Cholesterol is a waxy substance which clogs your arteries and can lead to heart attack and stroke.

 I found a very useful little special report

Free Special Report from Johns Hopkins Health Alerts: Seven Keys To Reduce Cholesterol

http://www.prweb.com/releases/JohnsHopkins/cholesterol/prweb508039.htm

which is free to download, to help you reduce your cholesterol.

Co-enzyme Q10, sometimes called vitamin Q10, has a special role in maintaining healthy mitochondria, the small packets of enzymes that produce energy in all cells. Many physicians prescribe co-enzyme Q10 for prevention of heart disease.

Its beneficial role is believed to extend to the brain: One of the conditions suspected as a cause of Parkinson’s disease is a deficiency in how mitochondria function. That suspicion is strong enough that studies are in progress to determine if co-enzyme Q10 can either prevent or slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. It is included in multi-vitamins, and can also be bought as a stand-alone supplement.

Healthy Eating at the Holidays?  It almost seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it?

But if you eat well all year round, you are much less likely to feel like a locust devouring everything in sight. Sure, you can have a seasonal treat or two, but there is no need to go for seconds. Or thirds and fourths!

 The trouble with the holidays is that they seem to get longer every year, with a stretch of indulgence that extends from the candy at Halloween, through the turkey with all the fixin’s at Thanksgiving, to Christmas, and right on to New Year’s (and possibly even Valentine’s Day if we aren’t careful!!)

In our offices, there are snacks and treats galore, all within easy reach, adding hundred of extra calories to our diet before we even know we’ve swallowed. Of course we love spending time with our friends, but food and drink become even more of a center of attention than the usual lunches, brunches and dinners.

There are many ways you can control your calorie intake at the holidays. Get a hot air popper (the microwave pop corn is getting very bad press these days), pop your corn, and add a bit of butter spray to it if you are eating it then and there. You can also pop extra, don’t butter it, and bring it to work in a plastic container. If you feel like having hot pop corn, you can give it a few seconds in the microwave, and presto, you have a hot snack without a ton of oil, artifical flavor, or chemicals.

Other good choices would be carrot and celery sticks, apple, raisins, to stop you from reaching for the cookie tin or the bowl of nachos and guacamole just waiting to be devoured.

In particular, watch out for the empty calories in alcohol and desserts during the holiday season. They have NO nutritional value, and are NOT a couple of new essential food groups. They also make you binge eat, alcohol in particular giving you the munchies.

Vegetables are essential every day, but beware of the hidden calories in mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, and any veggies swimming in butter or cheese sauce. The same can be said of seafood and fish.

Also off the menu would be cream-based soups, and anything with a cream sauce on it. We are not only talking calories here, we are talking high in saturated fats. The same is true of nuts. If you are having poultry, avoid the dark meat.

Dairy is also essential, but try not to go for full fat if you have any control over the menu. Also, remember, the softer the cheese, the more fat!

If you are cooking for the holidays yourself, you will have a lot more control. If you are at your own home, this will be easy.   Plan a menu with lots of well-seasoned dishes. A little seasoning can go a long way toward curbing cravings. Try not to taste everything in sight, and do start with soup and salad so that you will already be pretty full before you ever get to the main event.

Beware of the dreaded leftovers as well, which can extend one day of indulgence into several. Send a little care package home with your guests, or freeze them into small tasty lunch sized homemade TV dinners.

If you are going out for the holiday, eat before you go. Again, soup and salad are excellent choices for making you feel full and satisfied. Be polite, but don’t load your plate. Or, offer to bring a dish you know you have made yourself that is not swimming in high-fat ingredients.

Also, if you are at a buffet, either take a small plate, or load it with salad or veggies first, then the more caloric foods. Make sure you load up on good lean protein if it is available, but again, no sauces or dark meat.

Avoid the dreaded dessert if possible, and beware of eggnog. If you do have to indulge, you and a friend might ‘buddy up’ and agree to share, just to keep an eye on one another.

One final check up, remember, it takes only 2000 additional calories to put on a pound, but 3000 to take one off. Do the math as you deal with your holiday meals, and that should keep you on the straight (and slim!) and narrow even with temptation coming at you from all sides.

Happy Holidays!

Most diets recommend vitamin E for daily use. It has been touted for everything from preventing memory loss, to prostate health, to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.

Vitamin E has become of great interest because studies show that it delays the onset and may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It may also lower the risk of other degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.

It is not clear whether vitamin E will actually prevent these memory problems or disorders or can reduce memory problems in normal people, but new studies recently completed have not proven effectiveness.

The recommended does is 1,000 IU of vitamin E daily, because such a dose almost never has side effects. But the verdict is still out on this one. In most cases it will be included in a good multivitamin, so there should be no need for additional supplementation. Save your money.

Today, many men and women (and children) around the globe, but particularly in America, are significantly overweight. As a result, a growing number of people find themselves starting different diet programs all the time, going from fad diet after fad diet, hoping for some sort of miracle for them being overweight.

Unfortunately, most people who embark on a diet plan fail to lose weight. Or, even if they lose, it often not only creeps right back on, but in many cases, it rebounds back again, so that they end up even heavier than they were before they started attempting to diet.

Dieting can cause you to put on weight because you are playing with your metabolism in a potentially dangerous way.

Many of the fad diets being promoted are hazardous to a person’s health. While you may lose weight at the outset on one of these diet plans or programs, many of these plans are NOT designed to promote a healthy and balanced eating lifestyle which you can sustain LONG-TERM in order to keep the weight off.

In the final analysis, when it comes to healthy living and reaching and maintaining an appropriate weight, the only true course of action in which you can follow is a balanced diet and exercise, and those are not things that you can get out of a pill bottle or a box.

And just think about it, with the money you are spending on so-called diet pills, which are NOT cheap, you could be buying basketfuls of good, healthy fruits, veggies and proteins. Some supplements on the TV sell for as much as $150 PER BOTTLE! You’re be broke, starved, and feel exhausted all at the same time. Do you know how much shrimp, salmon, fish, turkey, you could buy for that kind of money, and actually feel FULL from the protein you are eating?

By eating a balanced diet, you will be able to maintain the energy and nutrition levels needed to keep your body running like a well-fuelled and well-oiled machine.

For those of you who hate counting calories, the facts are sad but true. To gain a pound takes 2000 calories. To LOSE one, takes 3000, because your body stores fat to later be used for energy.

Do the math! Only regular exercise or physical activity is going to help you budge the pudge!

Regular exercise will also help you maintain a healthy, toned and trim body, and a toned body helps you burn more fat, again, because your body is operating efficiently.

Through a balanced diet and regular exercise, you can not only reach your weight goal, you can get the pounds off and keep them off.

Although vitamin C is also an antioxidant, the case for it as a brain protector is not as strong as the case for vitamin E, which in the end has not proven to be especially strong. A large study is currently evaluating the role of vitamin C in preserving brain function. We should know some time in the next few years if this vitamin is of benefit, but thus far, the claims for C have not been proven.

Vitamin C is water soluble, so it needs to be replenished every day, but good natural sources include fruits, vegetables, and fortified juices.

But the verdict is still out on C for brain health. In most cases Vitamin C will be included in a good multivitamin, so there should be no need for additional supplementation. Save your money.

You can also use fresh herbs in your home-cooked dishes. Add parsley to meat dishes for a fresh new twist and use oregano and basil to spice up spaghetti sauce, roasted vegetables, bean and pasta soup, and more.

Herbs contain valuable antioxidants to build the body’s immunity, and they add delightful flavor that enhances your meal and cuts down on food cravings. The more seasoned variety you have, the less likely you will be to munch out of control.

Cravings are typically not about being hungry, but seeking a special flavor. Some would even argue that the craving is your body telling you that an essential nutrient is missing in your diet. I think I used to crave onions a lot because of the vitamin C.

For ice cream addicts, add nuts to your dish for an extra boost of heart-healthy nutrients. Or, you can make your own fruit based topping with fruit in the microwave, plus some cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, lemon and so on. You can even make your own sorbets and add spices to them to make them more flavorful. Dress up your plain vanilla, without a whole bunch of sugary additives. You can do the same with cakes and pies. A bit of spice added makes for a more satisfying dessert.

And best of all, the more you cook for yourself, the more you will have control over the calories you take in. Plus, you’ll be able to make food exactly the way you want it. In addition, you will likely save money as well. Whenever I go to a restaurant, for example, I always order something I have never had before, and then I try to duplicate it at home.

Of course, years of cooking with herbs and seasonings has made this easy for me, but if you pay attention read labels, menus and so on, plus do the old sniff test in the spice aisle, and snap off a twig or two to taste in the fresh herb aisle, you’ll be able to start experimenting, identifying, and eating well in no time.

Herbs and spices are not only tasty, they can be nutritious too. We also recommend them because people tend to think of watching what you eat as dieting or suffering and deprivation. Herbs and spices keep food tasty, and fresh, as well as wholesome.

Herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor without a whole bunch of artificial ingredients, and are particularly healthful if you are trying to cut down on salt for the sake of your heart health or high blood pressure. There is nothing worse for your heart health than a whole bunch of sodium, hidden in all sorts of prepared foods, even in things which are supposed to be sweet.

One of the easiest ways to get better nutrition is by adding breakfast to your day. Too many people fail to eat in the mornings despite the fact that a healthy breakfast provides fuel for the rest of the day. Thanks to the joys of a microwave egg poacher, you can have a fabulous poached egg in about 30-35 seconds, depending on how runny you want it. You don’t even have to add oil, so it weighs in at a tiny 90 calories, for about 15 grams of protein, about 1/3rd of what you need in a day.

People avoid eggs because of the cholesterol, but then eat far worse things, like processed foods, full of salt and sugar, and don’t even get the protein they need, just empty calories. So everything in moderation, but eggs are a great fast, filling breakfast, and inexpensive too compared with cereal!

You can also mix in some herbs for a quick scramble, like dill, parsley, chives, red pepper flakes, and best of all, you can pop it onto and English muffin or piece of bread to have on the go. It is far fewer calories to make it yourself than to by it in a fast food joint, and cheaper too.

You can also stir in a bit of low fat goat cheese or cream cheese for a real taste treat or lovely runny mini omelet. Add some salsa on top, and even put it in a low fat, low carb tortilla for a light homemade breakfast burrito with a bit of fresh coriander, parsley, and some cumin for spice.

With a glass of milk and a piece of fruit you have already covered protein, fruit and dairy in your day, with some greens as well, for a great nutritious start to your day.

Your brain needs vitamins, but cannot make its own: Most of the vitamins in your blood (and brain) come from your diet. And, as we all know from reading the labels of the foods we buy in the supermarket, you need a certain minimum daily intake of vitamins for normal function of your brain and your body.

If you are eating a well-balanced diet, and especially if you add to it a good-quality multi-vitamin, you should not become vitamin deficient. The one exception is Vitamin B12, a water soluble which plays an important role in brain health.

In order for your body to use vitamin B12, no matter what the source,  you need to have a special substance produced by your stomach to promote the absorption of the vitamin.

As we age, sometimes our stomachs no longer produce this substance. Without it, whether you take vitamin B12 pills or eat food enriched with vitamin B12, the vitamin will pass right out of your system. If your stomach can’Äôt absorb vitamin B12, then you must take it by injection.

Deficiency in B12 causes problems in both thinking and motor skills and in addition to its effects upon your memory, it also prevents the normal formation of red blood cells, a condition known as pernicious anemia.

Fortunately, B12 deficiency will show up in a simple blood test, and treatment is also easy: an injection of B12 once a month.

Apart from a vitamin B12 deficiency problem, most vitamin deficiencies occur primarily when eating habits are abnormal. This is most common in heavy drinkers, who tend to fill up on alcohol, and don’t maintain a normal diet, and thus become vitamin deficient.

The calories in the alcohol are called “empty” calories because they lack proteins, vitamins, and other nutritional substances people need for overall health and wellness.

The resulting vitamin deficiency, which is usually a thiamine deficiency, is not always easy to detect.  Its symptoms–confusion, memory problems, and difficulties walking–may come on very gradually, and mimic old age. And because family members and friends are often not aware of how much someone is drinking, they may not even think of a vitamin deficiency as the explanation.

If caught in time, this condition is readily treatable by eliminating alcohol and adding supplemental thiamine (vitamin B1) and making sure the person maintains a proper diet.