Clicky

Category Archives: Fitness and Nutrition

April Fool’s Day Myth-Information

This month our favorite nutrition expert sounds off on pervasive nutrition myths. Hear what Brooke has to say on DrPullen.com the first day of every month.

April Fool’s Day Myth-Information  – by Brooke Douglas RD

From ‘loading up on grapefruit’ to ‘fasting in order to jump start your diet’, how do you separate fact from fiction? In the spirit of April Fool’s Day – let’s turn our focus to some of the most pervasive diet and exercise myths and put them to rest — once and for all.

Myth #1: To jump-start your diet, you should fast.
 
Fact: Not so fast! Skipping meals for extended periods of time is actually the best way to sabotage a diet! Though fasting may temporarily help you lose weight, it’s predominantly water weight.  Not eating for extended periods can cause mild to severe fatigue and dizziness.  Once you become ‘over-hungry’ all common sense is lost. This is when what I call ‘defensive’ eating sets in.  Often excessive hunger, deprivation and physical weakness makes you respond like a Hoover vacuum and you’re bound to reach for high-calorie, high-fat and nutritionally poor choices in that state of mind. So, in fact, the more you don’t eat, the more likely you are to overeat in the end.
Myth #2:  Calorie restriction is the key to weight loss.


Fact:
While nutrition is more than half the weight loss battle, drastic caloric restriction is not the way to win the war. By dropping your caloric intake below 1200, you run the risk of slowing down your metabolism. As a result, your body will use your hard earned muscle for energy instead of fat.

In addition, extremely low calorie restrictive diets are hard to stick to, leave you feeling deprived, and usually end in disappointment. If that isn’t enough, when calorie consumption is too low you lack the energy to power through your workouts.
Having said that, you would be surprised how fast the calories add up. So keep a food record and stick to your maximum calorie, fat and fiber goal numbers, as established with a Registered Dietitian or call Brooke!
Myth #3:  Low-Carb (high protein) diets are the most effective route to weight loss.


Fact:
Before you ban your bread, consider this: Research used to suggest that obese people could lose more weight on a low-carbohydrate diet than on a conventional low-fat diet.  Yet, the benefits demonstrated turned out to be small and short-lived.  Multiple long-term studies which compared low-carb dieters to low-fat dieters found that low-carb dieters began regaining the weight they lost after six months.  Worse yet, by the end of the year, they were no better off than the low-fat group. And here is my point about moderation not deprivation, because the dropout rate among all groups studied was extremely high. Proof that it really is about striking a balance between what you consume and what you burn.  To do that for the long haul, you have to choose a diet that is sustainable, hence moderation! 

Myth #4:  Eating grapefruit will help you burn fat.
 
Fact: That eating grapefruits will help you lose weight is one of the most persistent among diet myths — and just when you think it’s gone, it resurfaces and becomes all the rage again every few years. There is no food that has intrinsic “fat-burning enzymes” that magically melt fat from your body. There was one study that demonstrated the effectiveness of a grapefruit inclusive diet, however, it was small, isolated, and there is some question as to whether the citrus industry sponsored the research. If you want to eat grapefruit as part of a well-rounded diet, go for it. Ruby Red grapefruits are rich in lycopene — an antioxidant that protects against heart disease and breast cancer – incorporate it and other lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes and watermelon into your diet each day.
 
Have you met with a Registered Dietitian lately? 
www.NutritionAuthority.com

Exercise and weight loss. More tough news.

Exercise alone does not seem to be effective in preventing weight gain once a woman is already heavy.   The latest JAMA issue reports on a huge study trying to see if different levels of exercise prevent weight gain in women.  This study looks at the 34,000 women in the Women’s Health Study, a huge cohort of women which has already reported on aspirin use and other variables.  The results are not encouraging.  Regular exercise was only associated with lack of weight gain in women who were thin (BMI<25) at the start of the study.  Women who ranged from upper normal weight (BMI 25-30) to obese (BMI >30) gained weight even if they exercised regularly.  The only group of women who did not gain weight over the 13 years of follow up in the study were thin women who exercised regularly for 60 minutes daily of moderate to high intensity exercise.  This page effectively describes Aspirin side effects.  The take home messages of this study are:

  1. Starting early with prevention of obesity is key. Once overweight it is far more difficult to prevent further weight loss. Multiple prior studies have demonstrated how difficult it is to achieve sustained weight loss.
  2. Calorie restriction is needed to prevent weight gain once overweight. Exercise alone is not sufficient.

The conclusion of this study sums it up pretty well.

“In conclusion, in this large prospective study of women consuminga usual diet, sustained moderate-intensity physical activityfor approximately 60 minutes per day was needed to maintainnormal weight and prevent weight gain. These data suggest that the 2008 federal recommendation for 150 minutes per week, while clearly sufficient to lower the risks of chronic diseases, is insufficient for weight gain prevention absent caloric restriction.Physical activity was inversely related to weight gain onlyamong normal-weight women; among heavier women, there was norelation, emphasizing the importance of controlling caloricintake for weight maintenance in this group.”  JAMA. 2010;303(12):1173-1179

Obesity- Have both Doctors and Patients Just Quit Trying?

I know I’m worn down by the US obesity epidemic.  Many patients clearly overeat, others are also too sedentary, and some just seem to be obese genetically.  Regardless it seems that the only patients who really lose weight in my practice figure it out themselves.  I wish I had an answer for everyone who asks me about weight loss. Sounds like I’m not alone.  See Roni Caryn Rabin’s article in this week’s NY Times discussing the sad fact that US doctors and patients are not even talking to each other about obesity.  

 March 16  2010, 1:07 pm

Doctors and Patients, Not Talking About Weight

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Doctors recognize obesity as a health problem. So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?

A new report released on Tuesday by the STOP Obesity Alliance, a collaboration of consumer, provider, government, labor and business groups, suggests both doctors and patients are frustrated with the conversations they’re having about weight.

Good news for Coffee Drinkers

 

More good news for coffee drinkers.  I can remember spending time explaining why my patient in the hospital after a heart attack could not have their morning coffee, because it might cause a life threatening arrythmia.  It looks like I wasted my breath and deprived them needlessly.   A recent study reported on MedPage Today shows moderate coffee intake is not only not associated with more arrhythmias, but coffee drinkers may actually have less serious cardiac arrhythmias. Coffee Not Linked to Serious Arrhythmias
By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: March 02, 2010
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
 
 
SAN FRANCISCO — Contrary to conventional thinking, drinking lots of coffee appears to be associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for an arrhythmia, researchers found.
In a long-term prospective study, patients who reported drinking at least four cups of coffee a day were 18% less likely to be admitted with a heart rhythm disturbance than those who drank no coffee at all (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.90),

Brooke Douglas on Portion Control

Brooke Douglas

Portion control is one of my problems. Most foods seem like Lay’s potato chips to me, I can’t have just one. Brooke has suggestions.

PORTION CONTROL: Don’t Go Overboard!

No one wants to gain 10# at the end of one year?  But in order for the weight to ‘creep’ on, all you have to do is eat 100 extra calories per day.  If you want to lose 20# at the end of one year?  Then eat 200 less calories daily.  Healthful living involves nutrition education not just on WHAT you eat, you must also become more aware of HOW MUCH you eat!

The next time you pour yourself a bowl of cereal, STOP before you pour the milk on.  Get out a measuring cup and see how much your ‘typical pour’ is?  Is it ¾ cup or is it 2½ cups?  Most cereals call for about a cup – about the size of a tennis ball.  For meat, you want about 3 oz/meal – about the size of a deck of cards.  Portion size makes a big difference when you are adding up the calories per serving.  Especially when you discover that you are eating 4 or 5 servings … according to the label.

We all eat in food ruts. We eat the same foods every week to ten days. So take the time, (just once or twice) to check the true quantity you are eating.  Then do the math! It’s a great idea to write down what you eat in any given day in order to figure out how many calories you are eating.  Can you shave 100 calories from each meal by eating a smaller portion?  If you saved 300 calories a day you could lower your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and lose 30# in just one year without too much effort! 

 Here are some tips:

 Use smaller plates and cups

  • Read Nutrition Facts Labels
  • Order small or a la carte
  • Beware of big baked goods
  • Share large entrees
  • Don’t eat out of the bag
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV
  • Eat before you go out

 The difference between a smaller portion and a super-sized portion could be much more than you realize.  For example:

                                                             Large                                      Small

French fries                                         570                                          250

Burger                                                 730                                          260

Soda                                                    310                                          150

Cookie                                                 470                                          110

Ice cream                                             560                                          230

  Totals                                                  2,640                                       1,000

 Awareness is key!  Becoming more aware of common portion sizes is a good idea, especially if you have never paid attention in the past to how much you are really eating!

 Brooke Douglas, RD

www.nutritionauthority.com

Submit guest commentary and have your voice heard.

Valentines Chocolate – Dark is best in Benefits

Dark chocolate.  How can you not love it.  Treat your valentine with a relatively healthy treat, and feel good about it.  All things in moderation of course.  About.com has a good sumary of the research supporting the health benefits of moderate consumption of chocolate.   This post is only half “tongue-in-cheek.”

Health Benefits of Chocolate

By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com Guide

Updated April 26, 2009

Why is Dark Chocolate Healthy?:

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables.

ACL injury prevention in female athletes

Female athletes, especially basketball and soccer players have up to 6 times as many ACL tears as their male counterparts at similar competative levels.  We are way past deciding if girls/women should be involved in sports like soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and other rigorous sports.  What we need to recognize is that men’s bodies and women’s bodies are different in more ways that their reproductive organs.  When my daughter, who was 13 at the time, had an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) knee injury I was amazed to learn that this was extremely common. 

Vitamin D remains in the news

Yet one more Tara Parker-Pope NY Times article.  A good discussion of the pros and cons of Vitamin D.

 February 1, 2010, 4:42 pm

The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science, or Hype?

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Imagine a treatment that could build bones, strengthen the immune system and lower the risks of illnesses like diabetes, heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

Some research suggests that such a wonder treatment already exists. It’s vitamin D,

Drive Thru Nutrition

Brooke Douglas, an excellent nutrition expert, wrote this article from my office’s newsletter, and I think it’s worth sharing with a broader audience.  Though I’m convinced the way to eat healthy is to shop and prepare our own meals, here are some hints for when you do find yourself looking for fast food.

Drive-Thru Nutrition: Fast And Healthy!

While a super-sized value meal can give you a day’s worth of calories and fat in just one meal, you can exit the drive-thru with a healthier meal.  With fast food chains an accepted part of our busy lifestyles, it’s important to learn how to make good choices. Here are some ways to make fast food work for you and your family.

Recess before lunch?

Is nothing sacred.  Recess before lunch now?  Tara Parker-Pope again with a fascinating article in the NY Times. .   All you teachers out there, comment to let me know what you think.

January 25, 2010, 4:14 pm

Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School

By TARA PARKER-POPE

 Can something as simple as the timing of recess make a difference in a child’s health and behavior?

Some experts think it can, and now some schools are rescheduling recess — sending students out to play before they sit down for lunch.