Heart healthy diet;

Also called: Heart Diet
- Summary- Heart-healthy diet basics- Effects of unhealthy diets- About balanced diets- Factors that affect heart- Role of nutrition labels- Questions for your doctor
Reviewed By: David Slotnick, M.D.Michael Sacher, D.O., FACC, FACP
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Summary
The relationship between diet and heart disease has been the focus of much debate and scientific research for over a century. As researchers have continued to learn more about the effects of diet on heart disease, dietary advice has changed. For example, people were at one point advised to severely limit egg intake because eggs have high cholesterol. More recently, nutritionists have relaxed in their attitude toward eggs. Similarly, extremely low-fat diets were once considered heart healthy, until nutritionists discovered the heart benefits of certain monounsaturated fats, such as the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty, cold-water fish.
When designing a health-healthy diet, it is important to understand how physicians calculate risk for heart disease and how diet can influence risk levels. In general, when assessing a patient for risk for heart attack, physicians consider two kinds of risk factors: modifiable and non-modifiable. A family history of heart disease is considered a non-modifiable risk factor, while obesity, cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking are all considered modifiable risk factors.
Diet is important because of the far-reaching effects it can have on heart health. This is true because people with poor diets are at much higher risk for obesity and diabetes, which in turn are closely linked to heart disease. Significantly, cholesterol levels and even high blood pressure can also be affected by dietary choices. Thus, maintaining a heart-healthy diet is one of the best things anyone can do to reduce their chances of suffering from heart disease.
Fortunately, nutritionists and doctors now know more than ever before about what foods are considered heart-healthy. The following principles were developed by leading organizations devoted to heart health, including the American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP):
A heart-healthy eating pattern that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, fish, legumes (beans), poultry and lean meats.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight by balancing energy intake (calories eaten) with energy needs.
Participating in regular physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes on most if not all days.
Smoking cessation.
Achieving and maintaining a desirable blood lipid profile by limiting foods high in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol and substituting healthier fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from vegetables, fish, legumes and nuts.
Achieving and maintaining normal blood pressure levels by limiting salt and alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy body weight and eating a heart-healthy diet.
A heart-healthy eating plan includes a wide variety of foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins and minerals. It is also low in fat, cholesterol and salt. This article describes a heart-healthy, balanced diet that can be used to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and related conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension) and atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries)
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Review Date: 07-30-2007-->
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Bodybuilding show picture;

This is a picture of me,obviously, weighing in at 211 pounds at the garden state classic bodybuilding show in july 2008. I started out at a bodyweight of 233 pounds just three weeks before and with the water depletion came a drastic weight drop over the course of only four days. The rest of the weight drop was gradual over that time span until, as i said, the water depletion came into play. I have one more shot that i will post that i think is my best shot. I plan on gaining a lot of mass over this next year with the hope of doing even better in next year's show. I cannot powerlift and bodybuild at the same time so i am going to bodybuild for a year and then resume powerlifting after that. So stay tuned it will get intresting, one way or another!!

Bodybuilding show cont.'d;

Having never been in a bodybuilding show before and having been to only one amateur show in my life, i wasn't sure what to expect when i got there or if i was even capable of getting on stage in a little posing suit in front of all of those people. I have been in several powerlifting meets/shows and there were a lot of people at those, but i was wearing considerably more clothing! A lot more time and preparation goes into a bodybuilding show and thank God for my wife helping me with a lot of it or i would've had a much more difficult time during my preparation phase. From the grueling workouts to dieting, tanning, shaving, and posing, my whole life centered around the show for several weeks. For those of you thinking about going into a show i highly recommend it and i highly recommend two books that helped me prepare mentally for the competition, Mind Pump; The psychology of bodybuilding, by tom kubistant and Mind and muscle by blair whitmarsh. As with powerlifting, bodybuilding is as much about the mind as it is about the body. You can have the most muscular, ripped physique at the show but if you are not capable of presenting it well then all of the hard work was in vain.
I have a couple of more entries regarding the bodybuilding show that i want to share with you as i remember them to hopefully inspire one or more of you into entering a show. After that i will get back into the other topics that i have been neglecting, until then train hard and smart!

My first bodybuilding competition!

On july 12th, 2008 i tried something new, for me, and entered the garden state classic bodybuilding competition in nutley new jersey. I placed second in the novice heavyweight class and fourth in the masters over thirty five in the over one hundred and seventy six and a quarter pound class. I was told that i did pretty well for my first time out due to the fact also that my first love is powerlifting and as anyone who competes in bodybuilding knows, it is a much different sport to get ready for as far as competitions are concerned. The dieting part of the prepapatory weeks before the competition were not as hard for me as i clean up my diet beginning in march anyway to get ready for the summer. However the water depletion during the last week before competing was hard on me due to the fact that i drink well over two gallons of water a day normally.
I would espically like to thank glen miller at the muscle mill in milltown for his advice and dieting guidance which the competiton would not have been possible for me to compete in had it not been for his guidance! He also helped me with my trainig even though i trained alone to get ready for the show he was there to answer any questions i had along the way and believe me he has the patience of a saint, as anyone who has had to deal with me would understand what i mean, just ask my wife!!!
I will go into more detail about the competition in future entries, however i will say it was one of the highlights of my life and even though i am not genetically inclined for bodybuilding i looked pretty good and felt pretty good, considering the fact that i didn't have any faith in myself when it came to competitive bodybuilding, until glen gave me some words of encouragement.

Nature's packaging

NATURE'S PACKAGING
Skins, Rinds, Peels Pack Nutrition Punch
When it comes to fruit and vegetables, it's not always what's inside that matters most. Peels and rinds can pack much -- sometimes most -- of nature's nutrition firepower.
A plant's skin is its first line of defense against predators and environmental stress. When we consume those peels, the protective benefits of those phytochemicals get passed on to us. Below we explore a few of those benefits, with tips on how to give your peeler a rest.
Apples: A Red Delicious apple with skin has about twice as much fiber and 45% more antioxidants than a naked one. Among these antioxidants is quercetin, which may protect against Alzheimer's, ease prostate pain, boost bone health, and support immunity.
TIP: Eating apples with peels on is a no-brainer -- but you can also leave peels on in many apple dessert recipes, such as Apple Pie and Cran-Apple Crisp.
Eggplant: Japanese researchers found a powerful antioxidant in the skin of eggplants that may help halt cancer proliferation. The antioxidant nasunin blocks the formation of blood vessels that feed malignant tumors.
TIP: Slip a few unpeeled slices of eggplant into your lasagna -- or toss with olive oil and roast 'em on the grill.
Citrus: A recent British review of citrus oils suggests that compounds found in the peel of oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit could fight harmful foodborne pathogens. In other research, flavonoids found in orange and tangerine peels significantly lowered the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels of overfed hamsters.
TIP: Add a bit of citrus zest to marinades, dressings, and condiments or on top of grilled salmon.
Potatoes: Recently, Indian researchers demonstrated that the polyphenolic extracts of potato peels can protect human red blood cells from the oxidative damage caused by free radicals. One of the polyphenolic compounds -- “chlorogenic acid” -- is concentrated in the peel along with extra fiber, potassium, and vitamin B6.
TIP: Eat the skin of your baked potato, or slice unpeeled potatoes, then toss with olive oil before oven roasting.
Watermelon: While the flesh is a top source of lycopene, another compound -- the amino acid, citrulline -- is highest in the rinds. Citrulline may function as a natural alternative to Viagra, increasing blood flow to the pelvic area by suppressing those enzymes that inhibit nitric oxide's effects.
TIP: Include more of the white rind next time you cut up a watermelon -– or get adventurous with Barbequed or Pickled Watermelon Rinds.