Dining in Dallas.com

Rev Up Your Metabolism

Here are 7 dos and don’ts when it comes to increasing your metabolism. Incidentally, we will bust the myth that spicy food is a good metabolism booster. Cause I am not a big fan of spicy food heh.

I’ll just add a little summary of the 7 points. You can click here for the full descriptions of each point.

1. Don’t fall for “fat-burning foods.” The example they give is celery. It’s low in calories and has a lot of fiber, but it doesn’t speed up your metabolism. It’s kind of like.. eating in excess of so-called fat-burning foods. It comes to a point where you’re taking in the same amount of calories as regular food except it takes longer.

2. Don’t fast or skip meals. This point I love.. because I look at people who fast (other than for religious reasons).. and I just think it’s ridiculous. The idea that fasting cleanses the system, speeds metabolism, and encourages weight loss is a big fat myth. No pun intended and enough said on this point.

3. Spice foods up for taste. Spicy foods do not help you burn calories. I repeat.. they do NOT help you burn calories. It may boost metabolism slightly, but it is not significant enough to matter at all.

4. Drink water. I think this is pretty much a given though I’m pretty sure people don’t take in enough water on a daily basis. The easiest way to ensure you’re taking in enough water is.. to simply literally drink 8 full glasses of water every day. Never mind if the foods you take in during the day has water in it. Let’s just say.. more water cannot hurt you.

5. Tone up. Be active. Work those muscles before they get too lazy. Otherwise, they’ll become fat and become another reason to exercise all the more.

6. Get moving. Aerobic exercise daily. To really lose weight, sustained aerobic exercise for long periods of time is a must.

7. Watch those calories. As you get older, your metabolism will weaken generally. That’s just a fact. So even if you maintain your current exercise program, you will still see noticeable trends developing that suggest a degrading metabolic rate. Solution? Take in less calories.

Tags: health, metabolism, lose weight

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World’s Healthiest Foods

Previously we posted a list of the top 10 unhealthiest foods (in case you missed it, here’s the link to the post), so now it’s time for a list of the world’s healthiest foods.

The George Mateljan Foundation has sifted through the thousands of foods we have available and applied a set of criteria (nutrient density, availability, familiarity, whether or not it is organic, etc.) to come up with a list of the world’s healthiest foods.

The site is packed with information and is definitely worth browsing when you have time. For every food listed, you will find a detailed profile page aout the food, including its history, health benefits, nutritional data, and more. There’s also very useful information about what kind of diseases/conditions the food can help treat or prevent against as well as recipe ideas and tips for selecting high quality items. Many of the foods on the list may seem obvious to you (broccoli, apples, spinach…), but there are some that may be surprising (shrimp, maple syrup, black pepper?).

Check out the list here: World’s Healthiest Foods

Tags: healthy foods, world’s healthiest foods

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Foods That Increase Your Metabolism

Miss the days when you were able to burn calories faster than you could consume them? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably noticed a gradual but definite decline in your body’s metabolic rate as you grow older. However, there are certain foods that will stimulate your metabolism and allow you to burn calories even as you eat. Here is a list of several such foods that is worth checking out (if you’re lazy, a summarized list is provided below). You may notice that the first four items on the list are all spicy foods. According to the article, hot spices can boost your metabolism by as much as 25%.

Cayenne Pepper
Salsa
Hot Peppers
Chili Sauce / Mustard
Ice Water
Green Tea (Iced or Hot)
Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
Cabbage
Celery
Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Lemon or Vinegar
Vinaigrette Dressing
Grapefruit
Berries
Fatty Fish
Soup
Oatmeal
Pumpernickel Bread

Tags: food, metabolism

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Why MSG is harmful

Monosodium Glutamate.. or more commonly known as MSG is present in just about every food you eat when dining out. In fact, anything you eat that tastes good.. you can almost attribute that to MSG. So what exactly is it?

MSG is a drug and a neurotransmitter according to this site:

http://www.nomsg.com/harmful.html

In our body, we have these things called glutamate receptors. Glutamate, which is a highly regulated chemical of the nervous system, requires proper balance for healthy brain and organ functionality. MSG overstimulates brain cell activity which in turn.. overstimulates these receptors. In doing so, it “tricks” your brain into thinking the food you are eating tastes good. And I like these next set of quotes:

Manufacturers can therefore use inferior ingredients to make a mediocre product seem tastier.

Restaurants also freqently add MSG to their menu items. Many that advertise “NO MSG ADDED” may not add MSG to the food once it is prepared, but MSG may actually be present in the individual ingredients used to prepare the food.

So what does this mean in terms of what’s the most prudent action to take when eating out or shopping for groceries. Ideally, you want to avoid MSG or minimize how much you take in. Obviously this’ll be a test of your will to see if you can actually adhere to that. Personally, that would be a monumental change in my lifestyle to make. But at least I’m avoiding that in the supermarket anyways. As far as restaurants go, that would take more than my willpower can give right now. Baby steps…

Tags: monosodium glutamate, msg, health

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Too fat for x-rays?

Doctors in the U.S. are noticing an increasing number of patients who are so obese that they cannot fit in X-ray machines, and the x-rays are not able to penetrate their bodies. Restaurants and airlines are not the only businesses that have to make special accomodations for obese patrons — hospitals as well must now design stronger, larger beds for such patients when needed.

Read the full story here

Tags: obesity

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Fat Attack!!!

As an addendum to my “Avoid These Foods” post, this article details foods that are high in fat content. Not surprisingly, most of these foods are from fast food joints. Even Subways made the list. It’s true that place is pretty healthy in general, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that eating a foot long Trio won’t make you gain weight. Eating in moderation and low-calorie content is a better combination. Anyway, here’s the list. Also check out the article for some links to nutritional content and the like.

McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast is a smorgasbord of bad-for-you foods—including eggs, sausage, pancakes smothered in syrup and margarine, hash browns and a biscuit. In moderation, any of these items could be an OK (if occasional) breakfast, but add them together and you’re looking at a grand total of 1,220 calories, 550 of them from fat, including 17 grams of saturated fat.

Burger King’s Triple Whopper With Cheese is a perfect example of why more is not better. A regular Whopper With Cheese already delivers 760 calories, 47 grams of total fat including 16 grams of saturated fat. But when you triple it up, this meal tips the scales at 1,230 calories and 82 grams of fat including 32 grams of saturated fat. (And that’s before you order a side of fries!)

You might think you’re doing a good thing by ordering the Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad. But don’t let the word “salad” delude you into believing that this meal is healthy. This bowlful of goodies packs 860 calories, 46 grams of total fat, 14 grams of which are saturated fat.

Sure there are thin-crust options at Pizza Hut, but if you dive into a Stuffed Crust Meat Lover’spie, you’d better warn your arteries in advance. Two slices of this will stuff you with 1,000 calories, 82 grams of total fat, 22 grams of it saturated.

Popping into Cinnabon for a Caramel Pecanbon isn’t exactly a breakfast of champions. This gooey pastry packs 1,100 calories and 56 grams of fat, while providing virtually no worthwhile nutrients.

Boston Market is one of the better stops for quick, healthy bites, but you still have to watch what you order. For example, the menu includes a chicken pot pie that contains 750 calories and 46 grams of fat, including 14 grams of the saturated sort.

Subway may have several healthy sandwiches (the ones that helped poster-boy Jared slim down), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bad choices on offer. Avoid the 6-inch Double Meat Classic Tuna, which, thanks to lots of artery-clogging cheese and mayonnaise, packs 790 calories, 55 grams of fat, including 16 grams of saturated fat.

Domino’s ExtravaganZZa Feast deep-dish pizza is a feast indeed. The pie comes topped with pepperoni, ham, green pepper, onion, black olives, mushrooms, sausage, beef and extra cheese. That might help explain why it also comes with 860 calories, 46 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat in just two slices.

The fried chicken seems like an obviously unhealthy choice at KFC, but it’s actually not the fattiest item on the menu. The Mashed Potato Bowl With Gravy contains 690 calories and 31 grams of fat, nine of them saturated.

On a hot summer day, a stop at Dairy Queen seems like the perfect treat. But watch out that you’re not treating yourself to more than you bargained for. A large serving of its Caramel CheeseQuake Blizzard means spooning up a whopping 1,290 calories, 500 of those calories come from fat, including 39 grams of saturated fat.

Tags: fat, fast food, nutrition, diet

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Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger

If you think the fried twinkies/cheesecakes/hotdogs and giant greasy turkey legs you see every year at the State Fair are artery cloggers, wait til you try one of these Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers being sold at a ballpark concession stand. According to the press release, it consists of

“… a thick and juicy burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. The burger is then placed in between each side of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut.”

I’d like to know the nutrition content of this thing.

Tags: krispy kreme, cheeseburger

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