Drinking between three and five cups of coffee a day in middle age could decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 65 per cent, says a new study from Scandinavia.
Researchers from the University of Kuopio in Finland, the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and Finland’s National Public Health Institute report their findings in the new issue of Alzheimer’s Disease.
More info at: -
http://www-t.decisionnewsmedia.com/r/?id=t68c3a62,1880660,18811f0&p1=BL0g5KtRgMTe6EUt0vvDuQ%3D%3D
By Stephen Daniells, 16 Jan 2009, foodnavigator-usa.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The sweet escape can be deadly
THAT sugar on your breakfast table is actually a powerful drug. It is pure white and sweet but deadly. I call it "white poison".
You just need small amounts of it in your bloodstream. Too much of it will damage your vital organs.
Ask any diabetic. It is addictive and can leave you with horrible withdrawal symptoms.
It is also bad for your immune system.
Sugar is also a known tooth decay agent.
The major sources of calories are:
Of the carbohydrate package, there are simple carbohydrates, or sugars, as opposed to the complex. Within the sugars there are refined simple carbohydrates, as opposed to the unrefined.
In nature, sugars are found, with the exception of honey, in an unrefined state, such as in sugar cane, sugar beets, and most fruits which are naturally sweet.
Sugar is also inherent in corn, rice, and even milk. However, these are not so sweet.
In fact, almost all vegetables have fair amounts of natural sugar in them.
As these are natural real wholesome food, there is little problem in eating as much as desired.
There would be no problem eating either sugar cane, or sugar beets, as a squeezed, non-concentrated juice straight from the plant. Every nutrient required for the assimilation (absorption and utilisation) of the juice is contained within it.
If you chew the stalk, you even get natural fibre. Real food contains within itself the nutrients required for its use by the body.
"Real" sugar is not the problem. The problem is the refined sugar which should no longer qualify as food.
This means that when "the white stuff" is ingested, the vitamins, and particularly the minerals required for burning (or storing) that fuel internally (B-1, B-2, biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and others), are rudely removed from the now totally pure and concentrated sugar.
The body will handle the fuel. However, it does it by taking from body stores already in existence. This depletes existing nutrient stores that your body holds.
Ongoing intake of "empty" calories saps the body of the internal stores of nutrients. Eventually, a state of deficiency arises, possibly of a sub-clinical nature. Most of our diets consist of empty, non-food substances.
A warning for sugar lovers -- these refined calories are not only "empty", they are also concentrated. Besides the nutrients being removed, the water is all gone; the juice is now a crystal. Soluble fibre is also missing.
For example, one ounce (0.023kg) of refined sugar requires 0.23 kilogramme of sugar beets. You could easily consume one ounce of sugar but would be hard pressed to eat 0.23kg of sugar beets.
Once sugar enters the system, the blood sugar rises. Remember, sugar is toxic to your body. You cannot store it anywhere in your system. Your body's response to this is to remove the sugar from the blood and send it into the muscle and brain cells.
If you don't happen to be lifting or thinking enough, it is then stored, but not as sugar. The excess sugar is converted and stored as fat.
In other words, you can cut your fat grammes to zero, but if you eat too much sugar, you can still get fat. Here is where the "low fat" but sugar laden product advertisers don't tell us the whole truth.
Actually, your body over-reacts to refined sugar, causing your blood sugar to drop dramatically. This causes symptoms such as headache, irritability, fatigue, abdominal pains, muddled thinking, even blurred vision and even depression along with cravings for another sugar "fix".
Now that we are in the holiday season, you may have lots of parties to attend with lots of sumptuous foods and decadent desserts. Don't starve yourself all day "saving up" your calories for the party food -- it may be bad for your brain and you might go off the sugar-bingeing deep end.
Instead, eat normally and choose healthy food throughout the day with lots of nutrients and fibre (like fruits and vegetables). Then later, when you are faced with all those delicious holiday treats, it may actually be easier to control your cravings.
By, Rajen M. Published on NST Online 3 Jan 2009.
Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in holistic medicine. Email him at health@po.jaring.my
You just need small amounts of it in your bloodstream. Too much of it will damage your vital organs.
Ask any diabetic. It is addictive and can leave you with horrible withdrawal symptoms.
It is also bad for your immune system.
Sugar is also a known tooth decay agent.
The major sources of calories are:
- proteins
- fats and
- carbohydrates
Of the carbohydrate package, there are simple carbohydrates, or sugars, as opposed to the complex. Within the sugars there are refined simple carbohydrates, as opposed to the unrefined.
In nature, sugars are found, with the exception of honey, in an unrefined state, such as in sugar cane, sugar beets, and most fruits which are naturally sweet.
Sugar is also inherent in corn, rice, and even milk. However, these are not so sweet.
In fact, almost all vegetables have fair amounts of natural sugar in them.
As these are natural real wholesome food, there is little problem in eating as much as desired.
There would be no problem eating either sugar cane, or sugar beets, as a squeezed, non-concentrated juice straight from the plant. Every nutrient required for the assimilation (absorption and utilisation) of the juice is contained within it.
If you chew the stalk, you even get natural fibre. Real food contains within itself the nutrients required for its use by the body.
"Real" sugar is not the problem. The problem is the refined sugar which should no longer qualify as food.
This means that when "the white stuff" is ingested, the vitamins, and particularly the minerals required for burning (or storing) that fuel internally (B-1, B-2, biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and others), are rudely removed from the now totally pure and concentrated sugar.
The body will handle the fuel. However, it does it by taking from body stores already in existence. This depletes existing nutrient stores that your body holds.
Ongoing intake of "empty" calories saps the body of the internal stores of nutrients. Eventually, a state of deficiency arises, possibly of a sub-clinical nature. Most of our diets consist of empty, non-food substances.
A warning for sugar lovers -- these refined calories are not only "empty", they are also concentrated. Besides the nutrients being removed, the water is all gone; the juice is now a crystal. Soluble fibre is also missing.
For example, one ounce (0.023kg) of refined sugar requires 0.23 kilogramme of sugar beets. You could easily consume one ounce of sugar but would be hard pressed to eat 0.23kg of sugar beets.
Once sugar enters the system, the blood sugar rises. Remember, sugar is toxic to your body. You cannot store it anywhere in your system. Your body's response to this is to remove the sugar from the blood and send it into the muscle and brain cells.
If you don't happen to be lifting or thinking enough, it is then stored, but not as sugar. The excess sugar is converted and stored as fat.
In other words, you can cut your fat grammes to zero, but if you eat too much sugar, you can still get fat. Here is where the "low fat" but sugar laden product advertisers don't tell us the whole truth.
Actually, your body over-reacts to refined sugar, causing your blood sugar to drop dramatically. This causes symptoms such as headache, irritability, fatigue, abdominal pains, muddled thinking, even blurred vision and even depression along with cravings for another sugar "fix".
Now that we are in the holiday season, you may have lots of parties to attend with lots of sumptuous foods and decadent desserts. Don't starve yourself all day "saving up" your calories for the party food -- it may be bad for your brain and you might go off the sugar-bingeing deep end.
Instead, eat normally and choose healthy food throughout the day with lots of nutrients and fibre (like fruits and vegetables). Then later, when you are faced with all those delicious holiday treats, it may actually be easier to control your cravings.
By, Rajen M. Published on NST Online 3 Jan 2009.
Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in holistic medicine. Email him at health@po.jaring.my
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Weighty Issues Surround Healthy Food Choices
Consumers feel increasingly good about their health, but a disconnect with caloric intake continues.
Americans’ perception of their overall health continues to show improvement, with 39 percent indicating their health is “excellent” or “very good” compared to 33 percent in 2006, according to a new study from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation.
The third annual survey of 1,000 consumers was conducted for IFIC in the first quarter of 2008 by Cogent Research. Comparing results from 2006, 2007 and 2008, consumer health status satisfaction remains relatively high, with 59 percent indicating they are “extremely satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied.”
Concern with their weight (75 percent) appears to be a very strong factor influencing the decision to make a dietary change. That compares to 74 percent in 2007 and 66 percent in 2006. Of those who made changes to their diet (69 percent) the reason is “to lose weight,” and 57 percent say they are actively “trying to lose weight.”
Two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) made changes to improve the healthfulness of their diet. Those include: “portion sizes of meals or snacks” (60 percent) and “changing the number of calories” (57 percent). In addition, 52 percent of those trying to lose or maintain their weight reported “increased physical activity” as a change in 2008.
And while 57 percent who are trying to lose or maintain their weight say they are making an effort “to reduce calories” they consume, there still appears to be a disconnect between their reported behavior and their knowledge about calories. Only 15 percent correctly estimated the recommended number of calories per day for a person of their age, height, physical activity level and weight; only 31 percent correctly understand calories from any source contribute equally to potential weight gain; and 44 percent report they do not balance diet and physical activity to manage their weight (calories consumed versus calories expended).
While “taste” and “price” continue to have the greatest impact on Americans’ decisions to buy foods and beverages, the importance of “healthfulness” remains stable (62 percent in 2008 versus 65 percent in 2007 and 58 percent in 2006). When given a list of potential changes to improve their diet, consumers say they are increasing (37 percent) or decreasing (21 percent) their consumption of a specific type of food and/or beverage.
Sixty percent either somewhat or strongly believe certain foods and beverages can provide multiple benefits (for example, heart health). As in 2007, more than 80 percent say they are currently consuming or would be interested in consuming foods and/or beverages for such benefits.
Seventy percent are concerned with the amount of fat they consume and 68 percent with the type of fat. Continued concern over trans fat appears to be an important contributor. Trans fat awareness grew to 91 percent versus 87 percent in 2007 and 81 percent in 2006. Fifty-nine percent who use the Nutrition Facts Panel say they use trans fat information on the panel, and 79 percent who are aware of it say they rate trans fat as either “not at all healthful” or “not very healthful,” up from 64 percent in 2006.
While Americans know type of fat is important, knowledge of the types of fats that dietary guidance recommends consuming — including mono- and polyunsaturated fats — is limited. Awareness of both of these healthful fats (63 percent for monounsaturated fats and 71 percent for polyunsaturated fats) is low compared to other familiarity with other fats. However, those who rate monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as either “somewhat healthful” or “extremely healthful” have increased to 28 percent and 23 percent respectively from 16 percent and 15 percent in 2006.
Americans continue to be concerned with the amount of sugar they consume (69 percent in 2008 versus 70 percent in 2007 and 62 percent in 2006). Those who use the Nutrition Facts panel look for information about sugar more often (68 percent compared to 63 percent in 2007 and 67 percent in 2006). Although there was no significant change in Americans’ concern over the amount of carbohydrates they consume, concern with the type of carbs they consume remained high at 52 percent in 2008, compared to 46 percent in 2006.
More Americans who are aware of low-calorie sweeteners report they tried to consume less aspartame (43 percent), saccharin (45 percent), and sucralose (44 percent) in 2008 compared to 2007. But 44 percent believe low-calorie sweeteners can play a role in weight loss or weight management.
Consumers were asked to answer a new question this year about their beliefs pertaining to food additives/colors. The result was 85 percent believe food additives can provide at least one of the following benefits: extend the freshness of certain foods/act as a preservative (68 percent); add color to food products (65 percent); help keep or improve the flavor of food products (61 percent); and reduce the presence of harmful bacteria in food products (36 percent).
Consumers say they gather information from the Nutrition Facts panel and the food label, 87 percent are aware of the USDA’s MyPyramid food guidance system, but only 26 percent report using MyPyramid in some way.
Similar to the 2007 survey, breakfast was named by 92 percent of consumers as the most important meal of the day, followed by dinner (89 percent) and lunch (83 percent); however, less than half (46 percent) eat breakfast seven days per week. In the 2008 survey, consumers who believe eating breakfast is most important but do not eat it everyday cite several “barriers” including “not hungry right after I wake up” (59 percent) and “not enough time” (54 percent). Snacks are also an important part of most Americans’ days, with nearly all Americans (94 percent) consuming at least one snack per day.
When asked to describe their level of caffeine consumption, 64 percent say they “consume caffeine in moderation,” 22 percent describe themselves as consuming “more caffeine than the average person,” and 14 percent say they have “eliminated caffeine” from their diets.
New to this year’s survey were questions regarding safe food preparation at home. Eighty-two percent say they are confident in their ability to safely prepare foods at home, but that confidence does not match reported practices. Almost all (96 percent) say they are regularly taking at least one food safety precaution, such as washing hands with soap and water, when cooking, preparing, and consuming food products.
However, fewer report following key basic food safety practices, such as using a different cutting board for each type of food (48 percent) and using a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat and poultry items (29 percent). A majority of Americans (79 percent) are confident in their ability to understand and follow microwave oven meal cooking instructions, but only 15 percent check their microwave wattage and only 7 percent use a food thermometer for microwaved foods.
By Diane Toops, News & Trends Editor, 7 Jan 2009, FoodProcessing.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)