Eating For Health

Caffeine – who doesn’t enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning?   Whether a K-cup, Starbucks or Mr. Coffee, most people enjoy starting their day with a cup of coffee.   According to the FDA , about 80% of adults in the US have some caffeine every day.     How does all this caffeine affect our health? What beverages and foods have caffeine? Coffee and tea have caffeine as does chocolate.   Energy drinks such as Red Bull contain caffeine.   How much caffeine is safe to drink? FDA notes that for most people, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet.   “But too much caffeine may post a danger to your health.”   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   But this varies as some people are more sensitive to caffeine and some people metabolize it faster or slower.   Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult with t...

We all know people who are on a diet.   Usually some fad diet that they can’t stay on for a life time.   How often do we hear, “I am off my diet.”    “I am back on my diet.”    What are some diet mistakes that can sabotage your weight loss goals?   WebMD has a great article, 10 Diet Mistakes and How to Avoid Them . Crash diets – Many of us want to lose weight but not slow and steady, we want to lose it now.   So crash diets sound appealing.   When you lose weight that fast you not only lose water and fat but also muscle tissue.    Eating under 1200 calories a day can slow your metabolism and slow your chances of losing weight.   Go off this crash diet and the weight comes back as you haven’t changed your lifestyle and eating habits.     Skipping Breakfast – seems like an easy way to cut back on calories.   I was doing a diet recall on a friend who said they never ate breakfast.   Yet, when they got ...