ARK

Srirangam Gopuram

2010-06-09T15:22:00.001+05:30

Srirangam Gopuram

2010-06-09T14:10:00.001+05:30

Srirangam Gopuram

2010-06-09T14:04:00.001+05:30

Srirangam, Trichy, TamilNadu

2010-06-09T12:16:00.001+05:30

Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories

2009-07-29T10:07:00.004+05:30

Find out how metabolism burns calories, how it affects your weight and ways you can burn more calories for greater weight loss.
You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?
Common belief holds that a slim person's metabolism is high and an overweight person's metabolism is low. But this isn't usually the case. Weight isn't necessarily directly linked to metabolism.
Instead, weight is dependent on the balance of total calories consumed versus total calories burned. Take in more calories than your body needs, and you gain weight. Take in less and you lose weight. Metabolism, then, is the engine that burns these calories.
Metabolism: Converting food into energy
Stated simply, metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories — from carbohydrates, fats and proteins — are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
The number of calories your body burns each day is called your total energy expenditure. The following three factors make up your total energy expenditure:
• Basic needs. Even when your body is at rest, it requires energy for the basics, such as fuel for organs, breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, plus growing and repairing cells. Calories expended to cover these basic functions are your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Typically, a person's BMR is the largest portion of energy use, representing two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories used each day. Energy needs for these basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.
• Food processing. Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body's energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn't easily changed.
• Physical activity. Physical activity — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — accounts for the remainder of calories used. You control the number of calories burned depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities.
Metabolism and your weight
It may seem logical to think that significant weight gain or being overweight is related to a low metabolism or possibly even a condition such as underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). In reality, it's very uncommon for excess weight to be related to a low metabolism. And most people who are overweight don't have an underlying condition, such as hypothyroidism. However, a medical evaluation can determine whether a medical condition could be influencing your weight.
Weight gain is more likely due to an energy imbalance — consuming more calories than your body burns. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or preferably both.
Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories
Influences on your calorie needs
If you and everyone else were physically and functionally identical, it would be easy to determine the standard energy needs. But many factors influence calorie requirements, including body size and composition, age, and sex.
• Body size and composition. To function properly, a bigger body mass requires more energy (more calories) than does a smaller body mass. Also, muscle burns more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have in relation to fat, the higher your basal metabolic rate.
• Age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight. Metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together these changes reduce your calorie needs.
• Sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight. This is why men generally have a higher basal metabolic rate and burn more calories than women do.
Burning more calories
Your ability to change your basal metabolism is limited. However, you can increase daily exercise and activity to build muscle tissue and burn more calories.
Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking daily for 30 minutes or more, is an excellent way to burn calories. Strength training exercises, such as weight training, also are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.
Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for weight loss, any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day. Lifestyle activities, such as gardening, washing your car and even housework, burn calories and contribute to weight loss. Taking the stairs more often and parking farther away at the store also are simple ways to burn more calories.
Don't look to dietary supplements for help in burning calories. Products that claim to speed up your metabolism are likely to offer minimal benefit and may produce undesirable or even dangerous side effects. Dietary supplement manufacturers aren't required by the Food and Drug Administration to prove their products are safe or effective, so view these products with caution and skepticism.
Though your metabolism influences your energy needs, it's your food intake and physical activity that ultimately determine your weight.
(courtesy: Mayo Clinic)

Heartburn

2009-07-09T10:53:00.001+05:30

Heartburn is the symptom of a condition called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, in which acid juice from the stomach returns into the oesophagus. This may lead to a harsh, burning sensation in the upper abdomen, moving through the chest and throat to the neck.

Why does heartburn occur?

The oesophagus or the food pipe, has a small ring of muscle called the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES). This acts as a valve, opening during swallowing and closing immediately to prevent moving back of the contents from the stomach to the oesophagus. When however, this valve fails to close adequately, the stomach acids may reflux back into the oesophagus causing a burning sensation.

What contributes to a heartburn?

Fatty and spicy foods delay stomach emptying leading to an increased tendency to reflux.
Certain types of medications like ibuprofen.
Excessive alcohol intake and smoking.
Obesity, which may lead to an increased pressure in the abdominal cavity, causing the contents of the stomach to move back to the oesophagus.
A structurally weak sphincter muscle.

Hiatus hernia, in which the stomach may push through the diaphragm, preventing the muscle fibres of the diaphragm from closing the lower end of the oesophagus.

What are the symptoms?

• Painful burning in the upper chest or abdomen
• Indigestion causing upset stomach
• Regurgitation or throwing up
• Difficulty in sleeping after eating
• Hoarseness and sore throat
• Bitter or sour taste in the throat.

How is the condition diagnosed?

Medical history and physical examination: a detailed record of the eating and sleeping patterns and life style is taken by the doctor.
Barium upper GI series: a special X-ray showing the oesophagus, stomach and upper part of the small intestine may help the doctor see the actual problem.
Endoscopy: This may be used to identify complications like oesophagitis (inflammation of the oesophagus) and Barrett’s oesophagus (a condition leading to cancer). In this procedure, a small flexible tube with a tiny video camera is passed into the oesophagus to allow the doctor see the oesophagus and stomach from inside.

How is heartburn treated?

A reflux problem is treated in 3 steps:

Lifestyle changes: Avoiding alcohol and eating less fatty foods may help. It is also advisable to lose weight, reduce smoking and alter eating and sleeping patterns. Taking small, frequent meals rather than large, heavy meals is recommended.

Drug therapy: Taking antacids may reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. In severe cases drugs like ranitidine which reduce the amount of acid production may be prescribed. Drugs to strengthen the oesophageal sphincter or relieve the symptoms may also help.

Surgery: Patients who do not respond well to drug therapy, may need to undergo a surgical procedure called anti-reflux surgery, the commonest being Nissen’s fundoplication. This operation may be done by an open procedure or by a laparoscope.

Anti-reflux surgery involves reinforcing the “valve” between the oesophagus and the stomach by wrapping the upper portion of the stomach around the lowest portion of the oesophagus. In a laparoscopic procedure, surgeons use small incisions, to enter the abdomen through canulas (narrow tube like instruments). The laparoscope, which is connected to a tiny video camera, is inserted through the small incision, giving a magnified view of the patient’s internal organs on a television screen.

Even after the operation, it is advised to maintain a lifestyle with regular, balanced meals, avoidance of alcohol and smoking and maintenance of ideal body weight.

Tonsillitis

2009-07-06T11:11:00.001+05:30

Tonsillitis is caused by infection by a variety of different micro-organisms. The tonsils may become intensely inflamed, red, swollen and exude white or yellow pus, which may be tinged with blood.
Symptoms

The symptoms of tonsillitis include:
• Sore throat
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fever
• Headache
• Tiredness
• Vomiting
• Swollen, painful lymph nodes in the neck

Infectious mononucleosis or glandular fever is caused by Epstein-Barr virus. In younger children, the symptoms may be non-specific. In older children, they typically have severe tonsillitis. They may also have a fever, lethargy, a rash and may be jaundiced. The infection may last for up to three months.

Causes and risk factors

Tonsillitis is common in children up to the age of about ten, but may occur at all ages. It is usually caused by a virus, but about one-third are caused by bacteria (for example, group A beta-haemolytic streptococci). It is not possible to tell the difference between viral causes and bacterial causes without doing tests.

One relatively common complication of tonsillitis is the development of an abscess in the tissues around the tonsil, known as a peritonsillar abscess, or quinsy. Pus collects around the tonsil and may spread over the roof of the mouth (the palate) and to the neck, chest and lungs. Symptoms include swelling of the face and neck, problems opening the mouth, fever, and intensely foul smelling breath.An abscess may block the airway causing breathing problems, which can be a life-threatening emergency.

Peritonsillar abscesses are often caused by a type of bacteria called Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci. Antibiotics must be given and a small operation is also usually necessary to drain the pus out of the abscess.
Treatment and recovery

Although only a third of cases are caused by bacteria, antibiotics are usually given, particularly if the tonsillitis is severe. This used to be because of concern that a streptococcal infection, such as rheumatic fever might develop, but this is very rare nowadays. Certain antibiotics can cause a fine widespread rash if the cause of the tonsillitis is the Epstein-Barr virus. There is no cure for Epstein-Barr virus; treatment is supportive.

76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

2009-07-06T11:08:00.000+05:30

(Courtesy: Newsletter of Akhil Autism Foundation)

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.
1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
3. Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.
6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.
7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.
8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive
tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
10. Sugar can cause premature aging.
11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease
13. Sugar contributes to obesity.
14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.
15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
16. Sugar can cause gallstones.
17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
20. Sugar can elevate glucose.
21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.
23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.
24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.
25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).
27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.
28. Sugar causes food allergies.
29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.
33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.
34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.
36. Sugar can cause emphysema.
37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.
38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.
39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.
40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.
41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.
42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.
43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.
44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.
45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.
46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.
47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.
50. Sugar can cause depression.
51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.
52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.
53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.
54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.
56. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
57. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial
decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
58. Sugar is an addictive substance.
59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
66. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.
67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
68. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.
69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.
70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
72. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.
73. Sugar may induce cell death.
74. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.
75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
76. Sugar can cause gum disease.

The Miracle of Green Tea

2009-07-02T09:29:00.000+05:30

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
• cancer
• rheumatoid arthritis
• high cholesterol levels
• cariovascular disease
• infection
• impaired immune fuction

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
How much Green Tea should you drink?

There are as many answers to this question as there are researchers investigating the natural properties of green tea. For example, Herbs for Health magazine cites a Japanese report stating that men who drank ten cups of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for three years longer than men who drank less than three cups a day (there are approximately 240 - 320 mg of polyphenols in three cups of green tea). Meanwhile, a study by Cleveland's Western Reserve University concluded that drinking four or more cups of green tea per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease. And Japanese scientists at the Saitama Cancer Research Institute discovered that there were fewer recurrences of breast cancer, and the disease spread less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily.

Hatha Yoga

2009-07-02T09:27:00.000+05:30

How to Do A Simple Hatha Yoga Exercise to Calm Down

Need to relax? This Hatha yoga exercise can help to reduce tension. If you're studying for a big test, waiting for an interview, feeling uptight in the office, worrying about an audition or you just need to be calm, try this simple technique:

Steps
1. Inhale deeply. Count to five. Exhale and relax.
2. Inhale a second time. Breathe in a third of your lung capacity. Expand your abdomen so that it blows up like a balloon. Exhale and relax.
3. Inhale a third time. Breathe in two-thirds of your lung capacity. Expand your ribs and abdomen. Exhale and relax.
4. Inhale a fourth time. Breathe in your full lung capacity. Expand your ribs and abdomen. Elevate your shoulders towards your ears. Exhale and relax.
5. Repeat. Continue with this technique until calm.

Tips
• Hatha Yoga is mainly involved with breathing and relaxation.
• Find a quiet place without distraction.

Kaliyug

2009-07-01T12:53:00.001+05:30

That was the time when Kurukshetra fight was completed and Dharmaraju was ruling Hastinapuram. Two farmers came to his court asking for justice. One says, "Maharaja! I sold my field to him. He was digging that yesterday and found treasure underneath the soil. He says that he bought only field from me and hence the treasure is mine. I say that I sold out entire field to him and whatever he finds under that is also his own property. How can I take that treasure? It proves to be a sin".

The other one said, "Maharaja! I paid only for the land but not for this gold. I have no money to pay for gold now as well. So it should naturally go to him as he sold the land without knowing that this treasure is there underneath".

Listening to the argument of the two, Dharmaraju gets disturbed and finds unable to give judgement. He seeks the help of Lord Krishna who sits in the court. Krishna asks Dharmaraj to postpone the judgment for a week. Dharmaraju does that.

After a week, the two farmers come again to the court. They say in complete controversy to the first argument.

One says, "Maharaj! I sold land to him but not the gold. The gold was discovered later. That should come only to me".

The other says, "Maharaj! I bought land from him and I'm fortunate enough to find gold under that. This fellow is unlucky and I'm lucky. But he claims the gold out of greed. "

Dharmaraju gets stunned listening to this. He looks at Lord Krishna and he smiles.

Krishna gives the judgment saying, "The treasure belongs to neither but that should go to Maharaj. Any property found under the soil should belong to government from now onwards". (even now the property under the soil goes to government)

That way the gold is taken away by Dharmaraj.

Dharmaraju gets confused with all this and goes restless. He asks Krishna for the reason.

Krishna explains, "That is the affect of Kali purusha who is taking the mantle of time shortly. Dharma would get diluted. Adharma would rule the world. You gave many judgments for many cases in your life. But now you found unable and restless. Even that is the affect of Kali Purush. See! Even I said that the property should go to government. Nobody is selfless in this kalipurusha's influence. Every body is greedy. Even I was affected by Kali purusha's shadow. The time is changing. Dwaparayuga is coming to an end in a few days. Kaliyuga is going to start and this is a herald for that. Till now there is 1/4 th of dharma on earth. But even that is vanishing now. A wholesome of adharma is going to rule the time. Rulers will be greedy, selfish and cruel from now onwards. People fight for money all the time. The unity among own brothers will vanish. The life span of people will reduce. The strength, potency levels, energies and moral will power of people will go down tremendously. People don't stand on promise. New diseases would see light. People assume they are growing and advancing. But they will be morally degrading. It's tough to get moksha for the people who live in kaliyuga. The people will not have concentration to perform yagnas, yagas an tapas. They have only one way to keep away from sin. That is reciting 'Narayana Manthram' and thinking only about God. Once they come out from the thought of God, Kalipurusha will play with them and make them do all sins, thereby hindering their way to moksha. Dharmaraja! We have completed our time. We need to leave our bodies".

Within a few days, musalum takes birth in Yadavakulam and eventually Lord Krishna passes away with the bow shot of a hunter. Dharmaraju and other pandavas make their path to swargam which was explained in 'Swargarohana parvam' of Mahabharatha.

Technology: Nanobots on Humans by 2029?

2009-07-01T12:42:00.000+05:30

A leading US inventor has predicted that with the advancement of nanotechnology, tiny nano-bots will be introduced into our body to help human increase their intelligence and improve health.

Humanity is on the brink of advances that will see tiny robots implanted in people’s brains to make them more intelligent, said Ray Kurzweil. Mr Kurzweil is one of 18 influential thinkers chosen to identify the great technological challenges facing humanity in the 21st century by the US National Academy of Engineering.

"I’ve made the case that we will have both the hardware and the software to achieve human level artificial intelligence with the broad suppleness of human intelligence including our emotional intelligence by 2029" he added.

He believes machines and humans will eventually merge through devices implanted in the body to boost intelligence and health. Just imagine this tiny little robots roaming into your body curing diseases and repair cells. Looks like our sci-fiction tales are becoming a reality soon enough.

Handmade Contemporary Glass Art Marble

2009-07-01T11:52:00.006+05:30

Lal Bazaar, Kolkata

2009-07-01T11:38:00.007+05:30

Why Butter is Better for your Health than Margarine

2009-07-01T10:36:00.003+05:30

The dangers of margarine & hydrogenated fats vs. the health benefits of butter

The mess that is margarine.

Margarine became popular in the earlier part of the 1900’s, but didn’t overtake butter in popularity until the 1950’s or so. By 1960 heart disease became our number one killer. Coincidence? Margarine (other hydrogenated oils) is a main cause of heart and atherosclerosis, not butter, as the American Heart Association would have you believe. Because of the trans-fatty acids, margarine is correlated with more heart disease than any other food- including butter.

The trans-fatty acids in margarine (and vegetable shortenings like Crisco) increase LDL cholesterol (the bad one), and lower the healthier HDL cholesterol. This raises the risk of heart disease. What you have been told about margarine being better because butter has cholesterol is a big, fat, lie.

Heart disease, diabetes, and other killer diseases are all running rampant and at an all time high, thanks largely to hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils that are used to provide a long shelf life to commercially prepared baked goods, cookies, frozen prepared foods, etc.

In order to make margarine the vegetable oils need to go through a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process of forcing hydrogen atoms into the holes of unsaturated fatty acids. This is done with hydrogen gas under pressure that is bubbled through the vegetable oil with the help of a metal catalyst, such as nickel, platinum or some other metal. When the hydrogen atoms combine with the carbon atoms, the oils becomes saturated or hardened.

When this occurs, this new product ( margarine) no longer resembles the original oil. It is now a dark and rancid mess. Nickel is a toxic heavy metal and some amount will always remain in the margarine at it‘s completion. To make this unpalatable gloop appeal to the masses ( that would be you and me) deodorants and coloring agents are added to disguise the rancid smell and to hide the disgusting grey color of the unappealing slop. Much like a magicians sleight of hand, this slick trickery of bleaching, filtering and deodorizing goes on behind the scenes, and we are none the wiser.

What remains is a highly artificial fat that contains trans-fatty acids (Trans-fats. You’ve heard of those, right? That’s the bad stuff.) and the same calorie count as butter. All the original essential fatty acids are now gone, and any semblance to nutrition has disappeared. Welcome to margarine, a plastic fat.

So how does use of margarine effect your health? Because the hydrogenated oils (and partially hydrogenated) in margarine are known to cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and much more. They block the bodies ability to absorb essential fatty acids, which are critical for every bodily function. And, if all that weren’t enough, they make you gain weight like crazy. Still think margarine is the healthier choice?

A great source of information on the dangers of these products can be found at Shirley’s Wellness Café, a great natural health themed website.
Visit Shirley here: www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/oil.htm

The benefits of butter

You don’t need to be afraid of butter. In fact, you can freely embrace its creamy, satisfying goodness.

Butter is best when raw and organic, of course, but that may not always be available. If it is, grab some. Butter has a lovely list of attributes that I bet you aren’t aware of. Did you know that butter is a good source of vitamin A, and the other fat soluble vitamins as well?

Butter is also rich in trace minerals, particularly selenium, which is an antioxidant. Iodine can also be found in butter. Fatty acids are abundant in butter. Butter has a perfect blend of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, which render it very stable in cooking. Even at high temperatures it will not break down.

Butter has less cholesterol (11mg per teaspoon) than a cup of low fat milk (18 mg), less than 3 oz of light tuna in water(25 mg), or even 3 oz of beef, lamb, pork or chicken (71-79mg). Calves liver has 477mg of cholesterol per 3 oz serving, and an egg yolk 208 mg.

And something you may be shocked to hear, dietary intake of cholesterol has no impact on the level of cholesterol in your blood. If you check out the link at the end of this article, you will finds lots factual information on cholesterol that you may not know.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/07/21/statin-drugs-part-four.aspx Dr. Mercola speaks on cholesterol
"There's no connection whatsoever between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in blood. And we've known that all along.

Butter also contains short chain fatty acids that have immune stimulating and antimicrobial properties. In addition, butter also contains the correct balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Fatty acid balance is critical to optimal health. If someone ever calls you a fathead they are right! The human brain is more than 60% fat.

Check out this helpful website that helps explain this better:
www.goodfats.pamrotella.com/

There are just so many benefits to butter that I am going to refer you to a website that clearly lists the top twenty benefits of butter.

Benefits of Real Butter Top 20 List:
www.bodyecology.com/07/07/05/benefits_of_real_butter.php

Oat

2009-06-30T11:00:00.005+05:30

Oat- A Beneficial Food

Common Names : Oats, Groats, Oatmeal, Oatstraw

Botanical Name : Avena sative L.

Constituents : Saponins, alkaloids (trigonelline and avenine), a sterol, flavonoids, starch, protein (gluten), fats, minerals (including silica, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, zinc), vitamin B

Oats are nourishing as they provide starch, vitamins, minerals and proteins. It has also some amount of low saturated fat. These are the reasons why oat is considered a beneficial food item.

Benefits:

• Oat is the great source of dietary fiber. It consists of almost 55% of soluble fiber and 45% of insoluble of fiber.

• Oats have been used topically to wounds and various rashes and skin diseases.

• As oats are believed to have a calming effect, most of the herbal users recommended it to ease the frustration and anxiety that often accompany nicotine and drug withdrawal.

• A regular consumption of oat bran reduces blood cholesterol level about 10-12% in just a month.

• Hot oat bran cereal provides about 4 grams of dietary fiber.

• Lipids present in oats contain a good balance of fatty acids, which have been linked with general good health.

• A wide range of fiber sources including cereal bran such as oat bran, act to promote normal laxation.

• A low steaming bowl of fresh cooked oatmeal is a perfect way to start your day especially if you are facing with heart disease or diabetes.

• As oats have high fiber content, it is useful to remove cholesterol from digestive system that would end up in bloodstream.

• Oat has been known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack.

• Studies conclude beta-glucan in oats has beneficial effects in diabetes as well. Six grams concentrated oat β-glucan per day for six weeks significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol in subjects with elevated cholesterol. Physicians suggest food contained oat to type 2 diabetics’ patients

Cholesterol

2009-06-30T10:24:00.001+05:30

Cholesterol :

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that circulates in your blood. Some of it is made naturally by your body, and the rest comes from foods you eat. There are two main types: HDL and LDL.

• LDL is "bad cholesterol." It can clog your arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Optimal number: Less than 100mg/dL.

• HDL is "good cholesterol." What's good about it? HDL attaches to bad cholesterol and escorts it to the liver, which filters it out of the body. So HDL reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in your system. Desirable number: 60mg/dL or higher.

• Total cholesterol is the sum of all types of cholesterol in your blood. Although your doctor may still refer to this number, it's less significant than your HDL and LDL levels. Desirable number: Less than 200 mg/dL.

• Triglycerides, while not cholesterol, are another type of fat floating in your blood. Just as with bad cholesterol, having a high level of triglycerides increases your risk of cardiovascular problems. Healthy number: Less than 150 mg/dL.