5 Healthy Food Combinations

When you think of what to eat with peanut butter, a PB&J sandwich probably comes to mind. What about tortilla chips? Chances are that you think of salsa or cheese dip to pair with them. These foods are meant to go together simply because they taste good. However, some foods pair well as being not just tasty but healthy food combinations. Certain foods have one nutrient but not another and combining those with foods that contain nutrients they lack will produce health-promoting benefits. Each food has specific components that help your body more than eating either food alone.

1. Spinach and oranges 
If you're concerned about your iron intake, this is the perfect healthy food combination for you. Vitamin C aids your body with absorbing iron more efficiently. Combining vitamin C rich foods (like oranges) with iron-containing foods (like spinach) may improve the iron levels in your blood. An easy way to combine fruits and vegetables is by making salads-they're simple to prepare and nutritious!

2. Yogurt and oatmeal
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day so do your body a favor and jump start your digestive system in the morning by combining these powerful foods. Eating the two together will provide your body with prebiotics and probiotics-prebiotics are fuel for the healthy bacteria in your gut whereas probiotics are the actual bacteria. Prebiotics are found in high-fiber foods like oatmeal, and probiotics are found in fermented foods like yogurt.

3. Brown rice and beans
This is a very healthy food combination especially if you're a vegetarian. Both foods are incomplete sources of protein. When eaten alone, they don't contain all of the essential amino acids that your body needs. But when you combine beans with any source of whole grain, you will receive optimal protein.

4. Olive oil and vegetables
Both of these foods contain high levels of antioxidants, so combine them together to get even more! They are also very nutrient dense and will provide you with plenty of nutrients in a relatively small portion.

5. Lean meats and whole grains
If you're an avid athlete or just like working out a lot, this food combination is perfect for you. Eating lean meats and whole grains together will help repair your muscles and cells, regulate your blood sugar and give your body fuel to recover. They are simple to eat together-all you have to do is make a sandwich or wrap!

Of course all of these foods are healthy when eaten alone; they just offer a few extra benefits when combined with other healthy items. Try them all to see what you like the best!

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Healthy Food Tips: Top 5 Best Muscle Building Foods for Fitness Enthusiasts

A diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates is essential for building lean muscle and losing excess fat. Proper nutrition requires some basic knowledge, discipline, and consistency. When you work out, the stress of weight lifting damages muscle fibers. In order for your body to recover, you need to consume quality foods that contain amino acids and carbs. The foods you eat on a daily basis are responsible for helping you recover from your workout sessions.

Here are top five best muscle building foods for fitness enthusiasts:

Chicken

Chicken is a preferred choice among bodybuilders and athletes worldwide. This food is cheap and easy to cook. One chicken breast has approximately 25 grams of protein and less than 130 calories. For a rich flavor, you can marinate chicken in seasoned fruit juice. Use bold seasonings like minced hot peppers, infused vinegar, and curry.

Lean Ground Beef

If you want to put on some muscle, include beef into your diet. This type of meat is an excellent source of zinc and iron, two essential muscle building nutrients. Beef also contains two grams of creatine for every 16 ounces. Red meat is packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals. Each cut has a different amount of fat, protein, and calories. Beef doesn't contain any carbohydrates.

Almonds

Almonds are one of the best sources of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight against free radical damage after strenuous physical activity. Recent studies have shown that men who eat almonds on a regular basis have a 67 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. Almonds also contain protean and healthy fats. They are the perfect snack for satisfying late-morning hunger.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds provide 25 grams of protein per 100 grams. Available both shelled and unshelled, they can be eaten roasted or row. Sunflower foods are rich in fiber, which helps improve digestion. In addition to protein and fiber, they contain vitamin E, linoleic acid, selenium, and vitamin B2. These essential nutrients support lean muscle growth, boost energy levels, and promote healthy adrenal glands.

Brown Rice

Brown rich is loaded with complex carbohydrates and fiber, providing a sustained release of energy throughout the day. The American Dietetics Association recommends active individuals to have a diet rich in complex carbohydrates from quinoa, whole wheat pasta, oats, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. Whether you want to lose fat and get ripped before a fitness competition, or you are trying to build muscle, brown rice should be on your list.

Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, or have more energy, search for healthy food tips before starting a new diet. Proper nutrition should be a priority for those who want to stay healthy and maintain their body weight. At DSM Food, you can learn how to prepare tasty meals and choose the right foods for your diet.

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Using Food the Right Way: Making It Healthy All The Way

The quality of food you take in your house all depends on how well you prepare it. Considering you are the chef in your house, it is good to make sure you do not feed yourself or your family to destruction. Below are three tips to guide you in making health a routine in your home:

1. Minimize on fats, sugar and salt
   
   This does not mean your food should not have flavor at all. In case you are baking, use half the amount of butter you would have used. Applesauce (unsweetened) or mashed potatoes can replace the other half. Fat replacers that are prepared commercially could come in handy as well. To boost or upgrade sweetness, sugar is not necessary. Spices like cinnamon, vanilla extracts and other flavoring spices can replace the sugar. Foods like salads or main dishes can have the salt reduced or removed completely. Baked stuff that does not need the yeast can have the salt reduced. Reducing salt in foods that need yeast is not necessary to allow for leavening.


2. Substituting healthily 
   
   These substitutions help in boosting the amount of nutrients and lower the fats, salt, and calories in your recipes. In case you want to prepare pasta, consider whole-wheat and not enriched. This will help in that the calories will go down and fibers up. When preparing desserts, consider using milk that does not have fats, which lower the calories and fats at a great degree. Intake of meat, poultry products and fish should be reduced and substitute with veggies in casseroles. Moreover, you will have added more of fiber and other nutritional values.


3. Reduce ingredients used
   
   Cutting back on ingredients when it comes to some recipes can bring out a healthy meal. Ingredients that act as toppings for appearance purpose should be eliminated. Examples of these include cream and coconut toppings. Condiments contain a lot of salt, fats, and calories. They should therefore be eliminated from the recipe. Examples of these include butter, soy sauce, and syrup. If you are required to use a certain amount of cheese in a given recipe, make sure you use have the amount indicated.

Finally, recipes are at our display but how well you juggle with the ingredients depends entirely on how healthy you want your meal to turn out to be. When you hear that a small leak can sink a great ship, do not think of the titanic but rather of the minute calories, fats and salt that could destroy the big you!

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List of Healthy and Unhealthy Foods

HEALTHY

Healthy food diets don't have to be all about vegetables and fruits. Meats and poultry can be part of a healthy food diet when used properly. It is also important to include enough proteins in any diet. Eating too little protein is a problem in many countries, which sometimes have high rates of (PEM) protein-energy malnutrition. Meats and poultry are the biggest contributors of protein to your diet. If meat and poultry items are not in your healthy food diet, replacing the proteins they provide are going to require you to learn more about complete, incomplete, and complementary proteins. Healthy foods will always add to your body and will never subtract anything away. Below is a list of healthy foods.

# Sauce Alternatives:

* Vegetable Purees
* Coulis
* Salsas
* Relishes
* Chutneys
* Compotes
* Mojos

Many of the classic sauces you may use are high in fat. Try to use alternative sauces like pureed vegetables. Sauces made with vegetables are light and low in fat and kcalories.
# Nuts and Seeds:

* Nuts:
o Almonds
o Macademian nuts
o Filberts
o Walnuts
o Pinenuts
o Brazil nuts
o Cashews
o Pistachios
o Pecans
* Seeds:
o Flax seeds
o Sunflower seeds
o Sesame seeds
o Pumpkin seeds

Nuts and seeds pack a good amount of vitamins and minerals, plus fiber and proteins. Particularly, nuts contain some fat. Luckily for people who love eating nuts, most of the fat is monounsaturated. Seeds contain less fat and more fiber. The fat and fiber seeds contain will make you feel full longer. Nuts have been linked to reduction in heart disease. The monounsaturated fat in nuts will help lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the bad kind.

UNHEALHTY

It was stated earlier that protein is required in any diet. However, too much protein has no benefits. Eating more protein than you need may add kcalories beyond what you require. Extra protein is not stored as protein but is stored as fat if too many kcalories are taken in. Diets high in protein can also be a concern if you are eating a lot of high-fat animal proteins such as hamburgers and cheese and few vegetable proteins. Eating too many high fat animal foods will raise your blood cholesterol levels. Higher blood cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart disease. High intakes of animal proteins are also associated with certain cancers, such as cancer of the colon and its no secret that too many high fat foods increases the chances of gaining weight. All the foods below when consumed too much become unhealthy foods.

# High Fat Cheese:

* Blue cheese
* Brie
* Feta
* Gouda
* Light cream cheese
* Limburger
* Mozzarella, whole milk
* Parmesan
* Provolone
* Ricotta, whole milk
* Romano
* Swiss
* Tilsit, whole milk
* Cheddar
* Colby
* Cream cheese
* Monterey Jack
* Muenster
* Roquefort

Cheese is an excellent source of nutrients like protein and calcium. Still, because most cheeses are prepared with whole milk or cream, they are also high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Ounce for ounce, meat, poultry, and most cheeses have about the same amount of cholesterol. Cheeses tend to have much more saturated fat. Trying to figure out which cheeses are high in fat can be confusing, because there are so many different kinds. You have whole, part skim, low fat, processed, and many more. Not all reduced fat or part skim cheeses are low in fat, they are just lower in fat than similar natural cheeses.

# Foods High In Cholesterol (120 milligrams or more per serving):

* Biscuit with egg and sausage
o 1 biscuit= 302 amounts of cholesterol
* Egg, cooked
o 1 large= 212 amounts of cholesterol
* Shrimp, breaded and fried
o 6 to 8 shrimp= 200 amounts of cholesterol
* Duck, roasted
o 1/2 duck= 197 amounts of cholesterol

Cholesterol in your blood builds up in the plaque that clogs arteries and is a risk factor for heart disease. Cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin, like meat, poultry, milk, milk products, fish, egg yolk, and organ meats(liver, kidney, sweetbreads, brains). Egg yolks and organ meats contain the most cholesterol. One egg yolk contains 213 milligrams of cholesterol. About 4 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish (trimmed or untrimmed) contains 100 milligrams of cholesterol. Shrimp is an exception, which is higher in cholesterol. Eggs, meat, and whole milk provide most of the cholesterol we eat and are also sources rich in saturated fat.

See a more extensive list of healthy foods and unhealthy foods here.

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Vegetarian Cooking Tips - Iron Rich Foods For Vegetarians

Vegetarians may find it a bit more difficult to get the iron they need, but some may not understand the reason why. There are two forms of iron: heme, which comes from animal sources, and non-heme, which comes from plant sources. Non-heme iron is more difficult for the body to absorb than heme iron in general. However, if you eat a food containing vitamin C in the same meal with your plant-sourced iron, it helps your body to absorb that non-heme iron more effectively.

This simple trick can alleviate any worries about developing anemia. Iron helps your blood cells carry oxygen around your body, it helps your immune system fight effectively, and it is necessary to get the energy from the food you eat. If you are low in iron, you may feel tired, due to your body not getting enough oxygen. Over consumption of iron can also be toxic, so finding a good balance is important. Too much iron can make you susceptible to bacterial infections. It is very difficult to get iron toxicity from foods alone; it usually results from too many iron supplements.

Adult women need 33 mg of iron per day. Adult men and menopausal women need 14 mg per day. Women in the childbearing years need more iron to compensate for the iron lost through monthly menstruation. Now... what foods are going to give you what you need?

Grain Sources

Bran is a great source of iron. Eat it as cereal, bake it into bread or muffins. Oatmeal is also a good source, but do not rely on instant varieties. Cook the old-fashioned oatmeal, or better yet, get the steel cut oats. They take a little longer to cook, but they have a great flavor and are full of iron and other nutrients. Oatmeal can also be added to muffins, cakes, cookies and other recipes.

Legumes

Beans are full of iron as well as protein. Add navy beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and tofu to your diet to up your iron percentages. Beans can be made into veggie burgers or cooked in stews and soups. Tofu can be a little challenging at first, but there are many recipes to try for this interesting ingredient.

Fruits and Vegetables

The more veggies you eat throughout the day, the more iron you get. Swiss chard, pumpkin, watermelon, raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, bok choy and dates all have pretty good levels of iron in them. Leafy greens like leaf lettuces, spinach and beet greens are a good source of iron. If you do not want salads all the time, try adding greens to soups, pasta sauces, and smoothies. Just add some fruit to the smoothies to sweeten them up. Add sweet potatoes and squash to stews and soups; you do not have to eat them just one-way. If you like Japanese cuisine, stock up on the edible seaweeds. It is a great excuse to enjoy vegetarian sushi. Parsley and watercress are also good sources of iron.

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A List Of High Fat Foods That Are Bad For You

There are some foods that you must avoid to eat because they make you fat.
In this article I give you a list of high fat foods. Perhaps you don't know it but fat and fat is not the same.

Goods fats vs. bad fats.
You need to eat fats they are required for your health.
Dr Udo Erasmus has said it already there are fats that heal and fats that kill.
The problem is that most people are not aware of this and they choose for 100% fat free foods.
A word of caution here the food can be 100% free but at the same time it can contain a lot of sugar.

Bad fats are:

- Trans fats.

- Saturated fats

Good fats are:

- Monounsaturated fats.

- Polyunsaturated fats.

In this article we concentrate us on a list of foods that contain bad fats.

High fat foods that are bad for you. 
Saturated fats.
Studies have shown that diets high in saturated fats increase the risk of hart disease.
They also increase the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood.
Products that are high in saturated fats are.

- Butter

- Ice cream (contains milkfat)

- Cheese

- Chicken fat

- Meat fat

- Palm oil

- Coconut oil - Beef

- Lamb

- Pork

- Veal

A lot of animal products contain saturated fats and in some cases foods from plants.

Trans fats.
Just like saturated fats there is a relationship between trans fats and bad cholesterol level.
Products that contain trans fats are.

- Some margarines

- Cookies

- Crackers

- Snack foods

- Shortening

- Doughnuts

- Cake

- Frozen foods

- Potato chips

- Candy

I hope you understand now that according to this high fat food list that some products are bad for you.
You should read the food labels; manufacturers must include the fat percentage on it.

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Healthy Food Tips: Top 5 Best Foods to Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a ubiquitous "silent" disease of the bones that leads to fragile bones and increases the risk of fracture. Certain foods can help you prevent this disease and improve your overall health. Eating an alkalizing diet with foods high in calcium and avoiding sodas, sugar, coffee, and alcohol are the best ways to fend off osteoporosis. While women are more prone to develop this condition, men may also be affected. Your diet should provide at least 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day. Here are top five best foods to prevent osteoporosis:

Dairy Products

Dairy products are rich in calcium and vitamin D. If you are on a diet, choose low fat milk, yogurt, and cheese to reduce calories and saturated fat. Those who are lactose intolerant can drink milk with added lactase enzymes. Some dairy products are fortified with vitamin D.

Broccoli

Broccoli is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, folate, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. This highly alkalizing vegetable also contains vitamin C, which helps the body absorb calcium more efficiently. Broccoli is rich in antioxidants and helps prevent prostate, breast, colon, bladder, and ovarian cancers. One cup of broccoli contains 200 milligrams of calcium.

Soy Products

Soy products contain isoflavones, which helps balance estrogen levels. Hormone imbalances can contribute to bone loss. Studies indicate that regular consumption of soy products lowers the risk of bone fracture, particularly among early post-menopausal women. Many soy foods are naturally high in calcium and contain certain types of isoflavones that may reduce the breakdown of bones.

Oats

Oats provide a host of mineral components essential for bone health. Due to its high calcium content, this food is a powerful weapon against osteoporosis. Eating oats regularly can also improve circulatory function and reduce cholesterol levels. Oats helps in treating osteoporosis, relieves cramps, mends bones, and strengthens teeth.

Sardines

If you are looking for a rich source of calcium other than milk, sardines are a great choice. Three ounces of sardines contain 325 milligrams of calcium. These fish are rich in numerous nutrients that support cardiovascular health, strengthen the bone matrix, and keep your immune system strong. They also contain high amounts of protein and amino acids. Older adults in particular should consume at least 46 grams of protein a day to prevent osteoporosis. If you buy canned sardines, choose those with less salt. Researchers have found that for ever 2,300 milligrams of sodium you take in, you lose approximately 40 milligrams of calcium.

The latest healthy food tips can help you create a personalized diet that suits your individual needs and prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. If you want to learn more about healthy eating and get the most delicious recipes, check out DSM Food.

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Children's Health - Choosing Healthy Foods For Your Kids

Are you concerned about your child's eating habits? It can be challenging to feed toddlers a healthy diet every day, but I have a secret weapon. A homemade smoothie is an easy way to serve your child at least one serving of fruits, vegetables, and calcium every day. Follow these five simple guidelines to help your child eat a nutritious diet:

Five Effortless Nutrition Suggestions for More Nutritious Kids:

3+ portions of veggies, 2 portions of fruit, 3 portions of whole grain products, 3 food servings of calcium, 1/2 their entire body weight in grams of lean health proteins

One serving size of veggies is just one cup raw or 1/2 cup prepared. Even though it can often be difficult to get small children to eat raw vegetables, it's simple to include at least one portion of veggies in a delicious homemade smoothie. Spinach, mixed greens, and steamed baby carrots are specially effortless to conceal in mouth watering shakes. One of the best smoothie recipe with blended veggies is called Frog Juice, and my favorite recipe made with baby carrots is Bunny Juice. Your kids will happily eat their vegetables if you serve them inside a healthy smoothie!

It's substantially simpler and easier to persuade children to eat their fruits instead of vegetables. One helping of fresh fruit is one actual fruit (such as 1 apple or mango), or 3/4 cup of berries. Although fruits aren't necessary to make great drinks, smoothies taste better with a bit of sweet fruit added! Frozen bananas are very popular in smoothies, because they add cold and creamy texture to the drink. The preparation to add bananas into a juice smoothie is basically non-existent: just peel and throw in. Apples are another popular fresh fruits to add to smoothies. Apples are very nutritious and taste great.

Whole Grain Products have a greater nutritional value than processed, highly refined, white grains. Because children consume a relatively small amount of food day-to-day, it is imperative to ensure that they receive the maximum nutritional value for the amount of food that they eat. One serving of whole grains is equal to 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta, 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 cup dry oatmeal or 1 cup whole grain breakfast cereal (with less than 6 grams of sugar, and 3 or more grams of fiber per serving). You can easily add a serving of breakfast cereal to your child's drinks, or add dry oats if your vita mixer is effective enough. The whole grain cereal found in the baby section is one other option, though it will be challenging to find a baby cereal with at least 3 grams per serving of fibers.

Chances are your son or daughter will get nearly all of their daily calcium supplement by drinking milk, but calcium is also found in yogurt, cottage cheese, traditional cheeses, green veggies, legumes, and tofu, along with calcium-fortified food items including waffles and orange fruit juice. One serving of calcium is equal to 1 cup dairy, yogurt, or calcium-fortified juice, 1/2 to One cup beans or broccoli, or four ounces of tofu. You should seek out low-fat versions of dairy, yogurt, and cheese, which are healthier since they have less artery-clogging fat. Children over the age of 2 should always consume 1% milk, never the full fat variety. Smoothies made with low-fat milk, soymilk, citrus veggie juice, or even low-fat natural yogurt are specially scrumptious solutions to consume your calcium.

Lean proteins is another sticky point in children's diets. My own child weighs in at 36 pounds. It's ideal for her to consume one half of that in grams, 18 grams, of lean protein each and every day. Children can get protein from a assortment of sources: cooked chicken, poultry hamburgers, yogurt, lowfat milk, peanut butter, tofu, eggs, almonds, vegan burgers, lasagna, and string cheese are common proteins sources amongst this particular age bracket. You'll really need to look at nutrition facts for one's particular grams of proteins for each amount for each item. Try to consider that barbequed chicken along with turkey burgers are definitely the hefty hitters, averaging twenty-one gr of protein per helping that is the dimensions of ones palm. Natural yogurt, low-fat dairy, peanut butter, as well as tofu are usually fantastic sources of trim necessary protein that taste delightful in kid's shakes!

Now that we've reduced down every single nutrition rule you can see exactly how our nourishing smoothie tested recipes for children could go a considerable ways to ensure your child is ingesting great-tasting, healthful food each day. All the best!

Disclosure: I 'm not an expert in nutrition, only a mommy attempting to make certain my little princess dines on food that is as nutritious as possible. Speak with your doctor before switching your child's diet.

Would your child like to drink healthy smoothies? Click here for Heather Boger's favorite smoothie recipes for kids. Good luck!

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The Sweet Health Benefits Of Sour Foods

As a young man, I remember my grandmother trying to give me sauerkraut for dinner once and making the worst face possible in response to which my grandmother laughed and said, "Sauerkraut is not only good, it's good for you!" When I tell my patients about sauerkraut as a health food, they make almost that same funny face! Recently, however, it turns out that grandma's words were correct - sauerkraut has a surprising health benefit to it as do other fermented foods. In fact, a group of Polish women were recently studied for their rates of breast cancer. The group who ate a lot of sauerkraut had very low rates of breast cancer.

Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Fermented foods, like sauerkraut, olives, pickles, sourdough bread have been around for a long time. They were created to help food keep longer using a natural fermentation process called lacto-fermentation. In this process, beneficial lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria (the kind that live in your gut and help digest your foods) convert the starch and sugar in foods to lactic acid. The lactic acid acted as a preservative so refrigeration was not necessary and food had a long shelf life.

A surprising, little known health benefit about these fermented foods was then discovered. It seems that the same fermentation process that both preserves and gives these foods their distinctive sour-tangy taste are also higher in vitamins and actually help your digestion, remove excess saturated fats and cholesterol, and keep your digestive tract healthy and happy.

In fact, these good bacteria present in naturally fermented food have recently started popping up all over television ads and health food articles as "probiotics" which restore and maintain your intestinal flora, i.e., the level of good bacteria in your gut. In case you didn't know this, your large intestine, the place that houses all these beneficial bacteria, is the very seat of your immune system. When your beneficial bacteria levels are optimal, you have a healthy immune system strong enough to ward off infections and other diseases.

Many fermented foods, like olives, also contain good Omega-3 fatty acids that are beneficial in reducing inflammation throughout your body.

Not All Sour Foods Are Naturally Fermented

When I tell my patients about naturally fermented superfoods, they say, great I'll pick up some at the grocery store! However, most canned sauerkraut, pickles, greek olives on the shelves, and buttermilks, yogurts, and kefir in your dairy section of your grocery store may not have been created through a natural fermentation process and may not contain the live bacteria.

In fact, many of these grocery store varieties of sour-tasting dairy foods are pasteurized, and the canned-shelf varieties can get their sour taste through the addition of vinegar (a fermented food in itself) and/or certain preservative-grade minerals like potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate added to extend shelf life. Most have lactic acid added to them rather than it developing naturally in the fermentation process described above. However, even these grocery store varieties of "fast" fermented foods give some health benefits in addition to their vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, etc, just not as much as naturally fermented that contain the live culture.

Unless your local grocery store has a special section for refrigerated health foods, you likely will have to go to a health food or natural foods store to get real, naturally fermented, nonpasteurized sauerkraut, pickles, olives, kefir, buttermilk and yogurt. You can also make your own fermented foods very easily. Fermentation starter kits are available, along with directions how to ferment many foods, in health food stores and/or online.

What Fermented Foods Are Available?

Sauerkraut is perhaps the most well-known fermented food. It is a staple in German and Polish cuisine. If you've ever eaten Korean food, you may have eaten kimchi, fermented spicy cabbage and other vegetables, which is a staple food in Korea. In fact, researchers found that Avian flu infected chickens, who were fed a kimchi extract, recovered! Sake, a Japanese rice wine, is also a fermented food, as are all wines, red or white varieties, and most beers. You've also likely eaten soy sauce on your rice if you eat Chinese food, and have at least heard of tempeh, fermented soybeans. Here are some other commonly fermented foods:

•Pickles, olives, onions, mustard greens - Omega 3's, promote good gut bacteria.
•Yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, cheese - benefit digestion and stoke the immune system.
•Natto - Japanese, from which nattokinase is made, beneficial to heart health as it dissolves blood clots. Contains vitamin K2 which research has proven to prevent osteoporosis and breast cancer.
•Miso - Japanese. Miso is credited with saving the lives of hundreds of Hiroshima victims who were fed traditional Japanese miso soup in the hospitals.
•Coffee - research shows coffee to have strong antioxidant properties and the ability to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
•Chocolate - contains important antioxidants, as much as fruit without the sugar!

You've likely eaten and enjoyed fermented foods for a long time and not known what a great health benefit you were getting from them. Who knew pickles and chocolate could be health foods? Read labels carefully and make sure they say either "naturally fermented" or contain "live cultures", or "lactobacillus acidophilus", to be sure you are getting the most health benefit from your fermented foods. Bon appétit!

Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging

http://www.healthyanswers.com

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6 Amazing Benefits of a Whole Foods Diet!

There are a many benefits of a whole foods diet that will positively impact your health. If you are considering making the shift to a whole foods diet, are curious about whole foods nutrition, or simply want to learn more about the whole foods benefits...this article will benefit you greatly.

Top 6 Benefits of a Whole Foods Diet

Increased Fiber Consumption:

Whole foods such as broccoli, brown rice, almonds and oatmeal are great sources of fiber - with six to fifteen grams per serving. Compare this to most animal products which contain no fiber.

Fiber aids in moving wastes from the body and keeping the digestive system clean and functioning properly.

Less Fat Intake:

A whole foods diet includes foods, such as fruits, vegetables and grains, that contain far less fat than a diet which includes animal foods. In fact, even low-fat meals can often have twice as much fat as a whole foods meal.

A lower fat, whole foods diet can help keep cholesterol levels down, reduce the number of calories consumed and help increase your health and vitality.

Decreased Sugar Consumption:

A whole foods diet, which includes a variety of natural complex carbohydrates, is typically more filling and will decrease your desire to eat processed sugar products - which will also decrease your overall food intake.

More Nutrients:

A whole food diet contains plant foods that are a richer source of nutrients than animal products.

Variety of Foods:

The variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts that are available on a whole foods diet is almost endless. This variety leads to a greater consumption of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that perform health-promoting functions in the body.

Great Satisfaction and Less Overeating:

The whole food diet includes a wide variety of foods that are dense in nutrients and fiber. These whole foods require more time to properly chew and eat, which results in the consumption of fewer calories. More satisfying meals leads to less overeating, which in turn leads to an optimal level of health and longevity.

It's evident that the benefits of this type of diet far outweigh any benefits that may be derived from a diet which includes predominantly animal products. In addition, a whole foods are less harmful to the human body.

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Healthy Food Tips: Food Substitution for Weight Loss

Staying healthy and maintaining a normal weight is all about choosing the right foods. Some foods provide most of their calories from fat and sugar, while others are rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. You can make simple ingredient substitutions to create healthy recipes that taste and look amazing. By replacing certain ingredients in your meals, you will be able to satisfy your cravings and lose weight at the same time.

Whole Wheat

Complex carbohydrates have many health benefits. You can include whole wheat, one of the best sources of complex carbohydrates, in your favorite desserts to replace the number of calories consumed. If you want to lose weight and improve your digestion, then you should always opt for whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, and whole grain crackers. Whole grains are more filling and contain essential nutrients.

High-Fat Dairy Substitutes

Replace whole milk, yogurt and cheese with lower fat versions. Most dairy products are healthy, but contain a large amount of fat. If you want to get rid of excess weight or reduce cholesterol levels, try blending the full-fat and low-fat versions. Ricotta cheese can be successfully replaced with fat free cottage cheese. You can eat low fat frozen yogurt or fat free ice cream instead of regular ice cream. Buy plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt instead of sour cream.

Meats, Fish, and Poultry

Replace ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken. This way you can easily eliminate unhealthy fats from your diet. Canadian bacon or lean ham is an excellent alternative to bacon or sausages. Always remove skin from chicken. When you buy beef or pork, choose cold cuts over the fattier version.

Baked Goods

Baked goods should not be part of a weight loss diet. However, if you are craving for pastries, donuts, or sweet rolls, you can replace them with bagels, fat free muffins, and English muffins. Choose fat-free or reduced fat cookies instead of regular cookies. When you prepare baked goods at home, add butter or avocado puree instead of margarine. Avocado puree has a subtle taste and lends itself well to the texture of dark chocolate flavorings and fudge brownies.

Sweets

Loaded with unhealthy refined sugar and simple carbohydrates, candies are one of the worst choices you can make when dieting. These sweets are loaded with calories, but contain no vitamins, minerals, or protein. If you still want to eat something sweet, replace candies with dried fruits like apricots, figs, or dates. These healthy foods are not recommended for a weight loss diet, but at least they contain essential nutrients that can improve your overall health.

Losing weight requires a lot of effort. If you need help choosing the right foods and preparing your meals, do some research and read the latest healthy foods tips available online. At DSM Food, you can learn more about healthy eating and get the best recipes for a balanced diet.

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Your Body and Fast Food

Everyone knows that fast food is quick, easy, and can be cheap. However have you ever sat down and read the facts about fast food? There are plenty of reasons why it can be very bad for you. Their products are high in sugar, fat and artificial ingredients. These are not meant to be taken in on a regular basis.
Eating all of these ingredients often cause some bad health issues like heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers. They can also be addicting to some people and if tried to stop can cause withdraw effects. If you are someone who already suffers from heart or digestive issues then you need to determine if fast food is safe for you.
Surveys have provided us with information that snacking causes people to consume at least an extra 300 calories more than they normally would. Extra sugar and food dye is put into some foods to make it look more appealing. Many people in the world believe that this is a big part of why people are becoming over weight. As of 2012 there were 520 million obese people worldwide.
Their food is filled with soy, salt, cheese, and mayonnaise, often deep fried which adds a lot of calories and no nutritional value. Given the high amount of calories in most of the meals provided there it would take a significant amount of exercise to burn off them calories. There are a ton of disadvantages to fast food.
The higher levels of fat and sugar can cause obesity. Studies have shown that people who live closer to a fast food restaurant have a higher tendency to be obese. With the cooking oils and preservatives used in the food to maintain the products make it difficult to shed the fat even if you were to up your activity level it would not help.
Liver damage is a big risk with consuming a lot of fast food. Junk food is filled with trans fat. Trans fat is an artificial ingredient that is put in the food so it can sit for periods of time before being ate. Because of that, as your body is trying to get rid of this fat, it can build up in the liver and cause damage. It is just like being an alcoholic if it is not monitored, it will cause liver failure.
Consuming fast food that is high in sodium and cholesterol regularly can cause cardiovascular diseases. Cholesterol clog's the arteries increasing risk of a stroke or heart attack. This can be caused from having to many fries, sodas, or enriched meats.
In conclusion, you should not eat a lot of fast food. It would be alright to treat yourself to it every once in a while, but it definitely is not a source of nutrition and not something that you would want to try to live on.

We have over 200 bodybuilding recipes and unique meal plans to keep your diet interesting and your taste buds happy in this awesome bodybuilding cookbook.

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Avocado - A True Health Food, Especially for the Liver

We love to find foods that are inherently healthy, especially when they are also a delicious addition to your meals. Also, we are always on the lookout for liver-healthy foods, because as we know so much of our health, and our ability to keep our weight in check depends on a well-functioning liver. Foods such as turmeric and other herbs and spices, as we have pointed out on our website, provide liver health, and in this article we would like to point out the benefits of another: avocado.

So for those who have yet started to use the avocado in their diet plan, let's introduce this wonderful food. Most people think of it as a vegetable, but it grows on trees and reproduces by its seeds, which makes it technically a fruit. It has been grown and cultivated for centuries in Mexico, Central and South America, but in the last two hundred years fifty years it has been introduced to other parts of the world. The product is now grown in the Mediterranean area, Africa and the Far East, as well as Southern California.

Here's how the avocado can help the liver:

• Vitamins C. Avocados are abundant in this vitamin, which function as antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. These are required for the growth and repair of cells, and are vital repairing liver cells so this necessary organ can continue doing its job.

• Production of glutathione. People who have chronic liver disease usually are found to have low levels of glutathione. Named the mother of all antioxidants, the good news is that our body can produce this necessary master detoxifier, the bad news it can be depleted by bad diet, among other things. Avocados help the body produce glutathione.

• Healthy fats. There are good fats and bad fats, and avocados are definitely in the "good fat" category. People who are afflicted with fatty liver disease have a cholesterol profile of LDLs, or bad cholesterol. Raising your HDLs or good cholesterol can improve this cholesterol profile, and your liver health.

The delicious avocado provides more health benefits than just what it does for our liver. It helps our immune system, helps the cardiovascular system (due to its healthy cholesterol), and is great for eye health. Avocado has both lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids that protect the eyes from age-related issues.

An average-sized avocado has about 250-300 calories, so as healthy as they are you don't want to overdo them. Many people eat them in guacamole, which is great, but I top off every salad with avocado slices. Another idea is to cut them in half, scoop out the center and fill them with some shrimp or crabmeat, topped off with a little cocktail sauce. There are many ideas on the internet to use avocado. They can be cubed, sliced, whipped or smashed, are great alone or offer a perfect complement to many foods.

Avocado is a food that is being used in many regional diets, including the Mediterranean. We now know it to be a real liver-friendly food. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast living in Chicago.

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Negative Effects Of Eating Junk Foods

Junk food is simply defined as food that does not have any nutritional value. The bad thing about them is that we can find them almost anywhere. Health experts call them junk because they lack the right amount of nutrients needed by the body. There are so many examples of junk foods. Many of us love to eat sweet desserts, French fries, salted snack foods, candy bars, and even carbonated drinks. Are we surprised to find out that the foods that we are almost junk foods?

There are so many negative effects of eating unhealthy foods. They are often associated with heart problems, obesity, diabetes, lack of energy, decreased life expectancy, poor concentration, constipation, lethargy, and other diseases. Although they tend to be tempting and delightful, it can be a treat to human health. Like we have said, they can cause heart problems. They are also high in fat, and they are not favorable for the entire body. If the artery is already blocked with fats, the person may experience a heart attack or heart failure.

Another negative effect of eating unhealthy foods include low or poor energy. They do not supply the right amount of valuable nutrients needed by the body, and the result is that we often lack the energy to do the job. In addition, we tend to have poor ability to concentrate. Whenever we eat those unhealthy foods, the brain does not function well because there is no essential nutrient in the food that we eat.

We can also have a high-cholesterol level. In that situation, the entire body will suffer. Also, when people always eat fast food like burgers and fries, they tend to have a higher risk of being obese. Obesity is one of the most obvious negative effects of eating junk foods. Also, all processed foods do not contain healthy fiber that is commonly found in fruits and vegetables, so the tendency is that people become constipated.

There are so many negative effects of eating junk foods. It is extremely vital for us to eat healthy and nutritious foods. In this regard, the next time that we will order lunch deliveries in the office, try to order healthy plates from a credible restaurant just like what Ogden restaurant always serve to their customers. Choose to live a healthy life. Eat healthy, and nutritious foods all the time. Always prepare healthy foods for the entire family.

Lori Buenavista has been in the field of food business for a long time and maintains a website about Ogden Catering Service where you can get answers to the rest of your questions.

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Incredible Foods - Christmas Food Gifts That Happen to Be Extremely Inexpensive

The holiday season of love and giving may very well come only once a year, however the spirit of this season keeps everyone buzzing throughout every season. Perhaps it is owing to the delight of seeing family again since the holiday is the greatest time to go home and get away from work. It could also quite possibly be attributable to that mountain of delights below that green tree. Amongst that bundle of joy, there are usually packs of appetizing foods, Christmas food gifts to warm one's heart and sweeten one's mouth.

Everyone knows when the season starts not only because of the cold air that touches our cheek but probably due to gift ideas wrapped in amazing papers in every store corner. There are plenty of gift ideas one may opt to use, dependent on varied factors such as the resources plus receiver as well. Fine foods, Christmas food gifts and wine gifts, for example are great gifts especially when attending a celebration. Candies and sweet stuff are the pleasure of every child in town.

Due to the fact people have so many different tastes and preferences, additionally, it follows that they're going to be thrilled with various offerings at the same time. Listed here are the most common cooked foods, Christmas food gifts and fresh fruit that are certain to capture anyone's heart.

1. Chocolates - Nothing can go wrong with this sort of sweet delights. This can be such as a chocolate bar, white or dark, a home made hot chocolate mix or possibly even home made chocolate candies and goodies. It's always in fact not the cost that means something but the effort in making the gift special.

2. Fresh fruits - A gift basket of freshly picked fruits won't only complement well an accompanying get-well-soon note. It can also be a great way to spread the wondrous Christmas spirit about. Healthy Christmas food gifts - fruits will not only cater to the emotional part of being loved but to the physical aspect at the same time since fruit is among the best part of anyone's diet.

3. Cakes and cookies - Baking might not be everybody's cup of tea, but in the interests of the celebration and giving season, it's not at all such a difficult task to undertake. Cakes and cookies make up another ideal gift of Christmas foods. Christmas food gifts will definitely make any person, old and young, be pleased about the time and effort of the giver with each bite at such sweet treats.

4. Homemade recipe - Whether it's your own or something copied from a cookbook, the time and effort is what matters. A sumptuous Italian recipe or an exotic Indian concoction is certain to arouse the receiver's senses making them experience the sincerity of the giver.

Christmas food gifts shouldn't have to be really highly-priced. The fact is, home made and prepared food for the tummy becomes food for the heart also. In the season of giving, it's not the gift itself that matters. What counts by far the most will be the heart that generously extends out in the form of food to another heart that really enjoys the gift and is thankful for this sort of blessing. The spirit of giving is not measurable after all.

Jayne Waldorf has been an internet marketer for over four years. She lives in England with her husband and has two grown up sons. Her website provides year round gifts.

For ready to eat Christmas foods, Christmas food gifts and tasty snacks visit Jayne's Waldorf Christmas website today.

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Why Choose Health Food Quick Weight Loss Diets

With health food quick weight loss diets, you can lose those pounds you have wanted off quickly and healthily. Many of us have decided that we should lose a couple of pounds, either to be more healthy or to simply feel better about ourselves and how we look. We might have searched to try and find one of the many different ways to lose weight that are our there but have had no luck. If that is the case, then perhaps health food quick weight loss diets are for you.

While there are many different types of diets out there, some of them can be unhealthy for you, causing you to become weak and unable to perform your normal duties during the course of the diet. This can be quite an inconvenience to some who are struggling to lose weight. If you have been there, you might have found yourself trying to make time for friends and family, but simply feeling tired and exhausted all of the day. Eventually, it can get to you.

When your body tries to make do with less than it is able to, it can become weak and may make you more likely to become sick or get hurt. This can be very dangerous, especially if you continue to try to do the things you normally do. You might end up fainting or hurting yourself, which can be very dangerous if you are in a situation where you are alone. This makes these unhealthy diets very bad for you. With health food quick weight loss diets, you are able to lose the weight you want without having to risk these dangerous situation.

Health food quick weight loss diets work by providing you with healthy food, in healthy quantities, helping to ensure that your body gets all that it needs without providing you with excessive amounts of fats and calories that can make you gain weight. These diets help to ensure you maintain a healthy balance between the good and the bad while you are trying to lose weight to reach your ideal size. There are many advantages to these diets as opposed to other, possibly risky, diets.

If you are looking for a dieting plan that can help you lose weight and have been unable to find one that lets you keep your energy and strength up all while you are losing those pounds you wanted off, then these diets are right for you. In order to find the right one for you specifically, try searching online for health food quick weight loss diets. You will be able to find quite a few different ones and will be able to search through them to find the diet for you. Remember, nobody knows what you want and need better than you know yourself, so when searching for the diet, try to find the health food quick weight loss diets that fit your needs, not someone else's.

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Effects of Junk Food on Health

The phrase "junk food" itself speaks of endangerment to health. Junk foods are deemed to be trash foods as they are high in fat and sugar components regardless of how they are labeled by manufacturers. The apparent effect of junk food on health administers when there is excess in intake. Teenagers comprise the higher bulk of junk food fanatics and they seem to be unhealthy with such a lifestyle of munching in chips, fries, crackers and other snack foods in front of the television. Majority of junk food choices do not deliver beneficial nutritional values, but you could actually integrate a few junk foods in your diet with an assurance that it is of moderate amount.

Regardless of age, the effect of junk food on health settles as bad as it could be especially when you eat too much of some. You will end up easily getting exhausted by being a junk food fanatic. Because it doesn't balance the appropriate levels of energy you ought to consume, you have tendencies of craving for more food when you eat junk foods. Also, you can be less focused with anything you undertake at work and home because what you are acquiring from junk foods are mere fats, not healthy ingredients. Also, you will experience lack of important oxygen that eventually result to poor brain functioning.

In the long run, your heart cannot function as it should because of too much cholesterol absorbed in the body as an effect of junk food on health. If there's too much plaque in the arteries, your heart has to assert more effort in pumping blood which may cause you to be in fatigue. The excess amount of cholesterol in your body can destroy the liver as well, leaving you overweight at the same time. Most of obese kids have acquired their overweight dilemma because of too much junk food intake. Most of those who are junk food eaters are likely to get diabetic at any point in their life because of high presence of sugar in the body. High blood pressure due to great amount of sodium from junk foods can also occur.

As they always say it, whatever is avoided comes so tasty. Ice cream, chocolate, junk foods, fries, burgers, potato chips and shakes are all tempting. You can perhaps be disciplined in indulging in these types of food because they are initially unhealthy to have. Too much of anything sweet or salty is health threatening. Not only will you have a bad effect of junk food on health, you will also largely embrace mood swings, decreased enthusiasm to handle workouts, weight gain and constipation problems if you eat junk foods unstoppably. In lieu of them, you can pick fruits and high-fiber food for good snacks and meals.

Gary Pearson is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about junk food effects visit Healthy Foods Today for current articles and discussions.

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Magic Food For Fat Burning

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a type of magic food that you could eat that would just make the fat melt away? It certainly would! While life isn't quite like that you might be surprised to find that there are some foods that you can eat which can help to boost your metabolism and give you a good start at burning fat.

Oatmeal. Yep; grandma was right. Oatmeal is really good for you and in many different ways. Oatmeal gives you the energy you need to keep going without giving into hunger temptations during mid-morning. In addition, it's full of fiber which is great for keeping your insulin levels consistent. Try having a bowl of regular oatmeal each morning. Avoid the kind loaded with sugar. Add some scrambled eggs on the side for protein and you've got a healthy breakfast.

Ice cold water- Yes, back to water. It really is crucial when you're trying to lose weight. Not only does it keep you hydrated and flush toxins from your body but icy cold water can also give your metabolism a boost so make sure you're drinking a liter of water in between meals.

Eggs- Eggs are full of protein, which is critical for building muscles. Even more importantly, studies have shown that eating a couple of eggs for breakfast instead of a bread product makes it possible to lose far more fat. Make a point to include eggs in your breakfast several times per week.

Coffee.-That's a surprise, isn't it? It's actually great for your metabolism, in moderation, of course. Not only will the caffeine give you a little jolt in the morning but it can also help to enhance your workout performance while giving you a healthy dose of antioxidants. Here's the bottom line when it comes to coffee; it's most beneficial when you drink it straight black and not laced with cream or sugar. It's an acquired taste but if you can become accustomed to it, it's great for burning fat first thing in the morning.

Olive Oil- This might surprise you. There's nothing wrong with good fat and your body actually needs it. Olive oil is an excellent example of good fat that your body needs to control bad cholesterol and prevent heart disease so try adding a spoon or two to some balsamic vinegar and enjoying it with a salad regularly.

To recap, if you want to boost your metabolism, it's a good idea to focus on incorporating these foods into your diet:

• Eggs
• Coffee
• Olive oil
• Icy water
• Oatmeal

That's it! Add in some of those foods and you should begin to see some results in how your fat burning ability before too long!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6971861

Health Benefits of Using Mayonnaise in Food

People all over the world use different kinds of sauces to enhance the taste of their food. There are many kinds of sauces prepared from different items. Mayonnaise is one such sauce. Generally the sauces are prepared from the items of plant origin, for example Tomato Sauce, chili sauce or the Mustard sauce. But Mayonnaise is prepared from an animal product. Actually the Mayonnaise is prepared from egg yolk by slowly mixing oil into it and blending it with a blender or mixer, with a mortar and pestle, or even with whisk or fork. While the oil is added slowly, the yolk is whisked vigorously so as to disperse the oil. Generally in Indian preparation, a bit of mustard is also added to make the taste sharper and slightly tangy. European recipe uses olive oil with vinegar or lemon juice. Herbs and spices can also be added to this sauce.

Mayonnaise acts as a base for many other sauces as well. For example, it can be combined with Tomato Ketchup to make a new type of sauce, the Fry sauce. Mixed with mustard sauce and Tomato Ketchup, Mayonnaise can also be used as a condiment. Generally people have a misconception that Mayonnaise is an unhealthy food. But researches have shown that it has many benefits and is really good for our health. 

This sauce has been found to prevent strokes in postmenopausal women. So they are advised to add this sauce as their salad dressing on a regular basis. Also Mayonnaise is found to have a lot of Vitamin E. Actually it is this Vitamin E in the sauce that helps people protect from strokes. If a person is deficient in Vitamin E, he can very well include Mayonnaise as in his diet as this food product can resolve the deficiency very quickly. It also helps the heart and lungs to function properly and it also aids in the blood circulation. Mayonnaise has a rich content of omega -3 fatty acids which are actually good for heart.

Another health benefit of Mayonnaise is found to be on skin. Sure, it does work from within, but it can also be applied directly to the skin. This makes the skin soft and radiant. When washed, it carries off the dead skin cells with it and leaves the skin looking fresh and glowing. Thus a mayonnaise massage is always good for your face and hands. When applied directly on the skin, the ingredients penetrate the skin directly and nourish it faster and better. It can also be used as the treatment for sunburn. When applied to the affected part, it has a cool and soothing effect. Even the dry, dead skin from the elbow and flaky skin at the feet can be removed by rubbing some Mayonnaise on the problem area.

Mayonnaise can also be used as a conditioner for hair. Just take a tablespoon of Mayonnaise and massage it deep, from the scalp to the tip of the hair. After 1 hour wash with regular shampoo. It not only makes the hair soft and silky but also gives it a shine. Mayonnaise is also a good treatment for lice. Massage it over the scalp and leave for an hour, wash and the lice are drained out with the sauce. So, we see that Mayonnaise is beneficial rather than harmful for our health.

Author loves to use Mayonnaise Sauce instead of Tomato Sauce or Tomato Ketchup, as this is good for our health also.

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The Fast Food Health Threat

Few dietary trends have been or are as prominent, prevalent, and influential as the movement towards dining out in general and fast food in particular. Dating back as far as the 1940s with the birth of McDonald's the fast food trend continues unabated today, despite a modern wave of so-called "health initiatives." In spite of a slew of new diets, new exercise regimens, and even new lawsuits, statistics consistently show that the United States population - along with the populations of many developed countries - is getting fatter by the year.


Causes of the Obesity Crisis

Why is fast food so harmful? The obvious and traditional answer is because of sheer caloric excess. A recent, 15-year study showed that young people between the ages of 18 and 30 who ate at least 2 fast food meals a week were, on average, 10 pounds fatter than those who did not. It's also no secret that fast foods are soaked in oil and fat, saturated with sodium and sugars, and designed with convenience and taste, rather than nutritional value, in mind. However, can this be the only reason?

With the recent trend towards (or at least, lip service towards) healthy lifestyles with managed calorie intakes, frequent exercise, and even target nutrition, one would think that the "obesity epidemic" would be feeling the effects. Statistics, however, show otherwise. While some blame (perhaps rightly) these disappointing numbers not on fat, sugars, or calories, but on the layers of artificial additives on virtually all fast food items, others researchers have begun to look at the fast food trend as part of a larger, social change. In their eyes, modern American culture makes it all but inevitable that diets will fail, people will relapse into unhealthy habits, and the obesity rate will continue to increase.


A Different Point of View
American people today live in an environment where low cost and convenient access often take precedence over nutrition. Television and radio airwaves are replete with advertisements, and billboards are covered with fast food propaganda, but the core of the issue is the public mentality. People are much more likely to dine out than ever before. A disintegrating nuclear family tradition means less gatherings around the dinner table, at least at home. A misunderstanding of what low-carb, low-fat, or low-sodium actually means leads to people rationalizing their unhealthy diets. A steady trend towards larger portion sizes has subtly influenced people to eat more without ever realizing the difference.

And fast food companies may only be partially to blame. Though it is true that fast food restaurants are a prime source for unhealthy food, in another sense these companies are only responding to the economic demands of the American public, according to Rudolph Leibel, an obesity expert from Columbia University. If the public attitude truly changes (that is, in a way more profound than simply hiding behind sham diets, rationalized food choices, fancy catchphrases, or a salad every few days), Leibel argues, the fast food menu will change along with it.

The question, then, is - how does one go about changing one's viewpoint and lifestyle? One way is by circumventing the vicious cycle of relapse and rationalization. Instead of choosing "healthy options" off the local McDonald's menu, eating true home-cooked meals is a much better and sustainable solution. Remember - the key is not how well a diet works in the short run, it's how long you can keep it up in the long run.

For home-cooked meal recipe ideas, visit http://www.cdkitchen.com

Joseph Devine

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