Top 10 Health & Fitness Articles Of 2011

In 2011 over a quarter of a million people read our blog articles as it has become more and more popular over the past several months. In this posting we take a look at the top ten most popular health and fitness articles posted in 2011. To determine popularity we looked not only at the number of ‘Likes’ and ‘Tweets’ but also factored in the number of readers and reader response. Hopefully some of your favorites made it into the final top ten list and I am sure that you will find a few other gems that you may have missed! Thanks again for the continued support!

Top 10 Health & Fitness Articles of 2011

10. The Anti-Aging Properties Of Weight Training & Resistance Exercise

A detailed look at how our body ages on a cellular  level and how weight training and resistance exercise can play a significant role in maintaining quality of life as you get older. You can read the article in its entirety here.

9. Sweating Has Nothing to Do With Losing Fat

Getting a good sweat is thought of as the key to a good fat burning workout, however sweating has nothing to do with fat loss and is a poor indicator of how much fat you are burning while training or doing any physical activity. Read the article in its entirety here.

8. Tongol Tuna- A Safe Real Food Choice

I started writing about the benefits of tongol tuna several years ago and in this article we go over the problem of mercury in fish and the role of tongol tuna as a lower mercury alternative to traditional albacore tuna. You can read the article in its entirety here.

7. Six Pack Abs- It’s Not What You Do- It’s What & How You Eat

The quest of six pack abdominals has become the Holy Grail for many as the ultimate goal of their diet and exercise program. Unfortunately a surge of exercise products and services have sprung up over the years offering consumers much in the way of false hope by promoting various exercises as the way to a chiseled midsection. As lucrative as these products may be they not only don’t work, but distract us from the reality that a six pack comes from what and how you eat more than what type of exercises you do. You can read the article in its entirety here.

6. Multi-Vitamins & Vitamin Supplements Do More Harm Than Good

Multi-vitamins have long been thought of as a must have for anyone serious about their health. However hundreds of studies show that not only are multi-vitamins unnecessary for a population that is not clinically deficient in any major nutrient, but that they may actually increase the likelihood of certain diseases. If you take multi-vitamins or any vitamin supplement this is an article that you owe it to yourself to read.  You can read the article in its entirety here.

5. The Economics Of Obesity- Why The Food Industry Needs Us to Overeat

One of the biggest problems we face in the fight against obesity and growing diet related problems is the fact that the government plays a key role in supporting and promoting the food industries that make the very foods that we ought to avoid. In this in depth two part article we take a look at how the industry makes us eat more and how important overeating has become for the sustainability of the American economy as we know it. A must read for anyone interested in the behind the scenes machinery that allows corporations to wreak havoc with public health. You can read the article in its entirety here.

4. Can Bread Make You Gain Weight?

There is a common belief that bread will make you gain weight but the truth is that if you eat anything more than you should you’ll put some extra pounds on. In this article we take a look at the history of one of our oldest foods and debunk some of the myths about bread while showing the major differences between what we eat today and the bread that sustained our forefathers. You can read the article in its entirety here.

3. How Do Muscles Get Bigger And Stronger?

While many slave away at the gym in the quest for bigger and stronger muscles, few take the time to understand the mechanisms by which our muscles grow. In this comprehensive piece we take a look at our body’s response to stress, how it translates into improvements in our physiques and our performance and why training less is best. You can read the article in its entirety here.

2. Rethinking The Need For Cardio- Why Aerobics Don’t Work Well For Fat Loss

Aerobic type exercise is without question the most popular fitness activity for those bent on losing weight- however numerous studies and an understanding of the physiology of how our cardiovascular and muscular systems interact show that it isn’t the most effect form of exercise if weight loss is your ultimate goal. You can read the article in its entirety here.

1. Are Protein Shakes Bad For You?

The most popular article of the 2011 is about the now ubiquitous protein shake. While a staple in the dietary regime of almost all gym goers there is yet no real evidence that protein shakes actually help increase muscle mass or improve performance. In fact, evidence suggests that they might not necessarily be a good choice for someone interested in getting into peak shape. You can read the article in its entirety here.

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Celebrity NYC personal trainer Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss e-book here. You can contact Kevin at 1-800-798-8420.

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How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holiday- 5 Useful Tips

Every year we struggle with the seemingly Herculean task of staying on our diet during Thanksgiving and the holidays that follow. The holidays are a great time to be with friends and family- but as many of you can attest, family and friends can often be the motivating factor to you not eating as you should. Some simply will not stand for you not indulging in all the not-so-good-for-you holiday treats and will insist that you partake fully in the eating frenzy! This added to the pressure of having an enormous amount of great tasting food in front of you makes it all too easy to lose your sense of moderation, but if you follow some simple steps you can indeed stay on your diet during the holidays. I have been commended over the years (and yelled at on numerous occasions!) for never wavering on my diet, no matter what the occasion or how tempting the foods may be. As ego gratifying as it  might be to lay claim to a superhuman degree of discipline and self control the reality of how I stay on my diet during the holidays (and all year round) has less to do with self control and discipline and more with  using a set of tried and true practical skills. Skills that I learned after failing miserably at staying on my diet just like everyone else for many years. Eating consistently well isn’t rocket science, but without the proper tools it can indeed seem as insurmountable a task as landing a man on Mars. That being said here are five battle tested strategies that have helped me and the hundreds of people who I have been privileged to work with stay on their diets during the holidays and throughout the year.

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 1: Fill Up Before The Festivities

On the day of a holiday meal nothing is more critical to ensuring your moderation than filling yourself up long before the festivities begin. A big breakfast with high fiber foods like oatmeal (the real stuff not the instant kind), fruit and lean protein sources like egg whites are the perfect way to start your day! After a fast of several hours our bodies are designed to absorb and use the most nutrients at this time of the day. Failure to eat well at breakfast time puts you in a bit of a nutrient deficit. One that grows and grows as the day advances culminating in major food cravings later in the day. That being said on a day where you are expect to have a large meal like eating a hearty breakfast will go a long way in reducing the amount of food that you will eat. so be sure to start the day right! (You can download my free ebook on healthy breakfast choices here!)

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 2: Drink Lots Of Water

It is such a simple trick that it is often overlooked. A large glass of water right before digging in to a big meal will go a long way to filling you up and reducing the amount of food that will can eat. Equally important is making the choice to have water as your only beverage rather than juice or alcohol. Consider for a minute that alcohol contains seven calories per gram and that it is broken down by your liver in such a way that promotes the storage of fat around your internal organs and you can clearly see that zero calorie water is a better choice. Juices don’t fare any better as they are not only unnatural but loaded with liquid calories that are just too easy to go overboard with. (Read more about juices and the impact it can have on you gaining weight here). Having water with your meals is an invaluable way to keep the extra pounds off, so be sure to fill your glass during the holidays and afterwards!

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 3: Follow The Rule Of Thirds

My rule of thirds is an easy way to always keep your eating in check and works especially well to help you stay on your diet not only for the holidays, but all year round. The rule is:

Always eat a serving 1/3 less than what you would normally eat and always keep 1/3 of your stomach empty at all times.

A simple tenet,  but a powerful way to keep yourself in control of your eating habits at all times- and it is easy to remember and put into practice! Eating to the point of feeling like an over inflated car tire isn’t healthy nor should it ever be the goal of a holiday meal regardless of the occasion. Studies have shown time and time again how difficult it is for us to estimate our calorie intake, but by using the rule of thirds you have a practical way to enjoy your foods without overdoing it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take that many calories over what your body actually needs for you to start gaining weight, so you have to be diligent about your food intake at all times. Besides, is it really comforting to feel yourself bursting at the seams? I think not!

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays Tip 4: Eat Slowly
My mother was right. Eating slowly is an extremely effective way to reduce the likelihood of overeating. Studies show that the faster you eat the more likely you are to eat more than you should. It takes a while for our brain to get the signal to stop eating- our bodies secrete hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY that help us feel filled and satisfied but it takes a while before it takes full effect. So if you eat too fast you’ll get the message to stop eating long after you should have already stopped, so slowing down is an important tool in the fight against overeating. You also enjoy your foods far better if you eat slowly and it is better for your digestion. My trick is to use the great conversation that you can have at a dinner table as a way to extend the time it takes you to eat. That way you are less likely to overeat and you will also have a good time enjoying the company of those around you! Remember- healthy eating is about enjoying your food and your life- it isn’t about being Spartan. For a more detailed explanation on how eating slowly can help you stay on your diet check out my article on eating slowly here.

How To Stay On Your Diet During The Holidays- Tip 5: Team Up

The hardest part of eating well for Thanksgiving, any holiday or family and friend gatherings isn’t always the food; it’s the pressure you feel from others to eat the food! We are hardwired as group animals to follow others and at mealtime it can be a real issue when you are not taking part in what everyone else is eating. For me growing up in the islands staying on my diet around the holidays was always excruciating until I realized I should use the same peer pressure dynamic to my advantage. How do you do that? There are two ways:

Step 1. The Easy Way:

The easiest way is to get someone else who is also trying to eat healthy to accompany you at the Thanksgiving meal or any big get together that involves food. It could be a friend, family member or love one but you both have to agree on supporting each other and have similar goals. It makes a huge difference!  By having someone at your side you won’t feel as isolated when you don’t eat what everyone else is eating and you’ll have someone to back you up if the pressure starts to build. By supporting them you will also reinforce your own position and quite often others in the group may come around and see the value in your choices.

Step 2. The Hard Way:

The other way is to recruit family, friends and people around you to help you stay on the right path during the holidays. People are very interesting beings in that if you say that you’re on a diet for health reasons, hardly anyone is going to take you seriously and they’ll keep on doing everything in their power to entice you to eat the foods that you shouldn’t. However if you said you entered a contest where you’ll win $1,000 if you lose ten pounds in two months and that needed everyone’s help to stay on track- you’d be surprised how eager people can be to lend their support (just don’t promise to share the profits!) I think it makes it easier for people to relate as the healthy lifestyle approach just doesn’t cut it. When I was younger at a big food gathering I would announce that I had a major bodybuilding contest or photo shoot coming up and that my career depended on my doing well (which was always true). The response was usually overwhelming- with some of my friends going so far as to inform everyone that I was really important that I stayed on my diet and to look out for me to make sure that I didn’t slip! The support was invaluable to me over the years and to this day my friends would leap across the room to stop me from eating a piece of cake as they know the way I look and the way I live is an important factor in my credibility as a personal trainer and health and fitness writer. I don’t see myself ever going for that piece of cake, but it is nice to know that if I did my friends and family would be there to stage an intervention! Having a family that takes eating well as seriously as I do makes my life much easier as well! So do your best to get others involved. Not only will it make you feel better but it also gives them a chance to feel good about helping you! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!!!!

 
Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Do You Need Milk For Optimal Health & Strong Bones? Marketing Says Yes But Science Says No.

“Milk helps build strong bones and teeth!”

Like many, I first heard this mantra when I was a child in elementary school and it is a message that is firmly ingrained in the minds of most as one of the few universal truths in nutrition. The need for dairy products as an irreplaceable part of the human diet for building and maintaining strong bones and warding off the ravages of osteoporosis is considered common knowledge, an unshakable truth, and  a message repeated ad nauseum in the media. A message that few would find reason to question. It’s no secret that milk contains calcium- a key mineral for maintaining bone health. Thus there would appear to be little reason to question it’s importance as a protective shield against bone loss.  As popular and seemingly rational an idea as it may be, the scientific evidence doesn’t support it. Very early in my career I myself was quite surprised to learn that my early indoctrination to the health benefits of dairy consumption didn’t come from credible peer reviewed scientific research, but from a rather successful marketing campaign on the part of the dairy industry. A campaign influential enough to have the US government (and many others around the world) classify milk as a food group- a decision made based on profit and not sound nutritional science.

Contrary to popular belief billions of people on the planet do just fine without having milk as a part of their diet. Not hundreds of thousands or millions, but billions. Surprisingly enough, people in countries where milk consumption is minimal have some of the lowest incidences of osteoporosis and hip fractures on earth. A revealing statistic that somehow never seems to find its way to American audiences, nor does the fact that for hundreds of thousands of years milk most humans on the planet didn’t drink milk and that many enjoy rather robust health without it. There is a reason for our rather myopic understanding of milk and what it can and cannot do for us and it’s the dairy industry. The reach of the dairy industry’s influence is impressive to say the least, spreading information designed to help them sell more milk not just nationally but globally.

Using a consumer creating model sanctioned by government entities, teaching material for young children in schools about the role of milk in building strong bones and teeth is graciously supplied by the American Dairy Council. Presented as educational material at an early age, such influence affects our perception of milk as a required part of our diets and it is hard, if not impossible for a child to question such authoritative information. An effective model that ensures that as adults the party line that milk is a requirement for optimal health is firmly rooted in our core set of beliefs. It’s a similar methodology used by fast food chains like McDonald’s to market to children, knowing fully well that it will guarantee another generation of customers.

Not only is milk taught at an early age to be an essential part of our diet, it is provided to us as well. As a food product produced far in excess of what we as a nation can consume thanks to heavy government subsidies secured by the dairy lobbies, it can be literally given away and dairy producers still make profits. With the early consumer marketing model in mind it thus makes sense that milk is distributed to young children in schools through government food programs. Good business as it helps to cement the thought process of milk being a necessity as an unquestioned view.

Milk & Calcium- Understanding The Science

As adults we are bombarded by messages and dairy lobby funded ‘studies’ reminding us about the calcium content of milk and dairy products. Most notably for women and the steadily aging American population, mill’s supposed prophylactic effects against bone loss are emphasized. But can the calcium in milk really make a difference in bone density? Looking internationally at the dairy-equals-calcium-which-equals-strong-bones idea, we see clearly that the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the largest consumers of dairy products.

The dairy consumption of countries like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK and Northern Europe is enormous when compared to Asian countries such as China where dairy consumption is rare, yet those very countries where less dairy is consumed have they have the lowest rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis in the world.[1,2,3,4]

The Rate Of Osteoporosis & Hip Fracture Is Lower In Populations Who Do Not Consume Milk & Dairy Products.

To give an idea of the prevalence of osteoporosis, estimates are that 40% of American Caucasian women and 13% of Caucasian men aged 50 years will experience at least one bone loss related fracture in their lifetime. At age 50, a Caucasian woman has a 17% chance of sustaining a hip fracture, 15% chance of vertebral fracture and 16% chance for forearm fracture, with comparable figures of 6%, 5% and 2.5%, respectively, for fractures in white males.[2] Interestingly enough among the female African American population the age-adjusted prevalence of hip related osteoporosis is only 6%, compared to 17 % for postmenopausal White women- difference consistent with the much lower fracture rates observed in African Americans.[5] African Americans, by the way consume almost 40% less milk and dairy products as their Caucasian counterparts[6] which if by itself renders the milk/dairy-equals-strong-bones theory to be questionable.

Statistics from the observation of low dairy intake in Asian population contradict the milk/dairy-equals-strong-bones theory completely. Using China as an example, where cheese and other popular dairy products are not a part of their regular diet and where milk consumption is 10% of the American per capita consumption rate[7] age standardized incidences of hip fractures is far lower than their milk drinking American and European counterparts. Based on the 1990 China census figures hip fracture rates were only 87 per 100,000 for women and 97 per 100,000 for men. Contrast these numbers with 510-559 per 100,000 for white American women and 174-207 per 100,000 for American Caucasian men[8]. In fact, hip fractures in Beijing are reportedly among the lowest rates of occurrence in the world- and with a population where milk is by no means a staple.

Debunking The Need for Milk- It’s The Calcium Lost Not Calcium Consumed That Causes Osteoporosis

As much as the good (and well paid) folks at the American Dairy Association would like you to think that increasing your calcium intake by drinking milk would decrease your risk of osteoporosis, the science behind this premise simply doesn’t support it. From what we do know about bone loss, it happens not so much from not having a high enough calcium intake, but rather from having a high level of calcium loss due to dietary and lifestyle choices. [8] According to the findings of the 1994 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference,  at least one third of calcium balance and bone density is dependent on the ratio of intake to loss and not solely on calcium intake alone as the marketing campaigns would have you believe. To be frank, meta analysis of literature meeting the provisions for unbiased scientific research found there were no significant relationships proved between milk consumption or any other dairy product to measures of bone health nor were there no correlations between calcium intake and bone loss.[9,10,11,12] Similarly, an 18 year analysis of 72 337 postmenopausal women published in the February 2003 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that an adequate vitamin D intake was associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet in the study had any correlation with a reduction in risk of osteoporosis.

Milk Isn’t The Only Source Of Calcium

So we have established that bone loss has little to do with intake, but for those concerned nevertheless about their calcium intake, it should be noted that a 1990 report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale have high levels of calcium and is absorbed at least as well as the calcium in milk. [12,13,14] Proper calcium balance on a non-dairy diet is easily attained because ALL vegetables and legumes contain calcium.[15] Thus within the context of a balanced diet it is more than adequate to prevent frank deficiencies which are rare to nonexistent in developed countries such as the United States.[16]

In terms of the ultimate source of calcium, however no other food source can compete with the bioavailability of calcium from bones. That’s right, bones. You don’t hear much about it since eating bones isn’t that popular here in the United States and given that both dairy producers and supplement manufacturers would be hard pressed to sell their wares if the general population was aware that eating small amounts of bone is how humans got most of their calcium for several hundred thousand years. The small and soft bones of fishes like sardines are a perfect source of calcium in a form our bodies can easily absorb, as is the use of bone meal that can be added to soups and broths. Since these sources are better absorbed (and it makes sense that bones would be the best source of building material for bones) our body retains more of it as opposed to being mostly excreted in urine as is often the case with dairy products and artificial supplements.

Osteoporosis is a very real concern for many women, as they make up 80% of those affected by this condition. Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million people here in the United States with almost 10 million individuals estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. It is time we paid more attention to what has been proven to be real risk factors, such as soda consumption, high sodium diets, smoking, excessive caffeine consumption, alcohol and an inactive lifestyle , than simply falling for the marketing hype that somehow drinking  milk or eating yogurt and cheese will magically protect you from low bone density.

Getting the recommended daily allowance of calcium at all ages is important, preferably from dietary sources. But bone nutrient requirements are wide and far more complex than simply drinking milk or taking a calcium supplement. A diverse diet of natural foods that includes meat, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts will always cover the diverse nutritional needs of our bones as long as we stay away from high fat, high sugar and high sodium processed foods. Limit high fat protein sources, keep your salt intake low, reduce your alcohol consumption and don’t smoke and you’ll be fine. Also important is the amount of time spent outdoors. Get sunlight on your skin at safe times of the day for vitamin D as it plays an integral role in helping our body use calcium efficiently. As much as commercials warn us of the dangers of sunlight, recent studies have suggested that avoidance of sunlight is associated with higher risks of certain cancers- which should not be surprising as we did in fact evolve outdoors and not in the confines of fluorescently lit cubicles.

Dairy Products and Weight Gain

As early as the 1950’s when bodybuilders wanted to decrease body fat and increase their muscular definition the first thing they would cut out of their diet was milk and dairy products. Among natural bodybuilders who don’t resort to the use of powerful and potentially dangerous drugs to get into shape, milk and dairy products are a big no-no when trying to reduce body fat- whey protein shakes as well (see my article on protein shakes here). A mixture of water, sugars, fats and salt, milk is in essence nature’s ultimate weight gain formula, helping infant mammals increase their body mass significantly in relatively short periods of time. Milk helps baby elephants and cows pack on hundreds of pounds and interestingly enough, no adult mammal living in a natural environment drinks milk past infancy. Only humans and the animals we train drink milk as adults and it bears mentioning that the very countries with the highest dairy consumption are also the ones with the highest rates of obesity.

Finally, it is important to stress the role of exercise and not diary intake as a way of increasing bone density. Weight training in particular plays a poignant role in maintaining and building healthy bone mass levels (Read my article here on weight training and osteoporosis). It’s a simple and scientifically proven way for prevention of low bone mass and in helping those with low bone mass levels build up their bones. So put down that glass of milk and start pumping some iron!

References:

1. Xu L, Lu A, Zhao X, Chen X, Cummings SR.Very low rates of hip fracture in Beijing, People’s Republic of China the Beijing Osteoporosis Project. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Am J Epidemiol. 1996

2. Cummings SR and Melton LJ (2002) Epidemiology and outcomes of osteoporotic fractures. Lancet 359:1761.

3. Kanis JA, Johnell O, De Laet C, et al. (2004) A meta-analysis of previous fracture and subsequent fracture risk. Bone 35:375.

4. Kanis JA and Johnell O (2005) Requirements for DXA for the management of osteoporosis in Europe. Osteoporos Int 16:229.

5. Melton LJ, Cooper C 2001 Magnitude and impact of osteoporosis and fractures. In: Marcus R, Feldman D, Kelsey J (eds.) Osteoporosis

6. Gender and ethnic differences in intakes of dairy foods and related nutrients, obesity, and metabolic outcomes: NHANES, 1999–2004

7. Per Capita Consumption of Milk and Milk Products in Various Countries, International Dairy Federation, Bulletin 423/2007.

8. Heaney, R.P., Evaluation of publicly available scientific evidence regarding certain nutrient-disease relationships

9. Wachman, A., et al. Diet and osteoporosis. Lancet May 4, 1968, p. 958.

10, Recker, R., The effect of milk supplements on calcium metabolism, bone metabolism, and calcium balance. American J Clin Nutr 1985; 41:254.

11. Nilas, L. Calcium supplementation and post menopausal bone loss. British Medical Journal 1984; 289: 1103.

12. Kolata, G. How important is dietary calcium in preventing osteoporosis? Science 1986; 233: 519-20.

13 Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

14. Alaimo K, McDowell MA, Briefel RR, et al. US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber of persons ages 2 months and over in the United States: third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Phase 1, 1988–91. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 1994. (Advance data from vital and health statistics no. 258.)

15. Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59(suppl):1238S–41S

16. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. US Office of Dietary Supplements

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Post tags: diet, diet tips, eating tips, health tips, healthy eating, junk foods, osteoporosis, weight loss, weight training

Understanding Eating Disorders, Binge Eating & Night Eating Syndrome

Eating disorders have existed in one form or another since the beginning of civilization; however it is without question that its presence has increased significantly over the past thirty years. It’s hard to pin point one central causative reason for the increase, but it goes without saying that the social and societal pressures to be thin and in great shape while living in a developed nation where over a third of the population is overweight has been consistently implicated as a cause for the growing number of mostly women with eating disorders. The unstoppable deluge of advertising and marketing cues for women to be supermodel slim and trim doesn’t only affect us here in the United States and Europe but creates an environment ripe for eating disorders even in third world countries where food supplies are scare. In India where it is estimated that almost 60% of the female population is malnourished and where a well rounded body has traditionally been upheld as a nationally accepted ideal, the influx of Western television has brought with it an explosion in the number of young girls with anorexia nervosa- often with fatal consequences.[1]

Here in the United States over eight million people suffer from an eating disorder of some kind with a huge gender bias of seven million women versus one million men.[2] One in 200 American women suffer from anorexia nervosa- the so called slimming disease that can cause suffers to starve themselves to death. A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders found that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years of contracting the disorder and that approximately one fifth of them will die within twenty years. Sadly the mortality rate for anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rates of all causes of death for young females within the ages of 15-24 years old[2], a sobering statistic, but one that does nothing to stop the presentation of being ultra thin to a fault as an ideal.

Bulimia  & Binge Eating- Signs & Symptoms

While one in every 200 American women suffers from anorexia, two to three in 100 women suffers from bulimia

Binge related eating disorders are even more widespread throughout the American female population- while one in every 200 American women suffers from anorexia, two to three in 100 women suffers from bulimia. Bulimia is an insidious and often silent illness in which a person binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating while feeling a very tangible loss of self control over their eating. The affected person then uses various methods such as vomiting, diet pills or laxative abuse to prevent weight gain.[3] Similar to but not exactly the same as bulimia, binge eating disorder is even more common as people with binge eating disorder often consume large amounts of food while feeling a real loss of control over their eating, but without the recourse to purging methods.[4]While almost everyone overeats at one point or another (usually over the holiday season), some overeat with a regularity that qualifies it as a disorder. While not categorized as a psychiatric condition per se, as with all eating disorders, binge eating comes with the classic cycle of compulsive urges followed by extreme feelings of guilt and powerlessness to stop a reoccurrence. As it is largely undiagnosed, millions are affected but no one can give a precise number as the practice is often shrouded in secrecy and the shame and embarrassment over having so little control over your actions isolate many from ever revealing that they have a problem and getting help.

While bulimia nervosa appears to be of relatively recent origin, binge eating has been a problem for humankind for centuries. Simply eating large amounts of food or being over one’s ideal weight does not mean that someone has a binge eating disorder. Research over the past three decades has conclusively shown that most obese individuals eat relatively normally, (read my post on calories to understand a bit more of how easy it is for us to gain weight) and that the subgroup of obese people with episodic periods of extreme food consumption is relatively small with some sufferers being of normal weight.[5] My experience over the years has been that most people regarded as ideals within the fitness industry do have serious problems with their attitudes towards food, sadly to the point where is can indeed be classed as a disorder.

The criteria for binge eating disorder are:

· Frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food.

· Frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten.

Several or all of these behaviors or feelings:

• Eating much more rapidly than usual.
• Eating until uncomfortably full.
• Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry.
• Eating in isolation out of embarrassment at the quantity of food being eaten.
• Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after overeating.[6]

Bulimia & Binge Eating In The Fitness Industry

The extreme dietary habits of many bodybuilders, fitness and figure competitors could be seriously categorized as an eating disorder.

Both binge eating and bulimia nervosa affects many bodybuilders and fitness models in numbers higher than most would expect. Persons with bulimia regularly purge, fast, or engage in an unhealthy pattern of prolonged strenuous exercise after episodes of binge eating which is a textbook description of the cycle for most competitive physique athletes. The purging process within bulima is usually understood as vomiting but it can also include the use of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives doses to avoid gaining weight after eating- practices that many in the health and fitness circles regularly engage in to maintain ‘the look’.

Fasting is defined as not eating for at least twenty-four hours and many use it as a way of making up for what they see as over the top food consumption (see my article on fasting as a form of weight loss here). Strenuous exercise, in this case, is defined as exercising for more than an hour, but not as a means to better health or self improvement, but as a reactive practice to avoid gaining weight after a period of binging. Purging, fasting, and prolonged strenuous exercise are dangerous ways to attempt weight control and the excessive shape and weight concerns of most competitors in the physique arena are also characteristics of bulimia and or eating disorder of some kind. Issues that may appear benign in someone with rippling abdominals and an ultra tight body, but one that is inevitability self destructive and unsustainable.

The only difference between a physique competitor and someone diagnosed with an eating disorder per se is that the cycle of weight gain, weight loss, extreme dieting, nutrient deprivation and dehydration combined with thousands of hours of daily prolonged strenuous exercise has become almost socially acceptable. Unfortunately the extreme practices of those following this particular lifestyle are seen as ideals for many who aspire to have well muscled and toned bodies just like those of the individuals they see in the pages of the magazines. Unless there is a sense of balance where your overall health is prioritized over the attainment of a transient cosmetic ideal such as being big and muscular or having extremely low body fat levels, the practice falls squarely in the realm of an eating disorder and has no relation to health and fitness whatsoever even though it is portrayed as such in the media.

Night Eating Syndrome- The Other Eating Disorder

Almost uncontrollable eating at night is a serious problem for many.

There are other eating disorders that can also often go unrecognized as 1.1-1.5% of the U.S. population suffers from another as yet undiagnosed eating disorder called Night Eating Syndrome. Seen as a delay in the daily rhythm of food intake, Night Eating Syndrome is defined by two important points:

The first is hyperphagia- which is an ingestion of over 25% of daily calories after dinner and or waking up to eat at least three times a week.[7]

Usually triggered by feelings of stress, Night Eating Syndrome is a disorder that that many can relate to, albeit in a less extreme form. Characterized by a lack of appetite for breakfast and the consumption of considerable amounts of high calorie, and usually high-carbohydrate snacks and insomnia, the foods eaten during the night time binge are almost always unhealthy.[4,6] After the night binge, the person is usually not hungry in the morning, and breakfast, the most important meal of the day for both optimal performance and appetite regulation is skipped. (Read more about the importance of breakfast for weight loss and appetite regulation here)

The excessive food intake at night also creates a decrease in melatonin, a critical sleep related hormone. The decrease in melatonin contributes to the increased sleep disturbances and insomnia associated with night eating syndrome.[8] Evidence suggests that night eating may be a pathway to obesity as in three studies it preceded the onset of obesity and was a major factor in predicting continued weight gain in female night eaters who were already obese.[9] Not only is night eating a contributor to increased weight gain, but it is also a serious cause of distress for those who feel overpowered by food at night.

Again, it should be kept in mind that most may not have the characteristics of this particular syndrome to the extent that it becomes pathological, but the pattern of almost uncontrollable late night snacking on high carbohydrate and unhealthy foods is a very common issue for many individuals today. While the general population may not be diagnosed as having an eating disorder, most still find the task of controlling their eating habits to be a Sisyphean task. However there are practical and systematic approaches that make the likelihood of success much greater and none of them involve quick fixes. Nothing worth achieving comes quickly, and having control over your eating habits is no exception. It takes practice and patience as lasting achievements stem from a lifetime of dedication. Exercise can go a long way in helping relieve some of the symptoms of depression that eating disorders can bring about, but again balance is the key. That being said, if you have an eating disorder it is always recommended that you first seek professional help.

Related Articles:

Changing Your Diet Forever- Why Change Is So Hard

Exercise and Depression

Fasting Is Not An Effective Form of  Weight Loss

References:

1. McGivering J. Anorexia takes hold in India. BBC News- 2003

2. Eating Disorder Statistics- South Carolina Dept. of Mental Health

3. Bulimia nervosa; Binge-purge behavior; Eating disorder – bulimia. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia.

4.Marcus MD. “Binge Eating in Obesity.” In: Fairburn CG, Wilson GT (eds). Binge eating: nature, assessment, and treatment

5. Gordon, Richard A. 2000. Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd.

6. Stunkard AJ. “Eating Patterns and Obesity.” Psychiatric Quarterly, 1959, Vol. 33, pp. 284-295.

7. Stunkard A, Allison K., Lundgren J. Issues for DSM-V: Night Eating Syndrome- Am J Psychiatry 165:424, April 2008

8. Lundgren JD, Newberg A, Allison KC, Wintering N, Ploessl K, Stunkard AJ: 123I-ADAM SPECT imaging of serotonin transporter binding in patients with night eating syndrome: a pilot study. Psychiatry Res

 9. Andersen GS, Stunkard AJ, Sørensen TI, Petersen L, Heitmann BL: Night eating and weight change in middle-aged men and women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2004; 28:1338–1343

Kevin Richardson is an award winning fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City metropolitan area and need help losing weight or getting into cover model shape, give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420.

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Post tags: body mind, diet, diet tips, eating disorder, eating tips, health tips, healthy eating, junk foods, self image, weight loss

How much do you know about health and fitness?

Take our quiz based on our blog articles, daily Twitter & Facebook health tips and see where you stand. Good luck!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

How Did You Do?
90 to 100%- You are a tried and true expert in all things related to health and fitness.
70 to 89%- You know your stuff, but could do with a little brushing up on your diet and exercise knowledge.
50% to 69%- You passed, but just barely. Lot’s of catching up to do.
49% or less- You didn’t pass, but don’t despair, keep reading our blogs and articles and be sure to follow Kevin on Twitter for daily fitness updates and you’ll be up to scratch in no time!

The answers:

1. Someone who is overweight has a slower metabolism than someone with a healthy body weight.

False- The heavier you are the faster your metabolism will be- read more here

2. An apple really has 70,000 calories.

True. Strictly speaking an apple has 70,000 calories- since the energy content of food is measured in kilocalories which is one thousand calories. Confused? Read my article on understanding calories here.

3. If you follow a proper diet you can lose 10 lbs of fat in 1 week.

False- it’s mathematically  impossible if you are eating any food at all to lose that much fat in a week given the fact that you need to expend 36000 kcals for every 1 pound of fat. Read more here.

4. As little as 40 kilocalories over your daily energy requirements can lead to a weight gain of over 40 lbs in ten years.

Sad but true. A small intake over what your body really needs creates the silent, cumulative weight gain that seems to sneak up on you over the years – read more here.

5. Regular Snapple juices have less sugar than Coca Cola

False. Regular Snapple drinks have more sugar than an equal amount of Coca Cola even though it is marketed as a healthier alternative to sodas. Check out Kevin’s Twitter and Facebook updates for daily health tips!

6. When eating at a restaurant anything labeled ‘Crispy’ is fine to eat as a healthier choice.

False. The word ‘crispy’ is code for fried. Read more in our guide to healthy restaurant eating here.

7. Oats contain gluten.

False, pure oats do not contain gluten proteins. Read more on oats and gluten here.

8. Cane sugar is healthier than corn syrup.

False, several notable health organizations have affirmed that there is no distinction that should be made between the two in terms of health risk when consumption is immoderate. Read more here.

9. Weight training can’t protect you from bone loss over time.

False. It does and you can read more about the mechanisms of increasing bone density through resistance exercise here.

10. Feeling guilty after eating junk food can help you not eat it again.

False. The more you think about a food you ate the more likely you are to continue eating it. Read more about how guilt can sabotage your diet here.

11. Multi-vitamins have been conclusively proven to make you healthier.

False. Every study on the matter has found no health benefit to those without significant vitamin deficiencies (which contrary to popular belief if almost non-existent in developed countries). Read more about it here.

12. Soil today has 50% less of the nutrients it had 50 years ago and so do the fruits and vegetables grown in them.

False. While there is some reduction in soil nutrients over time, the amounts found in produce isn’t significantly lower, nor does it justify the use of vitamin supplementation. Read more here.

13. When you buy fruits and vegetables the growers get get as much as 50-60% of the profits.

False. Farmers get as little as 4% of the profit at times for produce- a figure that is far higher for those who raise animal stocks. That’s one of the reasons fruits and vegetables aren’t promoted as much as meat and high profit junk foods- the profit margins are simply too low. Read more about the economics behind the food that you eat here.

14. It is the interest of the US economy for you to eat more of the foods that aren’t good for you.

True. The food industry not only generates over 8% of the U.S. GDP with a trillion dollars in annual sales, but it also employs 12% of working Americans. Given these figures it isn’t surprising that government programs are in place to support their marketing  strategies to get you to eat more. Read more here.

15. Eating foods with added Omega 3 fats can improve your health.

False. Studies have shown this to not all be the case. Read more on how adding omega 3 fats to products do little to help anything but profit margins here.

16. Fasting is a great way to detoxify your body.

False and the only way to give your body a break from foods you believe to be toxic is to not eat those foods in the first place. Read more here on fasting and what it can and cannot do.

17. Aerobic exercise is essential for building endurance, losing body fat and working your heart.

False. It’s not the only way as studies have shown that you can increase endurance, lose body fat and get a significant improvement in cardiovascular efficiency from high intensity resistance training alone. Read how you can get fit in less time here.

18. Early man did not eat bread during the Paleolithic era and thus it is not a natural part of our diet.

False. Recent archeological digs in Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic have revealed the use of flat breads dating back as far as 30,000 years ago into what is commonly called the Paleolithic era. Read more about bread and its role in weight gain here.

19. Protein shakes are just as good as solid foods for your protein needs.

False. Contrary to marketing that masquerades as science, protein shakes are not only unnatural and highly processed products, but they can actually make you gain body fat. Read more here.

20. Tongol tuna is a better choice because it has lower mercury levels than regular tuna.

True. It’s a smaller fish and thus is lower in methyl-mercury. Read more about tongol tuna here.

21. The longer and more often you train the bigger and stronger your muscles will become.

False. Without continued overload to the point that stimulates an adaptive response, after becoming accustomed to the stimulus your muscles will have no reason to get bigger or stronger. It’s not always how much you do, it’s how you do it. Read more about how muscles get bigger and stronger here.

22. Eating for  your blood type is a proven way to ensure that you eat what is best for your body.

False. There is no science behind the idea that blood type has anything to do with food intake. Read more about the misinformation behind blood type diet theory here.

23. A drink or two a week won’t make a difference in your weight loss efforts.

False. Alcohol goes a long way in stopping your efforts to lose body fat. Read more about drinking and weight loss here.

24. Carbohydrates can make some people gain weight faster than anything else.

False. Any food, be it a protein, carbohydrate or fat consumed in quantities exceeding the caloric requirements of your body will make you gain weight. Fats, with a caloric value of 9 kcals per gram are actually more likely to make you gain weight as they have more calories than carbohydrates which have 7 calories per gram, but all things being equal eating anything more than you should will make you gain weight. Regardless of genetics. Read more about calories here and read more about the lack of evidence supporting a genetic link to modern obesity here.

25. The simplest way to eat well is to eat foods in as natural a form as possible with some degree of moderation.

True. The more unnatural a product is, the more likely it may not be the best decision for you to eat it. Read more by following updates on my Twitter account here.

Thanks for taking the test!

Kevin Richardson is an award winning fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or toning up and taking your body to the next level with a time saving and practical system of diet and exercise, give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Understanding Calories & How They Relate to Weight Loss

The word ‘calorie’ is a ubiquitous part of our dietary vocabulary. You can’t see calories, touch them or sense them but you can see all too well the effects of eating too many of them when your waistline begins to expand. If you don’t get enough of them you can see the effects as well as your bodyweight begins to decrease. As omnipresent as calories are in the lives of those determined to lose weight, they are yet the least understood aspect of nutrition for most dieters, which is ironic given the fact that an understanding of calories and their role is crucial to anyone serious about losing weight. The confusion over calories comes mostly thanks to the bombardment of contradictory information from food manufacturers, the weight loss industry and  the media- which uses dietary information as a form of entertainment and not as a tool for educating the public. Both food manufacturers and the weight loss industry have a vested interest in telling us a lot about nothing- which leaves most people bewildered by what to do next in terms of their weight loss and open to believe just about anything and most importantly- buy more of their products. In today’s world an educated consumer wouldn’t be much of a consumer since an understanding of the science behind calories would make them unlikely candidates for popular diet/exercise trends, nor would they fall for the many calorie related strategies used by food manufacturers to get you to buy more of their products for the wrong reasons. (Read my article on the economics of obesity for more information on how marketing confuses consumers.) Calories aren’t rocket science, but they are a bit complicated. Nevertheless, if you take the time to understand this fundamental element of nutrition, it will help you go a long way in achieving your weight loss goals.

A Calorie Isn’t A Calorie- Understanding The Nomenclature

One of the most bewildering problems is the word itself as the word calorie as it appears on food labels isn’t exactly the correct term, even though it’s widely used. There is a saying that you can’t understand the nature of anything unless you call it by its proper name and I think this precept is applicable in this case as well. A calorie isn’t the correct label for the energy in our foods. A calorie (written with a lower case ‘c’) is a measurement of heat energy used in thermodynamics and is never used in regards to food energy measurement. The energy in our foods is measured in kilocalories,(k/cal), which means 1,000 calories with the word ‘Calorie’ (with a capital ‘C’) used by those in the dietary fields to refer to kilocalories. Are you confused yet? A medium sized apple therefore isn’t really 80 calories in the strictest sense, it’s 80 kilocalories or 80,000 calories! It makes sense to keep the numbers manageable by expressing all values in units of a thousand and I am more than certain that food manufacturers would be horrified to see their products labeled with three extra zeros added to the calorie count. Other countries avoid the whole conundrum by using the metric measurement of kilojoules, which is 4.18 kilocalories. From here on in for the sake of simplicity I will use the correct nomenclature- Calorie or kilocalorie when referring to units of food energy measurement so we are all on the same boat.

What Is A Calorie/Kilocalorie?

A kilocalorie is the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of one liter of water by one degree Centigrade from 14.5 degrees to 15.5 degrees Centigrade. A wonderful definition, but one that means little to anyone without a background in chemistry or an understanding of the metric system. To translate for those who didn’t grow up with meters and grams, a Calorie/kilocalorie is the amount of heat needed to raise a quart of water (which is just about a liter) by 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit – which is 1 degree Centigrade.  Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Centigrade) so that medium sized apple we were talking about earlier has just enough energy to boil a quart of water. Let’s put this into perspective-Given that the average American adult male consumes a total of 2437 calories daily[1], that would be enough energy to boil a little over 6 gallons of water! The amount of energy is astounding, but it you must note that energy from foods is released very slowly through the processes of digestion and metabolism. If not we would have some serious problems to contend with and spontaneous combustion would be a fairly regular event! Where does all this energy go? Mostly towards the biological work required for our bodily functions- everything from breathing to using our muscles and repairing our cells. In essence this energy is used to maintain balance (homeostasis- a bigger word with the same meaning) with the heat energy released from these functions serving to maintain our body temperature. (See my article on metabolism here).

Measuring Calories/Kilocalories

So how do we measure Calories/Kilocalories? The process actually isn’t that complicated as the food is burned to ash and the heat released is measured in a device called a bomb calorimeter. Since the Third Law Of Thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created or destroyed, we know that the amount of energy released from a food inside our body through digestion and oxidation would be about the same as the amount of energy released if it was completely burned in a closed system. A bomb calorimeter does just that and researchers make allowances for the components of food that would not be completely digested in your body. Some plant based fibers, for example cannot be completely digested and thus can’t be converted into energy. A a result any calories from indigestible food components are subtracted from the total amount of heat energy measured. Also subtracted are the nitrogen components of protein based foods which are also excreted by our bodies without being used. By taking these factors in to consideration researchers are able to arrive at a final figure that best represents what our body would actually gain from a food. Without these corrections you would find many low calorie foods like vegetables being listed as high calorie foods with a much higher Calorie/kilocalorie count than they really do. Thanks to the requirements of the provisions of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act enacted in 1990, all foods in the U.S. have to have their nutritional information listed prominently on the container in which they are sold. These labels are often misleading in terms of their caloric counts as while the kilocalorie values are accurate, the serving sizes are kept ridiculously low so that the calorie count won’t appear to be too high. Take the label on a small bag of a brand of  ‘natural’ potato chips for example with it’s serving size of 1 ounce which has a value of 150 kcal. Now 150 kilocalories may not sound like much, but that’s only one seventh of the total bag, and I can’t tell you the last time I saw anyone eat one seventh of a small bag of potato chips and walk away as most people would eat the whole bag. Thus the real energy yield is more like 1050 kcal which is almost half the average number of kilocalories needed by a woman to maintain her bodyweight and is a glaring example of a seriously high kilocalorie food masquerading as a harmless low calorie treat thanks to serving size manipulation.

The Caloric Components Of Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats

Now the energy content of the food we eat come from three macronutrients- carbohydrates, protein and fats. Protein and carbohydrates for the most part have a total of 4 kilocalories per gram, (a gram is about one third of an ounce by the way), whereas fats have 9 kilocalories per gram. Consequently, foods that are high in fat are usually high in kilocalories. Olive oil is has many heart healthy benefits, but it is still very much a high calorie food. As little as two tablespoons have 28 grams of fat, which adds up to 248 kcal. Putting that into perspective- two tablespoons of olive oil are calorically equal to three medium sized apples, which is one reason why it’s so important to be aware of the fat content of your foods as the numbers add up pretty easily quickly. The mathematically savvy amongst you may have discerned that while olive oil has a total of 28 grams of fat- it has 248 kilocalories and not 252 kilocalories. If 1 gram of fat yields 9 kilocalories then it should have 252 kilocalories- (9X28=252) but it doesn’t. The reason for the discrepancy is that oils (and most foods) contain some amount of water which is calorically inert.

Why do carbohydrates and proteins have only 4 kilocalories per gram, whereas fats have 9 kilocalories per gram? The answer isn’t that hard to fathom if you  keep in mind the basic elements and molecular make up of these nutrients. Protein is made of amino acids while carbohydrates is made up primarily of glucose. Fats are composed of fatty acids which are the most complex in terms of their biochemical structure and have the greatest number of chemical bonds holding it together. If you conceptualize the idea of energy being released when a food is broken down, it makes sense that fatty acids- which have far more bonds holding it together than glucose or amino acids would thus store more potential energy and be as a result much higher in kilocalories.

Calories/Kilocalories And Body Fat

One of the most important themes from the laws of thermodynamics is the idea that if we consume more Calories than we need our bodies will have no choice but to store them as body fat. This will happen regardless of how healthy the food source may have been. You can get fat from eating high protein foods, fats or carbohydrates- even if it is labeled fat free, organic or heart healthy. It makes no difference whatsoever the type of food you eat, if you ingest more than you should, you’ll gain weight. But as we said before, it is easier to go overboard calorie-wise  from eating foods that are high in fat since they are so much more calorically dense. I should mention as well that at 7  kcal per gram, alcohol has more calories than protein and carbohydrates and the added curse of being processed in such a way that if you consume too much of it can significantly increase fat stores around your liver and other organs. (See my article on alcohol and weight loss as well as my post on visceral abdominal fat).

Weight Loss And Calories/Kilocalories- Why You Can’t Lose 10 lbs of Fat In A Week

One of the best aspects of understanding what calories are is that it gives you an informed perspective as to how ludicrous rapid weight loss plans can be. The Holy Grail of losing 10 pounds of fat in a week is highly improbable, given the concrete mathematics involved and even doing so in two weeks isn’t within the realm of rational expectations. Consider that a pound of fat contains a total of 3,500 kilocalories- and that the average male needs anywhere in the ballpark of  2000 to 3000 calories to maintain his bodyweight, (this figure is slightly lower for females).  Thus to lose ten pounds of fat in a seven days you would need to eat 35,000 kilocalories less or burn off that many kilocalories through exercise. Even if you did both such a result is unlikely. With the figures in front of you it is clear to see that no diet can bring about a ten pound fat loss in a week.  You would have to eat nothing at all and  still increase your activity level to make it possible, and between us I don’t know anyone who can exercise effectively while starving. Weight loss is thus a gradual occurrence and a matter keeping your caloric intake within an acceptable level while increasing your body’s need for more energy. You can do this by exercising and increasing your muscle mass- since muscle requires additional calories to be maintained. None of this happens overnight so always be wary of anyone or anything saying otherwise, especially if it comes with a lightening of your wallet.

Calories Matter But What You Eat Matters As Well

You might think that since weight gain depends on calories from any source that you can eat pretty much anything as long as your intake remains within the boundaries of what you need to maintain an energy balance. This is the premise behind many diet fads and food manufacturers love it as it advocates that you can eat what you want- junk food included. As attractive as this may sound to the consumer  however the logic behind it is severely flawed. Firstly, the energy balance principles derived from the laws of thermodynamics don’t account for the fact that we are human beings and that many other factors come into play where weight gain is concerned. If you follow the idea of weight gain being a matter solely based on energy balance then their should come a time when weight gain stops as the increased mass and consequent increase in metabolism compensates for the extra calories being consumed.[2] The larger you get the more calories you burn and yet in the real world this almost never happens as people continue to gain weight throughout the course of their lives.[3] Our behavior and eating patterns play a major part in weight gain and food manufacturers are quite aware of this. If you only ate junk food in amounts meeting your body’s energy requirements it might work, but those foods are engineered by folks who spend a lot of time, money and effort studying and mastering the creation of foods that are designed to make you eat more. Studies have found that ingredients in many processed foods such as high fructose corn syrup make us eat and drink far more than we should and thus contributing to the continued weight gain.[3]  Combine that with the liquid calories in sodas and juices and you have a situation where it is very difficult for moderation to occur. Furthermore, by continued consumption of junk foods you simply can’t learn the healthy eating habits. Nor can you learn how to select natural foods which are much easier to eat in moderation than than their distant processed cousins. Long term weight loss comes from a change in lifestyle and thus anything that keeps you away from doing so makes it far less likely that you’ll be successful in your long term weight loss endeavors. (See my article on Controlling Your Eating Habits.)

So what about the stories of those who lost significant amounts of weight in a short time from low carbohydrate diets?  Again an understanding of the science behind how our body works gives us some insight. Carbohydrates are stored in our body as glycogen, which is a combination of glucose and water. When you reduce your carbohydrate intake your glycogen levels will drop and you will lose some of that water in the process. That’s the weight you’ll see lost on the scale but it is all water weight, and does nothing to reduce your fat stores. An effect that is at best temporary and a distraction from the practice of watching your portions and eating in a consistently better fashion with a diet that includes all food groups in sensible quantities. There aren’t any shortcuts and faced with the abundance of so many energy dense foods and our inability to accurately estimate how many calories we consume[4] it is a difficult task indeed. A slight excess in caloric intake can go a long way as eating only 40 calories more than our energy requirements can add an extra 40lbs of fat over the course of ten years. Taking that into consideration and the fact that our ancestors never had anywhere near the food supply we have today, it becomes a bit easier to understand our current obesity crisis. It might be an uphill battle, but it’s one that can be won with a consistent approach that emphasizes lifestyle change and not immediate weight loss results.

References

1. National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey- Intake of Calories and Selected Nutrients for the United States Population, 1999-2000

2. Kushner, Robert (2007). Treatment of the Obese Patient (Contemporary Endocrinology). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. pp. 158. ISBN 1-59745-400-1. Retrieved April 5, 2009.

3. Wells JC, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011

4. Peter G. Kopelman, Ian D. Caterson, Michael J. Stock, William H. Dietz (2005). Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Blackwell Publishing

Kevin Richardson is an award winning fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

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Post tags: diet, diet tips, eating tips, health tips, healthy eating, weight loss

The Slow Metabolism Myth- Understanding The Role Of Metabolism in Weight Gain

It is a disarmingly simple concept- some people are cursed with a naturally slow metabolism and gain weight in spite of how carefully they watch what they eat. On the other side of the spectrum, a fortunate few are blessed with fast metabolisms which allow them to eat any and everything without gaining weight. As a central aspect of the idea of genetic predispositions towards weight gain and obesity, the slow metabolism hypothesis has long been hailed as a common explanation as to why some individuals appear to gain weight no matter what they do. As popular an argument as this may be there is ample evidence to the contrary  (read my article on genetics and weight gain) and the rationale of genetically predetermined disorders can’t account for the prevalence of obesity throughout Westernized populations. Such notions nevertheless do increase the sales of many fitness related products while adding to the cacophony of misinformation regarding the role of our metabolism in losing and gaining weight. Unfortunately, an individual lacking in-depth knowledge of nutrition and physiology can’t necessarily see any distinctions between rational deductions from observable evidence and baseless speculation. Most of what passes for fitness related information today is either a form of entertainment or ideologically driven pseudoscience, propagated by those who stand to profit the most. The complex nature of how our body works is often dumbed down to simple concepts that people feel they can relate to easily. The idea of slow metabolisms being a widespread problem for millions of people and the cause of your own seemingly inexplicable weight gain is one that is delightful empowering as it lays the ‘blame’ for your extra pounds on your somewhat underperforming metabolism. This argument makes you feel better about yourself and more inclined to purchase products that purport to help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism in one way or the other but this is hardly the case. The reality is that weight gain isn’t mysterious and slow metabolisms are hardly to blame.

What Does Metabolism Really Mean?

Metabolism is defined as the total sum of all the chemical reactions taking place in your body. Our metabolic processes fall into two categories, they are either anabolic- which refers to the action of building up, or catabolic- which refers to the mechanism of breaking down. A classic example of an anabolic process in our metabolism is muscle building, where as a response to the stress of exercise our body increases the amount of skeletal proteins. An increase that we externally observe as our muscles getting bigger and stronger (see my article on how muscles get bigger and stronger for a more detailed description). Catabolic metabolic processes are the exact opposite and a common example would be the breaking down of our foods to provide energy for the cells in our body and thus keep us alive. When we are healthy these processes occur in a state of equilibrium, a balance that is referred to as homeostasis.

There is one other important but somewhat complex concept to contend with in understanding metabolism and that is the first law of thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed and so conceptually in a fixed physiological system such as a living organism, total energy coming in must be the same as the total energy out, unless some of it is lost or stored. Energy coming into our body refers to the calories we obtain from food and drink. Energy going out refers not only to energy used in physical activity but also for the work performed by the cells in our body. Work in this context also applies to the biological work of repairing cells, and our body’s struggle to maintain homeostasis such as the constant regulation of body temperature. Even reading this article requires some element of biological work as your muscles contract to keep your eyes focused on the screen.

How We Measure Metabolism

The primary way that our body produces energy is through the combustion of carbohydrates and fats in the presence of oxygen. This function is called aerobic metabolism, and it leaves behind measurable byproducts in the form of carbon dioxide and water. That being the case we can roughly  estimate an individuals’ metabolism by measuring the amount of oxygen consumed and the volume of carbon dioxide produced. The process to measure metabolism is called indirect calorimetry. Calorimetry means the measuring of heat energy given out or taken in and the term ‘indirect’ is used since we can’t exactly measure the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of each cell in your body at any given time. We can however get an overall view of what’s going on by observing the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen from your lungs.

A device called a metabolic cart is used to measure these gases and it requires you to wear a mask very similar to what a scuba diver would wear, except it doesn’t provide air but rather records air coming from your lungs. From indirect calorimetry we can calculate your basal metabolic rate- which is the minimum metabolic rate your body requires to maintain your body weight and functions.[1] Many factors can affect your basal metabolic rate such as genetics, age, gender, hormones and most importantly for our purposes- diet and activity level. When the amount of food energy (calories) ingested is more than what your body uses then  there is a concurrent gain in body mass.[2] This gain in body mass is our body’s way of storing energy for a time when it isn’t readily available and the way it does so is in the form of fat tissue. Our ability to store considerable reserves of energy in the form of fat is one of the hold offs from our past, serving to help our ancestors of survive countless famines and the scarcity of food that has defined human life for the past several thousand years.

The Slow Metabolism Myth

Getting back to the idea of a slow metabolism, average metabolic rates for men are estimated to be about 1.0 kilocalories per hour per kilogram of bodyweight. Women usually have slightly slower metabolisms than men (and we will explain why) and their metabolic rates are usually about 0.9 kilocalories per hour per kilogram of bodyweight. It seems natural to think that someone who is overweight and has difficulty losing weight might have a slower pthan normal metabolism but contrary to popular opinion, someone who is obese would have a GREATER energy expenditure than someone who is thin.(3) The mechanics of it makes total sense as it takes more energy to maintain a larger body mass.[3] The bigger the organism the more energy is needed for homeostasis as someone weighing over 400lbs has far more biological and mechanical work to do than someone weighing 150lbs. So why do some people struggle with weight gain while others don’t? It must be emphasized that the causes of obesity are complex however differences in rates of metabolism are not valid explanations as to why it happens.

One key issue is our inherent difficulty in estimating exactly how much food we consume  during the course of a day- a challenge that studies have shown can be even harder for those who are overweight.[4] As much as we may think we know how much we eat on a regular basis, indirect calorimeter testing has shown time and time again that even the most conscientious among us tend consistently under-report our food intake. Compounding this issue is the unfortunate reality that it doesn’t take much for our body to gain weight. Our bodies have no way of knowing that food is available to many of us in developed countries to the point where we throw away billions of pounds of it every year. All our bodies know is that storing excess energy is critical for our survival as it is nevertheless designed to endure continued periods of low food supply. That being said we are all very much efficient at gaining weight and keeping it on and we do so with an ease that is hard for most to fathom. To put the average human’s weight gaining ability in perspective, a weight gain of 44 pounds over the course of ten years would only require you to eat 30-40 kilocalories more than your body needed everyday.[5] That’s all it would take. Not a ton of junk food nor hefty servings of high calorie food and drink. Just half of an apple, a plum, a cup of asparagus, 1/7 of a cup of rice, 1/3 of an ounce of cheese, or 2 fluid ounces of soda over your daily energy expenditure requirements would add over forty pounds in a decade if there was no change in energy requirements. A sobering thought, but one of the many reasons so many people gain weight. It really doesn’t take much at all for it to happen.

Slow Metabolism Versus Fast Metabolism Explored

A study presented at the 2008 annual Endocrine Society Conference in San Francisco further highlights the problems with the slow metabolism concept as it was demonstrated that obese people process food at exactly the same rates way thin people do when they are in a rigidly controlled environment. In a study conducted at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, 26 naturally thin individuals with Body Mass Index (BMI) counts between 19 and 23 who considered themselves to have a fast metabolism were compared in a carefully monitored environment to 23 individuals with BMI’s of 23-27 who identified themselves and family members as ‘obesity prone’ to see if they could overeat and not gain weight since they appeared to have a naturally higher metabolic rate than those who had problems with weight gain.

In both groups metabolic rates were tested after the subjects ate a normal diet and again after three days of eating 40% more food than their individual energy requirements. All subjects underwent two one-week dietary study periods, with four days of a control diet followed by three days of either eating exactly the amount of calories for their calculated energy expenditure or overeating. Metabolic rates were tested using the indirect calorimetry method and all foods were carefully prepared and monitored following a standard of 20% protein, 30% fat and 50% carbohydrates. At the end of the study researchers found that both groups had higher metabolic rates at rest after overeating for three days compared to when they ate a normal diet but the increase was the same for both groups. Researchers had theorized that energy expenditure and fat oxidation would increase following overfeeding in the ‘fast metabolism’ group, which would explain the process protecting them from gaining weight, but this turned out not to be the case at all.

Difficulties in Estimating Food Intake As A Weight Gain Factor

These findings were consistent with what many other studies have found  time and time again, which is that some people have a hard time balancing their daily caloric intake with how it relates to their actual energy needs. Thin people don’t have faster metabolisms that somehow save and protect them from weight gain, and those with problems losing weight don’t have slow metabolisms. Over the past twenty years of my career as a personal trainer I have had very similar experiences. I started out being convinced that there were people who suffered from slower metabolisms and that they would gain weight easily while others (myself included) found it ridiculously hard to gain weight. As time went on my observations and personal experiences proved both concepts to be flawed as everyone who trained consistently and ate in accordance to their individually designed dietary plans were able to get into fantastic shape as long as they stuck to the program. It didn’t matter if they were overweight all their lives or if they were previously unable to lose weight, the only differences were that those who had more weight to lose took longer to get to a point where they had a high degree of definition as compared to those who started at a lower body fat percentage to begin with. On the other hand- everyone who had trouble gaining weight because they thought they had a ‘fast metabolism’ was able to gain significant amounts of muscle mass as long as they adhered to the diet prescribed for them and a training program designed to stimulate muscle growth.

I always believed that I had a fast metabolism as I was painfully thin for the earlier part of my life. I started weight training at 125 lbs at six feet even, but my metabolism had nothing to do with my ability to gain weight. As long as I ate in accordance with  the dietary plan designed to help me get bigger I gained weight. It took a lot longer for me to do so to the point where it would show but I was able to put on over a hundred pounds of lean muscle mass over the course of 17 years or so without the use of any drugs whatsoever. As for the protective aspect of a ‘fast metabolism’, in the days when I ate junk- I got fat like everyone else. Today I stay steady at 225lbs at about 6% body fat not because of a fast metabolism but because I am always on point with what I eat and my program of high intensity training. When I didn’t eat as well as I do now I tipped the scale at an ungodly 252 lbs looking nothing like how I do today. If I ‘relax’ my eating there isn’t a magic parachute waiting to protect me from getting fatter if I overeat and indulge in the wrong foods and the same applies to everyone else.

Beyond The Energy Balance Theories- How What You Eat Plays A Part In What You Weigh

As straightforward as this may sound it isn’t the end of the story, as weight gain is even more complex than simply saying that eating too many calories will make you gain weight. The laws of thermodynamics and the theory of energy expenditure versus energy requirements don’t completely explain why people keep gaining weight as the years go by. Given the energy balance principles there should be a finite point where weight gain reaches a plateau as energy demand rises with increases in body mass but this doesn’t happen at all as many continue to gain weight throughout the course of their lives.[7] Alternate and perhaps more accurate models take a look at the role of modern food ingredients as a reason some people keep accumulating those extra pounds. Fructose derived sweeteners (sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) can trigger increased fat tissue accumulation in addition to increasing appetite- a vicious cycle which usually leads to a decrease in activity.[7] This model for why we gain weight places emphasis more on what you eat in addition to how much you eat as the two seem to be very closely related.

In the end it is hard not to make simple cause and effect judgments. The slow/fast metabolism neatly explains everything and in many cases places an uncontrollable factor into the equation. One that can be easily blamed for the extra pounds around your waist, but this simply isn’t the case for the vast majority of individuals. Hormonal disorders and some medications seem to have a part in weight gain as well but in most instances it really comes down to an awareness of what you eat, how much of it you eat and how active you are to deal with the calories you are taking in.

Related Articles:

Why We Regain Weight- The Leptin Connection

Food And Self Control- How Do You Stop Cravings?

Obesity And Chronic Disease- Is It Genes Or Lifestyle?

References:

1. Kaiyala KJ, Ramsay DS: Direct animal calorimetry, the underused gold standard for quantifying the fire of life. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 25 April 2010

2. Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the management and prevention of obesity in adults and children

3. Kushner, Robert (2007). Treatment of the Obese Patient (Contemporary Endocrinology). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. pp. 158. ISBN 1-59745-400-1. Retrieved April 5, 2009.

4. Peter G. Kopelman, Ian D. Caterson, Michael J. Stock, William H. Dietz (2005). Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Blackwell Publishing

5. Björntorp P. Obesity. Lancet 1997; 350: 423–6

6. Carlsson B, Lindell K, Gabrielsson B, et al. Obese (ob) gene defects are rare in human obesity. Obes Res 1997; 5: 30–5

7. Wells JC, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Eating Out & Staying Healthy- A Restaurant Guide To Healthy Eating

In this the second installment of our Eating Out Guide, we cover by cuisine some great tips for making healthy choices while eating out at restaurants. (If you haven’t already, you can read the first installment here). Choices that allow you the pleasure and convenience of being able to order food without the concern that eating out will cause you to forsake your goal of eating healthy and getting into shape. The guides are organized by cuisine and include practical and easy to understand rules for everything from American to Thai cuisine. Use it as a handy way to make better choices while eating out and be sure to book mark it or print it out for future reference. An ebook version of this blog post will be available in the near future to all newsletter subscribers, complete with actual sample menu selections so if you have not already done so please feel free to join my mailing list here. Thanks in advance for reading my blog posts and I hope this guide helps you enjoy the important social act of eating out.

Eating Out & Staying In Shape- Restaurant Cuisine Rules for Healthy Eating

There is such a wide variety of different cuisines to choose from when you eat out. Each has a range of dishes that you can order with little in the way of guilt but you have to know the rules. Sometimes there are things that you have no control over, like sodium levels. Many restaurants pre-season their foods so they can’t always accommodate you by whipping up a salt free version, but at higher end establishments I’ve found them almost always willing to do just that. The following guides will help you navigate the maze of many different food choices from different cuisines. I couldn’t fit them all but just about most of the main ones are covered. The rules apply to just about every type of food known to man in the first place. They are categorized so you can skip ahead to the cuisine you are interested in learning about but do take the time to read them all as each contain valuable lessons on how making better choices in terms of your food. Here is the list of cuisines covered:

American Cuisine

Chinese Cuisine

French Cuisine

Health Food & Organic Cuisine

Indian  Cuisine

Italian Cuisine

Japanese Cuisine (Highly Recommended)

Mediterranean Cuisine

Mexican Cuisine

Thai Cuisine

Spanish Cuisine

 American Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At American Restaurants

The steak is fine but the fries are a no-no.

American cuisine is an incredibly diverse culinary set of foods that range from barbequed meats to pies and seafood plates. Given the wonderfully different traditions (from New England clam chowder to California rolls) that create what we know today as American cuisine, it’s hard to narrow it down to a couple of foods.  Nevertheless there are some recommendations as to what you should and shouldn’t eat if you are trying to keep your calories in check when eating at American themed establishments. The great part about American cuisine is the meats and seafood.  You usually can’t go wrong with any such selections if you get a vegetable dish or salad to go with it. Steakhouse standards are usually fine as are grilled selections- shrimp included if it isn’t smothered in butter. Ribs are usually okay if you only have them very infrequently and even then it’s only a good idea if it isn’t smothered in sugary barbecue sauce- which for most takes the fun out of eating it in the first place. Common side orders in many restaurants are home cut fries and they are best avoided due to their high fat, sodium and calorie content. Selections that come with bread like hamburgers are fine as long as they aren’t loaded with salt and you leave the bread on the side. If you can get a leaner meat like bison for your burgers that makes it even better. It goes without saying that the obviously unhealthy additions like mayonnaise are a no-no and the same goes for most commercial forms of ketchup which are high in high fructose corn syrup and sugar. American cuisine is known for its dessert selections- apple pie, cheesecake, ice cream and the like and as we mentioned in the first part of the guide dessert is best avoided unless it’s fruit. Not great news, I know but it is the easiest way to stay on track. The practice of only having a small bit doesn’t help you learn how to appreciate foods that aren’t overly sweet which is an important lesson that you need to learn in order to be successful long term in controlling your weight and maintaining good health.

American Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• If it’s fried skip it unless it’s all they have. If you must eat fried chicken remove the skin before eating it.
• If you must have an appetizer stick with salads without dressing  or cheese added or protein foods like chicken, fish, etc that preferably aren’t fried.
• Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and skip the wine list and the beer! If you must have something to drink make it an unsweetened ice tea.
• Don’t overdo it. If you eat too much of anything, even the healthiest items on the menu you can consume enough extra calories that will go right to your midsection. Always keep 1/3 of your stomach empty (especially at buffet type restaurants) and think in terms of having a quality dining experience and enjoying your food instead of eating to the point of being full.
• Learn to do without dessert if they don’t have fruit on the menu.  The taste for sweets is learned and like anything you learned it can be unlearned over time if you keep trying.
• Enjoy yourself!

Chinese Cuisine-  Healthy Eating Out At Chinese Restaurants

It’s important to note that most of what passes for Chinese food here in the United States is actually American cuisine created by Chinese immigrants who migrated to the country and formulated recipes that would be appealing to the American public. Since they are just about everywhere, we will cover these selections as well as the traditional Chinese fares which for the most part fall into different categories based on what part of China the food comes from. Cantonese cuisine is on the most popular when traditional Chinese food comes to mind and it consists of range of edible meats including duck, chicken as well as more exotic choices like organ meats, chicken feet, snails and frogs. As alien as many of these foods may be to Western taste buds, they are actually not bad from a health point of view. Cantonese foods tend to be steamed, shallow fried, boiled, braised or deep fried and with the exception of the fried foods everything  else tends to be good choices as long as the sauces stay on the side.

Dim Sum- which means ‘touch your heart’ and refers to a series of small different dishes that give you an opportunity to taste several different foods. Picks include rice based dishes, dumplings, buns with different meats inside, stir fried vegetables and soups. As much as the choices may not always be ideal calorie wise for someone trying to lose weight, the dishes are pretty small and if you stick to the foods that are freshest and not fried, you should be okay – as long as you don’t overdo it and keep the sauces on the side.

Other regional Chinese cuisines are Hunan which is usually spicy foods that are either stewed, roasted, braised or smoked with an array of vegetables and spices and Szechuan which uses a lot of garlic and peppers in addition to peanuts, sesame pastes and ginger for flavoring.

Chinese Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose grilled and steamed dishes over fried ones. Chicken, fish, shrimp, duck and even choices typically thought of as unhealthy such as beef and pork are fine in moderation as long as it isn’t fried or swimming in a high sodium and high fat sauce.
• ‘Crispy’ means fried so avoid anything on the menu in this category.
• If you can try to stay away from the more American Chinese food dishes like fried rice, General Tso’s Chicken, fried noodles and sweet and anything with sweet and sour sauce.
• Load up on the many vegetable based dishes that are always a part of Chinese Cuisine.
• Have water as your main drink- and feel free to have some green tea if it is provided while you wait for your meal. It actually does have some mild fat burning qualities.
• Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Learn to do without dessert. They serve some orange slices at the end of a meal at real Chinese restaurants (along with a fortune cookie that you will carry home for the kids) and that should be more than enough!
• Enjoy yourself!

French Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At French Restaurants

There are lots of healthy options at French restaurants

Given that my better half hails from Paris and that I majored in French when I was in school, it goes without saying that I have a soft spot for French cuisine. Most would immediately think that all French foods are unhealthy as images of wines and cheeses with rich meats and extensive desserts tend to come to mind when French cuisine is mentioned, but there are many healthy selections. As I mentioned in the first installment of the Eating Out Guide- if you believe that there is nothing healthy on the menu you are far more likely to not see the healthy choices that are right before your eyes and here we will dispel the myth that all French food is bad for your waistline.

At French restaurants there is always a wide variety of meats and vegetables and usually all you have to do is to have the sauces on the side. French sauces are a wonderfully rich and flavorful tradition that gives signature luxuriance to the meals found at French restaurants. That being said most Americans don’t realize that the average French person doesn’t eat what you would find in a restaurant on a regular basis in the same way everyone in Italy doesn’t eat pasta every day.

There are many different regional differences to French cuisine but for the most part you can always find something that won’t make you go overboard calorie wise. Salads and vegetables are always available as appetizers as and make excellent starting choices. As for entrees, seafood is always on the menu as are grilled meats ranging from different kinds of poultry to beef, lamb and rabbit. In moderation, any such protein foods are fine as long as they aren’t lathered in sauce. For dessert fruit salads are often available and one of the best aspects of French cuisine is that the portions are not usually as astronomical as American cuisine which makes it much easier to not overdo it.

French Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side whenever possible.
• Have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day unless you can get a salad, some vegetables or a low fat protein food of some sort.
• Have water not wine as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that go a long way in ensuring that your liver isn’t burdened with having to break down the alcohol in your bloodstream so it can carry out one of its key functions which is to metabolize your fat stores!
• Don’t overdo it. One of the central tenets of French cuisine is the act of enjoying your meal in very much the same way you would enjoy music or a work of art. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and savoring what is on your plate without trying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Have fruit for dessert if it is available and if not then learn to do without it. Not having dessert ever killed anyone while one would find it hard to argue the contrary.
• Enjoy yourself!

Health Food & Organic Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Health Food & Organic Restaurants

Smoothies, juices and protein shakes are common items at health food restaurants but they aren't necessarily healthy.

Today, there are a number of restaurant popping up that claim ‘Health Food’ as their cuisine type and as is the case with all things in the world of men, some are better than others. The good ones aren’t simply well dressed fast food restaurants but use whole and unprocessed ingredients and organic fruits, vegetables and meats. Good health food restaurants also won’t have much in the way of fried foods, but a large selection of grilled, steamed and baked dishes, usually made from scratch.

The good news is that at such a restaurant you can usually get whatever you like made to order without the extra sodium you’ll tend to find as standard in most regular restaurants and that you’ll have a nice variety of choices. The bad news is that just because it comes from a health food restaurant doesn’t mean that the food you are getting is going to help you with your goal to get in shape. Many offer lower calorie versions of junk food that are still far too high in calories, sugars or fats to qualify as a healthy choice. Low fat pizza, smoothies, protein shakes, muffins and the like shouldn’t be your selections regardless of how many  healthy adjectives are used to describe it on the menu. Similarly, with lower fat foods like chicken breasts, bison and hummus be careful if it comes with bread of any kind as it can be a source of some unwanted calories- even if it is in the form of a thin wrap. Remember as well that the laws of thermodynamics always apply and won’t changes because the restaurant has a reputation as a great place for healthy meals. If you overeat anything it can make you fat, so go easy on the portion sizes and enjoy the wider selection of guilt free choices at healthy food joints in moderation.

Health Food Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Many healthy food restaurants still serve foods with sauces so always make a point to ask for them on the side or have your order without them.
• Have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day unless you can get a salad, some vegetables or a low fat protein food of some sort.
• Have water not protein shakes! They aren’t natural foods and you are better off without them! (Read my article on protein shakes here)
• Skip the smoothies and the vegetable juices- even if it is freshly blended. You wouldn’t eat 12 carrots at one sitting, so what is natural about drinking that many in a vegetable juice? Our bodies are designed to eat fruit and vegetables- not drink them, as the fiber will help us not overeat them or have a large insulin spike in response to their sugar content. Smoothies and juices don’t have those qualities and can make it easy to overindulge and have some extra layers packed around your stomach.
• Don’t overdo it. Just because the food is organic/fresh or healthy doesn’t give you free reign to eat until you are stuffed. On the contrary with lower fat foods you have to always make a point to stop yourself as you will naturally want to eat more of it to make up for the smaller calorie and fat count. The rule of thumb is to keep one third of your stomach always empty and you should be fine as long as you are only consuming solid foods.
• Enjoy yourself!

Indian Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Indian Restaurants

Curried dishes can be a great choice when eating out at Indian restaurants

Aside from the fact that my great-great grandfather came from India, Indian foods are very much staples back in Trinidad where I grew up and I have a strong fondness for curries and other Indian dishes. Like many Asian cuisines, many think of Indian foods as a bit of a splurge diet wise, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Curries for the most part are actually pretty innocuous as far as calories go and are a simple and delightful way to add flavor to foods when you are dieting and trying to lose weight. The ingredients of cumin, coriander and turmeric are not only sodium free but also very low in calories and are fine additions to both meat and vegetable dishes. While most of the selections thus far offer quite a number of choices for carnivores, Indian cuisines have many more picks for those wishing to avoid meat. You will always have a wealth of vegetable plates to choose from.

Like many cooking styles Indian cuisine has a variety of different regional variations and ways of preparing their meals, but for the most part the staples  are rice, lentils, mung beans, split peas, an unleavened bread like dishes such as roti and naan and a variety of vegetables. Northern Indian cuisines use peanut oils to cook their foods, while coconut oil and milk are more popular in the west and the south. Tandoori barbecued meats are common in northern Indian cuisines along with an ample range of spices and herbs. Ghee is an important part of Indian cooking and is derived from butter. It is very high in fat and modern versions are made with hydrogenated vegetable oil and should be avoided as much as possible. You can’t really go wrong with many of the items on the menu of a traditional Indian restaurant as long as you keep the sauces to a minimum- although as I said before curries are usually fine. Naan bread and roti are okay if eaten in moderation and only before you are going to do some form of exercise or activity. If it is later in the day it would be wise to skip it.

Indian Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose protein foods as appetizers, especially if you are going to be eating a lot of carbohydrate type foods such as naan and roti with your entrée.
• Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way.
• Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Learn to do without dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time.
• Enjoy yourself!

Italian Cuisine- A Guide To Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Italian Restaurants

Spaghetti isn't the only dish served at Italian restaurants- there are lots of healthy choices

First and foremost it should be noted that Italian cuisine isn’t only pizza and pasta. Both are on the verboten list of most trying to get into shape but it really isn’t representative of the extremely healthy and varied choices available at finer Italian restaurants. Pasta is cause for concern calorie wise as it is not too far away from being a simple sugar and has very little in the way of fiber to prevent a major insulin spike when you eat it. The lack of fiber also makes it hard for you to know when you have eaten too much as you probably have already gone far overboard by the time you start feeling full. Add to that the high calorie and high fat sauces and cheese and you are indeed looking at a perfect recipe for extra notched on your belt- but Italian foods aren’t only about pasta.

Here in New York there are more Italian restaurants than any other individual ethnic cuisine, and more often than not the more expensive the restaurant the more variety away from pasta and pizza dishes you’ll see. At any reputable Italian restaurant you’ll always have a great selection of salads and vegetables- especially as an appetizer. For main courses seafood is usually a safe bet with any sauces on the side so you can add it later if you so choose to do so, most of the poultry and meat plates are reasonable choices as well. Give all the cheeses a wide berth and do the same for the rich sauces and you will always be fine.

Italian Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose protein foods as appetizers.
• Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way.

•  Stay away from the pasta, but embrace the seafood

• Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Learn to do without dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time.
• Enjoy yourself! (Seeing a trend here?)

 Japanese Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Japanese Restaurants

Japanese restaurants offer some of the best choices for healthy eating out.

Japanese food has been a staple in my diet ever since I moved to New York. In terms of cuisine, it is usually the easiest place to find healthy and wholesome foods that are in line with my diet. So much so that I have a bit of a mantra- whenever in doubt- go Japanese! With such a wide assortment of fresh fish, vegetables and sashimi you simply can’t go wrong if you know what to get.

The first rule of thumb for eating out or getting takeout from a Japanese restaurant is to order sashimi and not sushi. Sushi is made with rice and can often contain unwanted levels of sodium and added sugars whereas sashimi is simply raw fish. While there is no such thing as a perfect food- raw fish certainly fits the bill as a good low calorie and high protein food that will not only fill you up but ensure that you aren’t taking in any added sugars, salt or additives. You can also add some wasabi and ginger for some added flavor without any guilt as they are both very low in calories. You can have sashimi at any time of the day and it gives you an eating out option even on the strictest phase of any diet. My personal training clients have thrived on it for years with great results but as good as sashimi may be, all things must be eaten in moderation. You can overeat anything if you aren’t too careful and be mindful of the mercury levels of some of the bigger fishes used in sashimi, like salmon and tuna. Having it once in a while is fine, but not but not every day. Apart from sashimi, traditional Japanese restaurants offer a plethora of other great choices with meals that cater easily to vegetarians as well. Getting to the other items on the menu at Blue Ribbon Sushi there is truly a huge selection of plates that fall into the good food category. You will always be on track if you have a vegetable based appetizer with the sauces on the side but be wary of the use of soy sauce- which is extremely high in sodium and not what I would consider a part of any healthy food list. Miso soup contains a lot of sodium and soy as well, which I advise people to either avoid completely or eat in very small amounts and you are better off having a salad for starters anyway.

For main courses, you can have sushi on occasion if it is for lunch or you plan on being active afterwards. A general rule during the week is to have rice dishes on days you exercise or plan on being really active and have vegetables on the off days when you won’t need as much energy. All of the seafood, poultry, vegetable and meat selections are usually fine as long as they are not fried- which eliminates the tempura dishes. Teriyaki dishes as well should be given a wide berth as they contain soy sauce, sake or mirin, as well as high levels of sugar or honey. Instead go for the steamed dishes and ask for any sauces to be either not brought with your meal or placed on the side. To summarize, Japanese restaurants are prime locations for anyone looking to eat healthy but be sure to check the Health Inspection Grades and the reputation of the restaurant you go to if you are going to have sashimi or sushi. Having raw fish that isn’t kept at the proper temperatures or prepared correctly can cause severe illness- so don’t pick up your sushi or sashimi at the supermarket- especially in summer! Stick with the choices only from reputable Japanese restaurants.

Japanese Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose protein foods and vegetables as your appetizers, as most Japanese restaurant menus offer a wide range of them.
• Skip the sake and have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and have no regrets!
• Don’t overdo it. Even though foods like sashimi are low in calories you can still overeat. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• If they don’t serve fresh fruit then skip the dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time.
• Enjoy yourself!

Mediterranean Cuisine- A Guide To Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Mediterranean Restaurants

Hummus is fine when eaten in moderation

Thanks to the commercial success of many of the Mediterranean diet books most of us are aware that the emphasis on seafood, beans vegetables and olive oil and garlic infused meals create healthy items on any menu. One of the problems is that it is hard to define Mediterranean cuisine as a whole as it encompasses so many countries- from the African Middle Eastern countries like Egypt and Tunisia to Israeli, Greek and even French and Italian cuisines. That being said most Mediterranean restaurants here in the United States tend to have what many would term Middle Eastern food- but appellations aside they do offer great healthy choices for eating out or ordering in.

Hummus is perhaps one of the standards these days for many eating at Mediterranean restaurants and it is a spread made from made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. The sodium content can sometimes be high but at higher end restaurants it tends to be a bit lower. Hummus is a great food choice that’s high in fiber and protein but you must be aware that it isn’t a low calorie food and it is easy to overdo it. Usually used as a dip with pita bread or with  falafel, grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. Aside from falafel- which is a deep fried patty made from chickpeas or fava beans- having hummus with the other selections is fine. Combined with pita it creates a complete protein for anyone following the vegetarian route but be aware as well that pita bread does come with some added calories and can be easy to overeat. I usually recommend that people avoid breads altogether but if you must have it then do so in moderation. Other hallmarks of Mediterranean cuisine are variety of lamb, goat, yogurts and cheeses. Most restaurants have roasted meats on the menu which are always good choices but the cheeses and yogurts should be on the side if you want to keep your diet in check. There are also an assortment of vegetable dishes- okra, lentil pilafs, eggplant and wheat germ plates that are fantastic foods for anyone not wanting to eat meat. As good as the food may be, do keep in mind that you can overeat anything- so be vigilant of your portion sizes and get all sauces on the side so you can be in control of how much of it you eat- if any.

Mediterranean  Food Rules For Staying In Shape

• Go easy on the hummus and have it with grilled chicken, fish, eggplants or vegetables instead of with pita breads.
• Ask for all sauces and yogurts on the side
• Goat cheese is still cheese so skip it if you want to keep your calories in check.
• Choose grilled foods over fried ones. Lamb and goat are fine from time to time as long as you don’t overdo your portions.
• Stock up on the array of vegetable plates.
• Keep in mind the time of the day- feel free to have an appetizer if it is in the middle of the day, but load up more on  vegetables if it is later in the day or on days when you will be inactive.
• Have water as your drink- you’ll spend less and your liver and your waist will love you for it.
• Always leave feeling like you could still eat a little more, especially with easy to eat foods like hummus. Never leave a restaurant feeling stuffed!
• Enjoy yourself!

Caribbean Cuisine (See rules for Spanish and Indian Foods)

Mexican Cuisine- A Guide To Eating Healthy At Mexican Restaurants

Mexican restaurants offer a variety of healthy choices

Mexican restaurants are often thought of as places where healthy food isn’t on the menu and nothing could be further from the truth. As a rule, most quality Mexican restaurants offer a range of wholesome food choices that you can have while staying within the boundaries of eating healthy- you just have to make sure that you don’t overdo it. Of late, chain restaurants like Chipotle have opened across the country with a variety of healthy selections on the menu doing much to show that Mexican cuisine does indeed have a lot to offer those who are health conscious. Be mindful though that not everything on the menu falls into that category, even though it might be marketed as such.

To start or as your main course, any chicken or meat based salad is fine- but you have to forgo the cheese, the dressing and the guacamole if you want to keep your calorie count down. If you must have salsa- ask for it on the side as opposed to drowning your food in it- that way you can moderate how much of it you eat as it can be a source of added calories and unwanted sodium. Things like chips and guacamole are obviously not great candidates nor are soft tacos with cheese and sour cream added to it. If you must have a taco, have it custom made without anything added to the protein selection except for beans, corn and or rice. It’s a bit of a splurge so don’t have it too often and only if you plan on being active afterwards. Burritos can be a problem since everything is wrapped up but burrito bowls are fine as you can ask for the sour cream, guacamole and salsa to be omitted or on the side. Again these are foods you have before doing something- not late night dinner choices and be sure not to go overboard with it.

At many Mexican restaurants, steak is usually on the menu as is poultry, ceviche, seafood salads and soups. As long as the salt levels aren’t too high and you stay clear of the usual suspects like quesadillas and nachos you should be fine. While I am not a huge corn advocate, if the restaurant serves organically grown fare then corn tortillas should be okay in moderation.

Mexican Food Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, freshly made salsa is okay in moderation if it isn’t too salty, as is guacamole. Guacamole is a bit high calorie, but not a problem if you don’t overindulge
• Skip the cheese laden foods.
• Choose grilled foods over fried ones. Chicken, fish, shrimp, and even beef and pork are fine as long as it isn’t fried and you don’t overdo your portions. Keep in mind that  ‘Crispy’ means fried!
• Have the corn tortillas- it has higher fiber content than wheat products and is gluten free.
• Keep in mind the time of the day- feel free to have an appetizer if it is in the middle of the day, but load up more on salads and vegetables if it is later in the day or on days when you will be inactive.
• Have water as your drink- you’ll spend less and your liver and your waist will love you for it.
• Always leave feeling like you could still eat a little more, especially with easy to eat foods like tortillas. Never leave a restaurant feeling stuffed!
• Enjoy yourself!

Spanish Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Spanish Restaurants

Seafood dishes are great healthy choices for eating out at Spanish restaurants but go easy on the rice if you aren't going to be active later on

By Spanish food, I will include not only the foods of European origin but also the foods found in restaurants with cuisines from South America and the Spanish speaking Caribbean as well as they tend to be similar in many ways. The Spanish influence on the colonies is quite evident and for the most part Spanish food tends to have an impressive assortment of plates. From seafood, paellas, and other shrimp dishes to steaks, chorizo and rice dishes. As always you can hardly falter if you choose to have a protein or vegetable based appetizer and a main course of seafood, poultry or meats with the sauces on the side.

Rice dishes such as paella are common throughout most Spanish cuisines with rice and bean plates such as arroz con gandules more common in the Caribbean islands. All are fine choices when eaten in moderation and with an eye for what you are going to do next. A good way to look at it is that starchy carbohydrates like rice, potatoes and the like are energy foods you eat before doing some form activity, so if you plan on not doing anything after your meal you should go easy on them and have more fibrous carbohydrates like vegetables instead. On your training days rice dishes are fine- but have veggies on your off days or if you are eating later in the day and plan on going to bed afterwards. It is a myth that eating and then going to bed will make you fat as the time of the day that you eat doesn’t influence whether you store calories or not. What is important is that at the end of the day most people are more likely to overeat and not do anything with the excess calories ingested- so make it a rule not to load up later in the day.

Tomato based dishes are fine as well as long as they are not too high in sodium as are shrimp plates. There is much said about shrimp being an inherently unhealthy food and while I personally don’t eat it due to the way it is farmed and the harm such farming does to the environment, I see no reason why it can’t be consumed in moderation as long as it isn’t fried or smothered in butter even though it has a high fat content. With more Caribbean Spanish foods, pork dishes such as pernil and chuletas are fine as long as you limit yourself but beware of the fried dishes, especially ones like maduros- fried plantains which are highly addictive!

Eating anything in excess can make you fat- so be especially aware if you are having tapas that while you are enjoying the ambiance and perhaps the company that you may not know when enough is enough if you don’t pay attention to how much you are eating. And of course be sure to avoid alcohol as much as you can.

Spanish Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers and rice dishes only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose protein foods like grilled seafood and poultry as your main courses with other meats and shrimp as occasional selections.
• Frito or frita means fried as does crispy- so stay away from anything on the menu with these words in it.
• Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and skip the alcohol!
• Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Learn to do without dessert unless they serve fresh fruit. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time. (Read my article here about controlling your eating habits)
• Enjoy yourself

 Steakhouse (see American Cuisine)

Thai Cuisine- Eating Out & Staying Healthy At Thai Restaurants

Ask for the sauces on the side and you will always have something healthy to eat at Thai restaurants

The first thing that strikes you in any Thai Restaurant is the abundance of peanut and curry sauces. Curry is actually fine and used by many while dieting to add flavor to their food while shedding extra pounds. The peanut sauces are okay as long as you are able to moderate yourself. As high calorie as peanuts can be, our bodies don’t metabolize those calories the way it does other foods so a little here and there should be okay. Most Thai restaurants and Asian restaurants in general boast an abundance of seafood and healthy protein dishes to choose from. Appetizers menus tend to be filled with protein foods, salads and vegetables which are always good choices.  As always, don’t have appetizers if you are eating later in the day or are not going to be terribly active after your meal, (see my article- Managing Your Carbohydrates  for more information about food timing).

In Thai cuisine, there is an array of dishes with beef, pork, chicken, duck and fish with the occasional exotic foods like frog, crab and muscle tendons (which aren’t bad at all if you are adventurous enough to order it). In general, the roasted and barbecued meats are always good choices as are the steamed seafood selections like red snapper, tilapia, striped bass crab and shrimp. Vegetable dishes abound as well and curries and peanut sauces are fine as well as we mentioned before in moderation. If possible though try to get it on the side and dip you food in it for flavor as opposed to having your main course swimming in it. That way, you’ll cut the calories down a bit. Rice dishes are fine for active days while vegetables should replace them for dinner or later meals where you aren’t going to be doing much after your meal.

Thai Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

• Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
• Choose protein foods as appetizers.
• Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and skip the sake!
• Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
• Learn to do without dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time.
• Enjoy yourself!

Related Articles- Eating Out & Staying Healthy- The Rules

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training^TM. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here and be sure to sign up below for our newsletter for more fitness tips and an even more in-depth restaurant guide coming out in the coming weeks! If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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A Comprehensive Guide To Eating Out & Staying In Shape- Restaurant Rules

Part 1 of 2

It used to be really simple. If you don’t want to gain weight and always eat healthy just cook all of your meals at home and don’t eat out at restaurants. It’s how I grew up back in the islands and it works- but as effective as it may be in terms of having complete control over what goes into your body, eating only home cooked meals simply isn’t always possible for everyone in today’s fast paced world. More and more people have little choice but to eat out on a regular basis as home cooked meals aren’t always practical if you are always on the run. Ask your grandparents and they’ll tell you that jobs today aren’t anything like what they were several decades ago. Our information intensive environments coupled with an ultra-competitive job market have made 40 hour weeks all but obsolete and it isn’t uncommon for many to have to endure 50-70 hour work weeks to get by. Such arduous hours make it impractical if not impossible for many to find the time or the energy to cook everything they need for the coming week. For others, eating out is an integral part of their job description if not a regular event that is part of their office culture, needless to say, while eating only home cooked meals may be the easiest way to stay in shape- it is very much possible to eat out and keep the pounds off as well. It takes some doing but it isn’t impossible.

I, for one, eat out on a pretty regular basis, so much so that I’ve been a Zagat reviewer for the past ten years or so, here in New York City and not in any way does it force me to make compromises in terms of consistently eating well. That being said, you do have to be knowledgeable of what you can and cannot eat on the restaurant menu and you can’t expect to find something wholesome at a fast food chain. Too often, health fanatics isolate themselves from their friends and family by not going out to eat and in so doing they miss the opportunity to partake in one of the most ancient of human social activities- which is in sharing a meal. It doesn’t have to be that way and it shouldn’t be. Being healthy isn’t about living a Spartan and hermetic existence- it’s about balance, and when done judiciously, eating out can easily find a place in a healthy lifestyle. In part one of the Eating Out Guide, I will do my best to outline some of the basics  to keep in mind when eating out in general and in part two I will cover in detail the food selections available to you and what you should avoid in over a dozen different popular cuisines. Thanks for reading and I hope this guide not only encourages you to eat out at good restaurants but also helps you keep your waistline trim at the same time.

The Psychology of Eating Out & Staying In Shape

The Rules

1. Don’t be negative-  If you think that there’s nothing healthy to eat- you won’t find anything healthy to eat.
2. Your parents aren’t watching- Just because it’s on your plate doesn’t mean that you have to eat it
3. You are the boss so don’t be afraid to ask for what you want the way you want it.

Rule 1. There is always something you can eat if you are at a good restaurant

One of the biggest mistakes when you are eating out is to think that you don’t have any healthy choices. Such a predisposition only makes it more likely that you will indeed eat eat junk food and is one of the reasons people blow their diet when eating out or ordering in. In Ninjutsu, the martial tradition that I have taught and studied for the past few decades,  there is a sub-discipline called tonpo- the art of escape. You may wonder what the art of escape has to do with eating out, but the fundamental precept of tonpo is that if you believe there is no way out then it is unlikely that you will ever find one. However if you see things for what they are without a prejudiced point of view and remain alert, you will find that there is almost always a way out. With regards to eating out, if you go to a restaurant and resign yourself to eating poorly then that’s exactly what you’ll do. You’ll only see the poor choices on the menu and won’t have the perspective of trying to make the best of the choices before you. If you are always  positive that there must must be something healthy on the menu then you’ll most likely find it and make wiser choices. Keep in mind that these precepts won’t always work in a dive or fast food restaurant and it’s another reason why you should always eat or order in from quality establishments. It costs a bit more but you are more than worth it.

Rule 2. Just because it’s on your plate doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

When we were children most of us were taught to always finish what was on your plate. Growing up it was often painful to be confronted with something I didn’t like as I knew that if it was on my plate I had to eat it. While this is great principle to teach kids the value of food and not to be wasteful, it can cause more problems than it solves when we are adults as it can encourage us to overeat. Especially given the over-sized portions served at many restaurants here in the United States. Compounding the ingrained traits of always eating what’s on your plate is the conviction that you’re not getting the most for your money if you don’t eat your money’s worth of food. It might be good economics- but good economics is actually one of the reasons our nation faces obesity problems in the first place (read my article on the Economics of Obesity here). These ways of thinking do little to promote healthy eating habits and hinders you from making sensible judgements about what goes into your body and encourages a very negative way of looking at food. Such points of view create great consumers but fall far short of creating healthy individuals.

It can be hard to not eat everything and not feel wasteful, but a different point of view can make all the difference. If I’m at a restaurant and an order of mashed potatoes automatically comes with my main course, I look at it from the point of view that I only paid for the main course and not the  included mashed potatoes. From my perspective the extras are thrown in for free and I am always very firm about asking that any extras that I will not eat stay in the kitchen and not on my plate. By focusing only on what I ordered and not having the included side dishes on my plate makes much easier to not give in and something out a misplaced sense of obligation. Sometimes the side dish is already on your plate, in which case you just have to keep your goals in perspective. You can get some practical tips on avoiding the temptation of food right in front of you in my article on avoiding temptation here.

Rule 3. Remember that at a restaurant that you are the boss.

When was the last time you were at work and your boss asked you to do a project a particular way but you chose to do it your way instead and he or she was perfectly fine with it? Doesn’t happen too often in the real world, does it? And the same applies to the restaurant staff when you are eating out. When you order at restaurant of any kind- you are the boss. Not the waiter and not the chef, just you. That being said you shouldn’t be afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings since it’s their job to see to it that you get what you want. That’s the contract between a customer and any reputable restaurant, when you want something cooked a certain way you should be able to get it prepared just the way you want it. This is another reasons I advocate restaurants over fast food chains. In a real restaurant your preferences are far more likely to be accommodated. You can’t ask for your hamburger without salt or additives at McDonald’s nor should you expect such levels of service at as such establishments. It’s very much take it or leave it and my advice would be to always leave it and eat somewhere else. You aren’t the boss and so it is always worth the extra money it costs to eat at a better place.

Click here for part two of our Eating Out Guide as we cover over a dozen different cuisines and what you need to know to make the best food choices when ordering them:

Eating Out & Staying Healthy- A Restaurant Guide by Cuisine

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Post tags: diet, diet tips, eating tips, fast foods, fat loss, health tips, healthy eating, healthy restaurants, junk foods, restaurants, weight loss

Oatmeal- A Great Carbohydrate Choice For Breakfast

First, let me say that with the exception of human breast milk for babies, there is no such thing as a perfect food. Superfoods and the like are little more than advertising propaganda designed to make you buy more products, but it has no anchor in the science of nutrition and biochemistry. Not one food can be termed as better than another since we tend to be the healthiest when we have our nutritional needs met by eating a wide variety of different natural foods- each one providing different micro and macronutrients. That being said, there are foods that are not good for us- and that list would encompass the vast majority of products you would find on the inner isles of any supermarket. Processed foods and refined products make up the lion-share of what most people eat today- but at a price. Obesity and the slew of diet related diseases that have become commonplace in our society are silent testaments to the fact that there are indeed foods that should not be part of our regular diet. Almost unheard of in societies untouched by industrialized food products, obesity and metabolic disease are preventable as they are brought on not by inevitable genetic factors, but rather by the choices we make everyday at the dinner, lunch and breakfast table. While there are no superfoods that can come to our rescue- there are better food choices available to us as opposed to the refined goods that we have come to rely on for our sustenance. When it comes to breakfast- oatmeal is one such better choice.

Oats and Gluten- Understanding the Relationship

Oatmeal is made from ground oats, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats. Steel cut oats are very much a la mode these days but they are nothing more than smaller cut oats that are steamed and flattened.  With the exception of instant type oats and brands with added sugars, all forms of oatmeal are pretty much the same in terms of health benefits. Oats and oatmeal do not contain gluten, but many associate it with gluten as individuals with celiac disease (who must avoid gluten in their diets) can often have adverse reactions to it. The reaction has nothing to do with gluten sensitivity however, but rather a protein high in proline and glutamine called avenin.[1] Studies have found that oats can indeed be part of a gluten free diet for individuals suffering with celiac disease, as having this disorder does not necessarily mean that avenin will negatively affect you.[2] That being said, here in the United States oats are usually processed in the same factories that refine wheat, barley and other grain products and so there is always some risk of cross contamination and they are sometimes listed as containing gluten for this reason. It can be a bit confusing but oats themselves are gluten free and many steel cut and higher priced organic brands advertise as being processed in factories that do not manufacture wheat and grain products. In Europe where wheat and oats are not usually milled together oats are always classified as gluten free. Should you avoid oats made in factories that may have some degree of gluten contamination? My take would be that unless you have celiac disease and have been recommended specifically by your physician to avoid all traces of gluten, I wouldn’t worry about it. Microscopic amounts of gluten aren’t going to do much to you if you are healthy and if the cheaper brands make it easier for you to eat oatmeal consistently, then I say by all means go for it.

Instant Oatmeal- Junk Food Disguised As A Healthy Product

Instant oatmeal in all of its incarnations should be avoided. Unlike other forms of oats which are dehusked  by pounding and then heated, instant oats are cut into smaller pieces and pre-cooked. Rolled and steel cut oats require longer cooking times and the shorter cooking times required by instant oats may seem like a great idea for those pressed for time, but there are some problems created by the refinement process. Instant oats have much less fiber than its counterparts as the fiber is removed to make it cook faster and to give it a lighter taste. In so doing, the glycemic index value increases. Glycemic index is a tool used in nutrition to measure the effect of a food on our blood sugar levels. Foods that breakdown quickly during digestion and rapidly release sugars into our system are said to have a high glycemic index. Foods that digest slowly and gradually release glucose into the bloodstream are said to have a low glycemic index. Foods with a high glycemic index value such as candy bars, white bread and table sugar wreak havoc with our insulin levels and increase the likelihood of visceral abdominal fat storage.

Instant oatmeal has a glycemic index of 62- the which is the same as ice cream and that’s without the sugar usually added to instant varieties which effectively turns a potentially healthy food choice into a junk food. A fact that doesn’t stop food manufacturers from claiming it to be healthy even though it clearly isn’t.

Benefits Of Oatmeal As A Breakfast Food

For decades, oatmeal has been the standard morning meal of bodybuilders and athletes. (Wheaties and Corn Flakes may be marketed as the breakfast of champions but unless your sport is being overweight and out of shape you’ll do best to put cold cereals on your avoid list.)  Oatmeal is high in slow burning complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fiber that not only fills you up but also stabilize your blood sugar levels. High as well in B vitamins, fats and proteins, oatmeal provides a calorie rich food that can help you start the day on the right foot.

Due to the high beta-glucan and fiber levels found in oats- oatmeal was a bit of a health fad in the eighties when research found positive associations between oatmeal  consumption and lower blood cholesterol. This lead to a glut of oat bran products on the market masquerading as healthy foods. Oat bran muffins, instant oatmeal and other foods containing little in the way of fiber and filled with sugars, salt and artificial ingredients were vigorously promoted as being heart friendly and in turn adding even more misinformation to the clamor of misleading nutritional information.

Oatmeal is a great breakfast food, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that simply eating a bowl of oatmeal and then having junk for the rest of the day is going to do much. Instead, it is a valuable addition to the arsenal of wholesome and natural foods that can help you maintain an optimal body weight, help you lose weight and decrease your risk of diet related disease. Avoid the temptation to look at any one food as a magic formula and don’t negate the health benefits of your oatmeal by adding milk, sugars and sweeteners, instead stick with fruit and berries  for added flavor.  So have some oatmeal for breakfast- you’ll feel better and look better as a result. For more information on oatmeal and healthy choices for breakfast feel free to download a copy of my free breakfast ebook here.

References

1. Rottmann LH (2006-09-26). “On the Use of Oats in the Gluten-Free Diet”. Celiac Sprue Association/United States of America, Inc. (CSA)

2. Janatuinen, E.K., Kemppainen, T.A., Julkunen, R.J.K., Kosma, V-M., Mäki, M., Heikkinen, M. and Uusitupa, M.I. (2002) No harm from five year ingestion of oats in celiac disease, Gut, 50, 332–335

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420.

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Post tags: breakfast, diet, diet tips, eating tips, health tips, healthy eating, weight loss