Tag: disease

YOUR BODY ON SUGAR

Contrary to what was previously believed-that all it really caused was tooth decay- new research maintains that the sweet stuff is so bad for our health, some experts want it regulated like a drug.

Is sugar worse for you than, say, cocaine? Studies show that too much sugar (both in the form of natural sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup) not only helps make us fat, it also wreaks havoc on our liver, mucks up our metabolism, impairs brain function and may leave us susceptible to serious ailments. Experts say raising awareness isn’t enough, especially when so many of our food options contain sugar. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Nevertheless, after hearing the news, many of us shrugged and turned back to our cupcakes. Yet we may already be feeling the effects of too much sugar without even realizing it. Here’s how to beat the most common issues to prevent long term damage and feel your best right now.

STRESS EATING

For a pick-me-up, you may inhale a bag of toffees or gobble up a box of cookies. But the impulse goes deeper. To examine the hold sugar can have over us, substance-abuse researchers have performed brain scans on subject eating something sweet. What they have seen resembles the mind of a drug addict: when subject tastes sugar, the brain lights up in the same regions as it would in an alcoholic drinking a bottle of gin. A cookie a couple of times a week is fine, but on most days, go for a bowl of oats with no more than a table spoon of brown sugar. The whole grains fill you up, and the sweetness can satisfy you while raising serotonin slightly.

BRAIN FOG

Blanking out in the middle of the meeting? Too much sugar forms free radicals in the brain and compromises nerve cells ability to communicate. This could have repercussions on how well we remember instructions, process ideas, and handle our moods. The fixes stay under the American Heart Association limit of nine tea spoon a day for men, five for women. Read labels and nutrition information and make wiser choices. A black coffee and plain yogurt with walnuts, sweetened with a tea spoon of honey is definitely better than a regular latte and donut.

AGING SKIN

Sugar contributes to pre mature aging, just as cigarettes and ultra violet rays do. When skin support structures collagen and elastin break down from sun or other free radical exposures, cells try to repair themselves. But this process slows down with age. And when sugar is present in the skin, it forms cross links with amino acids that may have been damaged by free radicals. These cross links jam the repair mechanism and, over time, leave you with prematurely old looking skin. THE FIX: once cross links form, they won’t unhitch, so keep sugar intake to as close to zero as you can. Avoid soft drinks and processed pastries, and trade sugar packets for cinnamon for your coffee- it seems to slow down a crossing linkage, as do cloves, ginger and garlic.

A SLUGGISH WORKOUT

Muscles mostly use carbohydrates for fuel because they break down into glucose, a simple sugar that can kick start your morning jog. But pre packaged snacks touting “natural sweeteners” may contain just fructose, a type of sugar mostly metabolized in the liver, not the muscles. This can result in bloating or even diarrhea. THE FIX: have a glucose packed snack with minimal fructose before exercise. Try a sports drink or an energy bar with a modest amount of sugar an hour before a vigorous workout.

SWEET SHOCK: IS SUGAR MAKING US OBESE?

Yes, in recent years, sugar – more so than fat – has been receiving the bulk of the blame for our deteriorating health. Most of us know we consume more sugar than we should. Let’s be honest, it’s hard not to. Sugar does more damage to our bodies than we originally thought. It was once considered to be just another marker for an unhealthy diet and obesity. Now sugar is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as many other chronic diseases. Sugar has adverse health effects above any purported role as ‘empty calories’ promoting obesity. Research suggests that the sugar has unique metabolic properties that prime your body to gain weight, especially dangerous belly fat linked to heart disease and diabetes. Your liver metabolizes much of the sugar you eat and converts excess to fat. Too much fat in the liver accelerates insulin resistance. Too much sugar doesn’t just make us fat; it can also make us sick. Individuals that get strong cravings for sugar and are unable to quit or reduce their consumption despite negative physical consequences (such as weight gain) are sugar addicts. Too much added sugar, from sweetened sodas, cakes, cookies and candy, increases your risk of death from heart disease.

Added sugars, according to most experts, are far more harmful to our bodies than naturally-occurring sugars. We’re talking about the sugars used in processed or prepared foods like sugar-sweetened beverages, grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, candy, ready-to-eat cereal and yeast breads. Your fruits and (natural) fruit juices are safe.

August 10, 2014
Food Addiction: Sign, Symptoms and Treatment
Food Addiction is one of the major problems with many people and no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot overcome it. With the help of the various research conducted in different parts of the world it has now been proved that people get addicted to one or the other food items and they love to eat it frequently. Although they are most likely aware that that eating these food items will harm their body but they cannot help it. This is absolutely wrong and is called as the food addiction. Are you among those people who are addicted to food? Or do you have loved ones who are very much addicted to the food items. Then you must read this article carefully and find out the measures using which you can detect the food addiction and take steps to cure it.

Defining the food addiction is quite easy. It is the scenario where the person gets addicted to the food items just as a drug addict gets addicted to the consumption of drugs. They cannot simply work properly if they are not provided with that food. Some people also term it as the eating disorders. This unhealthy and unwanted relationship with the food is very much harmful for the human body. If you have food addiction, then you must take steps to get rid of it. Mostly people have addiction with the fast food items. They simply cannot resist themselves and love to eat it regularly without considering that it may be affecting their health in a negative manner. Life is precious. You must move forward in life with utmost care and protection else you will be the one who will suffer. Mostly those food items which have wheat and sugar in them are problematic. Their excessive consumption can lead to the emotional and physical instability. Ultimately the quality of life is affected. The following are the symptoms of the food addiction.
1. Although you are feeling full but then also you cannot stop yourself from eating any particular food item.
2. When you are served that particular food item, you eat it excessively which is much more than you have intended to.
3. When you know that this food item is not good for your health and yet you eat it.
4. You have tried to stop yourself from eating a particular food item many times but every time you have failed to capitalize on it.
5. You try to hide you eating habits from other people as you know they will scold you and ask you to stop eating it.
6. When you find excuses so that you can eat the food item that you are carving for.
If you are among such people who experience all of the above mentioned addiction signs, then you must take serious steps immediately to get rid of your food addiction else it will be too late and your health will surely suffer. The alcohol and the drugs addictions are very much similar to the food addictions. The thought process and the consequences of all these addictions are ultimately similar. It is just that the other mentioned addictions here such as the drugs and the alcohol addictions have to face the social consequences too. But what is most important is the health condition and it should not be compromised on any cost. You may suffer from obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes among other diseases. So you must understand it quickly that the food addiction is simply ruining your life. You will not be happy when other food items are served to you, even if they are far more beneficial for the health.

More often people get addicted to the junk food as they are spicy and delicious in taste. In today’s culture you will find junk food everywhere and there is no way you can simply eliminate them completely from your lifestyle. So it is important that you understand the pros and cons so that you eat them occasionally and eating junk food does not becomes an addiction for you. To overcome a food addiction, you need proper determination and strong will power. You must be strong enough to convince yourself that eating this particular food item will affect you and your health will deteriorate. Once you have made up your mind, then it becomes easier to avoid such food. Now if you find it difficult to convince yourself then you must prepare a chart of the pros and cons if you continue eating those addicted food items. Your chart should include what all you will gain and what all you will eventually lose if you don’t stop those food items. I bet the cons column will be long enough to convince yourself and you will eventually get rid of your addiction. I know it is pretty much difficult to stop eating the food which you love but for the sake of your health and brighter future, you will have to stop eating them. Once you are confident that your addiction is over then you can start eating those food items occasionally.
July 15, 2014
Why Vegetable Oils Are Not Good For Your Health?

We often consider the vegetable oils as healthy and so we prepare our food items with them. We believe that since its name has the term “Vegetable”, it is good for the human beings. It is true that the vegetables are good for our health but the vegetable oils are not. The results of the various studies conducted prove that the consumption of the vegetable oils is not appropriate for human health and so it should be completely eliminated from the diet. People generally believe that since the vegetable oils have rich amount of unsaturated fats in them, they are beneficial in maintaining good health. But they do not pay attention towards the side effects of these unsaturated fats supplied to the body. These oils have completely different composition of the fatty acid in it which has several negative impacts on the body and consequently on health. These types of oils can cause serious harm to your health and you many get diagnosed with the chronic diseases. Here we are terming the cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil among others as the vegetable oils.

We generally call all of the above mentioned oils as vegetable oils and for a common person vegetable oil sounds to be perfect for health as they are not aware of its consequences. These oils have a rice amount of biological fats in them which prove to be harmful when consumed in access. They have Omega 6 polysaturated fatty acid in them. Do not get confused with the coconut oil and the olive oil as they are completely healthy for you and they are not into the league of the vegetable oils that we are here talking about. The methods involved into the production of these vegetable oils are unhealthy and are not appropriate. It involves addition of several solvents, chemicals and other processing methods during which the essential nutrients and minerals present in them gets lost and as a result artificial ingredients are added to compensate for the lost ones. Many researchers believe that these vegetable oils are inappropriate for the human consumption. While it is true that some of the healthier brands use the cold pressed methods in the production of these vegetable oils and so it can be used occasionally. But again the major issue here is the amount of Omega 6 fatty acid in them which is not acceptable and is also not fit for regular consumption.

The acceptable ratio of the Omega 6 fatty acid and the Omega 3 fatty acid in the body should be 4:1. But with the use of these vegetable oils which are present in the market, this ratio is drastically affected and often leads to various diseases. These fatty acids have several important tasks to perform in the human body and when their balance is not maintained, your health is the one which suffers. The scientific explanation to this phenomenon is that these unsaturated fatty acids have more double bonds in them which make it highly reactive. As a result the unsaturated fatty acid consumed with these vegetable oils reacts readily with the oxygen present in the blood and causes the initiation of various chain reactions which damages the integral parts of the human body. This structural change inside the body damages the DNA and leads you to life threatening diseases.

Further these two types of fatty acids together form the eicosanoids in the body which is stored in the cell membranes. These eicosanoids play a major role in the inflammation and cellular messaging. The acute inflammation inside the human body is very much helpful but when this inflammation is spread to all parts of the body, it causes serious damage. The Omega 3 fatty acid produces anti-inflammatory eicosanoids while the Omega 6 fatty acid produces the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Both of them compete with each other and harm your health. Consequently they contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, depression and arthritis.

Another major concern with the vegetable oils is the presence of the Trans fats. These Trans fats have large amount of artificial ingredients and chemicals so that they can remain in solid state in the room temperature. Obesity, cancer and various heart diseases are developed due to Trans fats present in these oils. Almost every government food agencies around the world have now made this a point that the amount of the Trans fats should be reduced from the edible products. Recent studies have concluded that these vegetables oils are not fit for regular consumptions. If you are among such people who regularly consume these vegetable oils then you should stop it immediately as there are high chances that you may get diagnosed with the various cardiovascular diseases. The human heart gets the major adverse effects of these vegetable oils. These cardiovascular diseases alone cause a massive amount of human death each year globally. It’s time you stop playing with your health and start paying attention towards maintain a healthy body so that your life span increases and you live a happier life.

July 14, 2014
Stay healthy during monsoon

Rains are awaited by all and it certainly creates a wonderful environment. Rainy season is a kind of relief from hot and sunny days. Every single person cherishes the rains. But there are some areas that need our attention. With rains come health irritations like aversions, illness and stomach problems. The level of humidity is increased during the rainy season that affects the digestion. But nothing to get worried about as certain changes in our diet and nourishment can surely solves the problem. So it is very essential to keep an eye on what we eat during the monsoon to stay perfectly healthy.

Drink lot of water: It is necessary to take in extra amount of water in rainy days as the humidity level increases and it becomes difficult for the sweat to get evaporated. Consequently, the body heat is not released properly. It has been also found out that drinking water prevents the various skin problems. As a result it is recommended to keep ourselves hydrated during the rainy seasons. Carbonated and gaseous liquids should be avoided because they can result in indigestion. Drinks like tea can work as a great substitute of it. So during this monsoon do not forget to possess a water bottle with yourself all the time.

Go for fresh and hygienic foodstuff: Keep in mind to wash every single fruit before eating them. While cooking, the vegetable should be washed thoroughly and steam them to destroy the microbes which are present on them. Filthy and unclean food stuff is harmful for the body and can result in sickness. It is advisable to take in cooked foodstuff rather than eating them as raw. Soups are too very beneficial during the rainy days as it provides the body with needed nutrition. Therefore always try to go for recently cooked food stuff.

Say no to outside food: This particular point is of great importance. You should keep yourself away from eating the street food. Street foods are quite enticing to all of us but they could possibly hold many germs which results in stomach diseases. Hence take a firm decision of not eating out.

Stay away from oily food: It is greatly recommended to stay away from the oily and fatty food items. The digestion in the body gets weaker during the rainy days as the humidity level goes up. Hence the ability of body to digest the oily food items becomes feeble and thus upsetting the stomach. Therefore, try to eat light and less oily food items.

Reduce the consumption of dairy items: The dairy foods have the supreme tendency of getting contaminated by germs. As a result the consumption of the dairy products must be low. It is better to consume curd rather than milk even if the milk is filled with all the desired nutrients. Apart from that, one should try to boil and disinfect the water before drinking it.

Intake of balanced diet: As we know that digestion is weak throughout the rainy days therefore it is advised to eat reasonably. Stop taking in food stuff even when you are not starving. Perfect balanced diet is much needed to stay from stomach problems at the time of monsoon. Fruits such as apples, litchis as well as bananas must be consumed. Along with them include carrots in your diet too. Spice up the food with pepper, turmeric as they advance the resistance of the body and supports ingestion.

Avoid drinking juices: Make sure you don’t drink juices especially from outside as they may apply water which is not filtered. It is greatly recommended to drink at once the juices prepared at home.

Sea food can be harmful: During the rainy season, make sure that you stay away from the sea foodstuff. Give more attention to fishes as well as prawns and greatly avoid eating them as rainy season is the propagating season for them. Even if you are taking in the sea food make it certain about its freshness as well as cleanness.

No spicy foodstuff: There are many people who deal with skin infections throughout this season. It is advisable for them to stay away from the spicy foodstuff, as the spicy items arouse the temperature of the body that certainly results in skin illness and infections. It is better to visit to a doctor if the infection stays for long.

Some more tips: Food items such as barley as well as oats are found out to be very beneficial for the stomach during the rainy season. Garlic is also very valuable as it enhances the immunity of the body. Fruits are considered as the supreme source of energy. But make sure that you don’t eat watermelons during the monsoon. Instead of watermelons try to eat apples, pears more. It is said that taking anything in extra amount is bad for health so avoid doing that.

With the assistance of these advices try to stay healthy and strong during the monsoon and at the same time relish the rains of the monsoon.

July 14, 2014
Water: The Most Essential Requirement for the Human Body

It has been proved that the human body is 60 % made up of water. Water is the most essential requirement for any individual. Different people have different opinions on how much water you should drink each day. Generally it is recommended that you should drink about 2 liters of water per day. There is an 8×8 rule which says that a normal human being should drink 8 ounce of water, eight times a day which adds up to form about half a gallon water. Although this rule is arbitrary and there is no scientific explanation behind it, it is very much useful. The human body requires this much of water daily as it constantly loses water in the form of sweat and urine. But some people have the opinion that in order to avoid the dehydration, you should drink water throughout the day even if you are not thirsty. There are certain internal and external factors which play a vital role in an individual’s need for water. The important point is that without water the survival of the human beings is not possible. You cannot survive long if we do not drink water daily in the adequate amount. For most of the body organs to work properly and the various metabolism functions in the body, water is extremely essential.

If the human body is not provide with adequate amount of water, the energy level of the body comes downs and so as a result the functioning of the brain is affected. There are unexpected mood swings and headaches. Even the mild dehydration of the human body gives rise to the several problems. People start to lose weight and the brain consequently experiences its negative impact. If you are among such people who perform vigorous exercises then you must stay hydrated all the time as the less water content in your body will affect your physical performance and will eventually decrease your endurance.

Many people believe that drinking lots of water help them in losing weight because the water reduces the appetite and it increases the metabolism activities in the human body. This is actually true. When you drink water the metabolism of the body increases by about 25 % which is a very significant figure. Now again if you drink the prescribed amount of water daily, the energy expenditure of the body which is measured in the term of calories increases by about 96 calories per day. The key point here is that you should drink water prior to your meals as it will help in reducing the amount of the calories that you will consume during your meals. In this way you can keep a check on the amount of calories you consume and lose weight as per your requirement.

Now there are many health benefits of drinking water and it also helps you in avoiding many life taking diseases. According to the studies conducted in the various parts of the world, if you consume water in the prescribed amount daily, then you can avoid constipation, formation of stones in your kidneys, skin hydration, formation and spread of acne and most importantly you can also protect yourself from and bladder cancer. If you are among such people who do not drink water in desired quantity then, you must start doing it as it is extremely beneficial for your health.

Now it is also not necessary that you should drink the plain water to complete the daily dose of your water requirement. You can also drink tea, coffee and eat water rich foods to compensate for the water required by the human body. There are many vegetables and fruits which are very much rich in water content. Meat, eggs and fish are some of the examples of such foods. All these food items also contribute in maintaining the fluid balance in your body. But you must protect yourself from sweating a lot.

Maintaining the water balance in the body is one such aspect where you must pay special attention. We feel thirsty when the water balance in your body goes below the accepted level. If you feel thirsty, then you must immediately find a water source and drink it in appropriate amount. You should never ignore such feelings as it is highly essential for your survival. In a normal human being the thirst instinct is so strong and reliable that it is sufficient to pay attention towards the water requirement of the body. The water need of the body varies from individual to individual. For some people 2 liters is more than enough while for some people they feel like drinking water on very small intervals. In certain case such as ladies who get involved in breastfeeding their child should drink a lot of water. Similarly if you had vomiting or if you are suffering from diarrhea, then you must increase the amount of water that you drink daily.

July 1, 2014