Eat Healthier NOW!

By Aldona Tront

How many times do we swear we’ll start eating healthier?  Only not today… starting tomorrow…

Tomorrow is never here and we end up never changing our habits.  It’s proven by scientific research that changing your eating habits could be as hard as quitting alcohol or smoking.  Food can be addictive ans so can be sugar and carbohydrates that are in it.  Here are some tips on how to start the journey to a healthier, better YOU:

1.  Read the back of the box

Advertising does a great job on showing you all the potential benefits of a product, but the back cover and all the “stuff” that’s actually in it cannot hide even behind the most exciting advertising campaign.  READ THE BACK.  Read what is in the product.  Compare products and their ingredients.  The more ingredients, the more likely is has visited a few processing plants where something artificial was mixes in.

2.  You can have more… TOMORROW!

Don’t get stuffed on food.  Chinese ancient wisdom says that one should leave the table slightly hungry.  Your taste buds don’t register the flavor as sharply after first couple of bites.  No one liked feeling stuffed and sick…  Think about that bikini, girl!

3.  The crunchier, the better:

Crunchier snacks that keep your mouth busy, offer longer satisfaction and give your stomach more time to digest because you’re busy crunching.  What do we mean by crunchy food: apples, crackers, nuts, celery - NOT CHIPS.

4.  Fresh strawberries with low fat yogurt and couple of drops of honey is better than donuts

Getting ready for a big cook out? Don’t spoil your guests with unnecessary sugar and carbs, try something fresh and healthy.  Wash fresh strawberries, cut them up in smaller pieces, get a low-fat vanilla yogurt and spread it out.  As a finishing touch you can drizzle some honey on it - NO A LOT! Just a little bit… Learn moderation

5.  It’s better to eat in the morning than late at night.

You probably heard this one by now.  Your body metabolism slows down at night, which means that the later you eat, the more fat you accumulate that you be otherwise burned.  The highest digestive body energy is anywhere between 11 AM and 1PM.  This is where your food will be digested fast and used for bodily functions.

6.  Don’t drink deserts

Some of the drinks you can get in the store today are like deserts.  The amount of sugar and carbohydrates in them is simply unbelievable!  Don’t be tricked by the fact that it’s just a drink.  You really don’t need that nasty sugar, preservatives, E-456 and more nastiness in your stomach.  Same thing applies to cakes, donuts etc. etc. - Learn to choose a fresh fruit or a yogurt over cake - Choose wisely.  Treat your body well.

7.  Keep a food diary & carry it with you

Food Diary? YES! It’s a great idea to keep in touch with your inner calorie calculator.  Set a limit for yourself and stick to it.  Write down everything you eat. If you’re not sure how many calories something is, just estimate and round it off to the closest hundred.  It’s better to round it off by more than by less.

8.  Cut yourself a break - But be smart about it.

OK…It’s weekend time and you really feel like you’ve been good all week.  Treat yourself to a treat, but remember to account for it in your food diary and maybe eat a smaller diner…  Remember - it’s all about BALANCE

5 Benefits of Drinking Water

Author: Mel C

The best gift you can give your body is drinking water regularly on a daily basis. Want to know why? Here are five good reasons.

Health Benefit # 1

It keeps you from getting dehydrated. Even on a normal day when you are not on a diet and not exercising your body loses water. This needs to be replenished by drinking water regularly.

Health Benefit # 2

Drinking water speeds up your metabolism. When your body has sufficient water to do its bodily functions the metabolic rate jumps up and gives you more efficient digestion.

Health Benefit # 3

You skin will glow. Drinking water regularly ensures that toxins get flushed out of your system and you are rewarded by a flawless complexion. The skin needs lots of water to stay hydrated and supple, so make sure you drink up.

Health Benefit # 4

Avoid being constipated. If you are having trouble with your bowel movements drinking water regularly can ease the problem. The water helps expand the roughage in the food consumed, making it easier for you to move your bowels.

Health Benefit # 5

Drinking water which is mildly warmer than usual helps burn fat. It is a fact that the Japanese drink a cup of warm tea without milk after a meal. This is because they know that the warm drink is going to soothe the stomach and aid the burning of fat cells. A great way to shed excess calories with no extra effort.

So make sure that you keep that glass topped up during each meal and keep drinking water.

Mel writes about drinking water and gives tip about the many benefits of spring water.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_774189_23.html

Best Fish Oil And Why You NEED Omega 3 Fatty Acids?

by Geoff Hadley

So just what is omega 3 exactly? Well, it is a special type of fat that is essential to the human body and has a very wide range of health benefits.

We consume half of what we were taking in at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This is generally because most of us are eating less fish and seeds, which just happen to be two of the main omega 3 sources.

The government has not yet set any recommended daily intake however, 1000mg a day is suggested. If you don’t eat fish or seeds on a regular basis, you should take a purified fish oil suppliment.  I personally claim to use the best fish oil on the market and my wife and I take  2000mg a day.  Fish oil is very closely controlled and the best fish oil should contain more DHA (Docasa Hexanenoic Acid) than EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) fatty acids. There are numerous reasons for this but I don’t want to start getting scientific.

How do you use the best fish oil and how can you be sure that you are getting the recommended amount of omega 3 fats? You can increase your levels of omega 3 fatty acids by eating more oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout or tuna. But please, no tinned tuna. For the Veggies out there, you can find your omega 3 in flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Marine algae is also a good source that can be bought as a suppliment.
If you eat eggs from chickens that have been fed with flaxseeds, then obviously your breakfast egg contains omega 3.
Whenever I tell anyone that they should eat more fish or increase their intake of omega 3 fatty acids, the reactions or excuses are  almost always the same. To expensive, I can’t eat so much fish, I don’t like fish, or I don’t want to smell fishy! There are a thousand other excuses but these are the main ones. If they would only stop and consider one fact, “the human brain is comprised of 60% fats, and approximately half of those fats are DHA omega 3″.
For less than $20 for a months supply of the best fish oil, for anyone that cares about his or her health, it’s a no brainer.

How do you know whether you are lacking omega 3 fatty acids? If you have dry skin, if your hair is dry and you have dandruff. Is your memory getting worse? If you are studying and have learning difficulties or always get excessively thirsty. Do you have eczema or arthritis? Have you got high blood pressure or high levels of cholesterol? If you are suffering with any of the mentioned, you could be missing omega-3 fats in your diet.

Facts are, that omega-3 fats combat heart disease, lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. A studie on the topic of depression, proved patients taking omega-3 suppliments could count an improvement of 51%. This is more than double the results achieved by anti-depressants.
In 2007 the journal Pain gave out a review of 17 trials assessing the pain relieving effects of omega-3. It had reduced the pain by an average of 29 per cent, morning stiffness by 43 per cent and painkiller dependance by 40 per cent.
There are studies that support the mental benefits of omega-3 for all ages. Brain development and IQ can be enhanced by babies; hyper activity reduced in children and the supplimentation can also protect against cognitive decline in older people.

To summarize here. We should all be receiving our recommended daily ammount of these very essential omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from that, we should also make sure that our loved ones realise just how important it is to have a regular intake of the  best fish oil we can get our hands on.
Do yourself and your family a great favour and read the free report offered here from xtend-life natural products. I promise, you won’t regret having the knowledge you have on this topic after doing so.

The author studied natural medicine in the German Paracelsus School in Lower Saxony. His main subject was the use of natural medicine in the fight against illness, disease and sport injuries.
For more sizzling hot info on omega-3 and just how vital these essential fats are for you, visit:
Best Omega 3 Fish Oil.  Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1053962_17.html