We all know vegetables are an essential part of any diet, but did you know that if you juice your veggies they can speed up the weight loss process? All you need to do is drink one glass of low-sodium vegetable juice daily.

A recent study followed 81 adults who were overweight and at risk for heart disease and diabetes. Over the course of 12 weeks, some were asked to drink at least one cup of low-sodium V8 every day and lost 4 pounds. The test group who followed the same diet as those who drank the vegetable juice only lost 1 pound.

John Foreyt, PhD, of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said: “Many of the study participants reported feeling fuller after drinking the vegetable juice, which may be why it helps weight-loss efforts.”

Celeb Diet Doc..
There is obvious bias in this study since it was sponsored by guess who?  V8 of course.

Here’s the deal you’re going to lose more weight eating fruits and veggies instead of juice. If you really want to supercharge your weight loss, make smoothies out of fruit and veggies along with some ice and water. You get the benefits of fiber which you don’t get with juice. This fiber will fill you up and you’ll lose more weight.

Now it takes a blender with a lot of horsepower to grind up veggies and ice well and the best product for doing that is the VitaMix. See my review of the Vitamix Blender. Happy blending!

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New research, conducted by German researchers at the University of Mainz, shows a link between obesity and indebtedness – and the link is becoming even stronger as the current global economic crises continues.

Eva Muenster and her colleagues at the western German university surveyed more than 900 people undergoing debt and insolvency counselling and compared them to a group of more than 8 000 who had previously participated in a health survey. The results showed that the indebted group were younger, less wealthy and less educated, but were also more prone to bouts of depression and more likely to be overweight or obese.

The researchers have also hypothesized two possible reasons for this link. Firstly, when we’re stressed and depressed we’re more likely to eat as a way of comforting ourselves during tough times. And secondly, healthier food is often more expensive than junk or fast food.

“Energy-dense food such as sweets or fatty snacks are often less expensive compared to food with lower energy density such as fruit or vegetables,” the researchers say.

Since releasing their findings, the German researchers have also called for further investigation into whether being overweight or obese could affect your chances of finding a job when compared to skinnier people, consequently driving you further into debt.

Celeb Diet Doc

These are not surprising findings. In fact studies done in rodents show that rats, when stressed, will gain more weight on junk food. But here’s the interesting finding; rats that were stressed and were fed healthier foods did not gain nearly as much weight. So the take away is this. You’ll gain weight on junk food and even more weight when you’re stressed and eating junk food. However, stick with healthy options and you’ll prevent weight gain when you’re stressed.

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Do you exercise more when you know you had a few too many drinks the day before? A recent government health survey shows that people who drink more often, tend to also exercise more often when compared to those who drink less or don’t drink at all.

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, shows that heavy drinkers (women who have at least 46 drinks a month; one to two drinks a day) exercise about 20 minutes more per week. Moderate drinkers (women who have between 15 and 45 drinks a month) only exercise 10 minutes more per week.

While moderate drinking has often been linked to potential decrease in heart disease, researchers have found one possible reason for this uptake in weekly exercise – to compensate for the extra calories consumed with alcohol. Drinkers may feel guilty about the number of calories they pour into their bodies and in an attempt to work off these excesses they hit their workouts harder and longer. Make sense doesn’t it…

Celeb Diet Doctor…
Although the body may compensate some for the increased calorie intake, you will never fully compensate… Make no mistake you will gain weight taking in liquid calories.

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First I just want to say I love Dr Oz. He rocks! However, I just heard Dr Oz, a frequent contributor on Oprah, give some pretty dubious advice on weight loss. He’s a cardiovascular surgeon which explains why he always seems to have that “I just walked out of the operating room look.” He has also authored a book with Dr Roizen, the “You on a Diet” which I have reviewed previously.

There is an incredible amount of misinformation about diet and weight loss so when I see some bad advice given by someone so influential as Dr Oz… well it’s time for the Celebrity Diet Doctor to speak up:) So what’s his weight loss advice that will get you fat?

On yesterday’s Oprah show, Dr Oz recommended that you should eat whole grain bread soaked in  olive oil before your meals….. whoaaaaa (%%^#(@^%!!!!!.

Dr Oz’s theory is that the olive oil with bread slows food passage. This helps fill you up so you eat less during your meal, saving calories and resulting in weight loss. Interesting theory, but this strategy is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Think about it. What you’re doing here is filling up on highly calorie dense foods first. So yes you’ll eat less of your meal, but you’ve just taken in at least a 200 calorie food bolus that will result in more overall calories consumed. This is what makes Italian restaurants a minefield. Many people fill up on bread soaked in olive oil, before their meals, which is a surefire recipe for a bulging waistline. The bottom line is bread plus olive oil before your meals equals weight gain. So what’s the answer?

Of course, do the exact opposite of what Dr Oz recommends. Start your meal with a low calorie food first, such as an apple. In fact people who consumed an apple 15 minutes before a meal consumed 190 less calories overall. The moral of this story. Consume low calorie foods such as fruit, veggies, salads and soups first. This is the key to weight loss. My advice is to eat an apple and call me in the morning…

Soup can help you lose weight. Research lead by Barbara Rolls at Penn State, found that people who had soup as a first course for lunch reduced subsequent calorie intake by nearly 20 percent. Surprisingly, it did not matter whether the soup was “chunky” or broth-based, all worked at reducing subsequent calorie intake; all soups tested had identical ingredients (chicken broth, broccoli, potato, cauliflower, carrots and butter) and the thickness of the soup made little difference.

Soup is a great diet strategy because you are consuming more food but fewer calories. But remember do not use creamy-based soups, that are high in calories, which will have the opposite effect.

To make this soup diet tip work for you:

• consume soup as a first course
• pick low-calorie, broth based soups that are about 100-150 calories per serving
• avoid canned soup that is high in sodium
• avoid cream-based high calorie soups