Latest posts of: loohan

Juice Therapy

It is well-known that an imbalance in the body chemistry and cell metabolism causes all sorts of degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and heart attack. This imbalance is usually caused by constant consumption of devitalised or adulterated food. The imbalance in the body chemistry and cell metabolism can be corrected by detoxification.

Toxicity is the main cause of ill health and by detoxifying one is able to maintain a healthy body.

Consuming raw vegetables and fruit juices is one of the least expensive, simplest and safest methods of detoxification. Raw fruit and vegetable juices are considered as complete food by most doctors in the world. When juices are consumed, we get most of the vitamins and minerals we need.

When our body burns food for energy it produces free radicals which are highly charged toxins. The antidote for free radicals is antioxidant which we can get by consuming fruit and vegetable juices.

Juices must be consumed within 15 minutes otherwise it oxidizes. When we consume fruit and vegetable juices, 90 per cent of the enzyme is absorbed into the system, as compared to 30 per cent absorption rate when we eat a whole fruit. These fruit and vegetable juices are digested within 25 to 30 minutes and are quickly assimilated into the blood.

Fruit and vegetable juices should not be consumed at the same time, take a gap of three to four hours between these two fruit juices. It is advisable to take fruit juices in the morning and vegetable juices in the afternoon.

Fruit juices are diuretics. Thus, it increases the quantity of urine. It is best to avoid taking it at night, otherwise your sleep may be disturbed. Once fruit juices help clear the toxic elements from your body system, you can then consume vegetable juices which helps in the regeneration of healthy body cells.

You should take a mixture of different fruits and vegetable juices in order to consume a rich variety of vitamins and minerals.

Drink fresh juices without added sugar and avoid any canned or bottled juices. Canned and bottled juices are added with preservatives and this kills the enzymes in the juices. Therefore, it is of no nutritional value. Moreover, canned and bottled juices lose their natural colour, taste and flavour.

Use a juice extractor or extract the juice manually. Do not use a blender as you only get pulp and not juice.

It is recommended that a healthy person take a litre of juice per day and people who have health problems should consume an average of two to three litres per day.

A person should fast on juices at least once a week. This means that no food is consumed for the whole day. This method helps to eliminate toxic and inorganic substances and bacteria from the body.

Dr Dhilip Kumar holds a Ph.D in Natural Medicine. He is the Asian Regional Director of Kevala Centre (U.K.) that offers distance learning courses and practical workshops in natural therapy. He can be reached at Tel: 03-5636 7986/ 012-2099 589 or Fax: 03-5636 7986. Email: kevala@mailcity.com / kevala01@yahoo.com.

Sugar Linked To Increasing Chronic Diseases – WHO

Chronic diseases, which are preventable, are rapidly increasing. Obesity (which can lead to heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes), for example, has tripled in the last 20 years.

It has been projected that, by 2020, chronic diseases will account for almost ¾ of all deaths worldwide, and that 71% of deaths due to ischaemic heart disease, 75% of deaths due stroke, and 70% of deaths due to diabetes will occur in developing countries.

The number of people in developing countries with diabetes will increase by more than 2.5-fold – from 84 million in 1995 to 228 million in 2025.

This bleak scenario was detailed in the latest SHO/FAO report on chronic diseases that, among others, advise consumers to cut down sugar intake.

According to the report, the leading causes for increasing chronic diseases are the increasing intake of high-calorie, low-nutrition foods, increasingly inactive lifestyles, and other factors (eg: tobacco use).

OBESITY
“In many developing countries undergoing economic transition, rising levels of obesity often coexist in the same population (or even the same household) with chronic undernutrition. Increases in obesity over the past 30 years have been paralleled by a dramatic rise in the prevalence of diabetes.” ~ WHO/FAO findings, 2003

Obesity consumes a large portion of national health budgets. In the US alone, the direct costs of obesity accounted for an estimated 6.8%, ie US$70 billion (about RM266 billion) of total health care costs; and physical inactivity for a further US$24 billion (about RM91.2 billion) in 1995.

Increasing obesity is linked to increasing risks to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Restricting “free sugars” (ie added sugar), it says can reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain, a trigger for many chronic diseases.

It cautions that children with a high consumption of soft drinks rich in free sugars are more likely to be overweight and to gain excess weight.

What Causes It?
The chief causes of weight gain and obesity are:
High intake of “energy-dense micronutrient-poor” foods (mainly processed foods that are high in fat and/or sugars). We should be eating more “low energy-dense” or “energy-dilute” foods (ie high-fibre and high-water foods, like fruits, legumes, vegetables and wholegrain cereals).

Heavy marketing of energy-dense foods and fast-food outlets. Fast-food restaurants, and foods and beverages that are usually classified under the “eat least” category in dietary guidelines are among the most heavily marketed products, especially on television.

Young children are often the target group for the advertising of these products because they have a significant influence on the foods bought by parents.

The huge expenditure on marketing fast-foods and other “eat least” choices – US$11 billion (about RM41.8 billion) in the US alone in 1997 – was considered to be a key factor in the increased consumption of food prepared outside the home, especially energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods.

High intake of sugars-sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices. It has been estimated that each additional can or glass of sugars-sweetened drink that children consume every day increases the risk of becoming obese by 60%.

Most of the evidence related to soda drinks but many fruit drinks and cordials are equally energy-dense and many promote weight gain if drunk in large quantities.

Overall, the evidence implicating a high-intake of sugars-sweetened drinks in promoting weight gain was considered moderately strong.

“The high and increasing consumption of sugars-sweetened drinks by children in many countries is of serious concern”, says the report.

Unhealthy weight gain is also attributed to large portion sizes. The marketing of “supersize” portions, especially in fast-food outlets, is now common practice in many countries, and this is likely to lead to overconsumption.

How To Prevent?
Children & Adolescents – Promote an active lifestyle, limit television viewing, encourage intake of fruits and vegetables, and restrict intake of energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods (eg: packaged snacks), sugars-sweetened soft drinks, and other fatty and salty foods.

Infants & Young Children – Breastfeed them exclusively, and avoid adding sugars and starches when feeding them formula food.

“A meta-analysis of 16 trials of high-fat versus low-fat diets for 2 months, indicated that a reduction in fat content by 10% corresponds to about ... a 3 kg reduction in body weight. At a population level, 3 kg equates to about 1 Body Mass Index unit, or about a 5% difference in obesity prevalence.” ~ WHO/FAO findings, 2003

DIABETES
“There are now an estimated 150 million cases of diabetes, mainly Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent, or lifestyle-triggered) diabetes, worldwide, and the number is predicted to double by 2025. These figures are underestimates as many cases are undiagnosed.” ~ WHO/FAO FINDINGS (paraphrased), 2003

Type 2 diabetes, previously a disease of the middle-aged and elderly, has recently escalated in all age groups and is now being identified in younger and younger age groups, including adolescents and children.

According to the report, “the most dramatic increase in Type 2 diabetes are occurring in societies in which there have been major changes in the diet consumed, reductions in physical activity, and increases in overweight and obesity”.

The diets in such countries are typically energy-dense, high in saturated fatty acids and depleted in dietary fibre.

DENTAL DISEASES
“RESEARCH has consistently shown that when annual sugar consumption exceeds 15 kg per person per year (or 40 grams per person per day), dental caries increase with increasing sugar intake.” (Note: In Malaysia, sugar consumption is 120 grams per person per day – 3 times as much.) ~ WHO/FAO findings, 2003

DENTAL diseases are a costly burden to health care services, accounting for 5-10% of total health care expenditures and exceeding the cost of treating CVD, cancer and osteoporosis in industrialised countries.

Although not life-threatening, they have an impact on self-esteem, eating ability, nutrition and health. Dental decay, for instance, may result in tooth loss, which reduces the ability to eat a nutritious diet, the enjoyment of food, the confidence to socialise and the quality of life.

Dietary Sugars And Dental Caries
Populations that had experienced a reduced sugar availability during the Second World War showed a reduction in dental caries, which subsequently increased again when the restriction was lifted.

Isolated communities with a traditional way of life and a consistently low intake of sugars have very low levels of dental caries.

As economic levels in such societies rise, the amount of sugar and other fermentable carbohydrates in the diet increases and this is often associated with a marked increase in dental caries.

Examples of this trend have been reported among the Inuit in Alaska, USA, as well as in populations in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan and on the Island of Tristan da Cunha, St Helena.

There is evidence to show that many groups of people with high exposure to sugars have levels of caries higher than the population average. Examples include children with chronic diseases requiring long-term sugar-containing medicines, and confectionery workers.

Similarly, experience of dental caries has seldom been reported in groups of people who have a habitually low intake of sugars, for example, children of dentists and children in institutions with strict dietary regimens.

A study, (the Vipeholm study in Sweden), conducted in an adult mental institution in Sweden between 1945 and 1953, investigated the effects of consuming sugary foods of varying stickiness and at different times throughout the day on the development of caries.

It was found that increased frequency of consumption of sugar between meals produces a marked increase in dental caries. The incidence of caries increases markedly when the frequency of sugars intake exceeds 4 times a day. The increase in dental caries activity disappears on withdrawal of sugar-rich foods.

Destructive Foods
Human observational studies have shown an association between dental erosion and the consumption of a number of acidic foods and drinks, including frequent consumption of fruit juice, soft drinks (including sports drinks), pickles (containing vinegar), citrus fruits and berries.

Age-related increases in dental erosion have been shown to be greater in these with the highest intake of soft drinks. Tooth enamel is softened within just 1 hour of exposure to cola.
(Note: Fruit juices are significantly more destructive than whole fruits).

Protective Foods
Wholegrain foods have protective properties – they require more chewing, and thus stimulate increased saliva flow. Other foods with similar effects are peanuts.

Black tea extract increases plaque fluoride concentration and reduces the dental diseases associated with a sugars-rich diet.

Epidemiological studies have also associated breast-feeding with protection against early childhood caries. Formula feed confers no benefits to dental health; breast milk on the other hand, is protective because it has no added sugars.
How To Get Slim With Healthy Eating Habits

Many women want to be slim. Maybe you’re one of them. Perhaps you’re getting married soon and you want to fit into your wedding gown comfortably. Or perhaps you simply want to look (and feel) great in a swimsuit or bikini.
Whatever your reason for wanting to be slim, there are some things you can do to become slim while staying healthy. If you are reading this article, chances are you want to know what those things are. Read on then, to find out.

First thing is to assess your current eating habits. This is important because you need to know what’s not working. If your current eating habits are keeping you overweight, and you want to be slim, it figures that you need to change those eating habits. If something is not working, change it.

Assessing Your Current Eating Habits.
Keep a record of your eating habits for a week. The record should contain the following information:
1. What you are eating,
2. How much you’re eating,
3. When you eat (note the times) - you want to know how far apart your meals and snacks are.
4. Why you’re eating at those times - is it because you’re hungry, or are you ‘comfort eating’?
5. How you feel after eating - pleasantly satisfied or bloated and stuffed.
6. How many glasses of water you drink each day
7. When you find out your current eating habits, you’ll need to determine which habits are
sabotaging your efforts to lose weight. Those are the ones you want to change. More on that
later.

Goal Setting
Determine what your weight goal is. Or you may prefer to monitor your progress in terms of your waistline or hip measurements. Whichever one suits you is best.

Form a mental picture of yourself looking the way you want to look. Goals are more powerful and empowering when we visualize them. Hold that mental picture in your mind at all times.

NOTE: Eating healthily is not all there is to getting slim. You must become more physically active (read ‘exercise’) in addition to eating properly if you’re to lose weight permanently. This article deals with the healthy eating part of that equation.

Action Plan
Now that you know what your ideal size is, you have a goal that you’re working towards. You need to then determine a plan of action to help you achieve that goal.

To help you decide on the right plan, bear in mind that eating should be a pleasure. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Which nutritious foods do I enjoy eating ?
2. How soon after eating do I get hungry again? Most adults get hungry about 3 to 4 hours after
eating a meal.
3. Do I eat only when I’m hungry? Hint: You should.
4. How can I stay full? Drink lots of water. Scientists recommend between 6 and 8 glasses of water
daily. Your body needs it, and it helps you stay full.

With the answers to those questions in mind, form an action plan, and start a new daily record to help you keep track of your progress. This new record should contain the same columns as your initial current habits record. This way you can monitor each improvement and celebrate accordingly.

When deciding on which actions to take, you need to refer back to your initial assessment of your current eating habits. Decide which habits are preventing you from losing weight. Write down alternative habits that you want to cultivate, which will help you get slim.

These new habits you want to form are now your ‘targets’ - milestones on your way to your ideal body shape and size.

Taking Action
To form healthy eating habits, start with small changes.

Don’t make too many changes at once. Set yourself main targets, such as ‘I will drink 8 glasses of water each day’, then set smaller targets to help you reach each main target.

Using the example above, a small target could be ‘I will drink an extra glass of water after each meal’. When you break down your targets, they don’t seem so daunting. They seem easily achievable, so you feel encouraged to stick to them.

Decide on the foods you will be eating regularly. Make sure they’re foods you enjoy.

Eat small portions, about 5 or 6 times each day, instead of three large meals. This helps keep your metabolic rate high, and helps you lose weight naturally.

How To Stay Motivated To Continue Eating Healthily
Believe that you can do it, and accept responsibility for your health and for the way your body looks. Reward yourself each time you successfully complete a small target. Celebrate each small success - don’t wait until you’ve lost tons of weight before you reward yourself. Make the journey enjoyable by treating yourself each time you make progress. Keep in mind what you hope to achieve - remind yourself of how lovely and healthy your body is becoming each day as a result of your new eating habits. Remember, each small step in the right direction is bringing you closer to your main target. With a clear goal in mind, a feasible action plan and tips to help you stay motivated, you should find it easy to form habits that keep you slim and healthy at the same time.

Here’s to your new healthy eating habits!

About The Author
Ruth Hinson is a successful slimming consultant. She helps women lose weight safely and healthily using the SlymRyte Healthy Eating Plan ™. Visit www.slymryte.co.uk for more information.

CANCER
Cancer is now a major cause of death throughout the world. An estimated 10 million new cases and over 6 million deaths from cancer occurred in 2000. Overweight and obesity (partly caused by excessive sugar intake) are 2 of the major factors for cancer.