How Heart-Healthy is Alcohol?
Dr. Joseph Mercola

Although past research suggests that drinking a glass or two of
wine a day may have some heart benefits, new findings suggest
that those studies were flawed.

Risks Outweigh the Benefits

There is some evidence that heavier drinking provides heart
protection — alcoholics have relatively ‘clean’ arteries — but
the other health risks of heavy drinking outweigh the benefits.

Early observations in the 1970s and 1980s seemed to indicate a
20 to 25 percent reduction in heart disease risk linked to light
drinking. However, the way those studies were carried out did
not allow researchers to say with certainty that the findings
could not be due to factors other than alcohol consumption.

Diet, Exercise, Quit Smoking

The British Heart Foundation responded to the new evidence by
saying that their advice remained the same: “… the best way to
reduce the risk of heart disease is to quit smoking if you
smoke, increase levels of physical activity and eat a healthy
balanced diet.”

BBC News December 2, 2005

Dr. Mercola’s Comment:Good advice from the British Heart
Foundation, so long as your balanced diet is nutritionally sound.

As I’ve said before about studies touting all the “benefits” of
drinking red wine, I personally do not advocate it. There are
many health experts that feel it is fine in moderation, but I am
still not convinced.

This is largely because I am convinced the alcohol itself is
actually a neurotoxin, which means it can poison your brain.
Additionally, it has the strong potential to seriously disrupt
your delicate hormone balance. Plus, drinking two or more
glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) may
offset the benefit and increase your risk of certain cancers.

You also need to be aware that consuming large amounts of wine
will increase insulin levels and eventually have a negative
impact on your health that way as well.

If you absolutely insist on drinking red wine, check on the
growing conditions of the grapes used and how the wine is made.
And if you can, take a brisk walk to pick it up, as exercise is
your real ticket to preventing heart disease.

About the author:

This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world’s #1 most
visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a
limited time only, you can take the FREE “Metabolic Type Test”
to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type
so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to
http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this
quick test!

Tags: Alcohol Consumption, Alcoholic Beverage, Author, Bbc, Benefits Of Drinking Red Wine, British Heart Foundation, certain cancers, Condi, Diet Exercise, Dr Joseph Mercola, Dr Mercola, Good Advice, Health Experts, Health Risks, Healthy Balanced Diet, Heart Benefits, Heart Disease Risk, heart disease;, Heart Protection, Hormone Balance, Insulin Levels, Mercola, Mercola.com, Neurotoxin, New Evidence, Risk Of Heart Disease —

Healthy Eating Tip – Four Power House Foods
Cori Sachais Swidorsky

There are many foods that we can consume on a regular basis that could possibly help reduce the risk of heart disease by 75 percent or more. Since heart disease is the number 1 killer in women, it would benefit us to try and add more of these foods to our healthy eating life style.
* Almonds: Almonds are packed with fiber and monounsaturated fat as well as vitamin E which are an antioxidant. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 1.5 ounces of almonds per day may be enough to reduce the risk of heart disease.
* Vegetables: Vegetables that are connected with heart health are lycopene-rich tomatoes and leafy greens such as kale or spinach. These foods have powerful antioxidants and soluble and unsoluble fiber. A serving of vegetables is equal to one cup of raw, leafy vegetables; a half a cup of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables; or three fourths cup 100 percent vegetable juice.
* Fruit: It’s important to include a variety of fruits into your daily diet. Bright colored berries are high in polyphenols, citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C, and apples have an antioxidant called quercetin. A serving of fruit is equal to one medium size piece of fruit; a half a cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruit; three fourths cup of 100 percent fruit juice; or one quarter cup dried fruit.
* Garlic: Garlic lowers total cholesterol and blood fat levels which help to prevent clogged arteries.

About the Author

Cori Sachais Swidorsky resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a work at home mom/stay at home mom. Owner of the Informing Women Newsletter and website http://www.informingwomen.com Writes an advice column for a community newsletter, has an inspirational piece being published in Chicken Soup For The Recovering Soul, and has articles published on many work at home, home based business, tips and hints, and parenting websites.

Tags: Author, Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Citrus Fruits, Clogged Arteries, Community Newsletter, Cori Sachais Swidorsky, Food And Drug Administration, Garlic Garlic, heart disease;, Heart Health, Inspirational Piece, Leafy Greens, Parenting Websites, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Power House, Quarter Cup, Raw Leafy Vegetables, Risk Of Heart Disease, Stay At Home Mom, Vegetable Juice, Women Newsletter, Work At Home Home, Work At Home Mom —

Healthy Breakfast Foods
Sharon Hopkins

It is always surrounded by silly excuse of lack of time. And
still no one denies that fact that “breakfast” is the most
important meal of the day.

Why such a hullabaloo about this early morning meal? Well, for
starters, this meal comes after a break of 8 – 10 hours; hence
your blood sugar level will be low. Since your body has gone
with out food for such a long time, it needs nourishment to
kick-start its day. Therefore “breakfast” is considered to be an
important and essential meal of the day.

Breakfast benefits both, young and old. It is the key to jump
start your muscles and your day. People who eat breakfast
(healthy) daily are more likely to

– Consume more vitamins, minerals and less of fat and
cholesterol. – Increased strength and endurance. – Better
concentration and productivity all day long. – Control over
weight – Low cholesterol = no risk or little risk of heart
disease

Children who eat breakfast are likely to have better
concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination.
They will be alert, creative, and less likely to miss days of
school.

If you think skipping this meal, will help you lose weight,
think again. By passing over this meal, your body will go in the
starvation mode and make you crave for snacks especially sweets.
Impulsive snacking on unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain.
So you motive of losing weight by skipping breakfast stays
unachieved.

Try to choose healthy foods from at least two food groups each
morning

– Fruits & Vegetables – Grains – Dairy – Proteins

A glass of pure fruit juice, bananas, yoghurt, low-calorie
muesli with semi skimmed or skimmed milk, fresh fruit salad with
few spoonfuls of low fat yoghurt, fresh and raw veggies mixed
with flavoured yoghurt, a slice of toast or plain bread with
eggs, boiled or poached are some of the options for breakfast.
Kids can enjoy a Smoothie with their favourite fruits; add dash
of yoghurt or honey to make it more delicious.

If you look forward to eating different kinds of healthy foods
for breakfast, you are less like to skip this meal. If time is
your hurdle, think about packing your breakfast or eating on the
‘run’, its better than skipping it altogether.

About the author:

Sharon Hopkins has been managing a number of diet, nutrition and
health websites that promote good health and unhealthy food
habits leading to a diseased body. Healthy”>http://www.diethealthclub.com/”>Healthy Food contain vital
nutrients that aid our body’s metabolic function.

Tags: Author, Blood Sugar Level, Dairy Proteins, Eye Hand Coordination, Food Groups, food;, Fresh Fruit Salad, Fruits Vegetables, Healthy Breakfast Foods, Healthy Foods, heart disease;, Hullabaloo, Lack Of Time, Low Cholesterol, Morning Fruits, Muesli, Plain Bread, Raw Veggies, Risk Of Heart Disease, Sharon Hopkins, Silly Excuse, Starvation Mode, starvation;, Unhealthy Food, Unhealthy Foods, Vitamins Minerals —

Getting the most from healthy fruits and vegetables
Tony Robinson

Fruits and vegetables are among the healthiest of all foods, and
the great variety of these foods at the local grocery store
makes it easier than every to enjoy great meals and snacks
anytime the mood strikes you.

The latest food guidelines recommend that adults eat from five
to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. While that
may seem like a lot, it is an important goal to strive for, and
a very reachable one.

A serving of a fruit or vegetable is equal to:

1 medium sized vegetable or fruit (such as an apple,
orange or banana) 2 small fruits (such as kiwi fruit or
plums)  cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruits or
vegetables  cup of 100% fruit juice  cup of
dried fruit 1 cup of green salad

Eating a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is a great
way to start a healthier lifestyle. Diets high in fruits and
vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease,
diabetes, stroke and even some kinds of cancer. Diets high in
fruits and vegetables are also important in maintaining a
healthy weight.

Since different varieties of fruits and vegetables contain
different types and levels of nutrients, it is important to each
a good variety of fruits and vegetables. Eating a good
combination of yellow, orange, red and green fruits and
vegetables is a great way to ensure adequate levels of nutrition.

Fruits and vegetables are also an important source of fiber. One
way to maximize the amount of fiber you get from fruits and
vegetables is to eat the entire fruit and vegetable including
the edible peel. Eating fruits and vegetables whole, instead of
simply drinking fruit juice, is the best way to enjoy the fiber
these foods have to offer. Orange juice may be very healthy, but
it does not contain the same amount of fiber as a whole orange.

Getting sufficient fiber in the diet offers a great many health
benefits, including aiding in digestion, lowering levels of
cholesterol in the blood, reducing the risk of heart disease and
stroke, and reducing the chances of some forms of cancer. In
addition, fiber is though to play an important role in
controlling levels of blood sugar in diabetics. Fiber also helps
dieters feel full while limiting the number of calories you
consume.

Many people wonder if canned and frozen fruits and vegetables
are as healthy and nutritious as the fresh varieties. The simple
answer to this question is yes. Canned and frozen fruits and
vegetables contain just as many vitamins and minerals as their
fresh counterparts, so it is fine to replace fresh fruits and
vegetables with canned and frozen varieties when fresh ones are
not available.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are often less expensive, however,
especially when they are in season. In addition, local farmers
markets and produce stands are often great sources of the
freshest, most delicious fruits and vegetables at some excellent
prices.

How vegetables and fruits are prepared is just as important as
how they are chosen. It is important to rinse fresh fruit and
vegetables thoroughly under clean running water. This step is
important in order to remove any dirt, pesticide residue or
bacterial contamination. The outermost leaves of lettuce and
cabbage should be removed, and the outside of root vegetables
like carrots and potatoes should be removed, especially if you
plan to consume the skins of those vegetables. Vegetables and
fruits should be washed right before they are used in order to
keep them as fresh as possible.

The best ways to cook vegetables in order to maintain their
freshness are to boil, microwave or steam the veggies until they
are tender and crisp. It is best to use as little water as
possible when cooking vegetables. That is because overcooking
can destroy some of the valuable vitamins and minerals the
vegetables contain.

About the author:

Tony Robinson is a Company CEO, webmaster husband and dad. In
his busy lifestyle he has placed importance on health and
fitness. Visit http://www.eat-healthily.com for good eating tips
and techniques to assist you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Tags: Adequate Levels, Apple Orange, Author, Cancer Diets, cancer;, Canned Fruits, Company CEO, diabetes;, Disease Diabetes, Eating Fruits And Vegetables, Food Guidelines, Fruit Juice, Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits Vegetables, Good Combination, Green Salad, Healthy Fruits, heart disease;, Kinds Of Cancer, Kiwi Fruit, Lifestyle Diets, Local Grocery Store, Maintaining A Healthy Weight, microwave;, Orange Juice, Risk Of Heart Disease, Stroke, Tony Robinson, webmaster, webmaster husband and dad —