Add dessert to breakfast and lose weight

A new study suggests that the best way to lose weight is to start the day off with a balanced breakfastand then have your cake and eat it too -- literally.

It may sound counterintuitive, but according to the results of a study out of Tel Aviv, adding a dessert to a 600-calorie breakfast can help dieters lose more weight and keep it off.

The reason? The body’s metabolism is at its most active in the morning, researchers say, making it the optimal time to indulge -- and curb -- sweet cravings. Dieters also have the whole day to work off the extra calories.

The study, announced by Tel Aviv University on February 7 and published in the journal Steroids, assigned 193 obese adults two different diets over an eight-month period. 

One group was put on a low-carb diet that included a small, 300-calorie breakfast, while the second group was given a 600-calorie breakfast, high in protein and carbohydrates, which always included achocolate dessert.

Gender allowances were also made, as men consumed 1,600 calories a day and women 1,400.

Halfway through the study, scientists observed that groups lost an average of 33 lbs (15 kg) per person.

In the second half of the study, however, while the low-carb group regained an average of 22 lbs. (10 kg), the second group lost another 15 lbs (7 kg).

At the end of the 32-week program, those put on the dessert breakfast lost an average of 40 lbs (18 kg) more per person than their peers.

Ingesting a higher proportion of daily calories at breakfast makes sense, researchers say, as it helps rev up the metabolism but also alleviates cravings, researchers said.

Furthermore, restrictive diets that ban small indulgences like desserts more often than not cause people to fall off the proverbial wagon and cheat, regaining any weight lost.

However, in another German study published last year, researchers came to a different conclusion about breakfast habits and weight loss. After analyzing and comparing the food diaries of 300 participants, scientists found that people ate the same at lunch and dinner regardless of the size of their breakfast, resulting in a total increase of daily caloric intake overall.

DO’S AND DON’TS AFTER MEAL (myth? or fact?)

Myths are obviously the fruit of partial or total ignorance, and speculations, handed down from generation to generation. While many of them are totally false, some of them are true or partly true. Here are eight of them:

1."Don't smoke after a meal because the bad effect (emphysema, cancer, etc.) of smoking a cigarette becomes ten times worse."

This is true in the sense that the natural bodily absorption rate following a meal is heightened, magnifying the ill-effects of tobacco (nicotine) on our system. One stick of cigarette, like one drop of any poison, is one too many.

2."Don't eat fruits immediately after a meal because this will cause the stomach to bloat with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2hours after meal or 1hour before meal"

This is not true. Fruits improve our digestion. However, there are people who have some degree of intolerance to fruits (fructose intolerance), who will have the sense of bloating after ingestion of fruits. In general, eating fruits right after a meal is good and well-tolerated by the body. Diabetics should discuss this with their physician since fruits will be additional calories that must be taken into account when computing their "diabetic diet."

3."Don't drink tea after a meal because tea is high in acid which will harden the protein content of food we consume thus make it difficult to digest."

It is true that tea is high in tannin or tannic acid, but the rest of the statement is false. Tea, as a matter of fact, improves our digestion. It is a tonic that invigorates the brain, speeds up the circulation, and makes the stomach digest food easier.

4."Don't loosen your belt after a meal because this will cause your intestines to twist and get blocked up."

The first part of the statement is a sound advice, but not for the reason given. Not loosening your belt after a meal makes you more conscious that your stomach is full enough, so you do not overeat. Also, the "normal tightness" of the belt provides one a natural "suck-in-the-abdomen technique" of controlling your waistline. It has been shown that sucking in the abdomen (as in the required military posture among cadets, etc) does help prevent "bulging waistlines," since sucking in the belly is nothing but an exercise to contract the muscles of the abdomen. If one does it every moment of awareness, which is like exercising the abdominal muscles every few minutes to make them taut and firm. The part about intestinal twisting and obstruction is false.

5."Don't bathe after a meal because this will weaken digestion."

While taking a bath (especially a warm one) will divert some blood from the stomach to the skin, taking a bath after a meal will not significantly impair digestion. The general rule is: after a meal, do not to do strenuous activities that will divert a lot of the blood away from the stomach, which needs "enough" blood for digestion. What's enough for one person may be different from another individual's physiologic need.

6."Don't walk after a meal. The digestive system will be unable to absorb the food."

Walking or strolling after a meal is not bad at all. It will help burn up some calories without significantly diverting blood from the stomach. Only strenuous physical and mental activities are discouraged immediately after a meal.

7."Don't sleep immediately after a meal because food will not be digested properly and this will lead to gastric infection."

The first part is true: it is not healthy to sleep with a full stomach. Not that it will cause "bangungot" or pancreatitis (as another myth claims), but gastric distention can lead to some heart irregularity in some people. Habitually sleeping immediately after a meal will also increase the tendency to obesity. As far as gastric infection is concerned, that claim is false.

8."Don't eat again until after four hours or longer because this will make the stomach stretch and grow larger."

This is not a myth but a sage advice. The stomach grows larger the more often we eat and the more food we eat, stretching our stomach, and conditioning our brain to crave for more food with every meal. And this will inevitably lead to obesity and its dangerous implications and complications. Drinking a tall glass, or two, of water before each meal will distend the stomach somewhat and "fool" the brain and curve the hunger sooner, leading to less total caloric intake. A simple, cheap and great dieting strategy.

God-bless to everyone and hope you'll learned from here...(Choymcs)

Top 10 hangover foods

Marmite

One reason many of us feel so bad the morning after a drinking session is because alcohol depletes your system of essential nutrients, including B vitamins. A lack of B vitamins can cause anxiety and depression, so try munching on Marmite - a rich source of the vitamin B complex - to lift your mood. As an added benefit, Marmite has a high sodium content which can help replace the salts lost through drinking alcohol.  Try the savoury spread on toast for an added fix of carbs.

 

Watermelon

Not only does alcohol deplete your body of nutrients, it can also lead to low blood sugar levels, which may leave you feeling weak and shaky.  To counteract this, try snacking on watermelon, which is not only high in fructose but is also water-rich to boost hydration. On top of this, watermelon is high in many essential nutrients, including vitamin C, B-vitamins and magnesium.

 

Ginger

If too much alcohol has you feeling queasy, ginger is the perfect food to help settle your stomach and relieve nausea. While you may not feel much like chewing on the food in its original form, you could try adding some grated ginger to hot water for a ginger tea, blending into a fresh fruit or vegetable juice, or snacking on ginger biscuits for a stomach-soothing treat.

 

Eggs

Scrambled, fried or boiled, eggs are a popular hangover breakfast, and the good news is they are a great choice for beating the nastiest of hangovers. Firstly, eggs are extremely rich in protein, which helps raise mood-boosting serotonin levels as well as helping to reduce nausea. Furthermore, eggs are rich in an amino acid called cystine, which helps fight against the alcohol-induced toxins that contribute to your hangover.

 

Bananas

Bananas are packed with potassium and magnesium, two of the minerals often depleted in our bodies when alcohol is consumed. A lack of potassium in the body can lead to nausea, weakness and tiredness, so stocking up on bananas can help reduce these classic hangover symptoms. As an added bonus, bananas are natural antacids so great for reducing stomach acid, and are good for providing a boost of energy if you have a busy day ahead.

 

Soup

One of the most important steps for beating a hangover is getting your body rehydrated, and this can be done through what you eat as much as what you drink. To up your fluids and sodium levels and get a shot of nutrients all at once, try some health-boosting vegetable or miso soup. As an added benefit, soup is easy on the stomach so good if you're feeling a bit queasy.

 

Oats

Due to the diuretic effects of alcohol, the body loses many essential minerals and vitamins during a heavy drinking session. Luckily, oats can provide you with many of these nutrients, including B vitamins (good for the liver and mood) and essential minerals magnesium, calcium and iron. On top of this, oats can help neutralize acidity levels in the body, cleanse the liver, absorb toxins and slowly raise blood sugar levels, making a bowl of porridge the perfect hangover breakfast.

 

Fruit juice

If you're feeling a bit queasy at the thought of food, then this is the cure for you. While it's great to line your stomach with food if you can, to replace lost vitamins, raise blood sugar levels and rehydrate your body, you can't do much better than a glass of fresh juice. Not only is juice good for immediate relief, the fructose will also help speed up the removal of alcohol from your blood.

 

Sardines

If you're craving something savoury, sardines on toast could be the perfect morning-after breakfast. A major cause of hangovers is an imbalance of electrolytes, and sardines are rich in many of these vital minerals, including sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium. In addition to this, sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for protecting the liver as well as lifting the mood.

Coconut water

Many hangover sufferers swear by sports drinks as a way to hydrate the body and help rebalance electrolytes. However, sports drinks are often carbonated, which can irritate the stomach, and packed with refined sugars. For a natural alternative to sports drinks, try sipping on some coconut water, which contains essential electrolytes (including calcium, potassium and magnesium) to boost hydration, and is also soothing for the stomach.

By: Realbuzz

Coffee could be a silent killer

Negative effects of coffee.

Though there are some positive effects of caffeine, the negative effects of caffeine should be understood. Anyone in a high-risk group should be aware of the severe negative effects. People with mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, chronic intestinal issues, work the night shift or who are pregnant should minimize caffeine intake.

We should always be remembered that everything must be in moderation (moderation is the key).

Studies correlate the negative effects of caffeine with high caffeine intake, and with certain physical conditions or groups of people who tend to have more problems with caffeine.

A small amount of caffeine intake by a completely healthy person may have minimal effect. Caffeine is a stimulant and high coffee consumption (more than three cups per day for years) it will elevate heart rate, increase blood flow, and raise body temperature. It increases blood sugar levels and acts as a diuretic, meaning you urinate more frequently and reduce water intake. Caffeine makes most users more alert.

Caffeine is a mild diuretic, speeding up the urination cycle, but "steals" calcium which is lost through urine, thus increasing loss of bone mineral density. Long term, heavy caffeine use leads to a rapid development of osteoporosis. 

One of the negative effects of caffeine is that small amounts of caffeine taken daily can create physical dependence on caffeine. If a regular coffee drinker, for example, fails to drink his daily dose of caffeine, he can end up with headaches, excessive sleepiness, a feeling like he cannot function. Withdrawal from caffeine can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending upon how much caffeine a person customarily consumes.

When caffeine intake is above 300 milligrams a day, about three cups of coffee or three to four sodas, the caffeine may at first make a person feel energized. Yet one of the negative effects of caffeine is its ability to disrupt sleep cycles, causing less deep sleep, particularly when the person drinks caffeinated beverages within a few hours of bedtime. So while a person may be using coffee or other caffeine laced beverages to "get started" in the morning, one reason he might need this extra boost because he is getting inadequate sleep.

Caffeine causes sleep disturbances. Don't even think about drinking coffee or other caffeine containing beverages before sleep. And remember that the alkaloid needs 12 hours to be completely eliminated from your body.

Those who drink caffeinated beverages and work the night shift have a far greater likelihood of getting insufficient deep sleep during the day. This can result in a continued cycle of exhaustion and caffeine boosts, a greater dependence on caffeine, and more caffeine consumed, which only exacerbates the problem.

Certain people are also particularly caffeine sensitive and more likely to experience negative effects of caffeine. For example, some people will feel "buzzed" or hyped up from one cup of coffee. Lower body weight tends to translate to higher likelihood of experiencing the negative effects of caffeine.

People with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder are much more prone to reacting badly from increased heart rate. Caffeine, even in small doses, can create panic attacks and interfere with medications taken to calm the system. Caffeine is adenosine-receptor antagonist, meaning that it blocks the receptors in the brain that bind with the neuromodulator adenosine, which slows neural activity. It also promotes the release of adrenaline and dopamine.

For people with high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels, the negative effects of caffeine should be understood. Caffeine can raise both these levels. Any type of heart problem can be affected by caffeine. The negative effect of caffeine in increasing heart rate can create problems for people with heart conditions, and in high doses, caffeine can induce irregular heartbeats in healthy people.

And coffee does have modest cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and occasional irregular heartbeat that should be considered. Studies have been largely inconclusive regarding coffee and its effect on women's health issues such as breast health, cancer, and osteoporosis.

The effect of coffee on the cardiovascular health is controversial: some say it's good, others that it is a risk factor. Caffeine blocking adenosine constricts the brain's blood vessels. The heart beats rate increases, muscles tighten, the blood pressure booms, blood vessels near the surface constrict and more blood flows to the muscles.

Researches show that blood pressure and heart rate spurred in healthy sedentary adults drinking two cans of caffeine containing drinks daily by up to 11 %.

But if you're going to practice sports, the heart beats can increase up to a dangerously high level, while triggering extremities shivering and nausea. On the long term, the unnatural heart racing is unhealthy, and can trigger heart conditions.

People with stomach conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcers, and gastro-intestinal reflux, all may suffer from the negative effects of caffeine. Caffeine increases acidic response in the stomach which may lead to excessive bowel movements and is associated with stomach discomfort.

Caffeine mixed with acetaminophen (paracetamol), one of the most common painkillers used in the US and Europe could harm your liver. The caffeine was discovered to triple the quantity of a toxic byproduct, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), produced by the enzyme that breaks down the acetaminophen. Still, the effects would be determined by the daily consume of 20-30 cups of coffee. 

Negative effects of caffeine can be broken down into moderate and serious side effects. Moderate negative effects of caffeine include: headaches, irritability, increases in breast tenderness, restlessness, mild insomnia, increased heart rate, increased blood sugar, difficulty concentrating, and mild stomach upset. Severe negative effects of caffeine include: panic attacks, irregular heartbeat, sleep deprivation, continuous stomach problems, prolonged depression, and sleep disorders.

Researches show that consume of unfiltered coffee increases the level of cholesterol. Why? Because coffee contains a substance called cafestol which triggers the rise of cholesterol levels. The cafestol blocks a receptor in an intestinal pathway crucial for cholesterol regulation, and is the most potent food chemical to do this.

By pouring hot water over the ground coffee, the cafestol is extracted. The same thing happens when the ground coffee is boiled in water by several times, like in the case of Turkish coffee or Scandinavian brew, or a paper filter is employed, like in French coffee. If the coffee is made without the filter, the cafestol remains in the prepared beverage.

A cup of unfiltered coffee contains up to 4 milligrams of cafestol that can raise the cholesterol level by 1 %. The espresso coffee contains cafestol, as it is not prepared with a filter. Still, this type of coffee can increase less the cholesterol if you use a small cup. Less espresso means less cafestol, probably just 1-2 mg per cup. Still, 5 cups of espresso can raise the cholesterol by 2 %. 

Coffee can kill you! Just as any other drug, in small amounts, caffeine (and coffee) is a stimulant. But the coffee plant synthesizes the alkaloid with the purpose of killing its natural consumers. The grazer eating too much coffee will die. We, too, may be killed. The uncontrolled heart beats are the prelude of a heart attack.

Over 400 mg of caffeine (found in 4-5 cups of brewed coffee) can cause caffeine intoxication. Some even snort caffeine powder, which results in a more rapid and intense reaction. The symptoms are just like those induced by any other drug: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, face flushing, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular heart beat, and psychomotor agitation. 

Caffeine value would be linked to weight and each one's sensitivity, to about 150 to 200 mg/kg of body mass.

So, you have to drink 80 to 100 cups of coffee very quickly to die... This also varies with the coffee variety, and cup size, as this determines how much caffeine enters your body. At least from rapid drinking; the chronic effects are another story, but caffeine pills (just 2 g) are much more effective and have been proven lethal.

Caffeine exaggerates stress in people who consume it every day. The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body’s physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person’s perception of stress. The caffeine appears to compound the effects of stress both psychologically in terms of perceived stress levels and physiologically in terms of elevated blood pressures and stress hormone levels

I think that people who feel 'stressed out' should at least consider quitting caffeine to see if they feel better. Quitting caffeine could be particularly beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure, just as diet and exercise can help keep blood pressure under control.

A Cup Of Coffee

What are the positive effects of coffee on our health?

Some say that the energy boosting effect of the morning coffee is only in your mind and you should sleep more. Let’s try to find out.

Proteins and nutrients from milk:

Soy milk is a very healthy alternative to regular dairy milk, soy milk is extracted from soy beans and we all know that coffee is made from soy beans.

Mental/Memory:

Caffeine, the main active chemical of coffee, it blocks adenosine, a chemical that makes you naturally drowsy, increasing concentration and reaction speed.

Caffeine seems to slow the dementia process rather than prevent it. Why caffeine has a slightly different effect on women than it does in men is still a puzzle. 

Because coffee is a stimulant, a boost in energy is often experienced after consumption and some people experience increased cognitive function. Persons participating in endurance activities may also have improved performance.

Nervous System:

Caffeine has been found also to protect against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, and depression, and this could be linked to its inhibiting effect on adenosine receptors. Depression is eased because caffeine increases dopamine, the "happy feeling" hormone, in your brain.

Digestive System:

Everybody knows the laxative effect of coffee. Brewed coffee also contains soluble cellulose fibers, which help the body absorb vital nutrients, keep a lid on cholesterol and fight constipation.

Cancer Antioxidant:

A new research has found that coffee could cut the risk of skin cancer. 6 cups of caffeinated coffee daily lowered the likelihood of developing skin cancer by 35 %, while 2-3 cups lowered it by 12 %. Caffeine is believed to impede cells dividing in the tumor, or to work as an antioxidant. One research found coffee and exercising fight against sun-induced skin cancer by 400 %. 

One study suggests that drinking coffee might protect smokers from bladder cancer. Coffee benefits related to the development of gallstones and colon cancer.

Other researches suggest that coffee could be beneficial also against breast cancer. 

Coffee fights gout symptoms! The beverage lowers uric acid levels on short term, easing the most common and excruciatingly painful inflammatory arthritis in adult males. Drinking 4-5 cups of coffee daily significantly decreases the risk of gout by 40 % and over 6 cups per day by 59 %. Tea (which contains caffeine) has no impact on gout incidence, thus other chemical than caffeine induces this effect; the main suspected being the phenol chlorogenic acid, a powerful antioxidant. 

Coffee was found to remove 78-90 % of the heavy metals dissolved in the tap water, like lead or copper, because the ground coffee has the molecules not electrically charged or negatively charged, attracting the heavy metals, which are positively charged. Stronger coffee removes a higher amount of the toxic heavy metals. Instead, tea removes just one third of the same amount of lead and has not effect on the copper. 

Pain reliever:

Two cups of coffee reduce significantly post-gym muscle pain. Caffeine consumed one-hour before going to the gym induces a 48 % decrease in pain; those who drink caffeine before the near-maximum force test have 26 % drop in soreness. Caffeine boosts endurance, and one study discovered caffeine to decrease pain during moderate-intensity cycling. By blocking the receptors for adenosine, released in response to inflammation and implied in pain sensation, coffee could have this effect. Caffeine seems to be more efficient than conventional pain and soreness reliever drugs, like naproxen (the active ingredient in Aleve), aspirin and ibuprofen. 

  

Induce libido and excitement:

Caffeine gets women in the mood for sex, especially in moderate amounts and when the women are not heavy drinkers. The chemical is also known to increase excitability in men.

Let's make coffee a part of our daily beverages...(but still drink moderately)

FISH: ultimate brain food?

Why most Culipapanians proud to say “ang produkto sang barongoy maalam gid” (flying fish products are really brainy). Bakit nga ba? Anong connection ng barongoy sa quality ng brains meron tayo?

As I remember pag may mga competitions in sports and in academic especially sa district meet or area meet, most competitors would really say “hirap talunin pag taga-Culipapa ang kasangga mo”. Bakit gifted ba mga taga-culipapa at di nawawalan ng mga pambato sa anomang larangan ng competitions every year?

Tapos when you’ve grown up from Culipapa and had your primary and secondary school education thereon, and later on been to any colleges…most of us would really say ‘am proud to be Culipapanians and am lucky that I had my high school there’. Huh? Talaga? Anong meron ba sa Culipapa at sa CNHS at ganyan tayo pag lumayo tayo sa lugar natin?

Simple lang ang kasagutan ng lahat na yan…it’s because of one common thing that we have in our place…the barongoy. Oo, barongoy ang number one reason bakit matatalino mga taga-Culipapa. It means “you are what you eat” kumbaga.

Does fish improve intelligence? Yes, fish is brain food. There were lots of studies and claiming that fish is the best and ultimate brain food. It helps our brain cells not to be deteriorated or damage. Thus mental capacity and capability really improves as time goes by.

It’s been observed and studied that fish may be brain food for teenage boys. (Hehehehe…still on study why only boys at bakit no records studies for females…back to topic). Including fish on teenage boys’ diet would notice remarkably after 3 years that superior mental scores among adolescent.

Eating fish at least once a week would slows mental declination or protect against cognitive declination associated with aging, because fish consumption prevents brain infarcts. Thus eating fish keeps older people brainy. How much more to the people of Culipapa eh starting from our breakfast, to lunch, and to our supper or dinner eh puro isda ang nasa hapag kainan natin. We almost eat fish at most of our meals in the whole week. Kung nakakapagpatalino ang fish even having it at least once a week, eh anong talino pa meron tayo o ang maidadagdag sa atin kung isda lage kinakain natin?

Eat fatty fish to prevent dementia. Eating tuna and other fatty fish helps decrease the risk of stroke. Eating fatty fish is not like eating fatty meats like pork, chickens, beef, etc. Fatty fish or fish oils contains omega3 which is good for our heart and brain, and it reduce inflammation throughout the body. (Hmmm…sarap ng belly ng bangus…hahahaha)

Here are some benefits from fish:

* it improves memory and makes you smarter

* you’ll have healthy heart thus preventing from stroke

* prevent depression

* prevent from getting Alzheimer disease,

*prevent cancer

* good for pregnant woman because it has benefits on baby’s brain development

So back to our topic above…

Therefore, students are not only maintaining but further improving their mental status every now and then. And in connection, we are lucky and proud that we have brainy teacher that makes or made us more intelligent. Matalino na nga sila eh napapanatili pa talino at teaching skills nila throughout the years which made us more competitive inside and outside Culipapa.

Ngayon alam na natin bakit anong meron sa barongoy at matatalino mga taga-Culipapa

Congratulations Culipapanhons and thank you barongoy...