Aug/090
Sex and chocolate. Here is the recipe for keeping young minds
Sex and chocolate are good for the brain. This was affirmed are the two English scholars Terry Horne (cognitive psychology) and Simon Wootton (biochemistry) in the book “Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain (Teach yourself: train your brain). The authors, the decay of the brain is more influenced by the style of life by genetic factors, “What we eat and drink-said Terry Horne interviewed by The Observer – as we learn in school and the mood we are critical.” The volume contains a variety of useful information to guide their way of life so as to prevent the decline of the brain and keep your mind active, a point of view, the authors summarized the acronym BLISS (Body-based pleasure, Laughter, Involvement, Satisfaction, and Sex)
The volume is based on scientific studies conducted around the world and contains practical advice on lifestyle more suitable to be taken to keep young minds. About the authors recommend the power to start the day with a hearty breakfast consisting of meats, fish or eggs, followed by a snack high in protein, while it is preferable to consume carbohydrates at lunch. Should be avoided, alcohol, coffee, pasta, pizza, bread, cakes and red meat. Among the foods which promote health of our mind stands out the chocolate, especially dark chocolate, as it contains elements present in the brain when it is at its best feature.
As for tips on lifestyle relationships, the authors recommend having a sense of humor and a lot of people “positive” that share our interests and avoid people rather sad and depressed. It helps the mind to stay young (in this case from an early age!) Also study together with classmates or with the help of parents, but above all to have a satisfying sex life. In fact, the six stages of sexual intercourse (the desire to finish) bring into circulation the same elements involved in the production of thoughts. That’s why good sex and good chocolate would give eternal youth to our mind.
May/090
The Mediterranean diet. The benefits of an ancient tradition
Rather than a diet commonly understood, the so-called Mediterranean diet is a diet that is characterized as a real lifestyle. This name refers to the typical diet, even with heightened local diversity, the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (especially Italy, Spain, Greece and southern France).
It was the American nutritionist Ancel Keys first to sense that the low incidence of mortality from cardiovascular disease in the Mediterranean region was attributed to the characteristics of food to these people, then gave birth to an epidemiological study, Seven Countries Study showed that, comparing the diets of seven different countries (Finland, Japan, Italy, Greece, United States, Holland and Yugoslavia), which shows that in countries bordering on the Mediterranean has the lowest mortality rate due to heart disease nutrition which includes the consumption of animal fats as privileging those few plants, just think that, contrary to what happens in other European paesei where they are used in abundance animal fats like butter and lard, seasonings and fried foods at the base of in our country are based on olive oil which has a high content of monounsaturated fats, which protect against heart disease, and antioxidants like vitamin E.
The Mediterranean diet ensures adequate intake of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and fiber. Consumed at least three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) which can add two small meals (known snacks) in mid-morning or mid afternoon. Contarini to popular belief, does not allow consumption of large quantities of bread and pasta rather have a more important role legumes and cereals, consumed a lot of white meat, in small quantities than red, and fish, especially blue, rich in omega 3 with vasodilator and anti-inflammatory properties. The diet also includes moderate consumption of red wine that has an antioxidant effect of the high content of flavonoids. Characteristic of the Mediterranean diet are also the unique dishes, are an example of the pasta and vegetables or pasta with meat, soups, pizza. Typically, the main meal always ends with fruit or vegetables.
The diet itself should then add the beneficial effects of an active lifestyle. High consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, bread, the preferential use of vegetable fats such as olive oil, moderate consumption of cheese fat, and seasonal products, local and fresh, along with other factors protection, such as exercise, avoid smoking, and a stressful lifestyle trope and of course still moderate consumption of food (the Mediterranean countries are certainly not free from threats such as obesity) may be a useful tool not only prevention of cardiovascular diseases but also diseases such as colon cancer, breast and lung.
Apr/090
Diet chronobiology. How much effort is needed to lose weight?
The cronodieta developed in 1992 by Italian physician M. Todisco is based on the principles of chronobiology, is the science that studies the biological rhythms. According to this approach to achieve a stable weight loss and / or to stay in shape is not important to pay attention only to the amount of calorie intake but also at the time of day when this happens. More precisely in this diet foods are made by different times of the day according to the nutrients they contain. Carbohydrates, for example are consumed early in the day at breakfast or over lunch, while the protein should be eaten in the evening.
The cronodieta expected consumption of almost all types of food in any quantity and is therefore not necessary to weigh the foods that should be taken daily over 4-5 meals (breakfast, midmorning snack, lunch, snack and dinner). Among these is the most abundant dinner, which along with the breakfast is the most appropriate time of day to consume food rich in carbohydrates such as rice, cereals, potatoes, sweets, bread, pasta and fruit. In the interval of time between waking and early afternoon because the organization is more active and therefore has the opportunity to consume the calories, it follows that the dinner will be lighter meal in which food will be given to high protein foods such as fish, eggs and meat, poultry, milk, cheese, yogurt. The dinner also will not be totally consumed immediately before going to sleep.
Cereals and their derivatives (bread, pasta, rice, flour, bread sticks, biscuits, corn flakes) should therefore be consumed during the first part of the day divided between breakfast and lunch, the same is true for legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), potatoes as well as more vegetables rich in sugars such as carrots, artichokes, broccoli, onions, chicory, cabbage and tomatoes. All other types of vegetables can be eaten instead for lunch and dinner. Foods rich in protein should be alternated during the evening meal.
Other things you can follow the consumption of fruit that is eaten whole and not in the form of juices and / or juices. It shows the consumption of rice and corn instead of pasta, bread and potatoes and that of whole foods in place of refined, better, for example, eating sugar cane instead of the white. It should also be careful not to bind proteins and carbohydrates in the course of a meal and, similarly, do not drink alcohol or coffee during the first meal of the day meals based on carbohydrates. The consumption of these drinks must be postponed until the evening. Obviously, to achieve good results must be eliminated snacks at night and should be avoided as much as possible the consumption of sweets as well as in all cases be avoided animal fats, cheese, fats, fatty parts of animals, meats and sausages.
Such diets may also require a drastic change in eating habits and thus unlikely to be adaptable to individual needs, it is thought to people on business or pleasure, in case for example attending a gym, find themselves facing a great deal of energy in the evenings and therefore need to take those hours in a larger amount of carbohydrates.