Eating Tips for Good Health

Listen to your body ask yourself if you are truly hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. Use fat free milk more than whole milk don’t eat late at night. Don’t miss meals. Don’t miss breakfast.Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sweet drinks. 

Try fast food options such as smaller burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches or salads through low-calorie dressings, cups or bags of fresh fruit, low-fat milk, 100% fruit juice and bottled waterWhen buying in bulk, store the surplus in a place that’s not convenient to get to, such as a high cabinet or at the back of a pantry.The weight that’s right for you depends on various factors as well as your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your probability for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, a few types of cancer and other illnesses.Be reasonable enjoy the food you eat, just don’t overdo it. 

Try eating at least 2 vegetables with dinner look for fruit not including added sugar or syrups and vegetables without added salt, butter, or cream sauces.Remember, foods are not good or bad choose foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is “good” or “bad.” Don’t feel guilty if you care for foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in control and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

Key to Good Health

Fruits and Vegetables make you appear younger due to Vitamins & Protein contents. They are great anti-oxidant and fight a number of physical diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, joint pain, chronic stomachache, liver diseases and circumstances such as weight gain, weight reduce, high blood pressure, asthma, stress & many other.

By making small but significant changes in your diet & exercise routine, you can have a major impact on your health to prevent diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

Health Tips for your Good Health:

Drink at least 8 glasses of water in a day. Drink fat free milk and Natural Juice devoid of added sugar.

Drink a big glass of water when you feel starving and before a meal. Water will decrease the hunger.

Do exercises for at least 30 minutes a day. Walk when going anywhere Climb Stairs, Ride Bicycle.

Drink 15 grams of fresh bathu juice daily particularly on an empty stomach. This is efficient home remedie.

Join a Gym or leisure centre, try a Yoga and lively outings swimming. Make sure you get sufficient sleep.

Popcorn for Good Health

Can you visualize a movie interval or cricket match without popcorn? When weather gets cool and you use time watching movie or match on TV, then a tasty and yummy urn of popcorn makes your entertainment double. You love to eat popcorn and it is a most wanted snack of many, but do you think is it healthy? Many people think that popcorn is not a healthy treat but the fact is popcorn ready without lots of butter and salt may not be so unhealthy at all.

Popcorn is a healthy whole grain and a most excellent source of fiber. Popcorn is a very nutritious choice so extended as you go natural. According to a study, people who eat popcorn consume 200% additional whole grains and 20% more fiber than those who do not eat popcorn. Popcorn can help to prevent cancer as examine suggests. Popcorn is high-quality healthy food which contains health-boosting antioxidants called polyphenols. It helps to decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Hot, Fresh, Delicious popcorn is a healthy snack and better for your health.

Health benefits of popcorn:

• High in antioxidants

• Contains polyphenols that defend against cell damage

• Popcorn is whole grain like to oatmeal and brown rice

• Popcorn is also a good basis of fiber

• Popcorn without butter is little in calories

• The endosperm located in the center of popcorn contains nutritional carbohydrates, elevated energy proteins and healthy vitamins.

Low vitamin D linked to heart disease, death

In people with low blood levels of vitamin D, boosting them with supplements additional than halved a person's risk of dying from any cause compare to someone who remained deficient, in a large new study.Analyzing data on additional than 10,000 patients, University of Kansas researchers found that 70% were deficient in vitamin D and they were at significantly higher risk for a variety of heart diseases.

D-deficiency also nearly doubled a person's likelihood of dying, whereas correct the deficiency with supplements lower their risk of death by 60%."We expected to see that there was a relationship among heart disease and vitamin D deficiency; we were surprised at how well-built it was," Dr. James L. Vacek, a professor of cardiology at the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center, told Reuters Health."It was so much additional profound than we expected."

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of illnesses, but few studies have demonstrated the reverse -- that supplements could prevent those outcomes.Vacek and his team review data from 10,899 adults whose vitamin D serum levels had been hardened at the University of Kansas Hospital, and found that additional than 70% of the patients were below 30 nanograms per milliliter, the level many experts consider enough for good health.

Fruits, veggies may weaken effect of heart gene

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may mitigate the special effects of a gene linked to heart disease, Canadian researchers say the investigate article in Tuesday's issue of the journal PloS Medicine was one of the largest gene-diet interaction studies for cardiovascular disease.

The researchers analyzed the diets of more than 27,000 individuals from five ethnicities European, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American and Arab to look at how diet and the 9p21 gene were connected in two separate studies.

"We know that 9p21 genetic variants augment the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," said Dr.Jamie Engert, joint principal researcher of the study, who is a researcher in cardiovascular diseases at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal.

Chronic Kidney Disease Tied to Heart Problems in Elderly

Chronic kidney disease is common among Americans over 80 years of age and is often linked with heart disease, a new study says. Researchers examined the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in 1,028 octogenarians in four U.S. communities enrolled in the long-term Cardiovascular Health Study All Stars. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease varied from 33 to 51 percent, depending on whether the researchers used blood serum levels of creatinine or cystatin C as markers of the disease.

The findings highlight the fact that using different formulas to assess kidney function in people in their 80s results in different estimates of the chronic kidney disease prevalence in this age group, the investigators said. The study authors noted that no "gold standard" to estimate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in octogenarians has been developed or validated. However, no matter which formula was used to assess kidney function, chronic kidney disease in octogenarians was associated with cardiovascular disease. Participants with chronic kidney disease were 1.5 to two times more likely than those without chronic kidney disease to have coronary heart disease, heart failure or stroke, according to the report.

Omega-3 Supplements Won't Fight Irregular Heartbeat

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements don't cut back on recurrences of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that can cause stroke, new research suggests. "We now have definitive data that they don't work for most patients with AF," said Dr. Peter R. Kowey, lead author of a study appearing in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that is also scheduled to be presented Monday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Chicago. "Although we can't exclude the possibility of efficacy in sicker AF patients, it would be hard to believe that it would work in that population and not in healthier patients. So for practical purposes, yes, the end of the line in AF."

This study, the largest of its kind, looked at patients with AF who were otherwise healthy. "We cannot say there is any convincing evidence of a role for omega-3 in the prevention of atrial fibrillation," added Dr. Ranjit Suri, director of the Electrophysiology Service and Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved with the trial. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fatty fish such as salmon and albacore tuna, had showed some promise in preventing heart disease in earlier trials. Of the total 663 outpatient participants, 542 had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which appears suddenly and resolves on its own, and 121 had persistent atrial fibrillation, which needs treatment.

Participants were randomized to receive either a placebo or 8 grams of omega-3 supplements daily for the first week, followed by 4 grams a day for the remaining 23 weeks of the trial. The doses used in the study are available only by prescription and are "higher than doses previously published in studies," said Dr. Robert Block, a cardiologist and assistant professor of community and preventive medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. At the end of six months, 46 percent of those in the placebo group and 52 percent of those taking omega-3 supplements experienced recurrences. The numbers of paroxysmal AF patients in the placebo and treatment groups who had AF recurrences were about equal, the investigators found.

Dental Care Linked to Heart Health in Older Women

Older women who get regular dental care are about one-third less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who don't, new findings suggest. The study doesn't prove that dental care directly improves the heart health of women by lowering the risk of conditions like heart attack and stroke, and dental care seemed to have no benefit for men at all in terms of heart disease, but even so, the study authors were still impressed by the findings. The study, which was released online Sept. 29 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of Health Economics, analyzed the medical records of nearly 7,000 people aged 44 to 88 who had participated in another study. The data from that study had been collected between 1996 and 2004.

The authors of the new study came to their conclusions after reviewing the data and adjusting the numbers so they wouldn't be thrown off by large or small numbers of people who were, among other things, overweight or users of alcohol and tobacco. "We think the findings reflect differences in how men and women develop cardiovascular disease," study co-author Dr. Stephen Brown, a obstetrician/ gynecologist resident at West Virginia University, said in a news release from the University of California at Berkeley. "Other studies suggest that estrogen has a protective effect against heart disease because it helps prevent the development of atherosclerosis. It's not until women hit menopause, around age 50 to 55, that they start catching up with men."

Dr. Maria Emanuel Ryan, a professor of oral biology and pathology at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., said she has seen signs of a link between dental care and heart disease in her own practice. The study, she said, "confirms the findings of some of the studies conducted in the insurance industry, which suggest that the medical costs for cardiac care and diabetes are reduced in patients who have regular dental visits." There does appear to be a connection between gum disease, in particular, and heart disease. Research suggests that chronic inflammation causes heart disease, Ryan noted, and gum disease "is the most common chronic inflammatory condition in the world. Unfortunately, periodontitis or gum disease is often a silent disease that goes undetected and untreated."

Moderate Alcohol Use Helps Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death: Study

In yet another study, a moderate intake of alcohol has been shown to be healthy for the heart. The current research found that when women consumed between one half to one drink a day, their risk of sudden cardiac death dropped by 36 percent. However, when women doubled their intake and had more than two drinks per day, they upped their risk of sudden cardiac death by about 15 percent. "Numerous studies have found a protective association between alcohol intake and coronary heart disease, stroke and congestive heart failure, but little research has been done on alcohol and sudden cardiac death," explained study author Stephanie Chiuve, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"In this study, we wanted to look at the association of moderate alcohol intake and the risk of sudden cardiac death in women. We found a U-shaped association between alcohol and sudden cardiac death," said Chiuve, which means that too little or too much alcohol intake was associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than moderate intake of alcohol. "For women who choose to drink alcohol, they should have about one drink a day. That's where we saw the greatest benefit," she said. Results of the study are published in the October issue of the journal Heart Rhythm.

Although the study wasn't designed to figure out exactly how alcohol might help prevent sudden cardiac death, Chiuve said that alcohol has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and helps reduce the amount of plaque that collects in the blood vessels. She said that it doesn't appear that any one particular type of alcohol is more beneficial than others, suggesting that it's the ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages that provides the health boost. But, the news on alcohol isn't all good. Alcohol can also have what's known as pro-arrhythmic effects. That means alcohol can cause heart palpitations. The effect is so well-known that it's been dubbed "holiday heart syndrome."

FDA Panel to Mull Ban on Diet Drug Meridia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will ask an expert panel later this week whether or not the diet drug Meridia should be banned due to suspected heart risks. In documents released Monday ahead of the panel meeting, which begins Wednesday, the agency said that members of its Endocrinologic & Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee will be asked to consider a number of options, including taking no action, adding label warnings and/or restrictions to the use of Meridia, or to withdraw from the U.S. market. The meeting comes on the heels of a study released earlier this month that linked the drug to an increased risk of nonfatal heart attacks and stroke, although taking the drug did not seem to up the risk of death in patients with a history of heart problems.

The trial involved almost 11,000 older, overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes or heart disease or both who were randomized either to take Meridia or a placebo and followed for about 3.4 years. In the group taking Meridia, 11.4 percent had a heart attack, stroke or died as the result of a heart problem, versus 10 percent in the control group, a 16 percent increase. People taking Meridia also had a 28 percent higher risk for nonfatal heart attack and a 36 percent raised risk for nonfatal stroke, compared to those taking placebo, the authors found. The study stirred mixed reactions from experts. According to the authors of the trial, which was funded by Meridia's maker, Abbott, the findings are generally in line with what has been known about the drug and shouldn't change how it is used.

"The only time you've got an increase in heart attacks or strokes were in those patients who had had previous heart disease or strokes, in other words, the people who should never have received the drug in the first place," said Dr. Philip T. James, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England, and first author on the paper, which was published in the Sept. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Since January, sibutramine (Meridia) has carried a label warning that it should not be used by people with preexisting heart disease, so "the current prescription is entirely appropriate," James said. However, not everyone agreed. According to Dr. Greg Curfman, executive editor of the NEJM and co-author of an accompanying editorial, the FDA's January warning was based on preliminary information only. The new study results represent the first hard data, "the first outcomes trial," he said.

Clearing Kids for Sports Participation Sparks Conflicts

Most teenagers think they're invincible, and that goes double for talented teenage athletes. They're young, immortal, at the top of their game, the envy of their friends. So when news hits that an apparently healthy, high school or college athlete has dropped dead in the midst of playing his or her favorite sport, millions of parents get understandably anxious. The uppermost question becomes: Should my child be screened before participating in sports? What tests are needed? And how can we be sure that he or she is truly healthy enough to compete? Everyone agrees that a medical checkup before participating in sports is crucial. But the agreement seems to stop there. At the core of the conflict over further testing is how extensively young athletes' hearts should be tested before they're cleared for athletic participation.

"I think everyone should have a doctor who evaluates them, and the doctor should know the child is going to be participating in athletics," said Dr. Paul Thompson, the director of preventive cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, who helped write a joint position statement in 2007 from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. That statement recommends cardiovascular screening for high school and college athletes before they start participating in athletics and at two- to four-year intervals. The screening should include a family history, a personal history and an exam "focused on detecting conditions associated with exercise-related events," according to the groups' recommendation.

But, there's more: "The AHA does not recommend routine, additional noninvasive testing such as a routine EKG." The American Academy of Pediatrics seems to agree. "Every athlete should have a thorough history [taken] from the athlete as well as the athlete's family," explained Dr. Reginald Washington, a pediatric cardiologist and chief medical officer at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver and past chairman of the academy's committee on sports medicine and fitness.The doctor should ask about any chest pain and dizziness, and whether the athlete has ever passed out or experienced a racing or unusual heartbeat, Washington said. The physician should also ask if the athlete's parents have had early heart disease, before age 55 for a man and 65 for a woman. And the physical exam, he said, should be thorough and include listening to the heart, taking blood pressure and feeling the pulse.

Working Overtime Adds to Heart Risk for Out-of-Shape Men

Out-of-shape men who work long hours more than double their risk of dying from heart disease compared to non-fit men working fewer hours, researchers report. The study also found that when men are fit, working long hours doesn't boost heart risk at all. The new study included 5,000 Danish men, aged 40 to 59 years, who worked at 14 different companies. Their fitness levels were assessed at the start of the study and they were followed-up for more than 30 years. During that time, 587 (about 12 percent) of the men died as result of narrowed and hardened arteries (also known as ischemic heart disease).

The study, released online Sept. 6 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Heart, also found the following:

* Compared with men who worked less than 40 hours per week, unfit men who worked 41 to 45 hours a week were 59 percent more likely to die of heart disease, although they were not more likely to die of other causes.

* Compared with unfit men, those who were physically fit and worked longer hours were 45 percent less likely to die of heart disease and 38 percent less likely to die of other causes.

* Being both unfit and working more than 45 hours per week more than doubled a man's risk of dying of heart disease compared with those who worked less than 40 hours per week.

"The finding that working more than 45 hours a week is associated with more than a doubled risk of [death from heart disease] among men with low physical fitness, and not among men with moderate or high physical fitness, is a new observation," Andreas Holtermann, of the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, and colleagues said in a news release from the journal's publisher. "If the relationship is causal, it obviously has major implications for the prevention of heart disease," they added.

Many Americans Don't Even Know They're Fat

Many Americans have skewed perceptions when it comes to their weight, often believing they are thinner than they really are, even when the scales are shouting otherwise, a new poll finds. As part of the Harris Interactive/HealthDay survey, respondents were asked to provide their height and weight, from which pollsters calculated their body-mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height. Respondents were then asked which category of weight they thought they fell into. Thirty percent of those in the "overweight" class believed they were actually normal size, while 70 percent of those classified as obese felt they were simply overweight. Among the heaviest group, the morbidly obese, almost 60 percent pegged themselves as obese, while another 39 percent considered themselves merely overweight.

These findings may help to explain why overweight and obesity rates in the United States continue to go up, experts say. "While there are some people who have body images in line with their actual BMI, for many people they are not, and this may be where part of the problem lies," said Regina Corso, vice president of Harris Poll Solutions. "If they do not recognize the problem or don't recognize the severity of the problem, they are less likely to do something about it." And that means that obesity may be becoming the new norm, raising the specter of increasing rates of health threats such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

"I think too many people are unsure of what they should actually weigh," said Keri Gans, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "For many, they have grown up in a culture were most people are overweight and that is the norm, or they have been surrounded by too many celebrities and fashion in the media and think very thin is the norm." According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of adults aged 20 and older are obese, and 34 percent are overweight. Among children, 18 percent of teens aged 12 to 19 are obese, 20 percent of children aged 6 to 11 are obese, as are 10 percent of kids aged 2 to 5. Most respondents to the poll who felt they were heavier than they should be blamed sloth, rather than poor eating habits, for their predicament.