Tip of the Week: National Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Northville Prompt Weight Loss

This month we recognize National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. It is currently unknown how many people are living with celiac disease in the United States, but the numbers may run as high as 1 percent.

People with celiac disease cannot eat foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. With celiac disease, the body's immune system responds to gluten by damaging the villi (small, hair-like projections) that line the small intestine. Damage to the small intestine means nutrients cannot be fully used by the body, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

The only treatment for celiac disease is to eat a gluten-free diet. Once gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine can start to heal and nutrition absorption improves.

Foods that are naturally gluten-free include fruits, vegetables, beef, poultry, fish, nuts, eggs and more. And, there are several tasty grains that can be used in place of those that contain gluten like amaranth, corn, quinoa, flax, tapioca, buckwheat and millet.

From Oli G

To Learn More about Coach Oli Geagea MS Dietitian and receive nutritional support go to www.promptweightloss.com

Nutrition: Cholesterol

Northville Prompt Weight Loss 

The South Beach Diet encourages you to eat nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods and to exercise regularly. These healthy lifestyle habits will not only help you meet your weight-loss goals, but they’ll also put you on the right track to lowering your cholesterol, thereby reducing your risk of heart disease. Here are 6 ways to help improve your cholesterol levels:

1. Limit saturated fat. Saturated fat (often referred to as animal fat) is typically found in foods like poultry skin, full-fat dairy products, and fatty cuts of beef, lamb, and pork. It should be limited because it can stimulate cholesterol production in the body and cause your total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels to rise. By adopting our diet, which is low in saturated fat, you've taken a good first step toward improving your cholesterol levels.
   
   
2. Avoid trans fats. Trans fats, aka hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (check the list of ingredients on nutrition labels), may be even more damaging to cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they can raise your LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL ("good") cholesterol. Studies have shown that trans fats may also increase the risk of cancer. The South Beach Diet excludes foods like stick margarine, and any commercially processed foods like baked goods and chips, that often contain trans fats. On the South Beach Diet, we replace these unhealthy choices with products made with good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in oils such as olive, canola, peanut, and sunflower ... Read More

From Oli G

To Learn More about Oli Geagea MS Dietitian and receive nutritional support go to www.promptweightloss.com

Research: Diet Soda May Be the More Dangerous Alcohol Mixer

Northville Prompt Weight Loss

 Cutting calories with diet soda may seem like a good idea -- as long as it's not at a bar. A new study released in the journal Alcoholism suggests that cutting alcoholic drinks with diet soda makes them more potent than using their full-calorie counterparts. Specifically, researchers found that mixing alcohol with diet (sugar-free) soft drinks resulted in a higher breath alcohol content than mixing alcohol with a regular (sugar-sweetened) soft drink. "The results were surprising," said Cecile A. Marczinski, assistant professor in the department of psychological science at Northern Kentucky University, and one of the lead investigators of the study. Researchers served one of three beverages: vodka added to a diet drink, vodka added to a regular drink or a regular soft drink with a vodka scent added so that participants would believe it was an alcoholic beverage. They then sat back while the subjects enjoyed their cocktails  ... Read More

From Oli G

To Learn More about Oli Geagea MS Dietitian and receive nutritional support go to www.promptweightloss.com