The Nutrition of Health

There is no getting away from the fact that people are more prone to digestive disorders and stomach complaints, now more than ever before. Some blame the quality of the food we eat, others blame it on stress, eating too fast or lack of fiber or poorly digested meals. The list of possible causes of so many stomachaches and pains is extensive. In fact, not digesting your food properly accounts for a great many digestive problems. Poorly combined meals is often the reason your stomach does not fully digest the food you eat. Incompletely digested food will lay in your stomach creating many of the symptoms that leave you feeling unwell.

So what are the benefits when you combine your food correctly, so your meals can be fully digested?

1. Physically you will feel much stronger, making you emotionally happier. Properly combined and digested meals, will mean the food you eat is converted to nutrients quicker and is more readily available, leaving you feeling stronger and satisfied.

2. You will have more energy. Correctly combined meals need less energy to digest, leaving you with higher energy levels. Digesting food is a big job that takes more energy than most people realize. The easier you make digesting, the more your energy will go up.

3. Sleep more soundly. A body not working overtime-digesting food will be better able to relax completely for a sound nights sleep.

4. An end to many of the digestive symptoms that leave you uncomfortable and in pain. Fully digested food passes through the digestive tract faster lessening the likely-hood of cramps, gas, heartburn, acid-reflux symptoms, belching, diarrhea after eating.

The art of food combining is not hard to learn, and if followed, will produce many more benefits than those just listed above. A comprehensive guide with charts and recipes can be found online, which is most useful for those who have a real need to do something positive about their digestive problems. Once you have a clear understanding of the basic principals, it is just a matter of applying it to your meal preparation.

Many times, it has been found that correct food combining helps many people who suffer digestive issues and who have given up on pills. Nevertheless, these same people find relief after learning about this food program.

Some of the many benefits are improved health, better sleep, more energy, being less prone to illness. There will be a big drop in digestive symptoms of all sorts.

Talking? What harm can talking do? The answer is plenty! Can you discuss or read about fattening foods without thinking about them?

Ok, CAKE! What image popped into your mind? For me it was a round 8 inch diameter angel food cake with white icing, sliced strawberries on top and lots of strawberries, not just a few sprinkles, they cover the entire top of the cake, inch thick. Then I see a slice being cut, lifted and gently place on a silver coloured plate with a thin black ring on the plates outer edge. Whipped cream is being added to top it off and a little drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Now be honest. Did you have to swallow your saliva? Is your mouth watering even a little? That’s just the response you can see and feel. Your body is responding on a level you are not conscious of. Insulin is being released; and yes, you can be getting the tiniest amount fatter. The response is nothing compared to eating the actual cake, but the insulin release does something more. It makes you hungrier! If the cake was place in front of you right now, it would be harder to resist. It gets worse. The more insulin, the hungrier, AND the better food tastes. Now the worst part. Because of how quickly cake is digested if we eat it, we will be hungry again very shortly. The foods that make us fat are also addictive. The more you eat the more you want them, the more you want them the more you eat. It is a downward spiral.

What can we do?- STOP EATING CAKE!- Simple right? Maybe not. Remember how I described the cake a few lines up. I could have gone into much more detail. Right now, this minute I have a terrible craving for cake. I do not have cake in the house. I live in a rural area, the closest bake shop is a 1 hour round trip. That is the ONLY reason I am not eating it. Thinking about a favorite food, just thinking about it causes the insulin release that causes the craving that makes not eating it Ohh so hard.

We need to stop eating these high calorie, high sugar, high carbohydrate foods, not just because of the calories actually in them. But because of the insulin response. Because cake makes you hungry. Because if you eat it, it is not just that slice of cake that is adding to your girth, it is what the cake makes you eat next because of the hunger it caused though the insulin response.

Do we need to starve ourselves? No! and even if we tried, long term it doesn’t work. Hunger always wins.

Yes, you can get fat just talking about food. A tiny, tiny amount directly from the insulin response, and indirectly because talking about it makes it harder to resist the high sugar foods the next time it is available. And thinking or talking about a food will make you crave it.

So what is the solution.

Here are 3 tips:

1. Trying to not think about anything is impossible. The best you can do is replace the thought. If possible, distract yourself with something totally different, not food related at all. If you are talking to someone, and food comes up, if possible, respond to them then quickly change the subject, away from food. If it is your own thoughts, try to think of a healthy alternative, your first thought maybe cake and strawberries, but turn to just strawberries or strawberries in yogurt both of which are good for you food, or fields of strawberries, or strawberries in blossom. Let your thoughts wander, just lead them away from cake.

2. If this is difficult you may be hungry or thirsty. Our body has a way of making us feel hungry when water is what it needs; so have a glass of water or tea. If you are still thinking of food you may actually be hungry so, have a healthy snack. This works in 2 ways. You are eating so it takes away much of the hunger obviously; but less obvious is sometimes you feel hunger even when your stomach is full because your body needs particular nutrients. If you make a habit of eating snacks and meals that nutrient dense you will eventually have less cravings.

3.If after the water and snack you still want that high sugar delectable, have some. Our bodies are very complex. If you completely deprive yourself of foods you really desire, your subconscious tells your body that there is a food shortage, so the body starts conserving energy and this makes losing weight much harder. Have one serving of a high quality version of whatever your desire is. One reasonably sized serving, too much and you are over eating, we want to train ourselves not to do that, too little and it is not satisfying, you will want more–DO NOT eat a 2nd best, poor quality item. It is not satisfying and so will not quell the craving. Eat slowly, enjoy every bite. Don’t rush it because you feel guilty about eating it, because that too will make it unsatisfying and because it is unsatisfying will not stop the craving. If you are going to indulge, do it well.

Use all three tactic and you will find that the next craving will not be as soon, or as strong. Bit by bit you will lose the cravings all together. And more importantly, by no longer daydreaming about problem foods, you will also limit the insulin response that results when you see these foods. Like anything else your response to seeing a food, or hearing about it is a conditioned response. You can change your conditioning.

Stop daydreaming about food and start daydreaming about your new, thinner body.

The author has a blog devoted to healthy aging, particularly for “baby-boomer’s”. She researches and reports on simple, easy, exercises, nutrition, and weight loss strategies.
Visit the blog, leave a comment. Even offer an opposing opinion if you like. The site was set up to encourage thought and discussion on a topic we all have to deal with one way or another. Making the next 50 years as good or better than what has gone before.

Now, I have written about exercise for many years, and have advocated both. However, I am sure that many are unsure which I “recommend” or consider to be the best.

Well, as usual, “best” can depend on many factors, including the fact that each method has its particular benefits, advantages, and disadvantages.

Given my years of experiencing both, I have exercised regularly since 1970, and spent 21 years in the Army, which insured a “very” active lifestyle, I do have some thoughts and opinions.

First of all, an active lifestyle is a great idea whether you exercise or not, and I recommend it without reservation. You will experience health benefits from such simple activities as gardening, walking (not as scheduled exercise), house cleaning, woodworking, and many others.

These physical activities can strengthen muscles, impart flexibility, improve the cardiovascular activity, and anything else that formal exercise sessions can. However, there are drawbacks.

When performing activities such as gardening, let’s say, certain muscles and muscle groups will be tasked by the activity but some others will be neglected simply by the nature of the activity. In fact, many things such as woodworking and gardening tend to work arms and shoulders much more than the lower body.

One point for scheduled, planned exercise, as you can select exercises to work every part of the body and do it more evenly.

Physical activities cannot be controlled, measured or assessed like formal exercise can be. Of course, some forms of formal exercise, such as yoga or bodyweight exercises are a bit less easy controlled and measured than resistance training with free weights or various types of exercise equipment.

Active lifestyles are great, but weather and surroundings sometimes get in the way. This is also true to some extent about some types of formal exercise, but generally, a determined exerciser will find a work-around of some sort, while a determined gardener may just stare out the window, hoping for the weather to change.

In general, based on personal experience and preferences, I am going to come down on the side of formal exercise for the improvement of health and weight management. This is not to say that active hobbies and interests should be ignored. In fact, two points I like to consider is that exercise prepares us mentally and physically to be able to enjoy an active lifestyle, while the activity itself complements the more formal exercise program.

Unfortunately for my opinion, there is at least one other argument which is in favor of some sort of active lifestyle. Many people simply do not enjoy “exercising” for many reasons. Many find it boring. Some could put up with the boredom if only they could experience some visible reward. At least with a garden, you might get some beautiful roses or delicious tomatoes.

If having an enjoyable hobby or recreation will keep you moving, go for it. I can happily set aside 30 minutes a day to do some sort of scheduled, pre-planned, formal exercise, but, since the goal is to get the benefits of regular physical activity, whatever keeps you motivated and active is going to be the best first option.

Hopefully, the second option will be to incorporate a bit of both exercise worlds into your life.

What are healthy energy drinks? Do they truly exist — or is this just more marketing hype? Did someone in the advertising department just slap the word “healthy” on the can and hope no-one inspects the ingredients? In some cases they did, but not always.

First, let’s examine some science on what is healthy or unhealthy about any beverage. That would be a good starting point, wouldn’t it?

What is an energy drink, in essence — and what would qualify one to be called “healthy”?

Energy drinks are essentially a blend consisting of one or more stimulants, a flavoring, usually some added sugar for palatability, and herbs/amino acids/vitamins to buffer any nervousness caused by the stimulant and to facilitate the creation of energy naturally.

(This is the ideal of what energy drinks can be, but in practice some manufacturers cut many corners. It is wise to remember, “Let the buyer beware!”)

Tea, coffee, and some herbal forms of stimulants like guarana, coca, cacao, yerba mate, khat, ephedra, and kola nut are widely used worldwide. Tea and coffee are the most familiar and have been found to have some beneficial health properties, even though they are to some degree habit-forming.

Most parents would not be too alarmed by their children drinking an occasional coffee, cola, or cup of tea — Agreed?

The unfamiliar ingredients, when scrutinized on a can label, are usually the source of much public mistrust of energy drinks. Sometimes this mistrust is warranted and sometimes it is not — it depends on what the ingredient is and its purpose.

For instance, ephedra, which is rarely used in energy drinks, has caused some problems, such as irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, and even death in a few instances. These are not symptoms that build a happy, growing customer base, as you can imagine!

Taurine, on the other hand acts as a modulator, that is a “governor” on the energy level. It is also an antioxidant, which helps to neutralize free radicals which are produced by the body in its day-to-day processes. It has been found safe enough and valuable enough to be used in baby formula, so there is no cause to fear taurine. It has a purpose here. (See Wikipedia for the many benefits of taurine.)

Legitimate cause for concern arises around the quantities of sugar and caffeine many of these energy drinks contain.

High levels of caffeine and other stimulants are reason for concern among many parents and health professionals, but equal attention should be paid to the huge doses of various types of sugars in energy drinks.

The average American consumes about a half-pound of sugar every day! A large portion of this comes from soft drinks, including energy drinks and coffee drinks. At nearly two ounces of sugar in one tall can of the common brands of energy drink, it doesn’t take too long to get our half pound of sugar.

High sugar consumption often leads to weight gain, which leads to diabetes, Type 2. Diabetes is on the increase in America and worldwide and it is a serious, eventually fatal medical problem.

Dr. Joseph Mercola recently listed 76 different medical problems caused by our infatuation with sugar. The high sugar levels in most energy drinks disqualifies them from being healthy energy drinks.

Ironically, casual surveys I have taken in so-called health food stores reveal energy drinks in their coolers containing 18-29 grams of sugars. Sugar is sugar, whether it is organic cane sugar or not. One exception to this is the use of agave syrup sweeteners, which contain more fructose which poses a special health threat.

Another cause for concern is the way that most manufacturers choose to sweeten their drinks without using sugar. Artificial sweeteners actually still lead to weight gain, plus some of them have been found to cause structural damage to the brain and nervous system. Aspartame is the worst on this account, causing tumors in research animals and infertility in subsequent generations of offspring when the pregnant mothers were fed aspartame, comparable to what humans might receive.

Potential for long-term nervous system damage is revealed in the investigations of aspartame by Dr. Russell Blaylock and others. Sucralose is another artificial sweetener that provides multiple reasons for avoiding it.

Exaggerated caffeine content is usually less likely when these beverages are sold as “healthy energy drinks”. It should be noted that brands that use guarana and green tea extracts as stimulants avoid the over-stimulating potential of caffeine.

The combination of caffeine, delicious sweet flavors, and inexperienced young consumers of these drinks are legitimate causes for worry by parents. When alcohol is added into the mixture — or some combination of other drugs — then it becomes impossible to predict what might occur.

But, to be fair, this is not the fault of the energy drink itself, but is evidence of a lack of education on how to use these beverages responsibly.

When one knows where the dangers lie and is able to find the rare beverages that qualify as healthy energy drinks, there is nothing to fear — and a lot to be gained — from these drinks.

Of course, there is the understandable tendency of parents to throw up their hands and simply forbid their kids from drinking any of these strange potions. This would be unwise because the young person is probably going to drink energy drinks, anyway, and become alienated from their parent in the process.

Likewise many older adults who are not at much risk for all-night partying, could enjoy healthy energy drinks, if they were able to recognize one.

I hope that this article may serve as a guide to de-mystifying the puzzling topic of healthy energy drinks. I have found great satisfaction in their use as a healthier alternative to coffee.