SuperHealth Challenge Tip!

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Posted on 1st March 2012 by admin in Super Health

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Sarcopenia, or muscle catabolism (loss), is a major but largely ignored health issue until it becomes critical (usually in the aging population, but the same process happens to everyone to some degree). Maintaining and increasing lean muscle mass is vital to health and is key to successful weight optimization and maintenance. People generally lose muscle mass as they age with poor nutrition, lower protein intake, and decreased physical activity. In an ever-increasing spiral, lean body mass is replaced with body fat, which in turn produces inflammatory cytokines (small cell-signaling protein molecules) and aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen, leading to low testosterone levels, particularly in men. This leads to increased body fat, decreased levels of testosterone, reduced hormone production, low energy levels, and numerous diseases of aging.

KC Craichy
Author
The Super Health Diet


SuperHealth Challenge Tip!

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Posted on 13th February 2012 by admin in Super Health

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For about three to four hours after you begin eating a typical meal, your body is operating in what is called a “fully fed state.” Essentially, your body is operating on what you just ate. From that point your insulin levels return to pre-meal levels, and the body is fueled from stored energy that is being released in a catabolic process. I call this state “maximum metabolic mode,” which is the time when the most body fat is being burned. This mode can continue for another 12 to 18 hours until you eat again. This is because your bloodstream contains a steady supply of essential nutrients to stave off the breakdown of lean body mass while your endocrine system is signaling for the release of stored energy. The moment you eat anything that provokes a significant rise in blood sugar, this maximum metabolic mode stops. Because of snacking and eating too frequently, most people spend little or no time in maximum metabolic mode.

There remains the issue of catabolism of muscle and lean body mass during extended periods of maximum metabolic mode. Depending on the amount and kind of protein or amino acids consumed at the previous meal, catabolism of muscle and lean body mass can begin within four to six hours. This is one situation where my “Stealth Technique” or “Micro Fast” technique of delivering essential amino acids to the bloodstream can help stave off muscle loss without disrupting the body’s maximum metabolic mode. (See “The Dynamic Role of Protein in Weight Loss” chapter.) This strongly suggests that eating three meals per day is better than six for weight optimization.

Many people say they cannot go six hours without eating for any number of reasons, and some conclude they are hypoglycemic, which is true for some. But just because someone believes they cannot go that long does not invalidate how important it is for their health and longevity. For many of these people, it is just a matter of learning to fuel properly and even training themselves to allow more time between meals. Interestingly, some people are diagnosed with hypoglycemia because of years of improper fueling, resulting in tired adrenal glands. The conventional medical approach to hypoglycemia is to eat more frequently, which tends to further exacerbate the problem—a vicious cycle for sure. The conventional medical approach to treating pre-diabetes and diabetes is equally maddening. For those of you who are dealing with these conditions, I want to tell you there is hope beyond your doctor’s office. I have seen it and firmly believe that many blood sugar issues, including hypoglycemia, type 2 diabetes, and Syndrome X, can be reversed through diet and lifestyle changes.

KC Craichy
Author
The Super Health Diet

SuperHealth Challenge Tip!

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Posted on 9th February 2012 by admin in Super Health

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Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid. The thyroid resets metabolism every few days in response to the amount of calories ingested. A slowed metabolic rate is like the car at a traffic stop that is sputtering to stay running. When one goes on a low calorie diet for several days without the right amount and proportion of essential nutrients, including protein, the thyroid will reset to “starvation mode” or a state of lower energy expenditure. The goal is to keep your metabolism running strong by optimizing nutrition even while on a low calorie diet and not signaling a metabolic slowdown.

Catabolic means to “break down” and is the opposite of anabolic, which means to “build up.” Simplified, catabolic is when blood levels of amino acids, sugar, and other nutrients have been depleted and the body has need for fuel or repair. The body then sends hormonal signals to release stored nutrients and to break down tissues to acquire any other needed raw materials. Catabolic hormones include cortisol, glucagon, adrenaline, and other catecholamines (“fight-or-flight” hormones released by the adrenal glands in response to stress). The body feeds off itself for raw materials if they are not otherwise available.

Metabolic adjustment and catabolism serve important functions within the body; however, it is critically important for them to be optimized. You want to maximize your resting metabolic rate and minimize catabolism. Catabolism of stored fat is very desirable, but loss of muscle and lean body mass is not.

Noralyn Mills, R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, states that when we feed our body at regular intervals, we send a signal to our body that it doesn’t have to store calories, but when we skip meals, we affect the metabolism negatively. “But,” she also specifies, “this can be accomplished with three regular meals a day for many of us.” The reality is that most people would be far better off skipping a meal than eating what they typically eat.

When looking at digestion speed of various foods and how the endocrine system works best, it would seem that eating three meals per day allows for normal digestion time and optimal endocrine function. Eating too often can cause digestive congestion and chronically higher blood sugar and insulin levels that can lead to diabetes, Syndrome X, and virtually every other disease you can name.

KC Craichy
Author
The Super Health Diet


Holiday Health Challenge Tip!

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Posted on 29th December 2011 by admin in Holiday Health Challenge

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Before we look at the Super Health 7 exercise system, here’s why strength building is so crucial. First of all, without resistance exercises, studies tell us that between the ages of 20 and 30 we begin to lose muscle, and this continues with aging. Loss of muscle slows our body metabolism, leading to fewer calories burned naturally by the body.

Keep in mind that one pound of muscle is thought to burn about 35 calories a day! So, typically, as we age, we lose muscle and gain fat simultaneously, often without noticing it. We may eat the same number of calories and just keep adding the pounds, because of the change in our body composition and progressive loss of digestive efficiency.
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