Atkins diet

Obesity is a growing menace in the recent times and the only effective means of countering it is by securing considerable weight loss. Otherwise one is greatly at risk of contracting various ailments like heart diseases and cancer and diabetes. While a huge number of weight loss supplements are available in the market, one of the most prevalent means of losing weight is by adopting an effective dieting regimen. It has been preached by experts that carbohydrates and fats are the major causes of excess fat accumulation within the body and therefore one’s diet should comprise of moderate proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and low on fats. However, while this is a general view, over the years different practitioners have conducted different experiments in order to reveal newer channels of dealing with obesity. The Atkins diet was formulated by Dr. Robert Atkins and it has emerged as one of the most popular and famous of the various diet programs and is a low-carbohydrate diet program. The idea of the diet was conceived by Dr. Atkins upon his reading of the Journal of the American Medical Association in the 1960s. This was followed by huge popularity of the Atkins diet program and in 1972 Dr. Atkins published a book based on his unique and effective diet program named Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution.The Atkins diet refers t o low carbohydrate diet and according to Dr. Atkins one of the major causes of obesity among the western population was due to the intake of refined carbohydrates like flour, sugar etc and he was also instrumental in pointing out that not all saturated fats were responsible for obesity; rather he suggested that trans fats which are obtained form hydrogenated oil sources are the ones which need to be avoided. He formulated the curbing of carbohydrate intake and thereby aiding the body’s metabolism to indulge in the burning of stored body fat rather than the burning of glucose. This is known as lipolysis which follows the process of ketosis. As a result of this process it was possible to burn pout much more fat and this according to Dr. Atkins provided the body with a ‘metabolic advantage’. He also prevented the consumption of ‘net carbs’ which are believed to effect blood sugar. The Atkins diet comprises of four phases inducing weight loss. These are induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. While the Atkins diet has achieved much popularity, it has also been plagued by controversies but that has not reduced its fame by any means.

Do you ever wonder what happened to the Food Guide Pyramid?

The Food Guide Pyramid was created more than ten years ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Pyramid illustrated what the USDA said were the elements of a healthy diet. The Pyramid was taught in schools, appeared in the media and brochures, on cereal boxes and food labels. It seemed like the absolute final word on what we should really eat.

The Food Guide Pyramid is now like a fairytale. It did not point the way toward healthy eating. We are told now the Food Guide Pyramid was based on shaky scientific evidence. It still has not changed over the years to reflect major advances in our understanding of the connection between diet and good health.

Recently, the USDA retired the old Food Guide Pyramid and replaced it with MyPyramid, a new symbol and “interactive food guidance system. This revision is basically the old Pyramid turned on its side.

Good news about the new MyPyramid:

• It tears apart and buries the flawed Pyramid.

Bad news about the MyPyramid:

• The new MyPyramid does not give us enough information to help us make informed choices about our diet and long-term health.

• It continues to recommend foods that are not essential to good health.

• The food quantities recommended may even be detrimental to our overall health.

So…..what do we eat to become and stay healthy?

According to a new dietary guideline released early in January of 2005:

• We are to continue to concentrate on controlling weight;

• Fats were once considered bad. The new guidelines emphasize low intake of Trans fats and to limit our saturated fats. There is not an artificially low cap on fat intake. The latest advice recommends getting between 20% and 35% of daily calories from fats. The new guidelines also recognize the potential health benefits of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats;

• Complex carbohydrates was a term used in the past that has little biological meaning;

• The new guidelines advise Americans to limit sugar intake and stress the benefits of whole grains;

• The guidelines suggest eating half of our grains as refined starch, although refined starches behave like sugar, add empty calories, have adverse metabolic effects, and increase the risks of diabetes and heart disease.

• The guidelines lump together red meat, poultry, fish, beans and soy products and tell us to judge these protein sources by their total fat content. This means to make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free. This advice ignores the evidence that these foods have different types of fats. It also leaves out evidence that replacing red meat with a combination of fish, poultry, beans, and nuts offers numerous health benefits.

So…..if we follow this new dietary guideline we still may not be eating “right,” according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The Harvard School of Public Health nutrition experts created the “Healthy Eating Pyramid.” It is based on the best available scientific evidence about the links between diet and health.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is based upon daily exercise and weight control. Evidence proves daily exercise and weight control influences your chances of staying healthy. They also stress what and how you eat and how your food affects you.

Some highlights of the Healthy Eating Pyramid are outlined below:

• Whole grain foods (at most meals).

• Plant oils: Good sources of unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils and fatty fish such as salmon.

• Vegetables (in abundance) and Fruits (2 to 3 times per day).

• Fish, poultry, and eggs (0 to 2 times per day). Eggs which have been a long time noted as being “bad for you” because they contain fairly high levels of cholesterol, aren’t as bad as once thought to be. An egg for breakfast is much healthier than a bagel made from refined flour.

• Nuts and Legumes (1 to 3 times) are excellent sources of protein and contain healthy fats.

• Dairy or Calcium Supplement (1 to 2 times) Dairy products have been American’s main source of calcium. Cheese has also been another popular choice for calcium needs. Try to stick with no-fat or low-fat products. If you don’t like dairy products, calcium supplements are the way to go.

• Red meat and butter (use sparingly): If you eat red meat every day, switch to fish or chicken several times a week to improve cholesterol levels. Switching from butter to olive oil will also improve cholesterol levels.

• White rice, white bread, potatoes, white pasta, soda, and sweets (use sparingly): This group of foods can cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders.

• Multiple vitamins: Taking a daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a nutritional backup. They do not replace healthy eating or make up for unhealthy eating. A standard, store-brand, RDA-level is fine. Look for one that meets the requirements of the U.S. Pharmacopeia, an organization that sets standards for drugs and supplements.

• Alcohol (in moderation): Many studies suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day lowers the risk of heart disease. For men: 1 to 2 drinks a day. For women: One drink a day.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid certainly summarizes the information I personally have been reading recently as the best dietary information available to us. It is not something set into stone because nutrition researchers will continue to turn up new information in the years ahead. The Healthy Eating Pyramid will change to reflect the new evidence.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is not the only up-to-date guide for eating healthy. It does take advantage of more extensive research and offers a broader guide that is not based on a specific culture, such as the Asian, Latin, Mediterranean and vegetarian pyramids.

To sum it all up the number one tip for eating for improving your health would be eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals as well as foods that are not high in fat. Exercise moderately.

More Healthy Tips:

• Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet and improve in those areas where you are weak.

• Make small, slow changes.

• Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. Use this record to help you see where you need to improve.

• If you have medical problems talk it over with your doctor or a nutritionist before making any significant changes.

• Good nutrition does not come in a pill. Get your doctor’s recommendations on vitamins and mineral supplements. Your body will benefit the most from eating healthy foods.

• Eat a variety of foods, and learn to try new foods.

• Prepare your meat either by baking, grilling or broiling rather than frying. Take the skin off chicken before eating. Eat fish at least once a week.

• Cut back on extra fat like butter, margarine, sour cream and salad dressings.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables with your meals and snacks.

• Drink no- or low-calorie beverages like water, unsweetened tea and diet soda.

• Exercise moderately daily.

Balanced nutrition and regular exercise are good for your health if your weight never changes. Don’t be discouraged because you don’t loose weight after months of regular exercise. The regular exercise offers you a multitude of benefits toward keeping you healthy.

Male Body Fat Burning Secrets

Burning off male body fat can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Many guys try and try to lose that spare tire with little success.So how exactly can you burn off that fat and get lean and ripped? It really doesn’t have to be that hard. The most important step is actually sorting through the many fat loss myths and determining what method will actually work for you.Perhaps the most commonly repeated advice given to anyone looking to loose weight is, “Eat less, exercise more”. But as you might well know by now, this method simply doesn’t work for everyone.Many people can cut calories and do aerobics for hours upon hours and still loose very little body fat. The reason? Because it’s not just the amount that you eat or exercise that counts. In fact, what might be even more important the quantity that you eat is the composition of your meals. To put it more simply, it’s not just how much you eat, but what you eat. The fastest and easiest way to burn fat, especially in the short term, is to cut carb intake and increase protein and fat intake. You heard me right — you could quite possibly be eating too little fat rather than too much.Of course, there are good fats and bad fats, so you want to be sure to monitor the quality of your fat intake. Avoid trans fats as much as possible while increasing your intake of olive oil and other monounsaturated fats. Don’t necessarily avoid animal fats either, especially if you are trying to cut back on carbs.Likewise, the type of exercise you do is more important than the amount. Running for hours on end my well not burn off much fat, especially if it leads to increased appetite and cravings for carbs.Instead of doing hours upon hours of running or jogging, add some resistance training to your routine. Specifically, try including some weight training.It is not necessary to do lift heavy weights, to do a huge variety of exercises, or even to complete multiple sets in order to achieve muscle growth. In fact, the most effective method of weight training might well be slow lifting, which involves doing very slow, steady reps until you reach muscle failure. This method has been shown to achieve 50% faster muscle growth while taking less than half the time of traditional weight training.So whether you are adjusting your eating habits or your exercise routine, remember, quality is more important than quantity. By choosing the right foods and the proper exercises, you can burn off male body fat quickly and reveal a leaner, fitter, sexier you.

Fat Loss The Truth About Low Fat Diets Benefits

A national study recently revealed telling facts regarding fat loss low-fat diets and their benefits relating to cancer and heart disease. A study concluded by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and Stanford University noted that a low-fat diet, alone, is not enough to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease and/or cancer in adult women. Researchers have found that a reduction in saturated and trans fats may provide more positive results.The study showed that women who participate in a low-fat diet experienced a 9% reduction in the development of breast cancer. In addition, no significant changes were noted in the occurrence of heart disease. An impressive 49,000 females, ranging in age from 50 to 79, participated in what is known as the America’s largest long-term study of a low-fat diet to ever be noted. The research was conducted over a period of eight years, in which the experts planned to test the theory that low-fat diets were helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.Among the 49,000 subjects, 40% were assigned to a low-fat diet, which required that they reduce their fat intake to 20% of their total calorie intake. In addition, they were to eat fruits and vegetables on five or more instances throughout the day, along with six servings of grain. The remaining 60% of participants were designated as the comparison group and were instructed to maintain their eating habits as always.Women’s Health Initiative experts, however, noted that a number of low-fat diet participants did not meet the 20% fat intake goal. In a recent news report released from Stanford University, experts conveyed that women who wish to maintain their health should consider a diet that is both low in saturated and trans fats while being rich in fiber and vegetables. This diet would replace one that is geared solely toward the intake of low-fat foods.“Just switching to low-fat foods is not likely to yield much health benefit in most women,” commented Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and chair of the Women’s Health Initiative steering committee. “Rather than trying to eat low-fat, women should focus on reducing saturated fats and trans fats.”In addition to any diet program, regular exercise and health screenings should be used for early detection and the most effective treatment.The information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as, or used in place of, medical advice or professional recommendations for diet and/or exercise regimens. Every individual should consult his/her physician prior to beginning any program consisting of diet and/or exercise.

Male Body Fat Burning Secrets

Burning off male body fat can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Many guys try and try to lose that spare tire with little success.So how exactly can you burn off that fat and get lean and ripped? It really doesn’t have to be that hard. The most important step is actually sorting through the many fat loss myths and determining what method will actually work for you.Perhaps the most commonly repeated advice given to anyone looking to loose weight is, “Eat less, exercise more”. But as you might well know by now, this method simply doesn’t work for everyone.Many people can cut calories and do aerobics for hours upon hours and still loose very little body fat. The reason? Because it’s not just the amount that you eat or exercise that counts. In fact, what might be even more important the quantity that you eat is the composition of your meals. To put it more simply, it’s not just how much you eat, but what you eat. The fastest and easiest way to burn fat, especially in the short term, is to cut carb intake and increase protein and fat intake. You heard me right — you could quite possibly be eating too little fat rather than too much.Of course, there are good fats and bad fats, so you want to be sure to monitor the quality of your fat intake. Avoid trans fats as much as possible while increasing your intake of olive oil and other monounsaturated fats. Don’t necessarily avoid animal fats either, especially if you are trying to cut back on carbs.Likewise, the type of exercise you do is more important than the amount. Running for hours on end my well not burn off much fat, especially if it leads to increased appetite and cravings for carbs.Instead of doing hours upon hours of running or jogging, add some resistance training to your routine. Specifically, try including some weight training.It is not necessary to do lift heavy weights, to do a huge variety of exercises, or even to complete multiple sets in order to achieve muscle growth. In fact, the most effective method of weight training might well be slow lifting, which involves doing very slow, steady reps until you reach muscle failure. This method has been shown to achieve 50% faster muscle growth while taking less than half the time of traditional weight training.So whether you are adjusting your eating habits or your exercise routine, remember, quality is more important than quantity. By choosing the right foods and the proper exercises, you can burn off male body fat quickly and reveal a leaner, fitter, sexier you.

If you’re worried about lowering your cholesterol level you’re not alone. Changing your diet to lower cholesterol is usually the first step in cholesterol maintenance, before medicines are added. People who have high cholesterol may be able to lower their cholesterol levels with these simple lifestyle changes:

Step 5) The School of Medicine at Stanford University did a study consisting of 377 men and post-menopausal women, with high cholesterol. First they put them on a low-fat diet, and then had half of them to do aerobic exercise, and the other half did no form of exercise at all.

After one year, the exercising group had significantly reduced their cholesterol levels – while the sedentary group showed no such reduction in their cholesterol. So the 5th step is to add aerobic exercise to your lifestyle.

Step 4) Did you know that the average person makes about 75% of their blood cholesterol in their own liver, while only about 25% is absorbed from food. So you should be able to further reduce your cholesterol with dietary changes.

A low-fat diet with no trans-fats will lower your cholesterol anywhere from 8% to 20%. There are several very good low-fat diets – the Dash Diet, Mediterranean Diet, the South Beach Diet, Ultra metabolism Diet, and Weight Watchers Diet are all great diets to reduce your fat and trans-fat intake. All of these diets have either online programs or manuals and books to provide step-by-step instructions and menu plans. So your 4th step is to add a reduced fat diet.

Step 3) One of the reasons your body produces Cholesterol is a self preservation tactic. Your arteries develop cracks and stress fractures as a natural occurrence. Your body must patch these cracks and fractures or you will bleed to death.

The substance of choice for your body to use is Collagen. However, if the raw ingredients needed aren’t present in sufficient quantities to produce this miraculous elixir, cholesterol can also be used instead.

So to keep your collagen production at its peak, rather than giving your liver a reason to produce additional cholesterol, give your body plenty of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Your 3rd step is to add vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to your diet.

Step 2) 60 recent heart bypass surgery patients were divided into groups. The first group had no dietary restrictions, while the second and third group had one white or one red grapefruit each day.

The second and third group had significantly lowered cholesterol levels while the no grapefruit group showed no reduction. But the red grapefruit group also had a reduction in their triglycerides. So step 2 is “Eat Red Grapefruit”, which will incidentally help with step 3 as well.

Step 1) A study of 14,600 men and women ages 45 to 75, recently showed the participants’ total cholesterol declined as their number of meals per day increased. Those who ate five or six times a day had the lowest total cholesterol, on average approximately 5% lower, while the highest measurements were found among those who ate only one or two meals a day. So your number 1 step, and incidentally the easiest, is to eat five or six small meals a day, rather than one or two large ones.

If you find a diet to lower cholesterol and follow these 5 steps, you should have your cholesterol to healthy levels as quickly as possible.

About the author: B.J. Gordey is the owner of Top10-diets.com. Are you looking for a diet to lower cholesterol and ways to add a low cholesterol diet to your lifestyle. You can learn a lot more about how a diet that works can help you at Top10-Diets.com.

Lifestyle Change Can Help Prevent Cancer
by laura roberts

Cancer or malignant neoplasm in medical term is a disease in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). It said to be the second cause of death and over 1.4 million new cases will be diagnosed in 2008 alone.

Cancer may affect all ages but the risk differs for most varieties of increase with age. And nearly all of the cancer was caused by the abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cell and this abnormality usually due to the carcinogens and errors in DNA replications. Even though cause of cancer varies and can complex as one can imagine there are still things that you can do to lessen the risk of having cancer having a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some top life style changes that can help prevent cancer from Sixwise Health Care Tips:

1. Lose Weight: Obesity is a risk factor for many types of cancer, including breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney and others.

2. Quit Smoking: This is the major cause of lung cancer.

3. Limit Alcohol Consumption: Drinking alcohol in excess increases your risk of various cancers.

4. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: They’re loaded with cancer-fighting nutrients, such as phytoestrogens, plus they help keep you at a healthy weight.

5. Limit Intake of Processed Meats and Trans Fats: Processed meats, like lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon and sausages have been linked to prostate and other cancers.

6. Exercise Regularly. Exercise will reduce your risk of just about every type of cancer.

“Being active helps reduce your cancer risk by helping with weight control, and can also reduce your risk by influencing hormone levels and your immune system,” according to ACS.

7. Avoid Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and Air Pollution. As air pollution inside the home is one of the fastest-growing causes of disease, leading health organizations now strongly recommend you use a high-quality air purifier in your home, such as the PIONAIR Air Treatment System.

8. Get the Proper Amount of Vitamin D. Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels are known to protect against cancer, according to the Vitamin D Council. Experts say 15-20 minutes of sunlight a day is an ideal amount for a light-skinned person to produce the right amount of vitamin D. If you have darker skin, you’ll need to stay out significantly longer.

9. Manage Your Stress. Positive emotions and reduction of stress support your immune system, which may contribute to slowing the progress of cancer and warding it off in the first place. To reduce stress in your life, see this past article, and if you need a little help getting started we highly recommend the Pure Relaxation: Guided Meditations for Body, Mind %26 Spirit CD by respected meditation expert Mary Maddux.

Do you ever wonder what happened to the Food Guide Pyramid?

The Food Guide Pyramid was created more than ten years ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Pyramid illustrated what the USDA said were the elements of a healthy diet. The Pyramid was taught in schools, appeared in the media and brochures, on cereal boxes and food labels. It seemed like the absolute final word on what we should really eat.

The Food Guide Pyramid is now like a fairytale. It did not point the way toward healthy eating. We are told now the Food Guide Pyramid was based on shaky scientific evidence. It still has not changed over the years to reflect major advances in our understanding of the connection between diet and good health.

Recently, the USDA retired the old Food Guide Pyramid and replaced it with MyPyramid, a new symbol and “interactive food guidance system. This revision is basically the old Pyramid turned on its side.

Good news about the new MyPyramid:

• It tears apart and buries the flawed Pyramid.

Bad news about the MyPyramid:

• The new MyPyramid does not give us enough information to help us make informed choices about our diet and long-term health.

• It continues to recommend foods that are not essential to good health.

• The food quantities recommended may even be detrimental to our overall health.

So…..what do we eat to become and stay healthy?

According to a new dietary guideline released early in January of 2005:

• We are to continue to concentrate on controlling weight;

• Fats were once considered bad. The new guidelines emphasize low intake of Trans fats and to limit our saturated fats. There is not an artificially low cap on fat intake. The latest advice recommends getting between 20% and 35% of daily calories from fats. The new guidelines also recognize the potential health benefits of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats;

• Complex carbohydrates was a term used in the past that has little biological meaning;

• The new guidelines advise Americans to limit sugar intake and stress the benefits of whole grains;

• The guidelines suggest eating half of our grains as refined starch, although refined starches behave like sugar, add empty calories, have adverse metabolic effects, and increase the risks of diabetes and heart disease.

• The guidelines lump together red meat, poultry, fish, beans and soy products and tell us to judge these protein sources by their total fat content. This means to make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free. This advice ignores the evidence that these foods have different types of fats. It also leaves out evidence that replacing red meat with a combination of fish, poultry, beans, and nuts offers numerous health benefits.

So…..if we follow this new dietary guideline we still may not be eating “right,” according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The Harvard School of Public Health nutrition experts created the “Healthy Eating Pyramid.” It is based on the best available scientific evidence about the links between diet and health.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is based upon daily exercise and weight control. Evidence proves daily exercise and weight control influences your chances of staying healthy. They also stress what and how you eat and how your food affects you.

Some highlights of the Healthy Eating Pyramid are outlined below:

• Whole grain foods (at most meals).

• Plant oils: Good sources of unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils and fatty fish such as salmon.

• Vegetables (in abundance) and Fruits (2 to 3 times per day).

• Fish, poultry, and eggs (0 to 2 times per day). Eggs which have been a long time noted as being “bad for you” because they contain fairly high levels of cholesterol, aren’t as bad as once thought to be. An egg for breakfast is much healthier than a bagel made from refined flour.

• Nuts and Legumes (1 to 3 times) are excellent sources of protein and contain healthy fats.

• Dairy or Calcium Supplement (1 to 2 times) Dairy products have been American’s main source of calcium. Cheese has also been another popular choice for calcium needs. Try to stick with no-fat or low-fat products. If you don’t like dairy products, calcium supplements are the way to go.

• Red meat and butter (use sparingly): If you eat red meat every day, switch to fish or chicken several times a week to improve cholesterol levels. Switching from butter to olive oil will also improve cholesterol levels.

• White rice, white bread, potatoes, white pasta, soda, and sweets (use sparingly): This group of foods can cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders.

• Multiple vitamins: Taking a daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a nutritional backup. They do not replace healthy eating or make up for unhealthy eating. A standard, store-brand, RDA-level is fine. Look for one that meets the requirements of the U.S. Pharmacopeia, an organization that sets standards for drugs and supplements.

• Alcohol (in moderation): Many studies suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day lowers the risk of heart disease. For men: 1 to 2 drinks a day. For women: One drink a day.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid certainly summarizes the information I personally have been reading recently as the best dietary information available to us. It is not something set into stone because nutrition researchers will continue to turn up new information in the years ahead. The Healthy Eating Pyramid will change to reflect the new evidence.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is not the only up-to-date guide for eating healthy. It does take advantage of more extensive research and offers a broader guide that is not based on a specific culture, such as the Asian, Latin, Mediterranean and vegetarian pyramids.

To sum it all up the number one tip for eating for improving your health would be eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals as well as foods that are not high in fat. Exercise moderately.

More Healthy Tips:

• Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet and improve in those areas where you are weak.

• Make small, slow changes.

• Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. Use this record to help you see where you need to improve.

• If you have medical problems talk it over with your doctor or a nutritionist before making any significant changes.

• Good nutrition does not come in a pill. Get your doctor’s recommendations on vitamins and mineral supplements. Your body will benefit the most from eating healthy foods.

• Eat a variety of foods, and learn to try new foods.

• Prepare your meat either by baking, grilling or broiling rather than frying. Take the skin off chicken before eating. Eat fish at least once a week.

• Cut back on extra fat like butter, margarine, sour cream and salad dressings.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables with your meals and snacks.

• Drink no- or low-calorie beverages like water, unsweetened tea and diet soda.

• Exercise moderately daily.

Balanced nutrition and regular exercise are good for your health if your weight never changes. Don’t be discouraged because you don’t loose weight after months of regular exercise. The regular exercise offers you a multitude of benefits toward keeping you healthy.

Yummy foods are usually tasty and loved by people of all ages. Though not all, majority of these yummy foods may actually pose some threats to our health. Here are 9 so called ‘junk foods’ that are yummy yet high in calories and low in nutritional content; they do contain fats, especially trans fats.1. Cookies and candyThe more the fat content, the more likely the cookie will contain trans fat. A typical chocolate chip cookie could contain nearly 0.5 g of trans fats.2. Breakfast foodApart from oats and Weetabix, most commercial brands of cereals contain trans fat.3. Fast foodFrench fries are no doubt tasty for many people yet they are the worst offenders. A medium-size fries contains as high as 14 g of trans fat if it is fried in shortening or partially hydrogenated oils.4. Baked goodsThe fluffy texture and melt-in-mouth taste are mainly created by using a lot of trans fats. For example, 1 doughnut can provide about 5 g of trans fats and almost 5 g of saturated fat; cream-filled cookies have about 2 g of trans fat each.5. Chips and crackersChips and crackers are crunchy and that is why they are favored by many people. But their crunchiness is in fact made by partially hydrogenated oil. A small bag of chips can fill your stomach with 3 g of trans fat.6. NoodlesInstant noodles were first invented by the Japanese and have been very popular among Asians because of the convenience. These noodles are actually made by partially hydrogenated oil and therefore significant amounts of trans fat.7. Toppings and dipsYou may wonder why whipped cream gets so light. This is because of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and thus trans fat. Perhaps, you may want to make your own dressing with olive oil and vinegar or yoghurt and some herbs.8. Frozen foodsFrozen foods such as those breaded fish sticks, frozen pizzas and pies are usually high in trans fat.9. SpreadsThese include margarines, canola spreads and other spreads. For example, stick margarines contain almost 3 g of trans fat per serving.Trans fat is the most harmful material that clogs the arteries of the heart as well as increases insulin resistance. It will not only raise our LDL (bad cholesterol) but also lower our HDL (good cholesterol). This will ultimately increase our risk of becoming candidate of heart disease. By all means, cut down the consumption of these foods if you do not want your heart to suffer later on.
Feel free to use this article on your website or ezine as long as the following information about author/website is included. Heart Disease Prevention - 8 Simple Ways You Can Do Immediately, Goto: http://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com

Heart is the most important organ of a human’s body. When heart stops, everything will come to the end. Some people call the heart %26quot;the powerhouse%26quot; of the body - the engine that drives blood to all the organs in your body. When the arteries become narrower or blocked due to various reasons - ageing, poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle, coronary heart disease occurs.
The following 8 questions are commonly posed by people to cardiologists on how to maintain a healthy heart. Typical answers to these questions were taken from one of the many cardiologists and are compiled below for your reference:1. How can I know whether I have a healthy heart?Apart from conditions such as hole in the heart, heart muscle disease, and heart rhythm abnormality, coronary heart disease will take years to develop and may be silent for a long time before its conditions surface. In the early phase, there are practically no symptoms or signs. But if you experience chest pain and/or breathlessness with exertion or at rest, perhaps it is time for you to seek help from doctors for tests to confirm the presence of coronary heart disease.
2. What should I do to ensure that my heart is healthy?High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking are the three important causes of damage to artery wall. You should make sure you are away from the three risk factors. Meanwhile, you should be more proactive and see your doctor and do blood tests, electrocardiogram and treadmill stress tests on a regular interval.
3. Are there any particular types of food I should eat?Take steamed, grilled or boiled fish and lean meat, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Try to avoid trans fats that are found in pies, cookies and fries.
4. Do I need supplements?Recent studies showed that high dose of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid could not reduce the risk of heart attacks or heart related deaths.
5. What are the risks for heart disease?Besides high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity are important risks, too.
6. If I am already predisposed to heart diseases, do I need to watch my cholesterol?Certainly, especially LDL, or what is known as the bad cholesterol, must be lowered to below 100, and for some people, to as low as 70.
7. When does my heart start going downhill?Plaque build-up starts from childhood, and it is important that fried foods, candies, fries, and soft (sweetened) drinks are discouraged among children.
8. How do I avoid triggers for sudden heart failure?You should not stop your statin, blood pressure, or diabetic medicines if you are already on them. Sudden, strenuous, and unaccustomed exertion should be avoided.Remember, well taking care of your heart is important and it is your duty. Having all the advices from the doctors and professionals is not good enough unless you do it immediately.Feel free to use this article on your website or ezine as long as the following information about author/website is included. Heart Disease Prevention - 8 Simple Ways You Can Do Immediately, Goto: http://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com