11 reasons to motivate you to reach your ideal body weight

Sometimes we lack motivation to start a diet, and this is the most important thing for weight loss success! I found interesting to share these 11 reasons why ideal weight is important. I really hope they will motivate you! There are a million more reasons why but let’s start with those ;)

   1-  To prevent having cancer: At least 15 types of cancer are directly related to overweight, especially breast cancer. Research shows that overweight ladies have 35% greater chance to develop this type of cancer. Fat around the waist increases inflammation which makes it harder for the body’s immune system to respond to tumor cells attack.

    2-  To keep a good eye vision: Overweight people have more risk to develop diabetes type 2 and/or high blood pressure. These diseases with time damage the eyes and once this happens, there’s no way back to vision!

3-      To improve sexual life: overweight man has less testosterone, hormone related to sexual appetite. In addition, overweight man and woman have their cardiovascular system damaged which affects the blood circulation of all the body including the sexual organs.

4-      To maintain a healthy respiration: a heavy weight around the waist squeezes the respiration muscle impeding its normal contraction. When this happens, the lungs don’t get completely filled with air and this can even lead to infections like pneumonia.

5-      To have an envious skin: not damaged by the yoyo effect of weight loss/weight gain

6-      To be free of depression and low-self esteem: Obesity alters the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin which are linked to well-being.

7-      To maintain a good memory: Studies show a relationship between weight gain and bad memory

8-      To sleep well: overweight also decreases sleep quality

9-      To avoid hernias and joint pain due to a heavy body

10-   To decrease the risk of intoxication: obesity can cause fat to fill the liver which will be harmed and will in turn leave place for toxins to invade the body

11-  To keep food taste: recent research show a relationship between a big tummy and less sensitivity for certain tastes like sweet. It’s as if overweight people compensate the lack of taste with a larger quantity of food ingested.

Translated from the Brazilian magazine: SAUDE, April 2011.

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Bloating! What can I do?

Have you ever felt heavy after a meal? I bet you have felt abdominal distention at least once before.  When your tummy gets so big and you can barely buckle your jeans and what's worse is the excess gases you may have with or without the bothering odors when you neglect the healthy lifestyle so needed by our body!

The quantity of gases produced by certain foods varies from person to person. The only way to discover and identify specific foods causing you the bloating is to note down in a diary the type of foods you are eating, the quantity, and the level of bloating you feel after! Below I introduced a set of foods known to cause abdominal swelling to jump start your task. 

Don’t eat the foods listed below for many weeks or until you are relieved from the bloating. Maybe later you could re-introduce those foods one by one in small quantities, and check if it still causes bloating. Then, wait a few days before trying another food. It is important to note that sometimes what causes bloating in you doesn’t cause bloating in someone else and that’s why it is so important to be careful and write down what of the following foods or drinks are bothering you.

So here they are - Foods that might cause you discomfort: 

• Salt
• Excess carbohydrates (bread, potato, pastas, corn),  
• Raw vegetables like cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onion, parsley, bell peppers, cucumber, radishes)
• Beans, lentils,
• Chewing gum (even the sugar-free ones as they contain sugar alcohols)
• High acidic foods like citrus fruits, sugar alcohols like mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol
• Fried foods
• Gaseous drinks like soft drink and beer
• Spicy foods (mustard, chilli, nutmeg … )
• Pastries
• Milk, cheese, cream, sauces made from cream, ice cream
• Alcohol, tea, coffee
• Fatty meat
• Sweets
• Fruits like apple, banana, melon, watermelon,
• Big quantity of foods containing wheat

Now what are the foods that can help relieve you from bloating? 

• Yogurt with probiotics
• Milk without lactose
• Fish and chicken without the skin, eggs, low-fat meat (not very cooked and not raw)
• Peeled tomato without the seeds
• Cooked vegetables/ green leaves. If you want to eat them raw, cut them in small pieces with your hands (not with a knive to avoid losing vitamins and minerals)

And what are the extra things you can do to feel better?

• Take your time during eating. Chew well when you eat and don’t use a straw when drinking so you avoid swallowing air with food.
• Use little oil, garlic and salt when cooking.
• If you want to eat beans you have to boil them in water for 3 minutes, then take them of the heater and leave them them soaked for 2 hours. Afterwards, replace the water with water at room temperature for another 2 hours. Do the same thing again but this time leave them overnight. The next day drain the water and cook them with laurel leaf, ginger and garlic for 75 to 90 min.
• Eat small but frequent meals every 4 hours
• Have a light diner
• Have herbal teas like mint, fennel, and chamomile
• Try not to eat and drink at the same time
• Exercise
• Manage to de-stress by Praying, doing relaxation massages and taking life easily.

I hope you already feel better after this reading this! ;)

10 infallible Tips to control the greed!

Hey guys! We all know that being greedy is the most difficult obstacle to achieving weight loss. In this world full of yummy foods it’s almost impossible not to be greedy! After all, who isn’t? J

I found this interesting text with 10 useful tips you could apply in your everyday life to avoid jumping on a high calorie snack or overeating in your next meal! I added some explanations to the bullets as well. Yalla be brave and just do it!

1) Take your time when having a meal, at least 20 minutes - This is the time it takes the brain to receive the message that you are full (the average time for the satiety center to be activated).

2) Choose cutlery (fork, spoon) that are small so you’ll eat smaller meals - This is because it will help you take more time to eat your meal and will give you the impression that you ate more.

3) Try to chew slowly and savour the food - This way you’ll pay attention to what you are eating and eat less.

4) Between two bites put the cutlery on the plate. Only bring the next bite to your mouth when the first one has already been swallowed up completely.

5) Pay attention to what you're eating, do not get distracted with work, computer, television, because when we're not careful we usually end up eating more.

6) Establish times for meals and snacks and respect them - It will help your body regulate hunger, thus you’ll feel less greedy between meals.

7) Instead of saying "No thanks, I need to lose weight", say "No thanks, I do not want " - Answering this way will help you a lot when people insist for you to eat.

8) Keep lighter and healthier options at hand, such as cereal bars (max 100 kcal), fresh fruit (1 or 2), dried fruit (max a handful) or a natural juice box (max 120 kcal), so you snack on one of them if hunger hits you.

9) Go to the supermarket when you’re not hungry - When you are hungry, you buy more than you should and usually you tend to buy high calorie foods like sweets

10) Go to the supermarket with the shopping list in hand and stick to buying only what it’s written so you can avoid buying more than what you planned like unnecessary snacks that will fill your kitchen cupboards with fattening foods.

Translated from: http://www.emex.com.br/colunistas/colunistas/id/1049/r/para-controlar-a-gula-dr.-arthur-kaufman-da-10-dicas-infaliveis

Samia Khoury Dietitian

It's called Easter not Eater!

Most people who come to see me for consultation at the clinic think that Easter holidays is their time-off from their usual diet and a green light to eat eat eat and gain weight. I try to explain that Easter is not supposed to last 3 weeks! 3 whole weeks eating chocolates, boiled eggs, and ma3moul made of dates/walnut/almonds/pistachios …. the list of sweets never seems to end on Easter! It’s only advised to eat whatever your heart desires on 1 or 2 days during this period.

I wish we could focus more on the real meaning of Easter, which should bring us unity, love, and forgiveness and focus less on the food part!

A few good tips I give my clients during Easter period are to eat a balanced breakfast, to have a free lunch on Easter Sunday and Palm Monday with all the good food they desire, and to have a light dinner such as green salad with a couple of slices of turkey ham or a few spoons of tuna in water. They should not consume more than 2 kinds of sweets (1 medium ma3moul and 1 small chocolate or 2 small ma3mouls) on each of the 2 days. After these 2 days pass, they should forget about all the Easter yummilicious foods else weight gain will be unavoidable!

As for sweets to offer your guests, I would advise the many kinds and different fillings of homemade ma3moul since you can control the quantity of sugars and fats in those and thus minimize the detrimental effects when you over-consume, and I promise that you will over-consume!. Dark chocolate eggs have less fat and less sugar that normal chocolate as well so it would be advisable to stock, offer guests and personally consume those.

As for the boiled eggs please don’t buy artificial colorings, you can either buy natural coloring for your children or boil the eggs with the vegetable skins of beets, red onion or parsley. Your choice depends on the color you want, you can even mix. Isn’t that more fun and a lot healthier?

Happy Easter everyone! And may the Resurrection of the Christ bring to you Joy and Peace all along the year!

And if you fall into temptation and end up gaining some weight don’t hesitate to contact me! I’ll be waiting for you to help you get rid of the weight annoying you!

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Boost your Health and Beauty with Chlorophyll juice!

Chlorophyll juice? Ever heard about it?

Remember that biology class you took a long time ago (or maybe you’re taking it now), and the name chlorophyll appeared up all the time in plant chapters? I remember it was a tough class for me first semester at AUB, we had to memorize all the names of the plants in the world, I’ll never forget that!

Well, if we only knew that the pigment that gives the green color to our living plants and is vital for photosynthesis, allowing plants to obtain energy from light also has the power to give life to your body!

How? By detoxifying it!! Elimination of toxins will improve your overall health and even help you lose extra weight!

What is it exactly? It’s a juice that you make at home. You create it by mixing different types of green leafy vegetables; it can be spinach, broccoli, lettuce, rocca, mint, parsley, which also include the wild edible ones directly from the garden!

Why is Chlorophyll good for?

The juice named “chlorophyll” is full of calcium, vitamin A, B, C, fibers, magnesium, potassium, iron and more! This green substance is full of healing nutrients that revive your body with oxygen for optimum health. When taking chlorophyll into our bodies, our hemoglobin count is elevated and as a result our blood circulation improves and we have more energy. It also cleanses the intestines and liver!

It fights free radicals thus protects your body from certain cancers and from premature aging!

It also helps you with weight loss since it will reduce your appetite, help decrease your cholesterol levels, and aid in digestion! Guess what? It’s low in calories!

It also has anti-septic power cleaning oral infections and eliminating bad breath! It’s good for treating respiration problems too!

Now go and juice up some of the veggies found in your fridge! Juice it all, even the stalk of the plant and enjoy purifying your body from toxins and replenishing it with vital nutrients!

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Check out the series of exercises that will give you a firm tummy!

Guys! Summer is approaching and we need to be in shape so I decided to start some serious exercises to shape my body and look good at the beach!

So join me: Put laziness on the side and let’s raise a challenge you and me by starting them all together today!

Below are 4 exercises from the Core Fusion, loved by celebrities that will need just 15 minutes from your time but will make a big difference in the shape of your body by the beginning of summer! I promise you!

Make the below movements  3 or 4 times a week as illustrated- you can add them to 2-weekly sessions of cardiovascular exercises to maximize the benefits. It takes you only 15 minutes!

Elevated heel sitting

1.   While seated, spread your legs and keep them separated at a distance greater than the width of your hips, bend your knees and support the tips of your fingers on the floor.

2.   Contract your abdomen and slowly lift both heels, pushing your fingers against the floor. Hold for 2 seconds and then return to starting position. This is one repetition. Do 20 like this.

Sitting Knee Elevation

3.   Sit on the floor and bend your right leg, your foot should be in transverse position in relation to your body, bend your left leg, leaving the foot behind you.

     4.   Try lifting your left knee off the ground 10 times, then change the position of your legs
            and repeat, raising your right knee.

Standing unilateral elevation of legs:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and slightly turned out
2. Bend your arms forward, move your back forward and lift your left leg.Hold it for 10 seconds and return to starting position. Do 10 repetitions with each leg.

Lying on your Back and Bending

3. Lie on the floor on your back and your feet are touching the wall, while your knees are slightly bent. Raise your shoulders and grasp the side of your thighs with your hands
4. Stay in this position for 30 seconds. Then loosen your hands and hold for   30 seconds more. Repeat the sequence two more times.

  

• Consultancy: Eduardo Netto (physical education teacher and technical director of the network A Body Tech) and Giovane Salvatore (technical coordinator of Runner)
• Pics from Istockphoto / Illustrations by MCKIBILLO
Text Translated from this link: http://mdemulher.abril.com.br/dieta/reportagem/atividade-fisica/serie-exercicios-ajudam-perder-barriga-624668.shtml

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Forbidden foods during pregnancy!

A lot of my friends and clients' pregnancies happen to concide during this period. As a friend, it is only natural for me to live their experiences and share everything they are going through and then publish some of what I learnt on this blog. Starting with a few good tips on what not to eat during pregnancy can go a long way to acheiving a healthier lifestyle during all the stages of pregnancy and a healthy baby at the end of it. 

Pregnancy is a very delicate period in the life of a woman; after all, it’s the development of a new human being in her womb. For pregnancy to occur the healthy way, it requires the presence of certain foods and the absence of other. Below is a list of foods that shouldn’t be consumed during pregnancy:

Raw fish may contain the parasite Toxoplasma that can cause blindness and brain damage to the fetus.

Deep sea fish such as shark, grouper, swordfish, marlin and mackerel contain high levels of methylmercury. This metal can damage the brain during fetal development.

Raw eggs or lightly cooked can have salmonella. This bacterium can cause diarrhea and heavy vomiting which stresses the baby and may cause premature births;

Coffee: this drink may be consumed, but in controlled quantities (less than 2 cups per day). This restriction is due to the presence of caffeine, which may be responsible for the retardation of fetal development;

Unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses may be contaminated with Listeria bacteria, its presence in the mother can cause miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth or fatal disease of the newborn

Alcohol can prevent oxygen and essential nutrients from reaching your baby. This may occur because of the easy capacity of this liquid to pass through the placenta. The diseases in pregnancy related to alcohol consumption mainly comprise the fetal alcohol syndrome and mental retardation.

Aspartame: The use of sweeteners during pregnancy is dangerous because it is directly related to cancer and immunotoxicity.

Translated from this link: http://www.vidasaudeebeleza.com.br/category/alimentacao-nutricao/

I already mentioned this in a previous blog article and I want to stress on my stance once again: I am against fried foods, trans fats food sources and excess sugary foods and drinks during pregnancy!

To all pregnant woman: May you have a healthy and easy pregnancy !

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Olive oil protects your neurons!

Olive oil, an important ingredient in the diet of Mediterranean people, still has some hidden benefits that you probably haven't heard about!

A 2011 Survey conducted in Germany shows that olive oil acts against
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
diseases.

Keep the word "hydroxytyrosol" in mind. It's one of the most important compounds found in olive oil and, according to a projection of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, hydroxytyrosol is highly likely be used in the manufacturing of drugs for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in the future.

The researchers have just revealed that hydroxytyrosol prevents the degeneration of neurons, thus slowing the aging process. "It is an antioxidant and prevents free radicals from attacking the nerve cells, a process involved in the onset of neurodegenerative illnesses, "explains the pharmacist Jane Mara Block, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, in an interview with the Brazilian magazine SAÚDE.

In addition to this new function that benefits neurons; olive oil already has a reputation of being a functional food since its consumption helps to reduce LDL levels, popularly known as "bad cholesterol". By substituting margarine or butter with olive oil, you can reduce up to 40% the risk of having heart disease.

Important note: To enjoy the benefits of this oil extracted from olives, it is enough to consume two tablespoons per day!

http://mdemulher.abril.com.br/saude/reportagem/alimenta-saude/azeite-oliva-ajuda-blindar-neuronios-624603.shtml

The interesting article from the Brazilian website sheds the light on new researches and developments pertaining to olive oil. I will also add to this interesting article that olive oil when heated will lose all of its benefits. So please don't heat up to fry food and use 2 tablespoons per day instead in salads, tabouleh, labne and humus!

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Always dreamt of having kids with high IQs? Well…. the key is in what you eat

There’s a French quote that says:” L’éducation de l’enfant commence 20 ans avant sa naissance”, which in English means:” the education of your child starts 20 years before he is born”. This means that if parents are knowledgeable of good nutrition practices, then these parents will transmit all their knowledge to their kids at an early age. Most importantly, this knowledge is transferred to the children through correct eating habits and balanced meals. As such the key here is: avoiding fats and sugars at an early age.

Kids adopt their taste preferences from infancy up to the age of 5. If they are in the habit of consuming fast food meals, biscuits, chocolates, potato chips and ice cream as part of their daily diet, be sure that they will grow up accustomed to these foods and shifting their taste preferences to healthier foods will be difficult. From our personal experiences we can attest to the above ─ we have grown to love such junk foods and although we know stopping those means losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle, we continue on devouring them.  On the other hand, kids who enjoy fruits, vegetables and healthy homemade meals at this early age will grow up loving these healthy foods and will transmit this knowledge to their children!

Start planning your meals in advance so you don’t end up having to eat fast foods or sweets when you are hungry! Start preparing the night before and if you have kids, of course, plan theirs as well!

When pregnant, ladies, please make sure you do not eat trans-fatty acid food sources such as deep-fried foods, cookies, chips. Recent studies portray the relationship between the intake of trans-fatty foods during pregnancy and babies with low IQs!

During breastfeeding the mother is transferring all her immunity to her baby, so it better be a strong immunity built by a healthy balanced diet to fight infections and diseases. Moreover, Researchers found that prolonged breastfeeding is associated with better results in intelligence tests in childhood.

A study by the British Medical Journal reveals that a diet rich in fats and sugars during the first years of life may affect the development of the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children. The team found that children three years of age living on a diet rich in fats and sugars have lower scores on tests than those on healthier diets. Parents now have more arguments to stimulate kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and less chips, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, ice creams, and fast foods!

Yes…who would’ve ever thought that adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle could also have impact on the intelligence of our kids!! Let’s start properly eating as early as possible for a smarter and long-living future generation that we will leave as heritage!

So if you are planning on becoming a mom or dad start eating healthy homemade foods daily from now on. , with plenty of vegetables, some fruits, and a few dairy products to prepare your body to create a healthy baby with healthy food taste preferences since even before being conceived!

Samia Khoury Dietitian