Healthrite

2006-08-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

What is a "Healthy Diet"?

The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that
Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

2006-06-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

Cellulite Cures:The Truth
From a medical standpoint, cellulite does not exist. Before you begin a cursing onslaught, allow me to explain. Cellulite is nothing more than fat. Len Kravitz, Ph.D., who published an excellent article titled "Cellulite: Everything You Want To Know and More," states that "the name (cellulite) originated from the French medical literature over 150 years ago." He goes on to describe the physiological reasons why cellulite is nothing more than plain-old body fat. For the sake of familiarity and due to the fact that it does have an unusual dimpled appearance, I will continue to use the name cellulite throughout the article. I'm sure you'd like a bit more proof that cellulite is nothing more than body fat, an explanation why it has such an unusual appearance, and why itï¿½s so prominent in women. Stay with me on this one. If we examine the fat cells of males and females, we find that both sexes have connective tissue that segments or separates fat cells into compartments. However, men have more of a crisscross/horizontal pattern within the compartments. The fat chambers of men appear as small diagonal units, which store smaller quantities of fat. On the other hand, women have a honeycomb appearance to their fat compartments. In women, fat is organized into large vertical chambers where an abundance of fat can be stored. The vertical/honeycomb shape of the fat compartments is what makes cellulite stand out like month-old cottage cheese on females. This honeycomb appearance gives fat a greater chance to bulge from the skin.

2006-05-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Cellulite Cures: The Truths
Cottage cheese should be something you choose to add to your nutritional program, not something that takes up residence on your legs and butt.
As a trainer with over 14 years of experience, I've heard the term cellulite described many different ways: cottage cheese, dimples, orange peel, gunk and blobby stuff. However, no matter how it's described, women all view cellulite as a never ending, constant annoyance.
Let's calmly and analytically try to understand what this cottage cheese-looking stuff is, and then let's discuss a realistic solution to diminish it. To be continued tomorrow

2006-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

CHILDREN TOO ARE NOT LEFT OUT
Obesity has taken hold of children as young as five, but by the time a child reaches the tender age of 12, most think they are too fat whether they are or not. By the time kids are pre-teen, many have developed erratic eating patterns. The challenge is that eating too much of the wrong food, even if only snacks out of vending machines, can lead to more weight gain, leading to a feeling of loneliness, depression and suicidal thoughts. With today's busy lifestyles, parents need to be sure that the family eats meals together at least four times a week. When doing so, by the time their kids are pre-teens or teenagers, they are more likely not to use tobacco, alcohol or marijuana and to eliminate feelings of depression. In fact, families who eat together can see an increase in better schoolwork and greater well-being among their kids. How does this work? It brings a consistent routine back into their lives and an open opportunity for discussion focusing on better eating habits, manners, nutrition and anything that they want to bring to the table. Teach Teens To Make Better Choices Eat three meals a day. Breakfast is important, but so are the other two meals. Many teens are simply in too big of a rush to eat breakfast or they just do not understand the importance of beginning the day with a healthy start. Try to have simple, yet healthy choices available for them to grab in the morning. Explain that eating healthier and making better choices does not mean having to give up their favorite foods. Eating a smaller portion of fries or chips, along with a piece of fruit is a smart choice in cutting out fat and calories.

2006-05-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Nutrition For Teens: Healthy Choices

Are you or your children especially teens overweight, out of shape and in danger of obesity-related illnesses? The only way to be healthier is to trim up and thin.
Eating together as a family is an excellent way to help teens become healthier and ensures emotional well-being. Teens frequently become depressed. This is more prevalent during the high school years. Girls are at a higher risk for falling into a rut of skipping healthy meals thinking it will lead to losing weight. The emphasis our culture places on looking thin is oftentimes too much for teens to digest. Now, being thin has swiftly garnished popularity among boys as well.

2006-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dieting practices, weight perceptions, and body composition: A comparison of normal weight, overweight, and obese college female
Background: Of concern to health educators is the suggestion that college females practice diet and health behaviors that contradict the 2005 dietary guidelines for Americans. In this regard, there remain gaps in the research related to dieting among college females. Namely, do normal weight individuals diet differently from those who are overweight or obese, and are there dieting practices used by females that can be adapted to promote a healthy body weight? Since it is well recognized that females diet, this study seeks to determine the dieting practices used among normal, overweight, and obese college females (do they diet differently) and identify dieting practices that could be pursued to help these females more appropriately achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Methods: A total of 185 female college students aged 18 to 24 years participated in this study. Height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and skinfold thickness were measured to assess body composition. Surveys included a dieting practices questionnaire and a 30-day physical activity recall. Participants were classified according to body mass index (BMI) as normal weight (n = 113), overweight (n = 35), or obese (n = 21). Data were analyzed using JMP IN(R) software. Descriptive statistics included means, standard deviations, and frequency. Subsequent data analysis involved Pearson chi2 and one-way analysis of variance with comparison for all pairs that were significantly different using Tukey-Kramer honestly significant difference test. Results: Outcomes of this study indicate the majority of participants (83%) used dieting for weight loss and believed they would be 2% to 6% greater than current weight if they did not diet; normal weight, overweight, and obese groups perceived attractive weight to be 94%, 85%, and 74%, respectively, of current weight; 80% of participants reported using physical activity to control weight, although only 19% exercised at a level that would promote weight loss; only two of 15 dieting behaviors assessed differed in terms of prevalence of use among groups, which were consciously eating less than you want (44% normal weight, 57% overweight, 81% obese) and using artificial sweeteners (31% normal weight and overweight, 5% obese); and the most prevalent explicit maladaptive weight loss behavior was smoking cigarettes (used by 9% of participants) and most unhealthy was skipping breakfast (32%). Conclusions: Collectively, results indicate female college students, regardless of weight status, would benefit from open discussions with health educators regarding healthy and effective dieting practices to achieve/maintain a healthy body weight. The results are subject to replication among high school, middle-aged, and older females.content thanks to bloglines

2006-04-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ginger, pepper treat difficult cancers
(Reuters) - Ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells while the compound that makes peppers hot can shrink pancreatic tumors.

2006-04-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

DOUES THE FLAMES OF HEARTBURN
You have heartburn but this time it feels different. it even wakes you up at night with a burning sensation in your chest and throat and is sometimes accompanied by regurgitation and a sour taste. sound familiar? if it dose,you may be suffering from heartburn caused by acid reflux.Here are a few easy way to beat the burn.
Lie down later; try to work two or three hours before jumping into bed after dinner; heartburn or reflux often strike when you lie down too soon after a meal.
Avoid certain foods; caffeine,alcohol,and acids juices such as orange, grape and tomato can stimulate acid production.
Neutralise the acid: look for the only over the counter product containing alginic acid sodium bicarbonate, a unique combination thats doctor - recommended specificially for heartburn die to acid reflux.

2006-04-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

You've seen the ads: "Natural herbs melt pounds away - without diet or exercise!" or "Amazing new discovery boosts athletic performance!" They usually claim that a doctor has discovered a new dietary supplement, a miracle substance that will make you thinner, stronger, smarter, or better at whatever you do. Best of all, you're told, this supplement works without any real effort - all you have to do is send in your money and swallow what they send you.
Having trouble believing these ads? You're right to be skeptical. There's little evidence that dietary supplements have the effects that they claim - and there is evidence that some supplements can cause serious damage to a user's health, especially when that user is a teen.
What Are Dietary Supplements?Dietary supplements are products that include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or botanicals (plants) - or any concentration, extract, or combination of these - as part of their ingredients. You can purchase dietary supplements in pill, gel capsule, liquid, or powder forms.
How safe are they? In many cases, no one really knows. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which normally checks out the safety of foods and medicines before they come on the market, does not check on the safety of dietary supplements before they're sold. The FDA has to wait until it receives reports of problems caused by supplements before it can investigate and ban a dietary supplement. This is what happened with the herb ephedra (also called ma huang or herbal fen-phen) in 2003 when the FDA pulled the supplement from the U.S. market after it was linked to the death of a well-known baseball player.
This means that if you take an untested supplement, you are serving as the manufacturer's unpaid guinea pig and risking your own health.
Can Supplements Make Me a Better Athlete? to be continued via teenshealth

2006-04-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking."

2006-04-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU IMAGINE

Over 80 Percent Of US College Girls Surveyed Diet To Lose Weight
Eighty-three per cent of college girls surveyed diet to lose weight, regardless of their current body weight. A study published today in the open access journal Nutrition Journal (http://www.nutritionj.com/) also reveals that college girls practice unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking or skipping breakfast, to lose weight.

2006-03-13T04:03:00.000-08:00

Sleep: not enough, too much may up diabetes risk
Research hints that not getting enough sleep each night, or getting too much sleep, may increase a person's risk of developing non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes, independent of other factors. content thanks Reuters Health

2006-03-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

Quotes of the Day
"Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, dont put it off."

2006-03-13T03:50:00.001-08:00

Quotes of the day

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."

2006-03-13T03:50:00.000-08:00

Quotes of the day

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."

2006-03-13T03:36:00.000-08:00

Healthy 'Trifecta' Means Proper Nutrition, Exercise and Adequate Sleep

We are a society that generally snore, toss and turn, dream crazy dreams. Some of us even drive our mates to the quiet confines of the other bedroom or, worse still, another house.In general, most healthy adults need eight hours of sleep a night. In reality, America's adults average snoozing 6.9 hours each night, 40 million Americans suffer from more than 70 sleep disorders, and 40 percent of adults experience enough daytime sleepiness to interfere with daily activities, according to the National Sleep Foundation (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/)

2006-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Cholesterol-Lowering Foods Most Effective When Eaten Together
soy protein, almonds, plant-sterol enriched margarines, oats and barley are among most effective foods at helping people lower their cholesterol, especially when eaten together, according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.In the study conducted by nutrition scientists at the University of Toronto, more than a third of the people who adhered to a strict combination of the foods slashed their cholesterol levels by more than 20 percent and also did as well as people on statin drugs, which are normally prescribed to lower "bad cholesterol.""The study's findings suggest that the average person can do a lot to improve their health through diet," said David Jenkins, a university nutritional sciences professor and creator of the widely followed Glycemic Index (http://www.glycemicindex.com/). "People interested in lowering their cholesterol should probably acquire a taste for tofu and oatmeal, keeping in mind that portable alternatives fit best with a modern lifestyle. Save the experimenting for the evening, when you have more time to prepare more complicated meals."via bloglines

2006-03-06T10:36:00.001-08:00

Poland in first bird flu outbreak
In Europe
Two swans found dead in northern Poland died from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, tests show.
content thanks bloglines

2006-03-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

Decide to Be Healthy, Not Thin
If you add up the number of people unhappy with their bodies, the percentage on a diet, or the billions of dollars spent on diet programs, books, foods and supplements, the figures all show that our society has become obsessed with weight. But if so many Americans are concerned with their weight, how can more people than ever be overweight?But a desire to be slim can backfire. Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are now overweight, increasing their risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer. Nearly one-third is obese.via blogline

2006-02-18T02:34:00.006-08:00

Sex, Sexuality, and Relationship

Sex! One little word that causes so much confusion, worry and problems. But it shouldn't be that way. Your sexuality is part of who you are, it's part of life.Although sex and relationships are areas of life that everyone has to deal with, we all experience confusion, questions and problems at some stage in our lives. Sometimes it's notthat easy to ask for help or advice. It's too embarrassing or we don't know who to ask.
This section gives you some basic guidelines on how being aware of your sexuality and the problems you might encounter can lessen the worries you have and make you feel healthier, happier and safer. Whether it's puberty, relationships, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual orientation, contraception or pregnancy you are concerned about, this section provides information that can help. If you do find yourself in trouble, don't panic! There's plenty of good, confidential support available to help you along.content thanks to teenshealth.org

2006-02-18T02:34:00.005-08:00

Preventing Injury

Modern life brings many worries for young people (and their parents) such as bullying, drugs and the dangers from strangers. However, one of the most common cause for concern is the possibility of getting injured. This can happen at home, school, work, during sports...anywhere and at anytime!
Many of us believe injuries are accidents. If you think about it though, most injuries are predictable and preventable. The facts tell us that it’s actually misleading to say that an injury was caused by an "accident." To keep yourself and others safe, you need to know why accidents happen and how to prevent them. Most injuries, 95 percent, are the result of a predictable and preventable circumstances!
It is not an accident when someone trips on a carpet and breaks a leg, a drunk driver dies in a car crash or a cyclist falls and suffers a serious head injury. These are preventable occurrences.
What you can do to prevent injury: Buckle up your seat belt Never ever drink and drive Wear protective gear like helmets, pads and goggles Look before crossing the road Get proper training for your job or sport
More information at Nova Scotia Dept. of Health
Content thanks to Nova Scotia Dept. of Health and Wired for Health

2006-02-18T02:34:00.004-08:00

.Fruit and vegetables

Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables can help to reduce the likelihood of developing chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease and some cancers. Most people need to double their intake of fruit and vegetables.
You should aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This can be fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables. Fruit juice and dried fruits can also be included as a portion once a day but try to eat them with your meal rather than in between.

Content thanks to Wired for Health

2006-02-18T02:34:00.002-08:00

A Health Diet

A healthy diet provides the energy and nourishment you need to survive and to enjoy life. Eating too little can soon lead to illness, but eating too much or the wrong balance of foods can lead to problems too.
Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating makes healthy eating easy to understand. It shows the types and proportions of foods you need to eat for a well-balanced and healthy diet. This balance could be achieved over a day, a few days or a week.
Balanced meals contain portions of starchy foods with plenty of vegetables, salad or fruit. Fat content is kept to a minimum by choosing low-fat or lean ingredients and by using low-fat cooking methods.
Vegetarian eating
More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of a vegetarian diet. There are many different types of vegetarian diet and people choose to be vegetarian for a wide variety of reasons. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish and poultry. Some vegetarians may not eat dairy products or eggs. Vegans do not eat any food that is of animal origin.
Vegetarian diets can be healthy but, of course, following a vegetarian diet does not necessarily mean your diet will be healthy. It can still be high in fat, sugar and salt. Make sure that you replace the foods that you cut out with others from the same food group. It should never be a matter of just cutting out the meat from your meals. Vitamin and mineral supplements
Most of us get the vitamins and minerals we need by eating a varied diet, and do not need to take vitamin or mineral supplements.
It is possible to take too much of some vitamin supplements and cause more harm than good. Some supplements contain high quantities of certain vitamins and minerals and the body has problems adjusting when you stop taking them. Also, too much of one mineral can interfere with the body's ability to absorb another.
It is important not to take a 'cocktail' of different vitamin supplements that have been purchased, since it's difficult to assess how much of a certain vitamin or mineral it provides in total. This can mean that they may be taken in excess. For some vitamins, such B group and C, your body will get rid of any excess, but other vitamins like A will be stored in the liver and can be toxic in large quantities.
Supplements can be very expensive, so it is a good idea to check with a doctor first if you think you might need to take any vitamins or mineral supplements.
Don't forget that these are powerful substances and are needed by the body in only small amounts and will already be present in foods.
Content thanks to Wired for Health

2006-02-10T23:38:00.006-08:00

Low Fat Diet Benefit Women LessThan Expected
But they still urge women to continue to eat well and exercise[Nubella News] â" Older women who simply reduce the amount of total fat in their diet won't generally lower their risk of breast or colorectal cancer or heart disease, according to the latest findings in what is being called the country's largest long-term study of low-fat diets.However, researchers involved in the federally funded Women's Health Initiative involving nearly 49,000 women say that people shouldn't forgo their diets and exercise, go whole hog and pull out the Twinkies. They say the women in the study may have begun eating healthy foods too late in life and failed to slash the amount of fat that the diets in the study demanded.

2006-02-10T23:38:00.005-08:00

Single and repeated moderate consumption of native or dealcoholized red wine show different effects on antioxidant parameters in blood and DNA strand breaks in peripheral leukocytes in healthy volunteers: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN68505294]
By Bianca M Arendt, Sabine Ellinger, Klaudia Kekic, Leonie Geus, Rolf Fimmers, Ulrich Spengler, Wolfgang-Ulrich M?and Roland Goerlich
Background: Red wine (RW) is rich in antioxidant polyphenols that might protect from oxidative stress related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Antioxidant effects after single ingestion of RW or dealcoholized RW (DRW) have been observed in several studies, but results after regular consumption are contradictory. Thus, we examined if single or repeated consumption of moderate amounts of RW or DRW exert antioxidant activity in vivo. Methods: Total phenolic content and concentration of other antioxidants in plasma/serum, total antioxidant capacity (TEAC) in plasma as well as DNA strand breaks in peripheral leukocytes were measured in healthy non-smokers A) before, 90 and 360 min after ingestion of one glass of RW, DRW or water; B) before and after consumption of one glass of RW or DRW daily for 6 weeks. DNA strand breaks (SB) were determined by single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet Assay) in untreated cells and after induction of oxidative stress ex vivo with H2O2 (300 μM, 20 min). Results: Both RW and DRW transiently increased total phenolic content in plasma after single consumption, but only RW lead to a sustained increase if consumed regularly. Plasma antioxidant capacity was not affected by single or regular consumption of RW or DRW. Effects of RW and DRW on DNA SB were conflicting. DNA strand breaks in untreated cells increased after a single dose of RW and DRW, whereas H2O2 induced SB were reduced after DRW. In contrast, regular RW consumption reduced SB in untreated cells but did not affect H2O2 induced SB. Conclusion: The results suggest that consumption of both RW and DRW leads to an accumulation of phenolic compounds in plasma without increasing plasma antioxidant capacity. Red wine and DRW seem to affect the occurrence of DNA strand breaks, but this cannot be referred to antioxidant effects.
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2006-02-10T23:38:00.004-08:00

Take Supplement Rather Than Soak Up Rays, To Get Vitamin D,Dermatologists Say

- People who worship the sun to get more vitamin D are increasing their risk of skin cancer and premature aging of the skin, and should instead take vitamin supplements or adopt diets rich in the healthy nutrient, researchers say.In fact, Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatologist with Boston University's School of Medicine who conducted the research on ultraviolet radiation, said that sunbathing to get more vitamin D is like taking up smoking to lose weight.

2006-02-10T23:38:00.003-08:00

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Hospitals must prepare their staff for the trauma of a bird flu epidemic or risk a collapse of morale and services at a time when they will be most needed, a medical expert said on Saturday.
"I predict that you will have very few staff two weeks into the epidemic if you do not have mechanisms in place to minimize the stress and effect on morale," Charles Gomersall, the director of intensive care at Hong Kong's Princess Margaret Hospital, told a bird flu symposium in Singapore.
"If you have poor staff morale, they will not come to work, you would not have a service -- end of story."
He said hospitals could offer staff counseling and daily debriefings to help them manage stress during an outbreak.
While the H5N1 avian flu virus mostly affects birds, it has killed at least 88 people in seven countries since it re-emerged in late 2003, with most victims in east Asia.
There is no evidence yet that the virus has mutated to the point that it could spread from human to human, a nightmare scenario experts believe could kill millions.
Gomersall said there appeared to be a higher mortality rate among avian flu patients than among those affected by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, particularly among children.
Taking 54 reported bird flu cases from Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong and China, he found that the death rate for those requiring intensive care was 89 percent and their median age was 12.5 years. "The much greater problem in avian flu compared to SARS is the high mortality, in particular the high mortality amongst children," Gomersall said. "The family will have dropped off their child and the next time they see him, he will be dying -- can you imagine the effect that will have on staff morale in your unit?"
Gomersall said hospitals needed to start equipping their facilities and training their staff now.
"Once the epidemic starts, you've got a very, very short time between presentation (of symptoms) and ICU admission," he said.
"The number of days between having no patients with SARS and having a lot of patients with SARS is about 3 to 4 days. Avian flu is unlikely to be better: if anything, it's likely to be worse. If you haven't started preparing already, go home and start now."
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2006-02-10T23:38:00.002-08:00

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Brown warned White House before Katrina struck
G8 countries grapple with energy woes

BAKU (Reuters) - Avian flu was blamed for deaths in Indonesia and China on Friday and spread to a new country after Azerbaijan found the lethal H5N1 strain in wild birds floating dead on the Caspian Sea.
The virus was discovered in birds in the west African country of Nigeria earlier this week, extending what a senior United Nations official called a devastating spread from southern Asia over the past seven months.
Health experts are trying to warn people of the danger of a virus that is contracted through direct contact with infected birds. But episodes in countries as far apart as Nigeria and Iraq showed the struggle they face.
Nigerian poultry farm workers used their bare hands to throw dead chickens onto fires as village children stood by to watch in an area where H5N1 flu virus has been found.
In the southern Iraqi city of Amara, which is investigating a death that may have been caused by bird flu, children played among the dead fowl.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already confirmed 88 human deaths since the virus re-emerged in late 2003 and the figure is steadily climbing.
Indonesia said a woman being treated for bird flu at a specialist Jakarta hospital had died and another patient was in critical condition.
The virus has also killed a 20-year-old woman farmer in the central Chinese province of Hunan, the Ministry of Health said.
There are fears the virus could mutate to a form where it can spread from human to human, sparking a pandemic in which millions could die.
David Nabarro, who heads the U.N. drive to contain the virus, said there was no evidence it had mutated to that point, but added "it's not far away."
"I don't want to scare anyone but the truth is this virus is undergoing changes slowly," Nabarro told a gathering of advocacy and humanitarian groups at U.N. headquarters. "This warning that nature is giving us has to be heeded." document.write('© Reuters ' + year.getFullYear() + ". All Rights Reserved." );

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