7 Food You Should Not Eat Very Often

Actually the title of the post is
7 Foods U Should NEVER Eat!

But I rather re-titled it as 7 Food You Should Not Eat Very Often..because I know we will never resist the temptation to eat them.

This article is originally written
By Jaclyn Johnson
eDiets.com Staff Writer and I would like to elaborate them here.

There will always be those fattening foods that are easy to make, easy to get, and easy to crave. You think "OK, I know this is bad but it can't be that bad!" Think again. Here are the top seven foods you should never ever feed your family or yourself!

1.Doughnuts
It's hard to resist the smell of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat.

According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5 ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won't satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat.

"Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar 'swings' or extreme fluctuations," eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said.

- This will make your blood sugar highly elevated and the excess sugar will be transformed into fats


2. Cheeseburger with fries
The age-old classic may be delicious but think twice before sinking your
teeth into that Big Mac. The saturated fat found in cheese burgers has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer.

"In fact, fast-food portions are gargantuan, almost double the calories per meal compared to 20 years ago," Susan says. "Twenty years ago the average fast-food cheeseburger had about 300 calories. Today's BK Whopper with cheese has 720. To burn the excess 420 calories, you'd have to run for 40 minutes. For example, in 1985 a medium French fry had 240 calories, 2.4 ounces. Today's 'medium' is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories.

"This fast-food meal of cheeseburger and fries has way too many calories and fat grams, not to mention grams of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and sodium."

Let's break down this meal. First, take the white-flour bun (refined carbohydrates), then add some processed cheese (saturated fat and trans fat, plus lots of additives and preservatives) and then top off with fried red meat (cholesterol and saturated fats). And let's not forget about the condiments such as the always fattening mayonnaise.

Not soun din g so appetizing anymore, huh? Oh, and let's not forget about the infamous side dish. You cheeseburger will most likely come with a side of French fries, which is sadly the most popular vegetable dish in the U.S. Don't kid yourself, French fries are not vegetables, they are extremely high in fat and contain a tiny amount of nutrients.

3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets

With the recent class-action lawsuit between The Center for
Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and KFC, the health risks posed by fried foods are becoming more public. The CSPI is suing the food chain for their use of cooking oil cont aini ng unhealthy trans fats. The lawsuit seeks to order KFC to use other types of cooking oils and to inform customers how much trans fats KFC's food contains.

Foods cooked in highly heated oils (most notably partially hydrogenated oil) have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other ser ious health risks if ingested regularly. A 10-piece chicken McNugget from McDonald's has 420 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1120 milligrams of sodium... One Extra Crispy Chicken Breast from KFC has around 420 calories and eight grams of saturated fat. So unless you want to super size yourself, it's best to make a clean break with fried foods.


4. Oscar Mayer's Lunchables

Sure they are convenient and easy, but boy are they unhealthy! These kid-marketed lunches are loaded with saturated fat and sodium.. They usually contain highly processed meats and cheeses, white flour crackers and sugary treats... Lunchables get two-thirds of their calories from fat and sugar. And they provide lopsided nutrition since they contain no fruits or vegetables.

"They insidiously promote obesity by making kids think that lunch normally comes in a cellophane-wrapped box," Susan says. "Parents are promoting their children's obesity by buying these items. They're expensive, too. Pack a sandwich and save dollars and health."


5. Sugary Cereal

Not all cereals are created equally. And while your kids might beg for the latest cookie or marshmallow chocolate surprise cereals, it is a safe bet they are about as healthy as a dessert. Keywords to look out for are puffed, dyed and sweetened.

Most kids' cereals are so highly processed they no longer look like the grains they were originally made from. A healthy alternative is oatmeal. Although, if you are buying pre-packaged oatmeal make sure to check the label and see ho w much sugar it contains, you might be surprised.

"A little sugar isn't a problem but when the first ingredient on the box is sugar, then watch out," she said. "There is no fruit in Froot Loops. But the unsweetened original Cheerios or Rice Krispies are fine, and you can sweeten them naturally with blueberries and strawberries."


6. Processed Meats.
What falls under the category of processed meats? Hot dogs, sausage, jerky,
bacon, certain lunch meats and meats used in canned soup products. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative.

A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite can act as "a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throug ho ut the body." So eliminate these meats from your diet before they eliminate you!


7. Canned soup.
Sometimes regarded as a healthy food, soups can be very deceiving. You must stay on your guard because many canned soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial pre ser vatives such as MSG. Just one serving (which is roughly one cup) can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt. Also, steer clear of soups that are cream-based, they can be high in calories and fat.

Susan says it is important to "read labels from back to front. Ignore the health claims, and instead focus on the ingredients and ser ving size. Watch out for hydrogenated fat (trans fat) and sodium. If you're buying bread to go with you soup, the first ingredient sho uld be wholegrain -- either wholewheat, rye or other grain. If it just says 'wheat bread,' that doesn't mean wholewheat."

We all want our family to be healthy and happy, so steer clear of these foods. Think it's difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Think again!

- This article is from Jaclyn Johnson from e-diet.com, The blogger deemed that this writing is very informational to readers and decided to publish it for the benefits of mankind.

Remember, it is always your choice!
ha

Tea is it Good for You?

Tea has many benefits: it has a greater proportion of antioxidants than other drinks, less caffeine than coffee.

According to Dr.Mao in his article Tea: The Elixir of Life

Tea is full of powerful antioxidants that improve concentration, gently boost energy, and make people happier. The free radical-inhibiting property of tea is more potent than that of vitamin E, and tea is a proven preventive and treatment for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The polyphenols in tea, especially the catechins, are powerful antioxidants that help ward off diabetes and cancer.

To get the most health from your tea, brew it fresh from tea bags or loose leaves and herbs, as instant and bottled teas contain less active compounds. Let the tea steep for three to five minutes to extract the most beneficial compounds. Drink to your health!

___________________________________________________________________

He also stated that its better to drink tea in the morning rather than coffee because although it can  provide a jolt, "coffee actually depletes your vital essence, "borrowing" energy that you didn't have in the first place".

He also said that Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. It causes you to experience stress, anxiety, a racing mind, and even insomnia, working against your attempts to relax the body and calm the mind.

Thus he recommended that a good substitute for coffee is herbal tea. On average, a cup of black tea contains about one third of the caffeine you would get from the same cup of coffee. Green tea contains about one sixth of that amount.

How to decaffeinate your tea?

1. Steep tea for 45 seconds, pour out the liquid but keep the tea leaves.
2. Add fresh boiling water and let it steep for 3-5 minutes or longer to allow the beneficial polyphenols to be extracted from the tea.

Dr.Mao also suggest that as a weight loss tool, tea is a wonderfully cleansing way to flush the system, replace fluids - and pump the body full of powerful antioxidants at the same time. Aside from the health benefits, tea is a zero-calorie beverage, making it your best choice for weight loss. Pass on the diet soda, loaded with sugar and bone-weakening bubbles, and go for tea.

It is best to drink tea unsweetened and without milk, which can minimize some of the health benefits. To sweeten the tea without the extra calories, forgo the sugar and try instead honey, stevia products, or a stick of cinnamon.


Herbal teas are made from various leaves, roots, bark, or flowers. Here are just a few recommended by Dr.Mao:

Ginger: Soothes the digestive system and keeps your energy fired up
Chamomile: Settles the stomach and is calming and soothing for the nervous system
Peppermint: Increases healthy gastric secretions, relaxes the intestines, and settles the stomach
Dandelion: Detoxifies and supports healthy liver functions
Valerian: A natural herbal substitute for sleeping pills
You can combine these herbs in any combination according to your taste and health preferences. Among my patients, an incredibly popular herbal tea is Internal Cleanse Tea, which is specially combined to detoxify, calm nerves, clear the mind, balance emotions, and ease digestion. This tea formula is available online at askdrmao.com.

I particularly like the Chrysanthemum tea..its very aromatic and has a pleasant aroma and can help you to go to sleep faster.

So, if you think you want to have a change in your daily beverage why not try some of the herbal tea?

Dr. Mao's article can be found at here

Are you Drinking Soy Bean At the Right Time?

All of us know that soyabean drink provides good protein to our body... but many of us don't know that there are certain days we should  avoid drinking it.

Soya bean drinks are best consumed on hot sunny days when the sun is strong. The soya milk will give lots of nutrients to the body as the body is able to absorb the protein well.

However, avoid the drink when the weather is cloudy or raining.Taking the drink in these weather, the body will not be able to take in the protein and will result in a disease called "GOUT" or "high acidic urine" due to the high protein residue in the body, after a long run.

This disease will cause pain to your knee joints and it will onlybe in control when you control your food intake of proteins andmedication. The pain is unbearable and usually you will have no idea what you have taken to cause the pain.

Food like soya beans, ikan bilis, broccoli, spinach,peanuts,animal organs ( i.e. pork liver) etc will have to be avoided to prevent the pain from attacking.

So my friend, pass this to your family, relatives and friends to keep an alert on the pros and cons of soyabean milk and when it is to be taken and to be avoided.

Are you drinking the right tea?

 1. People who use their "brain" to work or students who study hard
day  and night.
  --- should drink more Chrysanthemum Tea.

2. People who need a lot of body energy to work or those people who exercise a lot everyday.
--- should drink Wu Loong Tea.

3. People who travel on a bike or work in dirty and polluted places.
--- should drink Green Tea.

 4. For people who like to sit down all day long and not do anything, even exercising
--- must drink Green Tea and Flower Tea.

 5. People who smoke and drink a lot of alcoholic drinks.
 --- should drink more Green Tea.

6. Carnnivore ( i.e. people who must eat meat at least once a day,
or feel sickly)
--- try to drink some Wu Loong Tea.

 7. People who go to the washroom too often or not often enough.
 --- should drink more Honey Tea

8. People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
--- Wu Loong Tea, Green Tea.

9. Those who work with computers everyday.
--- need to drink a Lot of Tea (any tea will do).

Whenever you are working with the computer, you should make some
tea,  drink it when you are free.

Drinking Tea is healthy, it can protect and prevent the harmful  Ultraviolet light from harming us (when using computer).

Furthermore, it can also cure us when we are tired and help making 0ur
body feel fresh again.

Milk: Is it really worth drinking?

Perhaps you never think about this but actually this is a new information for all of us. This brought to me in mind when I read about an article by Paul Spencer in his website, which proved to enlighten me a lot about Milk. Some of his statement and information really answered many questions of mine. Below are extracts of some useful information regarding milk and its drinking consequences:

Milk are very benefial and nutritious: only in its clean and raw form. Pausterised milk lost many of its benefical and useful nutrition, and furthermore processed milk posed more dangers for human because it contains antibiotics and hormones that can cause many health complications later.

Cow milk is benefical to calf as human milk to man, therefore the composition of proteins and minerals are indeed varied considerably. Cow milk consumption is harder to digest because of the presence of casein, a specific substance in cows milk. Furthermore, the presence of casein in human digestive tract can trigger our body to produce a lot of mucus which is responsible for the occurence of allergies and flu.
The recurrent contraction of cold may be traced back to milk consumption in some people.

Pausterised milk lost many of its useful enzymes and beneficial bacterias. This lead to the idea that pasteurised milk are "dead food" despite its effectiveness in controlling diseases.

Homogenisation process involved in the treatment of milk distributes the fat throughout the milk by reducing the fat size. But as an effect due to homogenisation, an enzyme called xanthine oxidase (a type of enzyme responsible for atherosclerosis)is left behind and attach themselves to the smaller fat globules. The smaller fat globules are readily available to enter bloodstream and in combination with xanthine oxidase, it will contribute to the formation of fat plaque in the arteries and therefore causes atherosclerosis in the long term.

Clean raw milk is better than pausterised milk because it has more enzymes that are useful for human body process. Remember, enzymes are biological catalyst that speed up chemical process in our body. Enzymes are mostly available in raw food, such as green vegetables.

Calcium is not only present in milk, it is also abundantly present in vegetables and plants (where does the cow get their calcium if not from grass and plants?). Therefore it is a wise choice to look to plants for calcium. Recommended ones are brocolli, cooked collard greens, kale and cabbages. There are many more to choose from and the only limitation is your imagination, sources and taste.

After all, Eat wisely!

Well, I thank you Paul for your informative article.
His article can be found at optimalhealth.co.uk.
Link for the article Why NOT to Drink your Milk is here.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet. It most often refers to undernutrition resulting from inadequate consumption, poor absorption, or excessive loss of nutrients, but the term can also encompass overnutrition, resulting from overeating or excessive intake of specific nutrients.

An individual will experience malnutrition if the appropriate amount of, or quality of nutrients comprising a healthy diet are not consumed for an extended period of time. An extended period of malnutrition can result in starvation, disease, and infection.

Malnutrition is the lack of sufficient nutrients to maintain healthy bodily functions and is typically associated with extreme poverty in economically developing countries. It is a common cause of reduced intelligence in parts of the world affected by famine.

Malnutrition as the result of inappropriate dieting, overeating or the absence of a "balanced diet" is often observed in economically developed countries (eg. as indicated by increasing levels of obesity).

Most commonly, malnourished people either do not have enough calories in their diet, or are eating a diet that lacks protein, vitamins, or trace minerals. Medical problems arising from malnutrition are commonly referred to as deficiency diseases. Scurvy is a well-known and now rare form of malnutrition, in which the victim is deficient in vitamin C.

Common forms of malnutrition include protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient malnutrition. PEM refers to inadequate availability or absorption of energy and proteins in the body. Micronutrient malnutrition refers to inadequate availability of some essential nutrients such as vitamins and trace elements that are required by the body in small quantities. Micronutrient deficiencies lead to a variety of diseases and impair normal functioning of the body. Deficiency in micronutrients such as Vitamin A reduces the capacity of the body to resist diseases. Deficiency in iron, iodine and vitamin A is widely prevalent and represent a major public health challenge. An array of afflictions ranging from stunted growth, reduced intelligence and various cognitive abilities, reduced sociability, reduced leadership and assertiveness, reduced activity and energy, reduced muscle growth and strength, and poorer health overall are directly implicated to nutrient deficiencies. Also, another, although rare, effect of malnutrition is black spots appearing on the skin.

Hunger is the normal psychological response brought on by the physiological condition of needing food. Hunger can also affect the mental state of a person, and is often used as a metonym for general undernourishment.

Causes of Malnutrition

-Famine
-Poverty
-Digestive disease
-Malabsorption
-Depression
-Anorexia nervosa
-Bulimia nervosa
-Untreated diabetes mellitus
-Fasting
-Coma
-Alcoholism and other certain drug addictions
-Over-consumption of fat and sugar
-Overpopulation
-Industrial food processing

An extended period of malnutrition can result in starvation or deficiency diseases such as scurvy. Malnutrition increases the risk of infection and infectious disease; for example, it is a major risk factor in the onset of active tuberculosis.

Malnutrition appears to increase activity and movement in many animals - for example an experiment on spiders showed increased activity and predation in starved spiders, resulting in larger weight gain.This pattern is seen in many animals, including humans while sleeping.It even occurs in rats with their cerebral cortex or stomachs completely removed.Increased activity on hamster wheels occurred when rats were deprived not only of food, but also water or B vitamins such as thiamine.This response may increase the animal's chance of finding food, though it has also been speculated the emigration response relieves pressure on the home population.

Benefits of Flavonoids

The term flavonoid refers to a class of plant secondary metabolites.

Metabolites is the outcome of the breakdown of certain biochemical compounds in plants.

So what is the benefit of a flavonoid?

Flavonoids are most commonly known for their antioxidant activity.

However, it is now known that the health benefits they provide against cancer and heart disease are the result of other mechanisms.Flavonoids are also commonly referred to as bioflavonoids in the media – the terms are equivalent and interchangeable, for flavonoids are biological in origin.

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants fulfilling many functions including producing yellow or red/blue pigmentation in flowers and protection from attack by microbes and insects.

The widespread distribution of flavonoids, their variety and their relatively low toxicity compared to other active plant compounds (for instance alkaloids) mean that many animals, including humans, ingest significant quantities in their diet. Flavonoids have been referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers" because of strong experimental evidence of their inherent ability to modify the body's reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity.

Consumers and food manufacturers have become interested in flavonoids for their medicinal properties, especially their potential role in the prevention of cancers and cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects of fruit, vegetables, and tea or even red wine have been attributed to flavonoid compounds rather than to known nutrients and vitamins.

In 2007, research conducted at the Linus Pauling Institute and published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine indicates that inside the human body, flavonoids themselves are of little or no direct antioxidant value. Unlike in the controlled conditions of a test tube, flavonoids are poorly absorbed by the human body (less than 5%), and most of what is absorbed is quickly metabolized and excreted from the body.

The huge increase in antioxidant capacity of blood seen after the consumption of flavonoid-rich foods is not caused directly by the flavonoids themselves, but most likely is due to increased uric acid levels that result from expelling flavonoids from the body.

According to Frei, "we can now follow the activity of flavonoids in the body, and one thing that is clear is that the body sees them as foreign compounds and is trying to get rid of them. But this process of gearing up to get rid of unwanted compounds is inducing so-called Phase II enzymes that also help eliminate mutagens and carcinogens, and therefore may be of value in cancer prevention... Flavonoids could also induce mechanisms that help kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor invasion."

Their research also indicated that only small amounts of flavonoids are necessary to see these medical benefits. Taking large dietary supplements provides no extra benefit and may pose some risks.

Good sources of flavonoids include all citrus fruits, berries, onions, parsley, legumes, green tea, red wine, seabuckthorn, and dark chocolate (that with a cocoa content of seventy percent or greater).


Citrus

The citrus bioflavonoids include hesperidin, quercetin, rutin (a glycoside of quercetin), and tangeritin. In addition to possessing antioxidant activity and an ability to increase intracellular levels of vitamin C, rutin and hesperidin exert beneficial effects on capillary permeability and blood flow. They also exhibit some of the anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory benefits of quercetin. Quercetin can also inhibit reverse transcriptase, part of the replication process of retroviruses.

The therapeutical relevance of this inhibition has not been established. Hydroxyethylrutosides (HER) have been used in the treatment of capillary permeability, easy bruising, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.


Tea

Green tea flavonoids are potent antioxidant compounds, thought to reduce incidence of cancer and heart disease. The major flavonoids in green tea are the catechins (catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)).

In producing teas such as oolong tea and black tea, the leaves are allowed to oxidize, during which enzymes present in the tea convert some or all of the catechins to larger molecules. White tea is the least processed of teas and is shown to present the highest amount of catechins known to occur in camellia sinensis.However, green tea is produced by steaming the fresh-cut leaf, which inactivates these enzymes, and oxidation does not significantly occur.


Wine

Grape skins contain significant amounts of flavonoids as well as other polyphenols. Both red and white wine contain flavonoids; however, since red wine is produced by fermentation in the presence of the grape skins, red wine has been observed to contain higher levels of flavonoids, and other polyphenolics such as resveratrol.

Flavonoids is a type of antioxdants which protect cells by inhibiting cell damage by free radicals. Thus it is very important to consume it for the integrity and longevity of cells.