Getting your daily dose of healthy bacteria through probiotic supplements like Bios Life® ProBionic may help you lose weight and prevent fat gain.
Probiotics, which are healthy bacteria that support the immune system and rid the digestive tract of harmful pathogens, have been used for years to treat conditions like constipation, diarrhea, and even ease the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Additionally, Jeffrey Gordon of the University of Washington has found another reason to increase your intake of probiotics as he linked unbalanced populations of gut bacteria to fat gain.
How Gut Bacteria Leads to Weight Gain
Gordon evaluated the makeup of bacteria in groups of slim or obese mice to find each population’s microbial environments differed greatly. The obese mice had a lower proportion of Bacteroidetes organisms to Firmicutes bacteria in their systems when compared to the skinnier mice.
But how does this variance in bacterial populations affect body composition and possibly lead to weight gain?
To answer this question, Gordon injected mice bred without gut microbial populations of their own with the gut microbes of either the obese or healthy mice, then noted any changes in body composition. The microbes from healthy mice caused a 25% body fat increase, while the microbes of obese mice caused an astounding 45% body fat increase.
But not only mice exhibit these differences: Gordon also found obese humans to have only 5% of Bacteroidetes in their systems compared to the 20% measured in healthy humans. As the obese individuals lost weight over the course of one year, the researchers measured a 300% increase in their Bacteroidetes populations.
So how does the composition of our gut bacteria affect our weight? Gordon postulated this change in gut flora ratios could be explained by the wider variety of enzymes available in Firmicutes bacteria. These enzymes allow the body to extract more energy from food.
For instance, while a lean individual with a high volume of “healthier” Bacteroidetes microflora would only extract 70 calories from an apple, an overweight person with more Firmicutes could extract more than 100 calories.
The more calories your body extracts from food, the higher your blood glucose levels will be after each meal. This is important for weight loss, because sharp peaks and valleys in your blood sugar will result in weight gain and insulin resistance!
The Solution: Supplement Your Diet With Probiotics
Gordon’s study clearly shows supplementing daily with a probiotic will deliver far more benefits than just increased digestive regularity.
Increasing your probiotic intake with a supplement like Bios Life® ProBionic allows you to develop healthy, balanced microbial populations. Over time, your body will be better able to rid itself of harmful pathogens, defend itself against the common cold and other viruses, and prevent excess glucose generation from the foods you eat.
But be wary of dairy products and yogurts claiming to provide sufficient doses of healthy bacteria! In order to get the same dose of healthy bacteria available in ProBionic, you would have to eat over five servings of Greek yogurt a day, which results in hundreds of excess calories from carbohydrates and sugars.
In addition, Live Active Cultures are not the same as probiotics and deliver little to no health benefits to your digestive system. Look for supplements that list the exact strains of probiotic bacteria to guarantee results!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Why counting on calories doesnt Work!
We’ve all heard the dangers of eating out. Portion sizes are astronomical, the calories unbelievable, and sodium and sugar content surprisingly high. But eating a fast food meal two or three times a week can’t really pose serious danger to our health, can it?
The results are in and the experts agree: we can’t really estimate the amount of calories we’re eating (or drinking), and calorie counts displayed on menus do not change what we decide to order. Yet it is still heralded as great progress against the obesity epidemic when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decides to ban sugary soft drinks!
The problem with eating out—and the clues to how we can enjoy an occasional restaurant meal without jeopardizing our personal health and weight loss goals—may lie outside the realm of counting calories and banning Coca-Cola.
Serving Sizes: What We Don’t Know
A recent study by Harvard Business School scholar Pierre Chandon aimed to measure how well people can tell how much soda they’re drinking and how many calories are in their fast food meals.
Chandon surveyed 294 people—including some professional dieticians—asking them to either estimate total ounces in soft drink cups or gauge calories in fast food meals. Nearly every participant guessed incorrectly, estimating 30% less capacity in the soft drinks and 20% less calories in the fast food meals on average.
If dieticians cannot properly gauge the calories in a fast food meal, how are we supposed to judge how many calories we’re eating and drinking? This is an important question, because until every restaurant, fast food chain, convenience store, and hot dog vendor displays nutritional information for their products in plain sight, we’ll have to make judgment calls about the foods we choose to eat.
These judgment calls, especially for those trying to lose weight, will revolve mostly around net carbohydrates and portion control. When eating out, Get Slim Now Transformation participants are encouraged to request nutrition information—by asking their server or looking it up online—in order to estimate net carbohydrates and protein content.
However, as one can imagine, eating out is often not conducive to a high-protein, low-carb, low-glycemic index diet, so moderation is the key.
Counting Calories: Does it Work?
Some research claims making consumers aware of calorie counts of fast food and restaurant meals will have little impact on their food choices. A yearlong study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that calorie counts listed on menu items of fast food restaurants in Seattle had no change whatsoever on the types of foods ordered.
Experts had expected to see a noticeable drop in the most calorie-dense foods, or at least higher sales for healthier items once caloric totals were posted. However, the researchers found little to no difference in the types and quantities of foods ordered during the one-year trial period.
There are many possible explanations for the results of the Seattle study: Some individuals are unsure about how many calories they should eat on a daily basis, while many other people may eat fast food as an occasional treat and do not place much precedence on picking low-calorie options.
There is certainly value in the once-in-a-while fast food meal, as is taught in the Get Slim Now Transformation. By indulging in one free meal each week, participants reset their metabolism and prevent their bodies from crashing, as cravings for foods they previously enjoyed frequently can take hold swiftly and strongly.
Do We Want to Know?
New research counters the common assumption that Americans just don’t care about what they eat. A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found 77% of Americans surveyed are in favor of having calorie labels for vending machines, convenience store items, supermarket foods, and movie theater treats prominently displayed.
This finding is interesting, because it provides proof that most people believe calorie labeling will make a difference—will help people make better eating choices—despite evidence that proves otherwise.
In fact, recent research shows more inherent value in weight loss programs that focus on the macronutrient composition of food, rather than regimens that merely limit calories.
This calls into question the purpose of legislation that will soon have every menu item in America labeled for calorie content; Calorie labeling may not help us lose weight at all, or make better eating choices, when science shows macronutrient value is more important to our health.
Not All Calories Are Created Equal
A 2003 study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that individuals consuming the same amount of calories per day had greater weight loss and fat burn when they ate high-protein, low-carb diets.
This study is conducive with the Get Slim Now Transformation, which works to limit net carbohydrates and increase protein consumption, rather than dramatically decrease caloric intake. Fitness professionals and bodybuilders have been operating in this vein for years, generally consuming at least 40% of calories from protein and limiting carbohydrates to around 100 grams per day.
Addressing the Problem
When discussing the ills of the fast food industry, health professionals and public officials alike seem to think the answer to the obesity epidemic is insisting individuals consume fewer calories than they normally do.
However, the research mentioned above clearly shows calorie counts on menus do not deter individuals from purchasing certain foods, even though most consumers are in favor of this type of nutrition labeling.
And even if consumers did start to limit caloric intake, it’s clear focusing on macronutrient content of foods—the amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and protein—is the best way to lose weight and balance blood glucose levels.
So how can we adhere to our weight loss goals when our busy lives have us eating out more often than we would like?
Get Slim Now Transformation combines the power of scientifically proven products and structured training to change the way you think and feel about healthy eating and exercise. As the mentioned studies show, we cannot rely on government regulations to push us to better health.
Rather, we need to harness our capacity for transformation and learn new behaviors that will keep us and our families healthy for life.
The results are in and the experts agree: we can’t really estimate the amount of calories we’re eating (or drinking), and calorie counts displayed on menus do not change what we decide to order. Yet it is still heralded as great progress against the obesity epidemic when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decides to ban sugary soft drinks!
The problem with eating out—and the clues to how we can enjoy an occasional restaurant meal without jeopardizing our personal health and weight loss goals—may lie outside the realm of counting calories and banning Coca-Cola.
Serving Sizes: What We Don’t Know
A recent study by Harvard Business School scholar Pierre Chandon aimed to measure how well people can tell how much soda they’re drinking and how many calories are in their fast food meals.
Chandon surveyed 294 people—including some professional dieticians—asking them to either estimate total ounces in soft drink cups or gauge calories in fast food meals. Nearly every participant guessed incorrectly, estimating 30% less capacity in the soft drinks and 20% less calories in the fast food meals on average.
If dieticians cannot properly gauge the calories in a fast food meal, how are we supposed to judge how many calories we’re eating and drinking? This is an important question, because until every restaurant, fast food chain, convenience store, and hot dog vendor displays nutritional information for their products in plain sight, we’ll have to make judgment calls about the foods we choose to eat.
These judgment calls, especially for those trying to lose weight, will revolve mostly around net carbohydrates and portion control. When eating out, Get Slim Now Transformation participants are encouraged to request nutrition information—by asking their server or looking it up online—in order to estimate net carbohydrates and protein content.
However, as one can imagine, eating out is often not conducive to a high-protein, low-carb, low-glycemic index diet, so moderation is the key.
Counting Calories: Does it Work?
Some research claims making consumers aware of calorie counts of fast food and restaurant meals will have little impact on their food choices. A yearlong study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that calorie counts listed on menu items of fast food restaurants in Seattle had no change whatsoever on the types of foods ordered.
Experts had expected to see a noticeable drop in the most calorie-dense foods, or at least higher sales for healthier items once caloric totals were posted. However, the researchers found little to no difference in the types and quantities of foods ordered during the one-year trial period.
There are many possible explanations for the results of the Seattle study: Some individuals are unsure about how many calories they should eat on a daily basis, while many other people may eat fast food as an occasional treat and do not place much precedence on picking low-calorie options.
There is certainly value in the once-in-a-while fast food meal, as is taught in the Get Slim Now Transformation. By indulging in one free meal each week, participants reset their metabolism and prevent their bodies from crashing, as cravings for foods they previously enjoyed frequently can take hold swiftly and strongly.
Do We Want to Know?
New research counters the common assumption that Americans just don’t care about what they eat. A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found 77% of Americans surveyed are in favor of having calorie labels for vending machines, convenience store items, supermarket foods, and movie theater treats prominently displayed.
This finding is interesting, because it provides proof that most people believe calorie labeling will make a difference—will help people make better eating choices—despite evidence that proves otherwise.
In fact, recent research shows more inherent value in weight loss programs that focus on the macronutrient composition of food, rather than regimens that merely limit calories.
This calls into question the purpose of legislation that will soon have every menu item in America labeled for calorie content; Calorie labeling may not help us lose weight at all, or make better eating choices, when science shows macronutrient value is more important to our health.
Not All Calories Are Created Equal
A 2003 study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that individuals consuming the same amount of calories per day had greater weight loss and fat burn when they ate high-protein, low-carb diets.
This study is conducive with the Get Slim Now Transformation, which works to limit net carbohydrates and increase protein consumption, rather than dramatically decrease caloric intake. Fitness professionals and bodybuilders have been operating in this vein for years, generally consuming at least 40% of calories from protein and limiting carbohydrates to around 100 grams per day.
Addressing the Problem
When discussing the ills of the fast food industry, health professionals and public officials alike seem to think the answer to the obesity epidemic is insisting individuals consume fewer calories than they normally do.
However, the research mentioned above clearly shows calorie counts on menus do not deter individuals from purchasing certain foods, even though most consumers are in favor of this type of nutrition labeling.
And even if consumers did start to limit caloric intake, it’s clear focusing on macronutrient content of foods—the amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and protein—is the best way to lose weight and balance blood glucose levels.
So how can we adhere to our weight loss goals when our busy lives have us eating out more often than we would like?
Get Slim Now Transformation combines the power of scientifically proven products and structured training to change the way you think and feel about healthy eating and exercise. As the mentioned studies show, we cannot rely on government regulations to push us to better health.
Rather, we need to harness our capacity for transformation and learn new behaviors that will keep us and our families healthy for life.
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