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The Additives All Nutritionists Avoid....And So Should You!!

2/2/2015

5 ADDITIVES ALL NUTRITIONISTS AVOID…………………….AND SO SHOULD YOU!!!

Trans Fats-----No, they are not a natural ingredient. Trans Fats are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. The result is a product with a much longer shelf life. Unfortunately it also leads to higher bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, Type II Diabetes, and heart disease.
Artificial Sweetners-----Yes, they may be zero calories, but that is about the only “zero” thing about them. These sweeteners are 700 times more sweet than natural sugar. This heightened sweetness leads to more cravings for sweet things which leads to a higher caloric intake for the day. Simple terms=They may you crave more food.
MSG----Wh y can’t you eat only one potatoe chip? This guy right here. MSG enhances you taste buds tasting ability, essentially making your food taste better. Also linked to Diabetes, headaches, ADHD, and numerous other heath issues. Be careful, although MSG has to be listed as an ingredient per the FDA many times it is hidden, labled as something else. Here is a great link to the other names MSG can be listed as http://www.msgmyth.com/hidden_names_for_msg.html
Sugar-----It is in almost everything we eat nowadays. In simple terms when looking at a nutrition label you need to look at carbohydrates and added sugar as the same thing. Carbohydrates are converted to sugar within the blood. So, do you know how much sugar is in “healthy” whole wheat bread that we serve to our children? 7.5 teaspoons (remember a sandwich contains 2 pieces of bread)!! This is one less teaspoon than a Snickers Bar (8.5). The average person’s normal blood sugar level is less than a teaspoon. Someone with Tyoe II Diabetes? 1 ¼ teaspoons. Wow….not much difference. So when we drink a can of soda it is similar to opening the sugar tin and scooping out 10 teaspoons of sugar and gulping it down, and ramping up our blood sugar to nearly 9x what a Diabetic’s resting blood sugar is. Here is a simlpe calculation to help you figure out the “teaspoons” of sugar in what you are eating. Add the grams of carbs with the added sugar and then divide by 4. Carbs+Sugar/4. That will tell you roughly how many teaspoons of sugar you are ingesting and is much easier for the mind to quantify.
High Fructose Corn Syrup(chemically made suagr)----It’s an added sweetener, and if the product you are eating contains it………….it’s a good bet that the food is highly processed. As HFCS use has gone up, so to has our national obesity rates. Can be found in canned fruits and veggies, breads/muffins, cereal bars, yogurts, and many many other foods.

Now, this is a simple list. Is the world going to end if you eat a Kit Kat? Of course not. Many will even argue (mostly the companies making the products) as to validity of what is written above. But, only thing you can bank on. No one is going to ever argue the dangers of taking these things out of your daily diet.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Wiskind

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Death By Sitting

1/22/2015

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I received a lot of great questions after last month’s newsletter, “Is Your Chair Trying To Kill You?” So, I decided to follow up with Part II, to elaborate further on additional problem areas, as well as some very simple solutions that you can take to maintain your back health when it comes to your chair!

Let’s start at the top and work our way down.

BRAIN FOG: did you know that moving around pumps fresh blood and oxygen to your brain? This triggers the release of all sorts of great mood enhancing chemicals. Sitting and not moving slows this process down.

NECK STRAIN: if most of your day is spent sitting at a desk, that neck crane can lead to permanent imbalances and degeneration of the cervical vertebra.

THE INCREDIBLE INFLEXIBLE SPINE: spines are meant to move. Those that don’t become inflexible and susceptible to damage during mundane activities, such as when you bend over to tie your shoe (sound familiar?).

HEART DISEASE, DIABETES AND CANCER….OH MY: Now you think I’m stretching it? How can too much sitting possibly lead to these things? Regarding heart disease, when we sit for long periods of time, muscles burn less fat and the blood flows through our system more sluggishly. This allows fatty acids to clog the heart more easily. The most sedentary people are more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease. Diabetes and Cancer: Our pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that carries glucose to our cells for energy. Idle cells don’t respond as readily to insulin, so what does the pancreas do? Yep….it produces more and more insulin which can lead to Diabetes, as well as cell growth which can then lead to cancer.

MUSHY ABS-TIGHT HIPS-AND LIMP GLUTES - A GREAT TRIFECTA: When you stand and move or even sit up straight, your abs hold you upright. But when you slump in a chair they get to relax, resulting in a posture wrecking alliance between a tight back and wimpy abs. Chronic sitters so rarely extend their hips that their hip flexors become short and tight. Flexible hips help keep you balanced. When they are tight they limit stride length. Did you know that research shows that decreased hip mobility is one of the main reasons that elderly people fall? Sitting requires those glutes to do absolutely nothing! Those mushy gluts not only hurt stability, but ruin your ability to push off and maintain a powerful stride. People who watched the most TV over an 8 year period had a 60% greater risk of mortality than those who watched less than an hour. Stagnation can also lead to poor circulation such as varicose veins and soft bones due to lack of weight bearing activities.

THE GOOD NEWS: So now that the specifics are out of the way, what can be done? Here ya go:

Sit the correct way. Like your mom always said, “Sit up straight!” In a perfect world you want your feet flat on the floor, hips and knees at 90 degrees, elbows bent to 90 degrees, shoulders relaxed, and your arms close to your sides. Having your low back supported is important!

(Great tip: roll up a small towel, put some rubber bands around it, and put that in the hollow of your low back).

The bottom edge of your computer monitor should be at eye height (yes, that high!). This keeps your ears on top of your shoulders and prevents you from hunching forward.
Sit on something wobbly like an exercise ball or backless chair. This forces the core muscles to work and help with stability.
Make sure you stretch your hip flexors. If you were sitting, your hip flexors are the muscles that pull your knee towards your body. Follow the picture below to help with these stingy muscles.
Try some simple yoga poses. The prayer position and the mad cat are great for improving stability and flexibility of the spine.
Take breaks from sitting. Even a 30 second to 1 minute quick stretch or stroll around the room will alleviate some pressure off the lower back.
And lastly, ask questions! If you are unsure of what to do or how to do it, ask! I am more than happy to help.

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The Additives All Nutritionists Avoid....And So Should You!!

Death By Sitting

Dr Jared Wiskind

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