Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Are 500 Calories at Noon the Same as 500 Calories at Midnight? y







Here’s the deal: You expend energy throughout the day in a number of ways through “active” energy, like going for a run and walking the dog, and “resting” energy—which includes involuntary processes such as blood circulation and breathing.
Even while you sleep, your body is using energy to keep you alive, says Aragon.
Meanwhile, all day long, your body is either storing or burning (also known as oxidizing) fat. The big picture of weight loss comes down to something called net fat balance, which is the difference between fat storage and fat oxidation.
Say your total energy expenditure for the day is 2,000 calories. If you eat 2,000 calories, your weight will remain the same. Take in any more and you’ll gain weight, and any less and you’ll lose it.
We’ve all heard this, of course, but for some reason, we often think it doesn’t apply under certain conditions.
Related: 7 Healthy Snacks That Suppress Your Appetite
“The energy doesn’t reappear and disappear out of nowhere,” says Aragon, who contends that it doesn’t matter whether the calories you consume are distributed in three regular meals during the day or one big meal at night.
Example: Imagine you eat nothing but a cheeseburger, fries, and shake at midnight, and your buddy eats the same meal at 8 a.m.
Early in the day before you eat, your body will be in a fasting stage since you’re not consuming calories—you’re only burning them. Once you eat your huge meal later in the day, that’s when your body starts to store fat.
Your friend who eats the same meal in the morning will go through the same process, just reversed. Neither of you are more or less likely to gain weight based on what time of day your body stores and burns fat.
And it’s not as if your body closes up shop at the end of the day. Your net fat balance over days, weeks, and even months is what counts when it comes to losing weight, says Aragon.
(To shed extra weight, try our Lose Your Spare Tire! Program. It’s the easiest way to drop 10, 20, or even 50 pounds!)
The bottom line: For weight maintenance, eat when you want to, as long as you don’t overeat. And for weight loss, do the same, as long as you eat fewer calories than you expend.
This isn’t to suggest that weight control is easy. That part depends on the individual—and many factors, including your lifestyle, genetics, and environmental influences.
But believe it or not, it is this simple.

KEEP HEALTHY

Healthy Eyes

Having a comprehensive dilated eye exam is one of the best things you can do to make sure that you’re seeing the best you can and that you’re keeping your eyes healthy.
Millions of people have problems with their vision every year. Some of these problems can cause permanent vision loss and even blindness, while others are common problems that can be easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
eye chart

What is a comprehensive dilated eye exam?

A comprehensive dilated eye exam is a painless procedure in which an eye care professional examines your eyes to look for common vision problems and eye diseases, many of which have no early warning signs. Regular comprehensive eye exams can help you protect your sight and make sure that you are seeing your best. Read more.

What are common vision problems?

Some of the most common vision problems are uncorrected refractive errors. These include myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, and presbyopia. Read more.

What are age-related eye diseases and conditions?

As you age, you are at higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. These include: age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, low vision and dry eye. Read more.

What can I do to keep my eyes healthy?

Read these tips for keeping your eyes healthy and your vision at its best
KEEP PROTECT YOUR EYE

Monday, October 5, 2015

Is organic baby food better for my baby?

Organic foods are produced without conventional pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones. Feeding your baby organic baby food might limit his or her exposure to these substances.
Conventional growers use pesticides to protect their crops from molds, insects and diseases. When farmers spray pesticides, this can leave residue on produce. Organic produce carries significantly fewer pesticide residues than does conventional produce.
Some people might buy organic baby food to limit their babies' exposure to these residues — since infants might be more susceptible to harm potentially caused by pesticides than are adults. However, residues on most products — both organic and nonorganic — don't exceed government safety thresholds.
Generally, research hasn't shown organic foods to be more nutritious than nonorganic foods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides organic seals for products that contain various percentages of organic ingredients — but the USDA makes no claims or guarantees that organic foods are safer or more nutritious than are nonorganic foods.
Some parents prefer organic baby food because it's environmentally friendly. Others feel that organic baby food simply tastes better. What's most important, however, is a balanced diet. Offering your child healthy foods from the beginning — whether they're organic or not — will set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Afghan conflict: MSF 'disgust' at government hospital claims

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said it is "disgusted" by Afghan government statements justifying an air strike on its hospital in Kunduz, calling it an "admission of a war crime".
MSF said the statement implies US and Afghan forces decided to bomb a hospital because of claims Taliban members were inside.
The charity blames US-led Nato forces for Saturday's attack which killed at least 22 people, including MSF staff.
The US is investigating the incident.
Afghan government forces, backed by the US-led coalition, have been engaged in a battle to retake the northern city of Kunduz from Taliban fighters who seized it last month.

'Raze to the ground'

On Saturday the Afghan defence ministry said "armed terrorists" were using the hospital "as a position to target Afghan forces and civilians".
MSF said in a statement: "These statements imply that Afghan and US forces working together decided to raze to the ground a fully functioning hospital - with more than 180 staff and patients inside - because they claim that members of the Taliban were present.
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption MSF says its workers reported no fighting inside the hospital before the attack
"This amounts to an admission of a war crime. This utterly contradicts the initial attempts of the US government to minimise the attack as 'collateral damage.'"
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Sunday that a full, transparent investigation would be conducted into whether the US military could be linked to the attack.
MSF re-iterated its demand for an independent investigation by an international body.
Media caption Footage from the scene showed the still smoking remains of the clinic
Twelve MSF staff members and 10 patients were killed when the hospital was hit.
Dozens were injured and the hospital severely damaged by a series of air strikes lasting more than an hour from 02:00 local time on Saturday morning.
On its Twitter feed, MSF said: "The hospital was repeatedly and precisely hit during each aerial raid, while the rest of the compound was left mostly untouched.
"Not a single member of our staff reported any fighting inside the hospital compound prior to the US air strike on Saturday morning."

Read more on the battle for Kunduz:

Image copyright European Photopress Agency
Image caption Food is distributed to residents who have been forced to stay home without food or electricity to escape street battles

Afghan troops are now reported to have recaptured most of Kunduz after it was seized by the Taliban.
MSF said it was pulling most of its staff out of the area but some medical staff were treating the wounded at other clinics.
"All critical patients have been referred to other health facilities and no MSF staff are working in our hospital," a spokeswoman for the charity told AFP news agency.
MSF says the hospital was a lifeline for thousands in the city and in northern Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama has expressed his condolences and said he would await the conclusions of an inquiry before making a definitive judgement.
The UN called the strikes "inexcusable and possibly even criminal", with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling for a thorough and impartial investigation.