This is the time of year many people think about trying again to shed those extra pounds. Although it’s never easy to make the permanent changes required to lose the weight and maintain it, there are good approaches to make it happen. Following an anti- inflammatory diet is the healthiest and most effective way to achieve your weight goals, and improve your health at the same time. And, every weight-loss program should include regular exercise, at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 4-7 times a week. But, if you are doing everything right with diet and exercise, yet the weight is still not coming off, here are some things to consider. Sometimes there are other obstacles that must be addressed.

Two new laws went into effect on January 1st that are a real win for those of us interested in staying healthy.

The first law now requires that the amount of “trans” fats in a food product must be listed on the label. “Trans” fats are partially hydrogenated oils and are cancer promoting, artery clogging (by decreasing HDL, the good cholesterol, and increasing LDL, the bad cholesterol), and may exacerbate inflammation. You will notice many manufacturers have removed them from the products already, so they wouldn’t have to state the inclusion of these unhealthy substances on their labels.

The second law requires that foods imported from other countries must now meet current U.S. standards for pesticide residue levels. Up until now, imported food was allowed to have pesticide residues of chemicals that have long been banned in the U.S. It's good news for us, but not for the American chemical companies that have continued to produce, sell and ship these dangerous pesticides to other countries, only to have them arrive back at our shores laced in our imported foods. However, since no type or level of pesticides in food is safe, your best strategy is still to buy and eat organic.

If you are taking drugs for heartburn and acid reflux, you may be interested in this. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA),12/05, published results of 2 studies in which these drugs increased incidence of diarrhea and colitis, caused by the bacteria, Clostridium difficile. Typically, infection with this bacteria is related to overuse of antibiotics and hospital acquired infections.

The increasing occurrence in the community between 1994 and 2004 was studied, and found to be caused by the use of gastric-acid suppressing drugs. The worst were the proton-pump inhibitors (Prevacid and Prilosec) and second were the H2 receptor agonists (Zantac, Pepcid, Tagamet). These drugs decrease gastric acid levels, which control the growth of the bacteria.

Although these drugs can be helpful for short- term use, there are other options. Dietary and supplement interventions can be quite effective in eliminating heartburn and acid reflux, without the potential side effects of these drugs.