Saturated Fat Is Essential To A Healthy Diet

We’ve been told by the mainstream media that saturated fat is unhealthy and we should avoid it at all cost. Which is why there a hundreds of products that are labeled low or zero fat products. They said that consuming low or zero fat products will  keep your weight in check and your heart healthy. As it turns out, it's more complicated than that.

What they failed to do is they don't differentiate between good fats and harmful fats.

“Fats” are macronutrients. They are nutrients that we consume in large amounts and give us energy. Each fat molecule is made of one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids, they can be either saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.

Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bad ones include industrial-made trans fats. Saturated fats fall somewhere in the middle.

According to Dr. John Briffa and cutting back on saturated fat is not beneficial to your heart's health and saturated fat dangers are absurdly exaggerated. Researchers did not found a link between saturated fat intake and a higher risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, or stroke in meta-analysis of 21 studies. This findings is a complete turnaround from what they are advicing to cut down on our consumption of saturated fats.

http://www.thecholesteroltruth.com/saturated-fat-heart-health-benefits/

Eating butter in moderation is good for your health, since it is high in vitamins, beneficial saturated fats, the sort of cholesterol that is vital for brain and nervous system development and various natural compounds with anti-fungal, antioxidant and even anti-cancer properties.

Saturated fats is prevalent in the diet of people in the U.S. These fats appears as at room temperature similar to cooled bacon grease, while fats that are mostly unsaturated are liquid at room temperature, just like olive oil. Common sources of saturated fat include red meat, whole milk and other whole-milk dairy foods, cheese, butter, coconut oil, and many commercially prepared baked goods and other foods.

It was assumed as one of the causes of heart disease since it raise cholesterol levels in the blood, but there are no experimental evidence that linked saturated fats directly to heart disease. Yes, saturated fats raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and change LDL from small, dense (bad) to Large LDL, which is mostly benign. Overall, saturated fats do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously believed.

If you remove saturated fats from your diet, you’ll lose plenty of health benefits that you should be getting from it. For example, saturated fats contain antiviral agents. They help maintain cell membranes. Several key vitamins like D, E, K, and A are fat-soluble.

The “Bad” fats you should avoid is artificial trans fats, studies show that trans fats lead to insulin resistance, inflammation, belly fat accumulation and drastically raise the risk of heart disease.

So eat your saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and Omega-3s, but do everything to avoid trans fats and processed vegetable oils like the plague. The fats that are really harmful to your health are artificial trans fats and processed vegetable oils high in Omega-6 fatty acids.

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Yoga For Back Pain (Stretches and Exercises)

Cross Leg Seated twist - This pose is okay for all levels, from beginners to seasoned yoga practitioners. It stretches the hips, knees, and ankles. This exercise will give flexibility to your spine, shoulders, and chest.

It also helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Twisting stimulates and tones your abdominal organs, including the kidneys and digestive organs.

Instructions:
- sit up straight on a yoga mat with your legs folded toward your torso.
- Balance your weight evenly across your sit bones. Align your head, neck, and spine. Lengthen your spine, but soften your neck. Relax your feet and thighs.
- put your right hand on the floor behind you. Place your left hand to the outside of your right knee, twist gently to the right while you exhale. Do not push hard against your knee to force a deeper twist.
-  twist only as far as you can go while keeping your head aligned directly over your tailbone.
- Hold for up to 10 breaths.
- Exhale as you come back to the center.
- Change the cross of your legs and repeat the twist on the opposite side for the same length of time.

Knee to Chest (rock side to side) - This pose relieves excess digestive air, indigestion, bloating, flatulence, acidity, and constipation. It also relieves lower back pain.

Instructions:
- lie on a soft yoga mat on your back with your legs and arms extended.
- exhale while you pull both of your knees to your chest.
- put your hands around your shins. Clasp each elbow with the opposite hand.
- Keep your back flat on the mat. Release your shoulder blades down toward your waist.
- Draw your tailbone and sacrum down toward the mat, lengthening your spine even more.
- softly rock backward and forward or side-to-side for a gentle spinal massage.
- Tuck your chin slightly and gaze down the center line of your body.
- Hold for up to one minute. Keep your breath smooth and even.

Lying Single Leg Twist (keep bottom leg straight and shoulder on floor) - if your lower back and hip muscles are tight it will have an adverse effect to your spinal flexibility and it's one of the major cause of back pain. The lying single leg spinal twist lengthens and loosens hip and low back muscles, reducing tightness and helping improve posture.

Instructions:
- on a soft yoga mat lie on your back with your both hands placed by your sides.
- Raise your left leg while keeping your right leg planted on the ground.
- slowly drop your left knee to your right side without turning or moving your head.
- gently push the knee down with your right hand until you feel a stretch in your low back. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg.


Single Leg Hamstring Stretch - this is a good stretch for the hamstrings and it stretches your lower back.

Instructions:
- Sit on the floor with your right leg straight in front of you and your left leg bent and the bottom of your foot against the inside of the opposite thigh.
- Lean over and hold onto your foot until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. 
- Hold stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg.
- Maintaining good pelvic alignment and keeping your chest up is important to prevent lower back injuries during this stretch and will maximize the stretch on the hamstrings.
- keep your back straight..


Straight Leg Seated Twist (left hand to right knee, twist to your right) - it increases flexibility in each vertebrae of the spine, from the base of the spine through the neck. it relieves symptoms of backache, fatigue, menstrual discomfort and sciatica.

Instructions:
- sit on a yoga mat.
- Bend your right knee and place your right foot on the ground outside of your left thigh. You can keep your left leg long, or bend it and place your left heel under your right glute.
- Turn your torso to the right and take your right hand to the ground behind your sacrum. Wrap your left arm around your right leg and place your right hand on the ground behind your sacrum.
- Inhale deeply to lengthen your spine, then take your left arm outside of your right thigh. Use your arm pressing into your thigh and your thigh pressing into your arm to twist on your exhale. Keep this breathing pattern for at least 3 deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Legs up against the wall, feet straight up relax your spine - This pose also gives blood circulation a gentle boost toward the upper body and head. It also relieves lower-back pain.

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- also check out 3 Easy Stretches to Prevent Back Pain

16 Ways On How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar

I never thought that you can use Apple Cider Vinegar in a lot of ways. Yes, it doesn't taste good but it offers a lot of health benefits. It will keep the doctor away. POPSUGAR Beauty created a Youtube video on 16 different ways to incorporate it into your beauty and wellness routine.

1. Get rid of Breakouts - Apple Cider Vinegar exfoliates the skin with alpha hydroxy acids.
2. Soothe a sore throat - gargle it with warm water to help heal sore throat.
3. Get rid of dandruff - mix 1 cup with 3 cups of water and apply it to your scalp.
4. Remove warts - apply a soaked cotton ball and let it sit overnight.
5. Use it as deodorant - I'm not a fan of this one, since it may burn your underarm skin.
6. Heal a sinus infection - mix 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (good anti-inflammatory), 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 wedge lemon.
7. Whiten your teeth - mix 2 parts ACV with 1 part baking soda.
8. Heal sunburn - damp washcloth with cold water, put a little apple cider vinegar to the cloth. Dab the wet cloth onto your sunburn, soaking the skin. You should notice instant relief from any stinging.
9. Clean your makeup brushes - ACV will kill the bacteria and germs. Mix 1 cup of water to 1 tsp of AVC.
10. Soothe Eczema and Psoriasis - ACV can help calm itchy skin.
11. Prevent ingrown hairs - Apply the ACV to the affected area with a cotton ball. Let your skin absorb it then wash the area with lukewarm water. Repeat 2 times per day.
12. Detoxify your skin - mix ACV with bentonite clay for an exfoliating, detoxifying mask.
13. Get rid of stinky feet - mix 1 cup of ACV with 4 cups of warm water and submerge your feet, swish the mixture around, and soak for 15 minutes twice a day.
14. Boost your energy - ACV is rich in Vitamins E, A, and B, Megnesium, Iron and Calcium.
15. Improve digestion - make an easy digestion salad dressing. Mix 2tbsp water, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 cup ACV, 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 lemon wedge.
16. Help you Lose Weight - studies shows that vinegar can keep you from feeling hungry.

Metformin Drug For Diabetes May Reduce Cancer Death Risk

In a new research, scientists found that Metformin which is a drug for type 2 diabetes could significantly reduced death risks for certain kinds of cancers in postmenopausal woman suffering from type 2 diabetes.

They have found that women who have type 2 diabetes has 45% chances higher in dying than those women who had cancer but did not have diabetes. 

Their study noted that women who has cancer who took metformin to treat their type 2 diabetes their risk of dying due to cancer is almost similar to those women who did not have diabetes.

"Metformin users, particularly long-term users, may be at lower risk of developing certain cancers and dying from cancer, compared to users of other anti-diabetes medications," the study said.

The reseach head author Zhihong Gong from Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York says the results may provide evidence that it may be more beneficial to use metformin as type 2 diabetes treatment than other drugs for postmenopausal women who have cancer.

The research studied 146,000 postmenopausal women aged between 50 and 79 years old from 1993 to 1998. The subjects had a 25% to 35% risk of developing colon and endometrial cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This risk is more than twice for cancers of the liver and pancreas.

Gong says that the results of their studies indicate that diabetes is a risk factor for cancer and cancer-associated death. It also show that Metformin therapy may have a more significant role in managing diabetes-associated cancers than other anti-diabetes treatments.

Tips on How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

1. Eat healthy food, with plenty of vegetables and avoid junk foods like Pizza and hamburgers.
2. Make sure that you exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes at a time or in divided increments.
3. Maintain a normal body weight and waist circumference of less than 35 inches for women, and less than 40 inches for men.
4. Maintain a blood pressure of 120/80 or lower.
5. Limit alcohol intake to one drink daily.
6. Have a healthy sleep habits.  Healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
7. Take less salt. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. For optimal healthy heart, the American Heart Association recommends people to eat no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
8. Monitor your cholesterol levels. High levels of cholesterol in the blood that is produced by the liver from saturated fats can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diseases that affect the circulation. You can help lower your cholesterol level by exercising and eating high-fibre foods such as porridge, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach which comes on when you exert yourself but goes away with rest may be the first sign of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated.

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Don't Give Your Baby Breast Milk Bought Online It May Harm Them

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According to an investigation by Inside Edition, breast milk that are available online that come from strangers are not safe, it may contain bacteria that can harm your baby. They purchased breast milk online from 8 different mothers and have them sent to a lab for testing by breast milk expert Dr. David Newburg. The results were shocking. Dr. Newburg said that 7 of the 8 breast milk purchased online are not suitable for infants. He said that 87% of the samples contained potentially dangerous bacteria. Gram negative bacteria that can cause infection was found in 4 samples of the breast milk tested. These bacteria that we found could very well make infants sick according to Dr. Newburg.

Since there is high demand in breast milk and it pays really well more mothers are selling them online and most of them don't follow any sanitary guidelines in handling those milk.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends mothers who want to purchase good and clean breast milk to go to milk bank where the milk is pasteurized to get rid of potentially harmful bacteria. This will ensure that the breast milk they buy are safe for their babies.


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How to Strengthen Your Hips

Too much sitting in the office or too much carrying of heavy loads can take a toll on our hips. Here are three hip exercise that strengthen your hips:

1)

- In a standing position set your feet hip-width apart. Just like the picture above try to imitate a riding position by tipping your upper body forward and moving your arms into right angles just like they are on a handlebars. Bend your right leg a little and shift your weight into the leg.

Lift your left foot off the floor and lift your knee up. Now extend the left leg back as if you are propelling yourself forward on a scooter.

Perform 3-5 strides, 8x on each leg.

2)

- You will need a mat for this one, while lying on the mat shift on to your side. Stack one foot on top of the other and lift up on to your left forearm just like the picture above.

The elbow should be directly under your shoulder and forearm, perpendicular to the body.
Ensure your body is positioned in a straight line from feet to head. Sweep your right arm up by your ear.

Hold for 30-60sec on each side.


3)

- Start on all fours position then step your right leg up between your hands and lift the upper body.

Tuck your bottom in and slowly slide forward into the lunge. Stop when you feel the stretch where the top of the leg joins the front of the hip.

This is also an effective stretch for the upper thigh or quads.

Hold for 30-60sec on each leg.