What About Salt Intake?

Commonly fat and sugar intake are looked at first but going over the RDI for salt is very easy. The USA government recommends a maximum of 6g of salt per day for adults, 5g a day for children aged 7-10 and 3g for children aged 4-6. The amount of salt consumed in one fast food meal is more than twice the daily limit for an adult and four times the daily limit of a six year old.
A family meal from KFC – consisting of eight mini breast fillets, two regular popcorn chicken portions, four regular fries, a large portion of BBQ beans, a large coleslaw and a 1.5 litre Pepsi shared equally between four – could contain 5.2g of salt per person.

Of meal combinations aimed specifically at children, the salt content varied from 4.3g of salt in a Pizza Hut chicken wrap and a soft drink to 0.6g in a McDonald’s Happy Meal of chicken nuggets and a fruit bag.
According to the Cash survey, a family of four sharing a Pizza Hut meal deal – consisting of one Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, one medium Super Supreme, a portion of garlic bread, a portion of potato wedges, chicken wings, and a cheesecake dessert – could eat 12.3g of salt each.

Full Article at BBC News

Fish Oil Helps Control Acne

Getting sufficient essential fatty acids is importance in clearing acne. It’s these fatty acids that help control the production of androgens – the hormones that surge during the teen-age times, which causes excess sebum oil to clog your hair follicle and contribute to creating your acne.
The three fatty acids you need daily are omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9. You need more omega 3, fish oil , than omega 6. When you are deficient in the essential fatty acids, you will have,

* A weaken immune system
* Inflammatory disorders
* Poor skin
* Skin eruptions that won’t heal
* Increase sebum production causing acne
* Sebaceous glands size increase

Eating essential oils is necessary to provide the right oils that are used in the sebaceous glands. These oils can come from fish oils or from oils in specific foods such as nuts and seeds. Use flax seed oil (omega-3 oil) and olive oil (omega-6 oil) in your salad. These are the best oils to eat and are called polyunsaturated fatty acids. The other oil that is even better for you is called monounsaturated fatty acid, omega-9. This oil is found in avocados.

Most diets people have contain an excess of omega-6 oils, so mostly likely you need to concentrate on getting more omega-3 oils into your diet. You can get omega-3 oil from,

* avocados
* sesame seeds
* pumpkin seeds
* walnuts
* dark leafy green vegetables (spinach, mustard greens, kale)
* wheat germ oil
* salmon
* sardines
* albacore tuna

and fish oil supplements

Or, you can take one to 4 tablespoon of flax seed oil, omega-3 oil, each day. This will give you the amount of omega-3 oil that your body needs to reduce or eliminate acne blemishes. You can add this oil to your morning cereal, soups, smoothies, salads and other liquid foods. Each tablespoon of flax seed oil contains about 100 calories. You can get omega-6 oil from,

* Flaxseed oil
* Flaxseeds
* grape seed oil
* pistachio nuts
* olives
* olive oil
* sunflower seeds
* evening primrose oil
* pumpkin seeds

Taking 2-3 tablespoons of omega-6 oil a day will give you the amount of this oil that you body needs. You can add olive oil and other oils into your salad with the flax seed oil. You can get omega-9 oil from,

* Olive oil
* Avocados
* Cashews
* Almonds
* Olives
* sesame oil
* pecans
* pistachio nuts

Taking around 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil per day will give you the omega-9 oil that your body needs

Fish Oils

In addition to supplying your diet with omega-3 and omega-6 oils, you need to supplement your diet with fish oils. Fish oil contains EPA and DHA fatty acids. Normally, enzymes in your body break down omega-3 into EPA and DHA fatty acids.

* Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
* Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

These two fatty acids eventually change into prostaglandins. What are prostaglandins? Prostaglandins are chemical hormones that come from omega-3 and omega-6 oils and that help, regulate every function in your cells and organs.  Postaglandins also keep androgen hormones in control so that excess sebum is not produce in the hair follicle, which results in acne. However, eating plenty essential fatty acids may not insure that you produce enough EPA and DHA, which produce the essential prostaglandins.

It is critical for acne and more importantly for your health that you get enough EPA in your cells and organs so they can produce the required prostaglandins. To increase the prostaglandins in your cell walls, it is necessary for you to take a fish supplement, which contains EPA . Of course eating salmon, halibut, and mackerel twice a week will be a plus in providing your body with more EPA.

Free Range Eggs Are Better for You

Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

Read the full story at Meet Real Free-Range Eggs

The Obesity Epidemic

One third of Americans are classified as obese—and the number is growing. Let’s get some insight into this expanding epidemic.

Consequences of Obesity – Obesity doesn’t just affect what you see in the mirror: It can have serious consequences for your health.
Overcoming Obesity – Obesity can lead to a plethora of unhealthy consequences, but the good news is that it can be eliminated with some lifestyle changes.

Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar – Physically Addictive Foods

Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food additions. Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods. A plant-based (vegan) diet is the solution to avoid many of these problems. Neal Barnard is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).You need to have flashplayer enabled to watch this Google video