Wednesday 31 October 2007

Cancer Linked To Obesity


Breaking News! The World Cancer Research Fund has just issued a report (based on 7,000 studies worldwide !) saying that there IS a link between obesity and cancer. Stay slim and stay alive ! They found this link in six types of cancer. Avoid too much wine and red meat is the key message.

Maximum of two small glasses a wine a day for a man and just one for a woman.

Not more than 500 gr of red meat a week.

Avoid processed meats like ham and bacon- eat very little if you can.

Breastfeeding for the first six months is a plus - helps prevent breast cancer.


Why is body fat so bad ? Basically there is a link- fat cells release estrogen and growth hormones and these are risky. This fat includes belly fat!

The report makes 10 recommendations including 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, rising to 60 minutes; drinking water rather than sugary drinks; eating fruit, vegetables and fiber and limiting salt consumption.


Don't Be Fat - Try The Fat Burning Bible


Get the full World Cancer Research Fund report here

http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

Monday 29 October 2007

Five Tips To Beat Stress


Did you know that as many as 1 in 3 people suffer from extreme stress on a regular basis ?

That really was a surprise for me. Not surprisingly, work and money were at the top of the list as being the main causes of stress and then fairly closely followed by family, children and health problems.

The American Psychological Association has just published a report which they carried out on stress and its causes.

The most shocking figure I think was where I read that up to 70% of the people who are stressed out know that they should or could get help from professionals and yet only a miserly 7% actually got help. Managing stress is mainly a skill that can be learnt, fortunately.

Here are 5 tips to help beat stress and get out of the jungle (alive !)

1. Identify just WHAT is causing the stress. Could be an on- going situation or an event associated with work etc.

2. Sit down and list the symptoms you suffer from when you are stressed out. This is great for
helping you to go on red alert when it happens. Symptoms vary from individual to individual but common ones are muscle tension, headaches,palpitations and inability to think straight.

3. Analyze your behaviour in a stressful situation. Are you making things worse ? Learn how to say 'NO' and learn to defend yourself when people or work make impossible demands.

4. Learn to cosset and spoil yourself . Carve time out for yourself- go for exercise, relaxation , massage, gym, exercise or just a walk round the block.

5. Find a sympathetic listener, preferably those closer to you sentimentally. You need support so seek it out.

Find out how a fellow sufferer managed to get out of the stress jungle. Loads of good advice and just down to earth ways to combat stress :-

DON'T LET STRESS GET YOU DOWN !



Friday 26 October 2007

Hillary Clinton Likes French Fries!


Obviously Hillary Clinton was not too worried about her diet when she stopped at a roadside eatery the other day and had French fries and a ground beef sandwich. Hardly a great example for the nation. She said she had a weakness for French fries ! For somebody campaigning for public health insurance, not exactly a great advertisement for healthy eating. The photo shows
the leftovers from the 'meal' (lol!) but she did have unsweetened iced tea!

As for myself, I can only say that I have enjoyed excellent health for over thirty years now and I am convinced that this is due in no small way to the Mediterranean diet I have followed. Living in Italy meant it was a natural choice! But apart from my own personal experience, there are lots of studies which show that the Mediterranean diet does indeed lower the risk of heart disease and even cancer rates. French fries (or freedom fries) are not exactly a prominent feature of this diet and with good reason. Many pre schoolers who were surveyed and had eaten lots of French fries then were at greater risk of getting cancer according to the Nurses' Health Study published in the International Journal of Cancer. The Mediterranean diet has been studied for a very long time now and is regarded as one of the healthiest options around. It is simple, tasty and not at all difficult to master the recipes.

The Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Greece and southern Italy have always had a long dietary tradition of good food based on natural healthy ingredients. This now forms the basis of the Mediterranean Diet which has become famous all over the world. Why is it so famous? Partly because many scientific bodies, such as Harvard University, have carried out extensive research which shows that this diet is effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks and lowering cancer rates as well.

Are you interested in eating healthily without these fussy finicky diets where you have to weigh everything and calculate calories as well ?

Visit this link :-

Monday 22 October 2007

Facts On Weight Loss


The experts tell us that it is simple to diet - there is no ideal diet on the market except the one that tells us to move our bodies more and to consume fewer calories in order to get rid of excess weight

Why do we want to lose weight ? It has a lot to do with our self esteem and our self-image. We may want to get rid of body fat because we feel uncomfortable and lack confidence. Why is it not just a simple equation ? In a way it is very simple - we have to move more and eat less. But the simplicity ends there because we all process and metabolize food at different rates. We will be heartened by the good news in that we are less likely to have heart attack or a stroke if we are successful in losing weight and are able to get in shape.
The first basic rule of weight loss is that you have to eat less than you burn up through movement and exercise. Now it does not matter where the calories come from ( i.e. carbohydrates, proteins or fats). How can you do that ? Here are some tips :- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. You can also make some smart choices when it comes to salad dressings and cheeses just by simply choosing the low-fat option. Breakfast is a great place to start - here you can choose low-fat milk and yogurt,eggs and lean meat such as diced chicken.

A group of researchers at the University of Colorado recently published some good news. They have been tracking successful weight losers , i.e. those who managed to lose at least 60 pounds and were successful in keeping it off for five years! Another group of researchers with the National Weight Control Registry found that the success stories were those people who managed to keep their daily intake of calories to around the 1,400 level. More good news is that in many major US cities (New York included), restaurants are obliged to publish the calorie information on their menus.

And what, you may ask is the ideal diet ? Is there such a thing? That may well be a matter of opinion but for me, personally, there is one that excels all the others and that is the Mediterranean Diet. As I have been living in Italy and on a Mediterranean type diet for over thirty years, I should know something about it ! Look at the photo of pasta with wild mushrooms and green peppers! Click here for more recipes:-


Saturday 20 October 2007

Too Much Salt !


"Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down" sang Mary Poppins. But she never mentioned all the salt we eat! Actually we just need the equivalent of a spoonful of salt every day in our diets. But if you go to a fast food joint (Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Beef Burger, KFC), you and you kids are more than likely to get a massive dose of salt. Researchers and consumer groups are on the warpath in the UK where they claim that just one meal from Pizza Hut contains FOUR times the daily limit for a six year old! If the kids go on at that rate, they are more than likely to have heart problems and high blood pressure in adult life. Not much of a treat for a kid!

In spite of recommendations about salt intake which were issued way back in 2004, it still seems that salt is being used more than generously by the fast food chains. They, in turn claim that they have reduced the amount of salt they are using in their meals. McDonalds claim that they no longer use salt in their French Fries and that it is up to the customer to add it or not.

Recommended salt consumption for an adult is about 5 grms. But if you go to Pizza Hut and ask for the Meat Feast Italian which includes meat feast pizza, potato wedges and cheesecake, then you are going to get a massive 9.7 grams of salt !

If you are worried about your salt intake and sugar intake, you can get some great ideas from the site below:-

http://tinyurl.com/39ndft


Tuesday 16 October 2007

Fitness First


I thought I was doing pretty well with my twice a week step class which lasts an hour - so that is two hours a week when I certainly break a sweat and the class includes strength training as well in the second part. So, I was feeling great until I read the latest guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine which says that healthy adults aged 18-65 should be doing a fairly intense cardio 30 minutes a day for five days a week. Well, on reflection, that is only half an hour a week out, let us say, but the ideal would be to do it every day. As I am just about to turn 60, I feel I am not doing too badly! I have put my photo up to-day just to show that I am not decrepit yet !

I have been reading a lot about strength training and apparently as we get older, it gets even more important. Why? Well, the fact is that we lose from 5-7 ponds of muscle tissue every decade of our lives and of course we tend to get a little fatter around the waist. Adults who are 65 and over should strength train a few times a week. The benefits are enormous from speeding up a metabolism that is inevitably slowing down, to boosting our immune systems and of course preventing osteoporosis. Strength training can help to keep your bones strong.

When you do strength training, apparently the best movements are those that involve the whole body , such as bicep curls, benchpress and the squat. These involve more muscles and also are similar to everyday movements like carrying the shopping upstairs or carrying luggage. Remember you should change your program after about six weeks and increase the intensity as the body will adapt to the stress involved.

Click on Mike Geary's site to get a really great program for a healthier body, no matter what age you are.

Monday 15 October 2007

Greens Are Valuable Ally In Cancer Fight


You probably know that dark green leafy vegetables are a great ally in the fight against cancer. I would add soy beans to the list as well (well, they are all vegetables). Once the Hong Kong population went over to fast food and forgot about their soya sauce and soy beans, cancer rates shot up.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, a balanced diet with green leaf vegetables has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer by up to 40%.. For more on cancer, read the article on Ways To Prevent Cancer

So, according to them, here is what we should be eating :-

Garlic and Green Tea:- Not necessarily together ! Anyway, they say we should be putting lots of garlic in our food (problems of bad breath?). Lots of green teas around. Avoid supplements with these ingredients- they will not do you much good.

Lentils And All Their Cousins:- Beans in the form of lentils, peas offer high protection. Apparently they do protect the cells from genetic damage which might lead to cancer. They are also said to protect you from breast cancer and cancer of the pancreas. Soya comes into this group and that is often quoted as a great help in preventing cancer of the prostate.

Fruit :-

Berry fruits are great - Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries. They can apparently slow down
reproduction of cancer cells. Not only that , they are great antioxidants which are a valuable ally in slowing down the aging process.

Vegetables:-

Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage regulate enzymes which can protect us against cancer.
Spinach and other dark leafy greens have lots of fibre, folate and carotenoids. All these help in the prevention of cancer.

Grapes :- Unfortunately you cannot get your daily dose of grapes by drinking wine ! It would be a great bonus ! Red and purple grapes can slow can slow cancer cells.

Add to all those above, foods such as whole grains and tomatoes, and you have a healthy diet.

For more on beating cancer by preventing it and other healthy life choices click on the link below :-

http://tinyurl.com/373839

Friday 12 October 2007

Bickering Harms Your Heart


Breaking News tells us about a very interesting British study just released in the October issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This study showed that those people who indulged in constant bickering with their nearest and dearest increased their risk of having a heart attack by up to a third. Now we all know that social relationships have an enormous influence on our health. Lonely people or those who are not in a loving supportive relationship are more likely to suffer from health problems. This study certainly demonstrates this.

The study asked 9,000 British civil servants to give details about their primary relationship.
The study then followed them for 12 long years and monitored their record of heart disease.
The first thing they noticed was that the sex or social class of the interviewees had no effect at all on the incidence of heart disease. They did find that those who were undergoing stressful situations or were forced to bicker with their partners/spouses were subject to more worrying and anxiety which in turn had physical side effects which were damaging their hearts.

Counselling and training can help, of course. There are lots of ways we can protect our hearts- first and foremost by trying to improve the quality of our social relationships especially in the primary one. Secondly, we can make sure we relax to lessen worry and tension. There are a wide range of activities from exercise to massage to relaxation therapy. Thirdly we can look at our diet and the most studied diet is The Mediterranean Diet. If you want to really give your heart a rest and a boost, try this diet which has been proved over and over again that it will protect your heart and improve the quality of your life .

Find out more about this great diet :-

http://tinyurl.com/2pzm6o

Monday 8 October 2007

Sex Is Good For Your Heart


Breaking News and Good News! Sex is a great way to prevent disease. The British Heart Foundation (and they should know something about it!) are running a campaign called "Get Your 30 Minutes A Day any way". There are lots of ways you can keep your heart healthy and stave off heart disease. Sex is just one of them !

If you have sex three times a week during they year, that burns about the same number of calories as if you had run 120 kilometres. Sex is great fun and great for the body too. It can do your immune system a power of good, help reduce migraine headaches and reduce your chances of getting a stroke or a heart attack.

According to a recent study in the UK, anyone who lives a sedentary lifestyle is much more at risk from suffering a heart attack. So, if you are a couch potato, you have been warned!

Well, there are lots of other ways of keeping your heart healthy, besides sex. These more boring options are: sweating in the gym, walking the dog, jogging, housework, swimming, gardening
and of course taking the stairs rather than the elevator!

One thing everyone is agreed on of course is that eating right is also great for your heart. You don't want to clog those arteries with that awful cholesterol, do you?. Click below for a great
healthy diet 'The Mediterranean Diet', admired and studied the world over as a great way to healthy living and a healthy heart .

Time to make a move, diet right and get some get great advice. It's EASY and the food is just GREAT!

http://tinyurl.com/2pzm6o



Thursday 4 October 2007

Europeans Less Obese Than Americans


Why do you think that Europeans have a lower obesity rate than Americans ? A friend of mine, just back from the States, could not get over the fact that there are food outlets everywhere you go ! The smell of food is everywhere - that was the reason he said why there are so many obese people around.

First the bad news. Fat is not beautiful. Obesity now is one of the major reasons why chronic illnesses are spiking in the US. The cost in health care is enormous as illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes eat up (pardon the pun, lol!) up to 150 billion dollars in health care.
Of all of the chronic diseases the over fifties featured prominently.

Now, the good news - that is if you live in Europe. The Europeans are much healthier and just not as fat. The obesity rate among Americans is 33 percent, compared with 17 percent in 10 western European nations according to researchers at Emory university. That is evident when you land at a European airport but also the health care bills are about 50% less than the American one. Up to 100 billion dollars could be saved on health bills in the USA if people were less obese.

I firmly believe that the Europeans have a head start over the Americans when it comes to their diet and I am talking here about the Mediterranean Diet.

People who believe their health may be at risk due to a stressful lifestyle, burnout, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, faulty dietary habits need to take action. You will find all the information you need to know about the Mediterranean Diet in the link below to help you live a healthy slim life!

http://tinyurl.com/2pzm6o











Tuesday 2 October 2007

Myths About Breast Cancer


Which presidential candidate has the best plan to eradicate breast cancer?. Watch the videos on the National Breast Cancer Coalition and cast your vote !

In spite of all the research, we still do not know the real cause of breast cancer although lots of studies have found that certain lifestyles and diets will certainly increase the risk. These have been detailed in this blog, alcoholic consumption, stress etc but of course the risk is always there. The emphasis has to be on prevention and education. In a recent survey about two thirds of the women (aged 18-24) who were interviewed stated that they really believed that breast cancer can be prevented- yet it is still a widespread disease.

The sad fact is that many women still have misconceptions about the disease. For example, a large number believe that the disease is genetic but statistics show that only about 5-10% of cases are caused by genetic mutation.

Self examinations and mammograms are useful but sometimes there are errors in diagnosis and self- exams can lead to anxiety and unnecessary biopsies.

The idea to interview presidential candidates and ask them what their policy and program is to prevent and raise awareness of breast cancer, has won much praise and maybe it should be used to ask them about other burning issues !!

The site below has a lot more information on cancer prevention.

http://tinyurl.com/373839







N

Monday 1 October 2007

Stress And Breast Cancer


Stress can lead to all sorts of problems. Do you feel on top of your job ? Or is your job on top of you ?? Researchers have carried out extensive research on a group of Swedish women and the results have just been published. This study took 14 years to complete and involved 36,000 Swedish women. They were aged from 30 to 50. 767 volunteers. after the 14 year study, had developed breast cancer. In investigating these cases, they found that if the women were in stressful jobs or felt that they were not on top of their jobs, then they were 30% more likely to develop breast cancer. The women who felt more stressed or were in such demanding jobs that their stress levels rose, were at most risk. The figures fell sharply for women who felt at ease with their jobs or who did not feel that stress in the workplace was a problem. Interestingly enough, no link was found between stress and cancer in women who were working part-time.

Researchers really do not know why stress should increase the risk of cancer. Estrogen levels do rise with stress and it is well known that this is a contributory cause of cancer. They still do not know why estrogen levels rise when stress kicks in. There are other contributory factors too which were all taken into account such as age, weight, number of children and alcohol consumption.

BEAT CANCER -PREVENT CANCER

Click on this link for all the info you need :_

http://tinyurl.com/373839