Anyone interested in fitness and weight loss will inevitably find themselves on a plateau where no matter what you do nothing seems to change.  Those last few pounds simply refuse to move and horror of horrors your weight begins to creep up again.  Most of us have been in this situation, I have found the following reminders useful in my efforts to keep my weight under control.

1. Avoid becoming dehydrated. We become dehydrated when we lose more water than we take in. This has the effect of lowering our metabolism which in turn inhibits weight loss.  It is just a simple matter of drinking a little water through out the day.  It is not necessary to buy flavored drinks or sports drinks, tap water will do just fine.  You can filter it if you wish and store it in a fridge at work if that is convenient. It’s just a matter of developing a habit and once you become used to it, it will no longer be an issue.

2. Avoid convenience food. It is so easy to pick up a sandwich and coffee at your local deli for lunch.  After all they are so tasty and the environment is friendly.  But even if you choose healthy options you will certainly find that the calorie content is much higher than anything you prepare at home.  By bringing a home made lunch to work you will quickly find that as your wallet gets heavier your body will get lighter.

3. Get enough sleep. Healthy adults need about 7 hours sleep at night.  Of course most of us with our busy lifestyles do not achieve this.  Feeling tired during the day is often just the excuse we need not to go to the gym and to give ourselves that extra little treat to make us feel better.  But the fact of the matter is that if you take the exercise you will begin to feel better and you will enjoy a nights sleep all the more.  Try taking only decaffeinated drinks from lunchtime onwards and avoid eating large meals for 3 hours before going to bed.

4. Reduce your stress levels. Obviously this is so much easier said than done.  In todays hectic lifestyle it can often be almost impossible to devote time to our personal wellbeing.  But this is so counter productive.  It is so easy to comfort eat when you are under pressure and to flop down at home instead of taking that all important exercise.  Try to step back, take some time to look at your schedule.  Make a list of things that you could change to give your self some quality time.  This is very motivating and may put you on the right path again towards healthy eating and exercise.

5.  Avoid exercise autopilot. This is really the most important factor to consider in a weight loss program.  It is a very easy thing to fall into doing the same exercise every day.  Once you begin to feel comfortable with your program your body simply adjusts to it and you stay on a plateau.  When this happens you must make some changes.  You can increase the speed of your exercise or increase the intensity of your program.  Even minor changes will have an effect.  Try also to introduce something new such as changing from a treadmill to a bike or a climbing machine.  Whatever you do, try to keep your body guessing, if nothing else it will make for a more interesting workout.

If you think about these five areas which we can have full control over you may find those pounds falling off again.

Processed foods although  tasty and appetizing are generally stripped of much of their nutritional value.  Some foods even have nutrients added back and are advertised as enhanced with vitamins or minerals etc. etc.  Of course with busy lifestyles we all use convenience foods now and again and there is nothing wrong with that.  But there is no argument that obesity and other lifestyle diseases are on the increase in the western world and most would agree that this is due in no small part to eating processed foods.

One problem many people experience when trying to revert to a whole food diet is that our taste buds have grown accostomed over the years to the strong and addictive tastes of salt, sugar and other flavourings.  You almost have to retrain your palate to accomodate the more muted taste of whole food.  I promise though that once you make the change you will begin to feel so much better it will be  impossible to think of going back to processed foods again.  If you can’t go all the way at first  just try to replace some processed foods for whole food where you can.  There are however some habits that you should really try to break.

1. Stop eating sugar. When we eat a sugary snack we produce insulin which pulls sugar out of the blood stream and stores it in our cells where it is converted to fat.  Insulin does this so effectively that blood sugar levels plummet and we start to crave sugar all over again , and so the cycle continues.  Convenience foods are loaded with sugar even foods such as breakfast bars and yoghurts.  Try to enjoy naturally sweet foods such as strawberries or blueberries.  You can add these to natural yoghurts, you will soon get used to the taste and you will begin to notice how sweet they are after a short period of time.

2. Avoid “low fat” labels. As consumers we have been given the message that high fat foods are harmful.  This has led many of us to look for suitable low fat alternatives.  In many products however for example low fat yoghurts or mayonase the food will be bulked up with carbohydrate.  This isn’t much better than eating sweets/candy.  The story is the same for pasta or bread made from processed white flour, very little nutrition but lots of sugar which will make blood sugar levels fluctuate wildly.  Try to use whole grain bread (not whole wheat) and experiment also with whole grain brown rice and barley rather than pasta.

3. Use good oils. Basically there are three major types of fat in our diet.  These are saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats.  When a fat is exposed to oxygen it spoils and produces free radicals which damage our cells.  The more saturated the fat the less it spoils so for example butter which is a saturated fat can stay in a fridge for days without  going rancid.  It is now thought that small amounts of saturated fats such as butter and cream will do us no harm whereas polyunsaturated and hydrogenated oils give rise to high levels of free radicals in our bodies.  The  best oil to use would be olive oil either plain or extra virgin.

4. Include fish and raw food in your diet. Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel have lots of omega-3 fats which are very good for us.  These fats are anti- inflammatory and also help to lower cholesterol.  Raw foods contain enzymes that help with our digestion.  Its important to remember however that food that has been transported over long distances and that has been stored for long periods may have lost vitamins and enzymes.  It’s a good idea to buy your raw fresh food locally where possible.

If you follow these simple tips you should begin to feel more energized and hopefully see some pounds fall away.

We have all been educated to believe that breast feeding is the best way to feed a new born baby.  It has all the essential nutrients  and it confers protection against infection and primes the immune system against disease.

Recently Professor Sven Carlsen from the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway boldly challenged this view.  He acknowledges that breast fed babies are slightly healthier than formula fed babies but that this is the result of better conditions in the womb during pregnancy rather than because of the breast milk itself.  Professor Carlsen’s team reviewed more than 50 international studies on the relationship between breastfeeding and health and they have concluded that the only benefit to be gained from being breast fed is a slight increase in IQ.

It does not come as any great surprise to me that food scientists can create a product similar to breast milk and containing all the appropriate nutrients in the correct ratio.  They wouldn’t be very good scientists if they could not do this!  I’m also not surprised to learn that formula fed babies are healthy. If you just look  at your family and friends you will of course see that formula fed babies generally thrive and are not known to be any more sickly than breast fed babies.

It seems to me that this study is really missing the point.  There are many reasons why women do not breast feed.  It is a personal choice and it is good to know that there is a safe and practical alternative.  But feeding your baby is much more than a practical household task.  It is a normal, enjoyable and intimate part of the relationship with your new baby.  It’s not just a matter of nutrition.  It is also about creating a bond and socializing your child.

As adults we sometimes we have to use fast food because of our modern busy lifestyles.  It’s practical, convenient, tasty even nutritious.  But which would make you feel better, a pizza from the freezer or sharing a home cooked meal with all the trimmings?

Now that the season of feasting and festivity is over, some of us will be looking to repair the damage caused by too much celebration.  So it’s back to the gym and plain eating!!

One piece of good news in this situation is that not everything we enjoy is bad for us.  In particular dark chocolate, which is my personal favourite treat, is getting some really good health reviews at the moment.

Chocolate is essentially a plant extract which contains a large amount of antioxidants and flavonoids.  Antioxidants protect us against free radicals which are involved in the aging process and in heart disease.  Flavonoids in chocolate help to reduce blood pressure which also lowers  the risk of heart disease.  In addition to this chocolate also contains endorphins which give us pleasure, serotonin which is an antidepressant and caffeine which is a stimulant.  It seems also that chocolate does not contain cholesterol and so has a neutral effect on our blood levels of cholesterol.

However before you rush out and buy large quantities of chocolate there are some things to bear in mind.  It is really important to eat only dark chocolate, preferably with 70% cocoa solids.  Despite the health benefits, chocolate is still a high calorie food and it is recommended that daily intake should not exceed 100g.  Anything more and you will just have to exercise to counteract the calorie intake.  The higher the cocoa content the lower the sugar content in chocolate so white chocolate in particular should be avoided.  Another good tip is to avoid chocolate with sweet fillings as these will contain pretty serious levels of sugar.   Keep it plain and simple.

I have been eating dark chocolate for some time now and I find it really does cheer me up.  Unlike red wine, which I also enjoy, I do not find chocolate addictive.  I can easily limit myself to about 50g per day.  I also found that I quickly developed a palate for chocolate and was soon able to discriminate between good and poor quality products.  If you haven’t done so already why not try it out, it really is good fun.

Here’s to a guilt free 2010

Today’s remedies for winter bugs  include antibiotics, pain killers and various other  methods of dealing with symptoms such as hot lemon drinks or hot whiskey.  Of course it is not always possible to shorten the duration of an illness but at least we can make ourselves as comfortable as possible while it lasts.  I favour comfort food and  alcohol myself but  I recently came across an article, by Regina Sexton a food historian  which described some ancient Irish remedies that I found amusing.

Folk medicine offered a variety of cures for colds and flu.  Licking a young lizard or inhaling the breath of a gander were two rather interesting suggestions.  I imagine by the time you would find a young lizard to lick your cold would be well over!  Other suggestions include the consumption of whey, ass’s milk, mountain sage or scailt (this is a type of gruel).  An infusion of moss with honey and lemon juice was also recommended. To be honest this last one might be quite comforting.

There were also interesting options for tonsillitis and sore throat.  Rubbing a roast potato to the head was thought to transfer the sickness from the patient to the potato.  Similarly salt could be placed in the left foot sock and tied around the patients neck in order to draw out a sore throat.  If these attempts failed then pulling the hair at the top of the head was the next best option.

Preventative measures are also found in folk records.  Sipping forge water was thought to be beneficial.  Forge water was associated with iron which was thought to have curative properties especially  against diseases spread by fairies.  You could also try having three meals of young nettles in May.  This was thought to purify the blood and strengthen the stamina for the forthcoming year.

It’s interesting to look back and see what people believed in the past and how they tried to overcome disease.  Nevertheless I think I will stick to more modern remedies, no lizard hunting for me!

Over the last couple of months I have been receiving emails promoting  Acai Berries as a superfood capable of slowing down the aging process, helping with weight loss and providing energy.  If all this were to be believed then the Acai Berry would surely be more of a miracle food than a superfood.  Just think, a simple fruit that can make you look younger, be thinner and give you lots of energy.

So what are Acai Berries?  Well……. they are berries.  Admittedly they come all the way from the Amazonian rain forest but they are berries non the less.  This berry is the fruit of the Acai Palm  and it has been harvested by the Amazonian Indians for hundreds of years.  You will no doubt have heard that Amazonian Indians are slim, youthful in appearance and have boundless energy!!!

So what are the health benefits?  Dr. David Bender who writes for the Healthwatch publication looked  at  papers published up to August 2008 to see if any of the claims have been substantiated by scientific research.  He concluded that there was no mention in any paper of any possible or likely weight reducing action associated with the berries. The berries are in fact high in Vitamin C but we are not in general deficient in this vitamin so there is no need to eat Acai berries in particular to fulfill our daily requirements.  Most nutritionists would agree that there is no magic pill for weight loss with exercise and a balanced diet being the time tested method of choice.

Acai berries just like all berries do not store or travel well. They are usually exported as dried products or in juice with other fruits.  In the developed world there is a market for exotic fruit and the current trend for Acai berries has at least given local farmers the opportunity to earn some money.  So there is no reason at all not to eat and enjoy the fruit.  It will just not make you thin.

However a more sinister problem has developed.  There are some unscrupulous companies advertising free trials Acai Berries on line.  The catch of course is that you must provide credit card details for postage and packaging.  If you do not cancel your subscription within a very short period of time you will be charged for further deliveries.  There are even reports of people being charged who have cancelled their subscriptions within the stated time period.  The scam is world wide with complaints from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and the UK.

Whether it is exaggerated health claims or supposed free trials the old rule of thumb still applies.  If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is!!

We are all familiar with the idea of eating for comfort  and pleasure and how difficult it is to be disciplined . A recent study conducted by Peggy Mason and Hayley Foo has thrown some light on this problem. The researchers show that eating chocolate or drinking water can have a painkilling effect even in the absence of hunger or thirst.

In their study lab rats were given either a chocolate chip or had plain water or sugar water (containing saccharine) infused directly into their mouths.  As they were eating or drinking a light bulb was turned on under their cage.  Normally the rats would raise their paws to avoid the pain caused by the heat of the bulb.  However in this case the rats were much slower to respond the the heat.  It did not matter whether they were eating  chocolate or drinking  water, the delay in raising their paws was the same and so the researchers have concluded that the pain relief factor is not linked to the calorie content of the food.

When the rats were fed a sour drink which they did not like they reacted quickly to the heat stimulus which suggested that non pleasurable food  fails to activate pain relief.  Further tests were run whereby the rats were made ill by drug treatment and were unable to eat.  Again it was demonstrated that water alone could have a pain relief effect.  The researchers conclude therefore that consuming food or drink that is liked (called hedonic food) activates a pain relief response in the animal.

In the brain stem there is an area called the raphe mangus which is responsible for automatic functions such as breathing or perspiring.  When this area was removed in the rats the pain relief effect was no longer experienced.  Basically activation of the raphe mangus causes animals to filter out all distractions and to focus on food until it is all gone.  In the wild this is of tremendous benefit to animals as they do better if they are not distracted during the limited periods when food is available.  It seems that the  pain relief is basically a pleasure sensation associated with eating something good  and it is not activated when the animal eats something toxic or harmful.

The authors believe that this effect can also be seen in humans.  Once we begin to eat something we like we can continue eating until it is gone even when we know this behaviour is bad.  Basically we are biologically destined to eat what is available.  Since there is a lot more food available to us in many parts of the world we now see a big increase in obesity.  Understanding the mechanisms behind overeating may help us to deal with the obesity problem at some point.

Analgesia accompanying food consumption requires injestion of hedonic foods.  Journal of Neuroscience. October 14th. 2009

In an extensive study conducted by Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School and James Fowler of the University of California it was concluded that obesity could be considered to be a social contagion which spreads from person to person.

Over a 32 year period, data ,including weight and social and family relationships,  from over 12,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study was analysed.  The researchers found that overall the participants gained weight during this period and that this was in line with the rise in obesity levels in the US in general.  However as the study also tracked the social networking within the group, the researchers found clusters of thin and heavy individuals.  It was not simply the case that thin people or fat people hung out together or that groups of people eat the same types of food or exercised in a similar way.  What the researchers found was that as people become obese there is a shift in what is regarded as the norm within a group.  It is ok to be big if everyone in your group is big.

The study found that if a close friend becomes obese, even if they live quite far away, a person’s  chance of becoming obese increases by 57%.  On the other hand if a family member becomes obese then the risk increases by only 40%. This is a significant difference.

Lots of research has been done into trying to find genes responsible for obesity.  What this study shows is that time should also be spent in trying to understand the effect we have on each other.  The social networking effect has been found to  extend to three degrees of separation.  It makes sense then that in helping one person to lose weight the beneficial effect can possibly spread to a large number of individuals.  The study has indeed shown that obesity and thinness is contagious.

The research was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging.

Researchers at the University of California have conducted a study on the changes in hormone levels which occur in men when they interact with pretty women.  Psychologists found that after a 5 minute talk with an attractive woman, testosterone levels rise by 14% and cortisol by 48%.  Testosterone is linked with male libido, health and well being and leads to an energy boost.  Cortisol raises alertness and calms the nerves.  Together Testosterone and Cortisol give the effect of feeling more alive.  In other words there is a feel good factor at play.

149 male students between the ages of 18 and 24 were tested in the experiment.  One third of the participants spoke to a male researcher and this group experienced a drop of between 2 to 7% in their hormone levels. The remaining students spoke with young female undergraduates and this group experienced the beneficial effects of raised hormone levels.

A further point of interest is that testosterone levels in men diminish as they get older and men in long term relationships have lower levels than men still “playing the field”.  So if you are a man the message seems to be, stop talking to your male friends, dump your long term partner and find pretty young women to talk to!

Good luck with that!!

With the winter fast approaching in the northern hemisphere we will probably see an increase in the number of swine flu infections.  Some of the terminology used in discussing this infection can be quite confusing  so here are some terms you may come across.

An infection is said to be Endemic in a population when  there is a constant amount of  infection present.  For example in the UK there will be a number of chicken pox cases reported each year.  The chicken pox is passed around from person to person but as long as the number infected remains more or less the same each year, then we can say that chicken pox is endemic in the population.

On the other hand if we take malaria as an example, we will find a number of cases detected each year in travelers returning from abroad.  The number may even be the same from year to year.  There is one significant difference however, and that is, that the infection cannot be passed on from person to person.  In the case of malaria we need the presence of an external factor for the disease to run through the population.  This factor is the malaria carrying mosquito and since this insect does not exist in the UK, the disease cannot become endemic.

The definition rests on the fact that the numbers infected each year remains substantially the same and that the disease is capable of passing from person to person.

An Epidemic occurs when new cases of infection exceed substantially what is normally expected in a population.  The epidemic could be restricted to a specific hub such as a school or a city or it could affect an entire country.  For an epidemic we need high levels of infection that eventually level out and fall back.

For a Pandemic to occur we need a completely new disease to emerge which can be transmitted globally.  The present swine flu pandemic is such a disease.

The problem with the use of these terms in is that they lead to emotional responses in the general public.  When we hear of an epidemic or pandemic we assume the worst.  The terms refer to numbers and transmission of infection but they do not describe the seriousness of any disease.  For example it is possible to have a pandemic of a very mild infection. So when we hear of epidemics or pandemics we need to look at the disease in question as well as the risk of infection .