Tag Archives: Food

Feeling Salty

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Avoid High Salt Diet

saltSalt (sodium) is one of the minerals that the body needs on a daily basis. Together with potassium, it helps to regulate the body’s water levels.

Too much salt consumption is linked to high blood pressure, declined heart health, increased risk of stomach cancer, osteoporosis and worsening of asthma symptoms.

DAILY LIMIT: On an average we eat nine grams of salt per day while a healthy adult’s daily limit is about 2.3g of sodium. People with heart problems or kidney disease are to keep their sodium intake under 1,000 mg a day, or as per doctor’s advice.

How to Reduce Salt in the Diet:

  • Skip table salt
  • Choose fresh, plain frozen, or canned “with no salt added” vegetables.
  • Skip ready made/packed food.
  • Rinse canned foods before use to wash off extra salt.
  • Limit salty foods such as crisps, salted nuts, bacon, cheese, pickles, soy sauce and pizzas.

From: Daily Health Tips

If Life Gives You Lemons…

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If life gives you lemons…add them to some warm water. The following article is by wellness educator, Ashley Pitman.

Why You Should Drink Warm Water With Lemon

The way you start each day is incredibly important. Whether you’re a mom, a coach, a writer, a small business owner or a yoga teacher, what you do first thing in the morning matters.

 According to Ayurvedic philosophy, choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down.

Ayurveda invites us to get a jump-start on the day by focusing on morning rituals that work to align the body with nature’s rhythms, balance the doshas and foster self-esteem alongside self-discipline.

Your mind may say you have to check emails, take the dog out, get the kids out the door, that you can’t be late for work or that you just don’t have enough time to cultivate your own morning rituals.

But, if you can only make time for one ritual that will improve your health, let it be this…..

Start the day out with a mug of warm water and the juice of half a lemon.

It’s so simple and the benefits are just too good to ignore. Warm water with lemon:

1. Boosts your immune system 

Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH

Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). As you wellness warriors know, an alkaline body is really the key to good health.

3. Helps with weight loss

Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster. And, my experience is that when I start the day off right, it’s easier to make the best choices for myself the rest of the day.

4. Aids digestion

The warm water serves to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis—the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons and limes are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract.

5. Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic

Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin

The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well.

7. Hydrates the lymph system

This cup of goodness helps start the day on a hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously) and adrenal fatigue. When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can’t perform all of it’s proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, stress, constipation, and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress response. So, the bottom line is that you really don’t want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!

Adopting just this one practice of drinking a cup of warm water with lemon in the morning for a month can radically alter your experience of the day. Don’t be surprised if you begin to view mornings in a new light.
Like I said, the recipe is really simple—a cup of warm (not hot) water and the juice from half a lemon.
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Defeat Inflammation

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Eat to Defeat Inflammation

The first nutrition course I ever took in college changed my life. I was absolutely fascinated to learn what vitamins and minerals were and how important they are for good health. It was also about that time I finally understood what Hippocrates meant when he said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Today, that saying is even more important as nutrition science has come a long way since I took that first nutrition course. Just think about inflammation, your body’s natural protective response to illness or injury. In fact, a little inflammation under normal circumstances can be a good thing. When you cut yourself, you want your immune system to respond quickly by sending white blood cells to your wound to fight off infection. But a low-grade persistent state of chronic inflammation is not a good thing. In this circumstance, white blood cells inappropriately move into tissues and cause destruction. In fact, chronic inflammation has been linked to a whole host of health conditions from type 2 diabetes and arthritis to heart disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of certain foods, a healthful diet can help you fight off inflammation, (Regular exercise, not smoking, and losing weight are powerful tools, too.) Start by eating less of the “bad stuff”— fast food burgers, French fries, and sodas, as well as sweets such as cookies, cakes, and pies. These highly processed foods loaded with fat, sugar, and salt promote inflammation, while eating more of the “good stuff”—yes, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts—inhibits and protects against inflammation. Here are some of my favorite anti-inflammatory foods:

Fish and walnuts. Salmon and tuna are great sources of inflammation-fighting omega-3 fatty acids, as are walnuts. These foods help offset the pro-inflammatory effects of omega-6 fatty acids, which are pervasive in our diet. Omega-6 fats are found in eggs, corn, soy, and safflower oils.

Olive oil. Studies suggest consuming a Mediterranean-style diet—a diet high in plant foods and olive oil—helps decrease joint tenderness in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Red wine and dark chocolate. Resveratrol, a phytonutrient found in red wine, has been shown to inhibit inflammation, while the consumption of dark chocolate, something I do almost daily, has been linked to lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation in the body.

Turmeric. Spice up your life. Turmeric, also known as curry, is a traditional spice of Indian cuisine. In a recent pilot study, supplemental turmeric helped reduce joint tenderness and swelling in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

Tart cherries. It’s cherry season and according to the latest research, tart cherries may have the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food. In a recent study, women with osteoarthritis who drank tart cherry juice twice a day for several weeks experienced a significant reduction in important markers of inflammation.

Eating to fight inflammation could be one of the best things you do for yourself. For your next meal, how about some salmon curry and a glass of red wine, followed by some tart cherries covered in dark chocolate for dessert?

 

Article by Pamela Riggs: Director of Medical Affairs and Health Sciences at the Shaklee Corporation

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Digest It

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Interesting article by Mike Barrett from NaturalSociety.com…

How to Dramatically Boost Functions of the Digestive System

While there are numerous possibilities for health problems to arise, the issue  of poor digestion is often overlooked. If your digestive system is not  functioning properly, and there is a great chance that this is the  case, then your body will have a tough time absorbing vitamins and nutrients.  Along with these nutrient deficiencies may also come health issues like fatigue,  skin disorders, emotional instability, and a whole host of other problems. In  order to avoid these health issues, you need to know how to help improve the functions of the digestive system.

Helping Functions of the Digestive System

There are entire texts which focus on the topic of digestion and how your body  breaks down and utilizes nutrients. Considered by some experts to be the ’2nd  brain’, the human digestive system goes through extremely complex processes and  even has the ability to produce neurotransmitters. In addition, this system  possesses an advanced communication network similar to that of a human brain.  While the research concerning digestion is still in the early stages, we know  that keeping functions of the digestive system strong is crucial for optimal  health. So how do we help the digestive system to be strong?

  • Chew Your Food and Eat Slowly – An extremely basic  eating principle, chewing your food and eating slowly is essential to maintain  digestive health. While digestion may seem like it starts once you swallow, the  entire process actually starts in your mouth when enzymes from the salivary  glands help to chemically break down food molecules into a absorbable size for  your body. It is recommended to chew each bite of food at least 20 times, and  don’t rush the process.
  • Consume Foods that Promote Easy Digestion – Foods like dried  fruit, beans, apples, vegetables, and flaxseeds are great for improving  digestion. One particular food that has amazing digestive-promoting properties  is papaya, or papaya  leaf extract. This food can help with the digestive system by  breaking down proteins and supporting production of digestive  enzymes. Although Papaya  Leaf Extract is often viewed as an excellent treatment for  digestive disorders as well as disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract, it  provides many more health benefits. Oregano  oil benefits also encompass the supporting of the digestive system
  • Drink Warm Water  with Lemon – The hydrating power of pure water is largely  beneficial on its own, but when matched with a few slices of nutrient-packed  lemon, warm lemon water can empower your health through boosting your energy,  helping to improve functions of the digestive system, and even be a powerful  ally in your quest for natural fat loss. It’s atomic composition is similar  to that of saliva’s and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices.
  • Take care of Inflammatory Issues – Inflammation is one of the  most common causes of poor digestion and overall gut health. Sugar is the main  culprit behind the causes of inflammation, so sugar consumption should be  reduced drastically. The only way to reduce sugar consumption is to count the  grams of you sugar consume daily, and ultimately limit the number to ~25g. In  addition, vitamin D, magnesium, quality fish oil and turmeric  can help with inflammation. Taking care of digestive issues is also one of  many ways  to improve mental health and clarity.
  • Drink More Water – The digestive system needs to be well  hydrated like the rest of the body, but downing glasses of water near mealtime  will impair digestive strength and may cause upsets. Water is best sipped  lightly during a meal. Otherwise you should get your water in at least 15-30  minutes before a meal and preferably at least an hour after. This is also a  basic technique to improving functions of the digestive system.
  • Avoid Splenda – Ghrelin is your stomach’s appetite signal. While  it has many roles, it also releases a growth hormone that repairs the body.  Ghelin levels increase in response to digestive distress. With the increase in  ghelin levels comes the increase in appetite, causing you to eat more food.  Splenda’s link  to a digestive imbalance means that this process will occur, ending in  weight gain. Elevated ghelin levels increase your cravings for sugar and  carbohydrates, causing you to eat an excess amount of food that goes through an  already-distressed digestive system. If you have these cravings, then it’s time  to fix your digestive system.