Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
March 20th, 2012
Before getting into potential methods of treating and/or preventing excess skin after weight loss, let’s explore the phenomenon itself. What exactly is loose, or excess skin?
Most cases of loose skin are actually just cases of excess subcutaneous body fat covered by skin. And because subcutaneous fat is “soft” fat, it is looser and easier to confuse with skin. It droops and jiggles and the skin that surrounds it conforms to its shape. That’s not to suggest that legitimately loose skin isn’t a real problem, because it is. But I would wager that many if not most cases of loose skin can be explained by overly stubborn deposits of subcutaneous fat.
Stubborn fat is actually a real thing. As Martin Berkhan explains, adipose tissue is full of alpha-2 and beta-2 receptors. A-2 and b-2 receptors are the major lipolytic receptors in adipose tissue, meaning they interact with the catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) to cause stored body fat to release. B-2 receptors are associated with “easy fat,” or fat that burns off easily. A-2 receptors are associated with “stubborn fat,” or fat that’s harder to burn. All adipose tissue has both a-2 and b-2 receptors, and the higher the b-2:a-2 ratio, the easier it is to burn the fat. The lower the ratio, the more stubborn the fat. Belly fat has a notoriously low b-2:a-2 ratio, which is why it’s usually the last to go (especially for men). If your belly fat is stubborn, it may resemble loose skin even as the rest of your body has mostly leaned out.
If your loose skin is thicker than a few millimeters, there is residual body fat. And because adipose tissue – which, remember, is actually a major endocrine organ, rather than an inert piece of tissue – remains, the skin has no reason to return to its former size and elasticity. As long as the subcutaneous fat attached to it remains, the skin will appear loose and drape-y. Skin that fills your hand when you squeeze it isn’t just skin.
This isn’t really bad news, believe it or not. It actually means that you’re almost there. It means that your “loose skin” isn’t necessarily out of your control. If indeed it is simply stubborn subcutaneous fat, once you manage to lose the excess fat, the “loose skin” might just disappear along with it. In fact, I’d imagine that most such cases of “loose skin” can and will be remedied in this manner. Men, get down to around 10-12% body fat before you start considering surgery or anything drastic. Women, get down to 15-17% body fat before taking any surgical steps.
Hey, if that sounded harsh to you, at least I’m not as bad as Ron Brown, PhD, who claims loose skin is nothing but a myth. Go ahead and check out his argument, but try to avoid meeting his steely gaze. Lock eyes with Dr. Ron at your own peril; you will be consumed. Despite the intense shirtless photo, he has a point that skin is not a passive slab of flesh. Instead, it is an active organ that should be able to adapt to the body’s “internal and external environment.”
That said, if your loose skin is paper thin, closer to the thickness of your eyelid or the back of your hand (about 1 mm thick), and resembles rolled up papyrus or parchment, you likely suffer from excess skin. What can be done to prevent or deal with actual excess skin?
First and foremost, any weight loss regimen must be accompanied by resistance training. Yeah, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you have to be lifting heavy things in order for the best things to happen to your body composition. There are a few genetic outliers who can put on muscle as easily as breathing, but those folks probably won’t have the problem of loose skin anyway. For the rest of us, however, we need to lift weights in order to maintain and/or build lean mass during weight loss. If your loose skin is caused by a rapid diminishing of body mass, packing on a bit more mass in the form of muscle can mitigate the problem.
There’s no hard data on this, but I’d imagine that crash diets, ones that consume lean mass and fat mass indiscriminately in the pursuit of rapid weight loss, will be more likely to leave you with excess skin. If you’re losing weight and feeling weaker, disoriented, lazy, rundown, and generally crappy, you’re probably doing it wrong. Weight loss should imbue you with vigor and strength, easy, smooth energy. You should be burning clean body fat for energy, not breaking down your lean tissue. Remember what I wrote last week about fasting preferentially targeting body fat versus lean mass? Yeah, fasting might be just the ticket for ridding yourself of stubborn body fat while avoiding the accumulation of excess skin due to concurrent lean mass breakdown.
Another major cause of loose skin is compromised skin elasticity. If your skin loses elasticity, it will lose its ability to spring back to its former glory. Lost elasticity is usually thought of as a characteristic of growing old, but it can also strike younger people. Besides finding the fountain of youth, what can you do to improve skin elasticity?
One study found that dietary gelatin improved skin elasticity (PDF). Eating real bone broth, fatty gelatin-rich meats like oxtail, poultry feet, or short ribs, or even using gelatin powder as a supplement might be able to restore or preserve skin elasticity. You’re already getting dietary gelatin anyway, right?
Another study found that a proprietary blend of nutrients, including selenium (salmon, brazil nuts, seafood), zinc (oysters, red meat), vitamin C (vegetables, fruit, raw liver), and various carotenoids (fruits and vegetables, red palm oil), was effective at increasing skin elasticity.
Vitamin C is important for collagen formation, which is vital for skin elasticity. Make sure to get enough vitamin C.
If weight loss occurs and you’re at a low-enough body fat percentage to determine that you truly have excess skin, give it several months before you turn to the scalpel. My guess is that for Primal eaters who are eating a nutrient-dense diet (including plenty of the aforementioned nutrients), truly excess skin won’t be as big a problem as it might be for the general dieter
Source: Marks Daily Apple
Today we’re going to extend our repertoire and take a look at a chapter of the Team4orce Lifestyle guide that is all about good eats and better/healthier barely treats. This blog entry is dedicated to today’s BBQ festivities, as we celebrate this great country of ours.
Here is Esquire’s top 7 of a list of 14 of the Healthiest Beers on Earth, taken from their Eat Like a Man segment
We don’t usually judge a brew by its nutrition label, but if you’re going to anyway, these are your best (and best-tasting) options — rated on our beer expert’s quasi-scientific pint scale, from not terrible for you to actually pretty good. Bottoms up.
1.) I.C. Light
Surprisingly, this light lager from Pittsburgh doesn’t taste like water. At only 96 calories and about 4.1 percent alcohol by volume, it’s a solid choice for warm weather that won’t weigh you down.
2.) He’Brew Rejewvenator ’10
Simply put, Shmaltz Brewing Co.’s beers are full of shtick, as is the case with this doppelbock-dubbel hybrid brewed with 600 gallons of Concord grape juice (the kind used in the Passover-friendly Manischewitz wine). Gimmicky or not, this beer really tastes good, proving that grape juice is just as deliciously healthful in beer as it is in wine.
Special ingredients: Concord grape juice
3.) Guinness Draught
The Guinness ad guys were a little overzealous with their old “Guinness is good for you” campaign. Still, I love to see the look of surprise on people’s faces when I tell them that the creamy, malty Irish dry stout is actually pretty low in calories (126) and alcohol (4.2 percent).
4.) Three Floyds Gumballhead
A recent study by American and German researchers found that wheat beers can help runners fight off muscle inflammation and respiratory problems. But you don’t have to be a runner to enjoy the health benefits of Gumballhead, a refreshing, citrusy beer that’s one of the best wheat ales brewed in the U.S.
Special ingredients: American red wheat
5.) Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus
This gorgeous beer (with an equally scandalous label — click “view larger” to see what we mean) from Cantillon, one of Belgium’s best and most respected breweries, will dispel any thought you have about fruit-based beers being syrupy-sweet or, dare I say, “girlie.” When fresh, the crisp, tart, vitamin C-loaded raspberry flavors shine. With a few years of age, the sour notes from this wild-fermented lambic become more pronounced, yielding an even more brilliant concoction.
Special ingredients: Raspberries
6.) Stone/Ishii/Baird Japanese Green Tea IPA
Okay, maybe this is more charitable than healthy, but California’s Stone Brewing Co. teamed up with Ishii and Baird Brewing to create this beer to aid Japan’s earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. The IPA, set to be released in mid-July 2011, clocks in at 9 percent ABV. It’s brewed with antioxidant-rich green tea as well as a new variety of hops called Aramis, grown in France’s Alsace region. Some Japanese Sorachi Ace hops are also thrown in for good measure.
Special ingredients: Japanese Sencha green tea, Aramis and Sorachi Ace hops
7.) Lambrucha
A Chicago couple combined his love of Belgian lambics with her fondness for fermented kombucha tea to create Lambrucha, a tart, funky, lemony brew with a dry finish. At just 3.5 percent alcohol by volume and with all the good-for-you stuff that kombucha drinkers swear by — vitamins B and C, as well as help with digestion and blood circulation — this beer’s a standout.
Special ingredients: Green tea kombucha
for the rest of the list, please visit Esquire.com
Team4orce Butcher Breakdown
Flank Steak
Flank is primarily used for flank steaks and rolled flank steaks. It can also be used for kabobs. Medium-rare is the perfect doneness for these cuts; anything more, and the meat will be dry and tough. This steak has a great flavor, and should be sliced against the grain for maximum chewability.
Nutritional Highlights
Beef (flank, cooked), 3 oz. (85.05g)
Calories: 192.1
Protein: 22.4g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 10.6g
Fiber: 0.0g
Top Round
Round has become popular as of late due to the leanness of the meat. However, there is a lot a of variability in the tenderness of cuts from this section. This is the most tender part of the round; it can be prepared as pot roast, or cut into thick steaks for braised dishes.
Nutritional Highlights
Beef top round steak (cooked), 3oz. (85g)
Calories: 183.6
Protein: 25.6g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 8.1g
Fiber: 0.0g
Sirloin
Sirloin Steaks – Come with three varieties of bones. The pin bone steak is the most tender, followed in order of decreasing tenderness by the flat, round, and wedge bone steaks. These are large steaks, suitable for the whole family. Sirloin steaks are also available in a variety of boneless steaks.
Nutritional Highlights
Top sirloin steak (fat trimmed to 1/4 inch [0.6cm], broiled), 3oz. (85.05g)
Calories: 219.3
Protein: 23.6g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 13.0g
Fiber: 0.0g
The Pre Game Analysis
Now we are going to break down why, better, yet we are going to give you the biggest example and reason why you should never skip breakfast ladies and gentlemen, why beers are not so great (one micro beer here and there is fine) and why eating a large meal before bedtime is just flat out unhealthy!
The biggest reason why these 3 things should never be done? Well that’s because 500lbs sumo wrestlers use these eating tactics to GAIN WEIGHT!
3 Keys to Today’s Game Plan
DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST
Many times you hear of someone, or maybe you’ve tried yourself, skipping meals, especially breakfast. The idea most people have is, the less I eat, the more weight I will lose. BAD IDEA, but, regardless of the reason (lets not forget the inconvenience and just not hungry excuses; I don’t have time to eat in the morning and just thinking of food that early makes me sick), skipping breakfast and/or lunch, usually results in over eating or making poor choices at dinner, since you’re now ready to really get your grub on (as we say here)!
SUMO WRESTLERS only eat 2 meals per day. They skip breakfast and train for 2 or 3 hours before eating lunch. Skipping breakfast has two mechanisms; one, it can trigger overeating later in the day and two, it will also cause a drop in the metabolism, which then causes a chain reaction which sends the body into fat storage mode.
This strategy of skipping breakfast and lunch and then eating a healthy (but big) dinner is the same strategy used by Sumo Wrestlers.
DON’T OVER INDULGE IN BEER
Sumo wrestlers also drink beer with their meals. A pint of beer contains around 200 calories. They can consume 6 pints of beer with a meal, which equates to around 1200 calories. That’s nearly half the recommended daily amount of calories for an average adult male. The TEAM4ORCE bev of choice, WATER, WATER, WATER.
DON’T OVER-EAT BEFORE BEDTIME
Sumo Wrestlers purposely starve themselves all day and then have an evening meal that includes protein, vegetables and rice, immediately followed by sleep. This is their secret weight gaining technique and it has been used successfully for hundreds of years. Sleeping directly following the evening meal allows the body to hold on even tighter to these calories.
The Pre Game Breakdown
Gluten-free, sounds real healthy right, I’m bought in and I didn’t even know what it meant. Heck, I bought something that was organic, gluten free, fully certified with a guarantee better then an American car dealer offers (sadly it cost about the price of a car).
So you might all be hoping that gluten free foods will help you burn some fat, lose some weight, maybe increase that testosterone in you fellas and get those muscles the extra recovery and growth! Well, eating gluten free may have some indirect affect on all those areas, but we still don’t know what gluten is, and how we can benefit from a gluten free diet or particular foods.
We stumbled upon this article and liked how it breaks down the mystery of gluten and its magical powers.
So read up, digest the information and then execute the gameplan!!!!
The Keys to the Game
By now, you’ve probably come across at least one product in a supermarket labeled “gluten-free.”
By now, you’ve probably come across at least one product in a supermarket labeled “gluten-free.”
The prefix of the term “gluten” gives away its definition. Think of gluten as a glue-like substance that gives wheat and other products their chewy structure.
Although the science is much more complex than the definition, gluten can be defined, in lay terms, as the sticky protein substance in wheat.
Gluten is found in dozens of wheat-based products. It’s also prevalent in rye as well as oats and barley (bad news for beer drinkers).
The chewy structure that is gluten might be pleasing to our palette, but it is detrimental to the one in 200 people who are estimated to have celiac disease, which according to the Center for Celiac Disease Research at the University of Maryland, is one of the most common life-long disorders in western countries.
People with celiac disease suffer from a laundry list of symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating and other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which is now being recognized by some researchers as being caused by celiac disease.
In people with celiac disease, gliadin, a glycoprotein found in gluten, attacks the small intestine lining and causes damage to the tiny villi, which absorb nutrients. As a result of the body’s inability to take in enough vitamins and minerals, autoimmune disorders can arise.
If you suffer frequently from headaches or migraines, or get sick a lot, or get skin rashes, you may have celiac disease or some other form of intolerance to gluten.
What’s wrong with gluten?
Scientists say that for millennia humans subsisted on a diet consisting of nothing but wild game and meat as well as fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds. It’s only been since the Neolithic period (about 9500 BCE) that humans began cultivating wheat.
In evolutionary terms, that’s the equivalent of a blink of an eye for when wheat was introduced into the modern diet.
To carry the metaphor further, it’s been a fraction of a fraction of a blink of an eye that our food sources have been pumped with lots of wheat products and byproducts, all of which contain gluten.
Our guts are simply not adapted to digest gluten and break it down into individual amino acids.
About one in seven people have gluten sensitivity — that’s 30 to 40 percent of the U.S. population. People with gluten intolerance are scientifically known as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive (NCGS).
Dr. Vikki Petersen, author of a new book, “The Gluten Effect,” says that one of her missions is to dispel the myth that if you don’t have celiac disease, you have nothing to worry about.
Don’t reach for the Wheat Thins just yet, she cautions.
“Just because you don’t have villous atrophy in the small intestine doesn’t mean gluten isn’t causing deleterious effect on your health,” says Petersen, a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist.
With the increasing prevalence of gluten in our diets, Petersen says that there is now an increased risk of our genetics “flipping on” an anti-gliadin response.
This, predicts Petersen, will likely lead to more cases of celiac disease and autoimmune disorders caused by gluten intolerance.
“When you lump them together, autoimmune disorders are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.,” says Petersen, “and gluten is a major culprit.”
Petersen says that in the past, it was thought that you either have a genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance and celiac disease or you won’t ever develop it. Research from just last year, she says, reveals this may not be the case.
She notes that since the 1970s, celiac disease has increased four fold and the disease was rare as recently as the 1950s.
Petersen says that due to the increased preponderance of toxins in our environment and food chain, gluten-free diets won’t be considered merely a health fad.
“More and more people will suffer from the ill-effects of gluten-containing diets and will have to consume a 100 percent gluten-free food program,” she says.
Is gluten-free enough?
“We should strive to eat as much organic and natural foods as we can to ensure proper health,” Petersen says. “This includes increasing the amount of vegetables and gluten-free complex carbohydrates like quinoa, millet and brown rice.”
Adopting a gluten-free diet, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities will improve their health.
“One out of every three celiac disease sufferers fails to heal,” says Petersen.
The culprit? Healing the gut takes more than switching from regular chocolate chip to gluten-free chocolate-chip cookies.
“There are secondary effects of gluten to consider, such as other food sensitivities, like dairy,” says Petersen, who recommends those with celiac disease or NCGS get tested for secondary infections such as parasites, yeast overgrowth, amoebas and other nasty microscopic digestive invaders.
She also recommends taking a daily probiotic (human strain) with a micro-organism count of at least 20 billion — more if you have an infection.
Don’t feast on gluten-free snacks. Instead, treat them as you would any other guilty-pleasure: a once-in-a-while treat. If you suffer from low energy and a myriad of health problems and tend to eat a lot of wheat and baked goods, consider going on a gluten-free diet.
It may be just what the doctor ordered.
Judd Handler is a graduate of the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program, a curriculum that includes testing for mucosal barrier integrity of the small intestine. His website isWellnessGuru4u.com
Source: Mother Nature Work
Kale is not only one of the more beautiful cruciferous vegetables, but it also one of the most nutritious. Here are nine reasons to eat kale, and eat it often.
1.) Diet and Digestion
One cup of kale has only 36 calories and zero grams of fat, which makes it a great diet aid. Furthermore, one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. Finally, kale contains the glucosinolate isothiocyanate (ITC) that fights the formation of H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori), a bacterial growth in the stomach lining that can lead to gastric cancer.
2.) Antioxidants
Kale is a superstar in the arena of carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. The key flavonoids kaempferol and quercitin (not to dismiss the 45 other distinctive flavonoids in kale) have also been shown to specifically fight against the formation of cancerous cells. With the addition of high doses of well-known antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, and manganese, kale is certainly a smart choice in the battle against cellular oxidation.
3.) Anti-Inflammatory
One cup of kale provides about 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids that helps regulate the body’s inflammatory process. A megadose of vitamin K further aids to fight against excessive inflammatory-related problems, such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma.
4.) Cancer
Not only do kale’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities work together to prevent and even combat cancer, a healthy diet of kale also provides glucosinolates, which have been shown to prevent colon, breast, bladder, prostate, ovarian cancers, as well as gastric cancer.
5.) Cardiovascular Support
The high fiber content of kale lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to so, ultimately lowering the amount of cholesterol within our bodies.
6. Detox
The isothiocyanates (ITC) from glucosinolates found in kale aid in both phases I and II of the body’s detoxification process. The high sulfur content of kale has further been shown essential for phase II of detoxification.
7.) Vitamin K
Kale provides a whopping dose of vitamin K (providing 1327% of the RDA in one cup), which is necessary for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein that strengthens the composition of our bones. Vitamin K also prevents calcium build-up in our tissue that can lead to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Finally, vitamin K is essential for synthesizing sphingolipid, the fat needed to maintain the myelin sheath around our nerves, and therefore our nervous system as a whole.
8.) Vitamin A
With over 192% of the RDA of vitamin A, one cup of kale is an effective antioxidant, boosts immunity, maintains healthy bones and teeth, prevents urinary stones, and is essential to our reproductive organs.
9.) Vitamin C
Vitamin C, which one cup of kale heartily provides (over 88% of our RDA), is not only a powerful antioxidant, but also lowers blood pressure, ensures a healthy immune system, and fights against age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
BBQ Baked Kale Chips Recipe
by Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations
Tools you may Need:
- Salad Spinner
- Cookie Sheet
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients:
- 3 Large Handfuls of Kale
- 2 Tbsp EVOO
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Granulated Garlic
Process:
- Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F
- Remove all of your Kale leaves from the stalk and wash well
- Once they are all washed, dry them over and over again. They need to be bone dry to get the best results, if you have a salad spinner now is the time to use it if not you are going to be using lots and lots of paper towels
- Place all of your dry Kale in a mixing bowl and coat with all of your EVOO
- Once coated, use 1/2 Tsp of Sea Salt and sprinkle all over
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place all of your Kale on the sheet
- Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 Minutes, or until the chips are crispy, if you let them cook too long they will not taste good, don’t burn them so check them often after the 10 minute mark
- Combine the paprika, garlic, and remaining sea salt in a small bowl and at the 10 minute mark, remove your Kale from the oven and sprinkle with this mixture
- Place back in the oven and continue cooking until done
- Enjoy
Resource: Heath Diaries & Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations
