A Snack Food That's Heart Healthy

From VeryWell.com

Prunes, or dried plums, are a fiber-rich fruit that helps with bowel movement.1

Lever E, Scott SM, Louis P, Emery PW, Whelan K. The effect of prunes on stool output, gut transit time and gastrointestinal microbiota: a randomised controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(1):165-173. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.01.003

 However, some emerging research suggests prunes might offer more than constipation relief.

Eating prunes daily can improve cholesterol levels while reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, according to two new studies presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s flagship conference in July.

The heart health benefits of long-term prune consumption were seen in men. In older women, eating prunes regularly had no negative effect on metabolic measures, such as total cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels.

“The conclusion here really is that prunes can support cardiovascular health. But we’re just at the tip of the iceberg learning about this, so we have to dig a little deeper into these results and potentially replicate them,” Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor to the California Prune Board, told Verywell.

Another study published in 2021 found that eating 50–100 grams of prunes (about five to 10 pieces) every day was associated with reduced heart disease risks.2

The reductions in cholesterol and a marker of inflammation were likely because of improvements in antioxidant levels, according to Shirin Hooshmand, PhD, RD, a professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University and a co-author of the study.

This study, along with the two presented in July, were all partially funded by the California Prune Board.

 Why Prunes Should Be Your Go-to Holiday Snack

Are Prunes Better Than Fresh Plums?

Although studies have suggested that prunes—or dried plums—can support heart health, that doesn’t necessarily mean fresh plums or prune juice offer the same benefits.

There haven’t been that many studies on the benefits of fresh plums or prune juice, Hooshmand explained. “It’s possible that at some levels they would have similar benefits. Research is needed to better understand that,” she said.

Drying fresh plums in hot air improves the nutritional properties and shelf life of the fruit, so that might be a reason to pick the dried version over the fresh fruit.3

“You might have to eat more plums to receive the same benefit, but the fundamental composition is going to be similar,” Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, FAHA, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island, told Verywell.

Eating 5–10 dried prunes might be easier than trying to fit in the same amount, or more, of fresh plums. But either option is better than prune juice, according to Vadiveloo.

“Whole fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, contribute to satiety, and are generally lower in calories,” she said.

 Can Prunes Benefit Young People Too?

While most of the available research on prunes has been conducted on postmenopausal women and men over 55, Vadiveloo said that younger adults would also benefit from eating prunes.

“We’re recommending—across any diet pattern—diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables. So prunes fit into that category,” she said.

If you don’t like the taste of prunes, fruits like apples and berries are also good for your heart. However, fruits only make up one part of your diet. It’s important to focus on a varied diet pattern with vegetables, legumes, and heart-healthy oils as well, Vadiveloo added.

“You can’t add prunes to a diet rich in high-fat red meats or very processed foods and expect it to be a miracle cure,” she said.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

"Bulking Up" Is Out

Most fitness fanatics are going for lean, slim bodies. It’s trending now and the most popular meal plan today is “fasting”. So what does that mean?

Fasting is really about the sporadic eating of healthy foods. In other words, most of us have the same meal plan we grew up with and our parents have the same plan they grew up with. Doesn’t sound like that’s a bad thing, but humans today are not the same type of people our parents or grandparents were. Our ancestors basically ate on the run. They ate when they had food and when they had time. We eat on a schedule handed down through the last several generations. You eat when you get up, and again at mid-day, and again in the evening. Why is that so important? Well, today we realize it’s not important.

When a child is born they eat several times a day because they are not attached to their mother anymore and are used to that continuous feeding. But as they get older you notice that their appetite changes. They want to skip meals, and they’re not hungry as much. Yes, they're still growing but they have the instinct of knowing when they need food and when they don’t. But we try to break them of that inbred instinct and put them on a regimented meal plan whether they want it or not. So, is that the right thing to do or are we changing them for our convenience.

Because humans don’t all require the same amount of calories to maintain body functions, we don’t all need to eat meals frequently. That’s where “fasting” comes in. Fasting is the time that you go without consuming calories. Fasting to lose weight can be done in several ways.

A popular method is the 16/8 plan. You consume all your calories for the day in 8 hours and the other 16 hours you consume zero calories. You can drink water, black coffee, black tea, or any 0-calorie drink but you can’t eat solid food. The theory behind this is that it takes about 12 hours for your body to process the food in your digestive system and after that, it must burn body fat to keep the body working. So for 4 hours a day, the body is burning your body fat stored in your fat cells.

There’s another method of fasting that might work better for you, it’s the 2/5 method. This method is harder for the beginner. Two days a week, non-consecutive you fast for 24 hours. The other 5 days you eat normally, but healthily. Stagger your two days of fasting so they are not close together. The more popular way is to eat around 5 or 6 pm. And then fast until 5 or 6 pm the next day.

Another way to fast is more impulsive. You simply skip meals when you're not hungry. So Some days you might eat 3 meals, some days 2 meals and some days 1 meal.

All 3 methods will reduce calories and you will lose weight over time if you eat healthy foods when you do eat.

I personally tried the 16/8 plan and It worked for me. This is a plan that is close to a normal way to eat. I usually just drink black coffee in the morning so this part was easy. At about 10 am I would eat a protein bar. The bar I picked was about 20 gm. of protein, very filling. Around 12:30 I'd eat lunch. and at about 5:30 I'd eat dinner. I did it by the book, consuming all my calories in 8 hours. Lunch was my big meal and dinner would be smaller. Lunch would be about 900 calories and dinner would be about 500 calories and the protein bar was 350 calories. I stopped drinking calories completely. There are several things you need to give up if you are going to eat healthy. 

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

A Question From A Reader

 The Pros and Cons of Protein

We all need protein, it helps us grow muscles and bones. But do we need animal protein? The answer is No! Why is animal protein getting a bad rap? A hundred years ago or less, animal protein was accepted as a healthy form of protein, but in the last 50 years, big corporations have taken over growing produce and raising livestock. 

Now these big corporations are increasing production by producing their products faster. Corporations are adding growth hormones to poultry, pigs, and beef. Even to dairy cattle to increase the milk supply.

Before the introduction of these hormones, a steer would take about 18 months to grow large enough to be sent to market. With the growth hormones, the same steer will be ready for the market in 7.5 months. 

The best livestock is pasture-raised. Whether it's chickens, pigs or steers, and even dairy cattle, pasture-raised livestock without hormones produces the best meat for consumption and the best quality milk. 

Health experts today, recommend more fish or shellfish in your diet, at least one time a week. Only eat red meat once a week, chicken once a week, and plant protein the other four days.

There is a growing concern in North America about the increase in cancer cases almost every year. Yes, the number of deaths from cancer is dropping but the number of cases is increasing. Just look at the number of new cancer hospitals we have today. 

So, how do we get cancer?  I believe it comes from the food we eat and what we breathe. One example of what we breathe is smoke from tobacco. Another is smoke from a building on fire. Firemen today wear oxygen masks because of hazardous materials used in homes, like plastics. 

Our food supply is also hazardous to our health. Try not to eat anything containing chemicals. Chemicals in our food are not processed by the body. They will not pass through. They accumulate. A cancer doctor will tell you "It's not if you will get cancer, it's when will you get cancer." I think the answer to that depends on the foods you eat.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

How To Lose Weight Walking

 Talk the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator whenever you can. Every step counts!

Add 5-minute walking breaks to your workday and walk on your lunch break.

Bring along some headphones for podcasts or motivating music; however, always be aware of your surroundings and do not keep the volume at a level that will impair your hearing nearby cars.

Put it on your calendar and set reminders- a phone alarm or smartphone apps can send alerts to remind you throughout the day to take breaks.

Celebrate achievements- take time to recognize your progress along the way, whether it's through reaching step counts, progress in losing weight, or hitting milestones.

Walking Safety

There are a few things to keep in mind for your personal safety while walking:

Make sure you're dressed for the weather

Protect your skin with sunscreen when walking outside

Listen to your body. If you have an injury be sure to rest. Get an evaluation by a healthcare provider if needed before resuming your walking program.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Having distractions like headphones and looking at your cell phone, or walking at certain times of day with low light levels may not be advisable.

Always use sidewalks when available

Wear reflective clothing when walking near roads during lower visibility

Summary

Walking is a great form of exercise that can not only help you lose weight but has benefits on overall fitness, heart health, sleep, and mood, among other things. Everyone should aim to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, and the more the better. There are many ways to incorporate walking into your day, and even short bouts of walking are beneficial.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Can You Drink Beer and Lose Weight?

 Can You Drink Beer and Lose Fat?

 When you think of a guy who drinks a lot of beer, usually the first thing that comes to mind is a large, round belly. I have to admit that I do drink beer, but I lost my fat and I'm just maintaining. Remember there is a big difference between someone who drinks one or two beers a week and someone who drinks one or two beers a day.

Beer is deeply entrenched in our culture as a way to let loose, have fun, and relax. It’s no surprise then that the U.S. beer industry sells more than $100 billion in beer to U.S. consumers each year.

To put this into perspective, U.S. consumers 21 years and older consumed 27.5 gallons of beer and cider per person during 2015. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the U.S.

In this article you’ll learn why drinking beer can cause you to gain fat, some strategies to drink beer and still lose weight, along with nutritional information on the top 10 beers sold in the U.S.

Most of this information was in a post on VeryWell.com

1. Beer does not fill you up but does provide calories

One of the big challenges with drinking beer is that it provides calories without satisfying your hunger at all.

There are a few reasons why:

1. Beer is an “empty calorie” because it provides almost no nutrients
2. Beer is in liquid form, which means you can drink calories really fast
3. Beer contains alcohol, which is metabolized by the body differently than other macronutrients like protein, carbs, and fat.

Regarding the last point, drinking alcohol can stop the process of fat burning completely (See: How Drinking Alcohol Causes Weight Gain).

The foundation of losing weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn while staying full. That’s why eating whole foods – think meat, vegetables, fruit – that fill you up but provide fewer calories is such an effective eating strategy to get lean.

If you drink 5 beers (~750 calories), you will still have plenty of room in your stomach to have a full meal right after. And this is exactly why drinking beer can make losing weight very difficult.

2) Beer can negatively affect your sleep

If you normally drink beer at night, the alcohol from the beer can negatively impact your sleep.2

You also may need to get up a few times during the night to go to the bathroom because of all the fluids you drank, which is certainly not helping improve your sleep either.

Lack of quality sleep is directly linked to both weight gain and muscle loss.

In fact, one weight loss study found that people who slept 5.5 hours vs. 8.5 hours lost 50% of their weight from muscle.3 Another study found that sleep-deprived people had a 45% increase in appetite for high carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods.4

Sleep is also hugely important for your activity levels and the quality of your workouts. If you feel well-rested, you will likely have a much better workout.

3) Beer may inhibit your self-control

When most people get a buzz or just get drunk, their inhibitions fly out the window. You may say things or do things that you wouldn’t normally do otherwise. You have less self-control.

When you combine less self-control with food, you get a situation that can derail an entire week of hard work.

Whether you are drinking beer at your meal or going out at night with friends, the chances are you will eat more food than if you didn’t have beer at all.

Drink Beer & Lose Weight Strategy

Now that you have learned the 3 reasons why drinking beer can make losing weight much harder, we can create a strategy so that you can enjoy beer while getting results.

Your results while drinking beer depend on two things:

1) How much beer you are drinking
2) How you are adjusting your eating habits based on your drinking habits

The best strategy is to limit the number of beers you have per week. The fewer beers you drink, the fewer empty calories you are ingesting. Maybe it’s one beer a day, or even better would be 2 beers on Friday or Saturday.

Being very clear about the number of beers you can have in a week will help you significantly. Once you have the lean body you want, you may not need to be as strict, but it’s still a good habit to keep.

Now if you want the best results, go dry. Stop drinking beer completely. If you love beer and that’s not an option for you, then refer back to creating a specific number of beers you will have each week.

The other side of the coin is to consciously adjust your eating habits based on your drinking habits. So if you are having a burger with a couple of beers, don’t have the fries. Eat less food and focus more on lean protein sources and veggies when drinking beer with your meal. That’s ideal.

Calories In Top 10 Beers (12 Ounces)

Below is a chart that displays the top 10 most popular beers in the U.S. along with nutrition information for 12 ounces.5

As you can see, most beers are in a tight range between roughly 100 to 150 calories and contain 5 to 10 grams of carbs and 11-14 grams of alcohol. Most of the calories (around 70%) in beer are provided by the alcohol. I rounded the numbers to make them easier to read.

Beer Name	Calories	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)	Alcohol (g)
Bud Light	110	1	6	0	11
Coors Light	102	1	5	0	11
Budweiser	145	1	11	0	14
Miller Light	96	1	3	0	11
Corona Extra	148	1	14	0	13
Natural Light	95	1	3	0	12
Busch Light	95	1	3	0	11
Michelob Ultra	95	1	3	0	12
Busch	95	1	3	0	12
Heineken	148	1	11	0	14

So you can have your beer and drink it too as long as you are strategic and limit your beer intake if you want to get lean.

I had to stop drinking alcohol when I was trying to get lean. Alcohol will stop or slow down the fat-burning process. I stopped for three months. It was much easier to lose. Alcohol has calories and if you want to lose fat faster you have to get all your nutrition with the least amount of calories.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. 

You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Is Belly Fat Worse Than Love Handles?

 The Dangers of Belly Fat

A new study suggests that belly fat — especially hidden fat deep in the gut — may indicate an increased risk for heart disease. How do you know if you have fat deep in your gut? Your body puts fat under the skin and close to the surface first when it’s filling fat cells and that’s to insulate the body. That’s a survival technique that you inherited from your ancient ancestors who had to worry about surviving through the winter. That layer of fat is not that thick, between one and two inches. Then if you’re still adding fat,  your body has to put the fat inside the layer of muscle, around the organs, and that the fat that causes you health problems.

The six-year study of more than 1,000 adults found people with a “spare tire” in their midsection had a greater risk for heart disease compared to those with visible flab elsewhere under the skin — or “love handles.”

“Adipose tissue [fat in the stomach] along with fat below the skin has been associated with abnormalities, including high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels [low levels of good cholesterol], high blood pressure, and greater risk of diabetes,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California.

The study looked at abdominal fat quantity and quality.

The researchers cautioned, however, that the study only showed an association between belly fat and potential heart disease, not that belly fat causes heart disease.

Fonarow said perhaps deep abdominal fat is unhealthier because it might increase insulin resistance, which can lead to high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes.

“This study suggests individuals even with a body mass index in the normal or overweight category but who have increased abdominal mass — a pot belly — may be at increased cardiovascular risk,” Fonarow said.

The study was led by Dr. Caroline Fox, a former senior investigator for the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She and her team collected data on 1,106 men and women, an average age of 45, who took part in the long-running Framingham Heart Study. All agreed to have their stomachs scanned to determine the amount of their belly fat.

Over six years, the researchers found that increases in the amount of fat and decreases in fat density were linked with changes in the risk for heart disease. Each additional pound of fat was associated with newly developed high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome, which includes high cholesterol and increased odds of type 2 diabetes, the researchers said.

To summarize, belly fat is hazardous, whereas love handles not so much. Just adding one pound of fat increases the risk of heart disease, but losing one pound will decrease your chances and for every pound of fat, you lose your chances go down.

Remember, losing one pound on the scale doesn’t mean you lost a pound of fat. Most of the pounds you lose on the scale are from the food and drinks in your digestive system.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Want To Get Off Junk Food, Make A Plan

 A news article this week says that 86% of deaths are caused by a bad diet. Sounds like the math is not real, right. When you lump together any deaths caused by heart disease, diabetes, the most common forms of cancer, and other diseases like Liver, and kidney disease you can arrive at a percentage like 86%. These diseases and viruses are not necessarily caused by a bad diet, but a bad diet will cause a weak immune system, which prevents the body from fighting diseases and viruses.

Better: Formulate A Plan

Going into the grocery store with a meal schedule, shopping list, and extra willpower will help you avoid caving in and buying junk like frozen pizzas, doughnuts, and ice cream. Plus, having a plan will likely save you some time, as it will keep you from wandering aimlessly through the aisles, trying to figure out what to buy and cook. Your bank account will also benefit since sticking to a list will prevent you from buying a bunch of random items that you don’t really need, or already have hiding in the back of your pantry. So make your list and check it twice -- then make it your personal mission to enjoy a shopping trip with health and wellness -- rather than chips and dip -- in mind.

Best: See It Through

It's a commonly held notion that people don’t like change. When it comes to making edits to your daily diet, that can certainly be true... until you start to see noticeable differences in your appetite (lower), energy (higher), and waistline (shrinking by the day). Humans aren't naturally programmed to require all of the added sugar, fat, and salt we’ve become accustomed to eating via the consumption of prepackaged, restaurant, and fast food. “Our taste for salt doesn’t develop until six months of age,” says Moss. “You can get unhooked on salt in about six weeks.”

Think about that for a minute: six weeks to a healthier, stronger, leaner you. I’m not saying it won’t be challenging, but that kind of payoff can boost your self-esteem and overall health. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and start the process of ditching unhealthy junk!

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.