Why are so many Americans heading towards, if not already battling an obesity problem? What are the main factors to this growing epidemic and what can we do to stop it?
Let's take an eye opening look into the downfall of our diet and our changing culture. Here we will outline the cause and effect and give you the solution to stop the rising obesity problem.
Cause: Drastic changes in lifestyle and dietary habits have contributed to a quick decline in our overall health, causing diseases like Type II Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, cancer, high risk of stroke and gallbladder disease to have an alarming effect on our younger generation. At this rate of health decline due to poor diet and lack of exercise our life expectancy rates are starting to decline and the cost of proper medical care cost will reach an estimated cost of over 100 Billion dollars. (These facts are taken from the American Obesity Association.)
Today's modern lifestyle is more comfort driven. People would rather ride than walk, ride the elevator over taking the stairs. Gone are the days of hard work, instead the majority of our jobs are centered around our computers and desks. Making the time our hectic, stress driven world to cook at home instead of eating out is also a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Fast food has become a sad way of life for Americans. Eating on the run and ingesting thousands of calories at just one meal or burgers, fries and a shake is not the way to go. Families are not taking the time to sit down and eat a properly prepared, nutritious meal together. A bucket of fried chicken and a liter of sugar laden soda, does not count as a healthy family meal, contrary to what the commercials may claim.
Time Management
Time management is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and way of life...this is possible to attain by following these easy steps:
* 30 minutes of planned exercise, 3 times per week can make a significant difference in dropping those extra, unwanted pounds.
* A well planned trip to the supermarket, list in hand, will lead to proper food choices and cut down on binge shopping.
* Keeping all the healthy ingredients at home can lead to preparing a healthy and fast meal for yourself and family.
* Cut out those daily stops to your local coffee shop just one latte and an afternoon danish can add over 1500 calories to your diet. If this is an important part of your daily routine, try ordering a simple cup of coffee or tea, this way you will still have your social interaction without the calories.
* Send your children and yourself out to play. People today spend too much sedentary time indoors in front of the TV and computer.
* Make sure yourself and your children get the proper amount of sleep lack of sleep is also a contributing factor to obesity. Did you know that your body repairs itself and also burns calories during the sleep process?
Learn To Make Healthy Decisions
Educate yourself about nutrition - There are untold books, DVD's, health videos and informational articles on how to achieve a healthy, well balanced weight.
Making the proper food and lifestyle choices are very easy once you are armed with the proper information. The food industry and other social media are the main culprits here - sorry to say, but your health is not what they have in mind. Your disposable dollar is what they are appealing to. Every year, absolute fortunes are paid to advertise in companies to get you to consume, purchase and eat all the wrong things. Extra fat, salt and sugar are added to every processed food that we purchase. Consuming these empty calories are also a main contributing factor to America's obesity problem.
Easy Solutions to End Obesity
1. Diet: Always eat a well rounded, nutritional diet of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates from nuts and grains, consume only lean protein, eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This will be a mainstay of maintaining a healthy body and weight.
2. Supplementation: Take recommended vitamins & mineral supplements, along with natural remedies for minor health concerns.
3. Exercise: Todays hectic lifestyle needs a healthy exercise routine of combined aerobic and strength training to keep our heart and muscles strong and disease free.
4. Mental Stability: How we view ourselves and maintaining a healthy outlook on life is essential to self-esteem, personal relationships, work, family and self contentment.
The Downfall of the American Diet
American Sports Nutrition and Healthy Living
American citizens usually dominate sporting events. They would somehow seem slightly bigger, have more muscle strengt and have top class resistance. Common opinion is that the secret to success is lots of exercise and conditioning. Another of their secretsis their things they eat that helps them become that powerful.
What else is commonly found in this american style of sports nutrition? I will elaborate a bit on this type of diet and nutritional arrangement so that you can have more strength and energy when you participate in sports.
How would you like to improve your performance and build up your muscle strength? Try the creatine that is most often present in American sports nutrition.
This will give you a higher capacity to work out longer and harder and help you produce as high a level as possible. Creatine can also assist in recovering quickly. This supplement will do the trick for any sportsman who does weight lifting or any other activity requiring quick bursts of energy, like sprinting for example. You may be able to do more before you hit fatigue point.
Your body uses this fascinating substance into adenosine triphosphate (or atp), which is the energy of our cells, and stores it into the mitichondria of each muscle cell giving it reserved energy. Every single muscle contraction is powered by atp, so we are able of more due to the the extra atp. This can beef up your physical power and lean muscle gain.
The substance you are looking for for is 100% pure pharmaceutical grade creatinh monohydrate. A suitable minimum dosage is about 1000 grams. Creatine do not have any additive and filters, and this chemical is commonly found in countless foods so it is generally safe. it doesn't affect hormonal levels either.
Regardless if your ambition is for maximum athletic performance, pure lean muscle or lenghtened endurance, creatine will be right for you. As a bonus it also has cardio protective qualities. Creatine from American sports nutrition is a great way to complement a healthy diet and active way of life.
Building blocks from protein
Another one would be the American sports nutrition whey protein. It is a premium quality, lactose free and predigested protein. This nutritional supplement is an abundantnatural source of high potency essential amino acids.
If you are looking for a boost of muscle strength, american whey can help. The ion-exchanged whey protein in this supplement is the most preferred and bio-available for your body.
American whey protein also low on calories, has a great taste, and blends well with rice, milk and water. It also comes in a multitude of appetizing flavors.
There are many similar diets on the market like the American sports nutrition that offers protein as the mainstay of their nutritional diet. Examples of these are the American whey wild berry, American whey creamy vanilla extreme and the American whey double dutch chocolate .
The primary difference is in the dosage when taking them but the results are very similar. Certain types of thes require high amounts ofquantities for the supplement to function. And it also requires to be taken in constantly, if applicable you would follow the diet each and every day.
Like you probably see by now, in the American sports nutrition established way, the main nutrient taken into consideration are proteins.
So what is in proteins that make them so essential in the nutrition of Americans? Proteins are the main body builder nutrient. Protein works on the construction of muscle cells. Protein also participates in muscle contraction or in setting in motion muscles.
If you would like to have bigger, leaner and more functional muscles, there should be a massive intake of proteins before and after your practise. That's why protein is so imperative not only to athletes but people like you and me as well.
As a curiosity, protein also contributes to how tall you are. If you want to be as tall as many americans are, you have to have a high degree of protein in your diet or at least use the supplements that Are discussed in this article.
Lastly, we must prompt the mind that it is not only a matter of the nutrition we use but it is the manner we get it and when we get it. There are optimal times when the nutrients we get will build up our performance and boost our metabolism. American sports nutrition targets these very best times in order for our body can get the most out of it and help us stay healthy and build up our muscles.
What are the Most Important Things in a Nutrition Program?
Nutrition program can be defined as a process of taking in or consuming healthy and growth supporting food. With the changing lifestyle in urban areas every other person is surrounded with junk food or fast food temptation, but none of those unfit food stuff works the way a balanced diet does.
A good or balanced nutrition for healthy living is a benefit for every age type, especially for those spending hours in gym or other physical activities. It is a well known fact that nutritional diet intake is full of benefits for every category of people and supports growth in teenagers and kids, while helping in maintaining healthy and fit body in adults.
Before going to nutrition filled food and the important things in a nutrition program, you need to understand that nutrition does not only mean having lots of protein through the day or throwing calories away from your life or to skip a meal or to eat less. Nutrition or nutrition program is a process where a complete combination of all the nutrients should be present in day to day diet i.e. you can not just skip carbohydrates or fat from your food intake.
Mostly people involved in workouts tend to suffer from weakness and late post-workout recovery due to incomplete nutrition intake. You may be having protein supplements, but your body will still be lacking in nutrition for the absence of other vital ingredients of a perfect nutrition program. A human body needs a well balanced combination of the three main ingredients of a nutrition program .i.e. protein, carbohydrate and fat. Along with these three main components, a nutrition program also consists of vitamins, minerals and adequate amount of water intake.
A good nutrition program consist of vital steps or things to be taken care of, as it helps to ensure that the body is getting complete nutrition and does not lacks in any of the key ingredient. But, there are also things not to be done to balance and succeed in your nutritional intake. These 'not to do' things say - do not begin a nutrition program without a physical activity like exercising or cycling or brisk walking, do not skip your meals (breakfast or lunch or dinner), do not depend only on supplements and substitutes for losing weight or gaining muscle strength and do not skip or minus any of the three main ingredients mentioned.
Another big mistake people tend to make in the name of nutrition intake or nutritious diet is by eating less or staying on fast through the day (with nothing but fruits intake). Often, eating less or nothing works towards slowing down or destroying the metabolism of a body.
Some of the most important things in a complete nutrition program are small but 5-6 meals per day, little bit of everything, management of calories to a level or intake of good fat, lost of water intake through a day, addition of fiber rich food and inclusion of vegetables and fruits in daily intake.
Experts believe that for a good healthy and nutritional intake one need to eat more than 3 meals per day. These meals should be 5 to 6 in number and less in quantity; also these small meals should consist of a balanced ratio of all the vital ingredients. This step of a nutrition programs helps to put an end to extra hunger or need for food and puts an end to starvation, also this helps to boost up the body metabolism and supports digestion system too. Next step comes as a balanced ratio of all the ingredients or little bit of everything i.e. to manage your 5-6 meals with lots of protein, required amount of carbohydrates, 20 to 25 % of fat per day and desired amount of vitamins and minerals.
People in general are always afraid of fat intake and tend to shift towards fat free or low fat food products, but truth is that fat has its own vital role in a nutrition diet. Fat is required for providing energy, stamina and oil to the bones, muscles, tissues and cells in the body. Fat intake to a desired level (specially the essential fat or the good fat) is compulsory for not just those indulged in muscle building, but is also equally important for rowing children and ageing adults for lubrication of joints. There are three types of fats present in food, such as saturate fat, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Out of these three types, monounsaturated fats are the essential and good fats required by a body for growth, strong joints and bones, building of stamina and for maintaining a decent level of cholesterol in the body. It also is said to have good 'antioxidant' characteristics. Olive oil, canola oil and fish oil are some of the sources of monounsaturated fats; also this type of fat is present in both kinds of products (plant and animal).
Objective of a nutritious diet is not just to provide health and growth to a body, but to maintain its vital function like metabolism and digestion. Adequate intake of water in a day works towards helping the body in performing these functions successfully. Water does not just prevent a body from dehydrating, but also act as a cleanser for body toxins. Water is needed in a body to support the breakdown of valuable ingredients within the body.
Lastly, a balanced or perfect nutrition program can never exit without the intake of right amount of valuable fiber rich products like fruits and vegetables. To maintain a fiber level within a body is important enough to not to be ignored. You can always eat lots of salad or fruits between your main meals to fill your body with vital fibers required for performing digestive functions and to maintain the nutrition level of the body. Some of the source for fiber rich fruits and vegetables are: apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms and green beans.
Thus, a good nutritional diet program is essential to make your body perform its vital functions with an ease.
Health and Nutrition Guide
Proven Health Tips & Advice to loose weight
Boost your nutritional intake
Select good quality food according to Mediterranean advice. Increase level of nutrition in your diet, if you want to loose weight in a very easier step.
Limit your alcohol intake
One serving of alcohol a day for women and two for men. A serving is a basic glass. No all spirits and alcohols are the same. Quality beer, especially dark beers contain unique nutrient and antioxidants. So go along with nutrient drinks.
Managing your dreadful calories
Calculate the calories together with your diet and judge them against the intake of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins and fats. The less you eat them the faster and easier it will be to lose fat.
Do not affix plenty of sugar or salt
Be aware of using lot of sugar/salt in your daily foods because Sugar practically not contains nutrient, but have a lot of calories intakes. So Appreciably decrease various heart relates problem by taking less intake of sodium Daily.
Add physical fitness exercise in your daily routine
Physical fitness should be beneficial towards fat loss for good health rather. Fat control can be efficiently done with a commitment to regular structured exercise.
Use Low Carb Diets
Consumption of accurate carbohydrate foods is the best solution for fast, easy weight loss. Get most of your carbohydrates from raw or steamed vegetables, fresh fruits, and beans.
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Why Optimum Nutrition is Essential to Optimum Health
An important starting point for achieving optimum health is through utilizing optimum nutrition. Optimum nutrition helps maintain good health in a dilapidated environment, fights off disease, corrects imbalances in the body and provides energy and enthusiasm for life. Optimum health is linked to optimum nutrition. But, the point is that it is important to get the proper nutrients from the food.
POOR QUALITY OF FOOD
Nowadays, industrial food marketed in the food chain are filled up with additives which affect the quality of food. In order to get optimum nutrition, natural supplements like vitamins and minerals have to be added to the diet. Each year, average American eats twelve pounds of food additives and a gallon of pesticides, not to mention all the air-born pollutants that are inhaled! It's no wonder our bodies are overworked, overburdened, and no longer able to adequately eliminate all these foreign substances.
DISEASES AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS
Diet-related diseases include, but are nor limited to, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, various cancers and osteoporosis. These diseases take the lives of millions of people each year and cost billions of dollars in health care. According to the National Academy of Sciences, 60 percent of all cancers in women and 40 percent of all cancers in men may be due to dietary and nutritional factors. Consequently, diet and nutrition are the principle preventive measures against cancer.Enzymes are required to get the proper nutrients from the food.
HEALING POTENTIAL OF FOODS AND NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS
There is a growing number of people who are aware of this situation and are turning towards foods that enriched with different herbs, vitamins and minerals. More and more foods will be tailored to improve health and extend life. Scientific studies on the healing potential in foods are in a constant progression. It is now understood hat humans require a daily intake of particular nutrients to support their activities and that when one or more specific nutrients are absent, deficiency disorders will occur. It is known now that certain constituents in food have a health potential and can actively improve health.
For example, we know that humans are exposed to substances called free radicals. Those reactive molecules have been linked to a number of human diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, immune deficiency etc. We are now aware that some plants, many fruits and vegetables have powerful compounds called antioxidants. Foods containing antioxidants can prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Other foods contain fatty acids like fish can help lower blood pressure, nourish the brain and more. Some foods are rich in fiber and can help protect our gastrointestinal tract. The field of nutrition will play, in the years ahead, a leading role to improve our quality of life and will have a major influence on our health. Nutritional supplements for Healthy Lifestyle are a good support to reach that goal. Since we live in a toxic world, Clean Toxins from our body is also a major step.
Take action now to increase and protect your well-being!
Gilles Coulombe B.A. B.LL D.S.A.
Get more information about health frontier
The Benefits of Proper Nutrition
In today's fast paced society we often grab whatever is quick and easy for lunch or dinner as we rush to get onto the next "big" thing. Many of us simply do not stop and take the time to think about what we are putting into our bodies and the fact is that if you are not eating a nutritional diet, you may find yourself feeling ill or developing a serious medical condition.
One of the most common and serious side effects of an imbalanced diet is obesity. More than 58 million Americans are overweight and more than 40 million are considered obese. However, by incorporating a proper nutritional program into your daily schedule, you will find that maintaining a proper weight will make it easier.
Obesity can lead to many health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and strokes. By maintaining a well balanced diet, you will be able to keep yourself at your ideal weight, as well as preventing further medical conditions.
Following a healthy dietary program will also reduce your risk of certain diseases and illnesses, related to poor nutrition. For example, research has concluded that choosing fast food even just twice a week can increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and there has been some controversy on whether saturated fats that are commonly used at fast food restuarants, plays a role. However, if you want to make sure that you are not at risk for cardiovascular disease, decrease the amount of carbohydrates you take in, as excessive amounts can increase blood glucose and insulin. Eaten in excess, these will increase your risk of heart disease, as well as high blood pressure.
When you begin a healthy diet, you will find that you will not only feel younger, you will end up looking younger. Nutrition plays an important part in the health of the dermis, the innermost layer of the skin. Skin is made up of elastin and collagen and when it does not receive proper doses of vitamin C, you may find that you are more prone to wrinkles and sagging.
Vitamin C, as well as vitamins A and E are antioxidants and will help to reduce the damage caused by free radicals. As vitamin C assists in the manufacturing of collagen, you will find that it will help reduce skin damage, therefore, leaving your skin healthier, as well as, looking more vibrant and fresh.
Another benefit to engaging in a lifestyle of proper nutrition is the increased energy and lack of fatigue you will feel. Food is fuel for your body. If you are not currently following a nutritious diet, you may notice that you will go through spells of fatigue throughout the day. Perhaps, one moment you are feeling very energetic and the next moment tired.
Feelings of fatigue could be due to an overabundance of sugar in your diet. Sugar is known to harm the body in many ways: including raising your cholesterol level and increasing digestive difficulties, such as indigestion, acid reflux, and problems with bowel movements. If you follow a nutritious diet, you will be limiting your intake of sugar and therefore, limiting your risk of health issues associated with sugar.
The fact is, following a proper nutritional program can lead to a healthier lifestyle. When you have more energy, you are much more likely to exercise, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. You will also reduce the risks of illness and disease that are caused by either a lack of vitamins and minerals or due to an over-abundance of foods that will increase the risk of certain health conditions.
When you enlist in a proper nutritional program, you will find yourself not only feeling healthier, but looking healthier, as well.
10 Important Ways To Prove That Good Nutrition Is A Key To Healthy Life
A good nutritious diet is a basic requirement for every individual in order to live a healthy life. Today, health is everyone's top priority, which can be ensured only by good nutrition. Here are the ten important reasons as well as steps to prove that you must ensure good nutrition if you are willing to lead a healthy life.
1) A good and well balanced diet assists in development of strong bones and maintenance of normal cell growth pattern, a key to good health.
2) Consuming food rich in Vitamins after consulting your dietician as per your body's need help your body to get the vital nutrients and keep you healthy.
3) Consuming 8 to 10 glasses of water in a day to avoid dehydration and assist in skin cleansing. This is a prerequisite for a healthy and beautiful body.
4) Certain fruits like apples and oranges are termed to be rich in negative calories and might lead to calorie deficit in you body. The moral is to avoid intake of similar kinds of fruits in a short span of time. This balanced approach for nutrition would help you remain healthy.
5) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as the body has to replenish the low blood sugar level in the morning. It should comprise of food rich in vitamins and minerals and have minimal fat or cholesterol. This increases the strength and endurance of the body. You can include skimmed milk or fresh fruit juice as part of your daily breakfast.
6) Fruit salad can be consumed before your main meals to decrease your appetite. Many health and diet experts consider fruit salad a necessary component of your daily diet and necessary for god health.
7) Avoid intake of unhygienic food, especially at a time when you are away from home. It can cause more problems than the delight you derive while having it. Maintaining a healthy food intake will help you avoid diseases- a prerequisite for good health.
8) Try to stay away from fast foods and that too at irregular hours of the day like in the evening or early morning. Fast foods contain harmful ingredients that are injurious for your health.
9) There is a prevailing misconception that exercises alone can help you to stay fit and healthy. However, it needs a supplementary role to be played by good nutrition. Nutrition and exercises are two equally important pillars of good health.
10) Stick to your diet and avoid excessively fried food. This would help you stay healthy and free from diseases.
Now that you know the importance of good nutrition and the steps for achieving balanced nutrition, follow a nutritious diet plan and enjoy good health.
Nutritional Supplement for Healthy Living
Many of us equate vitamin, miniral, and nutrition supplement but most of the time what is purchase in the name of healthy food does not mean to be safe all the time.
Our body I made up of chemical component such as water, proteins, lipids, DNA, and carbohrdrates. We neeed to take all the supllement in a proper and balance manner. When nutrition supplement is take in amounts greater than the recommmanded dietary allowance they will no longer will be nutrition and they will be considred as durgs.
Many people eat anything and anytime which is unknowly or knowly effect your health and diet which will result in health problems, over wieight and lazyness. Nutrition products are alawys fresh and well sealed and always make you feel better.
Currently, too many nutritional benefits are processed, cooked or fried out of what we eat, which leaves us little choice but to supplement our diet with nutrients such as vitamins and minerals to regain health and to stay healthy. If you add to this the pollution and other toxins you have to put up with, nutritional supplements become even more of a necessity
Once you give your body a hand by giving it proper fuel, such as a diet high in fruits and vegetables, along with a sensible set of nutritional supplements, you will soon notice a difference. Healthy food and good nutritional supplements will restore your engine to optimum working order. It will thrive and so will you. DO NOT self-medicate with large doses of vitamins, minerals, or other nutritional supplements without seeking medical advice.
Many of us start taking nutritional supplement with any advice on dietician which affect our body and which is realized by us. So be careful before you feel you need to take nutritional supplements, first discuss your concerns with your doctor, pharmacist, or other qualified health care professional, for example, a registered nurse or dietician.
Good Health, or a Good Health Care Plan
If you had to have one or the other which would you take? You may or should be making that decision. As you probably know, health care costs are through the roof.
It can and does put a lot of folks in a pinch. They can't pay them even if they have insurance sometimes. Medical bill can easily lead to bad credit and financial disaster.
Also, I just heard on the news the other night how some emergency rooms are having to turn people away. They send them to other hospitals and people are having to wait hours in emergency rooms for care, or even a bed or place to sit. They don't expect that to improve any time soon in most cities.
The best plan is preventative medicine. Stay as healthy as you can so you won't have to worry about medical bills or waiting to see a doctor. Just like you plan for retirement, you should be planning for good health for your "Golden Years".
You may not be able to tell that you are slowly killing yourself or working your way up to future health problems now, but unless you are paying attention to what you are eating and getting some kind of physical activities you will probably not be able to enjoy a lot of things later in life or sooner.
Being able to travel, play with your grandkids, or even breath, or walk might just not happen.
Eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong foods is not costly or difficult. You just need to take a little time and with a little help you can have excellent health for years. Add some daily fitness to your routine and improve your health even more.
You don't have to be overweight to start a diet, or weight loss program. Those are the best places to learn proper nutrition and good foods from the bad foods, and also how to exercise.
After studying nutrition and weight loss for many years now, I have to caution you on some of the ridiculous diets I have seen though. I almost want to laugh at some of them, but it is not really funny, it is mostly scary. If you see a diet or weight loss plan that says something like, you will lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, don't do it. That is worse for your health than not going on a diet at all. You will suffer through something it and it will more than likely cause health problems later. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is.
A good healthy, nutritional diet or weight loss plan will have a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates (the complex ones, not simple carbs), fibers, and fats (the good ones, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated). Your body does need all of these things. It needs to be nourished all day to keep your metabolism up and burning off calories and fats. Study after study has proven this, but still people seem to want to try to change mother nature. I don't understand. They do starvation diets, cut out carbohydrates, try living on just one kind of food, and all sorts of crazy things that just don' t work. Sure, maybe short term, you might lose a lot of weight for a short time, but why just short term. Learn how to eat the proper nutrition and it is easy to do it for the rest of your life. You can actually eat a "bad food" every now and then and live through it with any good diet or weight loss plan. I found it is best to enjoy a "bad food" every now and then and not make eating healthy a torturous thing. One bad meal doesn't mean you won't lose weight that week if you are dieting. It's all about knowing and teaching yourself what bad foods and drinks do to your body and then keeping them to a bare minimal, or stop consuming them completely. There are so many good alternatives that I am sure you will enjoy. Like dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. It's that simple.
The other important part of good health is physical activities. Your body starts losing muscle with age. Of coarse you need all your muscles for a lot of reasons. A toned body will burn fat and calories quickly, and it will protect your joints and just plain keep you fit and feeling that way. Aerobic exercise is good, but strength exercises I do believe is much better. A mixture of both is best.
You don't have to devote all of your time and your life to diet, nutrition, & exercise. Just a very small part of it and that hour or two a day that you spend cooking healthy, eating healthy, and exercise will pay off greatly in the coming years. Think of it this way, it is like paying yourself thousands of dollars a day for spending the time, because that is what you will be saving in medical bills later on if you don't. Not to mention all the things you won't be able to do because of bad health.
One last thing. Don't procrastinate. Start now! There is no reason to put it off. If you say you are going to wait till after Christmas, or New Years, why? Like I said earlier, you can still have a "bad food" or a "bad meal" and then just start back eating the right way afterwards. Learn about good nutrition now and get started. Just think, the better your health and food intake is now, then it won't be as bad by Christmas or New Years. You will be able to easily drop the extra calories you gain then. Also the better your nutrition is, the less likely it is that you will catch a cold or the flu. Get and stay healthy starting today.
Health and Wellness are About Embracing Your Life
Health and wellness are a lifestyle choice, not a diet, but to achieve it, you need to make a decision to change the way you look at yourself in every moment: who you think you are, your place in this world, and how you choose to take care of yourself. The choices you make about health and wellness are likely to be some of the most important decisions in your life. The three basic components of health and wellness are education, prevention and intervention. Health and wellness are key elements in the full experience of happiness. Wellness, on the other hand, is defined as the overall process of maintaining a general state of good health.
Health
We all want to live long healthy lives, but at times, don't take care of ourselves like we need to. It is important to remember the role of natural healing, whole nutrition, complementary and alternative therapies, and ancient practices that have been helping people achieve greater physical and mental health for centuries. Healthy behaviors are most effective when practiced for a lifetime. Health, wellness, and fitness are influenced by the aging of our population. Physical activity is critical to the development and maintenance of good health. Good physical fitness is important, but it is not the same as physical health and wellness.
Fitness
Every moment is an opportunity for you to enjoy living when you choose health and wellness through fitness in harmony with the life you currently live. By learning to develop sustainable fitness habits you can fully enjoy your life. Now more than ever people are in need of professional guidance toward improved fitness and health. With hundreds of fitness and recreation opportunities offered around the city, you're guaranteed to find a place you belong. You can exercise in the privacy of your own home with a fitness program suited for you. The health-related components of physical fitness are directly associated with good health.
Nutrition
Without the right nutrition and lifestyle, which are "good" choices, our bodies age faster and become weakened and diseased. Nutrition is the basic, essential process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process through which a living body assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues. Nutrition is in fact one of the cornerstones of good health for all. Nutrition is an important consideration regardless of age but choosing vitamins and minerals for kids is especially important as they are still growing.
Supplements
In addition to a healthy diet, many healthcare providers will encourage supplements to increase the probability that you get all the nutrients you need. Supplements not only help the body physically to heal, but the proper supplements can change your emotional well-being. Whether a person is looking to balance their diet with the right nutrition content, they're interested in adopting a smart, but healthy low carb meal plan or they want to add nutritional supplements into their everyday routine, there are good ways to go about those prospects and bad ones. Following suggested use for diets and nutritional supplements can result in great benefits for the body and overall health. Plus, there are wonderful nutrition vitamins and nutritional supplements that can fill in where diet falls short.
Conclusion
Good health and wellness are not a luxury but an essential for people everywhere to reach their life's potential. The secrets to health and wellness are simple: good life style and wholesome diet choices; sufficient rest, exercise, and good water; conscientiously practicing your faith; and spending time with friends and family who love and support you in healthy ways.
How to Excel With the Proper Sports Nutrition
Even though the majority of the United States population loves to indulge in junk food and sweets, not many people know the many benefits that come from eating a well-balanced diet full of essential vitamins and nutrients. Many people eat for the flavor of food, but don't realize that the purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with the different elements that it needs to function normally on a day-to-day basis. Although the body will not shut down if it does not get the essentials one day, illness can result from eating poorly over a long period of time.
Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are necessary in order to promote good health, along with foods that are high in several different vitamins and minerals. Raw fruits and vegetables contain a number of elements that are very beneficial to the body, including several vitamins, potassium, and natural sugars. Antioxidants and amino acids are also in high concentrations in a number of different fruits and vegetables, and they work to promote overall health in the human body. Food nutrition is important when a long and healthy life is desired, since junk food and sweets will only cause health problems in the future.
Individuals in sports should never live off of a poor diet, because it can cause their performance to decrease. Proper sports nutrition is essential when participating in any type of vigorous activity, since the body needs to be replenished when vitamins and energy are burned during activities. Fruits can help to hydrate the body after strenuous activities that cause one to sweat, since dehydration can lead to other serious complications.
When the body is lacking the essential vitamins and nutrients that it needs, it has to use alternative sources in order to maintain health. Once those sources become depleted, the body is no longer able to function in a healthy manner. Poor diet can cause one to experience fatigue, dehydration, and a lack of energy. When proper food nutrition is followed, one will experience energy, overall health, and the ability to perform at their best. Foods high in iron, fiber, vitamins, and minerals will help to keep the body healthy and full of energy, while foods with no nutritional value will lead to obesity and other serious health conditions.
Although there are various supplements available that help to boost energy and provide the body with the essentials that it needs, it is important to provide the body with healthy food in order to keep it healthy. Vitamin supplements can help to improve certain medical conditions that may cause a lack of certain minerals that the body needs, but should only be used in addition to a healthy diet that is full of rich vitamins and nutrients. When used in conjunction with a normal exercise routine, a healthy can keep the body healthy and in great shape.
Anyone involved in sports should follow a balanced sports nutrition diet, especially if they are interested in performing at their best. Proper food nutrition will keep the body in great condition, allowing athletes to handle the strain that sports can cause. Healthy eating will help to keep the body healthy and free of disease and illness, which makes it possible to participate in sports rather than having to stay in bed. There are a number of different foods that are high in nutritional value and taste great, and eating a healthy sports nutrition diet can be exciting and full of flavor.
Digestive Fiber: Better Health, Nutrition And Disease Fighter
We've all heard of the importance of having a high-fiber, but do you know why? Fiber is essentially a natural disease fighter in the body, being credited with lowering cholesterol levels and helping to ward off heart disease.
When you eat fatty foods, you're eating cholesterol. It's a fat-soluble item that is usually found in meat and other products made from animals. In the form you eat it, it cannot be eliminated from the body, because it is too hard for the system to break down and move it through. Instead, when you eat cholesterol, your body has to chemically change it into a water-soluble form with the help of the liver which will produce a digestive fluid, know as bile, and then store the broken down cholesterol in the gallbladder.
The bile that has been stored in the gall bladder is now relatively toxic. It's holding on to that broken down cholesterol, histamines from the body and other items that need to be removed from your system. This is where fiber comes in to help out. The fiber will absorb the bile compound and remove it, as well as the broken down cholesterol, from your body in your next bowel movement. This keeps the cholesterol from staying in your body, thus helping you keep a healthy cholesterol level.
In addition to helping on the cholesterol front, fiber will also help defend your body against diabetes. When you eat foods high in fiber, they break down and create sugar gradually. This slow and constant break down, then absorption of sugars by the body, keep your blood sugar levels steady and lessen the change of developing diabetes.
A recent study conducted by members of Tufts University in Boston may have found a link in high-fiber diets and lowering blood pressure as well. They tested a number of people on their blood pressure levels. Then they put some of them on a 6-week high-fiber diet. Those on the diet saw their systolic blood pressure drop by about 7 points. The belief is that since fiber breaks down slowly into sugars for the body, it also controls the insulin levels. Insulin is created in the pancreas when digestion is happening. Fast increases in insulin levels to counter high absorption of sugars in the body can cause blood pressure to go up as well. The slower breakdown of fiber causes both levels to remain steady and healthy.
They key to being a recipient of the benefits of fiber is to make sure there is enough of it in your diet. Take a look at what you eat and make sure there is a large portion of high-fiber foods included. These foods are vegetables such as squash, spinach, broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts, beans and endive. Fruits are another high fiber source, so add fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, apples, bananas, coconut and pineapple to your diet.
Fatigue in Early Pregnancy, Can be Normal or it May be a Sign You are Nutritionally Depleted
Is it normal to have fatigue in early pregnancy? Read on to discover why fatigue in early pregnancy happens and what you can do to make sure you are not nutritionally depleted.
Pregnancy is an amazing event in a woman's life. No matter how long or how hard we study pregnancy we will never fully understand why women get so many very early pregnancy symptoms such as pregnancy fatigue.
From the moment of conception, the developing fetus needs lots of vitamins and minerals to ensure normal cell and organ growth and to prevent congenital abnormalities. As the developing fetus grows it also grows a living organ called the placenta, that allows vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, oxygen, nutrients, hormones and blood to cross from the mother's blood supply to the developing fetus.
Mothers are givers by nature and during pregnancy they unconditionally and continuously give all their reserve nutrients to their offspring in an attempt to grow a healthy baby. Under normal pregnancy this is be a huge physical drain on the mother's physical energy level and this is why pregnant women are given pre-natal vitamins.
Prior pregnancy many men and women are depleted in vitamins and minerals because of our lifestyles and the food we eat. Vitamins and minerals are essential in building healthy cells and organs. Many miscarriages are caused by abnormal eggs and sperms due to the lack of adequate vitamins and minerals in the cells prior to conception.
A body lacking vitamins and minerals is in a depleted state which can cause physical disease, irritability, depression and fatigue. The stress of pregnancy on top of this depletion results in a lot of pregnancy fatigue.
Pregnant women need more sleep than normal as when they sleep there is less physical stress on the mother's body. Therefore sleep gives the mother a better chance of adjusting to all the demands of pregnancy.
It is very important as soon as you know you are pregnant to take vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid (600-micrograms) as folic acid helps prevent congenital abnormalities. If you are not already supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals, then purchase some until you have an appointment with your health care provider.
Better still, if you are planning to get pregnant, start supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals to make your body more nutritionally sound, reduce miscarriage risk and reduce the degree of fatigue during early pregnancy.
OK I have spoken a lot about vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and you may be wondering how could you be nutritionally depleted or even be tired if you already supplement. Well the truth is most people supplement with vitamins only and they supplement with a pill delivery system which has a very poor absorption rate. The best way to supplement is a liquid delivery system which has about a 95% absorption rate. Vitamins alone are not good enough, the body needs minerals for optimal health and minerals are necessary to absorb vitamins. For information about a high quality vitamin, mineral and antioxidant product view
http://www.PregnancySuccessCoach.com
You may also be very interested in an amazing message that was telepathically dictated to me for humanity from my son when he was seven-weeks old. Yes you read correctly! I have the ability to communicate with baby's emotions from inside and outside the womb. Down load this AMAZING MESSAGE FREE at
http://www.PregnancySuccessCoach.com/Message_For_Humanity.html
If you wish to ask me a personal question about your pregnancy or an issue in your life then visit http://www.PregnancySuccessCoach.com/Ask_Hannah_Section.html
Hannah Bajor. C.N.M.,M.S.N.
Certified Nurse Midwife
Pregnancy Success Coach
Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss and Diets
If you're on a diet, or considering going on one, you're in luck. We've put together ten of the most frequently asked questions about diets and weight loss and compiled them here. Enjoy!
1. How much should I weigh?
Your doctor can answer that question most accurately. More important than how much you weigh is your body/mass index, which measures your height against your weight.
2. What's the best diet for losing weight?
Any diet that provides all the nutrition that you need for health, and in addition, provides fewer calories than your body burns regularly.
3. How can I keep off the weight that I lose?
If you lose weight gradually and re-educate both yourself and your body about food, you'll have a good start. The secret to keeping weight off is to balance your energy needs with your food intake. Eat enough calories to supply your body's energy needs, but not so many that your body stores the excess as fat.
4. What's the story with obesity and diabetes?
Obesity increases the risks of a number of chronic health conditions, and diabetes is one of them. People who are more than ten percent overweight increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes substantially.
5. How do I decrease my intake of sugar?
Obviously, you can decrease your intake of sugar by cutting out sweets and refined snacks, but you should also watch out for 'hidden' sugars. Check ingredients. High fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both simple sugars that add lots of calories and little nutrition.
6. How often should I weigh myself?
Most diet experts recommend that you weigh yourself no more than once a week. Some go so far as to tell you to throw out the scale entirely! A more accurate measure of your loss is your clothing size. If your clothing is feeling looser, you're doing great.
7. Do I really have to exercise?
You don't HAVE to, but it will be a lot harder to lose weight if you don't. A half hour of moderate exercise daily is the minimum activity level for healthy weight loss. You can get it walking, running, cleaning your house - anything active burns calories.
8. What's a calorie?
A calorie is a measure of energy. Foods are rated with calories based on the amount of energy they provide to the body when consumed.
9. Can I lose weight without changing my diet?
Weight loss results when you burn more calories than you consume. If you only need to lose a small amount of weight and your diet is generally healthy, you can lose weight by increasing your activity level to burn more calories. If your diet is poor, or if you're more than a few pounds overweight, you really need to learn a new, more healthy way or eating, or you'll put the weight back on when you go back to 'normal' eating.
10. Should I eat fish on my diet?
Unless it's expressly forbidden by your diet, absolutely. Fish is high protein, low saturated fat, and high in omega 3 fatty acids. Some doctors recommend eating as much as 10 servings of fish per week.
Antioxidants And Their Role In Health And Wellness
There are many books, web sites, magazines and other information which is centered on health, nutrition, diets, vitamins and antioxidants. This information is often based on one subject matter source, be it nutrition or vitamins. For the most part, very few offer information on all of these subjects in a comprehensive manner.
To find pertinent information on good health it is often through a lot of reading and research in different publications, to find the proper system that works for them with all the different items that are manufactured for good health.
In the information that is readily available today it may at times be difficult to decide what is right for you personally, the easy part of this is if one health regiment does not work another will to control weight, health and make you feel better in everyday life.
As a general rule, when a person is eating the proper foods it shows in their appearance, their hair and skin is healthier and their energy level is higher than a person who does not eat properly, does not get the proper vitamins and antioxidants. When a person does not get the proper nutrition, vitamins and antioxidants it is seen in the skin, which may not be clear, hair that can become dull and brittle and finger nails, which can split and break easily.
Of course, health is in the news every single day, and naturally everyone is concerned with proper nutrition and one of the most talked about parts of health and nutrition is antioxidants. There has been and is ongoing research regarding antioxidants, but what are they and what do they really do is the question that many people think they know but are not certain.
Antioxidants are found in many foods naturally such as vegetables, grains, nuts and some meat like poultry and fish. It is particularly rich goji juice which is made from the goji or wolf berry and is especially rich in the the Himalayan goji juice. In fact is found in abundance in most berries such as the acai and blueberry.
What this does is help to protect cells in the body against free radicals; these are molecules that are produced when the body breaks food down. Free radicals can also be found elsewhere, such as tobacco smoke and exposure to radiation. Without the protection of antioxidants according to some research, free radicals can damages cells in the body causing such effects as heart disease, cancer and other disease.
Other research leads to the belief that they help to slow the aging process and lengthen the life span, which is something that attracts people to the consumption of foods or daily supplements rather than the nutritional value.
Some of the better-known places that antioxidants are found is Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Selenium, vitamin A, C and E, including foods rich in these. Antioxidants are extremely important due to their inherent free-radical fighting properties. Free radicals, when left unchecked, can harm the body at the cellular level and cause many of the symptoms that we associate with aging, such as wrinkling or discoloration of the skin.
For the most part, when an individual is consuming the proper foods it shows in their appearance, their skin in particular is healthier and their energy level is generally at a higher level than someone who does not eat properly, does not get the proper vitamins and antioxidants. This is where products such as goji juice and acai juice, for instance, can help because when a person does not get the needed nutrition it is seen in the skin, which may not be very clear.
Goji juice appears to be very important in this regard due to it's strong ORAC rating which basically measures the free radical absorption capacity of a particular food item. The latest nutrition technology makes goji juice even more potent as spectroscopic analysis, which is essentially a molecular fingerprinting technique is used in the production phase to single out only the most nutrient dense goji berries with the highest absorption ratio in people.
With this particular method the quality of the goji juice is largely assured. Besides the himalayan goji or worlf berry and goji juice, other top sources of antioxidants include the acai berry, leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, raspberries, strawberries and tomatoes, among others.
Basics of a Healthful, Antidepression Diet
For some people, the phrase healthful diet is enough to send their mood tumbling. "Guess I'll have to give up everything I enjoy, like chocolate and hamburgers and french fries," sighed one patient. "That's enough to make me even more depressed!" But healthful need not be equated with unappetizing or boring. Different, perhaps, and for some people a change to a more healthful diet requires big adjustments -- in the foods they buy, where they eat out, and how they prepare their choices. The rewards, however, are many, including improved mood, more energy, enhanced immune system, better concentration, and invigorated sex drive, to name but a few.
I've found that laying down a few basic but critical guidelines for a healthful diet, and then tweaking them for individual patients, works much better than expecting people to follow a complicated program that involves counting grams of carbohydrates or protein, weighing foods, referring to charts, or combining certain items in complicated ratios. That being said, here are my lists of "Positive Foods" and "Foods to Avoid."
Positive Foods
Sweets. In moderation, natural sugars such as rice syrup, date sugar, pure Vermont syrup, unsulfured blackstrap molasses, and unfiltered honey are all acceptable. An herbal sweetener -- that has nearly no calories -- is stevia, which can be found in health food stores and increasingly in mainstream grocery stores.
Fats. Some fats are healthy and instrumental in maintaining mental health, especially omega-3 fatty acids. When you choose oil for cooking, your best choice is probably cold-pressed olive oil. Butter and other saturated fats (like coconut oil, but not margarine that contains transfatty acids) may be used in moderate amounts. I suggest you avoid fried foods (especially deep-fried).
Whole fruits and vegetables. Whenever possible, choose fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and eat at least five to seven servings daily. To derive the most benefit from these rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates, eat them in as pure a state as possible, preferably raw or lightly steamed. (Sorry, deep-fried potatoes and onion rings don't count as servings of whole vegetables.) Fruit and vegetable juices are good as well, and if you have a juicer, please learn how to make your own fresh juices, remembering to drink the pulp as well!
Whole grains and cereals. Whole grains and cereals (organic if possible) are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates. These foods include whole grains, brown rice, and unprocessed cereals. Complex carbohydrates break down gradually and provide a more steady supply of glucose -- brain fuel -- thus helping maintain an even or calmer mood. Simple carbohydrates, however, such as those found in sugary foods or those made with white flour, metabolize rapidly, contributing to and causing mood swings and energy highs and lows. Also, be aware that some grains and even other whole-food starches may be problematic for some people.
Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Choose organic foods in this important category as well. Foods in this group are excellent sources of protein, especially for people who want to reduce or eliminate animal protein. Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds are also high in fiber and many nutrients. Also in this category are tofu and other forms of fermented soybeans (miso, tempeh) and flaxseed.
Eggs and dairy. Eggs and dairy foods -- milk, cheese, butter, cream, and yogurt -- are good sources of protein, calcium, and other important nutrients. They are also rich sources of saturated fat, which may be fine for many people. The major concern I have about eggs and dairy relates to whether hormones were used in raising the animals; whether or not they were given foods containing pesticides, antibiotics, toxic minerals, or other chemicals; and whether the animals were confined to inhumane cages. Soft-boiled eggs are best because heat is applied without exposure to oxygen, thus reducing free radical damage. I recommend organic eggs and dairy products and prefer nonhomogenized milk. Although pasteurization of milk products is the norm today in order to eliminate harmful bacteria, certified raw milk is preferred in areas where it is available, provided the cows are clean and hygienic principles are used in caring for them. If you are lactose-intolerant because of a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, or you choose not to consume dairy items, nondairy foods may be used. These include products made from soy, rice, or nuts, such as soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk; cheese made from these "milks"; and nondairy desserts. These "dairy" foods are also good sources of protein.
Organic meats and poultry. Despite a push for people to eat more fish, meat and poultry continue to be major sources of animal protein for many people. For patients who eat meat, I recommend organically raised products, which are virtually free of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and other unnatural additives, all of which can have a detrimental effect on mood and general health. Such meat and poultry choices are slowly becoming more accessible and typically are available in natural and whole-food stores. Meats and poultry are sources of methionine, which is critical for methylation; this amino acid is difficult to get from plant-based sources.
Fish and shellfish. Fish and shellfish can be excellent sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, if you make judicious choices. I'm calling for "judicious choices" because of the persistent and very real problem of mercury, pesticides, PCBs, and other contamination of the fish supply. Fish that I tend to recommend that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, but relatively low in mercury, are wild Alaskan salmon and sardines. I am wary about farm-raised fish because some studies indicate that they are high in PCBs and other contaminants. The smaller the fish (say, sardines), the less likely they are to accumulate mercury. But if you eat fish fairly frequently, I recommend that you have your blood mercury levels checked, because there is no way to guarantee the fish you eat regularly is not contaminated. Everyone whom I have checked for mercury who eats sushi more than once a week is quite high in it. Swordfish, king mackerel, shark, and most tuna tend to be quite high in mercury.
I would like you to consider two factors when choosing foods from this list. One, do you have any reactions to these foods that may be contributing to or causing your depression? Two, do you have any specific food preferences based on religious, ethical, and/or moral beliefs? If you are a vegetarian, for example, you will not select meat, poultry, or fish, so you will need to choose other protein-rich foods such as soy products, legumes, beans, seeds, and, depending on the type of vegetarian diet you follow, eggs and/or dairy.
Foods to Avoid
Most of the foods included in this list should come as no surprise to you. In most cases, foods on the "Avoid" list have been highly refined and processed. Fortunately, for every food you should avoid, there is a healthy alternative on the "Positive Foods" list. You may find that the "Avoid" list reads like your current grocery list; or you may discover that only one or two categories apply to you. Next time you're in the grocery store, here are the items you want to skip:
Sugar. Avoid all foods that contain added sugar, such as soda, candy, cakes, ketchup, some breakfast cereals, and so on. Become a label reader. If sugar (or one of its companions, such as corn syrup) is one of the first few ingredients, put the item back on the shelf! Sugar can give you a burst of energy, but in the long run it can leave you depressed and tired.
White-flour products. Just say no to white bread, white pasta, and other products that use white flour, including many crackers, rolls and bagels, refrigerator biscuits, pizza dough, and baked goods. Also avoid white rice. These overly processed food products have been stripped of their nutritional value, and then they are "enriched" with some nutrients, along with synthetic additives.
Alcohol. This includes beer, wine, and liquor. People often forget that alcohol is a depressant, even though it provides an initial kick. Drinking alcohol can also disturb your sleep, which is a problem with many people who are depressed.
Caffeine. Avoid coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate. (Okay, you can have a limited amount of organic dark chocolate on occasion.) If you must have coffee, choose an organic coffee, since most coffees are high in pesticides. Decaffeinated coffee is fine for most people, provided that it is organic and does not use toxic chemicals in processing.
Hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenated fats are oils to which hydrogen atoms have been added in the factory in order to harden them and improve shelf life. These hydrogenated oils or fats contain high concentrations of trans-fatty acids, which have recently been clearly shown to disrupt fatty acid metabolism in the body and cause serious disease. Hydrogenated fats are found primarily in margarines, snack foods (potato chips, corn chips), crackers and cookies, baked products, and fast foods. When you read ingredient labels, look for the words hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, margarine, or shortening, which indicate the presence of trans-fatty acids, or look at the nutritional panel for the percentage of trans-fat in the product. Beginning January 2006, food manufacturers were required to list trans-fat content on labels.
Chemical food additives. To avoid artificial preservatives, flavorings, colors, and sweeteners, you need to read labels. Not all labels list all the chemicals in the food item, but the general rule is: If the product has been processed, it probably contains chemicals. For example, artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, nitrites, monosodium glutamate, and nitrates are often seen in cereals, breads, frozen dinners, boxed meals, and crackers. All foods containing artificial colors (such as red dye 40) or artificial flavorings should be avoided. Artificial additives can cause various adverse reactions, including mood swings, depression, fatigue, headache, rash, aggression, irritability, and attention difficulties, among others. I believe all artificial sweeteners, including saccharine, aspartame, and sucralose, should be avoided. In particular, avoid diet sodas containing aspartame.
Fluoride. Do not drink fluoridated water or tap water (unless filtered) or use fluoridated toothpaste. Despite the popularity of fluoride dental treatments for both adults and children, I strongly recommend you not get them. Also, avoid fluoridated vitamins for children. There are a number of excellent books and websites that clearly document the lack of efficacy and dangers of fluoride ingestion and fluoride use. If you live in an area where the tap water is fluoridated and you want to drink the tap water but not the fluoride, you need to use a water filter with a reverse osmosis component; carbon filters will not remove fluoride.
Chloride. Do not drink chlorinated water (unless the chlorine has been filtered out), as chlorine is toxic. A simple carbon filter will remove chlorine from tap water.
From the book WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT DEPRESSION: The Breakthrough Integrative Approach for Effective Treatment by Michael B. Schachter, MD, with Deborah Mitchell. (Published by Warner Wellness; November 2006;$14.99US/$18.99CAN; 0-446-69494-0) Copyright (c) 2006 by Michael B. Schachter, MD, and Lynn Sonberg. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc, New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Ferret Nutrition – The Best Ferret Nutritional Diet
After looking for the perfect ferret, the next step to take is to look for the right food. In the market, there are many products which have the word "ferret" on it but there is no assurance that that will be the best choice. The brands do not even matter. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's worth the price. So, which should you buy?
To feed meat or not to feed meat.
Ferrets are carnivores. They may already been domesticated for a long time yet, just like their cousins, they still need meat to survive. Ferrets cannot digest vegetables because of their short digestive tracts so they need food that contains easily digestible meat protein. 1 Vegetable matter takes a long time to digest, often between 2-3 hours, which a ferret does not have. 2
Nutritional Requirements
Balanced nutritional content includes 32-38% of protein with an average of 35%. More than these percentages can harm the kidneys of an older ferret. Fat should have 18-25% with an average of 20%, which should come from animal sources, too. Fibers should have less 3 % is good, with an average of 2%. Don't forget that simple carbohydrates are more preferred without too much sweet. The starch should be well-cooked. Ash content should be no more than 7% to avoid the formation of kidney stones. 3,4
Going Meow
Some experts say that it's okay to feed your ferrets with cat food, some beg to disagree. Ferret foods are "nutritionally geared toward the needs of your ferret. The protein, fat, vitamin and mineral ratio are balanced for a ferret's metabolism." 5 Let's say you were not able to find any available ferret foods, then cat food can be a temporary substitute. These can be used as occasional treats just so your ferret can get used to the taste in case of emergency. Just remember that most grocery store pet foods are high in vegetable fiber and are not digestible or nutritionally sound for ferrets. 6 No dog food substitutes, please! Dog food does not contain taurine which is vital for a ferret's eye and cardiovascular health. It also contains more vegetable protein and less animal protein. 7
But wait, there's more…
Do not forget to give them fresh water and food 24/7. Without water, your ferret will dehydrate easily. Without food and proper nutrition, your pet will not get the desired vitamins and minerals it needs every day. Cleanliness of the spot where you put the water and food is also a must, too.
SOURCES:
1 http://www.everythingferret.com/nutrition.htm
2-3, 7 http://www.destinyink.com/spyral/animals/ferrets/ferret_nutrition.html
4 http://members.tripod.com/Ferret_Luv/fernutr.htm
5-6 http://www.weaselwords.com/page/ferret_art010.php
10 Easy Steps to Detoxify Your Body and Improve Your Health
10 Easy Steps to Detoxify Your Body and Improve Your Health
The environment we live in is full of toxins. We inhale them in the air we breathe, ingest them with our food and water, and absorb them through the pores in our skin. Even the personal care products and cleaning supplies that we take for granted are full of poisons that are harmful to our bodies.
While we are surrounded by pollutants from the environment, the human body produces its own toxins. Our metabolic processes result in chemical wastes which can compromise our health.
The accumulation of these harmful substances in the body is known as "toxic load" - sometimes referred to as "body burden." Over time, the buildup of environmental toxins in our systems can lead to chronic or severe health problems.
Some medical researchers estimate that nearly 75% of the diseases that afflict us are largely due to the toxicity of our systems. Headaches, chronic respiratory illness, cancer, and even autism have been linked to the accumulation of unsafe chemicals in the body.
The good news is that, although it is impossible to completely isolate ourselves from these harmful substances, we can reduce our exposure to them and decrease their impact through a simple detoxification program. By following these 10 easy steps, you will rid your body of many harmful chemicals, putting yourself on the path to a healthful lifestyle and greater sense of well-being.
1. Get plenty of restorative sleep. Adequate rest is critical to your body's ability to heal itself and perform its many biological functions properly.
2. Plan your meals with good nutrition in mind. Be sure to eat plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables; avoid processed and pre-packaged foods, refined flour and sugar products, trans-fats, and red meats. Proper nutritional balance is important for maintaining healthy organ function, especially the excretion of toxic elements through the liver.
* A cleansing diet designed to flush toxic matter from your digestive system may be incorporated into your detox program. Keep in mind that these diets are meant for the short term only, and people who are being treated for a medical condition should not undertake a restrictive diet without the approval of their physician.
3. Adapt a stress management technique that suits your lifestyle, such as yoga, meditation, or another soothing activity that you enjoy. Stress is responsible for the production of hormones which can be harmful, leading to heart disease and other severe illness; stress management reduces levels of these hormones and boosts your ability to cope with the challenges of life.
4. Physical activity heightens your body's ability to excrete toxins, as well as providing an overall health benefit. Exercise is important to the success of your detoxification efforts, in addition to being necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
5. Avoid behaviors that are detrimental to your health, like smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, and recreational drug use; stay away from artificial stimulants like caffeine. These substances will inevitably slow down your detoxification progress.
6. Take herbal supplements. There are several detoxifying herbs which are available in either tea or capsule form. These include dandelion, milk thistle, burdock, and red clover. Ginger root and the popular acai berry are also known for their detoxifying properties, as is Vitamin C.
7. Purchase a body cleanse or liver and colon cleanse kit. These consist of natural detox products that flush toxins from your liver and colon, restoring optimal function.
8. Drink plenty of water. Adequate hydration is needed to remove toxic elements from your body.
8. Massage therapy is not only relaxing and restorative; it allows your body to excrete toxins up to 200 times faster than on its own.
9. Take a sauna or a hot bath regularly. The skin is a major excretory organ, and the heat of a sauna or bath opens the pores and increases your body's rate of natural detoxification.
10. Reduce exposure to toxic elements. An air filter in your home will drastically improve the quality of the air you breathe; use natural cleaners and personal care products whenever possible to prevent the absorption of toxins through your skin. Sticking to organic foods lowers your risk of ingesting dangerous pesticides.
Watch out for foods wrapped in plastic wrap; plastic contains chemicals called phthalates which are known to cause cancer and developmental problems, including early-onset puberty.
While it is impossible to completely eliminate your exposure to dangerous chemicals in the environment, by following these steps you can greatly diminish their harmful impact on your health.
Health & Nutrition
What are nutrients?
Every molecule in the body is created by Nutrients & there are more than 45 nutrients. These nutrients build molecules, cells, and tissues of the body.
We get energy from Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that we eat. These are called macronutrients. These macro nutrients are broken down / metabolized to give energy to the body. Vitamins and minerals (called micronutrients) are not themselves metabolized for energy, but they are important in helping the macronutrients convert to energy.
What is a healthy diet?
The optimal diet has to be individualized to meet your unique needs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid suggests that we use fat "sparingly," and that our daily diet include 2 - 3 servings of dairy products; 2 - 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, or nuts; 3 - 5 servings of vegetables; 2 - 4 servings of fruit; and 6 - 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta.
These are general guidelines. Healthy diet is dependent upon many factors like: age, gender, body size, pregnancy, and status of health. A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.
While you know it is important to eat a healthy diet, it isn't always easy to sort through all of the information available about nutrition and food choices. Nutrition has a vital importance to human well-being. Nutrition should play a leading role to improve our quality of life. Nutrition is a key for reducing your body fat percentage.
Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Better nutrition is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality of life. Safe food and good nutrition are important to all. Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Get nutrition facts and discover how you can use dietary recommendations to improve your health. As you grow older, getting a nutritionally rich diet becomes even more important. The link between nutrition and health is necessary to achieve optimal health. Good nutrition is a clear path to optimize our quality of life. An important starting point for achieving optimum health is to achieve optimum nutrition and get the proper nutrients from the food. Diet and nutrition are the principle preventive measures against diseases.
Reading labels and eating a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients is optimal for healthy nutrition. Research confirms that good nutrition in the early years of life is crucial for human growth and mental development. The study of human nutrition dates back to the 18th century, when the French chemist Lavoisier discovered that there was a relationship between our metabolism of food and the process of breathing.
The field of clinical nutrition has evolved into a practice that is increasingly incorporated into mainstream medical treatment. The term "nutritional supplement" refers to vitamins, minerals, and other food components that are used to support good health and treat illness.
A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you. During the initial part of the visit, the clinical nutritionist will ask you questions about your medical history, family history, and personal lifestyle. In hospitals, nutrition is used to improve the overall health of patients with a wide range of conditions. Effects of exercise and nutrition on postural balance and risk of falling in elderly people with decreased bone mineral density: randomized controlled trial pilot study.
Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive and able to learn. Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating.
Healthy Lifestyle
Healthy people are stronger, are more productive and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Healthy eating is fundamental to good health and is a key element in healthy human development, from the prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages.
Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. We spend a lot of money on food, but there are ways to cut costs and still serve healthy delicious meals. When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar.
We always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why ruin a healthy breakfast. Good nutrition is vital to good health, disease prevention, and essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.
Many of us work very hard to eat healthy meals, but struggle with the urge for candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream and anything else full of sugar and sweetness. Most experts agree that snacking is a part of a balanced and healthy diet, as long as the snacks don't pile on empty calories.
When your best efforts go awry, and you order pizza or serve another meal that doesn't exactly fit into a healthy diet, you still have many options for making it healthier. Just about everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. Having a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator can be a busy cook's best weapon in the war against resorting to fast-food, high-fat, unhealthy meals. Fresh oil is a source of essential fatty acids, which help keep the skin healthy and the hair shiny.
We believe eating sensibly, combined with appropriate exercise, is the best solution for a healthy lifestyle.
Foods
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. The goal is to balance negative foods with positive foods so that the combined rating for all foods eaten in a single day is positive.
If you want to restrict your caloric intake without feeling hungry, find foods highest in any vitamin or mineral or lowest in carbs, saturated fats, or sugars. Our general state of health is partially driven by the types of foods we consume. To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are hydrogenated, so trans fats are commonly found in deep-fried foods such as French fries and doughnuts. Trans fats, beyond a limit, are not good for our health.
Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Other sources of trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods. Since trans fats increase a products shelf life, many pre-prepared foods and mixes (for example, some pancake mixes and pizza dough) contain trans fats.
The solution: Whenever possible, eat whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. When buying packaged foods, put in at least as much time into reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or shampoo. A good diet is central to overall good health, but which are the best foods to include in your meals, and which ones are best avoided.
Fast food has become much more popular of late and all over the world the out cry regarding harms of fast foods is on increase.
Be aware that there is little scientific information about the effect of so-called functional foods --foods to which vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other dietary substances are added -- despite their growing popularity in the market place and claims of beneficial effects.
Some common foods, including nuts, wheat gluten, dairy products, fish, shrimp, soy, bananas and eggs may trigger allergic reactions.
Fat
Fats add taste to meals and give one a feeling of fullness when eaten. When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar. The human brain is almost entirely composed of unsaturated fatty acids.
You deprive yourself of more than fats when you go for the fat-free or low-fat salad dressing. We need fats to absorb all the beneficial elements of salads and other fruits and vegetables. Learn which are the right types of fats, to create beautiful, supple skin, and a healthy body.
Eating more whole foods is a good way to replace many of the processed snacks and foods that have a lot of extra sugar, fat (including trans fat), salt, and other things added to them and a lot of good things taken out, like fiber. In addition to food labeled fat-free and low fat, healthy low fat foods include most fruits and vegetables.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (called macronutrients) are broken down (metabolized) to give the body energy. For example, lowering fat and cholesterol intake and adding whole grains to the diet can prevent atherosclerosis (plaque build up in the arteries), which can lead to heart disease or stroke.
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential components of cells and can protect the heart from, for example, fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish (such as herring, tuna, and salmon) have been reported to reduce inflammation and help prevent certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Safe food and good nutrition are important to all. Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Did you know that you can drastically decrease your chance of heart disease and cancer by eating a healthy diet and following the recommended nutrition guidelines?
Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive and able to learn. Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating.
By: Pradeep Mahajan
The Green Tea Diet Reviewed
Due to the popularity of recent findings, green tea has almost become synonymous with weight loss and diet. The addition of green tea diet into diet pills and weight loss supplements is perhaps spurred by reports of harmful side-effects of other drugs like ephedra.
Why Choose the Green Tea Diet?
For four thousand years, green tea has been used all throughout Asia as a beneficial health and medicinal drink. It is different from all other tea diets because its liquid is extracted by steaming the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant as opposed to full oxidation. In this way, the green tea diet manages to preserve a lot more antioxidants and keep them intact for the body to use.
The green tea diet is an excellent source of polycatechin polyphenols, a group of antioxidants that act on free radicals. These free radicals have harmful effects on the body since they are the major causes of diseases and aging. With polycatechin polyphenols, a person has a better chance of avoiding ailments and keeping himself healthy for a much longer period of time.
Another antioxidant in the green tea diet is also being studied as a potential cure for cancer. Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG found in the diet has been discovered to destroy cancer cells while keeping surrounding healthy cells unharmed.
The EGCG also acts with another compound, caffeine (a small amount of this is found in green tea). The interaction of these two compounds causes the diet to promote thermogenesis in the body.
It has been noted by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that with the consumption of the green tea diet, the body's total 24-hour energy expenditure is increased by up to four percent. This is roughly equivalent to losing more than 10 pounds of weight a month.
The diet helps increase the body's metabolic rates. With its thermogenic properties, it is only natural that it can also promote faster metabolism of fats and sugars. Excess glucose found in the body is turned into fats by the hormone insulin. Because green tea has an inhibiting effect on insulin, it therefore helps keep sugar from being stored as fats and instead, send them directly into the muscles for immediate use.
The Downside
Although the diet has a reputation for boosting health, scientific proofs of its health benefits are still somewhat mixed. However, in an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, American researchers collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the beneficial effects of green tea diet on cholesterol levels.
Using 240 men and women (average age 55) who possess mild to moderately high LDL cholesterol levels, the researchers instructed them to retain their usual low-fat diet, green tea diet intake, and activity levels. After twelve weeks, it was found that those who consumed the green tea diet extract with their regular meals lost more than fifteen percent of their total LDL cholesterol levels.
Although the researchers never explained how the green tea diet may influence cholesterol levels, previous studies have shown that certain compounds play a role in reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body, increasing amount of cholesterol excreted, and thus keeping cholesterol from being stored in the liver.
Subsequent studies were made to test the findings of the first group of researchers. Their results were contradictory. They found there was no significant effect on the cholesterol profiles of their subjects.
There is no such thing as a miracle diet. The green tea diet like all other diets needs a lot of work and input from those who enroll in it. It requires both discipline and determination for it to make any significant impact on your weight loss goals.
Pregnancy Nutrition Diet, Health Mens Issue Also
As a family, the conception of a baby is an event that affects both the mother and the father. Often, the focus is primarily on the mother naturally. She is the one carrying the baby. But a pregnancy nutrition diet, health, mens food choices and the level of physical activity are all part of the big picture. The truth is that even fertility itself is affected by nutrition. If you have been trying to conceive with no results, it is important that both the man and woman look at their diet. A womans conception chances can be improved with a vitamin filled pregnancy nutrition diet. Health, mens nutritional status and the increased production of sperm are also major factors increasing successful conception possibilities.
The Same Plan
To put it simply, the healthier a mans sperm is, the better his chances are he will conceive. Sperm health includes sperm counts and sperm motility. With a pregnancy nutrition diet, health, mens dietary needs and basic overall nutritional requirements are met. So a father-to-be can follow the same plan as the mother-to-be. The only adjustment that needs to be made is for the size and weight difference between men and women.
A pregnancy diet plan follows simple but essential recommendations for proper nutrition. It provides the right amount of vitamins and minerals. The same plan that aids in the development of a healthy baby and keeps the mother healthy at the same time, can also aid in the very conception of that same baby.
- Vitamin C, D and E contribute to healthy sperm production
- The mineral zinc can increase sperm production
- Balanced diet improves overall health
- Eating brightly colored vegetables can increase sperm motility
- Eating brightly colored fruit can also increase sperm motility
- Vitamin and mineral supplements can reverse problems created by environmental toxins
- Vitamin and mineral supplements fill nutritional voids left by prepackaged foods
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent damage to sperm caused by age and nutritional shortages. The organs that are important for reproduction are easily damaged by environmental factors also. Increasing antioxidants can prevent those factors from preventing conception. The bottom line is that good nutrition plays a critical role in improving the chances for conception. A pregnancy nutrition diet, health, mens issues and the babys development are the major concerns of a pregnancy.
A Healthy Family
There is not much that is more beautiful than a healthy baby. Nutritional health can play a major part in the days leading up to conception. Fertility is affected by stress, nutrition and physical problems. Stress and nutrition can be controlled to a large extent by our food choices. Planning for conception should include attention to pregnancy nutrition diet health. Mens health is just as critical to the procreation of the baby. Eating a balanced diet that provides all the essential nutritional requirements can one day mean the difference to having a baby to call your own.
Healthy Nutrition Diet
HEALTHY NUTRITION DIET
A healthy food is beneficial for each and every person. It is important to take care of your body and if you, you will reap the good benefits. A healthy food does not need to be boring! It should be tasty, balanced too. If you feel bored with a healthy food, you will quickly yield to passion it! The body works like a machine - if you put good and healthy foods in, it will appear and perform better. For that we should take the healthy diet such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, nuts and whole grain products, etc.
Healthy meals are more fun and tasty than unhealthy food. Usually fatty meals are only to satisfaction and enjoyment of a meal and not satisfy our health. When ones you adopt to eat healthy foods, you'll be forced to make hem tasty and variety in all kinds of different ways.
To work best, our body needs vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and liquids. A good vegetable, fruits, grains and proteins keeps our body healthy. Eating this kind of food prevents from the risk of illnesses such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, blood cholesterol. A deficient diet can result in obesity, and anemia. It is possible to have healthy food delivered to your door, either fresh ingredients or prepared meals. It is a bad idea to needed yourself totally of your favorite foods, but the occasional slice of chocolate and cake is good. You don't need to eliminate anything out completely. . You can make good choices and substitute one food choice for another. However, Changes should be made gradually. You can begin by introducing more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet are beneficial. Always keep adopt to go through the labels of the food item about content of added salt, sugar and fat, etc. whatever you purchased from market.
Another main problem that people face is trying to lose weight that they have a dependence on the fatty and unhealthy foods that they are used to eat. They feel that by giving up these foods they are punishing themselves.
Choosing the best healthy food to eat should include many factors. Three important healthy foods to eat factors are the following:
1. Avoid white flour and pizza items it contains large amount of calories, Even though you're getting nutrition from the vegetables, the overall effect support against towards a negative due to the other fat gaining ingredients. Much bread available on the market which are being encourage as a healthy food to eat actually contain high sodium levels. High amount of sodium has a lot of negative possibilities to spoil the health. Also fruit and vegetables that we believe to be a healthy food to eat but it might also contain sodium solution to preserve the product. fresh fruits and vegetables are always good for healthy life.
2. Avoid deep fry, try grilling or baking instead deep fry and try to add high fiber diet. Always take fiber
content and low fat diet: like if have to eat bread go to wheat bread (Brown bread), include more quantity of green and color vegetables and fruits such as carrot, beetroot, orange, apple papaya and guava, especially guava is very good for diabetes and papaya is good for blood cholesterol and heart diseases it melts the fat sediments which mixed in our blood.
Once you have to adopt some time on healthy food diets, you'll find it very hard to go back to your old one. These are just some of the main reasons to get into a healthy food diet, so make that decision today to change your diet and change your lifestyle.
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