Get Your Diet In Shape With These Top Nutrition Tips

Nutrition is key to leading a healthy way of life. We all want to be healthy, but what do we need to do to be healthy? It's actually quite easy to improve your level of health. Use this advice to become a happier and healthier person.

If you're full, stop eating. This will help you not to overeat and tell your body that it can start digesting. Eating until satisfied also helps you be the boss of your food, instead of the other way around.

To help you keep your acne under control, make sure to drink plenty of water. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day or two liters, will ensure your skin does not become dehydrated. Skin being dehydrated is a key cause of pores becoming blocked and so not allowing this to happen, will keep acne at bay.

You will want to avoid highly processed foods because they contain trans fats. Foods with high trans fat contents increases your risk of heart disease. As your body processes trans fats, its levels of bad cholesterol are raised while the levels of good cholesterol drop.

When you go out to eat, split up your meal with the person you're eating with. Even regular entrees that aren't that big contain too much food sometimes, and that can add a lot of fat and calories to your diet. Splitting it lets you save money and calories. Doing this means you can dine out without ruining your diet plan.

Though refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white/table sugar may taste good, they are far less nutritious than unrefined carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread and brown/raw sugar. You should avoid refined carbohydrates whenever possible, or at the very least balance your diet between refined and unrefined carbohydrates. Unrefined carbohydrates make your body consume energy to process them, keeping your metabolism up and allowing a sustained level of energy rather than a drastic spike up and then down as is the case with refined carbohydrates.

Use the daily caloric intake requirement to fuel your body with healthy, nutritious food. 1,800 calories of healthy food containing protein and other essential nutrients will cause your body to react more positively than 1,800 calories of junk food will. When it comes to diet, quality is as important as quantity.

Pick dark chocolate over white or milk chocolate. The flavonoids contained in dark chocolate have been shown to help reduce blood pressure. The antioxidants dark chocolate contains works to improve your cholesterol. To receive the maximum benefits from dark chocolate, choose varieties that contain 70 percent or more cocoa. Be aware that even dark chocolate contains calories, so it should be consumed in moderation.

Read and understand the labels on the food you buy. The nutrition labels list the serving size, the calories, the fat, the sodium, the cholesterol, the carbohydrate, the protein and the vitamin content of each serving. Using this information you can calculate how much you have to eat from each type of food.

Ginger is a good natural remedy to motion sickness. Ginger comes in capsules. An hour before you leave on your trip, take 1,000 mg of it, and then again every three hours for the duration. Ginger is known to help prevent nausea and upset stomach normally associated with motion sickness. Try some ginger candy or some ginger tea.

If you have diabetes, you face some needs that are unusually challenging. Eating small frequent meals throughout the day can help keep blood sugar levels steady. They require lots of vegetables and fresh fruit, products with whole grain and products from dairy with reduced fat. They also need to eat on the same daily schedule as the days prior.

Eliminating sodas and soft drinks from your daily routine is one of the most important steps to eating a healthier diet. Most sodas are packed full of calories and contribute absolutely no nutritional value. When you're thirsty, have a glass of water instead, or at least substitute real fruit juice for soda.

If you want your vegetable dishes to contain less fat, cook them with water, not oil. You will find that steamed or boiled vegetables are just as good as friend vegetables. A tiny amount of vegetable oil is acceptable, but do not use any kind of oily spread like margarine or butter.

It can be to your nutritional benefit if you replace chicken, pork or beef with fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are present in fish in high levels. This is great for the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. There are so many different choices when it comes to fish, and they each have different textures and tastes.

Instead of using additives that are very high in sugar, turn to honey. Honey is one of the best ingredients to use and is rich in minerals that support your body. Also, honey is low in fat and provides you with natural sugar, which is much better for success in your diet regime.

Reduce your overall alcohol intake and get plenty of sleep. Neglecting your sleep needs, and overindulging in alcohol, will lead to oilier skin and larger pores. Larger pores let in more dirt. This can cause pimples. You should sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night and have 1 glass of alcohol or less.

As you can tell by reading this article, anyone can become healthy. Proper nutrition is vital to good health and the food you eat is sure to have a huge impact on your overall sense of health. If you will follow some of these nutritional guidelines, you will be living a healthier, happier life.

The Health Bite of Garlic

At one of my favorite Italian restaurant recently I ordered a delightful appetizer known among my circle of friends as garlic balls. These dough balls are baked and known in an olive oil bath with chopped garlic, oregano and other various spices topped with none other than Italy’s favorite cheese, Parmesan.

Instead of feeling incredibly full after carb-loading my lunch, I actually felt good. After checking my breath and popping a mint or two, I got to thinking about why exactly garlic is so popular and what health benefits it touts besides the delicious flavor it imparts on many a great dish.

Aside from warding off vampires, garlic has long been a friend to medicine. Hailed as a wonder drug, garlic has been trusted for centuries as a remedy for everything from nose sniffle to the plaque.

Garlic is used modernly in phytotherapy an alternative medicine in which natural extracts are used to promote health and wellness and has also been used topically to treat acne and as a mosquito repellent.

The stronger garlic, the more sulphur it contains, it was long thought that sulphur was the key to the medicinal power of the garlic. It turns out that researchers have found that an acid is responsible for the flavor and garlic’s healing properties.

An organic compound called allicin could be the antioxidant in charge. A recent study was done trying to figure out the way allicin works inside the body. Lead researcher of the study, a chemistry professor from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Derek Pratt explain the reason behind the research, if allicin was indeed responsible for this activity in garlic, we wanted to find out how it worked.

We didn’t understand how garlic could contain such an efficient antioxidant, since it didn’t have a substantial amount of the types of compounds usually responsible for high antioxidant activity in plants, such as the flavonoids found in green tea or grapes.

Pratt’s team found that the allicin compound decomposes to become the antioxidant in garlic.

What is Proper Nutrition?

Research has shown that a diet rich in a large variety of plant foods can enhance health without any harmful side effects.

This is because plant foods contain an abundance of antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides; nutrients appointed by Nature to help us prevent diseases.

How we eat will determine how we feel, look and act every day. So, in consuming plant foods, we revitalize our immune system because plant foods aid digestion and flush out toxins. In contrast, consuming too many animal products and high-fat foods will impair immunity, leaving us in a tired, lethargic state.

Though we demand the best quality fuel for our cars, why don’t we also pamper our internal engine with the best quality nutrient?

How to Prevent H1N1 virus known as Swine Flu

Fears about the H1N1 virus that we used to call swine flu are somewhat, virologists say we should not let our bodyguard which is The army inside our body down. The virus could experience genetic changes and maybe even return with a retribution in the fall.

Tamiflu (oseltamivir): An antiviral drug medicine that prevents and treats influenza types A (including the swine flu) and B, is a type of drug called a neuraminidase inhibitor. It targets the flu virus and stops it by spreading in our body. Helps make flu symptoms less severe and helps us recover sooner.

Since the spread of resistance, the CDC in December altered its recommendations on antiviral treatment for flu. Because patients suspected by having influenza A, the CDC(Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended using zanamivir or a combination of oseltamivir and rimantadine (an older flu drug in different class) instead of oseltamivir alone.

The two antiviral drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration as treatment and prophylaxis of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus are Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) and Relenza (zanamivir). Tamiflu and Relenza, besides their approved labeling, have Emergency apply Authorizations that describe particular authorized uses during this public health emergency.

Mexico: The origin of the swine flu outbreak. Health workers traced the new swine flu virus to a piggery in the southeastern Mexican state. A young boy who lived in a small town near the farm was among the first people to contract the swine flu.

Over the years, a lot of different variations of swine flu viruses have come out. Up to now, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs, these are: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently reported influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal flu and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Several people with swine influenza also have reported runny nose, pharyngitis, sickness, vomiting and diarrhea.

Doctor of Public Health reiterated that H1N1 influenza virus isn't transmitted by food, thus it's safe to eat pork meat because one can't get the virus from eating pork meat.

People with H1N1 influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious for adequate to 7 days following illness onset. People who continue to be ill longer than 7 days after illness onset should be considered potentially contagious till symptoms have resolved. Children, especially younger, might be contagious for longer periods.

The H1N1 virus breed currently being monitored in the U.S. is afresh type of virus ne'er seen in people until it was discovered recently.
Wikipedia which is the online free encyclopedia gives a avid overview of swine influenza that is simple and easily to understand. They as well shows an electron microscope image of what the H1N1 Influenza A virus looks like and some picture of Former President Gerald Ford receiving a swine influenza vaccination.

Foods that increases human immune system

Many of us prefer to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year on vitamin supplements that can cause us harmful side effects.

This is unnecessary since Mother Nature offers us a treasure-trove of inexpensive, safe, wholesome and disease-fighting foods like fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The list of beneficial plant foods in nature may be endless. However, a visit to your neighborhood vegetable or fruit store will still reveal a convenient source of some amazing plant foods and these are the Foods that increases human immune system.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa may be used in salad, sandwiches and omelets or eaten as a snack. As it is easy to grow and prepare for edible use, it is sometimes called “the father of all foods.”

Alfalfa contains plant protein and vitamins. It has therapeutic benefits. It has been said that when some animals fall ill, they will automatically begin foraging for wild alfalfa.

All parts of alfalfa are nutritious and contain protein, fat, the vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, K and fiber, calcium, iron and potassium. It also contains insoflavonoid phytoalexins. The plant can be used to teat fever, scurvy, constipation, urinary tract infections and bad breath. The leaf has been said to be able to prevent heart attack, stroke and cancer as well as reduce blood cholesterol.


Luffa

Luffa is shaped like a cylinder or wooden club and its size depends on the species. Luffa has a green exterior and soft flesh with black or white shiny seeds. Its tender flesh can be stir fried or boiled in soup.

Luffa contains protein, vitamins and minerals. It can be eaten when young and tender or can be made into medicine when it is old and ripe. Luffa possesses cooling characteristics, can alleviate heat and remove phlegm.


Tangerine

Tangerine is a member of the citrus family. It is sweet and sour with juicy and tender flesh. Tangerine can have a lightening effect on the skin.

Tangerine fruit contains many types of nutrients that improve metabolism. The white streaks found on the surface of tangerine flesh contain bioflavoniods, which can prevent high blood pressure and dissolve phlegm. Tangerine peel contains limonene, retinol, carotene, vitamins B and C and can be used to treat indigestion and gas. Recent research has shown limonene to prevent cancer. Tangerine peel is also used as a freshener, expectorant and tonic.

Ganoderma Lucidum Mushroom

The Ganoderma Lucidum mushroom is believed by the Chinese to have mysterious healing powers. In China, this mushroom has been known to promote vitality and longevity.

The Ganoderma mushroom contains carbohydrates, amino acids, protein and triterpene. It is used to treat nervousness, dizziness, insomnia, chronic hepatitis and high cholesterol. The different bete-D-glucans isolated from water and alkali extracts of the Ganoderma exhibit anti tumor activities.

Currently, the Ganoderma mushroom is being used to treat and prevent cancer. In cancer treatment, the Ganoderma mushroom may be used to reduce the side effect of chemotherapy, enhance survival rate, reduce the likelihood of metastasis, improve quality of life and help prevent the recurrence of cancer.

Margarine VS Butter

Pass the butter please. Margarine was originally manufactured by fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money in to the research wanted a pay check so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance to no food appeal, so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to the people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

Do you know the difference between Margarine and butter? Read on to the end, gets very interesting! Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8grams compared to 5grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% according to a recent Harvard Medical study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has only a few because they are added! Butter taste much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around less than 100 years.

And now for margarine, Very high in Trans fatty acids. Triple risk of coronary heart disease. Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Increase the risk of cancers up to five fold. Lowers quality of breast milk, decreases immune response, decreases insulin response.

Here is the part that is very interesting! Margarine is but One Molecule away from being plastic. This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance) you can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice within a couple of things, no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it, (that should tell you something) it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weenie micro organisms will not find a home to grow, why? Because it is nearly plastic.

Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast? Share this to your friends (if you want to butter them up)!

Chinese proverbs: when someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. So do it.

Health Benefits of Honey and Cinnamon

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

It is found that a mixture of Honey and Cinnamon cures most of the diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Ayurvedic as well as Yunani medicine have been using honey as a vital medicine for centuries. Scientists of today also accept honey as a very effective medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.

Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, on its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by Honey and Cinnamon as researched by western scientists.

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, chapatti, or other bread, instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.

Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heartbeat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as age the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalizes the arteries and veins.

INSECT BITES: Take one part honey to two parts of lukewarm water and add a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder, make a paste and massage it on the itching part of the body slowly. It is noticed that the pain recedes within a minute or two.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.

In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week out of the 200 people so treated practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

HAIR LOSS: Those suffering from hair loss or baldness, may apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder before bath and keep it for approx. 15 min. and then wash the hair. It was found to be effective even if kept on for 5 minutes.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied 3 times a day till the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder
mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, were found to
reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken 3 times a day, any Chronic cholesterol is cured. As per information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.

INFERTILITY: Yunani and Ayurvedic Medicine have been using honey for thousands of years to strengthen the semen of men. If impotent men regularly take two tablespoon of honey before going to sleep, their problem will be solved.

In China, Japan and Far-East countries, women, who do not conceive and need to strengthen the uterus, have been taking cinnamon powder for centuries. Women who
cannot conceive may take a pinch of cinnamon powder in half teaspoon of honey
and apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day, so that it slowly mixes with the saliva and enters the body.

A couple in Maryland, USA, had no children for 14 years and had lost hope of having a child of their own. When told about this process, husband and wife started taking honey and cinnamon as stated above; the wife conceived after a few months and had twins at full term.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India & Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food, relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient, which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly arrests the ravages of old age. Take 4 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age.

Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of Honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month 3 times a day.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon power in equal parts, are more alert and flexible.

Dr. Milton who has done research says that a half tablespoon honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3.00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, first thing in the morning gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water. So their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder taken in equal parts restore hearing.

*NOTE: The honey used needs to be REAL RAW UNPASTEURIZED HONEY. If it says PURE honey it is most likely pasteurized. It is best to only buy honey that says RAW or UNPASTEURIZED on the label. The difference is that the enzymes are all heated out of the pasteurized honey.
Cinnamon and Honey formula for weight loss:
This should be prepared at night before going to bed.

1. Use 1 part cinnamon to 2 parts raw honey. 1/2 tsp cinnamon to 1 tsp honey is recommended but can use more or less as long as in the ratio of 1 to 2. --- so 1 tsp cinnamon to 2 tsp raw honey is ok too as an example.

2. Boil 1 cup...that is 8 oz of water.

3. Pour water over cinnamon and cover and let it steep for 1/2 hour..(30 minutes)

4. Add honey now that it has cooled. Never add honey when it is hot as the heat will destroy the enzymes and other nutrients in the raw honey.

5. Drink 1/2 of this directly before going to bed. The other 1/2 should be covered and refrigerated.

6. In the morning drink the other half that you refrigerated...but do not re-heat it...drink it cold or at room temp only.

Do not add anything else to this recipe. No lemon, no lime, no vinegar. It is not necessary to drink it more time in a day...it is only effective on an empty stomach and primarily at night.

This works for most people. Inches are lost before any measurement on the scales. This program will cause significant inches lost...but you will reach a plateau and may not lose anymore. This is because the cinnamon and honey cause a cleansing effect in the digestive tract and cleans out parasites and other fungus and bacteria that slow down the digestion...causing a toxic build up. (Lowers pH) Once this is all cleaned out then you will most likely have the weight loss slow down.

Other side effects from a cleansing can occur because of toxins being released...if this occurs, cut back on how much you use or take a break.

Additionally people report increased energy, more sex drive, and feeling happier/mood enhancer.

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month ... which we know today as the honeymoon.