Diet and Weightloss News

Big Game Day : Got Your Appetite On?

It’s the big game today – the Super Bowl. Like the last Super Bowl, you’ll see two great teams battle it out, and you’ll be tempted with delicious foods.  Eli Manning New York Giants vs. Tom Brady and the Patriots.  Regardless of who you’re rooting for today (I’m for the NY Giants, Tom Brady bothers me on a personal level for some reason), we all know that today is one of the biggest pig out days of the year.  Not counting Thanksgiving of course.

It is estimated that in one sitting for the game, people probably eat at least an entire day’s worth of calories. So what are you gonna do to make that ok? Are you going to fast all day so that when you finally eat you don’t eat a whole lot since your stomach is smaller? Are you going to just chalk it up ot a losing day on the diet scale?

Or you can plan your day out and make sure you eat nothing but fruits and veggies up unitl the fateful game where you know you’ll be stuffing greasy, salty fatty and maybe even some sugary foods down your throat?  Or you could do neither and eat normally up until game time and just get right back on track on Monday.

I’m doing the latter.  I’ve been really good for the month following the holiday season because I blew it out during the few weeks leading up to Christmas. I just started to fit back into all of my work pants by eating low carb for about one month and really limiting my caloric intake, so I’m not about to blow it by going on a couple day binge.

But one day? One day I’m pretty sure won’t kill me. And I’m not planning on stuffing myself silly. I want to still enjoy myself, and sitting there with a belly full of gurgling and brewing up a storm of problems doesn’t sound like fun to me.

The ticket to enjoying these one day pigouts is to tell yourself it is truly one day. The next day you MUST get back on the wagon and eat well or else you risk making these one day vacations something that you cannot indulge in because you can’t get back on track.

Food is fun, and it should stay that way. And guess what? It’s way more enjoyable if you get to do it for one day – it’s more like a treat if you know it’s a “once in a while” thing. Otherwise, you don’t even enjoy eating these sinful foods if you do it say once a week or twice a week.  The whole key is to look at it as a temporary treat that you can savor and carry into your next few weeks.

If you need to the day after a “treat” day, you can always help suppress your hunger using a natural supplement to help you get through those initial  cravings.

Snookie and JWOW’s Big Weight Loss

So I know I’m always behind the eight ball on pop culture stuff, but I just noticed that Snookie and JWOWW of Jersey Shore fame have both lost significant portions of their previous body weight lately. Actuall, JWOWW showed her major weight loss on last season of the Shore in Italy. Snookie was still in the process of taking it off at that point, but she definitely still lost some, you could tell.

Snookie has said that she now works out religiously and tries to not drink sugary drinks and eat junk all the time like she did on the first two seasons of the show.  She also has opened up about struggling with anorexia and bulimia (possibly bulimia, definitely anorexia) in high school and getting down to a dangerously low weight.

This could be worrisome, since women who have previously struggled with eating disorders would probably cave in to the immense pressure when they are in the spotlight constantly on a show that got so big like this one did, so I hope she’s keeping the weight off in a healthful way.

My husband and I have only watched the first two episodes of the Italy Jersey Shore, but we can already tell that their eating habits have changed. You don’t see Snookie or JWOWW eating pizza and other fattening things, instead you see a lot of salads and the like.  They made chicken cutlets, but they were very lightly breaded, so it looks like so far they may be doing things the low carb way.

JWOWW has recently come out and said that her face looks so different because she lost a ton of weight, but there is speculation that she has had something done to her face, such as lip injection or Botox. I agree it does look a bit suspicious, but I also do know that losing a lot of weight can radically change the way your face looks for many people, so the weight loss definitely has at least something to do with it.

The two have not come out and endorsed any weight loss supplements or programs that I know of – but I’m sure that deal is in the works somewhere!

Aromatherapy for Weight Loss?

Aromatherapy is truly a wonderful gift for many people. Some people really do think that inhaling various aromas from real essential oils (oils that are pressed from various plants or flowers) has real effects on their mood or state of mind.  This may also include appetite as some studies have suggested.

Any why would that really be all that surprising? We know that certain aromas definitely cause stirrings of sexual desire, or make us feel relaxed, or happy, or maybe even sad. So hunger is definitely many times connected to some of these emotions. It’s not really much of a stretch that aromatherapy could help us to lose weight by potentially reducing our appetite, or at least putting our mind on something other than hunger, which is what aromatherapy can often do.

Cinnamon is one of the oils that can be used to help curb appetite.  Just as it curbs appetite when taken (ingested) orally – just a teaspoon is supposed to not only regulate the appetite internally but also balance the blood sugar and stave of cravings – cinnamon also is a scent that makes us not want to eat as much when we inhale it.

Curiously, another herb that has a strong fragrance to it which also works as an appetite suppressant internally has the same effect when inhaled. That is mint. Mint tea is a great way to help reduce the appetite and give one a feeling of satiety without eating much of anything.

Combining the two scents may be even better to help reduce hunger and cravings.  What I would do is buy the essential oils since they are pretty reasonable.  Be careful as cinnamon oil should not be applied to the skin as it can produce a burning sensation, so be careful when letting it come out of the container.

These two essential oils will last you a very long time because a little goes a long way. Heck, you can even try to just inhale right from the jar every time you feel the urge to eat nonsensically. That won’t even cost you much at all since you can use and re-use the jar.

Were You Shocked When Something in Your Pantry Turned Out to Have Trans Fats?

Well I can tell you, I was!  Funny how something you’ve been using for years and never thought twice about tends to seem insidious when you find out it has that all too scary unhealthy buzzword “trans fats” in it.  For me, it was our treasured nondairy coffee creamer we had used in our morning coffee – every morning mind you – for years.

We started using it because it was low carb, and we were your traditional “low carbers” a few years ago when we started using the convenient stuff instead of traditional creamers like milk or liquid creamers that don’t have trans fats in them.

Oh, let’s go over what trans fats are again too. They are regular chained fats that have another fatty chain added to them called hydrogen. This makes them even more dangerous to your heart health and can clog your arteries even worse than other fats that do not have the extra hydrogen added.

So many processed and packaged foods have these trans fats today, although now with public awareness rising, they are being removed from some.  The reason these prepackaged foods have them is because they are both cheap and tasty.

They can literally increase the shelf life of a food product by months or years. That is a warning signal right there. That’s akin to parabens in skin care – you know it’s just not natural for something to have a shelf life of five years.

So, what are some healthier options to trans fat loaded powdered creamers?  Well, you can try finding a powdered creamer that is void of the ingredient “partially hydrogenated” anything, but good luck with that because I haven’t found one yet. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated on that front!

However, there are some healthier liquid options.  You can use skim, 2% or whole milk of course.  I prefer organic in milk though because it is void of the toxins that so frequently inhabit dairy products.

There is also full on creamer, or heavy cream. Now this is a truly fattening option, so try to limit the amount you use. You really only need a tiny bit if using heavy cream, that’s the good part, because a little goes a very long way.

Black Beans Good for Weight Loss?

Black beans are a food that is well known in vegetarian and vegan circles. This is because they contain only the tiniest amount of dietary fat, they are tasty and have many uses, and they have a ton of filling fiber, as well as some other vitamins and nutrients that help you to maintain a svelte figure.

Just one cup of black beans contains about 15 grams of protein. Protein, especially when combined with fiber, is very filling. Now I know what you’re thinking. Sounds like it might make you a tad uncomfortable, right? Well, there is no denying the gas-inducing powers of beans of any sort.

However, you can help to mitigate this by buying only organic black beans. You can also reduce it by rinsing the beans thoroughly before using them. This helps to rinse away some of the gas-causing stuff.  Of course if you’re making rice and beans, you usually want all that oily stuff, but if not, then make sure you rinse it all off.

There is a theory I heard once. I’m not sure how much stock I should put in it. The theory is that organic beans may actually cause less gas than non-organic kinds. Why would this be?

It is supposedly due to the pesticides and chemicals that are heavily sprayed on beans.  Unfortunately, beans contain high levels of pesticides – this includes coffee beans as well.  Since organic is required to be grown without pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals, you may experience less gastrointestinal discomfort from these naturally beneficial beans.

The good thing about black beans, in my opinion, is their flavor.  I actually enjoy them more than kidney beans in a traditional chili. I also like them in soups and stir fries.  They are much softer than other types of legumes, and I appreciate that.

I prefer to eat them out of a can rather than reconstituted from the dried bean, but that’s just me. They are much easier to use this way, and they are prepped for immediate use so you can use them in easier recipes.

Black beans contain phytonutrients including the following : anthocyanin flavonoids: delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin. They also contain manganese, tryptophan (yes, the same stuff that’s in turkey that makes you sleepy), magnesium, vitamin B1 and iron.

They are thought to be beneficial to the digestive tract, even though some don’t think this due to their ability to cause flatulence in some people.  Black beans are overall a great source of fiber, some vitamins, and protein and qualify as an excellent diet food.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our cherished readers here at Daily Diet Blog.  We wanted to wish you a Happy New Year earlier, but were derailed by some unexpected news around the holidays. So better late than never!

We’re looking forward to yet another year of offering you the latest news in dieting, weight loss, health and wellness, food information and updates, healthy low fat recipes, diet reviews, new diet and recipe ideas, and more.

We look forward to increased reader participation as well, and can’t wait for the new year of hope and prosperity for the American people, who have been through far too much to consider not celebrating making it this far with their health, and hopefully a lot of their happiness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Looking forward to spending another year with all of you….

Omega 3 Fats Help Control Diabetes

Omega 3 fats are a sort of wonder food group of our time.  They can help us to stay slim, avoid heart problems and stroke, help us to maintain proper brain function and sharp thoughts, clear and beautify our skin, and basically act as an all around health tonic for every person of every age.

There are also now studies (which don’t surprise me by the way) that show consuming omega 3 healthy fats are correlated with reducing the likelihood of developing diabetes, and also may help to control and even treat diabetes when included in the diet on a regular basis.

Some of the foods you can add to your diet in order to get these benefits are olive oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, certain nuts like almonds and walnuts, avocadoes, and (chocoholics brace yourself) – dark chocolate! Yes, chocoholics rejoice – you can now enjoy your dark chocolate – at least in moderation, without tons of guilt.

Of course, someone who is diabetic needs to worry about the sugar content of the chocolate, but dark chocolate actually has so many antioxidants and healthy fats that it should not impact the blodo sugar quite as much as milk chocolate.

Not only can omega 3 monosaturated fats help to control diabetes, but they can also dramatically reduce the likelihood that you will develop type II diabetes as you age, as so many people get as they get older because of poor dietary choices and the body’s broken down ability to control the blood sugar naturally.

These fats have demonstrated an ability to lower your insulin resistance and they also help to regulate your blood sugar for a longer period of time in meals that are eaten with versus without them.

They are filling and satisfying and help to keep your full for a longer period of time, which can help in your ditary goals to reduce food intake and curb overal caloric intake.  Of course, these fats do contain calories, and lots of them, but consuming them in moderation is recommended to maintain blood sugar levels and to slim the body.

What Types of Weight Loss Programs are Most Effective?

When it comes to weight loss programs, there are literally thousands of different businesses that are vying for your money, many claiming to be the “most effective” or the best for your money, or the easiest to follow. However, how does the weight loss help competition really shake out when it comes to being truly effective at helping participants shed weight and keep it off?

Well, after an analysis of the most popular types or programs out there – the private help programs such as gyms and personal Doctors, to the commercial, publicly available options like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, there was a definite finding that one was better than the other.

The commercial weight loss programs actually won out as the more effective of the weight loss or weight maintenance programs.  The study results actually suggested that Doctor weight loss programs really may not help patients to lose weight. Perhaps it is because in public, commercial weight loss programs, there is SO much help out there in the form of weighing in at meetings (a great incentive to keep the pounds off), to peer support and meal ideas.

Heck, Weight Watchers and some of of the other commercial programs even have deals with popular prepackaged foods like frozen TV dinners and other prepared meals and snacks that shows the amount of points of whatever other exchange program they have going right on the package to eliminate the guess work and make it much easier for the client to stay on the diet.

And apparently, this study is a great endorsement for Weight Watchers whether they meant to be or not, because the biggest winners in weight loss and maintaining that weight loss were the people enrolled in Weight Watchers.  This doesn’t surprise me as I have several friends who follow the Weight Watchers program and have successfully kept extra pounds off for several years.

Your Sweet Preferences May Be Telling….

Well, this was certainly nice to hear, especially since I like to drink my coffee and tea sweetened, and I occasionally have the most ridiculous sweet tooth (although with age my sweet tooth is subsiding a bit, hope that’s no commentary that my personality is souring!)

Recent research has suggested that those who love the taste of sweets and have a real sweet tooth, as opposed to those that prefer salty or spicy foods more, tend to have a sweeter disposition. The adjective “sweet” has not only been used to describe the taste of something, or an entire group of taste types, but it has also been used to categorize personality.

I generaly characterize someone who is sweet as someone who is kind of a benevolent soul, who may be easily hurt or may really take other’s feelings to heart. Someone who is sensitive and kind and generous.  That is what most people think of when they think of a sweet disposition.

Studies show that those that have the bigger sweet tooth and tend to indulge in the sweet foods they like, also tend to have more of a sweet personality about them and may be a bit more magnetic than their counterparts who do not have a taste for the sweet stuff in life.

People who liked sweets more or reported that they have cravings a lot for sweets also reported higher amounts of likeability and compassion.  This is a good thing for us sweet tooths who thougth it was the curse of the larger thighs and belly!

Sweets are very fun to partake in occasionally, but the sad fact is that they are not good for us. They spike our blood sugar and can lead to health issues if we over-indulge in them, such as diabetes, and can increase our likelihood of cancers, heart issues and more if we eat too much of them.

However, when taken in moderation, sweets can realy make life a whole lot – well, sweeter!

Does Green Tea Really Help You Lose Weight?

There is really no dispute that green tea, as well as other types of natural teas, are extremely healthy for the human body. They contain multiple different TYPES of antioxidants, and the tea itself is completely free of calories.

It has also been hailed as an excellent and healthier alternative to America’s favorite energy drink – coffee. However, you still should really try to drink green tea only if it is organic, as, just like coffee beans, tea leaves contain pesticides and other chemicals if they are not certified organic – making your hot drink into a steaming cup of chemicals!

The debate about whether green tea can also help the body with weiht loss has raged for a while. Some said that green tea, while healthy, really didn’t improve odds of weight loss much when taken for weight loss specifically. Others claimed that green tea was excellent for weight loss, helping to spur weight loss and speed fat loss.

Apparently there is now some more definitive proof that green tea is, in fact as useful tool for those who want to lose weight.  A compound that is found in green tea called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has shown to be effective at slowing weight gain in mice when tested.

Another interesting point of the study was that the mice that took green tea every day and started off obese showed fecal evidence of less bodily fat absorption. This strongly suggests that some how green tea consumptions helps our bodies to limit the amount of dietary fat that we absorb (which of course leads to weight gain and fat storage).

The mice that took the green tea every day appeared to gain weight about 45% slower than the mice that did not have the green tea. That’s quite a nice difference! Think I might have to add green tea into my diet again!