Practical steps for healthy nutrtion

     You would think that good nutrition is changing all the time. While super foods and fad diets grab our attention, decades of research on nutrition have created a fairly consistent picture. A good diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, paired with healthy sources of protein and fats. Ideally, most of your foods should be in forms that are as close as possible to the way they came from nature. Whole plants and grains have their natural fibre and nutrients intact.

       A healthy diet isn’t always what you eat but also how much you eat. Keep an eye on your portion sizes. Good nutrition, physical activity and weight control all help reduce your overall risk of major diseases from cancer and diabetes to heart disease and osteoporosis. 

                    Practical steps for healthy nutrtion

                     

                                Eat more unprocessed or minimally processed foods

       By doing so, you’ll naturally consume foods that have the amounts and combinations of fibre and nutrients that nature intended. Many factory foods are filled with ingredients made to stimulate your appetite and keep you eating more. Unprocessed foods have no added sugae,fat or salt. Most also have more fibre.

                                                        Go for novelty  

     You may feel good nutrition is boring because you only think of a few kinds of healthful foods. Try new grains, vegetables and fruits. Bulgar and quinoa are good alternatives. Novel kinds of beans , fruits and vegetables abound. Use different ingredients and herbs and spices for flavour sources. 

 

                                                      Cover all your bases

      Every day strive to eat some fruit some lean protein, some whole grains , healthy oils, some nonfat or low fat dairy, and a serving of nuts or legumes ( soybean, fava beans,peas, lima beans ,black beans , garbanzo beans ).

 

                                                            Stay hydrated

      The only thing we need more than water to survive is air. Water is the fourth macronutrient. Drinking 4 to 6 cups of water a day is a reasonable goal.

 

                                                   Keep protein sources lean

        Protein should come lean cuts of beef , chicken or turkey. Ideally the single best and cheapest source of protein comes from whey protein isolate otherwise known as protein powder. Avoid anything “minced”.

 

                                      Aim for at least two servings of fish each week

          Fish – especially salmon , bluefish and mackerel – are good sources of omega-3 fats, which are good for your heart. Skip the deep ocean fish such as swordfish, shark king mackerel ,and bluefin tuna because of their higher mercury content and farmed fish. 

                                                      Avoid impulse eating

If you snack, plan ahead for healthy snacks. Avoid sugary drinks, sweets , alcohol , cakes and chocolates and their empty calories

 

 

 

 

 

“If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.

Man's greatest fear is not he sets the bar to high and misses it.......
   but that he sets the bar to low and hits it . 
  

Essential fatty acids-EFAs

           It wasn't that long ago the word fat was considered a "four lettered word".  The ability to eliminate the fat from our diet would have earned you a badge of honour.  Cut the fat and you'll lose the fat.  But guess what?  We cut the fat and we got fatter and sicker.  When we slashed the fat out of our diets it became more difficult to lose the fat, our testosterone levels dropped, insulin function became impaired, muscle growth was slowed and we lost our energy. Trying to explain which fats you need, which ones you don't and how they can benefit your health and exercise performance is not a simple thing to do.  I'll give you just the information you need to know.

         Saturated fats are the bad ones.  You don't need saturated fats at all, but the typical British diet is rich in saturated fats.  Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and it's the crud that can lead to a number of health problems like heart diseases, cancer, insulin resistance and even greater likelihood of gaining body fat.  Consume as little saturated fat as possible.

         Unsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature and are considered much healthier.  Two particular types of unsaturated fats are considered essential fatty acids or EFAs.  These cannot be made by the body and are necessary for thousands of biochemical reactions to take place.  These EFAs are called linoleic acid or omega-6 fatty acid and linolenic acid or omega-3 fatty acid.  Ideally, linoleic and linolenic acids are the only dietary fats you need.  Cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel and trout are a rich source of linolenic acid.  Low fat fish like haddock and sole flounder contain insignificant amounts.  The best vegetable source of linolenic acid is flaxseed or linseed oil.  Good sources of linoeic acids include: canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and soy bean oil.  Primrose oil and borage oil contain decent amounts of both.

          One of EFAs' main role is as a structural component of all cell membranes.  EFAs are also necessary for the formation of vital chemicals in the body called prostaglandins.  These are hormone like substances that play a role in an enormous variety of functions including: proper regulation of blood pressure, heart function, allergic response, inflammation, nerve transmission and even steroid hormone production.  EFAs have been shown to cause a decrease in total serum cholesterol and an increase in HDL (good cholesterol).   EFAs even help to accelerate fat loss.  EFAs also improve the action of insulin and enhance oxygen use and energy transformation for optimal performance.  EFAs are anabolic, anti-inflammatory and improve your health.  The easiest and most efficient way to meet all of your EFAs' requirements is to supplement with Udo's Perfected Blend Oil.

It's never to late !

           If you're middle aged and have never been an exerciser, it's nowhere near to late to reap the benefits. "People who weren't fit were at a higher risk for heart failure after age 65", notes Ambarish Pandey MD. However,people who improved their fitness lowered their risk of heart failure, when compared to those who maintained a low level of fitness.
           An example of this is, a 40-year old who could jog a mile in 12 minutes. If this person knocked two minutes off the mile run ,they would reduce the risk of heart failure by 40 percent.
            Middle aged men and women who've been sedentary all their lives should ease into strength training,but this doesn't mean that they should focus on isolation exercises such as dumbbell curls or just machines. They owe it to themselves to learn how to perform the great compound exercises: deadlift,squat,bench press and row,to name just a few.They should choose interval cardio training over steady state cardio training.  
            A word of caution. If you are just starting out,please get professional instruction right away. Strength training and fitness training are the two best things you can do to help insure lasting health and quality of life. But done incorrectly it can have devastating consequences.

High blood pressure and diabetes

                  Hypertension(high blood pressure) is the biggest factor for cardivascular and kidney disease. In those with both hypertension and diabetes, death is seven times more likely.
                 The best way to prevent hypertesion and diabetes is to eat as few processed foods as possilble; go heavy on the fresh produce,light on the salt; and heavy on the exercise. 

Want a stronger core? Skip the sit-ups

Sit-ups once ruled as the way to tighter abs and a slimmer waistline, while “planks” were merely flooring. Now planks — exercises in which you assume a position and hold it — are the gold standard for working your core, while classic sit-ups and crunches have fallen out of favor. Why the shift?

One reason is that sit-ups are hard on your back — by pushing your curved spine against the floor and by working your hip flexors, the muscles that run from the thighs to the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. When hip flexors are too strong or too tight, they tug on the lower spine which can be a source of lower back discomfort.

Second, planks recruit a better balance of muscles on the front, sides, and back of the body during exercise than sit-ups, which target just a few muscles. Remember, your core goes far beyond your abdominal muscles.

Finally, activities of daily living, as well as sports and recreational activities, call on your muscles to work together, not in isolation. Sit-ups or crunches strengthen just a few muscle groups. Through dynamic patterns of movement, a good core workout helps strengthen the entire set of core muscles — the muscles you rely on for daily activities as well as sports and recreational activities.