Why "Diet" soda can make you fat!
Many people see diet soda is an innocuous, harmless beverage that
can't possibly cause any harm to their waistline since it doesn't
have any calories. Think again.
Research published this summer in the medical journal Circulation
shows that people who drink more than one soda a day -- whether
it's regular or diet -- have an almost 50 percent increased risk
for metabolic syndrome, which doubles their risk for heart disease
and diabetes.
Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science
Center found that there was a 41 percent increase in the risk for
being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person
consumed daily.
But how can something with no calories increase the risk for
obesity and heart disease?
There are several possible ways.
First, my own theory is that the sweet taste works in the brain to
create a conditioned response. The body responds as it usually does
to normal sugar -- with insulin, the fat-storing hormone. Those
circuits in the brain are pretty primitive and ancient, and they
can't immediately distinguish chemical fakery. As far as your brain
is concerned, sweet means sugar. It's entirely possible that
physiologically, you would respond to aspartame in the same way as
you would to table sugar. It's only a theory, but it makes sense to
me.
Second, sugar creates its own cravings. Just as a taste of rum
creates an unstoppable craving in an alcoholic, it's entirely
possible that the taste of sweet, even if it's fake, creates the
same cascade of cravings in a carb addict that regular sugar does,
leading to overeating and binging and all the rest of the reasons
people put on weight.
Third, many people think that by drinking diet beverages they're
"saving" calories. They subconsciously allow themselves to eat
more, figuring it's not doing as much harm since they're drinking a
diet drink. The diet drink gives them subconscious "permission" to
eat more.
What's worse than making you fat, aspartame may be toxic. Aspartame
is made primarily from three ingredients: aspartic acid,
phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol, an alcohol, breaks down in
the body to formaldehyde, a poison if there ever was one.
Apologists for aspartame say that it doesn't create enough
formaldehyde in the body to cause any damage, but I'm not so sure.
Exposing children to formaldehyde levels as low as .75 mg daily for
several months has been shown to cause gradual toxicity. Plus, diet
soda is frequently stored in hot warehouses, causing chemical
breakdowns that went undetected in the original safety studies that
looked at "ideal" conditions.
Soda is bad news, whether regular or diet. Period.
Jun 30, 2010
Jun 25, 2010
Weekly Health Bulletin
Top 10 Alkaline Weight Loss Tips For Busy People
Tip #1. Drink, Drink, And Then Drink Some More!
By far the most important and yet the easiest way to accelerate your weight loss results is to hydrate consistently. There is more research on the positive effects of hydration on weight loss than you can imagine… so I won’t bore you with the details! After all, you are a busy person, right?
Let’s just say that water is the most critical element in maintaining and facilitating your body’s chemistry (after oxygen, of course). Strip your body of water, and it will strip you of your health, energy, and ultimately, your life!
The generally advised 8 glasses a day are enough if you are an “average” person: 5’8”, 160 lbs. male in good shape! I doubt this applies to you, or else you wouldn’t be interested in weight loss, right?
So, what’s the bottom line?
To stay properly hydrated, you must drink a minimum of 7 oz. of pure (not tap) water for every 10 lbs. of body weight. More if you’re active, work out, or live/work in a dry place. That’s 105 oz. of pure water if you weigh 150 lbs… just over 3 liters.
And don’t try to climb Mt. Everest in one day: GRADUALLY work your way up to the amount that’s right for you.
One more thing: get yourself a good water filtration system. This is not only the most cost-effective way to get pure water, but it’s probably your best bet for getting good quality water.
Finally, to make hydration more effective, all water you drink should be alkaline water. Alkalizing your water not only adds oxygen to your water, but it also helps neutralize the acids that make you fat (see Tip #2).
Stay Healthy!
The Gym team.
Tip #1. Drink, Drink, And Then Drink Some More!
By far the most important and yet the easiest way to accelerate your weight loss results is to hydrate consistently. There is more research on the positive effects of hydration on weight loss than you can imagine… so I won’t bore you with the details! After all, you are a busy person, right?
Let’s just say that water is the most critical element in maintaining and facilitating your body’s chemistry (after oxygen, of course). Strip your body of water, and it will strip you of your health, energy, and ultimately, your life!
The generally advised 8 glasses a day are enough if you are an “average” person: 5’8”, 160 lbs. male in good shape! I doubt this applies to you, or else you wouldn’t be interested in weight loss, right?
So, what’s the bottom line?
To stay properly hydrated, you must drink a minimum of 7 oz. of pure (not tap) water for every 10 lbs. of body weight. More if you’re active, work out, or live/work in a dry place. That’s 105 oz. of pure water if you weigh 150 lbs… just over 3 liters.
And don’t try to climb Mt. Everest in one day: GRADUALLY work your way up to the amount that’s right for you.
One more thing: get yourself a good water filtration system. This is not only the most cost-effective way to get pure water, but it’s probably your best bet for getting good quality water.
Finally, to make hydration more effective, all water you drink should be alkaline water. Alkalizing your water not only adds oxygen to your water, but it also helps neutralize the acids that make you fat (see Tip #2).
Stay Healthy!
The Gym team.
Jun 18, 2010
Jun 11, 2010
Weekly Health Bulletin
Alkaline meal sample of the day
This recipe contains buckwheat noodles, which are a healthier and more alkaline alternative to other types of noodles.
You can use any of your favourite vegetables, which are currently in season for this lovely Stir Fry.
Chinese Stir Fry Buckwheat Noodles
Serves 1
Ingredients
For the noodles:
100g buckwheat flour
50-60 ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
Any favourite vegetables that are in season. I use carrots, Chinese cabbage, fennel, courgette, turnip, red pepper and bean sprouts.
Onions and garlic, finely chopped. Use whatever amount you like.
1 tbsp olive or flaxseed oil
1 tbsp soya sauce (healthier alternative: Bragg Liquid Aminos)
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Firstly prepare the noodles by placing the buckwheat flour in a bowl and making a well in the centre. Add the rest of the ingredients (with 50ml water) in the centre and slowly mix in the flour. Then knead till a pliable dough is formed. If too dry add another 5 ml water. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for ½ hour.
Meanwhile wash and prepare vegetables. Except for the bean sprouts.
Place dough on a lightly dusted (with buckwheat flour) worktop. Roll it out to roughly 1mm thick evenly. It doesn’t matter in what shape the dough is. Then cut into thin long stripes.
Get a small pot of water boiling. Fill another bowl with cold tap water and place in the sink. When water boils turn heat down to medium and put all the noodles in. The noodles are cooked when they float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to dish them out and put them straight into the bowl with cold water and keep running cold water in the bowl to cool the noodles.
While the noodles are cooling down, heat a frying pan with olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for ½ min. Add carrot and stir-fry for another ½ min. Add the rest of the vegetables and keep stir-frying for ½ min. Drain the noodles and add to the vegetables.
Add soya sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy.
Note: The vegetables should just be partially cooked.
This recipe contains buckwheat noodles, which are a healthier and more alkaline alternative to other types of noodles.
You can use any of your favourite vegetables, which are currently in season for this lovely Stir Fry.
Chinese Stir Fry Buckwheat Noodles
Serves 1
Ingredients
For the noodles:
100g buckwheat flour
50-60 ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
Any favourite vegetables that are in season. I use carrots, Chinese cabbage, fennel, courgette, turnip, red pepper and bean sprouts.
Onions and garlic, finely chopped. Use whatever amount you like.
1 tbsp olive or flaxseed oil
1 tbsp soya sauce (healthier alternative: Bragg Liquid Aminos)
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Firstly prepare the noodles by placing the buckwheat flour in a bowl and making a well in the centre. Add the rest of the ingredients (with 50ml water) in the centre and slowly mix in the flour. Then knead till a pliable dough is formed. If too dry add another 5 ml water. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for ½ hour.
Meanwhile wash and prepare vegetables. Except for the bean sprouts.
Place dough on a lightly dusted (with buckwheat flour) worktop. Roll it out to roughly 1mm thick evenly. It doesn’t matter in what shape the dough is. Then cut into thin long stripes.
Get a small pot of water boiling. Fill another bowl with cold tap water and place in the sink. When water boils turn heat down to medium and put all the noodles in. The noodles are cooked when they float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to dish them out and put them straight into the bowl with cold water and keep running cold water in the bowl to cool the noodles.
While the noodles are cooling down, heat a frying pan with olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for ½ min. Add carrot and stir-fry for another ½ min. Add the rest of the vegetables and keep stir-frying for ½ min. Drain the noodles and add to the vegetables.
Add soya sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy.
Note: The vegetables should just be partially cooked.
Jun 10, 2010
Jun 1, 2010
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