Much has been studied about the role of certain vitamins,
minerals and herbs in cancer prevention. Some of the most
promising cancer prevention properties come from those vitamins
that are known as antioxidants.
Antioxidants are substances that protect the body's cells from
damage caused by dangerous free radicals, which can potentially
cause cancer. There are many different sources of antioxidants,
including herbs, vitamins, and foods. Here are some of the most
widely recommended supplements thought to help prevent cancer by
fighting free radicals:
Beta Carotene: Beta carotene is thought to reduce the risk of
cancer, especially lung cancer. Beta carotene is naturally
occurring in red and orange foods such as pumpkin, squash,
carrots, and red peppers. Beta carotene can also be found in
dark leafy greens like spinach and kale.
Lutein: Lutein can help prevent colon cancer and encourage good
eye health. Find lutein in dark green vegetables like collard
greens, kale and spinach.
Lycopene: Lycopene has been studied for it's prostate cancer
preventing properties. Tomato products are the best sources of
lycopene. Studies have shown that processed tomato products
like canned tomatoes, soups and juices are higher in lycopene
than fresh tomatoes.
Vitamin A:Vitamin A, whose most common form is retinol, is a
powerful antioxidant with cancer preventing properties that is
found in such foods as liver, carrots, milk, egg yolk and sweet
potatoes.
Vitamin C: Getting enough Vitamin C can help prevent cancers of
the mouth, throat, esophagus, lung and colon. Vitamin C is found
in citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, and even lean poultry, beef
and types of fish.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is thought to prevent certain types of
cancer such as prostate cancer and can be found in foods like
green, leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, wheat germ oil and
almonds.
Green Tea: Green tea is a powerful source of free-radical
fighting antioxidants. Drink green tea in it's natural form or
try a supplement if you can't stand the taste.
It's a good idea to eat a balanced diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, lean protein and healthy fat like the omegas found
in wild salmon. You can add vitamin supplements to your diet as
well. Try a multivitamin that contains a specialized blend of
all the vitamins required for total-body health.
Before adding nutritional supplements to your diet, talk to
your doctor or nutritionist to be sure you take the right
dosage and tell them what medications you are taking to avoid
possibly dangerous interactions.
About The Author: To learn more about Vitamin Supplements,
check out the author's Vitamin Information website.
http://www.vitavroo
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Vitamins And Cancer Prevention
How To Lose Weight Fast
What's with all the weight loss programs, foods, diets, plans,
programs and pills and the majority of Americans are either
overweight or obese? Do these products work or not and what
the heck is going on here anyway?
The answer is based on expectations. We want FAST weight loss
with minimum of fuss and problems. We don't want to make
changes in our lifestyles but want that magic pill that makes
us slim quickly. Deep down inside we know this isn't reality
but still can't seem to face the fact that we eat to much in
relation to the amount of activity and exercising we do.
The problem with the whole weight loss industry however is that
the marketing plays on our desire to quickly lose weight without
effort. Just look at all those ads and the one thing in common,
no matter if it's a weight loss supplement, exercise machine, or
food program is that they all hold out the promise that losing
weight is easy and quick! And we so want to believe that
there's this magic secret to weight loss that we buy into their
story.
How sad! The fact is that we didn't gain all the weight in a
few days or months and we're unlikely to lose it that fast
either. Fast weight loss is the absolute worst type of diet
with the vast majority doomed to failure and to gain all that
fast weight loss right back. To make matters even more
difficult, fast weight loss sets a body up in starvation mode
so when eating resumes, your body will not only put on all that
weight but also a few extra pounds to protect itself during the
next famine.
So as the cycle of dieting and weight loss continues one time
after another, it becomes increasingly more difficult to lose
the weight and keep it off.
The question comes down to, why don't any of these programs
actually work? The answer, unfortunately, is that almost all
products work just does not live up to the marketing and our
expectations. A diet supplement that helps curb your appetite
and helps you to lose a pound or two each week is considered a
failure because we want fast weight loss and the hype promised
it would be easy. Losing weight isn't easy and never has been.
Notice that all weight loss products do one of two things.
They help us to either eat less or exercise more. That's it.
That's the secret to weight loss. Eating fewer calories than
we use up on a day to day basis is the key to any successful
weight loss program It's not fast but it IS effective.
About The Author: Abigail Franks has extensive knowledge and
personal experience with many diet programs. On her site you
will find honest and true information on losing weight. Visit
the site at http://www.weight-
__,_._,___
What Foods Hold The Most Weight Loss Protection?
society. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that
over 60 million Americans, or 30% of the adult population, are
obese. The term obese refers to people who weigh over 30
pounds more than their ideal weight, or who have a Body Mass
Index of 30 or more.
One of the national health objectives in the US is to reduce
the incidence of obesity to less than 15% of the adult
population by 2010; however, current statistics indicate that
the problem is still on the rise. In addition, the percentage
of young people in America who are overweight has more than
tripled since 1980.
Over 9 million children and teens between the ages of 6 and 19
are considered overweight. This equates to 16 % of the
population.
There's no question that losing weight is not easy. And, it's
also clear that we've changed our lifestyles in ways that are
making it easier for us to become obese. Some of the biggest
culprits in the battle of the bulge are the following.
.Busy Schedules - The average family has a much more demanding
schedule than in years past. Because of this, mealtimes often
go by the wayside, and we choose lots of fast food. Our stress
levels may also lead to emotional eating, where we have no
concept of how many calories we've consumed. These factors
combined have made our diets poor and our concept of a normal
meal skewed.
.Sedentary Lifestyles - Today many people spend lots of time
sitting down between our desk jobs and our love of watching
television and playing computer and video games. For many of
us, regular exercise is simply no longer a part of our daily
life.
.Large food portions - Most restaurant portions are 2-3 times
the size that makes up a reasonable meal. From this we've
gained a distorted image of the size portions we should be
eating, and we're consuming far too many calories in a day.
.Poor nutrition - Processed foods are a staple in the American
diet. In addition, we eat lots of red meat and products made
with white flour. These overly processed and high fat foods
make it easy to gain weight. They also lead to heart disease
and high cholesterol.
So, what do we do to overcome our weight problems? Well, as
with many things, there are no magic bullets. To lose weight,
we have to expend more calories than we consume. It's just that
simple.
Losing weight is simple, but it's not easy, particularly since
much of the food we're presented with every day is not
conducive to weight loss. So, if you want to lose weight and
keep it off for good, you need to make a commitment to making
long term changes in your life.
Starving yourself is not the answer; making changes you can
live with is the way to go.
First, take a look at what you eat. If you're guilty of eating
lots of processed foods, red meat, sugar and white flour, make
changes in what you eat.
Substitute chicken and fish for red meat most days of the week.
Cook your own meals using fresh ingredients; don't rely on
processed foods that are loaded with preservatives.
Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Choose whole grain products over those made with white flour
Reduce the amount of sugar in your diet.
These changes alone should help you lose weight. However, for
many people it will also be necessary to look at how much you
eat. Portion control is very important, because very large
portions of even healthy food can mean that you're consuming
too many calories.
The second half of the weight loss equation has to do with
exercise. Not only will exercise help you burn more calories
each day, but it will also help you build muscle. Muscle is
important because even when resting, muscle mass burns more
calories than fat. So, if you have a lot of lean muscle, you'll
burn more calories in a day, without even trying.
Aim for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five times a
week. Walking is a great way to get your cardiovascular
exercise, and it will help build muscle in the lower body, too.
Just be sure that you're walking at a pace that will make you
sweat. Raising your heart rate during your cardiovascular
workout is important for keeping your heart healthy.
In addition to your cardiovascular workout, get in some
strength training three times a week for about 20 minutes each
session. You don't need to become a body builder, but adding
some lean muscle will speed up your metabolism and make your
body look thinner and leaner.
Finally, take a look at adding some "functional foods" to your
diet. Functional foods are those that have benefits to the body
above and beyond their basic nutritional qualities. Foods that
would be considered functional foods for weight loss would be
those that make us feel full and satisfied for longer, and
those that have the potential to increase our metabolism.
For example, you may have heard of negative calorie foods.
These are foods that contain fewer calories than your body uses
to digest them. Some examples of negative calorie food include
raw carrots, celery, asparagus, apple, beet, berries, broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower, chili, cucumber, garlic, lettuce,
grapefruit, lemon, mango, onion, orange, papaya, pineapple,
spinach, turnip, and zucchini.
There are likely other functional foods for weight loss. Foods
that are believed to be functional for weight loss include low
fat milk, nuts and tea. A study reported by the UK Tea Council
discusses certain foods and their potential to be functional
weight loss foods.
Studies have shown that people who drink 24 ounces or more of
milk each day tend to weigh less than people who don't drink
milk. So, it appears that adding 24 ounces of milk to your diet
each day might be a good way to lose some weight, and help keep
it off.
Nuts have gained a lot of attention because of two important
properties. The first is that nuts are very satisfying. Nuts
can help you feel full for longer, helping to ensure that you
eat fewer calories in a day.
Secondly, nuts are a good source of healthy fats. These are the
fats that help raise your HDL cholesterol level. HDL cholesterol
is what is known as "good cholesterol" because it has the power
to carry molecules of LDL cholesterol "bad cholesterol" to the
liver, where it can be removed from the body.
A final food that is likely functional to weight loss is green
tea. Green tea has been shown to help regulate blood sugar
naturally, which may help us store fewer calories as fat.
Secondly, green tea has been shown to promote thermogenesis;
heat that burns body fat.
Green tea is extremely low in calories, and very healthy
overall. So, if it can also help us lose weight, it may just
qualify as a "super food". There have been numerous studies
linking green tea with preventing disease and protecting
health.
So, if you're battling the bulge, get some exercise and make
some changes in your diet. And, make sure that one of those
changes is adding some "functional foods", so that losing
weight can be easier than ever!
About The Author: Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and wu
long tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
Peanuts Are Loaded With Anti-oxidants
comes to their antioxidant value, according to the University
of Florida's research. Peanut not only contain a wide variety
of helpful antioxidants, but they contain the 'good' fat.
"When it comes to antioxidant content, peanuts are right up
there with strawberries," said Steve Talcott, assistant
professor of food science and human nutrition at the University
of Florida. "We expected a fairly high antioxidant content in
peanuts, but we were a bit shocked to find that they're as rich
in antioxidants as many kinds of fruit."
The study researched a dozen different varieties of peanuts
measuring their ability to block the aging effect of free
radicals that occur naturally in the body and damage living
cells causing heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Antioxidants became popular when reports started hailing them
as a miracle weapon in the battle against cancer. This lead
many people to add more orange and red fruit to their diet and
increase vitamins A, C, and E which are recognized as
antioxidants.
Peanuts are a good source of Vitamin E.
University of Florida researchers studied peanuts and found
that they contain high concentrations of polyphenols. Roasting
increases the levels, boosting their antioxidant content by 22
per cent, to the levels of blackberries and strawberries. In
fact, the report goes on to state that roasted peanuts out-do
apples, carrots and beets.
"If you compare them (peanuts) to other foods people think of
as rich in antioxidants mostly fruits and berries peanuts come
out somewhere in the middle," Talcott said. "They're no match
for the foods at the top of the scale, such as pomegranate, but
they do rival other foods that people eat just for their
antioxidant content."
"We already know from previous studies that including peanuts
and peanut butter in a healthful diet can lower cholesterol,
help people lose weight and prevent type 2 diabetes," said
Kristen Ciuba, a nutritionist for the Peanut Institute, a
nonprofit organization in Albany, Ga., funded by the peanut
industry.
"It's certainly worth looking into further," said Gorbet, a
co-author of the study. "The big question is not whether it can
be done the question is whether the demand is there. So far,
people haven't been seeking out peanuts for their antioxidant
content, but maybe in the future they will be."
Not everyone is willing to move peanuts to the list of
life-saving, healthy foods. Dr. Mercola, author of Total Health
Program has a word of warning for people who want to increase
the amount of peanuts they eat.
Dr. Mercola states that peanuts are heavy in Omega-6 fats that
distort the Omega 3:6 ratio, and they may contain a
carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin, as well as pesticides. All
of these cause serious health problems and disease.
He continues to tell people to eat organic peanut butter, pour
the oil off the top of the peanut butter jar to lower the
Omega-6 content, and even mixing in Brewer's yeast.
About The Author: Ethan Miller advises on health issues from
his web site http://www.cosmeticsurgerystar.com. He invites you
to receive his FREE health information guide here com at
http://www.lasikpower.com