Nutrition - Good Fat vs. Bad Fat

By: Tracie Johanson This series of articles deals with nutrition. We've all heard the old saying 'you are what you eat', so let's take a good long look at what we're putting in our bodies.Most of us WANT to eat healthier, but sometimes it seems that forces are working against us. Fast food is just so tempting. Sally at the office brought donuts to share again. Our schedule is so busy we don't have time to cook healthy food. Finally, it's true that junk food is often less expensive than healthy food. How fair is that?Today's topic is fat. Not all fat is bad! As a matter of fact, some fats are downright good for you. The key is understanding the difference between the two.GOOD FAT:Over the years, Americans have been fed different stories about choosing the right foods for optimum health. When researchers warned that too much fat in your diet leads to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a host of other health problems, Americans jumped on the low fat, no fat bandwagon with little success.New studies reveal that we must have some fat in our diet for good health and reduction of disease. The omega-3 fatty acids are said to be 'essential' because they can not be produced by the body and must be obtained through our food sources.Omega-3 essential fatty acids can come from either plant or marine sources. They can be found in fish and fish oil, unrefined vegetable oils, raw nuts, seeds and beans. Linolenic acid, the marine source, can be found in certain fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. These fish and fish oil supplements contain bioavailable docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acid, the two kinds of omega-3 essential fatty acids crucial to good health.The plant based omega-3 essential fatty acid is alpha linolenic acid (alpha meaning plant) and can be found in omega-3 rich oils such as flaxseed, canola, soybean and walnut oils. These plant sourced omega-3 EFAs don't metabolize in the body like fish oil. They need to be broken down by the body's enzymatic system into DHA and EPA before the body can reap its powerful benefits. Flaxseed oil, the plant source highest in omega-3s, is a great alternative for vegetarians and those who can't tolerate fish or fish oil capsules.BAD FAT:The worst kinds of fat are trans fats and saturated fats."Trans-fatty acids are bad for hearts and arteries. They drive up production of cholesterol like saturated-fatty acids [i.e. like butter, animal fat, etc.], and promote atherosclerosis... I am certain that TFA's will eventually be found to be detrimental to health in many other ways as a result of their effect on membrane and hormone function. I believe they promote the development of cancer and degenerative disease, increase inflammation, accelerate aging, and obstruct immunity and healing. Therefore, I make a scrupulous attempt to keep them out of my diet, and I urge you to do the same. In practice that means avoiding margarine, vegetable shortening, and all products made with them or with partially hydrogenated oils of any kind." [Dr. Andrew Weil from his book: Eating Well for Optimum Health" pp. 90-93:]How do you spot transfatty acids? Look for "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the list of ingredients. They're all over the place.THE COST:It is possible to eat more healthy fats without breaking the bank. Yes, fish is fairly expensive when compared to other meats, but a healthier diet doesn't have to be expensive.Some money-saving ideas on this topic:1) Buy fish on sale.2) Many grocers sell flash-frozen fillets which taste almost as good as fresh, but cost a whole lot less.3) Ask the butcher when fish is 'cheapest'. Prices can vary widely throughout the year. Stock up when the price is right.4) Shop the ads. Buy fish only when it's on sale, even if you have to visit a store other than your favorite.5) Buy the 'whole fish', which is always less expensive than buying fillets or fish steaks.6) Be very careful to shop price when looking for flax seed. Bulk flax seed at the local supermarket typically sells for 89 cents per pound. The exact same flax seed at a national health food store sells for $9.99 per pound. Sure, the health food store sells it in a pretty gold bag - but $9.99 per pound? Who are they kidding?7) If you can't stand the taste of fish, consider fish oil or flax seed oil supplements. Affordable and easy to swallow, these are a great alternative.8) Walnuts are an excellent source of good fats. Buy in bulk to save money. Even better, stock up during the holidays when they're on sale.9) Don't be afraid to use coupons. Check your Sunday newspaper for coupon inserts.10) Finally, look for a 'sell by' sale. Fish (and other perishable items) are required by law to state a 'sell by' date. This is the day by which the retailer must sell that product. Often times, a grocer will dramatically reduce the price of fish (or other items) on the 'sell by date'.....they either sell it below cost or lose all their money the next day (it is a health code violation to sell perishable items past their sell by date).We've barely scratched the surface of this topic: good fat vs. bad fat. It would be a good idea for each of us to do some more research on fats and how they can impact our health.Article Source: http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/articlesTracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.

Alcoholism Requires Recognition And Treatment

He was only about fifty-eight years old when he died. My formerboss was an alcoholic. In fact, I doubt he could functionwithout a drink. He was in the restaurant business and he couldbe seen mixing it up with patrons always obviously drunk. Yet,he was a highly 'functional' alcoholic. He made a flamingdessert drink for the customers.Alcoholism hurts people, it damages lives and the addiction isa leech that controls and dominates the person it is attachedto. Alcohol treatment can help, but it can only help if theperson wants to change.My former boss was a really nice guy. He had a really nicefamily, lived in a nice place and was successful in his field.I liked him, I liked his family. Maybe one of the lessons hetaught me was to never take up his bad habit.Not too long ago, I ran into a young woman. She was verybeautiful. When I saw her 6 months later her face had beenscarred by an automobile accident. Her boyfriend was drivingdrunk. He felt so guilty about it that he agreed to go to arehab center to get his drug and alcohol problem under control.Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy had to happen for them towake up to the reality of their problem.I knew another guy when I served in the Navy, he was one of thefunniest people I'd ever met. But he had to have a drink all ofthe time. To me, one of the worst things in the world is to beso dependent on a substance that you can't function without it.He was young then. Many years have passed and I wonder what kindof shape he is in today.A former high school classmate was the president of S.A.D.D.(Students Against Drunk Driving). Just two months or so beforegraduation she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Shedidn't get to see her own graduation except maybe from above.The list goes on and on. I'm sure you have your own list ofalcohol related situations and problems to draw from. Everyonedoes, because the problem of alcohol abuse and addiction iswide spread.Is it possible to break an addiction to alcohol? The answer isyes, but the addicted person needs to be willing to do so. Ifhe or she is not willing, not much can be done. Unfortunately,before a person can be willing to do so, he needs to admit tohimself and others that he actually has a problem.Our society and culture make it far too easy to explain away analcohol problem or to hide the fact from others or worse, fromone's self. The critical factor to getting help and removingthe addiction or at least controlling it is the person himself.The willingness to change has to be there coupled withrecognition that the problem exists.Growing up in an environment littered with alcoholics makes iteven more difficult to recognize alcoholism as a problem. Thisperson may have grown up thinking that excessive alcohol use isnormal.The health of the physical body can be seriously damaged. Theliver is very important to a person's survival and alcoholabuse can damage that vital organ.Finding a good alcohol treatment program can help immensely.Getting away from the enabling environment that contributes toalcoholism can be very beneficial to the alcoholic's recovery.If you have an addiction or any kind of health problem or thinkyou might, please contact your physician for proper diagnosisand treatment.About The Author: David Snape writes for To Be Informed. Readmore about more about addiction athttp://www.tobeinformed.com/8/ You can also ask Dave a questionthere.

Trying A Liposuction Alternative

With the availability of plastic surgery in todays world, itsno wonder that more and more of us are turning to medicalintervention. But the costs, risks, and recovery associatedwith liposuction should give interested parties pause. Instead,experimentation with a liposuction alternative could yield muchthe same results as surgery without the negatives associatedwith such a medical procedure.Liposuction is a surgical procedure wherein the surgeon makestiny incisions around an area that is storing an excessiveamount of body fat. Through the incisions, an instrument isinserted that literally vacuums the fat from the body. Mostoften, the patient is put under general anesthesia and, ofcourse, there are always risks associated with that. Further,the surgeon very actively removes the fat during a liposuctionprocedure pushing the instrument into the body firmly. Thiscan leave the patient feeling sore afterwards.If you consider the risks and recovery associated withliposuction, you can understand why more and more people areseeking a liposuction alternative to achieve the desiredresults for their body.Additionally, the truth about liposuction is that it in no waytakes the place of proper diet and exercise. You can not simplyhave a liposuction procedure in order to lose weight and thencontinue to eat poorly and live a sedentary lifestyle.Liposuction is by no means a magic bullet; and the patients whothink that it is are very often sorely disappointed.Rather, the very principles of a healthy lifestyle are the mosteffective liposuction alternative. Eating a healthy diet rich inwhole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains,and lean proteins will go a long way to transforming your body.Not only are you protecting yourself against a variety ofillness but you are literally sculpting lean muscle massthrough diet. Of course, the second portion of this isconsistent physical exercise. Your program should combinecardiovascular work with weight training to achieve awell-toned body.When addressing the trouble spots that so many people turn toliposuction to solve, you may want to consider working with apersonal trainer as a liposuction alternative. A trainer canshow you how to target these spots with specific exercises thatachieve results.You may find that once you begin implementing a liposuctionalternative that the thought of surgery becomes less and lessattractive. Research some methods that may work for you; whenit comes to avoiding surgery, it is certainly worth the try.About The Author: For easy to understand, in depth informationabout liposuction visit our ezGuide 2http://liposuction.ezguide2.com

Abs Exercise Equipment - The Essential Buying Tips

Are you in perfect shape for summer yet? Those sunny days arejust around the corner and everyone is out shopping for theirrevealing, sexy bathing suits. How will your new swimwear fiton you? Let's run a quick check. Are those legs toned and thosearms fit? Have you been keeping up with your daily crunches andsit-ups? Uh-oh, that one always gets people, I know it . Those darn absworkouts. Let me tell you the truth. Although they can be alittle annoying at times, they're necessary to say the least. Ican't overemphasize them. Come on, we all want to display agreat set of abs and walk around showing them to everyone. Whyelse do you think we have so much abs exercise equipmentreigning the fitness market at all times? Regardless of yourgender, the abs are absolutely critical. Are you testing outsome of the new-age abs exercise equipment? When it comes to abs exercise equipment, I don't have any. Iprefer to do all my exercises without machine interference. Youknow, all those traditional exercises like pull-ups, push-ups,leg-raises, dips, etc. Now, this is not the chosen route forevery individual who is striving to stay fit. Many peopleprefer some of the latest benches, treadmills, stairmasters,and abs exercise equipment on the market. This stuff is greatif you can afford it. Why not take advantage of anycontemporary aids if available? If you have the money and thinkit fits you, I say go for it. Let's take my wife as an example. My wife has one of those bigrubber balls you see pretty girls swear by on television ads.While I'm pretty certain that they have a more politicallycorrect name, I don't know what it is. She uses this absexercise equipment for a wide array of stomach and backworkouts. I have to admit that I was rather surprised the firsttime I saw it. I could certainly see how it would provide youwith a strenuous workout and build your muscles. She continuesto use it daily for a variety of exercises. What abs exercise equipment do you prefer? Maybe you get yourfrequent dose of abs exercise equipment at the local gym orfitness club. They typically have a variety of abs exerciseequipment ready at your service. Regardless of what regimes youprefer, you know that your daily dose of abs workouts arecompulsory for keeping that bare, tight, flat tummy. If you arein need of advice concerning abs exercise equipment or justsimple routines, you can hop online and acquire anything yourheart desires. From diet plans, to fitness regimes galore, youwill find it all on the World-Wide-Web. They are abundant andfree! Get started today and get those abs you've always wanted!About The Author: http://www.natural-acne-removal.info providesour readers with the latest reviews, articles and write-ups onall health and skin care http://www.acne-help-provided.info.

Diet moderation

An ancient Greek philosopher wrotepan metron ariston, which means attempt everything you do with moderation and balance. It is simple yet wise advice. This principle must be used in all aspects of life. MODERATION, BALANCE, and VARIETY must be applied to your eating habits, exercise activity, leisure time, hobbies, and work. If you spend enormous amounts of time and effort on one thing whatever it might be, you usually do so at the expense of other important endeavors. You must therefore set priorities and manage your time efficiently. By doing so you will be able to maintain a balance between all of lifes essentials, such as family life, health, finances, etc.