Fat Kills You

The first place that we cut corners when we are busy or stressed is our eating and in particular our breakfast. The food you eat forms the very building blocks of your body, but most of us have lost sight of the fact that food is fuel and that the purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with the tools they need for energy, functioning, building and maintenance. We eat for a variety of different reasons, none of which relate to the idea of providing our bodies with quality fuel. We eat unconsciously, we use food to fill emotional voids or to be sociable and we fill our bodies with things that we all know aren’t good for us ? in effect, rather than using food as essential fuel, we use it to inflict damage on ourselves.

Here are 3 options for a quick and easy, healthy breakfast to kick start your day. All recipes take only five minutes or less to prepare.

1. Protein Power Shake ? Mix in a blender ? 1 piece of fruit i.e. banana or mango are divine

Evidence for the importance of fruit and vegetable intake to health and quality of life with aging is widely recognized. Consuming fruits and vegetables can reduce an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease and many cancers.

Furthermore, fruits and vegetables are important components of diets for the secondary prevention of diabetes and hypertension. Of course, with diabetes, you want to use the low glycemic fruits. The highest sugar fruits are melons. Diets rich in nutrients and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables have also been associated with delay or decreased risk of conditions associated with aging such as cataracts, diverticulosis, degeneration in neurological and cognitive performance, decline in bone mass, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Diets that are high in fruits and vegetables lower an individual’s risk of chronic disease and contribute to healthy aging. Homebound seniors often have low intake of fruits and vegetables and limited access to fruits and vegetables with the most protective nutrients and phytochemicals.

Wouldn’t it be a great idea to send someone you know who is a Senior Citizen or someone you know in your community that would benefit from a nice, juicy fruit gift basket?

Constipation is a condition whereby the fecal matter traveling through your colon remains too long in your colon before traveling out of the rectum. You become aware that you are constipated if you have difficulty passing motion or take a few days to do one purge.

That said, if you are suffering from constipation, you have been advised to eat more fruits and vegetables to increase your fiber intake.

For fruit, have you considered having papaya as a constipation remedy or including it as part of your regular diet?

As a natural remedy, papaya not only aids digestion but also helps prevent constipation. It provides relief from piles and also has anti-cancer properties. Papaya has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels, prevents the formation of urinary stones, prevents intestinal infection by parasites and aids in the proper functioning of the body’s immune system. For lactating mothers, according to traditional beliefs, papaya also helps to stimulate milk production.

Papayas contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins (especially food with gluten). Concentrated amounts can especially be found in unripe papaya. This enzyme helps prevent the accumulation of mucoprotein (partially digested protein) in the body and lymphatic system. In fact, papain has been extracted to make dietary supplements for digestion. Thus, the unripe papaya is considered to have more healing powers for constipation than the ripe one.

Constipation is the passing of dry, hard faeces fewer than three times a week. Individuals who have constipation may find it painful and difficult to have a bowel movement, also other symptoms include feeling sluggishness, bloated and uncomfortable. Constipation is a common ailment and everybody will suffer from it at least once within their life. It is more common in women over the age of sixty five and pregnant women; it is common after childbirth and surgery.

Constipation occurs when too much water is absorbed in the colon or when the colon is sluggish and slow again causing too much water to be absorbed. Common causes of constipation are too little fibre in the diet, not consuming enough water, lack of exercise, medications, irritable bowel syndrome, changes in routine or life such as pregnancy, old age and travel, laxative abuse, ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement, specific diseases such a stroke, problems with the rectum and colon and problems with intestinal functions.

The most common cause of constipation is a diet high in eggs, cheese, meat, refined processed foods and low in fibre which is found in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain. The soft texture and bulk of fibre helps to form stools that are easier to pass then dry, hard ones.

I’ll preface this article by saying that it will help if you have an open mind and accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically correct nutrition in this day and age where fats are admonished by nutritionists, doctors, etc. To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cell membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats, your cellular processes will proceed normally. On the other hand, if you eat man-made, heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats) that are found in most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired as these damaged fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to work harder to operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop. In addition, healthy dietary fats are essential for optimal hormone production and balance within the body and are therefore essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes. Other important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization, enzyme regulation, energy, etc.

Recently, trans fats have risen to the forefront of the nutrition world. It is not uncommon on a regular visit to the grocery store to see a wide range of products advertising themselves as being "trans fat free". This is helpful information for the regular consumer to help avoid over consumption of trans fats, but what are trans fats, why are they harmful and how does one identify trans fats "hidden" in non-labeled foods? This article aims to help the average consumer understand more about trans fats and identify sources from everyday consumables.

What are trans fats and why are they bad?

The technical term for fats is fatty acids. Fatty acids are one of three varieties: unsaturated (most vegetable oils), polyunsaturated (soft margarines, essential fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6 from fish and nuts) or fully saturated (coconut oil, lard, hard margarines). The term "saturated" refers to the type of chemical bonds (single or double) between the carbon and hydrogen atoms. Most fatty acids in their natural state are in their "cis form" that is, all the hydrogen atoms bonded to the individual carbons atoms are on one side of the fatty acid molecule - on the "cis" side.

Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose weight, and an abundance of energy throughout the day.

1) Hydrate with water throughout the day.

2) Avoid processed foods

3) Eat plenty of lean meats (fish, poultry, and lean beef)

4) Avoid Starches and Sugar (breads, grains, pasta, etc.) Never eat these alone.

Breakfast ? Protein (1 egg with 2-3 egg whites, plenty of fruits and vegetables, water) Lunch- lean meats and plenty of fruits and vegetables, water Dinner ? lean meats and plenty of fruits and vegetables, water

Eat every 3 hours and snack on fruits veggies.

Before practice or games ? hydrate with water and snack on fruits.

Once you begin to practice or begin pre-game practice, start drinking a sports drink. You should be able to replenish your sugar (glycogen) stores with a sports drink.

If the athletes like the taste of sports drinks, they will likely drink more. Sports drinks also replace electrolytes lost with sweating.

At half time ? fruits and sports drink

Right after practice and games ? Fruit smoothie with some protein powder, fresh fruits.

When we think about the benefits of being ensuring a good bill of health by keeping track of our daily intake of prescribed vitamins, minerals and as well as the other nutrients that are needed by your body in order to stay healthy. It is important to be conscious of the fact that deficiencies in the daily intake of vitamins and minerals can negatively affect not only your physical capabilities but your how your mind functions as well. Recent research has indicated that such deficiencies can even contribute to one of the most common mental illnesses of all, depression.

The Vitamin B complex is incredibly important to our mental well-being and functioning. Even relatively small deficiencies can have an adverse effect on a person’s mental health over time. While serious nutrient deficiencies can actually contribute to serious mental illnesses. As for the case of trying your best to avoid mental illnesses, it is highly important to make sure that your daily diet meets the recommended amount of the Vitamin B complex.

It is also interesting to note that those with alcohol problems ? often used as a way to cope up with depression can actually worsen one’s situation, are often suffering from Vitamin B complex deficiencies. This is because alcohol actually destroys the Vitamin B in a person’s body.

“To eat an apple before going to bed will make the doctor beg his bread”

Apple is a cholesterol and fat free fruit packed with loads of vitamins and nutrients. Apple juice is delicious. It contains healthy amounts of Vitamin C and is also a natural source of niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and calcium. You will also find high levels of antioxidants and apple keeps you away from heart diseases.

The healthy ingredients in apples (phytochemicals) are natural antioxidants. It helps to neutralize particles known as free radicals that have been linked to the development of cancer and heart disease

Apples are highly acidic, but not harmfully so. It comprises of 90 per cent malic acid and 10 per cent citric acid. The sweetness of this crispy fruit comes from sucrose and fructose, both of which are natural sugars. Since natural sugars are not harmful for the body, apples are good supplements for diabetic patients.

Apple is also an excellent source of pectin, a fibre that helps reduce blood cholesterol. One medium-sized apple provides five grams of dietary fiber. Forget all these studies and information on apple if you aren’t convinced but don’t skip the facts which are given right below.

Coconut oil is less known compare to olive oil, corn oil, canola oil or any other vegetable oil. It is sad to hear that many terrified titles such as “fat contributor” or “cholesterol raiser” has been sticking on it for years. Do you want to know the facts?

Before you go further, it is important to differentiate between coconut oil we are talking about and “frying oil” that crowds the market and mistakenly has been accepted as coconut oil. The frying oil is made from copra, that is coconut flesh dried by smoking, by spreading out under the sun, by drying machine, or by combination of them. After that, the copra will be processed to be oil.

However, all the process to turn fresh coconut become oil is susceptible to dirt brought by insects or fungus. Therefore, purifying becomes critical session in RBD (Refined, Bleached, Deodorized) oil - this is such oil named. In this method, high heat and chemical additive are commonly used as well as hydrogenation. The hydrogenated oil is considered as cholesterol serum liver raiser and increase heart attack risk.