Did You Know...

Getting too little sleep can do all but one of these.  Which one?:

a.  Lead to bone loss

b.  Make dieters lose less fat and more muscle

c.  Make cells resistant to insulin

d.  Make you hungrier 

Answer:  A. Lead to bone loss. 

Lack of sleep can lead to more muscle loss, poor response to insulin, and increased food cravings (especially carbs).

Nutrition  

Making sense of protein bars... 

Ever find yourself standing in of the "bar" section of the store wondering just which protein bar is best for you?  Here are some tips for narrowing down your selection. 

Types of bars

Protein bars- look for bars with 15g or more of protein.  If you're watching carb intake, look for bars with carb content less than protein.  Bars like Think Thin or Pure Protein will have 20g protein per bar with only a few grams of net carbs. 

Endurance bars- These bars are made to pack a whole lotta carbs into a small little package.  Endurance bars are used for sustained energy and best for higher carb diets.  Powerbar and Cliff make bars with over 40g carbs and under 10g protein.   Don't be fooled by the name, always check the label before you buy.  Powerbar Protein bar for example has 23g protein, but also packs a whopping 39g carbs. 

Meal replacement bars- High calorie bars, meant to provide adequate calories and are used in place of a larger snack or meal.  Typically high in carbs & protein, also containing a decent amount of fat.  Some of these bars can have 400+ calories, like Met-Rx Big 100 Colossal Bars. 

Check what ingredients are used... Just because the label paints a picture of health, this does not mean anything!  Shop as though every bar is in a brown paper bag with only a label & avoid falling for marketing traps.  The two biggies:

Sweetener- Buy bars with stevia or sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, etc).  Make sure to avoid any bar with artificial sweeteners (aspartame & sucralose).  Surprisingly many bars have an extremely high sugar content or are made with high fructose corn syrup, steer clear. 

Trans fats- Yes many bars do contain them.  Be smart- look for hydrogenated/partially-hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list and avoid at all cost.

Offenders to avoid:

Detour Lean Muscle- sucralose

Muscle milk bars- sucralose and trans fat

EAS Myoplex lite bars-high fructose corn syrup and sucralose

Bars I like

Think Thin

Greens +, and Greens + Protein

Pure Protein

Natural Health 

Controlling appetite naturally.  Spicy foods not only work as an appetite suppressant, they also help speed up metabolism.  Capsaicin, which gives cayenne and habanero their spice, also  works at suppressing appetite.  Interestingly enough, capsaicin also works as a blood thinner and anti-inflammatory.  Try incorporating chili peppers, habanero, cayenne, wasabi and jalapenos.  

Appetite suppressant products may seem like a quick fix, however beware of false claims and adverse health effects.   Sensa, for example is a newer product on the market.  The crystals are sprinkled on food to trigger a full feeling.  The issue:  The two studies performed were sponsored by the company, and details have never been published.  Some info is available on their website.  The larger study (Per the Nutrition Action Dec 2010 issue) did not have a placebo to compare against.  Also 40% of the participants did not finish the study.  At $59/month,  It may be more worth it to drink a bunch a water and start spicing up your diet. 

Exercise

Varying  workouts and engaging in activities you truly enjoy will help your be more successful in maintaining an active lifestyle.  In addition to your gym routine, try adding in some hiking, paddleboarding or even dragon boat racing.  Yes this is a real sport.  Hey, it could be your new favorite. 

www.fitness.meetup.com is a nice place to start.  Type in your zip code to find different clubs/activities near you.  Maybe you didn't know that Stroller Strides is right here in Newport...a nice little sweat session for you and your newbie.  

Not a bad resource to keep your vacation away from home active without a gym membership.

For those of you coordinating any sort of activity, would love to share it on facebook and spread the word.