Changing gut bacteria through diet affects the way we think - study shows

Researchers have known that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. This study (conducted by scientists with UCLA’s Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and the Ahmanson–Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA) shows what has been suspected but until now had been proved only in animal studies: that signals travel the opposite way as well.

“Time and time again, we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut,” said Dr Kirsten Tillisch lead author of the study. “Our study shows that the gut–brain connection is a two-way street.”

“Many of us have a container of yogurt in our refrigerator that we may eat for enjoyment, for calcium or because we think it might help our health in other ways,” Tillisch said. “Our findings indicate that some of the contents of yogurt may actually change the way our brain responds to the environment. When we consider the implications of this work, the old sayings ‘you are what you eat’ and ‘gut feelings’ take on new meaning.”

In the study, published in the journal Gastroenterology. thirty-six women were divided in into three groups: one group ate a yogurt containing a mix of probiotics (Bifidobacteriumanimalis subsp Lactis, Streptococcus thermophiles, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Lactococcus lactis subsp Lactis twice a day for four weeks); another group consumed a dairy product that looked and tasted like the yogurt but contained no probiotics; and a third group ate no product at all.
The researchers found that the brain effects from the probiotic food could be seen in many areas, including those involved in sensory processing and those associated with emotion.

The knowledge that signals are sent from the intestine to the brain and that they can be modulated by a dietary change is likely to lead to an expansion of research aimed at finding new strategies to prevent or treat digestive, mental and neurological disorders, said Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine, physiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s senior author.
“There are studies showing that what we eat can alter the composition and products of the gut flora — in particular, that people with high-vegetable, fiber-based diets have a different composition of their microbiota, or gut environment, than people who eat the more typical Western diet that is high in fat and carbohydrates,” Mayer said. “Now we know that this has an effect not only on the metabolism but also affects brain function.”

The UCLA researchers are seeking to pinpoint particular chemicals produced by gut bacteria that may be triggering the signals to the brain. They also plan to study whether people with gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel movements have improvements in their digestive symptoms which correlate with changes in brain response. Meanwhile, these findings could lead the way to creating probiotic dietary interventions that alter mood, anxiety, stress, and pain sensitivity.It's also possible that changing the composition of gut bacteria could lead to treatments for chronic pain disorders, he said, as well as symptoms of brain conditions like autism, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease.

A great way to get in more probiotics... try this delicious recipe!!!

Apple pie probiotic smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt or kefir
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 apple (peeled, cored, and sliced)
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1/2 frozen banana

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into 1 large glass or 2 small glasses.  Enjoy!

Note:

• Your don’t have to use the maple syrup.  It will still be sweet without it, but the maple syrup gives it a nice flavor and makes it a special treat!

Sources: http://www.medscape.com/, http://scitechdaily.com/, http://www.medicaldaily.com/, http://creatingnaturally.com/

HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGURT

Yogurt was a long-established staple in Eastern Europe and the Middle East before it reached our shores. Today, yogurt is commonly consumed by men, women, and children of all ages; walk into any supermarket, and you'll see the varieties and flavors of this nutritious food take up considerable space in the dairy section. Yogurt is one of the foods which are very simple but have a lot of benefits and do well to our bodies. Here you can read how including yogurt in your daily diet can make your body healthier.

Yogurt is easier to digest than milk
Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons. Bacterial enzymes created by the culturing process, partially digest the milk protein casein, making it easier to absorb and less allergenic. While the amount varies among brands of yogurt, in general, yogurt has less lactose than milk. The culturing process has already broken down the milk sugar lactose into glucose and galactose, two sugars that are easily absorbed by lactose-intolerant persons.

Yogurt is packed with vitamins
One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products, such as chicken and fish, so strict vegetarians can easily fall short. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: an eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60% of what adult women need daily. 

Yogurt is a rich source of protein
Yogurt can be an excellent source of protein, but one variety may contain more than double the protein of another. Greek yogurt, which is strained to make it thicker, has up to 20 grams of protein per container; traditional yogurt may have as few as five grams. If you're eating it for the protein, look for brands that provide at least eight to 10 grams per serving.

Yogurt curbs your hunger

The protein in yogurt isn't only good for muscle repair and growth, it also also fills you up. Studies also suggest that a higher protein breakfast can curb hunger later in the day. In addition, a study from the University of Washington in Seattle tested hunger, fullness, and calories eaten at the next meal on 16 men and 16 women who had a 200-calorie snack. The snack was either:

• Semisolid yogurt containing pieces of peach and eaten with a spoon
• The same yogurt in drinkable form
• A peach-flavored dairy beverage
• Peach juice

Although those who had the yogurt snacks did not eat fewer calories at the next meal, both types of yogurt resulted in lower hunger ratings and higher fullness ratings than either of the other snacks.

Yogurt may help you lose weight
In addition to keeping you feeling full longer, Harvard researchers found that bacterial cultures in yogurt help to shed pounds. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that people who ate a serving of yogurt every day lost an average of one pound every four years. Previously, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville study showed that yogurt increases fat loss. People who ate 18 ounces of yogurt a day -- in conjunction with cutting their total calories -- lost 22% more weight and 81% more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack. They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss.

Yogurt boosts the immune system

While much also remains to be learned about probiotics and the immune system, recent studies suggest that certain probiotic strains offer some benefits:

• One review article suggests probiotics may help with inflammatory bowel disease by changing the intestinal microflora and lessening the immune system response that can worsen the disease.
• Another study indicated probiotics may enhance resistance to and recovery from infection. In research on elderly people, researchers found that the duration of all illnesses was significantly lower in a group that consumed a certain probiotic found in fermented milk. They reported a possible 20% reduction in the length of winter infections (including gastrointestinal and respiratory infections).
• Yogurt containing two probiotics, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, was found to improve the success of drug therapy (using four specific medications) on 138 people with persistent H. pylori infections, according to a recent Taiwanese study. H. pylori is a bacterium that can cause infection in the stomach and upper part of the small intestine. It can lead to ulcers and can increase the risk of developing stomach cancer as well.

Yogurt is good for digestive system
There's some evidence that yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions, including:

• Lactose intolerance
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Colon cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• H. pylori infection

That's what researchers from the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University concluded in a review article. The benefits are thought to be due to:

• changes in the microflora of the gut
• the time food takes to go through the bowel
• enhancement of the body's immune system.

Yogurt is good for the bones
Yogurt is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, which are both necessary for maintaining healthy bones. Since it naturally contains calcium, you'd think the amount would be the same no matter which yogurt you pick. Wrong. The levels can vary widely from brand to brand, so you really need to check the label. How much is in a container depends on processing. For instance, fruit yogurt tends to have less calcium than plain because the sugar and fruit take up precious space in the container. Vitamin D isn't naturally in yogurt, but because it helps boost calcium absorption, most companies add it: it's really important to check the nutrition labels.

Yogurt may help lower blood pressure

Yogurt is rich in potassium, which can help to lower blood pressure. It's also high in calcium, a lack of which contributes to high blood pressure. One study, which followed more than 5,000 university graduates in Spain for about two years, found a link between dairy intake and risk of high blood pressure. "We observed a 50% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure among people eating 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy a day (or more), compared with those without any intake," Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, says in an interview. Although most of the low-fat dairy consumed by the study subjects was as milk, Alvaro believes low-fat yogurt would likely have the same effect. Dutch researchers recently reported that higher dairy consumption (mainly from milk and yogurt) was modestly linked to lower blood pressure in 2064 Dutch men and women ages 50 to 75.

Yogurt can help your smile

Despite its sugar content, yogurt doesn't cause cavities. When scientists at Marmara University in Turkey tested low-fat, light, and fruit flavors, they found that none of them eroded tooth enamel, the main cause of decay. The lactic acid in yogurt appears to give your gums protection as well. People who eat at least two ounces a day have a 60% lower risk of acquiring severe periodontal disease than those who skip it.




Sources: http://www.webmd.com/, http://www.businessinsider.com/, http://beforeitsnews.com , http://www.askdrsears.com/

EATING SLOWLY CAN HELP CURB CALORIES BUT ONLY IF...

All dieters are told one possible strategy to control caloric consumption is to eat more slowly.
But does it really work? A new study says that may all depend on how much you already weigh.
Led by Jen Copeland, a former graduate student in Texas Christian U’s Department of Kinesiology, under the guidance of professor, Dr. Meena Shah, the study showed that eating speeds affect different weight groups differently. Specifically, overweight and obese individuals may not reap the same benefits of eating slowly as their normal-weight counterparts.

The study, published online Jan. 2 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is especially noteworthy because it analyses the intricate relationship between eating speed and calorie consumption in two different weight groups. Previous studies on eating speed and body weight primarily focused only on normal-weight individuals.

The study
The team's study included 35 normal weight people and 35 who were overweight or obese. All of the participants were asked to eat the same vegetarian pasta meal on two different occasions. The first time around, people were asked to eat either quickly or slowly, based on a random assignment. A few days later, they were given the opposite instructions.

On fast eating days, the researchers asked participants to eat as quickly as possible without feeling uncomfortable - as though they had time constraints. They told them to take large bites, chew quickly, not put utensils down and not pause between bites.
On the slow eating days, they told people to eat as if they had no time constraints. They instructed them to take small bites, chew thoroughly and put their fork or spoon down and pause between bites. The researchers secretly measured how much food participants ate by weighing their plates after meals.

The results
Normal weight participants consumed 88 fewer calories during the meal when they ate slowly, on average - 805 calories compared to 893 calories during the faster meal. That was a clear change.
Overweight and obese people consumed 58 fewer calories during the slow meal - 667 calories versus 725 calories. But that difference could have been due to chance: Shah believes the overweight and obese participants may have eaten less because they felt self-conscious during the study.
Dr. Shah and her team determined that this 58-kilocalorie drop was not large enough to be considered statistically significant, meaning that eating more slowly doesn’t necessarily aid in controlling calories if you are already overweight or obese.

But there is a silver lining: satiety. Although the overweight or obese group didn’t eat much less calorie-wise, they reported feeling significantly less hungry 60 minutes after the start of the slow meal than after the fast one. The same went for the normal-weight group.

Dr. Shah and her fellow researchers surmised that this feeling of being less hungry might be linked to increased oro-sensory signals influencing the metabolic processes that determine hunger and fullness. Another theory is that slower eating makes subjects more mindful when it comes to meals – providing more time for sensory experiences that help determine levels of hunger and fullness. It may also be partly linked to the increased water consumption (both weight groups drank significantly more water over the course of the slower-paced meal).

Dr. Shah suggested, “Slowing the speed of eating may help to lower energy intake and suppress hunger levels, and it may even enhance the enjoyment of a meal.”

Wise words to remember the next time you pick up a fork.



Sources: http://www.reuters.com/, http://consumer.healthday.com, http://www.newsevents.tcu.edu/

ALSO EXERCISING TOO MUCH CAN BECOME A PROBLEM - infographic

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SMELLS TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT

People have used the scents of plants, trees, herbs and fruits since ancient times to fight inflammation, depression and induce sleep. “Smells act on the brain like a drug,” says neurologist Dr Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
“In the future there will be new treatments based on smell.”

Smells stimulate nerves in the nose that send impulses to the brain. These impulses usually go to the brain’s limbic system which is the center of our emotions, and this may help to explain why so many scents can trigger our emotions and memories. The limbic lobe in turn directly activates the hypothalamus, which houses and controls our satiety center. In other words, our nose dictates our hunger level more quickly and more efficiently than our stomach!

Appetite suppressing scents whose effectiveness has been proven
In scientific research, people preferred sweet smells, and strongly sweet scents such as chocolate often triggered feelings of hunger and led to overeating or binge eating, while “neutral” sweet smells actually curbed appetite.

Green apple and banana
To test this theory, researchers asked 3,193 overweight people (mostly women) aged 18-64 to inhale a variety of “neutral” sweet smells, including banana, green apple, vanilla, and peppermint, three times in each nostril whenever they were hungry. After six months, the participants in this study lost an average of five pounds a month, or 30 pounds in total.

Vanilla
Researchers have found that the scent of vanilla specifically reduces your cravings for chocolate and it can also reduce your cravings for other sweets. You can spray vanilla-scented perfume, use a vanilla-based air freshener or light a vanilla-scented candle when you feel tempted to reach out for something sweet.

Peppermint
Bryan Raudenbush, a professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, found that volunteers who sniffed peppermint scent every two hours were not as hungry as nonsniffers and — even better — they ate 2,800 fewer calories in a week. That's enough to lose close to a pound.

The peppermint, he says,  “is distracting you from your hunger pains, and you don't feel as inclined to eat as much.” Raudenbush's earlier studies showed that athletes perform better if they sniff peppermint. “They were able to go longer at the gym, able to push themselves, were more motivated, less fatigued and felt like they had more energy.” The study also concluded “another implication would be that peppermint scent could be used to curb individuals' false hunger cravings, i.e. emotional eating.”

Garlic and spicy foods
According to a 2012 study in the journal Flavour, strong aromas make you take smaller bites of food. Look for spicy food with bold flavors like chiles or onions, or try sprinkling red chile pepper flakes into a simple soup for a strong kick.

Extra Virgin olive oil
A new study from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry found that even just smelling Extra Virgin olive oil may lead to greater feelings of fullness. When an aromatic extract was added to yogurt, participants consumed fewer calories and had a better blood sugar response compared to those who were given plain yogurt without any added extracts. They also had higher increases in serotonin, a hormone associated with satiety. This is great news for olive oil enthusiasts because this potent substance is also loaded with MUFAs, the healthy fats that help blast belly fat.

Grapefruit
This vitamin C and lycopene-loaded citrus powerhouse is a favorite fruit of dieters, but it might boost your weight loss efforts even more if you take a few seconds to smell it before digging in. Researchers at Osaka University in Japan found that exposing rats to the scent of grapefruit oil for 15-minute intervals helped lower their appetite and weight. Researchers believe it may have to do with how the smell interacts with liver enzymes.

Fennel
This crunchy, refreshing plant with a hint of licorice flavoring has long been used by Italians as a palate cleansers between courses, but according to the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, it also functions as an appetite suppresant. When cravings hit, break off a stalk or two of the celery-like herb and have a tall, cold glass of water.



Sources: http://www.express.co.uk/, http://www.rd.com/,

Adding avocado to lunch helps increase satiety

The avocado’s effectiveness in reaching feelings of fullness and what is known as the Satiety Index may be a key link to effective weight loss. The Internet is buzzing with the latest research released in Nutrition Journal’s November 2013 publication, which found that consuming half an avocado leads to a reduced chance of snacking after meals and a greater feeling of fullness.

What’s the secret behind participants feeling full and less peckish after consuming the green fruit?
The answer, while seemingly simple, lies in large part in people’s feelings of satiety. "People who feel satisfied are less likely to snack between meals," said Dr. Joan Sabate, Chair of the nutrition department of Loma Linda University.

The trial
For the study, 26 people ages 25 to 65 who were overweight and moderately obese (with a body mass index higher than 25 but less than 35) were given the same breakfast for three days. Then for lunch, the participants ate one of three meals: a control lunch, which did not include avocados but had a salad, a French baguette and some chocolate chip cookies; an avocado-inclusive lunch, which included about half an avocado (but where portion sizes of salad dressing and cookie were reduced so that the calories and nutrients were still the same as the control lunch); and an avocado-added lunch, which included about half an avocado in addition to the control lunch.

The results
Researchers found that participants who added half a fresh avocado to their lunch reported 40% decreased desire to eat in the following three hours as well as a 28% reduced desire to eat over the subsequent five hours. In addition, they reported increased feelings of satisfaction over the three hours following the meal.
However, the researchers did note that addition of the half-avocado did mean an additional consumption of 112 calories. Avocados are known to be high in fat -- but they're high in the good kinds of fats, called monounsaturated fat, that are known to help lower cholesterol levels.

Bottom line
Study leader, Dr Joan Sabate, said: "Satiety is an important factor in weight management, because people who feel satisfied are less likely to snack between meals. We noted that though adding avocados increased participants' calorie and carbohydrate intake at lunch, there was no increase in blood sugar levels beyond what was observed after eating the standard lunch. This leads us to believe that avocados’ potential role in blood sugar management is worth further investigation".
Satiety – or the feelings of fullness – provides a regulatory signal to our brains when it’s time to stop eating. This is done through our bodies as food and drink is consumed, digested and absorbed. So if our bodies would just listen to when our feelings of fullness arrived, wouldn’t we have already solved our own weight issues and curbed our eating habits long ago?
Unfortunately, it’s a more complex story than that, as full satiety signals often take 15-20 minutes after eating before people process the complete feeling of fullness. The British Nutrition Foundation reveals there are a number of other factors that also control our eating behavior and impact satiety – including portion size, emotional states and social situations which may or may not include alcohol.

The Satiety Index
The avocado’s key ability to lead to feelings of fullness and impact weight loss is not lost amongst other foods which also curb hunger through the Satiety Index.
A quick scan of the Satiety Index reveals that in general, fruits (such as oranges, bananas, apples) and proteins (lentils, cheese, fish and beef) rank quite high on the index scale. Some carbohydrates do as well; potatoes rank at 323%, for example. The list of foods low on the index include snacks, such as peanuts, chips and ice cream.

Best choices
Some of the best foods for satiety include proteins such as eggs, beans and the aforementioned beef. And for a snack that did make the Satiety Index score:  popcorn. As long as it’s not “smothered in butter, oil, and salt,” the hull is rich with polyphenols – antioxidants with disease-fighting properties. And of course, the avocado, with its ability to aid in the feelings of fullness is amongst the other foods to help the journey of effective weight loss.



Sources: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ , http://www.dailymail.co.uk/, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://guardianlv.com/
 

TREATING YOURSELF AT BREAKFAST HELPS YOU STICK TO YOUR DIET

Turns out, that morning chocolate-chip scone may not wreck your diet after all. In fact, it might help you stick to your weight-loss goals. Morning is the best time to consume sweets because that's when the body's metabolism is most active - and we have the rest of the day to work off the calories, a new study of Tel Aviv University shows. 

Bear in mind, the results don’t suggest that everybody should simply add a glazed doughnut to their morning meal. The study looked specifically at people eating strict low-calorie diets — 1,600 calories a day for men; 1,400 calories a day for women. The research included nearly 200 nondiabetic obese adults, who were randomly assigned to one of two low-calorie-diet groups; both were identical except for breakfast: one group (the lucky ones) ate a 600-calorie high-carb breakfast that came with a choice of a cookie, chocolate, cake or a doughnut for dessert. The other group ate a 300-calorie low-carb breakfast. Both breakfasts were rich in proteins, as they included tuna, egg whites, cheese and low-fat milk.
Women in the dessert-with-breakfast group were allowed 500 calories for lunch and about 300 calories for dinner; men in that group had a 600-calorie limit for lunch and up to 464 calories for dinner.
After 16 weeks on the diet, both groups had lost weight — about 33 lb. on average — suggesting that both diets worked about the same. But in the final 16 weeks of the study, the follow-up period, those in the low-carb group had regained an average of 22 lb., while those indulging in dessert in the morning went on to lose another 15 lb. on average.
The dessert group reported feeling less hunger and fewer cravings than the other participants; their food diaries showed they were also better at sticking to their calorie limits. What’s more, dessert eaters showed greater drops of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin after breakfast — 45%, vs. a 30% drop for the low-carb dieters.

This also suggests that the dessert group will be more successful at keeping the weight off, said the researchers whose findings are published in journal Steroids. 
Prof Daniela Jakubowicz, lead author of the study, said: "The group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day."

Prof Jakubowicz said attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term. A meal in the morning provides energy for the day's tasks, aids in brain functioning and kick-starts the body's metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance.

And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger. While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.

“The goal of a weight-loss diet should be not only weight reduction but also reduction of hunger and cravings, thus helping prevent weight regain,” Prof Jakubowicz said in a statement. The authors say weight-loss success lies in the timing and composition of dieters’ meals. Their high-protein breakfasts reduced hunger, while the addition of carbs increased satiety and the sweet dessert cut down on cravings.

Allowing yourself little treats is a key strategy, says Jakubowicz, because they keep you satisfied; if you restrict yourself to a totally sweet-free meal plan, you’re more likely to break down at some point and binge on diet-busting foods.
Ultimately this shows a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, said Prof Jakubowicz.

Sources: http://healthland.time.com/ , http://www.telegraph.co.uk

WANT TO CUT HEART DISEASE RISK? EAT TOMATO SAUCE - study found

This is good news coming from the findings of a recent study...

The trial
University of Verona researchers believe that 80g of tomato sauce could stop saturated fats from lining the blood vessels and stopping them working effectively.
They have recruited 20 men to take part in a week-long trial. The people were divided into two groups; the participants of the first group were given a fatty dish with a tomato sauce, and the members of the second group ate it without any sauce.

The results
It turned out that even such small amounts of cooked tomatoes were enough to protect the blood vessel walls and prevent the development of endothelial dysfunction, a disorder that usually precedes atherosclerosis. This chronic disease of the elastic and muscular-elastic arteries is very dangerous for the cardiovascular system as the victims of atherosclerosis often face infarcts.
"We hypothesise that tomato sauce can improve the deleterious effects of a high fat meal on vascular function," the authors wrote.

The key: lycopene
The key nutrient is the antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene, a carotenoid pigment that provides the tomatoes with their deep rich color, has been found to have various health benefits.
In recent years, scientists have been able to prove that this substance protects the human body from a variety of ailments, including cancer such as prostate, lung and stomach cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lycopene is also believed to lower people's risk of macular degeneration and lowers people's bad cholesterol.

Tomatoes have the highest concentration of lycopene, but it is also found in apricots, guava, watermelon, papaya and pink grapefruit. 

How to Get The Maximum Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes 
It has been found out that the content of lycopene in fresh tomatoes is significantly less than in cooked tomatoes, so the experts recommend using these vegetables after any kitchen processing: cooking, roasting, marinating, etc.

These recipes can give you some more ideas...

Oven roasted tomato sauce

Servings: 4 - Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins - Prep Time: 20 mins - Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs large Tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven 400°f. Slice tomatoes in half, set aside. Pour the olive oil onto a large baking sheet and spread it around the sheet. Sprinkle evenly the garlic, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper over the oil. Place the tomatoes cut side down onto the baking sheet. Roast for about 30-40 minutes, or until the skins start to lift from the tomatoes. Allow to cool. Remove the skins and put the sauce into a large bowl and break up the flesh with a fork. Reheat sauce if using immediately.

Nutrition facts per serving - Calories 107.7; Total Fat 7.2g; Saturated Fat 1.0g; Cholesterol 0.0mg; Sugars 6.5 g; Sodium 593.4mg; Total Carbohydrate 10.5g; Dietary Fiber 2.8g; Protein 2.2g.

Spicy pizza sauce

Servings: 1 (1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar. Cool.

Nutrition facts per serving -  Calories: 206; Calories from fat: 2%; Fat: 0.4g; Saturated fat: 0.1g; Monounsaturated fat: 0.1g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g; Protein: 9.6g; Carbohydrate: 42.6g; Fiber: 10.3g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Iron: 7.3mg; Sodium: 953mg; Calcium: 199mg

Source: http://food.ninemsn.com.au/ , http://geniuspharm.com/, http://www.food.com/recipe, http://www.myrecipes.com/

DEPRIVING YOURSELF OF TREATS REALLY DOES MAKE YOU CRAVE THEM MORE - study shows

Depriving yourself of your favourite things can make you obsessed with them, according to a study from the University of British Columbia. Researchers found that by forbidding a pleasure - such as a bar of chocolate - it heightened the brain’s awareness of it.
But they also found that people did not become fixated if they knew that other people were not able to enjoy their favourite thing.

The study's most important finding, though, is that obsession is not as strong if others are also denied: when an object is forbidden to a group, the allure of the object reduces dramatically.
Scientists say that this helps to explain why group diet techniques such as Weight Watchers can be more successful than dieting alone.

For the study, entitled An unforgettable apple: Memory and attention for forbidden objects, participants were shown images of everyday objects and told the objects were either theirs, someone else's, forbidden to them or forbidden to everyone.
Using electronic brain imaging and memory tests, researchers found the forbidden objects were recognised as well as self-owned objects. This was interpreted as a sign of unnecessary heightened concentration.

"Since the days of Eve and the apple, scholars have been interested in [mankind's] attraction to items we should avoid," says Professor Todd Handy who also took part in the study.
"Today, it is things like jumbo soft drinks, fatty foods and illicit substances. These new findings help to explain how our brain processes forbidden objects and suggests that, for resisting temptation, there's strength in numbers. It's harder to go it alone."



Sources: http://news.ubc.ca/2013/06/05/ , http://www.newsx.com, http://www.vancouversun.com/

Smart tips reduce stress without distress

Big problems and stress. Image: healthonabudget.com

Everyone has experienced the pressure and stress; even the happiest person also must have experienced it. Every person basically has been blessed with stress blocker feature in their brain.

Workload, financial problem, and personal issues or family problems can be triggers of stress. Even though everyone is trying to avoid the pressure coming, but not everyone is able to cope with their problems.

 If the pressure was coming too often, then you need to take certain actions, so that stress does not attack your immune system. Reducing the stress in your life will take a lot of reflection and action, but it will be worth it.

There are some smart steps you can take so that you can reduce the stress in your life, so that you can be passionate to perform all of your activities. Please continue reading and get tips and solutions as mentioned below:

1.    Before you can move forward, you need to be able to identify the causes of your stress. Take some time to be alone, get out a notepad, and list all of the things that are making you stressed.

2.    Relaxation can help to relieve the symptoms of stress. It can help you calm down and take a step back from a stressful situation.

3.    If you're feeling overwhelmed by a stressful situation, try taking a break and listening to relaxing classical music or “easy listening music”. Generally music has a positive effect on the brain and body, can lower blood pressure, and reduce cortisol, a hormone linked to stress.

Yoga in Bali. Image: mobile.ayanaresort.com

4.    Share your feeling with others. You don't have to deal with your stress alone. You'll feel much better if you open up to a friend, family member, or even a professional about how stressed you're feeling. You will get some helpful feedback as well as a fresh perspective on your problems.

5.    A few minutes of meditation per day can help ease anxiety. Robbie Maller Hartman, PhD, a Chicago health and wellness coach said that daily meditation may alter the brain’s neural pathways. Give yourself a 5-minute break from whatever is bothering you and focus instead on your breathing. Yogaalso a smart choice to make your feeling, your mind and your body more calm and relax. Yoga helps bring peace through the unity of body and mind. 

6.    You are also advised to change of your eating habits. Stress levels and a proper diet are closely related. Tuna sandwich, fruits and vegetables are always good, and fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the symptoms of stress.

7.    Take time to talk to yourself, might seem a bit crazy, and just tell yourself why you're stressed out, what you have to do to complete the task at hand, and most importantly, that everything will be fine.

8.    If lately you always in a hurry to carry out activities such as lunch, dinner, or when you will make an appointment to complete the agenda, so now it is time to slow down.

9.    Laughter is the most inexpensive therapy and is the best thing that can be done every person. Laugh with your friends who are good at comedy, or you can watch the event on television stand-up comedy. You can also buy a funny movie and watch it at home with your family or your friends. Laughter releases endorphins that improve mood and decrease levels of the stress-causing hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

10.  Moderate exercise such as walking in the morning or evening alone or with family and friends can also be a panacea for lowering stress levels. Go to the park near you house and socialize with neighbors also an inexpensive way to reduce the pressure that you are facing. Perhaps you'll meet neighbors that could actually make you laugh out loud. Atmosphere of lush gardens, green and enlivened by the people who play and relax is also a unique therapy to make you more calm and relaxed.

 

                                          Holiday in Bali. Image: indosurflife.com

Additional advice: If your stress level is severe, then you should consult with a physician or mental health professional so you will get a more professional handling, but you have to have a stronger motivation to change your life with a few tips as mentioned above. You are the greatest motivator to overcome you problem. By doing a careful and you can control your emotions, then you will get way out faster than you estimate.

Moreover, you certainly need a vacation and do a little adventure to new places. Those activities also very good treatment for you release from the pressures that have bound you today. Let's keep the spirit and move forward.

Struggling with your diet? Here's an easy way to cut calories: just watch what you drink...

Anyone who has ever been on a diet has a fair idea of how much damage a fry-up or slice of cake can do. But many of us don’t factor in the calories we drink when we are trying to lose weight.

However, believe it or not, some of the most popular drinks out there are also packed with hidden calories, fat and sugar that can make people pack on the pounds. For instance, when you're drinking that Venti Starbucks Frappuccino, you're drinking a cheeseburger worth of calories. As you can see calories from drinks can really add up. But there is good news: you have plenty of options for reducing the number of calories in what you drink.

The numbers behind the beverages

Occasion	Instead of…	Calories	Try…	Calories
Morning coffee shop run	Medium café latte (16 ounces) made with whole milk	265	Small café latte (12 ounces) made with fat-free milk	125
Lunchtime combo meal	20-oz. bottle of nondiet cola with your lunch	227	Bottle of water or diet soda	0
Afternoon break	Sweetened lemon iced tea from the vending machine (16 ounces)	180	Sparkling water with natural lemon flavor (not sweetened)	0
Dinnertime	A glass of nondiet ginger ale with your meal (12 ounces)	124	Water with a slice of lemon or lime, or seltzer water with a splash of 100% fruit juice	0 calories for the water with fruit slice, or about 30 calories for seltzer water with 2 ounces of 100% orange juice.
Total beverage calories:		796		125-155

(USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference)

Substituting no- or low-calorie drinks for sugar-sweetened beverages cuts about 650 calories in the example above.

Portion size matters
You've got to do portion control and use common sense... For example, you do not need a 12 ounce glass of juice in the morning, cut back to 6 ounces of fruit juice or better yet replace the juice with a piece of fruit. A 12 ounce glass of juice contains 192 calories.

Select low-fat options
Opt for low fat beverages. If you order a coffee, request fat free or 1% milk be added instead of whole milk. (FYI - 2% milk is not considered a low fat choice.) Stock your refrigerator with reduced fat milk instead of whole milk or 2% milk. Whole milk contains 150 calories per 8 ounce serving, 2% milk 120 calories, 1% milk 105 calories, and fat free milk 90 calories per 8 ounce serving. 

Read nutrition facts labels carefully
If you look at the label on a 20 ounce bottle of regular Coca-Cola you'll likely see 100 calories. However, you need to look closer and determine how many servings are in that bottle. There are 2 ½ servings per 20 ounce bottle of Coca-Cola. That means you must multiply 100 x 2.5 to see that you actually consume 250 calories when you drink an entire bottle.

Sugar by any other name: how to tell whether your drink is sweetened
Sweeteners that add calories to a beverage go by many different names and are not always obvious to anyone looking at the ingredients list.

Some common caloric sweeteners are listed below. If these appear in the ingredients list of your favorite beverage, you are drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage.

• High-fructose corn syrup
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Honey
• Sugar
• Syrup
• Corn syrup
• Sucrose
• Dextrose

Better beverage choices made easy
Now that you know how much difference a drink can make, here are some ways to make smart beverage choices:

• Choose water, diet, or low-calorie beverages instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
• For a quick, easy, and inexpensive thirst-quencher, carry a water bottle and refill it throughout the day.
• Don't "stock the fridge" with sugar-sweetened beverages. Instead, keep a jug or bottles of cold water in the fridge.
• Serve water with meals.
• Make water more exciting by adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or watermelon, or drink sparkling water.
• Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, low-calorie drink.
• When you do opt for a sugar-sweetened beverage, go for the small size. Some companies are now selling 8-oz. cans and bottles of soda, which contain about 100 calories.

And when a smoothie or coffee craving kicks in, here are some tips to help minimize the caloric damage

At the coffee shop

• Request that your drink be made with fat-free or low-fat milk instead of whole milk
• Order the smallest size available.
• Forgo the extra flavoring – the flavor syrups used in coffee shops, like vanilla or hazelnut, are sugar-sweetened and will add calories to your drink.
• Skip the Whip. The whipped cream on top of coffee drinks adds calories and fat.
• Get back to basics. Order a plain cup of coffee with fat-free milk and artificial sweetener, or drink it black.

At the smoothie stand

• Order a child's size if available.
• Ask to see the nutrition information for each type of smoothie and pick the smoothie with the fewest calories.
• Hold the sugar. Many smoothies contain added sugar in addition to the sugar naturally in fruit, juice, or yogurt. Ask that your smoothie be prepared without added sugar: the fruit is naturally sweet.

Weird findings of a very recent study: could iced drinks, including water, play a role in the rise of obesity and diabetes? 

New research shows that a cold drink dulls the sense for sweetness, leading to an increased preference for sweet foods. Volunteers were given water at various temperatures, which they swilled around in the mouth before trying either sweet chocolate or cheddar cheese.
People found the taste of the chocolate less intense – and enjoyed the chocolate less – when the water they had rinsed with was close to freezing. The water temperature had no effect on the how intense the cheese tasted.
The University of Arkansas researchers believe cold drinks affect taste by reducing the sensitivity of tastebuds. They said: ‘The frequent consumption of iced water or soda may reduce their sensitivity to sweet-tasting stimuli, thereby leading to the preference for more highly sweetened foods.’

Sources: http://www.healthcentral.com/, http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health