Tag Archives: fat

Atkins for Endurance Runs: Why Cutting Carbs Eliminates Tummy Troubles and Powers You for Hours

Running a marathon is serious business, which is why most competitive runners have an unflagging game face. (After all, any extra effort—like that needed to muster up a smile—might zap important energy stores!) But it’s hard not to grin when you get a look at the ridiculous signs held by fans, many of which refer to the gross things that can happen during long distance runs. All those banners about diarrhea and going number 2 while running down a crowded street? Well, they’re funny because they’re true.

However, stomach cramps, sprints to the port-potties, and worse don’t actually need to be a part of your marathon plan, according to Colette Heimowitz, MS, VP of Nutrition and Education at Atkins.

“Carb loading for cardio endurance can help you have energy, but it has side-effects,” says Heimowitz. “You have to take in so many carbs right before an event that runners get so many to intestinal upsets.” Even worse, she says, most runners who rely on carbs for their energy tap their stores well before end. (more…)

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

Burn It Off: 3 Fun Ways to Work Off 170 Calories Of Bogg’s Trail Butter

Portland is a little like New York City in the sense that almost everyone here has some sort of passion project. Maybe they work full-time but are super passionate about sewing, or writing poetry, or teaching fitness classes. Or, in the case of my friend Jeff, maybe they’re trying to get a start-up food company off the ground.

Jeff is the co-creator of Bogg’s Trail Butter, a concoction he dreamed up while biking across the country: Essentially, he decided to blend his trail mixes to make them easier to carry. Fast forward a few years and he’s well on his way to creating a nut butter empire with flavors like Mountaineer Maple and Expedition Espresso. These nut butters are delicious but they’re also full of protein, fiber, fat, and carbs—basically all you need to keep going in the outdoors for a run, bike, ride, or trip to the mountain.

I took one of the squeezable pouches on a ski trip this past weekend and was really psyched to see how easy it was to eat, even with gloves on—you literally just squeeze and go—and also how full I felt afterward. After a few tablespoons I was fueled up for about 90 minutes of play. (Of course I ate some more on the ride home—but, after all, this blend is full of the ingredients needed for fueling a workout and for recovery.)

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Posted on February 23, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

The Skinny on Fat: Why this Nutrient is Essential for Weight Loss

Fat makes you fat, right? Wrong.

For years, all fats have been made out to be a delicious incarnation the devil. As a health and nutrition coach, I get questions all the time from my clients about low-fat diets and avoiding avocados and olive oil in case they cause weight gain. Some have even justified eating an entire bag of Twizzlers because it says, “No Fat”.

Listen up: Fat is not the enemy! At least, not entirely.

Let me be clear in saying that there are many kinds of fats, including the saturated and trans fats found in candy bars, processed foods, and T-bone steaks—these are generally no good. But there are also the natural fats found in whole foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, salmon, coconuts, and olive oil, which are so, so good!

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Posted on January 24, 2024 by GuestBlogger

McDonald’s Revamping ‘Dollar Menu’ To Include $5 Items

McDonald’s recently announced it’s toying with the idea of revamping their Dollar Menu to include other price points up to and including five dollars. If the new menu is adopted, the Extra Value Menu would then be eliminated. Now, even their cheap food just got more expensive. This menu switcheroo begs the question, “Why are people still eating fat food – err, fast food, when they could eat healthy for the same price?”

The new offering retitled, “Dollar Menu & More” is currently being tested in five U.S. markets. New prices on the list would include $1, $2 and $5 items. The specific foods slated to be featured on the experimental value menu have not been released but Neil Golden, chief marketing officer for McDonald’s, hinted that more chicken would be included, as well as burgers with extra patties, and the addition of other toppings including bacon. You mean if I want more food, I have to pay more money? Ronald McDonald, you sly devil, you.

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Posted on September 7, 2024 by Dani Stone

Sugar is Not the Problem in the Obesity Epidemic, Where you Eat is

Health experts are giving sugar a reprieve in the case against obesity. While sugar and its many processed variations are running amok in the food we eat at home or away, fats, oils, flour and cereal are more to blame for America’s continuous bloat.

According to the CDC, 25.6% of Americans have a BMI greater than thirty, firmly planting them into the obese category. Since we tend to lie about how tall we are and how much we weigh, the figure is probably a bit generous, but it’s a 10.3% increase since 20 years ago, and that’s alarming.

A New York Times article reports that Americans are consuming 448 more daily calories— or 20% more—than they were in 1970. The Department of Agriculture says 242 of those calories are from fats and oils, 167 are from flour and cereal, and only 35 are from sugars. (more…)

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Patrick

Pepsi Special Aims to Make the Japanese Skinnier with a High-Fiber Additive

Pepsi-Cola isn’t exactly in a healthy industry. Over the past years, big soda companies like Pepsi and Coke have been scrutinized for contributing to the obesity epidemic. In light of this, Pepsi just announced a new fiber-infused flavor, “Pepsi Special,” that claims to reduce fat levels in the body. The product is only sold in Japan.

Pepsi Special contains dextrin, “a type of ‘functional fiber,'” explained our resident dietitian, Mary Hartley, RD. “This is a fiber isolated or extracted from a plant (or, in some cases, manufactured) added to a food. Dextrins are true soluble fibers that can help improve digestion. They act as ‘prebiotics,’ undigested fibers that feed the friendly bacteria in the colon.”

Benefits of dextrin include stabilizing blood glucose, regulating insulin, reducing risk of heart disease, and reducing cholesterol and fat cell levels in the body. Dextrin can be found in glue products as well, but it’s not safe to consume in that form. There are a number of foods and medications that contain dextrin and have for about half a century, notes Hartley. “Most people eat some dextrins every day without noticing a change in weight,” she said.

Will drinking the new Pepsi product make you skinnier? Probably not.

“Pepsi Special is a gimmick. It is just another product to increase market share,” calls out Hartley. (more…)

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Samantha

4 Healthy Plant Based Fats You Should be Eating

The fat-free diet fad of the 80s and 90s gave fat a bad name despite many fats being essential and so good for the body. It’s time fat got a makeover and seen for the wonder it truly is.

Kate Rockwood reported for Oprah.com regarding good fats, calling them “a workhorse in the body.” Rockwood pointed out the positive truths about these wonderful elements, explaining how fats are vital to the structure of our cells, and how they help regulate blood pressure and our immune systems. Fats also aid in the absorption of essential vitamins.

Granted, not all fats are the same and some are truly better than others. According to Roberta L. Duyff, the author of the “American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide,” plant oils provide the body with more heart-healthy benefits than animal fats like butter.

Here are four of the best plant oils, the kind of fat your body will thank you for. (more…)

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Lacy

Eat Fat to Lose Fat

Aimee E. Raupp is the author of Chill Out and Get Healthy– a no nonsense guide for women on improving their health now. As well she is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with a masters of science in Traditional Oriental Medicine. For more information visit AimeeRaupp.com.

Eat fat to lose fat

Yes, you heard me: eat fat to lose fat.

“But, isn’t fat is bad for my health? And, doesn’t it cause heart disease?” I hear you say. The answer to both is no.

For many centuries, cultures (like the French) have been eating high fat diets and, oddly enough, they have much lower rates of obesity and type II diabetes than we do here in the United States. You see, what happened was back in the 1950’s some scientists ran a small and very poorly designed study looking at the incidence of heart disease and the dietary habits of different nations. Somehow (after leaving out a great bit of data) these researchers determined that Americans hearty full-fat diet caused the most heart disease. And, voila now American’s eat a low-fat diet because their doctors recommend it.
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Posted on January 17, 2024 by GuestBlogger

8 Foods That Fight Fat

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

Tired of that spare tire? Sick of your love handles? You can increase your body’s fat-burning power by eating more foods that strengthen your liver (your body’s main fat-metabolizing organ) to burn fat better. The result? A leaner you! There are many great liver boosting foods, but here are some of my favorites:

Leafy Greens: Spinach, spring mix, mustard greens, and other dark leafy greens are good sources of fiber and powerhouses of nutrition. Research demonstrates that their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent hunger while protecting you from heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and memory loss.

Beans and Legumes: Legumes are the best source of fiber of any foods. They help to stabilize blood sugar while keeping you regular. They are also high in potassium, a critical mineral that reduces dehydration and the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

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Posted on October 22, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Visceral Fat: Why It’s Different and How to Get Rid of it

By James O’Brien

The human body has two kinds abdominal fat: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the stuff that you can pinch and move with your hands; visceral is the kind that can make the belly bulge, but feel hard to the touch (the notorious beer gut). Even if you don’t sport a beer belly, you might still have visceral fat that could be giving you health problems.

While being overweight is not an ideal state of health in general, it’s the visceral fat in particular that nutritionists and health experts cited at ScienceBlog.com connect most commonly with diabetes, glucose-related problems, hypertension, and heart disease.

Problem is, visceral fat doesn’t always stick out. Doctors have discovered thin-looking patients whose abdominal organs are packed with visceral fat. These people face the same kind of health risk as their more obviously beer-bellied counterparts.

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Posted on October 15, 2024 by Health Buzz

Woman Determined to be Fattest in the World

Susanne Eman wants the definition of beauty to expand.

Eman, weighing in at around 727 pounds, wants one day to be the fattest woman in the world, beating the current record of 1,600 pounds. To reach her goal, Eman is consuming over 20,000 calories per day.

Although the obese woman consumes an absurd amount of calories and has to use a motorized scooter in the grocery store, she insists she is perfectly healthy.

“I go for a waddle and do stretches and exercises every day. My muscles need to hold up to my weight, so I have to stay strong,” Eman told the Daily Mail. “I take my blood pressure once a week, and every day, after I exercise, I take readings of my other vitals. I use a pulse oximeter to measure the concentration of oxygen in my blood stream.”

If any of Eman’s readings were abnormal she would call her doctor immediately, she said. She truly believes that what she’s doing is healthy, but has arranged for her sister to take care of her two sons, Brendin and Gabriel, if anything were to happen.

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Posted on August 29, 2024 by Jamie

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