I need more energy and I’m tired.

Does this sound like you?

If so, I bet when you feel like this, you normally grab a soda or a candy bar to give yourself a quick boost of energy. Hey, you’re busy, I know. We all do it. That’s why there’s a vending machine in many office buildings and workplace break rooms. They know we are going to run out of energy and need a quick pick me up.

We know that we probably shouldn’t be selecting that small bag of potato chips and a chocolate almond bar, but we tell ourselves we need something to tide us over until dinner. In fact, food does provide energy, it’s just that junk food doesn’t give us the best source of food energy.

What should I eat to have more energy?

Here’s a list of natural foods that will provide your body with energy and stamina:

Grapes – Grapes have lots of magnesium, which converts into energy. Grapes are easy to carry around and make great snacks.

Oats – Oats are loaded with nutrients that aid in alertness and concentration. A bowl of oatmeal in the morning is a good start to the day.

Mung Beans – These crunchy sprouts are good on salads, in soups or eaten right out of the bag.

Yams/Squash – Yams are packed with vitamin C. They also help balance hormones and blood sugar levels. Squash promotes healthy circulation and good digestion.

Grains – Grains like millet, buckwheat, rye, barley and wheat contain healthy B vitamins and contribute to a steady flow of energy.

Sprouts – Any type of sprout that has been germinated is good for revitalizing the body. They also contain antioxidants, protein, trace minerals and fiber.

Peaches – Peaches are great for a quick boost of energy, as well as, helping the body eliminate toxins and regulate bowel movements.

Vegetables – Fresh vegetables (especially green ones) contain a range of energizing B vitamins, iron and magnesium. The best of these are: broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.

Wheat Grass – Wheatgrass is chock full of nutrients, in fact, it contains 25 times the nutrients of vegetables. Many people drink shots of wheatgrass juice as a general health booster. You can also find it in powder form.

Sunflower Seeds – Crunchy, nutty and plentiful, sunflower seeds are rich in protein, iron, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium.

What sugars are useful to grow taller naturally? What is healthy regime of carb to grow taller 4 smarts way?

Carbohydrates get attention today, with a fresh new mind-set! When you think of “carbs,” what comes to mind: hearty whole-grain bread, piping hot basmati rice, tender fettuccini, freshly popped popcorn, naturally sweet potatoes, crunchy celery, summer-fresh corn on the cob, juicy peaches or sweet mangos, a fresh banana,savory baked beans,ice-cold milk delicious fruit smoothies and more.

All these nourishing foods can put carbohydrates, an important nutrient category, on your plate! Sugars, starches, and fiber: they all belong to a unique macronutrient category called carbohydrates. As energy nutrients, sugars and starches are your body’s main fuel to grow taller.

All carbohydrates are made of the same three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The name “carbohydrate” comes from its chemical makeup. “Carbo-” means carbon; “-hydrate” means water, or H2O. To make different types of carbohydrates, these elements first are arranged in single units. Sugars are made of just one or two units; they’re considered “simple.” Made of many sugar units, starches and fiber are more complex.

You may wonder if you can grow taller with starch? if starch is made of sugars, why doesn’t it taste sweet? Molecule size makes the difference. Starch molecules are bigger. Unlike smaller sugars, starch molecules are too big to fit on the receptors of your taste buds, so they don’t taste sweet. But keep a starchy cracker in your mouth for a while. Once digestive enzymes in saliva break down its starch into sugar to grow taller, the cracker starts to taste sweet. The sugar molecules are small enough to taste. Get a cracker; try it!

Starches and fiber have something in common. They’re polysaccharides. “Poly-” means many. If you concluded that they’re composed of many sugar units, you’re absolutely right! They’re just longer chains of sugars. Starch comes from plant-based foods, such as rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, and grain products.

From complex to simple! In a nutshell, that’s what happens when starches are digested. Before they can be absorbed from your digestive tract into your bloodstream, they’re broken down to the simplest sugars: glucose, galactose, and fructose. Then, in your bloodstream, single sugars move into your body cells, where they’re converted to energy to grow taller. Except for fiber, carbohydrates-sugars and starches-break down to single sugars during digestion. Your body doesn’t distinguish their food source.

Being single sugars already, monosaccharides, such as the fructose in fruits, can be absorbed as they are. That’s not true for disaccharides: sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Digestive enzymes break them down, too. Some people don’t produce enough of an enzyme called lactase; they have trouble digesting lactose, or milk sugar.

Why limit added sugars? For one, they just contribute calories. Many foods high in added sugars supply energy but few other nutrients, and may replace more nutritious foods, along with the vitamins and minerals they provide. To compare, many starchy vegetables, legumes (dry beans), and grain products have less fat, but more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Second, added sugars-like starches and naturally occurring sugars-can promote tooth decay, especially with frequent snacking. 

Only fiber, another polysaccharide, remains somewhat intact in the body when you grow taller. Many animals can digest fiber. However, human digestive enzymes can’t break down fiber into units that are small enough for absorption. So fiber can’t be an energy source to grow taller. That very quality makes fiber uniquely qualified to promote your health in other ways.

When you’re really active and growing taller, you may need more calories. If your overall eating plan is healthful, added sugars can supply some of that extra energy as discretionary calories. Chosen wisely, carbohydrate-rich foods and whole and enriched grain foods, fruits, vegetables, beans deliver more than energy. Much attention has been given to their role in lowering the risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and some cancers. Many “carb”-containing foods also provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. And fiber-rich foods deliver a host of benefits; That’s why the Dietary Guidelines advise: Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often.

Nutrient-dense carbohydrate-containing foods may help with weight regulation and growing taller, especially when combined with regular physical activity. Among the research areas: (1) carbohydrate-containing foods, especially those rich in fiber, may aid satiety so people eat less, (2) a high-“carb” diet may have fewer calories for the same amount of food than a high-fat diet does; and (3) excess carbohydrate doesn’t change as efficiently to body fat as calories from other sources. Stay tuned!

For children, an overall nutritious diet promotes healthy teeth, making them grow taller, stronger and more resistant to cavities. Several nutrients are especially important, including calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. These nutrients also build the jawbone, which helps keep teeth in place. For adults, calcium intake has little effect on keeping teeth healthy. But these same nutrients help keep your jawbone strong.

Other than their role in tooth decay, carbohydrates don’t directly relate to most health problems. Unless you consume too many! Yet “carb” myths are widespread. Here’s the scoop on some common misconceptions about “carbs.”

Eating too many calories, not just starches and sugars, causes your body to produce extra pounds of body fat. That includes too many calories from any source carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. Actually, excess calories from fats turn into body fat first, before extra calories from carbohydrates do. Sugar itself isn’t the villain, either. Instead, being overweight results from a complex interaction, environment, inactivity, and grow taller nutrition choices.

Carbohydrates are called carbohydrates because the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen they contain are usually in the proportion to form water with the general formula Cn(H2O)n. Plants use sunlight (photosynthesis) to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen.

Carbohydrates are classified into mono, di, tri, poly and heterosaccharides. The smallest carbohydrates are monosaccharides such as glucose whereas polysaccharides such as starch, cellulose and glycogen can be large and even indeterminate in length.

Carbohydrate: Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principal types of nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Carbohydrates can also be defined chemically as neutral compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Carbohydrates come in simple forms such as sugars and in complex forms such as starches and fiber. The body breaks down most sugars and starches into glucose, a simple sugar that the body can use to feed its cells. Complex carbohydrates are derived from plants. Dietary intake of complex carbohydrates can lower blood cholesterol when they are substituted for saturated fat.

Carbohydrates are classified into mono, di, tri, poly and heterosaccharides. The smallest carbohydrates are monosaccharides such as glucose whereas polysaccharides such as starch, cellulose and glycogen can be large and even indeterminate in length.

Key Functions of Carbohydrates

• When your body needs energy, it looks for carbohydrates first.
• If you are not consuming enough carbohydrates, your body will look for other sources of energy, such as proteins found in muscle tissue. Proteins, however, are not efficient sources of energy for the body.
• Carbohydrates are most abundant dietary source of energy for all organisms.
• They supply energy and serve as storage form of energy.
• Carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, starch, glycogen, etc. provide energy for functioning of living organisms.
• Carbohydrates also protect your muscles and help regulate the amount of sugar circulating in your blood so that all the cells get the energy they need.
• Carbohydrates participate in cellular functions such as cell growth, adhesion and fertilization.

Food Sources of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates come in two forms: simple and complex. Both are composed of units of sugar. The difference is how many sugar units they contain, and how they link together.

Examples of single sugars from foods include fructose (found in fruits) and galactose (found in milk products). Double sugars include lactose (found in dairy), maltose (found in certain vegetables and in beer), and sucrose (table sugar). Honey is also a double sugar, but unlike table sugar, contains a small amount of vitamins and minerals.

• Complex carbohydrates release energy slowly and often contain fiber. These “healthier” forms of carbohydrates include whole grain bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals and legumes.
• Simple carbohydrates are sugars that give you instant energy and typically have no nutritional value. Simple carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals occur naturally in: fruits, milk and milk products, vegetables. Simple carbohydrates are also found in processed and refined sugars* such as: candy, table sugar, syrups (not including natural syrups such as maple), regular carbonated beverages.

*Refined sugars provide calories, but lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Such simple sugars are often called “empty calories” and can lead to weight gain. Also, many refined foods, such as white flour, sugar, and polished rice, lack B vitamins and other important nutrients unless they are marked “enriched.” It is healthiest to obtain carbohydrates, vitamins, and other nutrients in as natural a form as possible — for example, from fruit instead of table sugar.

Daily Usage of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates typically consist of 45 – 60% of your total caloric intake.

The levels of carbohydrate allowed can vary according to levels of activity. The range is from 20 up to 70 grams daily.

However, 70 grams daily is very generous and is usually only for those who are engaging in weight training in addition to cardio exercise.

The normal low carbohydrate range for weight loss is 20 to 50 grams daily. You must determine how strict you need to be; the best way is to experiment and discover what amount works well for you as an individual.

There is in fact no minimum daily requirement for carbohydrates, but they do have many beneficial phytochemicals and fiber so eating some is fine (as long as they are unrefined/unprocessed).

Nutritional Safety

If you consume excess carbohydrates and participate in little or no physical activity, these excess carbohydrates will be converted and stored in the body as fat – which may lead to weight gain and other health risks.

My next article entitled “The Function of Protein in our Life” will examine the role of protein in good nutrition.

See you on the Beaches of the World,

Kevin McNabb

For those that love carbs, you’ve been taking a beating lately. Don’t eat carbs, they make you gain weight say the “experts”. Lately, there has been a complete war on carbs and as someone who loves their carbs… it’s time to start a war on the “war on carbs”

Carbs are essential, there’s just no getting around it. Whether your goal is to lose weight or increase sport performance, you’ll just do yourself a disservice if you abandon our friend the carb. For all high intensity, short duration activities, muscle glycogen is the source of energy and muscle glycogen comes from… carbs. Even endurance activities of moderate intensity use glycogen as 50% of your energy needs. In fact, the one limiting factor on your sport performance will be the lack of availability of carbohydrates. Even during low intensity exercise when your body uses a higher percentage of fat as its fuel source, it takes a good supply of carbohydrates to fuel that process. Ever play a sport or involve yourself in a high intensity workout program and you hit the proverbial “wall”… that’s because your body has a lowered supply of glycogen EVEN THOUGH your body has a great supply of fat. Want to perform better… eat your carbs.

What if you want to lose weight; surely you need to decrease your carb intake. After-all, carbs MAKE you fat right? Carbohydrates provide you with variety, necessary nutrients and volume to your diet.

Recommended ranges for carb intake is between 45-65% of your total intake. Weight loss occurs when there is a calorie deficit and not a particular macronutrient profile.

Weight loss occurring on low-carb diets is generally attributed to 2 things… a lower overall calorie intake and loss of body mass. Ever start a diet that restricts your carb intake and seen great results in the beginning weeks? Lower carbs mean lower muscle glycogen stores. For every gram of glucose lost through glycogen you also lose 2.7 grams of water with it. This loss of glycogen combined with water loss is the contributing factor in the initial big losses seen.

Some studies you will read (actually the newspaper headlines you will read… very few read the actual studies) will tell you that we are gaining weight faster than ever even though our fat intake is down. This is partially true. The PERCENTAGE of fat intake in our total diet is down but the actual grams of fat consumed is unchanged all while the total calories consumed in our diets has increased. As well, most studies rely on self-reporting and people generally report eating less than they actually do.

Consider in the 1900’s the typical diet had a higher intake of carbohydrates and a lower intake from fat. Even though our dreaded enemy the carb was consumed at a greater rate, we have only seen the rise of weight issues in the past few decades. In short, the increase in the rise of weight gain we see as a society is largely due to increased calorie and decreased activity.

So, here’s what is so good about carbs:

1. They provide nutrients that you can’t get from fat or protein

2. Adds bulk to your diet

3. Stabilizes blood sugar levels

4. An adequate supply of carbs in your diet spares your body from turning to protein as an energy source meaning that protein can do its job.

5. It’s the body’s preferred energy source

6. Your brain only uses carbs as its energy source

7. You need carbs in order to fuel the process of fat burning

All this doesn’t mean run out for a dozen donuts. Select good choices of veggies, fruit, whole grains… eat ’em up… yum!

Americans love fried foods. While it’s not always good for us, it does happen to be a fact. There is nothing that we don’t love to deep fry, including even ice cream. While the taste is out of this world, it’s not necessarily good for you. So is broiling any better than frying and why? Would it help to grill our foods?

Which cooking method actually adds the least amount of fat to your food and are there any other surprises that we need to know about?

Realistically, common sense says that adding fat to a deep fryer or a frying pan adds fat to something that is already fatty, namely meat, which is the most commonly fried item. The lowest amount of fat that will be added is when the food is broiled, because the flames, or the electric broiler are going to cause the fat to melt away from the food.

In a test done at the University of Pennsylvania, the differences were quite incredible. Three samples were done, one broiled, one lightly sautéed and the third deep friend. The broiled sample of meat, done under a broiler had about one percent added fat, while the sautéed variety was about twice that much, but shockingly it was nearly exactly the same as the deep fried variety.

Where the problem comes in is that we generally put a great deal of the deep fried meats and other things into batter. The meat doesn’t honestly absorb that much fat on its own, but the breading and other factors take in a vast amount of it.

Now using a lean fat, we see that frying may not be as heinous as you actually thought, but… and there is always a but in the equation isn’t there, many of us are not content with just frying, we pay little attention to the kinds of oils that we fry with, often times purchasing the cheapest variety rather than the one that is best for us.

There are good fats and there are bad fats. Butter can be taken in moderation and if you fry your food in it you’re asking for heart disease in your future. Vegetable oils, pure corn oil perhaps are the way to go if you’re going to fry and forget that flour or breading. Fry without it to keep the fat absorption to a minimum.

Clearly, broiling is the best way to cook your food, provided that you do it on the kitchen stove. Some of us however thought that grilling our food outdoors was the answer.. It does lower the fat but t there are some considerations to the grilling factor too.

California scientist James Felton studied the effects of cooking over barbecue coals, the traditional variety and he believes that some barbecued foods may actually cause cancer.

There are two ways that it can happen but the most traditional way, according to Felton is when the fat from the meat drips down onto the hot coals, causing a chemical reaction when the flame flares up to blacken the meat. If you move the hot coals to the one side so that the fat doesn’t drip directly onto the coals it tends to prevent this. Cooking on gas grill may also be some help in this battle.

You might also try cooking at a lower temperature as well as moving the coals if you’re going to grill over your traditional coals and also try using regular wood as opposed to charcoal to barbecue your meat.

If none of that appeals to you, the reality is that broiled foods seem to be the best bet. Firstly, the flame comes from above and the fat drips to a pan below, secondary to that, there is less fat than with frying, and thirdly, the grill just may be doing things to your body that you’re not ready for.

Do we need any better reasons to broil your meat or fish?

The most active ingredient in Turmeric is called Curcumin and it does have a lot of kick that you can certainly benefit from.

There are 4 top benefits of taking curcumin daily you can reap! If you are looking for reasons to protect yourself, including protecting your eyesight, then taking curcumin daily is going to be a wise choice. Take a look here at these fantastic benefits of taking curcumin daily and get started from there!

1. Curcumin can get into your bloodstream easily

In order for you to feel the health benefits of taking curcumin daily, then you need to ensure that the ingredient gets directly into your bloodstream.

This is easy when you take the curcumin daily in tablet form. Make sure that the tablets that you choose are paired up with multivitamins and other herbs that will help aid in your health and protection.

2. Curcumin lowers cholesterol

High cholesterol is something that most of us suffer from when we reach our 40’s or 50’s. High cholesterol when not treated or ignored can cause you to have a heart attack and possibly die.

This is when your arteries are clogged, and taking curcumin daily can help to unblock all of that and keep things moving. Take these curcumin supplements on a regular basis and you will not have to worry about a thing!

3. Mental Clarity has arrived

If you can think clearly all day long, then chances are you are a very productive person. Curcumin can actually help increase your brain functions so that you can think and speak with a clear mind.

This helps to get creative juices flowing and when you are having a bit of a block or hard time with work and daily activities, taking curcumin daily can really come in handy.

4. Increases in energy

Why not skip over the energy drink that will only make you crash later and stick with curcumin for a natural burst of energy.

This is one of the best ways to stay healthy and get the nutrients that you need in order to stay focused and on the go all day long. Again, take curcumin daily with other multivitamins that are designed to promote energy and mental health as well!

How to Take Curcumin

As you can see there are some major aspects that you can look at and see the benefits of taking curcumin daily.

If you need just a bit of extra energy or you need to make serious health changes, curcumin can come to the rescue. Within a week or 2 of using your curcumin supplement you will see and feel the difference!

An interesting recent finding made by researchers is that when curcmumin is blended with different nutrients, such as in a multivitamin, the health benefits are increased many times over.

This happens because the nutrients work together in a synergistic manner. You can usually find a high quality multivitamin for almost the same price as a good curcumin product, so you might want to look into that.

Does omega 3 fish oil have a laxative effect is a question most often posed when beginning any fish oil supplement. Luckily omega 3 fish oil doesn’t have many side effects unless you have an allergy, and before we get into swallowing countless tablespoons of fish oil, we should look at the benefits and answer the question, does omega 3 fish oil have a laxative effect?

Undoubtedly you’ve heard about the benefits of omega 3 fish oil and the tremendous health effects it has on the body. This product is very important to the body in that it delivers you all the necessary fatty acids that you need and since you don’t produce it, you are going to need to get it through your diet or through a supplement. Diet is a tricky choice for several reasons; fish that are found today are found in greatly polluted waters do not contain the proper omega 3 essential acids that they once did and this is a direct result of our industrialized world.

One of the huge benefits that outweigh the question of does omega 3 oil have a laxative effect, is that it helps balance out our systems after bombarding then with chemicals and other preservatives that are in our food today. Showing us that although there may be slight laxative effects, does omega 3 fish oil have a laxative effect are really to say no more than any other nutritional supplement that helps remove toxins from the body.

Does omega 3 fish oil have a laxative effect, well yes in a manner of speaking in that the side effects of omega 3 fish oil are the common ones when adding a supplement that is high in any kind of nutritional supplement. Another potential side effect of omega 3 fish oil are that heavy metal poisoning can occur.

Fish contain high levels of heavy metals such as mercury, nickel, lead as well as many more as well as displaying amounts of PCBs and other toxins like dioxin found within fish oil products when it is not processed properly. There are a few other symptoms based around the question of does omega 3 fish oil have a laxative effect like slight laxative effects and foul breath. Often foul breath happens but if this has occurred, it is more likely you have purchased rancid oil and need to find a supplier that can supply you with fresh fish oils.

You need to be looking in to products that have the purest oil and that have both important fatty acids, EPA, and DHA, many of the products sold today have oils from all over the world and are pretty much sold as rancid, although, the suppliers themselves probably aren’t even aware of this, never mind you, the consumer. Moreover, many products have extremely low levels of DHA which leaves many of the therapeutic benefits out of that fish oil.

In that same vein, it is important that you make sure that the product you are getting is not contaminated with toxins and other pollutants from the environment or rancid and rotten as fish oils can spoil very quickly. New Zealand is a prime supplier because they have pristine conditions in the water for the hoki fish that are harvested there for fish oil, and are free of pollution and toxins. The minute amount of toxins and pollutants found are removed through a process called molecular distillation and is the only effective way to process fish oil.

While current research has shown that people in general have reduced their consumption of fat, there are more alarming findings about sugar consumption. Obesity has now been declared a worldwide epidemic and statistical evidence suggests that obesity has more to do with sugar consumption than fat consumption.

We need a reasonable understanding of different sugars in order to make the right choices. As this may get a little too technical for some people, I have relegated a list of definitions to the end of this article.

Sugars of one type occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables. Processed sugars which have a different constitution are added to foods, fruit juices and other drinks as sweeteners in order to make the products more palatable. Herein lies the difference between what is good and what is bad.

We need to differentiate between sugars classified as monosaccharides and disaccharides and then we need to get familiar with the terms fructose, sucrose, glucose, lactoseand galactose. Then, there’s the role glucose vs. glycogen in our bodies. It gets complicated so let’s keep to the essentials.

Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides are the simplest form of sugar and include fructose, glucose and galactose.

Fructose occurs naturally in fruits, honey, berries and most root vegetables. Your consumption of the foods in which it occurs naturally is healthy. Other monosaccharides include glucose and galactose.

A U.S. survey reveals that about 9% of average caloric intake comes from fructose. Only one-third of this fructose comes from fruit, while the other two-thirds come from added refined sugars; this is where you will find a correlation between unhealthy sugar consumption and obesity.

Disaccharides

Disaccharidesare carbohydrates that are created when two monosaccharides are joined. The best known disaccharides is sucrose, commonly known as table sugar, in which a fructose molecule is joined with a glucose molecule. Another common disaccharide is lactose, found only in milk, in which a glucose and a galactose molecule are combined.

Glucose

Glucose is a sugar that our metabolism converts into energy. Our brain and other tissues require a constant supply of blood glucose to survive. Glucose, transported via the bloodstream, is the primary source of energy for the body’s cells; it is the prime metabolic fuel source for most organisms, from bacteria to humans.

Our body produces glucose when we digest the sugar and starch that are contained in carbohydrates. Such foods include rice, grains, pasta, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. Enzymes break down the starch and sugar into glucose which is absorbed into our bloodstream. The glucose combines with insulin and together they provide the energy for our muscles and brain.

It is vital to our health to keep glucose levels within a normal range. Because the energy originates from the foods we eat, our body has a mechanism for maintaining a normal range. This mechanism is seated in our liver which stores excess glucose as glycogen.

Glucose and glycogen

Our body absorbs glucose from the foods we eat and this may obviously occur irregularly. The glucose that the body does not use immediately is converted into glycogen.

Glycogen is a chain of glucose sub-units stored primarily in the liver and in our muscles. This glycogen is used to buffer our blood glucose level. For example, our muscles use the glycogen stored in the liver for energy during strenuous exercise.

What is important in our pursuit of fat loss is the fact that any glucose in excess of the needs for energy and storage as glycogen is converted to fat. This is the underlying cause for the common argument that claims as follows:

1. Fruit contains fructose.
2. Fructose turns to fat.
3. If you want to lose fat, do not eat fruit.

This argument is essentially false because it ignores the way in which our body metabolizes fructose.

Fructose and glycogen

Fructose can stimulate lipogenesis which means the accumulation and storage of fat. However, fructose is primarily stored in our liver as glycogen. The liver can comfortably handle a daily intake of 50 grams of fructose without storing any extra fat and it can store 100 grams of glycogen.

This is an important observation. A normal piece of fresh fruit contains approximately 6-7 grams of fructose so you would need to eat more than 5-7 pieces of fruit in a day to absorb 50 g. In contrast, you can very easily absorb more than 50 g of fructose by drinking a lot of carbonated soft drinks, or drinks sweetened with fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption has increased dramatically and is now a main contributor to obesity. You need to understand the following misconceptions:

• People confuse HFCS with fructose that occurs naturally in fresh fruit.
• The entire weight of a piece of fruit is not made up of fructose; most of the weight is fiber.

Conclusion

You will suffer no ill effects from eating several pieces of fresh fruit on a daily basis. What you need to steer away from is HFCS consumption and processed sugars added as sweeteners to food products and drinks.

Additional definitions:

Fructose

Fructose, or fruit sugar, is one of three dietary monosaccharides, the other two being glucose and galactose. All three are absorbed into our blood stream during digestion.

Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar, typically found in fruits, honey, berries and most root vegetables. It is the most water-soluble of all sugars. In plants, fructose may exist as a monosaccharide and/or a component of sucrose. in scientific terms called a disaccharide.

Commercially, fructose is derived from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn. Derived from these sources, it comes in three forms:

• Crystalline fructoseis the monosaccharide and has high purity when it has been dried and ground.
• High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a mixture of glucose and fructose.
• Sucrose (see definition below) is commonly added to foods, fruit juices and other drinks as a taste enhancement.

Sucrose

Sucrose is a complex carbohydrate that exists naturally in fruits and vegetables and occurs in greatest quantities in sugar cane and sugar beets. The food industry separates the sugar from these plants to produce table sugar and sweeteners which are added to foods, fruit juices and other drinks.

During digestion, sucrose is broken down into its constituent monosaccharides, glucose and fructose. The glucose and fructose molecules are absorbed into our blood stream and causes a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. This can cause problems for people who suffer from hypoglycemia or diabetes.

Galactose

This is a simple sugar found in lactose that is less sweet than glucose (table sugar). It is a monosaccharide (see above) that comes mainly from milk and milk products. Galactose is metabolized primarily in our liver into glucose 1-phosphate.

Lactose

A sugar formed by galactose and glucose found mainly in milk where it occurs at 2-8% by weight. When we consume milk, an enzyme called lactase breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose. Because of hereditary factors of food sources, European people are generally far more tolerant of lactose than people from Africa and Asia. People who are intolerant to lactose may suffer bloating and flatulence when they consume milk products.

Preserving nutrients when preparing food is vital. As it is many things rob food of nutrients, the main culprits being air, water, heat and fat. For instance, vitamins B, C and folate are heat-sensitive nutrients. Also, cooking in water reduces the antioxidants in vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and kale. Though there will always be some degree of nutrient degradation anytime you prepare and cook food there are several ways to maximize the nutrient retention of your food. Check out this list of dos and don’ts to retain those nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Things you SHOULD do

Rinse in cold water

Reserve scrubbing for thick-skinned veggies

Preserve the leaves on leafy greens (this is where most of the nutrients are)

Remove as little of skin as possible (most of the nutrients are found just beneath skin)

Use a sharp knife when cutting or chopping (reduces incidence of bruising which compromises nutrient quality)

Steam cook adding vegetables only after water is boiling (high temperatures of steam locks in the nutrients)

Saute & stir-fry using a tablespoon or so of oil (again high temperatures lock in the nutrients

Purchase from your local farmers (less time food is stored less nutrients lost in shipping & storage process)

Eat raw fruits & vegetables (salads & smoothies are always refreshing)

Cook in stainless steel, glass or enamel (Copper in copper pots destroy vitamins)

Keep vegetables that easily dry or wilt (e.g. spinach, broccoli & celery) in a slightly humid, dark, cool atmosphere

Things you SHOULD NOT do:

Bake: Baking isn’t a good cooking method because the long cooking times kill nutrients.

Peel and Trim: Many peels contain lots of minerals, vitamins & fiber so peeling should be avoided when possible.

Boil: Boiling destroys most nutrients because prolonged cooking time & nutrients go into water. In fact, nearly 80% of vitamins, minerals & nutrients are lost to this cooking method.

Soak: Soaking chopped, sliced or peeled veggies destroys nutrients.

Expose to Air & Light: When exposed to air and light nutrients in chopped, sliced and peeled are destroyed so cook immediately.

Eat processed foods: Processing destroys nutrients, vitamins & minerals so frozen or dried is actually a better choice.

Pre-wash: Don’t wash until ready for use to curtail bacterial growth and reduce nutrient degradation.

Refrigerate potatoes, onions & water squash: Since their starch converts to sugar they should be stored in a cook, dark, well-ventilated atmosphere.

The nutrients found in fruits and vegetables are necessary to support the human body therefore, preserving them in the manner of preparation, cooking and storage is vital to our nutritional health. Of equal importance is taking care when shopping to pick fruits and vegetables that are bright in color, crisp, firm in texture and free of bruising, cracks and insect bites. Nonetheless, despite all of this don’t drive yourself over the deep-end trying to rescue the nutrients. What’s most important is that you take whatever steps that you can to minimize nutrient degradation and enjoy the deliciousness of eating.

Dry eye symptoms arise when your cornea is inadequately lubricated. The disorder comes about because of insufficient tear volume or substandard quality of the tears, which leads to too rapid evaporation or rapid destruction of the tear film.

The tear film normally has three constituents: an outer layer of lipids secreted by the meibomian glands; an aqueous (water) middle layer produced by the lacrimal glands; and a mucous inner layer. A malfunction in any of these layers can lead to dry eye syndrome.

You may also experience dry eye symptoms if you unknowingly suffer from diseases such as eyelid inflammation (called blepharitis), Sjögren’s syndrome which causes dry eyes and dry mouth, and others.

N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC)

The usefulness of N-acetyl-cysteine lies primarily in the fact that, an amino acid that contains sulphur. The sulphur component in cysteine gives it unique, highly versatile binding and structural capabilities in the body. example, your body needs cysteine to produce taurine, a valuable amino acid, and the powerful antioxidant glutathione.

Glutathione is made from the sulphur-bearing amino acid cysteine and two other amino acids. Diverse body functions benefit from the presence of glutathione. This potent antioxidant helps body cells recover after a stroke, protects against cancer, prevents sharp fluctuations in blood sugar, and protects arterial walls from damage.

Because it is the most easily absorbed form of cysteine, NAC has become the most common source of cysteine for therapeutic purposes. NAC can be found in animal proteins (fish, eggs, dairy, meat, and poultry) and some vegetable proteins (e.g. soybeans).

You are more vulnerable to disease and other ailments when glutathione levels in your blood are depleted. To enable higher glutathione production by the liver, you need to increase intake of NAC. NAC is a necessary ingredient for making reduced glutathione (GSH), the most useful, un-oxidised form of glutathione.

Because it leads to the increased production of glutathione, NAC helps prevent eye damage from oxidation and its associated toxic materials. Your eye uses glutathione as its principal antioxidant, and whilst, its highest concentration (aside from the liver, where it is produced) is in the eyes. Many research studies have directly linked low levels of glutathione with all types of eye diseases, so it is important to maintain normal glutathione levels to promote eye health.

As a drug, NAC is used to remove clumps of mucous in the body, such as in the lungs of patients with chronic emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia. As an antioxidant, NAC prevents lipids from being oxidised, which helps dissolve coagulations of mucous.

Its mucous-dissolving properties, makes NAC a powerful agent for treating problems associated with lipid oxidation in the eyes. Several studies have shown that treatment with NAC is able to produce better results than artificial tears in relieving the symptoms experienced by people with blepharitis. Trial doses involving 100mg of NAC taken three times daily improved the constitution of the tear film, reducing the symptoms of blepharitis.

Many research monographs have pointed to the beneficial effects of NAC on Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease which also affects the eyes. NAC’s fast-acting ability to thin out mucosal secretions unblocks the cellular channels, allowing moisture to flow more freely. In several trials on people diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, researchers found the associated dry eye symptoms improved with thrice-a-day doses of 200mg of NAC.