The patterns of eating ala Mediterranean have known for quiet some time and it is healthy for our heart and lungs.

Recently the journal “Thorax” discovering a research into 690 kids feeding the diet ala Mediterranean in rich content of fruits, vegetables, and olive oil. The result was those kids had lower asthma and allergic illness.

Apply 3 times in a week like oranges, grapes, nuts, seeds would most likely protect your health against various ailments. Alan Greene, the author of Raising Baby Green, declares that fruits and vegetables is rich in antioxidants which strengthen the body immune system. Therefore, you will be free from ailments and diseases, include an inflicting asthma and allergic.

Healthy fat can be found in seeds, nuts, olive, fish (from Deep Ocean) i.e. salmon, tuna, and sardine. Thus, the aforementioned components are needed to infiltrate inflammation/infections. Alan Green also advice to replace our diet into simple carbohydrate (rice and wheat that has been processed) with brown rice and wheat from Whole Wheat.

Have you managed to apply other types of diet that suit your needs?

Eclectic Diet Choice appropriately according to your need!

Fire up your feedback in the comment section below!

Recently if you are trying to look for bananas in the supermarket in Japan is very difficult. How come this could ever happen? This is caused by banana daito in Japan. It is a new trend called banana diet. Banana diet was introduced by Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist. The essence of this method improves the metabolism in your body.

Watanabe applied this method to her husband who has chubby appearance. As the result her husband lost weight 17 kilograms. No records were found how long her husband has implemented this kind of diet.

A diet method known as “Morning Banana Diet”, lately are quite popular after an opera singer, Kumiko Mori shared her diet story in a television talk show that she has lost 7 kg.

Every one was put into a spell and surprisingly bought all the bananas in the supermarket almost everywhere. Mori shared her tips for the banana diet that she just eats the banana with out the hassle of mixing it into juice or any other means because it is considered as time consuming. Therefore, this diet is easy and has many followers in a short time. Just eat two bananas before breakfast and drink water accordingly. You are allowed to have this banana during your lunch and dinner time as desirable. The best would be having your dinner before 8 pm and no desert afterwards. For Japanese who wants to appear slim this kind of diet is important.

However, Professor Masahiko Okada could not agree to this banana diet method. According to the professor, the human body needs 3 nutrition’s elements: carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The rules of thumb are balancing those 3 nutrition’s elements and monitor the calories consumptions. On the other hand, Professor Sayoko Ikeda from Faculty of Nutrition of Kobe has another opinion, that diet is not healthy and not effective for weight loss because consuming 1 type of food is a bad habit and not sufficient for your body. Since your body requires more nutrition than 1 type of food.

Dear loyal readers, please choose wisely on your diet method. The most important thing is nutrition balance and observes your calories intake regularly.

Have you ever tried this banana diet method or any other similar diet methods? Fire up in the comment section below with your experiences and feedbacks. We love listen to your thoughts, because your opinions matter to us!

I will share with you below from Oprah Winfrey’s site on what kind of foods that you should avoid for your healthy diet. There are always natural foods to replace your forbidden foods. Remember, to hold your temptations.

Soft Drinks

Soda is one of the leading sources of empty calories in America. Instead, have plain or flavored water, herbal iced tea or skim milk. If you crave a sweet drink, limit yourself to one glass of fruit juice a day-better yet, cut it with seltzer water. If you feel diet sodas help you lose weight, drink them-but try to get down to one a day or you’ll never lose your taste for super-sweet foods.

Foods Containing Trans Fat

The biggest offenders are margarine and vegetable shortenings-although, there are trans fat-free versions of both now-and processed food such as frozen meals, crackers, ramen soups, cake mixes, chips and candy. To see if a product has trans fat, check the ingredients list for partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Don’t go by the nutrition facts panel: By law, a product can contain up to 0.49 (nearly half a gram) of trans fat per serving but still read “0 g” on the label

Replacements: heart-healthy olive and canola oils.

Fried Foods

Don’t confuse foods made with trans fat with simple fried foods. There is a difference, but you should do your best to avoid both.

Even when they don’t have trans fat, fried foods in restaurants are often cooked in oil that is reused. This can create by-products that have been linked to a variety of diseases. And fried foods are highly caloric. “The point is that [frying] causes a food to absorb more fat and calories,” Bob says. “It’s why I want you to replace it with some other alternatives.”

One alternative you can try is oven-frying. Cut potatoes into strips, toss or spray with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cook in a 400° oven until brown. And if you can’t live without potato chips, choose baked varieties made without trans fat.

White Bread

Don’t panic-you can still have your carbs, they just have to be whole grain. Compared with refined white flour, whole grains are not only more nutritious, they also have lots of fiber that will keep you fuller longer.

To get truly “whole wheat” or “whole grain” bread, you need to be on your toes. Packaging can be misleading. Some brown “wheat” breads, for example, don’t even contain whole wheat! To make sure you’re getting a meaningful amount of whole grains, check that they show up at the beginning of the ingredients list. Bread should have at least two grams of fiber per slice.

Alcohol

Alcohol and weight loss don’t mix. Obviously, alcohol can add a lot of extra calories to your diet, and it’s more caloric than other foods. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram (carbohydrates and fat contain only 4 calories per gram; fat contains 9 calories per gram). But there are reasons besides the calories to skip sipping.

Alcohol, a depressant, can slow your metabolism. And, it’s hard to make healthy eating decisions after you’ve had a few. Take a break for the first phase, and if you’d like to enjoy a drink on occasion, you can do so later on in the plan.

High-Fat Milk and Yogurt

Although milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium and protein, there is no reason to have the full-fat version when so many lower-fat versions are available.

A cup of whole milk has 7.9 grams of fat-4.5 grams of it saturated-and 24 milligrams of cholesterol. Compare that to a cup of nonfat skim milk’s 83 calories, 0.2 grams of fat, 0.125 grams of saturated fat and 5 milligrams of cholesterol.

Replacement:  fat-free or one percent milk. As for cheese, opt for reduced-fat versions with no more than 5 grams of fat per ounce.

forbidden food

Are you starving?

Before you reach for your favorite not-so-nutritious comfort food, remember that choosing snacks wisely can be good for your heart, digestive system, and energy level. Check out healthy snack ideas and tips below. Your body will thank you!

I believe the ideas and tips below are not only good for children, but also for adults like you. Please bear in mind, your healthy habit of eating control your overall diet. Serving healthy snacks is important to providing good nutrition, supporting lifelong healthy eating habits, and helping to prevent costly and potentially-disabling diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

more Healthy Snacks

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Since most kids do not eat the recommended five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Eating fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contain important nutrients like vitamins A and C and fiber.

Fruit is naturally sweet, so most kids love it. Fruit can be served whole, sliced, cut in half, cubed, or in wedges. Canned, frozen, and dried fruits often need little preparation.

Applesauce (Unsweetened), Fruit Cups, and Canned Fruit - These have a long shelf life and are low-cost, easy, and healthy if canned in juice or light syrup. Examples of unsweetened applesauce include Mott’s Natural Style and Mott’s Healthy Harvest line. Dole and Del Monte offer a variety of single-serve fruit bowls.

Dried Fruit - Try raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, and others with little or no added sugars.

Frozen Fruit - Try freezing grapes or buy frozen blueberries, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, and melon.

Fruit Leathers - Some brands of fruit snacks are more like candy than fruit, and should be avoided due to their high content of added sugars and lack of fruit. Brands to avoid include Fruit Rollups, Farley’s Fruit Snacks, Sunkist Fruit Gems, Starburst Fruit Chews, Mamba Fruit Chews, Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews, Original Fruit Skittles, and Amazin’ Fruit Gummy Bears. Try Natural Value Fruit Leathers and Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, which come in a variety of flavors and don’t have added sugars.

Fruit Salad - Get kids to help make a fruit salad. Use a variety of colored fruits to add to the appeal.

Popsicles - Most so-called “fruit” popsicles have added sugars and should be reserved for an occasional treat. Look for popsicles made from 100% fruit juice with no added caloric sweeteners, such as Breyers or Dole “No Sugar Added” fruit bars.

Smoothies - Blend fruit with juice, yogurt or milk, and ice. Many store-made smoothies have added sugars and are not healthy choices.

Deliveries - Deliveries of fresh fruit or platters of cut-up fruit are a convenient option offered by some local grocery stores.

Vegetables can be served raw with dip or salad dressing:

Dips - Try low-fat salad dressings, like fat-free Ranch or Thousand Island, store-bought light dips, bean dips, guacamole, hummus (which comes in dozens of flavors), salsa, or peanut butter.

Salad - Make a salad or set out veggies like a salad bar and let the kids build their own salads.

Soy - Edamame (pronounced “eh-dah-MAH-may”) are fun to eat and easy to serve. (Heat frozen edamame in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes).

Veggie Pockets - Cut whole wheat pitas in half and let kids add veggies with dressing or hummus.

Ants on a Log - Let kids spread peanut butter on celery (with a plastic knife) and add raisins.

HEALTHY GRAINS (bread, crackers, cereals, etc.)

Try to serve mostly whole grains, which provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. In aaddition, try to keep the added sugars to less than 35% by weight1,2 and the saturated and trans fat low (i.e., less than 10% of calories, or about one gram or less per serving).

Note: Cookies, snack cakes, and chips should be saved for occasional treats, given their poor nutritional quality.

Whole Wheat English Muffins, Pita, or Tortillas - Stuff them with veggies or dip them in hummus or bean dip.

Breakfast Cereal - Either dry or with low-fat milk, whole grain cereals like Cheerios, Grape-Nuts, Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Wheaties make good snacks. Look for cereals with no more than 35% added sugars by weight (or roughly 8 grams of sugar per serving).

Crackers - Whole-grain crackers like Triscuits, which come in different flavors or thin crisps (or similar woven wheat crackers), Kalvi Rye crackers, or whole wheat Matzos can be served alone or with toppings, like low-fat cheese, peanut butter, or low-fat, reduced-sodium luncheon meat.

Rice Cakes - Look for rice cakes made from brown (whole grain) rice. They come in many flavors, and can be served with or without toppings.

Popcorn - Look for low-fat popcorn in a bag or microwave popcorn. Or you can air pop the popcorn and season it, e.g., by spraying it with vegetable oil spray and adding parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or other non-salt spices.

Baked Tortilla Chips - Baked tortilla chips are usually low in fat, and taste great with salsa and/or bean dip. Look for brands with less sodium.

Granola and Cereal Bars - Look for whole grain granola bars that are low in fat and sugars, like Barbara’s Granola Bars (cinnamon raisin, oats and honey, and carob chip flavors), Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars (cinnamon, oats ‘n honey, maple brown sugar, and peanut butter flavors), Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars (fruit and nut flavor), and Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (peanut butter and chocolate chunk flavor).

Pretzels, Breadsticks, and Flatbreads - These low-fat items can be offered as snacks now and then. However, most of these snacks are not whole grain and most pretzels are high in salt.

LOW-FAT DAIRY FOODS

Dairy foods are a great source of calcium, which can help to build strong bones. However, dairy products also are the biggest sources of artery-clogging saturated fat in kids’ diets. To protect children’s bones and hearts, make sure all dairy foods served are low-fat or fat-free.

Yogurt - Look for brands that are low-fat or fat-free, moderate in sugars (no more than about 30 grams of sugars in a 6-oz. cup), and high in calcium (at least 25% of daily value [DV] for calcium in a 6-oz. cup). Examples include Danimals Drinkable Low-Fat Yogurt, Go-Gurt by Yoplait, or cups of low-fat or non-fat yogurt from Stonyfield Farm, Dannon, Horizon, and similar store brands. Low-fat or non-fat yogurt also can be served with fresh or frozen fruit or low-fat granola.

Low-Fat Cheese - Cheese provides calcium, but often its saturated fat price tag is too high. Cheese is the number two source of heart-damaging saturated fat in children’s diets. Even with low-fat and reduced-fat cheese, be sure to serve with other foods like fruit, vegetables, or whole grain crackers. Choose reduced-fat cheeses like Trader Joe’s Armenian Style Braided; Borden or Sargento Light Mozzarella string cheese; Frigo Light Cheese Heads; Kraft Twist-Ums; Polly-O Twisterellas; the Laughing Cow’s Light Original Mini Babybel; or Cabot 50% Light Vermont Cheddar.

Low-Fat Pudding and Frozen Yogurt - Low-fat or fat-free pudding and frozen yogurt should be served only as occasional treats, because they are high in added sugars.

Healthy Snacks

OTHER SNACK IDEAS

Nuts - Since nuts are high in calories, it is best to serve them along with another snack such as fruit. A small handful of nuts is a reasonable serving size. Examples include peanuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews, or soy nuts. Look for nuts that are unsalted.

Trail Mix - Trail mixes are easy to make and store well in a sealed container. Items to include: low-fat granola, whole grain cereals, peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits like raisins, apricots, apples, pineapple, or cranberries.

Luncheon Meat - Choose lower-fat, reduced-sodium brands of turkey, ham, and roast beef and serve with whole wheat bread, pita, tortillas (as a wrap sandwich), or crackers. Cut sandwiches in half to make snack-sized portions.

HEALTHY BEVERAGES

Water - Water should be the main drink served to kids at snack times.

Water satisfies thirst and does not have sugar or calories. (Plus, it is low-cost for care-givers!) If kids are used to getting sweetened beverages at snack times, it may take a little time for them to get used to drinking water.

Seltzer - Carbonated drinks like seltzer, sparkling water, and club soda are healthy options. They do not contain the sugars, calories, and caffeine of sodas. Serve them alone or try making “healthy sodas” by mixing them with equal amounts of 100% fruit juice.

Low-Fat and Fat-Free Milk - Milk provides key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D. Choose fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk to avoid the heart-damaging saturated fat found in whole and 2% (reduced-fat) milk. It is best to serve fat-free versions of chocolate, strawberry, or other flavored milks to help balance the extra calories coming from added sugars. Single-serve containers of chocolate or other flavored whole or 2% milk drinks can be too high in calories (400-550 calories) and saturated fat (1/3 of a day’s worth) to be a healthy beverage for kids.

Soy and Rice Drinks - For children who prefer not to drink cow’s milk, calcium fortified soy and rice drinks are good choices.

Fruit Juice - Try to buy 100% fruit juice and avoid the added sugars of juice drinks, punches, fruit cocktail drinks, or lemonade. Drinks that contain at least 50% juice and no additional caloric sweeteners are also healthful options. To find 100% juice, look at beverage nutrition labels for the percentage of the beverage that is juice. Orange, grapefruit, and pineapple juices are more nutrient-dense and are healthier than apple, grape, and pear juices. Fruit juice can be rich in vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting compounds. However, it is high in calories. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ages 1-6 years old drink no more than 6 ounces (one serving) of juice a day and children ages 7-18 years old drink no more than 12 ounces (two servings) of juice a day.

Water should be the main drink served to kids at snack times.

A note about sugary soft drinks (soda, sweetened tea, lemonade, and juice drinks):

Children who drink more sweetened drinks consume more calories and are more likely to be overweight than kids who drink fewer soft drinks. Soft drinks also displace healthful foods in kids’ diets like milk, which can help prevent osteoporosis, and 100% juice, which can help prevent heart disease and cancer. In addition, soda pop can cause dental cavities and tooth decay.

Source: Healthy School Snacks

Do you know why Japanese have longer-lasting age compare to other nations?

Why most Asians have slim body?

You can be like them by doing natural diet ala Asia!

Based on many research, Asian countries especially Japan and China have the healthiest citizens among other people in the world. Thus, it has been proven that heart disease, diabetes and cancer patients are less number than other countries such as US.

Let’s go through the Asians secrets:

1. Only eat natural and fresh foods. Avoid processed foods and increase fruits and fresh vegetables intake in your daily diet.

Vegetables are your lovers!

2. Minimize in processing your foods. It’s far better to cook your own meals at home instead buying outside. Do not cook your meals too long as it will affect the nutrient, vitamin, mineral and anti-oxidant qualities. It would be great to cook your foods by steaming, boiling, grilling instead of frying.

3. Stop eating before your stomach feels full. If you eat lots of foods, it will impact significantly to your digestion process. Therefore, your meals couldn’t be digested perfectly and this will harm your overall health.

more watermelon,anyone?

4. Eat in small portion frequently. If you eat in a small portion few times a day instead of 3 times a day, based on New England Journal of Medicine, to break down your calories intake in different 8 portions can lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) until 13% and decrease your blood sugar until 4%.

5. Eat your meals slowly. If you eat in a hurry, it will only shock your digestive system and your foods won’t be able to digest thoroughly. Chew your meals accordingly so your ptyalin enzyme in your tongue can do its work perfectly. The best way out is to eat with your family or friends can make you eat slowly.

6. Use natural spices and herbs as your cooking ingredients. Replace your MSG with onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper and fig. Besides can make your meals more delicious, your body will become healthy too.

7. Drink water more. Averagely you should drink water between 6 glasses until 8 glasses a day. Sufficient liquid in your body will significantly support you to metabolism and chemical reactions. Please avoid soft drinks and other drinks in packages as much as possible.

Stay tune for further secrets of Asians healthy life style!

There are seven NOs to maintain your health naturally that eventually will aid you in your weight loss program. Here you go:

1. No diet, or fat-free, food. They contain a lot of ingredients that no one can pronounce.

2. Avoid microwaving your meals. Cook it yourself. The best way is by steaming. A study found out that the most significant and important nutrients are kept well with this way. Then boiling is fine, as long as you are not overcook. Frying would be the latest choice of your cooking style.

3. Avoid tons of sugar and replace it with honey.

4. Don’t stuck yourself up with same kind of food. Fill your plate during the day with foods of all colors.

5. Never eat for the reason of feeling blue, or swing mood, sad, mad, or stressed out. There is a great trick to overcome this kind of hungry: drink plenty of water and go to sleep. Remember this, once you are allowing your mouth to munch anything in hoping to compensate your mellow mood, you will keep coming back to your bowl for good. Just like a hungry cat!

more animals

6. Foods that have a 10-year shelf life should not be eaten. They contain high preservatives for sure. Go for the real stuff.

7. Don’t snack yourself to weight gain. Eat real meals that are satisfying, not snacky foods that will kill your waistline and make you feel blah.

I bet you often wonder, think, search, research and plan on how to end up your stomach with healthy meals. The secret is only to make everything simple and practical! Just do it. That doesn’t mean consideration is being neglected, however too much thinking and decide on eclectic things will make you more dizzy than being healthy.

Now let’s begin the jumpstart, shall we?

more funny pictures

1. Eat only when you are really hungry and stop eating before your stomach is going to explode.

2. Only eat in small portion for every meals yet nutritious with high fiber.

3. Eat slowly and chew your food well.

-           I read in a health article, doctor suggested to chew 32 times for each. When you eat in a steady and slow motion, it will give you more content for the stomach and brain, also helping you to stay in small portion of meals.

4. Do not ever forget your breakfast.

-           Neglect it will only make you overeating snacks and bigger portion for meals.

5. Drink only water around 8 glasses for a day.

-           Water transports essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins, proteins and sugars for assimilation.  Thus, it is essential for nutrient absorption.

-           Aids in weight loss. If you haven’t been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water-which equals extra unwanted pounds. Drink more water to teach your body that it no longer needs to store water. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant.

6. Avoid fast food if possible, but it is fine to eat it only once for a while.

7. Restrict your red meat intake and increase white meat (such as fish).

Things Your Doctor Forgot to Tell

Let’s dig more about onions as natural home remedies. I have found astonishing things from the researches on onions.

Here below I will share with you the studies conducted by well-known universities:

1. Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands

• The absorption of quercetin from onions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples.
• Daily consumption of onions may result in increased accumulation of quercetin in the blood.

Studies have indicated that quercetin helps:

-        to eliminate free radicals in the body,

-        to inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation (an important reaction in the atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease),

-        to protect and regenerate vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant),

-        and to inactivate the harmful effects of chelate metal ions.

2. The Queen’s University at Belfast, Ireland

• The content of quercetin in onions is estimated to be between 22.40 mg and 51.82 mg per medium-sized onion (100 gram).

3. University of Wisconsin-Madison

• The more pungent onions exhibit strong anti-platelet activity. Platelet aggregation is associated with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.

4. University of Bern in Switzerland

• Consumption of 1 g dry onion per day for 4 weeks increased bone mineral content in rats by more than 17% and mineral density by more than 13% compared to animals fed a control diet. This data suggests onion consumption has the potential to decrease the incidences of osteoporosis.

What are the significant components in onions that contribute to your health?

1.      quercetin have beneficial effects against many diseases and disorders, including:

-         cataracts,

-         cardiovascular disease,

-         cancer: breast, colon, ovarian, gastric, lung and bladder.

2.      phytochemicals known as disulfides, trisulfides, cepaene, and vinyl dithiins; thus,  these compounds have a variety of health-functional properties, including:

- anticancer,

- antimicrobial activities.

3.      source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and folic acid.

4.      calcium, iron and have a high protein quality (ratio of mg amino acid/gram protein).

Are you anxious to find out the good news about onions besides from the aforementioned information?

Onions are low in sodium and contain no fat.

This is great news for you who apply healthy natural diet. Thus, not only to avoid increase your fat in body, also it is a fabulous way for illness prevention and maintains your overall health.