Friday, April 4, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
What is health?
You cannot be healthy on any level until you are healthy on every level. The key to it all is a positive self-image. Until you have adequate self esteem, all of the information you amass about getting healthy will do you no good, for you will not think highly enough of yourself to use it. . Along with self-esteem, we need to cultivate personal responsibility. No one keeps you healthy. Nutritionists, nutritionally oriented physicians, naturopaths, osteopaths, chiropractors coach. It is up to you to keep yourself healthy..
We need, however,more than just the ones that are essential: We need all that are beneficial..We need to examine so called nonessential nutrients such as CoQ10,carnitine, GLA ,taurine, and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). While these nutrients are made by the body in' small amounts, the only way to get them in optimal amounts is through supplements. Other nonessential protective substances include polyphenols from plants that have tremendous protective and therapeutic ability.2.3Investigate all nutrients and take those you find most helpful. All beneficial nutrients are essential for those who want health at the highest level.
THE PRINCIPLES OF OPTIMAL HEALTH
1. A Positive Self-Image .
2. A Diet Free of Toxic Foods That Supplies Optimal Levels
of All Beneficial Nutrients
3. Clean Air and Living Environment, Pure Water, and
Adequate Sunshine .
4. Adequate Exercise and Rest
Optimal health is not the result of deprivation. It celebrates the benefits of many foods and nutrients, allowing us more of life and health. It is the marriage of science and pleasure. Balance the information to your own best advantage. Discard that which is too difficult and use that which suits you. Don't try to be perfect or avoid all of your favorite foods, even if some of . them are "bad." Improve your diet and lifestyle at whatever pace is best for you. Improving your health this way will only add to your enyoyment of life.
What is healthy diet?
A healthy diet, however, is not arrived at by process of elimination. It is assembled from the foods with the most beneficial substances. More often than not, it is what we fail to eat that causes health problems, not merely what we do eat.
Before we can get a grasp of the elements of a healthy diet, the food industry takes advantage of our confusion. Foods are marketed not on the basis of what they have, but of what they lack. Sugar and white flour are mixed together with toxic additives to create cakes that are "fat-free." Margarine-a destructive food if ever there was one - is sold to you under the guise of being "cholesterol-free."And fried corn chips are celebrated for having "one-third less salt."
THE PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY EATING
* Eat whole, unrefined foods high in nutrient density and as close to their natural state as possible.
* Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. .
* Eat a diet that promoted longevity in your ancestors.
* Eat according to the needs of your own unique bi9- chemistry and lifestyle.
Healthy eating principles don't lead to a restrictive, boring diet. Bland food is not necessarily health-promoting. Herbs, spices, condiments, and interesting ways of preparing foods are often beneficial. Many herbs we use to flavor foods are actually important- sources of trace minerals and immuneboosting pigments known as bioflavonoids.
Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrate foods in their natural state have many benefits: They are high in fiber, low in fat, and a good source of vitamins. They can also be a good source of minerals, depending on the mineral content of the soil they were grown in. Carbohydrates, like any food or nutrient, however, are only beneficial in the right amount. If you want to derive all the benefits of carbohydrates, you need to eat them in the amount that is right for you.
The right amount of carbohydrates for most people is about 40% of their diet, with emphasis on the complex variety. More than 50% of the diet as carbohydrates or too many refined carbohydrates causes problems. Complex carbohydrates in the right amount are beneficial. Those who refine and overeat them bring out their bad side. Too much of anything is bad for the body, and low-fat starchy foods are no exception. When sugars or starches become a larger percentage of our diet than best suits our individual biochemistry, carbohydrate toxicity occurs.
Carbohydrate toxicity is increasingly widespread due to the following misconceptions circulated by the media:
* The more carbohydrates you eat, the better.
* All carbohydrates are created equal.
* All fat is bad and should be avoided as much as possible.
* We eat too much protein and need to eat less.
* None of the preceding is true. The problem with this erroneous nutritional belief system is that it leads one to overload the body with carbohydrates, and the following problems result:
* Excess carbohydrate intake displaces protein, which is needed for energy, tissue repair, blood sugar balance, and immune function.
* Excessive carbohydrate intake will lead to excessive levels of insulin, which can cause weight gain, bloating, fatigue, food cravings, and cardiovascular disease.
* Faddish high-carbohydrate, ultra-low-fat diets do not provide enough essential fatty acids.
* Too many carbohydrates, especially concentrated sweeteners, can stress the adrenal glands into a state of exhaustion.
* Diets too high in carbohydrates upset prostaglandins. a family of hormonelike compounds that must be in balance for health to exist.
* A diet too high in carbohydrates and too low in protein can cause liver damage.
While the preceding percentages are a helpful guide, the optimal intake of carbohydrates will differ for each person. Some may thrive on a diet that consists mostly of carbohydrates. Most, however, will not. Many women over age thirty will feelbloated and tired on a diet that is 60% carbohydrates or more. We are all different, and need to examine our own unique metabolism to determine our optimal range for carbohydrate intake.
Are All Fats Bad For You?
Too much fat is a problem, but so is too much brown rice, exercise, or water. Anything in excess is unhealthy. We should all eat less fat, perhaps 30% of our diet. But quality is much more important than quantity. Refined and altered fats are bad. Unprocessed fats and oils are not when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
There are really three problems with fat, and they have very little to do with the quantity of fat we eat:
* We consume too many nonessential fats and not enough essential fats.
* We eat fats and oils that are too refined and dangerously altered.
* We do not consume the wide range of nutrients the body needs to handle fat correctly.
What we do not understand, we fear. Because Americans do not understand how fat functions as part of a healthy diet, they are afraid of it. Our media has further fueled this paranoia. The results?
1. Fat-free, sugar-laden junk foods are hawked as beneficial snacks.
2. A lack of health-generating essential fatty acids of the omega-3 class in our diet, which can lead to a weakened, imbalanced immune system and an increased risk of degenerative diseases.
3. Foods high in protein and fat are avoided, and more refined carbohydrates are eaten instead, leading to an unhealthy dietary imbalance. This increases the incidence of hypoglycemia, PMS, and obesity.
Is Sugar Bad For you?
The idea that sugar is bad goes against instinct. Our desire for sweetness is a natural sense that helped us in the wild by driving us away from poisonous, bitter foods and toward beneficial sweet foods such as corn, peas, carrots, and the occasional fruit. When we are in the wild, we can distinguish which foods are healthful by tasting them for their sweetness. Naturally sweet foods promote health by providing vitamins, valuable phenolic compounds, minerals, and trace amounts of essential fatty acids. Their rich fiber content slows the release of their sugar into our bloodstream, and their mineral content helps the body use sugar more effectively. In this setting, balanced by other nutrients found in whole foods, sugar is a natural part of a healthy diet.
The problems with sugar are well documented in major medical journals worldwide. Yet we continue to ignore the warnings.
Sugar has been shown to:
* Increase the risk for breast cancer
* Double the risk for biliary tract cancer
* Deplete B vitamins and chromium
* Interfere with the absorption of calcium and magnesium
* Cause heart disease
* Increase cholesterol and insulin levels
* Raise blood pressure
* Raise triglycerides
* Weaken the immune system
* Cause a deficiency of copper
* Cause varicose veins
* Damage the kidneys
* Cause or worsen arthritis
* Cause migraine headaches
* Increase the acidity of the stomach
* Cause gallstones
* Contribute to obesity
But we can't leave well enough alone. If sweetness attracts us to a food, why not extract the sweet taste of sugar and put it on everything? Pure sugar will increase our desire for anything that it is put on. That is one of the reasons the processed food industry thrives today. Sugar makes toxic, refined foods taste good. Sugar bribes the body. It says, "Look, this really tastes good!" and the body goes along for the ride, taking in junk foods that it otherwise wouldn't. The result is a deterioration of health. Fruits and vegetables that contain sugar, when eaten as part of a balanced diet, build up the body. Purified sugars from these foods, however, destroy it.
Top 10 Nutrition Myths:
1. The problem with the food pyramid is that it makes little distinction in food quality. It tells you to minimize fats, but does not tell you which fats are best. It also emphasizes carbohydrates, which for many may be inappropriate.
2. Eggs are one of the most nutrient-rich foods known, and there is no evidence that they have any effect on cholesterol levels. They are an excellent source of important nutrients like sulfur, zinc, and choline.
3. Some actually find nuts all excellent snack to help them curb cravings and lose weight.
4. Exercise is an excellent and highly recommended adjunct to the weight loss process, but it is not necessary for healthy and permanent weight loss. Diet and nutrient intake are far more important.
5. Foods must only be eaten in certain combinations. There is no research that demonstrates that humans need to eat only certain foods at the same time. Humans are omnivores.
6. Diet and nutrient intake has no effect on arthritis. Vitamin E, EPA, and glucose amine sulfate are just some of the valuable nutritional aids that have proven effective in helping arthritics. The Lancet recently published a study showing the dramatic reduction in pain a vegetarian diet can make. When someone tells you that there is no success with nutritional therapies, check to see who funds that organization. They are often funded by drug companies that make arthritis medications.
7. Cholesterol-lowering medication will lengthen your life. Statistics show it will shorten it.
8. Diets don't work. Well-designed diets by well-educated nutritionists do, especially when optimal levels of nutrients are included.
9. There are no magic foods. Nutrition is science, not magic. If certain foods quench free radicals or protect against cancer, suggesting we eat more of those foods is not a sleight-o of hand trick. It is a well-reasoned suggestion based on solid research, and an important strategy in our fight against degenerative disease.
10. Senility is genetic and has little to do with diet. While there are certainly genetic factors at work in such ailments as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of senility, an overall program of optimal nutrition, including nutrients like niacin and herbs like ginkgo, can playa powerful role in preventing senility and enhancing brain health.
You cannot be healthy on any level until you are healthy on every level. The key to it all is a positive self-image. Until you have adequate self esteem, all of the information you amass about getting healthy will do you no good, for you will not think highly enough of yourself to use it. . Along with self-esteem, we need to cultivate personal responsibility. No one keeps you healthy. Nutritionists, nutritionally oriented physicians, naturopaths, osteopaths, chiropractors coach. It is up to you to keep yourself healthy..
We need, however,more than just the ones that are essential: We need all that are beneficial..We need to examine so called nonessential nutrients such as CoQ10,carnitine, GLA ,taurine, and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). While these nutrients are made by the body in' small amounts, the only way to get them in optimal amounts is through supplements. Other nonessential protective substances include polyphenols from plants that have tremendous protective and therapeutic ability.2.3Investigate all nutrients and take those you find most helpful. All beneficial nutrients are essential for those who want health at the highest level.
THE PRINCIPLES OF OPTIMAL HEALTH
1. A Positive Self-Image .
2. A Diet Free of Toxic Foods That Supplies Optimal Levels
of All Beneficial Nutrients
3. Clean Air and Living Environment, Pure Water, and
Adequate Sunshine .
4. Adequate Exercise and Rest
Optimal health is not the result of deprivation. It celebrates the benefits of many foods and nutrients, allowing us more of life and health. It is the marriage of science and pleasure. Balance the information to your own best advantage. Discard that which is too difficult and use that which suits you. Don't try to be perfect or avoid all of your favorite foods, even if some of . them are "bad." Improve your diet and lifestyle at whatever pace is best for you. Improving your health this way will only add to your enyoyment of life.
What is healthy diet?
A healthy diet, however, is not arrived at by process of elimination. It is assembled from the foods with the most beneficial substances. More often than not, it is what we fail to eat that causes health problems, not merely what we do eat.
Before we can get a grasp of the elements of a healthy diet, the food industry takes advantage of our confusion. Foods are marketed not on the basis of what they have, but of what they lack. Sugar and white flour are mixed together with toxic additives to create cakes that are "fat-free." Margarine-a destructive food if ever there was one - is sold to you under the guise of being "cholesterol-free."And fried corn chips are celebrated for having "one-third less salt."
THE PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY EATING
* Eat whole, unrefined foods high in nutrient density and as close to their natural state as possible.
* Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. .
* Eat a diet that promoted longevity in your ancestors.
* Eat according to the needs of your own unique bi9- chemistry and lifestyle.
Healthy eating principles don't lead to a restrictive, boring diet. Bland food is not necessarily health-promoting. Herbs, spices, condiments, and interesting ways of preparing foods are often beneficial. Many herbs we use to flavor foods are actually important- sources of trace minerals and immuneboosting pigments known as bioflavonoids.
Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrate foods in their natural state have many benefits: They are high in fiber, low in fat, and a good source of vitamins. They can also be a good source of minerals, depending on the mineral content of the soil they were grown in. Carbohydrates, like any food or nutrient, however, are only beneficial in the right amount. If you want to derive all the benefits of carbohydrates, you need to eat them in the amount that is right for you.
The right amount of carbohydrates for most people is about 40% of their diet, with emphasis on the complex variety. More than 50% of the diet as carbohydrates or too many refined carbohydrates causes problems. Complex carbohydrates in the right amount are beneficial. Those who refine and overeat them bring out their bad side. Too much of anything is bad for the body, and low-fat starchy foods are no exception. When sugars or starches become a larger percentage of our diet than best suits our individual biochemistry, carbohydrate toxicity occurs.
Carbohydrate toxicity is increasingly widespread due to the following misconceptions circulated by the media:
* The more carbohydrates you eat, the better.
* All carbohydrates are created equal.
* All fat is bad and should be avoided as much as possible.
* We eat too much protein and need to eat less.
* None of the preceding is true. The problem with this erroneous nutritional belief system is that it leads one to overload the body with carbohydrates, and the following problems result:
* Excess carbohydrate intake displaces protein, which is needed for energy, tissue repair, blood sugar balance, and immune function.
* Excessive carbohydrate intake will lead to excessive levels of insulin, which can cause weight gain, bloating, fatigue, food cravings, and cardiovascular disease.
* Faddish high-carbohydrate, ultra-low-fat diets do not provide enough essential fatty acids.
* Too many carbohydrates, especially concentrated sweeteners, can stress the adrenal glands into a state of exhaustion.
* Diets too high in carbohydrates upset prostaglandins. a family of hormonelike compounds that must be in balance for health to exist.
* A diet too high in carbohydrates and too low in protein can cause liver damage.
While the preceding percentages are a helpful guide, the optimal intake of carbohydrates will differ for each person. Some may thrive on a diet that consists mostly of carbohydrates. Most, however, will not. Many women over age thirty will feelbloated and tired on a diet that is 60% carbohydrates or more. We are all different, and need to examine our own unique metabolism to determine our optimal range for carbohydrate intake.
Are All Fats Bad For You?
Too much fat is a problem, but so is too much brown rice, exercise, or water. Anything in excess is unhealthy. We should all eat less fat, perhaps 30% of our diet. But quality is much more important than quantity. Refined and altered fats are bad. Unprocessed fats and oils are not when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
There are really three problems with fat, and they have very little to do with the quantity of fat we eat:
* We consume too many nonessential fats and not enough essential fats.
* We eat fats and oils that are too refined and dangerously altered.
* We do not consume the wide range of nutrients the body needs to handle fat correctly.
What we do not understand, we fear. Because Americans do not understand how fat functions as part of a healthy diet, they are afraid of it. Our media has further fueled this paranoia. The results?
1. Fat-free, sugar-laden junk foods are hawked as beneficial snacks.
2. A lack of health-generating essential fatty acids of the omega-3 class in our diet, which can lead to a weakened, imbalanced immune system and an increased risk of degenerative diseases.
3. Foods high in protein and fat are avoided, and more refined carbohydrates are eaten instead, leading to an unhealthy dietary imbalance. This increases the incidence of hypoglycemia, PMS, and obesity.
Is Sugar Bad For you?
The idea that sugar is bad goes against instinct. Our desire for sweetness is a natural sense that helped us in the wild by driving us away from poisonous, bitter foods and toward beneficial sweet foods such as corn, peas, carrots, and the occasional fruit. When we are in the wild, we can distinguish which foods are healthful by tasting them for their sweetness. Naturally sweet foods promote health by providing vitamins, valuable phenolic compounds, minerals, and trace amounts of essential fatty acids. Their rich fiber content slows the release of their sugar into our bloodstream, and their mineral content helps the body use sugar more effectively. In this setting, balanced by other nutrients found in whole foods, sugar is a natural part of a healthy diet.
The problems with sugar are well documented in major medical journals worldwide. Yet we continue to ignore the warnings.
Sugar has been shown to:
* Increase the risk for breast cancer
* Double the risk for biliary tract cancer
* Deplete B vitamins and chromium
* Interfere with the absorption of calcium and magnesium
* Cause heart disease
* Increase cholesterol and insulin levels
* Raise blood pressure
* Raise triglycerides
* Weaken the immune system
* Cause a deficiency of copper
* Cause varicose veins
* Damage the kidneys
* Cause or worsen arthritis
* Cause migraine headaches
* Increase the acidity of the stomach
* Cause gallstones
* Contribute to obesity
But we can't leave well enough alone. If sweetness attracts us to a food, why not extract the sweet taste of sugar and put it on everything? Pure sugar will increase our desire for anything that it is put on. That is one of the reasons the processed food industry thrives today. Sugar makes toxic, refined foods taste good. Sugar bribes the body. It says, "Look, this really tastes good!" and the body goes along for the ride, taking in junk foods that it otherwise wouldn't. The result is a deterioration of health. Fruits and vegetables that contain sugar, when eaten as part of a balanced diet, build up the body. Purified sugars from these foods, however, destroy it.
Top 10 Nutrition Myths:
1. The problem with the food pyramid is that it makes little distinction in food quality. It tells you to minimize fats, but does not tell you which fats are best. It also emphasizes carbohydrates, which for many may be inappropriate.
2. Eggs are one of the most nutrient-rich foods known, and there is no evidence that they have any effect on cholesterol levels. They are an excellent source of important nutrients like sulfur, zinc, and choline.
3. Some actually find nuts all excellent snack to help them curb cravings and lose weight.
4. Exercise is an excellent and highly recommended adjunct to the weight loss process, but it is not necessary for healthy and permanent weight loss. Diet and nutrient intake are far more important.
5. Foods must only be eaten in certain combinations. There is no research that demonstrates that humans need to eat only certain foods at the same time. Humans are omnivores.
6. Diet and nutrient intake has no effect on arthritis. Vitamin E, EPA, and glucose amine sulfate are just some of the valuable nutritional aids that have proven effective in helping arthritics. The Lancet recently published a study showing the dramatic reduction in pain a vegetarian diet can make. When someone tells you that there is no success with nutritional therapies, check to see who funds that organization. They are often funded by drug companies that make arthritis medications.
7. Cholesterol-lowering medication will lengthen your life. Statistics show it will shorten it.
8. Diets don't work. Well-designed diets by well-educated nutritionists do, especially when optimal levels of nutrients are included.
9. There are no magic foods. Nutrition is science, not magic. If certain foods quench free radicals or protect against cancer, suggesting we eat more of those foods is not a sleight-o of hand trick. It is a well-reasoned suggestion based on solid research, and an important strategy in our fight against degenerative disease.
10. Senility is genetic and has little to do with diet. While there are certainly genetic factors at work in such ailments as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of senility, an overall program of optimal nutrition, including nutrients like niacin and herbs like ginkgo, can playa powerful role in preventing senility and enhancing brain health.
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