Happy Nirvana » Health and Fitness

Beyond Wheat: Whole Grains That Do a Body Good

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:30:27 +0000

What’s your gluten-free whole grain IQ? As more of us discover we’re sensitive to gluten or wheat, it’s valuable to realize the choices we have to meet recommendations for whole grain intake. So many of the gluten-free choices available today are highly refined. Whole grains, on the other hand, are packed with a wide variety of nutrients and, as a result, play an important role in helping us stay healthy and maintain healthy weights. What’s more, they may also make a big impact on visceral fat stores.

Visceral fat is the fat found deep inside our bodies, packed around our organs. Unlike subcutaneous fat found just below the layers of our skin, visceral fat carries many more health risks, having been linked to problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. A recent study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who ate at least three servings of whole grains a day while eating no more than one serving of refined grains daily had significantly less visceral fat.

So what whole grains besides brown rice can the gluten-free enjoy? Here’s my list of favorites to add interest and great nutrition to meals.

Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog

Sedated Shrimp in British Waters

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:30:27 +0000

Photo: IllinoisHorseSoldier

A study done at Portsmouth University shows prawns found in contaminated English waters were under the influence of antidepressants which altered their marine behavior. Scientists are becoming more aware of how an overabundance of pharmaceuticals are seriously polluting our bodies of water. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Credits to:TreeHugger

Small Livers Grown In A Laboratory From Human Liver Cells

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:30:26 +0000

Scientists have managed to successfully engineer small functioning livers from human liver cells in a laboratory setting. They say this is the first step towards creating functioning livers for transplantation. They now plan to determine whether the livers will function properly when transplanted into an animal model. This research was presented by scientists from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease meeting in Boston, and will also be published in the medical journal Hepatology…

Credits to:Health News from Medical News Today

Public Warned Of Toxins In Seafood From Offshore Channel Islands, California

admin — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:30:55 +0000

Consumers are warned to steer clear of shellfish, some crustacean parts, or small fish that have been sport-harvested offshore of the Channel Islands, Southern California, because they might contain elevated levels of domoic acid – a toxin. The Channel Islands of California consist of eight islands along the Santa Barbara Channel, five of them – San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara – are part of the Channel Islands National Park. The other three are called Santa Catalina, San Nicolas, and San Clemente…

Credits to:Health News from Medical News Today

Bend, But Don’t Break

admin — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:30:55 +0000

I’m sure you’ve experienced this before. Yesterday I was feeling tired by the day’s end and I still hadn’t gotten my workout in. I’d had a busy day filled with meetings and before I knew it the clock read 7:00pm.

At this point I could have either skipped my workout or tried to muster up enough energy to get through that day’s planned workout. Although I didn’t want to skip my workout I also knew that I may be over doing it if I tried to complete my normal resistance training routine.

What I decided to do was find the middle ground. I knew overdoing it wasn’t going to work and I also realized that skipping my routine wouldn’t make me feel any better either, so I came up with a plan that allowed me to still exercise.

I knew that either taking a yoga class or swimming would be the two best alternatives given my tired body and mind. I chose to stretch out a little and do some lap swimming for about 20 minutes. The total workout was 30 minutes long and I left the gym feeling refreshed and renewed with energy. I was really happy that I had not decided to relinquish my workout for the day and had found a suitable substitute for my typical exercise routine.

Even though I don’t plan on having to break my usual workout program too often in the future it is nice to know that I have a “middle of the road” alternative to fall back on. I hope you too can learn from my experience and choose to go for a longer walk, swim, yoga class, or tai chi session on the days where your energy levels may not be up for a more intense workout.

Stephen Cabral, CSCS, CPT, NS is the owner of Stephen Cabral Studio weight loss & personal training in Boston, MA, and also offers online fitness coaching.

Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog

Infographic: Americans Exposed To Thousands of Untested Chemicals

admin — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:30:55 +0000

Image: Scientific American

You probably already know there are many chemicals in the everyday products that we use — but do you know how many of them have actually been tested for consumer safety? As this telling infographic over at Scientific American shows, this number is startlingly miniscule thanks to a old legislative loophole. They explain:

… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Credits to:TreeHugger

Industrial-Scale Fish Farming Still Damaging, Despite Environmental Progress

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:32:00 +0000

photo: Ivan Walsh/Creative Commons

The first global assessment of the environmental impacts of industrial-scale fish farming has found, even when current best practices are implemented, environmental degradation is increased. The University of Victoria’s Dr John Volpe, who headed the research team, says, “Scale is critical.”… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Credits to:TreeHugger

New Oral Crizotinib Appreciably Shrinks Aggressive Sarcoma And Lung Cancer Tumors

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:31:59 +0000

A 44-year old patient with inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT), a sarcoma that predominantly develops in the abdomen or chest of young adults and children, was found to respond surprisingly well to a new oral medication with “dramatic shrinkage” of tumors, researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute wrote in the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine). This rare cancer thrives on a mutant protein…

Credits to:Health News from Medical News Today

Keep your eye on this company…

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:31:59 +0000

I recently learned about a relatively new company called Zafgen, which describes itself as “…the world’s first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel obesity therapeutics that directly target and shrink fat tissue to help the body regain and sustain a lean, healthy state.”

Zafgen derives its name from the Yiddish word “zaftig,” which means pleasantly plump, or, full-figured.

Zafgen’s mission is, essentially, to reverse the obesity trend by
treating the problem on the cellular level. A big part of their
research involves clinical trials, where they test their drugs on
healthy and obese volunteers. They don’t have a list of trials on their
web site, but they recommend asking your physician about clinical trials in your area that are enrolling volunteers.

How would the drugs work?

Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog

Ask Pablo: Do New Six-Pack Rings Offer A More Sustainable Solution?

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 05:33:40 +0000

Image Source: PakTech

Dear Pablo: I have recently seen a new kind of six-pack ring. It seems like it uses more material so I wonder what the environmental impact is.

You have probably seen a packaging solution by PakTech that is growing in popularity among craft brewers. Likely, you’ve already seen their TwinPack handles when you buy two large bottles of fruit juice together at a warehouse store like Costco. My first reaction to se… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Credits to:TreeHugger