Responsive Health's Official Blog

Exercise and dieting can fight fat. There are weight-loss pills that also claim to reduce the size of your waistline as well. But did you know that there are foods that can aid you in the battle against the bulge? You can literally fight the good fight as you eat foods you enjoy. The secret is choosing the right fat-fighting foods; foods that can help curb your appetite as well as stimulate your metabolism.

Sushi

Sushi is a great meal choice – not only is it filling but it contains a lot of protein and is low in calories. However, try to avoid elaborate rolls that contain mayonnaise or fried foods.

Beans

Beans are very a satisfying addition to your meal without the calorie punch of some other foods. They are packed in protein and fiber, which helps keep you full. They’re versatile too; add them to salads, pasta, soups and more. Skip refried beans (the word “fried” should give a clue as to why) though.

Fat-free Plain Yogurt

Fat-free plain yogurt is a great alternative to mayonnaise. Substitute it for mayo in tuna salad or on sandwiches. The calorie count in yogurt is fewer than 10 calories per tablespoon.

Garlic and Onions

These flavorful additions to food contain phytochemicals that break down fatty deposits in the body. They also have other advantages for the body, such as breaking down cholesterol, killing bacteria and viruses, and protecting against heart disease

Not only do leafy greens taste good, they help fight fat!

Leafy Greens

Dark, leafy greens such as spinach and spring mixes are great sources of fiber while their high amounts of antioxidants and vitamins help prevent hunger.

Hot Spices and Peppers

Ingredients that lend a kick to your foods, like hot sauce, cayenne, and peppers, are wonderful at filling you up. In addition, peppers contain capsacian, which provides heat to the pepper and helps stimulate the metabolism after eating them.

Fruits

Fruits rich with vitamin C are effective fat burners. Examples include limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, guava and tangerines. Vitamin C dilutes fat and helps in keeping fat from being readily formed by the body from the food you eat.

Apples

Apples have pectin, which helps restrict the cells from absorbing fat. Pectin also encourages water absorption from the food. In turn this aids in releasing fat deposits from the body.

Clinical depression is an epidemic that is diagnosed in over 9 million Americans each year–a marginal amount of the real number it affects, since most Americans never seek medical aid for clinical depression. Clinical depression comes in a variety of forms.

While most Americans know about major depression–an episode of severe sadness–and other strains, such as postpartum depression and bipolar disorder, very few know about dysthymic depression. Dysthymia is characterized as depression that is not as acute as a major depressive disorder, but still falls within the spectrum of depression and is longterm, for two or more years.

In Greek, dysthymia means “bad state of mind” or “ill humor.” Dysthymic depression is often harder to identify than a major depressive disorder, as it is more subtle and long-term. Dysthymic depression is different from major depression in that the individual never experiences sharp amounts of depression that might lead to forced clinical help, such as suicide attempts; the individual is also able to remain mostly functional, although like any form of depression, dysthymia can interfere with critical choices and stages of life.

Several of the following symptoms, over the span of at least two or more years, may be cause to seek psychiatric help for dysthemia:

• Little to no joy in life
• Poor appetite (over- or under-eating)
• Insomnia or hypersomnia (too little or too much sleep)
• Low energy or fatigue
• Low self-esteem
• Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
• Feelings of hopelessness
• No history of a major depressive episode, manic episode, mixed episode, hypomanic episode or cyclothymic disorder
• Significant amounts of impairment or distress

Dysthymia is known for developing early in a person’s life, but help is not usually sought out for ten years or more. This is unfortunate, as the Primary Care Journal points to three percent of society being affected by this mental illness epidemic, and Harvard Health says that at least three-quarters of dysthymic depression individuals have other physical illnesses or psychiatric disorders like anxiety, drug addiction, and alcoholism; in short, these additional physical illnesses or psychiatric disorders could be prevented by treating the dysthymia earlier rather than later.

But don’t jump the gun and categorize yourself as dysthymic too fast; it’s easy to confuse grief with depression. Bereavement–the experience people have when someone close to them has died or is dying–has parallel symptoms to depression. Such grief could lead to major depression but should not be confused with the long-term debilitation of dysthymia.

Consult your doctor if you are concerned about your mental health.

A trip to the dentist is never fun, but it’s even worse when we hear that the dentist say those dreaded words: “You have a cavity.” Usher in the filling and Novocaine and we’re even more disheartened. Beyond brushing, though, what can we do to protect our teeth from cavities?

Snack Less

It will probably make sense when you hear that snacking can increase your susceptibility to cavities. The more frequently you snack, the more likely food will get lodged in between your teeth. This food can linger in between brushing sessions and, in turn, cause cavities as they break down and release corrosive compounds. Also, the increased snacking can increase acid production, which wears on the enamel of your teeth.

Beautiful teeth takes some work

Avoid Sugary Beverages & Foods

Sugary soft drinks and treats may taste great, but they can also lead to cavities. This includes not only carbonated sugary drinks, like colas, but other drinks such as lemonade and sports beverages. It is better to eat a bunch of candy or drink a lot of sugary drinks in one sitting than to continue to snack on them all day.

Mouth Wash

Mouth wash is a great tool for preventing cavities, especially those with fluoride. The fluoride helps keep cavities at bay by strengthening the enamel and keeping them resistant to germs. Try a toothpaste that contains fluoride for extra protection.

Dental Sealant

If you haven’t heard of a dental sealant, then you might want to ask your dentist about it at your next appointment. It is a plastic coating that can be applied to your molars. It serves as a barrier between your teeth and sugary deposits that can exacerbate your teeth’s health. They do not serve as a guarantee that you will not get a cavity, though – they are just an aid to help prevent them.

Good Oral Care

This may sound trite, but general good oral care cannot be overrated. This includes not only brushing after each meal, but flossing as well. Brushing is not completely effective against the food that can lodge in between your teeth and cause cavities. Even worse, the cavities in between your teeth are harder to see and catch before they become bigger problems. Flossing catches those little bits of food that your toothbrush cannot reach.

Check-ups

Regular check-ups with your dentist are important because they help you prevent problems from becoming worse. The dentist can often tell you if you have a potential cavity or if you are not cleaning your teeth well enough. A small filling can be enough of a pain without adding a whole crown to the mix!

CNN released a story on how alcohol may prevent brain damage in car accidents. The study monitored 38,000 patients between 2000 and 2005 that suffered moderate to severe brain injuries in accidents, 38% which had high levels of alcohol in their blood.

Patients with the alcohol were more likely to survive from the brain damage than those that did not have a high blood-alcohol level. This means that while alcohol is a leading cause for auto accidents at a startling 40% of all accidents on the road, it also may prevent fatalities in severe auto accidents where brain injury is involved.

According to MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, underage drinking is the number one health problem in the youth of our country. Scientists that are skeptical of the study believe it may be skewed by the fact that younger patients in auto accidents will recover better than older patients, and those younger patients are also coming into the hospital more often thanks to the 40%-alcohol-causes-accidents rate.

But consider this: every year, 2 million people suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Of those 2 million, 56,000 will die and 80,000 will remain injured for life. To get an idea of how underage drinking may be effecting this study, compare that statistic with the following from MADD: 5,000 people under the age of 21 die every year due to drinking; this is not including sexual assaults, violence, or survivable injuries, so we’re only looking at the 56,000 people dying in auto accidents in this case.

The verdict? If both argumentative scientists and MADD are true, then the young patients are likely college students: over the age of 21, but still in the partying years.

It’s not clear why alcohol may help these patients recover from brain injuries. Doctors are saying giving alcohol to patients after the fact might not be beneficial either, because having the alcohol during the accident is a completely separate factor that may be attributing to the brain recovery.

This certainly isn’t to say to drink while driving; best to not get into the accident at all! While using alcohol to treat people is unlikely, scientists are looking for the “what” behind the phenomena to see if they can come up with alternative treatments for brain injuries in the future.

Everyone can appreciate a good night’s rest. It is especially appreciated and missed when we do not have one. Why can’t every night be a solid eight hours of good sleep then? What causes us to toss and turn some nights and wake up feeling like we never went to sleep? There are several possible culprits to examine. By learning about what they are, we can all work on getting that good night’s rest.

Caffeine

Do you drink coffee at night? Or soda? You could be consuming tons of caffeine, which in turn keeps you awake at night. Sometimes we’re not even aware that we are drinking caffeinated beverages because theyhave become such a routine part of our day. And even if you do fall asleep, the caffeine can keep you from a good, solid sleep. Try cutting out caffeine anytime after 6pm. Drink milk instead. The age-old habit for children is actually spot on. Dairy foods have tryptophan, an amino acid that your body converts to melatonin and serotonin, both of which are thought to induce sleep.

Naps

It can be difficult to avoid naps sometimes, particularly when you get home from work and your brain is taking a break from the stress of the workplace. But, if you want to be tired at bedtime, then don’t cut into your sleep time by taking a nap earlier in the day. If absolutely necessary- you just can’t keep your eyes open- then a power nap should be okay. A power nap is a short sleep that ends before your body enters into a deep sleep. It’s easier to bounce back from a power nap then it is from a longer one. This is because a person is more likely to be groggy if the body has entered into a deep sleep cycle but wakes up and is unable to complete it. The average duration of a power nap is fifteen to thirty minutes.

Stimulation

Avoid stimuli that are going to get your adrenaline going and make it more difficult for you to fall sleep- for at least 2-3 hours before bedtime. This can be anything from video games, going on the computer, exercise, or TV. The more active your brain is when you are trying to fall asleep, the less likely the probability that you will fall asleep. Additionally, even if you are able to fall asleep, it may reduce the quality of your sleep. This could mean waking up frequently or tossing and turning. Activities right before bedtime should be conducive to falling asleep; even better, if they’re slightly boring, they can actively help you drift off to sleep.

Consistency

A consistent sleep schedule should not be discounted. Parents are encouraged to put their children on a sleep schedule because it’s healthy for the body. It shouldn’t be any different for adults. Our bodies prefer to work in a rhythm. It is why we get jet lag when we fly to a drastically different time zone. When you allow yourself to fall into a sleep schedule, your body will physiologically reinforce your habits. Eventually, when your body recognizes the sleep schedule you have set for it, you will find it easier to fall asleep at the appointed time. Conversely, when you do not follow a routine, you have probably noticed that it is more difficult to wake up and fall asleep.