Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Did you know that your skin is essentially your largest organ? It completely covers almost the entire body, with the difficult task of shielding and protecting our internal organs and systems. Look around and you’ll see plenty of skin types – different colors, textures, and of course a host of problems that can come with your unique skin type. What matters most isn’t how your skin looks, but how you take care of it. Read the rest of this entry »

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

 

People take their feet for granted until they get in trouble. Aside from skin infections, the feet are also prone to injury such as muscle sprain and stress fractures. Improperly fitting shoes, impaired circulation or incorrectly trimmed toenails can deter you from enjoying an active lifestyle.

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Fitness And Health Ideas believes a healthy recipe plan is not staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about you feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. Healthy eating is not about strict nutritional philosophies, it’s more about healthy eating and a sensible balanced diet. Learning some strict nutritional philosophies will help you achieve this and by using the information gained, it will help you to lose weight.

Foods low in saturated fat, with plenty of fruit, vegetables and grains will create a strong foundation for healthy eating and a good active lifestyle, as well as reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.     

Here are a few tips to help you get started: 

“Eat to live, not live to eat!”  PUT THIS PHRASE ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR.

You probably desire a healthier lifestyle, you want to feel good and look fantastic. Now that’s the kind of motivation that will surely get you results. Your journal will serve as a diary towards your goal – as a written record in which you make good progress (weight loss) and those times when you over indulge (too many calories and not enough calorie-burning). 

Your own health and exercise journal should include?

* Type of aerobic exercise

* Type of weight-bearing exercise

* Number of minutes or reps

* Distance walked or ridden on bike

* Comments about the weather or feelings

 Your own food and weight journal should include?

* Write down each meal, and each snack, being as specific as possible

* Keep track of daily calories, using a calorie counter

* Keep track of fat grams, for each food eaten

* Keep track of your weight 

This daily diary is your most valued friend because it tells a daily story regarding your progressive steps towards your goals. 

Definition of a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of heat, equal to 4.1868 joules (International Table Calorie) formerly defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree centigrade. 

Obesity is one of the major obstacles to good health. So by cutting down on your calories you will reduce your weight and that will help you reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardio disease and cancer.

 List of low calorie foods. 

Vegetables low in calories (in alphabetical order).

- Boiled potatoes.

- Broccoli

- Brussels sprouts.

- Celery

- Mushroom

- Tomatoes.

- Watercress.

- Swede.

- Red peppers.

Fruits low in calories (in alphabetical order). 

These fruits are low in calories only if you eat them fresh.

- Apricot

- Melon

- Chayote

- Currants

- Grapefruit (white, red, pink) 

Meat and animal products low in calories (in alphabetical order).

- Beef

- *Canadian bacon

- Lean ham

- Low fat cheese

- Lower fat hot-dogs

- Ground turkey

- White eggs

When it comes to drinks, water is the only fluid your body requires. You should drink water equivalent to your body weight in ounces, ie if you weigh 120 lb you should drink 120 ounces per day which equates to 7.8

16-oz glasses per day. Therefore the rule of thumb is 8 glasses of water per day (medical recommendation).  Water is completely calorie free. There are many functions and importance of water.

Water forms the main base of our saliva

* Fluid that surrounds joints are made of water

* It serves as a lubricant

* It helps the movement of joints, and also protects organs and tissues of the body.

* It regulates the metabolism of the body.

* Water keeps the body well hydrated

* Water helps to regulate the temperature of the body, as the heating and     cooling are processed through precipitation.

* It helps to move the food through the intestine to eliminate waste and thus alleviates constipation. It is the best detox diet available.

* Drinking water helps to maintain muscle tone and metabolizes stored fats.

* It has an enormous effect on weight loss as well.

One or two cups of coffee a day is ok providing you don’t add any sugar.

The scientific definition of unsaturated fats is a fat that has only saturated fatty acid radicals in its triglycerides. 

Foods that have high amounts of unsaturated fats include:

• Dairy products (cream, cheese, and butter especially)

• Coconut oil

• Chocolate (dark)

• Lard

• Fatty meat 

Limit saturated fats. Your healthy eating plan should consist mainly of unsaturated fats. Foods high in saturated fats run the risk of increasing cholesterol levels, a strong risk factor for heart disease. So try and restrict the use of vanaspati ghee* and animal products.  In fact, there is no lower “safe” limit yet identified for saturated fats. This means that any amount of saturated fats greatly increases your health risk. 

Increase the intake of foods rich in complex carbohydrates and limit sugar. According to the latest research, about 60 per cent of all calories should come from carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate

A compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the latter two usually in the proportions of water C_m(H₂O)_n.  Carbohydrates in food are an important and immediate source of energy for the body; 1 gram of carbohydrate yields 3.75 calories (16 kilojoules). They are present, at least in small quantities, in most foods, but the chief sources are the sugars and starches of plants. 

Carbohydrates may be stored in the body as glycogen for future use. If they are eaten in excessive amounts they are converted to and stored as fat, therefore follow a low carbohydrate diet. 

Moderate the use of proteins. In general, proteins are considered to be healthy, but it is a myth that protein rich food is non-fattening. Large quantities of animal protein are unhealthy as they tend to have both a high fat and cholesterol content and anything consumed in excess is converted to fat and stored in the body.

 FIRST METHOD: DO AND REVIEW

- 100g of meat (red meat or poultry) will supply 20-25g of protein

- 100g of seafood will supply 15-20g of protein

- one cup of milk or yogurt will supply 8g of protein

- one egg will supply 6g of protein

- 120g of tofu will supply 9g of protein

- 30g of nuts will supply 5g of protein

 SECOND METHOD: COUNT YOUR SERVINGS

Healthy recipes to ensure you eat enough protein, without counting the numbers, is to eat five serves of protein every day, (assuming you focus on animal proteins). ‘One serve’ equals

- 28g (one ounce) of meat/fish or

- 1 egg or

- 1/2 cup cooked legumes or

- two tablespoons of peanut butter 

REMEMBER this important fact regarding eating enough protein is that your digestive system has to be producing enough digestive enzymes to break down that valuable protein into amino acids. You need to have a healthy stomach, pancreas and intestines, but as you age your ability to produce these digestive enzymes in sufficient amounts diminishes. 

Use less salt and sodium. Excessive intake of salt leads to hypertension. While cooking raw food, salt should be added in the last stages because by then the salt in the food has been released, requiring a small quantity for seasoning. 

Try to avoid processed foods as far as possible. 

Increase your intake of fresh food and Fresh fruit. For your nutritional cooking, raw vegetables and whole grains are ideal ingredients for healthy recipes. It’s also important to remember that proper handling and storage will help to retain the nutritional value of food. Refined and processed foods should only be used sparingly or as a stand by alternative. 

Fitness And Health Ideas believe if you eat healthily you have a head start in staying fit and maintaining a long, active and healthy lifestyle. We can only guide you, in the end the decision is entirely yours.

*Also Known as Hydrogenated fat. Ghee is an essential and nutritional element in much of Indian cuisine. It has a rich, buttery taste and aroma. Vanaspati Ghee is made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. Is white and grainy (danedaar) in texture and is favored for deep-frying and making sweets and snacks. Vanaspati ghee is manufactured from partially hydrogenated permitted vegetable oils. It is a mixture of vegetable oils that have been converted to solid form by the addition of hydrogen. Hydrogenated fat is used as a ghee substitute in cooking as well in the production of bakery products, sweets and snack items. When vanaspati is made, trans fatty acids are also produced; these increase the risk of heart disease when consumed in excess and are best avoided.

*In flavour, appearance, and texture, Canadian bacon is closer to ham than it is to bacon. The meat is lean, slightly sweet, and juicy. Unlike regular bacon, Canadian bacon does not crisp up in its own fat while it is being cooked. The meat is meant to be served in a soft, juicy stage of cooking, and it will be dry and tasteless if it is allowed to crisp up. It is also usually served in thicker wedges than those used for conventional bacon.

The Role Of Vitamin B3 Niacin (Nicotinic Acid) For Your Healthy Body By Fitness And Health Ideas.

The B vitamin family group consists of 8 with vitamin B3 Niacin the third discovered in 1873.

 Fitness And Health Ideas believes Vitamin B3 Niacin is an essential vitamin for you to have a healthy body, and it is just one of the eight water soluble types of B vitamins.  Nearly all of the B vitamin classes will help the body convert carbohydrates into sugar or glucose, which your body can then burn to produce energy.  Also known as complex B vitamins, B3 Niacin is essential in helping your body break down protein and fat.

 Complex B vitamins also play an important role with maintaining muscle tone within the digestive system tract, along with the health of the skin, nervous system, liver, eyes, hair, and mouth.  Even though a lot of people associate exercise routine with the aspect of muscles and muscle tone, vitamin B3 Niacin is as equally important for you to maintain a  healthy body – if not more important.

 B3 Niacin is also important with getting harmful or toxic chemicals out of your body.  It can also help your body produce different sex and stress related hormones within the adrenal glands, among other parts of the body.  The vitamin is also useful for helping with sexual dysfunction as well.  This can be great news for those who have problems with sexual performance.

 Fitness And Health Ideas also knows that it is very effective in improving your blood circulation, B3 Niacin can also help to reduce “LDL” or bad cholesterol levels found in the blood and increase ”HDL” or good cholesterol.  Even though vitamin B3 Niacin is great for you as a stand- alone supplement, Fitness And Health Ideas advise you should also consume it with foods that contain protein, due to the fact that the body is able to convert the amino acid known as Tryptophan into Niacin.

 The higher doses of B3 Niacin, which are available only through prescription, have been proven to prevent and also improve a variety of different symptoms and ailments.  Due to the high risk of toxicity, you as an individual, should always consult with your doctor first, before you decide to start using higher doses of B3 Niacin.

 •    0-6 months: 2mg
•    7-12 months: 4mg
•    1-3 years: 6mg
•    4-8 years: 8mg
•    9-13 years: 12mg
•    14-18 years: males 16mg; females 14mg
•    19+: males 16mg, females 14mg
•    Pregnant females: 18mg
•    Breastfeeding females: 17mg

* according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, http://www.umm.edu/

 There are also Niacin skin care products that are being developed as well, which contain anti-aging products, helping to treat acne and also aid in the prevention of skin cancer.  A lot of dermatologists expect that these products will become really popular over the coming years.  Even though they are still in their development stages, research has proven them to be very effective when compared to similar types of product studies.

 Fitness And Health Ideas suggest your best sources for vitamin B3 Niacin may include: beef, pork, turkey, chicken breasts, beets, veal, halibut, venison, salmon, tuna, mushrooms, asparagus, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, green peas, broccoli, spinach and peanuts.  You can also get supplements that contain B3 Niacin as well, which can provide your body with the amounts it needs.  This is a very important vitamin, as it does a lot more for your body than you think.  By consuming foods that contain it or taking the proper supplements – you’ll get the correct amount of B vitamins that your body needs to be healthy on a daily basis.

 Some common symptoms of vitamin B3 deficiency may include:

Headache, Depression, Rash in areas exposed to sun, Pellagra (which can lead towards dementia or even death), Swollen Tongue, Vomiting, Canker Sores.

Fitness and Health Ideas believe a healthy diet, moderate exercise and the consumption of vitamin B3, if required, can be beneficial to your well being and longevity.

                      FITNESS AND HEALTH IDEAS would like to discuss with you the importance of drinking lots of water.
                                                         Water helps keep your body fit, healthy, to stay slim and boost your energy levels, hydrates your body plus quenches your thirst.

50 – 75% of your body weight is water depending on the person’s age. Most of the water found within the cells of the body (intracellular space). The rest is found in the (extracellular space) which consists of the blood vessels (intravascular space) and the spaces between cells (interstitial space).

Fitness and Health Ideas have examined a study entitled “Water as an Essential Nutrient” for the importance of proper hydration for good fitness, health and human performance. If we lose more than 3% of our water content you become dehydrated which will lead you to significant problems both cognitive and physical performance.

If physical fitness, health and performance are important to you make sure you drink enough water daily to quench your thirst. The main five users of water to the body are:-

(a) Vital component of our cells;
(b) Necessary agent in the body’s chemical process;
(c) A facilitator of all bodily functions including respiration and digestion;
(d) Regulates body temperature;
(e) Lubricates joints and muscles for proper movement.

Science used to say 8 glasses of water per day was sufficient but this depends on your activities and the weather. Drink water frequently if you want to reach your optimum fitness and health level. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science (I.O.M.) have specific recommendations for fluid intake. It is not much when you consider up to 20% of your water intake comes from food:-
Male
Adolescents aged 9 – 13 years need 1.8 litres per day
Teenagers aged 14 – 18 years need 2.6 litres per day
Adults need 3 litres per day
Female
Adolescents aged 9 – 13 years need 1.6 litres per day
Teenagers aged 14 – 18 years need 1.8 litres per day
Adults need 2.2 litres per day
which converts to 13 cups per day for male adults. There is also some evidence to suggest that a moderate increase in water intake can decrease the risk of some cancers, heart disease and other illnesses in certain people but to be sure ask your doctor about your own person/family history.

To stay fit and healthy you should make it a habit to drink as much fluids as you can. All beverages hydrate and a study by (B.I.H.W.) says adults consume 45 – 50% more liquids when they are flavoured compared to plain water. Fitness and Health Ideasagree with the recommendations of The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science (I.O.M.) and B.I.H.W.