By Carol Chuang, MS, CHC, CMTA
The obesity epidemic is one of America's most serious health problems. Adult obesity rates have doubled since 1980, from 15% to 30%, while childhood obesity rates have more than tripled. Increasingly, more Americans are searching for low-calorie options to control their weight and food makers roll out new artificial sweeteners to meet this rising demand. Artificial sweeteners are a billion dollar industry. Nowadays, they are found in so many foods, from diet drinks, yogurt, snacks, dessert, candies, chewing gums, children's vitamins, over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, to even water.
"Artificial" means something that is not found in nature; it is a man-made chemical compound. When you consume them day-in, day-out, what effect do they have on your body? Is it really safe for long-term consumption? Does it really help prevent you from gaining weight?
Artificial sweeteners are just about the worst of all possible worlds, as far as dietary choices go. They are beyond processed, completely unnatural, insufficiently tested for long-term safety, and have a long history of causing health problems. They are extreme examples of what has gone wrong with our modern day diet. Studies show that people who consume diet drinks tend to gain more weight than people who consume regular soft drinks.
In the following, we will first look at why you should not consume anything sweetened with aspartame and sucralose, the two most popular artificial sweeteners on the market. Then we will look at the new stevia-based sweeteners such as Truvia and PureVia, and lastly, some natural options for your sweet tooth.
Aspartame was originally developed in a lab as a drug to treat peptic ulcer. In 1965, a scientist at G. D. Searle & Co., licked his fingers to pick up a piece of paper, and got the world's first taste of this chemical. Since its approval in 1981, aspartame has gained substantial market share over saccharin (Sweet'N Low), which has been determined to increase the risk of bladder cancer in rats.
Aspartame is also known as NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel. It is an ingredient used in over 6,000 consumer foods and beverages worldwide and is found in little blue packets at coffee shops and restaurants.
Aspartame has been touted as safe because it is made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. However, the statement is not entirely true. Aspartame is not a natural product; it is a synthesized compound composed of 50% phenylalanine (an amino acid), 40% aspartic acid (also an amino acid) and 10% methanol (wood alcohol or paint remover). Aspartame breaks down into its constituents under conditions of elevated temperature or high pH (high alkalinity). The following are some reasons why aspartame is not as safe as it claims:
Phenylalanine changes brain chemistry
· Causes mental retardation in people who have the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU).
· When consumed in high concentrations, it interferes with the growth of the fetus' brain.
· Blocks production of serotonin, a neurostransmitter that controls eating patterns, resulting in sugar and carbohydrate cravings, and weight gain. Therefore, diabetics, should never use aspartame as a substitute for sugar. Further, low serotonin is associated with symptoms from premenstrual syndrome, mood swings, to depression.
· Changes dopamine level in brain and exacerbates symptoms of Parkinson's Disease
Aspartic acid is neurotoxic
Methanol is extremely toxic
In the ten years from 1981 to 1991, 10,000 aspartame complaints had been filed with the FDA, totaling over 80% of all FDA complaints. Then in 1992, the FDA quit categorizing complaints as an aspartame grievance and began putting them into generic categories. So after 1992, no more specific aspartame complaints were recorded.
In 1976, a chemistry student at Queen Elizabeth College in London was working with his advisor to create new pesticides. They accidentally discovered an exceptionally sweet compound by adding chlorine to sugar and putting it through a lengthy chemical transformation process. This compound eventually became sucralose and is marketed by Tate & Lyle under the name Splenda. It was first approved for use in the U.S. in 1998.
Sucralose is used in more than 4,500 food and beverage products and is found in little yellow packets at coffee shops and restaurants. It has at least twice the shelf life of aspartame and unlike aspartame, does not react to heat and can be used for baking. As a result, sucralose became an overnight success.
Splenda is marketed as natural and safe, "Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar." But nowhere in nature is there any form of sugar that remotely resembles the resulting chlorinated hydrocarbon known as sucralose:
1,6-dichloro-1, 6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside.
Besides, there are no long-term safety trials done on any humans, only animals, and it was over a mere two-year period.
Since the introduction of sucralose, there have been many reported side effects:
Worse, a recent Duke University study on rats shows that Splenda
Consuming sucralose is almost like putting pesticide in your body. Tate & Lyle admitted that 15% of sucralose is absorbed by the body and some into the fat tissues, however, we don't know what amount stays and what amount gets flushed out.
In early 2009, Coca-Cola/Cargill (with brand name Truvia) as well as PepsiCo/Whole Earth Sweetener Co. (with brand name PureVia) began marketing this new no-calorie sweetener made from erythritol (a natural sugar alcohol from fruits and fermented foods) and steviol glycoside or rebiana (a single compound extracted from the South American herb, stevia).
This natural herb, stevia, has been safely used as a sweetener in South America for over 1,500 years with no known or reported harmful effects. Stevia is allowed for use as a food additive in 12 countries, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. However, to this date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still bans its use as a food additive, and only allows it as a dietary supplement to be sold in health food stores. Many believed that the FDA's actions are nothing more than a restraint to trade, designed to benefit the artificial sweetener industry as stevia is a natural herb and cannot be patented.
So the question is: Are Truvia and PureVia safe?
The answer is: We don't know yet.
Although it is quite safe to consume whole stevia leaves, there is no long-term study on whether consuming isolated compounds, like steviol glycoside, extracted from the whole herb will be harmful to humans. As we always say, time will tell.
Therefore, for diabetics seeking a zero-calorie sweetener that doesn't affect blood glucose, stevia is still the safest and most natural choice available at this moment. Remember, do not confuse Truvia and PureVia with stevia. Until the long-term effects of Truvia and PureVia are determined, it is not wise to play guinea pig with your own health.
Although natural sweeteners are much more nutritious than refined sugars and contain vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, they are still caloric and have an effect on blood glucose (except stevia). Therefore, use in moderation. If you struggle with diabetes or extra weight, you are better off avoiding them.
The following are some healthier sweet options:
Agave nectar: Made from the agave plant in Mexico. Agave is less viscous than honey and has a neutral taste. Contains mainly fructose with some glucose.
Barley Malt: Dark, sticky, and boldly flavored. Contains primarily maltose, a complex sugar.
Date Sugar: Ground from dehydrated dates. Can be used in baking but not for beverages as the tiny pieces won't dissolve.
Honey: A whole food made by bees from flower nectar. Raw is best as the enzymes are not destroyed during processing.
Maple Syrup: Boiled-down sap of maple trees. Look for 100% maple syrup with no additives.
Maple Sugar: What is left when all of the liquid has been cooked out of maple syrup. It is about twice as sweet as refined white sugar.
Molasses Unsulfured molasses is made from the juice of sun-ripened cane; sulfured molasses is a byproduct of refined sugar; blackstrap molasses is the residue of the cane syrup after the sugar crystals have been separated.
Rice Syrup: A traditional Asian sweetener made from rice starch converted into maltose, a complex sugar.
Sorghum Syrup: From sorghum cane juice, boiled to syrup.
Stevia: A natural zero-calorie sweetener that does not spike blood glucose. Available as a powder or extract, its taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar; some say it has a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste. Many stevia manufactures have extracted the bitterness from the herb, so look for a brand that agrees with you most.
© Carol Chuang 2009
The winning formula to weight loss is to expend more calories than you take in from food.
The output portion of this formula is your metabolic rate. It is the rate at which your body uses energy, measured as the number of calories you burn over a given period of time.
Your metabolic rate is made up of three components:
In general, when you want to lose weight, you can
Many people go on extreme diets to lose weight, not understanding what low calorie dieting can do to your body.
Therefore, crash diets are counter-productive. Instead, you should focus on eating a sensible diet of natural, non-processed foods.
In addition, understanding your specific body type is equally important when losing weight. Just as you are unique in all other respects, your body has a unique biochemistry that requires certain proportions and types of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that differs from other peoples' requirements. Learning your metabolic type will help you get started on an eating plan that is right for you. Coupled with a fired up metabolism, you will then achieve permanent weight loss.
There are two ways to fire up your metabolism --
(1) INCREASE YOUR BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)
Before discussing how to increase your BMR, if you have difficulty losing weight or are battling continued weight gain, the first thing you should do is to get a thyroid test. This is a simple blood test for thyroid hormones. If you have undiagnosed hypothyroidism (a slow thyroid) or if your condition is not adequately treated, almost anything you do to raise your metabolism will fail.
Your BMR is influenced by a number of factors --
Most effective way to increase your BMR --
(2) INCREASE YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Caution:
5 Tips To Fire Up Your Metabolism
If eating carbs trigger an insulin response, does it mean that we should not eat carbs at all? Not exactly. First of all, some people have a higher tolerance for carbohydrates than others due to genetic differences in their ability to metabolize various foods into energy. According to Metabolic Typing, there are three general classifications of body types: the Carb, Protein, and Mixed Types. Carb Types can tolerate and eat relatively more carbs than the Mixed and Protein Types. If you eat more carbs than your metabolism calls for, you will have a tendency to store fat and gain weight. Hence, it is advisable to find out more about your own unique body chemistry and learn how to eat according to your body type so that you can give your body the fuel it needs to run optimally.
First of all, some people have a higher tolerance for carbohydrates than others due to genetic differences in their ability to metabolize various foods into energy.
Secondly, not all carbs are created equal What distinguishes between good and bad carbs is the fiber. Good carbs are fiber carbs and bad carbs are non-fiber carbs.
Moreover, alcohol itself has no nutrients and is high in calories (7 calories per gram), almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram) and much more than carbs or protein (4 calories per gram).
Fiber carbs
Insulin, Exercise, And Weight Loss
When you exercise, you want the body to burn fat. However, if your insulin levels are high during exercise, your body will end up burning sugar rather than fat. That explains why many people see very little or no results in weight reduction even though they exercise.
Professional athletes go on a low-carbohydrate diet when they train - they are essentially burning fat. The night before their event, they load up on carbs. The rise in insulin instructs the body to store glycogen in the liver and muscles, so that they can go into a sugar burning mode for enhanced athletic performance.
To lose weight, you want the body to burn fat - that means the insulin response must be moderated. Most importantly, eliminate the non-fiber carbs and the high glycemic foods. Instead, focus mostly on the fiber carbs - in particular, those with low and moderate glycemic levels.
© Carol Chuang 2008
Holiday means a lot of parties, family gatherings, and plenty of food. It is not too hard to end up eating or drinking too much. On average, people gain 1-2 pounds during the holidays. 1-2 pounds is not a big deal. The problem is most people end up keeping that weight, and 10 years later you are 10-20 pounds heavier.
There are a lot of temptations around this time of the year - delicious holiday meals, pies, cookies, etc. But with a little help, you can avoid gaining extra pounds during the holidays.
NUTRITION TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
1. Be realistic
Instead of trying to lose weight over the holidays, just strive to maintain your weight.
Many people believe that if they skip breakfast or lunch, they can save the calories for the holiday dinner. That sounds like a good idea, but skipping meals will make you really hungry. When surrounded by high calorie holiday treats, it is more likely that you will turn into a raving eating-machine and end up consuming more calories that you have saved earlier in the day.
Don't skip meals, just eat sensibly. Have a bowl of whole grain cereal with some almonds, fruits and low fat milk for breakfast. For lunch, have a big salad with some lean protein or a sandwich made with whole grain bread. This will keep your body fueled throughout the day.
It is not advisable to go to a party starving. You are better off having a nutritious snack before you go. A high fiber snack will keep you full and you might not eat as much at the party. A small salad, a piece of fruit, a cup of vegetable soup, a small bowl of cereal or oatmeal will curb the hunger.
If you are bringing food to a party, bring something healthier so that you can eat it without feeling guilty. Salads, vegetarian lasagna, hummus with cut up vegetables are some good choices.
If you are hosting, prepare healthier versions of traditional recipes. Please see the section below on Healthy Holiday Cooking Tips.
Studies have shown that people who use smaller plates generally eat less. It is also more satisfying to see that you have a full plate of food even though you are using a smaller plate.
Load up the plate with healthy vegetables, fruits, whole grain crackers, and lean meats. Beware of cream-based soups or sauces, stuffing and gravy loaded with fatty ingredients, and pumpkin desserts with tons of cream, butter, and sugar.
Eat smaller amounts of the less healthy foods that you love. No one wants to feel deprived, so look over the buffet or serving table and pick out something that you really would enjoy. Take a small portion and savor it slowly.
Savor every bite of your food. Chew each bite thoroughly before you swallow. Avoid gulping it down as if someone is trying to steal it from you. This will give your stomach time to register the feeling of fullness. Set your fork down between bites. Have a sip of water. Relax and enjoy your company and the conversation.
Mild dehydration can give you the feeling of hunger. Have a glass or two of water before you start drinking alcoholic beverages, and have one in between drinks to slow down the alcohol consumption. When you drink too much alcohol, you are prone to overeat too.
Hot toddies may keep you warm at night, but these hot drinks, along with hot chocolate, pumpkin-spice lattes, eggnog, and apple cider are a quick and easy way to take in a lot of extra calories. A 16-oz Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte with 2% milk and whipped cream packs 380 calories, while the same size caramel apple cider has 410 calories.
Once you have gotten your food, move to a different part of the room. As they say - out of sight, out of mind. At least, you will have to think about what you have to do before refilling your plate.
Offer your guests to take home some of the leftovers or politely decline to take them home. You do not want to have a lot of unhealthy foods sitting in your fridge because it is just too much temptation for the next day.
Tell your family and friends that you are trying to avoid gaining weight during the holidays. Ask for their support and encouragement.
Exercise is a great way to control your weight and reduce stress during the holidays. Keep your exercise routines going, that way the occasional treat won't land permanently on your thighs or belly. Even if you are so busy that you have to cut your workout time in half, it still keeps you in the routine. Because once you stop, it's very difficult to start up again.
Forgive yourself and make sure your next meal or snack is a healthy one, and the next meal after that, and the next one, and so on.
1. Bring out the natural flavors of food
Rule No. 1 is to enjoy the autumn harvest simply prepared without lots of extra fat and sugar. A roasted sweet potato is so delicious it really doesn't need the extra butter, brown sugar, nuts, and marshmallows. Simple peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces. Toss with a little olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and herbs (e.g. rosemary, thyme). Roast in 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
Instead of using cream or full-fat milk, try substituting with non-fat evaporated skim milk. It gives the food richness without all the extra calories and cholesterol. This works for soups, sauces, as well as mashed potatoes.
Instead of butter, add herbs and garlic to mashed potatoes to give it more flavor. Substitute sour cream with a low-fat version or try low-fat yogurt.
When using cheese, instead of putting in large quantities of mild cheeses, try grating some fresh Parmesan cheese on top for flavor. By using a stronger cheese, you can get away with using less.
Whole grain breads and rolls are much better for you than the bleached whites; the same goes for rice. Be adventurous, go for wild rice, whole wheat couscous, or quinoa.
Cooking the stuffing inside the turkey means absorbing all the grease from the turkey. By baking it in a separate dish allows you to control the amount of added fat. Make a low-fat stuffing by adding fruits, vegetables, and stock. Flavor it with lots of fresh herbs.
Prosciutto is dry-cured Italian ham. Thinnly sliced prosciutto can be used like bacon for flavor. It has much less fat than the regular bacon. Turkey bacon is another option. Look for nitrite/nitrate-free prosciutto and turkey bacon.
Substitute 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount of oil called for in a recipe with applesauce. Most people will not be able to tell the difference.
Instead of white refined sugar, use maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup. These natural sweeteners are much more nutritious and have a lower Glycemic Index (GI) than white sugar. Agave nectar has the lowest GI among all sweeteners.
Grilling, baking, and broiling are much healthier options. Just don't char the meats too much.
Pumpkin layer cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and bread puddings turn the vitamin A-rich pumpkin into a decadently fattening dessert. Serve a crustless, low-fat pumpkin custard by using fat-free evaporated milk and natural sweeteners.
By Carol Chuang
Do you carry most of your extra pounds around your waist or your hips? Being significantly overweight is, of course, unhealthy, but it is also critical where the fat is being stored. Apple-shaped individuals (androids) with a lot of abdominal fat have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers than pear-shaped individuals (gynoids) who accumulate fat in the hips, buttocks, and thighs. What Determines Body Weight And Fat Distribution? Many factors determine your body weight. However, you are genetically overweight if you have a family history of overweight parents or relatives. Also, the nervous system plays an important role in balancing the body weight - serotonin and endorphins send signals to the brain that induce the need to eat, while another hormone, called CCK, transmits the brain signals on the state of satiety which decreases hunger. While generally body weight is influenced genetically, hormonally, and by the level of physical activity, scientists believe that fat distribution is influenced, to a great extent, by gender specific hormones. Estrogens are responsible for the typical female sexual characteristics, hence, the pear shape with more fat on the hips, buttocks, and thighs. Testosterone, on the other hand, being a principal male sex hormone leads to fat being accumulated towards the tummy and upper body. Recent studies show that people have an increasing tendency towards the apple-shaped format in the past 30 years. Researchers believe that modern life exposes people to increased amounts of hormone-like substances that affect fat distribution. Sources include plastics, pesticides, herbicides, birth control pills, commercially raised beef, chicken and pork, detergent, canned foods, and lacquers. While most of the fat in the hips and thighs is stored just under the skin (subcutaneous fat), more fat in the midsection is stored in and around the liver and other organs (visceral fat). The problem with visceral fat is that it releases hormones and inflammatory compounds which scientists believe interfere with the good functioning of vital organs and account for some of the adverse health effects seen in the apple-shaped individuals. Waist-To-Hip Ratio (WHR) The best way to measure whether you have excessive amounts of upper body fat is the waist-to-hip ratio. Divide the waist measurement (at the navel) by the hip measurement (widest part of your buttocks). Upper limits are 0.95 for men and 0.80 for women. Women with WHR within the 0.80 range are less susceptible to major diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and ovarian cancers. Men with WHR within the 0.95 range are less likely to have prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
How To Shrink The Big Apple? There is no way to lose fat just around your waist, except by losing weight. In other words, you cannot spot reduce. You have to exercise your whole body (walk briskly, ride a bike, lift weights, etc.) to burn more calories and reduce your daily calorie intake.Don't smoke as smoking is associated with abdominal fat accumulation.Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleeping less could serve as a trigger to the body to increase food intake and store fat. Studies have shown that the levels of two appetite-related hormones - leptin (appetite control) and ghrelin (appetite stimulant) - can be affected by sleep deprivation. During sleep deprivation, leptin levels fall and ghrelin levels rise, which can be a recipe for ravenous, tired people raiding the refrigerator when they should have turned in earlier. A Comment About Fat Cells Generally speaking, we are born with a predetermined number of fat cells which grows through late childhood and puberty, after which it is pretty much set. So when you gain weight, the fat cells just got filled up. However, when the fats cells have expanded to their maximum size as in the case of the obese, they can divide and produce an increase in the actual number of fat cells! This explains why some people have to work extra hard to lose weight and keep the weight off.
Nevertheless, it is physically possible to shrink your fat cells and reduce your body fat; it will just require more time and a stricter but sensible diet and exercise regimen. Just remember, carrying those extra fat on your body can lead to serious long-term health risks.
© Copyright Carol Chuang, 2008.
Stress is not necessarily a bad thing; a little stress can motivate you. The only time you won't have stress is when you are six feet under.
In primitive times, if someone encountered a bear or a tiger, his body would start producing catabolic (stress) hormones called cortisol so that he could be physically prepared to engage in "fight or flight". For modern man, the very same mechanism is at work as a response to the stressors each of us encounters on a daily basis. Stress can shorten your life. It interferes with the regenerative work that stem cells do in your body. When stress hormones damage tissues, cells and organs, stem cells come to the rescue. They stay idle in your bone marrow until needed, then snap into action to replace damaged cells.
However, if you are always mentally revved up, stem cells can't do their jobs. Your brain needs to be on idle before stem cells can go to work. Also, you don't have an infinite supply of stem cells. The more you use to repair stress damage, the fewer you have to make other repairs to your body later. That explains why stress plays an important role in the development of degenerative diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Stress can make you fat. Stress hormones encourage anabolic processes like fat storage, especially in the abdomen. When you are chronically stressed, your body produces too much cortisol which slows down your metabolism. You tend to crave fatty, salty and/or sugary foods. Prolonged stress can also alter your blood sugar levels and lead to greater health problems such as diabetes. Stress can affect proper sleep. Some people seem to lose sleep over periods of stress while others seem to sleep like a baby. Research suggests that the difference may be explained by the ways people cope. Those who tend to get wrapped up on their emotions and anxiety during the high-stress period are more likely to have poor sleep, while those who tend to stay focused mainly on the tasks at-hand sleep better and shut themselves off from stress. Hence, it is essential that we learn how to cope with the stressors in our daily lives.
Life Skills for Coping with Stress
Gather the gang. Leaning on friends or family during major life events (such as divorce, job loss, or death) can help alleviate the stress you encounter from these upheavals in life. Never under estimate the importance of a good support system. Act like a mountain climber. When you face an insurmountable task, instead of complaining or resisting it, change your attitude to accept the challenge. Then do what mountain climbers do: take one step at a time. Break unmanageable obstacles into smaller, doable pieces. Learn to relax. Deep breathing, meditation, guided imagery, journaling, positive affirmations, massage, yoga, humor, and pet ownership are some ways to help you relieve stress. It is particularly important to de-stress before bedtime to ensure that you have quality sleep during periods of stress.
Many people use alcohol to relax themselves. Alcohol, after causing a short period of stimulation, does have a sedative effect and help you fall asleep faster. However, alcohol is metabolized rapidly in your body and it actually impairs your sleep during the second half of the night. You tend to have shallower sleep and awake more easily. Alcohol is also likely to worsen snoring and sleep apnea (a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep). Get moving. With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. However, the secretion of too much cortisol can have an adverse impact on your immune system. Regular exercise is useful in removing the byproducts of the stress response and allows the body to return to equilibrium. Furthermore, the release of endorphins during physical activity will provide an analgesic (pain relieving) effect and promote a sense of euphoria.
