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Thanks to Lija Rolavs for pointing this one out on Facebook. If I can memorise all of this I've got an act at the next Dietitian's Karaoke night. Seriously though, why not share this with your kids. They may learn something while they laugh at you rapping.
Whoah! Ten cans = 10 x 500 kJ = 5,000 kJ = 1,200 calories so this women is getting a whole weight loss diet plan of energy from the sugar in Red Bull. That's why she is losing weight. I would say also due to the equivalent of 10 cups of coffee a day (1 Red Bull = 80 mg caffeine = 1 cup coffee). This is not just hotwiring your metabolism as I say quite a bit. This is hijacking your metabolism. As the segment says, you can get serious health problems from this. Watch my Sunrise segment on the Energy drink Diet (25 May 2009)
Here's a summary of what you'll see in my TV segment. For colds and flu: Eat citrus fruits for vitamin C that can reduce the duration and severity of colds. Add garlic containing allicin to meals as studies have shown that garlic eaters get fewer colds. For coughs and infections: Eat a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables to get the generous dose of antioxidants that will boost your immunity. Eat zinc-rich foods like red meat and rolled oats to elevate your zinc status. Zinc is also important for immunity. For good skin: Drink lots of water to keep your body and your skin hydrated. Include oily fish in your diet for a dose of omega-3 fatty acids that help keep every cell in your body supple. To boost your mood: In addition to at least 10 minutes of sunlight a day, get lots of vitamin D by eating pumpkin and sunflower seeds as snacks. Include Brazil nuts in your snack mix to get a does of selenium that studies show is important to avoid blue moods. Watch my Morning Show segment on winter foods (19 May 2009)
Caffeine can give you a boost. But recently we've become concerned about it having a negative effect of insulin function after consumption. Insulin is the hormone responsible for transporting blood sugar into muscle and tissues. When insulin doesn't work properly you are at greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). If caffeine compromises your insulin function and you load up on 50 grams of sugar, this presents you body with a double whammy challenge to deal with. Getting hooked on energy drinks is therefore not a good idea! Watch my Sunrise segment on Energy drinks (19 May 2009)
Today at the National Heart Foundation Conference in Brisbane I heard that the biggest factors related to weight gain in young women are having a partner and having a baby. These influences were stronger than physical activity and other lifestyle habits. Professor Wendy Brown presented data from a subset of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health covering the decade from 1996 to 2006. In the 5000 plus women, the average 10 year weight gain was 6kg. But this varied depending on diffeerent factors: Women with the highest physical activity levels gained less - 4.3 kg. Single women gained 5kg. Women who ate the most energy gained 7kg. Women who were not working gained 8kg. Women who had a partner and a baby gained 9kg. Professors Brown concluded with humour, "Stay single." This highlights the need for partners to look after each other and help each other stay in shape. You have got your catch and don't need to stay in shape to hunt for a partner, but it's still important to look after your health.
This blog post is not about the rate of obesity. Let me make this clear. I get a bit annoyed with repeated news stories about Australia being the 3rd fattest, 2nd fattest or the fattest this week. This week, more data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare came out to show how fat our nation is - about 62% of Australians are overweight or obese. It's a repeating story and unless we change the message people will get sick of it. We just need to look after our metabolism and then obesity will be reduced. It's Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) that I'm worried about because this occurs when your normal metabolic function fails. It fails mostly due to lack of physical activity and overeating. And you don't need to be obese to have poor metabolic function. This why I listened with great interest yesterday, to Professor Paul Zimmet's session at the National Heart Foundation Conference in Brisbane. Here's a summary of points from my quick and messy notes made in dark corner of the lecture theatre. We've engineered physical activity out of our lives. In December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly voted to make diabetes a major public health issue, second only to HIV aides. In April 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the statement that diabetes is one of the biggest diseases we will face in Australia. Worldwide, in the year 2025 there will be 409 million people with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and 380 million people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). In Mauritius (island off east coast of Africa), diabetes has increased from 14.3% in 1987 to 19.5% in 1998. This is an increase of 40% in just over a decade. In urban India, T2D increased by 40% between 2000-2006 with 40-50% of adults having T2D. Before 1980, there was virtually no T2D diagnosed. New data reveals if you have high blood pressure and T2D, you can be looking at a 3.5 time increased risk of death. Here's how T2D has increased in Australia: 1981 - 250,000 people 1983 - 320,000 1990 - 550,000 1995 - 725,000 2000 - 1,000,000 Australian Bureau of Statistics data reports that 880,000 Australians now say they have T2D. Prof Zimmet says an equal number are likely to have it but not realise it. Therefore, T2D affects 1.5 million Australians. Those with the lowest physical activity level and the highest TV viewing hours had 2.3 time increased risk of metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugars and a big waist measurement). Professor Zimmet stressed that non-diabetic glycaemia (the rise in blood sugars that occur before you actually get diagnosed with IGT or T2D) occurs early and that prevention is vital. It's too late in many cases to try to cure diabetes. All this data shows just how easy it is to get Type 2 Diabetes if you don't look after your metabolism. It's almost like if you don't exercise ot stay active, you will get T2D. This motivates me to stay in shape. I want my metabolism to work well and I don't want to get T2D. It also inspires me to help others to do the same. It's not about obesity rates. It's about being active and eating well at any shape. This is what stops T2D.
Just saw two TV ads in a row that touted there processed food products as being "free from artificial additive and preservatives". This does not make them healthy and certainly not nutrient-rich. It's unfortunate that so many foods are promoted as being better for you simply because of what the manufacturer has taken out of it. Did they forget to mention that they also took a lot of the nutrients out?!
While I'm on TV ads, the one for the new lower-GI CSR sugar 'Logicane' really ticks me off because of the "Better for you" tagline. Come on sugar guys, this is sugar and it has calories with no nutrients. By trying to make sugar look healthier, it's just the subconscious excuse marketers want to give sugar lovers to feel OK about eating it. Sure, it has a lower glycaemic index (50 versus 65 for regulat sugar) but the evidence that a lower-GI sugar will help you feel fuller for longer is not very strong. It's only 15 GI points difference. So, after watching the advertisements please don't let your brain play tricks on you and think that sugar is healthy now. It would be more suited to have a "Nutrient-Free" claim placed on the packet.
Today I had two requests for a 28-day menu plan that would lay out every meal for the week and eliminate the need to do any calculations or 'thinking' about eating. It's great to hear people are keen to eat better, but is following a 28-day menu plan the best way to achieve success? Sure, I want to add lots of food and meal ideas into Metabolic Jumpstart but I'm not keen on the idea of including a standard 28-day menu plan in the Report or Program. Here's why: > 'Not thinking' is more to do with the problem than the solution. I want to take people off autopilot for 28-days to see how a small amount of thinking, planning and effort around nutrient-rich food can work wonders for your confidence and results. In fact, the top rating reported benefit of Metabolic Jumpstart is the boost in confidence to eat well. I can't give that too you if I give you a 28-day menu plan. > My plans range from 5,000 - 25,000 kJ / 1200 - 6000 Cal and also consider other preferences, so it's just not feasible in terms of production resources to create dozens of menu plans which you will modify anyway as part of my Tune-Up process. > Who really wants to eat 7 or 28 different breakfasts or snacks and a different one each day? The habit of the same breakfast most days and a small range of nutrient-rich snacks we like is what can help build a life-long healthy eating pattern. > The sample 1-day menu plan provided and my Mix & Match Guide provide a simple way for you to be flexible and be in control of what you eat. Nutrition is complex. Metabolic Jumpstart is simple. And I know people surprise themselves with the big results they get from just a small effort to learn about and plan meals. It's the Jumpstart we all need.
Now there's more evidence to support this thinking with the recall announcement by the US FDA for Hydroxycut products. These include Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots and 21 other Hydroxycut products. According to the FDA, it has, "...received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure." "The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Linda Katz, M.D., interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. If there was an effective, natural and safe supplement that could elevate metabolic rate without side effects I would be the first to consider it. But there isn't so in the meantime try exercise. Done right, it's guaranteed to boost your metabolic rate, enhance your wellbeing and make you feel good. |
On my Sunrise TV segment today: Following my segment last week on energy drinks, news out this week is of a New Zealand woman who reportedly lost 40 kg drinking 10-14 cans of Red Bull a day.
On my Morning Show TV segment, Wednesday: Here's another good excuse to eat a nutrient-rich diet. Good food keeps you well in winter.
I often say that any dietary supplement that actually boosts metabolism will stuff up some other part of your metabolism. This includes so-called 'thermogenic' agents.