Processed Foods Slow Weight Loss and Promote Disease

(Article first published as Processed Food Diet Shown to Hinder Weight Loss and Promote Chronic Disease on Technorati.)When was the last time you really took a close look at the nutrition label on many of the processed food items you regularly eat? If your diet consists mostly of products that come in a can, jar, foil-wrap or cardboard container, they have likely been ultra-processed by one of the food manufacturing giants.Processed foods make up the majority of calories eaten by Americans every day, and are largely void of the essential nutrients our body uses to properly metabolize calories and regulate fat storage. Research demonstrates the importance of controlling our diet to ensure proper nutrition and avoid dangerous chemical additives...

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Posted in: Diet and Nutrition,Processed Foods,weight loss

Vitamin D Slashes Cancer and Heart Disease Risk in Half

Health conscious individuals have been closely following Vitamin D research for the past decade as volumes of scientific evidence prove this prohormone has been selected through our evolution to provide critical protection against many inflammatory and immune mediated diseases.New information now reveals a clear picture of how this amazing nutrient works at the cellular level while prompting the expression of more than 3000 individual genes to protect us against many lethal forms of cancer and heart disease as well. You can dramatically reduce your risk of illness and extend your healthy lifespan by making sure your blood is saturated at an optimal level with Vitamin D.Vitamin D Influences our Genes, Cuts Cancer Risk in HalfResearch has determined...

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Posted in: Cancer,Heart Disease,Supplements,Vitamin D

Protein Diet Essential to Successful Weight Loss

(Article first published as Protein Balance Found to be Key to Successful Weight Loss Diet on Technorati.)So, when is a calorie not really a calorie? This is a question that has been asked by weight loss enthusiasts for the past century. As you may have guessed, many people have not yet found the answer as evidenced by the continuing overweight and obesity challenges that plaque millions of Americans.Medical researchers have been busy working to determine if successful weight loss is merely a matter of caloric balance or if calories from different food sources have a different effect on how our body stores fat. New information now provides evidence that some calories are more demonic than others and can impact your path to permanent weight...

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Posted in: Diet and Nutrition,Low Carb Diet,Protein Diet,weight loss

Many Overweight Women View Extra Weight as Normal

(Article first published as 25% of Overweight Women See No Need for Weight Loss Diet on Technorati.)As the number of overweight and obese people continues to rise, our perception of ‘normal’ body weight is altered. Suddenly those individuals with no excess body fat are viewed as malnourished while our mind becomes accustomed to a new overweight appearance. Even our self-perception of misplaced body fat is changing as we look in the mirror and tend to accept the extra pounds in stride.Regardless of how our mind may be tricked, extra weight is still a significant risk factor for a host of diseases including cardiovascular, diabetes and cancer. It’s important to be able to look beyond the image you see in the mirror and determine if you need to...

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Posted in: Obesity,weight loss

Excess Childhood Weight Doubles Adult Obesity Rate

(Article first published as Childhood Obesity Doubles Adult Risk – Early Weight Loss Intervention Required on Technorati.)We’ve always been told that overweight adolescents are just carrying a little ‘baby fat’ and they’ll drop the chubby appearance as they grow older and taller. While this may be true for a small number of children, the vast majorities are being placed at considerable risk for the development of serious illness in middle life and reduced life expectancy.Children and teens naturally need additional calories and nutrition to fuel their fast paced metabolism and accelerated growth. Researchers are beginning to understand that many diseases including heart disease and cancer begin to develop decades before clinical symptoms are...

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Posted in: Child Obesity,Junk Food,weight loss

Limiting Fructose is Key to Weight Loss, Cancer Prevention

The link between fructose consumption and many forms of cancer are quite evident, as this form of sugar derived from fruit provides fuel to cancer cells, causing them to divide and proliferate. Fructose is an inexpensive sweetener used in many processed foods and drinks, and is most frequently found in its super-charged form, high fructose corn syrup. You can dramatically lower your risk for developing many of the most deadly types of cancer as you naturally lose weight by diligently reading nutrition labels to eliminate fructose from your diet.Fructose Promotes Cancer ProliferationFor some time, medical researchers have known that sugar in the form of glucose is the main energy source which cancer cells use to initiate. Information published...

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Posted in: Cancer,Diet and Nutrition,High Fructose Corn Syrup,weight loss

Misleading Nutrition Labels Lead to Weight Loss Failure

(Article first published as Are Nutrition Labels the Real Reason You Can’t Lose Weight? on Technorati.)We all pick up food items in the grocery store and quickly glance at the nutrition label to see how many calories are in our favorite meal. Some make it down to the fine print to check out the carbs, sugar, fats and sodium. The problem is most people don’t make the connection between the misleading serving sizes listed.Manufacturers know that their customers examine the required labels before they make a purchase, and do a good job to make you think you can eat more and consume fewer calories. Even the portion size on the nutrition label can influence whether you view the product as fattening. And we all know this has a direct impact on how...

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Posted in: Nutrition Labels,Obesity,weight loss

Exercise Lowers Risk of Disease, Halts Aging

(Article first published as Exercise Shown to Lower Disease Risk, Slow Body Aging on Technorati.)Did you ever think that exercise wasn’t good for your body and health? Most people feel rejuvenated after a good workout and it just makes sense that you’re lowering your risk of illness. While too much exercise (think marathon runners) has detrimental side effects, moderate doses of aerobic and resistance training is shown to lower the risk of developing more than two dozen diseases and can actually slow down the aging process.Exercise Helps Your Body Fight DiseaseResearchers reviewed more than 40 studies over the past four years and found that regular physical activity was repeatedly associated with lowered risk of cancer, heart disease, dementia,...

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Posted in: Cancer,Exercise Benefits,Heart Disease,Obesity

Heart Disease Controlled Through Lifestyle, Not Genes

(Article first published as Study Shows Heart Disease Risk a Matter of Lifestyle, Not Genes on Technorati.)Nearly one million Americans succumb to a form of heart disease every year, and millions more experience reduced quality of life and live in constant fear of a fatal cardiac event. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, as standard medical practice continues to prescribe ineffective pharmaceuticals and a low fat diet.Unfortunately for the scores of people who follow this advice, the end result is always the same – slow progression of the disease and ultimately an early death. Researchers have now published the five most significant risk factors that will allow you to take control of this devastating disease, regardless...

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Posted in: Genes,Heart Disease

Is the Twinkie Diet Really your Best Weight Loss Solution?

(Article firs published as Is the Twinkie Diet Really your Best Weight Loss Solution? on Technorati.)Much has been reported lately about the Kansas State University nutrition professor that lost 27 pounds in two months on his self-proclaimed Twinkie Diet. Reports in the media extol the virtues of his weight loss success as monumental and possibly even health promoting. Nothing could be further from the truth.On the most basic level, weight loss occurs on a physical dimension where calories consumed are lower than our energy requirements. This experiment provides a simple example of how weight loss can occur when 800 calories are removed from your diet each day, regardless of what you eat. Permanent weight loss and good health require a much...

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Posted in: Diet and Nutrition,Junk Food,weight loss

Will Taxation Fix the Obesity Problem?

As the obesity epidemic continues to spread throughout the western civilization, the health of many millions are placed in severe jeopardy. With rates projected to hit a saturation level of 43% in the US by 2050, incidence of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia will escalate and threaten to collapse our already failing health care system.The current trend will only be broken by making some drastic changes to the driving forces behind overweight and obesity. One possible solution that has been proposed is to tax the type of foods most commonly linked to overeating and poor health. Is this enough to influence the eating habits of those most susceptible to obesity?Understanding the Real Cause of ObesityPart of the problem with obesity...

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Posted in: Obesity,weight loss

Keep Track of Food to Double Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Food Diary Shown to Double Successful Weight Loss Efforts on Technorati.)If you were to ask anyone who is trying to lose weight how many calories they eat each day or how long they spend exercising, chances are overwhelming that the answer would be grossly underestimated. People are very poor judges of calorie count or portion size when working toward a weight loss goal.Most will indicate they eat very little when in reality they are taking in 20 to 40% more calories than anticipated, more than enough to sabotage their efforts. Another common mistake is the belief that since they are exercising regularly, they can consume more to compensate. The only way you can accurately gauge caloric intake and energy expenditure...

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Posted in: Behavior,Food Journal,Obesity,weight loss,Weight Tracking

Vitamin D Essential to Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Vitamin D Shown to Slash Belly Fat, Assist Natural Weight Loss on Technorati.)Excess body weight and abdominal obesity represent an astounding threat to the health of millions of men, women and children worldwide. Over the past century obesity has been relatively rare, affecting less than 1% of the population at the turn of the 20th century. Today the number of obese individuals is 34% and continues to grow steadily.We have become grossly deficient in vitamin D as we shun sun exposure and rely on inept supplemental recommendations. Researchers have discovered that this super nutrient is required to metabolize stored fat and that more than 60% of people tested are severely deficient. You can help your body burn abdominal...

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Posted in: Obesity,Vitamin D,weight loss

Obesity Shown to Be Contagious

(Article first published as Shunning Obese Friends Could Help Weight Loss Efforts on Technorati.)Can you catch a bad case of obesity the same way you can a cold or the flu? Naturally obesity isn’t an airborne disease, but there certainly seems to be a strong link between packing on excess pounds and hanging around with friends or family members that overeat and maintain a lifestyle that promotes overweight and obesity.Obesity is largely a preventable lifestyle condition that threatens the health of millions of men, women and children and is projected to include nearly half of the US population over the next 40 years. The only way to lower your chance of becoming obese is to control the environment around you, and this may include your friend...

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Posted in: Behavior,Obesity,weight loss