Full fat milk/yogurt
Hot chips
Ice cream
Bacon (full fat)
Sultanas / raisin
Frozen yogurt
Coconut milk
Devon
White rice
Popcorn
Cheese (full fat)
Butter

Health Issues associated with coffee and caffeine

There are four main health issues caused by coffee and over-consumption of caffeine:
1) Exhausted Adrenal Glands:
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. It causes the adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline. Adrenaline is the hormone your body depends on in emergencies to elevate your heart rate, increase your respiration and blood pressure for a rapid flight-or-fight response. When you overuse stimulants, the adrenals become exhausted. If your caffeine sensitivity has diminished or you’re one of those who claims you can drink 3 shots of espresso and go right to sleep, guess what? Your adrenals are no longer responding. This means you have less resistance to stress, which leaves you vulnerable to health hazards such as environmental pollutants and disease pathogens. As we age, the adrenals become even more important as the production center of the essential youth and sex hormones. Those hormones include DHEA, pregnenolone, progesterone, testosterone and estrogen. Many people in their at 40+ years find they can no longer tolerate the same level of caffeine consumption as they could in their twenties and thirties. The multiple effects of aging become apparent in the forties and the body frequently shows an increased variety of reactions to the toxicity of coffee and caffeine.
The adrenals can be considered the storage center for your vital force, your inherited reservoir of energy. Adrenals need nourishing to keep them in optimal health. If you think of your adrenals as a bank account where you continue to make withdrawals without any deposits, you will hit bottom with a huge overdraft in the form of depleted energy and health.

2) Severe Blood Sugar Swings:
Caffeine forces the liver to release glycogen into the blood stream. The pancreas responds to the sudden rise in blood sugar by releasing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that causes excess carbohydrates to be stored as fat. Within the span of an hour or two, the result from an increase in insulin is a sharp blood sugar drop resulting in a state of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You lose energy and that’s when you think it’s time for another cup of coffee and the whole cycle starts up again. As Barry Sears advises in his book “The Zone”, achieving a hormonal balance and blood sugar stability allows you to maintain your natural weight and optimal energy level. He counsels that the breakdown of caffeine causes the pancreas to release too much insulin, thus creating a climate in which excess carbohydrates are stored as fat and are unavailable for use as energy by your brain. Although caffeine is a metabolic stimulant, the ultimate effect is to increase your appetite and contribute to weight gain. Thus caffeine should be avoided by anyone working to reduce body fat.

3) Acid Imbalance:
Over 208 acids contained in coffee can contribute to indigestion, plus a wide variety of health problems resulting from over-acidity. Over acidity problems are associated with arthritic, rheumatic and skin irritations. Many people experience a burning sensation in their stomach after drinking coffee, because coffee increases the secretion of acid in the stomach. Optimal health calls for an alkaline pH balance in the body. Caffeine breaks down into uric acid, which the body excretes through the kidneys. An excess of uric acid taxes the kidneys and can cause kidney stones and gout. Additionally, men have to be concerned about prostate conditions that may be aggravated by coffee consumption.

4) Essential Mineral Depletion:
Coffee inhibits the absorption of some nutrients and causes the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and trace minerals, all essential elements necessary for good health. Women need to be concerned about osteoporosis as menopause sets in. Studies show that women who drink coffee have an increased incidence of osteoporosis compared to non-coffee drinkers. Men are not immune to osteoporosis either.

There are a number of health conditions where doctors advise their patients to eliminate all caffeine from their diet.

Acid indigestion
Anxiety, irritability and nervousness
Candida or yeast problems
Colitis, diverticulitis, diarrhea and other irritable bowel symptoms
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other autoimmune disorders
Diabetes or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Dizziness, Meniere’s syndrome or tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Gout (Elevated Uric Acid levels)
Heart disease or heart palpitations
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Insomnia, interrupted or poor quality sleep
Liver disease and gallbladder problems such as gallstones
Kidney or bladder problems including kidney stones
Migraines or other vascular headaches
Osteoporosis
Skin irritations, rashes and dryness
Ulcers, heartburn, and stomach problems such as hiatal hernias
Urinary tract irritation

Female Health Issues

Women in particular need to be concerned about their caffeine intake during pregnancy because caffeine crosses the placental barrier to the fetus. Studies show a higher incidence of miscarriage, infertility and low birth weight in those women who drink too much caffeine. PMS symptoms and fibrocystic breast disease are both aggravated by caffeine. Hot flashes and other symptoms caused by hormonal fluctuations during menopause also are aggravated by caffeine. Coffee causes the body to excrete calcium and other minerals. Women at risk for osteoporosis need to eliminate their intake of caffeine and coffee.

Male Health Issues

Coffee is an irritant to the urinary tract and bladder. It is also a diuretic that aggravates conditions associated with frequent urination. Eliminating coffee and caffeine often relieves symptoms associated with frequent urination due to enlarged prostate glands.

Fruit and veggies, what is a serving size

People who eat the most fruits and vegetables tend to be the healthiest. But how much should you eat and what is a standard serving of fruits or vegetables? Use this quick guide to check off your servings.

Fruit
My current servings/day = _______________
Target = 2 servings each day.
One serving of fruit is 150 grams of fresh fruit or:
· 1 medium-sized – Apple, banana, orange, pear
· 2 smaller sized – Apricots, plums
· 1 cup of canned, chopped fruit – Peaches, pears, fruit salad
· Dried fruit – 4 apricot halves, 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons sultanas
· 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) fruit juice

Vegetables
My current servings/day = _______________
Target = 5 servings each day.
One serving of vegetables or legumes is:
· 75 g or 1⁄2 cup cooked vegetables – Broccoli, pumpkin, beans
· 1 cup of salad vegetables – Lettuce, capsicum, onion
· 1 medium potato
· 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) vegetable juice
Note: Fruit juice, dried fruit and potatoes contain more carbohydrate.

Top 10 Super Healthy Foods

By Matt O’Neill, Dietitian – SmartShape.com.au

If you are looking for the elixir of life, look no further than your local supermarket. In the fruit and veggie aisle you’ll find a wealth of nutritious foods that possess powerful disease-fighting and anti-aging vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds.

Here is a top ten list of super healthy foods in no particular order of priority.

1. Salmon and oily fish like tuna, mackerel, sardines and swordfish are rich in essential omega-3 fats. Omega-3 helps reduce your risk of heart disease, can ease the symptoms of arthritis, delay mental decline and elevate mood in people suffering depression. Start with at least one fish centric meal once a week, aiming for two or three.

2. Blueberries and other berries like raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are rich in antioxidants that help prevent cancer. Include a handful as one of your two servings of fruit each day.

3. Walnuts are packed with a bunch of nutritional goodies, including Omega-3s, fibre and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. They can help cut your cholesterol level and cancer risk. Grab a handful of nuts each day.

4. Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects men against prostate cancer. Include fresh tomatoes in sandwiches or salad and add canned tomatoes to recipes.

5. Oats and other wholegrain cereals contain low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates. GI’s help fill you up and give you sustained energy. Porridge is ideal for breakfast as it also provides soluble fibre that can reduce blood cholesterol levels.

6. Yoghurt is highly nutritious, with calcium for strong bones, protein for muscle repair and lactobacillus bacteria to help maintain the right intestinal balance. Add yoghurt to your oats or as a between-meal snack to help promote a healthy digestive tract.

7. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower (they have a cross shape in the stalk) are rich in vitamin C, folate and phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds) that can help prevent a range of cancers. Include broccoli in your five servings of vegetables each day.

8. Soy is another cholesterol-fighting food and a good source of protein. Soy contains phytochemicals that may also reduce cancer risk. For these benefits, add two to three servings of soy to your daily diet from soy milk (250 ml), tofu (100 g) or textured vegetable protein (100 g).

9. Kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils are packed with soluble fibre to help cut cholesterol. They contain low GI carbohydrate so they also help level out your blood sugars. The protein and iron in beans also makes them a great addition to evening meals and salads.

10. Lettuce is the ultimate slimming food. It’s bulky to fill you up, but contains closet to zero calories. One cup of shredded lettuce has around 5 Cal or 20 kJ. Lettuce varieties, particularly ones with dark green leaves, are rich in antioxidants. Make lettuce an essential item in lunchtime sandwiches and salads.

Protein

What is protein? How much protein do we need? Is it possible to eat too much protein? These are important questions for people following a low carb way of eating, who usually are replacing part of their carbohydrate intake with protein.

What is protein?
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body. Protein represents about 16 percent of our total body weight. Muscle, hair, skin, and connective tissue are mainly made up of protein. Protein also plays a major role in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies. In addition, many of our bodies’ important chemicals — enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and even our DNA — are at least partially made up of protein. Although our bodies are good at “recycling” protein, we use protein constantly, so it is important to continually replace it.
Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. Our bodies cannot manufacture nine amino acids, so it is important to include all of these amino acids in our diets. Animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy products have all of the amino acids we can’t produce, and many plants have some of them.

How much protein do we need?
Each person’s protein needs depend on age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the minimum number of grams of protein that should be consumed daily. According to this method, a person weighing 68kg should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 90kg person should get 74 grams, and a 115kg person, 92 grams.

Do people who exercise need more protein?
Although it is controversial, there is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. One prominent researcher in the field recommends 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7 to 1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.

Shouldn’t protein intake be a percentage of total calories?
Quite a few programs and nutritionists quote percentage of calories, usually in the range of 10 percent to 20 percent, as a way to figure out how much protein a person needs to consume daily. This is a rough estimate of a person’s minimum protein needs. It works because usually larger and more active people need more calories, so the more calories they need, the more protein they will get.
The only time this formula fails is when people are eating diets which are lower in calories for other reasons, conscious or not. People who are ill or losing weight, for example, do not need less protein just because they are eating fewer calories.

What happens if we don’t eat enough protein?
Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If we were to stop eating protein, our body would start to break down muscle for its needs within a day or so.

Is it OK to eat a lot more protein than the minimum recommendations?
This is the crucial question for people on diets, higher in protein than usual, as low carb diets tend to be. In a review of the research, the National Academy of Sciences reported that the only known danger from high protein diets is for individuals with kidney disease. After careful study, they recommend that 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein. They point out that increased protein could be helpful in treating obesity. There is also accumulating evidence that extra protein may help prevent osteoporosis.
Extra protein can be broken down into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. On low carb diets, this happens continually. One benefit of obtaining glucose from protein is that it is absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly, so it doesn’t cause a rapid blood sugar increase.

What foods have the most protein?
Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts all have substantial amounts of protein.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. The small calorie or gram calorie (cal) is the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 g of water by 1 °C. This is about 4.185 J.
The large calorie (C) or kilogram calorie (kcal) is the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kg (appox. 1 litre) of water by 1 °C. This is 4.185 kJ, and exactly 1000 small calories.
In scientific contexts, the name “calorie” refers strictly to the gram calorie, and the unit has the symbol cal. The kilogram calorie is known as the “kilocalorie” and has the symbol kcal.
Colloquially, and in nutrition and food labeling, the term “calorie” almost always refers to the kilogram calorie.
The calories we eat are separated into three different components, Protein, fat and carbohydrates each with their own particular function or purpose.

Sources and function
Protein: Growth, Maintenance, Repair, Energy.
Fats: Growth, Maintenance, Repair, Energy, Insulation.
Carbohydrates: Energy, Fibre.

Chocolate Cravings

By Matt O’Neill, Dietitian

“I can’t live without chocolate!” I hear you say. Well, you don’t have to give it up to enjoy a healthy diet. Here are some facts and simple tips to help you beat those chocolate cravings.

Chocolate and energy
Chocolate is a high-energy food and has been used in army ration packs to fuel soldiers in the field. One hundred grams (100g) of milk chocolate packs around 2200kJ (540Cal) with 31g fat and 58g sugar.
There’s only a small difference in the energy composition between milk, dark and white chocolate. Swapping chocolate for carob bars will cut sugar, but not fat, only saving you about184kJ (20Cal) per 100g. This may not be worth the compromise in taste.
If you are not on maneuvers or burning this energy off with exercise, limiting chocolate, carob and other high-energy foods will help you stay in shape.

Chocolate and cravings
Chocolate has some addictive properties. It contains theobromine, anandamide and other substances that may act on the brain and could make some people feel calm. It has even been suggested that chocolate has similar addictive chemical properties to cannabis. The link here is weak, with researchers stating that you’d have to eat enormous quantities to feel any affects. In the case of consuming anandamide, you would have to eat several kilos of chocolate!
You may inherit a sweet tooth from your parents, and naturally turn to chocolate due to its high sugar content. Chocolate desires may also have cultural influences. One study of Spanish and American men and women revealed the frequency of chocolate craving was more than twice as high in American women as in American men. There was no gender difference in the Spanish subjects.
Chemicals, culture and genetics aside, remember that chocolate just tastes good and that the pleasure of eating it is addictive. The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature, which is why it literally melts in your mouth. This is what makes chocolate unique.
Even though ‘chocoholics’ can reinforce this pleasure pattern over years, the habit can be broken. One clever study demonstrated that if you only eat chocolate after a meal as a small treat, rather than when you are hungry or crave it, you can reduce your cravings over time. This shows that with a little effort you can reprogram your eating behavior.
The bottom line is that a little chocolate each day (a few pieces rather than a few bars) can be part of a healthy eating and exercise routine. When chocolate cravings get in the way of achieving a healthy diet, it’s the emotional rather than biological triggers, which are likely to need attention. Keeping an Eating Diary to become more aware of your eating triggers is a good place to start beating chocolate cravings.

Tips to beat chocolate cravings
Check off the ones you could try.
* Only eat in small amounts after a meal.
* Choose the best quality.
* Get your chocolate fix, with fewer calories. Try a diet hot-chocolate drink or a small tub of low-fat chocolate mouse.
* Don’t buy chocolate as often and don’t keep it in the house. This at least eliminates the trigger to eat it because it’s there.
* When you buy chocolate, choose small servings like individually wrapped bite-sized bars, a Freddo Frog or Milky Way.
* Eat chocolate slowly and savour every bite. You may feel satisfied before you consume too much.
Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana…The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can’t remember what they are.
Matt Lauer, on NBC’s “Today” show, August 22, 1996

The Importance of Vegetables

Vegetables supply the body with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are also important for repair, maintenance and growth of the body. Vegetables have a low energy quotient compared to their volume. They supply various types of fibre and contain 70-80% water. Vegetables also supply fibre and water which are both required for digestion and the elimination of waste from the body.

The importance of eating fruit

Like vegetables, fresh fruit supplies the body with essential minerals and antioxidants. These are important for repair, maintenance and growth of the body. They supply various types of fibre and contain up to 90% water. It is recommended to keep low carb/sugar type fruits and eat only three pieces per day. Fruits also supply fibre and water which are both required for digestion and elimination of waste from the body.

The importance of nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds can supply the body with essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which are also important for repair, maintenance and growth of the body. They also supply essential fatty acids, which are needed by the body for repair, maintenance and growth. Every living cell has a lipid 9 fat incorporated into the cell membrane. Fats are important for healthy skin, hair, nervous system, immune system and healthy brain function. The brain is 50 – 60% lipid content.
All fats are not the same. There are saturated, mono-saturated and poly saturated fats. All three are important to the healthy body. Fats are an important source of energy for the body. The heart and kidneys prefer to use fats as energy over sugars as it can be a more stable energy source. In fact, fats are the preferred energy source of the body.