Run Forrest Run!

There are people, me included, that have a passion for running.  There are others who do it because it's good for you but they don't know why.  There are others who hate it and say they wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a treadmill.

So here's the deal.  We all know that exercise is really really important for good health, and finding what you enjoy most is essential, because if you like it you might just stick to it.

I love running.  That's me.  You won't find me in a gym but you will find me and the dog running around the countryside on many a cold frosty morning in the middle of winter.  If it rains?  I have a treadmill at home, the dog is jealous.

However, there are surprising medical benefits to running that I didn't have a clue about, until this week when I read two articles on the subject.

Professor William Farquhar, Delaware University says that running or brisk walking has a lot to do with blood pressure.  He is a physiologist who has studied exercise and health for over 20 years and says that exercise lowers blood pressure spectacularly.

According to the Professor, blood pressure drops immediately after an exercise session.  This is called post exercise hypotension and it has been shown to drop between 5 to 7 mmHg after every exercise session.

During a workout, blood pressure rises dramatically as our muscles need oxygen-rich blood.  The brain signals the heart to increase blood flow and the pressure rises.  During a run, systolic blood pressure can exceed 180 mmHg.  This would be particularly worrying if this reading was taking during rest, but it is quite normal during hard exercise.

But immediately after strenuous exercise, blood pressure drops drastically.  It is unclear as to why this happens, but dilation of the blood vessels is involved.

Why is this good?  Well, as I wrote in a previous article The Silent Killer, hypertension shows almost

no signs of happening.  Estimates suggest that one billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension and we also know that it is a contributing cause of death in over 400,000 Americans yearly.

This isn't just an old person's disease, another estimate suggests that 19% of young adults have hypertension.

So, the good news is that an easy way to control your blood pressure is to exercise every day.  You don't need to join and expensive gym, or get a personal trainer, and you certainly don't need to spend hours everyday exercising.  Just 30 minutes of running or brisk walking is enough to reap the blood pressure benefits.

But here's something else you might like to know about running...

Researchers from the University of Arizona have discovered that going for a run first thing in the morning makes you more alert for the rest of the day.  Running activates the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and planning.

The researchers studied 11 competitive, male runners between the ages of 18 and 25 and another 11 men who said they had not exercised in the past year.  Why men?  Well apparently women are harder to study due to the effects of the menstrual cycle on their brains and bodies.  Who knew?

Their physical activity levels and aerobic fitness was calculated through questionnaires and mathematical formulas and they each volunteered to a MRI scan to measure the levels of brain activity.

The outcomes were that the runners' brains showed increased connectivity in areas of the brain needed for higher-level of thought.  However the brains in the inactive men didn't show the same levels.

There was also less brain activity in the part of the runners' brains that indicates lack of focus and mind wandering.

Professor Gene Alexander, co-lead on the study, said;

"To me, this suggests that running may not be such a simple activity after all.  It requires complex navigational skills plus an ability to plan, monitor and respond to the environment, juggle memories of past runs, and also continue with all of the motor activities of running, which are very complicated."

To me, these are two pretty good reasons to keep on running, even if there are days when I have to really convince myself to get up and go.  But then, as Nike says... "Just do it."

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Christmas = FOOD

We all know that Christmas means way more food to tempt us than we would normally have on offer.  For some this is not a problem.  For others it is one HUGE problem.  There are people who find themselves in the middle of a weight loss regime with Christmas fast approaching.  So how can you get through Christmas with as little side effects as possible?




Relax.

For starters, it's Christmas.  It is the time of year where family and friends get together and you may not have seen each other for a while.  Lunch, dinner or drinks - or all, are the perfect excuse for a get together.  So, stop stressing and ENJOY.  If you keep a level head, you can limit the potential damage.  It is much better for you to give yourself permission to enjoy yourself than to over indulge and then feel guilty afterwards.  People who stress about how much they've eaten or are going to eat, or try to limit the amount of calories they are going to eat, do not actually end up eating fewer calories.  So you may as well relax about it and do not obsess.

Get organized.

There is nothing worse than eating far too much turkey and roast potatoes thinking you can skip dessert, only to find that your host has prepared your all time favorite sweet.  If you are not organizing the meal, ask your host; "Hey!  What's for dinner?  Can I bring something?" This is a polite way of getting all the information you need to make wise food choices.

I love desserts, and they are something that on the whole I tend to stay way away from.  But, if I am eating out and I really want that dessert, then I limit the other food in order to enjoy the dessert.

If you are faced with a large buffet, take a while to look at everything that is on offer.  I do a "walk around", and have a look at everything from the starters to the mains to the desserts.  Then I go back to the beginning and pick what I really want to eat instead or just piling my plate with a little of everything.

Follow a certain order.

You might have been saving yourself all day so you can really enjoy your family dinner.  But you don't want to go too far and end up feeling like you ate the whole dinner yourself.  There are 3 important things you need to keep in mind:

1.  Carbs make you fat.
2.  Protein makes you feel fuller for longer.
3.  Vegetables give you necessary vitamins and minerals and stop your system getting blocked from all the excess food.

So, start your meal by eating protein (turkey) and vegetables.  This will take the edge off your hunger and you will probably eat less roast potatoes and dessert.

Be Mindful.

Listen to your body.  It takes roughly 20 minutes for the message from your gut to reach your brain that you are full.   So, eat slowly, take a break between courses.  Most of these lunches and dinners can be leisurely so take advantage of that and put your knife and fork down while catching up with your cousin who you haven't seen for 10 years!

Once you are full, stop eating.  There is no fun in feeling like you are about to explode and you will regret it and you will feel guilty.

Using smaller plates also stops you eating too much and use a smaller wine glass too.  Also, pre dinner drinks is a great way to lose the plot.  If you've had a drink or two before dinner, then your inhibitions will be lower and you won't "care" as much about how much you eat.  However, you may well regret it afterwards.  Drink alcohol once you have started eating.

Keep moving.

Don't give up on your normal exercise regime.  Lounging in front of the TV is not a good way to keep your food control in check.  Carry on as normal, or, if you don't have a habitual exercise regime, then now is the time to get one going.  Exercise is extremely important for optimal health and should be a part of every day life - all year round.  So get into a good habit and then carry on with it.  This will help good digestion too.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Men's nutritional health

Are you a man?  Do you have a man in your life you'd like to take better care of?  There are a lot of women's magazines that tell women how to look after themselves, and it has always been perceived that women are more interested in looking after themselves than men.  Obviously this just isn't true... anymore...  But if you think you, as a man, need to improve your nutrition, then read on.  If you think your husband, boyfriend, partner needs to improve his nutrition then... read on.

Also it isn't just your waistline that could be improved.  Better nutrition can help with fertility, heart and prostate health, depression and even erectile dysfunction.

So what exactly should men be eating and why?

Red peppers are extremely high in vitamin C.  Just one portion (that's 1/2 a red pepper) provides over 200% of the recommended daily intake.  Vitamin C is especially important for men who are trying to have a baby with their partners, as it prevents sperm cells from clumping together, a common problem in infertility.

Tomatoes and other red vegetables, are a rich source of lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant which helps to reduce the damage caused by free radicals which can cause disease.  So include as many red foods such as tomatoes, peppers, red grapefruit and watermelon as possible in your diet.

Both lycopene and vitamin C have been associated with good prostate health.

Nuts, especially Brazil nuts, are extremely nutritious and are full of heart healthy fats and vitamins E and B and Magnesium.

The type of fats found in Brazil nuts are monounsaturated, which have been found to improve blood cholesterol levels and therefore, reduce  the risk of heart disease.

Magnesium is very important to health, and often severely lacking our diets.  Magnesium helps to maintain a regular heartbeat and when combined with B vitamins, it helps convert food into energy.

Another mineral found in Brazil nuts is Selenium which is especially beneficial to men.  Selenium is involved  in making the protein found in sperm and men with  low sperm counts have been found to have low blood levels of this mineral.

Selenium is also used for keeping the immune system healthy, and in the formation of enzymes that help protect the body from free radical damage.

However, nuts - in any form - should be eaten raw for maximum benefits.

Red kidney beans and other legumes, are a great source of high quality fiber which is essential in the diet for optimal health.

A good amount of fiber is essential for maintaining good digestion and has been shown to reduce the
risk of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Fiber also makes you feel fuller for longer which can be helpful if you are trying to control your weight.

Depression is surprisingly high among men in the UK.  With 1 in 8 men experiencing a mental health issue at some point in their lives.  Whereas diet isn't actually going to cause depression, being depressed can affect your food choices and this may contribute to low mood swings.

Some people comfort eat when depressed and others skip meals.  Whether you are comfort eating or skipping meals your blood sugar levels will be unbalanced and possible nutrient deficiencies can lead to low mood, making the problem even worse.

High fiber foods such as oats, lean proteins and healthy fats all help stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent mood swings.

High fiber diets have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Eggs have been black listed as a cholesterol problem for decades, a bad rap which is totally unwarranted, as eggs have little impact on cholesterol levels.

Eggs are very high in pure protein but they are also packed with almost all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for great health.

Their high protein content means they leave you feeling fuller for longer, and people who eat eggs for breakfast tend to eat less over the rest of the day.

Two boiled eggs also supply a good source of selenium and zinc which are particularly beneficial to men.  So, don't be afraid to open the door to eggs and you certainly don't need to limit your weekly intake.

Fish, especially oily fish; wild salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout and sardines are packed full with Omega 3 fatty acids.  These are essential for health and must be obtained from diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and low levels may impact on fertility.

Fatty acids produce compounds called prostaglandins that help reduce inflammation in the body.  Inflammation can damage healthy cells and weaken the immune system which is thought to be a contributing factor for many diseases including cancer.

One of the earliest warning signs of heart disease is erectile dysfunction.  A man with erectile dysfunction in his 40s has a 50-fold greater risk of having a heart attack over the next 10 years.

If you can't face uping your fish intake, then it would be a good idea to invest in a good quality supplement.  Krill oil is a better option as it is water soluble and therefore better absorbed by the body.

I left the best for last...

Steak!  Yes you can have your steak and eat it too.  Steak is high in protein which is great, and it is also a great source of zinc.  Zinc plays a huge role in the immune system, cell growth and would healing.  Zinc is also essential for the male reproductive system as it is used to make male sex hormones and is found within sperm cells in high concentrations making this mineral an essential part of male fertility.  It has also been associated with good prostate health and it may help to reduce the development of an enlarged prostate.

Zinc and iron (also found in red meat) are essential for healthy hair too.

Red meat is healthy in moderation, so you might like to explore other sources such as; green vegetables, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, shell fish and pulses.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Up and down

Yo-yo dieting means restricting food intake drastically and losing weight very quickly only to go back to eating as you did before, thus putting all the weight back on and then some.

A survey in 2014 found that 60% of yo-yo dieters will try up to 20 different diets in their lifetime... repeat offenders!

But this constant up and down has health consequences that go far beyond your waistline.  Extreme diets have been blamed for many health problems such as hormone imbalances, osteoporosis and even heart problems.

So, what does yo-yo dieting really do to your body?

To start with is the one we already know, you'll put it all back on again and then some more.

Studies have shown that the body strives to maintain its weight at what is called a set point.  The body will protect itself against weight loss during a period of restricted intake, which also explains why people often don't put weight on if they over eat for short periods of time.  However, when the body is being starved for a fairly long period of time, weight loss occurs but your body also gets used to functioning on less resources.  When this happens, your metabolism gets reset to that lower level, so when you start eating normally again you put the weight back on faster.

However, diets like the 5:2 diet, which involve intermittent fasting, do not reset the metabolism as the period of calorie restriction is too short.

When calorie intake is severely restricted, there comes a point when the body begins to digest its own muscle cells as well as remaining fat cells for energy.  Muscle mass is actually esencial for weight control as in order to maintain muscle the body burns more calories.  So, if your body is obliged to digest muscle this will actually slow metabolism even more and promotes rapid fat gain when you begin to eat normally again.

It's aging.

Depending on how much weight you lose, your body can be left with stretch marks, saggy and
droopy skin.  Also, the more this happens the worse the consequences as you age.  As we get older our skin loses elasticity.  Older women will be more prone to saggy skin.  Less drastic weight loss regimes where the weight comes off gradually, give the skin time to adjust.  Also restrictive diets can have an affect on the plumpness of skin especially if the diet has a low protein content.  This stops the production of collagen which gives the skin its firmness.

Yo-yo dieting can also affect the health of your hair.  At any one time, 90% of head hair is in a growth phase and just 10% is in the resting or shedding phase.  Restricting calories severely forces more hairs into the shedding phase as the follicles have fewer nutrients to sustain them.  Rapid weight gain also affects normal hormone levels and stresses hair follicles.

Severely restricted calorie intake means the body isn't getting as many key vitamins and minerals such as calcium to keep their teeth and gums healthy.  Yo-yo dieters are more prone to gum disease which can also lead to tooth loss.  Dieters who severely restrict their food intake produce less saliva.  The saliva produced in the chewing of food helps protect the teeth against acid attack.  And when they reintroduce lots of food into their diets they tend to choose a high carbohydrate diet which puts them at risk of tooth decay.

Heart Unhealthy.

In the latest study from the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, data from 158,000 women over the age of 50 was analyzed.  Dr. Somail Rasla, lead author of the study, says that gaining weight as part of  yo-yo dieting increases heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  These alterations do not go back to normal when the weight is lost again.  With the up and down of repeated yo-yo dieting, these problems only get worse over time, damaging the heart in the process.

The study which was carried out over an 11 year period, showed that women of normal weight who admitted to yo-yo dieting more than four times, were three and a half times as likely to die from a heart attack than women whose weight was stable, even if they were obese.

Yo-yo dieting also increases inflammation markers in the blood which are associated to lots of diseases such as arthritis.

Fertility Treatment Problems

Calorie restriction followed by bingeing can disrupt the release of hormones from the pituitary gland which drives the menstrual cycle, stimulating the ovaries to release eggs.

When a woman loses weight quickly, this process shuts down because the body switches to starvation mode and diverts all its energy to vital processes and reproduction is not considered a vital process.

However, many women are told to lose weight in order to qualify for fertility treatment, and this can encourage crash dieting.  It has been found that women who lose weight as quickly as possible, sometimes reducing their calorie intake to 400 calories a day, in order to reach the required weight for treatment, have very poor outcomes when it comes to getting pregnant as the IVF is unlikely to work.

Losing weight sensibly through lifestyle changes is much healthier and the weight stays off.  It's up to you what you want for your body and your health.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

How cuddly is your man?

We all know the two main body shapes; apple (rounded in the middle) and pear (more shapely round the hips).  Men seem to be more prone to the apple shape or beer belly, which can often leave them looking "pregnant".  However, with the "Dad Bod" seemingly in fashion, just how healthy is your man?

Pear shaped, as in extra weight around the thighs (more habitual in women) is subcutaneous fat, situated just beneath the skin, this fat is harmless as it stays exactly where it is and is very hard, but not impossible, to lose through dieting.

The apple shape however, is visceral fat which accumulates around the internal organs behind the abdominal wall.  This is why these round beer bellies tend to be hard and you can't pinch them.  This type of fat is a lot easier to  lose but is far more dangerous to health - in fact, it can kill you and here's how:

1.  Heart.
Visceral fat is linked to high levels of bad colesterol and high blood pressure, both of which are contributors to heart disease.

2.  Immune System.
Visceral fat produces a chemical called interleukin-6 which is active in inflammation.  Inflammation does serious damage to the body, it worsens the symptoms of diseases such as COPD (Chronic

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) among others and could also raise your risk of developing these diseases.

3.  Diabetes.
Belly fat has been linked to insulin resistance syndrome, this is where the body becomes less sensitive to insulin and this type of fat produces more of it.  This means that people with visceral fat are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

4.  Dementia.
A Japanese study found that an adverse waist-to-hip ratio where the waist was a lot larger than the hips, was linked to a higher risk of developing dementia due to a highly negative effect on the hippocampus - the memory center in the brain.

5.  Cancer.
Research has recently revealed that men who put on  2st 7lb (17 kg) from adolescence to retirement, and were subsequently classed as overweight, had a 50% higher risk of developing bowel, kidney, oesophagal and pancreatic cancer.

6.  Depression.
A 2014 study of more than 3,300 men and women with an average age of 51, found that higher levels of visceral was linked to higher risk of depression.  This is believed to happen due to an increase in the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

7.  Lungs.
A study from California has also shown a link between high levels of visceral fat and asthma.  Apple shaped overweight people were more likely to develop asthma, this is due to the inflammatory effects of abdominal fat on the the respiratory system.

8.  Snoring.
Weight has often been associated with snoring.  This is due to the abdominal fat restricting the movement  of the diaphragm and lung expansion.

So if your partner is on the cuddly side, you might like to reassess it from a health point of view.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The effects of junk food and sugar on adolescents' brains

When children reach adolescence, their brains take on major developmental changes in termos of structure and function.  Due to the dramatic changes in connectivity within brain regions, adolescence is a period of increased neuroplasticity.

Also brain-imaging studies have shown that the prefrontal cortex doesn't fully mature until the early 20s.  A major role of the prefrontal cortex is performing executive functions.  Executive functions refer to behavioral control, attention and decision-making.

Poor regulation of the prefrontal cortex during this period can explain why teenagers show increased risk-taking behaviors, including drug taking, binge drinking and  dangerous driving.

To parents, it often seems that however much they try to help their teenage children and provide information about unsafe behavior -their teenagers just don't listen.

For many teenagers, risky behavior often provides an immediate reward.  The brain's reward system releases dopamine when stimulated by pleasurable events, which makes carrying out these activities more appealing.

This also makes high fat and high sugar foods more appealing.  However, the adolescent reward system is especially sensitive to stimulation and over activation during this growth period may lead to permanent alterations.

If you combine a teenager's reduced ability to avoid rewarding behavior with their over stimulated reward system, then it doesn't come as a surprise that teens prefer food that is easily obtained and provides instant gratification - even though they may know that these are not healthy options.

The over consumption of sugary foods during adolescence can cause changes in the brain that do not manifest until later in life such as reduced motivation and enjoyment when experiencing rewards.

These behaviors are key features of mood disorders including depression.

This is very important to know, as it shows just how important the type of food consumed during adolescence is, and how it can impact brain function when teens become adults.  It also leads to long lasting changes in food preferences and learning about rewards.

Eating too much junk food during adolescence could halt the normal brain maturation processes.  This could alter normal developmental trajectories which, in turn, lead to enduring behavioral  predispositions - in this case, dieta associated: the habit of consuming fatty and sugary foods, leading to weight problems, obesity and weight related health complications.

Junk food and sugary food and drinks are not just full of unhealthy fats and large amounts of sugar, they also contain different excitotoxins such as monosodium glutamate (MSG).

MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many foods especially Chinese food and junk food, but also many unsuspecting foods too.  There are many opinions as to whether MSG is safe for human consumption or not and there is still no clear cut scientific evidence for either side.  But excitotoxins are dangerous if over consumed and a brain in development such as a baby, toddler or adolescent would be more susceptible to excitoxin damage.  For this reason MSG was removed from commercially produced baby foods.

MSG is also known as; hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts and protein isolate, among others.

So, once again, the answer to problems such as these is to feed your family fresh produce cooked from scratch at home - and read the labels carefully when you do your shopping!

If you would like to learn more about the effects of excitotoxins then I suggest the book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Dr. Russel L. Blaylock.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Eating Healthily Doesn't have to be boring

We are what we eat... or so the saying goes, and I agree whole heartedly with this.  Unhealthy diets cause disease, be it type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome or even cancer.  Unhealthy foods cause disease; junk food, sugary soft drinks, processed "foods" all contribute to the weight gain, obesity and the onset of the aforementioned diseases.

However, quite often the people who come to see me because they need to lose weight not just from an esthetic point of view, but for health reasons all have the same look in their eyes... fear.

We humans are creatures of habit, we tend to be set in our ways and the mere thought - however fleeting -  of having to change one or more of their habits, or having to stop eating one of their favorite foods causes such fear they would prefer to not even contemplate it.

Also, the minute the word diet comes up in conversation and most people envisage broiled chicken with lettuce or grilled fish with not much else.  "Dieting" is associated with depriving oneself of everything deemed delicious and eating uninteresting, boring and unpalatable foods.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Two very important pieces of information have come to light recently.

1.  FAT has been found to be good for you.
2.  The real killer is SUGAR.

Yip, everything you were told for decades was wrong.  Sugar and refined carbohydrates are the real killers and fat has been unjustly omitted from our diets for years and years.

So, if we take into account that there is a huge obesity epidemic which is stressing the national health services due to the serious diseases that are brought on by being overweight or obese; type 2 diabetes as I wrote recently is singlehandedly bankrupting the NHS in the UK.  We also need to take into account that type 2 diabetes can be improved beyond belief in the majority of cases and even cured in some cases, simply by removing refined carbohydrates from the diet.  Removing refined carbs mean people lose weight.  Losing weight reverses the effects of type 2 diabetes, among other diseases.

And here we are back to the broiled chicken and lettuce... or are we.

Eating healthy, home cooked food can be so delicious.  There is no reason to have a boring diet if you want to lose weight.  What you really need is to change the way you THINK about food.

Food should be tasty, delicious and filling.  You shouldn't feel like you are missing out.  You also need to adjust your mind set.  When you look at what you are about to eat ask yourself these questions;  What does this food do for me?  Does it nourish me?  Will I feel good about it afterwards?

One of the best examples of healthy but tasty food is Dr. Michael Mosley's Blood Sugar Diet.  Anyone, whether you have a problem with blood sugar or not should be eating this food.  It is healthy and delicious and a great way to start a seriously healthy change to your diet.  I don't usually do reviews, but Dr. Mosley's 5:2 Diet I have reviewed and it is another common sense diet that has done wonders for many many people.

However, the Blood Sugar Diet I am not going to review as such, and if you don't want to read the book I suggest that you do buy the recipe book, written by his wife Dr. Clare Bailey and Dr. Sarah Schenker.  Buy it!  Cook from it!  Give to everyone you know as a gift this Christmas!

The recipes are easy and very tasty, you have breakfast ideas, lunches, snacks, evening meals, main meals even curries!  My own 16 year old daughter who has always says she hates spicy food, LOVED the chicken biriani with cauli rice.

You will not even know you are on a healthy eating plan... which is why I was so distraught this morning to find that my dog had eaten the book... oh well, I'll have to get myself another one!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Is your mind playing tricks on you?

There is one HUGE problem when it comes to dieting and that huge problem is the fact that your body has a mind of its own.  Yes, that limp of grey matter which seemingly has nothing to do with your digestive system actually has a lot to say in the matter of dieting.

In fact our brain and our digestive system are extremely connected - so much so that our digestive system is the only other organ in the body that produces neurotransmitters, and your brain rules... well... everything.  Unfortunately it could be your brain that is sabotaging your heroic efforts to lose weight.

The main thing to remember is that when you start restricting your food intake, your brain literally thinks you're starving.  The physiological side of our bodies hasn't changed in 10,000 years and back then our bodies were built for famine.  Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had little say in how much or how often they would eat.  They ate what they could gather; fruits and vegetables and what they could catch and kill.  This meant that quite often they would go for some time with only what they could gather.  When they were fortunate enough to kill an animal, they would eat all of it as quickly as possible as there was no way of storing meat.  Their brains made their bodies store all the calories they could as they didn't know WHEN they were going to get the next decent meal.

Jump forward 10,000 years and if you are lucky enough to live in the western world, famine is not a problem and food is available 24/7.  However, our bodies and brains still believe they live in a time of famine and store all that they can.  This is why many diets may seem to work at first.  You reduce your calorie and/or quantity intake, you start to lose weight and suddenly a few weeks later you plateau and the weight loss slows dramatically.  This is when your brain has decided you are starving.
This starvation effect is also due to an incredible obsession with food that we generate when dieting.  A study at Rockefeller University permitted scientists to observe this in detail when studying a group of obese patients who were put on a diet while in hospital.

The patients developed some of the psychological and physiological consequences of starvation due to an intense obsession with food.  This is why you daydream about food when you are dieting.  Once the patients were allowed to go home and there was more food available to them as they were no longer in a controlled environment, they would break their diets or even binge eat resulting in them putting the lost weight back on.

This is also what happens when you are told you cannot eat a certain food.  I remember when I had my intolerance test, I was told I couldn't eat wheat.  At the time I hardly ever ate bread and my wheat intake was down to pasta only.  But the minute I was told I couldn't eat wheat, I suddenly had intense cravings for bread - something I didn't usually eat.

It is the mere fact that something - anything is prohibited that makes it all the more enticing.

The brain actually plays a leading role in dieting.  It constantly competes to control our behavior.  Those voices in your head:

"Oh go on... just one won't hurt..."

"You've been so good all week..."

"Well, now you've broken the diet and had one biscuit... you may as well eat the whole packet!"

But it isn't just the voices in your head encouraging you to eat something, the brain is also hormone driven.  Leptin, which is also called the fat hormone, is produced by fat cells and travels, via the blood, to the brain where it tells the hypothalamus how much energy is stored and available on demand.  When you have enough energy stored ready and waiting, the leptin in the brain makes food less attractive.  However, dieting and weight loss can reduces those stored energy levels and leptin levels, therefore making food a lot more attractive.  That's why it is never a good idea to go food shopping when you are hungry.

Another problem with dieting is stress.  If you are going through a stressful time, many wouldn't recommend you add to that stress by starting a new diet.  However, if your stress is due to you being overweight, then doing something about it might help.  However,  just the fact that YOU know YOU are on a diet makes it stressful.

Resisting temptation, sticking to your diet plan, keeping a food diary or having to count every calorie is extremely stressful.  And here the food obsession comes back again.  Calorie restriction actually produces stress hormones in dieters and this can lead to weight gain instead of weight loss.

There seem to be two types of eaters; intuitive eaters or controlled eaters.  Intuitive eaters are those who listen to their bodies and eat only when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full.

Controlled eaters watch what they eat and analyze what they are about to eat to see if it is ok or what consequences that particular food would have to their weight.

A study carried out by psychologists found that intuitive eaters were less likely to have a weight problem and maintained a stable weight and also spent less time thinking about food.

Controlled eaters tended to diet for longer periods of time and were more likely to binge eat for emotional reasons or eat just "because it was there".

Let's not forget willpower - or the lack of it either.  Motivation or willpower is basically what helps us stay on a diet, but that seems to be limited too.  Our bodies have their own "defended weight range" and if we eat less than our body believes is necessary for survival then it will do everything in its power to get you to eat more, this is where our reward system kicks in and we are back to hearing those voices again...

"You've been so good for days, one treat won't hurt!"

So, can you beat your brain?  Yes!  You have to retrain your brain to agree with what you are doing.  It has to understand why you need to lose weight; health reasons, etc... and you have to make the lifestyle change, not just a short spurt but a major diet overhaul as the basis of your existence.

 I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

 

The silent killer

The silent killer... High blood pressure shows next to no symptoms and many don't even know they have it.  In fact, one in four adults suffer from it.

High blood pressure can lead to; damage to your arteries in the form of artery damage and narrowing, and aneurysm.  Damage to your heart in the form of coronary artery disease, enlarged left heart and heart failure.  It can also damage your brain leading to transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), stroke, dementia and mild cognitive impairment.  High blood pressure can also damage your kidneys leading to kidney failure, scarring of the kidneys and kidney artery aneurysm.

The causes of high blood pressure are many; smoking, being overweight or obese, too much salt in the diet, lack of physical activity, more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per day, stress, age, genetics, family history of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, adrenal and thyroid disorders and sleep apnea.

Many of these causes, although not all, are due to lifestyle, so change your lifestyle and you will most probably reverse your high blood pressure.

There are several things you can do on a nutritional level to help lower your blood pressure, there are certain foods that you SHOULD eat and others that you should AVOID.

What you should AVOID:

Obviously you should lower your salt intake as this is one of the things that raises blood pressure.  However, it isn't that easy.  Yes, you can certainly lower the amount you put in your home cooked food, but salt or sodium chloride has been used as a flavor enhancer and preservative for centuries.

Adults need between 1.2 and 2.4g of salt per day, however most adults are consuming far more than that.  A review of studies involving 3,230 participants showed that reducing salt intake by 4.4g per day reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.2mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2.1 mmHg.  Among the participants who had high blood pressure there were even bigger reductions of 5.4 mmHg (systolic) and 2.8 mmHg (diastolic).

Stay clear of processed foods and watch your added salt intake.

As already said above, more than one or two alcoholic drinks per day is associated with a systolic blood pressure reading of about 2.7 mmHg, and a diastolic reading of 1.4 mmHg - this is higher than in non-drinkers.

When you consume alcohol your blood pressure actually goes down first, only to rise later on and this rise is more likely to happen while you are awake than when you are asleep.  However, the more you drink means the greater your risk of having high blood pressure especially in men, but to a lesser extent in women too.

High intakes of caffeine increase blood pressure in the short term.  Caffeine is most commonly consumed in coffee and tea, but also in cola and in huge amounts in energy drinks such as Red Bull.

In a review of 5 clinical trials, the participants were given one or two cups of strong coffee, their systolic blood pressure increased to 8.1 mmHg and 5.7 mmHg diastolic blood pressure, up to three hours after drinking the coffee.  However response to caffeine is very different in each person, some people don't have a problem with it whereas others are very sensitive to it.  So analyze its effect on you as an individual.

Liquorice has an active ingredient called glycyrrhizic acid (GZA) but most liquorice sweets sold nowadays have very little real liquorice root in it and therefore very little GZA.  GZA causes sodium retention and loss of potassium, which contributes to high blood pressure, so you need to check the labels and be careful if it contains liquorice root.

What you SHOULD eat:

Vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid, is found in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables where an average serving contains between 10-40mg of vitamin C.

Vitamin C has been shown to improve blood pressure in a review of 29 short-term studies where participants were given 500mg of vitamin C per day over a period of eight weeks.  Their blood pressure improved significantly, with an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 3.84 mmHg and 1.48 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure.

However, people who are susceptible to kidney stones should be careful with vitamin C consumption as it can contribute to the formation of kidney stones as the excess vitamin C is excreted via the kidneys.

Another advantage of increasing your vitamin C intake from fruits and vegetables is that you also increase your potassium intake which helps counter the effects of sodium.

You should all know by now that fiber is extremely important for good health.  Investigators found rolled oats or 25g of oat bran per day had systolic blood pressure at 2.7 mmHg lower and diastolic blood pressure was 1.5 mmHg lower than those who didn't include this amount of fiber in their diets.
that people who ate about 60g of

For on extra gram of total daily fiber, there was an extra 0.11 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure.  The recommended minimum daily intake for fiber in adults is 30g for men and 25g for women.  Just make sure it is good quality fiber.

Inorganic nitrate is a compound found in beetroot.  During digestion, this compound is converted into nitric oxide, which in turn, causes arteries to dilate directly lowering the pressure within.

Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adult men who already had high blood pressure.  They were randomly assigned to drink 250ml of beetroot juice per day for four weeks or given a non-active placebo.

Those drinking the beetroot juice reduced their blood pressure over 24 hours, with systolic blood pressure 7.7 mmHg lower and diastolic blood pressure 5.2 mmHg lower.  

Be careful with beetroot though as it is also very high in sugar.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The truth behind type 2 diabetes

On 2nd October 2016, the BBC showed a documentary on their program PANORAMA.  This particular episode struck a deep chord with me as it was about Type 2 Diabetes, my father suffers from this disease and I know the struggle he has faced for years.

As a nutritionist I see type 2 diabetes as having a fairly simple solution - lose weight and you can control or even cure the progression of the disease.  However, for those suffering from type 2 diabetes don't see it as simply as I do, and this is what made watching this documentary so painful.  The impotence, the frustration and hopelessness of the patients, their families and the medical professionals is devastating.

The amount of people currently struggling with type 2 diabetes in the UK are costing the NHS 10.3 BILLION GBP per year - that's 10% of the NHS' budget spent on caring for people with type 2 diabetes.  This is because 4 MILLION people are living with this condition and 500.000 don't even know it.

So why does it cost so much?

Many people think that type 2 diabetes is basically harmless.  However, its effects are far reaching, and the truth is that this disease is a KILLER.  Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart failure, blindness, kidney disease (need for dialysis) and foot and leg amputations.

Type 2 diabetes isn't just the medication you need to control it, it's the cost both human and economic of dealing with other diseases caused by the type 2.  For example, one of the cases featured in the documentary shows an elderly man having his leg amputated due to this disease.  He had to have two operations and rehabilitation.  That's 18,000 GBP for the two ops and 20,000 GBP more for rehabilitation, not to mention the cost to him at losing a leg.  Amputations due to the body's inability to fight infection from ulcers because of the diabetes are, unfortunately, very common.  Not a welcome thought for anyone.  And this comes at an economic cost to the NHS that is threatening its survival.

If you read this blog you will know that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle acquired disease which means there is too much glucose in the blood due, generally, to poor diet and therefore the body's mechanism for turning glucose into energy doesn't work properly.  Nine out of ten patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

Professor Tim Barratt, from Birmingham Children's Hospital says;

"Obesity and diabetes will have a tremendous burden on our national health service.  It would be much cheaper to change lifestyles now and prevent complications than trying to pay for it with the NHS."

But type 2 isn't just for middle aged people who haven't looked after themselves.  Until the year 2000 not a single case of type 2 diabetes had been diagnosed in a child in the UK.  Now more than 500 CHILDREN have developed the disease because of poor diet and obesity.

In the UK one fifth of children are overweight or obese by the time they start PRIMARY school, and more than one in three are overweight or obese by the time they leave.

Professor Barratt says;

"Type 2 diabetes in children may be a different disease to type 2 diabetes in adults.

"So adults who get this at the age of 50 or whatever may not necessarily get these other complications.  The children we are seeing with type 2 seem to have got a more aggressive progress.  And they're getting these complications earlier than you'd expect."

The NHS is now focused on prevention.  Doctors claim that although bariatric surgery costs about 5,000 GBP, if it prevents sufferers from developing more serious complications then it is money well spent.  However, the NHS is only performing about 6,000 bariatric surgeries per year.  If it were to meet the European average, it would be closer to 50,000, enough to make a difference.

The government has also imposed a "sugar tax" on soft drinks and they have also published a childhood obesity strategy.  But many in the medical profession believe that tougher actions are needed if a difference is to be made.

But, at the end of the day, the general public has to WANT to look after themselves, and also those suffering already from type 2 diabetes have to make a huge effort with help from the medical professionals to change their lives.  Admitting you have a problem and that you need help is half the battle won.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The Big Bad Avocado

Yes, I know, I keep going on about how good avocados are for you.  But I keep doing it because I keep getting resistance to eating them from lots of people.

Avocados have had so much bad press for so long, it's difficult to change peoples' perception of them, which is such a shame as they are packed with vitamins, minerals and HEALTHY FATS.  Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat which helps REDUCE levels of LDL cholesterol - otherwise known as "bad" cholesterol.  They also contain more potassium than bananas and are rich in vitamins B, C and K.

But first things first; cholesterol is a type of fat that is produced by the human body and is key to good health.  We have all heard of the two most common forms of cholesterol; HDL or "good" and LDL or "bad".  HDL or High Density Lipoprotein which guards against heart problems while the LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein, causes build-up on artery walls causing blockages which can lead to heart disease.  But there are other types LP (a) a genetic variation of LDL which together with triglycerides (a form of fat made in the body), make up the TOTAL cholesterol count on your blood test.

However, one of the most important jobs carried out by cholesterol is to help in hormone production. Cholesterol is stored in the ovaries, testes and adrenal glands and is converted to steroid hormones.  Steroid hormones are necessary for the correct functioning of the human body, and without them we would have problems with weight, sex, bone and mental health.

Cholesterol also helps in digestion.  The liver uses cholesterol in the production of bile which helps us to digest the food we eat - especially fats.

Cholesterol is also a structural compound of cells together with polar lipids, cholesterol provides a protective barrier.  Cells are affected by increases and decreases in cholesterol and these changes can affect our ability to metabolize and produce energy.

However, unhealthy diets can cause high levels of LDL cholesterol, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke.  Being overweight or obese raises your risk of having high LDL levels, BUT normal weight people can also have high LDL levels, so it is important to get your cholesterol levels checked regularly.

Now, back to avocados.  A small study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association,

found that eating an avocado a day as part of a heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering diet can help improve LDL levels in overweight or obese individuals.

45 overweight or obese but otherwise healthy individuals between the ages of 21 and 70 were put on three different diets to lower cholesterol.

Diet 1:  Lower-fat diet WITHOUT avocado
Diet 2:  Moderate-fat diet WITHOUT avocado
Diet 3:  Moderate-fat diet WITH one avocado per day.

Each participant ate each of the three diets for 5 weeks.

The results were astounding:

The average American diet was used as the baseline and when compared to this the reduced-fat diet (diet 1) LDL levels were 7.4 points lower.  Diet 2 - moderate-fat with NO avocado, LDL levels were 8.3 points lower.  And Diet 3 - moderate-fat WITH avocado was a whopping 13.5 points lower!  But it doesn't stop there; several other benefits were noted from the moderate-fat avocado diet: total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were improved also.

So, an avocado a day doesn't just add fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats to your body, but it also helps protect your heart.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The danger of antibiotic resistance

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics currently claim 700,000 lives per year.

And it could get worse... global public health officials have warned that the figure could climb to 10 MILLION per year by 2050 if we do not limit our use of antibiotics.

So, are you ingesting more antibiotics than you realize?

Doctors have been on a crusade for years to deny antibiotics for mundane things like the common cold.  But when your waiting room if full of people with minor ailments begging for antibiotics as a quick solution to their problem, things can get problematic and more serious cases can go undetected.

However, your antibiotic ingestion is not just down to the medical prescription for a throat infection, for example.  Our meat, chicken, pork, etc are full of antibiotics and every time you eat a steak, or a chicken breast your are ingesting tiny doses of antibiotics that gradually, day after day, contribute to the bacteria adapting to those medicines and becoming immune to it.

This means that the next time you have a throat infection - or what ever infection - the antibiotics you will be given will be useless and you could die from a minor infection.

According to those global officials, common infections such as gonorrhea and E.coli could soon be untreatable.

Right now, 70% of the antibiotics that are produced per year are used to fight infections in livestock that are reared in deplorable conditions where infections like E.coli are rife.

For the past 2 years, fast food chains have been promising to serve antibiotic-free meat, sensing their business could be in danger (and rightly so) if they don't.

But a recently published study has revealed that they have not stuck to their promise and only 2 companies managed to score an A grade (Panera Bread and Chipotle) this does not mean they are completely antibiotic-free, but that they are in the process of reducing the amount of antibiotics in their chicken.

The study: Chain Reaction II: How Top Restaurants Rate on Reducing Use of Antibiotics in Their Meat Supply.  This report was compiled by Consumers Union, the Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Food Animal Concerns Trust, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The scores, as you can see are extremely low:

Four fast food chains (Chipotle, McDonald's, Panera Bread, and Subway) have implemented strategies to make their chicken 100% antibiotic-free by 2025 - that's a long way off when human health is concerned.

Also what about beef and pork?  Why only Chicken?

It doesn't just apply to meat either.  Milk farms use massive amounts of antibiotics as the cows are forced to produce milk at such a rate that they develop mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland which can result in infection.  Those antibiotics and pus from the infection can be found in milk on sale in supermarkets.

The other big question is also... why only antibiotics?

Obviously you have to start somewhere and antibiotic resistance is a HUGE problem.  However, livestock breeding farms where the cattle, pigs and chicken are kept in confined spaces and knee deep in excrement are not only using antibiotics in huge amounts.  They are also using steroids and hormones to grow the animals as big as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Have you notice the increase in "man boobs"?  They aren't just from being overweight, although that does contribute, but men are actually growing breasts from all the hormones in our food.  Breast cancer in men DOES happen.

So think before you order your next McDonald's...

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Don't eat these... they're GOOD for you!

I quite often get questioned by my clients for suggesting they eat more eggs or avocados.  This happens because for decades we have been told that certain foods are bad for us; eggs and avocados amongst them.

So here is the real lowdown on those foods that you thought were bad for you.

Avocados are actually a fruit.  Avocados are extremely nutritious and provide a wide range of nutrients, including 20 different vitamins and minerals.  For example in a typical 100g serving you will get:

160 calories, 2g of protein, 15g of healthy fats, 9g of carbohydrate - but 7g of those carbs are fiber so it is actually a low carb fruit at 2g net.  Vitamins K, C, and E, Folate, Vitamins B5 and B6, and small amounts of Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, B1, B2 and B3.

Contrary to popular belief, Avocados do not contain cholesterol or sodium and are actually low in saturated fat.  The fats they do contain are heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids called oleic acid.  Oleic acid, is also the major component in olive oil and is believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.

They are also very high in fiber which is essential for a healthy gut and can aid in weight loss.

Eggs, yes eggs are healthy too!  They are considered the most pure form of protein and although the
yolks have been demonized for decades due to their cholesterol, they are very good for you.

Studies have shown that when you eat whole eggs, your liver actually produces LESS cholesterol to compensate for the cholesterol in the food you are eating.  It is also believed that eggs may be heart-healthy as they change the size and shape of the LDL particles.  Also, HDL levels and insulin sensitivity increase.

The high amount of good quality protein means that you will stay fuller for longer which means you will eat less at other times, aiding, in some cases, in weight loss.

Another reason to eat those yolks is that they are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which is thought to protect against eye disease such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Dairy, yes it isn't often I write something positive about dairy.  If you can't live without it then make sure is is full-fat, don't go anywhere near anything that states LOW in fat or FAT FREE... that just means they have replaced the fat with a whole host of dangerous stuff like sugar and salt.

Studies have shown that high-fat dairy does not affect cholesterol negatively or any other heart health markers.  Full-fat dairy contains vitamin K2 which helps protect the heart.  This type of dairy contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is thought to help promote fat loss.

Coffee... can't live without it?  Well if you can't, you'll be pleased to know that studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee improves mood, mental and physical performance and may also boost metabolism.

Coffee also contains antioxidants called polyphenols which are thought to reduce the risk of disease.  One study in men found that those who consumed coffee bean polyphenols before a meal showed significant improvements in arterial function.  In another study of more than 1,700 men who drank more than 2.5 cups of coffee per day, they found that the men had lower levels of several inflammatory markers compared to those who didn't drink coffee.

Coffee, both regular and decaffeinated, are also linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in an 8-33%
lower risk of this disease.  It also appears to be liver protective including slowing the progression of chronic hepatitis C and reducing liver cancer risk.

Is fresh best?  Lots of people believe that to get all the amazing nutrients in vegetables and fruit, then they have to be eaten fresh.

However, research shows that freezing or canning vegetables means that most of their nutrients are retained.  These methods also lower the price and mean that if you have a busy schedule and you can't always get to the store, you can still have nutritious vegetables for dinner, but from the freezer or kitchen cupboard.

Vegetables are often blanched prior to freezing or canning, this entails quickly boiling the vegetables to kill bacteria and retain color and flavor.  However, during this process some of the water soluble vitamins such as C and B are lost to some degree and their antioxidant capacity, however vitamins A and E, minerals and fiber are all retained during this process.  When tested in one study the vitamin C content in peas and broccoli that had been frozen for 12 months was similar to fresh produce and higher than that of produce that had been stored at home for a few days.

These are just 5 of quite a few "naughty but nice" foods that you really should be eating even if your mother or grandmother says you shouldn't!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Rap 1 is not an Eminem song

Rap 1 is not, as it may sound, a song by Eminem.  It is however, the gene that is associated with metabolism, weight gain and overeating.  But, until now, scientists have not been able to find a direct link.

However, a team at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital have managed to successfully suppress the Rap 1 gene in lab mice and stopped them overeating.

The scientists took 2 groups of mice.  In one group the deleted the Rap 1 gene in a group of neurons in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that is involved in regulating metabolism.

The 2nd group had a functional Rap 1 gene (Control Group).

Then the investigators fed both groups a high-fat diet in which 60% of the calories came from fat.  The results in the control group were expected... the mice with their Rap 1 gene intact, gained weight.

However, the mice in the other group with the deleted Rap 1 gene, lost weight and had less body fat.

The investigators changed the diet and put all the mice on a normal diet and both groups showed similar weights and body fat levels.

The investigators then analyzed why the mice lacking the Rap 1 gene had not gained weight on the

high-fat diet.  They found that the mice were no more physically active than the Rap 1 intact mice, but they did eat less and burned more body fat.

These facts were associated with the hypothalamus producing more of a hormone that reduces appetite, called POMC, and less of two other hormones (NPY and AgRP) that stimulate appetite.  The mice lacking the Rap 1 gene also had lower levels of blood glucose and insulin than the mice in the control group.

The investigators went on to study if there was a change in Leptin in the mice lacking the Rap 1 gene.  Leptin is the satiety hormone that signals the brain to stop eating and is produced by fatty tissue which helps regulate body weight by inhibiting appetite.

However, it has been found that obese people do not respond to Leptin and continue to eat even though they had had enough, and blood levels of Leptin are higher in obese people than in people of normal weight.  This is called Leptin Resistance and is a common trait in human obesity.

The investigators discovered that the Rap 1 lacking mice on the high-fat diet did not develop Leptin Resistance, they were able to respond to Leptin and this was reflected in lower blood levels of this hormone.

The investigators also managed to inhibit the Rap 1 gene by using a drug with the inhibitor ESI-O5.
When administered to normal obese mice with the Rap 1 gene intact, their sensitivity to Leptin was restored to a level similar to that in normal mice (Rap 1 intact) on a normal diet.  The obese mice ate less and lost weight.

What does all this mean?

Well it basically means that researchers are that much closer to finding a magic pill to combat obesity.

Is this what the human race needs?

Possibly.

Right now, we are facing a huge obesity epidemic which is threatening our public health services.  Whereas there are many people who are able to diet and lose weight because they are convinced they
should for better health, there are many who for many different reasons are not able to do so by themselves.  Until now, these people are sometimes helped by having bariatric surgery, a magic "obesity" pill could be a great way to help those who need it without the cost and risks associated with invasive surgery.

Only time will tell.  Until then, eat healthy whole foods and you probably won't ever need this kind of help.

If you do have a problem, then this may, in the future, be a great help.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com