Are We Finally Listening About Sodas??

Finally, some good news regarding sodas! (From a health perspective, there usually isn’t anything “good” to talk about concerning them…) In recent months, there have been numerous reports confirming that overall consumption of carbonated soft drinks (soda) has been steadily declining. As a doctor, I couldn’t be happier because they are frequently a contributing factor to many health conditions that we see in the office such as weight issues, diabetes and gastrointestinal problems. The fact that Americans are slowing down their consumption gives me hope that more people are realizing that regular soda is nothing more than liquid candy (and diet sodas aren’t any better for you with all their chemicals).

Over the last 20 years, sales of full-calorie soda have dropped by more than 25%. Soda consumption, which grew mainly from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, is now experiencing a sustained decline. Researchers found that 30.1 percent of adults reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages at least once a day in 2013, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2010, 50.6 percent of adults reported drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day, according to the report, which gathered data from survey respondents in 23 states.

Drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily was most common among 18- to 24-year-olds, with 43.3 percent of all people in this age group reporting that they consume a sugary drink at least once daily. Adults in this age group were 2.3 times more likely to have a sugary drink once a day than adults ages 55 and over, according to the report. Other groups in which consumption was high included African-Americans (39.9 percent); men (34.1 percent); people who reported being unemployed (34.4 percent); and people with less than a high school education (42.4 percent).

Part of this declining trend is due to people making smarter beverage choices. More people are opting for bottled water to quench their thirst instead of sugar-laden drinks, which is a great shift as most people do not consume enough water daily and are living in a state of partial dehydration. Ironically, this can be exacerbated by the caffeine in sodas as it has a natural diuretic effect on the body and will cause you to lose more water. Moving away from sodas also offers other benefits as well. The carbonation in sodas produces a very strong acidic environment (just search for the videos online that show people using it to take the rust off of metal!) that the body will attempt to buffer. One way it does this is with calcium from the body’s own supply. If it takes it from our bones, it can contribute to osteoporosis and osteopenia. If it takes it from our muscles (and remember the heart is a muscle!), we can get muscle cramps or contraction problems. Lastly, the option for diet soda in the attempt to avoid excessive calories does not offer any real health benefit. In addition to causing hormonal and neurological issues, the artificial sweeteners still drive the insulin response in the body in response to the perceived sweetness. However, since there are no calories (sugar) for the body to act upon, it leaves the body looking for more and this has been shown to lead to overeating.

Overall, there really are no benefits to drinking sodas and the negative effects they produce on the body far outweigh any perceived short-term enjoyment value one would get from consuming them. Stick to pure water or other natural alternatives like cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices or coconut water and give your body a healthier hydration option.

And for a little (truthful) humor:

In Health, 

Dr. Brad Niewierowski 

How Soda Effects the Body

The majority of our patients come in to the office with the desire to lose some weight in addition to improving their health on various levels. While hormone balances, stress and lifestyle factors all play a part in whether we gain or lose weight on a week by week basis, one major determining factor will simply be how much food we are putting into our bodies. If we are taking in more calories than our body requires to maintain a healthy body weight and composition, it simply has no choice other than to store the excess as body fat.

As patients go through our program, most are surprised to realize how much they have been overeating on a day to day basis. One area that routinely will undermine the ability to maintain a healthy weight is not realizing just how many calories we take in from certain foods. And while the word “food” really shouldn’t be used for sodas, since they do contribute calories to daily intake, they have to be put into this classification. It can be easy to forget how many calories liquids contain since they go down easy and don’t have the bulk that solid foods do. But take a look at an average soda. There are approximately 10 teaspoons of added sugar in a single can of cola. That’s an easy 160 calories, and most people can drink more than one can in a day so they can add up quickly.

Beyond the excessive calorie load though, we also need to understand what effects that type of “food” has on our body, because not all calories are created equal. Most sodas use high fructose corn syrup as their main ingredient, which not only causes blood sugar to spike, but also promotes inflammation in the body. According to one researcher, the intense sweetness of Coca-Cola as a result of its high sugar content should make us vomit as soon as it enters the body. However, the phosphoric acid in the beverage dulls the sweetness, enabling us to keep the drink down.

Due to the high sugar content we get an insulin spike, which causes the body to store all the excess sugar as fat. Shortly thereafter, once the caffeine has been absorbed, you get a rise in your blood pressure which causes the liver to dump more sugar into the bloodstream and you continue to run off the “sugar high”. While this is going on, your body is using it’s own stores of calcium (and magnesium and zinc) to buffer against the acidity from the carbonation (acid) in the soda. The negative here is that as you urinate later (a diuretic effect from the caffeine), you’ll be excreting all those minerals, plus some electrolytes as well, that are supposed to be helping build strong bones and keeping your body fluids in balance. Then of course you’ll get the sugar crash after about an hour, leaving you hungry and/or irritable and more prone to overeating or going through the above nasty cycle again if you reach for another soda.

After learning all that, is it really worth it when there are so many other healthier beverage options available? Coconut waters have gained in popularity recently, and there are many options when it comes to natural juices and smoothies that can deliver plenty of nutrients and also include some fat and protein to help slow down the sugar absorption. Bottom line: be smart when it comes to your beverage selections. They can easily be a source of harmful calories for your body that have multiple negative effects on our health, but they can also offer multiple benefits if you choose your drinks wisely.

In Health, 

Dr. Brad Niewierowski 

Ref: How Coca-Cola affects your body when you drink it.  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297600.php

Yes! Chocolate CAN Be Healthy!

Of all the treats available, chocolate is one of the most craved foods in the world. The first solid chocolate bar, made from cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar, was introduced by the British chocolate company J.S. Fry & Sons in 1847, but the history of chocolate goes back at least 4,000 years.1

Pre-Olmec cultures in Mexico produced chocolate as early as 1900 B.C. Originally, it was consumed as a bitter beverage. The cacao beans were fermented, roasted, and then ground into a paste that was mixed with water and spices like chili peppers and vanilla, sweetened with honey.

Throughout its history, chocolate — "the food of the Gods" — has remained a symbol of luxury, wealth, and power. During the 14th century, the Aztecs and Maya even used cacao beans as currency. Research has also revealed chocolate has some rather impressive health benefits, provided you're willing to give up the now-familiar sweetness of modern day milk chocolate.

The Olmecs, Maya, and Aztecs valued cacao for its mood enhancing and aphrodisiac properties, and it was typically reserved for the ruling class. In the 17th century, cocoa and chocolate were considered potential medicine, and historical documents in Europe reveal they were used to treat angina and heart pain.2

Not All Chocolate Is Created Equal

Raw cacao is actually quite bitter, not sweet, due to the nearly 400 polyphenols that are present. When we're referring to the health benefits of chocolate, this is the chocolate we're referring to. Americans consume an estimated 12 pounds of chocolate per capita each year.3

Unfortunately, the vast majority of that is in the form of milk chocolate candy, which contains very minute amounts of healthy cacao, and loads of sugar. The milk added to milk chocolate can also interfere with your body's ability to absorb the beneficial antioxidants (polyphenols) in the chocolate.

Chocolate Terminology

To get off on the right foot, it may be helpful to understand the distinction between cacao, cocoa, and chocolate:4

·       Cacao: Refers to the plant, a small evergreen tree of the species Theobroma cacao, and its dried seeds, also known as cacao beans or cocoa beans, prior to processing.

If you're after health benefits, raw cacao nibs are what you're looking for. Ideally, buy them whole and grind them yourself (a coffee grinder can be used for this) when using it in recipes.  

Alternatively, you can eat them whole, just like you'd eat conventional chocolate chips. A healthy amount would probably be around ½ to 1 ounce per day. I personally grind 1 tablespoon of raw cacao nibs twice a day and put them into my smoothies.

·       Cocoa: Refers to the roasted cacao, ground into a powder from which most of the fat has been removed.

·       Cocoa butter: The fat component of the cacao seed.

·       Chocolate: The solid food or candy made from a preparation of roasted cacao seeds; if the cacao seeds are not roasted, then you have "raw chocolate."

When selecting chocolate, look for higher cacao and lower sugar content. In general, the darker the chocolate, the higher the cacao content.

However, since cacao is bitter, the higher the percentage cacao, the more bitter it is (the polyphenols are what make the chocolate bitter, so manufacturers often remove them. But, it's those polyphenols that are responsible for many of chocolate's health benefits).

To counteract the bitterness, most chocolate is sweetened, so it's a matter of balancing nutritional benefit with palatability. For health benefits, choose chocolate with a cacao percentage of about 70 or higher.

·       "White chocolate" contains no cocoa at all; it's just a health-zapping mix of pasteurized milk and sugar.

Chocolate and Human Health

A 2013 paper12 in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine also reviews the many health benefits of cacao, noting that many consider it a "complete food," as it contains:

·       Healthy fats

·       Antioxidants

·       Nitrogenous compounds, including proteins, methylxanthines theobromine, and caffeine (central nervous system stimulants, diuretics, and smooth muscle relaxants. Theobromine is the ingredient that can cause heartburn in some individuals; on the other hand, it also inhibits persistent cough by reducing vagus nerve activity13)

·       Minerals, including potassium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc, and magnesium

·       Valeric acid (which acts as a stress reducer despite the presence of stimulants)

The following table highlights the wide range of positive health benefits science suggests are conferred by the cocoa bean.14^,15,16

In Health, 

Dr. Niewierowki 

Source: The Amazing Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

 February 3, 2016  Mercola.com

Foods that Surprisingly Have More Sugar than Doughnuts

The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization recommend limiting your daily added sugar intake to nine teaspoons for men and six teaspoons for women. It's a good common practice to limit daily fructose intake to 25 grams or less from all sources including fruit for all genders. The average American, however, consumes around 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which is more than three times the recommended amount.

There is no doubt that the overconsumption of sugar is fueling the obesity and chronic epidemics we’re currently struggling with.

Here are a list of foods that actually higher amounts of sugar than doughnuts.

·      Starbuck’s Caramel Frappucino

·      Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie

·      Odwalla Superfood Smoothie

·      Kraft French Style Fat Free Dressing

·      Snapple Peach Tea

·      Craisins Dried Cranberries

·      Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice

·      McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal

For more information on making the right choices and reducing disease call us at (210) 468-1891 for a free consultation.

In Health, 

Dr. Jacob Torres 

Reference- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/30/31-foods-with-more-sugar-than-doughnuts.aspx