Diet and Your Bladder: A Help or Hurt?

You know you need to eat healthy for your heart, waistline and overall health, but you may not realize how your diet also affects bladder health. Certain foods and beverages can either help or hinder bladder conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), interstitial cystitis (IC), overactive bladder and even bladder cancer. "Most of these food and beverage [recommendations] come from anecdotal experiences, meaning that what affects one person may not affect everybody," says Kelly O'Connor, R.D., L.D.N., dietitian with Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., adding that you should always check with your doctor if you're experiencing any bladder problems. Yet some food advice does have research to back it.

Acidic foods: Hurt

Some people report having an increase in bladder problems like irritation and inflammation when they eat acidic foods like tomatoes, pineapple and citrus fruits. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), people with urinary incontinence -- a bladder condition where you can't always control when you urinate, caused by weak pelvic muscles, certain medicines, build-up of stool in the bowels, and problems such as diabetes and congestive heart failure -- may want to watch their acidic food intake. According to the National Women's Health Information Center, people with IC -- a bladder problem that may make you feel like you need to urinate right away, often, or both -- have reported that high-acid foods irritate the bladder. Tomatoes and fruit may also be foods to avoid for those suffering from an overactive bladder -- a condition in which the bladder contracts while it is filling, which can lead to leakage, according to the Cystitis and Overactive Bladder Foundation (COB Foundation).

Highly spicy foods: Hurt

In some people, these foods can irritate the bladder. Again, for the millions of Americans diagnosed with urinary incontinence, hot foods may be an irritant for the condition, advises the AAFP. Same goes to those with overactive bladders. For those with IC, spicy foods can intensify pelvic pain an increase the need to urinate. If this sounds familiar, avoid spicy foods as much as possible.

Water: Helps

For good bladder health in general, everybody should consume six to eight glasses of water a day. "Water helps flush out the bad bacteria in your bladder," O'Connor says. Not drinking enough fluid may increase the risk of bladder cancer, as drinking more and emptying the bladder more frequently keeps unwanted chemicals from lingering in the body. Water can also be useful as a home treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) -- infections in the organs and tubes that process and carry urine out of the body. But for some, controlling their water intake while sticking to six to eight glasses, can help people who suffer from incontinence bring when and where they urinate back into their control.

Alkaline foods: Help

With some bladder problems such as UTIs -- the symptoms of which include, pain or burning during urination, the urge to urinate frequently, the inability to control urination, foul-smelling urine and/or cloudy, reddish or pinkish urine -- the pH of the urine becomes too acidic. To balance that, try eating foods that contain alkaline, including bananas and pears, advises O'Connor.

Broccoli: Helps

Numerous studies have found that broccoli may prevent or slow the progress of bladder cancer. In one study from the journal Cancer Research, freeze-dried broccoli sprouts cut the development of bladder tumors in rats by half. Even broccoli's cruciferous cousins -- like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale -- may have protective benefits.

Yogurt: Helps

Yogurt, specifically with live bacteria called acidophilus, may help maintain the health of the entire digestive tract, which means fewer toxins reach the bladder. Check the label to see if the yogurt contains acidophilus; you might have to veer toward an organic yogurt to find this bladder-benefiting bacteria. Also, aim to eat plain yogurt versus flavored versions, as the sugar in the flavorings could irritate the bladder. Plus, plain yogurts are more likely to contain acidophilus.

Sugar and sugary foods: Hurt

Sugar creates an environment that promotes the growth of bacteria, which is the wrong thing to eat if you're prone to things like UTIs. Very sugary foods are no different. Just don't replace regular sugar with artificial sweeteners, as they may also aggravate your bladder and worsen your symptoms.

Artificial Sweeteners: Hurt

Artificial sweeteners may not be safe for your bladder either. The National Women's Health Information Center reports that IC sufferers noticed that their symptoms worsened after eating or drinking products made with sugar substitutes. If you've got an overactive bladder, the COB Foundation says consuming artificial sweeteners may lead to urgency -- or feeling like you've just got to go!

Cranberry juice: Helps

Women who are prone to UTIs are no doubt familiar with the health-promoting properties of cranberry juice. The juice produces hippuric acid, which makes urine more acidic, preventing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urethra.

Caffeinated beverages: Hurt

Although bladder health does rely on having fluid circulating through your body, not every fluid is equal. In this case, caffeinated beverages are not only the wrong type of fluid for your body, they also act as a diuretic, taking valuable fluid away by increasing your need to urinate.

Alcohol: Hurts

Like caffeinated beverages, alcohol isn't the right fluid to help flush out your bladder. Plus, a natural chemical in beer and wine called tyramine has been known to bother people with IC, a condition that causes recurring pain in the bladder and pelvic area.

Cigarettes: Hurt

While they are neither food nor drink, many cigarettes are consumed just as regularly as the solid and liquid portions of people's diets, so we'd be remiss for not pointing out that smoking has been linked to bladder cancer. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer, as smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to get bladder cancer. Cutting out tobacco may also be recommended by your doctor if you're suffering from IC.

6 Ways to Boost Your Antioxidant Levels

Antioxidants are everywhere these days. Actually, they've always been everywhere, but now every health food drink and supplement purport that they have the most. What are they anyway and how can we make sure we're getting the right ones?

When our bodies metabolize oxygen, free radicals are created which, left unchecked, can cause damage to our cells. Certain nutrients, called antioxidants, have been shown to help protect our cells from free radical damage. These antioxidants include catechins, flavonoids, lignans, lycopene, Vitamins A, C, and E, and zinc. Studies have shown that antioxidants may help prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, and many degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's and macular degeneration.

However, none of these antioxidants has been shown to be a magic bullet on its own. Therefore, it's best to take a belt-and-suspenders approach to make sure you're eating a wide variety of antioxidants in your diet to get the maximum health benefits. While there are a number of excellent supplements and shakes that can help you get your daily dose of antioxidants, you can get a lot of the best ones from eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend using a color system to get the best results. Remember when your mom told you to eat a green thing every day? She was on the right track, but you should also eat something red, orange, yellow, blue, and white as well. Try and eat something from each color group every day, and you should be covering your antioxidant bases.

1. The Red Group: Tomatoes, watermelon, guava, papaya, and pink and red grapefruit
   


2. The Green Group: Broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts
   


3. The Orange Group: Carrots, mangoes, apricots, and sweet potatoes
   


4. The Yellow Group: Pineapple, corn, and pears
   


5. The Blue Group: Blueberries, blackberries, and plums
   


6. The White Group: Onions, garlic, and leeks
   

7 Foods with Healing Power

Spending time on my grandparents' farm taught me the connection between fresh food and good health at an early age. In addition, my grandmother's pantry was our pharmacy and, over the years, many of the things I was taught by Grandma have been backed by "science." Here are seven fresh and natural foods with the potential power to heal you physically and mentally.

The Magnificent 7

1. Blueberries. These nutrient-packed berries can help bruises disappear. They are a rich source of flavonoids and a good source of vitamin C, which together improve blood circulation (thus reducing swelling) and help form collagen, the tissue that holds skin together.
   


2. Lemons. Squeeze two whole lemons into your tea, seltzer, and other beverages or on salads and other food to get your daily requirement of vitamin C. This major antioxidant not only fights heart disease and boosts immunity but it also helps form the collagen we need to heal tendons, ligaments, bones, and blood vessels.
   


3. Garlic. Two garlic cloves a day may keep what Grandpa called "hardening of the arteries" away. We now call it arteriosclerosis, but the garlic works just the same. In a German study recently presented at an American Heart Association conference in Washington, D.C., it was stated that taking two cloves of garlic a day reduces the formation of arterial plaque by up to 40 percent. And 42 other clinical trials have shown that garlic can improve cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure.
   


4. Lettuce. If getting to sleep is a problem, a sedative you may not have known about is lettuce, which contains a sleep-inducing substance called lectucarium. Its effects have been compared to the sedative effects of opium, but without the accompanying excitement.
   


5. Chocolate. Dark chocolate is packed with healthy nutrients, including flavonoids, that are part of a group of antioxidants known as polyphenols that decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation, reduces the risk of blood clots, increases blood flow in arteries, and may lower high blood pressure. In addition, most of us can agree that chocolate improves mood and pleasure. It does that by boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain. Plus, chocolate contains a number of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
   


6. Apples. Give in to temptation when it comes to one of the earth's healthiest foods. They are a great source of fiber. They're also a source of the phytochemical quercetin—a compound widely recognized for its ability to fight heart disease and cancer. "Apples are one of the best sources of flavonoids—as long as you leave on the peel," Kristine Napier, RD, writes in Eat to Heal. "Their complement of phytochemicals helps them fight heart disease, stroke, cancer, infections, inflammation and colitis." Because of the combination of fiber and fructose, apples help maintain blood sugar levels, which is key in fighting that afternoon blood sugar low. In fact, a successful dieting tip is to crunch into an apple for your afternoon snack—you'll end up eating a lot less during dinner.
   


7. Avocados. This tropical fruit wasn't grown in the United States until the 1830s. It is rich in potassium, beta-carotene, and "good" fat—the same monounsaturated fat that's found in olive oil and has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Avocados are also a rich source of the essential fatty acid (EFA) omega-9 that helps promote hormone regulation, the transportation of fat through the body, and the breakup of cholesterol. Because avocados are higher in calories than other fruits—two-thirds of an avocado has about 150 calories—you might not want to eat the "alligator pear" at every meal, but you can increase the delicious quotient of your favorite sandwich by adding some slices or making it a fiesta by digging into some guacamole.

Nutrition 911: What "Fat Free" and "Low Carb" Really Mean

Welcome to Part IV of our oh-so-basic nutrition class designed to give you an overview of basic nutrition and make healthy eating much simpler. First, we had an introduction, which was followed by a very simple analysis of what you should eat. Today, we finish our discussion about marketing jargon, with a look at the two of the most successful slogans of all time: fat free and low carb.

Fat Free. We'll start with fat free because it was popular first. The dreaded "f" word is sorely misused out there in foodopia. About the only thing most of us really know about it is that we might have too much of it on our bodies. Fat is a colloquial term for looking more like Kirstie Alley of the TV show Fat Actress than Kirstie Alley of the '80s slacker comedy Summer School. Fat is also one of the key nutrients that we must eat for our bodies to keep functioning. And this is where the association problem begins.

Assuming we're fat because we eat too much fat, marketers decided that by making foods without fat we'd be less fat. This might work if, oh, nutrition was as simple as 1+1=2. Unfortunately, it's not. It's a science, requiring things like math 'n' stuff that we don't have time for here. All we have time for here is to say this is wrong. If you don't eat fat, you will die a miserable death. Fat, among other things, is vital for our endocrine systems to function properly. You might not know what this is, but it basically regulates our bodies' day-to-day functions.

But this marketing "theory" does have some bearing on real life. Fat is nutrient dense. This means that by volume, it has more calories than other nutrients. In fact, it's about twice as dense as other foods. So you should eat a lot less fat than other things or you might get twice as large. Fat also tends to taste good, so it's easy to crave. We don't need much of it, but we like to eat a lot of it. Are you starting to see the issue? There is not just a marketing idea but also a market for low-fat products.

Essentially there are two types of "fat free" or "low fat" labels: those on animal products and those on packaged products. Let's start with the animals, because it's simpler.

Fat-free dairy products and low-fat meats simply have their fat removed. There are different types of fat, which we'll get to later. Animal products tend to have what's called saturated fat. We need only a very small amount of this to survive. If we eat a lot of animal products, we can easily get too much, leading to high cholesterol levels and other assorted problems. The relatively simple step of removing fat does not take away from these foods' nutrient values. It just gives you less fat.

Fat-free packaged foods are a whole other matter. Things like cookies, candy, chips, peanut butter, etc., must be scrutinized because the fat is usually just replaced by another ingredient. It's often sugar, which is usually as bad—if not worse—for you. In some cases, it's extreme. Peanut butter, for example, is loaded with fat, but most of it is unsaturated fats your body can use. "Low-fat" versions usually include a lot of sugar, and sometimes trans fats, which are man-made fats that have no place in your diet. So by eating the low-fat trade-off, you're actually eating worse! Then there's candy, which sometimes sports a "fat free" label, as if not having fat is a perfectly good excuse to stuff yourself with gummy bears. Using this type of logic, why not consider crack? It gives you a lot of energy and, after all, it's fat free!

Bottom line: Fat free and low fat can be okay, especially in animal products. "Fat free" doesn't mean "sugar free," though. Learn to read labels. There's often more to the story. Some fat is a necessary and healthy part of your diet.

Low Carb. Following the astonishing success of "fat free," the "low carb" label hit our shelves a few years back with all guns blazing. Virtually no labels were left unturned. Even when low-carb diets were somewhat debunked, the "low carb" labels remained. Now you might see a "low carb" moniker on just about anything, from meat to rice to beer. Some foods warrant this, but, in most cases, it's absurd marketing jargon—it makes the aforementioned "fat free" slogan look like a paragon of advertising honesty. We're talking "swamp land in Florida for sale" territory here. Let's look at the worst offenders.

• Meats and veggies. Meats don't have any carbs, so when a meat product is advertised as "low carb," it's like boasting that your cat doesn't bark. Veggies, though, are mainly carbs. However, they have very few calories—so few that low cal should be their trademark, but, instead, advertisers promote them as low carb. Water, with no calories, would also fit this bill, but I haven't seen low-carb water yet, or have I?
  
  
• Alcohol. Low-carb alcohol is probably the most misleading label claim running today. A regular beer, for example, has around 12 grams of carbs. A low-carb beer may have 5 grams of carbs, so you're getting about 25 to 30 fewer calories, hence those commercials with the finger treadmills to burn off all the extra carbs in regular beer. But both have alcohol, which makes up most of the calories in beer. While technically not a carb, alcohol has a similar impact on your metabolism regardless of whether it's regular or low carb, almost twice the calories if you opt for the regular type, and few nutrients. So low-carb alcohols are a misnomer. Sure, they're all technically low carb, but they do the same thing to your system that you are avoiding carbs for in the first place. It's 100 percent gimmick.
  
  
• Chocolate and other sweets. We've now come up with all sorts of concoctions to avoid dreaded carbs. Two popular additions are artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. Basically, these are substances that aren't really food, have had no long-term testing performed on them, and should not be a major part of your diet unless you like living dangerously for something with very little upside.
  
  
• Starches. You can now find low-carb versions of all of the carb-laden foods from the past. Some companies sell low-carb bread and pasta, and are probably well on their way to harvesting a low-carb potato. Some of these changes are positive. Chips, for example, are junk in the first place, and most of the low-carb options are healthier. However, changing breads and pastas alters ingredients in a way that may or may not benefit you. You see, you need carbs for your body to function properly, especially your muscles and your brain. So if you are active, and like to think, you don't want to cut carbs completely out of your diet. The trick with carbs is to eat only as many as you can burn off because your body can't store them. It's only excessive carb consumption that will make you fat. With that in mind, we don't need a genetically altered potato. What we need is to make better choices in the first place.
  
  

Bottom line: "Low carb" labels are completely unnecessary. It's either spin doctoring or altering a food that you shouldn't be consuming in the first place. With minimal knowledge of how to eat, you can strike the words "low carb" from your vocabulary.

Other odd label claims. Right on the bandwagon we find "antioxidant" teas, cancer-fighting calcium, immune-boosting juices, and so on and so forth. It's nearly endless. Practically every health claim that you see on a label should be ignored, unless you're in the drug store. What's happening is that manufacturers' marketing departments are latching on to any bit of research that shows something positive and spinning it right off the ol' turntable. For example, tea contains polyphenols, an antioxidant. Always has, always will (unless we alter it), but it's not just Lipton any longer, it's "antioxidant" tea! If your diet lacks calcium, you have a higher risk of cancer, as well as an entire cornucopia of maladies; since calcium is essential for human existence, it's now "cancer fighting." It goes on and on. These claims are not always bogus, by any means. Tea and calcium are great. But it sheds some light on a potential problem if you blindly believe anything you read.

Bottom line: The best defense is a good offense. The more you understand about nutrition, the less likely you are to be duped. Learning to read a food label is a great place to start.

Nutrition 911: Sugar vs. Fat: Which Is Worse?

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we bring you The Thriller in Vanilla, the long-awaited fight to crown the World Obesity Federation's heavyweight champion. It's the battle to decide, once and for all, which contender is most responsible for making us fat. In one corner, we have our long-reigning champion, The Heartbreak Hammer, Fat! In the other corner, we have the up-and-coming challenger everyone's been talking about, The Soda Pop Kid, Sugar!

As the undisputed nutrient kings of our fast food world, this is the bout that everyone's been waiting for. Fat has been the people's champion for a long time. Sugar, on the other hand, has only been around as long as humans have been altering foods from natural sources. Lately, a lot of money and science have changed our challenger's traditional fighting style, leading to a string of TKOs (technical knockouts) en route to its shot at the title. Going into tonight's fight, however, the experts still favor The Champion by 2-to-1 odds.

The tale of the tape

Sugar—Weighing in at 4 calories per gram, the challenger is slight in stature compared to our champion and will look to speed to gain an advantage. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but the form we consume it in is much different than how we find it in nature, where's it's surrounded by a fruit, grain, or other plants. The Soda Pop Kid is synthetic crystalline sugar—the kind that goes into soda, candy, and many convenience foods. Its main weapon is the speed with which it rushes into your system.

Fat—At 9 calories per gram, Fat outweighs its challenger by more than double. Unlike Sugar, Fat is its own food group and an essential part of our diets, just like carbohydrates and protein. It's easily found in nature in many forms and doesn't need to be processed. This, of course, doesn't mean we don't process it when it's convenient or cost-effective. As opposed to Sugar, Fat moves into your system slowly. Then it remains there for as long as it can. In abundance, it clogs things up. Its main weapon being bulk, its goal is to wear you down.

As you can see, we've got a classic tortoise-vs.-hare matchup between these two heavyweights.

A brief history

Sugar—Since all carbohydrates are broken down into sugars in our blood, it's always been a part of our diets. However, when eaten as a complex carbohydrate or encased in fiber (as in fruit), it affects our bodies differently than it does as processed sugar.

Bees were the first sugar producers, and humans have been eating honey for about as long as bees have been making it. However, it didn't become a major part of our diets until thousands of years later. Westerners began the production of sugar around 1500 BC. Originally made from sugarcane and sugar beets, it's now manufactured from other crops, like corn and wheat, which makes up the bulk of the sugar consumed in the U.S.

Modern technology has enabled us to tamper further with natural sugar. Traditional sugar, like honey, had a much lower glycemic index (GI) than many modern variations. Since the higher the GI number, the quicker the sugar rushes into your system, we are now essentially able to have sugars affect the body like a drug, creating exaggerated hormonal responses, particularly the hormone insulin. You may have heard of insulin because, when we have trouble producing it, we have a disease called diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the result of eating poorly. It's also the fastest-growing disease in the world, which, in Sugar's camp, means they think it's time for a shot at the title.

Fat—Like we stated earlier, fat is dense—it has a lot of calories for its size. It's also an essential nutrient and helps us feel satiated or full. Therefore, when we're hungry, we tend to crave it. And since we don't really need much of it, it's very easy to overeat.

When we eat more food than we can put to good use, our bodies store it in adipose tissue. We call this tissue fat, or fat tissue. But it's not really fat, as in the kind we eat. It's something else. Well, it's adipose tissue, but we've always called it fat. Anyway, the point is that we call it fat whether we get it from eating too much fat, too much protein, too much sugar, or too many carbs, or by drinking too much alcohol. And because of this, Fat gets a worse rap than it deserves.

But make no mistake, fat is formidable. We like fat. We like it a lot. Many fat-laden foods are considered delicacies. And we like fat so much that we've found ways to consume just the bad parts of fat that serve little to no dietary purpose. Stuff like butter, margarine, lard, and trans fats are completely unnecessary for our survival. Yet, somehow, our culture has taught us to crave such things. And these cravings have led to heart disease becoming the planet's most popular way to kill people. Fat has been the undisputed champion of the obesity world for a long, long time. It's not going to relinquish this title easily.

So let's get ready to rumble!

Round 1

Smaller but faster, Sugar comes out in a rush and pummels Fat mercilessly. Because of The Kid's smaller stature, Sugar's punches seem to have little effect on The Champ. But Fat hardly lands a punch himself and is looking old and slow. Could The Hammer's reign be over?

Round 2

The Sugar rush comes to a quick crash. The Champ, in no rush himself, seizes control of the pace and takes the round.

Round 3

All of our sponsors are major lobbyists on the side of Sugar. The Kid replenishes with some Gatorade and responds in another flurry of activity. The Champ is back on his heels, waiting for The Kid's next inevitable crash.

Round 4

The Kid jabs, moves, and controls the pace, but The Champ seems unfazed. Fat knows that Sugar is only an effective nutrient during and immediately after activity, when blood sugar is being used up. So Sugar must keep moving, otherwise it has no nutrient value. The Hammer, being experienced, is willing to bide his time and wait for an opening.

Round 5

Sugar bobs and weaves, employing a psychological game that confounds The Champ. Complex carbohydrates and the simple carbs in fruit break down slowly and provide sustained energy during performance. This gives Sugar an advantage of public misconception because the junk food sugar can be lumped together with healthy carbohydrates. This underhanded attack is clearly something Fat hadn't counted on. It seems to anger The Hammer.

Round 6

The Champ counters, big time. Two can play the public misconception card, and Fat uses its adipose tissue to absorb all of The Kid's body blows. The statement that size matters seems to be holding true. In spite of nearly unending corporate support, Sugar seems to be tiring and its punches are growing less and less effective.

Round 7

Fat is now clearly in control of the bout and uses a cholesterol combo to further weaken The Kid. The Hammer's corner men, Meat and Dairy, are loaded with it, and too much cholesterol is a major cause of heart disease. Could this spell the end for the gallant challenger?

Round 8

A savvy move saves The Kid, who notes that cholesterol is a necessary part of a healthy diet, and that with a proper ratio of fiber and complex carbs, it will have little negative effect. It's a beautiful defensive move, but how long can it work? The Hammer just seems to be warming up his arsenal.

Round 9

Offended by The Kid's trickery, Fat comes out smokin' and unloads an entire 7-Eleven of chips, whipped cream, hot dogs, margarine, and even "vegetable" oils at The Kid. Since they all lead to heart disease, now the leading cause of death in the world, Sugar's only defense is the rope-a-dope. He's clearly in serious trouble.

Round 10

Down goes Sugar! The Champ plants a trans fat to the head and levels the challenger. This could be it, folks. The Kid staggers to his feet, but the referee has stepped in. He seems to be holding up a can of Crisco to see if Sugar can identify what hit him. If not, he's going to stop it.

Oh, but wait a minute! The Kid seems to be okay, and even looks to be smiling. The ref flashes a thumbs-up and the fight continues. Sugar dances away from a series of haymakers. The Hammer obviously wants to end the contest right now. But he can't connect. The Kid survives! In his corner, he's given a Coke.

Round 11

His face is bloodied, but The Kid is back at work. The Champ's attack has been slowed with the news that the Food and Drug Administration has required that trans fat be listed on the side of every food label, while sugar, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, and glucose syrups can be used with virtually no regulation. This tactic has clearly befuddled The Hammer, whose punches are beginning to miss more often than they connect.

Round 12

Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a new fight! Left for dead just a few rounds ago, Sugar is now controlling the pace. Still a long way behind on points, the challenger is using an intriguing combination that's hurting The Champion. But The Champ fights back. The Champ first points out that many fats—the type in nuts, olives, seeds, avocados, fish, and many other foods—are essential for optimal health and then notes that nothing in sugar is needed for human survival; he then combines that with the fact that a "no fat" label can be on a food containing 100 percent sugar. Then he uses the fact that sugar alters the body's pH levels, a clear example that an all-sugar food is far worse than a no-fat food. That's gotta hurt.

Round 13

The credit probably goes to The Hammer's corner men, all major corporate CEOs, but Sugar has got to be one of the craftiest fighters in history. He comes after Fat with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and fibromyalgia, an offensive that clearly caught The Champ off guard. Apparently, they're illnesses attributed in part to excessive sugar in one's diet leading to insulin-resistance problems. The Hammer may have amassed enough points to win a decision but is now clearly on the defensive and reeling. Who knows what The Kid's got up his sleeve at this point?

Round 14

With only one round to go, Sugar swings wildly with a combination of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and soda pop. This is one of the most lethal offensive combinations in the history of obesity! HFCS is the cheapest and lowest-quality sugar produced, and is now added to many items that aren't even sweet—things like salad dressings and peanut butters, items once clearly in Fat's corner. And soda, a substance with no nutritional value whatsoever, has become the singularly most consumed item on the planet. I don't see how The Champ can survive this. He's staggering around the ring, basically out on his feet! Somehow, and it must be experience, The Hammer avoids going down.

Round 15

It all comes down to this: one round to crown the World Champion of Obesity. Fat, the longtime champ, is clearly in trouble but still has enough points to win thanks to his mid-fight dominance. But Sugar has owned the latter rounds thanks to heavy lobbying, effective marketing, deregulation, and public misconception. The Champ was barely on his feet at the end of round 14, and his corner is working furiously to limit the damage. The question is, does Sugar's corner have one last trick up its sleeve?

And here we go . . .

The Champ still manages to show some swagger, and comes out flashing heart disease as the number one killer, recently eclipsing lung disease and cigarettes—no slouch in the death department.

But Sugar barely flinches and counters with type 2 diabetes, the fastes-growing illness in the world, that's almost single-handedly controlled by Sugar. It's like Ali's "anchor punch" against Liston. And it sends The Champ sprawling.

Down goes Fat! Down goes Fat!

And I don't think the Champ will be rising from this one. Nope. Fat is out cold. The Hammer's reign is over. There's a new kid in town. Sugar is elated, dancing around the ring and pointing at the crowd, screaming, "I want YOU! I want YOU!"

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the NEW heavyweight champion of the obesity world: SUGAR!

10 Healthy Foods That WILL Make You Fat

Most dieters mistake the following food choices as great to eat while dieting. Unfortunately, they are loaded with fats, preservatives and hidden calories... all big saboteurs of a slimmer belly, thighs or rear.

1. Diet soda
Soda is never good for you, but diet sodas create more insulin in your body, which means more sugar. Diet soda also inhibits the hormone leptin, which regulates your metabolism and appetite. Try a glass of water with your meal instead.

2. Pretzels
You may think they're better than potato chips, but they're made with enriched white flour and loaded with carbohydrates, a big diet no-no.

3. Fruit juices

These can contain high amounts of sugar. And depending on the brand, some may only have 5 percent natural fruit juice. Eat your fruits rather than drink them. Two servings of citrus a day provides your body with D-Limonene, which has been shown to promote the detoxification of estrogen.

4. Salad kits
Salad dressings can add hundreds of calories and more fat than you need to consume in one day. Lighter varieties are better.

5. Reduced-fat peanut butter
A reduced-fat version seems like a great idea, but the fat that is removed is replaced with fillers, with no reduction in calories. Using a bit less of the full-fat version is the healthiest choice.

6. Poultry hot dogs
All hot dogs include skin and fat, even those made from poultry. Try a low-fat or fat-free dog as a lower-calorie alternative for your cookouts.

7. Cereal bars
You can find plenty of cereal bars that are low in fat and calories, but you have to look. Many are high in sugar and saturated fat. Make sure to read the labels to avoid starting your morning with an addition to your belly!

8. Frozen yogurt
Frozen yogurt contains added sugar, which translates to extra calories. Look for the low-fat labels and indulge sparingly.

9. Rice cakes
These crispy treats can cause your blood sugar to spike, which in turn causes your body to store unwanted fat by slowing down its ability to burn it off. And beware of flavored rice cakes: They're loaded with sodium.

10. Granola
All those wonderful healthy things added together must be good for you, right? Wrong. Granola contains about 350 calories and 12 grams of fat per 3/4 cup — plus a ton of sugar. Low-fat or low-sugar granolas make for a better snack.

Nutritional Cleansing

Not a weight loss product; it’s a technology that will improve your health with a side effect of losing weight. Loose inches & pounds in days, improve health, gain confidence and live energetically. Enhanced sense of energy and vitality, improved sleep patterns, clarity of thought, eliminate impurities from the body and hit those trouble spots. Gain good energy while remaining in a healthy state of mind and body.

Cleanse, Replenish, Revitalize -- Gain energy and lose weight the healthy way.

Nutritional Cleansing unlocks the miracle of the human body

Nutritional Cleansing increases the health benefits you’ll receive from the ancient health practice of cleansing. The herbs, vitamins and minerals that aid cleansing do two things:

• Accelerate the removal of impurities from the body.


• Nourish the body with vital nutrients to rapidly revive health.

A cleansed and revitalized body is stronger, resists illness better, is more efficient and performs at a higher level than one that is filled with impurities. Many people notice an ability to reach and maintain their ideal weight.

PROGRAM BENEFITS:

- Cleanses your body of impurities . . . releases stubborn fat

- Helps build lean muscle and burn fat

- Replenishes the body with high quality nutrients

- Creates an environment for wellness

- FAST, safe, weight loss

- Increases energy and vitality

- Promotes beautiful skin, hair, and nails

- Endorsed by Medical Doctors

- Easy to follow program

- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee on all Isagenix Products!

ISAGENIX HAS BEEN FEATURED ON:

- ABC News – Salt Lake City, UT

- Fox News – Denver, CO

FACTS ABOUT ISAGENIX:

- John Gray, author of the Venus and Mars books, lost over 20 pounds on Isagenix

- Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup series of books, was so impressed that he wrote a book about Isagenix, Chicken Soup for the Healthy Soul.

Remember you were given ONE BODY so treat it right and give it the nutrients it needs to take you from A to B just like you would do the same for your car.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

Website: www. cwfitness. isagenix. com
Phone: 757.277.4559
E-mail: CWFitness06@gmail.com

A LITTLE FAT GOES A LONG WAY

The word fat has been banned from some people's vocabulary, since extensive research supports the idea that diets high in total fat have been linked to obesity, heart disease, high blood cholesterol and some types of cancer.

But fat also performs many important functions in the body, and many people completely ignore their body's requirement for healthy fats as they strive to eat a "fat-free" diet. You're wise to aim for 20%-25% of total calories from fat; you don't need to cut your fat intake any lower than that.

Carbohydrates and proteins contain approximately 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9. Therefore, cutting down on fat may help lower total calorie consumption, which can result in weight loss, but only if you don't increase portion sizes and number of servings. Be aware, however, that some reduced-fat or fat-free foods contain as many calories per serving as the higher-fat versions, so be sure to read labels.

Why eat fat?

Our bodies manufacture some fats and we also take in fats from the foods we eat. Fat enhances the flavor and texture of food, so meals with little or no fat don't provide the same satiety, or feeling of fullness. As a result, many people have given up on low-fat eating habits in exchange for higher-fat foods, which taste better. Bottom line: You should eat a flavorful, low-fat diet that's beneficial to your health.

What are the different types of fats?

When we consume fat, our bodies break it down to its smaller components, known as fatty acids

. Depending on their chemical structure, these are called saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated.

Saturated fats, the most common types of fat consumed in a typical diet, are found in animal foods such as meat, poultry and eggs, full-fat dairy products and tropical oils. Saturated fat is the type of fat most likely to travel through our arteries, depositing plaque

and cholesterol, and raising low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol. High intakes of saturated fats are linked to heart disease and some cancers, so experts recommend that your daily intake be less than 10% of your total daily calories.

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are found in foods like vegetable oils (safflower, sunflower and corn) and fatty fish. Although PUFAs provide linolenic and linoleic acid, both essential fatty acids that are necessary for health and can't be made by the body, the recommended intake is less than 10% of total calories. Part of the omega-3 and omega-6 families, respectively, linolenic and linoleic acid serve as precursors to other crucial PUFAs such as arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). While the latter two are found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and herring, the body can manufacture DHA and EPA from linolenic acid, but only if linolenic acid levels aren't low. Some research suggests that omega-3 PUFAs may help prevent heart disease because they lower triglycerides and reduce blood clotting. They may also lower blood pressure and prevent irregular heartbeat.

Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), found in foods such as vegetable oils (olive, peanut and canola), are the primary oil consumed in the heart-healthy
Mediterranean diet. The recommended intake of MUFAs is 10% of total calories.

Decreasing your saturated fat intake and keeping your overall fat intake in perspective are equally important. Your diet shouldn't consist of too little or too much fat. Also keep in mind that foods lower in fat may not necessarily be lower in calories. In addition, caloric intake and physical activity have been overlooked in all the excitement regarding new fat-free and reduced-fat foods. Make a habit of reading labels to determine if a food has too much fat. Generally, a food should provide less than 3 grams of fat (27 fat calories) for every 100 calories it contains.

6 WAYS TO EAT STRONG

Looking to get stronger in the gym? These 6 nutritional principles are so essential that together they create the Muscle & Fitness Hers Nutrition Platform. Use them to build a diet that will send your strength skyrocketing

1. Protein = Power

A recent study from the University of Connecticut (Storrs) compared the standard diet of 0.4 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (what the Institute of Medicine deems an appropriate amount for the average person to eat), a strength athlete's diet of 0.8 gram per pound and a high-protein diet of 1.6 grams per pound. When subjects ate the high-protein diet, they had greater nitrogen balance, which is an indicator of how much protein is being stored in the body. And if that body belongs to someone engaged in a weight-training program, that protein gets stored as muscle.

Strong Advice: Eat a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. For a 145-pound woman, that equals at least 145 grams of protein daily.

2. Feast on Fats

Okay, so you can't feast, per se, but adding a decent amount of certain fats to your diet has numerous benefits. For one thing, mono- and polyunsaturated fats are associated with cardiovascular health, but more important, new research indicates that strength-trained women use fat differently than men. It's no secret that women store fat more readily than men do, but according to a review of related research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, women actually burn fat more readily than men as well. Whereas our brothers over at Muscle & Fitness are always having to burn through their glycogen stores (the stored form of carbohydrate your muscles use for fuel) before triggering fat-burning, female bodies, it seems, will actually burn fat first to spare glycogen. This has major implications for what you, as a woman on a strength-training program, should eat. While sports nutritionists promote a high-carb intake for athletes, that's really ideal only for endurance athletes such as marathoners. For the purposes of gaining strength, however, the opposite is true. Strength athletes should, as the review says, "put less emphasis on a very high carbohydrate intake and more emphasis on quality protein and fat consumption," with the majority of your calories coming from lean protein and healthy fat sources. Furthermore, the heavier you train, the more pressure you put on your joints, and healthy fats are critical to joint health.

Strong Advice: Aim to get 20%—30% of your daily calories from healthy fat sources such as salmon, nuts (particularly walnuts), seeds and avocados. Keep saturated fat (found in dairy and meat products) to 10% or less of your daily calorie intake.

3. Carb Load

Yes, we did just tell you to emphasize protein and fat in your diet, but that doesn't mean you should cut out all carbohydrates. Even though your body will preferentially burn fat during workouts, that doesn't mean it won't burn through some of your glycogen, and you have to eat some carbs to replace it. In fact, carbs are an important part of a strength athlet's diet. Researchers at Loughborough University (England) found that when athletes ate slow-burning carbs for breakfast and lunch and then exercised, they burned more fat both throughout the day and during exercise and maintained lower insulin levels than those who ate fast-burning carbs. There are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part the carbs you eat should be of the slow-digesting variety—whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread), legumes, sweet potatoes and fruit.

Strong Advice: Eat 1—1.5 grams of primarily slow-digesting carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight per day.

. Fuel Up

Study after study has shown that ingesting a combination of protein and carbs before (and after; see #5) a workout leads to increased muscle mass and strength. One study, conducted at Victoria University (Australia), showed that subjects who consumed a protein-carb mix immediately pre- and postworkout had greater muscle mass and strength increases and even dropped more bodyfat than subjects who took the same supplement more than five hours before and after training.

Clearly, the two important factors of preworkout nutrition are timing and, of course, the contents of your plate. Or make that, shake. Right before you train you want fast protein (to immediately provide your muscles with amino acids to work with) and slower carbs (to fuel your workout over a longer period). Whey is always a great protein choice, but as for carbs, try orange juice one day and, say, a whole-wheat English muffin the next. Just remember that if you choose whole foods, you have to get them down early enough to allow for digestion before you hit the gym.

Strong Advice: Eat 20 grams of whey protein and 20—30 grams of slow-digesting carbs within a half-hour of training.

5. Recovering Nicely

Remember those Australians who supplemented with protein and carbs both before and after workouts and experienced stellar gains in lean body mass and strength? Note the "after" in the previous sentence. Much of postworkout nutrition is just preworkout nutrition redux, with one difference: The rule of thumb here is speed of carb digestion.

Mainlining carbs after training serves to goose your levels of insulin, a hormone that has enormous effects on muscle mass because it ushers protein into muscle cells (yes, that's why you also have to consume protein at this time). Any fast carb goes, but watch the fat content. Fat slows carb digestion and absorption, so choose low-fat simple carbs like angel food cake, jelly, white bread—things mainstream nutritionists would tell you to steer well clear of.

Strong Advice: Eat 40 grams of whey protein and 30—40 grams of fast-burning carbs immediately after workouts.

6. Water Weight

Most people carry around a water bottle (or at least make frequent trips to the water fountain) while working out. But how's your fluid intake when you're not at the gym? That could be when it really counts. The body's thirst mechanism isn't particularly sensitive, which means that by the time you physically feel thirsty, you're likely already slightly dehydrated. And dehydration spells bad news for strength gains. Research involving athletes who experienced minor dehydration demonstrated significant loss of muscular strength and power. The only cure is prevention, so make sure you're sipping on something throughout the day.

Strong Advice: The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get 11 cups (not glasses) of water per day. That doesn't have to come from an Evian bottle, either. Water is in just about everything you drink (coffee, tea, sodas) and is especially high in fruits and veggies, and it all counts toward your daily total.

METABOLISM 101

Four things you probably didn't know about your metabolism -- but should, if losing fat and staying lean is your goal

My metabolism is slow.

It doesn't matter whether I'm standing in line at Starbucks, eating lunch at the mall food court or working out at the gym, I've overhead the phrase time and again. The sizes and shapes of those who utter it vary -- short, tall, large or small -- but is it just another empty excuse? Can so many of us really be suffering from a slow metabolism?

FALLACY: The amount of bodyfat you carry affects your metabolism

FACT: The amount of muscle you carry in your overall body composition determines your metabolic rate

In general, when someone refers to her metabolism, she's talking about her resting metabolic rate (RMR) -- the amount of calories needed to sustain all the body's operations (maintain temperature, transport nutrients in and out of cells, pump blood, breathe, etc.) at rest. And the strongest predictor of metabolism is your fatfree mass, says David C. Nieman, PhD, FACSM, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina). "Fat-free mass is everything but the fat tissue," he explains. "It's predominantly made up of muscle but also includes bone tissue and water contained in the body."

It's the muscle that makes all the difference. For instance, if you were to compare your metabolic rate to that of a sedentary woman weighing the same, you'll likely burn more calories at rest than she will because you have more muscle and she probably has more fat due to her inactivity. "Muscle tends to be very metabolic, in terms of burning calories, compared to fat; fat is not an inert tissue, but it doesn't expend nearly the amount of calories as muscle," says Robert Keith, PhD, RD, FACSM, professor of nutrition and food science at Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama). "When you think about fat's job, it's actually to store energy. It isn't going to be a tissue that burns a lot of calories because that would be counterproductive. So metabolism is very much tied up into body composition, and the more muscle you have, the more likely you are to have a higher resting metabolism."

FALLACY: Most people who are overweight have slow metabolisms

FACT: Overweight people actually have faster metabolisms than average

"A lot of people like to blame their metabolism for their weight gain. But it's interesting: Once you know a person's fat-free mass, there's hardly any variance from person to person," Niemen explains. "In other words, humans are very similar when it comes to the energy it takes to keep a kilo or a pound of fat-free mass alive."

The Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State has tested hundreds of people and, according to Niemen, the correlation between fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate is so high that "it is a myth that people, especially larger people, can blame their obesity on a slow metabolism." In fact, it may be just the opposite.

"As you get bigger and bigger, your metabolism increases; it actually works in favor of those people trying to lose weight. Because they're burning more calories, they keep eating and eating too much, and that's why they gain the weight. The metabolism isn't the issue, it's their eating habits," says Niemen.

When it comes to gaining weight, you actually gain some fat-free mass. For every 20 pounds that the average person gains in weight -- that's without training -- one-fourth is fat-free mass and three-fourths is fat. That one-fourth of fatfree mass is supporting tissue to help the body carry the extra weight. "People who have a lot of bodyfat and are still (mobile) have a fair amount of lean mass because they have to; it's almost like a self-imposed weightlifting regimen," Keith points out. "Because if they're up moving around, climbing stairs, they haul a lot of bodyweight around so they actually do compensate for that with some hypertrophy." Therefore, if you're overweight and active, you're getting some increases in metabolic rate -- just not as much as your less-fat counterparts.

FALLACY: Many people who struggle with their weight are likely Suffering from a thyroid disorder

FACT: Thyroid disorders are fairly rare among the general population

Just like everything else in our bodies, hormones have an impact on metabolism, too. Thyroid hormones are the principle ones when it comes to influencing your metabolic rate. "People who have high thyroid function have very high metabolic rates, and those who have hypothyroid or underfunctioning thyroids have slow metabolic rates," Keith remarks. But before you can pinpoint your weight problem on hypothyroidism, you should know that it isn't a common ailment. Only about 4% of Americans have some sort of thyroid disorder or disease. The only way to be diagnosed is by your physician, who will probably test you only if you elicit symptoms.

There are other hormones, such as adrenaline (aka epinephrine), that are involved in determin- ing your caloric expenditure. In the case of adrenaline, something as simple as drinking a cup of coffee can cause this hormone to boost your metabolism. "[Caffeine] increases your alertness by increasing adrenaline levels at least to par. It stimulates; the heart rate goes up some," says Keith. "That's the major effect of caffeine for calorie burn and metabolism -- its effect on hormones." (He also points out that caffeine can be used to burn some calories and help control weight when used wisely and in moderation.)

FALLACY: When you hit a sticking point during weight loss, it's due to a stalled metabolism

FACT: Plateaus are a sign that your metabolism is doing its job

When trying to lose weight, most of us have hit the dreaded sticking point -- when the scale won't budge, your clothes aren't getting looser and frustrations begin to rise. It's the perfect time to re-evaluate your eating and exercise plan, and consider: How much weight have you lost so far?

"As most people find out, they can lose 10% of their bodyweight before it becomes more difficult to lose another 10%," Keith says. "At about that point, the weight won't come off as fast as it once did."

There are two reasons why: First, you're smaller, so your metabolism is matching the "new" you; second, your body thinks it's starving, and as a result, thyroid hormone levels drop and your resting metabolic rate may drop 10%—25%, so you aren't burning as many calories in a day as you were. And here's what most of us forget: When we lose weight, we become lighter, meaning the amount of calories we burn in everyday activities drops as well. Eventually your metabolism adjusts to your new, smaller body.

"At some point you come back to energy balance -- where your output and input are the same -- so you stop losing weight," Keith explains. "That's the sticking point or plateau a lot of people talk about."

If losing more weight is your goal, you'll have to either exercise more or restrict your calories more, but be wary -- if you're already at a healthy weight, be honest with yourself in analyzing whether you truly need to push to lose even more. There's no viable reason to take your weight loss to the extreme.

Among all these fallacies, there is one truth we've all heard before: As we age, our metabolisms do slow down. "Typically, we use a number like 20%—25% [to describe how much your metabolism decreases] from the time you're 22 to the time you're 75 or so," Keith explains. So if you had a RMR of 1,500 calories at age 20, then at age 75 your RMR may be 1,200 calories. Part of the decline in metabolic rate is hormonal.

"Your hormones aren't as geared up as they once were when you were younger," notes Keith. But if you're able to preserve your muscle mass, that will help offset the drop somewhat. And remember, fat-free mass is the greatest predictor of metabolic rate. Since you're reading muscle & fitness hers, you probably put in some time in the weight room, and your efforts won't go metabolically unnoticed.

All in all, it can be said that metabolism is the great equalizer. The body likes to defend its weight. "If you eat too much and gain weight, your metabolism goes up trying to fight the weight gain," Niemen says. "If you eat too little, the metabolism slows down below normal to help the body conserve what it has so it doesn't lose as much as expected."

"Your body is going to make adjustments to protect itself," adds Keith. "At some point you come back to what we call energy equilibrium -- energy intake is equal to your energy output -- and you stop losing weight." Ultimately, the metabolism wants to maintain balance and, in the grand scheme of things, that's a function that actually makes a lot of sense.