One of my biggest challenges, not only with my own personal goals, but also with many clients, is to get to the bottom of the age old obscurity of sugar cravings. It’s not rocket science, right? Just don’t eat it ! Right? But oh we all know it, and live it day after day, it is just not that simple. Why? Because the physiological response to sugar is like an addiction. Sugar temporarily elevates the levels of various neurotransmitters and endorphins. The “feel good” chemicals, serotonin and dopamine are released […]
NEED AN OIL CHANGE
Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD There has been much debate about the healthiness of different oils in the nutrition media lately. With the boost on research and essential fats, oils, some of which do offer the good source of fat to our daily intake needs some analysis. The reason why I want to blog on this is although many have been deemed healthy, depending on whether you use them for cooking or not, may change their chemistry. In other words, heating various oil sources can create free radicals which in […]
Ways to use Whey
Whey protein is typically known amongst the work out crowds as a lean muscle recovery protein. It works hand in hand with the breakdown of muscle during the work out to rebuild and repair those muscle fibers. However, whey also has its place in a regular healthy diet for similar reasons: it can be a nutritional and complete source of all amino acids, and not necessarily only for athletes. The most common use for whey is making protein shakes/smoothies however whey can also be incorporated in any overall health plan […]
Hyponatremia: Signs, Symptoms and Warnings
Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD Hyponatremia tends to be mostly associated with athletes who participate in long duration sports such as marathons and triathlons. Endurance athletes taking in water during training or an event can develop hyponatremia, a potentially life threatening condition that occurs when sodium levels drop to a dangerous low in the blood stream (below 135 mmol/L (of blood). Early symptoms may include nausea, drowsiness, confusion, headache and fatigue. These can quickly progress to seizures, coma and death if not resolved in time. Importantly, athletes are not the […]
Planning Your Meals
In my practice, I find the biggest roadblock to weight loss success is that people do not take the time to plan their day as far as eating goes. So they either wait for meal times, or until they are hungry, and then just see what is convenient to grab. This sets you up to either not eat enough during the day, or gorge on whatever is available, or just get the most convenient food which is more than likely prepackaged and processed. If you take a few moments in […]
FUEL YOUR WORKOUTS!!
Did you know that most recreational athletes that sign up for an endurance endeavor with a main goal for weight loss, are in fact flabbergasted that even with the increased physical activity, weight loss does not come easy, in fact many even gain weight. There are a number of reasons for this: 1. the positive reason is because the new athlete may be losing fat, but gaining muscle fiber. Muscle being denser than fat, offsets the scale from budging, but the athlete is getting leaner… HOWEVER, this is not the […]
Ways to use Whey
Whey protein is typically known amongst the work out crowds as a lean muscle recovery protein. It works hand in hand with the breakdown of muscle during the work out to rebuild and repair those muscle fibers. However, whey also has its place in a regular healthy diet for similar reasons: it can be a nutritional and complete source of all amino acids, and not necessarily only for athletes. The most common use for whey is making protein shakes/smoothies however whey can also be incorporated in any overall health plan […]
Culinary herbs and spices : Can they interact with your medicine?
Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD One of the major responsibilities a dietitian/nutritionist may have is to analyze an individual’s intake and ensure most appropriate and healthy solutions to goals and needs. For people who regularly take medications, even over the counter products, this can become quite challenging. So then, can some ingredients in various dishes have a pharmalogical interaction? Specific examples best defines what a pharmalogical interaction is: Combining a statin drug (most likely prescribed to lower cholesterol) and a daily dose of grapefruit juice may likely cause too much […]
