Olive Oil -Not Just for Popeye
Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree for about 6,000 years; having been especially popular in the Isle of Crete (which as you recall, also appeared in the Seven Countries Study to be the site of the lowest incidence of heart disease). All oils that we use for eating and cooking contain "fat" and olive oil is no exception. However, it is mostly monounsaturated fat as opposed to saturated fat or hydrogenated fat. It can be used as a flavoring for cooking or in salad dressings or as a healthy substitute for butter or margarine. Several large population studies have confirmed that diets with higher amounts of fat of the monounsaturated type reduce total cholesterol and LDL ["bad"] cholesterol levels to the same degree as low fat, high-carbohydrate diets [such as the AHA Step I and II diets].
The additional benefit of olive oil is, as part of a Mediterranean type diet, is that it also has a favorable effect on lowering blood triglycerides [also a factor in heart disease] and maintaining HDL ["good" cholesterol].In a published study, individuals were randomly assigned to one of three diets: a diet enriched with olive oil, an AHA Step II diet, or an average American control diet. The olive oil and Step II diets lowered total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol to the same degree. However, triglyceride levels fell 13% in patients on the olive oil diet and increased 11% in the Step II diet. HDL cholesterol levels were unchanged in the olive oil diet but decreased 4% in the Step II diet. Remember we want to keep the HDL up as high as possible to reduce heart disease.Based upon the above information, the authors of the study estimated that the overall risk of cardiovascular disease was lowered by 25% by the olive oil diet and only 12% by the Step II diet.
Please note that the cholesterol lowering "statin" type drugs lower risk for a heart attack by about 35%, which is not too much better than the "olive oil" diet alone. In subjects with elevated cholesterols who would benefit from use of statin type medications, additional cardiovascular benefit would then be found by also following a diet with olive oil as a substitute for salad dressing, as a substitute for butter or margarine, and for cooking.Olive oil apparently has other beneficial effects such as lowering blood pressure, inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol [the last step before it gets put into your arteries], providing anti-inflammatory effects, and improving insulin sensitivity.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently given manufactures of olive oil and some olive oil-containing food the green light to carry a statement about their potential heart benefits. The claim indicates evidence suggesting that about 2 tablespoons of olive oil per day may reduce the risk of a heart attack. However, to achieve this result, the olive oil should replace a similar amount of saturated fat and should not increase the total daily calories.The strong taste of extra-virgin olive oil is partly because of the presence of a large amount of "flavonoids", which account for its antioxidant properties that then reduce LDL oxidation. Other foods rich in flavonoids include berries, apples, onions, tea, and red wine (all of which have also been shown to be of benefit in reducing overall heart risk).Disclaimer: If you are under 18, pregnant, nursing or have health problems, consult your physician before starting any weight loss plan.
The information here is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.Dr. John Rumberger is the Author of The WAY Diet, The complete lifestyle plan to live longer, reduce stress, and lose weight the healthy way. To purchase The Way Diet simply go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/0974993387&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=icobweb-20&creative=9325 or go to Empty Canoe Publishing http://www.emptycanoe.com and order your copy of The Way..
Dr. John RumbergerI have dedicated my life to studying the heart and the blood that pumps throughout the human body.I have spent much of the last thirty years doing research and spending valuable time with patients, trying to better understand the heart.My experience in the field is extensive, and includes achieving my doctorate in 1976 (Bio-Engineering/ Fluid Dynamics/ Applied Mathematics) from The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, with a dissertation on, A Non-Linear Model of Coronary Artery Blood Flow. I then continued my education into my true love, medicine, when in 1978 I became a M.D. graduating from the School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Florida. I became an Internist and then a Cardiologist.
Since then, I have pioneered how the medical field views the process of blood flow through the heart.
From my appointment as professor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, to Medical Director at the HealthWISE Wellness Diagnostic Center in Ohio I have treated patients with heart problems.
Though each patient is unique, the heart in each of us works the same way.sean@emptycanoe.com
?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
With Easter quickly approaching, bunny experts embrace "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign to bring attention to bunny welfare. The Columbus House Rabbit Society initiated the "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign in 2002 to spread compassionate education intended to save thousands of bunnies from abandonment, relinquishment, and other ill fates.
Arizona's Premier Rabbit Experts, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue [BHHR] supports the nationwide campaign and has included the "Make Mine Chocolate" slogan at local adoption events, in education materials and on volunteer t-shirts. BHHR Director
Kim Dezelon personally supports this campaign. As a bunny expert she knows first hand the dangers of gifting a pet bunny to a child for Easter.
Kim Dezelon emphasizes; "contrary to a popular myth children and bunnies are often not a good combination", she adds; "children like to hold pets and bunnies do not usually like being held, making them unsuitable companions for small children", she...
?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
Diets > ?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
Popular Diets Carry Hidden Dangers, Warns Joel Fuhrman M.D.
Flemington, New Jersey (ContentDesk)
October 16, 2003 ? Joel Fuhrman, M.D. tells the truth about today's best-selling diets, no matter how strong or unpopular his message.
As the weight loss and nutritional expert on The Discovery Channel's Second Opinion with Dr. Oz, Dr. Fuhrman joins Mehmet Oz M.D.
and Oprah to discuss the obesity epidemic, which has been caused in large part by dangerous dieting.Popular diets such as the Atkins diet, the Zone, and the South Beach Diet result in short-term weight loss, emphasizes Dr. Fuhrman, and "the critical question is whether these diets are safe."
He cites the medical journal Angiology, where a study of people on the Atkins diet for one year experienced a decreased blood flow to their heart by 40 percent and increased inflammatory markers.
Ketogenic diets?like the Atkins plan?can also cause cardiomyopathy or dilation of the heart.
Scientific research shows a six-fold increase in certain cancers...
Diets > Popular Diets Carry Hidden Dangers, Warns Joel Fuhrman M.D.
?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
With Easter quickly approaching, bunny experts embrace "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign to bring attention to bunny welfare. The Columbus House Rabbit Society initiated the "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign in 2002 to spread compassionate education intended to save thousands of bunnies from abandonment, relinquishment, and other ill fates.
Arizona's Premier Rabbit Experts, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue [BHHR] supports the nationwide campaign and has included the "Make Mine Chocolate" slogan at local adoption events, in education materials and on volunteer t-shirts. BHHR Director
Kim Dezelon personally supports this campaign. As a bunny expert she knows first hand the dangers of gifting a pet bunny to a child for Easter.
Kim Dezelon emphasizes; "contrary to a popular myth children and bunnies are often not a good combination", she adds; "children like to hold pets and bunnies do not usually like being held, making them unsuitable companions for small children", she...
?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
Diets > ?Make Mine Chocolate? Campaign Sweetens Easter Holiday for Bunnies
Fight Fatigue with this Natural Remedy
Most doctors agree that non-specific fatigue can be exacerbated by modern diets rich in fats and refined carbohydrates. For a graphic example of this, you only have to watch 'Supersize Me' - the Documentary about what happens if you eat nothing but fast food for a month. Additionally, drugs, coffee (caffeine products), smoking and alcohol can make the problem even worse, even though most of these are usually thought of as 'stimulants'. If untreated, chronic fatigue can lead on to much worse conditions such as anemia, hypoglycemia, diabetes, hypothyroidism and even cancer. So how can one avoid fatigue, without resorting to un-natural stimulants? Here's a natural remedy you can try.
The herbs ginseng, lavender, rosemary and sweet flag can all help raise your energy levels naturally. Combine these with vitamin B complexes, vitamins C and D, as all of these have been known to help fight fatigue. The remedy is also improved by the addition of vitamin A, pantothenic acid, B12, folic...
Fight Fatigue with this Natural Remedy
Diets > Fight Fatigue with this Natural Remedy
The Skinny on Oats, Oatmeal, Vitamins Nutrition for Skin Care and Bath Products.
Oats (botanical name Avena sativa)An oat is a grass that produces a fibrous root and a hollow jointed stem with narrow, flat, pale-green leaves. Oats are native to southern Europe and eastern Asia. They are widely cultivated as a food.An oat is an edible cereal grain produced by the cereal grass of the same name. They are light colored and have a nutty flavor and a chewy texture.Usually we think of them as breakfast food but oatmeal has long been known for its skin-soothing properties. Many skin lotions and ointments are formulated with oats for it's skin healing properties.
As a nutritious breakfast food oats provide a healthy addition to your diet in that there is 140 calories per 1/2 cup serving. They also provide 4g of dietary fiber, of which 2g of this is soluble fiber and 2g is insoluble. Insoluble fibers are those that cannot be dissolved in water. And soluble fibers can be dissolved in water. They provide 10% of your daily iron needs.
Also of this 1/2 cup serving,...
The Skinny on Oats, Oatmeal, Vitamins Nutrition for Skin Care and Bath Products.
Diets > The Skinny on Oats, Oatmeal, Vitamins Nutrition for Skin Care and Bath Products.
The Pros and Cons of Fad Dieting
It is very tempting to try that fad diet that you have found in the latest magazine that promises the world with fantastic fat losses without doing a thing. Just takea couple of fat burning pills follow the diet and then bang! A brand new you in a couple of weeks. The sad fact is they do not work, they just provide more suffering in your efforts to lose weight, the only thing you lose is your hard earned money.Firstly we will look at the latest fad diets on the scene at the moment, their pros and cons and then you will be shown how to save your time, money and unnecessary suffering bypointing you in the right direction for permanent weightloss. The latest studies show that 90 per cent of fad dietersregained everything they had lost and even gained more within eighteen months. The Atkins Diet.The body burns carbohydrates and then fat for energy.This diet recommends limiting the intake of starchy,high carb foods so that the fat is burned first.
So byeating meat, cheese and eggs...
The Pros and Cons of Fad Dieting
Diets > The Pros and Cons of Fad Dieting
Introducing the Complete Vegetarian Website
San Bernardino, CA (ContentDesk) January 29, 2006 -- Introducing our website concerning the vegetarian lifestyle. It is an informative site passing on guidance in the benefits, nutritional implications, and health issues surrounding the change in lifestyle. http://bestvegetarian.us explains the differences in the different styles of vegetarians including semi-vegetarian, ovo-lacto-vegetarian, and vegans. This site is an informative site solely built to help educate its users on the vegetarian lifestyle.The site includes information on vegetarian meals, vegetarian diets, becoming vegan, recipes, protein in vegetarian food and many other topics. The site also expands to links that further the information while providing specific articles to help support the information.
If one is not sure if being a vegetarian is for them and wants to learn more of the lifestyle. This website will help provide that information. If a user is...
Introducing the Complete Vegetarian Website
Diets > Introducing the Complete Vegetarian Website