by Nutrition Scholar on April 3, 2012
A proven weapon in the battle against weight loss is your pen. By simply writing down what you eat, you will lose more weight. It’s not the physical act of writing that does it, of course. It is the mental aspect of seeing what you are consuming on a daily basis and making rational decisions based on that.
A 2008 study by Kaiser Permanente showed the power this can have. 1,700 participants agreed to adopt a healthy diet, but it was the subjects who kept a daily diary tracking their caloric intake who lost the most weight. During the 6 month study, two thirds of the participants lost 9 pounds or more. However, those that tracked their daily menus in a journal lost up to 20 pounds – twice as much as those who didn’t write down what they ate. [click to continue…]
by Nutrition Scholar on March 9, 2012
Everyone knows that Omega 3 fatty acids are good for you. Americans simply aren’t getting enough of them. The ratio between Omega 3 and Omega 6 acids (the latter is found in most types of vegetable oils) in the Western diet is scary. Hundreds of years ago, the intake ratio was closer to 1:1, which is optimal. With the advent of fast food, sugary drinks, and processed ingredients, however, Omega 6 intake skyrocketed. It is not uncommon for a typical American to ingest 10 to 30 times as many Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3s. The result is inflammation and chronic disease.
This is why foods with high Omega 3 levels have gained popularity in recent years. Flax seeds. Chia seeds. Wild salmon. Walnuts. But are they equal? Which is best? That is the dilemma.
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