Diet User

Whether you are US or UK based, supplements are very keenly priced at iHerb. Shipping to the UK costs $4 and arrives within two weeks, so that’s not bad at all!

Couple that with high quality supplements that you cannot buy for even double the price at your local high-street health retailer and you’ve got a winner.

If you are UK-based, make sure your basket total (before shipping AND but after voucher codes) comes to less than £18 (£17 to be on the safe side) else you may find that HMRC uses their own currency calculation and charges you VAT – on top of that the Post Office charges their compulsory ‘handling fee’ of £8, which suddenly renders your bargain not so cost-effective. It’s better to split your purchase into two lots if you come near the £18 VAT cut-off.

Search by manufacturer or product name on the website, see the top-sellers, get samples, read reviews and articles – I’m not-so-secretly quite impressed with the usability of the site. The products I’ve had are great and the only thing I can’t comment on is the customer service, as I’ve not had any cause to deal with them.

Discount coupon / voucher code for $5 off your first order: CEN037 – website: iHerb.com

1. Not all supplements are safe – unlike medicines, there are no standard manufacturing guidelines – a supplement from one company may be very different from one from another company despite bearing the same name. Always choose your supplements from reputable companies – even if that means paying a little bit more.

2. Never exceed the guideline daily amounts – if you take multiple supplements, chances are that there will be an overlap in ingredients. The RDA (or DRV) of vitamins and minerals should be printed on the label – don’t go over 100% unless advised by a medical practitioner. More is not always better.

3. Try not to take all your supplements at the same time – ingredients may interact with each other e.g. zinc blocks the absorption of copper and iron.

4. If you are on prescribed medication, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before taking any supplements – this will prevent any interactions from occurring. For example, if you take statins, you shouldn’t take any grapefruit juice or extract as it prevents your body from breaking down the drug and can cause long-term liver, muscle and kidney damage.

5. Take supplements as directed – some are better on an empty stomach, others before or after food. Always follow the guidelines to get the most for your money and health.

6. Take your supplements with water at room temperature. Convenient as though it may be, swallowing your vitamins with a mouthful of hot coffee can render the supplement useless or reduce the quality of it’s active ingredients.

Finally, whilst supplements may be useful as part of a healthy lifestyle, they are no substitute for a healthy balanced diet. Only take them if you need them in addition to your five a day, fibre, water and exercise!

In Western society, about a quarter of all teenagers and children can be classified as obese – even after taking growth charts into account. And frighteningly, the rate of obesity is still growing, and fast. Parents and grandparents are contributing to their children’s unhealthy eating, through a lack of healthy eating knowledge, being time-poor and opting for the easier unhealthier food options, or in some cases feeling unable to afford good food. Not forgetting that ever-present ‘pester power’ when kids watch adverts and all the unhealthy options are at their eye-level on the supermarket shelf!

If you are worried about your child’s future, you will realise that what you feed them now is a matter for serious consideration. Rather than controlling absolutely what your child eats and drinks, putting a healthy eating plan in place, educating your child and getting them to help make decisions regarding their meals will all help in their weight management and control.

Obesity if not recognised early, can start at a young age and continue to be a problem through teenage years and into adulthood. Socially, your child may be teased or bullied but psychologically and physically there are many more problems that develop. Obesity, leads to chronic (ongoing) diseases, such as heart failure, cancer and diabetes. Other problems include joint pain, gout, kidney stones and many more problems that you don’t want your children to have. And don’t be fooled into thinking these are adult problems – people of a younger and younger age are developing these problems too now.

Instead of giving in to your child’s cravings for high-sugar, high-fat foods or their unhealthy bouts of inactivity in front of the computer, games console or television, start thinking about what you can do as a family – something that will benefit everyone, and keep your child motivated.

Weight control in children is not as straightforward as for adults – they have different nutritional needs due to them still growing and developing. However, cutting out foods high in salt, sugar and fat and getting them to move or exercise more is a massive step in the right direction.

By getting involved yourself, you may find more time together as a family and most importantly, you will show youself to be a good role model – after all, do you listen to the people who tell you to do one thing and then do something different themselves?

This is a guest article with an interesting twist on what you might consider a ’sensible’ food choice…

Besides the brewed coffee, regular coffee and non-coffee blended beverages and the hot and cold espresso beverages; Starbucks also offers a variety of tea, bottled beverages, salads, sandwiches and baked pastries.

This is best for those on the move, whether office-goers or school children. They can grab a nice cup of hot coffee and a delicious muffin at any time of the day.

A few favorite food items at Starbucks and their calorie levels:

Starbucks reduced-fat blueberry coffeecake versus chocolate-filled croissant: Surprisingly, the croissant at 350 calories is a better choice than the 380-calorie coffeecake. In addition, the coffeecake has 500mg of sodium.

Starbucks white chocolate macadamia nut cookie versus raspberry and cream-filled croissant: The cookie, with 470 calories has almost twice as many calories as the croissant’s 260 calories.

It has been flaunted that Starbucks is the best thing that happened to coffee sales. On the business front, Starbucks has been performing very well for the last 10 years. It has undergone an extraordinary and profitable growth.

Besides, the management has taken care of not only the customers, but also their employees. The coffee cups are made out of recycled paper and the coffee beans are bought from the ‘free trade’ category.

Resource box: Free content, PLR and reprints at http://www.phototamasha.com/blogs/

Metabolism is a very unique process and individual for each person. No two people metabolise food at the same rate or in quite the same way, therefore no two people have the same metabolism – we all use the calories we;ve consumed at different rates, with different results. Our metabolism like our fingerprints, is unique to each of us. However the need to understand and potentially alter this metabolism is an issue we all face.

The dictionary defines metabolism as “the sum of all biochemical processes involved in life, or the sustaining of life”. So, to apply this to our health, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food – more specifically to our ability to utilise the energy from our food to the maximum extent.

The greatest method of raising our metabolism comes from exercise and building muscle mass, whilst at the same time reducing body fat. Adding more muscle to the body, causes us to burn more calories and this helps to elevate our metabolic rate. This is in addition to the extra calories burnt through physical activity.

Our metabolic functions also depend on how well we have taken care of our nutritional needs. Some people naturally have very high rates of metabolism i.e. when they consume food, their bodies burn it up almost as fast as they consume it. Then there are those of use who use our food intake much more slowly, so as to not even notice that we’re burning calories. These people who burn quickly are often slimmer and trimmer; the people who burn energy more slowly are the people with a tendency toward obesity. However, we can’t blame being overweight on metabolim itself – much of the time we underestimate how much we are really eating or make poor food choices.

For years, people have tried to find ways to raise their metabolic rate. Doing this will increase the number of calories burnt, which in turn will help prevent overweight or obesity. This would make the goal of better or improved health much easier reality for those people. However, all these efforts have produced very few results. There are foods we can consume that naturally raise our metabolic rate, but not to the extent that they alone can see a difference.

Then there is the effort to stay physically fit and active which in itself provides a tremendous payoff. Over a lifetime, if you stay active, exercise regularly and maintain optimal msucle health, you will see a tremendous difference in the rate that your body metabolises food. As people age, their metabolism naturally slows down and without compensation – eating less and exercising more, a person is more likely to put on weight.

To conclude, the best way to control our metabolic processes is through proper nutrition, daily exercise and activity, eating the foods known to have an effect on our metabolic rate, and plenty of rest.