Professional Diet

Posted on Monday, 8th February 2010 by admin

Is your child not interested in eating at mealtime? Try a different approach when getting your child to eat.

The Positive Approach

A idea on what to do when your child won’t eat is to focus less on stress. Create a friendly environment as you get your child interested in eating. Have a variety of healthy and nutritious food choices available. For proper child nutrition, allow the child to choose, by placing three or four healthy selections of vegetables, meat or fruit on the table. This will not only allow the child to feel responsible, but eliminate the “power struggle” game between you and your child. You may also allow your child to select various food items for you to eat. Of course, you should eat it enthusiastically, and eat all of it. This places the child in a position of cooperating and makes for an enjoyable meal.

Add Excitement

Present familiar foods, such as carrots, broccoli or other vegetables and fruit, in interesting and fun ways. Perhaps you could arrange a “face” of mashed potatoes, with peas for the “eyes” and slices of carrots for the “nose” and “smile”. A pancake “face” would be adorned with banana slices for the “eyes”, a pat of butter for the “nose” and a syrup “smile”. Of course, sandwiches are always interesting when cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle the vegetables with shredded cheddar, for an added flavor children enjoy. If well accepted, melt cheese on any vegetable. This is a perfect way to introduce a new vegetable, since the cheese topping is familiar to the child and part of the dairy food group recommended in child nutrition.

Proper Portions

A good rule of thumb is to provide an age appropriate amount of food for the child. Usually, one tablespoon of each food item for each year of the child’s age, is a good way to consider portion size. Getting your child to eat all of the food in the plate will give both you and your child a sense of accomplishment as the meal is completed.

Common Sense at Meal Time

It just makes common sense to “warn” or give enough time for the child to settle down before mealtime. Allow approximately 15 minutes to prepare for the meal. Teach the child good habits, such as washing their hands before eating and putting away the toys.

With a little imagination, a sense of humor and patience, proper child nutrition, in addition to forming good habits, it may not be such a difficult task when solving the problem of what to do when your child won’t eat.

For additional tips on how to get your child to eat their vegetables, please read 5 Creative Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies.

If your child has a healthy weight and height for his or her age, there is no need to worry. Add multiple vitamins especially formulated for children, in addition to the foods they will eat.

The information in this article should not be considered medical advice. Always check with your physician before following any advice you have read on Brighthub.com.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/behavior/224.html

http://life.familyeducation.com/behavioral-problems/foods/41288.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/hunger.html

Comments (0)

Posted on Sunday, 7th February 2010 by admin

Life Extension Integra-Lean Irvingia is an interesting product. They sell through some of the smaller third party retailers, meaning that the markups are not as great as say bodybuilding.com type products. But honestly speaking, they have to have certain sales to get on the bigger sites, which would denote the idea that other products simply sell better for whatever reason.

This being said, they talk about certain effects. They talk about the new idea of actually manipulating a hormone called leptin. It has been specifically linked to obesity, and they have even created a “vaccine” based on this idea. Of course, there is nothing that will help anybody to lose weight without the help of diet and exercise.

However, they of course acknowledge this. They say that if you have struggled with weight loss before, it’s not entirely your fault and they can help you to achieve better and easier results for that matter. They also talk about insulin and various other factors in general. However, the question is, do they provide the crucial elements for your success?

They use one ingredient and one ingredient only. It is called irvingia gabonesis, and it has been shown to have this particular effect. It manipulates leptin levels according to some scientific reports, and therefore it makes weight loss easier. Whatever its mechanisms of action, it has been shown to produce a significant difference in weight loss results, and if used in the right amounts, obviously you could see considerably greater benefits.

The problem is that they don’t actually have the clinically proven amounts. They use 150mg, which is increasingly common unfortunately. This ingredient actually requires at least 1500mg. So obviously, you can see that there is a significant difference. This in mind, it will not work as far as the paperwork goes.

However, the customer reviews in some ways conflict with this. There are a surprising number of positive consumer reviews associated with this particular product. We were a little shocked at least at the numbers. So for that reason and that reason alone, we are inclined to question whether the paper version is actually right.

We think that Life Extension Integra-Lean Irvingia has a chance. We don’t usually think that with these kinds of products and otherwise. However, with the conflicting information that we have seen across the internet and through clinical studies, we have to secede and say that it may produce results. We are not entirely sure considering the papered version. However, we would say give it a chance.

Related information

• No Related Posts

Comments (0)

Posted on Sunday, 7th February 2010 by admin

Insulin secretagogues include sulfonylureas (e.g., glipizide, glimiperide, glyburide) and meglitinides (repaglinide and nateglinide).  They are called secretagogues because they make the pancreas beta cells secrete more insulin into the bloodstream.   

Sulfonylureas (SUs) in 2010 are still the most widely used drugs for treatment of type 2 diabetes.  At least six different SUs are in common usage in the U.S.  They are often prescribed for patients who do not respond adequately to lifestyle modification and are intolerant of metformin, the usual first-choice drug. 

The meglitinides are also called “glinides.”  In the U.S. repaglinide is sold as Prandin, and nateglinide is Starlix. Meglitinides are considerably more expensive than the SUs. 

This is a brief review pertinent to type 2 diabetes only—consult your physician or pharmacist for details.  Drug names vary by country and manufacturer.  

How do they work?

Sulfonylureas increase the pancreas’ production of insulin after a meal (second phase insulin secretion).  If the pancreas beta cells are no longer producing any insulin, SUs won’t work.  SUs decrease fasting blood sugar by about 20% and hemoglobin A1c by 1 or 2% (absolute, not relative).

Metiglinides have about the same effectiveness as SUs.  Repaglinide and nateglinide  increase the pancreas’ output of insulin, working faster than sulfonylureas.  They don’t last as long as sulfonylureas, which may help avoid hypoglycemia.  These two “glinides” work mostly to reduce sugar levels after meals.  If the pancreas produces no insulin at all, these drugs won’t work.  

We don’t know if these drugs affect death rates. 

Uses

May be used alone or in combination with certain other diabetic drugs.  Since they have the same mechanism of action, sulfonylureas and meglitinides would not normally be used together.  In combination therapy, you want to use drug classes that work by different mechanisms. 

Dosing

SU dose depends on the particular one used.  Some are taken by mouth once daily, others twice.

Starting dose for repaglinide is 0.5 mg by mouth before each meal.  Maximum dose is 4 mg before each meal.

Nateglinide: 120 mg by mouth immediately before each meal.

Side effects

Hypoglycemia is the most severe adverse effect of the sulfonylureas, and may be less common with the meglitinides.  The duration of hypoglycemia seen with SUs is often much longer than you would predict by how much drug is in the bloodstream.  Hypoglycemia is more common with the longer-acting drugs, such as glyburide and chlorpropamide.  There is some concern that sulfonylureas are linked to poorer outcomes after a heart attack.  SUs occasionally cause nausea, skin reactions, and elevations of liver function tests. 

Weight gain is common with SUs and meglitinides. 

When used with insulin or thiazolidinediones, these sulfonylurea adverse effects are more likely to appear: weight gain, fluid retention, congestive heart failure.

Precautions . . .

Sulfonlylureas:  Consult your personal physician or pharmacist.

Nateglinide:  Use with great caution, if at all, in the setting of severe kidney disease and moderate to severe liver disease.

Repaglinide: Use cautiously in severe kidney and liver disease.

Steve Parker

Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 3rd February 2010 by admin

Learn about the nutrition of parsnips and see why you should include them in your diet. Know how to choose the right ones, how to store them properly, and how to get the most nutrients from them.

Parsnips

The parsnip is a root vegetable belonging in the same family as the carrot. They are similar to carrots but are lighter in color and stronger in flavor. Also like carrots, the nutrition of parsnips has many health benefits.

Nutrition

Parsnips are a very good source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and folate.

• Fiber helps keep the bowels regular, thus preventing constipation (which can keep toxins from leaving the body) and diarrhea (which can rob the body of fluids and nutrients). Fiber also regulates blood sugar levels, promotes weight loss by giving a “full feeling”, and lowers blood cholesterol levels.

• Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. It is necessary for the production and maintenance of collagen. Collagen is the scar tissue that heals wounds, the reinforcing structure that mends fractures, and the supporting material of capillaries. Vitamin C also protects against infections and promotes the absorption of iron.

• Potassium is critical to heart function. People who take diuretics are prone to being deficient in potassium and can benefit from including parsnips in their diet.

• Folate (also called folic acid) is essential for the formation of red and white blood cells and is especially important for women who are pregnant.

Buying

You can buy fresh parsnips in the produce section of most supermarkets. For the best nutrition and flavor, pick ones that are small to medium size (large parsnips can have a woody taste), firm, and relatively smooth and avoid ones that are spotted, limp, or shriveled.

Parsnips are winter vegetables. Temperatures near freezing is what gives them their sweet flavor. The best flavor will come from ones harvested in early spring.

Storing

Parsnips can last about 7-10 days in room temperature or in the refrigerator. Leave them unwashed until you are ready to eat or cook. If you refrigerate, place them in a perforated plastic bag.

To freeze them, cut off the tops, wash, peel (optional), and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Steam-blanch them for 3 minutes or water-blanch them for 2 minutes, let them cool, and place them in a suitable container made for freezing. Leave about 1/2 inch of headspace, seal tightly, label, and place in the freezer. They can keep for 10-12 months.

Cooking

Parsnips can be boiled, baked, sautéed, and steamed. In most recipes, they can replace potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots. They are particularly tasty when combined with other root vegetables.

To get the most nutrition of parsnips, it is best to eat them raw or lightly steamed since cooking can destroy folate. To get the most flavor, steam them with their skin on.

Sources Used

• http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2883/2
• http://www.health-care-clinic.org/vegetables/parsnip.html
• http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98807706.tip.html

Photo Credit

Image courtesy of CC-BY-SA-3.0 / Goldlocki at Wikimedia

Comments (0)