Why do we crave CHOCOLATE?

Girls this one is for us! We know we love our chocolate, its like our own medicine sometimes when we feel down and it always manages to make us feel better right?
Why does chocolate have that effect on us? (not only including women).
Studies have shown that when eating chocolate we release endorphins, which are most commonly known by the happy hormones. They make us feel pleasant and happy. Besides the sugar that the chocolate has, which satisfies for a sugar treat craving. So its two in one.

Now we understand why we crave chocolate when we are not feeling completely happy or when we are stressed. It is a way in which our bodies can cope with a difficult situation.

Chocolate makes any day better. Just be aware of the amount you eat.
As I always say, no need for a diet if you eat moderately out of everything, self control is the best lifestyle you can have.

Whats wrong with Corn Syrup?

Corn syrup has become a common ingredient to many sodas, soft drink beverages, and processed foods.

Facts about corn syrup and its effects:
- similar to table sugar
- weight gain
- dental cavities
- poor nutrition (no nutrients)
- increased triglyceride levels
- heart attack risks

The effects of corn syrup are very similar to any other types of sugar. There is not enough evidence to actually show that corn syrup is more harmful than other types of sweeteners therefore the studies are not conclusive of what the different harms are to one's body in comparison to other sweeteners.

Addicted to Junk food? Here's a solution.

Your choices.

Ok guys! This is a question I have been continuously asked and I am sure at some point you guys asked yourself about it too. Why is it so hard for us to adjust to a healthy lifestyle?

We already know what we should eat and we know what does us good and what does not. So why do we keep going back to junk food? and why in the world does it not seem to matter that our lives and health are at risk by making constant bad food choices?

We have talked before about cravings and why they actually happen. To refresh your memory we crave fatty foods because they are an instant source of energy and because of the pleasure/happiness that we get off of the high amounts of sugar or fats in them.

But why can't we stop? Sometimes we have to admit that there is no other choice but to go to a fast food restaurant based on our lifestyles or because of lack of time. We have to understand that at some point we will have to eat it and every once in a while (not often preferably) it is not bad to give yourself a little treat but always remembering the amount of food we are ingesting and how it will affect us.

So moving on to how to make great food choices... start from the beginning. Our bodies create a like for the usual products that we eat or the foods that we usually encounter. This is because our palate gets used to the different flavors once we have introduced them to it continuously (though there are certain things that just dislike us... like some vegetables). When I say to start from the beginning I meant to start having good food choices since the moment you have enough conscience to be able to understand what is good for you and what is not. By doing this you will start training your palate and you will learn how to enjoy and love the food you eat.

If you happen to be an adult or a teenager who has made really bad choices for most of his/her life and is now looking for better choices or a better lifestyle I have to warn you it will not be easy. I have to agree that since one is a kid, we are bombarded with advertisements and attracted in to going to fast food restaurants because of the toys or the playgrounds. We need to understand the importance of making good food choices and for this we need our parents to guide us through our childhood with the best nutrition possible, by doing this our bodies get used to that kind of food.

Studies actually show that we crave less fatty and sugary foods when we have limited consumption to it. So by having a good choice of foods during the week for instance and having one day in which you treat yourself to dessert or to a burger is an example of limited consumption of junk food. So what is the first start to making great food choices? the first step to doing this is by limiting our sugar and fat consumption and knowing the caloric values for the foods we eat in order to have control of the amount of calories we are taking in a day.

After limiting your sugar and fat intake (which will be hard after so many bad habits) and breaking your old habits, introducing a kind of exercise that you like into your daily lives is probably the best way to go.
Then reducing carbs to a more limited amount and introducing more vegetables and less processed foods.

"If it can last up to more than 4 days its probably not that good for you"

You will see after making these changes that you can have more control over the food you eat in contrast to it having control over you. And you will feel less need for those sugary and fatty foods.

Best exercise to burn fat?

Ever asked yourself the question of what you should in order to burn more fat? If you have I have an answer for all of you!

If you thought it would be a MAGICAL type of exercise or something... you are completely wrong. In fact studies show that high-intensity workouts are the best ones to help you lose weight. So cardiovascular exercise could be an appropriate option, and the number one cardio activity that you can do is run.

Besides you getting in shape and having a faster metabolism there are other positive parts to running:

1) You can do it anywhere with no need of special equipment
2) Since it is high impact, it helps you create strong connective tissue and strong bones.
3) Helps burn many calories, especially when running uphill.

Run!

The myth of CARBS

Carbohydrates

People think... "well if i want to reduce weight.. i must eliminate carbs and then I'm done."
if you are one of these people, politely let me inform you, YOU ARE WRONG.
In order to lose weight and maintain a good weight it is important that we exercise and keep a good nutrition.

If you think that you will lose weight by eliminating carbs and exercising to the max you are mistaking.
Many people believe this and that fat could be potentially broken down easier. In fact, this statement is completely WRONG since what it does is that it lowers the capacity of your body to burn fat. By lowering the capacity to burn fat you are also lowering your metabolism. Because of this your body will start to burn down muscle in order to obtain that missing carbohydrate. Muscle breakdown causes stress levels to rise, which can lead to more carbohydrate cravings... making you eventually over eat on carbs and gain weight in the long run because you were keeping your body completely away from them.

A good way to lose weight is by REDUCING carbs... NOT by eliminating them completely from your diet. And of course keeping a good exercise routine of at least 30 minutes per day. This does not mean that you are going to over-do exercise either... if you do more than what your body is used to you will feel like a bus crashed you the next morning. So, a good way to avoid this unpleasant feeling you must start exercise and training in a low level and increase as your resistance increases (it will after persistent and constant exercising routines).

Addiction to soft drinks?

ADDICTED TO SOFT DRINKS?

As I have stated in my previous posts, sugar is craved by our bodies. But why is this? One answer to this question is because of low adrenal function. The adrenals are basically hormone glads and their job is to secrete adrenaline which provides us with energy, which is why when we eat sugar we basically get a boost out of sugar.
But have you not noticed that this boost does not last long? Do you  feel it actually fades off quickly and makes you crave for something else? Or feel hungry not too long after you eat?
That is because in fact the energy that this sugar rush gives you is not long lasting. It fades off pretty fast since the calories it provides are empty and your body gets no nutrition from it.

Now that we have an idea of why sugar is so addicting lets try and clarify why soft drinks are so addicting.

DRINK                       Amount              Grams of sugar                Calories              Calories from sugar


Coca-Cola                                  20oz                                    65                                             140                                         140
Mountain Dew                           20oz                                    77                                             290                                         290
Rockstar energy drink            16oz                                    62                                             248                                         248
Red Bull                                      8. 3oz                                  27                                             108                                       108
Vitamin water                           20oz                                    33                                             125                                          125
Sobe mango melon                  20oz                                    70                                             280                                          280  
Arizona lemon ice tea             24oz                                    72                                             270                                          270
Snapple                                       16oz                                    46                                             200                                       184
MinuteM lemonade                 20oz                                    67                                             260                                          260
MinuteM orange juice            16oz                                    48                                             220                                          192
Nesquik                                       16oz                                    58                                            400                                        232

Soft drinks mentioned above

These are just some of the beverages that we have been used to consume... mostly made of sugar. Did you know that just by changing soft drinks by water you could actually lose weight?
That's an interesting fact huh?


INTERESTING FACT
- Ever wonder why when you drink, for example Lemon flavor soda, you always crave for more?
Well that is because your body processes the lemon taste and when you drink this coke it believes you are drinking lemon juice or eating a lemon. But since it does not get any vitamins from it, is makes you desire more in order to satisfy the need for those nutrients. Plus the fact that you crave the sugar in the drink, makes you keep drinking more and more.

Tips to a faster metabolism

If you did not read the last post I read, to summarize it these where the key things that I spoke about:
- how to calculate the amount of calories you should consume daily
- understanding the needs of our own bodies
- and the effects of not eating (slow down metabolism)

Those were the main topics that I discussed, If you would like to refer back to them feel free to do so.

Now to continue further on, I was about to discuss tips on how to make your metabolism faster and in that way being able to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

First of all we must discuss all groups in the food pyramid briefly.
Refer to the diagram below:

As we can see this is a different pyramid than the one we are usually used to. Bread, cereals and grains do not constitute the most essential group in the pyramid as before. 

3 bottom key elements are: 

1) exercise (daily as minimum of 30 minutes) 

2) maintaing  weight control (keeping weight under sight, people who usually weigh themselves have a lot more control at keeping their weight constant)

3) portions (the amount of food we ingest is something we should always look at, it should be appropriate to our age and height)

- Vegetables (you can never eat too many of them)... or have you ever seen anyone get fat eating veggies?

- fruits (3 portions of fruit a day - try out different colors of fruit which contain different types of antioxidants)

- Good fats (such as olive oil, which is good cholesterol and is beneficial to the heart and other organs. Eating small amount of this daily is essential for a good health)

- breads and grains (compose carbohydrate department and are the fastest source of energy, but you should keep these limited though consuming different kinds everyday.

-Nuts are very healthy for you (they are filled with good cholesterol and are a great snack, eating them once in a while is okay but you must keep their intake on a limit... only eat one hand full a day at the most since even though it is good for you it is filled with calories but they do constitute a great snack option when on the run)

- Meats and fish (constitute the protein, should be carefully watched since even though they are essential the portion size is always something we should keep in mind at the moment of eating.

- Dairy (should be limited and in order to maintain a good lifestyle, buying the light products or 0% fat is probably a good way to minimize the fats obtained from this food category.

- Finally... SWEETS. (KEEP THEM TO A LIMIT) - you know why.

Now that we have analyzed the pyramid we can get to the tips on how to make your metabolism faster:

1) Eat 5 times a day (breakfast, snack, lunch,snack,dinner) 

2) The fruit's vitamins are better absorbed and metabolized in the morning, trying to ingest them before anything else you eat.

3) Exercising is better during the morning hours since your body then keeps burning more throughout the day, if you exercise at night you might find it difficult to sleep. (at least 30 minutes a day) 

It is important to note that exercising each day requires you to eat 300 calories more than what your usual intake is. This is because you need to make up for the lost energy in order to keep yourself up to speed throughout the day. (THIS WILL NOT MAKE YOU FAT)

4) Limiting complex carbohydrates and filling yourself with vegetables before eating your meals (this will make you feel more satisfied and therefore when it comes to eating the more caloric food you will be less hungry)

5) Eating whole grain things (cereals, bread, oats) - IMPORTANT!!! - the fact that it is whole grain does not mean that it has less calories!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW since some people assume that since its whole grain it will contain less calories. 

THE TRUTH is that whole grain things actually have more calories in them, but since they provide you with some of the nutritional aspect your body needs you feel full for longer. The fact that it is whole grain makes the digestion of food to be slower so the food is broken down slowly. This ensures that you will feel full for a longer period of time. This makes you avoid picking food at unnecessary times which leads to you trespassing the limit of your calorie intake at times.

6) Have a schedule! Make your body a routine and adjust to it that way your body will know when it is the time to eat, in the future you won't think about the time you eat since you will start getting hungry around those times.

7) SLEEP!!! sleep early and wake up early. MAKE A SCHEDULE FOR THIS TOO. (it is important to rest at least 8 hours every night. This will help you focus better, have better attention span and memory)

Sleep is very important since it helps your body recuperate the lost energy during the day.

8) Weigh yourself often (don't be scared) - it helps you have a record of your progress.

9) Keep a diary of what you eat and how much. (at the end of each day count out how many calories you ingested. If you were to gain weight you could always look back at the diary to see what you might have done wrong, then adjust your diet of the future weeks to try and lose off that weight gained (which should be very low since in fact you are weighing yourself regularly). 

If you maintain and keep up all these 9 steps, watch what you eat and count the calories you consume daily so you have a diary of your progress.