Know your Omega-3s and 6s

Have you discovered the fat-melting qualities of fish oil yet in your quest to lose weight? If not, don't just give it a try — make it a mainstay in your diet.

Also known as Omega fatty acids, fish oil can help your health in many different ways and should be an important cornerstone of your everyday diet. Read on for more information on how you can benefit from fish oil.

Burn fat faster

You need fat in order to lose weight — the good, healthy kind. This includes Omega-3 and Omega-6. We need these fats to promote our health and facilitate weight loss, but most Americans do not get enough.

Sometimes a supplement is necessary to make sure you're getting a balance of these healthy fats. Results from a daily dose of Omega-3 can be seen in anywhere from a few days to several weeks, but it's no quick fix. It's important to take it every day on a long-term basis for the best results and overall health.

Health benefits

Fish oil can improve so many aspects of your health, there are almost too many to count. Some of these include your heart, vision, joints, immune system, digestive system, pancreas, blood pressure, cholesterol, hormones, mood, energy and more.

Additional benefits of omega supplements:

• Moderate amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet have shown to reduce your risk of a first heart attack by 30%.
• Symptoms in such inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease are also decreased.
• Omega-3 fatty acids also prevent artery-hardening and heart disease-causing plaques

Omega Fish Oil

Stock up on fish oil at your next visit. Contact WeightLossNYC or call 718-491-5525

School lunches and childhood obesity

Do you know what's on your child's lunch tray at school?

Parents in recent years have been surprised to find pizza sauce being counted as a vegetable and junk food masquerading as a healthy snack, but change is starting to happen.

The National School Lunch Program was started 65 years ago to make sure children are nourished and can get through the school day on a full stomach.

While the program now serves 30 million children nationwide at a low or no cost, it's also become increasingly criticized for the quality of foods offered and is being partially blamed for the rise in childhood obesity, especially in low-income children.

Taking action on school lunches and childhood obesity

In 2012, the USDA called for more nutritious ingredients in school lunches, including more fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk and whole grains. It also urged limits on trans fats and high-calorie foods.

Parents in some states have pushed for laws requiring healthier school meals and more stringent nutritional standards—and it's making a difference.

• Children in schools with more stringent nutritional standards had a healthier weight status.
• The rates of obesity were much lower in states that exceeded the USDA nutritional requirements.
• Rates of obesity were doubled among students who ate reduced and free school lunches (26%) compared to students who didn't eat school lunches (13%).

What you can do

If you're unhappy with what your school is offering, speak up! You never know what kind of change you can make until you try. You can also pack a healthy, nutritious bag lunch for your child if the school lunches provided don't meet your personal standards for your child.

Start losing weight today! If you struggle with weight loss, don't hesitate to contact us at 718-491-5525. Make an appointment with weight loss expert Dr. Aron, who can help you lose up to 10 to 20 lbs or more each month. A healthier family starts with a healthier You!

Raspberry Ketones and Weight Loss

Pop culture Dr. Oz and others cheer on support for raspberry ketone as a natural weight loss supplement. Dr Jennifer Seger from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians offers this response:

“Raspberry ketone [4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one] or rheosmin, is a compound extracted from raspberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, rhubarb, grapes and the bark of some trees. It is similar in molecular structure to capsaicin (found in chili peppers) and synephrine (found in bitter orange trees)- two compounds that are thought to exert anti-obesity actions and alter lipid metabolism. It is hypothesized that the method in which raspberry ketone helps with weight loss is related to an increase in norepinephrine-induced lipolysis. The data supporting this claim is extremely sparse. After searching various online medical and scientific databases, I found less than a handful of studies specifically related to raspberry ketone and weight loss, two of which are rodent studies. One study suggests that when rats were fed a high-fat diet with raspberry ketone, there was prevention of fat storage and increased lipolysis in the liver compared to the control group on a high-fat diet 1. An in vitro study had a similar finding in that when adipocytes were incubated with raspberry ketone, there was an increase in lipolysis and fat oxidation, suggesting that this compound may aid in limiting fat accumulation2. It is important to note, however, that no studies have been conducted in humans to elucidate the effect of raspberry ketone on in vivo lipolysis and fat oxidation. Raspberry ketone has been used in cosmetics and as a food additive for decades, and in its "natural" state, it is quite expensive. Nowadays, raspberry ketone is primarily synthesized in a lab and is a very inexpensive additive for the aforementioned purposes. The safety data, though quite limited, do not reveal any significant concerns but there are no large studies regarding this. With a combination of extremely limited efficacy and safety data, substantial health benefit claims, a population desperate for results and large profit margins, it is no wonder that raspberry ketone is one of the top-selling nutrition supplements on the market right now. At this point, though, the use of raspberry ketone can be based on only anecdotal experience and insufficient scientific data. Hence, I currently cannot recommend the use of this supplement.”

Read more about Raspberries and weight loss

• Healthy weight loss foods
• Fruit and weight loss
• Don’t believe the hype on weight loss supplements

Image source Fotopedia.com [items/flickr-225231412]