Better U Blog
Facts versus Reality Look
We all have been told to go easy on the butter, and not to eat to many eggs or red meat because of the saturate fat or cholesterol. Now, I’m not saying to eat a stick of butter, a dozen eggs and 2lbs of steak every day. However, I do believe in all things in moderation, but this doesn’t mean that these animal products need to be eliminated from a diet completely in order to be healthy.
I also believe that the negative effects of sugar have been grossly hidden from the public eye. The negative impact that nutrient rich foods like grass-fed butter, cage-free eggs and grass-fed beef have been unfairly demonized throughout the years in order to make a few people’s pocket books fat, at the expense of our nation’s health and well-being.
Historical documents show that the sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat and cholesterol as the culprit instead. The sugar industry documents discovered by a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, and published JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that fifty years of research into the role of nutrition and heart disease may have been largely shaped by the sugar industry. The findings of this research have even shaped many of today’s dietary recommendations.
The documents discovered by the University of California researcher, show that a group called the Sugar Research Foundation, known today as the Sugar Association, paid three Harvard scientists $6,500, which today would be equivalent to $49,000, to publish a 1967 review of research on fat, sugar and heart disease. The studies selected in the review were strategically, and immorally handpicked by the sugar group. This article, which minimized the link between sugar and heart disease, and put the blame on saturated fat was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016.
The Sugar Research foundation sponsored its first Coronary Heart Disease research project in 1965, a literature review published in the New England Journal of Medicine, singled out fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of Coronary Heart Disease and downplayed evidence that sugar consumption was also a risk factor. The Sugar Research Foundation set the review of literature’s objective, contributed articles for inclusion, and received drafts. The Sugar Research Foundation’s funding and role was NOT disclosed in this research. In other words, the Sugar Research Foundation funded the research, strategically selected studies that would demonize fat and cholesterol rather than sugar as contributors to Heart Disease, then thought it would be a good idea to not let people know that they were funding the biased research, hiding their clear conflict of interests.
Funding from the food industry is not uncommon in scientific research. However, studies suggest that the funds tend to bias findings. An analysis of beverage studies, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, found that those studies funded by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, the American Beverage Association and the sugar industry were five times more likely to find no link between sugary beverages and weight gain than studies whose authors reported no financial conflicts.
Additional info can be found here from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
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Losing weight is simple right? Just move more and eat less, sounds simple enough. It is that simple, but if it were that easy 69% of Americans wouldn’t be overweight. Unfortunately, the SAD (standard American diet) style of eating coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has caused our nation to become embarrassingly overweight and unhealthy.
Imagine 2 people, one thinks short term and the other thinks long term. The two people want to see the view of the mountains better. They both get the idea to walk up the stairs of a building to get a better view. Person #1 walks up one flight of stairs, gets a little winded, feels their legs burning and stops at the 1st floor to see the view. The view is ok and it didn’t take that much work.
Person #2 knows that if she gets to the top floor that the view will be breathtaking. Person #2 doesn’t mind the burning in her legs as she climbs or the heavy breathing, because she knows that when she gets to the top of the 20 floors it will all be worth it, and she isn’t bothered by the pain and suffering. All she can think about is how great that view is going to be, she even picks up her pace as she gets closer.
Most people are like person 1 putting in a little effort to have a little bit of joy. The really successful people in this life are more like person #2 as they view life through a different lens and with a unique perspective.
If you ask person #1 about their experience they may say,” it sucked, I hate sweating and the view wasn’t even that great.”
Person #2 may say, “that view was awesome, but I wonder how the view looks from that taller building over there”, not even noticing the pain associated with climbing the stairs because they are focused on the long-term reward rather than short term pain needed to get there.
Let’s all be like person #2 and make the short-term sacrifices needed to achieve long term success and happiness.
I hear a lot of people saying things like, “I’m just not motivated to lose weight”. I believe that it is less about being motivated and more about just not executing the tasks necessary to achieve the end result.
Losing weight is more about cooking, grocery shopping, doing dishes, planning meals, and tracking your calories and weight.
Too many people get caught up in trying to find some magical diet, pill or workout instead of focusing on the behaviors that will get them closer to their goals.
Many people expect results too fast, and underestimate the amount of hard work and consistency it really takes to make a behavior change and improve their health.
I like to take on the way of thinking that most people are doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. Many people just aren’t sure who to trust when it comes to health, exercise and nutrition. The government regulations say to eat your whole grains, your friend from work says going keto is they way to go and your sister is convinced that the vegan lifestyle is the best path for success. Not to mention your co worker who praises CrossFit and paleo, or your cousin who says to just track your macros on an app and do some flexible dieting.
Who do we believe? Logic and reasoning can go a long way but it is important to note that some things are counter intuitive and may not make sense logically, yet scientific studies have opened our eyes to the truth.
If someone is giving your health advise a healthy balance of it making logical sense amd having some scientific evidence backing it. Then give it a try and see if it works for you. You will never know if something really works if you don’t give it an honest try.
I try not to get pulled to far into one side of an issue, I believe that the best situation is somewhere in between all the different approaches, aka the golden mean. Much like life, losing weight is a lot about making the right decisions over and over again.
Here are some main focal points that I think we can all benefit from focusing on to improve health and be at healthy weight and body composition.
- Understand that the number one thing you can do to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit
- This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to track your calories, but if you do track your calories accurately this will greatly improve your chances of success
- Once you have tracked your calories for months or years you will learn to eyeball things and estimate and you will intuitively know how much to eat.
- This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to track your calories, but if you do track your calories accurately this will greatly improve your chances of success
- Move your body
- You can undoubtably lose weight without exercise, but your diet will be very low in calories and all though you will make progress first, adding exercise to your routine will help you continue to lose weight and eat more food while still losing weight.
- Weigh yourself regularly
- You don’t want to develop an unhealthy relationship with the scale but you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
- Weight is an easy thing to measure and all though measuring bodyfat or blood work may give you more insight into how your body is really changing. As your weight goes down it is likely that your bodyfat will go down and your blood work will likely improve as well.
- You don’t want to develop an unhealthy relationship with the scale but you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
- Set some short- and long-term goals
- Focus on the daily tasks that will help you achieve your short-term goals
- Example: rather than focusing on how bad you want to lose 20 lbs, focus on the tasks of eating what you planned to eat and getting your 30 minutes of exercise each day.
- Hitting these checkpoints consistently will lead to achieving your short term and eventually long-term goals
- Example: rather than focusing on how bad you want to lose 20 lbs, focus on the tasks of eating what you planned to eat and getting your 30 minutes of exercise each day.
- Long term goal – lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks
- Short term goal – lose 2 lbs per week
- Tasks – eat 1500kcal/day + 30 minutes of brisk walking
- Focus on the daily tasks that will help you achieve your short-term goals
Often times we think too short term rather than long term. Sure, this salmon and broccoli doesn’t taste as good as chic filet, and going for a walk isn’t as fun as vegetating on the couch watching the bachelor. Sometimes you just have to do the thing that you don’t want to do in the moment knowing that it will pay off down the road.
Call Better U Today at 1-833-4-U-TODAY to set up a complimentary consultation with one of your expert health coaches and start improving your health and changing your life today. Start your journey today here!
Top 10 reasons why we don’t stick to new year’s resolutions
Reason 1: Giving up too Easily
It easy to get discouraged and lose interest while trying to achieve your resolution and giving up to easy is a trap that we can all fall into. By the time February rolls around the excitement wears off and that’s where the power of positive reinforcement comes into play helping you gain momentum and make continual progress. Setting smaller more achievable goals will put you on the path to success without getting discouraged.
Reason 2: Time Management
Too often you realize your resolution is a bigger time commitment that you originally thought. Rather than trying to accomplish it all at once, break it down in to easily manageable increments. “I resolve to walk 20 minutes every day”. The easiest way to lose weight is to make exercise a daily habit, not everyone has 2 hours to spend at the gym, but everyone can find 20 minutes in their day.
Reason 3: Financial Burden
Many people throw in the towel on their resolutions if it hits the pocket book too hard. Losing weight can sometimes require a gym membership. Rather than give up altogether, try being creative and find less expensive ways to accomplish your goals. Working out a park or going for a walk will help you burn the calories without killing your budget.
Reason 4: Unrealistic Resolutions
You may dream about being 75lbs thinner in 2 months, but setting unrealistic goals is setting yourself up for disaster. Its important to set a goal that is attainable is the time that you have set for yourself. Making a behavior change is a big deal and it requires a lot of self control and planning. Pick a goal that you are confident you can complete and stick with it. It’s always better to succeed at a smaller manageable resolution than one that is too lofty.
Reason 5: No Plan of Action
Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Failing to plan is planning to fail. The best resolutions are the ones that include a detailed plan of action. People set themselves up to fail because they commit to a resolution knowing full well that that they have no plans set in place to actually achieve it. Breaking down you bigger goal into smaller weekly goals keeps you motivated and each day you chip away edging closer to your desired end result.
Reason 6: Not Believing in Yourself
Self efficacy is the extent or strength of one’s belief in one’s own ability to complete tasks and reach goals. How confident are you that you can achieve your goal? Don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back once you have made some measurable progress. If your goal is to lose 3 lbs a week and you only lose 2, don’t beat yourself up. Look at what worked and what you could do better and continue to push forward and make progress.
Reason 7: Lack of Honesty
Are you genuinely committed to losing weight? Be honest with yourself the mistake people often make is choosing a resolution that they think they should do, rather than one they actually want to achieve. Don’t waste your time with things you should do, or you will likely be disappointed. Choose a goal that you truly want to achieve, and since you actually want to, you will be more likely to put one foot in front of the other and execute your plan of action towards your goal.
Reason 8: Poor Perspective
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, think of the next year as an opportunity to work on yourself throughout the year. Stop focusing on what you haven’t accomplished and start focusing on the task that lies ahead.
Reason 9 – Trying to do it on your own
Partnering with a health coach is a great strategy to achieve your new year’s resolution to lose weight. Health professionals can help make sure you have a sound plan for exercising, healthy eating and most importantly they can help hold you accountable and keep you on track.
At Better U today you get weekly check-ins with our expert health coaches where we equip you with everything you need to stay on the right path and lose weight each and every week.
Reason 10 – Getting on the wrong scale
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. At Better U today we do weekly accountability weigh-ins on our InBody 570 scale which gives you a detailed body composition analysis so you can see exactly where you are losing the weight from and whether it’s muscle, fat or a combination.
Many people may be actually improving their body composition, yet the number on the scale isn’t moving. This can be incredibly frustrating to someone using a traditional scale because based off their weight alone they may feel like they are failing and not making progress, when in fact they are making progress and actually improving their body composition.
Too many people give up on their goals, believing that they are not making progress when it could be that they are improving they just aren’t using the correct tool to measure the progress.
92% of people don’t achieve their New Year’s resolutions
Don’t be like most people, set up a complimentary consultation with one of our expert health coaches at Better U Today and achieve your new year’s resolution.
Call today (1-833-4-U-Today) or online at here to find out how you can get 1 week Free.
Learn about the connection of Sleep and weight loss
Failing to get enough sleep could be the biggest barrier holding you back from your weight loss goals. But how could sleep impact weight loss so much? When you are over tired your brain’s reward center becomes overactive and you find yourself looking something tasty that will make you feel good. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition observed that when people are deprived of sleep their late-night snacking increased, and participants were more likely to choose high-carb snacks.
Not only does starving yourself of sleep affect how your brain works, it also affects your hormone levels. Leptin and ghrelin are our two primary hunger hormones. Ghrelin is the signal for your brain that it’s time to eat. When you are sleep deprived, your body has specialized cells that line your stomach and pancreas which produces more ghrelin, causing you to want to eat more. Leptin, on the contrary signals your brain that you have had enough to eat and appetite is reduced. In a review of 18 studies researches observed that a lack of sleep led to increased cravings for energy-dense, high carbohydrate foods, due to the fluctuations in leptin and ghrelin. When you don’t get proper amounts of sleep, leptin levels drop giving your brain the signal to eat more food. In a sleep deprived state leptin and ghrelin work together creating a perfect storm of hormones that are working directly against you and your weight loss goals.
If leptin and ghrelin aren’t enough, cortisol and insulin also join forces against your best efforts to burn fat when in a sleep deprived state. The University of Chicago researchers observed that with only 4 days of insufficient sleep reduced participants ability to produce insulin, and also decrease insulin sensitivity by more than 30%. Insulin is in charge of many things in our body, bringing blood sugar levels down to a safe normal range is one the its most important functions. When your body doesn’t respond accordingly to insulin, nutrition partitioning is affected and your body has trouble processing fats form the bloodstream resulting in fat storage rather than utilizing that fat for energy immediately. Cortisol, our primary stress hormone, spikes when we don’t get enough sleep, this spike in cortisol signals your body to hang on to fat rather than oxidize it and utilize it for fuel.
The million-dollar question is how much sleep is enough, this number seems to be highly variable from person to person. Most people need 7-9 hours each night on average, some needing only 6 hours, and others needing as much as 10 hours. It’s not as important how much sleep you get each individual night, it is more about how many hours your get throughout the week. You can think of sleep like a gas tank, if your sleep gas tank is on empty you aren’t going anywhere. On the contrast if your tank is full, adding more sleep won’t be beneficial and would be the equivalent of overfilling a gas tank until it spills over. The good news is that someone who needs 8 hours of sleep each night, could get 7 hours during the week and sleep in on the weekend and actually make up for the lost sleep during the week if the total hours of sleep throughout the week are sufficient. On the weekend try going to bed with the sun and sleeping in naturally with no alarm, your body will autoregulate and wake you up when you are rested and have experienced enough quality sleep to thrive.
If you want to get down to the nitty gritty it’s not about how much sleep you get each night, or even how much sleep you get each week. What is most important is how many sleep cycles per week, each ~ 90-minute sleep cycle consists of light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. We need on average about 35 sleep cycles per week. This is where quality of sleep comes into play, even if you are getting enough sleep, if your sleep is being disrupted you may not be getting enough sleep cycles per week. Some individuals may take 110 minutes per sleep cycle and others may only need 75 minutes per sleep cycle, this can account for the variability in how much sleep each individual requires. If you are exercising vigorously you may need extra sleep to recover from the added stress form the intense exercise.
Now that we know why we need adequate sleep and about how much to get, let’s talk about things we can do to fall asleep easier and get better quality sleep. Caffeine has an 8-hour half-life, meaning if you have a 6 oz cup of coffee at 4 pm (300mg of caffeine) when midnight rolls around you still have 150mg of caffeine running through your veins. For people who are more caffeine sensitive, caffeine will loop around longer in their system and this may result in even more caffeine in there system late at night. However, people who are not as caffeine sensitive have an ability to process the caffeine faster and remove it from the bloodstream much faster, explaining why some people seem to be able to drink caffeine at night and still fall asleep. Beware though, just because you fall asleep doesn’t mean you don’t have caffeine in your system and it could be affecting your quality of sleep. Avoiding caffeine after noon is a good rule of thumb when trying to improve sleep, remember chocolate contains caffeine also.
Have you ever tried to wear out your kids by taking them to the park or the pool to play, hoping that it will send them into a slumber? Believe it or not the same theory works on adults, exercise increases melatonin a hormone produced by your pineal gland, which helps regulate sleep and wakefulness. Try building a brisk walk into your evening routine to improve sleep quality.
Some other strategies for improving sleep include avoiding bright lights close to bed, our bodies sleep wake cycle is regulated by our circadian rhythms and artificial light can disrupt our natural sleep-wake cycles cause disruption in sleeping patterns. Keeping the lights dim a few hours before bedtime and avoiding screen time before bed can help your body naturally signal that its time to sleep. Chamomile tea can have a calming and relaxing effect that can promote sleep, I like the habit of drinking chamomile tea before bed, I think of it as a cue for my body that its time to relax and fall asleep.
People who are overweight have an increased risk of sleep apnea and utilizing a CPAP machine can drastically improve sleep quality for these individuals. Regular exercise, avoiding too much caffeine and light before bed are great ways to improve sleep, also sleeping in on days off work and taking naps can be strategic ways of getting more sleep and losing more weight.
Learn more about Visceral Fat and how it may be hurting your sleep. Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com …
Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Learn more here.
Holidays are always tough for dieters, and Thanksgiving is usually the most difficult holiday for your weight loss journey. Well you are in luck as we have put together some helpful tips to support you through this holiday. We also have some yummy recipes for a thinner Thanksgiving and a healthier you. Good Luck!
Get active
Start ramping up your exercise routines in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. You can lose a few extra pounds going into the holiday, knowing that you are going to overeat and gain some weight. Go on a few brisk short walks the day of Thanksgiving, and do some extra exercise in the days after Thanksgiving to burn off those extra calories.
Be reasonable
Whatever your plan is, make sure it isn’t too extreme and it is realistic.
Focus on family and friends
You don’t need to eat to the point of discomfort to enjoy Thanksgiving, simply stop when you are full.
Chew some gum
Before and after dinner try chewing some gum to prevent from grazing and snacking.
Be mindful
It’s realistic to say “I’m going to indulge and enjoy myself, and I accept the fact that I will likely gain some body fat.” Rather than saying “I’m going to eat whatever I want, and pray for a Thanksgiving miracle”. Sadly, the miracle rarely happens!
Have a plan
Whether it’s to use moderation or bring healthier alternatives, go into it with a game plan and don’t stray from it.
Be the server and the dishwasher
Help serve food and clean up after this will keep you busy and can help prevent you from grazing before and/or after dinner.
Get rid of the leftovers
If you are hosting send high carb leftovers home with friends and family, this will prevent you from getting into the food that will hold you back from your weight loss goals.
Eat breakfast
Don’t starve yourself all morning, eating a healthy breakfast the day of Thanksgiving may prevent you from over eating. Also, a mid-morning coffee may help suppress your appetite as well.
Don’t eat too much
This is the most important, maybe you can try a little bit of your favorite dishes and fill up on protein and veggies to get the best of both worlds.
Watch what you drink
Drink plenty of water before during and after your thanksgiving feast to prevent over eating. Avoid drinking high calorie beverages. A great tip for wine drinkers is to fill a wine glass with ice and sparkling water and decorate with a few cranberries for color. This will help with feeling like a part of the festivities.
Eat slowly
This isn’t an eating contest, if it were I would suggest eating as fast as possible, since the main goal of Thanksgiving is to spend time with friends and family. Let the focus be on people rather and food.
Take it easy on the alcohol
Avoid over indulging on alcohol the day before and the day of Thanksgiving. If you do drink, use moderation and chose lower carb alcoholic beverages.
Know your triggers
Know yourself, if eating pie is going to trigger you to eat like a maniac, then avoiding it altogether may be the best.
Be Shifty
Shift some calories form the day before and after, its more about your weekly calories than your daily, use this concept in moderation.
Make healthier versions of Thanksgiving comfort foods
We have many low-carb and healthy Thanksgiving food alternatives. If you are interested in receiving them, please fill out our form here and we will email you a copy!
Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Learn more here.
Don’t be afraid of saturated and monounsaturated fat in your weight loss journey, they actually can help reduce your risk of stroke and early death, whereas too much carbohydrate puts you at an increased risk of early death.
Dietary fat intake is extremely important and greatly misunderstood. We need fat to properly process fat soluble vitamins, produce hormones, and they can help us feel full and help control our blood sugar. Consuming too much fat however, can cause us to be in a calorie excess which will lead to weight gain and other negative health consequences. Fat is the most calorie dense 
macronutrient containing 9 calories per gram, where fat contains 3.4 calories per gram and protein contains 4.3 calories per gram and alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. Calories from fat can add up quick and can hold your back from your fat loss goals.
Much like sodium and other nutrients, too little or too much fat intake may be detrimental to us. The key is finding that happy medium where we are getting enough fat to meet our dietary needs, but not too much that we are gaining unnecessary weight. Let’s get into the different types of fat.
- Saturated fatty-acids (SFAs) are solid in room-temperature (butter, coconut oil, red meat, dairy products). CONSUME IN MODERATION
- Monounsaturated fatty-acids (MUFAs) are liquid in room-temperature (olive oil, avocado). CONSUME IN MODERATION
- Polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs) are liquid in room-temperature (soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, margarine, etc). AVOID
- Trans fats – (fried foods, processed foods, pastries, ice cream) AVOID
Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and are essential for testosterone production. Increased intake of polyunsaturated fats suppresses testosterone, likely due to lipid peroxidation (oxidative degradation of lipids).
Previous studies have demonstrated that steroid hormone concentrations can be affected by the diet we consume. Individuals consuming a diet containing ∼20% fat compared with a diet containing ∼40% fat have significantly lower concentrations of testosterone. These studies indicate that the energy supplied by the different macro-nutrients has a significant influence on testosterone concentrations (1). In one study researchers found saturated fat, total fat, and monounsaturated fat had significant beneficial impacts on resting serum testosterone levels. Polyunsaturated fats were associated with lower testosterone levels (1).
In another study done in 18 countries on over 130,000 participants, researchers found high carbohydrate intake was associated with higher risk of total mortality, whereas total fat and individual types of fat were related to lower total mortality (2).
It appears that saturated fats and monounsaturated fats can help you live longer, and too much carbohydrate can increase risk of early death.
Learn more about Visceral Fat. Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Learn more here.
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1. https://www.physiology.org/doi/10.1152/jappl.1997.82.1.49
2. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(17)32252-3.pdf?code=lancet-site
The Problem
Obesity is the fuse and early death is the bomb.
According to a survey conducted in 2014, 33% of children in America are overweight, 78% of these children are classified as obese. Obesity amongst children is also associated with a number of different metabolic disorders, negative health outcomes, and behaviors including these listed below (1).
- High blood pressure
- Elevated blood triglycerides
- Type 2 Diabetes
- High Uric Acid levels
- Fatty Liver
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Disordered eating
- Declined school performance
- Social isolation
- Bullying/being bullied
- Metabolic syndrome
The Cause
A mismatch between activity levels and calorie consumption
There are many factors that can cause childhood obesity including but not limited to genetics, overeating, and lack of exercise. Some obese children seem to be carrying specific genes that may be making it difficult for them to achieve a healthy weight. Since early humans were exposed to periods of starvation, “thrifty genes” responsible for storing fat and reducing energy consumption have been conserved in the human genome (2). All though this genotype efficiently prepares people for periods of famine, it proves to be a detriment in first world societies where there is a constant abundance of food. In turn, this mismatch between the environment in which the brain evolved and the environment of today has led to widespread obesity (2).
Lifestyle choices such as overeating and lack of exercise are major drivers of childhood obesity. Another factor in childhood obesity is breast feeding, which appears to be correlated with lower rates of obesity compared to 
formula feeding. The association between childhood obesity and consumption of fast food, skipping breakfast, midnight snacking, playing video games, and screen time have also been well documented (2).
The Solution
Move more and develop a better relationship with food
The first step in solving this problem is determining if there is a problem. Getting BMI checked can be a starting point in this process. The next step is deciding to make a change, a good place to go from there is improving diet and moving more. Let’s take responsibility for our children’s health and teach them better eating habits, which will lead to a healthier relationship with food. It is important that we lead by example, children are very impressionable and if you are not eating healthy and exercising, why would your children? Let’s eat better and move more. One meal at a time, one day at a time, brick by brick, we can fight back against childhood obesity.
Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Learn more here.
For optimal weight loss, what you put in your body is just as important as what you keep out. Today we take a look at getting the right amount of potassium on a low-carb diet.
The word potassium comes from the term potash, which refers to plant ashes soaked in water in a pot, which was how potassium was manufactured prior to the industrial era. Potassium ions are vital for the functioning of all 
living cells and play a role in…
- hormone secretion
- blood pressure regulation
- movement of the digestive system
- ph balance
- glucose and insulin metabolism
- renal function
- fluid and electrolyte balance
The point is that potassium is a very important mineral that is involved in many of our bodies processes. The question is are you getting enough potassium? According to the 2010 USDA’s report on potassium intake of the 
US population, most of us are getting about half of the potassium that we need each day. The Institute of Medicine recommends 4700mg/day and the average American gets 2640mg/day (1). Many people are losing weight and improving their health through low carbohydrate diets in recent years. One issue here is that many of the best sources of potassium come from higher carbohydrate fruits and vegetables like potatoes, kiwi, and bananas.
Getting enough potassium takes some planning but once your get into a routine of eating certain high potassium staple foods it takes no effort at all. Potassium has a blood pressure lowering effect (2) and high blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for negative health outcomes (3). By consuming more potassium, you will likely reduce your blood pressure and put yourself into a position to live a longer and healthier life. So how do you know if your getting enough potassium? www.cronometer.com tracks vitamin and mineral content of foods, and this is a great tool to figure out what micronutrients your diet may be lacking. You don’t have to track your food intake every day, maybe once a week plug in your diet and see if you are missing any major micronutrients.
Potential Potassium-Rich Diet Plan
Below is an example of what 4700mg of potassium looks like on a low carb diet:
Bed 11:00pm – Wake 7:00am
Meal 1 8:00am
2 eggs
1 cup cooked spinach 574mg
½ red pepper 173mg
Meal 2 12:00pm
4 oz salmon 1089mg
1 cup cooked beet greens 1309mg
1/2 avocado 345mg
Meal 3 4:00pm
1 cup full fat Greek yogurt
1 oz almonds 220mg
Meal 4 8:00
4 oz bison burger 400mg
1 lettuce wrap 165mg
3 tomato slices 107mg
1/2 avocado 345mg
Final Stats:
- 4726mg/potassium total
- 167g/protein
- 55g/carbohydrate (27.6g net carbs)
- 83g/fat
- 1653 kcal
Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Get started today here!
Coffee and the affect it can have on weight loss.
Myth and legend has it that coffee was first discovered by a North African goat herder around 850 AD. The tale is that the herder observed his goats eating the red berries from a broad-leaved 
shrub. He then noticed that they were restless and highly active after, he supposedly brought the berries to his local medicine man, he declared them to be evil and threw the beans in the fire. The smell was so pleasant that the whole village gathered around to see what was causing such wonderful aroma, and the medicine man pulled the coffee bean ash out of the fire and brewed the first cup of coffee. There is no legitimate historical evidence to back it up, but it is an enchanting legend none the less.
Almost everyone is drinking it – Modern America seems to run off coffee, but this coffee obsession isn’t unique to the US, coffee is actually the 2nd post popular drink worldwide behind water. Coffee is also the most widely used psychoactive agent in the world. Even elite athletes are going crazy for caffeine, 74% of elite athletes consume it prior to competition (1).
The Pros
The main benefits of drinking coffee include improved weight loss, focus, mood, increased alertness, decrease pain, improved strength and athletic performance. Epidemiological studies have also shown that there is a relationship between coffee a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, suicide and all-cause mortality.
- Weight Loss – Caffeine consumption increases metabolic rate, energy expenditure, lipid oxidation, and thermogenic activities. It can also aid in weight loss and reducing the overall risk for developing metabolic syndrome. Consumption of 300 mg caffeine per day has been found to increase energy expenditure by approximately 79 kcal per day (2). That’s just under 30,000 kcal per year and the equivalent of about 8lbs of fat per year, over the course of 5 years that’s 40 lbs.
- Improved focus/memory – It isn’t clear by which mechanisms coffee improves the ability to recall information, but coffee consumption has been shown to improve subject’s ability to retain information, it is unclear whether this is due to an increase in focus or an improvement in memory (3).
- Improved mood –Studies have shown that doses of 200 to 250 mg of caffeine elevate mood (4).
- Increased alertness – Recent research showed that 250 mg of caffeine improved daytime alertness for at least 3 h in moderately sleepy subjects. Other studies indicate that caffeine can have significant effects on mood and performance, even at relatively low doses (4).
- Decreased pain – One research study observed that caffeine ingestion had a large effect on reducing leg-muscle pain during high-intensity exercise (5).
- Improved athletic performance – Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of caffeine’s ability to improve endurance-based performance. Significant enhancements in cycling, swimming and rowing have been reported following caffeine ingestion (1).
- Type 2 diabetes – There is a relationship between regular coffee intake and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (2).
- Parkinson’s – There is a relationship between regular coffee intake and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (2).
- Cancer – There are numerous epidemiological studies relating coffee consumption to the risk of cancer, and there is currently substantial evidence suggesting that coffee may be associated with lower risk of some cancers (2).
- Suicide – These results from three large cohorts support an association between caffeine consumption and lower risk of suicide (6).
- All-cause mortality – The present meta-analysis of cohort studies indicated that light to moderate coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes (7).
The Cons
The main concerns with coffee consumption include disturbances is sleep quality, dehydration, inhibited calcium absorption, and increased LDL cholesterol, heart disease, caffeine dependence, and withdrawal symptoms (headache). Many of the negative effects associated with coffee consumption can be avoided.
- Sleep Disturbance – Caffeine has a 5-hour half-life meaning that if you drink 2 cups of coffee containing 400mg of caffeine at 5pm, when 10pm rolls around you likely have 200mg of caffeine still flowing though your bloodstream. Avoiding coffee after a certain time, say 2pm, may help alleviate the negative effects that it can have on sleep.
- Heart disease – The diterpenes found in coffee, not processed though a paper filter, appear to be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, use a paper filter to avoid this negative health outcome (8).
- Dehydration – In 1928 researchers observed an increase in urinary output when coffee was consumed, what they didn’t realize at the time that drinking any liquid will cause an increase in urinary output and this is not an accurate measure of hydration. Years later researchers looked deeper into this idea and found that caffeine does not have a dehydrating effect when compared to the control group (participants who received a placebo and did not consume any caffeine). The scientists also found that a higher dose of caffeine was no more likely to dehydrate a person than smaller doses were (9).
- Inhibited calcium absorption – Caffeine also can promote Ca2+ release but concentrations required to elicit these effects are one hundred times higher and unlikely to be reached by normal dietary use of caffeine (2). The effect that caffeine has on calcium absorption is negligible and not significant.
- Increased LDL cholesterol – The diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol, are the oils responsible for increasing LDL cholesterol, filtering through a paper filter removes the majority of the diterpenes, brewing coffee using a French press and Keurig doesn’t remove diterpenes, switching to a brewing method that utilizes a paper filter is a simple solution to this problem.
French press coffee contains relatively high levels of cafestol and kahweol (6–12 mg/cup), while filtered coffee contains low levels of cafestol and kahweol (0.2–0.6 mg/cup) (8).
A meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials examining the effect of coffee consumption on serum cholesterol concentrations found that the consumption coffee not filtered with a paper filter increased serum total and LDL cholesterol concentrations. While the consumption of filtered coffee resulted in very little increase in serum cholesterol. Coffee that is not filtered through a paper filter could pose a higher health risk than filtered coffee (8).
Caffeine dependence and Caffeine withdrawal headaches – Overtime the same amount of caffeine that use to pep you up may not have the same effect, many people seem to develop a dependency on caffeine over time as well as headaches when caffeine consumption stops or is drastically reduced.
Overall coffee is a tool that can be used properly or abused. It’s always better to try and get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and rely on those variables to give you energy. However, when life happens, you are short on sleep, and you need some quick energy, coffee can be a short-term solution.
The Better U Today program does allow you to consume coffee and we will educate on the proper the way to use this fuel for your weight loss goals. #betterUtoday
Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Get started today here!
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287559135_Acute_Effects_of_Caffeine_on_Strength_Performance_in_Trained_and_Untrained_Individuals
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261138831_Coffee_Biochemistry_and_potential_impact_on_health
- https://hub.jhu.edu/2014/01/12/caffeine-enhances-memory/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209050/
- http://users.clas.ufl.edu/msscha/premed/caffeine_musclepain.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213948/
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/association-of-coffee-drinking-with-allcause-mortality-a-systematic-review-and-
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12124404_Coffee_consumption_and_serum_lipids_a_meta-analysis_of_randomized_controlled_clinical_trials
- https://www.livescience.com/55479-does-caffeine-cause-dehydration.html
Below are some of the health benefits of using an infrared sauna that have been observed in recent scientific studies (1, 2).
- 40-60% pain reduction in arthritic participants
- Weight loss and improvements in body composition
- Improved sleep
- Reduced blood pressure
- Improved fasting blood glucose
Both traditional and infrared saunas have many health benefits, however Infrared saunas work much differently than 
traditional saunas. Infrared saunas heat up to 110-130 degrees Fahrenheit while traditional saunas are between 190-210. Many people find the lower temperature of the infrared saunas to be more relaxing and comfortable than the higher heat traditional saunas. Traditional saunas rely on heating the air which, heats the occupant through convection. An infrared sauna uses infrared elements which radiate heat that penetrates more deeply than traditional saunas causing the body to sweat more causing you to enjoy the many health benefits without having the discomfort of the extreme heat produced by traditional saunas.
The cardiovascular demand experienced during an infrared sauna session (sweating, vasodilation, increased heart rate, and increased cardiac output) is similar to that achieved by walking at a moderate pace. Not feeling motivated to exercise? A relaxing session in an infrared sauna will give you some of the same benefits without all the effort and motivation needed to exercise.
As infrared heat penetrates more deeply (about 3–4 cm into fat tissue and the neuromuscular system) than warmed air (only a few millimeters), users develop a more vigorous sweat at a lower temperature than they would in traditional saunas.
Numerous research studies show that regular use of Infrared saunas can be very relaxing and help reduce pain, improve body composition, improve sleep, reduce blood pressure, and improve fasting blood glucose levels.
All members of Better U today get full access to our infrared sauna as a part of our program, set up a consultation to day and begin losing weight right away.
Learn more about Better U today @ www.betterUtoday.com … Local or remote, Better U Today can you help you achieve your ideal weight quickly! Get started today here!
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2718593/
- https://healthmatesauna.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-Sauna- pdf
