History has long taken notice of the slim and attractive bodies of men and women from Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco, an area also known as the Mediterranean. Medical professionals have also noted the lesser incidence of heart disease and longer life spans enjoyed by inhabitants of the region.

Mediterranean people have a unique diet, rich in antioxidants and heart healthy oils, which has remained unchanged for more than a millennium. Despite the drastic change in dietary habits in Western countries, Mediterranean men and women continue to consume a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and high in whole grains.

Modern researchers have uncovered the reasons why the classic diet provides such incredible health benefits, and diet programs incorporating the Mediterranean style of eating now flourish. Mediterranean diets focus on the key components of olive oil and fresh, high-quality produce.

Adherents of a Mediterranean diet are encouraged to replace dietary fats and oils with heart-healthy olive oil. Olive oil is rich in vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E, and K, as well as being high in iron. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol and may protect against ailments like stomach ulcers and constipation.

High consumption of fresh produce is encouraged, with emphasis placed on consuming those fruits and vegetables which are minimally processed and locally and seasonally grown. Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, also minimally processed, give the Mediterranean diet variety.

Although fresh produce and olive oil (25 to 35 percent of total calories) are the true focus of the Mediterranean diet, lean meats are allowed in moderation, which reflects the eating habits of the Mediterranean peoples. Lean red meat is not off-limits, but followers of the diet should eat read meat sparingly.

Other protein sources like cheese, fish, poultry, and eggs are to be consumed in moderation throughout the week. Yogurt and cheese should be consumed in moderate amounts daily, while fish and poultry are to be eaten in limited servings weekly. Mediterranean dieters are encouraged to eat anywhere from none to 4 servings of eggs each week.

Like Western eaters, the Mediterranean peoples have long enjoyed a little something sweet each day. The Mediterranean diet calls for daily consumption of fresh, unprocessed fruit as a dietary treat. High fat, high sugar, processed sweets should be limited or cut out of the diet entirely.

Another health-affirming component of the Mediterranean diet is the addition of moderate amounts of wine. While over-consumption of alcohol is discouraged, Mediterranean dieters may enjoy one or two glasses of wine per day.

Moderate consumption of wine has been found to produce many health benefits, including reduction in incidences of kidney stones and reduction in risk of heart disease. Researchers have also found a link between moderate wine consumption and longevity.

While the Mediterranean way of eating is now supported by current dietary research, many adherents choose the diet for the simplest reason: it’s an enjoyable way to eat.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: constipation, France, Greece, heart disease, heart-healthy olive oil, Italy, kidney stones, Lebanon, Mediterranean, mediterranean diet, Mediterranean diets, Morocco, olive oil, Spain, Stomach ulcers, Tunisia

The Center for Disease Control is reporting that Measles Cases are at the highest rate in over 10 years. Most of the reason for the really high rate of Measles outbreaks is because of the fear of Autism from kids getting the

More measles cases have been reported in the United States since Jan. 1, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996, according to a report released today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Measles Results for 2008

Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported to CDC′s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). At least fifteen patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Academy of Pediatrics, Anne Schuchat, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Autism, Belgium, California, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, China, D.C., director, encephalitis, Europe, Georgia, Germany, hawaii, Illinois, immunization, India, Israel, Italy, Louisiana, measles, Michigan, Missouri, mmr vaccine, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Mumps, National Center for Immunization, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, New Mexico, New York, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, preventing infections, Respiratory Diseases, rubella, Russian Federation, Switzerland, the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, vaccination, vaccination program, vaccination status, vaccines, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

There is a new very large study of 70,000 women that is making health headlines today that shows that drinking alcohol, especially fairly heavy drinking will increase a womens risk of breast cancer. How much is fairly heavy drinking? The study shows that three or more drinks a day will increase the chance of developing breast cancer by 30% over that of non drinkers.

All types of alcohol — wine, beer or liquor — add equally to the risk of developing breast cancer in women, American researchers said Thursday.

“This is a hugely underestimated risk factor,” said Dr. Patrick Maisonneuve, head of epidemiology at the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, who was not connected to the study.

The researchers, led by Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, Calif., revealed their findings at a meeting of the European Cancer Organization in Barcelona.

Researchers analyzed the drinking habits of 70,033 women of various races and asked them questions during health exams between 1978 and 1985. By 2004, 2,829 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Tags: Arthur Klatsky, Barcelona, breast cancer, breast_cancer, California, cancer_in_women, drinking_alcohol, European Cancer Organization, European Institute of Oncology, head of epidemiology, head of epidemiology in Italy, Health Issues, Italy, kaiser_permanente_medical, Oakland, Patrick Maisonneuve

Kim Lyons is a fitness contest competitor from California. Yesterday I posted about how Jillian Michaels has left the Biggest Lose and is being replaced by Kim Lyons . Who is Kim Lyons you may be wondering? Well I dug around and found the following bio on her at the Kim Lyons website. It looks like she has quite the background and I am excited to see her in action when the Biggest Loser comes back to TV next January

Height 5′4
Birthday 5-5-73
Weight 120 off season 115 competition
Measurements 34-24-34
Hair Blonde
Eyes Brown

My Childhood

“Home is not the place where you live, but the place where you belong”

I was born in Texas, then moved to England, Sacramento CA, New Mexico, Alabama, Back to Sacramento, Idaho, Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Italy, Utah and now I’m in Hermosa Beach, CA Although I always made where I’m living home, I have been coming to Hermosa Beach since I was five to spend the summers with my Grandparents. I have always called Hermosa “home”. It is the only place that I have continued to return to throughout my life. It sounds silly, but I still get so excited every time I wake up and realize I live here!

Athletic Background
I have always been involved in sports. Gymnastics, dance, track, softball, and cheerleading were I spent most of my time. Moving so often it was hard to make new friends, having sports always put me in with a little group. I cheered all the way through my last year in college. Most people really under estimate how much athletic talent and time is required as a collegian cheerleader.

Getting started as a fitness competitor
I never planned on a career in fitness. Throughout college I studied nutrition and other related topics to get my BS in Human Development and Nutrition. I just needed to get a degree so I could become an airline pilot. That was my goal. However, my love and passion of the fitness industry and modeling lead me down a different path.

Shortly after graduating from Colorado State I began teaching aerobics and working at the front desk at a new World Gym opening up across the street. I rarely lifted weights, and taught about 6 classes a week. One of the trainers asked me if I wanted to train with him and another girl looking to share the cost of the sessions. The other girl, Shannon, was training for the Galaxy. She had the most amazing abs I’d ever seen. After about a month of training and learning to eat better, my body had drastically changed and I decided to compete as well. There were about 100 girls in the competition and I placed somewhere in the top 20. I was super happy with that and had a blast. Even better, I was swamped by several top photographers in the business. I started to get exposure, and from there the ball kept rolling. I never dreamed I’d actually get the job of my dreams as a “Weider Athlete”. I have since signed on as part of “Team Muscle Tech”. Life just keeps getting better!

Me in a Nutshell!
I’m a totally down to earth! I believe in the good old fashion phrase “Treat others as you’d like them to treat you!” If I’m having a bad day and someone smiles, says hello, or gives a compliment can really turn my day around. Sometimes I feel like everyone is so quick to be critical and not to give a compliment. I think we all critique ourselves enough, sometimes it is hard to see the beauty in ourselves.

I guess overall I’m pretty much a goofball. I’d say I have a smile on my face 90% of the time. Doing sexy shoots is not my thing, I think I look silly when I have a serious face! Many people think I’m a goodie two shoes because I don’t do a lot of sexy T and A shoots, but really I just have a butt complex and my top half is usually to lean to brag about! I’m super independent and love to be alone. I love days when I can just sit around my house, catch up on e-mails, clean out a drawer or two, fold the laundry, and walk the dog. I don’t understand how people can be bored. I need about ten lifetimes to do everything I want to do!

Tags: airline, Alabama, Arizona, California, collegian cheerleader, Colorado, Gymnastics, Hermosa Beach, Idaho, Italy, jillian michaels, kim lyons, little group, New Mexico, Sacramento, Shannon, Softball, Texas, United Kingdom, Utah, Virginia, World Gym

Biggest Loser Special Edition started last night, apparently, we knew nothing about it until it was on even. The new format of the special edition version of the Biggest Loser is tow hours where the first hour is the two teams working with our old favorites of Jillian and Bob as trainers and going through the regular paces of great quality eating and diet coupled with huge amounts of exercise. The second hour of the show is the two teams back at home where they try to continue losing weight until the final bit of the show where the competition between the two teams is based on percentage of weight lost over five months with the winning team taking home 50,000 dollars.

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Looking for last nights finale of Season 4 and my review of it? Then go to the Season 4 Biggest Loser Finale Page

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This week, the first week the two teams were the Muha family from Florida and the Samuels family from Atlanta. The two teams had one fitness competition where the family of three had to carry a giant ice cream sundae a long distance in the shortest amount of time, was not really exciting but anyway the Muha family won.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Allentown, Bronx, Edwin, Italy, NBC, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Portland, Rasha, Sarah, Steve, the Biggest Loser, USD