Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts

Friday, October 10, 2014

A New Resource For Healthy Living

By Cliff Walsh

I recently began looking for a (much) healthier version of the average American's diet in an effort to avoid foods filled with saturated fat, salt, and a host of other harmful chemical additives. Since the government's food pyramid has been so prevalent in society, I decided to start there. I didn't realize that it had been replaced with MyPlate. After studying both diets, I wasn't satisfied.

Amongst the principal concerns using the pyramid might be the recommendation for all of us to consume 6-11 servings of breads, pastas, together with other grain products each and every single day. Not only is that an excessive volume of grains, there is no reference to whole grain items versus refined grains. Yet another disadvantage would be that the pyramid fails to separate meat, chicken, seafood, and nuts in spite of having entirely distinct nutritional profiles. Chicken commonly has significantly less saturated fat than meat, cold-water seafood, nuts and seeds. moreover, it doesn't separate the healthier fat in seafood and nuts in comparison to the unhealthy fatty foods regularly found in meat. I also think there is an excessive volume of dairy at 2-3 portions every single day. Why do humans need to drink the milk product of some other animal? uppermost section of the pyramid, which contains fats, oils, and sweets also fails to separate essential fats in some oils and undesirable fats in sweets. Additionally, listing fat like it's a food category like meat is confusing.

Following a fair amount of criticism in recent years, the government introduced MyPlate in 2011 to replace the food pyramid. Despite the fact that the MyPlate recommendations suggest more nutrition coming from fruits and vegetables, it needs improvements in a variety of sections. The advice still permits half of grains to come from processing (refined) while the meat section does differentiate processed meat like bacon and sausages from purer forms of meat. Finally, healthy fats are nowhere to be found on the plate and my dairy concerns remain unchanged.

Luckily, I found an approach that is considerably more healthy, aptly named the Healthy Eating Pyramid, researched and designed by Harvard faculty. It uses independent research studies and dietary analysis, without the influence of the food industry lobby, which unfortunately appears to apply to the USDA's efforts. Harvard's pyramid makes several crucial enhancements and distinctions in comparison to the USDA's suggestions. First off, in addition to making distinctions from whole grain items and refined grains, the level of refined grains is significantly lowered. The same thing applies to red meat and processed meat. They are separated from seafood and chicken, and recommended to be eaten infrequently.

Harvard's pyramid also consists of sections on healthy oils, nuts, and seeds, distinguishing between healthy (unsaturated) and unhealthy (saturated) fats. Their research suggests either a lower amount of dairy, compared to the USDA's version, at 1-2 portions each day or supplementation with vitamin D and calcium. A multivitamin and daily exercise are also important pieces to the overall philosophy.

Overall, this appears to be a drastic improvement to the government's nutritional recommendations. It is appears to be unbiased and based on legitimate research. If you're looking for a better way, this could be exactly what you're searching for. Good luck!


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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Reverse Insulin Resistance Using Simple And Precise Guidelines

By Mattie MacDonald

Chronic illnesses form part of the most challenging types of diseases to treat; some being incurable while others can be managed sufficiently using available curative drugs. Diabetes is one such chronic illness and it has multiple causes. Two major causes are stated as resistance to insulin produced while the other is insufficient production of insulin from islet cells of pancreas. Scholars have done much research and have this far proven that it is possible to reverse insulin resistance.

Eating sugar rich food is the primary cause of blood sugar rise. Reversing this phenomenon would then be simple and only require omitting such sugary food in diet. Similarly, individual may decide to take small amounts of carbohydrates if it becomes difficult to eliminate them from diet. It is advisable that diabetic persons take much of food rich in fats and proteins and omit sugar rich meals.

Exercise is yet another effective way of reversing chronic fluctuations in blood sugars. This may be possible in two ways; first is by eliminating excess sugars in the blood. During intense exercise, body cells consume much of available sugars through respiration and therefore there is no overload of the vascular system with carbohydrate. Secondly, intense activity promotes consumption of carbohydrates and therefore reduces production of insulin. Over a period of time, insulin levels begin to stabilize.

It is worthy to note that the above two components are synergistic. Withdrawing sugar rich food from diet and regular exercise concurrently is very efficient in managing this condition. In addition, exercise serves to control autonomic nervous system hence stopping adrenal glands from releasing adrenalin. This hormone adrenalin is responsible for release of triglycerides into the blood stream, an activity which leads to rise of blood sugar.

Adequate sleep and proper stress management is equally significant as a remedy against insulin resistance. A sleep time of up to eight hours a night is just enough. When the body is well rested and not in distress, there is no release of stress related substances which trigger rise in blood sugars.

Better still, it has been proven that nutritional deficiency contributes to this resistance. Most important among the involved food components are vitamin B6, glutamine and chromium. If need be, these components should be supplemented to reduces occurrence of resistance in the population. Other food components and or nutrients include manganese, magnesium and vitamin B group among many more.

Some more useful tips to manage this condition include avoidance of caffeine, alcohol and tobacco smoke. All these mentioned substances lead to increased production of triglycerides and hence high levels of carbohydrates in vascular system.

In summary maintaining good health is essential and all persons should make their responsibility to achieve acceptable standards of health. On a similar note, it is worth noting that people can easily maintain or restore health simply by adjusting their lifestyle. It may sound difficult but worth doing. For instance, a person who is diabetic and also alcoholic must stop drinking alcohol and choose good health. Otherwise, even the use of drugs to control this disease may not bear any fruit.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Paleo Diet: A Clean Approach To Eating

By Cliff Walsh

The Paleo Diet is the newest diet craze out there. It consists of eating whole foods like organic fruit, vegetables, and meat while avoiding grains, beans, and dairy. Is it just a flash in the pan? I don't think so. Once I learned more about the Paleo Diet, I realized I had been eating it for quite some time. It is the healthiest, most rational diet I have ever come across.

The Paleo Diet intends to return its followers to the diet of the hunter/gatherer. This means avoiding grains, legumes, chemical food additives, trans fats, sugar, pesticides, and GMOs. The avoidance of chemicals is self-explanatory, but grains and legumes are not. Most people, whether they feel it or not, have difficulty digesting gluten and it is believed our bodies do not fully absorb the nutrients.

The Paleo Diet eliminates all refined and processed foods due to the chemical additives and often poor nutritional content. It is a whole foods diet. The significant rise in use of processed foods, which are loaded with fat, salt, and sugar, are a huge reason behind the rise in obesity and disease in this country. Eliminating processed foods will have a huge impact on your diet. However, there are other areas to consider as well.

This diet also eliminates grains and beans/legumes. This may be surprising to some people. The reason is that both have what's called phytic acid, which keeps your body from digesting and utilizing all of the nutrients in the food. They, along with dairy, also contain dangerous lectins, which are often responsible for additional digestion issues. While convenient, the human digestive system is not designed for grains and legumes, and is not efficient in using nutrients from these sources.

Dairy is to be avoided, although not all Paleo followers adhere to this. I don't eat dairy, because it is not natural for a human being to drink the milk of another animal, particularly into adulthood. No animal species on earth drinks milk past infancy. If you are going to drink milk, I suggest raw milk or low-pasteurized and non-homogonized varieties, if you can find them.

The main staples in the Paleo diet are organic fruits and vegetables, including sweet potatoes along with wild-caught fish, pasture-raised eggs, and organic meats and poultry. Vegetables are extremely low in calories, so to avoid low energy, I suggest getting a significant amount of your carbohydrate needs from fruit.

Paleo follows can sometimes get into trouble if they restrict carbohydrates. Some people don't like to eat too much fruit because they think it will make them fat (not true) and vegetables are inherently low in calories, so the combination creates a diet filled with protein and fat. This is why some people wrong compare the Paleo Diet to Atkins. If followed properly, these two diets are very different. I suggest eating fruit as your main carbohydrate source and shoot for carbs to make up about 40% of your calories. Protein should be at a similar level if you are looking to lose weight, but you could eat a larger amount of carbs if you aren't. Fats should come from healthy sources and top out at about 20%.

The Paleo Diet is clean and healthy. Many have experienced improvements in health, energy, and weight loss as a result of adopting the Paleo Diet. It is energizing and given the considerable amount of chemicals and dangerous food additives in our food supply, it is worth trying.

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Saturday, September 20, 2014

How Can I Follow The Mediterranean Diet With Olive Oil?

By Katie Onson

If there's one regimen that is worth taking up in the long haul, it has got to be the Mediterranean diet. It is one that promotes the intake of the healthiest products with as little fat as possible to boot. It's a great regimen to take up in the long run but what are some of the ways in which olive oil can come into effect, you may wonder? If you are looking to incorporate products like these as far as the Mediterranean diet is concerned, here are a couple of paths to follow.

For those who are looking to make the most out of the Mediterranean diet, it is worth including the best oils possible. Olive oil is a terrific example of this, as it is one that can not only be replaced with foods like butter in many cases but contains healthful antioxidants. In short, what this means is that the immune system can be given a tremendous boost in the long term. This is just one of the many foods to consider with the Mediterranean diet, though, which authorities the likes of Unaprol can tell you of.

When it comes to the many products that are associated with the Mediterranean diet, you are going to want to talk about nuts. To me, these are tremendous for the purposes of snacking but I feel as though there are qualities to consider in the way of health. Not only do certain nuts contain unsaturated fats but one's level of health can become even greater thanks to the presence of protein. If you are looking to account for all nutrients, you will do yourself a tremendous favor by using nuts.

For those who consume alcohol, you may be happy to know that the Mediterranean diet supports such a product as well. In particular, you are going to want to turn to wine, since this product typically contains antioxidants, not unlike olive oil. In addition, it's been said that the intake of alcohol like this can actually elevate the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body, which is the good type that the body requires. However, you must manage your intake of wine; anything more than a glass could be too much.

These points are only a few that help to make the Mediterranean diet stand out that much more over the course of time. It is one that entails the intake of the healthiest of products, which is a point that cannot be overstated. However, is health the only reason that an individual should take up a particular regimen? I believe that there is a focus on taste as well and, fortunately, the many products associated the Mediterranean diet make certain that this aspect is not lost.

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Diet to Get Rid of Yeast Infections

By Serena Sutter


If you imagine that candida albicans is something which you simply get by direct contact with someone who has it, well then you better think again. There are a variety of possible reasons for candidiasis. Among the possibilities incorporate using oral contraceptive supplements, taking oral steroids, about to get your period, to be a person suffering from diabetes, use of applications just like cleansing soap, douche, care products and solutions, as well as putting on tight, moist, and/or heated clothes. There are many of solutions to take care of the illness. But unknown to some, having the proper diet plan to take care of candida albicans is usually as essential.

Detoxification, that would be the more appropriate phrase when it comes to a candidiasis diet. Yeast infection is really a direct consequence of the overgrowth in some parts of a natural occurring microorganism, or Candidiasis as it is known in the scientific group. There might be a few versions inside the suggested diet but more typically than not at all, with a rigorous adherence for the routine, it is possible to encounter some relief from the contamination around as early as three weeks.

Among the basic essentials within diet plans is usually drinking enough quantities of water. Water is an important part of detoxing. It can help remove toxins from the human body. It's been likewise advised that healthy juices as well as herbal tea be contributed to the liquid consumption. But emphasis is given to ingesting at the least eight glasses of drinking water daily.

It is also important to consume food that's clean. It might be better to avoid processed and also highly oily foods, not simply for the candidiasis but regarding your overall well being too. Do not overcook your food as well. Food items have a tendency to drop a lot of it's actually vitamins and minerals when heat is put on so make sure you grill your meal just right. Steamed and also sauteed would be the ideal baking preparations. Fresh vegetables do not need cooking, simply make it as a kind of salad and you're prepared. Nevertheless, we have to advise that you actually do not eat sweet vegetables such as carrots, corn, taters, onions, and sweet taters.

Consume a lot of garlic. Garlic oil includes anti-bacterial qualities that assist in getting rid of the over growing of yeast. Become substantial in your clean vegetables and also restrict your consumption of various meats. Seafood, ground beef, lamb, poultry as well as eggs are usually fine sparingly. It has been advised an best serving of meat should not be a bigger than 50 percent the magnitude of your own hand. Putting extra to this particular portion could well be too harmful to the digestive body organs.

At times there are more meals that you might want to include in your diet. Having the meals you want won't impact your diet providing you consume them all in moderation as well as in relatively small portions. Yogurt is something that you may include as well as modest meals of brownish rice or perhaps buckwheat.

Regarding condiments, sea salt is actually alright as well as genuine virgin olive oil. In fact, you may be liberal with olive oil. Refreshing ginger can be a good condiment for your yeast issue also. Plus you can easily apply it in many recipes such as salads, tofu, meats recipes, and soups. Not only does it consist of attributes that can help deal with the infection, but it is normally beneficial to the digestive function at the same time.

A good diet to deal with yeast infection is really a needed part of the general remedy for the problem. You must learn to be healthy when it comes to your own hygiene and also the foods you eat.

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