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According to a new survey, about sixty percent of Americans would say that they would like to lose 20 pounds. If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans looking to take a few inches off your waistline, protein may help your weight loss program.

Protein, an important nutrient and fuel for the body, also aids in weight loss, according to researchers who have found a link between protein and hunger. For the treatment of eating disorders, French scientists from Lyon University found a potential new target. “It is well known that protein feeding decreases hunger sensation and subsequent food intake in animals and humans,” and this is what study author Gilles Mithieux said. Not only does protein provide satiety, but it also helps maintain lean muscle mass while losing unwanted fat.

Another recent study demonstrated the beneficial impact of protein. Losing more weight than those who are on a low-fat/low-cholesterol/low-calorie diet over a six-month period are the people following the lower-carbohydrate/higher-protein diets but after one year, the differences in weight loss is similar for both diets. In the low-carbohydrate/higher-protein diet group, there were improvements in some risk factors for coronary heart disease that are seen including greater decreases in triglycerides and greater increases in HDL cholesterol (also referred to as good cholesterol) levels.

Including lean meat and poultry in your diet can be healthy as well as convenient. Certain cuts or parts of beef, chicken, pork and turkey are all packed with protein, low in fat and saturated fat, and have an excellent nutrient profile.

Choose lean beef cuts like round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), chuck shoulder and arm roasts, top sirloin, and top loin.

Lean pork such as pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham.

Extra-lean ground beef. Make sure the label says at least 90% lean. You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.

Look for ground white meat turkey that is 99% fat free.

Skinless poultry-chicken or turkey-or take off the skin before eating.

Turkey tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choices.

Instead of luncheon meats with more fat, such as regular bologna, or salami, choose low-fat luncheon meat, lean turkey, ham, or roast beef for sandwiches.

While there are both animal and plant sources for protein, meat products such as lean meat and poultry offer essential vitamins and minerals that are often lacking in the American diet. Mix in some physical activity and you have a great recipe for a healthier lifestyle, Bon Appetit!

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Concentrated protein supplementation is highly recommended for bariatric patients for two specific reasons. The primary reason is to aid short-term recovery after bariatric or weight reducing surgery. The secondary is for maintaining long-term good health.

Bariatric surgery can be minor or major. In addition, it can be very traumatic to particularly overweight bariatric patients. Wound healing demands amino acids to generate new protein tissue, concentrated protein supplementation is ideal for that. Over the longer term, you would not be able to consume as much, and depending upon the extent of the surgery, food intake could be dramatically reduced.

If this is the case, then the food that you should eat must be as nutritious as possible. If you filled your diet full of sugary foods and plant or vegetable foods, you would only be able to extract a small amount of nutrition. You would likely not take sufficient proteins, vitamins, and minerals to maintain a healthy body, and yes, you would certainly lose weight. However, you would not get the full benefit of the procedure you have undergone because you would not be able to maintain a good level of health.

During the first few days after surgery, you will be given highly nutritious liquid foods to ingest. Additionally a high protein concentrate would be ideal to promote satisfactory and rapid healing of your wounds. In order to heal, your body must generate protein; a protein supplement would provide you with all the raw materials you need for that. Going into the future, the same protein supplement will provide you with all the amino acids you need to allow your body to biosynthesize all the proteins required to function properly.

Proteins are everywhere in your body, and are absolutely essential for life. They form all the enzymes that enable your body’s chemistry to progress smoothly. Proteins help digest food, enable your metabolism to maintain life, and are also the basis of your DNA, the molecules of life itself. Without proteins there would be no life as we know it, animal or vegetable.

Your body does not use raw protein from your diet to generate other proteins. Rather, it breaks dietary proteins down into their constituent amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, a bit like differently shaped Lego bricks that can be joined together in almost an unlimited number of ways to form larger complex units known as proteins.

Depending which source you read, there are 20 to 22 standard amino acids that are used to produce the thousands of proteins in your body. There are 8 to 10 the body cannot manufacture itself, and so must be available from the proteins in your diet. Without these you could not survive.

Keeping in mind, bariatric patients can eat only a small amount of food; it is unlikely that they would be able to maintain a healthy diet containing all the proteins, vitamins, and minerals needed by the human body. Similarly deficiencies in the carbohydrates needed for energy required to keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing, and your digestion working exist as well.

Concentrated protein supplementation enables you to meet all your protein requirements. This then allows your body to extract the amino acids it needs and still provides room for you to take in the vitamins and minerals needed. Additionally you are able to enjoy the ‘reward foods’ that will give you your carbohydrate requirement. In this way, bariatric patients can enjoy their meals just as anybody else.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein supplements for weight loss surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

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Cardiovascular disease kills over sixteen million people worldwide every year and is the direct cause of over 30% of all deaths in that same time period. In the United States, both heart disease and strokes account for over 40% of all adult deaths (Source: Natural News 2006). In 2006, there were over 450,000 coronary bypass surgeries performed in the United States and there were over 2,000 heart transplant surgeries the following year (Source: The Texas Heart Institute Heart Information Center). The risk for developing heart disease of any kind can depend on a number of factors, including:

- Family history

- Weight

- Diet and exercise habits

- Smoking

- Gender

- Other health risk factors

Family history of any type of heart disease may increase your risk of developing certain conditions and may also increase your risk for heart attack or stroke, even without other risk factors being present.

Weight is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, especially with disease that is caused by clogged arteries and plaque buildup. Weight can be most dangerous when it includes having a BMI of 27 or more and a waist to hip ratio of .9 or more. A woman’s waist measurement should be 33 inches or less. A quick look at your shape is also very telling as well: if you resemble an apple, with most of the weight above the hipline, you are at greater risk of heart disease than those who are pear shaped, or carrying their weight below the hips. It is thought that the deep abdominal fat affects the internal organs in a negative way and raises blood pressure, as well as causing other problems.

Diet and exercise habits are also an important risk factor to consider. It is recommended that you should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day (Source: Ammer 2005). The choice that you make for exercise is entirely up to you, but your doctor may have some suggestions as well. Good choices for exercise include walking, yoga, swimming or other water sports. A healthy diet is also important, including all of the important nutrients. The diet suggested by the American Heart Association is an important one. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is also a valid suggestion as well.

While smoking is known as a risk factor for a number of other diseases, its role in heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, is very important to keep in mind as well, especially for those who have the other risk factors. Smoking raises the risk of heart disease in women five times or more over non-smoking women of the same age.

It was long thought that most types of heart disease were ones that struck men more often than women; however, the dangers of heart disease and women have become more thoroughly researched in the recent years. Women do tend to get heart disease later in life, however, and it tends to be more severe for them. It is now the leading cause of death in women who are over 66 years old and claims six times the number of breast cancer deaths. Women also tend to misinterpret their symptoms and delay getting initial assistance when they are potentially having a heart attack (Source: Ammer 2005).

Diabetes, a serious disease on its own, can also raise the risks of heart disease by damaging the arteries, raising the blood pressure and possibly worsening the cholesterol levels. Having a poor overall lipid profile is also a dangerous risk to keep in mind. Women who have reached the age of menopause that are not taking estrogen may face the same risk of heart disease as a man who is ten years younger. Increasing the amount of soy protein can afford some protection for the heart, because soy contains phytoestrogens that are similar to estrogen but are milder and safer than artificial or replacement estrogen.

Diet Suggestions for Heart Disease (Before Heart Disease Starts)

Research by the Nurses’ Health Study showed that women (mostly nurses) who started eating a diet plan similar to that of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) had lowered their risk of heart disease and stroke. DASH is based on healthy proteins (i.e. plant-based rather than animal based protein choices), fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The study stated that at the end of period, those eating from this plan were almost 25 percent less likely to have heart disease and almost twenty percent less likely to have a stroke (Source: Heart Insight 2008).

It is important to find the right type and right kind of protein for your diet; it should be as lean as possible. Vegetarian protein is much healthier than animal protein; however, it is not necessary to abstain from all meat or other animal foods – just make your choices lean and low fat. Red meats have too much saturated fat and too many calories, but almost anything that you would have made with them can be recreated using substitutes. Ground turkey breast can be used to make chili or burgers, for instance. Tofu can fill in the role of meat in many different recipes and will take the flavor of the spices that it is cooked with. Tofu can also be used as both a savory and a sweet – it depends only on what you add to it.

Darius and Elizabeth: Better Diets and Better Heart Health, a Case Study

Darius, a former professional athlete, has gained 25 pounds since his retirement. Both his father and mother died from heart related conditions at fairly young ages and, despite his best efforts, he has been unable to stop smoking. Elizabeth is ten years older than her husband and has always been thirty pounds overweight; she gains and loses, and gains and loses the same ten pounds every year. She has never smoked but her family history is filled with diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

They both have borderline problems, Darius with high blood pressure and Elizabeth with high cholesterol. They agree to change their diets, including eating far less red meat. Elizabeth is planning to follow a mostly vegetarian diet; however, Darius refuses to part with meat. They try some tofu recipes and find a few that they might like and have also learned to grill portabella mushrooms on their grill instead of burgers.

Both of them have also added Profect, a protein supplement from Protica, which allows them to have a between-meal snack that gives them high quality protein and additional vitamins. They have also found that they are not hungry between meals and are both well on the way to reaching their optimal weight. Each single serving of Profect is only 100 calories, but they have found that buying the 200 gram size is far easier and less expensive. There are a number of flavors that they both enjoy.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein supplements for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

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Did you know that more than 34 million Americans are considered to be obese and that more than 20 million of these people have tried many times to lose weight, with little to no success? Most of these people tried fad diets, which are never really a healthy way to lose weight. In fact, there are a lot of fad diets out there that can actually cause a lot more harm than good. And even when people do lose weight while on fad diets, they almost always gain that weight back and then some, once they go back to their normal eating habits. So, is there a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off? Yes. It’s called a healthy lifestyle. Everyone should be following a healthy, well-balanced diet and getting a regular amount of exercise each and every day.

Weight Loss Surgery for Extreme Cases

There are a lot of people who are extremely overweight or obese and have not been able to lose their extra weight the traditional way, through diet and exercise. Many of these people are opting for gastric bypass and other weight loss surgeries to help and as long as they fit into the proper criteria, they will be candidates for one of these surgical procedures. There are cases where some people are so obese that the surgical procedures may actually endanger their lives. In cases like this, most physicians will not perform the surgery until the patient has lost a certain amount of weight. The patients are usually put on diets that are very restricted and often, their diets must be supervised. There are even extreme cases where patients must be hospitalized, so that professionals can continually monitor their dietary progress.

There are a few different types of weight loss surgery, the most common being the Roux en Y gastric bypass, which is only performed on people who have a BMI of around 40. There are other popular weight loss surgical procedures that many people undergo each year. One popular weight loss surgery is the Lap Band System and those who have a BMI of 35 are eligible for this type of surgery. But with this BMI, they must have an underlying medical condition that makes the surgery absolutely necessary. Because weight loss surgeries, like all surgical procedures, are dangerous and the risks may be greater for certain patients, the ultimate decision as to whether or not the weight loss surgery can be safely performed is up to the attending physician.

What You Can Do If Your BMI Is Too High for Traditional Weight Loss Surgery

If you do happen to have a BMI that is too high for most of the weight loss surgeries, there is still a procedure you can have that will help. You may be able to go for the alternative, which is to have two surgeries. The first is called a sleeve gastrectomy, followed by another procedure to convert the first in to a gastric bypass. This is also known as “banana surgery” because the stomach takes the shape of a banana. It is also much safer for people who are too obese for other forms of weight loss surgery.

The After Weight Loss Surgery Diet

Just because you have had, or are considering having, weight loss surgery, doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do any work to lose weight yourself. In fact, you must work just as hard as you did before the surgery. Following surgery, it will be important to make sure that you are getting all of the right nutrients in your diet, in order to make sure that the healing process goes smoothly and quickly and to make sure that you get to a healthy weight and maintain that weight. There are three macronutrients that we all need in order to survive and it is essential that weight loss surgery patients get enough of these macronutrients to help them to lose their weight in a healthy way. The three macronutrients that we all need are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. According to the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and many other health organizations, a healthy diet should consist of 50% carbohydrates, 15% fats, and 35% proteins. These numbers may change for weight loss surgery patients who may require more protein in their diets than the average adult.

There are many healthy dietary sources of protein, but in many cases, those who have had weight loss surgery also use protein supplements to make sure that they are getting all of the right nutrients to help them heal after surgery and lose weight. There are a number of different types of protein supplements available that people can use, from protein powders to snacks to liquid protein shots.

Protein Powders – You can find protein powders that are made from a number of dietary sources of protein. For instance, whey and casein are wonderful protein supplements, but because they are milk derivatives, they may not be the supplement of choice for those who are lactose intolerant. Both are complete proteins and are great for all diets. Whey is quicker to digest than casein and it takes effect quicker, although the effects of casein last longer. Rice protein is another great, choice, because it is hypoallergenic and is popular with vegetarians. Another popular choice is soy, which is a complete protein, containing all of the essential and non-essential amino acids. Soy is the only plant-based protein that is a complete protein.

Protein Snacks – There are a number of different protein snacks available that are ideal for diets following weight loss surgery. These snacks can range from jerky treats to delicious bars, some even made with healthy dark chocolate, which is loaded with antioxidants.

Liquid Protein Shots – These are great because they are small, portable and low calorie. One popular protein shot is Profect by Protica, which only has 100 calories per 2.9 ounce serving. Profect provides 25 grams of protein in each serving, as well as 100% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and 50% of the daily recommended amount of B complex vitamins. Profect also contains no carbohydrates or fats, making it ideal for low calorie diets after weight loss surgery. And it comes in a variety of delicious flavors, including Blue Raspberry, Grapefruit-Mango, and Fresh Citrus Berry.

If you have had, or are having weight loss surgery, the absolute best diet to follow is the one that your surgeon recommends. He or she will know exactly what nutrients you will need in order to be healthy following your surgery and to lose the weight you want to lose.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein shots for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

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Current research has revealed a promising relation between a high protein diet and low blood cholesterol levels. Many people with high cholesterol levels take medications to control their cholesterol levels. In this article we will examine the role of cholesterol and how its levels are linked to proteins in the diet.

Cholesterol is vital to maintain the integrity of brain cells, keep the membranes intact and the cells working. The protein receptors, imperative for inter-cellular communication, also anchor in cholesterol molecules present in these membranes. However, brain-cell membranes do more, as they contain receptors for key chemical messengers in the brain. These receptors permit cell-to-cell communication, and cholesterol helps to keep these attachment points functioning properly and the cells communicating normally.

Serotonin, a key messenger, has an anti-depressant effect, and proper functioning of serotonin receptors is linked to better mental health. With suboptimal cholesterol intake in the diet, poorly structured brain-cell membranes function inadequately with fewer receptors available to interact with nerve messengers. This could lead to depression.

Cholesterol is important for brain development in infants and plays a role in neuron function in adults. High blood cholesterol level is still considered a risk factor for stroke and heart disease, however, and physicians may decide that those risks outweigh any modest benefits for cognitive function. Scientists have not yet determined whether lowering cholesterol with medication will influence mental functioning.

In humans, normal metabolic oxidation reactions lead to harmful by-products. Accumulation of these harmful by-products causes damage to the neurons of the brain. Our bodies have antioxidants that protect it from these cellular damages.

Research has shown that regular consumption of cultured dairy products lowers cholesterol and protects against bone loss.

Role of casein and whey:

Dietary supplements containing proteins like whey and casein can be of benefit in lowering cholesterol. Casein and whey are natural based milk proteins.

Casein is the other protein derived from milk and is a complete protein. It is:

- Extremely high in the amino acid, glutamine, which is the most abundant amino acid found in skeletal muscles and may play a role in supporting the immune system.

- A larger protein (than whey) that is absorbed more slowly by the body. Often used when absorption over an extended time period is desirable.

- Not as absorbable (as whey) by the body because it has a lower biological value (BV) therefore more has to be consumed.

Whey: Whey proteins are not something new – they have been available for hundreds of years. It has only been during the last 15 – 20 years however, that the true potential of whey proteins has become known. This awareness has led to an increase in research activity to identify all the benefits whey proteins provide to the human body.

Whey protein contains an ample supply of the amino acid cysteine. Cysteine appears to enhance glutathione levels, which has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties that mop up free radicals — free radicals induce cell death and play a role in aging. Therefore, whey proteins can have a protective effect on neurons when taken on a long-term basis.

Whey protein concentrate has been found to be a potent inhibitor of oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Current research suggests that the conversion of LDL cholesterol to oxidized LDL is the trigger that leads to atherogenesis — the formation of plaque and lesions associated with atherosclerosis. This commonly occurs in arteries that nourish the heart. Therefore, any substance that prevents the oxidation of LDL is thought to be anti-atherogenic.

Whey protein is made up of several minor and major fractions, such as beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, albumin, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulin. It was discovered that the minor constituent responsible for whey’s ability to prevent the oxidation of LDL appears to be the lactoferrin fraction of the protein. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein that has been shown to reduce uptake of LDL cholesterol.

Whey protein has the following properties:

- It has the highest branched chain amino acid (BCAA) content found in nature. BCAAs are necessary for the maintenance of muscle tissue and they tend to be depleted following exercise.

- Is thought to be digested faster than casein and more completely than soy proteins.

- It enhances the production of the amino acid, glutathione, which is an important component for supporting the immune system.

- It is very miscible, which means it dissolves easily in water and other liquids making it more user friendly in some cases.

The link between protein and lower cholesterol continues to be studied, and the early indications are promising. With the broad benefits afforded by whey and casein, they are a smart addition to most dietary regimens.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for bariatric patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

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