Prograde University

The government has been hearing from consumers lately about doing something to provide good nutrition labels that are accurate and relevant.

The reason why can be explained with the example of Vitamin Water.

Health-conscious consumers who plan on eating right know that Vitamin Water is only 50 calories.  The thought is that low calorie content plus extra vitamins must make this a great diet food drink.

Imagine the surprise when a person who thinks they know how to eat healthy looks at the label of their empty Vitamin Water bottle and learns that they just consumed two and a half times the amount of calories that they thought was in their drink.

The problem is not that advertisements lie – Vitamin Water does contain 50 calories… per serving – but that they use sleight of hand to make consumers think they are controlling calories and getting only good nutrition.

There are 2.5 servings in a 20 ounce container, but most people agree that it is common to drink the whole bottle instead of saving most of it for next time.

The lesson is that we all need to pay very close attention to the labels on foods and drinks.

If you’ve noticed a healthy eating trick like this one that the rest of us need to watch out for, leave a comment here telling us about it.  Let’s work together to improve our knowledge of good nutrition.

Effective diet plans require planning and knowledge of what nutrients and calories your food contains.

When labels or menus provide this information, they can be good healthy weight loss tips.

This information could be wrong.

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We know we should be eating this food because of its many benefits.  We now have another reason for eating this food in our healthy eating plans.

This food is FISH.

Research has already shown us that DHA in cold water fish can aid in brain development in infancy and help to protect cognitive function in the elderly. 

We also know its relationship with EPA and their ability to help you potentially lose more weight and reduce your risk of heart disease.

A new study out now shows that including cold water fish with your healthy eating plans can boost your DHA levels and the result is you may perform better on nonverbal reasoning tests, have better mental flexibility and vocabulary. 

Essentially DHA may help your brain cells function better.

Matthew Muldoon, the lead researcher on this study, states that DHA may be an essential nutrient for brain function. 

You should try to add a 4-6 ounce serving of cold water fish at least 2 times a week into your healthy eating plans.  Supplements such as krill oil are also acceptable options as well.

If you are not already taking a krill oil supplement then check out one of the highest quality Krill Oil supplements on the market =>>  Quality Krill Oil Supplement

There is a new study out of Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma showing that if your healthy eating tips include a daily supplement of green tea extract it may reduce levels of a certain type of protein that is linked to heart disease.

Individuals that are obese with metabolic syndrome have higher levels of amyloid alpha, which is a risk factor for heart disease.  After drinking green tea or consuming a green tea extract their levels of amyloid alpha decreased.

The researchers did mention though that this is the first study they know of testing these parameters and that green tea may be included as part of an overall strategy of healthy eating tips and exercise. 

Thirty five obese individuals with metabolic syndrome were recruited for this randomized controlled study and they were assigned to consume 4 cups of green tea, 2 capsules of green tea extracts or 4 cups of water per day for eight weeks. 

The green tea participants were provided an average daily dose of 450mg of EGCG the polyphenol in green tea that makes it so powerful.

What was found at the end of the study was that both green tea groups had reduced levels of amyloid alpha compared to the control group.

The green tea drink participants reduced their levels by 14.5% and the green tea extract participants reduced their levels by 24.6% after eight weeks.

This seems to be another study showing the potential benefits of green tea and EGCG.  So far science has supported green tea to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, certain cancers, improved heart health and also weight management and weight loss.

It does need to be stated again that if you consume green tea that it should be combined with healthy eating tips and a proper exercise program. 

We used 610mg of EGCG per day in our Prograde Metabolism because of the science supporting its benefit towards faster weight loss.  It appears with this study that it may also be beneficial in lowering amyloid alpha protein, which helps to reduce your risk for heart disease.

Today’s average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar-based sweeteners and 56 gallons of soda each year, and this statistic even includes those who follow healthy diet plans.

To make matters worse, the rate of increase of soda consumption is so high that we consume 70% more than 30 years ago.

Do you find these numbers staggering or not surprising because more people are obese rather than following healthy weight loss tips and diet plans?

Let’s try an experiment of our own.

Figure out how many grams of sugar you eat and drink for a total of 3 days.  Multiply this number by 122 and it will result in the grams of sugar you consume in a year.  Now convert that amount into cups and leave a comment telling us how many cups of sugar are included in your diet plans each year.

It is if the fiber is Glucomannan.  Glucomannan is an extract from the Konjac plant and can act as a weight loss aid to your healthy eating plans.  It is a carb free fiber that can be consumed before meals with water.  It will absorb the liquid and expand in your stomach, which reduces hunger and can promote feelings of fullness or satiety.

Controlling hunger is a big benefit to those following healthy eating plans when hunger is a factor that can lead to failure with your healthy weight loss.

A study from the University of Connecticut had two groups follow a healthy meal plan and supplement with Glucomannan.  Only one of the groups also participated in strength training and cardio.

The results showed that both groups experienced significant weight loss and improvements in HDL (good) cholesterol. 

Glucomannan can also improve sensitivity with insulin, which means the carbs you eat will be used more for energy rather than stored as fat.

Glucomannan comes in a powder that you can sprinkle on foods or drink with water as well as a pasta form.  The Glucomannan pasta is an excellent substitute for pasta dishes and the noodles absorb whatever seasoning you mix with it to give it plenty of flavor. 

If you use the powder form try 1-2 grams before meals with water.

Many public health experts say that  trans fats in hydrogenated oils are to blame for many of the premature deaths that have taken place.  There was a recent study review done by the Harvard school of public health that said trans fats may increase your risk of many chronic diseases and that it can also promote weight gain. 

So what type of oils should you consume with your healthy diet plans?  Should you consume any at all?

One thing we do know is that we can’t rely on vegetable oils when it comes to our healthy eating plans.  When you see "vegetable oil" listed on a food label it could be a couple different versions.  It may mean soybean oil, corn oil or even a blend of sunflower or canola oil. 

The one thing that is common is that it contains high levels of Omega 6 fatty acids.   These Omega 6 fats which are polyunsaturated fat are not that bad when they are balanced out with Omega 3 fats.   The problem is we don’t consume a balance of these fats.  We typically consume a 20:1 ratio of Omega 6 fats to Omega 3 fats.  A high intake of Omega 6 fats increases inflammation in the body, which may increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer according to a 2008 review of studies by the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health. 

The most nutritious way to consume oils with your healthy diet plans is to balance your intake of Omega 3 and Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats.  Also include saturated and monounsaturated fats as well.  So your healthy eating plans could include some olive oil to your salad, eat cold water fish a couple times a week and use coconut oil when you are making some stir fry. 

You can even consume butter!

What??  Did I just say eat butter?  Isn’t butter full of saturated fat and dangerous for us?  Walter Willett, M.D. and chairman of the department of nutrition at Harvard University states that the health scare with saturated fat and cholesterol was blown out of proportion.  In 2010 there was a review of 21 studies that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it stated that there was no conclusive evidence that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or cardiovascular disease. 

The reality of it all is you can use butter, but just like with any other high calorie oil or high calorie food for that matter you need to eat it in moderation and control your overall intake.  Butter is also an excellent source of natural conjugated linoleic acid, which some research has shown to help with weight loss as well as a cancer fighting nutrient. 

So we know to moderate our oil intake, but do we know which ones to choose more than others?  Here is a quick chart that gives you some guidelines on which oils are better or worse for your healthy diet plans. 

Putting an 18% tax on pizza and soda would likely get U.S. adults to reduce their calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds a year says a study out of University of North Carolina.  This would help with your healthy weight loss diet. 

The estimate on this soda tax or junk food tax would save people 56 calories a day.  Really??

Do you really think that someone would reduce their intake by 56 calories because they are not buying soda or junk food?  Or better yet that a higher tax will stop people from buying these foods. 

Bad soda.  Shame on you!

Are we really blaming soda and junk food for our obesity?  What about our brain telling our hand to put the food in our mouth?  Or our brain telling us to put that bad soda in our shopping cart?

When you are buying a shopping cart full of groceries this week are you going to analyze how much tax is being charged on the specific foods you are putting in your cart.  If that could potentially work then why not lower the tax on healthy foods so someone saves money and lowers their grocery bill when choosing healthy foods.

Policymakers are once again treading into an area where they have absolute no experience and have no clue what they are doing. 

Don’t blame soda and junk food for your failed healthy weight loss diet. 

Let me hear your opinion.  You just heard mine and now I want to hear your opinion on this. 

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

You may be giving yourself a sugar stress test every single day and you don’t even know it.

Doctors use what is called an oral glucose tolerance test to diagnose patients with prediabetes and diabetes. 

For this test you consume 75 grams of glucose to see how your body body processes the sugar.  It is essentially a stress test for your pancreas and is something you should not normally do.  Yet, we seem to do this every day and many times worse than this test. 

One 24-ounce soda often contains more than 75 grams of sugar. 

Maybe you think your body can process this large load of sugar, but everything wears out at some point.  If you are constantly stressing your pancreas at some point it may say enough is enough and start to not work so well.  Outcome is diabetes and a failed healthy diet plan.

Some symptoms to look for: 

Severe hyperglycemia:  Blurred vision, extreme thirst, frequent urges to urinate

Hypoglycemia:  You feel weak with cold sweats, anxiety, blurred vision, or tiredness a couple hours after a sugar binge.  This one is more easier to spot.

If you experience any of these symptoms ask your doctor about conducting an OGTT test, which is more accurate than a fasting blood sugar test.  Make the most of your healthy diet plans.

Studies have shown this for years and those on high sugar diets tend to have 32% higher triglycerides when consuming processed foods. 

What happens is your body can’t metabolize all this HFCS and sugar consumed in processed foods as fast as you eat it.  So your liver puts some of the foods glucose and HFCS into your bloodstream to be used for energy.  The rest of it is stored for later use. 

The problem is if your liver’s tank is full it will store these sugars as excess triglycerides.  Your liver can store about 90-100 grams of glycogen, so it converts the excess to fat or triglycerides. 

When you maintain a healthy weight or follow healthy weight loss you can keep your triglyceride level in check.  If you are overweight or are gaining weight your triglycerides will start to accumulate and become a key predictor of heart disease or strokes. 

If you are overweight or gaining weight here is what you need to do.  Lay off the sugary and starchy foods as well as the sugared drinks.  Make sure you are exercising at a higher intensity for 5 days a week.  Your body wasn’t built to handle all that sugar and you need to make sure you are burning enough calories to use what you do eat for energy and not have excess sugars left over to be stored as fat.