Healthy, Active Lifestyle

By Martina Nyamainashe

A balanced nutrition plan is essential for providing our bodies with the nutrients required to make them function properly. Today's busy lifestyles shows that our choices of food and drink have not been healthy, we are now missing out on a lot of minerals and nutrients. Eating food that has lost it's nutrients through being over processed.

We are now living off food that does not have the essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals. It has become very important for us to start concentrating on good eating habits and the use of supplements where necessary.

There are different kinds of supplements available that an individual can choose from depending on their needs. The nutritional supplements that you chose should provide you with the elements that the body needs daily to maintain good health.

So you actually need to sit down and plan your requirements and then but the essentials for your diet. Your requirements should be able to provide you with carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and healthy fats.

Water is also an essential part of the diet.

When you make your plan it should be able to provide you with a balanced nutrition that does not leave you hungry and craving for unnecessary snacks. Eat lot's of fruits and vegetables and enjoy a good night's sleep for rejuvenating of your cells.

If you combine your good nutritional program with exercise you will be on your way to a healthier you. Take your time everything is a process it is not going to change overnight but with persistence and perseverance the damage done through years of eating wrong foods and of lack of exercise will eventually start to be reversed.

Visit my website at: http://www.blissfulherb.com to discover how you can have a quick way to health and wellness.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martina_Nyamainashe

The Truth About Energy Drinks and Bars

By Jonathan Jenkins

The phenomenon of increasing sales of energy drinks bars is one that we cannot ignore. Sport events are inciting such popularity by showing off these products as favorites for these players. The question would be: should you try those products? Who should and who shouldn't? It all depends on your lifestyle and exercise regime.

If you're someone who rarely exercises and his only recreation is climbing the company's stairs when the elevator is out of service, then consuming such products is of no use. Energy drinks and bars give you "energy" but if you're not already using the energy you have, what's the use?

It is interesting to notice that the higher percentage of buyers is actually overweight men, which is especially intriguing since those products don't lead to weight loss. Since they're not active, those products are simply a waste of money, so what's the secret about energy drinks and bars?

The simple answer would be corporate marketing. Those energy drinks and bars are packed in way no one can resist, with a muscular man and a thin woman on the label, who wouldn't want to buy that? Although they are quite aware those products wouldn't do them good, the appeal of what's on the label creates a need for them. Not to mention that half of those products employ hotshot celebrities to market those products, and thus take into advantage a person's personal role models.

Now if you're the kind of individual who actually works out, energy bars and drinks can actually workout just great for you. Let's talk science here, your body needs at least an hour to digest a snack, therefore; energy bars - with their compact size but rich nutrients - are easy to digest. You can eat them a while before hitting the gym and you'll definitely not feel that pinch of hunger when you're working out. A good recommendation is for you to drink about 16 oz of energy drinks for every half an hour of working out, but again water would do.

As for the average person who couldn't care less about exercising, those energy drinks and bars also couldn't care less about giving any results. You are simply wasting your money on products that give you minimum results; it's like someone wearing the wrong size of shoe: you just won't be able to run. Such wasted money could actually make all the difference put in a different area of your budget or even given to charity. You really shouldn't fall for those marketing scams with celebrities by now.

What an overweight person can do to bring better results is a healthy diet and an exercise regime. Invest in those and you can never go wrong!

Visit fightfat.info to claim your FREE weight loss ebook

Free weight loss articles and weight loss tools to help you lose weight.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Jenkins

The Importance of Calcium, Magnesium

By Dr. Vicky Arcadi

One of the most common nutritional needs we hear about today is calcium and magnesium. We hear about these minerals with regards to bone densities and prevention in osteoporosis, and so many women are disciplined about making sure they get the calcium in their diets.

In pregnancy, calcium is very important, and the calcium/magnesium balance is even more important. Here are some of the symptoms that one will see when calcium and magnesium are low:

Chronic calcium deficiency can be identified with some forms of hypertension, prostate, colorectal cancer, some types of kidney stones, and miscarriage, birth and heart defects in children when the mother is deficient in calcium during pregnancy, menstrual and premenstrual problems, and cardiovascular as well as hemorrhagic stroke. In addition if this is not enough, chronic calcium deficiency is also associated with sleep disturbances, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, muscle spasms/cramps, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, dysmenorrhea (painful periods), rickets, birth defects, miscarriage, aneurysms, high stomach acid, higher risk for some cancers, periodontal diseases, and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and seizures.

Calcium will help for the blood protein fibrin which will aid in clotting. Clotting is very important in labor and delivery. And, did you know, if the mother is not getting enough calcium, her parathyroid glands will begin to react and start to pull the calcium out of her bone!!! That would not be a good situation for a pregnant woman. Calcium also will support and feed the perineal muscles to make them supple for dilation at delivery. Calcium will help to prevent and minimize stretch marks, although stretch marks tend to be more of a hereditary situation.

The balance and source of calcium/magnesium has to be bioavailable. The best source is A to B Calm. It is the only freeze dried source of calmag with vinegar to insure absorption. (See Essential Nutrients) This nutrient cannot be stressed enough in pregnancy. It is also helpful with children at bedtime to help build strong bones and teeth. And contrary to popular belief, cow's milk does not do this! There is a lot of phosphorus which actually combines with the calcium and prevents it from being absorbed.

Join Dr. Vicky's Educational Forum on http://www.healthyanswersonline.com and receive your weekly tips, monthly newsletters and conference calls. As a new member, you can also "ASK DR VICKY" an online question that may be included in your upcoming FREE teleconference call. Topic for this month is: "Pregnancy, Newborns & Pediatrics."

http://www.healthyanswersonline.com is one of the only websites of its kind that provides the nutritional secrets, suggestions and the latest information and technology available to maximize health and eliminate the common discomforts of the woman during pregnancy and improving the outcomes of she and her unborn baby. The site also addresses newborns, babies, kids, children, parents, fertility, labor and delivery, post-partum and breast feeding.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Vicky_Arcadi

For All Those Chocolate Lovers!

By Richard Chan

Whenever we eat chocolate we have some form of guilt regretting it afterwards. What if I were to tell you it was healthy and you can feel guilt free! Now, let me discuss why cocoa and other foods have benefits to our body.

Recent studies have proven that cocoa is good for you because it contains flavonoids. They are polyphenolic compounds which are a group of chemical substances found in plants. They contain a special type of antioxidant that helps prevent cancer, heart disease, beneficial effects on human health, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, etc. In France there was a study done that a glass of red wine a day may improve a persons chances of having a second heart attack by half. In China they found people drinking tea were half as likely to develop cancer to those not drinking tea. When we consume any food that contains flavonoid our blood increases. The rise in antioxidant levels protects us from damage to blood vessels and the heart. This prevents our DNA from damage and leading to cancer. Foods that contain flavonoids are cocoa, parsley, onion, beans, almonds, coffee, green tea, black tea, red wine, etc. The food that had the strongest antioxidant was cocoa out beating the commonly known tea. The more flavonoid content of cocoa, the higher the antioxidant. Dark chocolate is more concentrated in cocoa content than milk chocolate. Also, white chocolate has no cocoa content. Although we know antioxidants are important for good health, researchers still have been studying the exact daily amount required per person.

As a friendly reminder don't overdo it on eating chocolates because too much of anything isn't good for you. You also have to take into consideration of the calories. A small piece of cocoa contains about 50 calories and a majority of candy bars contain about 200. Vegetables and fruits range from 25-80 calories and a serving of green tea has no calories at all. And of course vegetables and fruits also have vitamin, minerals, phytochemicals that protect our health besides the flavonoids it contains. Remember this should not discourage us from eating a mostly plant-based diet that includes lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. So, enjoy and eat your cocoa with moderation so that you can balance a fulfillment of all the good foods out there!

Richard Chan is a Health and Fitness Life Coach, promoting good health internally and externally. For more information you can visit Richard Chan at http://www.flex-fitness.com regarding exercising, training or nutrition.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chan

The Reasons Why Healthy Eating Is Important

By Andrew Kerekes

What food you eat is critical in determining your current and future health.

This is a starting point for improving your health and changing your life for the better.

Healthy eating what the benefits are?

Every week that goes by more proof emerges that shows healthy eating and regular exercise

helps stop cardiovascular disease's such as diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer.

If you have healthy eating through out your life you are more likely to remain disease free.

Than the people whose diet is high in artery-clogging fat and low in nutrients.

What healthy eating will help treat is health related problems.

People are still eating more fat than is healthy for them.

This is resulting in a rise in obesity.

The more weight we gain the risk of cardiovascular disease rises.

We need to reduce our fat intake and also we need to exercise to reduce the risk.

If you are over weight and start to loose weight your life expectancy goes up.

You should eat foods that give you maximum nutritional benefits for the calories.

Healthy eating choices at any stage in life can help prevent and in many cases treat existing disorders.

Healthy eating ideas you should action now?

Eating a varied diet is based on having a wide range of nutritious ingredients.

Planing your meals is a good way to ensure you eat a healthy well balanced diet.

Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables everyday.

Cut back on the amount of fat you eat especially saturated fats, use polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats instead.

Choose foods rich in soluble fibre such as oats, peas, lentils, pulses and sweetcorn.

Meals or snacks should be based around wholegrains including wholegrain bread, brown rice and wholegrain pasta.

These are low in fat and high in fibre which will fill you up.

Have fish regular aim to eat two servings of fish a week.

The more fish you eat the better for you, one of these portions should be oil-rich fish.

When you buy meat you should choose lean cuts of meat and poultry.

You need to reduce your sodium intake use fresh herbs or ground spices instead of salt to add flavour to your food.

Aim to drink or eat two servings of low fat dairy foods a day, such as low fat yogurt and skimmed milk.

Have six to eight glasses of water everyday.

Think carefully about your eating habits and behaviours.

This will help pinpoint areas where you could make changes.

Healthy eating ideas you should think about and aim for.

Dont eat food on the run sit down.

Eat your meals at the table with your family this will prevent digestive problems.

Have healthy foods in small portions.

When you are full stop eating you dont have to finish everythink.

When you have snacks eat healthy foods such as fruit, nuts or seeds.

Eat less junk food and sweets.

Eat less fast food once or twice a week maximum.

When you do eat these foods include healthier options.

If you do love cakes and sweets and find it difficult to eliminate them from your diet.

Choose low fat versions and have small portions.

By Andrew kerekes at http://www.healthyeatingideas.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Kerekes

Four Ways To Add Some Excitement To Your Diet

By Scott Kustes

I was asked a question last weekend by a guy I know about how to increase the variety of his diet. The exact words he used in reference to his diet were, if memory serves me right, "bland and boring". And I'd bet that he's not the only one with those thoughts on his diet. Variety is probably the most difficult aspect of adopting a new eating pattern because we tend to seize on a few simple meals and eat them over and over. While some of us here enjoy cooking and finding ways to incorporate new tastes, others are more "beginner" in that area. That's not a bad thing...everyone starts somewhere.

There are actually several aspects to consider when looking to make your meals more pleasurable. Eating is not an experience of only the tastebuds, something that the best chefs recognize. While taste is important, aroma, visual appeal, texture, and temperature also need to be considered. These additional four elements will enhance your enjoyment of a meal and increase your appetite.

Aroma is chiefly influenced by aromatic herbs and spices. Think of walking into a Mexican restaurant and the combination of smells and contrast that with walking into a nice Italian restaurant. Even blindfolded, you'd know where you were by the smells around you. The smells of cumin, garlic, oregano, or basil are distinct and serve to increase your appetite. Visual appeal comes down largely to color in a dish, but presentation plays a part as well. A plate of lettuce is rather boring, but top it with red radishes, orange carrots, purple onions, black olives, and green cucumbers and suddenly it's eye-catching.

It's also important to include a variety of textures in a meal and to ensure that each particular food is served at the proper texture. Obviously this will vary based on the eater, but few people want dry meat or mushy vegetables. Learning to cook will go a long way to increasing your eating enjoyment, for instance, not overcooking meat or oversteaming vegetables. And finally, there's temperature. Have you ever eaten cold eggs? If so, you know that you probably have a preference for how hot certain foods are when you eat them. Also, you probably aren't going to want a hot bowl of soup in the summertime, nor are you going to want an ice-cold fruit smoothie in the winter. Try to match what you're eating to the temperature outside.

Having a more exciting diet comes down to variety - variety in ingredients, variety in how things are cooked, variety in flavors. If you eat the same foods prepared the same way day-in and day-out, you will get bored. You may love steak and broccoli, but if you eat a grilled steak and steamed broccoli every single day, you will get bored. Now, I could just say "be sure to include lots of colors and textures" and leave it at that, but you probably already knew that. You're reading this because you want some ideas. Here are four ways I've found to add variety and excitement to one's diet, in order of increasing value.

1. Condiments and Cooking Sauces

This is the easiest way to change things up. When I started eating better several years back, I literally put hot sauce on everything. I wasn't too keen on most vegetables, having abused my natural sense of taste with obnoxiously aggressive sweet or salty tastes for years as so many of us do. But with a bit of olive oil and some hot sauce, everything was palatable. Either that or I just couldn't taste it because my mouth was on fire. The choices here are virtually endless: hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce or tamari, mayonnaise, salsa. There are also less favorable options like ketchup, barbeque sauce, and Worchestershire; these should be using sparingly due to sugar content.

Cooking sauces are much like condiments. They make it easy to change up the flavor of your meals without a great deal of thought or cooking knowledge. Some of the ones that I use occasionally are El Pato, coconut milk, and various sauces from Frontera. Don't forget spaghetti sauce either; there's no rule requiring the use of spaghetti sauce with pasta and it works just as well with chicken, beef, vegetables, or spaghetti squash. These also work wonders when you need to put something together fast. Saute meat and vegetables in a skillet and open a can of El Pato: instantly flavorful meal.

2. Herbs and Spices

I have two main issues with using lots of condiments and cooking sauces. First, there's the salt content. Nearly every one you pick up will have like 7000% of your daily intake of sodium in a 1/2 tsp. Perhaps it's not that bad, but it's bad nonetheless. The second issue is that it's really someone else's idea of flavor that you're tasting. That's fine because you'll find some that you really enjoy, but it's rare that two people actually want their food to taste exactly identical. Creating your own herb and spice combinations allows you to get around both problems: you can avoid using salt completely if you want and you can tailor the dish to your liking.

You can give most any dish an ethnic flair with the right combination of herbs and spices. Playing with herbs and spices will really enhance your enjoyment of food. Aside from smelling really good, they complement flavors rather than just masking them as most condiments do. To really enjoy spices though, you have to experiment and that probably means producing some not-so-tasty under- or over-spiced food. Just count it as part of the learning process. There are literally hundreds or thousands of combinations you can try, but you'll probably find a few spices that you really love. Being a big fan of Mexican-inspired cooking, I go through loads of cumin and garlic. To salads, I add basil, oregano, lemon thyme, cilantro, or any number of other herbs. By changing the spices that you use, you can literally create multiple dishes from the same ingredients.

An added benefit of herbs and spices is that they pack a load of healthful benefits. Check out my article The Spice of Life (1) to learn more.

3. Shop at the Farmer's Market

The first two points focused mainly on flavor and aroma. Now on to variety in ingredients. When you walk through the produce section of your grocery store, you see a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, right? Or do you? You really don't. What you're seeing is the group of fruits and vegetables that are most widely eaten and most resistant to the effects of modern production. Perhaps they're the most widely eaten because they've been bred to be resistant to modern production methods. Regardless, there is a vast range of food that you won't find in the grocery. For an experience, check out your local farmer's market (find Farmer's Markets near you at Local Harvest).

Your diet will benefit in several ways from going to the Farmer's Market. First, there will be a bit of forced variety due to seasonality. Broccoli is not a year-round food, nor are apples, blueberries, or Swiss chard. Every week you'll find something new and you'll see how the foods available change from spring through to fall and winter. It's actually rather neat to watch the world of vegetation wax and wane with the seasons and to understand why. Second, there is additional variety of some foods you already eat. Thinking of my local Farmer's Market, there is one stall that I dubbed "The Radish Guys". They carry 5 or 6 different kinds of radishes, from the common bland red ones you see at Kroger to potent black cooking radishes that'll jump up and punch you in the nose. Some booths have Chinese cabbage or rainbow chard or six different varieties of lettuce. You'll discover local varieties of apples and try some interesting melons beyond the usual watermelon, canteloupe, and honeydew. Don't be afraid to pick something up and take it home with you (after paying of course). The worst case is that it doesn't appeal to you and you "wasted" a couple bucks (I would argue that it isn't really wasted, but that's getting philosophical). The best case is that you find a new favorite food.

A third benefit is the wealth of knowledge available at the Farmer's Market and the willingness of people to talk about cooking. I recall going to a booth last year and picking up some odd looking green squash (turned out to be Magda), asking what it was, and walking away with a couple squashes and two or three recipes from several people. The people selling you the food here actually cook and eat it as well, so you can pick up some really interesting tips. Finally, the produce at your Farmer's Market is probably fresher and more healthful than that in the grocery store given that it's more likely to be picked within the last day or two and is often cheaper to boot. Just talking to and shaking the hand of the person growing your food is nice, adding a bit of human element to eating.

4. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program

Joining a CSA could be the ultimate in introducing variety to your diet for one very simple reason: you have no choice. You pay for and receive a box of produce every week, selected by the farmer. One week, it may be cucumbers, avocados, spinach, and blueberries and the next week it could be kohlrabi, sweet potatoes, and onions (probably not due to seasonality, but you get the point). You're going to open your box every week and find something new depending on what is in season in your area. And when you come across something that you've never used before, you'll scramble to Google to find a recipe for it or talk to some other foodies in your area to figure out how to use it. This is forced variety, "forced" being a positive thing in this case. A year of CSA surprises will probably introduce you to more variety than you could do yourself simply because we all tend to get into patterns. Check the Local Harvest link above to find CSAs.

The Spice of Life - an article discussing the health benefits of various common herbs and spices.

Scott Kustes is the owner of the Modern Forager blog. A computer geek by training, he brings an intense passion for nutrition and health, specifically how evolutionary history determines the proper food for the human body. By looking at nutrition through the lens of evolution, in much the same fashion as Dr. Loren Cordain, Scott is able to find the logic behind what works and what doesn't.

Scott has published two articles in "The Performance Menu, Journal of Health and Athletic Excellence". The first article, published in Issue 26 (March 2007), was titled "The Spice of Life" and explored the myriad health benefits of including numerous common herbs and spices in your cooking. The second article, "Absolutely Offal," was published in Issue 33 (October 2007) and explored recipes for cooking the most nutritious of meats, organ meats.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Kustes

Every Time Your Heart Beats

By Frances Lewis

To really understand nutrition, you must see it from the cellular level. If you eat a piece of pizza every last, little bit of that slice of pizza is used, stored or excreted by your body. Everything you put into your mouth eventually becomes cellular. So in other words, whatever you put into your mouth becomes a part of your body, a piece of you. Whatever you eat either nourishes your body or hinders it!

Think of it like this, every time your heart beats, that beat is delivering nutrition, oxygen (air), or toxins to all of your cells. And what your cells have to work with all depends on what YOU have put in your body for that heartbeat to take to your cells. So ultimately it is up only to you as to whether or not the blocks taken and distributed are nutrients or detriments.

The core value of what you eat determines what your body gets to use. To be healthy, the core value of the building blocks your body has to work with must be good. You cannot build a strong building out of inferior products or the building won't last for long. If you have a foundation that is weak, the building will be weak. If you have a foundation that is strong, but you use only the meanest of materials to build upon that foundation, your building will still be weak. But if you build a strong building upon a strong foundation, then your building will be strong and healthy. The same is true for your body.

But this is still just part of the equation. Your body, unlike a building, is always rebuilding or replacing itself. It is a living machine that replaces many weak or non-working parts on a daily basis. And this they say is the rest of the story...

What kind of a building block do you think the foods your eat make? Take Alcohol for instance. Are the blocks strong or weak? Alcohol breaks down into sugars. Sugars are a weak block. Easily made and easily used up. Fat breaks down into stronger blocks. But the problem with the fat block is that it is so strong that it takes lots of work for your body to break down and use. So it gets stored and your body becomes more obese. Fruits and vegetables also make sugar blocks, but they also make complex strong blocks that don't add as much fat and that are easy for your body to use if the body needs them. Breads and grains also add sugar that is easy to use but also complex proteins that add strength to your building.

So now we get around to the discussion of nutrition. The experts have been telling us for years that we need to eat from the nutrition pyramid. Do you remember that? Just like a building, the pyramid has a strong base, and building blocks that combine in harmony to make a strong structure. It is just that no one has ever explained to us why nutrition is so important. It all has to do with our cells and how our body works.

To help your body be the strongest it can be, thoughtfully consider everything you put into your mouth. Am I eating something that will ultimately be good for my body or something that will contribute to the weakness of my structure? Every time your heart beats are those beats taking the building blocks to your cells that you need to create and maintain your body? It is up to you. Choose wisely.

Take care and love yourself.

Frances Lewis

The author operates http://www.yourbestweightlosssite.com, an educational and informational blog about health and weight loss. She is a 30+-year veteran of the health services business. Now she devotes her full time educating and helping people reach their ideal body weight. Frances has always had a passion for teaching and education. She helps others to gain control of their health and their weight. Her new FREE weight loss roadmap teaching you, "TOP TEN, NO KIDDING, NO FAIL TIPS FOR LOSING WEIGHT AND REGAINING YOUR HEALTH!" is now available at http://www.yourbestweightlosssite.com Just fill out the FREE gift section in the upper right hand corner.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frances_Lewis

Eat Healthy for Fitter Abs

By Bill Mann

The first step towards great abs is great abdominal health. In order to achieve the look you want, pay attention to what you are eating. Support the functions of your body by the foods you eat.

One of the many causes of tummy bloat is improper digestion. Many people are so busy that they do not allow time to pay attention to their diet. This means lots of grab-and-go meals that provide little or no dietary support. Not only are these foods generally high calorie and low in nutrition, they contain little fiber. It is hard for the body to digest this stuff, let alone get rid of it.

Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber comes from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A good rule of thumb to follow is the less processing and packaging, the better. Dark green vegetables and the skins of fruits such as plums, apples and pears provide a good source of fiber. Avoid white and bleached flour baked goods and choose whole grains instead. Whole grain oats, barley, and wheat also support healthy digestion. A sufficient amount of fiber in your diet helps your body cleanse the bowels and maintain a healthy digestive track.

Reduce, but don't eliminate, carbohydrates. Don't cut all carbohydrates out of your diet, but reduce your intake of simply carbohydrates like cookies, candy, and sweet drinks. Be mindful of eating complex carbohydrates and whole grains to balance your digestion and metabolism.

Lessen your fatty foods intake. Not all fat is created equal, but too much of any fat is bad. Saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils are particularly nasty and create the highest impact. Having some natural oils and fat in your diet is healthy, but make sure you know the source. Read labels!

Another enemy of flatter abs is water retention. This often comes as a result of high sodium intake. Lessen sodium intake by paying attention to the salt you are eating. Sodium doesn't just come from the salt shaker, though. Many prepackaged foods and especially fast food contains high levels of sodium and preservatives. When the body has to process the extra sodium, this causes water retention and bloating.

Also make sure you drink lots of water. Staying fully hydrated aids the digestive process. This ensures that the body makes a quick job of absorbing what it can use and expelling what it does not. Drinking enough water also helps relieve the bloating from excess sodium intake by flushing sodium from the body.

On the issue of liquid intake, quit drinking soda. The calorie free kind won't help you lose weight either. The sugar in a can of regular soda delivers a calorie wallop and can cause weight gain. However, studies have shown that drinking a can of diet soda a day can increase the risk of being overweight by 41%. This won't do any wonders for your midsection.

If you want firm, flat abs, or fitness in any muscle area, you must eat to support muscle development. Without muscle tone, your belly is going to sag and bubble. Amino acids found in protein are essential for building and maintaining muscle health. Health officials recommend women consume 46 grams of protein a day and men 56. Protein in the diet comes from meats, eggs, grains, beans, and dairy products. Lean meats and vegetable proteins are the healthiest choices.

Remember though, eating the right foods only goes so far. Work out your abdominal muscles and get some aerobic activity. A sedentary lifestyle makes it extremely difficult to get the shape you want, no matter what you eat.

As the captain of his high school football team, Bill Mann was fit and lean. After letting himself go for years, he is back on the fitness track and losing his gut thanks to better nutrition and exercise. He reviews the best abs programs at AbsAtLast.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Mann

Set Your Kids A Good Example When It Comes To Eating Habits!

By scotie Keithlow

Parents often teach their children poor food habits. For example, during a busy morning, when everyone is running late, there is little time to think about making and eating breakfast, although it is the most important meal of the day. So parents will skip the children's breakfast and tell them to eat well at lunch when they are at school.

When lunchtime arrives, the parent is still not very hungry so he or she will eat a snack bar and a diet soda and go back to work. It may be that the children have done something similar during their lunch period. When it is time to make dinner, the family is rushing around, trying to make sure that everyone gets to practice or completes some chore like picking up the dry cleaning. On the way to an errand, the parent realizes that dinner needs to be prepared. Short on time and energy, the parent decides to stop on the way home for a pizza instead. Or perhaps the family would rather have hamburgers and fries.

While deciding what to have for dinner, the children are getting very hungry. If there is a snack food dispenser nearby, they are likely to load up on soft drinks and candy. After making the final stop to pick up a child from practice or wherever, everyone is in the car and ready to get home. The parent has decided that pizza is the right choice and has already called in an order so that it will be ready for pick up.

Unfortunately, this scenario is typical of the daily food rituals experienced by many families. Most Americans spend their day rushing around with little thought to their nutritional needs. They rely on convenience foods without knowing that these short cuts to meals give exactly the wrong message about food and nutrition to their children.

Everyone reads articles about good nutrition and how it impacts overall health. Everyone has made the connection between eating appropriate foods and living longer and healthier lives. Few people actually take action on the basis of this information, however, and no one thinks about how much of every day goes by without any nutritious food being consumed at all.

As children grow, parents may wonder why they seem pale and less than healthy. Parents must recognize that children live in a stressful environment, one without exercise, and one that imposes unhealthy eating habits.

It is a parental responsibility to ensure that children are taught about good morals, work ethics, and family values. It is also important to teach them the importance of taking care of their health. They cannot have a good quality of life if they are not healthy enough to enjoy it.

To find more advise about good food habits for children visit http://family-tips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scotie_Keithlow

How vitamin C stops the big 'C'

By Nick Zagorski

Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate Linus Pauling famously and controversially suggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that in mice at least, vitamin C - and potentially other antioxidants - can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors ¯ just not in the manner suggested by years of investigation.

The conventional wisdom of how antioxidants such as vitamin C help prevent cancer growth is that they grab up volatile oxygen free radical molecules and prevent the damage they are known to do to our delicate DNA. The Hopkins study, led by Chi Dang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and oncology and Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research, unexpectedly found that the antioxidants’ actual role may be to destabilize a tumor’s ability to grow under oxygen-starved conditions. Their work is detailed this week in Cancer Cell.

"The potential anticancer benefits of antioxidants have been the driving force for many clinical and preclinical studies," says Dang. "By uncovering the mechanism behind antioxidants, we are now better suited to maximize their therapeutic use."

"Once again, this work demonstrates the irreplaceable value of letting researchers follow their scientific noses wherever it leads them," Dang adds.

The authors do caution that while vitamin C is still essential for good health, this study is preliminary and people should not rush out and buy bulk supplies of antioxidants as a means of cancer prevention.

The Johns Hopkins investigators discovered the surprise antioxidant mechanism while looking at mice implanted with either human lymphoma (a blood cancer) or human liver cancer cells. Both of these cancers produce high levels of free radicals that can be suppressed by feeding the mice supplements of antioxidants, either vitamin C or N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

However, when the Hopkins team examined cancer cells from cancer-implanted mice not fed the antioxidants, they noticed the absence of any significant DNA damage. "Clearly, if DNA damage was not in play as a cause of the cancer, then whatever the antioxidants were doing to help was also not related to DNA damage," says Ping Gao, Ph.D, lead author of the paper.

That conclusion led Gao and Dang to suspect that some other mechanism was involved, such as a protein known to be dependent on free radicals called HIF-1 (hypoxia-induced factor), which was discovered over a decade ago by Hopkins researcher and co-author Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Program in Vascular Cell Engineering. Indeed, they found that while this protein was abundant in untreated cancer cells taken from the mice, it disappeared in vitamin C-treated cells taken from similar animals.

"When a cell lacks oxygen, HIF-1 helps it compensate," explains Dang. "HIF-1 helps an oxygen-starved cell convert sugar to energy without using oxygen and also initiates the construction of new blood vessels to bring in a fresh oxygen supply."

Some rapidly growing tumors consume enough energy to easily suck out the available oxygen in their vicinity, making HIF-1 absolutely critical for their continued survival. But HIF-1 can only operate if it has a supply of free radicals. Antioxidants remove these free radicals and stop HIF-1, and the tumor, in its tracks.

The authors confirmed the importance of this "hypoxia protein" by creating cancer cells with a genetic variant of HIF-1 that did not require free radicals to be stable. In these cells, antioxidants no longer had any cancer-fighting power.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Authors on the paper are Dean Felsher of Stanford; and Gao, Huafeng Zhang, Ramani Dinavahi, Feng Li, Yan Xiang, Venu Raman, Zaver Bhujwalla, Linzhao Cheng, Jonathan Pevsner, Linda Lee, Gregg Semenza and Dang of Johns Hopkins.

Contact: Nick Zagorski Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Bayho Health News http://www.bayho.com/article.php?id=200

Contact: Nick Zagorski Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Bayho

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Benefits Of Eating Fruits

By: Peter Sams

The benefits are eating fruit are numerous. Fruit is one of the healthiest and natural foods you can eat. They’re packed full of vitamins minerals and antioxidants, and they taste fantastic too. Health experts recommend that we eat at least five pieces of fruit or vegetables each day. The fruit can be dried or bottled, though to receive the most nutrition you should eat it freshly picked.

High blood pressure is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke. As such, it's a condition that is very important to control. Diet can be a very effective tool for lowering blood pressure. One of the most convincing associations between diet and blood pressure was found in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study. This trial examined the effect on blood pressure of a diet that was rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and that restricted the amount of saturated and total fat.

Fruits, goldmine of vitamins, minerals and fibre are ideal to consume at least 4-5 servings in a day. Since they are in the natural form, account for largest part of water and 100% bad cholesterol free, it's much easier for the body to process and absorb the vitamins and minerals from the fresh fruit.

Fruit can also play a part in our mental health. Studies have shown that a regular intake of fruit can reduce the risk of developing panic attacks, mood swings, anxiety and depression. Chemical preservatives found in many processed foods and meat is increasingly thought to contribute to violent behavior and poor concentration. A balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit will help our brains function better and keep alert and us focused.

Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micronutrients than intensively farmed produce. Science says that it's good for you! Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMO's and doing your bit to protest against them.

Low Calories: The problem with many of our favorite snacks isn't just the lack of nutrients and excess sugar and fat that we take in but also the pronounced calorie up-tick, which comes from many of these snacks. Enter fruits and vegetables, as they are exceedingly lower in calories and fat grams. Even with a small garnish or a dip, most of the times you can bet that the fruits and vegetables we employ are much better than many of our other choices.

The problem with many of our favorite snacks isn't just the lack of nutrients and excess sugar and fat that we take in but also the pronounced calorie up-tick, which comes from many of these snacks. Enter fruits and vegetables, as they are exceedingly lower in calories and fat grams. Even with a small garnish or a dip, most of the times you can bet that the fruits and vegetables we employ are much better than many of our other choices.

Read about Herbal Natural Home Remedies and Girls Discussion Forum. Also read about Beauty and Makeup Tips

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Creatine Supplements and Its Importance

By Ricky Hussey

Creatine supplements are one of the major body building supplements in the market these days. These days there are so many body building supplements available in the market that it is nearly impossible and difficult to decide which one to buy amongst many. Creatine supplements are one the most popular supplements that are demanded by the market. The main concern of the buyer should be the ingredients present or used in supplements.

Creatine supplements are primarily present in each and every individual. The main components from where supplements are extracted are eggs, meat and milk products. To creatine one much means to take supplements rather having these products. The more expensive and branded the supplements the more effective and efficient it may be. Rather if a less expensive or cheaper supplements is the case would be of impurities and additional products.

These days many new companies have entered supplements industry. This is the main reason for the growth and development of these supplements. The major concern here should be that the person buying creatine supplements should be watchful about its ingredients. Watching the ingredients before purchasing ingredients can be very much effective to control future problems. Most of the creatine supplements are non vegetarian and people who are vegetarian should be helped by reading these ingredients.

Many companies do claim to provide perfect benefits to their customers as to act their policies in a competitive world. Now a day buying these supplements is easily available as new and improved online policies and less charges of imports and exports.

Creatine are the main constituent of body building. One can increase their body from 100 pounds to 200 pounds within a time of few months. These days supplements are even used for curing a person from an injury. Due the presence of multiple muscular cells in supplements maintains proper amounts of proteins in your body. This helps our body to lean and increase weight. These supplements are even available in all flavors and quantities. These creatine are available in flavors such as mango, chocolate and litchi. This supplements are even helpful in maintaining a proporatiate level of insulin and reduces the fear of heart attacks. These supplements also have carbohydrates which help in tissue building and helps in maintain its adequate level in our body.

Read out for Creatine Monohydrate. Check out Muscle and Creatine Supplements Blog.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com