Heart disease is a major health problem not only in the US but around the world as well. Aside from exercise, the foods you eat have an impact on the health condition of your heart. Whether you are preparing home-cooked meals or eating out, choosing heart healthy foods can help you manage your cholesterol levels. Best of all, a heart-healthy diet can be both delicious and varied.
Here's how you can make heart healthy food choices:
1. Know your fats. Not all fats are evil. In fact, your body needs fats to absorb certain essential vitamins and to function normally. However, you should limit your fat intake to less than 25-35 percent of total calories consumed. Your major source of fat should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, avocado, vegetable oils and fish.
2. Eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, herring and trout contain omega-3 fatty acids that help protect against coronary artery disease. Prepare fish by baking, broiling or grilling rather than frying.
3. Choose lean meat and poultry without skin. Sirloin, chuck, round and loin beef cuts have less fat than "prime" grade beef. Choose white meat, and remove all visible fat from meat cuts. Grill, broil or bake meats and poultry instead of frying. Avoid highly processed meats.
4. Use fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Minimize your intake of butter and whole milk. Look for low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, mozzarella, ricotta and other low-fat cheeses.
5. Avoid high-cholesterol foods such as whole eggs, shellfish and liver. Egg whites are high in protein and contain no cholesterol. You can substitute two egg whites for one egg yolk in many recipes.
6. Cut back on foods with added sugar. Most snack foods and beverages are high in sugar. They are often low in vitamins and minerals. Foods with "empty" calories make you eat and drink more, so you easily gain weight. Avoiding these foods will help you control your weight.
7. Choose foods with little or no sodium. A diet high in sodium can increase the risk of high blood pressure, leading to the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Minimize the use of salt by using herbs, spices, lemon juice or salt-free seasonings to add flavor to your food.
8. Include fiber and oat bran in your diet. Soluble fiber found in oats help lower blood cholesterol levels. You need at least 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber daily. Eat more fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Include the skins when appropriate. Oat bran, oatmeal, barley, peas, beans, citrus fruits and berries are high in soluble fiber. Whole wheat bread, carrots, cabbage, beets, turnips and other vegetables are rich in insoluble fiber. Aside from lowering cholesterol levels, dietary fiber reduces the risk of colon cancer, rectal cancer, and diabetes.
Protecting your heart is a simple matter of choosing heart healthy foods. By making the right choices, a healthy heart is easily within your reach.
Eating good is something more people are trying to do these days. Just because you want to eat healthy food, it does not mean you have more time. You find yourself looking for dinner ideas which will include quick recipes that are still healthy. It is easy to find dishes you will want to make over and over again.
It does not even matter what kinds of foods you like to eat, you can find the dinner ideas which will meet your needs. Everything from quick recipes to get food on the table right away to healthy food recipes which might take a bit more time to prepare is available. All you need to is decide which ones you would like to try first.
You can even find great dinner ideas for a vegetarian. There are so many great healthy food recipes to choose from, even those who enjoy meat may choose to try these dishes on occasion. Best of all, since so many of the dishes include quick recipes you will be able to prepare them no matter how hectic your schedule might be.
Those looking for healthy food recipes in a hurry will be glad to find all of the fast cooking methods available. These quick recipes can help you to create dishes you normally would have thought to be impossible. Of course, once you start exploring the possibilities, you are sure to find many great dinner ideas worth exploring.
Whether you are looking to be adventurous or you are simply looking for new dinner ideas, it is a good idea to pay attention to the ingredients being used in healthy and quick recipes. As long as you enjoy the majority of the ingredients, you are sure to enjoy even healthy food recipes.
Look for healthy food recipes which will allow you to prepare all or part of the recipe ahead of time. You will be able to create great tasting dishes from quick recipes as a result. From now on, there will be no excuse for not having great dinner ideas every night.
A great tip when look to speed up even quick recipes is to prepare ingredients like cooked vegetables in advance. Keep them frozen so that when you are looking to add them to healthy food recipes all you have to do is toss them in to what you are cooking. This way dinner ideas can be created with relative ease.
You do not have to travel all around the internet to find the dinner ideas you will use tonight. Instead, you can find most of what you need in order to recreate healthy food recipes in one place. You can also find quick recipes which will meet even the tightest schedules. The more recipes you try the more incentive you will have to try more. Get started today.
Feeding food to your cat that is healthy is important if you want the pet to have a long, quality life Since our pets can't tell us how they are feeling, it is important that we take all the measures possible to ensure that they are feeling good. In the case of a cat, feeding them healthy food can help to prevent common illnesses.
A healthy diet for a cat can consist of dry food, wet food, as well as some treats. All three of these foods have their place in balancing out the diet of a cat. Specifically, wet food contains a high amount of water and can help to keep your cat hydrated and feeling fresh. Dry food is typically high in things that will give your cat energy. Mixing in some dry food is important to your cats overall health. Even giving treats to your cat in moderation can be healthy. Most treats are high in fat but have some important vitamins that your cat needs to feel its best.
There are many different brands of cat food out there. Just like people food, you can find nutritional information right on the label. Be sure to read each label carefully and consider how each food can benefit your cat. Pick the food that you think can benefit your pet the most regardless of price.
No matter what you think, your cat will act better and feel better if they eat healthy cat food. Getting your cat on the proper diet can ensure that your cat lives a long, healthy life.
Anyone who lives with cats knows they are an important part of the family, and like other family members you likely want to take good care of them to ensure they live a long, healthy life. An important part of that is finding a healthy cat food. Unfortunately this can be a little more difficult than finding healthy food for yourself, unless you know what to look for in a cat food, as cats have different nutritional needs than we do.
What To Avoid
Cats require protein as their main ingredient in food, but unfortunately many pet food companies cut corners and use cheap sources of protein as the main ingredient. Avoid cat foods using meat byproduct meals or meat and bone meal as the main source of protein. These byproducts meals can vary a great deal from one batch to another so they are not a reliable nutrition source for your companion. They are inexpensive rendered products that are cheap for pet food companies to use.
In general it is best to stay away from any foods that use various meat byproducts as the main source of protein. While using them occasionally may be okay, it is best to choose a higher quality source for their regular food. These byproducts are made from a variety of leftover parts and organs, in some cases even diseased or dying livestock, that are not acceptable for human consumption.
What To Look For
Instead look for meat sources that are named, for example chicken meal. A quality named meat source should be the first ingredient in a healthy cat food. Often times choosing brands that are promoted as "natural", or better yet organic, is a good idea. While the term natural can be somewhat misused at times, more times than not these pet foods will use better ingredients. This is especially true if you choose a trusted brand that has a history of making higher quality natural foods.
Many quality cat foods will also add ingredients like flax seeds, probiotics and enzymes. They will also use vitamins C and E as preservatives instead of things like BHA and BHT.
Since proper nutrition is a basis for a healthy life choosing a healthy cat food is important. It can help keep your cat's immune system strong and give her the nutritional profile she needs to help her live a healthier life. As with any member of the family you want to take good care of her so you can have enjoy a long, healthy life together.
The pleasure that comes with sex is more than enough to make most people want to perform the act. But men and women alike may be pleased to learn that a healthy sex life contributes to a healthy life overall in many ways. Most know that frequent sexual activity is good for one's mood and for men's penis health, but may be surprised to discover just how far-reaching the health benefits of this highly enjoyable activity are. The following are what people with active sex lives can look forward to, in addition to the obvious.
1) Lower Blood Pressure
One study found that intercourse reduced systolic blood pressure, while masturbation did not. Systolic blood pressure is the first number given in a blood pressure reading, and indicates the pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle contracts. High amounts of pressure on the arterial walls can lead to the kind of damage that increases the chances of clogged arteries and heart disease, so lower blood pressure is better.
2) Increased Immune Function
Sex once or twice a week was found by researchers to correspond with an increased level of a major antibody, indicating better immune function. People having this amount of sex had three times the amount of immunoglobulin A as those having either less or more frequent sex.
3) Better Heart Health
Sex is good for the heart not only because it may lower blood pressure, but because it counts as exercise. A romp in the sack that leaves one breathless can increase one's heart rate enough to be considered a cardio session, and cardio strengthens the heart. One study into men's heart attack risk found that those who had sex two or more times a week were half as likely to die of a heart attack.
4) Fast Pain Relief
Sex, and particularly orgasms, release endorphins in the body, which act similarly to opiates. They can nip pain in the bud. Some find that aches in the back, legs and head in particular are reduced after climaxing.
5) Prostate Protection (Possibly).
For men, frequent ejaculation may lower the risk of developing prostate cancer - and the ejaculation can occur with a partner or by masturbating. Some theorize that carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances may be released during emission.
6) Better Sleep.
That hazy, relaxed feeling people get after having an orgasm is caused in part by the release of oxytocin. This may contribute to faster and better sleep.
7) Better Memory.
Memory loss is one of the more common, and frightening, things people tend to experience as they age. But maintaining a healthy sex life may help stave off memory loss and boost one's brain function. Researchers have found that older people who are sexually active have healthier brain function than those who don't have sex much. They have also found that sexual activity corresponds with increased cell growth in the hippo-campus, the area of the brain that is responsible for long-term memory.
Men who want to have more sex in their lives would do well to take the best care of their packages as possible. Along with proper hygiene, they can incorporate a penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) into their care regimens for maximum penile health. Skin issues like dryness and flakiness can interfere with a man's ability to enjoy the friction associated with sex, and can also be a turn-off to potential partners. A quality crème like Man1 Man Oil, specifically made for the penis, contains Shea butter and vitamin E, two natural moisturizers that work together to provide and seal in moisture. Also important is vitamin C, which promotes collagen production for smooth, attractive, inviting penile skin. Boosting penile health is likely to boost a man's sexual health.
