Pasta: The secret to a lower BMI and small waistline

Good news, pasta lovers! Thanks to a recently published study by (I think you know who) Italians in Nutritionand Diabetes that found out eating pasta does not contribute to obesity and instead is linked to a lower body mass index or BMI.

For years, diet researchers in Italy have worried about the fattening reputation of pasta all over the diet world, especially with the rise of low carb, high protein diet. So they set out to prove otherwise, with their study that comprised of 23,000 participants, surveying their eating habits. The results are definitely enough to repair pasta’s reputation—finding no link to pasta consumption and weight gain.

“Our data shows that enjoying pasta according to individuals' needs contributes to a healthy body mass index, lower waist circumference and better waist-hip ratio.”, says lead author of the paper George Pounis. And they recommend eating pasta as part of a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and olive oil, for healthier results.

Thanks to this recent evidence that says pasta helps fight obesity and maintain a small waistline, we can now definitely take ‘pasta’ off our no-no list. 

What to Eat (and Drink) for a Radiant Looking Skin

Ever want a beautiful and young looking skin but don’t want to spend too much for beauty pills? Well, I have scoured the internet and found foods (and a drink) that can make it easier to have a radiant-looking skin without spending too much. All of these are easily acquired and some are even part of our everyday meal and we just don’t notice them. So here they are:

EGGS

When I was in college, my breakfast wasn’t complete without a sunny side up or scrambled egg. What’s in it? Basically  all the essential proteins that our body needs. But of these, two are vital for our skin: choline and lutein.

Choline is needed for the build-up of our cell membranes and regulates B vitamins needed to produce other proteins, collagen and elastin, that are needed for firm, smooth skin. Lutein, along with another protein zeaxanthin, is an antioxidant that protects our skin from the damage of UV rays that can cause wrinkling and sometimes even cancer.

BROWN RICE

One secret to a young looking skin is keeping it moisturized. Don’t want the hassle of applying moisturizer for the day? Then just include brown rice in your meal. It is loaded with lipid molecules called ceramides that maintain skin moisture. These molecules are incorporated in the outer layer of our skin and help in maintaining it well hydrated.

TOMATOES

Ever wonder what gives tomatoes their color? Carotenoids are plant pigments which are responsible for yellow, orange and red colors in fruits and vegetables. In tomatoes is one carotenoid called Lycopene. This Lycopene has been proven to lower the hormones that promote acne development, for a clear and smooth skin, and is also an antioxidant

 If you are not quite the fan of fresh tomatoes in your plate, then we suggest you consume other tomato-based foods such as sauces (in pastas and pizzas, yum!) and tomato juice. Nutritionists recommend that we include these in our diets for 3-5 times a week.

FISH AND OTHER SEAFOOD

Fact: not all fats are bad for you. Ever heard of omega-3 fatty acids? They’re one of the good cops in fatty acids world. They have been proven to lower the bad fats in our body and fight off the risk for heart diseases. As for our skin, however, a study found out that it can slow down wrinkling or skin ageing by delaying the production of certain bad chemicals. Not only this, they can also combat acne which is acne sufferers are recommended to consume four to five serving of oily fish per week.

GREEN TEA

Not only does a warm cup of green tea gives you a kick start for the day, it is also proven to be packed with antioxidants! Like the tomatoes and seafood, green tea also fights acne development by lowering a hormone called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is responsible for acne-production.

WHOLE GRAINS

One thing that comes to mind when I hear whole grain is the word ‘fiber’. Yes, it’s proven that these foods are high in fiber and significantly important in reducing belly fat. Another major benefit that we can acquire them is a radiant-looking skin. Niacin in whole grains fight inflammatory agents in our body which can lead to reducing the redness in pimples and acne.

Pastas and bread from whole grains contain high amounts of antioxidants (same amount with vegetables) which reduce free radicals that damage our cells.

Staying beautifully healthy this summer: 3 Less Known Benefits from Hydration

It’s summer and people’s idea of quenching thirst is sipping a fancy fruit punch or a cold coke under the sun. And while it’s true that these tasty treats are so hard to resist, none of them can compare to the most natural and best thirst-quenching gift of nature—water! But did you know that water has more wonders aside from relieving thirst? Now before you go on buying a can of that coke, here are some not-so-known benefits you’ll get from drinking water:

1. On Metabolism

Trying to lose some few pounds? There’s an easy and thirst-relieving way of doing that: drinking water! A study from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking about 17oz of water can increase your body’s ability to burn fat. Along with increasing your metabolic rate, water also boosts your energy by helping blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells.

These benefit, added up to the heat of summer, can surely speed your body up in shedding those extra pounds!

2. For muscle repair

One of the things that trainers recommend on how to recover faster from muscle soreness after a workout is to drink plenty of water. This suggestion has been backed up by a study in the Journal of Athletic Training, which found out that dehydration can increase the severity of delayed onset muscle soreness. Muscle injury after a workout can be repaired by synthesis of proteins in the cells with the help of, of course, water!

3. For younger looking skin

Some say that water is nature’s own beauty cream. They are not wrong. It is proven that deep wrinkles develop when you’re dehydrated. Water is badly needed by our body that when dehydration happens, water is being pulled away from all the organs, including the skin (especially the skin). This damages the skin cells and eventually causes wrinkles resulting to a thin and saggy skin. Drinking a lot of water, therefore, makes the skin cells look plump resulting in a younger looking skin. However, this does not mean that consuming a lot of water is a remedy to an already wrinkled skin. It’s just that proper hydration decreases the chances of developing wrinkles.

Now, still thinking of buying that cold coke?

8 Glasses of Water a Day

...burns the fat away! 

Yes, you read it right. The single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off is WATER.

Water happens not to be just a thirst quencher--it also speeds up the body's metabolism. According to some researchers in Germany, drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increased their subjects' metabolic rate by 30%, and the effect persisted for 90 minutes. One-third of the boost came from the body's efforts to warm the water, but the rest was due to the work the body did to absorb it. "When drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used, unlike when drinking sodas, where additional calories are ingested and possibly stored," explains the lead researcher, Michael Boschmann, MD, of University Medicine Berlin. Increasing water consumption to eight glasses per day may help you lose about 8 pounds in a year, he says, so try drinking a glass before meals and snacks and before consuming sweetened drinks or juices.

How's that possible? 

Well here is what I gathered in my research. The kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they do not work to capacity, some of their load is dumped on the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it cannot work at full throttle.

As a result, it metabolizes less fat... more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops!

Drinking an adequate amount of water every day is the best treatment for fluid retention. But when the body is given less water than it needs... it perceives the shortage as a threat to survival and will begin to retain every drop. Water reserves are stored in extra-cellular spaces (outside the cells). This water can show up as swollen feet, hands and legs. Diuretics only offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns.

The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs — plenty of water — only then will stored water be released.

If water retention is a constant problem then time to examine if there is some excess salt in the system! The body will only tolerate sodium in certain concentrations. The more salt we eat, the more water our system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy — just drink more water!

As the water is forced through the kidneys, it will remove the excess sodium.

Over weight people need more water than thin people. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism... it follows that the over weight person needs more water to metabolize excess fat.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone... which in turn, aids proper muscle contraction and prevents dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plums the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has more waste to get rid of, and all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again — water helps flush out this waste!

Importance of Breakfast

You want to lose weight, then make sure you eat your breakfast!

Regular breakfast skippers tend to consume more fat, be heavier and gain more weight over time. A study from Imperial College in London reveals a possible explanation. Twenty non-obese people were shown pictures of low-energy foods (salad, vegetables, fish) and high-energy foods (cake, chocolate, pizza). They were asked to rate how appealing the foods were after either having a filling breakfast or no breakfast at all. To check their responses to the pictures, brain imaging was used. The evidence showed that after having no breakfast, the participants' reward and appetite centers in the brain were simulated by pictures of high-energy foods. The findings are said to prove the theory that skipping breakfast is more likely to lead to weight gain.

Your Blood Type and Eating Right

As I have mentioned at Mariposa's Tales, I had a magazine interview at the office yesterday. It was not a personal interview but rather it was about my company...and so I was there with the team despite the holiday.

It was a fun interview or should I say...a rather fun conversation! I'd say we learned so many things and got to cover several topics...beyond the BPO and call center industry.

We talked about health and wellness!

JM Perdigon, TWANG Magazine's Managing Editor (who started TWANG as a hobby magazine targeting the call center crowd!) is a nutritionist by profession. So during lunch we can't help but discuss about food and proper diet. The daughter, AJ (very smart I should say!) can't have too much sugar intake due to health reasons and while we were in the topic of what's good not good for people inclined with diabetes we were all in agreement with bitter melon or bitter gourd (locally known as Ampalaya) helps in lowering sugar. It was then I have to mention one of my quirks...my cravings for bitter taste! Yes, you read that, I love beer and bitter melon or bitter gourd shake or juice because I love its bitter taste!

I had to ask the nutritionist in the group what could be causing that...could it be that I'm missing some nutrients in my body?

Her first reply was, "What is your blood type?". I had to ask what it has to do with it. Then she went on and explain that there is such a thing as blood type diet. Individuals are inclined to prefer types of food based on their diet...not only they prefer but depending on the blood type each has a recommended diet.

I never thought there is such a thing as eating right according to one's blood type!

So today I did a quick research on the topic and wow...there is really such a thing as blood type diet. Very briefly this advocacy was started by Peter D'Adamo, a naturopathic physician, and was outlined in his book Eat Right 4 Your Type. D'Adamo's claim is that ABO blood type is the most important factor in determining a healthy diet, and he promotes distinct diets for people with O, A, B, and AB blood types.

Though this concept has faced several criticisms...I'd say it will not do any harm to know more and understand about it.

Let me share with you here some information with regards to some blood groups and its corresponding diet --

Simpler List
	Diet Profile	Allowed	Limited	Food to avoid for Weight Loss purpose	Food that help with Weight Loss
Type O	High Protein: Meat eaters	Meat fish vegetables fruit	grains beans legumes	wheat corn kidney beans navy beans lentils cabbage Brussels sprouts cauliflower mustard greens	kelp seafood salt liver red meat kale spinach broccoli
Type A	Vegetarian	vegetables tofu seafood grains beans legumes fruit		meat dairy kidney beans lima beans wheat	vegetable oil soy foods vegetables pineapple
Type B	Balanced omnivore	meat (no chicken) dairy grains beans legumes vegetables fruit		corn lentil peanuts sesame seeds buckwheat wheat	greens eggs venison liver licorice tea
Type AB	Mixed diet in moderation	meat seafood dairy tofu beans legumes grains vegetables fruits		red meat kidney beans lima beans seeds corn buckwheat	tofu seafood dairy greens kelp pineapple

* Source: Dr. Lam

You may click on each blood group to get to a more detailed food chart.

Health Facts About Watermelon...

I love watermelon! So much!

My Wordless Wednesday entry at Mariposa's Tales features my nephew and his love for watermelon...which I believe he got from me. I also mentioned some basic facts about watermelon in that post.

So I went further and investigated just how healthy watermelon is...this vegetable (take note it is not a fruit but a vegetable!) just offers several nourishments for the body.

Below are top refreshing and nourishing health facts about watermelon -

Stay Cool and Lovely

Watermelon is an amazing fruit, which can work wonders for your skin. It acts as a natural moisturizer as well as a toner and keeps the skin cool, glowing and fresh.

The Smartest Pick for Losing Weight

Packed with vitamins and minerals the watermelon is labeled as one of the healthiest fruit. Low in calories and fat free, watermelon is prescribed as an ideal diet food.

The battle of the bulge could be won with the sweet and juicy melons that can be served as a lip smacking dessert or a snack without adding to the bulge. Hence the watermelon diet is the perfect choice of an ideal weight loss program.

Fight Fatigue and Keep Your Metabolism in High Gear with Water Melons

On a typical summer day watermelons are extremely refreshing as they have very high water content, 92% water and 8% sugar.

Rich in electrolytes (sodium and potassium) this wonder fruit amazingly nourishes your body. It not only replaces the electrolytes lost through sweat but also hydrates your cells and maintains the water balance in the cells. Metabolism is boosted as the functionality of the cells is increased, ultimately energizing your body.

The 4 great fatigue fighters - Potassium, Vitamin C, lycopene and iron found in watermelon drives away any feeling of fatigue you may experience.

Naturally, watermelons are 'The Pick Of The Season’.

Are You Stressed Out? Relax And Chill Out With Water Melon Juice Or Cubes

Watermelon is a ‘sensational’ stress buster says a research. Watermelon is high in vitamin B6- and is used by the body to produce brain chemicals, which may relieve stress, anxiety and panic attacks. It naturally relaxes the blood vessels without any drug side effects.

Add Spice To Your Marital Life With Water Melons:

The popular summer fruit may be a natural Viagra say research scientists. The luscious summer fruit is rich in an amino acid called citrulline. Citrulline relaxes and dilates blood vessels very much like Viagra and other drugs that are used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

Source: MedIndia

Visit Watermelon Nutrition for a detailed nutritional facts about watermelon.

For stunning looks and winning knocks, go for watermelons!