Do you have cellulite?
Jun 15, 2009

Focus On:

Protein

"I have cellulite all the way down the back of my legs," she said. I found that hard to believe since she was just 20 years old and thin. But, when she lifted her skirt to show me, I was shocked! She was telling the truth - that cottage cheese looking stuff was all the way down to her knees - I'd never seen anything like that in a young person. I asked her if she exercised and she replied, "Every day. I go to a one hour aerobics class after work and before dinner."

When I asked her what she ate, the problem became quite obvious. She wasn't hungry for breakfast so she often missed it, or grabbed just a banana. She said she had little time for lunch so she skipped it or just grabbed a green salad. Dinner was a very well-balanced nutritious meal containing all the nutrients she needed, but it was her only meal of the day.

You know that protein (found in milk, egg, cheese, meat, beans, etc) is essential for rebuilding muscle mass, right? So, in order to build muscle mass (or muscle tone) after working out, the body must have some circulating amino acids (the building blocks of protein). But, this young lady wasn't eating protein at breakfast or at lunch. The protein that she was eating at dinner was long gone before her workout 23 hours later. So, while she was working out every day, and burning a ton of calories, the muscles couldn't rebuild because there was no circulating protein. When she started eating breakfast and lunch (with protein), the muscle tone came back and the cellulite disappeared!

The lesson? Always eat protein in the hours before exercise. If you exercise in the morning, make sure you have protein in your evening meal. If you exercise after work, eat some at breakfast or lunch.

from: Escape the Monday Madness newsletter by Dr. Jo

New and Healthy Picnic/Cookout Ideas
May 28, 2009

It is that time of year - picnic/cookout time! Since I am talking about this tonight in class I thought I would share some ways that you can make the food you serve at a picnic healthier. For example: Instead of mayonnaise based (which can cause food-borne illness if not stored properly)coleslaw, try coleslaw or broccoi slaw with fat free Italian dressing, low fat poppy seed or low fat yogurt dressing. Instead of mayonnaise based potato salad or baked white potatoes, try a sweet potato salad or baked swet potato. Instead white pasta for salads, try whole grain pasta or salads made with grains like couscous. Instead of regular hamburger and hot dog buns, try whole grain buns, pita bread or wraps. Instead of high fat chips, try baked chips, oat crisps or whole grain rice crisps or skip the chips all together and serve veggies with hummus, fat-free salsa, or fat-free bean dip instead. Instead of high fat desserts, offer fruit such as: fruit salad or fruit kabobs, or angel food cake with fresh berries and light whipped topping. Instead of fried chicken, buy a roasted chicken and make whole wheat wraps with lots of veggies (of course). Instead of regular hamburgers, try extra lean ground beef, ground turkey breastor chicken, salmon burgers, lentil burgers, or veggie burgers. Instead of regular hot dogs, try low fat turkey kielbasa, different flavors of chicken sausage or low fat chicken or turkey hot dogs. Instead of regular soda, sweetened beverages and fruit juice drinks, try plain of flavored water, unsweetened tea or lemonade and 100% juice mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with water or seltzer. Hope this give you some great ideas for your next cookout!

This just in from The Press Association
Nov 13, 2008

'Bulge' ups risk of premature death

A large waistline increases the risk of premature death even for people who are not technically overweight, a major study has found.

For those in the top fifth of the midriff bulge range the chances of dying are doubled, according to the research.

Among individuals with the same relative body mass, each five centimetre increase in waist circumference was shown to increase mortality risk by 17% in men and 13% in women.

Comparative hip and waist size also appeared to have a significant bearing on life-span.

The study, which involved more than 350,000 people from nine European countries, strongly supports theories about the dangers of too much waistline fat.

Experts are increasingly coming to the conclusion that fat deposited between the hips and navel is a better health indicator than Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI has been used for years to determine whether people are "normal" weight, overweight, or obese. It is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by his or her height in metres squared.

A BMI of 30 or above signifies obesity, while someone with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered "overweight". The "normal" BMI range is between 18.5 and 24.9.

However the new study found that even people with "normal" BMIs who are not defined as overweight are at a higher risk of dying if they have thick waistlines.

Participants, who were aged 25 to 70, were monitored for an average of 9.7 years. During this time, a total of 14,723 died. Fat stored around the waistline is known to secrete messenger molecules, hormones and metabolically active compounds that may contribute to serious chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer.