Category - Healthy Tips

Physical Inactivity

February 15, 2015

Physical Inactivity is something many of us suffer from. We just don’t exercise enough. Work a full day and go out to dinner and watch some tv and go to bed. Sooner or later, it all catches up to us. People need some form of exercise, whether it is just walking or biking or some other form. Activity is one of the keys to attain better health,

Physical Activity Benefits

Staying active can:

Increase insulin sensitivity.
Improve lipid levels.
Lower blood pressure.
Aid weight management.
Improve blood glucose management in type 2 diabetes and lower risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Clinical Intervention:

Encourage patients to find ways to fit activity into their daily routine. Examples include parking further away from stores,taking the stairs instead or walking for 20 minutes a day.
Encourage patients to aim for at least 150 minutes/week of moderate aerobic exercise with no more than 2 consecutive days without exercise. If they are just starting out, encourage them to start with just 10 minutes, three times per day and build from there.
Adults with type 2 diabetes should be encouraged to perform resistance training at least twice a week. Many patients are motivated by wearing a pedometer and tracking their steps. Encourage them to join a walking group and challenge each other to more and more steps.

Smoking

Most patients know smoking is bad for their health, but quitting is often easier said than done. If you have patients who smoke, be sure to emphasize not only the grave dangers of continuing smoking, but also the tremendous benefits of quitting.

Clinical Intervention:

Obtain documentation of history of tobacco use.
Ask whether smoker is willing to quit.
If no, initiate brief, motivational discussion regarding:
- The need to stop using tobacco
- Risks of continued use
- Encouragement to quit, as well as support when ready.
If yes, assess preference for and initiate either minimal, brief, or intensive cessation counseling. There are several smoking cessation programs online, that provide nicotine patches, gum and lozenges free of charge along with person to person support.

Good Fat Vs Bad Fat

January 28, 2015

Kevin Angileri

Healthy Tips

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The Road To Good Health – Eating Goods & Avoiding Bad Fats

I know you have heard this all before. but it needs to be said again and again. The road to health is eating good wholesome foods and avoiding unhealthy foods. It is sorta like Good vs Evil. The Good food will make you healthy and the Bad food will make you ill. It is your choice. We all want to be healthy, but we love the unhealthy foods. They seem to taste better. Most of us have eaten them for so long, we forgot what the healthy stuff tastes like.

Fats and sugars dominate our lives. We have been taught that fat is wonderful tasting and damn, it is. Remember all the chefs on tv telling you, how good pork fat was? My dad told me once, “If it tastes good, spit it out”. Well, I did not listen and here, all these years latter, I and most of us, are not healthy. I (we) try, but the bad stuff seems to win most of the time.

Here are a few easy choices you can make without a lot of bother.

1. Olive oil instead of soybean oil-canola oil- corn oil- butter etc.

2. Fresh fruit and vegetables instead of fried ones.

3. Baked sweet potato instead of white potato

4. Fresh wild caught fish instead of farm raised.

5. Brown rice instead of white rice.

6. Very lean pork instead of beef

7. Steel cut oats instead of sugar coated breakfast cereals

8. Beans and lentils instead of pasta

9. Water instead of any kind of sodas(even sugar free)

Try these small changes to get your health back. Your health is the single most important thing you have. Try it, you’ll like it. Here is to a healthy 2015.

Tasty & Easy Meat Loaf Recipe From A Fan

January 28, 2015

Kevin Angileri

Healthy Tips, Recipes

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Are you trying to learn how to make meat loaf? Try this easy meat loaf recipe today.

INGREDIENTS

vegetable cooking spray1 can (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)2 lb lean ground beef1 can (2.8 ounces) French’s® French Fried Onions½ cup plain dry bread crumbs1 egg1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400°F. Spray 12 (2 1/2-inch) muffin-pan cups with the cooking spray.
Thoroughly mix 3/4 cup soup, the beef, 1/2 can onions, bread crumbs, egg and Worcestershire in a large bowl. Press about 1/2 cup beef mixture into each muffin-pan cup. Spread the remaining soup over the meatloaves.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the meatloaves are cooked through. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.
Bake for 3 minutes or until the onions are golden brown. Let the meatloaves cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Protein Shakes And Diabetes

September 9, 2014

Kevin Angileri

Healthy Tips

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Diabetes Mellitus is a condition that affects close to 8% of the planet’s adult population and is a growing problem in the developed world, particularly in the United States where the cost of treatment and the management of diabetes can be a very expensive affair. Diabetes Mellitus occurs in two forms: Type 1 which is as a result of the absence of insulin in the blood due to the pancreas not functioning properly and type 2 which is characterized by cells failing to respond to insulin. Eventually type 2 also leads to a lack of insulin in the body to control the levels of blood glucose. 90% of the diabetics in the world have type 2 diabetes.

Being a diabetic entails eating healthy food, exercising daily to keep fit as well as to maintain normal weight and avoiding substances like tobacco. Diabetics are usually careful to avoid foods with a lot of sugars or very high in carbohydrates and fats which may lead to weight gain and high blood sugar levels. This is why diabetics often turn to protein rich foods as well as supplements and protein shakes.

Protein shakes have become an essential part of a diabetic’s diet for several reasons. The first and most important reason is that protein shakes help in weight loss. Obese diabetics are usually at risk of so many complications that shorten their lives that all doctors usually recommend a weight loss regimen once an obese person is diagnosed with diabetes. Protein shakes, especially whey protein shakes are extremely helpful in weight loss. Whey protein is a powerful metabolic activator. It helps the body burn a lot of calories and is very effective when combined with exercise. Whey and Casein protein shakes also help in controlling appetite. Both activate the signals sent by the digestive tract to the brain that indicate that the stomach is full thus both lower the calorie intake of an obese person.

For those with normal weight, protein shakes help to supplement the daily protein intake thus keeping the body healthy and free from the complications associated with protein deficiency. The protein shakes also act as body building supplements for active diabetics thus helping them to build a good body frame despite the diabetes. Protein shakes, especially those containing whey have been shown to boost insulin production as well as glucose metabolism in the digestive tract. By increasing the proportion of protein in the diet, protein shakes reduce the intake of large quantities of sugars that may lead to a spike in blood sugar levels thus they play a huge role in keeping the blood sugar levels of a diabetic stable.

A wide variety of protein shakes exist in the market. Some come in pure form, that is they contain only protein in them such as whey protein, which may be in concentrate or isolate form, Casein or milk protein, Egg white protein or Vegetable protein shakes made of soy, rice or pea protein. Others come in mixed form whereby protein is the dominant nutrient but the product has been fortified with various minerals and vitamins. With all the benefits that protein shakes have, they should be recommended to all diabetics who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We at Carbaholics Anonymous hope this article and all the others, have aided you, in your health care needs. Remember to always consult your physician, before adding new products to your diet. Safety first. We at Carbaholics Anonymous hope this article and all the others, have aided you, in your health care needs.

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Examples of Good Carbs

September 9, 2014

Kevin Angileri

health tips, Healthy Tips

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How Carbohydrates Work

Carbs (carbohydrates) are responsible for providing the body with the energy it needs to perform all its functions. Basically, they are responsible for powering the engine of the body. This is achieved when the carbs are broken down into glucose; the form in which they can be absorbed into the body. Low intake of carbs can lead the body to a condition called ketosis. This is where it lacks the ability to break down fats into energy and therefore leaving the individual to be weak, feeble, dehydrated and nauseated. Therefore, it is very important to consume the right levels and types of carbs.

Types Of Carbohydrates

There are two broad types of carbs, namely complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are called so because they have a complex chain which takes more processes and energy for the body to break down. They are also called good carbohydrates and they include the type of carbs obtained from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts. Simple carbohydrates are called so because they are in their simplest form possible and do not need any more breaking down before the body absorbs them. They are also called bad carbohydrates and they include the type of carbs obtained from sugar, sweet soft drinks and candy. This article deals with good carbs.

Good Carbohydrates Examples

Examples of good carbs are outlined below.

1. Whole grains

Whole grain products are starch products. Apart from the starch which is converted to absorbable glucose (for energy), they also have multiple nutritional values that include fiber, phytonutrients and a number of minerals. The minerals contained in these types of carbs are responsible for a number of functions that include coordination of messages in the body. The fiber contained in whole grains is the soluble type which reduces the amount of cholesterol and it has been found to reduce chances of heart attack, cancer and even diabetes. Phytonutrients are the natural chemical components of whole grains. They are multiple in number and are responsible for enhancing the body’s ability to fight diseases. Examples of whole grains are whole rye, whole rice, millet, whole barley and whole corn.

2. Fruits and vegetable

Fruits and vegetables contain high value complex carbs whose roles and importance have already been explained. They are also rich in vitamins, fiber and proteins. The vitamins are responsible for transporting glucose from carbs and other nutrients to all the parts of the body. In addition, they ensure that oxygen is supplied in all body tissues and cells. They have extremely low fat content and this makes them good for avoiding cardiovascular and other cholesterol related illnesses. There are many examples of fruits and vegetables. Some few include apples, oranges, mangoes, kales and carrots.

3. Legumes

Legumes are rich in carbs but richer in proteins. The reason why they are part of the best complex carbs is because their two major nutrients (carbs and proteins) are complements. The carbs are responsible for making the proteins soluble and thus easily absorbable. The most common legumes are beans.

Generally, good carbs are usually low on sugar content. This is what makes them good for managing Type 2 Diabetes since they cannot alter the level of blood sugar abruptly. Consuming the types of foods outlined above can enhance this and other roles of carbs in the body.

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