The study does concede that consumption of enormous amounts of fried food can increase certain known heart disease risk factors; suobesity, hypertension and high cholesterol are the main concerns here.  From this announcement, people should not get the idea that if they start frying their chicken and potatoes in sunflower oil they are perfectly healthy.  In fact, for a person who has lived most of his or her life in the Western world, eating a Western diet, going to any fried food is probably a very dangerous idea.  The study only applies to people in one study who had lived a Mediterranean life, not people in the US who have been wolfing down burgers, greasy fries, and other bad news foods since they were old enough to point at the golden arches of McDonald’s.

Professor Pilar Guallar-Castillón from Autonomous University of Madrid led the study, which surveyed 40,757 adults aged between the ages of 26 and 69 over the course of eleven years. At the beginning of the study, none of the participants had heart disease.   The questions they were asked all had to do with their cooking methods when preparing individual and family meals.  Fried food was defined by the researchers as “food for which frying was the only cooking method used.” Participants responded to various questions about their diet and cooking methods, including specifically worded questions asking outright if the food was fried, crumbed, battered or sautéed.

Many of the participants reported on the highest end of a four tiered range that was rated according to how frequently fried foods were eaten.  Of the 40,757 participants in the study,
1,134 deaths were observed during a follow-up period,  and 606 other medical events were associated with heart disease as well.

The new Obama idea is found at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ , the new site that replaces the old pyramid idea with a round plate divided into sections that represent percentages of food types that should be on peoples’ plates.  This is obviously not going to cut it, because plates come in hundreds of sizes, and people tend to pile up.  Not only will this not suffice for portion control and ensuring adequate nutrition, after all, people will consider mashed potatoes loaded with butter and cheese a “vegetable” and pile them high into that little portion of the plate so designated — it could actually lead to a false sense of well being in some people, who will depend on this to help them lose weight.  They might actually be more prone to gain.

The only real way to eat well is to know what you are putting in your mouth:  that means reading labels, measuring (with scales, cups, teaspoons, etc…) the foods you eat, and accounting for the grams of fat, fiber, protein, and carbohydrate present in each meal — and most of all, you have to know how many calories your body needs and stick to that number.  No “plate” is going to do that for anyone.

Here, have a look for yourself.

1. Make sure your resolutions are goals that are measurable.  If your health goal is broad, it will be hard for you to measure your growth and success.  Make sure that your goals are measurable, like losing weight, running a certain amount of time, or consuming a certain amount of calories each day.
2. Track your success.  If your goals are measurable, then you will easily be able to track them.  Keep a journal to write down your achievements and success.  This is also helpful if you fall off the wagon for a few days.  You can track how you feel so you will not want to go back to those feelings again.
3. Keep your resolutions in plain sight.  Now, I don’t believe people should have twenty different resolutions.  That’s because even two or three can be tough to keep up with.  So to keep up with your goals, write them down and keep them in plain sight where you can take a look at them often throughout the day.  This will help you remember and hopefully stay on track.
4. Talk to a friend with similar goals.  If you are trying to lose weight and you are the only person you know doing so, it can be hard to hang out with friends and co-workers who are still choosing to munch on bad foods.  Find a friend or co-worker with resolutions that are similar to yours so you have someone who understands your goals and challenges.

One diet that has made a recent impact is the Paleolithic diet or the Paleo diet.  This type of diet sees incredible success with people who are looking to change their lives for the better.  It is based off of how humans lived in the Paleolithic Era, eating primarily lean meat, veggies, fruits and legumes.  Regular exercise and good sleep habits combine with this diet to give people a life that they did not know was possible.

Healthy, happy, and full of energy, many people are standing behind and supporting the Paleo diet and Paleo lifestyle.  If you feel like you have tried everything and still not succeeded in reaching your goals, maybe it is time to consider the Paleo diet.

Animals also give people a sense of responsibility, and someone to love.  People who are responsible for other people or for pets have a sense of self worth and purpose that some others do not have.  The absence of such feelings can lead to isolation and even depression, particularly in the elderly.  Here are more statistics that will help you understand just how wonderful a pet can be for people who are old or chronically ill.

1.  I don’t know which fruits and vegetables are in season.

2.  I do not care for fruits and vegetables no matter how they are served.

3.  I don’t know how to properly eat/cook a lot of fruits and vegetables.

If you agree with any of the above answers, then you are not alone.  In fact, the majority of the people who participated in the poll said that if they knew when to buy what, they would probably buy and eat more fruits and vegetables.  So to help you out, there is a chart below that will let you know which fruits and veggies to buy when.  For those looking on ways to prepare fruits and veggies, you aren’t forgotten.  A post will soon follow with simple prep and cooking tips for you!

Yesterday the beloved visionary Steve Jobs passed away.  While it is uncertain as to whether his battle with pancreatic cancer or something in relation to that was the cause, it is likely that his health and resignation had something to do with it.  On August 24 Jobs wrote, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know.”  Unfortunately, that day has come.”

With Steve Jobs passing and his cause of death probably linked to pancreatic cancer, more and more people are interested in finding out more about this disease.  Hopefully this article will give you some valuable information about pancreatic cancer so that you can know the symptoms and other facts about it.

Where is the pancreas?  Your pancreas is located behind the stomach, and it is a fairly large organ.  The functions of the pancreas are to make and release enzymes into your intestines that help your body to absorb foods and fats.  Insulin and glucagon are also made in cells of the pancreas that are called islet cells.

What causes pancreatic cancer?  The cause of pancreatic cancer is not known, but it is found to be more common in people:

• Who have diabetes
• With chronic pancreatitis (long term inflammation of the pancreas)
• Who smoke
• It is more common in women than man
• Some cases might be related to genetic syndromes

What are symptoms of pancreatic cancer?  Unfortunately, tumors or cancer can grow in the pancreas with little to no symptoms at first.  Typically when the cancer is found, it is usually advanced.  Some symptoms can include:

• Dark urine
• Fatigue
• A loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Some pain in the upper abdomen

How can you reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer?  You can take some steps to make sure that your risk for the disease is as low as possible.  Some things to do are:

• Stop smoking
• Exercise routinely
• Make sure your diet is full of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

1. Lower your alcohol consumption.  It is thought that any amounts of alcohol has the potential to up the risk of breast cancer.  A study even showed that in 70% of hormone sensitive tumors there was a link between drinking.  To cut back, keep your drink limit at about two or three drinks a week.
2. Get plenty of exercise.  It seems like plenty of exercise is a way to assist in reducing a lot of health issues, right?  So, get to it!  Make sure that you are exercising at least three times a week, and while you are doing that make sure to keep your heart rate at a working rate for at least twenty minutes consecutively.
3. Keep your weight at a healthy level.  It has been proven that if you are overweight or obese that your risk for breast cancer is increased.  Other studies have revealed that overweight or obese women have a harder time recovering too.  The good news is that you can kill two birds with one stone.  While you are getting in some more exercise, you will probably drop some pounds also.  Talk to your doctor about what weight is the healthiest for you.

Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we really wanted to take some time to focus on breast cancer and helping to make you more aware.  This article and probably a couple more following it will be about, you guessed it, breast cancer.  Now, there is not a scientifically proven connection between breast cancer and household items and products.  There are, however, many products with certain chemicals that could be interfering with your hormones.  There are even some researchers who believe that those chemicals might even cause for some breast cells that are normal to start to divide.  Again, there is no actual proof that products can add to your risk of breast cancer, but if you are wanting to make some changes for just in case purposes, then keep a close eye on the following products.

• Shampoo – When you suds up your luscious locks make sure that you are doing so free from parabens.  These are preservatives that are used in some shampoos and other cosmetics that could possible be messing with your hormones.  To clue you in on what might indicate the presence of parabens look for any sign of the “yl” like things that start off with methyl, ethyl, butyl, etc.  Also, you can look for formulas that say they are paraben free.
• Plastics – A lot of plastic water bottles, disposable and not, might have bisphenol A (BPA) in them.  This also goes for plastic storage containers too.  Look for plastics that are BPA free to make sure that you are not interfering with your natural estrogen levels.
• Lotions – Like shampoo, you will want to keep an eye out for parabens in your lotion, but also look out for phthalates too.  They have even been linked to the possibility of speeding up early onset puberty in girls and altering male development.

Keeping an eye on all of these things and what they are made up of might not completely rule out the risk of breast cancer, but it sure seems like it would be a good start.  So let’s all be a little more conscious about what is in the products that we’re using and challenge all of our loved ones do the same.