![]() What’s informing your choices at the Thanksgiving dinner table and how separate facts from fiction! 1. True or False? Eating turkey makes you sleepy True. Turkey – along with cheese, eggs and other kinds of meat – contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which research shows helps people go to sleep. The theory is that tryptophan is converted in the body to serotonin and melatonin, a key hormone that — along with Vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid — helps promote sleep. But that late-afternoon urge to doze is probably also heavily influenced by overeating, alcohol consumption, socializing and the flurry of holiday preparations. 2. True or False? Pop-up timers are a reliable way to know when the turkey is done. False. The best way to tell if your turkey is ready to eat is with a meat thermometer. Check the internal temperature by inserting the thermometer at the center of the stuffing, the thickest part of the breast and in the innermost part of the thigh and wing. You should only roast a bird that has been completely thawed and be sure your oven is set at a minimum of 325 degrees. 3. True or False? A multigrain roll or bread is the healthiest choice False. Be wary of food with of labels that use words like “wheat” or “multigrain” if the label doesn’t specify percentages. These breads might sound healthy, but they’re probably made with partially or mostly refined white flour. For example, “wheat flour” is 75 percent white flour and only 25 percent whole wheat. Instead, when shopping for your Thanksgiving day breads, look for the term “100 percent whole grain” or “100 percent whole wheat” – and it should be the first ingredient listed. 4. True or False? Sweet potatoes are a healthier choice than white potatoes True. Sweet potatoes have a slight nutritional edge over white potatoes if you simply consider the raw vegetable. But if you add a cup of brown sugar to your sweet potatoes to make a sweet syrup or bake them with butter and marshmallows, they are not going to be a healthier choice than a plain, baked white potato. Bottom line: How you prepare the spud is the most important factor in whether it’s a healthy choice. 5. True or False? Cranberry sauce can cure your urinary tract infection False. Cranberries have a reputation for curing urinary tract infections (UTIs). But in reality, cranberries have only been proven to be an effective treatment for preventing – not curing – UTIs in people who are at risk for developing them. And you have to eat them all the time, not just at Thanksgiving dinner. Cranberries have an active ingredient that can prevent adherence of bacteria to the bladder wall, particularly E. coli. 6. True or False? Canned pumpkin isn’t as healthy as fresh pumpkin False. Canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin are equally healthy. But beware: not all pumpkin products are created equal. Regular canned pumpkin has one single ingredient: pumpkin, while pumpkin pie mix has sugar and salt added by the manufacturer. Stick with the real thing – regular canned pumpkin – and add your own ingredients. That way, you’ll have more control over the diet-busting sugars and fat. 7. True or False? Chowing down for one day is no big deal. False. Overeating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, glazed sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie has become a national pastime. But these foods that we love so much are extremely high in fat and calories. Worse, Thanksgiving often is the kickoff to an entire six weeks of overeating that ends on New Year’s Day. So if you want to be heart-healthy this Thanksgiving – and beyond — consider preparing lighter versions for a few of your favorite dishes. By doing that, watching your portion size, and burning a few calories with a long walk after dinner, you may start a healthy new Thanksgiving day tradition for your family. #Thanksgiving #eat #food #workout #disease #fitness #blog #hospitality #lifestyle #health #holiday Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the updates and news
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![]() Most of the health and weight loss advice out there is misguided, outdated and scientifically inaccurate. Don’t let these myths, debated endlessly in the media, create road blocks for your weight loss and overall health. Myth 1: All calories are created equal A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, right? Wrong. This myth just refuses to die. The current thinking is that you’ll lose weight by burning more calories than you consume. This calories in-calories out theory vastly oversimplifies the truth. Your body is much more complex than a simple math problem. When you eat, your food interacts with your biology, a complex system that transforms each bite and tells your cells what to do. This affects your hormones, brain chemistry and metabolism. Sugar calories cause fat storage and spike hunger. Calories from fat and protein promote fat burning. You’ll find the highest-quality calories in whole foods, which are lower in calories than processed foods: Quality proteins: Grass-fed animal products, organic eggs, chicken, small wild fish, nuts and seeds. Good fats: Avocado, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut butter and omega-3 fats from fish. Good carbs: Brightly colored vegetables, fruit like wild berries, apples, kiwis Super foods: Chia, hemp seeds and more Myth 2: Your genetics define you Conventional wisdom says you’re predisposed to weight gain because of your family history. In other words, you’re heavy because your mom and grandma are heavy. That was the card you drew in the genetic lottery. But in functional medicine, we do not believe your genetics dictate your future health. We believe food is medicine and information for your cells. Consider this: Today, about 35 percent of Americans are obese. Yet by 2050, that number will exceed 50 percent. What accounts for this drastic change? It’s not our genes, which evolve at a snail’s over very long periods of time. It’s that we went from eating about 10 pounds of sugar, per person, per year in 1800 to eating 152 pounds of sugar (plus 146 pounds of flour) per person, per year today. That amount of sugar and flour will hijack your metabolism, make your weight skyrocket and invite chronic disease. A number of factors contribute to obesity, but genetics is the least of them. You’ve got more power than you think. Myth 3: You can out-exercise a bad diet The belief that you can eat whatever you want and burn calories off with exercise is completely false. When you treat yourself to a sugar-laden smoothie or a “healthy” muffin, or suck back Gatorade® after 30 minutes on the treadmill, you’ve set yourself up for failure. That’s not how the human body works. If you change your diet, you can lose weight. If you exercise and keep your diet the same, you may gain in muscle, endurance and overall health. But you won’t lose many pounds. Put it into perspective: To burn off one 20-ounce soda, you’d have to walk four and a half miles. To burn off one super-sized fast food meal, you’d have to run four miles a day for a whole week. If you at one every day, you’d have to run a marathon every day to burn it off. Yes, exercise is extremely important. But to lose weight and keep it off, you need to couple exercise with a healthy diet, filled with plenty of plant foods, good fats and protein. Myth 4: Fat makes you fat This is a major pet peeve: Fat is not a four-letter word. Eating fat not only doesn’t make you fat, it is critical for health and weight loss. Dietary fat actually speeds up your metabolism, while sugar slows it down. The right kinds of fat cool down inflammation, while sugar fuels it. Studies comparing high-fat to high-sugar diets — with the same number of calories — had totally different effects on metabolism. The higher fat diet caused people to burn an extra 300 calories a day. That’s the equivalent of running for an hour (without doing any exercise)! In studies of animals fed diets with the exact same number of calories, the diets higher in fat and protein led to fat loss and more muscle mass. But the diets low in fat and high in sugar led to more fat deposition and muscle loss. Yes, stay away from trans fats. But the right fats are the preferred fuel for your cells: extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and coconut oil and butter (both of which contain nutritious medium-chain triglycerides). These fats will keep you full and lubricate the wheels of your metabolism. Don’t let the poor advice found in these myths keep you from successful weight loss and vibrant health. #bodybuilding #eat #food #workout #disease #fitness #blog #hospitality #lifestyle #health #protein #diet #Weightloss Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the updates and news ![]() You know whole grain has more nutritional heft than white, fluffy, overly milled breads, but it’s not always easy to pick a good loaf when you’re at the grocery store. Because labeling laws are somewhat loose, a refined loaf of bread can masquerade as something more nutritious. Patrol the bread aisle and you’ll see terms like whole wheat, multigrain, seven-grain, 12-grain, all natural, organic and enriched, to name a few. Who wouldn’t throw up their hands trying to decide what to buy? Look for ‘100 percent’ on labels Here’s how you can easily decipher what to buy. Look for the term “100 percent whole grain” or “100 percent whole wheat” on the package. Which is better? Either. Whole wheat is a whole grain. Although different grains offer different benefits, many whole grain breads are primarily made with wheat. If you’re looking for a nice mix of grains, check your ingredient label. Primary ingredients should be listed first in order of the amount within the loaf (wheat, oats, flax seeds, barley, buckwheat, etc). Be cautious of terms like “Wheat” or “Multigrain” that don’t mention a percentage. They sound healthy, but they’re probably made with partially or mostly refined white flour. Wheat flour is 75 percent white flour and only 25 percent whole wheat. Avoid bread that is ‘enriched’ “Enriched” is another clever term, which means the maker of the bread has added nutrients to an otherwise nutrient-free white bread. Unless you find that 100 percent on the package and whole wheat listed as the first ingredient on the label, the bread is simply a refined loaf of bread with synthetic nutrients added to replenish those natural nutrients lost in the milling process. Good bread makes your body happy You know it’s healthier, but do you know all the benefits of 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain? A number of studies have shown that eating whole grain foods within an overall healthy diet helps to lower your risk for many diseases, including: · Stroke · Diabetes · Heart disease · Asthma · Colorectal cancer Whole grains are also rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins and many other nutrients that help to lower blood pressure, reduce gum disease, strengthen the immune system and control weight. Say ‘no’ to substandard breads Most other breads are made with grains that have been finely milled. The resulting flour is whiter and lighter — in more ways then one! Not only does this refined flour look whiter and bake fluffier, it also falls short of many of the nutrients essential to optimum health. Whole grains begin as a whole grain kernel: bran, germ, endosperm. The milling process mechanically removes the bran, which is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain. It contains B vitamins and other minerals. Milling also removes the second germ layer, which is rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. In the end, what’s left is the starchy center, which is ground into flour for various baking purposes. Not only does refined flour lack all of those wonderful nutrients, high-starch foods like white bread can quickly raise your blood sugar levels, putting you at risk for diseases like diabetes. That’s why you should consider nothing but the best: 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain bread. #eat #food #workout #fitness #blog #hospitality #lifestyle #health #protein #addictive #bread #grain #wheat Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the updates and news |
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