Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts

Monday, April 13, 2009

What Happens When You Get Too Little Protein in Your Diet

Proteins are composed of long chain like forms of amino acids. Amino acids are basic and fundamental to life. As a chemical compound, it is made of amine and carbonyl functional groups. To put it simply, they are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and on some rare occasions, sulfur. These four or five materials build themselves into various chain-like structures and form different types of protein. Protein is the life line of human health.

Human cells, muscle tissue, and the organs of the body are made up of protein. Long chains of amino acids are structured to make different types of proteins. There are 22 types of amino acids and the human body needs all of them to be healthy.

Different types of proteins in our body execute different body functions. Our body's strength, its flexibility and elasticity are taken care of by a protein called collagen, and our hair and skin are composed of the same protein.

Proteins we consume through food are broken down into amino acids in the process of digestion and absorbed by the body only to be rebuilt into different types of proteins that are the requirement of the body. There are twenty two kinds of amino acids essential for the human body. And in that 14 are produced by the body and the remaining 8 are to be obtained though food.

Complete and incomplete Proteins

A protein that can be obtained through one food source like a meat or dairy product is called a complete protein. A complete protein is obtained generally though meat, diary products, eggs, fish and poultry. Vegetables, fruits and nuts do not contain all the essential proteins in one food items and so it is termed as incomplete.

Importance of Proteins

For proper growth, sustenance and repair of body cells, for the health of muscles, tissues, organs and for body function like metabolism, digestion, transportation of nutrients and oxygen through blood circulation, proteins are imperative.

Apart from that more importantly for the production of antibodies, or in other words, antibodies are little soldiers who fight any infection that invades into our body and fights diseases and makes us healthy. The healthy skin and shining hair of which we are proud of is due to the proteins.

Too little Protein means ill health

Like our grand mothers say often, 'anything too much or too little is harmful' is absolute truth in case of protein. Too much protein intake leads to many uncomfortable physical complications just as too little of protein intake can lead to complications.

Protein is needed to repair and create new cells, tissues, hormones, enzymes and muscles and lack of protein would impair these important body functions leading to grave situations. Many foods which supply protein do contain certain other minerals and vitamins like iron, a lack of which creates an eternal tiredness and fatigue. The person who lacks iron feels weak and becomes listless with lack of energy.

Physical activities consume protein daily, and so it is essential to give regular supply of protein to the body daily. And too little protein can cause severe skin ailments and would make you look lusterless and pale.

Children need a lot of protein as they are in the phase of growing and insufficient protein in children hampers their growth very much.

For a period of time if the body fails to get sufficient amount of protein through food, it starts breaking the muscles which contain large amount of protein to fulfill its need. This means eroding of the muscle and it is generally known as muscle wasting. And prolonged such situation leads to a vicious cycle of protein energy malnutrition where in when the body does not get any other source of energy, body's muscles and organs a re broken down for energy. The digestive system suffers with the loss of cell lining which is important for absorption of nutrients from the digested food. Thus a vicious cycle of poor diet and insufficient absorption of nutrients from food lead to severe body wasting.

So, too little protein intake is dangerous and very harmful to health.


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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tips for Breastfeeding Diet

There are several important things in the life of a woman. Among various things, breastfeeding is considered as the most important thing. Breastfeeding is really a very special experience for women. It is a phase of life which is equally important for both the mother as well as the child. For the women, proper diet at the time of breastfeeding is extremely important. For proper development and well being of the baby it is very important to follow some dos and don't about the breastfeeding diet.

Most of the people remain in dilemma as to take what sort of diet for breastfeeding. If you want to make some alterations in your diet then you are required to wait for a moment. To begin with, it is very important to first of all consult your health care professional so as to make sure whether the alterations made by you in the diet are going in the right direction or not. In case it is suiting your lifestyle then you can certainly go for it. However if it is not then it is advisable to leave that option and go for any other. It is so because you cannot take chances during this phase of your life.

Among various important things, the first and the most important thing is to focus on the proper intake of vitamins in the diet. If you want all the vitamins in right proportion then you cannot manage it with the help of any kind of nutritional supplement. It can be achieved only and only through a well balanced diet. Along with normal breastfeeding diets try to include some fruits as well as vegetables in it. If possible then try to go for five portions of vegetables and fruits in each day's meal. For proper amount of vitamin A and C you can include broccoli in your routine breastfeeding diet. If it is a season of winter then having a sun bath can be an outstanding idea. It is a fact that sun is a great source for vitamin D and it can fulfill your requirement in a natural way. In summer season, you can manage this requirement by going for dairy products, oily fish and margarine in your breastfeeding diet.

Some of the minerals like Zinc, Calcium and Selenium are considered very important for a breastfeeding mother. For including zinc in your breastfeeding diet you can go for red meat, sardines, baked potatoes, hard cheese, cashew nuts and fish like prawns and mackerel. The best sources for calcium include almonds, spinach, white bread, dried figs, tofu and calcium enriched Soya milk, and sardines.

This is all you require to include in your breastfeeding diet. But the description of breastfeeding diet is not confined to this only. There are some of the things which we require not to do while going for a breastfeeding diet. If you prefer the intake of alcohol then it is highly advisable not to have it now. The contents of alcohol indirectly reach to the milk which the young one sucks through the breasts. It can be extremely harmful for the physiological functions taking place inside the body of the young one.

Avoid caffeine as much as possible and go for calorie free sugar. Only go for home made food and avoid the processed food to a very extent. It is not advisable to go for foods which contain a large amount of additives in them. Thus one should not go for consuming peanuts as it is in the position to leave allergens in the breast milk thus it needs to be avoided.

If we talk generally then we can say that there is not at all any specific diet in terms of specific breastfeeding diet. The most important thing that one should take care is to focus on the well balanced diet. Still if you have any doubt or you want to know more about the breastfeeding diet, then either you surf the net or you must consult the doctor. There are several sites on the net that can provide you with all the useful information about the breastfeeding diet.

Breastfeeding is no doubt the most special gift for a woman. It is important to take care for all the aspects as then only it can prove useful for the mother as well as the baby.


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Friday, December 28, 2007

Nutrition Key for Anti Aging

I would guess that growing old does not worry most Americans. However, the loss of strength and balance that can go together with the aging process can be frightening.

Live Lean Today can help with its anti aging fitness plans. Is there a way to prevent the frailty that is often associated with an older age? The solution may include protein, selected vitamins and dietary supplements.

Frailty is characterized as low overall muscle strength, a regular feeling of exhaustion with minimal activities, slow walking speed, and an overall reduction in activities of daily living. Although the number of elderly who could be defined as frail is un-known, frailty may increase the risk of falling as well as susceptibility to disease. In addition, frailty also negatively affects quality of life.

A recent study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences demonstrated that the lack of specific nutrients increases the risk of becoming frail. In this study, 802 participants were assessed for nutrient intake and frailty. The study showed that the risk of frailty was correlated with a diminished intake of protein and vitamins A, D, C and the B vitamin folate.

If a person was deficient in two or more nutrients, the risk of frailty more than doubled. In addition, as we age, our ability to absorb nutrients from the food we eat decreases. The quality and quantity of food eaten also may be influenced by a fixed income. This suggests that nutrient insuffi-ciency may be more common in the elderly that we believe.

Fortunately, frailty may be easily prevented and even reversed. Meat is an excellent source of protein but, for those on a very fixed income, may not be part of the daily diet. However, beans and nuts can also supply a significant amount of excellent protein at a very reasonable cost. They also are rich in folate. Fruits and vegetables are good source of vitamins A, C and D. Dietary supplements may also be valuable and can provide more than adequate levels of folate and vitamins A, D and C in a number of easily digestible forms.

When I was in medical school, we learned that all nutritional needs could be met by having three "square" meals a day. We now know that nutrition and health involves a much more complex set of interactions and that proper amounts of protein and specific nutrients, like vitamins A, D, C and folate are essential. Frailty may be avoidable and, with a little effort, we all may be able to enjoy the "golden years" a little more.


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Monday, November 19, 2007

Never Gain a Pound - Learn to Eat What Ever You Want

"I EAT ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER GAIN A POUND." Why It Is Important to Eat Five Meals a Day

How would you like to become that skinny person who says “I eat all day long and never gain a pound.”?

It’s true that for some people, that way of life is so natural that they never even realized that they were doing anything right. We ask them their secrets and ultimately we chalk it up to the mystery of a “great metabolism,” and wish that we had one too.

It’s not a mystery.

The truth is that anyone can maximize their metabolism not just personal trainers if they just learn to eat like a skinny person. We’re not talking about a lifelong sentence of salads and carrot sticks. We’re talking about eating little meals all day long.

From a health standpoint, one of the worst things that happened to us as a society was the advent of the three meal day that came with industrialization. The problem with eating three times a day (or fewer for some of us), is that it allows too much time to pass between meals. We let ourselves get too hungry, and then eat to overcome that sensation.

We are just innocently eating the way we were taught. Meanwhile, we are sending signals to our bodies that are not so innocent. We get overly hungry and that tells our body that there is a shortage of food; it’s time to store fat just in case. Then, we get so hungry, we eat more calories in one sitting than our body can process. Our bodies can’t discern how much to feed itself. It just knows that it can’t process it all and dumps everything we’ve eaten to fat storage as well.

The key is to eat five, small meals throughout the day to avoid the valleys and peaks of hunger and fullness (see Live’s sample nutrition plan). By providing enough calories for your metabolism to burn at a steady rate throughout the day, you are telling your body that there will always be enough food for it to burn at a higher rate and feed off of the stored fat in your body as well as the food you consume. When you combine this eating plan with exercise, you will be able to raise your metabolism even further, making you that skinny person who eats all day and never gains a pound.


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Thursday, November 1, 2007

What is the Best Alcohol to Drink When on a Diet

We have all heard to cut alcohol out of your diet when you are attempting to lose weight. Alcohol is empty calories if you look at from the calorie perspective. There are good qualities to alcohol assuming that the consumption is moderate and not associated with any addiction. Different alcohols or spirits can be a part of a good weight loss or healthy diet. The best may be the Bacardi and Diet Coke.

First we have to look at alcohol being consumed in moderation. The liver can remove 2 glasses of beer or wine, and one mixed drink per day. Sorry, you are unable to save them up to have 10 on the weekend. On the LIVE Nutrition Plan one light beer, glass of wine, or distilled spirit is one fat exchange. The average person will have 3-4 fat exchanges throughout the day. Remember what we said about your liver, using all of your fat for alcohol would not be a good idea for the health of your liver.

Alcohol has many stress relieving properties. Alcohol is a depressant which means that it will support your ability to relax. Drinking alcohol in moderation, less than two a day, has been demonstrated to lower stress so that you live longer than people who drink no alcohol. Just remember two or less.

Light Beer on a Diet

Light beer seems to be the obvious choice when on a diet. The average lite beer is less than 100 calories with some of the new ultra beers having even less. If you can keep your consumption of these beers to two or under a day this is a good choice. The problem with lite beer is the quantity that most people can drink. Many people can consume multiple light beers with ease. Though each beer has few calories they start to add up having if you have 4-6 on a night.

Microbrews on a Diet

Wow, I get to drink dark beer on a diet? Aren’t dark beers more calories? The answer is yes dark beers are more calories; the good thing is it is easier to drink just one. The average person who could drinks 5 light beers will probably only be able to drink one dark beer, and the total calories. You total calories from one dark beer will be less than the 5 light beer calorie total.

Diet Wine

Wine in moderation has been known to lower the risk of heart disease. It doesn’t seem to be wine specifically, but the stress relieving properties of alcohol, as long as they are consumed in moderation. Wine works the same as light beer, less than 100 calories per glass and one fat exchange on the LIVE diet plan.

Bacardi and Diet Coke

One Bacardi and Diet Coke has 66 calories. Two of these mixed drinks are only a few more calories than one beer. Two Bacardi and diet Cokes are a lot less caloric than many beers on the market. This isn’t Bacardi specific, most distilled spirits and diet soda are going to be around the same number of calories. Remember that even though they have less calories, your liver doesn’t care when it comes to the amount of alcohol. Moderation of 2 or less is still best. Bacardi and Diet Coke is simply the most popular, which I found out while in Puerto Rico touring the Bacardi Distillery.

Alcohol as a part of a responsible diet can be a part of a person’s weight loss program or healthy diet. Remember the key is moderation and picking drinks lower in calories. Enjoy your next party.


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Thursday, October 4, 2007

Lose Weight Fast For Your Wedding Day Dress

It’s one of the biggest goals a bride will strive to attain before the big day, getting in shape, And if you’re like most brides, you’d much rather the seams of your wedding dress be taken in, rather than be let out. After all being the center of attention means all eyes will be on the bride, so looking your absolute best is a must? Whether your goals are to lose weight, tone and strengthen your muscles, or increase your stamina and energy, World Class Nutrition.com is an invaluable resource for you to use in getting in shape for your wedding.

There are many ways to achieve your wedding day weight with diets, tonics, powders, and pills. World Class Nutrition.com recommends a combination of diet, supplements and exercise that promotes gradual weight loss in the best. If you have ever tried watching your weight, you probably know the basics: Cut out sweets, eat more fruits and vegetables, choose lean meats and protein, avoid fried and fatty foods, and be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

You might also know that exercise plays a key role in weight loss, but did you know that if you don’t exercise when you diet, you might end up losing mostly lean muscle tissue? When you diet without exercising, your body uses lean muscle mass for energy. But if you add exercise to your daily routine, your body will turn to those fat stores for fuel. If you’re really serious about getting in shape for your wedding day, you need to strike a balance between healthy eating and exercise.

The formula for weight loss is a simple one: Calories burned must exceed calories consumed. So it makes sense that the best way to begin your new lifestyle is by shaping up your diet. To keep your energy level high enough to plan your wedding, choose a safe, healthy eating plan that targets a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week, which, for most of us, means consuming about 1200 calories a day. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose before the wedding — say 20 pounds — you’ll need to start your diet between a few months before the big day.

Before you even begin shaping up for your wedding day, Bryan Ashbaugh, of Live Lean Today.com, says it’s important to figure out where you’re starting from. Plan for success by picking a start date. Give yourself a few days to prepare yourself, your schedule, and your kitchen for your lifestyle change. Go through your pantry and throw out, or give away items that could undermine your weightloss efforts, then stock your cabinets with healthy choices.
Keep a journal that includes what, how much, and at what times you eat, as well as any accompanying emotions you experience. Your journal entries can be as minimal as “5 pm lunch, protein shake” or it can be more detailed. As you continue to “journal” your eating habits, patterns will begin to emerge. Understanding the “triggers” behind your cravings and choices will help you better control them. When you reach your start date, be sure to continue keeping a record of what you eat and how much water you drink.

Aerobic Exercise
For brides looking to lose weight, Ashbaugh suggests exercises that use large muscle groups in a rhythmic or continuous manner. Cardio-driven big muscle exercises include walking, running, hiking, swimming, cycling, or cross country skiing and are among the best exercises you can do to burn fat. Exercise at what you gauge to be a moderate pace. Start exercising in 15-minute increments, three times a week. As your endurance improves, increase your exertion level and your length of exercise time. Ashbaugh also says that exercise sessions are beneficial even when they are cumulative. That means you’ll do yourself as much good working out 20 minutes in the morning, at lunchtime and after work as you will by hitting the gym for one long session.

Resistance Training
Whether you have a lot or a little weight to lose, if you’re like most people, you’ll feel better about your body when you tone up. For body sculpting, Ashbaugh says there’s nothing better than resistance or weight training. While some women believe that lifting weights will leave them looking like linebackers, they needn’t worry; women don’t naturally posses enough of the male hormone testosterone to build large muscle mass.

The truth is, resistance training is the perfect complement to aerobic exercises like swimming and walking, and is great for improving bone strength and sculpting the body. Start your resistance training with relatively low weights so that you feel muscle fatigue after one set of 12 to 15 exercise repetitions. Again, as you build endurance, add more weight and increase the number of repetitions in your set.

Flexibility
After every exercise session, McArdle says it’s important to stretch. Not only will stretching keep you safe from serious muscular injury, increasing your flexibility is essential to improving your overall fitness level. Start by holding stretches for 15 seconds at a time, working your way up to 60 seconds.

Spot Reduction
Many of us look at our bodies and see trouble spots: If only that tummy were flatter, those thighs leaner, these arms more toned. Although our body shapes are determined primarily by heredity, Ashbaugh says we can tip the hand of genetics a bit with localized exercises that improve muscle tone. Still, he is quick to caution that in order to really reduce anywhere, you must slim down everywhere. So to trim your arms, abs, and buns, you’ve got to start with a program that benefits your whole body, not just the areas your wedding dress emphasizes. The use of topical fat reducers is a solution that many women have found effective.

Nutrition
Once you’ve begun your workout routine, you may feel that such sweat and strain entitles you to fast food meal with the works and a large order of fries. Don’t be fooled. Remember, the key to weight loss is to expend more calories than you consume, so if you’ve upped exercise only to up calorie intake, you won’t get the results you’re looking for.

In fact, when you get regular exercise, you need to be even more vigilant about what you eat. Your body, having become a more efficient machine, relies on the vitamins and minerals found in healthy food to fuel itself and develop muscle and lean tissue. In addition to lean meats and dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, add a multivitamin to your daily diet to make certain you get the nutrients you need.

Fit for Life
Once you’ve begun your healthy diet and exercise plan, there’s one big challenge left: Sticking to it. And not just until your wedding day. The key to long-term weight loss is making healthy eating and fitness part of your lifestyle forever. So, why not start your marriage out right by dedicating yourself to a sensible diet and active lifestyle? (If you can involve your spouse in this effort, so much the better.) This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever enjoy food or indulge yourself once in a while. However, you’ll want to avoid reverting to unhealthy eating habits and regaining the weight you’ll have worked so hard to lose. If you find it hard to stay motivated on your own — and most people do — consider seeking out a weight loss organization for advice and support. If you take “weight loss for life” seriously, you’ll feel as good about yourself on your 20th anniversary as you will on your wedding day! Al Alexander and Bryan Ashbaugh have more than 45 years combined in the Diet & fitness industry.