Archive for December, 2006

Vitamin C Study

Published by
stayfit
at December 19, 2006 in News and Nutrition. 0 Comments

Vitamin C has a laundry list of benefits to the human body ranging from antioxidant protection, blood vessel integrity boosting, cholesterol reduction, and immune system enhancement. Recently, the latter has been called into question and I would like to briefly comment on the study (see below). First of all, stress is a huge cause of immune system depletion mainly because our adrenal glands store more vitamin C than any other organ in the body. When we become stressed, our adrenals release Vit C as a means of protecting us. If the stress outlasts our vitamin C stores (which is often the case since many of us are under continual stress), our bodies are not able to effectively fight off intruding bacteria or viruses. For this very reason, taking vitamin C daily is preventative since it keeps your adrenal stores up. The problem with most of us, and arguably the subjects in the “55 studies” they base their claim upon, is that we are on the brink of being ill rather than being healthy. That is a huge distinction. If you don’t take good care of your body, it is unreasonable to expect that taking a supplement (even one as wonderful as Vitamin C) is going to be an end all to colds. It is still a good idea to take a Vitamin C supplement since it has been proven in over 138 studies of large sample size to be anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent and it shortens the severity AND duration of colds…this is combined with its myriad of other health benefits. Also, one of the largest nutritional studies to date showed that the healthiest individuals were those that had high Vitamin C levels in their blood. And so, if we can learn anything from this study, it is that we need to take better care of ourselves and be accountable for our health rather than blaming Vitamin C for “not preventing colds.” Give it a chance to. Eat less sugar, get regular exercise & sleep and stay hydrated. These important lifestyle changes will allow Vit C to do its job of protecting us!

Here are some links exemplifying Vitamin C’s amazing health boosting abilities:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2006/Feb06/vitamins.htm

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/surefire.htm

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/

http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/ageing/1997-September/002878.html

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/ansupceandfe.html

Vitamin C does nothing to prevent the common cold but may shorten its duration, Australian and Finnish researchers say in their analysis of 55 studies.

The 1970s book, “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling sparked interest in the supplement that has grown to a more than $600 million annual business in Britain, the Times of London reported.
However, researchers Robert Douglas of Australian National University and Harri Hemila of the University of Helsinki said people who took up to 2 grams of Vitamin C daily caught colds at the same rate as people who took a placebo.
The result “throws doubt on the utility of this wide practice,” the authors said in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.
One study found that very large doses of Vitamin C — 8 grams — taken on the first day of a cold appeared to shorten how long it lasts.
Those results are “tantalizing and deserve further investigation,” the researchers said.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International

Just a Workout a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Published by
stayfit
at December 18, 2006 in News. 0 Comments

‘Tis the season. The season for the common cold — that unwelcome guest in the midst of the festivities.
But you don’t have to let sniffles spoil your holiday fun. Adding a little sweat to your day may help keep colds away. A new study shows that a 45-minute workout each day, 5 days a week, lowers the risk of catching a cold. And the longer you stick with a regular exercise program, the better the benefits. So dust off your walking shoes and start building up your immunity.
Past research has hinted that moderately intense activity is an immunity booster, but those studies were too short to be convincing. More recently, and for the first time, researchers took the long view and studied two groups of women — one basically sedentary and one not — for a year. And the results are truly motivating: Overweight couch potatoes who started exercising and stuck fairly close to their five-times-a-week workout program had a definite cold-fighting edge over a similar group of women whose regular exercise consisted of just a weekly stretching routine.
You may already be enjoying the benefits of a revved-up immune system if you are a regular exerciser. If not, get crackin’. You’ll enjoy knowing that your sweat is helping ensure that you won’t be sidelined by sniffles and sneezes during next year’s holiday fun.

Compliments of RealAge.com. Originally published on 12/18/2006.

Workout Intensity and Fat Burning: How do you burn more fat?

Published by
stayfit
at December 14, 2006 in News. 0 Comments
A: Many aerobic exercise programs and videos feature low-intensity workouts which purport to maximize fat burning. The argument behind such an alleged theory is that low-intensity aerobic training will allow your body to use more fat as an energy source, thereby accelerating the loss of body fat.  

While it is true that a higher proportion of calories burned during low-intensity exercise come from fat (about 60 percent as opposed to approximately 35 percent from high-intensity programs), high-intensity exercise still burns more calories from fat in the final analysis. For example, if you perform 30 minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise (i.e., at a level of 50 percent of maximal exercise capacity), you’ll burn approximately 200 calories - about 120 of those come from fat (i.e., 60 percent). However, exercising for the same amount of time at a high intensity (i.e., 75 percent of your maximal exercise capacity) will burn approximately 400 calories. Using a 35 percent fat utilization yardstick, 140 of the calories you’ve burned will have come from stored fat. Although the more vigorous exercise burns both more total and more fat calories, the less intense form of exercise has its benefits as well. For example, because many overweight people tend to find that lower-intensity exercise is more comfortable, they may, therefore, be willing to engage in such workouts.

 

The point to remember is that low-intensity workouts do, in fact, promote weight and fat loss. You just have to do them for a longer period of time. Low-intensity aerobic exercise, however, is not a better or more effective way to lose weight than more intense physical activity - the idea of a “fat-burning zone” is simply a myth. Keep in mind that you lose weight and body fat when you expend more calories than you consume, not because you burn fat (or anything else) when you exercise.
      

    Source: Bryant, Cedric X. 101 Frequently Asked Questions about “Health & Fitness” and “Nutrition & Weight Control”. Sagamore Publishing, 1999.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Published by
stayfit
at December 10, 2006 in Rebecca's Recipe of the Week. 1 Comment

Prep: 10 min, Cook: 35 min.

  • 1 sun dried tomato, packed in oil or dried
  • 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 tsp. parsley, minced
  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast half, about 1/4 lb. each
  • toothpick
  • 2 Tbs. seasoned breadcrumbs

If using dried tomatoes, cover with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand 5 minutes and drain. Finely chop tomatoes. Press excess liquid from spinach and combine with tomatoes and remaining ingredients, except chicken and breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound lightly with a mallet or other heavy flat object to flatten slightly. Divide spinach mixture into equal portions and spread over each chicken breast. Roll up chicken breasts and secure with toothpicks. Roll in breadcrumbs. Arrange chicken in a shallow pan and bake 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is opaque throughout. Remove toothpicks before serving.

Per serving: calories 293, fat 5.1g, 16% calories from fat, cholesterol 111mg, protein 45.9g, carbohydrates 14.0g, fiber 2.6g, sugar 0.9g, sodium 566mg, diet points 6.3.

Compliments of mealsforyou.com.