Healthy News

Get your immune system ready now before winter germs set in. Here are some tips:

-Take a multivitamin daily
-Clean the house well before you let it get air tight for Winter
-Use coconut oil. It’s proven as an immune system builder
-Eat more fruits and vegetables
-Wash your hands often
-Get a physical
-Make sure you’re getting enough sleep
-Get enough exercise

Avoiding getting run down can minimize your chances of getting sick and we all know how important diet and exercise is for our immune systems. Eat immune system boosting foods like coconut, vitamin C, probiotics and prebiotics and drink plenty of water as well. Getting healthier now will get you through the winter with reduced chances of illness.

Are you listening to your hypothalamus when it tells you that you’re full? A lot of people either don’t give it a chance to communicate with them or eat food that prevents it from doing its job.

A lot of the causes of an unhealthy digestive system result from consuming food too fast. If you are eating on the run all the time and eating mindlessly in front of the TV, you could harm your digestive health and it’ll result in increased portions which could lead to weight gain over time.

Let the hypothalamus tell you when you’re full by taking time to eat. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message so if you wolf down your food in ten minutes, you’re probably going to be on seconds before your brain has had a chance to say it has had enough after the first plate.

Some foods, like high fructose corn syrup can block messages between the hypothalamus and the brain so could result in your overeating anyway. Reduce consumption of foods with this ingredient; especially when it’s near the top of the ingredient list.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get your 5-10 a day servings of vegetables and fruits and that’s where juicing can help. Not only can you get a lot more intake of this essential food group but you can even make the vegetables you don’t love so much taste better by the combinations you come up with.

Juicing Benefits

There’s a huge list of health benefits to juicing and some research has even been done about healing powers to the degree of solving cancer with specific juice blends done at a specific speed for maximizing the enzyme power of the juice.

Weight Loss

If you’ve ever tried juicing you also know that fresh juices can also be very filling and result in decreased appetite which can have the extra benefit of weight loss or weight maintenance.

Drinking fresh juice each day could also practically turn back the clock on your body’s aging both inside and out. By eating a lot of antioxidants you can definitely lengthen not only your lifespan but slow the look of aging as well.

Here are several things you can do to shorten the cycle of being sick. The biggest secret is to listen to your body and rest.

-Vitamin C. Take some and eat foods rich in it
-Gingerale really does soothe a sore throat
-Chicken Noodle Soup really can help you feel better
-Echinacea can help you
-White tea can kill throat infections and soothe a sore throat
-Expectorant instead of cough suppressants. Try to clear the gunk instead of keeping it lodged in your chest.

And again:
-Rest. Slow down so you have a chance to get better

At the first sign of illness I drink white tea and put peroxide in my ears because there are beliefs that cold viruses can enter the body through the ears. Often I avoid illness altogether. Frequent hand washing can minimize the spread of germs as well.

If you’re lacking motivation to diet and exercise, it can be a bit of a cycle. If you find a little bit of oomph to get started, you will find that energy comes naturally once you have changed a few things about your lifestyle.

Exercise releases endorphins that can help your mood and your energy. When you exercise, you oxygenate your blood and that will provide hugely positive health benefits as well.

If you’re fighting to get off the couch, start slow. You’ll find that with each day, you’ll have more energy to push yourself a little bit farther. Start with walking, stretching and rebounding and before you know it you might crave high energy workouts and weight training.

Once you start to see and feel the results, you might suddenly find an addiction to exercise instead of an addiction to junk food and coach potatoism.

With the grapefruit diet from the 1970’s, you eat grapefruit at every meal. Grapefruit can have a big impact on your metabolism. Grapefruit juice can also be helpful but studies show that the maximum benefit for weight loss and good health is from the fruit itself.

Is the grapefruit diet safe?

Of course man cannot live on grapefruit alone but adding grapefruit to your regular diet can be very beneficial with many health benefits and increasing of your metabolism. You need to be extremely careful when taking any medication or supplements while having grapefruit because your metabolism moves so fast that you could overdose on medication. This is especially true with time release drugs because grapefruit will make you metabolise them quickly which could pose a danger to your health.

Health bytes is a series where I”ll provide quick tidbits about Some foods have nutrients lost through the cooking process and there are ways to cook to minimize that but if you eat more of your food raw you can maximize the benefits you get. As this post is being written it’s nearly the end of the summer and the perfect time to get great produce at great pricing. Take advantage of this and do the following to increase the raw food intake:

-Salads. Eat salads at lunch and at dinner and use a variety of raw vegetables. Don’t forget about fruit salads with summer sweet berries and lots of melon. Not only is it nutrition and delicious but filling as well and can help you lose weight!

-Veggies or Fruit and Dip. Have raw vegetables and a low fat dip as a snack. For a great fruit snack, make up a platter of bite sized fruits with a dip made with low fat pudding and fruit juice mixed with a spoonful of light sour cream. This snack is something the whole family will enjoy instead of a baked dessert or fried snacks like potato chips. You’ll get the same sweetness or crunch you desire and loads of vitamins.

-Juicing. Juicing is a great way to get loads of vitamins and nutrients and to get all the health power available in the fruits and vegetables. Experiment and come up with some signature smoothies as well!

Some people are weight obsessed but in actuality, having a scale in your home is a very good idea. It’s shown that people who weigh themselves on a regular basis are at less of a risk of becoming morbidly obese than those who choose to go the ostrich route (aka putting head in sand) and not get weighed regularly.

Weighing yourself at least weekly can help you stay within five pounds of your goal weight as you’re less likely to binge beyond a specific amount. While many will gain weight over holidays, having a scale can help you get back on track as you are able to track your progress regularly.

Whether you’re on the road to weight loss or in maintenance mode, a scale for your home can be inexpensive and can even be personalized to your specific goals and body mass index.

Fluctuations

Do realise that your weight can fluctuate up to five pounds throughout the day due to factors like hydration, etc and that fitness can be about more than just the number on the scale too.

Spices can do more than add flavour to your food. They can help with health issues as well.

Here are some things certain spices can do for you:

Cinnamon can help your memory and has a high level of antioxidants plus has shown help for diabetics and cancer fighting. (Mmmm, Cinnabon!Ok, it doesn’t negate the fat content and sugar content though. )

Garlic is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial and can boost your immune system as well as kill harmful yeasts like candida.

Turmeric is a powerhouse and can help with a plethora of issues including liver cleansing, boosting immune system and metabolism, can slow the growth of tumors and more

Ginger settles your stomach, prevents nausea and can even slow down degenerative diseases like Cancer and Alzheimers.

Go for fresh spices whenever you can for opimum flavour and health benefits.

Asbestos is a scary thing and many people are concerned when they find it in their home. If disturbed, the fibers can get into your body and penetrate your lungs and cause Mesothelioma cancer or Asbestosis.

Should it be removed from your home? Perhaps. In some cases it’s safer to simply cover it up. You should definitely consult with a professional and NOT attempt to remove or dispose of it on your own.

Should you seek medical attention? Yes. If you suspect you’ve been exposed to asbestos fibers it could take ten, twenty or more years to develop into a problem. Many factors can dictate whether or not you become ill so do speak to your doctor and if necessary, speak to a lawyer in the case that negligence may have caused you to be exposed to Asbestos.