The diagnosis makes diabetes a reality for you. With diabetes, experiencing hypoglycemia is usually a risk. Because you’re a diabetic, you must be extra cautious when it comes to what you eat…and how much you exercise. Is there a way to make exercise a regular part of your life without giving hypoglycemia an equally permanent status in your life as well?
Read on and find the answer to that question as well as more valuable information about hypoglycemia and exercise.
Can Exercise Cause Hypoglycemia? YES, but not all the time.
When you exercise for an unusually long time, and you neglect replenishing your glucose production by eating, you’re making yourself increasingly vulnerable to hypoglycemia.
Can You Still Exercise If You Have Diabetes and Hypoglycemia?
Fortunately, we can give you another YES for this question. As long as you observe proper precautions, there’s no reason for you to give up exercising completely.
Firstly, always check your blood glucose. Don’t be lazy about this. Knowing your blood glucose count will help you more accurately estimate just how many minutes you can exercise continuously before you have to eat once more. Your doctor will inform you at what particular level is it considered safe for you to exercise.
If you find out that your glucose level is too high or low, refrain from exercise for the time being. Eat more or less until your glucose level goes back to normal.
Always have little protein snacks with you to ensure that there’s food to grab during emergencies – and yes, hypoglycemia is one of those emergencies.
Avoid exercising in places or settings that have temperatures at the extreme. It can either be too hot or too cold. Both are not beneficial for your health. In such temperatures, your body is unable to absorb insulin properly – and that’s bad news for diabetics, as all of you may already know.
How Will I Know If I’m at Risk of Having Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia’s a silent killer; the symptoms appear gradually, so one moment, you’re feeling great at the treadmill, but the next moment, you’re gasping for a sugar rush. That’s the bad news.
Here’s the good news. Even if the symptoms are subtle, hypoglycemia’s a well-researched and much-studied condition, so most symptoms, if not all, have already been identified. The only thing you should know then is memorize the symptoms. Knowing them will give you enough warning to successfully prevent hypoglycemia from cutting your workout short.
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia:
Growling Stomach – Hunger is the top indication that you’re about to experience hypoglycemia. Rule number one, people: don’t exercise if your stomach isn’t partially full, especially if you’re diabetic as well!
Change in Heartbeat Rate – No, a change in your heartbeat rate isn’t an indication that you’re falling in or out of love. Possibly, if the change happens while you’re sweating it out in the gym, it could be an indication that you’re suffering from hypoglycemia.
Getting Wet – If your clothes end up clinging to your skin too early, it means you’re sweating more profusely than usual. Again, that’s an indication of hypoglycemia.
Other Tips for Exercising
Never start a new exercise routine without having it evaluated by your physician first. Always wear the proper attire, especially when it comes to footwear – socks and shoes – because they’re the most vulnerable part of your body right now. Drink lots of water before, during, and after your workout. Lastly, have fun but keep safe while exercising!
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
TBFitness Quote Making Exercise and Hypoglycemia work together
The diagnosis makes diabetes a reality for you. With diabetes, experiencing hypoglycemia is usually a risk. Because you’re a diabetic, you must be extra cautious when it comes to what you eat…and how much you exercise. Is there a way to make exercise a regular part of your life without giving hypoglycemia an equally permanent status in your life as well?
Read on and find the answer to that question as well as more valuable information about hypoglycemia and exercise.
Can Exercise Cause Hypoglycemia? YES, but not all the time.
When you exercise for an unusually long time, and you neglect replenishing your glucose production by eating, you’re making yourself increasingly vulnerable to hypoglycemia.
Can You Still Exercise If You Have Diabetes and Hypoglycemia?
Fortunately, we can give you another YES for this question. As long as you observe proper precautions, there’s no reason for you to give up exercising completely.
Firstly, always check your blood glucose. Don’t be lazy about this. Knowing your blood glucose count will help you more accurately estimate just how many minutes you can exercise continuously before you have to eat once more. Your doctor will inform you at what particular level is it considered safe for you to exercise.
If you find out that your glucose level is too high or low, refrain from exercise for the time being. Eat more or less until your glucose level goes back to normal.
Always have little protein snacks with you to ensure that there’s food to grab during emergencies – and yes, hypoglycemia is one of those emergencies.
Avoid exercising in places or settings that have temperatures at the extreme. It can either be too hot or too cold. Both are not beneficial for your health. In such temperatures, your body is unable to absorb insulin properly – and that’s bad news for diabetics, as all of you may already know.
How Will I Know If I’m at Risk of Having Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia’s a silent killer; the symptoms appear gradually, so one moment, you’re feeling great at the treadmill, but the next moment, you’re gasping for a sugar rush. That’s the bad news.
Here’s the good news. Even if the symptoms are subtle, hypoglycemia’s a well-researched and much-studied condition, so most symptoms, if not all, have already been identified. The only thing you should know then is memorize the symptoms. Knowing them will give you enough warning to successfully prevent hypoglycemia from cutting your workout short.
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia:
Growling Stomach – Hunger is the top indication that you’re about to experience hypoglycemia. Rule number one, people: don’t exercise if your stomach isn’t partially full, especially if you’re diabetic as well!
Change in Heartbeat Rate – No, a change in your heartbeat rate isn’t an indication that you’re falling in or out of love. Possibly, if the change happens while you’re sweating it out in the gym, it could be an indication that you’re suffering from hypoglycemia.
Getting Wet – If your clothes end up clinging to your skin too early, it means you’re sweating more profusely than usual. Again, that’s an indication of hypoglycemia.
Other Tips for Exercising
Never start a new exercise routine without having it evaluated by your physician first. Always wear the proper attire, especially when it comes to footwear – socks and shoes – because they’re the most vulnerable part of your body right now. Drink lots of water before, during, and after your workout. Lastly, have fun but keep safe while exercising!
Read on and find the answer to that question as well as more valuable information about hypoglycemia and exercise.
Can Exercise Cause Hypoglycemia? YES, but not all the time.
When you exercise for an unusually long time, and you neglect replenishing your glucose production by eating, you’re making yourself increasingly vulnerable to hypoglycemia.
Can You Still Exercise If You Have Diabetes and Hypoglycemia?
Fortunately, we can give you another YES for this question. As long as you observe proper precautions, there’s no reason for you to give up exercising completely.
Firstly, always check your blood glucose. Don’t be lazy about this. Knowing your blood glucose count will help you more accurately estimate just how many minutes you can exercise continuously before you have to eat once more. Your doctor will inform you at what particular level is it considered safe for you to exercise.
If you find out that your glucose level is too high or low, refrain from exercise for the time being. Eat more or less until your glucose level goes back to normal.
Always have little protein snacks with you to ensure that there’s food to grab during emergencies – and yes, hypoglycemia is one of those emergencies.
Avoid exercising in places or settings that have temperatures at the extreme. It can either be too hot or too cold. Both are not beneficial for your health. In such temperatures, your body is unable to absorb insulin properly – and that’s bad news for diabetics, as all of you may already know.
How Will I Know If I’m at Risk of Having Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia’s a silent killer; the symptoms appear gradually, so one moment, you’re feeling great at the treadmill, but the next moment, you’re gasping for a sugar rush. That’s the bad news.
Here’s the good news. Even if the symptoms are subtle, hypoglycemia’s a well-researched and much-studied condition, so most symptoms, if not all, have already been identified. The only thing you should know then is memorize the symptoms. Knowing them will give you enough warning to successfully prevent hypoglycemia from cutting your workout short.
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia:
Growling Stomach – Hunger is the top indication that you’re about to experience hypoglycemia. Rule number one, people: don’t exercise if your stomach isn’t partially full, especially if you’re diabetic as well!
Change in Heartbeat Rate – No, a change in your heartbeat rate isn’t an indication that you’re falling in or out of love. Possibly, if the change happens while you’re sweating it out in the gym, it could be an indication that you’re suffering from hypoglycemia.
Getting Wet – If your clothes end up clinging to your skin too early, it means you’re sweating more profusely than usual. Again, that’s an indication of hypoglycemia.
Other Tips for Exercising
Never start a new exercise routine without having it evaluated by your physician first. Always wear the proper attire, especially when it comes to footwear – socks and shoes – because they’re the most vulnerable part of your body right now. Drink lots of water before, during, and after your workout. Lastly, have fun but keep safe while exercising!
Monday, 22 June 2009
TBFitness quote 7 Don'ts After a Meal
Don't smoke - Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).
Don't eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1 hr before meal.
Don't drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.
Don't loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted and blocked.
Don't bathe - Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.
Don't walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actuality this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.
Don't sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.
Posted by TBfitness
Don't eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1 hr before meal.
Don't drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.
Don't loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted and blocked.
Don't bathe - Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.
Don't walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actuality this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.
Don't sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.
Posted by TBfitness
Monday, 8 June 2009
TBFitness Monday Quote
Honey and Weight Loss: How are the Two Connected?
honey and weight lossHoney and weight loss are often associated. Why is honey a smarter choice than table sugar if you are watching your weight and what you eat?
Refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins and are often called empty calories. They draw upon the body's nutrients to be metabolized into the system, and when these nutrients are depleted, metabolizing of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher cholesterol and promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid on the organs and tissues. The good news is that honey, a natural sweetener, on the other hand, contains 22 amino acids and a variety of minerals essential for its metabolism and hence is helpful in preventing obesity. It is believed that drinking lemon juice with a little honey the first thing in the morning is an effective anti cellulite treatment as it helps to increase body metabolism. If you are determined to shed weight and speed up your sluggish metabolism, try this honey and lemon diet tip. If you like, another very popular recipe associated with honey and weight loss is a drink that uses honey and cinnamon as ingredients. Many people have found this home remedy very effective in losing pounds. The steps are easy: Dissolve half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder (or ground cinnamon) in a cup of boiling water. Stir the mixture and cover for half an hour. Filter away any big particles and add a teaspoon of honey. Take it in the morning with an empty stomach about half an hour before breakfast.
For people who tend to overeat or feel discomfort in the stomach after meals, honey can be taken for better digestion. Honey is a simple carbohydrate that one safely take during fasting because it contains easily digested sugars. Foods that are rich in sugars or complexes of sugars are carbohydrates. How the sugars are arranged will determine whether we call a food a source of simple or complex carbohydrates. When sugars are bound into rows, as they are in starches such as whole grains and legumes, they are called complex carbohydrates. It takes the body much longer to digest the sugar from a complex carbohydrate.
The latest theory based on the hibernation diet also builds a link between fructose-rich honey and weight loss. It suggests taking a generous spoonful or two of honey at night, either as a warm drink or straight from the jar, and promises to help us sleep and lose weight at the same time by fuelling the liver, speeding up fat-burning metabolism and easing stress hormones.
And if you are considering artificial sugar or sweetener like Aspartame to help you lose weight, you are putting yourself completely on the wrong track. It might get you off from a few calories but it gives you a bunch of other serious health problems.
honey and weight lossHoney and weight loss are often associated. Why is honey a smarter choice than table sugar if you are watching your weight and what you eat?
Refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins and are often called empty calories. They draw upon the body's nutrients to be metabolized into the system, and when these nutrients are depleted, metabolizing of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher cholesterol and promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid on the organs and tissues. The good news is that honey, a natural sweetener, on the other hand, contains 22 amino acids and a variety of minerals essential for its metabolism and hence is helpful in preventing obesity. It is believed that drinking lemon juice with a little honey the first thing in the morning is an effective anti cellulite treatment as it helps to increase body metabolism. If you are determined to shed weight and speed up your sluggish metabolism, try this honey and lemon diet tip. If you like, another very popular recipe associated with honey and weight loss is a drink that uses honey and cinnamon as ingredients. Many people have found this home remedy very effective in losing pounds. The steps are easy: Dissolve half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder (or ground cinnamon) in a cup of boiling water. Stir the mixture and cover for half an hour. Filter away any big particles and add a teaspoon of honey. Take it in the morning with an empty stomach about half an hour before breakfast.
For people who tend to overeat or feel discomfort in the stomach after meals, honey can be taken for better digestion. Honey is a simple carbohydrate that one safely take during fasting because it contains easily digested sugars. Foods that are rich in sugars or complexes of sugars are carbohydrates. How the sugars are arranged will determine whether we call a food a source of simple or complex carbohydrates. When sugars are bound into rows, as they are in starches such as whole grains and legumes, they are called complex carbohydrates. It takes the body much longer to digest the sugar from a complex carbohydrate.
The latest theory based on the hibernation diet also builds a link between fructose-rich honey and weight loss. It suggests taking a generous spoonful or two of honey at night, either as a warm drink or straight from the jar, and promises to help us sleep and lose weight at the same time by fuelling the liver, speeding up fat-burning metabolism and easing stress hormones.
And if you are considering artificial sugar or sweetener like Aspartame to help you lose weight, you are putting yourself completely on the wrong track. It might get you off from a few calories but it gives you a bunch of other serious health problems.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Monday, 1 June 2009
TBFitness Why Healthy Food Matters
Why Health Food Matters and Makes a Difference
Some of my friends say that they would rather not know anything about health food and how exactly they are eating because ignorance is bliss and enjoying food is more important than anything else. But I feel that knowledge is power, that drives me to read and understand what healthy eating is all about, why some people become so interested in health food, and what convicts people want to change their lifestyle. Knowing what is good to eat helps you plan your diet more wisely and safeguard what is most important, your health. Here, I have put together four most talked about topics in healthy eating and health food: Fats, Meat, Fiber, and Sugar. If you never know these facts before, perhaps they would change your whole perspective about eating right, just as it had for me. food pyramid image
1. Meat for Strength
Meat may not exactly be called a health food but it provides us many micronutrients such as vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin that a growing body needs and is a major source of protein. For instance beef contains highly absorbable trace minerals like iron, zinc, and manganese. Poultry and seafood contribute vitamin B6, and pork is a rich source of thiamine. However, meat and poultry contain quite a bit of fat, and about one-third of that fat is saturated. Saturated fatty acid in the diet has been shown to be positively correlated with total blood cholesterol levels, cholesterol levels, and negatively correlated with (beneficial) HDL cholesterol levels. Saturated fat intake is at least as closely related to arterial clotting. A high intake of animal fat may increase the risk of a number of cancers, including cancer of the colon, breast, prostate and pancreas. I used to care nothing about health food and crave for meat because of its taste and even insisted that I have meat for every meal. But after having learnt so much about healthy diet, I wouldn’t dare shout “long life to all meat-lovers!” like I had so blatantly done it in the past.
I realize that eating grilled or barbecued meat, or seafood also exposes us to carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These health hazardous substances form on foods as they cook on open flame or under the high heat of the grill, regardless of whether or not char is formed. Also, it’s interesting to note that when fat drips onto the heat source, it creates flare-ups and smoke which then deposits on the food yet another group of carcinogens, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
One way to avoid these carcinogens and still enjoy grilled meats as health food is to put them under foil wraps before putting them on the fire. In addition, the food gets the aroma of grill, especially if you leave the top loosely sealed. Baking and roasting are healthier cooking methods. They are less likely to produce HCAs as the cooking temperature is lower, and cooking with liquid (boiling, steaming, poaching, stewing, etc) generates no HCAs.
2. Fiber for Digestion
Dietary fiber is found in plant foods, namely cereals, beans, peas, wheat, fruits and vegetables, and is the magic ingredient which helps maintains our digestive system in perfect shape. It’s made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of the plant that pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines, although bacteria in the large intestine can partly digest fiber through fermentation. Fiber slows down the rate of digestion of food, leading to a more gradual emptying of the food from the stomach into the small intestine. This basically means food gets digested sooner, and the indigestible bits, including the fiber, are moved out faster. Healthy digestion contributes to lower weight and increased health, which means less risk of getting many of the modern diseases such as colon disease and even diabetes. By slowing stomach emptying, fiber helps avoid the situation where the body has to produce large quantities of insulin (as a result of repeated rapid release of glucose into the intestine). This in turn helps protect against diabetes. A high fiber diet is even more important for older people as our digestive system slows down with age.
Fiber is also known to absorb water to become lighter, bulkier and easier to move along. This is why it helps prevent constipation. When it absorbs water in the stomach, it gives that feeling of fullness and therefore lessening the amount of food consumed. Thus, don't forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day, so that the fiber you eat can swell to be as light as possible.
3. Good Fats Makes the Difference
"Eat low-fat, low-cholesterol health food" is a very common advice given to me. But what really matters is the type of fat in the diet. Remember, not all fats are created equal. What’s clear is bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, pose risk to health while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. (Some of you might have heard of the Atkins diet, which opposes the consumption of trans fat, but interestingly advocates a considerable amount of saturated fats as part of the diet for weight loss.)
The key in getting health food is substituting good fats for bad fats. Saturated fats are found in animal products like meat, seafood, whole-milk dairy products (cheese, milk, and ice cream), poultry skin, and egg yolks and dairy. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats, including coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol because they tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol. Trans-fats are found in commercially prepared baked goods, margarines, snack foods, fried snack foods like French fries and onion rings, processed foods, and margarine; many of them are produced by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen. This process is known as hydrogenation. The more hydrogenated an oil is, the harder it will be at room temperature. For example, soft margarine is less hydrogenated and so has fewer trans fats than a stick margarine. Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL.
Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats are found in health food products derived from plant sources and fatty fish such as salmon. The two main categories are polyunsaturated fats found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils and monounsaturated fats, which are found in high concentrations in canola, peanut, and Mediterranean diet's favourite - olive oils. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels but also protect the heart.
4. Sweets for Pleasure
Almost every food we eat contains sugar. It’s better to enjoy a really extravagant dessert once in a while than to fill your daily diet with "fat-free" sugary treats which are basically empty calories and devoid of nutritional benefits. Other than table sugar, watch out for other forms of sugar, especially those words ending with “ol” or “ose”. Consuming sugarless artificial sweeteners in so called health food may be more damaging than helpful to our health.
In order to keep the amount of sugar floating through your blood vessels at around a teaspoon, your body releases insulin whenever you eat foods that result in sugar entering your blood stream. Most carbohydrates fit this category. Sugar, most sweeteners, grains, cookies, soft drinks, pastries, cakes, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes all lead to a release of sugar into your blood stream. Insulin works by stimulating your cells to sponge up this excess sugar out of your blood stream. Once inside your cells, sugar is used for energy, with any excess amount being converted to fat tissue. Excess insulin is known to cause weight gain due to storage of fat and sodium retention which leads to holding excess water and high blood pressure.
Reduce your intake of sugar and all foods that contain sugar. Some of the most concentrated sources of sugar are soda, cookies, chocolate bars, donuts, pastries, ice cream, and ketchup. Avoid sweeteners like molasses, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and maple syrup, and replace table sugar (be it white sugar or brown sugar) in your beverage, cooking and baking with natural sweeteners such as honey. Do activities and exercises that build or maintain your muscles. Muscle tissue acts as a storage site for extra sugar. The more muscle tissue you have, the better you can regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels.
Health food really matters.
"The Doctor of the Future Will Give No Medicine, Yet Will Interest His Patients in the Care of the Human Frame, in Diet, and the Cause and Prevention of Disease." - Thomas Edison
Some of my friends say that they would rather not know anything about health food and how exactly they are eating because ignorance is bliss and enjoying food is more important than anything else. But I feel that knowledge is power, that drives me to read and understand what healthy eating is all about, why some people become so interested in health food, and what convicts people want to change their lifestyle. Knowing what is good to eat helps you plan your diet more wisely and safeguard what is most important, your health. Here, I have put together four most talked about topics in healthy eating and health food: Fats, Meat, Fiber, and Sugar. If you never know these facts before, perhaps they would change your whole perspective about eating right, just as it had for me. food pyramid image
1. Meat for Strength
Meat may not exactly be called a health food but it provides us many micronutrients such as vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin that a growing body needs and is a major source of protein. For instance beef contains highly absorbable trace minerals like iron, zinc, and manganese. Poultry and seafood contribute vitamin B6, and pork is a rich source of thiamine. However, meat and poultry contain quite a bit of fat, and about one-third of that fat is saturated. Saturated fatty acid in the diet has been shown to be positively correlated with total blood cholesterol levels, cholesterol levels, and negatively correlated with (beneficial) HDL cholesterol levels. Saturated fat intake is at least as closely related to arterial clotting. A high intake of animal fat may increase the risk of a number of cancers, including cancer of the colon, breast, prostate and pancreas. I used to care nothing about health food and crave for meat because of its taste and even insisted that I have meat for every meal. But after having learnt so much about healthy diet, I wouldn’t dare shout “long life to all meat-lovers!” like I had so blatantly done it in the past.
I realize that eating grilled or barbecued meat, or seafood also exposes us to carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These health hazardous substances form on foods as they cook on open flame or under the high heat of the grill, regardless of whether or not char is formed. Also, it’s interesting to note that when fat drips onto the heat source, it creates flare-ups and smoke which then deposits on the food yet another group of carcinogens, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
One way to avoid these carcinogens and still enjoy grilled meats as health food is to put them under foil wraps before putting them on the fire. In addition, the food gets the aroma of grill, especially if you leave the top loosely sealed. Baking and roasting are healthier cooking methods. They are less likely to produce HCAs as the cooking temperature is lower, and cooking with liquid (boiling, steaming, poaching, stewing, etc) generates no HCAs.
2. Fiber for Digestion
Dietary fiber is found in plant foods, namely cereals, beans, peas, wheat, fruits and vegetables, and is the magic ingredient which helps maintains our digestive system in perfect shape. It’s made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of the plant that pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines, although bacteria in the large intestine can partly digest fiber through fermentation. Fiber slows down the rate of digestion of food, leading to a more gradual emptying of the food from the stomach into the small intestine. This basically means food gets digested sooner, and the indigestible bits, including the fiber, are moved out faster. Healthy digestion contributes to lower weight and increased health, which means less risk of getting many of the modern diseases such as colon disease and even diabetes. By slowing stomach emptying, fiber helps avoid the situation where the body has to produce large quantities of insulin (as a result of repeated rapid release of glucose into the intestine). This in turn helps protect against diabetes. A high fiber diet is even more important for older people as our digestive system slows down with age.
Fiber is also known to absorb water to become lighter, bulkier and easier to move along. This is why it helps prevent constipation. When it absorbs water in the stomach, it gives that feeling of fullness and therefore lessening the amount of food consumed. Thus, don't forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day, so that the fiber you eat can swell to be as light as possible.
3. Good Fats Makes the Difference
"Eat low-fat, low-cholesterol health food" is a very common advice given to me. But what really matters is the type of fat in the diet. Remember, not all fats are created equal. What’s clear is bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, pose risk to health while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. (Some of you might have heard of the Atkins diet, which opposes the consumption of trans fat, but interestingly advocates a considerable amount of saturated fats as part of the diet for weight loss.)
The key in getting health food is substituting good fats for bad fats. Saturated fats are found in animal products like meat, seafood, whole-milk dairy products (cheese, milk, and ice cream), poultry skin, and egg yolks and dairy. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats, including coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol because they tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol. Trans-fats are found in commercially prepared baked goods, margarines, snack foods, fried snack foods like French fries and onion rings, processed foods, and margarine; many of them are produced by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen. This process is known as hydrogenation. The more hydrogenated an oil is, the harder it will be at room temperature. For example, soft margarine is less hydrogenated and so has fewer trans fats than a stick margarine. Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL.
Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats are found in health food products derived from plant sources and fatty fish such as salmon. The two main categories are polyunsaturated fats found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils and monounsaturated fats, which are found in high concentrations in canola, peanut, and Mediterranean diet's favourite - olive oils. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels but also protect the heart.
4. Sweets for Pleasure
Almost every food we eat contains sugar. It’s better to enjoy a really extravagant dessert once in a while than to fill your daily diet with "fat-free" sugary treats which are basically empty calories and devoid of nutritional benefits. Other than table sugar, watch out for other forms of sugar, especially those words ending with “ol” or “ose”. Consuming sugarless artificial sweeteners in so called health food may be more damaging than helpful to our health.
In order to keep the amount of sugar floating through your blood vessels at around a teaspoon, your body releases insulin whenever you eat foods that result in sugar entering your blood stream. Most carbohydrates fit this category. Sugar, most sweeteners, grains, cookies, soft drinks, pastries, cakes, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes all lead to a release of sugar into your blood stream. Insulin works by stimulating your cells to sponge up this excess sugar out of your blood stream. Once inside your cells, sugar is used for energy, with any excess amount being converted to fat tissue. Excess insulin is known to cause weight gain due to storage of fat and sodium retention which leads to holding excess water and high blood pressure.
Reduce your intake of sugar and all foods that contain sugar. Some of the most concentrated sources of sugar are soda, cookies, chocolate bars, donuts, pastries, ice cream, and ketchup. Avoid sweeteners like molasses, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and maple syrup, and replace table sugar (be it white sugar or brown sugar) in your beverage, cooking and baking with natural sweeteners such as honey. Do activities and exercises that build or maintain your muscles. Muscle tissue acts as a storage site for extra sugar. The more muscle tissue you have, the better you can regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels.
Health food really matters.
"The Doctor of the Future Will Give No Medicine, Yet Will Interest His Patients in the Care of the Human Frame, in Diet, and the Cause and Prevention of Disease." - Thomas Edison
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