Eating "Everything in Moderation" Is Probably Just Making You Fatter

"In Moderation"

Eating a little bit of everything leads to wider waistlines.

You’ve probably heard the rule that it’s okay to eat pretty much anything—even the bad stuff—as long as you eat it “in moderation.” Chicken breasts and spinach? In moderation. Bacon cheeseburgers and pound cake? Same theory applies.

But new research suggests that a more varied diet also tends to be a more unhealthy diet—at least when it comes to your waist size, according to new research from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

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In the study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers looked at data from 6,814 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis to determine the "diversity" of the participants' diets—measured by factors like how many different foods they ate in a week, how many calories were consumed in the average food item, and the range of healthy foods versus unhealthy foods.

The researchers then looked at how those diets affected participants’ waistlines after five years. (“Waist circumference is an important indicator of central fat and metabolic health,” the study notes, in case you’ve somehow missed all those diet-plan commercials featuring retired NFL commentators.)

The results: After five years, participants who ate the widest variety of food had gotten the widest, gaining 120% more in waist size than study participants who had much less varied diets.

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"An unexpected finding was that participants with greater diversity in their diets… actually had worse diet quality, “They were eating less healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and more unhealthy foods, such as processed meats, desserts and soda," wrote lead study author Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto, Ph.D., of UTHealth.

So while the participants may have been eating everything in moderation, they still ate everything—including unhealthy junk.

"Americans with the healthiest diets actually eat a relatively small range of healthy foods," said Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., a senior study author and the dean of the Friedman School.

What to eat, then? You could start with our list of the 20 fittest foods you can pile on your plate, while making sure to avoid the eight absolute worst foods you can pump into your body. Steer clear of these 20 foods that seem healthy but aren't, burn more fat with these tasty everyday fruits, and make sure you make room for these 10 superfoods people have totally forgotten about.

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Dynamic Flexibility for Your Warm Up

Warming up before sports or any bout of physical activity is very important. It prepares the body to move through ranges of motion performed during activity which will decrease the risk of injuries. One way to achieve this is through dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is a form of stretching beneficial in sports and exercise. It utilizes controlled movement patterns to help propel the muscle into an extended range of motion not exceeding one's static-passive stretching ability. In other words, dynamic flexibility sets the body up to move more vigorously in sports and exercise, when done correctly, and sets the body up to perform optimally.

Dynamic stretching has a variety of benefits. According to physical therapist and CEO of Back 2 Health in West Hollywood Slava Shut, " Dynamic flexibility is essential not only for athletes or exercise enthusiasts who are warming up for their sport or physical activity, but it also serves as an excellent rehabilitation tool for my patients who are cleared by their doctor to help restore range of motion and strength in their joints and connective tissue."

The following dynamic flexibility program is excellent for athletes before a game, runners before a run, or for anyone about to hop into a physical activity program. Perform each stretch for a total of 10 times walking in one direction and then turning around and repeating another 10 reps in the other direction. In every stretch, be sure to move your body through the full range of motion and avoid holding the stretches otherwise it becomes more static in nature which is what you want to do after your bout of physical activity versus before.

Lunge with Rotation:

Starting with one foot forward one foot back (as if to be standing on train tracks), lunge with both knees bending at a ninety degree angle and tuck your hips under you to create a neutral pelvis. Bring your hands in front of you in a steeple grip position and without moving your hips from side to side, rotate your upper body only to face one wall and then rotate your arms to the other side. Then, keeping your grip, take a step forward into a lunge with the other foot forward and repeat the trunk rotation. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Triple Extension:

Balance on one leg and grab the opposite knee in towards your chest and perform a calf raise on the leg you are balancing on. You get extension in the ankle, hip and knee joints with this stretch. For the more advanced exerciser, you may perform a lunge in between every rep and step into the triple extension stretch. Be sure to stabilize this stretch before moving to the other side. There is a balance component to it that can be tricky if done too quickly. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Toe Reach:

Place one foot forward, balancing on the heel, and send your hips back. With a bent standing leg, a straight front leg and a straight back, slowly reach your hands down the extended leg receiving a hamstring and calf stretch in the outstretched leg. Go into the stretch slowly and come out of the stretch slowly. Once you come up, step your back foot in and then repeat either in an alternating fashion or sticking to one side for 10 reps. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Quad Stretch:

Standing on one leg, kick the other heel back towards your glutes until you have a handle of your ankle. Keep the bent knee close to the standing leg and push your hips slightly forward to enhance the hip stretch and to protect your lower back from hyper-extending. Reach the same arm up to the sky of the bent knee to enhance the stretch. Release the foot stepping forward and then repeat on the other side.To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Reverse Lunge:

Facing in the opposite direction of the way you lunge, take a big step backwards and, find your stability. Tracking your front knee over the front ankle, and your core engaged, bring your arms overhead to stretch the hip flexors and whole front body. As you bring your arms down, step your front leg to meet your back leg. Repeat on the other side. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Side to Side Lunge:

Step out with your right leg, creating a straddle stance, and side lunge with your right hip shifting to the right so that the knee tracks over your right ankle. Maintain a straight left leg. Reach with your left hand to touch your right ankle. Maintain a straight back. Be mindful of where your knees are at all times. Once you touch your ankle, then slowly lunge to the other side and touch the opposite ankle. Be sure to maintain the integrity of the lunge on the second side as directed on the first side. Step gently pushing off your left foot so that your left leg joins the right leg. Then step out again with your right foot and repeat. Switch directions of this moving side lunge after about 10 reps. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Side Stretch:

Step your left foot behind your right leg until your pinky toes are side by side on each foot. Using a side bend in your upper body, reach your left arm up to the sky and over towards the right. Step your right foot out and repeat this stretch. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Moving Triangle Pose:

Step out to the right with your right toes facing the side and your left toes facing the front wall. Bend through the right leg while maintaining a straightened left leg as you reach your right arm to the side, landing it either on the inside of the right leg or balancing it on your right thigh. Use your left arm to energetically pull you up towards the sky as you stretch your left side body. Then place your weight on the right leg and step the left leg in. Repeat 10 times and then switch directions. To watch the video demonstration, click HERE.

Photo and Video Credits: Mr Smith

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3 Myths About Online Small-Business Loans: Busted

By Teddy Nykiel

Predatory. Scam. Subprime. You may hear these things and more about online small-business loans. They've risen in popularity throughout the last decade as banks have become more risk averse and demand for small-business capital has grown.

And although there may be some truth to these claims, not all online small-business loans are the same -- and they're not all inherently bad. Some can be a good option for businesses that don't qualify for a traditional bank loan, need cash fast or would otherwise turn to a high-cost merchant cash advance.

Below we identify and deconstruct three common myths about online small-business loans.

Myth: They're all unaffordable.

Online small-business loan costs run the gamut. Some, including merchant cash advances, are aimed at subprime borrowers and have exorbitantly high annual percentage rates -- 60% to 200%, according to a soon-to-be-published paper by Richard Swart, a scholar-in-residence at the University of California, Berkeley. On the other end of the spectrum, SmartBiz offers bank loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration with 7% to 8% APR.

In between those extremes, there are online lenders that offer accounts receivable financing, lines of credit, short-term loans for managing cash flow, and term loans for larger purchases such as inventory and equipment. Those options can range from 7% to 98% APR.

Myth: They're for only subprime borrowers.

Although small-business loans from online lenders can be a good option for borrowers with bad credit, that's not all they're good for. Many borrowers who can qualify for bank loans still turn to online lenders to get cash quickly and conveniently. For example, OnDeck has "a lot of borrowers that are very bankable," including doctors and dentists, OnDeck Chief Executive Officer Noah Breslow says.

But before you go online to get fast cash, make sure you're investing the money in something that will grow your business and make the higher APR worth it. For example, if you have the opportunity to buy discounted inventory in bulk or you get a contracting job that you need to ramp up for, you may be able to justify a higher-cost online loan. But if you're paying a double-digit APR for a loan you need to keep your business afloat, you should rethink your approach.

"If you're using this just to pay the bills and keep the lights on," Swart says, "it's like living off credit cards."

Myth: They're completely unregulated.

Online small-business lenders aren't regulated by the Truth in Lending Act, which requires lenders to clearly disclose APRs. Since they're not held to those standards, many online lenders describe prices in different terms, which can be convoluted. Some borrowers say this makes it hard to compare options for online small-business loans, according to a 2015 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. We've tracked down the APRs for 10 of the most common online lenders and included them in our lender reviews, which we've linked to on the right sidebar.

But online small-business lenders still have to follow other laws, says Los Angeles-based attorney Scott Pearson, who represents online small-business lenders and banks for the national firm Ballard Spahr. Those laws include the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which says that only certain parties -- including lenders -- can check your personal credit, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which stipulates that lenders can't refuse to lend to you based on your race, gender, religion or any other protected characteristic.

The bottom line

The online small-business lending industry is still new and evolving, which leaves lots of room for questions and misconceptions. It's important to realize that "online small-business loans" is a broad category that encompasses many different types of loan products. That doesn't mean, however, that every option is right for every business -- the key is matching your business's needs with the right small-business loan product.

To get more information about funding options and compare them for your small business, visit NerdWallet's small-business loans page. Teddy Nykiel is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: teddy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @teddynykiel

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-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Rewriting the code for girls in CS

When it comes to computer science, millions of girls are being left out of the conversation. Despite earning the majority of bachelor's degrees in the U.S., women earn fewer than 20 percent of computer science degrees, with serious implications for our economy and for women at large.

The problem of getting girls more interested in tech has many sources, but according to Google’s own research, one of them is optics. Girls don’t see positive role models of other girls and women in popular culture. In a study of popular films in 11 countries, fewer than 20 percent of computer science or tech roles were held by women.

As someone who runs a company at the intersection of technology and media, I want to help change the perceptions of women and technology we see today. So, as part of our Made with Code and media perception initiatives, I’m excited that we’re supporting award-winning documentary filmmaker Lesley Chilcott—of “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Waiting for Superman” fame—on her next film, “CODEGIRL.”

“CODEGIRL” follows the story of 5,000 girls from 60 countries as they compete in a global entrepreneurship and coding competition by Technovation. The girls have three months to develop an app that attempts to solve a problem in their local community. In the film, they size up their competition, interact with teachers and local mentors, learn to code, and pitch their ideas all in hopes of winning $10,000 in funding and support.

Starting today and until November 5, Lesley’s film will be available for free on YouTube, before its theatrical debut in the next few weeks. You can watch the film below and use the hashtag #rallyforcodegirl to show your support.

Our goal is to inspire as many students as possible during this special five-day free viewing period before it hits theaters. With your help, we’ll be able to inspire more girls around the world to pursue their passions in tech.

Posted by Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube