Stay Healthy, not only for yourself, but for those who love you!

Hey everyone, I have really enjoyed blogging this past term. I hope I have helped many of you with any Nutritional questions that you may have had. For this blog post I wanted to wrap things up by saying being healthy isnt just important for yourself, but for those around you and love you. If you have kids, you are going to want to be there for them as long as you possibly can. You are going to want to see them marry one day, have children of their own, and watch them have a growing family and spoil their kids! Staying healthy is not just eating the right foods, but smoking is proven to knock years off your life. Please remember your children will have to live without you one day. Do you want it to be sooner or later? Do you want to miss out on the most important things in your childs life? I know most of you think to yoourselves...."how will this really hurt me, or only one cigarrette wont kill me..." Your right...its a combination of your actions not just one bite of a brownie or one cigarrette. Try to change for your children and for yourself. Good luck to everyone!!

Diuretics

A diuretic is any drug that elevates the rate of urination which causes dehydration. When using a diuretic such as Caffeine, it makes the kidneys work much harder to filter the water in the body. Many people who suffer from eating disorders also abuse diuretics to lose weight. Many energy drinks or diet pills are diuretics because they have caffeine in them. If you are trying to lose weight by these means, make sure you drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. Water is extremely valuable in the human body. Waters Functions include:
-Water is essential for digesting food. It is also important for getting rid of various toxic elements from the body, in the form of urine, sweat and fecal matter.

-Water helps to cushion our joints and prevents shocks in them.
-Water present in blood is the carrier of oxygen and nutrients to all our body cells.
-Water present in lymph (a fluid that is part of our immune system) helps the body to fight against various diseases.
-Water helps to regulate and maintain our body temperature. That explains why wet poultices are used to cure fevers.
-Water prevents dehydration and thus, helps to maintain proper metabolism in our body.

However, diuretics are not only harmful but can also be helpful in many cases. In medicine, diuretics are used to treat heart failure, liver cirrhosis, hypertension and certain kidney diseases. Some diuretics, such as acetazolamide, help to make the urine more alkaline and are helpful in increasing excretion of substances such as aspirin in cases of overdose or poisoning.

Diet Pills and their Effects

Different diet pills contain different ingredients, so their side effects vary:

As fat blockers like orlistat (Xenical) remove excess fats via the intestines, they may cause uncomfortable cramping, gas and diarrhea. Because these drugs also reduce the body's absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, people who take Xenical are advised to take a daily multivitamin supplement.
Sibutramine (Meridia) and other similar appetite suppressants stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which can raise blood pressure and heart rate. This increases the risk of heart attack and cardiac arrest, especially among people who already suffer from high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat or heart disease.In fact, between February 1998 and March 2003, the FDA received reports of 49 deaths related to sibutramine. Other, more minor side effects include constipation, headache, dry mouth and insomnia (because the chemicals in these drugs also influence sleep patterns). Herbal diet pills, even though they're "all natural," can have potentially dangerous side effects depending upon their ingredients. "Herbal" doesn't necessarily mean "safe." Also, because they are considered part of the food industry and are therefore regulated differently by the FDA, there is no guarantee that they can live up to their manufacturers' claims.
Now that you see how harmful diet pills can be to your vital organs..try losing weight the healthy way and go buy some tennis shoes and jog for 15-20 a day and watch your fat and sugar intake. You will see results soon enough =)

Calcium Deficiency & Osteoporosis

Hey guys! for this weeks Blog I wanted to stress the importance of getting enough Calcium in your diet. How many of you actually log how may mg's of Calcium you are intaking daily? Probally not very many of you! Calcium is one of the most important elements in the diet because it is a structural component of bones, teeth, and soft tissues and is essential in many of the body's metabolic processes. On a cellular level, calcium is used to regulate the permeability and electrical properties of biological membranes (such as cell walls), which in turn control muscle and nerve functions, glandular secretions, and blood vessel dilation and contraction. Calcium is also essential for proper blood clotting. In order for your body to absorb Calcium, you must have an adequate intake of Vitamin D as well since this vitamin aids in calcium absorption in the small intestines. You can obtain vitamin D by supplementation or getting a few extra sun rays =)...
Calcium deficiency almost always results with Osteoporosis which is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. Most peoples bones begin to deplete in their mid 30's so the RDI(Recommended Dietary Intake) for Calcium increases at this age. Everyone should be consuming 1,000mg-1,200mg of Calcium A DAY!! If you don't, symptoms may arise such a:
•Bone pain or tenderness

•Fractures with little or no trauma
•Loss of height (as much as 6 inches) over time
•Low back pain due to fractures of the spinal bones
•Neck pain due to fractures of the spinal bones
•Stooped posture or kyphosis, also called a "dowager's hump"

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 is a water soluable vitamin which means the body does not store it and requires daily doses to be healthy. Vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by an inability of the body to absorb vitamin B12 or a lack of vitamin B12 in the diet. Vitamin B12 is essential for many aspects of health, such as production of red blood cells in the blood, normal growth and development, the production of nerves, skin, hair and genes and normal metabolism. This vitamin is essential for everyone and making sure you are getting your recommended amounts is very important. B12 deficiency amoung pregnant women is extremely important for fetal growth since B12 is responsible for DNA, normal growth and development. If a pregnant women has a B!@ deficiency, her baby most likely will have a Neural Tube Defect such as Spina Bifida, which is a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. A newborn may have a sac sticking out of the mid to lower back.

Symptoms include:
•Loss of bladder or bowel control
•Partial or complete lack of sensation
•Partial or complete paralysis of the legs
•Weakness of the hips, legs, or feet of a newborn

Other B12 deficiencies may cause Pernicious anemia, an abnormal condition in which there is a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood. Pernicious anemia is caused by a lack of vitamin B12, which is vital to the normal develoment of red blood cells.

Child Development & Malnutrition

I this weeks Blog I wanted to talk about the importance of child development. We all know kids can be picky eaters but it really is detrimental to their healthy if they are not consuming adequates amount of protein, calcium, carbohydrates (which feeds the brain), and vitamins & minerals. Not getting enough Vitamin A (beta-carotene) will cause bad eye site in the developing child. A calcium deficiency will alter his bone growth. Here in the U.S over eating is widely known. However, children are more likely to be malnourished for various reasons such as low income or just a picky eater. It is the parents job to find a food that their child will eat that has been fortified with vitamins and minerals. They have chocolate shakes with high protein, calcium and vitamins...and they love it cause its chocolate! Be more aware of what you are feeding your children. Dont just give them what they want. In more underdeveloped countries, malnutrition is much more serious. Here are a few quotes and statistics I thought were interesting.

Department of Nutrition for Health and Development said:
"We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the foundation of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed.
To him we cannot answer "Tomorrow". His name is "Today".

"The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've entered this site at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year."

"The infant mortality rate is closely linked to inadequate nutrition among pregnant women. The U.S. ranks 23rd among industrial nations in infant mortality. African-American infants die at nearly twice the rate of white infants."

Fun ways to Exercise

Many people feel that exercising is boring, hard or time consuming! On many occasions, we are burning calories and we don't even realize it. Simply Cleaning your house such as vacuming, mopping, or ironing burns calories. The only problem is, your body is burning calories from your readily available Carbohydrate stores that are in your muscles...Not Fat stores. In order to burn fat, your body must increase your heart rate for up to 10 minutes which allows your body to switch to the Aerobic system which burns calories from your Fat stores. Finding a fun way to increase your heart rate  might be riding your bike with your kids around the block, or trying out a new dance video such as ZUMBA! Try being creative with your exercise and remember to keep your heart rate up for atleast 20 minutes so you can burn off some of your fat!! Afterwards, have a fruit salad so you can regain some of your energy...Fruit is a simple Carb which produces energy faster than complex carbs such as Potatoes. Does anyone have any questions for me??