Health

Health / Natural Remedies — No Comments
4
Nov 10

Foods That Contain Probiotics and What That Means For You

You may have heard or seen the word probiotic either on TV, in a magazine, at the gym, or at the supermarket. Chances are that you heard probiotics are essential and nutritious for our diet, but what are they and what foods contain probiotics? Hopefully this article will shed a little light on the topic and educate you on living a healthier life.

What Are Probiotics?

The word probiotic means “for life.” In short, they are a type of bacteria. Although, many people have related the word bacteria with something being harmful to you, probiotics side effects are helpful in making your body function properly.

What Foods Contain Probiotics?

You may be thinking that you have to go to a specialty store or natural food store to purchase foods that have good bacteria in them. Surprisingly, you don’t! Actually, you may have everyday foods in your refrigerator or cabinets that contain high levels of probiotics that you consume daily.

Yogurt is the most commonly known source to get these good additions to your body. Yogurts that contain” active and live cultures’ are your best choice. Some yogurts claim to have as much as 100 million active bacterium, so remember to read those labels.

Miso is also a great source of probiotics. Miso is a type of soybean that has been fermented and is used often in Japanese cuisines. Miso is described as having a salty flavor, and is also used in many soups, in a dried out form. However, we all know that fresh is the best and fresh miso will provide up to 50 times more probiotics.

Sauerkraut or Fermented Cabbage

Next time you are at a family cookout don’t shy away from the hot dogs, pile on the sauerkraut. Unlike foods that start with a dairy base, cabbage doesn’t need bacteria to begin the fermentation process. The only real ingredient required is salt and also a temperature controlled area. The combination of adding the salt and keeping the cabbage at the correct temperature will begin the process.

Ok, so you don’t like any of the foods mentioned above, so you want to know how you can still add probiotics to your diet. Manufacturers are beginning to add the good bacteria to our everyday foods and beverages. In fact, Kashi was one of the first companies to introduce probiotics into their products with Kashi Vive Probiotic Digestive Wellness Cereal. No matter what foods you eat to increase your probiotic levels, your body will thank you.

Health — No Comments
25
Apr 10

The Surprising Health Benefits of Hot Sauce

Hot sauce is not just for your food, the active ingredient capsaicin is also responsible for a number of other health benefits. The ancients have been using hot sauce to treat different ailments for centuries it is about time we caught up with the times. Here are some of the more common health benefits of spicy stuff.

It can help alleviate depression.

Hot food, after the burn subsides can actually raise your spirits. This is achieved in a couple simple ways. First, hot sauce causes the release of endorphins, the same as a runners high just without the exercise. Hot sauce also causes an increase in blood flow which can trigger a small amount of adrenaline to be released into the system. Both of these hormones lead to feelings of well being and alertness, reducing the symptoms of depression.

A natural antiseptic

Drug companies today are starting to use capsaicin as a natural alternative to many pain killers. This is one of the most widely researched areas of this particular field and many professionals believe that it has much promise.

Aiding the digestion

Many people with sensitive stomaches are afraid to eat hot food, much of this belief may be mental because studies have shown that capsaicin can actually aide in digestion. This works in a few ways. First, the hot food causes an increase in digestive juices in the stomach, this means that food is digested faster. Next, increased blood flow from the hot food causes nutrients to be carried away more quickly. And last, hot sauce causes an increase in the mucous lining of the stomach, which can actually help protect you from nasty stomach ulcers.

Clear the sinuses

Anyone who eats hot fool knows that the more you eat the more your nose runs. This can happen from a totally dry nasal passage so imagine what hot sauce can do for you if you are stuffed up. Pile on the hot stuff and eat until you are clear. A spicy drink can also do wonders in a stuffy situation.

Super bugs are threatening to end us all

Capsaicin offers a solution to antibacterial resistant super bugs. They don’t like hot stuff and adding hot sauce to food can actually lower the amount of active bacteria in food. This does not mean don’t wash your chilies it just mean eat more hot sauce.

Avoid weight gain

Last but not least, hot sauce can actually help you avoid putting on the extra pounds. Studies have shown that hot food can actually boost your metabolism as well as suppress your appetite. There is not enough of a boost to expect to loose a significant amount of weight but anything helps in our quest to stay lean.

Hot sauce is a great healthy addition to many foods, if you are not an addict yet, you should be.

Health / Nutrition — No Comments
14
Apr 10

All Natural Anti Aging Products – Fruits and Veggies

We have been at it forever. The quest for everlasting youth is one of the frontiers that we have not had much success in. However, what we have had great advancement in is the fact that we have come to understand a great deal about the process of aging and have learned a lot about ourselves in that journey.

The science of aging is one that is both fascinating and puzzling. Fascinating because while the human body seems be equipped with faculties that can defy aging by having the ability to renew and repair itself, puzzlingly, we still fall short in such a way that we slowly go into this process of degeneration that our body progresses into.

The good news is that we seem to have come to understand significantly more about ourselves that we are able to reverse or slow down that progression. This is most true with the matter of skin aging.

The funny thing is that with all the discoveries we have made in our search for the best anti aging strategy/treatment, it turns out that the most effective ones have been under our noses all this time. I am talking about fruits and vegetables which science have shown to be the best all natural anti aging products.

Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins that slow down the effects of father time, reverse premature skin aging symptoms, and help protect you from illnesses that promote biological aging.

This is made even more possible because fruits and veggies are packed with antioxidants that help the body get rid of harmful free radicals that wreak havoc on our body at the cellular level. Free radicals are also associated with risk of cancer and number of other health problems.

If you wish to keep your self feeling and looking young, you should not neglect to include all natural treatment strategies in your overall plan. Eating fruits and vegetables, plenty of it, is one of the best skin aging prevention and perhaps the top anti aging products you will ever come across out there.

Including the all natural fruits and veggies approach in your overall anti aging plan will not only help you in your quest to prolong youthfulness, it will also help you maintain your health at the peak level which would improve your quality of life.

Fruit / Health — No Comments
8
Apr 10

The Health Benefits of Cherries

The cherry grew in the wild in western Asia. It was brought to Europe since ancient times, thanks to the roman Lucullus.

The health benefits of cherries

This fleshy fruit appears to have been provided by nature only for the pleasure of its juicy pulp. But the analysis suggests that the cherry has a strong detoxifying and purification action and it is recommend to rheumatic and persons who suffer from gout or constipation, those with renal and biliary lithiasis.

You can achieve remarkable results with a cherry cure. There are two ways of following treatment: a mini – cure and an exclusive cure. The mini – cure: in the morning on an empty stomach, begin with a minimum dose of 3.5 oz. The dose is increased gradually to reach the end of the third week to 17 oz. When you reach 10.5 oz the dose is divided in three doses until noon, and you will not consume any other food.

During the cure do not abuse animal fat, refined sugar or alcohol. Light lunches and dinners will be welcomed for this natural therapy to have positive effects. This cure is also recommended if you want to get a flat stomach and instead of the cherries, you can try juicing recipes that include the fruit.

The exclusive cure stretches over three or four days, while you only eat cherries, this diet can be resumed within a month. During the day it is recommended to drink mineral water. The amount of cherries is between 4 and 7 pounds per day. Some authors recommend up to 11 pounds of cherries per day. But the absorption capacity is variable from one person to another. This quantity of fruit is consumed in several doses during the day.

Cherries are rich in pro vitamin A, which increases visual acuity and maintains tissues (skin, mucosa, epithelia).

Health / Nutrition — No Comments
3
Apr 10

High Cholesterol In Teenagers – Preventing Health Problems

A study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that one in five teens have high cholesterol levels. The study showed that both overweight teens and teens within their ideal weight range are at risk of having a higher cholesterol count.

Higher levels of cholesterol lead to heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in adults living in the United States. Although genetics play a large role in the cholesterol level of teenagers, a high fat diet that lacks adequate fiber and protein, lack of exercise, obesity, and smoking all contribute to a rise in cholesterol.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

Cholesterol cannot dissolve in the blood stream. High amounts of bad cholesterol (Low Density Lipoproteins) build up in the arterial walls forming fatty deposits that begin to harden over time, clogging the arteries.

Good cholesterol (High Density Lipoproteins) is believed to prevent heart disease by removing excess cholesterol away from the arteries.
Good cholesterol can be found in unsaturated foods including, peanuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil, and canola oil.

Unhealthy saturated fat is in foods such as butter, mayonnaise, red meat, whole cheese, whole milk, and fried foods, all of which can raise cholesterol to unhealthy levels.

How to Prevent Cholesterol Problems in Teens

To prevent unhealthy levels of high cholesterol in teenagers, foods containing saturated fat should be avoided. Eliminate red meat from you diet and replace it with grilled chicken, fish, or a vegetarian dish.

Include plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains into your daily menu, and make sure to get some exercise on a daily basis to lower levels of bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol.

Educate Teens on the Effects of Cholesterol

Most teenagers do not consider themselves at risk for heart disease, especially if they are not overweight. Teens tend to eat a lot of foods that are high in saturated fat without considering the consequences to their health.

Once a teenager is educated on the negative effects of a diet high in cholesterol, they will be more likely to make better food choices. Parents must set a good example by making healthy food choices in their own lives, and by stocking plenty of healthy foods in the home.

There are no symptoms that help to reveal whether or not a teen has a cholesterol problem. Teens that are overweight, have a particularly unhealthy diet, or have a family history of high cholesterol should visit their doctor to have their cholesterol count checked.

Health — No Comments
1
Apr 10

Asthma & Allergy Types and Facts

Strawberry allergy is one of the common food allergies. And many times people suffering from it have it in serious form. And it can be up to the extinct where people can’t take the smell of it also. A bad thing about it is strawberry is a very common fruit which have chances of accidentally coming in your food easily. It is prefer to carry the allergy medicine with you always if you have the allergy of it. One of the good things about strawberry is that it is very common fruit so you will know about strawberry allergy symptoms very early in your lifetime.

Asthma is also known as a type of allergy, because most of the asthma cases are due to the allergy. It is generally caused by the allergy to dust particles or irritating smells. Most of the times it is in the mild form, but sometimes can be life threatening for the person suffering from it. It is very difficult to know the substance you have allergy from though you can always have an allergy test done from an expert. Asthma is a not fully curable disease hence there is no permanent solution for asthma allergy also, still we can take few precautions to avoid it.

a)      Avoid bad weather or cold weather. Weather change can be very bad for you if you have asthma. It can cause a serious attack.

b)      Avoid dust particles or irritating smells as much as possible. It will eliminate the most of the cause.

c)       If you have allergy to other substances, try to avoid it. Precaution is always better than cure.

Asthma is common these days due to increase in the pollution worldwide.  We may not be able to avoid it completely, but we can make our life beautiful by taking many precautions and having a good mild asthma treatment.

Exercise / Fast Food / Health — No Comments
25
Mar 10

Healthy Eating Pattern and Regular Exercising

Nowadays it is not that easy to live healthy because food that is unhealthy is much cheaper, easier to make and it is all around us. Just take in mind all those commercials about McDonald delicious hamburgers or Dunking Donuts delicious donuts. They are full of sugar and taste great but reality is that those types of food are very unhealthy for you and reason number one why so many people are obese. The sad thing about it is that not everyone knows how unhealthy it is which results in regular lunches at hamburger tents accompanied with extra large soda’s.

Eating healthy will not only help you lose weight but it will also help you feel better about yourself. Science has proved that regular eating of fruits and vegetables will decrease the chance on depression and other disorders like Parkinson and Alzheimer disease. our body needs those essential vitamins and minerals which you can not find in your regular fast food kitchen.

But eating more healthy is not the only way to live healthier and become more happy. Regular exercising will also increase how good you feel about yourself, it will help you lose weight and it also reduces the chances on Depression, Alzheimer, Heart diseases and much more. Off course you do not want to overdo it and immediately start exercising like the pro’s, you want to take it easy and start with as little as 15 minutes exercising a day.

There are many popular ways to start exercising and the best way in doing it is by going to the gym and ask for a personal trainer who will guide you. Not only will he help you to do the right exercises but he will also keep you motivated for coming every few times a week.

But the gym is not meant for everyone and some people just don’t like to exercise with so many people around them. For them an excellent solution might be doing their exercises at home with an ergo meter or an electric treadmill. Advantages of an electric treadmill are that it is very easy to undertake exercising and you can even do it when you are listening to the radio or watching television.

Health — No Comments
25
Mar 10

Guest Post: Do Vegetarian Diets Impact Your Dental Health?

My Salt Lake Dentist is concerned that my teeth are worn down far beyond the expected norm for a 37 year “young” woman. Being stalwart  whole-foods vegetarian, I consume more grains, chewy breads, and raw vegetables than the average 37 year old’s my dentist normally sees. This made me wonder if possibly my vegetarian diet is causing my teeth to wear faster than the average American.

Scientific research on the impact of vegetarian diet correlation to dental health is nearly non existent. The studies that have been conducted establish no scientific evidence to support my theory that crunchy stiff whole foods can cause excess wear on adult teeth. (if you don’t believe me just ask the reference librarian for the American Dental Association [ADA]). Common sense, however, tells me otherwise.

Tooth wear and enamel erosion are divided into two basic types, mechanical and chemical. Mechanical erosion results from rubbing two objects against another (that is at least as hard as itself). Since I have not been chewing on concrete or steel lately, there is nothing I have been eating that could be nearly as hard as my teeth. Dr. Linda Niessen, a consumer adviser for the ADA puts it this way ” [enamel is] 90 percent rock”. Our teeth are strong.

The most common source of mechanical erosion is obviously teeth grinding. The trouble with teeth grinding is that it only happens when you are asleep so you never realize you are doing. I do hope my husband would point that out if it were happening. If you think you maybe grinding your teeth when you sleep there are things you can do:

  • Practice relaxation teeth grinding is usually brought on by stress.
  • Get a fitted with a mouth guard to wear while sleeping.
  • Bite Check-your teeth maybe rubbing against each other while eating. A simple adjustment could eliminate the problem.

Diet-related mechanical erosion is not impossible but it is extremely rare.

On the other hand chemical erosion can actually be linked to the food you eat, however the texture/consistency  of the food is not the culprit. Here is the scientific explanation, “chemical erosion occurs when a substance’s atomic or molecular structure allows it to eat away another’s”. In other words (one we can all understand) water is not nearly as hard as steel, but it can rust steel no problem. Likewise, acidic foods erode tooth enamel. There are studies linking the consumption of citrus fruit to increased enamel erosion.

The Journal of Dental Research (June 1991) indicates consuming more than two servings of citrus fruits per day increases one’s risk for chemical erosion significantly. Also guilty were soft drinks, sport drinks, and apple-cider vinegar. Frequent vomiting is also a culprit of chemical erosion,stomach acid eat away at enamel quickly.

If you are like me and love acidic foods, drink a lot of water to wash away the acid before it can do any damage. To be clear with all of this research it is apparent that vegetarians do not need take extraordinary measures to preserve their teeth. My diet is not the source of my dental plight.