The Tomato and You

The tomato is one of the most pervasive fruits in the world. Native to Central America the tomato with hundreds of different varieties has become one of the most versatile types of produce to traverse the globe.

Tomatoes have become a base ingredient of different cuisines, and has been transformed into many items (ketchup, sauces, paste, juice, etc.) for cooking. Tomatoes are often consumed as fresh in salads, sauces, juices, and soups.

So what do you need to know about tomatoes?

Vegetable? Fruit? Berry?

Depending on who you ask, the tomato may be considered a fruit, a berry, or a vegetable. Botanists classify tomatoes as a fruit because it is seed-bearing, and or a berry because it is develops from one fertilized ovary. The US Department of Agriculture classifies the tomato as a vegetable in the National Nutrient Database in part because of the tomato’s savory taste, and in part because vegetables, and therefore tomatoes, are predominately associated with main meals.

Types of Tomatoes

Tomatoes come in a variety of colors, sizes, and flavors. They can be pink, orange, yellow, green, brown, purple, or black. They can be small,like cherry tomatoes, that are great for salads; or large like beef masters, great for burgers. Tomato varieties have multiplied by cultivation as a result of organic production, hybridization, genetic modification, or heirloom varieties shared in a particular region.

Nutrition and Health Benefits

Like any fruit or vegetable, there are several different health benefits to consuming tomatoes.

Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants 
Studies have linked the illustrious tomato to extraordinary amounts of vitamins A, C, K, B6, folate and thiamine. High in dietary fiber, tomatoes also provide a significant source of potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Further studies reinforce the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the tomato which contribute overall health in battling some specific health conditions. Often these antioxidant properties vary according to the pigment colors of the tomato skin. These benefits occur when the tomatoes are consumed raw, as well as in heat-processed products like ketchup, tomato paste, hot sauce, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, salsa, and other.

Cancer
The antioxidant lycopene has been identified as extremely effective in scavenging certain cancers, particularly those relating to the reproductive system (breast, prostate, and cervical cancers), the oral cavity (mouth, pharynx, and esophageal cancers), and the digestive tract (rectal and stomach cancers).

Heart Health
Lycopene has also identified as a defense against cardiovascular disease by decreasing levels of cholesterol within the heart.

Vision
While we have all heard about eating carrots with their high amounts of beta-carotene, which transforms into vitamin A to keep our eyes healthy, tomatoes also have contain significant amounts of vitamin A. The tomato can help improve vision as well as help prevent macular degeneration and night-blindness.

Digestion and Hydration
The tomato can help remove toxins from the body. As a good source of fiber, the tomato makes sure that foods move easily through your system and prevent discomfort that comes with diarrhea, constipation or jaundice. The high water content will also help eliminate salts, acids, excess water, and some fats, and reduce the incidences of urinary tract infections; as well as contributing to your overall daily hydration needs.

Healthy Skin and Bones
As a source of multiple vitamins and minerals as well as significant juicy fruit/vegetable, the tomato helps your body fight ultraviolet rays and oxidative stress (the stress caused by the body in producing more free radicals that leads to cellular degeneration).

Other Health Conditions 
Other health benefits of tomatoes have been linked to helping high blood pressure (hypertension), managing the oxidative stress associated with type 2 diabetes, and protecting the body from carcinogens produced by cigarette smoke.

The tomato is one of the most versatile produce items in the world. Adaptable and easy to grow, the tomato not only tastes good but also you maintain a healthy body to do all the things you want to do.

Consult the experts at your local Metabolic Medical Center to discuss how tomatoes fit into your daily nutrition.

What's Your Number?

February is Heart Health Month!
What's your (cholesterol) number?

Cholesterol isn't a bad thing, in fact, your body needs cholesterol. Your body produces about 75% of needed cholesterol in the liver and the other 25% comes from the food you eat- animal products.

There are two types of cholesterol "good" (HDL) and "bad" (LDL). Cholesterol only becomes a problem when you have too much of one or too little of the other. High cholesterol has no symptoms so the only way to know what your levels are is through a blood test.

What is the ideal level? Less than 200 for total cholesterol. (the total is found by adding the HDL number to the LDL number) What to think about:

• The higher the HDL, the better- it should be 60 or higher
• The lower the LDL, the better- it should be less than 70

What should you eat to balance your cholesterol?

• dark colored fruits and vegetables
• lean meats and poultry without skin
• fish
• fat-free and/or low-fat dairy products

Metabolic Medical Center is here to help you lose weight and be healthier. All of our programs support a heart healthy diet. Come in today and see how our weight loss programs can help you manage and prevent health risks.

content provided by the American Heart Association

The Power of Produce

See how fresh produce can fuel your weight loss.

Metabolic Medical Center is ready to give you the tools you need to succeed with
your weight loss. It's no secret WE LOVE VEGETABLES!!! but, have you ever wondered
why we love vegetables so much? Vegetables, especially fresh vegetables hold secrets to
successful weight loss.

• Vegetables contain fiber and fiber helps keep you feeling full and satisfied making you less likely to overeat
• As you consider adding more vegetables to your diet, you being to think about other foods that may need to be limited from your diet
• Mindful eating will quickly snowball into other mindful health choices
• The more different your vegetable choices are the more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you get naturally

How to add vegetables throughout your day:

• 1 handful of raw kale to your morning smoothie, blend well (you'll never know it's there)
• Add spinach to your lunch time salad instead of plain lettuce
• Try one new vegetable 1 time per week with dinner
• Snack on raw veggies throughout your day

Have other ideas? Share them with us!

Exercise Alone Will Not Achieve Significant Weight Loss

Exercise Alone Will Not Achieve Significant Weight Loss

 

Without significantly changing their diets,

few succeed. As a personal trainer for
the past 17 years I have seen this first
hand... you can exercise nonstop but if
you do not change your nutritional
plan... significant weight loss is almost
impossible!

Exercise alone is not going to help
you lose weight, but hold on – what the
heck are you supposed to do then? Eat
healthier, of course. And eat specifically
to lose weight, if that’s your goal.
The take-home point is not to stop
exercising, but to know why you’re
exercising. For example: A 2009 British
Journal of Sports Medicine study
revealed that 26 of 58 overweight
patients failed to achieve any weightloss
progress through exercise. Because
physical activity did make them healthier
in other ways, including blood pressure,
resting heart rate and positive
mood, “exercise should be encouraged
and the emphasis on weight loss
reduced,” the report concluded.

If you’re going to the gym for one

hour, how many calories are you burning?”
Probably 200, 300, or if you’re
working really hard, 400. If you eat a
piece of brownie, that’s 100 calories in
less than a minute. It’s so easy to underestimate
your calorie intake. When you
eat out, you might take in 1,500 to 2,000
calories. To burn that many calories on a
treadmill, you’d have to do 90 minutes
every single day, seven days a week. It’s
not realistic.

A growing body of science suggests

that exercise does have an important
role in weight loss. That role, however,
is different from what many people
expect and probably wish. The newest
science suggests that exercise alone will
not make you thin, but it may determine
whether you stay thin, if you can
achieve that state. Exercise doesn’t necessarily
help get the weight off but
WILL definitely help KEEP the weight
off...

Let us, at Metabolic Medical Center,

give you the nutritional tools you need
to achieve your weight loss goals. Call
843.357.2851 and start losing weight
today!

By Star Sade,

Metabolic Medical Center

Your Blood Sugar and How it Affects your Weight Loss

Blood Sugar and the Effects on Weight Loss

By Star Sade, Metabolic Medical Center

Being aware of how your blood sugar affects your body can help you maintain a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Your blood sugar level affects how hungry you are and how energetic you feel. Your blood sugar level also tells your body whether to burn fat or store it ( a key for weight loss).

How it works

• Insulin transports blood sugar from your blood to your body's cells, where it is converted into energy.
• When you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, higher levels of insulin are produced, telling your body that you have plenty of energy. as a result, your body stops burning fat and starts to store it.
• This insulin surge results in your insulin and blood sugar levels eventually being too low, and you start feeling hungry and tired, and then you want to eat something carbohydrate-rich again, which creates a vicious cycle.

Regulating your blood sugar level is the most effective way to BURN FAT.

Never skip a meal, especially breakfast, and eat healthy snacks between meals.

Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and the binges that follow, provides consistent energy, and may be the single most effective way to maintain metabolism efficiency.

When you will be away from home or work, plan your snacks and take them along so that you will be able to eat regularly and won't be tempted by junk food. This may be good advice for people who stay at home, too.

But remember that it was probably snacking between meals that caused you to become overweight in the first place. It will be very important that any snacks are healthy, that they are pre-portioned so that you won't be tempted to overeat; and that meal sizes are reduced to compensate for the additional calories the snacks provide.

Here at Metabolic Medical Center we can teach you how to regulate your blood sugar levels and begin to lose weight in the healthiest way and to keep this weight off for life!

A Year from now You'll Wish You had Started Today!!!

Metabolic Medical Center of Murrells Inlet Article

Metabolic Medical Center Website

Just Another Meatless Monday

Where's the beef? Have you been thinking about losing weight by reducing or eliminating meat from your diet? You're not alone. A growing trend in this country is something called "Meatless Monday". This current culinary movement advocates going without meat just one day out the week. Good idea? It can be as long as you get the proper nutrition. You can also save a little on your grocery bill. Too much meat in your diet raises your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. Adding more plant based foods to your diet adds more fiber, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to be healthy and productive. You can do this too while on a weight loss program; just keep a few things in mind.

Protein, Protein, Protein. Protein is necessary for building muscle. Metabolic offers protein supplements, each containing 15g of protein, 7 g of carbohydrate, 0 fat and between 70-100 calories; these are a much better protein source than beans or grains. The carbohydrates in beans and grains are too high too lose weight, but the black bean is the best of the beans for its nutritional value. Other good protein sources are eggs, tofu, fish, and non-fat, plain Greek Yogurt.

Pumping Iron. Iron is necessary for healthy blood. Meat has the highest amount of absorbable iron, so when that's taken away the next best sources for iron are leafy greens. The darker the better and eat as much as you can. Kale, spinach, broccoli, okra, watercress- yummy.

B Energized. Vitamin B12 is needed for cell growth and repair and overall general health. It is only found naturally in animal products including dairy products and eggs. Look for healthy foods that have been fortified with vitamin B12. B12 shots are also available from your local Metabolic office.

Milk Will Do Your Body Good. Calcium is essential for healthy bones, nails, and teeth. But, milk is high in carbohydrates and if you're trying to get your calcium, stick with fat-free or reduced fat dairy products. Calcium supplements are available from all Metabolic Medical Centers.

If you feel this "Semi-Vegetarian" diet is something you would like to incorporate into your life, come in and talk with us. Maintaining a healthy, vegetarian diet takes a little planning but can be well worth it. It is possible for you to lose weight and still get all of your nutritional needs from a plant based diet, but the secret is knowing exactly what your nutritional needs are.

Let's find out together if eliminating meat one or two days a week would be right for you.

Metabolic Medical Center
http://mmcdiet.com

Qsymia diet pill approved by FDA

QSYMIA

Metabolic Medical Center

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Qsymia, the second new diet drug in a month, and the most effective of the weight-loss pills that the agency has considered in recent years.

Qsymia, made by Vivus Inc., receives market approval on the heels of Arena’s Belviq (lorcaserin), the diet pill cleared by the FDA in late June. Before these two new drugs, the last prescription weight-loss pill to be green-lit by the government was Roche’s Xenical (orlistat) 13 years ago, in 1999.

Diet pills have had a spotty history with the FDA, largely because of safety problems involving the heart. Other drugs — most notably fenfluramine, used in the popular weight-loss combination fen-phen — have been withdrawn from the market for such hazards, and new drugs have had to clear a high bar for consideration.

(MORE: A Brief History of Diet Pills and the FDA) The new pill, formerly known as Qnexa (the FDA asked Vivus to change the name to avoid confusion with another drug on the market), will be available by the fourth quarter of this year, according to the company’s president, Peter Tam.

Here’s what you need to know.

Who can use Qsymia? The drug is approved for obese adults with a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher. It can also be used by overweight adults, with a BMI of 27 or higher, if they have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.

How does it work? Qsymia is a combination of two existing drugs: phentermine, an appetite-suppressing stimulant that has long been used for short-term weight loss, and topiramate, an anti-seizure medication used to treat epilepsy that makes people feel fuller after eating.

Some doctors have already been prescribing the two drugs together for weight loss. Researchers say the key to Qsymia’s success is that it targets multiple brain pathways that trigger overeating. How much weight will I lose? It varies. In clinical trials, overweight and obese patients taking Qsymia for a year lost differing amounts of weight: on average, patients taking a middle dose of the drug lost 8.4% of their body weight; on a higher dose, patients lost 10.6%. Most of the weight came off in the first three months, so doctors should monitor patients at that point to see if the drug is working. The FDA notes that people who don’t lose at least 3% of their body weight by three months are unlikely to go on to lose any significant weight, so they should either be counseled to discontinue the drug or to try a higher dose (Qsymia will be available in two doses). If patients still don’t lose at least 5% of their weight after three additional months on the higher dose, they should quit taking Qsymia. The drug is designed to be used in conjunction with traditional weight-management strategies like diet and exercise. “This is not a magic pill. Patients can’t take it and think that’s all they have to do. It needs to be used with a lifestyle modification program,” W. Timothy Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, who studied Qsymia, told USA Today.

(MORE: The Secrets to Weight Loss: Keep a Food Journal, Don’t Skip Meals, Eat In) What if I just want to drop a few pounds? Doctors stress that because of the potential risks of the drug, dieters should not use the drug for cosmetic weight loss. “It’s not for patients who want to lose a few pounds,” Tam told USA Today. Of course, concerns remain that once the drug is on the market, doctors can prescribe it to all comers. To prevent that, Qsymia will be available only by mail order at first, so that physicians can’t dispense it from their offices. It will also be available in specialized pharmacies that register for the right to sell the drug, where pharmacists have been educated about Qsymia’s risks and can pass that information along to patients and doctors. What are the risks? Potential heart problems and birth defects. In trials, some people taking Qsymia had an increased heart rate as well as a condition called metabolic acidosis, which can lead to hyperventilation, fatigue and anorexia. One of the ingredients in Qsymia, topiramate, has also been linked in previous studies to birth defects including cleft lip and cleft palate in women who take it during pregnancy. Safety concerns led the FDA to reject Qsymia’s first bid for approval in 2010, but the agency and Vivus have now put in place strategies to reduce risk: for example, women of child-bearing age who want to take Qsymia must test negative for pregnancy before starting the drug and are expected to use contraception and take a pregnancy test once a month while on the drug. Worries remain, though: in a Vivus trial, 34 women on Qsymia became pregnant even though they were instructed to use contraception. (The company says no birth defects occurred.) Patients’ heart rate should also be monitored regularly while taking Qsymia. People with recent or unstable heart disease or stroke are not recommended to take the drug because of the potential heart risks. Vivus has also agreed to continue monitoring Qsymia users for side effects after the drug reaches market; in particular, it will conduct a long-term cardiovascular outcomes trial to assess the effect of Qsymia on major events like heart attack and stroke. (MORE: 5 Things You Need to Know About Belviq) Which is better, Qsymia or Belviq? In clinical trials, people taking Qsymia lost more weight; those taking Belviq lost 5.8% of their body weight on average after a year. Based on the side effects profiles, however, some might consider Belviq to be less risky. “The majority of obese patients wanting to try drug therapy will end up seeing both drugs, regardless of which one they take first,” Simos Simeonidis, an analyst at Cowen & Company, told the New York Times, noting that he thought Qsymia would sell better.

Why is this approval important? Because more than a third of American adults are obese — a proportion that’s growing — and there aren’t many effective weight-loss treatments out there to reverse the trend. Aside from diet and exercise or weight-loss surgery, patients have few options. The FDA’s approval of Qsymia, after such a long diet-drug drought and despite the potential safety problems that plague weight-loss pills, marks a willingness to make new solutions available.

How do you pronounce the name of this pill? Qsymia is pronounced cue-SIM-ee-uh.

(MORE: Calorie vs. Calorie: Study Evaluates Three Diets for Staying Slim) Alice Park is a writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @aliceparkny. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME. Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/18/qsymia-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-diet-pill/#ixzz211UyCkP7
Qysimia

Weight Loss Plateau | Metabolic Medical Center

Weight Loss Plateau

You keep your appointment, follow your program, drink water, watch what you eat, so why did the weight loss stop? You have just hit a plateau. It’s normal and happens to virtually everyone at some

point(s) while losing weight.





What is a weight loss plateau?
A weight loss plateau is a period of time (at least 2 weeks)when your weight loss stops despite healthy diet and exercise. When this happens, losing more weight becomes very difficult. Frustrating as it is, if you’re prepared, you can fight it.

Why does this happen?

A rapid drop in weight is normal in the first few weeks, it is very exciting and extremely motivating. This happens because when calories are reduced, your body gets its energy from glycogen (type of carbohydrate stored in the muscles and liver) and glycogen holds water, ther
fore when glycogen is burned for energy, it releases water, resulting in weight loss that is mostly water. Losing water weight is the first step to permanent weight loss. You want your body to use water and eliminate it, not store it. Next, a shift occurs in the body with your metabolism. When you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle, we work with this shift so that you lose fat and protect muscle.

What can you do about it?

• Keep your next appointment.

Tell your med tech and your physician if you have reached a plateau. They will help you figure out what is going on depending on your program, lifestyle, where you are in your weight loss journey or if there are any medical issues. This is a delicate issue and very personal to each patient.

• Add calories, specifically protein.

Depending on your program and health needs, you may need to add

more protein to your diet. Just 100 calories in either direction can make a difference.

• Subtract calories, specifically carbohydrates.

Vegetables have complex carbohydrates, some have

more than others. Eat less yellow and white vegetables and more green for a few days.

• Start an exercise program.

This may be your body’s way of telling you it’s time to start exercising.

• Vary your current exercise program.

Try increasing the amount of weight you use or reps you do. Increase your cardio time by 3 minute increments.

• Drink more water.

Make sure you are drinking all your water for the day.

Most importantly, don’t get frustrated and beat yourself up. A little adjustment here and there and you will be seeing those scale numbers drop. Remember it is normal and Metabolic can get you through it!

Metabolic Medical Center
Metabolic Medical Center Article

Metabolic Medical Center Website

The Truth about Fad Diets from Metabolic Medical Center

Many Metabolic patients come to us after having tried at least one fad diet. They feel discouraged and wonder what they've done wrong. Most likely they experienced some success but realized very quickly their results weren't realistic, sustainable or healthy.
Spreading the word about a fad diet is easy, identifying a fad diet can be difficult.
A diet to lose weight, feel better and be healthier must have proper balanced nutrition, be sustainable over time, and safe. Learn about Metabolic Medical Center Programs and choose a diet that you won't regret.

Top 10 Ways to Identify a Fad Diet

1) Eating only one kind of food.
This is not only boring, but your body isn’t getting the proper nutrition from just one food.

2) No exercise, ever again.

Exercise is not required to lose weight, however, exercise is necessary for weight maintenance and over all body health.

3)Food timing and food combining.

This is the idea that if you eat the same food in the same combination at the same time everyday you will lose weight. While eating every few hours is important to maintain blood sugar and prevent peaks and valleys but that effects how you feel, not your weight.

4) The magic pill.

There is no magic pill. There are appetite suppressants but you are responsible for the food that goes into your mouth.

5) Any diet that does not modify as you lose weight.

As your body loses weight, it becomes healthy and your needs change.

6) Unsupervised low-calorie diet.

Being left on your own to figure out a low calorie diet is very dangerous.

7) Too low in vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates and/or protein.

Some fad diets will cut out good for you foods and not provide guildlines for adding these back into your diet.

8) All the focus is on the weight loss.

There’s is more to health than just losing weight. You must know how to maintain you weight and overall health of your body.

9) Companies that claim you can only lose weight using their products.

Weight loss aides such as shakes, meal replacements, medicines etc. are just aides to make weight loss easier, they are not required to lose weight.

10) No credible scientific medical research.

Metabolic Medical Center is not a fad diet. We have been helping thousands of people lose weight for more than 15 years.
Fad diets do not last 15 years. Come to the medical specialist and lose the weight.

Metabolic Medical Center
Metabolic Medical Center Articles

The Truth about HCG

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)

Popular doesn't mean proven, especially when it comes to weight loss drugs promoted heavily on the internet and television.

HCG, the latest craze in fad dieting, has been around since the 70s. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now. People are claiming miracle weight loss without proven studies to support their claims.
These are not only false, but dangerous.

HCG is only approved by the FDA to treat infertility. It has not been approved for weight loss.

Another claim HCG offers is a boost of energy. The energy actually comes from losing weight and not the hormone itself. HCG is often paired with a very low calorie diet, that is where the weight loss happens, in lowering your caloric intake. Often, these VLC diets are not monitored as they should be and are given to patients that should not be on them.
They also claim the the effects to be permanent. There is no permanent solution, weight is lost and maintained by proper diet and exercise.

The truth about HCG for weight loss
Kathleen M. Zelman, Mph, RD, LD

HCG weight-loss products are fraudulent, FDA says
Nanci Hellmich

Metabolic Medical Center does not use or promote the use of any drug or supplement that is not FDA approved and proven by clinical research and testing to be safe and effective for weight loss.


Metabolic Medical Center
Medical Weight Loss Programs
http://goingmetabolic.com

Is My Fridge Making Me Fat?

It makes you wonder does the fridge of a skinny person look different than mine? Well, other than the fact that I actually have food in mine. ( a little dig on skinny girls) All joking aside, I wondered what the inside of a Metabolic Medical Center friendly fridge looked like. I asked for a sneak peak and may have found the secret to their success.





1) I noticed a lot of tuna and salmon.
Both tuna and salmon were prepared as healthy dips for vegetables for afternoon snacks. There were also plenty of fish filets marinating for dinner. These are loaded with healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

2) Fresh cut vegetables.
Whatever is on sale at the grocery store that week is cut up and placed in a clear container at the front of the refrigerator so it can be seen and grabbed in a hurry. We eat what we see.

3) Greek yogurt, and plenty of it.
Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt is a staple of a healthy fridge. Using yogurt plain is easily flavored. My friends use it plain as a mayo substitute, "creamy base", and flavored with extracts or sugar-free jello powder as a snack.

4) Fresh herbs were everywhere.
Flavor really makes a difference and having fresh herbs on hand just makes food taste good. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, cilantro, sage...and the list goes on. Who needs salt with all that flavor?

So, those were a few things I did see and here are a few things I didn't see.

1) No fruit juice.
It's like liquid sugar. Yes, it is fruit but it is so concentrated.Concentrated sugar and concentrated calories.

2) No peanut butter.
When it's right in front of you, it's so easy to grab a spoon and dip, and dip, and dip, well you get the idea. Yes, it's nuts, but they are very high in calories and fat. Yikes!

3) No bread.
If you're still trying to lose weight, there is no bread in an Metabolic friendly fridge. When you are maintaining your weight and exercising, talk to your MMC doctor about adding breads and other complex carbohydrates for a healthy well balanced diet.

Metabolic Medical Center
Medical Weight Loss Programs