Women Health and Care Tips- Neutralize LDL with This Party Snack

Cholesterol. You know it's bad for your heart and arteries. But you could make it less bad with this crunchy party snack: almonds.

Turns out almonds not only improve cholesterol levels but also help make LDL -- the bad cholesterol -- less likely to oxidize. Which is great, because LDL can do scary things when it's oxidized, like block arteries and cut blood flow to the heart

.

Almond Joy
Because oxidized LDL is even more likely to gunk-up your arteries than the unoxidized kind, recent study results on almonds and LDL oxidation helped secure the nut's position in a heart-healthy diet. When older adults with high cholesterol ate a daily handful of almonds as part of a 4-week cholesterol-friendly diet, not only did the nut eaters suffer less bad-for-the-arteries LDL oxidation, but their LDL levels took a nosedive as well

Dance of the Antioxidants
Other good news for the almond eaters: The study subjects' healthy (HDL) cholesterol rose. How do almonds do it? Researchers suspect that the vast array of flavonoids and phenols in the skins play a role -- so be sure to buy whole almonds with the skins on. Those skin-based nutrients may react synergistically with other antioxidants in your body to produce the cholesterol-controlling effects. Shield your heart and arteries with these other disease-busting strategies, too:

• See the humor. A little laughter can do a whole lot for your heart and arteries.
• Enjoy the quiet. A bit of silence now and then may help keep your blood pressure in check.
• Go fishing. Regular fish eaters may be less likely to experience heart arrhythmias.

Source:RealAge

Women Health and Care Tips-Can you take supplement when having cancer?

Many oncologists believe that you have cancer that you should not be taking nutritional supplements. This is a theoretical concern that these supplements may improve the antioxidant defense system of the cancer cells. Since their chemo and radiation therapy uses free radicals and oxidative stress in an attempt to destroy these cells, they do have a concern. However, when you look at the medical research that studied patients who took high-quality, complete and balanced nutritional supplements while receiving their chemo or radiation therapy, the patients did better than those who did not take supplements.

Dr. Kedar Prashad, a radiation therapist from the University of Colorado Medical School, actually reviewed over 90 of these studies. He found that those patients who took nutritional supplements while taking either their chemo or radiation therapy not only tolerated their treatments better, but also responded to them better. He concluded that antioxidant supplements improved the normal cells antioxidant defense system; however, they made the cancer cells more vulnerable to cell death. This is win-win situation for cancer patients. In fact, this has led some major cancer treatment centers like the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, OK and Chicago, IL to give all of their cancer patients antioxidant supplements while receiving their treatments.

-source: Ray D. Strand M.D, Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

Women Health and Care Tips-8 food that fight fat

Almonds
These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed. Chomp almonds à la carte (limit yourself to 12 per serving to keep calories in check).

Berries
Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C–spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found. No fresh ones available at your supermarket? No worries, frozen ones work just as well.

Cinnamon
Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat. Sprinkle it on your morning cereal or coffee or on your yogurt in the A.M

Mustard
It's heaven on a soft pretzel, but mustard may also be a weight loss wonder. Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology finds. Use it on sandwiches instead of mayo, or sprinkle turmeric on cauliflower pre-roasting to give it a kick.

Oranges
This citrus fruit, which contains fat-blasting compounds known as flavones, deserves to be your main squeeze. Women who ate the most flavones had a much lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes. Eat oranges sliced or swig fresh OJ (including pulp!) to get the best benefit from the fruit.

Soybeans
Reason to toss a half cup on your salad? Soybeans are rich in choline, a compound that blocks the absorption of fat and breaks down fatty deposits. Oh, and they're addictively delish! But if breast cancer runs in your family, experts suggest you should talk to your doc before adding soy to your diet.

Sweet potatoes
The colorful spuds' high-fiber content means they keep your insulin steadier than their white sisters, which means less fat packed on your hips, research finds.

Swiss cheese
Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown, and Swiss has more calcium than many of its cheesy peers. Choose the reduced-fat variety, such as Sargento. Slip it into your sandwich, put it on top of high-fiber crackers or use it for a healthier grilled cheese

Source:Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief

Women Health and Care tips-Heart Attack:Fish Oil vs Statin Drugs

Statin drugs is known for reducing the risk of heart attack.However, researchers are not sure whether this is the result of lowering the cholesterol or because of the natural anti-inflammatory properties in statin drugs. In 2005, a clinical trial reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine compared people who took statin drugs with those who just took fish oil capsules. Both these groups were compared to a control group that took a placebo. One of the amazing characteristics of fish oil is that it contains large amounts of essential fats. These fats are the healthy, good fats that not only lower cholesterol and raise the HDL or good cholesterol, but they also significantly decrease inflammation in our bodies including our arteries.

The statin group decreased mortality by 10% over the placebo group; however, the fish oil group decreased mortality by 20% over the placebo group. In other words, the participants who took the fish oil capsules had twice the benefit of those who took the statin drugs. Reducing inflammation is the key to reducing your risk of having a heart attack, which is one of the main causes of death today. Since fish oil capsules pose absolutely no risk to the participant, it is certainly a great idea to supplement a healthy diet with purified, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil capsules.

-Source: Dr Ray Strand"Hrealth Nugget"

Women Health and Care Tips- Coenzyme Q10:Wayne Story

Wayne was a classmate of mine in both high school and college. We ran track and spent a lot of time together when we were young. About 10 years ago, Wayne came into my office and complained of just not feeling well. He said his heart felt like it was jumping out of his chest. I put him in the hospital and consulted a cardiologist. Wayne had developed cardiomyopathy (severely enlarged heart) due to a viral infection he had suffered a month or two before. His heart was very weak and his ejection fraction (measurement of the heart's ability to contract) was only 17% (normal is 50 to 70). He was placed on the heart transplant list because his ejection fraction improved by only 4 or 5 points even with all the medication he took.

I placed Wayne on the aggressive nutritional supplement program I recommend for this disease, which includes high doses of a nutrient called Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential for the creation of energy within the cell, especially the heart muscle. Clinical research has shown that patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathy quickly become depleted in CoQ10 within their heart muscle because of their weakened state. Dr. Peter Langsjoen, a biochemist and cardiologist, had shown in several clinical trials that when patients supplement with CoQ10, nearly 85% of them have a significant positive clinical response. Wayne's ejection fraction went back to 58% within 4 months, and he was taken off the heart transplant list and returned to work. I have personally been involved with over a dozen patients with cardiomyopathy who have now been removed from the heart transplant list. They are not cured. However, as long as they take their aggressive nutritional supplement program and CoQ10, they are able to provide the fuel source their heart requires to compensate for its weakened state.
(Article from Ray D Strand, M.D-Specialist in Nutritional Medicine)

Women Health and Care tips- Low GI recipe #1

Today I'm sharing on my favourite Low GI recipe. It's cheap and so simple yet tasty.


Spaghetti Peperoncino

1 packet of cooked spaghetti (al dente)
8 cloves garlic
5 chili pepper/dried chili
anchovy (can substitute with 1 cube of 'ikan bilis' stock)
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of salt
olive oil
parsley for garnishing
cabbage/asparagus (optional)





Peel and crushed garlic using wooden spoon/hand (avoid using steel if possible. The taste is totally different I assure you). Slowly heat the garlic in olive oil until light brown.

Add in chillies (take out the seed if you cannot stand the heat). Continue stirring using low heat until the chili oil started to ooze out.

Take out the garlic and chillies and add in anchovy. ( I like my garlic to be crispy). Wait until it is dissolved before adding in spaghetti. Stir briskly. Add 2~3 tablespoon of water that was used to boil the spaghetti.

Season with salt and pepper.

WALLA!!!!

Women Health and Care Tips- Weight training:Yes or no?

It's a big yes for me. Most women would avoid weight training for fear of getting 'manly' figure, no thanks to the women trainer out there but trust me, you won't get bulky. I had two different experiences with personal trainer. The first trainer that I worked with has a very basic knowledge of personal training. When my thighs got bigger, he got panicked and changed his method.No results seen. Then I transferred to new club and got a new trainer. He's GOOD! Of course I went to the first phase of getting bulkier but when it was over, my muscles became lean and my body became slim with nice muscle tone.

What went through the first phase was, I got a bit bulkier as my muscle developed faster than my fat getting burned. So, when the fat layer started to burn, I became slimmer since my body has turned into fat and calorie burning machine. The only thing to keep in mind is that ALWAYS ensure that you consume enough protein so that your tissues are repaired faster for you to develop your muscles.

These are the rituals for my training program

1. Use medium weight and more repetition.

Add your weight until you feel the muscles that you are working on. Else, you are just wasting your time. Too heavy weight can cause injury if you are not careful.

2. Take protein drinks after workout at least 2hours before sleep.

This helps to repair your tissue

3. Sleep for at least 7hours, 8hours is the best for fast muscle recovery

4. Do weight training and cardio exercise every alternate days.

At least 3times of weight training in a week. I normally workout for 1 hour/session.

Women Health and Care tips- How to consume vitamin A without getting overdose?

Vitamin A is known for antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage-in short, helps to prevent cancer.
Vitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. However, over consumption has been linked with an increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women.


Vitamin A comes in two forms.:
Retinol
You can find this in liver, dairy products, eggs or cod liver oils.

Beta-carotene
This should be your choice for Vitamin A source. Reason is; the body converts beta carotene to vitamin A only when necessary and thus eliminating the risk of overdosing.
Beta-carotene is found in brightly colored fruit and vegetables. The brighter the fruit, the more beta-carotene it contains.

You can take Beta-carotene naturally through apricots, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, spinach etc or through nutritional supplement.

Women Health and Care tips- Treating diabetes with Nutritional Supplement

Diabetes Type 2 is a chronic endocrine disorder characterized by the inability to properly utilize sugar, specifically glucose, a simple carbohydrate. This results in excessively high glucose levels in the blood. Diabetes involves either a relative or absolute shortage of insulin, a hormone that regulates the body's breakdown of carbohydrates. A higher percentage of obese individuals has type 2 diabetes than does the general population.

The first thing you should do once being identified as a diabetic patient, is to avoid food with high GI (list was given in my previous post). Once you have your blood level within control, the next step is to reverse the condition by producing healthy cells in your body.

To produce healthy new cells, your body needs to be fed with optimum nutrients. I seriously recommend for you to take nutritional supplement to achieve this.

Nutritional practitioners has shown results using this method. However, be reminded that not all vitamins sold in the market are beneficial to you. In fact, some of it can contain excess vitamin A that could be poisonous to you. You may refer to Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements for guide. This book can be found in any bookstore worldwide.

Women Health and Care Tips- High magnesium and calcium intake linked to lower diabetes risk

At a Glance
It is well known that diet plays an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes, but less is known about the influence of specific nutrients on non-Western populations. A report published in the March 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed a protective effect of calcium and magnesium against diabetes in a large group of Chinese women.

The study involved 64,191 women participated in the Shanghai Women's Health Study, living in Shanghai,China. Analysis of dietary questionnaire responses determined calcium and magnesium intake.

Women whose intake was in the highest group at an average of 649.6 milligrams

per day had a 27 percent lower risk of diabetes than those whose intake was in the lowest group at 277.5 milligrams. Women whose intake of magnesium was highest at an average of 318.1 milligrams per day experienced a 20 percent lower risk compared with those in the lowest category of intake. Dairy intake was also related to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers did not have information on vitamin D intake, but the protective effect of dairy products could be partly due to their vitamin D content as well as calcium. The combination of vitamin D and calcium has been associated with a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes in previous research.

Source:Am J Clin Nutr 89: 1059-1067, 2009.

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Women Health and Care tips-Do you need nutritional supplement?

Supplement versus natural.Some people would say `hey..I eat vegetables and fruits with every meal` but question is, is it enough for the body to reproduce healthy cells? Here`s a few things to ponder





1. Are we sticking to same type of veggies?


I believe most of us are not eating sufficiently in wide variety, normally we stick to the same kind of food that we like





2. How do we prepare our food?


Most of valuable nutrients are lost during cooking. I guess the Japanese saves more with their sushi and sashimi :)





3. One apple can have 5 more nutritional value than the other. Which one that you just had?


Nutritional value of the same food varies according to the location where it is cultivated or season of production.

As for me, I can hardly see myself finishing 160 apples or 18 oranges in a day to fulfill my optimum vitamin C requirement,can you?

Women Health and Care tips-Buffet eating tricks

Food..food..food!! I don`t know about you guys but I`m a great fan of buffet eating. I can barely contain myself when facing with those scrumptious ,deliciously prepared food. Those who are first timers with me on buffet usually caught by suprise on the amount of that I took judging on the size that I am :D. Now I`m sharing with you on a few buffet eating tricks that I practice which really works for me.

Step #1

take fish oil before eating

Step #2

Starts with fiber, fruit,salad etc.Small amount will do or you`ll be full before you can fully enjoy your buffet
-the idea is to layer your stomach for easy `access` afterwards

Step #3

Eat as much as you like.

Step#4

End with a slice of pineapple
-this trick I learned from the Japanese

Drink at least 1liter of plain water first thing in the morning.

ENJOY!!!