What Jean Likes

Another reason to really read the labels on your food before you eat it!!

I read this article and had to share. It's so important to read our food labels to know what we are really consuming!!

Article courtesy of Daily Mail

Does sugar make you stupid? Study suggests it sabotages learning and memory

Fructose is commonly added to processed foods such as soft drinks
It was found to hamper memory and slow brain activity

By CLAIRE BATES

PUBLISHED: 04:12 EST, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 19:08 EST, 16 May 2012

Stay off the sweet stuff: Fizzy drinks contain high amounts of fructose which slows the brain

Too much sugar could be making you stupid, according to researchers.

The suggestion follows tests in the laboratory comparing high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar and a common ingredient in processed foods, with omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid memory and learning.

In an experiment on rats, one group had a sugary diet for six weeks and another was fed healthily.

At the start of the study, published in the Journal of Physiology, the University of California team tested how well the rats navigated a maze – placing landmarks to help them learn the way.

Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall the route.

Study co-author Professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said the rats fed just a sugary diet were slower and their brains had declined.

He said: 'Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.

However, the good news is that eating nuts and fish such as salmon can counteract this disruption.

'Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,' said Prof Gomez-Pinilla. 'Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimise the damage.'

While earlier research has revealed how fructose harms the body through its role in diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, this study is the first to uncover how the sweetener influences the brain.

The researchers were studying the impact of high-fructose corn syrup on rats, who have similar brain chemistry to humans.

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Throwback Thursday

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Juicy

It seems like everywhere I look, someone is trying to sell their "health shakes" or "lose weight fast" pills and supplements. Whether it's the endless barrage of weight loss ads in commercials or infomercials or my old classmates and friends on Facebook, it seems like everyone is trying a new fad diet, a new shake or a new meal supplement program....and according to them, only their diet works. Funny how according to the ads, nothing else works but the one specific product the person uses. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure many of them have really lost weight due to the programs they are on mixed with a diet and exercise regime. I'm not cutting them down at all. In fact, I applaud them for making healthy changes for their lives.

As far as weight loss pills, supplements and lose weight fast schemes, I've tried them all. Some gave me the results I wanted but they were short lived. You see, the problem with a lot of the diets or supplements is that as soon as you stop doing it or stop taking the pills or drinking the shake, your body goes into shock and you gain some if not more weight back than you lost in the first place.

My most recent flirtation with diet pills and "weight loss systems" left me $200+ short and it didn't work. To be fair, I didn't do all of the things that the system said to do. They had pills for 5 times a day, a yucky shake and you can only eat 500 calories today and very few if any carbs. Yeah. I didn't know before I bought it that the system was basically the Atkins method with pills. Honestly, if you're eating only 500 calories a day, you're going to lose weight regardless of what supplements you take. I stopped the system because it was such a waste of money and time.

I'm what you would call overweight. Not morbidly obese or anything but I'm a plus sized gal and I don't have a problem with it other than the health risk involved. I don't come from a family known for their longevity. I have high blood pressure, heart and other issues on both sides of my family tree so I really have to get it together now while I'm still relatively young so that I can live a long and full life and not leave my son an orphan.

No meal replacement or supplement can make up for good old fashioned exercise. Getting out there and sweating is really the best way to not only lose weight but to flush your body of toxins as you sweat and get your blood pumping which strengthens your heart and lungs. You just have to make sure you're well hydrated and working out in a heart rate bracket that's healthy for you.

Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent and I actually had a point. After my most recent failed attempt to try the newest lose weight fast fad, I was in my kitchen thinking and gazing off in the distance. I happened upon the Jack LaLane juicer that was sitting in the corner that I never used. I had all this fruit and all these veggies I was growing in my garden, why not give it a shot? Turns out, juicing is awesome. Yes I said it. I love juicing. In fact, I've blended some pretty nasty stuff together like spinach, celery, beets, an apple and carrots and it turned out yummy!! I've actually come up with my own concoctions that I prefer but all in all, juicing is my new favorite thing. The concoction to the right is a mixture of spinach, beets, carrot, apple, and ginger. Sounds yucky, tastes yummy.

I bought a book called "Juicing for Life" which has some good recipes and reasons for why juicing is beneficial to your health. I don't follow the recipes all that often though. I tend to take what I like from some recipes and make it my own. It's so much fun to make use of veggies that might otherwise go bad sitting in the crisper.

The awesome part about juicing is that even though you're not getting the awesome ruffage that you get when you eat the whole veggies and fruits, you're getting all the nutrients and vitamins. I feel more energetic and am in a better mood. I also haven't been craving as many carbs as I used to which is awesome because I am a carb addict!! I actually haven't done much to change my eating habits other than my portions are smaller because I'm full from the juice and my cravings aren't as strong as they used to be. Win win if you ask me!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my new favorite healthy tip. I'm only a month in it now and I have upgraded my Jack LaLane juicer (which was really old and not working quite right) to a Brevia one. It really doesn't matter which one you have though as long as it makes juice. If you think about it, spending $100-$200 a month on a juicer isn't all that bad because it's a one time charge whereas buying weight loss pills or diet systems is a recurring monthly charge ranging anywhere from $50- $400 a month. If you go to farmer's markets or to places like Costco, you can get your fruit for cheap!! Added plus is that you're not going to be as hungry so your food costs go down and you're getting a lot more natural vitamins an nutrients than you were before.

I usually have a juice for breakfast (sometimes with some oatmeal yum!) and then a regular lunch and juice for an afternoon snack which keeps me full so I eat less dinner. Sometimes I even juice in lieu of dinner and I wake up feeling awesome the next morning.

Do any of you juice? Have any of you tried it? What are your thoughts/opinions on juicing? Have you had any positive or negative experiences? Share your experiences with me!!!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday. xoxo

If you're interested in buying a juicer, here are two of my favorites.

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