June 25th, 2008 | Posted in Diet, Nutrition
Many of us are unaware of the different types of fat and what they do for our bodies. While most people associate the word fat with being overweight, the actual term defines a group of special molecules which are absolutely essential to our health.
Fats are broken up into three families: saturated, mono-unsaturated, and poly-unsaturated. Poly-unsaturated is further broken down to omega 3 and omega 6. Our bodies utilize all of these fats in different places. For instance, poly-unsaturated are typically used by the body parts that have the highest activity, such as the brain and the eyes. So the next question you might ask yourself is what are bad fats and how are they added into our diets?
Basically, unless a fat is whole, natural and unprocessed, it is considered bad. Good fats lose their health benefits when they are damaged by manufacturing companies through the use of heat, light, or oxygen. One example is partial hydrogenation, a process which gives oils longer shelf life. The high heat and chemicals damage the natural molecules and create trans fats which are harmful to the human body. Basically, no amount of trans fat is healthy. And since majority of the foods which we consume today have been processed, we get a lot more unhealthy molecules into our system. If we don’t get enough good fats into our diet, our bodies will eventually use the bad trans fat to maintain itself. This can lead to a many health problems, ranging anywhere from heart disease to cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to eat good fats. Simply make sure that your diet is comprised of many natural, unprocessed and whole foods. By eating the good molecules, you will not only feel better, but you will also be helping your body fight off disease.
Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.
Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, diet pills, and hoodia gordonii.
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June 25th, 2008 | Posted in Nutrition
As summer period is spreading its consequences in our daily lives, many of us trying to lose the flab & keep it off look better. Losing body fat doesn’t have to be as complicated as many people make it. You can live a healthier life. It is really possible to smolder fat and builds muscle at the same time?
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 Carbohydrates Diet
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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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amrendra_Singh
June 24th, 2008 | Posted in Nutrition
Food additives litter the food we buy and there is strong evidence that these food additives can be harmful to our health. This article provides some information that will help you identify and stear clear of harmful food additives.
In 1958 the government passed the Delaney Clause Food Additives Amendment which prohibited companies from adding known harmful chemicals to our food. But in spite of this, there are still dangerous chemicals that are still being added to our food and it is important to understand which chemicals these are and what the potential dangers are.
The only defense we have as consumers is that all packaged food is required to list all the ingredients on the label. It is for us to educate ourselves on the dangerous food additives and scrutinize the labels of the food we buy. The challenge however, is that food companies tend to make finding these suspicious ingredients somewhat tedious, hiding them in hard-to-find areas of the package and making the print extremely small so as to discourage their discovery.
The names of these chemicals themselves can complicate matters. These chemical names are long and foreign-sounding and people typically skip over them because they are tedious to try and read. The food producers are clever. They will intentionally use healthy-sounding phrases to dupe pepople into thinking that the product is free of chemical additives. For instance, “Natural Flavors” or “No Preservatives” are commonly found on packaged food products, but does this mean that the product is free of harmful food additives? Absolutely not. Again, you must check all the ingredients to determine whether a product is completely free of food additives.
Here is a helpful tip that relies on basic common sense. If you are reading the ingredient list and you find it is long and loaded with long words that you are unfamiliar with, guess what? This product almost assuredly has plenty of chemical food additives.
Here is a list of twelve food additives that you should definitely try and avoid. This is not an exhaustive list, however, these food additives have been linked to health concerns and harmful side effects.
Sodium Nitrate or Sodium Nitrite
Found primarily in lunch meat and hot dogs, this is a preservative and color and flavor enhancer and has been linked to cancer.
BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are used as a preservative. You can find them in things like chips, cereals and even chewing gum. They are know to oxidize the cells and cell oxidation is the precursor to cancer.
Propyl Gallate
Also a preservative. There has been evidence that this can be linked to cancer.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is one of the more well-known food additives and is primarily used as a flavor-enhancer. Much of the restaurant food we consume is flavored with MSG. This food additive can cause reactions in some people such as headaches and nausea.
Trans Fats
Trans-fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant food, especially fast food chains, often serves foods laden with trans-fats.
Aspartame
Aspartame is a sweetener and is also known as NutraSweet. The brand of sweetener called Equal is also aspartame. This food additive has been linked to cancer and neurological problems.
Acesulfame-K
A new sweetener used in baked goods and candy, Acesulfame-K has had limited testing and there has been some evidence that it may cause cancer in lab rats.
Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6
Food colorings are basically just a form of paint. They can liven up the walls in your living room but should definitely be avoided in food. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in lab animals. Red 3, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3 has been linked to bladder cancer. Yellow 6 has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.
Olestra
Olestra is a chemical fat that is used in chips and can have a wide array of side effects. Additionally, Olestra can impede the absorption of vitamins from fruits and veggies.
Potassium Bromate
This food additive is found in many breads and products that use flour. It has been linked to cancer in animals.
White Sugar
White sugar is white because of bleach. Eating foods that add a lot of white sugar is very bad for you.
Sodium Chloride
AKA… salt. Most of the commercial foods we eat are loaded with Sodium Chloride. This additive has been proven to cause heart disease.
Joseph Costello is a well-respected health activist and researcher. Joe has reached millions of people through his national radio show as well as through his Balanced Health television show. In 1995 Joe founded Kylea Health, a nutritional solutions company that has helped hundreds of thousands of people reclaim their health. For more information about Joe Costello and Kylea Health visit http://www.kylea.com.
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June 24th, 2008 | Posted in Nutrition
Sometimes it seems like life is just too busy to eat what we should. New health information about foods can get put in the “to-do when I find the time” file and your body misses out on the benefits. Reaping the benefits of some of the latest health trends is fast and easy, though. Here are a few trendy foods to start eating today.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon has been making headlines lately, and for good reason. It can make a huge impact on your health. A study published in the June 2007 edition of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects that ate more than a teaspoon of cinnamon a day lowered their normal elevations of blood sugar.
Many experts agree that adding at least ½ tsp to 1 tsp of cinnamon a day to your diet can speed up the body’s metabolism. It also stabilizes blood sugar levels by stimulating the release of insulin. It also decreases the build-up of plague, which can cause clogs in the heart. Working as an antioxidant, cinnamon can slow cellular damage, destroy free radicals and improve resistance to chronic disease.
Better Meat
Red meat is full of fat and heart damaging properties. A great alternative is white meat. White meat has been in the news for years, so it’s time to get on the boat! Some good choices for white meats are pork, chicken (the breast meat), and fish. These are usually lower in fat and calories than fatty red or dark meats.
My local grocery store sells Laura’s Lean Ground Beef. It comes in 4% fat and 8% fat. That’s awesome. The 4% variety gets me mostly protein and hardly any fat. Your store may have similar varieties.
When shopping for pork, look for cuts with the words “loin” or “round” in their name. These are leaner cuts of meat than the others.
“Eat more fish” is one of the biggest healthy eating newsflashes today. Why? Fish contain a large amount of essential fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega-6, which help with good brain function. Fish can do a lot more than that, though! Fish oils can be used to prevent, treat, and cure angina, arteriosclerosis, congestive heart failure, heart attack, arrhythmias, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke. How does it work? Fish oil contains Omega 3 fatty acids and does a lot for your body including improving the cardiovascular system. Fish are also low in fat.
Açaí Berry
The tropical açaí berry (pronounced ahh-sigh-ee) made headlines when it became touted by Oprah as the new “super food”. This little berry is a powerful, and tasty, little food that should find its way into your diet for a number of reasons.
The purple açaí berry from the Amazonian rain forest has some of the highest levels of antioxidants found in foods. It also contains fatty acids, protein, and fiber. A study by the University of Florida found that, in a cell-culture model, açaí berries caused leukemia cells kill themselves in 86 percent of the tests, so they may be an effective preventive of some forms of cancer.
The fresh form of açaí berries cannot be found outside of the Amazon because the berry becomes rancid very quickly. You can buy açaí berries in a dry powder form that can be added to smoothies, milkshakes, juice, and other types of foods at many health food stores and on the internet.
It’s time to take some of the health information you hear and put it to good use. Start eating these healthy foods today and reap the benefits!
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