Ad - Nutrisystem

I don't know why more companies won't do campaigns such as this. Real message by real people. If the company works, there will be real customers who are willing to provide reviews and comments. If you get negative reviews and feedback, do something about it like Dominos. My wife and I are in LOVE with Dominos now after they completely revamped their recipe! See the below video by Nutrisystem. Makes me wanna give it a try!

Falling in and out of illness

What signs do you look for when you are about to get sick? For me, its a sore throat. I know I'm about to catch the bug when I had one too many sugary drink. I usually start with coffee in the morning but at times I may get carried away with 2-3 more drinks for lunch. Yeah, I know.. not good. when this happens, I immediately go into recovery mode.

-Hydrate self with tepid water hot tea. No iced drinks
-Gargle salt water every other hour
-Avoid processes, oily, fast food
-Pack self with vitamin rich food such as vegetables, poultry, fish
-Get lots of sleep, at least 8 hours

Typically if I stick to this routine, I get better by day 3.

What is your routine? How does your body respond to illness?

Thinking of a nip or tuck? First come to this web chat Friday - Health Key

Thinking of a nip or tuck? First come to this web chat Friday - Health Key

Dr. Martin Newman, a plastic surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Florida, will be conducting an informational echat hosted by latimes.com. Dr. Newman will be defunct myths about cosmetic surgery and answer presorted questions. The echat will be held at 900PST on Friday 12/9.

Study: Acupuncture May Change the Way the Brain Perceives Pain

Study: Acupuncture May Change the Way the Brain Perceives Pain

How does your body answer to acupuncture? I had several experiences with acupuncture and for the most part, I am a believer in eastern medicine. The first time I visited an acupuncturist, I went in to have the Dr. checked out my jammed toe and my knee. My toe I jammed while attempting a backflip in high school roughly 7 years ago from that time. I had limited movement and I experienced limited sensation. My knee was also from an injury sustained from a soccer game when I was a high school senior.

The experience was definitely one for the books. I walked in and realized the acupuncturist spoke of no English and I spoke of extremely limited Mandarin. Somehow through motion and my Academy Award worthy expression of "Ow!", he comprehend what the issue was. He began working the lights and the needed. The initial poke was nothing spectacular. I have had needles pricked at me before. It was when he reached my nerves did I know he was on to something. It is a feeling you never had before, an area in your body where you have never felt anything prior. Soon there were roughly 20+ needles in the surrounding areas of my left knee and my toe.

About 3-4 sessions later across a month, my toe completely healed. I have my full range and sensation back. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I was sold. However, my knee was not so lucky. I concluded that your mileage may vary with acupuncture. However, if you have pain areas and did not have any success with traditional medicine, I would give acupuncture a shot.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This is solely recommendation and not be considered as medical advice. Please check with your primary physician prior to trying eastern medicine including acupuncture.

Healthy Eating: Experts shun fat-free diets - Kewanee, IL - Star Courier

Healthy Eating: Experts shun fat-free diets - Kewanee, IL - Star Courier

Not all fat are created equal. My mom was in town a few weeks ago when she yelled at me to discard the fatty portion of the salmon. I gasped and explained to her that this was jam packed with omega 3! I was a bit stunned that she was not aware that there were different types of fat let alone healthy ones.

I hope you have developed a habit to take a look at the nutritional value of the food before you make a purchase. It's probably one of the best thing the FDA has established in recent memory. There are, however, room for improvement. Joan Endyke (who can probably use a new profile picture) describes the limitation of the nutritional label in distinguishing the good fat (HDL) and the bad fat (LDL). If you can't remember, keep in mind that LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein as in 'liposuction'. Get it? Here is a detailed article from abcnews.

Short- and Long-term Risk of Infections as a Function of Group Child Care Attendance

Short- and Long-term Risk of Infections as a Function of Group Child Care Attendance

As a parent you always want the best for your child to keep them free from illness. There will come a time when you must decide to introduce them to a daycare or to preschool. The byproduct of that is bacteria and germs! The alternative would be to keep them home and you may possibly be able to control the environment but how about the long run? Can you possibly shield them from play dates? How about at the playground? I think we all acknowledge that we won't put our children in a bubble (I hope..).

This research shows that children who are introduced to daycare early in life are less likely to get sick later.

See results:

Results Compared with children cared for at home, those who started large GCC in the early preschool period had higher rates of respiratory tract infections (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-2.03) and ear infections (IRR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.19-2.20) during that period but lower rates of respiratory tract infections (IRR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.96) and ear infections (IRR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.37-0.88) during the elementary school years.

Conclusions Children contract infections around the time they initiate large structured group activities. Participation in large GCC before 2 years old, although associated with increased infections at that time, seems to protect against infections during the elementary school years. Physicians may reassure parents that infections during the first child care years do not lead to a higher overall burden of infections.

Don't swallow food industry's bull; fatty foods make people fat

Don't swallow food industry's bull; fatty foods make people fat

Great article to counter Professor Mark Haub. Actually, in another article that interviewed Haub, he actually regret making his research public. I don't' blame him. His research has been misquoted and it was probably a well received by the junk food industry (next on their wish list is removing the label 'junk'). What was probably understated was that Haub exercised 40-60 min DAILY. You be the judge. I'm not going to start stocking up on junk food anytime soon.

Calcium supplements and the heart

Calcium supplements and the heart



Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack. Doctors want more evidence and research before putting this one in the books. This is a tough one if found true. On one hand, Americans simply do not eat enough calcium rich foods hence, the need for calcium supplements. If it indeed increases risk of heart attack, supplements may be discarded. Best is to take more calcium rich foods.







Chart from © International Osteoporosis Foundation 2010

Food		Serving Size (average)		Calcium (mg)
	Milk
	Milk, semi-skimmed		glass, 200 ml		240
	Milk skimmed		glass, 200 ml		244
	Milk whole		glass, 200 ml		236
	Milkshake		takeaway, 300 ml		387
	Soy drink, calcium enriched		glass, 200 ml		178
	Yoghurt and Cream
	Yoghurt, low-fat, fruit		pot, 150 g		210
	Yoghurt, low-fat, plain		pot, 150 g		243
	Cream, double, whipped		portion, 45 g		26
	Cream single		tablespoon, 15 g		13
	Cheeses
	Danish blue		portion, 40 g		195
	Edam		portion, 40 g		318
	Feta		portion, 40 g		144
	Camembert		portion, 40 g		94
	Cheddar		medium chunk, 40 g		296
	Cheese spread		portion, 30 g		149
	Cottage		small pot, 112 g		142
	Mozzarella, fresh		portion, 56 g		203
	Parmesan, fresh		portion, 30 g		308
	Vegetables
	Broccoli, boiled		serving, 85 g		34
	Watercress, raw		small bunch, 20 g		34
	Curly Kale		serving, 95 g		143
	Okra, stir fried		8 medium, 40 g		88
	Red kidney beans, canned		3 tablespoons, 105 g		75
	Chick peas, boiled		3 tablespoons, 90 g		41
	Green/French beans		serving, 90 g		50
	Baked beans		serving, 135 g		72
	Nuts
	Almonds		12 whole, 26 g		62
	Brazil Nuts		6 whole, 20 g		34
	Hazlenuts		20 whole, 20 g		28
	Sesame seeds		1 tablespoon, 12 g		80
	Walnuts		12 halves, 40 g		38
	Tahini Paste		1 heaped teaspoon, 19 g		129
	Desserts
	Cheesecake, fruit		average slice, 120 g		94
	Custard made with milk		average portion, 120 g		166
	Rice pudding, canned		average portion, 200 g		176
	Ice cream, dairy, vanilla		average serving, 75 g		75
	Fromage frais, fruit		small pot, 60 g		52
	Fish
	Sardines in oil, tinned		portion, 100 g		500
	Whitebait, fried		portion, 80 g		688
	Salmon, tinned		average portion, 100 g		91
	Fish paste		small jar, 35 g		98
	Breads and grains
	Pasta, plain, cooked		portion, 230 g		85
	Rice, white, boiled		portion, 180 g		32
	White bread		slice, 30 g		53
	Wholemeal bread		slice, 30 g		32
	Muesli, Swiss style		portion, 50 g		55
	Fruits
	Apricots, raw, no stone		4 fruit, 160 g		117
	Figs, ready to eat		4 fruit, 220 g		506
	Currants		2 tablespoons, 50 g		47
	Orange		peeled, 160 g		75
	Other foods
	Tofu, soy bean, steamed		100 g		510
	Omelette, cheese		2 eggs, 120 g		344
	Quiche, cheese & egg		average slice, 140 g		367
	Macaroni cheese		portion, 220 g		374
	Pizza, cheese & tomato		9" - 10" pizza, 410 g		873
	Lasagne		portion, 420 g		420

References:

1. Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Sixth Summary Edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.
2. Food Standards Agency (2002), Food Portion Sizes.

Seafood diet may protect older adults' vision longer

Seafood diet may protect older adults' vision longer

Get ready to take your parents and grandparents to those seafood restaurants! It's always known that food rich in omega-3 is good for you but how good? This research by Bonnielin Swenor of John Hopkins details:

Bonnielin Swenor of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine."Our study shows a dietary effect, that people who had the highest weekly intake of fish and shellfish high in omega-3 fatty acids were significantly less likely to have advanced disease," Swenor says.

Weight maintenance achieved with high-protein, low-glycemic-index diet

Weight maintenance achieved with high-protein, low-glycemic-index diet

If you have attempted a diet or two, you probably notice by now it's more difficult to maintain your weight after the weight loss. I found that true when I went on the Master Cleanse. Here is an article that talks about maintaining your weight after weight loss by maintaining a high-protien, low-glycemic0-dex diet.

Quote:
A modest increase in protein intake and decrease in glycemic index led to maintained weight loss, according to data from a European study. The study enrolled 938 adults from eight European countries who had lost at least 8% of their initial body weight by adhering to an 800-kcal diet. Researchers randomly assigned 773 participants in a two-by-two factorial fashion to one of five diets: low protein and low glycemic index; low protein and high glycemic index; high protein and low glycemic index; high protein and high glycemic index or a control diet. The purpose of the diet was to maintain weight for 26 weeks.

Salty diet does harm in heart failure

Salty diet does harm in heart failure

From Reuters Health. More reason to reduce salt in your diet. I never understood why people put salt when they bake or when they cook eggs. I certainly don't! The article articulates the risks involved with people who have a high salt diet and if they encounter a heart failure.

Highlights:
In the study, people who ate an average of 3.8 grams of sodium per day -- equivalent to nearly 2 teaspoons of salt, and more than twice the maximum recommended by the American Heart Association for healthy people -- were twice as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure within a 3-year window as people who ate fewer salty foods.

Among people with heart failure who ate an average of 3.8 grams of salt per day, nearly half were hospitalized for heart failure over an approximately 3-year period. In contrast, only 12 to 15 percent of the people with lower-salt diets - between 1.4 and 2.4 grams per day on average -- ended up in the hospital during the same time span.

People who ate the highest amounts of salt were also three times more likely to die during the study period, the authors report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Soy Supplements Effective for Menopausal Symptoms - study

Soy Supplements Effective for Menopausal Symptoms - study

Very interesting article from foodconsumer.org regarding soy supplements and menopausal symptoms.

'Fitness with a twist' boosts women's confidence - The Globe - Web Extras

'Fitness with a twist' boosts women's confidence - The Globe - Web Extras

Saw this in a local LA newscast as well. Pole dancing may have associations with strip clubs but these ladies have used it for fitness and as a work out. As a result, it makes them feel great by boosting their confidence.

Twinkies or Potatoes? Maybe we are overthinking this.

Mark Haub, a professor at Kansas State University, became news after losing 27 lbs eating nothing but twinkies, sugar donuts, and nutty bars in an experiment. He wanted to prove that counting calories was more important than anything else in losing weight. He proved to be right. What he didn't expect was that his bad cholestrol levels also dropped.
Haub's "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his "good" cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent. He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent.

He has no explanation for this.

Recently, Chris Voigt of the state of Washington, went on a potatoes only diet. You name it, baked, steamed, mashed, and even fried. He did this for two months and the results are staggering.

Voigt put away roughly 20 potatoes per day for 60 straight days, some 400 pounds in all. And at the end he had lost weight — down from 197 pounds to 176 — while reducing his blood sugar and slashing his cholesterol by more than 30 percent.

They do give a disclaimer:

The problem with the all-potato diet, of course, is the same as with the junk food diet: if you maintained it for any serious length of time, it would probably land you in the hospital, or worse.

So does this discredit high carb diets? It's worth taking a closer look.

Article from calorielab.

New Blog

This will be my page to blog, critique, post about the many diets, fitness programs, health related news. I realized that taking care of my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health is important for me to live a healthy, balanced life. I hope you will follow and enjoy.