Archive for September, 2009

Diabetes and Gum Disease – The Same Nutrition Can Mitigate Both…

While it is incorrect to say that there is an officially recognized direct connection between these two diseases, most researchers agree that it is likely that there is. So bear in mind, that the official verdict that diabetes and sore gums (from gum disease) are interrelated has not come yet. However, most professionals feel that they are.

What is the problem specifically? Well, the problem involves an elevated inflammatory response. The way that periodontal disease can harm your body’s way of dealing with glucose is as follows. Diseased gum tissue develops into a long-term chronic infection. As a result, there are elevated levels of inflammatory response chemicals in the blood stream. One of the unfortunate results of inflammation is that the insulin receptors on the surface of the body’s cells tend to become fewer. Without as many cell receptors for insulin, it is much harder for the body to process glucose.

You are left with high blood sugar levels and this is a problem. This is one of the proposed theories of how these diseases are interrelated. In fact, the way that gum disease is related to many diseases may have something to do with the long term chronic infection that this disease produces.

The inflammatory response is good for short term problems. But when the response is chronic, the body is weakened in many ways. It is important to stop periodontal disease.

Perhaps an essential oil approach would be helpful. Maybe ora md would help.

Disclaimer: This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have any dental health or health problem at all, visit your peridontist or dentist for advice, diagnosis and treatment.The USFDA has not evaluated statements about any products mentioned in this article.

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Your Guide to Child Health and Nutrition

If you have a child, regardless of their age, you are going to need to learn some important nutrition facts and become more informed on child health and nutrition and the foods that your child should be avoiding and including in their diet.

Food Pyramid

Learning about the food pyramid is the first step to understanding child health and nutrition. The food pyramid is essential if you want to know what your child needs to be healthy.

The USDA designed the food pyramid to guide healthy eating patterns for all children six years old and up. The food pyramid has five groups of food which make up a well balanced diet.

All five groups of food on the pyramid are important to child health and nutrition. Keep in mind that a serving in the food pyramid is not equal to whatever portion that you can eat at one meal. For example, when the pyramid recommends 2-4 servings of meat, but this is for the entire day not per meal.

You can choose to have all your meat servings at once or spread them out over the day.

It is also important that your children get adequate exercise in addition to proper child health and nutrition. While this once was not a problem in children, more and more little ones are overweight so exercise has become very important.

To give your child health and nutrition to keep them healthy, you are going to want to keep them from spending hours on the computer, and instead give them a time limit and then make sure they are doing something active. Anything you can get them to participate in is excellent for their health, even if it is just outside playing around with friends.

If you are still concerned about your child’s health you may want to seek out a child nutritionist to get further tips and advice. A specially trained nutritionist will be able to put your concerns to rest and give you all the information you need to keep your child healthy.

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Nutritional Facts and Your Health

If you are starting to pay more attention to which foods you choose to eat, you are not alone. Whether you are over weight or simply in search of a healthier lifestyle, there is no better way to get started then starting to pay attention to the nutritional facts that are listed on the food packages we buy all the time. Of course, not every single item in your kitchen is going to have nutritional facts listed right on the package but you will find that most do.

Taking a close look at the food nutrition facts is a way to truly understand just what it is that you are eating. By calculating the number of calories you take in over the course of a typical day right now and comparing that number to the calories you should be taking to be healthy, it will probably really surprise you.

There should be no shame over how much you were eating before since you weren’t consciously watching your weight at that point. Though it may be confusing at first, in just a little time reading the nutritional facts labels will soon be natural.

When There is No Label

The majority of the products you buy right now will come clearly labeled with their nutritional facts. This is because a lot of what we eat is created or processed in one way or another, as this has become a way of eating for most people. However, there will be some foods that do not contain nutritional facts, but usually these will be fresh baked goods from a bakery. These foods are generally the healthier foods such as fresh fruit and veggies. Many people do not bother to read the nutritional facts before buying their food, but if you are growing more concerned you can search the Internet to find more information on what to look for with items that do not have labels.

There are many books which give nutritional information if your diet plan requires you to know certain details on the foods you pick, of course the Internet is always one click away as well.

Looking up every food you want to eat can quickly become tiring. If you do not mind the extra work, a plan that requires this could be your match. But, if you are not someone who wants to spend time researching nutritional facts, then look for a plan that does not require it.

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8 Nutrition Tips to lose fat and eat healthy

Here are just a few basic nutritional guidelines that you can apply today to start eating a healthy balanced diet full of all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs for optimal wellbeing. If used with a regular routine  of exercise  you can lose fat, increase your energy levels and give you a better sense of wellness.

1. Eat a array  of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables for a wide variety of nutrients and a small amount of calories per serving. Also  condiments like  low-sugar tomato sauce and salsa can help increase the nutrient content and taste factor of a meal. Fruits that are nutrient dense include raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, while other fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin that helps  slow digestion and gives you a feeling  of fullness. 

 2. Avoid  foods that contain trans-fats (also known as trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats). This includes most processed convenience foods found in a bag or a box (chips, crackers, fries, pastries, etc.) as well as most margarines. Learn to read food labels; trans-fats currently aren’t listed in the nutritional details for most foods!

3. Stay clear of overeating or combining sugar and fat within a meal. One simple way to improve your health and lose fat is to stop eating “fast food” and stop drinking soda pop. It’s also extremely important to control portion sizes, especially when eating out. 

4. In your daily diet try to incorporate sufficient  portions of good quality lean protein. Your choices include lean beef, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, trout, low-fat cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy products. Nutritionists recommend  eating between 0.6 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. 

5.Consume healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, salmon, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Nuts and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are related  with good cardiovascular health.  Good quality sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil,walnuts and almonds. Instead of  eating a bag of chips, eat ½ ounce of nuts (10-12 almonds). 

6. Eat a small protein-based meal before going to  bed. For example, plain yogurt  mixed with protein powder.

7. Research has shown that the caffeine content of over the counter coffees can vary on a daily basis depending on water content and brewing time. One day you might get up to 600mg of caffeine in a grande coffee while on another day only 200mg (which is already a high amount)! Keep track  your caffeine intake if you use a food log  (I recommend that you do) and be sure to take notice of  the extra calories that are added to  beverages in the form of cream and sugar – these add up really quickly before you know it and can have a negative impact on trying to lose fat. 

8. Make small  nutrition changes that add up to big improvements over time. Examples of this include; Switching to skimmed milk from semi skimmed milk. Using only “lean cuts”  of turkey, beef, and chicken to help limit  fat intake. Replacing high fat condiments for calorie-free condiments. 

Applying all of these tips or just a handful of them can really make a difference when trying to reduce  fat  or looking to feel better. A good balanced diet is more than just about improving your appearance it is vital to maintain a healthy functioning body and mind helping to prevent illness, slow down aging, stay active, combat stress and perform well. With these sort of benefits isn’t it time you changed your eating habits …your body will thank you for it.

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Finding Nutrition Facts

More and more people are starting to rethink the way they live their lives. It is no wonder, since studies have proven that obesity and malnutrition are the causes of many serious health risks that take many lives each year.

Law now requires most foods in the supermarket to have a nutrition label with all of the nutrition facts, and if you are not already reading these you need to start now. These labels are a valuable resource there for consumers like yourself, so make sure to look for them.

There are foods out there that should be avoided, and the nutrition facts labels will tell you which ones they are. You shouldn’t deprive yourself of the occasional treat, but there are bad foods that should be avoided the majority of the time. It’s a great idea to even compare the nutrition facts on several brands of the same food to make sure you make the wisest purchase. Comparing products may take a little more time, but it is important since not all brands use the same quality of ingredients.

Additional Tips and Hints

Trying to read and compare the nutrition facts on the labels of our food can be a little confusing at times if you really do not know what you should be looking out for. The most important thing is to understand that the information is given for one single serving, not the whole package.

The label will tell you exactly how much of one food is considered a single serving. Therefore, if you eat two servings you need to double all of the given nutrition facts.

Specific things to look for on a nutrition facts label are the total fat, calorie, and dietary fiber contents. Those are the main factors that most people watching their weight will consider, but the nutrition facts labels actually include a lot of other information.

Just by controlling those few factors, you will get a big start toward health and should start feeling better rather quickly.

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