Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain

December 10, 2014

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – It can be done with proper planning

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain. What you do while marry making during holidays will impact either positively or negatively on your weight.

It is that time of the year when everyone is looking towards celebrating the Christmas and year end. It is a time when you receive so many parties’ invitations and often get confused on which one to honor and which to decline. Even as you juggle with the decision, one very important point is that there will be plenty of unhealthy foods. It is therefore a time when if not managed well then all the gains made may be lost due to too much calories intake from the various food stuff. It then goes without mentioned in our preparation towards holiday parties and dinners, many people are very concern and are even afraid of enjoying their holiday for fear of gaining more weight. It is because of this fear that doctor Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. At this facility focus is on ensuring healthy holiday food and diet to put into check gaining more weight.

Available statistics indicate that majority of Americans on average consume up to 4,500 calories from the various parties during the holidays. Can you imagine that that amount of calories does not include other meals like breakfast, lunch and night snacking. These statistics also indicate that the weight gain in an average American is 1 to 2 pounds just in the holiday season alone. With this accumulation year in year out the extra pounds becomes permanent and may result in overweight or obesity in the future.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Holiday’s dilemmas

It is true that not everybody gains weight during the holidays; however there is no doubt that we tend to have a big appetite for food and drink even more at the expense of less exercise. Realistically no one wants to be on a strict diet during the holidays. We want to enjoy the bounty of traditional favorite foods and that is why doctor Akoury is championing for healthy holiday food and diet to check on weight gain. Let’s us consider answering this question. How then can you enjoy the holidays without gaining weight? When you visit AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, you will be taken through natural weight loss procedure by the experts and you will realize that with a little planning it is achievable.

If for instance you’ve been trying to lose weight just before the holidays like in November, it would be best is you re-arrange that program and shift your focus from weight loss to weight maintenance.
The holiday season is tough enough to just maintain your weight let alone try to lose weight. So do yourself a favor. Allow yourself a few treats and set your goal on weight maintenance so you can enjoy the holiday foods and wait until the New Year to get back on your weight loss plan.
If you are the one hosting the dinners and parties, trim calories wherever you can without compromising tradition or flavor. You’ll help everyone enjoy the bountiful food without packing on the pounds. Remember why healthy holiday food and diet to check on your weight is important. It is because it is much harder to lose weight than gaining it in the first place.

The following are some of the tips you can use to lighten up your holiday meals.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Shop well for Healthy Holiday food

Plan your menu to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seafood, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Consult with your nutritionist to choose foods rich in nutrients but lower in fat, calories, and sugar. To shave calories, go easy when adding nuts, cheese, cream sauces, gravy, butter, and whipped cream.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Start the Party Light

Most appetizers tend to be loaded with calories. And it is so easy to over eat them before the meal. Make it easier on your guests by offering light and satisfying appetizers. For tempting yet healthy appetizers, offer shrimp cocktails, whole-grain crackers with reduced-fat cheese, vegetables with a low-fat yogurt dip, or fresh fruit skewers.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Harness the Diet Power of Produce

Add more simple vegetable and fruit dishes to your menu instead of heavy dishes with sauces. Your guests will fill up on healthy fiber without lots of extra calories. For example, green bean almandine with a squeeze of lemon is healthier than traditional green bean casserole. Simple peas or corn are healthier than creamed peas or corn

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Go Frozen in winter

Fresh is usually the best when fruits and vegetables are in season. But when prices are high in winter, head to the frozen food aisle. Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually less expensive and can be more nutritious because they are picked at their peak ripeness and frozen immediately. Buy frozen produce in bags, use only what you need, and save more by not wasting spoiled produce.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Respect Special Requests

As you plan your holiday menu, ask if guests have any food preferences or intolerances. For example, a dear friend may be lactose intolerant. A favorite cousin may have cut red meat from his diet. Remember that you can’t please everyone. But you can include a wide variety of healthy foods. Then, your guests can pick and choose, filling their plate with a satisfying meal no matter their food issue.

Shave Calories with Simple Swaps

Create healthier versions of your holiday favorites by shaving calories wherever you can. Simple swaps of lower-fat ingredients are easy ways to save calories and no one will even notice the difference.

Serve Healthier Desserts

For dessert, try chocolate-dipped strawberries for a colorful and delicious finale.

If you want to offer pie, choose the healthier pumpkin pie. Make it with non-fat evaporated milk. Top it with fat-free whipped topping.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – Spritz Your Drinks

Eggnog and other holiday beverages can add a huge number of calories. Offer your guests plenty of low-calorie beverages such as diet soda, sparkling water, or a low-calorie punch.

Finally you must not forget that the holidays are marked with many traditions, yet the real meaning is about spending time with family and friends. Therefore for a successful holiday you must never forget the principal of healthy holiday food and diet to check on weight gain. When you are not able to cope consult with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care and you will get all you need to get back on track.

Healthy Holiday Food and Diet to check on Weight gain – It can be done with proper planning

The Metabolic Basis of Cancer

September 16, 2014

The Metabolic Basis of Cancer Explained

There is a complex interaction among the factors of diet, lifestyle and pharmacology in determining how well cancer is managed in patients. The effect of this interaction is seen not only when managing cancer in its early stages but also in cases where patients are in an advanced state of the disease. One way in which this occurs is seen in the importance of metabolic imbalances in managing cancer in patients. The metabolic status of an individual patient is an important aspect of the overall disease management program being pursued. This is why care is always taken to ensure that the shifts in metabolic balance are well taken care of as a way of ensuring that the treatment plan that is being pursued works effectively. Yet metabolic imbalances are closely linked to dietary and general lifestyle conditions. This, therefore, explains the importance of diet, lifestyle and pharmacology in the management of early and advanced cancer in patients. These are discussed in the sections that follow.

The role of diet

Diet plays a key role in the process of managing cancer; during the early and advanced stages. This happens in several ways. To begin with, a good diet is essential for one to effectively go through a particular cancer treatment program. This is so because cancer, in its early and even advanced stages, has been known to affect one’s eating habits. The result of this effect is that many cancer patients end up losing their body weight drastically as the impact of the disease takes its toll on their metabolism. On the other hand is the effect that the different forms of therapy have on the eating habits of the patient. Regardless of the form of treatment in use, it is common in cancer patients that their eating habits and overall appetite are heavily affected during the course of treatment. The effect of these two factors; the impact of the disease and the type of treatment a patient is subjected to; may result into sudden and drastic loss of body weight as well as changes in the status of metabolism in a patient. This is so if the factors are not put under control. Therefore, it is of great importance that this issue be put under complete control during the process of administering a particular treatment plan to a cancer patient.

There are several ways that one can use to manage this condition. Basically, the idea behind successfully integrating diet with the treatment plan for cancer that is being used is that it is necessary to control the rate of loss of weight that a patient is experiencing in the course of the disease. For instance, it may be necessary to use specific food supplements as a way of ensuring that the nutritional needs of the patient are well taken care of. Further, the use of different liquids other than water can be an effective way of making up for the possible deficit that usually results from the low desire for water intake that many cancer patients exhibit. So, in general, all these methods are meant to work with the treatment plan being used to ensure that specific goals with regard to the nutritional needs of the patient are achieved.

Symptoms of cancer

The role of lifestyle

Lifestyle plays a key role as part of the overall treatment plan that can be used on cancer patients. This happens in several ways. One, it is highly recommended that cancer patients adopt an appropriate exercising regime. This is important because of the many physical benefits they are they are likely to get from such a program. From improving the overall flow of blood in the body, lessening the risk of developing some new undesirable conditions to boosting the overall level of self esteem, physical exercises are important as part of any treatment plan for cancer that is adopted.

The importance of adopting an appropriate lifestyle during the course of cancer treatment is seen not only in adults but also in children. A good training regime and taking the recommended foods every day in the right amount are important things which every cancer patient should be made to pay attention to without failure. Regardless of the treatment plan that is in use, a good lifestyle has been proven to be an effective way of helping cancer patients go through the process with relative ease.

The role of pharmacology

In general, drugs play a central role in any cancer treatment plan that is used. Different types of drugs are used for different purposes during the course of treatment. What is important is the different ways in which such drugs interact with the other factors, diet and lifestyle, to determine how well a patient responds to the treatment. Furthermore, drugs have been known to cause specific problems to the metabolic balance of patients, thus posing a bigger danger to them. It is, therefore important that the specific ways in which some drugs interact with particular foods are well understood and documented. This will definitely go a long way in ensuring that the metabolic status of a patient is well understood and maintained at acceptable levels throughout the course of the treatment.

The Metabolic Basis of Cancer Explained

Sugar Addiction & Dopamine

August 2, 2014

Sugar Addiction & Dopamine: Is there any relation?

In our everyday life in our diets we include sugary foods. Sugar is a source of sweetness that everyone will always want to get. Under normal circumstances, we take sugar in the form of food additive but some people will sometimes take it directly due to its sweetness satisfaction.

What is dopamine?

This is one of the principal neurotransmitters which are involved in the substance dependence. It is one of the hormones which play a very important role in the human brain and body. In the brain, this hormone works as a communication network to send signals to the other cells nerves. These hormones dominate the roles of the brain reward system which is responsible for behaviors. Most of the rewarding activities will increase the amount of the dopamine released in the brain and also some of the addictive drugs are known to also increase the dopamine neural activity.

Is sugar addictive?

Researches have been done to find out whether sugar addiction is a reality of fiction. The recent researches have shown that sugar is a “new tobacco”, worse than many addictive drugs we know and a secrete killer! It is argued according to the research done by Dr. Mark Hyman et al, that sugar is over eight times more addictive than cocaine.

sugar addiction

Sugar, unlike many other addictive drugs which are illegal in many countries, is a legal food substance all over the world. This makes sugar readily available and it is also cheap to acquire. The nature of its sweetness cannot also be underrated as this is what actually makes a sugar a highly rewarding substance in the human brain.

Among the known foodstuffs which have capability to stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain, sugar is one of them. This center of pleasure which sugar stimulates is known as dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Research has shown that sugar acts on human brain in the same way as cocaine.

What makes sugar be regarded as addictive?

Before we conclude that a substance is addictive, we have to look at whether it poses the attributes of an addictive substance. Sugar has the following attributes which qualify it to be an addictive substance:-

Despite its negative effects or the desire to stop taking sugar, the person compulsively continues to eat it.
Just like the other addictive drugs such as alcohol and cocaine, sugar impacts the neurotransmitter in the brain.
When used continuously, tolerance occurs and hence the person must take more sugar to achieve the same experience.
Over time, sugar is required for the person’s body to function normally.
When someone stops taking the sugar, withdrawal symptoms are witnessed.

How does dopamine play part in sugar addiction?

Just like with any other dopamine producing substance, when sugar is taken it enters the brain system and activates the neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. High amounts of dopamine are released to the system and hence the rewarding effects occur. This rewarding occurs in a form of pleasure that the person who is taking the sugar feels. With time, the number of dopamine which are released when the sugar is taken reduces and this results to the condition known as resistance. This eventually means in order to produce the pleasurable feeling, you have to consume more and more of sugar than that you used to consume before. This launches a viscous cycle of increased consumption of sugar leading to further desensitization and end up with an insatiable appetite for sugar.

Does sugar addiction have any negative effect to one’s health?

The fact that sugar is a common food substance acceptable all over the world makes it a common stuff in every kitchen. Under normal circumstances, a person will have a control over when it is necessary to take sugar in whichever form. This will though not be the case when the person becomes addicted with sugar. A sugar addict will unhealthily consume a lot of sugar which poses a lot of dangers to one’s health. Let’s look at some of the dangers that sugar addiction can cause to the addict.

Sugar addiction may cause diabetes

Diabetes is a complex disease attributed with high glucose level in the blood. It is also called high blood sugar. When a person becomes a sugar addict, the chances of high blood glucose becomes high and hence the chances of becoming diabetic.

Sugar addiction can cause obesity

The understanding of the relationship between sugar and obesity may look hidden unlike its direct relationship with diabetes. The main reason behind obesity is overeating. So, does it mean sugar addicts eat more than normal people? Let’s find out by asking another related question, “How do we know that we have eaten enough food and hence stop eating?”

sugar addiction

The reason why we will always know when we have had enough of food is that our brains have a hormone known as Leptin. This hormone sends a signal when one has had enough of a food and hence the person stops eating. This hormone is naturally produces in the fat cells and it functions well under normal healthy dieting. However, this hormone is easily interrupted by things such as ingesting too much artificial sweeteners, high levels of insulin and not forgetting excess sugar. When a sugar addict consumes excess sugar, this disrupts the hormone and hence it fails to function.

When Leptin hormones fail, the hunger homes begin to run rampantly and unopposed. This makes the addict feel hungry and hence want to eat every now and then. Every time such a person eats, there will be obviously overeating since there are no regulatory signals in the brain and this is why sugar addiction is highly associated with obesity.

Sugar Addiction & Dopamine: Is there any relation?

Overcoming Sugar Addiction

August 2, 2014

Overcoming Sugar Addiction – The Recommendations

Overcoming sugar addiction. Sugar is the only legal poison we are allowed to take freely at the expense of our health

Even though addiction to sugar is much stronger for some people than others, the truth is sugar is highly addictive in many ways. For instance when you’ve overeaten junk foods like cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream in relation to who hasn’t, at some point you’ll know its seductive pull. Food processors bank on it when they load sugar into soft drinks, breakfast cereal, soups, salad dressings, spaghetti sauce, energy bars, and even catsup. As a result, most of us develop a strong craving for sweets, without even realizing how much sugar we consume on a daily basis

The prevalence of sugar addiction is doubtless more common than you may think and in American for example the average consumption of sugar is about 20 to 30 teaspoons (about ½ cup!) which has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), attention and memory problems, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression. Every month a new study comes out adding to the list of risks posed by consuming sugar and its cousins, high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, and dextrose. Despite the risks, we continue to eat sugar because it is so addictive. In fact, sugar meets all the criteria for an addictive substance:

It stimulates release of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, in a manner similar to alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse.

People eat it compulsively, despite negative consequences and the intention to stop.
With continued use, people develop a tolerance to its effects.
Heavy sugar consumers have trouble functioning without it.
When consumption ceases, withdrawal symptoms occur.

Overcoming Sugar Addiction – Getting Sugar problem under control

It is not very easy to free yourself from any kind of addiction and sugar addiction is not left out in this respect. The basic reasons why this may be difficult is because sugar addiction is both rooted in the physical and psychological and it will take the effort of both approaches put together when attempting to eliminate this kind of addiction. It important noting that the few times you take the lesser times you will crave for it and when you feel any withdrawal symptoms you must not be discouraged by this as it will only last for a while and then you will feel more balanced and energetic than ever and the following will help you make it easier to get your sugar problem under control.

Keep sugar and sugar products out of your house – this should include all the white and brown sugar, corn syrup, and maple syrup.

Eat enough healthy food to satisfy your hunger – only consume healthy, whole food snacks like fruit, carrots, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, dates, and dried fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth and drink plenty of water too. Add a little fruit juice to sweeten iced tea, carbonated water, and other sugar-free drinks. Frozen fruit, whole or pureed, makes a delicious alternative to ice cream. Once you have cleared sugar from your system, your taste buds will become more sensitive, and these whole natural foods will taste sweeter and more satisfying. If you slow down and eat mindfully, you’ll enjoy these foods even more.

Eat three regular meals each day – combining complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, and fruits), lean protein (poultry, fish, meat, dairy, tofu) and healthy fats (milk, cheese, omega-3’s, olive oil and other cold-pressed oils). This will help you maintain a steady blood sugar level throughout the day and reduce your sugar cravings. Eating a diet high in fiber also helps to reduce sugar cravings.

Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. – Chromium picolinate and l-glutamine help to reduce cravings for some people.

When out ensure you are not greedily hungry – especially if sugary sweets will be the only food available. Bring your own healthy snacks with you, or eat before going out.

Get regular exercise – plenty of sunlight, and adequate sleep to reduce sugar cravings.

Identify and manage cravings that are not a result of physical hunger – but instead are rooted in stress or anxiety. Develop alternative ways of managing stress like take a walk, call a friend, read a book, play with your pet, watch a movie. Breathe, meditate, listen to music, or take a hot bath to activate your body’s relaxation response. Relaxation helps to balance your blood sugar and reduce cravings.

If you have turned to sugar to deal with uncomfortable feelings – try to identify the specific feelings and respond appropriately to them. If you are tired, take a break or rest, rather than trying to persevere in the face of fatigue. If you are bored, find something stimulating to do. If you are lonely, reach out to a friend. Overcoming your sugar addiction involves really paying attention to what you are feeling, and giving yourself what you really need instead of using sugar as a substitute.

If you do overindulge in sugar – acknowledge that you slipped, and get back on track as soon as possible. Let go of the guilt and shame. Eating sugar is unhealthy, but it’s not a sin. As with other addictions, it doesn’t matter if you need multiple attempts to quit, just that you keep trying until it sticks.

Be kind to yourself – To end the struggle with sugar, learn to nourish your body well and respond compassionately to your own feelings. The best sugar substitute is genuine self-acceptance.

In conclusion dear reader it is true that sugar is sweet and no one cannot deny that but as it is said not all that glitters is gold you must be careful not to fall prey of this white poison. Just in case you’re already addicted there is help at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury who is also the chief executive of the facility. She is an experienced medical doctor of several decades of practice and together with her team of experts they will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Overcoming Sugar Addiction – The Recommendations

IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

July 28, 2014

It’s Bitter Sweet: The Truth Behind Sugar Addiction

sugar addiction Almost every day in our diets we include sugary foods. Sugar is a source of sweetness that everyone will always want to get. Under normal circumstances, we take sugar in the form of food additive though some people will sometimes take it directly due to its natural sweetness. It is almost a common knowledge that sugar has been attributed to obesity and diabetes when taken in excess. This has neither made people all over the globe to reduce the intake of sugar.

Why bitter sweet?

Obviously sugar is very sweet. Its sweetness remains unquestionable, but the facts about the effects that the sugar has in our bodies makes it bitter. How? One of the negative facts about sugar is that it has been in the frontline contributor of obesity and diabetes. Due to its natural sweetness makes it a very rewarding food substance and hence leading many people to overeating and consequently obese.

Apart from these bitter facts about sugar, research has now shown that sugar is a “new tobacco”, worse than many addictive drugs we know and a secrete killer! You will not believe it, According to the research done by Dr. Mark Hyman et al, shows that sugar is over eight times more addictive than cocaine.

What makes sugar a very common source of addiction?

Unlike many other addictive drugs, which are illegal in many countries, sugar is a legal food substance all over the world. This makes sugar readily available and it is also cheap to acquire. The nature of its sweetness cannot also be underestimated as this is what actually makes a sugar a highly rewarding substance in the human brain.

How does sugar addiction occur?

Among the known foodstuffs which have capability to stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain, sugar is one of them. This center of pleasure which sugar stimulates is known as dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Research has shown that sugar acts on human brain in the same way as cocaine.

When sugar is taken, just like any other dopamine producing substance it enters the brain system and activates the neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. High amounts of dopamine are released to the system and hence the rewarding effects occur. This rewarding occurs in a form of pleasure that the person taking the sugar feels. With time, the number of dopamines which are released when the sugar is taken reduces and this results to the condition known as resistance. This eventually means in order to produce the pleasurable feeling, you have to consume more that you used to consume before. This launches a viscous cycle of increased consumption of sugar leading to further desensitization and end up with an insatiable appetite for sugar.

Another qualifier factor of sugar as a silent killer substance is that apart from the increase in consumption of sugar, the dopamine receptor decrease and there is a marked decrease also in their activity. This makes the part of human brain which is responsible for execution of functions such as planning, organizing and rational decision making paralyzed.

sugar addiction

What danger does this pose? This is a double cutting sword for the sugar addict. Apart from the fact that the addict will be required to consume more and more sugar to achieve the required pleasure effect, the addiction also makes it more difficult for the addict’s brain to plan ahead and makes wise decisions on foods to take. This makes the addict to keep on dangerously eating sugary foods. This poses more danger to the addict.

What does sugar have to do with obesity?

The understanding of the relationship between sugar and obesity may look hidden unlike its direct relationship with diabetes. The main reason behind obesity is overeating. So, does it mean sugar addicts eat more than normal people? Let’s find out by asking another related question, “How do we know that we have eaten enough food and hence stop eating?”

The reason why we will always know when we have had enough of food is that our brains have a hormone known as Leptin. This hormone sends a signal when one has had enough of a food and hence the person stops eating. This hormone is naturally produces in the fat cells and it functions well under normal healthy dieting. However, this hormone is easily interrupted by things such as ingesting too much artificial sweeteners, high levels of insulin and not forgetting excess sugar. When a sugar addict consumes excess sugar, this disrupts the hormone and hence it fails to function.

When Leptin hormones fail, the hunger homes begin to run rampantly and unopposed. This makes the addict feel hungry and hence want to eat every now and then. Every time such a person eats, there will be obviously overeating since there are no regulatory signals in the brain and this is why sugar addiction is highly associated with obesity.

Can sugar addiction be treated?

Sugar addiction is curable. The main problem is that sugar has high craving levels and when you will be recovering from sugar addiction you will need to be very much determined lest you will have relapse. If you have a sugar addiction, all you need to do is to visit a specialist, a doctor of psychologist and a recovery method that best suits you will be devised based on mediation or therapy.

IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

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