Researchers continue to gather evidence regarding the GI’s far-reaching health benefits since the positive effects of a low-GI eating plan were discovered in the 1980’s.

Most nutritionists and health professionals agree today that a low-GI diet plan not only helps to keep you slim, but also lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.
The diet has also proved to improve memory, concentration and mood.

GI means Glycemic Index. It is a measure of how long it takes to break your food down into glucose. The key to the low-GI diet is focused on slow-acting carbohydrate foods, which helps to keep your blood glucose level steady.

The Glycemic Index is a way to rank foods according to the effect they have on our blood glucose levels. This is especially true in regard to carbohydrates.

Specifically, the glycemic index measures how much a 50-gram portion of carbohydrates raises your blood sugar levels compared with a control. The control is either white bread or pure glucose.
All carbohydrates cause some temporary rise in your blood glucose level. This is called the glycemic response. And this response is affected by a variety of factors, including the amount of food eaten, the type of carbohydrates, the method used to prepare the food, as well as the degree of processing, to name just a few.

The slower your body processes the food, the slower the insulin is released, and the healthier the overall effect is on your body. And it’s the foods that raise your blood sugar level slowly, that you, as a person desiring to lose weight, want to eat. And there are several reasons for this.

First, these foods – many of which you’ll discover are high in fiber – will just keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. And any of you who have been on a diet can be thankful for this.

What effects the GI?
       1. Level of food processing
       2. Physical structure, starch, protein, acidity, soluble fiber and fat.

How can low GI carbs help with weight loss?
      1.  Delays hunger pangs
      2. Promote a faster fat loss
      3. Causes less drop in metabolic rate.
      4. It reduces dramatic fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
      5. It reduces insulin demands significantly.

Benefits from low GI diets.
1. Easy to follow
2. Greater variety of foods
3. Support exercise program
4. Benefits blood lipid profile
5. Environmentally friendly

Foods containing sugar are not necessary high GI. Sucrose (table sugar) has moderate GI.

The basics of a low GI diet:
Eat whole-grain bread, mountain bread of stone ground bread, Pasta, noodles, barley,
sweet potato, legumes, oats, muesli, low GI serials.

Long-term weight management.
1. Diet. Eating to appetite with the right foods.
2. Exercise regularly, incorporate more intense sessions
3. Be active in daily life.
4. Relation hip with food (women).  

Heart Health
When eating meals that cause blood glucose levels to spike, it tend to lower ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and raise triglycerides, harmful fats that increase your risk of heart disease.

High blood glucose also produces unstable forms of oxygen molecules, called free radicals,
that damage arteries and make cholesterol more likely to stick on artery walls..

The raised levels of insulin, produced to cope with surges of blood glucose, set in motion changes that raise your blood pressure. This makes your blood  more likely to form clots and increase inflammation, which doctors know is closely related to heart attack risks.

Cancer risk
According to the latest research, high blood glucose levels may increase your changes of getting cancer It seems that the high insulin levels promote an environment in which it is easier for certain tumors to grow. Research is still going on, and it is too early to be absolutely certain about the connection between blood glucose and cancer. Yet there is a reason for concern for the following types of cancer: colon and rectal, breast, endometrial (womb lining), prostate and pancreatic cancer.

The Road to Diabetes
It has been known since a long time that a diet high with fast-acting, high-GI foods will significantly increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, your body can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose levels under control. Before you reach that stage, your body may develop insulin resistance and/or metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)
– a pre-diabetic state in which your body progressively struggles to control blood glucose.

Many people are unaware that they have these conditions, yet studies show that they are increasingly common in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. More than 10% of adults have insulin resistance. Fortunately, you don’t develop diabetes overnight and the journey towards diabetes can be redirected at any point. Eating more slow-acting foods is one of the best ways of preventing or reversing this condition. The earlier you start, the better.    

Mood and Memory
The brain is very sensitive to the levels of glucose in the blood. Both high and low levels can cause problems with your mood and memory. Low levels may cause symptoms of depression, poor memory and low concentration, while high levels of blood glucose also impair the brain, shrinking the part that stores memories and increasing the risk of dementia.
The answer is to keep your blood glucose levels steady by eating a low-GI diet. 
To follow this diet is simple: there is no need of counting calories; no food is forbidden, and because the way you are eating, you are unlikely to feel hungry.
Focus on eating a low-GI meal. Although eating a medium-GI meal now and then will do your diet no harm.
This is not meant to be a strict dietary regime that is endured for a few weeks and dropped, but a healthy eating plan for life. So choose the meals that entice you.

Here follow Ten Tips to Lower the GI of Your Diet
The following are practical tips to help you make the change to low-GI eating. There is no specific order. Basically, you should attack the changes that you think you’ll find  easiest first. Make the changes gradually –  it can take 6 weeks  for a new behavior to become a habit.

1. Aim to eat 7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. Preferable of 3 or more different colors.   Make sure you fill half your dinner plate with vegetables.

2. Cut back on potatoes. Have one or two boiled new potatoes, or make a cannellini bean and   potato mash, replacing half the potato with cannellini beans.
Try other lower GI starchy vegetables for a change, like a piece of sweet potato.

3. Choose a really grainy bread, such as stone ground whole meal, real sourdough bread, or a soy  and linseed bread. (Look for the GI symbol on the breads when you buy.

4. Start the day with smart carbs, like natural muesli or traditional (not instant) porridge oats, or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals that will trickle fuel into your engine.

5. Look for the lower-GI rices (basmali, Doongara Clever rice or Moolgirl) , and choose low-GI  whole grains such as pearl barley, buckwheat, burghul (bulgul) ,or quinoa.

6. Learn to love legumes and eat them often. Add red kidney beans to a chili, chickpeas to a stir-fry,    a 4-bean salad to a barbecue, and beans or lentils to a casserole or soup.

7. Include at least one low-GI carbohydrate food at every meal and choose low-GI snacks.

8. Incorporate a lean protein source with every meal, such ass lean meat, skinless chicken,
eggs, fish and seafood, or legumes and tofu if you are vegetarian.

9. Use the GI-lowering effect or acidic foods like vinegar, citrus fruit and sourdough.
   Add vinaigrette dressing to salads and sprinkle lemon juice on vegetables like asparagus.
   Acids slows down the digestion of carbs and lower the overall GI of the meal.

10.Limit (preferably avoid) high-GI refined flour products, whether from the supermarket
or home-baked, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, crumpets, crackers and biscuits.

As a general rule of thumb, the less processed a food is, the lower it’s GI value.
The more work the body has to do in digesting it, that means the slower the sugar is released
and that is good news for keeping blood glucose levels steady. 

After a few weeks of eating the GI way you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner as you may feel
more energetic. And if the nutritionists are correct, adopting the low-GI eating plan may be the best thing you’ve ever done for your health.

Discover this amazing new diet for women to lose weight: https://tinyurl.com/2daeydp4

The detoxification of your body should be your primary goal.

Although it is sometimes not the most pleasant phase of creating an environment for weight loss, it is necessary. If detoxification is too fast it can create discomfort.

The building up of toxic waste in your body may have taken twenty up to fifty years, or more, so detoxification is not something that is achieved overnight.
It is absolutely essential for your system to be cleaned so that energy comes free to be used to reduce weight. As long there is toxic waste in your system, much of your energy will be used to eliminate it. The success of any weight loss program depends on your system being cleaned.
Detoxification is cleansing, which is the key to it all.

The possible degree of discomfort depends on how toxic your system is.
People with a high level of toxicity or have taken drugs, on a regular basis, are more likely to experience some temporary discomfort than those who are less toxic. The elimination of toxic wastes can be uncomfortable.
It’s important for a person’s diet to be such that cleansing can take place, but not at breakneck speed.

The  most frequent possible discomfort is bloating of the system, as the application of the principle of eating fruit on an empty stomach till 12 AM can stir up toxic wastes, creating gas and bloat. Generally, this bloating passes within forty-eight hours. The cleansing process of fruit washes impacted fecal matter from the intestinal walls and flushes it out of the system in the form of loose stools. You may also experience nausea as the toxins in your system are stirred up.

The total elimination of all toxicity from your body can take months or years,
but within days you will lose weight and feel enormously more energetic and vibrant. The ongoing elimination usually continues without any outward signs or discomforts.

The increase of fruits and vegetables in your diet can decrease the risk of cancer
and heart disease. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables not only neutralize
free radicals, but also increase your resistance to all kinds of toxins.

Sugar’s quick absorption into your blood stream causes an excess insulin burst from the pancreas. On reaching your liver, excess insulin, which is toxic, is converted to neutral triglycerides, which are the type of fats that are stored in all your adipose cells. Eat complex carbohydrates instead of sugar.

Alu is a toxic metal and causes multiple forms of brain damage and is strongly linked with Alzheimer’s disease. Eliminate it from your life in water cooking, utensils, antacids and personal care products, like anti-perspirants and shampoos. 
There are other toxic metals, Aluminium is just one of them.

Give your body a change to function it its highest possible level, unimpeded by toxic waste and overweight. Your body wants to shine, it does not want to be overweight.

It wants to have the shape you know it can have.  All you have to do is make it easy for the natural processes to work properly, and you can start to enjoy the body you can be proud of.

You can eat well and enjoy your food. Avoid of putting yourself through those self-depriving two or four weeks ordeals that bring you nothing but frustration and temporary results.  You now have a realistic, lifelong approach that you can live with – naturally!

– High fat diet.
Countless research has shown that fats help maintain and even increase testosterone levels. Omega-3’s, monounsaturated and even saturated fats in diet, have all shown to increase testosterone levels.

– Quality consistent sleep.
 Your body can’t recuperate it’s hormone levels if you don’t get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. People who work swing shifts or change the times of day they sleep constantly, also throw their hormones out of balance.

– Long term dieting.
When you are in a calorie deficit, you release cortisol and lower your testosterone levels. It also lowers other hormones such as Thyroid. During dieting, people generally aren’t as healthy or energetic.

– Don’t overtrain.
Excessive weight training and other exercise like cardio, eventually leads to a gradual build up cortisol and lowering of testosterone.

– Prescription / Over the counter drugs.
Find out if a prescription drug or over the counter drug interferes with testosterone or DHT. Some drugs for hair loss (Nizoral, proscar, etc), block or interfere with the conversion of testosterone to DHT and may cause side effects, since DHT is more responsible for masculinizing sex effects than testosterone in males.

– Zinc.
A few years ago, Zinc was shown to boost testosterone levels in football athletes, when taken together with Vitamin B6. This led to the ZMA craze among bodybuilders, which was a proprietary blend of Zinc and vitamin B6. Zinc prevents the conversion of testosterone to dht, helping to maintain healthy testosterone levels. It is also good for the prostate and if taken before bed, very helpful for getting a good deep sleep.
Most people are deficient to some degree in zinc. You can supplement with extra zinc even beyond your multi-vitamin. Taking ZMA specifically is not necessary for the benefits of Zinc, as vitamin B6 only helps aid in Zinc’s absorption.

– 6-OXO.

A anti-estrogen supplement developed by the well known bodybuilding supplement chemist Patrick Arnold. Anti-estrogen supplements available on the market today help boost natural testosterone production, by lowering the estrogen in your body. They should be safe for those over 21, as long as it is for brief occasional cycles. Unlike steroids, they do not shut down testosterone production or create supraphysiological levels many times that of natural levels. Instead they increase testosterone levels to a level moderately higher than you normally would have. When you get off of anti-estrogens, your testosterone levels will decrease again as your body goes back to equilibrium.

-Warmer weather.
I’ve come across studies that showed that in the cooler months, men’s testosterone levels dropped. I’m sure there is a genetic basis for this, so living in warmer weather most of the year is an advantage for maintaining testosterone levels.

– Lower bodyfat %.
The higher your bodyfat % is, most likely the lower your testosterone levels will go. Your fat cells aromatize testosterone to estrogen instead of DHT. Estrogen in the body tends to decrease natural testosterone levels.

– Exercise regularly.
Exercise helps keep your testosterone and other hormones at healthy levels, just don’t overtrain.

I hope you learned from this, how to effectively increase your testosterone levels.
This is the list I’ve compiled after reading research studies and bodybuilding articles for years.

It is a well known fact that with high temperatures when cooking, some vitamins will be destroyed, particularly vitamin C and vitamin B9 (folic acid). It may also render minerals inorganic and denature some proteins, and it certainly destroys the life force in raw plant food. Cooking kills all enzymes. Their activity increases as the temperature rises, but only up to 42 degrees C, after which enzyme activity slows down. If the food is heated to 48 degrees C for more than half an hour, all enzymes are completely destroyed. In contrast, dry heat would not be destructive to enzymes until around 150 degrees C, but this is theoretical, as all foods contain moisture.
Thus, cooking and pasteurisation completely destroy the natural, health-giving enzymes that are present in all raw foods.  
Like vitamins, enzymes are present in all vegetable and animal tissue in their natural state.
They are the biological catalists that trigger off all the millions of chemical changes that are taking place within the human body, every second of our life. There are tens of thousands of enzymes working away in our body – with something like 50.000 in the liver alone!
And each of them has his own specific purpose.

When food intake is above starvation level and all the necessary nutrients are provided, the less food that is consumed on a long-term basis by humans, animals and insects, the longer they live. When the air temperature raises, causes insects to be much more active, but they die sooner because their enzymes are used up more rapidly. Enzyme supply may well be the yardstick of vitality.
It is accepted in general, that the enzymes in food cannot work in our bodies, although Dr. Edward Howell has written a book :”Food Enzymes for health and longevity”, in which he states that there is strong evidence to the contrary. 
The enzymes in raw food commence the digestion of each morsel the moment the food’s cell walls are ruptured by chewing. The food enzymes assist our own digestive enzymes, easing the load on the organs that produce our enzymes, particularly the pancreas. When humans eat cooked food, the pancreas is enlarged due to overwork.
In fact, oriental people on a high carbohydrate cooked diet, mainly rice, have pancreas approximately half as big as Westerners .

All animals in the wild consume abundant enzymes in their always raw diets. Some have a separate stomach in which the food enzymes pre-digest food before the body’s digestive enzymes are called upon, for example, the rumen in the cow.
The enzyme content of organically-grown food that has ripened at its source (on the tree, vine etc.) is significantly higher than conventionally-grown foods.
When raw food enzymes reach the bowel, they encourage the friendly gut bacteria by binding any oxygen present, thus eliminating the aerobic conditions in which harmful bacteria grow and cause putrefaction, toxaemia and ultimately degenerative diseases, including cancer.

When the harmful bacteria are gone, beneficial bacteria, like acidophilus and bifido-
bacteria can flourish and carry out their vital functions, including the manufacture of
B vitamins, digestion of fiber, and production of natural ‘antibiotics’ against pathogenic bacteria.

In the highly cooked Western diet, a high incidence of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other degenerative conditions is exactly what can be expected as a result of enzyme damage.
In contrast, the remarkable therapeutic value of a short-term diet of raw fresh fruits and vegetables and/or their juices, which have been employed all over the world, is exactly what we would expect.

It’s a sad fact that about one-third of American adults are overweight. But people can change that by adopting a lifestyle with the right diet. It’s important to know how fat is deposited in the body, so that you understand how to make the body lose it. Your body needs food to obtain the necessary energy to function and feed its cells. The calories in food have energy, commonly referred to as calories. The more calories food contains, the more fuel the body can get from it.

In order to use the energy from the food, your body has to digest the food first. The process of digestion causes the body to burn some old energy to get the new energy from the food. More energy/calories are burned if it’s more difficult to digest the food. The body’s fuel is categorized as protein, carbohydrates or fats. This fuel nourishes the body and keeps the body functioning. The leftover calories are eventually stored in the fat cells. Your body uses a part of the foods fuel for nutrition. The excess fuel is eventually stored up as fat in the “fat cells” of your body, around the kidneys and liver.

Fat cells are often deposited in the chest, hips and waist region. As the cells become bigger, your physique acquires a doughy look. The body has a limited number of fat cells, and there is only so much fat these cells can store. Once the threshold is reached, fat begins to accumulate in the muscle lining of your arms and thighs, creating unsightly, flabby limbs.

EAT FAT BURNING FOODS All foods can create fat, but certain foods can actually help burn fat. Some foods have minerals or vitamins that raise metabolism and act as virtual fat burners. There are negative calorie foods with low calories that burn extra calories during digestion. Other foods, even if you eat them in small quantities, gives you a feeling of fullness.
They contain very little calories. You will significantly reduce the fat profile of your body if you consume the right whole foods. By eating these fat burning foods at the right time, in the correct amount, the body fat profile starts to reduce. Add in foods that lower the likelihood of fat depositing in your body for an extra boost.

Here is a list of everyday foods that double as secret fat burners. Poultry Salmon , Tuna, Citrus Fruits, Apples, Berries, Oatmeal, Vegetables, Beans, Eggs, Almonds & Walnuts, Pine Nuts

ADD FAT BOOSTERS TO YOUR DIET

Mustard, Onions, Coconut Oil, Hot Peppers, Green Tea

INCREASE WATER INTAKE
Help your body to reduce fat deposits by drinking more water. The kidneys do not function correctly without enough water intake. If they don’t work properly, some of the load is discarded to the liver. If the liver is doing the kidney’s work, it can’t concentrate on its’ main job of metabolizing fat. More fat will remain in the body and fat burning stops. So drinking the right amount of water improves metabolism and keeps your fat burning at full capacity. Water also flushes out toxins and improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.

BUILD MUSCLES
Muscles keep your metabolism active and help burning calories. Adding muscle improves your body’s fat composition ratio. Because muscles are an active tissue that continually renews itself, it always needs calories. While normal cardio burns fat only during the exercise, weight training builds muscle to ensure that body fat continues to burn throughout the day. The main source of energy for muscles is fat. So, even when relaxing or sleeping, you continue to burn calories. The more muscle mass on your frame the more positive effect on your metabolism. It’s important to do weight resistant exercises to build muscle and to avoid your metabolism from getting sluggish and packing on fat.

Now you have the secrets to a beautiful toned body in the palm of your hands. The only thing standing in the way of a lean sexy physique is you. Adopt these fat burning secrets into your lifestyle and you will see results in a matter of weeks. The right diet plan will show you how to combine the fat burning foods to keep your body melting away the flab.

There are countless delicious recipes to make the switch painless. Add a weightlifting exercise regime and you will sculpt your body into an object of desire. The new you is ready to emerge.

Protein plays a fundamental role in our overall body health and wellness. It helps with weight control and in building, maintaining and repairing muscles. Studies have shown that a meal high in protein can help you feel fuller longer, which helps further with weight management. But how much do we really need? It could be more than you think!

The “average” adult according to the European Food Safety Authority – needs 0.83g of protein per kg of body weight. However, this level increases with the level of activity undertaken. that protein’s dietician, Orla Walsh, says that active adults and those training should consume between 1.2g to 1.5g protein per kg of body weight per day depending on the level of intensity of the exercise. It is considered safe to consume up to 1.6g protein per kg of body weight per day.

Many people may not know that Pregnant women require additional intake of 1g, 9g and 28 g per day for the first, second and third trimesters respectively and Breast-feeding women need an additional intake of 19g per day during the first 6 months and 13g per day thereafter. Infants, children and adolescents require between 0.83 g and 1.31 g of protein per kg of body weight per day depending on age.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan you may find getting enough protein more of a challenge simply because there are fewer protein sources available and less “grab and go” availability.

So, what does protein DO for us? At the most basic level protein is needed for every cell in the body – so to be healthy and well and to have the best possible body, skin, hair, nails you must get the correct amount of protein every day. Muscles are made of protein and protein maintains, repairs and builds muscle. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism goes and a healthy metabolism is key to lowering body fat and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage which is beneficial for our health throughout our lives. If you are active, a protein shake or adding protein to a smoothie after activity will help repair muscles and replenish the body. A great choice is that protein 2in1 Plant Protein Super Foods as the range also contains not only organic plant protein but added nutrition like vitamin C for reducing tiredness and fatigue and supporting a healthy immune system.

Don’t forget that muscles are not just located externally but also internally; e.g. the heart is a muscle. Our muscles are constantly breaking down and repairing and they need protein for fuel and repair. Without adequate protein the body will stop functioning at optimum level and illness could follow.

So is that all we need to know?
Not quite. Firstly, all proteins are not equal. Some will come with attendant saturated fat (think e.g. red meat, or cheese) and other sources can be highly processed, contain artificial ingredients or be high in refined sugars.

Secondly, some proteins are not complete proteins. That means they do not contain all the essential amino acids the body needs every day to be healthy and well but can’t make itself. These are: Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine. As the body can’t make these amino acid we must get them from our food.

Finally, it’s not just the amount of protein we need to be aware of but also when we need to consume that amount. The body can only process and utilize so much protein at one sitting so key to protein consumption is to spread it evenly across the day.

So… to make sure you are getting your protein consumption right, why not take this mini protein challenge with 5 easy steps?

Start in the morning by working out how much protein you need to eat that day based on the above reference intakes, your lifestyle and your exercise levels.

Write down in a notebook how much protein you actually consume that day.

Consider the kind of protein you are consuming and how that fits with your lifestyle and health priorities e.g. is it organic? Is it low in saturated fat? Free from chemicals and additives? Free from refined sugar? Lactose free? Vegan? You decide!

Be aware of when you are consuming your protein and if you are having it throughout the day – don’t just add up the total amount of protein – it must be taken throughout the day.

Conclude if you are getting your protein intake right or need to make changes.

Consuming the right type and the right amount of protein for your lifestyle and exercise level at the right time will ensure you support your total body health and wellness and help you attain your fitness and weight management goals.

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Research has shown that when people are missing certain nutrients, their mental performance drops. When people meet their nutritional needs, they are okay. But even if they are not getting enough water their mind can get fuzzy. The thirst mechanism slows down when we age.

Your brain needs vitamin B
The most essential nutrients to keep your mind sharp are probably the vitamin B complex.
Your body needs the B vitamins for the transformation of food into mental energy and for the manufacturing and repairing of brain tissue. “Thiamin, niacin and vitamin B6 and B12 deficiencies can all cause mal function of the brain”, says Vernon Mark, MD, author of Reversing Memory Loss. In fact, pellagra, a niacin deficiency, used to be the main cause of admissions into mental hospitals,” he explains. Research has shown that when children are given 5 mg thiamin instead of the Daily Value of 1.5 mg, they achieve remarkable higher scores when they are given tests of mental functioning, Dr. Mark adds.

Nowadays many cereals, breads and pastas are enriched with thiamin and niacin, so that most people are getting enough of these vitamins. Niacin deficiencies have become extremely rare, especially in this country. But in older people or those who frequently drink alcohol, levels of thiamin can drop low enough to cause memory problems, says Dr. Mark.

The best way to make sure you get enough brain-boosting B vitamins is to eat foods that contain enriched grains. One cup of enriched spaghetti, for example, has 0.3 mg of thiamin, or 20% of the Daily Value (DV), and 2 mg of niacin, or 10% of the DV. Meat is also a good source for getting these nutrients. Three ounces of pork tenderloin, for example, provide 0.8 mg of thiamin, 53% of the DV, while 3 ounces of chicken breast deliver 12 mg or 60% of the DV for niacin.

It’s not so easy when we get older, to get extra amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, because it’s harder for the body to absorb them. After the age of 55, it’s common to be low in these vitamins, because the lining of the stomach is changing. When you get older, it’s a good idea to get more than the DV of both of these nutrients. Vitamin B6 is abundant in baked potatoes, bananas, chickpeas, and turkey. One baked potato provides 0.4 mg of vitamin B6, 20% of the DV. and one banana provide 0.7 mg or 35% of the DV. For vitamin B12, meat and shellfish are good choices.

Maintaining blood flow to the brain
There should be sufficient blood flow to the brain in order to avoid memory problems.
When adequate blood flow is not maintained, the brain and memory begin to perform poorly.
The lack of blood to the brain is often caused by a buildup of cholesterol and fat in the arteries,
the same problem that leads to heart disease and stroke. This condition is not only preventable through diet, it is even at least partially reversible. The primary cause of cardiovascular disease – clogged arteries in the heart and the brain – is too much saturated fat in the diet. Keep your intake of saturated fat low by cooking with small amounts of liquid oils, such as olive or canola oil. instead of margarine or butter and by minimizing your intake of fatty foods, such as full-fat mayonnaise, rich desserts and fatty meats.

It’s also important to get plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, compounds that block the effects of harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals.
This is important because  when free radicals damage the harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, it becomes stickier and more likely to stick to artery walls.

Studies have proved that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2002, researchers studied nearly 5,500 people and found that those who ate diets rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and E, lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Citrus fruits, kiwifruit, sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage are packed with vitamin C. While whole grains, nuts, milk and egg yolks contain vitamin E.

The combination of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and reducing fat in your diet will help to keep your arteries clear, including those leading to your brain. Actually, it can help restore blood flow through your arteries that have already started to close up.

Coffee can Improve Memory Function It’s not without reason that millions of Americans jump start their day with steaming cups of coffee. The caffeine in coffee has been shown to improve mental functioning, including memory.

In one study, Dutch researchers used a chemical to block short-term memory in 16 healthy people.
They found that giving these people 250 milligrams of caffeine – about the amount of 3 cups of coffee – quickly restored their powers of recall. However, too much coffee can be bad, if only the java buzz wears off within 6 to 8 hrs. For some people, at least, the after-coffee slump can result in mental fogginess.

Everyone has different reactions to caffeine. For people who rarely drink coffee, having a cup or two can definitely improve performance and memory. But if you drink coffee throughout the day, you quickly build up tolerance and you won’t get the same benefits. In fact, too much caffeine can make you nervous and reduce your concentration.

Don’t kill your brain cells “Killing brain cells is not the best way to get a high score in the memory department. Yet that’s exactly what many of us do to our grey matter. Drinking too much alcohol can cause a significant decrease in memory function.” In fact, even small amounts of alcohol can damage cells in the brain responsible for memory.

Many doctors recommend to stop drinking alcohol all together to keep your mind at its sharpest.
At the very least, it’s a good idea to limit yourself to one or two drinks – meaning 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 11/2 ounces of liquor – a day. When you do drink, choose red wine. It contains resveratrol, a compound that may keep your brain young.

Optimal Diet for your Brain
You can’t prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia altogether, but you can keep them at bay longer with a heart-healthy diet that focuses on the nutrients that have been found to be critical for brain function and aging.

Aim for a body mass index of 23 to 25. Being overweight increases your risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension, which leads to vascular disease and brain damage.

Choose Dairy
Eat one serving of low-fat, low-sugar dairy once a day, such as milk, plain yogurt, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.
Epideemiologie studies show that people who drink milk are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Toast to a young brain
Drink one glass of red wine or 4 ounces of purple grape juice or pomegranate juice a day.
They contain resveratrol, a compound that doctors believe activates a gene that is associated with longevity.

Eat berries
When you eat one cup of berries a day, it gives your brain resveratrol, and other flavonoids, that strengthens your resistance against the development of chronic diseases associated with aging.

Drink some juice
Drink 8 ounces of fruit juice high in vitamin C daily. Three times a week, substitute a glass of vegetable juice that you buy or make on your own for the fruit juice. Antioxidants and other compounds in those juices help protect the brain from dementia.

Include fish oil in your diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful agents for a healthy heart and arteries. When you eat oily cold water fish such as sardines or mackerel you will ensure that you get enough omega-3. You can also substitute with 2,000 to 3,000 mg of fish oil or flaxseed oil per day. Walnuts are also rich in omega-3. Eating 8 to 10 walnuts per day or using walnut oil in your salads of dark green vegetables will help protect your brain.

Drink green tea every day.
Green tea is rich in antioxidants and has proved to reduce the risk of dementia.
Experts recommend drinking one to two cups a day.

Use Multivitamins
To include those in your diet is particularly important for older, inactive adults who’s calorie intake doesn’t supply the micro nutrients that they need. Choose a multivitamin without iron or reduced iron if you are not anemic or menstruating.

Consider vitamin D supplements
Vitamin D is a new shining start in the role of brain development and function and many people are deficient without knowing it. We get about 95% of our vitamin D from sunlight, but young people who work long hours and elderly adults who are home bound often don’t get enough sunlight to fill their vitamin D requirements.

Avoid omega-6 fats. The omega-6 fatty acids in corn- safflower- and sesame oils aren’t as healthy as omega-3’s found in olive and canola oil. So, use those oils sparingly.

Nourish Your Brain
An overall brain-healthy diet is low in refined carbohydrates, (Found in sugars, baked food, candy, and other sweets, for example), red meats and trans fats. It’s high in fatty fish, poultry, soy protein, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

Nutritional Medicine is unknown to most physicians as well as the public. The benefits of a good exercise program and a healthy diet are well known. Few however, especially physicians, have any knowledge of the health benefits of taking high quality nutritional supplements.

Vitamins are a hot issue within the medical field. But the verdict is in. What your doctor doesn’t know about nutritional medicine may be killing you. Only about 6% of the graduating physicians in America have received any training in nutrition.
Doctors believe that you don’t need supplements and that you get all the nutrients you need from a good diet. Doctor and patients alike must take a long hard look at how they approach health care to-day.

Numerous studies prove that a healthy diet, a good exercise program and high quality nutritional supplements is the absolute best way to maintain your health and to regain your health after you have lost it. There are records of amazing results by practising nutritional medicine.
Patients with multiple sclerosis, who have gone from wheelchair-bound to walking again.

Some cancer patients have gone into remission, patients with macular degeneration have found significant visual improvement and fibromyalgia patients have regained their lives.
Oxidative stress is the underlying cause of all chronic degenerative diseases, like coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration.

Heart disease is not caused by high cholesterol, but the inflammation of blood vessels, which can be reduced and even totally eliminated by taking nutritional supplements.

Antioxidants and there supporting nutrients have become our new weapon in the war against our number one killer: heart disease. Fruits and vegetables contain thousands of extremely potent bioflavanoids. They also have some anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Red wine and grape juice contain polythenols, which has been proven to reduce the formation of oxidized LDL cholesterol. Grape seed extract is known as the best antioxidant to prevent chronic inflammatory disease.
Vitamin E is the best antioxidant for the cell wall, vitamin C for the plasma and glutathione is the best intra cellular antioxidant.
All of these antioxidants need the so-called antioxidant minerals and B-co factors to do their job. These ingredients work together in synergy as they accomplish the ultimate goal of defeating oxidative stress.

Doctors are content to let the pharmaceutical companies determine new therapies when they develop new drugs. But our natural antioxidant and immune system are the best defense against the development of chronic degenerative diseases.

There is some good news however, medical research is beginning to support the idea of supplementation with a mixture of antioxidants and supporting nutrients.
 This mix can enhance traditional chemo and radiation therapy and at the same time protecting normal cells from toxic effects. But you don’t have to be a physician to start practising nutritional medicine, you as a patient can become proactive about preserving the health you have.

To promote Healing and Pain Relief

Hydrotherapy is a series of specialised water-based treatments developed to stimulate
general or local circulation in the blood vessels. This promote healing of injured or
diseased parts of the body, by allowing more metabolic wastes and other toxins to be
removed and more nutrients to flow into the area.

The treatment is applied in the form of an immersion bath or hot/cold compresses.
The water itself, while soothing, does not create the response in the tissues, but is due to
reaction by the nerves in the skin to the heat or cold applied to the area.

As a general rule we can say that heat expands vessels, increases blood flow and relaxes
nerves and tissues, while cold constricts vessels, reduces blood flow and stimulates nerves
and tissues.

Acute conditions, such as sprains and strains, require cold applications to reduce swelling
and therefore tissue damage. Chronic conditions, like stiff joints and aching back, require
heat to soothe and relax the area. Hot and cold can often be used alternately to stimulate
an area for more rapid recovery. The pattern to be used for alternating treatments is three
minutes hot and one minute cold, applied three times all together.

Hydrotherapy should not be regarded as a primary therapy, but rather as a supplement
to other forms of therapy.

Here follows a brief description of the more common techniques:

Hot and cold sitz baths
Produce a flushing effect in the pelvic region, which helps relieve chronic constipation
and pelvic pain. Sit for three minutes in a tub of warm water at approximately 40 degrees
Celsius with the feet in a bowl of cold water. Then for one minute, sit in another tub
containing cold water with the feet in hot water. Repeat this process three times in total –
being sure to finish sitting in the cold tub- then dry briskly with a towel and dress warmly.

Hot and cold leg baths.
These stimulates circulation in the legs and help fluid retention, cramps, restless legs,
chronic injuries and possibly varicose veins. A suitable leg bath is a clean garbage bin,
two of which are required. The procedure and water temperatures are similar to those
for sitz baths.

Hot and cold hand baths
Good for circulation, arthritis and chronic injuries in the hands. As with the above
procedures, using bowls of hot and cold water, bathe the hand for three minutes
and one minute respectively, and repeat the cycle twice more. Dry promptly.

Hot and cold foments
Used to stimulate circulation for healing and pain relief in parts of the body where baths
can’t be used. Wrap a hot water bottle in several layers of towel and place on the
effected part for three minutes. Then rinse another towel in cold (not freezing) water.
Wring gently so that it doesn’t drip, and place on the area for one minute.
Repeat the cycle twice more. Take care that the hot phases don’t burn the skin –
use more layers of towel if necessary.

Cold compresses
Apply to sprains, bruises, and insect bites.

Steam inhalations
These help clear nasal passages and ease respiratory conditions. Place four cups of
boiling water in a bowl. Sit with the head over it, and cover both head and bowl with
a towel. Inhale until there is no more steam. Be careful not to burn the airways.

Some general guidelines for hydrotherapy need to be kept in mind:
*  Sit or rest comfortable during the procedure.
*  Watch for any reactions indicating sensitivity to heat or cold.
*  Cease the treatment if pain increases
*  Do only one hydrotherapy treatment at a time
*  Limit treatments to two per day, because more than this could drain vitality.

When we consider that the classic risk factors for atherosclerosis are valid as lifestyle guidelines, they don’t explain the majority of heart deaths. But when we take into account the condition (he degree of oxidation) of dietary fat and cholesterol, as well as the antioxidant status within the body, the picture becomes clearer.

Still other influences are playing a roll, of which the most significant appears to be a high
blood level of the amino acid homocysteine. This is showing up as being as great a risk as
high cholesterol or smoking.

According to all three theory groups, the safest way to avoid heart disease, as far as diet is
concerned, is to ensure that dietary fat is low and unsaturated, that dietary fat and
cholesterol are fresh, that antioxidant intake is high, and comply with the requirements for
save levels of homocysteine.

These guidelines, however, prescribe a plant-based diet with an abundance of fresh fruits
and vegetables. The dairy products that many vegetarians include can better be avoided or kept to very small amounts. Protein can be obtained from small quantities of legumes, nuts and seeds. Eggs could be retained at low levels for their vitamin B12 content.

Smoking and coffee are in particular to be avoided, but moderate tea consumption is acceptable, preferably green tea for its additional anti-cancer benefits.

The heart disease paradox is now largely solved and demonstrates yet another way
in which an unrefined, essentially plant-based diet, high in fresh fruits and vegetables,
is vastly superior to a high meat – and high-refined-carbohydrate diet, that is low in fruits and vegetables.