It's that time of year again. As the New Year approaches tonight, I can't stop thinking about resolutions. I'm sure many of us have decided it's a good time to start getting healthier. Here's some random info to help make sure you stick to your guns:
SMART Goal Setting
You may be wondering why the word "SMART" is in all capital letters. If you haven't guessed already, this is actually an acronym (a witty one at that). I can't take credit for it, but I often use it in class to make sure my students are setting realistic goals for themselves. You can apply it to any sort of goal, but in this instance, we're going to apply it to getting healthier. The letters stand for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
When all components are used, we are more likely to set a goal that gets achieved. For instance, many times we say "I'm going to get healthy". What the heck does that actually mean??? Vague goals almost never get reached. Narrow it down to an activity or behavior that you would like to change like exercising more, drinking less soda drinking, quitting smoking, eating more fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc.
When we put a number to our goal, it can give us something to work towards, too. Like if you want to drink less soda, you could set your goal to allowing one per day. You can measure how many cokes you drink in a day. If you want to eat more fruit, you could set your goal for how many pieces of fruit you eat in a day and literally count how much fruit you eat.
I think the most important take-home message is to make sure your resolution is realistic/attainable. Say you set a goal to lose 60 pounds in one month (which BTW is completely unrealistic). Not only are you going to hate yourself when you don't reach your goal, but you also don't appreciate any sort of progress you've made since it wasn't as high as you had hoped.
Let's make sure we keep in mind that we are human and mistakes happen. We need to set resolutions that take into account human nature. On paper, it may look good to lose 5 pound in a month, but maybe there were a few birthday parties that you went overboard with or maybe you got sick and didn't feel like working out for a week.
Lastly, we need to put a time frame on our resolution. When are we starting? When are we measuring it? How often? For how long? If you want to exercise more, set an amount of time per day with a number of times per week. It also may be a good idea when being realistic to make baby steps with time frames in mind. Like maybe set a goal for exercising one time per week for 20 minutes for one month. Then you could increase it once you've gotten used to the routine.
I hope this provides a little insight into proper goal setting, and hopefully, we'll actually set some resolutions that don't have to be repeated next year.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
The "Durbin Diet"
Random Thought:
As I was grading assignments for one of my nutrition courses, I had a pseudo-revelation. For the assignment, students have to research fad diets and provide descriptions and evaluations. Many of those diets give a detailed plan for food including what to eat, how much, and when to do it. I got to thinking.
What if I made my own diet plan and patented it?
In many diet plans, followers are given sample diets to follow. For instance, in the Scarsdale diet, a sample day could include 1/2 grapefruit and toast breakfast, tuna and a salad for lunch, and roasted lamb and a salad for dinner. http://www.everydiet.org/diet/scarsdale-diet
The problem is that most "fad" diets don't meet recommendations made by the USDA. Each person has a different recommendation based on height, weight, gender, age, and activity level. Most fad diets are one size fits all for lack of a better word and aren't individualized like they should be. No diet works for everyone.
Furthermore, I HATE the word diet lol. The word in and of itself insinuates short-term change. Everyone gains the weight back after they fall off the band wagon regardless of which diet they follow and then quit. The key isn't picking the diet per say; it's sticking with the healthy change. That's why I like the words "lifestyle change" better than diet because it's easier to deduce that you have to eat healthy and not stop if you want to keep the weight off.
What if I were to create sample diet plans according to USDA standards?
Too late. It's already been done lol. If you go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx, you can type in your information and see what healthy recommendations are for you. If you don't want to think for yourself and need people to tell you what to eat, here you go: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/Sample_Menus-2000Cals-DG2010.pdf. There's a sample of 3 day's worth of food that meet guidelines for a 2000 Calorie diet.
I've had people tell me things like "I'm eating cottage cheese because my diet tells me to, but I hate cottage cheese". Really? Honestly, if you don't like a food, then don't eat it. Find foods that you enjoy, and you're bound to stick with your healthy changes - plain and simple.
So, what's the Durbin Diet?
As I was grading assignments for one of my nutrition courses, I had a pseudo-revelation. For the assignment, students have to research fad diets and provide descriptions and evaluations. Many of those diets give a detailed plan for food including what to eat, how much, and when to do it. I got to thinking.
What if I made my own diet plan and patented it?
In many diet plans, followers are given sample diets to follow. For instance, in the Scarsdale diet, a sample day could include 1/2 grapefruit and toast breakfast, tuna and a salad for lunch, and roasted lamb and a salad for dinner. http://www.everydiet.org/diet/scarsdale-diet
The problem is that most "fad" diets don't meet recommendations made by the USDA. Each person has a different recommendation based on height, weight, gender, age, and activity level. Most fad diets are one size fits all for lack of a better word and aren't individualized like they should be. No diet works for everyone.
Furthermore, I HATE the word diet lol. The word in and of itself insinuates short-term change. Everyone gains the weight back after they fall off the band wagon regardless of which diet they follow and then quit. The key isn't picking the diet per say; it's sticking with the healthy change. That's why I like the words "lifestyle change" better than diet because it's easier to deduce that you have to eat healthy and not stop if you want to keep the weight off.
What if I were to create sample diet plans according to USDA standards?
Too late. It's already been done lol. If you go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx, you can type in your information and see what healthy recommendations are for you. If you don't want to think for yourself and need people to tell you what to eat, here you go: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/Sample_Menus-2000Cals-DG2010.pdf. There's a sample of 3 day's worth of food that meet guidelines for a 2000 Calorie diet.
I've had people tell me things like "I'm eating cottage cheese because my diet tells me to, but I hate cottage cheese". Really? Honestly, if you don't like a food, then don't eat it. Find foods that you enjoy, and you're bound to stick with your healthy changes - plain and simple.
So, what's the Durbin Diet?
- Find out what your recommendations are for food groups and Calories from choosemyplate.gov
- Eat foods you like to eat that fit into your recommendations in the right amounts
- Don't give up your favorite unhealthy foods, but watch your portion sizes
- Don't stop. lol Even if you have a few bad days, don't allow yourself to quit altogether
- Time
- Effort
- Planning
- Consciousness
- Sometimes more money (but let's not get into that)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Feed Me Baby One More Time
Random Thought:
I was talking to someone the other day about babies, and the topic of how to feed a baby came up. The main topic we discussed was the recent "epidemic" of ... don't you dare call it obesity because they're still growing ... increasing incidences of children being overweight. A big factor is what the feeding practices are. So my question of the day is:
How do you know if you're overfeeding a baby?
Let's talk about Calories first. Compared to their weight, babies need a ton of Calories to support their rapid state of growth. As the baby grows, the more energy he or she will need. According to a publication by the USDA:
How do you know if you're giving your baby enough Calories? Well, we could keep track of what they're eating and compare the amount of Calories to the table. Another option would be to monitor weight. If anyone including a baby is eating more energy than he or she needs, it will get stored as fat, so if a baby is packing on the pounds and moving up out of range on a growth chart, that could be an indicator that he or she is getting overfed.
We also have to consider what types of foods are being eaten. Here's where life get's complicated. Depending on how old and large a baby is, the foods that should be given change. For instance, it is recommended to only give formula or breastmilk (more highly recommended) for the first 4-6 months. Many resources now say to wait until 6 months. Giving other foods too early can increase the risk for GI problems, allergies, and gaining weight.
Generally, once a baby is eating mushed-up regular food, we recommend the same types of healthy food as adults: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy. No cow's milk should be given until 12 months because it may increase the likelihood of an allergy, and it may have too many minerals for their little kidneys to handle. Would it be healthy to feed an adult an all-starch or all-meat meal? No. It's the same concept for babies; they need a variety of foods throughout the day and during mealtime. A general serving size guide is to offer one tablespoon of each food per years in age.
You know all those fatty, delicious foods we tell adults to watch out for? In reality they're just as bad for babies. Go figure? It's recommended to not feed babies: bacon, sausage, lunch meats, hot dogs, French fries, cookies, candies, cakes, and/or sweetened drinks (iced tea, soda). It's because of their fat, sugar, and/or Calorie content. Also, honey isn't recommended until 12 months because it may be contaminated with the bacteria that causes botulism. Think about it;if you give a one-year-old a soda worth 150 Calories, that's almost 20% of the energy they need in a whole day. If you're feeding a baby one of the forbidden foods, that could be an indicator that he or she is getting overfed.
Also, if you're forcing food after he or she is full, that could be an indicator that you're overfeeding. Here are some WIC guidelines for knowing when a baby is full. If a baby is on the bottle or boob, signs of fullness are:
So to sum things up, we just gotta pay attention for signs of fullness, keep offering the 5 major food groups, and watch out for those foods that aren't recommended. Sounds simple enough, right? ;) Like I said, it all looks good on paper.
I was talking to someone the other day about babies, and the topic of how to feed a baby came up. The main topic we discussed was the recent "epidemic" of ... don't you dare call it obesity because they're still growing ... increasing incidences of children being overweight. A big factor is what the feeding practices are. So my question of the day is:
How do you know if you're overfeeding a baby?
Let's talk about Calories first. Compared to their weight, babies need a ton of Calories to support their rapid state of growth. As the baby grows, the more energy he or she will need. According to a publication by the USDA:
An infant’s energy or caloric requirement depends on many factors, including body size and composition, metabolic rate (the energy the body expends at rest), physical activity, size at birth, age, sex, genetic factors, energy intake, medical conditions, ambient temperature, and growth rate.That's a lot to consider, so here are two tables taken from that same publication that describes how many Calories the average baby needs.
We also have to consider what types of foods are being eaten. Here's where life get's complicated. Depending on how old and large a baby is, the foods that should be given change. For instance, it is recommended to only give formula or breastmilk (more highly recommended) for the first 4-6 months. Many resources now say to wait until 6 months. Giving other foods too early can increase the risk for GI problems, allergies, and gaining weight.
Generally, once a baby is eating mushed-up regular food, we recommend the same types of healthy food as adults: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy. No cow's milk should be given until 12 months because it may increase the likelihood of an allergy, and it may have too many minerals for their little kidneys to handle. Would it be healthy to feed an adult an all-starch or all-meat meal? No. It's the same concept for babies; they need a variety of foods throughout the day and during mealtime. A general serving size guide is to offer one tablespoon of each food per years in age.
You know all those fatty, delicious foods we tell adults to watch out for? In reality they're just as bad for babies. Go figure? It's recommended to not feed babies: bacon, sausage, lunch meats, hot dogs, French fries, cookies, candies, cakes, and/or sweetened drinks (iced tea, soda). It's because of their fat, sugar, and/or Calorie content. Also, honey isn't recommended until 12 months because it may be contaminated with the bacteria that causes botulism. Think about it;if you give a one-year-old a soda worth 150 Calories, that's almost 20% of the energy they need in a whole day. If you're feeding a baby one of the forbidden foods, that could be an indicator that he or she is getting overfed.
Also, if you're forcing food after he or she is full, that could be an indicator that you're overfeeding. Here are some WIC guidelines for knowing when a baby is full. If a baby is on the bottle or boob, signs of fullness are:
- Closes lips
- Stops sucking
- Spits the nipple out
- Turns head away
- Pushes food away
- Closes mouth tight
- Slows down eating
- Starts playing with food
So to sum things up, we just gotta pay attention for signs of fullness, keep offering the 5 major food groups, and watch out for those foods that aren't recommended. Sounds simple enough, right? ;) Like I said, it all looks good on paper.
Friday, June 1, 2012
To Bee or Not to Bee ... Pollen
Random Thought:
A friend/fellow dietitian recently asked me about the bee pollen diet. Honestly, I had never heard of it before, but she was concerned that there are many health concerns associated with it and asked me to dedicate a blog post to it. What the heck is the bee pollen diet, does it work, and is it safe?
Well first of all, it's not a diet; it's a supplement. Many websites call it a diet, but it's a supplement derived from bee pollen. The supplement was supposedly formulated by Japanese scientists and is called Zi Xiu Tang or ZXT for short. I guess the foreign sounding name that means nothing in Japanese makes it sound more awesome? This is why I hate marketing sometimes.
Bees don't make pollen lol. Plants do. The pollen used in this supplement is "bee-collected" pollen, meaning they took pollen from bees who took pollen from plants. Bee pollen actually has some substance to it, containing fat, protein, carbs, and even vitamins and minerals. Much like many plants, it also contains phytochemicals (secret extra perks in plants that make them extra good for you). Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants.
This bee pollen is supposed to help with weight loss and make you feel energized. There a tons and tons of websites that promote and sell it. All of the health claims seem to just be claims, though. There is very, very little scientific research that supports the testimonials that praise it. Most of the research is small scale. Most of them just showed that it doesn't work. One study even suggests that it makes you gain weight because it improved survival rate and weight gain in baby rats.
With short term use, it looks like bee pollen is safe to use (except for pregnant and lactating women - they never recommend supplements to them). If you have environmental allergies, obviously, you should not take it. This is where major side effects kick in that can even cause death from anaphylaxic shock. Some other side effects reported were skin photosensitivity, renal failure, and liver damage.
Regardless of the information provided, anyone that knows me knows that I am not a fan of the supplement industry. Supplements are considered a food (not a drug) by the FDA; therefore, they are not regulated like medications, they don't have to put warning labels, they don't have to verify potency or batch-batch consistency, and they may have contaminants like lead. Furthermore, there are no quick fixes to health problems, bee pollen included.
References:
http://www.webmd.com/balance/bee-pollen-benefits-and-side-effects
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/bee-pollen-supplements-not-safe-or-effective/
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/HealthPsych/beepollen.htm
http://www.zixiutangbeepollen.com/
http://www.aseanfood.info/Articles/11011619.pdf
A friend/fellow dietitian recently asked me about the bee pollen diet. Honestly, I had never heard of it before, but she was concerned that there are many health concerns associated with it and asked me to dedicate a blog post to it. What the heck is the bee pollen diet, does it work, and is it safe?
Well first of all, it's not a diet; it's a supplement. Many websites call it a diet, but it's a supplement derived from bee pollen. The supplement was supposedly formulated by Japanese scientists and is called Zi Xiu Tang or ZXT for short. I guess the foreign sounding name that means nothing in Japanese makes it sound more awesome? This is why I hate marketing sometimes.
Bees don't make pollen lol. Plants do. The pollen used in this supplement is "bee-collected" pollen, meaning they took pollen from bees who took pollen from plants. Bee pollen actually has some substance to it, containing fat, protein, carbs, and even vitamins and minerals. Much like many plants, it also contains phytochemicals (secret extra perks in plants that make them extra good for you). Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants.
This bee pollen is supposed to help with weight loss and make you feel energized. There a tons and tons of websites that promote and sell it. All of the health claims seem to just be claims, though. There is very, very little scientific research that supports the testimonials that praise it. Most of the research is small scale. Most of them just showed that it doesn't work. One study even suggests that it makes you gain weight because it improved survival rate and weight gain in baby rats.
With short term use, it looks like bee pollen is safe to use (except for pregnant and lactating women - they never recommend supplements to them). If you have environmental allergies, obviously, you should not take it. This is where major side effects kick in that can even cause death from anaphylaxic shock. Some other side effects reported were skin photosensitivity, renal failure, and liver damage.
Regardless of the information provided, anyone that knows me knows that I am not a fan of the supplement industry. Supplements are considered a food (not a drug) by the FDA; therefore, they are not regulated like medications, they don't have to put warning labels, they don't have to verify potency or batch-batch consistency, and they may have contaminants like lead. Furthermore, there are no quick fixes to health problems, bee pollen included.
References:
http://www.webmd.com/balance/bee-pollen-benefits-and-side-effects
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/bee-pollen-supplements-not-safe-or-effective/
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/HealthPsych/beepollen.htm
http://www.zixiutangbeepollen.com/
http://www.aseanfood.info/Articles/11011619.pdf
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The True Blood Diet?
Random thought:
My obsession for the past few days has been the blood type diet. Someone spoke to my husband about it, and now it has been racking my brain. What is it and does it work?
The "blood type diet" is a lifestyle developed by Dr. Peter D'Adamo as "a way of eating and living that has transformed the health of millions." His website http://dadamo.com/ doesn't give huge details on the diet (you have to buy the books), but it has a plethora of information concerning his diet and how it supposedly is "following decades of ongoing research and clinical work." Whether that statements means he has the research to back up his claims, we will soon find out.
Anyone that knows me would say that I refuse to give diet advice that is not backed up by scientific research, and if I am giving my personal opinion, I make that clear. So I tried to find research about the blood type diet. I found an article from Natural Solutions magazine, a posting by the American Chiropractic Association, and countless mini articles about the subject, but none of the specifically test whether the diet works.
D'Adamo's website has a scientific basis tab; however, all of the articles seem to have been written by him, most of which were not published in big journals, and seemingly none of them has any scientific proof that the diet works. They all are about blood types, but not necessarily what would justify you needing a different diet to lose weight because of your blood type. All statistics are based on consumer claims. So it sounds like there isn't research yet that validates the diet's rules. Let's get into what those guidelines are.
The diet suggests to individualize your diet based on your blood type. With each type there are foods to avoid, foods that are neutral, and foods that are good supposedly because lectins in the food react with your blood cells and cause health problems. Some of the claims are that type A people cannot digest meat as easily because they don't make as much stomach acid, while type O people can eat all the meat they like, but they can't have grains. The site even sounds like astrology, making claims on your personality based on your blood type. I put this diet in the "fad diet" category, because people are likely to not follow it properly like they did with the Atkins diet (let's eat all the meat and cheese we want, carbs are the enemy).
Obviously, restricting entire food groups can have drastic effects on your nutrient intake over time. We have the 5 major food groups for a reason, people. Those who are restricting them must find suitable replacements to avoid malnourishment. For instance vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal products. Those avoiding meat should have fortified foods like soymilk or take a supplement.
Here's an idea:
How about we individualize our diets based on food preferences and nutrition guidelines set by the USDA instead of killing ourselves with restrictive diets? God forbid we do things the good old fashioned way with eating healthy and exercising. Hmmm..what a crazy concept?! We eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and lean meat, we stay moderately active, and we lose weight?! We don't have to deprive ourselves to be "skinny". In fact, when we do deprive ourselves, we are more likely to go crazy and binge one day because we are unsatisfied. Let's be realistic with our weight loss goals and with our food choices.
On a random side note:
It drives me crazy when people spread what my textbook likes to say "nutrition misinformation" without fully understanding the subject. Does your relationship with the manager at GNC make you an expert in biochemistry and nutrition intervention? Does your obsession with pricey "health" food make you certified to spread your wealth of nutrition knowledge? Does watching Dr. Oz make you qualified to give diet advice? I think not...know your stuff before tainting America with your nutrition nonsense. *sigh*
My obsession for the past few days has been the blood type diet. Someone spoke to my husband about it, and now it has been racking my brain. What is it and does it work?
The "blood type diet" is a lifestyle developed by Dr. Peter D'Adamo as "a way of eating and living that has transformed the health of millions." His website http://dadamo.com/ doesn't give huge details on the diet (you have to buy the books), but it has a plethora of information concerning his diet and how it supposedly is "following decades of ongoing research and clinical work." Whether that statements means he has the research to back up his claims, we will soon find out.
Anyone that knows me would say that I refuse to give diet advice that is not backed up by scientific research, and if I am giving my personal opinion, I make that clear. So I tried to find research about the blood type diet. I found an article from Natural Solutions magazine, a posting by the American Chiropractic Association, and countless mini articles about the subject, but none of the specifically test whether the diet works.
D'Adamo's website has a scientific basis tab; however, all of the articles seem to have been written by him, most of which were not published in big journals, and seemingly none of them has any scientific proof that the diet works. They all are about blood types, but not necessarily what would justify you needing a different diet to lose weight because of your blood type. All statistics are based on consumer claims. So it sounds like there isn't research yet that validates the diet's rules. Let's get into what those guidelines are.
The diet suggests to individualize your diet based on your blood type. With each type there are foods to avoid, foods that are neutral, and foods that are good supposedly because lectins in the food react with your blood cells and cause health problems. Some of the claims are that type A people cannot digest meat as easily because they don't make as much stomach acid, while type O people can eat all the meat they like, but they can't have grains. The site even sounds like astrology, making claims on your personality based on your blood type. I put this diet in the "fad diet" category, because people are likely to not follow it properly like they did with the Atkins diet (let's eat all the meat and cheese we want, carbs are the enemy).
Obviously, restricting entire food groups can have drastic effects on your nutrient intake over time. We have the 5 major food groups for a reason, people. Those who are restricting them must find suitable replacements to avoid malnourishment. For instance vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal products. Those avoiding meat should have fortified foods like soymilk or take a supplement.
Here's an idea:
How about we individualize our diets based on food preferences and nutrition guidelines set by the USDA instead of killing ourselves with restrictive diets? God forbid we do things the good old fashioned way with eating healthy and exercising. Hmmm..what a crazy concept?! We eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and lean meat, we stay moderately active, and we lose weight?! We don't have to deprive ourselves to be "skinny". In fact, when we do deprive ourselves, we are more likely to go crazy and binge one day because we are unsatisfied. Let's be realistic with our weight loss goals and with our food choices.
On a random side note:
It drives me crazy when people spread what my textbook likes to say "nutrition misinformation" without fully understanding the subject. Does your relationship with the manager at GNC make you an expert in biochemistry and nutrition intervention? Does your obsession with pricey "health" food make you certified to spread your wealth of nutrition knowledge? Does watching Dr. Oz make you qualified to give diet advice? I think not...know your stuff before tainting America with your nutrition nonsense. *sigh*
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Taste the Beast!
Random Thought:
I get questions all the time about about energy drinks from my students and friends. I personally don't like them, so I have refused to learn about them up to this point. I've decided to finally break down and do some research on them. So the questions of the day are: Are they safe and do their ingredients really come from crazy sources like bull semen?
I think we all know what energy drinks are. Red Bull is the most popular brand, comprising a little less than half of all revenues coming from energy drinks. They are supposed to increase your energy, alertness, and even athletic performance. The ingredients that are supposed to do this are usually caffeine and sugar, but some other ones added include ginseng, taurine, guarana, and B vitamins. Let's look at each ingredient and see where it comes from and if it actually works.
Ginseng: An herb root that has been used for over 2000 years, this baby has a ton of rumors around what it can do. It's most popular proposed affects are that it can improve concentration, memory, and even cognitive function. The funny thing about it is that the therapeutic dosages are well above the amount found in energy drinks. You'd have to drink a few of them a day to ever reach those levels, and there can be some scary side effects: insomnia,breast pain, vaginal bleeding, losing your period (in girls), increased heart rate, high blood pressure, water retention, headache, and vertigo.
Taurine: This is actually an amino acid (a protein) that your body can make. Since it's found naturally in your body and food, it doesn't really have side effects. After it's broke down, it can be important to your body and can do things like help with fat absorption. In oral dosages it sounds like it can change your heart rate and contractions, but otherwise, I don't think it does anything to increase your energy. Is it derived from bull sperm? I REALLY don't think so. It sounds like bull sperm has taurine in it, but the food industry probably makes taurine in laboratories instead of wacking off bulls and extracting it.
Guarana: Another name for this is Brazilian cocoa. Most people know that chocolate has a little bit of caffeine in it. Well, so does Brazilian cocoa. The effects of guarana are pretty much the same as caffeine because that's its active ingredient. Caffeine can stimulate the nervous system and muscles including the muscles in the heart. To keep things simple, most health professionals encourage limiting caffeine to like 300 mg a day (about 2-3 cups of coffee worth) because there are all sorts of things that can happen from prolonged excessive caffeine consumption like insomnia and heart palpitations.
B-vitamins: Good lord, there are a ton of these things. B-vitamins are co-enzymes for chemical reactions in your body, most of which are for breaking down energy. Do we get energy from vitamins? Absolutely not, but we do need many of these b-vitamins to utilize the energy from carbs, fat, and protein in our diet. A big one that's usually in energy drinks is niacin. This baby can cause what's called the "niacin flush" where people kind of get a heat rash and feel nauseous. It can increase your risk for liver damage and gastric ulcers, as well. The most you should have is 35 mg (about double what you need in a day) which can easily be obtain from 2 small energy drinks.
The individual ingredients don't seem to do much except for the caffeine/guarana. I think it's important to look at the overall affects of drinking energy drinks, too. First of all, we should be worried about dental health because of all the sugar in this things (unless we choose the diet/sugar free kind). Next, we have to take into consideration the amount of Calories these babies can add up to.
As a whole, I guess energy drinks aren't so bad. Because the extra ingredients are in small amounts, they're kind of just like coffee. As with anything we eat, I think moderation is important. Stick to the small ones to avoid extra Calories and potential side effects, and don't make a habit of them.
I get questions all the time about about energy drinks from my students and friends. I personally don't like them, so I have refused to learn about them up to this point. I've decided to finally break down and do some research on them. So the questions of the day are: Are they safe and do their ingredients really come from crazy sources like bull semen?
I think we all know what energy drinks are. Red Bull is the most popular brand, comprising a little less than half of all revenues coming from energy drinks. They are supposed to increase your energy, alertness, and even athletic performance. The ingredients that are supposed to do this are usually caffeine and sugar, but some other ones added include ginseng, taurine, guarana, and B vitamins. Let's look at each ingredient and see where it comes from and if it actually works.
Ginseng: An herb root that has been used for over 2000 years, this baby has a ton of rumors around what it can do. It's most popular proposed affects are that it can improve concentration, memory, and even cognitive function. The funny thing about it is that the therapeutic dosages are well above the amount found in energy drinks. You'd have to drink a few of them a day to ever reach those levels, and there can be some scary side effects: insomnia,breast pain, vaginal bleeding, losing your period (in girls), increased heart rate, high blood pressure, water retention, headache, and vertigo.
Taurine: This is actually an amino acid (a protein) that your body can make. Since it's found naturally in your body and food, it doesn't really have side effects. After it's broke down, it can be important to your body and can do things like help with fat absorption. In oral dosages it sounds like it can change your heart rate and contractions, but otherwise, I don't think it does anything to increase your energy. Is it derived from bull sperm? I REALLY don't think so. It sounds like bull sperm has taurine in it, but the food industry probably makes taurine in laboratories instead of wacking off bulls and extracting it.
Guarana: Another name for this is Brazilian cocoa. Most people know that chocolate has a little bit of caffeine in it. Well, so does Brazilian cocoa. The effects of guarana are pretty much the same as caffeine because that's its active ingredient. Caffeine can stimulate the nervous system and muscles including the muscles in the heart. To keep things simple, most health professionals encourage limiting caffeine to like 300 mg a day (about 2-3 cups of coffee worth) because there are all sorts of things that can happen from prolonged excessive caffeine consumption like insomnia and heart palpitations.
B-vitamins: Good lord, there are a ton of these things. B-vitamins are co-enzymes for chemical reactions in your body, most of which are for breaking down energy. Do we get energy from vitamins? Absolutely not, but we do need many of these b-vitamins to utilize the energy from carbs, fat, and protein in our diet. A big one that's usually in energy drinks is niacin. This baby can cause what's called the "niacin flush" where people kind of get a heat rash and feel nauseous. It can increase your risk for liver damage and gastric ulcers, as well. The most you should have is 35 mg (about double what you need in a day) which can easily be obtain from 2 small energy drinks.
The individual ingredients don't seem to do much except for the caffeine/guarana. I think it's important to look at the overall affects of drinking energy drinks, too. First of all, we should be worried about dental health because of all the sugar in this things (unless we choose the diet/sugar free kind). Next, we have to take into consideration the amount of Calories these babies can add up to.
- Small Red Bull = 8.3 oz = about 115 Calories
- Medium Monster = 16 oz = about 200 Calories (100 per serving)
- Large Rockstar = 24 oz = about 420 Calories (140 per serving)
As a whole, I guess energy drinks aren't so bad. Because the extra ingredients are in small amounts, they're kind of just like coffee. As with anything we eat, I think moderation is important. Stick to the small ones to avoid extra Calories and potential side effects, and don't make a habit of them.
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