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The Risk Of High Protein Diets

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Protein is an important nutrient that is essential to your health. It consists of many amino acids that are used by our bodies to grow muscles, nails, hair, skin and internal organs.

To help efforts to build muscle and lose fat quickly, a high protein diet is often recommended by bodybuilders and nutritionists. While sufficient protein is required for building our skeletal muscle and other tissues, there is still ongoing debate regarding the use and necessity of high protein diets in bodybuilding and weight training.

If followed a high protein diet for a long time, it can result in probable health problems. And although they may result in quick weight loss, it is not yet an option for long-term weight loss program. In this diet, substances called ketones are formed and released into the bloodstream, a condition called ketosis begins. It makes dieting a lot easier because it lowers appetite and may cause nausea.

Problems with High-Protein Diet

Beside from inducing quick weight loss, this diet has other effects too. Most people already eat more protein than their bodies need. And eating too much protein can endanger our health. High-protein animal products are usually high in saturated fat and eating large amounts of high-fat foods for a constant period raises the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. A person who can’t utilize excess protein effectively is prone of osteoporosis, kidney and liver disorders.

The American Heart Association (AHA) doesn’t recommend high-protein diets for weight loss. Some of the reasons are because these diets control healthful foods that provide necessary nutrients and don’t provide the variety of foods needed to sufficiently meet nutritional needs. People who stay on high-protein diets very long may not get enough vitamins and minerals and face other potential health risks.

Treatment for Oligospermia

A high-protein diet is often used as a treatment of oligospermia, or low-sperm count, but its efficacy remains unclear till now and more studies are needed to prove it.

The best way to lose weight

A healthy diet that includes different kind of foods that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. If healthy diet is combine with regular physical activity it can help most people manage and maintain weight loss for both cardiovascular health and improved appearance.

Experts from The American Heart Association recommend that people take a safe and proven way to losing and maintaining weight. We can acquire it by paying attention to portion size of the food we eat and calories and following regular physical activity. That way, we can enjoy healthy and nutritionally balanced weight loss for a lifetime of good health.

Tags: Diet, Dietary, Health, Healthy, Living, Nutrition, Protein
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The Super Diet

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Is vegetarianism really viable or is it a fad?

More and more people are moving toward a vegetarian diet. Many national and international groups – heart associations, diabetic associations, cancer groups – are recommending that we eat more whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.

They also suggest that we should cut down on meals, particularly red meals. Some are recommending poultry and fish as alternatives to red meat. Fish have wholly polyunsaturated fat whereas red meats have highly toward more vegetarianism.

Is it possible to get the necessary nutrients and the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat as a vegetarian?

For carbohydrates, a vegetarian diet is the best, especially for fiber – the neglected nutrient, as some call it. You can’t get fiber in any animal products. As for fat, any animal products generally have too much, and of the wrong type. The vegetarian diet has less fat and of a better kind.

Vitamins and mineral generally are considerably more abundant in fruits, whole grains and vegetables than in meats. And if you’re eating grains and legumes, the protein quality is as good as from animal sources. In fact, it’s difficult not to get sufficient protein in the diet unless you’re on a weight reducing program.

Health experts used to say a vegetarian child couldn’t get adequate protein. Has there been a shift in understanding?

At the turn of the century the daily protein requirement was believed to be about 120 grams. The recommendation now is about 60 grams for women and 70 grams for men. But you actually can get by with as little as 25 or 30 grams of high-quality protein.

I’ve heard about several positive aspects of vegetarianism. Are there any major cautions about a vegetarian diet?

If you suddenly start eating a lot of beans, for example, you may develop gas and cramping. Also, studies show that meat-eaters, when put onto a high-fiber vegetarian diet for two or three weeks, may develop a temporary imbalance of several minerals. However, long-term vegetarians don’t show such an imbalance. This implies that it takes some months for the body to adjust to a high-fiber vegetarian diet.

Some people say that vegetarians tend to eat more sugar. Have you found that to be so?

We seem to have an appetite for sweet things. But you can do two things.

First, you can train your palate. You can invoke what is called “cerebral override.” Actually, you can easily get by with only one half or one third the amount of sugar called for in recipes. Once you’re used to less sugar, the original recipe will be nauseating.

Second, there are sweet foods that are healthful. At our cooking schools we occasionally use concentrated apple juice, pineapple juice, dates and various dried fruit. They’re sweet, but used sensibly there’s no problem. It’s only when we eat such foods in large quantities or between meals that we run into problems.

Tags: Carbohydrates, Dietary, Health, Living, Nutrition, Protein, Vegetarianism
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Soy vs. Dairy Milk: Which One Is Better For You?

Friday, August 7th, 2009

soyMilk

Dairy milk is intended for baby cows. Soy milk isn’t milk but chowder made from soy beans that has been fortified to mimic milk. Soy is better since it doesn’t include: lactose, or cholesterol. Dairy milk is also very high in sodium.

Soy is the base protein in diets of most of the world’s individuals. It is economical to grow, does not need an enormous amount of natural resources to produce and is easily available. Meat, on the other hand, is bountiful at a reasonable price only in a limited number of countries, particularly the United States. Likewise, the United States is the biggest producer of cow’s milk, so dairy products are plentiful and affordable in America and are, in fact, subsidized by the government. Because of their availability, dairy-based products have always engaged a large part in American diets. Milk provides all of the needed nutrient groups for development protein and human growth, carbohydrate and fat and provides calcium for bone and tooth growth. Vitamin D is added to milk to increase calcium absorption.

Soy products are naturally fat-free, making them a good alternative in planning a healthy, reduced-calorie diet. However, soy products such as cheese, soymilk and ice cream tend to be pricey and limited in availability.

Soy controversy runs deep amongst the dairy industry fans. Soy isn’t the world’s most perfect food. However, it is far superior to dairy in every way. When the two are measured up side by side, soy always comes out ahead.

The first misapprehension in the soy issue is that people habitually come to this issue believing dairy to be not only healthy, but a necessary part of a good diet. This is the imperfect pattern that allows one to get to the point of thinking that all soy is evil. Once dairy facts are established, it allows people to open their eyes to the benefits of soy.

If you are a person that considers dairy products to be healthy, re-evaluate, as you’ve been sadly misled. Fascinatingly, this food is one of the last options vegetarians have before they go completely vegan. The addictive traits in dairy products account for the majority of holding on. Switching to soy products help tremendously with the transition.

Tags: Diet, Dietary, Fat, Health, Healthy, Living
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Healthwise: Elixir of Life

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Without it man cannot live. Whether a body is human, elephant, of fish, it requires a large amount of water to stay alive. The body of an average-sized man contains some 40 liters of water – making up about 70 percent of his body weight. A loss of 20 percent or even less of this vital substance can cause death.

In the human body water acts as a lubricant, helps protect tissues from injury, and gives flexibility to muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones.

Water also helps to digest your food, keep you body cool, and prevent your skin from drying out and cracking. In fact, every activity in the body depends on an adequate supply of water. Those tissues which carry out life’s most vital functions contain the most. Thus while the body as a whole is about two-thirds water, the gray matter of the brain is 85 percent. Even dry bones contain 20 to 24 percent water.

If you are an average person, you love water and you are clean – at least on the outside. Bath, tubs, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines send a river down the drain every day.

But what about your insides? Do you pour in enough water every day to keep it clean too? Or is your body’s machinery working overtime in order to wash your blood with just a few swallows a day?

You mean my blood gets dirty? Yes, it does. And it must be constantly cleaned in order for you to remain healthy. The blood carries foodstuffs and other necessary substances to every tissue and picks up from every cell its waste products, toxic materials, and whatever else the cell must get rid of to function properly. Any accumulation of undesirable substances can cause fatigue, sickness, and even death. These must be removed, and that takes water – enough to flush every cell with a rapidly circulating bath.

How much water does your body need each day? This depends on your activity. If you do nothing to increase sweating, etc., you would need about six glasses just to replace that which is normally lost as the body machinery functions. Strenuous activities and hot, dry days will greatly increase this requirement. Thirst alone cannot be depended upon to compel you to drink enough, either. You must educate yourself to drink enough, whether you feel like it or not.

It is likely that much of the fatigue and the tired blood feeling many people get results from not drinking enough water.

Water… vital to life. Drink it freely and live abundantly.

Tags: Health, healthwise, Healthy, Living
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Eat More…..Weigh Less?

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

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The average person is now five pounds heavier then that of 20 years ago.

That sounds pretty grim but is there a brighter side?

Actually, there’s a Mr. or Mrs. Goodweight inside each one of us – it may just be stuck behind layers of discouragement, bulges of overindulgence, and mounds of misconceptions. We need to locate that special person inside each and every one of us and begin restoring the health, energy, and self-confidence that’s been buried far too long.

How do you do that?

By finding a lifestyle that maintains health, increases energy, lowers the risk of diseases, reduces food bills, and allows people to eat as much as they want and still lose weight without feeling hungry.

Surely that’s an impossible dream

Not really. Obesity occurs when calories eaten exceed the calories used by the body for physical activity and maintenance of its functions. These leftover calories are stored as fat. By the time 3,500 extra calories have accumulated, one pound of fat will have been deposited.

Adding an extra pat of butter (100 calories) to the daily diet will total up to 10 extra pounds of body fat in one year/ on the other hand, omitting dessert for seven days will remove one pound of body fat.

The secret of success lies in finding a way to eat fewer calories instead of eating less food.

That sounds like a contradiction

Today’s world is full of contradictions. Popular magazines and TV screens brim with beautiful, slender people – and with full-color ads of rich, fattening foods. Supermarkets offer slickly packaged, calorie-dense products, along with magazines touting the latest fad diet. Fast food restaurants are just as the name implies fast not necessarily nutritious food, however, in their defense….they are getting better.

Modern food technology, you see, has turned inexpensive low-calorie, high-volume caloric bombs. It’s now possible to eat a whole meal’s worth of calories with only a few bites and yet still remain hungry and dissatisfied.

How does it happen? Processing strips seven pounds of sugar beets of their bulk, fiber, and nutrients, producing one pound of pure sugar. Sugar and other refined sweeteners now account for about 20 percent of daily calories.

Grains, robbed of fiber and nutrients, can be turned into alcohol accounting for another nine percent of empty calories many adults consume every day. Add it up, almost 50 percent of the modern diet consists of processed and concentrated calories devoid of vital nutrients and valuable fiber a surefire formula for overweight.

How do you go about losing weight?

If you love food but want to lose weight, then…. Eat more..

Fresh and steamed vegetables but go easy on sauces and salad dressings.

Whole grains, cooked cereals, brown rice, whole-grain breads, pasta.

Other vegetables – potatoes, yams, squash. And all kinds of beans, lentils, and peas.

Fresh, whole fruits.

These foods as grown are filling, nutritious, inexpensive and low in calories. Eat less…

Refined, processed and concentrated foods. They are high in calories and price and low in nutrients and fiber.

Nuts, meats and rich dairy products. While these foods are nutritious they have little fiber and bulk and are very high in fat and calories. Meats and cheeses, for instance, are 60-80 percent fat.

What else can you do?

Drink plenty of water – eight glasses a day. Try herbal teas, mineral water or just plain water. Keep the sodas for special occasions.

Walk briskly every day. Keep at it until you can walk 30 to 60 minutes without fatigue or shortness of breath.

Beware of weak moments:

If one cookie leads to a dozen, don’t ear the first one.

If you feel bored, frustrated, or lonely, go for a walk, drink a glass of water, read a book, call a supportive friend. Or, you can feast on natural foods like semi-frozen grapes, juicy melons, or crunchy carrot sticks.

Don’t buy problem foods. If they’re not around you won’t be tempted.

It’s time to put an end to those unbalanced semi-starvation diets that leave you frustrated, dissatisfied, and craving more to eat. Begin a lifestyle that will recondition your habits toward a lifetime of better health. By avoiding popular trends and choosing the right kinds of foods you can eat more and still lose one to two pounds a week.

Tags: Diet, Health, Living, Nutrition, Weight Control, Weight Loss
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D.A.S.H (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) DIET

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

A new eating guide called the DASH diet may help you prevent or lower high blood pressure. And the diet may have other health benefits.

Common Problem

Untreated, hypertension can damage arteries and increase risk for stroke and heart problems. Treatment advice has typically consisted of lifestyle changes – eating healthfully, reducing sodium, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking, exercising, and limiting alcohol – perhaps combined with medication. Recently, the role of diet has drawn more attention.

Diet Comparison

The DASH diet evolved from the study “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” For eight weeks, participants followed on three diets – a diet that matched the average American diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and a combination diet that was reduced in saturated fat and emphasized fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy products. Sodium consumption in all three was about 3,000 milligrams a day.

The result: The fruit ands vegetable and combination diets both lowered blood pressure, but the combination diet was most effective.

In that group, the decrease was the greatest for those with high blood pressure – an average drop of 11.4 points in systolic pressure. That’s about the same effect as some medications.

Researchers aren’t sure why the combination diet fared better. However, they believe it’s due to the mixture of nutrients provided, rather than any single ingredients.

Widespread Benefits

If your: Blood pressure is regular, the DASH diet may help you avoid blood pressure problems. If your blood pressure is only slightly elevated, the diet may actually eliminate your need for medication. For more severe high blood pressure, it may allow you to reduce your medication. However, don’t stop or alter your medication without first consulting your doctor.

The DASH diet can’t do it alone, though. It’s important that you take other steps to control or prevent hypertension, including exercising, losing excess weight, not smoking and limiting alcohol.

More than a Hypertension Diet

The DASH diet may improve your health in other ways, too. Fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk for some cancers. The calcium in dairy products can lower risk for osteoporosis. And a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can reduce cardiovascular risk.

An additional plus: The diet is made up of regular foods available at your grocery store.

Tags: Diet, Dietary, Health, Healthy, Living, Nutrition, Power Foods
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Time Management For Busy People

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

time Sometimes do you feel that you are juggling too many duties over the course of a day? Do you ever find yourself wishing there were more hours in the day, because there is ‘never enough time’ to get everything done? Who hasn’t wished at some point that there were more hours in a day?

Wonder why your colleagues or friends, who are as busy as you are, always seem to find time to enjoy themselves after work? Do you have this feeling that time is always against you? You are always struggling against time to finish your work assignments, and after that, there’s no energy for other things.

You are tired, and it needs a lot of strength and effort even to do the basic of household duties like fixing dinner, fetching your kids from school etc. It sometimes seems that you spend so much time rushing from place to place or task to task that you don’t actually achieve anything except for feeling more frustrated. Your social life will also be affected as you hardly have time to have a coffee or simply hang out with friends.

Whether you are looking at time management from a business level, a personal level, or as a general way of life, there is one constant: time management is about getting results and not necessarily being busy. Time management starts with being centered on what you are doing at the moment. There are some people who will argue or disagree that theoretically there is no possible way to multi-task because you can literally only perform one task at a time.

What are the benefits of having a time and information management system? You can make such notes quickly before you go to bed, have breakfast, or while you watch the news on TV. Why would you want to make such memos at such times? Simply because you can, and because it produces the space for you to be your expressive self when you are doing other important things.

Ultimately we must keep in mind we can not control time. Bold statement I know, but we can not make it go faster or slow it down. Having said that, what we really need to do is better manage ourselves. If we can do this, then we will the necessary time to plan all aspects of lives.

Tags: Coach, Living, Strategy, Time, Time Management
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