This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.
It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassiu! m and ma gnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, 'eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Note: Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The 12 germiest places in your life
Soap up! - The 12 germiest places in your life
Sure, there are outbreaks of microbes and viruses across the country, but some of these germs are lurking where you least expect them. "Health" magazine senior editor Frances Largeman-Roth pinpoints the 12 germiest places you're likely to encounter during an average day and devises ways for you to keep clean. After all, the fight is in your hands. Literally. Eighty percent of infections are spread through hand contact. So wash up, people, and get ready to wage a bit of germ warfare of your own:
1. Your kitchen sink
Kitchen sinks are dirtier than most bathrooms. There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain alone. Plus your sponge, basin and faucet handles are crawling with bacteria as well.
Reduce the risk: Clean your kitchen counters and sink with an antibacterial product after preparing or cleansing food, especially raw fruits and vegetables, which carry lots of potential pathogens like salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli. Wash your hands as well with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds (long enough to sing "Happy Birthday"). Sanitize sponges by running them through the dishwasher's drying cycle, which will kill 99.9 percent of bacteria on them. As for the sink, clean it twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one quart of water. Scrub the basin, the pour solution down the drain.
2. Airplane bathrooms
It may not be a shock that there are a huge number of germs in most public bathrooms, but experts agree the cramped and overused ones on airplanes are the worst. There are often traces of E. coli or fecal bacteria on the faucets and door handles because it's hard to wash hands in the tiny sinks. And the volcanic flush of the commode tends to spew particles into the air, coating the floor and walls with whatever had been swirling around in it.
Reduce the risk: Toilet seats are surprisingly clean, but use the paper cover when available. After using the toilet, wash and dry your hands thoroughly, and use a paper towel to handle the toilet seat, lid, tap and doorknob. Put the lid down before you flush. If there's no lid, turn your back to the toilet while flushing and beat a hasty retreat.
3. A load of wet laundry
Any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you're getting E. coli on your hands. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the whole load and machine.
Reduce the risk: Run your washer at 150 degrees (you can check the temperature of your washing-machine water with a candy thermometer) and wash whites with bleach (not the color-safe type; it doesn't pack the same punch), which kills 99.9 percent of bugs. Transfer wet laundry to the dryer quickly so germs don't multiply, wash underwear separately (there's about a gram of feces in every pair of dirty underwear) and dry for at least 45 minutes. Wash your hands after laundering.
4. Public drinking fountains
Drinking fountains are bound to be germy, but school fountains are the worst, with anywhere from 62,000 to 2.7 million bacteria per square inch on the spigot.
Reduce the risk: Send your child to school with plenty of their own beverages and tell them to wash their hands throughout the day.
5. Shopping cart handles
Saliva, bacteria and fecal matter are just a few of the substances found on shopping cart handles. Cart handles rank high on the yuck scale because they're handled by dozens of people every day and, of course, raw food carries nasty pathogens.
Reduce the risk: Many stores have dispensers with disinfectant wipes near the carts. If your store doesn't, bring your own wipes and give the handle a quick swab. Or carry along a cart cover like the Grip-Guard or Healthy Handle.
6. ATM buttons
If you're not careful, you might pick up more than quick cash from your local ATM. These buttons have more gunk on them than most public-bathroom doorknobs! ATMs aren't frequently cleaned, and are regularly touched - a perfect combination for a lot of germs.
Reduce the risk: Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you and rub it on hands after visits. Also be sure to do it after you handle paper money, which actually carries quite a few germs, too.
7. Your handbag
Recent studies found that most women's purses had tens of thousands of bacteria on the bottom and a few were overrun with millions. Another study found bugs like pseudomonas (which can cause eye infections) and skin-infection-causing staphylococcus bacteria, as well as salmonella and E. coli.
Reduce the risk: Instead of slinging your bag on the floor, hang it on a hook whenever possible - especially in public bathrooms - and keep your bag off the kitchen counter. Stick with leather or vinyl purses, which are typically cleaner than cloth.
8. Playgrounds
There's just no way to put this delicately: Children tend to ooze bodily fluids and then spread them around. When researchers sampled playgrounds, they found blood, mucus, saliva and urine. Pair those findings with the fact that children put their fingers in their mouths and noses more than the rest of us, and it's easy to understand why Junior (and maybe his mom or dad) has the sniffles.
Reduce the risk: Carry alcohol wipes or hand-sanitizing gel in your purse, and clean everybody's hands a couple of times during a park visit, especially before snacking. Pick warm sunny days for outdoor play: The sun's ultraviolet light is actually a very effective disinfectant. Most bugs won't survive long on surfaces that are hot and dry.
9. Mats and machines at health clubs
Antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus has been found on yoga mats and cardio and resistance machines. At high schools, antibiotic-resistant-staph infections have been transmitted through wrestling mats. The same thing could happen at health clubs.
Reduce the risk: Wipe down machines with antibacterial wipes before working out. Bring your own yoga mat or cover a loaner with your towel. Shower after a workout and soap up your skin to rinse off any bacteria you may have been exposed to, as thorough washing gets rid of antibiotic-resistant staph.
10. Your bathtub
Shocking, but true: The place you go to get clean is quite dirty. A recent study found staphylococcus bacteria, a common cause of serious skin infections, in 26 percent of the tubs tested, as compared with just 6 percent of garbage cans. Tubs typically had more than 100,000 bacteria per square inch! You're washing germs and viruses off your body and the tub is a fairly moist environment, so bacteria can grow.
Reduce the risk: Once a week, apply a disinfecting cleaner to the tub and actually scrub. Then you need to wash the germs down the drain with water and dry the tub with a clean towel. If you leave the tub wet, germs are more likely to survive. If someone who uses the tub has a skin infection, scrub it afterward with a solution of two tablespoons bleach in one quart of water.
11. Your office phone
This is enough to make you dial 911: Office phones often have more than 25,000 germs per square inch, and your desk, computer keyboard and mouse aren't far behind. Phones, including cell phones, can be pretty gross because they get coated with germs from your mouth and hands.
Reduce the risk: Simply cleaning your desk, phone and keyboard with a disinfecting wipe once in the middle of the day will kill 99.99 percent of the bacteria and viruses.
12. The hotel-room remote control (and yes, specially in a cruise ship)
What's the first thing you do when you settle in at a hotel? You grab the remote control and switch on the TV - you, and the hundreds of other guests who've stayed there. How dirty is it? A recent study tested various surfaces for the cold virus after a group of sick people had stayed overnight and found the virus on the remote, door handles, light switches, pens and faucet handles.
Reduce the risk: Clean the remote control, phone, clock radio, door handles and light switches with germicidal wipes.
Sure, there are outbreaks of microbes and viruses across the country, but some of these germs are lurking where you least expect them. "Health" magazine senior editor Frances Largeman-Roth pinpoints the 12 germiest places you're likely to encounter during an average day and devises ways for you to keep clean. After all, the fight is in your hands. Literally. Eighty percent of infections are spread through hand contact. So wash up, people, and get ready to wage a bit of germ warfare of your own:
1. Your kitchen sink
Kitchen sinks are dirtier than most bathrooms. There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain alone. Plus your sponge, basin and faucet handles are crawling with bacteria as well.
Reduce the risk: Clean your kitchen counters and sink with an antibacterial product after preparing or cleansing food, especially raw fruits and vegetables, which carry lots of potential pathogens like salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli. Wash your hands as well with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds (long enough to sing "Happy Birthday"). Sanitize sponges by running them through the dishwasher's drying cycle, which will kill 99.9 percent of bacteria on them. As for the sink, clean it twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one quart of water. Scrub the basin, the pour solution down the drain.
2. Airplane bathrooms
It may not be a shock that there are a huge number of germs in most public bathrooms, but experts agree the cramped and overused ones on airplanes are the worst. There are often traces of E. coli or fecal bacteria on the faucets and door handles because it's hard to wash hands in the tiny sinks. And the volcanic flush of the commode tends to spew particles into the air, coating the floor and walls with whatever had been swirling around in it.
Reduce the risk: Toilet seats are surprisingly clean, but use the paper cover when available. After using the toilet, wash and dry your hands thoroughly, and use a paper towel to handle the toilet seat, lid, tap and doorknob. Put the lid down before you flush. If there's no lid, turn your back to the toilet while flushing and beat a hasty retreat.
3. A load of wet laundry
Any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you're getting E. coli on your hands. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the whole load and machine.
Reduce the risk: Run your washer at 150 degrees (you can check the temperature of your washing-machine water with a candy thermometer) and wash whites with bleach (not the color-safe type; it doesn't pack the same punch), which kills 99.9 percent of bugs. Transfer wet laundry to the dryer quickly so germs don't multiply, wash underwear separately (there's about a gram of feces in every pair of dirty underwear) and dry for at least 45 minutes. Wash your hands after laundering.
4. Public drinking fountains
Drinking fountains are bound to be germy, but school fountains are the worst, with anywhere from 62,000 to 2.7 million bacteria per square inch on the spigot.
Reduce the risk: Send your child to school with plenty of their own beverages and tell them to wash their hands throughout the day.
5. Shopping cart handles
Saliva, bacteria and fecal matter are just a few of the substances found on shopping cart handles. Cart handles rank high on the yuck scale because they're handled by dozens of people every day and, of course, raw food carries nasty pathogens.
Reduce the risk: Many stores have dispensers with disinfectant wipes near the carts. If your store doesn't, bring your own wipes and give the handle a quick swab. Or carry along a cart cover like the Grip-Guard or Healthy Handle.
6. ATM buttons
If you're not careful, you might pick up more than quick cash from your local ATM. These buttons have more gunk on them than most public-bathroom doorknobs! ATMs aren't frequently cleaned, and are regularly touched - a perfect combination for a lot of germs.
Reduce the risk: Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you and rub it on hands after visits. Also be sure to do it after you handle paper money, which actually carries quite a few germs, too.
7. Your handbag
Recent studies found that most women's purses had tens of thousands of bacteria on the bottom and a few were overrun with millions. Another study found bugs like pseudomonas (which can cause eye infections) and skin-infection-causing staphylococcus bacteria, as well as salmonella and E. coli.
Reduce the risk: Instead of slinging your bag on the floor, hang it on a hook whenever possible - especially in public bathrooms - and keep your bag off the kitchen counter. Stick with leather or vinyl purses, which are typically cleaner than cloth.
8. Playgrounds
There's just no way to put this delicately: Children tend to ooze bodily fluids and then spread them around. When researchers sampled playgrounds, they found blood, mucus, saliva and urine. Pair those findings with the fact that children put their fingers in their mouths and noses more than the rest of us, and it's easy to understand why Junior (and maybe his mom or dad) has the sniffles.
Reduce the risk: Carry alcohol wipes or hand-sanitizing gel in your purse, and clean everybody's hands a couple of times during a park visit, especially before snacking. Pick warm sunny days for outdoor play: The sun's ultraviolet light is actually a very effective disinfectant. Most bugs won't survive long on surfaces that are hot and dry.
9. Mats and machines at health clubs
Antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus has been found on yoga mats and cardio and resistance machines. At high schools, antibiotic-resistant-staph infections have been transmitted through wrestling mats. The same thing could happen at health clubs.
Reduce the risk: Wipe down machines with antibacterial wipes before working out. Bring your own yoga mat or cover a loaner with your towel. Shower after a workout and soap up your skin to rinse off any bacteria you may have been exposed to, as thorough washing gets rid of antibiotic-resistant staph.
10. Your bathtub
Shocking, but true: The place you go to get clean is quite dirty. A recent study found staphylococcus bacteria, a common cause of serious skin infections, in 26 percent of the tubs tested, as compared with just 6 percent of garbage cans. Tubs typically had more than 100,000 bacteria per square inch! You're washing germs and viruses off your body and the tub is a fairly moist environment, so bacteria can grow.
Reduce the risk: Once a week, apply a disinfecting cleaner to the tub and actually scrub. Then you need to wash the germs down the drain with water and dry the tub with a clean towel. If you leave the tub wet, germs are more likely to survive. If someone who uses the tub has a skin infection, scrub it afterward with a solution of two tablespoons bleach in one quart of water.
11. Your office phone
This is enough to make you dial 911: Office phones often have more than 25,000 germs per square inch, and your desk, computer keyboard and mouse aren't far behind. Phones, including cell phones, can be pretty gross because they get coated with germs from your mouth and hands.
Reduce the risk: Simply cleaning your desk, phone and keyboard with a disinfecting wipe once in the middle of the day will kill 99.99 percent of the bacteria and viruses.
12. The hotel-room remote control (and yes, specially in a cruise ship)
What's the first thing you do when you settle in at a hotel? You grab the remote control and switch on the TV - you, and the hundreds of other guests who've stayed there. How dirty is it? A recent study tested various surfaces for the cold virus after a group of sick people had stayed overnight and found the virus on the remote, door handles, light switches, pens and faucet handles.
Reduce the risk: Clean the remote control, phone, clock radio, door handles and light switches with germicidal wipes.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Water on an empty stomach
It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhoea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.
METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.
The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure main deseases:
1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days
2. Gastric - 10 days
3. Diabetes - 30 days
4. Constipation - 10 days
5. Cancer - 180 days
6. TB - 90 days
Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment for only 3 days. In the 1st week to be followed by daily treatment. This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhoea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.
METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.
The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure main deseases:
1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days
2. Gastric - 10 days
3. Diabetes - 30 days
4. Constipation - 10 days
5. Cancer - 180 days
6. TB - 90 days
Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment for only 3 days. In the 1st week to be followed by daily treatment. This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin coconut oil really is a wonder food, preventing obesity in people and preventing some cancers. This is a good report that should be made known to more people.
Coconut eating nations should be proud of this fruit. In the Philippines, the coconut tree is considered and called "Tree of Life". Not only is the coconut a wondrous meal in itself, it's tree trunk are used by Filipinos as lumber for their houses, it's roots & bark for handicrafts, it's trunk's heart as a delicacy and the leaves provide shelter as roofing to houses and many types of handicrafts sold even internationally.
COCONUT OIL
by Raymond Peat, Ph.D.
I have already discussed the many toxic effects of the unsaturated oils, and I have frequently mentioned that coconut oil doesn't have those toxic effects, though it does contain a small amount of the unsaturated oils. Many people have asked me to write omething on coconut oil. I thought I might write a small book on it, but I realize that there are no suitable channels for distributing such a book--if the seed-oil industry can eliminate major corporate food products that have used coconut oil for a hundred years, they certainly have the power to prevent dealers from selling a book that would affect their market more seriously.
For the present, I will just outline some of the virtues of coconut oil.
The unsaturated oils in some cooked foods become rancid in just a few hours, even at refrigerator temperatures, and are responsible for the stale taste of left-over foods. (Eating slightly stale food isn't particularly harmful, since the same oils, even when eaten absolutely fresh, will oxidize at a much higher rate once they are in the body, where they are heated and thoroughly mixed with an abundance of oxygen.) Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested for rancidity, and showed no evidence of it. Since we would expect the small percentage of unsaturated oils naturally contained in coconut oil to become rancid, it seems that the other (saturated) oils have an antioxidative effect: I suspect that the dilution keeps the unstable unsaturated fat molecules spatially separated from each other, so they can't interact in the destructive chain reactions that occur in other oils.To interrupt chain-reactions of oxidation is one of the functions of antioxidants, and it is possible that a sufficient quantity of coconut oil in the body has this function. It is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that,and that it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities.
Coconut oil is unusually rich in short and medium chain fatty acids. Shorter chain length allows fatty acids to be metabolized without use of the carnitine transport system. Mildronate, which I discussed in an article on adaptogens, protects cells against stress partly by opposing the action of carnitine, and comparative studies showed that added carnitine had the opposite effect, promoting the oxidation of unsaturated fats during stress, and increasing oxidative damage to cells.I suspect that a degree of saturation of the oxidative apparatus by short-chain fatty acids has a similar effect--that is, that these very soluble and mobile short-chain saturated fats have priority for oxidation, because they don't require carnitine transport into the mitochondrion, and that this will tend to inhibit oxidation of the unstable, peroxidizable unsaturated fatty acids.
When Albert Schweitzer operated his clinic in tropical Africa, he said it was many years before he saw any cases of cancer, and he believed that the appearance of cancer was caused by the change to the European type of diet. In the l920s, German researchers showed that mice on a fat-free diet were practically free of cancer. Since then, many studies have demonstrated a very close association between consumption of unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer.
Heart damage is easily produced in animals by feeding them linoleic acid; this "essential" fatty acid turned out to be the heart toxin in rape-seed oil. The addition of saturated fat to the experimental heart-toxic oil-rich diet protects against the damage to heart cells.
Immunosuppression was observed in patients who were being "nourished" by intravenous emulsions of "essential fatty acids," and as a result coconut oil is used as the basis for intravenous fat feeding, except in organ-transplant patients. For those patients, emulsions of unsaturated oils are used specifically for their immunosuppressive effects.
General aging, and especially aging of the brain, is increasingly seen as being closely associated with lipid peroxidation.
Several years ago I met an old couple, who were only a few years apart in age, but the wife looked many years younger than her doddering old husband. She was from the Philippines, and she remarked that she always had to cook two meals at the same time, because her husband couldn't adapt to her traditional food. Three times every day, she still prepared her food in coconut oil. Her apparent youth increased my interest in the effects of coconut oil.
In the l960s, Hartroft and Porta gave an elegant argument for decreasing the ratio of unsaturated oil to saturated oil in the diet (and thus in the tissues). They showed that the "age pigment" is produced in proportion to the ratio of oxidants to antioxidants, multiplied by the ratio of unsaturated oils to saturated oils. More recently, a variety of studies have demonstrated that ultraviolet light induces peroxidation in unsaturated fats, but not saturated fats, and that this occurs in the skin as well as in vitro. Rabbit experiments, and studies of humans, showed that the amount of unsaturated oil in the diet strongly affects the rate at which aged, wrinkled skin develops. The unsaturated fat in the skin is a major target for the aging and carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet light, though not necessarily the only one.
In the l940s, farmers attempted to use cheap coconut oil for fattening their animals, but they found that it made them lean, active and hungry.For a few years, an antithyroid drug was found to make the livestock get fat while eating less food, but then it was found to be a strong carcinogen, and it also probably produced hypothyroidism in the people who ate the meat. By the late l940s, it was found that the same antithyroid effect, causing animals to get fat without eating much food, could be achieved by using soy beans and corn as feed.
Later, an animal experiment fed diets that were low or high in total fat, and in different groups the fat was provided by pure coconut oil, or a pure unsaturated oil, or by various mixtures of the two oils. At the end of their lives, the animals' obesity increased directly in proportion to the ratio of unsaturated oil to coconut oil in their diet, and was not related to the total amount of fat they had consumed. That is, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat, and animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean.
In the l930s, animals on a diet lacking the unsaturated fatty acids were found to be "hypermetabolic." Eating a "normal" diet, these animals were malnourished, and their skin condition was said to be caused by a "deficiency of essential fatty acids." But other researchers who were studying vitamin B6 recognized the condition as a deficiency of that vitamin. They were able to cause the condition by feeding a fat-free diet, and to cure the condition by feeding a single B vitamin. The hypermetabolic animals simply needed a better diet than the "normal," fat-fed, cancer-prone animals did.
G. W. Crile and his wife found that the metabolic rate of people in Yucatan, where coconut is a staple food, averaged 25% higher than that of people in the United States. In a hot climate, the adaptive tendency is to have a lower metabolic rate, so it is clear that some factor is more than offsetting this expected effect of high environmental temperatures. The people there are lean, and recently it has been observed that the women there have none of the symptoms we commonly associate with the menopause.
By l950, then, it was established that unsaturated fats suppress the metabolic rate,apparently creating hypothyroidism. Over the next few decades, the exact mechanisms of that metabolic damage were studied. Unsaturated fats damage the mitochondria, partly by suppressing the repiratory enzyme, and partly by causing generalized oxidative damage. The more unsaturated the oils are, the more specifically they suppress tissue response to thyroid hormone, and transport of the hormone on the thyroid transport protein.
Plants evolved a variety of toxins designed to protect themselves from "predators," such as grazing animals. Seeds contain a variety of toxins, that seem to be specific for mammalian enzymes, and the seed oils themselves function to block proteolytic digestive enzymes in the stomach.The thyroid hormone is formed in the gland by the action of a proteolytic enzyme, and the unsaturated oils also inhibit that enzyme. Similar proteolytic enzymes involved in clot removal and phagocytosis appear to be similarly inhibited by these oils.
Just as metabolism is "activated" by consumption of coconut oil, which prevents the inhibiting effect of unsaturated oils, other inhibited processes, such as clot removal and phagocytosis, will probably tend to be restored by continuing use of coconut oil.
Brain tissue is very rich in complex forms of fats.The experiment (around 1978) in which pregnant mice were given diets containing either coconut oil or unsaturated oil showed that brain development was superior in the young mice whose mothers ate coconut oil. Because coconut oil supports thyroid function, and thyroid governs brain development, including myelination, the result might simply reflect the difference between normal and hypothyroid individuals. However, in 1980, experimenters demonstrated that young rats fed milk containing soy oil incorporated the oil directly into their brain cells, and had structurally abnormal brain cells as a result.
Lipid peroxidation occurs during seizures, and antioxidants such as vitamin E have some anti-seizure activity. Currently, lipid peroxidation is being found to be involved in the nerve cell degeneration of Alzheimer's disease.
Various fractions of coconut oil are coming into use as "drugs," meaning that they are advertised as treatments for diseases. Butyric acid is used to treat cancer, lauric and myristic acids to treat virus infections, and mixtures of medium-chain fats are sold for weight loss. Purification undoubtedly increases certain effects, and results in profitable products, but in the absence of more precise knowledge, I think the whole natural product, used as a regular food, is the best way to protect health. The shorter-chain fatty acids have strong,unpleasant odors; for a couple of days after I ate a small amount of a medium-chain triglyceride mixture,my skin oil emitted a rank, goaty smell. Some people don't seem to have that reaction, and the benefits might outweigh the stink, but these things just haven't been in use long enough to know whether they are safe.
We have to remember that the arguments made for aspartame, monosodium glutamate, aspartic acid, and tryptophan--that they are like the amino acids that make up natural proteins--are dangerously false. In the case of amino acids, balance is everything. Aspartic and glutamic acids promote seizures and cause brain damage, and are intimately involved in the process of stress-induced brain aging,and tryptophan by itself is carcinogenic. Treating any complex natural product as the drug industry does, as a raw material to be fractionated in the search for "drug" products, is risky, because the relevant knowledge isn't sought in the search for an association between a single chemical and a single disease.
While the toxic unsaturated paint-stock oils, especially safflower, soy, corn and linseed (flaxseed) oils, have been sold to the public precisely for their drug effects, all of their claimed benefits were false. When people become interested in coconut oil as a "health food," the huge seed-oil industry--operating through their shills--are going to attack it as an "unproved drug."
While components of coconut oil have been found to have remarkable physiological effects (as antihistamines, antiinfectives/antiseptics, promoters of immunity, glucocorticoid antagonist, nontoxic anticancer agents, for example), I think it is important to avoid making any such claims for the natural coconut oil, because it very easily could be banned from the import market as a "new drug" which isn't "approved by the FDA." We have already seen how money and propaganda from the soy oil industry eliminated long-established products from the U.S. market. I saw people lose weight stably when they had the habit of eating large amounts of tortilla chips fried in coconut oil, but those chips disappeared when their producers were pressured into switching to other oils, in spite of the short shelf life that resulted in the need to add large amounts of preservatives. Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, potato chip producers, and movie theater popcorn makers have experienced similar pressures.
The cholesterol-lowering fiasco for a long time centered on the ability of unsaturated oils to slightly lower serum cholesterol. For years, the mechanism of that action wasn't known, which should have suggested caution. Now, it seems that the effect is just one more toxic action, in which the liver defensively retains its cholesterol, rather than releasing it into the blood. Large scale human studies have provided overwhelming evidence that whenever drugs, including the unsaturated oils, were used to lower serum cholesterol, mortality increased, from a variety of causes including accidents, but mainly from cancer.
Since the l930s, it has been clearly established that suppression of the thyroid raises serum cholesterol (while increasing mortality from infections, cancer, and heart disease), while restoring the thyroid hormone brings cholesterol down to normal. In this situation, however, thyroid isn't suppressing the synthesis of cholesterol, but rather is promoting its use to form hormones and bile salts. When the thyroid is functioning properly, the amount of cholesterol in the blood entering the ovary governs the amount of progesterone being produced by the ovary, and the same situation exists in all steroid-forming tissues, such as the adrenal glands and the brain. Progesterone and its precursor, pregnenolone, have a generalized protective function: antioxidant, anti-seizure, antitoxin, anti-spasm, anti-clot, anti-cancer, pro-memory, pro-myelination, pro-attention, etc. Any interference with the formation of cholesterol will interfere with all of these exceedingly important protective functions.
As far as the evidence goes, it suggests that coconut oil, added regularly to a balanced diet, lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion into pregnenolone. (The coconut family contains steroids that resemble pregnenolone, but these are probably mostly removed when the fresh oil is washed with water to remove the enzymes which would digest the oil.) Coconut-eating cultures in the tropics have consistently lower cholesterol than people in the U.S. Everyone that I know who uses coconut oil regularly happens to have cholesterol levels of about 160, while eating mainly cholesterol rich foods (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, shellfish). I
encourage people to eat sweet fruits, rather than starches, if they want to increase their production of cholesterol, since fructose has that effect.
Many people see coconut oil in its hard, white state, and--as a result of their training watching television or going to medical school--associate it with the cholesterol-rich plaques in blood vessels. Those lesions in blood vessels are caused mostly by lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fats, and relate to stress, because adrenalineliberates fats from storage, and the lining of blood vessels is exposed to high concentrations of the blood-borne material. In the body, incidentally, the oil can't exist as a solid, since it liquefies at 76 degrees. (Incidentally, the viscosity of complex materials isn't a simple matter of averaging the viscosity of its component materials; cholesterol and saturated fats sometimes lower the viscosity of cell components.)
Most of the images and metaphors relating to coconut oil and cholesterol that circulate in our culture are false and misleading. I offer a counter-image, which is metaphorical, but it is true in that it relates to lipid peroxidation, which is profoundly important in our bodies. After a bottle of safflower oil has been opened a few times, a few drops that get smeared onto the outside of the bottle begin to get very sticky, and hard to wash off. This property is why it is a valued base for paints and varnishes, but this varnish is chemically closely related to the age pigment that forms "liver spots" on the skin, and similar lesions in the brain, heart, blood vessels, lenses of the eyes, etc. The image of "hard, white saturated coconut oil" isn't relevant to the oil's biological action, but the image of "sticky varnish-like easily oxidized unsaturated seed oils" is highly relevant to their toxicity.
The ability of some of the medium chainsaturated fatty acids to inhibit the liver's formation of fat very likely synergizes with the pro-thyroid effect, in allowing energy to be used, rather than stored. When fat isn't formed from carbohydrate, the sugar is available for use, or for storage as glycogen. Therefore, shifting from unsaturated fats in foods to coconut oil involves several anti-stress processes, reducing our need for the adrenal hormones. Decreased blood sugar is a basic signal for the release of adrenal hormones. Unsaturated oil tends to lower the blood sugar in at least three basic ways. It damages mitochondria, causing respiration to be uncoupled from energy production, meaning that fuel is burned without useful effect. It suppresses the activity of the respiratory enzyme (directly, and through its anti-thyroid actions), decreasing the respiratory production of energy. And it tends to direct carbohydrate into fat production, making both stress and obesity more probable. For those of us who use coconut oil consistently, one of the most noticeable changes is the ability to go for several hours without eating, and to feel hungry without having symptoms of hypoglycemia.
One of the stylish ways to promote the use of unsaturated oils is to refer to their presence in "cell membranes," and to claim that they are essential for maintaining "membrane fluidity." As I have mentioned above, it is the ability of the unsaturated fats, and their breakdown products, to interfere with enzymes and transport proteins, which accounts for many of their toxic effects, so they definitely don't just harmlessly form "membranes." They probably bind to all proteins, and disrupt some of them, but for some reason their affinity for proteolytic and respiration-related enzymes is particularly obvious. (I think the chemistry of this association is going to give us some important insights into the nature of organisms.
Metchnikof's model that I have discussed elsewhere might give us a picture of how those factors relate in growth, physiology, and aging.) Unsaturated fats are slightly more water-soluble than fully saturated fats, and so they do have a greater tendency to concentrate at interfaces between water and fats or proteins, but there are relatively few places where these interfaces can be usefully and harmlessly occupied by unsaturated fats, and at a certain point, an excess becomes harmful. We don't want "membranes" forming where there shouldn't be membranes. The fluidity or viscosity of cell surfaces is an extremely complex subject, and the degree of viscosity has to be appropriate for the function of the cell. Interestingly, in some cells, such as the cells that line the air sacs of the lungs, cholesterol and one of the saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil can increase the fluidity of the cell surface.
In many cases, stressful conditions create structural disorder in cells. These influences have been called "chaotropic," or chaos-producing.In red blood cells, which have sometimes been wrongly described as "hemoglobin enclosed in a cell membrane," it has been known for a long time that lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fats weakens the cellular structure, causing the cells to be destroyed prematurely. Lipid peroxidation products are known to be "chaotropic," lowering the rigidity of regions of cells considered to be membranes. But the red blood cell is actually more like a sponge in structure, consisting of a "skeleton" of proteins, which (if not damaged by oxidation) can hold its shape, even when the hemoglobin has been removed. Oxidants damage the protein structure, and it is this structural damage which in turn increases the "fluidity" of the associated fats.
So, it is probably true that in many cases the liquid unsaturated oils do increase "membrane fluidity," but it is now clear that in at least some of those cases the "fluidity" corresponds to the chaos of a damaged cell protein structure. (N. V. Gorbunov, "Effect of structural modification of membrane proteins on lipid-protein interactions in the human erythrocyte membrane," Bull. Exp. Biol. & Med. 116(11), 1364-67. 1993.
Although I had stopped using the unsaturated seed oils years ago, and supposed that I wasn't heavily saturated with toxic unsaturated fat, when I first used coconut oil I saw an immediate response, that convinced me my metabolism was chronically inhibited by something that was easily alleviated by "dilution" or molecular competition. I had put a tablespoonful of coconut oil on some rice I had for supper, and half an hour later while I was reading, I noticed I was breathing more deeply than normal. I saw that my skin was pink, and I found that my pulse was faster than normal--about 98, I think. After an hour or two, my pulse and breathing returned to normal. Every day for a couple of weeks I noticed the same response while I was digesting a small amount of coconut oil, but gradually it didn't happen any more, and I increased my daily consumption of the oil to about an ounce. I kept eating the same foods as before (including a quart of ice cream every day), except that I added about 200 or 250 calories per day as coconut oil.Apparently the metabolic surges that happened at first were an indication that my body was compensating for an anti-thyroid substance by producing more thyroid hormone; when the coconut oil relieved the inhibition, I experienced a moment of slight hyperthyroidism, but after a time the inhibitor became less effective, and my body adjusted by producing slightly less thyroid hormone. But over the next few months, I saw that my weight was slowly and consistently decreasing. It had been steady at 185 pounds for 25 years, but over a period of six months it dropped to about 175 pounds. I found that eating more coconut oil lowered my weight another few pounds, and eating less caused it to increase.
The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear in all of the animal studies, and in my friendsd who eat it regularly. It is now hard to get it in health food stores, since Hain stopped selling it. The Spectrum product looks and feels a little different to me, and I suppose the particular type of tree, region, and method of preparation can account for variations in the consistency and composition of the product. The unmodified natural oil is called "76 degree melt," since that is its natural melting temperature. One bottle from a health food store was labeled "natural coconut oil, 92% unsaturated oil," and it had the greasy consistency of old lard.I suspect that someone had confused palm oil (or something worse) with coconut oil, because it should be about 96% saturated fatty acids.
Raymond Peat, Ph.D.
Coconut eating nations should be proud of this fruit. In the Philippines, the coconut tree is considered and called "Tree of Life". Not only is the coconut a wondrous meal in itself, it's tree trunk are used by Filipinos as lumber for their houses, it's roots & bark for handicrafts, it's trunk's heart as a delicacy and the leaves provide shelter as roofing to houses and many types of handicrafts sold even internationally.
COCONUT OIL
by Raymond Peat, Ph.D.
I have already discussed the many toxic effects of the unsaturated oils, and I have frequently mentioned that coconut oil doesn't have those toxic effects, though it does contain a small amount of the unsaturated oils. Many people have asked me to write omething on coconut oil. I thought I might write a small book on it, but I realize that there are no suitable channels for distributing such a book--if the seed-oil industry can eliminate major corporate food products that have used coconut oil for a hundred years, they certainly have the power to prevent dealers from selling a book that would affect their market more seriously.
For the present, I will just outline some of the virtues of coconut oil.
The unsaturated oils in some cooked foods become rancid in just a few hours, even at refrigerator temperatures, and are responsible for the stale taste of left-over foods. (Eating slightly stale food isn't particularly harmful, since the same oils, even when eaten absolutely fresh, will oxidize at a much higher rate once they are in the body, where they are heated and thoroughly mixed with an abundance of oxygen.) Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested for rancidity, and showed no evidence of it. Since we would expect the small percentage of unsaturated oils naturally contained in coconut oil to become rancid, it seems that the other (saturated) oils have an antioxidative effect: I suspect that the dilution keeps the unstable unsaturated fat molecules spatially separated from each other, so they can't interact in the destructive chain reactions that occur in other oils.To interrupt chain-reactions of oxidation is one of the functions of antioxidants, and it is possible that a sufficient quantity of coconut oil in the body has this function. It is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that,and that it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities.
Coconut oil is unusually rich in short and medium chain fatty acids. Shorter chain length allows fatty acids to be metabolized without use of the carnitine transport system. Mildronate, which I discussed in an article on adaptogens, protects cells against stress partly by opposing the action of carnitine, and comparative studies showed that added carnitine had the opposite effect, promoting the oxidation of unsaturated fats during stress, and increasing oxidative damage to cells.I suspect that a degree of saturation of the oxidative apparatus by short-chain fatty acids has a similar effect--that is, that these very soluble and mobile short-chain saturated fats have priority for oxidation, because they don't require carnitine transport into the mitochondrion, and that this will tend to inhibit oxidation of the unstable, peroxidizable unsaturated fatty acids.
When Albert Schweitzer operated his clinic in tropical Africa, he said it was many years before he saw any cases of cancer, and he believed that the appearance of cancer was caused by the change to the European type of diet. In the l920s, German researchers showed that mice on a fat-free diet were practically free of cancer. Since then, many studies have demonstrated a very close association between consumption of unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer.
Heart damage is easily produced in animals by feeding them linoleic acid; this "essential" fatty acid turned out to be the heart toxin in rape-seed oil. The addition of saturated fat to the experimental heart-toxic oil-rich diet protects against the damage to heart cells.
Immunosuppression was observed in patients who were being "nourished" by intravenous emulsions of "essential fatty acids," and as a result coconut oil is used as the basis for intravenous fat feeding, except in organ-transplant patients. For those patients, emulsions of unsaturated oils are used specifically for their immunosuppressive effects.
General aging, and especially aging of the brain, is increasingly seen as being closely associated with lipid peroxidation.
Several years ago I met an old couple, who were only a few years apart in age, but the wife looked many years younger than her doddering old husband. She was from the Philippines, and she remarked that she always had to cook two meals at the same time, because her husband couldn't adapt to her traditional food. Three times every day, she still prepared her food in coconut oil. Her apparent youth increased my interest in the effects of coconut oil.
In the l960s, Hartroft and Porta gave an elegant argument for decreasing the ratio of unsaturated oil to saturated oil in the diet (and thus in the tissues). They showed that the "age pigment" is produced in proportion to the ratio of oxidants to antioxidants, multiplied by the ratio of unsaturated oils to saturated oils. More recently, a variety of studies have demonstrated that ultraviolet light induces peroxidation in unsaturated fats, but not saturated fats, and that this occurs in the skin as well as in vitro. Rabbit experiments, and studies of humans, showed that the amount of unsaturated oil in the diet strongly affects the rate at which aged, wrinkled skin develops. The unsaturated fat in the skin is a major target for the aging and carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet light, though not necessarily the only one.
In the l940s, farmers attempted to use cheap coconut oil for fattening their animals, but they found that it made them lean, active and hungry.For a few years, an antithyroid drug was found to make the livestock get fat while eating less food, but then it was found to be a strong carcinogen, and it also probably produced hypothyroidism in the people who ate the meat. By the late l940s, it was found that the same antithyroid effect, causing animals to get fat without eating much food, could be achieved by using soy beans and corn as feed.
Later, an animal experiment fed diets that were low or high in total fat, and in different groups the fat was provided by pure coconut oil, or a pure unsaturated oil, or by various mixtures of the two oils. At the end of their lives, the animals' obesity increased directly in proportion to the ratio of unsaturated oil to coconut oil in their diet, and was not related to the total amount of fat they had consumed. That is, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat, and animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean.
In the l930s, animals on a diet lacking the unsaturated fatty acids were found to be "hypermetabolic." Eating a "normal" diet, these animals were malnourished, and their skin condition was said to be caused by a "deficiency of essential fatty acids." But other researchers who were studying vitamin B6 recognized the condition as a deficiency of that vitamin. They were able to cause the condition by feeding a fat-free diet, and to cure the condition by feeding a single B vitamin. The hypermetabolic animals simply needed a better diet than the "normal," fat-fed, cancer-prone animals did.
G. W. Crile and his wife found that the metabolic rate of people in Yucatan, where coconut is a staple food, averaged 25% higher than that of people in the United States. In a hot climate, the adaptive tendency is to have a lower metabolic rate, so it is clear that some factor is more than offsetting this expected effect of high environmental temperatures. The people there are lean, and recently it has been observed that the women there have none of the symptoms we commonly associate with the menopause.
By l950, then, it was established that unsaturated fats suppress the metabolic rate,apparently creating hypothyroidism. Over the next few decades, the exact mechanisms of that metabolic damage were studied. Unsaturated fats damage the mitochondria, partly by suppressing the repiratory enzyme, and partly by causing generalized oxidative damage. The more unsaturated the oils are, the more specifically they suppress tissue response to thyroid hormone, and transport of the hormone on the thyroid transport protein.
Plants evolved a variety of toxins designed to protect themselves from "predators," such as grazing animals. Seeds contain a variety of toxins, that seem to be specific for mammalian enzymes, and the seed oils themselves function to block proteolytic digestive enzymes in the stomach.The thyroid hormone is formed in the gland by the action of a proteolytic enzyme, and the unsaturated oils also inhibit that enzyme. Similar proteolytic enzymes involved in clot removal and phagocytosis appear to be similarly inhibited by these oils.
Just as metabolism is "activated" by consumption of coconut oil, which prevents the inhibiting effect of unsaturated oils, other inhibited processes, such as clot removal and phagocytosis, will probably tend to be restored by continuing use of coconut oil.
Brain tissue is very rich in complex forms of fats.The experiment (around 1978) in which pregnant mice were given diets containing either coconut oil or unsaturated oil showed that brain development was superior in the young mice whose mothers ate coconut oil. Because coconut oil supports thyroid function, and thyroid governs brain development, including myelination, the result might simply reflect the difference between normal and hypothyroid individuals. However, in 1980, experimenters demonstrated that young rats fed milk containing soy oil incorporated the oil directly into their brain cells, and had structurally abnormal brain cells as a result.
Lipid peroxidation occurs during seizures, and antioxidants such as vitamin E have some anti-seizure activity. Currently, lipid peroxidation is being found to be involved in the nerve cell degeneration of Alzheimer's disease.
Various fractions of coconut oil are coming into use as "drugs," meaning that they are advertised as treatments for diseases. Butyric acid is used to treat cancer, lauric and myristic acids to treat virus infections, and mixtures of medium-chain fats are sold for weight loss. Purification undoubtedly increases certain effects, and results in profitable products, but in the absence of more precise knowledge, I think the whole natural product, used as a regular food, is the best way to protect health. The shorter-chain fatty acids have strong,unpleasant odors; for a couple of days after I ate a small amount of a medium-chain triglyceride mixture,my skin oil emitted a rank, goaty smell. Some people don't seem to have that reaction, and the benefits might outweigh the stink, but these things just haven't been in use long enough to know whether they are safe.
We have to remember that the arguments made for aspartame, monosodium glutamate, aspartic acid, and tryptophan--that they are like the amino acids that make up natural proteins--are dangerously false. In the case of amino acids, balance is everything. Aspartic and glutamic acids promote seizures and cause brain damage, and are intimately involved in the process of stress-induced brain aging,and tryptophan by itself is carcinogenic. Treating any complex natural product as the drug industry does, as a raw material to be fractionated in the search for "drug" products, is risky, because the relevant knowledge isn't sought in the search for an association between a single chemical and a single disease.
While the toxic unsaturated paint-stock oils, especially safflower, soy, corn and linseed (flaxseed) oils, have been sold to the public precisely for their drug effects, all of their claimed benefits were false. When people become interested in coconut oil as a "health food," the huge seed-oil industry--operating through their shills--are going to attack it as an "unproved drug."
While components of coconut oil have been found to have remarkable physiological effects (as antihistamines, antiinfectives/antiseptics, promoters of immunity, glucocorticoid antagonist, nontoxic anticancer agents, for example), I think it is important to avoid making any such claims for the natural coconut oil, because it very easily could be banned from the import market as a "new drug" which isn't "approved by the FDA." We have already seen how money and propaganda from the soy oil industry eliminated long-established products from the U.S. market. I saw people lose weight stably when they had the habit of eating large amounts of tortilla chips fried in coconut oil, but those chips disappeared when their producers were pressured into switching to other oils, in spite of the short shelf life that resulted in the need to add large amounts of preservatives. Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, potato chip producers, and movie theater popcorn makers have experienced similar pressures.
The cholesterol-lowering fiasco for a long time centered on the ability of unsaturated oils to slightly lower serum cholesterol. For years, the mechanism of that action wasn't known, which should have suggested caution. Now, it seems that the effect is just one more toxic action, in which the liver defensively retains its cholesterol, rather than releasing it into the blood. Large scale human studies have provided overwhelming evidence that whenever drugs, including the unsaturated oils, were used to lower serum cholesterol, mortality increased, from a variety of causes including accidents, but mainly from cancer.
Since the l930s, it has been clearly established that suppression of the thyroid raises serum cholesterol (while increasing mortality from infections, cancer, and heart disease), while restoring the thyroid hormone brings cholesterol down to normal. In this situation, however, thyroid isn't suppressing the synthesis of cholesterol, but rather is promoting its use to form hormones and bile salts. When the thyroid is functioning properly, the amount of cholesterol in the blood entering the ovary governs the amount of progesterone being produced by the ovary, and the same situation exists in all steroid-forming tissues, such as the adrenal glands and the brain. Progesterone and its precursor, pregnenolone, have a generalized protective function: antioxidant, anti-seizure, antitoxin, anti-spasm, anti-clot, anti-cancer, pro-memory, pro-myelination, pro-attention, etc. Any interference with the formation of cholesterol will interfere with all of these exceedingly important protective functions.
As far as the evidence goes, it suggests that coconut oil, added regularly to a balanced diet, lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion into pregnenolone. (The coconut family contains steroids that resemble pregnenolone, but these are probably mostly removed when the fresh oil is washed with water to remove the enzymes which would digest the oil.) Coconut-eating cultures in the tropics have consistently lower cholesterol than people in the U.S. Everyone that I know who uses coconut oil regularly happens to have cholesterol levels of about 160, while eating mainly cholesterol rich foods (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, shellfish). I
encourage people to eat sweet fruits, rather than starches, if they want to increase their production of cholesterol, since fructose has that effect.
Many people see coconut oil in its hard, white state, and--as a result of their training watching television or going to medical school--associate it with the cholesterol-rich plaques in blood vessels. Those lesions in blood vessels are caused mostly by lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fats, and relate to stress, because adrenalineliberates fats from storage, and the lining of blood vessels is exposed to high concentrations of the blood-borne material. In the body, incidentally, the oil can't exist as a solid, since it liquefies at 76 degrees. (Incidentally, the viscosity of complex materials isn't a simple matter of averaging the viscosity of its component materials; cholesterol and saturated fats sometimes lower the viscosity of cell components.)
Most of the images and metaphors relating to coconut oil and cholesterol that circulate in our culture are false and misleading. I offer a counter-image, which is metaphorical, but it is true in that it relates to lipid peroxidation, which is profoundly important in our bodies. After a bottle of safflower oil has been opened a few times, a few drops that get smeared onto the outside of the bottle begin to get very sticky, and hard to wash off. This property is why it is a valued base for paints and varnishes, but this varnish is chemically closely related to the age pigment that forms "liver spots" on the skin, and similar lesions in the brain, heart, blood vessels, lenses of the eyes, etc. The image of "hard, white saturated coconut oil" isn't relevant to the oil's biological action, but the image of "sticky varnish-like easily oxidized unsaturated seed oils" is highly relevant to their toxicity.
The ability of some of the medium chainsaturated fatty acids to inhibit the liver's formation of fat very likely synergizes with the pro-thyroid effect, in allowing energy to be used, rather than stored. When fat isn't formed from carbohydrate, the sugar is available for use, or for storage as glycogen. Therefore, shifting from unsaturated fats in foods to coconut oil involves several anti-stress processes, reducing our need for the adrenal hormones. Decreased blood sugar is a basic signal for the release of adrenal hormones. Unsaturated oil tends to lower the blood sugar in at least three basic ways. It damages mitochondria, causing respiration to be uncoupled from energy production, meaning that fuel is burned without useful effect. It suppresses the activity of the respiratory enzyme (directly, and through its anti-thyroid actions), decreasing the respiratory production of energy. And it tends to direct carbohydrate into fat production, making both stress and obesity more probable. For those of us who use coconut oil consistently, one of the most noticeable changes is the ability to go for several hours without eating, and to feel hungry without having symptoms of hypoglycemia.
One of the stylish ways to promote the use of unsaturated oils is to refer to their presence in "cell membranes," and to claim that they are essential for maintaining "membrane fluidity." As I have mentioned above, it is the ability of the unsaturated fats, and their breakdown products, to interfere with enzymes and transport proteins, which accounts for many of their toxic effects, so they definitely don't just harmlessly form "membranes." They probably bind to all proteins, and disrupt some of them, but for some reason their affinity for proteolytic and respiration-related enzymes is particularly obvious. (I think the chemistry of this association is going to give us some important insights into the nature of organisms.
Metchnikof's model that I have discussed elsewhere might give us a picture of how those factors relate in growth, physiology, and aging.) Unsaturated fats are slightly more water-soluble than fully saturated fats, and so they do have a greater tendency to concentrate at interfaces between water and fats or proteins, but there are relatively few places where these interfaces can be usefully and harmlessly occupied by unsaturated fats, and at a certain point, an excess becomes harmful. We don't want "membranes" forming where there shouldn't be membranes. The fluidity or viscosity of cell surfaces is an extremely complex subject, and the degree of viscosity has to be appropriate for the function of the cell. Interestingly, in some cells, such as the cells that line the air sacs of the lungs, cholesterol and one of the saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil can increase the fluidity of the cell surface.
In many cases, stressful conditions create structural disorder in cells. These influences have been called "chaotropic," or chaos-producing.In red blood cells, which have sometimes been wrongly described as "hemoglobin enclosed in a cell membrane," it has been known for a long time that lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fats weakens the cellular structure, causing the cells to be destroyed prematurely. Lipid peroxidation products are known to be "chaotropic," lowering the rigidity of regions of cells considered to be membranes. But the red blood cell is actually more like a sponge in structure, consisting of a "skeleton" of proteins, which (if not damaged by oxidation) can hold its shape, even when the hemoglobin has been removed. Oxidants damage the protein structure, and it is this structural damage which in turn increases the "fluidity" of the associated fats.
So, it is probably true that in many cases the liquid unsaturated oils do increase "membrane fluidity," but it is now clear that in at least some of those cases the "fluidity" corresponds to the chaos of a damaged cell protein structure. (N. V. Gorbunov, "Effect of structural modification of membrane proteins on lipid-protein interactions in the human erythrocyte membrane," Bull. Exp. Biol. & Med. 116(11), 1364-67. 1993.
Although I had stopped using the unsaturated seed oils years ago, and supposed that I wasn't heavily saturated with toxic unsaturated fat, when I first used coconut oil I saw an immediate response, that convinced me my metabolism was chronically inhibited by something that was easily alleviated by "dilution" or molecular competition. I had put a tablespoonful of coconut oil on some rice I had for supper, and half an hour later while I was reading, I noticed I was breathing more deeply than normal. I saw that my skin was pink, and I found that my pulse was faster than normal--about 98, I think. After an hour or two, my pulse and breathing returned to normal. Every day for a couple of weeks I noticed the same response while I was digesting a small amount of coconut oil, but gradually it didn't happen any more, and I increased my daily consumption of the oil to about an ounce. I kept eating the same foods as before (including a quart of ice cream every day), except that I added about 200 or 250 calories per day as coconut oil.Apparently the metabolic surges that happened at first were an indication that my body was compensating for an anti-thyroid substance by producing more thyroid hormone; when the coconut oil relieved the inhibition, I experienced a moment of slight hyperthyroidism, but after a time the inhibitor became less effective, and my body adjusted by producing slightly less thyroid hormone. But over the next few months, I saw that my weight was slowly and consistently decreasing. It had been steady at 185 pounds for 25 years, but over a period of six months it dropped to about 175 pounds. I found that eating more coconut oil lowered my weight another few pounds, and eating less caused it to increase.
The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear in all of the animal studies, and in my friendsd who eat it regularly. It is now hard to get it in health food stores, since Hain stopped selling it. The Spectrum product looks and feels a little different to me, and I suppose the particular type of tree, region, and method of preparation can account for variations in the consistency and composition of the product. The unmodified natural oil is called "76 degree melt," since that is its natural melting temperature. One bottle from a health food store was labeled "natural coconut oil, 92% unsaturated oil," and it had the greasy consistency of old lard.I suspect that someone had confused palm oil (or something worse) with coconut oil, because it should be about 96% saturated fatty acids.
Raymond Peat, Ph.D.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Love Moon (Anion) Sanitary Napkins
Winalite Int'l (USA website) http://www.winalite4usa.com/
Love Moon Sanitary Napkins enhance your health with "negative ions" strip embedded within every single napkin.
These strips release up to 5800 negative ions per cubic cm to protect you against genital diseases by eliminating harmful bacteria and odor.
7 Unique Characteristics http://www.winalite4usa.com/
1. Enhanced air ventilation
2. Patented anionic padding
3. High absorbency prevents leakage
4. Strict compliance to international safety standards
5. Packaged in hygienic foil and individual packets
6. Hi-tech production facility meets highest quality standards
7. Vaginal inflammation self-test kit free w/ every foil pack
The product is ISO9001;2000 (Quality & Environment) Certified, Halal certified, approved by US FDA, registered with SEC, DTI & BIR, and covered with a 20-year global patent. Winalite is US NASDAQ (stock market) listed.
Health Benefits from negative ions:
•Increases energy level & stamina
•Enhances the immune system
•Improves body metabolism & blood circulation
•Helps to balance PH & hormones
•Improves sleep patterns
•Aids the body in detoxification
•Inactivates viruses, fungi & bacteria
•Helps prevent UTI & other common diseases/discomforts
•Relieves dysmenorrhea & migraine
•Relieves tension, joint stiffness & arthritis
•Reduces inflammation & common pains
•Anti-aging, anti-stress & anti-depressant
•The only highly-absorbent, 'breathable' & biodegradable sanitary pad with 7 layers
Based on distributors and clients' testimonials:
Common Uses of Anion Strip
The Anion Strip when removed from the Love Moon Panty Liner can be safely placed and used in the following manner:
- Water pitcher - Use as ionized water for around (24) hours as recommended; the water can be refilled when almost consumed without changing the Anion strip within the recommended time frame. Benefits: 1) Instant energy booster & increased physical stamina -- GUARANTEED INSTANT EFFECT!; 2) Detoxicates; 3) Significantly reduces joint pain from arthritis; 4) Drastically eliminates hemorrhoid & urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Water pail or basin - Use for body and/or foot bath. Benefits: 1) Anti-dandruff; 2) Reduces wart; 3) Smoothes skin; 4) Relieves stress and fatigue
- Facial cleaner - Wet the pad with anion with cold water and wipe it in circular motion on the face every now and then instead of using handkerchief. Benefits: 1) Removes black/white heads; 2) Freshen your face; 3) Smoothens skin; 4) Eliminates pimples; 5) Reduces wart (Update!)
- Nebulizer - Benefits: When placed in its built-in water container and upon application, significantly reduces asthma and other respiratory-related illness
- The strip can be folded in smaller size (do not cut) so this can be easily chewed like a gum -- Anion strip is made of algae, a food grade material, and hence, safe to use. Benefits: 1) Energy booster and increased physical stamina - GUARANTEED INSTANT EFFECT!; 2) Eliminates bad breath; 3) Eliminates migraine; 4) Pain reliever; 5) Relieves stress and fatigue; 6) Eliminates mouth sore
- The strip can be placed in aircondition and electric fan units using an adhesive tape. Benefits: 1) Eliminates foul odor; 2) Improves sleep patterns
- The strip can be placed in a freezer and chiller and other places at home where foul odor usually develops -- e.g. shoe rack, comfort room, storage area, particularly underneath the sink, etc. Benefits: 1) Eliminates foul odor; 2) Extend fresh condition of fruits and vegetables
celebrities benefiting from anion:
1) Mr. & Mrs. "Erap" Estrada
2) Mr. & Mrs. Pilita Corales
3) German "Kuya Germs" Moreno
4) Vina Morales
5) Lucy Torres
6) Gretchen Barreto
7) Lorna Tolentino-Fernandez
8) Ding-dong Dantes
9) Rex Cortez
10) Alvin Patrimonio
11) Danny Ildefonso
12) Ogie Diaz
13) Daisy Reyes - Winalite Product Endorser
14) Roxanne Barcelo
15) Piolo Pascual
Are there harmful side-effects? There are none reported / monitored (as of today). The use of anion is popular in Japanese clothing, aircon, ref, car ionizer, air ionizer, water ionizer, detox foot spa, detox patches, and many other products. There are also anti-radiation cards and anion diapers that will be made locally available soon. You may research more about health benefits of anion and feel free to email about your findings.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
about bone disease
In support of the Department of Health's (DOH) drive this October to promote bone and joint health, please take time to read the article below to know more about common bone diseases.
What is Bone Disease?
Bone diseases are conditions that result in the impairment of normal bone function and can make bones weak.
The most common bone disease is osteoporosis.
Low bone mass means that bones have less than optimal amounts of calcium and other minerals that make them strong.
Other bone diseases include Paget’s disease and osteogenesis imperfecta.
Why are Health Bones Important?
A healthy skeletal system with strong bones is essential to overall health and quality of life.
Weak bones often result in painful and debilitating fractures.
Who is at Risk?
Many people do not know that their bone health is in jeopardy.
Bone disease affects women and men of all ethnicities.
How do you Prevent Osteoporosis?
Be physically active every day.
Eat a healthy diet.
What is Bone Disease?
Bone diseases are conditions that result in the impairment of normal bone function and can make bones weak.
- Weak bones should not just be excused as a natural part of aging.
- Strong bones begin in childhood.
- People of all ages can improve their bone health.
The most common bone disease is osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone structure.
- Osteoporosis can be prevented, as well as diagnosed and treated.
Low bone mass means that bones have less than optimal amounts of calcium and other minerals that make them strong.
- As a result of low bone mass, bones become weak and break, or can fracture more easily.
- Bone fractures often occur from falling or other common accidents. Spine fractures can occur while doing daily activities without any trauma.
Other bone diseases include Paget’s disease and osteogenesis imperfecta.
- Paget’s disease causes skeletal deformities and fractures. It affects older men and women.
- Osteogenesis imperfecta is an inherited disorder that causes brittle bones and frequent bone fractures in children.
Why are Health Bones Important?
A healthy skeletal system with strong bones is essential to overall health and quality of life.
- Strong bones support us and are the framework for our muscles.
- Bones are a storehouse for vital minerals needed to live.
- Strong bones protect the heart, lungs, brain, and other organs from injury.
Weak bones often result in painful and debilitating fractures.
- Each year, 1.5 million Americans suffer a fracture because of weak bones.
- The most common breaks are of the wrist, spine, and hip.
Who is at Risk?
Many people do not know that their bone health is in jeopardy.
- Osteoporosis is a silent disease until a fracture occur.
- Four times as many men and nearly three times as many women have osteoporosis than report having the disease.
- If immediate action is not taken, half of all Americans over 50 will have weak bones from osteoporosis and low bone mass by 2020.
- This could cause the number of hip fractures in the United States to double or even triple by 2040.
Bone disease affects women and men of all ethnicities.
- The risk of osteoporosis is highest among women. It is higher in White and Asian women, but still occurs in Black, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native women.
- Bone disease is a risk for both men and women.
How do you Prevent Osteoporosis?
Be physically active every day.
- More than half of all Americans do not get enough physical activity to strengthen their bones.
- Children and teens should get at least an hour of physical activity every day. Jumping rope, running, skateboarding, and riding bikes are enjoyable activities that also build strong bones.
- Adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Simple activities like walking and stair climbing will strengthen the bones that are exercised.
Eat a healthy diet.
- The average American eats far too little calcium and vitamin D for good bone health.
- High levels of calcium can be found in milk, leafy green vegetables, soybeans, yogurt, cheese, and fortified orange juice.
- Vitamin D is produced in the skin by exposure to the sun and is found in fortified milk and other foods. For those individuals not getting enough calcium and vitamin D in the diet, supplements can be helpful. Calcium and Vitamin D RequirementsAge Calcium (mg/day) Vitamin D (IU/day)0-6 months 210 2006-12 months 270 2001-3 years 500 2004-8 years 800 2009-18 years 1300 20018-50 years 1000 20051-70 years 1200 400Over 70 years 1200 600(A cup of milk or fortified orange juice has about 300 mg of calcium and 50 IU of vitamin D.)
Get a bone mineral density test.- All women over 65 and anyone who has a bone fracture after age 50 should get a bone density test.
- Others with significant risk factors should also get a bone density test.
- Bone density tests use x-rays or sound waves to measure the strength of the bones.
- Bone density tests are safe, painless, quick (5-10 minutes) and indicate the health of bones.
Reduce the risk of falling.- Falls are not just the result of getting older. Most falls can be prevented.
- As you age, falls become more dangerous.
Source:
http://www.dsls.usra.edu/meetings/bonehealth_2005/information/factsheet1.pdf
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Latest Products
Royalè's Latest Products
Fiberich
Psyllium Seed Husk - 100% Natural Food Supplement
Promotes a healthy digestive system. Fiberich helps eliminate constipation and regulates bowel movement. It can be used regularly, as opposed to harsh stimulant laxatives which should only be used occasionally. It is helpful in chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, hiatus hernia and diabetes.
Diabetwatch
Ampalaya ( Bitter Melon) Extract
Bittermelon is reported to help in the treatment of diabetes and psoriasis. It has also been reported that it may help in the treatment of HIV.
Banaba Extract
Banaba has been used in Filipino folkloric herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes for centuries. It contains high concentrations of dietary fiber and minerals such as zinc and magnesium.
Turmeric ( Yellow Ginger )
Lowers LDL cholesterol, treats high blood pressure, guards against cancer, promotes good health.
Gymnema Sylvestre
Reduces body weight and weight gain.
8in1 Coffee Mix Royalè Coffee Blend
Why just drink ordinary coffee when you can enjoy the fantastic taste and health benefits of Royalè Blend Coffee 8 in 1 coffee mix. “Ang 8 in 1 Coffee ng Bayan”
3 Basic Ingredients:
• Coffee
• Cream
• Sugar (Regular)/ Sucralose (Lite)
PLUS 5 Health Supplements:
Spirulina ( Spirulina Platensis )
Spirulina contains unusually high amounts of protein. Spirulina is rich in essentially fatty acids. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E and Vitamin B12. Spirulina is also rich in minerals.
Ginseng
It helps individuals cope with physical and emotional stress.It is also used to maintain overall health as well as treat several illnesses, including heart conditions.
Ganoderma
It works in the treatment of cancer because it helps cleanse the body from toxins and it helps strengthen the immune system.
Grape Seed
Grape seed extract is used for conditions related to heart and blood vessels such as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poor circulation.
Agaricus blazei Murrill
It helps in the enhancement of the immune system as well as cardio vascular support, blood sugar and cholesterol modulators, and digestive support.
L-Gluta Power Anti-Ageing Cream with Peptide Technology
L-Gluta Power Anti-Ageing Cream with Peptide Technology contains Nectapure a spcial extract of delicate but oxidative resistant plants from the Alps cobined with the Swiss Mountain Water to provide anti-oxidant and photo-ageing protection. Plus Syn-COLL, the first synthetic peptide to boost collagen synthesis via TGF-B ( Tissue Growth Factor). It also contains special ingredients to lighten dark spots, regenerate skin cells and UV absorber for sun protection. This unique blend of ingredients keeps your skin radiant and younger looking. It helps diminish fine lines and other skin perfections associated with ageing skin.
L-Gluta Power Whitening & Smoothening with UV Protection
L-Gluta Power Whitening Cream combines the power of time tested whitening ingredient, a master anti-oxidant and UV absorbers.
L-Gluta Power Whitening Cream can offer all around defenses against the factors that cause dark spot and uneven skin tone. It reduces existing pigmentation and prevents the formation of new ones. it works not only to lighten the skin but also helps it to become healthier.
L-Gluta Power Whitening & Smoothening with L-Glutathione, Vitamin E, UV Protection
More than a regular whitening lotion, it nourishes and protects your skin from free radicals. It has a powerful master anti-oxidant agent that comes with a strong anti-ageing property for youthful vibrance, plus UVA/ UVB protection to prevent sun damage.
Fiberich
Psyllium Seed Husk - 100% Natural Food Supplement
Promotes a healthy digestive system. Fiberich helps eliminate constipation and regulates bowel movement. It can be used regularly, as opposed to harsh stimulant laxatives which should only be used occasionally. It is helpful in chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, hiatus hernia and diabetes.
Diabetwatch
Ampalaya ( Bitter Melon) Extract
Bittermelon is reported to help in the treatment of diabetes and psoriasis. It has also been reported that it may help in the treatment of HIV.
Banaba Extract
Banaba has been used in Filipino folkloric herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes for centuries. It contains high concentrations of dietary fiber and minerals such as zinc and magnesium.
Turmeric ( Yellow Ginger )
Lowers LDL cholesterol, treats high blood pressure, guards against cancer, promotes good health.
Gymnema Sylvestre
Reduces body weight and weight gain.
8in1 Coffee Mix Royalè Coffee Blend
Why just drink ordinary coffee when you can enjoy the fantastic taste and health benefits of Royalè Blend Coffee 8 in 1 coffee mix. “Ang 8 in 1 Coffee ng Bayan”
3 Basic Ingredients:
• Coffee
• Cream
• Sugar (Regular)/ Sucralose (Lite)
PLUS 5 Health Supplements:
Spirulina ( Spirulina Platensis )
Spirulina contains unusually high amounts of protein. Spirulina is rich in essentially fatty acids. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E and Vitamin B12. Spirulina is also rich in minerals.
Ginseng
It helps individuals cope with physical and emotional stress.It is also used to maintain overall health as well as treat several illnesses, including heart conditions.
Ganoderma
It works in the treatment of cancer because it helps cleanse the body from toxins and it helps strengthen the immune system.
Grape Seed
Grape seed extract is used for conditions related to heart and blood vessels such as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poor circulation.
Agaricus blazei Murrill
It helps in the enhancement of the immune system as well as cardio vascular support, blood sugar and cholesterol modulators, and digestive support.
L-Gluta Power Anti-Ageing Cream with Peptide Technology
L-Gluta Power Anti-Ageing Cream with Peptide Technology contains Nectapure a spcial extract of delicate but oxidative resistant plants from the Alps cobined with the Swiss Mountain Water to provide anti-oxidant and photo-ageing protection. Plus Syn-COLL, the first synthetic peptide to boost collagen synthesis via TGF-B ( Tissue Growth Factor). It also contains special ingredients to lighten dark spots, regenerate skin cells and UV absorber for sun protection. This unique blend of ingredients keeps your skin radiant and younger looking. It helps diminish fine lines and other skin perfections associated with ageing skin.
L-Gluta Power Whitening & Smoothening with UV Protection
L-Gluta Power Whitening Cream combines the power of time tested whitening ingredient, a master anti-oxidant and UV absorbers.
L-Gluta Power Whitening Cream can offer all around defenses against the factors that cause dark spot and uneven skin tone. It reduces existing pigmentation and prevents the formation of new ones. it works not only to lighten the skin but also helps it to become healthier.
L-Gluta Power Whitening & Smoothening with L-Glutathione, Vitamin E, UV Protection
More than a regular whitening lotion, it nourishes and protects your skin from free radicals. It has a powerful master anti-oxidant agent that comes with a strong anti-ageing property for youthful vibrance, plus UVA/ UVB protection to prevent sun damage.
Monday, September 1, 2008
FUN EXERCISE ACTIVITIES FOR BEGINNERS
JOG WITH A FRIEND:
Pick specific days of the week to meet your friend for a jog. You could jog in various locations including a high school track, a park or even the streets. Not only will you get some valuable exercise but you will be more motivated by the presence of your friend. Plus you can use it as an opportunity to keep in touch and perhaps go for a coffee after.
SHOPPING:
This is a great exercise, especially for the women. Even window shopping will burn the calories. You could even turn it into a little game, spending a certain amount of money when you have lost a certain amount of weight.
PLAY WITH THE KIDS:
With childhood obesity becoming an increasing problem this really is a fantastic idea. Not only will you be doing exercise but your children will be getting valuable exercise also. Plus it will teach them good exercise habits early in their life. Additionally, bring a camera to create some great memories to share with your children. Some of the tips below will provide you with inspiration and ideas for playing with your kids.
TAKE THE
If there's a local park then take a walk with your children to burn a few extra calories. When you're at the park make sure you get on with the swings and slides too. Not only will this let you interact with your kids but you will get a little exercise yourself.
FLY A KITE:
Choose a place that has lots of open space and few trees, poles or lines. Flying a kite can be great fun and teaching your children how to fly it is a great bonding experience.
TOSS A BALL OR FRISBEE:
This is very good opportunity for father/son bonding. Plus it involves a lot of running around and is a great way to exercise.
JUMP ROPE / SKIPPING ROPE:
This is another great bonding exercise, but this time for mothers and daughters. You can use separate skipping ropes, or if there's at least three of you, use one long rope with someone holding the rope at either end, and people taking turns to jump in the middle. Alternatively you can use a long rope with two people, but tie one end to a tree or pole, and then take turns with one person swinging and the other person jumping.
BUILD A FORT:
Children love forts because they get to create their own little secret world. To make a fort with your child take sheets and blankets and toss them over and through furniture. Get down on their level crawling around with them. You will both have fun.
PLAY TAG:
This is a really easy game to play and burns a lot of calories. The more the merrier and the younger the children the more enjoyable it is.
WATER BALLOON FIGHT:
This is a particularly nice idea on a sunny summer day. Maybe get some water pistols too and have a full water fight.
PILLOW FIGHT:
Pillow fights are great fun and you will find yourself quickly building up a sweat and burning calories.
PLAY HIDE AND
This can be played indoors or outdoors at a variety of locations. It's great fun and keeps you active.
TWIRLING A BATON:
This takes a lot of practice and time. However, it's a great bonding exercise for you and your children.
RELAY
Get the family together and do group relay races around the block, around the yard or around the park. Running is a great exercise and by doing relay races you can get both family and friends involved.
SCAVENGER HUNT:
Depending on your neighborhood, you may be able to make this a big thing. Think of a number of things you and your kids could walk about and find or take pictures of. For example, a blackbird sitting on a tree, an acorn or a pine cone. Obviously, scavenger hunts are most enjoyable on a dry summers day.
RED LIGHT / GREEN LIGHT:
The rules of this game are quite simple and the more people, the better. You face a wall or away from the group. You then say green light and the rest of the group run around. You say yellow light and they slow down. Finally, you say red light and whip around. Whoever is moving when you whip around is out. Then repeat. Alternatively, you can go straight from green to red. Whatever you prefer.
SKATEBOARDING:
Skateboarding is a popular exercise with kids. It's also unique to the other exercises in that you will probably have your child teach you how to do it. This provides you with a different way to bond with your child.
TAKE THE
Kids have an especially innocent way of seeing the world. While you walk ask them what they see, what they think. You will both be getting exercise and it will also keep the lines of communication open between you and your children.
HIKING / MOUNTAIN CLIMBING:
If you love nature then grab a camera and a water bottle and go hiking. If you want some company invite a friend or two, or even bring the kids. In particular mountain climbing can burn a lot of calories.
This is especially fun for car lovers, particularly in the summer. Not only will you get your motor looking nice but you will get some exercise.
If you have a dog then giving him a wash can be a great calorie burner. As you probably know, a lot of dogs don't really like having baths. This makes the task more fun and also allows you to burn more calories as you battle with the dog to give them a wash.
MARTIAL ARTS CLASS / TAE KWON DO:
This is great to do with a friend but it's also a great way to meet new friends. It's also a great way to build confidence. Finally, it's a great way to get some exercise.
SWIMMING:
There's lots of options here. You can take swimming lessons, join aerobic swimming classes, do laps or just play around in the pool. The resistance from the water helps you to burn more calories
PLAYING BALL:
There are a number of ball games which you can play. All can be fantastic fun, especially with large groups, and burn a lot of calories. Below are a number of ball games you can play.
BASKETBALL:
Basketball is a team sport with two teams of active players. You should be able to find a basketball court locally at a park, school or college. Basketball is a great exercise which gets you running around and works your arms.
BASEBALL:
Baseball is a bat sport usually played between two teams of nine players. You can set up a makeshift baseball field anywhere where there's a large, open space. Again, this is great exercise involving lots of running, arm swinging and jumping around.
FOOTBALL / SOCCER:
Football traditionally involves teams of 11 players but can be played with less people. Football pitches should be available at the local park, leisure center or a school. Alternatively, you can play on a field and use jumpers as goalposts. Playing football is very tiring and burn lots of calories.
TABLE TENNIS /
This can be played with two or four people and involves a lightweight ball being hit back and forth over a small table. An alternate version is to have players rotate around the table and hit the ball.
HOCKEY:
Hockey has a number of forms including; field hockey, ice hockey and roller hockey. It involves players from two teams trying to hit a ball or puck (a hard, round disc) into the oppositions net. Hockey is a very fast paced game and quickly gets you sweating.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL:
American football is a competitive team sport which involves scoring points by getting the oval shaped ball into the opposing team's 'end zone'. It is very physically challenging and known for its roughness.
TENNIS:
Tennis involves using a stringed racquet to hit a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponents court. It can be played with two people (singles) or two teams of two people (doubles). Tennis is a great exercise involving lots of running and stretching.
Golf involves striking a ball into a hole using a number of different golf clubs. Golf courses are very large and involve a lot of walking. Plus, the actual golf swing exercises the arms.
VOLLEYBALL:
Volleyball is a team sport which involves two teams of six players trying to score points by grounding the ball on the other teams court. Volleyball is a great sport to play on the beach.
http://www.freefitnesstips.co.uk/
Saturday, August 30, 2008
FUN EXERCISE ACTIVITIES... part 2
DANCING:
Like with ball games there are many different types of dancing all of which are a great source of fun and exercise. If you're not good at dancing then you can take classes. I've outlined a few types of dancing below.
To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must excel in ballet because it consists of slower movements that strengthen the body and improve balance. Jazz dancers' strong, sharp movements can be assisted by ballet techniques.
MODERN DANCE:
Modern dance is not as popular as other dance styles. It is usually identified as a style of theatrical dance seen in the period between the 1970s and 1980s.
BALLET DANCE:
Ballet is a very specific academic dance technique taught in specialist ballet schools. Unlike some of the other forms of dance ballet is fully choreographed.
HIP HOP DANCE:
Hip hop refers to street dance styles that are danced to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. Break dance is a popular form of hip hop dance.
SALSA DANCE:
Salsa dance has roots in the Caribbean, Latin America and
TANGO DANCE:
Tango originated in
JUMP ON A TRAMPOLINE:
To make it safe, make sure you get a net around the trampoline. If you are doing it with more than one person make sure you are being careful and do not land on each other.
PLAY CROCHET:
This outdoor family game will get you up and moving around. To make it more difficult, you can make the game field bigger than normal or increase the amount of time you play.
Walking is a great exercise because it gives you some alone time to think, to exercise or to listen to music. Alternatively, you can walk with a friend, date or partner and get some quality conversation. To lose weight you want to walk 12000 steps a day on a pedometer.
DECORATE:
If your house needs decorating, doing it yourself is a great opportunity to do it yourself and burn some calories. Alternatively, you can use special occasions as an opportunity to decorate your house. If you are throwing a party, or if it's Christmas, Easter etc, get the decorations out and spruce the place up. The moving about will help you burn some calories.
GO
This one depends on where you live. If you live near enough the beach then surfing will get your blood pumping and strengthen your muscles as well.
GO SCUBA DIVING:
Scuba diving is a unique exercise. Swimming with the fish will keep you interested for a lot longer and as I mentioned above the resistance that water provides can burn a lot of calories.
PLAY WITH A GIANT EXERCISE BALL:
You can use an exercise ball to bounce around, perform sit ups, sit at your computer and more. In particular an exercise ball gives you great core stability.
USE A PUNCHING BAG:
This is a particularly good exercise to work off aggression. Think of something that irritates you or a person that you are not especially fond of. Direct your anger towards the bag and let rip. You will build up quite a sweat and hopefully be a lot calmer after you've finished.
RIDE A BIKE:
This is another great exercise which can be done alone or with others. Again you have plenty of options. You can go on a cycle path, visit a state park or go cycling in the countryside.
GO
Rollerblading is really great for your calf muscles. It can also be quite enjoyable when you get good and start throwing in a few tricks.
GO TO A THEME PARK:
Going on all the rides at a theme park is great fun whilst walking around for a full day will burn lots of calories.
GO TO THE ZOO:
Like with visiting a theme park, going to a zoo provides you with a fun day out and lots of walking to get some exercise.
GARDENING:
Gardening is a lot more physical than you might first consider. Mowing the lawn, pulling up weeds, pruning your plants and more, is a great way to burn calories. Plus, it allows you to enjoy the outdoor weather.
CONSTRUCTION:
Putting together buildings and bridges is a great form of exercise. If you choose the right project it can also be great fun too.
VISITING GARAGE SALES:
Have a look in your local newspapers and find out where the local car boot sales are being held. Then take a walk down on foot and have a look around. You might find something you like and you'll get some exercise.
TAKE THE DOG FOR A WALK:
Taking the dog for a walk is another great way to burn calories. Depending on the size and strength of your dog will dictate how many calories are burnt.
When you host a get together all the cooking, shopping and making phone calls keeps you busy. This leads to an increased number of burnt calories.
Climbing provides you with a great full body workout. Plus, lifting your own body weight is really difficult and burns those calories away. When performing this exercise make sure you take all the necessary safety precautions.
HIKING WITH
Hiking gives you another great opportunity to spend time with your kids. While hiking you can sing songs and play guessing games (such as 20 questions). Kids will also pick out things you may never notice whilst walking on your own.
KICKBOXING / TAE BO:
Not only will you learn how to defend yourself, but you will also have fun and improve your fitness. You can either take classes to meet new people or buy DVDs/videos to learn in the comfort of your own home.
YOGA:
Yoga is a great exercise for your mind and body. You can perform it on your own, with a friend or as part of a group.
PILATES:
Pilates strengthens the muscles all over your body starting with your abdominals. The exercises are difficult but it's a good challenge to see how strong you are and try to improve.
VOLUNTEERING:
Volunteering very rarely involves sitting down doing desk work. It is usually quite a physical task such as walking a dog, moving boxes etc. It's therefore another opportunity to exercise and can also allow you to meet new friends.
BABY SIT:
Young children are usually hard work. If you baby sit and play games with them you will burn some additional calories.
GYMNASTICS:
Gymnastics offers you plenty of opportunities to exercise the full body. Swinging around on poles, walking the balance beam, jumping over the horse are all fun exercises which work the body in different ways.
USE A POWERBALL:
This is a great wrist exercise to do in the home. A Powerball can be purchased from a number of merchants on the Internet and becomes really addictive. It builds up your grip and wrist strength which is useful for a number of sports. Plus, you can use your Powerball whilst sitting in front of the TV.
http://www.freefitnesstips.co.uk/
Friday, August 29, 2008
9 Health Tips
1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!
3. Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.
4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.
5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.
6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.
7. Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.
8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.
9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Stealth Health: Get Healthy Without Really Trying
Living healthier doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, experts say
By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
How much do you know about what makes up a healthy lifestyle? Here's a pop quiz.
1. How do you define working out?
a. Going to the gym.
b. Turning the jump-rope for the neighbor's kid.
c. Playing Frisbee with your dog.
2. How do you define good nutrition?
a. Eating a vegetable at every meal.
b. Eating two vegetables at every meal.
c. Drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast.
3. Which of these is a healthy activity?
a. Push-ups, sit-ups, or running the track.
b. Walking the dog after dinner.
c. Spending Saturday afternoon snoozing on the sofa.
Believe it or not, the correct answer to every question is A, B, and C -- even that Saturday afternoon snooze! According to the growing "Stealth Health" movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living is easier than we think.
"You can infuse your life with the power of prevention incrementally and fairly painlessly, and yes, doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better for you than doing nothing," says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Center. Katz is also co-author of the book Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying.
From your morning shower to the evening news, from your work commute to your household chores, Katz says, there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living.
"If you let yourself make small changes, they will add up to meaningful changes in the quality of your diet, your physical activity pattern, your capacity to deal with stress, and in your sleep quality -- and those four things comprise an enormously powerful health promotion that can change your life," says Katz.
And yes, he says, a nap on the couch can be a health-giving opportunity -- particularly if you aren't getting enough sleep at night.
Nutritionist and diabetes educator Fran Grossman, RD, CDE, agrees. "You don't have to belong to a gym or live on wheat grass just to be healthy," says Grossman, a nutrition counselor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "There are dozens of small things you can do every day that make a difference, and you don't always have to do a lot to gain a lot."
Do a Little, Get a Lot
The notion that good health can come in small tidbits is not really new. Research showing that making small changes can add up to a big difference has been quietly accumulating for a while.
For example, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 found that adding just 30 minutes of walking per day was enough to prevent weight gain and encourage moderate weight loss.
And if 30 minutes is still too big a bite? Another study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that three brisk 10-minute walks per day were as effective as a daily 30-minute walk in decreasing risk factors for heart disease.
"Just the act of going from sedentary to moderately active gives you the greatest reduction in your risks," says Helene Glassberg, MD, director of the Preventive Cardiology and Lipid Center at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
But it's not only in fitness where small changes can make a difference. The same principles apply at the kitchen table (and the office snack bar).
"Reducing fat intake, cutting down on sugar, eating a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar -- over time, these things can make a difference," says Grossman.
As long as the changes are moving you toward your goal -- be it weight loss, a reduction in cholesterol or blood pressure, or better blood sugar control -- you can get there by taking baby steps, she says.
Moreover, Grossman tells WebMD, making small changes can help give us the motivation to make bigger ones.
"A lot of bad eating habits are about not taking charge of your life, and that attitude is often reflected in other areas," says Grossman. On the other hand, she says, when you make small changes at the kitchen table, the rewards may show up in other areas of your life.
"It's the act of taking control that makes the difference in motivating you," says Grossman. "An inner confidence and power begins to develop that can be seen in other areas of life."
Tripping Over Baby Steps
Of course, not everyone is certain that baby steps can walk you all the way to good health. Marc Siegel, MD, a clinical associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine, says that while doing something is certainly better than doing nothing, making such small changes is like using a Band-aid to stop a hemorrhage.
"It's a small, gimmicky idea to target people with very unhealthy lifestyles, and for some it may be useful," says Siegel, author of False Alarm: the Truth about the Epidemic of Fear. But he fears that for most people, it's sending the wrong message.
"In some ways it's a resignation, an admission that things can't be changed -- and that's certainly not the long-term answer," Siegel tells WebMD.
Katz concedes that the Stealth Health approach may not be right for everybody.
"There is a trade-off because if you try to make the pursuit of health easier for people, you run the risk of leading them to believe they don't need to do very much -- and that would be the wrong message," he says.
At the same time, Katz believes that for those who find making health changes a daunting task, Stealth Health techniques can make a difference.
"If you want the really big gains, there has to be some pain," says Katz. "But there is a lot to be said for the idea that you can make some gains with little or no pain, and that's infinitely better than no gains."
Try the Stealth Health Approach
Tempted to give "Stealth Health" a try? Katz recommends picking any three of the following 12 changes and incorporating them into your life for four days. When you feel comfortable with those changes, pick three others. Once you've incorporate all dozen changes, you should start to feel a difference within a couple of weeks, he says.
To Improve Nutrition:
1. Buy whole foods -- whether canned, frozen, or fresh from the farm -- and use them in place of processed foods whenever possible.
2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup, a calorie-dense, nutritionally empty sweetener that many believe is worse for the body than sugar, says Katz.
3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad. Not only will it help reduce your appetite for more caloric foods, but it also will automatically add veggies to your meal.
To Improve Physical Fitness:
1. Do a squat every time you pick something up. Instead of bending over in the usual way, which stresses the lower back, bend your knees and squat. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength.
2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (or the bus does), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can. (Don't worry, no one will see it!) This will firm leg and buttock muscles, improve blood flow -- and keep you mildly amused!
3. Whenever you're standing on a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. The extra stress on your opposite foot, ankle, calf and thigh, plus your buttocks, will help firm and tone muscles. Switch feet every few minutes.
To Improve Stress Control:
1. Give your partner a hug every day before work. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day, Katz says.
2. Have a good cry. It can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hormones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly.
3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes
To Improve Sleep:
1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep.
2. Buy a new pillow. Katz says that studies show that pillows with an indent in the center can enhance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Also, try a "cool" pillow -- one containing either all-natural fibers or a combination of sodium sulfate and ceramic fibers that help keep your head cool.
3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You'll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and essential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan -- a natural sleep-inducer.
SOURCES: Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004; vol 164: pp 31-39. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, September 2002. David Katz, MD, MPH, director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University; co-author, Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying. Fran Grossman, MS, RD, CDE, nutrition counselor, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York. Helene Glassberg, MD, director, Preventive Cardiology and Lipid Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia. Marc Siegel, MD, clinical associate professor, New York University School of Medicine; author, False Alarm, The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear.
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