Showing posts with label diabetes prevention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes prevention. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

10 Reasons to Stop Eating Junk Food



We’ve all been told that junk food is bad for us, but because it tastes so darn good, most of us continue eating it;.After all, fruits and vegetables can’t beat the taste of fries, right?

Wrong!


Not only are fruits and vegetables among the most tastiest natural and healthiest foods on the planet, but junk food is also the lowest common denominator. It might tempt you with its "rock ’n’ roll swagger," but junk food offers absolutely no vital nutrients and zero health benefits.

Is it really worth risking your health and possibly enduring chronic disease as a result?

Here are 10 reasons why you should stop eating junk food:

Junk Food Is Linked To Diabetes


Diabetes is caused when the pancreas becomes so under siege that it can no longer produce adequate amounts of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that turns sugar into fuel, and as experts point out, junk food is loaded with unnatural sugars that can lead to type-2 diabetes that unfortunately can result in serious complications and premature death.

Junk Food Causes Digestive Issues


Virtually everyone on the planet will encounter digestive issues at some time or another. Among these issues are irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, bloating and excess gas. However, some complain that they suffer from digestive issues all the time, and the reason for this could be that they eat too much junk.

Junk food is full of oil, sugar, trans fats and chemicals that wreak havoc on your stomach. In addition, once your stomach is irritated, your digestive system goes out of whack.

Junk Food Causes Brain Fog


Many people just assume that only our bellies, thighs, and double chins are affected by a poor diet. However, fats don’t just make their way to your bulging abdomen - they also attack your brain.

When bad fats - such as those found in junk food - reach your brain, they cause brain fog, which is that feeling you get when you can’t focus on anything.

Junk Food Causes Fatigue


Junk food contains very few nutrients, vitamins and protein, all of which are essential for an invigorated you who seizes the day. If you exist on junk food alone, you’re going to struggle to do anything at optimum power. You’ll largely feel lethargic and run down.

Junk Food Is Linked With Depression Among Teenagers


1 in 3 U.S. teens eat junk food each day, and on top of the hindrance to their physical health, it is also important to consider what effect junk is having on their mental well-being.

Research has shown that the more junk food we eat, the more we are prone to depression. This is especially the case for teenagers because they are more susceptible to hormonal changes, which can be massively influenced by their diet.

Junk Food Can Cause Elevated Blood Sugar Levels


Junk food is rich in sugar, which puts stress on the metabolism. Moreover, because it’s low in carbs and protein, your blood sugar levels are more at risk of plummeting when you stop eating. This can make you feel moody and make you want to eat even more junk food.

Junk Food Can Increase Your Risk Of Heart Disease


Heart disease is indeed really scary, but there are preventative measures we can take to ensure we don’t struggle with it later on in life. Avoiding junk food is one such method because such food is rich in bad fats that increase your bad cholesterol levels and in turn encourage plaque to form and heart disease to develop.

Junk Food Can Damage Your Liver


Once your liver becomes overloaded with all the junk you’re throwing at it, it will certainly let you know. You’ll feel lethargic, stressed, irritable, and you may develop headaches, skin conditions and a whole lot more.

Junk food has been linked to liver disease on more than one occasion, and it turns out that it can be just as bad for your most overworked organ as alcohol.

Junk Food Increases Your Risk Of Cancer


The main reason for the link between certain foods and cancer is a lack of fiber. Moreover, junk food is low in mostly everything that’s good for you - including fiber.

Junk Food Is Linked To Kidney Damage


Fries are soaked in finely processed salt. When combined with a fatty, greasy hamburger, you’re essentially double downing on kidney disease, which comes about when too much salt increases blood pressure on a consistent basis.

CRAP vs FOOD


So what should you be enjoying instead?


Eat less CRAP
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Refined sugars
  • Artificial sweeteners and colors
  • Processed foods
Eat more FOOD
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Organic (whenever possible) lean proteins
  • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Drink water

Monday, October 6, 2014

Last Week's Weigh in Wednesday

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm a little embarrassed.  I had this post written last week but never got back around to picking out the title picture so it was never published. :/

No inches were lost in September...well, just a half inch off my waist.  I was super hungry with TOM last week and it showed at the scale a little; I was up .6 lbs.  Or maybe the intense workout at SuperSunday factored in.  The host had us doing some TurboFire and Insanity to her own music mix.  It was hard doing some of the moves on a slick floor but otherwise a great workout.  I burned 440 calories in about 45 minutes and my heart rate was up to 175 (average was 156)!  I had only a little bit of lightheadedness but it wasn't anything where I'd have to stop and sit.  One of Austin's teachers from elementary school was there so we chatted a little bit before everything started.


A lady I used to work with asked me to be her personal trainer to help her lose weight.  After speaking with her during my lunch walk Wednesday I think she wants a workout buddy and someone to look to for motivation and nutrition advice.  So it's not as involved as I was thinking (yes, I overthink things a lot LOL).  I picked up more Swiss chard from the farmer's market while I was there.  There are only 3 weeks left until they close for the season!

Tuesday night I had my 18 month check-in with the Diabetes Prevention study.  They had to take my blood pressure three times since the second time had a difference of more than 10.  My A1C has been holding steady since the second visit.  My HDL likes to be low.


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

16.2 Miles to Go


I weighed in last night down 1.6 lbs.  That puts me at a total of 104 lbs lost and 16.2 lbs to reach my goal weight.

Last night at Weight Watchers, instead of giving our individual 90 second stories, our leader set it up like a panel.  She played Meredith Vieira.  The other two giving their stories were lifetime members (sat on either side of me).  This way was a lot better for me - less stage fright!  We didn't have a chance to do the Enterprise song but the leader said that we could do it when I get to goal.

So why did I start with Weight Watchers anyway? I signed up with a diabetes prevention study that was sponsored by them. The IU Health researchers took your weight, blood pressure and some blood to test your A1C and cholesterol. Matching your numbers up to their chart they assign you to receive one or two years of Weight Watchers. You return for checkups about every 6 months.

I qualified for two years. If I wasn't a part of the study I wouldn't have ever joined Weight Watchers....I just couldn't afford it. I don't know if anyone else in the study has had the success I've had. I was in a focus group of some participants but everyone else seemed to have given up. A couple had discovered conditions that needed addressed; they were totally unaware of the issues before joining the study. So there are at least three of us who gained something from participating in this study. So why don't more people sign up and participate in them?

Photo Credit: NYCArthur via Compfight cc

I keep getting these tweets that something I've posted is featured in someone's paper.li.  So I signed up for one just to play around with it, although I don't really understand what the point of it is.  Have you set up a paper.li daily/weekly/monthly?  Did you see any benefit from it?

I kind of enjoyed running the birthday clean eating challenge last week so I think I'll run one (almost) every month.  October's theme is fall cleaning, preparing yourself for the winter.  This month's challenge will be October 13-19 (begins on Columbus Day).  If you're interested in participating, friend me on Facebook and leave a comment below so I know who you are.


If you can't tell, I've been playing with a new program to create graphics (I've already forgotten how I came across the site).  Canva seems to have a great variety but I'm not too sure with some of their templates. They can be difficult to manipulate and fit what you're wanting.  But I suppose that can be an issue with any free graphics program.

Linking up with
Weigh In Wednesday

Femme Fitale Fit Club

The Hump Day Blog Hop