Your Healthy Life Is Now

The Advantages Of Banana To Our Life

2010-02-23T02:18:00.000-08:00

Serving size = 1 medium sufficiently ripe banana [about 7″ long and 126 grams (0.28 pounds) in weight]

Before they start discussing the health benefits of bananas, here is some nutritional information for a serving of banana (source - these numbers can be slightly different when obtained from a different source):

Potassium = 400 mg (10% of every day recommended value)

Total Overweight = 0 g; Cholesterol = 0 g; Calories = 110

Dietary Fiber = 4 g (16% of every day recommended value)

Sugar = 14.8 g; Protein = 1 g (2% of every day recommended value)

Vitamin C = 16% of every day recommended value

Vitamin B6 = 20% of every day recommended value

With this nutritional information in the background let’s work through the wonderful health benefits of this commonplace fruit. I will try and list only substantiated facts with references wherever possible. I am concerned about this because there's been some unsubstantiated claims (rumors) about bizarre banana benefits floating around the net (here is an example).

1. Bananas are nice for your heart and nerves:

Bananas contain a high dose of potassium - an essential ingredient to keep your heart and nervous technique in nice shape. Potassium is essential for proper muscle contraction and hence plays an important role in muscle-influenced activities including: the normal rhythmic pumping of the heart, digestion, muscular movements, etc., Some studies have also linked low potassium intake to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke. Most Americans don’t get potassium in their diet (recommended dose is about 4 g per day) - blame it on our speedy food culture. Including a banana (or three) in your diet everyday would take you a step closer towards getting your every day recommended dose of potassium (references: American Heart Association, University of Maryland Medical Center, Colorado State University).

2. Bananas are nice for your kidneys and bones:

Benefits to the kidneys and the bones are again due to the high potassium content of bananas. A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimizes the risk of kidney stones. Also, for the same reason (suppressing of calcium excretion), it minimizes the loss of calcium from the body and thereby reduces the risk of osteoporosis (references: University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Kansas Medical Center).

3. Bananas can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives:

Bananas contain tryptophan (although it’s not two of the major sources, a medium still contains about 10.6 mg of tryptophan). Tryptophan is two of the 20 amino acids which are building blocks of proteins (btw, an wonderful number of articles on the net call tryptophan as a “mood-enhancing protein” and that is technically not correct). Tryptophan helps the body to produce serotonin - which has a calming effect on the brain (creates a stable mood) and acts as a mild sedative. It should be noted that the only way our our body gets it’s dose of tryptophan is through our diet - it does not produce tryptophan naturally; bananas is two of the easiest ways to get it (references: Nutritiondata.com, Chemistry Every day, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, NIH MedLinePlus).

4. Bananas are nice for your blood:

Bananas are two of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin (read #3 above), and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B6 is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your every day recommended intake of vitamin B6 and is two of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin (references: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).

5. Bananas are nice for children:

Let me quote this from NIH’s Medical Encyclopedia -

Bananas are part of the BRAT diet, a diet lots of physicians and nurses recommend for children recovering from gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea. BRAT stands for the different components that make up the diet: Bananas, Rice cereal, Applesauce, Toast. These are binding foods that make the stools harder.

6. Bananas are nice source of dietary fiber:

A single serving (two medium-sized banana) contains 16% of the every day recommended dietary fiber intake for a normal adult - that’s substantial for a single serving of any food. Fiber improves laxation (smooth bowel movements). Fiber-rich diets have also been linked to lower risk of coronary heart illness and of type 2 diabetes. Also, view this information in light of the following facts (references: Health.gov, NIH PubMed - abstract is ):

Current recommendations suggest that adults consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day. Children over age 2 should consume an amount equal to or greater than their age and 5 grams per day. Yet the average American eats only 14-15 grams of dietary fiber a day. source: Harvard School of Public Health

Availability is the best part: Bananas are very affordable at about 35~40 cents per pound (on an average - in the US) and are generally available in very all grocery stores; you don’t require to cook them or wash them (unless you require to eat the outer skin) and that makes them ideal as speedy lunch substitutes. Think about bananas as an awesome and affordable dietary supplement.

Got sugar concerns?: People worry a lot about the carbohydrates ( the sugar part) in bananas. To that finish, here are a few quotes from a couple reliable sources:

A banana has a glycemic index of 52 and 24 grams of available carbohydrate. This gives a glycemic load of 12. In comparison, an apple having a glycemic index of 38 and 15 grams of available carbohydrate has a glycemic load of 6 … Although an apple may be a small better choice for a snack, eating a banana isn’t all that bad either because foods with glycemic lots in the low teens and below are the ones that should be selected as part of a balanced diet. (source: USDA.gov)

Despite being erroneously called “fattening” and high in sugar, a little banana only contains about 100 calories, which is not much over a medium apple. Nor should it raise your blood glucose level high. (source: American Diabetes Association)

Like always, stuff should be done in moderation and it should be noted that all the above health benefits are “general observations” - and there has to be, for sure, exceptions to general observations. If you have specific health conditions related to any nutritional constituents of bananas, make sure you consult your doctor before you go bananas on bananas.

If you have additional information (or even folklore :) ) about bananas, feel free to share it with us through your comments.

HIV-AIDS Virus And Consequence

2010-02-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled by the elements of the immune system that HIV damages.

Opportunistic infections are common in people with AIDS. These infections affect nearly every organ system.

People with AIDS also have an increased risk of developing various cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer and cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. Additionally, people with AIDS often have systemic symptoms of infection like fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss.^[14]^[15] The specific opportunistic infections that AIDS patients develop depend in part on the prevalence of these infections in the geographic area in which the patient lives.

Pulmonary infections

X-ray of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). There is increased white (opacity) in the lower lungs on both sides, characteristic of PCP

Pneumocystis pneumonia (originally known as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and still abbreviated as PCP, which now stands for Pneumocystis pneumonia) is relatively rare in healthy, immunocompetent people, but common among HIV-infected individuals. It is caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii.

Before the advent of effective diagnosis, treatment and routine prophylaxis in Western countries, it was a common immediate cause of death. In developing countries, it is still one of the first indications of AIDS in untested individuals, although it does not generally occur unless the CD4 count is less than 200 cells per µL of blood.^[16]

Tuberculosis (TB) is unique among infections associated with HIV because it is transmissible to immunocompetent people via the respiratory route, is not easily treatable once identified,^[17] may occur in early-stage HIV disease, and is preventable with drug therapy^{[citation needed]}. However, multidrug resistance is a serious problem. Tuberculosis with HIV co-infection (TB/HIV) is a major world health problem according to the World Health Organization: in 2007, 456,000 deaths among incident TB cases were HIV-positive, a third of all TB deaths and nearly a quarter of the estimated 2 million HIV deaths in that year ^[18].

Even though its incidence has declined because of the use of directly observed therapy and other improved practices in Western countries, this is not the case in developing countries where HIV is most prevalent. In early-stage HIV infection (CD4 count >300 cells per µL), TB typically presents as a pulmonary disease. In advanced HIV infection, TB often presents atypically with extrapulmonary (systemic) disease a common feature. Symptoms are usually constitutional and are not localized to one particular site, often affecting bone marrow, bone, urinary and gastrointestinal tracts, liver, regional lymph nodes, and the central nervous system.^[19]

Gastrointestinal infections

Esophagitis is an inflammation of the lining of the lower end of the esophagus (gullet or swallowing tube leading to the stomach). In HIV infected individuals, this is normally due to fungal (candidiasis) or viral (herpes simplex-1 or cytomegalovirus) infections. In rare cases, it could be due to mycobacteria.^[20]

Unexplained chronic diarrhea in HIV infection is due to many possible causes, including common bacterial (Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria or Campylobacter) and parasitic infections; and uncommon opportunistic infections such as cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and viruses,^[21] astrovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus and cytomegalovirus, (the latter as a course of colitis).

In some cases, diarrhea may be a side effect of several drugs used to treat HIV, or it may simply accompany HIV infection, particularly during primary HIV infection. It may also be a side effect of antibiotics used to treat bacterial causes of diarrhea (common for Clostridium difficile). In the later stages of HIV infection, diarrhea is thought to be a reflection of changes in the way the intestinal tract absorbs nutrients, and may be an important component of HIV-related wasting.^[22]

Neurological and psychiatric involvement

HIV infection may lead to a variety of neuropsychiatric sequelae, either by infection of the now susceptible nervous system by organisms, or as a direct consequence of the illness itself.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii; it usually infects the brain, causing toxoplasma encephalitis, but it can also infect and cause disease in the eyes and lungs.^[23] Cryptococcal meningitis is an infection of the meninx (the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord) by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. It can cause fevers, headache, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Patients may also develop seizures and confusion; left untreated, it can be lethal.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disease, in which the gradual destruction of the myelin sheath covering the axons of nerve cells impairs the transmission of nerve impulses. It is caused by a virus called JC virus which occurs in 70% of the population in latent form, causing disease only when the immune system has been severely weakened, as is the case for AIDS patients. It progresses rapidly, usually causing death within months of diagnosis.^[24]

AIDS dementia complex (ADC) is a metabolic encephalopathy induced by HIV infection and fueled by immune activation of HIV infected brain macrophages and microglia. These cells are productively infected by HIV and secrete neurotoxins of both host and viral origin.^[25] Specific neurological impairments are manifested by cognitive, behavioral, and motor abnormalities that occur after years of HIV infection and are associated with low CD4⁺ T cell levels and high plasma viral loads.

Prevalence is 10–20% in Western countries^[26] but only 1–2% of HIV infections in India.^[27]^[28] This difference is possibly due to the HIV subtype in India. AIDS related mania is sometimes seen in patients with advanced HIV illness; it presents with more irritability and cognitive impairment and less euphoria than a manic episode associated with true bipolar disorder. Unlike the latter condition, it may have a more chronic course. This syndrome is less often seen with the advent of multi-drug therapy.

Tumors and malignancies

Kaposi's sarcoma

Patients with HIV infection have substantially increased incidence of several cancers. This is primarily due to co-infection with an oncogenic DNA virus, especially Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) (also known as human herpesvirus-8 [HHV-8]), and human papillomavirus (HPV).^[29]^[30]

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common tumor in HIV-infected patients. The appearance of this tumor in young homosexual men in 1981 was one of the first signals of the AIDS epidemic. Caused by a gammaherpes virus called Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV), it often appears as purplish nodules on the skin, but can affect other organs, especially the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and lungs. High-grade B cell lymphomas such as Burkitt's lymphoma, Burkitt's-like lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and primary central nervous system lymphoma present more often in HIV-infected patients. These particular cancers often foreshadow a poor prognosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or KSHV cause many of these lymphomas. In HIV-infected patients, lymphoma often arises in extranodal sites such as the gastrointestinal tract.^[31] When they occur in an HIV-infected patient, KS and aggressive B cell lymphomas confer a diagnosis of AIDS.

Invasive cervical cancer in HIV-infected women is also considered AIDS-defining. It is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).^[32]

In addition to the AIDS-defining tumors listed above, HIV-infected patients are at increased risk of certain other tumors, notably Hodgkin's disease, anal and rectal carcinomas, hepatocellular carcinomas, head and neck cancers, and lung cancer. Some of these are causes by viruses, such as Hodgkin's disease (EBV), anal/rectal cancers (HPV), head and neck cancers (HPV), and hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatitis B or C). Other contributing factors include exposure to carcinogens (cigarette smoke for lung cancer), or living for years with subtle immune defects.

Interestingly, the incidence of many common tumors, such as breast cancer or colon cancer, does not increase in HIV-infected patients. In areas where HAART is extensively used to treat AIDS, the incidence of many AIDS-related malignancies has decreased, but at the same time malignant cancers overall have become the most common cause of death of HIV-infected patients.^[33] In recent years, an increasing proportion of these deaths have been from non-AIDS-defining cancers.

Other infections

AIDS patients often develop opportunistic infections that present with non-specific symptoms, especially low-grade fevers and weight loss. These include opportunistic infection with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV can cause colitis, as described above, and CMV retinitis can cause blindness.

Penicilliosis due to Penicillium marneffei is now the third most common opportunistic infection (after extrapulmonary tuberculosis and cryptococcosis) in HIV-positive individuals within the endemic area of Southeast Asia.^[34]

An infection that often goes unrecognized in AIDS patients is Parvovirus B19. Its main consequence is anemia, which is difficult to distinguish from the effects of antiretroviral drugs used to treat AIDS itself.^[35]

Cause

For more details on this topic, see HIV.

Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1, colored green, budding from a cultured lymphocyte.

AIDS is the most severe acceleration of infection with HIV. HIV is a retrovirus that primarily infects vital organs of the human immune system such as CD4⁺ T cells (a subset of T cells), macrophages and dendritic cells. It directly and indirectly destroys CD4⁺ T cells.^[36]

Once HIV has killed so many CD4⁺ T cells that there are fewer than 200 of these cells per microliter (µL) of blood, cellular immunity is lost. Acute HIV infection progresses over time to clinical latent HIV infection and then to early symptomatic HIV infection and later to AIDS, which is identified either on the basis of the amount of CD4⁺ T cells remaining in the blood, and/or the presence of certain infections, as noted above.^[37]

In the absence of antiretroviral therapy, the median time of progression from HIV infection to AIDS is nine to ten years, and the median survival time after developing AIDS is only 9.2 months.^[38] However, the rate of clinical disease progression varies widely between individuals, from two weeks up to 20 years.

Many factors affect the rate of progression. These include factors that influence the body's ability to defend against HIV such as the infected person's general immune function.^[39]^[40] Older people have weaker immune systems, and therefore have a greater risk of rapid disease progression than younger people.

Poor access to health care and the existence of coexisting infections such as tuberculosis also may predispose people to faster disease progression.^[38]^[41]^[42] The infected person's genetic inheritance plays an important role and some people are resistant to certain strains of HIV. An example of this is people with the homozygous CCR5-Δ32 variation are resistant to infection with certain strains of HIV.^[43] HIV is genetically variable and exists as different strains, which cause different rates of clinical disease progression.^[44]^[45]^[46]

Sexual transmission

Sexual transmission occurs with the contact between sexual secretions of one person with the rectal, genital or oral mucous membranes of another. Unprotected sexual acts are riskier for the receptive partner than for the insertive partner, and the risk for transmitting HIV through unprotected anal intercourse is greater than the risk from vaginal intercourse or oral sex.^{[citation needed]}

However, oral sex is not entirely safe, as HIV can be transmitted through both insertive and receptive oral sex.^[47]^[48] Sexual assault greatly increases the risk of HIV transmission as condoms are rarely employed and physical trauma to the vagina or rectum occurs frequently, facilitating the transmission of HIV.^[49]

Other sexually transmitted infections (STI) increase the risk of HIV transmission and infection, because they cause the disruption of the normal epithelial barrier by genital ulceration and/or microulceration; and by accumulation of pools of HIV-susceptible or HIV-infected cells (lymphocytes and macrophages) in semen and vaginal secretions. Epidemiological studies from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and North America suggest that genital ulcers, such as those caused by syphilis and/or chancroid, increase the risk of becoming infected with HIV by about fourfold. There is also a significant although lesser increase in risk from STIs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis, which all cause local accumulations of lymphocytes and macrophages.^[50]

Transmission of HIV depends on the infectiousness of the index case and the susceptibility of the uninfected partner. Infectivity seems to vary during the course of illness and is not constant between individuals. An undetectable plasma viral load does not necessarily indicate a low viral load in the seminal liquid or genital secretions.

However, each 10-fold increase in the level of HIV in the blood is associated with an 81% increased rate of HIV transmission.^[50]^[51] Women are more susceptible to HIV-1 infection due to hormonal changes, vaginal microbial ecology and physiology, and a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases.^[52]^[53]

People who have been infected with one strain of HIV can still be infected later on in their lives by other, more virulent strains.

Infection is unlikely in a single encounter. High rates of infection have been linked to a pattern of overlapping long-term sexual relationships. This allows the virus to quickly spread to multiple partners who in turn infect their partners. A pattern of serial monogamy or occasional casual encounters is associated with lower rates of infection.^[54]

HIV spreads readily through heterosexual sex in Africa, but less so elsewhere. One possibility being researched is that schistosomiasis, which affects up to 50% of women in parts of Africa, damages the lining of the vagina.^[55]^[56]

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens

CDC poster from 1989 highlighting the threat of AIDS associated with drug use

This transmission route is particularly relevant to intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and recipients of blood transfusions and blood products. Sharing and reusing syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood represents a major risk for infection with HIV.

Needle sharing is the cause of one third of all new HIV-infections in North America, China, and Eastern Europe. The risk of being infected with HIV from a single prick with a needle that has been used on an HIV-infected person is thought to be about 1 in 150 (see table above). Post-exposure prophylaxis with anti-HIV drugs can further reduce this risk.^[57]

This route can also affect people who give and receive tattoos and piercings. Universal precautions are frequently not followed in both sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia because of both a shortage of supplies and inadequate training.

The WHO estimates that approximately 2.5% of all HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa are transmitted through unsafe healthcare injections.^[58] Because of this, the United Nations General Assembly has urged the nations of the world to implement precautions to prevent HIV transmission by health workers.^[59]

The risk of transmitting HIV to blood transfusion recipients is extremely low in developed countries where improved donor selection and HIV screening is performed. However, according to the WHO, the overwhelming majority of the world's population does not have access to safe blood and between 5% and 10% of the world's HIV infections come from transfusion of infected blood and blood products.^[60]

Perinatal transmission

The transmission of the virus from the mother to the child can occur in utero during the last weeks of pregnancy and at childbirth. In the absence of treatment, the transmission rate between a mother and her child during pregnancy, labor and delivery is 25%.

However, when the mother takes antiretroviral therapy and gives birth by caesarean section, the rate of transmission is just 1%.^[61] The risk of infection is influenced by the viral load of the mother at birth, with the higher the viral load, the higher the risk. Breastfeeding also increases the risk of transmission by about 4 %.^[62]

Misconceptions

Main article: HIV and AIDS misconceptions

A number of misconceptions have arisen surrounding HIV/AIDS. Three of the most common are that AIDS can spread through casual contact, that sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS, and that HIV can infect only homosexual men and drug users. Other misconceptions are that any act of anal intercourse between gay men can lead to AIDS infection, and that open discussion of homosexuality and HIV in schools will lead to increased rates of homosexuality and AIDS

Actually, It Is a Long, Healthy Life That Costs More

2010-02-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

LONDON - Preventing obesity & smoking can save lives, but it doesn’t save funds, researchers reported Monday.

It costs more to care for healthy people who live years longer, according to a Dutch study that counters the common perception that preventing obesity would save governments millions of dollars.

“It was a small surprise,” said Pieter truck Baal, an economist at the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health & the Environment, who led the study. “But it also makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more.”
In a paper published online Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal, Dutch researchers found that the health costs of narrow & healthy people in adulthood are more expensive than those of either overweight people or smokers.

Truck Baal & colleagues created a model to simulate lifetime health costs for two groups of 1,000 people: the “healthy-living” group (narrow & non-smoking), overweight people, & smokers. The model relied on “cost of illness” information & illness prevalence in the Netherlands in 2003.

On average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, & overweight people lived about 80 years. Smokers & overweight people tended to have more heart illness than the healthy people.

The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, overweight people racked up the most expensive health costs. But because both the smokers & the overweight people died sooner than the healthy group, it cost less to treat them in the long run.

The cost of care for overweight people was $371,000, & for smokers, about $326,000.

Cancer incidence, except for lung cancer, was the same in all two groups. overweight people had the most diabetes, & healthy people had the most strokes. Ultimately, the narrow & healthy group cost the most, about $417,000, from age 20 on.

The results counter the common perception that preventing obesity will save health systems worldwide millions of dollars.

Tomatoes May Help Prevent Cancer

2010-02-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

According to the American Cancer Society, there is also strong evidence that lycopene-rich foods may help protect against lung and stomach cancer. There is also evidence that lycopene may help prevent several other forms of cancer as well.

Tomatoes For a Healthy Heart

Red tomatoes are popular for their flavor and versatility.
You'll find fresh tomatoes in the produce section of your grocery store as well as in lots of processed foods like pasta sauce and salsa. Tomatoes are much over flavorful: They are also nice for you. Tomatoes are rich in potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and lycopene that works as an antioxidant to protect the cells in your body.

Tomatoes are also low in calories.

Eating Tomatoes May Help Reduce Your Cancer Risk
A Harvard study done in 1995 showed men who ate a lot of tomatoes appeared to have a lower risk of prostate cancer. This effect is largely attributed to lycopene. However, some studies suggest a synergistic effect of the vitamins also found in tomatoes. Lycopene is actually related chemically to vitamin A.

The antioxidants found in lots of colorful fruits and vegetables help to protect your heart, and tomatoes are no exception. Studies indicate that people with low levels of lycopene in their bodies may be more likely to suffer from heart disease. Lycopene may decrease inflammation and reduce LDL cholesterol, both of which may help keep your heart healthier.

Healthy Ways to Enjoy Tomatoes

Tomatoes are nice for you whether you eat them fresh, like on a salad or sandwich, or when cooked in to a sauce. Bite-sized cherry tomatoes make a delicious snack when dipped in to your favorite veggie dip and plump roma tomatoes are perfect for making sauces. While cooking reduces the vitamin C, the lycopene becomes more concentrated

Big Picture Strategies For Healthy Eating & Healthy Life

2010-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Eat a wide variety of foods.

Healthy eating is a chance to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.

Eat calories but not lots of.

Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended every day allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

Eat lots of fruits, vegetables,

grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce

Keep portions moderate, high-calorie foods.

In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, in restaurants. Pick a starter in lieu of an entrée, split a dish with a mate, and don’t order supersized anything.

Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products.

Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, two every day 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.

Drink more water.

Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.

Get moving.

A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of lots of diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.

Don’t be the food police.

You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is lovely for the heart – even if those Italian fries aren’t!

Two step at a time.

Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on two food group or food fact at a time