Todays Healthy Life

Prediabetes – You May Have It and Not Know

Julie Harrison — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:53:18 +0000

I was amazed to find out during a routine annual check-up with my doctor that I was prediabetic. I had none of the usual risk factors (more on those later). A high percentage of people with prediabetes go on to develop Type 2 diabetes and the life-threatening health problems that go with it including:
high risk for heart disease and stroke
kidney failure
blindness
nerve damage
blood vessel damage that may result in amputation.

What is meant by prediabetes? In prediabetes your blood sugar is higher than normal after your doctor tests it using 1 of 2 simple blood tests. The 2 tests for prediabetes and diabetes are:

1. The fasting plasma glucose test or FGP, can be done at the same time you have your cholesterol and other blood factors checked at a routine physical. In some communities there are free diabetes screening clinics. If your fasting blood glucose is under 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) you’re normal. If it’s 100 – 125 mg/dl you have prediabetes, also known as “impaired glucose tolerance”. If it’s over 126 mg/dl on 2 or more tests you’re considered diabetic.

2. The oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT. You fast and then drink a high-sugar formula, after which your blood glucose level is tested. A normal result from this test is less than 140 mg/dl; prediabetes is 140 – 199 mg/dl; diabetes is over 200 mg/dl.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms of prediabetes and diabetes may include feeling unusually thirsty or hungry, urinating more often than usual, losing weight without trying, or blurred vision. You may also have no symptoms at all.

If you don’t already know that you’re prediabetic or diabetic ask your doctor to test you, especially if you’re overweight. Plan to fast before the appointment – usually 8 to 12 hours before your appointment, but check with your doctor’s office (Tip – make an early morning appointment and fast overnight). If your test results are normal, hooray for you! If not you can start making some changes that will help preserve your health. I’ll be back with more later.

Image by renjith krishnan.

Steve Jobs and Healthy Eating

Julie Harrison — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:19:36 +0000

If you’ve read Steve Jobs’ recently published biography you may have been puzzled, as I was, by his eating habits. He would eat a very limited number of the same foods (as few as one or two) for weeks, and would fast for long periods. These extreme eating habits meant he wasn’t getting the essential nutrients he needed to maintain good health. His business legacy is amazing and millions of us enjoy the products he brought to market. I have great admiration for his genius, but his ideas about nutrition are not ones I plan to practice.

Image by renjith krishnan.

AntiCancer Foods Part 7 – Pomegranates

Julie Harrison — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:11 +0000

Julie’s Comments: Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and eating them or drinking the juice has multiple health benefits. How do you include them in your diet? The seeds are delicious sprinkled on salads or stirred into yogurt, and the juice is really refreshing.

The juicy red kernels of a pomegranate are a favorite with both the young and old alike. Apart from its richness and delicious taste, pomegranate juice has also become popular for its health benefits. And this only continues to increase with more and more people becoming aware of a healthy diet and lifestyle. This fruit contains many different nutrients which are absolutely essential for health and fitness. Hence drinking a glass of this juice daily can boost your health in more ways than one.

There are many scientific studies that have shown that this fruit contains certain compounds that can help fight breast cancer. The studies revealed that the compounds attack malignant cells and destroy these while keeping the healthy cells intact. There are also other scientific studies being conducted across the globe with regard to the benefits of this juice in fighting liver cancer and prostate cancer. Both the group of studies conducted in mice has shown that pomegranate contains compounds which can fight or slow down the cancerous cells and boost the growth of the healthy ones.

Image by kongsky.

Another important finding is that pomegranate juice can help to keep the levels of the prostate specific antigen stable in men with prostate cancer. A group of fifty men were chosen for the study and administered eight ounces of this fruit juice every single day for a month and it was observed that the levels came down and became stable doing away with the need for further chemotherapy. People who suffer from osteoarthritis can also benefit a lot from taking this juicy, red fruit. Cartilage deterioration can be reduced which protects the joints and brings down the painful effects of this disease. This juice also offers a range of nutrients for the pregnant mother and can help in the normal development of her neonate’s brain especially after an injury has occurred.

Heart protection is another benefit that you derive when you take this fruit on a regular basis. The compounds present can help to lower the cholesterol levels especially the levels of LDL cholesterol which is called as bad cholesterol in layman’s terms. It also protects the heart by preventing the buildup of plaque inside the arteries and thereby reducing the risk of a stroke or myocardial infarction. Blood pressure can also become stable in those who suffer from hypertension. So grab yourself a glass of pomegranate juice to stay fit and healthy and say goodbye to diseases.

Drinking pomegranate juice has been seen to have a lot of health benefits. It helps to keep an array of diseases at bay and also offers protection against different types of cancers. To learn more about the nutrients contained in this drink, visit www.inspiredwellbeing.com/store/buy-organic-pomegranate-juice.html

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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6692064

Create a Healthy Kid’s Lunch Box

Julie Harrison — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:55:53 +0000

Julie’s Comments: Here are some great tips for helping your kids eat healthy and develop good eating habits that will benefit them all their lives. Please share your views by leaving a Comment below.

Healthy School Lunches: Is Your Child Eating a Balanced Diet?

Julie Harrison — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:00:28 +0000

Julie’s Comments: With childhood obesity at nearly epidemic levels, healthy eating for our kids is more important than ever. Here are some great tips on how to help our children develop healthy eating habits.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtC92MAQJhE

Healthy School Lunch Ideas

Julie Harrison — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:00:23 +0000

Julie’s Comments: It’s hard to keep coming up with ideas for the kids’ lunch (or even for your own lunch). Check these out! If you use turkey or other meat for sandwiches I suggest a nitrite/nitrate free brand like Hormel Natural Choice. That’s the brand I found in my grocery store, but there must be other nitrite-free brands. You can check the Ingredients Label on the package to see if the product contains nitrites or nitrates, which are linked to increased cancer risk. I hope these ideas are helpful to you!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtwZ5a83GM

Healthy Breakfast For $1

Julie Harrison — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:00:57 +0000

Julie’s Comments: Need breakfast ideas? Here are some good ones!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhYqk0qFETQ

Update – Dangers of Processed Meats

Julie Harrison — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:00:52 +0000

On Sept. 28 I posted an article about cancer- causing nitrites and nitrates found in the processed meats that are such a big part of the American diet. I committed to tracking down nitrite/nitrate free brands and I’m looking for more! The ones I’ve found so far are:

Applegate Naturals hickory smoked bacon.
Aidells brand has several sausage varieties including andouille, Italian and chicken with apple. I recently used Aidells andouille in a batch of Red Beans and Rice and it was delicious!
Jones Dairy Farm All Natural breakfast sausage. My favorite is the low-fat turkey sausage.
Hormel Natural Choice cold cuts (ham, turkey, roast beef).

I found these in my local grocery store (Publix). I’ve tried all these brands and found them to be delicious. They’re also phosphate free. Phosphates are linked to decreasing bone density, which affects so many women as we age. Men can also develop osteoporosis, so phosphates are a good thing to avoid. You can tell if a product contains nitrites, nitrates or phosphates because they’ll be listed on the Ingredients Label on the product package.

Please help me find more nitrite/nitrate-free brands, and share them by leaving a Comment below! Thanks!

Image by Suat Eman.

Why Eat Healthy? Part 4 – “Live Long and Prosper”

Julie Harrison — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:00:41 +0000

It’s official…a recent study from the CDC says healthy lifestyle pays off with increased longevity! As reported in the American Journal of Public Health in September 2011, the study covered an 18 year period, looked at over 16,000 people and included 4 healthy behaviors. These were healthy eating, exercising, drinking alcohol in moderation, and not smoking. People who practiced these behaviors were 63% less likely to die than people who didn’t practice any of them.

While these results may not be surprising, I think we sometimes lose sight of how lifestyle habits can affect our health over the long term. The state of our health has a big impact on our quality of life. Take good care of yourself! You’re worth it!

Image by Ambro.

Why Eat Healthy? Part 3 – Alcohol Pros and Cons

Julie Harrison — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:00:32 +0000

This month the Harvard Heart Letter reported the results of a study on the effects of drinking alcohol on our health. The study was a big one, followed over 2 million men and women for an average of 11 years, and compared moderate alcohol use to no alcohol use. Moderate alcohol consumption did reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and heart disease, but it increased stroke risk somewhat. One drink per day was the amount that produced the least risk for any cause of death in the study. At 4 drinks per day stroke risk was a whopping 62% higher than with no alcohol consumption. Clearly the amount of alcohol consumed is key. Once it becomes excessive any beneficial effects are far outweighed by substantially increased risk of stroke, liver disease, a variety of cancers and other health problems. As the Harvard article points out, alcohol is a double-edged sword. Please share your views by leaving a Comment below.

Image by Carlos Porto.