How to gain weight when underweight

When people read the title to this article, their first thought is probably “I wish I had that problem!”  Being underweight is not much of a public health concern in this country unlike obesity. But anyone who is underweight and wishes to gain a few pounds will tell you they can be just as frustrated and disappointed in trying to gain weight as those who try to lose weight. 

Underweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 kg/m with too little body fat. Some people are naturally thin and may have always struggled to maintain a more normal body weight.  If it is an inherited pattern that runs in a family, there may not be much worry for health risks as long as the person’s diet and health are good.  But for many underweight individuals, there needs to be further evaluation as to why they are having problems gaining weight.  Let’s take a look at the causes of being underweight, concerns over it and strategies to help with weight gain.

What are some of the causes of being underweight?

·      An eating disorder

·      Addiction to drugs or alcohol

·      Metabolic and hereditary factors

·      Psychological or emotional stress

·      Hyperthyroidism

·      Poor appetite and or gets full quickly when eating

·      Can also be a sign of an underlying disease

·      Heavy smoking

Concerns of being underweight

·      Inadequate nutrient stores leading to nutrient deficiencies

·      Poor pregnancy outcome such as low-birth weight or premature baby

·      Increased risk for infections and illness due to a weakened immune system

·      Menstrual irregularities in women

·      Higher risk of osteoporosis

·      More difficulties in recovering from illnesses such as pneumonia and cancer

·      Insufficient growth in children

·      Can lead to low self-esteem

Weight gain strategies

·      Have small, frequent meals consisting of nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods and beverages.  Eat at least 3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks throughout the day.

·      Avoid skipping meals

·      Drink fluids at the end of a meal to prevent getting full before the meal is over

·      Drink juices, milk, or smoothies between meals to get in extra calories

·      Take bigger portion sizes

·      Quit smoking – it decreases appetite

·      Exercise/lift weights – this helps to gain lean muscle mass and without just putting on fat weight. 

·      Take snacks along when away from home to have something to eat

·      Have ahealthy bedtime snack

What is a healthful body weight?

Everyone comes in different sizes and shapes – that’s one of the things making each of us unique!  Defining a healthy body weight is not based on how thin or how muscular a person is.  There is no one particular body type that can be defined as healthy.  But it does help to know  there are some guidelines you can find useful in determining what body weight is best for you:

·      A weight appropriate for your age and physical development.

·      A weight you can achieve and sustain without severely curtailing your food intake.

·      A weight based on your genetic background and family history of body shape.

·      A weight that leads to normal blood pressure, lipid and glucose levels.

·      A weight promoting healthy eating and participation in physical activity.

·      A weight that is right for you.

If you meet the above guidelines, you can trust your body size is normal for you and to keep following a well-balanced, healthy diet with regular exercise. 

Things that hurt your metabolism

1.     You don’t get good sleep. If you're chronically sleep deprived, don’t be surprised if you gain a few pounds without eating a morsel of extra food. “A lack of sleep can cause several metabolic problems,” says nutritionist Seth Santoro. “It can cause you to burn fewer calories, lack appetite control and experience an increase in cortisol levels, which stores fat.” Lack of sufficient sleep — which experts say is 7 to 9 hours a night for most people — also leads to impaired glucose tolerance, a.k.a. your body's ability to utilize sugar for fuel. “We all have those less-than-adequate nights of sleep,” says nutritionist Lisa Jubilee. “But if it's a regular thing, you're better off lengthening your night's sleep than working out, if fat loss or weight maintenance is your goal.”

2.     You started your day dehydrated. For Jubilee, one of the best and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt is to drink water (she suggests 20 to 32 ounces) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slowed, and unless you woke up in the middle of the night to swig some water, it didn’t receive any fluids. Jubilee suggests completely rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink. “My clients who have implemented this report less bloating, more energy and a smaller appetite,” she says. Her motto for getting your inner furnace stoked and ready for the day: “Rehydrate, then caffeinate!” And caffeinate with tea.

3.     You drank too much caffeine. Plenty of studies indicate that caffeine can boost your metabolism in the AM. But nutritionist Amy Shapiro says that guzzling coffee and other caffeinated drinks all day could actually work against you. Caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant. If you’re constantly consuming it, you may not eat much — or realize how hungry you really are — until you get home for dinner. “Not eating enough throughout the day can make your metabolism sluggish,” she says. “By the time you eat dinner, instead of immediately using that food for energy, your body is aggressively storing it as fat, just in case it will be deprived again.”

4.     You sit too much. Ideally, we sleep about eight hours for every 24. Most people spend another seven to ten hours sitting at their desk. That means most of us spend the overwhelming majority of our time sedentary. Our bodies weren't designed for this level of inactivity — most of humans’ evolutionary history involved being active, searching for food and fuel. Jubilee says that one way to burn more calories daily is to stand more and sit less. She cites a British study which found that standing at work burned 50 more calories per hour than sitting. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider this: If you stand for just three hours of your day, in one year you’d expend more than 30,000 extra calories — which amounts to about 8 lbs of fat! Another good office habit: Set a phone timer to remind you get up every hour and walk around, even for a few minutes, says Jubilee.

5.     You ate too many calories too late in the day. “Not eating enough calories in a day is an easy way to slow your metabolism,” says Santoro. “It’s a common mistake people make.” When you don’t consume enough calories, your body switches into starvation mode, and your brain tells your body to store fat. This can increase cortisol levels, leading to belly-fat storage, which comes with health risks. “Eating a large dinner, especially too close to bedtime, can be detrimental to your metabolism,” says Shapiro. “It’s likely to throw off your inner clock and make you not hungry in the morning, which can ultimately lead to weight gain.” It’s at this point in the day that people are more likely to have an alcoholic beverage, which can bedevil your metabolism even more. “When a person drinks, acetate is formed,” says Santoro. “The body spends time trying to detoxify itself rather than burn calories.” He adds that drinking alcohol can impair protein synthesis and anabolic (muscle-building) hormones. Shapiro suggests that you prepare for busy or unpredictable days by packing healthy snacks to keep you from overeating or making unhealthful food choices.

6.     You didn’t eat organic. “Hormones dictate how our body utilizes the energy we give it,” says Jubilee. “Between our reproductive, thyroid and growth hormones, appetite, insulin and hunger hormones — leptin and ghrelin — our bodies have to perform a tricky balancing act to keep us lean, energized and viable reproductive beings.” Those tasks have become much more difficult because of the hormone residues we consume via cage-raised foods. If you want to give your metabolism a leg up, Jubilee says, switch to organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised beef, eggs and dairy products, thereby avoiding those nasty hormones at mealtime.

Best ways to improve metabolism

1.     Eat more dairy. A study published in the journal Diabetes found that a dip in calcium levels can trigger the release of calcitriol, a hormone that causes people to store fat. Many experts support the results and say that a calcium deficiency can slow metabolism. Aim for two or three daily servings of low-fat milk, cheese, or yogurt.

2.     Eat organic foods. Canadian researchers found that dieters with the highest levels of organochlorines (found in pesticides) had slower metabolisms than those with lower levels of the pollutant. Other research, like a study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reports that pesticides can contribute to weight gain.

3.     Build muscle. Your basic metabolic rate accounts for about 70 percent of the calories you burn every day. People who have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest, according to the Mayo Clinic. The available numbers are conflicting (some experts say that every pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day, while other sources say it’s just six calories), but either way, any muscle boost could help.

4. Drink water. Researchers have found that, after drinking about 17 ounces of water, study subjects’ metabolic rates increased by about 30 percent. The effects were quick and relatively long-lasting: The rise occurred within 10 minutes of drinking the water and lasted for up to 40 minutes. Based on their findings, the researchers estimate that increasing your water consumption by 1.5 liters a day could burn an extra 17,400 calories in a year.

5.   Drink grapefruit juice. Researchers at UC Berkeley found that mice on a high-fat diet that drank sweetened grapefruit juice gained less weight than other mice that drank sweetened water. After 100 days, the juice-drinking mice weighed 18.4 percent less than the other mice, and they had better metabolic health (better blood-sugar levels and insulin sensitivity).

Why you should drink green tea

Green tea is one of the healthiest drinks.

It is loaded with antioxidants, such as flavonoids and catechins. Antioxidants prevent cancer associated cells from attacking healthy cells and can decrease cancer risk. It can help protect against many types of cancer and also helps lower cholesterol, increase concentration and memory.

It is also a great addition to add to your diet because green tea increases fat burning and boosts metabolism. Previous studies have shown that drinking four cups of green tea a day have helped people lose more than six pounds over the course of two months. Other health benefits of green tea include improved brain function, increased energy, decreased risk of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer, lowers your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, lowers your risk of infection and improves dental health as it kills bacteria, may lower your risk for Type 2 diabetes, may lower your risk for heart disease, may decrease your risk of dying, and lowers your risk for obesity.

One specific catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), is unique to green tea and is abundant as a result of the minimal processing through which green tea goes.  Lab studies have shown that EGCG and a few other catechins can be more powerful than vitamins C and E in stopping oxidative damage to cells in addition to potentially having the ability to fight other diseases.  Furthermore, it is thought that EGCG plays an important role in inhibiting DNA synthesis and cell replication, both imperative for the survival of cancer cells.  

For these reasons, studies have shown associations between green tea consumption and a reduced risk for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's and several cancers including skin, breast, lung, colorectal, esophageal, stomach and prostate.

Health tips for weight loss

1.      Drink lots of water – aim for 7 to 8 glasses every day.  In addition to staying hydrated, research shows that drinking two glasses (8 ounces) of water before every meal, in combination with a reduction in portion size, can help you lose weight and keep it off for up to one year.

2.      Aim to sleep at least 7 hours every night.  Research has demonstrated that the hormones leptin and ghrelin, both of which affect feelings of fullness and hunger, are affected by how much or little you sleep.  Furthermore, good quality sleep allows your body to repair any cellular or systemic damage accrued throughout the day.

3.      Exercise at least 30 minutes, most days.  It goes without say that exercise helps stimulate your metabolism and helps create the caloric deficit necessary for weight loss.  The more lean body mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be.  To aid in the caloric deficit, decrease your portion sizes at every meal.  

4.      Give your metabolism a boost. Try supplementing with Xanthigen and/or l-arginine.  Xanthigen is a combination of brown seaweed and pomegranate seed oil extracts. Brown seaweed contains the compound fucoxanthin, which increases the rate at which the body metabolizes calories, and pomegranate seed oil contains punicic acids, which decreases the accumulation of liver fat.  Research has indicated that these two compounds are more effective in reducing weight in combination, rather than alone.  L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid, meaning that the body can make it under some circumstances, but in other situations, you have to obtain it via your diet.  L-arginine is converted to nitric oxide, which helps increase blood flow via vasodilation, or the widening of blood vessels.

Foods to eat for a healthy colon

Garlic. Garlic has long been known for containing natural antibacterial properties. Prior research has found that eating more garlic is associated with a decreased risk of developing non-cancerous growths in the colon. Garlic contains natural compounds such as selenium and arginine, which have been known to have potential health benefits such as excreting harmful waste from the body. It is important to know how much garlic is good for you, as too much as cause other digestive problems.

Legumes. Legumes are excellent because they are low in fat and packed with protein. They are good for the colon because they provide the good bacteria via their healthy starches. They are also a good source of folate and antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Try to add some kidney beans to your meal the next time you sit down for dinner. 

Flax seeds. Flax seeds do not look tasty right away but when added to things like smoothies, cereals, and whole grain products, they can be much more appealing. Flax seeds are packed with fiber and contain phytonutrients. They are great for helping to regulate bowel movements and are also a natural source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Dark leafy vegetables. Dark leafy vegetables that are good for the colon include spinach, collard greens, kale, and romaine. These green vegetables are packed with fiber which helps cleanse your colon. They also contain folate and a variety of vitamins and minerals. However, please remember that not all of these dark leafy greens contain the same amount of nutrients. For example, one cup of iceberg lettuce has almost no nutritional value, and it is mainly made up of water. What to remember when buying dark leafy greens: the darker the leaf the more beneficial it is for your colon and overall health.

Probiotics. Did you know that your entire colon is filled with bacteria and yeast? Good bacteria, that is. Good bacteria and yeast actually help to break down and eliminate waste from the body. They also make sure the bad bacteria stays out. It is important to maintain a good balance of these living organisms, otherwise you may suffer. People who have an imbalance in bacteria in their colon may have problems with digestion such as diarrhea or bloating. In this case, you may need some extra help to get these organisms balanced again. This can be done by getting more probiotics. You can find probiotics in fermented foods, such as yogurt or kefir.

Keep physically active to keep mentally young

There is a distant relative of mine who just turned 98 years young and if it wasn’t for her macular degeneration, she could physically and mentally run circles around most people 30 years younger.  She’s as mentally sharp, spry and agile as any elderly person I know.  What’s her secret?  She keeps herself physically active.  This woman will walk the perimeter of the inside of her basement for exercise on days when the weather doesn’t permit her getting outdoors.  She  gardens, pulls weeds, walks the country road she lives on and push mows her own lawn. 

The former director of the National Institute on Aging, Robert N. Butler, once said “If exercise could be packaged into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”  Various studies are confirming this statement to be accurate.  A study from the journal Neurolmage shows a direct relationship between brain activity, brain function, and physical fitness in elderly men.  The men who were more physically fit were found to perform mental tests of selective attention, executive function, and reaction time, better than less fit men.  The reason is physically fit men use parts of the brain in the same way when they were younger. 

With aging we begin using different areas of our brain.  The left side of our prefrontal cortex is used more during younger years for mental tasks involving short term memory or recognizing events, people, or objects from previous encounters.  As we age, we favor the right side of the prefrontal cortex for these tasks.  The men in the study who had kept themselves physically fit, tended to use the left side or more youthful side of their brains. 

Other studies have shown people who keep physically fit into old age tend to have larger brains and less brain atrophy than those who don’t exercise. This leads to better cognitive performance,  thinking, and memory skills. 

Another factor physical activity may prevent with aging is a decline in the brain’s white matter.  White matter is the fiberlike parts of brain cells enabling communication between brain regions.  Researchers have examined the structural soundness of white matter in brain scans looking for lesions called “white matter hyperintensities.” These lesions are commonly found  in elderly people leading to declines in thinking and memory abilities.  What they discovered is the more vigorous exercise the elderly participated in, the less white matter lesions they had. 

Exercise is well-documented for maintaining muscle strength, flexibility, stamina, improving bone density, and aiding in an overall well-being.  Now it looks like mental aptitude can be added to that list.  Even if an elderly person has been physically inactive, it’s not too late to enhance and keep the brain young through exercise.  A researcher in Canada recruited 120 inactive older adults; half of them were started on an exercise routine of walking at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes three times a week.  The other half did stretching and toning exercises.  When MRI scans of their brains were conducted a year later, it was found the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved with memory, was slightly larger in the walking group whereas it had declined slightly in the stretching group.  This shows that the aging brain is malleable and can change in a positive direction with regular aerobic exercise. It is believed resistance training would also benefit the brain in the same way.

The key to keeping your brain sharp is to keep moving into old age.  If its’ been awhile since you’ve exercised, get clearance from your physician first.  Then choose a physical activity you enjoy doing and will stick with it.  Start off at your own pace and gradually build up from there.  Who knows, maybe you’ll qualify for the Senior Olympics someday and be like Benjamin Buttons, becoming younger as you grow older. 

Why you need to eat more fruits and veggies and here’s how to do it

Be honest – do you eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables a day?  If you’re the average American, you’re not even close.  A telling recent report conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute found that fewer than 18% of adults in all states ate the recommended amount of fruit and less than 14% were eating the recommended amount of vegetables.  This is not surprising as for years many of us just don’t eat a lot of produce.  We get busy with our jobs, family and all the stresses life brings and eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables may not be at the top of our to-do list. 

If more people truly understood the value and importance fruits and vegetables can bring to their overall health, it may convince more of us to make eating them a priority. Once you start adding more produce to your diet, you’ll begin to see how beneficial they are and will ask yourself, “Why wasn’t I eating more of these before?”

How many servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended?

The amount needed per day depends on different factors – your age, sex and level of physical activity.  An excellent guideline is choosemyplate.gov which will thoroughly explain how many servings needed daily, what is considered an amount, and what foods are found in both fruits and vegetables. 

Excuses we use to not eat fruits and vegetables

If you were to ask a person why they don’t get in the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables, there can be dozens of reasons.  Let’s take a look at some of the more common ones:

·      They cost too much – I’m with you on this one.  They can be but not always.  Here’s a couple of hints: One, buy when they’re in season as they are usually cheaper and taste their best and two, remember canned and/or frozen fruits and vegetables are another option. They are often a good bargain and will still offer the nutritional value of fresh produce.  Both canned and frozen produce are picked at their peak so they often retain more nutrients than fresh produce unless you eat it within a few days.  Choose canned fruits packed in water and canned vegetables that are low-sodium or rinse them with cold water in a colander to decrease the sodium content.  Dried fruit is another option but they can be pricey and have a concentrated sugar content.

 ·      They spoil before I can use all of it – Again, with fresh produce this can definitely happen.  This usually results for several reasons – you bought more than what you needed, they weren’t stored properly, or you put them in the refrigerator and forgot about them until they turned limp and moldy.  Here are a few tips to prevent wastage:

-       Before going to the grocery store check to see what produce you already have on hand.

-       Buy only the amount you will use or need.

-       At the store, avoid produce that may be rotting or have insect damage.

-       Store produce in the proper location.  Depending on the fruit or vegetable will determine whether they need stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

-       Certain fruits and vegetables need to be kept separate – fruits like apples and peaches release ethylene gas as they age causing other produce to ripen and spoil quicker.

-       Use the FIFO rule – first in, first out.  Rotate using up what you already have before using anything new.

·      I don’t like the taste of fruits and/or vegetables – Some people may have grown up with little exposure to produce or were picky eaters while others may be what is called a “supertaster” where strong flavors, particularly from certain vegetables, can be overwhelming.  The neat thing about produce is there are numerous ways to fix them for eating – baked, roasted, grilled, microwaved, steamed, stir-fry, sautéed – all of which can be done in a healthy manner and cooked to your liking.  Check out the link to get great ideas on preparing fruits and vegetables.

Top 15 reasons to be eating more fruits and vegetables

1.     They contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy

2.     They contain phytochemicals that may protect against certain diseases

3.     They add texture, color and variety to our diet

4.     They are naturally low in calories

5.     They have little to no fat (except avocados but it’s a healthy fat), saturated fat or trans fats

6.     Most can be eaten raw with minimal preparation – be sure and wash before eating

7.     They make you feel full without feeling stuffed

8.     They are full of fiber helping to prevent constipation

9.     They are good for healthy skin

10.  They make an easy snack

11.  They contain nutrients that can protect against the eye condition macular degeneration

12.  They are fun to grow yourself and then eat

13.  They can help with weight control

14.  They are naturally low in sodium

15.  They help decrease tooth decay and promote oral health

Food fallacies: Separating fact from fiction on Colds/Flu

Before you know it it’ll be the season of sickness with people falling victim to the annual cold and flu deluge.  There’s all kinds of advice out there with various cures and what to eat or not eat.  Which are true and which ones are more myth and should not be relied upon.  Let’s take a look.

 1.    Fallacy: Taking extra amounts of Vitamin C can cure a cold.

 Fact:  Studies have not been able to confirm taking large doses of vitamin C will cure a cold.  The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 75 mg/day for women and 90 mg/day for men.  Vitamin C is an antioxidant which means it does help boost the immune system helping it to fight infections but extra amounts from a supplement does not appear to be have any added benefits. It is important to eat daily food sources of vitamin C as it may help shorten the duration and symptoms of a cold.  Vitamin C rich foods include: oranges, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, papaya, mango, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, pineapple, red peppers, tomatoes, chili peppers, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and kale.

2.     Fallacy: Is it feed a cold and starve a fever or vice versa?

Fact:  Neither.  No matter how you say it has much merit, but when sick with a cold, it is important to be eating plenty of anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables to help fight the infection your body is trying to recover from.  Keep well-hydrated and even though you may not be able to taste food very well, keep eating all meals to fuel your body. 

If you have the flu, your appetite tends to be diminished.  Small, frequent meals and snacks may sound a little more appetizing and drinking plenty of fluids can help when running a fever.  The important thing is to keep eating a variety and balance of food along with extra rest.

3.    Fallacy: Zinc lozenges and nasal sprays are good for colds.

Fact: Not true.  Zinc is an essential mineral helping to keep our immune system healthy but the effectiveness of zinc lozenges is limited.  Nasal sprays containing zinc have been found to damage the sense of smell and the FDA in 2009 issued a warning to consumers not to use them.  It is best to get zinc from food sources such as red meat and seafood rather than from a supplement.  Zinc supplements if taken in excess, can be toxic and can lower the absorption of copper, and weaken the immune system.

4.     Fallacy:  Chicken soup is good for colds and flu.

 Fact:  Guess what?  This actually is true!  It won’t necessarily cure you in a day but the comforting hot liquid is wonderful for opening up nasal passages, helps with hydration and the warmth you feel from it just feels good.  It’s an easy to digest food nourishing the body and most people like it.

5.    Fallacy:  Drinking milk will increase mucus.

Fact:  False.  There is no scientific study to back this up even though some people insist it does make their mucus or phlegm get worse.  You may not feel much like drinking milk while sick and which may be part of the reason some people feel an increase in mucus.

6.    Fallacy:  A sip of brandy or whiskey can treat a cold.

Fact:  Not the case.  Having an alcoholic beverage when sick with a cold may feel like it’s helping as the symptoms may temporarily be relieved but it does not cure a cold or kill germs of a cold present in the bloodstream.  If you are taking any medication, alcohol can interfere with it.  Therefore, do not rely on alcohol to treat a cold or flu. 

7.     Fallacy: Herbal supplements are safe to use for treating a cold or flu.

Fact:  Doubtful.  There are numerous herbal supplements on the market claiming to treat everything under the sun.  One of the problems is in the United States, herbal supplements are not regulated like prescription medications are meaning the manufacturers don’t have to show their products are safe or effective before going on the market.  Echinacea is an herbal supplement sometimes recommended for colds or flu.  There are mixed reviews of this herb on treating illnesses.  Some studies have shown a slight improvement in preventing colds while others did not find any help from it.  Echinacea may also have side effects of an upset stomach and an allergic reaction to it if you’re allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, and marigolds. 

The best advice when ill from a cold or flu is to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet, drink plenty of fluids, frequent handwashing, and get extra rest.  If you practice these tips year round, you’ll be less likely to get sick and even if you do, the duration and severity should be reduced.