An Excellent Low Carb Diet Snack!

Hey Everybody!

You may not be aware (although you may if you've read
this blog before!) that I'm a second shifter. In other words
I work 3pm-11pm, or 3pm-1am when doing ten hour
shifts.

So my dillema's always been that when I get home from
work I'm hungry, BUT I don't want to stay up too late
because I want to lead a somewhat normal life and get
up early enough the next day to get things done before
going back to work.

Going to the gym can be tough when you're up til 4am!

So in an effort to find a good snack to eat before bed
that doesn't include a lot of carbs here's what I came
up with.

Cheese and pepperoni!

Now I now what you're thinking. Big deal! What's so
great about cheese and pepperoni?

Well my friends, these two items fit perfectly into a
low carb diet plan because they're both high in protein
(although also high in fat!) and have virtually no carbs!

When I eat these together (NO CRACKERS!) along with
a glass of cabernet sauvignon (that's another story),
I'm getting a good amount of protein, maybe a bit too
much fat, and practically zero carbs!

It's just enough to take the edge off before bed so I sleep
better and the wine (the other story!) is good for your
heart. At least that's what the latest reports say.

I've been eating this snack combination for about two
and a half weeks now and lost about three pounds!

I've been a little lax on my trips to the gym but once I
get back I expect to see even more weight loss, or at
least a gain in muscle.

So there you have it, a good low carb diet snack that's
(at least for me!) a good pre bedtime mini meal.

A Low Carb Diet May Improve Acne

Check out this new study conducted in Australia. According
to researchers there a low carb diet may be helpful in
controlling acne in moderate to severe acne sufferers!

By helping to control insulin levels, it appears a low carb
diet also helps keep pores open by reducing the buildup
of oil under the skin.

So parents of teens reaching puberty, take heed!

Low GI clears up acne in boys NEWS.com.au:
October 05, 2006 06:18am

EATING slowly-digested carbs won't just help shed weight - it
could clear up your pimples too, nutritionists claim.

Carbohydrate foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) have been
proven to help weight loss by making the dieter feel fuller for
longer.

Now researchers have discovered that the popular diet can also
improve acne by 50 per cent when trialled on a group of
teenagers for three months.

Nutritionists at RMIT University enlisted 50 boys with moderate
to severe acne and randomly assigned half a typical adolescent
boy's diet high in processed foods and refined grain products.

The other half were put on a diet high in low-GI foods like
wholegrain bread, pasta and legumes.

These foods are slowly digested and absorbed producing only
gentle rises and falls in blood glucose and insulin levels.

Other carbs removed from their diet were replaced with high
levels of protein like lean red meat and seafood.

'The acne of the boys on the higher protein-low GI diet improved
dramatically, by more than half,' said Dr Neil Mann, lead
researcher of the study to be presented at a European
dermatology conference in Greece today.

'This new evidence suggests that a more natural diet,
comprised of minimally processed foods, may serve as a
defence against acne.'

He said the finding was significant because it challenged the
belief held by many health professionals that there is no link
between diet and acne.

Dr Mann said the diet was successful because it reined in high
insulin levels he believes could be responsible for acne.

'When you go through puberty you produce a lot of growth
hormone that actually makes you insulin resistant temporarily,'
he said.

'With chronically high levels of insulin you're going to get
blockages in the pores and extra oil building up under the skin."

A diet high in processed foods pushes glucose and insulin
levels higher, exacerbating the problem, but low GI foods do the
opposite.

"It's as clear as day," Dr Mann said.

"We're convinced the results show that if people do suffer from
acne badly this sort of dietary change is going to help them a
great deal."

Sydney-based dermatologist Phillip Artemi said the results
provided food for thought and proved the area should be studied
in more depth.

However, he warned there was no evidence that acne was
caused by food, so dietary changes could never cure the
condition.

"Diet may be an adjunct in therapies for acne but it's not going to
be a stand-alone treatment," Dr Artemi said.
===================

So by incorporating a low carb diet with good hygiene it seems
that most acne sufferers will suffer no more!

"The Biggest Loser" On A Low Carb Diet!

Have you seen "The Biggest Loser" yet? The show where
teams of overweight individuals compete to see who can
lose the most weight?

Well here's a "Biggest Loser" story with a low carb diet
twist!

In a story posted by Jimmy Moore in "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb"
one finalist touts a low carb diet plan for weight loss.

Keep reading!

"The Biggest Loser" 2 finalist Kelly Minner, a teacher at
Lehigh Valley Performing Arts School in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, lost 102 pounds last year and was approached
by one of her former students about losing weight recently.

An extremely talented young opera singer named Adam
Bonanni weighed as much as 308 pounds at the age of 16
and he thought that was normal since most famous opera
singers are quite large. But, as I recently blogged about
world-class opera singer Richard Margison, that stereotype
is already changing. So Bananni knew he needed help with
his obesity and quick.

How convenient it was for him to have a "big loser" right
there at his school with him! Minner was all too gracious to
help Bananni and taught him everything she learned about
healthy nutrition on the show from the trainers Bob Harper
and Jillian Michaels as well as the tireless work ethic
regarding exercise.

Minner patiently explained to Bananni what good eating
habits were all about by sitting down with him at lunch. This
one-on-one mentoring by Minner helped him realize that
the junk food he was eating was destroying his health and
making him fatter and fatter.

Get this (and I LOVE it!): She recommended Bananni start
eating more high-fiber, LOW-CARB foods along with regular
exercise to help him lose weight. HA! What dietary approach
did she say? NOT low-fat, NOT low-calorie, NOT portion-
control--but rather livin' la vida low-carb! WOO HOO! Can
you believe it?!

Although it wasn't easy for him, Bananni lost an eye-
popping 40 pounds in the first two weeks (the length
of the Induction phase of the Atkins diet) and a
total of 110 pounds in nine months. WOW! He dropped
10 inches off of his waist and finds that his breath support
for his opera singing has vastly improved. His whole life has
changed for the better and it's all because a former "Bigger
Loser" contestant cared enough to pay it forward with her
own success. Perhaps Bananni will have the opportunity to
share what he has learned with someone in the future as well.

There you have it. A low carb diet in the limelight! Nice!

Study reignites low-carb high-protein debate

Here's another interesting study that backs what I've been
writing about concerning a low carb diet.

When combining a low carb diet along with a higher
protein intake it helps with weight loss. I also believe that
the higher protein intake (when combined with a good
weight training program!) will support muscle growth.

And remember, muscle's an active tissue!

Study reignites low-carb high-protein debate:
"A recent study props up the principle of low-carb high-
protein dieting – giving the low carb fad diets that pushed
meat consumption, such as the once fashionable Atkins diet,
one last laugh."

The recent findings by scientists at University College London
(UCL) could vindicate, at least partially, these recent dieting
fads as they have illustrated more clearly how high-protein
diets can be effective in combating obesity.

The study, published in the September issue of Cell
Metabolism, set out to investigate how increased dietary
protein increases satiety, hypothezing that gut hormones
could mediate the differential satiation produced by protein,
fat, and carbohydrates.

The Medical Research Council team of researchers, led by
Dr. Rachel Batterham, linked high protein diets to higher
levels of the gut hormone known as PYY. Their work suggests
PYY is an important appetite suppressor that sends signals
to the brain leading to a feeling of fullness.

"In summary, our current studies have established the
physiological role of PYY as a regulator of energy homeostasis
and demonstrated that it mediates the satiating and weight-
reducing effects of dietary protein," wrote the study authors.

Ten healthy normal-weight and ten obese male volunteers
were given an isocaloric meal, high in one macronutrient -
protein, fat or carbohydrate - and researchers then analyized
their blood samples.

The high-protein diet resulted in the greatest reduction in
hunger in both normal and obese participants. The high-
protein meal resulted in the largest increase in both total
plasma PYY and integrated PYY levels in both groups,
although post-meal levels were lower in obese subjects.

"These findings suggested that PYY could mediate the
satiating effects of protein in humans," explained the
authors. "We therefore developed a rodent experimental
model in which to investigate this possibility."

As such, genetically modified mice that lacked the PYY
hormone were then created. The PYY deficient mice ate
more than regular mice and, as a result, became obese.

The mice were fed high-fat normal-protein, high-fat
high-protein, low-fat normal-protein or low-fat high-protein
diets.

The researchers found the PYY null mice were hyperphagic
and developed marked obesity but were hypersensitive to
exogenous PYY.

They then administered PYY to these mice. The mice's
food intake subsequently decreased to normal levels as
did their weight. When they no longer received PYY, the
amount they ate went up again at the same time as their
weight.

"Chronic treatment with PYY reverses their obesity
phenotype," the authors commented on the obese mice.
"These findings provide compelling evidence that PYY is
a physiologically relevant regulator of food intake and body
weight."

The findings could help explain the current obesity epidemic
plaguing North America and Europe. Statistics show diets
have shifted from being protein-rich to carbohydrate-rich,
according to the study, and carbohydrates do not curb
appetite in the same way protein does, resulting in people
eating more to compensate.

Currently, the average Western diet derives 49 per cent of
energy from carbohydrates, 35 per cent from fat, and 16 per
cent from protein, cites the study.

"This research suggests that an increase in the protein content
of the diet may help tackle obesity," said Dr.Batterham.
"However, large scale clinical trials are needed before high-
protein low-fat diets can be recommended."

Study reference:
Rachel L. Batterham et al. "Critical role for peptide YY in
protein-mediated satiation and body-weight regulation."
Cell Metabolism. Vol 4: 223-233, September 2006.






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