Healthy Lifestyle

Honest Food Guide Exceeds 70,000 Downloads; Offers Nutritional Wisdom Without Food Industry Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Wed, 7 Sep 2011 06:02:00 +0700

It's no secret that a healthy diet is the best strategy for disease prevention, but can Americans trust the nutritional information provided in the USDA's food pyramid? Natural health author Mike Adams believes there is a better model for healthy eating, which he illustrates in the Honest Food Guide. Consumers clearly agree. To date, the Honest Food Guide has been downloaded more than 70,000 times from http://www.honestfoodguide.org, where it is available free of charge.

"The USDA's food pyramid is heavily influenced by food producers," explains Adams. "Their recommendations consistently cater to the industry rather than actually looking out for the health interests of the general public. I want to provide an alternative that gives people sound nutritional information, based on science, not big business."

The Honest Food Guide modifies the familiar food pyramid diagram, listing healthful foods on one side and disease-causing foods on the other. The guide explains why each item has been placed in its respective category, noting beneficial and harmful ingredients. In addition, the Honest Food Guide gives readers a description of physical and emotional states that are associated with proper nutrition and symptoms of a poor diet.

To create the Honest Food Guide, Adams compiled information from thousands of studies examining the effects of diet on health. All recommendations are based on his research, without the influence of food industry interests.

10 Tips to Beating Your Food Cravings

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Wed, 7 Sep 2011 05:58:00 +0700

Craving food is normal, especially when you are dieting or following a weight loss plan. Sometimes, you may even be craving something that you need and may be deficient in, such as a mineral. Just because you crave something unhealthy does not mean that you have to give in to those cravings, though. By following these ten tips, you can overcome your cravings and stay on track to lose weight.
1. Water
The human body needs hydration. If you are craving something cold (and often sweet) like soda or ice cream, then you may need to drink water. You may find, when you are craving a bottle of soda, that a drink of water may calm your craving for soda or fruit juice. Listen to your body, be sensitive to hydration, and drink water when you are thirsty.

2. Protein Power
Salads are healthy, but a bowl of lettuce will not keep you full for an afternoon. Hunger can lead to cravings, so you might try adding some lean protein to your salad. Soybeans, tofu, chicken, and beef are all things that you can add to your vegetable dish to boost energy, brain power and lose weight. They add protein to your meal that will keep you full longer, helping you avoid junk food.
3. Sleep
If you get less sleep at night, chances are you will eat unhealthy foods the next day. Without sleep, the body craves energy and will try to get it from food, which is not ideal for anyone on a weight loss diet. To avoid this problem, get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.
4. Bored?
It is very easy to convince yourself that you are hungry when you are just bored. The remedy for this particular problem is to find something to do that you enjoy. Keeping your mind focused on something else or going outside are all things that can help distract you and enable you to shed pounds.
5. Clean Teeth
The feeling of cleanliness after you brush your teeth can deter you from eating junk. You should brush after every meal, especially if you are craving dessert. This keeps your teeth clean and healthy, but will keep you from eating sugary sweets or salty snacks.
6. Fruit
Fruit usually has a lot of water in it, and it absorbs water. Both of these facts mean that eating a piece of fruit can help you feel full. Not only does it make you full, it provides nutrients and can help you lose pounds. Good fruits to reach for when you are craving something are apples, grapes, or oranges, because they all have very high water content.
7. Exercise
Exercising when you are craving food does not necessarily mean that you have to engage in something strenuous. Even a brisk walk can help you feel healthier, making you unwilling to put junk food into your body. Try taking a walk around the block or taking your pet for a short jaunt.
8. Eat Naturally
Most “diet” foods are heavily processed, and will do you no more good than eating a cupcake. You would be better off eating carrots, celery, fruit, or something with lean protein, like nuts. Natural foods do not have to be organic, just whole and close to their natural state.
9. Fiber
Fiber has recently become more popular, and for good reason. Fiber absorbs water and expands. In addition, it is not digested by your stomach, so foods with a lot of fiber in them take longer to digest, helping you stay full longer. Eating very fibrous food will prevent cravings, help you stick to your diet and will be beneficial to your digestive tract.
10. Find a New Hobby
Taking classes in something new, like ceramics or ballet, will help you keep your mind on the new activity and off your cravings. Even trying a new exercise, like running, may make you less willing to put junk in your body and help you to avoid the bad stuff.
Cravings are inevitable, but giving in to them is not. With these tips you can stave off cravings and improve your health.

Written by weightlossplans

Sport by sport diet guide

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 03:10:00 +0700

Whatever your sport, nutrition should be an integral part of your training and competition strategy. Although the emphasis will vary according to the activity you're involved in, there is a consensus among sports scientists on guidelines that athletes should be aiming for.

The International Conference on Foods, Nutrition and Sports in Lausanne (1991) agreed the following nutrient intakes to be optimum for most sports: 60-70% of calories in the diet from carbohydrates, 12% from protein and the remainder (18-28%) from fat. This in effect means eating a diet far higher in carbohydrate and lower in fat and protein than average.

Later in this article we will go on to consider detailed requirements for different types of sports activity. But first, we'll take a look at the three key ingredients in sports nutrition: carbohydrates, fluid and iron.

The carbohydrate connection
Carbohydrate is a crucial fuel for exercise. The body makes its own carbohydrate store, known as glycogen, which is stashed away in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is the body's fuel of choice for any exercise more intense than a gentle jog. This is because it can be broken down to provide energy more quickly than fat (the body's other major energy store). However, the snag with glycogen is that only limited amounts of it can be stored. This means that regular training, as well as competition where activity is at least an hour long, carries the risk of glycogen depletion. Low glycogen stores will mean a more sluggish performance and an increased risk of injury.

Strategies to minimise this problem include carbohydrate loading (see box, and the following article), ensuring that a high-carbohydrate diet is eaten the whole time during training to avoid burnout; also, consuming carbohydrates during exercise (eg, a cycle ride) or between rounds (eg, a tennis tournament) can cut down on glycogen loss and keep performance boosted.

If you're in regular training, eating lots of carbohydrate-rich foods will encourage your body to store glycogen (see Table I for carbo contents of various foods). A guideline to aim for is 8-lOg carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day. For an average man (70kg), this would mean aiming for a daily intake of 560-700g; for an average woman (55kg), between 440-550g. Tips for boosting your carbo intake The twin strategies are to cut back on fat and to increase carbohydrates:
1 Base meals around carbohydrate foods - potatoes, pasta, rice, bread.
2 Eat smaller portions of fat-rich foods (eg meat, pies, cheese) and fill up with extra potatoes or bread.
3 Porridge made with water makes a high-carbohydrate start to the day.
4 Drink fruit juice with meals, and a milky drink at bedtime.
5 Cut bread extra-thick for sandwiches.
6 Try carbohydrate-rich snacks that are also low in fat: eg fresh or dried fruit, water biscuits spread with jam.
7 Choose pasta sauces based on tomatoes or vegetables rather than meat or cheese.

Timing your carbo intake
If you need to replenish your glycogen stores quickly (eg you're training every one or two days) it's best to take advantage of the fact that the body is more likely to make glycogen immediately AFTER exercising - the sooner, the better. Some foods are better than others for this - the best are those with a high 'glycaemic index' (a term which means they will bring about a large surge in blood sugar). Examples of such foods are: bread (white or wholemeal), rice, potatoes, raisins, bananas, glucose, sucrose and honey. If you can't face eating straight after exercising, try a carbo-rich drink instead.

Fluid, the second key ingredient
For many athletes, dehydration is something to watch out for. Even moderate fluid losses can mean operating at less than 80% of your potential, and more significant losses could be dangerous to your health.

To prevent this unhappy state of affairs, the answer is to drink. Water is perfectly adequate for most purposes. However, if you're exercising under particularly hot conditions, and/or you know that you are a champion sweater, you may want to consider one of the commercially formulated sports drinks. Isotonic and hypotonic sports drinks are designed to zap water into your bloodstream as fast as possible, and a number of studies have found that they have a slight edge over plain water. You can make up your own version of a sports drink by adding a pinch of salt and 2-4g glucose per lOOml of water.

To make sure that your fluid balance is well in the black before competing, drink more water than you usually would for the few days beforehand. Don't drink alcohol the night before an event - it will dehydrate you. Before competing, try to drink between 1/2 and 1/4 pint 15 minutes before the start. (For more on fluid replacement, see page 6.)

Iron, the third key ingredient
Many athletes run the risk of low iron, partly because the stresses of their sport lead to increased losses of iron from the body (runners seem particularly susceptible). A number of studies have found that people in regular training and/or sports activity have low levels of ferritin, a body store of iron. People with low iron stores complain of tiredness and poor recovery from training. If the situation becomes worse, and haemoglobin (the form in which iron is transported around in the blood) levels fall, anaemia could result, with symptoms of severe fatigue, cramps, headaches and shortness of breath.

So what can you do if you suspect you're iron deficient? Iron supplements are available,and taking some for a few days to see if you notice any improvement could help identify if you really are deficient. However, supplements are commonly associated with side-effects such as nausea and heartburn, so your best bet is to try and boost your iron intake by dietary means. Even i-f you don't suffer immediate side-effects, you should seek medical advice before taking an iron supplement regularly, because it's also possible to suffer health problems from too much iron!

Haem iron foods: liver, liver pate, lean steak, chicken (dark meat), fish, oysters, salmon
Non-haem iron foods: eggs, breakfast cereal (fortified), wholemeal bread, spinach (cooked), lentils/kidney beans (cooked), tofu, sultanas, dried apricots, almonds, cocoa.

Haem iron is better absorbed by the body than nonhaem. However, absorption of non-haem iron is enhanced by vitamin C, so include some raw or lightly cooked vegetables with a meal, or drink fruit juice. Conversely, drinking tea or coffee will make the iron more difficult to absorb.

Tailoring nutrition for specific sports
As a broad generalisation, sports can be divided into activities that are aerobic (eg endurance events), anaerobic (short, intense bursts of activity, eg sprinting), and those that are primarily related to strength (eg weightlifting, throwing). In fact, there will often be a combination of all three elements, but there is usually more emphasis on one of the three.

The endurance athlete's priority is to maximise glycogen stores by eating a high-carbohydrate diet both in training and before an event. Carbo loading is advisable, especially for an activity lasting longer than 90 minutes. Care should be taken to avoid dehydration, and this balanced against the possible benefits of taking in extra carbohydrate during the activity. Sports drinks containing maltodextrins enable delivery of some carbohydrate without compromising fluid uptake; on a cool day, however, it could be worth drinking something with a higher concentration of carbohydrate. This will slow down fluid absorption but will spare muscle glycogen. Eating during an endurance event tends to be problematic for runners, but seems to be well tolerated by cyclists.

Sports with an anaerobic content are also performed at their best with muscles well-primed with glycogen. A training diet high in carbohydrate will therefore be beneficial. Carbo loading is not really necessary, however. For anaerobic activities, lactic acid build-up in the muscles is a limiting factor. Some research has shown that sodium bicarbonate taken before events such as a rowing race, 400m swim or 800m run has a positive effect. Some individuals suffer gastrointestinal side-effects, however, so experiment first in training. More recently, creatine phosphate supplements have shown consistently positive effects on short-term, high-intensity exercise, but long-term effects aren't yet known about.

Athletes involved in heats or rounds need to ensure that they recover adequately between events. A sweet drink or carbohydrate-rich snack after exercising will pack the glycogen back into the muscles. Similarly, keep topped up with fluids - if rehydration time is at a premium (eg between squash matches) you'd do well to try an isotonic or hypotonic sports drink - and make sure you're well-hydrated at the start of the day.

The common folklore in strength sports is that a high-protein diet is required. The consensus of most sports scientists is that, although the protein needs of strength athletes are slightly higher than the general population, high levels of protein intake are not necessary. In fact, in the quest for protein, many strength athletes end up eating unhealthy high-fat diets. The key issue for bulking up is adequate energy intake alongside a training programme. A high-energy intake from nutritious food will also be high in protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals.

Many studies of strength athletes have reported heavy use of dietary supplements. Favourites include amino acids - arginine and ornithine, for example, are marketed as boosting growth hormone release, mimicking the effect of steroids. There is no proof that the small amounts of amino acids provided by these supplements have any effect at all on growth hormone levels or body condition.

We will now look at some special considerations for swimmers, cyclists, runners, and those involved in power sports.

Swimming
Optimum body fat for swimmers has become controversial of late. Traditionally, swimmers tend to have more body fat than their counterparts in other sports such as running or cycling. This has always been considered to be an advantage because of the added buoyancy factor. However, recent research has thrown doubt on this accepted wisdom. A study at the University of Georgia found that more fat is not necessarily an advantage. In trials, extra body fat was found to decrease V02max (maximal aerobic capacity). Swimmers trying to lose fat should follow a diet which restricts calories by cutting down on fatty foods. Some popular weight-loss diets advocate cutting down on starchy foods - this is never recommended for an active sportsperson.

Cycling
The long miles and hours of training undertaken by competition cyclists call for a high-energy diet. A dietary study of elite cyclists estimated their average daily calorie intake at over 6000 calories ! It's not possible to consume this much at three meals a day, so constant 'grazing' over the day is advised. Take care that snack foods are high in carbohydrates rather than fat-rich.

Distance running
A nutrition-related problem a lot of runners have to contend with is gastrointestinal discomfort - from nausea to trots while on the trot. This seems to be a treat reserved for the distance runner - endurance cyclists don't suffer. It's thought that the problems are caused by the repeated jolting of the gut while running. Some tips that runners have found helpful are:
1 Try liquid food only for the last meal before a long run or pre-competition
2 Take care not to become dehydrated while running. Research has found that runners who take on board adequate fluid while running are less likely to suffer from gut problems
3 Avoid food high in fat or protein before your training runs, as research shows that these are more likely to induce nausea if eaten before exercise
4 Some athletes find that decreasing the fibre content of their diet before competing improves things.

Power sports
A brief word about making weight (eg in combat sports, rowing, gymnastics). Drastic strategies such as sweating it out in a sauna, or using diuretics or laxatives, may cause an effective loss of body weight, but your body will have lost water, muscle and glycogen in order to achieve it. This will seriously handicap your performance, and it will be impossible to make good the deficit in the time between weighing-in and competing. The maximum weight loss that can be achieved without affecting fluid and glycogen stores is about 2lb a week. So ideally, you should be very close to your competition weight two to four days before competing. Female athletes: special considerations
The two nutritional issues of particular relevance to female athletes are: first, avoiding anemia, and second, achieving a sensible weight. The daily iron requirement for menstruating women is higher than that for men. There is also a greater likelihood that women athletes will be vegetarian. Although there are vegetarian sources of iron, care must be taken to eat enough of them, and in a context that will enable them to be absorbed well (see section on iron, above).

Females achieving a very low level of body fat can end up with their periods becoming irregular, or even stopping altogether. This carries potential health risks, as studies have shown that female athletes whose periods have stopped have lower levels of minerals (including calcium) in their bones - meaning a higher risk of osteoporosis and stress fracture. Any female athlete with abnormal menstruation should consult her GP, and may need to consider gaining weight. In addition, calcium-rich foods should be consumed, such as dairy products, nuts and seeds, dried fruit and green vegetables.

Janet Pidcock, MSc

Credit : http://www.pponline.co.uk/

Secrets of Health from the Healthiest People

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 03:02:00 +0700

Ever wonder if there are hidden secrets of health? Let's check out the healthiest people known to live on earth for THEIR secrets of health.

To do that we'll need to go to Okinawa.

Here we discover a higher percentage of healthy 100-year old people than anywhere else on earth – three times more than in the U.S. And Okinawans have practically no risk of heart disease, with 80% less breast and prostate cancer and 50% less colon and ovarian cancer.

What are the hidden secrets of health for these healthiest people? You probably already know some of them. But others may surprise you.

The Five Secrets of Health from the Healthiest People   

1. Maintain a positive attitude. The healthiest people in Okinawa have a traditional belief that everything works out for the best in the long run. So, there’s no need to worry. This is number one among their secrets of health.

 2. Develop healthy relationships. In Okinawa friends and family often get together for fun, support and conversation. They enjoy socializing. And many studies show that people with good relationships, plenty of laughter and a healthy active social life are healthier and live longer.

  3. Eat a wholesome diet. No hidden secrets here. The traditional Okinawa diet is simple, light and healthy. They eat mainly nutritious vegetables and fruits, high in antioxidants, along with fish that's rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Plus, their daily diet is low in calories, averaging 500 to 1,000 less than in the US. This low calorie diet is important for both health and longevity.  

4. Be physically active. Although Okinawans tend to work at their own pace and live a calm, peaceful life with little stress, they still manage to get plenty of exercise. But their physical activity is generally not hurried. It comes from walking, gardening and practicing traditional martial arts. 

5. Don't smoke or drink. Very few of the healthy older Okinawans drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or use tobacco in any form whatsoever.

But the five great secrets of health and longevity from the healthiest people in Okinawa seem to be hidden secrets for the younger generation. These youngsters probably won't be among the world's healthiest people.

That's because most young Okinawans have developed unhealthy habits. 60% of them smoke, they aren't physically active, they eat a more "modern" high calorie diet and they already have the highest rate of obesity in Japan.   So let's review the five secrets of health from Okinawa's elders.

Eat a light, wholesome diet.
Get regular moderate exercise.
Include a positive happy social life.
Develop good healthy relationships.
And avoid tobacco and excess alcohol.

These are the simple Okinawa secrets of health, happiness and longevity.

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

Stroke Prevention: How to Prevent a Stroke

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 03:01:00 +0700

One out of three stroke victims die. And many of the rest are left with major disabilities.

But stroke prevention works. And right now is the very best time to begin stroke prevention by learning how to prevent a stroke.

Your blood vessels carry vitally important oxygen and nutrients to your brain. A stroke is basically a brain attack, occurring whenever a blood vessel to the brain is either blocked by a blood clot or ruptures.
This interrupts blood flow and deprives that area of the brain of oxygen.

A stroke can kill off brain cells and result in speech impairment, movement disability, loss of memory and, in a third of all stroke cases, death!

How to Prevent a Stroke Naturally

Studies show at least 80% of all strokes can be prevented. So it only makes good sense to follow these 10 stroke prevention guidelines:

1. Eat a great heart healthy diet. Follow the 7 steps to prevent heart disease, including eating more high fiber foods, decreasing sodium intake and getting plenty of vitamin C, flavonoids and omega 3 fish oil.

2. Reduce your blood pressure. Healthy blood pressure is essential. If yours is high, do whatever it takes to lower blood pressure naturally.

3. Don't smoke or use tobacco. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible.

4. Be active and exercise daily. Just 30 minutes of daily exercise and weight training can help you reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and stress, prevent diabetes and manage your weight!

5. Keep your cholesterol low. High cholesterol raises your risk of stroke. So if your cholesterol is high, learn how to lower cholesterol naturally.

6. Manage your triglycerides. High triglycerides also greatly increases your stroke risk. Find out how to lower triglycerides naturally and do it.

7. Eliminate or limit alcohol. Have no more than one drink a day.

8. Prevent or manage diabetes. To reduce your stroke odds, choose healthy low glycemic foods to control blood sugar and avoid diabetes.

9. Maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss can be a challenge. If you're overweight, try using healthy permanent weight loss strategies that work.

10. Decrease stress and relax. Use stress management tips to find healthy ways to decrease stress and increase your ability to relax.

Stroke symptoms and results can vary, based on the type of stroke, whether it's a major or mini stroke, the brain area affected and the damage inflicted. So it's wise to know all 5 warning signs of a stroke.

Stroke prevention saves lives. And learning how to prevent a stroke naturally simply means following these 10 stroke prevention guidelines.

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

High Protein Foods List for a High Protein Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:58:00 +0700

The healthy high protein foods list (below), for a high protein diet, includes all the healthy protein rich foods high in protein content.

And our free high protein foods printout has what you need for a healthy high protein diet.

This healthy protein rich foods list, including carbs, calories, fat and protein content, can help you to feel great, lose weight, build and maintain muscle, stay fit, trim and super healthy and look your absolute best.

So print out our beautiful high protein food list and hang it on your fridge. With easy access, you'll choose more healthy foods high in protein.

List of High Protein Foods for a High Protein Diet

Although many high protein foods are also very high in saturated fat, this protein foods list has only great-tasting, low-fat high protein foods.

BEANS

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Black beans	1/2 cup cooked	113	7.6	20.4	.5
Garbanzo (chickpeas)	1/2 cup cooked	134	7.3	22.5	2.1
Kidney beans	1/2 cup cooked	112	7.6	20.1	.4
Lentil beans	1/2 cup cooked	115	8.9	19.9	.4
Lima beans	1/2 cup cooked	108	7.3	19.6	.4
Navy beans	1/2 cup cooked	129	7.9	24.0	.5
Soybeans (edamame)	1/2 cup cooked	127	11.1	10.0	5.8
Tofu	1/2 cup fresh	94	10.0	2.3	5.9

DAIRY

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Cheddar cheese	1 ounce	114	7.1	.4	9.4
Cottage cheese	1/2 cup	110	14.0	3.1	5.0
Cottage cheese, lowfat	1/2 cup	90	16.0	3.0	1.0
Egg	1 large	75	6.3	0	5.0
Milk, lowfat	1 cup	121	8.1	11.7	4.7
Milk, skim	1 cup	86	8.4	11.8	.4
Muenster cheese	1 ounce	104	6.7	.3	8.5
Swiss cheese	1 ounce	107	8.1	1.0	7.8
Yogurt, lowfat	1 cup	144	11.9	16	3.5
Yogurt, nonfat	1 cup	127	13.0	17.4	.4

FISH

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Anchovies, in water	1 ounce	37	5.8	0	1.4
Halibut	3 ounces	93	17.7	0	2.0
Mackerel	3 ounces	180	15.8	0	11.8
Salmon	3 ounces	121	16.9	0	5.4
Sardines, in water	1 can	130	22.0	0	5.0
Tuna, tongol	1/4 cup	70	16.0	0	0

GRAINS

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Oatmeal, rough cut	1 cup	145	6.0	25.2	2.4
Pancake, buckwheat	1 4" diameter	54	1.8	6.4	2.2
Pancake, whole wheat	1 4" diameter	74	3.4	8.8	3.2
Popcorn, dry	1 cup	54	1.8	10.7	.7
Quinoa, cooked	1/2 cup	115	4.3	21.5	2
Rice, brown, cooked	1/2 cup	108	2.4	22.8	.8
Rye bread	1 slice	56	2.1	12	.3
Whole wheat bread	1 slice	56	2.4	11	.7

POULTRY

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Chicken breast	4 ounces	193	29.3	0	7.6
Chicken, light meat, no skin	4 ounces	196	35.1	0	5.1
Chicken, dark meat, no skin	4 ounces	232	31.0	0	5.1
Turkey, light meat, no skin	4 ounces	178	33.9	0	3.7
Turkey, dark meat, no skin	4 ounces	212	32.4	0	8.2

You'll notice that even though the fat count is included on the high protein foods list above, there's no saturated fat count listed. That's because the foods on this list of high protein foods are ALL low in saturated fats.

For example, there's no red meat listed for two very good reasons.

Red meat is usually too high in saturated fat, which has been shown to lead to many degenerative diseases. And red meat also increases inflammation, which causes pain, suffering and numerous health problems.

When it comes to choosing foods with protein, it's vitally important to choose healthy high protein foods from the best sources of protein.

So you can confidently print and use this high protein foods list for a high protein diet, since it has all of the healthy protein rich foods high in protein content to help you say healthy, lose weight and build muscle.

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

How to Lose Weight Fast and Safe

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:56:00 +0700

Trying to figure out how to lose weight fast and safe can be confusing and overwhelming.

But if you want to lose weight fast, and care about your health, you definitely need to know how to lose weight fast and safe without pills.

While weight loss isn't complicated (it's simply calories in minus calories out), how to lose weight fast and healthy is not so simple. Here's our 12-step plan for how to lose weight fast naturally. It starts with 5 basics:
•   Make a commitment.
•   Eat only healthy foods.
•   Consume fewer calories.
•   Get super quality nutrition.
•   Exercise enough every day.

And while slow weight loss tends to be more permanent, it's still definitely possible to lose weight fast. But how fast is fast and how fast is safe?

12 Steps for How to Lose Weight Fast Naturally

You could lose 20 pounds of water weight your first week. But that's not fat. It takes approximately 3,500 calories to add or subtract a pound of body fat. So for each 500 fewer daily calories, you lose about a pound a week.

1. Reduce calories per pound. If you currently eat 2,700 calories a day, by cutting down to 1,200 daily calories, you could possibly lose 3 pounds a week. But never average less than 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day.

2. Eat small meals more often. Eating every 2-3 hours helps you keep blood sugar stable, avoid ravenous hunger and make healthier choices.

3. Keep a daily written record. Tracking calories, exercise and emotions in a weight loss journal, keeps you aware, accurate and accountable.

4. Manage time for weight loss. Learning how to lose weight fast, safe and healthy is a major project that takes time management and focus.

5. Include way more daily fiber. By filling up on high fiber foods that are low in calories, you can satisfy your hunger and feel full on less food.

6. Exercise and be more active. Since physical activity burns calories and muscle burns more calories than fat, including exercise and weight training in your lose weight fast plan will help you lose weight faster.

7. Drink pure calorie-free water. A high water intake fills you up, carries nutrients to cells and detoxifies your body. So drink at least 8 cups a day.

8. Choose the healthiest foods. Studies show a low calorie diet is much healthier – as long as you're eating the healthiest foods. This includes:

•   Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables,
•   Good quality low fat, high protein foods,
•   And enough good fats with limited bad fats.

9. Get every important nutrient. If you want to be thin, looking good and feeling good too, you need to include quality health supplements.

10. Avoid sweet and salty foods. Salt and sugar cause water retention and food cravings. Stick with low sodium and low glycemic foods.

11. Stop feeding your emotions. Hunger is generally not the cause of overeating. Emotions are. So to lose weight fast (or slow) it's absolutely necessary to learn how to stop emotional eating and overeating.

12. Keep your eyes on the prize. On the battleground for how to lose weight fast, it's "Lose Weight" vs "Eat What I Want." To win the battle, make "lose weight" the stronger opponent through visualization.

And that's it! Now you know how to lose weight fast and safe without pills. But to lose weight fast and healthy you still need to put these 12-steps for how to lose weight naturally into action. It works when you do!

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

Natural Healthy Skin Care Tips & Skin Diagram

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:53:00 +0700

For healthy skin you have to pamper yourself with the basics. But basic natural skin care is easy with these 7 great healthy skin care tips.

And although you can't stop skin from aging, you can slow it down for younger looking skin.

Why are these healthy skin care tips and skin diagram so important to you?

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. And it's the only one exposed to all the environmental elements – like wind, heat, cold and sun. Plus, your skin is the only organ that's exposed to the view of everybody else!

It’s also the only one that's constantly exposed to the view of others!

Layers of the Skin Diagram

As you can see from this skin diagram, natural healthy skin has two basic layers – the epidermis on the surface and the dermis underneath.

Acne breakouts occur in the epidermis when hair follicles get plugged with excess oil and dead skin cells, leading to swelling and redness.

Allergic rashes and hives are the result of inflammation from fluids building up in the dermis. Itching is caused by irritated nerve endings in the area.

Seven Natural Healthy Skin Care Tips

As time goes by, skin tends to dry out, get thinner, wrinkle and develop age spots. But these natural healthy skin care and lifestyle steps can delay your skin's aging process and help prevent many skin problems.

1. Protect your skin from the sun.

Over time, sun exposure causes wrinkles, rough, dry skin, age spots and, even worse, it can lead to skin cancer. Take these sun protection steps:

Avoid the strongest UV sun rays between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Wear protective wide brim hats and clothing that covers your body.
Use broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) and reapply often.

2. Don't smoke and avoid smokers.

Smoking and smoke exposure can damage your skin's elasticity, rob your body of oxygen and important natural skin care nutrients, narrow blood vessels, and contribute to early wrinkles and much older looking skin.

Plus, smoking can lead to lung cancer and other degenerative diseases.

3. Eat an anti-aging healthy skin diet.

An anti-aging diet consists of wholesome plant food and lean protein. But diets high in saturated fat can increases the pace of aging and wrinkles.

Here are the foods that will help you to slow down your aging process:

Nuts,
Fruits,
Olive oil,
Legumes,
Vegetables,
Omega 3 fish,
And whole grains.

4. Stay hydrated with pure water.

Dehydration makes skin look dry and saggy. But eight daily 8-oz cups of water helps flush out toxins and keep skin looking fresh and young.

5. Get enough rest and sleep.

Your body needs rest to recharge itself and repair skin cells. Plus, you look better when you're well rested. That's why they call it beauty sleep.

6. Take gentle care of your skin.

Using soap and makeup can strip away oils, dry out skin and make it look older. Only use nourishing products that make your skin look and feel soft. And always be gentle, especially with your face. Also make sure to:

Use mild soaps and cleansers and totally avoid strong, drying soaps.
Moisturize daily with a moisturizer that fits your skin type.
Limit bathing time and use warm water instead of hot. Long exposure to water, especially hot water removes the oils from skin.
After bathing, pat yourself dry leaving some moisture on your skin.

7. Relax, chill out and smile.

Excess stress can cause skin problems like breakouts. And since frowning causes wrinkles, to have younger looking skin, remember to smile.

For healthy skin, use the skin diagram above to better understand natural healthy skin care. And then start following our 7 healthy skin care tips to reduce stress, chillax, enjoy yourself, smile and have a nice day!

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

Top 10 Best Fat Burning Foods for Weight Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:50:00 +0700

Fat burning foods are often thought to be special herb, spice or caffeine concoctions.

But the best fat burning foods to speed up metabolism for weight loss are the same ones that help you build muscle and stay healthy.

Metabolism turns the foods you eat into the energy fuel you need to do everything you do. When fat burning foods speed up your metabolism for weight loss, they cause a higher energy calorie-burning effect.

So what fat burning foods are the best fat burning foods for weight loss?

Not all foods have the same calorie-burning effect. The lowest effect comes from pure fats and the highest thermic effect is from lean protein.

The 10 Best Fat Burning Foods for Weight Loss

1. Low Fat Plain Yogurt is a good healthy source of protein and calcium. And both have been shown to speed up metabolism. One study found that dieters lost twice as much weight when they got at least 1,200 mg of calcium a day compared to those who got less calcium.

2. Omega-3 Fish like salmon, besides being an excellent source of protein, has been found to “reduce body fat”. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to help burn calories and decrease appetite.

3. Soy Foods, especially edamame and tofu, are healthy protein foods that help to raise metabolism and lower your body fat percentage.

4. Poultry, in its leanest form, is one of the best fat burning foods, because your body uses more calories to digest it. Just make sure to always choose chicken or turkey breast (without skin) for best results.

5. Eggs are also an excellent source of balanced protein to help you burn off excess fat and hold onto muscle while you’re losing weight.

6. Vinegar uses acid to help your body break down excess fat.

7. Citrus Fruit has been shown to help improve insulin levels to make you feel less hungry. Lemons, oranges and grapefruits are also high in fiber and water and low in calories, which all help with weight loss.

8. Chili Peppers, the hotter the better, have been shown to be fat burning foods that can rev up your metabolism and help you burn calories.

9. Water-Rich Food, like the healthiest vegetables and healthiest fruit, and even drinking lots of water, can help burn fat and lower your BMI.

10. 100% Whole Grains, and other high fiber foods, help keep insulin levels low to boost your metabolism after a meal. But be sure to stay away from all refined grains, because they can cause an insulin spike that slows down your metabolism and makes your body start storing fat.

Are you surprised green tea didn’t make the top 10 list of fat burning foods?

Although research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found green tea with caffeine can speed up metabolism, to get any significant results you’d have to drink way too many cups a day.

So instead, just stick with a healthy low-calorie diet that includes regular daily exercise and our 10 best fat burning foods for weight loss.

Fat Burning Foods for Weight Loss 5 Step Meal Plan

1. Choose healthy vegetables like broccoli, green beans or salad greens.

2. Combine with high protein foods, such as chicken, fish, yogurt or eggs.

3. Add small amounts of whole grains or starchy complex carbs, like brown rice, rye bread, oats or sweet potatoes, within your calorie needs.

4. Include only a few (1 to 3 a day) high fiber fruits, like grapefruit and other water-rich fruit. And also drink plenty of water in-between meals.

5. Keep calories within a specific limit – never less than 800 a day. And include high quality supplements to help meet your nutritional needs.

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

Best Antioxidant Foods & Anti-Aging Supplements

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:40:00 +0700

The best antioxidant foods are high fiber fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and seeds, plus high protein anti-aging foods.

And eating antioxidant rich foods is necessary for health, immunity and longevity anti-aging.

What are antioxidants? The antioxidants in foods help slow down the free radical aging process. So these anti-aging foods help you to look better by dramatically reducing the more visible outward signs of aging.

While this is important to most of us, it's not all that antioxidants do.

Antioxidant rich foods help you to stay young much longer by protecting you from developing many painful illnesses and dangerous diseases.

The Best Antioxidant Foods and Anti-Aging Supplements

 The main anti-aging antioxidant foods are:

Carotenoids from fruits
Carotenoids in vegetables
Vitamin C with bioflavonoids
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
Selenium – a mineral antioxidant

The natural anti-aging antioxidant health benefits and food sources for carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium are listed below:

Carotenoids Found in Fruits and Vegetables

The National Academy of Science, National Cancer Institute and many others recommend at least 5 to 9 daily servings of antioxidant rich foods. But most people get only 1 or 2 servings of these high fiber foods.

Carotenoid Benefits include protection against infections and from free radical damage caused by pollution, cigarette smoke, sunlight, radiation, stress and during body metabolism. Carotenoids also:

Promote clear vision,
Help skin look healthier,
Reduce the risk of cancers,
Help to prevent heart disease,
Prevent premature aging of skin,
Reduce macular degeneration risk,
And risks of cataracts and blindness.

Carotenoid Vegetables are red, yellow, orange and dark green leafy vegetables, especially kale, spinach, broccoli, red and green peppers, Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Carotenoid Fruits are red, yellow and orange fruits, especially berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.), oranges, pink grapefruit, grapes, cantaloupe, apricots, peaches and tomatoes.

Antioxidant Vitamins C, E and the Mineral Selenium

Three other anti-aging antioxidants, vitamins C, E and Selenium also help you look and feel better by boosting your immune system and preventing deterioration of bones, joints and organs (your skin is an organ).

Vitamin C Benefits include preventing wrinkles, keeping skin and bones healthy, strengthening the immune system and preventing the oxidation that causes cataracts, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

Vitamin C Sources (with bioflavonoids) are red and green peppers, kiwi, oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits, berries (especially strawberries), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe cabbage, tomatoes and papaya.

Vitamin E Benefits include reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer and other age-related degenerative diseases. Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals and prevents oxidation of essential fats in cells.

Vitamin E Sources (with mixed tycopherols and tocotrienols) are mainly nuts (especially almonds), seeds (especially sunflower seeds), wheat germ, peanuts, peanut butter, whole grains, spinach and avocados.

Selenium Benefits include boosting immunity, reducing anxiety and depression and maintaining healthy hair and nails.

Selenium Sources are healthy high protein foods like seafood, eggs, lean poultry and meats, Brazil nuts, low-fat cottage cheese, whole wheat, brown rice and other whole grains. (Levels vary based on soil content).

Selenium works synergistically with vitamin E to:

Slow down aging,
Decrease cancer risk,
Protect your blood vessels,
Lower heart disease & stroke risk.

Natural Antioxidant Foods & Anti-Aging Supplements

Antioxidant anti-aging foods are a virtual fountain of youth. So you should naturally focus on a healthy diet high in antioxidant rich foods. But you may also want to include antioxidant anti-aging supplements.

To get the maximum antioxidants benefits, make sure your supplement sources are natural, preferably from the foods listed above.

Avoid antioxidants with ingredients that are UNnatural for human beings to eat, such as pine bark (pycnogenol), micro sea algae, grape seed extract, noni, gogi, gac, mangosteen, acai berry or alpha lipoic acid.

Credit : http://commonsensehealth.com/

Healthy Lifestyle Helps Head and Neck Cancer Survival

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:29:00 +0700

(NaturalNews) Head and neck cancers are malignancies that arise in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, throat, or larynx. According to the American Cancer Society, about 35,310 Americans will be diagnosed with these types of cancers in 2009 and 7,590 will die from these diseases.

However, a new study from the University of Michigan (U-M) Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that there's a way people diagnosed with head or neck malignancies can help themselves improve their survival outcomes. It doesn't involve a new kind of chemo or surgery, either. Instead, it is a natural approach -- living a healthy lifestyle including eating a lot of fruit, exercising, getting enough sleep and forgoing cigarettes and excess booze. In fact, the study, which appears online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, concludes that each of these factors is independently associated with survival of head and neck cancer patients.

"While there has been a recent emphasis on biomarkers and genes that might be linked to cancer survival, the health habits a person has at diagnosis play a major role in his or her survival," said study author Sonia Duffy, Ph.D., R.N., in a statement to the media. Dr. Duffy is associate professor of nursing at the U-M School of Nursing, research assistant professor of otolaryngology at the U-M Medical School, and research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

The researchers asked 504 head and neck cancer patients about their smoking habits, their alcohol use, what they ate, how much they exercised and how many hours they slept. The research subjects were consequently surveyed every three months for two years and then once a year.

The cancer patients with the shortest survival time were those that smoked. Drinking excess amounts of alcohol was also associated with worse survival. Eating little fruit was linked to a poorer prognosis, too. In fact, although nutrition experts recommend consuming two servings of fruit per day, a third of the head and neck cancer patients reported eating fewer than four servings of fruit per month.. A lack of exercise also was shown to decrease survival.

Complicating matters is the fact that many of bad health habits are inter-related. For example, smokers are frequently heavy drinkers. So it may not be enough for a doctor to refer a patient to a smoking cessation program when alcohol could also be impacting overall health and cancer survival. "Health behaviors are only sporadically addressed in busy oncology clinics where the major focus is on surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Addressing health behaviors may enhance the survival advantage offered by these treatments," said Dr. Duffy.

Previous research has already shown that a healthy lifestyle can help prevent cancer. "Eating fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and drinking in moderation can have a big impact on a person's risk of getting cancer in the first place. Now it appears that these factors also impact survival after diagnosis," Dr. Duffy emphasized.

The researchers are planning to now look at behavior changes over time to see if changing health habits when a person is diagnosed can impact survival. That information can help doctors determine what types of interventions or services should be offered to head and neck cancer patients.

Credit: http://www.naturalnews.com/

Ending the Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:27:00 +0700

(NaturalNews) Why has there never been a record of cholesterol having blocked a vein in the body! What is it about arteries that makes cholesterol attach itself to their walls, while leaving the veins alone? It is really the sticky nature of cholesterol that is behind the blockage of healthy blood vessel walls?

The answers to these questions may surprise you. The body actually uses the lipoprotein cholesterol as a kind of bandage to cover abrasions and tears in damaged arterial walls just as it does it for any other wound. Cholesterol is nothing less than a life-saver. However, for the past thirty-eight years, this lipoprotein has been stigmatized to be the number one cause of deaths in the rich nations - heart disease.

This is how the theory goes: For reasons not really known, a form of cholesterol that has earned the name "bad" somehow increases in the bloodstream of millions of people today; it sticks to the walls of arteries, and eventually, it will starve the heart muscle of oxygen and nutrients. Accordingly, the masses are urged to reduce or ban cholesterol-containing fats from their diet so that they can live without the fear of arterial occlusion and dying from a heart attack.

The tremendous concern of being attacked by this "vicious" lipoprotein has finally led to innovative technologies that can even extract cholesterol from cheese, eggs, and sausages, thus making these "deadly" foods "consumer-safe." Products that claim to be low in cholesterol, such as margarine and light-foods, have become a popular choice of "healthy eating."

Cholesterol is Not the Culprit After All

But as INTERHEART and other studies have shown, cholesterol isn't a serious risk factor for heart disease at all. An earlier study sponsored by the German Ministry of Research and Technology showed that no exact link exists between food cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Even more surprising, in Japan, the cholesterol levels have risen during recent years, yet the number of heart attacks has dropped. The largest health study ever conducted on the risks of heart disease took place in China. Like so many similar studies, the Chinese study found no connection between heart disease and the consumption of animal fats.

In an 8-year long heart study, researchers observed 10,000 people with high cholesterol levels. Half of them received a best-selling statin drug. The other half were simply told to eat a normal diet and get enough exercise. The results stunned the researchers. Although the statin drug did indeed lower serum cholesterol, this had no impact whatsoever on death rate, non-fatal heart attacks and fatal arterial disease. In other words, the statin-users had zero advantage over those who received no treatment at all. However, they had just spent eight years taking a costly drug with hideous side effects - risking liver failure, muscle wasting, even sudden death. Lowering cholesterol either through drugs or low fat diets does not lower the risk of developing heart disease.

All the major European long-term cholesterol studies have confirmed that a low-fat diet did not reduce cholesterol levels by more than 4 percent, in most cases merely 1-2 percent. Since measurement mistakes are usually higher than 4 percent and cholesterol levels naturally increase by 20 percent in autumn and drop again during the wintertime, the anti-cholesterol campaigns since the late 1980s have been very misleading, to say the least. A more recent study from Denmark involving 20,000 men and women, in fact, demonstrated that most heart disease patients have normal cholesterol levels. The bottom line is that cholesterol hasn't been proved a risk factor for anything.

The current medical understanding of the cholesterol issue is more than incomplete. The argument that animal tests on rabbits have confirmed that fatty foods cause hardening of the arteries sounds convincing, but only when the following facts are omitted:

* Rabbits respond 3,000 times more sensitively to cholesterol than humans do.

* Rabbits, which are non-carnivorous animals by nature, are force-fed excessive quantities of egg yolk and brain for the sake of proving that cholesterol-containing foods are harmful.

* The DNA and enzyme systems of rabbits are not designed for consumption of fatty foods, and if given a choice, these animals would never eat eggs or brains.

It is obvious that the arteries of these animals have only an extremely limited ability to respond to the damage caused by such unsuitable diets. For over three and half decades, Western civilization assumed that animal fats were the main cause of dietary heart disease. This misinformation is highlighted by the fact that heart attacks began to rise when consumption of animal fats actually decreased. This was verified by British research, which revealed that those areas in the U.K. where people consumed more margarine and less butter had the highest numbers of heart attacks. Further studies revealed that heart attack patients had consumed the least amounts of animal fats.

In this context, it is important to differentiate between processed and unprocessed fats. It has been discovered that people who died from a heart attack were found to have many more of the harmful fatty acids derived from the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in their fat tissue than those who survived. These so-called "faulty" fats (trans-fatty acids) envelop and congest the membranes of cells, including those that make up the heart and coronary arteries. This practically starves the cells of oxygen, nutrients, and water, and eventually kills them.

In another more comprehensive study, 85,000 nurses working in American hospitals observed a higher risk for heart disease in patients who consumed margarine, crisps, potato chips, biscuits, cookies, cakes, and white bread, all of which contain trans fats.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53 percent over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. While actually increasing LDL cholesterol, margarine lowers the beneficial HDL cholesterol. It also increases the risk of cancers up to five times. Margarine suppresses both the immune response and insulin response. This highly processed and artificial product is practically resistant to destruction, being one molecule away from plastic. Flies, bacteria, fungi, etc. won't go near it because it has no nutritional value and cannot be broken down by them. It can last for years, not just outside the body, but inside as well.

It is very apparent that eating damaged, rancid fats or trans-fats can destroy any healthy organism and should be avoided by anyone. In 2007 New York City banned the use of trans fats in its restaurants; however, the trans fats are merely being replaced with new artificial fats that have the same or worse effects.

Healthy Today - Sick Tomorrow

Unfortunately, high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) has become the dominating health concern of the 21st century. It is actually an invented disease that doesn't show up as one. Even the healthiest people may have elevated serum cholesterol and yet their health remains perfect. But they are instantly turned into patients when a routine blood test reveals that they have a "cholesterol problem."

Since feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol, the cholesterol issue has confused millions of people. To be declared sick when you actually feel great is a hard nut to swallow. So it may take a lot of effort on behalf of a practicing physician to convince his patients that they are sick and need to take one or more expensive drugs for the rest of their lives. These healthy individuals may become depressed when they are being told they will need to take potentially harmful drugs to lower their cholesterol levels on a long-term, daily basis. When they also learn that they will require regular checkups and blood tests, their worry-free, good life is now over.

These doctors cannot be blamed for the blunder of converting healthy people into patients. Behind them stands the full force of the U.S. government, the media, the medical establishment, agencies, and of course, the pharmaceutical companies. All of them have collaborated to create relentless pressure in disseminating the cholesterol myth and convincing the population that high cholesterol is its number one enemy. We are told that we need to combat it by all means possible to keep us safe from the dreadful consequences of hypercholesterolemia.

The definition of a "healthy" level of cholesterol has been repeatedly adjusted during the past 30 years, which certainly does not give me much confidence in a system of medicine that professes to be founded on sound scientific principles. In the early days of measuring cholesterol levels, a person at risk was any middle-aged man whose cholesterol was over 240 and possessed other risk factors, such as smoking or being overweight.

After the adjustment of parameters during the Cholesterol Consensus Conference in 1984, the population was hit by a shock wave. Now, anyone (male or female) with overall cholesterol readings of 200 mg percent (200mg per 100 ml) could receive the dreaded diagnosis and a prescription for pills. The claim that 200 blood serum cholesterol is normal and everything above is dangerous was scientifically unfounded, though. At least, this was the consensus of all the major cholesterol studies. In fact, a report in a 1995 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association showed no evidence linking high cholesterol levels in women with heart conditions later in life.

Although it is considered completely normal for a 55-year-old woman to have a cholesterol level of 260 mg percent, most women that age are not told about this. Also healthy employees are found to have an average of 250 mg percent with high fluctuations in both directions.

The lack of evidence linking elevated cholesterol with increased risk of heart disease, however, didn't stop the brainwashing of the masses. In the U.S. 84 percent of all men and 93 percent of all women aged 50-59 with high cholesterol levels were suddenly told they needed treatment for heart disease. The totally unproved but aggressively promoted cholesterol theories turned most of us into patients for a disease that we probably will never develop. Fortunately, not everyone has followed the advice to have their cholesterol levels checked but, unfortunately, millions of people have fallen into the trap of misinformation.

To make matters worse, the official, acceptable cholesterol level has now been moved down to 180. If you have already had one heart attack, your cardiologist will tell you to take cholesterol-lowering statins even if your cholesterol is very low. From the viewpoint of conventional medicine, having a heart attack implies that your cholesterol must be too high. Hence you are being sentenced to a lifetime of statins and a boring low-fat diet. But even if you have not experienced any heart trouble yet, you are already being considered for possible treatment.

Since so many children now show signs of elevated cholesterol, we have a whole new generation of candidates for medical treatment. So yes, current edicts stipulate cholesterol testing and treatment for young adults and even children! The statin drugs that doctors use to push cholesterol levels down are LIPITOR (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), and Pravachol (pravastatin). If you decide to follow your doctor's advice and take one of these drugs, make certain to read the list of side effects so that you know the risks you are taking.

If you want to obtain objective and untainted information on cholesterol, agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Cardiology are certainly not the places from which to obtain it. Until recently, they wanted you to keep your overall cholesterol level below 150. Then, in 2001, they finally admitted that measuring overall cholesterol levels makes no sense at all, so they began recommending an LDL level below 100. Now their aim is to keep LDL lower than 70. Every time they lower the target, the number of "patients" requiring treatment jumps dramatically, much to the benefit of the drug producers. Being officially backed by these agencies, doctors feel motivated, if not obliged, to prescribe these expensive drugs to their new patients.

The extensive promotional campaigns by the pharmaceutical giants have already brainwashed the masses to believe they need these drugs to be safe from sudden heart attack. Even if a doctor knows the truth about the cholesterol deception, these anxious patients will demand a prescription from him. This is not just affecting their health, but everyone's economic future. The massive sales of these best-selling drugs of all time drive up health care costs to levels that undermine economic growth and make basic health care unaffordable to an ever-increasing number of people. The masses have been so brainwashed with misinformation that this lurking financial crisis doesn't seem to be their immediate concern.

In 2004, there were already 36 million statin candidates in the U.S., with 16 million using LIPITOR alone. When the official LDL target level drops to 70, another 5 million people will be eligible for their use. At the consumer markup price of $272.37 and an actual cost of $5.80 for a month supply of LIPITOR, you can understand the incentive that the pharmaceutical industry has to push their products and make them a mass commodity.

Credit: http://www.naturalnews.com/

How to lower your cholesterol absolutely free (no prescription required)

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:17:00 +0700

Recent cholesterol guidelines are recommending that most people aim for an LDL cholesterol level of 70 or lower. That's down from the previous suggestion of 100. And of course, the number one recommended way to lower your cholesterol, according to the popular press and pharmaceutical companies, is to take statin drugs. The more you take the better, they seem to be saying, and if your cholesterol isn't low enough yet, it simply means you need to take more statin drugs. And by the way, you're supposed to be taking these statin drugs for the rest of your life, as many physicians have now ridiculously sworn to do.
But let's get back to reality for a second here -- high cholesterol is not caused by a lack of statin drugs. High cholesterol is caused by lifestyle choices, such as consuming certain foods and avoiding physical exercise, and the only natural way to lower cholesterol also happens to be a completely cost-free way to do so: by changing the foods you purchase and consume and by engaging in regular physical exercise. Doing so will cause your cholesterol levels to plummet on their own, without needing dangerous prescription drugs.

The information I'll share with you here is exactly what I followed to achieve an LDL cholesterol of 67 and HDL cholesterol of 62. Of course, I wouldn't touch prescription drugs. These results were achieved through nothing but nutrition, superfoods and physical exercise.
There is little doubt that the recent guidelines about lowering cholesterol were timed to coincide with the recent marketing push for highly-profitable statin drugs; in fact, six of the nine board members who issued the cholesterol-lowering guidelines have financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs, and yet they failed to disclose these financial ties in their report, violating ethical practices in medicine.
Good doctors will tell people with high cholesterol to alter their lifestyle first. They will ask them about what they're eating and how much exercise they're getting, and recommend that they change foods to consume fewer cholesterol-raising foods and greater quantities of cholesterol-lowering foods. They will also recommend that their patients engage in frequent cardiovascular exercise, which of course has a positive impact on cholesterol.
Statin drugs should be the last resort, or a temporary treatment if used at all. They can help give the patient temporary assistance while they make lifestyle changes that will bring cholesterol back into balance on their own. But a lifetime on statin drugs is not a healthy strategy. Clearly the human body was not designed to survive on a daily intake of prescription drugs. So how do you actually lower your cholesterol for free? What's the nitty-gritty of the advice here? Let's get down to it.
First thing to do is remove foods from your diet that are causing high cholesterol in the first place. There are two ingredients to watch out for here. Number one is hydrogenated oils, also known as partially hydrogenated oils. These oils are found in most margarine products and virtually all baked goods such as cookies, crackers, pastries, and so on. They're even found in many salad dressings and soups, believe it or not. You actually have to read the ingredients labels and make sure you aren't ingesting hydrogenated oils.
It is the hydrogenation of these oils that makes them toxic to the human body. They belong to a class of ingredients known as metabolic disruptors. This is a class of ingredients that interferes with normal human metabolism and includes ingredients like sodium nitrite, MSG, aspartame, and white flour.
The second ingredient to avoid if you want to keep your cholesterol down is saturated animal fat -- the animal fat found in beef and other red meats. Certainly you don't want to be eating lard or anything cooked with lard, and you want to consider limiting or completely avoid consuming red meat.
Other foods that will raise your bad cholesterol level include foods made with unhealthy or cheap oils such as soybean oil. There's nothing really wrong with soybean oil, it's just that it's not especially healthy, and it's one of the cheapest oils out there, so most people get far too much of it and not enough of the healthy oils. But we'll talk about the good fats in a minute.
Finally, avoid processed foods. That includes any food that is manufactured and comes in a pretty package. Virtually all processed foods are unhealthy foods, and the more a food has been processed and perverted from its original, natural form, the less healthy it's going to be, and the more likely it will raise your LDL cholesterol.
Now let's talk about foods you can eat that will lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol. These include the healthy oils, sometimes called the "good fats" -- items such as omega-3 oils, found in flaxseeds. You can also get healthy oils by consuming extra-virgin olive oil, extra-virgin coconut oil, or by eating nuts like macadamias, pecans, cashews, and peanuts. Even peanut oil is quite healthy for you, as long as you're not buying peanut butter made with hydrogenated oils, as most peanut butter products are. Look for the Adams brand peanut butter. It's the one where the oil has separated from the rest of the peanut butter, and that's how you know it has no hydrogenated oils.
Beyond the healthy fats, there are also a variety of groceries that can help you lower your cholesterol levels, such as garlic, ginger, onions, and basically any fruits and vegetables that are not processed or overcooked. Whole grains, such as kamut, pearled barley, whole grain oats, or wheat berries can also help reduce cholesterol by giving you extra fiber that interferes with the absorption of cholesterol-promoting fats.
Moving on to the supplementation side, there are a great number of nutritional supplements that can help you lower cholesterol naturally without using drugs. One such nutritional supplement is red yeast rice, an item that has been oppressed by the FDA. In fact, the FDA has attempted to outlaw and regulate this substance, claiming it is a drug because it lowers cholesterol so effectively. In fact, red yeast rice was found to be more effective than statin drugs in lowering cholesterol, and of course the FDA can't stand for anything in the natural market to work so well, so they have to do their best to wipe it out, or at least make it illegal to sell to consumers. Garlic is another popular supplement with well-documented cholesterol-lowering effects. In addition to eating garlic as part of your diet, you can take garlic supplements that will further accelerate your cholesterol decline.
Superfoods are also extremely helpful for lowering high cholesterol and enhancing your overall body health. I talk quite a bit about superfoods. These are items that I personally consume on a daily basis and that I strongly recommend to others. Of course, my own LDL cholesterol is considered extraordinarily low (67), so I do know what I'm talking about here. My favorite superfoods include chlorella, spirulina, sea vegetables, soy products such as soy milk, soy cheese, or tofu, any sprouts, such as wheat grass, broccoli sprouts, barley grass or clover sprouts, and also the supergrains such as quinoa, millet, and kamut. In addition, I recommend organic, whole-food vitamin supplements -- supplements that are made exclusively from whole-food sources and not from isolated chemical vitamins, as well as coral calcium, which is an outstanding source of not only calcium, but also magnesium, zinc, and trace minerals from the ocean.
Just in case this hasn't been enough advice yet, let's bring in physical exercise, because regular exercise is a crucial point when considering cardiovascular health and cholesterol levels. By engaging in regular physical exercise -- that is, at least 5 hours a week -- you can dramatically reduce your bad cholesterol levels and lose weight at the same time. Of course, this probably isn't new information to you, since we all know that exercise is good for us, but few people tend to consider exercise as a cholesterol-lowering strategy. In reality, it's far more powerful than any prescription drug in existence!
If you put all of this together, you have an unbeatable strategy that actually costs you nothing. In fact, the foods mentioned here will save you so much money over the brand-name foods you might have normally been purchasing that you'll have plenty of money left over to purchase superfood supplements. For example, a pound of quinoa can be purchased for as little as three or four dollars, and yet can provide a healthy whole grain for several weeks of cooking. Fresh fruits and vegetables are extremely inexpensive compared to the high markups on manufactured foods like breakfast cereals, dinner mixes, frozen foods, and microwavable meals.
Your money will go much further when you're choosing healthy foods to begin with. And of course the exercise part of this is free of charge, or if you decide to join a gym, the monthly fees are inconsequential compared to the cost of a lifetime of addiction to prescription drugs and visits to your physician.
Now, with all that said, let me repeat that a good doctor -- that is, a doctor that is genuinely concerned with your health and who is well-informed about the relationships between nutrition and disease -- would be telling you all of this in the first place. A bad doctor, -- a doctor steeped in Western medicine and brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry into ignoring nutrition and focusing on drugs -- would recommend little more than taking statin drugs, and would be happy to write you a couple of prescriptions and get you out of his way so he can see the next patient. It's easy to tell if you have a good doctor or a bad doctor by simply visiting him or her and asking what you should do about your high cholesterol. Their answer reveals their level of health wisdom.
In addition to good doctors and bad doctors, however, there are also good patients and bad patients. What I mean by this is demonstrated in the following example. Many people ask me how they can lower their cholesterol naturally, and when they do, I typically tell them the same thing that I've related here in this commentary. I tell them if you do all of these things, if you avoid these foods, if you take these supplements, if you eat these other foods, and if you engage in regular physical exercise, your LDL cholesterol will drop naturally and will maintain a level well below 70. They usually interrupt me at some point in this conversation and say something similar to the following: "No, what I meant was, how can I lower my cholesterol without actually doing anything?"
For those people, statin drugs are the perfect answer. You don't have to do anything but take statin drugs every day, pay the bill, and of course, run the risk of damaging other organs in your body from a lifetime of exposure to toxic prescription drugs such as statins. (These drugs are now being shown to cause birth defects, by the way...) Your sex hormone production will be disrupted, your liver function will be impaired, and your body's ability to manufacture the natural levels of cholesterol it needs to function properly will also be dramatically lowered. But if you don't want to do anything, and still desire a lower level of cholesterol, and don't care about abusing your body, then statin drugs are certainly one way to accomplish that.
The bottom line to all of this is that a good patient doesn't even need to visit a doctor to lower their own cholesterol. All they need to do is take responsibility for their health, start pursuing a lifestyle with healthy foods, outstanding nutrition, and frequent physical exercise, and then, if they were to ever visit a doctor, that doctor would simply say, "Hey, your cholesterol is perfectly normal. Good job."

Credit: http://www.naturalnews.com/

Healthy lifestyle reduces women's stroke risk (press release)

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:16:00 +0700

Women who are non-smokers, exercise regularly, have a healthy diet, including moderate alcohol consumption, and otherwise live a healthy lifestyle may have a reduced risk of stroke, according to a report in the July 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
About 700,000 strokes occur each year in the United States, approximately one-fourth of which are fatal and an additional one-fourth of which leave patients permanently disabled, according to background information in the article. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, the more common type, in which a blocked artery causes a lack of blood flow to the brain; and hemorrhagic, which occurs when a ruptured blood vessel causes blood to leak into the brain. Several individual risk factors, including smoking, exercise and body mass index (BMI), have been linked to stroke. However, in contrast to studies assessing risk for heart disease and diabetes, researchers have not previously examined how the combination of these behaviors may contribute to stroke.

Tobias Kurth, M.D., Sc.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues studied the association between healthy lifestyles and stroke risk in 37,636 women age 45 years or older. At the beginning of the study, in 1993, the women answered questions about their smoking habits, alcohol consumption, diet, exercise routine and body mass index. From their responses, the researchers gave each woman a health index score that ranged from zero to 20, with a higher score indicating a healthier lifestyle. Healthy behavior was defined as never smoking, consuming four to 10.5 alcoholic drinks per week, exercising four or more times per week, having a body mass index of less than 22 and maintaining a healthy diet. This included consuming high levels of cereal fiber, folate and omega-3 fatty acids, a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat and low levels of trans fat and glycemic load.
During an average of 10 years of follow-up, 450 women had strokes; 356 were ischemic, 90 were hemorrhagic and four were undefined. The 4.7 percent of women with 17 to 20 health index points had a significantly lower risk of stroke overall and of ischemic stroke specifically than women with zero to four health index points. This association remained significant even when the researchers considered some of the common consequences of unhealthy lifestyles, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
"In this large prospective cohort of apparently healthy women, a healthy lifestyle was associated with a substantial and statistically significant reduction in the risk of total and ischemic stroke with no apparent benefit in the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke," the authors conclude. "Our findings show the importance of healthy behaviors in the prevention of total and ischemic stroke." (Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1403-1409. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Credit : http://www.naturalnews.com/

Tips to face an active toddler and Want Not Silent

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:09:00 +0700

According to Drs. Marilyn Heins, MD, pediatrician and author of "Parent Tips" from the United States, the active behavior of children 2-3 years who did not want this quiet, normal. Age child's attention span is short. But when he became too active, it could be because of excessive parenting parents to give attention and stimulation.

On the other hand, mom and dad rarely let a toddler do something and solve problems on their own. According to Heins, the parent of this type include tipeoverparenting. What should parents do?

1. Perform activities that are fun every day with him and think of creative activity. Lest toddlers not rest because he was bored with the activity that's it. Invite a child running in the yard, dancing, following the Tiger leader behavior on television are happy jumping around.

2. Allow toddlers to help with household work. It's okay if he won the broom Ma'am, was busy sweeping the floor or wiping the table could calm him down.

3. Consider a toy that can make the child sit quietly and focus. Was he happy to dress dolls, doll hair comb and so on.

4. See seemed very active toddler, you could say, "Honey ..., try to pause my boy."

5. If the child does not want to shut up, leave it alone. The important thing is watching him not to touch the dangerous goods, such as glassware, light switches, and others.

6. Play Time, Rest Time. Recommend toddler activities to channel the energy and time to rest. Saturated playing in the house, doing outdoor activities: cycling, playing swing, sliding and football. When playing still pay attention to safety rules.

7. Find activities that children like and can make them tired.

* Toddlers love to climb a chair, let him go up and down the chair with your supervision and make sure the child seat to ride strong.

* Encourage children to swim, to the playground or playing football once a week.

* Provides outdoor play facilities such as a plastic swimming pool, sand box, toys that can be stacked like blocks balls and so on.

* If the child like a puppy, give him an energetic dog like a Golden

Credit : http://indahlifestyle-healthy.blogspot.com/

Simple Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

noreply@blogger.com (Setio Bimantoro P) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 01:55:00 +0700

You hear a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but what does that mean? In general, a healthy person doesn't smoke, is at a healthy weight, eats healthy and exercises. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
The trick to healthy living is making small changes...taking more steps, adding fruit to your cereal, having an extra glass of water...these are just a few ways you can start living healthy without drastic changes.
Exercise
One of the biggest problems in America today is lack of activity. We know it's good for us but avoid it like the plague either because we're used to being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. The truth is, movement is movement and the more you do, the healthier you'll be. Even moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a difference.
Just adding a little movement to your life can:

Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
Improve joint stability
Increase and improve range of movement
Help maintain flexibility as you age
Maintain bone mass
Prevent osteoporosis and fractures
Improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
Enhance self esteem
Improve memory in elderly people
Reduce stress

So, even if you opt for small changes and a more modest weight loss, you can see the benefits are still pretty good. One study has found that just a 10% weight reduction helped obese patients reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and increase longevity.
Simple Ways to Move Your Body
You can start the process of weight loss now by adding a little more activity to your life. If you're not ready for a structured program, start small. Every little bit counts and it all adds up to burning more calories.

Turn off the TV. Once a week, turn off the TV and do something a little more physical with your family. Play games, take a walk...almost anything will be more active than sitting on the couch.
Walk more. Look for small ways to walk more. When you get the mail, take a walk around the block, take the dog for an extra outing each day or walk on your treadmill for 5 minutes before getting ready for work.
Do some chores. Shoveling snow, working in the garden, raking leaves, sweeping the floor...these kinds of activities may not be 'vigorous' exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.
Pace while you talk. When you're on the phone, pace around or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.
Be aware. Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a typical day. If you find that the bulk of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more--getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

Learn about more ways to fit in exercise.
Eating Well
Eating a healthy diet is another part of the healthy lifestyle. Not only can a clean diet help with weight management, it can also improve your health and quality of life as you get older. You can use the new Food Guide Pyramid to determine how many calories you need and what food groups you should focus on or, if you're looking for smaller changes, you can use these tips for simple ways to change how you eat:

Eat more fruit. Add it to your cereal, your salads or even your dinners
Sneak in more veggies. Add them wherever you can--a tomato on your sandwich, peppers on your pizza, or extra veggies in your pasta sauce. Keep pre-cut or canned/frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.
Switch your salad dressing. If you eat full-fat dressing, switch to something lighter and you'll automatically eat less calories.
Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy. Switching to skim milk or fat free yogurt is another simple way to eat less calories without having to change too much in your diet.
Make some substitutes. Look through your cabinets or fridge and pick 3 foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and, the next time you're at the store, find lower-calorie substitutes for just those 3 items.

Find more ideas for healthy foods with this Healthy Foods Grocery List.
Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean drastic changes. In fact, drastic changes almost always lead to failure. Making small changes in how you live each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out what you can to be healthy today.

Credit : http://www.exercise.about.com