Smart Nutrition for All

Nutrition is simply the fuel for your body’s metabolic and physiological requirements throughout your daily activities. Even though it sounds simple, it is not and unfortunately people seem to neglect the effects that proper nutrition can have on the quantity and quality of life you shall have. It is a Discipline and a Science and as all sciences must be treated with respect. Whether your goals range from general well-being to fighting a pathology or even improving athletic performance, nutrition will play its role.

Undoubtedly a vital factor to human survival is food. The only source of metabolic energy that humans can process is from nutrients and bio active compounds with direct health benefits, and these come from the food that we eat. And just when some people can probably get away from natural-born diseases or environmental toxins, they cannot get away from the food they ingest and its consequences. We basically are what we eat.

Benefits of Nutrition

As stated previously, even if your goal is targeted around body composition, although desirable, it is not the only benefit you will enjoy.

  • Improvement of bio-markers
  • Improvement in gene expression
  • Improved mental focus
  • Reduced risk of Metabolic Syndrome
  • Reduced risk of Cardiovascular Disease
  • Reduced risk of Cancer
  • Improvement in the quality of life for patients undergoing cancer treatments
  • Improvement of Neurological disorders
  • Improvement of Autoimmune disorders

The list is simply too large to be included in full, needless to say that ongoing studies will bring more benefits to the surface but we will just have to wait for the data to be released. However, we see that within the range set by genetics, a person’s choice of diet influences long-term health.

Why is it so Hard… ?

As with any good deed in life, adopting a ”SMART ” and beneficial feeding style is hard and will drive most people crazy. We are now living in huge modern cities where food is constantly been promoted and there is simply no escape. Whereas an alcoholic can most likely come off the addiction by simply quitting the booze and avoiding the bars, the obese individual has a harder path to follow… there is simply no escape from food… It is everywhere… and it is addictive… !

People decide what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and even whether to eat in highly personal ways based on a complex bundle of genetic, behavioral and social factors rather than on an awareness of nutrition’s importance to health.

  • Ethnic Heritage
  • Genetics
  • Personal preferences
  • Habits
  • Social interaction
  • Media
  • Convenience
  • Financial
  • Availability
  • Psychology
  • Religion
  • Lifestyle

SMART Nutrition

Any nutritional strategy you use to improve your health must be:

  • Specific: You are unique so the nutritional strategy you choose must be tailored for you and not the ripped dude you got it off from the gym. Specific data coming from you such as goals, age, weight, gender, medical history, activity levels, BMI. LBM. TEEE and previous nutritional habits are vital for creating a custom nutrition strategy.
  • Measurable: Any good strategy will require data in order to keep it in track, observe progress or even break plateaus. Calorie counting, calorie partitioning, weight measurements, body fat measurements and even bio markers will provide sufficient data to keep everything in check. Any protocol promising you results without the use of data, is a waste of time.
  • Affordable: There is no point in going on a diet that requires your whole salary to be spent on food and supplements. I know that proper nutrition is expensive but it can be tailored accordingly.
  • Realistic: Going on a low carb diet when you simply cannot live without carbs is not realistic neither is consuming 1.5gr/lb of protein if you are not training but decided to go on a high protein diet. Other variables such as meal timing and frequency will also need to be addressed according to your schedule
  • Tolerable: Diets that starve you to death at best are not tolerable let aside the metabolic damage they produce. The strategy you choose must include diet breaks, meal freedom once in a while and rewards. I hate the word cheat meal as it is of a negative nature and messes up with your psychology. A reward, is more self-fulfilling and boosts your ego!

So the next time you pick the latest diet frenzy or dogma at least make sure it fits the above requirements as we are all unique beings having specific lifestyles thereby making a ”one size fits all” kind of diet impossible to exist. By the way, do not use the term diet as it brings out negative feelings and makes the effort of sustaining a proper nutritional strategy horrific. My preferred use of words for me and my clients will be a ”nutritional strategy”. Now by simply changing from a diet to a strategy, you boost all sorts of positive feelings and suddenly you feel like a General kicking ass in war… That’s the exact kind of mental focus you will need!

Summing Up

I hope I did not bore you with stuff that you already know but realize that many people will need to be thoroughly educated in the areas of nutrition in order to take control of their lives. For all the science geeks out there waiting for data to be revealed, this was a general overview targeted towards the general public, but I will be analyzing several nutritional protocols with serious data in future articles, so be patient.

The benefits of a proper nutritional strategy are now more evident than ever, so choosing to adopt a S.M.A.R.T Nutritional Strategy is clearly the smart way to go.

Good luck with your nutritional journey.

Can I Really Get an Art Degree Online?

There are many people who are passionate about Arts and its related fields. For those who are interested for pursuing arts as a profession there are a wide range of art degree online programs that are offered by universities today. Students who wish to take up art as a career can choose from art history, music, visual and art education. There are also related and associated areas of interest like animation, digital arts, ceramics, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpting and digital art. These associated fields of study enable a student to specialize in a specific category and they can work in the fields of business, sales and marketing, design, advertising and management.With respect to the above if a student has a passion for arts he can successfully turn to obtaining an online art degree in many different majors and associated degrees in Acting, Web Design, Media Production, Photography, Painting etc, There are many institutions that offer various online programs in the above mentioned fields. Like traditional colleges these online courses cover the same syllabus and they are started and ended in the same manner. Both online art degree schools offer bachelor and master degrees as well as the intricacies of art education successfully.The benefits of earning an art degree online are the international availability of such degrees. Due to this one can earn an online degree from virtual art schools that may be in countries that are famous for their heritage in arts like France and Italy. These countries have a rich art culture and even if a student registers for a short term course he or she can learn immensely from their courses.Online art degrees do not mean that the student will be sitting on a computer. These art schools regularly provide online art educational materials for the student to go through. These materials are drafted by art professionals of international repute and thus one can learn from the horizons of their knowledge. All the students of an online art degree program can have online interactions with the teachers and thus they can expand their knowledge effectively on the subject.Online art degree programs have successfully churned out students, who have joined scenic artist positions, taken to art education and teaching or they can join as portrait and gallery artists. In order to obtain the right degree one needs to visit the respected online art degree websites and enroll for the desired course. Different schools offer a variety of programs and a student can compare the courses that are offered before deciding on the right one. These art schools offer accredited courses and students can also check into the credentials of a school easily. They can also check for the certification details and recognition before they enroll.For those students who have a knack for art and its associated field access to  art degree online courses can be a wise and prudent decision. Such courses can offer extensive national and international art knowledge. They are like classroom sessions except that in these cases the student attends a virtual classroom and interacts with the teacher through the internet. One should scrutinize all the credentials of an art school before joining a course. If one keeps in mind the above tips one can make his dreams into reality thanks to the comprehensive art online degree programs available on the internet.

In a Perfect Healthcare World

What can be done to bring the human touch back to health care?The health care industry has seen some dramatic changes in the past couple decades. With the rise of technology, everything has seemed to gone digital. Health records have gone electronic, a new health app is born every minute, and telemedicine has replaced face-to-face appointments. Then there are all the new healthcare policies and laws that people have to navigate. Trying to get health care insurance was a big fiasco in itself. Meanwhile, workloads for health care providers have increased, causing a great deal of frustration and burnout.As all of this is going on, many people have lost sight of what health care is all about, which is healing people and caring for them. Organizations have become occupied with ways to cut costs, make more money, and expedite interactions with patients.Yes, there are patient advocate groups and people who do remember why they got into the medical field in the first place, it seems as if they’ve been lost in the shuffle. Progress is being made as their voices have become more amplified with the Internet and social media, but at the same time change doesn’t seem to be coming fast enough. Because the media wants to focus on the politics and business of healthcare, we oftentimes get sucked into the drama, which is a major distraction.You have to wonder sometimes if change will ever be made.So what would this ideal medical world look like if we could shut out all the noise of politics and the business of healthcare?First, there would be a culture of putting people first above everything else. Healthcare organizations would look out for their employees and ensure their wellbeing at all times. This means all medical professionals’ workloads would be less so they’re not experiencing burnout. Hospital executives would be concerned more with employee morale and patient safety rather than how much money they’re making or saving.As for medical professionals, the threat of being sued for medical malpractice wouldn’t be a thought in their minds because they are so focused on being present with each and every patient. They genuinely care for their patients and develop relationships with them through constant communication. As a result, patients would feel protected and trust their healthcare providers.Lastly, hospitals and medicine would truly contribute to healing people. Hospitals would be warm, inviting, and comfortable places. Processes and procedures would operate smoothly because everyone within the organization doesn’t feel rushed, overworked, or overwhelmed with paperwork. There would be enough staff to take care of patients in a timely manner. People support each other and look out for one another. Everyone has the same vision.What do you think? Can we work together to change the way people view healthcare?

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