ASK Julie MED RD LD

Recent research has shown that individuals on low-carbohydrate diets lowered their blood pressure levels more so than those who ate a low-fat diet. These findings caught my eye since most people are more interested in cutting fat out of their diets than counting carbs, so I read on.

Twenty grams or less, was the first statement that truly caught my eye in regards to this study! But what really surprised me about this it was the diet that the low-carb participants were given to eat. They were allowed only 20 grams or less of carbohydrates per day–the equivalent of 1 medium apple or 1 standard slice of bread. This started me thinking about the possible dangers of a low-carb diet.

Downsides of a Low-Carb Diet

The body of an average person who is eating only 20 grams of carbs a day is going to have a lot of trouble finding enough carbs to produce the glucose that the brain absolutely must have to function properly. Since carbs are our body’s chief source of energy, if the body is not getting enough of them, it must turn to “Plan B”: breaking down its own fat stores (aka lipolysis) in order to produce  the amount of energy we need day to day.

The trouble with plan b is that you can end up in serious trouble. Although lipolysis sounds pretty attractive, when your liver starts breaking down fat for fuel, one of the byproducts of this fat metabolism are fatty acids called ketones or ketone bodies. If ketones build up in the blood, they will initiate a process called ketosis, which leads to unclear thinking, diminished energy, bone disease, and possible kidney issues. One of these ketones is acetone, an organic solvent as well as a material used in making plastics. Not surprisingly, acetone is potentially toxic to the body!

Figure out and determine a safe level of carbs to suit your daily needs. So, if you’re planning to embark on a low-carb diet, discuss with your doctor and dietitian the possible risks, including ketosis. Ask them what constitutes a realistic or “livable” carb level. This may not only help you eat more healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but may also help your body avoid breaking down fat and muscle to make essential glucose.

To put dietary carbs into perspective for you, the daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates is 130 grams per day. If that amount seems too high for your purposes, try to go no lower than 70 grams a day, to minimize your long-term risks of ketosis.

Two fruits, 2 veggies, and 2 starches, for example, contain a total of about 70 grams of carbs. Aiming for at least 100 grams of carbs a day is an even  better bet to ward off or get out of ketosis. And choosing a healthy variety of fruits and vegetables will help increase the vitamins, minerals, and fiber in your diet.

Julie MED RD LD

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Question: Can someone be in a healthy weight range and still have too much body fat?

Body Mass vs. Body Weight

Answer: Yes. Recommended weight ranges and body mass index (BMI) are based on assumptions of what proportion of your weight is made up of fat, muscle, bone and water.Select people, like athletes, may be classified as overweight, yet have so much muscle that their body fat is quite low; thus their weight does not seem to put them at health risk. Make sense?

Studies though show that far more people have the opposite problem: their weight is normal, but they’ve lost lean muscle and gained excess body fat. Classifying many as slightly obese. Emerging research shows that this “normal weight obesity” may affect at least 20 to 30 percent of U.S. adults. This is a serious problem, because this excess body fat can be causing the same health risks we see in overweight and highly obese individuals:

Julie Riggs MED RD LD

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EFA Supplements Help Promote Optimal Health

Statistics show that over 60% of Americans are not getting enough of the health promoting Omega-3 fatty acids in the everyday foods that they eat.  We all have heard that supplementing our diets with Omega 3 fatty acids has many heart health benefits but, did you know that EFA’s perform many vital functions on a cellular level?

A healthy diet with a good supply of EFA’s is essential for healthy looking skin because our skin cells are made new every day.  The two types of EFA’s that are needed for health & healthy skin can be obtained through supplementation. Both of these EFA’s are polyunsaturated fats, one is alpha linolenic acid which belongs to the Omega-3 family, and the other is linoleic acid belonging to the Omega-6 family.

Most of us obtain a good amount of Omega-6 fats in our diets, specifically the EFA linoleic acid. This is because these fats are derived from common plants such as soybean, corn & safflower, which are widely available in our daily food supply.  Most of us do not obtain sufficient Omega-3 fats in our diets specifically, the EFA alpha-linolenic acid. This is because these fats, which are found in flax seeds, walnuts and certain kinds of fish, are not as available in the everyday foods we eat.

The desired ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats in the diet should be about 2:1. Statistics show that the ratio in most diets is closer to 10:1. This overall imbalance in fatty acids means excessive Omega-6 & insufficient Omega-3 ratios.  This is maybe the cause of many diseases today, including cardiovascular disease, many cancers, most inflammatory diseases, and some psychological disturbances. Supplementing with flax seed oil can help to correct these health problems.

Julie - Everythingantiaging.com

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We know summer is over, but that doesn’t mean the damaged caused by the summer sun can be forgotten, so spice it up! There are a wide variety of spices that contain strong and powerful antioxidants that help lessen the damage caused by sun exposure to your skin. Antioxidants help prevent skin cancer by reducing inflammation and decreasing damage caused by free radicals.

Spice it Up for Antioxidant Skin Care

Spices also have many other benefits, take for instance how some of the following spices help people in other ways:
- Ginger has been shown to help suppress colon cancer.
- Curry, which contains turmeric, is a very strong antioxidant which has been shown to decrease cancer cell production.
- Basil, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oregano and thyme have also been shown to have strong antioxidant activity that is great for skin damage repair.

 Do not be afraid that after cooking with spices they lose their beneficial properties, studies have looked at the effect of heat and cooking on the antioxidant properties of these spices and found that heating them to 180°C in the cooking process for 10 minutes did not affect the effectiveness of antioxidant activity. In fact, in one study it was shown that when nutmeg was heated, it became an even stronger antioxidant!

You can find antioxidant rich foods everywhere in your kitchen. Many oils such as olive oil and safflower oil contain powerful antioxidants. Other sources include where you can find antioxidants include red wine, green tea, dark chocolate, berries, pomegranate, almonds and coffee.  Just remember, summer is coming to a close, but isn’t over yet, so take in a diet rich in spices and fruit to help combat increased sun exposure and the damage caused by those rays!

Staff – Everythingantiaging.com

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The Ultimate Horror Show

In a world where obesity reigns, there is a being with great power over us all.  It catches us as we enter those glass doors, drawing us ever closer as we approach “the gatekeeper” and then overwhelms us with it’s mouthwatering aroma and tantalizing display.  It is the popcorn soda combo deal at the concession counter of every major movie theater in America. 

New studies recently completed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest discovered that a medium popcorn and soda at the country’s largest movie theater chain contains over 1600 calories and a whopping 60 grams of saturated fat!  So you are getting the equivalent of three McDonalds Quarter Pounders and a stick of butter in a single popcorn/soda combo.  And that doesn’t even include the candy we throw down AFTER the popcorn and soda!

Do yourself a favor and smuggle in something to eat if you have to munch during your favorite flicks.  Make up a bag of homemade granola or trail mix.  You can add salty stuff like lowfat pretzels and sweet stuff like craisins if you’ve just gotta have that salty/sweet combo.  Your heart will thank you and so will your waistline!!

Julie Riggs MED RD LD

Can you see yourself looking and feeling better?  The energy and vitality you felt as a younger person is not lost.  Simply log on to www.everythingantiaging.com to see over 5000 products that will help you regain the youthful feeling and appearance you remember.

So you want to be fit and trim but you just can’t seem to find the right combination of foods to help you shed those unwanted pounds.  You know you must eat 5-6 protein rich meals per day to build lean muscle and rev up your metabolism.  But you just cannot bring yourself to eat one more chicken breast or drink one more protein shake.  Here are the Everything Anti-Aging top 8 fat burner foods to help you shake up your diet without adding badonkadonk to your backside.

1.  Cottage Cheese – Cottage Cheese is a great source of whey protein and also contains calcium.  Choosing the low fat/no fat versions of this tasty treat will reduce fat and calories but still leave you feeling full.  Try it with some fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries (which are great for an anti-oxidant boost) or if you prefer the salty side of snacking, have a serving with some hot sauce mixed in!

2.  Egg Whites – We all know this one as a fat burner staple.  Egg protein helps build muscle and keeps you feeling fuller longer.  Scramble 1 egg and three egg whites with a little salt and pepper for a quick delicious fat burning breakfast.  You can even add a slice of reduced fat swiss cheese to the scramble which not only adds calcium, but swiss is a fat burner too!

3.  Oatmeal – Besides the fact that nothing is better on a cold winter morning than a hot bowl of oatmeal, it will also help you in your strive to peel off unwanted pounds.  Oatmeal is packed with fiber and it is naturally fat and sugar free so it helps the body stabilize blood sugar levels.  This helps keep the metabolic rate running evenly and reduces ugly belly fat.   Try a bowl with a little artificial sweetener or some nutmeg and chopped almonds for a filling breakfast.  (Get in a couple of egg whites also and you have a perfect power breakfast!)

4.  Beans – Full of protein, antioxidants and fiber, beans are versatile and delicious.  You can add them to soups, salads and casseroles.  And of course there is nothing better than a bowl hot chili while you are watching the big game on Sundays.  I add black beans and kidney beans to my lowfat chili and everyone in the house loves it.  Watch out when you are buying canned beans however.  Some contain loads of added sugar, which defeats the purpose!

5.  Edamame (Soybeans) – If you are a salty snack person, try edamame instead of reaching for that bag of chips or pretzels.  This fiber filled high protein snack is a delightful transition from the normal high fat salty snack.  You can buy them in or out of the pod but if you get them with the pod, you can even burn some extra calories getting them out to eat them.  I like to rinse them, and shake them in a ziploc bag with some natural sea salt and roast them in the oven. 

6.  Shrimp – Shrimp are delicious and easy to prepare, not to mention they are loaded with protein.  You can find them already deshelled and deveined at your local grocery store.  Just saute them with a little olive oil and some veggies for a fast fat burner meal. 

7.  Sweet Potatoes – With fewer calories than their russet counterparts, sweet potatoes are a delicious alternative and more versatile than you think.  You can eat them baked with a little nutmeg, or boil and mash them with some cinnamon (also a good fat burner by the way), or slice them like steak fries, season them with some taco seasoning or hot sauce and bake them.

8.  Fat free/Sugar free pudding cups – Okay, okay I know!  These aren’t a great source of protein, but they do provide a little calcium and a little willpower when the chocolate craving bug creeps up on you.  This 1/2 cup snack helps fight off sweet cravings without all the calories or the sugar spike.

Julie Riggs, MED RD LD

Can you see yourself looking and feeling better?  The energy and vitality you felt as a younger person is not lost.  Simply log on to www.everythingantiaging.com to see over 5000 products that will help you regain the youthful feeling and appearance you remember.

The recent findings from these studies help ease longstanding fears in individuals that low blood cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Scientists noted that these results should help dispel any lingering thoughts that low cholesterol may help increase the risk and cause of cancer. Collected data from one of the studies has followed more than 30,000 Finnish men for more than 18 years which showed both the reason for fears that low cholesterol levels raised the risk of cancer and the reason why those fears were unjustified. Cholesterol levels below the generally recommended 200 mg per deciliter were associated with an 18-20% higher overall risk of cancer, but the increased risk applied only to cases diagnosed in the early years of the study. The findings supported the idea that lower cholesterol ranks are the result of undiagnosed cancers. And the higher levels of HDL cholesterol, the good kind that protects our arteries were associated with a 14-15% lower risk of all cancers over the time of the study.

In addition to that data, more collected information noted that more than 5,000 men enrolled in the clinical trials showed that with blood cholesterol levels lower than 200, 59% of those men had a lower risk of developing the most dangerous form of cancer. Cholesterol levels had no significant effect on the overall incidence of cancer over the length of the study, but the association between low cholesterol levels and a reduced incidence of the disease is a notable reduction, which is not often seen in many cancers.

Research is still being done to determine whether statins, which help prevent heart disease by lowering blood levels of bad, LDL cholesterol, can reduce the risk of cancer. Information has been collected though in detail on cholesterol lowering and cancer reducing efforts, but it is still too premature to read from the trials findings that such efforts actively lower cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of cancer. Nevertheless, further research is still needed to both prove the scientific point and identify the association.

Staff – Everythingantiaging.com

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Excess weight, fat, loose skin and aging all are factors that increase the appearance of cellulite, but the fact is for most women no matter what you do will probably develop cellulite over time.

  Do not lose hope though ladies! Dermatologists believe that there are effective treatments out there to help combat and diminish cellulite. Cellulite is delightfully categorized into four groupings including:

- Stage 0 when the skins surface is not altered.
- Stage 1 when the skin is smooth while standing or lying down, but some cellulite appears when skin is pinched.
- Stage 2 when skin appears dimpled without any pinching or manipulation
- Stage 3 when the skin appears both dimpled and raised in some areas.

For many of us women worldwide, reading information like that does not help, so we ask over and over, what can we do about it? Understand your degree of cellulite as listed above and browse treatment options. For instance at stage 1 topical creams containing caffeine or theophylline may work most effectively for your needs. During stage 2 if you are bothered by the appearance of your cellulite consider a non-invasive treatment approved by the FDA done by a professional. Some of those treatments include:

- Endermologie which uses a variation of rollers and suction to help smooth dimpled problem areas.
- VelaSmooth, which uses a combination of radio frequencies, infrared light and tissue manipulation to smooth out the skin.

Dermatologists have also investigated the effectiveness of minimally invasive dermal stimulators for treating cellulite. This treatment works by thickening the skin in dimpled areas causing cellulite to appear less noticeable. Stage 3 may take some surgical intervention if you are not comfortable with your cellulite. This option is typically only used on cellulite cases where fat cells bulge around connective tissue, the physician breaks up the connective tissue, allowing even distribution of fat.

The best option for those wishing to eliminate cellulite is through exercise! It is the most affordable, appropriate and traditional approach. Cardiovascular workouts and weight training will help smooth your skin naturally and reduce your overall body fat percentage.

Julie Riggs MED RD LD

Find great selections of skin care products at affordable prices at www.everythingantiaging.com. Here’s to great skin!

If the season of fall leaves you sneezing and wheezing, you may want to look to your diet for relief.  A new study from the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology shows that folate (a B vitamin) may keep allergic reactions in check and ease the severity of symptoms.

In both asthma and allergies, the immune system has an exaggerated response to foreign substances such as dust and pollen, which in turn triggers respiratory troubles.  But folate may help regulate that response, as well as lessen the airway inflammation at the core of these conditions.

It is recommended that you get 400 mcg of folate daily.  This is easily done by making sure your diet is full of folate-rich foods.  These could include broccoli, asparagus, oranges, kidney beans, collard greens, black-eyed peas, spinach, avocado, and lentils; as well as, fortified cereals, bread, and pasta. 

Adding omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants to your daily regime will also bring down airway inflammation and promote healthy immune function.  So make sure you also get regular servings of fish, walnuts, fruits, and vegetables.

Julie Riggs MED RD LD

Can you see yourself looking and feeling better?  The energy and vitality you felt as a younger person is not lost.  Simply log on to www.everythingantiaging.com to see over 5000 products that will help you regain the youthful feeling and appearance you remember.