Are you D-Fended or D-Ficient?

Today I was wondering when we would ever see the sun. It has been a long winter, followed by a damp and chilly start to spring. So, on the subject of the sun, I figured it is only appropriate to talk about vitamin D. After all, it is the ‘sunshine vitamin’.

Vitamin D, along with vitamins A, E, and K, are the ‘fat-soluble’ vitamins.  These vitamins all dissolve in fat and are stored in your fatty tissues. They each have a basic ‘super-power’. Vitamin A keeps your skin moist, vitamin E keeps reproductive organs healthy, and vitamin K enable you to make special proteins. Until recently, vitamin D was known only for its super-power of bone protection; we now know that it does way more than that.

Recently, studies have found that vitamin D is even more important that previously thought. In fact, the government upped the recommended intake from 200 international units (IU) to 600 IU and some say even that isn’t enough. WebMD suggests 200-400 IU/day for infants-teens, 400-800 IU/day for adults up to age 50, and 800-1,000 IU/day for adults over age 50. Exact deficiency percentages vary among sources, but it is safe to conclude that most adults and even more children are not getting enough vitamin D. That needs to be fixed since this super vitamin can cut the risks of these diseases:

• Cancer: Vitamin D helps to regulate cell growth. Cancer begins with abnormal or malignant cells, so enough vitamin D may help by fighting off these cells.
• Auto-Immune Diseases: Some recent studies suggest that vitamin D helps strengthen the immune system to reduce the risk of auto-immune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Bone Disease: It was already widely known that vitamin D is good for your bones, but it used to play second to calcium. Now researchers are finding that vitamin D is essential for bone health, maybe even more so than calcium!
• Depression: This is still debated among experts, but a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found women with low levels of D are twice as likely to suffer depression.
• Heart Disease: There are still inconsistencies with the research since low levels of vitamin D are linked to coronary problems, but taking supplements have not yet proven to lower that risk. But, the American Heart Association acknowledges that vitamin D is important to heart health because it helps regulate blood pressure.

Your skin makes vitamin D when exposed to the sun; some experts recommend 15 minutes of unprotected sun a day. I personally do not suggest being in the sun without sunscreen due to the obvious skin-cancer risk. You can get vitamin D through your diet if you include eggs (yolks contain vitamin D), fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna, and fortified foods. More and more foods are fortified with vitamin D now. Many people think of milk for vitamin D, but this is from fortification. My almond milk is also fortified with vitamin D and so are many cereals, orange juice, and yogurts. Just read the labels. I buy Stonyfield Farms yogurt for my daughter and choose the ‘YoKids’ over the ‘YoBaby’ (even when she was a baby) since the ‘YoKids’ is fortified with vitamin D. The best food source of vitamin D is cod liver oil with 1,360 IU (Department of Agriculture), but I would never drink that myself so I do not expect you to!

Personally, I take a supplement calcium/vitamin D in addition to my multivitamin. I also eat salmon and the occasional egg yolk. My Greek yogurt does not contain vitamin D so I occasionally have one of my daughter’s yogurts. Chobani Champions (the children’s version) is a Greek yogurt that contains 20% of vitamin D though. But, as you can see from my diet, I do require a supplement, as do most people. Also, most of the foods containing vitamin D are via supplementation so I opt to skip the ‘middle-man’.

Remember there can be ‘too much of a good thing’. Excess vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, confusion, heart rhythm abnormalities, and kidney stones (Mayo Clinic).

So, enjoy the sun (when we finally get to see it) using sunscreen, and make sure to get enough vitamin D through diet and supplements.

Have a wonderful week; the forecast does show high temps coming soon!

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

HIIT Training

Have you ever noticed the people at the gym putting in their time on the elliptical, treadmill, or bike for 60 minutes looking bored and staying the same? Or worse, is that you? It can make you think that cardio is a waste of time! Especially when you hear that strength training increases your metabolism and burns fat (this is true and you do need to strength train). So, do we even need to do cardio to stay lean and healthy? The answer is YES! Cardiovascular training is both necessary and effective, if done correctly. To be effective, you need to be efficient. Who wants to waste their time at the gym? If you want to read a magazine, wait until after your workout and read it with a nice cup of coffee as a reward for your hard workout. Instead of doing a lame 60 minutes of cardio, it is much more efficient to do an intense 20-30 minutes. Welcome to HIIT and Tabata!

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of interval training that alternates short bursts of maximum intensity with longer levels of lower to moderate intensity. Since it pushes you briefly out of your aerobic zone, it also trains your anaerobic energy systems. You hit your anaerobic energy systems during the max intervals, and then use the recovery intervals to replenish your glycogen stores. HIIT burns much more calories than long duration steady cardio, both during the actual exercise, and also after since it takes your body longer to recover from each session. This is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and represents the additional calories your body will burn as needed to return to its pre-exercise state. HIIT also has been shown to maintain muscles while muscle loss may occur with long duration steady cardio. Often, in a quest to get lean, exercisers lose hard earned muscle by doing too much long duration steady cardio. Remember, the goal is to lose fat rather than weight. HIIT cardio will preserve your muscles while scorching body fat. As Charlie Sheen would say, “Winning!!!’

There are many ways to do HIIT. Basically, you alternate short sprints with slightly longer recoveries. Spinning is a form of HIIT and below is an example of a treadmill interval workout. You can make up your own HIIT workout with any form of cardio and make it fun.

Time (minute)	Speed	Incline
0:00-5:00	4.0	2.5
5:00-6:00	6.0	1.0
6:00-6:30	7.0	1.0
6:30-8:00	5.0	1.0
8:00-8:30	8.0	1.0
8:30-10:00	4.0	1.0
10:00-11:00	6.5	1.0
11:00-13:00	5.0	1.0
13:00-13:30	8.5	1.0
13:30-16:00	4.0	1.0
16:00-16:30	8.0	1.0
16:30-18:00	4.0	1.0
18:00-18:30	7.5	1.0
18:30-20:00	5.0	1.0
20:00-20:30	8.0	1.0
20:30-22:00	5.0	1.0
22:00-23:00	6.5	1.0
23:00-24:00	5.0	1.0
24:00:25:00	7.0	1.0
25:00-30:00	4.0	2.0

Tabata Training is a form of HIIT. It is the most intense, yet the shortest duration. You really need to just remember 20/10/8.

Tabata intervals follow this structure:

1)    Push hard for 20 seconds

2)    Rest for 10 seconds.

3)    Repeat this eight times.

The entire session lasts only 4 minutes; you go completely all out for 20 seconds and then completely stop for 10 seconds. An example of a sprint tabata on a treadmill is to go as fast as 9.0 or 10.0 for 20 seconds and then just hop off the belt to the side of the treadmill for 10 seconds, hopping back on to full speed and repeat this eight times. Tabatas are so versatile that you may even do these with kettle bells, squats, burpees, and pushups, just to name a few. You must use your large muscle groups for tabatas though. It would not have the same effect with a triceps kickback. I also suggest using a timer or doing these with a personal trainer so you can go all out without worrying about time.

There is still a time and place for Long Duration Steady cardio.  If you are new to exercise, it is important to first build up an aerobic base and that is done by working at a light to moderate pace, increasing your time gradually. HIIT is for an advanced fitness level. A beginner will also see results initially with steady-state cardio. But, there is the ‘Law of Diminishing Returns,’ so once you get to a stronger fitness level, you will need to kick it up using HIIT. It is fun and you will enjoy the challenge and love the results. Even for the super-fit, long duration cardio is great for mental clarity. I sometimes enjoy a long run just to clear my head, but for fitness I do HIIT cardio and strength training.

Enjoy a happy and healthy holiday week.

XOX

Ain't Nothing But a G-Thang Baby

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The ‘usual suspects’ are bread, cake, most cereals, pizza, and pasta. However, many processed foods may contain hidden gluten. For example, (depending on the brand) gluten can be found in: soy sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, thickened soups and sauces (ie gravy), processed meats (Boar’s Head is gluten-free), non-stick spray, and even hidden in sweeteners such as barley malt and brown rice syrup. It is also found in some non-food items such as lipsticks, shampoos and the adhesive on envelopes.

Celiac disease is the most serious form of gluten intolerance. It is a genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 133 Americans. Symptoms of celiac disease can range from obvious ones, such as diarrhea, excessive gas and bloat, and weight loss to a bunch of non-gastrointestinal symptoms, or even no symptoms at all. Those affected suffer damage to the lining of their small intestines when they consume gluten (this can also lead to many other disorders as well. I included some resources at the end of this post to learn more). Unfortunately, this disease often is undiagnosed. Often people think they just have ‘bad tummies’ and do not bother seeing the doctor. The most dangerous, though, are the ones with no symptoms at all. The person feels fine, but the damage to the internal organs is still happening.

Experts now believe that celiac disease represents just one extreme of a very broad spectrum of gluten intolerance that includes millions of people with less severe, but still annoying reactions to gluten. Celiac disease can be ‘definitively’ diagnosed using a two-step approach: First step is a blood test for the presence of antibodies (IgA and IgG) activated by gluten, and, if it comes back positive, the next step is a biopsy to look for intestinal damage to confirm the diagnosis. Gluten sensitivity, on the other hand, does not have any test and winds up being a ‘default diagnosis’ when a person just feels better on a gluten-free diet. I, however, am not 100% confident in the test to determine celiac disease. Since a person must consistently eat a high gluten diet for some time before the blood test in order for the antibodies to even show up, there is a pretty big chance of a false negative.

I am not a doctor but I will gladly share my own personal experience with gluten sensitivity. However, if you have any concern that you may be gluten intolerant, I strongly suggest seeing your doctor. Then, I recommend making an appointment with a Registered Dietician (RD)(www.eatright.org) and looking through some of the resources at the end of this post.

I have been gluten-free for two years now. I feel great and I do not miss gluten in the slightest. I am not your average gluten-sensitive person since my problem with gluten is not GI related. I started to get eczema in my mid-twenties and, although annoying, it didn’t bother me very much. However, after my daughter was born, the eczema became much worse and much more frequent. I did not agree with the many doctors who said it was an allergic reaction to something external and to ‘just use the steroid cream, it won’t hurt you’. Well, I just knew my problem was systemic (meaning the trigger was within my blood, as opposed to contact dermatitis) and I also just knew that it wasn’t good for my skin to rely on those creams. I did tons of research and then decided to try an elimination diet. I planned to start with gluten and then try dairy. I did it in this order because I read that dairy is often linked to eczema in children, but gluten is more likely the trigger for adults. After eliminating gluten for 10 days my skin became so much better (today it is 100% better, but that took awhile). After the 10 days I had a bowl of cereal in the morning, slice of pizza for lunch, and my daughter’s animal crackers throughout the day. That night I woke up with my skin itching horribly (plus I did feel bloated and uncomfortable!). The next morning I had the ubiquitous red rash and blisters that take so long to heal. My diagnosis was confirmed (by Dr. ME). I went to my new doctor (I recently moved so all of my doctors were new), who agreed that I should see an allergist to be tested. I made the attempt to eat gluten before the blood test but was so miserable I had to stop. I tested negative for celiac disease and that may or may not be correct. However, I will not eat anything with gluten anyway, so it did not matter to me. My physician, allergist, and dermatologist all agree that I do have a form of gluten intolerance, and if I do not eat gluten, there is no need for me to have a biopsy done. The only ‘cure’ for celiac is to adopt a life-long gluten-free diet.

I enjoy eating this way and I find it gives me more energy. I eat a ‘naturally gluten-free’ diet, meaning that I do not buy the processed mass marketed gluten-free products. That is not to say this didn’t have a learning curve. Having a few glasses of wine and thinking a that some holiday cookies won’t hurt, not realizing that restaurants flour their fish before baking, giving in when someone is hurt that I won’t try their baking, and a few other mishaps have led me back to the dreaded steroid creams plus fatigue and bloat. And in my opinion, just not worth it!

I mentioned in a previous post that I tried eating a vegan diet and it didn’t work well for me. Well, in the past, most of my iron and B-complex vitamins came from my big bowl of Kashi cereal each morning. Now that I don’t eat fortified grains, (gluten-free products are not as fortified as the ones with gluten) I needed to add back some animal proteins as my energy levels were becoming low. Now my diet is balanced again and I feel great. Those with celiac disease have to be very vigilant in making sure they get all of their nutrients. That is why it is so important to see an RD nutritionist if you receive this diagnosis.

Somehow eating gluten-free has become ‘trendy’ with the Hollywood scene.  I even had more than a few people say to me, ‘you are so lucky you can’t eat gluten, that is why you are thin’. Well, no… The reason I am thin is because I eat healthy, I do not exceed the calories my body needs, and I exercise a lot. In fact, a person may very likely gain weight eating gluten-free. The marketed products do not contain as much fiber as the wheat/rye/barley grains. These gluten-free carbohydrates tend to be nothing more than non-nutritional starch, which will pack on the pounds. I did not replace my morning cereal with a gluten-free version; I replaced it with either whey protein or Greek yogurt. Instead of having a sandwich, I pile my protein over a large salad. My carbohydrates are mostly vegetables and fruit. When I want a grain, I choose brown rice or quinoa rather than gluten-free pasta. I don’t worry about looking up ingredients for hidden gluten since I mostly stick to whole foods. It is really quite easy for me. And when I want a treat, there is ice cream, sorbet, and dark chocolate (read labels). I have also found the best gluten free ginger cookie in a health food store by the brand Nana’s (although I have this maybe twice a year). I also use Luna Protein bars (they are now gluten free) when I need a quick meal on the run.

Even though I do not rely on convenience foods, I have tried some for fun when I first discovered that I am gluten intolerant. Some pretty good choices are; Chex cereals, Vans waffles and French toast, Environ-kids cereals and bars, Amy’s Organic gluten-free/vegan burrito, Pirates Booty, and of course the Nana’s brand cookies. There are so many more out there since food companies are recognizing the real demand in the gluten free lifestyle.

There are tons of information available on celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. If you have, or suspect you have either, I strongly suggest educating yourself as much as you can. There are lots of books available. I like the one by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, http://www.gfreediet.com/. It is co-authored by Dr. Peter Green, MD, who is the Director of The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. Some good websites are: www.celiac.org, www.celiac.com, There are also so many gluten-free cooking websites and cookbooks. Most recipe websites have a gluten-free option as well. A simple Internet search will come up with so many resources.

Thanks for listening to my personal story. Please know that everyone is different. There are so many causes for eczema, so if you have any skin problems, please see your dermatologist first.

Have a strong and happy week.

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Reader Question: Protein and Fiber

Hi, Sharon,

Question: What is more important, protein or fiber. I realize a balanced diet is important, but what about while comparing products.

Elisha

Hi Elisha,

Thank you for your question. I understand that it can be quite confusing trying to eat healthy. The short answer is that protein and fiber are mutually exclusive and you should aim for the proper amounts of each. Protein, along with Carbohydrates and Fat are referred to as ‘macronutrients’, and are needed in relatively larger amounts.  Vitamins and minerals are needed in smaller quantifies and are referred to as ‘micronutrients. Fiber is a plant material found in carbohydrates, that are bodies are not designed to digest. So, lets view these separately.

Protein is an important component of every cell in your body. It is used to build and repair tissue, make hormones, and is an important building block of muscles, bone, skin, and blood. Unlike fat and carbohydrates, your body cannot store protein. It is important to get enough protein, but in reality, most Americans actually eat too much protein and, as with anything else, too many calories will result in the scale creeping up. That being said, it is very important to eat protein in the correct amount and from the best sources. Since your body does not store protein, and the excess amounts will just add to body fat, it makes sense to spread out your protein through the day.

First, you need to figure out the amount of protein you need. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for adults is .80grams/kilograms body weight/day (or 15-30 percent of total caloric intake). For example, if you weigh 125lbs, calculate your weight in kilograms (125*.45= 56.25) then multiply the kg by .8 (56.25*.8=45). So the average 125lb person requires 45g of protein per day. An avid exerciser or an endurance athlete needs closer to 1.2g-2.0g/kg/d. (67.5g-112.5g/day for a 125lb athlete). A chronic excessive protein intake (greater than 2.5 times the RDA) can result in calcium depletion, fluid imbalance, kidney strain, energy loss, and slower metabolism. Remember that it is very easy to reach the RDA of protein and even easier to exceed it if you do not watch your portions.  A serving of protein is a lot smaller than most people think. The portion size for meat, fish, and poultry is the size of a deck of cards. A restaurant serving will often give you 2-3 times this amount.

I recommend lean protein such as nonfat dairy, fish, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans, edamame, and quinoa. The vegetable protein sources (legumes and grains) contain fiber as well, so that is a nice way to get both at the same time. Protein is also found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, so remember to add in those amounts to your total intake.

Whereas protein is an easy requirement to meet, most people do not reach the recommended 25grams per day of fiber needed for health. Fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, is mostly known for its ability to keep you ‘regular’. However, it provides so many other health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar levels, lowering blood pressure, and also linked to lowering certain cancer risks such as colon and breast cancers. Fiber can also be a dieter’s best friend since it provides bulk in the diet, giving you a sense of fullness and satiety. I suggest making ALL of you carbohydrate choices high fiber ones. Stick to vegetables, fruit, whole grain, and legumes, and eliminate the refined starches that have no nutritional value to them.  When aiming for the RDA of 25grams of fiber, there really is no room in your diet for processed junk food.

So, you asked about getting both protein and fiber into your diet. The simplest way is eating mini-meals during the day, combining a lean protein with a high-fiber carbohydrate. Some examples are; turkey slices on a whole grain wrap, apple slices and Greek yogurt, hummus and carrots, chicken and broccoli, or an egg white and veggie omelet. These are only a few of the many choices you have. Get creative, have fun, and involve the whole family. It is also very important to drink a lot of water and to increase your fiber intake gradually if you are not used to it. Just like exercise, ‘too much too soon’ can also be a bit painful when it comes to fiber!

A great way to track your intake of both is using www.myfitnesspal.com. Good luck and have fun experimenting with your new lean protein/high fiber plan. You will love the energy and glow you get by eating this way!

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.