Tag: Fitness

A report was released yesterday from the Kings College of London and although the details are tough to find right now on the internet, the study still shows a lot of evidence that drinking tea is very good for you.

Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found.

Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health. These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so its got two things going for it.

Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.

They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut. Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.

Dr Ruxton said:

“Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”

Tea Does Not Dehydrate

She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating.

“Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.

“Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth,” she added.

There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.

Dr Ruxton’s team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day.

She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before.

“Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor,” she said.

Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: “Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits.

“The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers.

“In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.”

The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.

This book to the right is important. You will know that by then end of this post.

One of the big things related to planning your day and getting motivated to do things is getting rid of all of those distractions in your head. On a daily basis we apparently think about the same 98% of things that we thought about the day before.

We are living distracted and the worst thing about it is that we are always finding more and more things on the internet to distract us from our goals instead of of simplifying our lives.

I fall into this distraction trap as badly as anyone. I am looking for a new digital camera and must have spent 20 hours researching forums, websites, reviews on Amazon and more.

And again, earlier this month I was looking for a new pair of headphones to listen to movies with and went through the same process. I spent 10 hours deciding what headphones to buy and in the end I spent $23 on ebay for a pair of headphones. All this work is not at all worth the time that we spend.

The main help for many of our distractions is lists.

David Allen of Getting Things Done fame says that your mind will not let go of distractions and ideas and thoughts until you put them somewhere that your mind will trust.

One thing that I do in some parts of my life is to have lists. For this and other blogs I will have a list of post ideas and for around the house I do the same. Some parts of my mind are not always clear though. I do not have all the processes in place.

A process is as important as a list. If you were to move you would have 20 or 30 things that you would have to do between now and the moving day. If you have this process down then it stops your mind of thinking up distractions that may or may not be important for your move.

So in weight loss or health improvement you have a new and important tool here in this post.

First, find all of the things that you think about to do with your new lifestyle and write them down, you can expand on them now or later but the sooner you flesh out ideas of food, exercise, ideas of better fast food, taking up old or new activities the sooner that you can let your mind move on to newer and previously unknown ideas. I use a simple $5 notebook from the grocery store and I am sure this kind of simplicity would work well for you too.

Secondly, go through this list every day to add new items or delete items that were not important in the end. If you accept that you can write things down and realize that the list is not set in stone and items can be deleted later then you will not overthink if something should go on the list or not.

In times when I am overwhelmed with distractions I grab this book and read the notes that I have made in the past and not implemented and I also write down everything that is on my mind. To me this is a great way to stay organized and to not get distracted by some of those things that do not matter as much as my mind sometimes thinks that they are.

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies. The term “vitamin D” refers to several different forms of this vitamin.

Two forms of Vitamin D are important in humans: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is synthesized by plants. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by humans in the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. Foods may be fortified with vitamin D2 or D3.

Vitamin D Needs and Deficiency

The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones.

Recently, research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which your bones need to grow. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis  or rickets. Vitamin D also has a role in your nerve, muscle, and immune systems.

Vitamin D is measured as Serum 25-Hydroxy vitamin D levels. A Serum Hydroxy vitamin D level of 10 ng/mL is low, a level of 15 ng/mL is adequate and a level of 200 ng/mL is potentially toxic

Rickets and osteomalacia are classic vitamin D deficiency diseases. In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, which results in skeletal deformities. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, which results in muscular weakness in addition to weak bones.

Populations who may be at a high risk for vitamin D deficiencies include the elderly, obese individuals, exclusively breastfed infants, and those who have limited sun exposure. Also, individuals who have fat malabsorption syndromes (e.g., cystic fibrosis) or inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn’s disease) are at risk.

How to Get Vitamin D

You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from supplements. Your body forms Vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight. However, too much sun exposure can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. So many people try to get their vitamin D from other sources. You need to get anywhere between 200IU to 600IU of Vitamin D a day with the amount increasing as we age.

Vitamin D-rich foods include egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver. Some other foods, like milk and cereal, often have added vitamin D.

You can also take vitamin D supplements. Check with your health care provider to see how much you should take. People who might need extra vitamin D include

• Seniors
• Breastfed infant
• People with dark skin
• People with certain conditions, such as liver diseases, cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease
• People who are obese or have had gastric bypass surgery

Foods high in Vitamin D

In a not very scientific survey I have personally found that many women are very deficient in Vitamin D. My wife and some of here friends have had to supplement a lot of Vitamin D just to try to catch up