Eating out usually means that we have little control over how the food is prepared or how large the portion is. The foods we are offered often tend to be higher in the bad fats as well as sugar and processed salt. In addition, studies have also shown that eating with friends can tempt us to overeat. Meals with multiple courses eaten over longer periods and with alcohol are all associated with overindulgence plus large serving bowls and spoons increase the likelihood of piling more food on your plate than you usually eat. Restaurant food does not have to provide nutritional information and so opting for the healthiest option might not always be obvious or easy.

It would seem that everything is stacked against you!

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

So what can you do so that you still enjoy the party but not feel guilty afterwards?

-  If you are eating out at a restaurant, go for smaller portions or opt for the starter as your main course.

-  Be on the look out for the least processed option and go for whole foods whenever you can.

-  Be extra careful what you eat during the day before your meal out.

-  Don’t be shy about asking the waiter, the waitress or the chef about the ingredients of a particular dish.

-  Drink plenty of water before you even start your meal. That will immediately make you feel less hungry.

-  Soup is a good choice to start with.

-  Don’t be tempted to eat lots of bread or bread sticks before your courses arrive from the kitchen.

-  Don’t feel you have to eat more than you need just to be polite.

-  Consider ordering a starter (with its smaller portion) as your main dish.

-  Don’t be shy about suggesting sharing a course with a companion if the restaurant is inclined to serve large portions.

-  Think about asking for extra vegetables or salad for a healthier option.

-  Choose dishes that are grilled, baked, steamed, poached or cooked in their own juice rather than less healthy cooking options such as fried or deep fried.

-  Be wary of sauces and dressings.

Specialist restaurants may prove difficult to choose a healthy option but here are some suggestions:

Mexican
Be careful of fully loaded burritos, hard tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas.

Thai
Avoid Pad Thai which is a traditional noodle dish that is high in fat as well as be wary of too much coconut milk or cream in rich curries and soups. Go for a smaller portion along with veggies or salad.

Chinese
Choose side orders of salad or vegetables to fill up on.  Avoid dishes described as deep-fried or battered – deep-fried spring or egg rolls, sweet and sour pork or chicken and fried rice, prawn crackers and crispy seaweed dishes. Rather opt for stir-fried chicken or vegetables. Choose plain boiled rice rather than fried rice.

Indian
Avoid those pre-meal poppadums and chapattis while bhajis and naan breads are also surprisingly high in carbs. The best dishes to limit fat and calorie intakes are oven-cooked tandoori and tikka dishes along with Madras, jalfrezi, balti or dupiaza or choose tandoori or “dry” sizzling dishes, plain boiled rice and dhal.

Italian
Go for the thin crust pizzas rather than the deep-pan or filled crust options and ask for less cheese. Choose vegetable and fish-based toppings or pasta dishes served with a tomato or vegetable-based sauce.  Enjoy minestrone soup or fresh green salad with dressing on the side in place of a heavy appetiser.  Keep away from the garlic bread or focaccia and choose a mixed salad instead. Choose fruit or plain ice cream rather than fancy desserts.

Burger or fish and chip joints – these should really not be on your radar but if in an emergency:
Forget the chips and when choosing fish, eat the fish and leave the batter behind.  Be aware that small fried items such as scampi are high in fats.  If you must have a burger, keep it small and plain with just a salad accompaniment.  Definitely no doughnuts!

When sharing a meal with family or friends in their home, use the same sensible choices as you would in a restaurant so that you eat, enjoy but never offend.

A lightweight frame with mountain bike tyres can make the perfect bike for both commuting and leisure. However, take time to decide what sort of bike will suit you best as there can be plenty of choice. If you go to a store, sit on the bike to ensure it feels comfortable and the right size for you. The better the bike, the more comfortable and enjoyable the ride will be for you.

-  Cycling can be the one of the best ways to get fit because you are not bound by any timetables, you can fit it into your regular daily routine. Cycling helps to build your stamina so in turn you can carry out your day-to-day activities more effectively.

-  Cycling gets your hearts and lungs pumping to stregthen the cardiovascular system and minimize the risk of coronary heart disease. Essentially an aerobic exercise, it gives your heart, blood vessels and lungs a workout to reduce the risk of heart problems while at the same time controlling your blood pressure level.

-  Just a short cycle ride 4 times a week can improve aerobic fitness by 11% after just 6 weeks. Cycling will help reduce the risk of many chronic conditions such as diabetes and even certain cancers.

-  Cycling has a positive effect on our mental health with 85% of those suffering from depression finding they can improve their symptoms when they go cycling in an outdoors environment. The pleasure and satisfaction derived from cycling alleviates all the stress, anxiety and depression.

-  Cycling boosts the immune system with both exercise and extra vitamin D from the sunlight exposure. As a general rule, cyclists live longer than non cyclists.  Cycling enhances the overall fitness level of a person by making you breathe deeper and perspire more. You can get up a sweat.

-  Cycling helps you to lose excess weight. Cycling for just 30 minutes a day can burn over 11 pounds of fat in a year. While managing weight, cycling helps to get rid of that increased waistline. A few miles of cycling per day assures trimmer and toned muscles because your upper thigh muscles, buttocks and calf muscles all get to workout.

-  There is a social benefit too. As a leisure activity, cycling gives you the opportunity to spend time with friends or the chance to meet new people and discover new places.

-  Cycling instead of driving your car makes you feel good about doing your bit for the environment. You will be helping to ease traffic congestion, reduce your carbon footprint and your fuel expenses. Cycling is a complete environmentally-friendly activity. You willl be adding no harmful or toxic chemicals to the air.

Worldwide, cities and towns are becoming more cycling-friendly with special routes and more cycle lanes becoming available all the time. Those top 15 cycling cities in the world include:

Europe – of course Amersterdam – plus Barcelona, Berlin (where 400 000 commuters pedal to work every day), Copenhagen and Paris.

North America has its own set:

-  Boulder, Denver where nearly every major roadway has a designated cycling area.

-  Chicago.

-  Davis, California where it is said there are more bikes than cars with the population of 65 000. The official motto for the town is “the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States”.

-  Ottawa in Canada.

-  Portland which most people consider to be the bike capital of the US.

-  San Francisco.

And elsewhere in the world includes:

Beijing (with the highest number of cyclists in the world), Bogotá and Perth…as well as my own home town of Cape Town in South Africa.

There are some things that need to start at an early age in life. Keeping fit is one of them. Healthy eating is another. Mental fitness is important too. Even young children will grasp meditation and breathing exercises easily, helping them to stay calm and relaxed while improving concentration levels and mental alertness.

1. Every parent can and should be a fitness role model for their child. By exercising together, setting an example that can be copied at school or simply fostering a positive attitude towards exercise, the parent teaches the child an invaluable lesson while promoting exercise.

2. Children need to have regular physical activity from the youngest of ages. Those who are 6 years and older need at least an hour a day of physical activity. Most of the hour should be either moderate or vigorous aerobic activity. In addition, children should participate in muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week. Many classic activities — such as playing on playground equipment and jumping rope — cover all the bases at once.

3. Every parent should be aware that some children will enjoy exercise because exercise itself is the reward. Others will need a bit more persuading and some thinking out of the box to encourage exercise. It should be made enjoyable because then that enjoyment becomes the reward.

4. Every parent when exercising with their children needs to remind themselves (even if training is involved) that it needs to be social and fun.

5. Group activities or team sports are often a great way to encourage exercise, fitness and enjoyment. These can be as diverse as joining a sports club, going on a forest walk, rock climbing on a beach or cycling around the special paths in the area or around your suburb.

6. Your children will be fitter and achieve more enjoyment if they understand and use the techniques for a particular activity. Invest in some coaching for this. People spend many years learning about favorite sports and practicing how to do them well. If your child shows interest in a particular sport or activity, think about a camp or program to introduce him or her to this. It may be better than just joining a team that starts playing games right away without much explaining first. Some sports are just good to understand, even if you never want to play on a competitive team. For instance, you might play softball or volleyball, just for fun, at a summer picnic or family get together.

7. Discourage TV and too much sitting time by limiting screen team. Unless you provide alternatives, children will often take the easy way out and go back to the TV or the computer. Screen time is the amount of time spent watching TV or DVDs, playing video games (console systems or handheld games), and using the computer. The more time spent on sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff. Try to limit screen time to no more than 2 hours a day, not counting computer use related to school. If your child plays video games, opt for those that require movement. Activity-oriented video games — such as dance video games and video games that use a player’s physical movements to control what happens on the screen — boost a child’s calorie-burning power. Children who trade sedentary screen time for active screen time more than double their energy expenditure.

It is not so difficult to keep your child fit. It just takes a few simple things coupled with some effort and a little more dedication. You will be setting your child up for life.

Some call it comfort food while others say it is emotional eating. Either way, it is turning to food, and particularly less healthy food, when times are tough. If your emotions and your waistline are getting the raw end of the deal as far as your eating habits are concerned, perhaps it is time to do something constructive about this problem. Often, it becomes a habit to turn to food when stress, a loss or a certain situation occurs and most of the time you are not even hungry. The big downside of emotional eating is that it can sabotage your weight loss efforts because emotional eating often leads to eating too much of the high-calorie, sweet and fatty types of foods.

Whether caused by major life events or the every day hassles of life, emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Some of the main triggers that can cause you to eat comfort food instead of dealing with a painful situation are:

• Unemployment

• Financial pressure

• Health problems

• Relationship conflicts

• Work stress

• Bad weather

• Fatigue

These tips could help you to overcome the problem:

1.  If emotional eating is an ongoing concern for you, it can help to keep a food diary. In one column keep a record of your emotions, in the second column the reasons for eating and in the third column the food that you actually ate. This is a good way to identify the triggers that set you off and in time, as you see a pattern emerging, it will help you to manage the situation in the future.

2.  When you find yourself reaching for that food at difficult times, stop and drink a glass of water. This will take your mind off the food for a few seconds at least! It will also help to make you feel fuller (and healthier). Make yourself wait for 30 minutes before succumbing to the desire for that particular comfort food and with a bit of luck, that desire will have vanished until the next time.

3.  Be aware of certain situations – for example you might have to be spending a lot of time at a hospital because of a sick or injured loved one. At such a time, your regular eating habits can be really thrown off kilter so that you grab anything to eat at the hospital shop or canteen or perhaps when you are travelling to and from the hospital. At such a time it becomes more important than ever to eat regular, nourishing meals so that you stay well and healthy to help and support that loved one.

4.  Take away temptation. Don’t keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they’re hard for you to resist. If they are not there, you cannot have them. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until your emotions are in check.

5.  You can still snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose fresh fruit, chopped up raw vegetables with a healthy dip or dressing, a handful of raw nuts or plain popcorn.

6.  If you are in a work or home situation where there is confrontation or a difficult time to cope with and you are tempted to grab anything at hand, take a walk to calm down before you do so. You will come back with a different perspective and will be less likely to want to eat.

7.  Learn to gauge whether you are stomach hungry or emotionally hungry. If you can make this a habit, it will help you to put the brakes on when you are tempted to go in for some comfort eating.

8.  Don’t deprive yourself too much. When you’re trying to achieve a weight-loss goal with healthy eating at every meal, this may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety in your healthy food to help curb cravings.

9.  Boredom eating is another type of emotional eating. Instead of eating when bored you can learn other ways to handle dull situations such as trying something out of your comfort zone; improving your mind; turning off the TV; or rediscovering your dreams.

10. Did you know that not getting enough sleep or suffering from insomnia can be another reason why you need to reach for comfort food. If you’re constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost.  Instead, address the problem of insomnia or too little sleep.

My husband battles with weight constantly. I know that the minute he becomes agitated (more often than not when his favorite soccer team is not playing so well), he will go marching down to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator or the pantry. I try to steer him to the raw carrots in the veggie drawer or I just have to bite my tongue!

day, so much the better. One of these health filled nuts is the pecan which is an especially rich source of energy while also filled with many nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for our wellbeing. Just one and a half ounces of nuts daily, such as pecans,  as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, could help you to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Pecan nuts were one of the more recent of domesticated major crops as the commercial growing in the USA did not begin until the 1880s. Today, this country produces the majority of the world’s pecans (up to 95%) from some 10 million trees with the harvest occurring in October. The rest of the world’s supply comes from Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa. An interesting fact about pecan trees is that they can carry on bearing edible nuts for more than 300 years.

There are many other health benefits from eating pecan nuts:

1.  Pecans are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and are an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients found in foods that help protect against cell damage while fighting diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer.

2.  Pecans are an excellent source of many phyto-chemical substances that may contribute to their overall antioxidant activity, including polyphenolic antioxidant ellagic acid, vitamin E, beta-carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin. Research studies have suggested that these compounds help our bodies to remove toxic oxygen free radicals as a further form of protection from disease.

3.  Pecans are a rich source of vitamin-E which is important for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of both mucus membranes and the skin. The nuts are especially rich in one form of vitamin E called gamma-tocopherols. Studies have found that after eating pecans, gamma-tocopherol levels in the body double and unhealthy oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood decreases by as much as 33 percent. Oxidized LDLs can contribute to inflammation in the arteries and place people at greater risk of cardiovascular problems. While on the subject of cholesterol, pecans contain plant sterols which are known for their cholesterol-lowering ability.

4.  Pecans are also packed with many important B-complex group of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 and folates. These vitamins function as co-factors for enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism. 

5.  Pecans are also full of minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.

6.  High in fiber, one ounce of pecans provides 10 percent of the recommended daily value for fiber.

7.  Pecans are also a natural, high-quality source of protein that contain very few carbohydrates and no cholesterol.

8.  Pecans are also naturally sodium-free, making them an excellent choice for those on a salt- or sodium-restricted diet.

9.  Pecans may even aid in weight loss, and then maintaining such weight loss, according to the findings of a review of pecan and other nut research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (September 2003). This review pointed to nut consumption possibly increasing metabolic rates while enhancing satiety (so you get that fuller feeling sooner). When used in conjunction with a healthy low-fat diet, nuts also offer increased flavor, taste and texture that can lead to greater dietary compliance, according to the review.

For those who are interested in statistics – A one ounce serving of pecans (approximately 20 halves) contains 196 calories, 20.4 grams total fat (1.8 saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 0 grams sodium, 2.7 grams dietary fiber and over 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and zinc.

Unfortunately, what we eat is the main cause of this growing epidemic because the typical American diet is inflammatory and fattening.

Unhealthy food choices such as sweets, baked goods, chips, sodas, sweetened juices, vegetable oils and many processed and refined foods lead to inflammatory situations in the joints and around the spine, eating away and gradually destroying cartilage. What happens then is that our bones and joints have no protection so they rub against one another causing further inflammation and then pain.

Inflammation is now recognized as a key factor in virtually all chronic and degenerative diseases, including arthritis, heart disease, asthma, neurodegeneration, cancer, and kidney and bowel diseases. This is why anti-inflammatory drugs have become so popular. If you can stop the inflammation, you can stop the pain. If you can cure the inflammation, you can cure the pain. However, due in part to the side effects with drugs and in part to the growing belief that natural remedies are safer than most pharmaceuticals, many people today are seeking natural remedies to alleviate the pain of arthritis and other conditions.

Apart from causing inflammation, those same unhealthy food choices also lead to weight gain and obesity, putting even further strain on our joints. Arthritis is twice as common in the obese than it is in others.

Once you become obese and arthritic, you will be less likely to want to exercise leading to further complications with this condition. And this is a pity as physical exercise can be a natural way of relieving pain while getting more activity will make the joints more flexible and moveable over time.

There are many natural ways to combat arthritis and the pain that can accompany it.

-  Some people are helped by take CMO (cetyl myristoleate) supplements while others find fish oil is the answer.

-  Turmeric and curcumin ( which is a yellow spice native to Asia) has been scientifically proven to be highly effective at relieving pain and in inhibits COX2. Curcumin has been found to deliver far superior anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving results than most drugs.

-  Ginger root which is another common spice has been found to relieve arthritis pain by reducing inflammation. Ginger root is also rich in two groups of compounds known as the shaogals and gingerols that are powerfully antioxidant, helping to prevent cells from premature destruction due to exposure to environmental toxins and by-products of metabolism.

-  Many plants, including the Amazon bark cats’ claw and the common spice rosemary, have been found to provide safe, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving properties.

-  H-Arthritis from Healing Natural Oils is specially formulated from pure essential oils to safely and gently reduce the symptoms of arthritis, including pain, stiffness, inflammation and swelling.  The different properties of the essential oils offer circulatory stimulants, anti-inflammatories, analgesics for relieving or diminishing pain while additional properties can eliminate those harmful toxins in the system.  You can massage the joints with a few drops of H-Arthritis three times a day, you can add a drop or two of oil to your relaxing bath time routine plus you can ensure a good night’s sleep by putting a drop of lavender essential oil on your pillow at bedtime.

If you do not want to become another arthritis statistic, make those lifestyle changes now to prevent this condition. But if arthritis is already a problem in your life, changing to a healthier diet, getting plenty of exercise, losing any excess weight and using a natural remedy will all help to reduce your pain and inflammation.

On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed over one and a half million times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month. This is amazing for a university-type lecture of some 90 minutes on the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology when he proves to his viewers that sugar is first and foremost a poison. Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. It is well worth viewing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Sugar is such a toxic and addictive substance and of course the human body is totally unable to utilize the roughly 225 pounds of sugar and HFCS consumed by the average American ever year. Before the 1900s the average consumption was only 5 pounds per year. The maximum amount of sugar we should consume is 6 teaspoons per day but of course preferably less. Our livers turn this blood sugar into fat (triglycerides) and store it on our bellies and hips. If you have a sugar addiction, you need to seriously address the problem and the good news is that it gets easier to kick the habit the longer you hold out. Your tongue creates new taste buds every two or three weeks. These new taste buds will be far more sensitive to subtle flavors and natural sweetness, leading to a complete turnabout where they end up disliking the overpowering sweetness of most processed foods and desserts. It can take anything from 21 to 30 days to change from the sweet habit but your health could benefit for the rest of your life.

Here are 14 good reasons to cut out, or cut down, your sugar consumption.

1. Sugar has been observed to aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, muster mental illness, nourish nervous disorders, hurry heart disease, grow gallstones, hasten hypertension and lead to arthritis.

2. Sugar is nothing more than empty calories, with no nutritional value and is very addictive.

3.  Sugar contains none of the essential nutrients. While it does provide us with a sudden energy boost, this is just a quick fix as the calories in sugar are soon burned by the body. This means that you will need more sugar more often in order to maintain your energy level. And since sugar is so high in calories, the more of it that you eat, the more weight you will gain. Unless you remain extremely active, your body simply can’t keep up with the caloric conversion required when you consume large amounts of sugar.

4. Sugar can lead to the development of diabetes. As sugar is consumed, it raises the glucose levels in your blood, triggering the release of insulin. Glucose levels, where too high, can result in serious conditions such as blindness, loss of circulation and diabetic coma. The effects of diabetes are so serious that stabilizing blood glucose cannot be emphasized enough. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat so that when you take in lots of sugar you are making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease.

5. Sugar can seriously depresses the immune system (leading to a whole new set of problems) and upset the body’s mineral balance.

6. Sugar can be responsible for hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties and grumpiness in children while contributing to eczema.

7. Sugar can reduce good cholesterol and increase bad cholesterol.

8. Sugar can increase the growth of Candida and other yeast infections.

9. Sugar interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium and can contribute to osteoporosis.

10. Sugar can promote tooth decay and lead to periodontal disease.

11. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.

12. Sugar can cause depression.

13. Sugar feeds cancer.

14. Sugar is responsible for almost half of all ageing that takes place inside skin cells. Sugar binds with collagen (the protein that makes up 75% of skin) and activates a chemical reaction called glycation which damages elastin and collagen – the two substances your skin needs to stay supple and elastic. In the end sugar will lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Sugary foods can also trigger increased sebum production which will clog your pores and result in acne breakouts.

Cutting back on sugar can be difficult as many sources of sugar are actually hidden.

Added sugars masquerade under a variety of identities including beet extract, cane juice, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose (table sugar), dextrose, lactose, cane syrup, glucose and fruit-derived sugar. The obvious culprits such as candy, cake, cookies and soda are easy enough to avoid or limit but there is sugar in almost all packaged food including ketchup and canned fruit.

Change to natural, fresh whole foods as much as possible and avoid processed, packaged and convenience items.

And very importantly, any sugar you do consume (an absolute maximum of 6 teaspoonfuls per day) should be brown, unrefined sugar because white, refined sugar is bleached with chlorine bleach (a substance that many people are sensitive to). Chlorine when combined with organic compounds converts to dioxin, a lethal chemical.

If you really cannot give up sugar, then Stevia is a safe and natural alternative.

Stevia has been used for a thousand years in South America, and for a generation in Japan. Unlike aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, stevia is a natural plant and a safe, natural alternative to sugar and perfect for preventing weight gain and promoting general good health. Stevia is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and is virtually calorie free. Use in moderation because Stevia can still decrease your sensitivity to insulin. Anyone with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or excess weight will have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding all sweeteners.
Otherwise, change to stevia for a safer sweetener and don’t forget to check your foods and beverages for what sweeteners or artificial sweeteners are listed in their ingredients.

Citizens for Health has been acting on behalf of the natural health consumer since 1993 as their voice on various issues and they have had considerable success. They also provide information about any threats posed by everyday products so that shoppers can make decide for themselves about the products they buy.

The senior editor for foodidentitytheft.com is Linda Bonvie and she explains: “The truth is corporations and their lobbyists have a huge influence in Washington. We as consumers have to protect ourselves, stay informed, and tell our legislators and government agencies that we won’t accept being lied to”.

The story that they are busy with at the moment is the proposed name change for “High Fructose Corn Syrup”. The Corn Refiners Association (the name of the trade association for this man-made sweetener) has asked the US government to legally change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to the misleading and inaccurate name “corn sugar.”

Linda responds by saying: “We’re not advocating the benefits or decrying the harm of this product. We simply believe there is no valid reason for the name change. It would only confuse consumers and allow food makers to conceal the identity of this product on ingredients labels.”

I wrote about this subject exactly a year ago when the request was first made when I told readers that apparently this request comes after healthy and anti-obesity campaigns have driven the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (used in so many processed and other foods in the US) to a 20 year low.

I pointed out that the one piece of good news about this is that these healthy and anti-obesity campaigns are working!

Although the trade association knew that approval of this name could take 2 years, they did not waste any time at all and immediately started a campaign complete with a dedicated web site and TV commercials to promote “corn sugar”.

So what exactly is high fructose corn syrup or HFCS?

It is a highly refined clear liquid derived from corn starch. Food manufactures love to use it because of its long shelf life and its relatively low cost. It has the same effect as sugar but it is cheaper for those food manufacturers to use. It is widely known that sugar is addictive and that the maximum amount you should consume per day is 6 teaspoonfuls.
Since HFCS’s widespread introduction in the 1980s, US obesity rates have gone through the roof and off course obesity has been linked to many heath issues including heart disease and different forms of cancer. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates, HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain.

When you eat food with HFCS, you get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.

HFCS is found in almost everything we eat today with soft drinks being the absolute worst culprit.  A 12 oz can of cola has up to 13 tsp of sugar (most of it fructose from HFCS). There is HFCS hidden in many of our other food as well, such as ketchup, relish, cookies and even supposedly low fat diet foods! Manufacturers substitute HFCS for the fat in food like mayonnaise and salad dressings and then mark them as low fat or diet foods.

But there are some manufacturers who have made the right decision to stop using HFCS and you now see packaging marked with “no HFCS”.

If you can avoid HFCS, your lifestyle will immediately take a change for the better and remember that all soft drinks are laden with HFCS. Try to eat more home cooked and whole foods as restaurant and take out foods are often prepackaged foods reheated and served to you. Use of HFCS in these foods is wide spread because of their increased shelf life. When you do your grocery shop, learn to read ALL the labels and if HFCS, fructose, or modified corn starch appears within the first 5 ingredients, put the product back on the shelf and move on. You will be shocked to see just how much of what you have been eating on a daily basis contains HFCS.

Eliminate HFCS and you will feel stronger and more vital, lifting your mood and increasing your concentration. That stomach will shrink and your health will improve in leaps and bounds! And make sure you do your good deed for the day and spread the word about the The Corn Refiners Association trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes with this proposed name change.

Meanwhile www.foodidentitytheft.com could use your help to tell the FDA “NO High Fructose Corn Syrup Name Change”. Resources like this site help to ensure that consumers are kept aware of the deceptive practices some corporations are using.

Here are some guidelines:

Staying out of school or at least missing or being late to classes. If you are contacted by your teen’s school about such happenings, take steps to find out why and enlist the help of the school if necessary.

A drop in your teen’s grades. This is another red flag to take note of. This drop could be sudden or it could happen so gradually that you might not immediately notice it. It will have to be investigated.

Behavior problems. This could be minor infringements of school rules or it could be as serious as petty theft. Keep a close eye on any behavior problems that may arise whether at home or at school or anywhere else for that matter.

Losing interest in hobbies and interests. If your son or daughter suddenly no longer wants to participate in formerly enjoyed school or outside activities, this should raise a red flag.

Dropping long standing friends. You should be concerned if your teen suddenly turns away from mixing with his or her friends and is taking on a whole new set of friends, especially if the new friends are influencing your teen’s views and behaviour in a negative way.

A change in personality. Your once friendly and outgoing teen becomes withdrawn and moody. While this can just be a teenage trait anyway, it is still wise to keep an eye on this trend.

Sudden mood changes. While this is another fact of life with teenagers, excessive mood changes including extreme suspicion and paranoia should be be viewed with concern and followed up.

Disappearing and hiding out in his or her own room more frequently. If you start to wonder whether you teen is still living at home, this could be a further sign of a problem.

Neglecting personal appearance or sudden weight loss. A once clean and fashion-minded son or daughter becoming dishevelled and unkempt, even leading to acne outbreaks, is yet another clue to a change in your teen’s lifestyle habits.  Is your teen losing interest in food?

Appearing listless, hung over or just generally uncaring. Such signs should never be ignored and should be followed up as a matter of urgency.

Forgetfulness and memory loss. Signs of sudden absent mindedness should be viewed with suspician.

Becoming secretive or lying. Unfortunately this is a sure sign of problems if your teen has something to hide.

If you son or daughter has developed one or more of these traits, try talking to him or her as your first step. If you discover your worst fears are correct or you still suspect drug use even though there has been a denial, the first thing you need to do is sit down, relax and take a deep breath. Then go online to
http://timetoact.drugfree.org/know-get-focused.html and follow their step by step instructions to help you find solutions.

They tell me that if the diet is followed EXACTLY and without any tweaking, you will lose approximately a pound (or half a kilo) a day…and safely. As exercise does not form part of the success of this diet, anyone with a health problem or disability, that rules out too much exercise, will also benefit from this diet.

As I understand, from those who have followed the diet, it is simplicity itself; it not only consumes unhealthy fat (primarily belly fat) but re-sets the diencephalon, ensuring you will have high energy. Plus any systems that are currently just not functioning properly — like sleep patterns — will naturalize.  The diencephalon is a complex of structures within the brain, whose major divisions are the thalamus and hypothalamus. It functions as a relay system between sensory input neurons and other parts of the brain, as an interactive site for the central nervous and endocrine systems, and works in tandem with the limbic system.

HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone produced during pregnancy. One of its functions is to ensure the growing fetus receives enough nutrients to grow and develop normally. It does this by making the abnormal fat stored in the mother’s body available for use. The mother’s body is then able to use this fat for nutrients and energy, despite her intake. This is why women can suffer from morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy without causing any harm to their baby. Pregnancy is the only time that the hormone HCG is found in the body.

Back in the 1950s, a Dr ATW Simeons discovered that small doses of HCG given to overweight individuals (men and women) decreased their appetite, and made them lose inches, especially around their hips, thighs, buttocks and stomachs. This developed into the HCG diet and is used for weight loss in both the obese and in those who wish to get rid of a few unhealthy or unwanted extra pounds. While millions of people have used HCG for weight loss, there are many people who are only now learning about HCG.

There is a very long protocol for the HCG way of losing weight.  This is set out in www.hcgprotocol.com/pandi.pdf and you really should read it first if you are interested in this diet.

The good news is that you do not need to have the injections, mentioned in the protocol, if you are following this diet. You can order and take the HCG drops instead, with equally good results. These drops can be ordered online and come with full instructions.

If you are interested in following the weight loss journeys of some of the successful participants, you can follow their stories in http://www.hawkeshealth.net/community/forumdisplay.php?f=130

With the current USA figures standing at 58 million Americans overweight, 40 million obese and 3 million morbidly obese and growing, it is really important to find a solution that works and that continues to work after the weight is lost. 8 out of 10 Americans aged 25 years and above are now considered to be overweight

Image via Wikipedia

If your climate is suitable and you have even the smallest garden, you should grow a lemon tree. After just a few short years, you will have an ample supply of your own organic lemons to use in so many different ways for several months of the year. The lemon contains many nourishing elements including vitamin C, vitamin B, potassium, phosphorous, proteins and carbohydrates.

Use lemons for your health:

1. Lemon being a citrus fruit, fights infection. If you have a sore throat – gargle or rinse out your mouth with the juice of one lemon in a glass of warm water and 1 teaspoon of honey. You can also apply a compress of slightly salted lemon juice to the throat.
2. Lemon is an antioxidant which deactivates the free radicals, preventing many dangerous diseases like stroke, cardiovascular diseases and cancers while lemon lowers blood pressure and increases the levels of HDL (the good cholesterol).
3. Lemon is found to be anti-carcinogenic which lower the rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer. If you have acid stomach, biliousness and digestive troubles – take a teaspoon of lemon juice (sweetened with honey) every half an hour.
4. Bunions and corns – apply neat lemon juice to soothe bunions and leave on overnight for corns. If you have a nose bleed, apply a plug of cottonwool soaked in lemon juice to the nostrils.
5. Painful joints, neuralgia, rheumatism can all be helped by rubbing half a lemon over the affected parts.
6. Mosquito bites – dab one teaspoon vinegar mixed with one teaspoon lemon juice. Sprinkle with talcum powder afterwards. Lemon juice can also be applied to the sites of other bites and stings of certain insects to relieve any poison and pain.
7. The skin of lemon dried under the sun and then ground to make powder can be applied to the hair for a few minutes before bathing to relieve a head ache and cool the body.
8. A few drops of lemon juice in hot water taken first thing every morning before anything else is eaten or drunk will help to clear the digestive system and purify the liver as well. An excellent detox.
9. For a healthy mouth, lemon juice can be taken to relieve gingivitis, stomatitis and inflammation of the tongue.
10. Lemon juice relieves colic pain and gastric problems.

As a beauty treatment:

A lemon is an aromatic and antiseptic agent, useful in foot relaxation. Add some lemon juice in warm water and dip the foot in the water to achieve this. Lemon can also be applied to those areas on the feet where corns or hard skin appears.

1. Apply lemon juice to acne to dry out existing pimples and even prevent others developing.

2. Lemon juice soothes a dry skin when applied with little glycerine.

3. Lemon juice can be used as a natural hair lightener and skin bleach and is also an excellent treatment for dandruff and greasy hair.

4. Lemon applied over the face removes wrinkles and keeps the skin looking younger.

5. Lemon juice can also be used as a mouthwash. It removes plaque, whitens the teeth and strengthens the enamel.

As part of a weight loss program:

Lemon is one of nature’s diuretics, which is why it is often suggested to help with weight loss.

For breakfast, take the juice of 3 lemons with 2 teaspoons brown sugar dissolved in it, or put 2 sliced oranges and 6 sliced lemons in a pan .
Pour on 1 litre boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add 3 tablespoons honey.
Boil again for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
Strain and leave to cool.
Drink 1 glass first thing in the morning, another during the day and another at bedtime.

The lemon is such a versatile fruit and home remedy, finding the solution to so many health and beauty problems. The lemon comes with its own set of antispetic and natural properties. Try to include at least a quarter or half a lemon in your daily diet.  Of course, always go for real, organic lemons and avoid any artificial lemon flavoring.

There are certain hormones in our bodies that can react strongly to stress.

Cortisol is one such hormone. When you feel tense, stress eating  seems to be triggered almost like an automatic response. Cortisol is normally present in the body at high levels in the morning, but lowest at night, and is secreted into the bloodstream in higher levels during the body’s response to stress, leading to several stress-related changes in our bodies. Some changes are suitable for stressful situations but because of our modern high stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that it may not have the chance to return to normal.

If you are in a state of chronic stress, prolonged and high levels of cortisol in the bloodstream can lead to many health problems including blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia and increased abdominal fat. All the more reason to be careful of your diet at such times. A 2010 study from the University of Michigan showed that when levels of the stress hormone cortisol were boosted in healthy, non-stressed adults, they ate more snack foods.

If you are prone to regular stressful or depressive periods in your life, you need to break the cycle and enjoy a healthier diet:

- If you prepare your brain and your body ahead of time so that it is ready to cope with times of stress or depression, you will be better placed to handle it when it happens. Eat small regular and healthy meals throughout the day (at least every 3 to 4 hours).

- Enjoy complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, raisin bran, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, lots of fresh and organic vegetables, beans, fresh fruits and healthy fats from grass fed butter, olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, fatty fish, nut butters, coconut oil, avocado oil and olive oil to help encourage the feel good serotonin in your system and to counteract stress.

- Recognize the signs and symptoms of a stress attack as soon as it starts so that you can do your best to stop the urge to eat the wrong foods in its tracks. You might well be hungry but just make sure that you give your body the right food that it really needs.

- Become more aware of your eating patterns so that you use your senses to choose foods that are both enjoyable, fill the gap but are also nourishing to your body.
-  If the stress-eating urge usually hits you suddenly and without notice, be prepared by always keeping some healthy snacks close at hand so that you are not tempted to rush out and buy the wrong kind of comfort food from the closest vending machine or convenience store when the need arises. Suggestions for such emergency supplies include small packets of nuts and trail mix, small bars of dark chocolate and apples.

- At home, you can keep tempting but healthy treats in the refrigerator such as boxes of blueberries, raspberries and other berries or ready cut up pieces of carrot and celery. And if the less healthy options are not readily available in the home, then you are less likely to snack on them in a stressfull situation. So if you should not be eating them then you should not be buying them in the first place!

- Try to avoid turning to food as a panacea for your stress. Cortisol, the stress hormone, needs the body to learn to relax to keep its levels healthy and under control. Change to using other stress management tools such as exercise (go for a walk, a run, a cycle, a swim or a session at the gym); relaxing techniques (deep breathing, yoga, listening to soothing music, meditation); putting your thoughts and concerns down on paper in a journal; or call on a friend to have a good chat and hopefully even a laugh.

To get into the best eating habits to keep that stress at bay, you cannot do better than follow this chart at http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

There is a major difference both to our health and to the way our body responds when (a) we sit and (b) when we simply stand or move around a bit. And even just minor movements can make all the difference in preventing that physiological decline that we suffer when sitting.

So if you spend hours every day sitting at your desk working, what can you do?

- Stand up and take periodic short walks and breaks (and that means every half hour and no longer). Use this time to perform tasks that can be done while standing, such as making phone calls. Stand up when you answer the phone. If possible, pace near your desk for the duration of the call.

- Schedule “walking meetings.” This is ideal when you meet with just one or two people and don’t need to take notes.

- Cut back on phone calls and e-mails to co-workers and rather, when you need to speak to a co-worker, walk to their space. Not only will this get you up out of your chair and moving but you will get to know your co-worker and improve both communication and relationships.

- Try to build in different activities into your daily routine. The simple act of standing will increase your energy expenditure 300% compared with sitting. We burn just 5 calories an hour while sitting but 15 while standing.

- Think about investing in (or asking your employers to do so) an adjustable desk which allows you to sit down on occasions when necessary but for the most part, you spend your day standing up, allowing you naturally to move around more. In fact most cubicle systems or open plan office spaces can be configured to support a high desk so that your computer sits there while you still have a low desk for making telephone calls, reading, writing or other tasks. If space constraints makes two heights impossible, an adjustable-height desk will allow you to change positions throughout the day.

- Another idea is to use the increasingly popular treadmill desk to create a walking desk. Those who have done this (using it for four to 12 hours daily) have found that their productivity and concentration have improved along with their health. Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic came up with the original idea where you slowly walk on a treadmill while working at a desk built around the treadmill. Dr. Levine believes that if individuals replaced the normal 8 hours a day of sitting at their “normal” desk with a Treadmill Desk, and if other components of energy balance were constant, a weight loss of 57 pounds a year could occur.

- On your way to and from your office, take the stairs and avoid the elevator if possible.

- Park your car a distance (half a mile for example) from your office, if practical, or if you take public transport, get off the bus or subway one or two stops before your destination.

- Take a midday walk by using half your lunch hour for a stroll to enjoy some green exercise. Apart from the exercise, abundant scientific evidence shows that activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness and improves the sense of well-being. If you can just make their way to a local park or green area for an absolute minimum of 5 minutes every lunch break, you will benefit.

It may be difficult to make these changes to your office sedentary lifestyle, but the benefits will so outweigh some temporary inconvenience while you take on new habits.

But here are some tips to help you in your quest to slow down the ageing process along with eating healthily, getting regular exercise and taking helpful supplements.

Avoid Falling

Vivian Goldschmidt in her post http://saveourbones.com/prevent-falling-fractures/ has some words of wisdom when she says that even though you may have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia, statistics show that regardless of bone density, it is unlikely that you will ever break a bone as studies show that over 85% of women who turn 50 years old this year will never have a hip fracture regardless of their bone density.

The fact of being diagnosed causes women to react with fear and forboding when they could be living carefree lives. I know my own doctor wants me to have a bone density scan but I have decided against it. I do my best to live and eat healthily and if the scan showed up poor bone density I would be more than reluctant to take any drugs for it anyway (because of the detrimental side effects) so personally I feel it is best to remain in blissful ignorance.

What you can do is to make sure you don’t fall in the first place. Vivian Godschmidt goes on to list some helpful tips to this end:

- Stay fit and active to ensure sharp reflexes and good muscle tone. Sufficient and good sleep is important too as studies have shown that if you lack sleep or suffer from insomnia, it will have a similar effect on your reflexes as being drunk.

- Be sensible and wear comfortable safe shoes. While high heels put you more at risk, sneakers with deep treads can also trip you up. I have tripped up by catching my foot in the turnup of my trousers before now so that is something else to remember.

- Watch out for side effects from taking medication as these can easily cause dizziness and lack of coordination. Even worse is when you are taking more than one prescription at a time – how do you know how they react with each other? All the more reason to try and go the natural route unless it is a life threatening condition that you are having to medicate.

- Ensure that your home is sufficiently well lit so that you can see your way especially if you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. For the same reason, you should have a clean and clutter free house with everything in its place so that you are never at risk of falling over something. So easy to trip over an item that has been moved to a different place especially if you have your hands full.

Keep the brain active

If not used properly, your brain could atrophy as you grow older. There is much you can do to exercise that grey matter – such as crossword puzzles, working sudokus, writing and reading (particularly matter that makes you think) and just generally keeping up as well as you can with modern technology and the world around you. For some fun you can go online to http://www.freebrainagegames.com for some games to determine your brain age as opposed to your real age.

Decide if you are going to grow old gracefully or turn back the clock

If you are less than happy with your looks and appearance, do something about it. We have all seen these TV programs that give you a complete make over or make you look 10 years younger. They don’t just work for people on TV, they work for you and me too. You can lessen your wrinkles, cut your hair into a less ageing style and take a good look at your wardrobe. As it is we already look younger than our parents or grandparents did at the same age as we are now.

But at the same time we would not want to look as we did at 15 nor make those same mistakes.

Image via Wikipedia

Isn’t always the way that if you are trying to lose weight or just cut down on your food intake, you suffer from hunger pains.

Here are some ways to eat less but to still feel full and satisfied after your meal.

1. Smell your food and chew your food well because concentrating on both the smell and the taste of the food ensures you switch on signals to tell your brain when you have had sufficient.

2. Try to remember to drink one or two glasses of pure water before your meal so that you feel more full and your food feels more filling.

3. Eating an apple before each meal will also help to promote a good feeling of fullness so that you eat less at the meal itself.

4. Make it a habit to choose and eat foods that take extra time to actually eat so that you cannot gobble everything down in one go! This will also help your body to feel fuller sooner.

5. Change to a smaller plate for dishing up your meal. You will think you are getting as much food as usual but you will eat less. Fool the eye and fool the stomach!

6. Include super size helpings of fruits and vegetables and even whole grains as these contain lots of water and fiber helping to fill you up quickly. Make energy density work for you and keep you satisfied overall by eating food that is as natural as possible rather than manufactured and processed foods.

7. Include lean protein rich foods in your diet as they can be more filling.

8. Be snack smart as small healthy snacks in between meals mean you will eat less for your main meals and not feel so hungry all the time. A handful of nuts makes a great in between snack but put together a healthy selection that are low in calories so that they are always at hand when you need them.

9. Follow the golden rule to eat enough to make you 80% full by eating until you feel almost full. Then wait 20 minutes. Many people find that by the this time the food is partially digested and they feel satisfied even though they have eaten less than usual.

10. Get enough sleep because when your body is deprived of sleep it produces more of those hormones that are used to regulate the appetite.

Above all, remember that foods laden with sugar and fat may taste good but they do little to fill you up and much towards making you crave for more of the same.

So you might need to take some action. Here are some ideas:

- You probably know that you should stay away from sodas which are packed with sugar, or even worse harmful artificial sweeteners, and other toxic chemicals which can detrimentally affect your health and your weight. Be aware that such sodas can become addictive. Rather drink a cup or two of tea or some good quality freshly made coffee.

- I cannot over emphasize the importance of drinking plenty of water both for avoiding weight gain and for its health benefits. For optimum results, try to drink at least 8 glasses per day of filtered water – you do not need to waste money and further harm the environment by buying plastic bottles of water.

- Of course sugar is the big “no no” for so many reasons including weight gain. The maximum amount of sugar you should have daily is just 6 teaspoons. That is quite a difficult number to aim for when everything these days seems to have added sugar…but you can do it. You may think that sugar will give you an energy boost but while it gives you a quick spike, it just leads to a craving for more. There are lots of healthy good things you can eat instead of sugary treats such as a small daily block of good quality cocoa dark chocolate, raw almonds or walnuts, fresh fruit, raw vegetable smoothies, spoonfuls of coconut oil and more.

- Include exercise in your working day at the computer by doing regular chair exercises, getting up and walking round the office from time to time, standing at your chair and doing some stretches and bends and even using one of the exercise balls that you can both sit and exercise on. You can exercise further by standing up and moving around every hour on the hour (set a timer if this helps you to remember); walking to walk if possible or at the very least part of the way (just 15 minutes a day will make all the difference); always using the stairs and not the elevators to take you to and from your office floor; taking a walk during tea breaks; and getting out into the fresh air in your lunch break for both some exercise and to clear your mind for the afternoon ahead. All of these methods will help you avoid weight gain and improve your fitness levels.

- Don’t be tempted to buy less than healthy food from a vending machine, local shop or fast food outlet when you can bring your lunch from home instead. Snacks such as baby carrots, feta cheese, avocado, sprouts, corn-on-the-cob, tomato, celery sticks, tubs of natural yoghurt, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit and many more items make excellent office lunches. Not only will you prevent weight gain, but you will probably save money too, by avoiding all processed foods.

It takes some extra effort and will power to live a healthy lifestyle at your computer but maintaining your target weight is a good incentive.

So instead here are 10 ways (including foods) that you can eat and use to lose belly fat – but these are all healthy options. And I know they work because my husband followed these tips and came through with flying colors – the inches just fell off in a matter of a few months. He just has to keep it up now. That can be the biggest problem after losing the belly fat – to not let it gradually climb back on again.

The first thing you have to realize – as unpopular as it may be – is that losing belly fat will not come without some effort and perseverance on your part.  There is no magic potion.

1. Exercise of course is vital and this can start off with the walking, the swimming and the cycling because one of the best ways to work that bulge of belly fat in the lower abdomen area is to use your legs. In addition, strength training will tone your muscles, and cardiovascular work will increase your metabolism by getting your heart pumping. More working those muscles in a cardio vascular workout means more burning of calories. Simply put, you need to get out of breath!   But make sure that you give your body adequate rest in between any intense workouts, letting your muscles recover and firm up. The good news is that you will burn more belly fat if you alternate intense workouts with rest periods.

2.  It is not just about food and exercise as sleep is also an important component of losing belly fat.  If your body does not get the rest and sleep it needs, it is not going to function optimally. Sleep and rest help to burn up calores too. A good night’s sleep means quality sleep, restful sleep and sufficient sleep. If insomnia is a problem, treat your insomnia naturally.

3. We all know the damage that stress can do to your overall health and of course weight gain or loss. Take some time to reduce the overall stress levels in your life – you will know where the problem areas lie and what methods you can use to relax. Of course the two previous tips – exercise and sleep are great stress relievers but you can add deep breathing, listening to your favorite type of music, enjoying a long soaking bath with all the trimmings or reading, to the list. Reducing stress will help reduce the amount of stomach fat you have.

4. Change to raw food from processed food. Raw food can include fresh vegetables, fruits, pulses, sprouts, seeds, and nuts like walnuts, almonds and cashews. Raw honey is another suggestion and of course raw dairy. In winter time and with the colder weather, we all tend to crave hot, comfort food. You can cook pulses in soups or stews – pea soup is a great example. Meanwhile many processed and so called ‘low fat’ foods have a high sugar content and contain chemical additives that interfere with your metabolism, making it almost impossible for you to lose belly fat.

5. There are many healthy fats you can use in your daily diet such as avocados, nuts, seeds, soybeans, healthy cold pressed oils such as virgin olive oil and coconut oil and butter from grass fed cattle (Kerrygold butter). Avoid those trans fats present in many processed foods such as margarines, crackers, biscuits or any product containing hydrogenated oils. Remember that trans fats lead to general obesity and increased belly fat.

6. In additon to your minimum 5 servings of fruits and vegetables together with dairy, lean meat, fish, poultry and eggs, change to whole grains (wholewheat bread – but only a slice or two per day – brown rice or pasta) rather than those refined grains.

7. Cut out or cut down the sugar – you should not have more than 6 teaspoons of sugar daily from any source. So check the ingredients and stick to whole foods with no additives.

8. Limit the tea, coffee and acohol and ditch the sodas and artificial sweeteners (apart from being toxic but also proven to make you crave more sugar) for pure filtered water – 8 glasses a day. If you drink a glass of water before your meal, it really does make you feel a bit fuller and you might eat a bit less.

9. Eat more fibre – soluble fibre such as apples, oats and cherries when gradually added to your diet will speed up the burning of visceral belly fat. Try to eat fruit well before your meal. This is because fruit goes through the intestine system more quickly than other food and the waste from fruit will be quickly eliminated. Leave the skins on your fruits and vegetables whenever possible for added fiber and choose organic. Baked potatoes in their skins – delicious.

10. I don’t need to tell you about the risks of excess belly fat – heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good,” cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea and of course loss of self esteem.

Remember to maintain a slow, gradual weight loss rather than trying to speed it up in a short period of time. You will be so glad you did.

We all know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer whether it is a family member, friend or work colleague. And the number of people we know who are affected is not going to become less any time soon – breast cancer rates have risen over the past five decades.  In 1960 the figures were 1 in 20 but today it is 1 in 7.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 200 000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed each year in the US, making it three times more common than other gynecological cancers. Breast cancer will claim the lives of 40,000 Americans this year alone. Their web site contains lots of information including these important facts about this  type of  cancer.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/aboutbreastcancer.faces?siteId=2

• One woman in eight who lives to age 85 will develop breast cancer.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women age 40 to 55.
• 15% of all breast cancers occur in women under age 45; in this age group, breast cancers are more aggressive and have lower recovery rates.
• 80% of breast lumps are NON-cancerous.
• 70% of breast cancers are found through breast self-exams.
• About 80% percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer.

In his article on the subject of breast cancer, Dr Mercola says that in the largest review of research into lifestyle and breast cancer, the American Institute of Cancer Research estimated that about 40% percent of US breast cancer cases could be prevented if people made wiser lifestyle choices. He believes that these estimates are seriously LOW, and it is more likely that 75% to 90% of breast cancers could be avoided by strictly applying the recommendations which he sets out in his article.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/14/beating-breast-cancer-a-guide-to-prevention-treatment-and-recovery.aspx

This is a good opportunity to give you the signs and symptoms to watch for possible breast cancer:

• A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue

• A bloody discharge, or any other unusual discharge, from your nipple

• A change in your breast’s size or shape

• Changes in the skin on your breast, such as dimpling or indentation

• Redness or pitting of your breast skin – orange skin appearance

• Pain or tenderness in your breast

• An inverted nipple

• Peeling or flaking of the nipple

• Enlarged lymph nodes or swelling in your armpit

If you notice any of these changes (and obviously it is wise to have a good look at your breasts regularly) consult your medical practitioner immediately. Even then, there may be no cause for concern because the majority of breast tumors are actually benign and many of the signs set out above can even indicate other issues besides cancer.

Back to Dr Mercola once more – in his article he sets out simple and comparatively easy steps that you can take to drastically reduce your cancer risk.

- Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.

- Control your insulin levels by making certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible.

- Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.

- Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

- Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much under appreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have. (Dr Mercola offers a free nutritional test which you take online.)

- Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85% of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

- Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don’t use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type.

- Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight and maintain an ideal body weight.

- Get enough high quality sleep.

- Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution and finally boil, poach of steam your foods, rather than frying or charboiling them.

In one of the first blogs I wrote back in July 2009 http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/the-scary-facts-about-breast-cancer/ I talked about a young friend Bobbie who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer on her birthday. She was only in her mid 20s. Well last October, I received the sad news of her death. Breast cancers are more aggressive and have lower recovery rates when they occur in women under 45.

With Thanksgiving coming up and Christmas just around the corner, you might feel tempted to give up all your hard won healthy eating habits and just let everything go for those special days.  A typical Thanksgiving or Christmas can average 2000 calories.

Ouch!  And just think how guilty you will feel the next day.

So how can you enjoy a guilt-free celebration?

Here is how to do it:

1. Don’t starve yourself on the big day so that you have more room for the special meal – make sure you have a small breakfast that is satisfying and gives you the energy to keep going. We often eat faster and more when we are hungry – therefore eat a small wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time. If it is midday meal you are enjoying, then just a very light supper that night is best.

2.  Don’t be a couch potato on that day – get the family and visitors to join you for a walk early in the day – enjoyable and lots of fun. If you can fit it in, then go for another walk together after dinner or a family game of football or whatever you all enjoy. The holiday itself is a great opportunity for some pleasant recreation and exercise for you and the food will taste even better if you have some exercise first.

3. Think healthy with the dishes you cook for dinner by cutting down on the fats and sugars – there is always a healthier alternative.

4.  Whether you are a guest or a host, be careful when you fill your plate. This is the day for special foods so chose those that you don’t eat every other day of the year – this will leave more space on the plate and you wont feel deprived. Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat (go skinless with that turkey!) and the rest of the plate can with a starch of your choice. Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items. If you cannot control the ingredients that go into a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size.  Boring I know but moderation is the key.

5.  Eat slowly – no gobbling down your plate of food – this will help you to feel satisfied with less. Enjoy and savor each delicious mouthfull!

6.  However tempting, resist the second helping. This means you can then chose a delicious dessert to round off your meal.

7.  Drink lots of calorie-free filtered water with your meal – this helps to fill your stomach and keeps you hydrated as alcohol and coffee can both dehydrate your body.  If you want alcholic drinks then have a glass or two of wine or a wine spritzer between the glasses of water.

8.  A holiday celebration meal is not the time to be worrying about losing weight – the important thing is to maintain your weight at this time and not to put on any new weight.

9.  Catering for large numbers can put an added strain on your kitchen facilities.  You don’t want any food poisoning to spoil the occasion so be careful about leaving food out in warm areas, make sure the turkey is correctly defrosted and cooked and put your refrigerator to good use for popping in leftovers promptly.

10.  And remember that the day is all about giving thanks and enjoying time with close friends and family – it should not be just about the food and stuffing yourself.

Have a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas too!

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Diet sodas have become extremely popular in recent decades particularly amongst those who love to drink a soda but worry about the sugar content. They feel that when they drink a diet soda, they are going for the healthier option.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Diet Coke is the number one selling diet soda in the world – very available and very cheap – but packed into that brightly colored can is a frightening cocktail of toxins and potential disease.

It may be tempting to save some calories with diet sodas but the cost may be worth more than the benefit, though many Americans take the risk. These diet sodas are marketed towards health-conscious people, diabetics, athletes and those who want to lose weight, improve physical fitness, or reduce their sugar intake but an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and titled – Artificially Sweetened Beverages Cause for Concern - the notion that artificial sweeteners are risk free is challenged.

The article’s author, David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, a Harvard professor and Founding Director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) clinic at Children’s Hospital, Boston, makes three important points when he says:

“1. Our body gets confused by artificial sweeteners – the dissociation between sweet taste and calorie intake may put the regulatory system that controls hunger and body weight out of sync, thus sabotaging weight loss plans. A study on rodents showed that those fed saccharin actually gained weight compared to rodents fed sucrose.

“2. We’re “Infantilizing” our taste sense – artificial sweeteners are a hundredfold sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). By getting ourselves used to so much sweet, normal sweet flavors, of fruit for example, become bland and so do other healthful foods such as grains and vegetables, thus reducing our willingness to consume them and ultimately the quality of our diet.

“3. Long term effects unclear – while there have been many studies on artificial sweeteners and disease such cancer, very few focused on long term weight gain. A seven year study (San Antonio Heart Study) showed a relationship between diet drink consumption and obesity, but the causation is not clear. Consumption of artificial sweeteners is growing yearly.”

The public at large is providing the fodder for a public health experiment. We shall have to wait and see the final results but you can take out a small wager that they won’t be good.

Different artificial sweeteners are used instead of sugar to give diet soda a sweet taste and some are often used simultaneously. According to Wikipedia, here are the different and historical sweeteners that have been used in diet sodas in the past decades:

“Aspartame is commonly known by the brand name NutraSweet and is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners. The 1982 introduction of aspartame-sweetened Diet Coke accelerated this trend. Today, at least in the United States, “diet” is nearly synonymous with the use of aspartame in beverages.

Cyclamates were the first artificial sweeteners used in diet soda (often synergestically with saccharin). While many say these cyclamate-sweetened sodas had a more pleasant taste than the diet soda that followed them, in 1970 the FDA banned cyclamates in the US based on evidence that they caused cancer in lab rats. Cyclamates are still used in many countries around the world, including for diet soda.

Saccharin alone was often criticized for having a bitter taste and “chemical” aftertaste. Some manufacturers, such as Coca-Cola with Tab, attempted to rectify this by adding a small amount of sugar. In 1977, the FDA was petitioned to ban saccharin, too, as a carcinogen, but a moratorium was placed on the ban until studies were conducted. The ban was lifted in 1991, but by that time, virtually all diet soda production had shifted to using aspartame. Perhaps the most notable holdout is Tab, which nevertheless also uses some aspartame in its formula.

Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium have come into growing use, particularly by smaller beverage producers (eg Big Red). Diet Rite is the non-aspartame diet soda brand with the highest sales today; it uses a combination of sucralose and acesulfame potassium. Advocates say drinks employing these sweeteners have a more natural sugar-like taste than those made just with aspartame, and do not have a strong aftertaste. The newer aspartame-free drinks can also be safely consumed by phenylketonurics, because they do not contain phenylalanine. Critics say the taste is not better, merely different, or note that the long-term health risks of all or certain artificial sweeteners is unclear.

The widespread, though not universal, agreement that the newest formulations taste much more “normal” (sugar-like) than the older diet sodas have prompted some producers, such as Jones Soda, to abandon the “diet” label entirely in favor of “sugar-free soda,” implying that the taste is good enough to drink the soda even when not trying to lose weight. (This idea was first floated by Diet Coke in 1984, with the tagline, “Just For the Taste of It.”).  In 2005, the Coca-Cola Company announced it would produce a new formulation of Diet Coke sweetened with sucralose, to be called Diet Coke with Splenda, but it would continue to produce the aspartame version as well. There were also rumors that a sugar-free version of Coca-Cola Classic, also sweetened with sucralose, was being formulated as well. This formulation was eventually called Coca-Cola Zero, though it is sweetened with aspartame in conjunction with acesulfame potassium.”

Billions of cases of soda are sold every year – a normal soda has the equivalent of 9 teaspoons of sugar so in light of the high percentage of overweight or obese in the US, many changed their habit to diet soda in an attempt to save calories. To them the “diet soda” route seemed sensible but in fact it can be a danger to our health and even leads to overweight and obesity. A large scale study from the University of Texas Health Science Center found that those consuming diet soda had a greater risk of obesity than those who consumed regular soda. Further, the study concluded that for each can of diet soda consumed daily, the risk of obesity increased by 41 percent.

In addition to the risk of weight gain, there are many other unhealthy components in diet sodas:

- Caffeine, sodium and phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is linked to bone density loss and increased fracture risk in young female athletes.

- Aspartame is responsible for 75 percent of adverse food ingredient reactions reported to the FDA, which has a list of 90 documented symptoms. examples include: headaches, nausea, memory loss, depression, fatigue, vision problems, anxiety attacks, rashes, heart palpitations, insomnia, slurred speech, joint pain, etc. This list is from the organization that approved its use in the 1980s and it is in over 6,000 products apart from diet sodas. One of the components of aspatame is wood alcohol, which is a toxin that metabolizes into formaldehyde. It is known to kill certain neurons (brain cells) and is particularly harmful to pregnant women, kids, the aged and those with certain chronic conditions. In addition, it fits into the category of what is known as an excitotoxin; it literally excites neurons until they reach an extreme state of fatigue.

But how can you wean yourself from the addictive and unhealthy habit of drinking diet sodas (or any sodas for that matter)?

Although you might not want to face the truth, our bodies do not need any other liquid but water but this switch can be particularly difficult for many. You can make a start by watering down juice, limiting your intake of a soda to just  a certain time during the day or the week and rather reaching for juicy fruits whenever you feel the need – make sure you keep plenty of fruit available for these snack times.

It is not always easy to kick the diet soda habit.