Weight Loss that Lasts: Key Reasons Why You Or Your Loved Ones Should Give...

Weight Loss that Lasts: Key Reasons Why You Or Your Loved Ones Should Give...: Key Reasons Why You Or Your Loved Ones Should Give Up Drinking Sodas, Especially Diet Sodas!      Soda is the #1 source of added suga...

Key Reasons Why You Or Your Loved Ones Should Give Up Drinking Sodas, Especially Diet Sodas!

Key Reasons Why You Or Your Loved Ones Should Give Up Drinking Sodas, Especially Diet Sodas!

     Soda is the #1 source of added sugar in the American Diet. if you drink a regular 16 oz coca cola daily (160 calories) , in a year you've consumed around 57 THOUSAND calories!!!! that is equivalent to 16 EXTRA POUNDS every year. Now imagine for those of you who consume a 32 oz plastic bottles?  This is not counting the bad fats an average american eats. Studies show it increases your risk of osteoporosis because soda's leach calcium from your bones. Like alcohol or any other narcotic, soda can become an addiction due to its high levels of caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and sodium, it is difficult to tell which consumers become addicted to, if not all three. This addiction can lead to a variety of health problems, including weight gain, diabetes, and tooth erosion. The phosphoric acid in soda causes tooth enamel erosion, even with minimal exposure. In fact, a spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry says that the levels of acid found in sodas are comparable to that of a battery. There are also dangers for your teeth associated with the high sugar content of soda.

     As if soda didn't have enough problems with what’s in the can, a disturbing study was done on the soda served from fountains in fast food places and self-serve areas. Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is linked to fecal matter. To make matters worse, the bacteria was found to be resistant to eleven antibiotics.

     All calories are NOT the same, and obesity is the result of consuming too many of the wrong type of calories. Carbs (fructose and grains) affect the hormone insulin and leptin, which are very potent fat regulators. Fats and proteins affect insulin to a far lesser degree.

     While soda consumption in the US has declined by 40 percent in the last 10 years, consumption of artificially sweetened “diet” beverages has risen in that same time. Research published in 2011 found that people who drank two or more diet sodas a day experienced waist size increases that were six times greater than those who didn't drink diet soda. This is part due because sodas neutralizes stomach acids and make it harder for the body to digest food, converting more of it into fat. Despite being promoted for weight loss, foods and beverages with artificial sweeteners have never been proven to help weight loss. In fact, studies that look at this actually find people gain weight when they use them. Artificial sweeteners have more intense flavor than real sugar, so over time products like diet soda dull our senses to naturally sweet foods like fruit. Artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain.

10 American Foods That Are Banned in Other Countries

10 American Foods That Are Banned in Other Countries

Many foods sold in the US are banned in other countries due to harmful additives, growth promoters, genetically engineered ingredients or other dangerous practices. This includes farm-raised salmon, Hawaiian (GMO) papaya, artificial food dyes, arsenic-laced chicken, ractopamine-tainted meat, bromate-containing drinks and bread, olestra, carcinogenic preservatives, and rBGH-laced milk. To avoid potentially hazardous foods and harmful ingredients permitted in the US food supply, ditching processed foods entirely is your best option. Also swap out your regular meat sources to organic, grass-fed/pasture-raised versions of beef and poultry. The same goes for dairy products and animal by-products such as eggs.

#1: Farm-Raised Salmon

If you want to maximize health benefits from fish, you want to steer clear of farmed fish, particularly farmed salmon fed dangerous chemicals. Wild salmon gets its bright pinkish-red color from natural carotenoids in their diet. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, are raised on a wholly unnatural diet of grains (including genetically engineered varieties), plus a concoction of antibiotics and other drugs and chemicals not shown to be safe for humans.

This diet leaves the fish with unappetizing grayish flesh so to compensate, they’re fed synthetic astaxanthin made from petrochemicals, which has not been approved for human consumption and has well known toxicities. According to the featured article, some studies suggest it can potentially damage your eyesight.

#2: Genetically Engineered Papaya

Most Hawaiian papaya is now genetically engineered to be resistant to ringspot virus. Mounting research now shows that animals fed genetically engineered foods, such as corn and soy, suffer a wide range of maladies, including intestinal damage, multiple-organ damage, massive tumors, birth defects, premature death, and near complete sterility by the third generation of offspring. Unfortunately, the gigantic human lab experiment is only about 10 years old, so we are likely decades away from tabulating the human casualties.

Where it's banned: The European Union

#3: Ractopamine-Tainted Meat

The beta agonist drug ractopamine (a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis) was recruited for livestock use when researchers found that the drug, used in asthma, made mice more muscular. This reduces the overall fat content of the meat. Ractopamine is currently used in about 45 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys are pumped full of this drug in the days leading up to slaughter. Up to 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox.

Since 1998, more than 1,700 people have been "poisoned" from eating pigs fed the drug, and ractopamine is banned from use in food animals in no less than 160 different countries due to its harmful health effects! Effective February 11, 2013, Russia issued a ban on US meat imports, slated to last until the US agrees to certify that the meat is ractopamine-free. At present, the US does not even test for the presence of this drug in meats sold. In animals, ractopamine is linked to reductions in reproductive function, increase of mastitis in dairy herds, and increased death and disability. It’s also known to affect the human cardiovascular system, and is thought to be responsible for hyperactivity, and may cause chromosomal abnormalities and behavioral changes.

Where it's banned: 160 countries across Europe, Russia, mainland China and Republic of China (Taiwan)

#4: Flame Retardant Drinks

If you live in the US and drink Mountain Dew and some other citrus-flavored sodas and sports drinks, then you are also getting a dose of a synthetic chemical called brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which was originally patented by chemical companies as a flame retardant.

BVO has been shown to bioaccumulate in human tissue and breast milk, and animal studies have found it causes reproductive and behavioral problems in large doses. Bromine is a central nervous system depressant, and a common endocrine disruptor. It’s part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. When ingested, bromine competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine. This can lead to iodine deficiency, which can have a very detrimental impact on your health. Bromine toxicity can manifest as skin rashes, acne, loss of appetite, fatigue, and cardiac arrhythmias. According to the featured article:

"The FDA has flip-flopped on BVO's safety originally classifying it as 'generally recognized as safe' but reversing that call now defining it as an 'interim food additive' a category reserved for possibly questionable substances used in food."

Where it's banned: Europe and Japan

#5: Processed Foods Containing Artificial Food Colors and Dyes

More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to US foods, including infant foods and foods targeted to young children. Meanwhile, many of these are banned in other countries, based on research showing toxicity and hazardous health effects, especially with respect to adverse effects on children’s behavior. For example, as reported in the featured article:

“Boxed Mac & Cheese, cheddar flavored crackers, Jell-O and many kids' cereals contain red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6 and/or blue 2, the most popularly-used dyes in the United States. Research has shown this rainbow of additives can cause behavioral problems as well as cancer, birth defects and other health problems in laboratory animals. Red 40 and yellow 6 are also suspected of causing an allergy-like hypersensitivity reaction in children. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that some dyes are also "contaminated with known carcinogens.”

In countries where these food colors and dyes are banned, food companies like Kraft employ natural colorants instead, such as paprika extract, beetroot, and annatto. The food blogger and activist Vani Hari, better known as “Food Babe,” recently launched a Change.org petition2 asking Kraft to remove artificial dyes from American Mac & Cheese to protect American children from the well-known dangers of these dyes.

Where it's banned: Norway and Austria. In 2009, the British government advised companies to stop using food dyes by the end of that year. The European Union also requires a warning notice on most foods containing dyes.

#6: Arsenic-Laced Chicken

Arsenic-based drugs are approved for use in animal feed in the US because they make animals grow quicker and make the meat appear pinker (i.e. "fresher"). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated these products are safe because they contain organic arsenic, which is less toxic than the other inorganic form, which is a known carcinogen.

The problem is, scientific reports surfaced stating that the organic arsenic could transform into inorganic arsenic, which has been found in elevated levels in supermarket chickens. The inorganic arsenic also contaminates manure where it can eventually migrate into drinking water and may also be causing heightened arsenic levels in US rice.

In 2011, Pfizer announced it would voluntarily stop marketing its arsenic-based feed additive Roxarsone, but there are still several others on the market. Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the FDA calling for their removal from the market. In the European Union, meanwhile, arsenic-based compounds have never been approved as safe for animal feed.

Where it's banned: The European Union

#7: Bread with Potassium Bromate

You might not be aware of this, but nearly every time you eat bread in a restaurant or consume a hamburger or hotdog bun you are consuming bromide, as it is commonly used in flours. The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.

Bromated flour is “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies claim it makes the dough more elastic and better able to stand up to bread hooks. However, Pepperidge Farm and other successful companies manage to use only unbromated flour without any of these so-called “structural problems.” Studies have linked potassium bromate to kidney and nervous system damage, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies potassium bromate as a possible carcinogen.

Where it's banned: Canada, China and the EU

#8: Olestra/Olean

Olestra, aka Olean, created by Procter & Gamble, is a calorie- and cholesterol-free fat substitute used in fat-free snacks like chips and French fries. Three years ago, Time Magazine3 named it one of the worst 50 inventions ever, but that hasn’t stopped food companies from using it to satisfy people’s mistaken belief that a fat-free snack is a healthier snack. According to the featured article:

“Not only did a 2011 study from Purdue University conclude rats fed potato chips made with Olean gained weight, there have been several reports of adverse intestinal reactions to the fake fat including diarrhea, cramps and leaky bowels. And because it interferes with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K, the FDA requires these vitamins be added to any product made with Olean or olestra.”

Where it's banned: The UK and Canada

#9: Preservatives BHA and BHT

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are commonly used preservatives that can be found in breakfast cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter spread, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer, just to name a few. BHA is known to cause cancer in rats, and may be a cancer-causing agent in humans as well. In fact, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Toxicology Program's 2011 Report on Carcinogens, BHA "is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” It may also trigger allergic reactions and hyperactivity, while BHT can cause organ system toxicity.

Where it's banned: The UK doesn't allow BHA in infant foods. BHA and BHT are also banned in parts of the European Union and Japan.

#10: Milk and Dairy Products Laced with rBGH

Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is the largest selling dairy animal drug in America. RBGH is a synthetic version of natural bovine somatotropin (BST), a hormone produced in cows' pituitary glands. Monsanto developed the recombinant version from genetically engineered E. coli bacteria and markets it under the brand name "Posilac."

It’s injected into cows to increase milk production, but it is banned in at least 30 other nations because of its dangers to human health, which include an increased risk for colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer by promoting conversion of normal tissue cells into cancerous ones. Non-organic dairy farms frequently have rBGH-injected cows that suffer at least 16 different adverse health conditions, including very high rates of mastitis that contaminate milk with pus and antibiotics.

Where it's banned: Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU and Canada

Soybean oil and high fructose cron syrup : One of the Most Harmful Ingredients in Processed Foods

Two of the most harmful ingredients in processed foods are high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil, whether partially hydrogenated, organic, or made from newer soybean varieties modified in such a way as to not require hydrogenation.Completely unnatural man-made fats created through the partial hydrogenation process cause dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level, and studies have linked trans-fats to health problems ranging from obesity and diabetes to reproductive problems and heart disease.

Weight Loss that Lasts: You Think Whole Wheat Is Healthy? Better Re-think ...

Weight Loss that Lasts: You Think Whole Wheat Is Healthy? Better Re-think ...: You Think Whole Wheat Is Healthy? Better Re-think This Assumption Massive marketing campaigns by giant food companies that want you t...

You Think Whole Wheat Is Healthy? Better Re-think This Assumption

You Think Whole Wheat Is Healthy? Better Re-think This Assumption

Massive marketing campaigns by giant food companies that want you to believe that "whole wheat" is healthy for you... but the fact is that wheat contains a very unique type of carbohydrate (not found in other foods) called Amylopectin-A, which has been found in some tests to spike your blood sugar higher than even pure table sugar. In fact, amylopectin-A (from wheat) raises your blood sugar more than almost any other carbohydrate source on earth based on blood sugar response testing. This means that wheat-based foods such as breads, bagels, cereals, muffins, and other baked goods often cause much higher blood sugar levels than most other carbohydrate sources.s it turns out, baked wheat products contain carcinogenic chemicals called acrylamides that form in the browned portion of breads, cereals, muffins, etc. These carcinogenic acrylamides have been linked in studies to possible increased risk of cancer and accelerated aging.  Note that acrylamides are also found in high levels in other browned carbohydrate sources such as french fries or any other browned starchy foods. 

This deals with "glycation" in your body, and substances called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs).  These nasty little compounds called AGEs speed up the aging process in your body including damage over time to your organs, your joints, and of course, wrinkled skin. So with that said, what is one of the biggest factors that increase production of AGEs inside your body?  This may surprise you, but high blood sugar levels over time dramatically increase age-accelerating AGEs in your body.  This is why type 2 diabetics many times appear that they have not aged well and look older than their real age.  But this age-increasing effect is not just limited to diabetics.  It can affect everyone. . it turns out that scientists have found out that the fructose in HFCS causes 10x more formation of AGEs in your body than glucose!  Yes, that's right... that means the HFCS you consume daily in sweetened drinks, and most other processed foods (yes, even salad dressings and ketchup) contribute to faster aging in your body... as if you needed yet another reason to avoid or minimize HFCS! 

Another major issue with corn-based foods and corn oils is that these foods contribute excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids to your diet, which causes an imbalance in your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and leads to inflammation and oxidation within your body. Once again, another example of corn-based foods aging you FASTER. Corn-based foods -- corn syrup, corn cereal, corn chips, corn oil..My personal trick to satisfy my sweet tooth is to only have 1-2 squares of dark chocolate ( at least 70% cocoa) after dinner instead of a normal full dessert that most people choose.  You only get about 2 grams of sugar in 1-2 squares of dark chocolate as opposed to 40-80 grams of age-accelerating sugar in a typical cake, ice cream, or brownie type of dessert. Keep in mind that some starchy foods like white rice, oatmeal, and white potatoes can also have significant impacts on your blood sugar and thereby can increase formation of AGEs in your body.  These foods are best kept in smaller portions if you decide to eat them, and balanced with healthy fats and protein to slow the blood sugar response.

Food that ages you faster:  Soybean oil, canola oil, or other "vegetable oils"

I know these have been marketed to you over the years by giant food companies as "healthy", but if you understand a little biochemistry about how these highly-processed oils react inside your body, you would quickly see how false that is. First, anything labeled soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, or cottonseed oil (these are in a LOT of processed foods you probably eat) most times have undergone a refining process under extremely high heat and use of chemical solvents such as hexane. This leaves you with an oil where the polyunsaturated fats have undergone a lot of oxidation and are therefore VERY inflammatory inside your body, producing free radicals, damaging your cell membranes, contributing to faster aging, heart disease, and other possible health problems. 

If you want to avoid the health-damaging effects of soybean, canola, corn and other "vegetable oils", make sure to avoid them as much as you can, and instead opt for truly healthy oils and fats such as extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, virgin coconut oil (a healthy source of MCT fats), and grass-fed butter (a great source of healthy CLA fats).

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Weight Loss that Lasts: Can You Out-Exercise Bad Eating Habits?

Weight Loss that Lasts: Can You Out-Exercise Bad Eating Habits?: A Junk-Food Diet Is Counterproductive to Your Exercise Goals Eating a poor diet isn't only a matter of "empty calories&quot...

Can You Out-Exercise Bad Eating Habits?

A Junk-Food Diet Is Counterproductive to Your Exercise Goals

Eating a poor diet isn't only a matter of "empty calories" causing you to gain weight without getting proper nutrition. Excess sugar and fructose consumption, which is common if you eat a lot of processed foods, is linked to insulin resistance, high triglycerides, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

This is also a driving factor in insulin resistance. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (USCF), whatever organ becomes insulin resistant ends up manifesting its own chronic metabolic disease.

For example, when you have insulin resistance, you can end up with type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease or chronic renal disease.

In addition, refined fructose, typically in some form of corn syrup, is now found in virtually every processed food you can think of, and fructose actually "programs" your body to consume more calories and store fat.

Fructose is primarily metabolized by your liver, because your liver is the only organ that has the transporter for it. Since nearly all fructose gets shuttled to your liver, it ends up taxing and damaging your liver in the same way alcoholand other toxins do.

A Poor Diet Turns on Your Body's Fat Switch

Further, dietary sugar, and fructose in particular, is a significant "tripper of your fat switch." Dr. Richard Johnson discovered the method that animals use to gain fat prior to times of food scarcity, which turned out to be a powerful adaptive benefit.

His research showed that fructose activates a key enzyme, fructokinase, which in turn activates another enzyme that causes cells to accumulate fat. When this enzyme is blocked, fat cannot be stored in the cell.

Interestingly, this is the exact same "switch" animals use to fatten up in the fall and to burn fat during the winter. Fructose is the dietary ingredient that turns on this "switch," causing cells to accumulate fat, both in animals and in humans.

Not to mention, avoiding sugar is especially important if you do high-intensity exercises, which will boost your body's production of human growth hormone(HGH). Consuming carbs within a couple of hours prior to or after such exercise will effectively prevent HGH from being produced.

Junk-Food Diet Promotes Inflammation, Alters Gut Bacteria

Trans fats, fried foods, processed foods, sugar, and grains are highly inflammatory, and this is another risk factor that exercise can't ameliorate. Health problems such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, periodontal disease, stroke, and heart disease are all rooted in inflammation.

The majority of inflammatory diseases start in your gut. Chronic inflammation in your gut can disrupt the normal functioning of many bodily systems.

Further, if you eat many processed foods your gut bacteria are going to be compromised because processed foods in general will seriously impair healthy microflora and feed pathogenic bacteria and yeast. This, in turn, can further promote chronic disease and weight gain, even if you're a regular exerciser.

Lean people tend to have higher amounts of various healthy bacteria compared to obese people. For example, one 2011 study found that daily intake of a specific form of lactic acid bacteria could help prevent obesity and reduce low-level inflammation.1

Other research found that obese individuals had about 20 percent more of a family of bacteria known as firmicutes and almost 90 percent less of a bacteria called bacteroidetes than lean people.2

Firmicutes help your body to extract calories from complex sugars and deposit those calories in fat. When these microbes were transplanted into normal-weight mice, those mice started to gain twice as much fat. This is one explanation for how the microflora in your gut may affect your weight.

Eat to Exercise, Not the Other Way Around

What you eat can either add to or take away from your exercise benefits, and if you're devoting the time to workout, you want to know how to harness your meals to support your efforts, not detract from them. As noted by sports nutritionist Susan M. Kleiner, R.D., Ph.D.:3

"When it comes to sculpting your body and enhancing your performance, without a diet to support your training you are wasting your time in the gym."

It helps to think of your food as fuel, and consider whether what you're putting in your mouth will best keep your body in optimal working order. Remember, youcannot exercise your way out of a bad diet, but you can eat your way to a fitter and healthier body.

If you're like most people, you're probably eating too many carbs. Your body's need for sugar is, biologically, very small. And when you consume more than you need, your body turns it into fat. If you are a competitive athlete and are not insulin resistant, you can tolerate more carbs.

You do not typically get fat from eating healthy fats—you get fat from eating too many carbs (sugar) or excessive calories. Hence, what you'll find on my list of "fitness foods" below are primarily healthy fats, which is what you'll want to replace the lost carbs with for energy, along with high-quality proteins and a couple of specific nutrients that are particularly beneficial for boosting athletic performance.

 When You Eat After Exercise Matters

Aside from avoiding refined fructose especially if you are insulin resistant, remember to combine a quality protein with a veggie carb in your meals, no matter whether it's a resistance-training day, an interval-cardio day, or a non-workout day. However, after strength training (as opposed to cardio training), your body tends to need more rapidly absorbed nutrients and a higher glycemic (fast released, starchy) carbohydrate. Another slight difference between interval cardio and strength-training days is the timing of your meal. In this regard, when you eat is nearly as important as what you eat: After cardio, you want to wait 30-45 minutes and then consume a high-quality protein (whole food) and vegetable-type carbohydrate. (For instance, a spinach salad and some chicken or high-quality whey protein). After a resistance workout (muscle-building day), the ideal time to consume your post-workout meal is 15-30 minutes after finishing your session, in order to help repair your damaged muscles. Here, whey protein is an ideal choice as it's predigested and therefore rapidly digested and easily assimilated, along with, as mentioned, a higher glycemic (fast released, starchy) carbohydrate, such as a banana.

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