Severely overweight kids who reduce their sugar intake see improvements in health markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol after just 10 days, a new study has found.

The new research is helping shed light on a question scientists have long argued about: Is sugar itself unhealthy, or is the weight gain that comes from consuming sugary drinks and foods mainly what contributes to ill health over the long term?

In the new study, (financed by the National Institutes of Health) and recently published in the journal Obesity, scientists designed an experiment to try and find an answer this question. They removed foods with added sugar from a group of kid’s diets and replaced them with other types of carbs so that the subjects’ weight and overall calorie intake remained similar.

After 10 days, the kids showed dramatic health improvements, but little or no weight loss. The findings reinforces the conclusion that all calories are not the same, and the results suggest that those from refined sugars are especially likely to contribute to Type 2 diabetes and other diseases, which are increasingly affecting children. This is according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Robert Lustig, a paediatric endocrinologist at the Benioff Children’s Hospital of the University in San Francisco, California.

[The research indicates that] we can turn a child’s metabolic health around in 10 days without changing calories and without changing weight – just by taking the added sugars out of their diet

he said.

Added sugars — the extra sweeteners food companies put in their products, including sodas and increasingly a wide variety of pre-packaged foods, (not the sugar that occurs naturally in foods like fruit) are a topic of growing debate. In February, the U.S. federal government’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended that Americans limit their intake of added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily calories.

In 2014, the FDA put forward the recommendation that food companies information on their nutrition labels listing the amount of added sugars in their products. After the dietary guidelines committee issued its report earlier in 2015, the FDA expanded on its 2014 proposal, recommending that companies should also list a “daily percent value” for added sugars on their labels in line with the 10% recommendation.

The recommended changes have been opposed by the food industry as unscientific. The Sugar Association, a trade group, said the F.D.A. was “making assertions that lack adequate scientific evidence,” and the Grocery Manufacturers Association criticised the standards the agency used to establish the daily value as being “inadequate.”

The newly released study is well-timed in part because it lowered sugar intake among children to roughly 10% of daily calories – the amount recommended by the dietary guidelines committee.
The study involved 43 children between the ages of 9 and 18 who were considered at particularly high risk of diabetes and related disorders. All the subjects were black or Hispanic and obese, and had at least one or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors that includes hypertension, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol and excess body fat around the waist).

As an average, the subjects had been getting about 27 percent of their daily calories from sugar. By comparison, the average American takes in about 15 percent, though children typically consume much more than this in part because they have the highest intake of sugary beverages. Fast foods also play their part in what is increasingly being viewed as an epidemic of childhood obesity.

The study replaced the sugary foods in their diets with other foods purchased from local grocery stores. The goal was not to eliminate carbohydrates, but to reduce sugary foods and replace them with starchy foods without lowering body weight or calorie intake.

So rather than yogurt sweetened with sugar, the children ate bagels. Instead of sugary pastries, they were given baked potato chips. Instead of chicken teriyaki (which contains a lot of sugar) they ate turkey hot dogs or burgers for lunch. The remaining sugar in their diet came mostly from fresh fruit.

On average, the subjects’ LDL cholesterol (the kind implicated in heart disease), fell by 10 points. Their diastolic blood pressure fell five points. Their triglycerides, a type of fat that travels in the blood and contributes to heart disease, dropped 33 points. And their fasting blood sugar and insulin levels (indicators of their diabetes risk) also markedly improved.

Dr. Sonia Caprio, a pediatric endocrinologist and professor of paediatrics at Yale Medical School, said that although the study was small,

it addressed the issue in an original way and tried to isolate the effect of sugar on metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

She also stated that

This is an important area of research that might solve some of the metabolic issues that we are facing in children, particularly in adolescents, this study needs to be taken seriously, and we need to expand on it.

The post Cut Sugar Out of Your Kids Diet Now! first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Cut Sugar Out of Your Kids Diet Now! appeared first on Healthy Gab.

 

Whether it’s a cosy meal for two or a family gathering casseroles have long been favourites. They’re excellent value for money and provide even the inexperienced cook with a challenge that will allow them to present friends and loved ones with a treat that is sure to have everyone at the table smiling.

The classic one-pot wonder, the casserole has something for everyone. Whether you prefer the vegetarian approach or continental sausage and noodles, hearty chicken and rice or something spicy a scrumptious bowl of healthy and tasty comfort. The best news is that these 10 casseroles which have proven to be popular with health conscious men and women from all walks of life all come in at under 350 calories per serving.

The list will provide some great food for thought and allow you to explore your inner chef while adding touches of your own to each dish.

Here’s a great link on general guidelines to making casseroles http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/964/make+a+casserole

So lets start…

The post 10 Fantastic Casseroles Clocking in at Under 350 Calories first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 10 Fantastic Casseroles Clocking in at Under 350 Calories appeared first on Healthy Gab.

 

In what could easily be the best news ever for health conscious people who still want to enjoy the finer things in life it has been found that a couple of glasses of wine before bed may help you on your quest to remain slim and trim. This is according to not one, but two studies from Washington State University and Harvard Medical School respectively.

These studies showed that the polyphenol called resveratrol in red wine transforms “white fat” into “beige fat” (a version that’s much easier to burn off). This is according to researchers at WSU. The Harvard study is even more interesting. That study looked at 20,000 women over the course of 13 years and came to the conclusion that those who drank two glasses of wine daily were 70 percent less likely to be overweight. That’s a huge percentage.

So what’s up with the night time night wine?  Yet another study found that resveratrol also helps suppress your appetite, which means that after a glass or two of the red stuff, you’re much less likely to raid the fridge for a late-night snack. You’ll also probably sleep easier as well. However, as with all things moderation is the key drink a whole bottle and you’re not going o get that good night’s sleep you want (and it’s not going to do your waistline any favours either0.

Not inclined to keep a bottle of Cabernet on your nightstand? You can still get resveratrol from blueberries, strawberries and (obviously) grapes. We believe that here’s the perfect excuse for a late night ice cream (low fat of course) and fruit salad cocktail, accompanies by a nicely matured bottle of your favourite corked tipple.

 

The post Pass the Glass – Wine before Bed is Good for You first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Pass the Glass – Wine before Bed is Good for You appeared first on Healthy Gab.

Well the great thing about smoothies is that they’re so versatile. You can have them for breakfast, as a mid-morning snack at the office or even when you come home from the gym. And the best news is you don’t have to be a slave to those recipes. Follow this simple list of great ingredients and mix and match as you want. Don’t feel limited, if you use organic fresh produce the world is your smoothie oyster (don’t use oysters) what you see is what you get – if you like it give it a whirl.

However – here are 12 basics that will make your smoothie positively zing with great health benefits.

The post 12 Tips for Extra Healthy Smoothies first appeared on Healthy Gab.

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If we had the time or the inclination we’d be at a farmer’s market every single day – but life doesn’t work like that. We can’t all make everything that we put in our mouths from scratch in the comfort of our own kitchen.

Sometimes we have to store foods in our cupboards and when we’re pressed for time pop them in the oven or microwave. But when you have to do that there’s a good chance that you’re not eating a healthy meal. Processed foods are hugely convenient – however some can be really bad for your health.

But not all of them. Pre chopped vegies and canned natural fruit juice are just two examples. What about fresh natural salmon already smoked, or lean beef for use in a stir fry with great organic (frozen) vegetables?

However when manufacturers start adding sodium, sugars and fats processed foods can become a fast lane to incredibly bad eating habits –and some of them can impact your health to the point where they actually make you ill. In large quantities you’re looking at hospitalization and chronic disease.

So what should you be avoiding at all costs?
Here are some bad, very bad, no good processed foods that should simply not be part of your daily eating plan.

Click NEXT to check the 10 forbidden foods

The post 10 Processed Foods to Avoid Like the Plague first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 10 Processed Foods to Avoid Like the Plague appeared first on Healthy Gab.

 

Diet soda – that feel good factor when you need to drink something tasty. However you know it’s bad for you, you just do.

No nutritional product that is the result of intense marketing from a global conglomerate is ever going to be natural, wholesome and just what your body needs (maybe peas – but they have to be organic – and that’s not going to happen with that global conglomerate)  – we dare you to prove us wrong.

But being the naturally curious and intelligent person that you are (and good looking with great taste – we can see that from here) you want to know just how diet soda is going to ruin your life. Because we like you we did the research. You’ll never touch a can of the stuff again – we guarantee you (and we’re not a global conglomerate – yet).

Your tongue will betray you.
If you keep drinking stuff with artificial sweeteners

So without further ado here’s why you shouldn’t be drinking diet sodas:

1. It confuses your body

Artificial sweeteners have more intense flavor than real sugar, so over time products like diet soda dull our senses to naturally sweet foods like fruit, says Brooke Alpert, RD, author of The Sugar Detox. Even more troubling, these sugar substitutes have been shown to have the same effect on your body as sugar. “Artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain,” Alpert says. According to a University of Texas Health Science Centre study downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500 percent.

2. It messes with your skin

Studies have shown that a regular soda habit has been linked to accelerated aging. If the long-term effects aren’t enough to scare you, diet soda lowers your pH levels, which can cause acne and leave your skin looking terrible.

Diet or regular, all colas contain phosphates, or phosphoric acid, a weak acid that gives colas their tangy flavour and improves their shelf life. Too much phosphoric acid can lead to heart and kidney issues, muscle loss, and osteoporosis, and one study suggests it could trigger accelerated aging. The study, published in a 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal, found that the excessive phosphate levels found in sodas caused lab rats to die a full five weeks earlier than the rats whose diets had more normal phosphate levels and soda manufacturers have been increasing the levels of phosphoric acid in their products over the past few decades – not good news.

3. It alters your mood.

The aspartame found in diet soda has been linked to headaches, dizzy spells, and even mood swings. It’s especially potent in people with a predisposition for anxiety or depression. That’s the last thing you need in today’s fast track, stress filled world.

4. It increases your risk of heart attack and other health issues

One University of Miami study found that folks who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who cut the soda out of their diet.

Researchers from Denmark discovered that drinking non-diet soda leads to dramatic increases in fat build up around your liver and your skeletal muscles, both of which can contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes.

The study showed that people who drank a regular soda every day for six months saw a 132 to 142 percent increase in liver fat, a 117 to 221 percent jump in skeletal fat, and about a 30 percent increase in both triglyceride blood fats and other organ fat. Their consumption also led to an 11 percent increase in cholesterol, compared with the people who drank other beverages such as water or even milk.

5. You’re not getting any thinner

It’s not surprising that drinking all the sugar in sodas would cause weight gain, but what is surprising is that even diet soda will pack on the pounds. A study by the University of Texas Health Science Centre monitored 475 adults for 10 years, and found that those who drank diet soda had a 70 percent increase in waist circumference over the ten-year study when compared with those who didn’t drink any soda at all.

Those who drank more than two diet sodas per day saw a 500 percent waist expansion. A separate study the same researchers conducted on mice suggested that it was the aspartame, which raised blood glucose levels that caused the weight gain; when your liver encounters too much glucose, the excess is converted to body fat. The rule here is don’t drink (or eat) anything with aspartame in it.

6. Cancer

In 2011, the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the artificial caramel colouring used to make Coke, Pepsi, and other colas brown. Why? Two contaminants in the colouring, 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, have been found to cause cancer in animals, a threat the group says is unnecessary, considering that the colouring is purely cosmetic.

According to California’s ultra-strict Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, just 16 micrograms per person per day of 4-methylimidazole is enough to pose a cancer threat, and most brown colas, both diet and regular versions contain 200 micrograms per 20-ounce (in places outside the U.S. that’s a little over the standard 500ml bottle) bottle.

7. Hormone Unhappiness

If you’re drinking anything out of a can it’s bad news. Nearly all aluminium soda cans are lined with an epoxy resin called bisphenol A (BPA), used to keep the acids in soda from reacting with the metal. This epoxy has been linked to everything from infertility to obesity and diabetes and some forms of reproductive cancers. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have fingered soda cans, along with restaurant, school, and fast-food meals, as a major source of exposure to the chemical.

The big two – Pepsi and Coke are currently fighting it out to see which company can be the first to develop a 100 percent plant-based-plastic bottle–which they’re marketing as “BPA free” however neither company is willing to switch to BPA-free aluminium cans.

The upshot of this is that you really are better off drinking water (out of a tap) or unsweetened fruit juices. They’re better for you and they’re better for the environment.

The post Diet Soda – You’re Not Doing Yourself Any Favors first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Diet Soda – You’re Not Doing Yourself Any Favors appeared first on Healthy Gab.

 

Award winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been in the news lately espousing the ‘clean eating’ movement. Looking into the matter we think that she might just be right. Clean eating is healthy eating.

Gwyneth Paltrow want you to ‘eat clean’? That’s fabulous – but what exactly does that mean? Ms. Paltrow might be talking to a camera about her latest idea that’ll tighten her skin and land her another contract, but the fact of the matter is that there’s no such thing as ‘clean eating’. Eating is a dirty business – if you’ve ever had a plate of ribs or even picked up an oil drenched olive you’ll know that consuming food is a messy business.

So what does Glwyneth want us to do? After reading about her thoughts we think that we might have some idea – and it’s not as crazy as the usual Hollywood diets that you see in the media.
Eating clean is just about as close to the Locovore movement as its possible to get – but with a healthy dose of paranoia about refining, processing and handling.

The approach is great – eat ‘real’ foods. Make your daily menu as close the natural world as possible.  But it’s not always as easy as a film star would have you believe.
For many people who work 9 – 5 jobs living the ‘clean eating’ ideal may be difficult, but it simply requires a change in mind set. Give up on frozen and fast – choose fresh and fabulous.

So here are some rules to enjoy a great clean eating lifestyle.

Click NEXT To Get Started

The post 7 Rules for Clean Eating first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 7 Rules for Clean Eating appeared first on Healthy Gab.