MNrural Health School

Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

The term “metabolism” has recently become a part of our every day vocabulary. There are very few people on the planet that are completely satisfied with there weight and wouldn’t want to lose some. For years, diet was considered to be the best way of weight loss (if not the only one). However, current research has shown that eating less and reducing calories can cause the opposite effect. Faster metabolism enables one’s body to burn more calories, and therefore to lose more weight. Although not easy, it IS possible to improve one’s metabolism. There are some factors we can control and change, and some factors we can’t (like age, gender and heredity).

As every nutritionist would recommend, the first step in speeding up the metabolism is eating small frequent meals. Extending the time between meals causes “starvation mode” which makes body conserve more energy. It is advised to have four to six small meals per day including healthy snacks. Another important advice is drinking more water, since 90% of the chemical reactions in human body occur in water. According to cold water has a big advantage over warm water; when one drinks ice cold water, the body burns calories warming it up to its temperature. There are lots of pills and supplements that claim to burn fat and speed up the metabolism. Most of these claims are unproven. There are chemicals, such as nicotine and caffeine, that do have a small effect, but aren’t recommended as a treatment for obesity, as it is accompanied by an increase in the heart rate and other side-effects.  Read more...

Multivitamins: Why You Need Them

Most people know that vitamins are important. They provide the essential nutrients and minerals necessary for good health. Unfortunately many don’t understand which vitamins are most important to promote optimal health and protect against deficiencies. Severe deficiencies of vitamins or minerals are typically fairly rare in young, healthy people. Slight deficiencies are far more common such as Vitamin B12 deficiency in people over 60. Other common deficiencies include magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, Vitamin E, zinc, calcium, chromium, folic acid, and zinc in people of all ages. Most people don’t realize how common these deficiencies are. A good multivitamin is an excellent safeguard against deficiencies like these that could lead to serious health problems.

When considering the benefits of multivitamins, it is important to look at the long run. A small deficiency over time can eventually lead to problems such as osteoporosis in the case of vitamin D or calcium deficiency. If vitamin B6 and folic acid are deficient, the risk of heart disease is increased. Pregnant women should also be very concerned with their intake of folic acid, because deficiencies are clinically shown to lead to birth defects.

Vitamin deficiencies are a concern, but it is also important to be proactive about your health. Multivitamins will not only protect you from deficiencies, but they will also promote health in many important areas. For instance, multivitamins may eliminate symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), cut down on antisocial behavior in children, boost mental function, and prevent the onset of the common cold. The B vitamins are even shown to enhance men’s fertility. Multivitamins also assist digestive function, provide added energy, help with weight management, increase immune resistance and shift hormonal balances to help slow down the process of aging.  Read more...

Bones are essential! They not only help you move and support your muscles, but they also give shape and support your body. Bones contain the marrow which contributes to our immune system, and provides red blood cells. Bones are constantly going through a process of building, tearing down, and rebuilding and will be remade multiple times throughout your life. This process is accelerated during childhood and during the teenage years. When you are young, your body adds new bone faster than it breaks down the old bone. After about age 20, if you don’t manage your nutrients and exercise wisely, it is possible to lose bone faster than you make new bone. This leads to osteoporosis which is when your bones are weak and porous and prone to breakage and can cause extreme pain. To have strong bones when you are young, and to prevent bone loss when you are older, you need to get enough calcium, vitamin D, and you need to exercise. Usually in caring for yourself there is no magic bullet, however managing these three simple things can be very effective in preventing osteoporosis.

A recent scientific study stated that a person needs more than just vitamins and exercise to promote healthy bones. According to this study, bones are damaged when a person consumes a diet that causes an increased amount of acid in the body. An acidic environment increases bone breakdown. This has also been considered as a reason why those who drink sodas which contain phosphoric acid have increased incidences of osteoporosis. Colas are the most common culprit. Food items such as proteins and cereal grains are also acid producing; however, fruits and vegetables are acid reducing. To promote bone health, it is recommended to eat moderate amounts of grains and proteins and to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. This can be hard to do, especially during winter months when fresh vegetables are difficult to obtain or are very expensive. Many people may experience abdominal discomfort eating the 5-9 servings which are recommended each day. Fresh vegetables also go bad quickly and take up a lot of space in your refrigerator. Finding a great multi-vitamin can help you get the nutrients you need when your diet alone doesn’t provide enough. In addition to taking a vitamin, consider some of the following things to increase your bone health. Adding some of the following may help:  Read more...

Florida, a south eastern state of United States of America, bordering Alabama and Georgia, most part of the state land is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The name Florida is adopted from a Spanish term for the “Flowery Easter” season, and for the land’s appearance as a “flowered land. Florida’s nickname is the “Sunshine State”, but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. More than eleven hundred (1100) hospitals and medical center are operating in Florida. These provide a complete range of healthcare services and equipped with latest machinery and equipment along with specialized and well experienced staff and practitioners.

A medical center is a deliberation of medical care providers. It can be a clinic, hospital or a large complex having number of medical facilities. Medical Center offers tremendous choices when it comes to medical services that can save your life and provide a higher quality of life after medical procedures. Medical center (s) have values of providing good customer service with the latest technology, great physicians, outstanding support staff, extraordinary facilities, out of box thinking when it comes to holistic medicine and care along with a place to retire and enjoy your life after working so long. Most of the medical center in Florida represents the crown jewels of health care in United States. Although these vary greatly in their organization, the services they present, and their ownership and processes. Medical Center could be of various types, some of the types are mentioned below;

* Outpatient Medical Center

* Medical Wellness Center

* Doctor Medical Center

* Physician Medical Center

* Pediatric Medical Center

* Medical Center Nursery

* Acupuncture Medical Center

* General Hospital

* University Medical Center  Read more...

On the conference of the 12th National Clinical Nutrition of China Nutrition Society, experts called on government departments concerned and promulgate relevant laws and regulations to guide the formation of scientific standards of urban and rural residents in eating habits, to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases.

As China’s economic development and the improvement of people’s living standard, the incidence of chronic diseases such as overweight, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia is soaring. Nutrition and health problems should not be overlooked. To eat better does not mean that eating with science, nor does it mean nutritional balance. It is urgent need to enhance the popularity and professional guidance of nutritional knowledge in China.

According to a survey carried out by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and the National Bureau of Statistics, at present, the prevalence rate of hypertension of China’s population aged 18 and above was 18.8%; the prevalence of diabetes was 2.6%; the rate of overweight adults was 22.8%. The obesity rate was 7.1% while childhood obesity had reached to 8.1%. And China’s adult’s prevalence rate of dyslipidemia was 18.6%.

In west countries, paying attention to dietary balance is a science. There had equipped with professional nutritionists. Some of Chinese colleges and universities have offered nutrition courses, and some hospitals have also set up nutrition department, but as there is no title of nutritionist levels, many students change their profession after graduation. Due to a long-term lack of professional guidance, the ingestion of vitamins, cereals, dairy and legumes is generally insufficient, while intake of fat and salt are higher than the WHO recommended standards.