Tag: caffeine

The Big COFFEE Cover-Up

Posted on January 1, 2019

Will you be one of the millions of people who try to mask hunger with caffeine coffee this year? It’s an easy habit to fall into, especially during the long cold winter months.

Coffee is marketed as a solution for feeling tired. Images of smiling, content people are always featured in coffee ads.  What they don’t want you to see is that the caffeine in their decadent beverage disguises the body’s natural rhythm by providing a “fake” source of energy.

If you reach for coffee often as a source of energy, honestly ask yourself  – “Do I you experience mood swings or energy dips during the day?” If you want to reclaim your most powerful metabolism, examine your relationship with caffeine and you may discover a simple solution!

Try this… observe the effect of caffeine on your blood sugar 30 minutes to 3-4 hours after ingesting caffeine… Do you feel fatigued, experience brain fogs, shakes, light sweating, low or sad feelings or anxiety?  Repeated consumption of caffeine can trigger a Blood Sugar Roller Coaster which can lead to weight gain and other health issues.

But don’t worry – this doesn’t mean that you can never have caffeine again. But you should begin experimenting with the amount of caffeine that you drink until you discover your “true energy” (i.e., how you feel without “fake” energy). Once you know that, then you can choose when and IF you drink caffeine, instead of feeling that you need to drink it compulsively or habitually.

If you do decide to continue drinking coffee on a daily basis, here is a good tip for you:

• CHOOSE HIGH QUALITY
• CHOOSE ORGANIC
• CHOOSE CAREFULLY WHAT YOU ADD TO YOUR COFFEE (Such as artificial ingredients).

If you want to quit drinking coffee altogether, here are a few tips to help:

• Gradually dilute your coffee until you are consuming only hot water by following this schedule…

  • Start with 90% coffee and 10% water. Keep this ratio for a week or more.
  • Next, reduce the coffee to 75% and increase water to 25% of your cup.
  •  Again, keep this ratio for a week or more.
  • Now you can go quicker! For four days, try a half and half coffee-to-water mixture.
  • Let coffee go and switch to hot water with lemon.
  • Switch from coffee to green tea and follow the reduction schedule above. Green tea has approximately 25 mg of caffeine per cup compared to coffee’s 75-150mg per cup.

• Make sure to drink at least 6-8 glasses of filtered water daily. This helps to keep you hydrated and is a great way to avoid constipation!

• Exercise! Even if you can only fit in 30 minutes of walking during a lunch break it will do wonders for your energy and your digestion!

• Eat regular meals with high-quality protein, fat and fiber to keep your blood sugar and your energy steady.

• Avoid eating until too full: eating too much will create tension and tightness in your digestive system, which will make you crave the lightening effects of coffee. Eat only until you feel satisfied, or about 80% full.

Sure, the caffeine in coffee will “perk” you up temporarily but the PERKS of letting go of the caffeine is better health and weight loss that truly lasts!

This article is based on coaching tips by Anita Fitch our Director of Corporate Wellness

8 Secret-Weapon Foods for Weight Loss

Posted on July 10, 2013

 

1. Mushrooms
Research reports that when people ate mushroom-based entrees, they felt just as satisfied as when they’d eaten those same dishes made with beef—though they’d taken in a fraction of the calories and fat.

2. Eggs
In one study, dieters who ate eggs for breakfast felt full for longer and lost more than twice as much weight as those who got the same amount of calories from a bagel for breakfast. Think beyond breakfast, too: eggs boost a salad’s staying power and make for a satisfying snack.

3. Apples
For a mere 95 calories, a medium apple contains 4 grams of fiber. And recent research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, suggests that boosting your fiber intake may help you to prevent weight gain—or even encourage weight loss.

4. Low Calorie Desserts
OK, so this isn’t exactly a “health food,” but we welcome the news that it may be easier to stick to your diet if it includes a little sweet treat. According to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, banning sugary foods could lead to overeating. One reason may be that removing access to sweet foods stimulates the release of a molecule in your brain called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), produced when you’re afraid, anxious or stressed, says Pietro Cottone, Ph.D., lead study author. And increased stress levels may lower your motivation to eat more nutritious foods, making it more likely that you’ll binge on junk food.

5. Soup
Research published in the journal Appetite has shown that people who start a meal with vegetable soup eat 20 percent fewer calories over the course of their meal.

6. Oatmeal
Eating a breakfast made with “slow-release” carbohydrates, such as oatmeal or bran cereal, three hours before you exercise may help you burn more fat, suggests a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition. Here’s why: in the study, eating “slow-release” carbohydrates didn’t spike blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates, such as white toast. In turn, insulin levels didn’t spike as high and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower levels may help you burn fat. Want options beyond oatmeal?

7. Hot Chile Peppers
In one study, consuming a little hot pepper (in tomato juice or in capsules) 30 minutes before a meal helped study participants feel less hungry and eat about 10 percent less.

8. Almonds
Chew more to curb hunger. That’s what researchers concluded in a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in which they asked participants to chew a 2-ounce serving of almonds 10, 25 or 40 times. Participants got maximum satisfaction—they felt fuller longer—from the nuts when they chewed 40 times. Chewing more may cause a greater release of fat from the almonds, which triggers hormones that curb hunger, speculates Rick Mattes, Ph.D., R.D., professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University, study author and an EatingWell advisor.

Energy Drinks

Posted on October 24, 2012

ENERGY DRINKS! The effects : Pros and Cons!
by Jenny Flynn

 

In our society today, it seems that it is very easy to get “Burnt Out” or “Run Down”. The majority of people tend to suffer from the lack of energy needed to get them through their daily activities and responsibilities. Therefore, many of us have turned to energy drinks to help us get there as a means for extra fuel. These quick pick-me ups promise to give an energy boost that says can last for hours. Studies show that some of the manufacturer’s include chemicals in these drinks in an attempt to provide the same amount of energy that one achieves in a full nights rest. Therefore, how can these energy drinks be good for the body?

We at Letslose would like to provide for you the simple pros and cons that you need to be aware of for consumption!

What’s in them?

Caffeine: This ingredient is known as the gold star in boosting energy. It is commonly found in coffee and soft drinks to keep you alert and awake.

Taurine: This is an amino acid found in energy drinks which enhances neurological function. It is also used as a dietary supplement and can be found in fish, meats and breast milk, and aids the body by regulating water and mineral salts in the blood, and helps with neurological development.

Vitamin B: Various B Vitamins are found in energy drinks and most of the B Vitamins enhance muscular, metabolic, nervous and other bodily functions. Nevertheless, each Vitamin differs and may be water -soluble which is expelled from the body quickly.

Now that we know what’s in them.…

Pros: Energy Boost, Maximizing your workout, and Convenience

Cons: Weight gain, Cardiovascular problems, Psychological hindrances, potential metabolic issues, dependence

With all these facts, If you feel like an energy drink is still for you, be sure to utilize these tips when choosing a drink.

Make limitations, drink plenty of water with them, stay away from them if you have known medical issues, and never mix Energy drinks with alcohol.

Energy drinks are fine to consume when done in moderation, but habitual users may be better off with a cup of coffee without the additives and sugar.

Be energetic but try it the healthy way! Exercise, healthy diet and proper rest.

Colossians 1:28-29- We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ . To this end I labor, struggling with all this energy, which so powerfully works in me.