I LOVE the new food pyramid! Have you seen it?! I love that on the bottom there are words in small print that say, " *Find your balance between food and play* " and " *Fats and sugars - know your limits* ". Sugars are no longer on the pyramid!!
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When I was a kid, I remember thinking, "What the heck does that even mean...you are what you eat?!". By taking my nutrition classes in college a few years back, listening to my husband who has a BA in exercise science, and the more I get into this fitness lifestyle the more I understand it.
I read something that caught my eye on one of the payperclick ads you see on the margarine in Google search. It said "Sugar intake lowers the levels of collagen in your skin." Curious, I looked into it more. I found an awesome article on sugar intake and what it can do to your skin.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/75798-effects-sugar-skin-aging/
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/75798-effects-sugar-skin-aging/#ixzz2C1OLG8Cu
http://www.livestrong.com/article/75798-effects-sugar-skin-aging/
"Many people have heard the old adage that chocolate ruins your skin. Though chocolate itself is not inherently bad for your skin, there may be some truth in that phrase because of the typical high sugar content of chocolate. Sugar may actually advance the aging of your skin, making your face appear more wrinkled and less youthful.
Sugar Intake
Foods high in sugar include candy, cakes, pies, pastries, muffins and chocolates. These foods spike the blood sugar levels in the body quickly. Beverages such as soda, lemonade and juice are full of sugar as well, though it is sometimes hard for people to realize how much sugar they contain because they are in liquid form. According to CNN Health, drinking even one can of soda can spike your blood sugar levels.
Simple and Complex Carbohydrates
Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist and author of "The Wrinkle Cure," explains that foods that spike your blood sugar aren't always what you would expect. Complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, white rice and white pasta also spike your blood sugar and convert into simple sugars quickly in the body, Perricone adds. Even complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and corn tortillas make your blood sugar rise. Complex carbohydrates don't cause your blood sugar to spike as quickly as simple carbohydrates such as straight sugar.
Fructose
According to Science Daily, fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found most often in honey and fruit. Though most people think of fructose as being healthy because it comes from fruit, it may actually cause premature aging of the skin as well. Science Daily explains that when researchers gave fructose to rats over the course of a year, the rats lost a significant amount of collagen and showed many signs of early aging. Someone who wants to prevent wrinkles may not want to overdo her intake of foods with fructose.
Glycation
Perricone explained to Discovery Health that when a person eats a food high in sugar, or a complex carbohydrate that converts to sugar quickly in the body, blood sugar spikes, and a process called "glycation" begins. Glycation is the process in which sugar attaches to collagen, making the skin tough and inflexible. When glycation occurs, the skin on a person's face becomes more susceptible to signs of aging, such as wrinkles, because it cannot bounce back easily when stretched.
Elasticity
Elasticity is an important aspect of youthful skin. Skin is flexible and elastic because it is rich in collagen and elastin. Skin that has elasticity doesn't wrinkle very easily. Perricone says that over time, when someone eats a lot of sugar, her skin loses elasticity and resilience, which leads to deep wrinkles and an older-looking face."
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/75798-effects-sugar-skin-aging/#ixzz2C1OLG8Cu
Something my husband is always telling me that is really good for your skin is fish oil. You can buy it in tablets and I've even seen a powder you can put in cooking; It's VERY healthy for your skin and body.
I also posted previously about the vitamins I've been taking that have been amazing for my hair, skin and nails. It's called Be Wholesome and I get it from GNC.
Not only can sugar have long term effects on your skin, it can effect your workouts. I always find that I am a lot slower during my workouts if I give in to too much sugar (even something like a cookie just hours before a workout). A friend of mine who just got into body-building recommended STEVIA. Not to be mistaken for something like Sweet N'Low or Splenda (which can actually be bad for your body), it's a natural sugar substitute. And I don't feel my energy decreasing as much during my workouts or during the day. You can use that or honey (make sure your honey DOESN'T have any added SUGAR/FRUCTOSE in it!) for cooking or snacks...but again, GO LIGHT!
Something I've also noticed is that whenever the holidays roll around and I give into too much sugar, I get sick. Mostly not anything serious like congestion, but nonetheless sick in some small way (two years ago during the holidays, it turned into a mild form of bronchitis) . You would think I would have learned my lesson by now, but sometimes I feel emotionally drained and I give in to emotional eating. Or there is just something about being in the company of others that just makes your excited and want to eat more. DON'T DO IT! (That's me also yelling at myself to not do it either ;) )
DOPAMINE is a regulator and a neurotransmitter in your mind that controls your reward system and "pleasure centers". It's really easy to resort to emotional eating to satisfy the need to reward oneself. It is very powerful in that we feel a lack of satisfaction that leads us to fullfil it in a rewarding way...."I deserve this"; whether it be time to ourselves and watching a movie we love, fishing, watching sports, for women specifically-getting our nails done, shopping, etc. But often times it's easy to turn to emotional eating. Find something else that's not going to "reward" your system. For me it's going to the gym and snuggling up with my hubby to watch a movie. If you have to satisfy a sweet craving, try just eating a tic tac or drinking juice after a meal. Or see my post on sugar intake, "How healthy is your diet".
I sometimes justify eating sugar/fatty foods by saying "I've had a rough day, I deserve it" or "Just this one treat after lunch". I get sick nearly ever time I do that and I feel like junk the rest of the day and sometimes the next day rendering me to feeling not up to going to the gym so I try to avoid sugar often. Don't get me wrong, I still believe in enjoying yourself with a small treat every now and then, but that is when I am taking a break from training for an event or something. Even then, I still have to be careful or I could get into the habit of saying "Just this once".
DOPAMINE is a regulator and a neurotransmitter in your mind that controls your reward system and "pleasure centers". It's really easy to resort to emotional eating to satisfy the need to reward oneself. It is very powerful in that we feel a lack of satisfaction that leads us to fullfil it in a rewarding way...."I deserve this"; whether it be time to ourselves and watching a movie we love, fishing, watching sports, for women specifically-getting our nails done, shopping, etc. But often times it's easy to turn to emotional eating. Find something else that's not going to "reward" your system. For me it's going to the gym and snuggling up with my hubby to watch a movie. If you have to satisfy a sweet craving, try just eating a tic tac or drinking juice after a meal. Or see my post on sugar intake, "How healthy is your diet".
I sometimes justify eating sugar/fatty foods by saying "I've had a rough day, I deserve it" or "Just this one treat after lunch". I get sick nearly ever time I do that and I feel like junk the rest of the day and sometimes the next day rendering me to feeling not up to going to the gym so I try to avoid sugar often. Don't get me wrong, I still believe in enjoying yourself with a small treat every now and then, but that is when I am taking a break from training for an event or something. Even then, I still have to be careful or I could get into the habit of saying "Just this once".
For more info on sugar intake and what snack to eat to deter emotional eating, see my article on "How 'Healthy' Is Your Diet".
It's not just sugar that can make me feel drained (sure you get the sugar high but then quickly drains your energy), I noticed that when I eat too fatty of foods for a couple of days, my intestines can't handle it and again, I either get sick or my stomach sticks out like I'm pregnant again.
I love this article too: "The 18 Best Supplements for Women" from Women's Health Magazine:
Iron
What it does
"Carries oxygen in the body; aids in the production of red blood cells; supports immune function, cognitive development, and temperature regulation; is essential for proper cell growth.
Why you need it
Slacking on your iron intake causes your body to reduce the production of red blood cells, causing anemia. This can lead to unrelenting fatigue and shortness of breath while doing activities that aren't very strenuous, as well as difficulty maintaining body temperature and decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection. What's more, blood loss during your period depletes your body's iron stores, so it's particularly important for women with heavy periods to eat iron-rich foods or take supplements, says Carol Haggans, R.D., a consultant for the National Institutes of Health."
"Carries oxygen in the body; aids in the production of red blood cells; supports immune function, cognitive development, and temperature regulation; is essential for proper cell growth.
Why you need it
Slacking on your iron intake causes your body to reduce the production of red blood cells, causing anemia. This can lead to unrelenting fatigue and shortness of breath while doing activities that aren't very strenuous, as well as difficulty maintaining body temperature and decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection. What's more, blood loss during your period depletes your body's iron stores, so it's particularly important for women with heavy periods to eat iron-rich foods or take supplements, says Carol Haggans, R.D., a consultant for the National Institutes of Health."
Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/vitamins-and-nutrients-for-women#ixzz2C24ABPcV"
This information has really benefited me a lot lately. The more I work out the older I feel because I'm working out so hard sometimes that it effects every part of my body which is good. I guess I just mean that I've never really known how to work out til this last year. LOL. It's been great input for me because I have had heart palpitations since 9th grade. They weren't really anything at first. I would get it once a year or once every 2 years. Lately, I've had them almost once every volleyball game I played or once when I was at practice for flag football when I was simply throwing the ball. That time during practice, my vision all of a sudden was blurry, I couldn't hear very well and I felt dizzy along with my irregular heart beats. It sounds crazy and scary, but I sadly thought nothing of it at the time. Just a "mishap" in my mind. Then it started happening more often this year and I finally looked up my symptoms online. (Sad it takes something serious for us to take action sometimes). http://www.livestrong.com/article/355402-heart-problems-from-potassium-deficiency/ If I would have looked it up sooner or seen a doctor, I could have avoided some, if not all of my problems I had been having. I found out that I was not getting enough potassium or iron which was most likely causing these problems. I looked up and found a list of foods that have potassium and eating more of those things (See end of article for a list of foods high in potassium and iron) I have had more energy and less problems by eating more potassium and it's due to simply looking up information like what's in that article I mentioned above.
Now to the You Are What You DON'T eat/drink. Something else that is extremely important when working out is drinking enough water and getting enough substantial amounts of carbs and proteins to fuel you up for your workouts. I learned this the hard way last month. We had just moved and I was running around like crazy unpacking and still working out BUT forgetting to eat and drink enough water. This, my doctor believes, lead me to having a sharp pain in my upper abdomen. My doctor believes the pain was based in my gallbladder and an air pocket due to the insufficient intake of water/fluids. She thinks my gallbladder was also sucking all the potassium my body needed to prevent the heart palpitations I was having.
Now to the You Are What You DON'T eat/drink. Something else that is extremely important when working out is drinking enough water and getting enough substantial amounts of carbs and proteins to fuel you up for your workouts. I learned this the hard way last month. We had just moved and I was running around like crazy unpacking and still working out BUT forgetting to eat and drink enough water. This, my doctor believes, lead me to having a sharp pain in my upper abdomen. My doctor believes the pain was based in my gallbladder and an air pocket due to the insufficient intake of water/fluids. She thinks my gallbladder was also sucking all the potassium my body needed to prevent the heart palpitations I was having.
Do yourself a favor and avoid unnecessary doctor appointments that cost a lot of money, are emotionally and time consuming, by eating right and healthy.
To sum it up; TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AND YOUR BODY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! :)
What are things you do or take to help your body feel overall great and healthy??
High Iron Foods
Lean red meat
chicken
turkey
fish
cereals
beans
whole grains
dark-green leafy vegetables
"If you're not eating enough of these foods, talk to your doc about trying a ferrous sulfate supplement since it's most easily absorbed, says nutrition expert Cynthia Sass, R.D. And don't forget to sneak in foods rich in Vitamin C since they enhance your body's iron absorption."
Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/vitamins-and-nutrients-for-women
Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/vitamins-and-nutrients-for-women
| Recipe | Type of Food | Portion | K (mg) |
| Click for recipe! | Tomato Paste (canned) | 1 cup | 2657 |
| Click for recipe! | Tomato Puree (canned) | 1 cup | 1098 |
| Click for recipe! | Tomato Sauce (canned) | 1 cup | 811 |
| No recipe yet | Tomato Juice (canned) | 1 cup | 556 |
| No recipe yet | Tomatoes Canned (stewed) | 1 cup | 548 |
| Click for Recipe! | Tomatoes Fresh (average) | 1 cup | 427 |
| No recipe yet | Beet Greens (boiled, drained) | 1 cup | 1309 |
| Click for recipe! | White Beans (canned) | 1 cup | 1189 |
| No recipe yet | Soybeans (green,boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 970 |
| No recipe yet | Pinto Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 746 |
| No recipe yet | Baby Lima Beans (frozen) | 1 cup | 740 |
| Click for recipe! | Lentils (boiled) | 1 cup | 737 |
| No recipe yet | Kidney Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 731 |
| No recipe yet | Peas (boiled) | 1 cup | 710 |
| No recipe yet | Navy Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 708 |
| Click for recipe! | Chili con Carne | 1 cup | 705 |
| No recipe yet | Northern Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 692 |
| No recipe yet | Cowpeas (boiled) | 1 cup | 689 |
| No recipe yet | Black Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 611 |
| Click for recipe! | Garbanzo Beans (boiled) | 1 cup | 477 |
| No recipe yet | Dates | 1 cup | 1168 |
| No recipe yet | Condensed Milk | 1 cup | 1135 |
| No recipe yet | Milk (chocolate, nonfat) | 1 cup | 425 |
| No recipe yet | Milk (nonfat) | 1 cup | 382 |
| No recipe yet | Milk (whole) | 1 cup | 322 |
| No recipe yet | Raisins | 1 cup | 1086 |
| No recipe yet | Dried Apricots | 1 cup | 978 |
| No recipe yet | Baked Potato (include skin) | 1 cup | 1081 |
| No recipe yet | French Fries | Large | 980 |
| No recipe yet | Sweet Potato (include skin) | 1 cup | 694 |
| No recipe yet | Trail mix (tropical) | 1 cup | 993 |
| No recipe yet | Roasted Chestnuts | 1 cup | 847 |
| No recipe yet | Halibut (fish) | 1 fillet | 1680 |
| No recipe yet | Salmon (sockeye) | 1 fillet | 1264 |
| No recipe yet | Swordfish | 1 cut | 529 |
| No recipe yet | Haddock | 1 fillet | 527 |
| No recipe yet | Tuna (fresh) | 1 cut | 448 |
| No recipe yet | Cod fish | 1 cup | 446 |
| No recipe yet | Trout (rainbow) | 3oz./87g | 383 |
| No recipe yet | Sardines (canned) | 3 oz | 338 |
| No recipe yet | Spinach (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 839 |
| No recipe yet | Iceberg Lettuce | 1 head | 760 |
| No recipe yet | Chinese Cabbage | 1 cup | 631 |
| No recipe yet | Parsnips (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 573 |
| No recipe yet | Kohlrabi (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 561 |
| No recipe yet | Rutabagas (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 496 |
| No recipe yet | Brussels Sprouts (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 480 |
| No recipe yet | Vegetable Juice Cocktail | 1 cup | 467 |
| No recipe yet | Cucumber | 1 cup | 442 |
| No recipe yet | Broccoli (boiled,drained) | 1 cup (150g) | 441 |
| No recipe yet | Broccoli (raw) | 1 cup (150g) | 485 |
| No recipe yet | Collared Greens | 1 cup | 438 |
| No recipe yet | Celery (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 426 |
| No recipe yet | Kale (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 417 |
| No recipe yet | Carrots (boiled, drained) | 1 cup | 367 |
| No recipe yet | Enoki Mushrooms (raw) | 100 grams | 348 |
| No recipe yet | Corn (canned) | 1 cup | 342 |
| No recipe yet | Asparagus (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 310 |
| No recipe yet | Prune Juice | 1 cup | 707 |
| No recipe yet | Buckwheat flour (whole) | 1 cup | 692 |
| No recipe yet | Carrot Juice | 1 cup | 689 |
| No recipe yet | Bulger (dry) | 1 cup | 574 |
| No recipe yet | Papaya (raw) | 1 cup | 553 |
| No recipe yet | Yogurt (low fat) | 1 cup | 531 |
| No recipe yet | Pumpkin (boiled,drained) | 1 cup | 564 |
| No recipe yet | Banana (raw) | 1 cup | 537 |
| No recipe yet | Orange Juice (fresh) | 1 cup | 496 |
| No recipe yet | Orange Juice (from concentrate) | 1 cup | 466 |
| No recipe yet | Papaya | 1 cup | 553 |
| No recipe yet | Eggnog (low fat) | 1 cup | 419 |
| No recipe yet | Grapefruit Juice (fresh) | 1 cup | 400 |
| No recipe yet | Turkey | 1 cup | 392 |
| No recipe yet | Honeydew Melon Juice (fresh) | 1 cup | 392 |
| No recipe yet | Beef Stew (canned) | 1 cup | 388 |
| No recipe yet | Asian Pear (fresh) | 1 cup | 332 |
| No recipe yet | Oranges (fresh) | 1 cup | 329 |
| No recipe yet | Pistachios | 1 cup | 285 |
| No recipe yet | Mango (fresh) | 1 cup | 270 |
| No recipe yet | Nectarines (fresh) | 1 cup | 277 |
| No recipe yet | Figs (dried) | 2 figs | 258 |
| No recipe yet | Strawberries (fresh) | 1 cup | 260 |
| No recipe yet | Apple Juice (fresh) | 1 cup | 250 |
