The Age-Old question Butter vs Margarine?

We're always being told that natural is best and it would seem that milk from cows is, well, natural. So, what about the butter made from that milk? Shopping shelves are filled with substitutes to butter — such as margarine. It claims to be a healthier alternative, but is it really? You can exercise and watch what you eat, but when it comes to slathering something tasty on your toast or English Muffin, you probably still ask what's better for me: Butter or margarine?

We've heard conflicting reports over the years, so we're going to find out once and for all what's better for us — butter or margarine?

Eleven recent studies that directly evaluated the health effects of margarine versus butter have all confirmed that soft margarine is healthier. These 11 studies, involving more than 70,000 individuals, clearly demonstrate the cholesterol-lowering benefits of margarine products compared to butter.

Health professionals recommend that we reduce the total amount of fat in our diet, but some fat is essential. It is important to pay attention to both the amount and type of fat eaten. Both butter and margarine are 80% fat and are made with many of the same ingredients, namely fats and oils. The difference between them is the type of fat they contain. Butter is made from milk/dairy fat which is high in saturated fat and also contains trans fat. Both saturated and trans fat raise blood cholesterol levels.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, switching to margarine from butter can greatly reduce blood cholesterol levels. Keeping blood cholesterol under control is a key factor in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Health professionals recommend choosing margarine instead of butter as one of the simplest ways people can improve their diets to become more heart-healthy.

Margarines are made from natural vegetable oils. If they are hardened by hydrogenation then trans fats will be formed. It is therefore best to choose a margarine/spread that is non-hydrogenated, low in saturated fat and contains mono and polyunsaturated fat that help lower blood cholesterol levels. None of the Unilever margarines and spreads contains trans fats.

Margarine is clearly the heart-healthy choice recommended by health professionals and leading health organizations. The heart foundation has given the tick to margarine's that have removed those trans fatty acids. So, just because butter comes straight from nature doesn't mean it's healthier for you.

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What is the Best Energy Drink?

Do you ever wonder which energy drink is the best energy drink? Like many other individuals today you may be interested in getting the most out of an energy drink. We drink these drinks to obtain more energy to do the things we want to do or have to do. We need more energy and we look for it in various types of energy drinks. However, many of the energy drinks today hold no real nutritional value. Good nutrition is essential for our health and well being. Unfortunately, many of these energy drinks contain large doses of stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, ephedrine, carbonization and various types of artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives.

However, rather than nourishing your body with essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients these drinks can cause you to become dehydrated, sleepy, irritable, nauseated and full of anxiety. This is especially true when there is caffeine present. Sure they may bring your spirits up for a short time at least until the caffeine and sugar rush drops you down. Sugary vitamin water and caffeine laced energy drinks may produce mood enhancement but only for a short time. However, when your body begins making adjustments to accommodate such a harmful combination of caffeine and sugar combinations in very high doses the down time is not worth the money or time spent to bring on such a rush of energy.

Sugar can be harmful to your body since it can lead to obesity; it upsets the mineral balance of your body and suppresses your immune system. It can also aggravate arthritis and speed up your process of aging and produces more insulin that you need which can contribute to the energy crash you experience when the energy drink begins to wear off.

Caffeine works on your body in various ways and can produce the most undesirable results when you drink the wrong kind of energy drink. Caffeine is addictive. It can also cause you to develop headaches and insomnia. Caffeine is a stimulant that does raise your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and flow, body temperature and heart rate. It also works as a diuretic which causes you to visit the restroom more often, which can be very inconvenient. Caffeine can also inhibit the properties of medication and cause panic attacks or anxiety and depression. When you drink energy drinks that are high in caffeine you may also suffer from breast tenderness, stomach problems and sleep disorders.

However, you can eliminate all these harmful side effects by drinking a better choice of energy drink. The best energy drink contains ingredients that are free of caffeine, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, sugar, colors, flavorings, carbonization and unnecessary calories. These things can cause an unbalance level of hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. You will also not have to worry about gaining weight and losing sleep when you drink an all natural energy drink that will still provide you with all of your energy needs yet enhancing your ability to focus and concentrate.

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Adam Braun has an extensive background in nutrition as well as other health related fields. He has a passion for Yoga and for empowering health through natural sources. To learn about Truboost, the best all natural energy drink and other health promoting products please visit http://www.enlightened-network-marketing.com/all-natural-energy-drink.html

Cabbage

At Important Facts about Cabbage you can find information on the nutritional benefits of cabbage and how it can assist in health.

Cabbage is low-calorie, inexpensive, and a great vegetable for weight loss. You can read more at the above article.

Low Fat Cooking For Weight Loss

Low Fat Cooking For Weight Loss
By Jenni Kerala

The secret to weight loss through low fat cooking isn't to cut all of the foods you love from your diet. It's learning to make the foods you love in healthier ways.

If you want to lose weight, you have to burn off more fat than you consume. So cutting the amount of fat you have in your diet is the first step. And one way to do this is to substitute some of the high fat ingredients you cook with, instead using fat free or low fat alternatives.

You Can Eat Meat

A low fat diet doesn't mean you have to give up meat. What is important is the type of meat you choose.

Removing the skin from chicken also removes a lot of the fat. With beef or pork, choose thin cuts. And if there is any visible fat on a cut of meat, trim it off.

Even on a low fat diet, you can still eat sausage and bacon. Sausages made with chicken or turkey contains less fat than beef or pork sausages. And turkey bacon is better for you than bacon make from pork. And it tastes good, too.

Cooking Your Meat

How you cook your meat also makes a difference. Chicken that has been baked, broiled or grilled is going to be lower in fat than chicken that's been deep fried. Coating chicken with spiced breadcrumbs and then frying them can make a tasty substitute for deep fried chicken.

If you need to sauté your meat for one of your recipes, do so in a skillet that you have lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Butter and Oil

Instead of using butter or oil to cook your eggs in the morning, spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray instead. If you must use cooking oil, choose olive oil or canola oil over something like regular vegetable oil.

There is no denying that butter adds flavor to your dishes. But you can add flavor in other ways. For example, with egg dishes, you can experiment with all kinds of herbs and spices to give them more flavor. And, when you cook rice in fat free chicken broth, you taste buds won't even miss the butter, and it tastes delicious!

Milk and Cream

A lot of the dishes you make that call for milk will work just as well with fat free milk as they would with whole milk. Dishes that call for heavy cream, you can substitute fat free evaporated milk.

And you can still make those delicious cheese cakes. Just substitute reduced fat cheeses for the ones you usually use.

Weight loss through low fat cooking doesn't mean completely giving up on the foods you love. In most cases, it just means replacing some of the ingredients with healthier alternatives.

If you're looking for a plan to help you lose weight fast, then be sure to read Jenni's complete review of Fat Loss 4 Idiots. The plan is designed to be very simple and easy to follow and has an online diet generator so you don't even have to think about what to eat. Just follow the food plan and you can lose as much as 9 pounds in 11 days.

Trying to cut the fat from your abs and not just your meals? check out Jenni's tips on Getting Rid of Belly Fat. For more great diet tips and reviews of popular diet plans, be sure to visit http://dietinspector.com/

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