Benefits of Infrared

If you know me, then you know I spend half my life (seriously, almost not an exaggeration) at my local Infrared Hot Yoga Studio, Oxygen Hot Yoga and Fitness. So I thought I'd do some research on infrared radiation and what the benefits are besides the fact that I get really disgustingly sweaty. 

What is Infrared?

InfraRed is a type of energy radiation at a level below what our eyes can register, but it's what we commonly know as heat. Far Infrared, which is the type commonly used in infrared saunas and fitness studios like Oxygen, has a much longer energy wavelength than anything we can see, and is typically longer than the radiation from the sun and definitely longer than harmful types of radiation such as gamma rays, x-rays, and UV rays. Infrared heaters are different from typical heaters in a sauna because they work by emitting radiant heat as opposed to heating the body through air or steam. Basically infrared radiation is similar to sitting in the sun minus any humidity from the air and minus the UV rays that cause cancer. 

What are the benefits of Infrared?

• Far Infrared rays have the ability to penetrate the body, going deep into the tissues, muscles, and bones. Traditional saunas that heat the air, warm the body from the outside. Scientifically speaking, this helps to dilate the blood vessels, and increase blood circulation causing toxins to move to the surface of the body and be released as sweat.
• Because the Infrared radiation heats the body from the inside out, the body organs are heated causing them to increase their rate of activity, thereby increasing the overall metabolism of the body. Increased metabolism = increased weight loss.
• The heart is also an organ so increasing blood flow to the heart increases cardiovascular health without increasing blood pressure (the vessels are all dilated so even though the blood is moving faster there is less pressure overall). 
• Infrared radiation penetrates into the muscles helping them to relax, bringing about a sense of stress-release. For those, like myself, who do yoga or stretching or even massage in this type of environment, the benefits are immediate because the muscles can stretch out further with less damage. 
• Increasing blood circulation means more nutrients get delivered to your skin. Many people who frequent infrared environments remark about the improved appearance of their skin. Additionally, many people with moderate to severe acne are often treated with UV radiation which is harmful, but treatment of acne with infrared light can have the same effects without all the damaging UV light. This study showed an improvement in acne for all patients who were treated with infrared light.
• In addition to increasing the body's metabolic rate, infrared radiation helps to increase the flow of the digestive system causing an increase in...ahem, waste removal. Not surprisingly, Infrared is commonly used to treat those who suffer from severe constipation.
• For those who do any kind of fitness in infrared heat, there is a lot less damage to joints and tendons because of the increasing blood flow there is less pain and increased mobility. This can be fantastic for anyone who suffers from inflammation of any kind including arthritis, tendonitis and bursitis. 

Revamping Breakfast--Stage 1

Oh, Garfield!

I'm making it my goal to eat healthier all the time. I mean, I eat healthier than most people do on average because of my wheat allergy which cuts out basically everything fun (boo to allergies!). I am pretty good, for the most part, at eating my veggies and trying to incorporate some form of whole grain into my diet throughout the day whether it's brown rice, quinoa, or oats. Breakfast, however, is where I completely fall apart. Usually I'm in such a rush that I don't sit to think about what I'm shoveling into my face as I head out the door, school bag slinged over my shoulder, lunch (which I pre-made the night before) in my bag, traveling coffee mug and dog leash (with small, highly excited dog) in hand and I'm gone before I realized that all I ate was basically sugary oatmeal with some blueberries thrown in for good measure. 

When I do have time I try to eat a little better. Today, for example, I had the following breakfast:

Astro Strawberry Greek Yogurt

• I try to have about 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt (currently I'm eating Astro Greek yogurt in strawberry flavour). This yogurt is a little higher in calories than a non-fat or fat-free yogurt but with 9g of protein, I think it's worth it. *Remember every 1g of protein = 4 calories, every 1g of fat = 9 calories, and every 1g of carbohydrates = 4 calories. There is 11g of sugar in this yogurt but that's because it's strawberry flavour--regular plain Astro Greek Yogurt has only 2g of sugar for those who are wondering. 

Nutrition info for blueberries

• I add about 1/2 cup of blueberries. Blueberries, as you know, are incredibly high in the antioxidants pro-antocyanidin, beta-carotene, and lutien (cancer and age-related-disease fighters!), have tons of vitamins and trace minerals, (including manganese which is an enzyme co-factor helps your body digest all the anti-oxidants you are putting into it), and contain chlorogenic acid which is supposed to help lower blood sugar levels (known to help with type II diabetes). No wonder blueberries are considered a super food!

Nutrition info for raspberries

• I add another 1/2 of raspberries, or strawberries if there are no raspberries in season. Raspberries are also very high in anti-oxidants, as are most highly-pigmented fruits and vegetables, but raspberries have a 50% higher antioxidant activity level than strawberries! Raspberries also boast a high level of anti-inflammatories which are believed to reduce cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and improve eyesight and memory function. Raspberry seeds, additionally, have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, which is why you see raspberry ketone extract in a lot of highly-marketed diet drinks and pills (Just eat the real stuff!).

Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola

• I had a handful (so about 1/4 of a cup) of granola to my breakfast yogurt concoction. I really like Nature's Path Granola with pumpkin seeds and flax. With my serving size put into the nutrition fact calculator I came up with this label on the right. Though 70 calories seems high for such a small serving size, again we must remember that every 1g of protein = 4 calories, every 1g of fat = 9 calories, and every 1g of carbohydrates = 4 calories. The fat in this granola comes from the flax seed which is full of omega 3 fatty acids. 

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of essential fatty acid that our body needs but that we can't manufacture ourselves. According to an article in Best Health Magazine, Omega 3's help in cellular communication and protection, reduce inflammation leading to cardiovascular disease, lower fatty triglycerides in the blood vessels that lead to heart attacks and strokes, and studies are showing that they may aid in the treatment of clinical depression and bipolar disorder by increasing the communication between cells and allowing them to function more fluidly. 

From Reader's Digest--Fish Omega-3 Levels

In this study done with with fish consumption (and omega 3 consumption) and the correlation to heart disease, it was shown that a 1g per day increase in the participants consumption of omega 3 fatty acids led to a 25% lower risk of mortality from heart attack and/or stroke! This study says that there is no max dosage or even a recommended dosage for this fatty acid, but adequate levels of consumption can be reached through an intake of between 200-400g of omega 3 fatty acid containing fish per week. In an online article from Reader's Digest, they did a side-by-side comparison (see table at right) between different fish and their omega-3 levels. 

But, alas, as always I digress. My goal is come up with more than one option for a quick and healthy breakfast. My breakfast this morning has a total calorie count of (200 + 44 + 30 + 70) 344, a total sugar count (I try not to count carbohydrates in general) of about 25g most of which comes from fruit sugars, 13.5g of fat, and 12g of protein. That's not bad overall especially considering all the omega-3's, anti-oxidants, and vitamins/minerals that come with my breakfast. Now I just need to come up with some other ideas for new breakfast options so I don't get bored of this and revert back to high-sugar, high-carb, low-nutrient options.

Cereal or just candy in disguise?

Lucky Charms cereal...magically un-nutritious!

I remember as a kid always whining at my mom in the grocery store about getting my favourite cereal, which at the time was either Corn Pops or Golden Grahams. Thinking about eating either of those now makes me cringe because, well I can't eat it unless I want to be bloated for 2 days thanks to my handy dandy wheat allergy, but also because the amount of sugar in those cereals would make me super hyper...for about 30 minutes followed by a serious crash and sugar withdrawal symptoms for the rest of the day. So I thought about it, and I decided to do a side by side comparison of food labels on cereals and what they mean exactly.

There is a common misconception that any label that boasts a high level of carbohydrates must be high in sugar but it's important to read the sugar content separately from the carb count. Not all carbs are bad. (Remember the Atkins diet and the "carbs = satan" epidemic? Not always true.) Some carbs come from fibre and some come from natural sugars in fruit (ex/ raisin bran has high sugar content from the raisins not from added sugar in the cereal. 

Rice Chex Cereal

Rice Chex cereal is one of my go-to cereals because it's wheat-free and also I can make my own Chex Mix which I happen to love, because it's so much less salty than the packaged kind! (Recipe to come soon!) As far as cereals go, it's not so bad. 26.5g of carbohydrates 2.0g of which are from sugar. That means 6% of the whole cereal is sugar, which is not so great when you think about it this way but, in all honesty, nobody is eating Chex cereal for the health benefits. Should I be switching cereals for something more nutritious? Probably. But I need a little sugar in the morning and this sure beats a donut. 

Kashi Go Lean Cereal

I want to pretend that I wake up every morning and eat Kashi cereal but I don't like it. It's just not fun for me to eat, and I feel too full afterwards. This cereal has got 6g of sugar for every 52g serving, which is 11.5% sugar. This is justified, however, by the fact that Kashi Go Lean has dried fruit in it which contributes greatly to the overall sugar content. Additionally, Kashi totes a high level of protein and fiber, making it an all around great choice nutrition-wise, but also a great option for those counting calories.

Corn Flakes Cereal

Cornflakes is a common choice, though a pretty boring one. It's low in calories but has 10% sugar per serving, which is fairly high considering there is no dried fruit, just flakes. What cornflakes does have, however, is a high amount of iron, something I never noticed until doing this blog post. Corn flakes is low in calories, though, but it's not high enough in fiber or any other nutrients to justify eating something so bland. 

Cheerios Cereal

I don't really know any adults who still eat this cereal, but it's still interesting to see the label of such a common choice cereal. As far as sugar content goes, it's only 3.5% sugar per serving which is the lowest so far. It has the highest amount of fiber and protein aside from the Kashi cereal so far, and there is a huge list of vitamins and minerals found in this cereal that is not included in this particular label because of blog space. My only caveat with this cereal is the taste. Sure, toddlers love it but I can't get on board.

Fiber One Cereal

This is such an "adult cereal", and going over all these food labels is making me self-conscious about the fact that I love Rice Chex which is basically just calories with no nutritional value whatsoever! This cereal claims a sugar content of 0 but a HUGE fiber content (57% of your daily value!). The calories in this one are the lowest of all the cereals so far, including the Kashi Go Lean. So far this is the winner, health-wise.

All Bran Complete Oat Flakes Cereal

This cereal boasts 4g of fiber, 3g of protein but a sugar level of 20% per serving. This can be, in part, attributed to the dried fruit in this cereal, however it still seems fairly high compared to the Kashi Go Lean which also has the fruit but much less sugar. What's interesting about this cereal, is that it claims to provide you with 100% of your daily recommended values for both Vitamin C and Iron. In my head, though, I associate All Bran with those weird gerbil-poop looking buds and it's a big breakfast-food turn off for me.

Kellog's Special K Protein Plus Cereal

Special K has always been considered a "diet cereal" but this one with the extra protein seems to be a little different. It has 10g of protein per serving, which is not as high as the Kashi but higher than the rest, and 5 g of fiber which is again not as high as Kashi or Fiber One (go figure that one). It has a low sugar content at only 7% per serving, and a really low calorie count at only 100 calories per serving, only being beaten by the Fiber One cereal.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal-Apple Cinnamon Flavour

This is another one of my go-to breakfasts as it doesn't necessitate having any milk in the fridge! What's alarming to me about what I eat on a fairly regular basis is the sugar content; at 34% sugar per serving that is a crazy amount! Though this oatmeal does have close to 3g each of fiber and protein per serving, it doesn't cancel out that high sugar level which is obviously from all the flavourings that make it taste and smell like apple pie (great way to wake up in the morning, though!). 

Arrowhead Steel Cut Oats Hot Cereal

I added this one just to compare the instant oatmeal to this longer-to-cook-but-ultimately-more-nutritious version. I try to have steel cut oats but I have to make that effort to cook them ahead of time. These boast zero sugar, 6g of protein, and 8 g of fiber making these an amazing breakfast choice--for those who plan ahead for weekdays or perhaps choose to eat healthy weekend breakfasts in lieu of pancakes and bacon (oh how I love bacon!)

Here is my table summarizing all the data above. 

The highlighted bits are the winners in each category of sugar content, fiber, protein, and calories. Remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we should keep in mind that we are fueling ourselves after quite a number of hours of fasting and should be mindful not to go into unnecessary sugar highs if at all possible. I realize now it's time for a change. What a wake up call this was for me!

New New Coke--Bye Bye to Bad Boy Aspartame?

So many of us watch the calories we consume in so many ways, be it by writing in a food diary (ooh, me!) or simply choosing the low-calorie options of many of the foods we eat. But do we ever really stop to think what we're losing (or gaining) when we drop those so-called bad calories?

I want one now.

One of my major vices is Coke. A few years ago I made the switch to Coke Zero, given that it's sugar and calorie-free. I often get nagged, however, over the fact that it uses an artificial sweetener, Aspartame, in lieu of high fructose corn syrup. There are a million different articles floating around the interwebs telling us about how bad Aspartame is for you; how it causes cancer and leads to Alzheimers and Parkinsons and a myriad other terrible illnesses and diseases. Scientists claim, however, that there are no actual links between the use of aspartame on a semi-regular basis and an increase in the risk of having any number of those above-mentioned diseases. 

Common sources of Aspartame

According to this article entitled Artificial Sweeteners: Is Aspartame Safe?, the idea that aspartame is a super-deadly venomous chemical substitute for sugar is simply an internet hoax perpetuated by Betty Martini, founder of the "Mission Possible World Health International". {Can I just pause to add that I think her name is completely hilarious!} The MPWHI has a very specific set of opinions regarding aspartame, MSG, antibiotics, vaccines, and, of-course all natural health supplements. Ms. Martini, herself, claims to have been cured from breast cancer simply by taking various herbal concoctions. 

This made me LOL

While I don't refute the possibility of being cured of any disease by natural means, I do find it startling that she believes that aspartame is the cause of all cancers, neurological diseases, increasing antibiotic resistant bacteria, and the reason we are all "being embalmed from the inside out" (gross!). But Betty Martini aside, Aspartame is one of the most highly tested food products known to society, in over 90 countries wordwide. The FDA deems that its safety level is clear cut, and that all the symptoms claimed to be causes by aspartame were proven to be false according to a double blind study (both testers and recipients had no idea what they were receiving) only 35% of those who received aspartame had any adverse side-effects (headache, nausea) and 45% of those receiving the placebo reported the same effects. Meaning what exactly? Aspartame is not the killer we all claim it to be and we no longer need to be shamed for our diet soda drinking ways!

Stevia

What about Stevia?

Well, Stevia is a plant extract, derived from nature and not a bunch of lab-coat wearing scientists. By and large, anything natural is probably less harmful than any chemically manufactured substance. However, if we're going for weight-loss significance here, there is no markable difference between Stevia and Aspartame aside from price and availability. Oh and taste. That brings me to the next thing. 

NEW New Coke

Taken from Time Magazine article

When New Coke came around a while back everyone claimed how different it tasted. Taste testers around the world, even now that they are used to it claim that there is a major difference between regular Coke, diet Coke, and Coke Zero. I personally prefer the taste of Coke Zero because it tastes like regular Coke but without all the extra calories. Maybe it's in my head (in fact, it probably is). Coca-Cola is now trying to manufacture a NEW new Coke that includes an alternative natural sweetener, that may in fact by Stevia. The problem so far, according to this article I read this morning entitled "New New Coke" in the online version of Time Magazine, is that the taste of Stevia is difficult to mask in cola drinks. It has so far been used successfully in teas and other soft-drink like beverages, but so far there has been limited success with it in Coke itself. Now that that's all said and done, I'm going to have a Coke Zero.

Note: This blog post was not paid for by Coca-Cola but if they're interested...lol

Office Workers = hunter gatherers?

Image from Time magazine article

While reading my fitness/nutrition-related news articles this morning I came across one that really made me go, "Hmm...". The Telegraph (a UK newspaper), published an article titled "Office workers burn as many calories as hunter gatherers". After reading it (which I suggest you do, as well), I realized that there must be some kind of bias going on with the writing of this article. The author, Nick Collins, suggests that office workers today burn a comparable amount of calories to our hunter-gatherer counterparts in traditional societies (and also the versions of ourselves from pre-industrialized society). Additionally, Collins claims that the startling rise in obesity in our present society is not in fact attributable to our more sedentary lifestyle but our diet, stating that:

"The vast majority of what we spend our calories on is things you will never see like keeping our organs and immune system going. Physical activity is just the tip of the iceberg. If you spend a bit more [energy] on something like physical activity, you spend a bit less on something else but you do not notice it. This study shows that you can have a very different lifestyle, but [energy use] all adds up to the same level no matter what."

This doesn't make a lot of sense scientifically speaking. To put it simply, Collins is saying that we burn a maximum number of calories per day and if you exercise and burn calories in that manner then you will not burn calories through the normal day to day use of your organ and immune systems. Something here doesn't add up. We have a whole multi-billion dollar industry devoted to the notion that you need to be active to burn additional calories and here this guy says it doesn't really matter? 

Image from Daily Mail article

I did some research and it turns out that Collins was writing about a peer-reviewed scientific study about Hunter-Gatherer Energetics and Human Obesity, and was summarized by the Telegraph (as noted above), Time Magazine, BBC News, and the Daily Mail, among other news outlets. The picture accompanying the Daily Mail article with the headline "Good news for couch potatoes!" is especially disturbing to me. Why are we promoting the sedentary lifestyle in this way? Has medicine, health science, and general statistical evidence not shown us that obesity leads to loads of health problems and eventual death? 

The Center for Disease Control in the United States states that "regular physical activity is the best thing you can do for your health". I took a screen cap of the some of the benefits they claim come from physical activity. 

At least in the BBC report on the scientific findings, the author stated that 

"Being active is really important to your health but it won't keep you thin - we need to eat less to do that. Daily energy expenditure might be an evolved trait that has been shaped by evolution and is common among all people and not some simple reflection of our diverse lifestyles."

This idea was also stated in the original peer-reviewed article being discussed. It's an interesting idea that we, as humans, have evolved to change our metabolic rate as needed in order to maintain our lifestyles. The article itself suggests that the physical activity rate of the Hazda hunter-gatherers studied by the researchers was much higher than the levels observed in Westerners, leading one to wonder if our basal metabolic rates have increased in order to keep up with our increasing rate of consumption in Western society. This would be an interesting study to pursue, but really it's neither here nor there with regards to my blog today.
 

Taken from WALL-E. These guys burn as many calories as hunter-gatherers.

My issue is that this article, and the series of news outlets that covered its release, can mislead a whole group of people who don't take it for what it is: simply a fact about the calorie-burning levels of office workers and hunter-gathers. It is not a get-out-of-jail free card telling us that exercising is futile. The author of the Telegraph article, who claims to be a scientific columnist is directing a whole slew of readers into the misconceived notion that you are, on your own, going to burn the max calories you possibly can without doing anything out of the ordinary with regards to physical activity. This is totally and completely preposterous, and the fact checkers over at the Telegraph should have noted it before it went to print. Granted, in the UK the obesity levels are nowhere near as alarming as those in the US, but without some consideration they could be easily on the tails of their American counterparts. In Medical News Today, an article was published a few weeks ago claiming physical activity and exercise to be the most powerful tool in helping aid the sick people in the U.S. This is paramount, given that the US Congress is currently working on the "Affordable Care Act" where they are deciding how to help those with high medical needs and how to prevent this from becoming an even more crippling issue than it is at present. This article (or series of articles) based on findings that could lead to a seriously disadvantageous thinking on the part of many "Westerners" really was the rock in my shoe this morning and I simply had to share my point of view. 

Welcome!

I will get to this pose...and this beach...one day...

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs! Here I'm going to share all my geeky information about health and fitness, share recipes I love, talk about nutrition and bring my experiences as a school teacher and burgeoning yoga instructor hopefully with a little bit of humour and a few "ah-ha moments"! 

Please feel free to comment and share along with me. We all learn from each other and together maybe we can bring forth a diet/fitness revolution instead of just the next big (and usually short-lived) craze!