If you have been putting on weight it means you are eating more than your body can use or burn.
Energy input > Energy output = Weight gain
Regular exercise is your best chance for busting stubborn body fat. Build more lean tissue or muscles with resistance training and you will naturally become more insulin sensitive. That means you can expect better blood sugar control, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol level, better blood circulation and the added bonus of a mood lift (with endorphin production) post workout each time.
Exercise accelerates your metabolism and ensures that you burn more calories even when you are asleep or at the computer for up to 72 hours after. What’s more when you exercise, your desire to binge will also magically disappear. This is testimony to the powerful connection between food behaviour and physical activity. One area inadvertently influences the other. So when one area is out of control, you just have to muster the other area to have a follow on positive effect on the out-of-control area.
For exercise to be self-sustaining, it has to be fun and enjoyable. You may have to try several activities before you find one that you can perform with some degree of competence that helps you generate positive results. Now take a moment out and ask yourself this important question. If all constraints were removed, what inspires you so much that you could make an exercise a lifelong one? Could it be running a marathon, competing at the next ballroom dancing competition, enrolling for the “above-40’s”ice-skating competition, skiing in the Alps or roller blading along the beach in Nusa?
To make an activity a lifelong one, you must first find an activity that appeals to you. Of course when choosing the activity, you have to take your own physical limitations into account. If you cannot balance, have severe knee problems or osteoporosis then roller blading or ice-skating will be out of the question. Don’t even dream about it because if an activity is not viable, you will not develop self-efficacy. Without self-efficacy, you will throw in the towel and guess what – GIVE UP! Is this familiar? Have you been there before?
In summary, find something you love that you could get good at that inspires you and begin with the end in mind. For example, if your goal is to go from Eastern Europe to London mostly on foot, you can start by walking 3 – 5km every second day and gradually increase it to 15km – 20km per day over a 6-month period. And at the end of the 6 months, you are ready to pack your bags and go have the time of your life!
It really is as simple as that. Would you like to share what inspires you?

In this article I will show you what they are and give you some scientific background on how they were discovered and how they work.

In the 1950s, Ancel Keys found that he could accurately predict the effect of a vegetable oil on blood cholesterol simply based on its saturated and polysaturated fat content.  This predictive value however failed with maize oil and he called this the ’maize oil abberation’.  Little did Keys know that he was actually observing the cholesterol lowering effect of plant sterols we now know is abundantly present in maize oil!  

Plant sterols and stanols are phytosterols. They are essential components of plant membranes. Rich sources of plant sterols are found in vegetable oils (especially fortified margarines), salad dressings, nuts and seeds. In 2002, Ostlund et al discovered in very carefully controlled studies, that very modest intakes of 0.3 or 0.4g/day of plant sterols can reduce cholesterol absorption in the gut by a whopping 38%!

How do plant sterols do that? Plant sterols and cholesterol share similar chemical structure. As such, plant sterols can restrict cholesterol absorption by competing with and blocking absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. This effectively reduces cholesterol absorbed into the body resulting in lower blood cholesterol levels. Please note that a side effect of this is the concomitant reduction in the absorption of beta-carotene and lycopene from carrots, beetroot and tomatoes. Therefore it might be necessary to have one more serve of carotenoid-rich fruit or vegetable to compensate for the reduced absorption of these specific nutrients.

More than 50% of Australians have high blood cholesterol levels. This is equivalent to approximately 6.4M adults. Studies have shown quite conclusively that reducing blood cholesterol level by as little as 10% can significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes by 20%. In fact, it has been demonstrated that adding plant sterols/stanols to the diet acts synergistically with statins to reduce blood cholesterol more effectively than doubling the quantity of statins. What I am alluding to here is the possibility that plant sterols are even more potent than statins in lowering blood cholesterol levels! As if this is not enough, as I write, a growing body of evidence is gathering in support of the view that plant sterols may also reduce the risk of stomach, colon, breast and prostate cancers! What a nice bonus!

The plant sterol content of Japanese diet is more than 4 times that of the typical Western diet. This is fundamentally because kelp and other seaweeds commonly found in Japanese diet are rich in sterols. Could this be one the reasons why people in Asian countries exhibit significantly less degenerative diseases than those in the highly industrialized nations?

Hence, how much plant sterols do you need to eat per day? The answer is 1.6-2.4g/day.

Where can you find plant sterols?

References
1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2004. Heart, stroke and vascular disease – Australian facts 2004. AIHW Cat. No. CVD 27. Canberra: AIHW and National Heart Foundation of Australia (Cardiovascular Disease Series No. 22).
2. Zhang X, Patel A, Horibe H, Wu Z, Barzi F, Rodgers F, Rodgers A, MacMahon S, Woodward M and Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration: Cholesterol, coronary heart disease and stroke in the Asia Pacific region. Int J Epidemiol. Aug; 32: 563-72, 2003.
3. Law M. Plant sterol and stanol margarines and health. BMJ 2000; 320:861-864.
4. Noakes M, Clifton P, Ntanois F, et al. An increase in dietary carotenoids when consuming plant sterol or stanol esters is effective in maintaining plasma carotenoid concentrations. Am J Clin Nutri 2002; 75: 79-86.
5. Nestel PJ, Cehun M, Pomeroy S et al. Cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterol ester and non-esterified stanols in margarine, butter and low-fat foods. Eur J Clin Nutr 2001; 55: 1084-1090.
6. Awad AB, fink CS. Phytosterols as anticancer dietary components: Evidence and mechanism of action. J Nutri. 2000; 130(9): 2127-30.
7. Piironen V, Toivo J, Puupponen-Pimia R, Lampi AM. Plant sterols in vegetables, fruits and berries. J Sci Food Agric. 2003; 83:330-337.
8. Abbey M, Noaks M, Belling GB and Nestel PJ. Partial replacement of saturated fatty acids with almonds and walnuts lowers total plasma cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59. 995-999.

Photo of finished stir-fry

In this article, we look more closely at the benefits of Shiitake mushrooms and how to prepare them in a quick and tasty stir-fry.

Mushrooms are often regarded as vegetables but they are really a fungus. Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for over 5,000 years. They are commonly known as the ‘symbol of longevity’ in Asia because of their health promoting properties.

Shiitakes’ legendary benefits can be attributed to an active compound called lentinan. Lentinan appears to confer healing benefits that boost the immune system and strengthen its ability to fight infection by reducing inflammation. Lentinan is a polysaccharide which is also known as branched chain beta-glucan. Branched chain beta-glucan has also been demonstrated to confer anti-cancer activity particularly in gastric cancer, stimulating cancer cell apoptosis.
Another active compound called eritadenine is also found in shiitake. This compound appears to lower cholesterol levels by up to 12% when consumed regularly.
A powerful antioxidant has been discovered in mushrooms, it is L-ergothioneine.  In 2005, the American Chemical Society meeting in Washington, D.C., revealed that mushrooms contain higher concentrations L-ergothioneine than chicken liver and wheat germ (two food items previously erroneously nominated as highest in this antioxidant). The shiitake may contain up to 13 mg of ergothioneine in a 3-ounce serving. This is almost forty times as much as that found in wheat germ. What is even more wonderful is that L-ergothioneine is not destroyed with cooking!

Stir-fried Shiitake and Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients

• Garlic, 8 cloves, chopped
• Asparagus, 3 bunches, cut into 15cm pieces
• Shiitake, 2 trays, quartered
• Water
• Chicken stock powder, 1.5 teaspoon

Preparation
Fry chopped garlic; add asparagus and then shiitake followed by some water. Lastly add 1.5 teaspoon of chicken stock powder.