food nutrition : Have you heard about 'good fats'?

Have you heard about 'good fats'?

Recent news about low-fat diets seem to be conflicting. The results of a Women's Health Initiative study that involved nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women across the United States indicated that eating less fat may lower breast-cancer risk, but have little impact on colon-cancer and heart-disease risk.

“This study shows that just reducing total fat intake does not go far enough to have an impact on heart disease risk. While the participants' overall change in LDL “bad” cholesterol was small, we saw trends towards greater reductions in cholesterol and heart disease risk in women eating less saturated and trans fat,” said Jacques Rossouw, M.D., WHI project officer.

Did you notice that? Keywords there were: saturated and trans fat.

“This was not a particularly revolutionary study,” said Tallmadge . “We have known for a very long time that low fat doesn't mean much.”

Again, for Tallmadge , the importance of any element of the diet has to be considered in the context of the whole picture. “Some women who were eating a low fat diet were not actually having a good overall nutrition, and they might even have eliminated the good fats which are essential.”

Good fats come from vegetables oils, nuts, fatty fish, all sources of the essencial fatty acids Omega 3, etc. The unhealthy fats, you guessed them, are animal fats, and you can avoid them by consuming non or low fat dairy products and lean meat and poultry.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults keep total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories, and saturated fats less than 10 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. For people with heart disease or at high risk for heart disease, targets for saturated fats may be further lowered.

Make those three meals worth the while

“I always recommend people to eat a big breakfast!” said Tallmadge . “And eat it at home, so you can pick healthier things. When you eat a big breakfast it will save you from the temptation to grab one of those doughnuts at the staff meeting.”

“Try to get an oat based cereal, because it's important to diversify your grains. I eat an oat based cereal, some fruits, nuts, milk and orange juice. So, I got my whole grains, protein, healthy fats, fiber and protein.”

Soy is a wonderful food that is packed with all the good stuff. “Soy foods are great. The soy bean is the only complete protein from a vegetable source, with all the amino acids, similar to meat,” explains Tallmadge .

Also, remember the deep colored foods are the richest in nutrients. Choose wisely, and chose veggies often.

Get the most food nutrition out of your calories. Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day, those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but lower in calories.

copyright Office of Minority Health

food nutrition : Key to Nutrition

Are you concerned about obesity? Have you ever thought of using that energy to do something about good nutrition? Perhaps if you did, the weight would simply take care of itself.

Good nutrition is not about starving yourself or pleasure-free dieting, but about balance and wholesome eating that includes all food groups.

“Research clearly shows that a variety of foods is the key to getting all the necessary nutrients,” said Washington DC registered dietitian Katherin Tallmadge and spokesperson from the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

It seems good nutrition works like a good investment: a diversified portfolio is the key, and that means, “a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, and vegetables oils, and that includes low-fat dairy, and lean poultry and meat,” said Tallmadge, also author of the book Diet Simple .

March is National Nutrition Month, a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the ADA, that calls attention to the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

“Obesity is caused by taking in too many calories, or overnutrition,” explains Tallmadge , “so, if people learn a healthy way of eating, they'll control their weight.”

According to Tallmadge , the research shows that the overweight problem we have in our hands as a nation is caused by only a 13 calories per day imbalance... Really! This extra 13 calories a day causes a weight gain of about a pound a year.

“We know that if people add more vegetables to a meal, they'll be eating 100 less calories; if you add that to lunch and diner, you are cutting 200 calories per day. That alone will lead you to a weight loss of 20 pounds in a year!” said Tallmadge .

If you add physical activity to the mix, certainly the obesity epidemic would become a thing of the past. “Just walking an extra 2,000 steps per day would amount to losing ten pounds in a year,” affirms Tallmadge .

“We believe in people making small healthy changes they can stick to, instead of a total overhaul in diet, only to gain back all those pounds, and then some.”

Racial and ethnic minorities have a higher risk of almost all diet-related diseases compared to whites, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, obesity, and cancer. However, the good news is that it can be controlled!

Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an active lifestyle can help lower the risk for all of these diseases. Yet, African Americans have the lowest fruit and vegetable consumption among all ethnic groups.

Eating six or more servings of whole-grain foods like brown rice or whole-wheat toast every week was associated with slower buildup of artery-narrowing plaque in women already diagnosed with certain heart conditions, according to a USDA study.

America 's 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend eating at least three servings of whole-grain foods every day, but most of us eat less than a single daily serving.

Good sources of whole grains include breakfast cereals made with these grains. Other options: oatmeal, barley, popcorn, whole-grain bread and bran muffins.

copyright Office of Minority Health

food nutrition : Many female athletes don't get proper nutrition

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number one nutritional concern for female athletes today is not whether they are drinking or eating too much but whether they are getting as much nutrition as they need, according to a University of Idaho researcher.

Based on her review of studies on the topic, Dr. Kathe A. Gabel advises the parents of female athletes to be aware that it is critical for girls to develop healthful eating habits at home and within the sports arena.

A previously published review revealed that female long-distance runners had the highest risk of iron, calcium and other mineral deficiencies, Gabel reports in this month's issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports.

The findings of a Canadian survey showed that many female athletes take vitamin or mineral supplements to meet their body's dietary needs. In fact, researchers who studied a group of female dancers found that they consumed only about 30 percent or less of the daily-recommended calories. These dancers commonly displayed symptoms of the female athlete triad: disordered eating; cessation of menstruation, known as amenorrhea; and osteoporosis.

This triad, first recognized in 1992 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), still remains a concern, Gabel reports. A survey of 170 female athletes in Southern California published earlier this year revealed that 18 percent or more met the criteria for disordered eating, irregular menstrual cycles and low bone mass.

Menstrual irregularities in particular are known to affect between 6 percent to 79 percent of female athletes, depending on the sport and its intensity. Causes of amenorrhea include severe emotional stress, deficits in energy, and athletic training that emphasizes leanness, Gabel notes.

When athletes skip meals, fast or consume fewer calories than their bodies require, they many deplete energy stores, potentially leading to irregularities in their menstrual cycle, she explains, which has been linked to subsequent low bone density. Disordered eating has also been directly linked to low bone density.

Susceptible female athletes should be treated with a multidisciplinary approach involving physicians, dietitians and psychologists, and possibly athletic trainers and exercise physiologists as well, in addition to coaches and parents, according to Gabel's report.

Gable stressed the need for parents to be able to recognize signs of disordered eating, including changes in their child's eating habits or frequently skipped meals. Parents should also know which health professionals are available and "where to go for help," she told Reuters Health.

By Charnicia Huggins

food nutrition : Food, Nutrition and Health

The NordForsk call of the Nordic Centre of Excellence Programme on Food Nutrition and Health, will open on Friday September 1st. The date has thus been slightly postponed from Mid-August, previously set for opening up the call.

The application process has been changed by the Steering Committee of the Programme in order to provide applicants with more time for teaming up with suitable partners, and for outlining activity and management plans for the intended networks of universities and research institutes.

Two steps
The selection of Nordic Centre of Excellence candidates for the period 2007-2012, is carried out in two steps. Deadline for the first step of expressions of interest is now set for Wednesday November 1st, whereas step 2, for those selected to send full and final applications, will take place between Friday December 1st and Monday January 15th, 2007.

On September 1st, the Programme definition and other documents incl. an application form for step 1 will be made available for all applicants. The call will be displayed on the NordForsk web pages and on the pages of the national Research Councils of the five Nordic countries. There will also be links to other relevant research institutions within each of these countries.

According to the revised schedule, contract negotiations settled, activities will commence under the new Programme beginning of April 2007.

Copyright C NordForsk. All rights reserved.

food nutrition : Hospitals miss targets over food nutrition (2)

In 2000, it was found that one-fifth of Scottish patients were not getting sufficient protein and energy to help their condition improve. Nutrition care also includes specialist support to feed patients with special conditions by tube or intravenously.
Although there is public pressure to improve the quality of hospital food, the NHS QIS is not committing to assess that until 2008. Standards were first drafted in 2001 and agreed three years ago, but yesterday's report only assessed whether health boards are planning strategically, whether they have systems for ensuring every patient is assessed for nutrition needs within one day of admission, and whether they have plans for training staff.
All the regional authorities were found to have systems for SCOTTISH health boards are failing to meet national guidelines set down three years ago to ensure food nutrition becomes part of patient care.
Four of them – Lothian, Fife, Orkney and Shetland – were found to lack even a plan and strategy for ensuring food, fluid and nutrition is made part of a patient's care, according to the NHS watchdog.
NHS Lothian was criticised for having only one specialist nurse providing advice and training for patients with complex nutrition care needs at Edinburgh's two main hospitals.
The national pattern showed there is an urgent need to increase the numbers of such expert nurses, though neither the watchdog nor the Scottish Executive was able to say how many there are.
No NHS board has yet earmarked funding to ensure nutrition targets are achieved. It was also found that links with social services to ensure nutrition support is continued in the community, are at a "very rudimentary stage".
The findings were published yesterday by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS), which reported major progress in getting hospital managers and clinicians to see nutrition as part of clinical care and helping patients recover.
Research has shown high levels of under-nourishment among patients. According to research from the 1990s, up to 50% of patients were under-nourished on admission, and yet the problem was identified in only one-quarter of those cases.
In 2000, it was found that one-fifth of Scottish patients were not getting sufficient protein and energy to help their condition improve. Nutrition care also includes specialist support to feed patients with special conditions by tube or intravenously.
Although there is public pressure to improve the quality of hospital food, the NHS QIS is not committing to assess that until 2008. Standards were first drafted in 2001 and agreed three years ago, but yesterday's report only assessed whether health boards are planning strategically, whether they have systems for ensuring every patient is assessed for nutrition needs within one day of admission, and whether they have plans for training staff.
All the regional authorities were found to have systems for assessing patients quickly, though none was found to be applying the rules throughout the board area.
Twelve boards have not yet introduced training plans to ensure the new approach to nutrition is applied at all levels.
The report concluded boards are working on a nutritional care policy and strategic plan, but "many are at an early stage and it was clear that nutritional care has not been on the strategic radar until fairly recently in some cases".
Andy Kerr, the Health Minister, said the report should be a "spur for improvement".
He said there has been a culture change since the national standards were published in 2003.
Earlier this year, Audit Scotland reported that spending on hospital food ranged from £42 per week in Highland to £280 in the Golden Jubilee Hospital, Clydebank.


Copyright © 2006 Newsquest

food nutrition : Hospitals miss targets over food nutrition

SCOTTISH health boards are failing to meet national guidelines set down three years ago to ensure nutrition becomes part of patient care.
Four of them – Lothian, Fife, Orkney and Shetland – were found to lack even a plan and strategy for ensuring nutrition food, fluid and nutrition is made part of a patient's care, according to the NHS watchdog.
NHS Lothian was criticised for having only one specialist nurse providing advice and training for patients with complex nutrition care needs at Edinburgh's two main hospitals.
The national pattern SCOTTISH health boards are failing to meet national guidelines set down three years ago to ensure nutrition becomes part of patient care.
Four of them – Lothian, Fife, Orkney and Shetland – were found to lack even a plan and strategy for ensuring food, fluid and nutrition is made part of a patient's care, according to the NHS watchdog.
NHS Lothian was criticised for having only one specialist nurse providing advice and training for patients with complex nutrition care needs at Edinburgh's two main hospitals.
The national pattern showed there is an urgent need to increase the numbers of such expert nurses, though neither the watchdog nor the Scottish Executive was able to say how many there are.
No NHS board has yet earmarked funding to ensure nutrition targets are achieved. It was also found that links with social services to ensure nutrition support is continued in the community, are at a "very rudimentary stage".
The findings were published yesterday by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS), which reported major progress in getting hospital managers and clinicians to see
nutrition as part of clinical care and helping patients recover.
Research has shown high levels of under-nourishment among patients. According to research from the 1990s, up to 50% of patients were under-nourished on admission, and yet the problem was identified in only one-quarter of those cases.



Copyright © 2006 Newsquest

food nutrition : The Nutrition Mission

One of the harder parts of being a diabetic is the endless struggle between sugar levels and food. Often times we forget just how much fat and carbohydrates we accumulate in the foods we eat. There are several key things we can do to make this transition easier for ourselves. Everyone loves sugar and sometimes it is hard to accept that this (our love) is making us sick.

Often we try to ignore the nutrition aspect of our plan all together, in hopes that if we don't look it will just go away. This is not a good option and can cause damage that cannot be repaired. When we look at our diet, first we must determine how many servings of carbohydrates we eat on a regular basis. You should spend at least a week to two week reviewing this information. Purchase a log or journal to take note of each serving you consume. (The important word here is EACH) if you are not being honest with yourself you will only hurt yourself!

After you have established a base amount, then you can determine what is healthy for a diabetic. Generally 100-150 daily is enough. Around 30 in the morning; 45 at lunch; and maybe 45 at dinner; everyone is different so consult your nutritionist for further details. In your mission to better nutrition you must also consider what types of food to eat. May people do not realize that natural sugars cause elevated sugar levels also?

Many fruits and fruit juices contain natural sugars. These are important to monitor closely. Just because they are fruit doesn't mean they can't hurt you. Listed on the back of the packages of all types of foods you eat is a nutrition chart. This contains all the information you need to determine if the food is right for you and how much of the particular food you should eat.

There are two listings to look for whenever you pick up a package: 1. Total Carbohydrates-2. sodium

The amount of total carbohydrates is very important. Carbohydrates once in your body turn to sugar, the more you have the more it affects your sugar level. The American Diabetes Association found that the level of sugar in a product didn't matter as much as the amount of carbohydrates a diabetic consumed.

Now it is recommended that the amount of carbohydrates is limited and controlled to lower blood sugar levels, along with medication in some instances, as well as exercise.

Sodium is also important because being a diabetic increases your chances of having high blood pressure and cholesterol. Consult you physician to determine the proper amount of sodium you should include in your diet daily.

Many of us don't realize the incredible amount of sodium we intake on a daily basis. Ever heard the saying "out of sight; out of mind"? Just remember taste it before you shake it!

There are many products out that have substitutions for sugar or salt, designed for diabetics. I have listed a few that maybe useful. Also listed are a few of the fruits and other foods containing natural sugars that need to be taken with care.

Another important part of preparing meals is making sure the portions are the proper size. Each food must be weighed in order to maintain a proper diet. There are a few sites listed below this article that maybe able to help you understand portion sizes and weight. You can purchase a scale at most department stores at a reasonable rate to allow you to properly weigh each serving. There are also books available that can give a nutrition chart for the foods that are not packaged and of course Americas favorite fast foods.

Though there are extra steps one must follow, when being a diabetic; you can still lead a healthy and productive live. With proper nutrition food and education you can learn to control and take care of this disease properly, this will cause fewer complications later on in life.

Recommended Fruits:

Apples Lemons Plums Grapes

Fruits Moderate In Sugar

Peaches Mangos Cherries Papayas Oranges

Bananas

By Michael Russell

food nutrition : Healthy Nutritious Diet

Choose a healthy nutritious diet and you will learn to live without your disease, not with it.Have you ever wondered why you are told to learn to live with your disease? Would it be possible that you are being set up to become a lifetime consumer of pharmaceuticals? Why would you want to learn to live with your disease, surely you would be desperate to make every effort to live without it.You are being taught to take possession of your disease, its all yours to keep for the rest of your life.

So often you hear people talking about their arthritis, their diabetes, it's as though they gain some unique place in the world by taking possession of their disease in this manner. You may say that by not owning your disease you are in denial, you may need some counselling so that you can learn to accept your disease.This circuitous mode of thinking assures the sufferer that they will continue to suffer, and relief to their disease may only be gained from pharmaceuticals. No thought will ever be given to an alternative mode of treatment, even such a simple one as a change to a healthy nutritious diet.

Discover the benefits to be gained from following a healthy nutritious diet. We appear to be conditioned to accept disease as though it was a natural part of life, whereas health is only available to those lucky enough to have it bestowed upon them. Learn to take responsibility for your present disease state, ask yourself, could your lifestyle have contributed to your disease in some way?

Your arthritis or gout did not just pay you a visit from outer space, your late- onset diabetes did not arrive without your contribution. You have put in years of solid work in order to arrive at your present disease state, it's more than likely that you may have existed on a diet of dead and devitalized food for years, it's just cause and effect, " garbage in, garbage out".The idea of following a healthy diet may have been too much of an effort for you, and yet a looming lifetime of pain and debilitation failed to trigger a change in your dietary indiscretions.

If you then subject your body to further insults by ingesting heavy duty prescription drugs for your condition, then yes, you may have to learn to live with your disease, for by then your condition may be extremely debilitated, and a return to health may pose too much of a challenge for you.

The simple act of changing your diet, may turn your life around, for the better. When you go shopping, buy fresh organic fruit and vegetables, forget the meat, saturated fats, fast foods, pizzas,packaged food with all of the chemical additives, diet sodas, other sodas, cigarettes,and alcohol. If you really want to live without your disease, take charge of your life and make an effort to eat a healthy diet, just this simple baby step may be all that is needed to return you to health.

By Colleen Redman

food nutrition : Custom Nutritional Supplements

With the growing emphasis on the basic need of consuming nutritional supplements, the variety available is ever-increasing. These supplements are designed to look after almost any conceivable health situation. And with the combination of synthetic and natural nutrients, one can have a more healthy life by following the appropriate supplement prescription. However, there are instances when an individual may require a supplement with a varied combination of nutrients that are not readily available. For this reason, many companies offer custom nutritional supplements.

However, prior to being prescribed custom nutritional supplements, the individual is put through a thorough test to diagnose his deficiencies and essential requirements. Depending on such a diagnosis, the supplement is prepared with the required nutrient value.

It is important to be aware of your nutrient requirements, which include vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. This is because a lack or excess of any can cause a breakdown in the human mechanism. And this is how many illnesses begin.

A healthy and energetic body is the result of a well-balanced diet containing the correct proportion of every nutrient. It is far from possible to ensure that meals we consume contain it all, as a majority of the nutrients found in food are lost by the time it reaches the dining table. This is where the custom nutritional supplements play a role in maintaining good health.

Usually, health clinics and nutrition specialists can conduct tests to find out what kind of nutrients you are lacking. After going through the test you could place an order stating your specific requirements. However, it is essential that follow-up tests be done regularly to ensure that your body is getting the right nutrients. It could sometimes happen that over a period of time the body requires something more or something less.

It should always be kept in mind that illness and disease is not only caused by a deficiency, but also by excess consumption. For instance, over a period of time excessive intake of vitamin A can cause fatigue and lethargy. Similarly, an overdose of vitamin D can cause kidney failure.

By Jennifer Bailey

food nutrition : Find Mineral Nutrition Online

Mineral nutrition

Searching for mineral nutrition information is much easier today than ever before. I remember when we'd have to search manuals, books and do it at the library and also searching the encyclopedia. Thanks to Senate document 264 the truth finally comes out. Much buried of course as its information doesn't support the bottom line of retailers. But, to find the truth sometimes takes digging and especially mineral nutrition.

We've come to discover that many serious health issues including life threatening can be at the source of lack of minerals in our diet. Most of us haven't been taught that without these vital nutritional nutrients taking vitamins is useless. Since vitamins are such a large marketing item with plenty of resources we seldom read or see much about anything else.

It is critical to our health to understand that the depleted soils today do not yield its fruits and vegetables with the nutrients they once did years ago. Fast foods haven't helped either, and now we even read of a national epidemic about overweight child. Our kids are starving from the lack of good food nutrition and most of us aren't doing anything about it.

Research online can be the resource of choice that let's us do the research work rather easily. Armed with some good up to date education and information goes a long way towards correcting one's path to optimum health. The responsibility falls on us for self preservation, not the doctors when it's perhaps too late.

We may also need to adjust our thinking for days of old. Our parents who didn't have the information available today taught us what they could, but may not in fact be the most effective approach today. When you gather your information you may very well be shocked, so stay open minded and be patient. Correcting the sorry state of affairs with good mineral nutrition isn't difficult or over expensive.

By Rolf Rasmusson

food nutrition : Learn About Diet Nutrition Physique

Diet nutrition physique

Today, learning about diet nutrition physique isn't all that difficult any longer. The truth of the matter is what should you do about your overall health and well being? If you're concerned about you weight and physique then a little different twist on things are in order. The question at the core of most nutrition challenges is understanding the actual problem not the symptoms. So learning about diet nutrition physique may take on new meaning here for you shortly.

We live in a country of adequate supply and fast food convenience. But frankly we may be starving ourselves to death. You must read Senate Document 264 to truly get a grip on reality to make decent final progress in meeting your dietary goals. Things like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer were rare just a century ago but look at it now!

The nutrient deficiencies created by our modern diet cause the body to be more prone to viruses, disease, infections, obesity, allergies, headaches, stress, strokes, fatigue, ulcers, bowel and colon problems, tumors, cancer, kidney failure, heartburn, a weak immune system, arthritis, blood pressure problems, heart attacks, and growth and circulation problems to name a few. We are an overfed undernourished nation.

Over 90% of U.S. adults are still deficient in at least one vitamin or mineral. Until your deficiencies are resolved good dietary health doesn't happen and won't. The problems created by poor nutrition are complicated, but the solution is simple - more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables with fewer refined and processed foods. Solving the excessive hydrogenated fats,sodium, and refined sugar their too many calories paves the way for simple success.

Lack of the proper nutrients in the food chain (remember Senate Document 264) can be dealt with by simply using quality supplements and digging a little deeper learning more about diet nutrition physique.

By Rolf Rasmusson

food nutrition : Learn About Food Nutrition Facts

Food nutrition facts

Finding food nutrition facts and dietary nutrition used to be almost impossible because of the mountains of facts scattered all about in libraries and books. Lets face it most of us aren't going to cuddle up to a book on vitamins and minerals. Fortunately with the growth and popularity of the internet and the computer the fact finding process has been much simplified. Finding good food nutrition facts can now be done with the click of the mouse.

Learning about our foods and diets can be very enlightening. Things we were taught as children may in fact of reality be much different than what we were taught. Doing what we were taught years ago may today be very much out of synch with what we really should be doing.

It's sort of like the ole 'wives tales" theory. Complicating our lives further we have the great American fast food era that has practically crippled any sensibility to proper food intake.

Why should we learn more, it's pretty simple to just drive thru pick up those goodies and off we go. Most of us are exhausted at the end of the day looking for relief not more work. With perhaps a little awareness of our food situation today, perhaps not as much effort needs to be mustered up to make an impact on ourselves and family today.

And, what's wrong in getting the crew involved with some self education as a family type project. After all it's the family that presses it demands on you – so why not let them help and take a little responsibility?

Finding the facts about fast food restaurant nutrition is pretty easy as well. Along with specific foods like Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Indian and other types of foods is readily available. We've even seen charts of nothing but fish food nutrition. Gather up this information print it out and let others study the issue and provide a family report at dinner.

Let everyone get involved and then work together making changes that all have come to learn about and now better understand why. Have someone do a report on food label nutrition facts as well. There's a saying I remember that goes along these lines. A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. With some education, patience (what's new) and the gathering of food nutrition facts we start on our new journey for optimum health.

By Rolf Rasmusson

food nutrition : Consume Excess, Exude Deficiency

Within nutritional deficiency can be found excess. Unfortunately for a lot of Americans, our excess comes in the form of fats, sugars, highly refined products and a general lack of good nutrients. Only about a third of Americans eat foods from all the food groups on a regular basis.

We fill our plates with rich, greasy fried and fatty foods, sweets for dessert, and wash it all down with sugary and chemical-laden soft drinks or booze, while puffing on an after-dinner tobacco product. In this meal plan, where are the essential vitamins and minerals that are needed by our bodies in order to function properly and keep diseases at bay?

Therein lies the problem: with this much excess, our bodies go into overload and malfunction, resulting in deterioration of our interior systems. We become a sick organism rather than one that exudes vibrancy.

With excess comes health issues: arteries clog, blood pressure levels elevate, constipation develops, weight gets added to our frames. Not a pretty picture, is it? These issues can lead to medical interventions in the form of drugs and surgeries. We eat extremely wrong foods that do not supply nutrition, which causes extremely unhealthy medical conditions, which leads to extreme medical measures to try to clean up all of the damage.

Before it gets to the point of having as your only option such drastic measures as pills and surgery, try some softer remedies now. For excess, the main remedy is cleansing and purging. Bitter foods and herbs are used for this purpose. Foods such as legumes and grains, and vegetables such as radishes, horseradish, hot peppers, onions, leafy greens, mushrooms, asparagus, bell peppers, and celery, and some fruits such as citrus and bananas, can accomplish this cleansing. Eating these foods raw or lightly cooked is the most effective. For herbs, Echinacea and chamomile can contribute to the cleansing process. These herbs can be used as teas. For purging, add generous amounts of fruit to your diet and drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Most importantly, remove the causes of excess from your daily meal plan!

When excess has led to deficiency, you need to work in building with the cleansing, a process that takes a little time, but the reward is strength, stamina, and energy. If you feel run down, lethargic and just generally “not your self”, you are in the zone of deficiency. To climb out of it, incorporate less bitter foods after using them to cleanse in exchange for foods such as brown rice, oats, millet, barley, soy, black beans, parsnips, rutabagas, winter squash, and add in nuts and seeds in moderation. For building strength, try sweet foods such as dates, yams, and molasses.

While the capability is in your hands, take the initiative by taking the measures needed to turn your plate around. Get rid of non-nutrient foods – they are not a friend to your body. Get acquainted with and embrace nutrient rich foods – they are like family to your internal organs.

By Debra Augur

food nutrition : Eliminate the Mystery

These days we are all health conscious. The newest craze is organic food but there are still all of the fad diets and crazy eating schedules such as fast a day, eat a day, fast a day and so on. There is one area however that has always been popular and has a great reason to be popular and that is nutritional supplements. The human body needs certain things to get through the day. Lots of people think that as long as they eat the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats that they are consuming just what they need with no other need for additional nutrients. This is very far from the truth as there are lots of minerals and vitamins that we rarely get from the foods that we eat. Even if we were to eat the perfect seeming diet there are still a handful of things that the body needs to survive that we will be missing. For this reason scientists have worked long and hard to not only identify the exact amount of everything that our bodies need but put it in a form that we can take and benefit from.

If you did actually try to consume the right combination of foods to get all of the right nutrients you would spend your day doing nothing but chomping down on food, many of them not very tasty at all. The nutrition companies therefore spend much of their time working on nothing more than making the supplement palatable. If it is a pill form then they try their best to make it smaller and slide down easier and digest better. For the shake forms they strive to make the product taste as good as a top notch ice cream shake and for the bar form they attempt to make it just like a candy bar. Why is that? We the answer is simple, if it s pain in the rear to take, or tastes like sewage we will not buy it form them and that is bad for their sales. Additionally, if we do not take it we will be deprived of some very important nutrients and that is bad for us.

If you are working on getting your body and mind into better health then be sure to eat the obvious things like proteins and fats and carbohydrates in the right proportions but do not forget the small things like vitamin and minerals as they are just as important if not more so. Find the products that work for you both on the money end of it and the taste and ease end of it. Neglecting this area can lead to serious health issues that my even be irreversible. Study the labels and continue you research in the library and the internet to become as much of an expert as you can. You need not be a doctor or have lots of fancy degrees to know what healthy eating is. Go ahead we dare you to get healthy.

By Jason Montag

food nutrition : Start Your Day With The Right Diet

If you want to start your day right, the best thing to do is start with a good breakfast. As we all know, and have been told by our elders, we should all eat our breakfast. However, this seems to be something that modern fast-paced lifestyle is missing.

If you're always in a hurry, and could only eat a cereal rather than a full meal, then it's okay to do so, but you just have to know what body type you are in, to decide what's a healthy breakfast to you in the long run.

Breakfast is actually made up of two words: break fast, which is to mean you're literally breaking the fast, and you don't want to stuff yourself with unnatural foods to 'break your fast' so to speak. Besides if you eat a healthy breakfast you'll notice that your mental as well as physical functioning throughout the day will be sharper too. Eating a healthy breakfast just makes common sense, and your body will love you for doing so.

Many people eat breakfast cereal to start their day off, but most breakfasts of this type are not doing justice to the body at all. Most grain based cereals are devoid of nutrients found in complex carbohydrates that the body needs. Fiber has a lot of these types of complex carbohydrates, but most cereals are just empty foods that contain only fine grain in them without the other bulkier substance that makes you healthy. Eating cereals is only as good as eating paper nutritionally speaking. For a healthy breakfast you need over 30 grams of fiber, and it should consist of soluble and insoluble fiber.

By eating something that includes natural insoluble fiber it helps to correct gastro intestinal problems. Your stomach and bowels will empty more efficiently, and it has been shown that it reduces intestinal and colon cancers. Insoluble fiber works by allowing more water into the intestines, and it helps with passing stools easily. Soluble fiber in a healthy breakfast plays an important role too because the stomach contents will stay longer. Other studies have shown that this reduces the incident of diabetes, and clogged arteries of heart disease.

Processed cereals are bad for you because they are loaded with sugar, and a host of other artificial stuffs, let alone other vital minerals such as potassium and calcium. Taking supplements along with meals like this can have its advantage. If you're a man, make sure to supplement with good proportion of the mineral selenium in your healthy breakfast because this too reduces the risk of colon cancer.

It's very important also to take note of what body type you are with before going heavy on diets with too much carbohydrates too. If you happen to be a protein type but eat mainly cereal and grains in the morning, you'd find your energy declining sooner than you'd realize.

Eating right with appropriate nutrition foods for your body type is very rewarding too. The body feels more satisfied and no desires for junk foods for snacking during the day. It enhances digestion, and improves mental functioning too. Let's not forget our stomach is our second brain -- if we treat it right, it'd reward us greatly.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a saying that goes: 'Where there is good stomach energy, there is life.' No kidding about it.

by Dr. Kang-pang Chan

food nutrition : Eating Oily Fish for Health

Fish Oil supplements such as Cod Liver Oil, together with Omega-3s and Essential Fatty Acids are extremely popular at the moment for their health benefits and their usage in improving the symptoms of many different diseases and disorders.

However, many of these same benefits can also be received from eating oily fish such as mackerel and herring. Oily fish are the richest source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids so we should make them a regular part of our diet.

Compared to Mediterranean diets, where fresh fish are regularly caught from their shores as well as being surrounded by olive groves, fruit trees and vegetable harvests, we typically do not include a good intake of oily fish in our diets.

Studies have shown that Mediterranean's, like the Eskimos who survive on large amounts of fish and marine animals, have far lower rates of heart disease, eczema and psoriasis and better levels of general health compared to other Western countries.

A diet rich in essential fatty acids in the form of fish and vegetable oils, together with fresh, unrefined fish, fruit and vegetables is responsible for good health and well being. These foods are abundant in rural areas of France, Greece, Italy and Spain and scientists believe it is the combination of these natural foods which accounts for the good health of these nations.

Other nations, such as our own, tend to favour meat over fish with meat containing higher levels of saturated fat which, in large quantities, will increase the depositing of cholesterol in the arteries, raising the risk of heart attacks and thrombosis. Moving to a diet rich in fresh fish, fruit and vegetables and low in animal fats reduces or eliminates this risk substantially.

Buying or selecting fresh fish can be difficult in our supermarkets and shops as not all fish contain the essential fatty acids which are so beneficial to our health. Pre-packed foods and ready-made meals containing fish just wont provide the benefits of fresh fish. It is worth the effort to visit a large supermarket or fishmonger who will have a much larger selection of fish which contain the fats we need.

A range of Oily Fish which provides the Omega-3s so beneficial to our health include;

- Anchovies
- Bass
- Carp
- Cod
- Haddock
- Halibut
- Herring
- Lake trout
- Mackerel
- Mullet
- Rainbow trout
- Red snapper
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Sole
- Sprats
- Squid
- Swordfish
- Tuna

Note that Tuna should be bought fresh and not tinned, as the fish oil is commonly drained off and replaced with refined vegetable oils.

The best way to gain the benefits of oily fish is to eat the fish raw and if you are a fan of Japanese cuisine, you should enjoy this Sushi style food. If you are unable to eat raw fish or just don't like eating fish in this manner the next best method is to bake your fish before eating it as this will preserve the Essential Fatty Acids in the fish more effectively than grilling or frying.

By making fresh oily fish a regular part of your diet you will be improving your health and reaping the benefits of the Omega-3s and Essential Fatty Acids they contain.
food nutrition

By Jack Prime

food nutrition : Simple Vegetarian Recipe For Life

The vegetarian lifestyle is quickly gaining popularity. Vegetables are a great food source and offer a lot of benefits. They are naturally low in fat and calories and can be very filling. They are also chocked full of essential vitamins and minerals.

A vegetarian diet, that includes beans, nuts, eggs, and dairy products, can be a very healthful and beneficial lifestyle choice. You need to be careful however, if you do decide to choose a vegetarian diet, you need to make sure that you are getting enough protein and not loading up on carbs.

Many people are under the impression that a vegetarian diet will make you thin. This can be true, as long as you are choosing non-meat products that are low in fat and calories, and high in nutritional food value. However, there are so many non-meat foods that are full of fat and calories and offer no nutritional value like cookies, chips, cakes, etc. So you still have to make an educated decision to monitor what you eat, not just rely on the style of diet.

If you are considering a vegetarian diet, there are a few ways to make sure you get the necessary nutritional value out of your food products. First and foremost, always read your food labels. Check your protein, fats, and carbs and also remember to check your fiber and vitamins, as they will become even more important in your new diet style.

When you check for fat content you should try to not eat things that have more than 30 fat calories, this is different than fat grams. Fat calories tell you how many of the calories within the serving size come from fat. By having 30 or less fat calories you can make sure that the calories you are getting are not empty calories (calories with no nutritional value). Also make sure you are aware of the serving size. Many products are not a single serving like the nutrients are counted for.

Your diet should consist of about 25% protein, 60% carbs, and, 15% fat. Good sources of protein for someone on a vegetarian diet would be soy, almonds, eggs, and low fat cottage cheese. These foods will give you protein without a lot of fat. Good sources of carbs would be any whole wheat breads or pastas, brown rice, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes. Again, these foods are good sources of carbohydrates that are not high in fat.

One of my favorite vegetarian meals is acorn squash with brown sugar, green salad with almonds, and cottage cheese. This is quick and easy to prepare. It’s also low in fat and high in nutrients. See recipe below.

Acorn Squash

Pierce the skin of a small to medium acorn squash

Cook in the microwave for 4-6 minutes or until it is soft to the touch

Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds Place one tablespoon of brown sugar in each half (if your looking for a low cal alternative to brown sugar, use sugar free maple syrup. My husband actually likes this better than the sugar)

Green Salad

1 cup of raw spinach or green leaf lettuce (offers more nutrients than iceberg)

½ cup chopped tomatoes

½ cup chopped cucumbers

½ cup shredded carrots

¼ cup of raisins

10-15 almonds, halved Mix together and add two tablespoons of raspberry vinaigrette dressing (or low-cal dressing of your choice.)

½ cup of 1% milk fat cottage cheese

Having a vegetarian diet can be very beneficial for your body. Just understand your new diet style and make educated decisions, like getting the right mix of protein, carbs, and fats.

By Jennifer McCleary

food nutrition : Stay Healthy, Stay Strong, Serve Your Nutritional Needs

Lack of sleep driving you up the wall? Confused beyond your wits? Losing hair or losing teeth? Well, you could be suffering from malnutrition.

Good nutrition is the foundation for good health. Obviously, what you put inside is what you get outside. Better nutrition directly contributes to stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Healthy people feel good. They are stronger and more productive. They are thus able to create more opportunities in life and break out of limitations like poverty and hunger.

Good nutrition is a way of life. It is a habit that is established over the years and is followed rigorously. This means that you must make sure that you eat foods that have high mineral and vitamin content. At the same time, food should not have high amounts of fat.

Consuming a variety of foods in appropriate amounts is the key to good food nutrition. Your body needs the right amounts of protein, carbs, fats, fiber, minerals and vitamins. Water is an equally important commodity because nutrients are taken to the various parts of the body through the blood.

People belonging to different age groups have different nutritional needs. Growing children need more carbohydrates and more vitamins. As we age, we tend to be less active and need fewer calories. So older people should choose less amounts of food that have a high nutrient content.

Some tips for good nutrition are:

- Vegetables that have deep colors are exceptionally high in nutrients.

- Your peak bone building years are between 13 and 30; so pack in calcium rich foods at this time.

- Choose fiber rich whole grain cereals and breads.

- Don’t overdose on vitamin supplements. Nutrition cannot come in a pill. Consult a nutritionist before you take a pill.

- Snack on healthy food stuff like low-fat yoghurt, raisins, banana, apple, pear or a bag of raw vegetables.

- Never allow yourself to feel too hungry. Hunger depletes energy. Nourish yourself with wholesome food even when you are on a diet.

The three keys to healthy food and good nutrition are:

- Wholesome food

- Variety, and

- Moderation

All systems of traditional medicine trace diseases to unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices. The food we eat decides the kind of balance our body enjoys. When the food is heavy on poisonous and undesirable materials, the result is a sick body and unhappy mind. Dietary deficiencies rarely occur in isolation. So, if you are deficient in one nutrient, you’re more likely to be deficient in other nutrients also. A majority of the health problems we see today are due to poor nutrition and poor elimination.

Proper nutrition is necessary to keep the body working normally, for fighting diseases and for maintaining proper body weight. Modern lifestyle has rendered us less mobile and less active. Hence we need fewer calories. When people need lesser number of calories, getting all the nutrients their body needs – particularly minerals and vitamins- is very difficult.

Food is not just food – it’s not a cartload full of fries, pastry, meat slices and a jug of coke. Food is the source from which our body extracts the nutrition needed for repair and rejuvenation. When we follow proper food habits, we can start living a disease-free, healthy and happy life.

By Eric Cho

food nutrition : Redesigned Food and Nutrition Information Center

BELTSVILLE, MD, July 14, 2006-- The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) at USDA's National Agricultural Library (NAL) has launched a redesigned website featuring several improvements to make it easier for nutrition educators, health professionals and government personnel to find and use the site's excellent nutrition information.

The FNIC website is easier to navigate to nutrition topics of interest, including topics such as food labeling, lifecycle nutrition, and professional and career resources in nutrition. Users will find it easier to get to popular resources such as USDA's food composition database by using the "I Want To..." boxes found on the right side of web pages. The long-time favorite "Topics A-Z," which covers over 70 nutrition topics, can be found along the top bar of the webpages. In addition, the site is now more attractive with many colorful graphics.

The FNIC site serves as the central location for several special program websites, including two- the Healthy Meals Resource System, and the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection --which also launched redesigned websites paralleling the FNIC upgrade.

The Healthy Meals Resource System for Child Nutrition Professionals has a new search environment and enhancements which add to its rich collection of resources and database of training materials. Users of the redesigned site can now browse information conveniently arranged in topics including Resource Library, Recipes and Menu Planning, Food Safety, Special Diets and Nutrient Standard Menu Planning. The Training Materials Database provides information on over 1100 curriculums and training materials. The site map includes a detailed list of all materials available on the site.

Nutrition educators and other users of the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection site will find information arranged in subjects such as Resource Library, Professional Development Tools, Recipes and Databases, National Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE), State Gates, and Photo Gallery. The Resource Library connects users to educational resources, recipes, a referral index and an online Sharing Center where FSNE professionals can share ideas and resources. The Professional Development Tools section of the site contains resources and information to aid in the training and development of FSNE professionals including: Hot-Topics A-Z, Web-based Learning and background information on Evaluation and Social Marketing.

The redesign of the three NAL nutrition-related web sites implement USDA web standards and meet U.S. Office of Management and Budget guidelines for focusing on customer needs. For more information, contact:

Cathy Alessi, Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, (Email; Phone: 301 504-5414)

Desire Stapley, Healthy Meals Resource System, Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, (Email; Phone: 301 504-5414)

Gina Hundley, Food Stamp Nutrition Connection, Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, (Email; Phone: 301 504-5414)

food nutrition : Vegetarian Diets

What is a vegetarian diet?

Some people follow a "vegetarian" diet, but there's no single vegetarian eating pattern. The vegan or total vegetarian diet includes only foods from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. The lactovegetarian diet includes plant foods plus cheese and other dairy products. The ovo-lactovegetarian (or lacto-ovovegetarian) diet also includes eggs. Semi-vegetarians don't eat red meat but include chicken and fish with plant foods, dairy products and eggs.

Are vegetarian diets healthful?

Most vegetarian diets are low in animal products. They’re also usually lower than nonvegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.

Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. However, a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if it contains too many calories and not enough important nutrients.

What are the nutrients to consider in a vegetarian diet?

Protein: You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.
Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal.
Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin. It can be your sole protein source if you choose.
Iron: Vegetarians may have a greater risk of iron deficiency than nonvegetarians. The richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk -- all high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.
Vitamin B-12: This comes naturally only from animal sources. Vegans need a reliable source of vitamin B-12. It can be found in some fortified (not enriched) breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, some brands of nutritional (brewer's) yeast and other foods (check the labels), as well as vitamin supplements.
Vitamin D: Vegans should have a reliable source of vitamin D. Vegans who don’t get much sunlight may need a supplement.
Calcium: Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants.
Zinc: Zinc is needed for growth and development. Good plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are an excellent source of zinc. Take care to select supplements containing no more than 15-18 mg zinc. Supplements containing 50 mg or more may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people.
What meal plans are recommended?

Any type of vegetarian diet should include a wide variety of foods and enough calories to meet your energy needs.

Keep your intake of sweets and fatty foods to a minimum. These foods are low in nutrients and high in calories.
Choose whole or unrefined grain products when possible, or use fortified or enriched cereal products.
Use a variety of fruits and vegetables, including foods that are good sources of vitamins A and C.
If you use milk or dairy products, choose fat-free/nonfat and low-fat varieties.
Eggs are high in cholesterol (213 mg per yolk), so monitor your use of them. Limit your cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg per day.
food nutrition

Copyright U.S. National Library of Medicine,

food nutrition : Soy Bean

The soybean has been a part of the human diet for almost 5,000 years. Unlike most plant foods, the soybean is high in protein and is considered equivalent to animal foods in terms of the quality of the protein it contains.

Function

Soy in your diet can lower cholesterol. There are many scientific studies that support this conclusion. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed that 25 grams per day of soy protein, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Other potential benefits include:

fewer menopausal symptoms
reduced risk of osteoporosis
possible prevention of hormone-dependent diseases, including breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and prostate cancer
Food Sources

If you look on the shelves of your health food store or supermarket in search of soy protein products, you'll see everything from veggie burgers to food bars to powdered soy protein beverages. However, not all soy protein products contain the same amount of protein. The following list ranks some popular products from greatest amount of soy protein to lowest:

Soy protein isolate (added to many soy food products, such as soy sausage patties or soybean burgers)
Soy flour
Whole soybeans
Tofu
The best way to find out about protein content is to look on the product's Nutrition Facts label to see the percentage of soy protein. Also look at the list of ingredients: if a product contains isolated soy protein (or soy protein isolate), the protein content should be fairly high. When the FDA-approved health claim is made, the label will also indicate how many grams of soy protein are in one serving of that product.

Note: There's a difference between soy supplements (commonly sold in tablets or capsules) and soy protein products. Soy supplements are generally composed of concentrated soy isoflavones. While soy isoflavones may be helpful in treating symptoms of menopause (isoflavones behave similarly to estrogen), there is not enough evidence to support using soy isoflavones for any of the other health benefits mentioned above, like lowering cholesterol.

Side Effects

For individuals who are not allergic to soy, no serious short-term or long-term side effects have been reported from eating soy foods protein. Common mild side effects include stomach upset and digestive problems, including constipation and diarrhea.

Recommendations

In adults, 25 grams per day of soy protein may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Soy foods and soy-based infant formula are widely used in children, but there are no studies that have determined whether isolated soy protein or isoflavone supplements are useful or safe in this population. Therefore, isolated soy products are not recommended for children at this time.


Copyright U.S. National Library of Medicine,

food nutrition : Protein

Proteins form the body's main structural elements and are found in every cell and tissue. Your body uses proteins for growth and to build and repair bone, muscles, connective tissue, skin, internal organs and blood. Hormones, antibodies and the enzymes that regulate the body's chemical reactions are all made of protein. Without the right proteins, blood won't clot properly and cuts won't heal. And if carbohydrates and fat can't meet your energy needs, proteins can be broken down and used as a source of emergency energy. Each protein is a large complex molecule made up of a string of building blocks called amino acids. The 20 amino acids the body needs can be linked in thousands of different ways to form thousands of different proteins, each with a unique function in the body. Both the amino acids manufactured in the liver and those derived from the breakdown of the proteins we eat are absorbed into the blood stream and taken up by the cells and tissues to build new proteins as needed.

Your body can't use food protein directly, even though the amino acids in food and in your body are the same. So after protein is ingested, digestive enzymes break the protein down into shorter amino acid chains (polypeptides and then peptides) and finally into individual amino acids. The amino acids then enter the blood stream and travel to the cells where they are incorporated into proteins the body needs.

The quality of a food protein is in part measured by its amino acid content, and there are two types: Nine of the 20 amino acids required by human beings are considered "essential" because they come only from the diet; the other 11 are considered "nonessential" because the body can make them. A complete protein contains all the essential amino acids in amounts your body needs. Animal proteins from eggs, meat, fish, poultry, cheese and milk are generally complete. Plant proteins from fruits, vegetables grains and beans are often low in one or more essential amino acids and are considered incomplete. A well-balanced vegetarian diet, however, can provide the body with all the needed amino acids.

The average person needs 50-65 grams of protein each day. In addition to meat, poultry and fish, significant amounts of protein are found in beans, milk, eggs, dairy foods, seeds, nuts, grains and soy products. Most Americans get more than enough protein in their diet. As you can see from the list below, it's not hard to fill your daily protein quota: In fact, an average single serving of meat supplies half your daily requirement!
Four ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a deck of cards) contain 25 to 35 grams of protein.
One cup of cooked beans or lentils contains about 18 grams.
One cup of lowfat cottage cheese contains 28 grams.
Two ounces of solid cheese contains about 16 grams.
One cup of lowfat milk contains 8 grams.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 8 grams.
One serving of grain foods (barley, pasta, cereals, whole wheat bread, for example) generally contains 3 to 6 grams of protein.
One serving of vegetables ranges from 1 to 3 grams.