Guest Author: Valery Fortie is the national awareness coordinator for the preservation of the Italian healthy eating traditions board.
People from all around the world are developing more and more health issues, due to being overweight. There is a knowncorrelation between heart problems and obesity, but people do not heed the warnings. These illnesses being left untreated or unmanaged, is a leading cause of premature death all around the world.
Being overweight leads to a variety of diseases and illnesses that attribute to poor health. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, clogged arteries and diabetes are just some of the health issues an overweight person may face. These health problems can also lead to a stroke. Strokes can be deadly or lead to severe debilitation.
It is a known fact that lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes, can help lower cholesterol. Dr. Andrew Carson, a senior lecturer at Birmingham University, has asked for further research to investigate the compound.
People who have been following the Mediterranean diet are much healthier than the average person. The Mediterranean diet includes a lot of tomatoes. The hope is to use lycopene as a way to lower a person’s cholesterol. The current medications used to manage a person’s cholesterol are very expensive, and not always effective. Lycopene would be much
cheaper, and save millions of dollars in medical costs.
The Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The diet is simple and easy to follow. It involves using herbs and spices to flavor food, instead of salt. A high salt diet can lead to high blood pressure. Using healthy fats like olive oil and canola oil to cook food. The Mediterranean diet calls for a very small amount of red meat.
Meats like fish and shellfish are used in place of red meats.
Raw fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice and nuts are a big part of the Mediterranean diet plan. These foods can help lower the bad cholesterol levels and reduce high blood pressure. A woman can cut her chances of having a stroke by as much as 40%, just by following the Mediterranean diet. The diet itself is full of tasty food, and does not restrict any particular foods. It is simply using healthier food to cook or flavor the food you would normally eat. The diet also allows for an occasional glass
of red wine with your meals.
About the Author
Valery Fortie is the National Awareness Coordinator of Mediterranean book.com. She is also the blogger behind its directory of news focused on healthy eating ways to prevent high blood pressure pain to live longer and better.
Mediterraneanbook.com is a non profit blog founded in 2004 to preserve the Italian Healthy Eating Traditions and inform consumers on duty in all healthy eating fields.
As waist lines are getting bigger so are seats, clothing and even coffins!
Marketers research showed venues that fans are taking up more space.
This obesity epidemic is starting to affect all sectors. Dr Jeremy Tomlinson, of the University of Birmingham, said he was not surprised the seats had been made larger.
He said: “Being unhealthily overweight or obese will be normal and shop doors will need to be wider, seat on trains and buses larger and we will need to be weighed with our luggage at airports. The range of clothes sizes and home furnishings will change as will those for the afterlife.”
Goliath’s Coffins, a company that makes coffins to fit in bigger bodies, is a thriving business already.
From The Telegraph
Here are some tips to losing weight from WatchMojo.com
There are many reasons you may have to want to eat more fiber. It may be as part of a weight-loss plan, you may just need to get “regular,” but basically it’s just a part of a balanced diet. Here are some ways to sneak that extra fiber into your everyday diet:
Grocery stores can be confusing. And grocery shopping can really be a chore. However, there are ways to make it easier, and you’ll even end up with more healthy foods in your pantry. Check out these 25 rules to follow the next time you’re in the supermarket:
Here’s a secret: the trick to losing weight is to eat less food. However there are some factors that may lead you to eat more, which will in turn hinder your weight loss efforts. Check out these reasons your body may think you’re hungry, even though you’re not:
Eating healthy is tough enough, without certain junk foods disguising themselves as healthy choices. Here is a list of some of the worst culprits, and some better alternatives:
Baked potato chips: May be low in fat, but they’re still high in calories and aren’t nutritionally beneficial.
Alternative: Popcorn - Still salty and crunchy, but high in fiber and lower in calories.
Gummy fruit snacks: They’re basically candy with vitamins. They also contain high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
Alternative: Fresh or dried fruits - Antioxidants.
Light ice cream: Not all light ice creams are low in calories (they’re just low-ER than their full-fat counterparts). Plus, since they don’t have the rich taste you’re looking for, you’re more likely to eat more than one serving.
Alternative: Dairy-free ice cream - It still has a great taste and texture, with fewer calories.
Diet soda: Research shows a possible link between diet soda and heart disease.
Alternative: Flavored seltzer water - No calories, no artificial colors or sweeteners, but it’s fizzy and flavorful.
“Calorie-free” spray margarine: Being labeled, “Calorie-free” means there could actually be as many as 5 calories in a serving.
Alternative: Spray-it-yourself olive oil - This real fat can be more healthy and flavorful than the “fake” stuff.
Nonfat salad dressing: They’re often high in calories cause they’re packed with sugar.
Alternative: Oil-based salad dressing - You’ll get the taste and good-for-you fats.
Low-fat cookies: You think you can indulge, but they’re still filled with sugar and may have tons of calories.
Alternative: Oatmeal cookies - You’re getting cookies AND whole grains. But be careful you’re not also getting high fructose corn syrup, white flour, and butter.100-Calorie Snack Packs: These small packages fool you into believing you’re not eating much, and therefore you end up eating more.
Alternative: A small-serving of almonds - You get fiber and protein, plus good fat.
You hear a lot about superfoods, but mainly how great they are to have in your diet. Here’s another list of foods you should consider throwing in your grocery basket:
Beets - Why they’re healthy: Folate and betaine (which can help lower your risk of heart disease), and their pigments may help fight cancer.
How to eat them: Not from a jar, but fresh and uncooked.
Cabbage - Why it’s healthy: Few calories, and sulforaphane helps reduce cancer risk.
How to eat it: In a salad, or on a burger.
Guava - Why it’s healthy: Fiber, potassium, lycopene (which helps fight prostate cancer).
How to eat it: It’s all edible, from rind to seeds. May be a little hard to find, but high end supermarkets or Latin grocery stores should stock it.
Swiss Chard - Why it’s healthy: Lutein and zeaxanthin (which both help protect retinas from the damages of aging).
How to eat it: Sautéd with olive oil and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and served with grilled steaks and chicken, or pan-seared fish.Cinnamon - Why it’s healthy: Helps control blood sugar, which affects your risk of heart disease.
How to eat it: Sprinkled on coffee or oatmeal.
Purslane - Why it’s healthy: Melatonin (may inhibit cancer growth), omega-3 fats.
How to eat it: In a salad as an alternative or addition to lettuce.
Pomegranate juice - Why it’s healthy: Improves bloodflow to the heart, decreases systolic blood pressure, vitamin C.
How to eat it: POM Wonderful makes a 100 per cent pomegranate juice with no added sugars - a small glass is all you need to get the many benefits.
Goji berries - Why they’re healthy: Antioxidants, may reduce insulin resistance (a risk factor for diabetes).
How to eat them: Dried or fresh, alone or in yogurt, oatmeal or on cereal.Dried plums - Why they’re healthy: Antioxidants that fight structural damage to cells, which is thought to be one of the main causes for cancer.
How to eat them: As an appetizer wrapped in prosciutto.
Pumpkin seeds - Why they’re healthy: Magnesium.
How to eat them: Shells and all.
It’s important to try to keep your immunity at its best during the cold and flu season. Here are some foods that could help you stay healthy:
1300+ - If you’re not eating enough calories, you’re not giving your health a fighting chance. Women should get at least 1300 calories daily.
Get your cruciferous veggies: Broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts.
Snack on nuts - Almonds and sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E, and this vitamin may help reduce the length of colds. Brazil nuts contain selenium, which helps the body fight off disease.
Eat yogurt - Helps the immune system, through the digestive track.
Sip green tea - Stimulates T-cells that stimulate the immune system.
Open a can of tomato soup - Lycopene in tomatoes acts as an antioxidant, which, again, boosts the immune system.
Spice it up! - Capsaicin, found in chili peppers, also boosts immunity.
Get your fats - While low-fat is healthy, make sure you’re getting Omega3 and Omega6 from foods such as salmon, sardines, flaxseed, safflower oil, and eggs.
In her new book, The Beauty Diet, Beauty nutritionist Lisa Drayer puts some truth to the saying that “you are what you eat!”
Her top ten picks include yummy foods like sweet potatoes, blueberries and even dark chocolate. She boasts that by updating your shopping list you’ll not only start feeling and looking better, but you’re sure to slim down as well.
“The Top 10 Beauty Foods are packed with the powerful nutrients and micronutrients your body needs to keep your cells refreshed and in good repair.
“These foods give your body the materials it needs to keep you healthy, radiant, vibrant and young — so you have delicate, soft skin, thick, shiny hair, long, smooth fingernails, clear, bright eyes, and a brilliant, gleaming smile” Drayer tells Diet.com
Continue reading for the top 10 beauty foods.
The air is getting colder and that means more layers and more nights spent indoors doing nothing. As you begin to bundle up you may also begin to crave your classic comfort foods, bread, pasta and sweets. If you plan on staying slim this winter then you’re in luck because here is a list of comfort foods that will help you achieve your weight loss goal.
From Homemakers.com
PLAY
