Thursday, November 6, 2014

Food For Good Health And For Prevention Of Obesity

Obesity is getting to be a big problem in many countries. There are lots of foods available in the market that contain a lot of carbohydrates but not enough protein and fiber. But because this food tastes great, people choose it over healthy food that has more nutritional value. They eat food that may cause them to end up with health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and obesity.
 Authorities are raising alarm over the unhealthy eating habits of people today.

 They attempt to raise awareness by showing the effects of incorrect nutrition. As a result, there are those who choose to avoid walking this path by shedding a few pounds and trying to maintain trimmer figures. The logical way to go about doing this is to go on a diet. However, there are plenty of misconceptions about diets. One of them is that one has to cut back on food to be trim.

 This is not necessarily true. One does not have to starve just to lose weight. People who go on diets sometimes engage in unhealthy practices. There are those who attempt to eat the least amount of calories possible. A diet is not a matter of avoiding food altogether. It is more on choosing the right kind of food and maintaining the correct portion sizes so you dont get to deal with the obesity problem.

 A person can continue to eat the same food as before, as long as a he/she uses a healthy recipe. The recipe serves as a guide in cooking the dish. However, several key aspects of the original recipe may be modified to make the dish more nutritious. For example, some cholesterol-rich ingredients may be replaced with more nutritious ones. Or, the mode of cooking may be modified so that the food has fewer calories than before. It may even be as simple as making the portion size smaller and adding a healthy side dish to compensate for the decrease in quantity.

 An easy way to make a healthy recipe from an existing one is to substitute a carbohydrate-rich ingredient with a low-carbohydrate one. There are many substitute ingredients available that taste just as good as the original. They are mostly available in health food stores, but they can also be found in some supermarkets as well. However, it may also be better to find a recipe that is already made for the substitute so that it is sure that it goes well with all the other ingredients.

 Aside from this, it is also good to try out new recipes. There are so many out there that taste good and are great for the body as well. It is better for people to be open to trying out new things, as this makes it easier for them to embark on any kind of life-changing activity, such as changing their eating habits.
 Eating healthy has many great benefits. Not all are limited to preventing obesity. A change in diet will cause an improvement not only in the physical, but also the mental health of a person.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Food and its Relation to Acne

Are you currently having problems with your skin and acne? The fact is that causes of pimples can be attributed to a number of factors. Although regular application of cleansers can dramatically decrease an acne breakout, these are not the sole factors that you should watch out for.

 Although the skin may be exposed to the outside elements, the components that it uses to flourish are taken in from the inside. This means that treating them from the outside is not enough, you must also nourish them from the inside. This is why foods that cause acne should be added to the equation.

 You might have heard that there are really no foods that cause acne and what you heard is true. It's not the food themselves; it's the reaction of the body to these foods that triggers an acne attack. You see, body sugar is very important when it comes to hormones. In turn, the spike in our hormones triggers the body into a pimple overload. Such is the case with adolescents who are experiencing the first bouts of an overactive hormone.

 So what food types should you watch out for? Soft drinks, chocolates plus other sweet foods comes into mind. Fat and dairy products can also affect body sugar levels, which is why cheese is considered as an acne trigger.

 Food Alternatives So what should you eat to minimize acne? As usual, you have your fresh fruits and vegetables. However, it has been noted that people react to different foods in different ways. For example, there are those who are unaffected by dairy products while a piece of chocolate triggers the birth of pimples. Those who want to experiment, try leaving out a few of your food choices from your daily diet. There's a chance that some of the food that you eat trigger your acne although they are no way related to those mentioned above.

 Other Causes of Pimples Of course, as mentioned above, food is not the major issue when it comes to causes of pimples. Hygiene is and will always be your biggest concern. Look for cleansers that contain benzyl peroxide as an ingredient since these are very good in cleaning out blocked pores as a result of exposure to dirt.

 Stress and lack of sleep are also considered as pimple triggers and although this does not apply to everyone, it doesn't hurt to get an even eight hours of sleep every day. Keep in mind that pimples are skin irritations and irritating them further is also a probable cause of acne. So let your pimples die a natural death and don't squash it by yourself. Trying to pop it or even frequent touching can only spread the bacteria, prompting your skin to grow more pimples instead of disappearing completely.

 Keep in mind that preventing an acne breakout is the best way to cure it. You'll find that just by living a healthy, clean life, you'll be saving yourself from future acne scar problems.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Drink Fenugreek Tea For Good Health

Fenugreek tea is popular where it is naturally harvested, which is in nations adjoining the Mediterranean and onwards to India. Not only is it used to augment foods but also as a very popular refreshing drink.

 The beverage itself contains only the fenugreek seeds. They are easily found in supermarkets, specialty supermarkets or your local health food store. It suffices to comment that the better the quality, the better the resulting beverage.

 Brewing the tea is easy - a walk in the park, even, so don't be worried that you have to make this drink with seeds as opposed to herbs. As a general rule, use one teaspoon of fennel seeds to one cup of water. Put them in a pot and boil them for at least five minutes. If you like a stronger taste, then boil them for up to ten minutes. This is something you can play around with until you come up with your perfect cup. Now just remove the pan from the heat and cover. Leave for another ten to fifteen minutse - the same principles apply - the longer you leave it, the stronger it will become so monitor this carefully. When you believe it is ready, strain the mixture into a mug or cup. You can now throw away the seeds as they have done their job. This drink tastes good hot or cold (try it with ice and lemon when it is hot outside).

 Fenugreek is a really healthy choice. It is great for digestion and anything related to the digestive process. It actually has quite a lot of fiber which is why it is often used as a laxative. The fiber swells in the colon, and helps take away toxic waste from your body. Many people drink this tea to detoxify themselves or as part of a detox program. In fact you will find that many of the teas sold as "detox teas" have fenugreek as one of the main items. It is a great tea is you have a cough or any bronchitis related problems as fenugreek helps to get rid of excess mucus in the body. It can even be used to help new mothers increase their flow of milk.

 This tea can also be used as a paste to help with skin irritation, swelling and insectstings. For the paste, just mix around three tablespooons of powdered fenugreek seeds to around one quart of boiled water. Let this mixture stand and when it is cold it will be of a thick consistency. You can either buy ground fenugreek seeds for this or you can do this yourself in a grinder or kitchen machine.

 With all these benefits as well as a great taste, it is obvious that fenugreek tea should take a favorite place in your kitchen.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Excellent Herbs For Male Health

It is true that treating hair loss issues is one of the toughest factors that are faced by men. At primary period of hair loos issues, men are more interested towards different treatments that may not have proper results.Most men would face hair loss problems, when compared to women.

 If you are undergoing medical issues like erectile dysfunction and reduced stamina, then you are not alone. It is true that these unwanted problems are suffered by hundreds and thousands of men around the world.There are various medical solutions to these problems.

 Usually, using natural options is the most common trend among men from different parts of the world. Unlike commonly prescribed medicines that are only available in the market since few years, most of the herbs have been utilized since decades. You will be happy to know that herbs are considered as a natural medicine that will not have side effects.

 In order to treat your hair loss or various unwanted medical problems in a better way, you should plan to have herbs. You will be surprised to know that herbs are commonly utilized people since many years, in order to enhance food and for maintaining health. According to proven history, herbs for health problems are practiced by human being.

 It's no secret that utilizing herbs is easy and comfortable as well. You will be surprised to know that most herbs can be purchased at grocery stores that are available in your area.Uncommon herbs are easily available at health food stores. Plant and grow the herbs that you need in your garden.

 You should be aware that herbs can be bought from the websites that are available on internet. Do not forget to start utilizing herbs, in order to get rid of health difficulties.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Different Kinds Of Baby Food For Young Babies

When it comes to babies, its very important to understand the different types of foods they should consume. Their development isnt just about the physical and mental, but also the nutritional aspects. This will help protect their health and safety and can have a huge impact upon their physical and mental growth.

 Baby food that you purchase in the supermarket or from specialist food stores will be grouped into age groups or development stage. Each age or development group comes with certain foods that are appropriate. These are as follows:

 Birth to Six Months

 The first thing to consider when feeding your new born baby is whether to breast feed or use formula. Lots of research has been conducted into the effects of both methods. Many medical and health organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend breast feeding because it is the best nutritional choice for babies and infants. It can help defend against infections and a number of chronic conditions, as well as prevent allergies.

 However, not every single mother will be able to breastfeed and so they will seek alternative methods. Formula milk is an excellent option as this will meet your babys nutritional needs. The decision as to whether you breast feed or use formula is based upon your own circumstances, your comfort level and lifestyle as well as any medical conditions you may have. Breastfeeding or formula should be used for the first six months and then longer if the mother and baby are both willing.

 Six Months to Nine Months

 You dont have to wait until six months to start feeding your baby solids; you should try after four months. Youll know if they dont want to accept the food as they will spit it out, but after a while they will start to swallow the food. Its important to introduce solids to avoid nutritional deficiencies and to avoid them being reluctant to have solids later on in their development.

 The types of foods come as iron-fortified and single-grain infant cereal and can be found in any good supermarket or specialist food store. Each jar or pot of baby food is clearly labelled with the development years so youll be able to see if it suitable for your baby to consume. From here you can move onto multi grain cereals.

 Nine Months to Twelve Months

 Once you have introduced all of the different types of infant cereals and iron-fortified foods, your baby can begin to try more interesting baby food. Start by giving them other grain foods, such as bread or toast. From here you can then move onto fruits and vegetables. Its probably best to start with vegetables and mild tasting foods, such as carrots. Once theyve become accustomed to the taste you can then try sweeter and tastier fruits. Always use a small amount first, just to make sure theyre not allergic to what youve given them.

 Choking is a huge hazard for babies and toddlers. Therefore the food they consume should never be larger in diameter than your little finger. If it is, make sure you cut it up so its safer and easier to consume. Once they have been eating fruit and vegetable solids you can then move onto dairy products such as meat and cheese, this can be introduced after six months but it really depends on their development. From nine months onwards you can feed them between 2-4 table spoons of dairy products a day. Introduce cows milk after yogurts and cheese and always use whole milk and not the pasteurised kind.

 Meats and alternatives can also be introduced after six months. Mashed or strained meat as well as fish can be consumed as 1-3 tbsp per day. After nine months you can introduce diced or minced meat as 3-4 tbsp per day.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Food and Phytonutrients, the key to surviving Cancer

People in the past have always eaten mostly raw, natural and organic food which is an entirely different dietary concept than we have today. Most of the food we buy these days has been processed and in the course of processing many of the nutrients that keep us healthy, have been lost due to processing. One such nutrient is the phytonutrients, also called phytochemicals only recently discovered in the early 90s and found to be beneficial in keeping us both cancer free and even reversing cancer.

 Once we thought that vitamins and minerals were all the nutrients necessary to keep us healthy but we now know there are other nutrients, essential for optimal health and they are phytonutrients. It is these powerful nutrients that give fruit and vegetables their many colors and also provide us with Mother Nature's medicine.

 These chemical compounds occur naturally in plants, their role is to protect them from diseases, injury and damage from insects. They form part of the plants immune system. It's these same phytonutrients that have been found to have cancer fighting properties which help us not only to stay cancer free but to help us overcome cancer as well.

 The different color phytonutrients are;

 * Red; tomatoes, red grapes, red onions, red apples, beetroot.

 * Yellow - Orange; apricots, peaches, sweet potatoes, melons, carrots, pumpkins citrus fruits.

 * Green; cruciferous vegetables which are broccoli, spinach, cabbage.

 * White; garlic, onions, leeks, potatoes.

 * Blue - Purple; blueberries, aubergines, boysenberries,

 As you can see these phytonutrients are concentrations manly on the skin of fruit and vegetables and are responsible for the color, hue, scent and flavors. While there are many phytonutrients that have been identified, there are probably thousands more that remain to be discovered.

 Clinical trials are now revealing that phytonutrients can enhance and strengthen the immune system and play an important role in keeping us cancer free. It has also revealed that phytonutrients can even slow the aging process, prevent and reverse conditions such as heart disease. Using food, especially vegetables to treat serious health challenges like cancer are a far smarter choice than using drugs.

 Unfortunately we spend billions of dollars in treating cancer today yet we spend little promoting the consumption of apples, oranges, cruciferous vegetables and other healthy food that medicine well knows are helpful in preventing and overcoming diseases such as cancer. Thanks to our mainstream medicine today the public has remained virtually illiterate on nutrition for several decades.

 The most powerful weapon when fighting cancer is the food you choose to eat everyday.

 Alan Wighton is an experienced natural therapist specialising in nutrition. He has research all aspects of cancer and how the food we eat is related to the disease. For further information on more effective ways to overcome cancer using the powerful natural healing ability of the human body; please visit Cancer Facts & Information.



Sunday, October 12, 2014

Food plan when you're following an workout regimen

Every time you work out, you do so in an effort to keep a healthy body. Additionally you realize that you need to eat too, which means that your body will have the energy it requires to work out and preserve for the day-to-day tasks associated with life. For producing the very best of your physical exercise, what we consume pre and post training is extremely important.

 Regardless of whether you're going to be doing a cardiovascular training or a weight training session, you need to make it a point to consume a well-balanced combination of proteins and carbs. Exactly what makes that deciding proportion of carbohydrates and proteins you take in is if or not you're performing cardiovascular or weight exercise and also the level of intensity that you're planning to work at.

 The perfect time to consume your pre-training meal is an hour prior to starting. In case you want to work at a reduced intensity level, you need to maintain your pre-training meal down to two hundred calories approximately. If perhaps you're planning to work out at a higher level of intensity, you'll probably require your meal to be between four hundred and five hundred calories.

 Individuals who're performing a cardio session will have to consume a mixture of 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein. Doing this provides you with longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with sufficient protein to maintain your muscles from breaking down while you exercise.

 For resistance exercise, it is important to consume a mixture of 1/3 carbohydrates and 2/3 protein, because this will allow you to get lots of energy from the carbs to execute each set you do and the extra protein will assist to keep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you exercise.

 Eating after you exercise is just as important as your pre workout meal. Anytime you exercise, whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main source of fuel, so if you don't replace it after you exercise, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.

 Keep in mind that mostly during resistance exercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. What this means, is that after a workout, your muscles will instantly go into repair mode. Protein is the key here for muscle repair, as you don't want muscle breaking down even further to create fuel instead of lost glycogen.

 When you have concluded a cardiovascular workout, you will need to eat primarily carbs, ideally those with high dietary fiber. Oatmeal, northern fruits, rice and whole wheat pasta are great options. Additionally, make an effort to eat thirty - fifty grms of these forms of carbohydrates when you work out. Following your cardiovascular exercise, it's good to eat within Five To Ten mins.

 Once you have completed a weight training session, you'll have to eat a mix of carbohydrates and proteins. In contrast to cardiovascular exercises, weight training sessions will break down muscle tissue by producing micro rips.

 You will require protein as this happens to repair and build up these rips so your muscle mass can increase in strength and size. The carbohydrates will not just substitute the lost muscle mass glycogen, but will additionally assist the protein enter muscle mass cells in order that it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle mass itself.

 Immediately after your weight training session, you need to wait approximately a half hour before you can eat, so that you will not take blood away from your muscle groups too quickly. The blood inside your muscle groups will assist the repair process simply by taking out the metabolic waste products.