“Ouch! Arghh! Finally you heave a sign of relief! However, you felt a sharp pain while you were trying to release your stool. The next thing you noticed, there were tiny traces of reddish substance believed to be blood, that could be seen in the faeces you had excreted. Recalling the food you ate for the day, you couldn’t seem to remember any that provides clues to the existence of  the substance. However, you could feel the burning sensation and acute pain when cleaning yourself. You suspected tears around your anus. Those were the details you gave to your doctor during your visit to the clinic. One of the most common questions normally asked by the doctor would be, “do you consume fruits?” The model answer given by most people would be “yes” since everyone of us know that fruits are healthy and known for their rich anti-oxidants in fighting against deadly diseases such as cancer, preventing cell damage and anti-aging properties. But again some people may think that drinking fruit juice everyday is the same as consuming fruits. This assumption has caused misinformation and many people are confused between facts and myths. Are you one of them?

Let’s briefly describe the above scenario first. This scenario is one of the more common conditions that happen when one does not consume enough fiber. Constipation will definitely happen and your body will complain about the lack of fiber in your digestive system by using pain as a warning signal when you are doing your business in the toilet.

*3 Myths and Facts

Myth #1

I drink fruit juice daily. I think i am getting enough nutrients and anti-oxidants from the juices i drink everyday. I think there is no difference between consuming fruits and drinking fruit juices.

Fact

Drinking fruit juice is definitely not the same as consuming fruits. Why? This is because most of the fruit juices on the shelves of supermarkets, if not all, are pasteurised. This will mean that they possess lesser nutrients. Any fresh product, no matter how healthy it is that gets canned or packed, will lose vitamin b and potassium. When the product is exposed to air, it will start to lose its anti-oxidant qualities after about 20 minutes. You be better off eating the physical fruit instead.

Myth #2

I heard that fruit juices are high in carbohydrates and bad for health.

Fact

This is definitely misleading. Drinking fruit juice have beneficial qualities for your health. It will depend on when you drink the juices and whether the juices contains any added sugar. For example, drinking fruit juice after your workout will aid in replenishing body fluids and blood sugar, and also providing nutrients for your body. However, be careful of when you consume them as fruits contain high levels of sugar known as fructose, fruit juices contain even higher sugar due to the addition of sugar by manufacturers. This will quickly add up the calories and also causes insulin spikes detrimental to your health and weight management due to the high sugar content present. It is a sure fire way to put on weight if you consume fruit juice before bed time.

Myth #3

Since fruits are healthy, i can take medication with fruit juices instead of water.

Fact

Taking medication with any other fluids other than water is disastrous! Fruits are healthy, so are fruit juices depending on the sugar level. However, consuming medication with fruit juices is a totally different story. Certain fruit juices such as grapefruit juice can cause normal doses of medication to become toxic overdose as it causes the rate of absorption of specific medication to be absorbed quickly, while fruit juices such as orange juice may result in decreasing the effects of certain medication wiping out the beneficial effects from them.

*What you need to know when choosing fruit juices.

After clarifying some of the myths and facts about the difference between eating fruits and drinking“juices that appeared to be healthy”, the following are what you need to know when choosing fruit juices. Look out for any added sugar. Choose 100% pasturised juices without any added sugar only as they are healthier. Juice concentrates contain a lot of sugar and it will definitely contribute to a higher probability of diabetes and obesity. A easy way to know how much sugar is present in the product is to look at the amount of sugar per serving. Compare the serving with this measurement, one teaspoon of sugar or one sugar cube is roughly 4 grams. You should now have a rough idea of how much sugar you will be consuming per serving.

Most of us do not pay much attention to the details of the ingredients in what we eat, other than those dieting or preparing for competition who need to make wiser choices of food. Nutrition labels first appeared on food packaging in 1990, in the United States after a law was passed to reveal the composition of food content. Labeling was to help people make better nutrition choices. However, many people are still ignorant on the usefulness of this information after so many years. This is a guide to advice you on what to take note and what you can ignore on the labels.

* Serving size and amount of servings per product

This is the amount of food per serving and estimated total amount of food in each product. When reading this, note that what you consider to be a serving may not be the same as product manufacturers since they have different scales for product servings and sizes.

* Calories

This is the amount of energy the food gives. This should be taken in moderation because calorie requirements varies with individuals and lifestyle.

* Calories from fat

This measures the amount of calories derived from the fat found in the food. The focus should be on the total fat content.

* % Daily value

This is the percentage of daily intake the food provides on a daily requirement of a 2,000 calorie diet. Daily requirements varies between individuals. Ignore this.

* Total fat

This is the total combined amount of different fats in the food. Some foods have very high fat content but not all fats are bad. Healthy fats such as mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats promote fat burning and other benefits such as a cushion to protect your vital organs and promotes healthy cell function. Saturated and trans fats should be limited or avoided if possible as it causes health conditions such as heart diseases and cancer while also act as catalysts for other health problems.

* Cholesterol

This value is not that important as your body manufactures most of the cholesterol in your body compared to those found in food. A guideline provided by the American Heart Association recommends a daily consumption of 300 milligrams or less.

* Sodium

Individuals with heart disease or hypertension need to beware of their daily intake. A healthy individual should consume 1000 milligrams for every 1000 calories of food and less than 2300 milligrams daily as advised by American Heart Association.

* Total carbohydrates

This measures all the energy from starch, sugar and fiber in the food. Unless you are preparing for competition or on diet, ignore this part of the label as what type of carbohydrates in the food is more important.

* Dietary fiber

There are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps in providing lubricating properties while insoluble fiber helps in moving food within your digestive and circulatory system. Aim for any food with 2 grams or more fiber per serving. Food with higher fiber is more healthier.

* Sugar

Not all sugars are equal. Some sugar like fructose and galactose are natural and found in fruits and milk. What should concern you would be the added sugar to the food. Aim for 5 grams or less sugar per serving.

* Protein.

* Vitamin and mineral percentages

It is a requirement to list the 4 basic micro-nutrients, vitamins “A” and “C”, calcium and iron on all labels. If other micro-nutrients are added as supplement, they must be listed too. You can meet your daily vitamin and mineral requirements by taking multi-vitamins. You can ignore this unless you are having deficiencies or not taking any multi-vitamin supplements.

* Ingredients

Not every food appears to be what they seem to be. Processed foods taste and look better due to the added ingredients such as sugar, sweeteners …etc, while unprocessed foods are made from natural ingredients and do not taste as good. You can look out for “all natural peanut butter” and compare that with peanut butter that has fancy names. The difference is obvious after you have tasted the 2 types of peanut butter. Use the information to make wiser choices and to check for harmful ingredients that may jeopardize your health if you have allergies or known to cause certain diseases.

In all, this brief guide on nutrition labels is to help you make wiser and better food choices. You should always take your lifestyle and health conditions into consideration when planning your meals. Moderation is key.

Most of us are living a busy and hectic life, working hard for our dreams and goals. However, with the constant stress and hectic schedule on a daily basis, the majority of us tend to neglect our nutrition intake and the types of food we eat daily, and end up cultivating bad eating habits. Depending on the eating habits taught to us by our parents during childhood, some of us may even be eating incorrectly without knowing it. The real key to smart eating is actually to cultivate good habits.

What do I mean by good eating habits? Carbohydrates? Protein? Fats? Phytochemicals? Antioxidants? How much do we consume for each type of nutrients ? The amount of information present currently n both the internet and the real world such as magazine publications …etc, is enough to make most of us nostalgic and confused. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be that difficult. For the majority of us, we lead busy and stressful lifestyles, what we seek are simple and easy to follow solutions. We do not have the luxury of time to flip through every article, magazine publication …etc that we can get our hands on. Solution to this? Here are 12 easy to follow tips that you should start to cultivate and make it part of your daily nutrition plan.

Tip #1 – Take your multi-vitamins every day in the morning.

All you require is just a tablet of multi-vitamins daily. A standard multivitamin fills enough of the gaps in your diet to make a difference since most people normally lack a certain kind of micro-nutrient in their diet.

Tip #2 – Drink 2 glasses of water before every meal.

Besides keeping you hydrated, it will definitely make you eat less. This can possibly make you feel less hungry, reducing your food intake, hence preventing possibility of overeating per meal and aiding in weight loss.

Tip #3 – Start your day with heavy meals at the beginning and drop the portions.

Begin your day with breakfast as the heaviest meal and reduce the amount of food intake when the day slowly comes to an end. Our metabolism is the highest at the beginning of each day but it significantly drops when each day comes to an end. Eating heavy meals in the evening is not going to do your health any good and you will only pile on the weight unnecessarily.

Tip#4 – Eating the right foods at the right time.

50% – 60% of your diet should contain foods which are under the complex carbohydrates category. This is because complex carbohydrates take a longer time for the body to digest, hence providing energy for the body throughout the day without causing insulin spikes that can result in your body storing fats. However, it is recommended for you to consume a meal rich in simple carbohydrates after your workout to replenish your glycogen stores, which is your energy reserves since you have used them up during your workout. The trick is to eat the right foods at the right time.

Tip #5 – Eat consistently throughout the day

Eat every 2 to 3 hours. This will increase your metabolism and make your body more efficient in burning fats. Besides, you will feel less lethargic since you have consistent energy coming from the food you consume throughout the day.

Tip #6 – Eat smart.

Food that appears to be greasy will have sent you a warning of the presence of unhealthy fats in them. Common sense would have told you to avoid them.

Tip #7 – Give yourself a break.

Everyone have favorite foods they love. Don’t turn them into forbidden pleasures. Just don’t eat them everyday. Think about how often you are eating them that may result in jeopardizing your diet and then mitigate. A strategy is to rotate your favorite foods throughout the entire week having them once or twice per week. If you find it hard to resist the temptation, try eating your favorite food in smaller portions in the day as compared to the evening.

Tip #8 – Drink tea.

Include tea such as green, black or white tea into your diet. Studies ( quoted from numerous reports on United States Department Of Agriculture website http://www.usda.gov ) have shown that drinking tea can provide the body with the anti-oxidants crucial to your body in fighting against serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Besides these types of tea contain rich quantities of anti-oxidants and also anti-aging properties that can aid in preventing wrinkles.

Tip #9 – Pile onions on everything.

Onions are a top source for heart savers called flavonoids. Besides, they are an excellent source of anti-oxidants as well.

Tip #10 – Include tomatoes in your diet.

Consuming lots of tomato products will aid in reducing your risk of cancer. This is because they are a rich source of lycopene, a type of carotenoid that is believed to cut your risk of cancer. Studies have also shown that men who consume a lot of tomato products tend to have a lower risk of contracting prostate cancer.

Tip #11 – Always leave the skin on your food.

When you are consuming fruits or vegetable products such as potatoes, leave the skin on. Peeling away the skin, you will be throwing away the heavy-duty nutrients and fiber. However, this does not mean leaving the skin on meat products such as chicken, which is unhealthy and high in cholesterol.

Tip #12 – Consume a low fat, low carbohydrate snack before bed time.

A low-fat, low-calorie carbohydrate snack consumed 30 minutes before bed time will aid in making you sleepy. Besides, it provides the required energy for your body while you are asleep, this is more essential if you are looking to build more muscle on and losing the fats.

These tips aim at busy adults who already have a dieting or nutrition plan in place. If you are just starting out, it is highly recommended to visit a nutritionist or your family doctor before you begin any dieting plan.

One of the most inexpensive sports I can think of and yet provides the necessary workout for your body, as well as your heart, is running. Encountering an increase in carbohydrates intake is a definite thing. However, savvy runners will know how to control the amount they consume and balance it with their workout so that they do not end up ruining their initial plans and end up putting on more weight in the process.

When carbohydrates is consumed into our body, it is converted into glycogen and transported to our muscles to be used as fuel. Runners, especially those who clock extensive mileage, will require greater amounts of carbohydrates to ensure their performance remains in tip top condition.

Here’s how carbohydrates loading is usually done, about a week prior to a major endurance event like a marathon, training is usually reduced while carbohydrates intake is increased greatly in the last 2 to 3 days. If you get this right, you would have an advantage over others.

So now we have some idea of how carbohydrates is being used in our body as fuel. You may start to wonder, “I want to be in tip top performance, so more fuel equals better performance”. Wrong! Your body cannot store unlimited amounts of carbohydrates, we all have a limit, so there is no point in eating excessively. If there is a surefire way to get fat, eating like this will definitely do so and jeopardize your running more sooner than you think. Just imagine you are like a car, even the vehicle cannot have an unlimited storage capacity for fuel.

Carbohydrates loading should only be reserved for that one big event you peak for during the year. However, it is not that easy to execute. You will need to consume 10 to 12 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight 2 to 3 days before the race. For an average male weighing 70 kilograms, that can amount to a whopping 2700 calories!

If you are a experienced runner and clock a extensive mileage every week, try to eat more carbohydrates on a regular basis instead of watching your carbohydrates intake a week before your race. Most people ingest 5 to 6 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight per day. Depending on how you run, you may increase the intake to around 10 grams of carbohydrates.

Nutritious foods that will aid you in your workouts that you may include in your diet can be a variety of wholemeal, multi-grain products such as wholemeal breads, wholemeal pastas, multi-grain breads, multi-grain rice…etc that provide energy consistently throughout the day as it will take a longer time for the food to digest because of their lower glycemic index, and carbohydrates rich products such as white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, bagels, noodles, plain cereal…etc can be taken immediately after your workout to replace the energy loss. A good way to replace some of the food if you cannot stomach the excess carbohydrates, would be meal replacements in liquid form such as supplement shakes, sweet stuff like honey, jam, fruit smoothies..etc However they should be taken in moderation do not load on it just because you think you have lost it while exercising. That would be a sure way to pile up the fats and sugar which cannot be digested by your body.

Preparation for the main running event is important, it is also crucial to plan for recovery as well. This not only applies to post marathon race, but your daily running as well. You won’t want to end up feeling lethargic every time after your workouts which should not be the case in the first place. The key to quick recovery will depend on how much time you allow your body to recover. If you have got less than 8 hours before you hit your next running session, an advice is to get carbohydrates into your system within 1 hour. However, if your next run is after 24 hours or 2 days later, planning of meals can be done at own leisure. Just remember that carbohydrates are best absorbed by the body within an hour after your workout.