Tag: fuel

This time of year there’s nothing like a backyard cookout with all the traditional fare, including hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob. As much as we all love grilling, research has shown that cancer-causing compounds can form when meats, poultry, and fish are cooked at high heat. Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals formed when muscle meat—including beef, pork, fish, or poultry—is cooked using high-temperature methods such as grilling directly over an open flame. HCAs and PAHs have been found to cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer. Also, anytime we grill there’s a risk of fire.
There are a few general guidelines to keep you and your family safe while grilling. To prevent fire make sure your grill is outside and away from any eaves, deck railings, and overhanging branches. Take the time to occasionally clean your grill and remove grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill. Never leave your grill on and unattended.
To keep your meat safe on the grill follow these important suggestions:

Use a grill thermometer.

Keep the food on the grill until it’s thoroughly cooked, but not any longer. Use a grill thermometer to help determine when the food is done. Steaks, chops, and fish should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Beef burgers and pork should be cooked to 160 and chicken and turkey to 165 degrees.
Use low temperatures and indirect heat when you grill. Indirect heat is created by turning on the back burners and turning the front burner—where the meat is cooking—down or off. This will allow the meat to cook without direct flames.

Flip your food.

While cooking the food make an effort to flip your food frequently to prevent it from burning.
Try to avoid smoke and flame flare-ups from grease. Keep a water bottle handy in the event of a fire. The smoke and flames contain cancer-causing substances that coat the meat.

Marinate your food.

Marinating your meats before grilling can reduce your risk of cancer. Studies have shown that marinating your meat before grilling it can decrease HCA formation by up to 96 percent.

Switch to grilling veggies and fruits.

Try grilling other foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Grilling vegetables and fruits rather than meat produces no HCAs and ends up decreasing your risk of cancer.

Try lean meat.

If you simply can’t ditch the meat, try to buy lean meat or remove the fat before grilling. When there’s little to no fat there’s less likelihood that the meat will catch on fire. Using indirect heat is another way to prevent direct flames on the meat.

Grill smaller pieces of meat.

Try grilling kebabs rather than large pieces of meat. Using smaller pieces of meat will allow the meat to cook faster. Less time on the grill means less time to form cancer-causing compounds.
Remember to limit the amount of red meat you’re consuming. The evidence is overwhelming that diets high in red meat (including processed meats such as hot dogs) can contribute to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
When thinking about grill safety it’s important to keep the grill in a safe location to reduce the chance of fire, and it’s equally important to give thought to what type of food you’re grilling and the way it’s prepared on the grill.

I’d never heard of hydrogen-rich water, I just thought water was water. Then I was contacted by Gail Levy, the founder of HFACTOR Water. She offered to send me a few samples of HFACTOR hydrogen water to try to see if it made me feel any better. The claims she provided were pretty strong, and she was even nice enough to send along some medical studies. It’s like she already knew me (and how much I love reading medical studies).
Levy explained how she came to be interested in hydrogen-rich water: “I was introduced to the benefits of molecular hydrogen through my friend, Barry Orms, a former NBA player. He and his friends discovered that it helped improve their recovery and resulting aches and pains. Prior to Barry’s introduction to the world of molecular hydrogen, I had lost a friend to ovarian cancer. I remember while she was alive, constantly researching and looking for that one amazing product that would help her through the difficult treatments of radiation and chemotherapy. Inspired by Lori, my initial research showed me that hydrogen-rich water was very promising in helping with the effects of radiation and therapy, that gave me the impetus to forge ahead and research this new technology.”
So, I said yes. Why not? If it did nothing I’d move on and no loss, if it helped, I’d shout it to the world. So Levy sent me a six pack of HFACTOR and said I should drink two a day, a few hours apart.
When the water arrived I was having a rough time. I’d start the week well but by the end of the week I was out of energy. The water arrived on Thursday as I was already starting to feel drained. I drank it for three days and I couldn’t really see a benefit. After I talked with Levy she offered to send me a 12 pack so that I could try it at the beginning of the week and see if helped me avoid feeling drained by the weekend. I’m happy to say that it did. Actually, I didn’t even drink two a day on some days (I’d forget), but by the weekend I was still feeling good.
There is certainly plenty of scientific evidence to support the assertion that hydrogen-rich water can improve many health concerns. Molecular Hydrogen Studies lists 52 studies related to hydrogen-rich water. Reading through these studies you might come to the conclusion that hydrogen-rich water is a cure-all.
According to Sergej M. Ostojic, MD, PhD of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Center for Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences of Belgrade, Serbia, “Hydrogen functions as an important physiologic regulatory factor with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic protective effects on cells and organs and the ability to mitigate a variety of diseases. Oral intake of liquid that contains hydrogen represents a novel, easily translatable, and safe method of delivering hydrogen to humans.”
Hydrogen-rich water is also alkalizing. A study presented in the journal Research in Sports Medicine found that drinking 2 liters of hydrogen-rich water per day for 14 days improved arterial blood flow and alkalinity in active young men. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved hydrogen-rich water as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) based on the consumption of 2 liters per day.
A study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh found that drinking 1.5 to 2 liters per day of hydrogen-rich water for eight weeks reduced metabolic stress and increased antioxidant levels while decreasing acidity in people with metabolic syndrome. Subjects also saw their good cholesterol increase by 8 percent and their bad cholesterol decrease by 13 percent.
The list of benefits seems endless as you review the studies. Hydrogen-rich water:

• Protects the liver against potential damage from acetaminophen (maybe you should take your Tylenol with hydrogen-rich water?)
• Improves quality of life in cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment
• Reduces oxidative stress
• Reduces tumor growth
• Reduces muscle fatigue following exercise
• Improves lipid and glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes
• Reduces bladder pain in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) and painful bladder syndrome

The list goes on and on, and those are just a few of the studies on the topic. So, if it’s so great why aren’t we seeing it everywhere?
Evidently, enriching drinking water with hydrogen isn’t as easy as it sounds. When hydrogen is exposed to air it dissipates like any liquid. So, you need a specialized container like Gail Levy designed, or you need to use a metallic magnesium stick like was used in many of the studies reviewed.
There are products on the market that do just that. pHwatr produces sticks that you can insert into your water bottle, allowing you to hydrogen enrich the water you are already drinking.
If you are like me you’d never heard of hydrogen-rich water until you read this article. But now that you know that the benefits range from improved recovery time from exercise, reducing oxidative stress, and even better cholesterol levels, it’s time to get hold of some and try it. You can grab the shelf-stable ready-to-go water packets, or you can buy a stick to insert in your own bottle. Either way the benefits should be obvious.

One of the questions I am asked very frequently both on social media and at live events is how I handle cheat days. I have one very simple answer for that: I don’t cheat, I treat! Let’s start just by looking at the connotation of the two words.
Cheat has a very negative undertone to it, whereas treat has a positive undertone. Just the simple switch in verbiage changes the entire landscape of this question.
So, what are my tips for treating yourself? Read below to find out more:

1. You have heard me say this before, but I follow a 85/15 rule. I eat 85 percent foods that are healthy and 15 percent foods that are fun. Don’t overanalyze this! Start by getting out a piece of paper and drawing a line straight down the middle. On the left hand side write down all the healthy foods that you like. On the right hand side write down some of the fun foods that you love. Make sure you are eating more from the left than you are the right, and don’t beat yourself up when you choose food from the fun category.
2. Treating yourself doesn’t have to be a weekly occurrence or a giant occasion. I hear a lot of people reference their “cheat days” and I think to myself, “why do you need a whole day of bad eating?” Treating yourself doesn’t have to mean that every Saturday night you go buck wild and have a pizza and fried chicken extravaganza. It doesn’t have to be scheduled either. Just have a treat when it’s something that you really want and can do in moderation. For example, I love donuts…but I don’t eat an entire dozen by myself every Saturday. I have a donut occasionally when I simply can’t resist it—but I also know when to stop so as not to upset my stomach or cause unnecessary guilt in my brain!
3. Work out!!! We have all seen the posts on social media that tell you exactly how many burpees it takes to counteract French fries, and in all honesty there is no better method I can think of to help with your treating than with an amazing sweat session. But I want you to go into the workout with the mindset that you are doing something positive for your body, not trying to make up for doing something not-so-positive for your body. Make sense?
4. Drink more water! Water heals all things…and it absolutely helps when we are treating ourselves. Make sure to drink lots of water—perhaps more than usual to ensure you stay hydrated, especially if those treat foods you are eating are high in salt.
5. Treat slowly…yes, you heard me, slow down! Instead of inhaling that treat meal, enjoy it slowly. This will allow you to feel full. When you eat too quickly, your brain and body haven’t caught up to each other. Thus you will often continue to eat when you are actually already full, but your brain just hasn’t gotten the message yet. If you treat slowly, then you will wind up eating less of that treat and will avoid overindulging.
6. Treat and move on…basically, don’t allow yourself to get derailed. The whole idea of having that occasional treat is to keep you motivated to continue moving toward your goals. Don’t let that treat you have take you off course—next meal get right back to the nutrient-rich foods that fuel your body for optimal performance.

Don’t cheat. Treat. Treat on occasion and in moderation. Treat because you love your body enough to know what’s good for it. Treat your body with love and care and remember that food is your friend, not your foe.

Maybe you’re a fan of baking your own bread or maybe you crave a slice of banana bread with your morning tea. For many of us, nothing says home cooking like fresh baked goods, but not all baked goods are created equal. In fact, the white refined flours that are often used in our favorite baked goods can add pounds to the scale while providing little nutritional bang for your buck. Why not try baking with healthier flour options instead?

The Problem with White Flour

Most baked goods are made with white flour, which is wheat flour that has been stripped of its two main components: the bran and the germ. This gives baked goods a lighter texture, and although your bread may be light and airy, it lacks much of the nutrition that it once had. For example, the B vitamins and iron have been removed, as well as the fiber. When white carbohydrates like white flour break down in the system, the body treats them just like it would white sugar. So in the end, refined white flour—just like refined white sugar—can lead to weight gain.

Going Gluten-Free

Fortunately, when it comes to choosing a better flour, a number of options have become available, including gluten-free flours. If you suffer from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune response and severe allergy to gluten, you can try a number of gluten-free options that make for tasty baked goods. If you have a less severe gluten sensitivity or allergy, you may want to experiment with the many gluten-free options too.

Some good options include nut and seed flours such almond, quinoa, and corn flours. Coconut flour and almond flour, which I’ll discuss in depth below, are two of my favorites. If you’re looking for a lighter, airy flour to add to baked bread, all-purpose gluten-free flour is likely your best choice.

Deliciously Healthy Flour Options

Whole Wheat Flour

Just as you might guess, whole wheat flour is white flour before it’s been processed.

This means that the bran and the germ—and therefore all the important nutrients—are still intact. Whole wheat flour contains protein, fiber, and B vitamins, as well as trace minerals like iron and magnesium. A diet rich in whole, unprocessed grains has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some forms of cancer. Whole wheat flour can be heavier than white flour in some recipes, especially cakes and pastries, but it works well in homemade breads. The best way to make your end product less dense is to use half whole wheat flour and half white flour, or use whole wheat pastry flour, which also has a lighter feel.

Spelt Flour

Spelt flour can be substituted for white flour in many baking recipes including cookies, sweet breads, and cakes. But unlike white flour, it has a ton of health benefits. Spelt is known for its ability to regulate the body’s metabolism, increase circulation, build strong bones, lower blood sugar, and reduce cholesterol in the body. Spelt is also high in protein and fiber as well as trace minerals such as iron, zinc, and selenium.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from the solids of a coconut that have been ground into a fine flour. It’s one of my favorite flours because it’s both delicious and loaded with nutrition. It works really well in pancakes and muffins. Coconut flour is high in protein, fiber, iron, and vitamin C, and unlike many flours, it contains beneficial fats called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which have been shown to boost metabolism.

Almond Flour

Almond flour is just almonds ground into a soft flour. It’s rich in healthy fats and protein as well as micronutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium. Almond flour is a bit denser than some other flours, so when you’re baking cakes and cookies, you may want to add in some white flour or pastry flour to lighten up the batter for your almond flour recipes.

With so many delicious and nutrient-dense flour options available today, baking just got a whole lot healthier.

Google “how to lose weight” and you’ll find yourself flooded with a sea of information from experts and those posing as experts. It can get so confusing that you may end up just starving yourself or throwing your hands up in frustration and heading for the nearest Häagen-Dazs. Before you sabotage your mega-mojo, let me help you! It’s hard to separate the facts from the fiction, so here are six false statements that are important to be aware of when you’re trying to lose those extra pounds.

1. You have to eat breakfast. 

Your mom may have told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s possible she was only a little right. Although eating breakfast can get your energy and blood sugar moving in the right direction, studies have shown that it does little to move the scale.

Some researchers have concluded

that eating breakfast has little to no effect on weight loss, and in some cases has caused people to actually gain weight.

2. Carbs are the enemy. 

The truth is that only some carbs are the enemy and not all carbs are created equal. White flour and sugar (complex and simple carbs) may be devoid of nutritional value and have empty calories, but other carbs—such as whole grain rice, quinoa, and farro—have a lot of nutrients, keep you feeling full, and stabilize your blood sugar. The key is to eat complex carbs responsibly by switching up the types that you eat (rotating them to get a variety of micronutrients) and sticking to their suggested serving size.

3. Fat is the enemy. 

Fat does so many good things for your body. It nourishes your skin, delivers vitamins, and also helps you feel full (to name just a few). In order to experience the great benefits of fat, however, you must eat the right kind and eat it in moderation. Unsaturated fats found in foods like avocados, olives, and fish can help you be healthier and thinner and live longer!

4. As long as you’re drinking, you’re hydrating. 

Being properly hydrated will keep your body full of energy, help you to not overeat, and keep your bloat in check. But it’s important to know that not all drinks are created equal; some drinks are diuretics and can cause you to lose all of the important water you’ve been storing. Coffee, tea, alcohol, pineapple juice, and coconut water can cause you to lose water, so it’s important that you keep drinking water and other nourishing liquids.

5. You can’t eat late at night. 

False! If you’re consuming the appropriate number of calories for your body weight each day, it really doesn’t matter when you consume them. Putting total calories aside, though, if you have a tendency to overeat cake and ice cream while watching SNL (thus causing your caloric intake to go crazy), you may want to avoid the kitchen after 9 p.m.

6. As long as it’s low-fat or fat-free, it’s good for you. 

You can first refer to No. 3 on this list and then read on and know that sugar—not fat—is a dieter’s enemy. Consuming sugar raises your blood sugar, causing your insulin to spike. When your insulin spikes it trips your body into storing fat. Low-fat or fat-free foods are often made to taste better with the addition of excess sugar, which is counterproductive to your weight loss journey.

Losing weight can be hard and confusing. These tips should help you on your path to success!

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the food you eat affects your weight. What about the food you have right now in your own pantry? Does it bring you closer to your weight loss goals or farther away? With spring in full bloom, now is a great time to make over your pantry. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you organize your pantry, know what to keep and what to trash, and fill your pantry with weight loss–friendly foods.

1. Take stock of your space

Take a good look at your pantry space, whether you use a couple of kitchen cabinets or have a walk-in pantry. Decide whether you’d like to keep food in boxes or move to baskets, bins, or clear storage containers.

2. Throw away

Look at each food item in your pantry. Obviously, you will want to throw away any expired foods or foods that are well past their prime. When I do this, I often find a stray potato or onion that is trying its best to grow without soil or water. It’s ironic that they grow so well in the pantry and fail in my garden.

3. Put foods into categories

Organize your food items by category. For example, in my pantry, I have the following sections:

• Grains
• Canned goods
• Sauces, dressings, and condiments
• Oils
• Baking supplies
• Quick, healthy snacks

Sorting foods into categories helps me be more efficient at meal planning, lets the kids readily see what snacks are available, and saves me money at the grocery store because I don’t buy food items I already have.

4. Look at each food left in terms of weight loss

All the food left in your pantry should now be within the use-by date and placed in general categories.

Now comes the hard part.

Start a pile of foods that have crept into your pantry that aren’t helping you on your weight loss journey or are just plain bad for your health.

You might put the following types of foods in this “not good for you” pile.

• Foods with trans fats.
• Foods high in added sugar like cookies, cereals, chocolate-covered granola bars, fruit canned in syrup, or pastries.
• Snack foods you know you shouldn’t be eating. You may have to add those chips, pretzels, and high-calorie granola bars to the pile.
• Junk food. I often stashed candy in the back of the pantry where only I could find it. If you have this habit too, put it in the pile. I know it’s hard to let it go, but it has to be done.

Donate this pile of still good but not good for you food to a local charity or just get rid of it. I have a problem throwing away perfectly good food so I tend to donate it.

5. Make a list of foods to stock up on

Now that you’ve got your pantry cleaned out, organized, and categorized in a way that will help you lose weight, make a list of foods you might be missing.

I like to keep the following foods on hand because they make it easy to toss together a complete meal that is healthy, low in calories, and tasty.

Beans, both canned and dried. I use them in soups, stews, on top of salads, as a dip, in quesadillas, or as a base for a tasty vegetarian burger.

Whole wheat pasta. Unless you are a low carb dieter, whole wheat pasta is a great addition to your diet. It’s filling, very versatile, and has lots of fiber. Just be sure to pay attention to serving sizes.

Rice, couscous, and quinoa. Any of these makes a great side dish and can serve as a main dish if you add protein to it. I like to use the whole grain varieties.

Quick serve snacks. I have six kids still living at home and although I make a lot of their snacks from scratch, I do like to have some they can grab if I’ve run out. I stock up on nuts, dried fruit, unsweetened applesauce, and fruit bars.

Panko bread crumbs. These are great with chicken or pork. I season the bread crumbs with herbs from my garden and a bit of olive oil before popping the chicken in the oven.

High fiber cereals and granola. Some cereal and granola brands have preservatives you may want to avoid, but there are some good organic options that are high in fiber and low in sugar. The caveat for weight loss is that these foods can also be high in calories per serving.

High quality broths. I tend to make my own chicken and vegetable broth and freeze it in 1-cup containers, but there are times I run out. Even my small-town grocery store stocks broth varieties that are low in sodium and organic. I bet yours does as well.

Once you’ve got everything organized, categorized, and well stocked, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Now your pantry supports your weight loss efforts. Just be sure to schedule a pantry refresh every couple of months to ensure it doesn’t get out of control.

There are very few things you can get for free. There is a cost associated with pretty much anything of value. There is a cost to owning a vehicle even if someone gives you a car free and clear. If you want a new shirt, there is a cost you will have to pay. If you want to succeed in business, there is also a cost.

When my husband was a teenager, he knew exactly what a date would cost him. I’m not talking about dollar signs. I’m actually talking about hard work. Other kids might have just gotten some money from their parents, but Steve had to work for his date money.

He knew exactly how many hours he’d have to work to take a girl out on a date when he was making the minimum wage. It could cost him eight hours of flipping burgers at Burger King for $3.35 an hour if he wanted to take a girl to a cheap dinner and a movie. That’s a lot of work for one date.

Have you ever thought about what your food costs?

There is a cost for every bite you eat. Not only is there a price you pay at the grocery store or restaurant, each calorie costs a certain amount of energy to burn off. If you decide not to burn it off, there is an even higher cost of carrying the extra calories around as stored fat.

If you think of calories like dollar bills, you can look at your body like it’s a bank account. Similar to a bank balance, your body’s “balance” is the balance of calories going in and calories going out.

If you look at your body like a bank account, you will look at food a bit differently too. Every time you want a treat, it will cost you (exercise) if you don’t want to carry an excess balance.

It’s like buying a shirt. You really can’t say whether that shirt is worth the money until you look at the price tag. Once you compare the price tag with your financial situation, you can then make a pretty good decision about whether you can afford that item.

In the same way, you should get in the habit of looking at food labels to determine if something is within your budget. Just like Steve would figure out how many hours he’d have to work for a date to determine if she was worth it, you also need to know how much exercise is required to afford certain foods.

That’s impossible to do unless you fully understand what exercise costs. One way you can determine the cost is by wearing a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate idea of how many calories you burn when you work out. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can use this list of exercises to get an idea of how many calories a 155-pound person burns doing a variety of exercises for one hour.

Using this list as a reference, now let’s look at what some of my favorite guilty pleasures would “cost” me.

• Chili’s Smoked Chicken Quesadillas = 1735 calories
• Five Guys Little Cheeseburger and a half order of fries = 1026 calories
• Carrabba’s Linguine Positano with house salad (no bread) = 1098 calories
• California Kitchen Veggie Pizza = 1070 calories

If you do the math, you will see that the quesadillas would cost almost five hours of walking at 4.0 mph to erase. All the other menu items would require at least two hours of pretty intense training, like calisthenics, to bring you back to zero. And if your exercise were a moderate walk, you would have to walk nearly 13 miles to work off one meal.

Maybe it’s worth it or maybe it’s not. Either way, you are sure to make much better decisions when weighing the cost.

From asthma and allergies to rheumatoid arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders, chronic inflammation can lead to a whole host of health issues. Try these eight foods to reduce inflammation and give your immune system a boost.

Cauliflower

This cruciferous vegetable packs a big punch against inflammation. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin K, which according to the Arthritis Foundation, has been found to destroy the cells that contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. The white vegetable also contains glucobrassicin, a compound that can prevent the initiation of inflammation at the genetic level.

Organic Blackberries

Blackberries are loaded with antioxidants—more per serving than any other food, according to an article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Anthocyanins are a type of antioxidant found in berries—they’re also what causes the deep red, blue, and purple colors—that contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Salmon

Salmon and other fatty fish such as mackerel and sardines are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the signs of inflammation associated with age-related diseases. The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fatty fish per week for maximum benefits (note: a serving size is about 3.5 ounces).

Walnuts

Not a fan of fish? You can still add omega 3s to your diet by eating a handful of walnuts every day. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based, omega 3 source suitable for vegetarians. ALAs are also good for heart health and keeping your skin smooth and younger looking. Other nuts that fit the bill are pistachios and almonds. Buy unsalted nuts to keep dietary sodium in check.

Avocados

Avocado is touted by The World’s Healthiest Foods website as having great anti-inflammatory components—namely carotenoids and phytosterols, as well as two types of flavonoids. Although most of the research shows anti-inflammatory benefits to the cardiovascular system, recent studies show that adding avocado to your diet can also help with arthritis. For the greatest benefits, eat one-half to one cup of avocado a few times per week.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), extra-virgin olive oil is cold pressed, meaning that no heat over a certain temperature should be used when it is processed. This high-quality olive oil retains more nutrients than the standard variety and contains a plant-based compound called oleocanthal. Oleocanthal causes a peppery sting in the back of your throat when you eat it. Researchers discovered that this ingredient works to reduce inflammation the same way the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (Advil) does.

Beans

Beans are chock full of fiber, which may help lower markers of inflammation, a key factor in some types of arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. High-fiber foods are also a food source for the good bacteria living in your gut. These good belly bugs then release substances that reduce inflammation all over the body. Lentils, black beans, and lima beans boast the most fiber, but all beans are a good source, so enjoy any variety you like.

Ginger

Got chronic inflammation? Eat more spices such as ginger, say doctors at the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds known as gingerols, which are believed to reduce pain levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who eat ginger regularly.

Consume these foods as part of a well-rounded diet to treat symptoms of inflammation and help prevent some of the wear and tear associated with aging.

Once upon a time in the forests of Ethiopia, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his goats were particularly fond of a specific kind of berry. These berries, he observed, gave his goats quite a bit of energy. In fact, upon eating the berries, his goats could travel for much longer distances, oftentimes more alert and energetic than Kaldi himself. Kaldi told the local abbot about his discovery, and the abbot decided to try a few of the berries himself. He brewed them into a drink and found that after consuming his new cocktail, he too felt more alert and energetic.
The abbot told some monks. The monks told neighboring monks, and slowly—as news traveled back in the 11th and 12th centuries—word got to the Arabian Peninsula. From there these berries, or beans, found on the beloved coffee plant began to be cultivated and traded and made their way across the globe. True story.
For hundreds of years, people have been enjoying coffee in all its glorious forms. In recent years it has become a culture all its own thanks to Starbucks, which started the craze, and the thousands of other retail coffee houses that have popped up around the world. It has become much easier and more convenient and delicious to grab a cup of joe any time of day, turning that one-cup morning habit into a two- or three- or four-cup daily treat. Nearly every office has a Keurig for a quick fix at the 3 p.m. slump. Iced coffees are bottled for the ready at any convenience store.
But what is all this coffee doing to us? Every detox diet tells us to kick the coffee habit while we cleanse. Does that mean it’s bad? Are we overdoing it? The health risks of coffee have been well documented for years: It can make you anxious, disrupt your sleep, disturb your bowels, and cause high blood pressure and heart palpitations. Yes, all of this is true. But let’s take a look at more recent research studies and see if these documented potential risks are ones that are worth taking.
First let me say this: Coffee intake affects sexual hormones. For women, it increases some forms of estrogen levels and lowers other forms, such as estradiol estrogen, because of the numerous phytoestrogens it has. That said, phytoestrogens can protect the body positively or negatively. High coffee intake has been shown to decrease the risk of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer in postmenopausal women, but it may increase the risk of ER-positive breast cancer in premenopausal women.
It can also increase the risk of cyst formation in breasts or ovaries. If you are prone to cysts, slow down on the coffee. If you’re not, drink away.
Pregnant women are advised to keep coffee intake to one cup per day or less, as high amounts of caffeine can lead to low birth weight and 10 percent lower testosterone levels in male babies. For men, caffeine intake increases the levels of testosterone released in the body by stimulating the adrenal glands. The increase in these hormones is not very significant unless you are consuming at least six cups per day. It will help a workout, let’s say, but won’t send you into a steroid-type rage any time soon.
For men and women alike, the health benefits of coffee appear to be numerous. Bear in mind that most of these studies are observational, yet there is something to be said about large numbers of the same observations. In 2012, for example, the New England Journal of Medicine published a huge study, the results of which indicated that people who drank one or more cups of coffee a day lived longer than their non–coffee-drinking counterparts. The longer lives came to those who drank between four and five cups per day.
The increased longevity is a result of the number of major diseases that coffee intake protects us from, including cardiovascular disease, heart failure and stroke, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, liver disease including liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and multiple sclerosis.
Caffeine, which is found even in decaffeinated coffee in small amounts, is a stimulant. It temporarily blocks adenosine (the hormone that depresses the nervous system and helps us go to sleep) in the brain and increases the release of norepinephrine and dopamine. This leads to improved brain function, reaction time, focus, and general cognitive function. And it can suppress the production of chemicals involved in the inflammatory process that cause multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. In animal studies, caffeine has helped to protect against blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage, which disrupts the BBB’s ability to prevent toxins and bacteria from entering and damaging the brain, which can wreak all sorts of havoc.
How exactly coffee helps protect the body from other harmful diseases still remains a mystery. We know it is loaded with polyphenols, antioxidants that play an integral role in ridding our system of harmful metals and toxins. It contains several essential vitamins and minerals but in relatively small amounts. Perhaps the combination of everything stimulates liver function, thus promoting detoxification throughout the entire body.
Research has shown time and again that coffee intake decreases one’s risk of liver cancer significantly (by 40 percent) and cirrhosis of the liver by 84 percent. The liver is the largest organ in the body and is responsible for so many things, including the regulation of blood composition, the removal of toxins, the processing and storing of nutrients, and the breaking down of drugs and alcohol.
If caffeine is supporting healthy liver function, and a healthy liver is essential to a healthy body, then perhaps this—along with its positive impact on the brain—is the magical power the bean beholds. Perhaps not. Kaldi and the monks had their theories; this one is going to be mine.
Whatever you take away from this article or others examining the pros and cons of a satisfying cup or three of joe, I hope you feel at least a bit more comfortable knowing that the overall consensus is positive. There should be no guilt as you enjoy your latte or cafe cubana. Relish in the deliciousness. It’s good for you—or at least it is better for you than it is bad—and I, for one, will take that as a double thumbs up.

Calorie counting can seem like such drudgery. When you eat or drink anything that has calories you’ve got to grab your phone or computer, look up the food, calculate how many servings you ate, and then write down how many calories the food has. That can seem like a total waste of time and energy. Before you totally give up on the idea of calorie counting, however, here are eight lessons you will learn if you give it a two-week trial.

1. The First Days Are the Hardest

Your initial few days may seem tedious, especially if you’ve never tried your hand at calorie counting. I get that it is a pain to figure out how many calories you ate for lunch, but after a few days, it gets easier.

I promise.

After the first days, you will have common foods in your database and you won’t have to search for them. You will also start to develop a better sense of calorie awareness, which will serve you well in the future.

2. Information You Gain Is Worth the Effort

My mother used to tell me that there are some things in life that are worth the effort. Calorie counting is one of those things. Monitoring and counting calories will give you valuable information about your eating habits and food choices.

3. You Will Be Surprised

You will be surprised by some of the things you learn. If you are like me, you might be surprised at how many calories some of your favorite foods have. For example, I never looked at the calories in my favorite fast-food burger.

Probably a form of denial.

When I figured out it had over 600 calories, I knew I had to say goodbye to that burger in my diet.

4. Serving Sizes Affect Calories

You can’t just write down the calories in a food without indicating how much of it you had. You might be tempted to list your morning cereal as 150 calories without measuring how much you ate. If the serving size on the box indicates 1/2 cup and you had 1 cup, you just consumed 300 calories—not 150.

5. You Might Think Twice Before Indulging

One of the best things about doing a two-week calorie-counting trial is the awareness you develop. That awareness of how many calories are in different foods can prevent you from having a second or third helping of potatoes, saying “yes” to dessert, or adding cream to your coffee.

6. Swapping High-Calorie Foods Becomes Second Nature

There are so many healthy, low-calorie substitutions you can make in place of high-calorie foods. Once you have counted calories for a while, you will see for yourself what substitutions make sense for you. Here are some examples:

• Use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
• Eat fruit instead of ice cream or cake for dessert.
• Make your own sauces and dressings to save calories.
• Steam or roast your vegetables instead of frying them.

7. It’s Easier With Apps

You can count calories using resources on the internet and track them using a spreadsheet or manually write them in a journal. But honestly, it’s easier to find an app to help you out. Some of my favorites are:

• MyFitnessPal
• SparkPeople
• Lose It!
• Fooducate

8. It Works

The final lesson you will learn is probably the same one I did. Calorie counting does work. If you do it long enough and are 100 percent honest with yourself, you will see results on the scale.

There are a lot of diet variations out there, but at the end of the day, calories matter. So give calorie counting a two-week trial and see what you discover about yourself and how you eat.