Eating A Healthy Diet

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Eating A Healthy Diet

Health can be greatly affected by the diet we eat. Too much salt, fats, sugar and additives affect how our body copes and utilises these products. This lens will look at the different foods we eat and how these foods affect health.>More

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Low Sodium Diet

What's hidden in your food part 1

Low Sodium Diet

Usually, low sodium diets are recommended for those who suffer from problem of high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is the force exerted on artery walls when the heart is beating and when it is at rest. The higher number is the "Systolic" pressure and is the pressure exerted on artery walls when the heart is in the contracting phase. The lower number is the "Diastolic" pressure and is the pressure exerted on artery walls when the heart is in the resting phase.

There are actually two types of high blood pressure. However, most people suffer from primary high blood pressure. In secondary high blood pressure, usually something else causing it, like an overactive thyroid gland.

The higher Blood pressure is considered high if the upper number (systolic pressure) is above 140 and the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is above 90 and stays there. Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure.

There are good biological reasons why sodium intake might affect blood pressure, mainly through its effects on the kidneys. When the kidneys want help they have the ability to raise your blood pressure -- the sodium leaves faster when they do that. For some, too much sodium in the diet may contribute to high blood pressure and fluid retention and higher risk for heart attack. People with hypertension, or high blood pressure, are the ones more likely to develop these diseases.>More

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The effect of sodium in your food on your health

Hidden sodium in your food

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Eating A Healthy Diet

Low Sodium Diet

Whats hidden in your food part 2

In general, evidence points towards salt intake being an important cause of high sodium levels
leading to hypertension, high blood pressure, heart disease as well as kidney stones.

Sodium is needed by the body in small quantities but too much sodium is associated with raised blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Cutting back on sodium can lower the risk of high blood pressure and other heart diseases.

Salt is not sodium, but has a lot of sodium in it. A low sodium diet limits the intake of salt to not more than two grams, which is half the average amount normally consumed. Salt is very desirable in the kitchen for its ability to enhance the flavours of foods and to add that salty "zing" to which we have become accustomed.

You can avoid adding salt to food on the table and eliminate fast foods and pre cooked foods -- known to have very high levels of sodium. We may not be aware, but many canned and precooked food also contain a certain amount of sodium, although they may not appear to be salty.

A low sodium diet can also be maintained by not adding salt in your food. Salt added to food at the table constitutes only 20% of salt consumed in the diet.

A person with high blood pressure should consult a doctor to see how much sodium should be consumed daily.
Check with your healthcare practitioner before using a salt substitute.

Watch out for "hidden" salt, found in butter flavorings, seasonings, tomato sauces, condiments and canned foods. All kinds of sauce and ketchups, salted biscuits, chips, nuts and baking soda also contain that are harmful to health.

You can substitute salt with herbs or spices and also with lemon juice.
However, very low sodium diets are unpalatable and sodium restriction should never be at the expense of the patient's overall nutritional status.

The cause for high blood pressure in the primary form cannot be determined, but, while the cause may not be known, the treatment can still be effective. Basic Rules for Controlling High Blood Pressure:

Adjust your diet
Maintain a healthy weight Low salt,
low sodium diets are a sure way to help control high blood pressure
Exercise
Take medications as prescribed.>More

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Eating a healthy diet

What Is A Low Calorie Diet?

What Is A Low Calorie Diet?

A low calorie diet is one that restricts the number of calories a person consumes per day to a very low number. There are several types of diets that provide this to you. If you are looking to lose weight, this diet may or may not be the right choice for you. To decide, you'll first have to talk with your doctor about the potential health benefits and risk that you, individually, face. Each person has a different set of benefits to be considered here.

A low calorie diet is one that requires a person to consume 1500 to 1800 calories per day. This is rather low from the 2000 to 2400 calories that the average person consumes. A very low calorie diet is much different. This is a very restricting diet for those that are severely obese. It requires that a person only consume a mere 800 calories or less per day. This is very limiting to the person, obviously.

In most cases, you will sign on to a low calorie (especially a very low calorie diet) for a short amount of time. For example, this can only be done for three to six months at the most for those on a very low calorie diet. If it was done longer than this, you can risk some severe complications to your health, including nutritional depletion.

Is this the right diet for you? There are several groups of people that should never be on a very low calorie diet. That includes those that are adolescents and children. In addition, pregnant women and those that are not in optimum health otherwise should not consider it. The average person is able to lose between three and five pounds per week, but this number is significant to those that are obese as they tend to lose weight faster in the beginning.

If you are considering a low calorie diet, especially one that requires less than 1000 calories per day, you should work with your physician on making it happen. Because this diet does require so few calories, you will need to monitor every single calorie that you take for nutritional value. If that calorie is not worth the nutritional needs you have, it can't be consumed. For those that have the ability and doctor approval, this diet plan can be an ideal choice.>More

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The Benefits of Taking Liquid Vitamins

As everyone knows, vitamins are critical to having a healthy body. Various vitamins are needed for a wide range of bodily functions - from cell growth to digestion to strengthening of our immune systems to using proteins, fats and carbs.

Unfortunately, the human body does not manufacture the vitamins it needs, nor does it synthesize most of the vitamins needed. This means that you have to get these vitamins another way, and that is normally through eating a well balanced diet and by taking vitamin supplements.

Many believe that liquid vitamins are the best choice in vitamin supplementation. The body will benefit from them greater than traditional vitamins because they are more easily absorbed and can be assimilated by the body quicker. While studies have shown that encapsulated vitamins or vitamin tablets can take over an hour to be absorbed, liquid vitamins take less than half that long! It is also believed that only about 10-20% of a tablet or capsule will be assimilated, while up to 98% of the liquid vitamin will! That means a lot more of what your body needs can come from the liquid vitamins.

Liquid vitamins also get through the digestive system quickly, so they are not damaged and do not prematurely deteriorate due to overexposure to digestive juices. This kind of vitamin moves out of the stomach and into the intestines fast, where it can be absorbed for use by the body in many beneficial ways.

Another benefit to the liquid vitamins is how easily they can be taken. While many of the vitamin tablets and capsules are big and can make you gag or choke, liquid vitamins are easy to drink. You can add the liquid vitamins to another liquid, like juice, to make ingesting them a breeze!

As you can see, the overall benefits of liquid vitamins are numerous.>More

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Are you taking enough onboard

Water

One of the most difficult things for people to take into consideration when it comes to their diet is that they should be drinking water. Why water? Any type of drink, other than plain old water, has calories. These hidden calories are the worst way for you to waste your calories for the day.

Consider this. Would you rather eat a few more vegetables or fill up on a few more ounces of chicken or would you like to drink a can of soda? When you can effectively learn to give up and drink water, you save yourself precious calories to use elsewhere in your diet.

Calories are not easy to come by when you are dieting. You really need to cut them out wherever you can, and that includes in the beverage that you drink. A can of soda can have any place from 50 calories well up into the 150 to 200+ range. But, another thing to consider is just what you get for those calories. You don't get a full sensation in your stomach so you are still heavy. You don't get much taste as it is usually gone within a few minutes. And, you get caffeine, sugars, and even fats that you just don't need.

To make water a more tasty choice, add some spice into it. A simple yet effective way to do this is to just add some lemon or lime into the water. You should be consuming about 2 quarts of water per day. If you aren't sure just how many you are getting, each morning fill a jug in the refrigerator with two quarts. If you don't finish it, you haven't gotten your water for the day. By the time you have learned to replace your drinks with water, you will have saved yourself countless calories.>More

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Increasing Fibre in the Diet

Preventing health problems by eating a balanced diet

It is generally accepted that a diet high in fibre is protective, or at least reduces the incidence, of colon polyps and colon cancer. High fibre diets help delay the progression of diverticulosis and, at least, reduce the bouts of diverticulitis. It is used effectively in treating constipation resulting from poor dietary habits. Constipation can also be a side effect of a high-fibre diet if fluid intake isn't also increased.

By including fruit,vegetables,wholegrain and pulses in the diet will not only improve bowel regularity but will also improve condition of skin,hair,energy and overall health.>More

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