When you think that diet sodas are helping your diet, you may need to step back, evaluate everything, and think again.

Diet soda comes with zero calories, but its risks against health may come from other reasons. In the US, 1 out of 5 people drink a diet soda once a day and it includes kids 2 years and up. Its side effects include altered metabolism and obesity among others.

What does it Contains?

The usual diet sodas contain 4 main ingredients, the artificial coloring, the aspartame, the phosphoric acid and the sodium benzoate.

Artificial coloring or the 2 methylimidazole and the 4- methylimidazole has been known to cause cancer among animals. The second one, the aspartame is the ingredients that later convert into methanol which later on turns into formaldehyde, the thing that preserves the dead. Phosphoric acid on the other hand is a known cleaning agent included in home cleaning products and can drain calcium from bones. And the last, the sodium benzoate tend to react to vitamin C in the body which then forms benzene, a chemical that can increase risk of leukemia and other cancers.

Diet Soda Side Effects

Soda is the single biggest source of calories among Americans. In the last decade, kids have double the rate of its consumption as stated in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And adults by far, have grown into 25%.

This rise has lead into major risk thus sprung newer studies and inquiries. Several study has led us into several conclusions, diet sodas may not be helping your diet or your health.

Side Effect Number 1: Kidney Problems

Over 3,000 women in the span of 11 years has been subjected into study by Harvard Medical school. They found that kidney health decline and soda consumption are related. Diet soda drank daily can have these worst effects. This is mostly associated with the ingredients of artificial sweetener and the high sodium.

Side Effect Number 2: Altered Metabolism

In the University of Minnesota study, it has been found that 34% increase in the risk of metabolic syndrome can be acquired even with a single can of diet soda drank daily. The 10,000 study subjects, all adults, have raised their unhealthy belly fats, risk for attack and even stroke.

When you consume more diet soda, you will have 44% higher chance of acquiring stroke, heart attack which is opposite from the 22% of non-soda drinkers.

Side Effect Number 3: Obesity

So this is where all the lies come in. Many people think that a diet can of soda may be helping them avoid weight gain. But the body  gets confused when the tongue tastes sweets but the body never receives the sugar. This often leads to more food consumption during meals and even eating in between meals.

Two or more cans of diet soda everyday have been associated with 500% increase of waistlines.

Side Effect Number 4: Cell Damage

The sodium benzoate found in diet sodas which is aimed to inhibit molds are found to damage DNA in the mitochondria and inactivate it later. This may cause asthma, hives and more allergic reactions.

Side Effect Number 5: Depression

Blues can be contributed to by the consumption of diet sodas. It can heighten the risk of depression among adults, according to a study, compared to those who drink non-diet soda.

How to Undo Diet Sodas Side Effects

Here are some steps you may need to do to recuperate from the diet soda scam.

1. Cut diet soda intake of course. Or you can cut all sodas after and have some water instead or healthier ones like green tea or fruit juices.
2. Get healthy diets. Add more greens, avoid processed foods and eat more fish. Omega-3 from the fish can help you repair cells and combat the damage of heart attack and stroke.
3. Exercise. Burn those calories instead of relying on calorie drinks. Exercise too can flush out those diet soda effects. Exercise is a great detoxifier as well.

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There are two kinds of cholesterol the LDL or the bad one and the HDL or the good one. To be able to live healthy, you need to lower your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol. And it can be as easy as eating the right food.

Different foods can lower cholesterol in various ways. Changing what you eat, recreating your diet and including a far more healthy fats in your meals may reduce your chance of heart problems brought by cholesterol.

When the bad cholesterol builds up, a plaque may start to narrow down arteries making you susceptible to blood clots. These blood clots can trigger heart attacks. And these make your quest to lower LDL more reasonable.

10 Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol

Fish

Fish is number one in the list since it is rich with the right kind of fats. It is laden with omega-3 fatty acids which can help lower down your LDL. It can reduce your triglyceride levels and is good for the heart.

Chia Seeds

Chia is rich in omega-3, same with the oily fish above. Sprinkling a grounded Chia in your cereal every morning can help in fighting cholesterol and getting your heart into healthy state.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is a fast way to reduce cholesterol. As a substitute from saturated oil, olive can be heart healthy and is filled with good fats. It can help the increase of HDL in one’s blood and can encourage a much slimmer waistline.

Soy

Soy is delicious alternative to other foods such as meat and cheese. It can reduce blood cholesterol and slashes down the amount of saturated fat in your diet.  And aside from it replacing saturated fats in your diet, it also contains isoflavones which reduces LDL.

Beans

All varieties of beans are recommended for this option. It is good for the heart and is rich in fiber. It reduces LDL and can make you feel fuller making you eat less and feel less hungry later. Beans such as chickpeas, kidney, pinto, black and butter beans can reduce your cholesterol in as much as 10% in 6 weeks.

Oats

Oats contains soluble fiber which can be very helpful in contradicting the bad cholesterol. It can aid in digestion, lowers cholesterol and makes you feel full longer avoiding binge eating of unhealthy foods.

Avocado

Avocado is full of heart healthy fats which can increase the HDL and reduce the LDL. It has been a favorite of many which makes its integration in daily meals easy.

Nuts

A combination of healthy nuts such as almond and walnuts can help lower cholesterol. It is a good and healthy snack that can lower your triglyceride levels while flushing away the villains of a LDL.

Red Wine

A glass of red wine everyday may lower your cholesterol and may keep your heart healthy. But yes, keep it in one glass max.

Green Tea

Green Tea is a known anti-oxidant which can help lower LDL. It is cancer fighting and has the ability to lower glucose levels among patient with diabetes. It can be a good substitute for other unhealthy beverages such as coffee and even soda.

Foods to Avoid

There are two kinds of food that you need to stay away from. First, the food laden with saturated fats and second, foods that are filled with Trans fat. Saturated fats include regular pork, whole milk, butter and fried chicken. For Trans fat, it includes all foods that are processed such as burger and fries from fast foods.

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Heart attack has been topping the killer disease chart list; it kills every minute. And on a related issue, in the US, 96, 000 deaths every year has been attributed to low intake of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, a heart condition related numbers.

So where does the line between omega-3 and heart condition meet?

Omega-3 DHA and EPA long chain fatty acids have been greatly attributed to strengthen heart health, fight cardiovascular disease and decrease the risk of heart attacks – research says.

Omega-3 Benefits

Omega-3 has always been related to heart health. According to studies, it may not only help ensure that your triglyceride is low; it can even maintain your blood pressure into normalcy.

Doctors say that eating one to two servings of fish in a week can reduce your chances of heart attack. This can be due to the unsaturated fats in the oily fish – the omega-3 fatty acids. This in return can lower cholesterol and can reduce inflammation in the system. Inflammation can result to blood vessel damage which may again lead to heart problems.

Omega-3 has also been known as the healthy fat that can reduce blood clotting, boost immunity, improve the learning ability of kids and help prevent dementia among older people. For summary, here’s a bulleted benefit of omega-3 for the heart:

1. Reduce risk for arrhythmia wherein the heart rhythm is abnormal and can lead to cardiac arrest.
2. Levels triglyceride in the blood
3. Reduce the growth rate of plaque which can result to blood vessel clogging
4. It lowers blood pressure
5. Reduce formation of blood clots

The AHA or the America Heart Association recommends an amount of supplement that an adult may need. Healthy adults and those who have a history of heart problems may need different dosage. Meaning, those who are at risk due to genes or prior cardiovascular conditions may need to ingest more omega-3 in their diets for them to avail of its protective shield.

Those who have a heart disease, 1 gram a day of EPA and DHA are needed. For those who need triglyceride lowered, 2 to 4 grams a day is recommended. But then these should be consulted first with ones doctor. For kids, it is all the more that a doctor’s advice is needed before supplementation is satrted.

Some other vitamins that you may need to include in your diet if you’re at risk for heart diseases are plant sterols, policosanol, B complex, coenzyme Q10, red yeast and green tea.

Sources of Omeag-3

Although EPA and DHA are sourced from most marine produce, omega-3 can also be taken from plant sources such as flax seed and Chia seeds. At first, it may yield ALA or the other long chained fatty acids which if ingested will be converted into omega-3 fatty acids.

Fishes such as anchovies, tuna, mackerel, salmon and trout are best sources of omega-3. But then fishes should be eaten with caution since some may be exposed to several toxic wastes such as mercury and dioxins.

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If still unsure, you may look at the Eskimos diet. Eskimos diet contains very high amount of fat which in turn causes them to have a very low incident of heart disease compared to all other countries. And it’s same with Japan too; they have diet rich in fish.

But if fish seems inconvenient or unavailable, the Chia, flax seeds and plant option can help. But again if it’s not still available, then supplements will do. Fish oil is pretty common in the market but of course there is the right and good fish oil and the not so recommended one. Do your research first.

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Depression can lead to much worse cases of alcohol and drug abuse, underachievement in school and in work, social withdrawal and poor physical health.

In Australia, almost half of its population experiences mental health problems at some point of their lives. And mostly, it’s the younger people who have the highest number of depression occurrence.

Depression though may mellow at the onset of old age. In America, 15.7 million adults are reported to have a major depressive disorder. In UK, anxiety and depression tops the most common mental disorder and affects 8-12% of the population every year.

But, how can you tell if the one you love or know is suffering from depression? Here are some tell tale signs:

1. Moodiness and irritability.
2. Loss of interest in life
3. Withdrawal from social relationships
4. Appetite loss
5. Disrupted sleep and irregular sleeping patterns
6. Unmotivated
7. Lack of energy
8. Difficulty in concentrating

Think Less of It

The first remedy is to self motivate. One can start identifying troubles and triggers but not dwell on them. Then try talking about it with a friend. Turning into something more positive will help also. Try newer hobbies.

Expression of one’s self is a fun way to block harsh thoughts and express it. Looking in the bright side of things is also advisable.

Depression and Diet

Depression can be remedied by choosing your diet and food well. Certain food choices that are natural and healthy can help alleviate the blues and keep you happy.

Here are the top foods that can beat depression.

1. Fish oils. Fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids. It can restock your lack of EPA, fatty acids which can’t be produce by the body to alleviate depression. It can be taken from fishes such as salmon, tuna and sardines and from plant sources such as Chia seed, walnuts and flaxseeds.
2. Brown rice. Brown rice is a known low glycemic food and it releases glucose into the blood gradually thus preventing mood swings. It is high in fiber and helps in the health of digestive system. It contains vitamin B1, B2 and B3 too.
3. Cabbage. Cabbage is helpful in fighting stress, and infection. It helps in stabilize sugar and can cure stomach ulcers.
4. Banana. Banana has the natural anti-depressant components. It can make you happy and help reduce depressive moods.
5. Vegetables and fruits. So it isn’t just the cabbage and the bananas alone, eating lots of natural foods can help you become healthy mentally and physically.  Avoid all which has “instant” word in the packaging and as much as possible, avoid those that are artificially flavored and preserved.

Breathing Exercises

These 3 breathing exercise has been as advised by PsychCentral as outlined in Dr. Brown and Dr. Gerbarg’s  book Healing Power of the Breath. So here they are.

Coherent Breathing. Coherent breathing can be achieved by inhaling five times and exhaling five times. It is a five minute rate that maximizes the heart rate variability. These can lead to better stress-response capability of the body which helps in decrease of depression, stress and anxiety.

Resistance breathing. With this kind of breathing, one creates resistance to the air flow. It can be done by breathing through the nose and exhaling though the nose instead of the mouth.

Breath Moving. This one is a little journey in your body through your breath. One can imagine the breath move from top to the spine. When breathing in, move the breath in your head and when breathing out, move it at the base of the spine. Do this ten times.

Depression and Physical Exercise

Exercising outside and under the sunshine can be a way to cure your depressive moods. A regular exercise 3 times a week can lift minds. Exercise has been proven to alter brain chemistry in a positive way.

Any exercise would do. A couple of running, some lifts and a gym appointment would do. Yoga exercises such as the pose of balasana (the child pose), uttanasana (forward bend), viparita karani (legs up a wall), marjariasana (cat pose) and backbends are very helpful in chasing the blues away.

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