Alternative medicine: Cure or comfort?

Article from the Sunday Star Times last year...

"Despite the seemingly frosty relations between alternative medicine proponents and hard-nosed scientists, evidenced in recent weeks by the tussle between physicians and chiropractors in the NZ Medical Journal over the use of the title "doctor" (see Doctor doctor), conventional medicine and alternative treatments operate together.
GPs often do acupuncture or recommend it. Physiotherapists sometimes do therapeutic massage, which is considered by some to be alternative, says Baxter. Chiropractors and osteopaths sometimes use similar techniques to physios. And health consumers, hard evidence or not, seem to want it that way.
They recognise, suggests local medical doctor and pharmacist Shaun Holt in a new book, Natural Remedies that Really Work, that western medicine has limitations, in that it is conservative by its nature, and it can take 10 years for a successful therapy to become widespread.
He acknowledges, however, that this open-mindedness lets in some sloppy thinking around health.
"At the other extreme, the archetypal New Ager will tell you that all natural health products work all the time and are safe because they are natural.""

Full article here: 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaystartimes/4665652a28583.html

Reviews of books on alternative medicine

Review of 6 books in the Financial Times...

"We now live in an age where scientific testing of drugs is standard, and sophisticated interventions are supported by rigorous clinical trials. Yet, as a number of recent books highlight, many people across the world still seek unproven alternative therapies. So why, in this modern age, is there still mistrust of doctors – and why is the alternative health industry so resilient?"

Full article here:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f260f3c8-045c-11de-845b-000077b07658.html

Breakfast TV - yoga

Shaun on National Radio

On the Ideas show, with Chris Laidlaw, talking for 20 minutes about why the medical profession can be slow to introduce new treatments, and some specific evidence-based effective natural therapies.

You can listen here, I'm speaking in the final segment:

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ideas/ideas-20090222-1105-Ideas_for_22_February_2009-048.mp3

Too Fat to Exercise?

By Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness

MSN Health & Fitness Exclusive

Q: I am severely obese—I am 5 feet 4 inches and weigh 300 pounds. I stand all day at work and by 5 p.m. my knees are screaming. I would like to start exercising, but I don't want to damage my knees. What should I do and how do I begin?

A: It's not easy to decide to start exercising when you are in pain and feel physically limited. But it's great that you've decided to do so, since you can improve many aspects of your health by becoming more physically active.

It's likely that your extra weight is putting more pressure on your knees, and with an all-day, on-your-feet job, you could be standing in such a way that your knees are out of alignment (either hyperextended—locked out straight—or rotated), which can add more stress to the joints. Often, doctors recommend weight loss as a way to reduce knee pain. While this is a good idea, sometimes overweight and obese people feel that they should only start exercising after they have first lost some weight. Others think exercise isn't as important as dieting, so they skip the workouts.

But exercise plays a major role in healthy weight loss—and, most importantly, in improving health, strength and stamina regardless of whether weight is lost. A 2009 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine profiled 430 obese, sedentary women who exercised for three to four days a week for six months. Some of the women were doing very minimal, very-low intensity exercise (around 18 to 25 minutes of easy walking per session). Even so, not only did the women lose an average of 6 to 8 pounds from the exercise alone, but even these small amounts of exercise improved their heart health and quality of life. And the more exercise the women were able to do, the more improvement they saw in areas of mental and physical functioning.

Because you are very overweight and already experiencing pain, you're right to proceed cautiously. Your first step should be to get the okay from your physician. Ask if you qualify for a prescription to a physical therapist or exercise physiologist rehab program for obesity-related conditions. If so, you can get expert guidance to start an exercise program and possibly have some or all of it paid for by insurance if you have it.

You may feel out of breath quite easily, not only from being out of shape, but from the increased oxygen demands from being very overweight. Also, you may need to monitor your blood pressure and glucose levels. Your physician can help you determine any special needs you may have.

Once you have the go-ahead, if you are not consulting with a health-care professional, then you need to figure out what you can do and what you like to do. Even though there may be some activities that you don't feel comfortable doing, you have plenty of options.

Since you have knee pain when standing, you may want to start very conservatively with a workout that's low-impact, or even done while seated. Here are some ideas:

Chair exercises. There are many workout videos that offer chair routines. These are a great starting point; one such workout is Sit and Be Fit.

Swimming and water aerobics. Water workouts are a great option, and you can find swimming classes at local pools. Many overweight people feel fantastic in the water because the buoyancy helps them move freely. Of course, it's common to feel shy about wearing a bathing suit, but you'll likely find many other overweight people in aqua-aerobics classes. If you can get over the initial hurdle, you are likely to find great joy in this workout.

Walking. It's easy and you can do it anywhere—outside, or on a treadmill inside—as long as it doesn't aggravate your knee pain. You might need to put this off until you've become stronger from other types of exercise.

Cardio machines. Bikes, elliptical trainers, steppers and other cardio machines at a gym can give you a low-impact workout that can burn lots of calories and improve your stamina. If you can't afford a home machine, you may be able to find an inexpensive one online or at a garage sale. You can also join a local health club, or community center with a gym. Or you may have friends with apartment gyms or their own home equipment that you could use.

Dancing. Here's one you can do at home to your favorite tunes. Exercising is all about moving, so really, any way you can fit in some movement is going to rev your body up and improve your fitness. Work your way up until you're filling up a solid 30 minutes or more of dancing.

Fitness classes. You may want to try a gentle exercise class as you start to build up fitness. Look for a Silver Sneakers class near you; they're designed for seniors, but are also appropriate for those looking to lose a good deal of weight. Curves gyms offer beginner-level women's only workouts. You can also inquire at your local community centers or YMCA for beginner classes.

At first, any class is a good idea, so you should try a variety of cardio and weights workouts. Workouts that incorporate weights, especially at a beginner level, will help you to become stronger and develop more muscle endurance, but may not provide a sufficient cardiovascular boost, so make sure you include more aerobic activities such as water exercise, walking, cardio machines, dancing or cardio classes.

Monitoring your effort level

If you haven't been exercising, it is very easy to work harder than you should. Instinctively judging your individual effort by using what is known as rate of perceived exertion is a common way to gauge intensity during exercise. To work at a moderate level it's suggested that the exercise feel like it's "somewhat hard." Higher intensities and more vigorous workouts will feel hard or even very hard. As a novice person, it's a good idea to avoid working out hard or very hard when you first start out.

To stay on the safe side, rather than gauge how you feel with the perceived-exertion approach, use your heart rate to gauge your intensity. First you need to figure out what your "target" heart rate should be during a workout. There are several ways to estimate this, but a 2008 study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise evaluated ways to determine exercise intensity in obese people. They found that using a formula that takes resting heart rate into account is the preferred approach for overweight to severely obese individuals.

Here is the recommended formula to determine your target heart rate:

Step 1. Estimate your maximum heart rate, or HRmax. This is your age subtracted from 220. For example, if you are 40, your HRmax is 180.

Step 2. Determine your resting heart rate: When you wake up in the morning, while still in bed, measure your resting heart rate by placing two fingers on the inside of your wrist, or just off-center from the front of your neck. (Don't use your thumb, as it has its own pulse.) Pause until you feel a pulse. Then, start counting at zero for 30 seconds. Multiply the number by two, and that's your resting heart rate.

Step 3. Choose the target range of your desired exercise intensity, or how hard you want to work. Research shows that cardiovascular improvements come from exercising at 50 percent or more of your maximum heart rate. Since you aren't fit yet, stick to this low end of the range. After a period of three to six months or longer, once you are fit and in shape, you may want to push yourself to exercise at higher levels.

Use the 50- to 60-percent intensity range to determine your target heart rate. This is the heart rate that you want to stay at, or below, during your workouts. If you go above this number, you may be pushing yourself too hard.

Step 4. Plug the numbers into the following formula:

Target Heart Rate = [Intensity x (HRmax - resting HR)] + resting HR

Here is an example:

Step 1. A 46-year-old person has a HRmax of 174 beats per minute. (Theoretically, this is the maximum number of beats per minute that the heart will beat; this is just an estimate and varies with individuals, however.)

Step 2. Let's say her resting heart rate is 80.

Step 3. We're aiming for a target intensity of 55 percent, or 0.55.

Step 4. So we plug the numbers into the formula:

Target Heart Rate = [Intensity x (HRmax - resting HR)] + resting HR

Target Heart Rate = [0.55 x (174 - 80)] + 80

Target Heart Rate = [0.55 x 94] + 80

Target Heart Rate = 132 beats per minute

This person should then work out at a level where she stays at 132 beats per minute or fewer.

Once you've gotten your doctor's approval and you've figured out which activities to try, you can start adding exercise according to your level. During each cardio workout, slow down, but do not stop, and periodically assess your heart rate. If you find it difficult, purchase a heart rate monitor. Some cardio machines also have heart-rate monitors built in.

Once you start, play close attention to how you feel. If something hurts, modify or stop what you are doing. Don't think that just because you are out of shape means you need to work through any pain or severe discomfort. If your knees or other joints bother you, you may need to try another type of exercise. In the days after your workouts, if your muscles feel sore or your joints hurt, you may need to work a little easier next time, or change to a different type of workout.

After you have become used to your workouts, you will get fitter and you will find that you can do harder workouts without feeling as if they're as difficult. You can increase the intensity, or your heart rate, as you get fitter, too. Eating more healthfully will help provide the energy to exercise and can definitely help you to lose weight. But even without weight loss, exercise can make you stronger and healthier. Good luck!

Daring Bakers Challenge February: Flourless Chocolate cup cakes with No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.They have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

The flour less chocolate cake was total chocoholic's delight,reminded me of the Chocolate Espresso Mousse cake I baked earlier,that was also flour-free.I don't miss making low-fat recipes whenever possible,since I already experimented this kind of cake with no-fat I use just quarter of the fat as mentioned in the Original Daring Baker's recipe,it worked just fine for me.
For the Ice cream thankfully we were allowed to choose our own flavor,Pomegranate was ultimate pick.Since fresh fruit is not in season I choose the store-bought 100% Pomegranate Juice.To make it easier I made a No-churn Ice-cream that does not require the Ice-cream maker.
Bringing the Ice cream together with Cupcakes was a little messy,but worth the effort.These Frozen Cupcakes would make a perfect dessert on hot summer days,speaking of warmth,its still predominantly chilling here,and I'm yearning for a warm change.



Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan

Makes 10 Medium cupcakes

Ingredients

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of unsalted Organic butter
5 large Organic eggs ,separated

Method
1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling,line with the muffin pan with parchment cups or spray a little non-stick spray.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into the prepared muffin pan, the batter should fill the cups 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until crust appears like brownie cake.The cake will puff up considerably but will collapse later.
10.Get the cup cakes out and cool on a rack.

Recipe adapted from Nigella's recipe.And David Lebovitz's method of making Ice cream without machine.
No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream
3 cups of pomegranate juice,preferably POM
2 cups Coconut milk(or use 1 cup half & half milk and 1 cup light cream)

Method
Whisk the cream with the juice until soft peaks forms.Transfer in a freezer proof container,cover tightly and place in freezer.After about 30 minutes,while the mixture is just starting to set ,stir and return to the freezer.Repeat this 3-4 times i.e every 30 minutes until mixture is almost frozen takes about 2-3 hours.Cover and keep in refrigerator until time to serve.


Assemble the cupcakes and Ice cream
Check out this cool page,which gave me the idea of making Ice cream cupcakes.
After the cup cakes are completely cooled,removed its parchment cups if used.Transfer cupcakes back to the muffin pans,even out the surface,since the chocolate cupcakes were a little hallow on the inside after baking,I simply had to lightly press it until almost half full.Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cupcakes for at least 2 hours until hardened.
Get the Ice cream out ,let sit for 30 minutes until softened to work with.After the cupcakes are frozen,scoop the ice cream and set over the cupcakes just until the cups are full.Cover and return to freezer,let set for 2-3 hours before trying to get it out.Warm a small sharp knife under hot running water ,run the warm knife along the edges of the ice cream cupcake until it’s easily lifted out of it’s tin.

Serve
I made some pomegranate syrup,by reducing 1 cup Pomegranate juice with a tablespoon of brown sugar to 1/2 a cup.Cool completely before drizzling on the cupcakes.Garnish with fresh berries,I used the tangy sweet blackberries.

Thank you Wendy and Dharm for the Sweet Chocolaty challenge.Check out how other Daring Bakers have whipped up this delectable delight.

The Ultimate Over-40 Fat Fighter

By Selene Yeager, Prevention

Prevention

Is your wardrobe suddenly shrinking? If you're over 40, it's probably not your clothing (or an overactive dryer) but, rather, an underactive metabolism that's to blame. It can dip by as much as 200 calories per day from your mid-20s to your mid-50s—enough to pack on nearly an extra 30 pounds in that time. And that old weight loss strategy of crash dieting will just make it worse. What you need is a smarter approach to losing fat while building muscle, which powers your calorie burn and is key to reversing a slow metabolism.

We combed through the very latest research and talked to top experts to create our Ultimate Over-40 Fat-Fighting Workout. It's a unique blend of calorie-blasting cardio, supercharged strength-training, and lifestyle tips that will help you burn calories at a higher rate (even while you're sleeping) than you did in your 20s—up to an extra 500 calories a day! That's enough to double your weight loss and drop a size this month. Soon, your only wardrobe worry will be buying smaller sizes.

The latest research shows that simple changes to your cardio workouts can boost calorie burn by 25 to 50 percent. Our routines include these four rules to guarantee a high calorie burn with every workout.

Always warm up

It raises your core body temperature and increases the activity of fat-burning enzymes, says Chip Harrison, exercise physiologist, director of strength and fitness at Pennsylvania State University, and co-author of The Female Athlete. For each degree your body temp goes up, the metabolic rate inside your cells increases by about 13 percent. Warm up by doing your activity at an easy to moderate intensity for at least five minutes to gradually raise your heart rate, send blood to your working muscles, ramp up your respiration, and get the maximum boost in calorie burn.

Do at least 12 minutes

Any amount of cardio will burn calories, but to really fight off post-40 pounds, you need at least 12 minutes (beyond a warm-up) of continuously moderate to high-intensity activity (where you're breathing somewhat hard) most days a week. That's the amount necessary to "create a training effect, which improves your body's ability to use oxygen and generate more fat-burning enzymes, such as lipase, so you can blast more flab during exercise and other activities all day," says Harrison.

Commit to intervals

Studies show that workouts with bursts of high-intensity activity can boost your calorie burn more than steady-paced training. "Interval training increases the mitochondrial activity in the muscle, which is a scientific way of saying it increases your cells' fat-burning capacity," says exercise physiologist Jason Talanian, Ph.D., formerly of the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Because intervals are harder than one-speed workouts, it takes more time for your body to return to normal afterward, so your calorie burn stays elevated longer. In a College of New Jersey study of 48 men and women, researchers found that those who rode stationary bikes at varying intensities, such as pedaling just a little harder for five minutes and then a little easier for five minutes over a half-hour workout, burned about 15 percent more calories for about 30 minutes after their sessions than their peers who stuck to one moderate pace the entire time.

Devote one hour once a week

Going longer gives you a big metabolic boost because your body has to reach into its reserves and expend a lot of energy replenishing its fuel stores and repairing broken-down muscle fibers when you're finished. In one small study, researchers at the University of Victoria in British Columbia found that exercisers who chugged along for 60 minutes burned nearly five times as many calories postworkout as those who did only 30 minutes of activity.

Program at a glance

Fire up metabolism: Cardio

You'll walk or do aerobic exercise such as jogging, swimming, or cycling every day, alternating three different routines to maximize fat burn.

Three times a week: 30-Minute Interval Fat Blast

Alternate two-minute bursts of high-intensity activity with two-minute bouts of moderate intensity to boost calorie burn during and after exercise.

Three times a week: 20-Minute Steady Cardio

After a five-minute warm-up, exercise at a pace that keeps your heart rate in an aerobic zone (where you're breathing somewhat hard) for 12 minutes, then slow your pace for three minutes to cool down. You'll burn extra calories while allowing your body to recover from the more intense interval days.

Once a week: 60-Minute Endurance Builder

Warm up for five minutes, then increase to a moderate intensity for the rest of the workout. Going longer will crank up your post-exercise calorie burn and increase stamina so all your workouts feel easier.

Fire up metabolism: Strength

Three times a week: On days you do the steady cardio workout, you'll also do our 20-minute high-energy dumbbell routine to build more metabolism-stoking muscle and firm up all over.

Fire up metabolism: Cardio tips

The latest research shows that simple changes to your cardio workouts can boost calorie burn by 25 to 50 percent. Our routines include these four rules to guarantee a high calorie burn with every workout.

Quick tip: Swing your arms

Bend your elbows 90 degrees and pump your arms as you walk. It not only automatically speeds up your pace but helps you burn up to 15 percent more calories every time you work out.

Fire up metabolism: Strength tips

Strength-training is essential—lean muscle tissue burns about three times as many calories as fat and is the power behind your metabolism. But how you do it can speed your calorie burn by up to an extra 25 percent.

Break up your sets

Instead of performing two or three sets of a single exercise before moving to the next one, do a circuit: Complete just one set and then immediately move to the next exercise, repeating the circuit two or three times. When researchers had 10 men do either standard strength-training (three sets of six exercises with two minutes of rest in between) or circuit-training (moving through a series of six exercises three times, with 30 seconds of rest in between), the circuit-trainers burned nearly twice as many calories post-workout as the standard-style lifters. "Because your heart rate stays elevated longer after circuit-training, you continue burning fat as though you were still exercising," says researcher Anthony Caterisano, Ph.D., of Furman University.

Grab the heavy dumbbells

Even when exercisers lifted identical volumes (such as 10 pounds 10 times or 20 pounds five times), those using the heavier dumbbells burned about 25 percent more calories when they were finished. "Heavy weights create more protein breakdown in the muscle, so your body has to use more energy to repair and recover—that's how lean muscle tissue is built," says Caterisano. And the boost can last even longer. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine found that working out with heavy weights even for as few as three to six reps increased exercisers' sleeping metabolic rate—the number of calories burned overnight—by nearly 8 percent. That's enough to lose about 5 pounds in a year, even if you did nothing else.

The strength circuit

What to do: Complete the circuit three times, moving immediately from one exercise to the next with minimal to no rest between moves. The first time through, do eight to 12 reps of each move with a lighter weight as a warm-up. For the second and third sets, use an amount that you're able to lift no more than eight to 10 times.

How often: Three nonconsecutive days a week, preferably when you do the Steady Cardio workouts

What you'll need: One pair of light weights (5 to 10 pounds), one set of heavier dumbbells (10 to 15 pounds; for some exercises, you may need even heavier weights), stability ball (optional)

Step Squat

Firms glutes and thighs

Hold dumbbells at sides, palms in, and stand with a low step about 2 feet behind you.

Extend left leg behind you and place top of foot on step. Bend right leg and lower hips, keeping front knee behind toes, until right thigh is about parallel to floor.

Return to start. Complete a full set, then switch sides.

Plank Row

Firms shoulders, back, and abs

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and assume a modified push-up position (hands beneath shoulders, knees on floor, ankles crossed in air).

Keeping torso steady, bend left elbow and pull dumbbell up toward rib cage.

Lower and repeat with right arm. Alternate arms for a full set.

For a challenge, perform move with legs extended, balancing on toes.

Wall Sit Arm Curl

Firms arms, glutes, and thighs

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, and stand with back against wall.

Slide down wall until legs are bent 90 degrees. Bend elbows and lift weights toward shoulders, then lower.

Complete full set of arm curls before returning to standing position.

Ball Chest Press

Firms shoulders, chest, arms, and glutes

Holding dumbbells, lie on stability ball (head, shoulders, and upper back supported) so body forms a straight line (like a tabletop) from head to knees.

Position weights at chest height, elbows pointing to sides, palms facing toes. Keeping torso steady, straighten arms and press weights toward ceiling. Lower weights. Repeat for a full set.

No stability ball? Perform move off the edge of a bed, sofa, or deep-seated chair.

Pendulum Lunge

Firms glutes and thighs

Hold dumbbells at sides, palms in, and stand with feet close together.

Take a giant step back with right leg, bend knees, and lower until left thigh is parallel to floor, keeping front knee behind toes (as shown).

Press into left foot to stand back up and bring right leg forward, stepping into a front lunge.

Continue stepping back and front for a full set with right leg, then repeat with left.

30-Minute Interval Fat Blast

This workout is the first portion of our three-part, metabolism-boosting cardio plan.

Choose your favorite form of aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling, or swimming—just be sure to pay attention to the changes in workout intensity, which is key to reaping the full benefits.

The expert: Valerie Waters, a certified trainer in Brentwood, Calif., and author of Red Carpet Ready, designed this workout.

Your seven-day sample schedule

Monday	Steady Cardio & Strength (40 minutes total)
Tuesday	Interval Fat Blast (30 minutes total)
Wednesday	Steady Cardio & Strength (40 minutes total)
Thursday	Interval Fat Blast (30 minutes total)
Friday	Steady Cardio & Strength (40 minutes total)
Saturday	Interval Fat Blast (30 minutes total)
Sunday	Endurance Builder (60 minutes total)

This workout is the first portion of our three-part metabolism-boosting cardio plan.

Choose your favorite form of aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling, or swimming—just be sure to pay attention to the changes in workout intensity, which is key to reaping the full benefits.

Time	Activity	Intensity*
0:00	Warm-up	3, working up to 6 (rhythmic breathing; can speak easily)
5:00	Brisk pace	7 to 8 (harder breathing; can speak in very short sentences only)
8:00	Moderate pace	5 to 6 (breathing somewhat hard; can speak in full sentences)
10:00	Fast pace	9 (no speaking; just hard but controlled breathing)
12:00	Do 2-minute moderate and 2-minute fast intervals 3 more times
24:00	Moderate pace	5 to 6
26:00	Brisk pace	7 to 8
28:00	Cool down	Work down to a 3
30:00	Finished
*Based on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being as easy as lounging on the couch and 10 as hard as sprinting to catch a bus as it pulls away

The Most Sugar-Packed Foods in America

By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health

Men's Health

Think your sweet tooth is harmless? Well, it just might bite you back. The average American is wolfing down 460 calories from added sugars every day. That's more than 100 pounds of raw sugar per person per year (enough to make 3,628 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!).

What's at risk with all this sugar intake isn't just another cavity; refined carbohydrates cause spikes in your blood sugar levels, tell your body to store fat, and put people at increased risk for diabetes. That's another way of saying that it puts people at increased risk of blindness, sexual malfunction, heart attack, and premature death.

All that from a simple candy bar or soda? Consider this: A dollar will buy you about 75 calories' worth of fresh broccoli, but food manufacturers can use that same dollar to purchase 1,815 calories of sugar. And thanks to government subsidies, high fructose corn syrup, the synthetic sweetener found in so many of the foods in our grocery stores, is even cheaper.

It should come as no surprise, then, that added sugars are sabotaging nearly ever packaged and prepared food we put in our bodies—pasta sauces, smoothies, even whole-grain breads. It's why we created the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, the brand-new follow-up to our national bestselling nutrition books.

To help you avoid the impact of stealth sugars that run rampant through our food supply, we've sifted through all the nutritional data to name the eight biggest sugar bombs in America. Keep them from blowing up in your neighborhood.

Most sugar-packed breakfast cereal

Quaker Natural Granola: Oats, Honey & Raisins (1 cup)

30 g sugars

420 calories

Warning: Granola's healthy reputation is way overrated. The problem is those healthy-sounding oats are invariably bathed in a variety of sweeteners, making it not only one of the sweetest cereals in the aisle, but also a caloric overload. In fact, one cup of this stuff has more sugar than two servings of Lucky Charms.

Most sugar-packed salad

Uno Chicago Grill's Spinach, Chicken and Gorgonzola Salad

38 g sugars

720 calories

The candied walnuts on this salad help to make it sweeter than a double-scoop cone of Ben & Jerry’s Butter Pecan ice cream. Choose a more sensible meal and save the sugar calories for dessert (which you'll share, right?).

Most sugar-packed side dish

Boston Market's Cinnamon Apples

42 g sugars

210 calories

This apple dish is right up there with the one Eve served to Adam, and you know how that worked out. Boston Market's sickly sweet side consists of apples overwhelmed with sugar, brown sugar, soybean oil, and cornstarch. Oh yeah, and a pinch of cinnamon—which is about the only healthy thing about it. If you want this dish done right, make it at home.

Most sugar-packed sandwich

Subway's Foot-Long Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki

38 g sugars

740 calories

The most distressing part: this sandwich finds its way onto Subway's "healthy" menu. Ignore the claims of low fat that adorn the menu board; the teriyaki sauce contributes nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar to the sandwich, which will soon find their way to your waistline. Before you go out next, be warned about the 20 worst restaurant foods in America.

Most sugar-packed "healthy" food

Panera’s Pumpkin Muffin

47 g sugars

530 calories

Stop thinking of muffins as health food and start thinking of them as cake. They're made from refined flour, contain only trace amounts of fiber, and can pack more sugar than two ice cream bars. Have one of these for breakfast, and you've sabotaged your diet for the whole day.

Most sugar-packed kids' meal

Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables

61 g sugars

680 calories

Kids love Lunchables, and for the usual reason: It's a candy box. Too bad so many busy parents use them to fill empty lunchboxes. But this kids' meal has more calories than a Whopper and more sugar than two Snickers bars; suddenly, packing their lunches becomes more of a priority. Anything to avoid that prepackaged candy and sugary drink.

Most sugar-packed breakfast

Bob Evans' Stacked & Stuffed Strawberry Banana Cream Hotcakes

102 g sugars

1,200 calories

Despite the fruity name, this is truly one of the worst breakfast entrées in America. Each stack has 25.5 teaspoons of sugar—that's more sugar than six funnel cakes. This is their diabetic special—one that contributes to the disease, instead of curing it.

The most sugar-packed food in America

Baskin Robbins Large York® Peppermint Pattie Shake

281 g sugars

2,210 calories

Baskin Robbins' line of candy-based beverages are horrendous on so many accounts: Each large shake has a day's worth of calories, up to three day's of saturated fat, and an ingredient list so long—some more than seven inches—it requires an advanced degree in chemistry to decipher. This particular caloric catastrophe has more sugar than 11 Peppermint Patties.

Vegetarian Cookery

The UK Vegetarian Society’s ˚Cordon Vert school has created a brand new cookery course inspired by recipes from Linda McCartney’s On Tour cookbook. Paul and Linda McCartney became patrons of the Vegetarian Society in 1995 and Sir Paul has given the course the thumbs up.

Sir Paul said, ‘It’s fabulous to see a course inspired by Linda and her recipes, which will in turn, hopefully, inspire cooks of the future. Those of us in her family are very proud that the Vegetarian Society has chosen to honour Linda in this way. We all wish you the very best of luck.’

The new Inspired by Linda McCartney course will be launched at the Cheshire school’s open day for catering colleges and students on 19 March. The courses themselves are scheduled this year for 22 May, 8 August and 4 October. Visit www.cordonvert.co.uk to find out more.

Head Tutor at ˚Cordon Vert, Christine Tilbury, said, “It would be difficult not to be inspired by Linda’s vegetarian legacy and I found her recipes fantastic – simple and delicious - the way all recipes should be! The inspiration just goes on and on.”

Recipes will include Linda’s Tomato Soup, Wasabi Pea Fritters, Savoury Mille Feuilles, Italian Artichoke Pie with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts, Baby Spinach and Rocket Salad followed by Pecan, Pistachio, Dried Berry and Lemon Macaroons.

The ˚Cordon Vert School has an unrivalled reputation for excellent and innovative vegetarian cuisine, drawing on a variety of international flavours and ingredients reflecting current trends in world cuisine, with fresh and imaginative ideas.Courses run throughout the year and are taught by ˚Cordon Vert’s team of highly qualified and enthusiastic tutors.

Health care forum at the LOB

Yesterday’s health care forum started with a strong presentation of the SustiNet proposal by Juan Figueroa of the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT and Stan Dorn of the Urban Institute. Juan described the inclusive process to develop the plan engaging diverse voices including business, providers, clergy, advocates, and consumers. Stan described the major tenets of the plan – creation of a large, new, self-funded coverage plan, improved care coordination, management of chronic disease, transparency, health information technology, and public health measures to reduce disease such as tobacco control and obesity prevention. Questions from legislators included costs, the structure of the program and the inclusive process to develop the plan. Many legislators thanked the speakers for developing a thoughtful, CT-based plan.

Next Scott Cleary of eHealthConnecticut and Greg Farnum from VT’s information technology plan presented on health information technology. Greg outlined VT’s successful health information exchange and how it is funded. Scott described two eHealthCT projects , with funding, starting soon including one to collect and analyze quality information and another for a health information exchange and e-prescribing for HUSKY, Medicaid and SAGA patients. Questions included how to fund information technology and the merits of an information exchange structure vs. creating a database with patient records held in a central service.

Next Bob Carey, formerly at the Commonwealth Insurance Connector, described MA’s health care reforms. He is a strong proponent of MA’s individual mandate. The individual mandate is the largest tax penalty in MA’s state system – reaching almost $1000 this April and more next year. He acknowledged that while public support for the plan is high now, the full impact of the mandate penalties has not hit people yet. He also noted that standards of what counts as coverage for purposes of the mandate have risen and that next year some people who have been purchasing insurance and paying premiums all year will be penalized as if they had been uninsured. He did acknowledge that, despite an individual mandate, MA will never achieve universal coverage (absent a single payer system). While MA’s rate of uninsurance has been cut in half by the reforms, the majority of newly insured joined expanded public programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP. The Connector only covers 20,000 people.

Legislative questions challenged the speaker on the wisdom of an individual mandate and trusting the private insurance market to offer decent options. The speaker stated that the mandate only falls on certain groups – he noted that a 50 year old making $90,000/year with children is unlikely to be subject to the mandate, but he is also unlikely to be uninsured. The mandate only applies to the uninsured – mainly young, low income consumers without an employer offer of coverage. The speaker was unfamiliar with autoenrollment, consumer education, certifications of responsibility/liability, and other policy alternatives to an individual mandate which are included in SustiNet. Other questions focused on health care workforce capacity, difficulty getting appointments for care, and emergency room utilization which did not decrease after the reforms. The speaker believed that the problem of capacity is partly one of perception – previously uninsured consumers assumed that now that they have coverage that they would be able to get appointments quickly. However he also stated that previously uninsured consumers used to going to the ER for care are not likely to change their behavior and try to make appointments for care.

Unfortunately, despite requests, no balancing viewpoints were offered outlining the weaknesses of a mandate from states that considered an individual mandate and decided against it. There was no description of CT’s context of weak insurance market regulation, high costs, or lack of federal funding to match MA’s generous subsidies for lower income consumers and expansions of public programs.

Other speakers included a panel on strengthening CT’s public health care systems, cost and quality issues, and a report from the Health 1st Authority on their report.
Ellen Andrews

Dietary Fiber and Mineral Availability

Mainstream health authorities are constantly telling us to eat more fiber for health, particularly whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Yet the only clinical trial that has ever isolated the effect of eating a high-fiber diet on overall risk of death, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial, came up with this graph:



Oops! How embarrassing. At two years, the group that doubled its fiber intake had a 27% greater chance of dying and a 23% greater chance of having a heart attack. The extra fiber was coming from whole grains. I should say, out of fairness, that the result wasn't quite statistically significant (p less than 0.05) at two years. But at the very least, this doesn't support the idea that increasing fiber will extend your life. I believe this the only diet trial that has ever looked at fiber and mortality, without also changing other variables at the same time.

Why might fiber be problematic? I read a paper recently that gave a pretty convincing answer to that question: "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability", by Dr. Barbara F. Hartland. By definition, fiber is indigestible. We can divide it into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is mostly cellulose and it's relatively inert, besides getting fermented a bit by the gut flora. Soluble fiber is anything that can be dissolved in water but not digested by the human digestive tract. It includes a variety of molecules, some of which are quite effective at keeping you from absorbing minerals. Chief among these is phytic acid, with smaller contributions from tannins (polyphenols) and oxalates. The paper makes a strong case that phytic acid is the main reason fiber prevents mineral absorption, rather than the insoluble fiber fraction. This notion was confirmed here.

As a little side note, polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They reduce mineral absorption, reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be. Thanks to Peter for cluing me in on this.

Whole grains would be a good source of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, if it weren't for their very high phytic acid content. Even though whole grains are full of minerals, replacing refined grains with whole grains in the diet (and especially adding extra bran) actually reduces the overall absorption of a number of minerals (free text, check out table 4). This has been confirmed repeatedly for iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. That could well account for the increased mortality in the DART trial.

Refining grains gets rid of the vitamins and minerals but at least refined grains don't prevent you from absorbing the minerals in the rest of your food. Here's a comparison of a few of the nutrients in one cup of cooked brown vs. unenriched white rice (218 vs. 242 calories):

Brown rice would be quite nutritious if we could absorb all those minerals. There are a few ways to increase mineral absorption from whole grains. One way is to soak them in slightly acidic, warm water, which allows their own phytase enzyme to break down phytic acid. This doesn't seem to do much for brown rice, which doesn't contain much phytase.

A more effective method is to grind grains and soak them before cooking, which helps the phytase function more effectively, especially in gluten grains and buckwheat. The most effective method by far, and the method of choice among healthy traditional cultures around the world, is to soak, grind and ferment whole grains. This breaks down nearly all the phytic acid, making whole grains a good source of both minerals and vitamins.

The paper "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability" listed another method of increasing mineral absorption from whole grains that I wasn't aware of. Certain foods can increase the absorption of minerals from whole grains high in phytic acid. These include: foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit or potatoes; meat including fish; and dairy.

Another point the paper made was that the phytic acid content of vegetarian diets is often very high, potentially leading to mineral deficiencies. The typical modern vegetarian diet containing brown rice and unfermented soy products is very high in phytic acid and thus very low in absorbable minerals. The more your diet depends on plant sources for minerals, the more careful you have to be about how you prepare your food.

Dietary Fiber and Mineral Availability

Mainstream health authorities are constantly telling us to eat more fiber for health, particularly whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Yet the only clinical trial that has ever isolated the effect of eating a high-fiber diet on overall risk of death, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial, came up with this graph:



Oops! How embarrassing. At two years, the group that doubled its fiber intake had a 27% greater chance of dying and a 23% greater chance of having a heart attack. The extra fiber was coming from whole grains. I should say, out of fairness, that the result wasn't quite statistically significant (p less than 0.05) at two years. But at the very least, this doesn't support the idea that increasing fiber will extend your life. I believe this the only diet trial that has ever looked at fiber and mortality, without also changing other variables at the same time.

Why might fiber be problematic? I read a paper recently that gave a pretty convincing answer to that question: "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability", by Dr. Barbara F. Hartland. By definition, fiber is indigestible. We can divide it into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is mostly cellulose and it's relatively inert, besides getting fermented a bit by the gut flora. Soluble fiber is anything that can be dissolved in water but not digested by the human digestive tract. It includes a variety of molecules, some of which are quite effective at keeping you from absorbing minerals. Chief among these is phytic acid, with smaller contributions from tannins (polyphenols) and oxalates. The paper makes a strong case that phytic acid is the main reason fiber prevents mineral absorption, rather than the insoluble fiber fraction. This notion was confirmed here.

As a little side note, polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They reduce mineral absorption, reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be. Thanks to Peter for cluing me in on this.

Whole grains would be a good source of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, if it weren't for their very high phytic acid content. Even though whole grains are full of minerals, replacing refined grains with whole grains in the diet (and especially adding extra bran) actually reduces the overall absorption of a number of minerals (free text, check out table 4). This has been confirmed repeatedly for iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. That could well account for the increased mortality in the DART trial.

Refining grains gets rid of the vitamins and minerals but at least refined grains don't prevent you from absorbing the minerals in the rest of your food. Here's a comparison of a few of the nutrients in one cup of cooked brown vs. unenriched white rice (218 vs. 242 calories):

Brown rice would be quite nutritious if we could absorb all those minerals. There are a few ways to increase mineral absorption from whole grains. One way is to soak them in slightly acidic, warm water, which allows their own phytase enzyme to break down phytic acid. This doesn't seem to do much for brown rice, which doesn't contain much phytase.

A more effective method is to grind grains and soak them before cooking, which helps the phytase function more effectively, especially in gluten grains and buckwheat. The most effective method by far, and the method of choice among healthy traditional cultures around the world, is to soak, grind and ferment whole grains. This breaks down nearly all the phytic acid, making whole grains a good source of both minerals and vitamins.

The paper "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability" listed another method of increasing mineral absorption from whole grains that I wasn't aware of. Certain foods can increase the absorption of minerals from whole grains high in phytic acid. These include: foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit or potatoes; meat including fish; and dairy.

Another point the paper made was that the phytic acid content of vegetarian diets is often very high, potentially leading to mineral deficiencies. The typical modern vegetarian diet containing brown rice and unfermented soy products is very high in phytic acid and thus very low in absorbable minerals. The more your diet depends on plant sources for minerals, the more careful you have to be about how you prepare your food.

Dietary Fiber and Mineral Availability

Mainstream health authorities are constantly telling us to eat more fiber for health, particularly whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Yet the only clinical trial that has ever isolated the effect of eating a high-fiber diet on overall risk of death, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial, came up with this graph:



Oops! How embarrassing. At two years, the group that doubled its fiber intake had a 27% greater chance of dying and a 23% greater chance of having a heart attack. The extra fiber was coming from whole grains. I should say, out of fairness, that the result wasn't quite statistically significant (p less than 0.05) at two years. But at the very least, this doesn't support the idea that increasing fiber will extend your life. I believe this the only diet trial that has ever looked at fiber and mortality, without also changing other variables at the same time.

Why might fiber be problematic? I read a paper recently that gave a pretty convincing answer to that question: "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability", by Dr. Barbara F. Hartland. By definition, fiber is indigestible. We can divide it into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is mostly cellulose and it's relatively inert, besides getting fermented a bit by the gut flora. Soluble fiber is anything that can be dissolved in water but not digested by the human digestive tract. It includes a variety of molecules, some of which are quite effective at keeping you from absorbing minerals. Chief among these is phytic acid, with smaller contributions from tannins (polyphenols) and oxalates. The paper makes a strong case that phytic acid is the main reason fiber prevents mineral absorption, rather than the insoluble fiber fraction. This notion was confirmed here.

As a little side note, polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They reduce mineral absorption, reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be. Thanks to Peter for cluing me in on this.

Whole grains would be a good source of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, if it weren't for their very high phytic acid content. Even though whole grains are full of minerals, replacing refined grains with whole grains in the diet (and especially adding extra bran) actually reduces the overall absorption of a number of minerals (free text, check out table 4). This has been confirmed repeatedly for iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. That could well account for the increased mortality in the DART trial.

Refining grains gets rid of the vitamins and minerals but at least refined grains don't prevent you from absorbing the minerals in the rest of your food. Here's a comparison of a few of the nutrients in one cup of cooked brown vs. unenriched white rice (218 vs. 242 calories):

Brown rice would be quite nutritious if we could absorb all those minerals. There are a few ways to increase mineral absorption from whole grains. One way is to soak them in slightly acidic, warm water, which allows their own phytase enzyme to break down phytic acid. This doesn't seem to do much for brown rice, which doesn't contain much phytase.

A more effective method is to grind grains and soak them before cooking, which helps the phytase function more effectively, especially in gluten grains and buckwheat. The most effective method by far, and the method of choice among healthy traditional cultures around the world, is to soak, grind and ferment whole grains. This breaks down nearly all the phytic acid, making whole grains a good source of both minerals and vitamins.

The paper "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability" listed another method of increasing mineral absorption from whole grains that I wasn't aware of. Certain foods can increase the absorption of minerals from whole grains high in phytic acid. These include: foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit or potatoes; meat including fish; and dairy.

Another point the paper made was that the phytic acid content of vegetarian diets is often very high, potentially leading to mineral deficiencies. The typical modern vegetarian diet containing brown rice and unfermented soy products is very high in phytic acid and thus very low in absorbable minerals. The more your diet depends on plant sources for minerals, the more careful you have to be about how you prepare your food.

Dietary Fiber and Mineral Availability

Mainstream health authorities are constantly telling us to eat more fiber for health, particularly whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Yet the only clinical trial that has ever isolated the effect of eating a high-fiber diet on overall risk of death, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial, came up with this graph:



Oops! How embarrassing. At two years, the group that doubled its fiber intake had a 27% greater chance of dying and a 23% greater chance of having a heart attack. The extra fiber was coming from whole grains. I should say, out of fairness, that the result wasn't quite statistically significant (p less than 0.05) at two years. But at the very least, this doesn't support the idea that increasing fiber will extend your life. I believe this the only diet trial that has ever looked at fiber and mortality, without also changing other variables at the same time.

Why might fiber be problematic? I read a paper recently that gave a pretty convincing answer to that question: "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability", by Dr. Barbara F. Hartland. By definition, fiber is indigestible. We can divide it into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is mostly cellulose and it's relatively inert, besides getting fermented a bit by the gut flora. Soluble fiber is anything that can be dissolved in water but not digested by the human digestive tract. It includes a variety of molecules, some of which are quite effective at keeping you from absorbing minerals. Chief among these is phytic acid, with smaller contributions from tannins (polyphenols) and oxalates. The paper makes a strong case that phytic acid is the main reason fiber prevents mineral absorption, rather than the insoluble fiber fraction. This notion was confirmed here.

As a little side note, polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They reduce mineral absorption, reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be. Thanks to Peter for cluing me in on this.

Whole grains would be a good source of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, if it weren't for their very high phytic acid content. Even though whole grains are full of minerals, replacing refined grains with whole grains in the diet (and especially adding extra bran) actually reduces the overall absorption of a number of minerals (free text, check out table 4). This has been confirmed repeatedly for iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. That could well account for the increased mortality in the DART trial.

Refining grains gets rid of the vitamins and minerals but at least refined grains don't prevent you from absorbing the minerals in the rest of your food. Here's a comparison of a few of the nutrients in one cup of cooked brown vs. unenriched white rice (218 vs. 242 calories):

Brown rice would be quite nutritious if we could absorb all those minerals. There are a few ways to increase mineral absorption from whole grains. One way is to soak them in slightly acidic, warm water, which allows their own phytase enzyme to break down phytic acid. This doesn't seem to do much for brown rice, which doesn't contain much phytase.

A more effective method is to grind grains and soak them before cooking, which helps the phytase function more effectively, especially in gluten grains and buckwheat. The most effective method by far, and the method of choice among healthy traditional cultures around the world, is to soak, grind and ferment whole grains. This breaks down nearly all the phytic acid, making whole grains a good source of both minerals and vitamins.

The paper "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability" listed another method of increasing mineral absorption from whole grains that I wasn't aware of. Certain foods can increase the absorption of minerals from whole grains high in phytic acid. These include: foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit or potatoes; meat including fish; and dairy.

Another point the paper made was that the phytic acid content of vegetarian diets is often very high, potentially leading to mineral deficiencies. The typical modern vegetarian diet containing brown rice and unfermented soy products is very high in phytic acid and thus very low in absorbable minerals. The more your diet depends on plant sources for minerals, the more careful you have to be about how you prepare your food.

Just a Reminder

I will not tolerate comments that are disrespectful or threatening to other commenters or myself. Feel free to disagree with anyone here, including me, in a courteous tone. I enjoy the intelligent discussions we have here, and I don't want them to degenerate into troll wars.

Just a Reminder

I will not tolerate comments that are disrespectful or threatening to other commenters or myself. Feel free to disagree with anyone here, including me, in a courteous tone. I enjoy the intelligent discussions we have here, and I don't want them to degenerate into troll wars.