9 Sneaky Places Sugar is Hidden

When you eat an entire bag of gummy bears, or down a large soda the movies, you're aware of what you're getting yourself into. But more than half of the sugar in our diets is strewn across the entire range of what we eat, put there by the food industry to make things taste, well, sweeter. And even if you're a careful reader of nutrition labels, you might never know it. "There are 56 names for sugar," says Dr. Lustig. "If you can figure out a way to have five or six different kinds of sugar in one product, then you can make some type of sugar fall further down the list. When you add them up, they add up to number one."

Tomato sauce
Tomatoes are full of citric acid, which is comparable to vinegar, and none too pleasing to the taste buds. Especially with the immature variety that's forced into a jar, sugar is necessary to negate the acid on your tongue. Since tomato sauce is certainly a healthier option than many creamy pasta sauces, it's worth the few minutes it takes to make your own. Dr. Lustig cuts, stews, and blends fresh tomatoes with his favorite spices for a healthier and equally satisfying marinara.

White wine
When you choose to sip a glass of vino, you likely think you're making a healthy decision in choosing it over juice-laden cocktails. That's true, however, you can make an even better choice by pouring red. Many white whites, especially German Rieslings, have added sugar to disguise the acidity of grapes that didn't get enough sun. In contrast, the grapes used in red wine are grown in more southern regions, meaning they receive adequate sunlight, and don't need to be altered, explains Dr. Lustig.

Salad dressing
When it comes to adding flavor to your greens, the simpler the better. Even seemingly healthy options like balsamic vinaigrettes are laced with sugar, and fat-free varieties are the worst offenders. In order to eliminate fat without sacrificing flavor, manufacturers pour in the sweet stuff. At restaurants, request heart-healthy olive oil and vinegar, and at home, stir together mustard, balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and the spices of your choice.

Yogurt
High in calcium and low in calories, this stuff's the ideal afternoon snack, right? Not if yours is fruit-flavored, or comes with a packet of mix-in fruit. A lawsuit pending against Chobani claims the Greek yogurt-maker is violating federal law with its claims of "no added sugar." In fact, about one-third of its calories come from evaporated cane juice, one of many names for what is essentially white sugar. Meanwhile, when Dr. Lustig examined a six-ounce pomegranate yogurt, he found it had 12 grams of added sugar, the same amount as a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. Keep probiotic- and calcium-rich yogurt in your diet, but opt for the plain kind, and mix in fresh fruit.

Bread
Even the whole grain kind has added sugar, which is put there to make loaves brown better, and appear more attractive to shoppers. "Buy bread at your local bakery instead of the bread on the shelves of the grocery store," advises Dr. Lustig. With its lack of added sugar, the homemade kind lasts a few days rather than a few weeks, but you're supporting local businesses and your family's well-being.

Ketchup
Sugar is lurking in the condiment aisle - and on your French fries. Almost one-quarter of Heinz's basic Tomato Ketchup - about 4 grams per 17-gram or one tablespoon serving - is high fructose corn syrup, not to mention that many of us eat plenty more than that at a time. Artisanal ketchups taste nothing like the mass market varieties thanks to the natural acidity of the tomatoes used, so if you can't stomach the flavor, try mustard instead.

Granola
Those who shun sugar cereals often turn to granola for a seemingly better breakfast option, but watch out. Eating a bowl can be equivalent to downing a soda, so if you do love the stuff, try replacing it with muesli. Both have oats and nuts, but unlike granola, muesli is filled with fruit. Its naturally occurring fructose is the only sugar involved.


Frozen fruits
Much of the fruit you're gnawing on when you can't find the fresh variety isn't really the same - it's immature. "If they were mature, they'd sell them for real," says Dr. Lustig. "They have to make them palatable, so they add sugar." Though not true of every brand, it's important to check for a "no sugar added" label on the bag. Better yet, to get your recommended daily intake when berry season is months away, think ahead. When fresh fruit is available, chop it up and freeze it yourself to reap all the benefits and none of the disadvantages.

Peanut butter
Jelly's favorite accompaniment is full of protein and healthy fat, making it a good staple of your - and your children's - diet. However, sugar is the second ingredient in many leading brands, and the reduced fat kinds are the worst. Even some organic varieties are packed with sweetener, so make sure your jar clearly states, "no sugar added."

7 “Unhealthy” Foods That Are Actually Healthy

White Rice
The differences between white and brown rice are small, and really only matter if you’re only eating rice all day, every day, says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health nutrition advisor. In fact, some research suggests that eating white over brown leads to better nitrogen retention—which can help protect against muscle loss. A Japanese study also found that nutrients like potassium and phosphorus are better absorbed from white rice—the extra fiber in brown rice could make nutrients less available to your body, says Aragon.


Sour Cream
Yes, most of its calories are derived from fat—and while the percentage of fat is high, the total amount isn't. A serving (2 tablespoons) has only 52 calories—that’s half the amount in one tablespoon of mayo. It also has less saturated fat than a 12-ounce glass of 2 percent milk. Unless you actually prefer the light versions, eat the classic version; it tastes richer, and the fat will keep you full longer.


Coffee
Your cuppa Joe will likely do more good than harm. Just keep your fix in check: While researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that about two 8-ounce cups of coffee lowered people’s risk of heart failure by 11 percent, more than five cups a day increased the risk. In moderation, researchers believe java’s antioxidants could reduce your type 2 diabetes risk—a common risk factor for heart failure.
Salsa
A plate of nachos might put a bulge in your belly, but don’t blame the condiment! Salsa is packed with vitamins A and C from its tomato base. It also contains the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene. Harness the many powers of salsa by adding it to eggs or spicing up the flavor on a fish dish or burger.
Beer
Move over, red wine. According to a recent review of research, beer is just as good for your heart as vino. A little more than a pint a day could make you 30 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke, heart attack, and heart disease than non-drinkers. Credit the alcohol and polyphenols (antioxidants) in beer, but leave the keg stands in your past: Overdrinking—four or more glasses of wine or beer a day—brings you out of the protective window and puts your heart at risk, the research found.


Red Meat
Studies of the cause-and-effect of eating red meat never find any difference in health outcomes between red meat and chicken or fish, says Michael Roussell, Ph.D., author of The Six Pillars of Nutrition. Many times, red meat eaters tend to be unhealthier in general—they smoke, drink, exercise less, and eat fewer disease-fighting fruits and vegetables.

In fact, red meat in a healthy diet could improve cholesterol levels, according to a 2012 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Stearic acid (a saturated fatty acid) and oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat) may play a role in those “good” HDL cholesterol changes. “Beef brings a unique, heart-healthy blend of fats to the table that you won’t get from other foods,” says Roussell. Choose lean cuts (strip, sirloin, tenderloin, or T-bone steaks, and 95 percent lean ground beef) to control calories, says Aragon.


Spicy Foods
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that hamsters fed capsaicinoids—compounds that lend flavor to chili peppers and jalapenos—showed lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol than animals that ate capsaicinoid-free meals. Capsaicionoids could block the gene that causes your arteries to contract. The result: Relaxed muscles and better blood flow to the heart, researchers say. Spice up a salad with half a chili pepper, and sip that Bloody Mary guilt-free—it’s packed with the capsaicinoid cayenne!

Foods that'll make you look younger

What to eat to prevent premature aging

Kicking nicotine and avoiding excessive sunlight will help, but the secret to healthy-looking skin is the food you eat. "The wrong choices cause inflammation down to the cellular level," says dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, the author ofForever Young, a book about how eating right can keep you looking younger than your years. "And while you can't see it, that inflammation leads directly to wrinkling, sagging, and premature aging." Here is what to eat to prevent that from happening.


Sweet potatoes
Beta-carotene, which makes these tubers orange, balances your skin's pH, helps combat dryness, and promotes cell turnover, all resulting in smoother skin.

Wild salmon
The pigment that makes the fish pink, astaxanthin, is a powerful foe of free radicals, rogue molecules that damage cell membranes and DNA and cause skin to age. A study found that eating one serving every five days can prevent actinic keratoses—ugly rough patches that are precancerous.

Tomatoes
The fruit's red pigment, lycopene, is a potent antioxidant that shields skin from sun damage—like sunscreen, but from the inside out. To best absorb lycopene, eat tomatoes with olive oil.

Citrus fruits
Vitamin C is essential to building collagen, a vital component of young-looking skin, which starts breaking down in your twenties. Citrus also contains bioflavonoids, which protect skin from UV rays and help prevent cell death.

Leafy greens
Spinach, kale, and other greens contain lutein, which protects skin from sun-induced inflammation and wrinkles.

Stay away from white foods
Need another reason to avoid white bread, pasta, rice, and other refined grain products? They're quickly broken down into the ultimate white food: sugar. Once in the bloodstream, sugar bonds with protein andcreates advanced glycation end products (aptly abbreviated AGEs), which cause collagen to become inflamed and stiff, leading to wrinkles.

Why food is always better than a pill
"There are so many factors in food that haven't been studied. It's very likely that these unknowns work synergistically for a bigger benefit than what you can find in a supplement." — Nicholas Perricone, dermatologist

Red wine and beer
According to dermatologist Leslie Baumann, red wine contains skin-friendly grape-seed extract and resveratrol, two powerful antioxidants. Hops in beer, it turns out, may also offer antioxidant benefits.

The Best Nutrients for Your Eyes

Nutrients play an enormous role in preventing and treating the leading causes of impaired vision in North America–cataracts and macular degeneration. In both conditions, the eye’s normal protective mechanisms are unable to prevent damage to the lens and macula, respectively. Certain nutrients are essential in maintaining eye health, preventing these diseases, and improving visual function when these conditions do develop.

A diet high in richly colored fruits, particularly berries and grapes, and vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables, helps to lower your risk for cataracts and macular degeneration. Initially it was believed that this protection was the result of increased intake of antioxidant vitamins and minerals. However, various “nonessential” food components, such as non-provitamin A carotenes like lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and flavonoids, were later shown to be even more significant in protecting against cataracts and macular degeneration than traditional nutritional antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.


Let’s look at some of the most important nutrients for improving eye health.

Lutein
Critical to the health of the macula are the carotenes lutein and zeaxathin. These carotenes function in preventing oxidative damage to the area of the retina responsible for fine vision, and play a central role in protecting against the development of macular degeneration. In one study, subjects with macular degeneration who took 10-15 mg of lutein daily showed significant improvements in several objective measurements of visual function, including glare recovery, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity vs. those who took a placebo. Three large studies have shown that the intake of lutein was inversely associated with cataract surgery. In other words, the higher the intake of lutein, the less likely cataract surgery would take place. In addition to offering protection against cataract formation, lutein can also help improve visual function in people with cataracts.
Where to find Lutein: dark leafy greens, pistachios, peas, cucumber and celery


Nutritional Antioxidants
Nutritional antioxidants like beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, zinc, copper, and selenium are extremely important for eye health. While research has often focused on just one of these nutrients, studies conducted by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group (AREDS) confirm that a combination of these nutrients produces better results than any single nutrient alone. Yet, even something as simple as taking vitamin C or zinc can produce dramatic effects in preserving eye health. In one study, the use of vitamin C supplements for greater than 10 years was associated with a 77% lower rate of cataract formation compared to those who did not take a vitamin C supplement.
Zinc is perhaps the most important mineral for eye health, as it plays an essential role in the metabolism of the retina and the visual process. Levels of zinc have been shown to be greatly reduced in over 90% of cataract cases. Zinc is also involved in protecting against macular degeneration. A two-year double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 151 subjects demonstrated that the group taking a zinc supplement had significantly less visual loss than the placebo group.
Where to find Vitamin C: Bell peppers, kale, kiwi, papayas, oranges and clementines, strawberries
Where to find Zinc: Oysters, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, crab

Flavonoid-rich Extracts
Flavonoid-rich extracts of blueberry, bilberry, pine bark, or grape seed also offer valuable benefits in improving eye health as well as protecting against cataracts and macular degeneration. In addition to possessing excellent antioxidant activity, these extracts have been shown to exert positive effects on improving blood flow to the retina as well as improving visual processes–especially poor night vision. Take 150 to 300 mg of one of these flavonoid-rich extracts to support eye health.


Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Acetyl-L-Carnitine
These two nutrients play a critical role in energy production. For example, the role of CoQ10 in our cells is very similar to the role of a spark plug in a car engine, while acetyl-L-carnitine functions as the fuel injection system. Just as the car cannot function without that initial spark, cells in our body cannot function properly without CoQ10 and carnitine. CoQ10 and carnitine perform their functions primarily in the mitochondria, the cell’s energy producing compartment. Although the body makes some of its own CoQ10 and carnitine, considerable research shows significant benefits with supplementation. The mitochondria within the retina are especially vulnerable to toxic byproducts of cell metabolism, making supplementation with acetyl-L-carnitine (a highly absorbable form of carnitine) and CoQ10 especially important. In one double-blind study, the combination of acetyl-L-carnitine (200 mg), omega-3 fatty acids (EPA 460 mg/DHA 320 mg) and CoQ10 (20 mg) was shown to improve visual function and macular alterations in the early stages of macular degeneration. In addition, it stopped the disease from progressing in 47 out of 48 cases.

Fish Oils
There is a strong relationship between hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and eye health. So, just as in atherosclerosis, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils play an important role in prevention of eye conditions like macular degeneration. The recommended dosage of a fish oil supplement to support eye health is enough to provide approximately 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA, the two important omega-3 fatty acids.

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Amount Of Money You Need To Be Happy According To Jack Ma (2 pics)

In a recent speech about wealth Jack Ma expressed his ideas based on his experience concerning the sum of money necessary for people to be happy. It may be surprising but he wasn't talking about millions.

How much money do you need to be happy? If you believe the word of a man who’s experienced both very low and very high incomes, it’s not as much as you think.
At a recent internal meeting, Jack Ma reportedly shared his thoughts on wealth and happiness (currencies converted):

China’s happiest people are those earning US$3,000 to US$4,500 a month.

Why? Because, according to Ma, people earning US$3,000, US$4,500, or US$6,000 a month “can have a little house, and a car, and a family.”
“There’s nothing happier than that, that is a happy life,” he said.As far as being wealthy, Ma says that’s not all it’s cracked up to be. “
Once you get beyond a few million, the troubles start coming up,” he said.

Of course, most of us non-millionaires are probably thinking we’d take on a few extra troubles in return for Jack Ma’s bank account numbers, but for what it’s worth, Ma has said this kind of thing before. About a year ago, appearing on a Chinese TV show, he told the host that his happiest days were when he was working as a teacher and earning less than US$15 a month.
“The more money you have, the more things you have to do,” he lamented.

How to Heal Your Body after Antibiotic Use

If you’ve ever taken a course of antibiotics then you’re probably familiar with some of the side effects of these drugs, including: gastrointestinal distress, overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the intestines and the resulting diarrhea. For many people the aftermath of taking antibiotics is as bad as the health problems that led them to take the drugs in the first place.

That’s because antibiotics indiscriminately kill bacteria in the intestines: both good and bad. The first step in healing your body after antibiotic use is to restore a healthy microbial balance. Antibiotics, while frequently helpful in killing harmful bacterial infections, also sway the overall gut bacterial balance by killing beneficial microbes. To help restore the microbial balance you’ll want to increase the diversity of beneficial bacteria as well the numbers of specific probiotics.

The best way to improve the diversity of beneficial bacteria is to eat more fermented foods. Sorry, yogurt lovers, while yogurt can help boost the overall numbers of beneficial bacteria, it isn’t great at improving the diversity of microbes since it usually has only two to three strains of probiotics, provided it contains live cultures. If you choose yogurt, avoid sweetened varieties as the sugar will also feed the harmful bacteria that are already overgrown. 

Some of the best fermented foods that boost bacterial diversity in your gut include: kimchi, sauerkraut (choose types with live cultures in the refrigerator section), pickles (choose naturally-fermented options) and kombucha. Try to eat a small, but increasing amounts of fermented foods every day.

You may also benefit from a probiotic supplement, preferably one that contains strains of probiotics that have research-proven benefits against antibiotic-related symptoms, including: Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri and S. thermophilus.

Research in the World Journal of Gastroenterology also shows that the higher the dose of probiotics, the lower the incidence and duration of antibiotic-related symptoms like diarrhea. Ideally, it is best to take probiotic supplements and fermented foods prior to or at the start of a course of antibiotics, but if you are already taking antibiotics or still suffering from their effects after you finished taking them, it is still a good idea to get started on probiotics.

While diarrhea during or after antibiotic use may not seem like a big deal, it demonstrates the rampant destruction of important intestinal bacteria, which can set the stage for other health conditions. A growing number of health conditions ranging from allergies toarthritis have been linked to gut health, so restoring the integrity of the gut and its beneficial bacteria colonies and diversities is essential.

Of course, you should discuss any changes to your health regime with your physician.