Category: Weight Loss Exercise

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Weight Loss Exercise

Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber

I was looking through some cereals at the store the other day and noticed that fiber is now being broken up on food labels into the amount of soluble fiber versus insoluble fiber.

This made me a little nervous as I was not sure what I would really want in my diet. Is one better than the other? Well in a word, NO. Here is the differences:

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber is a fiber that binds with fatty acids, this helps it sit in your stomach and allows the sugars (carbohydrates) to site in your stomach longer and to be broken down. This will help to lower your cholesterol and to also regulate your blood sugar level better so it is helpful for everyone but especially those with diabetes.Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber does not bind with anything and is the most common type of fiber in any diet. The insoluble fiber in your diet is the one that people most think about with fiber, it moves the bulk through your digestive system as well as toxins out of your colon.

Also insoluble fiber is helpful for regulating the PH level in your digestive tract.

So now you know. You will more than likely, when you look, see that there is more insoluble fiber but do not go out looking for more or less of either more often just go and make sure that you are getting a lot of fiber in your diet.

Most North American diets are very low in fiber as it is a natural food and as we know most people eat a lot more very processed and refined food and are therefore missing out on the health benefits of fiber.

Increasing Fiber Intake

How can you increase your intake of fiber easily? Well there are some obvious sources like Bran cereals and bran muffins but also legumes peas, soybeans, and other beans oats, rye, chia, and barley some fruits including apples and bananas, and berries, vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, celery and tomatoes also root vegetables, such as potatoes and yams.

Is that enough sources of fiber? And can you see why most people do not get much fiber in their diet?

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Weight Loss Exercise

The case against Antioxidants?

For years we have looked at antioxidants as being one of those magic substances that will heal our bodies from the ravages of free radicals and also the natural breakdown of the body.

New Scientist has an article today that disputes the help of antioxidants on getting rid of free radicals and even mentions a couple of reports and studies that support their hypothesis.

I am not to sure how much to trust this story but it is always important to look at any studies with a critical eye and watch as more and more come out. For now I will continue taking my vitamins and working on getting as many antioxidants into my diet as possible.

Wondering about what exactly an antioxidant is? Here is some info from Wikipedia:

Since the discovery of vitamins, it has been recognized that antioxidants from the diet are essential for healthful lives in humans and many other mammals. More recently, a large body of evidence has accumulated that suggests supplementation of the diet with various kinds of antioxidants can improve health and extend life. Many nutraceutical and health food companies now sell formulations of antioxidants as dietary supplement. These supplements may include specific antioxidant chemicals, like resveratrol (from grape seeds), combinations of antioxidants, like the “ACES” products that contain beta carotene (provitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E and Selenium, or specialty herbs that are known to contain antioxidants such as green tea and jiaogulan. However, to date, the FDA finds insufficient evidence to endorse health claims that have been made regarding antioxidant supplementation (see Clinical Trials above).

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Weight Loss Exercise

Alli hits the market

Alli is now out. The news we have been looking at for months is here. Alli, which is the over the counter version of Xenical for loss is now on the market so that people can use this as a aid to their loss program. I have said for years that you can not trust any pills to have you lose and I am still a little apprehensive to recommend that people use Alli to try to lose as the most important things in your control program are proper eating and exercise. Here is the press release for the product

Before you go out and buy Alli I just wanted to let you know that in researching this product I looked for a natural alternative. I have found one product that does what Alli does but is natural, cheaper and best of all has no side effects. That product is called Avatrim. Check out Avatrim before you go out to purchase Alli.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announces today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the -loss product orlistat 60 mg capsules for over-the-counter (OTC) use in the United States. GSK Consumer Healthcare will market OTC orlistat under the brand name alli(TM) (pronounced AL-eye). Approved for use by over adults in conjunction with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, alli helps people lose 50 percent more than with diet alone. alli is the only FDA-approved -loss product available to consumers without a prescription, and it is the first clinically-proven over- the-counter product to be combined with a comprehensive support program. alli is expected to be available in stores nationwide by summer 2007. This approval marks the start of an educational program that includes a series of resources online at myalli.com.

GSK Consumer Healthcare selected alli as the brand name because it conveys the concept of partnership with consumers in their -loss efforts. Consumers spend billions of dollars each year on fad diets, unproven miracle pills, and potentially unsafe -loss supplements that may not work. alli is the clinically proven option to these hyped, quick-fix products that mislead over adults away from -loss strategies that are backed by medical science. With alli, consumers have access to an individually tailored online action plan that provides support and the necessary tools to help them lose 50 percent more than with diet alone.

Caroline Apovian, M.D., Director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center welcomed the FDA decision. “I applaud the alli program for stressing the importance of a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet in conjunction with a -loss medicine proven to be safe and effective. This lines up with research that shows even modest, gradual loss provides significant health benefits.” Apovian adds, “More and more people each year — now two-thirds of all American adults — are over or obese and still gaining weight.

Desperate to lose this excess , people resort to all types of extreme methods that promise everything and deliver no real results. Extremely restrictive diets are unrealistic to maintain, even for a couple of weeks. Dieters end up gaining more than they initially lost. It’s time consumers readjust their thinking to realize positive results.”

Why Alli is Different

Unlike other products on store shelves, alli is a proven medicine with a comprehensive support program. To help consumers get off to a successful start, the alli package will include Welcome and Companion Guides, a Guide to Healthy Eating, a Daily Journal, a Calorie and Fat Counter, Quick Fact Cards, and free access to an individualized online action plan at myalli.com.