Foods / Diets & Health

[poopoy]

Hello All!

I start this thread to have a place for talking about foods in general even if it is only about a food we like or is common in our place, diets and whatever is related to, and finally try to live much more healthier than before by much more information regarding these items.

Hope you also enjoy here and also help each other by sharing our information together. :thum:

Take Care All!

 

[poopoy]

The Truth About Milk

When grownups think of milk, they tend to think either “something to add to my coffee” or “something to serve children.” But research is confirming that regularly drinking a tall glass of cold milk is every bit as important for adults as it is for children. And milk is proving to be even more important for people with diabetes.

Studies show that milk is absolute magic for blood sugar. It’s high in protein and low in carbohydrates, the perfect combination for steadying blood glucose levels. But the magic comes from milk’s mysterious ability to protect against insulin resistance. You can tame your insulin resistance by up to 21 percent when you incorporate low-fat milk into your daily diet. This result has been proven by not one, but two, Harvard studies.

Always opt for fat-free, skim milk. Whole milk is laden with calories and bad-for-you fat that actually increases insulin resistance. Even 1 and 2 percent milk have a fair amount of saturated fat, the kind that clogs arteries and raises cholesterol. But if you stick to skim, you’ll get all the insulin-maximizing benefits without the fat—and you’ll actually get more calcium than you would with whole fat milk. Now that is magic!

If you’re not a fan of skim milk because it’s too thin, try ultra-pasteurized fat-free milk, also called UHT (ultra-high temperature), such as the brand Parmalat. It tends to have a creamier texture than regular fat-free milk, but no more fat or calories. UHT milk is usually found in the non-refrigerated section of the grocery store because of the pasteurization process it goes through to keep it safe at room temperature. Finding it in a different aisle may seem weird at first, but it will taste just like normal milk once it’s chilled.

To get these blood-sugar stabilizing benefits, drink one eight-ounce glass of skim milk per day. And yes, it counts if that glass comes to you via your cereal bowl.


Take Care All!

 

[poopoy]

Don’t Step a Foot in the Gym!

Don’t Step a Foot in the Gym (If You Don’t Want To)

Perhaps it’s human nature to complicate things. Or perhaps it’s the nature of business to make things seem complicated, so they can sell more products. But when you strip the basics of health and weight loss down, the truths are very simple. For example, there’s really only one rule for weight loss: Eat less calories than you burn in a day, and you’ll lose weight. It need not get much more complicated than that.

The same thinking holds true for fitness. The basic, elementary truth of fitness is simple: The more time you spend on your feet, exerting yourself, the better it is for your health. From this simple truth has sprouted a huge industry of fitness centers, workout clothes, home-exercise gear, government-decreed exercise quotas, a backlash industry of “natural” exercise (can you say “yogilates?”), and more.

We say, get back to fundamentals. Any incremental movement in your day is healthy. The more the better. Yes, formal workouts have many benefits. But for everyday health, you need more everyday movement. Try some of these choices to get you started.

Clean the house. Get down on your hands and knees to scrub the floor, wash the windows, clean out the gutters, remove some weeds, dust in hard places to reach. You’ll get a good, moderate workout and a great bonus at the end: a sparkling house.

Make TV “dumb.” Keep a light dumbbell next to your favorite TV-watching chair. During commercials, pick it up and put both arms through a two-minute fitness blast.

Sign up for a dance class. Ballroom dancing, line dancing, folk dancing, ballet, even disco are fabulous endurance exercises. These are also be great ways to spend time with your partner or a group of friends.

Coach a sports team. Don’t have a kid or a grandkid? Volunteer to coach a youth soccer or baseball team. You’ll have a blast, bond with the kids (being around children has a way of keeping us young!) and get an unexpected workout keeping up with the little ones.

Hang out in your basement. Whether you have a pool table, dartboard, ping-pong table or an exercise bicycle, most people keep something in their basement (or game room or garage) that’s fun to do and gets them moving.

Go bowling. This is another great arm- and abdominal-toning activity. Put together a group of friends or family and strike-and-spare your way through calorie-burning enjoyment.

Do laundry. Loading and unloading the washer and dryer, carrying baskets full of clothes, and folding and putting away clean clothes (extra points if you do it while standing up) is a great way to get movement into your day. Want to up the ante? Detergent containers make great “free weights.” While you’re waiting for your clothes to dry, hold the detergent container by the handle and do ten bicep curls, then switch to your other arm and do ten more. Wait a few minutes and repeat. Resistance training while you get household chores accomplished—now how’s that for multi-tasking?

These are fun pastimes (yes, even cleaning and laundry can be therapeutic and enjoyable). The time you spend doing them will fly by—which is good news because if you spend an hour doing any one of these activities, you will burn hundreds of calories.

Take Care All!

 

[poopoy]

“Conquer the Dawn” Phenomenon

Blood sugar is oftentimes high in the morning. This is a natural bodily reaction and not necessarily cause for concern—unless monitoring reveals excessively high numbers. Then you should talk to your doctor and try the following:

1. If you’re using insulin and take an evening dose, you may find it works better to inject closer to bedtime for longer-lasting control during the night.

2. Try eating less food at night so there’s not as much glucose in the blood when morning rolls around. You may also want to eat less at breakfast.

3. Exercise in the evening. Because glucose-lowering effects of exercise can last for many hours, a workout shortly after dinner can help you keep your blood-sugar levels under control the next morning.


Take Care All!