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Wouldn’t it be great if there was a better way to get a healthy looking glow without having to lie on a sun bed or in the sun for hours at a time. Well perhaps there is a way so read on.

This study was done at Nottingham University , which found that if you eat a diet which is high in fresh fruit and vegetables it gives your skin a healthy glow.

Dr Ian Stephen, who headed the research, had this to say.

“Most people think the best way to improve skin colour is to get a suntan, but our research shows that eating lots of fruit and vegetables is actually more effective”.

Dr Stephen found that the participants whom he monitored and ate a lot fresh produce their skin had a healthy glow about it similar to a suntan. The reason for this is a substance called carotenoids.

Carotenoids soak up free radicals/antioxidants within the body thus preventing cell damage. We tend to need a lot of these in order to keep our immune system’s functioning properly.

They give foods their rich, colour and are present in foods like carrots and tomatoes. Dr Stephen was quoted as saying that people preferred to have the carotenoid glow rather than a suntan.

Dr Stephen: “We found that, given the choice between skin colour caused by suntan and skin colour caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin colour, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin colour, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun.”

If you look at the image below you can see the effects of it.

Image credit from the University of Nottingham

The picture in the centre of the woman is her natural colour,

And just to make this a bit more fun and interesting can you tell which one is which? One of the pictures is her with a suntan, and the other one is her after eating foods with plenty of carotenoids in can you tell, which is which?

It would be interesting to know which you think is which, I look forward to hearing your responses. Once I get a few people asking then I will reveal the answer in the comment’s section.

Source  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111133224.htm

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Image by muammer

The current guidelines, so we are told have been for a long time that we are supposed to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, now it would seem that we need to eat more than five a day in order to maintain our heart health.

In some recent news, it has come to light that we now need to eat eight portions of fruit and vegetables in order to maintain our health.  There has been some skepticism as to whether or not eating more than five portions of healthy foods had any actual benefits.

Nevertheless, in a recent study they found that it is beneficial to eat the additional portions if you want the extra health benefits. In the study, the participants whom ate the extra food were the ones who gained. They protected their mortality rate of dying from a heart attack by a factor of 22 percent. These results came from data that came from 300,000 people in Europe .

This may be something that a lot of people may not want to hear. Even so, the reality of is that eating three more portions of fruit and vegetables a day may, in fact, save your life in years to come.

Which to my mind is a small price to pay by eating a few bits of extra food. We do tend to get a lot of these messages, and it can seem a bit overbearing at times I know, but nonetheless, somebody might want to know about this particular piece of research that is why I decided to post it.

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Is it really such a bad thing having a high-fat breakfast because we are constantly told to steer clear of high-fat foods and is the old saying eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and tea like a pauper or supper as some people call it depending where you live.

In order to avoid getting metabolic syndrome, which encompasses quite a few diseases such as diabetes high cholesterol levels and heart disease, etc. It might be a wise move to take notice of the saying above and put it into practice.

Some recent research which has been conducted finds this is the case as regards what time you eat foods and when as to whether or not you gain weight. This has been a point that has been argued for a long time now by the industry as a whole so perhaps what is being written here may finally put that to rest hopefully.

The study which was published in the International Journal of Obesity looked at what type of foods people eat at what time and to see if there was any reasons as to why people may get metabolic syndrome because of the time and type of foods they ate.

The research found that mice fed high fat meal when they had woken up had a normal metabolic function and were far less likely to contract metabolic syndrome. Compared to mice who had a high carbohydrate breakfast and a high fat evening meal they tended to have increased weight gain and all the things that encompass a changed metabolic function.

A lot of studies in the past cite the amount of food that people eat and the types but nobody has really looked in depth whether it matters at what time you eat your food and what type of food it is you eat. The researchers found that when the animals were fed a high-fat breakfast this created a metabolic effect, whereas compared to a high carbohydrate breakfast they stayed in what is called a carbohydrate metabolism.

Which doesn’t work effectively as regards using energy within your body as fuel, so it seems that it’s quite important the breakfast that you eat and how it affects your metabolism throughout the day does matter.

Another thing that they found from the study was that eating a low calorie dense food at night seems to work just as well. This is yet another fascinating piece of research that just goes to show and prove.

That it matters what time you eat food and what type of food you eat, can make a big difference to whether or not you will lose weight. It certainly does seem to turn a lot of things on their head, which may have been said previously about what you eat at breakfast.

What does anybody else think about this research does it hold water from what you have found yourself? Have you put weight on because you eat high carbohydrate breakfasts and fatty foods in the evening?

Source http://www.sciencedaily.com

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Have you ever often wondered when you’re trying to change your eating habits either to become more healthier or lose some weight? That weaning yourself off some foods can be extremely difficult. And have you wondered why?

A lot of our habits tend to revolve around repetition so after a while they become automatic it’s a bit like learning to do anything the more you do it the less you have to think about it, and it becomes automatic behaviour. So it could be quite easy to believe that the reason that you’re having

trouble controlling what you’re eating is purely down to learned behaviour or is that necessarily the case?

We often don’t tend to think that there may be some other mechanism at work causing us to eat foods that don’t necessarily do us any good. There have been various studies that have cited how foods affect our moods when we eat them.

Just recently, however, a new study has been put together, which sways the argument to that way of thinking more so now than ever before.  They say that once and for all that the biological mechanisms that are present within the brain work the same as in people who are addicted to heroin and cocaine and any other highly addictive drugs.

It focuses on the fact that what a lot of people who are obese have been saying for a long time now that it is extremely hard to kick certain type of food habits purely because of the addictive nature. Of these types of particular foods. They used rats in their research and found conclusive proof that after a while of eating such foods, they clearly were some cognitive changes happening in their brains, which were causing them to eat in an addictive manner. As with any kind of addiction, whether it be drugs or any other addictive substance once you repeatedly do it your brain becomes so used to the reward that you get from it that after a while.

In order to keep that reward mechanism working you have to eat or consume more of what it is that’s causing it to happen the same thing happens in the brains of people who are alcoholics after a while your brain becomes so used to the chemical high that you get from doing it that you have to consume more in order to get the same kind of high.

The exact same changes that happen in drug addicts happen in people who eat food they have to keep eating more and more in order to get the same result so as a consequence of this. They become overweight. Probably, without even realising what mechanisms are working inside their minds.

One of the scientists who was involved in the research whose name was Kenny spent three years looking at the addictive nature of junk food and its effects on people. In the actual study they say that the actual animals used to do the research lost total control of what they were doing and just kept eating and eating.

They also tried an experiment where they gave electric shocks to them in the hope that would deter them from overheating but even that wasn’t enough to stop them. They were still highly motivated and determined to do it. The scientists used a model of eating, which would cause the animal subjects to become obese very quickly by feeding them things like high fat sausages, cheesecake and any other high calorie foods. They even tried switching them to things like salads and more healthier foods, but once they tried this, they refused to eat.

And took it even further by starving themselves for two weeks by refusing to eat healthier foods. The head research scientist Kenny said that because the reward system had been overstimulated that much, your brain more or less turns on itself and forces you to give it the pleasure that it so desires.

This probably explains why so many people have difficulties giving up food that is bad for them because of their highly addictiveness.

They found that it’s a typical type of dopamine that is stimulated in the brain when you eat or consume types of drugs it gives you such a pleasurable high the same sort that you get when you have sex or any other kind of pleasurable experience that you have to keep doing it in order to get the same high over and over again.

Speaking from a personal point of view I had an addiction at one time and I can say without doubt that no matter what I always had to get my fix no matter what it becomes the main focus of your life and you do anything to get it, I would be out in all sorts of weather, whether it be freezing cold or raining heavily.

And when I was getting my fix I could never understand why I was willing to put up with being so cold in order to feed my addiction. But I did you don’t realise how motivated you can become by what is going on in your brain, and whilst you are constantly feeding it with pleasurable feelings all the time it expects it all the time.

So it’s no great surprise to me of the findings within this article. Have you yourself noticed how hard it can be to give up certain types of food? I know I certainly can, and I do know of other people who have had the same types of problems giving up certain foods when they are trying to lose weight one in particular that springs to mind is chocolate without a doubt.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com

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This may be a digression from what is normally posted on this blog but saying that this can be somewhat of a bit of a embarrassing problem for some people. And when I saw this list on another blog it seemed like a good idea to write it up as well. Plus it adds a bit of light entertainment which we can all do within today’s economic doom and gloom which we hear so much about in the media.

So in traditional DJ style “food pickers” as Alan Freeman would say. Here is the top 10 gas producing foods in order of flatulence power:

In at number one is:

Pickled eggs, so just be weary when you’re buying your eggs to avoid pickled ones. If you want to avoid blowing off then hard-boiled eggs are probably a safe option or boiled eggs.

In at number two it’s:

Green Bean casserole, this particular dish is something I have never heard of before so if you are concerned about what is in it I suggest looking on Google if you think it may give you problems.

In at number three it’s:

Smoked fish, I was quite surprised when I saw this was number three even though fish is good for you better watch out as you may not want any fishy flatulence.

In at number four:

Is a stuffed boiled cabbage, people do say that vegetables do tend to make you blow off. I know when I changed my eating habits it did cause a few problems in that area but as of recent things have been much quieter.

In at number five:

And halfway there is the good old traditional curry or as one of my friends used to call them “bum burners” now myself, I am partial to a curry every now and again, as far as blowing off is concerned. I haven’t noticed how it affects me. It may be because specific ingredients cause more flatulence than others.

In at number six:

Brazilian Rodizio or Churrascaria, this is probably one of those things that I will never eat, unless I go to Brazil but according to what it says on the source article it can be steak wrapped in bacon or turkey wrapped in bacon or finally bacon wrapped in bacon.

In at number seven:

Is biscuits and gravy, it doesn’t actually say what type of biscuits or gravy but to me that sounds revolting obviously it might be some kind of delicacy somewhere but where I don’t exactly know as it doesn’t say in the source article.

In at number eight:

Is collard greens ham hocks and bacon, this sounds like another horrendous concoction of food apparently from what it says according to the source, collards are some sort of high fibre food and very green.

In at number nine:

Smoked oysters that you buy in a can or tin, and they are coated in cotton seed oil sounds like another strange food delicacy. And one to be avoided by the sounds of it.

And finally at number 10 it’s:

All types of French food, whether it be a cheesy onion French soup or frogs legs, and a multitude of other foods that French people tend to eat.

My grateful thanks for the originating blog that compiled this list it was a joy to write.

Disclaimer: Now that you have this information, I cannot accept any responsibility as to what you do with it, if you are plotting revenge on one of your friends in some sort of way and this is your way at getting back at them. Please don’t tell them where you got this information from.

I do hope you enjoyed reading this post, and perhaps you could add your own experience in the comments below as to what causes you to blow off more than you should do.

And just so you know it did take me quite a while to write this post in between laughing I really do hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Article source and references:

Originating source: http://www.diet-blog.com

Main source: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com

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