Dreamhealer

Anti-inflammatory diet can end chronic diseases

The patient was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, with muscle pain, abdominal discomfort, sleeplessness and a frustrating brain fog.

Dr. Victor Sierpina changed the patient’s diet and chased down the villains — wheat, corn and dairy foods. All had triggered inflammatory reactions in her body.

Sierpina, professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, is among a growing number of medical professionals using anti-inflammatory diets as weapons in the fight against disease.

Start with a medical checkup, he advises, and then get ready to revamp your grocery list.

“Inflammation is a hidden factor in many, many chronic diseases — we call it silent inflammation,” he said, speaking by phone from his Galveston office.

“Those conditions include diabetes, heart disease, dementia, obesity and certain forms of arthritis. Read More...

What is a Healthy Diet?

Wikipedia defines “A healthy diet is one that is arrived at with the intent of improving or maintaining optimal health”. “This usually involves consuming nutrients by eating the appropriate amounts from all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water.”

The main benefits of a healthy diet are:

1. Improves your immune system

2. Increases energy levels, vitality and alertness

3. Decreases your risk of heart disease and diabetes

4. Helps you cope with stress

A healthy diet is essential to live a healthy lifestyle. Having the correct nutrients can have a significant effect on your energy levels and vitality while decreasing the risks of disease. A healthy diet consists of meeting your daily calorie intake of the five major food groups with portion control of each food group totalling your necessary calorie intake.This will help you follow a healthy diet and lose weight at the same time.

The five major food groups are:

1. Fruit

2. Vegetables

3. Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes

4. Bread, cereals, rice, pasta

5. Milk, yogurt, cheese

A healthy diet is also made up of portion control. The portion control of these five food groups are as follows:

Carbohydrates: 6 - 8

Protein: 1 - 2
Fats: 1
Dairy: 2 - 3
Fruit: 2
Vegetables: 5
Water: 6

What constitutes a serving size for these food groups to achieve a healthy diet?

1. Carbohydrates (6-8 serves daily)
One serving should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Bread 1 slice
Tortilla, roll, or muffin 1
Bagel, English muffin or hamburger bun 1/2
Rice, pasta, cooked cereal, grits 1/2 cup
Ready-to-eat cereal 3/4 cup (flakes or round)
Pancake, waffle 1 (4.5in diameter)

2. Protein (4-6 serves daily)

One serving of protein should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of protein. Examples of this include:
Cooked lean meat, fish or poultry 2oz- 3oz (60g - 90g)
Egg 1
Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons, 1oz (30g)
Cooked dried peas or beans 1/2 cup
Cooked dried beans 1/2cup
Nuts, seeds 1/3 cup

3. Fat (1 serve daily)

One serving of fat should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of fat. Examples of this include:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp peanut butter
8 ripe olives
1 tbsp salad dressing

4. Dairy (2-3 serves daily)

One serving of dairy should contain about 0.01oz (300mg) of calcium. Examples of this include:
Milk 1 cup
Yogurt 1 cup
Cheese 1 slice, 1oz (30g) (1.5oz cheese is about equal to 1 cup milk)
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup
Pudding 1/2 cup
Ice cream 1/2 cup

5. Fruit (2 serves daily)

One serving of fruit should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Chopped, fresh fruit 1/2 cup
Grapefruit 1/2
Cantaloupe 1/4
Canned fruit 1/2 cup
100% fruit juice 3/4 cup
Raisins or dried fruit 1/4 cup

6. Vegetables (5 serves daily)

One serving of vegetables should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Cooked vegetables 1/2 cup
Chopped, raw vegetables 1/2 cup
Raw, leafy vegetables 1 cup
Vegetable juice 3/4 cup

7. Water (6 serves daily)
Glass of water (10fl oz)

Vitamins and minerals

Many people believe that they can eat what ever they like and can make it up by having vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for this, however this is not the case. Your body absorbes the nutrients in foods are more effectively than in supplements. Furthermore, a majority of supplements on the market are mainly made with fillers you urinate very quickly.

A few things to remember:

1. Try and keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) in a healthy range

2. Try and eat plenty if fibre.

3. Have 8 glasses o water a day. A lack of water is the most common cause of tiredness

4. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption

5. Reduce sugar intake

Maintain these tips to maintaining a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle and you will be amazed at how good you will feel.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What is a Healthy Diet?

Adopting a Healthy Diet – What Does That Entail?

Everyday, people are faced with a wide selection of food options. Your local grocery store has hundreds of food offerings. You will find several aisles with numerous food options. A local restaurant can offer several pages of dishes that you can choose from. Indeed, you are bombarded with numerous food choices on a daily basis. It’s not surprising why some people cannot plan a healthy diet regimen very well.

On top of this, people have to deal with an onslaught of information from various media. You would find advertising promoting McDonalds or Pizza Hut. Every ad is designed to convince you to give in to your sweet cravings. On the other hand, you get nutritionists and health gurus warning you of the dangers of junk foods. You would also find health experts promoting one form of healthy diet after another.

With many options and contrasting information, it is not surprising that people are having difficulty figuring out what a healthy diet exactly is. People are constantly having problems controlling their weight and their eating habits. If you are having the same problem, you are probably giving in to indulgences and you are likely overeating. However, the importance of a healthy diet cannot be overstressed. To help you achieve a healthy diet, you need to arm yourself with vital nutrition information that will help you determine proper food choices.

Moderation is the Key to a Healthy Diet

If you want to maintain a healthy diet, you really don’t have to forego chocolates, ice creams or cakes as long as you eat them in small amounts. You need to practice moderation when it comes to eating. Overeating is the number one cause of obesity and moderation is actually the essential key to maintaining good health. But how do you this?

Basically, eating food in moderation comes with attention. You need to pay attention to what you are eating and to the amount of food that you have eaten. One of the many reasons why people tend to overeat is that they fail to notice whenever their bodies are telling them that they have had enough food. It is important that you learn to eat slowly. You need to be aware of how much you have consumed, so that you would know when you have had enough food.

To eat in moderation, you should avoid second helpings. You should opt for regular sized meals instead of the largest items in a restaurant. You should be particularly conscious of the amount of food you have consumed when you are eating “junk foods”. Again, you don’t have to avoid it altogether, but you need to be a conscious eater. If you are going to eat cookies, don’t eat directly from the box. Often people will only discover that they have eaten a lot once they have realized that they have finished the whole box.

Be Conscious of When You Eat

Aside from controlling your food intake, you should also be conscious of when you eat. This is part of ensuring a healthy diet. Generally, people are better off eating 5 to 6 small meals per day. This is because the body is unable to process or handle large meals. It tends to convert the food into fats. On the other hand, if you eat small meals a day, your body will be better equipped to handle small amount of foods.

It is also very important that you avoid late night snacking. Your stomach should be empty 3 or 4 hours before you go to sleep. It can be tempting to have a large sandwich at midnight but this habit will take a toll on your weight and health. Your body will merely store the food as fat while you sleep. There’s nothing like waking up with an empty stomach and enjoying a healthy breakfast with your family. Speaking of breakfast, this is one meal that you should never skip. Skipping out on a heavy breakfast will make you crave food the entire day.

Do Not Starve Yourself

Many people think that by starving themselves, they would lose weight. Unfortunately, this rarely happens because once the hunger kicks in and they give in to it, they would likely end up eating huge fatty meals. They also tend to become more obsessed with food and they end up consuming large amounts of food.

Basically, having a healthy diet means eating foods rich in nutrients, eating foods in moderation and being conscious of your eating habits. By adopting a healthy diet, you will live a much better life.

About the Author:

Pro Chef 360 - Created and maintained by the culinary minded

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com -

Diet and Exercise – How to Introduce Healthy Diet and Exercise to Your Daily Routine

Diet and exercise is a combination that will help you to avoid various chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke; although that fact is widely known, apparently it is still difficult for most of people who have used to current sedentary lifestyle. Due to this behavior, nearly 300,000 people in U.S. die each year from diseases that related to inactivity and unhealthy diet.

Actually, it is not that difficult to slip exercises between your daily routine and starting a healthy eating behavior; these are few diet and exercise tips that you might find useful:

1. Start slowly; this applies for both diet and exercise. You can't suddenly reduce your meal portion drastically or jogging 5 miles every morning; build up new eating behavior and activity gradually over a period of months instead.
2. Water is one of the best ways to keep your metabolism going and keep your body healthy. Eight to ten (8 oz glasses) glass of water per day is recommended for everyone. Just remember not to exceed water since it can flush out too many nutrients from the body.
3. As a start, try to increase your physical activity during your typical day. Walking to the nearest shop, take stairs instead of elevator, take a little farther parking spot, and maybe a light jog before starting your working day are a great start.
4. You can start to change your diet by reduce your meal portion and make your regular meal time from three to five times a day. This way, you will keep full all day, avoid too much snacks, and keep your body metabolism at good rate. During this period, take some times during break to learn about healthy eating, various foods that provide proper nutrients, and the ability to distinguish good and bad food by reading food label.
5. When you have used to light daily physical activities, accumulate 30 minutes of cardiovascular activities each day. You can split this to smaller sessions, for instance: divide it in three sessions, each session take 10 minutes. Including swimming and increase your jogging duration are good ideas. From my experience, jog with a friend or favorite pets can be a really good moment, otherwise strap your MP3 player and listen to your favorite songs; you will be surprise on how much distance you've covered when you are not actually counting each of your steps or keep looking at your watch.
6. Introduce various healthy foods that you've known to your daily meals. Reduce trans fat, saturated fat, caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, salt gradually. At the same time increase vegetable, fruits, cereal, lean meat, and low fat dairy products consumption.
7. The next step in diet and exercise is including weight training; this maybe hard for some people but gaining more muscle means you'll be one step away from obesity which is the trigger to many other chronic diseases. Add two weight training sessions per week in your schedule when you feel that you are ready.

I know this introduction of diet and exercise to your daily life won't be a walk in the park; it is easy to break into temptation and it will probably happen many times. When this happens, simply restart the whole program and try to hold for longer period this time.

Author: Stefan V.

Importance of a Healthy Diet and Exercise After Liposuction

Anyone who has ever tried to get rid of problematic fat in trouble spots around the hips, abdomen and thighs has probably considered liposuction at some point. This targeted procedure allows surgeons to remove excess fat from specific areas of the body. It is important to note, however, that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. In fact, the best candidates for liposuction are people who are at a normal, healthy weight.

Once you’ve had liposuction, the fat in those problem areas is not gone for good. In order to maintain your desired look at keep fat from returning to those problems areas, it is essential to follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen after your surgery. If you decide to have liposuction, start planning your health and fitness plan today in order to get started on the path toward a healthier, fitter body.

Reasons to Stay Fit and Healthy

While liposuction can be very effective, patients can easily regain all of the fat they lost and then some. According to a recent report in a plastic surgery journal, patients are three times more likely to regain the fat they lost if they do not follow a healthy diet. The same report also revealed that patients who do not exercise regularly after having liposuction are four times more likely to gain weight.

Obviously, diet and exercise are essential to staying healthy and physically fit. How can you kick start your own health habits? While your lifestyle, physical capabilities and personality will all contribute to your choices, the following guidelines can help you make the right diet and exercise decisions.

Follow the USDA Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

With so much diet and nutrition advice circulating all around us, it can be difficult to decide which tips to follow. The best advice is to keep it as simple as possible. Follow the guidelines laid out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which recommended a balanced diet full of healthy grains, fruits and vegetables. Additional tips such as drinking plenty of water, limiting salt intake and reducing the amount of refined sugar you eat each day can also help you stay healthy and ward off extra pounds.

Exercise at Least Five Days Each Week

Regular physical activity is another essential component for keeping the weigh off following a liposuction procedure. The vast majority of experts recommend working out for 30 minutes each day five days each week. Are you busy and short on time? Remember that you don’t need to perform all of this exercise all at once. Simple changes to your daily routine such as taking the stairs or taking brief walks during the day can add up quickly.

However, it is important to talk to your doctor to establish a timetable for your exercise program after your liposuction surgery. While you may begin easy walking within a few days after liposuction, you should take it easy for at least two weeks after the procedure. Your liposuction doctor may also suggest waiting for at least one month after your surgery before begin a regular routine of strenuous physical exercise.

Author: Kendra Wagner