Cinnamon

Spice Up Your Holiday's with Cinnamon!

The strong smell of cinnamon is distinctive and has the power to take you right back to a Holiday memory or reminder of a favorite food. It once held such significance that wars were fought over it, it determined social and economic class and was also used as currency. It has even been said to have healing powers. So what is it about this Holiday spice that is so special?

What exactly is Cinnamon?

Cinnamon actually comes from a small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka. True Cinnamon, or “Ceylon” Cinnamon is tough to find and most Cinnamon sold here in the United States is actually Cassia, a related spice. Cassia is also from a small evergreen tree but is native to China and Vietnam, and is obviously very similar to Ceylon Cinnamon. The powdered spice we recognize comes from the bark of those evergreen trees which provides us with a wonderful aromatic holiday flavor.

What are these “healing powers?”

The oils present in the bark are what hold the healing powers - cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol. Cinnamaldehyde, helps prevent over-clotting of our blood platelets. Too much clotting of the platelets can lead to inefficient blood flow in the body. It also helps to release arachadonic acid (a fatty acid in our bodies) which has an anti-inflammatory effect. Other components of the oil have been shown to stop bacterial growth, boost cognitive processing and have been used for warming effects in the body. Perhaps one of the greatest discoveries is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar levels. Cinnamon actually slows the rate at which your stomach empties after meals, which in turn decreases or slows the rise of blood sugar levels. Recent studies, including US Agricultural Service and Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are showing that cinnamon helps to stimulate insulin receptors, helping to increase the cell’s ability to use glucose. This is particularly important in those with Type 2 Diabetes (23.6 Million Americans). Less than ½ teaspoon per day will reduce blood sugar levels in those with Type 2 Diabetes. Because of this effect on blood sugar levels, most people will find that cinnamon also cuts their cravings for sugar!

Cinnamon is also a very strong antioxidant. When measured against anise, ginger, licorice, mint, nutmeg and vanilla (all spices said to be strong antioxidants), cinnamon actually prevented oxidation more effectively than any of them! Mint was the 1st runner up.

Does Cinnamon have any calories?

Yes it does. Cinnamon contains about 6 calories per teaspoon. It has some fiber, iron and calcium and 2 teaspoons holds about 40% of the daily recommended intake of manganese!

So try starting your day off with some cinnamon tomorrow. Sprinkle a teaspoon or two in your oatmeal, breakfast shake or even in your cottage cheese!

Or you could try some Cinnamon Pumpkin Waffles!!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat together milk, pumpkin puree, butter, oil, applesauce, whole egg, and egg white. Stir flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture along with the pecans.

3. Ladle the batter onto the preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Makes 4 Servings.

Nutrition: 480 calories per serving


Now, dont you dare go and tell people that I told you cinnamon rolls and snickerdoodles and Churros were healthy! Its the spice thats healthy not the rest of the stuff underneath it!

Blessings,
Ashley

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National "Clean Out your Refrigerator" Day

Okay, so "National Clean Out your Refrigerator Day" was actually November 15th...but I forgot to post the article - and Im sure you can probably still clean out your fridge if you want in December.


Who knew there was a holiday dedicated to cleaning out your refrigerator? I personally think it’s a marvelous idea because I guarantee there is someone reading this article thinking about the unknown jars and bags in the back of their fridge they’ve been too scared to pull out for fear of what might be growing. Gross! Cleaning out your fridge should be a routine part of your monthly health maintenance checklist.

• Stocked up on my vitamins? Check.

• Monthly breast self exam? Check. (This one’s for the ladies…)

• Health Insurance Paid? Check.

• Dietitian Appointment? Check.

• Refrigerator Cleaned out? Ummm...

Expiration dates are there for a reason! Food manufacturers are looking out for your safety when they stamp that food with a sell by or use by date. They aren’t there for show. It amazes me when people say “it smells okay, so its fine.” Yes, but do you really think bacteria grow instantly? It might not smell yet because the population of bacteria that’s setting up camp may not be large enough to exude a smell. By the time something actually does smell, it means the amount of bacteria has become large enough for you to sense. Let’s take a look at storage limits for food groups so you can start chucking things in the trash!

Meats - Raw meat is safe in the fridge for about 1-2 days, and then you need to cook it or stick it in the freezer. Chicken breasts and whole cuts of meat can stay in the freezer for up to 1 year. Ground beef, chicken and turkey can stay frozen for up to 2 months. Deli meats in the fridge that are opened are only good for about 5 days, but unopened can last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Eggs – Eggs will last 3-5 weeks in the fridge, although their yolks will be noticeably different (more runny) after about 2 weeks.

Condiments – Condiments can last about a year in the fridge, these always have an expiration date so be sure to double check your sauces, dressings and that ketchup bottle that’s been sitting there for a while…

Cheeses – Soft cheeses like brie tend to spoil faster than the hard cheeses like cheddar and swiss. Soft cheeses will last 1-2 weeks where cheddar can probably make it about 4 weeks. It’s important to note that you cannot just cut the mold off of cheese and eat the rest! Mold has fingers, which means that mold seen on the outside means that it’s also inside the cheese. So if you see mold throw it out!

Produce – You should shop for produce every week. Make sure you don’t over-buy your fruits and veggies (even if they’re on sale!) because this will lead to spoilage and food waste. Buy just enough for the week. Remember, the grocery store isn’t going anywhere; you can always stop in to pick up some more romaine lettuce for dinner.

The CDC estimates that 76 million Americans get sick each year from foodbourne illnesses and about 5,000 people die from foodbourne illnesses. Many foodbourne illnesses can come from contaminants that have somehow made their way into the food item but there are some causes from bacterial growth inside the food itself like Botulism and Staphylococcus aureus (aka Staph infection).

You also want to make sure and wipe down and clean the refrigerator itself. The shelves, doors and drawers. Food can drip or spill and if it isn’t properly cleaned that can promote growth of bacteria and mold and could contaminate new and fresh food. Steps to clean your fridge:

1. Remove all the food items from the fridge and throw out any expired or rotten food.

2. Using a washcloth and plain white vinegar, wipe down the shelving, drawers and walls in order to kill and prevent any mildew, mold or other bacterial growth.

3. Create a mixture of ¼ c baking soda and 1 quart warm water and scrub the inside of the fridge thoroughly in order to remove the vinegar, sanitize and remove odors.

4. Wipe down any dirty jars or containers and place food items back in the fridge!

5. This should be done about every 3 months (4 times per year).


Have Fun!!!

Blessings,
Ashley

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WINTER 20% OFF PROMO

IN THE MONTHS OF NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2009 I WILL BE OFFERING 20% OFF ALL SERVICES WHEN YOU MENTION THIS BLOG POST.

Its smart to see your dietitian BEFORE the Holiday weight gain happens. January is when most people decide to try and undo the pounds they packed on over Thanksgiving and Christmas, but being a little more proactive can PREVENT the extra weight gain, which means less work for you in the long run.

The 20% deal expires on New Year's Eve, so come January everything is back to full price. If you set an appt for 2010 but actually call and schedule the appt in November or December Ill let you have the 20% discount, see I'm nice.

You're Welcome...

Ashley

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Curry Kills Cancer - New Research

“Curry” is a general term used for a combination of spices to create a specific flavor used in cooking. It usually contains turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper. The Tumeric is what gives curry its distinctive yellow coloring, and is a plant from the ginger family. It contains a compound called “Curcumin” which according to this article has been found to kill oesophageal cancer cells through a different form of death than we have seen cells die before. Cells self-destruct or “commit suicide” through a process called apoptosis. But Curcumin did not cause a cell-suicide, it actually killed them.

BREAKTHROUGH.

Below you can read the abstract of the actual research article coming out of Ireland, to be published in the British Journal of Cancer November 2009. The conclusion sums it all up, “Curcumin …represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.”

You’ll also find a recipe for Curried Chicken Breasts at the bottom of the article – Add some curry dishes to your menu!

Curcumin induces apoptosis-independent death in oesophageal cancer cells.
O'Sullivan-Coyne G, O'Sullivan GC, O'Donovan TR, Piwocka K, McKenna SL.
Br J Cancer. 2009 Nov 3;101(9):1585-95. Epub 2009 Oct 6.
Leslie C. Quick Laboratory, Cork Cancer Research Centre, BioSciences Institute, University College Cork and Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.

Background: Oesophageal cancer incidence is increasing and survival rates remain extremely poor. Natural agents with potential for chemoprevention include the phytochemical curcumin (diferuloylmethane). We have examined the effects of curcumin on a panel of oesophageal cancer cell lines.Methods:MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and propidium iodide staining were used to assess viability and DNA content, respectively. Mitotic catastrophe (MC), apoptosis and autophagy were defined by both morphological criteria and markers such as MPM-2, caspase 3 cleavage and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Cyclin B and poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by western blotting.

Results: Curcumin treatment reduces viability of all cell lines within 24 h of treatment in a 5-50 muM range. Cytotoxicity is associated with accumulation in G2/M cell-cycle phases and distinct chromatin morphology, consistent with MC. Caspase-3 activation was detected in two out of four cell lines, but was a minor event. The addition of a caspase inhibitor zVAD had a marginal or no effect on cell viability, indicating predominance of a non-apoptotic form of cell death. In two cell lines, features of both MC and autophagy were apparent. Curcumin-responsive cells were found to accumulate poly-ubiquitinated proteins and cyclin B, consistent with a disturbance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This effect on a key cell-cycle checkpoint regulator may be responsible for the mitotic disturbances and consequent cytotoxicity of this drug.

Conclusion: Curcumin can induce cell death by a mechanism that is not reliant on apoptosis induction, and thus represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.

______________________________________________________

Curried Chicken Breasts

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons curry powder

** Marinate for at least 30 minutes before baking**
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Combine yogurt, lemon juice, soy sauce and curry.
3) Pour over chicken and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes or in refrigerator for several hours.
4) Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes or until chicken meat turns white.

Serves 6. Calories 180; protein 36 g; fat 2 g; carbohydrate 3 g; fiber 0 g; sodium 210 mg

Blessings,

Ashley

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Save Second Base!

Get it??

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As organizations across the United States gear up to promote early screenings and detections and new information and treatments, I want to talk about the healthy lifestyle changes that you and your loved ones can make now in order to possibly prevent Breast and other cancers in the future.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 192, 370 women will be diagnosed with invasive forms of breast cancer in 2009, and 40,170 women will die from breast cancer this year. About 1 in 8 women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. The chance of dying from that diagnosis is about 1 in 35. However, there are a strong 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States who beat those odds and live healthy lives today! If you know a breast cancer survivor or someone struggling with breast cancer currently, one of the first things they will tell you that they changed about their lifestyle is their diet.

Nutrition is a key component to health and one of the simplest things you can change right now. As more research is done on various nutrients and the effects on gene expression, disease fighting properties and effects on cellular processes, we are learning that the phrase “you are what you eat” is so true! In cancer and breast cancer specifically there are some nutrients that you should know more about to help dispel any myths you may have heard.

1. Soy.
The controversy over soy has been debated and discussed among health care providers for a while now, and admittedly, we still have no solid answer. Regarding breast cancer specifically, the tug-o-war of soy continues. Most of the controversy comes from a study published by the University of California, San Francisco about 13 years ago in October of 1996. In that study, they gave female participants 38 grams of genistein per day for a year. (Genistein is the phytoestrogen compound found in soy, as well as other legumes. A phytoestrogen is a naturally occurring compound that binds to estrogen receptor cells in the body.) The women did not eat foods that contained genistein but were actually given isolated genistein in a supplement form. The women over that year experienced elevated levels of estradiol (the main estrogen hormone in humans) in their blood and their breast cells showed signs of stimulation and increased growth. This lead researchers to think…uh oh, does this mean it could increase breast cancer cells as well? Since then there have been numerous studies showing the protective effects soy has against breast cancer as well. The problem is – we just don’t know yet. So, in the meantime, please feel free to eat a wide variety of foods, including soy that comes from whole foods like edamame and tofu, but avoid using lots of processed products containing soy isolates if you have a family history of breast cancer.

2. Sugar.
If you’ve searched anything on the internet about cancer and nutrition, the tagline “sugar feeds cancer” almost always comes up. The issue with this statement is that it is misunderstood. In 1931 a Nobel Prize winning researcher found that malignant tumors run in a state where they use glucose as fuel and create lactic acid as a byproduct of that process. This leaves the cancerous tissues more acidic than other body tissues. This state makes the body very tired and also uses less energy from food to work. This is why about 40% of cancer patients will die from malnutrition. The process that the cancer uses for energy wastes our body’s energy. Sugar comes into play not as refined sugar eaten, but a balance of blood sugar levels in the body. If one can maintain blood sugar levels within a normal range, it’s possible to help “starve” the cancer cells while giving your body energy from the food eaten. This was proven true in a study where mice were injected with an aggressive form of breast cancer and then split into three groups, each one holding their blood sugar levels at a different range: hyperglycemic (high), normoglycemic (normal) and hypoglycemic (low). After 70 days, 8 of 24 hyperglycemic mice survived; 16 of 24 normoglycemic mice survived and 19 of 20 hypoglycemic mice survived. This suggests that regulating blood sugar levels is key to slowing breast tumor growth. Understanding the glycemic index and how to incorporate a variety of foods into your diet by pairing them properly with protein and fat intake can easily regulate your blood sugar levels. For more information on any of these topics or how to balance your own diet, talk to a Registered Dietitian near you http://eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_21343_ENU_HTML.htm for more specifics.


A well-balanced diet including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and the proper balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is the best way to go when thinking about cancer and other disease prevention. Changing your diet now can change your future.


Blessings,

Ashley



References:


Santisteban GA, et al. Glycemic modulation of tumor tolerance in a mouse model of breast cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1985 Nov 15;132(3):1174-9.


Quillin, P. PHD, RD, CNS. “Cancer’s Sweet Tooth” Nutrition Science News, April 2000.

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The Vitamins: Vitamin B6

Slowly, Im going to work through all of the vitamins and minerals, donating a blog post to each.

Each blog will address:

What does it do?
How much do we need?
Where can you get it?
What if we dont get enough?
What if we get too much?
The Reccomended Daily Allowance or RDA for that vitamin or mineral

Welcome to Vitamin B6!

What does it do?
Vitamin B-6 or "Pyridoxine" is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a significant role in helping make amino acids that build body cells, including muscles. Vitamin B6 also helps produce red blood cells, infection-fighting antibodies and insulin (a hormone that uses glucose, synthesizes protein and stores fat).

How much do we need?
The following table lists the recommended intake for healthy people based on current scientific information.

Where can we get it?
Rich food sources of vitamin B-6 include chicken, fish, whole grains, beans, fortified cereals and nuts. Some soy-based meat substitutes are fortified with vitamin B-6.

What if we don't get enough?
Vitamin B-6 deficiency, while rare, can occur in people consuming poor-quality diets. Symptoms typically don’t occur until the later stages of deficiency. Signs of deficiency can include skin rashes, depression, nausea, convulsions and confusion.

What if we get too much?
No adverse effects have been associated with high intakes of vitamin B6 from foods. Very large doses of supplemental vitamin B-6 (in the form of pyridoxine) have been associated with painful nerve damage in the extremities (such as fingers and toes).


How you can get some B6 this week:
Hazelnut Crusted Halibut with Marsala Mango Sauce

Hazelnuts contain 0.2 mg of Vitamin B6 per 1oz of nuts!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Marsala Mango Sauce
3/4 cup Marsala wine, sweet
1/4 cup Chutney, mango or regular
1 tablespoon Butter or margarine
1 teaspoon Soy sauce, lite
1/4 teaspoon Ginger, ground

Hazelnut Crusted Halibut
3/4 cup Hazelnuts, toasted, skin
removed, finely diced
1 tablespoon Parsley, diced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Black pepper, ground
1 Egg, beaten
4 (4oz each) Halibut fillets
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Bring Marsala wine to boil in small saucepan; reduced heat and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, stirring constantly. Add chutney, bring back to simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup, stirring
constantly. Stir in butter or margarine, soy sauce and ginger until butter is melted. Process in
blender until smooth; set aside.
Mix hazelnuts, parsley, salt and pepper in medium bowl; set aside. Place beaten egg in separate
medium bowl; set aside.
Rinse fish and pat dry. Dip fish in beaten egg; turning to coat. Place coated fish in hazelnut
mixture, pressing nuts onto fish to coat both sides.
Heat oil in large ovenproof frying pan over medium high heat. Add fish and fry for 1 to 2
minutes until bottom is browned. Turn fish and place skillet in oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes
per 1-inch thickness of fish until flakey. Spoon 2 tablespoons heated sauce over each fillet.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving:

Calories 460 (51% Calories from Fat), 29g Protein,
17g Carbohydrate, 3g Fiber, 27g Fat, 4.5g Sat. Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 100mg Cholesterol,
1030mg Sodium

Sources: EatingWell.com, ADA, Hazelnut Council

Blessings,

Ashley

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Alcohol Part Three: The Freshman Fifteen

Alcohol Part Three: The Freshman Fifteen

Disclaimer: I am in no way condoning underage drinking. It is against the law to consume alcohol under the age of 21 in the US and I support that fully. Its no secret that kids across our nation are drinking underage and most of that increase coming during the college years. This phenomenon called the "Freshman Fifteen" is a topic of health concern that I feel comfortable addressing; but in no way do I encourage or support someone under the age of 21 consuming alcohol. Got it?

"The Freshman 15" is a term that is used to describe the "supposed" 15 lbs that a freshman student gains in their first year of college. Now is this scientifically proven? No. It could be more like the Freshman 5 or the Freshman Minus-10...it all depends on the person going to school. My weight fluctuated down my freshman year and then up my sophomore year - again, it just depends on the person. BUT, what we cant deny is that it is obvious with many students that come back from school their first year, that they have gained weight. Maybe not 15 lbs, but something noticeable. So, what is the deal with this weight gain?


Well, there are many many factors that set up a young college student for an unhealthy lifestyle:

• lack of sleep / crazy sleep patterns
• lack of funds for healthy food / fast food intake
• skipping meals due to classes or studying
• eating out on dates (seriously this one is sneaky but its true!)
• and last but not least, increased alcohol intake

If you think about it, these factors in college all add up to a huge lifestyle change and point of transition, and most of them are not healthy ones for the physical body! Lets talk about each of these points more in detail...


1) Sleep.
Most people don't know this, but sleep is a HUGE factor in our body's state of health. This is one of the hidden reasons behind why adults cant seem to lose weight even though they are exercising and eating right. The fact is, that hormones are regulated during our sleep patterns and there are 2 specific hormones that deal with weight: Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin (greek: leptos = thin) is the hormone that signals our brain to tell us that we are full. This feeling of fullness is called "satiety". Not "Im so full I feel like I want to explode" - that is an unhealthy form of fullness. Ghrelin does just the opposite - ghrelin tell us that we are hungry.


In a study done out of Stanford University (This one is for you Tyler) they were able to demonstrate a relationship between sleep and metabolic hormones stating, "...where chronic sleep restriction is common and food is widely available, changes in appetite regulatory hormones with sleep curtailment may contribute to obesity." Did you know that people who sleep 2-4 hours per night are 73% more likely to be obese than normal sleepers? Interesting how this ties in with college life. In fact, the study showed a 14.9% increase in ghrelin (hunger) and a 15.5% decrease in leptin (fullness) in people who consistently slept for five hours compared with those who slept for eight!


This means that....

2. Funds - Fast Food is cheap.
This topic ticks me off more than any other topic out there. It is absolutely maddening to me that when you drive through fast food places, the burger or tacos is a dollar and to add apples instead of fries is an extra charge. Are you kidding me??


This is one of the biggest excuses I hear as to why someone isnt able to "eat healthy". Because its just too expensive. Now, in some cases, yes the organic produce can be expensive (a post on organics and if its worth it is coming soon), but there are plenty of things you can buy for cheap that will last you a long time and are healthier choices than the drive thru. Here are just a few examples:

• Grains. Dried beans or grains in the bags at the bottom of the aisles are sometimes under a dollar, and usually wont be much more than a dollar. There are plenty of servings for one in that bag of brown rice or black beans, it just takes time to cook them (unless you have a pressure cooker or rice cooker of course).
• Fruit and Veggies. Fresh or frozen, there is always produce that is on sale for __cents per pound. Make sure you actually eat it and it doesnt rot on your counter and its worth the money. If the fresh is too expensive frozen produce is just as good if not better! Produce is frozen soon after being picked so the vitamins and minerals remain in the fruit/veggie. Sometimes fresh produce (if not bought locally) can be on a truck for weeks before ending up in the store, meaning those nutrients have been fading that whole time.
• Cans. Canned beans, olives, mandarin oranges, etc is a great way to round out a meal cheaply. Just rinse the contents with water before eating to take care of the excess sodium issue and with mandarin oranges try to find brands that are canned in their own juice or water - not heavy or light syrups.
• Eggs. A dozen eggs are just a couple bucks - you can do scrambles, egg sandwiches, eggs salads, breakfast for dinner, etc. Great source of protein.

3. Meal Times.
College is CRAZY for timing. You cant help what classes you get or when you need to leave to make it to class on time. Sometimes you'll have back to back classes for 5 hours and other times you'll have class right in the middle of normal meal hours and even at night. So you know what this means? Planning and organization.


You should never go more than 4 hours without eating max. The metabolism feels more comfortable when it gets a little nourishment throughout the day rather than having 2-3 big meals with lots of time in between. If you go long enough without eating the body can slip into a panic mode and think its "starving" in which case it begins to store nutrients (and protein, fat, carbs) in case you need it. The human body works for survival remember, and it is going to do everything it can to prevent the worst.


Create an emergency pack to keep in your dorm, backpack/purse, pantry, office, etc. Have non-perishable items in there that include protein, produce, carbohydrate and fat. Examples: foil tuna packs, crackers, mandarin orange cups, whole oranges or apples, beef or turkey jerky, raw nuts/seeds, dried fruit, etc. This way youll always have a healthy alternative when you start to come up on 4 hours without eating. This will prevent a run to a drive thru or unhealthy food choice.


4. Dating.
You meet lots of really cool people when in college and around the college age, so naturally youll be eating out with someone you like. Restaurants cook for flavor, not for health. This means that no matter what you order its going to have more fat or calories in it than you think. Thats okay, just make some smart choices. Always ask for dressing on the side, extra veggies and a to-go box. Arrange your plate to look like the plate model (refer to previous blogpost: http://crave-health.blogspot.com/2009/02/portion-sizes-vs-serving-sizes.html). And make sure you watch how much of that bread or chips you take before the food even comes! Dont be afraid to modify and substitute your order, so many people do this now that restaurants are used to it and dont mind at all. Plus, it might show that person you like across the table that you are confident and can take initiative :)


5. Alcohol.
Like we said before, alcohol has calories. About 100-150 per drink. Most people dont have just one either. So you need to weigh your options, whats really worth it?


The biggest thing Ive seen students do is "save up" their calories for the drinks in the evening. HUGE mistake. Do not do this. You are basically starving your body all day, creating a storage of nutrients, and then adding a toxin into the body afterwards, creating more storage of nutrients. You will get sick if you do this and will also increase your risk for alcohol poisoning. So DO NOT DO THAT!


The craziest thing that tends to happen after a night out drinking is the urge to hit the drive-thru on the way home. Most everyone who has been drinking that night will probably beg the designated driver to hit whatever local fast food place is open on the way home. This happens with guys, girls, after a few drinks or a lot, and theres a physiological reason for this crazy craving at 2am.


The liver is the organ that is responsible for metabolizing toxins in the body. Alcohol is considered a toxic substance to our body - crazy that we still consume it huh? The liver is also responsible for regulating our blood sugar levels, along with the pancreas. The pancreas produces insulin - a hormone that brings blood sugar levels down - and the liver breaks down food into glucose and pulls glucose from storage (making blood sugar levels go up) in order to keep that blood sugar balance with the insulin. Okay cool, so the pancreas produces insulin to make blood sugar levels go down and the liver sends glucose to make the levels go up - they work together to balance. The only problem is that the liver can only do one thing at a time....and what do you think the livers' priority is when a toxin enters the body? Yeah, it works to get the toxin out of there first. That means that it stops sending glucose...but the pancreas is still sending insulin....uh oh. This creates a drop in our blood sugar levels. A drop in blood sugar signals the brain that we need glucose, and our body is smart enough to know that we can get glucose fastest from carbohydrates! Which is why some people experience strong sugar cravings without alcohol, but also explains why we get "hungry" when we drink. Its a false hunger. And when you drink without eating those levels drop even faster.

A simple fix is to eat when you drink. Paring alcohol with adequate protein and carbs will help keep your blood sugar levels stable. And if you didn't eat and are experiencing that hunger, rather than that double cheeseburger at 2am, go home and drink 6oz of orange juice and wait 10 mins. Your blood sugar will slowly come up, making you feel much better. You don't need more than 6oz, and you'll probably also need a lot of water! If you can avoid this drive-thru thing every time you drink, I bet you wont gain weight. If you follow all these guidelines and be sure to get your exercise in for heart health, you'll be in great shape all the way through that freshman year.


Blessings,
Ashley

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Alcohol Part Two: Antioxidants

First, lets review what an "antioxidant" actually is.

"Anti” means “against, or opposed to” and “oxidant” refers to the process of oxidation (when a molecular process in the body causes an increase in oxygen). So an antioxidant is a molecule that slows or stops an increase in oxygen. Now normally we think of oxygen as a great thing - we need it to live! But increasing oxygen in certain chemical reactions can cause free-radicals (molecules with unpaired electrons) due to the transfer of electrons that happens. A free-radical can be highly reactive due to that unpaired electron, which can cause damage to our cells and leave them susceptible to disease.

Antioxidants go in and fill in that missing electron, making the free-radical whole again. So you can imagine with pollution in the air, chemicals and pesticides in the water we drink and food we eat, sun damage to our skin, there is a lot of cell damage that happens to our bodies that leave plenty of free-radicals running around. So, in a nutshell, antioxidants are very important to our daily lives, which is why you're hearing the word so often.

There are many different types of antioxidants. They are split into 2 groups - those that are soluble in water and those that are soluble in lipids (fats). This matters in the body because we have both liquids (blood, etc) and lipids (cell membranes, etc) which are in need of antioxidant activity.

The Antioxidant in Red Wine

The antioxidant that is found in Red Wine, the alcohol most commonly associated with antioxidants is called "Resveratrol" which is considered a polyphenol antioxidant (the term refers to the chemical structure) and Phytonutrient (chemical compounds that naturally occur in plants). Studies of resveratrol in mice/rats have shown anti-inflammatory effects, blood sugar lowering effects, and may combat obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, most of these studies have not been repeated in humans yet.

Resveratrol is found in the skin of grapes used to make wine. The reason red wine is said to be higher in resveratrol than white wine is because red wine is fermented with the skins longer than white wine. But guess what? You can just eat grapes and skip the whole fermenting thing and still get the resveratrol - hellloooooo.....

Peanuts, blueberries and cranberries also have resveratrol. Below are a few charts for comparison.

Content in wines and grape juice
Beverage Total resveratrol (mg/150mL)

Red Wines 0.30 - 1.07

Red grape juice 0.17 - 1.30
Rose Wines 0.06 - 0.53
Pinot Noir 0.06 - 0.30
White Wines 0.01 - 0.27

Content in selected foods
Food Serving Total resveratrol (mg)

Peanuts (raw) 1 c 0.01 - 0.26
Peanuts (boiled) 1 c 0.32 - 1.28
Peanut butter 1 c 0.04 - 0.13
Red grapes 1 c 0.24 - 1.25

Besides the antioxidants in wine, the alcohol itself does have effects on the body that can "help" certain things but mostly just temporarily. Alcohol thins the blood and also causes blood sugar levels to drop (more on that in Part Three). Which could look really good to someone who has thickening arterial walls due to plaque buildup or someone with pre-diabetes who runs high blood sugar levels. But those effects happen just while alcohol is in the body, and the negative effects outweigh the positive ones.

The moral of the story is this: if you currently drink alcohol, please do so in moderation or less. "Moderation" is defined as 1 drink per day for females and 2 drinks per day for males. A "drink" is 5oz of wine, 12oz of beer or 1.5oz (shot) of liquor. Now I honestly think that's pushing it towards too much...but those are the defined guidelines. Remember from the last blog post on alcohol that one drink per night can result in 10 lbs of weight gain per year...so "moderation" may not be what you need! In fact, when trying to lose weight, you should not drink alcohol AT ALL. And for those of you that don't drink but were considering picking it up due to the antioxidant value, don't. You can get antioxidants from plenty of other foods, without the toxins from the alcohol.

Next: Alcohol Part Three: "The Freshman Fifteen"

Blessings,

Ashley

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Alli and Liver Damage New Reports

The FDA issued a news release this morning regarding safety investigations into Alli (Orlistat) the "only FDA approved weight loss pill" due to reports of liver damage.

The FDA's News Release is copied below.

Just goes to show that we need to be using our common sense when it comes to weight loss - I know nutrition and exercise isn't what consumers want to hear, but when you try to take the easy route with a quick-fix diet or pill, you are taking some major risks.

See my previous blogpost on weight loss pills/aids for more information on this topic.
http://crave-health.blogspot.com/2009/05/lose-weight-burn-fat-and-build-muscle.html

FDA NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug. 24, 2009

Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 301-796-4668, siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Issues Early Communication about Ongoing Safety Review of Weight Loss Drug Orlistat
Review includes both prescription drug Xenical and OTC drug Alli
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it is reviewing adverse event reports of liver injury in patients taking the weight loss drug orlistat, marketed as the prescription drug Xenical and the over-the-counter medication Alli.

Between 1999 and 2008, the FDA received 32 reports of serious liver injury in patients taking orlistat. Of those cases, 27 reported hospitalization and six resulted in liver failure. Thirty of the adverse events occurred outside the United States. The most commonly reported adverse events included yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), weakness, and stomach pain.

The FDA is reviewing additional data submitted by orlistat manufacturers on suspected cases of liver injury, and the issue has been discussed at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Drug Safety Oversight Board.

“The issues here are complex, but FDA has benefited from the input of the Board, including comments from representatives from three FDA Centers and several other Agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Steven Osborne, M.D., executive director of the Board.

The FDA’s analysis of these data is ongoing, and no definite association between liver injury and orlistat has been established at this time. Consumers taking Xenical should continue to take it as prescribed, and those using over-the-counter Alli should continue to use the product as directed.

Full text of the Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review can be found here. The Early Communication is a risk communication tool used by the FDA to inform the public about its ongoing safety reviews of drugs. The FDA will release its findings on orlistat as soon as the review is completed.

Consumers who have used orlistat should consult a health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with development of liver injury, particularly weakness or fatigue, fever, jaundice, or brown urine. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, itching, or loss of appetite.

The FDA urges both health care professionals and consumers to report suspected side effects from the use of orlistat to FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, or by regular mail, fax, or phone.
-- Online
--Regular Mail: use postage-paid FDA form 3500 and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787
--Fax: 800-FDA-0178
--Phone: 800-FDA-1088
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm180057.htm

Be Careful and PAY ATTENTION!!!

Blessings,

Ashley

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"America Dies on Dunkin'"

An MD in Florida was forced to resign after promoting the slogan "America Dies on Dunkin'" along with several other catchy and scandalous one-liners.

Personally, I commend this doc for not being afraid to "go there" with the public! Its interesting that the people against his slogan were those that owned doughnut shops...

Blessings,

Ashley

See the article here or below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32405418/ns/health-more_health_news



Doctor ousted over anti-doughnut rant
Lawsuit threatened after he posted ‘America Dies on Dunkin’ ’ sign

The Associated Press
updated 11:42 a.m. PT, Thurs., Aug 13, 2009

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Dr. Jason Newsom railed against burgers, french fries, fried chicken and sweet tea in his campaign to promote better eating in a part of the country known as the Redneck Riviera. He might still be leading the charge if he had only left the doughnuts alone.

A 38-year-old former Army doctor who served in Iraq, Newsom returned home to Panama City a few years ago to run the Bay County Health Department and launched a one-man war on obesity by posting sardonic warnings on an electronic sign outside:

"Sweet Tea Liquid Sugar."

"Hamburger Spare Tire."

"French Fries Thunder Thighs."

He also called out KFC by name to make people think twice about fried chicken.

Then he parodied "America Runs on Dunkin'," the doughnut chain's slogan, with: "America Dies on Dunkin'."

Some power players in the Gulf Coast tourist town decided they had had their fill.

A county commissioner who owns a doughnut shop and two lawyers who own a new Dunkin' Donuts on Panama City Beach turned against him, along with some of his own employees, Newsom says. After the lawyers threatened to sue, his bosses at the Florida Health Department made him remove the anti-fried dough rants and eventually forced him to resign, he says.

"I picked on doughnuts because those things are ubiquitous in this county. Everywhere I went, there were two dozen doughnuts on the back table. At church, there were always doughnuts on the back table at Sunday school. It is social expectation thing," says Newsom, a lean 6-foot, 167-pounder in a county where 39 percent of all adults were overweight in 2007 and one in four was considered obese.

Doughnuts barred from meetings
Newsom was hired by the state Health Department to direct the county agency. His $140,000-a-year salary is paid jointly by the state and the county. His job primarily involves educating the public about health issues — swine flu, AIDS and the like — but he also decided to address the dangers of glazed, sprinkled and jelly-filled treats.

He angered staff members by barring doughnuts from department meetings and announcing he would throw the fat-laden sweets away if he saw them in the break room. He also banned candy bars in the vending machines, putting in peanuts instead.

In May, lawyers Bo Rivard and Michael Duncan, co-owners of a new Dunkin' Donuts, asked Newsom to take down the "America Dies on Dunkin'" message. Newsom already had run other anti-doughnut warnings, including "Doughnuts Diabetes," and "Dunkin' Donuts Death."

The businessmen had the backing of County Commissioner Mike Thomas, who owns a diner and a doughnut shop. Thomas called for Newsom's ouster, saying the doctor shouldn't have named businesses on the message board.

"I think he was somewhat of a zealot," Thomas says. "I don't have a problem with him pushing an agenda, it's the way he did it. People borrowed money to go into business and they are being attacked by the government."

Doctor wants job back
A short time after Newsom's meeting with Rivard and Duncan, Newsom says, his bosses at the state Health Department told him that his leadership wasn't wanted and that he could be fired or resign. He chose to resign May 8 but has reapplied for the job.

"I have never been known for my subtlety. I don't have a knack for it. I speak the truth to people and just assume that that my data and purpose are so real and true that everyone will see the value of what I'm doing," says Newsom, who now works at a prison, doing exams of inmates.

Rivard and Duncan did not return numerous calls to their offices.

"Dunkin' Donuts is pleased that the signs have been removed," Andrew Mastrangelo, a spokesman for Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts said in an e-mail.

The Florida Health Department has refused to talk about Newsom since he is considered a job applicant. "We will be happy to talk to you after the position has been filled," department spokeswoman Susan Smith said in an e-mail.

Newsom is hoping to get his job back so that he can resume his campaign against overeating.

"My method was a little provocative and controversial," he says, "but there wasn't a person in Bay County who wasn't talking about health and healthy eating."


Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32405418/ns/health-more_health_news/

MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2009 MSNBC.com

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Alcohol: Part One - Nutrition Basics

Alcohol: Part One - Nutritional Basics
This will be a 3-part blog series to be sure to look for part 2 and 3 as well!

Alcohol is potentially one of the greatest barriers to weight loss and overall health. It is a topic that no one likes to talk about because most of the time we don't want to face the music. Alcohol is involved in a lot of social settings and can give people a sense of "courage" they don't normally have to be funny or outgoing. Sometimes we associate alcohol with stress relief, thinking that a drink takes all of our problems away when in reality its just distracting you from them momentarily.

We are going to focus on the nutrition in alcohol and its effects on our metabolism and overall health. After working in an addiction treatment center I know that alcoholism as a disease is a very serious and worthwhile topic, but we'll leave that more specific topic to the CDP's (chemical dependency counselors) in their blogs.

Shocker #1: ALCOHOL HAS CALORIES.

Yes, yes it does. Its surprising to me how many people really don't know this. At a University that Ill withhold the name of, I held a booth in the cafeteria with fake drinks sitting next to their caloric equivalent in food. You would not believe how many students came up and were absolutely shocked - mostly to learn that hard alcohol has calories. For some reason we think that since Vodka looks like water it has the same nutrition...haha, umm no.

In fact, you might have heard that alcohol is "empty calories". A lot of magazine articles on health and nutrition use this terminology. What they mean by empty calories is that the food or drink item has calories (energy) in it, without any other nutritional benefit such as protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. which means you're not getting any additional benefit for your body, hence, "empty".

Lets look at your typical drinks. Each of these has about 100-150 calories:

The most shocking one is usually the hard alcohol - it has a lot calories by itself in a shot glass (which goes down in about 5 seconds). If you throw a shot into a drink like most people do....gin & tonic, rum & coke...then you need to include the calories from the mixer! And what if you have a drink-drink like a Cosmopolitan, Tequila Sunrise, Mai Tai...well those have multiple mixers and multiple alcohols which just adds more calories to the mix.

Lets take a look at some comparisons...

12oz Beers
Budweiser - 145 kcals
Bud Light - 110 kcals
Bud Select - 100 kcals
Stella Artois - 155 kcals
Corona Light - 105 kcals

4oz Wines (1/2 a large wine glass)
Reds - 80 kcals
Whites - 75 kcals
Champagne - 85 kcals

1.5oz (1 shot) Pure Hard Liquors
80 Proof - 100 kcals
86 Proof - 105 kcals
100 Proof - 120 kcals

1.5oz "Fun" Shots
Alabama Slammer - 110 kcals
Jager Bomb - 205 kcals
Kamikaze - 75 kcals
Peppermint Patty - 200 kcals

Cocktails
Bacardi & Coke - 160 kcals
Bloody Mary - 125 kcals
Cosmopolitan - 215 kcals
Gin Martini - 140 kcals
Long Island Iced Tea - 270 kcals
Mai Tai - 290 kcals
Margarita - 160 kcals
Sex on the Beach - 235 kcals
Vodka Soda - 100 kcals
Vodka Tonic (Gin&Tonic) - 165 kcals

Other
Hard Cider (12oz) - 170 kcals
Mikes Hard Lemonade (12oz) - 240 kcals
Sparks (16oz) - 340 kcals
Bacardi Silver (12oz) - 240 kcals
Wine Coolers (12oz) - 200 kcals

100 extra calories per day (like a glass of wine per night) can lead to 10 lbs of weight gain per year. Ouch.

So, you can decide for yourself what you'd like to do with this information. If you are someone who drinks fluids fast, then consider switching your drink to something that has more volume for the calories it provides. Or you could just cut down your drinking! Order a water in between drinks or a soda water with lime in between - that helps you pace yourself as well as cut down the calories.

Shocker #2: Alcohol can and eventually will over time cause excess fatty acid build up in the liver and triglyceride storage.
This is more likely in those with overweight/obesity or metabolic syndrome. This is referred to as "Fatty Liver". Extra deposits of fat in the liver over time can cause enlargement of the liver and eventually lead to liver fibrosis (scar tissue) and cirrhosis (starting to lose liver function). The liver is the primary organ of fat metabolism, and also the organ that deals with toxins in the body. Unfortunately, the liver can only do one thing at a time - and toxins will always take priority. That priority is what causes the liver to stop metabolizing fats, therefore causing a buildup of excess fats over time.

Today we've learned that alcohol has calories and if abused can cause increased storage of fat in the liver.

Next:
Alcohol: Part Two - Antioxidants
Alcohol: Part Three - The Freshman Fifteen

Blessings,
Ashley

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Portion Sizes Interactive Tool

A dietitian friend of mine showed me this new interactive plate and food portions by WebMD that allows you to place foods on your plate and will show you what a serving size should look like right there on the plate!

Its very cool, and helpful if you have no idea how much of something you should be eating!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

For more info check back on my previous portion sizes blog :)

Blessings,
Ashley

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From Men's Health...

This is straight out of the minds of Men...those at Men's Health that is. The article by Justin Park states that a Nutritional Evaluation is "for anyone who simply wants to know how to beat disease."

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/lifesaving_health_tests/Nutritional_Evaluation.php

“LIFESAVING HEALTH TESTS: 5 Tests that could Save your Life”

1) Cardiac CT Angiography
2) Bone Density Scan
3) VO2 Max Test
4) Virtual Colonoscopy
5) NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION

Gee, I wonder which one I’m excited about...(did I just say gee?) Seriously, lets think about how important nutrition is for a second.

• You eat everyday, multiple times per day.
• Little by little, what you put in your body has an effect (positive or negative).
• If you don’t make a small change now, or don’t know you need to change it, you are looking at some serious long term health consequences. Including but not limited to...

• Cardiovascular Disease


• High Cholesterol / High Blood Pressure


• Metabolic Syndrome


• Obesity/Overweight


• Various Cancers – yep.


• Osteoporosis


• Blindness


• Diabetes

Just as a side note, please get a nutritional evaluation by a professional, meaning a Registered Dietitian. We are easy to spot, we have “RD” listed after our name. There are lots of people that claim to be “Nutritionists” which in most states means absolutely nothing. Do your research. Come see me, as I am super cool and have an RD and a CD. Or find one in your area on http://www.eatright.org/

In my practice I offer "Wellness Assessments" that are designed for a healthy person. It puts your lifestyle and nutritional behaviors under a microscope teamed with blood work and lab values to determine changes that need to be made so that you can live longer and stronger. My services can be found at http://www.crave-health.com/

If “you are what you eat” then dietitians are the doctors of the future. Let that sink in a bit…

Blessings,
Ashley

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Water, Water, Water!

The human body is made up of approximately 70% water. I’m sure you all have heard that in elementary science class at some point. Water is the most important nutrient there is. Without water, our bodies cannot function. Water is one of the 4 macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Water) and is used throughout our bodies for the breakdown of nutrients for energy, creation of new tissues, regulation of body temperature, lubrication of joints and on, and on, and on...
Summer is a great time to discuss hydration because we tend to spend more time in the sun and heat, which can drain the body of water more quickly than normal. But sometimes it’s hard to know how much water to drink and also what counts as “water” in the body.

Adults need 8-10 cups of water per day. (1 cup = 8 oz) This is about 64 oz or about 1900 mL. Now, we don’t get water just out of the faucet, we also get water from the food that we eat, which does contribute to our 8-10 cups per day. However, there are foods that have more water in them than others – can you say fruits and vegetables?
If you don’t eat a balanced diet – meaning moderate amounts of all the food groups – than you probably won’t get enough of your water from food. That would probably put you in the 10 cups a day group.

The funniest thing that happens in my office with clients happens when we talk about water. I laugh every time it comes up. 90% of people begin to count it up in their head like this…

Ashley: “How much water have you had to drink today?”
Client: “Well, I had 1 cup of coffee this morning, and a bottle with lunch, then I had a diet coke and then another bottle before I came to see you. So, I guess about 6 cups so far today.”
Ashley: “Ok…let’s talk a little bit more about that…”

Newsflash – Coffee and Pop DO NOT COUNT AS WATER! In fact, anything with caffeine counts against your water consumption. Think of caffeine as negative water. Caffeine pulls water from the body, which is why you probably have to use the bathroom shortly after your latte in the morning. I use the following as a handy guide:

Anything caffeinated is a 2:1 replacement ratio.
Any vice (cigarette, alcoholic beverage, etc) is a 1:1 replacement ratio.

Example: Tyler needs 8 cups of water per day. He drank 1 cup of coffee with breakfast, and smoked 4 cigarettes throughout the day. How many cups of water does Tyler need to hydrate his body for the day?

Tyler’s Baseline Needs: 8 cups
Replacements: 1 cup coffee = 2 cups water (to break even)
4 cigarettes = 4 cups water (to break even)
Total Needed: 14 cups of Water


Most clients at this point are stunned and tell me that I am crazy if I think they can drink 14 cups of water per day. I say, you gotta pick which one is worth it. Either way, your body needs the water in order to efficiently function. So you either drink 14 cups of water or give up some of the cigarettes and caffeine. It’s your choice.

Dehydration can make you very sick. We lose water all day long when we are active, when we sweat, when we urinate, etc. We need to replace that water.

Signs of Dehydration:

• Thirst
• Loss of Appetite
• Dry Skin
• Dark Colored Urine
• Dry Mouth
• Fatigue / Weakness
• Headaches

Try to drink 8-10 cups of water every day for one week. You may experience increased urination for a short period of time, but your body will adjust I promise. I guarantee that you will feel so much better if you can do that for a week. Then you just have to find a way to keep it up!

Happy Drinking! (Water that is…)

Blessings,
Ashley

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Supplements

Let’s talk about supplements. They are all over the place and most of them are over the counter, so how do you know what to take, what’s a good brand and how to dose them?
Well, that’s kind of the problem. There are all these bottles of pills, liquids and powders available to people that don’t really know what to do with them. But, after reading the bottle, they pop and few and hope to see results. That’s not quite how it works. Supplements, although most are not FDA regulated, should be viewed as medicine. Just because they are natural, have less severe side effects, and don’t come from a doctor does not mean that they can be popped like candy. Supplements are all made differently depending on the company, and also can interact with prescription medication causing adverse health effects if you aren’t careful.

The other thing you have to remember is that natural supplements, along with more eastern-minded medicine, is not meant to work like prescription medication (fast and furious). They work on a much milder level, taking a longer period of time to reach the same goal. However, they can do this in a much gentler way which doesn’t put as much stress on our bodies.

There are supplements for anything and everything out there ranging from a basic multivitamin to root extracts that help stabilize your mood or blood sugar levels. There are several important keys to keep in mind when you are looking at supplements.

1) Reputation. You need to choose your supplement brand very carefully. Do NOT buy cheap. In the world of supplements you get what you pay for. Some are very expensive because of the extensive purification processing that the company goes through to ensure there aren’t toxins left in the product. Would you really want metals in your fish oil tablets? If you don’t, then you probably shouldn’t buy your fish oil in a gallon bottle from a warehouse grocery store…

2) Absorption. Look on the bottle at the serving size. Most people assume that you just take one or two tablets once a day and that does the trick. Not likely. The human body can only absorb a certain amount of a specific vitamin/mineral/nutrient at a time (unless it’s a water-soluble vitamin, in which case your body just excretes the stuff it doesn’t need in your urine. Which is also why your urine is neon colors when you start taking supplements – don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing). The best example of absorption is with Calcium. I work with lots of young females in my practice and I prescribe high calcium doses for a lot of patients. However, the human body can only absorb 600mg of Calcium at a time. I prescribe anywhere from 1200mg-1800mg per day. That means they’ll need to take several tabs multiple times per day in order for the body to absorb it all. Also, there are lots of different kinds of Calcium…carbonate, citrate, malate, etc. You need to discuss with your dietitian which type is best for you. But if you don’t look at the label and just buy the cheapest one, you might be taking 4 huge pills 5 times per day…I’m serious!

3) Ingredients. Just like with food, you want there to be as short a list of ingredients as possible. Hopefully you’ll be able to read most of them. When you start getting into long chemical names you don’t understand, it’s likely very processed and not from a natural source. Ideally you want your supplements to be whole food based and organic. If you’re putting in very isolated forms of nutrition in your body, you don’t want a ton of toxins and chemicals attached to it do you?

4) Interactions. Always, always, always check for interactions!!! Food interactions, supplement interactions and medication interactions. There are lots of supplements – even though they are natural – that you CANNOT take with certain medications or certain foods.

Check out these websites to look up supplement interactions:
Bastyr Center for Natural Health: http://tinyurl.com/lysqqs
Vitamin&Herb University (by NatureMade): http://www.vitaminherbuniversity.com/


In my practice I work with a couple of brands primarily…

1. Standard Process: http://www.standardprocess.com/
These supplements are not sold in stores and are only available through health practitioners. They are organic, whole food supplements backed by extensive research and development. These supplements are meant for specific nutritional deficiencies and health issues, which is why you need them prescribed to you by a dietitian. They also have basic calcium and multivitamins. You need a specific prescription from me for these supplements.

2. AdvoCare: https://www.advocare.com/0901138
These supplements are for the general population and are available through
independent distributors that may or may not have a degree in healthcare. I like these supplements because you can order them online easily, and they are backed by scientific research, a medical advisory board with MD’s and PhD’s from Universities like Berkeley, Harvard, Yale and Cornell and also certified by Informed Choice, World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines assuring them safe to use for professional and college athletes. You don’t need a prescription from me for these, and they can be purchased from me at the website above.

3. Nordic Naturals: http://www.nordicnaturals.com/
This company specifically produces fish oil supplements. They are the purest
brand out there and have the strictest of requirements (pharmaceutical grade) in the processing of the fish from Norway. In my opinion, everyone needs to be taking fish oil every single day. Just email me or call me and I can help you with which kind would be best for you. You don’t need a prescription from me for these supplements (maybe just a little guidance) and you can buy these at any natural grocery store like PCC or Whole Foods.

Blessings,
Ashley

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The Kind Campaign

Two wonderful women from Pepperdine University started a movement called The Kind Campaign, which speaks out against "girl-on-girl crime". If you've seen the movie Mean Girls you know the kind of crime we're talking about is emotional and physical abuse girls participate in.

Their website is amazing and they are embarking on a trip across the country looking to interview girls that have been involved in the name-calling, rumor-starting, physical and emotional fights, etc. http://www.kindcampaign.com/

The second volume of Kind Magazine just came out and I wrote an article that is featured in it. Check it out and let them know if you have a story you'd like to share of your own! http://www.kindcampaign.com/kindmagazine/issue2.html

BE KIND!

Blessings,

Ashley

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Influence of the Media

I cannot tell you how often young men and women sit in my office and tell me how hard it is to accept the goals and direction that I am giving them towards health, when they have to see and hear completely opposite information on TV, in magazines, on the radio, everywhere.

The influence that the media has over our minds is incredible, and lately very dangerous. The average American watches about 4 hours of TV per day (about 28 hours per week or a nonstop 2 months per year) compared to the average 3.5 minutes parents spend in meaningful conversation with their child. Wait, what?! Let me repeat that:

The average time an American watches TV per DAY: 4 HOURS

The average time an American parent spends in
meaningful conversation with their child per WEEK: 3.5 MINUTES.

Wow. We have some work to do.

We are subjected to a lot of media including television, magazines, internet and radio. There are shows about people who are too skinny, too fat, addicted, wanna-be models, wanna-be body builders, etc. And when those shows cut to commercial we see ads for diet pills (you know how I feel about those), diet food, makeup, clothes, hair, exercise equipment, and on and on and on…

The funny thing is, that no matter how smart you think you are, how confident, how “above others influences”, there are things in the media that will actually make you think twice about something you already know. The way information is presented, with tiny bits of science blown so out of proportion it’s insane, can actually get your brain thinking it’s true. How many people have heard of “The Blood Type Diet” or “The Lemonade Cleanse” or “Acai Berry” juice, pills, etc. I have been asked about all of these and many more by people who are in the health and fitness field and by those who aren’t. My point is that its very hard to sift through all this information when we don’t know who or what is actually credible. More on that topic in another post.

What concerns me is the youth, whose minds are still very impressionable and quick to jump to conclusions about themselves and their own bodies, which in turn severely impacts self-esteem and confidence. Let me show you what I mean:

The Dove Campaign is absolutely fantastic and I applaud Dove for stepping up and taking on the responsibility of showing young girls positive role models. The statistics of dieting and eating disorders among young girls is horrific and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about how staggering the numbers are. As adults, we all have a responsibility to set an example for our children, friends, peers, acquaintances and yes, even strangers. Accepting and loving yourself just the way you are can sometimes seem hard to do, but think about why its hard. Is it because you don’t look like the lingerie model on the billboard? Well if you watched that video you should know that model doesn’t look like that either.

God created each and every one of us the way we are for a specific reason. We are all not meant to look the same! Now, if you’ve not treated your body well, and it has morphed into something you don’t recognize, then you can work to get back the body God intended for you (my friend Paula calls it her “inheritance weight”). Being happy and healthy is what matters, not your pant size or a number on the scale.

Take today to walk with your head held high, and a smile on your face. The way you carry yourself on a daily basis has more influence over someone’s impression of you than the way you look. No matter what you might think. Do this in your own life and it may rub off on a child or a teenager you didn’t know was watching.

Blessings,

Ashley

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Carl Warner

Ok, so if anyone follows my Twitters or has been around me in the last 24 hours, you'll realize that I'm super excited about this photographer I just discovered, Carl Warner. I don't know anything about him except that he takes incredible pictures of FOOD! And you can see all of his amazing work at www.CarlWarner.com

He does these things called Food Landscapes, or "Foodscapes" that are seriously mind boggling. Here are a couple that made my mouth drop open:

Everything in the pictures is edible...the balloons are onions, garlic, bananas, strawberries. And even the trees are broccoli. Crazy.

The "Salmon Sea" is really good too...the water is all salmon and then the rocks are rye bread, potatoes and parsley.

And besides the foodscapes, he does incredible still life too.

Ive seriously never seen red cabbage or fennel look so good....

Ok, ok, enough with the raving about food photography. I know I'm a huge dork, but when food is your job you learn to appreciate it A LOT!

Blessings,

Ashley

PS - If somehow in the world of the interweb, Carl Warner or his people see this blog post...first of all "Oh my gosh, I love your work!" And secondly, please, please do not sue me - Im just a poor dietitian that loves your pictures and couldn't pay all those euros to buy them....

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Lose weight, burn fat and build muscle!

Those are the kinds of claims that attract people...see you're reading this aren't you?

This article is actually about Diet Pills. I'll give you the secret to losing weight, burning fat and building muscle at the end of the article.

First of all, for anyone that has ever taken a diet pill or even thought about taking a diet pill, let me tell you this: you are smarter than that. If no one ever instilled in you that you are an intelligent and wonderful human being, let me be the one to do it. You are beautiful (or handsome for the fellas), just the way you are, and you are smarter than that.

Second of all, despite what you might think, doughnuts or whatever you choose to eat too much of, do not go directly to your thighs. Seriously, they just don’t. It takes many doughnuts, and many reactions inside the body, to put cellulite on your legs, or excess weight on your body. It takes time for that to happen. So you are severely insulting your own intelligence, and mine, when you go to buy a pill (or ask me to prescribe you one), that will “melt away the fat” overnight. Let me just show you some of the awesome claims of real diet pills: Please note the sarcasm…

“It works like magic, but until recently it was not available to the public…Lose 10 pounds in 10 days, Guaranteed!”

Seriously? Like we’ve been hiding the secret formula and just now released it?

And really, the only way you’d lose 10 pounds in 10 days is if you catch a bad case of

food poisoning.

“Weight loss breakthrough! Fast. Effective. Safe.”

According to whom? And if that was true, why do we still have an obesity problem?

“Worlds strongest fat-burner!”

Wow, the worlds strongest? I can’t believe there is a pill that just burns fat…

“The only FDA approved OTC pill! NO SIDE EFFECTS!”

Yeah, I went there. And no, I don’t approve…even if the FDA does.

“The hottest extreme biochemical fat-burning agent is finally here. Now is the time for you to get absolutely ripped beyond belief with this scientifically advanced formula.”

HAHAHAHA! I can’t even think right now I’m laughing so hard…

“From frumpy to FANTASTIC! _______ isn’t a piece of clothing or a fashion accessory, in fact it will make you look better!”

Being seen with this bottle of crap will in fact make you look stupid.


Ok, ok, all joking aside, diet pills are not only idiotic, but they are very dangerous. As many of you probably heard, Hydroxycut was recalled by the FDA recently following the DEATH of a 19 year old male, and 23 other reports of liver damage, seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

And I’m sure you all remember Ephedra, an ingredient in many diet pills in the past, was also banned by the FDA following serious health issues and death. An Orioles pitcher, Steve Bechler, died from complications related to ephedra.

Taking diet pills is like taking crack, and even Whitney knows that crack is whack. Diet pills are filled with stimulants, “natural” weird forms of ingredients all put together to act like stimulants, and tons of caffeine. THEY ARE BAD FOR YOU AND DO NOT WORK.

Losing excess weight or toning areas of your body that you aren’t happy with is going to take hard work and patience. The weight didn’t come on overnight, so it won’t come off overnight either. Sorry, I know “Hard work and slow, steady progress for effective weight loss” isn’t as sexy or exciting as some of those claims up there, but it’s true. So instead of wasting $90 bucks on something that might kill you, why don’t you use that money to invest in yourself by seeing a dietitian, or buying yourself that “expensive” produce you always claim you cant afford…

You are an intelligent and wonderful human being, and I care about you. Yes, you.

Blessings,

Ashley

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