Many individuals take Biotin, believing it will improve their hair, skin or nails. Although a good multivitamin will cover the daily need for 30 mcg of Biotin, many Biotin-specific supplements provide 1000 to 5000 mcg per dose.  Taking large mega-doses of any vitamin and mineral should not be done without your health care provider’s knowledge. This article describes how taking large doses of biotin can impact [...]

Ever heard the term “Skinny Fat”? It applies to individuals at a healthy weight (on the scale) but who have a high percentage of body fat. Being metabolically obese, even at normal weight, increases your risk of many health problems including diabetes and heart disease. Acceptable ranges of body fat percentage are

Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) is secreted by intestinal cells in response to the presence of nutrients (from eating or drinking). GLP-1 has powerful impacts on our health and weight: Helps keep blood sugars from getting too high Promotes insulin sensitivity/limits insulin resistance Slows the movement of food out of the stomach, increasing feelings of satiety/fullness Inhibits feelings of hunger, decreasing food consumption Decreases the pleasure/reward response to [...]

Adiponectin is a hormone produced by our body’s fat cells and regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism. High adiponectin levels have been linked in the research with healthier body weight as well as lower cardiovascular disease risk and inflammation. Since adiponectin decreases inflammatory damage and pain, and protects our hearts, we want adiponectin levels to be high. However, research has show that when an individual becomes resistant to [...]

Insulin is a hormone that regulates the usage and storage of the energy we get from food. Insulin is made by the beta cells of the pancreas and helps regulate blood sugar levels. When there’s a high amount of energy in the blood (for instance, after a meal), the pancreas releases more insulin. Insulin then regulates the amount of energy in the blood by: moving glucose [...]

Leptin is our fullness hormone. It is produced by our fat cells to communicate to the body that we have adequate energy stored. Ideally, as we store more fat in the body, leptin levels increase, and we feel full from smaller portions of food. Unfortunately, decreased leptin sensitivity in obesity means that although leptin levels are high, the target cells resist the impact of leptin. This [...]

Ghrelin is our body’s hunger hormone. Ghrelin is secreted by the stomach, and causes the physical belly sensations of hunger. When ghrelin levels are high, we eat more food, naturally. In addition to increasing our intake, Ghrelin also suppresses the breakdown of fat from our fat stores, making it hard to lose weight when ghrelin levels are high.  Two things that can elevate ghrelin levels are: having a [...]

Many people who cut gluten out of their diet end up spending a fortune of gluten-free products that are highly processed, packed with refined carbohydrates and sweeteners, and cost a fortune. I like the quick tips in this article for sticking to a gluten-free eating plan in waist-line friendly way. All of the meal plans at Healthy Steps are compatible with gluten-free eating, and emphasize real, [...]

Today’s the day! If you’ve been following our last few posts, you know that today is Day 1 of our No Added Sweetener Challenge. Check out the great benefits of decreasing your intake of sweeteners here and read all about what foods to avoid here. You may have noticed in last week’s post that we are recommending avoiding not only Sugar but also Sugar Substitutes, even the calorie-free ones. [...]

Most of us start the New Year full of inspiration to lose weight and improve our health. One of the absolute best things you can do to that end is cut back on your intake of added sugars and sweeteners. Take a look at this list of benefits identified by research on sugar consumption: Lose Weight (1) Decrease Cravings (2, 3) Lower Insulin Resistance (4) Improve [...]