Benefits of fish oil for health and fitness

Saturday, 9 May 2009

If the words oils and fats, health, anxious people tend to make the cover. Does not realize that there are good fats and bad fats. Total removal of the oils and fats would be detrimental - rather as a benefit - to their health.

The truth about oil
Essential fatty acids are increasingly part of our daily diet - without them, we are one step closer to our deaths. Essential fatty acids are divided into two families: omega-6 and omega-3 EFAS EFAS.

Of course, there is very little difference between the two groups of essential fatty acids from all other studies have shown that too much omega-6-Home EFAS can lead to inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth. The good news is that the opposite is true for omega-3 EFAS. Omega-6 EFAS can be found in vegetable oils while omega-3 EFAS, see the food of fish oil.

Omega-6 vs. Omega-3
Doctors and scientists are of the opinion that the cause of the increasing cases of heart disease, high blood pressure or hypertension, obesity, diabetes, premature aging and certain types of cancer, was no more than the inequality of the registration of Omega - 3 and omega-6 - EFAS.

As already mentioned in omega-6-EFAS can be found in vegetable oils. This includes, but is not limited to, corn oil and soybean oil, large amounts of linoleic acid. Omega-3 EFAS-on the other hand, in the marine plankton and walnut and linseed oil. It should not be significant to note that fish fats and oils Eicosapentaensäure (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), fatty acids, which are many benefits to the human body. In the early 1970s, a study on the Inuit of Greenland have shown that one of the main reasons why they rarely suffer from cardiovascular disease because of their high fat content (especially fish).

The two essential fatty acids EPA and DHA are also useful to prevent atherosclerosis, stroke, depression and various forms of cancer. Comprehensive eat the fish oil were also helpful in the treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Raynaud's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Other benefits of fish oil
There are many other diseases and situations in which the oil has a clear advantage.

Heart health
The heart is inarguably one of the most important parts of our body and has a bad heart does not suffer from a limited lifespan. Of course it is in our interest, our hearts happy and healthy and one way to eat the food, the fish oil.

In Athens, Greece, for example, a study was to demonstrate whether there is a direct relationship between diet and fish high inflammation of blood vessels. The results showed that the fish more than others had a decrease of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, factors that often the size of the risk of inflammation of blood vessels. These benefits remained even when the various risks associated with high fish diet were taken into account.

Getting Thin
In Perth, Australia, a study has shown that the fish can be high blood pressure and obesity. Researchers of the UWA (University of Western Australia) have discovered that the loss of weight from a height of regular consumption of fish can be very effective in reducing blood pressure and increased glucose tolerance.

Fish oil in the fight against asthma
People with respiratory diseases such as asthma, are generally inadequate and unhealthy. It should now be happy to know that some studies have shown that the benefits of fish oil for those suffering from asthma office. Statistics show that 20 and 25% of children suffer from some form of asthma or other at some point in their lives. And some data show a steady supply of food with high linoleic acid content of the database, the underlying value.

Researchers at the UW (University of Wyoming), and in one study, some children with a large fish, while others with their normal diet. The results showed that participants who ate more fish are less susceptible to attacks of asthma and could breathe better.

Contact your nutritionist hours
Nothing, as the consumption or use, but the total elimination of a food is just as dangerous as well. Ask your nutritionist for the quantity of fish for food on your age and health.

Winter Weight Gain - Why Does It Happen And What Can We Do?

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Winter weight gain is a common complaint of many people. It seems that every winter we add a few pounds, and come summer we don't lose them all again either. A few of them always stick around, making us a little heavier every year. They seem to be very hard to lose extra pounds! Why does this happen and what can we do?

There are many contributing factors. First, it seems likely that we have a genetic disposition to store more fat as winter approaches. Many animals do this and it was probably vital to survival for our ancestors. Extra layers of fat on the body protect us against the cold and then can be used as fuel in the late winter and early spring when food stocks would historically be very low. We probably have a tendency to eat more in the fall, when food is plentiful after harvest time, to help this process along. We may also unconsciously choose foods that are higher in fat content at this time.

Hormone levels can also influence our weight gain. The interaction of hormones and other chemicals in the brain can bring about variations in appetite and cravings. Some neurotransmitters can also influence the way we eat. People who are overweight often have low levels of these neurotransmitters and the results can include excessive appetite, depression and sleep disorders. At the same time, the lack of daylight caused by the shortening days during late fall and winter can bring on seasonally affected disorder or winter depression. One of the quickest ways to give a boost to the energy levels and emotions is to eat high carbohydrate foods including sugar treats, chips and cereals that give us a fast blood sugar 'fix'. So people who feel low in the winter will tend to overeat or eat the wrong foods, leading to weight gain, more depression and a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

So altogether there are many reasons why we eat more high carbohydrate foods such as cookies, pies and chocolate in the winter, and of course most of these foods also contain high levels of fats. The best way to handle this is generally to substitute other foods that are also high in carbohydrate so that we get what our body craves, but which have low fat content and plenty of fiber. This means potatoes, wholegrain bread without butter, wholegrain rice, cereals, and fresh whole fruit.

It is also important to take more exercise. Often our physical activity levels drop in the winter and we have a tendency to want to stay home and rest. This is natural when it is cold outside. But we are not cavemen! We have heating in our homes and can be sure that there will still be plenty of food in the stores come February. We do not need to stow fat the way that they did. Sign up with a gym or get a stationary bicycle for the den. Transform those carbs into energy now instead of keeping it on the waistline until spring. Winter weight gain is easily avoidable this way.

Menopause And Weight Gain

Talking to most women over 50 you will quickly find that menopause and weight gain are linked in their experience. It is very common to put on weight at this time and while some of this may be due to lifestyle changes, that does not explain why suddenly we develop a tendency to put on weight at different parts of the body, especially the abdomen, while any weight gained when we were younger tended to be centered on the hips.

The truth is that hormonal changes do have a part to play in this, although the process is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen which is responsible for the ovulation process. Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and it almost certainly is the reason why our bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they store it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turning to fat as they grow older, and the metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits you will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need as many calories as a person of 40.

Hormone therapy with estrogen is sometimes prescribed to control menopausal symptoms. Many women will be surprised to hear that studies have shown that hormone therapy does not cause weight gain. Some women experience bloating and water retention in the early stages of hormone therapy but this is usually temporary and they have not gained any fat. Hormone therapy can reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing the changes in storage of body fat around the abdomen and lowering cholesterol. However, hormone therapy has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in some studies.

If you find that you are gaining weight around the menopause, there are several things you can do.

- Eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fiber, avoiding sugar.

- Take regular exercise. As people get older their physical activity levels naturally drop. Work often becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to run around after, we take less active holidays and do things more slowly. 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day will help to balance out the effect of this.

- Maintain your muscle strength and mass. Use weights for arm muscles and walking or cycling for legs.

- Accept the changes to the shape of your body. If you are not overweight, but simply have a thicker waist and slimmer legs, that is fine.

Consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have any medical conditions or your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.

3 Bad Diet Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost

Even though there is so much information available about weight loss, the same diet mistakes are being made over and over every day. We are not talking here about little slipups where you ate a slice of pie that was not on the plan, but big mistakes that lead to failure to lose the weight that you want to lose. Understanding these errors can help you develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss for you.

1. The All Or Nothing Attitude

All or nothing dieters will often pick out a complicated diet that is almost impossible for them to maintain. Before beginning, they will search the kitchen for anything that does not fit the plan and throw it in the garbage. They are planning to be the perfect dieter, and so they will be, for one day, three days, seven days or even a couple of weeks. Then, inevitably, something happens that means they cannot keep to the diet one time. Immediately the whole thing is ruined in their eyes and the diet is over. They go to the store and buy all the things that went into the garbage last week and proceed to gain back all the weight that they lost, as fast as possible.

If you are this kind of dieter you need to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really want to lose weight permanently, or just lose a few pounds so that you can enjoy putting them back on again? The way forward is to make small changes to what you eat so that you have a slow but steady weight loss.

2. The Attitude of Sacrifice

Another common mistake is to view your diet as a period of sacrifice. You do not allow yourself the foods that you enjoy most while you are on your way to your target weight. You may have a great diet plan and be very successful in losing weight, but what happens when you reach your goal? You have not learnt to eat 'bad foods' in moderation so as soon as you start, you are likely to go out of control. It is better to include a little of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy it in small quantities. Yes, even chocolate!

3. Goal Failure

Setting achievable goals is vital in any weight loss plan. Goals should be clear, realistic and set out in writing. While you probably do have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you are only very slightly overweight it is probably too distant to be useful. A more useful goal would be to lose two pounds per week for the first five weeks and then one pound per week after that. Some weeks you will lose more and some less, some weeks you may even gain, but if you track your progress on a graph you will see that ups and downs are natural and do not stop you progressing steadily toward your major goal.

If you have been making these mistakes, do not worry. The most important point in dieting as in so many other things is to move on. Learn from your failures as well as your success and do not use a mistake as an excuse for giving up. The only way to achieve your goal permanently is to make a commitment to become a healthier person. Remember that eating normally includes eating more some days and less others. Learn to enjoy food in moderation and you have every chance of avoiding these bad diet mistakes.