Galvanic Facial Gel Before and After

The Galvanic spa facial treatment could literally wipe ten years of aging in a short span of time. It could get rid of wrinkles, fine lines, laugh lines, crows feet and sagging. The device has often been called the wrinkle iron for its ability to restore your face back to its full glory.

What Is Transfat?

Scientific evidence shows that consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad cholesterol," levels, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, more than 12.5 million Americans have CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. That makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration has required that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol be listed on food labels since 1993. Starting Jan.1, 2006, listing of trans fat will be required as well. With trans fat added to the Nutrition Facts panel, required by Jan. 1, 2006, you will know for the first time how much of all three--saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol--are in the foods you choose. Identifying saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol on the food label gives you information you need to make food choices that help reduce the risk of CHD. This revised label will be of particular interest to people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease.

However, everyone should be aware of the risk posed by consuming too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. But what is trans fat, and how can you limit the amount of this fat in your diet?

What is Trans Fat?

Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.

Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for CHD. Americans consume on average 4 to 5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat in their diets.

Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.

Dangers of Ephedra

Ephedra is a compound that is often used in weight loss products. It is actually one of the world's oldest medicines, with documented usage in China occurring over 5,000 years ago. The drug has once again found popularity, this time in America's search for the perfect weight loss drug. It is known to cause many changes in the body; an increased metabolism, increased weight loss, relaxation of the air passages in the lungs, and increased energy are some of the effects reported. One of the major distributors of ephedra was a weight loss drug that is known as Fen-phen. This drug consists of a combination of ephedra and St. John's Wort, a natural anti-depressant agent. Over the past few years, plenty of other weight loss drugs on the market also included ephedra. Xenadrine RFA-1, Stacker 2, Stacker 3, and Ripped Fuel all contained ephedra.

However, there is a dark side to ephedra. It has been recently banned for all usage by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America. In addition to its weight loss purposes, ephedra also causes some negative side-effects that can be quite severe. Ephedra is known to raise the heart rate, as well as the blood pressure of a person that ingests it. Anybody with high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease can be seriously in trouble if they take this supplement. A whopping eight hundred people have reported injury due to this weight loss drug, and a full fifty people have died from it. This includes Steve Bechler, an athlete who pitched for the Baltimore Orioles that took the drug during spring training and lost his life. An autopsy showed that indeed, ephedra had contributed to his death. Ten days after this shocking event, the FDA went into action, banning the use of ephedra in all weight loss supplements. The serious consequences reported by those who were damaged by the drug include hypertension, stroke, heart attacks, seizures, and full-on cardiac arrest. As you can see, this weight loss supplement's risks surely outweigh its benefits. If you or someone you know is taking this drug, its crucial to stop taking it. There are many ways to lose weight, and there are definitely other supplements that do not wreak havoc on your body like ephedra does. While the drug is illegal, it is still commonly sold, most often online but at the occasional party store. It's important to realize exactly what a detriment this drug can be to your health. Fitness should not come at the cost of poor health.

Give the Gift of Health

Christmas is not the only time to be generous and in the mood for gift giving. Gifts range usually from new clothes, new toys and new gadgets. How about giving the gift of health?

Here at Krystal Wellness we are happy to help your friend or relative achieve the benefits of good health. We have gift certificates available in P300, P500 and P1000 denominations. Just drop by Krystal Wellness and we would be happy to service you.

Give your loved ones the gift of health today!

Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients

1 (16 oz.) pkg. curly edge lasagna
3 lbs. ricotta cheese
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. minced onion
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 c. fresh vegetable mixture (broccoli florets, shredded carrots, zucchini slices, chopped red pepper, sliced mushrooms)
4 c. (16 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package; drain. Rinse with cold water, drain and lay flat on paper towels in single layer until needed.

Meanwhile, mix together Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, onion, basil and garlic powder. Stir in vegetables. Spread 3/4 cup mixture on bottom of 13"x9" baking dish. Arrange layer of noodles, one fourth of remaining vegetable mixture and sprinkle with some of the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Continue to layer, ending with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until hot. Let stand 10 minutes. 8 servings.