The Mediterranean Diet is characterized by abundant plant-origin foods such as whole wheat breads, pasta, brown /unpolished rice, vegetables, legumes/pulses, fruits and nuts; the use of olive oil as the main source of additional fat, moderate consumption of fish, seafood, poultry, dairy products (yogurt, cheese) and eggs, as well as small amounts of red meat.

The basic Mediterranean diet pattern is as follows:

• Legumes/Pulses : Eat daily.
• Fruit : 2.5 cups daily.
• Vegetables : 2 cups daily.
• Fish : More than twice weekly.
• Nuts : A handful daily.
• Poultry : 1-2 a week (not fried)
• Dairy products : 2 cups of a low-fat variety daily.
• Fats : Use primarily monounsaturated fats like olive oil or canola
• Eggs : Less than 2 per week.
• Avoid fried foods and processed foods.

It’s important to remember that the Mediterranean diet is not a quick weight loss diet, but a way of life. Almost as important as the food is regular physical activity and leisurely dining — taking pleasure and time to savor meals with friends and family. To generate a 14 day diet all you have to do is follow three easy steps!

A  Register yourself as a member of desidieter.

B  Upgrade your profile to a Silver/Gold/Platinum member.

C  Pick your diet preferences (Veg/Non Veg) and choose as many items from each of the given lists (beverages, mini meal, snacks, fillers and main meal)

D  Click on ‘Generate Diet Plan‘

E  Print, E-mail or get your 14 day diet report as a PDF!

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The Senate passes the Health Reform bill. This is a historic step towards health insurance reform.

In a historic vote that took place this morning, members of the Senate joined their the House of Representatives and passed a landmark (historic) health insurance reform package (bill). Now that both the House and the Senate have passed the Health Insurance Reform Bill what’s next?

The President believes that real and meaningful health insurance is soon to come for all Americans. The health insurance reform package will bring more security and stability to the American people.

What’s in the Health Insurance Reform Bill?

• Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny you coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition.
• Insurance companies will no longer be able to drop your coverage when you get sick.
• No longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts our of your own pocket for the treatments you need.
• There’s a new way to appeal unfair decisions made by your insurance carrier.

Important Point of the Health Insurance Reform Bill

• If this legislation becomes law, workers won’t have to worry about losing coverage if they lose or change jobs.
• Families will save on their premiums.
• The Health Insurance Reform Bill will strengthen Medicare.
• The Health Insurance Reform Bill will make insurance affordable for over 30 million Americans who didn’t have insurance.
• If this legislation becomes law, it will be the most important piece of social policy since the Social Security Act in the 30’s.

President Obama on Senate Passage of Health Reform

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We have tried for decades to fix a broken system and we have never, in my tenure in public life, been this close. We have never been as close as we are today, and things remain on track. We have hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, nurses, health care providers working with us; and the American people behind us. And everyone sees that we need change and in my view we are going to get that change. And we are going to get it this year. (The greatest wealth is health — a quote).

Well, we are here today to make our health care system healthy again. A strong commitment from these hospitals represented here and others will be a big part of making that happen (health care reform). All around the country, people that have health insurance are still struggling to pay their bills, because they are under insured or their out-of-pocket expenses are rising so rapidly that they are have trouble keeping up. And those who don’t have insurance, because they have lose their jobs or have been denied coverage because of a pre-existing illness are throwing themselves at the mercer of the people who represent the major hospitals in the United States.

As a result, our hospitals are cracking under the weight of providing quality health care for Americans who lack insurance. The hospital industry knows, the people who are with me here today know, and the President knows that the status quo simply is unacceptable. Let me say that again, the status quo is simply unacceptable. Rising cost are crushing us. They are crushing families, businesses, state budgets, and it is crushing the health care industry itself.

Hospitals have acknowledge at significantly health care cost savings can be achieved by improving ineffective, and red lining incentives to improve the quality of care vs. quantity of procedures. And in the last several weeks, hospitals have been working with several important and key people to come up with a proposal to produce real savings (health care savings) in federal health care spending. Savings that will be applied towards the President’s firm goal of enacted “Health Care Reform” that is deficit neutral.

As part of the agreement (or, health care reform package) hospitals are committed to contributing $155 billion dollars in Medicare and Medicaid savings over 10 years to cover health care cost reform. These reductions will be achieved through a combinations of “delivery system reform”, and additional reductions in hospital’s annual updates.

All of these savings are based on policies that the administration has proposed and budgeted for “Health Care Reform“. As our system becomes more efficient, thanks to innovation, technology, and electric records we will slow increases to Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals.

To hear more from VP, Biden please review the video — Hospital Health Care Reform

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Join the national online discussion on health care reform in the United States. This week President Obama asks us to submit questions on Health Care reform. Some of those questions will be answered live on Wednesday.

Transcription of the Video “Health Care Reform”

Our nation is in the midst of a conversation on one of the most important issues of our time — Health Care Reform. It’s been a lot of back and forward on this issue in the media and in Washington. But the bottom line here is very simple, non-action is not an option.

Our current Healthcare system is bankrupting families and is forcing businesses to shut their doors as premiums are rising 3x faster than wages. And healthcare cost are the number one cause of our long terms deficits. Which is why achieving healthcare reform is the number one thing we can do for our national long term physical health.

Now, health care reform can be a hard issues to understand, but it’s one that affects every family, and every community across this nation. So, as Congress debates this issue here in Washington I want you to be a part of this conversation.

That is why I’m asking you to get involved by responding to this video with any questions you might have about healthcare reform. Then this Wednesday, July 1, 2009 I will answer some of the most popular questions in an online TownHall.

Ultimately, your engagement on this issue is just as important as that of our law makers. I have always believed that real change does not come from Washington. It comes from the American people. And we will not be able to achieve reform without you.

So, America tell me what you want to know about health care reform; and I will do my best to answer your questions. I look forward to hearing from you.

From the White House Youtube Channel

Ask the President a question on Health Care Reform by recording a 20-30 second video and upload it to Youtube as a reply to the above video.

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Hydromorphone is a derivative of another drug known as morphine.  Hydromorphone is a narcotic, as morphine is, and they both fall in the opiod class of drugs.  Hydromorphone is typically used as an alternative to morphine.  Both drugs are medications used to treat analgesia, bronchial irritation, and chronic pain.

Hydromorphone and morphine become popular medications after heroin was removed from clinical trials.  Hydromorphone prescriptions written each year adds up to more than 1.8 million.  Hydromorphone is addictive and has a high potential to be abuse because of its habit forming history.

The most common use for hydromorphone is to treat servere and chronic pain.  Even thought hydromorphone is an alternative for morphine, hydromorphone is 2x – 4x stronger than morphine.

Hydromorphone Side Effects

• Respiratory depression
• Light Headed
• Dizziness
• Sedation
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sweating

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Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of CDC reports — We have confirmed Swine Flu cases within the United States. However, more Swine Flu cases have yet to be confirmed. The latest confirmation of the Swine Flu is in the California area. Bringing the total confirmed Swine Flu cases in the United State to 8. Mexico Minister of Health confirms that they have cases of Swine Flu and some of those people have died from the influenza.

While the United States is now working with Mexico, they have only tested a limited source of Swine Flu and currently do not have enough information to determined the threat of the Swine Flu in the United States. To date the United States has tested 14 samples of Swine Flu from Mexico and half of those samples tested positive for the influenza.

Here are some of the CDC actions since the Outbreak:

Working very close with States which have confirmed Swine Flu cases

Working close with Mexico

The CDC has sent staff to California and Texas

Contacting people who were in connection with those confirmed to have the Swine Flu

The CDC will be sending staff to Mexico

Travel Recommendation by the CDC:

To-date there are no travel recommendations to change, restrict, or alter their travel to the infected areas. However, the CDC will be offering travel outbreak notices for travelers to Mexico. A CDC outbreak notice is designed to alert travelers of an increase health risk due to an outbreak in a particular area.

For more information on the Swine Flu and the Swine Flu symptoms go to the CDC official Swine Flu site or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

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The scientific classification of the miracle fruit reads as Plantae, a genus of synsepalum. Other known names of the miracle fruit are miracle berry, magic berry, flavour berry. The miracle berry is grown in Ghana.

What’s the magic of the miracle fruit

Discovered by Chevalier Des Marchias, the flavour berry cause sour foods to taste sweet. Just think of the miracle results that can be achieved from this miracle fruit. Drug companies are learning how to use the miracle berry to help diabetic patients who can’t consume sweet treats. And for the rest of us — the miracle fruit can be used with popular diets.

Imagine eating grapefruit for breakfast without the sugar or drinking lemonade without the sweetener. By eating one miracle berry one could eliminate sugar all together — cause weight lose.

What’s in the miracle fruit?

The flavour berry contain glycoprotein molecules called miraculin — thus the miracle. When one consumes the flesh part of the berry the molecule binds to the tongue’s taste buds resulting in sweet/sour reverse.

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Science tells us that a diet high in protein and a moderate amount of carbohydrate results in a greater amount of weight loss.

This is because protein provides more satiety and you do not feel hungry so soon. This keeps you feeling full for longer and makes it easier for you to stick to the diet.

• Some unique rapid loss diet ensures that calories are distributed throughout the day to provide satiety.
• Calorie shifting principle also provide rapid weight loss.
• You can loose up to 4 Kg each time you follow a rapid weight loss diet

Generating a Rapid Loss Diet is as simple as

Pick a diet preferences (Veg/Non Veg) and choose as many items (minimum 5) from each  (juice, mini meal, snacks, fillers and main meal)

You can create your personalised weight loss diet at Desidieter 

Other Diet Resources

Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health–in Just Weeks!

The Protein Power Lifeplan

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According to Ayurveda, everything is composed of five elements: air, water, fire, earth and space. These elements combine to form the three doshas; vata, kapha and pitta, and these account for the differences in the way out body responds to things.

What is Ayurveda?  Ayurveda is a philosophy where one may stop or avoid unnecessary suffering/pain and live a long, healthy life. As a popular medical systems, Ayurveda has undergone continuous research, development and refinement over past 5,000 years. Originally from India, (ancient Hindu) Ayurveda is currently experiencing world-wide popularity as a revival sweeps in all continents.

Pitta Defined – In ancient Hindu ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, defines the characteristics of Pitta dosha: hot and a little unctuous (sahasnehamushnam); sharp, burning (tikshnam); liquid and acidic (dravamlam); always flowing in an unbounded manner (saram); pungent and sharp (katuhu). Pitta contains fire, but it also contains water. It is the source of the flame, but not the flame itself. Compare Pitta to gasoline–it is not hot to the touch, but it can be the source of flames.

• Hot - tendency to warm, flushed skin, inflamation or overactive metabolism
• Sharp - in mind and speech
• Moist - perspiration may be profuse
• Sour - bad breath and sour body odor if excess Pitta is present. 

Vata Defined – In ancient Hindu ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, defines the characteristics of Vata dosha: dry and rough (rookshaha); cool (sheetoha); light–lacking weight (laghuhu); very tiny, penetrating molecules (sookhshmaha); always moving (chalota); broad, unlimited, unbounded–akash means unbounded space (vishadaha); and rough (kharaha).

• Cold - tendency to cold hands and feet; a dislike of cold climate
• Moving - giving good or bad circulation depending on balance
• Quick - ability to pick up new information, quickly forgotten;
• Dry - tendency to dry skin, dry hair, dull eyes, moderate sweating.
• Rough - with tendency to rough skin, and coarse hair.

Kapha Defined – Kapha dosha controls the moist tissues of the body, so a Kapha imbalance may show up as a cold, allergies, or asthma. This is worse in Kapha season, March through June. Cold and wet weather aggravates Kapha. They should not dwell in the past or resist change. They need lots of exercise and need to be careful not to overeat. Kaphas need stimulation to bring out their vitality. Kapha dosha teaches us steadiness and a sense of well-being.

• Heavy - any heavy disorder suggest Kapha imbalance, whether obesity, or a heavy, oppressive kind of depression
  
• Sweet - leading to weight gain or diabetes if too much sweetness is added to the body
• Steady - self-contained. Body processes do not swing to the extremes;
• Soft - such as soft skin and hair, soft manners, a soft look in the eyes and an undemanding approach to situations
• Slow - slow movement, deliberate thinking.

 
Know your dosha www.desidieter.com

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Recent studies show an enriched nut diet along with the Mediterranean dietcan help managing symptoms caused by Metabolic Syndrome.  The reports also states diets using nuts may reduce stomach fat and lower blood pressure.  Results from the study -  14% of patients with large waistline, high cholesterol, and/or high blood pressure saw a reduction after a year on the nut diet.  Nuts contain nutrients that are natural remedies for blood pressure and fat.

What’s In A Mediterranean Diet

• Olive Oil
• Oily Fish
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts

Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

• Large Waistline
• High Triglycerides (fat found in the blood)
• High Blood Press
• High Blood Sugar

Metabolic Syndrome patients suffer from a high risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Additional Resources for the Mediterranean Diet:

The Mediterranean Prescription: Meal Plans and Recipes to Help You Stay Slim and Healthy for the Rest of Your Life

The Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health

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