Archive for March, 2009
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
Okay- so I am just like all of you. I have my good days and my bad. I was so on track with the gym until I had to go to DC for a conference last week. Work was so crazy that I skipped the gym three days in a row. And then I got laryngitis. I couldn’t speak at all; my husband was thrilled!  I don’t believe in working out while sick so I gave my body the rest it needed to heal. And now I am healed. Time to get back to the gym…
I think I snoozed 14 times this morning. I really didn’t want to get up. It is amazing how easily you can get out of your usual routine. When I am on a working out regimen, I love it. I actually look forward to sweating all my stress out. But take a few days off and, poof, the desire to exercise evaporates.
That’s what happened this morning. I lay in bed thinking of every possible excuse not to work out. I had work to do. I needed to write another blog post. I needed to return phone calls. I had to run those errands I never have time for. And on and on it went. Until I dragged myself out of bed and into my exercise clothes.
Usually, in this situation, once I get to the gym, I am fine. Not today. Every second of my favorite class was torture. I don’t think my eyes strayed from the clock on the wall. Twice I thought about walking out.
But I didn’t. I stuck it out. And when class was (finally) over, something miraculous happened. I felt great! My endorphins were flowing and my heart was pumping. I was so glad that I had worked out. Even better, I started to look forward to tomorrow’s workout. I don’t see patients on Wednesdays so I have a little extra time for the gym. I am going to take a spin class and then a yoga class. I can’t wait.
Not only that, my desire to eat healthy returned. Yesterday, I couldn’t force myself to eat my usual healthy lunch. I was craving carbs. Today, I grabbed a california roll made with brown rice and some seaweed salad. There was no way I was going to blow my workout by stuffing my body with garbage.
The bottom line: push yourself to get to the gym. I promise that after a workout or two, you will start to look forward to it. Your body will even start to crave the exercise. Give it a chance… you won’t regret it.
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Tags: exercise, fat, heavy, nutrition, overweight, weight loss, willpower, working out
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Monday, March 30th, 2009
In many cultures, including our own, a chunky baby is considered a healthy baby. Even I, a child obesity expert, was proud of my infants’ fat rolls, taking them as a sign that my body was providing all the milk my baby needed to grow strong. As a general pediatrician, I have seen many nervous parents worried that their newborns were too thin. I almost never saw parents who were worried that their baby was too chubby.
Yet now, researchers are warning that babies who gain weight rapidly in the first six months of life are at a much greater risk of becoming obese toddlers.
According to a new study in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, rapid weight gain in early infancy is a more important indicator of future obesity than how much a baby weighed at birth, the weight of the infant’s parents, or the number of pounds mom gained during pregnancy.
“The perception has been that a chubby baby and a baby that grows fast early in life is healthier and all the baby fat will disappear,” said the paper’s lead author, Dr. Elsie Taveras, an assistant professor in Harvard Medical School’s ambulatory care and prevention department. “But (that) is not the case.”
More interesting, the finding held even for premature babies and babies who were underweight at birth!
One caveat to the study: the kids were only followed for three years. It would be interesting to see what happens to these children throughout the next decade of their lives.
So what can we do to prevent our babies from gaining too much weight in their first six months? I can tell you one thing you must not do; do not put your baby on a diet. Let me say that again. Do not jump to what seems to be the obvious conclusion. IT IS NOT SAFE TO PUT A BABY ON A DIET!
But maybe we can teach parents to better understand their babies’ cues. Babies do indicate when they are no longer hungry. Babies often turn their heads away when they are satiated. Yet many parents still try to get the last few ounces in. Perhaps parents can stop the feeding at the first sign of this cue. If the baby is, in fact, still hungry, she will let you know; your baby will cry, fuss and show ‘rooting’ behaviors. If that occurs, feel free to start to feed again. Parents must give up their preconceived notions of how much a baby should drink at each feeding.
Breastfeeding is another way to prevent too much weight gain. While it is not impossible to overfeed a baby while breastfeeding, it is less likely. Breastfed babies are better able to control their intake because parents have no way of determining exactly how much their baby is drinking. Even breastfed babies give cues when they are done feeding. A breastfed baby will come off the breast when hunger subsides. But I remember, while breastfeeding my own kids, thinking that they hadn’t been feeding long enough to be done. I worried that they hadn’t yet reached the nutrient-rich ‘hind milk’. So I would put them back on the boob. We need to rethink this knee-jerk reaction. If a baby comes off while breastfeeding, moms should wait before trying to feed again. As with the bottle-fed baby, if he is still hungry, he will let you know!
I hope this study causes us to rethink our attitudes toward bigger babies. Parents of normal-weight babies should not worry that their babies are too skinny and therefore unhealthy. Parents must not strive for the chubby baby that has become our society’s ideal. It’s time to change our understanding of what makes a healthy baby!
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Tags: child diet, Child Obesity, child weight gain, chubby baby, healthy baby, infant feeding, infant nutrition, obese baby, obese child, obese toddler, overweight baby, overweight child, overweight infant, overweight toddler, toddler obesity
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Sunday, March 29th, 2009
<a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/7246fskaey” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>
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Thursday, March 26th, 2009
www.DrWeigh.com
Scientists are now talking about a new class of people at risk for heart disease; they are called the ‘skinny obese’. Perhaps you know somebody in that category? The skinny obese eat whatever they want without gaining weight. The skinny obese stay skinny without working out. (I usually call them something else but I can’t mention that here.) But while many consider these people ‘lucky’, Mayo clinic researchers consider them ‘at risk’.
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have discovered that too much body fat is associated with early signs of heart disease, regardless of whether a person is considered overweight. Sometimes, the scale lies! Mayo Clinic cardiologist Franciso Lopez-Jiminez, M.D. calls this syndrome ‘normal-weight obesity’. Skinny people should not assume they are healthy just because they fit nicely into their jeans!
There are many people with normal BMIs who have too much body fat. A study at the NIH looked at data from over 2,000 normal-weight adults and found that almost half had too much body fat! And those normal-weight adults with too much body fat were much more likely to have diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related abnormalities than normal-weight adults with normal body fat levels.
It seems that the internal fat that sits around the vital organs (and which can’t be seen from the outside) is even more dangerous than the external fat that sits under the skin (and is more obvious). So you really can’t judge a book by its cover!
A study from the Imperial College in London found that people who maintain their weight through diet had more dangerous, internal fat than those who maintained their weight with exercise.
The most dangerous part of all of this? Skinny obese people mistakenly think they are healthy and aren’t as careful as they need to be. Thin people can get heart attacks and diabetes!
All of these studies confirm what many have know for a while; fat but active people may be healthier than skinny obese people! “Normal-weight persons who are sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese persons who are active and fit,” said Dr. Steven Blair, an obesity expert at the University of South Carolina.
Remember, the goal is to be healthy, not just thin. And studies are showing if you want to be healthy, you absolutely must exercise!
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Tags: body fat, Child Obesity, obese, obesity, overweight, skinny, weight loss
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Just a few words on how much I love Fiber One Bars. They are the perfect afternoon snack- filled with fiber, protein and good taste. My favorite kind is the Oats and Chocolate!
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
http://www.DrWeigh.com
What is the worst diet mistake that many parents make for their kids? Skipping breakfast!
Eating breakfast refuels your body and replenishes your blood sugar levels. If you want your car to go, you have to put gas in it. Breakfast is the gas that gives children the energy they need to last all day long. Breakfasts that combine protein, calcium, and fiber rev the metabolism, which, for most kids, has been dormant for ten hours or more after a night of slumber. Kids who eat breakfast daily not only do better in school, but maintain—or even reduce—body weight and reap the benefits of overall good health.
According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast are more likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination. They may also be more alert and creative, and less likely to miss days of school. Breakfast eaters also have better muscle strength during the morning. Kids who eat breakfast tend to have lower weights than kids who skip breakfast. These kids also tend to be less hungry throughout the day!
Many dieters skip breakfast in order to ‘save’ the calories. This thinking is flawed because studies show that those who skip breakfast wind up taking in MORE calories throughout the day than those dieters who start the day with a substantial meal. Skipping breakfast sets your body up to feel hungry throughout the day. And as we all know, hungry dieters often make poor choices!
Skipping breakfast also puts your child’s body in a mini-starvation mode. When the body thinks it is starving, it will do anything it can to hold on to calories. First, the resting metabolic rate is lowered. This means that your child burns fewer calories all day long. Second, the body starts to break down muscle mass for energy. When your child does finally eat something, the food is immediately turned into fat to help last through the next ‘famine’! This pattern sets your child up for weight gain and obesity.
On days when the family sleeps late, have to-go breakfasts planned. Busy schedules run on the energy and nutrients found in a healthy breakfast. Fiber One bars, cheese sticks, or yogurt can be packed in a backpack and eaten on the bus or before class.
Planning is the key to breakfast. When you know your morning will be hectic, plan breakfast the night before. Don’t wait until the last minute.
Give your child the edge he/she needs to have the most productive and happy day possible. Start each day with a healthy breakfast!
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Monday, March 23rd, 2009
testing post entry
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Saturday, March 21st, 2009
www.DrWeigh.com
Is ‘added fiber’ as beneficial as the fiber naturally found in foods? Marketing campaigns certainly seem to indicate so. Ever since fiber became the new nutritional savior, companies are adding it to just about everything, even water! Consumers are unaware that this added fiber does not have all the benefits of natural fiber.
The fiber that is added to foods is called ‘functional fiber’. Functional fiber does not have the same properties as the fiber found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Companies have invested lots of money into producing these new fibers and many of them have not been well-studied.
Natural dietary fiber is divided into two categories: soluble and insoluble. The soluble dietary fibers becomes viscous in water and lowers cholesterol by escorting it out of the body. Lower cholesterol levels help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Insoluble fibers add stool bulk and promote regularity. Insoluble fiber is not digested in the stomach or small intestine. They get transported to the large intestine where they have their main effects. Bacteria ferment the fiber causing an increase in the acidity of the large intestine. This increased acidity leads to many health benefits, including a decrease in inflammation, an increase in immune function and increased calcium and mineral uptake. Further, many illness-causing pathogens don’t tolerate the acidic environment and die before causing disease. Fiber in the large intestine also helps to add bulk to stool, helping to decrease constipation.
Functional fiber is a nondigestible carbohydrate that has been shown to have some benefits yet studies are not clear. By definition, functional fiber is fiber that is extracted or isolated chemically or some other way. Like soluble fiber, functional fibers are often soluble in water but they are not always ‘sticky’ and therefore can’t lower cholesterol levels the way that soluble fiber can. Functional fiber does seem to increase stool bulk and help prevent constipation. Functional fibers have names such as inulin (from chicory root), polydextrose, resistant maltodextrin, oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides and methylcellulose.
According the the American Dietetic Association, consumers should get fiber from a variety of sources. The ADA maintains that fiber found in natural foods is superior to ‘added’ or ‘functional’ fiber. More studies must be done to fully determine the difference.
Marketing campaigns are extremely misleading. They imply that these added fibers are equal to natural fiber. Even the nutrition label is no help; functional and natural fibers are lumped together under the dietary fiber category.
The basic idea is that while it is okay to get some of your fiber from these added sources, it is not okay to get all of your fiber from added sources. The key is variety. Try to get your fiber from a bunch of different sources.
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Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh: Learn how your child can lose weight… today!
Children in America eat way too much sugar each day! Much of the sugar is obvious. Cookies, candies and cakes clearly contain sugar. Sugar cereals and soda are other large sources of obvious sugar. But there is lots of sugar hiding in non-obvious food sources.
Even sugar-free pudding has sugar in it! The sugar is in the form of lactose, a natural sugar found in dairy products. So how can they advertise the product as sugar-free? Sugar-free simply means that there is no added sugar. It doesn’t mean that the food item is entirely free of sugar.
Why do we care about foods containing extra sugar? Eating too much sugar leads to being overweight, obesity, metabolic disorder, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Read on for some foods that contain hidden sugar; you will be surprised what you learn!
Foods That May Contain Hidden Sugar
Ketchup
Pasta sauce
Barbeque sauce
Peanut butter
Bread (White and Wheat)
Canned beans
Energy bars
Salad dressings
Granola
Bagels
Crackers
Vanilla soy milk
Canned sweet peas
Deli meats
Frozen pizza
When picking your food, be sure to look at the nutrition label. The grams of sugar on the label include both natural (healthy) sugars and the added (less-healthy) sugars. Obviously it is preferable to choose foods that contain natural sugars because they are usually found in foods that also contain vitamins and nutrients.
How do you know which type of sugar is in the food? Read the ingredient list. The trick is to look out for these sugar traps. If you see the following words on a nutrition label, the product contains sugar.
* Brown sugar
* Corn sweetener
* Corn syrup
* Dextrose
* Fructose
* Fruit juice concentrate
* Glucose
* High-fructose corn syrup
* Honey
* Invert sugar
* Lactose
* Maltose
* Malt syrup
* Molasses
* Raw sugar
* Sucrose
* Syrup
* Table sugar
How much sugar should a child eat each day? A good rule of thumb is to limit added sugar to less than 10 percent of total calories. Note that we said ‘added sugar’; this does not include naturally occurring sugars found in dairy products (lactose) and fruits (fructose).
Maximum Sugar Intake
|
Daily Calorie Intake
|
Grams
|
Teaspoons
|
|
1200
|
30
|
7.5
|
|
1500
|
37
|
9
|
|
1800
|
45
|
11
|
|
2100
|
52
|
13
|
|
2400
|
60
|
15
|
|
2700
|
67
|
17
|
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Monday, March 16th, 2009
Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh: Learn how your child can lose weight… today!
Probiotics are getting more and more attention these days but it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Are probiotics necessary for healthy children? Will probiotics help to prevent illness? Is it safe for a child to take probiotics? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the answers are sometimes, possibly, and yes. Read on to learn more…
More and more studies are supporting the use of probiotics to treat and prevent GI (i.e. stomach) problems in kids.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are harmless microbes that live in our body. These microbes are helpful because they take up space that could otherwise be used by harmful microbes. When we have plenty of ‘good’ microbes in our body, there is no room for the ‘bad’ microbes that could cause illness and disease.
How can we increase the number of probiotics in our bodies?
Probiotics are found in dietary supplements or in some of the foods we eat. Probiotics are naturally found in fermented foods, such as buttermilk, yogurt and sauerkraut. However, it is hard to get high enough doses just from eating these foods. Dietary supplements provide higher doses of probiotics and are usually more effective in treating/preventing illness.
Which are the best probiotics to take?
Lactobacillus GG, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces sp.
What diseases/illnesses can probiotics help treat/prevent?
Studies show that probiotics may help to prevent and treat many different GI disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, acute gastroenteritis, and antibiotic-related diarrhea. They may also help with constipation, eczema and pancreatitis.
What are some common side effects of probiotics?
So far, studies have not revealed major adverse effects of probiotics in healthy individuals, and long-term consumption also appears to be safe and well tolerated. However, there are case reports of severe side effects in severely debilitated, immuno-compromised children and in neonates.
Is it safe for my child to take probiotics?
Studies show that L acidophilus, Lactobacillus GG and Saccharomyces sp are safe for use in children if administered in appropriate doses. Studies have been done on children as young as one month of age (although I would wait until your child is older than that before starting him/her on probiotic supplements!)
How much should I give my child?
Studies have looked at doses from 1 million to 300 billion CFU units per day. Unfortunately, there is significant discrepancy in the literature as to the appropriate doses for children and doses vary between the different probiotics. Further, variations within the same product are broad because production usually is not standardized.
When should I give my child a probiotic?
Some doctors recommend giving a child a probiotic supplement daily. Other doctors suggest starting a probiotic when a child begins taking an antibiotic.
Why should I consider giving my child a probiotic when my child begins an antibiotic?
Antibiotics are useful because they kill the bacteria that cause infections and make us sick. Unfortunately, they also kill the ‘good’ bacteria (probiotics) that live in our bodies. Without these ‘good’ bacteria, our body is susceptible to infection from yeast and other harmful microbes. Giving a probiotic supplement when starting an antibiotic helps to replenish the supply of ‘good’ microbes that are being killed off by the antibiotic. Probiotic treatment should be continued for one to four weeks after resolution of symptoms from the initial infection.
How should I store my probiotic?
Be careful because some probiotics must be refrigerated and others should not be. Read the label carefully.
Should I give the probiotic with food?
Again, this varies based on the type of probiotic and the brand. Some can be sprinkled on food or dissolved in drinks but others must be given on an empty stomach.
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