Calories in Bananas

Banana is considered a rich fruit as it contains not just vitamins and minerals but also electrolytes such as potassium that are essential in a normal body function. Banana is also called "the fruit of the wise". Caloric content of banana provides a steady origin of energy and this fruit is also digested slowly, giving a feeling of fullness for a relatively long period of time.

When should I eat bananas, before or after workout?

In general, eating bananas before and after workout or exercises is beneficial. Bananas are known to be one of the good sources of energy booster. Taking it an hour prior to a physical activity ensures the person that he or she has additional source of stable energy. After a physical activity, bananas are still good as they restore and improve muscular function. Bananas also regulates sugar level that enables the body to regain an anabolic state.

Bananas are one of the best options when trying to lose weight. They provide us with calories that give us endurance. Furthermore, bananas have fewer calories than other fruits and also fat content. Not only this, as bananas are also high in water and potassium level. Clients suffering from a state called hypokalemia are advised to eat bananas. Hypokalemia is when potassium level in the blood is below the normal range. Foods rich in potassium with low sodium content are best in weight reduction.

Caloric Content of Bananas

Just like in other fruits, caloric value of bananas depends on its size. The source of energy that bananas provide to us are mostly from carbohydrates. Below this is a rough estimate of its caloric content according to banana size:

• For bananas weighing less than or equal to 80 grams, it has 72 calories;
• For bananas weighing less than or equal to 100 grams, it contains 90 calories;
• For bananas weighing less than or equal to 115 grams, its caloric content is 100 calories;
• For bananas weighing less than or equal to 136 grams, its caloric value is 120 calories; and
• For bananas weighing less than or equal to 150 grams, it has 135 calories

With the caloric measurement of bananas above, we can definitely say that this is really the fruit of the wise. If you wish to lose weight without feeling so hungry, eating a banana before and after a workout may help. Many diets to lose weight recommend involving bananas to their daily diet but some of them also avoid this as bananas are rich in starchy carbohydrates. In Japan, rapid loss of weight have been reported by eating bananas.

Count Your Caloric Intake

Counting your caloric intake is one of the keys to effectively lose weight. This is very easy to do and is guaranteed.
Before monitoring caloric intake, understanding what calorie is and its significance is vital. A calorie is the amount of energy a food or beverage contains. These are found at the back portion of their wrappers. If no nutritional label is available, searching in the worldwide web with the various caloric meters can be done.

Moreover, calories in a banana also rely on how ripe the fruit is. The riper it is, the higher is its caloric content. There are also different types of bananas and they also differ in calories. However, it is usually 100 calories or below. If you are looking for a fruit that will replenish you from a very stressful day, eating a banana helps. It stabilizes your sugar level, keeping you full than other fruits.

Diabetes: Risks, Truths and Myths

Diabetes is a disease that causes a lot of confusion for people. There are many myths that should be dispelled regarding the disease and a number of risk factors that should be kept in mind. The more you know about diabetes and its many risk factors, the more you can protect yourself.

The Risk Factors for Diabetes

Like other diseases, diabetes has risk factors that include those that can be changed and those that cannot be changed. It doesn't always take a major change to lower your risk for diabetes; sometimes it is only the small changes that need to be done. The risk factors for diabetes include:

- Being above your ideal weight by 20% or more. The obvious suggestion is to lose weight, which can be a small step but give you major results.

- Having blood pressure that is at or above 140/90 (deemed as hypertension). Your blood pressure can also be impacted by your weight, but there are other factors that can cause higher blood pressure.

- HDL cholesterol (the good kind) that is 35 or less and or triglycerides of 250 or more. Again, cholesterol can be impacted by weight, but that is only one of the ways to change the cholesterol profile. To increase the good cholesterol, you need to increase the amount of exercise that you get each day, another of the reasons that doctors insist that diabetics get more exercise.

- Family history of diabetes, especially a parent or sibling.

- Own history of gestational diabetes or having had a baby that was more than nine pounds at birth regardless of gestational diabetes.

Certain ethnic groups such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans have a higher risk of diabetes.

Of these, only the last one is impossible to prevent. After all, you cannot change your genetic makeup. Gestational diabetes may not be so much of a condition caused by pregnancy but one that was already in place and simply unmasked by the pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes, sometimes referred to as type III diabetes, may be at a much higher risk of developing diabetes even years after the pregnancy has ended. All women should be screened for the condition during their pregnancy- it occurs in some 1-3% of all women with certain groups having a higher risk than others. (Source: Ammer, 2005)

The Warning Signs of Diabetes

Diabetes may be present in the body for years without being noticed and many people are typically classified as "pre-diabetic" without even noticing anything out of the ordinary. Their blood sugar levels may be slightly elevated but not quite high enough to count as diabetes. The warning signs include:

- Increased thirst

- Frequent urination, especially when it occurs at night (may be a warning sign of other conditions in addition or instead of diabetes)

- Blurred vision or vision changes

- Unusual fatigue

- Sores that do not heal. A small wound that involves some bleeding and minor discomfort should show signs of healing within seven to ten days and be completely healed shortly after that. With diabetics, the skin may not heal at all or may start to look like it is healing and then reopen.

- Unexplained weight loss

- Constant hunger

- Menstrual irregularity and/or chronic yeast infections

All of these warning signs are very relative- they could be evident or they may not be present at all. In addition, the warning signs can often be present in other conditions.

The Myths of Diabetes

In addition to the real risks and the warning signs, there are a number of myths that surround diabetes that help keep it so difficult to understand. For instance, some people think that they can never have any kind of sugar again or that they have to only eat certain foods. The problem is simple: these myths are not realistic at all. There are many forms of sugar and it isn't necessary to stop having all of them. You can eat fruits (fructose) or drink milk and have other forms of dairy (lactose). You can even have a small slice of cake; as long as you realize how food, all food, impacts your blood sugar and makes your body react.

In the world of carbohydrates, there are two types: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are the ones that can be a major problem, causing the sugar to spike and the body to be flooded with insulin. These are the sugars that are broken down very quickly and easily by the body- think of the white sugars that are found in candies, cookies, cakes and sodas.

Complex carbohydrates are harder to break down by the body and do not cause the sugar spikes that are common with the simple carbs. These are the whole grains and the natural starch foods. It is a myth that a potato is a bad thing- it is actually lower in calories than was previously thought. What ruins a good potato are the items that are added to it, the butter, the sour cream, the cheese and even the bacon.

It is all about learning how your body works and how it handles the foods that it is given.

Diabetes and Timing Your Meals

Going from completely starved to completely stuffed, fed is hard on the human body, especially for a diabetic. This continual feast or famine in the body can cause the insulin levels to fluctuate greatly. Eating a big meal may cause a huge sugar spike, especially after being empty for a long time. Eating smaller, more evenly spaced meals can allow the body to have the energy that it needs without having the sugar spikes that can make diabetes even worse.

Using a protein supplement such as Profect from Protica can be one of the best tools that you can use as a between meal snack to keep you feeling satisfied for longer and to keep you from the starvation mode that can leave you primed for sugar spikes. In addition, it is helpful for use as part of your weight loss efforts, which is also an important factor for the care of diabetes.

Why Juicing for Cancer Is Effective

If you're looking for solutions to cancer, consider juicing for cancer.

People all around the world are finding that it is an effective way to minimize and in some cases cure cancer. It's not guaranteed or a fix-all, but when it's a matter of life or death, it's worth trying.

Cancer kills almost 8 million people a year. That's 20,000 people a day! Cancer is knocking humans down and sucking the life from them.

What's really interesting is that cancer is a modern disease. Scientists have looked at ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and have found little evidence of cancer. Sure, there have been a few cases, but nowhere to the extent in the 21st century.

Scientists think that one of the biggest reasons for this is the prevalence of carcinogens in 21st century society. Carcinogens are cancer-causing agents and in modern Western civilization, we are exposed to a mind-blowing amount.

Pollution, food additives and preservatives, smoking and alcohol are all examples of carcinogens.

And herein lies the key to juicing for cancer. The ancient Egyptians and other civilizations of ages past avoided cancer because they were not exposed to many carcinogens. Modern preservatives, food processing techniques and pollution simply didn't exist.

The interesting thing that scientists have found is that carcinogens can be activated or deactivated using dietary measures. If you eat lots of junk food, you'll be promoting cancer growth and creating an optimal environment inside your body for cancer to thrive.

Instead, you could be juicing for cancer and doing all you can to minimize cancer activity. By stocking up on vitamins, minerals and the life-giving nutrients within fresh fruits and vegetables, you will be making it hard for carcinogens to wreak havoc inside your body.

To juice for cancer effectively, you need to do it on a regular basis. This means adopting juicing into your lifestyle and making a habit of doing it morning and night, as well as for lunch if possible. However, juicing is not meant to replace a normal diet, especially if you're juicing for cancer. Juicing will be most effective if used in conjunction with a diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. For more information, start learning about the raw food diet, where people only eat raw fruits and vegetables.

Many people have found great success when juicing for cancer, as they are giving their body the nutrients it needs.

Other benefits of juicing include increased energy, clearer skin, better sleep and an elevated sense of well-being.

Get down to your local store, grab a juicer and some fresh fruit and vegetables and start juicing for cancer - you'll love it!

An Avocado a Day Keeps Body Fat Away

People are terrified to eat fat. Calorie counting, non-fat diets are a craze in the dieting world, but they make no differentiation between calorie sources. In these diets all calories are created equal, but this is a dietary falsehood.

Our bodies need fat.

The key to overall health is to consume a certain amount of good fat everyday. The outer layer of each cell in the human body is a fat layer, which makes up the cellular wall and helps with absorption. Without this layer, the body is unable to effectively absorb vitamins and minerals. Many people who are being treated for vitamin and mineral deficiencies are also suffering from a fatty acid deficiency.

Fatty acids also boost metabolism. An increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids can help balance sugar levels, control appetite and reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that stores fat. Four important fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. The body needs fat in order to absorb these vitamins, improve metabolism and lose weight.

Some common symptoms and health problems associated with fatty acid deficiency are:

Skin problems such as eczema and dermatitis
Dry mucous membranes
Hair loss
Changes in blood pressure and cardiovascular health
Thyroid problems
Immune system dysfunction
Joint pain
Brittle and cracked toenails and fingernails
Fatigue
Constipation
Allergies

The best detection test for fatty acid deficiency is to run a hand on the back of the arms or side of thighs to feel for tiny bumps. If these bumps are present, there is usually a fatty acid deficiency. Consuming omega-3 will usually make these bumps go away within a few weeks. However, in the case of a more severe deficiency, further testing may be required.

Fatty acids also improve brain function and development, and there is some evidence that ADHD may be associated in part with fatty acid deficiency. Studies have found that some children with deficiencies in omega-3 have more difficulty concentrating, more behavioral problems and more health problems than other children.

Where calorie-counting diets go wrong is counting all calories equally. They make no differentiation between good and bad fats. The secret to balanced health is in the nutrient value of each piece of food a person eats. A bag of Doritos may have the same caloric number as an avocado, but the avocado is loaded with good fats that help boost metabolism and absorption.

Good fat and omega-3 sources for a well-balanced diet:

Avocados: Avocados are packed with 20 vitamins and minerals, and with carotenoids such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein. 85 percent of their caloric count comes from good fat. Eating one avocado a day supplies the body with essential fatty acids needed for cellular absorption.

Nuts: walnuts, almonds and butternuts are excellent sources. Any nut is good other than peanuts and cashews, which only contain trace amounts of fatty acids.

Salmon: Salmon and other fatty fish supplies the body with a blend of omega 3 fatty acids and minerals.

Oils: Olive, grape seed, avocado, hazelnut, almond, flaxseed and evening primrose oil.

Fish oil. Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 and is often taken as a supplement

The Mediterranean Diet: This diet is a healthy option for well-balanced nutrition. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes the use of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats such as olive oil and fish.

For people who are deficient in fatty acids, supplements may be the best option. The amount of omega-3 supplementation may vary depending on how deficient a body is. A person may consume between one and eight grams of omega-3 every day depending on the needs of his or her body. Please consult your naturopathic doctor, herbalist or health care provider for your correct body dosage.

When purchasing omega-3 supplements or fish oil, it is very important to look at the label. Most supplements purchased through conventional stores and pharmacies are 99.9 percent pure. This is not pure. A supplement needs to be 100 percent pure and free of toxins such as mercury and PCB's. Pure supplements may be found at a naturopathic doctor's office or nutrition store.

Information on Healthy Eating - Fasting and Weight Loss

If you are dieting to lose weight you may be overwhelmed and baffled by the plethora of information on healthy eating that is available to you. Experts everywhere are advising you to go low carb, high protein, juice your food or fast to lose weight. Which information on healthy eating do you listen to? Let's look at some of the information on healthy eating and how it applies to your diet or weight loss program.

Fasting or Meal Replacement

This is a valid weight loss option according to information on healthy eating if you don't abuse it. There are many meal replacement shakes, bars and powders you can use to fast one to two meals per day and lose weight. Remember that your body needs calories to fuel activity, and if you are also working out to lose weight, you cannot afford to fast completely. Information on healthy eating recommends you replace any of the meals you skip with adequate calories and nutrition to keep your body going. If you experience weakness or feelings of fatigue, it might mean you are becoming malnourished through lack of nutrients. Take care to get the calories you need.

Fasting and Juicing

Information on healthy eating recommends juicing as a healthy alternative to fasting or skipping meals. You can juice enough fruits and vegetables to maintain the calories and nutrients you need to stay healthy and still lose weight. Adding a protein powder, soy or wheat germ can also help you to get additional protein that your body requires. Juicing has become a popular diet option in recent years, and has produced some excellent short term results. The challenge is to keep the weight off once you go back to consuming solid foods. Consult information on healthy eating to help you make this transition.

Fasting and "Starvation Mode"

If you choose to skip meals and fast completely you can be sending your body the wrong message. Information on healthy eating addresses something called "starvation mode". This is the state that your body can revert to when too many calories are lacking or if you skip too many meals. Your body can turn on itself and begin to use muscle tissue for fuel and hold on to body fat. This is the opposite result from what you are trying for, so use caution when skipping meals or fasting. Remember, you need to feed your body to fuel the burning of calories which results in weight loss. Starving your body has the opposite effect.

Whether you fast, replace meals or juice them, remember to keep a balance of nutrients and calories to help you stay active and healthy.

Beri Ultimate - The Acai Berry

The acai fruit. An anti-oxidant? A complete body detox and cleanse? One of the very most nutritious and powerful foods in the world? An aid in diet and weight loss? There is so much information dished out on this little Brazilian berry in the past number of years it can be challenging to assess exactly what the acai berries actually do and what the many benefits are.

What is the Acai Berry?

The acai palm is really a kind of palm tree harvested in Brazil and cultivated because of their fruit along with their heart of palm. Global demand for the acai has increased significantly in recent times following the the breakthrough discoveries of the various health and fitness benefits of this berry.

The Mayo Clinic has stated:

"The acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry is a grape-like fruit harvested from acai palm trees, which are native to the rainforests of South America. Acai berries are widely touted as a so-called super food, with proponents claiming that they are helpful for a variety of health concerns, including arthritis, cancer, weight loss, high cholesterol, erectile dysfunction, detoxification and improving general health.
An Anti-oxidant?

There was little analysis done on acai berries until recently. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry not too long ago published the end result of a study which concluded that the acai berry's ingestion in humans turned out to be essential as it was demonstrated to provide a great number of anti-oxidants.

The research evaluated antioxidant and nutritional aspects of the berry to assess it's activity against cancer cells. The persons working in the analysis recorded substantial increases in antioxidant activity inside the blood 12 and 24 hours after the acai berries were eaten. The people displayed considerable absorption of antioxidant anthocyanins into the blood and antioxidant effects, with substantial antioxidant capability towards peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals.

It had been shown to have modest inhibitory influences on cyclooxygenase enzymes in vitro. Chemically-extracted polyphenolic-rich fractions from açaí were reported to scale back the growth of experimental leukemia cells in vitro. In vitro anti-proliferative results had been at the same time identified with ingredients from açaí pulp oil.

In a investigation of rats given a very high cholesterol diet, added feeding with dry açaí pulp lessened blood levels of total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and super-oxide dismutase activity.

Diet and Weight Loss?

The Acai berry's fiber and essential fatty acid content help with its capability to reduce fat more efficiently, process food sooner, lower cravings, and boost metabolism. Detox acai products, like Beri Ultimate, can cleanse the body of fat and rid your body of toxic accumulation that slows the metabolism.

Studies have shown that this little Amazon berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods on the planet! Eating meals loaded with antioxidants can strengthen your body's ability to eliminate the free-radicals that can cause cell damages.

The ultra powerful cleansing solution of Beri Ultimate can help you lose weight and feel good! Your body is filled with unwanted waste & toxins which are begging to be released. Beri Ultimate will clear the body, causing you to feel pure and vitalized.

* The açaí palm is a species of palm tree in the genus Euterpe cultivated for their fruit and superior hearts of palm. Its name comes from the Brazilian adaptation of the Tupian word ïwasa'i, '[fruit that] cries or expels water'. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in recent years, and açaí is now cultivated for that purpose primarily. The closely-related species Euterpe edulis (juçara) is now predominantly used for hearts of palm.

Information on Healthy Eating - Snacks

When we think of snacks we tend to think of junk food. Cookies, chips, crackers, pretzels or donuts, right? Is it possible to be a snack lover and still eat a healthy nutritious diet? If you are willing to modify your concept of what a snack can be, the answer, according to information on healthy eating, is an emphatic yes!

Information on healthy eating and dietary studies have shown that people who eat frequent small meals rather than two or three large meals during the course of the day have better overall health. If you eat throughout the day, you are more likely to have better cognitive ability, more energy, and will sleep better at night. People who eat small meals and healthy snacks will also avoid that mid-day slump that affects millions and requires a cup of coffee or an energy drink to get you out of.

What is the reason for this? Information on healthy eating shows that smaller meals are more easily digested by the body and the fuel from food is used constantly through the course of the day. This allows the body to stay at a steady pace rather than the ups and downs many people experience.

Now that we've established the desirability of snacking; let's look at the food aspect. Avoid all of the above-mentioned salty or sugary snacks like the plague. These constitute empty calories and don't do the job you need to fuel your body for activity and brain function. Information on healthy eating recommends you eat snacks that are rich in nutrients and "good fats" such as whole grains, nuts, or seeds. One great way to combine all these types of foods is in trail mix or granola. This is easy to make at home and makes a great portable snack food. Add dried fruit to whole oats and sunflower or pumpkin seeds that have been sweetened with honey and toasted in the oven. Just a handful of this delicious treat at snack time will be nutritious and satisfying.

Information on healthy eating shows that you can add fresh fruit to cottage cheese or low fat yogurt for a delicious pick me up. You can even sprinkle some of your granola in yogurt for extra crunch. This yummy meal is also great for your digestion due to the fiber in the grains and fruit. Yogurt has healthy bacteria for your digestive system too.

Want something cold? Use whole fruit and nonfat frozen yogurt or fruit sorbet to make a delicious smoothie that satisfies like a meal. Information on healthy eating recommends smoothies as a total meal replacement if you add a scoop of wheat germ, protein powder or soy powder.

Take this information on healthy eating and use it to change your snacking habits from empty calories to delicious good nutrition for life.

Are Raw Vegetables Better Than Cooked Ones?

Eating vegetables is certainly a big part of great nutrition. How you eat them is even more important. Experts encourage people to eat 5 or 6 small portioned meals per day to keep their metabolism stable. What experts fail to address is the concept of how much food a person "desires" to eat. The end goal should be to desire a small amount of food with each meal. We will review a few findings from medical expert Dr. Joel Fuhrman on how eating cooked vegetables can assist you in desiring smaller portions instead of the larger ones.

The first step to becoming healthier is that you have to desire smaller portions. It is not enough to just put a small amount of food on your plate. To desire smaller portions you have to eat a lot of high nutrient foods. They have to be the majority of what you eat. I'm sure you're wondering what foods are high in nutrients and fiber. Examples of high nutrient foods are kale, collard greens, spinach, bok choy and asparagus. There are a host of other foods that are high in nutrients as well. Raw vegetables are a critical necessity for excellent health. Many raw dieters frown upon those that cook their vegetables before they eat them. There are some key facts that many raw food consumers may not know. When you cook a vegetable, you lose about 35% of the isothiocyanates that you would have taken in, should you had taken it in raw. This is not a bad thing because cooked vegetables have tremendous benefits as well.

The drawback of just eating raw vegetables is that we are not able to consume high amounts because we get filled up from them too fast. According to nutritional expert Dr. Joel Fuhrman, "Some people can flourish by eating a raw food diet, but most cannot. It is due in large part to the amount of space that raw vegetables occupy in their stomach. When this large amount of space is occupied the vegetables will not be digested efficiently, thus allowing a great majority of the calories to pass through the body undigested."

If people would chew their food thirty to forty times before swallowing, they would heighten their chances of ingesting more nutrients. The end result is that their caloric needs are not met by the raw vegetables which leads them to eat too many nuts and fruits. In comparison, the raw veggie eaters are actually getting fewer nutrients from their vegetables by eating all raw than they would if they had included some cooked vegetables. Cooking will indeed strip vegetables of some of their nutrients, but it will also increase the density of your diet. You will end up getting a higher proportion of total caloric intake from your vegetables. In the long run it is a healthier alternative than if you were getting calories from other sources. It is very difficult to eat vegetables such as cabbage, collard greens and brussel sprouts in their raw form. You have to consume them in a cooked form like a soup. A soup is the best form to consume cooked vegetables because any nutrients that are lost from the vegetable will go directly into the water. If this is the case, you will be able to recover the nutrients from the water in the event of overcooking the vegetables.