Tag Archives: healthy lifestyle

5 Diets You Should Absolutely Avoid in 2020

By: Janice Rutkowski, M.D.

We’ve all seen the ads with the blaring headlines:

  • LOSE 20 POUNDS IN 7 DAYS!
  • BURN BELLY FAT NATURALLY!
  • BLAST OFF 30+ LBS OF FAT IN 2 WEEKS!

There are dozens of diets on the market that promise super-fast weight loss, but many of them take an unbalanced approach to diet and nutrition. Some tell you to avoid “bad” foods, such as carbohydrates or fats, others restrict you to just a few foods, and still others require you to buy expensive supplements or pills.

Any diet that cuts out certain foods or limits calories can lead to short-term weight loss. But fad diets rarely bring long-term results because people often return to their previous eating habits when the diet ends. Also, people who follow extreme diets may not be getting all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Let’s look at five popular diets you should avoid in 2020. Then we’ll give you tips for managing your weight in a smart, healthy way.

  1. Carnivore diet: The carnivore diet has you eat mostly meat (along with some eggs and fat, like cheese). This is not a healthy or sustainable diet — it is extremely high in saturated fat, which can put you at risk for increased cholesterol levels, and it also leaves out a lot of foods that contain important nutrients, including fruits and vegetables.
  2. Whole30: This 30-day diet has you eat a lot of fresh, organic vegetables, grass-fed chicken and beef, and healthy fats like avocado and nuts. That’s well and good, but it also eliminates many foods, such as grains, dairy, soy, legumes, sugars and alcohol. And if you slip one day, you have to start over. The big problem with Whole30 is that it’s difficult to maintain. You may crave the foods you can’t eat and feel guilty if you “cheat.” This can turn into an unhealthy cycle where you avoid certain foods for a while and then binge on them later.
  3. Keto diet: “Keto” is a low-carbohydrate diet with plenty of meats, eggs, processed meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, nuts, butter, oils, seeds and fibrous vegetables. But you can’t eat breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, oats flour, sugar, fruit and alcoholic drinks. The diet’s low-carbohydrate content causes your blood sugar levels to drop, and your body begins breaking down fat to use as energy, a process caused ketosis. The problem is keto isn’t sustainable in the long term. Once your body enters ketosis, you also begin to lose muscle, become fatigued, and eventually enter starvation mode. This is particularly dangerous for people with kidney or liver conditions.
  4. Atkins diet: Atkins is the granddaddy of low-carb diets. It requires you to eat a lot of meat, cheese and eggs but severely limits carbohydrates, including sugar, bread, pasta, milk, fruits and vegetables. Similar to the keto diet, it causes your body to enter ketosis and burn fat. Like many fad diets, you lose weight quickly on Atkins, but it’s difficult to stay on it for long. Also, there is medical concern about the negative effects of a high-protein diet on kidney function, cholesterol levels, and the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.
  5. Pegan diet: The pegan diet combines the popular paleo diet with some vegan principles. You eat lots of fruits and vegetables, along with nuts and seeds, oils, no dairy or gluten, a small amount of meat, and few beans or grains. You get to eat healthy foods, but the pegan diet restricts some foods that provides important nutrients. Also, since it limits what you can eat, it is hard to maintain over the long run.

Now that we’ve looked at diets to avoid, here are some good tips to help you achieve your weight-loss goal:

  1. Eat smaller portions: It’s common sense, if you want to lose weight, eat less. For example, if you usually eat a cup of rice, reduce it to a half cup. If you normally eat a plate full of pasta, cut down it to half a plate.
  2. Focus on healthier foods: Make fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, such as fish and chicken, the major part of your diet. Avoid junk foods, fast food and other foods you know are loaded with fats and calories. For helpful eating guidelines, see Choose My Plate from the USDA.
  3. Get physical: Exercise is the safest way to get fit and lose weight. And you don’t have to go to the gym seven days a week. Start with just five minutes a day and increase your activity gradually. Create an exercise plan that works for you with these guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services. Strive for between 150 and 200 minutes a week.
  4. Avoid extra sugar: Sugar occurs naturally in many foods, and your body uses it for energy. But what you should do is avoid extra sugar. Skip dessert and stay away from drinks and snacks from are loaded with the sweet stuff. See these tips for reducing extra sugar from the American Heart Association.
  5. Don’t get hungry: You should never, ever skip meals. By being hungry, you increase the chances that you will binge on unhealthy snacks and food. Avoid hunger by always having some healthy snacks handy. Have a granola bar or eat a variety of nuts in between meals.
  6. Talk to your doctor: Before starting any weight-loss program, it’s a good idea to discuss it with your doctor to make sure it is balanced and healthy. Your doctor can make recommendations for eating plans, exercise programs and more.

 

Dr. Rutkowski is a Maryland Primary Care Physicians, LLC partner and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She cares for patients at MPCP’s Arundel Mills office.

 

 

How to Exercise in Cold Weather

By: Dawn Roelofs, CRNP

There’s no reason to stop exercising outdoors when the temperature drops. In fact, exercise in cold weather has some advantages over warmer weather:

  • There’s no heat and humidity to deal with.
  • You may be able to work out longer.
  • Winter sunlight can improve your mood and help your body make vitamin D.
  • Exercise boosts your immunity during cold and flu season.

Just follow these tips for cold-weather workouts to maintain your fitness regimen this winter.

 1. Acclimate. Understand that it will take time for you to get used to working out in the cold. When you first start exercising, your body will probably need more time to warm up to perform well. Make your workouts a little lighter at first to help your body adjust.

2. Hydrate. You still sweat in cold weather, so stay hydrated. Drink water frequently even if you don’t feel very thirsty

3. Go for layers. Dressing in layers helps you manage the combination of cold air, body heat and sweat. For your first layer, choose a moisture-wicking fabric that pulls sweat away from your skin and keeps you dry. Next, add a layer of fleece, and on top put a thin waterproof garment. If you start to perspire, you can remove a layer. Avoid cotton garments. Once cotton becomes wet with sweat or snow, the moisture is trapped and will make you feel colder. Protect your hands with a thin pair of glove liners made of a wicking material under a pair of heavier gloves. Consider wearing thermal socks to keep your feet warm, and a hat or headband to protect your head and ears, or even a scarf to protect your face.

4. Know the risks. Being cold can lead to hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia means your body temperature has fallen below safe levels, and it can kill you. Symptoms include lack of coordination, mental confusion, slowed reactions, slurred speech, cold feet and hands, shivering and sleepiness.

Frostbite happens when cold freezes your skin. Frostbite is most common on exposed skin, such as your cheeks, nose and ears. Early warning signs include numbness, loss of feeling or a stinging sensation.

If you experience any symptoms of hypothermia or frostbite, get out of the cold immediately and get medical help.

Don’t forget the sunscreen as the winter sun can burn you, especially when it reflects off ice or snow.

5. Be realistic, stay safe. There’s a point when uncomfortable weather becomes unsafe. Check the weather before your workout. If the wind chill is extreme, the temperature is well below zero or there’s ice on the ground, it may be safer to work out indoors.

 

Dawn Roelofs, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Drexel University. She cares for patients in MPCP’s Columbia office.

Should I take dietary supplements? Common myths

By: Katherine Grote, CRNP

More than three quarters of Americans take dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals. If you’re one of them, your reasons may include improving your nutrition, preventing disease and living a healthier life.

Taking dietary supplements for the right reasons can help supply your body with important nutrients. However, there is a lot of misinformation about supplements, and not all of them perform as advertised. See these common myths about supplements and how to get real benefits from them.

Myth 1: Most people need supplements. In fact, most adults can meet their nutritional needs with a well-balanced, healthy diet.  In cases of nutritional deficiency that cannot be solved through food alone, taking the vitamins and minerals you need can help fill the gaps. If your doctor recommends a supplement, well and good. Otherwise, you’ll do better to eat healthy.

Myth 2: Supplements are natural, so they are safe. Natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe or effective. Supplements that have been linked to significant health risks include St. John’s Wort, kava, comfrey, chaparral and pennyroyal.

Myth 3: Supplements are approved by the government. Supplements do not need to be proven safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, the FDA gets involved only after a supplement is on the market, and can ban supplements that have negative effects. However, that happens after people are already using the supplements.

Myth 4: You can’t take too many vitamins. Some people believe large doses of certain supplements can prevent or cure certain health issues, such as vitamin C for colds. In most cases, this overdosing has no effect, and you just waste your money. However, some supplements can be toxic in large doses. For example, too much vitamin C can cause upset stomach or diarrhea, and excess vitamin B-6 can cause neuropathy, a form of nerve damage.

Myth 5: Supplements won’t interfere with medicine. Some supplements, especially the herbal varieties, can interfere with medicines, making them less effective or causing unwanted side effects. For example, if you are on the blood thinner warfarin, vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting, can interfere with the warfarin. Also, if you take antibiotics at the same time as probiotics, the antibiotics will kill the probiotics, and you end up with no benefit.

Myth 6: Supplement labels are accurate. Since dietary supplements are largely unregulated, it may be hard to know what’s in them. For example, a supplement can claim to contain 100% of a vitamin but really contain as little as 10%. Some supplements are tested by independent third parties, such as NSF International, to verify their contents. Look for that information on the label. If you don’t see it, you can’t be sure what you’re buying.

Myth 7: Supplements do what they claim. Some supplements make unproven health claims, such as preventing cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, causing quick weight loss and improving your immune system. Dietary supplements can’t legally claim to treat or prevent a disease, but some do it anyway. A good rule of thumb: if a supplement’s claim sounds too good to be true, it is.

The takeaway: if your doctor recommends a dietary supplement to treat a nutritional deficiency, go ahead and take it. Otherwise, it probably won’t benefit your health or bank account.

Katherine Grote, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, holds her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana State University, and is board certified by the AANP in Family Practice. She sees patients in MPCP’s Bowie office.

Are ‘Meatless Meats’ Better for You?

By: Christine Jones, M.D.

Plant-based meat substitutes are booming in popularity, with grocery stores and restaurants offering meatless “hamburger” and “sausage” that look and taste like the real thing. Some people eat these products because they fit their vegetarian or vegan diets, but many others are trying them because they think “meatless meat” is healthier and will even help them lose weight.

How plant-based burgers compare to beef

When it comes to your health, meat-substitute burgers do have an advantage over beef. They’re plant-based – for example, Beyond Meat uses pea protein and Impossible Foods uses soy and potato protein – so they provide healthy fiber and cut out the cholesterol found in animal products. But their health benefits are not across the board as shown in the chart below, which compares the nutrition of a beef burger to an Impossible Burger and a Beyond Burger.

4 Oz. PattyCaloriesFatCarbsProteinSodium
85% Lean Ground Beef192*12*0 grams20 grams55 milligrams
Impossible Burger24014 grams9 grams9 grams370 milligrams
Beyond Burger25018 grams3 grams20 grams390 milligrams

Nutrition data from the USDA, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. * Calories and fat after cooking. Pre-cooking calories were 283.

Beef and meatless burgers contain about the same amount of protein. However, beef patties can give you fewer calories and less fat since you can squeeze fat out of a beef burger by cooking it longer, as shown in the example above. (Cooking doesn’t affect the calories in meatless patties.) Plant-based burgers are also higher in carbs since they are made of vegetables, and they contain significantly more sodium since salt is one of their ingredients. (You have the option of not salting a beef patty.)

Also remember that adding a bun and condiments, such as cheese, ketchup and mayo, can greatly increase any burger’s fat and calories.

Nutritionists have noted two cautions about Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers. First, both are made with processed plant-based ingredients rather than whole foods, which are a more healthful option. Second, both products contain coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat and can raise LDL (“bad” cholesterol) just like beef fat. Coconut oil gives Beyond Burgers and Impossible burgers comparable saturated fat levels to beef.

Bottom line on burgers

You’re not automatically eating healthier by choosing plant-based meat, and if you think eating meatless will make you lose weight, think again. But if you choose a plant-based burger, you can do so knowing that you’re getting comparable taste and nutrition to beef.

Dr. Christine Jones earned her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She cares for patients at MPCP’s Annapolis office.