nutrition and diet

I always remember when I was young, I would not eat fruit unless it was in juice form. It probably had a lot to do with me being lazy and there are some things people never grow out of. Of course mums and dads always have a way round things to make you do what they want.

To get me eating fruit they would liquidise apples, pears, oranges and I have no idea what else and I loved it. It would also stop me from drinking gallons of cola or lemonade. Of course there are massive benefits to drinking healthy drinks as well and it was well customised to my lazy approach to things in general.

Having a liquidiser in the house is great. Making healthy drinks is a bit like making pizza. You can put almost anything in there and it will taste great. It is also a bit better for you than pizza.

Here is an example of a random healthy drink

• 4 ice cubes
• 12 oz. of water
• 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 a cup of pineapple chunks

There are so many good features to a drink like this. It takes seconds to make, tastes great, low in fat and if you are in training then that extra protein helps a lot.

Since I started training I have been taking advantage of these drinks. Being able to make protein shakes on demand and having control over the amount of protein powder I can put in. I always find that buying pre made protein shakes can cost a lot of money for a minimal amount of the supplement.

I often wondered if protein by the bucket load would be good for you so I decided to study and write an in depth articles about health drinks that include protein and also other sources for it as well. You can find out all the details over at the Food and Drink site.

About the Author

Over at the Food and Drink site I discuss benefits to protein health drinks but it may not be as good for you as you think.

It is known to all that fruits contain various kinds of nutrients which are beneficial to the physical health of the human body. Therefore, nearly all the people like to eat fruits. Generally speaking, many people mainly eat uncooked fruits in daily life. In fact, the nutritional value of some cooked fruits is rather high. These fruits include pear, hawthorn, pomelo and apple.

Pear plays important roles in nourishing the lung and stopping cough. However, the natural of pear is cold, so it is unbeneficial for people to eat pear frequently. In order to remove the cold nature, people can boil pear for several minutes in hot water. The nutritional effect can be greatly improved and the lignin can be dissolved in the intestinal tract to remove toxic cholesterol for the human body.

Hawthorn can effectively defer the aging, treat dysmenorrhea and resist cancer for people. The patients with digestive cancer can increase the intake of hawthorn in daily life, as hawthorn can stop the synthesis of nitrosamine and restrain the carcinogenic function of aflatoxin. At the same time, hawthorn can also help patients improve digestion. People can cook hawthorn with rice together. According to the traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn can be boiled with brown sugar to alleviate the pain caused by dysmenorrhea.

The peel of pomelo is very nutritious. It contains various nutrients like naringin and rutin which can resist oxidation, decrease the viscosity of blood, reduce the weight and defer the aging for the human body. However, in our daily life, many people ignore the medical effect of the pomelo peel, which is rather pitiful. When the peel of pomelo is cooked, the medical effect can be increased greatly. People can cut the soft meat in the peel of pomelo into pieces and boil them in warm water for 10 minutes. Then, people can add honey into the juice before they drink it.

Apple can release a lot of natural anti-oxidants called “polyphenols” after it is boiled. Polyphenols can not only decrease the blood sugar and blood fat, but also restrain the oxidation and kill bacteria. At the same time, they can also maintain the stable level of cholesterol. Therefore, the nutritional value of cooked apple is rather desirable. Before people boil apple, they should remove the peel and core to prevent possible danger. Peel can hide a lot of agricultural chemicals and core contains toxins which can cause poisoning.

About the Author

green sunny is the freelance writer for e-commerce website in the chemistry. LookChem.com is just a place for you to Look for Chemicals! Our LookChem provide the most convenient conditions for the international buyers and let these leads benefit all the business person.

What if you could eat foods that burn fat and increase your metabolism? I know it sounds nearly impossible, but the truth is that fat burning foods actually exist. Of course, don’t expect these foods to work on their own; you still need to maintain a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and work out regularly.

Now, take a look at the 5 Top Fat Burning Foods To Eat To Lose A Lot Of Weight Fast:

1. Fiber can be considered a natural slimming medicine: our digestive system can not break down dietary fibers completely. This means that they are not fully digested and they pass through the gastrointestinal tract to be excreted, dragging water and other substances with them. The fiber comes from:
* Cereals that are foods associated with fewer pounds, lower BMI and lower blood pressure.
* Vegetables that lower the levels of homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
* Fresh fruits that are associated with a lower waist – hip ratio.
* Dried fruits, grains and nuts that are associated with lower weight and lower blood sugar levels.
2. Gum: as announced in the Experimental Biology conference held in New Orleans, chewing sugarless gum for 15 minutes every hour (after each meal) can help you control hunger and reduce snacking between the three main daily meals. This helps lower the total daily caloric intake.
3. Almonds: A survey by the University of Toronto found that people who ate white bread with almonds had steadier blood sugar levels than those who ate only bread. Remember that the more rapidly the blood sugar increases, the more rapidly it drops, which leads to greater hunger and overeating. At the same time, elevated blood sugar increases insulin secretion, which is a hormone responsible for the storage of fat in the abdomen.
4. Apples: According to research conducted at the University of Penn an apple a day is enough not only to keep the doctor away, but also the nutritionist. People who ate an apple before lunch, consumed fewer calories than those who preferred another snack. Apparently, the extra iron contained in apples is enough to keep you from being hungry. Additionally, the antioxidant components in apples, helps the metabolism speed up and you lose more weight.
5. Black eyed beans: those who eat a lot of beans and particularly black-eyed beans have a thinner waist and weigh less! Beans are a super fat burning food, since they contain the perfect combination of ingredients that fight fat: soluble and insoluble fiber, iron, protein and a type of carbohydrate that breaks down fat and is called resistant starch.

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Next find out the #1 method to BURN FAT FAST! Just Click Here!

The result of poor circulation is not just chilly feet and hands; it can also lead to serious health problems. Therefore, you must avoid it. What be the cause of your low circulation, be it blood clots, arteriosclerosis, diabetes or anything else. There are many natural remedies that will help you handle yourself well.

Here are some of the tips to improve poor circulation:

1. There are only some foods, apart from cayenne or hot pepper, which can help the blood pump fast. There are some people who can well tolerate fresh cayenne when they first try it. Incase you have not tasted cayenne, begin with mixing about 1/16th of a teaspoon of it into a cup of fruit-juice.

2. Another popular remedy for indigestion and nausea is ginger, which enhances circulation in the hands and legs. You can either have it plain or add it to some recipe or tea.

3. The arteries and veins are healthy when garlic is consumed. Garlic prevents the gathering of plaque around the arteries, making the possibility of arteries clumping less. The garlic can be plain or roasted.

4. Hawthorn flowers and berries help to open up the blood vessels and lower the blood pressure. Either you should consume the raw fresh berries or have the hawthorn tea.

5. Vitamins also improve circulation, when included in your diet. It is better if the vitamins are consumed with the food instead of vitamins. Incase you are unable to adopt a sufficient vitamin diet, you must give a try to supplements.

* Vitamin E enhances circulation by tightening the blood the flow is smoother in the veins. Some of the rich sources of vitamin are healthy food oils like olive oil, wheat germ, nuts and seeds as well as seeds like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

* Vitamin C improves the blood circulation by giving strength to the capillary walls.

* You must also intake sufficient Vitamin B, which functions as a complex and improve the blood circulation. Vitamin B3 is available in the form of niacin which also has several benefits. This vitamin provides glow and flushness to the skin by dilating capillaries. Some of the rich sources of niacin are legumes like corn grits, lentils and peanut as well as chicken.

In short, you must adhere to the following tips to improve poor circulation. You must adhere to a well balanced diet and have small quantities of food throughout the day instead of having just three large meals throughout the day. If you are into a sedentary job, you must work out regularly. All these will enhance the blood circulation in the body.

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Go to the supermarket, almost any supermarket, and you’ll be bombarded with butter substitutes that claim to be the healthier alternative to real butter…but are these butter substitutes actually better for you than the real stuff?

Of course, too much of a good thing is usually bad, but real, natural butter in moderation is much better than the highly processed, chemical concoction masquerading as the “Healthier” alternative. You may not know this (although you probably do) but margarine and other butter substitutes are actually made up of refined, hydrogenated oils which means: trans fats!

Butter, on the other hand, is made up of butterfat, water, and a small amount of milk protein. Butterfat is butyric acid which is basically the same substance produced by nursing mothers.
Butter contains:
-Beta-carotene – A precursor to Vitamin-A.
-Selenium – an important antioxidant trace mineral.
-Vitamin-E – A powerful immune-booster, antioxidant, and heart tonic which has been shown to improve circulation, promote skin health, and reduce inflammation.
-Vitamin-K – A fat soluble vitamin necessary for proper blood clotting and bone health.
-Iodine – An essential mineral particularly for thyroid health and metabolism.
-Vitamin D – A cancer-fighting, immune-boosting, bone building vitamin needed for proper calcium absorption.
-Lecithin – Is a phospholipid used to emulsify fat and has been shown to reduce cholesterol.
-Conjugated Linoleic Acids – fight cancer, boost immune strength, and build muscle.
-Butyric Acid – Has been shown to support colon health.
-Lauric Acid – Is a medium-chain fatty acid that boosts resistance to yeasts.

Some people may be concerned with all the fat and cholesterol found in butter and other dairy products…personally, I’d rather eat the saturated fat in real butter than the trans-fats in fake butter. It appears that saturated fats have been falsely demonized by drug companies, the manufacturers of Statins which are used to lower cholesterol – unfortunately, they also lower levels of Co enzyme Q10 and interfere with the body’s production of this vital enzyme (but this is a story for another time).

In the May 2010 issue of The Lancet, scientists point out the facts about cholesterol, saturated fats, and heart disease mortality. It actually turns out that the countries which consume diets with the highest amount of fats have lower death rates from heart disease than the countries with lower fat consumption. For example; the French consume twice as much saturated fat that the Finns, yet the heart-related death rate is three times higher in Finland.

Did you know that fats are essential to life…the body can’t live without fat. As confirmed by live-blood microscopy analysis, without enough fat consumption, the cells begin to burst! Cell membranes are composed of fat and without adequate consumption of fats, they can’t maintain their structure and they burst.

Just like everything else, organic butter from grass-fed cows is best. Not only does organic butter taste better and contain higher amounts and a wider array of nutrients, organic butter has that added benefit of containing no toxic pesticide residues, nor antibiotics, nor growth hormones. In fact, non-organic butter has been ranked by the Pesticide Action Network of North America as one of the top 10 foods most contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POP’s).

So, be sure to reach for that stick of real, organic butter and ditch the fake butter substitutes. While you’re at it, check out my list of the Top 10 Healthiest Foods Today!

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Remember: Just because the label says “Healthy”, doesn’t mean it is…
Discover the Top 10 Healthiest Foods for yourself!

Most people are under the impression that there is nothing healthier than fruit juice. How could it not be? Since it comes from a natural whole food, hopefully a fresh one. Unfortunately this piece of seemingly common sense is in fact wrong. This article will give you a brief overview of how drinking fruit juice causes you to gain weight and run the risk of getting diabetes. It will also show you how you can adjust your food and drink intake to lose weight easily and effortlessly.

First lets clear up what is meant by fruit juice. I’m not even talking about fruit drinks or sodas that contain lots of sugar and only a couple of percent of real fruit juice. Everyone know that those are bad for you. No, this article is about why drinking the juice of say 5 squeezed oranges is not good for you. This applies to smoothies to a lesser extent and I’ll explain why later.

Although fruit juice obviously contains a lot of vitamins and minerals there is a difference between eating a whole fruit and drinking just the juice. Lets imagine that you go to visit a doctor to check whether you are running the risk of becoming diabetic. One of the tests a doctor will do is check your blood sugar levels, specifically they will check for glucose.

However they’ll make a distinction between fructose (fruit sugar) and glucose and assume that one doesn’t impact the other and so they’ll give you the go ahead to drink as much fruit juice as you want. Unfortunately research is showing that the sugar that is most likely to cause diabetes is fructose. When you drink fruit juice you are consuming vast amounts of fructose.

If you think about how many of our ancient ancestors used to live you’ll realize that their fruit was not as big and as juicy as it is today (we’ve crossbred them to be as big and sweet as possible). Also many of our ancestors did not have access to fruit all year round if they didn’t live in tropical climates. This means that when they did come across fruit it was ok to eat as much as they could without elevating their blood sugar too much.

They would normally eat the whole fruit rather than just drink the juice. Typically you can only eat a few pieces of fruit in one sitting which means you aren’t going to consume as much fructose at once. You could never eat 5 oranges in a row, but you could easily drink 5 oranges worth of orange juice. Also the fiber in fruit prevents the uptake of too much fructose so in a way nature has already provided a safety net from preventing you from eating too much fructose.

If you still want to have a healthy drink then you should create your own smoothies. This way a lot of the fiber content is still preserved which will prevent you from drinking too much and will also prevent your digestive system from taking in too much fructose. If you want more ideas on how to lose weight and prevent diabetes then check out these Stone Age Cookbooks.

About the Author

Tim West writes about relationships, psychology, sports, exercise, health, nutrition and music amongst other things.

It is estimated that most people work at least full time (defined as more than 37.5 hours per week by the US Department of Labor) in one job, or full time split up between two or more jobs. For most people, it is an hour of commuting between these jobs every day with as little as one hour or less for a lunch period. By the time most people return to their homes at night, it is late, they are tired and the thought of cooking a meal or even eating is less than welcome. Not only do they skip meals because they are exhausted, they may also turn to unhealthy, fatty, greasy, sugar-laden foods throughout the day. The combination of stress, no time to eat or exercise properly, and the lack of sleep may contribute to the fact that obesity and its resulting side effects are the fastest growing problem in the country.

Obesity is its own disease but it is also a major risk factor for a number of other diseases and conditions. In some cases, obesity may be the single most important factor for determining the risk for diseases such as heart related diseases including high blood pressure, heart attack and strokes, and some cancers. Obesity also makes other conditions such as arthritis and others more painful.

Protein drinks can be helpful for the busiest person because they can be taken along wherever you are going, including to work, school or exercise. Incorporating protein drinks into your diet can also help instill a healthier attitude toward food which in turn can help you to lose weight. In a study done with middle aged women, it was found that those who were impulsive, guilt ridden during dieting, or considered themselves to be too busy to focus on healthy foods were the groups most likely to be overweight or even obese. The study ranked the women in five groups including those “concerned about nutrition, creative cooks, impulsive eaters, guilt ridden dieters, and those too busy to cook or eat well with the last three being at highest risk for obesity.” (Source: ScienceDaily Food Attitudes Affect Obesity Risk in Middle Aged Women December 9, 2009)

Nutrition and Metabolism

Metabolism is the activity during which the body breaks down foods into the smallest and most usable materials. All foods, regardless of what they are made of, will be broken down to glucose (a form of sugar), and burned by the body for energy. If there is no need for energy at the time, the body will convert the glucose to glycogen which is then stored for later use, however, the body can only store so much glycogen at a time so when the right amount has been reached and no more glycogen can be stored, it will be stored as fat instead. Metabolism slows naturally as we age; however, there are ways to rev it up and keep it working at a faster pace than normal. In addition to the foods that we eat, which may include protein drinks, interval training may be one of the fastest ways to burn fat. Three twenty-minute workouts per week were shown to increase metabolism burn by nearly thirty percent. (Source: Prevention Magazine, August 2010)

How your body converts food to energy may depend on a number of factors including body size, gender (women have a slower metabolism than men), and age.

The total rate of calories burned each day depends not only on your basal metabolic rate, which stays consistent and also accounts for up to 75% of the calories burned each day, but thermogenesis and physical activity.

Thermogenesis is defined as the production of heat and occurs during digestion. During this process, the body burns calories to perform all of its activities and raises body temperature in the process. The action of thermogenesis accounts for about 10% of the daily calories burned each day. Protein, including protein drinks, raises the thermogenesis higher than any other nutrient (only alcohol raises thermogenesis higher). (Source: MayoClinic.com Metabolism and Weight Loss: How Your Burn Calories October 9, 2009)

Physical Activity also raises the rate of metabolism. The more you move around, the more calories you will burn each day. It is a simple formula of calories in and calories out; however, the metabolism can stall even when you are getting the right amount of calories each day. It is a delicate balance that is easy to disrupt.

Disruption of the Metabolic System

There are a number of ways that the metabolism can be disrupted, resulting in slowed reaction. For most people, the most common way that the action fails is skipping meals or not eating enough calories each day. The body requires a set amount of calories every day to maintain its current weight. Once the amount of calories taken in slips below that amount, the body may lose weight. However, if the amount of calories goes too low, the metabolism will stall completely. The body, thinking that it is starving because of the lack of food coming in, will stop burning food for energy completely. It is better to eat small, evenly spaced meals each day than it is to eat only one or two larger meals. Using protein drinks can be an easier and more convenient way to get these small meals, and they can be taken along with you wherever you need to go.

Protein Drinks

There are a number of protein drinks that can be the perfect option used in conjunction with the healthy diet. Profect, Proasis, and Isometric are protein drinks available from Protica. They are all small in size (less than three ounces) and calories but high in protein and additional nutrients. Additionally, these three protein drinks and the other protein supplements from Protica are heat and cold stable and can be safely taken along, tossed in the car and kept there without fear that they are going to go bad or that their taste will be altered in any way.

About the Author

About Protica Research (http://www.protica.com) Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of dense nutrition in compact forms. Protica manufactures Profect (http://www.profect.com), IsoMetric (http://www.isometric.com), Pediagro (http://www.pediagro.com), Fruitasia (http://www.fruitasia.com) and many other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility. Copyright – Protica

The Mediterranean Diet strongly recommends a high reduction of meat consumption. The problem here is that meat is your best source of protein. How will you get enough protein if you do not eat generous servings of meat? The answer is simple: scallops.

Although you live far from China, scallops are pretty much available all over the world. It’s just that China accounts to 80% of the world’s scallop supply. True enough, scallops are expensive, ranging from $7 to $10 per pound compared to beef which is only at $4. However, the price you pay is nothing compared to the benefits you will get. Keep in mind that scallops are different from oysters. Characterized by two types of meat inside, scallops have both white and red meat. It has a very mild and sweet flavor that anyone-even those who do not like fish and seafood-would surely appreciate.

For every 113 grams of scallops, you get these top three nutrients:

Protein : 23.11 grams

Tryptophan : 0.26 grams

Phosphorus : 302.05 mg

Protein

Proteins are essential in metabolism. Proteins are also involved in defending the body against harmful organisms. What protein does is to freeze these foreign invaders so the white blood cells can destroy them. Without adequate protein, the body will not get enough support for the immune system and this will lead to diseases that can get complicated over time.

Proteins also help in expediting the chemical processes that occur in the body. Without these catalysts, the digestive process will not optimize what it has and as a result, the body will be weaker because it cannot absorb the nutrients that it needs from the food taken. Without protein, the different tissues and organs of the body will also fail to coordinate with one another. For example, lack of hormonal proteins such as the somatotropin-a growth hormone-will result to slow physical growth in children and teenagers.

Tryptophan

Typtophan is one of the top 20 essential amino acids that a human needs in his diet. The human body cannot produce its own essential amino acids and therefore it is imperative for it to be a part of the diet. This type of nutrient is responsible for regularizing your sleep cycle and it also helps regulate appetite. With 0.26 mg of tryptophan for every 113 grams of scallops, you actually get more than what you would on beef. Beef of the same serving size will only give you 0.23 mg of tryptophan.

Tryptophan is a common food supplement issued to people in a weight loss program. It can also reduce the likelihood of being impatient, depressed, anxious, and irritability. Deficiency of this essential amino acid can cause depression, insomnia, violence, and even suicide.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is not a vitamin but it is a mineral. In fact, 1% of our total body weight is comprised of phosphorus. Essentially, this mineral serves as the owner of bone and teeth formation. About 85% of the phosphorus in the human body is found in the bone. We all thought that calcium is the only necessary mineral for developing bones and teeth but phosphorus has a pivotal role in how bones and teeth form and it is also responsible for how our entire body uses fats and carbohydrates. With adequate amounts of phosphorus, you are guaranteed to highly reduce the risk of getting osteoporosis.

Between scallops and beef, beef can only give you 173 milligrams of phosphorus, just about half of what scallops can give you. Although phosphorus is pretty much available in many types of foods, scallops is one of those that have the highest content of this mineral

A deficiency in phosphorus can lead to anemia, lack of energy, physical weakness, and susceptibility to infection.

About the Author

Ray Darken has provided more at this link on the subject of scallops nutrition. For related healthy recipes, read about the Mediterranean diet recipes club and while you are there download his free Mediterranean diet report.