Diet Discovery

In a nutshell – effective fat loss is essentially about increasing your metabolism, or more correctly, optimizing your metabolism. All the rules that apply to raw, natural and healthy dieting has its focus on this one crucial aspect.

By eating breakfast, you start up your metabolism nice and early; by eating regular but smaller meals spaced throughout the day, you keep your metabolism going in a balanced way; by exercising and staying active you optimize your metabolism.

With this said, your exercise routine is the first and most important aspect to concentrate on, it does have the greatest effect on your metabolism. Specifically strength training exercise which builds lean muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism naturally, as muscle requires a lot of energy to sustain itself.

Human metabolism consists of 3 main elements, being RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate), the Thermic Effect of Exercise (TEE), and lastly the Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF). TEF is that part of metabolism energy that your body uses to digest and process the foods that you eat.

But is there really such a thing as specific foods that speed metabolism, and thereby allow you to lose weight?

The answer is yes – but is not as simple as just identifying individual foods. There surely are individual foods that speed metabolism, because of certain special nutritional qualities, but it is important to remember that any diet has it’s merits only when seen as a whole and complete strategy.

• There are those foods known as “negative calorie foods”, foods that burn up more calories in the process of digesting them, than are actually contained in the foods themselves. You thus “speed your metabolism” by choosing foods that have few calories, yet burn many calories just in the process of metabolizing them. Potatoes and cabbage are good examples. Also, raw celery and grapefruit are often claimed to have negative caloric balance, presumably because the thermic effect is greater than the caloric content, due to the complex fibre matrix that must be uncovered to access their carbohydrates.
• The expression “thermic effect of food” is used to describe the energy expended by our bodies in order to consume and process food. Dietary fat, for example, is very easy to process and has very little thermic effect, while protein is hard to process and has a much larger thermic effect. Therefore, eating more lean protein foods has also been proven as an effective strategy to help you burn fat and keep it off.

Your metabolic energy levels will be the highest possible if you eat whole, natural foods. Select unprocessed foods with a high thermic effect (lean proteins like poultry, egg whites and fish, as well as green vegetables and other fibrous carbohydrates).

You should ideally avoid processed foods, and concentrate on eating whole, natural foods. What will optimize your metabolism to the greatest extent, is simpler eating – focusing on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

It will take some effort for any person to rid is or her diet of processed foods, but it will certainly be a journey in which you will learn to respect your body, and to appreciate the taste of real food.

Kim Levin
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/foods-that-speed-metabolism-the-facts-751634.html

When it comes to looking after our skin, most people are aware that they should use effective anti wrinkles creams. When it comes to looking after our bodies, most people know that they should eat properly. However, not many people seem to realize that their diet can also help their skin. Thus, what are the foods that help prevent wrinkles?

Eating the proper foods that contain nutrients that help prevent wrinkles should be part of your skin care program. If you eat the right food and use an effective natural skin care product then you are following a good plan to keep your skin looking and feeling youthful.

Specific foods that help prevent wrinkles are ones that are high in antioxidants. The antioxidants help to fight the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that work there way around the body causing damage to skin cells.

Foods that are high in antioxidants include spinach, broccoli, collard greens and kale. As you can see, foods that are green leafy vegetables are very good for your skin. Another nutrient that is excellent for the skin is omega 3 fatty acids.

Foods that help prevent wrinkles are foods that are high in the omega 3 fatty acids. Specifically, fatty fish are high in this nutrient. This would include tuna and salmon. If you do not eat, the proper foods then why bother using anti aging skin care products. They need to be combined to help reduce the lines and wrinkles brought on by the aging process and damage done to our skin over the years.

Now, when it comes to selecting the proper anti aging skin care products, you should have an idea of what the ingredients are. The products to use are the ones that contain natural ingredients that help the body restore the natural protein levels in the skin.

In conclusion, besides using an anti aging wrinkle cream, choose to eat foods that help prevent wrinkles to help reduce the lines and wrinkles on your skin. Please visit my website for more information.

Tara Mathews
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/what-are-the-foods-that-help-prevent-wrinkles-and-lines-748371.html

Everyone wants to live a longer and healthier life, but it seems like most people don’t want to do too much work to insure that it happens. But what if you knew that just adding a few servings of delicious tasting everyday foods to your meals might help extend your life? If you would be willing to do that then read on and find out what these super foods are.

More and more, science is finding truth in the statement “You are what you eat” and to support that, recent research suggests that some chemicals found in food such as sulforaphane can help to fight off free radicals and cleanse the body of toxins before they can do the damage that causes aging, heart disease and cancer. And where you get this seemingly miraculous chemical? Believe it or not, you can get it right at your grocery store since it is a phytochemical that is contained in the food you probably already eat – broccoli and in higher concentrations in broccoli sprouts.

But broccoli isn’t the only food you should boost your intake of, here are some others that not only tastes good but can help keep you healthier and living longer:

Lycopene is also important for your health and there is much press lately about eating cooked tomatoes which contain a readily absorbable form of it. Lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers but it also may help reduce cardiovascular disease and even play a role in reducing macular degeneration. While you can get it from eating fresh tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes have their own health benefits, when the tomatoes are cooked it makes the lycopene more easily absorbable by your body so serving for serving your getting more of it. You probably already eat a lot of foods with cooked tomatoes such as pasta sauce, soups, sauces and even pizza. If you really want the best health benefits, eat foods that are not loaded with preservatives and are made from organic tomatoes. You can also get lycopene from watermelon, guava, pink grapefruit and red bell peppers – generally any fruits and vegetables that are red will have lycopene in them.

Vitamin A is essential for good health and that’s why getting enough beta-carotene as important as your body turns this into vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for good vision and also contributes to healthy skin that can help reduce the risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Beta-carotene can be found in orange colored fruits and vegetables such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes and cantaloupes. These foods also contain lutein and lycopene which can help reduce premature wrinkling and can also help your body fight damage to your eyes caused by the sun which can result in macular degeneration.

Some other foods to add which can help reduce the risk of heart disease and keep your eyesight healthy are dark leafy greens. You can eat them fresh or frozen but, of course, organic is best. If you find that mixing up salads is a pain try buying one of those premade bags with all the different kinds of greens in them. Don’t go so much for the iceberg lettuce, try making salad with spinach leaves instead since they have a much higher nutrient value.

While it’s great to improve your health and live longer, it doesn’t make much sense if your mental abilities can’t keep up. So you want to add in some foods that help boost your brain power. These foods include foods that have a lot of fatty acids like cold water fish such as salmon and tuna as well as flax seeds. In fact, a recent study suggests that a higher intake of these fatty fish can really put the brakes on mental decline.

So, you can see that adding a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet can help improve your health and your longevity. But how much is enough? chances are you are not eating enough and, in fact, you should try to get about 10 half cup servings of fruit and vegetables every day. While it might seem like just taking vitamin supplements can do the trick, this is no substitute for the real thing as the real fruits and vegetables have other chemicals and enzymes that are not included in the supplements.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/these-everyday-foods-can-help-you-live-longer-and-healthier-93937.html

In the never ending battle to lose weight people have tried all sorts of calorie cutting diets, energy boosting pills and the latest “Fat Buster” exercise machine seen on late night TV. During this quest to burn off the fat they come to realize that maybe what they are doing is not working as well as advertised. The reality is that if we give our bodies the nutrition that they need by eating healthy nutrient dense foods we’ve already won half the battle.

What happens when we eat healthy nutritious food? Our bodies respond by increasing our metabolism, which in turn burns away extra fat. Now while this is rather simplified and loosing weight can require a little more effort as far as exercising and eating right in a nut-shell this is the first best step to loosing excess weight.

One of the first things we must understand is how our body uses and stores energy. Our bodies get their energy from the foods we eat but that energy comes in many different forms. We can get it from protein, carbohydrates and fat and there are different forms of these as well. It’s how our bodies use these various forms of energy that affect our metabolism.

In the case of fat our bodies have very little trouble converting them directly into fat stores for future use. Because fats tend to get sent directly to fat storage the body uses very little energy, or calories, accomplishing this. This is also true of simple carbohydrates, usually in the form of refined sugars, found throughout most of our diets. The body not only uses very little energy converting these refined sugars into fat the huge amounts of sugar the average person eats causes the body to release larger amounts of insulin to deal with this sugar overload. These higher insulin levels stimulate our appetites to eat more and increase the rate at which we store excess calories as fat tissue.

Foods that increase metabolism include those foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and proteins. Why? Because complex carbohydrates and proteins require more energy for the body to break down and use. This results in extra calories being burned just for the sake of digestion and cellular metabolism.

Foods that are high in complex carbohydrates also help to increase our metabolism in another way. Because complex carbohydrates take longer to break down by the bodies digestive system the release of the caloric energy is spread out over a longer period of time. This results in less insulin being released into the blood stream and a more balanced energy flow during our waking hours resulting in less snacking on sugary sweets. Sugars and fats on the other hand tend to cause energy spikes followed by a low period during which we are tempted to eat more of these fat producing foods to re-energize ourselves.

Most of the complex carbohydrates we eat come from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can help increase our metabolism in one other way. They are high in fiber and our bodies’ burn more calories digesting fiber then just about anything else. In fact it is theorized that many fruits and vegetables fall into the “negative calorie” categories of foods. A negative calorie food is one that actually takes more calories to digest then it actually contains. The resulting increase in metabolism from eating negative calorie foods can help burn away excess body fat stores and result in a gradual weight loss. When combined with a moderate exercise program the weight loss and metabolism increase can be even greater.

As you can see the foods that increase metabolism are healthy, nutrient dense foods. Steering clear of processed foods and refined sugars is key to not only increasing metabolism but also living a healthy fat free life.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/foods-that-increase-metabolism-85063.html

Diabetes is a condition that millions of people manage on a daily basis. People with diabetes must be mindful of the foods and beverages they consume. Whether or not you have had natural diabetes all of your life or have been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it is crucial that you engage in healthy food choices.

The majority of your food selections should be based on a whole foods approach. Whole foods are natural and organic foods. These foods are created with the highest standards and are tailored for people with conditions such as diabetes, gluten intolerance, and other conditions. Seek out whole food and organic supermarkets in your area.

What food choices should people with diabetes make to manage their diabetes glucose levels? First, think back to nature such as vegetables and fruits. Nature has provided a wealth of vegetables to keep your palate enticed. For example, have a spinach salad with broccoli and carrots at dinner.

To control your blood sugar levels you have to monitor your carbohydrate consumption. Breads and pastas can spike your blood sugar, but this can be minimized if you consume whole grain breads and pastas. These are easy to find at a whole foods organic market.

For your entree keep the focus on fish, chicken and turkey. You can consume lean cuts of beef and pork in moderation. Make sure to remove the fatty skin and use healthy liquid oils, such as olive oil, when you cook foods. In addition, stick to non-fat dairy products. You can consume skim milk, non fat cheese, and non fat yogurt.

If you have diabetes you may feel that you have to miss out on the sweet taste of foods. This is not so. You can add cinnamon in moderation to foods to give them a sweet taste. Cinnamon may actually have a positive effect on your blood glucose levels, especially for people with Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, cinnamon is a great way to get the sweet fix you desire.

Lastly, don’t forget about what you drink! Beverages can be a roadblock to lowering blood sugar levels. Diabetes treatment should include drinking plenty of water and an occasional diet drink that has zero calories.

There are some foods that you should avoid like the plague. Avoid processed foods such as candy, chips, sodas, fruit punch, and cookies. These contain an excessive amount of sugar and carbohydrates that will have your blood glucose level soaring. Watch out for foods labeled as sugar free as well. This labeling is misleading and they can often raise your blood sugar levels as much as common sugar foods.

Remember that consuming healthy foods is not a free for all. If you eat too much of any type of food you will gain weight. Gaining weight is especially disastrous for people with diabetes. Stick to healthy portions and monitor your caloric intake.

Diabetics may have to spend more time analyzing what they eat and drink, but it is a manageable process. The number of whole food organic supermarkets is on the rise which is a major benefit for people with diabetes. Take advantage of their services to help you control your blood sugar levels and enjoy food at the same time.

Julia Hanf
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/choose-the-right-foods-to-lower-your-blood-sugar-level-127748.html

Tainted Wheat Gluten Suspected in Pet Deaths

Celiac.com 04/05/2007 – Recent news indicates that wheat gluten tainted with melamine, a chemical found in Asian fertilizers, and forbidden in American pet foods, has been implicated in the sickness of as many as 8,800 pets, including the deaths of up to 2,797 animals, mostly cats1 .

Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, stated that: “The association between the melamine in the kidneys and urine of cats that died and the melamine in the food they consumed is undeniable,” though he stopped short of placing blame for the animal deaths conclusively on the melamine-tainted wheat gluten.

Sundlof did go on to say that melamine, in any amount, is not permitted in pet foods sold in the U.S.

Wheat Gluten is Not Part of Your Pet’s Natural Diet

These stories invite a deeper consideration about the role that non-tainted wheat gluten may play in chronic illness and degenerative diseases in our beloved cats and dogs.

The simple truth is that cats and dogs are, by nature, primarily meat eaters. Dogs are historically scavengers, whose natural diets, according to a recent study by biologists Ray and Lorna Coppinger, consisted of “bones, pieces of carcass, rotten greens and fruit, fish guts, discarded seeds and grains, animal guts and heads, some discarded human food and wastes”3. In the wild, a dog’s diet included only the smallest amounts of grains, while cats are almost totally carnivorous, and subsist in the wild on a diet made up almost exclusively of small rodents. The natural diets of both cats and dogs provide large amounts of animal protein and fats, water, and little in the way of carbohydrates.

Dogs and Cats Should Avoid Grains and Carbohydrates

Most veterinary textbooks agree that both cats and dogs need almost no carbohydrates, yet the so called “recommended” diet of dry pet foods, which is a major component of most pets’ diets, contradicts both their natural diets and the veterinary literature. Many of these dry pet foods are high in carbohydrates, low in animal protein and fats, and contain almost no water.

This fact is largely ignored by major pet food producers, which is also noted in the book Canine and Feline Nutrition, which states that “the nutrient content of most commercial foods includes carbohydrates”4.

Many pet owners who feed canned, moist food to their cats and dogs do so believing that they are providing much-needed meat and moisture to their animals. This is largely true, but what is also true, as came to light in the recent spate of illnesses and deaths from tainted wet formula pet foods, is that wheat gluten is a significant ingredient in such foods.

The problem is that the digestive systems of dogs and cats have not evolved to digest plant proteins like gluten—they are designed to digest animal protein, and gluten is not the same—and feeding these animals foods that contain gluten can result in many of the same problems that afflict their human counterparts who are sensitive to gluten.

Toxic Effects of Wheat Gluten and Other Proteins in Pets…and Humans

According to veterinarian John B. Symes (“Dogtor J”), gluten and other proteins that are added to dog and cat foods are causing many of the same diseases that they cause in their human counterparts. Dogs and cats that have suffered and died from consuming tainted pet food belie the fact that even untainted gluten can cause many of these same problems and more. In human celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals, untainted gluten can induce both chronic and acute kidney failure. This form of kidney failure is typically called an IgA nephropathy, in which antibodies and immune complexes formed against gluten are deposited in the kidneys, which leads to damage and ultimately failure. Again, this can be chronic leading to persistent blood (microscopic) and protein in the urine or it can be acute.

Dr. Symes claims that it is a startling but well-established fact that the lectins of gluten (wheat, barley, rye) dairy products (e.g. casein, lactalbumin) soy, and corn are all capable of inducing serious health issues in those humans who are sensitive to them. He takes this belief even further and states that such foods are actually not healthy for anyone—neither pets nor humans and they just happen to be more harmful to some individuals than others. According to him anyone who consumes or feeds these foods to their pets on a daily basis will encounter resulting health problems—it is only of matter of time.

Dr. Symes believes that the onset of a lectin-related disorder—whether it be rheumatoid arthritis, type-one diabetes, lupus, etc.—is usually preceded by another event such as viral or bacterial infection. Vaccines can act as triggers as well. The result of such secondary events is a sudden influx and attachment of these inflammatory proteins to various cells in the body, ushering in what we often refer to as “autoimmune” disorders. That term implies an immune system that has gone haywire, attacking the body for no reason. According to him, our immune systems, along with those of our pets, never make that kind of mistake. These conditions happen for certain reasons, and these food proteins are often the cause.

All one needs to do, according to Dr. Symes, is to study celiac disease to see how all of this works and appreciate the health implications that accompany this extremely common condition. That a similar condition does occur in dogs and cats has become painfully obvious during the past seven years that he has been studying the issue. Dr. Symes states: “The Irish Setter is a breed known to suffer from gluten intolerance, but it is clear that gluten is affecting many other breeds of dogs and cats. And why wouldn’t it? It is affecting humans and we have had millennia to adapt to eating wheat. Our pets have only been eating wheat-based pet foods for about 20 years now.”

According to Dr. Symes it does not matter whether they ever tell us that tainted wheat gluten caused kidney failure, or that it be proven responsible in these pet deaths. The fact is that wheat gluten, tainted or not, can, and does cause and/or contribute to these conditions. Thus, according to Dr. Symes, gluten should never end up in pet foods.

To illustrate his theory Dr. Symes points out that the average American dog lives 12 years—13 for cats, when their wild counterparts, eating a natural diet, can live to be nearly thirty and t forty years respectively. For the cause, we need look no further than what we put in their bowls. A European study shows that pets fed with table scraps lived an average of three years longer than those fed commercial diets alone. Why? The answer, at least in part, is that highly processed foods cannot possibly contain all of the essential nutrients found in fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.

Reasons for Your Pets to Avoid Gluten

For all of the reasons stated, it’s probably a good practice to keep wheat gluten and carbohydrates away from you pet in favor of a “natural” diet rich in animal protein and fats and low in (or free of) carbohydrates. As specialty foods can be expensive, a list of readily available pet foods that are free of wheat gluten is provided below.

Avoid senior, lite and diet foods, as they contain increased fiber and carbohydrates and reduced protein and fat, compared to adult maintenance diets. This is the opposite of what they really need, and this food has no scientific foundation. Older and overweight pets usually respond well to increased protein and fats gained through a diet rich in meat, not grains.

Another benefit of this approach is that many dogs on the dangerous non-steroidal and steroid drugs so commonly prescribed for dogs may see marked improvements in their conditions and, in fact, may no longer need such drugs, which tend to shorten dogs’ lives. Many owners who feed their pets fewer grains see less inflammation.

Top 10 Pet Foods that are Free of Gluten and Other Potentially Harmful Proteins

The following pet foods are recommended by John B. Symes, D.M.V., and according to him, none are “ideal”, but each is gluten-free, wheat-free, barley-free, dairy-free and soy-free and can produce miraculous results in treating chronic diseases that are now found in many pets:

1. IVD/Royal Canin – L.I.D.s (potato-based diets)

2. Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice

3. NaturalLife Lambaderm

4. Canidae and Felidae- Dog and cat foods

5. Dick Van Patten Natural Balance Duck and Potato, Venison and Brown Rice, and Sweet Potato and Fish Formulas

6. Solid Gold Barking at the Moon

7. Natura California Naturals

8. Canine Caviar Lamb & Pearl Millet and Chicken & Pearl Millet formulas

9. Eagle Pack Holistic Select®Duck Meal & Oatmeal and Lamb Meal & Rice \ Formulas

10. Eukanuba Response KO and FP

Resources:

1. Your Whole Pet – Bigger than you think: The story behind the pet food recall (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/04/03/petscol.DTL&feed=rss.news)

2. Coppinger, Ray and Lorna, Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution, Scribner, 2001. 59 — 78.

3. Case: Cary, and Hirakawa, Canine and Feline Nutrition, Mosby, 1995. 93.

4. Morris, Mark, Lewis, Lone and Hand, Michael, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition III, Mark Morris Associates, 1990. 1-11.

5. Burger, I., Ed. The Waltham Book of Companion Animal Nutrition, Pergamon 1995. 26-27: 10.

6. Symes, D.M.V., Dr. John B. (“Dogtor J”) www.dogtorj.net

Jefferson Adams
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/gluten-and-toxins-in-pet-foods-are-they-poisoning-your-pets-128815.html

Recently, much news was published about unsafe commercial pet foods. This news, of course, sounded an alarm among pet owners. But, unfortunately, this problem isn’t really ‘news’. It seems that incidents similar to this occur from time to time. Perhaps this is one reason more and more people are opting to ‘home cook’ for their pets. However, in order to properly home-cook for your pets, you should first have a basic knowledge of canine nutrition; and, even more importantly, a thorough knowledge of human foods that are harmful to dogs. Some foods which are safe for human consumption can be poisonous for our canine companions. E-dog-training.com has put together a list of 25 common human foods that are toxic to dogs. Of course, when in doubt, always check with your vet. Here is a list to get you started:

1. Onions (Both onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient Thiosulphate. But onions are more of a danger. Many dog biscuits contain *small* amounts of garlic – garlic contains less of this toxin so huge amounts would need to be consumed to be toxic. And, by the way, this poison builds up the system – it can be toxic in one large dose – or with repeated consumption of small amounts.)

2. Chocolate (Chocolate contains Theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. This can be fatal to dogs.)

3. Grapes (Grapes are dangerous because of an unknown substance which is toxic to dogs – affects canine’s kidneys)

4. Raisins (See above.)

5. Most Fruit Pits and Seeds (Contain Cyanogenic Glycosides resulting in cyanide poisoning – though the fruit itself is OK.)

6. Macadamia Nuts (Macadamia nuts contain an unknown substance that is toxic to dogs.)

7. Most Bones should *not* be given (especially chicken bones) because they can splinter and cause laceration of the digestive system and/or become lodged in your pet’s throat – so they also pose a choking hazard.

8. Potato Peelings and Green Potatoes (Contain Oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.)

9. Rhubarb leaves (see above)

10. Broccoli (Broccoli is only toxic in large quantities.)

11. Green parts of Tomatoes or Green Potatoes(Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.)

12. Yeast Dough (Yeast Dough can produce gas and swell in your pet’s stomach – leading to rupture of the digestive system)

13. Coffee/Coffee Grounds and Tea (are dangerous due to the caffeine.)

14. Beer/Wine/Alcohol of any kind (Alcohol of any kind could lead to coma or even death.)

15. Human Vitamins (Human vitamins, especially those containing iron, can cause damage to the lining of the digestive system as well as cause kidney and liver damage)

16. Moldy or Spoiled Food (though I think this goes without saying.)

17. Persimmons (Persimmons can cause intestinal blockage)

18. Raw Eggs and Raw Fish (Raw eggs and some raw fish can cause Salmonella poisoning.)

19. Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder (In large amounts these can cause an electrolyte imbalance – and severe electrolyte imbalances can lead to muscle spasm or even congestive heart failure.)

20. Mushrooms (Mushrooms may contain toxins which could cause liver and kidney damage)

21. Sugar-Free Foods (Sugar-free foods containing Xylitol have been found to cause liver failure in some dogs.)

22. Nutmeg (Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures, and central nervous system damage.)

23. Excessive Fatty Foods (Excess fatty foods can cause Pancreatitis.)

24. Avocado (All parts of the avocado and avocado tree are toxic to dogs.)

25. Diary Products (Dairy products don’t usually pose a great danger; but many dairy product have high fat content (see number 23) – and many pets are lactose intolerant – some pets more than others. Lactose intolerance leads to gas and diarrhea; though small amounts of yogurt and cheese are usually fairly well tolerated.)

Keep these 25 toxic foods in mind when cooking for your dog. There may be other foods that your dog can not consume; so always ask your vet when you are unsure about anything concerning your pet. Please visit http://www.e-dog-training.com for more FREE tips, advice, and canine cuisine recipes. Happy Home Cooking!

M Bauer Pulis
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/25-human-foods-toxic-to-your-pets-130312.html

There are quite a few foods that cause constipation and eliminating this problem from your life may require a bit of a change in the way you eat as you will have to add in more fiber as well as avoid the foods that content to bind you up.

The biggest cause of constipation is a lack of fiber in the diet. That combined with eating high-fat foods, not getting enough exercise and dehydration from not drinking enough water all contribute to lack of movement in your bowels. So if you really want to get things moving again you’ll need to take some action.

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and especially those high in fiber such as pears, peas, broccoli and apples with the skin on will certainly help as they will add fiber to your diet. This fiber turns into a gel like substance when combined with water in your body and passes through the intestines adding bulk which helps make stools softer and easier to pass.

But how much fiber is enough?

The recommended daily amount Is 25 to 35 grams and I think if you do the math and look at all the food you eat during the day you’ll probably see that you are getting somewhere between only five and 14 g which is what the average American gets each day. No wonder there is such a problem with constipation in America in such a glut of laxatives and fiber products on the market!

Now if you can’t fit 35 grams of fiber and via fruits vegetables and whole grains you can try a fiber supplement. If you do, however, be sure that you drink enough water along with the supplement in during the day so that It can do Its thing. of course, it’s best to get your fiber the natural way into either way you want to make sure to drink plenty of water as this will help to make softer stools.

In addition to adding fiber to your diet there are some foods which can contribute to constipation and if you have a problem in this area you should probably avoid them. These foods include:

Meats
Ice Cream
Cheese
Snacks like pizza and chips
Processed foods (most anything that comes in a package!)

In today’s fast-paced society, everyone in adults and children included even way too many refined and over processed foods. these foods have had not only all the nutrients stripped out but the fiber stripped as well.
You go to the grocery store take a look at a few of the packages and see what the fiber content on some of these foods is – how much of these foods we do have to eat to get your 35 g of fiber a day? So you can see why constipation is such a problem today.

So if you want to get things moving again and have a satisfying bowel movement every day ( or two or three times a day) then you want to avoid the above foods that cause constipation, stop eating processed foods and start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables which will give you the necessary fiber as well as nutrients that are vital to your overall health.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/avoid-these-foods-that-cause-constipation-and-really-get-things-moving-again-93013.html

What if you knew which foods had an immense effect on how well you sleep during the night? Would you want to know which foods improved your sleep and which foods placed a strain on your rest? If you are like millions of other people, the knowledge of these foods would be extremely beneficial to you. If you knew which foods kept you awake at night than you would know which foods to stay away from. In this article I will provide you with some of the foods which are responsible for disrupting our sleeping pattern.

Certain foods can serve as natural sleep aids while other foods can serve as sleep deprivation agents.  That is why it is important to know which foods to eat at what hour. Certain foods should be avoided at all cost during the evening hours. One of these foods is protein. You should keep protein to a minimum at bedtime because this particular food group is hard to digest and it contains an amino acid that promotes brain activity. You should also avoid foods that are high in fat. Numerous studies show that consuming a lot of fat during the day will disrupt your sleep. Another important thing to be aware of is hidden caffeine. Caffeine can be found in hot chocolate, cola, tea, and decaf coffee.

And if you want to avoid taking all natural sleep aids, you should also stay away from heavy and spicy foods. Spicy foods are known to cause heartburn; whereas, heavy foods can make you feel uncomfortable throughout the night. And last but certainly not least is alcohol. A lot of people think that alcohol induces sleep because it makes you feel oozy; however, the truth is, you will awake numerous times during the night after consuming alcoholic beverages. These are just a few foods that should be avoided during the evening hours.

Lauren B. Wallace

Cholesterol is an important substance we all need for our body to function properly. But in this case to much of something is not a good thing and high levels of cholesterol can be dangerous to your long term health. If you have high cholesterol it is a good idea to lower it to more normal levels and the best way to do this is through diet.

So what foods reduce cholesterol?

The first thing you need to know is that all foods that come from animal sources contain cholesterol in them. Eggs, poultry, meat, seafood, and dairy products all contain it and eating them can contribute to raising cholesterol levels.

But more importantly when it comes to foods that lower cholesterol are foods that are high in Trans fats and saturated fats. In fact these two fats have been shown to increase blood cholesterol levels more then foods that contain it.

The daily limit for cholesterol as recommended by the American Heart Association is no more then 300 milligrams. By maintaining a healthy diet it is easy to keep your levels under control and your cardiovascular system healthy. Choosing healthy foods low in saturated and Trans fats is the first step to beating this problem. Also eating plenty of high fiber no cholesterol foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables is important.

Many people wonder if they need to cut out animal products all together. The answer is no but they should be eaten in moderation. Probably what is most important is how these foods are prepared. You should eat only lean cuts of meat and poultry and they should be baked, broiled, or grilled. Frying any food should be avoided at all costs because of the saturated and Trans fat used to fry foods are a known danger.

One food that is known to reduce cholesterol is seafood rich in Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Salmon is the best choice as it has one of the highest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids of all seafood’s. For those who don’t like seafood or have limited access to seafood it can be bought in pill supplement form.

The key to finding foods reduce cholesterol is eating healthy. It’s not really that hard but to prevent future health problems it is important to do so.

Andrew Bicknell