The Big Boys' Guide to Drinking, Eating and Health

THIS IS YOLO WEEK!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Yolo? Yes! It stands for "You Only Live Once" and it's a campaign for men's health 11th-17th June 2012.

Heart disease is the biggest killer of men - 17% of men under 75 years old die from it, which is double the figure for women.

Learn how you can get involved HERE.

RED MEAT AND YOUR HEALTH - AGAIN!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

It's official - yet again a major US study has said not only is red meat unhealthy - it's lethal. Rather dramatic and depressing, but there it is.

The facts this time are that each additional serving of processed red meat increases your chances of dying prematurely by one fifth. This new study has found more evidence to link the consumption of red meat with cancer and heart disease

But red meat also provides a significant source of both zinc and iron, so other experts (funded by the meat industry) tell us.

However, it seems that processed red meat is particularly dangerous, so we should be looking at cutting out hot dogs, burgers, bacon and replacing them with fish, nuts, poultry and plant-based proteins.

The World Cancer Research Fund says we should avoid processed meats entirely and limit our consumption of red meat to 500g a week.

More information here.

YOUR PROSTATE HEALTH

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:34:00 +0000

It's a fact that 50% of all men with suffer with prostate problems at some time and they often don't know enough about the symptoms or what they mean. If you could do with knowing the facts about prostate health www.prostateconcern.co.uk is well worth a read. It contains info on keeping your prostate healthy, explains the science behind the prostate and ageing, natural remedies to help and more.

SMOKING COULD EQUAL DEMENTIA!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:57:00 +0000

An American study has revealed that smoking could increase your risk of developing dementia by 5 times. Researchers believe that it damages the small blood vessels that supply the brain, thus also damaging the brain itself.
However - all is not lost - it's never too late to stop and the sooner you do, apparently, the lower your risk of developing dementia will be. So give it up and find something else to spend the cash on!

HOW TO QUIT SMOKING NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:00:00 +0000

WHY? 12 GOOD REASONS TO GIVE UP

Every year there are more than 120,000 smoking related deaths in the UK.
Smoking is the main cause of illness and death.
Smoking can age your skin 10-20 years.
A smoker has 2 or 3 times the risk of suffering a heart attack than a non-smoker.
Smoking accelerates the hardening of your arteries.
Smoking will increase your risk of getting lung cancer and you will suffer from shortness of breath and emphysema (chronic obstructive lung disease).
Smoking is a waste of money. 20 cigarettes a day costs around £5+ and over 365 days a year that adds up to £1825. Add to that the interest you could have gained in a tax-free ISA savings account – around 5% and you could have had over £1916 at the end of your year. Just think what you could do with nearly £2000!
It’s easier than ever to go out to pubs and clubs and not be tempted to smoke since the ban on smoking in public places (1^st July 2007).
As a non-smoker you’ll save money on life insurance or critical illness cover.
Your body will benefit straight away:

Quit and 1 day later carbon monoxide and nicotine are eliminated from your body.

One month later your skin will become less wrinkled and regain its healthy glow.

One year later and you will have reduced your risk of heart attack by half.

Go to your family doctor or local nhs smoke free clinic

All the extra help you need you’ll find here. Quit now! www.smokefree.co.uk

Found this post useful?

HAVE YOU BEEN FEELING YOURSELF LATELY?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:38:00 +0000

Well, yeah – that is a bit of an old joke – but a good way to introduce the next topic- testicular cancer.

How long is it since you last examined your testes (balls, bollocks – or whatever you like to call them)? Each year, there are almost 2,000 new cases of testicular cancer in the United Kingdom.

Unlike the breast screening program for women, there is no screening program for testicular cancer. However, regular self-examination and early treatment is the key to a successful cure.

Testicular cancer mainly affects 20 to 44 year old men, although it can occur in teenage boys and you should begin regular self-examination from puberty onwards. Caught early, testicular cancer responds very well to treatment.

But – this means that embarrassment and delay in going to see your doctor could endanger your life. Don’t put it off - if you have any worrying symptoms or dodgy lumps, get yourself to the doctor’s – quick. There really is no need to feel embarrassed, your doctor has seen every part of the human body and has had to deal with every problem – that’s how they got be a doctor in the first place – it’s called training!

Repeat this over and over to yourself – “5 minutes embarrassment is nothing - compared to being dead!”

If you want to know more about testicular cancer (and you should) have a look at this website - http://www.checkemlads.com/ - this is the Phil Morris and Mick Riley Testicular Cancer Awareness site – it’s informative, down to earth and humorous. Several blokes tell their stories candidly and without sentiment, there is a guide to self-examination, video interviews, diagnosis, treatment and much more. Definitely worth a read.

If you’ve found this information useful and would like to help keep this hardworking blogger in choccy biscuits and midnight oil then…

AVAST YE SALTY LANDLUBBERS AND BELAY THAT SCURVY SALT POT!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:50:00 +0000

Or for those not so well-versed in pirate slang – “pay attention all you people who eat salt and put down that salt pot!”

You should you be eating no more than 6g of salt a day (about a teaspoonful). Look at “sodium” on the food labels and multiply it by 2.50 to calculate the amount of salt. You’ll probably be getting far more than 6g a day “hidden” in processed foods and that’s without adding any yourself, during cooking or at the table.

Calculate salt amounts with the salt calculator

Salt is “hidden” in foods because they often don’t seem very “salty” to the taste. Our most famous canned baked beans provide 1.7g of salt per 207g serving (a fraction under half a can) and a 30g helping of cornflakes with 125ml of milk provides 0.7g salt. So breakfast, plus half a can of baked beans with 2 slices of wholemeal toast (0.4g salt) can already add up to 2.8g – more if you’ve spread your toast with margarine or salted butter! You’d already be over a third way through your 6g and that’s without your biscuits at coffee and tea-break, your evening meal and all those packets of crisps and salted peanuts you’re going to scoff down the pub later!

The bad news about salt-

Too much salt makes the body retain water which can cause high blood pressure and, although this rarely has any symptoms, it will still damage your body.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can ultimately result in a stroke - a burst or blocked blood vessel in the brain, causing brain damage resulting in paralysis (usually of one side of the body) and sometimes, loss of speech.

Stroke is not necessarily an “old” people’s condition – every year 10,000 people under retirement age suffer a stroke.

High blood pressure can also cause heart disease.

Salt can damage your kidneys over time and make them less able to remove sodium from your body.

There’s loads of bilge talked about salt - but just remember:

Never add salt to any food (either on your plate or while you are cooking it).

Rock salt, table salt - whatever kind of salt - it’s all sodium chloride and it’s the sodium that’s bad for your body.

75% of the salt you eat comes from food like chilled or frozen ready meals, soups, salty snacks like crisps and peanuts, pies, sauces and breakfast cereals.

You may think food is tasteless and bland without salt – but cut it out and your taste buds will soon adjust. You’ll find yourself enjoying the real flavours of foods and you’ll be healthier for it!

Want to know more about the science of consuming salt? Have a look at this!

If you've found this information useful and would like to help keep this hardworking blogger in choccy biscuits and midnight oil...

DRINK AT LEAST 2 LITRES A DAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:58:00 +0000

Yeah, sorry lads – that’s water NOT beer!

Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen (H₂O) and you cannot survive more than about 4 days without it. Over half of your body is made up of water so it’s fairly important to keep topping it up.

Large amounts of alcohol will dehydrate you - that’s why after a heavy night out you get that disgusting feeling that someone’s sneaked round while you were asleep and swapped your tongue for a tramp’s cheesy old sock!

If, after your night out, you can still stand and are able to operate a tap – try to slowly sip a pint of water before crashing out on the bed. It can make the hangover less unpleasant the next morning. Those who think they will speed this process up by knocking back the water all in one go are very likely to be reunited with it minutes later!

Never wait until you feel thirsty to drink – you may already be dehydrated by then. Symptoms of dehydration can be tiredness, headache and loss of concentration. Keep a bottle of water with you all day and take small sips from it regularly. Drinking it all in a couple of slugs will probably only make you want to pee – sort of defeats the object. While we’re on the subject of peeing – your pee should be a pale champagne colour – any darker and you know you’re not drinking enough. If it’s at all cloudy it may mean you have a urine infection, in which case drink more water, pay attention to symptoms such as a burning sensation when peeing, backache or high temperature and visit your G.P. if they continue.

Top up your bottle! Roughly speaking, you should have drunk the contents of a 750ml bottle by about lunch-time, another by dinner and around 500ml during the evening. Of course if you like to drink fruit juice, then this counts as part of your 2 litres, but fizzy, sugary (or diet) drinks, whilst topping up your fluid intake, are not a good idea. The carbonation in fizzy drinks requires calcium to be digested and this is taken from your body, which may, over a long period, lead to weakening of bones and teeth.

What water does for you:

Helps remove all the waste matter from your body – and yes, if you don’t drink enough you can get constipated!
Keeps you looking young! Well, it does plump up your skin cells!
Helps your kidneys and liver by flushing out toxins.
Carries oxygen and nutrients around your body.
Regulates your body temperature.
Lubricates your joints.

Want to know more?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/health.html#top

If you'd like to help keep this hardworking blogger in choccy biscuits and midnight oil...