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The Truth About Sugar Addiction

The constant desire for sweets make problems for many people. There are different definition, such as addiction, eating disorder or bad habit, but the symptoms are same: loss of control (eating more than is planned), a crisis if the sweets are skipped, the symptoms of  decreased blood sugar, which include anxiety, tremors, sweating.

Brain and sugar
Sugar is the fuel for the cells in the brain and affects chemicals in it. Excessive sugar intake can change the receptors in the brain that regulate food intake. Tests have shown that even a look at the picture of milk shake provokes activity in the brain that is similar to that seen in drug addicts.

Proper Diet to Longer Life

One of the most intriguing issues that plague the mankind is how to stop the aging process or to prolong life, feel better and look better. To what extent it is affected by genetic heritage and whether one can, with a lifestyle that includes certain diet, to have important influences on the life?

In the modern living environment there are many factors that can affect the expression of our genes, since the sum of what we eat, drink, breathe, think and practice – can overcome our genetic material.

Many years of scientific research has shown that food is not only the source of calories, and it is not just medicine. Food is an effective weapon in the fight against aging because it has a great influence on the hormone, the anti-aging key is the communication between hormones. For these reasons, diet with limited calorie intake is the foundation of anti-aging.

Mediterranean Diet

Scientific studies have shown that Mediterranean diet represents a typical model of a healthy diet, in which prevails foods based on whole grain cereals, olive oil, plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken and turkey meat . It is a balanced, diversified, low-fat diet in which complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats are represented, but with the emphasis on unsaturated Omega-3 fats (found in olive and fish oil).

Basic  foods are:
- Whole grain wheat bread, corn, barley or rye, rolls sprinkled with sesame seeds and various other such as flax, cleaned pumpkin seeds, sunflower..
-Olive oil with monounsaturated fatty acids and their antioxidant properties is directly responsible for the beneficial effects of Mediterranean diet on health and longevity.
-Fish and Seafood
-fresh fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits, potato, chard, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, carrots
-dairy products
-turkey meat

Additional products:

Banana Diet

Banana diet was designed by Hitosi Watanabe and his wife in Japan in 2008. It become very popular in a short time because it helped many people to get rid of weight. The diet is very simple and easy to follow. However, as all the diets, it can not promise 100 per cent effectiveness, if you do not stick to the rules.

The morning banana basic is to eat for breakfast only raw bananas and plain water at room temperature. It may contribute to a significant reduction in weight no matter what you eat the rest of the day. In general, bananas stimulate the digestion and metabolism. Also, lukewarm water improves digestion and reduces hunger. People who want to practice this diet are also recommended that take dinner before 8 pm. Of course, sweet after dinner are not allowed.

Proper Nutrition of Children

Proper nutrition of children is one of the most profitable investment. Choosing food for our children, we build their health and future. It is important to know that the process of education in the field of nutrition is the basic stone for a diet that will prevail in the later life, and it starts in childhood.

Metabolism of child complies with the speed of its growth and development and therefore it is important that children consume proper food. Many children get enough calories to meet energy needs, however, calories are not the only thing they need. They need much vitamins and minerals. Also, the way of preparing and serving is of crucial significance.

Vegetables should make up the main proportion of meal. Vegetables lose color during cooking because the magnesium in chlorophyll is replaced by hydrogen. But there are many ways of cooking:

1. Vegetables are put in a larger amount of water, which is heated until it boils, then reduce the temperature of the water and cook covered. This is the best way of cooking potato, carrot, parsley, cabbage. Water from cooking can be used for soup or sauce.
2. Throw the vegetables into a small amount of water (previously boiled), and cook at high temperature (with or without a lid). This is how to cook broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard.
3. Steaming: In this way of preparing some important nutrients also can be lost, so steam vegetables for a short time and serve immediately if possible. Otherwise, the vegetables taste better if they are prepared by steaming. Broccoli and carrots are tastier if you spill cold water on them immediately after cooking.

Here are some more tips that can help your children to like eating vegetables:

Healthy Snack At Work

Many who work from 9 am to 17 pm have a problem to choose a proper diet. They do not know what to eat for a skack at work, but in a way to avoid gaining weight. Here are some snack suggestions that have less than 200 calories, which will fill you up and provide the necessary nutrients. A research has shown that one should eat every four hours. Instead of eating unhealthy foods at work, plan ahead and bring a healthy snack in your bag.

Whole wheat cakes with peanut butter
Healthy cakes made from a mixture of cereals (rice, rye or other that you like) with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter are a perfect snack. Energy value of them is about 200 calories and 2 grams of a dietary fiber, and the combination of complex carbohydrates and protein helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and gives you a feeling of fullness.

New Year Decisions?

It is said that adults should give an example to children.  But it is not always the case. For example,  a mom has stopped smoking thanks to her son. Her son is only seven years old, has an allergy to gluten and is not allowed to eat about  forty ingredients. He has set a  question to his mother: “Mom, why you can not leave cigarettes? ” If you have a similar problem then you know how much effort and sacrifice is required to maintain such a diet. If not, try to imagine.
We adults are often not even aware how much we can learn from children. One thing is self-discipline. Imagine a boy who resolutely refuses chips, chocolate, cakes and other things because he knows that this can not be eaten. While other kids in the store tell parents what they want to buy them, pointing their fingers to boxes with colorful candies, this boy patiently waits for his mom to buy rice or gluten-free biscuits.

Decisions on new goals are usually made around New Year. We resolve that next year will be completely different. We promise ourselves that we will eat healthier,  exercise, stop smoking… But very soon all these promises are forgotten as if they had never existed. Let this time be different. Promise yourself that you will fulfill your New Year’s promises.
I would like to get involved in your personal desires and goals but I suggest you that the first promise be  that during the holidays you will not overdo the eating and drinking. So, start with the promise (and keep it) . Whether you decided to stop a bad habit or to start with a useful, be persistent. Forget the excuses!

 

Zinc, Manganese and Molybdenum in Nutrition

Zinc in the diet affects a wide range of body functions. We still do not understand how it works and in what way it is useful to the organism. It is maybe more important than we think. Unfortunately, the lack of zinc in the diet is more pronounced among smokers, heavy drinkers, some vegetarians and people with a long history of a disease.

Good sources of zinc:
Shellfish, herring, wheat germ, lean beef, lamb, liver, eggs, legumes, Brazil nuts, almonds, poultry.
How zinc helps?
Zinc helps by boosting immune system, prevent cancer and prostate disease, helps to enhance male potency and energy. Also, it is good for prevention and treatment of colds, it is good for sight, smell and taste, as well as zinc is essential for the proper maintenance of cells.

Symptoms of zinc deficiency:
- Poor appetite.
-Lethargy.
-Bad eyesight, smell or taste.
-Low resistance to infection.
-Hyperactivity in children.
-Hair loss.
-Skin lesions, acne, white spots on fingernails.
The recommended daily dose of zinc
U.S.: 15mg
EU: 15mg

Phosphorus, Potassium and Selenium in Nutrition

Usually, the macro elements include the following elements calcium- Ca,  magnesium-Mg, sodium-Na, potassium-K,  and phosphorus-P, ie. inorganic nutrients are to be entered in a relatively higher daily doses, more than 100 milligrams a day. For comparison, trace elements are, for example, iron-Fe, zinc-Zn, copper-Cu, selenium-Se and others and the required daily intake is relatively low.

Phosphorus
Most of us eat about twice the recommended levels of phosphorus, so the lack of this element is not a common problem. Good sources of phosphorus include any food rich in calcium, such as milk, cheese, sardines and wheat germ. Phosphorus is necessary for bones, it is important for energy production, it is essential for the proper function of vitamin B complex, increases energy and endurance as well as makes us feel good.

Symptoms of the lack of phosphorus:
-General weakness.
-Pain in the bones.
-Lack of appetite.
-Irritability.
-Low resistance to infection.

Note:
Phosphorus levels are reduced with intake of sodium bicarbonate, too much iron or magnesium.

The recommended dose of phosphorus
USA: 800-1200mg
EU: 800mg

Potassium
Lack of potassium is not exceptional, particularly for those who eat lots of salt and does not eat so much fresh fruit and vegetables. Good sources of potassium include: bananas, dried figs or prunes, wheat germ, almonds, raisins, molasses, spinach, legumes..

Atkins Diet

Before we start we should solve the riddle why there are such a large number of names for the same diet. The answer is plain: this diet consists of intake of foods containing a large quantity of protein and barely noticeable percentage of carbohydrates and hence the names Protein and Carbohydrate free diet.  Dr. Robert Atkins was the inventor of this diet and because of that it is also called Atkins diet. Either way – it is one and the same diet with more names, which is designed for people that are supposed to lose weight.

This diet includes three phases. There is also a fourth stage which is actually the maintenance of achieved results. In the first phase the intake of carbohydrate is limited to only 20 grams a day. The length of this phase is 2 weeks. In the second stage there is a slow introduction of carbohydrates, particularly through vegetables, and through the third stage the optimal amount of carbs is being  formed. You would be able to enter this amount of carbohydrates a long time without weight problems.

People who held this diet should be continue with a limited intake of carbs after reaching the desired weight.

Theory …

When you eliminate carbs from meals, the liver converts fat into glucose, and additional products of the synthesis are toxic ketones. Ketones suppress appetite, thereby we are eating less and losing weight. Since the intake of vitamins and minerals is reduced, it recommended by the author of this diet to take a vitamin pill that will make up an obvious deficit of vitamins and minerals.

In this diet protein intake is not limited. There is no limit to eat meat, fish and eggs.  Cheese, vegetables, olives, oils and fats are eaten in limited amounts and alcoholic beverages, sugar, fruit, milk, yogurt, cereals, flour products and sweets are completely prohibited.

… And practice