While you do not need to count calories in order to lose weight, you should be aware of their importance and should have a rough idea of how many you are consuming. One of the mistakes people make in counting calories is placing the same value on every type. This is one of the biggest mistakes one can make.

Not all calories are created equal and 9 out of 10 cases, the body will treat a slice of white bread and whole wheat bread very differently. Believe it or not, even though a slice of whole wheat bread has more calories than it’s white counterpart (on average), the whole wheat bread has advantages. First of all it has more nutrients than the slice of white bread and the body can use these nutrients to facilitate in daily body functions as well as weight loss. Secondly, the fiber in the white bread is not soluble meaning it cannot be digested. This is great because it means that a great portion of the whole wheat bread will be passed out in the form of waste. So just because you are consuming 90 calories in a slice of whole wheat bread doesn’t mean the entire 90 calories will be digested.

So you might ask what happens to the fiber. Well it slows down the digestion process. This translates in a person staying “full” longer and thus they will not be snacking as much. Needless to say, snacking leads to weight gain. Once the fiber has passed through the stomach, it makes it way to the colon where again it serves another important purpose.
Fibreless food sticks to the colon walls like paste and inhibits the process of digestion. Fiber protects many harmful chemicals found in the waste matter from coming in contact with the walls of the colon. These chemicals can either eat away at the colon or cause colon cancer. Furthermore the roughness of the fiber helps to rub down polyps that form in the colon.

Because the fiber completes so many jobs in the colon, its missing can unbalance the equation. Believe it or not, a colon that does not function process can inhibit weight loss and thus it is imperative that the colon be in proper functioning order for proper weight loss to occur.

So what is the key to weight loss? There are many, but one of them is definitely fiber and should not be overlooked. Unless you are interested in taking the long way home, I suggest you add some more fiber to your diet, and when I mean add fiber, I’m not talking about some type of fiber supplement. No, you want to get in your meal so make sure you are consuming it in its natural form, legumes, nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables etc.

The average child spends 3-4 hours a day in front of the television set. That adds up to over 26 hours of television weekly and in a year you can expect that your child will probably spend more time watching The Simpsons than time reading about War of the Roses in school.

The most common ways television affects children’s health is either by the commercials shown on TV or just sitting in front of the set.

According to Nelson Media Reports, each year the average child is exposed to 11,000 plus food advertisements. Is it any wonder why Johnny keeps asking for the Frosted Flakes after you have told him several times to put it down? Remember the television has told him several hundred times to pick it up and put it in the cart. And it also teaches him that if he insists you will get fed up and give in to him. Couple that with the fact that most of the food commercials on TV especially for children programming is either candy or junk food and since the schools are not doing any better in the nutrition of our children it should come as no surprise when Johnny is going from a waist size 26-34 at age 11 or 12.

The second way is by the metabolic rate of the body slowing down. Every person has a specific metabolic rate at which it burns calories. Sometimes the metabolism of the body can be off and so its burning fewer calories than it should. But more likely than not it is the fact that more food is being put in than should be.

The brain has two modes. Beta waves which are for cognitive or analytic thinking (what you are doing now), and Alfa waves which are the hypnotic waves used by many in the new age religions and hypnotists. Within three minutes of Television watching the brain switches form beta to alfa waves. This means that all the body functions slow down drastically. And guess which is most affected? The metabolic rate of the body. That is why it is worse to sit in front of the TV after a heavy meal than to take a nap.

It just might be time to pull the plug on our little Johnny and give him a life outside the television set. He might whine at first but he’ll thank you later. Plus it might also help him make some new friends and of course save you money at the medicine man down the road.

But they have also found that smoking restrictions at work and public places can help people quit. So the next time you see that no smoking sign…think of it as a public service to you the nonsmoker and for those of us who is trying to quit, that just might be one of the ways to kick the habit.

Since you’ve heard all the other reasons I thought I might bring up some of the ones that are not well known. What follows are ten interesting facts about tobacco and smoking.

1. Smoking weakens bones. Bones density is directly proportionate to its strength. This means that as the bone looses density it weakens, which can result in fractures and as menopause comes on in women osteoporosis. Smoking has been directly linked to the loss of bone density by studies carried out by Dr. Cummings and Klineberg.
2. Smoking causes more than just lung cancer. It has also been linked to lip, mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), trachea (wind pipe), esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, bladder, kidney, cervix, leukemia, colon, skin and cancer of the penis. This has been documented by the US Preventative Services Task Force along with many other doctors.
3. Contrary to popular belief that smoking cigars, pipes, and chewing tobacco is healthier than the cigarette itself, studies have proven this to be false. One of the main reasons is those who switch from cigarettes to cigars, pipes etc are prone to use more than they would if they smoked a regular cigarette. That’s why it’s good to make a clean break as this is the only proven way to kick the habit.
4. There are over 4,000 different chemical compounds identifiable in cigarette smoke. Most of these being carcinogens (cancer causing) and toxic to the arteries.
5. SIDS Linked to cigarette smoke. One of the most frightening statistics about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is that those exposed to cigarette smoke are two times more likely to die than those who are not. Mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy put their babies at three times the risk than mothers who do not. The British Medical Journal published research that a mother who smoked during pregnancy increased the risk of her baby dying with SIDS before eight weeks of age. The death risk jumped 55% for every 5 cigarettes she smoked. Fathers are not left out of here. Studies showed that the risk was greater with a father who smoked. But the studies found that the risk was generally after 24 months and every 5 cigarettes smoked each day increased the child’s risk of SIDS threefold.
6. The IQ of smoking children born to smoking mothers who smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day during pregnancy were 9 points lower than children born to nonsmoking mothers. This might not seem like a lot but a quick look at the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Scale shows that just 9 points can mean the difference between a normal child and one who is mentally challenged.
7. Annually, more people die from smoking than alcohol, microbial agents, toxic agents, sexual behavior, firearms, motor vehicles and illicit drugs combined. That adds up to over 468 thousand people a year just from cigarette smoke.
8. Annually the medical cost for smokers is $50 billion. This adds up to about $500 billion in a life time. Meaning that every one million young person’s to start smoking add an estimated $10 billion during their lifetime to the health care cost in the US.
9. Every year the average American family has to pay close to $1,000 in taxes and increased insurance premiums to help keep the 46 million smoking adults continue their habit.
10. $538,000 is the amount a person at age 65 could have if they put their cigarette money ($2 a day for 50 years) in a nest egg earning an average of 10% a year.

Well now that you know these you might be more concerned about those who smoke and how much time you spend around them as second hand smoking can be worse than first hand smoking.

One of the best ways to stop smoking is to go cold turkey. Of course this is easier said than done but a couple ways to help is to do a detoxification program. Craving is caused by a low nicotine count in the body. Eliminating the nicotine content completely is the best way. This can be achieved by taking certain nutritional and herbal supplements. Another good one is to go on a juice fast. This means only drinking fruit and vegetable juices for the period of the fast. The fruit and vegetable juices help to eradicate the nicotine content in the body. And last but not least one of the most successful ways of helping to quit the habit is to get support. Joining a support group, getting help from a friend who has already quit the habit or trying to (even one who has never smoked) is one of the best ways to help the process.

Of course we know it’s not rocket science to come to the conclusion that refined sugar is the cause of the most colds. Simple deductive reasoning will prove this. But you may ask yourself how much of those little white crystals can really affect my immune system to the point where it’s unable to fight even the simplest of bacteria. All it takes is 24 teaspoons of sugar. And believe me most of us consume double that in a day. According to the US Department of Agriculture the average American consumes 147 pounds of sugar a year. That equals to over 46 teaspoons of sugar a day. Almost double the amount it takes to knock out the immune system for the next sixteen to eighteen hours.

Should it be any wonder than why it’s so easy for us to pick up a cold and so hard to get rid of it? But just to drive the point home lets look at some common foods we indulge and the sugar content of them. Sugar is measured in teaspoons.

Malted Milk        -              120z       -              42

Soft Drinks          -              12oz       -              10-12

Canned Fruit      -              1 serving               8

Chocolate Cake -              1 (4oz slice)          8

Chocolate Candy              1oz         -                7

Fruit Pie               -              1 slice    -               7

Ice Cream            -              1 scoop -                5

Donut (glazed)  -              1 each   -              4

Jam, Jelly             -              1 Tbs.    -              3

Starting to get the picture? No matter how many flu shots you or your family takes it will not help to do what your body is unable to. And sometimes the shots makes matters worse because the body has to be tied up with too viruses foreign to it thus it cannot deal with the getting over the flu.

So what’s the solution? Why not lay off that coke for a week or so. Next time you stop a Starbucks, get a smaller cappuccino or better yet none at all. Not only will you be doing yourself a favor but those who are around you not to mention keeping some extra money in your wallet or purse from that excess sugar which was not needed or the trip to the doctor, and not to mention the pharmacy.

It might also be a good idea to boost your immune system. A good way to do this is take vitamin C (1,000mg) two times daily. A glass of lemon water in the morning is also good as it kills over 19 different bacteria. And of course your best medicine is to help out your body by not loading it with junk.

FUN FACT: Did you know that according to the medical definition of a drug (which contains no nutritional value, addictive and can cause withdrawal symptoms) refined sugar fits right in with that. It might be good to think about this next time you’re tempted to pick up that colorful cereal for you or your child which is 60-70% sugar. Don’t believe me? Check the label and see how many types of sugar you can find in just one cereal.

Pesticides seem to be the top concern especially when it comes to cancer prevention. Not only that , but many have said that the pesticides on vegetables and fruits are more dangerous than eating meat, dairy and fish. But what fails to be mentioned is that animal products are also contaminated with pesticides and insecticides.

There is no denying that quite a few contamination outbreaks involving pesticides have been linked to plant products. A 1991 report showed a couple of examples such as the ’62 Turkey episode in which 333 people were killed and 3000 poisoned due to consumption of grains treated with the pesticide hexachlorobenzene and the ’87 incident in which 15 Peruvians were killed and 260 became sick because of bread consumed made from aldrin contaminated flour.

Not surprising these outbreaks happened in developing countries. The startling fact though is that both these chemicals are currently being used by the US and other developed countries for the same purpose, only in smaller quantities. And while their short term effects are well known, their long term effects are not.

The reason why it may be hard to pinpoint the effects of pesticides and insecticides is the effects may be long term and quite difficult to point out a direct source as the culprit. Simply put, we do know the pesticide aldrin causes tumors, cancer, birth defects and liver damage among others when ingested or comes in contact with skin. What we don’t know is how long and in what amount is required to cause long term effects such as 20-40 years when ingested in small amounts by consuming foods that were treated with it.

Generally when you mention pesticides to most people the first thing that comes to mind is cancer, fruits and vegetables. These are the groups we fear most about getting contaminated. Yet we hardly seem to take notice that those used in animal products are worse.

It does not take rocket science to deduct that since animal products contain more parasites, pests and dieses than plant products farmers and cattlemen will have to use more pesticides and insecticides to keep these down. Not only that but the pesticides used for animal products would have to be stronger since they have to fight more pests and contaminates. Not only that but plant foods such as grapes, carrots, lattice, oranges etc. contain cancer fighting properties. Animal products contain none. So the more fruits and vegetables you eat your cancer risk decreases while the more animal products you eat the greater your cancer risk. More importantly, many of the nutritional properties in these foods combat the pesticides used to keep them from the bugs whereas the pesticides and insecticides used on animals while keeping them from one evil causes a whole host of other evils.

Nothing better illustrates this point than the subject of fish. Fish raised on farms and even those from the sea contain high levels of toxins and pesticides. Animals especially fish do not react well to pesticides. For instance, fish do not readily excrete toxins. Instead they are stored in the fatty tissue. That is why doctors like Michael Jacobson from SCPI have reported that toxins in fish can be up to a million times more than in the water they swim. This means a fish with some of the highest toxin levels can be swimming in a virtually unpolluted stream.

From this evidence it’s no surprise that the National Cancer Institute reported that the death rate from cancer among people living in areas where fish has exceptionally higher large amounts of tumors is higher than those who do not live in such areas.

More evidence that animal products are more laced with pesticides and insecticides than plant products comes from your Sunday Steak. In August of ’92 the Government Accounting Office Report released a report on a survey conducted in 1988 in Illinois that which found that 58% of drugs used in dairy were not approved for such use.

Howard Lyman, former Montana cattleman who along with Opera Winfrey was sued for his comments on her show about the cover up in the meat industry, has said that farmers regularly dump antibiotics in all feed instead of giving it only to those infected. What does this cause? Super bugs! Which are extremely resistant to the drugs. Needless to say this is more than disturbing especially when you think that the meat being served to you is filled with bacteria resistant drugs.

But probably the most startling fact is the USDA’s lack of interest in making sure standards are met. Take for instance the fact that out of the 80 antibiotics used in agriculture, only seven is authorized for use in lactating (milk) cows, yet the FDA only checks for four of them. Further analysis showed that milk from the Northeastern states (those in the grocery stores) had 63% detectable residues of antibiotics. – Journal of American Veterinary Association, July 1, 1992.

With this type of evidence if renders the USDA certification quite useless at the very least and arguably quite dangerous. Clearly from research we see that meat, dairy, poultry and fish pose a bigger concern and this is just taking into account the pesticides. We have not even touched BIV, DDT, BSE, Mad Cow Dieses, foot and mouth dieses, prions and SARS to name a few.

While we hear about the outbreaks in plant foods we hardly hear about those from animal products. And history has told us that the silent killers are more dangerous. SO what will it be, the leaf of lettuce or the piece of USDA certified prime steak?

So what causes headaches? There are many reasons but let’s take a look at the common headache. There are so many cause of headaches that it would be next to impossible to list them all but I am assure we are aware that stress and sinus pressure are some of the leading causes. But what about the other causes we are not familiar with? Things like lack of water, dairy, pollution and yes nutritional deficiencies? Yes all these are major causes of headaches especially in the metropolitan areas.

Let’s take a look at water. 75% of our body consists of water (might be good to think about that next time before downing that Mountain Dew®). When the body does not have enough water to replace that which was lost either by sweating, crying, urination and other daily tasks the specific organs suffer, and those to suffer the most are the heart, liver, kidney and brain. The brain alone requires 25% of the oxygen breathed into the body. It also requires a large amount of water for different purposes including its personal “hot tub”. When there is not enough water surrounding the brain it can easily touch the skull causing slight pains that can get severe if not dealt with.

Another cause is pollution. In fact pollution is responsible for a lot more than just respiratory problems. It has been linked to things such as diabetes and cancer. When the air is much polluted and it is breathed in by the lungs, needless to say that pollution is collected by a lot of organs who were not supposed to deal with it, one of these being the brain. In some cases the sole cause of headaches is a polluted environment.

Dairy products are another big factor. In fact the main causes of migraines are dairy products. Dr. Mylek D among other physicians have recorded that among the top three causes for patients migraines dairy were dairy products.
Those who miss their morning coffee may want to check out if that might be a factor. Headaches (which should not be surprising) can be withdrawal symptoms from every day drugs like coffee and tobacco to more deadly ones like alcohol and narcotics.

The best solution is to find the main cause of the headache. Generally if that headache is coupled with constipation this means the person is not drinking enough water. This means put down the Sprite® and start drinking some water. Try and get your daily amount and if you do manual labor a couple more glasses won’t do you any harm.

Kiss stress dairy goodbye. You can live without your cream cheese and I’m sure there are enough substitutes out there that your body will rather. Pollution is also a big factor. For some this might mean getting more fresh air than they currently are. And since stress is probably the single biggest factor in headaches you already know what to do. Remember “stress is our reaction to stressors” as one doctor put it.

This along with a helpful diet should do the trick. It’s not as easy as popping a Tylenol or Aspirin but it’s a lot better in the long run and it won’t put a damp on your pocket.

Being the second most cultivated fruit around the world, surpassed only by oranges, we probably wonder why we pay such a high price for such an abundant product. Fact is only a small amount of the fruit is actually grown for whole consumption. The rest is for…you guessed it, wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Grapes are among the top 10 antioxidant (cancer fighting) fruits in the world, red grapes being the best out of the bunch. This is due to the large amounts of Vitamin A, C and E along with Potassium and Iron. Grape seed extract is also a powerful colon cleanser. When combined with other herbs and minerals this can be one of the most effective ways of giving your colon a good detoxification.

We are probably used to seeing the “Heart Healthy” sticker on a lot of products including Welch® Concord grape juice. But what really makes it heart healthy? The main one is flavonoids. These are responsible for keeping the arteries free from spasms while increasing blood flow at the same time. Combine this with the other rich contents in grapes it is no wonder why it’s part of a “heart healthy diet”.

Grapes are also a laxative and can provide very good results when combined with a natural diet. In fact one of the best ways to free up the bowels is a cup or serving of grape juice every day.

Raisins, which are dehydrated grapes, are the highest in iron. Iron is especially for pregnant mothers and of course those suffering from anemia. In fact grapes are richer in iron than lamb.

A surprising fact about grapes is that there might be a link between the consumption of grapes and prevention of arthritis. The reason behind this is grapes are very good at eliminating uric acid from the body. Uric acid eats out the synovial fluid in the bones which acts as the grease between bones. When the synovial fluid is gone arthritis sets in

There are many other substantial nutrients in grapes but these are the some of the most and least common ones. And as usual the best way of consuming any food is in its natural form. That includes grapes also. But in case you are not able to get the fresh grapes a glass of pure grape juice (not drink) will do just fine.

coronary artery disease
cancer
neurological diseases
juvenile diabetes (milk causes leaky gut syndrome which leads to juvenile diabetes)
digestive problems
infectious disease
acne
rheumatoid arthritis
dental decay
hyperactivity

And the list is still counting. Another thing that I have not mentioned is milk even after pasteurization is allowed contain up to 20,000 bacteria per milliliter by FDA standards plus along with the milk comes viruses, prions, antibiotics, hormones and organic pesticides and yet we hardly hear this over the evening news.
Now back to the school issue, the US government recommends that the diet contain less the 30% fat yet the Federal law requires schools to provide fatty whole milk and school lunches are over 40% fat. Butter and cheese amount to ⅓ of the money the government spends on lunches for school and the mind boggling one; only 1% of fruits and vegetables provided for our schools are fresh and 90% are canned.

So you may ask yourself what should I do and are there any alternatives? Well there are, for one instead of using dairy milk use a good wholesome soymilk and please read your labels to make sure that it contains no refined sugar, in fact most soymilk’s on the market contain more calcium then whole milk. Kale, turnips and sesame seeds are better sources of calcium then milk, in fact sesame seeds contain ten times the amount of calcium that milk contains per serving and it comes with all those little goodies to help your body digest the milk. At this point I must stress that you should try to get 20 to 30 minutes of sunlight a day preferably in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday and mid afternoon ultraviolet rays, this will give your body the Vitamin D it needs to absorb the calcium. And last but not least try to use the vitamins in their natural state, supplements are fine but nothing beats a fresh cup of carrot juice over a pill of vitamin A.

In closing, milk has its “good things” but would you want to risk that tiny amount of good for a whole host of other problems? Here is a thought to ponder; did you know that we humans are the only mammals who consume milk after weaning? Makes you wonder what they have been teaching us all these years.

P.S If you would like to get the source for these statistics or any others that I have mentioned email me I will be more then happy to supply them.

Dandelion greens (which are now readily available in stores) are a very good source of calcium. In fact one cup contains 147mg of calcium. Although this might not be as rich as milk it has no side effects and unlike milk (which only 60-80% of calcium is absorbed) all the calcium in the vitamin rich leaves is absorbable by the body. Another thing is that whereas milk congests and causes diabetes dandelion does not, in fact just the opposite, dandelion is one of the foremost herbs used in the fighting of diabetes. Of course a healthy diet cannot be replaced by anything (even herbs) but dandelion can be used to help get the body on track when it comes to medication dependence due to diabetes.

Dandelion is also very good in for constipation and the formation of bile in the spleen and removing excess water from the body resulting from liver problems. Another powerful property of dandelion is the minerals that it is rich in which is very effective in treating anemia.

Dandelion has positive effect son many other organs including the stomach, pancreas, intestines and blood to name a few.

Some of the best remedies for stomach aches can be a half cup of lukewarm dandelion tea. The root is also roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

So the next time you are tempted to call the lawn specialist for those pesky plants just remember that they just might be the answer to some of your common ailments. And even if you do pull them up….(I’m sure some of the drug companies wouldn’t mind them…after all a lot of the diabetic medication is made from the extract of the dandelion root.

What might not be so American about chocolate? Maybe it’s the fact that salmonella can be found in your Hersey’s bar. Or that although caffeine is not present in chocolate yet its cousin happens to make an appearance among the ingredients. Or the fact that most of the times chocolate products are loaded with sweets which has been proven to break down the immune system, cause obesity and on top of that a very effective carcinogen.

Studies have shown that as little as 20mg of theobromine a day can increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by two fold. Now twenty milligrams might like a lot to get out of a serving of chocolate, but two tablespoons of chocolate syrup (1 fl oz) can easily go over the 89mg mark. Cadbury milk chocolate (one ounce) contains 44mg and chocolate flavor mix (2-3 heaping teaspoons in 8 ounces of milk) hovers at the 120mg range. Even a moderate dose of theobromine (10mg) can increase the risk of cancer dramatically. But theabromine is not the only carcinogen in chocolate. Alpha-methylbenzyl alcohol is another carcinogen found naturally in chocolate and used artificially to flavor other foods.

Salmonella is also a risk in chocolate since one of the main ingredients in most chocolate products is milk. Salmonella generally occurs in chocolate that is not heated or warmed. But it should be noted that even when it is warmed there is still a risk because of the contamination which might be present in the milk used in the product.

But probably the most striking fact about chocolate is the fact that you just might be consuming some of your everyday household pests in your favorite bar or cake. According to the FDA manufactures are allowed to have no more than 60 insect fragments per 100 grams. Also the FDA allows 1 rodent hair per 100 grams of chocolate. If the samples should exceed this amount it is considered unfit for human consumption. The reason why the FDA allows a certain amount of contamination in a lot of processed foods especially chocolate, is when it is manufactured on such a large scale basis it is almost impossible to keep out every single piece of contamination out of the product. Thus the FDA tells manufactures to keep the contamination to a certain level. Of course this is no console to you the consumer not knowing if you might be munching on a rats tail or roach wing while enjoying your Snickers bar.

So before you are tempted to pick up another ounce of chocolate give this article some thought. I’m sure if you are a man you don’t want to be lousy in the bed, and I’m almost positive that mothers would not like to know that their children might be munching on the same types of roaches she is trying to exterminate. In any case there are always substitutes and one of these happens to be carob. It tastes just like chocolate without the side effects. And since it is manufactured on such a small scale the possibility of bug wings and rat hair ending up in a packaged bar is almost nonexistent.