What’s a low glycemic diet?
Glycemic load is another way of looking at how a food may affect your blood sugar. Carbohydrates with a high glycemic load (such as fruit juices or doughnuts) will tend to make your blood sugar go up sharply, while carbohydrates with a low glycemic load (such as berries or bran cereal) produce a lower, slower rise in blood sugar. Choosing foods with a low glycemic load (and avoiding foods with high glycemic loads) can help you improve your blood sugar control.
You can look up the estimated glycemic load (eGL) of foods here on Nutrition Data. Foods with an eGL of 10 or lower are considered “low” and foods with an eGL of 20 or higher are considered “high.” Note that you can lower the glycemic load of a food simply by eating less of it!
Build Muscle for Better Health
We all know how important cardiovascular exercise is — how it’s great for your heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure. And whether you choose to walk, bicycle, or jog, you know that any exercise that increases your heart rate helps you burn calories and melt away unwanted pounds.
But that’s only half the equation.
For a balanced fitness program, strength training is essential. It can slow the muscle loss that comes with age, build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density, cut your risk of injury, and help ease arthritis pain.
“Strength training is very important, not just for your muscles but for your bones,” says certified fitness trainer Debbie Siebers. “It’s preventative for [bone-thinning] osteoporosis and other problems.”
Studies from the CDC have found that muscle-building exercise can also improve balance, reduce the likelihood of falls, improve blood-sugar control, and improve sleep and mental health.
And let us not forget the weight-loss benefits. Not only does it make you look trimmer and shapelier, but building muscle also helps you burn calories — even after your workout is done.
“Three to four hours after a strength-training workout, you’re still burning calories,” says Seibers, a creator of fitness videos including the “Slim in 6″ series.
Strength training is especially important for dieters. When you lose weight, up to a quarter of the loss may come from muscle, which can slow your metabolism. Strength training helps you rebuild any muscle you lost by dieting — or keep you from losing it in the first place.
Fighting Midlife Weight Gain
Why do so many people gain weight in midlife?
Blame it on hormones in convergence with poor lifestyle choices, overeating, not exercising enough, and stress.
But hormones only account for about 2 to 5 pounds. The rest is the result of overeating, poor lifestyle choices — such as not exercising enough — and stress.
How can I not be one of those people who gains?
The keys are three: mind, mouth, muscle.
Use your mind to control stress. If you walk around and everything is stressful, you have a problem. You may respond to stress by making poorer lifestyle choices, such as not eating healthfully and not exercising enough.
Look at your nutrition — in terms of quality, quantity, and frequency of eating. You should eat often.
Quality is all about eating whole foods, fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein.
Processed foods are bad. Anything that comes in a family-size bag, turn in the opposite direction and run.
Quantity is where a lot of people fall. The majority are baffled by what a serving size should look like. When eating out, and in doubt, eat half of it or less.
Be accountable for calories. You need a general idea of how many calories you need. An average woman, not an athlete, in her 40s or 50s, needs about 1,500 to 1,600 calories a day, on average, if she is exercising. A middle-aged man, average height and not an athlete but exercising, needs about 1,800 to 2,000.
Muscle, of course, refers to the need to exercise and, of course, to weight train.
Heart Health Tips
LDL, HDL, Triglycerides…these numbers contain important information about your risk of heart disease. But the terms can be confusing.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (a program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) everyone over 20 years old should have a cholesterol screening at least every five years.
Here is a quick overview on the most commonly tracked heart health indicators and the NCEP recommended targets.
Total cholesterol
What is it? Total cholesterol is a combination of LDL, HDL, and other cholesterol molecules. Although not as precise as the other measurements listed below, your total cholesterol number can reveal whether further screening is necessary.
What range should I aim for? The NCEP considers a total cholesterol of less than 200mg/dL to be ideal.
The Truth About Detox Diets
Touted as a way to remove harmful toxins in the body and promote weight loss, detox diets are hotter than ever. Hollywood stars do it days before gracing the red carpet, Dr. Oz has his own formula, spa retreats feature them, and many diet books are based on detox beliefs.
But despite the popularity of detox diets, nutrition experts say they are not necessary nor are they scientifically proven to work.
Fasting to detoxify and lose weight is not necessary, says Frank Sacks, MD, a leading epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health. ”There is no basis in human biology that indicates we need fasting or any other detox formula to detoxify the body because we have our own internal organs and immune system that take care of excreting toxins,” Sacks says.
Ideal Weight or Happy Weight?
Maybe you’ve been struggling — without success — to get down to the size you were in high school or on your wedding day. But do you really need to go that low? The truth, experts say, is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention happy).
If you’re overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight is associated with a myriad of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reducing your risk for heart disease. Not only that, experts say, but this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.
Just as your body temperature is programmed to stay around 98.6 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10%-20%, says Thomas Wadden, PhD, director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at University of Pennsylvania Medical School. This weight range is known as the “set point.”
Succeeding at Weight Loss
1. Avoid getting too hungry
To keep hunger from derailing your diet, eat smaller, more frequent meals and try to include a little fat and or protein in every meal or snack. Both are digested slowly, which will keep you from getting hungry again as quickly.
2. Pay attention to “liquid” calories
When you’re counting calories, remember to pay attention to calories you drink as well as calories you eat. Sodas, fruit juice, sports drinks, and vitamin water can be a significant source of sugar and calories. Alcoholic beverages can also add a lot of calories to your day.
3. Limit your use of artificial sweeteners
Artificially sweetened beverages can help cut calories but don’t overdo it. Studies suggest that drinking a lot of diet soda may actually work against weight loss by increasing your cravings for sweets and promoting fat storage.
4. Be smart about condiments and toppings
Butter, mayonnaise, and a lot of the “special sauces” used by restaurants are very concentrated sources of calories. If you want to add flavor to your food, try using lemon juice, soy sauce, salsa, or spices instead.
5. Add exercise to your plan
Regular exercise burns calories but also increases in your basal metabolic rate, so you’ll burn more calories even at rest. Pick exercises, such as sports activities, that you enjoy and want to incorporate into your daily routine.
6. Don’t mix food and entertainment
It’s easy to mindlessly eat a tub of popcorn, a whole bag of chips, or a carton of ice cream while you’re watching TV. Make eating a separate activity, and you’ll consume less.
7. Don’t use food as a stress-reliever
Find other ways to manage stress, such as exercising, listening to music, spending times with friends or meditating, rather than eating.
8. Avoid eating on the run
Fast foods are convenient but they are the enemy of weight loss. The more often you eat fast food, the more likely you are to be overweight. Plan your schedule to include enough time to prepare and enjoy wholesome meals without the rush.
9. Record everything you eat
Buy an inexpensive spiral notebook and simply write down everything you eat during the day. If possible, keep your food diary with you and make your entries soon after you’ve eaten. Keeping a food diary forces you to give conscious thought to everything you eat. It may be a tedious task at first, but it will help you more quickly develop better eating habits. Your food record also allows you to calculate how many calories and nutrients you are taking in, using Nutrition Data’s tracking tools.
10. Stick with it
Remember that short-term diets produce only short-term results. The only successful way to keep the weight off is to make small but permanent changes in your lifestyle. If you do temporarily slip back into old habits, don’t give up! Recommit to your healthier lifestyle–as often as it takes.
Identify foods that will help you lose weight
When you look at the nutrition information for a food or recipe on NutritionData.com, you’ll see a box labeled “ND’s Opinion.” Foods and recipes are awarded 0 to 5 stars in each of three categories, based on their nutritional value and their ability to fill you up.
Weight loss: Foods that are both nutritious and filling are considered better choices for weight loss because they keep you feeling satisfied with fewer calories.
Optimum Health: Foods that have more essential nutrients per calorie are considered better choices for optimum health because they maximize your nutrient intake.
Weight Gain: Foods that are nutritious without being overly filling are considered better choices for healthy weight gain because you can eat more high-quality calories without feeling too full.
Using the star ratings can help you zero in on foods that will make weight loss easier. Another useful tool is the Nutritional Target Map. Foods that fall in the upper right hand corner of the map get more stars for weight loss.
10 Best Sources of Fiber
#10 Brussels Sprouts
6 brussels sprouts: 3.3 grams of fiber
#9 Carrots
2 medium carrots: 3.4 grams of fiber
#8 Broccoli
6 broccoli florets: 3.7 grams of fiber
#7 Peas
2/3 cup peas: 4 grams of fiber
#6 Russet Potato
1 medium baked potato: 4 grams of fiber
#5 Sweet Potato
1 medium sweet potato: 3.8 grams of fiber
#4 Spinach
1 cup spinach: 4.3 grams of fiber
#3 Beets
5 beets: 5 grams of fiber
#2 Parsnips
1 nine-inch cooked parsnip: 5.8 grams of fiber
#1 Artichoke
1 medium artichoke: 6.5 grams of fiber
5 ways to make biking to work an easy ride
Find the right bike
If you’re going a long distance, an electric bike might help you get up to speed. Or if you’re using public transportation, a folding bike might be worth the investment. Other commuter-friendly features to look for include an enclosed chain-guard (no more ripped or muddy pant legs) and cargo racks for your briefcase or purse.
Leave a change of clothes at the office
Assume the worst will happen. There may be a sudden downpour and a car might splash your suit. And if these happen, they will definitely happen on the day of a big meeting. So be prepared and hopefully you’ll never have to use your Plan B.
Know that it’s not all or nothing
If your office is far away or you’re building up your fitness, know that every bit helps (your budget and the planet). So get a ride there and bike home. Or ride to the train that will take you the greater distance, instead of commuting to the station and paying for parking.
Stock up on baby wipes
They’re the MVP of waterless showers. If you’re a really sweaty biker, you’ll need to pack at least a new shirt (see “Leave a chance of clothes”). But if you just need to quickly freshen up, a few baby wipes, a swipe of deodorant and a quick comb of your hair can having you looking office ready quickly.
