From the Mayo Clinic

If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. But this is one case where following the crowd isn’t a good idea. Carrying extra weight — especially belly fat — can be risky.

Michael Jensen, M.D., an endocrinology specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., answers common questions about belly fat in men.

Why is belly fat a concern for men?
People who gain belly fat are at greater risk of serious health problems than are people who accumulate fat in other areas — and men are more likely than women to gain weight around the waist. Having a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of:

Heart disease
Stroke
Some types of cancer
Type 2 diabetes
Insulin resistance
High triglycerides
Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol
Metabolic syndrome
Sleep apnea
How can you tell if you have too much belly fat?
Your waist size is a good indicator of whether you have too much belly fat. Although measurements that compare your hip and waist circumference (waist-to-hip ratio) or compare your height and weight (body mass index) are more precise, your waist size alone can give you a good estimate. For most men, the risk factors for heart disease and other diseases increase with a waist size greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters).

To measure your waist:

Place a tape measure around your bare abdomen just above your hipbone.
Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you but doesn’t push into your skin.
Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
Relax, exhale and measure your waist — no sucking in your belly!
Does age play a role in gaining belly fat?
As you age, you lose muscle — especially if you’re not physically active. Muscle loss can slow the rate at which your body burns calories. In turn, if you don’t limit your calories or increase your physical activity, you may gain weight.

Is belly fat inherited?
Your genes can affect your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as where you carry extra fat on your body. For most men, however, the problem likely has more to do with lifestyle than inherited traits.

Can you really get a beer belly from drinking?
Drinking excess alcohol can cause you to gain belly fat — the “beer belly.” However, beer alone isn’t to blame. Drinking too much alcohol of any kind can increase belly fat, although some research suggests wine may be an exception. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Limiting yourself to two drinks a day will reduce the amount of calories you consume and help you avoid gaining belly fat. It’s also better for your overall health.

How do you get rid of belly fat?
Whether you’re trying to lose belly fat or trim fat from another part of your body, weight-loss basics remain the same:

Reduce calories. Reduce your portion sizes. Replace your usual fare with healthy foods that contain fewer calories.
Increase physical activity. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults get two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, in addition to strength training. You may need to do more to lose weight and keep it off.
After you shed excess pounds, maintain your weight loss with a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

Can you reduce belly fat with sit-ups?
Sit-ups help make your abdominal muscles stronger, but spot exercises alone won’t specifically reduce belly fat. The best way to shrink your waist size is to lower your total body fat through healthy eating and exercise.

The bottom line
If you have a spare tire, don’t despair. You can lose belly fat — it just takes patience and effort. In fact, shedding even a few extra pounds can help you feel better and lower your risk of health problems.

Here is some news from Reuters Health about gearing teenage children towards a better diet. A great way to get protein is by eating fish which has been medically proven to contain less fats than meats. One thing that has happened adversely over the years is that Americans have strayed from fish products. I blame this on the relaxation of Catholic regulations on abstaining from meat on Friday. People were acclimated to eating fish and grew to developing a taste for fish. Nowadays, a big percentage of the population are not in tune with fish and seafood as being a part of their diets. Take a look at the research below and judge for yourselves!

By Howard Wolinsky

Under medical supervision, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is a safe and effective way for severely obese teenagers to lose weight, according to a new study.
Effective treatment options for young people who are obese are limited, “particularly for those who are severely obese,” Dr. Nancy F. Krebs, professor of pediatrics and head of the division of pediatric nutrition at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and colleagues note in a report in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Doctors have been concerned about the safety of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in children. “There have been fears that the diet could adversely impact growth and could increase cholesterol levels because it is a high-fat diet,” Krebs explained in a telephone interview with Reuters Health. “This has been a barrier to it being used.”

To investigate, the researchers randomly assigned 24 severely obese teenagers to eat a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet and 22 matched teens to eat a low-fat diet for 13 weeks. The study subjects were 14 years old on average and were at least 175 percent above ideal weight, but were free of type 2 diabetes or other serious medical problems. They were closely supervised throughout the study.

On average, those on the high-protein, low-carb diet lost 29 pounds over 13 weeks, while those on the low-fat diet lost 16 pounds. Both groups kept the weight off nine months after the study. “We had expected the high-protein, low-carbohydrate group to quickly regain all the weight lost, but this did not occur,” Krebs said. “At the end of the day, this suggests that with ongoing support, these patients could perhaps have achieved even more weight loss.”

The high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet also appeared to be safe, with no serious harmful effects on growth, bone mineral density, and various “metabolic” parameters, such as cholesterol levels. Both groups showed declines in levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and increases in levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.

Clinical psychologist Angela Celio Doyle of the University of Chicago’s eating and weight disorders program, who was not involved in the study, said the study helps “fill the hole” in the scientific literature on adolescent obesity.

Doyle said the Colorado study supports the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet as another option for severely obese teens to lose weight. “There really isn’t any gold standard now for how to help these adolescents lose weight,” she said.

SOURCE: The Journal of Pediatrics, published online March 22, 2010.

Looks like Certified Meatless – Lenten Oservance aka CMLO is doing the right thing! We put our seal on foods to help consumers designate foods which will be acceptable for their dietary needs. I have enclosed a snippet from a US FDA. It confirms the fact that more Americans than ever are reading the nutritional and composition labels attached to food packaging. So here are the facts to look at:

More than half (54 percent) of consumers said they read a product’s label the first time they buy the product. That’s a 10 percent increase from 2002.
Among those who in 2008 reported they read the nutrition label the first time they buy a product
two-thirds use the label “often” to check how high or low a food is in calories and in substances such as salt, vitamins, and fat
55 percent “often” use the label to get a general idea of the food’s nutritional content
46 percent “often” use the calorie information on the label. Thirty-four percent rarely or never use the calorie information
Thirty-eight percent of consumers said they use nutrient content claims (such as “low fat,” “high fiber,” and “cholesterol-free”) “often”; 34 percent answered “sometimes.”
When asked if they refer to the label claim of “0 grams of trans fat,” 31 percent said “often” and 36 percent said “sometimes.”
The survey found differing degrees of trust about claims found on food labels. For example, 41 percent of consumers believe that all or most of claims such as “low fat,” “high fiber,” or “cholesterol free” are accurate, while 56 percent believe that some or none of them are accurate.

Also, 64 percent of consumers reported seeing nutrition labeling on menus, napkins, or place mats in restaurants. About half of these consumers use this information often or sometimes.

Monday starts the week and if you don’t abstain from meat at least once a week, why not start today? The Meatless Monday movement started to bring an awareness that by eliminating meat once a week brings relief in some way to the environment. It is also good to eliminate some fat consumption from your diet. So,to help you and your neighbour, go meatless for a day or two or three! I came across this article about bone density from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I always thought that the only way to achieve strong bones was to eat large amounts of meat and drink milk. Therfore I attached this article for your perusal. Make it a Certified Meatless Monday! Make it a CM-LO day!
Nutrient Supports Bone Health Over Time
By Rosalie Marion Bliss
January 14, 2009
Findings from a new study suggest that natural pigments found in plants may help protect against bone loss in older men and women. Researchers funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) reported the findings in a paper published online by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study was led by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. Tucker directs the HNRCA’s Dietary Assessment and Epidemiology Research Program.

Other studies have consistently shown that fruit and vegetable intake is good for bones. Biological antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, protect cells and tissues from damage caused by naturally occurring oxygen free radicals in the body. Such plant nutrients may help protect the skeleton by reducing oxidative stress and thereby inhibiting bone breakdown or resorption.

The researchers examined potential effects on bone mineral density of overall and individual intake of several carotenoid compounds, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin.

For the observational study, the researchers tracked changes in bone mineral density at two areas of the hip and lumbar spine of male and female volunteers, aged 75 years on average, participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Among these volunteers, 213 men and 390 women were measured at the beginning of the study and four years later.

Over the course of the four years of the study, carotenoids were associated with some level of protection against losses in bone mineral density at the hip in men and at the lumbar spine in women. No significant associations were observed at the other bone sites.

The results suggest there is a protective effect of carotenoids, particularly of lycopene, against bone loss in older adults. The researchers concluded that carotenoids may explain, in part, the previously observed protective effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on bone mineral density.

To look up the levels of individual carotenoids in selected foods, go to “Reports By Single Nutrients,” provided by the ARS Nutrient Data Laboratory at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869

ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Whew! I just returned from Walt Disney World. The family had a great time but dining was always a burden. It seems to me that there are not a lot of CM-LO friendly options at the resort’s numerous restaurants. Many times a certain seafood dish had mixes of meat and or meat sauces. Especially on last Friday, the first Friday of Lent, extra caution had to be taken. I had to ask for substitute preparation for the food so that I could be completely meatless. It is tough to dine out unless you see a vegetarian dish listed. But you also need to ask what the components of the sauce are as well. A great percentage of chefs will use chicken broth in lieu of plain water or milk for many of their sauces. This as you know is not a CM-LO food. Vegetarian stock should be used. If you make a chicken dish use chicken broth. If you are cooking fish or seafood, then make a stock with just the fish and no meats. I was floored to see a clams and mussels dish with sausage buried in the stock. Always beware and ask! If your waiter doesn’t know then ask the cook! By the way, the Disney waiters are well informed and will tell you the specifics of the dishes if asked! Food for thought and food for Lent. CertifiedMeatless is the best! Make it a CM-LO day!

How did it go yesterday? Ash Wednesday is the first day to become CertifiedMeatless? If you had trouble finding food choices, then you did not consult the experts at CM-LO! Take a look today to plan your meals for the next 40 days and beyond!

Hello all, Tomorrow begins the Great Lent. As you may know, for followers of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, Lent is the period of abstinence, piety, charity to others, and prayer. Abstinence is refraining from slaughtered landed meats and their by-products. CertifiedMeatless has a vast catalogue of food products that are void of landed meats and their by-products. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for the Occidental Christians, is the ultimate in meatless Wednesday.

It is Friday and it is once again a day of reflection and abstinence. Not only good as a mortification, eating fish,seafood, and vegetables is a way of cleansing the body and allowing the body to obtain useful chemical components. Omega 3’s which are found in seafood has many properties that lead to better health. I am enclosing an excerpt from a study conducted by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine published a few days ago. Please read and absorb the information. One note about fish oil and Omega 3 supplements: Many over the counter supplements are encased in geletin which is a meat derivative and therefore non CMLO. Choose carefully and choose supplements encased in dextrose or other CMLO acceptable capsules. More infomation at http://CM-LO.com.
Here is the excerpt and have a Certified Meatless Friday!

About Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids—also known as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)—are important for a number of bodily functions, including the relaxation and contraction of muscles, blood clotting, digestion, fertility, cell division, growth, and movement of calcium and other substances in and out of cells.

The three major types of omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is found in seeds, vegetable oils (canola, flaxseed, and soybean), green leafy vegetables, nuts, and beans. ALA is converted, usually in small amounts, into EPA and DHA, after it is ingested. Fish oil and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and tuna are the primary sources of EPA and DHA. Algae oils are a vegetarian source of DHA. Omega-3s are available as dietary supplements, usually in the form of capsules or oils. Commonly used supplements include fish oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil.

Most American diets provide at least 10 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids. Scientists generally agree that people should consume less omega-6s and more omega-3s for good health; however, the best ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s has not been determined.

Welcome back to our blog and site! We at CertifiedMeatless are continuing our series on the Mediterranean Diet. It seems that eating in this manner may lead to a longer shelf life for your brain! For more information on the Mediterranean Diet, go to our blog at http://CertifiedMeatless.com/blog and click on “Mediterranean Diet”. We think you will find the articles quite fascinating! Here is our excerpt:

Study finds less damage to brain tissue when the regimen is followed
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) — Eating a Mediterranean-style diet — one rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish and fruit — may protect aging brains from damage linked to cognitive problems, a new study finds
Other studies have already found that such diets also lower risks for depression, cancer, heart disease and premature death.
The latest study was led by Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, and involved 712 men and women averaging 80 years of age. All of the participants had no history of stroke and received MRIs to look for brain infarcts — tissues that have died because of reduced or cut-off blood supply.
Though the infarcts are true strokes, Scarmeas said, they are so small that they escape notice.
In all, 238 people had at least one area of brain damage, he said.
The researchers also looked at how well the participants had followed a Mediterranean-style diet for the six years before the MRI.
“What we found was, those people who were following a healthier diet, more Mediterranean-like, had fewer brain infarcts, strokes, on the MRI,” Scarmeas said. Their risk for having such damage was lowered by up to 36 percent, he said.
The reduced risk was linked to the type of diet eaten, the study found. “We broke the diet adherence into three groups: those who adhered very, very little [to the Mediterranean plan], those who adhered to a moderate degree and those adhering to a high degree,” he said.
People in the middle — those who followed the diet moderately well — were 21 percent less likely to have brain damage than people in the lowest adherence group. Those who followed it most closely had a 36 percent reduced risk compared with those who followed it the least.
The effect of the diet on brain health that they found was about the same as the effect that not having high blood pressure has on the brain, Scarmeas said.
In earlier studies, Scarmeas and his colleagues have shown that a Mediterranean diet could help lower the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and might lengthen the life of those who have the disease. Now, he said, the new findings may help explain the reason for this — that those who eat the healthiest have the fewest number of brain infarcts associated with cognitive decline.
Scarmeas is expected to present the findings to the American Academy of Neurology at its annual meeting in April in Toronto. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, said the finding expressed in the study’s abstract “gives strength to the message of the importance of plant foods, and healthy oils, to overall health.”
“Boosting plant food intake can improve heart health and reduce body weight, but now it appears it may [also] aid brain health,” she said.

Hello and time to make a break from the meat from those SuperBowl parties! I came across a great article from the Mayo Clinic on the benefits of eating fish! Take a look at the article and determine how you can incorporate fish eating into your diet! For more help go to http://CertifiedMeatless.com

Omega-3 in fish: How eating fish helps your heart
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are good for your heart. Find out how the heart-health benefits of eating fish usually outweigh any risks.

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you’re worried about heart disease — whether you want to avoid it, or you already have it and want to get healthier — eating one to two servings of fish a week could reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by a third or more.

Doctors have long recognized that the unsaturated fats in fish, called omega-3 fatty acids, appear to reduce your risk of dying of heart disease. For many years, the American Heart Association has recommended that people eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week.

But some people are still concerned about mercury or other contaminants in fish outweighing its heart-healthy benefits. However, when it comes to a healthier heart, the benefits of eating fish usually outweigh the possible risks of exposure to contaminants. Find out how to balance these concerns with adding a healthy amount of fish to your diet.

What are omega-3 fatty acids, and why are they good for your heart?
Fish contain unsaturated fatty acids, which, when substituted for saturated fatty acids such as those in meat, may lower your cholesterol. But the main beneficial nutrient appears to be omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that’s thought to reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also believed to improve learning ability in children, decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, enhance immune function and improve arthritis symptoms. Consuming one to two servings a week of fish, particularly fish that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, appears to reduce the risk of heart disease, particularly sudden cardiac death.

Does it matter what kind of fish you eat?
Fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, and to a lesser extent tuna, contain the most omega-3 fatty acids and therefore the most benefit, but many types of seafood contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Most freshwater fish have less omega-3 fatty acids than do fatty fish from the sea. Some varieties of trout have relatively high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.