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Some Basics Of A Macrobiotic Diet

2006-08-13T13:01-04:00

by Gregg Hall

A macrobiotic diet is a diet formulated by the belief that food, and the quality of food, has an affect on a person's life on a greater extent than most people realize. Practitioners of a macrobiotic diet believe that food has an affect on health, as well as happiness and well being. Those who follow a macrobiotic diet believe that natural foods with little to no processing are the best choice of food. In addition, they believe in using traditional methods of cooking and they enjoy cooking for themselves, as well as for family and friends.

Literally translated, macrobiotics means "great life." Physicians and philosophers from around the world have associated macrobiotics with living in harmony with nature while eating a simple and balanced diet. In the 1920's, George Ohsawa, who founded the modern form of macrobiotics, claimed to have cured himself from a serious illness by changing his diet.

Ohsawa believed in the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang. They yin represents outward centrifugal movement and the yang represents inward centrifugal movement. Yin and yang are always opposite, with yin being sweet, cold, and passive and with yang being salty, hot, and aggressive. In a macrobiotic diet, the yin and yang need to be kept in balance for good health.

Because this balance of the yin and yang is at the core of the macrobiotic diet, foods are all classified as one or the other. This division is in accordance with their properties, tastes, and effects on the body.

Grains and vegetables are not strong in either yin or yang. Therefore, they are especially important in the macrobiotic diet. These more neutral types of foods make it easier to maintain balance of yin and yang and these foods that are extremes in either yin or yang or to be avoided in the macrobiotic diet.

All foods included in the macrobiotic diet must be organically grown. Whole grains, such as barley, brown rice, oats, millets, rye, core, buckwheat and whole wheat are thought to be the most balanced of foods in a macrobiotic diet. Therefore, these foods make up about 50 to 60% of the macrobiotic practitioner's diet. Whole grains are the preferred type of grain in a macrobiotic diet, but small portions of bread and pasta derived from refined flour are acceptable.

Fresh vegetables make up approximately 25 to 30% of the macrobiotic diet. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, collards, turnips, mustard greens, turnip greens, radish, onion, butternut squash, acorn squash, and pumpkin are the primary vegetables to be included in a macrobiotic diet. Iceberg lettuce, celery, snow peas, mushrooms, and string beans are to be included in the diet only two or three times per week. In a macrobiotic diet, these vegetables are to be prepared by either being steamed lightly or being sauteed with unrefined cooking oil, ideally corn oil or sesame oil.

5 to 10% of the macrobiotic diet consists of sea vegetables and beans. Chickpeas, adzuki beans, tofu, and lentils are the recommended types of beans. Sea vegetables should be included in the diet. These vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Soups and broths make up about 5 to 10% of the macrobiotic diet. Soups should contain a soybean paste. They also should contain beans and vegetables.

In a macrobiotic diet, a few servings of seeds, nuts, and fresh fish (such as flounder, halibut, and cod) each week are acceptable. Acceptable sweeteners in the macrobiotic diet are barley malt, and rice syrup, which is a sweet drink made from rice. Plum and brown rice vinegar may also be occasionally used in the macrobiotic diet. Tamari soy sauce and sea salt can be used to add flavor to soups and to grains.

A person following a macrobiotic diet only drinks when thirsty. The only drinks that are generally accepted in a macrobiotic diet are teas, which are made from dandelion greens, roasted grains, or the leftover cooking water from preparing soba noodles. Teas containing caffeine or aromatic fragrances are unacceptable. In addition, all cooking water and drinking water must be purified before use.

Foods such as eggs and dairy products are thought to have strong yang qualities. Similarly, chocolate, refined sugars, tropical fruits, coffee, fruit juice, soda, and hot spices are believed to contain strong yin qualities. Therefore, all of these foods are avoided in the macrobiotic diet. All foods with artificial flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives are also avoided.

The macrobiotic diet is more than just a diet, it is a lifestyle, and it embraces a simplistic diet bound closely to nature.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get a great selection of quality health products at http://www.shop4diets.com

Some Helpful Tips For Dieting

2006-08-13T12:58-04:00

by Gregg Hall

If you are like most you will have to diet sometime in your life. I know I have dieted off and on for years going all the way back to my bodybuilding days when strict tuna and water diets were the means to attaining as low a body fat measurement as possible. I would like to share with you some of the things I have learned over the years to help with the dieting process.

Regardless of the diet you choose it is essential that you set goals for what you are trying to achieve. When I say goals, I mean written goals. If you don't write your goals down your chances of success are almost nil. Also, set rewards along with the goals. If you reach a certain weight goal in a week reward yourself with a favorite snack, in a small portion of course. Another thing you can do is reward yourself with some new clothes.

Now, let's get into the dieting itself. Many diets are doomed to fail because they make you hungry. Yeah, I know everyone tells you that if you are trying to lose weight you have to be hungry, but you don't have to be feeling like you are starving all the time.
One way to avoid this on any diet is to split your meals into smaller portions and eat every 3-4 hours instead. This is what all professional athletes do because it makes the most efficient use of the food you are taking in.

Another simple method is to realize that your stomach's size is naturally about the size of your fist. Knowing this, when planning a diet the portions you are consuming should be about the size of your hand during each meal. Most of us eat five or six times this amount.

One time tested method I have used in addition to the smaller meals is to drink lots of water. I know you have heard this stressed over and over but not only is it crucial for removing toxins when you are dieting, but it will also help you to feel fuller.

When choosing a diet, investigate it fully and also ask your personal physician about it. There are a lot of scams out there, especially on the internet. If someone tells you that you can lose ten pounds overnight or even every week, don't believe it. The maximum you will lose on a long term diet is around three pounds per week. You have to remember, it took a while to put it on and it will take awhile to take it off too.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get diet products at http://www.shop4diets.com

Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

2006-08-13T00:59-04:00

by Gregg Hall

If you are overweight, the chances are almost 100% that you have a problem with high cholesterol. You can lower your LDL and elevate your HDL just by dropping some pounds. Eat fewer fatty foods and more fruits, vegetables, grains and beans and it's a pretty good bet that you will slowly but surely lose weight.

Include your family

Eating habits carry through to adulthood. Get your children on a healthy eating pattern early. Don't begin until they are at least 2 years of age, however. Babies need extra fat calories to develop properly.

Snack all you want

Yep, that's what I said. Snack several times a day on low fat foods. Yogurt, fruit, vegetables, bagels and whole grain breads and cereals are excellent for snacking. In fact, there is evidence that points to lower cholesterol levels in people who eat several small meals a day. Eating often can keep hormones like insulin from rising and signaling your body to make more cholesterol. Make certain that your total intake of calories doesn't go up when you eat more often.

Nuts to you!

Do you like nuts? If you do, sprinkle a few on your cereal, bake them into muffins or pancakes or add them to casseroles or stir-fries. Walnuts and almonds are especially good. Eating about three ounces of walnuts a day is shown to decrease blood cholesterol levels by 10% more than an already low fat, low cholesterol diet. Walnuts are high in fat, but it is mostly polyunsaturated fat, which is the kind that lowers cholesterol. Another study shows that about three ounces of almonds which are rich in monounsaturated fat, lowers LDL by 9%!

Eat chocolate

Aha! All you chocoholics rejoice! Studies indicate that the fat in chocolate is stearic acid and has no effect on cholesterol levels. The chocolate does not increase LDL and could raise HDL a wee bit. But chocolate is still high in fat and calories so don't go overboard.

Drink fruit juices

You may have read about the low rate of heart disease in France. It led researchers to believe that the French habit of drinking red wine with meals contributes to this. Apparently some of the non-alcoholic ingredients in red wine raises HDL and suppresses the body from producing LDL. Purple grape juice works the same way. It will work like red wine to lower the fat level in your blood. The LDL lowering effect of red wine and grape juice comes from a compound that grapes produce normally to resist mold. The darker the grape juice, the better. Grapefruit juice does the same thing and it may also help your body get rid of that nasty plaque that we discussed earlier.

Eat garlic

Cholesterol lowering effects of garlic have been demonstrated repeatedly in people with normal and high cholesterol. Eat all the garlic you can. It also seems to raise the HDL levels as well. If you are worried about the odor, take the tablets instead. They have proven to be nearly as effective as the cooked or raw cloves.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get the diet products you need at http://www.shop4diets.com

Lower Cholesterol With Supplements And Eliminating Some Items From Your Diet

2006-08-13T00:55-04:00

by Gregg Hall

Take niacin - carefully

Remember as one of the B vitamins, it is proven effective for lowering LDL and raising HDL. It is also one of the cheapest drugs available for lowering cholesterol. But, without medical supervision it may not be totally safe. A dose high enough to lower cholesterol can cause extremely high blood sugar or liver damage.

Take vitamin E

Studies indicate that vitamin E may have a positive impact on lowering cholesterol when taken in fairly large quantities - up to 800 IU per day. This is more than you can get from your diet alone. Larger amounts do not seem to cause any harm. Further studies showed that even amounts of just 25 IU per day helps in preventing LDL from sticking to blood vessel walls. That amount is only slightly higher than the recommended daily amount (RDA) of 12 to 15 IU. It's interesting to note that even that small amount has an impact on preventing that hardening of the arteries.

Take Calcium

One study indicates that when 56 people took a calcium carbonate supplement, their total cholesterol went down 4 percent and their HDL increased 4 percent. That was taking a dosage of 400 milligrams of calcium three times a day with no harmful effects reported. That does refer to calcium carbonate.

Take a multivitamin - it can't hurt

While you are building your calcium and vitamin E intake, remember the old standby, vitamin C. It is the number one immune system booster and also drives up HDL. A study of people who took more than 60 milligrams of vitamin C per day (60 milligrams is the RDA) had highest LDL levels.

Fill up on fiber

Remember several years back when oat bran was the latest craze for lowering cholesterol? Later studies arrived at inconsistent results, but the medical community does agree that soluble fiber, the kind found in oat bran, does help lower LDL and raise HDL. As little as three grams per day of fiber from oat bran or oatmeal can be effective. There are 7.2 grams of soluble fiber per 100 grams of dry oat bran and five grams of soluble fiber per 100 grams of dry oatmeal. There are other sources of fiber as well such as barley, beans, peas and many other vegetables. Corn fiber is also good for reducing LDL, lowering it by as much as 5 percent in a recent study. Researchers used 20 grams of corn fiber a day. That would be a bit difficult for the average user when you take into account that one serving of corn has three grams of corn fiber. But, every little bit does make a difference. Pectin, which is found in fruits like apples and prunes, reduces cholesterol even better than oat bran, as does psyllium which is the fiber you find in many breakfast cereals and bulk laxatives.

Reduce sugar intake

Many people don't realize that sugar affects cholesterol and definitely affects triglycerides. Sugar stimulates insulin production, which in turn increases triglycerides. Men in particular, seem to be sensitive to this effect from sugar. The mineral chromium which helps to stabilize blood sugar, can also raise the level of HDL. 100 mcg of chromium three times daily can help to improve your cholesterol levels.

Eliminate alcohol

The jury is still out and the different schools of thought are still at odds regarding the benefit or lack of benefit to consuming alcohol. This suggestion has nothing to do with our previous discuss on red wine. A moderate amount may be helpful. The problem is that to one person a moderate amount might be a glass of wine with their meal, while to another it might be a half bottle of Scotch! Anything above the arbitrary "moderate" amount elevates serum cholesterol triglycerides and your uric acid levels as well as potentially increasing blood pressure all of which promote heart disease. So, the best bet would be to eliminate it totally.

Exercise regularly

There is positive evidence that exercise can lower LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. Both aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling and cross country skiing and strength training like lifting weights or using weight machines all promote the improvement of cholesterol levels. An analysis of 11 studies on weight training showed that this exercise lowered LDL by 13 percent and raised HDL by 5 percent. If you lift weights, use light to moderate weights and do many repetitions.
Eliminate caffeine

We Americans definitely have a love affair with our coffee! People who drink large amounts of caffeine (more than 6 cups a day) are far more prone to elevated cholesterol. That connection does not hold for tea drinkers. Limit your coffee intake to no more than one cup a day and eliminate caffeinated sodas entirely.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For the diet products you need to help you lower cholesterol go to http://www.shop4diets.com

What Is Cortisol And How Does It Affect Your Weight Loss Plans?

2006-08-12T14:03-04:00

by Gregg Hall

A natural steroid hormone, Cortisol, is referred to as a stress hormone and is produced by the adrenal gland cortex. Cortisol is directly connected with many different functions of the body. For example, the immune system works with the hormone to regulate the blood sugar with the body. Furthermore, Cortisol is connected directly with functions of the liver. As you can see Cortisol is an extremely important hormone, so what does that have to do with weight loss? In a word, everything.

In general, levels of Cortisol within a person fluctuate constantly. Usually higher levels are present early in the day and lowers levels has the day progresses. While the patterns of cortisol can be generally the same, there are triggers that could result in a fall or rise of the hormone during the entire day. The biggest trigger is stress related. As a stress hormone, whenever a person feels stressed out, the body releases cortisol in strong doses.

Why should that be of concern to you? How is that related to weight loss? Research has shown and experts believe that there is likely a great connection between weight gain and the production of cortisol. How does this theory work? Well whenever you feel stressed, as stated before, cortisol is released by the body in strong doses. They believe that the extra cortisol produced by the body is what causes weight gain. You see cortisol is used in the cells in your body, they believe that the extra production works to create more fat cells.

You see cortisol is directly related to the syndrome known as fight or flight. When you become stressed out, the body gets prepared for that syndrome. The adrenal gland produces more cortisol. The cortisol releases sugar into the blood. This is all in preparation for fight or flight. With stress, the body creates the need for energy. This is where the belief in the connection of cortisol and weight gain comes into play. For those under chronic stress, it may mean the risk of weight gain.

There are several different cortisol blockers available in the market today. This are to fight the harmful affects of cortisol and weight gain. However, it is important before you start taking these that you understand if your weight gain is a direct result of the stress hormone. It is important that you speak to your doctor first, prior to beginning any type of remedy.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about Healthy Diet Programs at http://www.shop4diets.com

What Your Diet Should Be Comprised Of

2006-03-15T09:09-05:00

Many people are at a loss when trying to put together foods for a proper diet. If you follow these guidelines they will help you get a good start.

50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates. It is a myth that you should try and avoid carbohydrates when you are on a diet. Rather the other way round I should say. Carbohydrates are a ready source of energy and so 50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates.

25 to 30% of your diet should be proteins. Various processes and activities are going on in our bodies. Things are broken down and being built up again.

Resistance has to be built up, recovery from disease too is needed and for all this the body needs plenty of proteins so see to it that 25 to 30 % of your diet consists of proteins. Protein also builds muscle and the higher your muscle content the higher your metabolism. You should aim for about one gram per pound of bodyweight.

Fats should only be 15 to 20 %. You need only this much of fat in your diet so keep it at that.

Try and adopt a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly better for those of us watching our diet. There are a lot of advantages of keeping to a vegetarian diet but I don’t want to sing an ode to vegetarianism now. What I would suggest is keep to a vegetarian diet as much as you can. Make a non- vegetarian diet a week end event or something if you find it impossible to give up eating all those animals.

Choose white meat rather than red. White meat, which includes fish and fowl, is miles better than red meat, which includes beef and pork for those trying to lose weight.

High Fiber multigrain breads are better than white breads. Remember how I told you to increase the fiber content in your food; well this is the answer to that. It is not only better in terms of the fiber content but also in terms of the protein content as well. Reduce your intake of pork. Pork is not something that can help you to lose weight. So the lesser pork you eat the better chances you have of losing weight. And remember that pork includes the pork products as well, things like bacon, ham and sausages.

Limit your sugar intake. If you can’t have things unsweetened go for sugar substitutes. These things are just as sweetening but are certainly not fattening.

Graze 5 to 6 times a day. Instead of sticking to just three meals a day, try grazing. Grazing means try having 5 or 6 smaller meals instead of three king sized meals. It is an excellent way of having smaller quantities of food.

Go ahead eat cheat food, but only for flavor. There are many things which you have to avoid from your diet but which you may have an undying craving for. Do not avoid them altogether. You could call them cheat foods and indulge in them once in a while. But take care just to tingle your taste buds, don’t hog on them. Instead of that share them with others.

Follow these tips to help you with any diet program.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get a great selection of diet products from http://www.shop4diets.com

Some Important Tips For A Successful Diet

2006-03-10T11:28-05:00

Stay away from fried things. Fried things are an absolute no-no. The more fried things that you avoid, the lesser weight you will gain. Fried things are called so because they are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is

drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.

Do not skip meals. The worst thing you can do while watching you diet is skip a meal. It has just the opposite effect of what you want. You need to have at least four regular meals every day.

Fresh vegetables are better than cooked or canned vegetables. Try to eat our vegetables raw. When you cook them, you are in fact taking away nearly half the vitamins in them. And canned vegetables too are processed and are not nearly half as good as fresh vegetables. When you buy your vegetables it would be a good thing to see if the label says that it is pesticide free.

Do not eat more than an egg a day. Eggs are not such a bright idea. It would be best to reduce your intake of eggs to maybe three in a week. But for those of you die hard egg fans, you may have up to one egg a day but nothing more than that.

Make chocolates a luxury and not a routine. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them. Even the bitter chocolates are not good for you because though the sugar is less there is still the cream in them.

Choose a variety of foods from all food groups every day. This is a fine way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay. Change the items included in your diet every day. This is an excellent way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay and it helps you to experiment with a variety of dishes and there by you do not get bored of your diet.

If you can say no to alcoholic beverages please do. Alcoholic beverages too are not good for you. Beer can be fattening and the rest of the alcoholic drinks may not be fattening by themselves but after a couple of swigs you will be in no position to watch your diet and your appetite too will be something to battle with.

Try to have breakfast within one hour of waking. It’s always best to have breakfast within an hour of waking so that your body can charge itself with the energy it needs for the day. The idea is not to wait for your self to get really hungry. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but that does not mean that it should be the most filling meal of the day.

Following these tips will go a long way to helping you achieve good results on your diet.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For quality diet products go to http://www.shop4diets.com

The Perfect Diet And Basic Weight Management

2006-02-16T11:33-05:00

The perfect diet should be combined with a healthy weight management or activity program. Weight management may conjure up that dreaded “exercise” word. And exercise to some means pushing the body beyond limits, experiencing painful in joints, muscles, bones – everywhere. No pain no gain, right? Wrong. Instead, replace the word “exercise” with “activity” and incorporate this in your daily routine. And a general rule of thumb for guidelines about “activity” would be to strive for a minimum of 30 minutes for adults or 60 minutes for children of moderate physical activity daily.

Individual activity goals depend upon each person’s health and weight goals and issues. Begin by checking with your medical advisor or healthcare physician to get a green light on which activities would be suitable for you, what your target weight range should be and a strategic plan to improve your health.

In a nutshell, during activities, calories are burned, pounds are shed in the long run. And the number of calories burned depends upon the duration and intensity or the activity. Slow and steady is the rule of thumb. And note daily progress.

For those who have never been very active at all, it may be advisable to begin slow like with walking 10 minutes each day, gradually building up time and distance with increased “brisk” pacing. Even if you can’t get out to walk, bike or swim, take stairs instead of elevators and escalators. Clean your house. Clean your car. Wash windows. Wash your dog. Check out exercise videos, cassettes and workout books from the public library and put some of their ideas into action. Check out your local fitness centers, YMCA, community center, too, for ideas. Partner up with a neighbor to walk or join a community volleyball team. There are unlimited ways to be active and enjoy life at the same time without using painful weight loss strategies.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For more ideas and weight loss products go to http://www.shop4diets.com

How To Integrate Convenience Foods Into Your Diet

2006-02-15T10:25-05:00

While it would be ideal to make all of our own snacks and meals from scratch everyday, the plain and simple truth is that most of us simply don’t have that kind of time. This is where we turn to convenience foods to meet our dietary and weight loss needs. However, the right convenience foods in the right amounts can easily be integrated into almost any diet.

Shop Smart - Never shop on an empty stomach. This will only make it harder for you to make choices that are in your best interests. Always be prepared with a thorough shopping list and do not divert from it. If an aisle is full of tempting goodies but has nothing on your list, simply walk right by it, instead of down it. If you see something healthy that you would like, but it’s not on your list, jot it down and add it to the list next time. This will provide you with something to look forward to. Reach for the smaller bags and boxes of what you need when possible. The less food you have leftover in your kitchen translates into less temptation.

Read Labels - All convenience foods are not the same. Depending on your chosen diet, some will fit much better into your routine than others. This is why it’s important to become an informed consumer and never place anything in your grocery basket unless you’ve read the label and determined it’s in your best interests to buy it. Many snack foods come in different versions—low fat, reduced fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate, low salt, etc. Choose the variety that best fits your dieting needs. Remember that different labels can mean entirely different things.

Trim the Fat - Just because a macaroni and cheese frozen dinner is oozing extra cheese doesn’t mean you have to eat it. A common sense approach to preparing and consuming convenience foods can go a long way to making them healthier. When you take a frozen meal out halfway to stir it, remove or blot away any excess oils and fats. Transfer to a real plate when finished, so you can discard the excess sauces. If rice or pasta calls for a heaping tablespoon of butter, opt instead for a conservative teaspoon of soy margarine or olive oil. Ultimately your rice will taste the same and you won’t have all those extra calories to contend with.

Portion Control - It’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve eaten when you drink or eat straight from the container. Stay on track by carefully measuring out serving sizes before you begin eating. When you do buy items like chips or pretzels, locate the appropriate serving size on the nutrition label. As soon as you arrive home, divide the larger bag into individual servings in small plastic baggies. In this same spirit, when snacking on any food, separate a single serving’s worth and put it aside in a plate or bowl. Then immediately put the food away, before you begin eating, to avoid temptation. Try not to make the original packages easily accessible. Purchasing a bag re-sealer is more effective than using chip clips, because you are less likely to cut open a bag than to simply unclip it. Heavy-duty tape and hard-to-open containers can also do the trick.

Fast Food - Ideally, fast food should be avoided. However, the ever-expanding menus at many of the top fast-food chains are now offering many options that can fit into a variety of diet plans.

Look for grilled meals instead of fried. Opt for alternate sides instead of French fries if possible. Many chains offer salad and yogurt options as well.

Ask for substitutions if a menu item is not quite ideal. For example, you can request a hamburger without a bun, or you can request a bun without a hamburger. If you cannot get the substitution, make modifications yourself before eating, i.e. throw the hamburger bun in a nearby garbage bin or discard half your French fries.

Make Your Own - There’s no rule that says only store-bought, pre-packaged foods are convenient. Take time on the weekend or on days off to do some conscientious grocery shopping and cook one or two large meals of something healthy that you enjoy. Separate into serving sizes and refrigerate (or freeze) as necessary. Buy fruits, vegetables, deli meats, and cheeses to snack on, and prepare them ahead of time by slicing into bite-sized pieces. Separate into serving sizes and store to use as snacks during the week; since they now require no preparation, you’ll be more likely to reach for the carrot sticks and less likely to reach for more processed convenience foods. Your own frozen vegetables make a delicious side dish in a snap.

Voila! Now you have your own frozen dinners (or lunches, or snacks) with much healthier contents.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For diet products be sure to go to http://www.shop4diets.com

Dietary Treatment For Some Common Health Issues

2006-02-14T10:08-05:00

Depending upon individual health concerns and issues, food choices can affect body and mental health. To focus on improving and strengthening your overall health and well being, here are common health concerns for both genders listed in alphabetical order and the foods that would work best in individual perfect dietary planning. For more details, check with your own healthcare providers and refer to, “Doctor, What Should I Eat?” by Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D. (Warner Books, Inc., 1995).

ACNE – To help fight acne problems, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and cereals. Lay low on sweets (especially chocolate), fried foods, fats, carbonated beverages, nuts / peanut butter and dairy products.

AGING – Watch intake of foods high in caloric content. Focus on complex carbohydrates, calcium to fight off osteoporosis and minimize fat and protein consumption. Men on average over age 50 only need around 63 grams of protein a day; women need 50 grams. Calorie-wise, men need to decrease overall daily calorie totals by about 600; women 300 calories per day.

ANXIETY – The old standby cup of warm milk and honey sooths jagged nerves. Mix in a little cinnamon and / or nutmeg. Chamomile and Valerian teas are helpful, too.

ARTHRITIS – Garlic capsules and peeled garlic can help here. So can fish oil capsules and fish each day in your dietary planning. And drinking a glass of water a few times each day with a small amounts of apple cider vinegar and honey added are beneficial. Lemonade without sugar helps with rheumatic arthritis. Other aids: wild thyme, celery seed and honeysuckle teas and primrose leaves added to salads.

ASTHMA – Some foods to help are hot chili peppers, fresh garlic, onions, chili, water with Tabasco sauce, coffee (regular, not decaffeinated). Seafoods that are helpful include crab, clams, shellfish, oysters, mussels, salmon, sardines, mackerel and haddock. Grandmas chicken soup works wonders, too. Carbohydrates and fruits need to especially be included in the diet. And frozen yogurt, graham crackers and fruit juices are good snacks.

CANCER – Lay low on fats. Eat plenty of yellow and green vegetables and fruits (for vitamin C and beta carotene); spinach, winter squash, peaches, cantaloupe, apricots, broccoli, tomatoes, yams, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts. Choose low-fat dairy products, leaner meats, plenty of water and high-fiber foods like whole-grain flours and breads. Include macaroni, chickpeas, popcorn, baked potato, pita bread, brown rice. For specific cancers and food choices to target for them, refer to, “Doctor What Should I eat?” by Isadore Rosenfeld, MD. (Warner Books, Inc., 1995).

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME – Add some extra protein; skinless chicken, turkey, fish, egg whites, fresh vegetables and fruits and low-fat dairy products. Eat complex carbs like potatoes, pasta and whole grains. Natural fish sources are also good choices; tuna, salmon, whitefish, mackerel, herring, anchovies, bluefish.

COMMON COLD – These foods are helpful for fighting colds: grapefruit and other fruit juices and sections, garlic, horseradish, zinc lozenges, slippery elm tea and other vitamin C foods; broccoli, kale, potatoes and tomatoes.

GALLSTONES – Ease up on fats and refined sugars, eat more fiber; fresh fruits and vegetables (steamed veggies, too). Clear liquids are best; apple juice, broth, gelatin, 7-Up. Also include whole grains cereals, pastas and breads like pumpernickel and wheat rye, popcorn, wheat crackers and add oat bran in recipes. Lean meats and low-fat dairy products are recommended.

HEART TROUBLE – Onions and tarragon are good choices. Also skip alcohol consumption; go low of caffeine and no smoking.

OSTEOPOROSIS – Go low on the caffeine, salt and tobacco. And choose decaffeinated beverages and herbal teas. Instead of salt, use onion, garlic or lemon seasoning. Up your calcium / low-fat dairy intake; yogurt, cheese, milk, soy milk, tofu, shellfish, sardines, salmon, oysters, dark green vegetables (not spinach); cabbage, collards, broccoli.

STRESS – Combination of drinking water, relax / exercise first. Later – slowly eat small amount of healthy foods – fruits, veggies.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For a great selection of diet products got to http://www.shop4diets.com

shop4diets.com Blog

Some Basics Of A Macrobiotic Diet

About the Author

Some Helpful Tips For Dieting

About the Author

Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

About the Author

Lower Cholesterol With Supplements And Eliminating Some Items From Your Diet

About the Author

What Is Cortisol And How Does It Affect Your Weight Loss Plans?

About the Author

What Your Diet Should Be Comprised Of

Some Important Tips For A Successful Diet

The Perfect Diet And Basic Weight Management

How To Integrate Convenience Foods Into Your Diet

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