Traveling With Diabetes

By Jeremy Parker

Have Diabetes? You can still go on cruises, family vacations, and world travel! You only need to make a little extra effort to prepare for any emergency so that you have a safe and pleasant vacation.
You blood sugar levels can go haywire with a sudden change in physical activity. Hence, before going on a vacation, consult your doctor as well as your medical support team regarding making a change in insulin doses and prescribing extra insulin.
Follow these tips and make way for a pleasant vacation.
Tips for Vacationing With Diabetes
Pack your supplies in superfluous amount and in several bags.
In case you are flying, carry the extra supplies in your carry on bag or purse.
Wear your medical alert bracelet and keep in handy other important medical information.
Let your family members and friends know the route you are taking.
Reserve your seat in crowded restaurants in advance to avoid long waits.
If possible, get nutritional information on the food served by the restaurants.
Always carry a fruit, or diabetic snack bar, juices, and water with you. It helps in emergencies.
Keep all the diabetic supplies together in a bag, so that when the need arises, you can reach them at one go.
Check your blood sugar levels frequently, at least six times a day, when away from home.
Be prepared for a shift in your blood sugar levels. It is bound to happen due to excitement, heat, and a change in your daily schedule.
You should also be prepared for dehydration, which may occur due to heat.
Consume at least 64 ounces or more of water every day in case you are more active or visiting a pool or beach.
While visiting a water park or theme park, pack your insulin and other diabetic supplies in a waterproof bag to prevent damage. Also take care not to expose the supplies to direct sunlight and do not let them freeze.
Use ice packs to keep your insulin chilled.
Keep superfluous test strips and testing meters handy.
Benefits Of Insulin Pump
The insulin pump is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the field of diabetes research. It gives you the choice of going on vacations and cruises without any worry of administering insulin injections from time to time. The insulin pump is more preferred for diabetic children. With the advancement of new technology, these insulin pumps are bound to get even better for the diabetics.
So, just relax and start packing your bags along with your full diabetic supplies. Tell your family members and friends about your trip schedule and inform them in case there is a change in the plans. Happy holidaying!
For more information and resources on type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Gestational diabetes, symptoms, diet and diabetic resources on the internet visit Jeremy Parker's complete reference guide on Diabetes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_Parker

Treating Your Diabetes Exercising Tips

By Aron Wallad
When the pancreas produces too little or no insulin that is called type l diabetes. If you have type l diabetes you have to inject insulin during the day in order to maintain dependable glucose levels. Then there is adult onset diabetes, or type ll diabetes which is more common. It is distinguished by the pancreas not creating satisfactory amounts of insulin to control glucose levels. Or the cells are not responding to insulin.
When a cell does not respond to insulin, it is known as insulin resistance. If you are diagnosed having type II diabetes, exercise and weight control are given as measures to improve your insulin resistance. If this does not control glucose levels, then medication is prescribed.
Idleness is a very strong risk determinant that has been confirmed to lead to diabetes type II. The warning signs for type II diabetes are idleness, cholesterol, obesity, and hypertension. Treating diabetes coupled with athletics will have an effective result on diabetes type II while improving insulin sensitivity. With type l it cannot be controlled with an exercise program. Over 90% of individuals having diabetes have type II.
As part of my weekly program for treating my type ll diabetes I work out at the gym. I train at least three to four times a week. Riding the idle bike and playing basketball keeps my cardio vascular pumping away. This is valuable for treating my diabetes. I would hate to think what my condition would be like if I did not workout. Working out helps me with my overall health and distinctly for treating diabetes.
Working out causes the body to use glucose more rapidly. The more vigorous the workout program, the quicker the body will utilize glucose.
Therefore it is vital to recognize the distinctions in training coupled with type I and type II diabetes. It is essential if you have or suspect you have diabetes to get together with someone in the know when beginning an athletics program. When training with a diabetic, you need to know the dangers of injecting insulin immediately prior to exercise. You could have a problem if you are a type l diabetic and you inject the same amount of insulin that you normally do if you are sitting or exercising. So see a professional for this phase of your program for treating diabetes.
General exercise guidelines for type I are as follows: allow adequate rest during athletics sessions to prevent important blood pressure, use low impact exercises and keep clear of heavy weight lifting, and always have a supply of carbohydrates nearby. If blood sugar levels get too low, you may feel shaky, disoriented, hungry, and anxious, become irritable or undergo trembling. Consuming a carbohydrate snack or drink will ease these symptoms quickly.
When engaging in exercise, it is essential for blood sugar levels to be tested to make sure that they are not below 80 to 100 mg/dl range and not above 250 mg/dl. Glucose levels should also be tested before, during, after and three to five hours after exercise. During this recovery period (3-5 hours after exercise), it is imperative for diabetics to consume ample carbohydrates in order to prevent hypoglycemia.
Type 2 diabetes will be helped by exercise, because of its effect on insulin sensitivity. Proper athletics and nutrition are the best forms of prevention for type II diabetics. Creating and maintaining a work out program that you can devote yourself to on a long-standing basis will aid you’re treating diabetes. Maybe even prevent it.
If you are a type l diabetic make sure you have carbohydrates at hand while you train. If your blood sugar levels get too low the carbs will ease you to getting back to a cautious stage.
There you have it. Obviously exercising is meaningful to you or you would not have come this far. I think having a well rounded plan for treating diabetes make sense. Like what you eat, what exercises to do and what you can do naturally. Take a look in the resource box for additional information.
Aron Wallad, aka Diabetes Buster, lowered his blood sugar by over 50 % and regained energy using some easy to use diabetes natural solutions. Go here right now to receive your free ecourse about diabetes. http://www.diabetesnaturalsolutions.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aron_Wallad

Vicodin Addiction

Vicodin ® Addiction
Vicodin addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. While illegal drugs like cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin remain in the headlines many individuals may be surprised to know that Vicodin addiction could lurk right behind them as one of the most widely-abused drugs of addiction. In fact, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration believes Vicodin may be the most abused prescription drug in the country. Nationwide, its use has quadrupled in the last ten years, while emergency room visits attributed to Vicodin abuse soared 500 percent.Vicodin® is a narcotic that can produce a calm, euphoric state similar to heroin or morphine--and despite such important and obvious benefits in pain relief, evidence is pointing to chronic addiction. Pure hydrocodone, the narcotic in Vicodin, is a Schedule II substance, closely controlled with restricted use. But very few prescription drugs are pure hydrocodone. Instead, small amounts of are mixed with other non-narcotic ingredients to create medicines like Vicodin and Lortab. This means they can be classified under Schedule III with fewer restrictions on their use and distribution.Vicodin--one of more than 200 other products that contain hydrocodone--is regulated by state and federal law, but it is not controlled as closely as other powerful painkillers. The lack of regulation makes them vulnerable to widespread abuse and addiction through forged prescriptions, theft, over-prescription, and "doctor shopping." Vicodin pills have been sold for $2 to $10 per tablet and $20 to $40 per 8 oz bottle on the street.Subject to individual tolerance, many medical experts believe dependence or addiction can occur within one to four weeks at higher doses of Vicodin. Published reports of high profile movie stars, TV personalities and professional athletes who are recovering from Vicodin addiction are grim testimony to its debilitating effects.Vicodin is structurally related to codeine and is approximately Slim Quick Diet Pills - SlimQuick Fat Burner - Reviews, Ingredients, Side EffectsNxCare Slim Quick is the world's first advanced fat burner designed specifically for a woman's body. Slim Quick Diet Pills - Buy, Rewiews, Ingredients, Side Effects Of Slimquick Fat Burner.

Drug Addiction and Alcoholism: Willpower or a Disease of the Brain?

By Jonathan Huttner
A core concept evolving over the past decade is that drug addiction and alcoholism is a disease of the brain that develops over time as a result of drug abuse and alcohol abuse. While many drug rehabs and addiction treatment centers have long accepted the 12 step approach to recovery and believe in the "disease concept", there still exists conflict regarding the origin of the disease itself.When a person is suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, we understand they experience an uncontrollable craving for drugs and alcohol. This craving generally results in the seeking and use of drugs and alcohol which usually interferes with the individual’s functioning within the family and society itself. In most cases, an illness such as this usually requires treatment in a drug rehab, addiction treatment center or alcohol treatment center.In addition to the above, we also recognize the systems within the brain through which drugs modify perception, mood, memory, and emotional states. Furthermore, the habitual use of drugs and alcohol changes brain structure and brain function to the extent that these changes continue to exist even after the person is well into recovery.We do not yet understand all of the actual functions, but research demonstrates that those long-lasting brain changes are responsible for the distortions of cognitive and emotional functioning that characterize addicts. In particular the compulsion to use drugs that is the essence of drug addiction. It is almost as if the drugs and alcohol have switched the brain’s normal circuits and rewired it self resulting in drug and alcohol use becoming the main priority for the individual.It is clear to most of us in the field of drug addiction and alcoholism that when an individual reaches this stage that the most effective course of treatment lies in entering a drug rehab, addiction treatment center or facility for the treatment of alcoholism. To locate such a facility I urge you to contact a person that specializes in addiction or alcoholism treatment or a drug rehab in your local area.This brain-based view of drug addiction and alcoholism has generated substantial controversy, particularly among people who adopt their point of view and leave no more for further speculation. Many people erroneously still believe that biological and behavioral explanations are alternative or competing ways to understand phenomena. Modern science has taught that it is much too simplistic to set biology in opposition to behavior or to pit willpower against brain chemistry. In fact, drug addiction and alcoholism involve inseparable biological and behavioral components. Many people also still believe that drug addiction is simply a failure of will or of strength of character This could not be further from the truth as research contradicts that position completely.It is important to state, that the recognition that drug addiction or alcoholism is a brain disease does not mean that the addict is simply a victim. Drug addiction and alcoholism begin with the voluntary act of using drugs or alcohol and addicts and alcoholics must participate in and take responsibility for their recovery. Thus, having this brain disease does not absolve the addict of responsibility for his or her behavior, but it does explain why an addict cannot simply stop using drugs using willpower alone.Jonathan Huttner is one of the the principals at Lakeview Health Systems, an addiction treatment, alcohol and drug rehab facility. Addiction treatment information and free live help 24/7 is being provided online at RecoveryConnection.org.Discount Diabetic SuppliesWe carry all of the Leading Brands of Diabetic Testing Supplies including Freestyle, Accu-Check and OneTouch. Most of our customers receive their supplies delivered to their door at No Cost.Nicotine Addiction GuideYou can now follow our simple quitting scale and worksheet to finally start quitting the addiction

Tips On Zit-busting

1. Wash your face twice daily with a face cleanser that containts no soap and no alcohol (both make the skin drier).Pat dry don’t rub .Use scrub face cleanser only once a month.
2. Protect your face by wearing a cap or applying sunblock
3. Don’t pick at your face .Make sure your helmet strap,cap and other head covering that touch your face are cleaned regularly
4. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and drink lots of water
5. Choose cosmetic products labeled “non-comedogenic”or “non-acnegenic “they contain less oil
Adapted by CnS magazine

Dieting at new low, but most want to lose

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- The percentage of Americans who are dieting is at its lowest in at least 16 years even though a majority of adults say they would like to lose 20 pounds, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Baby boomers are making their own dieting decisions rather than relying on medical advice, said Harry Balzer, author of the study by research firm NPD Group.

"This is a time in life where health issues begin to creep into our lives and in the past, doctors provided advice," said Balzer, NPD vice president.

"It appears people in this age group today are either not getting -- or not listening to -- their doctor's advice," he added in a statement.

According to the survey, in the 12 months ended in February 2006, 26 percent of women and 19 percent of men in the United States said they were on a diet. That's down from 35 percent of women and 26 percent of men in 1990.

Still, 60 percent of U.S. adults say "they would like to lose 20 pounds," the study said.

In 2006, the most popular diet in the United States was a self-made regimen, the study said. The second-most followed diet was one prescribed by a doctor and the third was Weight Watchers.

Government health officials estimate about 60 percent of the adult population is overweight with the number of those considered obese on the rise over the past decade.

A recent survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found about 23.9 percent of U.S. adults are obese, up from 15.6 percent in 1995 and 19.8 percent in 2000.

Tart and trendy, cranberries are everywhere
POSTED: 10:56 a.m. EST, November 20, 2006
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SHAMONG TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (AP) -- Long a jellied side dish at Thanksgiving, cranberries are increasingly bringing their tart taste and health benefits to products beyond Cosmopolitan cocktails and juice drinks.

The red berries are turning up in everything from confections and wines to soaps and salsas, with many cranberry growers hawking an array of products at their own stores or over the Internet.

The Joseph J. White Inc. cranberry farm in New Jersey, the No. 3 cranberry producing state, has even started using them for agritourism. It gives bus rides around flooded bogs during the October harvest to teach visitors all about cranberry lore. Growers in Wisconsin, the No. 1. producer, and in No. 2 Massachusetts have done so for years.

Cranberry sales -- fresh, frozen, in juices and dried for snacks or ingredients in cereals and other products -- are approaching $1.5 billion a year in this country, said Ken Romanzi, chief operating officer of Ocean Spray, a huge cooperative owned by about 650 North American cranberry growers and some grapefruit farmers.

The boom of the berry is due to proven health benefits that have fueled marketing campaigns and consumer popularity, fast-expanding markets overseas, particularly Japan and western Europe, and a big bust in the U.S. industry in 2000. That year, cranberry prices collapsed amid a surplus driven by farmers expanding their bogs and speculators jumping in after cranberry prices rose rapidly in the late 1990s.

"It certainly caused people to find new uses for cranberries," said Joe Darlington, a fifth-generation cranberry farmer who runs the 350-acre White farm in Shamong Township, New Jersey, with his wife. "It's what led us to open (our) store and start the tours."

Cranberry processors such as Ocean Spray had already branched out to juice blends a couple of decades earlier, after a prior industry bust.

In the past several years, farmers and processors, primarily small operations, have introduced cranberry mustard and chutney, gourmet cranberry sauces, dried cranberries in trail mixes, cranberry-flavored ice cream, hand lotions and cosmetics made from cranberry seed oil, and even cranberry beer, said Tom Lochner, executive director of the cranberry growers association in Wisconsin.

Cranberries, native only to North America, also are grown in Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia and Quebec in Canada.

"People realized cranberries can be used in a lot of different ways," said Lochner, noting there are more than 700 cranberry products on the market.

Fine restaurants also have been increasingly using cranberries in salads, desserts, sauces and stuffing, and the cranberry industry has been circulating recipes featuring the berries.

Ocean Spray, which will process nearly two-thirds of the estimated 660 million-pound U.S. harvest this year and make about $1 billion in revenue for its members, has been on a campaign for two years "to reintroduce the cranberry to America," Romanzi said. Its ads feature farmers standing in cranberry bogs and promote the berries as "cleansing and purifying."

"We've seen a direct correlation between our advertising and our increase in sales," Romanzi said. Ocean Spray juice sales are up about 6 percent this year while the overall juice category is down and sales of its Craisins -- dried, sweetened cranberries -- are up 100 percent over the last two years and likely to double again, he said.

Sales of cranberry wine have been rising steadily at Valenzano Winery in Shamong, New Jersey. It now produces about 3,000 gallons a year, bringing in 15 percent to 20 percent of total income, said Tony Valenzano Jr., who runs the decade-old winery about halfway between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, with his brother and father.

"It's a good seller year-round, but 80 percent of the sales are for Thanksgiving and Christmas," he said.

Valenzano makes wine from both red cranberries and white ones _ picked just before they fully ripen and turn red. The winery is among several in New Jersey that produce wines made from locally grown cranberries.

Cranberries also are being featured in agritourism as visitors head to farms to see how farmers raise crops and animals or enjoy holiday festivals.

"There's a lot of interest in seeing the cranberry harvest because it's very unique and quite colorful," said Darlington, of the White farm. "The response has been very enthusiastic."

Darlington estimates 500 people took the October tours, up from barely 50 in the first season two years ago. His wife, Brenda Conner, also a fifth-generation cranberry farmer, runs the two-hour bus tours.

Visitors get to see tons of ripe, red cranberries bobbing in the just-flooded bogs, gathered together by floating booms, sucked up into machines and then loaded onto trucks before being transported to an Ocean Spray cooperative facility for processing.

The tour also includes a stop at Whitesbog, a still-inhabited village built in the 19th century that once served as a sort-of company town for farm employees before automation reduced the number of workers needed. It ends at the family store, The Cranberry Connection, which sells fresh and frozen berries, cranberry nuggets, chocolate-covered cranberries and other yummies, plus dozens of other things cranberry.

Ocean Spray, meanwhile, has been bringing bogs directly to the public, building them in downtown New York, Chicago and Los Angeles this month to promote cranberries.

NutriSystem® Nourish™
All-Vegetarian Program


The NutriSystem Nourish Vegetarian Program gives you a simple approach to losing weight while maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle. It features more than 60 great-tasting, prepackaged NutriSystem® Nourish™ vegetarian meals and desserts (see complete list below) that you choose online (or on the phone), and that arrive on your doorstep.

It's the only prepackaged vegetarian diet program available, and all of the NutriSystem vegetarian entrees are either ready to eat immediately, or prepare in just a couple of minutes in the microwave or by adding a little hot water. So, no matter how difficult it has been in the past, there is now a great solution to enjoying a healthy, balanced vegetarian weight loss plan!

We designed the NutriSystem Vegetarian Program to include low Glycemic Index carbohydrates and optimal amounts of protein and fiber, yet to still be low in fat. Each one of our vegetarian foods fits into a meal plan that lets you eat delicious foods five times a day. Just grab an entrée, add-in a few grocery items (like fresh fruits, vegetables, salads and dairy items), and you're ready to go. It takes the work out of creating a nutritionally-balanced vegetarian diet!

And since all of the meals are perfectly portioned, there is no weighing, measuring or counting calories and points. Plus, you can always call or email our counselors, nutritionists and dietitians for FREE without ever going to a meeting.

The Vegetarian Favorites Package includes two items which contain gelatin: Mini Frosted Shredded Wheat Cereal and Hot Cocoa. If you are sensitive to this ingredient, or prefer to eliminate it from your diet, on the following Order page, instead of the Favorites Package, please choose the "select my own menu" option to customize your order.

fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water.

Fats may be either solid or liquid at normal room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Although the words "oils", "fats" and "lipids" are all used to refer to fats, "oils" is usually used to refer to fats that are liquids at normal room temperature, while "fats" is usually used to refer to fats that are solids at normal room temperature. "Lipids" is used to refer to both liquid and solid fats.

Fats form a category of lipid, distinguished from other lipids by their chemical structure and physical properties. Fats are solid at room temperature as opposed to oils which are liquid. This category of molecules is important for many forms of life, serving both structural and metabolic functions. They are an important part of the diet of most heterotrophs (including humans).

Contents [hide]
1 Chemical structure
2 Importance for living things
3 Adipose tissue
4 See also
5 References



[edit] Chemical structure

Chemical structure of trimyristin, a triglyceride.There are many different kinds of fats, but each kind is a variation on the same chemical structure. All fats consist of fatty acids (chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms, with an oxygen atom at one end and occasionally other molecules) bonded to a backbone structure, often glycerol (a "backbone" of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen). Chemically, this is a triester of glycerol, being the molecule formed from the reaction of an acid and an alcohol. As a simple visual illustration, if the kinks and angles of these chains were straightened out, the molecule would have the shape of a capital letter E. The fatty acids would each be a horizontal line; the glycerol "backbone" would be the vertical line that joins the horizontal lines. Fats have "ester" bonds.

The properties of any specific fat molecule depend on the particular fatty acids that help to make it up. Different fatty acids are comprised of different numbers of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon atoms, each bonded to two neighboring carbon atoms, form a zigzagging chain; the more carbon atoms there are in any fatty acid, the longer its chain will be. Fatty acids with long chains are more susceptible to intermolecular forces of attraction (in this case, van der Waals forces), raising its melting point. Long chains also yield more energy per molecule when metabolized.

A fat's constituent fatty acids may also differ in the number of hydrogen atoms that branch off of the chain of carbon atoms. Each carbon atom is typically bonded to two hydrogen atoms. When a fatty acid has this typical arrangement, it is called "saturated", because the carbon atoms are saturated with hydrogen; meaning they are bonded to as many hydrogens as they possibly could be. In other fats, a carbon atom may instead bond to only one other hydrogen atom, and have a double bond to a neighboring carbon atom. This results in an "unsaturated" fatty acid. More specifically, it would be a "monounsaturated" fatty acid. Whereas, a "polyunsaturated" fatty acid would be a fatty acid with more than one double bond.

Saturated and unsaturated fats differ in their energy content and melting point. Since an unsaturated fat contains fewer carbon-hydrogen bonds than a saturated fat with the same number of carbon atoms, unsaturated fats will yield slightly less energy during metabolism than saturated fats with the same number of carbon atoms. Saturated fats can stack themselves in a closely packed arrangement, so they can freeze easily and are typically solid at room temperature. But the rigid double bond in an unsaturated fat fundamentally changes the chemistry of the fat. There are two ways the double bond may be arranged: the isomer with the both parts of the chain on the same side of the double bond (the cis-isomer), or the isomer with the parts of the chain on opposite sides of the double bond (the trans-isomer). Most trans-isomer fats (commonly called trans fats) are commercially produced rather than naturally occurring. The cis-isomer introduces a kink into the molecule that prevents the fats from stacking efficiently like with saturated chains. This decreases intermolecular forces between the fat molecules, making it more difficult for unsaturated cis-fats to freeze; they are typically liquid at room temperature. Trans fats may still stack like saturated fats, and are not as susceptible to metabolization as other fats. Trans fats significantly increase the risk of coronary heart disease.[1]


[edit] Importance for living things
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are sources of essential fatty acids, an important dietary requirement.

Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy. The fatty acids are a good source of energy for many tissues, especially heart and skeletal muscle.

The fat content of a food can be analyzed by extraction. The exact method varies on what type of fat you are analyzing - for example, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are tested quite differently.

Fat also serves as a useful buffer towards a host of diseases. When a particular substance, whether chemical or biotic -- reaches unsafe levels in the bloodstream, the body can effectively dilute -- or at least maintain equilibrium of -- the offending substances by storing it in new fat tissue. This helps to protect vital organs, until such time as the offending substances can be metabolized and/or removed from the body by such means as excretion, urination, accidental or intentional bloodletting, sebum excretion, and hair growth.


[edit] Adipose tissue
Main article: Adipose tissue
Adipose, or fatty tissue is the human body's means of storing metabolic energy over extended periods of time. Depending on current physiological conditions, adipocytes store fat derived from the diet and liver metabolism or degrades stored fat to supply fatty acids and glycerol to the circulation. These metabolic activities are regulated by several hormones (i.e., insulin, glucagon and epinephrine). The location of the tissue determines its metabolic profile: "Visceral fat" is located within the abdominal wall (i.e., beneath the wall of abdominal muscle) whereas "subcutaneous fat" is located beneath the skin (and includes fat that is located in the abdominal area beneath the skin but above the abdominal muscle wall). It was briefly thought that visceral fat produced a hormone involved in insulin resistance, but this has been disproven by clinical tests (see, resistin, a hormone, ultimately misnamed, which is produced by adipose tissue and does cause insulin resistance in mice but not in humans).

Types of protein

Protein plays an essential role in building and repairing your body. But whether it helps a fingernail to grow or heals a sore muscle, for example, depends on the make-up of the protein.
Proteins consist of smaller units called amino acids, which can link together in many combinations to form chains. Some amino acid chains are created by your body, but those called essential amino acids must come from your diet. Although all animal and plant cells contain some protein, the amount and the quality of the protein varies a lot.
High biological value foods contain enough indispensable amino acids for an adult diet and are considered to be good quality protein. Meat, fish and eggs sit in this category.
Low biological value foods don't contain enough indispensable amino acids. Plant foods, such as pulses, nuts and seeds, are in this group.
Advice for vegans and vegetarians
Some plant foods are low in one kind of amino acid whereas other plant foods are higher in that amino acid. By eating a well balanced diet that contains a variety of foods you can get all the amino acids you require. Previously it was thought that for vegetarians to obtain enough protein different plant foods had to be combined in the same meal in order to balance the amounts of amino acids, known as protein combining. Now it's believed that this isn't necessary and that eating a range of plant foods over the course of a day will provide all the essential amino acids the body needs.
Foods such as eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, vegetable protein foods and soya products all contain protein. There are also small amounts in grains and dairy products.

Did you know...?
Eggs contain all eight essential amino acids, making them a perfect source of protein. However, you'd have to eat at least eight eggs a day to get all the protein you need. Be sensible; include them as part of a balanced and varied diet.

How much is enough?
Health professionals recommend that protein makes up ten to 15 per cent of your diet. They suggest men eat 55.5g protein a day and women eat 45g. In real terms, eating a moderate amount of protein - in one or two meals every day - should give you all the protein you need.
The need to eat protein every day is worth emphasising, because your body can't store it - you can't stock up on it by bingeing on protein once a week, for example.

Fat facts

• Fat transports fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K through your body.
• It cushions your internal organs.
• It makes food taste nicer.
• It can contain essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are thought to have a positive effect on the health of your heart and immune system.
• It's a concentrated source of energy.


It's this last point that has given fat such a bad reputation. Just 1g of fat provides 9 calories - more than double the calories in 1g of protein or carbohydrate. This means if you eat a lot of fatty foods, you're likely to put on weight. However, understanding the difference between unsaturated and saturated fats can help.
Saturated and unsaturated
Fat can be divided into two groups - saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature and is usually from animal sources. It's found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything that contains these ingredients, such as cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pies and pastries. It's also the white fat you can see on red meat and underneath poultry skin. The less saturated fat you eat, the better - a high intake has been linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Unsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetable sources. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both included in this group. Unsaturated fat is a healthier alternative to saturated fat and can be found in vegetable oils such as sesame, sunflower, soya and olive; oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon; and soft margarine.

Did you know...?
In reality, many foods contain both saturated and unsaturated fats, but they're described as one or the other depending on which makes up the majority. So, a healthier unsaturated fat such as olive oil contains saturated fats, too.

Sugary foods
Like fat, sugar is a concentrated source of energy and also has a bad reputation. The psychological benefits of eating foods such as jam, sweets, cakes, chocolate, soft drinks, biscuits and ice cream are fairly obvious. They taste lovely and feel like a special treat. However, it's important to keep them as just that - an occasional, special treat. Why? Because...
• Sugary foods often go hand in hand with fatty foods. Think cakes, biscuits, chocolate and pies.
• Sugar interacts with the plaque on your teeth and has been proven to cause tooth decay.


How much is enough?
Government guidelines recommend that fats make up no more than 35 per cent of your diet. For the average woman, this means about 76g of fat per day; for men, roughly 100g. In reality, though, most of us have much higher fat intakes.
Ideally, we should eat sugary foods sparingly. If you'd like to cut down on fatty and sugary foods, follow these suggestions:
• Snack on fresh or dried fruit rather than biscuits and chocolate.
• Trim any visible fat off meat and poultry.
• Buy lean cuts of meat and reduced-fat minces.
• Ditch the frying pan - try poaching, steaming, grilling and baking instead.
• Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or skimmed alternatives.
• If you use lard, butter or hard margarine, switch to vegetable oil and low-fat spreads.