Diet and Nutrition Tips for Optimal Eye Health

Mothers have, over the years, routinely told their young children to eat their carrots for healthy eyesight. That is still excellent advice today. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A-beta carotene - which is one of the primary nutrients for optimal eye health. This crunchy orange veggie has a high level of Vitamin C as well. Both of these vitamins have been shown in studies to reduce eye pressure - and that can help reduce the risk of glaucoma. Beta carotene is also associated with a lower risk of developing macular degeneration.
But carrots aren't the only foods that offer eye protection. There are many other foods that can be just as beneficial to developing strong eyes and keeping them in great shape throughout your life. As with any other food-related goal, balance and moderation are the keys. Here are a few foods and nutrients that should be eaten regularly for optimal eye health.
Since Vitamin C is a powerful nutrient for good eye health, many people turn to the most obvious sources of it: citrus fruits. Orange, tangerines, and grapefruit provide an abundant supply of Vitamin C. Yellow vegetables like squash and yellow bell peppers are rich with it, too, as are softer tasting foods such as sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Why take a vitamin supplement when all these delicious natural sources of Vitamin C are available?
Leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale contain Lutein as well as Vitamin E. Many studies have shown that these two nutrients can help delay the development of eye cataracts. They also perform the same duty that sunscreen does, protecting the eyes from UV rays. Turnip greens, romaine lettuce, and broccoli are other good sources of these two nutrients.
But there's more to life than vegetables. Add some nuts to your diet to increase your intake of Vitamin E. Hazelnuts and almonds are loaded with this vitamin. A small handful a day can keep your eyes in great shape, and it will promote a healthier heart, too.
Tomatoes are good for the eyes, too. Not only do they contain the super Vitamin C, but also Lycopene. The Lycopene levels increase once the tomatoes have been cooked and turned into ketchup or tomato sauce. An antioxidant, Lycopene helps reduce the levels of free radicals in the blood. This benefits the body in many ways, and the eyes are included.
The eyes also benefit from garlic. Not only does it help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but it can help prevent cataract development and promote proper lens focusing. That's because it contains sulphur and guercetin. One clove of garlic per day can provide a lot of protection for the eyes.
Eggs are another excellent source of Lutein and Vitamin A. In fact, eggs provide the best source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin. Some studies show that eating one egg per day-scrambled, poached, boiled, or fried-can reduce a person's risk of developing macular degeneration to almost nothing. Those same nutrients also help reduce the risk of cataracts.
A fish that is particularly good for the eyes is salmon. These cold-water fish are known to provide omega-3 fatty acids that protect the heart, but they also provide Vitamin A, folic acid and other great nutrients that are good for the eyes, as well.
What about herbs and spices? They not only jazz up the taste of foods, but they can bring benefits to every part of the body. For example, the herb bilberry contains antioxidants that promote improved blood flow through capillaries in the eyes and allow the eyes to adjust to changes in light. Cinnamon is a popular spice that is also rich in antioxidants. Many others spices contain antioxidants-ginger, thyme, rosemary, to name just a few. Include them when cooking to increase both flavor and eye protection.
But there is more to protecting and nourishing the eyes than simply listing what foods you should eat. There are definitely some diet no-no's for those who want to keep their eyes healthy. Some of these include any kind of red meat. While red meat contains zinc-very good for the eyes-it contains a lot of things that can lead to eye ailments. Too much red meat can increase the possibility of early development of age-related macular degeneration. This disease is the leading cause of vision loss in people who are 50 years old or older. So, while red meat has its place in the diet, many studies have shown that intake should be limited to four times a week or less.
In conclusion, there are many eye needs that can be met through proper diet. Balance and moderation make the difference when it comes to any nutritional plan for health, including eye health. Eat a variety of the foods presented here, and your eyes should grow healthy and stay that way.

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Heart Healthy Diet - Include Calcium and Magnesium for Heart Health

With a recent study implicating calcium supplementation as a risk factor in increased heart attacks in women of post-menopausal years, some confusion has been generated about how best to get adequate calcium to maintain bone and cardiovascular health.
Women have been advised to take calcium supplements for decades to maintain bone health, even though studies show that this mineral alone isn't enough to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. With the recent study pointing out the risks of taking calcium supplements, many are questioning the safety of continuing supplementation. The study found a 30% increase of heart attacks in those taking calcium supplements. Does this have to do with an imbalance in calcium and magnesium, with excess calcium available in the blood that acts to harden the arteries causing artheroscleosis? Some think this may just be the case.
Calcium is necessary for a healthy heart, but many nutritionists say that its relationship to dietary magnesium hasn't been emphasized enough. Calcium and magnesium work in concert with each other; magnesium is both heart protective and helps with the proper absorption and metabolism of calcium.
Magnesium and calcium together keep the heart functioning, when one is missing problems occur. High blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke, and other heart and circulatory disorders may be directly tied to inadequate dietary mineral consumption. Dietary magnesium can be boosted by eating plenty of whole grains, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. Some vegetables such as beets and spinach can interfere with calcium absorption, so they shouldn't be eaten at the same time calcium sources are.
Nutritionists, researchers and doctors now agree that the best advice is to get calcium from dietary sources rather than supplementation. Dairy, such as cheese, yogurt, and milk are the traditional sources but many other foods are high in calcium and don't cause problems with lactose intolerance for those who are sensitive to this dairy sugar.
Non-dairy sources of calcium are sardines and canned salmon with the bones left in. White and navy beans, along with tofu produced from soybeans are also high in calcium. Oats, almonds, and cabbage are additional plant sources. Collard greens are high in calcium and so is spinach. However, keep in mind that spinach is also a source of oxalic acid that binds with calcium making it unavailable for absorption. Soybeans also contain oxalic acid and may not be a good calcium source due to this. If you enjoy foods high in oxalic acid, try drinking milk or eating a yogurt between meals when these foods aren't present.
Foods high in phosphorus can also interfere with the absorption of calcium so avoiding sodas and certain leafy greens my help increase the amount of calcium that the body can absorb from foods. The phosphorus binds more quickly to vitamin D, denying it to the calcium.
Several other factors affect calcium absorption, even with a diet rich in calcium rich foods. Magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and some fat or oil are required as vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Calcium absorption also decreases with age. Because magnesium has been stripped from many of the refined foods we eat, many nutritionists blame a lack of adequate magnesium for the prevalence of heart disease in modern society.
Additional problems with absorption can be caused by certain medications. Heartburn medicines that block acids prevent calcium from being absorbed in the stomach. Calcium citrate is a supplement that doesn't require stomach acid for absorption, and may be a choice for those taking heartburn medications.
The best advice? Study more of this topic on your own and then with a doctor or nutritionist's help, discover how to best get the amount of calcium and magnesium you need.

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Sugary Drinks May Raise Blood Pressure

If you're drinking sugary drinks like sodas and fruit drinks with added sugar, smoothies and coffee confections, you need to know that these delicious beverages appear to raise blood pressure in adults according to a new study. Very likely sugar soda drinkers weigh more as well.
The researchers say the glucose and fructose in these drinks are both to blame for the association. What's more, the problem can be made worse by increased salt intake, itself a key player in high blood pressure.
What sets this study apart is that sugar sweetened drinks have, for the first time, been tied to an increase in blood pressure, and this can up the risks of heart attack as well as stroke. More work will be needed to understand just how this works in the body.
For this study, the team examined the eating habits of almost 2,700 men and women, both American and British, who were between 40 and 59 years old.
Each participant kept diet diaries for foods, sugars, sugar sweetened and diet beverages for four-days.
The subjects also completed questionnaires that covered medial, social and lifestyle factors. All through the study, samples of urine and blood pressure measurements were taken.
If subjects who took part in the study drank at least one sugar sweetened drink a day, they were generally found to be heavier (higher BMIs), take in more calories and eat less healthy overall than those who didn't drink these types of beverages.
On average the sugar-laden drinks accounted for almost 400 added calories a day.
In terms of blood pressure, for each serving of sugared beverages the subjects drank daily, there was a bump in both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, even after adjustments for BMI were made. If a participant had high dietary sodium intake the association between drinks with added sugar and high blood pressure was even stronger.
Choosing a diet beverage was linked to a very slight dip in blood pressure, though the finding didn't meet the criteria for statistical significance. Also of note, caffeine consumption appears not to have an impact on blood pressure.
A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains an astonishing 9 to 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Drinking added-sugar beverages has been tied to other conditions, beyond high blood pressure. There's obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and the increased risk of heart disease.
If you love these drinks, the researchers suggest that you enjoy them in moderation, and make healthier choices like water, unsweetened teas or mixes of sparkling water and fruit juice, more often.
And while experts (and probably your mom and your dentist) have repeatedly told us sugar sweetened drinks are bad, it's hard to break the habit. If you decide to make a switch to sugar free, or caffeine free, do so slowly, gradually so that your taste buds have the chance to become adjusted to sugar free drinks.
By limiting (or eliminating) how many calories you get from sugary drinks, you'll be doing your heart, and the rest of your body, a whole lot of good. And your taste buds... they'll adjust. Faster than you think.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

Mediterranean Diet Plan For a Healthy Brain

Eating a Mediterranean diet plan that's high in healthy fats, limits dairy and meats isn't just good for your heart, some new research suggests it might also be healthy brain food. Following a Mediterranean style diet helps lower the risk of developing small areas of dead tissue that have been linked to thinking problems. Doctor's call these brain infarcts, and cite them as involved in vascular dementia, the second most common form of disease after Alzheimer's disease. The Mayo Clinic puts the numbers with vascular dementia at between 1-4% of those over 65.
The risks for vascular disease are similar to Alzheimer's disease and include high blood pressure, a high fat diet, type 2 diabetes and low folate intake. In this latest study the subjects had never had a clinical stroke, but might have had smaller, unnoticed ones. MRI brain scans can detect such small strokes.
The study ties diet to stroke and involved 712 New Yorkers over the age of 65 who were asked about their diet and then six years later underwent an MRI. Researchers found that those who most closely followed a Mediterranean style diet were 36% less likely to have areas of brain damage, compared with those whose eating habits were least like the diet.
When the researchers controlled for high blood pressure, the Mediterranean diet was still tied to a lower risk of brain damage. It could be this way of eating helps to protect the brain vessels themselves, without regard to other problems like hypertension.
The researchers also looked at the individual components of the Mediterranean diet to see if one could be identified as especially beneficial. They found a stronger association between eating the whole diet and brain damage prevention than with any single food in the diet. It might just be that the combination of all the elements, including fish oil, may be producing the positive effect on the brain.
When it came to strokes, the subjects who followed the diet plan the least had an increased risk of strokes that was similar to those with high blood pressure. Those who stuck to the Mediterranean diet regimen had a level of protection that was similar to those who didn't have hypertension. Other studies have suggested that this eating style might help in preventing a second heart attack, stopping the need for diabetes drugs and lowering cancer risk.
It's important to understand that the results of the work show association, not causation, which tells us that there could be other factors linking the Mediterranean diet to resistance to this type of brain damage. Other research has shown that the more subjects stick to the diet, the better protection against hypertension they get, and this is also associated with these brain problems.
The Mediterranean diet isn't so much a diet plan as a way of eating for life, and is nothing like the typical American diet. The Mediterranean diet is:
- Very low in red meat and poultry
- Uses olive oil as the main fat source
- Very high in fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and cereals
- High in fish
- Permits low to moderate intake of wine
Future work will need to confirm whether subjects must follow the entire Mediterranean diet plan, or if there are parts that bring about the positive effects. Identifying specific foods might make changing the way we eat easier - adjustments could be centered on adding one or two elements to our current diet, rather than trying to reshape a lifetime pattern of eating. Still, no matter what the experts end up concluding; we are seeing clearly that what you put into your body (good or bad) does indeed have an impact on both body and mind.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

Chefs Diet - Zone Diet Compliant Meals Sent to Your House

Chefs Weight loss program is dieting meal delivery program based upon the nutritional principals based in the Zone Diet as reported by Dr. Barry Sears. Chefs Diet is not affiliated with Dr. Sears but does base its meals upon his recommended portion size and ratio of 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% good fats. These meals work to improve your energy, stabilize blood sugar levels, and promote steady weight reduction.
The Chefs Diet is sent to your home bi-weekly having a full group of meals. However, if you live in one of their local delivery areas, you could have freshly prepared meals delivered to your home daily. These areas currently are areas of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Southern California. You can enter your zipcode on their website to see if local delivery is available. If not, you can choose a bi-weekly package option.
There are many options you can choose from. Them all include freshly prepared gourmet meals that range in price from $14.99 daily to $39.99 daily. The lower priced options include breakfast and dinner. You can also choose lunch and dinner or breakfast, lunch and dinner. The premium weekly plan allows you to customize your food preferences. You will receive three meals and two snacks for every day. They are conveniently packaged in microwaveable containers which make meal preparation very simple.
Some meal choices available to you include a breakfast burrito with picante sauce and turkey bacon, scrambled eggs with roasted potatoes and turkey sausage, roast turkey with brown rice and green beans, meatloaf with roasted potatoes and seasoned kale, lasagna with seasoned spinach and mixed vegetables, and Swedish meatballs with kale and wheat grains pasta.
The Zone Weight loss program is one of the more popular and effective diets, especially for those who have trouble reducing your weight. However, it may be very hard to organize meals in your own home that strictly stick to the rules. Being able to order meals already designed to Zone specifications is a real-time saver and increases the likelihood you'll stick to your needs diet in the future.
The Chefs Diet has become one of the popular diet food delivery options available. This really is due simply to its effectiveness like a weight loss program and in part due to the gourmet company's meals thanks to the top chefs within the company. In fact, the diet plan has brought several celebrity endorsements from people for example Kevin Costner, Ivanka Trump, Jenny McCarthy, Kathy Griffin, Nancy Sinatra, and Allison Sweeney.
To begin having healthy meals sent to your house to help you get started with your weight loss, all you've got to do is register on their official website, select your meal plan and pay for your order. Chefs Weight loss program is just a little not the same as other diet meal delivery companies in that it delivers fourteen days worth of meals at any given time instead of 1 week which means you don't have to worry with reorders so often.
If you've ever tried the Zone Diet but found it too hard to figure out or maintain, now's the time to experience the load loss and health giving benefits it offers in a way that is easy and affordable.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danilo_Orina

Low Carb Food List - Lose Fat Fast With Healthy Food!

OK, hands up who knows what foods are low in carbohydrates, and which are loaded with them. If you were to ask this question in a busy room, do not expect there to be many hands raised. This is the kind of knowledge which eludes most people, hampering their efforts to lose weight. Having a low carb food list, puts you ahead of the rest, and well on the road to fat loss.
The importance of carbs
Carbohydrates are fuel for the body, this is where you get your energy from, but they can also pile on unwanted pounds. When someone says that they are on a diet, they do not specify whether it is healthy or not. What we eat everyday is considered to be our diet, therefore, there is a vast difference between being on a diet, and eating healthily.
The glycemic index is a great indicator of how high a food is in carbohydrates. If the food is up at 100 on the index, then it is a killer for sugar, a definite no no. The higher a food is in the index, the quicker the sugar from carbohydrates gets absorbed into the bloodstream, causing fat storage. Foods that would be on a low carb food list, will also be present in the glycemic index, but much closer to zero. These cause sugar to be absorbed slowly, great for avoiding weight gain.
Some low carb foods
Vegetables are a superb food, with greens like spinach and lettuce containing a minuscule 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Green beans completely trump their black and red bean cousins as they have only 5 grams per serving. Simply put, eating a whole host of vegetables is one of the best things you can do because they can be very filling, yet contain nothing but goodness, and should be a staple for any diet.
Foods that are lower on the glycemic index contain complex carbohydrates, also known as 'good carbs'. These are carbohydrates that do not come from sugar, therefore, you can help yourself to a sizeable quantity without worrying about weight gain. Simple changes like substituting wholemeal bread for white bread will work wonders for you. And of course, one cannot forget vegetables, which should be at the top of any low carb food list.
One or two simple changes and/or additions to your diet could add years of good health to your life. To benefit even more from your new healthy diet, you should have a look at an online weight loss program which will accelerate your fat burning for great results.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Woody

Need to Drop Fat Fast?

Need to drop fat fast, but you're not sure where to begin? Have you tried all of the latest and greatest diets, only to lose weight for a little while, then have it all pile back on...and then some?
If you're like most people, the secret for how to drop fat fast and keep it off seems out of reach. After all, how can you make heads or tails of the best way to eat and exercise for maximum fat loss? Should you eat low fat? Low carb? Count calories?
What about exercise? Everybody knows that aerobics are the best way to drop fat fast, right?
Well, hang on to your hat, because I'm about to tell you to forget everything you've learned about diet and exercise from the so-called "experts." None of these approaches will ever work to help you drop fat and keep it off.
The only way to learn how to drop fat fast is by learning to eat properly and exercise the right way. You might be surprised that this does not mean eating less and exercising more. It just means eating RIGHT and exercising RIGHT.
In order to drop fat fast, you need to give your body the fuel and the nutrients it needs. This is why low fat, low calorie diets just don't work. When you eat an ultra-low fat diet, your body isn't satisfied, and craves a feeling of satiety from foods with an optimal amount of healthy fat. Likewise, when you severely limit your intake of calories, your body thinks there's a famine going on and fights to hold on to every ounce of fat it can. That's why dieters inevitably reach a plateau where no matter how hard they try, the scale just won't budge any lower. The body has simply adjusted its metabolism to stave off starvation.
The right way to eat is to get the nutrients you need by eating good proteins, carbs, and fats in the right proportions. If you do this, you can begin to drop fat fast - and not only that, you'll keep it off.
In addition to eating the right kinds and amounts of foods, you'll need to eat at the proper intervals. I know we've all been conditioned to eat three square meals per day, but this is actually counterproductive. Your body will actually function better - and achieve optimum fat loss - if you eat several smaller meals each day.
What about exercise. You need to do aerobics to burn fat, right? Wrong! Consider that 30 minutes of high-impact aerobic exercise for a 140 pound woman only burns 222 calories. That's about a small order of French fries from a fast food joint. You'd have to work out all day to drop significant fat with aerobic exercise.
It is true that your metabolism will increase some after aerobic exercise, but that boost is nothing compared to what resistance training will do for you in terms of fat loss. Aerobic exercise is healthy in its own right, don't get me wrong, but it will not help you drop fat fast.
The real key to fat loss is resistance training. Resistance training involves using weight-bearing exercise to strengthen muscles and increase your ratio of fat-burning muscle tissue. The best way to drop fat fast is by adding more muscle, since muscle burns fat even while you are at rest. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn, even while you're watching TV or getting some shut-eye.
If you've been searching for how to drop fat fast, look no further. By applying these simple principles, you can lose weight and start to see muscle tone and definition in a very short period of time. And, you won't have to be hungry and miserable to achieve your fat loss goals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dianna_Yvonne_Smith