose touch with their natural appetite, often leading to weight gain. Additionally, multitasking sends the wrong signals to your digestive system, which needs to be in a restful mode to digest properly.

7. Nutrition Labels on Processed Foods Are Often Misleading and Have Harmful Health Effects

Many labels say “sugar free,” but contain other sweeteners like agave, which is like high fructose corn syrup. 

Additionally, product labeling may hide ingredients like GM (genetically modified) foods and harmful additives like MSG. (These are hidden behind words on the label like “natural flavorings” or “approved spices”).

8. Diets High in Processed Meats (like hot dogs and deli meats) Have Been Linked to Various Forms of Cancer

One of the reasons for this link to cancer is thought to be because of the preservatives used in processed meats. Clare Hughes, Australian Cancer Council nutrition program manager, says a number of studies have linked processed meat to cancer and the problem is multi-fold. "Processed meats are high in salt and fat. In addition, chemicals such as nitrites are added to many processed meats to maintain their colour and to prevent contamination. Nitrites can be converted in the stomach to carcinogenic nitrosamines."

9. Eating Too Many Processed Foods Can Lead to Infertility and Malnutrition

Processed foods, like cereal, are stripped of important vitamins and nutrients that your body truly needs. You could be eating a large amount of calories and still be malnourished if your diet is high in processed foods. Animal studies have shown that over three generations, a deficient diet causes reproduction to cease. Today, infertility is on the rise, affecting 7.3 million people in America.

10. Processed Foods are Made For Long Shelf-life, Not Long Human Life! 

Chemicals, additives and preservatives are added to processed foods so that they will last for a long time without going rancid or affecting the taste of the food. Food manufacturers spend time, money and research on beautiful packaging and strategies to lengthen shelf-life, with little attention on how the foods will lengthen your life or create lasting health.

Source Link: http://bodyecology.com...

5 Unhealthy Foods Engineered to Be Addictive

By Martha Rosenberg

Americans’ love affair with snacks is growing– along with their waistlines: the ubiquity of junk food, the ubiquity of junk food advertising, and stealth food technology. People who polish off a whole bag of chips or cookies at one sitting (usually in front of TV) are often doing exactly what the product was designed to do–be addictive.

Have you noticed the overpowering something-in-the-oven smell that wafts up when you walk past a Subway? Mark Christiano, Subway’s Global Baking Technologist, insists the aroma is not pumped outside to entice passers-by and adds that the bread recipe is “proprietary.” But in the war for your food dollar, all tactics are clearly on the table including the way a food smells, looks, and feels in the mouth. Nothing is left up to chance.

“Food technologists” use $40,000 devices that simulate a chewing mouth to test and perfect chips, for example. “People like a chip that snaps with about four pounds of pressure per square inch,” says Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us so technologists seek “the perfect break point.”

Fat is a big part of the food technology stagecraft too because it promotes crunch, creaminess and contrast, blends flavors and even lubricates mouthfuls so that people eat faster. And, speaking of fast eating, people who wolf down their food do not entirely have themselves to blame–the actual time it takes to chew food has shrunk. “In the [45 years] that I have been in the food business, we used to have foods that we chewed 15 times and 20 times and 30 times before we swallowed,” says Gail Vance Civille, of the consumer research firm Sensory Spectrum. Now most foods only have to be chewed 12 times and “you’re in for the next hit to get more pleasure, says Civille.

"starch is actually absorbed more quickly than sugar, which causes glucose levels in the blood to spike and the body to yell “more!”  

Of course sugar, salt and fat themselves can be addictive as Häagen-Dazs or Krispy Kreme junkies can attest, but food technologists have a clear equation for designing hyper-rewarding, hyper-palatable foods. They fabricate “complex formulas that pique the taste buds enough to be alluring but don’t have a distinct, overriding single flavor that tells the brain to stop eating,” says Moss.

1. Soft Drinks

Half of Americans drink a soft drink every day and many people say they are addicted. This is not an accident. To create Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, for example, food technologists tested 3,904 “tastings” or versions for “dryness,” “gumminess,” and “moisture release,” the right mix of cherry, vanilla and Dr Pepper flavoring and of course color.
Of course caffeine is one reason people get hooked on soft drinks. Constant exposure to caffeine makes your brain compensate by decreasing the number of receptors for its own “stimulant,” norepinephrine, which makes you seek the stimulation from an outside source. But there are other probable “addictors” as seen in Mountain Dew, arguably the most addictive of the soft drinks (including among some gamers who reportedly drink it nonstop). While Dew certainly packs a lot of caffeine, it derives its fizzy bite from phosphoric, citric, malic and tartaric acids, all kept afloat by a controversial additive known as BVO or brominated vegetable oil. Beverage companies are starting to drop BVO, which the public has turned against because it is also a flame retardant. But Dew will likely keep its bite.

2. Cured Meats

Even people who would give wide berth to a Slim Jim or Kentucky cured ham have been swept up in the Bacon Everywhere movement with bacon added to everything from gum and candy to ice cream. Unfortunately the bacon flavor everyone loves is created by ingredients no one loves–nitrites. Sodium nitrite, also found in ham, pastrami, salami hot dogs and sausages, inhibits bacteria, lengthens shelf life and imparts the pleasing taste and color that add to these foods’ appeal. But, and it is a big but, during the process of cooking, nitrites combine with other chemicals to form carcinogens which many health organizations warn against.

Can’t bacon be made without nitrites? Yes and no. “America’s Test Kitchen had the results of their bacon testing and they disliked the nitrite free sample because it was too pale and didn’t taste like bacon,” says one post on the web site chowhound. “Nitrates add plenty to flavor. You’ll find bacon producers who attest to that all over Google,” says another post. The New York Times food writer R.W. Apple himself states that “nitrates provide some of the characteristic bacon flavor, and the only nitrite-free bacon I have sampled tasted more like roast pork,” defending the safety profile of the chemicals. The web site Livestrong agrees that nitrites “give cured meats that characteristic smoky flavor and pink color that make them irresistible,” but suggests that people limit their intake and “have a salad” instead.

3. Microwave Popcorn

Have you ever tried to surreptitiously make yourself a microwave popcorn at work and found it is impossible to disguise? Microwave popcorn sends off an immediate olfactory alarm to everyone on your floor and probably the floors above and below you. Not only do they know you are not working but snacking they want some microwave popcorn too.

The irresistible smell is from the butter flavoring chemicals like diacetyl and Pentanedione which are dissipated into the air by the heating process. And, not surprisingly, there are questions about their safety. While lawsuits have been brought and won by workers in microwave popcorn manufacturing plants who developed “popcorn lung” from working around diacetyl, consumers are also apparently at risk. Two years ago, Wayne Watson was awarded $7 million when he sued the manufacturer and retailers of microwave buttered popcorn that caused him to develop “popcorn lung” after eating two bags daily for 10 years. The potentially fatal respiratory disease is usually a condition called constrictive bronchiolitis obliterans in which the smallest airways of the lung become scarred and constricted, blocking off movement of air.

Since diacetyl concerns have been raised, many manufacturers have dropped the ingredient. Some still use the potentially harmful slippery nonstick surface coating PFOA on the popcorn bags, however–another reason to “resist” microwave popcorn and make your own. Especially if you are eating it twice a day like Watson.

4. Salty, Roasted Snacks

Like sugar, people can become addicted to salt and the only way to “kick,” say experts, is to go cold turkey and let your taste buds return to normal. But there is another reason that salty snacks like potato chips, French fries, toasted crisp breads and even non-salty roasted breakfast cereals can be irresistible. These foods have undergone the “Maillard reaction,” explains New York University food expert Marion Nestle which “causes baked, fried, and toasted foods to turn attractively brown and taste yummy.” Cooking carbohydrate-rich foods at temperatures high enough to produce a yellow or brown surface usually means that acrylamide has formed. And, you guessed it, acrylamide is a cancer-causing and potentially dangerous chemical. Once again, the chemicals that make food irresistible are the ones we should resist. The state of California actually sued potato chip makers for failing to warn California consumers about the health risks of acrylamide in 2005.

There is something else that makes us crave salty snacks, They are designed to have “vanishing caloric density” or the ability to melt in the mouth, writes Michael Moss. “If something melts down quickly, your brain thinks that there’s no calories in it . . . you can just keep eating it forever,” food scientist Steven Witherly tells him during an interview for his book.

Potato chips have another hook, say food experts. Their coating of salt, fat and sugar found in the starch of the potato itself reward the brain in a triple punch. The starch is actually absorbed more quickly than sugar, which causes glucose levels in the blood to spike and the body to yell “more!” A New England Journal of Medicine study of 120,877 women and men found the most weight-inducing food they ate was potato chips.

5. All Fast Food

Fast food, of course, is predicated on cravings and addictions. Why else would it last–including drive-through windows? Why else would its overriding features be salt, fat and sugar? Eighty-three percent of people who eat outside of their home do so because of “cravings” a recent study revealed and 75 percent who visit restaurants more than once a week do so for a specific dish they crave.

While McDonald’s has never been toppled from the number one burger position that Wendy’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr, Jack in the Box and Hardee’s crave, its Chicken McNuggets opened it up to fast food chicken lovers and were also an instant success. Unfortunately, McNuggets are probably the McDonald’s item with the most problematical chemicals. They are made with dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent used in, believe it or not yoga mats, propylene glycol, an antifreeze ingredient and autolyzed yeast extract which “artificially enhance[s] the taste and craveability of food,” says Healthy Living.

Clearly, sweet, salty and fatty foods can be hard to resist, especially when they are ubiquitous, cheap, marketed around the clock and fast. But just to be on the safe side, Big Food has also added addictive chemicals to amp up the “irresistibility.”

Have You Ever Noticed That You Can't Stop Eating These Foods? 

Source: http://www.undergroundhealth.com...

10 Food Rules For A Leaner Body & Glowing Skin

Although no standard set of rules is perfect for everyone, these guidelines can help people of every shape and background get on the path toward vitality. Following these principles 80 to 85% of the time will give you more energy, better sleep, a leaner body, glowing skin and much better digestion … and who doesn't want all that? 

1. Avoid added sugars, whether they're visible, hidden as starch, or artificial.

That's the best advice I have for you! Eat too much sugar every day and you'll grow old in a hurry.

Although I have been dubbed the “Sugar Police,” because of my strict stance against the stuff, many people don’t know that I actually spent a long time addicted to sugar. I constantly felt tired, lazy, insecure, or bloated, and I suffered from severe eczema and had digestive issues. Plus, I always craved sweets, bread, and cereal. 

Maybe you can relate? 

I'm not the only one who hates sugar. A recent study published in JAMA found that consuming too much sugar (which most of us do) is linked to an increased risk of heart attack, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, liver problems, cancer, and more. 

Sugar has many names (including sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin, starch, corn starch, and modified high corn syrup.) But not everyone realizes that bread has almost the same negative effects on the body. 

White bread is particularly problematic because the nutrients from the wheat have been removed, leaving only starch and gluten. My clients who eat white bread often say that they experience bloating, pains, mental confusion, digestive troubles, and worse. 

Whole wheat bread is a bit better for your blood sugar and digestion, but even if the bread is made up of healthier grains like rye or barley, it still contains gluten, which for many people causes digestive trouble. In the end, there isn’t much nourishment in bread that you can’t get by eating other foods.

If you do just one thing, cut sugar from your life!

2. When (and if) you choose to eat bread, eat whole grain products.

Your body can't use the refined products. If gluten's not for you, choose whole grain gluten-free foods (such as wild rice, quinoa, and millet). 

3. Don’t avoid fat. Instead, choose the right fats — they are slimming and good for you.

Many of us blame fat for causing obesity and heart disease, even though this isn’t true. Added sugar, starch from white bread, and pasta are the leading causes of these problems. Your body needs healthy, quality fats for your hormones, nervous system, and immune system. It's essential for good mood and for taste! Among healthy fats are saturated fat from grass-fed animals. This might come as a surprise, since for years it was thought that animal fat is the killer fat. It can be, if the animal is raised on grains and processed food, but NOT if the animal is fed on nontoxic grass. 

Organic coconut oil is good for cooking at high temperatures, but avoid cooking with organic virgin plant oils (like olive oil and flaxseed oil), which have a lower smoke point. It’s also good to have avocado and pumpkin seed oil on the table at home. 

4. Eat good quality protein from grass-fed animals, organic eggs, fish and plant-based proteins.

If you constantly feel tired, both physically and emotionally, you may need more protein. Good quality grass-fed animal protein, organic eggs, and wild fish are a great source of all the amino acids that the body needs. It’s a bit more of a challenge to meet your protein requirements by only eating plant-based foods, but a good combination of nuts, organic tofu, sprouts, lentils, legumes, and wild rice can do it. 

5. Enjoy nuts, almonds, seeds, and kernels every day.

These are great snacks loaded with nutritional value. Even better, they're perfect for combining with other foods to make healthier meals, treats, and desserts. 

6. Eat for beauty by getting several cups of organic greens, vegetables, fruits and berries everyday.

Although nutrition experts disagree on the best way to eat, there is a consensus that we should all eat less meat and more greens and vegetables. When you optimize your food intake to include all the colors of the rainbow, you're also optimizing your vitality. Whole foods that are red, orange, green, purple, yellow and blue — they’re not only beautiful, but they send healthy messages to your body via phytonutrients that "turn on" your health-promoting genes. 

7. Drink 1½ liters of water, as well as pure vegetable juice, green tea, and herbal tea everyday.

The human body consists of 70% water. It’s essential, period. If you don’t drink enough, you'll feel tired, confused, constipated, dehydrated, and suffer from dry wrinkly skin. Green tea is the mothership of herb tea, rich in nutrients, a great energy booster, and an inflammation-fighter. Enjoy green tea every day! If you absolutely must have coffee or alcohol, choose only top quality and enjoy in moderation. 

8. Eat regular meals, and never skip breakfast.

There are three major reasons why people skip meals: (1) They don't have time, (2) They think it will help them lose weight; and/or (3) They have been misinformed that this can be healthy. Unfortunately, these ideas are all wrong. 

Skipping a meal won't save you time, it will only make you tired and confused, costing you more time later as your performance at work or school slows down. Not eating in order to lose weight will switch on your biological defenses, slowing down your metabolism and actually making you gain weight. The misinformation is about not honoring your body’s needs and ignoring love for yourself. 

9. Eat several small meals a day if the standard three-meal structure doesn’t suit your lifestyle.

Eating healthy is about getting variety and eating smart food combinations. Plant-based foods should take up the most room on your plate, about 40%. The healthy fats mentioned above should make up about 30% percent of your plate, and the last 30% could come from the good quality proteins. If your personal needs require a different structure, adapt accordingly. 

10. Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement everyday, even if you eat a healthy diet.

Most of us live in a fast-paced world filled with multitasking, pollution, and other factors that stress the body’s natural functions. Keep in mind, too, that the soil in which we currently grow our food does not have the same nutritional quality as it did before the massive “pesticized” cultivation. Minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc are depleted from the earth in many places around the world. We also have to face that not all of us eat organic all the time. That’s why I recommend quality basic supplements, antioxidants, and vitamin D3. 

If you want to take other food supplements, you should consult a health care professional who can take your personal needs into account. 

Source: Mind Body Green

7 Steps To Get Over Food Cravings & Gain Control Of Your Life

Do you find yourself frequently thinking about sweets? Do you feel obligated to finish a whole bag of chips once you start? Do you eat more than you want to? Do you ever feel bad about yourself after eating something?

Confessions of an Ex-Sugar Fiend

Most of us are familiar with food cravings, which are just as real as addictions to cigarettes, cocaine, and alcohol. Mine started in medical residency. First it was sugar. Then caffeine. I was driven by stress, fatigue, and the need for quick “food” and comfort in the face of long, grueling work hours.

It started with the occasional Dunkin’ Munchkin that was ubiquitously available at morning meetings after overnights awake caring for sick patients in the cardiac ICU. I became fond of the chocolate ones. 

I progressed to peanut M&Ms — surely a gateway drug for many of us — because the combination of fat, protein, and sugar kept me awake and staved off hunger overnight. Energy bars fit in there now and then. And those little 100-calorie cookie packages stashed easily in my white coat pocket next to my stethoscope and patient notes. 

Pretty soon anything with sugar and fat was fair game, and if it had salt that was even better. Junk stashes were available at pretty much every nurse’s station, staff meeting, and in resident conference rooms. The really nice nurses brought in homemade brownies and cookies and gave us first dibs before morning rounds. I drew the limit at soft drinks and artificial colors and flavors. (Well, except for those M&Ms.) 

About halfway into my first year of residency, I started drinking coffee. Just a half cup so I could make it through the night until noon the next day, when my 30-hour shift ended. I’d didn't even like the taste of coffee! But I am super caffeine sensitive so it’s a great “drug” for me. To circumvent the taste, I added sugar and a small amount of milk. 

I gained eight pounds that year, all around my waist, and got sick more times than I had cumulatively in the decade prior. My periods became irregular with intense PMS prior to them. I slept poorly even on my nights off, and in my early 40s got some zits. 

On my days off, I craved a muffin for breakfast instead of my previously typical healthy fare of a whole-food, protein-rich breakfast. I wanted sweets every day, and when I wasn't eating them, I was thinking about them. And I started to really love lattes. 

In spite of 30 years of living and teaching a healthy lifestyle, becoming a doctor turned me into a sugar fiend! Ah, the ironies of the health care system. Becoming a doctor was literally making me fat and sick! 

An Unexpected Detox

5-Step Plan to Kick Your Sugar Addiction

We have all heard that sugar can affect our waistlines, but recent research also provides evidence to support what many have been saying for years – that sugar can cause addiction-like symptoms such as craving, withdrawal and tolerance. So what can we do if we find ourselves experiencing these symptoms? Below are five steps to help you break out of the cycle of sugar highs and lows and get control of your sugar intake.


Know the enemy
The key to curbing your sugar addiction is to curb your sugar intake. In order to do this, it is important to know where sugar is located – and often hiding – in your diet. Thus, the first step of this plan is to learn how to properly interpret nutrition labels so that you can see the amount of sugar you are eating and identify exactly where it is coming from (see example and steps below). Using this knowledge, I encourage people to keep track of their sugar intake for one week with a notepad, smartphone or whatever works best for you.

Step 1: Each gram of sugar is equivalent to approximately 4 calories so you can multiply the grams of sugars listed by 4 (26 X 4). In this case, roughly 104 calories per serving come from sugar.

Step 2: After step 1, check the serving size. If there is more than 1 serving, multiply the number found in step 1 by the number of serving sizes (104 X 2). In this case, the entire drink or food item contains about 208 calories from sugar alone.



Cease and desist
At the end of the week, look over your list and identify which type of food or beverage is contributing the most to your sugar intake; does most of your sugar come from 3 p.m. soda trips to the vending machine or is it hidden in your normal breakfast of yogurt and a protein bar? Then, focus on eliminating the main contributor to your sugar intake.

Withstand withdrawal
When you begin to cut this food or drink out of your diet, you might find yourself experiencing symptoms of withdrawal such as irritability, tiredness or headaches. At first, you may interpret these symptoms as signs of hunger and be tempted to reach for a quick sugar fix, but remember, this is just your body adjusting to life without this source of sugar. Remain steadfast and stick to your goal – within a matter of days, you should feel like your normal self again.

Curb cravings
Even after withdrawal symptoms subside, you may experience cravings for that food or drink. These cravings do not have to derail your efforts; if you anticipate them, you can have strategies prepared to confront them effectively. For example, try to identify what exactly it is that you are craving about the food or drink. If you are craving the crunchiness of the food that you are trying to cut down on, for instance, try carrots or celery when you sit down to watch a movie instead of chips. Maybe you are craving the bubbly taste of the soda? Try some flavored seltzer water instead. If it’s the sweet taste, try to eat more fruit. Although certain fruits do contain high amounts of sugar, especially dried fruits, they can be a good source of nutrients and thus, are healthier alternatives to soda, cake, cookies or candy.

Set a new goal
Once you feel like you’ve made a real change with the largest source of sugar in your diet, move on to the next major source. You don’t necessarily have to record your weekly sugar intake again; you can simply refer back to your original list. Continue this cycle to free yourself from sugar-centered eating habits.


For more detailed information about sugar addiction and how to overcome it, pick up a copy of my recent book, Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted To Sugar).

Source: doctoroz.com

Bye, Bye Sugar

As we all know sugar creeps into our diet in its usual tactical ways. We are all born with a sweet-tooth (at least is one of my justifications) and resisting sugar 24 hours a day 7 days a week is a big ask. Personally I am shamefully weak when it comes to the genre of deserts. I tend to trend along the idea that life is uncertain, therefore eat desert first. Is it merely a coincidence that stressed spells desserts backwards? What an ironically bitter realisation! It is decided; I shall not succumb to this and reach for a double-decker when stressed. Let's remember however, a sweet moment is not a sin and nor should we invite it's sibling of guilt. 

The Sunday Times heard our cry for a sugar ban and decided to draw-up a plan for the nation to follow. Its commercial identity was known as #byebye sugar, and for many was the first step in cutting sugar out from virtually all meals. Their initial suggestion was to strip your kitchen of all temptation; a bold first move that supports the attitude of 'out of sight, out of mind'. Things begin to get more specific, condiments are next to go. Start getting used to your salads being extra crunchy without its sauced-bathed leaves. 

To quote The Sunday Times; "experts agree that a healthy lifestyle and a lean, toned body involve 20% consistent exercise and 80% what you eat." There you have it, it is crucial to think before we chomp down on our favourite sugary helpers. If you are controlled in your eating you are more than half way there. Easier said than done? Absolutely. 

Some of our staff at Wellbeing decided to give the scheme a go, let's see how they managed...

Miranda- Miranda was committed to saying farewell to her sugar-binge days by cutting out the following; white carbohydrates, biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks- whilst leaving a small window for wine. "I was prepared for those familiar moments of wanting a sweet treat, so I opted for nuts and raisins instead." Snack-time is perhaps the biggest test of them all and Miranda's substitution solution was a success. Miranda cooked a lot more and as a result became a lot more creative and confident in the kitchen. 

Roll in the next sugar suspect, Helen. Helen admitted to strongly noticing the lack of sugar and as a result, was made acutely aware of how often it slipped in. At the start Helen suffered from headaches. As the day progressed and four o'clock struck this became a notoriously difficult point in the day. Lunch has been and gone and dinner is on the horizon, we are accustomed to think that this is apt time to increase our sugar levels. Whilst on the challenge, Helen went away and discovered how difficult it is to stick to an altered diet whilst your friends are consuming whatever their eyes are drawn to. At this point Helen curbed the rules and consumed some alcohol, besides this hiccup, Helen was dedicated throughout. 

I found the experience challenging and was receptive to its high's and low's. I found myself feeling less sluggish and found that overall, it balanced my hormones. I also noticed that it changed my taste buds. The couple of times that I did cave in, I noticed that the sugar tasted sweeter and I therefore consumed less. A handy suggestion is to replace your sweetener/sugar in tea with a cinnamon stick. Works like a charm. 

The comforting fact in all this (and perhaps a point of persuasion) is that by retraining your taste buds, the obsession does go away. By having something rarely, the taste becomes acute and your brain applies more thought to what you are eating. However, this does not mean our sweet object of desire shall never rear its sugar-coated head again, but resisting it is a lot easier. Shoo the craving away like an incessant fly and reach for your shiny apple.

Source: Bye, Bye Sugar