14 Foods with Way More Sugar than You Realize

Yogurt

Eat a carton of flavored yogurt and you might as well eat a candy bar. “Despite the small carton size and association as a healthy food, a typical low-fat strawberry yogurt can contain 26 grams of sugar per serving,” says Jennifer Jackson, MD, of Ascension Via Christi Health. Opt for plain yogurt, which has zero added sugar—or Greek yogurt, with nearly twice the amount of protein—and add your own fresh fruit, plus a hanful of nuts for healthy fats and staying power. Follow these simple tips to eat less sugar (without really trying).

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11 Weight-Loss Tricks Worth Stealing from Today’s Top Fad Diets

Weight Watchers

A classic weight loss and maintenance plan, Weight Watchers includes a few excellent principles. One of the best parts of this diet plan is the unlimited fruits and vegetables—boosting your intake of nutrients and fiber. The point system gives you control over your food choices because you decide which foods you eat and how much. By learning which foods are more calorically dense (higher in WW points), you learn how quickly calories add up. Weight Watchers is one of the few diets that can successfully evolve into a long-term lifestyle—it definitely has worked for successful dieters, along with these other secrets.

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This Father of Four Just Dropped 200 Pounds in 14 Months

In the Army, the weight requirements vary depending on your age and height. For example, for a 6-foot male who is 25 years old, the minimum weight allowed is 136 pounds, and the maximum is 189 pounds.

Serving in the military puts an incredible strain on your body, but for William Guinn Jr., the greatest physical feat came before he ever put on combat fatigues.

The father of four from Abilene, Texas, had always wanted to join the army since he was a kid, but his weight stood in the way. In February of 2016, he resolved that he would drop the 200 plus pounds necessary so that he could achieve his dream. (Find out the simple changes that helped this blogger lose 45 pounds.)

It wouldn’t be easy; Guinn weighed 456 pounds and would need to entirely overhaul his lifestyle choices if he had any hope of dropping to his goal weight. He started seeing a nutritionist and going to the gym six times a week. Sure enough, he started to see the numbers on the scale start to tick down. (Don’t miss these 13 other jaw-dropping weight transformations.)

After 14 months of hard work, he had done it. In a post on Facebook, he reflected on the 211-pound transformation, thanked all those who supported him and shared a message reflective of the determination he showed in spades.

“I[‘m] now [at] 244 [pounds] and [am] feeling great….It can be done…I will graduate from basic and M.I.T and start my career. I do see a change.”’

Source: Men’s Health 

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The 4 Best Gym Machines for Weight Loss

Treadmill

A staple at most gyms, treadmills are popular for good reason: They accommodate almost any fitness level and goal. If weight loss is on your list, working out on a treadmill should be, too. “Treadmills are a great way to burn calories and help with weight loss because they simulate a real-life movement: walking or running,” says Colin Westerman, a personal trainer and owner of F.I.T. by Colin Personal Training in Vancouver, B.C.

There’s one trick, though, that boosts your ability to burn calories for weight loss on a treadmill:  “You have to bear the load of your bodyweight,” says Westerman. That means no holding onto the treadmill’s side handles as you walk or run.

The treadmill’s features also work well for weight loss. “You have to keep up to the speed of the belt on a treadmill so you cannot rest or take it easy,” says Westerman. There’s also the calorie-zapping incline feature, allowing you to kick up the intensity without having to move faster or break into a run if you prefer a joint-friendly walk. Just make sure you avoid these treadmill mistakes.

Try: Nordic Track Treadmill

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Benefits of Storing Your Baby's Cord Blood

Doctors often recommend cord blood banking to expectant parents. And they have a number of reasons for doing so.

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Five Signs It's Time to See a Physician

How can one tell what's just a cold and what needs immediate attention? If any of these five signs arise, it's time to see a physician.

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Are Cheat Meals Good or Bad for Weight Loss?

Are cheat meals good for you?

“It’s very important to cheat,” contends Ramona Josephson, a Vancouver-based registered dietitian. Though it may seem counterintuitive at first, a closer look reveals why cutting yourself some slack may actually help you shed pounds. It’s easier to stick to a healthy eating plan if you allow yourself a little flexibility, she says.

Breena Fretz, a public health dietitian at Brant County Health Unit in Brantford, Ont., agrees. “It makes it more sustainable,” she explains. “The more you take [a treat] away from yourself, the more you’re going to crave it.” Josephson recommends her clients eat three meals and two snacks a day to keep blood sugar steady.

Erratic eating can cause spikes in blood sugar, which can lead to cravings for high-sugar foods and, ultimately, to bingeing. She is also keen on a well-balanced diet: Loading up on veggies, including protein at every meal and opting for carbs at breakfast and lunch, with carbs at dinner being optional.

Not all the dietitians we interviewed for this story agree with a “cheating is OK” approach to weight loss. But all prefer their clients follow a healthy and balanced eating plan that can be maintained for a lifetime, rather than a diet that highly restricts calories or cuts out certain food groups.

For many people, though, even the best-designed diet needs a little flexibility, a small amount of indulgence.

“If you don’t allow yourself ‘cheat foods,’ when you do cheat, you’ll be filled with guilt, which may set you spiraling backwards,” Josephson says.

Don’t feel like dealing with a strict diet and exercise plan? Try this one tip to lose weight without all of that work.

Make cheat meals good for you: How to have 100 “fun” calories a day

So, how much should you cheat when you are trying to lose weight?

No one is suggesting an all-you-can-eat junk food buffet, where you get to binge on an unlimited amount of every imaginable indulgence.

Fretz suggests a small amount (100 calories) of one of your favorite treats daily. That might be a 100-calorie chocolate bar, or one-sixteenth of a pie. Josephson recommends a modest 90 calories toward what she terms “fun food” for every 1,350 calories of eating on a healthy plan. It could be 90 calories each day or 630 calories once a week.

But if you choose to save up your cheating for once a week, won’t those extra 630 calories affect your metabolism? Josephson says it won’t, for two reasons: The cheating is modest, and you’re eating well the vast majority of the time.

“Over a period of one week, there are 21 meals and 14 snacks. So one moderate indulgence isn’t going to affect your metabolism. What affects your metabolism is what you do on a daily consistent basis,” she explains.

And don’t compensate for these treats by skipping meals – that will do more harm than good, says Fretz.

If you skip meals and then binge at the end of the week, you are more likely to slow your metabolism, because your body won’t know when the next meal is coming and it will hang on to the calories when it finally gets some. A study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that skipping breakfast was associated with being overweight in second and fourth graders; in fact, the most important risk factor in becoming overweight and obese was skipping breakfast.

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We know you can’t go a morning without your coffee. But first read how many calories it actually has.

How to make cheat meals good for your metabolism

• Make the most of it: Josephson suggests selecting an indulgent treat, such as a medium-sized fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie, and breaking it up into small pieces so you can stretch out the experience over a longer period of time.
• Go for quantity: You can also try another approach, according to Josephson, by looking for foods that provide the largest volume for 90 calories. For example, four cups (1 L) of air-popped popcorn without any added fat instead of eight potato chips, or 1/2 cup (125 mL) of sorbet as opposed to 1/4 cup (50 mL) of gourmet ice cream.
• Make it an event: Don’t eat your treat mindlessly in front of the TV or computer. “Take your time, sit down and avoid all distractions. If you’re having that slice of pie, put it on a nice plate,” Fretz says.
• Use portion control: Even with a healthy eating plan, some people are more inclined than others to go overboard with their treats, says Dr. Janet Polivy, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Toronto. If you are the type of person who has trouble setting a limit, she recommends dividing the treats you choose into appropriate portions so you aren’t tempted to eat more. Wrap up the individually portioned foods and store them in a place where they are difficult to get to, then remove only one at a time.
• Avoid trigger foods: Trigger foods are the ones you just can’t stop eating. If you know that as soon as you eat one or two chips, you’re going to feel the need to finish the whole bag, then you should avoid bringing chips into the house altogether. Or retrain yourself to love a healthier and lower-calorie alternative, such as caramel-flavored rice cakes, instead.
• Get back to basics quickly: Of course, after you’ve cheated, it’s essential to get back on your healthy eating plan right away. “The more sugar and fat you have, the more you’ll want,” Josephson explains. If you do get off track – and it’s going to happen to everybody at some time or other – don’t spend time beating yourself up about it, says Fretz. Tomorrow is a brand new day; just get back on track.

Try these other fast, easy tips to lose weight.

When are cheat meals bad for you?

Not everyone is on the “cheat meals are good for you” band wagon.

Lesley Burgess, a registered dietitian in St. John’s, and Denise Hargrove, registered dietitian and health promotion director at Canadian Forces Base in Kingston, Ont., aren’t keen on this approach to weight loss because they believe it gives people permission to overindulge.

Also, Hargrove says, “the concept of cheating implies a certain rigidity to a person’s eating, one which I don’t believe is necessary or wise. All foods can fit in moderation. This ‘all or nothing’ mentality that breeds the notion of ‘cheating’ makes it much more likely that a person will overeat or binge, and go off the healthy eating plan altogether.”

However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine notes that individual preferences should be taken into account when embarking on a weight-loss program. The study, which compared low-carb, Mediterranean and low-fat diets, found that each can get results, but the key is finding a diet you can live with.

 

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4 Sweet Science-Backed Reasons That Diabetics Can Eat Fruit Worry-Free

90 Percent of Men in America Have This Dangerous Weight Condition

Avoiding obesity is one of three things that could help add an additional seven years to your life, and by-and-large, most American men avoid this body mass index categorization. The average American man has a BMI of 28.6, 1.3 points shy of obese. This number falls in the upper end of the “overweight” range and sits almost four points above the “normal” range.

The average American male isn’t exactly in the best shape according to the BMI numbers, but a new study looks beyond that standard metric and reveals some concerning numbers about men’s health. The vast majority of American men fall into a category called “overfat.”

The study, published in Frontiers of Public Health, found that 90 percent of American males were found to fall into the “overfat” category. People who fall into this category “exhibit metabolic health impairments associated with excess fat mass relative to lean body mass” according to the study’s abstract.

The study used data from the United Nations to analyze participants from 30 developed countries and compared then compared to information gathered during the 2013 Global Burden of Disease study.

The study goes on to state that people that may not technically fall into the category of “obese” or “overweight” may still be overfat because the measurement is based on fat concentration, unlike BMI.

The potential health risks associated with being “overfat” include spikes in blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, chronic inflammation, and irregular amounts of fat in the blood stream.

If you’re looking for ways to avoid this condition, look no further than the advice of these seven guys, or any of these folks who know how to lose weight and keep it off.

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This Is Why You Should Never, Ever Go on a Crash Diet

If you’ve ever gone on a crash diet to lose a few pounds before a vacation or high school reunion, you’ve probably experienced some not-so-pleasant symptoms. Crash diets are known for headaches, nausea, and ultimately throwing your immune system and metabolism out of whack. And don’t forget that you’ll be dropping most of your comfort foods—no wonder you feel so terrible. Now researchers from the University of Carolina have proved what you may’ve suspected: The results of a crash diets can leave one feeling like they’re going through a drug withdrawal.

In a medical study published by Science Daily, Steve Fordahl, PhD, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Sara Jones, PhD, at Wake Forest School of Medicine found that mice who were fed a high-fat diet and then abruptly switched to a low-fat diet experienced a reduction of dopamine, a neurotransmitter closely linked to mood. The reason dopamine plummeted seemed to be connected to stress, the researchers reported. They also discovered that when the mice returned to a high-fat diet, they binged, eating more food than they would have before following the low-fat diet. Sound familiar?

“Our findings suggest that stress caused by food restriction, commonly observed with crash dieting, can prime the dopamine system in a way that promotes over-indulgence of palatable or ‘comfort’ foods, when the opportunity arises,” explains Dr. Fordahl. This may help explain why people nearly always regain weight after a fad diet.

Losing unwanted pounds is always a challenge, but this is more evidence that a sensible, long-term approach makes the most sense. Check out these weight loss tips that actually work; and take care to avoid one food experts recommend you avoid at all costs if you do want to lose weight.

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4 Ways to Trick Your Hormones Into Helping You Lose Weight

Even to conscientious eaters, a slice of chocolate cake can be irresistible. What’s baffling is why we sometimes give in to temptation despite our better judgment.

Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNIH) have found a possible explanation: The second we see delicious-looking food, a hormone in our gut called ghrelin starts sending powerful signals to the brain telling us to eat that cake now.

This finding is one of many in an exploding field of research aimed at uncovering the causes of excess weight. “We’re closer to recognizing just how complicated obesity is,” explains Arya Sharma, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta. The good news, he adds, is that the sooner we unearth what causes us to gain weight and hold on to it, the sooner we can find a cure for obesity, or simply a solution to dropping those extra 10 pounds. (Learn the one habit that helped these six people finally kick those last 10 pounds.) 

For now, weight-loss treatments (typically calorie reduction and exercise) must be maintained for life—but here’s how to harness some surprising new discoveries:

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5 Tasty Ways to Drink Up Without Packing on the Pounds

The Sneaky Way Your Body Shape Could Be Sabotaging Your Health

A study by The Economist suggests that the way to weight loss may be clear. A couple of glasses of water before meals helped dieters lose about 5 pounds more than those who did not drink water. Here are more reasons you should be drinking lots of water. While drinking water before a meal may fill a person up more, the contents of their meal count as well. Should a person be eating a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet? Or does it matter at all?

Research suggests that one diet actually isn’t any better than the other. The Harvard Health Letter concluded that low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets tied in terms of weight loss. While the low-carbohydrate dieters did show a slight increase in good cholesterol and a reduction in blood pressure, there was no statistical difference in the dieters’ weight loss. The caveat here is that the person had to stick to the diet. What helps a person see a diet through? (The day you choose to start a diet can make a big difference—here’s why.)

It could be body type. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association really drills down into the low-fat/low-carb debate. As reported by Time magazine, researchers found that body shape is the key to which diet a person will be able to stick with. “Apples” are people who carry most of their weight above the belt, while “pears” carry their weight around their hips. Apple types were more likely to be high-insulin secretors who respond more strongly to carbohydrates or sugars in their bodies. They lost the most weight on a low-carb, Atkins-type diet. Here are our 9 tips for getting started with a low-carb diet. Unstable insulin levels can create stronger hunger sensations, causing the apple types to go off their diet plans. Pears were low-insulin secretors who lost the same amount of weight on both diets.

All of these studies come down to choosing the diet that helps you eat less. The body-type diet does make some sense, as men are more likely to be apple types, with larger bellies, and tend to do well on higher-protein diets. On the other hand, women, who tend to carry weight around their hips, find themselves drawn to the low-fat diets. Here are our tips for eating less fat without missing it. The reality is, if a diet is failing, you try another one. A plan you can’t, or won’t, stick to will never work, regardless of what the research says. Learn the one food you should definitely avoid if you’re trying to lose weight.

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The One, Single Habit That Helped These 6 People Finally Kick Those Last 10 Pounds

Stop counting calories

David Isaacsen went from 240 pounds to 185, but getting those last few pounds off meant he needed to let go of his focus on calories and shift it to the type of meals and snacks he was eating. Even though he calls himself a “good ole’ boy” who loved meat and thought vegans were “weaklings,” he gave a plant-based diet a try to see if it would help him knock off those handful of pounds. As he learned, plants can still provide healthy protein sources.

“I didn’t really exercise or count calories, carbs, or proteins. I just ate wholefood, plant-based meals: which means nothing processed, no dairy or meat. The weight melted off me, within a week I’d lost 10 pounds,” he shared. Now, he maintains the diet and is proud that he can do 100 push-ups daily, hold a plank pose—plus get great scores on his blood tests. His next challenge? Running a Tough Mudder race in August, and turning 50 in November.

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6 Spinning Mistakes: Why You Haven’t Lost Weight with Spinning

Stop spinning your wheels!

We have high expectations from our spinning classes. With promises of torching between 400 and 600 calories an hour, you’d expect to look like a leaner version of yourself after a month. And when changes don’t happen, it’s normal to wonder why. So we went straight to Cydney Lebovitz, the co-lead instructor and performance coach at Cyclebar Leaside in Toronto, to find out what gives. Why aren’t we seeing the gains (or rather, the weight loss) we should be seeing? Turns out, it’s easy to make mistakes in spin class. Read on to learn about the six most common spinning mistakes.

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This Is the Secret to Sneaking in More Exercise If You’re a New Mom

Even if you’re anxious to lose the baby weight, it’s not an easy thing to do, despite what celebrities and some Fitspo Instagram stars may claim. (Here are other new mom myths you need to stop believing stat!) It’s not just the lack of energy and time that comes with having a new baby; there’s another stumbling block that stands in the way too.

Contrary to popular belief, taking on a regimented workout routine, such as a boot camp or the like, is not the best way forward for new moms. In fact, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, if you want to see some real results, you need to be open to a level of freedom in the workout you choose.

“Specific exercise programs can seem like an insurmountable barrier to new moms,” explains Emily Mailey, researcher and assistant professor of kinesiology. “The results of this study suggest that the idea of encouraging new moms to fit in any kind of activity any way they can might be the best approach for easing back into exercise after giving birth.” (Here are some ways new moms can sneak in exercise.)

As part of the study, Mailey worked with new mothers, who’d given birth between six weeks and a year previous, and looked at ways to help them boost their exercise schedules. Half of the group was given advice but generally able to choose their exercise routine, while the rest were given a strict running course regime.

The findings showed that the regime that worked best was the more relaxed approach, i.e. the one in which people were able to choose a style of exercise that suited them. The takeaway is simple—flexibility is key when it comes to working out after you’ve had a baby. Simply having the choice of which type of exercise you do will likely encourage you to do more of it and even enjoy it too.

So, while exercising less may be a natural side effect of becoming a mother, there are ways in which you can combat it. Plus, as Mailey explained, that there are many advantages to new moms working out and generally keeping fit, including boosting their likely depleted energy levels.

“Even people who were really active before having kids tend to decrease their physical activity after having kids because they prioritize the baby’s needs first. In the workshops, we talked specifically about guilt and the idea that doing something for yourself is not selfish—it actually might help you be more patient or have more energy for your kids.”

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This Is What It’s Really Like to Have Binge Eating Disorder

Jennifer, 33, of Denver, Colorado, cannot remember a time when her body-image issues were not a part of her life. “My struggles with food and body image have always felt omnipresent, they were a part of my identity,” she says. “Ever since late elementary school, I’ve struggled with my weight.” Her first binge came when she was a Girl Scout. “I had several boxes of cookies stuffed in my desk drawers that I ate in private. I lied to my parents about where all the missing boxes went.” At an early age, food became a comfort for Jennifer, who now works in the financial services industry. “I was bigger than the other kids and felt like such an outsider, like I was loitering on the perimeter of life,” she explains. Here’s how to handle adult eating disorders.

During a time when most teenagers are focused on spending time with friends and shopping, Jennifer couldn’t help but focus on the injustice of her situation. “I always felt so much bigger than the lean teens I went to school with, and it seemed they could eat anything they wanted. It was so unfair. Why couldn’t I do that? I was told it would catch up with them, but that never felt like much consolation. That also contributed to feeling like there’s something inherently wrong with me, that I was broken,” she says. Tired of feeling like she was on the outside looking in, she decided to make a change. “The summer before high school, I shed a decent amount of weight when I picked up running, and in retrospect, I ate way too little for a developing teen. There was a rush with the weight loss—everyone commented on how great I looked and on my amazing discipline. They commented on my body, my clothes,” she says. The pride she felt from the praise of others began to fade as she started to gain back the weight she had worked hard to lose. “It was an approval high that felt great until it stopped and habits got hard to keep. I started to gain a little back and no one said anything, and sometimes it was awkward. I would berate myself for not being able to get it together. I thought I just needed to try harder,” she explains.

Jennifer’s love-hate relationship with food began to spiral out of control once she became an adult and began traveling for work. “Eating disorders across the board tend to be extremely secretive. I traveled all over the country every week for work, and so some of the more closeted habits I developed began in private. I often would be on the run all day and barely eat anything, and then would get to my hotel room and eat more than a day’s worth,” she says. When she was back at home, it became difficult to hide her eating habits from loved ones she saw often. She reflects, “My brother noticed the inconsistency of my eating when we would spend longer amounts of time together.” Here’s how to know when over-eating becomes a bigger problem.

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What exactly is binge eating disorder, and how is it different from just overeating? Psychologist and eating disorders specialist Julie Friedman, PhD, executive director of the Binge Eating Recovery (BETR) Program at the Eating Recovery Center, tells Reader’s Digest: “Binge eating is eating a large amount of food in a time period that is larger than what most would eat in the same time period. Often, those with BED feel as if they have an addiction to food and treat food as an emotional crutch. Binge eating episodes typically involve eating much more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large quantities of food when not hungry, eating alone due to embarrassment of how much one is eating, and feeling disgusted or guilty following these episodes.” Dr. Friedman says the disorder is quite common, and usually begins in the late teens to early twenties, though some children struggle with it as well. It is more prevalent in women than men, but 40 percent of those affected are male. Treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention. According to Friedman, binge eating disorder treatment ideally should have a multi-pronged approach. “Patients should seek specialized eating disorder treatment, and multidisciplinary care is best,” she says. “If you can get a multidisciplinary team that covers dietary, medical, and family issues and mental health aspects, that is best.”

Although binge eating disorder or BED may look different for everyone, a common struggle is with control. “My brother noticed similar behaviors between my mom, who also struggles with her weight, and me,” says Jennifer. “Things like blotting the grease off my pizza or dipping my fork in the salad dressing for each bite. He observed I would hyper focus on the small, insignificant things that I deemed controllable when I felt out of control. My mom said she never saw me binge eat, but could see me falling apart emotionally,” she says.

Jennifer knew she had a problem when her thoughts surrounding food became tied to her worth. “Many times it wasn’t about the quantity of food or what I ate. It was the thoughts and feelings that went with it. Food owned me. The scale determined my day. The number going down was a good day. The number going up was a bad day. Even more than that—down meant I was good, up meant I was bad. I felt helpless to change or at least maintain change over the long term.” Her breaking point was on a business trip with a friend to Hawaii. She discovered they were too heavy to take a helicopter tour in the same helicopter, a reality that fueled her decision to make a change once and for all. “They worked to find us different choppers, but every phone call included a confused representative to whom I had to re-explain the reason we couldn’t ride together. That trip was my breaking point. Upon my return, I told my therapist, I can’t do this anymore and started looking into the BETR program.” Here are 11 silent signs you could have an eating disorder.

Today, Jennifer has completed the program and has found the peace she desperately sought as a young person. “I offer myself more grace now. In the BETR program so much of the crushing shame was lifted as I learned the science behind my struggles. This life long struggle was not because I was bad or I had failed. It became easier to be able to say—I’m 5’7″, have blonde hair, green eyes, and a genetic predisposition for addiction. I understood a bit more about neural pathways and the physiology of the urges,” she says. Jennifer offers others battling food addiction the same words she uses to encourage herself: “You are not alone. You are not broken; you do not need to be fixed. You are not defined by a scale on the bathroom floor. You are so much more resilient than you think. Take life moment by moment and be present. You are human, and that’s an incredible thing.”

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Smart Tips To Help Parents Meet The Nutritional Needs For Children

For most children eating healthy food is a struggle. This may be the case for your children as well if you don't make the effort to prepare and present nutritious food for children well. Pediatricians often say that when it comes to giving food that meet the nutritional needs for children, parents need to consider that appearance and taste must always come together along with the nutritional factors of the food served.

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Yikes! Gaining Just 6 Pounds After Graduation Could Have Scary Health Consequences

If you thought the college fear of the freshman 15 was bad, a new study has even worse news. Packing on pounds might seem like a normal part of getting older (especially with these sneaky causes of weight gain), but that little pooch could have serious health consequences. Gaining just several pounds from early to mid-adulthood could up your risk of major diseases.

A study in the journal JAMA tracked health outcomes of more than 118,000 adults for at least 26 years. When participants were 30 or older, researchers asked the women and men what they’d weighed at ages 18 and 21, respectively, to figure how much they gained by 55. After their middle ages, participants kept reporting whether they had health problems like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. (Think you could be at risk? Try these effective ways to avoid cancer.)

On average, women gained 28 pounds and men gained 21 pounds between young adulthood and age 55. But the real kicker? Even gaining way less than that—as little as six pounds—was still linked with health problems later in life.

Those who’d gained a moderate amount of weight (between six and 22 pounds) were more likely to get type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and obesity-related cancer than those who’d gained less or lost weight, the study found. (Don’t miss these eating habits proven to prevent diabetes.) Plus, those who didn’t gain much weight were more likely to have “healthy aging,” as in no serious medical issues, cognitive decline, or major physical limitations.

In fact, every 11 pounds a person gained upped their risk for type 2 diabetes by 31 percent, high blood pressure by 14 percent, and cardiovascular disease by 8 percent. (Already have high blood pressure? Switching to this diet could get you off medication.) Each 11-pound gain also meant volunteers were 17 percent less likely to achieve healthy aging.

Gaining more than 44 pounds had even bigger consequences, like higher risk of death.

As you get older, it might seem natural to put on a pound or two every year. But if you’re not careful, that gradual gain can add up. “Prevention of weight gain through healthy diets and lifestyle is of paramount importance,” study co-author Yan Zheng, professor of epidemiology at Fudan University, China, says in a statement.

To get back to your high school dress size, try these effective ways to lose weight without exercise, and don’t forget about these other healthy habits your 80-year-old self will thank you for.

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Why You Must Drink Your Urine Often

To some of us, urine is a waste product that must be removed from our system as soon as possible or else, there could be danger. If you think urine is waste, then you have every right under the sun to your views and I have not right whatsoever to force or cajole you to accept any opinion to the contrary. Also, there are people out there who hold the views that urine has health benefits and cures many sicknesses and diseases.

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12 Things You Need to Know Before Starting a Grain-Free Diet

Grain-free isn’t gluten-free

Going grain-free is exactly what it sounds like: The elimination of all grains from your everyday diet. Because it’s easy to confuse this approach with going gluten-free, let’s hit the basics: Gluten is a name for the proteins in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale (a cross between rye and wheat), which are found in foods including baked goods, pastas, and cereals, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. (Here’s a list of nine surprising gluten foods.) People with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity follow a careful “gluten-free” diet that eliminates products containing these proteins. Going “grain-free,” however, means cutting out all grains, even ones like rice and corn that don’t have gluten.

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Heath and Development in Nations of the South

This paper proposes that health; like education, efficient political and cultural systems; is an essential component of a nation's social and economic development. One benefit of efficient health systems is the creation and maintenance of a productive work force. People of working age should be healthy and able to contribute to their nation's Gross Domestic Product from the time they become employed to their retirement.

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50 Things Your Doctor Wishes You Knew About Losing Weight

Even nutritious foods can make you gain weight

“Many people think if it’s healthy you can eat as much as you want, but it’s important to limit ‘recreational’ eating, no matter how healthy the snack.” (When you do snack, make sure you’re choosing the right kind; try these 30 healthy snacks.) —Fiola Sowemimo, MD, Board-Certified in Internal and Bariatric Medicine

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If You’re Trying to Lose Weight, Avoid This One Food at All Costs

Some weight loss connoisseurs might swear by artificial sweeteners from dawn till dusk. After all, they are the healthier, no-calorie equivalent to real sugar, right? Not so fast. Aside from being one of the foods nutritionists never eat, a new report suggests that sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose might have the opposite effect, making you gain weight instead of lose it. The horror! (You might want to try these healthy snacks for weight loss, instead.)

Researchers reviewed 37 studies, including both randomized (short-term) and observational (long-term) trials. While the results in the randomized trials found no significant impact of sweetener use on body mass index (BMI), the observational studies noted a small increase in BMI tied to the use of sweeteners. These studies also reported a 14 percent higher chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and a 32 percent higher chance of cardiovascular troubles for the heaviest compared to the lightest users.

“We were really interested in the everyday person who is consuming these products not to lose weight, but because they think it’s the healthier choice, for many years on end,” Meghan Azad, lead author of the review and a research scientist at the University of Manitoba, said. At the moment, “there is no clear benefit for weight loss, and there’s a potential association with increased weight gain, diabetes and other negative cardiovascular outcomes.”

Scientists still aren’t sure why artificial sweeteners have such a negative impact on our health. Some hypothesize that the sweet stuff could increase our craving for sugary foods, change the way our bodies handle real sugar, or alter our metabolism for the worse. On the other hand, if we feel proud for turning up our nose at real sugar, we may feel tempted to cheat on our diets later on. (Here’s what happens to your body if you stop eating artificial sweeteners for good.)

These results don’t indicate a direct cause and effect relationship, of course; lots of different habits and lifestyles can determine overall health. And having a diet soda every once in awhile won’t kill you, ultimately. However, it can benefit your long term health by making some simple changes to your diet. Azad recommends nixing your sweet tooth entirely and opting for more savory alternatives, such as plain or fruit-infused water, black coffee, or plain yogurt mixed with fruit. You can try these swaps for dramatic weight loss, too.

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Do You Feel Run Down?

Fatigue and tiredness are becoming a normalized in society when the fact is that feeling that way on a consistent basis is not normal. Fatigue that is not improved by bed rest has other underlying issues than just lack of sleep, though insomnia can play a part as well.

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Use This Trick to Stop Dreading Your Workouts (Yes, Really!)

Exercise has powerful benefits that go well beyond weight loss. A stronger immune system, better mood, lower blood pressure, and keeping your bones strong. Turns out that focusing on those benefits can make your workout seem easier, according to a study out of the University of Freiburg and published in the journal, PLOS ONE.

The researchers, led by psychologist Hendrik Mothes, MS, of the Department of Sport Science at the University, were inspired by the research showing that we commit to workout programs that we enjoy, and we tend to enjoy workout programs that we don’t perceive as overly strenuous. Mothes and his team wanted to explore factors that might change perceptions on the strenuousness of workouts.

Recruiting 78 volunteers, Mothes asked them to cycle for 30 minutes on an stationary bike. Prior to the workout, Mothes assigned the participants to one of four groups: Group one was told the exercise would result in health benefits. Group two was told it probably wouldn’t be all that healthy. Group three was given a compression shirt to wear that would—supposedly—enhance their health rewards. Group four was told they were only wearing the shirt for comparison purposes.

During the workout, Mothes kept track of how hard the volunteers thought they working—how strenuous the cycling felt. All of the participants were asked to rate their perceived exertion during the 30 minutes of cycling.

As the researchers expected, volunteers in the first group—the ones told that exercise would make them healthier—found the workout easier than their counterparts who expected no benefits. Similarly, the compression-shirt wearers who anticipated extra health rewards also found the exercise easier—though this was only true for volunteers who identified themselves as less athletically inclined.

Mothes and his team see the results as evidence of the placebo effect in exercise: If you focus on the benefits, you won’t mind the effort as much. But gadgets and gear seem to help only people without a strong athletic background, he says. “Whereas people who feel only little athletic can raise their perceived physical abilities by focusing their attention on the compression garment, people who already feel athletic cannot raise their perceived physical abilities much by a potentially helpful product,” Mothes says.

Mothes points out that these are only assumptions so far, and further research is needed to reveal the exact underlying mechanisms at play. He also believes that other exercise products could be used for that research, such as kinesiology tape. In the meantime, here are some awesome fitness tips to make your workout seem like less of a chore.

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This Is How Many Minutes You Need to Exercise to Burn Fat All Day Long

OK, so maybe your New Year’s resolution didn’t exactly pan out. As for your beach body diet? Well, there’s always next summer. But don’t give up on slimming down just yet! If you want to start burning fat all day long (yes, even as you sit in your cubicle), look no further than this incredible exercise routine.

Developed by Jeremy Scott, a trainer at Jeremy Scott Fitness in Arizona, this high-intensity interval workout “will send your body’s repair cycle into overdrive,” Men’s Health writes. As a result, your body will still be burning calories for up to 24 hours afterward. The short bursts of intense exercise will improve your heart’s health, too. (These fat releasing foods will also help you lose weight fast.)

To get started, memorize these four exercises in order: high-knee sprint in place, running mountain climber, skater hop, and plyo-clap pushup. You can refer to the video below for more details. After that, instructions couldn’t be simpler. Round one calls for you to do each exercise for 10 seconds, resting for 10 more seconds between each move. Repeat the exercises a second time before resting again for one minute. Then, repeat the whole thing for five more rounds.

Plus, get this: The entire routine is only 18 minutes long! Yep, you read that right. After less than 20 minutes each morning, the fat will start melting off your body. So according to us, you’ve never had a better excuse to hit the gym every day. (Get to know the secrets of women who work out every day if you need a little inspiration.)

If working out isn’t your thing, check out these amazing fat-releasing habits that don’t take a lick of exercise.

Source: Men’s Health

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Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology

Symptoms related to pelvic endometriosis and/or of urinary involvement maybe often nonspecific. The most common findings include menstrual symptoms, flank pain, gross hematuria, and pelvic mass.

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Sinusitis: What Causes Sinus? Do You Suffer From It?

When the arteries and veins of the sinuses swell and expand, there is nasal congestion and sinus which becomes worse as days pass by. A lot of unwanted material thus remains entrapped in the nasal passage resulting in blockage like mucus, air and pus. A person having this sinus problem experiences pain and extreme discomfort and the pain usually starts from under the eye region and moves towards the jaw and can also be mistaken as either a headache or toothache.

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Symptoms of Dehydration

If your body doesn't get enough fluid, you may enter a state of dehydration. It is important to recognize the symptoms of dehydration. That way you will seek the appropriate care.

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The Importance of CPR Training for Parents

Parenting is not an easy task, and you'll need to be committed all the way. Whether you have a newborn or a toddler, you need to be prepared on how to respond to an emergency situation that may arise.

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This Mom Lost Over 150 Pounds by Cutting Out 4 Foods

Say Hello to IPSCORE, New and Improved Tools for Stem Cell Research

According to a recent study, published in Stem Cell Reports on April 6, a new set of improved tools are here to advance stem cell researches. The study was led by Dr. Kelly Frazer, the professor of pediatrics and director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

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Why I Quit The Gym & You Probably Should Too

Reasons why I quit the gym and reasons why I think most people should too. I recommend some ways to stay in shape without paying any money.

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Most Effective Ways To Get Rid Of A Hickey

Hickeys Knows As Love Bites, mostly given on necks from your partner. Just know about how to heal them fast with some of the home remedies.

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“I Lost 50 Pounds Making One Simple Change”

Even though David Bader had followed a vegan diet since his early twenties, his life-long struggle with weight remained. There are many great reasons for going vegan, but Bader, a 48-year-old Georgia Tech professor, couldn’t keep the pounds off eating that way. “I’ve had a weight problem my entire life—in college I weighed 243 pounds at my heaviest. I lost weight when I became vegan, but quickly gained it back as I raised my daughter while working full time.” Bader says that everyday tasks became a challenge due to all the extra weight he was carrying around. “Even a walk would leave me out of breath. My life was focused on my daughter and my professional career. I put everything ahead of my own life and health, and had given up on ever losing weight.” Diet alone wasn’t getting the job done, and Bader was growing frustrated. Then he made the move that would change everything.

Perplexed by the pounds that refused to budge, Bader bought a FitBit tracker on a whim. Using the device, he was able to track steps taken, distance traveled, and his heart rate. He explains: “I purchased a FitBit Charge HR that records my steps, heart rate, and activities, and soon I began tracking my daily steps. Just about a year ago, I started walking as a way to simplify my life, and focus on what was important—raising my daughter as she finished high school,” he says. “At first, I was walking 10,000 steps every day, yet my weight remained the same. I began by walking between two buildings at work, and getting used to wearing the FitBit tracker. During this time, I learned how to use features of my smartphone, such as talk-to-text, and voice commands. That allowed me to multitask while walking, such as answering emails while walking on safe paths where I wouldn’t have to deal with traffic.” Motivated by his newfound ability to work while exercising, Bader continued to raise his personal exercise goals. “Quickly, I was able to increase the distances I was walking each day, until after two or three weeks I was walking a minimum of 27,000 steps per day—the equivalent of 12 miles. I was determined to walk at least that number of steps daily, and usually walked about 13 and a half miles a day. I started losing about two pounds a week.”

Inspired to include walking in all areas of his life, Bader began involving others in his exercise routine. He says, “Many of my meetings with students and staff turned from sitting around a conference table to taking walks around campus. On days with bad weather, I would walk around the hallways of my building, or around the organic foods section of my local supermarket!” He had tapped into one of the proven ways to shed pounds: Walking your way to weight loss.

A computer science professor, Bader applied his love for technical analysis to his new healthy habit. “I find that I walk about 7,000 steps an hour, so I try to walk about four hours a day. That’s approximately two hours in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night.” Maintaining this schedule requires some planning for Bader. “Since I tend to have a number of phone calls at work, I time these calls and teleconference meetings for when I can walk. I’ve also made a number of changes including avoiding elevators when I can take the stairs, parking at the furthest parking space, and walking for errands as often as I can.” Not every day is as conducive to physical activity as he would like. He says, “The most challenging days are when I’m flying for travel, or at a conference where everyone sits all day. I’ve found strategies for getting in walking even then, such as pacing in the back of the lecture hall. I just cannot sit anymore.”

Since purchasing the FitBit, Bader has lost 53 pounds and life is better than ever. He says, “I weighed 223 pounds before I began walking. I now weigh 170. My waist, which was 46 inches, is down to 34! My resting heart rate has decreased from 74 beats per minute to 60. This is the lightest I’ve ever been in my life, and I don’t get tired.” Bader has no plans to stop walking—the benefits are much too great. “I could walk forever, and I love to dance all night long! My stamina is out of this world. I feel like I’m getting younger, not older,” he says. Bader’s advice to others hoping to follow in his 27,000 daily steps? “Don’t give up! Anyone can get healthy. Get a FitBit and walk! It doesn’t matter how much—just get up and take some steps!” Try starting with these eight easy walking strategies for weight loss.

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Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and Vegetables

The experts at the Human Nutrition Research Center tested different fruits and veggies in order to find out their ORAC, which refers to the antioxidant power. If you want to find out the results of the research, you may want to read on.

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Fractures and Broken Bones: The Treatment Options

When you break a bone, the approach is to ensure that the broken pieces are put back into position and immobilized until new material forms and fuses with the surrounding tissue. Sometimes, it can be necessary for the orthopedic surgeon to put the broken bone in its original position. This procedure is referred to as reduction.

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50 Health Rules Doctors Don’t Always Follow—So You Shouldn’t Either

Health rule: Get 8 hours of sleep

The health benefits of sleep are well documented, and range from energy and alertness to the ability to fight off illness. But even as your doctor extolls the virtues of a strict bedtime routine followed by at least seven hours of sleep, he or she may be seriously sleepy. According to Dr. Marisa C. Weiss, doctors are often sleep deprived because the lines between work and personal time have blurred, as a result of on-call responsibilities and email and phone messages from patients, on top of the need to keep abreast of medical advances. “Sleep is frequently shortened, disrupted and hard to protect, Dr. Weiss told The Wall Street Journal. The good news is that if you’re sleep deprived during the week, research shows that you can pay back some of your sleep debt over the weekend.

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10 Easy Tricks to Shedding Pounds (and Feeling Great!) This Summer

Make the summer calendar count

Summer is approximately 90 days long. That’s more than enough time to break bad habits and start healthy new ones. Starting today, take a look at how many days you have left before mid-September when the season typically ends. Then, decide on a weekly weight loss goal. Use your calendar to pencil in workouts to help you meet that goal. Pick an event or two that will keep you motivated, such as participating in a 5K walk/run. To find one coming up in your area, check out Active.com. Schedule family bike rides or plan to meet friends at the local pool for lap swimming on a regular basis. Want to get creative? Invite the neighbors over for a summer dessert party, and draw from this list of 14 healthy frozen summer desserts as your guide. This way you can look forward to fun plans that are in line with your health goals.

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What Is Functional and Integrative Medicine?

There are many of us nutrition professionals now aligning ourselves with Integrative Medicine. I consider myself in this group. Maybe you are asking yourself what exactly this is and most importantly, does it really matter?

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What Is The Surgical Procedure Treatment For Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease occurs when the stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing a severe burning sensation in the chest. If medications, diet, exercise does not make the disease go away then a Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgical procedure is the best way to get rid of it.

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10 Reasons You’re Better Off with a Pedometer Than That Fancy Fitness Tracker

They give you a reason to get healthy

One of the biggest motivators for getting a pedometer and starting a fitness regime is to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke and you can reduce your chance of getting these conditions simply by walking, briskly. According to the American Heart Association, studies show that walking briskly lowered the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as running. It’s not difficult to determine what a brisk walk feels like, explains Elroy Aguiar, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Most people prefer to walk at three miles per hour, a vigorous intensity would be four miles per hour.” While your pedometer or fitness tracker won’t tell you how fast you are moving, you can determine your intensity with the talk-sing test, says Aguiar. If you can talk, but not sing, your activity is moderate intensity, but if you can’t say more than a few words without pausing for breath, then your activity is vigorous.

You don’t have to wear them on your wrist

From Fitbits to Jawbones, there are numerous fitness trackers on the market. While they are available in a range of colors and styles, the most popular ones are not very fashionable and can become cumbersome to wear. With pedometers, you just clip them on your waistband near your hip, which allows them to remain relatively out of sight, and start walking. Another option is to download a pedometer app, which lets you keep track of your steps from your cell phone.

They are inexpensive

Like fitness trackers, there are several brands and styles of pedometers on the market. Unlike fitness trackers, pedometers cost considerably less. A reliable pedometer will cost anywhere from $15 to $35, with the higher end products boasting extra features such as length of time walked, distance traveled, and an approximation of calories burned. Expect to pay a lot more for a notable fitness tracker such as the Fitbit Charge ($149) or the Apple Watch ($369). “When it comes to fitness trackers and activity monitors, the thing that they do best is count steps,” says Patrick Schneider, Professor of Exercise Science at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. “Steps are the fundamental unit of activity and the number of steps is the data that most people want to know.”

They can motivate you to be active

When inactivity takes over and you need help snapping out of your fitness rut, a pedometer can be an inexpensive, effective way to get back on track. “As an entry level motivator or to make people aware of how much they are moving, pedometers do a good job in that most people may be surprised of how little stepping they do,” says Jeffrey W. Christle, PhD, a clinical exercise physiologist (American College of Sports Medicine) in the division of CV medicine at Stanford University. While a step counter by itself does not always provide sufficient motivation, says Mikael Mattsson, visiting professor at Stanford University, “It can be used in gamification of physical activity, such as workplace-based initiatives or in actual games such as Step Jockey,” he explains. Research backs up Mattsson’s claims, as several randomized trials show that a combination of wearing a pedometer and having a goal is most effective. A common goal for many people is to achieve 10,000 steps a day, which is equivalent to about five miles, depending on the length of your stride. Pedometers are good motivators for those who are sedentary, says Schneider. “The people who are doing nothing and start doing something, have the most to gain,” he says. Following the Public Health Guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every day, at least five days a week is a good place to start.

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They won’t make you lose sleep

Experts say that while most fitness trackers can tell when a person is awake versus asleep, they are prone to mistakes and can actually cause people to lose sleep. One study showed that a number of fitness trackers overestimated sleep while another study looked at behavioral problems, noting that some users rely on daily sleep data too much, and if they are not getting the right amount of sleep, it can lead to stress and loss of sleep. While reports show that overestimates of sleep are not harmful to most people, for those with sleeping disorders, the sleep results of their fitness trackers could be giving them false reassurance. “In terms of sleep, quality and length are important, but fitness trackers do not measure quality,” says Aguilar. He explains that because these devices are based on the wrist motion during different cycles of sleep, they are not accurate in determining whether you are asleep or awake. “You could be lying on the couch watching TV and not moving, but the device may think you are sleeping.”

They’re easy to use

A pedometer does one task—counts your steps. Fitness trackers do multiple tasks such as monitoring your sleep, counting calories, and keeping track of how many days you exercised each week. They can also sync with other programs such as My Fitness Pal, connect you to a community of fitness-minded people, log your water intake, and chart how much weight you have lost (or gained). Colorful diagrams display your progress, badges pop up to congratulate you on specific goals, and notifications remind you that you have just a few more steps to go. To keep your fitness tracker and all the information it stores up to date, you have to charge it, sync it to your phone or computer, and input data. The work involved often becomes cumbersome, and surveys have shown that in as little as six months, people lose interest and stop wearing them. “We are in an era where people like gadgets and they like receiving feedback on their health,” says Schneider. “But the interest can wear off.”

They help you set goals

While 10,000 steps a day is the norm, it is a high target to reach for most individuals, says Aguiar. “We know that doing something is better than doing nothing at all, but if you are taking less than 5,000 steps a day, you are sedentary or your occupation is sedentary.” To improve overall cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, the American Heart Association suggests getting at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of both). One of the easiest ways to reach these goals is by walking and using a pedometer to gauge your steps. “People think vigorous activity is running, but you can achieve this at a regular paced walk or brisk walk, you don’t need to be sweating buckets or charging down the road.”

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They won’t miscount your calories

Research has shown that fitness trackers are not accurate when it comes to measuring the amount of calories burned. If your fitness tracker regularly underestimates energy expenditure you might end up feeling frustrated that you are not burning a lot of calories after a hard workout and this can make it difficult to reach your goals. On the other hand, if your fitness tracker overestimates the calories you are using, you could end up overeating and ultimately gain weight. “People don’t lose weight by exercising, they lose weight by not eating so much,” says Gerald Fletcher, MD, cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. While a pedometer can be a good tool to get people started with following a healthy lifestyle, explains Fletcher, they don’t need a piece of equipment or a gadget to exercise. “When it comes to exercise and staying healthy, the biggest obstacle people need to overcome is making excuses.”

You won’t rely on them to track your heart rate

Even though one of the best ways to track your heart rate accurately is to take your pulse, fitness trackers purport to make things easier by using something called photoplethysmography to detect heart rate, explains Aguiar, and this technology is generally good when you’re at rest, but not once you start exercising—they just aren’t as accurate. “They are slow to react, the device may lag, and it may never actually display the heart rate that you are achieving.” The motion of your wrist, the amount you sweat, and how you wear the band on your wrist can all affect the accuracy of the heart rate monitor says Aguiar. He recommends the Polar Heart Rate Sensor, which straps across your chest, over fitness trackers.  “Expensive trackers are a waste of money and time,” says Fletcher. “People can be told how to take their pulse.” While heart rate is important, says Fletcher, it’s also important to know your perceived exertion, and determine how hard your body is really working.

There’s no magic bullet for weight loss

One study found that when people on a weight-loss program were told to either wear a fitness tracking device or not, those who didn’t wear one lost more weight the fitness tracker group. While fitness trackers and pedometers serve as tools to keep people focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, sustainable behavior is the key, says Schneider. “The real challenge is finding an activity that you like to do and then keep doing it.”

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Science Just Proved Sleeping In Can Help You Lose Weight—Really!

If you can’t seem to catch enough z’s during the week, you‘re not alone. But bad things happen to your body when you’re sleep-deprived, not least of which is weight gain. Well, here’s some good news: Sleeping in on the weekend to make up for sleep lost during the week is associated with lower body mass index (BMI), according to a study published in the Oxford University Press journal Sleep.

The researchers, a collaboration of scientists based in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Republic of Korea, sought to determine if what they refer to as “catch-up sleep” impacts body mass index (BMI) in the general population. To do so, they conducted face-to-face interviews of a random sampling of 2,156 adults, comparing their sleep habits with their BMI scores. The 932 participants who slept in—”catch-up sleepers” (people who sleep longer on the weekend than on weekdays by approximately two hours) had a significantly lower BMI than the other subjects. What’s more, every additional hour of catch-up sleep was associated with a decrease in BMI.

As to why sleeping in on weekends can lead to weight loss, one of the study co-authors, Robert Thomas, MD, MMSc, of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, reminded Reader’s Digest of the “substantial experimental and epidemiological data that short sleep contributes to weight gain.” He notes, “our best estimate [as researchers] is that there is a balance to be kept, and the body can adjust and adapt within reason. Catch-up sleep allows the basic balance to be maintained.”

Accordingly, Dr. Thomas suspects that intermittent catch-ups during the week would have the same effect. However, as he points out, the reality is that most of us don’t have time for cat-naps mid-week and are left to catch up on sleep over the weekend.

Although the study showed significant differences in BMI with the addition of two or more hours of catch-up sleep, Dr. Thomas points out that there are “substantial individual differences,” such that the benefit we get from those extra hours will vary depending on how much sleep each of us generally needs. “To determine your optimal sleep, you can track the time spent sleeping on nights when there is no need to wake up to an alarm,” suggests Liza Baker, a health coach at Simply Health Coaching. That tells you about how many hours of sleep your body likes to get, since it varies greatly across the population, from just 4 to 5 hours to 9 to 10 hours. (Most adults fall in the 6- to 8-hour range.)

So can you actually lose weight by sleeping in on the weekend? Only if you’re paying off a sleep debt from the week, according to the results of this study. It helps if you’re also eating less, Dr. Thomas adds.

If you’re looking to get more sleep, you might want to try some of these sleep tricks on for size, and be aware that there are jobs that are bad for sleep.

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Joined at The Head and Now Separated, These Conjoined Babies Are Amazing

Many have watched the CNN report on the separation of the McDonald baby twin boys recently. Conjoined at the head the miracle of their journey from birth until they finally went home has gripped many in the world. A 27-hour operation in October last year was widely reported and their frequent struggles to overcome infections, seizures, and pain could not have been easy for mother, Nicole, or the rest of the family.

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Why You Should Stop Eating Vegetable Chips ASAP

You know you need to eat more vegetables, so veggie chips seem like the savior you’ve been looking for. After all, with their addictive, salty crunch, it’s easy to demolish a whole bag and still feel good about yourself. Such a healthy snack seems too good to be true—because it is.

Registered nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed paired with kitchen retailer Wren Kitchens to take a look at the facts behind vegetable chips’ health halo. Her analysis found veggie chips aren’t any better than potato chips. In fact, they could be worse.

You might think you’re chowing down on pure produce, but a bag of vegetable chips might actually be only 65 percent vegetables. The rest is just oil and salt.

“The concern with products that are often seen as ‘healthier alternatives,’ such as vegetable crisps, is they don’t always match up to their reputations,” Stirling-Reed says in a statement. (Don’t miss these other common healthy eating mistakes.)

For instance, Tyrells Veg Chips are cooked with sunflower oil. That might sound natural and healthy, but it’s actually really common in processed food—including Lay’s. “Sunflower seed oil is commonly used in frying, fast-food prep and packaged and processed foods,” registered holistic nutritionist Yuri Elkaim writes for U.S. News. “It is so prevalent I can almost guarantee you that if a food comes in a package, you’ll find sunflower seed oil in the ingredient list. And this is not a good thing.”

Sunflower oil is high in omega-6 acids. Our bodies do need some of those fatty acids, but most people go way overboard. Studies have linked too many omega-6s (and not enough omega-3 fatty acids) with obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and more. A serving of Tyrrells veg chips has 150 calories and 11 grams of fat—shockingly close to a serving of classic Lay’s, which have 160 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Plus, the two clock in with the same amount of sodium: 170 milligrams. A high-salt diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney problems, and more. Doesn’t seem so nutritious anymore, does it?

Veggie chips are particularly dangerous because people tend to think the “healthy” snack is a free-for-all. Thinking of potato chips as a guilty pleasure, you might hold back a bit. But when it comes to “eating clean” with veggie chips, you gobble down half the bag without thinking twice.

“There is a danger that people may consume more of a product if they consider it to be ‘healthier,’” says Stirling-Reed. “As a nutritionist, I’ve seen this firsthand in weight loss clinics where clients may eat even as much as double a portion size of a product if it’s perceived to be healthy.” Double the portion means double the fat and salt you’d have eaten if you’d just stuck with the Lay’s.

Ideally, you should swap out the processed snacks for fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, or nuts, says Stirling-Reed. If only chips will quash your craving, make your own at home, she says. That way, you’re in charge of how much (or little!) oil goes in, and you can get your flavor from spices instead of salt. Start with one of these homemade baked chip recipes.

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6 Types of Health That Make Up You Part IV

Social Health is one of the "unknown" types of health that make up you. Many people have no idea that their social health is lacking.

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6 Types of Health That Make Up You Part I

Our overall health is comprised of 6 components, physical health being the one of them. What does physical health mean?

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Rid Yourself of a Heel Spur, Naturally

Heel spurs are often mistaken for plantar fasciitis. Contrary to the name and common belief, heal spurs are not pointy or sharp pieces of bone, they do not cut the tissue with movement. What they are - deposits of calcium attached to the bone. They are smooth and flat just like any other bone. They just aren't intended to be there.

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Importance of Suncreen for Your Child

Summer is upon us and many families indulge in lazy days by the pool or the beach during this time. However, if you've allowed your child to play outdoors without adequate sun protection, you've taken an enormous health risk.

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Importance of Strength Training for Old Persons

On an average, we lose 5 percent of our muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 35, if we don't do anything about it. Loss of muscle mass is also known as sarcopenia. The precise causes of sarcopenia aren't fully understood. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, hormonal changes, and general inflammation are all potential causes. Some of those causes can be addressed but there may simply be some inherent consequences of aging that can't be fully remedied.

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Signs It's Time to Call a Pediatrician Immediately

Parents often believe that they have the best instincts when it comes to caring for their children. However, these signs mean it's time to take a child to the pediatrician immediately.

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Six Ways to Avoid Social Isolation

Unfortunately, a lot of us feel socially isolated. Much of this is due to our technologically-driven time. We prefer to text and connect with people that way instead of face-to-face communication. However, social bonds are crucial to our health and social contact, especially if pleasant, has all kinds of benefits. In this article, I outline six ways to avoid or at least reduce social isolation.

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Eight Ways to Put More Movement Into Your Day

Many of us don't have time for formal exercise. So, how can we get even some exercise every day to reap all the health benefits that we should in order to be happy and healthy. In this article, I will outline ten ways to put more movement into your day. The good news is that you can incorporate these new ways of behaving into your usual routine by simply changing a few things in your day. We all think that exercising has to be hard, and it has to take a lot of effort and preparation for it to be most beneficial to our health. However, this is not the case at all. The most successful form of exercise is easy and practical. But what is more it can fit right into our daily routine without a lot of difficulty. In this article, I outline eight ways to put more movement into your day.

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