Food Myths, True or False ?

Is 'low fat' always a good thing?
Is a cooked breakfast always unhealthy?
There are lots of myths and old wives' tales about food.
Check out the following popular beliefs and challenge your assumptions.

The experts are always changing their minds about what healthy eating really is

False - It might seem as though nutrition experts regularly change their minds and don't agree with each other. But, in fact, the main messages about healthy eating have stayed the same for some time.

For example, the message to reduce the amount of fat we eat has been the same for more than 15 years, and we were being told about the importance of fruit and veg as long ago as the Second World War. Then the advice was to 'dig for victory' and grow our own.

When we do hear contradictory messages about healthy eating, this is often because new scientific findings tend to be reported in the media before they have been fully researched, and without the findings being put into context

Choosing healthy food to eat is very limiting and it's boring too

False - It's true that we shouldn't eat too much of certain foods, or eat them too often, such as those high in fat or sugar, but there are lots of interesting foods we should be eating more of, such as oily fish and fruit and veg.

And eating healthily doesn't mean cutting out all your favourite foods, it's just about getting the balance right.

If you add a bit of variety by changing what you usually eat, you'll also get lots of opportunity to experiment. Remember, healthy eating can be tasty, exciting and exotic.

Healthier foods are always far more expensive than other foods

False - Although it's true that some healthier ingredients can be more expensive, often you only need to use them in very small amounts. And sometimes choosing the healthier alternative can actually save you money.

You can make meat go further by cooking it in casseroles or stir-fries with cheaper ingredients such as beans, pulses or seasonal veg. Basing your meals on starchy foods such as rice, pasta or bread is not only a good idea for a healthy balanced diet, but these foods are also good value and can make a meal go further.

A good way to save money is to cook batches of dishes such as chilli, curry or stew, and freeze them in handy portion sizes. When you cook a batch or save leftovers, it's important to cool the food quickly (in one to two hours), then freeze it in sealed containers. And always make sure you reheat food until it's steaming hot all the way through.

Having a traditional cooked breakfast in the morning can be a healthy choice

True - If you grill lean bacon, poach the eggs and include baked beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms cooked without fat, and serve it all up with thick crusty bread, you'll have yourself a delicious cooked breakfast that is also healthy and balanced.

If the label says 'low fat' or 'reduced fat' then the product will always be a healthy choice

False - To claim that a product is 'reduced fat' the amount of fat must be at least 30% lower than standard products. But these types of foods tend to be high in fat and energy in the first place, so the 'reduced fat' version can still have quite high amounts of both.

Foods labelled 'low fat' or 'reduced fat' aren't necessarily low in energy. The fat is replaced by other ingredients, so the product can end up with the same or an even higher energy (calorie) content.

Also, if you're tempted to use more of a reduced-fat product than you would of the full-fat version, you might end up having the same, or even more, fat and energy.

If you want to have the healthier option it's best to choose a vegetarian dish

False - Some vegetarian dishes contain a lot of fat, especially if they're made with lots of cheese, oil, pastry or creamy sauces, or if they've been fried. So they aren't necessarily a healthy option.

In fact, red meat can be low in fat if it's lean and all the visible fat has been removed. Other low-fat options are chicken without the skin, and fish, if they've been cooked without too much fat.

But it's always a good idea to have some vegetables with your meal because we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Vegetable suet is much better for you than beef suet

False - Vegetable suet is suitable for vegetarians but it's just as high in fat as beef suet, and contains as much saturated fat. The same is true for cheese.

Vegetarian cheese is suitable for vegetarians because it doesn't use animal-based rennet (it's still made from milk) but this doesn't affect its fat content.

Margarine contains less fat than butter

False - Butter and margarine contain different types of fat, but both contain a similar amount of fat. So whichever one you choose, remember to use it sparingly.

Red meat is always very high in fat and poultry is always low in fat

False - Removing visible fat can make a big difference to the fat content of meat. In fact, lean red meat is quite low in fat at 4-8g per 100g.

When the lean and fat components of meat are blended together in mince or meat products, this can make the fat content much higher. Meat products, whether they've been made from red meat or poultry, can also be high in fat because of the other high fat ingredients they contain, such as the pastry in a meat pie or pasty.

Skinned poultry meat only contains about 1-3g fat per 100g, and white meat contains less fat than darker meat. But if the skin and fatty deposits beneath it aren't removed, the fat content will be much higher.

So try to go for leaner cuts, always remove the visible fat, and remove the skin from poultry

Sweets are a good source of vitamins

False - Sweets contain high amounts of sugar and are not a good source of vitamins and minerals. Eating sweets regularly between meals will lead to tooth decay. For snacks that are rich in vitamins and minerals, eat a variety of fruit (fresh or dried) instead.

Drinking ice-cold water uses up more calories and helps you lose weight

False - Drinking water that is ice cold doesn't use up any more calories than drinking water at room temperature. If you do want to lose weight, it's important not to go on a 'crash diet'. Losing weight takes time.

The most effective way to lose weight - and keep it off - is by changing your lifestyle for good. You need to eat a healthy balanced diet, which means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, basing your meals on starchy foods, cutting down on foods high in sugar or fat, and by being more physically active.

If a child refuses to eat fruit or veg, then it's best not to serve them again

False - It's better to show children a new food a few times before you give it to them to try. Offer new food to children as often as possible. If they refuse the food, wait a few days then try again. Fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried or a daily glass of juice) are an important part of a healthy balanced diet for both children and adults.

If a child seems reluctant to eat certain fruit and vegetables, try different types instead, or mix them with foods they already like such as yoghurt, rice or mashed potato. You could also encourage children to help prepare new foods - research suggests they will be more likely to try them. Try not to get into confrontations about food because this will make matters worse. Instead, try to offer your child a variety of foods.

Dried fruit is not as healthy as fresh fruit

False - As part of a healthy balanced diet we are recommended to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day, whether they are fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced (but fruit juice only counts as a maximum of one portion a day). Dried fruit such as currants, sultanas, raisins, dates and figs provide energy in the form of sugar and are a good source of fibre. They also contain other vitamins and minerals, but not vitamin C, which is found in fresh fruit. A portion of dried fruit is one heaped tablespoon. This is less than a portion of fresh fruit because it's based on the equivalent weight of fresh fruit.

It's OK to skip breakfast

False - Breakfast is a very important meal. When we're sleeping, we are also 'fasting' for an average of about eight hours, so it's essential to 'break' this fast. Although people who skip breakfast catch up on their energy requirements later in the day, they're unlikely to get all the vitamins and minerals that a simple breakfast can provide. And, if we've missed breakfast, this tends to make us snack by mid-morning on foods that are high in sugar or fat.

Sprinkling lemon juice on the fat on meat dissolves it

False - Lemon juice, although a good source of vitamin C, won't dissolve the fat in fatty foods. The best way to get rid of the fat on meat is to cut it off or choose leaner cuts.

Avocados aren't a healthy choice

False - Avocados contain monounsaturated fat, which has a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels. As part of a healthy diet it's important to reduce the amount of saturated fat we eat and replace it with unsaturated fat, as well as reducing the total amount of fat we eat. This means avocados are a healthy choice. Half an avocado also counts as one of the five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables we should be eating each day. However, avocados do contain fat and eating too much of any food containing fat can lead to weight gain if the energy isn't used up through physical activity.

Most of the salt in our diet is added at the table

False - 75% of the salt in our diet comes from processed foods. Just 10 to 15% comes from the salt we add when we're cooking or at the table.

On average we're eating about 8.6g of salt a day. But we should try to cut this down to no more than 6g of salt a day for adults.

Fruit juice can be harmful to teeth

True - The sugars found naturally in whole fruit are less likely to cause tooth decay because the sugar is contained within the structure of the fruit. But, when fruit is juiced or blended, the sugar is released. Once released, these sugars can damage teeth, especially if fruit juice is drunk frequently.

But fruit juice is still a healthy choice. One glass (150ml) counts as one of the five fruit and veg portions we should all be aiming for each day.

To help keep teeth healthy, it's best to have fruit juice at mealtimes, particularly for children. Milk or water are good choices for children to drink between meals.

Source : http://www.eatwell.gov.uk

8 tips for eating well

These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you're getting a balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some milk and dairy foods.

1. Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain foods?

Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods.
We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.
Wholegrain foods include :

• Wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti
• Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals

2. Eat lots of fruit and veg

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg. But most of us still aren't eating enough.

Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. It might be easier than you think.

You could try adding up your portions during the day.

For example, you could have:

• a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
• a side salad at lunch
• a pear as an afternoon snack
• a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal

You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, but remember potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and veg.

Most of us should be eating more fish - including a portion of oily fish each week. It's an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.

Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned - but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

What are oily fish?

Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.

How much oily fish?

Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.
Examples of oily fish
Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, eel

Examples of white or non-oily fish
Cod, haddock, plaice, coley, tinned tuna, skate, hake

Shark, swordfish and marlin
Don't have more than one portion a week of these types of fish. This is because of the high levels of mercury in these fish.

Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try and choose as wide a variety as possible.

To stay healthy we need some fat in our diets. What is important is the kind of fat we are eating. There are two main types of fat:

• saturated fat - having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
• unsaturated fat - having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterol

Try to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils (including sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil), oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.

4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar Fats

Foods high in saturated fat

Try to eat these sorts of foods less often or in small amounts:

• meat pies, sausages, meat with visible white fat
• hard cheese
• butter and lard
• pastry
• cakes and biscuits
• cream, soured cream and crème fraîche
• coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil

For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or a reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. And when you are having meat, try to choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.

How do I know if a food is high in fat?

Look at the label to see how much fat a food contains. Generally the label will say how many grams (g) of fat there are in 100g of the food.

Some foods also give a figure for saturated fat, or 'saturates'.

Use the following as a guide to work out if a food is high or low in fat.

Total fat - what's high and what's low?

High is more than 20g fat per 100g
Low is 3g fat or less per 100g

If the amount of fat per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of fat.

Saturated fat - what's high and what's low?

High is more than 5g saturates per 100g
Low is 1.5g saturates or less per 100g

If the amount of saturates per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of saturated fat.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much fat you will get from it.
Try to choose more foods that are low in fat and cut down on foods that are high in fat.

5. Sugar

Most people in the UK are eating too much sugar. We should all be trying to eat fewer foods containing added sugar, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits, and drinking fewer sugary soft and fizzy drinks.

Having sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories so cutting down could help you control your weight.

How do I know if a food is high in added sugar?

Take a look at the label. The ingredients list always starts with the biggest ingredient first.

But watch out for other words used to describe added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these near the top of the list, you know the food is likely to be high in added sugars.

Another way to get an idea of how much sugar is in a food is to have a look for the 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure on the label. But this figure can't tell you how much is from added sugars, which is the type we should try to cut down on.

High is more than 15g sugars per 100g
Low is 5g sugars or less per 100g

If the amount of sugars per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of sugars.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much sugars you will get from it.

Sometimes you will only see a figure for total 'Carbohydrates', not for 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)', which means the figure also includes the carbohydrate from starchy foods.

5. Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day

Lots of people think they don't eat much salt, especially if they don't add it to their food. But don't be so sure!

Every day in the UK, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt. Adults - and children over 11 - should have no more than 6g salt a day. Younger children should have even less.

Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, sauces and ready meals. So you could easily be eating too much salt without realising it.

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. And people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.

How do I know if a food is high in salt?

Check the label to find out the figure for salt per 100g.

High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

If the amount of salt per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of salt.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much salt you will get from it.

6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight

It's not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight. Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. Being underweight could also affect your health.

Check if you are the right weight for your height using the link below.
If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:

• only eat as much food as you need
• make healthy choices - it's a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains
• get more active

It's also important to eat a variety of types of food so you get all the nutrients your body needs.
Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps control our weight. But this doesn't mean you need to join a gym.
Just try to get active every day and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine. Try to walk at a good pace.
Whenever we eat more than our body needs, we put on weight. This is because we store any energy we don't use up - usually as fat. Even small amounts of extra energy each day can lead to weight gain.

But crash diets aren't good for your health and they don't work in the longer term. The way to reach a healthy weight - and stay there - is to change your lifestyle gradually. Aim to lose about 0.5 to 1kg (about 1 to 2lbs) a week, until you reach a healthy weight for your height.

7. Drink plenty of water

We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated.

When the weather is warm or when we get active, our bodies need more than this. But avoid drinking soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar.

Alcohol

There is nothing wrong with the occasional drink. But drinking too much can cause problems. Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you control your weight.

Women can drink up to 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day and men up to 3 to 4 units a day, without significant risk to their health.

A unit is half a pint of standard strength (3 to 5% ABV) beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.

For good health, it's a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Drinking heavily over a long period of time can damage the liver.

8. Don't skip breakfast

Breakfast can help give us the energy we need to face the day, as well as some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. But missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and it isn't good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients.

There is some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight.

So why not go for a bowl of wholegrain cereal with some low-fat milk and sliced banana and a glass of fruit juice for a healthy start to the day?

Source : www.eatwell.gov.uk

Interaction between food and appetite, behaviour and aggression

"You are what you eat".


Diet & your brain: appetite

Chemicals that control appetite
Recently, at a Symposium on “Changing Paradigms in Clinical Nutrition”., a booklet which was called “Nutrition and Brain”, published by Nestle, was made available to delegates. One of the most fascinating articles in this booklet describes how dietary factors and so-called monoamine neurotransmitters control our appetite.

A complex process
The control of appetite in humans is a highly complex process. The human nervous system transmits messages in the form of electric signals through the brain and nerves. Although this system is similar to electric wiring, nerve ends are not connected to each other. To transmit the message from one nerve ending to another, a so-called neurotransmitter chemical has to be released.

Some of the best known neurotransmitter chemicals are serotonin (5HT), dopamine and norepinephrine. Researchers have been studying these neurotransmitters for years to discover how message transmission can be selectively changed to produce specific results, for example to control appetite.

Appetite-suppressing drugs
Drugs have been developed to influence the three abovementioned neurotransmitters in an attempt to control appetite and combat overeating which leads to obesity.

* Selective enhancement of serotonin release or activity of 5HT will suppress appetite
(Example: sibutramine which is a selective serotonin or 5HT reuptake inhibitor)
* Selective enhancement of dopamine release will suppress appetite (Example: amphetamine)
* Selective enhancement of norepinephrine will suppress appetite (Example: phentermine)

Pharmaceutical appetite suppressants, which include these 3 monoamines, can all have a wide variety of side-effects. To be safe you should only take these appetite suppressants under medical supervision and stop immediately if you develop any negative side effects.

Manufacturing our own monoamine chemicals
Research has also shown that the so-called monoamines are manufactured in the human body from amino acids:

* the amino acid tyrosine is used by our bodies to synthesize dopamine and norepinephrine,
which can suppress appetite
* the amino acid tryptophan is used to synthesize serotonin or 5HT, which can suppress appetite

An important factor in the manufacture of monoamines is availability of substrate or basic material from which these chemicals are produced in our bodies. It is, therefore, theoretically possible to boost the concentrations of these appetite-suppressing monoamines in our bodies by dietary manipulation.

Dietary factors that boost monoamine synthesis
If we need the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan to produce dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin or 5HT, then it is logical that increasing the amount of tyrosine and tryptophan in the body will boost their production and possibly cause appetite suppression.

To increase the availability of these two amino acids, research has indicated that we need to do the following:

Boosting tryptophan
Contrary to expectation, levels of the amino acid tryptophan are not by eating very high-protein diets. To boost your brain levels of tryptophan and thereby increase the manufacture of serotonin or 5HT you need to eat a carbohydrate-rich diet.

Because serotonin is the brain chemical that makes us feel more positive and happy, this also explains why people get carbohydrate cravings. Readers often ask what they can do to control their irresistible urges to eat sugar, sweets and processed starches. One of the reasons why they have these urges is probably that their brain levels of serotonin are low. By eating sugar, sweets and starches they boost their brain tryptophan levels, which in turn boost serotonin or 5HT production and makes them feel more positive.

The urge to eat carbohydrates is a signal from your body that you either have a problem with serotonin production, or that your basic intake of carbohydrate is too low (for example slimmers who eat low-carbohydrate diets often get depressed and crave carbohydrates). To remedy this situation you need to ensure that you are eating sufficient unprocessed or minimally processed carbohydrates (e.g. unsifted maize meal, high-bran cereals, brown rice, potatoes, samp, crushed wheat, wholewheat bread). The high-carbohydrate diet must also contain moderate amounts of low-fat protein such as lean meat, fish, eggs, and low-fat milk and dairy products to provide tryptophan to the body.

Boosting dopamine and norepinephrine
To boost the production of these 2 monoamines humans require a high-protein diet. This is also the reason why high-protein diets give slimmers a “high”. The use of high-protein diets is associated with many risks. The risks include too high an intake of saturated fat and cholesterol which can have a negative effect on blood fat levels, development of acidosis and ketosis with damage to the kidneys, coma and death, constipation and a variety of other negative effects.

If you want to boost your intake of tyrosine, it may be safer to use an amino acid supplement which is low in fat together with a normal diet, rather than a diet overloaded with fatty proteins. Once again, it is not a good idea to overdo this supplementation. Use the amino acid supplements as described on the container and don’t think that if the prescribed dose may suppress your appetite, then taking double and treble the dose will give better results. If you find that you start getting depressed, then increase your intake of unprocessed carbohydrates to boost tryptophan and serotonin levels in the brain.

It is evident that the control of appetite is a very complex process and that interfering with the brain chemicals that control appetite can be potentially dangerous. So be careful what you take to suppress your appetite and never overdo the intake of one category of food.

Diet & your brain: aggression

Nutrients and aggression
In this series on “The Influence of Diet on the Brain & Nervous System”, we have already discussed dietary factors that can influence appetite, and the role of inositol in bulimia and psychiatric conditions, such as panic disorders, depression and obsessive compulsion. This article will consider how diet can potentially influence aggression.
The Aggressive Age
We live in an aggressive world if the War in Iraq and clashes in other parts of the globe are anything to go by.

Aggression has many causes, including psychological stresses, political pressures and hormonal factors, such as testosterone. In individual human beings aggression can manifest as antisocial behaviour, road rage, physical assault, including murder, and many other actions that cause harm to fellow humans. Recent research has indicated that dietary factors may well play a role in calming aggression.

Teenage offenders

Aggression is not necessarily age-related, but it is a fact that the teenage years are often fraught with aggressive behaviour, particularly in young men. A sad consequence of this teenage rage and lack of control, is the fact that many young offenders land up in jail or in correctional facilities. While such youngsters are incarcerated, they often vent their rage and frustration on fellow inmates. Such behaviour is usually punished by strict discipline and loss of privileges.

Researchers in the UK recently conducted a study with 231 young adult prisoners who were randomly chosen to either receive placebo (inactive substance), or a vitamin and mineral supplement together with omega-3 fatty acids. The vitamin and mineral supplement also contained trace elements such as selenium, chromium and manganese. All the nutrients in the supplement were included at levels of more or less the Recommended Daily Dietary Allowance (RDA).

At the start of the trial, the young participants were given psychological tests to measure aggression and their usual dietary intake was determined. The disciplinary offence records of each prisoner before and during the trial were compared.

Promising results
The results of this British study showed that young offenders who received vitamin, mineral, trace element and omega-3 supplementation, had 35% fewer disciplinary offences than those subjects who were receiving placebo. Interestingly the greatest improvement in antisocial behaviour was found for really serious offences such as physical violence.

Aggression in schoolchildren
Not all young offenders are put in jail. Many schoolchildren, particularly in economically deprived populations, also exhibit rage, antisocial behaviour, aggression and general ‘bad behaviour’. In a second study conducted in the USA, researchers gave 80 schoolchildren aged six to 12 years, vitamin and mineral supplements, or placebo, in an attempt to decrease delinquency.

These supplements provided approximately 50% of the RDA of the different nutrients for a study period of four months.

Once again, the results of the American study indicated that vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce aggressive behaviour. The study group receiving supplements were 47% less likely to exhibit delinquent behaviour than those receiving placebo.

Diet and Aggression
Although there have been indications in the past that a poor or inadequate diet lacking essential nutrients can cause aggressive behaviour, research in this field has to date been rather limited. The results of these two studies which produced dramatic decreases of 35% in aggression in teenage offenders, and of 47% in delinquent schoolchildren, are therefore most encouraging.

Because the subjects in both studies took supplements, which contained a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and omega-3 (in the UK study), we still don’t know at this stage which of the nutrients had this positive effect. Experts theorise that low tryptophan levels may influence serotonin levels in the brain, or that an imbalance in the copper-zinc ratio, or a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids, may contribute to violence and aggression. There are also some indications that hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar levels can trigger outbursts. A great deal of additional research remains to be done in this important field to try and pinpoint more accurately those nutrients that can calm rage and prevent antisocial behaviour.

At the present moment, the best approach to controlling aggression in children and teenagers, is to make quite sure that they are eating a balanced diet and do not suffer from hypoglycaemia. To achieve this, they need to eat regular meals and healthy snacks, avoid junk food and get plenty of exercise. If you are struggling with a really rebellious teenager or an impossible family member who flares up at the slightest provocation and tends to violence, it may be a good idea to give them a complete vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as Salmon oil capsules for omega-3.

Diet & your brain: behaviour

Inositol and Bulimia

Bulimia nervosa is a debilitating condition, which is classified as an eating disorder. Patients suffering from bulimia and binge eating, alternate between gorging themselves with food and then get rid of this food by inducing vomiting or using harsh purgatives to induce diarrhoea. The patient is driven to overeat and then ‘punish’ her-/himself by regurgitating the food.

Such behavior has drastic effects on both the psychological and physical well-being of bulimics. The feelings of guilt engendered by constantly overeating and purging tend to destroy the patient’s self-esteem and interfere with normal functioning. From a dietary point of view, these patients do not manage to absorb sufficient nutrients because the food they eat does not remain in the digestive tract long enough to allow proper digestion and absorption to take place. Consequently, bulimics are often undernourished and deficient in macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and omega fatty acids.

Research conducted in Israel with a small group of patients suffering from bulimia and binge eating has shown that inositol may help these individuals to get control of their lives again. In the Israeli study, patients with bulimia and binge eating disorder were either treated with 18 g of inositol or 18g of placebo (inactive substance) per day for a period of 6 weeks. Statistically significant improvements in psychological test results were obtained when the patients received inositol.

Inositol and Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is another psychiatric condition that appears to respond to treatment with inositol. Individuals who suffer from panic disorder develop acute, debilitating attacks of anxiety that literally ‘paralyse’ them when faced with a given trigger or situation. For example someone suffering from panic disorder may not be able to leave home because of an intense fear of open spaces. Panic disorders, therefore, interfere significantly with everyday life and any new approach that could assist these patients is to be welcomed.

A recently published study originating in the same Israeli research centre as the bulimia trial mentioned above, compared the effect of inositol (up to 18g/day) and fluvoxamine (a psychiatric drug at a dose of 150g/day). Each treatment was given for a period of one month. The researchers found that the subjects receiving inositol had considerably fewer panic attacks than those taking fluvoxamine.

Inositol and bipolar depression
Another study indicated that patients with bipolar depression also reacted favourably to inositol doses of 12g per day. The results of this third study were not as positive as the effects found for bulimia and panic disorders, but the patients did show improvements in their clinical status.

What is inositol?
Inositol is a so-called sugar alcohol which is found in many foods, especially cereals with a high bran content. Although nutritionists have been aware of inositol for many years, this is the first research that indicates that inositol may help to alleviate certain psychiatric conditions.

Inositol supplementation is known to help premature infants survive respiratory distress syndrome. Inositol plays an essential role in the physiology of phospholipids, which are important for the proper functioning of all membranes, including the membranes lining the lungs of premature infants. In addition, inositol has been identified as a compound that acts as a ‘second messenger’ helping with the release of calcium during the transmission of nerve signals that control muscle movements.

It seems likely that these three recent research studies have identified new roles for inositol. Although these investigations are of a preliminary nature and more research is required to obtain more conclusive evidence, the results do indicate that inositol may help patients suffering from psychiatric conditions such as bulimia nervosa, panic disorder and bipolar depression. It has been suggested that inositol supplementation could be used as an alternative for certain psychiatric drugs and/or as an adjunct to conventional therapy.

From a dietetic point of view, the potential of inositol supplementation in treating bulimics, is welcome news. Such patients may also benefit from eating a diet rich in unprocessed grains and cereals, which are known to contain inositol.

B vitamins against Alzheimer's

Progress through research and expansion of our understanding of diseases and conditions that plague the modern world, is always exciting. I received a Clinical Nutrition Update published by Arbor Communications on progress that has been made in the quest to discover what factors affect Alzheimer’s Disease. There are indications that certain B vitamins may be implicated in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s

lzheimer’s Disease
This sly illness which creeps up on so many people, not only in old age, but while they are still in their forties and fifties, is particularly distressing for all who are associated with it.

Patients progressively lose their cognitive functions, their memory and their dignity. Anyone who has seen “Iris”, the film that so movingly chronicles the frightening descent into dementia that Iris Murdoch suffered before her untimely death, will be aware of the destruction this disease causes. Iris was one of Britain’s foremost modern authors, with a sharp and scintillating brain. The portrayal by Dame Judy Dench, of Iris’ loss of her mind, is one of the most shattering performances I have ever seen.

Alzheimer’s Disease not only affects the patient, but also all who love and care for the person whose mind disintegrates. Caregivers and family members are helpless to do anything and at present there is no cure for this dreaded disease.

Many theories
Scientists have been trying to establish what causes Alzheimer’s Disease and are looking for potential cures and treatments. Many theories have been proposed - there is the virus theory which contends that the sticky plaques that develop in the brain are triggered by viruses. In another theory, the use of aluminum cooking utensils has also been considered as a causative factor, but our knowledge is still frustratingly limited.

Latest research
In the latest Arbor Clinical Nutrition Update, the editors review three studies that have come up with exciting new facts.

In the first study, homocysteine levels were tested in more than a 1000 people who participated in the Framingham Study, a long-term study conducted in the UK to identify the influence of nutrition on many different conditions over very long periods. Homocysteine is a chemical compound that has previously been linked to risk of heart attacks. In the Alzheimer’s Disease study, researchers analysed the homocysteine levels in the blood of participants over a period of 16 years. They found that subjects with high homocysteine levels had a much higher incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. In fact, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was doubled in those individuals who had abnormal homocysteine levels exceeding 14 micromol per litre of blood.

In the second study, two groups of participants who had participated in a Scottish mental health survey when they were 11 years old, were tested for homocysteine levels and mental function at the ages of 63 and 78 years. The researchers found that in older participants, raised homocysteine levels in the blood were linked to decreased mental function, such as is seen in Alzheimer’s Disease.

The third study compared homocysteine levels with the results of MRI scans in more than 1000 Dutch subjects, aged 60 to 90 years. Once again the scientists discovered that raised homocysteine levels were associated with an increased risk of finding so-called “silent brain infarcts” and severe white matter lesions, both of which indicate brain damage.

What does this mean?
Although research into the link between raised homocysteine levels and Alzheimer’s Disease is still in its early stages, these three studies indicate that there may well be an association between raised homocysteine levels in the blood and the risk of developing progressive brain damage.

Research on the link between raised homocysteine levels and heart disease which has progressed much further, has found that raised homocysteine levels can be reduced to normal by ensuring that patients have adequate folic acid, vitamin B12 and B6 intakes.

In relation to Alzheimer’s Disease, it may, therefore, also be important to ensure that patients, and in fact all older individuals, get sufficient folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 from their diets and/or by means of supplements.

Imagine what benefits would ensue if Alzheimer’s Disease could either be prevented and/or treated by something as simple as 3 of the B vitamins! The Editors of the Arbor Clinical Nutrition Updates state that there is now sufficient evidence to encourage doctors to take homocysteine levels into account when treating elderly patients at risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. They also believe that such patients should be monitored to determine if they suffer from folic acid, B12 and to a lesser extent, B6 deficiencies, and if this should be the case, that they should be treated with these 3 B vitamins.

Next week we will take another look at folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, which could just hold the answer to one of the most tragic diseases of modern times.

Fish really is brain food
Think of fish as a good thing - particularly if you're a woman looking to reduce your risk of stroke.

The more fish women eat, the greater the benefit, says a new study.

"We found that women who ate fish just one to three times a month had a seven percent lower risk of stroke than those who ate it only once a month," says study author Dr Kathryn M. Rexrode, an internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"Increase your fish intake to once a week, and stroke risk could go down by 22 percent," she says. "Two to four times a week reduces risk to 27 percent, and eating fish five times a week or more brings down the risk of stroke by up to 52 percent." Findings will appear in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Experts say the likely reason fish protects women is the concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients that prevent the formation of clots, mostly by making blood less "sticky." This, in turn, reduces the risk of ischemic stroke, which is caused by blood clots that form either in the brain (leading to a thrombotic stroke) or elsewhere in the body and then travel to the brain (causing an embolic stroke).

Epidemiologist Gail Frank, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says the new findings enforce what dietary experts long have believed.

"We have known for several decades that fish, by the nature of the fatty acid composition, when eaten more often, can alter lipids and, potentially, the clotting mechanism as well as plaque formation. Over time, it can change a little bit of the chemistry of the body," Frank says.

"This study is important because there has been a deficit of research to look at women," she says. "It's an important message for women to now know something positive they can do to reduce their risk of stroke."

In addition to reinforcing the preventive link between omega-3 acids and ischemic stroke, the new study finds fish acids do not contribute to hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain ruptures or "leaks."

Normally, factors that decrease the risk of blood clotting, including omega-3, are thought to increase the risk of a "leaky" hemorrhagic stroke, but the latest study shows that's not the case for consumption of fish, the researchers say.

"Our research showed that eating fish does not have an adverse effect on hemorrhagic stroke," Rexrode says. "It doesn't increase the risk, which is something we did not know for certain before."

The researchers also found that fish is not likely to further reduce the risk of clot formation for people already taking aspirin to reduce their risk of stroke.

"Platelet aggregation, or the formation of blood clots, is a kind of all-or-nothing mechanism. You either turn it on or you turn it off," Rexrode says. In other words, once the biological switch is thrown to turn off platelet aggregation, which is something aspirin does, then additional attempts to do the same thing, such as eating fish, do not increase the effects, she says.

"If they work on the same mechanism, you're not going to see any added benefits to eating fish among aspirin users, because it's already being taken care of by aspirin, and aspirin is more potent in blocking this effect," Rexrode says.

But this does not mean that taking aspirin precludes the need to eat fish - or the other way around, she says.

"Studies have shown fish may have other important health benefits, so adding two to four servings per week to your diet is still important, even if you are already taking aspirin," she says.

Likewise, she says, aspirin still may be an important and necessary treatment, even if you're eating fish.

What to do

While adding more fish to your diet appears healthful, it's important to note that not all fish are alike. Light-meat fish, like flounder or whiting, have only about 0.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acid per 4-ounce serving, while dark-meat fish, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel or bluefish, have roughly 1.5 grams of the protective fatty acid in the same amount of fish. - (HealthDayNews)

Source : http://www.health24.com

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Diets affects to the skin

A. For years, the skin care industry has focused so much attention on what we put on our bodies that it has all but obscured the importance of what we put in our bodies. But all that is rapidly changing as dermatologists, researchers, and skin care companies alike focus increasing attention on nutrition’s role for glowing, healthy skin. In a recent newsletter, I discussed nutritional supplements, which are a great way to ensure that your diet is consistent and to fill the occasional nutritional gap. But there’s no substitute for a healthy, wellrounded diet. Consider these dos and don’ts on your next visit to the grocery store:

The Good... Look for omega-3s in fatty fish like salmon, tilapia, and cod, or in flax seed and flax seed oil. Many eggs are now fortified with omega-3 too. Our bodies cannot make these essential fatty acids - crucial for bolstering the skin barrier, which keeps moisture in and irritants out of your skin - so it’s important to get them through diet and supplements. (That’s also why vegetarians and those on low-fat or cholesterol-free diets are more likely to have dry skin.) There is even some evidence that omega-3s’ anti-inflammatory effects can improve chronic skin conditions like rosacea and atopic dermatitis, although that has not been confirmed. Leafy greens, squash, carrots, and mangoes are among the foods rich in vitamin A, which helps decrease skin’s oil production. There is also some evidence that vitamin A may improve psoriasis, since Retin-A (which is derived from vitamin A) and other vitamin A drugs have proven successful in treating it. You can’t eat too much vitamin A, but taking too much of it through supplements can lead to excessively dry skin - and more serious health problems like increased pressure in the brain. Your best bet, then, is to stick to vitamin-A rich foods. It can be hard to get enough vitamin D, typically known as the vitamin we get from sun exposure, through your diet - but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include it in your meals as much as possible! In addition to fortified foods (particularly milk), eggs, fish (salmon and cod are great options), and liver are rich sources of this crucial nutrient. (While only a few minutes of sun exposure a day are necessary to produce requisite levels of vitamin D, even that can be too much for those who are at higher risk for skin cancer. In those cases, the right dietary choices and a daily vitamin D supplement are the best bet.)

Do your cooking with vegetable oils, and snack on a handful of almonds each day - those are great sources of vitamin E. A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E can help prevent the signs of skin aging and even bolster your defenses against skin cancer. Studies also suggest that vitamin E consumed orally can increase the levels of vitamin E on your skin’s surface - great news, in particular, for anyone with dry skin!
Devoted to gourmet olive oils? Consider saving ‘em for salad dressing and doing your cooking with safflower oil or sunflower oil instead - they’re both richer in linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid, which, like omega-3s, are essential for healthy cells but not made naturally by the body. Omega-6s help form cell membranes and are necessary for the formation of prostaglandins, hormones that facilitate a myriad of cell processes and help minimize inflammation.
Like Mom always said, eat your broccoli! With one vegetable, you’ll get high amounts of vitamins A, C, and K (among many other nutrients).
Green tea, pomegranate, and berries are wonderful sources of antioxidants. As more and more topical products tout their antioxidant activity, it’s important to remember that a combination of topical and oral antioxidants is always best to fight free radicals, that is, molecules with an uneven number of electrons that cause damage to cell membranes, lipids, proteins, and DNA.

Don’t ignore spices and seasonings! Many spices have antioxidant activity too: cumin, oregano, onions, ginseng, and rosemary, for example. (If you have rosacea, though, your skin can become red and flushed from certain spices, so be sure you know your skin type.) And for dessert, how about a little dark chocolate? Chocolate is a great antioxidant, and it’s a myth that it causes acne. (We now know it’s sugar, not chocolate itself, that exacerbates breakouts - if acne is a concern, sugar-free chocolate may be just the answer for you. And dark chocolate has far less sugar than typical milk chocolate.) My weakness? Chocolate hazelnut pie. Yum!

The Bad... For years, your dentist has said it, and now dermatologists are saying it too: Sugar can wreak havoc on your system in more ways than one. As far as your skin is concerned, the primary concern is glycation, which occurs when sugar breaks down and enters the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, it bonds with protein molecules, including collagen and elastin. As a result, those vital skin components become inflamed and stiff, and eventually cause skin to sag and wrinkle.

Caffeine has long been used topically to constrict veins and improve facial flushing and inflammation. But research is increasingly focused on caffeine’s powerful antioxidant activity, and its anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic benefits when consumed orally. Certain caffeinated beverages - green tea, for example - have long been touted for their antioxidant content; now, it looks like even your morning coffee could benefit your skin. Just remember that caffeine is also dehydrating, and should be consumed along with plenty of water. And those who are prone to facial flushing should avoid hot beverages and stick to iced coffee or tea to reap all those anti-inflammatory, antioxidant benefits. We all know that alcohol can cause dehydration and flushing, particularly in those with sensitive skin prone to redness. So what’s good about it? Well, it’s not so much that alcohol itself is good for skin, but rather that certain alcoholic beverages contain other skin-friendly nutrients. In this category, red wine is certainly the leader of the pack; it contains both grape seed extract and resveratrol, two powerful antioxidants. Some research also suggests that the hops in beer offer antioxidant benefits! Just remember, alcohol also creates free radicals, “scavenger” molecules that attack collagen and elastin and speed skin aging. One glass of wine offers antioxidant benefits, but more than that will only create the very damage you’re seeking to reverse. Most people cringe at the word “cholesterol,” but it actually does downright good things for the skin - in fact, it’s one of the three main components of your skin barrier, the layer of lipids that keeps moisture in and irritants out. Of course, you may have important health reasons to cut out cholesterol, which supersede skin concerns. Just be aware that cholesterol-lowering drugs - as well as low-fat vegan and vegetarian diets - can lead to dry skin.

Since we were children, we’ve been told to drink our milk for strong bones, but recent studies suggest that calcium also plays an important role in skin hydration. Milk is also typically fortified with vitamin D, which all of us sun-avoiders need to get though diet and supplements. Furthermore, calcium’s role in bone health applies to the bones in your face as much as, say, your femur: A large part of the volume loss we see in aged faces is due to bone loss. So what’s the down side? Some experts believe that the hormones and/or iodine content in milk and other dairy products can exacerbate acne. So what should you do? The possible link between diet and acne has not been sufficiently proven, but doctors all agree that calcium is crucial. My best advice, then, is to select organic dairy products whenever possible. A good calcium supplement is also a must, particularly for women, as is a vitamin D supplement, particularly if you elect to eliminate milk from your diet.

By : Leslie.Baumann.MD ( www.skintypesolutions.com )
Source : www.hlaw.ie

Getting your Kids to eat Fruit & Veg!

We’re making progress. The average Irish diet includes more fruits and vegetables than it did a decade ago. Health experts recommend that we eat four or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a balanced diet and are a vital contributor to a healthy lifestyle. Very active teenagers and adults should hit six or seven servings, the experts say. Getting your child to five a day may take a little ingenuity, but it’s worth it.

For kids, fruits and veggies are the best source for numerous vitamins and other fortifying nutrients. What’s more, fruits and vegetables contain a wide variety of nutrients that have been shown to fight cancer. Increasing daily consumption of fruit and veg does more to prevent the disease than any other measure besides steering clear of cigarettes. It also lowers the risks of heart disease and diabetes. You may not think of these illnesses as threats to young people, but it’s important to get their eating habits off to a good start.

What can you do to make sure your child reaches the recommended goal? Health Living & Wellbeing have some tips for you to try out at home.

Begin the day with fruit and fruit juice: A 6-ounce glass of orange, grapefruit, cranberry, or tomato juice represents one serving. (If your child likes tomato juice, you may want to buy a low-sodium variety.) Read labels to make sure the product is 100 percent fruit juice, and steer clear of fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and water. While juice packs a nutritional punch with vitamins and minerals, it’s still a good idea to work in whole pieces of fruit, too. In addition to vitamins and minerals, it’s a great source of fibre. If your kid loves cereal, slice a banana, peach, or plum into the bowl. Or sprinkle raisins, dried apricots, strawberries, or blueberries over the top. In the wintertime, you can buy bags of frozen berries and defrost them in the microwave.

Pack a snack with a difference: Send your child off to school with a bag of crunchy carrots, a bunch of grapes, an apple, a banana, or a package of dried fruits. If he’s a somewhat adventurous eater, keep him interested with more exotic options: Offer mangoes, kiwis, and papayas (all sweet sources of vitamin C), or make mini-sandwiches by putting slices of avocado in between crackers (look for a brand without hydrogenated oils). When you’re pressed for time, single-serving containers of canned fruit packed in its own juices, or a single-serving container of fruit juice or tomato juice is a terrific portable snack.

Put it in plain view: When the munchies strike, most people reach for whatever’s handy. So keep a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Store a bag of baby carrots, celery sticks, and sliced sweet peppers within your child’s reach in the refrigerator. Instead of chocolate or crisps, keep plenty of one-serving boxes of raisins in the cupboard.

Pair fruit and veg with something your child loves: It’s okay to compromise: If your child won’t eat a plain banana, he might go for one spread with peanut butter. If he turns his nose up at broccoli, try sprinkling a little grated cheese on top of steamed broccoli (but don’t cover it in a processed cheese sauce). Let him put ketchup on his baked potato (ketchup is more nutritious than you may think anyway). Mix chunks of fresh melon with two tablespoons of raspberry yogurt. You get the idea.

Stock up on canned and frozen produce: Frozen is nutritionally comparable to fresh produce and can be ready to eat in just a few minutes. Even canned fruits and veggies pack plenty of nutrients, so keep them on hand for the times you discover you’ve used up everything in the freezer. With cans of sliced peaches, pears, and pineapple (packed in water or unsweetened juice - not heavy syrup), you can quickly toss together an appealing fruit salad for an after-school snack. To make your family’s favourite dinner more tasty as well as more nutritious, add frozen or canned corn, canned diced tomatoes, or frozen peas. When you make lasagna, slip some frozen chopped spinach into one layer. Choose frozen vegetables that aren’t topped with butter or sauces; they’re a far more healthy option.

Include at least one vegetable at lunch: Put sliced tomatoes and lettuce on sandwiches; serve a cup of vegetable-noodle soup (you may want to call it simply “noodle soup” around your child); or offer carrot and celery sticks instead of crisps

Make it easy on yourself: Microwaving is a great way to prepare vegetables. Because it’s so fast, the nutrient loss is much less than occurs with boiling or even steaming on the stove. Just make sure you use only microwave-safe containers. For even cooking, cut veggies into bite-size pieces, and set the bowl’s lid slightly ajar so that steam can escape. Remove vegetables when they’re barely tender and let them stand three to five minutes. There are also some great brands on the market offering frozen alternatives.

Get back to the roots: Show your child where fruits and vegetables come from by having him help you plant and tend a small garden. Radishes are particularly easy to grow, and kids love digging them up. If you don’t have a back yard or garden big enough you could cultivate herbs in window boxes. For a fun and educational day out, take your child to the local garden centre and pick out plants and things you can grow that will fit in with your circumstances and lifestyle.

Add fruit to dessert: During the summer, serve a scoop of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet with fresh berries on top. Or just slice up a chilled watermelon! For a great winter dessert, slice apples into a baking dish and sprinkle them with cinnamon, raisins, a little sugar, and a dab of butter. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Once these little changes become habit, you’ll find they don’t take any more effort than buying crisps and chocolate does now. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet will go a long way toward keeping him healthy. Just as important, it will encourage him to make healthy food choices for himself as he grows up.

Souce :www.hlaw.ie

Fast weight loss

Is fast weight loss for real?

Yes. The fastest weight loss a teen can do is to stop eating or to starve. An empty goal is the worse thing that a teen can aspire to. Starving can lead to serious health conditions for some self-explanatory reason that eating is a basic need.

For healthy teens with hectic, active lifestyles, going without food for extended periods of time will definitely not occur very often. You need your energy during the times of hurdling at school so its best not to starve yourself.

Will lead you to myriads of methods promoted by sales marketing people in the consumer world by talking about real regimen for fast weight loss for teens. No matter what health issue you find yourself facing, you’ll also find at least one drug that has been created to combat it. Fast weight loss pill flood the papers with the promise of ramp model silhouette as endorsed by top showbiz commercial personalities.

When an obese teen gazes at a slim lady doing ads of fast weight loss pill or delivering some other scripted testimonials, there is a tendency to get lured by the beauty on how they say the ad message. The reality will only be proven by walking and looking around a crowded downtown where you can see people from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes. The number of ramp models does not exceed 8%

Not many people are blessed with such appearance as seen on TV
and not everyone is slim!

But teens are becoming influenced by social stigma to look great. Being trim all the time it makes indirectly associated. Many times fat can be distributed wrongly throughout your body, so whether you are overweight or not is not always the main issue. People who way the same can look drastically different, as the weight may be concentrated in different places of the body.

Females have weight in their breasts too. Fat is mostly stored in noticeable spots like, your arms, inner thighs, your abdomen, as well as your belly. When too much fat are noticeable in the said areas of the body, it surely becomes an annoying burden to carry around all the time. You can re-shape the ugly fat concentration, if you combine walking and weight loss, but it takes courage to accept the simple truth that genetic make will always take its course in one’s physiological attribute.

For teens aspiring fast weight loss, forget it. Quick weight loss plans often lead to the quick regaining of body fats since staunch motivation and discipline are not requirements. Here are accomplished stories for slow weight management programs that have succeeded on a daily basis, from pure determination.

A good diet, walking exercise, and weight loss is a combination that goes hand in hand while stress-free doing these activities. In a very realistic sense the loss of weight has to be one’s goal. The food and nutrients that are processed in a slow fashion end up becoming fat. When faced with a very high calorie serving of dessert in every meal, the ability to think must be faster, and always at hand. Open your mind! Use your brain at every meal, because it’s the best fast weight loss dieting tool that you have available.

Source : guidetohealthyliving.com

Myths about weight Loss,Avoid them !

You may have wanted to start a weight loss diet many times in the past. But if it appeared to be too much work or too hard to figure out, maybe you decided against it. From what you hear and read these days, there are many myths about dieting. Our goal here is to disprove several of them.

1. The number one myth out there is that you can lose weight fast by eliminating as many calories as possible from your diet. This is an extremely unhealthy way to go about dieting. Your body goes into starvation mode, and hangs onto as much fat as possible.

2. In our search for quick weight loss, another myth will instruct us to eat just a certain kind of food. The peppered water, grapefruit and the hot dog diet fads have resulted in many binges over the years. Following dangerous fad diets means your body’s not getting the necessary nutrients it needs to fight off illnesses and stay healthy.

3. Maybe you think that it’s an irreversible error to slip up on your diet. If you do slip up, you have to make up for it by exercising for long hours. This is totally wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional bowl of ice cream. You only need to adjust your calorie intake for the day. There’s really no need to exercise for hours just to compensate for one little treat.

4. A popular myth is that you should avoid eating before bedtime because your body will just store all the calories as fat. But this is wrong; dieting is just a healthy style of eating and keeping an eye on how many calories you take in throughout the day. A bite to eat just before going to bed won’t matter one way or the other. That is, unless it’s a three course gourmet dinner or a family size tub of ice cream.

5. Maybe you’ve heard of the one that tells you not to eat at all between established mealtimes? It’s actually healthier if you do snack occasionally. By enjoying small, frequent meals throughout the day, your hunger will never be out of control. When you cut out between meal snacks, you become ravenous before it’s time for the next meal. You might end up eating considerably more food than your body requires just to keep hunger at bay.

6. There’s another myth that says you shouldn’t consume any dairy products at all because they’re too fattening. However, don’t ban dairy products from your refrigerator, because they are loaded with healthy substances that your body needs. Indeed, there is research indicating that regular consumption of dairy products can lead to dropped pounds. But don’t overindulge, and choose lower fat products.

Try not to fall victim to the myriad of diet myths circulating the internet. By eating healthfully (as a general rule) and exercising regularly, you can achieve healthy weight loss.

Nutrition Antioxidant in Fruits and Vegetables

Nutrition Antioxidant naturally occurring substances found in most plants and have the potential to help combat heart diseases and fight cancer. Phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables work together with other nutrients to protect your health. More than 900 different phytonutrients have been found in plant foods already and these protective plant compounds are an emerging area of health and nutrition, with new research reported almost daily.

It has been found that pomegranates contain many different antioxidants whilst blueberries have compounds which affect the aging process. But is doesn’t stop there as blueberries also contain a lower sugar content than most other fruits as well as many antioxidants.

Juice provides many benefits that will help improve the immune system and blood circulation. They can also strengthen the body’s ability to fight disease and infection due to its powerful antioxidants and healthy nutrients.

Apples are now coming under the spotlight as potential helpers in the struggle against heart illness. Even lemons and other citrus fruits are proving very capable at providing useful phytochemicals of their own.

Tart cherries for instance have a number of antioxidants which work together to help people who have arthritis, gout and fibromyalgia. The benefits of vitamins B, C, E and certain minerals as antioxidants are well studied and widely known.

Other types of antioxidants are found in mulberries, blackberries and blueberries, called resveratrol, Phytoalexins have anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. These antioxidants can help or suppress harmful body aging processes that often end in heart attacks, stroke, faulty blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The benefit of tomatoes has been in the news recently with the hopes that it contains anti-cancer properties as well as those that can help prevent heart disease. There are a number of ways you can use tomatoes to gain the greatest benefit from them including pureed, juice concentrate and sauce.

Watermelons, recognized as a refreshing summer fruit also contain some of the most powerful phytonutrients yet found. With all the natural goodness fruit contains and now the health benefits as well, isn’t it time for you to start having more fruit in your diet.

Source : Naturalguideforhealthyliving.com

Fast Food Vs Healthy Food,How to make balancing ?

Balancing Fast Food and Healthy Food
Fast food is a huge problem these days. We like it - kids especially - but it is making us unhealthy and fat. We eat too much of it, and we eat it too frequently. Way too many children are eating fast food more than once every couple of days. Many parents and caretakers think it's easier to take children to Wendy's or McDonald's instead of dragging them to a more expensive restaurant or figuring out something to cook at home that everyone will like. Or children beg for fast food, because they are so influenced by advertising, and in order to make them happy parents give in.

Fast food also tastes good - let's admit it. The companies that sell it know how to appeal to our tastes for sugar, salt, and fat. But eating that way becomes a habit and a hard habit to break.

Consuming fast food on a regular basis is not a good idea. It gives us too many calories, too much animal food and not enough vegetables, too much unhealthy fat, and too many unhealthy carbohydrates. I think it's OK to eat fast food maybe once a month or every few weeks. The problem is when you start to eat it too frequently or all the time.

Parents can help break the fast food habit by telling children that they are not going to get it for them every day. Instead, take them out for healthier food or involve them in making favorite foods at home. For instance, if kids want fries, let them help you make oven-baked potato slices that are a tasty and healthy alternative. The potato pancakes on DrWeil.com are good, too. If it's hamburgers they want, try some veggie burgers or soy burgers. I love them.
If you're not allowed to have something, don't you just crave it even more? That's why I think parents should not forbid kids to have fast food or try to eliminate it completely. Kids will just want the forbidden foods more.

I hardly ever go to a fast food place, but if I do, I'll get a salad or maybe fries and a drink once in a while. And I like the yogurt and fruit parfaits at McDonald's.

By : Diana Dakota Weil
Source : drweil.com