Thoughts: What is health? Is it feeling good? Looking good? Just being alive? Who defines health?

We do…the mass population have come to an “agreement” that healthy means being skinny, trim, fit, energetic, eating ‘good’…. really its down to interpretation.

The way I can describe it is that I experience lightness, I feel graceful and at ease with my body and my self, comfortable, peaceful, love for myself and my body, I feel clean, pure, and ALIVE.

If you look at the what’s so of a person with cancer…the what’s so is that a person has a dis-ease in the body. To me health is the absence of dis-ease. Do you experience dis-ease?

So what’s a healthy diet? Well I’ve played with many different diets/lifetsyles like the one ‘I will never eat chocolate or lollies again’ hehe, I’ve tried the ‘On Sunday I can eat anything and as much as I want’ haha, the ‘I will start being really healthy on Monday’ and the ‘I will eat everything in moderation’ haha I have a retarded mind . The thing with these lifestyles/diets is that they are to ones interpretations so I can alter my whats ‘moderation’ at anytime. It becomes thwarted. It wasn’t until the Earth Diet that I actually experienced health as I described above.

Some interesting Diets I researched…

The Earth Diet!
Hehe yes the one I created, eating only foods naturally provided from the Earth! So all fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, AND you can eat as much as you want! How fun

The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is widely believed to be one of the most healthful ways to eat, yet much of what we know about it is based on studies of people living on the island of Crete in the 1950s, who in many respects lived lives very different from our own. Yes, they ate lots of olive oil and little meat. But they also did more physical labor. They fasted regularly. They ate a lot of wild greens — weeds. And, perhaps most important, they consumed far fewer total calories than we do.

Vegetarian
There are various types of vegetarian – Lacto vegetarian, Fruitarian vegetarian, Lacto-ovo-vegetarian, Living food diet vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescovegetarian, and Semi-vegetarian. The majority of vegetarians are lacto-ovovegetarians, in other words, they do not eat animal-based foods, except for eggs, dairy, and honey. Several studies over the last few years have shown that vegetarians have a lower body weight, suffer less from diseases, and generally have a longer life expectancy than people who eat meat. Similarly, much of what we know about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet is based on studies of Seventh Day Adventists, who muddy the nutritional picture by drinking absolutely no alcohol and never smoking. These extraneous but unavoidable factors are called, aptly, “confounders.”

Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is an international company that offers various dieting products and services to assist weight loss and maintenance. Founded in 1963 by Brooklyn homemaker Jean Nidetch, it now operates in about 30 countries around the world, generally under names that are local translations of “Weight Watchers”.The term weight-watcher, in the same sense, had circulated publicly for several years before the company was formed.Weight Watchers encourages members to select a goal weight that results in a body mass index generally accepted as healthy (18 to 24.9), although a member may also establish a goal weight outside of that range after providing a doctor’s note to that effect. In the United States, in order to join Weight Watchers, one must weigh at least 5 pounds (2.3 kg) more than the minimum weight for his or her height.

Vegan
Veganism is more of a way of life and a philosophy than a diet. A vegan does not eat anything that is animal based, including eggs, dairy, and honey. Vegans do not generally adopt veganism just for health reasons, but also for environmental and ethical/compassionate reasons. Vegans believe that modern intensive farming methods are bad for our environment and unsustainable in the long term. If all our food were plant based our environment would benefit, animals would suffer less, more food would be produced, and people would generally enjoy better physical and mental health, vegans say.

Raw Food
The Raw Food Diet, or Raw Foodism, involves consuming foods and drinks which are not processed, are completely plant-based, and ideally organic. Raw Foodists generally say that at least three-quarters of your food intake should consist of uncooked food. A significant number of raw foodists are also vegans – they do not eat or drink anything which is animal based. There are four main types of raw foodists: 1. Raw vegetarians. 2. Raw vegans. 3. Raw omnivores. 4. Raw carnivores.

The Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet, officially called the Atkins Nutritional Approach, is a low-carbohydrate diet created by Dr Robert Atkins. The Atkins Diet is a departure from the previously prevailing metabolic theories. Atkins said that there are important unrecognized factors in Western eating habits leading to obesity. Primarily, he believed that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups. The Atkins Diet involves restriction of carbohydrates to more frequently switch the body’s metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat. This process, called ketosis, begins when insulin levels are low; in normal humans, insulin is lowest when blood glucose levels are low (mostly before eating). Ketosis lipolysis occurs when some of the lipid stores in fat cells are transferred to the blood and are thereby used for energy. On the other hand, caloric carbohydrates (e.g., glucose or starch, the latter made of chains of glucose) impact the body by increasing blood sugar after consumption. [In the treatment of diabetes, blood sugar levels are used to determine a patient's daily insulin requirements.] Lastly, because of fiber’s low digestibility, it provides little or no food energy and does not significantly impact glucose and insulin levels.

The South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is relatively simple in principle. It replaces “bad carbs” and “bad fats” with “good carbs” and “good fats.” “Good carbs” vs “bad carbs”
According to Agatston, hunger cycles are triggered not by carbohydrates in general, but by carbohydrate-rich foods that the body digests quickly, creating a spike in blood sugar. Such foods include the heavily refined sugars and grains that make up a large part of the typical Western diet. The South Beach Diet eliminates these carbohydrate sources in favor of relatively unprocessed foods such as vegetables, beans, and whole grains.”Good fats” vs “bad fats” Given that South Beach Diet was designed by a cardiologist, it should be no surprise that it eliminates trans-fats and discourages saturated fats. Although foods rich in these “bad fats” do not contribute to the hunger cycle, they do contribute to LDL cholesterol and heart disease. The South Beach Diet replaces them with foods rich in unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acid which contribute to HDL cholesterol and provide other health benefits. Specifically, the diet excludes the fatty portions of red meat and poultry, replacing them with lean meats, nuts, and oily fish.

The Zone
The Zone Diet aims for a nutritional balance of 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% protein each time we eat. The focus is also on controlling insulin levels, which result in more successful weight loss and body weight control. The Zone Diet encourages the consumption of good quality carbohydrates – unrefined carbohydrates, and fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts.

Supplements
One last example: People who take supplements are healthier than the population at large, but their health probably has nothing whatsoever to do with the supplements they take — which recent studies have suggested are worthless. Supplement-takers are better-educated, more-affluent people who, almost by definition, take a greater-than-normal interest in personal health — confounding factors that probably account for their superior health.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight_Watchers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkins_diet

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5847.php

www.nytimes.com

Challenges: There are so many diets/lifestyle out there it can be overwhelming, frustrating and confusing. Each person will find something that works for them. What works for me is eating everything and anything that nature provides. The low carb diet wouldn’t work as I love to eat potatoes and they are naturally provided by the Earth. And we are human beings who love to experience a HUGE variety of everything, places, people, food, emotions, experiences, music, lifestyles, and I believe the danger with sticking to one particular “diet” would be borrrring and be restricting.

For those who don’t know if there is a relationship between your acne condition and the foods you eat, let me tell you that there is. You might have heard that oily foods cause acne, but this isn’t entirely true. Oily foods have caused internal changes including high cholesterol levels, but they don’t really have a huge impact on the skin condition. When does oil affect skin conditions such as acne? The only time oil would affect your acne condition, is when you use cosmetic products that have animal fats, oils and additives. Most of the makeup products and skin care products on the market today have oils added to them.

One thing you should begin doing is purchase herbal skin care products that contain no oils or preservative chemicals. These additional chemicals and oils will only cause harm to your skin condition. For those who have acne, it is never a good idea to use tons of makeup. Makeup may seem like a great way to hide your acne, but it surely does not make things any better. The types of food you eat will affect your overall acne condition. The following are some of the foods you should and shouldn’t limit on a daily basis, if you intend on controlling your acne.

The calcium rich fluid we all love drinking could be bad for your acne condition. Milk has been a great addition to any breakfast meal, but it could lead to your acne getting worse than it already is. Since milk originally comes from cows, there is a significant amount of fat and hormones which could cause an imbalance in your acne condition. I am not saying that you should stop drinking milk, but it would help if you could limit your daily intake. If you are someone who drinks milk several times a day, it could be a problem for your acne.

The one type of oil that is considered to be a helper in your acne condition is Omega 3 fat oils. All types of fishes have this fish oil in them, and they have been known to prevent acne and keep skin looking fresh. Whether you are cooking the fish or simply having some sushi, it is considered to be great for your skin and overall health. Apart from the acne benefits of fish, you would also be taking in some much needed proteins.

Oranges and berries are two amazing types of fruits you should eat at least once a day. When I say berries, I mean all sorts of berries; whether it is strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Berries and oranges have high antioxidant content along with nutrients that help with skin development and acne prevention. By eating such fruits, you’ll be able to get rid of the bad skin cells, which allows for new skin development. During skin development, one thing you should do is drink lots of fluids. Water and concentrated juices are the best, as they give your body the hydration, vitamins and energy.

I hope this you can incorporate parts of this acne diet into your everyday meals, so that you can get rid of all the acne and live a young and healthy life.

The paleo diet is a regime that helps us eat the freshest, healthiest and nutrient-filled food there is. The paleo diet is based on a balanced diet. The typical Paleo recipes includes

meat of grass-fed cows,
Poultry, seafood, and meat,
Fresh and organic vegetables and fruits of all colors,
Complex carbohydrates coming from tubers and fruits such as sweet potato (potato / sweet potato), potato and banana
Healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and animal fat.
Based not only on what our ancestors ate that suffered from fewer chronic diseases than we, despite having no access to modern medicine,

Many people see the list of foods removed from the paleo diet and remove them from the diet without adding new things. When they remove processed foods and cereals from their diets, often only meat, eggs, and bacon remain. But just as important as eliminated foods (processed foods, sugar, cereals and in some cases dairy and vegetables) are the foods we add to our diets.

A typical paleo diet recipes is half veggies (carrot, broccoli, zucchini, and spinach) and a quarter of protein (often meat or seafood) and a quarter of carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes. A “paleo recipes” diet can be balanced or not, depending on what you put on your plate – just like any other diet. It is essential to note that every person has different body needs.

In the paleo recipes diet, there is also an emphasis on the quality of the food consumed – we try to avoid genetically modified organisms, eat organic vegetables when possible and meat/poultry/seafood that was fed properly, without hormones or inadequate food for their species. We try to eat “all the animal products” because we know that there are essential nutrients and amino acids in the parts of the animal that we cannot find in the most common cuts. Eating “booze” such as liver, paws, cola, bone broth, and any other part of the animal helps to maintain a balanced diet.

The paleo diet recipes does not restrict the consumption of fat or cholesterol. Contrary to what we have been taught, fat does not make us fat (consumed in moderation). Fat is essential to assimilate some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that are necessary for the functioning of our body. Without fat, those vitamins cannot enter our body to do their job. Every cell in our body needs fat to function.

An old article in Time Magazine admits that consumption of saturated fat has no proven link to increased risk of heart problems, and high consumption of sugar and carbohydrates did. In fact, our use of cholesterol in food has nominal influence on the level of cholesterol in our blood. There is no reason to be afraid of eating fat. A paleo diet recipes with enough protein and fat often helps people to lose weight because they are foods that make us feel satiated and as a consequence, we eat less. In fact, if your goal is to lose weight, a paleo diet can be the key to your progress.