Sagging Neck Exercise

Neck is an extension of your face and possibly the first part to show up ageing on the skin. You spend hours on taking care of your face, grooming and massaging it with costly creams and facials, but mostly ignore the neck. A famous Holywood actor Clint Eastwood in his recent movie looked great, though he is almost in his eighties. However, what you could not ignore in that movie was his neck, which had a slight gorge it. The kind of physique and health this actor sported is inspirational for older generation, but a small gobble was looking a little unattractive. Although this is not a cause of concern, but it could make you think of how you can prevent that sagging effect of the skin as you grow old. Sagging neck is a part of ageing up process. As you grow old, the skin tends to loose its elasticity, and results in drooping skin. The neck is considered to be thin-skinned with nerve attachments. You cannot overturn the process of ageing and elasticity of the skin, but with some exercises, you can firm up the neck and its muscles. This will make the sagging of the neck less visible. Be particularly careful with your neck exercises as it can cause pain in your upper and lower back of the shoulders. You can have a trim and flawless neck with the help of some easy neck exercises. Read the article for few simple and helpful exercises.
Exercises For Sagging Neck
Many people have a habit of keeping the chin folded downwards touching your chest or lying in an uncomfortable position for longer periods. This can result in developing fine lines and a sagging neck. One of the best and simple exercises for neck is holding your chin high and keeping it straight for a perfect neck.
Massaging your neck once in a week is a good exercise. When you take care of your face, take care of your neck also. As you apply mask on your face, do this for your neck too. This will keep your face and neck look equally good and healthy.
Stretching and straining your neck in upward and downward directions can strengthen your neck muscles and give them a young and supple look. So strength training is good not just for your other parts of the body but also your neck.
To keep your neck supple and flexible, stretch your neck every day by doing this easy exercise. Bend your head to one side of the neck , hold it for 30 seconds and then bend it on the other side and repeat the exercise for three times at a stretch. You can do this exercise while sitting or standing.
This neck exercise helps you to firm up the front part of the neck where the marks of ageing show up first. You can do this exercise in the standing or sitting position. Bend you head back, and while doing this, push your tongue into the roof of your mouth. This helps in tightening up of the muscles at the front part of your neck. Now bring your chin downward towards the chest while still holding the tongue touching the roof of your mouth. This will tighten your skin underneath the chin and the front of your neck.
This is a simple and comfortable exercise of the neck. You can do this while lying on the bed. This will firm up the front part of the neck area. You can lie down on the edge of the bed, and move your head up towards your body. Hold it for ten seconds and relax. Repeat this sequence for three times at a stretch.
Facial Exercises For Sagging Neck

Mouth Exercise For Neck
This exercise tightens the muscles in the neck. It is a simple exercise which can be done while sitting or watching television. Begin by looking at the ceiling and your chin positioned towards the television. Close your lips tightly and start chewing movements like when you chew a gum. Repeat this exercise for at least 20 times at a stretch and three times a day.

Chin Exercise For Neck
This exercise helps in strengthening the muscles underneath the chin. Stand in front of the mirror and stick out your chin as far as you can. When you protrude your chin, put pressure on the chin by squeezing it until it looks wrinkled and turns white. While doing this exercise your neck should feel the pull. Hold it for five seconds, and relax before you do it again. Do this for ten times at a stretch and repeat it for three times per day.

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Lip Exercise For Neck
This lip exercise can extend your neck muscles to feel the stretch in the neck area. Make a pouting face by pulling your bottom lip upwards. While pouting your lips put the fingers on your collarbone and pull the skin down gently. This should make you feel a visible stretch in your neck area. This helps in tightening the muscles in the skin and the neck area, and makes the skin better.


Kegel Exercises for men and women

 

Kegels are used to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.  Kegels for men are exercises that work the muscles of the pelvic floor, specifically the pubococcygeus muscle.  Contracting and releasing your pelvic floor muscles perform Kegels.  Pelvic floor is made up of a group of muscles called the pubococcygeus or “PC” muscles.  Kegel training is exercises that reinforce your pelvic floor muscle mass.  Kegel workout routines are built to enhance the muscular tissues of your pelvic floor that offer the bladder and near the sphincters.

Kegel training is modest interior contractions of the pelvic floor muscles that support your urethra, bladder, uterus, and rectum.  Kegel exercises may lead to more sexual enjoyment for men and women by improving control of the pelvic floor muscles.  Kegels are essential to both men and women.  Kegel exercises named after Los Angeles gynecologist Dr. Arnold Kegel who developed them to help women with postpartum incontinence.

Dr. Arnold Kegel, an American gynecologist, first introduced Kegel exercises in the 1950s.  Kegel exercises, often combined with resistance devices teach the proper exercise methods and to maintain exercise effectiveness.  Kegels for women are now the mainstay of all pregnancy exercises.  Kegels are for women and during pregnancy etc, reverse kegels are for men, particularly to fix premature ejaculation.  Kegels can help men achieve stronger erections and gain greater control over ejaculation.  New mothers to tighten things up after childbirth use Kegels, but they work wonders for men too.  Kegels can be done immediately after birth or as soon as you feel comfortable.  Kegels can be done throughout the day.

Kegels may also be done while your penis is erect.  Kegels are exercises that strengthen the muscles at the base of your penis.  Kegel exercises employed correctly to strengthen the pubococcygeal muscle and other muscles of the  pelvic diaphragm .  Kegel exercise clenching and unclenching of the pubococcygeus muscles, or the PC muscles, in reps.  Kegels can prevent the downward pressure on the pelvic muscles and may prevent further pelvic problems.  Kegel exercises can prevent these conditions and can be helpful in treating them, as well.  Kegel exercises may be beneficial in treating urinary incontinence and increase sexual gratification in men and women.

Kegel exercises can help increase circulation to the pelvic areas and can also help treat incontinence.  Kegel exercises are important because they help reduce problems such as incontinence after childbirth.  Kegels are especially effective for women with stress incontinence, but can also help reduce or eliminate urge incontinence.  Kegels can ease incontinence, minimizing or eliminating those awkward sneeze-n-pee moments.

Kegels tend to be exercises that direct you towards zeroing in on and in addition enhance muscle durability beneath the bladder.  Kegels can increase pleasurable sensation during orgasm and provide better muscle tone.  Kegels are actually uncomplicated to perform; they are easier to perform when you learn which muscle groups to target.  Kegels are difficult to perform correctly without precise resistance devices.  Kegels are small internal movements that most women can do anytime without others noticing.  Kegels are exercises that are intended at reinforcing the PC muscle.  Kegel exercises are useful in regaining pelvic floor muscle strength in such cases.

Everyone can do these exercises, and they improve sex for everyone.  Kegels and pelvic re-training exercises, when done efficiently and continually, can and do alleviate indication of stress urinary incontinence.  Kegels with vaginal weights will make your Kegels more effective in a shorter amount of time.  Pelvic floor exercises are a crucial element for pelvic health and are useful for preparing for and recovering from childbirth, prostate surgery, hysterectomy’s, abdominal and back surgeries of any kind.

They are also helpful in alleviating some forms of pelvic floor dysfunction such as incontinence, pelvic pain and pelvic organ pro lapse.  Kegel exercises fail to work if abdominal muscle, thigh, or buttock muscle groups are contracted.  Furthermore, such contractions can increase pressure on the bladder, aggravating incontinence.  Kegel exercises are utilized to bolster the muscles from the pelvic floor, and are crucial to both men and women.

 


Along with healthier food people must start using aerobic exercise machines

Elliptical: These are the second most well-liked machines amongst aerobic physical exercise machines. This machine isn’t as well-liked or well referred to as a few of the other aerobic physical exercise machines are. You are able to even use the region as a personal physical exercise center, with weights and aerobic physical exercise machines. If your objectives are to lose weight or just remain fit, they could be met on most aerobic physical exercise machines, such as treadmills , stair steppers, elliptical machines , and physical exercise bikes. For probably the most component, it is been great. Nevertheless, recently I\’ve been attempting to obtain on the aerobic physical exercise machines, and it is almost impossible. A reading is generally taken by placing your hands on metal grips on the equipment (some aerobic physical exercise machines have wireless heart rate monitors). Sadly, most heart rate monitors aren\’t accurate , so think about referring to our heart rate zone guide .

Elliptical teachers represent the next wave connected with advancement with low-impact aerobic physical exercise machines and continue to maintain grow with popularity. Therefore, none of the present equipment offers face-to-face use on a typical machine, and all aerobic physical exercise machines need the buy of a virtually total second machine if two users are to be accommodated simultaneously. Students participate in a number of resist­ance activities.The weightroom provides totally free weights, aerobic physical exercise machines (rowing, running) and strength-training machines.Abilities range from athletes who are training for other sports to individuals who just wish to get in shape. A much less troubling drawback is the reality that, unlike stationary bicycles, step machines, and numerous other aerobic physical exercise machines, it\’s extremely challenging to read whilst working out on a cross-country ski machine. Recently he initiated an interdisciplinary teaching, studying and study project to harvest pooled electrical energy generated by aerobic physical exercise machines within the University\’s fitness center. Nevertheless, in the event you wish to have a controlled workout and maintain changing the intensity of the workout, then choose any of the above mentioned aerobic physical exercise machines. Incline (Treadmills and Elliptical Trainers): Also marked with up and down arrows, these permit you to add an incline which simulates moving up-hill. Even though some manufacturers are changing this, most aerobic physical exercise machines don\’t have negative inclines (decline), so you\’re mostly exercising on a flat or uphill surface. The program is situated inside the Franklin Well being and Fitness Center.? The Center is really a contemporary fitness facility situated at 1214 East Primary Street in Franklin, North Carolina .? The Center is equipped having a selection of stationary aerobic physical exercise machines , resistance equipment, and group physical exercise activities. You will find a number of various physical exercise programs obtainable to the public. They fall in either 1 of two categories based on the kind of physical exercise, aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic physical exercise is continuous physical exercise utilizing oxygen as a fuel source like running, cycling, swimming, or aerobic physical exercise machines. SPANESS GYM AND SPA short for spa fitness, the sauna facilities and healthy club have been ready for your well being and relaxation.Spa & Sauna bathing suit fun with the family in a homey fitness club. Gym – a fitness club having a dazzling ocean view, with state-of-the-art Cyver weight machines and various aerobic physical exercise machines.

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Healthy Exercise and Eating!

Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand. Make regular exercise a part of your life, by finding out which forms of exercise you really enjoy. Build one or more favorite types of exercise into your life, gradually. Aim for 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. And remember, don’t just do it for yourself – exercise is also vital for weight loss.

Healthy eating facts and tips have a piece of fresh fruit or a wholegrain snack before you go to the gym if you wish. It’s very easy to succumb to junk-bingeing after a workout, so be prepared. A banana and a glass of skimmed milk is a good quick snack if you can’t eat a meal straight away.

Cook double portions of healthy diet plan, so that you have a ready-made dish you can heat and eat as soon as you get back. Include complex carbs – that is wholegrain pasta, brown rice, potatoes or whole meal bread, and some protein.

Exercise and weight management is considered such an important part of life that the US Department of Agriculture put it on the food pyramid for kids and adults. Healthy exercise and eating complement each other and are absolutely vital to weight loss programs as well as to maintain ideal weight. Regular exercise along with healthy eating improves the quality of life as well as your physical fitness. Additionally, you have a lower risk of chronic ailments like cancer, blood pressure or heart disease if you have a fit body.

If exercising every day of the week is not something that you can manage due to your busy schedules, start small. Walking is the simplest and the easiest form of exercise. Begin by walking for 15 minutes every day and gradually increase the walking time. Or, you can walk the last block to the office by getting off at one stop earlier, or use the stairs instead of the elevator. Even simple forms of exercise like these will get you physically active.

To be physically fit, apart from exercising regularly it is necessary to follow daily healthy eating plans. And this of course means you cannot gorge on the junk food available at takeaways and restaurants. Your diet must include fiber-rich foods like green leafy vegetables in, fresh and dried fruits as well as nuts and seeds. Also, get your carbohydrates from whole grains. Carbohydrates are a major fuel for the body. In short, include foods like whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice and oatmeal in your daily meals. Your protein sources should be lean meats, poultry with skin removed, fish, egg white, beans and lentils.

A healthy dose of exercise along with a well balanced diet plate containing a variety of foods from all five food groups should serve to boost your metabolism and give you the energy and vitality you require. Once you begin feeling good about yourself, you will begin to enjoy your exercise sessions and look forward to it. One word of caution here – before embarking on any exercise routine, it is better to consult your doctor. In fact it is a good idea to consult your doctor, nutritionist and physical fitness trainer before you start exercising. They will help you come up with a suitable healthy exercise and eating plan. You will also have to invest some time in yourself and your well being.

After a healthy meal, the way your body feels will dictate your future course of action. Once you start to exercise, you will see that the food intake has a profound effect on your workouts. As you learn to eat healthy and continue with the exercise, you will experience a change in your body – you become more alert, focused and have the energy to take on the day.  

However, you might need time to make these changes and sometimes it may be weeks or even months to adopt healthy habits along with Healthy diet plate. After all, old habits die hard and it might be a supreme effort to forgo those fries and burgers. But once you succeed in changing your attitude and your habits, your whole perspective towards life will change.

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The Year of Healthy Living: Nutrition and Healthy Eating

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3 Ways In Which You Can Optimize The Use Of Bodyweight Exercise

Bodyweight exercise is the best place to begin when starting a physical fitness training program, should be added to programs that otherwise neglect bodyweight exercise and should be diversified with resistance training for programs that use bodyweight exercise exclusively.

Some people love bodyweight exercise and some people hate it… similarly, some people think bodyweight exercise is valuable to a physical fitness training program, and others don’t.

I believe that bodyweight exercise is not only the best method to start a physical fitness training program… but I believe that it should remain an active part of any well balance physical training program.

Let’s look at bodyweight exercise from three different perspectives… from the beginner just getting started, from the experienced weight lifter that neglects bodyweight exercise and from the bodyweight exercise only crowd.

1. Bodyweight Exercise For Beginners

Most commercial gyms will prescribe an exercise regimen of strength training, usually in the form of machines, and cardiorespiratory endurance training, normally in the form of stationary “cardio” equipment.

This is a generalization of course… but these two types of training are the predominant forms of physical training in most gyms, regardless of how they are put together.

Notice… bodyweight exercise is missing.

Answer me this… should a beginner with no prior experience with physical training start by jumping right into resistance training with free weights or machines, or would they be better served by learning more about the movement of their bodies by using bodyweight exercise?

Physical training allows you to improve the body by supplying increased stimulus that is not normally found in your daily lifestyle.

For the beginner, bodyweight exercise is the logical place to start… because most beginners are actually going from a state of complete inactivity to a state of activity.

The beginner has not even scraped the surface of what their body can perform without resistance… and should therefore strive to make improvements using bodyweight exercise first.

Once the beginner has made sufficient gains and reached an improved state with bodyweight exercise… then they can add resistance.

2. Bodyweight Exercise For The Experienced Weight Lifter

Many people with a great deal of experience and expertise in physical training completely neglect bodyweight exercise… or believe it to be ineffective.

They notoriously use all types of resistance training methods… while neglecting bodyweight exercise all together.

I propose that the goal of any physical fitness training program is to improve performance that can be used to meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.

Many of those challenges will be met by the effective control and movement of your own body… and not the movement of other objects through space.

And what is the best way to train the improvement of body movement and control of your own body… that’s right, bodyweight exercise.

Here is an example…

Many people that have trouble doing a push up will focus on the bench press with hopes of improving their push up numbers… with limited results.

If you want to be able to do more push ups… do more push ups!

The point is this, the improvements you will see from physical training are specific… so if you want to see improvements in a bodyweight movement, use bodyweight exercise to do so.

3. Bodyweight Exercise For The Bodyweight Only Crowd

As you can already tell, I am a strong advocate of bodyweight exercise… but not exclusively.

There are various physical fitness training programs that use bodyweight exercise almost exclusively… like Yoga or Pilates.

While I have no problem with these forms of training… I believe they can take you only so far on the road to physical fitness excellence.

We must remember… Yoga exercises are performed in conjunction with meditation and Pilates was originally developed as a form of rehabilitation for war veterans.

The point is this… bodyweight exercise only programs will only take you so far, and then some form of resistance training must be applied to see further improvement.

In Conclusion…

Bodyweight exercise is an important part of any well balanced physical fitness training program.

If you are just getting started… bodyweight exercise is the perfect place to start.

If you have notoriously neglected bodyweight exercise in your training… add it to improve the physical abilities you have been neglecting.

If you only use bodyweight exercise… diversify your fitness training program by adding some form of resistance training.

In this way, each group can optimize the use of bodyweight exercise.

Do not underestimate the importance of bodyweight exercise… Use it effectively and in the right proportion to meet your goals, needs, abilities and limitations and meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.

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Best Healthy Diets For Weight Loss

There are many diets out there, but healthy diets for weight loss are not as easy to find. With all those fad diets that shoot up one month and are gone the next, it’s hard determining which is the best and most effective. This article will give you some tips to finding the right diet to follow.

Nowadays there are many healthy diets for weight loss. This can include the Paleo Diet, abs diet, etc. The diets that are the most healthy have a few traits in common.

1. They focus on Healthy Foods
Healthy diets for weight loss usually are healthy because of the food selection that they have. For some people, simply switching to healthier foods helps them lose weight!

Healthy foods have many benefits. Some have many grams of fiber which can help you feel full and satisfied faster. In addition, they usually contain many nutrients that are devoid in junk and overly processed foods.

If you try to find a diet and it lets you still eat processed foods but in moderation this is not healthy. It can help you lose weight since you’re eating less, but it might not work for many. Eating junk food is eating empty calories basically. The food doesn’t “fill” you up. Your body is still screaming for the nutrition that healthy foods provide. As a result, you feel hungrier more often even though you’ve had plenty of calories already.

So, make sure when picking a diet that it has healthy foods. These can include, but are not limited to, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and oats, nuts, legumes, beans, and lean meats.

Beware!

There is one big problem nowadays. Food companies are now packaging foods that aren’t healthy and labeling them as healthy. For example, most people think that shopping at a healthy store like “Trader Joe’s” automatically makes the food healthy. Organic does NOT equal healthy. There are many organic cookies, candies, etc that are filled with calories and will do anything but help you with your weight loss goals.

2. Calorie Restriction is a Must
In order to lose weight you need to reduce the amount of calories you consume on a daily basis. The longer you can keep this up, the more fat you will lose. A diet that lets you eat however much you want, even if it’s healthy foods, may not be enough for most people. Counting how much food you eat and making sure you don’t over eat is the best program for weight loss and ensures that you are doing everything right and not just walking in the dark.


GOP’s Challenge to Health Care Reform

Imagine for a moment a sudden outbreak of smallpox (weaponized smallpox, if your taste runs to Jack Bauer-style scenarios). Airborne, highly contagious, deadly, it has the capability of spreading across the country and beyond in weeks, if not contained with a program of vaccination–vaccination not for a few, but for everybody, as soon as possible. Easy To Insure ME has the answers

If Congress passed emergency authorization for the program, would you want a judge to block it? What if some citizens preferred not to be vaccinated? What if they promised Scout’s honor not to get smallpox, or if they did, not to give it anyone else?

Would you want the judge to halt the program on the grounds that not getting vaccinated was “inactivity,” and thus beyond Congress’s power over “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes?” Those who refused vaccination might act as reservoirs of the disease, and thus affect commerce. What if the judge conceded that point, but said Congress still couldn’t reach them because they weren’t voluntarily in the stream of commerce?

What if the judge blocked the program because Congress relied on private medical personnel to administer the vaccine? Congress could have created a program by which thousands of full-time federal employees would give the inoculations–that would be constitutional–but using non-employees made the program unconstitutional. Would that make sense?

While the disease spread, and hundreds or even thousands died, would you thank the judge for his fidelity to the pre-1937 vision of the Commerce Clause? Or would you think that, no matter what was written in the judge’s order, the irretrievable spread of the epidemic really had affected commerce and should have been stopped?

These reflections were spurred by the decision Monday in the case of Virginia v. Sebelius, the lawsuit brought by Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s right-wing zealot attorney general, to spare the uninsured of his state the indignity of government-funded health care. Judge Henry Hudson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia agreed with Cuccinelli that the so-called “individual mandate” provision of the Act exceeds the Commerce Clause because it seeks to “compel an individual to involuntarily enter the stream of commerce by purchasing a commodity in the private market.”

For those of you scoring at home, currently it’s Affordable Health Care Act 2, right-wing opponents 1. Two federal district courts have upheld the program; Judge Hudson is the first district judge to hold against it. That’s neither here nor there–the final score will almost certainly be a best-of-nine championship series played here in Washington at the Supreme Court. But it does underline that the issues in the case are close. The weight of academic opinion so far supports the Act, but some of the very brightest (and perhaps not coincidentally most conservative) of my colleagues disagree.

Readers would do well to discount the importance of Judge Hudson’s decision, which is about as significant as an early NBA playoff game. And partisans might nurture the Christmas spirit by refraining either from the right-wing spike dance or the progressive chant of “You’re blind, ump!” These are hard issues; federal judges, by and large, don’t ask for these cases to land in their courtrooms. Having read the opinion, I see nothing in it to suggest that Judge Hudson is not doing his duty to construe the statute as he reads it, compare it with the Constitution as he understands it, and announce whether the two go together. His opinion was respectful to both sides and–in stark contrast to the intemperate earlier interim decision of Senior Judge Robert Vinson of a Florida district court–devoid of inflammatory rhetoric, judicial triumphalism, or talk-radio style taunting. No one can seriously argue that the judge did not earn his salary.

I do think, however, that Judge Hudson’s opinion is wrong. Grievously wrong. Threat-to-the-nation-from-rampaging-smallpox wrong.

Here’s why I think so. The argument that “inactivity” is beyond the reach of the Commerce Clause sounds reasonable. That’s because, like most serious fallacies, it’s half true. Last summer, Sen. Tom Coburn asked Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan whether Congress could require individuals to eat vegetables three times a day.

The cheeky Kagan responded, “Sounds like a dumb law.” And a law that requires eating vegetables (or joining a gym, or subscribing to a newspaper) really is a dumb law. There is no overarching national necessity behind it. It’s hard to imagine Congress claiming with a straight face that vegetable portions were an emergency, or that they needed to be regulated as part of a comprehensive scheme.

That’s the answer to those who will shortly post below that “‘Professor Epps, if that is really what he is, clearly believes Congress can regulate all human activity.” (Good to see you guys again, by the way.) Congress can’t regulate everything; what it can regulate is everything that needs to be reached as part of a comprehensive scheme required by a necessity that affects the nation.

Health care is such a necessity. Before Republicans hit upon the argument that health care isn’t part of commerce, they harped for years on the dangers of regulating “one-sixth of the economy.” After years of debate (more than half a century in fact) and extensive fact-finding, Congress decided that health care could only be provided effectively through a nationwide program.

Ironically, Republican opponents concede that if Congress had passed a mandatory program funded by payroll and income taxes–a kind of Medicare for all ages–their challenge would have no merit. (In case the supple Cuccinelli later decides to reverse field, I personally saw him say this on October 21, 2010, at the Washington Legal Foundation.) Those taxes would of course be no less compulsory than the “mandate.” But Congress’ partial reliance on the private market (which in other contexts Republicans rhapsodically defend) somehow guts the nation’s power to solve its health care problem.

Well, everybody’s got to have an argument, and the right has settled on this one. But conservatives should be careful what they wish for. Every constitutional decision is to be weighed not only (or even primarily) by the specific facts at issue, but by the potential mischief of the precedent that will be set. A decision voiding the health care act would strike at the heart of our nation’s ability to deal with situations like my smallpox hypothetical.

Wait a minute, you say, health care regulation isn’t like a smallpox epidemic. No? Certainly health care is a life-or-death issue for millions of Americans, including many who will be insured under the Act but will fall through the cracks in the current system. Who could seriously claim that the 50.7 million people who currently have no health care do not constitute an emergency?

A judge, to strike down the Act, must conclude that no reasonable Congress could have concluded that the situation needed nationwide, comprehensive regulation. And that no reasonable Congress could have concluded that the “mandate” is a key part of a comprehensive scheme to ensure near-universal coverage. Because if both those things are true, then the “inactivity” of refusing to take prudent care to prepare for an individual’s health care needs is as potentially damaging as the “inactivity” of refusing needed vaccination at a time of epidemic.

What if these “inactive” individuals promise will really never, never, contract a catastrophic sickness or suffer a devastating injury, that neither they nor their children will ever, ever appear in an emergency room as uninsured patients? That rings as hollow as my hypothetical objectors’ promise not to get or spread smallpox. These things aren’t voluntary; taxes, sickness, death–you can’t opt out, no matter how you try. And, I’m sorry to the hard-core libertarians out there, you cannot agree to waive life-saving care for your children. That argument was over long ago.

The “inactivity” argument depends on the idea that the Constitution prohibits the United States from running a modern economy, in which all of us are involved by virtue of our membership in the nation. As in any highly industrialized nation, we’re all in this together. And if we adopt an old-fashioned minimal view of national authority, we will have confirmed that 21st century America has chosen decline over economic leadership.

I make no predictions. Judge Hudson’s logic may very well prevail–especially if the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, a year or two hence, cannot resist the temptation to deliver a knockout blow to a president they despise. But such a decision would sow mischief in at least two ways. First, stripping this country of its first modern health care system would deform the Constitution, set back the cause of effecting legislative self-government, and spread suffering over decades or even generations.

That may not matter so much to those who make the decision. Federal judges, like state attorneys general, are covered by generous health-insurance programs, and may not feel the whole thing is such a big deal. And our current Justices make no secret of their seething contempt for America’s legislature.

But if history teaches us anything, it teaches that emergencies come like thieves in the night, and that when they do, we look to government to step in. A strong nation preserves the tools it may need to avert disaster. Throwing those tools away would be an even greater mischief.

If the United States finds Congress’s powers gutted because of this partisan dispute, we will one day have reason to regret it.


Why Health Care Reform Could Leave Us All Worse Off

The health care reform bills being debated in Congress threaten to shut out millions of immigrants. But Congress’ exclusionary policies toward immigrants will not simply leave immigrants worse off. They will inevitably jeopardize the nation’s economy and the health of all of us.

President Obama has prioritized health care reform to ensure that millions of Americans have a fair, affordable and efficient health care system. For immigrants, this vision is far from a reality. First, the current health care reform bill treats legal immigrants unfairly. Individuals who have waited years to come to the United States will be required to wait years in order to obtain affordable health care.

Immigrants are generally younger and healthier than the U.S. population at large. However, no one is immune to falling ill or having an accident. The current health care bill would require recently arrived, legal immigrants to wait five years to obtain the only option for affordable health care coverage, Medicaid. While low-income citizens will have access to Medicaid, the most vulnerable among us will continue to wait for affordable health care despite the fact that they pay taxes for the very programs from which they are excluded. There is no sound reason for Congress to discriminate against these individuals and prevent them from receiving basic medical care.

Congress and the White House also took an unprecedented step to prohibit individuals from buying — with their own hard-earned money — an American good that could help their families. The Senate version of the health care bill forbids undocumented immigrants from purchasing private insurance at full cost in the newly created insurance marketplaces. As a result, undocumented immigrants as well as their family members, who are often U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, will likely remain uninsured and will be forced to seek care in the emergency room.

The costs of providing health care for undocumented immigrants will not disappear after passing health care reform. It is unlikely that millions of immigrants, whose contributions keep up our standard of living and our economy functioning, will be deported. Instead, the cost of care will become the financial responsibility of the patient, the provider, the local and state governments, and every single taxpayer. Moreover, in order to exclude a few, there will be additional forms, documents, and bureaucrats that the rest of us will be subjected to. Buying the mandated health insurance could feel like a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Taxpayers will have to pay millions for this additional red tape and delay, all to keep a few people from buying health insurance with their own money.

Providers, employers, consumers, religious leaders, and state and local governments recognize that these policies are short-sighted and will cost all of us more in the long-run. Policies that attempt to exclude and ostracize immigrants also disproportionately harm all communities of color and immigrant-rich states like California and New York, further widening existing inequities in our nation. Yet because immigrants live in all 50 states, the intended and unintended consequences and costs of these restrictions will be far-reaching.

Ending discriminatory and exclusionary policies in this final round of negotiations is not only a matter of fundamental fairness and sound economics. It is required in order to not leave all of us worse off. Congress has a short window of opportunity to remove the restrictions on legal and undocumented immigrants in the health care reform bill. Doing so will not jeopardize the passage of the bill. Failing to doing so, however, will leave all of us, immigrant or not, worse off and wondering what happened to the promise of health care reform.

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Viral Marketing 101: Use It to Create a Healthy Business!

The one virtue that helps sites overcome the competition online is creativity. With so many competing, you must employ every method of marketing you can to stay ahead.


Do you have a killer product? A really cool website? If people don’t know you are there, none of it matters and you won’t make a dime. Worst of all, your business could die a slow, anonymous death.


There are a lot of methods used by e-commerce sites to advertise and drive traffic. Some of them will really give you a boost in the rankings. One of these methods is Viral Marketing.


While we normally think of the term ‘viral’ with ‘virus’ a term that all computer owners dread Viral Marketing isn’t what it may appear. You’re not using a virus to market your business; in reality, this is just a way to utilize the best aspects of word of mouth advertising. It is much more effective than pop up ads and spyware.


Viral Marketing Overview


Viral Marketing is also known as Viral Advertising. This is a technique of marketing that is very effective in building awareness for a company. By using media to reach out to the public, Viral Marketing uses entertaining or informational media to promote the product without directly using it. These media are forwarded from person to person, who then enjoy the entertainment, and have exposure to your website link and product line.


Briefly, the concept is that if people like the media content, they will continue to keep passing it on to friends and family. The company (you) sponsor a specific media like a funny video, a cool game or an amusing story. It is passed around along with your company logo or brand which may contain product descriptions or other material to promote your company or product.


This is a pretty low cost method of advertising that is extremely effective. It avoids being logged as spam mail because each email is sent individually by a friend of the person who receives it. The person who receives it won’t block the email address of someone they know.


Some companies offer discounts, rebates and other incentives to help spread their viral marketing. Companies track the number of recipients that get the viral marketing from a single person to determine the incentive they earn.


Using Viral Marketing to your advantage


The big advantage to viral marketing is you get a lot of publicity and public awareness for your business. Your traffic will increase with potential customers. All it takes is a little creativity and maybe a few incentives to reach out to a large number of people in a very personal manner and introduce them to your existence.


Many sites are catching on to the effectiveness of viral marketing and advertising. Use it to keep your business healthy and growing. Along with search engine optimization and other methods, viral marketing can easily put you in the lead when it comes to rankings.


Some say viral marketing is a bit sneaky. Maybe. But it is nevertheless effective. People come across your media entertainment and pass them along to a friend, who passes it to another friend, and so on. This is a low cost method of advertising that can keep your bottom line healthy and happy. All it takes is a good idea, a gripping video or a fun game. Make a buzz about it create gossip it is an effective way to market movies. Remember “The Blair Witch Project”? Use the same method for your company.


Several large companies have successfully used viral marketing. An example is Microsoft’s Hotmail. They were the first big company to use this marketing method and it worked wonderfully for them.


Let viral marketing work its magic for you. Act now and see where this unique method of marketing takes you and your sales.

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Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet & Some Cultural Aspects of It

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

From Laguna Beach, California to Fuengirola, Spain – that is where I moved three and a half years ago. I didn’t know then that I was in for the best time of my life. I didn’t know what I was going to find when I reached the golden shores of the Costa del Sol.et

“Spain is the new California”. I coined this phrase as I became familiar with Spain. Fuengirola is on the same latitude as Santa Cruz in Northern California. The weather is only vaguely similar, mainly in the fall and winter, but that is where the similarities end. Every aspect of the Spanish culture from the perspective of this Californian is an experience in forging a new world.

The culture in Spain is dramatically unique from California. The term “laid back” probably originated in California but the term is reinvented here. The Spanish people, especially here on the coast, aren’t in a hurry to go anywhere.

I am guessing but I’d say that only 5% of the people who live in Fuengirola own a car. People walk everywhere they go. If you need to go farther than your feet will take you, you can take a taxi, ride a bus or ride a scooter! There’s a train to destinations north, from Fuengirola to Malaga. Malaga is the 2nd largest city in Andalucía, is about 45 minutes north and is where the airport is. I would say most of the train passengers onboard from Fuengirola are heading for the airport.

Moving to Spain, I traded crowded freeways for quiet Calles.

A predominant aspect of the culture in Spain that dramatically differs from the U.S. is the food. Food is a way of life here, not just a means of sustenance.

And of course, in Spain, they eat the Mediterranean Diet. So I am bringing you a first hand look into the food and the culture of food.

Ingredients are what distinguish the Mediterranean diet from all other diets. It is unique to the 13 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, naturally. The diet simply evolved from the uncomplicated way of eating based on what is immediately available from the sea and the land.

The focus of the food is on fresh – fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, fresh fish and seafood. These ingredients are complimented with fresh bread baked daily from one of the many local bakeries. Mediterranean diet

All sorrows are less with bread. ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

Olive oil is an important ingredient that distinguishes the Mediterranean Diet from other diets. It is the predominant oil used in all food preparation. Olive oil is not only an ingredient and widely used, it is an identity, because it is the main agricultural crop of Spain. As a matter of fact, olives that are used for and sold as Italian olive oil are actually grown here in Spain. On a road trip through Andalucía you will see acres and acres, as far as the eye can see, of olive tree groves. Flying over Andalucía, all the little dots that you see as you look over the land are rows of olive trees. The fact that Spain grows olives that are exported and used to make Italian olive oil is a little known fact in the rest of the world that is widely known here in Spain.

Along with fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and seafood, the Mediterranean diet is renowned for the sparse use of red meat. Chicken, pork and lamb are commonly eaten meats. All of these are accompanied with moderate intake of wine or beer.

There are no ingredients to substitute for the basics. Mediterranean food is simple, pure and regarded as a high point in the Spanish culture. Marketing is done daily. Small vegetable, fruit and fish markets are scattered among various stores in the Calles everywhere. Healthy, simple and delicious food preparation is not a frivolous aspect of life here. Fast food does not exist. Dinner isn’t quickly prepared. It is done with consideration, time and care to prepare for the mealtime, when family sits together and shares the joy and tribulations of their day. Family dinners are an old tradition still alive here.

Holidays are about eating and being together with family, days spent eating the specialties of the season. On the coast there are no trees, no egg hunts, no shopping, no increased traffic or gift exchanging, just preparing food for the entire family to gather to enjoy together.

Americans are family oriented, but not to the extent they once were and not similarly to the religiously centered family core that exists within the culture here. Neither social mores nor economic necessities have caused the family to disperse. Old fashioned gender roles still play a large part of the family experience, as well as the population being 94% catholic, causing families to predominate as the most important glue to hold society together. And they eat.

Let’s Begin at the Beginning, With Tapas

Tapas are a uniquely Spanish appetizer, not as common in other Mediterranean countries as they are here.

There are hundreds and hundreds of different tapas. Tapas are as creative as the chef making them, limited only by ones imagination – due to the large variety of vegetables available, the variety of cheese and meat and bread to work with, to arrange in any tasty combination. There is a core of common or standard tapas that are found in every nook and cranny of a bar. Even in a small rustic salty bar, as well as in the larger or more popular bars, you will always find Russian salad, albondigas in salsa roja, paella, sardines and red peppers in garlic and olive oil, stuffed red peppers, marinated mushrooms in tomato sauce and tortilla de patata, to name just a few.

Bars here aren’t like typical bars back in the U.S. They are abundant, and every one of them is a special neighborhood meeting place, to have a bite, a glass of wine and good conversation with friends. Spaniards drink wine and beer plentifully but in always in moderation.

In fact, the Mediterranean diet is about moderation. It has to be about moderation when it comes to portions, which is why Spaniards, who eat 4 meals a day, typically, eat dinner at 9 or 10 at night and still maintain healthy weight. You do not see many overweight Spaniards. They eat the Mediterranean diet which is highly regarded as being the healthiest diet on earth.

It is well known and documented that the Mediterranean people, because of the diet and their lifestyle in general, have the lowest incidence of heart disease. The Mediterranean diet is credited with not only lowering risk of heart disease, but also the risk of cancer and Type 2 Diabetes.

You do not see any fast food companies operating in Spain, by Spaniards, because they do not exist. There used to be a McDonalds here in Fuengirola. It was open in the summer only and was supported mainly by tourists. Now that the economic crunch has diminished the tourist base, the McDonald’s isn’t open anymore.

Spaniards eat lunch in 2 separate meals rather than at one mid-day meal. Early afternoon is when tapas are the order of the day. It is a light meal consumed around 1 or 1:30 in the early afternoon. Lunch later in the afternoon is the main meal of the day.

Bocadillos, or sandwiches, are also a lunch item for some people, but they aren’t sandwiches that you would be familiar with. Instead they are on baguettes or rolls, are not dressed with mayo or mustard, and are made up of plain meat or plain flaked tuna and maybe some cheese. Bocadillos are very simple but delicious, always made on a plain roll. I have never seen Spaniards eating “sandwich bread” although it is sold in the market.

Late afternoon lunch is the main meal of the day. It consists of salad, meat, vegetable, and a glass of wine, dessert and a cup of coffee or tea.

Dinner is later in the evening at 8, 9 or 10, which means that although late lunch is the main meal, portions are small, to be able to have and enjoy dinner without being too full from late lunch.

Lunch meals and dinner is commonly had in a café or bar with friends or with family. The culture is highly social; friends and families meet to have meals out together. Cafés and bars bustle with crowds at lunch and dinner and everyone looks happy – laughing, talking and eating. Lunch and dinner meals out are time to relax and enjoy yourself and the company you are with. This is part of the Mediterranean culture.

We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink… ~Epicurus

Salads served with late lunch or dinners are simple, consisting of iceberg lettuce, corn kernels, sliced red peppers, flaked tuna, and are served without dressing. They are dressed with oil and vinegar by you at your table.

Back to the Mediterranean Diet

I have painted a broad picture about the ingredients available to cooks and the basics of the culture of eating the Mediterranean Diet. Next, let’s get to some basic Mediterranean diet menu meal plans that will guide you toward designing a healthy Mediterranean diet for you. It is more effective if you are eating this diet while actually here, because the outdoor lifestyle, the sun, the walking, the marketing and the general culture that all are as much of the “diet” as eating is.

Barring the sun and the daily walks along cobbled Calles to the market, let’s give you some basics that may help you imagine being here and being part of it. And you can possibly incorporate some of the activities where ever you live.

Mediterranean Diet Breakfast

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. ~John Gunther

For breakfast you have a variety of choices. Typically breakfast consists of a roll and coffee. If you are dieting there are a few alternatives that if you stick to will absolutely aid your success in reducing body weight and becoming healthier.

Yogurt is my first breakfast menu selection. Breakfast Yogurt Suggestions:

Eat ½ to 1 cup yogurt, plain or low fat with any combination of these options: bananas, blue, black or strawberries, raisins, muesli, oatmeal, walnuts, almonds and or a teaspoon of honey.

Make sure you purchase cultured yogurt to maximize nutritional value. Cultured yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and protein and can lower your cholesterol.

Breakfast of yogurt is a nutritious and delicious meal.

See Yogurt on the Low Cholesterol Diet Page (of Answer My Health Question.net, see the link below in the Author Profile section please) under the heading “8 Foods You Should Eat Everyday”. If you haven/t read this page yet, I highly recommend it.

Eating fresh fruit requires the time to buy and prepare it. I don’t know how common my personal experience is however, I have always been a conscious, healthy eater, yet I bought fruit that invariably sat and got over ripe before I actually ate it. In my personal diet now, I eat a large amount of fruit but it always takes time to prepare. Bananas need sliced, apples need sliced, watermelon and other melon, all need to have rind removed and to be sliced. Laugh or moan as you will, but often fast food is consumed because of the lack of time taken to perform these very tasks. Food preparation takes time, and taking the time required to make it work for you will be a huge benefit, I promise you. Obviously, most fruit is already wrapped naturally and can be easily and conveniently eaten. Putting it in something, like yogurt or a salad, requires your time to prepare it. It’s all part of the charm and pleasure of eating.

Any fruit in your yogurt will do.

Another breakfast option is fruit juice with plain toast, or toast with jam or tomato puree, as it is commonly eaten here in Spain.

A great, maybe the very best breakfast food, (which is not a Mediterranean food), is oatmeal. Oatmeal sold here is imported from either Norway or England. Spanish people are not familiar with it and I would say they don’t eat it. However, oatmeal is high in fiber, is attributed as an essential food for lowering cholesterol and a recommended portion is ½ cup per day. It’s easy to prepare, you can embellish it with fruit, and it tastes as good as it is good for you. I serve it as breakfast every day and believe it is a mainstay of an overall good healthy diet.

In the overall diet plan I highly recommend drinking or using non-fat milk on your oatmeal and in coffee. Many brands fortify milk with vitamins to make it even healthier for you to drink. Non-fat milk does not have to be like drinking water, some brands are thin and not very tasty. I have found several brands of non-fat milk that are good and creamy tasting. Look around, try a few brands and use non-fat milk for the long run of cutting fats from your diet.

Last, in my shortlist of breakfast suggestions, is fruit salad. Fruit salad can of course, be a selection of most anything you like. Prepare it in advance and keep it in a plastic tub for up to 3 days, without it becoming wilted or not nice to eat anymore. One of my favorite fruit salad combinations is bananas, pineapple and coconut. Add oranges and it’s still a delicious tropical fruit salad.

If you are eating only fruit in the morning it’s likely that you will be hungry again before lunchtime. There are healthy crackers that often are digestive aids too, are a great item to have either with your fruit, or to keep available for when your hunger strikes.

Mediterranean Diet Lunch

Lunch is easy too. If you are here on the Med lunch certainly would consist of either tapas or a bocadillo. I am going to give you recipes for a good selection of typical foods that, depending on your situation – whether you are at home or at work, may work for you.

Meanwhile, my suggestion for lunch for either weight loss or to establish and maintain a healthy diet is to eat a salad and have a piece of fruit. This lunch can be very delicious, satisfy your hunger and will ultimately lead to either weight loss or improving your health, or both. 

Salads ought to have a good variety of cut vegetables: corn, tomatoes, red peppers, graded or sliced carrots, sliced onion, or any other of your favorite vegetables, and good healthy green salad leaves, including spinach. See Spinach on the Low Cholesterol Diet page of AMHQ.net.

In the previous page, Low Cholesterol Diet, and in the preceding page, The Grapefruit Diet, I have given you both great diet food suggestions and an actual weight reducing diet plan, that you can borrow ideas from to create your lunch menu. Often, meals can be redundant. However, they need not be boring if you change the ingredients within your salads daily or weekly. It isn’t too time consuming to do if you prepare the items ahead of time and keep them in the fridge, to mix into your salad to suit your taste on any given day. To the list of salad ingredients above I would also add sliced or julienned beets and sliced eggs. These ingredients can make a terrific, satisfying lunch that once you get used to eating, you will realize the value of not eating that fast food sandwich or burger for lunch any longer.

Eating a piece of fruit as a dessert to your lunch meal can be even more filling, and you cannot or will not gain an ounce if salad and fruit are your lunch meals.

There is always the trusty convenient sandwich to be had for lunch. Make sure you use good integral wheat bread and limit the dressing used to the very minimum. Lettuce on your sandwich may be just the thing to lend some nice moisture, taste and crunch to your sandwich if you forego the dressing. As everyone knows, mayonnaise is high in calories, and eliminating these calories over time is means fewer calories to burn off. That is, if you want to reduce your weight.

A healthy intake of water is mandatory to keep your body happy, both for general rinsing of your system but also to aid weight loss. Remembering to drink enough is keenly important – general wisdom is to drink 8 glasses a day. You will be surprised how drinking this much water can keep you full, and can result in your waistline reduction. It makes you feel terrific and healthy to be on a plan where you eat well, are drinking plenty of water, when the results of both begin to be noticeable.

If you like a snack in the afternoon there is hardly any alternative better for you or that will not create increase in weight, than fruit. Not surprising, eating an apple is super good, easy and is indisputably good for you. Substituting other snacks and replacing them with a piece of tasty, juicy fresh fruit will certainly significantly improve your health and will create weight loss.

Mediterranean Diet Dinner

Dinner can be simple but include a large variety of options, so your hunger is satisfied, your taste buds are satisfied and variety is maintained so that you don’t lose interest in maintaining a super healthy diet and lifestyle.

Eating a salad for dinner is both healthy and will help reduce weight. Eating a salad that consists of ingredients mentioned above is great to have again at dinner time. The secret is to use little or no dressing. If you use dressing, try using olive oil and vinegar. Using O & V, salt and pepper and if you like, add some garlic powder. Your salad can be satisfying without being dressed with creamy dressing. I often add crumbled blue cheese into my salads which gives them a full extra flavor that blends well with the lettuce and veges. Using a diet or light dressing may be a reasonable concession. Try using oil and vinegar, you might like it!

Eating potatoes as a carbohydrate is a great compliment to a meal. Try using olive oil drizzled over your potato instead of butter. It still tastes good, and eliminates the high cholesterol fat in butter from your diet. With some salt and pepper, you probably won’t even be able to tell the difference, but your heart will.

Eating legumes on a regular basis is good for you. There are plenty of varieties of beans to choose from. Common here are garbanzo beans, used a lot in soups. Also popular are white and pinto beans. Black beans are the best option and are available everywhere. There is a really good recipe for black beans on the Mediterranean Diet Recipes page of AMHQ.net.

Lentils are also a great vitamin source and are a delicious legume. Use them in soup, salads or by themselves as a side dish. Please see the Mediterranean Diet Recipes page of AMHQ.net for a terrific, delicious recipe for Mediterranean Summer Lentil Ssalad.

Eat Your Vegetables!

Nothing, besides eating a salad, can be as beneficial for you as a good side dish of vegetables. Needless to say there is a huge variety of options for you to choose from. All you have to do is buy them, and if at a minimum all you do to prepare them is to steam them, you are doing well. If you get creative and combine your veges into a casserole or saute them together in garlic and olive oil, you are doing well then too.

Depending on your time and your objective, whether to lose weight or just get healthier, you can be as simple or creative as you wish. Eating well is essential for longevity, vitality and well being, and vegetables are a large part of the plan.

Mediterranean Recipes
Meat, Fish, Seafood and Chicken

Please, less red meat – more fish. There is a lot of research documented to support the fact that eating red meat in abundance causes heart-disease. And, red meat is difficult for your body to digest.

Two low calorie beef menu suggestions that taste great are made using very low fat ground meat, prepared in patties or as meatloaf. Please go to AMHQ.net, to the Mediterranean Diet Recipes page to find a great recipe for Mediterranean Diet Meatloaf. It is really great-tasting and can be easily prepared as a meal for one or for a family. Or, Hamburger Patties cooked in a pan without oil, prepared with diced onion, green bell or spicy Anaheim peppers are a very good main course also. Top them with Blue Cheese, and it’s a super terrific meal.

One terrific suggestion for a delicious meat meal, Mediterranean style is Mediterranean Chili. Don’t miss reading this recipe if you are a chili lover. You will find it at AMHQ.net, on the Mediterranean Diet Recipes page.

Eating fish, high in protein (good for your hair, nails, regenerating new healthy cells in your body) is better for you than any other source of protein from meat. A great suggestion for both weight reduction and to create a healthy low calorie, low cholesterol diet is to eat fish three times a week. Having fish dinners 3 times weekly is more often than many people normally eat fish and may be challenging as far as variety options in the menu.

What’s that you say? You would like a terrific recipe for Mediterranean Linguini with Clam Sauce? This recipe is not to be missed. See AMHQ.net, Mediterranean Diet Recipes page for Mediterranean Linguini with Clam Sauce

And here are some simple fish meal options and recipes that you can prepare easily that are a real typical way of preparing fish here on the Med: See Mediterranean Spicy Panga (white fish filets) with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans; Sauteed Panga with Baked Potatoes and Salad; Panga Stir-Fry; and especially this recipe – Calamari Dinner (or Tapas).

Chicken, pork and lamb are great menu additions with many preparation options, and are healthy and delicious food. See Mediterranean Chicken Recipes on AMHQ.net, Mediterranean Diet Recipes. And see this recipe for a great meal – Mediterranean Roast Chicken, there too..

The countries that border the Mediterranean Sea are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Not all ingredients of the Mediterranean diet are consistent throughout each of these countries. There are many regional differences, but what is consistent is the focus on fresh vegetables and fruit, fresh fish and seafood, and lots of them. To these, add fresh baked bread, a glass of red wine, friends and family and enjoy life a little longer!

Sweet Things

Don’t think I would leave you hanging without including dessert.

No meal is complete without dessert!

I will begin my collection of delicious yet light wonderful evening meal desserts with Mediterranean Honey Cake.

Mediterranean Honey Cake is a take-off of a traditional white cake, which can be frosted with any flavor you prefer: coffee, caramel, banana walnut, strawberry, or any other flavor you feel like having on it. There are no boundaries for how to frost a vanilla, er, in this case, a honey cake.

In this recipe I have chosen to use a Cream Coconut, and blended it with soft cream cheese and a dash of honey for sweetness, to create a wonderful Honey Cake that you will be happy to serve and all to enjoy.

It’s a real Mediterranean delight!

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