Archive for March, 2008

If you are currently on a low carb diet and want to mix sugar alcohol products into your diet, it is very important that you monitor your total sugar alcohol intake–and keep it at a minimum while consuming a healthy diet.

One easy way to do this is to determine the total amount of carbs in sugar alcohol products you are consuming. You can do this by subtracting the amount of fat and protein calories per serving from the total amount of calories per serving. Simply multiply the grams of protein by four and the grams of fat by nine. Now subtract the sum of the two from the total amount of calories per serving.

Using these figures, you can determine whether or not carbs are being “hidden” in “carb free” sugar alcohol products you consume, allowing you to make a better-informed decision that fits the prescriptions of your low-carb diet.

Planning the perfect barbeque is easy. Just follow these five easy steps towards creating a memorable barbeque.

1. Because good company is what makes or breaks a successful backyard barbeque make sure you organize your guests first. Send out invitations or call as much in advance as you can to guarantee that the people you want to come will be able to come.

2. Choose a theme and decorate the backyard and your home to suit that theme. Match tablecloths and napkins. Add candles and fresh flowers. A backyard barbeque needs a theme to induce a fun mood amongst guests and to make it memorable.

3. Plan the menu. Check to see what your guests are bringing and cross those items off your list. Make a list of what you need (don’t forget insect repellent) and do all the shopping the day before so that ingredients are fresh and so that the morning of your backyard barbeque can be dedicated to food preparation. Make sure you purchase the highest-quality meat products you can find. And select vegetables, such as corn, tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms. These vegetables are perfect accompaniments for a barbeque.

4. In the morning (or the night before) marinate the meat. A simple marinade that includes soy sauce, barbeque sauce and garlic is perfect. Stock your cooler with cold drinks.

5. By the time your guests arrive you should be dressed and ready. Music should be playing to add ambience, salads and other starters should be laid out and ready, and the fire should be kindled.

Good Fats are the naturally-occurring, traditional fats that haven’t been damaged by high heat, refining, processing or other man-made tampering, such as “partial hydrogenation”. The best of these kinds of fats are found in fish, nuts, avocados, seeds, and even fresh creamery butter. The “Good” fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats:

• Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil, canola oil, peanuts and other nuts, peanut butter, and avocados. Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in our bodies. LDL cholesterol accumulates in and clogs artery walls. Monounsaturated fats also help to maintain levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, which carries cholesterol away from artery walls and delivers it to the liver for disposal.

• Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats found in coldwater fish, canola oil, flaxseeds, walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts. Recent studies have shown that populations that eat more omega-3s, such as Eskimos (whose diets are heavy on fish), have fewer serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. There is evidence that omega-3 oils help prevent or treat depression, arthritis, asthma, colitis, and cardiovascular disease.

Are you aware that the major health problems in “modern” countries are caused by tobacco, obesity, poor nutrition, lack of exercise? Various health agencies say that such self abuse causes at least 7 of 10 deaths through resulting chronic diseases.

In other words, the majority of us are committing slow suicide by treating our biological machines as if we are only renting, able to move into other bodies if we just place a down payment and sign a contract for some low APR. Yet news reports tell us how bad our escalating health costs are, and how they will bankrupt this country, if military or other Federal expenses don’t succeed first.

Fortunately, I am not the only person who has taken heed, and changed life style to include better diet and daily moderate exercise.

The sad truth is that corrective action really is not that difficult. All we have to do is think, and be honest with ourselves. After all, “think” is not a four letter word.

If you crave food between meals, snack on raw vegetables, fruits, un-salted nuts, raisins, and similar. I have found that “GORP” (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts) or raisins with almonds taste extremely sweet without added sugar. The fairly small amount of unsaturated fats in the nuts will do a lot to ward off hunger.

When I realized / admitted that my muscles were pretty out of condition, I started with stretches and walking, then researched such sources as Charles Atlas, Jack La Lanne, and army calisthenics for a self regulated range of exercises which cost next to nothing, and can be done in times and places of my choice. For bad weather, I admit to having a paddle wheel exer-cycle, but brisk walking in shopping centers or other large buildings also works.

I had taken my body for granted. Now I am in better health and fitness than when I passed age 60, feel and sleep better, don’t get tired so easily, feel more alert. And my weight is the same as in my mid teen years.

My two health books and numerous free articles show that taking ownership and responsibility for one’s body is not that difficult. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that some health advice violates biology, chemistry, physics, or just plain common sense. If the providers of advice want you to pay for more than the basic information, be skeptical, such as for magic pills to control weight.

The rewards are simply great. Slow the aging process, resist even scary diseases, lower medical costs, and on and on.

It nauseates me to see people running after magic pills, worthless dietary supplements, and fad diets. The truth is available on the internet if you search out good sources of information. You don’t have to trust just one reference.

Let the truth make you free from health and wealth robbing magic revelations.

Grain products include bread, rice, cereal, and pasta. These are an essential part of your diet because they are important sources beneficial carbohydrates, like starch and fiber, along with vitamins and minerals.

Some people believe that starchy food like breads, pasta, and rice are fattening. This is not necessarily so, particularly if you eat whole meal or whole grain breads and brown rice. However, when you add fats like margarine, mayonnaise, cheese sauce, oil, or gravy to them, then you can quickly elevate the calorie level of the food.

Whole-grain foods have more fiber and less starch than white grain foods.

Whole-grain foods include brown rice, oatmeal, corn tortillas, and whole wheat and whole grain bread.

This group is at the bottom of the pyramid. This means that the foods in this group should make up the biggest part of what you eat each day.