Research has been linking common household chemicals, known as obesogens, with obesity. The link was first discovered in the 1970s when low exposure to certain chemicals caused weight gain in laboratory animals. Today, researchers have discovered that there are many chemicals in our environment that promote weight gain in the body.
How? There are many different ways that obesogens affect weight gain including the ability to influence the number or size of fat cells, and disrupting hormones that affect appetite or satiety.
Common Items in Your House Where Obesogens can be Found:
- Air fresheners
- Laundry detergent
- Processed Foods (Monosodium Glutamate (aka MSG))
- Conventionally grown produce (Pesticides)
- Plastics (BPAs)
What can you do to avoid obesogens and other hormone-disrupting chemicals? Probably a lot of the things you are already doing at home such as eating organic when possible, avoiding plastics, limiting your consumption of processed and canned foods, avoiding fragranced products and seeking out products free of BPAs, phthalates and other common chemicals of concern.
Ah, ha!
One of the most fascinating pieces of research I've read about obesogens links these chemicals to increased rates of obesity in our children. During pregnancy, the effects of obesogens can be transferred to the child. Fascinating stuff! There's more about this and other aspects of this topic in this informative article (link below) available on PubMed. It includes links to references if you'd like to dig a little deeper into this topic.
For a great read into this topic, check out this article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279464/
My Confession:
We made a movement in our house to avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals when I was pregnant with my first child about a half decade ago. Yet, sometimes a fragranced or plastic product sneaks it way back into our house. It's great to clean-up your lifestyle after reading an article or blog with research-backed information...but, don't forget to re-clean regularly. This spring when you do your annual spring-clean-up take a moment to consider how "clean" each household item is and ditch the "dirty" ones.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Meatless Mondays: Easier than You Think
[Reprinted from Health First Network Flyer - February 2014]
By Allison Tannis BSc MSc RHN
It’s a global phenomenon worth being a part of. Meatless
Monday is an initiative to encourage people to eat less meat to better their
health and the environment. The concept is to not eat meat one day a week. Why?
One day is about 15% of a week – the exact percentage of saturated fat (found
in animal products) that should be lowered in our diet according to the Surgeon
General.
Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney have
helped increase awareness about the health and environmental benefits of going
meatless. Since its revival in 2003, awareness and active participation in
Meatless Monday has spread reaching countries around the world including Israel,
Japan, Brazil and Norway.
Meatless Health Benefits
Going meatless is easy on your body. Nutrition experts have
been encouraging us for years to cut down on how much saturated fat and
cholesterol we eat and to increase our consumption of plant-based foods
(vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds). This meatless movement is fueled by a
growing number of research studies concluding that eating less meat has health
benefits.
Meatless meals may lower your risk of some diseases. In
2012, British researchers reviewed evidence for vegetarian and low-meat diets
and reported both were linked with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and
type 2 diabetes. They also found that evidence suggests eating processed meat
increases the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. In
conclusion, the researchers suggest eating a meatless diet (vegetarian) or a
diet that focuses on plant-based foods but still involves eating some animal
products.
A vegetarian diet may be a hidden fountain of youth. A large
study, called the Adventist Health Study 2, involving over 73,000 people ages
25 and older looked to find links between diet and the causes of death and
disease. The researchers found that vegetarians (including vegan, lacto-ovo-,
pesco- and semi-vegetarian diets) were 12% less likely to die from cardiovascular
disease, diabetes and kidney disease compared to non-vegetarians. There is
compelling evidence for all of us to include some meatless days in our diet. In
fact, the American Heart Association, National Cancer Institute and World
Health Organization recommend various versions of meat-less diets.
Whoa, men – there’s more! The researchers of the Adventist
Health Study 2 found the beneficial associations between a vegetarian diet and
mortality were stronger in men than women. Perhaps its time to re-think tailgating
with beef-covered barbeques and other man-hood ties between men and meat.
Quick Meatless Swaps
When going meatless it is important to seek out certain key
nutrients in meatless alternatives to avoid any nutrient deficiencies.
Calcium: Swap dairy products for fortified dairy-free milks
(soy, rice, almond), which contain about the same amount of calcium as dairy.
Calcium is also found in beans, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin B12: Swap animal meat and eggs for fortified
breakfast cereals, veggie burgers and vitamin B12 supplements.
Protein: Swap your meat-based protein for these protein-rich
plant-based foods: beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts.
Environmental Impact of a Meatless Day
Going meatless is easy on the environment. According to
experts, getting meat onto your plate takes a toll on the environment. The
United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-fifth of
the man-made greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the meat industry. Meat
production also appears to use a lot of water: producing one pound of beef requires
an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water compared to 220 gallons for the
same amount of soy tofu. Estimates also suggest it takes almost twenty times more
fossil fuel energy to produce beef than plant-based protein.
There are no exact statistics on vegetarians in Canada but
statistics out of Britain and the United States suggest about two percent of
the population is vegetarian. But, going meatless doesn’t mean you have to be a
vegetarian. Experts have shown that even just as little as adopting Meatless
Monday’s into your lifestyle has many healthy benefits to your body and the
environment. Not sure where to start your meatless menu? Try a bean-based soup,
a meatless chili or vegetable pizza for dinner.
Recipe: Black Bean and Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced bell
peppers
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3 cups (or cans) of black beans
5 cups of vegetable broth
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cups finely shredded fresh spinach leaves
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in onion,
bell peppers and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Add the beans,
broth, spices, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until beans and
vegetables are tender. Season the soup with vinegar. Add spinach and simmer for
5 about minutes or until leaves are wilted and cooked. Serve and enjoy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
References:
McEvoy CT et al. Vegetarian diets, low-meat diets and
health: a review. Public Health Nutr 2012 Dec;15(12):2287-94.
Meatless Monday
Orlich, MJ et al.
Vegetarian dietary patters and mortality in Adventist Health Study 2. JAMA
Intern Med. 2013 Jul 8;173(13):1230-8.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23836264
Friday, May 9, 2014
The 100 Best Anti-aging Foods for your Skin
Read all about it in "Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles" - By Allison Tannis BSc MSc RHN
Eat your way to firmer, more beautiful skin with the 100 best anti-aging foods. A great gift for every mom...and, this mom knows...sadly every mother's day its apparent that as the kids shoe sizes keep growing so do the wrinkles around my eyes. Here are some tips to help with those wrinkles while you enjoy of the adventures that make motherhood so worth it.
Available at Chapters/Indigo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon...
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