Health To Go

Are you a Fat Buster? Do you avoid buying foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol? When you go grocery shopping, do you read “Nutrition Facts” panels for assistance in selecting healthy foods for your family?  If so, I have great news for you!  As of January 1, 2006, the FDA requires that manufacturers list the amount of trans fats on Nutrition Panels.

Why do you need to know this? The shocking truth is that trans fats have always lurked in our foods, unpublicized. Manufacturers make trans fat when they add hydrogen to vegetable oil -- a process called hydrogenation that turns liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.  With no way to measure trans fats, careful shoppers like you and I have been buying foods laden with them.

Why should you care about trans fat? What harm does it do?  Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for coronary heart disease. Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.

Why do health books recommend that we include fat in our diets if it’s so bad for us? When eaten in moderation, fat is important for proper growth, development, and maintenance of good health as it is a major source of energy for the body and aids in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as carotenoids. In addition, as any good cook knows, fat provides taste, consistency, and stability and helps give us that happy, full-tummy feeling.

However, there are “good” fats and “bad” ones, just as we have good and bad blood cholesterol. Saturated fat and trans fat raise LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and corn oil) do not raise LDL cholesterol and are beneficial when consumed in moderation.

In which foods does trans fat lurk? Mainly trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, candies, salad dressings, baked goods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. You know . . . all your favorite foods.

Even some dietary supplements like energy and nutrition bars contain trans fat from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil as well as saturated fat or cholesterol. Up until now, you had no way to identify the levels of trans fat in your foods, but now you are able to identify the amounts of all three fats in your foods.

When making food choices that will be low in saturated fat and cholesterol, remember that the combined totals of saturated and trans fats along with cholesterol should be low . . . 5% of the Daily Value or less is low and 20 % or more is high. I want to assure you that trans fats, although present in many of the foods we eat, are not “essential” to any healthy diet. . Numerous health and government authorities, including the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, advocate reducing dietary fat to 30 percent or less of total calories.

If you are sadly crossing your favorite foods off your grocery list, you may be wondering what you can serve instead. Fear not, you still have a few good choices left:

• Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not raise LDL cholesterol levels and you can eat them, in moderation. Sources of monounsaturated fats include olive and canola oils. Natural vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, peanut, corn, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils) have no trans fats and are high in good fats.

• Select alternative fats: olive, canola, soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, soft margarines, nuts and fish, lean meats and skinless poultry.

• Feel free to serve your family fish, as most fish are lower in saturated fats than meat. Some fish, such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids help fight against heart disease.

• Serve a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas, chicken and fish, non-fat or low-fat dairy products. If you cook at home, select lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas. Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products and foods that have a low % of bad fats.

Cooking your own meals helps you better control the type and amount of fats you eat.However, if eating out is one of the great joys of your life, don’t despair. You can still cut down on trans fats when eating out by eating less fast food and by asking before you order in a restaurant if they will cook your food in natural vegetable oils. If you choose wisely, avoiding fried foods, for example, you can eat out and still have healthy meals.

Avoiding trans fats does provide another benefit that I think you will enjoy! Fats are high in calories; 9 calories per gram, making fat the most concentrated source of calories. By comparison, carbohydrates and protein have only 4 calories per gram. Therefore, replacing harmful fats with healthy foods will naturally result in dropping a few pounds of “ugly fat” and reduce your tendency for health problems.

Now that manufacturers must reveal the presence of the ghostly trans fats on nutrition labels, become the “Fat Buster” for your family and enjoy the multiple benefits of healthier eating.

Without it, humans could not exist. We are made up mostly of water, as is the world around us. There is no one on the planet with any kind of knowledge of dieting, health and fitness that does not understand the need for a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. However, there is much more you need to know about water so that it can really provide you with the health benefits you seek instead of causing more harm than good.

Tap water is full of chemicals including chlorine and aluminum. These chemicals are not truly meant for human consumption but occur either naturally in water sources due to the composition of the surrounding soil, or are added by cities and town to remove harmful bacteria or unpleasant tastes. In order to drink pure water, you need to either filter it or buy pure spring water.

Water filters are relatively inexpensive these days and easily attach to faucets so that with the flip of switch the drinking water is filtered and then flipping the switch back saves your filter when the water is used for washing hands or doing dishes. Filters need to be changed frequently for the best benefits.

Bottled water should not be stored in the typical milk jug type container. These plastic containers made of PVC contain chemicals, which rub off into the drinking water and put toxins into your body as you drink the water. The more rigid plastic made of polyethylene or better yet, glass containers will not allow any chemicals to “rub off” into the drinking water. Stores will promote the PVC jugs as containing “drinking water” but you need to purchase only “spring water” and be selective about the container. Do not drink “distilled” water either, since the oxidation is potentially harmful along with the fact that it can contain improper pH balances and ionization.

Buying or filtering your water will also allow you to remove harmful aluminum. The consumption of too much aluminum is linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). People with AD who have died were found to have high concentrations of aluminum in their brain tissue.

How Much Water is Enough?

The minimum is 8 glasses a day, but that is a guideline that is far too general. A better guide is to have 16 ounces for every 25 pounds you weigh. For example, a 125 pound person should have about 80 ounces, which is 10 8-ounce glasses each day, or 2 1/2 quarts. That means a 200-pound person should have an entire gallon of pure water each day. Those people engaged in strenuous exercise need even more. Don’t worry; your body will soon adjust to proper hydration and you won’t be running to the bathroom every ฝ hour after about the first 2 or 3 days!

Most people like their water ice-cold, but it is believed that extremely cold water in these beneficial quantities can be harmful to the stomach lining. It is best to drink water at room temperature. If you buy spring water or purify your own tap water, it will remove all of the chemicals that make room-temperature water taste bad, and you will be able to enjoy pure tasting water even at the warmer temperatures.

You can always add a squeeze of fresh lemon to add a little flavor without adding anything your body doesn’t need. Just be sure to drink, drink, and drink some more.

If you’re serious about anti-aging facial skin care, you owe it to yourself to investigate all the alternatives. While cosmetics might seem to be the logical solution, over time their cost might prove prohibitive. Botox injections, chemical peels or microdermabrasion can give superior (and more immediate) results that often justify the additional cost.

Botox injections relax the muscles that create wrinkles like the “frown lines” on your forehead. The treatment lasts three to six months, and lines and wrinkles either disappear or dramatically diminish during this period. Besides frown lines, Botox is effective on crow’s feet, laugh lines and forehead wrinkles. A medical doctor must administer Botox injections. After several treatments, some doctors report that the period of effectiveness is extended.

Chemical peels are meant to improve skin appearance and diminish wrinkles by removing one or more of the skin’s outer layers. Like Botox, chemical peels are done by a medical doctor and usually consist of phenol, TCAs (trichloroacetic acids) or AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids). Phenol is the strongest of the chemical peel agents and provides the most dramatic results. TCAs are the next strongest, but several treatments are usually required. AHAs are the least strong and are generally used for skin brightening and smoothing, rather than wrinkle removal. Phenol and TCAs will remove wrinkles and blemishes, and even out skin tone.

Microdermabrasion does not require a medical doctor. It can be performed by a trained aesthetician. In this procedure, tiny crystals are sprayed against the face with a device similar to a sand blaster, producing a gentle polishing action that removes the dead outer layer of skin on the face. Microdermabrasion is less harsh than chemical peels and works well for women with sensitive skin. Treatments must be repeated for maximum effectiveness.

While not for everyone, Botox injections, chemical peels and microdermabrasion are all valid methods of anti-aging facial skin care. If you want fast results and are willing to spend the money, these treatments can provide significant improvements in skin texture and appearance.

Your derma is the aboriginal affair that humans apprehension about you and that is why a able derma affliction dieting is so important. There are abounding articles that affirmation to admonition advance derma accent and advance a absolute complexion, but the accuracy is that there is no such affair as burning results. An able derma affliction dieting is one that is done consistently over a time afore after-effects will activate to develop.

Skin Affliction Tip 1:

Always use some blazon of exfoliation product, which will admonition to abolish old derma beef and added bits and particles from your skin. This will betrayal the advantageous beef and rid your physique from the old ones.

Skin Affliction Tip 2:

If possible, abstain connected sun acknowledgment and tanning beds. In accession to getting alarming breadth bloom is concerned, these may aswell advance to aboriginal signs of aging. Everyone loves a suntan, but there is no acumen to cede your derma or your bloom in adjustment to accomplish it. Therefore, abounding individuals opt for a self-tanning analgesic instead. Aback in the day, these articles had a addiction to about-face the derma orange, but that is no best the case. Improvements accept helped to accord self-tanning articles a added natural, streak-free look. Afore applying the analgesic to your absolute body, administer it to a baby analysis breadth just to accomplish abiding there is no irritation.

Skin Affliction Tip 3:

If your aperture tend to become chapped in the winter months or wind burnt at added times, application lip analgesic or lipstick will admonition to assure the aperture from nature’s worst.

Skin Affliction Tip 4:

Dry or absurd derma can be actual unbearable. Not to acknowledgment the ache of bound red skin, it can be absolute embarrassing. A alembic of Pacquin Plus duke & physique chrism will annihilate soreness, bloom and admonition to add damp aback to dry skin.

Skin Affliction Tip 5:

Do not use articles that abrade your derma in any way, including soaps that accept acrid ingredients. If possible, use a moisturizing soap or that which is advised for acute skin.

In accession to these tips, derma affliction articles are accessible as bartering or decree based treatments. A dermatologist is generally consulted for affairs apropos to abscess or added derma disorders, abnormally if they are severe. Abounding derma affliction enthusiasts aswell accept in application affluence of moisturizing physique analgesic in adjustment to furnish the skin’s accustomed moisture, which is generally bare in today’s acrid environment.

The admonition in this commodity is to be acclimated for advisory purposes. It should not be advised as, or acclimated in affiliation with, able medical advice. Consult your doctor above-mentioned to alpha any derma affliction dieting or if you accept been diagnosed with any ataxia involving the skin.

Whether you want to look great for a party and have all afternoon to get ready, or just want to smarten up before a meeting, there are things to do to get your hair looking great and give your confidence a real boost.

Super Hair Tip Number 1: Shampoo properly. By this, I mean that you should invest in a top quality salon shampoo that matches your hair type, if you have coloured hair, make sure that the formulation of your shampoo is suitable, likewise if your hair is thin, greasy, blonde, or brunette, talk to your stylist, and get them to advise you on what they think is best. Too many people simply pick something off the supermarket shelf and home for the best, when what they really need is a shampoo that suits them.

Super Hair Tip Number 2: Condition deeply. Hair conditioners have a formulation that will add body and shine to your hair. You know how uncomfortable and scratchy clothes are if you don’t use a fabric conditioner, well hair is the same. Also, a good conditioner will help to keep your hair static free, which will reduce frizziness even more. Massage the conditioner from root to tip and leave it to work its magic and make your hair look really healthy and shiny before rinsing it thoroughly.

Super Hair Tip Number 3: Dry your hair well. Modern hair dryers will not harm your hair as much as they used to, but if you are going to use a blow dryer to get your hair dry quickly, make sure you keep it moving over your hair and dry it evenly to avoid overheating. If you have the time, use the dryer on a cool setting to avoid damage.

Super Hair Tip Number 4: Use a good Serum. There are a huge variety of great products around that are designed to smooth your hair. Most salons will be able to point you in the direction of a serum such as Frizz-ease that will help to keep your hair looking great. Generally hair serums work in three ways, by relaxing the hair, smoothing it, and reducing the potential for it to attract the static electricity that will cause it to frizz up.

Super Hair Tip Number 5: Use good quality hair straighteners. Most people find that the cheaper hair straighteners do not do a very good job. You might find that they do not get hot enough to iron out the kinks properly on a single pass, and are not slippery enough to allow your hair to pass through smoothly. Opt for ceramic or glass heating plates, and make sure that there is an adjustable temperature. GHD straighteners are the one of the most popular brands around and ae commonly used in salons all around the world. Their plates get hot fast, and are extra smooth to make styling your hair easy, all of which makes them a real favourite in salons around the world. Ceramic plates will help discharge the static electricity from your hair too, and leave it looking straight for longer.
 
Super Hair Tip Number 6: Eat well. Your hair is nourished by what you eat and drink, and will never look good if you don’t eat a balanced diet with lots of vitamins and minerals. Hair is mostly made of protein, so make sure your diet includes plenty. Drink water too, as this will flush impurities out of your body and keep you healthy.