Daily Diet Blog

December 29, 2007

Sodium’s Influence on Diet

Filed under: Health & Fitness Tips — EatingToLive @ 6:57 pm

Gosh, I’d have to say that besides sugar and fat, salt is definitely one of my downfalls when it comes to my diet.  Even when I’m watching the sugars and the fats in my diet, I tend to salt my food more and use saltier seasonings to make up for the flavor I feel is lacking because I can’t use a lot of the “other bad stuff” in my food or recipes.  Salt is really tasty, let’s face it.  That’s why fast food tastes so good - it’s sodium content is usually out of control!

High sodium usually leads to high blood pressure which, among other things, can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease and failure.  It can also make you retain lots of water, and that doesn’t make for a pretty sight - ladies can side with me on that one, since our hormones often make us retain a lot of water and seemingly gain weight overnight sometimes.  Water weight and water retention are one of the reasons that people with heart problems are often prescribed water pills that make them get rid of excess water retention.

So, what can excess sodium do to your diet and your body, respectively, and how can you better control the sodium intake in your diet to achieve greater health, and hopefully better blood pressure? 

Well, we do need SOME sodium in our diet.  It is essential to nerve function, and certain systems would shut down without this important mineral believe it or not.  However, studies have been done that show most Americans consume more than three times the recommended daily allowance of sodium (salt) in their diet. 

First of all, don’t salt your food, especially if the food has already been cooked with some salt or has been cooked with seasonings that contain sodium.  Or, of course if the food you are eating has a lot of naturally occurring sodium, then please do not salt your food.  This may seem really hard to do at first, believe me, if I had high blood pressure, I would greatly miss salting my food.  However, people I know who have stopped salting their food say that they actually grow accustomed to it without extra salt, and prefer it that way.

Read the sodium content on all of your food before you buy it in the store.  If there is an option, especially in canned veggies, make sure you buy the low sodium option instead of the regular canned veggies.  At fast food places, almost always opt for the burger without cheese and many condiments, as this is where much of the sodium comes in.  A salad at these places is the ideal choice actually, but if you have to, just take the cheese off and hold most condiments if possible. 

 

December 26, 2007

Some Diet Supplements Contain Steroids?

Filed under: Diet and Weightloss News — EatingToLive @ 12:34 pm

Well, I guess this doesn’t come as a total shock, in the wake of the news that many of the so called natural men’s male enhancement supplements are laced with prescription drugs like Cialis and Viagra, but to me it still seems like a blatant stab at the trust of consumers.  Apparently, some dietary supplements have been found to contain steroids and other stimulants that are actually illegal. 

The studies were actually prompted after the attention drawn to something called “doping” in professional athletics like the Olympics and other professional games like football and biking (remember the whole Tour de France brew haha), and some athletes being accused of doping, or taking enhancement drugs and stimulants to enhance performance. 

They vehemently denied taking anything that was illegal to their game or to their profession to enhance their performance, and this prompted attention to regular supplements that they may have been taking that could have tilted the tests in the direction of doping since they contained controlled substances that these athletes supposedly unknowingly took. 

In the studies, supposedly a large percentage of dietary supplements contained stimulants that are banned or contain steroids, but usually they only contained traces of these substances.  I found that interesting, because of all of the dietary supplements I’ve ever taken I’ve never exeperienced any extremely negative side effects besides the shakiness that I tend to get even from natural stimulants. 

December 24, 2007

Happy Holidays from Daily Diet Blog!

Filed under: Health News — EatingToLive @ 7:34 pm

Just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a wonderful holiday, whatever you might be celebrating.  For me, it’s Christmas, so Merry Christmas!  Tis the season to be with friends and family and have a lot of holiday cheer - which means lots of food. 

Hopefully we helped you a little with getting through that difficult time, but if not, this next year holds lots of exciting new prospects in the field of natural diet products like herbal weight loss pills and hoodia diet gum, which help to zap the appetite and get your waistline back in order.  Here’s a to a great year in 2008 for the diet and weight watching community.  To your continued health and happiness! 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM DAILYDIETBLOG.COM!!

December 23, 2007

The Weight Watchers Approach to Losing Weight

Filed under: Weight Loss — EatingToLive @ 8:01 am

Weight Watchers diet plan has been around for decades and has been highly touted as a sensible way to lose weight that is nutritionally sound and balanced.  Weight Watchers has good practical  advice on ways to stay on their diet plan and still remain sociable and go out to eat.
With Weight Watchers online, you can look up literally hundreds of restaurant menus and learn how to choose wisely and still lose weight.  Also covered on their online information are hundreds of recipes for at home dining that you can follow when you are on Weight Watchers and your family is not.
If you like the support group approach to dieting, you can find meetings near you for weekly confidential weigh ins to monitor your progress.  At the Weight Watcher meetings, you will have a trained leader who has lost weight, I believe usually without the help of natural appetite suppressants, but cannot say for sure. 
Guidance, with a community approach, definitely helps with the psychological factor and support needed to stay on track with losing the pounds.  Weight Watcher meetings last about a half an hour and can assist to keep you motivated.
When I entered my zip code, I found 10 selections for meetings within a 20 mile or less radius.  Meetings were varied time wise from weekdays to weekends, with some in the mornings and some in the evenings, so Weight Watchers is easily accessible for group support.
For assistance in between meetings, you can utilize the internet with Weight Watchers etools to find a healthy and allowable snack.  By using the internet help in between meetings, people may lose up to 30% more weight on average.
Fitness advice is offered through the Weight Watchers program to enhance your dietary program.  Workout plans are offered and specifically designed for men or women.
The standard monthly plan for Weight Watchers is $46.90 for the first month and $16.95 for each month after that. The money would be well spent if you stay motivated by the group approach and seriously need to address weight loss.

December 21, 2007

A Size Two is Not Fat

Filed under: Dieting Trends — EatingToLive @ 11:26 pm

Recent negative press has blasted Jennifer Love Hewitt, actress and star of television’s Ghost Whisperer, for a supposed recent weight gain.  This actress is of a healthy weight and there is nothing to criticize this woman for. 
This kind of ridiculous exaggeration of a few curves on a woman is enough to give all women a negative perception of their body image- If they listen.
Jennifer Love Hewitt has defended her size and shape and blasted back at the press for their hypercritical assessment of women’s bodies.  This actress counters that she is a size 2 and very happy with her body and her life, including her recent engagement to Ross McCall, a Scottish actor. 
I was glad to see this actress come back strongly and state that she loves her body.  This kind of scrutiny of the feminine ideal body allows for no curves and no true feminine shape.  Women, especially young teens, who listen to such criticism, will be more prone to anorexia and bulimia and will be forever discontented with who they are.  In Hollywood, many young actresses rely on appetite suppressants that are dangerous and not natural, and many times even have adverse side effects, just to maintain a size zero. 

There is such a thing as being too thin and less than a size 2 would be considered underweight by most standards of health.  So, women, love your bodies as you are, be healthy, and don’t think you have to be pencil thin to be attractive.

December 18, 2007

Laid Up? Take Advantage and Eat Less

Filed under: Health & Fitness Tips — EatingToLive @ 5:19 pm

I was inspired to write this post because I am, at the moment and for the past week, laid up.  What I mean by laid up is I can’t work out and I can’t be on my feet for very long at one time, let alone work out.  So, as a consequence, I’ve had to be sitting down a lot of the time (which I can’t stand, I’m used to working out) and I cannot stand for long periods of time, nor walk around for long periods of time.  Which puts a damper on two things - working out and holiday shopping! 

So, I really didn’t want to gain exponential amounts of weight because my physical activity is so limited for the next couple of weeks, and knew that although I might want to snack out of boredom, I would have to really watch my appetite. 

I’m going to try chewing the hoodia gum for a while so that my appetite is suppressed, although with the reduced activity my appetite is not out of control, I’d like to make sure my caloric intake is lower than usual so I can take advantage of this time I cannot move too much and maybe shrink my stomach a bit. 

Kill two birds with one stone, eh?  Anyways, that is the plan and after a week of being laid up it seems I havent’ gained much weight, I’ve just gotten more flabby because I can’t keep up on my muscle tone and strength training. 

December 16, 2007

Hoodia - How Does it Work?

Filed under: Herbal Supplements — EatingToLive @ 11:38 am

Hoodia Godonii is that infamous cactus-type plant that has been said to contain the wonders of appetite suppression.  Even a popular news anchor said that when she tried pure hoodia, she noticed a marked decrease in her appetite, and even in her thirst.  You see, the hoodia cactus, or succulent plant, has been used for years and years by a group of men in Africa called the San bushmen, a tribe that largely relies on men to go out and hunt and gather their food.  Hoodia works by sending signals of fullness to the brain through a molecule contained in the plant.   

On days long excursions to bring food back to their families, the bushmen would take this plant and eat it.  They used it because somehow they had discovered that the plant suppressed hunger when it was eaten, or taken in to the blood stream somehow (eating is one of the best ways to do that). 

They found that they did not need to eat or drink as much on their hunting and gathering excursions, so they had to take less with them, and this didn’t slow them down like it used to.  After all, eating and drinking takes time and energy away from the tast at hand, and they were all business! 

So now, in modern day society, we find ourselves not looking for appetite suppressants like hoodia to help us hunt and gather without interruption and diversion, but to help us shed weight because we are no longer a hunting and gathering society, food is all too readily available for most of us, and the irony is that we are now trying to find things like the hoodia plant to curb our hunger so that we eat less, to lose weight. 

Does hoodia work though?  Well, yes, I can tell you it does.  I’ve taken pure hoodia and the supplement definitley makes a noticeable difference in appetite, and it even did make a differency in my constant thirst for water - a first for me, since I am always thirsty!  The hoodia gum I used produced a constant stream of the magic little molecule that curbs hunger, and I went the whole day with eating and snacking less, so yes it does work and it is easy to use.   

December 14, 2007

Bowtrol Review

Filed under: Dietary Supplements — EatingToLive @ 9:25 am

Well, I figured I’d point out, since tis the season for over doing it on food, which often includes lots of cheese, crackers and other starches and dairies, including system clogging fats and sweets, that we have a review on DDB of a very effective and popular bowel cleanser that is all natural called Bowtrol. 

We reviewed Bowtrol because we feel that the colon is the root of many health problems, and it is the thing that keeps us feeling good, emptied out, and healthy.  When our bowels are clogged, including our colons, our intestines and our bellies, it means that other systems suffer the consequences as well.  In fact, when we are clogged up, or constipated often, we tend to get cranky, anxious and we just feel that we are not “well” as we should be. 

It is a complete system (or you can also purchase the separate components if you don’t want the whole system), that is designed to clear out the entire digestive and waste tract of debris, including excess mucus and deposits left by those of us who love our dairy.  It then also includes another step in the process, which is to add healthy flora back into the digestive tract. 

This healthy flora actually helps us feel gas free and good since it helps to mitigate gas buildup in the intestines, and is a necessity for a smooth flowing digestive and elimination system.  Not only that, but the Bowtrol bowel cleanser, which gently cleanses the bowels of waste by increasing the output of waste from our bodies and cleansing the tract that pushes it all through, helps to rebuild the strength and efficiency of systems that have been slowed by years of build up or abuse - or neglect. 

Let’s face it, we all want to eat healthfully in way that supports bowel and digestive health, but we cannot always do it.  That’s why I’m thankful that a system such as Bowtrol offers a way to sort of undo some of that.  See the Bowtrol review for a complete review of the bowel cleanser system. 

December 12, 2007

Low Cal Alcohol Alternatives for Holidays

Filed under: Low Cal Ideas — EatingToLive @ 5:07 pm

We all know that the holiday’s means pigging out on sweets and other nutritious no-no’s like mashed potatoes, turkey with gravy, stuffing and candied yams, but what about the alcohol aspect of it for those of us who enjoy a holiday cocktail or two?  Unfortunately many of those drinks, like Cosmopolitans, white russians and other fattening, sugary alcoholic drinks, really pile on the calories, and worse yet -they’re empty calories because they have no nutritional value, and they don’t even fill you up or satisfy any type of hunger.

So, what if you don’t want to pack on the empty calories, but you’d like to enjoy yourself a nice cold drink, or even hot drink for that matter?  Well, there are some “lesser evil” options when it comes to alcoholic drink consumption.  And what are they you ask?  Well, wine for one is not a bad option if you’re looking for something that doesn’t get digested like a pure refined sugar.  Wine is sugary, yes, but it is not metabolized the same way alcohol itself is because of the process by which is it made.

If you’re going to a bar or other festivity where there is an open bar, try to mix your alcoholic drinks with diet cola’s or other low cal mixers instead of several different juices or syrupy, sugar loaded drink mixes.  A perfect example of the bad alcohol drink is the Cosmo and the margarita. 

Margarita mix is usually super sugary, and it even adds so many more calories than if you had a few of say a rum and diet coke.  In other words, you can get more of a punch if you order a few rum and diet cokes than if you drink one margarita, and for only about half the calories!

December 11, 2007

A Little Extra Poundage

Filed under: Dieting Trends — EatingToLive @ 10:23 pm

For people who are constantly dieting and struggling to lose that extra 15 to 20 pounds, there’s some good news on the horizon.  Some of the latest medical research is indicating that being 25 pounds over your ideal weight does not raise your risk of dying from a heart attack or cancer.
The key word to look at here is that this refers to people who are moderately overweight, not obese.  Once you have surpassed a body- mass index of 30 and are considered obese, then you are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer.  Many people are resorting to health and fitness supplements for fat loss to help them restore a good BMI, or body fat ratio and get them back in good graces and in tandem with their heart.  

If you are merely moderately overweight, but not obese, you are at a lower risk to die from pneumonia, emphysema, injuries or infection.  However, moderately overweight people are more likely to die from diabetes and it’s complications or kidney disease.
For people who were aged 25 to 59, there is an actual benefit in fighting diseases such as pneumonia, injury or infections if you have a weight moderately above your ideal weight.  One of the theories behind this phenomenon is that your body is holding nutritional reserves for fighting these kinds of illnesses.
Not all people are meant to be thin and perhaps holding a little weight over your ideal is not such a bad thing after all.  More emphasis on physical fitness and exercising so you remain toned and active as you age is probably a healthier outlook.  If you’re looking to cut your appetite to help you along the road to fitness, tiy can try a good appetite suppressant like hoodia gum, which controls the appetite naturally and continuously throughout the day.

Perhaps this news will placate some of the hysteria over weight loss as an over reaction to the obesity epidemic.  Nutritionally balanced meals, fitness and a positive self image is healthier whether you hold a little extra padding or not.

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