What makes nuts healthy?

• Unsaturated fats: nuts contain two kinds of “good fats”, both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats have been shown to lower cholesterol when part of a healthy diet. Unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fats, can also help reduce belly fat.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: walnuts are especially high in these essential fatty acids. Omega-3s can help prevent heart disease and heart attacks, and the only way to get it is to eat it since your body doesn’t make it on its own.
• L-arginine: this substance seems to make artery walls more flexible and less prone to blood clots, which can help prevent strokes and other potentially fatal health conditions.
• Fiber: there is a seemingly endless list of health benefits associated with eating plenty of fiber. Fiber encourages proper digestion, helps prevent type 2 diabetes and assists with appetite control for weight loss.

While nuts are good for you, practicing good nutrition for weight loss also means watching your calories. Nuts, which are mostly made up of healthy fats, do contain quite a bit of calories so it’s a good idea to limit yourself to a handful of nuts per day.

Weight Loss Tips—How To Get More Exercise

• Exercise for 10 minutes at a time: don’t have time to go to the gym for 30 minutes? No problem. Take 10 minutes three times a day to walk around the block a few times. You may find that squeezing 10 minutes of activity in here and there is easier than finding an entire block of time, and the resulting amount of activity is the same.
• Skip the elevator and escalators: how many times have you passed up the chance to take the stairs? Taking the stairs whenever possible, especially if you don’t work on the first floor of a building, is a simple way to get more activity into your day.
• Play with your kids: does your family normally spend time watching TV? Replace that time with an activity that gets everyone moving. Go for a walk after dinner or play a game of baseball in the backyard.

Doing these three things every day can help you enjoy the benefits of exercise without needing to join a gym or add an extra hour to your busy schedule.

What is metabolism?

Metabolism refers to the process of changing the food you consume into energy your body uses to function. Although metabolism technically refers to the process itself, most people use the word metabolism to describe basal metabolic rate, or how many calories your body burns during this process. People with a “high metabolism” naturally burn more calories during this process than people with a “low metabolism.”

Some people do have a higher basal metabolic rate than others. Basal metabolic rate is generally determined by age, sex, and body size and composition. People who are larger or have more muscle mass will generally have a higher basal metabolic rate than smaller people. This is one of the reasons that men, who tend to have more muscle mass than women, usually have higher metabolisms.

So is your metabolism—or your basal metabolic rate—to blame for weight loss difficulty? Your metabolism is only responsible for 60-75% of your daily calorie expenditure. The remaining calories are burned through physical activity. In other words, being more active can easily overcome a slower metabolism. You can also increase your metabolism by increasing the amount of lean muscle mass you have.

A recent study looked at data from 710,949 children and teens between the ages of 2 and 19 who belonged to Kaiser Permanente Southern California integrated health plan in 2007 and 2008. A review of the data found that 7.3% of boys and 5.5% of girls were considered extremely obese. Minority groups saw even higher rates of childhood obesity, with 11.9% of black teenage girls and 11.2% of Hispanic teenage boys being classified as extremely obese. For the purpose of the study, a BMI of 35 or weighing more than 1.2 times the 95th percentile was considered extreme obesity.

The concern among healthcare professionals is that children who are obese may continue to be obese as adults, which means an increased risk of serious health complications. Some of these children can be expected to develop chronic illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes or certain types of cancer at a relatively young age if they are unable to lose weight.

To help obese kids achieve weight loss, parents are encouraged to model healthy behaviors at home. Preparing healthy meals and having fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks reinforce healthy eating habits. Likewise, engaging in physical activity during family time helps children lead more active lifestyles. While it’s believed that genetics may play some role in the obesity of children, weight loss can be achieved in most cases through environmental and behavioral changes.

The first observation of a link between obesity and childhood sexual abuse was found in 1985, by Dr. Vincent Felitti during an interview of a successful weight loss patient who dropped out mid-program. The 55-year-old female revealed that the unwanted attention from her weight loss sparked the same feelings of fear and vulnerability that she felt as a childhood sexual abuse victim. Felitti spent the next 20 years publishing more than 30 papers on the subject, revealing a link in at least 1/10 of obese females and as high as three out of four morbidly obese women. These statistics have been repeatedly reproduced by other authors, with a recent prospective study showing that abused women were almost twice as likely to be obese as their non-abused female counterparts.

So, if this link has been known by the research community for over 25 years, why has it been hidden from the general public for so long? Perhaps we don’t want to admit that up to 1/3 of all women and 1/8 of all men have suffered sexual abuse in their childhood. It may be because their stories are so horrid and grim that we find them unpleasant and depressing. Or, as sadly displayed on the Syracuse.com blog site, it is much easier to shun or make fun of obese individuals than to feel compassion for them.

The intent of this article was to heighten awareness for victims and the general public, and to offer a starting point for a dialogue on the subject. It is possible that the morbidly obese female — the one you shake your head at — is hiding from her perpetrator and blocking her feelings from anyone who could potentially harm her again. The bullying on the playground, discrimination in the workplace and medical community, and prejudice in society as a whole have only increased her isolation. She is ashamed of her childhood and embarrassed by her physical appearance.

I am hopeful that some individuals who read the article were able to connect the dots in their lifelong struggle with body image and weight regain. Understanding the behavior behind the action is half of the battle. Eating to cope, protect, repel, function, numb — are all strategies that we form in childhood to survive. A time may come, however, when survival alone is not enough. Living life to its fullest also remains a valid option.

Thank you to my patients who shared their stories. They have lived through physical trauma and emotional anguish that many could never comprehend, and they miraculously emerged on the other side as successful professionals and mothers. They have admitted to the public their failures and imperfections. They are proud, unashamed, visible, empowered. They are to be admired.

A study conducted by researchers at the University College London look at more than 8,500 seven year-olds in 1965 and another 1,889 children who were four to nine years old in 1991. The study found that 12% of boys and 8% of girls were overweight in the 1965 group, and nearly twice as many children were overweight or obese in the second study. The study also noted that children in 1965 were 28% more likely to be overweight if their mothers worked outside of the home, while children of working mothers in the 90s were 48% more likely to have weight problems.

What does having a working mother have to do with childhood obesity? The researchers suggested that working mothers had less time to prepare nutritious meals. They also believed that children of working mothers spent more time alone snacking and watching TV instead of playing outside. Researcher Dr. Leah Li believed that their may be other factors that lead to the rise of obesity in the later group, but suggested that public policies meant to support working mothers and low income families may help address the current childhood obesity problem.

• Add more fruits and vegetables: Some experts recommend that children eat as many as 5 portions of fruits and vegetables each day. This can include fresh, frozen, dried or juiced produce, all though fruits and vegetables canned with added sugar or sodium should be avoided.
• Remove the soda: Instead of keeping sugary soft drinks in the house, stick with water, milk and fresh fruit or vegetable juices. Having healthy alternatives available and modeling healthy behaviors makes it easier for children to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
• Limit screen time: Research has shown that children who have a limited amount of TV time are less likely to be overweight. Reduce time the family spends in front of TV, video games or computers and spend that time enjoying physical activity.

Although national initiatives can help bring attention to childhood obesity, parents remain the biggest influence on children’s diet and exercise habits. Setting a positive example is the best thing you can do to fight childhood obesity.

Researchers at Harvard recently noted that women who bike just five minutes per day gained less weight than women who didn’t bike at all. Women who rode for as much as four hours per week were even more likely to maintain their weight. Researchers did note that while a brisk walk can be enough physical activity for weight maintenance, walking slowly would not be near as effective.

Researchers compared the obesity rates in the United States with those in the Netherlands, which reports an overall obesity rate of only about 8%. In the Netherlands, about 25% of people use a bike to commute to and from work or school, compared to only .05% of Americans who commute regularly by bicycle.

Biking and brisk walking can be an ideal way to stay in shape as you age because it has a less significant impact on your joins than other forms of exercise like running. It’s also relatively inexpensive compared to gym memberships or equipment, especially if you factor in the savings of using a bicycle or walking as your main mode of transportation!

Endocrinologists at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania reviewed the charts of 61 nondiabetic obese children who were followed for at least 2 years. The children were divided into 2 groups, with 1 group attending follow-up visits to a health clinic more than two times during the follow-up period and the the other group only attending two or less appointments in the same time period. Fasting blood samples were taken from all children during the first and last appointments.

The study found that children were more likely to lose weight and maintain their weight loss if they came into the clinic more than once per year, even if an intensive weight management program wasn’t used. Patients who came in every 3 to 4 months had their height and weight measured and were given information about age-appropriate calorie intake and physical activity. These children were found to be able to maintain their weight loss longer than children who were involved in very intensive weight management programs for one year with little to no follow-up afterward.

This study highlights the importance of long-term consistency in weight loss programs for children. Physicians should encourage regular visits and long-term changes that can be enforced with a consistent support system.

The Weight Loss Plan For Video Gamers

Like most successful weight loss plans, this strategy combines changes in your diet with an increase in physical activity. The difference is that this plan doesn’t require a gym membership and makes sure you’re having plenty of fun.

How will this help you lose weight? Playing active video games instead of watching TV or playing traditional video games has been shown to increase the number of calories you burn. More calories burned and fewer calories consumed is the secret to an effective weight loss plan.