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Clean Eat Education :: Sleep - Is Eight (8) Hours REALLY the Magic Number?

EducationWhitney Carlson2 Comments

Your dreams are amazing– why would you want to cut them short? The truth – Life gets in the way! A human’s basic needs are food, water and sleep.  When we deprive our bodies of one of these basic needs, we are unable to function at our best or even anywhere near our best.  Optimal performance as it relates to our jobs, our families, our favorite sport, our hobbies and even our ability to remember is affected when we deprive ourselves of sleep.

 

So, what’s the magic formula for sleep?  Well… it’s not that easy.  Researchers suggest that the average adult, over the age of 18, needs seven (7) to nine (9) hours of GOOD sleep (basal sleep) per night.  What is GOOD sleep or basal sleep? It’s just actual, off in “la la land”, sleep.  We often accumulate BAD sleep or sleep debt if you wish to call it that, when we are stressed out, sick or we are in an uncomfortable environment (think freshman year of college sacked out on your friend’s hand-me-down couch).

 

Risks and Characteristics Associated with Lack of GOOD Sleep:

We may already know these, as some are obvious, but listing them out is quite unnerving!

1. Lack of cognitive (brain) ability to remember details.

2. Lack of general daily productivity and focus. (Don’t forget about those TPS reports!)

3. Increase of car accidents, accidents on the job and general clumsiness.

4. Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems.

5. Increased risk of psychiatric problems including depression and substance abuse.

6. Increased BMI (Body Mass Index). YES – THAT’S AN INCREASE IN BAD BODY WEIGHT (FAT). Try reaching your fitness and weight loss goals without sleep – NOT happening!

 

Sleeping for Weight Loss and for Increased Fitness:

When we sleep, we help provide our bodies the energy to regulate its daily functions.  One such function is regulation of our hormone levels.  When we sleep, our bodies regulate our cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for the break down, or metabolism of sugars, proteins, fats, minerals and water in our bodies.

 

Research also suggests a connection between sleep and insulin levels. Insulin is responsible for keeping your blood sugar levels healthy and in balance.  Lack of sleep increases these levels, which cause a spike in blood sugar, which in turn promotes the storage of fat in your body. Definitely a hindrance if you are looking to drop those pounds.  

 

I am TOO Stressed to Sleep. What can I do to increase my ability to get GOOD  sleep?

1.  Allow yourself to sleep only as much as your body needs.  This may take time to determine, but learn to listen to your body and adjust your sleep schedule accordingly.  Just because it is the weekend, don’t let yourself sleep from midnight to noon – keep a regular schedule or you will pay for it on Monday.

2.  Do something for yourself before you go to sleep. Listen to your favorite tunes (ahem… relaxing music, not head-banging heavy metal or rap music), have a one-on-one conversation (not an argument – save those topics for later) with your spouse, read a few chapters in your favorite book in a chair (skip reading in bed – not good!)

3.  Try to make yourself as comfortable for sleep as possible. Is your pillow as hard as a rock? It may just be time for a new pillow. Do you wake up sweating at night because it gets too hot in your house? Adjust the thermostat before you go to bed to ensure maximum comfort.

4.  Keep your bedroom as a place for sleeping only (and well…. Ahem… maybe a little of that other stuff too!)

5.  Eat at least 2-3 hours before bedtime to ward off any heart burn or indigestion that may disrupt your ability to sleep soundly.

6.  Don’t grab a cup of high-octane coffee right before you go to bed! Lay off the caffeine and get more rest!

 

Can I get too much sleep? What happens if I do? How can I avoid it?

Quick answer – Yes. There is such a thing as too much sleep.  Remember, don’t start waking up your spouse or children right at the eighth hour mark – they may require more sleep than you.

If you sleep too much, you may find that you are prone to depression (I would certainly be depressed if I had less hours in the day to accomplish all of my tasks!), and increased illness. Combat this by regulating your sleep. Allow yourself to sleep for as much as recommended (9 hours) and assess how you feel.  Feel groggy? Too rested? Dial it back and set an alarm for 30 minutes less each day until you start to feel like yourself again.

Go Catch Some Zzzzs!

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Clean Eat Education: Water for Weight Loss, Fitness and Overall Health

EducationWhitney Carlson7 Comments

Water. Whether bottled, straight from your tap or garden hose, the ocean or a stream, water is an essential component to human life. Without water, your internal organs would be unable to function. Imagine this - you purchase a fresh pineapple and a bag of dried pineapple from your local grocer. Upon inspection of the fresh pineapple, you see that the fresh pineapple is juicy and appears to have cells that are “plump” and bounce back after touched. The dried pineapple (although it is amazingly yummy) has shriveled to nearly half of the size of a fresh round of pineapple and appears tough and uneasily torn or altered.  This is due to dehydration – the cells in your body act the same way without essential daily water intake.

Water for Basic Function

Here’s the hype –

1.       Water and your kidneys are best buds! They work together to filter all of the bad chemicals and waste products both ingested by us (gasp!) and made by the cells in our bodies. In order to expel the urea and uric acid from your body, it must be dissolved in water to be carried out of your body.  WebMD suggests that adults should make 7 to 12 trips to the restroom daily!

2.       Ever wondered how your metabolism and digestion work? Well, the process starts with, you guessed it, WATER!

3.       Your blood is made up of water. (In fact, the average human adult body is comprised of 60-70% of water.) The water in your blood carries essential oxygen and nutrients to your cells so they can function properly.

4.       Have those days when you are “feeling your age?” Water helps to keep joints in your body, including those in your spine lubricated so you can move more freely and without pain!

5.       Water lubricates the tissues in your lungs so you can inhale and exhale freely.

6.       Sweat. Yeah, it’s ugly and if you are here in the south and am a woman, you “glisten,” but bottom line, the reason we perspire is to cool our body down.  Yep, that perspiration is pretty much all water!

 

How Much Should I Drink per Day?

Although there are varying schools of thought, the tried and true 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water per day cannot hurt! If plan to or are working out, you will want to increase your water consumption because chances are, your cells will be working harder than if you were just sitting behind your desk.  Think about upping your water intake when you take the dog for a walk, garden and even chase the kids in the park.

 

Do I Need to Drink More for Weight Loss?

From a personal standpoint, I feel better (maybe it’s just psychosomatic) when I remember to drink decent amounts of water per day.  I feel hydrated and find that I can push just a little harder in the gym. If I don’t drink enough, I find myself sluggish and tired throughout the day and evening.

 

According to “Dr. Howard Flaks, a bariatric (obesity) specialist in Beverly Hills, California, says, ‘By not drinking enough water, many people incur excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness and water retention.’ (http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/water.htm)” Coming from someone who sees obese patients all day long, that’s reason enough to get my water in!

 

Water during Exercise… Will I Increase my Fitness Level just by Drinking Water?

I wish that I could say “Poof! You drink water and now you have the fitness level of an 18 year old athlete although you are 50 and in poor health.” The truth – No. Drinking water alone will NOT increase your fitness level.  However, there is a silver lining! Drinking water during exercise will help stave off dehydration that often occurs during rigorous physical activity. Thus, you feel better during your workout and are more apt to lift harder, do an extra set or push yourself a little further. All of these equal more calories burned!

 

Other Sources of Water

Water from Food

Water is abundant in the foods that we enjoy. In fact, WebMD suggests that the average adult drinks about 80% of their total water intake and ingests, from food, approximately 20% of their water intake.  With 1.5 cup servings,

                Iceberg Lettuce – 95% Water

                Watermelon – 92% Water

                Broccoli – 91% Water

 

Water from Sports Drinks, Colas, Coffee and Teas

There is no evidence to suggest (at least that I could find) to suggest that your body uses the water from these drinks differently than that of pure, unaltered water. HOWEVER, keep these things in mind:

Sports Drinks – contain added sugars and electrolytes. Although you may be in the middle of strenuous exercise and need those nutrients, changes are you will likely drink these as you drive in traffic, with a meal, etc. Skip the sugar – go for pure H20!

Colas – most cola not only contain added sugars, but also caffeine.  Caffeine is a known diuretic that helps your body to expel water from cells. This can have adverse effects on hydration, causing your body to become dehydrated instead of hydrated.

Coffee and Tea – Just as with the cola, coffee and tea contains caffeine, which is a diuretic.

 

I heard a saying once that if you drink an 8-ounce cola, coffee or tea, you would want to follow it with an 8-ounce glass of water to ensure your body is hydrated. Not scientifically based, but a good rule of thumb.

 

Drink Up!

Clean Eat Education :: Beef – What’s Really for Dinner? Make Wise Choices!

EducationWhitney CarlsonComment

Proteins are necessary building blocks to increasing our fitness levels by gaining muscle, trimming fat and fueling our bodies for optimal functioning.  Below, you will find information on how to buy quality beef, as well as suggested serving portions.

Nutritional Benefits of Beef

Vitamins/Minerals

Beef contains several vitamins and minerals that are essential to your daily nutritional intake.  Beef is a good source of zinc, selenium, phosphorus, iron and B Vitamins.  Essential for optimal muscle growth,  Beef is the best source of carnitine and is a good source of creatine.

Calories

Due to the large amount of cuts and the variance of fat in any particular beef source, it’s quite hard to provide concrete calorie counts for beef.  However, below you will find a guide of approximate calorie contents in different cuts of beef.

Ground Beef (85% Beef / 15% Fat) – 3oz portion, cooked

  • 228 calories, 13g Fat, 5.1g Saturated Fat, 84mg Cholesterol

Ribeye Steak – 9oz portion, grilled

  • 585 calories, 29g Fat, 12g Saturated Fat, 207mg Cholesterol

Filet Mignon – 6oz, cooked

  • 320 calories, 18g Fat,  6g Saturated Fat, 85 mg Cholesterol

Concerns Related to Beef Consumption

Hormones

Most commercially available Beef (that which you find in your grocer’s meat section), is fed growth hormones during most stages of their lives.  To allow for sufficient growth of a calf in optimal time, cattle are fed a mixture of large amounts of grain feed and protein supplements.  According to Dr. Heise, a Chiropractic Doctor from Winter Park, FL, “Various combinations of hormones, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, and the synthetic hormones, zeranol and trenbolone acetate, may be given to cattle during their growing cycle. Another hormone, melengesterol acetate, may also be added to cattle feed to ‘improve weight gain and feed efficiency.’” (http://www.drheise.com/beef.htm) If a calf can gain 1400 lbs in a matter of a little over one year to 18 months, what potential effects could these hormones have on your weight loss goals?

What can you do to guard against this? Look for hormone-free meats – they are available in many mainstream supermarkets and butcher shops.  We are not advocating that you stop eating Beef, just look at your labels and know what is in your foods before purchasing!

Antibiotics

Over 50% of antibiotic usage can be traced to usage for animal consumption.  Due to overcrowding and increased opportunity for disease, antibiotics are added to cattle feed to prevent such diseases.  However, the large amounts of medicine that are fed to these animals increase the risk of passing the chemicals to those that consume such meat.

What can you do to guard against taking in these chemicals? Look for antibiotic-free meats – they are often available in conjunction with hormone-free meats and are available in many mainstream supermarkets and butcher shops.  Again… we are not advocating that you stop eating Beef, just look at your labels and know what is in your foods before purchasing!

Suggested Servings

Pry your hands off of your mouse or keyboard. Look down at the palm of your hand. That’s one of your best tools for determining how much of a protein or meat you should consume in one sitting! A palm-sized portion of beef is perfect for your next meal.

Just how much beef should you have per week? A 2007 study by the World Cancer Research Fund suggested no more than 11oz or 300g of cooked beef per week.

Additional Information YOU may Want to Know

Cuts of Beef

There are many, many cuts of beef that you should be aware of as you maneuver around your local butcher, farmers market and grocery store. Know which area your meat is coming from so that you can choose an optimal cut for your cooking method.

  • Chuck – Pot Roast, Short Ribs and Ground Chuck (typically used for hamburger meat)
  • Ribs – Prime Rib and Ribeye Steaks
  • Short Loin – T-Bone Steak, Porterhouse Steak and New York Strip Steaks
  • Sirloin – Sirloin Steaks, Ground Sirloin, Tri Tip Roast
  • Breast/Foreshank – Crosscut Shank, Brisket, Ground Beef
  • Plate – Ground Beef
  • Flank – Flank Steak, Skirt Steak and London Broil
  • Round – Rump Roast, Round Steak and Roast

USDA Grades of Beef

  • US Prime – Best quality. Small, limited amount of intramuscular fat. Higher fat content than US Choice.
  • US Choice – High quality. Most commonly available beef grade. Lower fat content than US Prime.
  • US Select – Lower quality typically sold at grocery stores and butcher shops. Lean and sometimes tough.
  • US Standard
  • US Utility
  • US Cutter
  • US Canner

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