If you look inside my medicine cabinet, you will see why Big Pharma might broke with too many guys like me around. The big pharmaceutical companies have to hate guys like me. Let me explain.
I had to check my medicine cabinet after my older sister recently sent me one of those emails about baby boomers getting older, and the stuff they supposedly are all taking as they age, or need to take. While I enjoyed the humor, I said to myself, I do not take any of these things. None. Was that true, I asked myself.
To see, I checked my medicine cabinet and the drawers in my bathroom. I was right. There was not one prescription medicine or anything like that, nothing.
I am not bragging; that is simply the truth. I take no prescription drugs. No blood pressure or cholesterol medicine. My medicine cabinet contains no drugs of any kind, prescription, over the counter, off the Net, anything.
No laxatives. No Joint Juice or other such creaky bone medicines, and I am of the age where supposedly people need these. Speaking of which, no Viagra or other erection pills. Again, I am not bragging but I have never had the slightest need for these products. I am old, yet I am lusty, as Shakespeare says in Richard III.
I do not even have aspirin. What do I have? Really boring stuff. Band-aids. Contact lens solution. A skin moisturizer. Dental floss. Toothpaste. Anti-bacterial ointment for cuts. Deodorant.
Like I say, boring stuff, but no medicines, prescription drugs or any other kind of drug or medicinal potions, not even headache remedies of any kind. I do not get headaches, and rarely have aches or pains.
As I write this in April, I sailed healthfully through the past flu season, which I read was a nasty one, without the flu and without a flu shot. I did not catch a cold this past cold season and I rarely do any time. I cannot remember the last time I was sick. But I know it was not for long.
I do remember the last time I went to the doctor. It was an emergency trip to the hospital for an appendectomy, more than 22 years ago.
If you ask to what do I attribute my spectacular health, the answer is easy: my balanced, plant-based diet of whole, fresh, natural foods and lots of great, fun outdoor exercise. My main beverage is pure, filtered water. I eat no junk food, fast food or any kind of refined food. Just whole, natural foods, nothing taken away, nothing added. Foods as grown.
I adhere to a strict code of conduct in the area of eating. Only premium fuels go into my body. And I love real food, nutrient-dense, delicious, colorful, natural foods.
Not only is my diet and exercise program great for fat loss and fitness, but for overall spectacular health. I honestly believe that the most important thing we do every day is what we eat and drink. And great outdoor exercise is just as important.
What I do not eat, drink or take is just as important to my program. I do not eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy products of any kind, or eggs. I do not eat fast food or processed, refined, packaged foods. I eat whole, natural foods, nothing added, nothing taken away.
I do not drink protein shakes or energy drinks. No coffee, caffeine drinks or alcohol. Those caffeine drinks, by the way, include all the phony energy drinks that are laced with caffeine. And on my list of beverages I never drink are sodas, including diet sodas, ice tea drinks, ice coffee drinks, and booster beverages like Ensure and Boost.
I do not take fat blaster pills of any kind, or vitamins or supplements. I believe it is important for those who do not eat animals or animal products to make sure they get adequate amounts of vitamin B-12. I get mine from eating nutritional yeast, which is different from brewers yeast. I have developed a fondness for nutritional yeast and enjoy it in a number of different dishes. Vitamin B-12 is also available in foods fortified with it and in supplement form.
I recently took a fitness test given by the American College of Sports Medicine and scored the highest possible score for 20 to 29-year-olds.
If you want what I have, whatever age you are, and I am 60, try following my example. I firmly believe you will like the results, for many spectacularly healthy reasons.
Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition’
Peek In My Medicine Cabinet for Fat Loss and Spectacular Health
January 22nd, 2010Weight Loss Foods – Worth the Weight
January 21st, 2010Our weight weighs heavily on our minds, and it should. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese says the American Obesity Association. That means two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that obesity is responsible for more than 325,000 deaths annually…that’s more than 100 9/11’s every year. The National Institutes of Health estimates obesity costs this country between $75 and $125 billion every year. Obesity is the number one risk factor for many chronic diseases-heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis to name a few.
Americans are not overweight for lack of interest or effort. Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry, so Americans are certainly trying. With as much money as we spend on weight loss, why is the United States the most obese nation on Earth?
I wish there was a simple program or public policy that we could implement that would wipe out our weight problems; however, because everyone has their own unique body chemistry, the only way to really impact weight (and other chronic health issues) is for an individual to know:
* about his/her own body;
* what causes his/her body to become imbalanced; and
* what he/she can do to re-balance their body.
Here are the factors that I believe are key to helping you reduce or eliminate your weight problems:
1. Poor food choices – whether you know it or not, our food supply has degraded massively over the last 50 years or so. While we have supermarkets and restaurants that are filled with food, the quality of that food has plummeted. I’m talking about the amount of food processing and the increasing use of additives, preservatives, sweeteners and colorings.
Tips:
* Start reading food labels and understanding ingredients. A simple internet search on an ingredient can tell you if you should be ingesting it or not.
* Avoid foods that are irradiated, as lots of produce these days is exposed to a small amount of radiation to give it a longer shelf life. Avoid foods containing colorings, preservatives and excessive sugars like high fructose corn syrup.
* Avoid or eliminate foods that are highly processed like breakfast cereals, potato and corn chips (and the like), processed meats (processed deli meats, hot dogs and “pressed” meat like chicken “nuggets” and meat “patties”).
* Eliminate all microwaved food and beverages. Microwave ovens may be deemed safe to stand in front of and watch the food turn, but what it’s turning into is no longer food (read my book for more information on microwaves and how they damage the nutrients in your food). You may want to ask your waiter/waitress if any part of the meal you are ordering will be microwaved; if it is, make another selection!
2. Portion control – as a society, we live by the rule that more is better. We often gauge a restaurant by the size of the portions they offer. Need I mention the “all you can eat” buffets? Did you know that a large soda now at most fast food restaurants is a full quart (32 oz.)? Even worse, many of the soda fountains at convenience stores have the 64 oz. soda cups; for those of you who are counting, that’s a half-gallon of soda full of sugars that will spike blood sugar and imbalance your body chemistry! The Bio-Logikal Diet recommends whole, natural, unprocessed foods.
Knowing how much fuel you need (caloric requirement) is critical. The number of calories a person needs is determined by the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This number is the number of calories one would need to consume in a day to maintain his/her current body weight. Caloric need, activity/exercise level and individual health goals (i.e. weight loss) are all considered as part of The Bio-Logikal Diet.
3. Metabolism – Just as there are different kinds of gasoline, so too are there different types of fuels (foods) for the body, and everyone requires a unique blend. Fast metabolizers need to eat foods that burn more slowly (fats, meats and complex starches) while slow metabolizers must have foods that burn faster (fruits, grains and simple starches). Almost all metabolizers need a reasonable amount of vegetables in their diet. Most people have a good metabolism, but they do not know their metabolic type. When we do not eat for our metabolic type our metabolism is stunted, causing weight gain, fatigue and other symptoms. The Bio-Logikal Diet includes a metabolic type component that can be determined through the Body Terrain Test.
4. Food compatibility – Learning what foods are compatible with your body chemistry can be invaluable in managing your weight. Foods that are incompatible may cause fatigue, gas, bloating, weight gain, premature aging and can even promote disease. The link between blood type (red blood cells) and diet provides a terrific way to get started with eating foods that are most compatible with your body. That’s right, your blood type can partly determine what foods are most compatible for you. Another factor to consider would be food allergy and intolerance testing to fine tune the blood type list for you. The Bio-Logikal Diet includes a complete blood type food list.
5. Exercise and activity – The amount of movement you perform greatly affects your weight. Even walking, the simplest of exercises (see last post- January 4th, 2007) can have a tremendous impact on our health and weight by 1) improving food cravings; 2) burning more calories and stoking the fire of metabolism; and 3) increasing circulation of the body’s fluids.
By exercising on a regular basis (at least 3 times per week), you will normalize the overall number of food cravings you will have. Even more importantly, exercise also reduces cravings for the wrong types of foods (sweets, simple carbs, junk foods, etc).
Everyone should learn what their unique body chemistry requires in order to better fuel the engine that drives them. By learning what areas we are experiencing imbalances in, we can begin down the road of better health through more appropriate choices and a greater understanding of our own bodies.
In Health!,
Dr. Brett SaksDrSaks.com
Probiotika All in 1000 – probiotischen Joghurt selber machen
Bad Habits Can Affect Your Overall Health
January 20th, 2010Bad habits can often have adverse effects on your health. They can make you feel unwell and cause long-term affects on your physical condition. If you want to live a long and healthy life, there may be some bad habits you need to overcome.
Many of the bad habits that make you feel poorly are related to diet and nutrition. A growing number of people in the US are becoming obese. This is mainly due to the fact that they have developed the bad habit of overeating, as well as eating to much “junk” food.
This can lead to numerous health problems and diseases. Heart disease, diabetes, bone and joint distress, and many other physical conditions can result. Even some forms of cancer occur more often in obese people. Moreover, very obese people are often bedridden and cannot care for themselves.
Some people do not have the habit of overeating. They just eat the wrong things when they do eat. They may eat fast foods at every meal. This can literally make you sick and cause weight gain as well. The high quantities of fats, sugars, and starches in fast foods make them very unhealthy.
Other foods can be bad habits as well. Fried foods cause health problems such as raising cholesterol and clogging arteries. Foods that are low in fiber lack a substance the body needs to function well. It is a bad habit to avoid high fiber foods. Foods high in sugar are bad habits, if not addictions. They affect the metabolism in drastic ways, causing an imbalance in energy and insulin, which can lead to diabetic conditions.
People have trouble knowing what kinds of electrolytes they need. Some people have bad habits when it comes to salt. They will salt all the food on their plate as soon as they sit down, without even tasting it first. Too much salt can lead to hypertension and even high blood pressure.
Even if you eat right, you will be weak if you do not exercise. Living a inactive lifestyle is a bad habit. You may not have much choice about how much movement is allowed at your job. That does not mean that you cannot get out and get your heart beating before or after work.
In fact, if you do not have time to exercise outside of work, you probably have another bad habit in the health area. Overworking is a cause for several illnesses. High blood pressure, heart disease, and others can plague you if you do not stop and take time to relax at home.
A discussion of bad health habits would not be complete without reference to smoking, drinking, and drugs. Each of these has dire health risks that are known by most people. If you smoke, you might get lung cancer. You might also get COPD, another breathing disorder. If you drink, you might have liver failure. Drugs can do all kinds of damage, including damage to your brain and heart.
Others care about your health, as you should care, too. It may be difficult, but kicking your bad habits and making yourself healthy again is a worthy goal to aspire to. Why not start today?
Your Energy Bar or Protein Bar May Actually be Junk Food Cleverly Disguised
January 16th, 2010
You see them all over the place these days… nutrition bars that claim to be healthy and good for weight loss or muscle building, but when you read the label, you see an endless list of chemicals, sugars, processed trans fats, and other harmful overly processed ingredients.
There are so many types of “health bars” and “protein bars” on the market today, how do you know if you are actually getting something healthy or just junk food in disguise?
Again, just as I’ve talked about grocery store food choices, you really need to know how to read labels if you’re going to stand a chance at finding a truly healthy food bar.
To be quite honest, most of the bars out there are pure junk… candy bars disguised through labeling as a health food bar.
Just a couple weeks ago, I was going on a bike ride with a friend and needed a quick bar to make sure I had enough energy for the bike ride.
Well, I didn’t have any bars on me, so my friend gave me an extra slim fast bar he had.
Keep in mind that these slim fast bars are marketed as health foods for losing weight.
These things are just a flat out joke…there’s nothing even remotely nutritional about them. In my opinion, these slim fast bars are WORSE for you than candy bars!
The first ingredient in this bar that my friend gave me was corn syrup! Then the second ingredient was sugar (hooray more sugar!), followed by hydrogenated oils (source of deadly trans fats). After that, the list went on with nothing but junk such as artificial flavors, colors, evil artificial sweeteners, more hydrogenated refined oils, and rounded out with some highly processed soy protein isolate (which despite popular belief, processed soy is NOT healthy for you… I’ll talk in detail about that in a future article) just to give your body some more junk.
So not only are these “weight loss” bars a disaster nutritionally for you, but the bar tasted absolutely horrible! It tasted like chemicals and was way too overly sweetened (not a surprise with all of the sugar, corn syrup, sugar alcohols, AND artificial sweeteners). This is a prime example of “over-engineering” of food.
So how do you determine a healthy protein bar or energy bar?
I look for simplicity in a good bar. Many of the healthiest and tastiest bars I’ve found have only a couple basic ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and fruit. I also look for organic ingredients and raw ingredients if possible.
A couple of my favorite truly healthy bars:
1. Organic Food Bars – This is actually the brand name.
Depending on which flavor, these are usually a base of organic almond butter (or cashew butter) with a certain type of fruit, organic seeds, organic biosprouts (quinoa, etc), and some organic rice protein. Some flavors include an organic dark chocolate as well. They also have a line of bars that use exclusively raw ingredients.
Not only are these bars extremely nutritious, but I think they are delicious as well and have a lot of flavors to choose from such as chocolate chip, blueberry, cranberry, high protein, and more.
You won’t find these bars at your local grocery store, but I have found them at several health food stores.
2. Larabars – These are even simpler in ingredients than organic food bars. Usually larabars are just 2 or 3 ingredients, and mostly raw… a blend of crushed nuts along with a type of fruit is the usual combination, but they have a lot of different flavors so it can vary.
These are also delicious and you will NEVER see a list of chemicals a mile long in their ingredient list… usually just nuts and fruit, and that’s it! Simple IS better. This is a very high quality bar. Again, you probably won’t find these at your local grocery store, but I’ve found these at various health food markets.
When you actually find truly healthy bars like these examples above, they make great quick snacks while you are traveling or while you are at work.
I carry some on me almost at all times, just to make sure I have healthy options to eat whenever I need a quick snack, so that I am not tempted by fast food joints or junk food vending machines. Good luck and be sure to read those labels to make sure you’re getting a health food bar and not a candy bar in disguise. See below for 5 unique tips to help you lose your stubborn belly fat.
Rocket French or Bust
Top 10 Health Tips For Easy Weight Loss
January 16th, 2010At any given moment, millions of people in this country are on a diet. From Weight Watchers to the South Beach Diet to the newest diet pill, folks are trying anything and everything in an effort to write their own weight loss success story. Unfortunately for those seeking fast weight loss, the vast majority of weight loss programs on the market today simply do not work.
Diet plans and diet products that offer quick weight loss without exercise are especially prone to failure. “In fact, nearly 95 percent of those who go on low calorie diets regain their lost weight, plus some, within five years. Not a resounding endorsement for low calorie dieting” (Source: Performance Press; April 2006).
That’s not to say that all the weight loss tips and diet tips are without merit, however. Tips on losing weight can have a powerful effect when they’re combined with regular exercise. That’s why we’ve created this list of the top 10 health tips for easy weight loss.
Is weight loss easy? Not usually, and the reason is that most people try to make huge changes all at once. Pumped up with commitment and willpower, they jump into the latest weight loss product or diet program with both feet. They make too many changes in too short a time period. Drastic lifestyle modifications are rarely sustainable, and all too often lead to failure. If you’ve been living on junk food for years, trying to switch to a healthy diet overnight will only make you feel frustrated and deprived.
A much better approach is to make small changes that you can stick with for life. So check out the sound advice you’ll find in our top ten list, and you’ll get the weight loss information you need for success.
** 1) Our first bit of health advice is to skip the super size option. In this tip we’ve assumed that you visit McDonald’s once per week. That may a low average for some of you, so keep in mind that if you’re eating fast food more than once per week the results you’ll achieve by following this tip will be even greater than the example shows. We’re not asking you to give up fast food completely (small, sustainable changes, remember?). Instead, we’re asking you to say no to the SuperSize portion. Just by ordering a ‘regular’ McDonald’s meal instead of the SuperSize option, you will lose almost 6 pounds of fat this year! Want even more good news? This example only factors in the french fries. Add in the calorie savings you’ll get by drinking a regular soda vs. a SuperSize soda and the results are truly amazing.
** 2) The second recommendation in this fitness advice guide is to eat 5 – 6 smaller meals per day. “Eating small meals causes a lower blood sugar response than large meals. A high blood sugar response provides you with quick energy, but it is associated with a large insulin release that tends to cause a blood sugar ‘crash’ soon thereafter. Many small meals taken throughout the day will normalize blood sugar and insulin levels, providing a sustained and consistent energy supply to the cells. A meal every three hours or so is recommended.” (source: Fitness, The Complete Guide; 2001; page 8.4)
A note of caution here, however: This health tip does not mean that you eat 6 big meals per day. Instead, you should take the amount of food you’d normally consume and spread it out over six meals instead of the usual three. For someone on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, that would translate into 333 calories per meal x 6 meals.
** 3) The next tidbit of expert advice is to know the numbers. Everyone on a weight loss plan should know, at a minimum, how many calories they should be consuming every day. This number is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), also commonly referred to as the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or simply the Burn Rate. Although your doctor can help you calculate your BMR most accurately, there are some resources that can assist you in estimating your number.
Your BMR is your ‘calorie target’, assuming that you wish to maintain your current size and weight. For the best fat loss results, cut calorie consumption moderately…..say, 500 below your caloric target.
If you’re seeking fat loss, then it’s important to also understand that body fat percentage is one of the most important measurements of fitness. All the medical advice agrees that reaching your ideal body weight is best achieved through permanent fat loss (as opposed to muscle loss). With this in mind, this health tip for easy weight loss is to know your BMR and your body fat percentage, along with the corresponding goals.
** 4) It’s good advice to know the difference between cheat food and junk food. Cheat foods are those foods that don’t belong in your everyday diet, but still have some redeeming qualities. Junk foods are those foods that don’t belong in your diet at all, ever.
This tip is really a critical one: Understand the difference between ‘cheat’ foods and ‘junk’ foods. Cheat foods have some nutritional value, so although we shouldn’t eat them every day it’s not the end of the world if we enjoy them from time to time. Junk foods, on the other hand, give us absolutely no benefit whatsoever. Again, we want you to make small changes that you can stick with for life. You don’t have to give up the occasional ‘cheat food’ treat – just try to eliminate all the ‘junk food’.
For example, compare a slice of Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza with a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Neither are what you’d consider healthy, and both have roughly the same number of calories. But with the pizza, at least you’re getting some nutritional value because that delicious slice contains 11 grams of protein compared to just 3 grams in the candy bar. Cheat foods are not health foods, but at least they’re not junk foods. Choose wisely.
** 5) When you’re trying to lose weight fast, some sound advice is to chart your progress. What gets measured gets done, so charting your fat loss progress is a simple step that will help you get motivated and stay motivated. Create a chart for each challenge you face, whether it be working out or dietary habits. The important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to chart your progress – what works for you may not work for anyone else. So come up with your own system, create a tracking chart, and post it where you will see it several times each day.
** 6) Do not decrease your caloric intake far below what is required of your BMR, or you risk forcing your body into starvation mode. “Do not under-eat by too much. If you consistently eat way too little, your body will start to think it’s in a starvation state and for the initial period, weight loss and fat loss may become harder than anticipated. After a while of severe underfeeding, instead of preferentially burning fat for energy, your hard-earned muscle will be burned for energy” (source: Fitness Rx; February 2004; page 93). So if healthy weight loss is your goal, and you only want to burn fat while you preserve your valuable muscle, then take great care to not starve yourself.
** 7) Don’t shop when you’re hungry. Shopping when you’re hungry is asking for double-trouble, and eliminating this bad habit will help you lose fat by removing temptation from your home. Shopping while full greatly reduces your chances of impulsively buying sweets and treats. This allows you to shop with your brain and not your stomach. Skipping all the extra fattening foods will make one thing fatter, however…..your wallet.
** 
Take (at least) 20 minutes to eat. Once you start eating, it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that you’re full. The problem is, many of us eat so quickly that by the time our stomach has had the chance to send that message we’ve already put down more calories than we needed.
Here are a few ways to solve this problem:
a) Drink a large (8 or 12 oz.) glass of water 20 minutes before each meal.
b) Physically put your fork down between each bite.
c) Enjoy your family. Have a discussion that stretches out the length of the meal.
d) Serve the meal in courses, starting with a large salad.
** 9) Have a treat once a week. If you deprive yourself of all treats, then you’re just setting yourself up for failure. “Being too stringent on a diet can beget a downfall. To prevent this, once a week, for one meal, have your favorite foods” (source: Fitness Rx; February 2004; page 96).
One of the major reasons people fail in their fat loss efforts is that they adopt the all-or-none mentality. When the attempts to stay away from all treats fail, it’s easy to think ‘Oh well, I’ve already blown my diet. Might as well eat another slice’. Planning a weekly treat will help curb those cravings, making a binge less likely.
** 10) Be inefficient. Make extra work for yourself. Take two trips to bring in all the groceries from the car, even if you can do it in one. When running errands, park as far away from each business as possible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, even if you’re carrying something. In short, be inefficient. “Being inefficient in this way can easily double your activity level and you’ll be burning calories without even trying” (source: Fitness Rx; February 2004; page 96).
Remember that walking burns about 108 calories in 30 minutes. Small walks count too. Even if you don’t have time to walk 30 minutes in one session each day, shorter walks that add up to 30 minutes will still burn that same 108 calories.
If you’re looking for the best weight loss program available, give these health tips a try. With a little effort, you may just put that weight issue to rest once and for all.
Poor Nutrition Equals Poor Health
January 11th, 2010Nearly 30% of Americans are now considered obese. This statistic is downright startling! Not only is this trend affecting adults, but it is setting a tone and creating an example for our children. Our busy work lives, money problems, stress and anxiety, combined with the ease and price of obtaining processed or fast foods, all lead to people becoming heavier and unhealthier. We lack time, knowledge and a desire more often than not, to plan ahead, prepare our foods or make good choices.
If that wasn’t enough, the amount of conflicting data and opinions that float around make it even more difficult for us to know what is true and what is false, what we should eat and what we shouldn’t. Each day, reports on new studies arise that debunk a previous study done on a food that was supposed to be a healthy choice. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to keep up with the latest scientific news, and as a result, we take the easy route, give up and turn to easy to prepare, but unhealthy meal choices or the ever popular, fast food.
It’s up to each and every one of us to look after our health. If you’re healthy, you have far more energy to spend with family and friends. You can pursue your interests, take a class, go skydiving, camping, hiking or join a sports team. Your life will be fuller, you will be setting a better example, and the time spent on learning about health and exercising, is paid back tenfold over the long term as you live longer and spend more time with your friends and family.
Possible Health Issues
As you age, weight issues become more and more of a problem. Child obesity rates are soaring, and an unhealthy child usually leads to an unhealthy adult. There are a myriad of health problems that you can fall prey to if you’re overweight. Below are just a few of them.
What Can I do about it?
As you can see from the list above, many of the health risks can be debilitating, and can put your life at serious risk. There are a number of things you can do to prevent this from happening to you.
Knowledge is power. Learning about the types of foods that are good for you is crucial if you want to lose weight. A nutrition coach is your best bet, since it’s their job to be aware of what foods are best, and how they affect your body and teach you what you need to know.
Meal planning and tracking are a great way to ensure proper weight management and progress. Your daily diet is the very first thing you should look at if you want to control weight issues. Included in your daily diet assessment is meal timing. Far too often, people believe that proper nutrition is solely the types of foods you eat. Unfortunately, it is not that simple, as there is far more that goes into it but, good nutrition coaching can make the process more manageable. Programs such as those offered by eFitness for Life do just this. We have one goal, help as many people as possible get in shape and learn about proper nutrition, including supplementation and vitamin and mineral intake.
The first step to weight management is recognizing the issue and seeking help. Many people feel embarrassed by their weight, and instead of asking for help, they continue down the same path, which inevitably leads to a lower quality of life, health problems and shorter life spans. By combining proper nutrition, healthy supplementation and exercise, you can control weight issues, lose fat and gain muscle. It is possible, and eFitness for Life would love the opportunity to help you. Together we can make a difference.
By now, everyone should know the importance of physical fitness and fitness training programs, but not very many of us recognize the true value of healthy meal plans as well. Irrelevant of the types of fitness training you use, be sure you have a balanced healthy diet to go with it.
For those that need a little extra assistance, direction or motivation, visit eFitness for Life now and see how our fitness training plans and weekly diet meal plans can help you make the most of your investment, in the shortest possible time, with the greatest return. Our goal is to teach you the values of physical fitness and how to create healthy meal plans for a lifetime! All done online! All done with certified coaches! Truly, the Future of Fitness! Stop by today and we will be happy to build your starter programs to ensure you learn to live longer, healthier lives.
Learn the benfit of physical fitness and a balanced healthy diet NOW! Get started and provide you and your family with a healthy lifestyle! Risk-Free Trial, take advantage today!
Visit our new blog at http://www.healthandwealthforlife.net. Tell us what you think.
hotfix rhinestones
Health & Nutrition
January 11th, 2010
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
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Do You Want to Know the Shocking Truth About What is Happening to our Healthy Food Supply?
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Kicking the Habit â Putting an End to Fast Food and Snacks in Your Diet
January 5th, 2010Itâs always easy to gain weight and damned hard to lose it. Eating is one of the true pleasures in life and refraining from food has huge physical and psychological implications that cannot be easily discarded. Nobody likes to have to give up a pleasure, which is why many people drift farther and farther into fat without doing anything to stop the process. Moreover, recent data showed that the body does not respond to diets as doctors thought it should. The body has to adapt to changes and diets are seen as lean periods that should be offset by making fat harder to burn. While the body is certainly the most complex instrument we posses in our lives, it cannot discern between actual lean times and diets. Another problem for the body is the widespread use of fast food, snacks and soft drinks. Fast food is highly powered food that fools the stomach into calling for more, despite the fact that one giant burger is the caloric equivalent of an entire meal. The giant burger is not usually enough to fill the stomach of an adult person, so most people eat more than one and wash it down with soft drinks that are little more than sugared water. This is an unfortunate way of eating, since the body gets far more than it needs from burgers and soft drinks. The largely sedentary lifestyles led by most urban residents mean that the excess calories will certainly be stored as fat. Snacks are another threat to a healthy life by bringing in too much calories and by being too readily available when hunger strikes. The correct option for between meals snacks is to buy fruit. Sure, it may not taste as good, especially if one is used to chips or other types of snacks, but one or two bananas or some apples are far better for oneâs health. A very important point is to remember that habits can be kicked just as easily as they take root. By ignoring the temptation of chips you will gradually lose interest in them and get used to fruit. Once chips are no longer a staple of your diet, you will find yourself wondering what was so good about them anyway.
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How Nutritious Are Fast Foods?
January 1st, 2010However much we might protest to the contrary, the fact remains that for most of us, fast foods are very much our staple diet. They’re convenient. They’re practical. They’re easy. And they’re there, wherever we want them to be. It means we don’t have to sit around thinking of what to cook, getting all the stuff and actually cooking it. It means we have a great big choice of all that wonderful food out there waiting to be eaten. At home, at work, at play, fast foods have very quickly taken the place of home-cooked meals.
Never mind about all the convenience and the ease. How nutritious are they? There may be many who say, who cares? After all, if you sat around cooking at home, you might never have a decent meal ready in your fast-paced life. And it might just be better eating fast foods than going without, wouldn’t it? It would be a good idea to take a look at how nutritious fast foods are, whether there are fast foods that could be good for you and how important it is for you to get nutrition in your meals.
The reason that fast foods have been in the public eye in the recent past is because of the number of overweight children we have in the country today. Children these days seem to feel a home-cooked meal is more a punishment than a treat. So it’s off to order a pizza or a Big Mac. That has, unfortunately became their daily bread. Once in a while is fine – let them enjoy their food from out. But everyday is a worrying trend and could just lead them down the path to obesity.
The thing is that fast food too can be all right for you if you eat sensibly. For example, order a regular-sized burger instead of a large one. Order a small portion of fries, or, if you can help it, leave it out. That goes for the soda too. So you can make fast food turn into a healthy meal just by cutting down. Maybe not as healthy as home-cooked meals, but healthier than the large burger-large fries-large soda option.
Or you could try salads and low calorie fast foods. There are so many options today. Take a look at what you get in the healthier menus. The thing to remember is to eat healthier food and to eat less of everything. The choice of food and the choice of servings make a big difference. Of course, the best option would be to cook tasty and appetizing food at home. Try and vary the menu. Make your own burgers and pizzas and don’t put on so much meat or cheese on it. Try and serve the food up better so it looks good. A little bit of effort and you’ll find that it shows on your kids and you as far as health goes.
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