Health

As we go through life, there is a constant learning curve we all go through. Some learn more than others, which is as it should be because everyone is different and will learn at their own pace and for their own needs. But on of the more important needs surely must be the search for health knowledge, because our health is paramount to our very existence. Without health, life withers and dies.

So where do we go in search for this essential knowledge? In years gone by, we would go to the local library or bookstore and peruse the shelves for books that would hopefully teach us what we needed to know about our health and that of our families. For as adults and parents, it is our job to ensure our children are educated in matters of their own health.

Nowadays, that information can be found in abundance on the Internet and this has to be one of the best times in history to have ever been alive. With such a wealth of knowledge at our very fingertips, the Internet is a marvel of modern times. Unfortunately it has also been exploited to great lengths by the advertising industry and as a result, there are a plethora of websites out there that promise so much in terms of information, but in actual fact deliver so little and instead, bombard the visitor with a page full of ads for products they often neither want or need.

But there are some websites out there that do provide the information you need. Its just a case of weeding out the bad ones to locate the good ones in amongst them. The search engines go some way to helping filter out the irrelevant from the relevant, but still there is a long way to go on that front. Sometimes, the best way of finding what you are looking for is by recommendation by a trusted website or person. Its not always spot on, but its a lot better than taking a chance on what can often be something of a lottery with the search engines, depending upon what you type into the search box, of course!

If you are looking for a resource that can recommend information on the weight loss side of health, then there is a good review here at: Is This the Best Weight Loss Tips Website. I hope your find it useful and informative.

Health

Welcome back to Health, the blog that looks at the health of the human body from many different aspects. The last post looked at how the humble stinging nettle can be used in so many ways to improve your overall health and wellbeing as well as its many healing properties that not all that many people know about. This post takes us off on a different tack, looking at the hidden dangers of eating something that we’ve all come to believe is one of the most important staples in our diet. White bread. More to the point, I’ll be looking at why white bread is bad for you.

You notice I didn’t just write “bread” there. I was quite specific about it being white bread. Why? Well, because that’s what most of us eat and that’s the variety of bread that is actually bad for us on plenty of levels. Its just that its one of those things that people don’t even think about. But ignorance can make you fat, sluggish, tired and into a hospital’s cardiac wing if you eat too much of the stuff. Let me tell you why that is.

First of all, from a dieter’s or slimmer’s point of view, white bread is simply empty calories that add a lot of extra weight in the form of stored fat. This is to be avoided, so white bread gets cut out of the diet altogether. So why does it add fat to your waistline and more importantly to your belly where it does the most harm?

White bread is made from refined white flour, which in itself has had all the goodness of the wheat removed in the refining process. What you’re left with then, is a bleached white powder that contains no nutrients or dietary fiber. What it does contain is bad HDL cholesterol, which gums up your arteries and can lead to coronary problems and strokes, plus a ton of high GI (Glycemic Index) carbohydrates. These send a rush of sugar into your bloodstream which is rapidly followed by a rush of insulin, produced by your body to counteract it. This sends your metabolism into freefall and it becomes slow and sluggish. This causes more fat to be stored than burned, so you gain weight.

The slowdown of your metabolism coupled with the imbalance in your blood sugar levels has other health problems attached. Lethargy and a feeling of tiredness are common, as well as feeling hungry again soon after eating, causing you to eat more and gain even more weight. It can also lead to type II diabetes, which can cause many other, knock-on health problems to manifest.

Ok, so what’s the alternative?

Simple. Brown bread, better known as wholemeal or whole wheat bread is still bread, but it contains the all-important nutrients and dietary fiber that the body needs to function normally. It also contains low GI carbohydrates that release sugars slowly into the bloodstream, so you don’t get that rush of insulin and you don’t feel hungry straight after eating it. It contains higher levels of good HDL cholesterol which is needed to balance out the bad LDL cholesterol and keep your arteries free from blockages and healthy.

Also of great importance is the fact that wholemeal bread contains plenty of dietary fiber. This is what your digestive system needs to help it complete the process and make waste elimination super efficient. Its kind to your colon and helps prevent problems associated with poor waste elimination, such as Crohne’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and colon cancer.

So if you want good health, make the switch to wholemeal bread (and pasta!) and your digestive system will thank you in more ways than you can imagine!

Health