diet

The human body uses protein for a number of functions and purposes. Without an adequate supply of protein from the diet, the body will turn to its own stores- the muscles. While you may want to reduce your overall calories to lose weight, you do not want to reduce the good nutrition that you are getting from the three macronutrients: protein, fats and carbohydrates. To lose weight but stay healthy, strong and keep up your performance levels, you have to carefully reduce your calorie count with the right proportion of everything that you need. To understand why protein is so important to exercise and metabolism, you have to understand how the body uses it in the first place.

The Human Body is in a constant flux with the environment. Matter and molecules flow in and out, casting themselves into its complexities. Although the body lends them structure, it is the intake-the diet-that decides its physique. To control what goes in a diet is to choose what stays inside. Dietary decisions reflect an awareness of metabolism and the nutrients needed to modify it. There may be a host of diets purported for each activity and illness. However, the one macronutrient that is invariably required, in substantial amounts irrespective of the physiological state, is protein.

There are certain cancers that can affect the ability to eat, especially to swallow. In addition, some cancers in the stomach or other parts of the digestive system may leave you feeling full, even when you haven’t been eating anything at all. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can leave you feeling nauseous or too weak to bother eating. Even on days when you are not feeling nausea at all, you still may not have much of an appetite. You may be too worried or stressed out to eat. You may be too depressed to eat. Trying to eat enough to keep up your strength is important so that you have a better outcome.

Far too many women have stood in the mirror cursing their genetics, most specifically their mothers, for their chubby thighs, their ample hips or flabby tummies. Studies have shown that these women may not have been too far off after all. Some of the findings of these studies include:

Breast cancer is the second most common kind of breast cancer in women between the ages of 25 and 75 years (skin cancer is number one). It is also the second most common cause of cancer death among women, with only lung cancer claiming more lives. (Source: Ammer, 2005) Like other forms of cancer, breast cancer is caused by abnormally developing cells and is usually treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of the three. Early detection is the key to a more positive outcome in most cases and there are steps that women can take before breast cancer develops, as well as after it has been diagnosed. Knowing your risk factors for breast cancer is crucial, however maintaining a healthy diet is also vital, both to those who do not have cancer and to those who are fighting their way back from it.