Diet/Nutrition

Here’s where to find it

(HealthDay News) — Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy blood and aids in making important proteins. People who don’t get enough can have memory problems or confusion, and are at greater risk of developing anemia, Children’s Hospital Boston says. The hospital mentions these dietary sources of vitamin B12:

• Poultry.
• Seafood and fish.
• Meat.
• Eggs.
• Cheese, yogurt and milk.
• Foods that are fortified with vitamin B12, such as certain breakfast cereals.

- Diana Kohnle

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But the vitamin alone doesn’t offer significant protection, researchers say

(HealthDay News) — Daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D reduce the risk of fractures in women and men of all ages, even if they’ve suffered previous fractures, but vitamin D supplements alone don’t offer significant protection, a new study has found.

Researchers analyzed data from 68,517 people, average age 70, who took part in seven studies that looked at the effect vitamin D or vitamin D plus calcium had on reducing fractures.

The analysis revealed that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10 micrograms to 20 micrograms per day doesn’t prevent fractures. However, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce the risk of hip fractures, total fractures and possibly vertebral fractures.

The study, published online Jan. 12 in BMJ, called for additional studies of vitamin D, especially vitamin D given at higher doses without calcium.

There’s a growing consensus that a combination of calcium and vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in preventing nonvertebral fractures, Opinder Sahota, of Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham, England, wrote in an accompanying editorial.

Further research is need to determine the most effective dose, treatment duration and method of taking the calcium/vitamin D combination, Sahota said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about calcium and vitamin D.

– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: BMJ, news release, Jan. 12, 2010

Follow these tips to improve on your personal best

(HealthDay News) — You may not be an Olympian, but there are lessons you can learn from them if you want to improve your athletic performance.
“The Olympics symbolize the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential. As I tell my students, if you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top,” Chris Sebelski, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University, said in a news release from the school.

Sebelski offered the following Olympian-inspired tips:

• Set a goal and break it down. For example, if you’re planning a long hiking trip, you might start by walking three miles a day for the first two weeks, gradually building up to 10 miles a day by the end of 10 weeks.
• Be sure to cross-train. It reduces the risk of overtraining, helps avoid injury, enhances muscle performance and helps prevent boredom.
• Work out with others. Sharing a spirit of competition and encouragement will help keep your motivation at a high level. You’ll also gain training benefits from working out with others with different levels of ability.
• Think of people who can help you achieve your goal, such as a trainer, nutritionist, physical therapist or physician. There are many different sources of help and you can select the one that works best for you.

While it’s impossible for most people to devote as much time to training as an Olympian does, you can approach the workout time you do have with the single-minded focus of a world-class athlete.

“Train for a couple of weeks with focus and discipline, and lo and behold, you’ll be surprised by what you can do,” Sebelski said.

Anyone can experience the sense of achievement and pride that comes from striving to improve on their personal best.

“It’s been said that running a marathon is now everyman’s Everest. But that’s true for every sport. You can train for the Sunday night bowling league, if that’s your passion. The bowling championship may be your Olympics,” Sebelski said.

“Regardless of the scale of your goal, you should have the experience, at least once, of training for and accomplishing a physical goal you set for yourself. Crossing that finish line is a feeling unlike any other.”

More information
The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports offers guidelines for personal exercise programs.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Saint Louis University Medical Center, news release, Feb. 5, 2010

When you’re watching your weight and don’t have much time to prepare meals, frozen entrees can be convenient ways to help you control calories.

But beware – they’re not all necessarily good for you, says Health magazine Senior Food and Nutrition Editor Frances Largeman-Roth.

Some have more of certain things than you should have at a time, and some are so light you might be heading for the kitchen cabinet just a few hours after eating them.

Largeman-Roth offered guidelines on “The Early Show Saturday Edition” to help you navigate the frozen aisle and be diet- and taste-smart.

Generally, what should people look for when choosing a frozen entre?

Look at the ingredient list: The first ingredient should be real food, whether it’s chicken or pasta or vegetables. It shouldn’t start out with stabilizers and fillers. Next, you want to make sure that you’re not topping out over 500 calories. And you want to make sure that the sodium in it is no more than 30 percent of the daily recommendation of 2300 mg.

The meal should have at least three grams of fiber to help you feel full, and look for ones with about 10 grams of satiating protein. And now that there are so many tasty whole grain options, look for meals made with things like brown rice and whole wheat pasta. All of Kashi’s meals are based on its seven whole grain mix.

What should people avoid when choosing a frozen entre?

Avoid high fat entrees. A person on a 1500 calorie diet (for weight loss) is limited to about 50g of fat or less per day. Stick to entrees with less than 15g of total fat, and no more than 5g saturated fat. For sodium, make sure they have less than 700mg. And if you happen to choose one that has more fat, calories, or sodium, it’s not a total disaster – just make sure you balance out the rest of your day with lots of low fat, low sodium choices.

Add-ons

I tried to fill out what the meals I’m pointing to might be low in (fiber, protein, etc) with some add-ons, while also balancing them out, taste-wise. So, a spicy entre gets paired with a refreshing orange, and the mac and cheese gets colorful carrots, since there are no vegetables in the dish.

And, since we’re all supposed to be getting our five-to-nine servings of fruit and veggies each day, pairing a piece of fruit or veggie with your meal is an easy way to do that and boost fiber. Also, carrots are great for weight loss, but it’s thanks to the fiber – not the beta carotene.

And remember: Never buy anything when the major ingredient consists of stabilizers and fillers.

Best entrees, based on taste and nutrition content:

Kashi Red Curry Chicken
Topping out at only 300 calories, this flavorful option gives you a great bang for your buck at the grocery store. In order to make you feel more full for a longer period of time, add a small whole-wheat pita (74 calories, 1g fat) to round out the dish.
Entre alone: 300 calories, 9g fat (3.5 sat fat), 470mg sodium, 5g fiber, 18g protein
Total meal: 374 calories, 10g fat

Price: $5

TIP: Do not exceed 700mg of Sodium per meal

Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese
The creamy texture and rich cheese sauce make this Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorite” entre a great substitute for real comfort food if you’re watching what you eat. For the amount of food you’re given, the dish is somewhat filling, but don’t forget to add fresh veggies! Fresh carrots will give you a nice boost of vitamin A and E as well as beta-carotene, which can be helpful in weight loss.
Entre alone: 290 calories, 7g fat (4g sat fat), 630mg sodium, 1g fiber, 15g protein
Total meal: 410 calories, 10g fat
Price $4
Tip: Look For meals with 15 grams of total fat or less

Amy’s Indian Vegetable Korma
The most intense flavor of the bunch, this meal packs organic vegetables in a curry sauce flavored with coconut milk, organic raisins, cashews, slivered almonds, and organic tomatoes. Combine these intense flavors with hearty golden basmati rice and a dal consisting of a mixture of six delicately spiced lentils and beans and you have a nice little meal. Add one navel orange (70 calories, 0g fat) to balance out the spices-the citrus is a nice complement.

Entre alone: 310 calories, 12g fat (3.5g sat fat), 680mg sodium, 7g fiber, 9g protein
Total meal: 380 calories, 12g fat
Price $5
Tip: Make sure each meal has on average 10 grams of Protein

Spa Cuisine from Lean Cuisine Apple Cranberry Chicken
Available in freezer sections nationwide beginning in March, this dish is a great representation of the new frozen entrees on the market. The Apple Cranberry Chicken combines grilled chicken in an apple reduction with cranberries, French cut green beans and whole-wheat pilaf. The dish itself is colorful, tasty, and has 6g fiber – one of the highest counts we’ve seen. Be sure to add a medium apple to round out the meal, which has about 95 calories.
Entre alone: 300 calories, 4g fat (1.5g sat), 500mg sodium, 6g fiber, 14g protein
Total meal: 395 calories, 4g fat

Price $4

Tip: Buy meals with at least 3 grams of fiber.

As always we recommend healthy nutritional supplementation such as AdvoCare over frozen meals at all times, however, we recognize convenience plays a role for some. For this reason, we hope the above information and tips proves useful!

Study found better health outcomes in those who worked out while dieting

(HealthDay News) — If you’re vowing to lose weight this year, consider adding a regular exercise program while you’re cutting calories.

Combining the two results in better health outcomes — such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels — than simply cutting calories alone, a new study finds.

“It’s better to lose weight with a combination of caloric reduction and exercise rather than caloric reduction alone,” said study author Dr. Enette Larson-Meyer, an assistant professor of family and consumer science at the University of Wyoming.

For the six-month study, the researchers assigned 36 overweight men and women, average age 39, to one of three groups. One group cut calories by 25 percent. The second cut calories by about 12.5 percent and exercised enough to increase energy output by 12.5 percent. A control group simply stayed on a weight-maintenance diet.

At the study’s end, both the caloric-restriction group and the caloric-restriction plus exercise group lost about 10 percent of their body weight. The average weight at the study start was about 178 pounds, so the loss at the end was about 17 pounds on average.

The exercise prescription varied according to body weight at the start, but typically men walked for 50 minutes at a brisk pace five days a week, and women, 45 minutes five times a week, Larson-Meyer said. They could choose their preferred activity and intensity, however.

At the end, those who included exercise had better health outcomes, according to the study published in the January issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

“The big improvement was related to blood pressure,” Larson-Meyer said. The exercising and dieting group had greater blood pressure improvements, and improvement in cholesterol and insulin sensitivity, too, she said.

“It’s not surprising at all,” Larson-Meyer added. “They definitely work together.”

Working with a professional to decide on calorie restriction and workout routine is best, she noted, especially for obese people with orthopedic problems.

The results make sense to Dr. Walt Thompson, a professor of kinesiology at Georgia State University who has studied exercise adherence for years. “I think it finally proves what we have been saying for a long time,” he said. “Effective weight-loss programs have to include diet and exercise.”

While it’s not difficult for people to start an exercise program — many people do so every January 1st, he noted — sticking with it is hard for most. “By January 15, 50 percent are going to drop out,” he predicted.

His tips for getting people to stay faithful? Identify what is important to you — long-term goals. That might be weight loss. Then come up with short-term exercise goals to help you get to the long-term goal.

Hiring a wellness coach might help, too, he noted. They are experts in helping people change their behaviors.

Overcoming obstacles is important, Thompson said, and lack of time is a big one. When he hears that excuse, he asks people how much TV they watch. Two hours a day is the typical answer.

His suggestion: Record the programs to watch later, skip the commercials, and you’ve found your exercise time.

He tells potential exercisers to find something that motivates them. “Two things motivate me,” said Thompson. “My dad had a heart attack at 52, and I was bound and determined not to.”

His other motivation? About 32 years ago, before he married his wife, she said to him: “If you get fat, I will divorce you.”

He’s pretty sure she wasn’t kidding. And now, it matters little. He remembers her saying it as if it were yesterday, and it still motivates him.

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

More information

To learn more about how to start an exercise program, visit the American Council on Exercise.
SOURCES: Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor, family and consumer science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.; Walt Thompson, Ph.D., professor, kinesiology, Georgia State University, Atlanta; January 2010, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Especially high rate among blacks may have genetic cause, researcher says

(HealthDay News) — The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to have a stroke, a new study reports.

The study, which followed 13,549 middle-aged Americans for 19 years, looked at stroke risk associated with several measures of obesity, emphasizing body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight and height, but also such measures as waist circumference.

“We found that the risk of stroke was increased with each measure of obesity,” said Dr. Hiroshi Yatsuya, a visiting associate professor of public health at the University of Minnesota and lead author of a report published online Jan. 21 in Stroke.

The degree of risk varied by sex and ethnic group. For example, people in the highest BMI category had a 1.43 to 2.12 times higher risk for stroke, with variations by race and sex. The risk ratios ranged from 1.65 to 3.19 when obesity was measured by waist circumference and from 1.69 to 2.55 when the ratio of waist to hip was used.

The risk was especially high for blacks, the study found. For example, the incidence of stroke was 1.2 per 1,000 person-years for white women and 4.3 per 1,000 person-years for black women. In the highest BMI category, rates ranged from 2.2 for white women to 8.0 for black men.

That higher incidence of stroke for blacks has been found in many previous studies, and it also is seen in Asians, Yatsuya said. The reason is unknown, but “there may be a genetic difference,” he said.

But the increased risk linked to weight was evident in every ethnic group, the study found. Throughout, men and women in the highest obesity category had about double the risk for stroke as did those in the lowest category.

Obesity appears to act by increasing the incidence of high blood pressure and diabetes, two major risk factors for stroke and other cardiovascular problems, the study indicated. When blood pressure readings and diabetes were factored into the calculations, the association between obesity was weakened, “suggesting these major risk factors explain much of the obesity-stroke association,” Yatsuya said.

And despite the mountain of evidence linking obesity and stroke, “we don’t have clear evidence that obesity reduction reduces stroke rate,” he said. Controlled trials are needed to prove that obesity prevention or reduction reduces stroke risk, he said.

Daniel Lackland, a professor of epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said that the exact relationship between obesity and stroke risk has not been established, but the new study “contributes to a better understanding of it.”

“Obesity contributes to both diabetes and hypertension [high blood pressure], which are associated with stroke and at an earlier age,” Lackland said.

And though definitive proof might be lacking that obesity prevention or reduction reduces the risk for stroke, the American Heart Association and other major organizations stress the need for weight control by proper dieting and physical activity, he said.

A BMI of 20 is regarded as normal, with overweight beginning at 25 and obesity at a reading of 30.

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers a simple way to calculate your BMI.
SOURCES: Hiroshi Yatsuya, M.D., Ph.D., visiting associate professor, public health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Daniel Lackland, Dr.P.H., professor, epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C.; Jan. 21, 2010, Stroke, online

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Persistence is the key to success! There is no such thing as a quick fix and you are setting yourself up for failure if you think there is. Good things come to those who wait and any health and fitness goals are going to take effort and commitment on your part.

Be persistent and patient! Violate this step and you’ll never achieve permanent results. A 10 year study was recently concluded which proves that persistence is the single most important aspect of any diet or exercise program. The study followed a group of people (group #1) who exercised and dieted very strictly, but sporadically and compared those results to a group of people (group #2) who exercised mildly and followed a very basic diet, but this group never varied from their routine. Even though group #2 exercised and dieted far less (but did so persistently) they got 68% better results than those who exercised and dieted VERY STRICTLY but only occasionally.

One way to ensure you don’t fall prey to bored, thus increasing your ability to persevere, is to use variety in your diet and exercise routines. The body is very adaptive. Performing the same routine over and over is not only boring, but your body will get used to the routine and quit responding. Change your exercises, the order in which you do them, the number or sets and reps, or change the weights. In one workout you may use weights, another you may use resistance bands, in another, machines. Make every workout different in some way.

Properly plan and monitor your diet and exercise routine to ensure continued success and motivation!

Novel study found they could feel good, just couldn’t sustain positive feelings

(HealthDay News) — It’s not that depressed people can’t feel good, it’s that they can’t hang on to that feeling, a new study claims.

The novel notion upends previous beliefs that depressed people don’t even start out with positive emotions, and that they have no or little response in the areas of the brain related to good feelings.

“This tells us that a consideration of positive emotion is as important, if not more important, in understanding depression,” said Richard Davidson, senior author of a study appearing online Dec. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“It further suggests that we may be able to develop cognitive strategies that aren’t so much focused on minimizing negative emotion but rather enhancing and sustaining positive emotion,” continued Davidson, who is director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Previous knowledge agreed that patients who have anhedonia [inability to experience pleasure, a component of depression] have a decreased ability to experience positive emotions,” added Eva E. Redei, the David Lawrence Stein professor of psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. “The novelty of this finding is that it’s not that they cannot experience positive emotions, but that they can’t hang on to it.”

The findings may also affect which medications are used for different cases of depression, namely that medications that affect the dopamine or reward system of the brain may be effective in this type of disorder.

“Although depression is considered a mood disorder, we really don’t know how mood is disordered in depression,” said Davidson. “One of the ignored areas in depression is the possibility that one of the major abnormalities in depression is not so much a disorder of negative emotion but rather a disorder of positive emotion. The idea here is that patients with depression or at least a subgroup of them have a problem in sustaining or maintaining positive emotion.”

The study was designed to investigate whether people with depression have trouble maintaining positive emotions over time.

Twenty-seven depressed adults and 19 non-depressed controls were asked to look at images meant to elicit positive or negative emotions, such as a nature scene or a mother hugging her baby for the positive side.

“We asked people to feel whatever emotion was elicited by the picture and then enhance the emotion to the best of their ability using mental or cognitive strategies,” Davidson explained.

As an example, participants viewing the mother and baby picture could imagine the love the mother was conveying to her baby.

Participants were then asked to sustain the positive emotion for 45 minutes while undergoing functional MRI.

“What we found is that normal controls are able to do this and show activation in areas of brain that we know are important for positive emotion, especially the nucleus accumbens, which is critical for reward and positive emotion,” Davidson said. “The depressed patients showed activation in this area comparable to healthy controls in the beginning but were unable to sustain this activation over time.”

The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals and different foundations.

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

More information

The National Institute of Mental Health has more on depression.
SOURCES: Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., director, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, and professor, psychology and psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Eva E. Redei, Ph.D., David Lawrence Stein Professor of Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago; Dec. 21, 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, online

Germ linked to tooth decay evolved from a beneficial organism, researchers say

(HealthDay News) — New research provides insights into the genetic makeup of a germ that causes cavities, and shows why the germ does such a great job of colonizing the mouth.

The germ is known as Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1. Other related germs are best known for sitting in the gut and doing good things, like assisting in digestion and boosting the immune system. But this particular germ is a black sheep in the family because it is linked to tooth decay. (See the new Probiotic Restore Ultra)

In the new study, researchers examined the germ’s genetic makeup and found that it has adapted to the environment of the mouth: It tolerates acid, can protect itself against things that kill germs, and has other tools to survive in its environment.

The findings were published online in the journal PLoS Genetics.

More information

Learn more about tooth decay from the American Dental Association.
– Randy Dotinga

SOURCE: Public Library of Science, news release, Dec. 23, 2009

Minor, stealth changes at home can provide healthier eating for the entire faimly

For example, she says, you can tempt them to drink more water and fewer soft drinks by using fun water bottles, or buying naturally flavored seltzer water or plain seltzer water and adding a shot of cranberry juice or orange juice. Or you can invest in a home seltzer machine and make your own, she says: “My kids love the bubbles.”

The theme of USA TODAY’s seventh annual Weight-Loss Challenge is to help dieters lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. Two-thirds of adults in the USA weigh too much, and about a third of children are too heavy. Nutrition experts say many families would benefit from some simple changes that could lead to weight loss and better health.

Bauer suggests families:

•Think low-fat. Buy low-fat 1% or skim milk, low-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat cheese instead of the full-fat versions. With cheese, get the same color and type the kids like so they don’t notice the difference.

•Make substitutions. Use lower-fat ground turkey instead of high-fat ground beef in recipes for tacos, meat loaf, chili and other dishes.

•Push veggies. Place a bowl of vegetables such as broccoli, snap peas, cucumbers or carrot sticks on the table before meals. “The kids will dive in and the vegetables will be gone before you know it,” she says. “You are taking the edge off their hunger, and then you can serve more vegetables at the meal.”

•Shop alone. Go to the grocery when kids are at other activities so they don’t try to sway you to buy extra junk food, and pack their lunches for school so they are eating healthier choices.

Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian in Chicago and author of The Flexitarian Diet, suggests parents work with their children to create “a dinner deck” — 10 favorite quick and healthful dinners written on index cards. Each card should list the ingredients for the recipe on one side and directions for making it on the other.

Parents should keep the deck with them so they can stop at the grocery store and get what they need quickly without forgetting any ingredients. No more dashing out at the last minute to get high-calorie takeout.

Blatner says parents should try to serve meals that are 50% vegetables and fruit with smaller amounts of lean protein such as chicken and fish and whole grains such as whole-wheat pasta and brown rice.

There’s one change many parents need to make that will be more noticeable to kids: Get rid of most high-calorie, low-nutrition candies, soda, cookies, chips and ice cream. Instead:

•Buy wisely. Consider low-fat vanilla yogurt with berries, whole-grain fig cookies and fat-free chocolate pudding.

•Find tasty trade-offs. Choose individual servings of desserts such as 100-calorie frozen fudge bars if your child loves ice cream. Or better yet, just go out for an occasional ice cream cone.

•Make your own treats. One quick and easy snack is homemade trail mix made with 1 to 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of dried fruit, half a cup of whole-grain cereal and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts or sesame seeds. “This mix looks like a treat because of the chips, and it is really good for them,” says Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietitian in Boston, mother of three girls and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feeding Your Baby and Toddler.

•Let kids help. Have children spread hummus or peanut butter on crackers, apples, carrots and celery, Ward says. She suggests getting kids involved in making meals.

“Every week, I try a new dinner recipe with my girls. That way, they learn basic kitchen survival skills, and we don’t get into a recipe rut.”

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

It’s fair to say times are tough recently. In the grip of economic recession, job losses a constant threat and the struggle to pay ever rising bills. It’s no wonder such mental illnesses such as depression, chronic stress and panic attacks are on the rise. We could ALL do with someone who could help us sort out our problems and listen, really listen to us.

Being a life coach I have noticed that the amount of people seeking the help of professionals like me and other related fields has risen. Medications are also on the rise too but the need to deal with problems before prescriptions are used is an absolute must. Here is a look at some of the most common and effective mind therapies that seek to solve your problems before it becomes a bigger problem.

I work with clients focusing on the most effective techniques of CBT, talking therapies such as psychotherapy, counselling and life coaching. This can be effectively done over a range of methods- online email-based therapy, phone coaching and the more old school face to face method. So there is always a way to fit this into your lifestyle. Prices can depend on the techniques you are after and how intensive your treatment needs to be.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

NLP eradicates old outdated mental, physical and emotional ‘programmes’ that we all run on. These are things you do that you would like to change but don’t know how or feel you have the strength to do alone.

The practitioner aims to explore the problem and help you to establish what goals you really want. Then they will work through the problem using NLP techniques to effectively reach your desired state. The techniques involve your complete cooperation and you remain fully in control the whole time.

Usually individuals need anything from 4 sessions to 8 and tackle areas such as specific phobias, self esteem, confidence and relationships as well as some addictions.

Psychodynamic counselling

In this form of counselling the emphasis is on the client to talk about their childhood and other major experiences in their life that were important. This therapy is seen as beneficial to someone with unresolved past issues and is usually a stepping stone to other more long term therapies ( such as CBT and life coaching) as it aims to primarily listen to you and uncover the real problems so you have clarity.

Psychotherapy

This is a general term for many psychological therapies which help those suffering emotional difficulties. Although it is commonly associated with the philosophies of Freud, modern psychotherapy has come a long way and improved. It is especially beneficial to those with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, obsessive disorders, panic attacks and addictions.

A session can involve discussing past experiences, how these make you feel and therefore how these have an impact on your everyday life.

The duration of psychotherapy can really depend on the individual being anything from a few sessions to years and years.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy aims to work by changing your subconscious beliefs and behaviours which can be the root cause of your actions and feelings. The main areas that hypnotherapy benefits are phobias, food issues, stress, anxiety and motivation

In a session you are put into a trance state while your therapist will work with you to replace unhelpful beliefs with helpful ones.

The amount of sessions needed completely depends on the issue being covered, with deep rooted issues taking longer.

If you are not comfortable with a therapist working with you in the state you can always consider self taught meditation techniques that may work in a similar way.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT examines our thoughts and how these affect our feelings. Negative thought processes can affect how we feel and therefore how we act so by changing the way we think, we can change the way we feel and act. It is not easy but the effects can be prominent.

Sessions consist of exploring thought patterns such as generalisation, all or nothing thinking and personalisation. Sessions generally last between 6 to 10 and good for anyone suffering depression, anxiety, low self esteem or anger issues.

Life coaching

Coaching is psychotherapy without the stigma of analysis. It is a very positive process that aims to evaluate your life from a outside perspective working over past and present issues that trouble you to find a solution holistically that benefits you and your life as a whole.

The sessions are relaxed but focus helping you to work through all areas of your life that you are having trouble with. It helps find emotion as well as practical solutions as well as giving you advice, helping you in the future to learn how to cope on your own.

My own therapy incorporates successful techniques from CBT, NLP and psychoanalysis to find ways that suit individuals’ needs as everyone is different. The amount of sessions needed completely depends on the depth of issues needed to be covered as can range from 3 to 20 as coaching is done at your pace.

It is a great benefit for building self esteem, confidence, managing life changes, improving work/ life balances and dealing with individual problems like addictions, phobias, panic attacks and general health (mental and physical)

Visit www.cartercoaching.co.uk for more information.

Carbs, carbs, carbs. That’s what everyone seems to want to talk about. How do I avoid carbs?

Well, what you should be talking about instead is, “How do I get more lean Protein into my eating plan?”

More and more research is coming out showing that protein is a major player in your weight loss success. One way it does this is through the “thermic effect” of food.  Some of you may have heard of this term, but don’t really understand what it means.

The definition of the thermic effect of food is the increase in energy expenditure (calories burned) above your resting metabolic rate due to the cost of digesting your food for storage and use.

Every time you consume food your body burns calories to digest that food.  The interesting thing with this is your body does not require as many calories to digest carbohydrates and fat as it does protein.

For every 100 calories of carbohydrates or fat you consume your body only requires about 3-7 calories to digest those carbs and fat.  If you consumed 100 calories of protein your body requires around 24-28 calories to digest that protein.

So roughly your body burns potentially up to 30% of the protein calories you consume just to digest that protein and only 3-7% of the carbs and fat you eat and digest.

This can be significant when it comes to successfully losing weight as you can see from this research study.

In 2005 a study conducted at the University of Illinois studied the interaction of 2 diets (high protein, reduced carbohydrates vs low protein, high carbohydrates) with exercise on body composition and blood lipids in women during weight loss.

The study was a 4-month weight loss trial and the diets were equal in total energy, but differed in protein content and the ratio of carbohydrates to protein.

The exercise comparisons were lifestyle activities which was the control vs a supervised exercise program of cardio and resistance training.

Subjects in the Protein and the Protein + Exercise groups lost more total weight and fat mass than the Carbohydrate and Carbohydrate + Exercise groups.  They also tended to lose less lean body muscle as well.

The exercise increased the loss of body fat and preserved lean muscle.

This study demonstrated that a healthy diet plan with higher protein and reduced carbohydrates combined with exercise improved body composition during weight loss.

Other studies have replicated these results and have shown that a higher protein diet of at least 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight and reduced carbohydrates of 120-200 grams per day appear to enhance and improve weight loss due to a higher loss of body fat and reduced loss of lean body mass.

Short-term studies report beneficial effects that include:

1. Satiety (fullness)
2. Increased thermogenesis (faster metabolism through the thermic effect of food)
3. Sparing of muscle protein loss (less lean muscle loss)
4. Improved glycemic control (your body uses the sugars more for energy instead of storing them as fat)

These results are likely occurring from lower carbohydrates, which result in lower blood glucose levels as well as higher protein providing increased Branched Chain Amino Acid Leucine levels.

Increased protein intake also triggers the hormone glucagon, which is the counteracting hormone to insulin and helps to keep your insulin from spiking.  This minimizes your chances of storing blood sugars as fat.

A key element in a higher protein diet appears to be the higher levels of the Branched Chain Amino Acid Leucine and its regulatory actions on muscle protein synthesis, controlling your insulin signal and the ability to use glucose for energy rather than fat storage.

If you are like many weight loss seekers you do not eat enough protein in your healthy diet plans and especially not enough protein that contains the key Branched Chain Amino Acid Leucine.

Saying you are going to eat a high protein diet for the next 3 months is great, but that isn’t going to help you with long-term weight loss.  Essentially you need to maintain a higher protein diet long-term and the research studies are showing that long-term weight maintenance is better when following a higher protein diet compared to a moderate to high carbohydrate diet.

Now the biggest obstacle is consuming enough protein.  Some are not big meat eaters and that is fine, but it does make it harder to get in the suggested amount of lean protein required to maximize your fat loss and long-term weight maintenance.

This is where a protein shake can be beneficial to your overall success.

A cold-processed protein powder that also contains plenty of Branched Chain Amino Acids particularly Leucine is what you want to look for so that you can benefit from the lean muscle growth, increased metabolism, and accelerated fat loss.  Make sure it is cold-processed protein because many cheaper protein powders use heat in their processing methods.  What this does is damage the fragile protein molecule and make the protein molecule less active and functional.  Essentially you get protein that is not as effective as it could be.

Resources:

Layman DK, Evans EM, Erickson D, Seyler J, Weber J, Bagshaw D, Griel A, Psota T, Kris-Etherton P.  A moderate-protein diet produces sustained weight loss and long-term changes in body composition and blood lipids in obese adults.  J Nutr. 2009 Mar;139(3):514-21. Epub 2009 Jan 21.

Layman DK, Evans E, Baum JI, Seyler J, Erickson DJ, Boileau RA.  Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women.  J Nutr. 2005 Aug;135(8):1903-10.

Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD.  A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women.  J Nutr. 2003 Feb;133(2):411-7.

Researchers at Columbia University and The City College of New York analyzed 1993-2008 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that included interviews with more than 3.5 million adults. The results showed that the quality-adjusted life years lost to obesity are equal to, or greater than, those lost because of smoking.

From 1993 to 2008, the number of adult smokers decreased 18.5% and smoking-related quality-adjusted life years lost remained relatively stable at 0.0438 quality-adjusted life years lost per population. Over that same time, the proportion of obese Americans increased 85%, resulting in 0.0464 quality-adjusted life years lost. Obesity had a larger effect on disease, while smoking had a greater impact on deaths, the researchers found.

“Although life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy have increased over time, the increase in the contribution of mortality to QALYs lost from obesity may result in a decline in future life expectancy. Such data are essential in setting targets for reducing modifiable health risks and eliminating health disparities,” the researchers wrote.

The study is published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Another recent study concluded that if both smoking and obesity rates in the United States remain unchanged, life expectancy in the nation will be reduced by almost nine months. That study was published in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay