Myth 1: Americans have the highest cholesterol in the world
According to 2005 World Health Organization statistics, American men rank 83rd in the world in average total cholesterol, and American women rank 81st; in both cases, the average number is 197 mg/dL, just below the Borderline-High Risk category.

Myth 2: Eggs are evil
While you don’t want to overdo it, eating an egg or two a few times a week isn’t dangerous. In fact, eggs are an excellent source of protein and contain unsaturated fat, a so-called good fat.

Myth 3: Kids can’t have high cholesterol
Research has shown that atherosclerosis—the narrowing of the arteries that leads to heart attacks—can start as early as age 8.

Myth 4: Food is heart-healthy if it says “0 mg cholesterol”
The Cholesterol portion of the nutritional label refers to dietary cholesterol, which is only one of the things found in food that can cause your cholesterol to go sky-high.

Myth 5: Cholesterol is always a bad thing
High cholesterol can be dangerous, but cholesterol itself is essential to various bodily processes, from insulating nerve cells in the brain to providing structure for cell membranes.

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Popularity: 61% [?]

Courtesy of Dennis SylvesterHurd 

Over the past 5 years I have lost 130 pounds and kept it off.  Many people ask me how I did it, and I tell them that I exercise daily and watch what I eat.  But there is really more to keeping off those extra pounds besides those two things.  I was reading through health articles the other night on the internet and I ran across this great article .  Personally, I think this is one of the best list of tips that I have read on maintaining a healthy weight.  If you are looking to lose a few pounds, read through this list and ask yourself, ”how many of the 10 tips do I incorporate into my life?”  My two favorite tips from this list are weighing yourself on a regular basis and do not surround yourself with temptation foods.  You don’t have to weigh yourself multiple times a day, but you should weigh yourself at least once a week.  That way you catch a minimal weight gain before you need to buy a new pair of jeans.  Also, keep those temptation foods out of the house, especially the foods with multiple servings per container.  You know what I am talking about, one minute you are opening a new bag of chips or container of ice cream and the next minute you realize that the junk food is almost gone!  I suggest if you want some junk food in the house, buy junk food which contains individual servings such as ice cream sandwiches or normal sized candy bars.  This prevents you from over eating because you have to make a conscious effort to open a new package.

Click on the link below to read the top 10 reasons how people have managed to stay skinny their whole life or have managed to lose weight and keep it off.
http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100218116&imageindex=1

Popularity: 52% [?]

Photo Courtesy of mattjb

With Thanksgiving about a week away, keep this article in mind when you are thinking about going back for seconds or eating an extra piece of pie.  Excess belly fat has been linked not only to an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, some cancers, diabetes and even age-related dementia, but it has also been linked to premature death.

360,000 Europeans enrolled in this massive health study.  Reasearchers discovered that people with the most belly fat had approximately double the risk of dying as compared to people with the least amount of belly fat.  The risk of death increased with waist circumference.  Individuals with the largest waistbands (greater than 40 inch waists for men and greater than 35 inch waists for women) had approximately twice the risk of premature death as people with the smallest waists (less than 34 inches for men and less than 28 inches for women).  For every 2-inch increase in waist circumference, the chances of death increased by 15%.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 36% [?]

Photo courtesy of beetlechickster

I have a lot of friends and family members who smoke cigarettes.  Many times in my life I have tried to convince people that they should give up smoking, and almost everytime my message to quit smoking goes up in smoke.  Typically people ignore me and respond by saying that they “only smoke when they drink” or that they “plan on quitting next year.”  Is a quick buzz worth the risk of dying prematurely?  Do you smoke and think that you are invincible?  Click on following links to see what it looks like to have mouth or throat & lung cancer.
Mouth Cancer Video
Throat and Lung Cancer Video

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for them.  But have you ever looked at the ingredients of a cigarette?   Cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients including ammonia, arsenic, lead, nickel, and turpentine to name a few.  Do you know all of the negative side effects that smoking?  Smoking has been found to permanently alter genes which are associated with cancer and tumors; these effects are irreversible and can occur even if you have only smoked for a short time.  Smoking causes wrinkles, erectile dysfunction, and low sperm count. Smoking also increases blood pressure which in turn increases your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke.  After reading all of these depressing side effects, is anyone ready for a smoke break?

Helping people lose weight is the main goal of this website, but Beer Belly Blog also promotes maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Please read the click on the following link and read more about the negative side effects of smoking.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/digest-a-cigarette.htm

Popularity: 54% [?]

Courtesy of S. Christopher

Are you starting an exercise program and wondering what you need to do shed some extra pounds?  Or maybe you have been trying to lose weight but you are not seeing the results you want.  In either case, the list below will explain the truths to losing weight.

1.  You need to exercise at least 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
2.  Lightly exercising for 20 minutes does not mean you can reward yourself with a cookie.
3.  You must find the time to exercise in your busy schedule.
4.  Eating a lot of one specific food will not help you lose weight.
5.  Avoid eating empty calories such as soda.
6.  Gaining weight is easy, losing weight is hard but can be accomplished with dedication.
7.  Only eat when you are hungry.  Stop eating when you are full.
8.  People can be healthy and fit without being rail thin; being too thin can actually be unhealthy.
9.  Don’t try and lose weight too fast.  Maintaining a healthy weight is based on lifestyle choices.

Click on the link below to read the entire article.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22178/53765-nine-cold–hard-weight-loss

Popularity: 16% [?]