Hangovers!

12 Myths about Hangovers – from WebMD

(If only life was like it is in the movies!)*

 

 

MYTH: Hangovers Are No Big Deal

FACT: Heavy drinking rocks the central nervous system. It tinkers with brain chemicals -- leading to headache, dizziness, and nausea -- and sends you running to the bathroom so often you become dehydrated. The morning-after price can include a pounding headache, fatigue, cotton mouth, queasy stomach -- and a weakened immune system.

MYTH: Hangovers Are Gender-Blind

FACT: Don’t go crazy with free drinks on Ladies' Night. If a man and woman drink the same amount, the woman is more likely to feel the effects. That’s because men have a higher percentage of water in their bodies, which helps dilute the alcohol they drink. When women drink the same amount, more alcohol builds up in the bloodstream.

MYTH: Only Bingers Get Hangovers

FACT: You don't have to get wasted to pay a price the next morning. Just a couple of drinks can trigger a headache and other hangover symptoms for some people. Having water or a nonalcoholic drink between each beer or hard drink can help keep you hydrated and cut down on the overall amount of alcohol you drink.

MYTH: Wine is the Gentlest Choice

FACT: Red wine contains tannins, compounds that are known to trigger headaches in some people. Malt liquors, like whiskey, also tend to cause more severe hangovers. If you're worried about how you'll feel in the morning, the gentlest choices are beer and clear liquors, such as vodka and gin.

MYTH: Diet Cocktails Are a Safe Bet

FACT: Diet drinks may help if you're counting calories, but not if you're trying to avoid a hangover. Research suggests that having fruits, fruit juices, or other sugar-containing liquids can make for a less intense hangover.

MYTH: Liquor Before Beer

FACT: It's the amount of alcohol you drink (not the order of your drinks) that matters most. Standard drinks -- a 12-ounce glass of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce "shot" of distilled spirits -- have about the same amount of alcohol. Don't be fooled by the size of your drink or by any saying about alcohol use that includes the phrase "never fear."

MYTH: Eat Pasta Before Bed

FACT: Wrong on two counts. First, eating at bedtime (after you're already drunk) is no help. Food has to be in your stomach before Happy Hour to have any impact. Second, although any food can slow down how fast your body absorbs alcohol, fat does it best. So go for steak or pizza before your first martini, and you might escape a hangover. One bedtime tip that does help -- drink water to fight dehydration.

MYTH: Pop Pain Relievers Before Bed

FACT: Over-the-counter painkillers peak in about four hours, so a bedtime dose won’t help by the time you wake up. A better plan is to take the pills when you first wake up. Don’t take acetaminophen (Tylenol) after a night of drinking. The combination could hurt your liver.

MYTH: Alcohol Helps You Sleep Well

FACT: Just the opposite. While a nightcap may help you doze off more quickly, it undermines the quality of your sleep. You don't spend as much time in all-important REM cycles and you tend to wake up too soon. If you've been drinking heavily, a hangover might strike in the last part of the night, leaving you too uncomfortable to get back to sleep.

MYTH: Hair of the Dog

FACT: More alcohol in the morning does nothing but postpone a hangover. The worst symptoms hit when blood-alcohol levels drop to zero. If you have a screwdriver at breakfast, this moment will just come later in the day. And if you find you can't function without a wake-up cocktail, you should talk with your doctor about getting help for alcohol addiction.

MYTH: Coffee Is the Cure

FACT: A lot of coffee leads to more dehydration and could make your hangover worse. After a night of drunkenness, it's best to avoid anything with caffeine. Instead, sip water and sports drinks to counter dehydration and replace lost electrolytes -- especially if you threw up.

MYTH: Herbal Remedies Can Help

FACT: British researchers reviewed the studies on hangover pills, such as yeast and artichoke extract. They found no compelling evidence that they worked. Another British team found a supplement made from prickly pear cactus may reduce nausea and dry mouth from hangovers, but not the dreaded headache. The only proven cure? Time.

NO MYTH: Alcohol Poisoning

FACT: Alcohol poisoning is a life-threatening emergency. Symptoms include:

·         Confusion, stupor

·         Vomiting

·         Seizures

·         Slow, irregular breathing

·         Low body temperature, bluish skin

It's easy to blow off these symptoms as the price of partying hard, but if you see someone vomit multiple times or pass out after drinking heavily, there’s a risk of severe dehydration or brain damage. Call 911.

 

Is Your Diet Aging You?

Simple strategies to keep you young, inside and out.

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By Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Did you look in the mirror this morning and think, "Wow, I look great!"? Or did you think, "When did I get so old?"

If it was the latter, you might want to take a look at your refrigerator, kitchen cupboard, and dinner table for one of the culprits.

Aging happens to all of us, of course. And there’s no way to put the brakes on it, no matter what the latest "nutraceuticals" may claim. But an unhealthy diet can send your aging process into overdrive and leave you looking years older than you really are. And, it probably isn't doing the inside of your body any favors, either.

Quality Counts

Timothy Harlan, assistant professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, a former restaurateur known as "Dr. Gourmet," and author of Just Tell Me What to Eat!, says, "There’s an incredible amount of evidence that says that eating junk puts your body into an inflammatory state. Poor-quality foods, like trans fats, cause inflammation -- and aging is basically a chronic inflammatory state." Harlan asks: "Can you look older because you’re eating crap?" And he answers: "Absolutely."

For example, too much sugar and processed carbohydrates in the diet can lead to the production of what are called AGEs -- advanced glycation end products. "These are associated with a number of diseases, like heart disease and diabetes,” says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a nutrition policy consultant for the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. What's more, she says, "they also damage the collagen and fibers of your skin."

But it's not just your looks that are on the line. Eating more than you should of foods that ramp up inflammation -- or that clog your arteries or pack on extra pounds -- can be bad news, from head to toe.

Foods to Limit

1.     Potato chips and French fries. Anything that’s deep-fried in oil is laden with trans fats, which contribute to inflammation throughout your body. According to the American Heart Association, you should keep trans fats to less than 1% of your daily diet.

2.     Doughnuts and sugary pastries. These pack a multiple whammy. Often they’re high in trans fats and, of course, they’re packed with sugar, which is also linked to inflammation. And they produce those wrinkle-generating AGEs Giancoli talks about.

3.     Hot dogs, bacon, and pepperoni -- any processed meats. Sad to say, the meats on your favorite home-delivery pizza and ballpark dogs aren’t doing you any favors. They’re high in saturated fats and also contain nitrates, both of which contribute to the inflammatory process.

4.     Less-than-lean red meats. The key with meat is to keep it lean to minimize saturated fats, which are big producers of inflammation and no friend of your arteries. The USDA's 2010 dietary guidelines recommend eating a variety of protein foods, including lean meats. The American Heart Association suggests that you keep saturated fats from all sources (not just red meat) to less than 7% of your daily calorie intake.

5.     Alcohol. This is a tough one: Some alcohol may be good for you, but too much can absolutely age you prematurely. "Research says there’s a sweet spot for alcohol," Harlan says. That’s one drink per day for women (such as a 5-ounce glass of wine or 12-ounce glass of beer) and two for men. If you drink, on average, one or two alcoholic drinks per day, that may be good for your heart. More than that and you may be revving the aging process and its associated diseases such as liver disease and certain cancers. If you don't drink, health experts don't advise you to start. And if you do drink, talk to your doctor to make sure your drinking is in line with your particular health concerns.

More importantly, Harlan says, eating a diet rich in high-quality foods can reduce inflammation and help keep you looking your best. "It’s very clear that following a Mediterranean-style diet reduces the risk of a number of illnesses associated with aging, like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease."

Foods to Favor

Harlan and Giancoli are both reluctant to pick out a list of "superfoods" that help to keep you looking young and healthy.

"There are people who have these theories that foods that are very high in antioxidants somehow slow the aging process. And there is some scant evidence of that in animal models," Harlan says. "But don’t just pick out a few foods and focus on them. The minute you start talking about individual foods, people lose sight of the big picture."

So stay away from fad diets that are all about salmon and acai berries, he says. "I want you to eat lots of broccoli and sweet potatoes and salmon and chickpeas and good-quality chicken. Eat a healthy variety of foods and that will keep you looking your best."

That's not just one opinion. In general, many sources are now saying that a traditional Mediterranean style diet -- rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein -- is your best option for overall health.

Another important factor, Giancoli adds, is eating wholefoods, closest to their natural state as possible. "Don’t just eat plants; eat them pretty close to how they were when they came out of the ground or off the tree," she says.

So instead of "superfoods," here’s a list of five foods that are key elements of the Mediterranean diet and are examples of the kinds of foods you need to be getting more of.

1.     Romaine lettuce. Plain old Romaine salad is high in vitamins A and C, antioxidant vitamins that help battle inflammation. Other dark leafy greens that should be on your list include broccoli, spinach, arugula, watercress, escarole, and endive.

2.     Tomatoes. Along with watermelon, grapefruit, guavas, asparagus, and red cabbage, tomatoes are particularly high in the antioxidant lycopene.

3.     Salmon. As with other marine fish such as tuna and herring, salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation.

4.     Lentils. Beans are one of Harlan’s favorite sources of protein and are loaded with fiber and antioxidant vitamins. Try black beans, split peas, limas, pintos, and even fat-free refried beans. "Your skin is essentially made of protein, so if you don’t get enough healthy protein in your diet, your skin will reflect that," Giancoli says. "Along with fish, beans are a great way to get it."

5.     Oatmeal. Studies have found that whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, couscous, and quinoa help to reduce inflammation. "These also have B vitamins in them, like thiamine and riboflavin, which are important for skin as well," Giancoli says. "Deficiencies in them cause rashes and scaly skin appearance."

And you have to keep eating healthy to stay looking good. "Skin sloughs off all the time, so you need regular incoming doses of vitamins, nutrients, plant chemicals that we call phytonutrients, healthy fats, and proteins," Giancoli says. "If you’re not getting enough of the good stuff on a regular basis, you won’t be able to produce healthy new skin cells in the way that you should."

If you eat a diet like this, will you look better in the mirror? "That depends," Harlan says. "I looked pretty ugly in the mirror before! But if you eat healthy, you are absolutely going to look better."

 

Secrets of Long-Term Weight Loss

If losing weight seems like an uphill battle, keeping it off may seem as difficult as climbing Mount Everest. Fortunately, the proven techniques of men and women who are successful weight losers can help you.

By Suzanne Hall

Long-Term Loss

The weight loss many people diagnosed with diabetes are encouraged to make can provide a wide range of benefits -- improved heart and blood-circulation health, perhaps fewer medications, and simply feeling better. For those at risk for type 2 diabetes, weight loss of 5 percent to 7 percent of body weight (depending on your starting weight, that could be just 10-20 pounds) reduces the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes.

To keep the weight off, tilt the odds in your favor by using the proven techniques of men and women who are successful losers, including those involved with the National Weight Control Registry.

Imagine losing 30 pounds and keeping it off. Impossible, you say? More than 5,000 members of the National Weight Control Registry have done just that, and they've shared their long-term weight-loss tips with Diabetic Living.

Established in 1994 by researchers Rena Wing, Ph.D., (Brown Medical School) and James O. Hill, Ph.D., (the University of Colorado), the National Weight Control Registry monitors the eating and lifestyle habits of people who have lost 30 pounds or more and have kept it off for at least one year.

Every year, the researchers at the National Weight Control Registry survey the registrants about their weight, eating, and exercise habits, and then compile the data. "We've found that the way people lose weight has nothing to do with how they maintain that loss," says James Hill, Ph.D., one of the registry's founders.

What works for them

For registry member Deborah Sanders, exercise has been essential to maintaining her weight loss. She had never had a weight problem until she started taking a new medication. "I went from 128 to 184 pounds and developed symptoms of [type 2] diabetes," she says. Concerned, Deborah changed her eating habits and lost 30 pounds within a year. She maintains her health and weight by doing a daily 45-minute aerobic workout and walking an additional 45 minutes most days.

This and other successful techniques practiced by National Weight Control Registry members can help you lose weight, too. Read on to find out what may make people successful at maintaining a more healthful weight.

12 Proven Weight-Loss Tips

Tips such as these have proven useful to the successful weight losers who are members of the National Weight Control Registry. These action steps can help you get started.

1. Make a plan: Talk to a dietitian about the number of calories and the kinds of food you should eat. Focus your meals and grocery shopping with your plan in mind. Most registry participants eat a balanced diet, getting about 24 percent of their calories from fat.

2. Count something: Participants counted calories, carbohydrates, or fat grams. Some eating plans simplify keeping track by specifying food categories from which you select. Two well-known plans are the American Diabetes Association Diabetic Exchanges and the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), shown to lower blood pressure in studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. You concentrate on proper serving sizes and the number of servings of each food category. If you eat the proper serving sizes and number of servings without adding extra food, you can easily target the recommended number of calories to promote your weight loss. The number of calories you need is specific to you and how much activity you get each day.

3. Record everything you eat: Keep a diary of your meals, snacks, and nibbles to help you understand your eating habits, identify danger times, and stick to your meal plan. "People who are successful in maintaining their weight loss know how many calories they consume each day," Hill says. Plus, a food diary can help you pinpoint any trouble spots.

4. Set short-term goals: Saying you're going to lose 20, 30, or more pounds can be intimidating and can sabotage a weight-loss plan right from the start. Instead, set a five-pound goal. Once you reach it, set another goal.

5. Eat smaller portions: Use smaller plates and bowls to fool yourself into thinking your portions are bigger than they actually are. Put more nonstarchy vegetables than other foods onto your plate. Eat slowly and savor each bite.

6. Drink plenty of water: Water helps to prevent fluid retention. Try to drink eight 8-ounce glasses a day.

7. Start with lettuce salads, low-calorie soups, and nonstarchy vegetables: Enjoy a low-calorie salad (choose low-calorie dressing or splash on a delicious vinegar) or soup at the beginning of your meal and you'll eat less overall.

8. Get enough sleep: Being tired not only makes you hungry, it can lower your resistance to temptation.

9. Exercise: Walk, run, swim, dance -- do whatever suits you, but do it. Moderate exercise, even 30 minutes a day, will help you lose weight, get fit, and stay healthier. Most registry participants report exercising for 60 to 90 minutes a day. But, Hill says, "every bit of exercise helps." If you're just embarking on an exercise program, start slowly, only after talking to your health-care provider.

10. Look ahead, not back: If you blow it one day, don't beat yourself up. Just get right back on your weight-loss plan the next day.

11. Eat breakfast: Starting with a healthful breakfast also may help you to lose weight. "Participants in the registry report they generally eat breakfast seven days a week," Hill says. Breakfast skippers tend to get hungrier during the day, so wind up overeating at lunch or dinner.

12. Weigh yourself: Registry participants also keep track of their weight. Many report weighing in at least once a week and often every day. "Most have a weight range in mind. Usually it's plus or minus two or three pounds," Hill says. "If their weight varies beyond that, they take action."

What's one of the best pieces of news to come out of the National Weight Control Registry? Members find that maintaining their weight loss gets easier with time. According to registry data, once weight loss is maintained for two to five years, your chances of keeping it off for the long term greatly increase.

How to Join the Registry
You can join the National Weight Control Registry if you've lost at least 30 pounds and have kept it off for at least one year. The information you provide will help others lose weight healthfully. Just follow the directions at the National Weight Control Registry site: nwcr.ws.

 

LA Food Trucks

Last weekend we were at the LA Times Festival of Books. The dining options included several 'Gourmet Food Trucks'. Needless to add, but the crowds were much bigger at the food trucks than at the book stalls. Well you can't read on an empty stomach!

10 Workout Secrets From the Pros

10 Workout Secrets From the Pros

Experts and successful exercisers reveal the top tips and tricks they use to get the most from their fitness routines.

 

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By Carol Sorgen
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Getting and staying fit can be a challenge. For many of us, it's hard just to get up off the couch. So what's the secret of people who have managed to make exercise a way of life?

1. Be Consistent

Chase Squires is the first to admit that he's no fitness expert. But he is a guy who used to weigh 205 pounds, more than was healthy for his 5'4" frame. "In my vacation pictures in 2002, I looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the beach," says the 42-year-old Colorado resident. Squires decided enough was enough, cut out fatty food, and started walking on a treadmill. The pounds came off and soon he was running marathons -- not fast, but in the race. He ran his first 50-mile race in October 2003 and completed his first 100-miler a year later. Since then, he's completed several 100-mile, 50-mile, and 50k races.

His secret? "I'm not fast, but I'm consistent," says Squires, who says consistency is his best tip for maintaining a successful fitness regimen.

"It all started with 20 minutes on a treadmill," he says. "The difference between my success and others who have struggled is that I did it every single day. No exercise program in the world works if you don't do it consistently."

2. Follow an Effective Exercise Routine

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently surveyed 1,000 ACE-certified personal trainers about the best techniques to get fit. Their top three suggestions:

·         Strength training. Even 20 minutes a day twice a week will help tone the entire body.

·         Interval training. "In its most basic form, interval training might involve walking for two minutes, running for two, and alternating this pattern throughout the duration of a workout," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, FACSM, chief science officer for ACE. "It is an extremely time-efficient and productive way to exercise."

·         Increased cardio/aerobic exercise. Bryant suggests accumulating 60 minutes or more a day of low- to moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking, running, or dancing.

3. Set Realistic Goals

"Don't strive for perfection or an improbable goal that can't be met," says Kara Thompson, spokesperson for the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). "Focus instead on increasing healthy behaviors."

In other words, don't worry if you can't run a 5K just yet. Make it a habit to walk 15 minutes a day, and add time, distance, and intensity from there.

4. Use the Buddy System

Find a friend or relative whom you like and trust who also wants to establish a healthier lifestyle, suggests Thompson. "Encourage one another. Exercise together. Use this as an opportunity to enjoy one another's company and to strengthen the relationship."

5. Make Your Plan Fit Your Life

Too busy to get to the gym? Tennis star Martina Navratilova, health and fitness ambassador for the AARP, knows a thing or two about being busy and staying fit.

Make your plan fit your life, she advises in an article on the AARP web site. "You don't need fancy exercise gear and gyms to get fit."

If you've got floor space, try simple floor exercises to target areas such as the hips and buttocks, legs and thighs, and chest and arms (like push-ups, squats, and lunges). Aim for 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, adding more reps and intensity as you build strength.

6. Be Happy

Be sure to pick an activity you actually enjoy doing, suggests Los Angeles celebrity trainer Sebastien Lagree.

"If you hate weights, don't go to the gym. You can lose weight and get in shape with any type of training or activity," he says.

And choose something that is convenient. Rock climbing may be a great workout, but if you live in a city, it's not something you'll be doing every day.

7. Watch the Clock

Your body clock, that is. Try to work out at the time you have the most energy, suggests Jason Theodosakis, MD, exercise physiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. If you're a morning person, schedule your fitness activities early in the day; if you perk up as the day goes along, plan your activities in the afternoon or evening.

"Working out while you have the most energy will yield the best results," Theodosakis says.

8. Call In the Pros

Especially if you're first getting started, Theodosakis suggests having a professional assessment to determine what types of exercise you need most.

"For some people, attention to flexibility or to balance and agility, may be more important than resistance training or aerobics," he says. "By getting a professional assessment, you can determine your weakest links and focus on them. This will improve your overall fitness balance."

9. Get Inspired

"Fitness is a state of mind," says fitness professional and life coach Allan Fine of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of Fine's tricks to get and stay motivated is to read blogs or web sites that show him how others have been successful. "Who inspires you?" he asks.

10. Be Patient

Finally, remember that even if you follow all these tips, there will be ups and downs, setbacks and victories, advises Navratilova. Just be patient, and don't give up, she says on the AARP web site: "Hang in there, and you'll see solid results."

Further Reading:

·Slideshow: 7 Risky Exercises and Better Bets

·What is a kettlebell workout?

·Weight Lifting and Strength Training Tips for Teens

·Gym Smarts: Upper Body (Chest)

·Gym Smarts: Obliques and Lower Abs

·Turn Flab Abs Into Fab Abs Overnight

·Tips For Setting Up a Home Gym

·See All Gym Workouts Topics

 

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table

Study reveals how people stay in control when faced with endless portions, many choices

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WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Few situations can trip up someone who is watching their weight like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But a new research letter published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests two strategies that may help dieters survive a smorgasbord: Picking up a smaller plate and circling the buffet before choosing what to eat.

Buffets have two things that raise nutritionists' eyebrows -- unlimited portions and tons of choices. Both can crank up the calorie count of a meal.

"Research shows that when faced with a variety of food at one sitting, people tend to eat more. It is the temptation of wanting to try a variety of foods that makes it particularly hard not to overeat at a buffet," says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was not involved with the new study.

Still, some people don't overeat at buffets, and that made study author Brian Wansink, director of the food and brand lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., wonder how they restrain themselves.

"People often say that the only way not to overeat at a buffet is not to go to a buffet," said Wansink, a psychologist who studies the environmental cues linked to overeating. "But there are a ton of people at buffets who are really skinny. We wondered: What is it that skinny people do at buffets that heavy people don't?"

Wansink deployed a team of 30 trained observers who painstakingly collected information about the eating habits of more than 300 people who visited 22 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurants in six states.

Tucked away in corners where they could watch unobtrusively, the observers checked 103 different things about the way people behaved around the buffet. They logged information about whom diners were with and where they sat -- close or far from the buffet, in a table or booth, facing toward or away from the buffet. Observers also noted what kind of utensils diners used -- forks or chopsticks -- whether they placed a napkin in their laps, and even how many times they chewed a single mouthful of food.

They also were taught to estimate a person's body-mass index, or BMI, on sight. Body-mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to their height, and doctors use it to gauge whether a person is overweight.

The results of the study revealed key differences in how thinner and heavier people approached a buffet.

"Skinny people are more likely to scout out the food. They're more likely to look at the different alternatives before they pounce on something," Wansink said. "Heavy people just tend to pick up a plate and look at each item and say, 'Do I want it? Yes or no.'"

In other words, Wansink said, thin people tend to ask themselves which dishes they most want out of all the choices offered, while heavier people ask themselves whether they want each food, one at a time.

Thin people also were about seven times more likely to pick smaller plates if they were available than those who were heavy.

Those behaviors also appeared to help people eat less. People who scouted the buffet first and used a smaller plate also made fewer trips to the buffet, whatever their weight.

There were other key differences in how thinner and heavier people acted, Wansink said. Thin people sat about 16 feet farther away from the buffet, on average, than bigger people. They also chewed their food a little longer -- about 15 chews per mouthful for those who were normal weight compared with 12 chews for those who were overweight.

Those behaviors weren't associated with taking fewer trips to the buffet, but researchers think they may be habits that help thinner people regulate their weight.

"The interesting thing was that almost all of these changes were unconscious to the person making them," Wansink said. "They essentially become habits over time."

A nutrition expert who was not involved in the study praised the research, but questioned whether these strategies might really be powerful enough help.

"As with all of Wansink's observations, these are insightful and useful," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, in New Haven, Conn. "But in some ways, they are like looking for the reasons why some people got wet sooner than others when the Titanic went down. The bigger issue was: The ship was sinking, and everyone was in the same boat."

Katz said the best advice for dieters might be to avoid a buffet's temptations in the first place. "By all means, survey the scene and choose a small plate," he said. "But, better yet, avoid the all-you-can-eat buffet altogether."