Does this study make you think twice about processed food?

100 trillion microbes may be conspiring to make you fat. That’s the implication of a recent study on the relationship of gut bacteria to diet and obesity in mice. It might be a long stretch from mice to men - or maybe not.

Bacteria "R" Us
The human gut (also called the intestines) is chock full of bacteria that help digestion and fight disease. In fact, of all the cells that make up the human body, microbe cells outnumber "human" cells by 10 to 1.
A while ago Dr. Jeffrey Gordon and his research team from Washington University in St Louis noticed that overweight people and lean folks have different gut bacteria. Obesity is associated with more of the bacteria called Firmicutes, while leanness is associated with more bacteria from the Bacteroidetes family. The scientists wondered if the difference in gut bacteria had a role in obesity.
The Study
To test his assumption about gut bacteria and obesity, Dr. Gordon created an animal model. He raised mice in a germ-free environment; consequently, they had no gut bacteria. He then infused the mice with a typical mix of bacteria found in the human gut. The human bacteria flourished in the mice and so Dr. Gordon began his research.
The scientists fed different diets to two groups of mice with the identical gut bacteria. Half the mice ate a “Western Diet” full of sugar and fat, and the others ate a minimally processed diet low in sugar and fat. When the bacteria were re-measured, the mice eating the Western Diet had more Firmicutes while those eating the unprocessed diet had more Bacteroidetes. As expected, the mice on the Western Diet were fatter.
But, here is the interesting part: when the scientists transplanted gut bacteria from the "Westernized" mice to new mice that were still germ-free and then fed the new mice the unprocessed diet, the new mice gained more weight than was expected on the unprocessed diet.
It was as if the Firmicutes bacteria was much better at extracting calories from food. When those bacteria broke nutrients down to energy, the nutrients produced more calories than was expected. Don't despair. In another study, Dr. Gordon measured the gut bacteria of obese humans as they tried to lose weight on a low calorie diet. He found that their Firmicutes bacteria fell while their Bacteroidetes bacteria rose as the study subjects lost weight. Perhaps gut bacteria can be altered after all.
The TakeawayObviously much more research is needed to understand the role of gut bacteria in human obesity, but it could be that gut microbes do have some role and Western diets might make it worse. The research could explain why it’s often hard to lose weight, and it gives us yet another reason to put the kibosh on processed food.

Article: Calories Burned by Bacteria in the Gut

www.caloriecount.com

Roller Coaster Fat Games

My sister Liz and I were talking about how people who diet go through so much. They rollercoaster up and down from one extreme food, diet and behavior to another. Yo-Yo-ing from one fad to the next quick fix. I began one of my secretarial jobs at a title company a few months ago and had a co-worker that began the HCG diet, she ate no more than 500 calories and stuffed pills containing the pregnancy hormone HCG down her throat all day. She would have leangthy conversations with us about how she fell down in the shower due to low blood sugar levels and hyploglycemic symptoms. She was seeing a chiropractor for thousands of dollars to fix the alignment of her fat-burdened bones and claimed it was a miracle treatment. She explained to me that her chiropractor had her doing a series of simple streatches and exercises but thought nothing about the fact that she could probably pay herself to exercise and save some dough. You don't need to be a doctor to take a walk around the block or read-up on yoga, pilates and stretching. You can get a monthly gym membership for less than the cost of one doctor's visit. And you CAN get a gym quality workout at HOME! And if you eat like a healthy lean person (about 2,000 calories a day) you will eventually be a lean healthy person. If you change your mentality of food being an enemy to being your friend that peace will result in weight loss. Try this: tell yourself over and over in an affirmative mannor that "I can eat as much food as I want, whenever I want it and as much of it as I want, and because I love myself and respect my body I choose to eat delicious healthy food!" So to all this I say "Stop subjecting yourself to being a fad-guine-pig!!" lets all eat the foods we love, get cookin in the kitchen, stop poppin pills and peeling off wrappers and rid ourselves of our dependence on consumer fat loss scams.

Visit these links:

YouTube video success story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MeonQ0S8kI&feature=player_embedded

Great home video series to lose weight:

http://www.jarilove.com/

Favorite Nutritionist (you can buy one of her books for half the co-pay at a doctors office):

http://www.detoxtheworld.com/blog.php

Get Cookin! Cook Books:

-Jamie's Food Revolution-

-Biggest Loser Cookbook-

- Clean Food-

-Raw Detox Diet-

"Sweets" the Psychologist

When I was studying Psychology in college I came across something in a textbook that really moved me. It was a psychological definition called the “Ego Ideal” this is basically our notion of how we would always think and act if we were perfect” (Psychology, pg. 319). “All of us, as we grow up, begin to set rules for our own behavior. Through learning what society values and through identification with our parents and other adults, we acquire inner standards of many kinds. We also acquire strong motivation to meet standards. Most people want to be attractive, responsible, friendly, skillful, generous, honest and fair… our standards form our ego ideal.” This leads me to believe that we are constantly re-creating our ego ideal or our “perfect self” all the time and that everything around us influences this image. There is one man that has been the center of my ego ideal daydreams: his name is “sweets”….

Many times I have thought that I am in love with this fictional character on the series “Bones.” He’s handsome, clean-cut, great with people, and best of all intelligent. But I have finally come to the conclusion that I can’t be in love with the pixels of a moving picture. So after much thought I feel that what I really love is the idea of being brilliant. I imagine this sometimes and I take all these little bits and pieces with me from the people who influence my “ego ideal” or “perfect self.” Here’s a rough description: I have complex and yet logical thoughts bouncing around my skull every day. I notice details in crystal clarity and I’m able to communicate those details in a profound and moving way—drawing parallels and conclusions in an unending net of consciousness, choosing the perfect words to describe objects and people.

Every day and every moment is entertaining. I am never found crushed by problems because I have developed a detached stance to drama surrounding events. When I talk to people I am able to adapt to their level of comfort or cultural background and win them as a friend. I’m at peace with myself—even my flaws—so I don’t get moved in heated situations. I stay clear of altercations because I can manipulate situations to go smoothly and come out with great win-win outcomes!

I’m able to evaluate and portray interesting, clever and unique perspectives that are helpful to others and continue to add to my own sense of wonder and knowledge. Perhaps what I love most of all is the idea of being forever observant— avoiding the selfish and boring task of being drenched in my own idiosyncrasies but instead living vicariously and safely through the lives of others. The world is an amazing and aw inducing place that will never find me baffled by its tricks, only observant and fascinated—always an observer never its victim.
In an episode of Bones, Sweets talks to Brennon about contributing money to her friend Angela’s “save the piglet” efforts and says:

“If life were simply a debate you would win hands down but we know that it isn't a debate, it’s something much tougher. Our very work shows us that those people who call the world an abattoir— a slaughterhouse, they have a point. Now you handle that knowledge by imposing this gossamer web of rationality over the ‘ugliness.’ Angela has a very different way of handling it. Sometimes you don’t save the world Dr. Brennon, sometimes you just make your friend happy”. – Bones, Season 5 Episode 6

This is where I add “I win friends, influence people and patch up relationships” into my “ego ideal” description.

Sweets oh my dear Sweets! I am thinking of yet another example of your greatness! – Sweets is in a restaurant with another psychologist, they engage in a conversation about “booth” a rugged FBI Agent and “Brennan” a doctor in Anthropology specializing in (yup you guessed it!) bones.

Here’s the quote:

“You see, I believe that as a reaction to the childhood traumas of abuse and abandonment Dr. Brennon utilizes her intellect to armor herself from intense levels of emotion, like love.” “And Booth?” asks the accompanying psychologist, “well” replies Sweets, “He’s sensitive to her vulnerability. He knows that acting upon his feelings for her would amount to a kind of…assault.” Season 5 Episode 7

I say “Brilliant!”….

After seeing all this flash through my mind I think, “ What a lovely mind game!” and then I sit a moment longer and imagine what I have actually written down, I read it a bit and conclude that the only concrete truth here is that I am not so talented a writer and certifiably insane and obsessed. And so dear reader, I urge you simply to watch an episode of “Bones” and see what you think of my favorite character, “Sweets.”

Visit http://www.hulu.com/
Her e is the link to one of my favorite episodes:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/107016/bones-dwarf-in-the-dirt

“Kagan and Segal’s Psychology an Introduction” (Pg. 319) Ninth Edition by Don Baucum and Carolyn D. Smith

The Holiday's are nearing. I know because the trees give off a lush toasted smell and people are already putting up Christmas lights. Driving down the street in Riverdale I saw a home that was already decked out completely in festivities: lights, figurines...everything. I think about all that I have been through and how chaotic life seems to be and then I see these glowing lights humming about on draped glimmered string over foliage and rooftops--lights that seem to symbolize regularity, consistancy and celebration. That twisted part of me would rather buy a few white chocolate pecan cookies from Cutler's than to buy Christmas lights, and another equally daft part would rather watch a movie than to put up lights even if I got them for free. I am sort of a Grinch anyways. Despite all my attempts to unleash the celebratory spirit I am dreading the inconveniences of snow, money and schedules. Maybe, come December, I will melt into a little heap of warm spirits, presents, pine and cinnamon. But for now, I think I would rather mock the advertisements, taunt the mailman and keep my precious greenbacks.