In the health and fitness industry, the topic of diet soda is a controversial one. Is diet soda healthy? Is diet soda bad for you? The questions go back and forth, questioning whether diet soda offers more benefit than it does harm. Now, for some, diet soda is an easy write off because of the lack of benefits. I haven’t seen any claims by the soda industry on the health benefits of diet soda, so it’s rather pointless besides the satisfaction it gives to its drinkers. For others, diet soda’s satisfaction allows them to enjoy soda without the calories and sugar, and that’s enough benefit for them. What I want to present below is some research and opinion that will help you answer the questions for yourself. The Tale of Diet Soda and its Sketchy Ingredients: There are numerous negative claims when it comes to diet soda, especially concerning the artificial sweetener aspartame, and the ingredient phosphoric acid. But, when it comes to the research, there isn’t much. Research tells us that aspartame can be harmful in very large amounts that no one consumes, and other anecdotal evidence tells us that aspartame can result in headaches and migraines. I personally [...]
May, 2011:
How Important is Water?
Water makes up about 60 percent of our body and is found in large amounts in our earth and food. It doesn’t need much of an introduction because it’s found EVERYWHERE. It’s necessary for proper cell and organ function and is necessary for the many important processes within our body. But the question still stands, how important is water? One would think because it’s found in so many different living things, and in such large amounts, that it is very important and we should be chugging it down. Others say that because it is found in so many different things that we consume, such as coffee, caffeinated drinks, and foods, drinking straight water isn’t that important. To me, the answer is somewhere in the middle and requires a little less regulation. Water is important, there’s no doubt in my mind, but drinking a set amount each day doesn’t make sense. Our bodies regulate thousands of different processes and reactions, but when it comes to water, our bodies can’t tell when it needs water or not? The idea that there’s some set amount just doesn’t make sense. Every day is different when it comes to weather, stress levels, exercise, and other [...]
Cortisol and Weight Gain-Does Stress Make You Fat?
One of the most common questions in the health industry is also one of the most debated, does stress make you fat? When talking about the stress hormone, cortisol, and weight gain, it’s easy to write it off because to many, losing weight is simply and only a matter of lowering calories below maintenance level (the caloric intake you wouldn’t lose or gain weight at). But what’s commonly forgotten about is that hormones don’t only have a major impact on our bodies, but also what we do with our bodies. [Stress can result from a number of things, but lack of sleep has to be one of the largest contributers, directly and indirectly] For instance, when you’re stressed about the plethora of things that could go wrong, your body releases cortisol, among other hormones. Cortisol will cause an immediate release of glucose from your tissues in case of need for energy. Since the sympathetic nervous system is activated, digestion is impaired, immunity is impaired, and memory is impaired. Hormones aren’t Inherently Bad: Cortisol and other hormones aren’t inherently bad, actually the opposite, they provide necessary functions that keep us alive and functioning. But, it’s the excess that can be dangerous, [...]
The Marshmallow Test and Fitness
We recently spoke about the tomato effect and how despite there being plenty of evidence that exercise is good for you, many people avoid it for either illogical reasons or because they just do not want to do it. Today, I want to introduce you to another food-related concept that allows us to understand the relationship between instant gratification, skipping workouts, distraction, success, and people. It’s known as the Marshmallow test or, the Marshmallow Experiment. The marshmallow test, or as it is officially known, the Standford Marshmallow experiment, was done by Professor Walter Mischel in 1972. This experiment by Walter Mischel was performed on a group of four year olds who were all offered a marshmallow. Additionally, the children were also told that if they were able to avoid eating marshmallow number one for 20 minutes, they would receive another marshmallow. This means that they would have to practice some sort of self control if they wished to receive another reward. Once the conductor of the experiment left the room, the experiment began. Some children ate the marshmallow right away, others controlled themselves for a good portion of the time, and others made it all the way. The interesting part [...]
The Tomato Effect and Why it Exists
The Tomato Effect is the trend in which highly effective methods of improving “X” problem are rejected for illogical reasons. Additionally, the Tomato Effect can also refer to the trend in which people know the benefits of “X” method or habit, and reject participating in the habit without any real reason. [The Tomato Effect was named after North Americans, who until the 1800s, completely avoided eating tomatoes even though Europeans had been consuming them safely for years.] Currently in America, experts say that this effect is occurring with health and fitness. Most Americans can at-least realize the benefits of participating in exercise and eating healthy, but choose to not do so for either illogical reasons or simply because they do not want to. There aren’t many people walking around asking “why do people exercise”. Instead, most people ask “why do people not exercise?” Or even better, “why do I not want to exercise?” I’d say this trend is justified too; there is plenty of research showing that exercise has benefits such as: Improved mood and quality of life Decreased risk for many diseases Increased life expectance Increased Self-confidence Increased energy And the list goes on. So why are people not exercising? Why [...]
