Not eating healthy for the Super Bowl? How about starting Monday?

Happy Friday, all you wonderful people on the interwebs. Hope this week has treated you well, and you've paid it forward to those around you. In Wednesday's blog, I gave you links to some healthy recipe ideas for your Super Bowl party. I already know that many of you aren't going to take that suggestion, at least according to our first article. While many people out there take advantage of the new year to begin making healthy choices, alot of people(mostly men!) wait until the Monday after the Super Bowl to begin trying to eat healthier fair. Apparently food and football go hand-in-hand more than you might realize, as according to the above link, 1 in 4 football fans claimed to have gained 10 lbs or more during football season. Ouch. So it's Monday, and you're deciding which new diet you should choose. Here's a story about an Australian man who's trying something different, though probably not very good for him long run. He's eating nothing but potatoes, and so far has lost 22 lbs in 32 days! While I admire his willpower and "creativity", I don't think that any doctor or health care professional could possibly recommend this. I hope he's taking his vitamins! There are, however, healthier options for weight loss, and the study detailed in this article looked at the results of implementing some of these theories. They split a group of 40 overweight young men, cutting both groups' calories, but giving 1 group a higher amount of calories from fat, and the other a higher amount from protein. The goal the scientists had was to both spur weight loss and to maintain muscle mass, as muscle loss is commonly a by-product of weight loss. Both groups were subjected to strenuous 6 day a week exercise programs. After 4 weeks, the high protein group had not only maintained the muscle they had, but had gained 3 lbs of muscle on average. They also lost 12 lbs on average. That's not all, the high fat/lower protein group also didn't lose muscle mass, as they, too, were subject to a strenuous exercise regimen. The main point being that if you're trying to lose weight, and don't want to get "scrawny", you need to exercise!! Also on Wednesday, we featured a link to an article detailing the reduced breast cancer risk correlated with a high fiber diet. Today, here's a link that tells you a little bit about a few foods that can help reduce your cancer risk, including fiber, good oils, and even coffee! Another article today caught my eye, that is somewhat related to Wednesday's fiber findings. This article discusses a study that shows correlation between a high-fiber diet and lung health! This seemed counterintuitive at first, until it was explained that this could be due to the anti-inflammatory effects of high fiber intake. Inflammation seems to be a correlating symptom with more health problems than I ever realized! So, in short, on Monday, you need to start that diet you've put off for a month now, you can lose weight by eating only potatoes(though you probably shouldn't do that), a high-fiber diet is better for you than realize, and if you're trying to lose weight, and want to maintain muscle, you're going to have to exercise. Hope that keeps you "feeling fuller, longer" over the weekend! Be healthy, my friends!