Watching TV can make you Fat

Watching TV can definitely make anyone fat.  No, not just because it is a sedentary activity, but because the information most commercials are giving is extremely misleading and really confusing, to say the least.

Most people who know me, know I am not a TV watcher. Actually, I don’t even have cable at home (A rare thing these days, I know.) Very often, I have no idea which show is the “latest craze” and which commercials are all the rave.

Last week the TV did catch my attention. I was at my parent’s house and my mom had the TV on in the background. I was helping her cook and I nearly chopped my fingers off because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

“Eat Cheerios to lower your cholesterol.” “Three or more glasses of skim milk a day are a great way to lose weight”. Then it got ugly “Splenda is just like sugar and is great for kids”.

The worst of them all (the one where my mother had to nearly restrain me from attacking the TV “There is nothing wrong with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It comes from corn and can actually be good for you.” I nearly passed out.

I can see why people are totally confused about healthy eating. I can also see why obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes are at an all time high in this country and in many others as well.

After I was done hyperventilating, I decided to first turn the TV off (because my heart just couldn’t take anymore) and then write this newsletter to clear up a few misconceptions.

1. Cheerios biggest claim to fame is that eating them will help you lower your cholesterol. I am here to tell you that eating processed grains, especially in the form of cereal can actually make your cholesterol go up! The cholesterol study done showed how soluble fiber can help the body eliminate bad cholesterol from the body. Cheerios has 1 gram of soluble fiber per serving. Woop-dee-doo. Big deal. I can get 2 grams of soluble fiber from an apple, 3 grams from broccoli and carrots, and more than 4 grams from kidney beans. (Beat that Cheerio Man). Honestly, I don’t think there are many foods in a box that are healthy at all. They have to be highly processed to stay shelf stable, many times loading them up with chemicals and fillers that are making us gain weight. My recommendation is ditch the cereal and pick up some wholesome natural foods like fruits and veggies. Natural grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa are 10x’s better than any boxed cereal.

2. Milk does a body bad! That’s really what the commercial should say. Ok, that is not entirely true. Conventional milk does a body bad. If you have read the Dairy chapter in The Diet Solution Program, you know my stance on milk: Organic is a must and Raw Milk is even better.

If you didn’t read my article on milk, you can read it here:Is Milk really Healthy?

But don’t go yet until you read #3.

3. Give Splenda to my children? Never! Splenda has not been out on the market long enough to show whether it is actually safe or not. Until then it is a public health experiment (No thanks, I don’t’ want to be your guinea pig). Being the organic chemistry nerd that I am, I know exactly how sugar is converted to Splenda. I will spare you the chem lesson but tell you that Splenda (or sucralose) is a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. Huh? Did you say pesticide? Yup. Many chemists believe this molecule resembles a pesticide much more than it resembles natural sugar. If this is still in debate, I will not be a test subject. I highly recommend you take yourself and your children out of this experiment as well. My tip: Stick to natural sweeteners like whole fruits, stevia and agave syrup and stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal and Sweet & Low.

I could probably go on and on. If I watched TV long enough (or if I actually purchased cable) I could probably find 10, 20, 100 more commercials that are giving us false info, all in the name of selling products.

Now, go shut the TV off will ya?

 

5 tips for gradual permanent weight loss without starving.

Do you think working hard or dieting is the secret to losing weight?

Most of the people thing this is correct but I would say no. Hard work is required for achieving any goal, but dieting or starving will reduce your weight but that won't be permanent.

Here are 5 tips for losing weight permanently without starving:

1. Inspiration: You should take inspiration from biggest weight loser's success stories from across the world. Try to find real life example close to yourself as it will inspire you more to lose weight. Weight loss starts from acceptance that you are over weight and weight can be reduced using simple small steps. Unless and until you believe in loss weight you can not loose weight. Get a checkup done by doctor before starting any weight loss program.

2. Drink: Drink Water or lemonade before eating your breakfast, lunch or dinner. This will reduce your hunger and you will eat less. Drinking more water before and during food reduces the intake of food thereby reducing your body.

Drink one glass of lemonade made out luke warm water, lemon and honey after getting up in morning on empty stomach. This helps in burning fats. Water cleanses your body of many impurities and maintains a healthy glowing skin.

3. Diet : Oh no! again dieting you will say. NO! we are not asking you starve. We want you to make small adjustments in your diet to healthy eating. Understand your calorie count, which food contributes to what calories. This can be seen from the food labels. Even when eating out at restaurants, be choosy depending upon the cooking style.

Eat more nuts as they have many nutrients like protein, fibres, vitamins and are low on fats and cholestral. Even eating nuts regularly reduces risk of heart attack.

Moreover don't eat fast food as it is not good for health as well as for your weight loss.

4. Partner : Find a partner for your exercise. Mostly if exercise is done along with partner it works out better. Exercise regularly. try different exercises. Do regular walk / run / jog. Running / Jogging burns your fat.

5. Shopping : Eat before you shop for your grocery. Why? It stops impulsive purchases as your stomach is full and you are not thinking about food. Always prepare list of items to be purchased before going for shopping and always stick to your list. This way you can plan healhy diet and follow your weight loss program.

These are some of the small tips which can be followed easily which will result in gradual and permanent weight loss. For more weight loss tips 'n' tricks and one dollar weght loss program visit my  one dollar weight loss program site.