The Virtues of an Uncooked Diet

"It is easy to eat raw (food)," says Evansville, Ill., dietitian, Linda Ruff, "it's just not easy to give up cooked foods."

When you think about it, most people eat raw food all the time without really thinking about it: Leafy salad greens, fresh fruits, vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, peppers, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes and even raw nuts and seeds count as familiar foods.

But giving up cooked food eliminates a lot more that most people are quite attached to: Meat, poultry and fish, for sure, but also our beloved breads, familiar hot cereals and grain products (sprouts are OK), dairy and eggs in addition to traditionally cooked-before-consuming root vegetables like potatoes.

Slim By Summer: This Tip Will Make You Re-Think How You Order at Restaurants

Ever since my cook-at-home challenge last month, I haven't been eating out much, which is good--I'm eating healthier! But, I still love restaurants (don't we all?) and next time I find myself giving a server my order, here's what I'm going to do...

We all know that there's usually a lot of oil that goes into restaurant cooking (here's why, explained by celeb chef Devin Alexander), but did you know that you can actually cut the calories of your meal in half--just by asking?

I recently chatted with Robin Stotter, director of culinary research and development for the restaurant chain P.F. Chang's. Robin told me about something that P.F. Chang's does for customers who are watching their weight, and it's pretty cool.

Slim by Summer: Some Stars Swear By the Lemonade Diet--Should You Try It?

I was flipping through a celebrity magazine the other day at the spa while getting a much-needed pedicure when I read about all the celebs who have put themselves through the "lemonade" diet/cleanse. But does fasting and only drinking lemonade for days--even weeks--have any redeeming qualities? Would any respected health expert recommend it? In the interest of slimming down by summer, I did some looking into the topic....

I have to admit, the idea of doing a cleanse sounds appealing. Don't you just love the word "cleanse"? It gives the impression that you're ridding your body of all the gross impurities (whatever they may be) and slimming down in the process.

Question of the Day

Question: There's much talk of "good" fat vs. "bad" fat. What's the difference?

Answer: Although all fat is calorically rich, it is the saturated fats that are bad for your cholesterol, according to Walter Bortz, M.D. in Diet--Fat Alert.

Fat is classified according to how saturated or unsaturated it is. These terms refer to the chemical nature of fat, whether it has the full complement of hydrogen atoms (saturated) or a relative lack of hydrogen atoms (unsaturated). Fundamentally, saturated fats are solid, and unsaturated fats are liquid. Nevertheless, they all contain the same amount of caloric energy. Ultimately, the critical distinction between the two is that the effect of saturated fat on raising blood cholesterol levels is more dramatic.

Orange Juice May Counteract an Unhealthy Breakfast

Do you ever go to a fast-food drive thru to grab a quick breakfast? Or indulge on that large, butter-covered bagel. Then grab a glass of orange juice. Researchers have discovered that orange juice may counteract some of the bad effects of a fast-food breakfast or perhaps any high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo, N.Y., suggest the high amounts of antioxidants in orange juice -- the flavonoids naringenin and hesperidin -- help prevent blood vessel and other damage cause by inflammatory free radicals caused by eating a high-fat fast-food meal.

First author Husam Ghanim asked three groups of 10 normal-weight healthy men and women between the ages of 20-40 to break an overnight fast by eating a 900-calorie fast-food breakfast containing 81 grams of carbohydrates and 51 grams of fat.

Mucinex D

Mucinex D

Generic Name: guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine (gwye FEN e sin, soo doe e FED rin)

Brand Names: Altarussin PE, Ambifed, Biotuss PE, D-Feda II, Despec-SR, Dynex, ExeFen, Guiatex II SR, Maxifed, Maxifed-G, Medent LD, Medent-LDI, Mucinex D, Nasabid SR, Nasatab LA, Nomuc-PE, Poly-Vent IR, Poly-Vent, Jr., Pseudatex, Pseudo GG, Pseudo GG TR, Pseudo Max, Q-Tussin PE, Respaire-120 SR, Robitussin Severe Congestion, Ru-Tuss Jr., Sudafed Non Drying Sinus, SudaTex-G, Touro LA-LD, Triaminic Softchews Chest Congestion, We Mist II LA, We Mist LA

What is Mucinex D?

Mucinex D extended release tablets contain a combination of guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine. Guaifenesin is an expectorant. It helps loosen congestion in your chest and throat, making it easier to cough out through your mouth.

How Peaches Can Help You Build Muscle

Not that you want Madonna's arms or anything (speaking of which, what do you think of her Gladiator-esq biceps--wow, or whoa?), but who wouldn't like their muscles to be a bit more defined, a bit more toned, a bit more, well, muscular? Apparently, peaches can help.

The potassium rich fruit is loaded with potassium, an ingredient your muscles need to stay svelte. Here's what RealAge had to say on the topic.

"A diet heavy in proteins and cereal grains can cause blood to become too acidic. When this happens, muscle tissue can waste away. Fruits and vegetables, though, make your body's pH more alkaline -- mostly thanks to their high potassium content. So it makes sense that people in a recent study who loaded up on potassium-rich produce had more lean muscle mass than their produce-shirking peers."

Big Breakfasts Don't Help You Lose Weight

How many times have you heard or read that the key to losing weight lies in eating a solid breakfast?  That you’ll consume fewer calories as the day goes on?

Well, you can toss that advice out the window because a recent study found just the opposite.   Researchers in from the Else-Kröner-Fresenius Center of Nutritional Medicine at the Technical University in Munich, Germany found that people who ate a breakfast with 400 calories more than a small breakfast tended to eat 400 more calories per day.

Hmph.  So, eating a big breakfast is just that: eating a big breakfast!

Their findings suggest that the whole “eating a large breakfast thing” may have actually come about from misinterpretation of research that was saying given a fixed number of calories per day, those people who consumed more of them at breakfast tended to eat less the rest of the day.

Candida Diet Food List

There are a number of foodstuffs available in your kitchen itself that can relieve you from candidiasis. Such foodstuffs not only help in cleansing your body of candida but also provides you with an overall good health. Wondering! what could they be? Keep reading to known the candida diet food list...

Candida can be defined as a group of yeast-like fungi living in the human body. They can be found in the mouth, intestines, reproductive and urinary tract of your body. They generally do not cause a serious problem to human health. Around 80-85% of human population have candida in their mouth and they do not suffer from any adverse condition. The problem arises when the candida population grows beyond a certain limit. They cause an infection, commonly known as candidiasis. Read more on candida overgrowth symptoms.

Candida Diet: A Way of Eating for the Whole Family

Being on a diet is rarely a fun experience. You may have to skip out on the trip to the ice cream parlor or have a diet-friendly snack while everyone downs chili cheese fries. It is probably the worst when you have to fix yourself something different then everyone else in you family. It makes more work for you and can be frustrating to have to constantly feel like you are eating differently than the people around you. However, people following the candida diet can easily prepare the same foods for the entire family.

The Candida diet is a nutritious, whole foods-based plan that will only improve the health of your family members. You don’t have to restrict your family members from indulging in treats outside of the house, but you do have some control over what they eat in the home. An important part of caring for people we love should be to give appropriate attention to their nutrition.

Dear Nia Vardalos, I Think You're Pretty Much Fabulous

I loved her in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and I can't wait to see her new flick, "My Life In Ruins." But Nia Vardalos is way more than a great actress and writer, I think she's a great role model. I loved what she had to say recently about weight and the big fat sexist double standard...

****

Here's what Nia had to say recently while guest blogging on CNN.com:

On her weight loss: "It's just weight. Just 40 pounds of fat now gone from my body, but wow, it's pretty much all I get asked about. In the last year, I got to star in a movie, wrote and directed my next one, and adopted a three year old from American Foster Care. But guess what I'm asked...how did I lose the weight?"

Candida Diet - Tips for Sticking with It

Helpful tips for making it easier to stick to with the Candida diet.

The Candida Diet is one of the most challenging diets there is to adhere to. It is extremely rigid, limiting and bland to the senses and doesn't allow for much variety or flexibility. So much so that many people feel utterly deprived when trying to follow it. No matter how you look at it, that is the truth of the matter. There's just no way around it and really no way to soften the blow.

One of the biggest challenges of this diet is the fact that Candida itself creates overwhelming cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates. It's not uncommon for those following the anti-candida diet to engage in frequent cheating or completely fall off the wagon and go on a sugar/carbohydrate binge.

Candida Diet - Best Diet for Candida Cure

Candida diet - best diet for Candida cure an idea on best candida diet for candida cure with world's fastest candida - yeast infection cure

There are many factors that are responsible for Candida yeast infection. Some of these factors are also related with diet. In order to getting rid from Candida, try to make the best healthy Candida diet plan with proper lifestyle habits. Here are some tips on,the best diet for Candida:

Try to eliminate carbohydrates and refined sugars such as white flour, white rice, cereals including simple carbohydrates like molasses and honey from your Candida diet menu because "Candida Loves Sugar". So, in order to cure Candida with diet, try to go for low or no sugar diet. Use stevia rather than sugar and whole grain non-gluten products like brown rice, buck wheat bread instead of refined carbohydrates. Add foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, zinc and iron. Try to improve your immunity to combat candida naturally

Cellulite Removal Exercises

Cellulite is an embarrassment for many women. However, women need not fret, as there are cellulite removal exercises which help to get rid of the unwanted cellulite from the body. Let us discuss some of the cellulite removal exercises.

Cellulite is nothing but the fat cells that bulge out of the skin. It is present in the connective tissue of the skin and creates an unattractive and dimpled surface. As obesity increases, the cellulite in the body increases. There are many different ways to get rid of cellulite, however, exercising is the best way to get rid of cellulite. Exercise for cellulite removal tones the muscles and helps getting rid of the unwanted fat. As you lose weight, the cellulite also decreases. Now, you must be wondering, what are the type of exercises for cellulite removal. Let us take a look at what type of cellulite removal exercises. Read more on how to get rid of cellulite.

Lotensin

Lotensin

Generic Name: benazepril (ben AY ze pril)

What is the most important information I should know about Lotensin?

Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Lotensin could cause birth defects in the baby if you take the medication during pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment. Avoid drinking alcohol. It can further lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the side effects of benazepril. Do not use salt substitutes or potassium supplements while taking benazepril, unless your doctor has told you to.

Living A Healthy Lifestyle Post-Hysterectomy

These days, the level of stress and pollution in our midst necessitates living a healthy lifestyle just to keep up, what more if you just had a major surgery like hysterectomy.

Post-hysterectomy, health concerns such as weight gain, irritability and not being able to sleep well might suddenly become an issue.

Fortunately, a regular regimen of exercise and proper diet can help you control your weight, de-stress and protect you from diseases often associated with weight gain and poor nourishment.

More importantly, if you have been identified as a candidate for hysterectomy, you should seriously consider living a healthy lifestyle as part of your pre-surgery preparations.

Celebrity Tattle Treats – Celebrities With Diabetes

Hollywood celebrities are the modern demigods of our time. They have this inexplicable influence over people and practically anything albeit a statement or a product they are endorsing. We praise, idolize and try to be like them in many ways. These “stars” are the moving perfection and art altogether and much as we enjoy seeing their talents, we also relish on the juicy gossip and the drama behind their glamor.

An actor’s health condition always makes it to the tabloid headline. Among the top health issues attached to the Hollywood lifestyle includes either excessive eating or not eating anything at all. What most of you are not aware of is that there is one hardly noticed health condition that most of our celebs are battling with.

10 Things Women Must Avoid During Pregnancy

A pregnant mother always wants the best for her unborn child. Birth defects and deficiencies can be very damaging both to the mother and the child; defects are not only present upon delivery of the child, some may be detrimental to the child’s growth and development and cause the child to be sickly later in life. To avoid these birth defects, here are ten things that pregnant women should stay away from:

1. Must Not Smoke!

Smoking is bad for the health and it can be very bad for pregnant women and their unborn infants. Other than firsthand smoke, second hand smoke should also be avoided. Pre-term births can be a painful consequence of inhaling cigarette smoke. The same could also cause spontaneous abortion, low birth weight in full term babies and even fetal death. Other than these grim effects, inhaling cigarette smoke can also have a number of developmental repercussions, like causing blood vessels of the fetus to constrict resulting in reduced oxygen supply to the fetus’ brain. Many would-be mothers still smoke despite warnings.

Human Anatomy – Intestines

Described as a long tube stretching from the stomach to the anus, the intestines are in charge of absorbing nutrients and water from food. It is comprised of the small intestine, large intestine and rectum.

As long as 20 feet when uncoiled, with a 1-inch diameter, the small intestine (or small bowel) absorbs the bulk of nutrients from food, by then digested by the stomach. Next to the small intestine is the large intestine, also known as the large bowel or colon. Measuring 5 feet in length, two inches wider than the small intestine, the large intestine saps water from the materials in the small intestine. Consequently, the colon forms the stool, which is ejected out of the rectum.

Bipolar Disorder Myths – What You May Think You Know

Awareness about bipolar disorder has been increasing but, as with any medical condition that has gotten a lot of attention only recently, both the people with the disorder and the general public are still under some false impressions regarding the condition.

Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness. It is a mental disorder in which a person’s mood alternates between severe mania and depression. These extreme mood shifts affect a person’s normal day to day activities.

The following are some of the myths about bipolar disorder that persist today.

Myth #1: Bipolar disorder is rare.