How Eating Sugar at Breakfast Sabotages Weight Loss Efforts

 

Many people notice that eating breakfast makes them hungrier throughout the day, and this is probably NOT their imagination!   In this case the culprit is likely what they eat.  Specifically, refined carbohydrates, including sugar, can drive hunger particularly if they are consumed with little fat or protein.

A study tested this hypothesis with 16 healthy young women between the ages of 18 and 30 who had a stable body weight for the last 3 months.  Anyone with diabetes or on medications that affect appetite was excluded along with people who were allergic to any part of the meals given as part of the study.

Participants fasted for a minimum of 8 hours prior to the study.  In the morning participants came to the laboratory and were given a standardized test meal consisting of passion fruit juice, one cup of coffee, French bread and 5 grams of margarine.   The two drinks had no sugar added and the participants were instructed to sweeten to their preferred taste.

The sugar container given to the participants was weighed both before and after its use by each person to know the amount of sugar each person added to their drinks.   After completing the entire meal participants did not eat or drink anything (except water) until lunchtime.

Lunch was served 3 hours after breakfast and consisted of pasta with tomato sauce, and participants were instructed to eat until they felt satisfied. 

Study Results

The participants were divided into two groups based on the amount of sugar they elected to add to their breakfast.   The high sugar group added about 25 grams of sugar to breakfast while the low sugar group only added 14 grams of sugar. 

  

Both groups were evaluated for their perception of hunger and satiety.  The high sugar group had significantly higher levels of hunger during the three hours after breakfast AND consumed significantly more pasta at lunch!

Take Home Message

Avoid high sugar breakfasts such as standard breakfast cereal, fruit juices (eat fruit don’t drink it!) and consume 15 – 20 grams of protein and a small amount of fat.   Also try to add higher fiber carb choices like berries instead of banana, adding spinach to an omelet, etc.      Examples include an omelet with spinach with berries or a shake with protein, greens, and small amount of MCT oil for fat.

The Incredible Health Benefits of Safe Sun Exposure!

 

Many people know that the mid-day sun exposure stimulates Vitamin D production which is critical for overall health and wellness.    However, most people are not aware that the other portions of the sun’s energy spectrum are also critical for robust health and wellness!     

There are four key practices to harness the tremendous benefits of the sun:

Go outside as soon as possible after waking up to expose your eyes to the high levels of blue light from the sun.

Get adequate Mid-Day Sun exposure on as much skin as possible to optimize Vitamin D production.  

Get adequate morning and late afternoon sun exposure to expose your body, eyes and brain to the highest levels of Near Infrared Rays from the Sun.

Minimize light exposure and particularly blue light exposure in the evening

Waking Sun Exposure and Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Quality

Many people are aware that evening and night light exposure can really hurt your sleep.   However, what most people do not know is that early morning sunlight/blue light exposure is just as important to setting your body’s circadian rhythm and getting a good night’s sleep!   

Human beings have been on the earth for hundreds of thousands of years and until very recently we got early morning sun exposure every single day as soon as we woke up.    The sun emits high quantities of blue light.

The key to setting our daily rhythm is high levels of bright blue light in the morning and low to no levels of blue light in the evening and before bed!

Indoor lights do not pack nearly the punch of outdoor sunlight – even on an overcast day.    Brightness levels are measured in “lux”, and on a bright sunny day the outdoor lux levels are over 100,000 lux!   You may also see the term “lumens”, and 1 lux = 1 lumen per square meter so they can be used somewhat interchangeably.  Even on a very overcast day outdoor light levels are close to 2,000 lux.   In contrast - the average well-lit home indoor lux levels are somewhere between 100 – 500 lux so MUCH lower than outdoor sunlight!   

Even 5 minutes of exposure to morning sunlight on a bright day is sufficient to help your sleep and energize you in the morning!   On overcast days try to get 10 – 15 minutes of outdoor light – you can have your coffee outside!    

During winter months it is well worth considering purchasing a high lux light – needs to be at least 10,000 lux to be effective and there should be zero UV light emitted.     Here is an excellent unit:  https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=psdc_13053141_t4_B078KFCN1N

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced by the UVB rays emitted by the Sun and these levels are highest during mid-day sun and depending on your skin type, time of year and where you live you need to spend anywhere from 5 – 30 minutes with plenty of your skin exposed to achieve the Vitamin D boosting effects.   To learn more about this check out this previous blog post on safe and effective sun exposure:   http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-facts-on-safe-sun-exposure-and.html

Morning and Late Afternoon Sun Exposure

Another important portion of the Sun’s Spectrum is infrared and near infrared light (NIR) which we experience as heat.    In particular near infrared light has been proven to provide tremendous health boosting effects.     Fortunately – the near infrared portion of the sun’s rays makes up 40% of the output and near infrared is highest in the morning and late afternoon.

Whenever you feel heat from the sun you know you are getting infrared and near infrared exposure and unlike UV light near infrared cannot damage skin and goes through single layers of clothing easily.    In fact, near infrared can actually penetrate through the skull into the upper meninges of the brain with some big benefits!

Benefits of Near Infrared Exposure

There are big benefits to Near Infrared because NIR directly stimulates increased energy production from the mitochondria in our cells which are responsible for almost all the energy in our bodies. 

As the mitochondria increase energy output they also generate melatonin!   Melatonin is not just important for stimulating our sleep cycle – it has many other powerful benefits.

Melatonin has been shown to have antioxidant and anticancer effects, to play a role in the regulation of blood pressure and glucose levels, is highly anti-inflammatory, and has also been shown to lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality.

Melatonin exists in two main forms within the body – circulatory melatonin, which is produced by the pineal gland and has its major effect on sleep and the circadian rhythm, and subcellular melatonin, which is produced and used locally by the mitochondria within our cells.

Sunshine is our major source of infrared and NIR light, but it can also come from exposure to fire (campfire, candle flames, fireplace, etc.) and certain types of light bulbs.   Here is a great video showing exactly how this production of melatonin produces its many benefits:     https://youtu.be/sNklS0lzlgA   

Near Infrared Maximized by Plants

While direct sunlight exposure is great – you can actually magnify near infrared exposure by walking in and around plants!    Green leaves strongly reflect NIR – checkout this NIR camera photo to appreciate just how much NIR plants can give off:  http://www.idahoairships.com/idaho-airships-envira-nir-gallery-working-2_19-31/

NIR in Winter

To get the benefits of NIR during winter months you can use a infrared/near infrared sauna or use a high quality Near Infrared Bulb.    Here is an excellent example:   https://www.amazon.com/TheraBulb-NIR-Near-Infrared-Bulb/dp/B01855YCXM

Minimizing Blue Light Exposure at Night

During the evening and night-time hours it is critical to reduce overall light exposure and specifically blue light exposure to allow the Pineal Gland to release melatonin.    

Here are some key steps you can take to minimize blue light at night:

Reduce the light levels in your home by using dimmers or just turning off lights.  

Minimize your exposure to TV – particularly in the hour before going to sleep.

Minimize use of your phone and computer

Install a redlight filter like the free Twilight App for your phone and the free flux program on your laptop to reduce blue light output based on time of day so that during evening and night hours you get less blue light exposure!

Replace regular night lights and bedroom bulbs with redlight bulbs – true redlight does NOT interfere with sleep or melatonin release they way Blue Light does.    In addition, it does not interrupt night vision.  Here is a great product that you can also travel with:   https://shoptruelight.com/product/truelight-luna-red-portable-nightlight/

You can also try blue light blocking glasses which are available on Amazon. 

Keep your room as dark as possible when sleeping and/or consider buying a comfortable pair of sleeping mask which blocks all light.

Take Home Message

Sun exposure is part of our evolutionary heritage and you NEED regular sunlight optimize your health and wellness.       To see an excellent in depth review of the research on the concepts mentioned in this blogpost click here:   https://youtu.be/5YV_iKnzDRg

 

 

 

 

The “Flamingo Test” for Longevity

 

Yes – you heard that right – the Flamingo Test – or one legged stance test is directly correlated with your risk of dying as you age!    Balance is a strong indicator of your overall health, and as you age keeps you from falling which can cause serious injuries and death.    

Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths world-wide with an estimated 684,000 people dying from falls each year!   

In a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine researchers tested people between the age of 51 – 75 asking them to balance on one leg with their heads up and their arms at their sides for 10 seconds.

20% of them failed.   When the scientists followed up seven years later, those who failed the test were 84% more likely to have died than those who passed.

When you consider that you spend the vast majority of your time on one foot during all movement you can begin to see why the ability to maintain balance while on one foot is so important.

Simple Exercises to Improve Balance and Decrease Fall Risk

Do single leg balance exercises daily – and do them near a solid base of support you can hold onto if you feel like you are going to fall.    Over time you will improve your ability to balance on one leg, and you can continue to improve balance by increasing the level of challenge once it gets easy.     You can do this in several ways:

1.     Try closing your eyes – be careful this is really challenging but if you build up to the point where you can stand on one leg with closed eyes you will have dramatically improved your balance and ability to prevent falls.

2.     Build your lower body strength and core strength through strength training exercises.

3.     Use the reACT Trainer – there is no better way to build lower body and core strength and stability resulting in dramatic improvements in balance.    To learn how to use the reACT Trainer click here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuwTn-fHAYmTlZ64o-wcMPYaWawTfKZnl

4.     Make sure you get your vision checked and corrected – vision problems account for many falls!

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method for Immediately Reducing Anxiety!

 

Anxiety is something we all experience at some time or another, but for many it is a constant challenge.   It is estimated that 30% of adults suffer with anxiety and many children as well.   At its worst anxiety can be crippling and even when it is not that severe it is extremely unpleasant.

Regular exercise has been proven to be incredibly effective at quickly reducing anxiety and keeping it under control.    However exercising is not always practical when you are in the middle of a panic attack or experiencing high anxiety.

In this case the 5-4-3-2-1 technique is a simple method to quickly reduce anxiety that can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime.   The reason it works is because it addresses the root cause of ALL anxiety which is fear and uncertainty about the future.    Anxiety is always about what is going to happen – not what is happening right now!   Some anxiety is about what is going to happen in the near future – such as when you are about to give a speech and other anxiety is about events further ahead.

In any case if we can shift our mindset to be fully in the present moment anxiety disappears!    The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is a great way to do this, and here is how you do it:

1.     Start by simply paying attention to your breathing – just pay attention – do not try to change your breathing - just observe it!

2.     Next identify 5 things you see around you such as a spot on a wall – a painting – a glass on a table – you can say it out aloud or just to yourself.

3.     Next identify 4 things you can feel/touch around you.   Could be a wall, a door, your hair, the ground, etc.

4.     Next identify 3 things you hear.   This could be external like an air conditioner or internal like your belly rumbling.

5.     Next identify two things you can smell – you can move around to find some type of odor if you cannot immediately smell something.

6.     Next identify something you can taste – like gum, your toothpaste from when you brushed your teeth, or the meal you had before.

Do not worry if you cannot identify every item – the key is shifting your mental focus to your immediate surroundings and connecting with all five senses:  sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

You will be amazed how quickly this can reduce anxiety and bring you into the present moment where anxiety does not exist!

For more information on this technique click here:  https://www.fitnessblender.com/articles/the-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique