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Greetings!
We are approaching one of my favorite periods of
Boulder Winter. This is the time of year when the days
begin to get noticeably longer, we have more sunny
days with the temperatures in the 50's and I begin to
get those prodromal whiffs of spring. And this is my
favorite time to ski. The temperatures on the mountain
(Eldora) are less cold than in December and the snow
is better. Nordic skiing along with yoga is how I stay
active during the winter here in Colorado. Boulder is
almost synonymous with the fit and healthy lifestyle,
but there are still times when one finds it hard to stay
consistently active and when one finds themselves
slipping into unhealthy eating patterns. The
United States has one of the highest rates of obesity
and type 2 diabetes in the world. It is especially sad
when it happens to children due to their lack of getting
outdoors and being active, along with the
overconsumption of high sugar and fatty
"convenience" foods. It is especially sad for children
when there isn't even a safe place for them to go and
exercise outdoors. I think that it is not a coincidence
that we are also seeing more psychological and
behavioral issues in children as well. Last
year I
introduced the Ulra Lite medical weight loss program
into my practice. I have seen many patients transform
their bodies along with their relationship to food and
get themselves on a path of healthy eating. Many of
these patients have found the program very workable
and have and are achieving their weight loss and
fitness goals. Call or email me if you would like more
information on the Ultra Lite weight loss for life
program.
| Get Out, get healthy - Don't let cold weather trap your kids inside! |
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Jessica Lester knows this one girl in high school who
sits at her desk all day with only a four-minute break in
between each class. Then she goes home and does
homework until bedtime. The only time she spends
outside is walking to her car.
Sounds about typical for many high-schoolers across
the country.
But 12-year-old Jessica, of Niwot, says she can't
imagine such a life.
"If that was me, I'd die," Jessica says.
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| How Obesity Increases the Risk for Diabetes |
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ScienceDaily (June 22, 2009) Obesity is probably
the most important factor in the development of insulin
resistance, but science's understanding of the chain of
events is still spotty. Now, researchers at the Salk
Institute for Biological Studies have filled in the gap
and identified the missing link between the two. Their
findings, to be published in the June 21, 2009
advance online edition of the journal Nature, explain
how obesity sets the stage for diabetes and why thin
people can become insulin-resistant. From the
Science Daily
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| How do You Maintain Weight Loss? |
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Get your head working and the middle will take care of
itself!
The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to
understand what really motivates you. Once youve felt
the initial excitement of losing the first few pounds, you
must find a way to turn that enthusiasm into the
willpower to stick with your eating plan. You will
encounter both ups and downs as you learn to
maintain your weight. To help you through the downs,
you need coping strategies. Think about what you
really want to achieve. That desire will help you turn
your eating and exercise strategies into a lifestyle that
leads to lifelong weight control. From the
American Heart Association
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| I Love Collard Greens! (And you should too!) |
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Another reason that I like this time of the year is that
you can find great organic dark leafy greens in the
grocery store and have some wonderful collard
greens! Collard greens are a great source of Vitamins
A and C and are members of the cruciferous
vegetable family which are protective against cancer
and also aid in balancing your hormones and
detoxifying exogenous hormones (xenoestrogens
from pesticides and herbicides and plastics) out of
your body. I love it when I can pick them fresh from
my garden (they are quite easy to grow here in zone
4-5) but this time of the year I settle for the organic
store bought kind. Maybe sometime I will get
resourceful and do cold frames and greenhouses etc
so I can have them fresh year round .... but that will
have to wait for another day. Meanwhile, enjoy this
recipe!
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How Carbohydrates and Obesity are Linked: The Kind, not the Amount |
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It's the kind of carbohydrates you consume, not the
number, that becomes a reflection of the number on
your bathroom scale. Contrary to popular belief,
overweight people don't eat more carbohydrates than
those of normal weight. However, it was discovered
that overweight people were more inclined to eat an
excess of refined carbohydrates such as white bread
and pasta, which trigger a rapid spike in blood sugar.
The culprit of weight gain, refined carbohydrates, can
be found in processed foods high in sugar. Refined
carbohydrates add on extra pounds through their high
glycemic index, which means they cause a quick
surge in blood sugar. The sugar is then stored in
muscle and if it is not used it turns into fat.
On the contrary, other carbohydrates such as whole
grains, fruits and vegetables don't have high glycemic
indexes.
Even though statistics showed that people are
eating less fat, it was revealed that over the course of
the past 20 years the rate of obesity has been steadily
increasing.
To determine if carbohydrates played a factor in
obesity researchers conducted a study by measuring
the height and weight of nearly 600 healthy
participants. One of the main requirements of the study
was for the participants to document the kind of
carbohydrates they ate for one year.
The study revealed two key findings:
People with a higher body mass index--
a measure of weight that factors in height -- tended to
eat carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index
The amount of carbohydrates people ate
had no influence on body mass index
Researchers of the study also noted that some
countries are now adding glycemic levels on food
labels as a guideline to those who are trying to lose
weight or control diabetes.
American Journal of Epidemiology February
15, 2005;161(4):359-367
Find out more....
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