Fitness Thrive

As you may know, not fueling up with the right nutrients can affect how well your body performs and your overall fitness benefits. Even though healthy eating is important, there are myths that hinder your performance if you listen to them. Below, you'll find some myth busters on healthy eating.

1. Working out on an empty stomach. If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the rumbling is trying to tell you something. Without listening to them, you are forcing your body to run without any fuel. Before you exercise or do any physical activity, always eat a light snack such as an apple.
2. Relying on energy bars and drinks. Although they are fine every once in a while, they don't deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent cancer. Fruits and vegetables are your best bets, as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid, and fiber.
3. Skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as breakfast starts the day. Your body needs fuel as soon as possible, and without it, you'll be hungry throughout the day.
4. Low carb diets. Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and the storing of energy.
5. Eating what you want. Eating healthy and exercising doesn't give you an all access pass to eat anything you want. Everyone needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or not, as well as fruits and vegetables.
6. Not enough calories. Although losing weight involves calories, losing it too quickly is never safe. What you should do, is aim for 1 - 2 pounds a week. Always make sure that you are getting enough calories to keep your body operating smoothly. If you start dropping weight too fast, eat a bit more food.
7. Skip soda and alcohol. Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for active people. You should drink often, and not require on thirst to be an indicator. By the time you get thirsty, your body is already running a bit too low.

Changing how you eat is always a great step towards healthy eating and it will affect how your body performs. The healthier you eat, you better you'll feel. No matter how old you may be, healthy eating is something you should strive for. Once you give it a chance, you'll see in no time at all just how much it can change your life - for the better.

Lactose intolerance is the full or partial inability to digest and assimilate lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products. An inability to digest lactose is due to the absence of or low levels of lactase, the enzyme necessary for digesting lactose. Lactose intolerance is prevalent among populations of East Asian, Native American, Latin American, or African descent. Lactose intolerance is not common among northern European populations. Arguably most of the world's populations are lactose intolerant. The condition is not dangerous, though can certainly be uncomfortable after consumption of milk and dairy products.

Symptoms of lactose intolerance

Symptoms of lactose intolerance may include diarrhea, gassiness, and nausea. Symptoms tend to occur between thirty minutes and a couple of hours after consumption of dairy products, but sometimes may not appear until days later.

Lactose intolerance is not the same as allergies to dairy products. Lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of the enzyme lactase. Lactose intolerance is not common in young white children. Lactose intolerance is more common in black, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian populations. Lactose intolerance is not an all or nothing condition. Lactose intolerance is when a person has difficulty or is unable to digest milk sugars.

A Common Allergy

Milk allergies, usually associated with cow's milk, are among the most common allergies that afflict people. An allergy to milk is a reaction to certain proteins in dairy milk. Twice as many people suffer from allergic reactions to milk as towers eggs triple as the rate of an allergy to peanuts. Anyone with a milk allergy will have an allergic reaction to consuming dairy products such milk, cheese, and whey. Some food products contain milk in their ingredients, though it would not be obvious in many cases without reading the ingredients. Very young children are among the demographics most afflicted by an allergies to dairy products, but may develop a tolerance to milk as they grow up.

Under-Diagnosed by Doctors, Over Diagnosed by General Population

Milk allergies are often not recognized by doctors, while there is a lot erroneous self-diagnosis by people in the general population.

Milk Allergies and Ear Infections

Milk allergies are widely considered to be associated with ear infections, sinus problems, and fluid build-up in respiratory passages

Are Behavioral Problems in Children Linked to Milk Allergies?

Some studies suggest that there may be a link between children with behavioral problems and milk allergies.

Milk and Asthma

Childhood asthma may have a connection with allergies to milk.

Link Between Skin Disorders an Allergy to Dairy Products

Research suggests that serious skin disorders such eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis may be partially caused by milk allergies.

If You Think You or a Loved One has a Milk Allergy, See a Qualified Specialist

See a qualified medical medical doctor and get a referral to an allergist to confirm or discount an allergy to milk. While you're seeing an allergist, check out what else you might be allergic to. If you do suffer from milk allergies, there are a number of milk alternatives that you can consider.

Just as there are certain foods that you should be sure to include in your lifestyle, some foods should be avoided like the plague, if you are expecting.

Consult With Your Doctor

If you're unsure whether a food is safe for you to eat, or if you have heard mixed reports or have a concern based on your individual circumstances, consult your OB/GYN. Since they are regularly required to take continuing education classes and receive frequent updates from the research fields they would be the most qualified to provide you with information pertaining specifically to your pregnancy.

Absolutely Avoid Alcohol if You Are Pregnant

Alcohol is first on the list of No-No's for Mommies to Be, and with good reason. The amount of alcohol that is safe to consume in a day while pregnant has yet to be determined, and the incidence of known cases of birth defects due to alcohol consumption is on the rise. Among the possible problems children of mothers who drank alcohol is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is characterized by severe behavioral problems, if not necessarily obvious on sight. According to the March of Dimes "alcohol is the most common known cause of damage to developing babies in the United States and is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation."

Alcohol Aggravates Side Effects of Pregnancy

On a more personal note, alcohol can also aggravate many of the common side effects of pregnancy such as nausea and heartburn. It also takes up space in your stomach that could be filled with more healthy things, like water or juice. If you can forsake alcohol completely during your pregnancy, that would be the best choice for you and your baby. Does that mean that a sip of your glass when you toast your cousin's wedding is going to leave your baby scarred for life? No, probably not. Use your good sense. While a sip or two of wine every now and then probably won't hurt your growing angel, a shot or two of tequila might not be as forgiving. Pregnancy is only nine months long. Your baby lasts a lifetime.

Some Kinds of Fish Contain High Levels of Industrial Waste

The other scare when it comes to pregnancy eating has come from an unexpected source -- fish. Long lauded as the best source of protein for pregnant women, it was recently discovered that fish was also high in mercury, a condition caused by the dumping of waste into the water. Mercury can cause irreparable damage to a fetus's developing nervous system. The debate as to whether specific fish can be considered safe or not is still ongoing, but pregnant women are currently being encouraged to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, bluefish, tuna steak, striped bass, freshwater fish and canned tuna.

Highly Processed Food Do No Good

While highly processed foods may not cause permanent damage to your unborn baby they usually contain enough preservatives to qualify them as highly suspicious. Remember, anything that claims to be sugar free yet tastes sweet has some form of sugar substitute in it. The question is, what are they substituting? Labels such as "fat free" and "caffeine free" should also be approached with caution. Take the high road here and attempt to buy whole, natural foods as often as possible. Look at the list of ingredients on the label. The longer it is, the less likely it is to be healthy for your baby.

Caffeine Should Not Be Consumed During Pregnancy

If you have a hard time getting started in the morning without your cup of Joe, now's going to be the time to learn. Caffeine impedes iron absorption, contributing to anemia in pregnant women who don't have enough to spare, robs the body of precious calcium and aggravates heartburn all in one fell swoop. It also transfers to your baby through your breast milk, which means that if you like to drink coffee and you're planning on breast-feeding you can expect a lot of late nights.

Alternatives to Coffee for Expectant Mothers

Although you could switch to decaf, for the dedicated coffee drinker this is about the equivalent of taking a perfectly good cup of coffee and filling it 2/3 full of water. As a placebo it's a poor substitute. Instead, try a cup of hot chocolate or apple cider in the morning. (Heating apple juice and adding a little cinnamon works too.) The hot beverage will hit a few of the "wake up" buttons that coffee triggers, and while you'll probably feel the lack of caffeine for the first week or two you should find that getting through the day gets easier-and hey, pregnant women are supposed to nap regularly anyway!

More Foods on the "No No List"

Unpasteurized cheeses, soft or fresh cheeses such as Brie, deli meats, hot dogs, under-cooked eggs, fish, rare to medium well meats and unpasteurized juices are also being added at various intervals to the "no-no" list that OB/GYNs are handing out to their patients in an attempt to stop the spread of pathogens such as E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria, all of which are often present in undercooked or uncooked meats.

Listeria, the leading cause of meningitis in children less than one year old, has the ability to cross the placenta and infect the baby. It can also cause miscarriage. Salmonella has been associated with stillbirth. Even if fetal death doesn't occur, dehydration from the diarrhea and vomiting that accompany Salmonella infection is a serious risk. A severe infection with E. coli can cause dehydration as well as potentially triggering premature labor or miscarriage.

Even Good Foods Should be Properly Prepared

By the same token, it is vitally important that you wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before you eat them, particularly if you grow your own.

The Dangers of Toxoplasma

You were probably told by your physician that while you were pregnant you shouldn't handle kitty litter due to a potential infection with Toxoplasma, a parasite that lives in cat feces. Toxoplasma is also present in the soil, particularly in areas where cats often roam and do their business outside. There is always a risk of Toxoplasma appearing in commercially processed foods, although it is less common than in home grown.

It is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with Toxoplasma. The parasite can cross the placenta, infecting the baby and causing stillbirth or long term damage. There is a 15% chance of the parasite infecting the baby if exposure occurs in the first trimester, 30% in the second and 60% in the third.

Pathogenic infection of the developing fetus can be potentially devastating, particularly when it is caused by an invader that an adult immune system would be able to battle off with ease. It is far better to take the time to carefully ensure that your food is pathogen free during pregnancy than to have to live with the consequences.