Orthorexia is the latest love-hate relationship that has developed between mainly women and food.
Orthorexia is “a fairly new classification of eating disorder characterized by an utter obsession for healthy eating. For the orthorexic, disavowing cheese, fat, meat and bread is a way to feel pure and healthy. But their fascination for food choices quickly becomes an unhealthy fixation.”
This eating disorder is easily masked as a food allergy unless you know what to look for. Here are some questions from MSN.Health to ask yourself to be sure your friend or loved one isn’t disguising her disordered eating with a food allergy:
• How does she look?
Those living with food allergies become adept at managing their diets so that their nutritional needs are met. Their health doesn’t necessarily suffer. Orthorexics, on the other hand, become so obsessed that malnutrition and even emaciation can result.
• Does her story change?
Women with food intolerances have a finite list of items to avoid. Those with eating disorders will change their tune to fit the social situation; orthorexics will continually add to their list of restricted foods.
• Are there other symptoms?
Sufferers of eating disorders often become compulsive about not only what they eat but also how they eat it (how the food is arranged on the plate, which utensils are used, where they sit). Food-allergy sufferers, on the other hand, are simply happy to be able to eat.
A glass of warm milk is NOT the way to get a good night’s sleep. You do not want to incorporate protein or fat in your diet right before bed. Here’s a list of snacks that have been scientifically proven to help you catch some shut eye.
1- Nonfat Popcorn
The carbs will induce your body to create serotonin, the feel-good hormone that makes you feel relaxed.
2- Oatmeal with Sliced Banana
Sleep is inspired by the hormone melatonin, but stress or excitement can disrupt melatonin’s release. Bring your brain back down to earth by whipping up a bowl of instant oatmeal and topping it with a sliced banana, which is rich in melatonin.
3- 1 Cup of Plain Yogurt with 2 Tablespoons of Mixed Nuts
Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine. Both have been proven to help people deal with stress.
Because both contain alertness-inducing protein, you’re better off eating this combo a few hours before bed (or even at midday, before a big, stressful presentation at work). It’ll reduce the residual stress you feel later in the evening, meaning you won’t replay your day over and over again in your head as you try to fall asleep.
4- A Pile of Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are one of the best natural sources of tryptophan, the sleep-inducing amino acid responsible for all of those post-Thanksgiving turkey comas. Hold off on the turkey sammies, though — the protein in the turkey might offset the tryptophan’s benefit.
5- A Handful of Pretzels
Pretzels are a source of carbohydrates, which make you feel sleepy, but since they’re also low in calories and fat, they won’t pack on the pounds or give you belly-aching indigestion.
6- 1 Glass of Wine
It’s called a nightcap for a reason — a glass of wine really does take the edge off. University of Toronto researchers discovered that one alcoholic drink causes people’s blood vessels to relax — but two begins to reverse the effects, so limit your intake. Relaxed blood vessels means lower blood pressure, slower heart rate, and greater ability to relax in general. You can protect your heart and prevent diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s, by eating certain foods.
7- A 4-ounce Glass of Unsweetened Cherry Juice
Cherry juice has serotonin-inducing carbohydrates, which will help relax you. Down the cherry juice an hour before bedtime in case you feel a small jolt of energy from the sugar. There’s not enough to keep you up all night or to destabilize your blood-sugar levels.
8- Red Bell Peppers
Researchers at the University of Alabama fed rats 200 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day and found that it nearly stopped the secretion of cortisol, a hormone released in your body when you’re stressed. Calorie for calorie, red bell peppers give you more vitamin C than any other vegetable or fruit.
According to MSN.Lifestyle
According to a recent study, women who were beer drinkers were less likely to suffer from osteoporosis.
“It is thought that the high level of silicon in beer slows down the thinning that leads to fractures and boosts the formation of new bone, the journal Nutrition reports.
Beer is also rich in phytoestrogens, plant versions of oestrogen, which keep bones healthy.”
Women in the study who were considered light drinkers (less than a pint a day) did just as well as those who were moderate drinkers.
This means that you can drink enough for strong bones, but not enough for a beer gut!
Saunas have been known to provide some great health benefits. Partaking in the heat can help with arthritis, asthma, chronic fatigue, and can flush toxins from your body. Some studies have even found that sauna use can decrease your blood pressure, despite the fact that your heart rate jumps from an average of 100 beats per minute to 160. (This is with normal usage, which is about twenty minutes.) However, it can also be dangerous. Don’t consume alcohol in a sauna, and try to avoid going in if you have recently had an alcoholic beverage. Dehydration can be a real issue here, so no matter what you’ve been doing, make sure you rehydrate afterward with two to four glasses of cool water.And men, beware: sperm motility and quality can be affected directly after a sauna visit. So if you’re trying to become a dad, maybe you should avoid the steam. Read more…
It looks like there’s a way to give up drinking without having to experience withdrawal symptoms.
Medical professional could give problem drinkers or alcoholics a drug to take away your urge to drink—but you are still permitted to continue drinking?
“Advocates of this treatment approach, called the Sinclair method, claim you’d likely experience no withdrawal symptoms. According to proponents, after three or four months on the medication, all while still being able to continue to drink, you’d experience diminished cravings or even find that your urge to imbibe goes away.”
Poor sleep can affect every aspect of your life, and it is definitely not something you can ignore. However you might not need to turn to prescription medicine to fix your sleep. Here are a few options to try:
A new study from Laval University in Quebec has found that people in that Canadian province spend more on alcohol to help them sleep than on medical help and sleep aids combined. Alcohol actually does the opposite of helping you sleep, however, by worsening symptoms of insomnia.
The study also calculates the total cost of this phenomenon to the province at CAD$6.6 billion, most of which is due to lost productivity hours. Read more…
Remember this: there are no hangover cures. What works for me may not work for you. However, there are some things you can do that will at least lower your chances of being useless the day after your office party. Here are a few tips:
Before the party:
- Eat something, preferably a carb-heavy meal, to slow the effects of alcohol.
- Stay hydrated throughout the day.At the party:
- Make your first drink a non-alcoholic one.
- Eat every three hours.
- Avoid foods that will dehydrate you more (this means salty and sugary).
- White wine, vodka, and gin are easier on the liver than darker drinks such as red wine, beer and sugary drinks.
- For every alcoholic drink you have, down a glass of water too.
- Flush out your liver before you go to bed by eating carb-rich or protein-rich foods (maybe a turkey sandwich or peanut butter on toast).
- As much as you want it, don’t give in to your salty, fast-food cravings (such as a late-night Big Mac). It’s hard on your digestive track.
- Drinking alcohol makes you lose vitamins B and C, so stock up before hitting the hay. Eat bananas, whole grains, oranges or even take a multi-vitamin.
- The best snack would be a piece of whole grain toast topped with peanut butter and banana slices. Down it with a big glass of water.The next morning:
- If you still wake up feeling like you were run over by a bus, don’t skip breakfast.
- Flush the alcohol from your system by eating foods like eggs, fruit, lemon and honey.
- Contrary to popular belief, coffee doesn’t sober you up. But it may help with your hangover headache.
If you’ve ever needed a reason not to drink to excess, other than the morning after, here it is: This handy tool will take the amount you drank and translate it into food. As in, one glass of wine equals a slice of pizza. But since it’s the holidays, I say ignore the result…
PLAY
