Posts Tagged ‘healthy-living’
Quitening the buzy brain
Posted on: July 22, 2012
Now I am on facebook all hours, but when I noticed this status of my younger cousin – I realized that this was advice that I really could share on my Living Well blog.
Because meditation, breathing – yoga – have helped me greatly to conquer buzy brain – and deal with many related matters.
8 Nutrient Dense Foods!
Posted on: July 17, 2012
Nutrient-dense foods have a high nutrient/calorie ratio. Meaning they are rich in nutrients when compared to their calorie content.
A good example of a nutrient-dense food is strawberries. One cup of strawberries contains only 150 calories, but 3.5g fiber, a massive 86mg of vitamin C and a useful 26.9mcg of folate.
Nutrient-dense foods are the oppposite of empty-calorie foods which are low in nutrition when compared to their calorie content.
Food fulfills three basic needs: (1) to provide energy; (2) to support new tissue growth and tissue repair; and (3) to help regulate metabolism. These three requirements are met by components of foods called “nutrients”, which consist of six classes: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Foods that are “nutrient dense” supply a significant amount of these nutrients for their calories. A high-performance diet emphasizes nutrient-dense carbohydrates necessary to maintain muscle glycogen – the primary fuel for most sports.
1. Spirulina: Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids, antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid).
Check out FitLife.tv’s Spirulina Smoothie Recipe
2. Kale: According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, kale is the most nutritious food, loaded with minerals, vitamins, fiber and amino acids, as well as important antioxidants that reduce inflammation and can prevent cancer. It’s also delicious and an easy to prepare, versatile food. Since kale is rich in vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, iron and have anticancer properties. This makes it perfect for juicing. Kale is also rich in fiber and detoxifies your entire system. You should select kale that is fresh, dark green and tender.
Check out the Alpha Reset 
3. Hemp Seeds: Hemp is considered one of the world’s most nutritious plants. Hemp seeds contain all of the essential amino acids making them an ideal source of protein for vegans and raw foodists. The essential fatty acids are abundant in hemp seeds and come in a ratio that is highly beneficial to humans. Magnesium, iron, and potassium are in good supply along with fiber. You can use hemp seed oil on your salads. You shouldn’t use hemp seed as a frying oil or high heat oil.
4. Chocolate: Yes, you read right. Cacao beans are so nutrient-dense that scientists haven’t even begun to identify all the benefits in the little bean yet. Don’t grab a Snickers though—the good stuff is found only in raw cacao beans or nibs (or really, really dark 
chocolate). Minerals, vitamins and tons of antioxidants are great for your heart, skin, and release chemicals in the brain that make you feel like you’re in love.
5. Broccoli: Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family. It is one of the most nutrient dense foods. Packed with vitamin C and has anticancer effects. When selecting broccoli to juice, look for dark green broccoli or purplish heads. The stalks should be firm. Avoid broccoli with wilted, yellow or soft leaves since their nutritional content is low.
Check out Juice Up Your LIfe – The Alpha Reset for more information.
6. Spinach: Spinach is packed with powerful nutrients. Spinach has fiber, flavonoids which have anticancer properties, antiflammatory properties due to neoxanthin and violaxanthin properties, lowers blood pressure, packed with vitamin A which helps with immunity and skin complexion, and vitamin K. Choose dark green and fresh spinach. Fresh or cooked, spinach’s sweet and hardy flavor brightens any meal.
7. Chia: The chia seeds are “super” because, like a superfruit, they deliver the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories. They have several of the same benefits as the more well-known “super seed” flax, but unlike flax seed, you don’t need to grind them to reap the health benefits. The nutritional benefits of chia include fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants and much more – even protein!
8. Blueberries: The USDA ranked this indigo fruit #1 out of 40 common fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants. Blueberries are believed to lower cholesterol, prevent urinary tract infections, and improve memory, eyesight, balance and coordination, in addition to slowing signs of aging and reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Source:
Types of Berries – Find Facts About Berries at WomansDay.com – Woman’s Day
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/spirulina-000327.htm
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/beverage1/a/what-are-hemp-seeds.htm
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Could your job be making you pack on the pounds?
Maybe so, according to a new survey from the folks at CareerBuilder.com. The findings pinpoints what the biggest contributing factors are. Another hint: stress and candy jars both play a role.
Fortunately, experts say there are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to fight the ol’ work-related weight gain — and even use your time in the office as an opportunity to promote good health.
“You have to know yourself, and you have to understand your triggers,” Samantha Heller, a registered dietitian, told The Huffington Post. “I think when you plan, it’s much easier to stick to healthy choices.”
Here are the top seven factors the survey participants said contributed to their weight gain, as well as expert-proven strategies to navigate them.
1. SITTING
According to CareerBuilder, 54 percent of workers chalked their weight gain up to sitting at their desks all day.
And the fix here, experts say, is straightforward.
“The simplest thing is to get off your butt,” said Heller. She recommended taking a quick five minute break every hour — and not just for coffee, and certainly not to smoke. Try walking a few flights of stairs or going out into the parking lot to do jumping jacks. The issue with sitting all day, Heller explained, isn’t just that you don’t burn a lot of calories; it’s that it can leave you feeling down and draggy, which is when people are apt to reach for unhealthy treats.
Other options? Take your calls standing up, said HuffPost blogger and registered dietitian Cheryl Forberg. Or turn your work area into a mini gym.
“Leave your dumbbells on the desk, right at eye-level so you don’t have to bend over to get them, and when you’re on a call or on hold, you can just stand up and pump some iron,” she suggested.
2. STRESS EATING
Some 37 percent of the respondents said eating because of stress was a major cause of weight gain. To stave off those stress-related pounds, experts say you’ve got two main options…
First, try to get your stress under control.
“Stress is a very common work-place phenomenon. We can’t always change the circumstances that create the stress, but what we can do is alter our response,” Heller said. She suggests taking five very deep, very slow breaths.
Second, it’s key to have good options on hand for when you do give into stress eating.
“Be sure that you keep healthy snacks at your desk, because when you do resort to stress eating — which we all do now and then — the only choices you have at your fingertips will be good ones,” Forberg said.
3. EATING OUT
Just over 20 percent of respondents said that regularly eating out contributed to their weight gain.
If it’s the culture of your office to head out for lunch food, then the key is to hit up places where you know there are healthier options, such as fish, grilled chicken or salads, explained Bethany Thayer, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The other question is really what “regularly” means to you. (In this survey, more than half of respondents said they ate out once a week, and nearly a quarter did at least three times a week.)
In general, Thayer advocates sticking to what she calls the 80/20 rule, which can really make a difference when it comes to eating out.
“If 80 percent of the time w’ere good about what we’re doing in [terms of] healthful eating and exercising, then you’ve got that 20 percent of the time you can play around with,” Thayer said. “If for you, that means you’re going to go out once a week and choose whatever you want off the menu, that’s fine.”
4. SKIPPING MEALS
Some 19 percent of workers said they had to skip meals because of time constraints.
And the message on this one’s all about tough love.
“I don’t buy it,” Heller said. “No. It’s not that difficult to have a yogurt or some trail mix. Or slap together a peanut butter sandwich and stick it in your purse.”
The key, she said, is planning ahead so on those crazy days where you don’t have more than a minute to pause and eat, you can still nourish yourself and avoid becoming too hungry and binging later.
5. CELEBRATIONS
Potlucks or birthdays were one of the main culprits according to 18 percent of workers.
One option, Thayer said, is talking to your co-workers about consolidation, so that the office cake becomes a slightly less common affair.
“You can proactively talk with your colleagues and say, ‘Could we do a birthday month for everyone who has a birthday that month?'” Thayer said. If that’s unappealing or not possible because of office size, there should always be a healthy option, she said. Her pick? A mixed fruit bowl.
6. THE CANDY JAR
While it might seem like a nice gesture, 16 percent of workers said that the office candy jar was just too much of a temptation for them and contributed to weight gain.
The experts say that having healthy snacks (like a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit) that you can reach for instead is essential.
Another option is hydration, Forberg explained.
“Be sure that you have bottle or even a bigger mug from home and maybe even set a quota for yourself,” she said. “Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger.”
Also remember that out of sight is out of mind.
“Maybe start emailing that person that always has the M&Ms out, or give them a call,” she said. “Put a jar on your own desk with healthy trail mix or nuts, and that might encourage people to do the same.”
7. PRESSURE TO EAT CO-WORKERS’ SNACKS
Again, it may seem like a nice gesture when your cube-mate or boss brings in freshly baked goodies, but 10 percent of respondents said they felt pressure to eat those foods — and that pressure contributed to weight gain.
“It’s a tough one, because you can’t control the donuts that land on the desk next to you,” admitted Forberg. And your options here, she explained, are pretty clear and straightforward — there’s no magic solution. Make sure you have healthy options you can reach for instead, or if that doesn’t work, try having a frank chat with your colleagues about your concerns.
“If you’re really trying to be good to your body, you might need to talk to your co-workers, because some people have never had a weight issue,” she said.
Source: Catherine Pearson, huffingtonpost.com
healthful and karma foods
Posted on: July 4, 2012
TOP 7 -SUPER ALKALINE FOODS
Posted on: May 27, 2012
- In: Cooking | Gardening | Healthy Body
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TOP 7 -SUPER ALKALINE FOODS : >1. SPINACH -All leafy greens should be eaten in abundance but spinach is my absolute favourite because it’s easy to buy, easy to use in recipes and salads and is delicious. Baby spinach or fully grown spinach are Nutritional powerhouses and are incredibly alkaline. As with all green foods, spinach is rich in chlorophyll (see more about the health benefits of chlorophyll here), a potent alkaliser and blood builder. It is also super high in vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin c, vitamin b2, calcium, potassium, vitamin e, dietary fiber…I doubt there is a more all round healthy food on earth and I highly encourage you to eat spinach throughout the day, every day.
2. KALE -Kale is another leafy green beauty that is widely known for its Cancer-Fighting, Cholesterol-Lowering, Antioxidant-rich, Detoxifying goodness. Less popular than spinach, but only because it has a history of being cooked poorly (like cabbage) – when done right it is absolutely delicious (see recipes below, you’ll thank me). If you eat kale 2-3 times per week you’ll know it. Like spinach it is massively high in vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin C and being Leafy Green it also has a huge Chlorophyll content. The reason it is so powerful against the Cancer Fight is that kale contains at least four Glucosinolates. I don’t want to lose you here by using words like glucosinolates – all you need to know is that as soon as you eat and digest kale, these glucosinolates are really easily converted by the body into cancer fighting compounds. Also quite amazing for Lowering Cholesterol, it should be noted that steamed kale is more effective for cholesterol lowering than raw.
3. CUCUMBER The beauty of cucumber is it’s water content – 95%. That is phenomenal and you won’t find that anywhere else. It’s the daddy of water-content. This of course makes it an incredibly hydrating food to consume, that ALSO contains superb amounts of antioxidants, including the super-important lignans. These highly beneficial polyphenols have more commonly been associated with the cruciferous vegetables, but their content in other veggies such as cucumbers is gaining more and more attention. Cucumbers contain a right load of lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol , three lignans that have a huge and very strong history of research in connection with Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including Breast, Uterine, Ovarian, and Prostate Cancers. The best thing about cucumber is that they provide the base for practically every alkaline soup, smoothie and juice – giving you a very alkaline, very nutritious base that also tastes great. In terms of the actual nutrient RDA per serve, cucumbers contain fair amounts of vitamins K and C, and slightly less of vitamin A and the B vitamins. Cucumbers also contain the following alkaline minerals: calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, manganese, iron and zinc.
4. BROCCOLI – Broccoli is just a must. If you are serious about living with health, energy and vitality you simply have to eat broccoli, if not on a daily basis, then at least 4 times per week. Broccoli has been proven over and over and over again to be incredibly powerful in inhibiting Cancers, supporting the Digestive System, the Cardiovascular System, the Detoxification processes in the body and also supporting the Skin, metabolism, İmmune system, being an Anti-İnflammatory and providing ample Antioxidants. Eaten steamed or raw its a Hugely Alkaline, Hugely Nutritious food. Please, please, please eat lots and lots of it. Put it in salads, juices, smoothies, soups…steam it with other veggies – you can even roast
5. AVOCADO -I eat a LOT of avocado. Not a salad, smoothie or soup goes by without me adding at least 1/2 an avocado per person. I probably eat at least five-seven per week, myself. Now, I know a lot of people give avocado a bad rep because it is a high-fat food (85% of it’s calories come from fats) – but this is totally insane. These are good fats that will not make you gain weight. If anything, due to the high content of oleic acid (making it an Omega 9 fat and very similar to olive oil), it can lower total cholesterol level and raise levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) while lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), also known as the “bad” cholesterol. Oleic Acid also slows the development of heart disease, and promotes the production of Antioxidants. These beneficial omega oils also help speed the metabolism, actually leading to weight loss rather than gain. So now we’re over the fat issue, avocado also contains a wide range of other nutrients that have serious Anti-İnflammatory, Heart Health, Cardiovascular Health, Anti-Cancer, and Blood Sugar Benefits. Containing key Antioxidants such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, selenium and more – it is a powerful, alkaline, nutrient-dense superfood.
6. CELERY – Celery, like cucumber is a favourite because it’s alkaline AND really high water content, so is used very frequently as a base in juices and soups (not so much smoothies as you have to juice it first…and then you have double the washing up). One of celery’s big benefits is it’s vitamin C level, which has the well known benefits – but two of it’s lesser known nutrients are phthalides which have been shown to Lower Cholesterol and coumarins which have been shown to inhibit Several Cancers. The beauty of vitamin C rich foods are that they help with the most common and most challenging health concerns – they support the İmmune system, inflammation (so helps with Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Asthma etc), and vitamin C also helps significantly with Cardiovascular Health. If you are on a weight loss journey, you’ll also be happy to hear that this alkaline staple contains plenty of potassium and sodium and so is a diuretic – meaning it helps rid the body of excess fluids.
7. CAPSICUM / BELL PEPPER / PEPPER – The antioxidant superpower, bell pepper is one of my all-time-favourites because it is sweet, crunchy and refreshingly delicious. You can use it in almost any meal raw, grilled, fried, roasted and it is always a winner. Impressively beneficial to our health cartenoids are highly researched and get a lot of attention in the health field and bell peppers contain over 30 different members of the carotenoid nutrient family. The only other food that is close to this is Tomato and all other foods are also-rans. Bell peppers have shown up in research relating to decreasing the risk of Cardiovascular Disease, type II Diabetes, Macular Degeneration, Cancer, inflammation and more. Alongside these lesser known or more complex-named antioxidants, bell pepper is one of, if not the best food source of the more common antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E. In fact, bell peppers contain twice as much vitamin C as oranges. Here are just SOME of the antioxidants bell pepper contains: – Flavonoids – luteolin – quercetin – hesperidin – Carotenoids – alpha-carotene – beta-carotene – cryptoxanthin – lutein – zeaxanthin – Hydroxycinnamic Acids – ferulic acid – cinnamic acid
I want to credit the following link for this wonderful information: http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/2012/01/24/the-7-most-alkaline-foods/
Fast Food is not fast nor is it food
Posted on: May 24, 2012
- In: Cooking | Gardening | Healthy Body | Healthy Home
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- In: Cooking | Healthy Body
- 1 Comment
- In: Cooking | Entertaining | Gardening | Healthy Body | Healthy Home
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TBC and Hopeful Possibility
Posted on: April 5, 2012
I wanted to talk about nutrition and taking care of yourself.
It is not always easy to make the right food choices for anyone.
There is so little time and convenience foods provide many excuses.
We self medicate in many ways, and many of us, do it with food.
When food replaces love, when food becomes both succor and suffering…well.
Each and every single one of us has absolute control over very few things in our lives.
What we do have control over is what we put into our bodies.
If you can’t always make the best food choices, then there’s no sense berating ourselves.
We just have to ask ourselves, is this the best choice that I can make in this moment, given all the givens, of my particular circumstances.
Sometimes, it won’t be the best, but it can always be a good choice and sometimes, intentional bad choices are important to.
Cut yourself a lot of slack, because most of the time, the world will not be gentle on you. Be kind and gentle on yourself.
Celebrate any victory you achieve and always strive to be better. Fight the good fight in good times, and a better fight in bad times.
If you can’t access fresh and raw and local foods – ideally within a 100 mile radius of where you live – then at least – get as much water, and nutritionally supplemental support.
Again, anything with the phrase “Natural Flavours” means chemicals and nothing natural, otherwise, the natural wholesome ingredients are listed on the label.
Generic brands of vitamins have less fillers and ideally, you should buy your supplements at dedicated health food stores – not the general grocery stores that only carry the big brand names.
I personally recommend these ones:
With a nice cup of tea in a sun shiney cup – because, I have been a tea drinker, since I was 6 years old.
And I loved to sit with my Grandmothers, Mom and Aunts, while they talked and I would just enjoy feeling elegant and grown up enough to just be very quiet and enjoy their company.
And today, I am celebrating many things. And I created this virtual desktop view of my Altar of Possibility.
Living Well 