Walking is free, accessible, healthy and sociable. It is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It’s safe, simple, doesn’t require practice, and the health benefits are many. All you really need to get started is some comfortable shoes and clothing.

Walking, like any other exercise, can help you achieve a number of important health benefits. Walking can help you:

• Reduce risk of heart disease and stroke!
• In your weight loss program.
• Improve Mood and Relieve Stress!
• Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)
• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
• Lower your blood pressure
• Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
• Manage your weight
• Stay strong and fit

Walking is especially good for your heart. A recent Harvard study shows that walking at a moderate pace (3 mph) for up to 3 hours a week—or 30 minutes a day–can cut the risk of heart disease in women by as much as 40%. It’s also a versatile form of exercise that can be done indoors (many malls and public buildings offer walking routes) or outdoors, and you can tailor the intensity of your exercise based upon your individual abilities and goals.

Walking is an aerobic exercise. It also lowers the risk of blood clots, since the calf acts as a venous pump, contracting and pumping blood from the feet and legs back to the heart, reducing the load on the heart. Walking is good for anyone, especially people with arthritis. It’s an endurance exercise, which means it strengthens your heart, helps your lungs work more efficiently and gives you more stamina so you don’t tire as easily.

Walking is not strenuous; it involves almost no risk to health. You should, of course, exercise good judgment, not exceed the limits of your condition, and not walk outdoors during extreme weather periods, until you have a good walking program established.

Walking is the perfect complement to a sensible diet to lose weight and keep it off.

Walking exercise is very good for women especially. As women prefer light exercise with effective result and walking is the perfect one for them. Walking exercise is considered moderate when the heart rate falls within the Target Heart Rate Zone, by which the optimal walking speed can be determined. [Target Heart rate zone is equal to 50 to 70 % of (220 minus your age). If you are 50 year old, then your target heart rate is between 85 to 120 heart beats per minute]. Athletes try to achieve higher target heart rate of upto 80 % in their fitness activities. For an average individual target heart rate of 60 to 70 % of maximum permissible heart rate (220 minus your age) is advisable.

How Do I start?

1) Start Slowly:

If you have been inactive for a long time or if you tire easily, it is better to start slowly.

Initially you can walk slowly for 10 or 15 or 30 minutes a day for a week, depending upon your comfort level. Adjust your walking speed to your comfort level.

Next week, you may increase your walking duration by 5 to 10 minutes per day. Walking speed also can be moderately increased as per your comfort level.

Research studies ( Ref : Reversing your heart disease by Dr. Dean Ornish ) indicate that it is beneficial for the overall health if one walks for 3 hours per week.( Either 1 hour per day for 3 days per week or 30 minutes every day for 5 days a week ).Health benefits are immense.

2) Warming up period: It is necessary to spend about 5 minutes in walking slowly for first 5 minutes to warm up your body and muscles.

3) Cooling down period: It is also necessary to observe cool down period for about 5 minutes at the end of each walking session. This will reduce stress on your heart & muscles.

4) Set realistic goals: If your goal is to walk two hours a day 365 days a year, you might be setting yourself up to fail. Set realistic goals for yourself, such as 30 minutes per day & five days a week.

And you don’t need to do it all at once. For example, walk for 10 minutes on your lunch break. Walk for another 20 minutes in the evening, totaling 30 minutes a day.

   5) Measure the intensity of your workout. As you walk, measure the intensity of your        

     workout by checking your heart rate. Knowing your heart rate allows you to increase

     the intensity to maximize your workout or slow down to avoid overdoing it.

To find out if you’re exercising within the range of your target heart rate, stop walking to check your pulse manually at your wrist (radial artery) or neck (carotid artery). Another option is to wear an electronic device that displays your heart rate.

Walking is the closest thing to a perfect exercise.

Walking is such an ordinary everyday activity; most people take it for granted. But it’s an excellent natural exercise that can help you stay healthy and live longer. It will keep you happy. You can enjoy time with friends and family & learn more about your local area.

By: Pradeep Mahajan

Diet plans are essential for leading a fit and healthy life. There are various diet plans that you can select, based on your requirements.

Some diet plans created are restrictive of carbohydrates and proteins. Others provide alternative food like cookie or the soup recipes. Still, others are integrated with stages or phases. But there’s one which makes them united, most of them include fruits and vegetables.

• 3-Hour Diet
Description: Eat everything with perfect timing which was conceptualized by Jorge Cruise. It requires eating breakfast within 60 minutes upon getting up in the morning. Second is eating in 3 hour intervals or between meals. No more food is allowed 3 hours before going to bed at night.

What To Eat: 3 meals, 2 snacks, and a treat (carbohydrates, protein and fats) and small portion of sweets

Advantage: Flexibility of meal types and fits any food budget

Downside: It is not possible for very busy people

• Atkins diet
Description: It is a meat based diet with no fruit or starchy vegetables conceptualized by Dr. Robert Atkins. No carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and this results in using the reserve fats as source of energy

What To Eat: meat but no carbohydrates

Advantage: Effective for fast or crash diet

Downside: It is unhealthy since it doesn’t practice good nutrition. In addition to that is the tendency for people to gain so much weight when diet stops. It increases risk of cancer.

• The Cabbage Soup Diet
Description: It is a 7 day diet plan which includes cabbage soup recipe and other meals. Proper distribution of food groups within the 7 day period. It includes the special menu of cabbage soup. It also recommends taking in multivitamins to fight stress. It focuses on the lose water diet scheme.

What to Eat: cabbage soup menu, skim milk, brown rice, unsweetened drinks, fruits

Advantage: It is effective for fast dieting. There is no possibility of serious heart problems. It includes a very simple recipe.

Downside: Weight gain when one stops the cabbage soup diet.

• Cookie diet
Description: It requires eating cookies the entire day to replace the breakfast and lunch meals. Dinner should be healthy and sensible. Using cookies in a low calorie diet tends to make someone feel full. Cookie is made of amino acids and fiber.

What to eat: four to six cookies throughout the day and a healthy dinner

Advantage: It is effective for those who skip meals and have no time. It does not need preparation.

Downside: It is not easy to make it as a lifestyle diet scheme so it’s short term. There are limited flavors for the cookies available.

• Eat to Live Diet
Description: It requires eating low calorie nutritious meals conceptualized by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Primarily, focus on vegetables and fruits with less salt and sugar.

What to eat: nuts, vegetables, fruits and no snacking

Advantage: It aims to lose weight yet remain healthy. It is not a tasteless diet. It is lifestyle changing and good to lower cholesterol.

Downside: It is lifestyle changing so it would require avoiding the usual snacking and eating out practices.

• The Raw Food Diet
Description: It requires eating a low calorie nutritious diet which includes raw food. It is also known as the living diet. Raw food is one of the best diet foods. It encompasses the living food philosophy.

What to Eat: salad, cake, soup, vegetables, fruits with recipes

Advantage: It is a low calorie diet but healthy and nutritious. Some recipes do not require 100% raw food.

Downside: Reality is that some vegetables can’t be eaten raw. It entails planning and preparation.

• The Sonoma Diet
Description: It includes ten power foods flavored in 3 waves conceptualized by Connie Guttersen. Food preparation of the ten power flavored foods based on Mediterranean diet with portion control

What to Eat: whole grains, almonds, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, grapes, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, and olive oil.

Advantage: There is wide variety of food prepared with flavor and easy to maintain. Recipes are prepared to be shared with all family members.

Downside: It requires spending time for cooking.

• The South Beach Diet
Description: The diet plans is restricted to low carbohydrates plus fruits and vegetables. It has 3 phases: restrictive, targeted and maintenance. It was created by Arthur Agatston.

What to Eat: lean meats, low fat vegetables and cheeses, low carbohydrates, fruits

Advantage: One eats three meals a day with snacks. It’s easy to prepare food which includes frozen entrees.

Downside: Probably it is not as healthy as the Sonoma diet.

• The Vegetarian Diet
Description: The diet plan involves a low calorie high in nutrients recipes. It must have a plan based on one’s size from the Zone Food Blocks. It is a calorie restrictive diet.

What to Eat: sweet potato, brown rice, fruits and vegetables

Advantage: It is a healthy and balanced diet of proteins, carbohydrates and fat.

Downside: It needs menu planning to check on alternatives for meat.

• The Zone Diet
Description: It is a diet plan of eating 40% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 30% protein. It allows one to enjoy 3 meals and two snacks each day. It is one of the most famous diets in Hollywood. It was created by Barry Sears.

What to Eat: lean meats, vegetables, whole grain

Advantage: It includes all types of foods.

Downside: It can be expensive for those who will avail of food delivery. It can be complicated to follow on the ratio pattern of food intake

The big question here is, “how do I get rid of these unwanted toxins?”

To get rid of all the toxic waste and pollution that has accumulated in my body for years and years… I fast!

Fasting has been around for thousands of years. It is one of the most ancient and natural healing mechanisms that can help a person cleanse and purify their body. It’s one of the quickest ways of eliminating toxic waste in the human body.

I know what you are thinking, “I couldn’t stop eating, not even for one day.” Well, just think about it for a moment. When you are sick, what happens? You lose your appetite…Right? This is no accident. When you lose your appetite, your body focuses its attention away from normal digestion to that of self-cleaning. Now, the body starts to eliminate the pollution and toxic waste that are contributing to illness in the body. Afterwards, more than likely, you feel much better.

Modern science is slowly embracing the idea of fasting. Researchers are now showing the magnitude of biochemical events taking place in the blood, joints, fatty tissues and organs of the body during a time of fasting. Now, don’t equate fasting with starving. It’s not the same. What’s happening is that the body is utilizing the fatty tissues, enzymes and muscle tissue to sustain itself during this brief period of time (its been said that a proper fast can be performed for up to 40 days before any type of starvation occurs…be sure that you consult a trained doctor for any type of lengthy fast). Also, the body is breaking down all the abnormal cells (tumorous), tissues and plaque that have built up and is eliminating it from the body. The resulting benefits from the fast are that the organs and glands get a rest, the tissues are purified and renewed, the pH of the blood is balanced, the joints begin to recover and the intestines get a good sweeping.

Sounds good huh? Now you’re thinking, “how long does this take”…right?

I have found most people do a 1, 3 or 7 Day Fast. Personally, I’ve worked my way up to 7 days. I feel very comfortable with this. I usually commit myself to fast for 7 days once a year. I may do a couple of mini-fast throughout the rest of the year (1-3 days). The 7 day fast consist of water only (steam distilled). The smaller fast (1-3 days) usually consist of water and juice only (mostly raw, organic lemon juice and steam distilled water).

I have spent more time on Fasting. Please read more articles on Fasting and Detox. In the meantime, take a look at some of my favorite books on fasting. Also, take a look at the 7 Day Fasting Kit that I personally use when fasting. I feel that it is the best!

Dr. Jim’s favorite books on Fasting:

Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman M.D.

The Miracle of Fasting by Paul C. Bragg N.D.,Ph.D. and Patricia Bragg N.D., Ph.D

The Tao of Health, Sex & Longevity by Daniel P. Reid

Dr. Jensen’s Guide To Better Bowel Care by Dr. Bernard Jensen

Healthy life is the most choice for modern people nowadays, because healthy life can bring them to another choices which give theme more happiness. With healthy life, someone can do a lot of activities they want to do, for examples he can come together with people he love, travelling to amazing places, sharing each other, or another hobby he can do, which can’t do when he isn’t healthy.

One factor which can influence human health is food. Technology expansion in modern life doesn’t always give positive impact in food industry. Basically, food we eat everyday is a natural substance. But in fact, the food precisely contains a lot of chemical substance which comes from pesticide and chemical fertilizer. Remember too about synthetic growth hormone for plants inside food. That’s all because some farmers want to produce faster with high amount and more profit they get.

Basically, human body doesn’t need this chemical substances, moreover in large amount can cause some deseases and toxic substance in our blood and body. Since we were a baby, we consume food with chemical substance as long as we live until now. Can you imagine how much this chemical substance are accumulate in our body? While we almost never clean it with cleansing method. The entering toxics are not balance with exhausted toxics. Finally, this causes a lot of deseases in our body.

Natural and organic products rapidly developed as human awareness and need in healthy life increase. This time, there are a lot of organic products has been produced by organic farmers such as organic rice and organic vegetable. This food product can be an alternative for modern life to change food pattern from chemical substance into organic one to decrease its negative impact caused by chemical substance.

What are organic rice and vegetable?
Organic rice and vegetable are food product which is produced naturally without chemical processing or with no synthetic substances like pesticide, herbicide, chemical fertilizer, and no hormone injection. The process is without ionization radiation or genetic modification. It use organic fertilizer to grow. Organik rice and vegetable contain better nutrient for human body and also can be an alternative for treatment.

Why people choose organic food?
There are 8 reasons why they eat organic food
1. Begin with what we eat
2. Stop consuming chemical substance
3. To protect children’s health
4. To protect water, land, and air quality.

Impact of organic rice and vegetable for ecosystem is very good. It can fertile the soil and the micro organism in the soil grow naturally which can give amazing mineral and vitamin substance. Nature balance and the habitat can be preserved naturally.

5. To protect the farmer’s health
6. To support micro industry of domestic farmer
7. To save money from treatment
8. Because organic food’s taste is delicious

There are another different reason for modern people why they choose organic food. And your reason is inside you. Organic rice and vegetable can bring us into better life. No more money for illness treatment, no more chemical substance in our body, and no more complaint for bad condition of life. Be an organic consumer!

When you choose to have goals like toning flabby muscles, losing some much needed weight or gaining weight or just building muscle you will need to do two things exercise and diet. Meal plans are an awesome way to handle the dieting side of things. Authors write about hundreds of different diet programs that will supposedly help you lose weight and keep it off. Talk shows and news programs talk about all the latest health crazes. In subsequent weeks, dieters lose an average of 1-2 pounds each week.

Grains should play the biggest role in the diet so consider grain-based entrees as often as possible, such as soup with macaroni, barley or rice, a noodle casserole, or herb-flavored rice or pasta. Then add vegetables, fruits, beans (and nuts or seeds if desired) to complete the meal.You’ll get a daily menu that you can customize to suit your individual tastes and goals (including vegetarian options). Remember, these meals are only suggestions. You don’t need to hire a personal chef to get dedicated attention to your specific dietary needs! Whether a health condition has limited your choices, or you are looking for an easy dinner recipe, you now have a specialized team dedicated to helping you eat healthy.

Do be aware most of these plans do not provide you a simple meal caloric count, percentages of fats, carbs and protein, vitamin and mineral stats, dietary fiber, etc. Bay Bridge supplies you food value stats for your meal plans. this is very important particularly for those wanting weight loss meal plans, or those needing a particular PCF ratio. Try more and more each day to eliminate harmful chemicals from your diet. Aside from messing up your body and overwhelming your adrenal glands, all those chemicals have to be tested on animals, just like you would be more apt to buy something that says “cruelty free” on your cosmetics, think of the foods you eat the same way, just because it doesn’t have animal products in it, doesn’t mean that an animal was not killed so that you can enjoy your diet coke. I love this site and your diets. I have been on the quick start vegetarian for a 6 weeks and I have lost over 10 pounds.

When you choose to have goals like toning flabby muscles, losing some much needed weight or gaining weight or just building muscle you will need to do two things exercise and diet. Meal plans are an awesome way to handle the dieting side of things. Authors write about hundreds of different diet programs that will supposedly help you lose weight and keep it off. Talk shows and news programs talk about all the latest health crazes. In subsequent weeks, dieters lose an average of 1-2 pounds each

Exercise and proper diet are necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss and muscle definition. Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should make sure you include dark leafy greens in your diet every day and eat fruits and vegetables that are red, orange or yellow, white, and blue or purple regularly. If you are trying to lower your sodium intake, you may need to choose some low sodium products. Among the many foods that you can see included in various diets is that of vegetables. By choosing a vegetarian diet plan that will help .

Women do the shopping and the cooking in a household, so they must keep themselves informed about the nutritional values of natural supplements, so that they can combine them in the daily diet of the family. It’s not a diet, it’s a Lifestyle Change. It taught me how to eat healthfully and lose weight at the same time, in combination with regular exercise and all-natural, powerful supplements that targeted fat. The acclaimed “3 Day Diet” goes back to 1985 and today can be found all over the net and on at a book store. The 3 day diet and its variations claim fast fat loss, a cleaning of the system, lower cholesterol and more energy all through a “specific metabolic reaction” that no version of the 3 day diet has ever proven.

Just because someone is following a meat-free diet doesn’t mean they’ll be lean and healthy. Misguided vegetarians can eat a whole lot of pizza, pasta, French fries, breakfast cereal and ice cream. There are meal plans for two people, for a low fat diet, a low carb diet, and for those who are following a point system, as well! Our Two-Week Sample Vegan Menus below are designed for new vegans who are not sure what to eat and for longtime vegans who are looking to shake up their current diet and try something new. The recommendations focus on two types of dishes: easy-to-prepare meals with a balance of fresh ingredients and tasty heat-and-serve options.

Using their ‘calorie shifting theory’ and their ‘Diet Generator’ they have developed a program that can help you lose up to 9 pounds in just 11 days. And if you’re a vegetarian, don’t worry, it’ll work for you too.

Easy Veggie Meal Plans

Do you start the day running, scrambling to get yourself and the kids ready? If you’re trying to lose weight, your first task is eat a healthy breakfast even if you’re in a rush. Moms, don’t give into the temptation to grab a donut and call that breakfast. A healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods to refuel your body and by variety, we’re not talking about sugar. Think whole grains, low-fat protein, dairy and fruit. Here’s a list of some of the best foods to jump start your day:

Grains – oatmeal, whole grain rolls, toast, hot or cold cereals, bran muffins

Protein – eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat

Dairy – low-fat or skim milk, low-fat plain yogurt, cottage cheese, low-fat cheese

Fruits or vegetables – fresh fruits like bananas, apples and strawberries, carrot juice

Don’t have time to sit for breakfast? Munch on a high fiber dry cereal with a banana. Gulp down a cup of skim milk before you head out the door.

Tired of the same old, same old? Try yogurt topped with fruit and a little of your favorite dry cereal. Spice up cottage cheese by adding raisins and cinnamon. Make your own egg muffin with a whole grain English muffin.

If you have to eat breakfast out, choose whole-grain breads over donuts, scones, pancakes, croissants or biscuits. Skip the ham, bacon or sausage.

Eating a healthy breakfast will keep you from binging mid-morning or eating way too much at lunch because you’re ravenous. By satisfying your hunger in the right way, you’ll enjoy better concentration during those productive morning hours. When you select healthy options in the morning, it will be easier to continue good eating habits throughout the day. And that’s one key to losing weight after baby.

Today’s Action Step: What healthy foods will you eat for breakfast today or tomorrow?

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart disease.

Diets low in fat and rich in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Diets low in fat and rich in fruits and vegetables, which are low-fat foods and may contain fiber or vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and vitamin C, may reduce the risk of some cancers.

Found only in plant foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds, fiber is composed of complex carbohydrates. Some fibers are soluble in water and others are insoluble. Most plant foods contain some of each kind.

Some foods containing high levels of soluble fiber are dried beans, oats, barley, and some fruits, notably apples and citrus, and vegetables, such as potatoes. Foods high in insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole grains, cereals, seeds, and the skins of many fruits and vegetables.

Fiber’s Health Benefits

What can fiber do for you? Numerous epidemiologic (population-based) studies have found that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart disease. However, since high-fiber foods may also contain antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, and other substances that may offer protection against these diseases, researchers can’t say for certain that fiber alone is responsible for the reduced health risks they observe, notes Joyce Saltsman, a nutritionist with FDA’s Office of Food Labeling. “Moreover, no one knows whether one specific type of fiber is more beneficial than another since fiber-rich foods tend to contain various types,” she adds.

Recent findings on the health effects of fiber show it may play a role in:

Cancer: Epidemiologic studies have consistently noted an association between low total fat and high fiber intakes and reduced incidence of colon cancer. A 1992 study by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that men who consumed 12 grams of fiber a day were twice as likely to develop precancerous colon changes as men whose daily fiber intake was about 30 grams. The exact mechanism for reducing the risk is not known, but scientists theorize that insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, which in turn dilutes carcinogens and speeds their transit through the lower intestines and out of the body.

The evidence that a high-fiber diet can protect against breast cancer is equivocal. Researchers analyzing data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which tracked 89,494 women for eight years, concluded in 1992 that fiber intake has no influence on breast cancer risk in middle-aged women. Previously, a review and analysis of 12 studies found a link between high fiber intake and reduced risk.

In the early stages, some breast tumors are stimulated by excess amounts of estrogen circulating in the bloodstream. Some scientists believe that fiber may hamper the growth of such tumors by binding with estrogen in the intestine. This prevents the excess estrogen from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Digestive disorders: Because insoluble fiber aids digestion and adds bulk to stool, it hastens passage of fecal material through the gut, thus helping to prevent or alleviate constipation. Fiber also may help reduce the risk of diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches form in the colon wall (usually from the pressure of straining during bowel movements). People who already have diverticulosis often find that increased fiber consumption can alleviate symptoms, which include constipation and/or diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, and mucus or blood in the stool.

Diabetes: As with cholesterol, soluble fiber traps carbohydrates to slow their digestion and absorption. In theory, this may help prevent wide swings in blood sugar level throughout the day. Additionally, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the Feb. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that a high-sugar, low-fiber diet more than doubles women’s risk of Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. In the study, cereal fiber was associated with a 28 percent decreased risk, with fiber from fruits and vegetables having no effect. In comparison, cola beverages, white bread, white rice, and french fries increased the risk.

High-fiber diets may help blunt the effects of smoking and other risk factors for heart disease.

Heart Disease: Clinical studies show that a heart-healthy diet (low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain soluble fiber) can lower blood cholesterol. In these studies, cholesterol levels dropped between 0.5 percent and 2 percent for every gram of soluble fiber eaten per day.

As it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, soluble fiber binds to dietary cholesterol, helping the body to eliminate it. This reduces blood cholesterol levels, which, in turn, reduces cholesterol deposits on arterial walls that eventually choke off the vessel. There also is some evidence that soluble fiber can slow the liver’s manufacture of cholesterol, as well as alter low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles to make them larger and less dense. Researchers believe that small, dense LDL particles pose a bigger health threat.

Recent findings from two long-term large-scale studies of men suggest that high fiber intake can significantly lower the risk of heart attack. Men who ate the most fiber-rich foods (35 grams a day, on average) suffered one-third fewer heart attacks than those who had the lowest fiber intake (15 grams a day), according to a Finnish study of 21,903 male smokers aged 50 to 69, published in the December 1996 issue of Circulation. Earlier in the year, findings from an ongoing U.S. study of 43,757 male health professionals (some of whom were sedentary, overweight or smokers) suggest that those who ate more than 25 grams of fiber per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who consumed less than 15 grams daily. In the Finnish study, each 10 grams of fiber added to the diet decreased the risk of dying from heart disease by 17 percent; in the U.S. study, risk was decreased by 29 percent.

These results indicate that high-fiber diets may help blunt the effects of smoking and other risk factors for heart disease.

Obesity: Because insoluble fiber is indigestible and passes through the body virtually intact, it provides few calories. And since the digestive tract can handle only so much bulk at a time, fiber-rich foods are more filling than other foods–so people tend to eat less. Insoluble fiber also may hamper the absorption of calorie-dense dietary fat. So, reaching for an apple instead of a bag of chips is a smart choice for someone trying to lose weight.

But be leery of using fiber supplements for weight loss. In August 1991, FDA banned methylcellulose, along with 110 other ingredients, in over-the-counter diet aids because there was no evidence these ingredients were safe and effective. The agency also recalled one product that contained guar gum after receiving reports of gastric or esophageal obstructions. The manufacturer had claimed the product promoted a feeling of fullness when it expanded in the stomach.

Recent research suggests that as much as 35 grams of fiber a day is needed to help reduce the risk of chronic disease, including heart disease. A fiber supplement can help make up the shortfall, but should not be a substitute for fiber-rich foods. “Foods that are high in fiber also contain nutrients that may help reduce the risk of chronic disease,” Saltsman notes. In addition, eating a variety of such foods provides several types of fiber, whereas some fiber supplements contain only a single type of fiber, such as methylcellulose or psyllium.

To fit more fiber into your day:

Read food labels. The labels of almost all foods will tell you the amount of dietary fiber in each serving, as well as the Percent Daily Value (DV) based on a 2,000-calorie diet. For instance, if a half cup serving of a food provides 10 grams of dietary fiber, one serving provides 40 percent of the recommended DV. The food label can state that a product is “a good source” of fiber if it contributes 10 percent of the DV–2.5 grams of fiber per serving. The package can claim “high in,” “rich in” or “excellent source of” fiber if the product provides 20 percent of the DV–5 grams per serving.

Use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid as a guide. If you eat 2 to 4 servings of fruit, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, and 6 to 11 servings of cereal and grain foods, as recommended by the pyramid, you should have no trouble getting 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day.

Start the day with a whole-grain cereal that contains at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Top with wheat germ, raisins, bananas, or berries, all of which are good sources of fiber.

When appropriate, eat vegetables raw. Cooking vegetables may reduce fiber content by breaking down some fiber into its carbohydrate components. When you do cook vegetables, microwave or steam only until they are al dente–tender, but still firm to the bite.

Avoid peeling fruits and vegetables; eating the skin and membranes ensures that you get every bit of fiber. But rinse with warm water to remove surface dirt and bacteria before eating. Also, keep in mind that whole fruits and vegetables contain more fiber than juice, which lacks the skin and membranes.

Eat liberal amounts of foods that contain unprocessed grains in your diet: whole-wheat products such as bulgur, couscous or kasha and whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta.

Add beans to soups, stews and salads; a couple of times a week, substitute legume-based dishes (such as lentil soup, bean burritos, or rice and beans) for those made with meat.

Keep fresh and dried fruit on hand for snacks.

Fruit and vegetables are brimming with fibre, plus a whole range of vitamins and minerals, and because they’re low in calories, they make an important and healthy addition to any diet. Here is some information for you about vegetable nutrition. “Eat your fruits and vegetables” is one of the tried and true recommendations for a healthy diet, and for good reason. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent some types of cancer, avoid a painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss.”5 A Day” is a day is a national health programme in the USA and also in the UK to explain why you need vegetable nutrition as well as fruit and to encourage you to eat more servings of fruit and vegetables every day. People all over the world are becoming more and more aware of how important fruit nutrition and vegetable nutrition is to stay healthy.

In general, yellow and dark green vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin A. Green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and many of the B vitamins. The greener the leaf, the richer the nutrients will be. Here are some suggestions to think about color to pack nutritional power in your diet: · White: Eat cauliflower more often than potatoes, onions and mushrooms.· Green: Add more dark lettuces, such as romaine and red leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts to replace iceberg lettuce and green beans. · Yellow-orange: Substitute more carrots, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit for corn or bananas. · Red: Select tomatoes, red peppers and strawberries in favor of apples. If you are trying to watch your weight, an idea is to make sure you are not eating too many calories if you are adding these foods to your diet. increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat can promote weight control, but only if they replace higher fat foods like ice cream, meat and chips to help you consume fewer calories. But if fruits and vegetables are simply added to what you already eat, total calories won’t significantly drop and weight loss should not be expected. The most important thing to do is to vary the fruit and vegetables that you eat from day to day. This is to give your body a variety but to also keep you interested in your food. There are always great new recipes, ideas and ways to make your food look and taste great!

“Soy bean is good for the health.” We’ve all heard this line before, spoken like a mantra, and with good reason because there is more to soy beans than just being a good source of protein. Soy beans contain isoflavones, gensitein, daidzen, and a generous amount of antioxidants. All these substances contribute the bean’s health-promoting goodness.

There is, however, one compound found soy bean that is generating much interest from the scientific and medical circles. That compound is soy bean lecithin, or if you prefer, phosphatidylcholine (PC). It is a kind of lipid that is found in all cells of all living organisms in the world. It forms a major component of the cell membrane, alongside cholesterol and glyceride.

So if this lecithin substance can be found in every cell, then we already have it right? Why do we need alternate sources such as soy bean lecithin? The answer is simple: because this compound is so vital to our body that we cannot afford to have inadequate supply.

Soy bean lecithin was first discovered in the 1930s when the compound was extracted from sludge, a by product of soybean oil processing. Of course, decades before that, lecithin was already found in egg yolk and most of the commercial lecithin sold in the market that time was egg lecithin.

But then with the emergence of soy bean lecithin, a shift also occurred. Lecithin that is derived from plant, such as soy bean lecithin, is regarded as safer to use than those extracted from animals since animal lecithin is often excreted by the kidney, which contains toxins and other harmful substances. As such, soy bean lecithin came to replace egg lecithin as being the major source of this compound.

Soy bean lecithin is composed of three types of phospholipids: phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylehtanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylinositol (PI). The most important is phosphatidylcholine which, when synthesized, becomes choline, an essential nutrient that is desperately needed by the body.

Phosphatidylcholine contributes to the structural integrity of the cell. Being a major component of the cell membrane, it also helps facilitate the movement of fluids in and out of the cell as well as eases cell signaling or communication. It is particularly important in such vital organs as the liver and the brain. Choline helps synthesize acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for much of our cognitive functions. Because of this unique function of choline, many scientists believe that supplementing our choline supply by taking soy lecithin may aid in brain related disorders, including dementia, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, and many others.

In the liver, the function of phosphatidylcholine is that of an emulsifying agent. It is found in the bile where it keeps the essential fatty acids, stabilizing them and protecting them from the harmful toxins also contained in the bile.

Phosphatidylcholine also helps disperse cholesterol in the blood to keep them from sticking to the walls of the arteries. In so doing, it may have a positive effect on the thickening of the arteries, a condition commonly known as atherosclerosis, and help prevent the symptoms of high blood pressure.

Choosing good coffee beans has a lot more to do with art than with science. And those who know how to, will spare nothing just to find the best coffee beans that money can buy. But why should you care? Coffee beans are just coffee beans, right? And coffee is just…coffee. What’s the big deal?

Well, if you’re fond of the common supermarket variety of coffee beans, then chances are that you’re right. It isn’t such a big deal. But once you have tried the real good coffee beans you will understand why so many people go to such lengths just to find the perfect beans for the perfect cup of coffee.

So where do you start?

When it comes to good coffee, there’s no better place to start than what the experts say is a good place to start. But make no mistake. Their words are no bible. However, they do give you some idea on how to go about taking your first tentative step towards genuinely good coffee.

First, you need to learn that freshly roasted and ground coffee beans are what make a superior cup of coffee. You can never go wrong with fresh beans. In fact, the underlying philosophy is: the fresher the beans, the better. Just try it and you’ll be surprised to find how a few fresh coffee beans can transform your favorite cup of java into a fantastic gastronomic experience.

Next, where do you find fresh coffee beans? You may get lucky and stumble upon a few bags in the supermarket. But if you want to be certain that you are getting fresh, good quality beans, then start at your local specialty or gourmet stores. The salespeople at these stores are usually very knowledgeable about coffee and helpful to the extent that they may allow you to taste before buying anything.

But how do you know if they’re good?

Well, for one thing good coffee beans are never splintered or broken. They should be whole and well-shaped. If you encounter a bin or bag of splintered or broken beans, then put it right back where you found it and look for another.

It’s quite possible that you won’t find any helpful salesperson around, especially if you’re doing your shopping at a supermarket. If that’s the case, then you have to learn to trust your own eyes and nose.

Okay, so now you know that good coffee beans are whole and well-shaped, but what about the smell? They smell good, period. That’s all you need to know. It has to do with gut instinct, similar to how you’d know right away that the milk has gone sour when you smell it.

Coffee beans that have gone bad will smell just a bit off and you’ll recognize that smell, even if you’re a novice.