How to prevent white hair growth

White hair growth appears at different stages of life for everyone. The 30s and 40s are usually the turning point for the majority of men and women, though, when a significant prominence of gray hair becomes difficult to ignore. At this point, many will opt for the standard option of using one of a vast selection of hair dye products. While this is clearly viable for many people, superior choices exist to recolor the hair with internal methods. Using B complex vitamins to their maximum potential will help restore a person's hair color easily.

Step 1
Buy a daily nutritional supplement. A combination product---containing all 8 of the B complex family---is recommended. Either a comprehensive multivitamin and mineral or, alternatively, a somewhat more specific pill that's formulated solely with every B vitamin is advisable. If your budget is limited, select pure vitamin B5---pantothenic acid---as this is at the forefront of preventing white hair. According to the health pages of The Utah School of Computing, "Early onset of gray hair indicates a lack of pantothenic acid or its absorption."

Step 2
Use once a day, in the morning. Several B vitamins have powerful effects in the roles of metabolizing food and drink. This increased influx of nutrition in your bloodstream is not at all good while attempting to fall asleep. Should it be the case that you occasionally have to take your supplement in the evening, always take it at an absolute minimum of 4 hours before bedtime.

Step 3
Take as directed on the label. Most pills are meant to be swallowed whole, so don't crush or break them apart. If you choose a chewable, soluble, powder, liquid or specialist sublingual product only ingest them exactly as instructed; failure to do so can significantly nullify the B vitamins' potency.

Step 4
Consume a full, substantial breakfast and take your dose immediately after finishing. Doing so helps to work the vitamins through your digestive system to an optimum extent.

Step 5
Observe your urine. An excess of B vitamins is rapidly passed out as more water is drunk. Consequently, high-strength products often alter urine color. According to Harvard Medical School, "B vitamins can turn urine a fluorescent yellow-green color." If this is the case, you can replace your current product with a less potent formula, but ensure that at least B5 is included at no less than 100% the established daily value.

Source: Faculty of Medicine

5 Foods For A Healthier Heart

What does it take to get you out of bed in the morning? Several rounds of hitting the snooze button, surely, and probably a steaming mug of tea or coffee. Well, good news fellow caffeine fiends: New research find both beverages are great for your heart.

A new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke reveals that your favorite hot drinks do more than just wake you up. Nearly 83,000 healthy Japanese adults, ages 45-65, completed detailed questionnaires for 13 years about their lifestyle and diet, including caffeinated beverage consumption. After controlling for age, smoking status, sex, and other confounding factors, researchers found that drinking green tea or coffee is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Consuming at least one cup of coffee each day cut participants’ risk of stroke by 20%, and people who drank a couple cups of green tea every day had their risk slashed by 14%. Among people who drank more green tea—at least four cup each day—the risk of stroke dropped by a whopping 32%.

Other studies have linked the two beverages to heart health, but the strong association with stroke prevention is new. Still, it’s not surprising: Green tea is full of polyphenols called catechins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, says study co-author Yoshihiro Kokubo, MD, PhD, chief doctor in the department of preventive cardiology at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Japan. And as for coffee? “Coffee contains chlorogenic acid and quinides, which may reduce body weight and blood glucose tolerance,” Dr. Kokubo says.

You’ve got your caffeine covered, but what else can you eat for heart health? These five foods can help:

Dark chocolate. What makes some populations so darn healthy? The answer might be partly explained by chocolate, according to research by Harvard cardiologist Norman Hollenberg, MD. He found that a population off the coast of Panama owed their crazy healthy hearts to unprocessed cocoa, which is packed with flavonols. You can get the same benefits from dark chocolate squares.

Almonds. Is there anything almonds can’t do? Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts contain plant sterols, which can cut the quantity of cholesterol you absorb from other foods.

Sardines. Omega-3s are a heart’s best friend, and sardines are among the best fishies to get your dose. A Danish study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consumed the most long-chain omega-3s—like those in sardines—had a 38% reduction in rates of ischemic heart disease.

Tomatoes. Love pasta sauce? You're in luck! People who consumed the most tomatoes in one recent study were much less likely to suffer a stroke than those who rarely ate them. The health perk is likely due to lycopene, which you can also find in watermelon, grapefruit, and guava.

Olive oil. If this isn’t already a kitchen staple, it's time to change that. A study of 7,600 French adults over the age of 65 found that regular users of olive oil slashed their stroke risk by 40%.

Source: Faculty of Medicine

Top 10 Most Painful Medical Conditions

Most Painful Medical Conditions

10. Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes the chickenpox. According to the Mayo Clinic, “After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive near your spinal cord and brain.” After several years the virus may become active again, causing a painful abdominal rash in the form of a single row of blisters.

Although shingles is not life-threatening, it’s certainly not enjoyable. The condition cause up to 5 weeks of pain and itchy, open sores.

Shingles is transferrable via direct contact with the open blisters, but only to people who are susceptible to the varicella-zoster virus. There is a vaccination if you choose to accept the risks, but it wears off.

9. Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani, spores of which are generally found in soil around the world. The bacteria can enter the body through an open wound. Once infection has begun, the bacteria create a poison called tetanospasmin.

This nasty poison is the reason tetanus makes it on the top 10 most painful diseases list. The poison attacks the body by blocking nerve communications between the central nervous system and the muscles.

The nerve block causes spasms that typically begin in the jaw muscles, causing lockjaw. They then travel to the feet and hands, chest, neck, and abdominal muscles, and finally landing in the back.

These spasms can be so severe that they strain the muscles into tearing. Back spasms can be so violent that the spinal cord fractures.

Like shingles, tetanus can also be prevented by vaccination if you choose to accept the risks. And again, the vaccine only lasts for awhile.

8. Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas ”“ a small gland behind the stomach responsible for producing digestive enzymes and insulin. The condition may be acute or chronic.

Inflammation is caused when the enzymes produced in the pancreas become active inside the pancreas, rather than in the small intestine where they’re supposed to be activated. The enzymes then begin to eat away at the tissue of the pancreas, rather than the food in the small intestine.

An estimated 70% of pancreatitis cases in the United States are caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Others are genetic and some have an unknown cause.

7. Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

Frozen shoulder is caused by inflammation in the joint capsule, which prevents the shoulder bones from moving.

What’s worse, however, is the vicious circle the inflammation causes. You don’t want to move your arm because of the pain. With decreased motion comes increased stiffness. Increased stiffness causes even less motion. Eventually, the joint becomes so painfully inflamed you can’t move it at all.

6. Fibromyalgia

The cause of this debilitating condition is unknown, despite how common it has become. Symptoms include chronic, body-wide pain, most especially in the soft tissues such as the muscles, tendons and joints. It affects primarily women between age 20 and 50.

5. Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are most commonly caused by dehydration. The kidneys’ primary purposes are to separate waste toxins from the blood and flush them from the body via the urinary tract.

Fail to take in enough liquids and the toxins can easily build up and create sharp crystals. These crystals then stack up on each other to create stones.
A variety of kidney stones exist, however, and may come from other sources such as chemotherapy, gout in men, or a urinary tract infection in women.

4. Lesch-Nyhan Disease

This rare condition is characterized by excessive uric acid caused by the body’s inability to process purines, a naturally occurring substance in all the body’s cells.

Excessive uric acid causes gout-like symptoms, including painful swelling of the joints, kidney and bladder stones, and other unusual symptoms like self-destructive behavior and strange body motions.

This is a genetically inherited syndrome and occurs mostly in young boys. Lesch-Nyhan sufferers may have to be restrained to reduce self-destructive behavior. They frequently require a wheelchair to get around.

3. Dercum Disease (Adiposis Dolorosa)

Dercum disease is a rare condition primarily found in postmenopausal, obese women. According to Dr. Marjan Yousefi of the Geisinger Medical Center, “The pain is out of proportion to the physical findings and is often described as ”˜all fat hurts.’” The pain appears to be caused by multiple fatty deposits that compress body-wide nerves. It is widespread and chronic pain that worsens with increased fatty tissue and hormonal cycles.

2. Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever

This terrible infection is caused by one of the five strains of the Ebola virus. Its onset is sudden and causes fever, body and joint aches in the first few days. These symptoms are followed by diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and internal and external bleeding.
Outbreaks of Ebola are sporadic, but the condition is extremely painful. Some patients are able to recover but many affected succumb to this disease.

1. Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are considered by many to be the worst pain a human can feel. This condition, also called “suicide headaches,” is characterized by sudden onsets of excruciating pain in or around the eyes or on one side of the head.

The pain occurs in cyclical patterns or “clusters,” hence the name. The period may last for weeks or even months, followed by sessions of remission in which no headaches occur. Cycles may be predictable, in that they occur during the same period every year.

Cluster headaches differ from migraines in that sufferers “usually avoid lying down during an attack, because this position seems to increase the pain.” The pain does not linger like a migraine either. Sufferers report the pain leaves almost as soon as it happens, but leaves them completely exhausted.

Source: Faculty of Medicine

New Genital Herpes Treatment Shows Promise

A new drug appears to combat the virus that causes genital herpes, suggesting it could one day be used as a treatment for people with the condition, according to a new study.

In study medical, the drug pritelivir reduced the replication of herpes simplex virus type 2 (which causes genital herpes) in patients with the condition, as well as the number of days patients experienced genital lesions.

Those who took 75 milligrams of the drug each day for about a month experienced viral shedding (which indicates the virus is active and replicating in the body) on just 2.1 percent of days, compared to 16.6 percent of days in those who took a placebo.

And those who took pritelivir at this dose experienced genital lesions on just 1.2 percent of days, compared with 9 percent of days for those who took a placebo.

More studies are needed to further assess the effectiveness of pritelivir, and compare it with existing drugs for genital herpes, the researchers said.

The new findings are good news, said Dr. Richard Whitley, a professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the study. "This is the first drug in 30 years that has a different mechanism of action" than existing drugs, Whitley said.

New treatments for genital herpes are needed because current drugs do not work well for certain complications of genital herpes, including brain infections, and infections that can occur in babies who contract the virus at birth, Whitley said.

And while current drugs reduce symptoms, they don't eliminate them, and they only partly reduce the risk of spreading herpes through sexual activity, said study researcher Dr. Anna Wald, a professor of allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle.

"There's clearly room for improvement" with genital herpes drugs, Wald said.

Wald noted that older drugs are active only in cells that are infected with the herpes virus.

"That’s one of the reason why the drugs are so safe. But [it] may limit the efficacy of the drug," Wald said. On the other hand, pritelivir is active even in cells unaffected by the virus.

In rare cases, people with immune system problems have developed resistance to the current drugs used to treat herpes. Alternative drugs for genital herpes could offer a solution to this problem, Whitley said.

No serious side effects linked to pritelivir were seen in the current study, which looked at 156 people.

However, in May last year, the Food and Drug Administration placed development of pritelivir on hold because high doses of the drug given to monkeys were linked with toxic effects. Researchers are  investigating the cause of these toxic effects.

Whitley said he suspects the hold will be lifted, and studies in people can continue.

The study was funded by AiCuris, the pharmaceutical company that is developing pritelivir.

Source: Livescience

Vitamin D Reduces Pain in People with Fibromyalgia

Taking vitamin D supplements may alleviate chronic pain in people with fibromyalgia who have low levels of the vitamin, according to a new study from Austria.

Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome suffer from chronic, body-wide muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. Previous studies have pointed to the possible role of vitamin D in the perception of chronic pain.

In the new study, researchers studied whether raising patients' vitamin D levels to the recommended range would help with some of their symptoms. Thirty patients with fibromyalgia who also had low levels of vitamin D in their blood (below 32 nanograms per milliliter) were randomly assigned to take either oral vitamin D supplements, or a placebo, for 20 weeks.

 Weeks after the treatment ended, patients who took the supplements were still experiencing reduced pain, while people who had taken placebo didn't see a change in their pain level, according to the study, published today (Jan. 17) in the journal Pain.

"Vitamin D supplementation may be regarded as a relatively safe and economical treatment" for people with fibromyalgia," said study researcher Dr. Florian Wepner, an orthopedist at the Orthopaedic Hospital Speising in Vienna.

However, the vitamin is not a cure for the condition, Wepner said. Fibromyalgia "cannot be explained by a vitamin D deficiency alone," he said. And although the patients who took vitamin D saw reductions in their pain, there were no significant changes in their depression or anxiety symptoms.

Fibromyalgia affects about 2 percent of the U.S. population, and is more common in women than in men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No treatments are available that address all symptoms of the condition, but some symptoms may be alleviated by physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and temporary drug therapy.

Vitamin D is present in very few foods, but is produced by the skin after exposure to ultraviolet rays from sunlight. It can be found in fortified foods, such as milk, orange juice and cereals as well. Too much vitamin D has its risks, too — it can cause damage to the heart and kidneys. [9 Good Sources of Disease-Fighter Vitamin D]

Low levels of vitamin D are especially common in patients with severe pain and fibromyalgia, the researchers said.

"Vitamin D levels should be monitored regularly in fibromyalgia patients, especially in the winter season, and raised appropriately," Wepner said.

Source: Livescience

Toilet Paper Could Hide a Cancer Warning Sign, Doc Says

Toilet paper containing red ink could disguise a dangerous medical condition, one doctor believes.

Paper that is decorated with pictures or designs that include red ink could look bloody when wet, and traces of red blood in the toilet are one of the most common signs of colon cancer, colorectal surgeon Dr. Guy Nash of Poole Hospital, in England, wrote in a letter published Jan. 15 in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

"Those patients bleeding will miss real blood, and those not bleeding will report 'blood' in the toilet mistakenly," Nash said.

 Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, develops in the cells that line the large intestine (colon) or rectum. The condition caused about 50,000 deaths in the United States in 2013, according to the National Cancer Institute, and many people suffer few symptoms early on. [10 Do's and Don'ts to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer]

Nash said he saw what looked like blood in his own toilet, but it turned out to be red hearts adorning the bathroom tissue. He said manufacturers and the public should be aware of this risk.

"In my view, it is irresponsible of the makers to have not considered this," Nash told LiveScience in an email, adding that inks of other colors would not create this difficulty.

Not all medical professionals view it as a concern, however.

"I think it's nonsense," said Dr. David Bernstein, a gastroenterologist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. Bernstein said he has never seen a patient who confused colored toilet paper with signs of colon cancer.

"If someone sees blood, they should call their doctor, not panic, and have it appropriately evaluated," Nash said. He also said healthy people should have regular colonoscopies, which are widely recommended as a screening tool for colorectal cancer.

Bloody stool is much more commonly associated with hemorrhoids than colon cancer, both doctors said. Other causes could include an anal fissure, diverticular disease or colitis.

And red toilet paper isn't the only thing people may mistake for blood. Nash said some of his patients report bleeding that turns out to be beetroot eaten three days earlier.

Read more: Livescience

Blood Pressure: Highs, Lows & What's Normal

Blood pressure is one of the vital signs that doctors measure to assess general health. Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of blood as it hits the walls of the arteries. It is expressed as two numbers: the systolic pressure, which is the pressure as the heart beats, and the diastolic pressure, which is the measurement as the heart relaxes between beats. Blood pressure is recorded as systolic over diastolic (120/80).

People confuse high blood pressure with a high heart rate or pulse rate, which is the number of times your heart beats per minute. 

What-Is-Blood-Pressure

There is no direct connection between the two, and high blood pressure does not necessarily result in a high pulse rate, and vice versa. A vigorous workout may only modestly increase blood pressure while significantly raising your heart rate.

Checking your blood pressure

A manual or digital blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer) typically comes with instructions that should be followed carefully to get the most accurate results.

 The first step is to find your pulse by pressing your index finger on the brachial artery, which is at the bend of your elbow, slightly to the inside center. On a manual monitor, place the head of the stethoscope in the general area, or for a digital monitor, place the cuff in this area.

For a manual monitor, you have to hold the pressure gauge in one hand (your weaker hand) and the bulb in the other hand. Inflate the cuff until it reads about 30 points above your normal systolic pressure. At this point, you should not hear your pulse in the stethoscope. When you hear the first heart beat, this is the systolic pressure. As you deflate the cuff, keep listening for a heart beat. When you can no longer hear it, that is your diastolic pressure.

A digital monitor does the inflation and deflation and recording of the systolic and diastolic heart rates.

What is normal blood pressure?

A normal systolic blood pressure is classified as below 120, but a desirable rate is between 90 and 119. A normal diastolic blood pressure is below 80, but a desirable rate is between 60 and 79.

Those who are fit — including those who regularly exercise and professional athletes — tend to have lower blood pressures and heart rates, as do those who do not smoke and are a healthy weight.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published an article recommending changes in the guidelines for blood pressure levels for certain patients. Adults age 60 or older should only take blood pressure medication if their blood pressure exceeds 150/90, higher than current guideline of 140/90, according to the new recommendations.

The panel that compiled the guidelines also recommended that diabetes and kidney patients younger than 60 be treated when their blood pressure exceeds 140/90, which is the same for patients without kidney disease or diabetes. People with those chronic conditions have previously been prescribed medication when their blood pressure went above 130/80.

High blood pressure, low blood pressure

Both low and high blood pressure are more common in older patients in part due to normal changes during aging. In addition, plaque buildup related to age can decrease the blood flow to the heart muscle and the brain.

Hypertension is medically defined as any blood pressure over 120/80. Prehypertension is classified as 120-139 over 80-89. Stage 1 high blood pressure is 140-159 over 90-99, and Stage 2 is 160 and above over 100 and above.

The dangers of high blood pressure include hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, stroke, and the development of heart disease.

Low blood pressure, known as hypotension, can also cause health problems such as fainting and dizziness. Quick, dramatic drops in blood pressure can reduce the adequate blood supply to the brain. Most of the time, hypotension goes undetected and is typically not dangerous unless it produces symptoms.

What causes high blood pressure?

A number of factors can raise blood pressure, including stress, smoking, caffeine, certain over-the-counter and prescribed medications and even cold temperatures. Some people are especially susceptible to a spike in their blood pressure when they visit a doctor, a situation known as white coat hypertension or white coat syndrome.

You will get a more accurate reading if you try to avoid as many of these factors as you can when taking your blood pressure and by taking your blood pressure at about the same time each day.

Source: Livescience

Smoking Rates Drop Globally, but Millions Still Light Up

Global rates of smoking are down, but because of population growth the number of people in the world who smoke is up, new research suggests.

Worldwide, about 31 percent of men smoked in 2012, down from about 41 percent of men in 1980. Over the same period, the percentage of women that smoked declined from 10 percent to 6.2 percent.

Because the world population grew in the same period, the total number of smokers increased from 721 million in 1980 to 967 million in 2012, according to the report published today (Jan. 7) in the journal JAMA. 

Smoking Rates Drop Globally, but Millions Still Light Up

 "Despite the tremendous progress made on tobacco control, much more remains to be done," study co-author Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said in a statement. “We have the legal means to support tobacco control, and where we see progress being made we need to look for ways to accelerate that progress."

More than 6 trillion cigarettes were smoked in 2012, researchers found.

Global variation

To estimate the global smoking rates, researchers analyzed surveys from 187 countries. They found that declines in smoking rates seemed to occur in three phases, with the largest drop in smoking occurring between 1996 and 2006, and smaller drop-offs coming afterwards.

Most of the slowdown in global smoking has come from populous countries such as China and Bangladesh. [Who Still Smokes? Smokers in the US Today]

Since 2010, the rates of smoking have increased slightly for men, the researchers said.

Worldwide smoking rates vary greatly by country and gender. Fewer than 1 in 20 women smoke in several African countries, such as Cameroon, Eritrea and Morocco. By contrast, more than a quarter of women smoke in Greece and Austria. More than a half of men are daily smokers in Russia, Indonesia and Armenia.

The nations where smoking's health effects are likely to be most readily seen are  China, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Korea, where the high number of smokers also smoke many cigarettes daily. In 75 countries smokers lit an average of more than 20 cigarettes daily in 2012.

Most progress

A separate study in the same journal found that lower smoking rates in the United States have saved 8 million lives, and increased life span by 19 to 20 years for those who would have smoked, but didn't.

The United States is among several countries where smoking rates declined substantially since 1980, along with Canada, Iceland, Israel, Norway and Sweden, the researchers said.

"Change in tobacco prevalence typically has been slow, underscoring what a hard habit it is to break,” study co-author Emmanuela Gakidou, a global health researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said in a statement. “But we know from these global trends that rapid progress is possible.”

Source: Livescience

Tips to Feel Better All Day

What are the most important steps to follow if you want to feel good from morning to night?

Get sunlight during the day.

Sunlight stimulates the brain chemical serotonin, which plays a role in helping you feel happy.

While you're outdoors in the sun, use the time to exercise for an extra boost, Rakel says. Research has found that physical activity can work about as well as medications for treating mild to moderate depression, and it may work better than medicine for preventing depression from returning. It can also help your anxiety.

Set yourself up for good sleep.

In the evening as the sky grows darker, your brain makes a hormone called melatonin. This helps you get sleepy. Some of your choices during the day and evening affect your melatonin levels, which in turn can play a role in how well you sleep. Rakel suggests that you:

• Be sure to get that daily exercise in the sun, since it also helps you sleep at night. In part, that's because "melatonin is related to how much serotonin you have," Rakel says.
• Turn down your thermostat. You make melatonin when your body is cooler, so you're likely to sleep better if you aren't too warm.
• Turn off the lights. If your bedroom isn't completely dark, you won't make as much melatonin.

Eat "feel-good" foods

The way you fuel your body and mind makes a big difference in whether you feel strong or weak, focused or groggy. Keep these tips in mind:

• Focus on "multicolored whole foods that were recently alive," he says. That means fresh vegetables, fruits, and beans, and whole grains instead of refined or processed foods.
• Make room for cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale. "Those vegetables contain chemicals that support immunity and help detoxify the body. They're super-foods for feeling good," he says.
• Avoid foods that make your blood sugar soar, like sweetened sodas and sugary baked goods. Your body will respond with a rush of insulin, which makes your blood sugar crash. These highs and lows aren't good for your health, your focus, or your energy level.

Stay focused on the present moment.

"If we can learn to recognize the clutter that our mind is in and learn to be more mindful of the present moment, that can be a tremendous asset to our overall sense of well-being," Rakel says. The "clutter" that can make you feel bad includes regret about the past and worry that bad things might happen to you.

A practice called mindfulness can help you reduce the clutter by keeping your focus on the present moment. To be more mindful, try to:

• Take in the colors, sounds, and smells that surround you at any given time.
• Pay attention to your breath moving in and out of your body for a few moments.
• Let worrisome thoughts flow out of your mind when they pop up, rather than giving them attention and dwelling on them.

Try to stay positive.

The same event can happen to two people, and one views it as a positive and one views it as a negative. So try to see the good side of the things and people around you; it can help you stay free of anxiety and depression, Rakel says.

Make a spiritual connection.

Rakel defines this as spending time on "that which gives your life meaning and purpose."This could be your religious beliefs, enjoying nature, or sharing moments with loved ones. "If we get up in the morning excited about something that gives us meaning and self-purpose, our bodies do all they can to heal," he says.

Be around people.

Having a good support network of family, friends, coworkers, and other people who care about you can help you stay healthier, feel less stressed, and even live a longer life. Spend time with these people regularly, and work to keep your relationships with them strong.

Source: Webmd

A Sample Meal Plan for Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you should follow a special diet. Here’s a sample diabetic meal plan that is about 1,600 calories and 220 grams of carbohydrates. Remember to drink two 8-ounce glasses of water with each meal.

Breakfast

(360 calories, 52.5 grams carbohydrate)

1 slice toasted whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon margarine
1/4 cup egg substitute or cottage cheese
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 small banana

Lunch

(535 calories, 75 grams carbohydrate)

1 cup vegetable soup with 4-6 crackers
1 turkey sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 ounce turkey and 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise)
1 small apple

Dinner

(635 calories, 65 grams carbohydrate)

4 ounces broiled chicken breast with basil and oregano sprinkled on top
2/3 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked carrots
1 small whole grain dinner roll with 1 teaspoon margarine
Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing
4 unsweetened canned apricot halves or 1 small slice of angel food cake

Snacks

(Each has 60 calories or 15 grams carbohydrate. Pick two per day.)

16 fat-free tortilla chips with salsa
1/2 cup artificially sweetened chocolate pudding
1 ounce string cheese plus one small piece of fruit
3 cups light popcorn

Source: Webmd