Don't Be a Victim of Portion Distortion

Don't Be a Victim of Portion Distortion
Researchers from New York University found that average
portion sizes started to grow in the 1970's, rising quickly
in the 1980's - and this phenomenon hasn't shown signs of
slowing. A "large" order of fries from McDonalds' weighs
the same as 1998's "Supersize" fries. And it doesn't stop
there.

Check out these eye-opening figures, provided by the
National Institutes of Health:

* Today's 6-inch bagel has 350 calories. This is 210 more
calories than a 3-inch bagel 20 years ago.

* Today's 5 ounce muffin has 500 calories. This is 310
calories more than muffin 20 years ago.

* Today, a large cookie has about 275 calories. This is 220
more calories more than a cookie 20 years ago.

* Today, a 3 cup chicken Caesar salad has 790 calories.
This is 400 more calories more than Caesar salads 20 years
ago.

Keep in mind that the health experts all agree on one
thing: Obesity is on the rise because people eat too many
calories and do not exercise enough. Portion control is a
very important factor for losing-weight, but to attain a
fit and healthy physique exercise is also a must.

Now that you know portion sizes today are far larger than
you really need, what are you going to do the next time you
go out to eat? Try the following 3 tips and watch as your
waist begins to slim and your confidence soars.

Trim-Down Tip #1: Re-program Your Mind

I'm sure your mother did a great job when she taught you to
"clean your plate." The problem now lies in the fact that
your plate is usually loaded with more than 3 times the
calories that you really need. So what's the solution?

Realize that it is O.K. to leave food on your plate. Eating
everything on the plate is probably a habit now, but it is
one that you can break. Focus on how you feel halfway
through your meal. Are you full? If you are beginning to
feel full then stop eating. Don't worry - your mom won't
send you to your room!

Trim-Down Tip #2: Slow Down

I know that this is a tough one - so bear with me. These
days we are in such a hurry, we rush to work, rush to
lunch, rush through errands and then rush home. So it is no
wonder that food consumption is no exception. Most meals
are devoured before your stomach has the chance to let you
know that it is full.

Eat your next meal slower than usual. Chew each bite
thoroughly, engage in conversation and pay attention for
signs that you may be getting full. Once you realize that
you are full, stop eating. Congratulations - you just
tailored your portion down to its proper size.

Trim-Down Tip #3: Go Halfsies

I understand that it may be very difficult for you to leave
food on your plate, even though your mother isn't looking
over your shoulder, and even if you eat slowly. No problem
- you just need to do some strategic planning. The next
time you go out to eat do one of the following two options.

1. Share an entrée with a friend and order salad or soup to
start your meal. This will cut your calories down
dramatically, while still giving you the satisfaction of
clearing your plate.

2. If sharing isn't an option then ask your waiter to bring
a to-go box along with your order. As soon as the food is
placed in front of you put half of it into the to-go box.
You are now left with a reasonable portion and even have
your next meal taken care of.

Remember, you are in charge:

There may be certain aspects of life that you do not have
direct control over, but what ends up in your mouth is not
one of them! You control what you eat. When faced with
extra large portions exercise your right to chose wisely
and your body and waistline will thank you for it. Couple
this with a regular fitness routine and you will find that
reaching and maintaining your goal weight is easier than
ever.

----------------------------------------------------
Machelle Lee owns and operates The Invisible Gym in Santa
Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become
physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced,
healthy lifestyle. For more information and questions you
can visit her website.

http://www.the-invisible-gym.com/

The Gift of Health - A Health Food Gift Basket

The Gift of Health - A Health Food Gift Basket
One of the newest trends in gift giving is the health foods
gift basket. It's a means of giving a friend or loved one a
nudge towards a healthier lifestyle, and healthier eating
habits.

If you know someone who's recently undergone a heart
attack, or just been told they need to cut way back on the
amount and types of food they are eating, a gift basket
overflowing with healthy, good for them foods is a great
way to tell them to stay the course, and that you ...

Love Them

You could take the easy way out, sneak them bad-for-them
food and help them to an early grave, or you could bite the
bullet and help and encourage them to eat healthy so they
will be around to love for a long, long time.

The best way to let someone know that you love and
encourage them is by giving them a healthy gift basket
loaded with new to them foods. What this does is give
them...

Hope

What's hope? It's the light at the end of the tunnel. It's
the rainbow after the rain. It's seeing that you can have a
fresh new start after a crushing health setback.

When that basket shows up, crammed full of new foods to try
it's like gaining a whole new perspective on eating. A
little apprehensive, not quit sure what you're going to
like but, hoping that what's in the basket will taste as
great as it looks.

Once a person has hope they are open to...

Encouragement

Encouragement is "come on you can lick this thing". Were in
this together! Let's tear this good lookinghealth basket
apart and start to sample some of these goodies.

What's that thing wrapped up over there in that corner?
Let's try it, it looks interesting!

Wow! That tastes great, so juicy. Maybe there is more to
this health food stuff than I thought.

Let's try this over here.

Once a person has encouragement and starts on this new life
then they have a ...

Will To Live

This is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly
you have a greater need to move forward. There is plenty
more living to do. New foods to challenge the taste buds.
New fruits to tear apart and sample. Vegetables to try I
didn't know existed.

So many new health foods to try I can't quit now! Too many
things to sample and taste.

And this all took place because you dared to give them a
health food gift basket!

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Not all gift baskets are created equal. Some are full of
sugary junk food. For a sampling of health food gift
baskets go to:
http://healthfood-guide.com/healthfoodgiftbasket.aspx

Starkey Hearing Aids: What You Need To Know

Starkey Hearing Aids: What You Need To Know
Starkey Laboratories is one of the world's leading hearing
aid manufacturers. Focused on customer service, they were
the first company to provide a warranty and free trial
period for hearing aid buyers. Starkey has locations in
more than 24 countries and works with hearing specialists
to determine the needs of each customer. Starkey makes a
variety of different types of hearing aids to cater to all
hearing aid wearer's needs. All current Starkey hearing
aid models are digital.

Starkey offers the Destiny line of hearing aids. These
come in a wide range of models and styles to fit any budget
and hearing need. The Destiny 400 is an entry-level model,
which works best in quiet environments. It eliminates
feedback and offers a good digital option at an affordable
price. It adjusts automatically for telephone
communication and provides indicator tones when attention
is needed such as battery replacement. The Destiny 400
adapts easily for each environment. It can be highly
customized using a hearing specialist.

The Destiny 800 has all the features of the 400 plus more
easily adapts to different environments. It is able to
detect and identify different sounds as well as quiet and
adjusts automatically.

The Destiny 1200 is well-suited to active wearers who often
switch between different types of acoustic environments.
It works well at sporting events as well as at home. It is
designed to virtually eliminate feedback and enables the
user to hear even subtle sounds.

The Destiny 1600 is the top of the line Starkey hearing
aid. It uses Starkey-specific technology called nFusion,
which is loaded with every state of the art feature
possible. It has voice indicators to help understand
tones. A built-in self-check provides diagnostic reports.
It has immediate environmental adaptation, which allows the
user to transition seamlessly between different types of
environments.

New wireless solution products are also available to
provide wireless connectivity with your hearing aid and
your wireless or Bluetooth enabled electronic device such
as cell phone or computer.

Starkey hearing aids come in styles to suit any hearing
need. The type of device you need is determined by the
type and level of your hearing loss. BTE - Behind the ear
style sits just behind the ear. ITE - In the ear style sits
just inside the ear. ITC - In the ear canal style is made
to sit lower into the ear. CIC - Completely in the ear
canal style slides deeper into the ear canal.

Before buying a hearing aid, consult with a hearing
specialist who can determine the best type of hearing aid
for your hearing loss. Of all the hearing aid styles, BTE
is the most versatile and usually offer better hearing
results. This style is making a big comeback, particularly
in light of all the new technology that uses similar
looking earpieces.

Besides Starkey, the other major manufacturers of hearing
aids include Siemens, Beltone, Phonak, Widex and Oticon. It
is good to shop around in order to find the hearing aid
that suits your hearing needs, comfort, lifestyle and
budget.

----------------------------------------------------
Looking to buy Starkey hearing aids? Check out our hearing
aid reviews of Starkey, Phonak, Beltone and Seimens hearing
aids at http://www.abouthearingaid.com/art-starkey

Avoiding Trans Fat May Save Your Life

Avoiding Trans Fat May Save Your Life
As consumers we had no idea how much trans fatty acids
(trans-fat) were in the food we eat. Until now, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), after much red tape, is
requiring that trans-fats be on all packaged food labels.
You will see the new addition right below the saturated fat
listing. At least now, Americans in the packaged food they
buy can see how much is in there. Trans-fat are worse on
the heart than saturated fat and should be avoided in any
diet program.

Trans-fat are, in my opinion, the most deadly of the
unnatural forms of fat. The FDA estimates that 500 deaths
from heart disease will be prevented in the next 3 years,
thanks to this new information to consumers. Harvard
researchers have estimated that 100,000 lives a year could
be saved if people cut trans-fats out of their diets
completely.

So what is a trans-fat? Trans-fats are artificially
created by a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation
is adding hydrogen atoms to liquid vegetable oil. This
process allows a longer shelf life and stabilizes the
flavor. It is also cheaper than other fats, like butter or
lard, so many food manufacturers prefer to use it. About
40% of the food on grocery store shelves contain trans-fat.
Health officials in New York City estimate that 30% of the
restaurants use trans-fats or fry food in them.

Once in the blood stream, trans-fats raise bad cholesterol
(low-density lipoprotein, LDL) and lower good cholesterol
(high-density lipoprotein, HDL). Trans-fat may raise
cholesterol twice as much as saturated fat, which makes it
one of the major contributors to heart disease deaths
crippling Americans. There are more than 1.4 million
Americans dying from heart disease each year. In a
Harvard Nurses' Health Study, those who eat more trans-fat
were 53% more likely to develop heart disease than those in
the study eating low amounts of trans-fat. The high risk
group was consuming 6.7 grams a day. You can find the same
number of trans-fat in fast food French fries fried in
partially hydrogenated oil. Higher incidence of diabetes
and gallstone disease may be linked to trans-fat as well.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) estimates that there
is no safe amount of trans-fat to eat. No one is sure
exactly how much trans-fat Americans are eating. One
tablespoon of margarine has 3 grams, one doughnut has 5
grams. The best thing you can do is cut trans-fat out of
your diet completely. Your heart will thank you. Frito-Lay
chips and Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers have already
taken out trans-fat from their food. Most companies still
have not taken trans-fat out of their products. There are
two grocery store chains that carry no products with
trans-fat, Whole Foods and Wild Oats. If you want to rid
your diet of trans-fat, you are going to have to read food
labels carefully. Besides the grams of trans-fat in the
product, you need to check the serving size as well. Some
products have small serving sizes to keep their grams total
down.

If you want to keep trans-fat out your diet, there are
things you can do. Cooking your own food is one of the
best ways. You then know what style you are cooking with.
Good oils to use are olive, grape seed, rice bran, canola,
corn, and safflower oil. Staying away from restaurants
that use trans-fat would also be advisable. Look for foods
that contain essential fats that our bodies want, like the
avocado.

With a little extra effort you can take trans-fat out of
your diet. Taking trans-fat out of your diet may be the
single best thing you can do to lower your risk of heart
disease. There is no known health value of trans-fat, so
your body won't be missing anything if you completely get
rid of them in your diet.

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Everything Pills is a leader in online nutritional service.
Find more information on the latest products and
ingredients at http://www.everythingpills.com/ .

Do Motion Sickness Relief Bands Really Work?

Do Motion Sickness Relief Bands Really Work?
Motion sickness relief bands are a popular way to reduce
the feeling of motion sickness without the need to take
traditional medication. Motion sickness occurs when our
eyes and ears send conflicting signals to your brain, and
your brain is unable to decide if you are moving or not.
Since the eyes, for example, say that you are not moving,
but your ears say that you are, the brain thinks that you
have been poisoned and are hallucinating. The dizziness is
a symptom of this confusion, and the nausea and vomiting
are an attempt by the brain to remove any poisons you may
have ingested.

There are a variety of motion sickness relief bands,
manufactured by Explorer, which are worn around the wrist
like a watch. Fortunately, they are available without a
prescription, and they usually cost anywhere between $80
and $110. These motion sickness "watched" are battery
operated and re-usable.

Motion sickness relief bands work by applying a gentle
electrical stimulation to a specific acupressure point on
the inside of the wrist. This stimulation interrupts nerve
signals which can cause the feeling of nausea. A good
motion sickness relief band will have several strength
settings, so you can use only a mild setting for a gentle
train or car ride, and the strongest one if you are on a
cruise ship when a storm hits.

Are Motion Sickness Relief Bands Effective?

It seems that way. Motion sickness Relief Bands are
thought to work by stimulating an acupressure point and
interfering with nerve signals. Bear in mind that this is
all theoretical. Presently, no one is absolutely sure why
the product works or even if it works at all. So you may
have to be the best judge as to whether it will work for
you. The good news is that the electrical stimulation the
Relief Bands provide is not unpleasant. Best of all, there
are no side effects such as drowsiness, which is a common
complaint from users of motion sickness relief medications.

There have not been any official studies to prove or
disprove the effectiveness of motion sickness relief bands
compared to regular medication, or even compared to a
placebo. However, there are many people using them, and
there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that they
work. Motion sickness relief bands do not cause any of the
side effects associated with traditional medication, and
are thought by many people to be an effective treatment.
They can be a little expensive, but they only need to be
purchased once and last a very long time, whereas with
medication you need to replace it every time it runs out.

The lack of side effects, and the ability to tweak the
strength setting to find the right one for the situation
means that motion sickness relief bands can be effective
for a variety of situations. If you are a motion sickness
sufferer, and find that you cannot reduce the symptoms
through other means, then a motion sickness relief band
could be the solution you are looking for.

----------------------------------------------------
Motion sickness is a discomfort millions of travelers are
forced to endure. Visit http://www.every1loves2travel.com
and learn the causes, symptoms and remedies for motion
sickness.

The Secrets of Natural Face Cream

The Secrets of Natural Face Cream
Skin care is an everyday part of our lives. Having healthy,
good looking, skin is essential to our general well-being
and self-confidence. However there are so many products out
there that it can often be hard to find a beneficial,
healthy and well priced skin care facial cream. The problem
lies partly in the fact that skin care products are so
heavily marketed that it is often impossible to tell fact
from fiction. Every cosmetic company tells us their
products are better than their competitors, but we know
better than to trust everything advertisers tell us, don't
we?

So, how do we decide what makes a quality facial skin care
product? Good looking packaging? Or perhaps we could look
at what seems to be most popular at the time? Or, you could
assess the quality of a skin care product, in a more
logical manner, based on its ingredients. But herein lies
the fundamental problem. Unless you have studied chemistry
at university who among us knows what trietholamine or
propylparaben is? On the other hand in other skin care
products you can notice immediately that the ingredients
are everyday recognisable produce. You can see ingredients
like avocado, turmeric and green tea. These sort of
ingredients are much clearer to understand. We know that
all those ingredients mentioned above are, firstly,
natural, and secondly, safe. A good rule of thumb for skin
care products is; if it tastes ok then it will probably be
ok for your skin. This may sound strange but think about
it, who consciously wants to put something on their skin,
especially their face, that they would not at least taste.
If you were sat down in front of two baths, one full of
green tea and one full of propylparaben, which one would
you know is safe for your skin, even healthy. The point is
we seem to have been convinced that artificially produced
skin care products are as good as their natural
counterparts. This is just not true. Another way to think
about this is to think of the artificial banana flavour as
compared to a real banana, few if any of us would choose
the artificial flavour as superior to the real banana.

So, short of running surveys and polls on what makes a good
skin care product we can use everyday knowledge to
ascertain that natural products are probably alot better
for our skin than laboratory manufactured chemicals.
Laboratory chemicals are also relatively untested and their
long term effects are unknown as yet. Whereas we know that
green tea has been used for both cosmetic and medicinal
purposes for thousands of years.

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An example of a purely natural face cream is Jurlique Day
Care Face Cream. For more information please visit
http://www.jurliquedaycarefacecream.com

Is it Perfume or Poison?

Is it Perfume or Poison?
Here's the scenario: you are on an elevator. The elevator
stops and in walks someone with WAY too much cologne on and
the smell overpowers you. Your sinuses start to hurt and
you get a bit sick to your stomach. The smell of the
cologne stays with you, in your hair, clothes and nose for
quite a while after - hence the sick feeling does too. Yuk.
It's hard not to think how inconsiderate this person is.

It's not just the smell that is inconsiderate. Have you
ever thought about the chemicals that are used in
fragrances? Many of them are not good for you to breathe
or to put on your body!

This week Time Magazine did an article on air fresheners
and how many brands have been removed from the market due
to high levels of phthalates. Phthalates are estrogenic in
nature, which is believed to contribute to certain cancers.
Phthalates are used to dissolve and carry fragrances and
soften plastics, sealants and similar compounds. They are
commonly found in cosmetics, paint, nail polish and
plastics.

This peaked my interest on fragrances in general - so, as
usual, I did some research. Although fragrances have been
used for centuries, they were made from plant and animal
sources. Modern fragrances are primarily synthetic
materials developed since World War II.

Did you know that 600 or more chemicals may be used in a
single fragrance, and 95% of chemicals used in them are
derived from petroleum? Why? Petro-chemicals in perfumes
are less expensive and more easily available than the
natural ingredients.

Many chemicals used in fragrances are considered hazardous
waste disposal chemicals! Synthetic fragrance compounds
accumulate in human tissue and are found in breast milk.

An EPA study in 1991 listed the 20 most common chemicals
used in "fragrance products" which are used not only in
perfumes but to scent shampoos, soaps, deodorants, lotions,
creams and other beauty products. Here's the list - it
speaks volumes on its own:

ACETONE, BENZALDEHYDE, BENZYL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, CAMPHOR,
ETHANOL, ETHYL ACETATE, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, METHYLENE
CHLORIDE, a-PINENE, g-TERPINENE, a-TERPINEOL, 1,8-CINEOLE,
b-CITRONELLOL, b-MYRCENE, NEROL, OCIMENE, b-PHENETHYL
ALCOHOL, a-TERPINOLENE

There are relatively few studies available concerning the
use and exposure to fragranced products. Testing by the
cosmetics/fragrance industry focuses on skin effects
without taking into account respiratory, neurological, or
systemic effects. There is little regulation of fragrance
by regulatory agencies. Not only is too much perfume often
offensive to many, more and more people consider it to be
an indoor air pollutant. Some are quite vocal about their
opposition to the use of perfumes. For years, I thought I
was the only one who got headaches from strong perfume!

There is a movement afoot to curtail the use of fragrances
in the work place. Many businesses, at the request of their
employees, are creating fragrance-free policies. Given
that many people are highly affected by allergies, this
makes sense (pun intended, get it? ... sense...scents...).

But seriously, given that we are bombarded by more and more
hazardous chemicals and pollution, having less on our
bodies, homes and in our workplaces must be better for ALL
of us. Breathe deeply and live well!

Sources: Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, (Report by
the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of
Representatives, Sept.16, 1986. (Report 99-827). "Living
Healthy in a Toxic World," David Steinman 1996. "Stink-Free
Office Mates," Natural Health Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2000.
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html "How Fressh is
the Air Freshener?"
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1664954,00.ht
ml?cnn=yes

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About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years
and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds
certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional
engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit
http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at
http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com