Health for life

Showing posts with label include. Show all posts

What are MUFAs and should I include them in diet

Monday, May 12, 2014

If you have watched on television, read in magazines, or surfed the internet to know what is MUFA and why should you chose MUFA diet?

What is MUFA?

MUFA is simply a short name for monounsaturated fatty acids found in plant-derived foods. MUFAs fall into five primary categories: oils, nuts and seeds, avocadoes, chocolate, and olives. Examples of foods made up of these fatty acids include:

Avocados,
Nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans and macadamias,
Nut butters,
Olive oil,
Olives,
Peanut oil.
Flax oil
Sunflower oil
Canola oil
Green olives
Almond butter
Peanut butter
Chocolate chips
Avocadoes
Seeds
Macadamia nuts
Dark chocolate
Peanuts
Soybeans
Tahini
Pesto sauce

MUFAs

These "good fats" help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. In addition, fats are fillers, which satisfies your hunger longer. Assuming you do not give in to emotional eating, this increased satiation encourages you to naturally eat fewer calories without feeling hungry or deprived.

What is MUFA diet?

MUFA diet is known for its magical ability to shed excess abdominal weight. So, what exactly is a MUFA and how can it help you lose weight?

Although it is not yet entirely clear why a MUFA diet is effective at targeting belly fat, it does appear to work. According to a study appearing in the American Diabetes Associations journal, a diet rich in MUFAs is more effective than a high carb diet for reduction of belly fat.

Also consuming monounsaturated fatty acids may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving risk factors.

For instance, MUFAs may lower your total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels but maintain or increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. And some research shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.

MUFAs are a central part of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. But even if you dont follow a Mediterranean-style diet, you can include more of these MUFA-rich foods in your diet.Just dont go overboard. All fats, including MUFAs, are high in calories, so use MUFAs only in moderation.

Consume MUFA-rich foods instead of other fatty foods, not in addition to them. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that fat make up no more than 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories.

Fight Cold and Flu Avoid Sugar and Include Vitamin C and Vitamin D

Thursday, May 1, 2014

(Article first published as Fight Cold and Flu with Natural Diet and Super Nutrients on Technorati.)

When given the opportunity our body has the amazing capacity to thwart many diseases and illnesses including the common cold and influenza. When we provide our immune system with the necessary tools to fight bacteria and viruses, vibrant health will always be the natural result.

The typical processed food diet is void of the nutrients we require to fuel our immune system and we become a magnet for a host of circulating pathogens that cause suffering for millions each year. Proper diet and targeted natural immune nutrients will help you and your family to prevent cold and flu by boosting your innate immune response.

Eat Natural Foods, Avoid Sugar to Boost Immunity

Diet is the single most important lifestyle process that is within your control to help your immune system. Simply put, sugar suppresses our immune system by inhibiting the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacterial and viral invaders.

The results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) demonstrates that the amount of sugar in two sweetened beverages lowers immune response by 50% for up to five hours after drinking or eating. A diet filled with complex carbohydrates has no detrimental effect on immunity and the high nutritional content of fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks required to mount a healthy attack as needed.

Vitamin D Activates Killer T Cells

Health conscious individuals who ensure proper blood levels of vitamin D appear to have the ultimate defense against the cold and flu. The journal Nature Immunology provides details of the synergy between the sunshine vitamin and our adaptive immune killer T cells. Vitamin D is shown to provide the activation key that stimulates T cells into action when invaders are detected.

Virtually every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor that is only filled when sufficient amounts are circulating in the blood. A deficiency in this essential compound leaves the cellular receptor open and available for viral hijacking. A separate AJCN study shows that vitamin D is far superior to vaccines at preventing the flu. Maintain your vitamin D blood levels between 50 and 70 ng/ml for optimal protection.

Vitamin C Prepares Immune Cells for Action

Vitamin C has been shown to increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells and stimulates the production of interferon. Interferon provides a protective coating to the surface of cells that prevents penetration by viruses. Research published in the Journal of Immunology explains that up to 5 grams of vitamin C are needed daily to activate the production of interferon for general health and up to 1 gram every hour should be used when fighting a cold or the flu.

The importance of a strong immune response cannot be underestimated. Elimination of sugar and processed carbohydrates from your diet should be the first step in boosting your front line response. Adding natural nutrients including vitamins C and D have proven effective in providing top notch protection against the common cold and flu virus.

Population Health Must Include Social Determinants The Approach in the Patient Centered Medical Home

Friday, January 10, 2014

Diabetes control isnt
their top concern

The Disease Management Care Blogs primary care colleagues are undoubtedly aware of how "social determinants" can undermine the best care planning. So, if youre going to rely on the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) to increase health care quality and reduce costs, ignoring the impact of poverty or health literacy could lead to poor diabetes control, worsening high blood pressure or more hospital readmissions.

Arvin Garg, Brian Jack and Barry Zuckerman have written a JAMA "Viewpoint" that offers five lessons from pediatric medical homes that can mitigate harmful social determinants:

1) Include social determinants (for example, community factors, substance abuse, education, malnutrition or poverty) in the creation of national treatment guidelines.

2) Develop and implement screening programs to identify any social determinants that could impact medical treatment.

3) Colocate community resources that address social determinant in PCMHs. Examples include housing programs, job training programs or food pantries.

4) Colocate "outside the box" social programs in PCMHs also. This is an area ripe for piloting or researching innovative interventions

5) Integrate visiting nurse programs with the PCMH. Think of the visiting nurses as an extension of the medical home.

As readers of the DMCB are aware, not all PCMHs can build the full suite of services that make up a medical home. Since health insurers and care management vendors are partnering with primary care physicians to build medical homes, this approach to incorporating social determinants in their programs is worth a closer look.