Diet - How It Impacts Your Health

Natural Dangers In Your Food

In recent years, scientists and the general public has become more aware of  how our diet can affect your health , especially regarding the production of cancers. Research has shown that your diet contains an enormous variety of natural mutagens and carcinogens.  They are dangerous substances that can build up in your body over years of ingesting them.   It is also apparent that we are ingesting vastly greater amounts of these substances than was ever previously suspected.  In 1989 the United States had a big publicity generated scare concerning the plant growth regulator Alar, which is used to slow down the ripening of apples so that they do not drop prematurely. Alar was said to be carcinogenic, but when put in perspective with chemicals in our daily diets , it does not appear to be as big a danger.  For example, the naturally occurring hydrazines in a helping of mushrooms are 60 times more carcinogenic than the Alar consumed in a glass of apple juice or 20 times more than a daily peanut butter sandwich, which can contains aflatoxin B. Our diets contain literally millions of natural chemicals; in fact it is not practical to test them all for carcinogenicity.

Animal tests  have been used to evaluate cooked foods for their potential for inducing cancers; and it has been found that browned or burnt sugars or breads contain a variety of mutagens. In addition, caffeine and its close relative theobromine found in coffee, tea, cocoa, and some soft drinks may increase the risk of tumors by inhibiting DNA repair enzymes. Plants produce many carcinogenic or teratogenic chemicals as defense mechanism to ward off insects and animals that want to consume them. Examples of plants plant carcinogens include psoralen and its derivatives, which are widespread in plants and have been used as sunscreen in France; solanine and chaconine are teratogens and are found in the skin of potatoes that have been exposed to light. Other foods that contains natural carcinogens includes banana, basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, horseradish, mustard turnips, and black pepper. In addition, red wines are believed to be responsible for the high occurrance of stomach cancers among the  people of France, although red wine also seems to decrease the incidence of coronary heart disease. It seems that many of the foods that we consume contain naturally occurring compound that are harmful to some degree of other.

Fat Kills In Several Ways

 There is another major concern regarding the North American diet and that is the large amount of fat the is consumed.  This problem is amplified by the excessive consumption of processed foods.
 Studies have found that the average American diet can get 40 percent of their calories in the form of various fats. 
 Cancer ocurrances and death rates vary from country to country depending on variations in nutritional content in the national diet.
  Very different types of cancers appear in the United States than are found  in Japan. In United States, colon, breast, and prostate cancer are most prevalent, whereas stomach cancers are in excess in Japan.  When the amount of dietary fat intake is plotted against the number of deaths by breast cancer, the results are striking; the greater the amount of fat in the diet, the  higher the rate of breast cancer. How might fat intake cause cancer? It may be caused by rancid fat because it represents a sizable percentage of the fat are very prone to oxidation, which produces a variety of carcinogenic compounds. Another likely explanation is that may carcinogens are soluble in fats and accumulate in the fat of the animals we eat.  Higher temperatures used in cooking that cause fat to burn can increase the amount of dangerous compounds the are created.

Weight Loss Tips - To Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Obesity is one of the biggest problems faced by millions of people in America. This has resulted in a big weight loss corporate industry in the country like Weight watchers, Jenny Carig and many others. Although there are good programs, The average person can themselves do quite a bit to reduce their weight. The two major factors in weight loss are exercise and controlled diet. I have put together several points which will be useful to individuals looking to reduce their weight.
1. Try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Most fruits are low in calories and make you full sooner. Not to mention the other vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber they also contain.  If you are not currentlly eating enough fruit and vegetables it may seem like a lot.  Just start out slowly and each day increase how much you eat.  Soon you will wonder how you survived without them before.
2. Read those nutrition fact labels: It is a good idea to know how many calories you are consuming. Some foods combo's can be deceptive, for example if you are having a plate of salad topped with lot of high calorie dressing and a soda, they you have just had more calories then you might get from a combination of grilled chicken sandwich (with no cheese and dressing) plus diet soda. So be smart with what you eat. Prefer home cooked food as much as possible, that way you have complete control over the components of your meal.  Get the family involved in the prep and cooking.  Everyone will enjoy the meals more and take a more active interest in eating correctly and healthy..
3. Eating smaller moe frequent meals will also help you cut down the total intake of calories compared to 3 big meals a day.  It also prevents high blood sugar levels followed by sugar crashes which caused hunger pangs that lead to snacking on junk foods.
4. Give yourself a break: Being too restrictive with you diet can  demotivate you, so to give yourself regular breaks. But do not over-eat at the same time, be conservative and try to make up for it in other meals.
5. Drinks: Soda and fruit juice, are all loaded with sugars which we usually do not account into out diet plan. Drink water instead or artificially sweentened drinks..
6. Exercise: Don't  depend on your car for all your transport needs, walk wherever you can. Go hiking and those backpacks help to burn extra calories. Make friends who have a active lifestyle, join gym or get a treadmill in your home.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.  Remember to increase your exercise in a progressive manner day by day instead of doing strenuous exercise from day one. Be practical on what your body can take and avoid overexertion.
7. Get motivation: Talk to people who have had success in weight loss and they will give you a lot of inspiration. 
8. Get enough sleep, reduce stress and live happy.
9. Reward yourself when you reach your monthly weight loss goals.
10. Never give up, even if you have failed a few times previously.
11. Eating slowly can lead to weight loss: Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy and savor every tasty morsel. consult your doctor before starting any weight loss effort and they will also tell you if you have any medical condition that may prevent you to follow these tips.

Check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan to make sure you have no medical condition that could be effected.