Chronic stress is an underappreciated, yet powerful driver of pathologic weight gain. Chronic stress is a potent driver of ‘toxic’ fat accumulation, and the stress hormone cortisol is the biochemical culprit. When we experience persistent, daily stress over months to years, cortisol levels rise abnormally high and remain chronically elevated. This leads to weight gain, […]
If you want the healthy diet changes you make to really stick, I have some great news. According to nifty, new research your “approach” makes all the difference. The key is a positive focus. Meaning, what works best is incorporating healthy foods you truly enjoy versus ditching your favorites or forcing yourself to eat foods […]
If you want a quick and simple way to eat less, just say no to ear buds, music and TV while eating. In an intriguing set of experiments researchers at Brigham Young University were able to show that when we can hear the sounds created as we bite, chew, crunch, and munch on our foods, […]
The perils of drinking sugary beverages strike again. In a new evaluation from the prestigious Framingham Heart Study, researchers reported that drinking sugary beverages was tied to larger accumulations of belly fat. This is of note because belly fat, known as visceral fat, is the deadliest type of body fat because it can dramatically boost the […]
The foods present on your kitchen counter may have a decisive impact on what you weigh! That was the eye-opening upshot from an intriguing new study lead by the Cornell’s famed eating behavior scientist, Dr. Brian Wansink. For this study, Dr. Wansink and his colleagues photographed 210 Syracuse, New York kitchens and then compared the […]
Exercise burns calories. Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity (insulin action), which boosts calorie burning potential. Exercise builds lean body mass (muscle). The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. Muscles burn calories (14 calories per pound per day vs. fat’s 3 calories per pound per day) very effectively and are ultimately what burn […]
Hot foods like chili peppers have been shown to help us eat less, and scientist have just uncovered a big clue as to how. Apparently capsaicin, the compound in hot peppers that gives them their spicy kick, can activate “stretch receptors” in the lining of our stomachs that send signals to the hunger-quieting parts of […]
Normally, white potatoes are on my list of forbidden foods because of their high glycemic response (which means they send your glucose levels up high and fast because of their rapid and easy digestibility). If you have a craving for them, here are 4 simple strategies that you can use to turn this high glycemic […]
In a provocative new study designed to investigate how short periods of moderate stress affect dietary choices, the consensus was clear–even a little stress can trip us up. For this laboratory-based evaluation, 29 study subjects, all committed to healthy eating, were subjected to a moderate stressor (in this case immersion of a hand in an ice […]
Fructose, the notorious simple sugar molecule repeatedly singled out for its unique propensity to induce weight gain and metabolic dysfunction, may have a new rival-soybean oil. In a first-of-its-kind laboratory evaluation that really raised my eyebrows, scientists concluded, “soybean oil (a polyunsaturated fat) is more obesigenic and diabetogenic than coconut oil (a saturated fat) and fructose in mice.” For […]
Dining out in full-service restaurants offers equivalent risks to your health and your bodyweight as noshing on fast food. That was the sobering conclusion from a new report that followed the dietary habits of a representative sample of 18,098 US adults over an eight-year period. The researchers found that when Americans dine out, whether in a fast […]
Fiber has a long list of health benefits, but fighting fat and protecting metabolic health is arguably where it shines most brilliantly. Here are the best ways to get more of this special compound in your daily diet. Consume as many fruits and veggies as possible. The superstars for fiber content include: berries (raspberries #1), […]
