Diet and Weight Loss Tips

Your immune system is your body’s first line of defense against some very bad enemies. Fortify your internal sentries with this plan.

You may wonder why a professor of immunology would place on his desk a swirling elixir that lists Echinacea, the supposed immune boosting wonder tonic, among its ingredients. Well it’s there to illustrate a point.

The human immune system is extraordinary robust – it isn’t easy to push off base. If a potion that the teller rings up along with your shaving foam could really fend off a micro-organism, the bugs that cause colds would be history.

Evolutionary fine tuning has produced impressive victories over everything from the bubonic plague to the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Alas, these were fleeting leads in a race that won’t end, short of human extinction and even something as pesky as the common cold has us in a dead heat today. Every time we make a move, the viruses, pathogens and bacteria think of a countermove.

Few are nastier than HIV, which causes an immunological catastrophe by disarming the very system needed to halt its advance. To keep your immune system fully operational make sure you can answer ‘yes’ to the questions that follow. If you can, bugs will start cruising around in search of easier competition, leaving you to perform at top speed.

Are You Eating Enough Kilojoules?

It takes energy to form antibodies and dispatch them to the front lines when germs invade. To see if you’re eating enough kilojoules, weigh yourself, without clothes in the morning. Unless you’re on a weight-loss program, your body weight shouldn’t fluctuate more than a kilogram in either direction in a given week.

If you’re losing weight, slowly add healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and mixed nuts to your diet. If you’re gaining, cut back on your portions. Don’t skip meals. Dietary variety is vital. Researches have found that even if you eat very little fruit and vegetables, you can maximize the benefits of what you do get in by making sure you eat at least five different colors of produce a day.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Insufficient sleep suppresses the immune system. Even minor sleep disturbances causes a significant drop in the number of cells whose job is to kill invaders. Consider your caffeine intake. If it’s excessive, it might be screwing with your immune system. Caffeine suppresses the functions of key immune agents, such as lymphocytes and T-cells. More than four cups of coffee a day is enough to give your immune system an unwelcome jolt.

Are You Getting Enough of the Right Fuel?

The amino acid glutamine is like high octane fuel for your immune cells. Glutamine comes from foods with protein. If you’re not eating enough of those, your body will borrow from skeletal muscle, especially if you’re working out. Are you working out regularly? If so, keep it up – but down some glutamine. After exercising, try taking five to 15g glutamine powder, or a protein powder.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Even overnight your immune reserves are being drained. Hydration is even more important when you’re sick. Fluids not only transport nutrients to the illness site, but also take toxins away for disposal. When you wake up, down a glass of water to replenish your system.

Fish oil is conducive to good health. Evolutionary biologists and anthropology scientists believe that for much of human evolution, humans have lived in coastal areas of this planet. It can be concluded that they derived nutrition from seafood like shellfish. Recent studies have conclusively established that the human brain is composed of certain oils which are mainly found in fishes.

Consuming fish oil has a number of health benefits. This controls blood serum cholesterol thereby preventing cardio-vascular disease and as well as high blood pressure. Treatment for depression cases is also done using this oil. It is also claimed that this oil helps cases with mental problems, Alzheimer's disease and also improves people's memories.

Omega 3 is perhaps the most important ingredient in fish oil. The human body cannot produce the essential omega 3 fatty acids. Plats rarely yield any and produce only minute quantities. Pregnant women and their unborn children especially benefit from consuming enough omega 3 as the fatty acids help with brain and eye development during pregnancy.

Omega 3 deficiency could lead to many health problems in human beings. Research studies by medical professionals have suggested that Attention Deficit Disorder, asthma and other allergies could be linked to less intake of omega 3. Some scientists have observed that a low consumtion of omega 3 by pregnant woman could give birth to children who might have poor hand-eye coordination, low IQ and poor social skills.

Salmon, sardines and herring are the fish which contain large amounts of omega 3. But at the same time, eating large quantities of fish is quite unsafe as dangerous heavy metals from water pollution may accumulate to dangerous levels in the body of a fish. Moreover, a fish liver may contain very high amount of rentinol which is an active form of Vitamin A and which can be very dangerous.

For this reason it is recommended that people take fish oil supplements. They are available in capsule form those who take exception to the taste. They should be certified free of mercury and other dangerous metals and many have been purified so that the body can assimilate them more easily. Omega 3 benefits human health in so many ways that it is frightening to learn that only 2% of the US population is getting the recommend daily amount.

Healthy eating and nutrition for the elderly is greatly impacted by several factors, one of them being a change in body composition. During the later years in life, the body will lose bone and muscle and gain fat because the hormones aren't very active anymore.

There are many factors which hinder an elderly person's health. The information below will help you to lead a healthy life - no matter how old you may be.

Water Water in the body decreases with age, so many older folks will become dehydrated very easily. Sometimes they won't feel thirsty, while other times it's too much work to pour a glass a water. With this in mind, it's recommended that they drink at least 1 ounce of water for every 2.2 pounds of weight.

Protein At this stage in life, protein is very important. Protein is needed to support a healthy immune system and prevent the wasting of muscle. Since energy needs are less, older folks should eat high quality protein such as eggs, lean meats, poulty, and fish.

Carbs and fiber Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the entire body. You can find carbs in bread, cereals, pasta, and other grain products. A diet that's high in fiber and water will help to prevent constipation as well.

Fat Fat intake for the elderly should be limited, not eliminated. You can limit fat by choosing lean meats, low fat dairy products, and food preperation methods that don't include frying. Iron For the elderly, iron deficiency can be seen with those who aren't eating much. Good sources for iron include lean red meats or breakfast cereals.

Zinc Zinc intake is normally with the elderly, and to make matters worse, it's not absorbed very well either. Meat, poultry, and fish should be a part of your diet to help you meet the requirements for zinc.

Calcium Calcium is one ingredient that most elderly folks simply aren't getting enough of. Most believe that milk upsets their stomach, and therefore they will avoid it. They should be getting around 1,500 mg of calcium a day, and nonfat powdered milk can be used in recipes as a substitute for milk. Other foods such as yogurt, low fat cheese, and broccoli can also help you meet the requirements for calcium.

Vitamin B12 In order to absorb the benefits of B12, the intrinsic facotr must be produced by the stomach. Most elderly people suffer from a deficiency in B12 because they have a condition known as atrophic gastritis. This condition causes inflammation of the stomach, bacterial overgrowth, and the intrinsic factor. Without the intrinsic factor, this vitamin can be absorbed.

Each one of the above nutrients are needed to keep an aged body in good health. Elderly individuals should try to stay active and strive for a well balanced diet. Even though the aged body isn't the same as it used to be, proper care and the right nutrients can help the elderly enjoy a healthy and long life.

If you've been looking for a way towards a high octane diet, you'll find fiber to be exactly what you need. Even though research has shown fiber to be powerful, many people aren't taking this nutrient seriously.

To help you fuel your health with fiber, here are 10 facts to help.

1. Fiber fights diseases. A diet high in fiber can help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease. High fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by binding it in the digestive tract. For thousands of years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.

2. Fiber can actually help with overeating. All high fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest, making you feel satisfied longer

3. Most popular foods don't have enough fiber. If you like the more popular foods, you probably need to increase your intake of fiber.

4. Grains offer the most fiber. Dietary fiber is actually plant matter that we cannot digest. The best sources are whole grains and concentrated grain products.

5. Kids need fiber as well. Children that are older than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of fiber. Kids are most receptive to fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast cereals.

6. More fiber needs more water. In order to keep fiber moving through your digestive tract, you'll need to consume a lot of water. With your diet of fiber, you'll need eight or more glasses of water every day.

7. Fiber cannot be cooked out. When you cook your fruits and vegetables, don't worry about cooking the fiber out, as it stays. The fiber found in fruits and vegetables aren't just in the skin or in the peel.

8. You can get enough fiber. If you eat more than 50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea and bloating, which can interfere with your body's absorption of other key minerals.

9. Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet doesn't have to be hard. Even though you may think so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn't very hard to do. All you have to do is eat the right foods and you'll be well on your way to a fiber rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating, fiber is something you don't want to skip. Fiber can serve many different purposes, which were covered above. If you aren't getting enough fiber in your diet - you should do something about now instead of waiting until it is too late.

One should take plenty of fiber foods in the diet. Fibers are the constituent of food that the body does not absorb. Foods rich in fiber contents are green vegetables, fruits, salads, in bran of rice and husk of wheat, unrefined carbohydrates and complex starches.

There are two types of fibers –

1. Those found in fruits and vegetables called pectin. They help bring down cholesterol and glucose level in the blood.

2. Fibers found in whole grain (wheat bran, wheat germ) tone the intestine for quick elimination. They protect us from constipation, hemorrhoids and cancer.

A diabetic patient should stop using white flour and sugar which is refined food with no fibers. All non-vegetarian foods do not contain fibers. So a vegetarian diet is better for diabetes. The sugar raising quality of carbohydrates is much reduced if there are plenty of fibers.

Fiber is one of the most important constituent of a colon cleansing diet. It helps eliminate the toxins from the intestine and thus keep the body away from several ailments.

The fiber is very helpful for the digestive system. It forms a gel in the digestive system which slows down absorption of sugar. So the sugar level of the blood is steadier. It cuts down the absorption of fats and so the bowels more speedily and clearly.

Fibers promote good health. Fibers have proved beneficial in several diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, gall stone, constipation, digestive disorders, cancer and obesity.

When the fiber diet is taken, the absorption of nutrition is slowed down due to following reasons – gastric emptying is delayed and overall absorption and digestion of carbohydrates is slowed down.

Children and pregnant mothers need not take high fiber diet. Children and pregnant mothers need more nutrition and fiber food is only high bulk food.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.