Hormone Production – Weight Loss Diet Solutions

Introducing My Antioxidant Smoothie

I have been drinking lots of liquids but tonight I made an Antioxidant smoothie for my cold. The antioxidant smoothie has frozen mixed berries, frozen cranberries, frozen mango, hemp hearts, and cranberry juice. You can see a picture of it here. It is a little sour, not too bad at all and is really hitting the spot. But why these ingredients?

Cranberries – Vitamin C and fiber play a very important role in cranberry’s health benefits, it’s the amazing array of phytonutrients in cranberries that has gotten the special attention of health researchers. There are at least 5 key categories of health-supportive phytonutrients in cranberries

Mango -Mango is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Mangos are also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain.

Blueberries -Most health research on blueberries involves their phytonutrient content. Anthocyanins – the colorful antioxidant pigments that give many foods their wonderful shades of blue, purple, and red – are usually the first phytonutrients to be mentioned in descriptions of blueberries and their amazing health-supportive properties. While it is true anthocyanins are pretty spectacular when it comes to blueberries and their support of our body systems, there are actually a wide variety of health support phytonutrients found in blueberries.

Strwawberries -Packed with vitamins, fiber, and particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols, strawberries are a sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free, low-calorie food. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving — about eight strawberries — provides more vitamin C than an orange.

Hemp Hearts – Hemp Hearts are packed full of protein with 10 grams of plant-based protein per 30 gram serving size. Hemp Hearts are a great way to get an ideal ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3‘s including the rare EFA known as Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA). Testimonials have shown that GLA alone helps with arthritis, joint mobility, eczema, hormonal balance, migraines, menopause in women, healthy cholesterol blood pressure levels and even weight management.

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Lets start this post on what is lapband surgery by just letting me say that I hate the idea of surgery to fix overweight problems unless all diet and exercise options have been exhausted.

This is my second article on Lapband surgery as I wrote another lap band surgery article last year that talked about it as well

Looking at other diet and exercise options is critical as our bodies will always seem to find a way around the invasive ways that we try to change things. People overeat after gastric bypass as we have seen lots of times on The Biggest Loser, hormone production decreases when we take steroids or HGH. But lapband surgery is becoming more popular and in a recent trip to LA I saw a lot of billboards so here is the FDA info on it.

Lapband surgery

Lapband Surgery Basics

What is it? The Lapband surgery is a surgically implanted device that helps adults, who are at least 18 years old, eat less and lose weight. The Lap Band surgery consists of a silicone band, tubing, and an access port. The inner surface of the silicone band is inflatable and is connected by the tubing to the access port.

How does it work? The band is placed around the upper part of the stomach during a surgical procedure. The band is connected to an access port that is placed close to the skin. Later, the surgeon can adjust the band (adding or removing fluid) by piercing the access port through the skin with a needle. The band creates a small stomach pouch that can hold only a small amount of food. The narrowed opening between the stomach pouch and the rest of the stomach controls how fast food passes from the pouch to the lower part of the stomach. Inflating the band (adding saline) makes the opening smaller, causing food to pass slower. Deflating the band (removing saline) makes the opening larger, permitting food to pass faster. The band limits the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and increases the time it takes for food to be digested, helping people to eat less.

When is it used? The Lapband surgery is used for weight loss in obese adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30-40, with one or more obesity-related medical conditions (such as Type II diabetes and hypertension), and when non-surgical weight loss methods (such as supervised diet, exercise, and behavior modification) have not been successful. Patients must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle.

What will it accomplish? The Lapband surgery will help patients lose weight and maintain the weight loss, and it may help improve their health. In a U.S. study of patients with a BMI between 30-40, 80% of patients lost at least 30% of their excess weight and kept it off for one year. There were some patients who lost no weight and others who lost over 80% of their excess weight. The quality of life for patients enrolled in the study improved significantly.

When should it not be used? It should not be used for someone who is a poor candidate for surgery, has certain stomach or intestinal disorders, has to take aspirin frequently, or is addicted to alcohol or drugs. It should not be used if someone is not able or willing to follow dietary and other recommendations.

Is Lapband Surgery Safe?

A 2007 study published in the American Journal of Surgery found up to 76 percent of Lap-Band patients developed complications over three years. In some cases, excessive vomiting caused stomach acid to erode the band. Last year, Allergan, the largest U.S. manufacturer of gastric bands recalled 152,000 defective bands.

Whether you are at a point where lapband is an option or not is up to you and a doctor. Let me caution you again though that it is important to look at any lapband surgery or gastric bypass as just an option after you have exhausted any diet and exercise options.