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Posted in Low Carb Recipes on February 23rd, 2010 by admin

Title:
A Healthy Diet to Beat Anxiety

Word Count:
622

Summary:
Studies have shown that having a healthy diet may

reduce signs and symptoms of anxiety. One can relieve

tension and manage stress better by what a person

does and does not eat. This article focuses on

changing the diet plans of a person so he or she can

live an anxiety-free life.

Keywords:
anxiety

Article Body:
Everyone experiences anxiety. In fact, being unable

to do so can be a sign of a serious psychological

problem. In our hazardous world, anxiety is a

strategy the body uses to help the mind recognize

danger and keep well out of its way. As with most

mental illnesses, it’s not the presence of anxiety

alone that creates problems. It is more about how

severe it is and how much it gets in ones way of

life or quality of living.
Most people feel anxious at some time in their lives.

However, only about five per cent of people

experience severe anxiety and rarely seek

professional help. Anxiety is a mixture of physical

and mental symptoms. They are part of what

psychologists call the fight or flight response.

When the body is under threat it automatically

prepares either to defend itself or run.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one

deal with a tense situation in the office, study

harder for an exam, or remain focused on an important

speech. In general, it helps one cope with the tasks

and demands of everyday life. But when anxiety

becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday

situations, it can become a disabling disorder.
Fortunately, effective treatments for anxiety

disorders are available, and research is yielding new

and improved therapies that can help most people with

anxiety disorders lead productive and fulfilling

lives.
However, studies have shown that having a healthy

diet may reduce signs and symptoms of anxiety.

Although food can’t cure an anxiety disorder,

consider some diet changes and that would benefit a

severely anxious person:
Avoid or limit caffeine intake as much as

possible. Caffeine is present in many soft drinks,

not just in tea and coffee and it can set up its own

vicious cycle. It can speed up heart rate and disrupt

sleep — which later on become prevailing signs of

anxiety. Trying to overcome tiredness by drinking

more caffeine only makes the long-term problem worse.
Avoid too much alcohol. Similarly, alcohol

can worsen the symptoms of anxiety, and disrupt

sleep. Many people reach for a drink to calm their

nerves, but the consequences of overindulgence can

outweigh the benefits of initial relaxation. For

some, a hangover, insomnia, and dehydration make one

feel worse than before one had a drink. In excessive

amounts, alcohol can actually act as a depressant,

making the drinker feel sluggish or more anxious.

Alcohol, like a simple sugar, is rapidly absorbed by

the body. Like other sugars, alcohol increases

hypoglycemia symptoms. It also causes mood swings.

Eat complex carbohydrates, also known as

carbs. During anxious times, turn to comforting

carbs. These foods act as a mild tranquilizer by

increasing the amount of serotonin, a calming

neurotransmitter in the brain. Complex carbs such as

potatoes, wholewheat bread, and pasta take longer to

digest than sugary simple carbs like white bread.

That way, one can stay fuller longer and blood sugar

is likely to stay steady, eliminating stress and

anxiety.
Be sure to drink eight or more glasses of

water a day. Dehydration can lead to fatigue,

headaches and stress. One should be well-hydrated and

drinking lots of water a day can decrease symptoms of

anxiety.
Take multivitamins and mineral supplements. B

vitamins, whose role is to unlock the energy in food,

are crucial. Vitamin B-6 helps manufacture serotonin

in the brain. Choose a daily supplement that supplies

100 per cent of the daily recommendation of all

vitamins and minerals.
Although tension and daily stresses are unavoidable,

one can relieve tension and manage stress and anxiety

better by watching out for what one eats and what one

does not eat. Remember that a healthy body and a

healthy mind are often one and the same thing.

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5 Tips On Proper Fibromyalgia Diets

Posted in Low Carb Recipes on February 16th, 2010 by admin

In order to treat or completely eliminate fibromyalgia, many doctors advocate adjusting your diet for levels of energy and immune system enhancement. Though you likely suffer from a number of fibromyalgia symptoms, if proper diet eliminates or eases even one o f those symptoms then isnt it worth your time to give it a try? To help you adjust your diet and feel better, here are 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets.

The first of the 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets is to increase the variety of foods you eat and vary the amounts and combinations. What this does is help your body to get a wider range of the vitamins and minerals you need along with fatty acids that will improve overall health. To that end, you should also try to incorporate more organic foods into your diet. The chemicals used in other vegetables can reduce their nutritional value and thus cause you to lose the vitamins and minerals that are so important to your fibromyalgia diet.

Second of the 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets is to change your eating patterns. Instead of eating the standard three meals a day, consider eating less more often. Try to eat a small meal as often as every three hours. This keeps your metabolism high and your energy levels with it, and you will feel more energy.

Third in the 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets is to be aware of what you should avoid. Stay away from fast food and junk food. In addition to that, keep caffeine, sugar, and any unnecessary drugs (like alcohol) out of your system. Many of these foods and additives will cause you to have sharp rises and falls in energy and metabolic levels. What you want when you have fibromyalgia, or even just for overall health, is to have a constant feeling of well being that comes from balanced diet.

Keep your diet balanced. Of the top 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets, keeping your diet balanced is probably the most important. If you try to control the balance of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, lean animal protein, vegetable protein, and healthy plant fats, then you will feel better and your body will get stronger. Additionally, by doing that you are simply making the other tips easier to follow.

Finally, you want to make sure you are paying attention to food intolerances and allergic reactions. Remember that if your diet is making you feel worse, it is only going to make the fibromyalgia worse right along with it. The idea of the diet is to feel better overall, so it is important to make sure you know how certain foods make your body react.

These 5 tips on proper fibromyalgia diets will hopefully help you to deal with your condition. By understanding each of these tips, you can go a long way in feeling better just through what you eat. So sit down and come up with your fibromyalgia diet so that you can feel better and live a more normal life.

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5 Healthy Benefits of Following a Mediterranean Diet Plan

Posted in Low Carb Recipes on February 9th, 2010 by admin

The Mediterranean diet has been around for centuries, but if you don’t live in countries where this diet is prevalent such as Greece or Italy, you may not realize the many benefits of eating healthy foods “Mediterranean” style. According to studies, the Mediterranean diet encourages healthy weight loss and helps to reduce risks of many life-threatening diseases. Below are five of the top benefits of following this diet.

1. Fast Weight Loss

One of the key benefits of the Mediterranean diet is fast weight loss. This is not from the results of a diet pill or a crash starvation diet, but from healthy, portion-controlled eating. Weight loss rates will vary, but some have reported losing an average of 10 pounds per month. Delicious diet recipes are often provided when following the Mediterranean diet that help to speed up the weight loss process without depriving you of much needed vitamins and nutrients. Losing weight alone can offer many health benefits.

2. Good Heart Health

The delicious diet recipes provided while following a Mediterranean diet are all designed to promote good heart health. The Mediterranean diet consists of healthy doses of olive oil, fruits and vegetables, and oily fish. With some participants, a moderate amount of wine is consumed with meals. All these help to lower cholesterol and keep the blood flow to the heart at a normal level, thus, reducing the risk of heart disease tremendously.

3. Lower Cancer Risks

Having too many toxins in the body can cause some types of cancer, such as breast cancer. Eating the types of healthy foods promoted in the Mediterranean diet such as fruits and vegetables will lower the amount of toxins in the body because these foods are natural antioxidants.

4. Prevent Gallstones

Those who have fallen victim to gall stones realize how painful they can be. With around 639,000 people being hospitalized per year with gallstones, many studies are being conducted to help find a cause and cure. The Mediterranean diet is rich in nuts, vegetable oil, and fish. Though gallstones are not always diet-related, consuming these foods can help to reduce the risk of gall stones or eliminate them altogether for some according to recent studies.

5. Lower Blood Pressure

The healthy foods in a Mediterranean diet can also work to lower and regulate blood pressure. Blood cholesterol levels can return to normal when eating less fatty foods and salt, and more healthy vitamins and minerals. Cooking procedures on a Mediterranean diet usually involve roasting or grilling rather than frying, so more nutrients are retained in the food during preparation, and there is much less fat consumption.

These are only a few of the benefits. The Mediterranean diet also offers many other benefits such as reducing the risks of blood clotting, diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and other life-threatening diseases. Don’t deprive yourself. Start eating delicious diet recipes on the Mediterranean diet for healthy weight loss today.

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