Green Options » weight

Holiday Binge Might Alter Gut Microbes

Rachel Shulman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:45:51 +0000

Overeating on holidays like Thanksgiving is more than acceptable in our culture - it’s expected.

Why not binge on mashed potatoes, gravy, and pecan pie? Thanksgiving only comes once a year, after all. Sure, you might gain a few pounds over the holiday season, but you have until New Year’s to worry about those.

New research suggests that the holiday binge might have a less visible effect than the extra weight around your midsection. Switching from a healthy diet to one high in fat and sugar - even for just a day - might allow obesity-linked microbes to dominate the communities of microorganisms found in your gut.

Read more of this story »

Eating Less Requires Training

Rachel Shulman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:58:23 +0000

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” says Michael Pollan. While I’m pretty good at eating real, non-processed food and basing my diet on plants, I struggle with the “not too much” part.

I love food. I probably love it a little too much. Although I’m very active, I carry around 10-20 extra pounds from being such a big eater.

Part of the problem is that, as a grad student, I don’t get nearly enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can make you fatter by increasing levels of appetite regulating hormones and eroding your ability to make good decisions. I also spend an inordinate amount of time in front of my computer doing work that I don’t really want to do, so I snack to stay awake and make my work more enjoyable.

So what’s a food-loving, sleep-deprived gal supposed to do? I have enough experience training animals that I know I can’t simply tell myself to stop certain behaviors. (Ever try yelling at your dog to get it to stop barking? Usually doesn’t work, does it? Distracting your dog with a game works much better.) Instead of telling yourself that tomorrow is the day that you will stop overeating, you need to replace a bad habit with a good one to be successful.

Here are some strategies for replacing habits that lead to overeating with healthier habits:

Read more of this story »

Honey is a Health & Fitness Queen

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:07:27 +0000

With a lot of great health and fitness benefits, honey should be a common staple in people’s daily diets. Other than its great taste, it has numerous benefits for our bodies, immune systems, weight, and energy which you may not be aware of.

Honey is a source of a variety of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The main vitamins it provides are niacin, riboflavin and pantothetic acid, and the main minerals are calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Importantly, the amount of these substances in honey varies depending on its floral source, just as its color and taste vary.

On top of this, what are the main health benefits of honey?

Read more of this story »

New Mama Celebrities Set Bad Body Example

Cate Nelson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:30:53 +0000

A health organization is criticizing celebrity mothers who come out weeks after baby is born looking fabulous. Such dramatic weight loss is unrealistic and even unnecessary, said the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care. The German group is warning new moms not to hold themselves to these hot-bod standards.

Very strenuous exercise programmes soon after childbirth did not lead to extra weight loss. This means that women do not need to have a bad conscience if they take it easy in the busy weeks after giving birth.

Of course, he also stresses the point that women should not “eat for two” during pregnancy.

But here’s the problem with the images in the media:

Read more of this story »