Saturday, February 27, 2010

Maintain a Balanced Diet

You know it’s important to eat healthfully. Making poor food choices or eating poor combinations of foods can result in your body producing too much or too little insulin, which can cause fatigue, irritability weight again, low blood sugar, and eventually, even Type 2 diabetes. There are three sources we derive energy from: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Most North Americans get close to 60 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, most of which are simple carbohydrates that break down too rapidly and cause the pancreas to overload the blood with insulin. This leads to the body storing excess fat. Instead, dine on high-fiber complex carbohydrates that require the body to work harder to break down and don’t overload your system with sugar.

Protein is essentially the anti-carbohydrate. The digestion of protein stimulates the release of glucagon, which causes the body to release stored carbohydrates in the liver and give the brain blood sugar, which decreases fogginess and irritability.

The final key components to a healthy diet are essential fats. They slow down the entry of carbohydrates into the bloodstream and help you to feel full.

You should aim to receive 45 to 65 percent of your calories from healthy carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent from lean protein, and 25 to 35 percent from essential fats. To achieve this type of hormonally balanced meal, include selections from the following three sections:

Energy-dense carbohydrates: whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits that contain fiber

High-quality protein: fish, poultry, lean meats, soy, tofu and low-fat dairy products

Essential fats in small quantities: olive oil, avocados, and nuts

Take supplements - like USANA Vitamins

Eat Red Meat

Red meat contains more fat and calories than lean chicken, pork or fish. Cutting back on red meat may help lower your risk of serious illness later in life, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. It will also help lower your caloric intake, thus boosting your metabolism. When you do eat red meat, make sure it’s lean and well-cooked. If you hate the idea of surrendering red meat, at least cut back to red meat twice a week maximum.

Eat More Lean Protein

Your body has to work twice as hard to digest protein as carbohydrates or fats, which means your metabolism has to work harder, too. Also, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people are more protein and cut down on fat, they reduced their calorie intake by 441 calories a day. In fact, experts think that eating protein actually enhances the effect of leptin, a hormone that helps the body feel full. When you choose protein, reach for the healthier choices, such as fish, skinless chicken, lean pork, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products, with the occasional lean red meat.

Understand the Importance of Proteins

Proteins, which are made up of amino acids, work within the body as primary building blocks for all tissues and cells, including your muscles. Their secondary function is to provide energy after your carbohydrate resources have been depleted – boosting your metabolism! One gram of protein equals 4 calories and it can be found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and legumes (beans and peas). While legumes are low in fat and high in fiber, animal sources of protein (which can be higher in unwanted fats) can deliver all of the necessary amino acids, so it’s important to have a balance of the two to lose weight effectively.

Basically, to help your body to function properly, you must feed it protein. There are many different types of proteins – some healthy, some not so healthy.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

USANA Chocolate Whey Special

In conjunction with Kathy Kaehler’s Summer Slimdown, USANA is offering an incredible deal on Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal™. For a limited time, buy two packs of Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal and get one free!

Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal is a soy-protein free alternative to the popular line of USANA Nutrimeal shakes. Like the other flavors of Nutrimeal, it is a meal-replacement drink that is low glycemic and made with natural flavors and sweeteners. Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal is also gluten free†, making it a great alternative for those with wheat allergies and gluten intolerance.

Go to the shopping cart to take advantage of this incredible offer while it lasts, and get ready to transform yourself with Kathy Kaehler’s Summer Slimdown!

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Learn How to Read Fat Content Labeling

Food labeling will definitely help you identify fat content, but you need to understand the rules of labeling to rally know if what you are reading is an accurate reflection of the item’s fat content. According to U.S. government regulations, foods containing less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving are called fat-free, which sound great. If, however, you eat three or four servings, trace fat content adds up. Also, the more generic labels give 3 grams of ft or less per serving the title low-fat. Products containing at least 25 percent less fat than the original version earn the title reduced fat.

Understand Fats

The food science that centers around fat is simple. Fats are simply chains of carbon molecules bonded with hydrogen molecules and attached to a glycerol molecule. There are three kinds of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. These terms define the type of bonds that the carbon molecules form with one another and with the hydrogen molecules.

Carbon molecules can bond with four other molecules in various formations. In saturated fats, all the carbon molecules are singly bonded to each other and with two hydrogen molecules. In monounsaturated fats, one of the carbon-to-carbon bonds is a double bond without two hydrogen molecules. In polyunsaturated fats, there are two or more double-bonded carbon molecules.

When hydrogen is introduced into a polyunsaturated fat, the hydrogen molecules begin to bond with the double-bonded carbon molecules. If they line up on the same side of the chain, the configuration is called cis. If the hydrogen molecules line up on opposite sides of the chain, the configuration is called trans. Heat and pressure force the hydrogen molecules to line up in the trans configuration.

In the cis configuration, which is the natural form of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, the positioning of the hydrogen molecules makes a kink in the chain. As a result, they cannot pack closely together, so the fat will remain liquid at room temperature. In the trans configuration, the hydrogen molecules pair up on opposite sides of the carbon molecules. This positioning straightens out the chain, so the molecules pack closely together, making a fat that is solid or semisolid at room temperature.

Unlike fiber-filled foods that move quickly through your system, 95 percent of consumed fat is absorbed into your body. This high absorption rate means that almost every bit of fat that you eat stays with you, causing weight gain and a slow metabolism if you eat more than your body can handle.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Monitor Your Heart Rate When You Exercise

When you’re exercising, it’s important to keep track of your heart rate so that you can make sure you’re working out in a range that is maximizing your calorie-burning potential. If you’re not working out on a machine that keeps track of your rate, you can either use a heart rate monitor or two of your fingers.

If you’re measuring manually, place two fingers gently just below the top of the jaw on the side of your neck over your carotid artery or over the radial artery located just where your wrist bends. Count for 15 seconds, then multiply the number of beats you felt by 4 to estimate your beats per minute (bpm). If you’re doing this when you’re at rest, this number represents your approximate resting heart rate.

If you prefer to have a monitor keep track of your heart rate – which is, admittedly, easier when you’re in the middle of a workout – find a heart monitor that includes a strap that goes around your chest and a watch-like device that will allow you to easily read the results.

Determine Your Heart-Rate Zone

To estimate what your heart rate or pulse should be when you exercise, use this formula:

Subtract your age from 220. For example: If you are forty years old, then the answer is 180. This number is your estimated maximum heart rate in beats per minute.

Now, multiply that number (e.g., 180) by .65 and .85. The two numbers (117 and 153) tell you the range in which your heart rate should be during exercise.

You should spend the majority of your exercise time with your heart rate in the lower part of the range, reaching the higher part of the range only during brief interval sessions. If you’ve very fit, you can use a slightly different formula to determine the range of your heart rate during exercise. As a first step, subtract your age from 205, and then do the rest of the calculations described.

Understand the Importance of Heart Rates

When you know your resting heart rate, you can make sure you’re reaching your full potential when you exercise. That’s because your pulse, measured in heats per minute, tells you how much effort your heart and body are putting in. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that you exercise at aerobic intensity levels of 60 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. But, if you’re new to exercise, we recommend exercising so that your heart rate is 60 percent or less of its maximum potential and progressing gradually into higher levels of intensity so you don’t put too much strain on the heart muscle.

While it may seem that you are only putting in a light effort, you are still benefiting your metabolism by training your cardiovascular system to work more efficiently and by burning calories.

Understand How Metabolism Processes Food

The way metabolism works is by causing a series of chemical reactions that break down food. How it does this depends on whether the food is a carbohydrate, protein, or fat. Without getting too clinical, it’s helpful to know the basics:

1.Carbohydrates are absorbed as simple sugars, mostly glucose. When your body needs energy, it breaks down this glucose into a metabolite known as pyruvate. Depending on the amount of available oxygen, pyruvate is then converted either anaerobically (without oxygen) into lactic acid for short bursts of energy, or aerobically (with oxygen) into acetyl CoA a molecule that creates a slower, more long-term source of energy. Lactic acid may also be recycled back into glucose, but acetyl CoA cannot.

2.During the digestive process, proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are then converted into building blocks for hormones, nucleic acids (part of DNA), digestive enzymes, and antibodies. Though an amino acid’s primary role is to develop and repair other protein, it may also be used for energy and broken down into different metabolites. To be processed, amino acids are broken down further into pyruvate or into acetyl CoA, or they are moved into the citric acid cycle inside the mitochondria.

3.In the metabolic process, fats and oils are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol can either be built up to make glucose or broken down to form pyruvate. Like glucose, this pyruvate can then be used to form lactic acid or acetyl CoA. Fatty acids are broken down in a process known as beta, or fatty acid, oxidation, which produces acetyl CoA. During beta-oxidation, oxygen combines with fragments of the fatty acid to release electrons into the electron transport chain. Unlike glycerol, fatty acids cannot be used to create glucose.

Since all three of the main energy-producing nutrients can be broken down into acetyl CoA, they can all be used to generate fat, which the body can use as energy, or they can be stored in fat cells for future use. Taking USANA Vitamins are the good way to supplement your daily nutrition needs.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

What About DHA Supplements?

If you can’t get at least 200 milligrams of DHA each day from seafood or fortified foods (pregnant and breast-feeding women need 300 milligrams), then consider taking a supplement. Try USANA Vitamins and USANA Products. Fish oil supplements are fine, but make sure to check the label. You want a supplement that spells out exactly how much DHA you are getting, not one that just lists the amount of fish oil. Some people complain of a few nasty side effects from fish oil capsules, such as burping or heartburn. Supplements of algae-based DHA also are available and are less likely to cause the fishy burping, especially when taken with meals or a glass of warm milk or orange juice.

When taking a supplement, always remember that just because some is good doesn’t mean more is better. Omega-3s are blood thinners, so taking too much (such as more than 3 grams a day) could cause excessive bleeding. They should be taken only with a physician’s approval if you are on blood-thinners, such as warfarin (coumadin) and other medications; aspirin; or high doses of vitamin E. Omega-3s also can lower blood pressure, so your doctor might want to lower the dosage on any blood pressure medications if you are taking DHA or other omega-3s. to be on the safe side, discuss any supplement, including fish oils or DHA, with your physician.

DHA is a key factor in the diet of happy, fit people. You need at least 200 milligrams from fatty fish, foods fortified with DHA, or supplements. And you need to get that amount most days of the week. No ifs, ands or buts. Just do it!

DHA or Mercury: The Fish Dilemma

The more fatty fish you eat, the more DHA you get, with conservative recommendations suggesting we need at least two servings of fatty fish a week. But here comes the dilemma: fish also is one of the most concentrated sources of mercury, a metal that is toxic to nerve cells. The more mercury you eat, the lower your brain function.

In a study where fish intake was assessed in a group of men, women and children, about one in five participants warranted testing for mercury either because of high intakes of fish or because they were showing signs of mercury poisoning (i.e., fatigue, reduced memory and/or joint pain). Results showed that the mercury level for all women was 10 times that found in the general public, and some children had more than 40 times the national average. Almost all participants had blood mercury levels above 5 micrograms per liter, the maximum level recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Up to 18% had levels greater than 20 micrograms per liter. People with the highest mercury levels also reported eating greater amounts of swordfish, ahi and other fish known to be high in mercury.

Fortunately, these dangerously high mercury levels were reversible, although it took almost ten months to reach acceptable levels and required stopping or greatly reducing consumption of fish. The findings were so shocking that the researchers recommend that questions regarding fish consumption should be part of all comprehensive health screenings. The results of this study and others confirm that the more fish you eat, the more likely you are to consume too many mercury.

You need fish to get your DHA, but that same fish also supplies a nerve-damaging metal. One way to get around the mercury problem is to choose fish that are lower in this toxic metal, such as salmon and canned light tuna. One study even found that these high-DHA fish help block the damaging effects from mercury on the nervous system. White-meat fish, such as cod, halibut or haddock, are relatively low in mercury but also have little of those mood-boosting omega-3s. So you don’t get much benefit or harm from eating them. Definitely stay away from the biggest mercury offenders, such as swordfish, albacore or ahi tuna, shark, mackerel and tilefish. Or look for foods that are fortified with DHA.

Not All Omega-3s Are Created Equal

You can get all the omega-3 fat you want from flax seeds, walnuts, canola oil, leafy greens or soy to help lower your risk for heart disease, but those foods will do nothing for your mood or memory. That’s because there are three omega-3 fats, and they are not all created equal when it comes to health benefits.

The omega-3 fat in plants – from flax to walnuts – is called ALA, which stands for alpha-linolenic acid. This omega-3 shows promise in lowering heart disease risk, but that’s about it. Granted, the body can convert ALA to other omega-3 fats, but the conversion is poor. One 2008 study found that eating flax was completely useless in raising levels of the other two omega-3s, EPA and DHA. Keep taking ALA-rich foods all you want is a healthy heart. But if your goals are also to feel great, think fast and stay mentally sharp at age 100, ten you won’t get there with the omega-3 fat ALA.

The other two omega-3s are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA. These are the big guns when it comes to the omega-3s, and, even then, DHA is by far the most powerful. And since DHA can be converted to EPA in the body, you get two for one in that omega-3.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone made naturally in the body and released at night or in the dark. It helps regulate the cycle of waking and sleeping. Some people don’t make enough, especially as they get older, which leaves them tossing and turning.

Can you compensate for low levels by taking a supplement of melatonin? Maybe. Studies show a slight improvement in sleep, especially in speed of falling asleep, when people take melatonin supplements. Melatonin also helps curb the nasty sleep deprivation associated with jet lag. It’s not as clear whether melatonin helps keep people asleep, if it increases the deep sleep that people need the most, or even if they feel more rested when taking melatonin for sleep problems.

Most melatonin supplements are made from a synthetic form of the hormone and are available in liquid, tablet and intranasal sprays. They come in immediate-release and extended-release formulas. Since a short-lived, high-peak dose of melatonin is most effective, it is probably best to use an immediate-release product. The extended release forms of the supplement don’t work as well.

One last word of caution: most experts caution against taking melatonin supplements for any longer than a month. Short-term use appears safe, but the lack of long-term studies has left safety issues hanging. In addition, make sure to take those supplements in the evening, since taking too much melatonin at the wrong time may worsen sleep problems.

5-HTP

In the days when tryptophan supplements were available, studies showed that popping a tryptophan pill decreased the time it took to fall asleep by up to 50% and improved the soundness and length of sleep. Since you can’t get tryptophan pills any more (they were banned back in the 1980s because of a serious contamination problem), companies now make a replacement, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan or 5-HTP. The body makes 5-HTP from tryptophan, and like tryptophan, 5-HTP is converted to serotonin in the brain.

Supplements of 5-HTP show promise in helping with insomnia, weight loss and even panic attacks. Numerous studies show people sleep better and longer when they take 5-HTP. Safety issues linger, however, and no one is quite sure about the best dose quences of taking 5-HTP for months and years. Enteric-coated tablets are recommended to increase absorption and minimize potential side effects, such as stomach discomfort, nausea and vomiting. The less you take, the less likely you’ll suffer side effects. If you are considering taking 5-HTP, consult your physician first, especially if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, have high blood pressure or diabetes or take mood-altering medications or herbs.

Omega-3s help you to stay happy

There is more to the story than just depression and postpartum depression. Omega-3s help cub symptoms of manic depression or bipolar disease, schizophrenia and self-harm disorder, from cutting to suicide. Researchers found that children with low omega-3 levels are most likely to throw tantrums, have sleep problems and battle learning disabilities, while kids who are optimally nourished in these fats are least prone to attention deficit disorders. Even convicts in prison are less aggressive and angry when they take omega-3 supplements.

People who suffer from winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), battle mild to serious depression from late fall to early spring. Typically, SAD has been linked to lack of sunlight. But studies show that even in some northern climates, like Iceland, where the dark days of winter can be pretty grim, depression rates are at an all-planet low. How do people living in gloomy climates stay happy? Icelanders might not see much sunlight, but they eat more omega-3-rich foods, particularly fish (up to 225 pounds of seafood per person per year), than almost any other group of people on the planet. Apparently, a DHA-rich diet can reduce, if not eliminate, winter blues even when the days are long, dark and dreary.

The evidence is so overwhelming in favor of the omega-3s in the prevention and treatment of depression and mood disorders that DHA is often recommended along with anti-depressant medications. The American Psychiatric Association in 2006 released a statement that the omega-3s were important when treating depression, and evidence now suggests that because omega-3s reduce anger and anxiety, they might be useful in drug and alcohol treatments. In fact, many experts suspect that depression and feelings of despair are actually good indicators or symptoms of a DHA deficiency! No wonder this is the most amazing nutrient when it comes to staying happy.

Omega-3 Nutrient

It is a no-brainer that the omega-3 fats lower heart disease – researchers have known that for decades. Hundreds of studies, from prestigious groups like the National Institutes of Health and universities like Harvard and Tuffs, repeatedly and consistently show that when you add omega-3-rich foods or supplements to the diet

Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels drop and the good cholesterol, called HDL, goes up;

The bad cholesterol, called LDL, changes in size so it is less harmful to arteries;

Your blood is less likely to form nasty blood clots that block arteries and lead to heart attack and stroke;

There is less inflammation in your arteries, so they are more resistant to the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart disease; and

Even your blood pressure and heart rate drop.

Benefits are seen whether you take omega-3s in general or only the omega-3 DHA. These benefits are experienced by men and women with heart disease, by healthy people, by vegetarians and by people at any age from infancy to the elder years. The benefits to your heart also appear to be cumulative. The more you eat, the healthier your heart. Eat omega-3-rich foods once or twice a week and you lower heart disease risk by 30%, but include those foods every day and our risk drops by up to 83%.

For years, nutrition experts focused on this exciting heart disease connection. Then a few researchers started to ponder the effects omega-3 might have on the brain. They had noticed an interesting phenomenon: people with heart disease also had an unusually high rate of depression. Could there be a common factor underlying both problems? If DHA and other omega-3 fats could dramatically lower heart disease risk, what were the possibilities for brain tissue, which is so much more dependent on these fats? DHA was the omega-3 of choice for their studies, since both the brain and the retina of the eyes contain up to 30 times more DHA than any other omega-3. There had to be a connection between those high tissue levels and DHA somehow regulating mod, memory and brain health.

In the 1990s, the results of those studies started to rolling in. Study after study showed that people who are depressed and women with postpartum depression have much lower DHA levels in their blood, fat tissues and cerebrospinal fluids, up to 36% lower than happy people. It is now clear that DHA levels drop, so do levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, leaving people grumpy, blue and downright depressed. Even the severity of depression is affected; as tissue levels of omega-3s drop, depression worsens. On the other hand, boost intake of DHA by including more DHA-rich foods or by taking supplements, and serotonin levels rise and mood improves in men, women and new moms. Studies show up to a 50% reduction in depression in people who are the toughest to treat and even an improvement in well-being for those battling everyday blues.

The time factor varies form person to person; some people report improvements in mood within days or even hours of eating daily omega-3-rich meals. And it doesn’t take huge amounts. Even a slight increase in blood levels, say a 1% to 5% increase, is enough to see the sneering wicked with turn into happy-go-lucky Pollyanna.

The mood-boosting benefits of DHA go far beyond just a few studies. DHA can change the mod of entire countries. Depression rates vary up to sixty-fold form one country to another. Those rates mirror rats for heart disease and also reflect omega-3 intake. For example, as people switch from their culture’s traditional diets that are adequate in omega-3s to Western-style diets almost devoid of omega-3s, the country’s rates of heart disease, depression and postpartum depression skyrocket.

Soy

People lost more weight when they added soy to their calorie-controlled diets than they added other protein-rich foods, like beef or whey powders.

It could be soy’s protein, since protein is much more filling than either fat or carbs. Also the protein in soy is lean, which is far superior to the greasy protein in most red meats.

What sets soy apart form other protein-rich foods, however, is that soy also has phytoestrogens, compounds that help burn body fat. The combination of protein and phytoesrogens is super powerful for weight loss, since it helps satisfy you on fewer calories and boosts metabolism. Soy also curbs elevated blood sugar and reduces blood cholesterol and insulin levels.

Beyond weight loss, soy has superpowers in boosting memory. It might be because of the phytoestrogens, or maybe it is the antioxidants in soy that protect the brain and possibly improve mood. People who eat soy-based foods (not supplements) show less damaging effects on brain tissue during stress, and their brains stay youthful even into their later years, which means better memory and thinking ability. And it’s never too late. Memory improves at all stages of life, even into your seventies or beyond, when soy is included regularly in the diet.

How much? 25 grams of soy protein a day, or the equivalent of three glasses of soy milk.

Eat more: Use soymilk to replace milk in meals and recipes, especially brands that are fortified with the omega-3 fat DHA. Sprinkle edemame (green soybeans) in salads and side dishes. Substitute mashed tofu for ricotta cheese in recipes or add to egg dishes. Snack on dry-roasted soy nuts. Or try any of the delicious recipes with soy.

A Word About Variety

Variety is the spice of life.

Variety is the soul of pleasure.

The joy of life is variety.

No pleasure endures unseasoned by variety.

Variety, variety, variety. You’ve heard the rule a million times: eat a variety of foods. Of course, those wise diet gurus aren’t recommending you eat a variety of doughnuts, cookies, chips, cupcakes and other junk. No, they mean a variety of real foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and more. For one thing, no one food supplies all the nutrients you need. Therefore, the more varied your diet, the more likely you will get the right dose of all the 40+ nutrients.

Second, foods are not all fun and games. Even the most nutritious food contains a harmful substance or two. For example, cabbage is absolutely packed with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. On the flip side, it also contains compounds called goitrogens that interfere with your thyroid. No big deal if you eat cabbage a few times a week, but go on some cabbage diet, feasting only on platters of cabbage day after day, and you might have a problem. Eat a variety of foods and you avoid overdosing on any one harmful substance.

Third, you get the best antioxidant protection when you eat different antioxidant-rich foods. For example, drink only mangosteen juice or limit your fruit to just handfuls of berries every day and your antioxidant levels rise, but that does not necessarily mean you’ll think better or live longer. You need a variety of superfoods every day. Eat blueberries and nuts today, strawberries and oranges tomorrow, pomegranates on your spinach salad the next day and so forth, and antioxidant levels soar, plus you think better, feel better and outlive everybody.

The message here: choose a diet based on real foods, sprinkle that diet with a variety of super mood foods and vary your choices from meal to meal, day to day and week to week.

Rating the Antioxidants

All fruits and vegetables, whole grain, legumes, tea, chocolate and wine – in short, just about any real food – have antioxidants. What makes one super and one not? It’s the amount of antioxidants.

To measure a food’s antioxidant content, researchers use the ORAC test, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is a measure of the total antioxidant content in a given food and thus how many free radicals a specific food can absorb and destroy. The more oxygen radicals a food absorbs, the higher its ORAC score. The higher its ORAC score, the better it is at helping our bodies prevent memory loss and cope with stress.

Nutrition experts estimate each one of us needs a minimum of 3,000 ORAC points a day to even begin to protect the mind, mood and body, though most Americans average less than half that amount. A daily ORAC intake of 10,000 or more is even better. In fact, no one has yet found an upper limit. You can’t store antioxidants, so you must replenish ORAC points every day. That means you need these and lots of other real foods in just about every meal you eat.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Healthy Brew

Caffeine aside, coffee offers a few compelling health benefits for your body and mind that give java junkies reason to perk up. Coffee appears to lower the risk for heart disease and for dying from heart disease by up to 24%. The brew also helps lower the risk for certain cancers, such as colon, rectal and liver cancers. Something in coffee, other than caffeine, also lowers the risk for gout and diabetes and might protect against Parkinson’s disease. Coffee also might keep you mentally sharp into your senior years and extend your life.

Coffee a health drink? Coffee is an extract, and like other extracts, including wine, cocoa and tea, it is packed with antioxidants that protect cells’ genetic code for DNA from damage and promote cell survival. Coffee also might reduce inflammation associated with blood vessel damage. Of course, other studies have found that coffee might increase risks for pancreatic cancer and even might increase heart disease risk, so it is premature to recommend guzzling cup after cup every day. Also, how the coffee is made appears important to health, with filter drip being healthier than pressed coffee.

How Much Do You Need SAM-e?

Always discuss with your physician whether SAM-e is right for you. If you get the go-ahead, it typically is recommended that you start with 200 to 400 milligrams a day and up the dosage by 200 milligrams if you don’t see results within two weeks. Some studies have used up to 1,200 to 1,600 milligrams a day. Look for brands that list 1,4-Butanedisul-fonate on the label. That’s an ingredient in the patented formulation of SAM-e used in Europe. Also look for products that enteric-coated, which ensures they remain intact through the stomach and don’t dissolve until they get into the small intestine, where they are absorbed into the bloodstream.

Sammy Baby

For anyone battling depression, just getting up in the morning can be an overwhelming chore. The thought that there could be a natural solution with no side effects and that its as easy as taking a pill is almost too good to be true. But it is. Thirty years of studies show that SAM-e – the user-friendly name for S-adenosylmethionine – is as effective, and maybe even more effective, than some antidepressant medications in relieving the symptoms of depression.

SAM-e – (pronounced “sammy”) isn’t a hormone, herb, vitamin or nutrient. It’s made naturally in the body from an amino acid called methionine, which you get from protein-rich foods, along with the assembly-line workers folic acid and vitamin B12.

Sometimes the body doesn’t make enough. This can cause all kinds of problems, since SAM-e acts as the “on” switch for a wide variety of processes. It helps make new cells and repair damaged ones, aids immunity, builds cartilage in joints, helps form the genetic code within cells, makes nerve chemicals like serotonin and dopamine and regulates moods and emotions. This translates into happier moods, quicker thinking, reduce arthritis pain and possibly fewer symptoms of fibromyalgia.

It is with mood that SAM-e works its best magic. Low SAM-e levels are seen in people who are depressed. Raise those levels by supplementing with SAM-e and despair, anxiety and irritability improve, if not vanish.

Numerous studies show that SAM-e works when all else fails. One study found that 400 milligrams a day of SAM-e was even more effective at eliminating depression than mood-altering medications. This supplement bests antidepressant drugs because it starts working within a few days to two weeks, while prescription drugs take much longer. SAM-e also appears to have few, if any, side effects, other than the occasional rare case of indigestion.

SAM-e also might be a smart pill, helping you concentrate and think faster. In one study, a combination of nutrients, including folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin E and SAM-e, improved quick thinking by 10% in just three months and by 20% at the end of a six-month study. Preliminary evidence also suggests this little pill might help curb Alzheimer’s risk.

Are there any downsides to SAM-e? Yes, but they are few:

While up to 61% of depressed people get relief with this supplement, there is no evidence that it has any effect on mood in people who are already happy. It shouldn’t be taken as a tonic unless you really are blue.

SAM-e is off-limits for anyone with bipolar disorder, since it can escalate manic episodes.

Other than the fact that SAM-e has been used safely in Europe for more than 30 years as an antidepressant, there are few long-term studies, so no one knows for sure whether there might be any serious health hazards from taking it for decades.

It’s expensive, and analyses have found that what is promised on the label is not always what is inside the jar. Some brands have little or no SAM-e in their products, others have too much. To make sure you are getting what you paid for, choose a major brand to ensure quality.

The Antistress Mineral

Magnesium gets no respect. Other nutrients, like calcium, folic acid or iron, are in the news all the time, and even vitamin D has been getting some press of late. But you never hear about magnesium. Big mistake.

This mineral helps in more than 300 processes in the body. In fact, every cell in your body needs this mineral. That might explain why it helps lower the risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and much more. Yet three out of four Americans don’t get enough.

Why Magnesium?

When it comes to mood, magnesium is a major player. Stress triggers the release of stress hormones that drain magnesium from the body. In turn, low magnesium levels raise stress hormones, escalating the stress response. Studies on animals show that low magnesium intake increases sensitivity to noise and crowding and escalates stress-included diseases, such as ulcers, while animals fed magnesium-rich diets cope better and are at lower risk for disease. Studies on people under pressure at work to meet ridiculously tight deadlines cope far better when their diets are rich in magnesium but are more likely to freak out if they aren’t.

Women who get crabby, depressed and downright difficult to live with the 10 to 14 days before their periods also need more magnesium. Magnesium levels drop during the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle, which might contribute to PMS symptoms, such as water retention, cramping, headaches and an oversensitive nervous system (feeling crabby, irritable and edgy?). Increasing intake of magnesium helps curb these symptoms – even to recommended levels is enough to see improvement for symptoms for some women.

How Much Do You Need?

You need about 320 to 500 milligrams of this feel-good nutrient every day. That doesn’t sound like much until you realize that most of the magnesium gold mines in the diet are foods many people don’t typically include in generous amounts, such as avocados, oysters, bananas and the super mood foods wheat germ, whole grains, cooked dried beans and peas and dark green leafy vegetables.

If you choose to supplement, look for the best absorbed forms, such as magnesium oxide, citrate or hydroxide. But don’t go overboard on this mineral! It is the active ingredient in Milk of Magnesia, which means that too much can loosen more than your muscles, leaving you in the bathroom rather than at the party.

Light, Food and Supplements

Where are you going to test your Vitamin D? You have three choices: 1. spend time in the direct sun, 2. eat lots of foods rich in this vitamin and 3. take a vitamin D supplement. The first option is near impossible. Either you live south of Los Angeles and Atlanta and have not heeded the warnings to use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, or you are at risk for a vitamin D deficiency. The second option also is difficult, since so few foods naturally contain much vitamin D and fortified foods are limited to no more than 100 IU per serving. That means you must drink 10 glasses of milk a day to get the latest recommended intake of 1,000 IU a day. Not likely.

That leaves supplements. If you live in hot, sunny climates and drink some milk or soy milk, then aim for 400 IU from supplements to fill in the gaps. For everyone else, talk to your physician about taking a supplement of 1000 IU a day.

How Much Do You Need Vitamin D?

Up until recently, vitamin D was considered one of the vitamins that could be toxic, so safe intake limits were set very low, or about 200 IU to 600 IU a day, depending on age. But all the studies showing vitamin D lowers risk for everything from muscle pain to depression have used amounts fair in excess of what people typically consume and, in many cases, much more than the current daily recommendations. As a result, many experts are calling for a change in the recommendations, which were set back in 1997 and are considered outdated and too restrictive.

According to researchers at Harvard, a supplement containing 1,000 IU a day would be helpful the vast majority of Americans. The likelihood of toxicity at this dose is nonexistent. Hey, fair-skinned people’s bodies can manufacture 15,000 IU or more in as little as 30 minutes of unprotected sunbathing in the middle of July, so 1,000 IU is a pretty safe dose to consider! Of course, you should always consult your physician before taking any supplement, but for people living in the north or anyone over the age of 50, some type of vitamin D supplement is well worth pondering.

As with any nutrient, just because some is good doesn’t mean more is better. Vitamin D is a ft-soluble vitamin, which means the body doesn’t get rid of it when it is in excess, but rather stores it for future use. Build up too high a store and you could end up with kidney stones or even start stockpiling calcium in your heart or arteries, places that shouldn’t be hardened with bone minerals!

You can play on the safe side and have your level of this vitamin measured next time you are going in for a blood draw anyway. Ask to be tested for 25-hydroxy Vitamin D. A value below 20 nanograms is low, 20 to 30 nanograms is borderline and 30 to 50 nanograms is optimal. Have the test in November, because if you are low then, it is a sure thing you’ll be full-blown deficient by spring.

Gimme a D!

Vitamin D is no longer just for strong bones. In fact, it might be useful for a whole host of ills, from diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer and heart disease to boosting your immune system, curing chronic muscle pain and fibromyalgia and preventing depression, anxiety and even memory loss. There’s even suspicions that a deficiency increases the risk for obesity. What’s more, you possibly need a whole lot more than you think. Happy, fit people place this vitamin at the top of their to-do list.

Up until recently, vitamin D’s only know job was to help prevent bone loss associated with diseases like osteoporosis and rickets. That’s because vitamin D is critical for the absorption of calcium and also ensuring the mineral gets deposited into bones. If you’re low on vitamin D, it’s a given you’ll only absorb about 10% of the calcium you consume, which is a surefire way to end up with osteoporosis later in life, even if you take lots of calcium. Getting enough vitamin D and calcium can significantly improve a woman’s chances of avoiding osteoporosis.

While we used to think only bones were sensitive to vitamin D, experts are finding that almost every tissue in the body has receptors for vitamin D, suggesting that it works its magic everywhere in the body.

We now know that vitamin D aids in the prevention and/or treatment of gum disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension and certain cancers, including colon, breast, pancreas and prostate cancers. Vitamin D also reduces the incidence of falls by up to 60% in seniors. A few very recent studies even suggest that vitamin D is critical for brain function in general, helping to boost not just mood, but also memory, reaction times and thinking.

In addition, we know that a deficiency of this vitamin is typically found in people who have risk factors for obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. It also is clear that overweight people are prime candidates for a vitamin D deficiency.

Happy, fit people also might get their mood boost from this vitamin. People prone to the blues have low levels of vitamin D, while happy people’s vitamin D levels are much higher. Even healthy, relatively happy people report a mood boost when they add extra vitamin D to their diets. The research is strongest for people battling seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, whose mood worsens as the seasons progress from fall through winter. For years, the only known cause was thought to be lack of sunlight. But it might be vitamin D these people lack.

Vitamin D really isn’t a vitamin at all. It’s hormone. You don’t need to get it from your diet, since your body can make vitamin D if its’ exposed to sunlight long enough. When it comes to SAD, it might not be the lack of sunlight that causes the winter blues, but rather the lack of sunlight means the body can’t make enough vitamin D, which otherwise would have sparked a perkier mood through the winter months.

That’s what the research shows. Deficiencies of vitamin D escalate from 38% to 60% from fall to spring in people who battle SAD. Give them extra doses of vitamin D, and voila! Their mood improves and anxiety drops. Although not yet studied, winter depression typically goes hand in hand with weight gain. Sidestep the blues and you might have a better chance of fitting into a swimsuit by spring.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Vitamin B12: Maximum Brain Support

The mind shuts down without vitamin B12. It might even start shrinking! You need this B vitamins to ensure your brain cells can send messages back and forth quickly, so you have no trouble putting two words together, remembering a friend’s name or staying quick-witted. It’s no wonder that studies, like one from the University of Oxford, repeatedly find that you lose your ability to think, remember and react in direct proportion to your B12 levels. Even happy people tend to tumble into depression when B12 levels are low. Studies show that people with markers for low vitamin B12 status have a more rapid drop-off in mental function at younger ages compared to people with optimal vitamin B12 status. In fact, many researchers speculate that doubling a person’s vitamin B12 levels by taking supplements could slow cognitive decline by one-third or more.

Even people who are tested for vitamin B12 and are found to be in the low-normal range could be deficient, according to a study from the University of Oxford. Tamara knows firsthand how powerful and influence vitamin B12 has on mood. She had battled serious depression for five years despite taking a variety of antidepressant medications. In desperation and at the age of 42 years, she turned to her doctors one more time for help. Routine blood tests had shown she wasn’t anemic or even low in B12 but her doctor decided to put her on supplemental vitamin B12 and folic acid anyway. Within weeks, her depression completely vanished. A year later, she was still blues-free. “I’ve not had a miserable day since”, she adds.

Many studies also find that people living in nursing homes because of memory loss often improve beyond anyone’s wildest dreams when they are given high doses of vitamin B12.

The older you are, the more vitamin B12 you need, with young people needing as little as 2 micrograms a day, while anyone over the age of 50 years needs at least 25 micrograms, maybe more. It would be difficult to get that much from diet alone, and besides, vitamin B12 is another nutrient better absorbed from supplements than from foods. You might even need to take shots instead of pills.

Vitamin B12 requires a substance in the stomach, called Intrinsic Factor, for absorption. Ample stomach acid is needed to trigger intrinsic factor, but acid often decreases as a person ages and definitely decreases when people take antacids or other medications for heartburn. Consequently, risk for vitamin B12 deficiency increases steadily as some people get older. Increased supplemental intake of this vitamin can offset this reduced absorption in many cases, but some people might require vitamin B12 shots, especially if they are on heartburn medications or have low stomach acid.

B Good to Yourself

The right supplements taken in the right amounts can fill in the nutritional gaps on the days when you don’t eat perfectly, and provide a helping hand when the body fails to make enough of some mod-boosting chemicals.

If you feel down in the dumps, too pooped to play or can’t remember your own name, then it just might be that you aren’t getting enough of the B vitamins.

That’s what Darlene, a teacher in Albuquerque, learned after suffering debilitating exhaustion and depression. She brushed it off – and the 25-pound weight gain that accompanied it – as the start of premenopause. Her physician put her on a stew of medications, from antidepressants to thyroid hormones. “Sure, the drugs helped improve my mood”, she says, “but I wanted to get to the root of the problem, so I found a doctor who was willing to work with me on alternative approaches”.

As Darlene slowly weaned herself off the antidepressants, she replaced them with supplements of B vitamins, along with omega-3 fats and several other nutrients known to affect mood (such as calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, zinc and vitamin E). “The transition was seamless. I felt energized, positive, eager to get up in the morning, yet was finally off all medications”! What’s more, the weight dropped off without her even tying.

The B vitamins are everywhere in the brain. Some B vitamins, especially vitamin B1, B2, and pantohenic acid, help release energy to brain cells so you can think straight. Some Bs, like vitamin B6 and folic acid, are star attractions in making nerve chemicals that keep you happy (like serotonin). Other Bs, like vitamin B12, build the insulation sheath around brain cells that allow messages to travel lickety-split from once cell to another. Include enough of these in your diet and you think fast, feel good and have lots of energy.

Antioxidants for an Antiaging Brain

Your body “rusts” when exposed to little oxygen fragments called free radicals or oxidants. Our bodies and brains are exposed to these troublemakers when we breathe air pollution and tobacco smoke, eat fatty foods and are exposed to pesticides. Even if you lived in a pristine world, your body will would be making free radicals during normal metabolic processes.

Luckily, your body has an anti-free radical arsenal, called antioxidants. These are the housekeepers that sweep up oxidants and flush them out of the body. Antioxidants defend cells from aging and protect tiny blood vessels that transport nutrients to brain in cells, keeping them elastic and free of “debris”. Since 20% of the heart’s output goes to the brain, all of these benefits mean improved blood flow and better thinking.

The trick is to maintain an antioxidant arsenal equal to or better than the onslaught of free radicals. As we get older, oxidative damage to tissues, including the brain, intensifies, so that a 30-year-old person needs more antioxidants than a teenager, and the required dose increases even more with every passing decade. If you want to protect your brain, you must build a huge antioxidant arsenal, then replenish it daily.

And it works. People who feast on antioxidant-rich foods and supplements throughout the day also have the highest blood and tissue levels of these do-gooders and the lowest risk for developing dementia, depression or even Alzheimer’s disease. They live the longest, they think the clearest and they are the happiest. Even their sex lives improve!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

From Vitamins to Phytonutrients

You probably already know what vitamin C and E and other nutrients like selenium are big time antioxidants that reduce the risk for memory loss. They work much better as a team than supplied alone.

There are literally thousands of compounds in real foods, like herbs, whole grains, legumes, and colorful fruits and vegetables, called phytonutrients. They aren’t vitamins or minerals. Instead, they are compounds with potent antioxidant abilities, especially when supplied as teams. There are the flavonoids in citrus, anthocyanins in red cabbage and cherries, lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, lutein in spinach, sulforaphane in broccoli, ellagic acid in berries and sulfur compounds in garlic, to name only a few.

Not only do these phytonutrients protect the brain and body from free radical damage, but they also trickle the genetic code within all your body’s cells, turning on the natural production of your body’s own antioxidants, which then protect your brain 24/7 from damage. In other words, taking a vitamin C pill is great, but short-lived, while getting enough of the right mix of phytonutrients means your brain is protected around the clock.

What’s this got to do with supplements?

• First, if you don’t load the menu every day with real or super mood foods, it’s a good idea to take an antioxidant supplement that contains vitamin C and vitamin E. Aim for at least 250 milligrams of vitamin C and at least 100 IU of vitamin E. Take it in divided doses if you can, since nutrients are best absorbed and best used in the body when they are supplied in small, frequent doses.
• Second, skip supplements that pride themselves on supplying a smattering of a few phytonutrients, like lutein or lycopene. They are a scam. No one even knows how much of each phytochemical we need or how they work in tandem.
• Third, there are a few new supplements on the market that actually do work, such as Protandim. They aren’t antioxidants themselves, but they contain a mix of phytonutrients that turn on your body’s production of its own antioxidants. They work to reduce free radicals and potentially protect your brain. Supplements like Protandim are a whole new approach to cellular health. They naturally increase your body’s production of two antioxidant enzymes that aid in eliminating free radicals in your cells, helping to decrease cellular damage and promote healthy aging and immune function.

While all the 40+ nutrients are critical to your happiness quotient, a few vitamins, minerals and other compounds are superheroes in the fight against depression, fatigue, memory loss, and more. Here’s the short list on the ones most important to your mood.

Supplements versus Food

Sure, you still need to eat right, but nutrition and supplements are not an either-or issue. The two enhance each together, not cancel each other out. You don’t always get optimal amounts of all the vitamins and minerals from food, just as pills don’t contain everything that food has to offer.

For one thing, supplements can replace the vitamins and minerals, but they will never supply the thousands of other health-enhancing phytonutrients obtained from real foods. Second, while a well-chosen supplement can improve some of the nutritional shortcomings of a good diet, it can’t compensate for bad eating habits. You know deep down in your heart that you can’t live on French fries and hamburgers, then take a vitamin E supplement and think you’re doing fine. So eat right, but also take a multivitamin as a good safety net for those days when you eat well, but not well enough.

What should you look for in a multi-vitamin?

•Select a broad-range multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. Choose one that contains vitamin A, D, E, and K, all of the B vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin and folic acid), and the trace minerals (chromium, copper, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc).
•Ignore chloride, pantothenic acid, biotin, potassium, choline and phosphorus since the diet either already supplies optimal levels of these compounds or supplements contain too little to be useful. Also ignore nickel, iodine, vanadium and tin, since it’s not clear whether they’re essential for people.
•Read the column titled “Daily Value” on the black label. Look for a multiple that provides approximately 100%, but no more than 300% of the Daily Values for all nutrients provided. You want a “balanced” supplement, not one that supplies 2% of one nutrient, 50% of another, and 600% of another.
•Supplement your multi-vitamin. All one-pill-a-day multiples are short on calcium and magnesium, so consider taking a calcium-magnesium supplement if you consume less than three glasses of milk and several servings of magnesium – rich soybeans, wheat germ and dark green leafy vegetables each day. Look for one that supplies these two minerals in a two to one ratio, such as 500 milligrams of calcium to 250 milligrams of magnesium.

One Pill a Day

Most of your dietary woes are soothed if every day you eat at least eight servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, six servings of whole grains, three glasses of calcium-rich milk or soy milk, and two servings of extra-lean chicken, fish or legumes. Sounds reasonable, but there’s a catch – finding anyone who does that is about as likely as trying to find someone who can walk on water.

The irony is most of us think we’re eating pretty well. A Gallop poll conducted by the American Dietetic Association found that 90% of women surveyed said their diets were healthful. Most of them are delusional, since every national nutrition survey dating from the 1960s to the present repeatedly and consistently finds that most Americans don’t come close to adequate, let alone optimal. Only one in every 100 people meet even minimum standards of the proverbial “balanced diet”.

Even if you are perfectly, no diet can realistically provide optimal amounts of certain nutrients. Take, for example,

Vitamin E. You need at least 100 IU of this vitamin daily to cut the risk for memory loss and possibly Alzheimer’s. Are you willing to eat 8 cups of almonds, ¾ cup safflower oil or 62 cups of fresh spinach every day to meet this need?

Calcium. This mineral might help soothe the grumps in women seized with PMS. In fact, as calcium intake goes up, so does mood for these women. The latest calcium recommendation to curb that bad mood is 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams daily, which is easy enough if you drink four glasses of milk or soy milk daily. For those people who shun milk, meeting this quota means consuming 6 ounces of tofu, a can of salmon with the bones, and 2 cups of black bean soup every day.

Folic acid. This B vitamin is critical to mood and memory, but even though white flour an all the junk food made from it are now fortified with folic acid, intakes still fall short for a huge section of the population. You need at least two servings every day of foods rich in folate, like greens. But when researchers at the University of California, Berkeley investigated women’s intake of dark green leafies, they found almost 9 out of 10 women failed to include even one serving on any one of four days!

Vitamin D. frankly, I don’t know where anyone gets enough of this vitamin, since even drinking four glasses of fortified milk or soy milk daily won’t meet current needs for most people, and the amount of time you must spend in direct overhead sun without sunscreen is totally unrealistic, especially in the winter. Yet not getting enough of this vitamin is a big mistake if you battle mood, memory or possibly even weight issues.

Happy, fit people know that to improve their moods, sharpen their minds, life energy and fill in nutritional gaps while dieting, it’s a smart idea to take a moderate-dose, balanced multivitamin and mineral supplement. There is even evidence that a moderate dose multivitamin can lessen depression, improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety and soothe troubled emotions.

This makes sense since most vitamins and minerals are assembly-line workers in the brain. For example, the B vitamins covert glucose into energy for the brain and also help build some of the nerve chemicals that then tell you to cry at a sad place in a book or laugh at the right spot in a movie. Vitamin D protects nerves in the brain from degenerating. Vitamin E protects brain cell membranes from aging. Iron ensures your brain gets enough oxygen. Iodine ensures normal brain metabolism. The list goes on and on.

Bolster Your Amino Acids

Amino acids, simply put, are organic compounds that make up proteins and are essential to human metabolism. Though they don’t receive nearly as much mention in nutrition discussions as vitamins and minerals, amino acids are just as necessary to our health. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important amino acids in terms of boosting your metabolism – and protecting your brain:

Arginine: This amino acid is partially converted into a chemical known as spermine, which is believed to help the brain process memory. Low levels of spermine often signal age-related memory loss. Arginine has also shown importance in immune function.

Choline: The brain uses this amino acid to manufacture a memory-related neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Older people are encouraged to take choline supplements (no more than 3.5 grams per day) because we tend to produce less acetylcholine as we age, putting us at greater risk of memory impairment. Choline is also important for the transport and metabolism of cholesterol. Dietary sources of choline include cabbage, cauliflower, eggs, peanuts, and lecithin.

Glutamine: This amino acid is a precursor of a calming neurotransmitter known as GABA. It helps improve clarity of thought and boosts alertness by assisting in the manufacture of glutamic acid, a compound known for its ability to eliminate metabolic wastes in the brain. Glutamine is also a necessary fuel for intestinal cells.

Methionine: Like glutamine, this amino acid helps cleanse the brain of damaging metabolic wastes. It is an effective antioxidant and helps reduce brain levels of dangerous heavy metals such as mercury.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Arm Yourself with Knowledge: Metabolism Basics

Broadly defined, metabolism includes all of the physical and chemical changes that occur inside the cells of the body and that maintain life. All activity in the body occurs through the process of metabolism, in which cells break down chemicals and nutrients to general energy and form new molecules such as proteins. Efficient metabolism requires blood loaded with oxygen, glucose, and nutrients enzymes are the molecules that make metabolism happen, and nutrients are the vitamins and minerals that act as essential coenzymes. When a nutrient is deficient in the body, certain metabolic functions are impeded and symptoms of disease can arise. Your metabolism is influenced by:

Age: Metabolism naturally slows about 5 percent per decade after age thirty.

Gender: Men generally burn more calories at rest than women.

Muscle mass: The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate.
Activity level: The more you exercise, particularly aerobically, the higher your metabolic rate.

Genes: There can be an inherited aspect; some people have sluggish metabolic rates.

Thyroid function: You could have an overactive or underactive thyroid, but this is uncommon.

The good news: If you eat a balanced, healthy (low-fat) diet, add exercise (lots of exercise), and keep your body in top running form, your metabolism will burn calories like a top-flight engine. That’s why you need to learn how to maximizing your overall health, nourishing your body, and exercising, all of which will help your body functioning at its maximum capacity and boost your metabolism.

Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable

In addition to the types of fuel you put into your body, your energy can be directly linked to the amount of energy you put (or don’t put) into your body and the timing of it. Nutrition, as you know, is all about fueling the body for optimum function. Many Americans have become so preoccupied with weight loss that they have lost sight of the main event: You need food and glucose – the energy source found in food – to live. If you don’t give your body glucose through balanced meals, your metabolism will slow down and your sugar cravings will increase. When blood sugar dips too low, your brain thinks it’s starving. This is why you end up craving high-sugar foods; since most high-sugar foods are also high-fat foods, desperation eating packs a double caloric whammy. Well-timed and well-balanced meals will boost your metabolism because you won’t be hungry as often, making you less likely to reach for non-nutritious foods.

Eat a High-Fiber Breakfast to Lower Fat Consumption

If you think breakfasts are unhealthy, maybe you need to rethink what you’re eating. A doughnut and coffee aren’t going to start your day off right, but what about eggs, whole-wheat toast, and a small salad or piece of fruit? By eating a high-fiber breakfast, you can stay fuller for longer, and it will help you not reach for that sugary snack in the office kitchen or in the pantry. Research has shown that eating a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast can result in a lower fat intake for the entire day, which helps your metabolism because it can use the fat already stored in your body for energy. If you can’t stand the thought of eating breakfast, start out with something like toast or fruit and bring a snack with you for later in the morning when you get hungry.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Have an Occasional Fiber-Filled Day

If you want to lose a few pounds quickly, spend a few days eating only fiber-filled foods like fruits and vegetables. Be sure to drink plenty of water and try not to exceed 30 grams of fiber in one day to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. The healthiest choice, of course, is to make sure every day is a fiber-filled day with plenty of fruits and vegetables in addition to whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. This will fill you up, crank up your metabolism, and keep you from eating more calorie-laden foods.

Eat Your Oatmeal

Oatmeal is marvelous choice for healthy fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber found in oatmeal is good for people with diabetes because the fibers slow down the digestion of starch, preventing a sharp rise in blood glucose levels after a meal. Soluble fiber aids in the processing and elimination of food, moving it quickly and efficiently through the bowels. Studies have shown that eating foods that are high in soluble fiber may help to lower LDL cholesterol(bad cholesterol) without lowering HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). Whether you choose steel-cut oats (the most roughly cut and least processed), rolled or “old-fashioned” oats, quick oats, or instant, all types of oats are effective at reducing cholesterol. To get the daily 3 grams of soluble fiber recommended for lowering cholesterol levels, you’ll need to eat 2 ounces of oat bran (2/3 cup dry or about ½ cups cooked) or 3 ounces of oatmeal (1 cup dry or 2 cups cooked).

Eat an Apple

Apples are fabulous for you – and your metabolism. The active ingredient in apple pulp is pectin, a soluble form of fiber that helps reduce “bad” cholesterol by keeping it in the intestinal tract until it is eliminated. Pectin also creates a sensation of fullness and suppresses appetite. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that pectin binds certain cancer-causing compounds in the colon, accelerating their removal from the body. European studies indicate that apple pectin can even help eliminate lead, mercury, and other toxic heavy metals from the human body. Note: It’s important to wash apples thoroughly and to avoid eating the seeds, which can be poisonous. All apples provide super nutrients, but eating different varieties of apples is even better.

Find Other Ways to Add Fiber to Your Diet

Adding fiber to your diet may be easier than you think. Here are some additional tips that can help you get started:

Plan to eat high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole-grain starches at every meal

Eat a variety of high-fiber foods to ensure you get a mix of both types of fiber.

Use snacks to increase your fiber intake by nibbling on higher-fiber foods, such as dried fruits, popcorn, fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or whole-wheat crackers.

Try to eat legumes, or dried beans, at least two to three times per week. Add them to salads, soups, casseroles, or spaghetti sauce.

Eat Fiber-Rich Cereals

Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal, such as bran cereal or oatmeal. Cereals offer an excellent source of healthy fiber, and often they are fortified with vitamins. Look for cereals that contain at least 5 grams of fiber per serving because the more fiber it contains, the longer and harder your metabolism will have to burn to digest it. Add fresh fruit for an extra fiber boost.

Savor These Fiber-Filled Fruits

Try eating different fruits every day to get different types of dietary fiber. Fruits with edible seeds, such as strawberries, are sources of lignin, while apples and citrus fruits are excellent sources of pectin. One medium apple contains 4.4 grams of fiber, and one cup of strawberries contains 3 grams. These other fiber-filled fruits will also help boost your metabolism: bananas, blueberries, cantaloupes, cranberries, grapefruits, honeydew, melons, lemons, limes, mangos, oranges, papayas, peaches, pineapples, raspberries, tomatoes, tangerines, and watermelons.

Eschew Juice for Fruit

Fruits are also fabulous sources of fiber, but most of the fiber in fruit is found in the skin and pulp, which is removed when the juice is made. Juice can also contain too many concentrated calories, particularly sugars that will slow metabolism. Keep in mind that citrus fruits may add a little additional heat to your metabolic furnace.

Savor These Fiber-Filled Vegetables

Consume a variety of vegetables to obtain different sources of fiber. Mature vegetables (those harvested at later growth stages) tend to contain more lignin; those harvested at an earlier growth stage have higher contents of pectin and hemicellulose. Eat as much as you want of these vegetables without feeling guilty: asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chili peppers, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onions, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

Eat More Raw Vegetables

Fresh vegetables provide plenty of fiber, but cooking vegetables can reduce their fiber content. Plus, the vegetables will retain more of their nutrients if you undercook them, and even more if you eat them raw. Eating raw vegetables – sans butter or oil – is very low in fat, and will fill you up, thus helping you cut back on foods that will be difficult to metabolize.

Always Choose High-Fiber Grains over Processed Grains

We all know by now that white bread, white rice, and plain crackers contain a lot of empty calories and a lot less fiber than whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, and rice. One of the quickest and healthiest ways to boost your fiber intake – and thereby your metabolism – is to substitute higher-fiber foods, such as whole-grain bread, crackers, or chips, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta for lower-fiber foods, such as white bread, white rice, or plain crackers.

Check Your Fiber Consumption

Despite efforts by government health agencies to boost fiber intake, the typical American still consumes an average of only 11 grams of fiber each day. According to the National Cancer Institute, an amount double that would be far more beneficial. Studies have shown that consuming between 20 and 30 grams of fiber a day can dramatically reduce your risk for many cancers. Look at the fiber content on the Nutrition Facts Label on packaged foods. Good sources of fiber have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving.

Consuming more than that, however, can cause painful and embarrassing bloating and flatulence. To avoid these problems, introduce fiber into your diet gradually and try to get as much as you can from the foods you eat, rather than relying on fiber supplements.

Know Why Insoluble Fiber Is Great for Your Metabolism

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve as it travels through your digestive system. The benefits of insoluble fiber are twofold: (1) It creates a feeling of fullness that help you eat less, and (2) it speeds things along and lessens the amount of fats, cholesterol, sugars, and starches that are absorbed. One caveat: Too much insoluble fiber may have a deleterious effect if it prevents absorption of nutrients.

Foods containing insoluble fiber include:

Corn bran
Vegetables such as green beans and dark green leafy vegetables
Seeds and nuts
Fruit skins and root vegetable skins
Whole-wheat products

Know Why Soluble Fiber Is Great for Your Metabolism

Soluble fiber plays two important roles: (1) It binds to bile as it travels through your small intestine, and (2) it helps keep blood sugar levels manageable. Since bile acids assist fat digestion and allow cholesterol to stick around, the faster soluble fiber ushers fat through your system, the less fat and cholesterol you retain. And the steadier your blood sugar levels are, the more efficient your metabolic process remains.

Foods containing soluble fiber include:

Oat / oat bran
Dried beans and peas
Nuts
Barley
Flaxseed
Fruits such as oranges and apples
Vegetables such as carrots
Psyllium husk

Know Your Fibers

There are four major types of fiber, and each can benefit your body in a special way:

Cellulose. The most common type of fiber is found in most fruits and vegetables, as well as in whole grains and some types of nuts. Cellulose is an effective stool softener and helps dilute bile acids in the colon, which are believed to stimulate the growth of certain types of cancer.

Gums. These sticky fibers are derived from plants. They help lower cholesterol and may help prevent certain types of cancer, though researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how they work. Gums are found in oat bran, dried beans, and oatmeal and are commonly used to thicken processed foods.

Lignin. This fiber acts as a binder for cellulose and is found in certain fruits, nuts, peas, tomatoes, and whole grains. It doesn’t have the same action as cellulose on stools or bile acids, but laboratory studies have shown that it can help prevent the onset of cancer.

Pectin. This gelatinous compound supplements the action of cellulose. It helps limit the potential damage from bile acids and also aids digestion by preventing diarrhea. Rich sources of pectin include apples, bananas, beets, carrots, and a wide array of citrus fruit.

Bulk Up with Fiber

Nutritionally speaking, fiber is the indigestible part of food you eat – the stuff that passes through your digestive system relatively quickly and intact, such as the bran in grain, the pulp in fruit, and the skin of certain vegetables such as corn. By traveling so quickly, it also rushes other foods through your system, giving cancer-causing compounds less time to do their dirty work, and moving excess calories through your system before they run into fat, which keeps your metabolic rate high. Fiber also promotes healthy digestion by stimulating the action of beneficial bacteria and dilutes potential carcinogens, reducing their ability to do harm. A diet high in fiber will fill you up so you’re less likely to eat unhealthy foods that slow down your metabolism, and it will help you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels, making it a great tool for weight management.

Rev3 On the Go

Let’s face it—you are busy. We understand that you need a little boost in the middle of your hectic day. So when you turn to USANA’s products for energy, be sure to pick up a Rev3 Energy Surge™ Pack.



A Surge Pack is the perfect option when you need an extra boost during the middle of the day. Whether you find yourself traveling, heading off to a presentation, making a quick trip to the gym, or just needing a quick pick-me-up, Rev3 Energy Surge Pack is the way to go. All you need is a pack and a bottle of water. Quickly mix it up and you are on your way. It is convenience at its best!

With caffeine from antioxidant-rich teas and only 10 calories per serving, a Surge Pack is a healthier and better-tasting alternative to soda or high-calorie energy drinks that will leave you feeling drained. Try the Rev3 Energy Surge Pack for a cleaner, smarter, stronger energy.

Eat Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is good for you. Well, sort of. It’s still high in calories, but an ounce of dark chocolate will provide you with antioxidants and can help lower your blood pressure. Just keep in mind that the darker the chocolate, the better off you are because dark chocolate contains the least amount of fat and sugar.

Feast on Low-Fat Yogurt

Yogurt is tasty and a great source of protein and calcium, but some yogurt also comes loaded with live cultures known as probiotics. These creatures live in your intestine and are warriors against bad bacteria and help with the digestive process (a recent study showed that people who are three servings of light yogurt a day lost 20 percent more weight than those who reduced their calorie intake alone).

Eat Avocados

Avocados are incredibly healthful for you. In addition to being packed with important vitamins, avocados are able to lower bad cholesterol, decrease your risk for cancer, and prevent heart disease because they include oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat) and healthy fatty acids, and they are high in magnesium and potassium. Research has also shown that these tasty fruits help the body absorb nutrients from other foods eaten with them. Just keep in mind that an avocado is high in calories – each fruit contains approximately 300 calories and 35 grams of fat – as you figure out new ways to incorporate it into your meals.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Eat Fresh Blueberries

When it comes to brain protection, there’s nothing quite like the blueberry. Doctors call it the “brain berry” and attributes its health benefits to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. They see potential for reversing short-term memory loss and forestalling many other effects of aging. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating blueberries because they are “one of the best sources of antioxidants, substances that can slow the aging process and reduce cell damage that can lead to cancer”. By eating only half a cup of fresh or frozen blueberries a day, you can receive their antioxidant protection and benefit from their anti-aging and metabolism-boosting properties. When out of season, use frozen blueberries in a smoothie or mixed with yogurt and walnuts as a delicious snack.

Eat More Wild Salmon

Salmon is one of the primary superfoods. That’s because it’s laden with two types of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) that can have a dramatic impact on reducing heart disease. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and osteoporosis. With their anti-inflammatory properties, these fatty acids also help blood clots from forming unnecessarily within the circulatory system, any even prevent cardiac arrhythmia, and may help calm an overactive immune system ion people with autoimmune diseases. For the healthiest, most eco-friendly, nutrient-packed salmon, check your grocery or local farmers’ market for wild salmon.

Munch on Olives

Long an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, olives are delicious, and their oil, high in monounsaturated fats, has been in the news because of its ability to reduce “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Researchers also suspect olive oil may protect against gastrointestinal cancer by influencing the metabolism of the gut. Olive oil also contains Vitamin E, antioxidants, and beta-carotene – all metabolism boosters. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends the exclusive use of olive oil for fat in the diet. Studies have shown that people who consume olive oil in preference to other fats have a lower incidence of heart disease.

Chomp on Chives

Chives and chive flowers are high in vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and blood-building iron. They promote good digestion, reduce flatulence, prevent bad breath, and help stimulate your metabolism. Chives, when eaten regularly, may help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Because of their high vitamin C content, they may help speed recovery from a cold; the sulfurous compounds contained in chives are natural expectorants. Best used fresh, chives are easy to grow in pots at home.

Consume Micro-plants

Micro-plants consisting of blue-green algae, chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass, and barley grass contain more vitamins and minerals than kale and broccoli. They are an excellent source of two important phytochemicals; chlorophyll and lycopene. Micro-plants, commercially known as green foods, contain a concentrated combination of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, proteins, amino acids, essential fatty acids, enzymes, and fiber. They support your body’s ability to detoxify heavy metals, pesticides, and other toxins, plus boost your immunity to disease.

Green Tea

Rich in antioxidants. May help to prevent cancer, lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar levels. Thought to aid digestion, prevent cavities and slow signs of aging.

Dragonwell

Legendary tea from the Zhejiang province is entirely handmade producing flat jade green leaves leading to a mellow-sweet tea with chestnut undertones. Plucked and processed according to the ancient methods of ‘Cha Ching’, or the ‘way of tea’. Dragonwell is historically known for promoting mental alertness.

Golden Jade

Glistening gold and silvery jade tea buds are elegantly intertwined, creating an extraordinarily beautiful and delicious blend of green and black teas.

Gyokuro Imperial

The finest of Japanese teas, Gyokuro bushes are covered in shade weeks before harvest to increase the chlorophyll content of the leaves. The results are dark green leaves with high concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids. Celebrated for its emerald green infusion and sweet aftertaste.

Matcha

Traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony, this top qulity green tea powder is hand-made from the youngest Gyokuro leaves. In addition to the health benefits of Gyokuro, Matcha is extremely rich in vitamins (A, B-complex, C, E and K) and is a natural source of dietary fiber.

Pi Lo Chun

This rare tea is grown in the famous Dong Ting Mountains of China, amidst the shade of apricot, plum and peach trees. These young leaves are allowed to absorb the delicate fruit fragrances until the youngest buds and leaves are harvested, then hand-rolled into downy spirals, unique to this type of tea.

Sencha

Sencha literally means ‘roasted tea’, in which sweet green tea leaves are artfully cylindrically shaped and dried following traditional Japanese techniques. With a fresh vegetal taste, this favorite has a quality beyond the ordinary.

Three Kingdom Mao Feng

This wondrous handmade young downy green tea from the Fujian Province evokes the essence of a low lying mist kissing rolling hills of tea during harvest season.

Try Sea Vegetables

Gram for gram, sea vegetables – seaweeds and algae – are higher in essential vitamins and minerals than any other food group. These minerals are bio-available to the body in chelated, colloidal forms that make them more easily absorbed. Sea vegetables that provide minerals in this colloidal form have been shown to retain their molecular identity while remaining in liquid suspension. The following is a descriptive list of what sea vegetables can add to your daily diet:

They can contain as much as 48 percent protein.
They are a rich source of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.
The brown sea varieties – kelp, wakame, and kombu – contain alginic acid, which has been shown to remove heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from the digestive tract.
They contain significant amounts of vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, as well as vitamins B, C, and E.
They are high in potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, and chloride.
They provide the fifty-six minerals and trace minerals that your body requires to function properly.

Eat Parsley

Parsley is loaded with compounds that purify your blood and expel toxins from your body. It is also dense in vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, iodine, iron, and chlorophyll. Actually, parsley has higher vitamin C content than citrus and is an excellent ingredient to battle inflammation. It also contains certain volatile oils that have been shown to inhibit the formation of tumors, particularly in the lungs. Parsley is also rich in flavonoids known for their antioxidant activity and helps prevent free radical damage (a major metabolism buster) to your body’s cells. Parsley’s dark green color also provides needed oxygenating chlorophyll, which increases the antioxidant capacity of your blood.

Pile on the Garlic

Garlic, one of the world’s most popular culinary herbs, has a long history as a medicinal plant. Indeed, scientific studies have verified what herbalists have known for centuries – that garlic both prevents and treats illness in a wide variety of ways.

Among its many attributes, garlic is know to lower cholesterol levels, thin the blood, kill bacteria, boost the immune system, lower blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, and fire up the metabolic furnace. There is also evidence that the herb helps relieve asthma, eases ear infections, and facilitates healthy cell function. Bottom line: Those who wish to maintain their health and age well should eat lots of garlic.

Incorporate fresh garlic into salads by chopping, crushing, or putting it through a garlic press (2 or 3 cloves a day is optimum). Whole garlic bulbs can be oven roasted and the individual cloves can be squeezed out onto bread or toast as a creamy spread. If you decide to take garlic capsules, take 1 to 3 capsules daily, or follow the label directions. Garlic has blood-thinning properties so, if you’re taking it in supplement form, tell your doctor before surgery and use caution when using antiplatelet or blood-thinning medications.

Eat Quinoa

Once known as “the gold of the Incas”, this grain – a complete protein – includes all nine essential amino acids, making it an excellent choice for vegetarian, vegans, and everyone else as well. Quinoa has extra-high amounts of the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. Combine this protein with quinoa’s high amounts of potassium and its magnesium content to help lower your blood pressure and strengthen your heart. For such a small grain, quinoa not only provides a whole lot of nutrients and helps boost your metabolism, but it may also be especially valuable for people with migraine headaches, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other debilitating health issues. It is also a very good source of manganese as well as magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, and B vitamins.

Eat Asparagus

This vegetable is easy to cook and is a heart-healthy source of vitamin A, C, and K. In addition, it also contains the carbohydrate inulin, which promotes the growth and activity of good bacteria in your intestines. Pregnant women can especially benefit from its high folate levels, which help prevent birth defects.

Eat a Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes have high amounts of beta-carotene, equal to that of carrots; for only 90 calories per sweet potato, you get a huge amount of health-building nutrients. Beta-carotene is a major fighter against cancer, heart disease, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. The bright orange flesh contains carotenoids that help boost your metabolism, stabilize your blood sugar, and lower insulin resistance, which makes your cells more responsive to insulin. Sweet potatoes have four times the Recommended Dietary Allowance for beta-carotene when eaten with the skin on. In fact, it would take 20 cups of broccoli to provide the amount of beta-carotene (vitamin A) available in a cup of cooked sweet potatoes. They are a source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, potassium, and iron, and have even been found to provide as much fiber as oatmeal. Plus they’re fat-free. Sweet potatoes are definitely a superfood!

Munch on Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, nestle in the core of the pumpkin encased in a white-yellow husk. This supersede contains a number of minerals such as zinc, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and phosphorus, along with proteins, monounsaturated fat, and the omega fatty acids 3 and 6 – all of which will help boost your metabolism. Today the superpowers of pumpkin seeds have been found to help prevent prostate cancer in men, protect against heart disease, and have anti-inflammatory benefits.

Eat Walnuts in Particular

The walnut is the only nut that provides significant amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, one of the three omega-3 fatty acids. Because your body cannot produce this acid, it needs to be provided daily from other sources. Seven walnuts can fulfill your daily need for these essential fatty acids. Omega-3s are brain food. Their high amounts of unsaturated fat help lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol in your blood and increase HDL, the “good” cholesterol. By eating a handful of walnuts a day, you can also reduce your risk for heat disease.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Eat a Nut

Nuts are high in fat, but they contain minerals, fiber, and nice amounts of protein. All nuts and seeds are small powerhouses. They are so powerful, in fact, that just having a serving of nuts five times a week can significantly reduce your risk for heart disease. However, nuts are high in calories and should be eaten in moderation; think of a serving as a tablespoon or two. Look for nuts that are unsalted; it’s not important whether they are roasted or unroasted. Nuts are great sprinkled on foods high in vitamin C, such as fruit and vegetables, because the vitamin C increases the body’s absorption of the iron in nuts.

Eat Flax

Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, flax bolsters cell membranes and helps your body respond more efficiently to insulin, thereby improving glucose absorption, which in turn helps stabilize blood sugar levels. In other words, flax is one superfood you can easily incorporate in your diet and reap major metabolic benefits. You can buy flaxseed oil at most supermarkets or health food stores, or toss ground flaxseeds (if they aren’t ground, they don’t provide the same benefits) on your granola or oatmeal. Flax is also readily available in many types of bread; just check the ingredients!

Love Those Omegas

Omega-3 fatty acids are great for promoting heart health because they protect against deadly arrhythmias by making the heart cells more stable and less prone to overexcitement. In one study, those who ate fish just once or twice a week were 40 percent less likely to die suddenly from a cardiac arrhythmia. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of a stroke, and they are excellent at maintaining good blood sugar levels. Studies have even suggested that they may play a factor in weight loss. Thus, it’s important to make sure they’re a staple of your healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in wild salmon, mackerel, herring, dried butternuts, black walnuts, soybeans, sardines, lake trout, Chinook salmon, cooked pinto beans, fortified eggs, flaxseed, and walnuts. These superfoods also have the added benefit of being high in monounsaturated fats, which can lower cholesterol.

Eat Nutrient-Rich Vegetables

Everyone knows that vegetables are good for us, but some vegetables are healthier than others and can help metabolism. In fact, many vegetables will satisfy – or nearly satisfy – your daily requirements for several vitamins. From dark leafy greens rich in calcium, iron, and magnesium to the cruciferous vegetables like bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, and water cress that have cancer-preventing antioxidants to nutrient-rich vegetables like carrots, potatoes, yams, and tomatoes, vegetables are always a good thing to snack on and include with each meal.

Add Superfoods to Your Diet

Superfoods are natural foods that are nutritive powerhouses. They work to ensure your body gets what it needs to be healthy. Loaded with nutrients, superfoods can help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, stabilize your moods, and more importantly, boost your metabolism. According to nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, author of The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals, a healthy diet incorporating a variety of the superfoods that will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and liver longer. One thing these foods all have in common? “Every superfood is going to be a ‘real’ (unprocessed) food”, Somer points out, “You don’t find fortified potato chips in the superfood category”.

Try Carnitine

Carnitine is a naturally occurring amino-acid derivative that helps the body convert fat into energy. After you eat, the compound takes the fatty acid molecules from your food and brings them into a cell’s mitochondria so they can be broken down and used for energy. Though carnitine is usually found in the skeletal muscles, heart, brain, and sperm in adequate quantities, you can turn to red meat and diary for an extra boost.

People with certain conditions such as peripheral vascular disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), alcohol – included liver disease (cirrhosis), diabetes, and kidney disease should talk to their doctor before taking carnitine. Also talk to your doctor if you are taking AZT, doxorubicin, isotretinoin, or valproic acid.

Try Ginseng

Ginseng has many beneficial effects. It has been used for thousands of years by herbalists to reduce cholesterol levels, increase the absorption of nutrients through the intestinal walls, mop up free radicals in the bloods, and protect against cancer. Ginseng may decrease muscle injury and inflammation following exercise, and some studies suggest that it may reduce oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and brain tissue. This herb can also boost your metabolism. It does so primarily by alleviating stress and by reducing the amount of carbohydrates that are processed into your bloodstream and cause your glucose levels to spike. People scheduled for surgeries should stop taking ginseng a week before surgery and caution should also be practiced if taking anticoagulants. Patients with hormone-sensitive diseases – like certain cancers – should not consume ginseng.

Try Resveratrol

It appears that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, is the key to unlocking the maddening “French Paradox”. Though, at this juncture, most of the research has been conducted on nonhuman species, those studies suggest that the fat-soluble compound helps the liver to process carbohydrates – boosting metabolism. Resveratrol acts as an antioxidant and may help to protect against atherosclerosis and heart disease. It also activates SIRT1, a gene that helps the body process fat, improves overall aerobic activity, and may have a positive impact on longevity. Resveratrol should not be used with drugs that increase risk of bleeding, including warfarin/Coumadin, aspirin, heparin, and lovenox. Until more is known about the estrogenic activity of resveratrol in humans, women with a history of estrogen-sensitive cancers, such as breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers, should avoid resveratrol supplements.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Try Schizandra

Schizandra berries, also known as the “five flavor fruit” because they stimulate all five of the taste buds, have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. The herb reduces the body’s response to stressful situations, but herbalists believe that it can also improve endurance, mental alertness, and aid metabolism by regulating blood sugar levels. In addition, it is said to help detoxify the liver and improve the workings of many of the body’s organ systems.

Try Vanadium

Mushrooms, black peppers, parsley, dill weed, and whole grains contain vanadium, a compound that boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which you need to properly process calories and thereby stabilize your blood sugar. You can also take supplements containing vanadium, but it can be toxic. DO NOT EXCEED 1.8 milligrams daily. People with kidney disease should not takevanadium and the recommended doses should be adhered to as high doses of vanadium (more than 1.8 mg per day) may cause liver or kidney damage.

Try Proteolytic Enzymes

Proteolytic enzymes help regulate protein functions. Your body produces these enzymes naturally, but production slows as you age. Some of the food you eat – cooked or processed meat, for example – causes the enzymes to be diverted from their main role to help digest the food. Proteolytic enzymes also combat inflammation by neutralizing biochemicals associated with the problem. Between the body’s natural slowdown in enzyme production and diversion of the enzymes for digestion, you are losing a soldier, so to speak, in the battle against inflammation caused by free radical damage. Supplements work well in replacing those lost enzymes. You can find proteolytic enzyme supplements at any health food store.

Consume Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)

Pantothenic acid is utilized in the formation of coenzymes, which are equally important in about a hundred metabolic reactions. These processes include energy production, fatty acid catabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and cholesterol, phospholipids, and steroid hormone production, among many others. This vitamin helps the body absorb and properly use other vitamins in the body, such as B6, B12, and C. It also helps produce vitamin D. in addition, vitamin B5 is important to maintain a healthy digestive tract and to beak down carbohydrates, fats, lipids, and various amino acids. Pantothenic acid can be found in corn, eggs, cheese, meat, peanuts, liver, soy products, peas, broccoli, tomatoes, and whole grains.

Fill Up with Folate

Folate (another B vitamin), taken in conjunction with vitamin B6, fosters the health of red blood cells, and healthy red blood cells are needed to transport oxygen to muscles, fueling the metabolic fires. Great sources for folate are dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils.

Don’t Overdo B6

Don’t exceed 100 milligrams a day without checking with your doctor; excess can be toxic. Instead of relying on vitamin supplements, load your diet with foods rich in vitamin: liver, beef, chicken, fish, bananas, carrots, lentils, rice, soybeans, whole grains, and avocados.

Load Up on Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

This helpful vitamin is found in three forms (pyridoxine in plant foods, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine in animal foods), but the one we ingest most often is pyridoxine. It is a key element used in the metabolic breakdown of certain fats found in plants and animals. When it comes to turning your body into a fat-burning machine, pyridoxine assists by improving the body’s reaction to stress and supplying muscles with much-needed energy.