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What is the best diet?
© Miss Sydney Marie
Once you start to take a serious interest in diet and nutrition, things can quickly seem to get very complex.
Now I’m the type of person who loves a puzzle but I know a lot of people just give up. It’s difficult to separate fact from fiction and in the field of nutrition, there are as many “best” diets as there are experts…
The hot issues
So, what are the hotly debated, confusing issues? Read more
What are the health benefits of drinking cranberry juice?
© TheDeliciousLife
Do you have a burning sensation you should be drinking cranberry juice? :-)
It’s an old wives tale — drink cranberry juice to cure a urinary infection. But is it actually true?
Well, sales are on the up and up. Seems the humble cranberry is in fashion at the moment and new products are appearing all the time… Read more
Health and longevity secrets of the okinawans
© Karen Walzer
Wouldn’t it be great if we had some really healthy role models?
People who live the healthiest, happiest lives so that we can look at them with soft focus and say “I want to be like that too?”
Well we can! There are lists of the healthiest nations in the world…
Japan usually tops these lists but actually, above Japan is the little island of Okinawa. It’s only a teeny dot on the world map…
The healthiest people in the world?
Okinawa is a lush subtropical island in the Pacific Ocean, made famous — at least in my mind — as the home of Mr. Myagi in The Karate Kid :-)
It has more people over a hundred years old than anywhere else on earth — as a percentage of the population. Well, no-one wants to live to be a centenarian if the last thirty years of their life is spent in miserable declining health… Read more
Are grains and gluten bad for you?
© Frapestaartje
Ever had a hangover from eating a big pizza? The reason for it may lie with the humble grain.
Many doctors are now speaking out against “the staff of life” and research is mounting which will hopefully dislodge the grain as the staple food of humans…
Opioids
Makes you think of the Chinese opium dens and extract of poppies doesn’t it?
These are powerful chemicals that have a profound effect on our physiology and psychology. Heroin, Codeine and Morphine are all opioids… Read more
What are carbohydrates and are they good for you?
© vizzzual.com
Carbohydrates are sugars in various forms such as glucose and fructose (found primarily in fruit), sucrose, lactose (found primarily in milk), starch, glycogen and cellulose (indigestible cell wall of plants).
High carb foods are grains, roots, tubers (e.g. potatoes) and fruits…
Interestingly, humans can convert protein into carbohydrate which explains why some cultures have very low “carb” diets and are healthy.
However, studies tend to show that 55-75% of calories from carbs is best. This is the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation. Carbs contain 4 calories per gram… Read more
