nextnature.net

An unhealthy habit with healthy eating could be dangerous, doctors have warned. A disorder (called orthorexia) has a definition indicating an obsession with eating healthy foods such as organic, raw, gluten free, vegan, low sodium, etc.

Now I realize this may sound like an oxymoron because how can focusing on healthy food be bad for you? But the emphasis is intended to be on an “unhealthy obsession,” with something that should otherwise be healthy. In our polluted and chemicalized society today, there’s so much attention being paid to healthy eating that it’s no wonder many are becoming obsessed.

The phrase was first coined in 1997 by California doctor Steven Bratman, and refers to people who create severely limited diets in the name of healthy eating. People with this disorder put so much thought into the quality of foods that it begins to dictate how they feel about themselves, keeps them away from eating out socially, greatly restricts the foods they eat and has them obsessing over ingredients and the cleanliness of foods.

“Dr. Bratman states that it often begins with someone’s simple and genuine desire to live a healthy lifestyle. The person may choose to stop eating red meat, but eventually cuts out all meat; then all processed foods, and will eventually eat only specific foods that are prepared in very specific ways.  The University of Rome conducted a study in 2004 to determine the disorder’s prevalence. It surveyed 400 students and found that 28 of them (6.9 percent) exhibited orthorexic behavior. That’s a higher percentage than anorexia and bulimia combined. They also found the condition to be more prevalent among men than women.” (eatingdisordershelpguide.com)

And we can all go to extremes, can’t we? Being a Personal Trainer, I often see people with what could be called exercise addiction. These people are hitting the weights, running daily and may even hit a few spin classes in between. This is an extreme over-focus on exercise and leads to “burnout” in due time.

I do have somewhat of a problem with the diagnosis of orthorexia because it can end up being controlled with drugs to curb the obsession, especially with it being linked in some circles with OCD and the standard anorexia. The Washington-based Eating Disorders Coalition even wants orthorexia to have a separate entry in the bible of psychiatric illness, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (TimeHealth)

By itself, the drug approach is a horrendous way to deal with the problem. A far better perspective is given by Steven Bratman, M.D. in his book, ”Health Food Junkies: Overcoming the Obsession With Healthful Eating“:

“….it is transferring too much of life’s meaning onto food that makes orthorexia an eating disorder. If you simply eat healthy food but don’t give it more of a place in your life than it’s really due, you have a good diet – a laudable goal. But when you use food to drain away the energy from other parts of your life, you are impoverishing your soul. Instead of dealing with your real feelings – your real challenges, interests, desires, and needs – you pretend to find them in food. You transfer anxiety over how your life is going to anxiety over what you are going to eat.”

 

So for some, states Bratman, orthorexia seems to be a disease disguised as a virtue, because society approves of health consciousness. He says because they pursue purity in the food they eat, orthorexics are disgusted by processed food like macaroni and cheese, or even something as seemingly innocent as an apple could be toxic, because “if it’s not organic, probably what goes into the soil is going go into the food, and then it goes into you.”

Now, according to this definition, I may just be mildly orthorexic. My friends and family suspect me because I’m also disgusted by macaroni and cheese, and I can identify its nutritionless value on store shelves at 20 paces. And I admit, I tediously cruise supermarket aisles for organic produce, look for products with no added sugar, low in saturated fats, high in essential fatty acids, and which are locally produced. And (gasp), I watch my carbohydrate intake and don’t eat out much because it’s not good for me.

Yes, I care more about the virtue of what I eat than the pleasure I receive from eating it. I mean, drowning my sorrows in a bag of chocolate chip cookies or a pan of greasy french fries would definitely give me great pleasure, whereas a bag of apples would count as a virtue, right? Hey, this type of virtuous behaviour may even socially isolate me. But let’s face it, no one wants to end up with cancer, a disease which we know is skyrocketing today. Consume unhealthy foods and you become a statistic of climbing disease rates.

Now I don’t want to speak lightly of this disorder, but I don’t believe that practicing these beliefs in moderation would label someone. I mean, what’s healthy behaviour – eating processed foods? Shunning foods with artificial flavors, colors or preservatives doesn’t mean you have to adhere to a particular diet such as vegan or raw foods. I agree that these type of diets are unhealthy. But you can easily follow a whole food diet while avoiding processed foods, excess sugars, bad fats, and so on. You should NOT have to go hungry while trying to stay healthy and you can easily eat more nutritiously than someone on the government’s food pyramid.

Look, it’s all about moderation, an adage that is still timeless. It just needs to be applied and those that don’t know how to do it can be shown through proper counselling with a competent holistic nutritionist.

Ultimately, the test for any lifestyle is its efficacy, and I can happily report that in my forties I’m feeling pretty frisky, though still a tad cranky. Oh well, a moderate amount of unprocessed and sugarless chocolate should take care of that.

By Jorg Mardian

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As featured in Optimyz Magazine 

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Jan/Feb 2012

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Dieting is big business and many times the emphasis is on those needing to take off a lot of weight. And why not, it’s all about good health isn’t it? But what about those lodged at the other end of the spectrum, unhappy with an extra five pounds of semi-firm midsection? What can be done to get rid of that stubborn few pounds separating you from an average, to a great look in new jeans?

You might be tempted to plan your attack by simply cutting back on dietary calories, but this is a self defeating approach. Eventually you’ll tire of being hungry and gain back more than you originally lost.

You need a strategy that is not only goal oriented, but also defined with a plan to stay successful. None of this involves starving yourself, dangerous supplements or packaged diets. Rather, it emphasizes a time tested, two pronged approach of healthy foods and exercise.

Should food be the enemy?

Why should food be the enemy as we suffer through the agony of calorie restriction? Shouldn’t what we eat delight the taste buds instead of being a constant source of deprivation and temptation? Absolutely, therefore try eating 5-6 small meals daily, about every 2-3 hours to stimulate your metabolism and prevent hunger. Select foods close to their natural state; unprocessed and whole. Then combine palm sized portions of lean, protein rich foods and complex carbs at each meal, with 2-3 daily servings of healthy fats, fresh fruits and lots of veggies for added fibre and nutrients. Wash it all down with plenty of thirst quenching, zero calorie water.

The hard part is ditching the dirty foods. Cut out white grain products and waist busting sugar loaded sodas and juices. They’re digested quickly, leaving you hungry and more likely to overeat later. Foods too high in calories and saturated fats and low nutrient junk foods also need to be eliminated as they cause weight gain, especially around your belly.

Exercise: the other half of the equation

Good eating should be coupled with exercise as a crucial aspect of a tone and tighten lifestyle. Try a routine that engages multiple muscles simultaneously, such as spinning, cardio kickboxing, or boot-camp workouts to torch 200-300 calories per half hour. Interval training, (alternating short bursts of intense cardio with slower weight-bearing exercise), burns even more calories and builds lean muscle. That’s never a bad thing since muscle burns ten times more fuel than one pound of resting fat. Do this 4-5 times a week, for 30-45 minutes to coax off that extra jiggle in the middle.

The benefit of all this is you’ll be lighter, stronger and fit effortlessly into that new pair of jeans in no time. A small five pound loss can transform the way you look—and the way you feel. And you don’t need an unhealthy relationship with what you eat. Feel good from head to toe with healthy, small portions of food and an active lifestyle to never worry about those extra five pounds again.

newbornbabyzone.com

A new study from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine shows some new implications in the fight against for allergies. Scientists now believe that they’ve found a way to turn off the allergic response in subjects confirmed with food allergies.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Immunology, demonstrated that when a particular peanut protein was attached to a white blood cell and reinserted into mice, their immune systems no longer reacted to peanuts with an allergic response. So now they believe that they can restore tolerance to the immune system, even though there is no current evidence the procedure will work in humans.

It is important that this type of allergy is addressed, as in the U.S. alone, 1.5 million of the population are at danger of suffering such anaphylaxis which is a possible fatal reactions even to the smallest traced of the nut. Every year, there are 50-100 new cases of deaths due to this allergy.

On the other hand, this type of study once again demonstrates the fallacy of looking for a cure rather than prevention. We still have to find out what causes this type of allergic response and why the incidence rate is climbing. Is it genetically modified ingredients, pesticides, herbicides, etc.? No one really knows, though none of these methods are healthy and likely one or more contribute to the problem. Of course, in our race for ever increasing profits we’ll continue the madness of this type of agricultural suicide while reaping the effects on our health.

Source: www.upi.com

thefitnessriot.com

Even if dieting with a whole food approach, if a person starts out with a high body fat percentage and overall weight, using food alone is not enough to tone the body and most likely that person will end up a smaller version of their former soft self. Muscle mass will be severely lacking and skin will likely hang loosely all over the body.

Proper nutrition & training accomplishes various goals

A logical training approach is as important in reaching your goals as eating properly. Your training should never be the same for strength/muscle growth as training for fat loss. Your food intake also must vary for both approaches. But yet when observing your typical weekend gym warriors, that’s not what you’ll see. They don’t differentiate food content between a strength/mass program and a fat loss program. Whether they want to gain muscle or  simply tone and tighten, they maintain the same protein intake, keep their fat intake about the same and reduce the carbs. There’s no way you can get two different results with this logic.

Contrarily, they may also use the same exercise prescription for a muscle mass/strength program as for a fat loss program. But getting bigger requires heavier weights and lower reps, an entirely different approach from someone who wants to lean out or drop weight. Training, nutrition, cardio and supplementation all must change according to their needs.

Don’t get me wrong, training to increase size and training for fat loss will definitely have some overlapping similarities, but if the desired end goal is different, the overall training has to be different also. Even if two people have the exact same goals, their programs should not be the same; there are always variables to consider.

Remember, intelligent training requires a two tiered approach, using various training methods to suit your end goal (i.e., hypertrophy training versus fat loss) and adjusting your nutrition accordingly to make sure your body has the capability to either gain muscle or lose fat/weight rapidly.

Can you change your physique without intelligent training?

How many times do you see people in the gym doing the same routine day after day, and expecting different results? Most don’t understand principles of intelligent training, which is why few see consistent changes in their body. And that’s why at the end of the year they look basically the same, minus a few initial pounds lost.

A good training routine leads to better results, through not only weight loss if needed, but also losing fat, increasing muscle mass and losing inches. And of course cardiovascular output must increase proportionally to keep up the pace.

Is your gym experience like that? Or do you give up easily if you don’t see fast results? Do you understand there may be a number of limiting factors present: Insufficient effort, improper training methods, lack of consistent intensity, or improper nutrition intake?

Frankly speaking, many are hoodwinked by the notion that they can walk off their excess pounds on the treadmill while chatting on their cell phone. They think because their heart rate was slightly elevated, they’ll see fantastic results. They might even believe that the gym has a magic aura that makes them burn calories by simply being there.

No wonder change stays elusive to most people. If they simply changed their diet and increased their workout intensity it would force their body to make changes. Yet they’ll repeat the same boring daily treadmill walk and somehow expect a different result in their physique. And as body fat on the hips or thighs fails to disappear, you’ll see them at the gym less often and slowly they’ll quit altogether.

Steady state cardio is a prime example of this horrendous approach to training. If you want better results, try some High Intensity Interval training (HIIT) to get fantastic results Don’t just keep doing three sets of ten repetitions and expect “Arnold” muscles. It won’t happen. Vary your reps and sets so that on some days you lift heavy with few reps, while on others you do high volume training.

You don’t just need to do it, but you need to do it harder, faster, and many times, shorter because of the intensity. As was said on a comedy show one day:

“Work is not about fun; it’s about work! If it wasn’t work, they’d call it ‘Super wonderful crazy fun time’……

In essence, you’re in the gym because it’s called a WORKout. It’s not called an “easyout.” Do it differently and work harder to see results.

decidetostayfit.com

Tried the new Insanity workout by Shaun T a while back and it may just be the hardest fitness program ever put on DVD. It definitely pushes your cardio limits as it’s packed with plyometric drills on top of nonstop intervals of strength, power, resistance, and ab and core training moves. What’s really good about it is that it uses no equipment or weights to get to your goals.

In a nutshell, this program took interval training and flipped it on its head by performing long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest. In case you don’t know, interval training allows you to beat the “stress adaptation response,” which happens when your body gets used to exercising at one level of exertion and stops improving.

You perform these exercises at maximum level, during which your heart rate is raised to 80 percent or more of its maximum capacity and force your body to use fast-twitch muscle fibers not normally engaged in cardio exercise. This is followed by one of lower intensity, with the cycle repeated to achieve a cumulative effect. And so this is total-body conditioning at an extreme level, cycling between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at maximal throttle. That means if you’re prone to feeling woozy, then this might not be your cup of tea.

The upside: you burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour and get the most insane body in 60 days.

The drawback: not much, except after you finish the program – and you will – you have to go back to another type of training because it’s impossible to keep up this type of pace for too long. That means your results will vary as your training varies. However, smart thinking and hard work takes care of that.

As well, the Insanity program is NOT for beginners, pregnant women, obese people, those unwilling to work hard, and people who don’t consistently do high-impact exercise.

wholelifediets.com

We make choices every moment of the day and most of them are made  unconsciously. The conscious choices often tend to hold more relevance for us though, but we tend to forget about the power of them until we’re faced with a difficult decision.

Even minor decisions, like choosing the incorrect shoe size can make the entire day difficult. What about the difficult choices, such a bodily health? These can have a dramatic impact on our mood, our energy levels, how our day plays out, our job performance and especially on the long-term ability of the body to function in the manner it was designed to do.

Let’s play out a typical scenario in the mind:

You know it’s easier to eat pizza than to go to the gym.

It’s easier to turn to ice cream rather than people for support.

It’s easier to say, “I give up,” than to say, “I can do it.”

And you know what, no one is going to tell you day after day that you can do it. That’s not the way life works. It’s up to you and if you don’t believe you can, then you won’t. That’s the honest truth!

Believe it or not, a fitness and healthy eating lifestyle is for you. But you’ve got to want it enough or you won’t achieve it!

If you take the easy way out, you’ll remain unhealthy and continue to gain weight or become ill, and the only one you’re hurting is yourself.

In a nutshell, if you believe you live in a world of choice, then you must regard your life as a product of your own decisions. This is the difficult path, but ultimately the one with staggering rewards.

If you believe life is one of destiny, where choices are made for you or you lack the willpower or desire to make them, then your life may be easier in effort, but ultimately poor in results. We can call this the easy way out.

Look, no one said it was easy. If you’re looking to have someone hold your hand, then this article is probably not going to be for you. But if you’re ready to educate yourself in the laws of health, in what choices affect you in the most beneficial way, in what gives a quality of life that is dynamic, abundant and full of energy and vitality, then re-read what was said above and put it to use.

Millions take the easy way out by making the wrong choices concerning their health every day. Now, what about you?