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BMI Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be

May 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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BMI

There’s more to good health than a perfect BMI

Recent research on BMI (Body Mass Index) has revealed that placing too much emphasis on this fat measurement tool, might not be the best way to determine your levels of health. The findings concluded that people with a slightly higher BMI might be healthier than those with a normal or lower BMI.

People With Slightly Higher BMIs Can Still Be Healthy

Research was conducted on more than 3 million subjects and it revealed that people with a higher than average BMI (still under 30) were less likely to die than people with normal or low BMIs. Being slightly overweight causes people to have a lower overall mortality according to the study.

It’s believed that some excess adipose tissue is helpful in preventing certain illnesses. This is because it provides much needed energy to fight off the disease or ailment. Just as underweight people can be in poor health, slightly overweight people can also enjoy good health.

The Risks of BMI Study Findings

Some health providers are up in arms about this as it gives rise to downplaying an extremely important health issue. The secret is to understand that BMI measurement does not reveal the entire picture with regards to normal and abnormal weight readings.

Studies published in publications such as the Journal of American College of Cardiology have shown that people with higher BMI readings have a lower mortality risk. This is referred to as the obesity paradox.

BMI Measure Obesity Based on Height and Weight Only

BMI uses height and weight to establish a reading. This does produce flawed results in athletes and people who are heavy-boned. It can give false information in as much as 25% of men and close to 50% of women. It begs the question, “how many people are truly obese?”

It’s better to measure body fat percentage to establish obesity and the risk of becoming ill with obesity related conditions. Body fat percentage readings identify where the problem areas are on the body, where BMI does not. It’s important to know where the fat is situated. Fat bellies in men for example, indicated a higher risk of cardiac disease in men.

Doctors believe that a high body fat percentage gives rise to illnesses and conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, raised cholesterol and hypertension.

The key is to create a healthy looking and feeling body for yourself. Don’t focus solely on your calorie intake and spend – focus on designing a body with the right amount of body fat percentage and a body that will get get people looking twice at you (for the right reasons :-) )

 

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Filed Under: Family Nutrition Chats, Healthy Body, Lifestyle / Other, NUTRITION, Uncategorized, Weight Chats, WEIGHT LOSS, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , ,

Can a Healthy Diet Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

April 25, 2013 by 3 Comments
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Diabetes is one of the most inconvenient illnesses for anyone to endure. This is especially if you are someone who enjoys all the nice (read bad ) foods, don’t exercise, smoke tobacco and drink alcohol more than you should. This lifestyle lends itself to developing diabetes.

Minimize the Odds of Contracting Diabetes by Altering Your Diet

The reality is that eating a healthy diet can help you to avoid becoming diabetic and going this route is much less painful than having to manage diabetes.

If you eat a poor diet you stand a good chance of contracting diabetes and you will then ultimately have to avoid the very foods which gave you diabetes in the first place. If you control what you eat, you will be able to enjoy these foods without becoming ill.

Type 2 diabetes is thought by many to be incurable, however researchers in Newcastle England are researching ways to reverse diabetes

A study conducted on diabetics revealed that an eight week diet of non starchy vegetables and sugar free beverages actually reversed the diabetes in 7 out of 11 diabetic subjects. The downside to the trial was that the subjects were placed on an extremely low calorie diet of about 600 calories a day.

This is dangerous as most calorie restricted diets do not contain enough nutrition to sustain an adult. These diets are also hard to stick to as they leave dieters feeling hungry throughout the day.

In truth, it’s possible to manage type 2 diabetes without medication, however it will take hard work and dedication. It is not that easy to reverse the damage inflicted on your body by the type 2 diabetes.

Balanced Nutrition is Crucial if You Want to Reverse Your Diabetes

Thankfully, Herbalife offers a low calorie, yet balanced weight management program that allows dieters to eat less and still get all the nutrition that they need.

Typically, an Herbalife meal is about 230 calories per meal and this allows dieters the luxury of eating a good meal for their 3rd meal of the day while still maintaining recommended caloric intakes.

The Herbalife program helps dieters with their cravings as the balanced nutrition prevents unnecessary cravings and therefore unwanted weight gain. Herbalife helps to maintain regular blood sugar levels due to the balanced nutrition.

Herbalife is Not Only for Overweight People

Whether you are overweight or not, you should consider taking Herbalife purely for the good nutrition that it provides. Remember, prevention is always better than cure.

Thanks for reading this post. We would love to hear how you use diet and natural means to manage your type 2 diabetes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Family Nutrition Chats, NUTRITION, Sports Nutrition, Uncategorized, WEIGHT LOSS, Wellness Tagged With: , , , ,

Using Fish Oil for Good Mental Health

April 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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fish oil

Fish-oil for Brain Health – an excuse to eat more sushi?

Fish oil has been the subject of many studies relating to the brain and not for nothing – More than 18 million people around the world suffer from some kind of mental disorder including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is predicted that this number could almost double to within the next two decades. These and other issues can be addressed with the right nutrition. Scientists believe that the western diet is largely to blame for people suffering these types of illnesses. Let’s see how fish oil benefits mental health.

Two Thirds of Your Brain Comprises of Fatty Tissue

When we say someone has a ‘fat head’ – that can be both figurative or literal.  See, roughly 66 % of your brain is made up of fatty tissue.

Not all fats are equal and healthy. Foods containing trans fats, saturated fats and processed fats are not good for optimum brain health. These fats are the reason why people suffer so many health issues including poor brain health.

Essential Fats are Necessary for Good Health

Conversely, essential fatty acids are extremely beneficial for good brain health. Your body cannot function without these fats. Hence the term essential fatty acids.

Furthermore, your body cannot produce these fats on its own. Omega-3 fats provide vital nourishment for your brain. They also provide the building blocks for your brain cells. The best way to retard ageing of your brain is to supplement with omega- 3 fatty acids.

Most Western Diets Lack Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Supplementation is necessary as most western people do not get enough of this vital nutrient in their daily diet. Consuming omega- 3 fats promotes mental alertness and acuity too.

Children should be given omega 3 supplements and encouraged to engage in activities which promote mental alertness. Learning to play a musical instrument or learning a new language are brilliant option to stimulating young minds. Exercise is another way to keep young minds stimulated and active. It is nevertheless important to combine this with a healthy diet.

Children Should be Taught Early About Good Health

Teaching children how to look after their brains from a young age will ensure that they can make full use of their brains for as long as possible. We need to learn from the mistakes of our forefathers to ensure that future generations live longer and healthier lives.

In conclusion, we must learn from scientific advances to ensure that our children enjoy better health than we have done. As for adults, it’s never too late to start making positive changes that will result in a longer and healthier life.

 

 

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Finding the best way to diet

March 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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diet nutritionThere have been many theories about how to lose weight effectively over the last number of decades. All of this information can be quite confusing and actually cause you to throw in the towel before commencing on a diet or weight management program as I prefer to call it. I believe that there are a few guidelines that you should stick to if you want to lose weight effectively and permanently.

You must have a clear and concise reason for wanting to lose weight

You might have an important event coming up or a serious weight related health issue, either of these are strong enough reasons to want to get your weight down to acceptable levels. Strong reasons such as these, will keep you motivated to hang in when and if the going gets tough.

Bite size chunks and baby steps help you lose weight more effectively

Remember the movie “Dr Bob” starring Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray? Bill Murray plays the role of an obsessive compulsive patient and Dreyfuss plays Dr Bob, a psychologist who wrote a book titled “Baby Steps”. The book explains taking baby steps or bite size chunks in order to achieve any desired outcome.

I suggest that you apply this clever strategy to your weight loss efforts. If you have a tremendous amount of weight to lose, don’t focus on the big picture, focus on losing 5Kgs at a time.

Find the right weight loss management program for you

What type of person are you?

  • Are you extremely disciplined and able to stick to a rigid diet? If so, then find a diet that will help you to lose the weight fast and most importantly, keep it off.
  • If you are someone who needs the odd indulgence, you might need to find a diet that is more flexible and permits you a little leeway every now and then.

Find a diet that does not compromise on nutrition

Any diet that restricts any of the food groups should be avoided like the plague. That eliminates about 90% of the diets available. These diets are going to cause you to crave foods that will make you gain weight. Ever find that you crave ice cream? It probably means that you need calcium and that you are not getting enough in your diet. Don’t compromise on nutrition as it will retard your weight loss efforts significantly!

Do some research and make sure that your body is getting everything that it needs on a daily basis. This will ensure that you are not tempted to “cheat” on fattening foods and snacks.

Once you have found the right diet for you, set realistic goals and keep a track of your results. Remember to be patient! You didn’t gain all the weight in one week and you won’t lose it in a week either.

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Proper Nutrition for Children and the Elderly

February 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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supplements for children elderlyIt is encouraging to see how many people are understanding the importance of good nutrition. We are now realizing the importance of eating a balanced diet. Our bodies need nutrition in the right proportions. However, supplementation is necessary for children and the elderly, who often have dietary limitations.

Sadly it is children and the elderly who suffer most from this lack of proper nutrition

Parents must make time and find ways to provide their children with the right nutrition. Failing to do so will result in children not developing as God intended them to. We must also look after the elderly. Each year that progresses brings about a visible slowing down of the body in older people. The aches and pains become more pronounced and they become less mobile. Feeding them with the right nutrition will ensure that they can enjoy their golden years in the best way possible.

Which Supplements are Best for Children and the Elderly?

The challenge for many people trying to eat healthily is that life gets in the way. Long working hours, family pressures and other distractions get in the way of us eating healthy foods. Some people find it easier to warm up a TV meal rather than prepare good wholesome foods.

This leads to people trying to supplement their bad eating habits by drinking energy drinks in attempt to negate the effects of eating poorly prepared food. Manufacturers are having a field day promoting these drinks to the unsuspecting public.

The danger in relying on these drinks is that it leads to consuming too much sugar. If you are going to drink fruit juice, rather squeeze it freshly so that there are no added sugar and preservatives in the drink, Fresh fruit juice is loaded with minerals, vitamins and important phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients have been found to combat disease effectively. Some people favor milk based health drinks, however this is is not good if you are lactose intolerant.

While these beverages do contain nutrients they are not enough for our bodies to function the way they should. We need to eat whole foods and supplement with proper supplementation.

There are companies that provide balanced nutrition in the right proportions, and some even come in soy / lactose and gluten free supplement options. We must not use supplements as a replacement for whole foods, but rather as an addition to our diets. Combining top quality supplements with a balanced meal will help us to perform our daily tasks at optimum levels.

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