Alternative HealthZine » Diet

What Is The Best Healthy diet?

Rob — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:58:29 +0000

Choosing a healthy diet. is never easy.

Michael Eades provides excellent information about four popular diets – Atkins, Ornish, Zone and LEARN – and provides intelligent commentary on them.

If you are confused by the contradictory advice offered in the press, by books, and by medical advisers; and if you are prepared to spend half an hour taking on board some new information I strongly recommend this post to you.

The truth is, all these diets have some good points. The trick comes in knowing what the good parts are, and at what times they might suit you.

Michael Eades’ post will help you get to the truth underlying these diets. You will then be in a position to judge yourself what you should be eating, and what you should not.

It’s a great piece.

Let me know in the comments what you think.

What Is The Best Healthy diet? is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Choose Organic Apples

Rob — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:33:29 +0000

A study in Germany has found that organically grown apples have 15% higher anti-oxidant properties than non-organic.

The study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, compared the content of polyphenols and anti-oxidants in Golden Delicious apples over a three year period.

We do not recommend eating too many apples as, especially these days, the sugar content is usually very high. But when you do eat one, it makes sense to eat organically grown apples whenever you can.

More detail

Choose Organic Apples is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Mushrooms Against Breast Cancer?

Rob — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:38:04 +0000

A study of 2000 Chinese women has shown that women consuming a third of an ounce of mushrooms a day were 64% less likely to develop a tumour of the breast. The study found that the more mushrooms eaten, the greater the protective effect. It was better where women consumed not only fresh mushrooms, but also dried mushrooms.

An even greater protective benefit was found for women who ate lots of mushrooms and drank green tea regularly. The protective effect was so great, that women who consumed both fresh and dried mushrooms and who drank green tea had only 10-20% of the chance of developing breast cancer. This is a fantastic reduction of risk.

More research will determine whether the mushrooms and tea are causing the reduction, or whether some other factor is involved.

Still, for now it might well be wise to include either cooked or raw mushrooms in your diet every day if you can and drink green tea. (Hopefully, you are drinking this anyway, as it is so good for you).

More detail

Mushrooms Against Breast Cancer? is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Weight Gain in Pregnancy – by Men

Rob — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:13:43 +0000

A survey of 5000 men has found that men gained an average of a stone during pregnancy. The reasons are several fold.

Firstly there tend to be more snacks around the home (women put on an average of 2½ stone). And men tend to choose to snack on high-fat foods.

Secondly, doting husbands and partners nurture their loved ones by taking them out to eat more often – and there lies temptation.

Clothing shops should be happy – men have to buy new clothes as they cannot fit into the old ones.

After the birth, a third of men choose to diet alongside their partners.

It’s not all the fault of the baby though; quite a few of the men questioned admitted to drinking more beer during the pregnancy!

More details

Weight Gain in Pregnancy – by Men is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Swine ‘Flu Tips

Rob — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:46:16 +0000

To deal with Swine Flu it is best to make sure the immune system is working strongly.

The fundamental approach to strengthening the immune system must be to keep improving your lifestyle – bit by bit, and over time. For example:

Improve your diet, eg
1. Eat more vegetables
2. Eat more berries (and less high-sugar fruit)
3. Cut down on starchy food – bread, rice, pasta, potatoes
4. Eat lean protein and omega-3 rich protein – skinless chicken and turkey breast, oily fish – sardines, mackerel, trout
5. Do all the well-known things: cut down on sugar, manufactured food, fatty and cured meats, fast food, breakfast cereals.
Improve your exercise regime
1. Get ‘cardio’ exercise 3-4 times a week – a 30-minute swift walk does this very well – and without damaging the joints.
2. Carry out muscle resistance exercises 2-3 times a week – the gym is the usual place, but you can do them at home with special ‘rubber bands’ or weights.
Don’t overwork, and so exhaust yourself – you’ll know if you are doing this.
There’s a good post on the SHS (Specialist Herbal Supplies) blog about herbs for the immune system. Basically there are three herbal options they recommend for the immune system:
1. The 90-day Immune Programme with Capsules or with Drops
2. Echinacea Capsules or Drops, or
3. Power Garlic Capsules

AHZ Aticles:
Immune System Boost
Echinacea – great Immune System herb
Garlic benefits for Immune System
Pau d’Arco – South American boost for the Immune System

Swine ‘Flu Tips is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Lose Weight – Slimming with Blueberries

Rob — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:58:18 +0000

Researchers at Michigan University Cardiovascular Center have discovered that if you want to lose weight, slimming down by adding blueberies to your diet could be the answer.

They found that rats lost belly fat when their diet included blueberries. As well as slimming them down, the berries also lowered the rats’ risk for Metabolic Syndrome, which is a predictor of heart and artery disease, among others.

The rats were fed a diet containing 2% blueberries. After 90 days they tested positively for a battery of health indicators including triglycerides (blood fat), cholesterol, blood glucose – all food for slimming – and for insulin sensitivity (a metabolic syndrome indicator).

Beneficial Anthocyanins

In the fruit and vegetable kingdom, blueberries have a particularly high content of beneficial phytochemicals such as anthocyanins. These are probably the main factor responsible for the good effects in this study.

Though further tests are needed to confirm the findings, blueberries have so many health benefits in addition to their slimming effect that it can only be beneficial to add them to your diet. For example, mix them with other berries as part of your breakfast.

Lose weight with blueberries – University of Michigan report

Livingto150 Blog – Metabolic Syndrome Kills

Lose Weight – Slimming with Blueberries is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Wheat Grass

Rob — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:48:06 +0000

The SHS blog has some interesting information about Wheat Grass and Spirulina in a recent post.

Wheat Grass and Spirulina are two highly nutritious herbs which can be part of anyone’s diet. Just take either of them every day – much like you’d take a multi-mineral-vitamin.

Spirulina is loved by small children. 2 and 3 year olds just love chewing the tablets – and getting green lips, which is really quite amusing. Don’t know why they like the taste – but they do.

The Wheat Grass can be taken in tablets, or there is a powder which you stir into juice and drink – this is what the serious Wheat Grass takers do! (It’s also cheaper this way.)

SHS blog entry about Wheat Grass and Spirulina

AHZ article about Wheat Grass

Wheat Grass is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Bowel Flora (Probiotic) for IBS

Rob — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:34:26 +0000

Bowel Flora (Probiotic) supplements may help relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), according to a new meta-study (an analysis of past studies).

There is little in the conventional armoury to treat IBS successfully; so it is good that the medics have identified as beneficial something which won’t do any harm; i.e. it’s not a drug.

The study was carried out by colleagues from Oxford University, UK.

The results of the analysis showed significant improvements after just a few weeks of treatment.

Half the studies analysed showed significant improvements in "abdominal pain, flatulence, bloating and quality of life - a great result.

Slippery Elm – Top Herb for IBS

There are also valuable herbal approaches which will often help IBS in additional to the use of flora or probiotics. The top herbs for IBS, for most people, is Slippery Elm. This is a wonderful herb which coats the lining of the intestines, soothing, nourishing and healing the inflamed tissues.

If you have IBS then it’s best to use a multiple approach including Slippery Elm, a probiotic, managing your stress level and dietary control – including eliminating potential allergens.

Though you can do a lot of this yourself, it is often better to have the guidance of a skilled practitioner in natural therapy, and well as your doctor’s advice to consider.

Using methods like these, you can often deal with IBS without drugs.

Bowel Flora (Probiotic) for IBS is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Organic Health Food – Sales Down

Rob — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:03:14 +0000

Some reports state that, because of the credit crunch, organic vegetable and fruit sales are down around 20%.

This may be a false economy.

Organic food consistently has lower levels of pesticide residues than does non-organic. The amounts of these residues may be relatively small, but their effects can certainly be damaging when they build up.

Be on the safe side; but keep buying as much organic food as possible.

Organic Health Food – Sales Down is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Fashionable Weight Loss Diets

Rob — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:31:20 +0000

Do you want to lose weight – and be fashionable too? Andrea Sachs
in Time Magazine looked earlier this year at the latest books on
weight loss diets to hit the book stands. Is one of them the new
South Beach Diet?

In fact, more that looking at the diets, she actually tried each of
the diets out for a week – now that’s devotion to journalism!

The 4 Weight Loss Diets

The four contenders were:

The journalists’ conclusions?

FIRST PLACE: The Complete Beck Diet for Life – because it is
easiest to remember; basically because you can eat anything you
like – just limit the amount.

LAST PLACE: The Engine 2 Diet – a tough vegan diet from a Texas
triathlete, which forbids dairy, meat, and even oils, apparently.

If you want to lose weight – maybe one of these will appeal to you.
If you want to see a little more detail:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1869199,00.html

Fashionable Weight Loss Diets is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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