Posted on 10/12/2003 8:20:04 AM PDT by carlo3b
Eat some Chocolate Cake and just Relax..!!Maybe not!.. It's A GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS story...
We always knew this was so, but most of us were at a loss to explain it.. Eating something devilish, like cake or anything sweet, makes us simmer down.
Well, let me try to explain it in words that may assist us all in understanding.. This is with the help of, none other than the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.
THE GOOD NEWS. Those sweet and fatty foods that we often turn to in times of stress might in fact calm nerves, and relieve anxiety. That's the good news in an innovative biological theory of people's responses to stress. (If you are already stresses, you should stop here an get another Hershey's kiss, before proceeding)
The bad news (You knew this was coming so calm down) is that for those with chronic nervousness, and unusual levels of stress, those extra servings of comfort food come with potentially dangerous baggage, extra fat around the waist. SHAAZAM!
If that didn't do it for you .. Chronic stress, brought about by everyday trials and tribulations, is less well understood than are intermittent bouts of extreme, and acute stress. Here is what scientists know, that when a cat is suddenly attacked by a dog or a person prepares to give a speech, the adrenal gland pumps up production of stress hormones, including those known as glucocorticoids. When present at high-enough concentrations, glucocorticoids provide feedback to the stress-response system, eventually shutting it down.
To the researchers, it is still unclear how the stress response is controlled in animals that remain anxious for days at a time. However in the labs of physiologist Mary F. Dallman of the University of California, San Francisco and her colleagues, they aim to close that knowledge gap.
Drawing on their animals studies and experiments, these and other scientists propose that glucocorticoids work differently in the long term than they do in the short term. Meaning, that when chronically present in the brain and body, the hormones maintain the stress response instead of shutting it down. At the same time, they drive animals to seek out pleasurable foods, much the same as we do in our own nest. This directs the added calories to accumulate as abdominal fat,
However, there is a bright light in this process, at least in animal experiments. That unwanted extra fat eventually checks the glucocorticoids' alarmist effects and tells the brain to Whoa!
The results from several laboratory experiments with rodents (isn't this comforting.. get another Hershey's Kiss) support this view, the scientists say. In one set of conclusions, Dallman and her colleagues simulated chronic stress by increasing the brain concentration of a rodent version of the glucocorticoid called cortisol. As cortisol concentration rose, the rats responded by drinking increasingly more sugar water, eating increasingly more lard, and gaining abdominal girth. Ugh!
In an additional experiment, the researchers found that rats (maybe even you, you dainty mouse) with extra padding produce less-than-average concentrations of a brain chemical that triggers early molecular events underlying the stress response. HUH?
"If you put on some extra weight, there seems to be some sort of signal that says things are better," says Norman C. Pecoraro of UC-San Francisco, a coauthor of the paper. While Dallman and her coworkers don't know what signal the abdominal fat sends, they suspect it's involved with the regulation of metabolism.Whatever accounts for the urge to eat a big helping of Lasagna, it's best not to indulge in it every day. The abdominal weight gain that Dallman and her colleagues have linked to glucocorticoid action increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. {{{{{SHUDDER}}}}} OH! I see... *<@)... I just thought you should know..The model "puts a new and more meaningful slant on what we mean when we talk about 'comfort foods,'" says Bruce S. McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York. "These may actually calm down an important brain system linked to anxiety."
In a fast-paced society where food is easy to get, glucocorticoid action probably causes chronically stressed people to take in extra calories and to gain weight, says McEwen.
"People are somehow stressed, and they are self-medicating because food is available," adds Pecoraro.
"We also eat sugar and fat because they are good tasting and cheap," notes Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington in Seattle. The stress response isn't the only brain pathway that controls consumption of sweet and high fat foods, he adds.
SOOOO.. put down the Kiss and go kiss someone..
"If you've ever tasted stevia, you know it's extremely sweet. In fact, this remarkable noncaloric herb, native to Paraguay, has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer for centuries. But this innocuous-looking plant has also been a focal point of intrigue in the United States in recent years because of actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "
From my reading, it's all political and about money. It's simply too cheap . i.e., " As Rob McCaleb, president and founder of the Herb Research Foundation, puts it: "Sweetness is big money. Nobody wants to see something cheap and easy to grow on the market competing with the things they worked so hard to get approved."
It comes in a powder and in a liquid dropper bottle at the health food store .. VERY VERY sweet. Takes just a couple of drops to really sweeten.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
YIELD: About 4 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon white stevia powder
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.*
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and set aside.
3. Place the egg, stevia, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and beat well with a wooden spoon or an electric hand-held mixer. Slowly add the butter, continuing to beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. * Instead of greasing a cookie sheet, you can cover it with parchment paper, which makes for quick and easy cleanup.
Pina Colada Smoothie
YIELD: TWO 8-OUNCE SERVINGS
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple juice
1/3 cup plain yogurt, or kefir
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1/8 teaspoon white stevia powder, or to taste
1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and whip on high speed for 30 seconds
2. Serve immediately.
Hmmm .. my mouth's watering for that one!
This sounds good, too:
Homemade Ginger Ale
YIELD: 8-OUNCE SERVING
3 ounces ginger syrup (see below)
5 ounces sparkling mineral water
ice cubes
1. Pour the syrup into a 10-ounce glass and add the ice cubes.
2. Slowly add the sparkling water. Stir and serve.
Making Homemade Ginger Syrup
With minimum effort, you can make this flavorful stevia-sweetened syrup to have on hand whenever you're in the mood for a refreshing glass of sparkling ginger ale.
GINGER SYRUP
YIELD: APPROXIMATELY 4 CUPS
4 cups water
4-or 5-inch piece fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon white stevia powder
2 tablespoons vanilla flavoring
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1. Peel and finely chop the ginger
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and stevia, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Strain the liquid into a heatproof container, and stir in the vanilla and lemon
4. Covered and refrigerated, this syrup will keep for several days.
I was a moderate beer and wine drinker and I still imbibe regularly. But I have cut back on my intake only for the reason that it does slow down weight loss. I might have only one or two glasses a day where before I would have three or four. But because I'm in bed by 10PM on most nights, I never get past that 1st drink most of the time anyhow. (I get up at 5AM every day now, including weekends.)
We had 'puter problems for a while (waaaaaay too long for my liking) but we seem to be back in business now. Pleeeeeeease don't take me off your ping list. *HUGS*
Got this chok-lit cake recipe ready to print off and stash in my recipe box. The addition of apricot preserves sounds interesting, and tasty. Can't wait to try it!!!
For people that cannot use the artificial sweeteners, try fructose instead. I use it all the time.
Is there a Splenda version equal in any quanity gives me a violent headache
Sheesh -- at the rate you're losing weight, you'll be at your goal by the end of the week! Great job -- unbelievable.
Now, please give us some tips! Here's a bit of background about my last five weeks: I've cut out carbs to practically nothing per day, but have only lost 11 to 12 pounds over the past five weeks. It seems as though besides adding more exercise, I should increase my fat intake, as well, since it seems like I lose the most weight when I eat the most fat.
Have you experienced this?
Any tips will be much appreciated. (I've never been much of a junk food or meat-eater so there's no problem there.).
I've been losing at least some weight every week since April. I'll take 0.4 pounds a week and not complain, so long as it keeps going down and not back up.
I have noticed that I seem to lose more weight when I eat more fat. But there is a point of diminishing returns. As well, I hardly lose any when I eat too little. Evidently eating too little slows down your metabolism. When I hit that middle ground - between eating too little and eating too much, I lose the most. But I just haven't figured it out yet. Sometimes I hit it and sometimes I don't. This past week, I did!
Chicken... LOL
I would love to do just that, and maybe next cruise won't conflict with any other commitment.. fingers and eyes crossed.. :)
Sure will give it a try.. Thanks so much.. :)
Let us know how it turned out.. And as far as you being on our list. . If you promise to behave .. you can stay.. :o)
Will do. I plan to make the cake tomorrow.
And as far as you being on our list. . If you promise to behave .. you can stay.. :o)
Behave???!!!! Whatyoutalkin'about??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.