Stop! Before you start eating the so-called ‘healthy food’, which is suggested by your dietitian, have a look to the real world where the actual facts regarding your health foods has been revealed.

According to a recent report, it was found that many foods labeled as fat-free, cholesterol-free or all-natural are not exactly healthy the way we think they are and in some cases worse than typical processed foods.

Do you know that in some cereals the content of sugar is more than a bowlful of Cocoa Puffs.

Well to know more just read on.

1. Yogurt

It is a well known fact that calcium is important to build bone and prevent osteoporosis. And the best source of calcium is from milk products, such as yogurt. Recent research shows that some healthy bacteria in yogurts, called probiotics, might even boost immunity and lower colon cancer risk.

Skip the most fruited varieties which is believed to have more than eight teaspoons of added sugar, more sugar then you’ll find in most candy bars. Also stay away from those yogurt coatings on pretzels and raisins because it’s more candy than yogurt, which explains why an ounce of yogurt-coated raisins has more than 40% more calories than plain raisins.

2. Low-calori desserts

These desserts are no better than their full-carbohydrates counterparts. Studies found that, Oreo reduced fat from its cookies but still have 150 calories for three, just 10 calories less than the full-fat originals.

Many of these items replace sugar with a sugar alcohol such as maltitol or maltodextrin which has fewer calories than sugar but isn’t calorie-free. And watch out as these alcohols can have a laxative effect.

3. Enhanced waters

People argument that what is the need of drinking ordinary water when you can drink ‘nutrient-enhanced water’? Well, they may give a lot of reasons and might try to influence you as well. However, what they do not know is that these ‘enhanced’ waters are just sugar water with a touch of nutrients. There is no evidence that the ingredients prevent colds, boost health and energy or reduce disease risk.

A Glaceau Vitamin Water company says it supplies some of the daily required nutrients. But you have to drink the entire bottle, which according to the label would be 2.5 servings and 125 calories, almost the same amount of calories as you would get in a cola. In reality, you’re getting only 7 out of more than 40 nutrients you actually need.

4. Whole grain bread

The dark brown wrappers of multi-grain, whole wheat, oat or rye bread all look so wholesome and healthy. Well take a look at the ingredient’s list. If you see ‘wheat flour’ or ‘enriched flour’ as the first or second ingredient then that means you have mostly refined white bread with some whole grains added. Just to get the brown color.

5. Salads

A plate of salad are often the answer for every kind of questions ranging from waistlines to health. However, in order to make salads delicious many fatty ingredients such as cheese-spread are added under the guise of ’salad fixings’. It is a well known fact that salad dressing is the number one source of fat in women as they are always under confusion over ‘what is really healthy salad’ and ‘what is a fat-laden disaster’, usually women end up eating more calories.

Points to remember
So in order to stay healthy and to enjoy life, please keep this in mind that you choose plain, nonfat or low-fat yogurt, then sweeten it yourself with all-fruit jam or fresh fruit. It would not contain as much sugar as was added for you in the commercial fruited yogurts.

Remember there is nothing called low-calori dessert. Even the refined-grain desserts are junk foods with or without sugar. So, finish off a meal with fruit, such as sliced mangos or fruit parfaits topped with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping. Moreover you need more than 8 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, so take advantage of dessert as an opportunity to meet one or more of those servings.

Just because enhanced water comes in bottled doesn’t mean it is safe. One study that compared 57 bottled waters with sample of tap water found that one in four of the bottled waters had unacceptable levels of bacteria, almost 2,000 times higher than the tap water samples. So, skip the middle-man and get your eight glasses a day from your own faucet or filter it yourself at home.

Next time you go to the market then carefully choose breads that say ‘100% whole wheat‘ or ‘100% whole grain’ on the front label.

Salads are the best, so start with the leafy greens and other plain vegetables such as grated carrots, mushrooms, raw broccoli flowerets, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, radicchio lettuce, purple cabbage, cucumber and sweet red pepper. Skip anything mixed with oil, mayonnaise, cheese or whipped cream. This also includes potato or pasta salads, Mexican meat or cheese sauces, tuna mixed with mayonnaise, egg salad, macaroni and cheese, tartar sauce and Waldorf salad.

So, keep above stated points im mind. Eat healthy and stay fit.

Source: MSNBC

Image source: SeasonBySeason

It is very surprising to see that oceans have become the convenient dumping grounds for the rubbish we have created. However, scientist’s evidence suggests that if we dump the right things, sea life can actually be improved. And more recently, purpose- built structures of steel or concrete have been employed principally to increase fish harvests.

One has to be very careful about the choice of design and materials for an artificial reef like where it is going to be placed. In areas of strong currants a solid concrete structure will be more appropriate than ballasted tyres. It also depends on what species are to be attracted. It is pointless creating high- rise structures for fish that prefer flat or low relief habitat. But the most important factor happens to be the purpose of the reef.

In the US, artificial reefs have mainly been used to attract fish or sport-diving. But there are many other ways in which they can be used to improve the marine habitat as well as protecting purpose-built accommodation for commercial species (such as lobsters and octopi) and acting as sea defences, they can be an effective way of improving fish harvests.

Japan has already created vast areas of artificial habitat, rather than isolated reefs, to increase its fish stocks. In fact, the cultural and historical importance of seafood in Japan is reflected by the fact that it is a world leader in reef technology. Also, those who have constructed and deployed reefs have sole rights to the harvest.

There is no doubt that artificial reefs have lots to offer. And while purpose-built structures are effective, the real challenge now is to develop environmentally safe ways of using recycled waste to increase marine diversity. Clearly, the challenge is to develop environmentally acceptable ways of disposing of our rubbish while enhancing marine life too. What must never be allowed to do is have an excuse for dumping anything we like at sea.

via : britishcouncil.com

The Ultimate Aero has a huge 1046 HP V8 engine. It is designed with scissor doors that also make good use of carbon fiber and titanium. This keeps the overall weight of the Aero low to match with overall speed. With the car weighing as much as a VW New Beetle that’s a guaranty for great performance. Talking about performance, SSC says the Ultimate Aero can reach speeds up to 273 mph based on Langley windtunnel calculations. The stability and endurance that this car provides at speed greater than 250 mph is remarkable.

This Fast car has modifications, including making almost all equipment optional, to further reduce weight. The Ultimate Aero has no air conditioning but people who love speed are still considering this a fair trade for the performance the vehicle has.

The normal SSC Aero has only 787 BHP and does the 0 to 60 mph in 2.94 seconds and the quarter mile in 10.98 seconds at 138 mph.

Ultimate Aero has very close competition with the new Bugatti Veyron, which is believed to be the most expensive production car in the history of automobiles. The company took four years to develop Veyron 16.4 specs, overall Bugatti is most exclusive sports car. It is believed that Veyrons engine is so powerful that it gives the output of two Corvette Z06V-8s.

It also has a two-seated luxurious interior. The seats, ground and the dash of this supercar are all in brown leather, while some of the instruments are not completely covered in leather, they are showing some shiny metal. This sports car has a lot of electronics installed: a powerful navigation system, a superb stereo system etc. However for speed lovers it is the speed that matters.

Where Bugatti releases 50 Veyrons a year at a price of £1 million, which is approx. $1,350,000. The Shelby Super Cars (SSC) company has decided that they will release only 25 Aeros throughout 2006 and 2007. There is not an exact estimate of the number of traditional Aeros and Ultimate Aeros. The base Aero is available from around $240,000, while the Ultimate Aero is projected to reach a price closer to $650,000. Which is way too high, but for supercar lovers no price is too high.

via : sportscarcup.com, gtspirit.com

However, people specially women, find it difficult to make adjustments in their diet and refuse to include some of the life saving nuts, because the old belief that nuts contain only fats is still prevalent.

Thanks to recent research that shows nuts can help ward off diseases. But one should not eat them by the truckload, however nuts could substitute for less nutritious food such as cheese or chocolate bars.

Research shows the benefits of some of the nuts on human kind:

1) Defense against diabetes

Peanuts and Walnuts::
The fat and nutrients in nuts may improve glucose and insulin stability in people with Type 2 diabetes. Those who eat nuts at least five times week cut their risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly thirty percent.

2) Slower progression of cancer cells

Walnuts and Pecans::
A form of vitamin E present in walnuts and pecans appears to slow the growth of lung and prostate cancer cells. Gama-tocopherol attacked the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
Walnuts also contain melatonin, a hormone that destroys free radicals. Free radicals are unstable compounds that are a by- product of cellular metabolism in our body; if they are not neutralized, they can cause cardiovascular disease and cancer.

3) Helps heart pump better

Pistachios, Peanuts and Almonds::
The polyunsaturated fat in nuts lowers LDL or bad cholesterol levels and there monounsaturated fat raises good HDL cholesterol level. It is believed that eating 37 grams of almonds a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 4.4 percent; eating 73 grams a day reduced it by 9.4 percent.

Experts advise that one should eat unsalted nuts as salted nuts can lead to high blood pressure.

via : reader’s digest