Article # 557. What Are "Oils"?

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish. Oils are NOT a food group, but they provide essential nutrients.

Some commonly eaten oils include:

• canola oil
• corn oil
• cottonseed oil
• olive oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil

Some oils are used mainly as flavorings, such as walnut oil and sesame oil. A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like:

• nuts
• olives
• some fish
• avocados

Foods that are mainly oil include mayonnaise, certain salad dressings, and soft (tub or squeeze) margarine with no trans fats. Check the Nutrition Facts label to find margarines with 0 grams of trans fat. Amounts of trans fat are required to be listed on labels.

Most oils are high in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, and low in saturated fats. Oils from plant sources (vegetable and nut oils) do not contain any cholesterol. In fact, no plant foods contain cholesterol.

A few plant oils, however, including coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and for nutritional purposes should be considered to be solid fats.

Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation. Some common fats are:

• butter
• milk fat
• beef fat (tallow, suet)
• chicken fat
• pork fat (lard)
• stick margarine
• shortening
• partially hydrogenated oil

Article # 556. Foods that cause Bloating

1. Cruciferous Vegetables: These veggies, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, asparagus are harder for the body to break down. This can cause gas and bloating. These veggies are great for you but eat in moderation to avoid bloating.

2. Beans, Beans, beans, the magical fruit.. I’m sure you know the rest. Beans are very good for you but they often cause bloating. Best to eat small amounts with something that is easy to digest like quinoa or whole grains rice.

3. Salty Foods: A diet high in salt will cause you to retain water. Avoid salty foods such as chips, salty snacks, breads, (see my list of healthy carb substitutions) and ready-made meals.

4. Fatty Foods: Words such as “rich” or “fried” avoid at all cost to beat bloat.

5. Dairy: If you have trouble digesting lactose, the sugar contained in milk, make sure to avoid dairy.

6. Apples, Pears, Peaches: Both have a lot of fiber, which is why they are great fruits to eat, but too much fiber can  upset your tummy. Instead try peeling them or only eat half.

7. Gum and Hard Candy: Causes you to chew or suck, swallow extra air. Also many contain artificial sweeteners that are hard for your body to digest.

8. Carbonated Drinks: This means all bubbly drinks including soda, sparkling water, beer, and yes, champs too.

9. Alcohol: Makes you retain water and swell. Especially in your face so watch out!!

Article # 555. Gas, Bloating and Burping - Prevention

• You may be able to prevent gas, bloating, burping, and hiccups.
• Avoid foods that cause gas, such as beans, broccoli, cabbage, and bran. The amount of gas that different foods cause varies from person to person.
Take steps to avoid swallowing air:
• Eat slowly. Avoid gulping food or beverages. When you rush through meals or eat on the run, you are more likely to swallow air.
• Chew your food thoroughly before you swallow.
• Avoid talking while you chew.
• Avoid drinking through a straw.
• Avoid chewing gum or eating hard candy.
• Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Avoid sudden changes in stomach temperature, such as drinking a hot beverage and then a cold beverage.
• If you wear dentures, check with a dentist to make sure they fit properly.
• Keep calm. Tension and anxiety can cause you to swallow air.
• Keep a food diary if you suspect that gas is caused by certain foods. Write down what you eat or drink and when symptoms occur to help you identify foods or drinks that may cause gas. After these problem foods are identified, avoid or limit them to reduce or prevent symptoms.
• Talk with your doctor or a dietitian about ways to maintain a balanced diet if you want to permanently eliminate certain foods or drinks. For more information, see the topic Healthy Eating.
• If you suspect that milk or other dairy products are causing your symptoms, try limiting or eliminating these foods. For more information, see the topic Lactose Intolerance.
• If you cook with dry beans, soak them in water overnight, then pour off the water and cook the soaked beans in fresh water. This may reduce the amount of natural sugars in the beans after the cooling process and help prevent gas and bloating.
• Do not overeat. Large meals can make you feel bloated. Try eating 6 small meals a day rather than 3 large ones.
• Avoid constipation, which is a common cause of bloating. For more information, see the topic Constipation, Age 12 and Older or Constipation, Age 11 and Younger.
• Avoid laxatives.
• Use an antigas product that you can buy without a prescription.
• Food enzymes, such as Beano, which help break down the sugars found in vegetables and grains, can be added to foods that cause you to have gas.
• If you have lactose intolerance, lactase enzyme supplements, such as Dairy Ease and LactAid, can be taken with dairy products to help break down lactose in food.
• Peppermint and other herbs (carminatives) that soothe the digestive tract may permit belching and decrease bloating after large meals.
• Exercise regularly.

Article # 554. How to prevent Burping

Burping too much can be a real nuisance, and could be caused by a few different things going on in your body, including swallowing too much air and heartburn.

Swallowing too much air may be the simplest explanation for your all-too-often belching. There are a number of surprisingly easy ways a person can ingest too much air: eating quickly or gulping down food and drink, using a drinking straw, chewing gum, or swallowing a lot due to nervousness. Air in the stomach usually gets processed into gas (and comes out the other end), but excess air is released through the mouth via belching. 

Another likely culprit may be heartburn (as your doctor seems to think). Too much belching can be a symptom of heartburn, as can a burning or warm feeling in the upper abdomen that spreads upwards toward the throat. Heartburn is usually the result of certain eating habits, like eating large portions at mealtime or before bedtime, dining on acidic foods like onions, tomatoes, or spicy foods, or drinking citrus juices, alcohol, or caffeinated or carbonated drinks. Carrying a few extra pounds, smoking, wearing tight clothing, or lying down or bending over after eating are other factors that weigh in on heartburn.

Fortunately, making some adjustments to your lifestyle may improve your burping problem (especially since your heartburn medication hasn't helped you!):

• Pay attention to how much food you eat and when you eat, avoiding large meals and eating right before sleeping
• Try eating more slowly to prevent ingesting excess air
• Steer clear of foods you suspect may cause heartburn (and subsequently burping), like acidic or spicy foods and alcohol
• Consider whether shedding a few pounds, which will lessen the pressure on your stomach, could help

Burping more than normal may also be a symptom of a more serious condition. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, affects about five to seven percent of the population, and while heartburn is the main symptom of GERD, belching can be another. Sometimes burping too much is also associated with peptic ulcers (sores in the lining of the stomach or intestines); in fact, having GERD may be a cause of stomach ulcers.

It will be useful to pay attention to any ongoing symptoms you have (excessive belching or otherwise) and to continue the dialogue you've started with your health care provider. If your belching issue sticks around even after making some lifestyle changes, a follow-up appointment may be a good idea. Health care providers sometimes recommend having an endoscopy — inserting a lighted, flexible tube into the mouth to examine the esophagus and stomach — to look into the possibility of GERD. Keep in mind too that simple relaxation exercises have been shown to reduce heartburn and its accompanying ailments, including belching.

Good luck getting to the bottom of your burping blight. You are excused! 

Article # 553. How Should I Breathe When Running?

It is important that you learn how to do proper breathing while running. It is a common belief that success in running is dependent on the right movements of the legs and arms, but breathing techniques can also contribute significantly to your ability to run well. If you can inhale a lot of oxygen without compromising your running efficiency, you will have a huge advantage over runners who struggle to breathe properly.

Running Out of Breath

It is natural for you to get out of breath when you are running. Your body relies on oxygen to operate, and your muscles will need more oxygen when you are performing strenuous activities. When you are running, your body has to deliver a constant supply of oxygen to your muscles so that they can provide the strength and energy that is required to keep you running. As such, your lungs have to work extra hard to absorb more oxygen from the air, and this is the reason why you will get out of breath while you are running. If you want to test the limits of your respiratory system, you can do the “talk test”. Start by running at a pace that allows you to breathe easily. You should be able to converse comfortably with your running companions. Then, run a little faster and try to converse again. If you are unable to converse comfortably, you are probably going too fast.

Proper Breathing Techniques

If you are able to properly breathe while running, you can improve your endurance and run longer distances. The right breathing techniques will help your body deliver oxygen to your muscles more efficiently, and this will in turn make you feel more comfortable when you are running.

Breathe Through the Mouth

Under normal circumstances, it is natural for you to breathe through your nose. However, when you are running, you should use your mouth to breathe instead. If you breathe through your mouth, you can take in more oxygen as well as release more carbon dioxide. This is the best way to supply adequate amounts of oxygen to your muscles.

Breathe from the Belly

When you are running you should not be breathing from your chest. To get more oxygen into your system, 

you have to breathe from your belly. You can lie down and practice breathing from the belly when you are at home and then apply the same breathing technique when you are running.

Short and Shallow Breaths

The best way to breathe while you are running is to take short and shallow breaths. You will not be able to run far if you are constantly taking long and deep breaths. However, if you have difficulty breathing while you are running up a steep slope, a few long breaths can help you regain your breathing rhythm.

Breathe in Rhythm

It is important to breathe in rhythm while you are running. You should inhale and exhale at a consistent rate, no matter how fast or slow you are running. One way to check whether you are breathing in rhythm is to count your steps when you are running. You can inhale or exhale once every 2 steps or once every 3 steps.

Article # 552. Feeling Fit and Fat

Are you fed up with diets that don’t work? Your food choice may be to blame! Here's a list of our favourite slimming foods.

Celery – high in fibre and many minerals, this crunchy vegetable is best eaten raw, to slow the release of the nutrients from the rest of your meal. And it contains zero fat.

Quinoa – a seed rather than a grain, the combination of protein and complex carbohydrate in quinoa provides you with energy for several hours after eating.

Avocado – long considered a no-no for traditional dieters, this fruit is higher in protein than most, and supplies ample essential fats, together with a high dose of vitamin E – which is great for reducing stretch marks and wrinkles caused by rapid weight-loss.

Oats – the total superfood for energy, weight-loss and anti-ageing, oats are lower in gluten than wheat, which tends to bung up the digestive system. They provide slow-release energy, and reduce cholesterol.

Chia seeds – the newest kid on the block, nutrient-rich chia seeds add bulk, fibre, protein and essential fats to cereals, smoothies and salads. For a great energy boost and to stave off hunger for longer, soak overnight in water. A 28g serving gives you half your fibre RDA.

 FIVE DIET NO-NO’s

 - Don’t cook more than you need for each meal, unless you are planning to use a protein, such as chicken or salmon, in your salad lunch the next day.

- Don’t buy bulk packs of foods to reduce costs – you will never shrink your waistline this way!

- Don’t go back for seconds – stick to the ‘one-plate’ rule.

- Don’t drink alcohol – it’s high in calories and will sabotage your slimming programme from the start.

Avoid alcohol and smoking…

- Don’t embark on a limited food range – your body will quickly rebel, and you’ll find yourself craving inappropriate foods.

Article # 551. Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle

The art of cutting, losing body fat without losing muscle mass. Learn how you should eat and train if you want to keep your lean muscle mass and lose that excess fat!

Planning

In order to lose body fat we have to have a reason as to why we want to achieve this goal, is it (a) Make you look good (b) Health benefits (reduce heart disease, lower cholesterol etc) (c) Holiday/Vacation (c) Competition (d) or just to see if you can.

There are many reasons why people choose to get to a low body fat percentage, but to achieve your goal in a half-hearted fashion will not work. Remember that the body likes to be at a set point of body fat and will try everything it can to maintain this set point, the main way that the body achieves this is by slowing the metabolism down, or by holding body fat and using muscle tissue, the body is clever and it has evolved over thousands of years, so were not going to trick it into change over night.

You have to plan your life around wanting to change, your aim must be clear and precise as to why you want to do it, you must set a date to start, tell your friends/family that you are going to do it, and that you are going to start on a certain date, you will need the support from the other people whilst you are embarking on this new regime. It is not easy to achieve a low body fat percentage and you must be 100% committed to your aim.

Setting Goals

Write down the reasons as to why you want to achieve this aim, i.e., “I want my body fat to be ...X...” But be realistic, you wont achieve a 15% reduction in a few weeks.

By writing down your aims you have made a statement and setting yourself a goal, and get rid of any thoughts of “I wish I was…….etc. Your statement now is I will loose “X” amount of pounds in “Y” amount of time. Set goals that are ambitious yet achievable. You might not know how far you can go in losing fat, so find an example like in fitness magazines, you might of seen the before and after pictures of people who have been losing fat for a while, and pin it on your wall for inspiration.

Now you have written your goals down make copies and hang them everywhere you see them regularly, i.e. bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, inside the car, just to reinforce what you are about to achieve, Remember that there will be set backs, but you will be able to get back on track because remember “you are going to achieve this”.

Nutrition

Restricting calories does not work, your body has safety mechanisms which will work the other way and store fat, an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase is the enemy in trying to lose fat, it slows the metabolism and makes you store fat as a last resort for energy, and on top of that the body then gives up our muscle tissue for energy, you will lose weight but the wrong weight, Muscle is 70% water so on the scales you think you are doing well but it is muscle and water that has gone and considering that muscle burns calories this then further reduces your metabolism, when you come off the diet you will gain back every ounce of the fat you had and some more for “insurance” in case you do this again, so now you can eat less and still get fat.

Meal Frequency

You must eat regularly which means never go more than three hours without eating food, which means that you will be having six or seven meals a day. You won’t be eating any more calories than you need but all you have done is spread the calories evenly over the day, this in turn increases the metabolism, stops craving, and stops the highs and lows of blood sugar. You will have more energy and less hunger pangs, the food will be more easily digested and you will create a metabolic environment that supports healthy fat loss and muscle gains.

Meals

When trying to lose body fat we have to eat less then our body requires in the day to create a “negative balance”. Instead of counting every single calorie that you eat, we go about this differently we count portions, and a portion is the size of the palm of your hand, or the size of a clenched fist. This is a basic easy way to eat your food. Without the right foods you will not see results, food and training is the key.

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Article # 550. Whole Grain Anatomy

Whole Grain Anatomy in Brief:-

A whole grain kernel contains three parts: the bran, the endosperm and the germ. The bran is the outer coating that protects the kernel. It is rich in fiber and contains B vitamins and other trace minerals. The endosperm is the middle layer that contains lots of carbohydrates and some proteins. The germ is the small core of the kernel that is full of antioxidants, vitamin E, B vitamins and healthy fats. The majority of grain eaten by most of the industrialized world today is refined wheat flour that contains only the endosperm. It is stripped of its outer bran and its internal germ, leaving essentially pure carbohydrate and a nominal amount of protein with very little fiber and nutrients remaining.

“Whole grain” means that the grain is left with its endosperm, bran and germ, meaning that it retains all of its nutrients. Whole grains have a less intense effect on blood sugar levels because the fiber in the bran of the grain kernel helps the grain to digest more slowly. This also helps you to stay full and sustain energy levels for longer.

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Article # 549. How to Burn Side Stomach Fat

Excess stomach fat can be difficult to eliminate. The side stomach muscles may be especially problematic. As with any fat-loss program, burning side stomach fat is most effective with a combination of diet, aerobic exercise, and area-specific strengthening exercises. Choose exercises that focus on the obliques, which line the sides of the abdomen. Keep in mind that oblique exercises alone will not reduce side stomach fat, although they will increase muscle mass. When you perform exercises that target the obliques, always engage the entire abdominal core in order to support the side muscles and maximize your workout.

Step 1

Plan a detailed diet to aid in your weight loss. Eliminate high-calorie fatty foods from your diet and substitute fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. Military.com recommends getting rid of fried foods and fatty red meat. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and avoid diet plans that focus on a specific food group. Consider modifying your eating schedule as well. Instead of eating three large meals each day, eat small healthy meals throughout the day in order to keep the metabolism moving.

Step 2

Burn more calories than you consume with a regular aerobic workout. Begin with 20 to 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise three times a week. Gradually increase to 30 to 60 minutes four to five times a week. Examples of effective aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, running, swimming or biking. Consider joining an aerobics class or a dance class.

Step 3

Stretch the oblique muscles daily. Fitness Magazine recommends stability ball exercises for the obliques. Lie on your stability ball, with the feet placed flat on the ground. Hold a medicine ball in your hands, and gently stretch the obliques by twisting the torso from side to side, extending the medicine ball toward the wall. Do three sets of 10.

Step 4

Isolate the side stomach muscles with 15 minutes of firming and toning exercises such as crunches that target the obliques. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and arms behind your head, as if to do regular crunches. Inhale, and as you exhale, bring your left knee back toward the torso, keeping it bent. At the same time, twist the torso and bring your right elbow as close to the left knee as possible. Repeat on the opposite side. Start out with 20 reps, working up to 50.