H1N1 (“Swine Flu”) and Health Nutrition

Facing the Flu H1N1 (Swine) Flu outbreak Mark D. Sisson, a health, fitness and nutrition expert stressed that good health immune system is critical. According to Sisson, the key to avoiding the Swine or any other type of flu, or lessening its impact greatly, depends on the health of the individual’s immune system and strength of their organ reserve, which is the functional capacity of one’s organs to support life. People should take some steps to ensure they have a strong immune system, including avoiding sugar and bad fats and – for some people – even grains for their bad effect on the immune system. Health nutrition, in contrast, will boost the immune system.

It is no secret anymore that true immunity comes from nutrition, because proper nutrition builds good immunity. Nutrition is the most valuable point of health that boosts our immune system like nothing else can. Health nutrition is the key factor to prevent and for the recovery of disease that allows us to overcome the most devastating diseases known to mankind, and gives us a vibrant healthy life.

Fresh fruit and vegetables containing health nutrition, such as broccoli, watercress, carrots and peas which contain antioxidants, apples, prunes, citrus fruits, cabbage and lettuce which contain flavonoids, as well as oily fish will boost our immune system. In general a well balanced diet that is nutrient dense and includes a wide variety of different foods will help keep the immune system healthy and working well. Research studies have found that nutrients are most effective when taken in balance of each other and are included as part of a healthy diet.

Health nutrition in herbs, foods, and vitamin supplements are the source of our immunity which is missing from allopathic medicine today in favor of drugs (chemicals). Many physicians are learning nutrition and herbology and homeopathy so people will have a choice and a place to turn to nutritional oriented physicians when in need.

Some health nutrition can assist in combating various viruses – including flu virus, one of the most popular one is monolaurin (glycerol monolaurate). It is a monoglycerol ester of the saturated fatty acid, lauric acid. Lauric fatty acids are present in many animals and plants, for example, in cow's milk, butter, margarine, palm-kernel and coconut oil, and also in human adipose tissue, urine, milk, and amniotic fluid. This health nutrition possesses broad-spectrum activity against fungi and viruses.

Monolaurin is supposed to be effective against those viruses by breaking down the membrane, envelope or outer wall of the viruses so that they are chopped into bits, turned to liquid, and eventually are removed from our body. It is believed to work by interacting with the lipids and phospholipids that form the envelope, causing it to weaken or disintegrate, destroying their main defense and prevents the virus from 'un-coating.' By doing so, monolaurin prevents viral attachment to susceptible host cells. That's how this health nutrition inactivates the virus.

Loose Weight with Water

Water helps you loose weight. If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of a little paunch here and there, you're probably just not drinking enough water. Most people are, and they’re carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water.

Forget all the diet sodas because there is only one liquid that will surely help you loose weight the fastest, water. Our bodies are made up of 70% water and it is one of the healthiest things our body can get. We need to drink plenty of clean, pure water to be healthy and to loose weight, and you won't even feel like you are on a diet. Here's why:

Water is essential for proper kidney function. Plenty of water is needed for this. If the kidneys are water-deprived and so functioning at a sub-optimal level, the liver will assist them. The liver itself has other functions, one of the most important ones being to metabolize fat, in which the liver converts stored fat to energy. When the liver is helping the kidneys, it can't metabolize fat as efficiently as it does when the kidneys are working on their own; and the body will store fat. So, it is important to drink water to help loose weight.

In addition, failing to take in enough water each day will make the body thinks that it is entering a period of drought. The body will react by storing as much water as possible in the ankles, the hips, the thighs, maybe even around the belly to get through this drought. With proper water intake, the body figures it doesn't need to store water anymore, so it is flushing itself of the water it has been storing – hence more loose weight.

Moreover, the extra water drunk to loose weight acts as an extremely effective appetite suppressant. This is because the stomach will fill with water, leaving less room for food, and causing full feeling sooner with less food, which generally means less calories. This can make it easier to be in a state of calorie deficit.

It is very easy to be misguided and eat when in fact we are just thirsty. So using water to loose weight is very beneficial, but how much water is needed? The age-old standard is to drink eight 8-oz glasses or about two quarts of water a day. This is okay for the average person, but overweight people should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of the excess weight. More water is also needed for those who live in a hot climate, more active or exercise very intensely.

This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. Drink three or four times a big glass of water a day, and then sip in between. Do it when you're not thirsty yet. If you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated.

Ornish, A Lose Fat Diet – the History

In his book, A Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D. developed a program that became the first diet and lifestyle program scientifically proven to reverse heart disease. Published in 1990, the book has been a long-standing New York Times bestseller. It includes a vegetarian diet plan to lose fat.

Dr. Ornish first became interested in conducting research on heart disease in 1975, when he was a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine. As part of his medical training, he had the opportunity to assist cardiovascular surgeons performed coronary artery bypass surgery. Although he appreciated the skill and expertise of the physicians, Dr. Ornish considered the "treatment," was simply to "bypass" the causes of the disease in search of a temporary fix of the problem. Dr. Ornish began to research the dietary and lifestyle factors that lead to heart disease and to design clinical research trials that would allow him to study the effectiveness of dietary and lifestyle changes as a treatment for heart disease. The results of Dr. Ornish's first clinical trial, the Lifestyle Heart Trial, were published in 1990. In this study, Dr. Ornish's heart patients got healthier simply by adopting new dietary and lifestyle habits. The results of this study were considered revolutionary since, until that point, it was believed that it was impossible to stop the progression of heart disease. It also suggested a cheaper and safer weapon against cardiovascular disease than invasive procedures such as coronary artery bypass surgery.

Aside from the Reversal Diet for people suffering heart disease who want to reverse its effects and lower their heart attack risk, Dr. Ornish also presents the Prevention Diet for people with no heart disease, but with cholesterol levels above 150, or with a ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (or "good" cholesterol) less than 3.0. To lose fat both diets supply only 10% of calories from fat. It excludes cholesterol and saturated fat, including all animal products (except egg whites and nonfat dairy products), nuts, seeds, avocados, chocolate, olives, and coconuts. Oils are eliminated except a small amount of canola oil for cooking, and oil that supplies omega-3 essential fatty acids. The Ornish diet also prohibits caffeine, but allows a moderate intake of alcohol, sugar, and salt. The diet emphasizes the consumption of high-fiber whole grains and legumes (beans, and peas), fruits and vegetables, and allows processed or refined foods in moderation. There is no restriction on the calorie intake so long as the diet is confined within the recommended foods.

In addition to these dietary recommendations, the lose fat Program involves comprehensive lifestyle changes including moderate aerobic exercise, stress reduction techniques, peer support, smoking cessation, and nutritional supplementation.

Losing Weight Recipes

Dieting practice is done mostly for losing weight, especially in those who are overweight or obese.

Generally there are four categories of dieting practices to promote losing weight, i.e. low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and very low calorie. Despite the macronutrients emphasized there are relatively no difference results. A study shows that lowering calories – no matter how it’s done – is the key to losing weight. Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more with exercise is the way to do it.

Although the calories are limited, the losing weight diet you consume should be balanced and complete. Choose healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, beans, low or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry; avoid foods that are high in fat and sugars.

Here is a sample of a 1400 calories losing weight diet plan, along with the recipes from shapefit.com:

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Calories
	1 cup	Milk – 1%	102
	1/16 recipe	Lemon-Almond Loaf	129
	Total:		231
AM Snack
	1 piece	MetRx Bar	320
	Total:		320
Lunch
	1/6 recipe	Baked Potatoes with Vegetables	296
	12 ounces	Coca cola- diet with caffeine	0
	Total:		296
PM Snack
	¼ recipe	Fruit Parfait	271
	Total:		271
Dinner
	¼ recipe	Spice Seafood Stew	204
	½ cup	Rice – White, Cooked, Steamed	82
	Total:		286
	Grand Total:		1404

Here are the recipes:

Lemon-Almond Loaf

Ingredients:

Low-fat cooking spray

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 medium-sized egg, beaten

1 cup low-fat milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl then set aside.

3. Whisk egg, milk, vegetable oil, lemon peel and juice in another bowl, pour it to the flour mixture then stir until thoroughly moistened. Add almonds and mix until combined.

4. Pour batter in an 8 x 4 x 2-inch sprayed loaf pan.

5. Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes then turn out of pan and let cool completely before serving.

Baked Potatoes with Vegetables

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes

1 -- 5.75 oz. can of black, pitted large olives

4-5 green onions

2-3 carrots

8 oz. of vegetarian chili

1 bunch broccoli, cut and lightly cooked in microwave or steamed

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. nonfat yogurt (or sour cream)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375o F.

2. Wash potatoes and poke with a fork 4-5 times. Wrap in foil or place on a cookie sheet.

3. Oven for 45-60 minutes.

4. Chop olives and green onions and grate carrots.

5. Heat chili briefly in microwave or on stove top until warm.

6. Slice open and garnish potatoes with olives, carrots, onions, broccoli, cheddar cheese, yogurt or sour cream, chili and salsa

Fruit Parfait

Ingredients:

1 cup apples, chopped

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 banana, sliced

1 cup low-fat yogurt

1 cup low-fat granola

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in a glass starting with a kind of fruit, then another fruit, then the yogurt, then some granola, again another fruit, and top with raisins.

Spicy Seafood Stew

Ingredients:

8 oz. fresh or frozen scallops

8 oz. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails intact

8 oz. fresh mussels in shells, beards removed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup fish or vegetable broth

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground saffron

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Thaw scallops and shrimp if frozen then rinse and pat dry.

2. Scrub mussels, soak in salt water (2 cups water and 3 tablespoons salt) for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and repeat twice.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan then sauté garlic and onion until tender.

4. Stir in cumin, cinnamon, ground red pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

5. Add broth, tomatoes, saffron and bring to boiling.

6. Add scallops, shrimp and mussels. Return to boiling then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes or until mussel shells open

7. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Dieting For Kids and Teenagers

Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion for a purpose, like losing weight. To lose weight, a person may try to eat fewer calories than the body uses in order to lose body fat and decrease body weight. Some dieting practices even cut out entire categories of foods or require dieters to just eat specific food, which can deprive the body of necessary nutrients.

Unlike adults, kids and teenagers are still growing and developing. Receiving adequate nutrition through a well-balanced diet is crucial for them. So, dieting is not necessary for most kids and teenagers.

According to the ADA (American Diabetes Association) there has been a 39 percent increase in obese teenagers. Still, dieting is not necessarily what they need. Often time overweight teenagers can improve their health simply by being more active and eating nutritious foods in a balanced diet.

Physical activity is important in securing weight loss. Energy for muscle activity is first derived from the glycogen, then from the fatty acids stored in the body. Exercise may also increase the basal metabolic rate (BMR - resting energy consumption) for some time after exercising, which leads to an additional caloric loss. Joining sports teams, hiking, cycling, or rowing are good choices, as well as more casual activities like shooting hoops at the park, dancing, or helping parents cleaning the house. Even the smallest lifestyle changes like walking to school or jogging up and down the stairs a couple of times before shower can really make a difference.

A balanced diet gives the proper amount of the right nutrients to the body, such as, carbohydrates for producing energy, protein for building body structures, calcium for growing bones, vitamins and minerals for helping maintain body functions, and fiber for healthy digestion. It includes variety of foods from different food groups i.e.:

· fruits and vegetables

· milk and dairy products

· meat, nuts, and other protein-rich foods

· grains, especially whole-grain foods

Based on the body mass index (BMI - weight in kilograms per meters squared of height), doctors may still recommend dieting for some kids and teenagers, usually to slower gaining weight pace, or to maintain current weight. But this should be done with the guidance of an expert, like a dietitian, who can explain how to reduce calories safely while still getting all the necessary nutrients.

Being overweight can cause health problems; however, quick or “crash” dieting with pills, special drinks, and all-liquid diets, to name a few, and extreme dieting that requires skipping meals or eating only lettuce, for instance, may hurt the health even more. These dieting may lead children to consistently overeat later in their life despite adequate nutritional intake, because the brain is unable to learn how to correlate taste with nutritional value. It may also lead to eating disorder, like anorexia nervosa (starving oneself) or bulimia nervosa (eating and then deliberately throwing up).

Low Carb Diet Tips

Carbohydrate is a nutrient that provide 17 kJ (4 kcal) of energy per gram. They constitute a large proportion of foods such as rice, noodles, bread, and other grain-based products.

Carbohydrates may be classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, or polysaccharides by the number of monomer (sugar) units they contain. While polysaccharides – or complex carbohydrates – take longer to digest and absorb, simple sugars – abundance in modern diets – in contrast, are absorbed quickly, and therefore raise blood-sugar levels more rapidly. The spike in blood-sugar levels after ingestion of simple sugars is thought to be involved in causing heart and vascular disease.

For those reasons some diets are low-carbohydrate or low-carb. These are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for treatment of obesity. The American Academy of Family Physicians’ definition of the diet is:

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict caloric intake by reducing the consumption of carbohydrates to 20 to 60 g per day (typically less than 20 percent of the daily caloric intake). The consumption of protein and fat is increased to compensate for part of the calories that formerly came from carbohydrates.

Following are some tips on Low-Carb Diet:

1) Get the basic knowledge, like how to cut carbohydrates works, what foods have carbohydrates, and how to eat a balanced low carb diet, so you won’t fall into myths, like you should just eat meat all day.

2) Make a good planning of what you’ll eat so you won’t run into old habits before new healthier ones come naturally. Nothing will sabotage your goals more quickly than realizing that you're hungry but don't know what to eat.

3) Watch out the calories. Although you don’t count calories, calories do count! Let your appetite be your guide - eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are comfortable.

4) Have enough fiber, especially from vegetables and fruit, the fruit being low in sugar. There are also low carb sources of fiber.

5) Create variety to avoid getting bored too quickly and to get better nutrition. Every cuisine on the planet has low carb options or can be "de-carbed" - just skip the starch and sugar.

6) Be careful with "low carb" packaged foods, such as meal replacement bars, ice cream, and other "treats" labeled low carb or sugar-free. They often contain ingredients such as maltitol, which are just as bad as sugar in a lot of bodies.

7) Get enough exercise. Exercise is important in any diet for at least three reasons: it lowers insulin resistance; it is good for our bodies in so many ways; and it ensures us to maintain a significant weight, which by diet alone we are unlikely able to.

8) Don’t get sway from the planning midway. Don’t push yourself overboard that you’ll find the diet too much to endure and give up midway, or conversely, too easy on yourself that you are often tempted to lose up a bit and end up having carb cravings and gaining weight.

Nutrition and Malnutrition

Nutrition or nourishment, or nutrient is the necessary food materials provided to cells and organisms to support life and maintain body functions.

There are seven major classes of nutrients, five of which are needed in large amounts (macro-nutrients), i.e., carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber and water – the first three being sources of energy – and the remaining two are needed in smaller quantities (micro-nutrients), i.e. vitamins and minerals.

Our bodies need all of the above nutrients. To maintain a healthy body it's important for us to get all of the nutrients by eating a variety of foods in a balanced diet. A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of foods including plenty of fruit and vegetables, plenty of starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils and some dairy foods. It should also be low in fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar.

A lack of adequate nourishment, or minimum amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients essential for health and proper growth may lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an insufficient or excessive or unbalanced diet or from impaired absorption or metabolism of foods diet that may lead to underweight, stunting (or low height for age) and wasting (or low weight for height) among children, and diseases, such as kwashiorkor, marasmus and oedema. Malnutrition can occur because of the lack of a single vitamin in the diet, or it can be because a person isn't getting enough food. Starvation is a form of malnutrition. Malnutrition also occurs when adequate nutrients are consumed in the diet, but one or more nutrients are not digested or absorbed properly.

While the expansion of obesity and diabetes around the world is presenting international health experts with a new agenda, malnutrition remains a global health problem that underlies 54 percent of childhood deaths each year. The abandonment of traditional diets filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in favor of diets with processed foods and simple carbohydrates is taking hold even among the middle class of the world’s poorest nations.

Malnutrition may be mild enough to show no symptoms. However, in some cases it may be so severe that the damage done is irreversible, even though the individual survives.

Worldwide, malnutrition continues to be a significant problem, especially among children who cannot fend adequately for themselves. Poverty, natural disasters, political problems, and war all contribute to conditions -- even epidemics -- of malnutrition and starvation, and not just in developing countries.

For millions of people living in least developed countries, the effects of rising food and energy prices has exacerbated a living situation already filled with vulnerability and uncertainty.

Where resources are scarce and prices are high, families have had to scale back on nutrients, often sacrificing quality food for the cheapest and most accessible provisions.

The global food crisis impacts roughly one third of children in developing countries. Lack of micro-nutrients hinders physical and cognitive development. According to WFP, a child dies from malnutrition and hunger related diseases every six seconds.

In most hunger-related deaths, the terminal event is an infectious disease, such as pneumonia or diarrhoea, because severe under-nutrition reduces resistance to infections.

If the problems persist, we may lose a big part of our next generation or raise poor quality children to overcome the more and more challenging world. Hunger is the root of many evils; let’s do something to fight it, and hope for the better future.

Excerpted from many sources as a participating blog post for Bloggers Unite agenda of Unite for Hunger and Hope, April 29, 2009.