I ran across this today and though my readers might enjoy this humorous look at a creative “health tip.”

It depends.

Because of all the calorie calculators available people naturally think there is a carb calculator. Using this logic many want to know the EXACT number of carbs they need to eat.

Here’s the skinny on carb calculations.

Dr Atkins recommended no more the 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. After, you slowly increase the carb intake to 30 grams over four weeks, and then by 10 gram increments slowly after that until you have stopped losing. If you need to lose more, cut back, if not just maintain.

Most weight loss programs start with a 20 carb a day limit, to help clean out your system and break you carb cravings. After that you can start adding in 5 more carbs very day for a week. You keep doing this till you find your own carb limit.

Everyone is different, and handles different amounts. Not a one size fits all eating style.

Remember, carbs are key as a fuel source. They are the foundation of a healthy diet – providing glucose, which fuels the brain and entire central nervous system. They contain a multitude of vitamins and minerals and are generally low in fat and calories (especially veggies and fruit).

Many carbohydrate foods provide fiber to keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy. They play a role in preventing heart disease and cancer. Most people are not getting enough fiber. Eating carbs means everything else in balance – so you are not getting too much of the other food groups like, fat and protein. Carbs should make up half your calories each day.

On average, people should have 250 grams of carbs per day, assuming they are on a 2000 calorie diet. Woman may consume a little less than that; and men may consume a little more than that. But generally most people need about 2000 calories per day.

There are two types of carbs: simple and complex.

The complex carbohydrates are the veggies, whole grains like whole wheat pasta, rice, and oatmeal. This group also includes sweet potatoes and white potatoes. Typically, they are high in fiber and take longer to digest.

The simple carbohydrates can be good if they are orange juice and fruit. This category also includes candy, cookies, sugar, honey, syrup. Typically, they break down quicker. Sugar only provides calories and carbs. It is not as nutritious.

The simple carbohydrates are the things we usually eat too much of.

This is what 250 grams of carbohydrates over a day could look like.

Breakfast
1/2 cup orange juice (15 grams)
1/4 cup low fat granola (15 grams)
8 ounces plain vanilla yogurt (12 grams)
1 cup (8 oz) low fat milk (12 grams)
17 green grapes (15 grams)

Lunch
2 slices whole wheat bread at lunch (30 grams carbs)
Turkey breast or fresh turkey for lunch (3 slices) – with tomato slice and mustard

1 cup shredded carrots (5 grams)
1 cup raw spinach leaves (5 grams)
1 cup romaine lettuce (5 grams)
1 cup cucumber slices (5 grams)
Salad dressing (2 tbsp) (oil and vinegar)

Snack
1/3 cup hummus (15 grams)
5 whole wheat/whole grain crackers (15 grams)
1 medium red apple (15 grams)

Dinner
1 cups of whole wheat pasta, cooked (30 grams carbs)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (not marinara, though they look the same) (15 grams carbs)
1 cup broccoli (5 grams)
1 piece of grilled chicken (3-4 ounces or 1/2 breast)

1/8 of an 8-inch pumpkin pie (30 grams)

In general, people over eat carbs. Many have given up eating things like pasta but when they do eat it they eat more than one cup of carbs. And most people are not eating enough of the right carbs.

If you are changing from a low-carb or no-carb diet, do it slowly to prevent gastrointestinal upset, make most choices from veggies, fruit and whole grains, and limit sugar and refined carbs, and make sure to drink plenty of water as you add fiber to diet. The water helps the fiber past through the body.

Most people enjoy popcorn and now with new research information everyone can get even more excited about this traditional snack because the study results reveal it’s antioxidant and fiber power. In other words, it’s one of the healthiest snack choices.

Researchers from Pennsylvania have confirmed that popcorn not only is a tasty snack  it is also high in nutritional and fiber value. Popcorn lovers rejoice.

Good news for popcorn loversBy: | Published: March 26, 2012 NEW YORK CITY, NY – CBS- A new study shows popcorn has even more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. Scientists from Pennsylvania say it’s because popcorn has significantly less water, so the health benefits don’t get diluted.

via Scnow

Wait just a minute… don’t spit that popcorn hull out. Researchers now have evidence that shows that hull stuck in your teeth is actually very good for you. Okay, so once you dislodge it from in between your teeth swallow away because it’s packed with powerful antioxidants and fiber.

Popcorn Packs Antioxidants, Study FindsAlethea Turner reports: When it comes to antioxidants, popcorn may have fruits and vegetables beat. A new study suggests that one serving of popcorn has more antioxidants than a day’s worth of fruits or vegetables, based on the average American diet.

via Go

Stop feeling guilty about plopping down for a movie and snuggling up next to a huge bowel of popcorn. Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a researcher in Pennsylvania has some study results that’ll make sure you don’t feel guilty ever again. or at least as long as you leave the salt, butter, and oil of the popcorn.

Popcorn has more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables, researcher claimsAhhh, popcorn and a good movie –but oh, the guilt! Now, however, one researcher now says that popcorn may be the most healthy treat for your diet. Joe Vinson,

via Examiner

Ready for a test? What makes for a healthier snack? Ruffles, Doritos, or popcorn? Your right! It’s popcorn. Study reports out of Pennsylvania prove this popular snack not only tastes good it’s packed with antioxidants and fiber.

Popcorn or fries: a serious questionOnce a friend asked me this question, which I still think about especially when I’m hungry: If you were forced to choose between giving up either corn or potatoes for the rest of your life, which would you choose? It’s an entertaining question because it forces you to choose between great snack foods (Doritos or Ruffles?

via Deathandtaxesmag

Scranton researchers report that the study results for popcorn are impressive. It’s is one of the healthiest snack choices. Of course, you can’t smoother it in butter and oil to get the full nutritional impact of the polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants .

Studies: Eat More Raisins, Soy, and PopcornHealth Brief – March 26: Study: Raisins and soy can lower blood pressure in young adults – Study: Popcorn’s rich with antioxidants (but hold the butter)

via Wbay

Don’t let those popcorn hulls frustrate you. I know they stick in your teeth but researchers have some results that may stop your frustration forever. Their study results show those hulls have  high concentrations of antioxidants and fiber, in fact, higher than a lot of produce.

Popcorn Packs More Antioxidants Than ProduceI have professed my love for popcorn in past posts, including this one about my favorite new natural food products and this one about more healthy foods I love. I adore the stuff! Previously, I’ve touted its benefits as a high fiber, low calorie, antioxidant rich member of the whole grain family.

via Shape

Do medications like Prozac work long term for depression?

A normal body easily balances blood sugar, serotonin and beta-endorphin. If you are sugar sensitive it is likely you are off balance. Levels in all 3 of these systems must be balanced and in harmony for you to stop dramatic fluctuations in personality and mood. Working on just one while leaving the others untouched is counter productive. A little progress can be made but negative symptoms can still haunt you if 2 of the others systems remain unbalanced.

In the chart below this reflects a person before making any changes.

It’s clear this person probably feels pretty bad with all three levels out of order. Lets say their physician prescribes something to raise serotonin levels to help with depression. Once the person is stabilized on the drug they begin to feel better – less depressed, and more optimism.

For the sake of discussion lets say the person does not change their diet and still eats a lot of sweets and starches. The following chart shows how that might play out

Now that the depression seems better their self-esteem is still low and they feel isolated and in a state of overwhelm. This would be a VERY confusing state to be in. To the person it would be hard to explain the mixture of feelings. The prescription drug was supposed to help and it did – but wait a minute, why are the dark feeling still happening? the feeling may not be as intense as in the past but their still there.

This is what happened – The drug raised their serotonin but because of their diet, their blood sugar and beta-endorphin levels were still low. They still felt tired, irritable, and occasionally brassily. They might come to the conclusion the medication is not working and ask for another medication which might help, initially. And then the very same issues begin to show up.

In part 2 we’ll show you what happens when this person discovers several new diet books that look like they may be the solution or at least, part of the solution.

Beta-endorphin is the brain chemical that’s had the least attention in the diet, depression and addiction books. That’s odd because it is incredibly powerful and can drive youtoward deeper addiction – or raise your spirits to a level of health that you may never have known before.

When your beta-endorphin is low, you feel depressed, impulsive and victimized. You may be touchy and tearful. Your self-esteem is low. And you have a desperate craving for sugar. The scientific community has been investigating beta-endorphin for mare than twenty years, but the public understanding of its effects has remained fairly limited.

You may have heard of the “runners high,” a phrase that shows how the athletes body responds to the stress of long-distance running by flooding the body with beta-endorphin, which produces a sense of exhilaration.

Understanding the powerful emotional effects of beta-endorphin levels in your brain is crucial for people with sugar sensitivity. The beta-endorphin story may radically change your sense of why you feel the way you do. As you can see from the chart, some of the effects of beta-endorphin are similar to those of serotonin.

As you look over the symptoms on this chart, you may have had two reactions.

1. You may be comforted by recognizing patterns that sound familiar and fit your experiences.

2. You may be amused that your emotional feelings and behavior can be so strongly affected by your body’s chemistry.

In addition to blood sugar, a number of chemical in your brain affect how you feel and act. Serotonin is a brain chemical that is particularly important for people who are sensitive to sugar. It creates a sense of relaxation, “mellows you out” and gives you a sense of being at peace with the world. Serotonin also influences your self-control, impulse control and ability to plan ahead.

When your serotonin levels are low, you may feel depressed, act impulsively and have intense cravings fro alcohol, sweets or carbohydrates. Researchers have worked hard to find ways to increase the level of serotonin in the brains of people who are depressed. As an end result antidepressant drugs – such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Effexor – have been handed out to in excess of over 6 million people.

If you have an inherited sensitivity to sugar, you may find the symptoms of low serotonin familiar.

Low Serotonin And Depression
There is strong evidence that low levels of serotonin could be partly responsible for depression…
via: Storify

Your body uses a very simple form of sugar called glucose as its basic fuel. During digestion all the carbohydrates you eat are broken doen into glucose. It is carried by the blood throughout your body to be used as energy by the cells as needed. All your cells, particularly those in your brain, require a steady stream of sugar at all times.

When your body has the optimal level of sugar in the blood to supply your cells, you feel good. When your blood sugar os too low, your cells don’t get the sugar they need and they start sending our distress signals. These distress signals are the symptoms of low blood sugar, a condition known as hypoglycemia.

In our daily lives, we are inundated with media ads, television and radio commercials in by which companies use to sell exercise equipment, fat burner supplements, and lose weight fast diets, to name a few. For those of us who have spent our hard earned money on these products, we know that most of them do not work.

Corporate America wants us to believe that being overweight is due to fat and that we need to get rid of it. The myth is that fat and carbohydrates are the enemies. The truth of the matter is that we need our body fat, as well as carbohydrates for energy, used during body metabolism in order to burn up the extra calories.

Although we do need to burn fat as well as calories, most people will not lose weight without burning calories. Not having enough body fat, is as detrimental to our heath when we have too much fat. You can find ways to evaluate your body fat percentage, BMI, online. The recommendations for men is to be at 15-20% fat, while women should be around 19-25%. Technically, body fat is a fuel. The burning of calories is the only way to use up the excess fuel.

One of the most important fat burners is cost free. All you need to do is to begin a healthy diet with added fruits and vegetables. Contrary to belief, potatoes are a great source for Vitamin C. The potato does not create fat, it is the butter, cream cheese, or sour cream that is added which adds the fat and extra calories.

Changing from white bread, rice, noodles to whole grains are going to provide you with the fiber that is needed as well. Drinking low fat milk, as well as eating yogurt, also are great changes to make diet changes.

Another great fat burning method is to exercise daily, for at least 20-30 minutes. Taking a brisk walk, going for a bicycle ride, even swimming helps with burning the excess calories leading to fat loss as well. Pilates are great exercises for fat burning, the burning of excess calories, as well as for body toning, especially around the abdominal area, without stress on the body.

In order to begin a healthy diet, you can talk to a nutritionist, follow the diabetic diet or weight watchers diet which are great for even the expectant mom in order to begin eating healthy. Unless you change your lifestyle and dietary habits, there is not any magic pill to get rid of excess fat and weight, let alone keep it off.

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