Late night eating habits

The effects of eating late at night are significantly negative and could take a toll on your health and well-being. It is crucial to break this habit if you wish to maintain a lifetime of good health. Think of all the possible alternatives you could adopt into your lifestyle - strategies that could help you in the right direction.

Let us consider what specific effects eating late at night could cause:


Causes heartburn

Acid reflux is a condition that causes heartburn which damages esophagus. It can cause many health problems like asthma, chronic hoarseness, and in worst cases, even chest pain while increasing the risk of esophagus cancer. In extreme cases, it could even cause ulcers if the heart burns are regular.


Causes sleep deprivation

One of the primary functions of sleep is to help you recuperate from the day, so you can wake up energized. Sleep is important for your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Sleep deprivation can cause lethargy, mental and physical tiredness, difficulty in concentration and communication, poor memory or in extreme cases even loss of memory.
Most people have experienced how eating late at night can affect sleep adversely. A heavy meal taken late at night may mean lying awake as the body works hard trying to digest too much food.


Hampers digestion

Late-night eating forces your body to use its energy on digestion resulting in improper digestion of food. Also eating late hinders the toxin elimination process-which can cause morning gas and stomach cramps. When you sleep, the digestive system slows down whereby the nutrients in food cannot be absorbed fully.
This triggers the conversion of food into fat and leads to putting on weight. Those who complain about bloating never realize that it's from the gas and food particles left over from improper digestion.



Late Night Eating - 9 Tips to Stop

1. Be sure to eat 3 good meals during the day with 1 or 2 between meal snacks. Most people try to eat too few calories during the day only to binge late at night. A good insurance policy is to eat most of your calories before 6 PM.

2. When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweeten with honey or artificial sugar. Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.

3. Remind yourself that it's normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking. Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.

4. Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you're prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don't buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.

5. Suck on hard candy. Most hard candy has only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.

6. Keep a written copy of your diet plan in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don't give into the urge for several weeks.

7. Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.

8. The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.

Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It's an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won't be hungry .... eat breakfast anyway .... it's the most important meal of the day.

Your health is in your hands. So, start tonight!

Eat your way sexy... :)

Get glowing skin, glossy hair and a toned slim body by eating yourself sexy

Having a sexy body isn’t just about a certain body look or size, but it also means having glossy hair, radiant skin and a healthy body that is in shape. Many fad diets that people follow barely contain the right amounts of vitamins and nutrients that people need to achieve this and end up with a dull complexion, lifeless hair and little energy to exercise and therefore tone the body. Just as certain foods can affect how we feel, what we eat can also influence how we look.


For hair, skin and nails

The hair, skin and nails reflect many biochemical imbalances in the body. It is therefore very important to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients to ensure well-nourished, beautiful hair, skin and nails which will boost any girl’s body confidence.

Omega 3

These help make up the skin's structure and are needed to maintain skin surfaces. Omega 3 is a type of polyunsaturated fat which is termed essential because the body cannot make it so it must be derived from the diet. Foods high in Omega 3 fats are salmon, flax-seed and walnuts. Taking an omega 3 supplement is an easy way to get your intake up.

Selenium

Selenium is necessary for the production of glutathione, which neutralizes free radicals in the body that can lead to the deterioration of collagen and elasticity in the skin. In addition to skin benefits, selenium improves the hair and nails. Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium as is salmon.

Silica

Silica, or more properly silicon, strengthens the connective tissue in hair and nails. It is also vital for healthy skin and deficiency can reduce skins elasticity and impair the body’s ability to heal wounds. Sources of it are found in wheat bran, soybeans, beets, leafy vegetables, brown rice, beans and mango. Supplements can also be taken to enhance the benefits.

Vitamin A, C and E

These vitamins are important for healthy skin and act as anti-oxidants that fight free radicals which damage skin cells. A deficiency disturbs the delicate balance of the skin and results in the loss of the cells that produce lubricants to keep the skin soft and supple. Good sources of Vitamin A include liver, fish liver oils, kidneys, dairy foods and eggs, carrots and dark or yellow vegetables. Oranges, blackcurrants, broccoli and red peppers have lots of Vitamin C and E is found in avocado, almonds, spinach and sunflower seeds and oils.


For the body

What we eat not only influences how we feel but it also influences the way we look. A diet that is high in sugar will slow your metabolism and weaken your immune system, therefore affecting your weight and health. Meanwhile, essential fatty acids stimulate weight loss, boost your mood and improve you health and appearance. Overall it is about eating well, exercising and having body confidence.

• The diet should be based around vegetables, fruit, wholegrain carbohydrates and lean protein.
• Limit intake of high sugar, high fat foods and avoid processed foods.
• Make sure you keep your diet varied, as this will ensure you get a good balance of nutrients for good health.
• Aim to eat about six times a day, with three meals and three snacks. It goes without saying that breakfast is a must.
• Drink plenty of water which is an appetite suppressant and it helps your liver to work properly. If your liver runs more efficiently, it will break down fat more effectively.


Exercise

Exercise is an essential part of any weight loss program and needed to tone the body.

• To burn calories and lose weight, you must exercise most days of the week. It's simple to begin an exercise program.
• Resistance exercise boosts your metabolism, helps maintain strong bones and tones your body.
• Sit-ups, squats and press-ups are all toning exercises that work well without any equipment.
• Cardio exercise also tones the body and helps keep the body in good shape; whether it’s running, dancing or cycling. Get moving for at least 30 minutes each day.

11 Featured Nutrients: Why You Need Them...

Beta Carotene

What it does: In the body, beta carotene is converted to vitamin A, a nutrient essential for healthy vision, immune function and cell growth. It also acts as an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals.

How much you need: There's no RDA for beta carotene.

Food Sources of Beta Carotene: Eat plenty of dark green vegetables and orange vegetables and fruits (papaya, mango) weekly to meet your vitamin A needs and reap beta carotene's potential antioxidant benefits.



B12

What it does: Vitamin B12 is used in making DNA, the building block of genes, and in maintaining healthy nerve and red blood cells.

How much you need: 2.4 micrograms a day for people 14 and older provides all the body needs—although some researchers have argued that a daily intake of 6 micrograms would ensure absorption.

Food sources of B12: B12 is bound to protein, so foods like meat, fish, eggs and dairy products like yogurt and milk are the principal sources.



Chromium

What it does: Chromium is required by the body for the process that turns food into usable energy, helping insulin prime cells to take up glucose.

How much you need: Despite disappointing findings on chromium supplements and weight loss, the body still needs it. The daily recommended intake for adults is 50 to 200 mcg.

Food sources of chromium: Best sources of chromium are whole-grain breads and cereals, meat, nuts, prunes, raisins, beer and wine.



Vitamin K

What it does: Vitamin K is used by the body to produce an array of different proteins. Some of them are used to create factors that allow blood to coagulate—critical in stemming bleeding and allowing cuts and wounds to heal.

How much you need: The current recommended daily intake of vitamin K is 90 micrograms for women and 120 for men. Luckily, vitamin K deficiency is extremely uncommon.

Food Sources of Vitamin K: Kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, arugula, green leaf lettuce, soybean oil, canola oil, olive oil and tomatoes.



Potassium

What it does: Potassium is involved in almost every vital body process: maintaining blood pressure, heart and kidney function, muscle contraction, even digestion.

How much you need: Surveys show that most Americans get less than half the recommended amounts of potassium, which is 4,700 milligrams (mg) daily for adults and teens.

Food sources of potassium: Foods that are closest to their original states are best, so be sure to choose whole, unprocessed foods as often as possible, especially fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish and lean meats.



Magnesium

What it does: Necessary for some of the body's most basic processes, magnesium triggers more than 300 biochemical reactions—most importantly the production of energy from the food we eat.

How much you need: Around 300 mg/day (women) and 350 mg/day (men), with the upper limit for supplemental magnesium at 350 mg.

Food sources of magnesium: The mineral is abundant in avocados, nuts and leafy greens including acorn squash, kiwi and almonds.



Vitamin C

What it does: Researchers have long known that vitamin C is an essential building block of collagen, the structural material for bone, skin, blood vessels and other tissue.

How much you need: The current recommended daily intake for men is 90 mg and for women it is 75 mg. The body can only absorb a maximum of about 400 milligrams a day.

Food Sources of Vitamin C: Virtually everything in the produce section including oranges, green bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe and tomatoes, turnip greens, sweet potatoes and okra.



Vitamin D

What it does: Early on, most of the concern focused on bones, since vitamin D, working along with calcium, helps build and maintain them.

How much you need: Official recommendations now call for 200 IU for children and 600 IU for people over 71, with other groups falling somewhere between.

Food sources of vitamin D: We rely on fortified milk and breakfast cereals to get most of our dietary vitamin D. Apart from a few kinds of fish, including herring and sardines, there aren't many natural food sources, which leaves supplements and direct sunlight.



Folate/Folic Acid

What it does: Folate is necessary for the production of new cells, including red blood cells. Folate deficiency remains a major cause of spinal-cord defects in newborns.

How much you need: Many dietitians recommend taking a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid; 1,000 mcg per day is the safe upper limit for folic acid.

Food sources of folate: Rich sources of folate include liver, dried beans and peas, spinach and leafy greens, asparagus and fortified cereals.



Zinc

What it does: Zinc is integral to almost every cell of the human body, from keeping the immune system healthy to regulating testosterone.

How much you need: The recommended dietary intake for men is 11 mg/day, for women 8 mg/day.

Food Sources of zinc: Oysters, cooked beef tenderloin, turkey, chickpeas, roast chicken leg, pumpkin seeds, cooked pork tenderloin, plain low-fat yogurt, wheat germ, tofu, dry roasted cashews and Swiss cheese.



Vitamin E

What it does: Scientists have not yet elucidated all of vitamin E's roles, but they hypothesize that it has a role in immune function, DNA repair, the formation of red blood cells and vitamin K absorption.

How much you need: The RDA in men and women is 23 IU, or 15 milligrams, and because many E-rich foods come from nuts and oils, some low-fat diets may be inadequate in vitamin E.

Food Sources of Vitamin E: Wheat germ oil. Sunflower seeds, cooked spinach, almonds, safflower oil and hazelnuts.

Ancient Mystery : Frail boy-king Tut died from malaria, broken leg

CAIRO — Egypt's most famous pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, was a frail boy who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria and his parents were most likely brother and sister.

Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on Tut's 3,300-year-old mummy and 15 others are helping end many of the myths surrounding the boy king. While a comparatively minor ruler, he has captivated the public since the 1922 discovery of his tomb, which was filled with a stunning array of jewels and artifacts, including a golden funeral mask.

The study, which will be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides the firmest family tree yet for Tut. The tests pointed to Pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to revolutionize ancient Egyptian religion to worship one god, as Tut's father. His mother was one of Akhenaten's sisters, it said.

Tut, who became pharaoh at age 10 in 1333 B.C., ruled for just nine years at a pivotal time in Egypt's history. Speculation has long swirled over his death at 19. A hole in his skull fueled speculation he was murdered, until a 2005 CT scan ruled that out, finding the hole was likely from the mummification process. The scan also uncovered the broken leg.

The newest tests paint a picture of a pharaoh whose immune system was likely weakened by congenital diseases. His death came from complications from the broken leg — along with a new discovery: severe malaria.

The team said it found DNA of the malaria parasite in several of the mummies, some of the oldest ever isolated.

"A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred," the JAMA article said.

"Tutankhamun had multiple disorders... He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk," it said.

The revelations are in stark contrast to the popular image of a graceful boy-king as portrayed by the dazzling funerary artifacts in his tomb that later introduced much of the world to the glory of ancient Egypt.

They also highlighted the role genetics play in some diseases. The members of the 18th dynasty were closely inbred and the DNA studies found several genetic disorders in the mummies tested such as scoliosis, curvature of the spine, and club feet.

Dr. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, said some of King Tut's ailments including his bone disease likely were the result of his parents' incestuous marriage. Children born to parents who are so closely related to each other would be prone to genetic problems, he said.

Like his father, Tutankhamun had a cleft palate. Like his grandfather, he had a club foot and suffered from Kohler's disease which inhibits the supply of blood to the bones of the foot.

In Tut's case it was slowly destroying the bones in his left foot — an often painful condition, the study said. It noted that 130 walking sticks and canes were discovered in Tut's tomb, some of them appeared to have been used.

Egypt's top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, who co-authored the study, noted that more than 80 years after Tutankhamun's discovery, technology was revealing secrets about the pharaoh.

The study is part of a wider program to test the DNA of hundreds of mummies to determine their identities and their family relations. To conduct the tests, Egypt built two DNA labs to follow international protocols for genetic testing.

Hawass, who had long opposed DNA testing on Egypt's mummies because it would have been performed outside the country, acknowledged his original skepticism. "I never thought that we would really reach a great important discovery," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The new study answered long-standing questions about Tutankhamun's family, tracing his grandfather to Pharaoh Amenhotep III. While some archaeologists have speculated that Tut's father was a little-known figure, Smenkhkare, it now appears that it was Akhenaten, who attempted to change millennia of religious tradition by forcing the country to worship the sun god Aten, instead of a multiplicity of deities.

DNA tests pinpointed the mummy of Tut's mother — and confirmed she was a sister of his father — but the mummy has not yet been firmly identified. Brother-sister marriages were common among Egypt's pharaohs.



"There is a lot fuzziness about the succession and that's why knowing Tutankhamun was the son or direct blood descendant would make a difference," said Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo and an expert on mummies.

The tests also disproved speculation that Tutankhamun and members of his family suffered from rare disorders that gave them feminine attributes and misshapen bones, including Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that can result in elongated limbs.

The theories arose from the artistic style and statues of the period, which showed the royal men with prominent breasts, elongated heads and flared hips.

"It is unlikely that either Tutankhamun or Akhenaten actually displayed a significantly bizarre or feminine physique," the article said.

Hawass' first high profile discovery involving DNA tests, the identification of the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, came under criticism because it didn't follow accepted scientific protocols and was not published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The tests were also not confirmed by a second, independent DNA lab.

This time the work by the Supreme Council of Antiquities DNA lab was replicated by a second DNA lab set up at Cairo University and the results were then published in the American medical journal.

Angelique Corthals, an assistant professor of forensic science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York helped set up the first Egyptian lab and said the work is being conducted according to international standards.

Hawass predicted that many more discoveries were in the works for King Tutankhamun and the mummy project.

"It will never be revealed completely, still we need more research," he said. "We finished the first great part of the mystery and the second one is coming soon in one year."

Mushroom

Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide several nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more.





Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid, which help to provide energy by breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates. B vitamins also play an important role in the nervous system.

* Pantothenic acid helps with the production of hormones and also plays an important role in the nervous system.

* Riboflavin helps maintain healthy red blood cells.

* Niacin promotes healthy skin and makes sure the digestive and nervous systems function properly.





Mushrooms are also a source of important minerals:

* Selenium is a mineral that works as an antioxidant to protect body cells from damage that might lead to heart disease, some cancers and other diseases of aging. It also has been found to be important for the immune system and fertility in men. Many foods of animal origin and grains are good sources of selenium, but mushrooms are among the richest sources of selenium in the produce aisle and provide 8-22 mcg per serving. This is good news for vegetarians, whose sources of selenium are limited.

* Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring antioxidant that also may help protect the body’s cells. Mushrooms provide 2.8-4.9 mg of ergothioneine per serving of white, portabella or crimini mushrooms.

* Copper helps make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Copper also helps keep bones and nerves healthy.

* Potassium is an important mineral many people do not get enough of. It aids in the maintenance of normal fluid and mineral balance, which helps control blood pressure. It also plays a role in making sure nerves and muscles, including the heart, function properly. Mushrooms have 98-376 mg of potassium per 84 gram serving, which is 3-11 percent of the Daily Value.





Beta-glucans, found in numerous mushroom species, have shown marked immunity-stimulating effects, contribute to resistance against allergies and may also participate in physiological processes related to the metabolism of fats and sugars in the human body. The beta-glucans contained in oyster, shiitake and split gill mushrooms are considered to be the most effective6.




Mushrooms are the only fresh vegetable or fruit with vitamin D. Similar to the way that humans absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D, mushrooms contain a plant sterol—ergosterol—that converts to vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. The top three selling mushroom varieties (button, crimini and portabella) have vitamin D ranging from 1 to 97 percent of the Daily Value (400 IU) per raw 84 gram serving..



Umami is the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Derived from the Japanese word umai, meaning “delicious” umami (pronounced oo-MAH-mee) is described as a savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. It’s a satisfying sense of deep, complete flavor, balancing savory flavors and full-bodied taste with distinctive qualities of aroma and mouthfeel. The more umami present in food, the more flavorful it will be. All mushrooms are a rich source of umami and the darker the mushroom the more umami it contains. Therefore, mushrooms are a perfect way to add great taste to everyday foods. Umami also counterbalances saltiness and allows up to a 50 percent salt reduction without compromising flavor.




Mushrooms are hearty and filling. Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy-density foods (meaning few calories given the volume of food), specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing daily energy and fat intake while still feeling full and satiated after the meal.




Mushrooms are the leading source of the essential antioxidant selenium in the produce aisle. Antioxidants, like selenium, protect body cells from damage that might lead to chronic diseases. They help to strengthen the immune system, as well. In addition, mushrooms provide ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant that may help protect the body’s cells.




Mushrooms provide a powerhouse of nutrients that may help protect against some cancers. Scientists at City of Hope were some of the first to find a potential link between mushrooms and a decreased likelihood of tumor growth and development in cells and animals. City of Hope researchers now plan to apply this research to human clinical trials to establish whether mushrooms act as aromatase inhibitors in women. It is far too early to conclusively say whether humans will experience decreased tumor growth as a result of eating mushrooms. However, City of Hope and the Mushroom Council one day hope to be able to share credible science-based information that ties mushroom intake with decreased cancer risk, along with other important health benefits.

Lost city believed found in Johor

I came across this article and i think it's kinda interesting.. don't know how far it's true... enjoy reading the article ppl... :)

The Star Online > News
Thursday February 3, 2005

A 1,000-year-old lost city, possibly older than Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia, is believed to have been located in the dense jungles of Johor.

The discovery of what is thought to be the site of Kota Gelanggi or Perbendaharaan Permata (Treasury of Jewels) by an independent Malaysian researcher has prompted museum officials to plan an expedition to confirm the finding.

If indeed the site is that of the lost city , it is set to transform the historical landscape of the region, said Raimy Che-Ross, who spent 12 years researching Malay manuscripts all over the world and conducting aerial searches of the area before locating the site.

He said the discovery of “unusual formations” from the air had led him to believe that the site could be the first capital of the Sri Vijaya Malay empire dating back to 650AD. “If the city is what we suspect it to be, then the Malacca Sultanate can no longer be considered as the start of modern Malay history.
“Once verified, the honour will go to Johor, as one thousand years ago Malacca had not even been established,” he said.

Raimy had tried to enter the site in early 2003 but failed, managing to get only as far as to the formations which are believed to be trenches and embankments of the outer city. Department of Museum and Antiquities director-general Datuk Adi Taha said an archaeological expedition would be mounted this year to verify the location of the lost city, with Raimy’s assistance.

Funds for the expedition would be sought under the 9th Malaysia Plan. Adi said he and the department were very enthusiastic about Raimy’s research findings and would work with him to verify the location of the lost city, which could be spread out over a few hundred square kilometers.

Do u know facts....

I would like to thank my colleague Mr.Rahman for asking me about the “DO YOU KNOW FACTS”... This is pretty interesting. I learn lots of stuffs from the “DO YOU KNOW FACTS”... now, I would like to share some of the facts with you all… :p

• The name of all the continents ends with the same letter that they start with (Asia, Africa, America, Europe, Australia)
• Women blink nearly twice as much as men
• It is impossible to lick your elbow
• People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.
• It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
• Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from history. Spades - King David Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts - Charlemagne Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
• If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
• If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
• If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
• What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common? They are all invented by women.
• This is the only food that doesn’t spoil. What is this? It is Honey.
• A snail can sleep for three years.
• All polar bears are left handed.
• Butterflies taste with their feet.
• On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
• Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
• Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different
• Almonds are a member of the peach family.
• There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain
• It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this at home!)
• Mosquitoes have 47 teeth
• The most common time for a wake up call is 7am.
• The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven.
• Giraffes can clean their ears with their tongue.
• And finally 99% of people who read this would try to lick their elbow now.