Can eating chocolate make you thinner?

“Scientists have announced the discovery every chocolate lover has been waiting for”, according to The Independent newspaper (27th March 2012). If you believe everything you read, chocolate is “not only ‘calorie neutral’ but actually appeared to make people slimmer.”
Hold on while I choke on my family sized bar of Dairy Milk! Does this mean that I can now chomp away on unlimited chocolate, safe in the knowledge that it won’t make me put on weight?

You will know from reading my recent puddings article that I’m a big fan of chocolate. So when I read these headlines, I was beyond excited. Could they really be true? I went in search of the original article, published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine, to find out more. It turns out that the relationship between chocolate and our waistlines is far from clear. As I say to anyone who asks me about a crazy health headline, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And, unfortunately, like the ‘cake for breakfast’ story earlier this year, this news is simply far too good to be true.

So before you reach for that Easter egg, let’s have a quick look at the facts. The study in question was a survey of 975 men and women living in California. Their height and weight was measured and they were asked how often they ate chocolate (not how much chocolate they ate). Those who ate chocolate more often tended to have a lower body mass index, even though their fruit, vegetable and saturated fat eating habits were similar, and they were active a similar number of times a week.

These findings simply don’t provide enough information to say that eating chocolate is what made people slimmer – there are plenty of other factors that weren’t studied which could have affected participants’ weight (how much chocolate they ate, how long they were active for, what other types of food they ate, etc.). And the study certainly doesn’t prove that chocolate is ‘calorie neutral’ – that would mean you could eat as much as you liked and never gain any weight. While I’m tempted – in the interests of science – to add a giant bar to my daily menu just to see what happens, I think I can guess!

What this study does suggest is that eating a couple of squares of chocolate a day, ideally the good-quality dark stuff, won’t necessarily hinder your weight loss efforts. So if you love it, tuck in and enjoy. Just don’t eat the whole bar!

References:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/chocolate-can-help-keep-you-slim-7592944.html

Golomb, B.A. et al (2012) Association between more frequent chocolate consumption and lower body mass index. Archives of Internal Medicine; 172(6):519-521.

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Amanda shows you how to get the best results

For me effective weight loss is less about calorie counting and more about providing your body with the nutrients it needs, while cutting out the bad stuff.

Have you heard of chemical calories? If you haven’t yet, chances are you will soon. It is the so-called ‘cocktail‘ effect of these chemicals that is thought to be one of the factors behind the changing pattern of our bodies. A hefty percentage of these chemicals are actually designed to promote weight gain and rapid growth.

How do these chemicals get in my food?

It is widely known that some farmers feed their livestock growth-promoting additives to encourage animals to gain weight fast. It is very understandable, after all, it is a business. These chemicals improve the efficiency of food by changing the animal’s metabolism in such a way that less food goes further; bigger livestock equals bigger profits. However these additives work their way down the food chain, to our plates.

So it makes sense that they have a fattening-up effect on us!Of course I don’t want to scare-monger – a minute dose of a chemical does not create any significant problem. They would never be deemed safe enough to leave the lab otherwise. However, when you consider that around 20,000 new chemicals are added into our environment each year (according to The Guardian newspaper’s ‘Chemical World’ series) it becomes more worrying. Multiply many minute doses and voila! You have your very own chemical cocktail.

What are the effects?

These chemicals work in several ways. They may be able to damage the natural appetite ‘switch’, which tells us when to stop eating, and they may make us store fat more effectively – after all, that is exactly what the farmer wants from his prize bovine. It’s not just meat that’s potentially contaminated, veggies are affected, too. The same chemicals that promote weight gain in animals and humans are sprayed on vegetables and used in medicines, cosmetics, toiletries, metals, plastics and household products.

The net result is that far from the ‘fat epidemic’ being explained away solely by excessive eating and laziness, the increasing use of chemicals in food production has to be considered too.

Who does it affect?

You might be wondering why everyone isn’t fat. The long and short of it is, there is no clear answer to that one. One school of thought explains that there have always been people who are more chemically sensitive.
Moreover, if your detox systems are working well your body will remove most of the offending chemicals. However, if you are one of the many whose diet is low in the nutrients needed to keep your detox organs working optimally and is rich in chemicals calories, then you have a double-whammy. Chuck in a resistance to exercise (which boosts detoxification) and you have a pretty clear picture.

It forces the old diet world order to do an about turn. Rather than looking at food in terms of fat or calories, think in terms of its nutritional status and nutrient value.  It certainly boosts the fight for organic. The humble avocado, denied by dieters the world over, becomes a fat-fighting food par excellence due to its protective oils and durability over more fragile foods. Diet drinks and low-calorie processed foods become resigned to the sin-bin.

Every chemical source in your life from skin care to shower cleaner gets a detox. Luckily for us, celebrity-endorsed lines of natural, organic and free-range are everywhere now. Before you panic, let me tell you what I tell my clients to help keep things simple. If you can’t pronounce what is says on the label you probably shouldn’t be eating it, at least not all the time. Go organic with animal products that have not been subject to the growth-inducing chemicals. And next time you need a refill or a new shampoo, try out the organic one…read more

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Dieting differences

If you have reached the age of 50 and looking to lose some body fat, you might wonder if you should try dieting differences in the approach you use versus the approach of someone who is younger

As you will know, your body is different now than when you were in your twenties, so it has to stand to reason that you may need to use a different type of diet.
Let’s review the main things that you should know so as you can get right on track to progress.

Calorie Intake Changes

The very first thing that you are likely to do is use a slightly lower calorie intake at this point in your life.  Now, there is the common saying that the metabolism naturally slows with age.  While this is true, it’s not for the reason many people believe.

The main reason why your metabolism  decreases as you get older is the loss  lean muscle tissue.  If you’re someone who has kept active for the last 20 years, you most likely don’t need to use a reduced calorie intake as you will have more lean muscle tissue.
If you haven’t been exercising though, then a slightly lower calorie diet is in order.  Try starting at around 10 or 11 calories per pound of body weight.

At this point in your life you may not be quite as physically active overall either as you were when you were younger, so that will also factor into your total daily calorie burn.
Accounting For Nutritional Deficiencies

Another adjustment that you should make is accounting for nutritional deficiencies.  Those who are older will want to really make sure that they are taking in enough calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

This will help ensure that they maintain strong bones and high energy levels.  In addition to that, make sure that you’re taking in a very high quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables daily on whatever diet you choose as these will help to protect against some of the common diseases that can develop as the years go on.

Adding Extra Protein

Finally, the last thing that you should adjust on your diet protocol is your protein intake.  Many older individuals are not getting enough protein total, so it’s important that you bump up your intake.

Additionally, since you aren’t quite as active as you were when you were younger, having more protein in the diet will help to further safeguard against lean muscle tissue loss, so will help to keep your metabolism higher long-term.

Remember to add plenty of low-fat dairy sources of protein in particular such as Greek yogurt, skim milk, and low-fat cottage cheese as these are both high in protein and high in calcium, so will really help you along your way.

So there you have everything that you need to know about dieting differences after 50.  While the general approach should still be quite similar, making these few additional changes would be well worth your while.

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Top Diet Trends

With Spring and summer getting nearer, many of you may be looking at little things that you can do to improve  your diet. You should be  constantly  on the lookout for the latest top diet trends for 2012 regarding what works and what doesn’t,  your diet is important if you want to see good results.

A short while ago a study  by Pollock Communications listed a few key points that you should keep in mind. If you can start to incorporate these into your very own diet program, you should see some progress coming your way.

Think Green

The first trend is to think all natural. The more natural you can make your diet, the better says dieticians of this research group.  Much more focus in today’s world will be placed on eating foods that come in their completely natural state so turning your back on all processed foods that line the supermarket shelves is a must for you all.

Use Herbs More Often

The second trend that you’ll see being mentioned more often in 2012 will be the use of spices to add flavor to your foods rather than using condiments and sauces.  Many spices have their own unique benefits as well, so this further adds to the benefits you’ll receive from the use them in your diet plan.

keep a lookout for the high-sodium spices they are a no-no make sure that you stay away from this variety.

Focus On Micronutrients

Micronutrients will be another large focal point  Rather than strictly looking at how many grams of protein, carbs, and fats you’re consuming, more people will be looking at fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

More awareness is being raised about just how important these nutrients are to form a healthy diet so people are starting to make sure that their diet doesn’t have any weak spots where nutritional density is low.

Seasonal Produce Is Big

More focus is also going to be placed on all the seasonal fruits and vegetables that you can buy.  Don’t stick to eating  the same foods day in and day out  this will have a very negative impact on their nutritional standing.
Experimenting a bit try new options when you see them at the supermarket.

Use MyPlate As A Guide The old food guide is now being replaced by a new guide – the MyPlate guide, which has a brand new set-up to consider for your food consumption.  With this set-up, you’ll be having half your plate divided between protein sand grains, with the other half consisting of vegetables and fruits.  Dairy will be a small serving on the side to add extra protein and calcium.

This much smaller dedication to grain products is going to help to combat diabetes along with many other negative health conditions associated with a very large carb intake.
So there you have the primary points to consider now 2012 is well under way. Follow these and you can feel confident your diet will be if you keep up with the top diet trends for 2012. learn more…

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Yerba Mate can be found  growing across Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil but found in abundance in Paraguay, the plant is part of the holly family and is generally consumed as a drink for its amazing health qualities.

It is also an appetite suppressant so will stop hunger it also has the power of making you feel invigorated and full of energy, plus being a potent stimulant.

It energizes the body by stimulating the nervous system, having effects on the body in a similar way to what coffee can do although it does not contain the same amount of caffeine that coffee does so side effects are very unlikely.

Yerba Mate benefits can help to lower the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood stream and can also prevent oral cancer. By having high levels of powerful polyphenols which have a strong anti-cancer effect on mammals and it is believed that it can have the same effect on humans.

It boosts your immune system and is full of nutrients and antioxidants. It has been the subject of weight loss trials for years and in 2000.

Research carried out at the Charlottenlund Medical Center in Denmark came to the conclusion that when Yerba was mixed with other ingredients like Guarana and Damiana, it was found that it significantly delayed gastric emptying also helping to increasing the amount of time the person feels full after eating. Which over a 45 day period lead to participants in this trial losing a significant amount of weight .

In June 2001, a study that was published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found that yerba mate slowed digestion while speeding up metabolism which suggested that it might help with weight loss. It is also believed to be thermogenic in nature, meaning it may encourage the body to burn more calories. In an additional study performed in Switzerland by the University of Lausanne, the participants demonstrated a big increase in the total fat their bodies burned for energy.

Yerba Mate extract is one of the important components found in Slim Weight Patch. And it is clinically proven to work Unlike a lot of other weight loss patches, it is extremely effective at stopping hunger pangs as previous studies have shown, which results in lesser food consumed and lesser calories and will zap unwanted fat away.

It works together with Slim Weight Patch’s other powerful weight loss ingredients such as; Fucus Vesiculosus, Zinc Pyruvate, L- Carnitine, Guarana and DHEA to name a few. Try as you may you will not find another slimming patch of this calibre or with this amount of top quality ingredients and nutrients’ this Slim Weight Patch is the weight loss system of the future read more…

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