Fortunate Contest

A typical breakfast consists of 3 or 4 strips of bacon, two or more eggs and coffee. A snack would maybe be chunks of cheese and a cup of coffee with cream. Dinner might be a huge steak fried in butter. Sounds really good right? It sounds so tempting but there is a trade-off. You will have to give up carbs such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice, and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits, veggies, and milk at least in the beginning.

The theory is that when you cut out carbs your body are forced into burning fat that your body has stored to give it energy. Your body burns more calories when burning fat than when it is burning carbohydrates and you will lose weight more quickly. Your blood sugars stabilize which prevents overeating.

The first phase of the Atkins Diet Plan is the Introduction Phase and must be followed for at least two weeks. You are only allowed to consume 20 grams of carbs a day. You can load up on as much red meat, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, mayo, cream, and butter. It is during this phase that your body switches from the burning fat to burning carbs.

The second phase is the ongoing weight loss phase. During this phase you increase your carb intake by about 5 grams daily until you find your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. The most carbs that you can eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week. Breads, pasta, potatoes, and rice are still off limits.

The third phase is the pre-maintenance phase that you enter when you have only five to ten pounds to go to meet your goal weight. Your carb intake increases by ten grams each day for a week in order to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs and the final phase of maintenance.

The fourth phase is called lifetime maintenance and intended to help you keep your motivation. Carbs are limited to less than 90 grams a day. Get used to it though because you will be on a low carb diet for the rest of your life.

There are some concerns about the long-term effects of the Atkins Diet Plan and other low carb plans. There is such a high consumption of fat, particularly saturated fats and this can cause an increase risk of heart disease.

The Atkins diet eliminates some nutrients and this could cause deficiencies and other health problems in the future. Since there is a limited intake of bone building calcium you could be at increased risk of Osteoporosis. A very limited intake of antioxidant nutrients could cause problems such as heart disease, cancer, and premature aging.

One drawback of the Atkins Diet is that it can become boring. Vegetarians have difficulty with this diet because veggies, seeds, and nuts are off limits in the first stages. The diet does present a view of healthy eater, which keeps us healthy and free from disease.

Other concerns are that the initial weight loss comes back quickly when you go off the Atkins plan and a lot of people drop out in the induction phase. The carbs are very low and ketosis can result which is dangerous for a diabetic or anyone else for that matter.

This diet is high in cholesterol and you can develop constipation and/or heart disease because of the high fat content. Since the diet is low in fruits and vegetables, it also lacks cancer-fighting antioxidants. The most serious drawbacks to the Atkins plan are that it is not intended for long term use and there are unsafe if not downright dangerous side effects.

A few positive notes about the Atkins Plan are that it works! You lose a lot of weight quickly and you can eat as much as you want of certain foods especially protein and fat.

The Atkins Diet eliminates to a great degree carbs from rice, pasta, potatoes, breads, some fruits and veggies. It also eliminates cancer-fighting antioxidants. It is a high fat and high protein diet that can increase the risk for certain diseases like high cholesterol and heart disease.

On the upside, this is one diet that actually works but it is not a diet that you can be on for an indefinite period of time. Once you go off the program and resume more ‘normal’ eating the initial weight loss will come back. Also, as with any diet plan check with your doctor to be sure you can safely do it.

To conclude let me give you a reminder. The Atkins diet is not for long term use and it has inherent health risks. If you need to lose weight you may already be at risk for heart disease and high cholesterol, the Atkins plan has the potential of actually increasing those risks.

(c) <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com”>www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com

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About the Author

Martin Smith is a successful writer providing advice on a variety of subjects. For information on Atkins diet plans, drop by the website. His numerous articles resource of interesting and relevant information. http://www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com

Do you know what the Child Trust Fund is? remarkably few appear to realise that all infants get a free £250 voucher from the State to put in a Child Trust Fund. This voucher can be invested in any one of three sorts of CTF account, Stakeholder - a shares-based account thatswitches into cash, a savings account or a shares account. It is a superb chance to invest for the future requirements of a infant

Scottish Friendly is a licensed provider of the Child Trust Fund The Government is keen for the public to have access to Stakeholder accounts and this is the sort of account that we are providing. This means that:

Investments are saved into Scottish Friendly’s Managed Growth Fund, which aims to provide strong growth potential

An investment is made in part in shares to take advantage of potentially higher returns over 18 years,compared to a cash deposit account (although the value of shares can
decrease as well as rise whereas capital would be protected in a deposit account)

It is available with a low ‘Stakeholder’ funds charge of just 1.5 percent annually

When a person reaches the age of 18 the child will get a lump sum, totally free of Capital Gains and Income Tax under current legislation

It is very affordable - additional payments can be put in the account from as little as £10

An attractive feature of the Child Trust Fund is that anyone - parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends - may contribute to the Fund to an uppermost limit of £1,200 per year to help augment the child’s Fund (once added, this money may not be withdrawn).

All this means our Stakeholder account provides a good balance between potentially high returns and a reduced level of risk. There is also the additional assurance that our account meets with the Government’s stakeholder criteria. However this does not mean that returns are guaranteed or that Stakeholder accounts are suitable for everyone. Bear in mind that the value of shares in the Managed Growth Fund (where your Child Trust Fund money is invested) can go down as well as rise and would not be guaranteed.

Only children who were born on or after 1st September 2002 are qualified to open a Child Trust Fund. If you have older children born before the above-mentioned date who are not entitled you could think about investing for them with a Child Bond - it’s a tax-free savings plan which is intended for long-term growth.

It is evident that investing for a child.your children is a sound means of preparing for the future.

With all the interest and television ratings that televised poker has garnered over the past five years or so, I wonder if major online poker tournaments will ever be televised.

Now before you start laughing, keep in mind that many things that are on television now would have once been considered not TV worthy, including poker. The first time I remember poker being televised was in the mid 1990’s, I believe it was the U.S. Championships from Atlantic City. It was on at 4 in the morning, basically as filler programming in the middle of the night. The idea that televised poker could one day be shown in primetime and attract huge audiences would have been absurd. So how would televised online poker work? Well, I suppose it could be like the current poker telecasts, showing everyone at the virtual table, with access to seeing their hole cards. Since that could get boring after a while, you would after all not have the interpersonal banterings that a live table has, perhaps camera crews could be in each of the players’ home locations to film their reactions to certain hands. Perhaps the poker game coverage could be interspersed with little featurettes about the players. Who knows if all that would work or not. But the fact is in an age where televised tournament poker can outdraw many sporting events, televising online poker is a feasible idea

ARE FISH SAFE TO EAT?1264Susan Rand

No doubt your mother told you to eat fish - “It’s good for you.” But is that true? Considering that according to the EPA, 1/3 of all US rivers are too polluted for swimming or fishing, can fish be safe to eat?

WHY EAT FISH ANYWAY?

Fish and shellfish can be very good for you. They offer high-quality protein and other nutrients, are low in saturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are poly-unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower blood triglycerides and raise the level of HDL cholesterol (the good kind). Triglycerides are the principal form of fat found in foods. They are processed by the liver. Excess fat consumed in the diet is converted in the liver into triglycerides for storage as fat. High triglycerides are associated with heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help lower triglycerides, and may also help prevent blood clotting. Other studies indicate that Omega-3 fatty acids can help prevent hypertension (high blood pressure). They also aid in reducing the risk of cancer (especially breast cancer), vision problems, and arthritis. They also help maintain the circulatory system.

The American Heart Association recommends we consume a variety of fish and shellfish, 2-3 servings a week, to help prevent heart disease. A recent study of 11,000 heart attack survivors found that participants who took a 1,000 mg fish oil supplement daily - a 3-1/3 oz serving of broiled salmon - lowered their risk of dying of heart disease within three years, compared with the group which received no fish oil.
BUT ARE FISH SAFE TO EAT?
As reported in the Montana Kaimin newsletter for May 9, 2005,
“Chile is asking the world what color they would like their farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is typically a white color in Chile, due to the lack of the nutrients and algae that colors [sic] salmon flesh raised in the north. Why should Americans care? Because 60% of the United States’ salmon is coming [sic] from Chile.”
Besides having a sickly color, almost all fish and shellfish contain mercury - how much depends on the type consumed. Fish also may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxins banned in 1976 but still present in the environment. PCBs are harmful to various systems of the body, including the immune and nervous systems. Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, high PCB levels in mothers were associated with low birth weight and learning disabilities. A study by the University of Albany revealed that Washington farmed salmon contained as much PCBs as those from Chile. The university stated that the results of this study indicated that eating more than one 8 oz. serving of salmon could deliver an unsafe level of PCBs. Since farmed salmon eat pellets made from their dead relatives, PCBs are endlessly recycled. And while mercury disappears from the body after a time, PCBs remain indefinitely, stored in body fat.
THAT’S ALARMING - IS ANY FISH SAFE TO EAT?

The FDA has this to say about fish in the diet:
Avoid the following: Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish - high levels of mercury
Use in moderation (no more than 12 oz. per week):
•Canned light tuna*
•Shrimp
•Crab
•Cod
•Scallops
•Clams
•Canned salmon
•Pollock
•Catfish
*Albacore white tuna contains more mercury. No more than 6 oz. per week is recommended.
Contamination also varies from state to state. You can check your state’s position here: http://epa.gov/waterscience/fish/states.htm.
ARE WILD FISH SAFER THAN FARMED FISH?

Confusion reigns over this question. Logic would tell you that farmed fish would be safer, since they are raised under controlled conditions. However, farmed fish are often crowded, prone to disease (and fed antibiotics) and can escape and infect wild fish. Even they are high in mercury. Also, farmed fish are fed “pellets” - ground-up fish. And how healthy are the fish that are ground into pellets? A good question.

Salmon is a healthful fish, but farmed salmon eat pellets too, instead of the healthy diet they get in the wild. “Wild” food converts easily into omega-3 fatty acids, while pellets return less nourishment. Farmed fish are fed artificial colors to make them appealing. Farmed fish simply do not taste as good as wild fish. Too often, however, the average person has little or no access to wild fish, as they are increasingly difficult to come by.

I’M PREGNANT, SHOULD I EAT FISH?

The EPA estimates that 8% of women of child-bearing age have high enough mercury levels in their blood to put their unborn children at risk for severe birth defects and neurological problems affecting language, movement and hearing, as the brains of unborn and very young children are still developing. More than 60,000 children are born in the US each year at risk for lifelong difficulties as a result.

However, study of 8,000 pregnant women in Denmark revealed that omega-3 fatty acids substantially reduced low birth weight and premature delivery. The women who ate 100 g of fish per week (in two servings) were three times less likely to deliver low weight babies than those who ate no fish at all.

To provide your baby with the best chance of a healthy life, eat fish or shellfish twice a week. But be sure you choose from among the varieties that contain the lowest levels of mercury:

•HalibutAverage: 0.23 PPM
•Sablefish 0.22
•Pollock 0.20
•Canned Tuna 0.17
•Blue Crab 0.17
•Dungeness Crab 0.18
•Crab, King 0.09
•Scallops 0.05
•Catfish 0.07

It is recommended that pregnant and lactating women eat fish because the omega-3 fatty acids aid in the development of the baby’s central nervous system and vision development. After the baby is old enough to eat “adult” food, parents should offer fish throughout childhood and teens. Take what you offer from the “low mercury” fish listed above.

SUSHI
What about sushi, is it safe?
In general, no. The reason is parasites. We all know what a parasite is. They enter the body with the food we consume, and take from our nutrients what they need, leaving us deficient. Fish are subject to many parasites, including Anchor worms, fish lice, trematodes, eye flukes, black spots, thorny-headed worms, yellow grubs, tapeworms and other varieties.
How can I tell if the fish I buy harbors parasites?
Look for: spots or threads (black or white), tumors, anything that looks as though it doesn’t belong there. If you have caught the fish yourself, before you kill it, look for unusual behavior. If you see any, don’t take that fish home. But if you must, either freeze it before eating, and/or heat it thoroughly. Pickling or brining may reduce the hazard, but will not eliminate parasites.
The best way to reduce your risk for parasites is to cook your fish thoroughly, and stay away from sushi or any other form of uncooked fish or shellfish.

MAKING FISH SAFER

Proper food handling is the answer:

•Keep seafood cold (32 - 38 degrees F. Use frozen fish within 1-6 months, and unfrozen within a day or two.
•Thaw and/or marinate the fish in the refrigerator; don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours.
•Wash hands carefully before and after handling fish.
•Use clean towels to scrub your work surfaces.
•Rinse in cold water.
•Cook until the fish is opaque (not transparent) and flakes easily. If you use a meat thermometer, 145 degrees F. is the optimum.
Use care when dealing with seafood, and enjoy!

About the Author

Writer, editor, teacher of writing for 40 years, currently writing web content and mentoring emerging writing at allexperts.com.

Women tend to live longer and are on the whole, healthier than men. However, they visit the doctor twice as much. Why so?

One of the main reasons is menstruation. Even in the best of health, a woman may still have to put up with uncomfortable symptoms of PMS. Abdominal cramps, bloatedness, depression, increased anxiety and food cravings top the list.

Many women claim that evening primrose oil is a great help though, in lessening PMS woes. The secret to evening primrose oil’s effectiveness lies in its unique GLA (gamma linolenic acid) content, a kind of essential fatty acid that helps produce prostaglandins. These hormone-like substances are essential for the maintenance of a well-balanced hormonal system, as well as great skin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

www.medical-explorer.com

As a staple of life our need to eat has developed from a basic form of simply feeding our bodies with the fuel it requires, to a complicated art of presentation and taste combined with our intrinsic need to experiment with everything we see, touch, smell and of course taste.

The ever-increasing divergence of foods that is now available to us at our local stores and eating-places only help to confuse and tantalise us into new culinary experiments and delights.

From the sandwich shop to the award winning restaurants, we can always find a place that prepares and sells the food we want at a reasonable price, although cooking or preparing food for ourselves may be a cheaper or healthier option it never seems to taste the same as our local restaurant. Most people that have cooked their own versions and varieties of local, Chinese, Indian or other international cuisine believes it does not have the same taste or texture and will often opt for a more authentic meal from their local restaurant or take away.

Cooking at home has become less of a choice and more of a chore. With the large amount of ready meals available, the option of spending time in the kitchen becomes less and less appealing. People are spending more of their time and money in the world of fast foods and restaurants. Although some believe this to be a bad thing it has fuelled a new market in available meals that are only a phone call away. As long as the health and hygiene departments vet these establishments and our choices are varied, of good quality and healthy their use can be a good alternative to cooking our own meals.

With the onset of fast foods and the quick cook and ready cooked meals available along with the ever increasing choice of world cuisine, the enjoyment of these different foods have opened new options to the consumer within the food market.

In today’s busy world where leisure time has become more and more important, the less time spent working and preparing to eat allows us more available time for our pursuit of our leisure activities.

People who do not have the ability, time or will to cook at home now only have to pick up the phone book or click on the Internet in order to find their local restaurant or fast food retailer that will be more than happy to deliver the freshly prepared hot food ready to eat straight to their door with minimum fuss.

Although the fast food retailers compete with each other fiercely, using their special offers and cheaper and healthier alternatives to entice us to their premises, the main stay of traditional restaurants still hold an important part in our lives.

Even though these places are vastly out numbered by the fast food industry, we still enjoy sitting down in the nice comfortable and pleasant surroundings of a restaurant and dining on good quality food at a leisurely pace, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of daily life and the fast food rush.

Traditional restaurants will always offer us that pleasant alternative to eating at home, ordering take out from our local fast food dispenser or visiting their drive through or small busy café style restaurants. Not forgetting those special occasions or romantic rendezvous, these still command the need for that quiet stylish quality restaurant where we know that the food wine and service will always be excellent and the experience wonderful and charming.

Learn the essential information for picking the right restaurant at New York Restaurants
About the Author

Mark is a director of 3 Internet Companies, is a published author and has written many articles on a widespread number of topics. All his articles may be reproduced provided that an active link is included to www.restaurants-guide.info

Aloe Vera is a member of the Lily family. It is a succulent that looks a lot like a cactus and is known by various names such as the burnt plant, the miracle plant, the natural healer and the medicine plant. Although there are more than two hundred species of Aloe Vera, only a few have medicinal properties, and of these Aloe Vera Barbadensis is the most beneficial.

The Aloe Vera plant reaches maturity at about four years of age. The outer leaf is smooth and rubbery and inside is the gel and sap which is harvested, preserved and bottled to give either a juice or when combined with other ingredients creams, lotions and gels. About 96% of the plant is water. The rest is made up of minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium and the antioxidant selenium, vitamins including the antioxidants C, E and beta carotene, 20 of the 22 amino acids required by the body including 7 of the 8 that cannot be manufactured by the body, sugars, enzymes and fatty acids. The combination of these elements has a more powerful effect together than they would individually. This is because each enhances the effect of the other, an occurrence that is known as synergism.

Aloe Vera works in two different areas; by promoting healing or preventing injury to the epithelial tissues (the skin, the lining of the gut, the bronchial tubes, etc) and by balancing the immune system when its antioxidants fight the free radicals produced by our metabolism and pollutants in the environment.

When taken internally, Aloe Vera is soothing to digestive tract irritations, such as colitis and peptic ulcers. The anti-inflammatory fatty acids are also helpful for the stomach, small intestine and colon. It alkalises the digestive juices preventing overacidity - a common cause of indigestion. Amongst many other ailments that have been helped by Aloe Vera are diverticulitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation and haemorrhoids. Conditions that are improved by balancing the immune system are arthritis, asthma, ME (post viral fatigue syndrome) and LE (lupus).

When applied to the skin Aloe Vera improves a large variety of skin complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, burns, stings, acne, bites, scrapes, abrasions, scalp care, sore muscles, cold sores, bruises, sprains and frostbite to name but a few!

More recent studies show Aloe Vera can help prolong survival time and stimulate the immune system of cancer patients. This is partly by fighting free radicals with its antioxidant properties and also by stimulating the white blood cells causing the release of immune-activating and anticancer substances such as interferons, interleukins and tumour necrosis factor. These properties of Aloe Vera have also made it an effective part of a nutrition support program for HIV patients; leading to fewer occurrences of infections such as thrush, fatigue and diarrhoea and an increase in the number of white blood cells meaning a boost to their immune system.

Kay Blackiston has had an interest in health and nutrition for several years. She is now a personal weight loss coach supporting anybody who wishes to take charge of their lives and lose their excess weight. http://www.from-flab-to-fab.com. Various Aloe products are available from: http://www.healthandbeauty-online.com

kayblackiston@msn.com

This is the reason why now you really need to check up on and see if you can have a loan at a honorable percent loan rate. Lots of of the moneylenders wil show you a rate of interest that is looking safe but doesn’t feel well or so after some time. Now you can check over interest rates quickly online and visualize if there are other sneaky conditions you should be aware of. 11.4 percent interest rate may look so upright but will that be uniform after you’re going to pay back your money loan. It makes no difference if you live in Manteca California or in Palatine Illinois a respectable online examination will save you often lots of pain.

Translated in Dutch is says: Woon je in Staphorst of Menterwolde en heeft u BKR notering. Lenen met en BKR codering is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Koop een andere caravan met geld lenen met negatieve bkr registratie, 197351 euro is altijd mogelijk om te financieren. Van Loon op Zand tot Bronckhorst, financieren met en BKR codering is altijd mogelijk.

A merchant bank in Gastonia North Carolina or so may have a total totally different actual rate for a 7500 dollar loan then a bank in Elizabeth New Jersey and that makes a clear difference in your yearly pay backs. Investigate to see if the moneylender who wants to give you a money loan is estimable. Be fresh today to examine if you have a nice deal or if you don’t with the merchant bank that offers you a credit loan.

Advising on the best sourced help concerning bar supplies.
When you’re after high-class information about bar supplies, it’ll be complex unscrambling quality advice from unprofessional bar supplies submissions or guidance so it is sensible to know how to moderate the advice you are presented with.

Bar Supplies for Less at BarProducts.com
BarProducts.com offers a large selection of bar supplies, including bottle openers, cocktail shakers, books, videos, liquor pourers, flair bottles, and much more.

Here are several guidelines which we think you should use when you are trying to find information about bar supplies. Please be aware that the advice we are giving you is only applicable to internet advice about bar supplies. We don’t really offer any advice or guidance when you are also conducting research in books or magazines.

POSGuys.com: Bar Code Equipment & Supplies
Barcode Superstore provides wholesales pricing on barcode and POS equipment including barcode scanners, label printers, cash drawers and software.

An excellent tip to follow when you are presented with help or advice about a bar supplies webpage is to verify the ownership of the website. This may show you who owns the site bar supplies credibility The easiest way to find out who is behind the bar supplies website is to look on the ‘about’ page or ‘contact’ page.

All decent sites providing information on bar supplies, will almost certainly provide an ‘about’ webpage which will list the people behind the site. The details should let you know some indication concerning the owner’s requisite knowledge. This permits you to make an informed assessment about the site owner’s knowledge and skill, to offer help regarding bar supplies.

About the author:

Peter Coates is the webmaster for http://www.bar-supplies.info

Being without a partner in the city where you happen upon couples in any pub and nightclub can be a terrible feeling. I personally know of 2 without a partner friends who go on dates every day and each month they are upset because they are still without a partner. In London there are a large number of breathtaking call girls, these awesome working girls are the perfect offering to give to yourself if you are without a partner.

Working girls in London are fabulous and dainty and have a high education making them excellent companions as well as stunning lovers. The call girls in London are naturally more costly than anywhere else like Manchester, the reason for this is the working girls tend to be of a better class.

Working girls have been made famous with the television show Secret Diary with the dainty Billie Piper. In the tv show the escort is made out to be glamorous and very rich and always looking dainty. Secret Diary is a top rated series in the UK and many men have seen it and have now booked a working girl. This has helped to fuel the rise in single males feeling much happier and better about the choice a single man has in London. Make sure you try Lucy Bond for escorts www.lucybond.com.