Unfortunately, there are hidden (or forgotten) calories in almost everyone’s diet. A perfect example is calories that are consumed by the way of beverages like sodas which are packed with sugar. This sugar laden beverage is easily stored as fat if the calories it contains aren’t burned off through the course of a day. Although these calories might not seem like much individually, collectively they can be disastrous to someone that really wants to lose weight. If you’re trying to implement a healthier lifestyle, you’d be well served to seriously restrict (or eliminate) soda from your diet altogether. Try to replace these sugary beverages with clean drinking water, instead.

Remember, one pound of excess weight is equal to 3,500 calories!

Other healthy eating diet tips:

1. Try to avoid or limit processed foods. Processed foods are great in a pinch, but their ease of preparation also means that they contain chemicals and other agents to preserve it and flavorings to make it taste better. The golden rule of thumb – if it comes in a bag or a box, check the ingredients. If the food is made of words that you can’t pronounce, don’t eat it.

2. Increase how many fruits and vegetables you eat. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recommends that Americans eat 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit daily. For maximum health benefits your vegetables shouldn’t be deep fried (think french fry) and are best if eaten raw or slightly heated, since cooking removes a lot of the vital nutrients the plant is supposed to supply. Garden salads and cut up celery, carrots, cucumbers are great ways to eat smart and are low in calories.

3. Limit your consumption of red meat and other fatty meats. Steaks, burgers and bacon might taste terrific but they pack a lot of calories. Processed meats like bacon might also contain nitrates, a known carcinogen. Instead, choose
boneless, skinless chicken breast, turkey or fish – or just avoid meat altogether and eat more vegetables instead. The consumption of red meat has been tied to cases of colon and other cancers, so this change in the way you eat could end up having additional health benefits.

Making changes is never easy, so if it’s too difficult for you to radically uproot your habits, just try and focus on one thing at a time. For example – drink more water for two or three weeks and once you’ve made that a habit, tackle the next thing on your list.. chances are you’ll be more successful if you cross each bridge as you come to it.

I hope that these healthy eating diet tips help you get started on the road to a better way of life!

The company says that the use of this drug could cause rare incidents of severe liver and skin side effects.

Yvonne Moeller, a spokeswoman at Bayer said “The side effects are very rare. But when it happens, it is quite severe to patients. We want doctors to be more aware.”

If you are taking this drug, keep an eye out for symptoms and contact your physician immediately.

Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.

Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.

“It’s the best therapy for diabetes that we have today, and it’s very low risk,” said Dr. John Dixon of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia, lead author of the study, which involved 55 patients.

The patients that underwent surgery received stomach banding, which is more popular in Australia than in the U.S.

In a sense, the surgery is having the bonus effect of helping with the diabetes that was exacerbated by being overweight.

The product is called Faspirin and contains 81 mg of aspirin. It’s ingested by placing it on the tongue where it quickly dissolves – getting aspirin into the blood stream quicker than swallowing a traditional tablet.

The ability for aspirin to rapidly enter the blood stream has far-reaching advantages for heart attack and stroke sufferers whose best line of defense at the first sign of an attack is immediately taking aspirin. Aspirin has been proven to stop blood platelets from sticking together, which reduces the chance for blood clots to form and block
arteries.

Long revered for its pain-relieving qualities, aspirin is widely prescribed by physicians as a preventative measure in the battle for heart health. Adults over 45 years of age are maintaining a prescribed daily low dose aspirin routine in increasing numbers, as doctors are seeing the many benefits this life-saving medicine can offer.

In tests, Faspirin dissolves in 3 to 5 minutes. It comes in a sugar-free citrus flavor and is available in a 30- tablet, easy-to-open blister package, which should make it an instant
favorite with older adults who sometimes struggle with traditional tamper-proof drug packaging.

Faspirin is available wherever aspirin is sold and can also be purchased at Faspirin.com

Would you prefer this type of aspirin over a standard tablet?

Amazingly, there is some scientific research to back it up. We’ve all heard of the “fat burning belts” that you strapped on that were supposed to get rid of a beer belly while you sat on the couch. The Power Plate is based on the same principle only on a much larger scale- targeting the entire body instead of one small area.

Although there is some evidence to support the health benefits (weight loss as well as improvements in arthritis, osteoporosis, and other ailments) Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, was quoted as saying “This is not a magic bullet that helps people lose weight without doing anything. If you are a healthy individual, wbv training should be a supplement to a sensible diet and exercise program.”

I don’t doubt that there may be some benefit to using this machine, but it really just strikes me as hilarious. I have this vision in my head of a gym, with several of these machines lined up in a row, and a bunch of jiggling wiggling hopefuls trying to focus on the TV while vibrating or trying to watch the little red vibrating numbers on the calorie dial. I just hope they have a dress code.

Monday the Food and Drug Administration approved Implanon, a 1.5 inch rod that is implanted just under the skin of a woman’s arm and can provide protect against pregnancy for up to three years.

This procedure must be done by a trained doctor and requires a local anesthesia. The rod is inserted in the upper arm and slowly releases doses of progestin, a synthetic hormone that is much like progesterone, a hormone produced in the ovaries. It must be removed after 3 years, but can be removed at any time before if a patient chooses to.

Implanon has been used in over 30 countries since 1998 and 2.5 million women have used it, according to it’s manufacturer Organon USA Inc.

This drug might not work the same with all women. It can be less effective for women that are 30% heavier than their ideal weight, and could cause side effects such as blood clots, missed periods, or stroke.

There was no information on an exact price for this birth control method or a date when it would be available in the United States. I’ll update with any further details about this as they become available.

• Electric Indoor Grill There are many different manufacturers of electric indoor grills, but my experience is with a Foreman Grill. It comes in a number of different sizes to accomodate a single person or a family. These types of grills cook foods on both sides at the same time, and drain off excess fat from burgers, steaks, pork chops and chicken. This method of cooking requires a lot less time than a traditional style grill and clean up is quick and easy.
• A Steamer A steamer is another hassle free way to prepare your food without adding oils or other fats. It can be used to steam rice, vegetables, or cook boneless, skinless chicken breast or fresh fish. Some steamers have “infusers” that you can use to steam complimentary spices right in. They are also very easy to operate and don’t require a lot of clean-up time.
• Food Processor A food processor can be used to make your own fresh salsa from your garden or from fresh vegetables at your grocer. You can make it as mild or wild as you’d like. It can also be used to make fruit purees and other healthy snacks and foods.
• A Wok A wok is a great way to make oriental dishes that require shorter cooking times for crispy vegetables. There are both electric woks and woks made for use on your stovetop. I use the stovetop wok myself.

What are your favorite cooking tools and/or kitchen gadgets and why do you like them?

Regardless of whether or not it causes discomfort, it just doesn’t look good and could be a low level allergy. Here are some questions to ask yourself before visiting your family doctor or dermatologist.

An OTC (Over the Counter) antihistimine, can be used to help combat the itchies.

If the condition doesn’t clear up within a week, make an appointment with your dermatologist
for further treatment.

They’re called “Sport Beans” and are made by Jelly Belly.

They come in 4 flavors. Lemon Lime, Orange, Berry Blue and Fruit punch.
Here are the “average” nutritional values for a 1 ounce serving:

• Calories: 100
• Sodium: 80mg
• Potassium: 40mg
• Carbs: 25g

These “beans” also provide 10% of the RDA’s on Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin.

I haven’t had the chance to try them and see if there’s any health benefit, but it seems to me it’s just a different way to present Jelly Beans in a healthier light.

Any thoughts?