LIPOSUCTION ALTERNATIVES

Simple Ways to Keep our Sugar and Salt Intake Healthy

Our body needs less than one gram of sodium a day. That’s less than half a teaspoon of table salt. But like most Americans, you can consume up to four times that amount. What’s the result? You’ll have increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

For sugar, a lot of us consume more than twice the recommended daily amount that increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and even depression.

It’s an endless cycle: indulging your salt and sugar cravings can end up with you just wanting more. It’s hard to cut back once our taste buds get used to sugary or salty foods. Cutting back on these addictive ingredients is important since most of us are eating more than the recommended daily values for sugar and salt.

There are people that you can put in the over-salted group. Whether it’s a stir-fry or chips and salsa, you can still find yourself craving salty foods all the time. However, you can try to cut back on sodium intake and you’ll realize just how hard it can be.

In reducing sugar and salt, the doctors at Harvard Medical School will give you the know-how to successfully monitor and effectively control the amount of sugar and salt you and your family take in each day.

There are foods exposed with “hidden” sodium and sugar. For example, a tuna salad sub sandwich can have up to 1,300 milligrams of sodium, which is more than the daily recommendation, while a bowl of raisin bran delivers 19 grams of added sugar.

There are ways to cut your cravings on salt and sugar.

Don’t eat out as much

You know exactly what’s going into a meal cooking at home and that includes how many extra spoonfuls of sugar and salt. On the other hand, restaurants are notorious for loading up dishes with salt or sugar-laden sauces, so try to limit the amount of times you eat out if you’re worried about your salt and sugar intake.

Replace foods with less sugary or salty options

If you’re encouraging your salty or sugary diet down to acceptable levels, replacing your normal diet with a lower-sodium or less-sweet one can be a shock to your taste buds. You should try switching out a daily dessert with a small piece of chocolate or fruit, or use spices instead of salt to flavor your foods.

Dig deeper

Severe cravings can mean a larger issue is at play, like a mineral imbalance or other condition, so if you feel like your cravings can’t be explained by your diet, you may want to talk to your doctor. You should also keep track if you’re getting the right nutrients as well and it may turn out that you are dehydrated or aren’t eating as many nutrients as you need to.

Reducing salt and sugar also gives you a host of flavorful recipes that minimize or eliminate sugar and salt, from delectable breakfast treats to wholesome lunches and dinners, not to mention perfect-ending desserts and even late-night snacks.

You have to be good to your body and yourself.

The Dark and Healthy Side of Cholesterol

Cholesterol

The World Health Organization listed Iceland, Andorra, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, France, Norway and Netherlands as countries that has the highest prevalence of cholesterol among its population among countries all over the world. In the second level, came countries like Austria, Australia and the US. The country which has the lowest level of cholesterol among its population is Niger which is at 15.2 contrasting Iceland’s 69.8.

Although cholesterol is needed by the body, the prevalence of its bad side in the health system may result to some serious medical conditions.

Cholesterol or the soft and waxy lipid is naturally found in the blood stream and the body cells. It cannot be dissolved by the blood but is important in cell membrane production and in some hormone production.

SO if cholesterol is helping in the body production of cell membranes and hormones, why is it labeled and avoided by majority of the population? Because cholesterol has a bad side and it’s in the form of LDL, and the good side which is the HDL.

Cholesterol Prevalence

1 in every 6 Americans has high total cholesterol. And 1 in 3 adult Americans have unhealthy levels of the bad cholesterol. But cholesterol level can be a bit of a thief in the night since it offers no symptoms. Many people are always unaware that they have it only to know later when they have been diagnosed of a far risky medical condition such as heart problems, diabetes or high blood pressure.

And more often, women are more prone to high cholesterol level than men according to numbers.

Good and the bad definition are used to label two types of cholesterol that is the LDL and the HDL.

Bad Cholesterol

The Low-density lipoprotein or the LDL is the commonly known as the bad cholesterol.  When there is too much LDL in the blood, it can build up in the inner walls of the arteries. And with other substances, it can build up and form a plaque. The plaque is the thick deposit that narrows arteries and making them stiff and less flexible. A clot then can likely form and block the narrowed artery which can result to heart attack or stroke.

The amount of LDL in your blood is increased by the saturated fat and the cholesterol you consume.

Good Cholesterol

The High-density lipoprotein or the commonly known as HDL is the good cholesterol. HDL, opposite to LDL, helps protect a person from heart attack. But once your HDL go low, you find yourself at risk of heart disease. Medical experts say that HDL carries away cholesterol from the arteries back to the liver. When it reaches the level, it will be flushed away from the body. It is even purported to remove the excess cholesterol in the arterial plaque and can slow down its build up.

Recommended Cholesterol Level

The total cholesterol level that is desirable for the body is below 200. Once it is more than that, it can be unhealthy. The optimal LDL that your body should have should only be at below 100mmol/L. for HDL, you should have 60 or even higher. Once you have your HDL at below 40, then you should start doing some things to raise it.

The Good and the Bad

The foods that are rich in HDL, which you should increase in your diet, include all foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 rich foods include flax seed, oily fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon. Foods with fiber such as grain, oats, bran and soy are recommended as well.

On the other hand, foods that are rich in Trans fat should be avoided. They include white sugar and flour, eggs, kidney, dairy such as cheese and alcohol.

Tummy Tucks and Abdominoplasty

Stomach Liposuction Cost

Are you not getting the taut tummy you want with sit-ups? Doctors said that you might want to consider undergoing “tummy tuck” if you’ve got too much flab or excess skin in your abdomen and it doesn’t respond to diet or exercise. Other doctors used the term “abdominoplasty” for tummy tuck.

This procedure flattens the abdomen by eliminating extra fat and skin, and tightening muscles in your abdominal wall. This procedure is not the same as liposuction, although a lot may choose to get liposuction together with a tummy tuck.

This is a major surgery, that’s why you should know the facts before you decide whether to go forward.

Who are the best candidates for a tummy tuck?

• All men and women who are in good health are suitable to undergo a tummy tuck surgery.
• This procedure is useful for tightening their abdominal muscles and reducing skin for those women who have had several pregnancies.
• Those obese men or women that still have excess fat deposits or loose skin around the belly may also have the option of undergoing tummy tuck.

Who should not consider a tummy tuck?

You may want to postpone a tummy tuck if you’re a woman who plans to get pregnant. You can have this procedure until you’re done having children. Your vertical muscles are tightened during surgery, and future pregnancies can separate those muscles.

If you’re planning to lose a lot of weight, then tummy tuck also is not for you. This procedure should be your last resort after you’ve tried everything else. This should not be used as an alternative to weight loss.

The chance of scarring after a tummy tuck surgery can also be considered. Before the surgery, you can talk about that possibility with the doctor.

How to prepare for tummy tuck surgery

The first thing to do is to choose a surgeon and see him or her for a consultation. During that meeting, you’ll talk about your goals and the following options.

If you’re a smoker, your doctor will ask that you quit smoking from at least two weeks before the surgery and two weeks after the surgery. It is not enough to just lessen your smoking. You should stop it completely since smoking give a lot of complication and will most likely slow the healing.

Complete abdominoplasty

In this procedure, the surgeon will cut your abdomen from hipbone to hipbone and then contour the skin, tissue, and muscle as needed. Moving of your belly button is involved in this surgery, and you may need drainage tubes under your skin for a few days.

Partial or mini abdominoplasty

This procedure is often done on people whose fat deposits are located below the navel. During this procedure, your belly button will not be removed by the surgeon and the procedure may only last for up to two hours, depending on the case.

Preparing for tummy tuck surgery

Before the surgery, don’t try a drastic diet. You should eat well-balanced, complete meals. It will help you heal better if you eat a healthy diet.

Prepare ice packs, loose comfortable clothing, petroleum jelly and hand-held shower head and bathroom chair.

You also need driver to take you home after the tummy tuck.

Going Natural, Healthy Alternatives to Liposuction

Explore liposuction alternatives.

Each year in the United States, almost half a million people get liposuction. After all it remains to be the fastest way to trim down and instantly remove fat cells.  The number of fat cells in the body doesn’t change when you lose weight through diet and exercise, the fat cells just shrink. Do you think this expensive and painful procedure is worth it?

Liposuction

If you want to remove unwanted fat from specific areas, then liposuction is the answer. A small incision is done in the skin then a narrow tube is put inside the skin and the fat is cleansed out. While this procedure of removing fat instantly sounds like a perfect solution, there are still flaws to this procedure.

The possible complications of this procedure are: infection, fat or blood clots which can migrate to the lungs and cause death, excessive fluid loss, friction burns, damage to the skin or nerves, perforation injury to the vital organs and unfavorable drug interactions.

There are also possible post-operative side effects that include: pain, burning, swelling, bleeding, temporary numbness and feeling anxious or depressed.

It is found that even though liposuction removed up to 12% of body weight, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, it did not decrease the risk of heart disease or diabetes as you would when losing weight through diet and exercise. The number of fat cells in the body is reduced by liposuction but it does not decrease the amount of fat that is left in the remaining fat cells.

Natural Liposuction

Making lasting lifestyle changes is the way to achieve weight loss and overall well-being. Include healthy eating and right exercise into your daily routine and you will get yourself into shape in no time.

Diet

A hormonally and calorically balanced diet will allow you to lose weight safely and effectively. You will also include a variety of fresh, wholesome foods.

Having the right combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats is what hormonal balance means. You should be consuming 40% of your calories from protein, 30% from carbohydrates and 30% from fat for accelerated weight loss. You should consume 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% fats for a slower, continual weight loss.

Your proteins should include lean proteins such as soy, chicken, fish and extra lean meats. Your carbohydrates should come from vegetable, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Your fats should be good fats like flax oil, olive oil, fish oils, seeds and nuts. And don’t forget water. It is essential for life as well as for weight loss even though it does not fall into any of these categories. Being hydrated will help with weight loss.

Having the right amount of calories to maintain your body functions while still allowing you to lose weight is what caloric balance means. Each person is different that’s why the number of calories you require each day differs.

Exercise

Toning up and burning calories requires a regular exercise routine. Exercise will increase your metabolism and it provides many other health benefits.

Supplements

Taking the right supplement is important. There are supplements that are unsafe and promise unrealistic results. It is difficult to choose one that is safe and effective. Consult your doctor for help.

This should not discourage you from considering liposuction. It remains to be a safe and proven way of helping remove excess fat deposits quickly. Going the natural route is the best way of slimming down and keeping fats at bay in the future. However, the choice remains to be yours.