The Relevance of the Colon to Zinc Nutrition

The Relevance of the Colon to Zinc Nutrition

Dieting For Weight Loss

The most common reason that people cite for dieting today is weight loss. While most of us would love to claim the noble mantle of dieting for health the vast majority of us are doing so for vanity. This, however, is a perfectly acceptable and plausible reason for making the lifestyle changes that are necessary in order to diet. In fact, this reason might prove to be a far greater motivator than many of the other commonly stated reasons for dieting.

When dieting for weight loss one of the most common complaints is constantly feeling hungry. In order to help combat this, you might want to incorporate some of the following strategies into your dieting program. First of all, eat more high fibre foods. Whole grains, apples, pears, and lima beans are a great source of fibre as are many breakfast cereals. Easy does it however when it comes to fibre as it may be filling but there are some unpleasant side effects that may accompany heavy fibre eating (remember that beans are a good source of fibre). Try using a product such as Bean-o when consuming larger amounts of fibre. You might also try spreading your fibre intake throughout the day rather than consuming all your daily fibre at once.

Another method for feeling fuller when dieting is to drink plenty of water while dieting. Water provides an important service to the body and is very necessary when it comes to delivering all the nutrients where they need to go. Water also helps regulate your metabolism, which is very important to the dieting and weight loss process. Additionally, water will help you skin retain its elasticity so that your skin can go more easily back into place once the serious weight loss begins.

Learn to control your portions. We live in a world where portions are over inflated and super sized so often that we no longer know what an appropriate portion looks like. Restaurant meals are quite often more than adequate for at least two full meals and that is before salads, soups, appetizers, or desserts have been ordered. Learning to portion correctly can save you from over loading your calorie intake for the day massively. It can also help you get extra helpings of the lower calorie foods such as lettuce and other vegetables rather than taking such large portions of calorie rich starches or fried foods.

Do not go “Gung Ho”. There are limits to what the body and the mind can handle. When you go on a diet you are making a drastic change to your bodies caloric intake. If you go overboard you can lead to health risks along the way. Begin cutting calories a little at a time and incorporate changes as you go rather than going in with an all or nothing attitude. If you go overboard with your dieting plans chances are that you are dooming your diet to failure.

Take your diet one step at a time for the best results and be sure to incorporate extra physical activity into the mix. Even gardening when done on a regular basis can burn calories, so can cleaning the house, and playing with the little ones. Take a walk to the park or the corner store rather than getting in the car and pull a wagon or push a stroller while you’re at it. The added weight will be just enough resistance to burn a few extra calories.

Dieting for weight loss does not necessarily have to be a major sacrifice on your part but in order to be successful it will be a radical change in lifestyle, particularly if you need to lose more than a few vanity pounds. The health implications of loosing the weight are well worth the required effort and should not be taken lightly no matter how excited you are about your new body that is hiding inside your old one.

Low-Carb Diets: Are They The Best Way To Lose Weight?

Low-carb, starch-free, no bread – there’s a lot of hype around low carbohydrate diets following an investigation by ABC TV’s Catalyst program last week – but are they any good for weight loss? LiveLighter campaign manager and dietitian Alison Ginn takes a closer look.

 

Low carbohydrate diets often help you lose weight initially because they restrict the amount of energy (kilojoules) you eat. While following a low carb diet you’ll probably skip the office treats, reduce some meal sizes (because there is no bread, potato, rice or pasta) and possibly have fewer snacks, too.

But long term, a low-carb diet is pretty hard to maintain. All of the restriction can lead to binge eating. So while you may lose weight initially, there’s no reliable evidence to say it lasts.

Are they safe?

In a word, no. Carbohydrate foods break down into glucose (a simple sugar) after we eat them. Our body needs glucose to power the brain and many of our organs. 

There is variation across low carb diets in severity of carb restriction and total amount of food. Starchy foods may be replaced with either protein or fat. Fruit and milk may be permitted, limited or forbidden. 

While severe carbohydrate restriction can be dangerous, the main safety issue is missing essential nutrients when skipping an entire food group (or two or three if fruit and dairy are limited).

Apart from energy the other benefits of carbohydrate foods are

• Fibre: you will get some fibre from fruit and veg but wholegrain foods are the highest source.
• Antioxidants: from wholegrain foods and from a variety of colours of fruit and veg.
• Calcium: yoghurts and milk (dairy or fortified alternative) are some of the best sources of calcium in the western diet.

Complete nutritionally balanced meals reduce the need for frequent snacking which can lead to unintended overeating.

The consensus?

Instead of a low-carb diet include vegetables, fruit, wholegrains lean dairy and protein foods every day to help you lose weight and while ensuring you get all the nutrients you need to keep your body healthy.

How to eat a balanced diet
Balanced meals: Try to have some carbohydrates, vegetables and a protein food (such as lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu and low-fat dairy) with each meal. Eating a balanced meal every time you eat will ensure you get all the nutrients you need and help you feel fuller.
Livelighter.com.au has a meal and activity planner and many delicious recipes to help you achieve your goals.

Move more: Regular exercise will help you feel energised and shed those extra kilograms.

Eat less processed food: Though strict carbohydrate restriction is unnecessary, and even dangerous, it is beneficial to watch the amount of processed sugar you’re eating (and drinking) and also limit added fats. Pay attention to limiting sugary drinks, processed snacks and white starchy foods (opt for wholegrain). Eat more vegetables, fruit, wholegrain foods, low fat yoghurt, eggs, nuts and fish. Water is the best drink for your waist and your teeth. 

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/weight+loss/diets/low+carb+diets+are+they+the+best+way+to+lose+weightr,34411

How Fibre Can Help You Lose Weight

NDTV Cooks, Modified: November 21, 2014 12:58 IST                   

                                 


















Fibre forms an essential part of our daily diet. Not only is fibre good for our digestive system, it has also been linked to reduced risk of he risk of colon cancer and type 2 diabetes. Health experts will tell you that foods with high fibre make one feel full and satiated for long which is why they easily fit in your weight-loss strategies. A latest scientific study agrees with this notion.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a fibre-rich diet can help in shedding those extra kilos. Polydextrose and soluble corn fibre may cause a shift towards beneficial bacteria in the gut and assist in weight loss when made part of a long-term, daily diet. "These two fibres look like they could be beneficial when included in a balanced diet along with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes," Hannah Holscher from the University of Illinois, US.

Researchers used whole-genome sequencing to explore the full range of bacterial genomic information in the gut after fibre supplementation. It was found that using fibre supplements resulted in significant shifts in the gut bacterial population. Interestingly, when the supplements were stopped the bacterial population went back to where they were before.

The team was surprised to see a shift in the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio. It was found that fibre supplements had caused a shift towards Bacteroidetes which are considered as good gut bacteria. Both Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes belong to the bacteria domain. Firmicutes are often associated with obesity in mice modules as well as in humans, hence this shift was seen as a positive one.

"This was of particular interest to us because other research works have shown that having more Bacteroidetes may be beneficial because the higher that proportion is, the individual tends to be leaner. With higher Firmicutes, an individual tends to be more obese," Holscher said.

Another study conducted earlier this year at Imperial College in London states that dietary fibre contains a chemical called acetate which is released when plants and vegetables are digested by the colon bacteria. This chemcial sends signals to the brain to stop eating. Foods loaded with fibre include whole-grains, cereals, leafy vegetables, beans, mushrooms and more.
 http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/how-fibre-can-help-you-lose-weight-623522