The Health Benefits of Lobster

High in protein and low in fat, lobster is a very beneficial meat. Comparable to a steak, lobster has less than thirty grams of protein in a five ounce portion. Lobster also has less fat compared to steak. It is perfect for a no or low carbohydrate diet as well. Under the Weight Watcher's system lobster has just four points.   Not only is lobster low in fat, it is lower in cholesterol than skinless chicken breast. Lobster has seventy-two milligrams compared to chicken's eighty-five milligrams.

In addition to having a high protein and low fat composition, lobster meat has ten to twenty percent of the USDA's daily recommended value of potassium, selenium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, and vitamin B12.  Like many other types of seafood, lobster also contains a high constitution of Omega 3 fatty acid which is beneficial for both your heart and your brain. Selenium aids the immune system and thyroid gland and may also help prevent heart disease. Bone and tissue diseases can be avoided by diets high in copper. The vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerve and red blood cells. Phosphorus contributes to proper kidney functioning and lessens arthritis pain. Increased brain activity, a boosted immune system, and a healthier reproduction system are all benefits from consuming zinc. Finally potassium is credited with aiding your heart's functions. The benefits of Omega 3 fatty acid range from reducing your risk of heart attack to lowering your blood pressure.

Perfect for people on a diet and those simply trying to have a healthier lifestyle, lobster is a far superior choice to the usual steak. Eating lobster clearly provides you a low fat, comprehensive range of nutritional value while at the same time giving you great flavor and taste. With all the spectacular health benefits to eating lobster, it really is the coup de grace for special occasion meals.

By Bryan Romanow

Why a Low-Fat Diet Is Killing You

With someone in North America dying of a cardiovascular disease (CVD) every 39 seconds, it is no wonder CVD is such a prominent health concern in our society. Unfortunately, despite heart disease being one of the most talked about health risks, it also happens to be one of the most mistreated and misdiagnosed conditions around. For half a century, people have been following medical advice based on outdated research on CVD. When it comes to the prevention and treatment of the disease, low fat and low cholesterol diets have been recommended and backed by the medical community for decades. This belief that diets high in cholesterol and saturated fat are building blocks in the development of CVD is so deeply engrained in our society that people refuse to believe the more current and respected research.

Only a small portion of the cholesterol in your body comes from diet, as the body cannot absorb a large portion of the cholesterol you ingest. In fact, the liver creates 75% of your body's total cholesterol. Your body has the ability to regulate cholesterol in the blood and modifies internal production levels based on dietary intake. If you do not ingest enough cholesterol, the body makes more and if you ingest higher amounts of cholesterol, the body makes less. Recent studies have shown that cholesterol intake through diet has little to no effect on blood cholesterol levels of most people. Basically, eating cholesterol is not going to give you a heart attack and lowering your cholesterol intake will do relatively nothing to your body's overall blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat has also been one of the medical industry's main concerns when it comes to CVD as it has been said to raise cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Current research is not in agreement with this theory and has found that instead of being harmful, saturated fat can actually have a positive effect on your cardiovascular health.

When it comes to saturated fat, although some studies have found that diets high in saturated fat increase blood cholesterol levels, more recent and longer-term studies have found little to no connection between the two. Several other studies conducted on low carb diets, which are often high in saturated fat, have concluded that saturated fats actually have a positive effect on cardiovascular health and CVD risk markers/factors. Low-carb diets high in saturated fat have been linked to weight loss and have neither decreased nor increased the amount of LDL ("bad cholesterol") in the bloodstream. These studies have found many health improvements in their participants related to saturated fat intake, including its positive effects on blood pressure, BMI, abdominal circumference, etc. Overall, many of the more recent and respected research has found that saturated fat is linked to a lower risk of CVD as well as stroke.

In 2008, American's spent $300 billion dollars on cardiovascular disease; almost double what it would take to end world hunger. In reality, heart disease can be treated with much less cost and a much higher success rate by a change in diet and a few other lifestyle changes. The key to a happy, healthy heart is not found in cholesterol lowering medications or low fat-diets. A word of caution. Medical advice/trends do not change with research. Medical advice tends to change with funerals. As opinion makers die, new people with new leadership and new ideas tend to change practice guidelines. Don't be discouraged if your doctor doesn't agree with this. Statin drugs are the leading class of drugs being sold on this planet. Billions of dollars are spent every year on lowering cholesterol. There is a lot of "love" in support of the "cholesterol is bad" camp. It isn't going away anytime soon. Do your research and take control of your health. It is yours to take care of, not your doctor's.

By Dr Paul G Groulx

The Need to Balance Your Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fats

Much has been written on the health benefits of vegetable oils compared to animal fats. It has gotten to the point where the balance has gone far to the side of vegetable oils in the typical Western diet, and this imbalance is putting us at greater risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, to name a few. We get much of these omega-3 fats in today's diet from vegetable oils and processed foods, and instead of making us healthier it is the cause of many of our health problems.

When we look at our intake of omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats, the key to having these fats providing optimum health is balance between the two. Although animal fats have gotten a bad rap, both of these are essential. But with the increased amount of processed foods and foods cooked in vegetable oils at high temperatures in our diet, we now consume far too much omega-6 fats, both in total and in ratio to our omega-3 intake.

When we talk of a diet high in omega-6 fats, what kind of a diet are we talking about? Think the typical American southern diet, which is known for its chicken and other foods that are deep-fried. In a recent test done by the University of Alabama Birmingham it was found that those who ate this diet on a regular basis had a 41% greater risk of stroke. By eliminating other factors such as obesity, smoking and lack of physical activity, there was still a 30% increase in stroke risk.

It's not just that people consume too many omega-6 fats, but what happens to them when they are subjected to excessive heat. They are very chemically unstable, and when they are overheated in processing or cooking they literally deteriorate chemically. Also, if not consumed quickly they turn rancid. This is due to the oxidation process they go through. Depending on the type of oil and temperature, this breakdown and the formation of toxic chemical compounds it produces will depend on the oil and the temperature. The free radicals that will be released are what can cause cancer as well as numerous other health issues.

So what can we do to bring our omega-3s and omega-6s into balance? Some of the sources of omega-6 fats are corn, soy and canola oil, margarine, shortening and hydrogenated fats. Almost all processed and prepackaged food contains one of these oils. Oils that are acceptable to use to balance your omega-6s and 3s are extra virgin olive oil, avocados, coconut oil and organic butter. Also, meat that is raised exclusively on grass or free-range diets is very good. These would include venison and other game animals, but would not include traditionally raised cattle, because they typically are fed grain before they are slaughtered.

Another option is omega-3 supplementation, and probably the best option here is krill oil. It is far more absorbable than the omega-3 fish oil, therefore making it as much as 48 times more potent. But the key is to limit your intake of omega-6 fats, and that comes from eliminating processed, prepackaged, and deep-fried food as much as possible.

As the article states, fats are an important part of our diet, but we need a balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats.

By Rich Carroll