I once ran a 10K on St. Patrick’s day. At the finish line, rather than bagels and bananas and bottled water, we were greeted with a beer tent and each given three tickets for big plastic cups of Guinness. I’ve heard of carb loading before and after a race, but never thought about beer as being part of that concept. Maybe I should change my mind?

A recently released study proves that moderate female drinkers, those who imbibe more than 45 drinks a month (which seems like a lot of drinking, although it really only averages out to just shy of 1.5 glasses of wine a night) exercised 14 more minutes per week on average than those light drinkers who drank one to 14 drinks in the month. These women also reported exercising on average 20 minutes more than those who abstained from alcohol altogether. Also, drinkers of both sexes were 10 percent more likely than their sober peers to exercise vigorously in any given week.

Even more interesting, those who don’t drink alcohol and don’t exercise have a 30-49% increased risk of heart disease than those who either drink, exercise or both. I wonder what the correlation might be? After all, I’d assume that people with heavy exercise habits would also have a clean record of healthy living. It seems counter intuitive to spend hours at the gym and then kill the effort with alcohol intake. It could be that those who drink feel a need to burn off the extra calories, or maybe a person might chose to exercise just so they can drink a bit more.

It could be that those with an aggressive exercise habit are thrill seekers and the alcohol helps to fill that need. It could be the “runner’s high” that many report feeling with exercise, and the feelings you get when you drink are similar. Or it could just be coincidence – but it surely does make for an interesting topic, doesn’t it?

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

It has long been thought that it’s not just what you eat but when you eat that has an effect on gaining weight. A new study reaffirms this.

Researchers fed mice a high-fat diet during the normal time they ate. Those mice gained about 20 percent of their weight over a six-week period. But, when the researchers fed other mice the same diet, but during the time that they would normally be sleeping, those mice put on 48 percent of their weight.

While these results need to be duplicated in a human study, the researchers believe that the results will be the same.

The popular slogan “calories in/calories out” to describe how you lose weight via a calorie deficit may be oversimplifying it a bit.

“How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it clearly is not just calories in and calories out,” says the study’s leader Fred Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University. “We think some factors are under circadian control. Better timing of meals, which would require a change in behavior, could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity.”

More research is certainly needed. Not just because the findings need to be duplicated in a human study, but a similar study involving monkeys concluded that late-night snacking didn’t cause extra weight gain.

The difference between the studies may hold the key.

In the monkey study, only a portion of the monkeys’ food that they ate was eaten at the time that they should be sleeping. A bit like late-night snacking. But, in the mice study, their whole diet was consumed when the mice should have been sleeping.

When you think of soup, do you think of a health food or a heart attack? Believe it or not, most people consider soups to be more harmful to health than beneficial. But I’m here to help soup reach its full potential and earn its way back on your “health hero” list. In this post, I’ll explain the pros and cons of soups and I’ll show you how you can enjoy a bowl of healthful goodness no matter what your time availability or cooking skill level.

The Pro: A nutrition boost! Soups can be a wonderful way to get more veggies, fiber, and plant-based protein in your diet. Soups made with low-sodium broth, veggies, beans, and lean protein have a lot of nutrition to offer for 100-200 calories per serving.

The Con: Most people worry about the sodium content of soups so they avoid them altogether. The reality is you have room in your sodium “bank account” for about 600-700mg of salt per meal. If you generally eat a healthy breakfast and lunch then you have room for a soup-salad combo at dinnertime every once in awhile.

The Pro: Makes meals last longer. Did you know that one of the keys to weight management is making meals last 20-30 minutes? That’s the time needed for hunger hormones to get the message that you’re eating and starting to feel full. Hot soups take some time to eat, so by starting your lunch or dinner with a modest one cup serving, you’re adding about 10-15 minutes to meal time.

The Con: No downside to this one! If you’re a 5-minute-meal eater, this is an easy way to start your new weight loss plan, by simply slowing down your eating pace. Instead, speed up your walking or running pace!

Soup-er Short Cuts

If you don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen, you can still have soup that tastes like you did. Here’s a way to get a nice big pot of steaming soup ready in no time.

• Start with a large pot or dutch oven.
• Place a quart of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock or broth.
• Combine a 16 ounce bag of frozen vegetables. Anything will do. Use mixed veggies for a standard vegetable soup or try something like spinach.
• Add in one can of rinsed and drained beans. Again, any kind will do, but cannellini, white beans, or kidney beans work best.
• Sprinkle in some black pepper and any of your favorite herbs and spices. Try some red pepper flakes for some subtle “heat.” If you have fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, save them for adding at the very end of cooking.

How to Find a Healthy Convenience Soup

• Bravo for broth. Look for a broth-based soup over cream-based soups, which will be high in artery-clogging saturated fat.
• Say “whoah” to sodium. Some soups at the grocery store can have a half-day’s worth (1000mg) of sodium in a single serving! The good news is there are many low- and reduced-sodium soups available. I recommend looking for a soup with less than 600mg sodium per serving.
• Believe in beans and veggies. Look for soups made with beans and legumes like black bean, lentil and split pea soups. They will have more protein and fiber than other soups, which will help you feel full and satisfied. Any veggie-based soup, whether it’s vegetable barley, roasted red pepper, or butternut squash, will offer vitamins and minerals.
• Love your label. You wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans without knowing who made them so give your groceries the same label love. Flip the can before sticking it in your cart to make sure the calories, sodium, and saturated fat are low and the protein and fiber are high. Avoid soups that say “creamy,” “cream of,” or “bisque” unless the saturated fat is really low on the label (less than 3-4 grams per serving).

Also, check-out the healthy soup recipes right here at DietsInReview.com, including:

Artichoke Soup

Hearty Zucchini Soup

Mom’s New Beef Stew

Peter’s Grill Vegetable Soup

Tomato Pesto Soup

Now it’s your turn to sound off. What’s your favorite way to do soup? Have any ideas for making a cream soup healthier?