Calcium and Fat Loss

Several recent studies about calcium have shown some unexpected, surprising, even "shocking" results. In earlier experiments, researchers were trying to find out what effect calcium might have on lowering blood pressure and came up with a totally unexpected side effect - the people in the study were also losing a lot of body fat. As lead author Hang Shi put it, "The effect is very significant, much more than we imagined it would be." Research shows that as calcium intake goes up, body weight and body fat both go down.

Scientists like Michael Zernel, Ph.D. have concluded that the calcium in our fat cells helps determine whether fat is stored or broken down by our body. It seems that calcium encourages the fat to be burned rather than be stored and that the more calcium there is, the more fat that will be burned. Another theory is that calcium may also "bind" with the fat - allowing us to excrete it rather than have it build up. An extra-added bonus is that a calcium rich diet also appears to target belly fat in particular, one of the worst problem areas for many people.

In these experiments, both calcium supplements and low fat dry milk were used as sources of calcium in the diet. While the supplements produced a 42% decrease in body fat, the low fat dry milk did even better with a 60% decrease in body fat. Calcium from low-fat dairy sources appears to produce the best results.

Now before we go out and buy a gallon of ice cream to start our new diet, we need to clarify these studies' results. Nowhere does it say that "fat" is helpful; it's the calcium that is responsible for these surprising results. Unfortunately, many of our common sources of calcium are loaded with fat, like ice cream, whole milk, high fat yogurt, etc. To achieve the benefits noted in these studies, we need to take in **low fat** sources of calcium, like skim milk, fat free yogurt, etc. (and of course continue to watch our calories). If you are lactose intolerant, you might also consider some non-dairy sources of calcium like broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables, calcium enriched orange juice, salmon, almonds and oats.

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Top 20 Antioxidant-Packed Foods

If you still need evidence that eating fruits and vegetables is beneficial, the USDA recently authorized a major study to identify the levels of antioxidants in some commonly consumed foods. (Antioxidants are disease fighting compounds that are thought to fight many common ailments like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.)

In addition to testing fruits and vegetables, the study also examined spices and nuts. Although we normally consume spices in very small quantities, several were found to be very high in antioxidants - particularly ground cloves, ground cinnamon and oregano.

The list below is ranked by (TAC) or Total Antioxidant Capacity:

1. Small Red Bean (dried) Half cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13727

2. Wild blueberry 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13427

3. Red kidney bean (dried) Half cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 13259

4. Pinto bean Half cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 11864

5. Blueberry (cultivated) 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 9019

6. Cranberry 1 cup (whole)
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 8983

7. Artichoke (cooked) 1 cup (hearts)
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7904

8. Blackberry 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7701

9. Prune Half cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 7291

10. Raspberry 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 6058

11. Strawberry 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5938

12. Red Delicious apple One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5900

13. Granny Smith apple One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5381

14. Pecan 1 ounce
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 5095

15. Sweet cherry 1 cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4873

16. Black plum One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4844

17. Russet potato (cooked) One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4649

18. Black bean (dried) Half cup
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4181

19. Plum One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 4118

20. Gala apple One
Total antioxidant capacity per serving size 3903

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Energy Tip for the Holidays - And It's Absolutely Free

Here's a quick energy tip for your upcoming holiday gatherings, and it's absolutely free. The end of year holiday season will soon be upon us and along with that come the parties and the family get-togethers with the big buffets and dinners. I can almost predict what the scene will look like after the huge meal; everyone is wishing they had a nice place to lie down for awhile - that is those who are not already sleeping on a chair. Where did all the energy go?

Have you ever heard of a principle called The Thermic Effect of Food? In short, it's the principle that states that your body has to expend energy to digest your food. If you eat a piece of cantaloupe, that's not a problem. Your body doesn't have to work very hard to digest a ripe piece of fruit. But let's say you gorge on a meal of roast turkey, stuffing, candied yams, and pumpkin pie topped off with whipped cream. Well now you're up close and personal with the Thermic Effect of Food. Over the next several hours, your body will have to devote most of its available energy to process that meal. It's telling you - sorry, I've got major work to do - you're going to have to leave me alone for awhile. So, why don't you just sit down and relax?

Well, here is a suggestion, and it's so simple that anybody can do it. The answer - chew your food. Chew your food until it becomes a watery blend and then swallow. Why? Well here are several reasons for you to "chew" on. #1) The obvious - chewing makes little ones out of big ones - meaning it mechanically breaks down larger pieces of food into smaller pieces, thus making it easier on all of the other biological systems that follow (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, etc). The Chinese have a saying that loosely translates as "The stomach has no teeth." #2) As you chew, you are thoroughly mixing food particles with the saliva and digestive enzymes in your mouth. In effect, you are pre-digesting the food. The longer you chew, the more time you expose the food to these digestive enzymes and ease the load on the rest of your system by doing some of the" heavy lifting" in advance. #3) You will eat more slowly and, therefore, probably eat less. #4) The satiety (fullness) signals your body sends to your brain when you are full will more likely work the way they are supposed to work. #5) You will avoid incomplete digestion and the indigestion that goes along with it. Your body is not designed to digest large chunks of food. When it can't, those undigested food particles can cause indigestion and promote the formation of unfriendly bacteria in your intestines.

The main point is that by chewing your food more consciously and thoroughly, you will be taking some of the digestive load off your body, doing more of the work in advance. Remember the Thermic Effect of Food - you will be saving your body from having to do all that work on its own - the less work the body has to perform, the more energy that is left over for you to do other things. Try it - you might feel a little better, a little lighter, a little more energetic this holiday season.

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