Is a Vegetarian Diet Better for the Environment?

September 19th, 2008

veggies

While many people have converted to a vegetarian diet for their health or for other reasons such as not eating the planets little animals, what most people don’t understand is that it is also better for the environment.The most damaging food for our environment is beef. By eating the grain and vegetables ourselves rather than feeding it to the livestock, we can save a huge amount of grain making it cheaper and increasing the amount of food available for everyone.

In the 1980’s Sir Paul McCartney narrated a documentary discussing how much damage we were doing to the environment by continuing to eat meat. In 2007 a campaign began to show that damaging gaseous emissions from farmed animals exceed those of the world’s entire transport system. As more and more people are starting to listen and learn all about going “green” they are finding out that not only does a vegetarian diet make a huge difference in their health and how they feel but they are also doing their part for the environment.

Is Your Diet Nutritious Enough

September 18th, 2008

diet

British researchers have published, in the “Nutrition Journal,” the results of a study that they conducted to determine whether or not all the fad diets out there are actually nutritious enough for the people that are on them. Overall, the results show that the diets are well balanced.While the results did not show a significant difference between the diets themselves, when compared to people that were not dieting, there was a large difference in weight loss between the ones on a diet and the ones not.

While the diets do seem to reduce some important vitamins and minerals such as folate, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and zinc some actually showed an increase in zinc and selenium. While this does make it seem as if there may be some nutrients lacking in these diets, this is easily addressed by taking a good multivitamin once a day for the duration of the diet or as a personal lifestyle change.

Check with your doctor for a good multivitamin suggestion. Also make sure you let the doctor know that you are dieting and which diet plan you are using.

Curb Your Sugar Cravings

September 15th, 2008

Apples

The best way to curb your cravings for sugar – especially if you’re on a diet – is to eat more fruit.

Fruits are naturally sweet, and they help you to feel like you’ve gotten a treat and to feel full at the same time. You can also eat nuts, vegetables, and salads to help feel like you’ve filled up, but they might not help with your sugary craving.

If you just have to have something sweet, don’t eat by yourself.

People who eat alone tend to binge more. This is definitely true if they’re depressed and if they’re eating sweet and sugary things.

Having a piece of fruit will help to cut your sugary craving in half, and if you do have a dessert, you’ll eat less of it and feel better about sticking to your diet.

Want A Healthy Heart? Eat More Fish

September 8th, 2008

Salmon

Fish is fantastic for your heart!

It contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been scientifically proven to help protect your heart and arteries. They can keep your cholesterol lower and keep fatty deposits and plaques from building up. These kinds of problems can lead to strokes and heart attacks. You certainly want to avoid those.

Some kinds of fish are better than others.

You need to pay attention to which ones you’re getting so that you can enjoy the most benefit from them. In Japan, where people basically eat fish almost every day, the rate of heart disease is much lower than in the West, even though people in Japan smoke more cigarettes.

The lower risk for heart problems is believed to come from the Omega-3s that are so prevalent in the fish, and studies have shown that this correlation is strong and worth paying attention to.

Diet Can Ease Arthritis Pain

September 8th, 2008

Avocado

If you’re one of many people dealing with the debilitating pain of arthritis, you may be able to get some relief just by changing what you eat!The pain of osteoarthritis – the most common type with over twenty million sufferers – comes from the fact that cartilage is breaking down. Oils – fish, flaxseed, avocado, soybean, and olive – can help to avoid that breakdown.

Oils that are rich in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, like flaxseed and fish, are the best choices.

Tea, dairy products, ginger, and vitamin C can also be helpful, according to some studies. They won’t reverse the effects of arthritis, but they can help to prevent it and slow down the progression of it.

It can make you feel better and let you do more things that you used to be able to do, and THAT is priceless.

Cell Phones Linked To Cancer Risk

September 4th, 2008

Cell phones

Do cell phones really cause cancer? Well, maybe. Some studies say that they do and other studies say that they don’t.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a warning saying that children especially are susceptible to the electromagnetic radiation released by these devices. Their organs are still developing and can be damaged very easily, so the use of cell phones by them should be limited as much as possible.

For adults, the cell phone should be kept as far away from the body as possible and a hands-free headset should be used, or the speakerphone should be employed, so that the phone is not held right next to the head. The complete WHO findings will not be released for two years, when they can be better studied as a determination of whether the phones really do pose a brain cancer risk.

Source

Want To Live Longer?

September 3rd, 2008

You are what you eat.

If you’re looking to out live your kids, it might depend on what you eat. Sure, you know it’s not a good idea to gorge yourself on fast food and bakery treats, but there are other things you can do to help you live a longer (and healthier) life – especially if you smoke.

New research has indicated that a Mediterranean diet (one that’s high in fruits, nuts, grains, fish, vegetables, and bean and low in dairy, meat, and saturated fats) extends longevity and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Moderate amounts of alcohol are also encouraged. With this type of diet, both men and women have longer lives and they seem to be healthier well up into their later years, reducing their stress levels from being unhealthy and keeping their costs for medication and other things lower as well. It’s a benefit on all levels.

Source

Diet And Age Go Hand In Hand

September 2nd, 2008

Berries

When you were in your twenties you could eat just about anything you want.All that changes however, as you start to get older. Once you reach your mid-thirties your bone density has peaked and you’ll start to lose muscle mass if you don’t exercise.

Busy lifestyles and childrearing during that time can also be hard on your heart and your immune system. You need to combat that as much as possible so you can stay healthy into your later years, and so you can make sure that you decrease your risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, among other problems.

The “common” diseases of aging don’t have to be so common, if people take the time to take care of themselves as they start to get a little older. Don’t wait until you’re sixty-five – start today to keep yourself healthy tomorrow.

Secret To Having Babies Later In Life Might Be Diet

September 1st, 2008

Diet

If you’re a woman who’s getting a little bit older but you still want to have a baby, a change in your diet might be able to help you do just that.

According to a nutritionist, the right kind of diet can be like hitting the ’snooze button’ of the biological clock and could help women conceive even into their fifties. Naturally, that doesn’t mean that every older woman would be able to get pregnant as easy as a she could when she was twenty, but it does provide new hope for women in their late thirties and into their forties who are healthy enough to have children but are still struggling to do so.

The diet changes are gradual, and they work to eliminate many of the toxins that are put into the body by artificial sweeteners, too much sugar, alcohol, and tobacco. Each month the diet is restricted a bit more, but women who are serious about conceiving will undoubtedly make that kind of sacrifice.

10 Pounds In 3 Days!

August 28th, 2008

Lose weight

The world is full of diets. Some of them are fads, and others actually work. The newest fad to circulate on the Internet appears to be the “Cardiac Unit of Birmingham Hospital Diet,” which is supposed to help you lose ten pounds in just three days.

There’s just one catch – there is no “Birmingham Hospital.” Oh, and a cardiologist at another hospital that was asked about it suggested that it might be a bad idea. There isn’t enough nutrition given in the diet for a person to actually maintain good health or any kind of long-term weight loss on it, and it could be dangerous for people who already have medical conditions.

The best way to lose weight (and keep it off, which is the area where most dieters have trouble) is to eat sensibly, eat fewer calories, and get more exercise. You won’t lose ten pounds in three days, but you’ll be healthier in the long run.