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Posts Tagged Food

Men, Look Your Best Regardless Of Age

Oct 10

Posted by mreed in Hair Care, Health, Health Tips, Mens Health, Skin Care | No Comments

For You EyesWomen aren’t the only ones that want to look their best; men are becoming more and more conscious of their looks as far as their skin, hair, and other cosmetic issues.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you are eating a healthy diet, the healthier your body is inside, the healthier your exterior will be.

Taking care of your hair is a multifaceted venture. Stress can cause such things as hair loss and graying, make an effort to deal with your stress by exercising, doing different yoga exercises, to relieve stress. Get yourself a massage, this will get your blood moving and help to remove impurities from your tissues including your hair follicles. Add to that the use of shampoo and conditioner containing moisturizers and you will help your hair maintain healthy vigor.

Skin care for men is as important as it is for woman. This means protecting it from UV rays, harsh chemicals, and any other of the many abuses men inflict upon their skin. Wear gloves if you’re dealing with harsh chemicals, put on UV rated sun screen if you intend to be out in the sun, even in the winter and treat your skin to a good moisturizing lotion.

This type of care will go a long ways towards keeping you younger looking no matter how old you are.

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Make Your Skin Happy With The Food You Eat

Sep 30

Posted by mreed in Anti-Aging, Food, Health, Health Tips, Nutrition, Skin Care | No Comments

Olive Oil 1Your skin is the largest organ of your body, the question is, why do we treat it so badly at times. We expose it to harsh conditions without protecting it. We don’t take the time to exfoliate it so new cells can come forward and we don’t nourish it properly, yet we expect it to be healthy, soft, clear and without issues. It’s easy to rub lotions and potions on our skin to make it appear softer and younger but why not nourish it from the inside.

Extra virgin olive oil contains essential fatty acids that help to keep our skin moistened from the inside. Olive oil and other seed based oils help to prevent flakey skin. It also helps reduce wrinkles. If you want to do your body a favor, remove the butter and switch to olive oil whenever possible. Olive oil is wonderful on bread instead of butter.

Dark leafy greens have long been known for their antioxidant properties and they generally also contain zinc. Zinc helps with the renewal of collagen and helps clear up acne problems.

Water is the least touted ingredient to good healthy skin, most people are dehydrated to some extent, they have dull, ashen skin. Be consistant with your water intake and be sure you are taking in enough for your body weight, location and exercise level.

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Eat Your Way To Better Looking Skin & Fewer Wrinkles

Aug 23

Posted by James in Food, Skin Care | No Comments

sexyskinSome of the best skin wrinkle reduction products can be found it the grocery store and offer other health care benefits. Several foods not only help to make your skin look younger and smoother, but also help to preemptively protect our skin from damage.

If you want to protect your skin from the elements, promote anti-aging, and make you look as good as you ever have, then there are several natural ingredients that you can add to your skin care regime.

One of the best ways to reduce wrinkles is to eat foods high in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help to protect your skin from the number one cause of signs of aging, free radicals. Free radicals are extremely harsh on skin and other cells in your body, and have even been linked to some cancers. Eating foods high in anti-oxidants help to protect your skin from the damage that free radicals can cause. Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of anti-oxidants, especially spinach and broccoli. Other greens such as collards and kale also offer free radical protection, helping to reduce the effects of aging and reducing the chances for unsightly wrinkling.

  • Fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon are vitally important to the health of skin and your general health. The nutrients provided by salmon, tuna, and other Omega-3 fatty acid rich foods provide an excellent source of protection in the battle for better skin, especially the effects of aging.
  • Other “healthy” fat enriched foods, such as certain nuts, especially cashews are not only great for the skin, but also provide the body with much needed fats without having to resort to “unhealthy” fats such as are found in processed foods and trans-fat fast foods. Getting enough fat in your diet is essential to health, but unfortunately most people get too much of the unhealthy fats, and not enough of the fats that provide energy without damage to a person’s overall health.
  • While not often seen as food, the skin creams that offer the best chance of benefits to the skin without unneeded side effects are mainly natural food items, or have these included in the ingredients. Your skin is the largest organ of the human body, but few people care for it as such. Using natural ingredients in the care of your skin is probably the best thing a person can do to protect it, improve its appearance, while at the same time avoiding the harsh and often chemical solutions that many might apply to their skin without a natural alternative.

As we age, our skin has a tendency to become thinner and more brittle, allowing us to bruise more or even tear easily. This is usually due to the reduction of elasticity and collagen in the system. In addition to the foods above, One such food additive is within common Japanese sea kelp, which can be eaten regularly to promote skin health. Phytessesnse Wakame, the main ingredient, is also extracted and used in several effective skin care products. It is proven to help in the reduction of wrinkles as well as promoting the natural and healthy glow that many people are looking for without resorting to the use of harsh drugs or chemicals that might eventually be more damaging to the skin than beneficial.

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Carbohydrates: The Body’s Edible Food Factories

Aug 19

Posted by James in Food, Nutrition | No Comments

carbsCarbohydrates are needed for proper body function. They are the main source of fuel used foe energy in a person’s diet. As carbohydrates are introduced into the body, the body breaks them down into sugars that are then used as food for cells in the body such as the muscles and other organs, including the heart. While the emphasis in diet trends over the last few years has focused on a low carbohydrate intake, how the body processes carbohydrates in relation to blood sugar levels and weight gain would be better approached by looking at the type of carbohydrates in the diet as well as their amounts.

There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates process into sugars very quickly as well as having very little nutritional benefits. One example is fructose. Fructose, usually eaten in the form of processed grains or sweetener, rapidly floods the blood with sugars that are above and beyond the processing ability of insulin in the system. Excess sugars are instead stored in the body as fat, and the binge leaves the body with too much too fast, with complete absence nutrition in its wake.

Complex carbohydrates on the other hand go through a more gradual and balanced processing, are usually part of foods with the added vitamins and minerals that provide the body with much needed nutritional support, and provide the body with needed energy at a more reasonable level over a longer period of time. Whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables often are great sources of complex carbohydrates, though some fruits do contain sucrose and fructose in higher levels than vegetables and whole grains.

This is the very reason that it is easier for a person with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels with complex carbohydrates than with simple carbs. With society pushing for faster and faster food on the go, and the emphasis on cheap production in large quantity the norm in commercial food production, the amount of processed foods and simple carbohydrates consumed by the general population, and intake of complex carbs and other nutritional food on the decrease. Many diseases that top the charts for fatality every year could be significantly decreased if this trend could be reversed, even if the amount of food consumed did not change. The absence of nutrients in our diet, combined with forcing our bodies to respond to the rollercoaster of chemical reactions involved in digesting the unhealthy food we do eat has created an environment prone to imbalance and extremes. Carbohydrates are our friends, and we have turned them into our enemy.

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Wipe Out Bad Sugar In Order To Wipe Out Bad Health

Aug 16

Posted by James in Food, Nutrition | No Comments

sugarA regular can of soda contains the same amount of sugar that you would find in 10 teaspoons of table sugar. While sugar is a carbohydrate, and the body needs carbohydrates to function, other types of carbohydrates are available, such as whole grains and many fruits and vegetables. The amount of sugar, especially in the form of glucose, as is found in soft drinks and candy is an extremely unhealthy and high percentage intake compared to what is actually needed on a daily basis for good health. Glucose enters the bloodstream at a very fast rate, and is especially hard for the body to utilize in any efficient fashion. Processed foods, especially bleached or otherwise ‘enriched” breads and pastas produce high amounts of glucose when digested and present the same problem.

Simple carbs are sugars that are formed previous to digestion, and can be found in fruits and vegetables and milk products. While both naturally occurring sugars and processed carbohydrates and sugars are considered simple carbohydrates, the two are not the same. The naturally occurring sugars are accompanied with all of the other nutrients, vitamins, and fiber that the sugar host provides, while processed foods are usually deprived of any nutritional value upon taking their processed form. This state of nutrition-less processing labels these as “bad carbs” and contribute to obesity and other health problem while offering little or no benefits.

Eating processed foods and sugars are not only an easy way to flood the body with an excess supply of simple sugars with no real nutritional benefit, there are also other negative factors that need to be considered when considering the effects of processed foods on the average person’s health.

  • The chances of becoming obese is increased literally exponential to the amount of sugars consumed and the amount of nutrition value absent due to processing.
  • In pastas and processed breads, the carbohydrates and sugars added significantly increase the chances of tooth decay as they tend to advance damage and change to sugar more rapidly that have complex carbohydrates.
  • Flooding the system with simple sugars at regular intervals can actually result in sugar addiction, making the risk of developing serious health related issues and the inability to control intake often lost without the help of an physician or mental health professional.

In order to protect yourself from the harmful effects of processed carbohydrates and sugars, knowing the other terms and names that these added ingredients go by can be quite helpful. Look for all forms of the word sweetener, as in corn or the words glucose, fructose, and syrups such as malt or maple, any honey, molasses, and even white grape juice (which is almost pure fructose).

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Soda: The Worst Food Imposter On The Planet

Aug 14

Posted by James in Food, Nutrition | No Comments

sodaWant to know the solid facts?

1/2 of us will die from heart disease; about a 1/3 from cancer;2/3 of us will die obese; and 1/4 of us will get diabetes. All of this is because of our love of behaviors and products that eventually killed us. I will not argue that genetics plays a part in medical propensities for certain diseases, but nothing in my family history could prepare use for a three Big Mac, 2 milkshakes and a diet soda consumer demand driven society. Many people do not even know that the amount of food, and especially the types of food they eat, could be directly increasing their chances for ailment and actually robbing them of the very nutrients they were thought to be providing. One huge, pseudo food market is the soda pop industry. This liquid is manufactured, canned and bottled for distribution worldwide at a rate of 150mg of high power fructose for every person on Earth daily.

Soda pop is liquid high fructose corn syrup and/or artificial sweetener mixed with water and carbonated soda, allowing for an immediate flood of simple, processed carbohydrates and sugars to overwhelm the bloodstream and insulin processing systems in crashing waves. This can serious erode health and contribute to an imbalance in the body’s ability to handle energy usage and storage management efficiency, leading to diabetic problems or the excess storage of fat. Fat storage of the sugars contained in sodas is quite common as the body cannot possible utilize the amount of sugar rushing into its system during consumption, and thus is instead turned into fat and sent to all of your “unsightly” places. A soda usually contains in excess of 150 empty calories each. People who consume 2 sodas a week will gain ten pounds a year throughout their lifetime if these calories are not burned off. Also exacerbating weight is the fact that the main sugar in soda, fructose, when processed by the liver, is often turned into fat and stored instead of burned off as energy calories. Combined with the fact that fructose also has a tendency to create craving but leave little satisfaction for hunger makes for an equation for weight gain disaster.

Not only does soda’s extra calories and lack of nutrients contribute to higher risk of obesity, these products have also been known to strip the body of much needed calcium, weakening or even causing the wasting away of bone mass. The kamikaze style of entry and processing by the body can further complicate the risk of diabetes or other maladies associated with the body’s resistance to insulin.

Some researchers have even contended that soft drink beverage consumption might even contribute to a person’s risk of contracting certain types of cancers. While the sugars in soft drinks can be avoided with the use of artificial sweeteners, studies have shown them to carry and even higher incident of cancer and other serious ailments that fructose. My suggestion would be to avoid the soda altogether, and make all natural, calorie free, water your main beverage and favorite drink. Your body will thank you for it.

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Food Allergy or Food Intolerance

Jul 29

Posted by James in Health | No Comments

foodallergyKnowing the difference between food allergies and food intolerances can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a fatal condition.

Some people are more sensitive to certain foods such as lactose, and can produce gas and other side effects when ingested. Food intolerances are usually not life threatening and easily manages by limiting or trying eliminate the suspect food from your diet. Mild intolerances can sometimes be managed with over the counter remedies that will diminish the sensitivity of your body to the food while still allowing you to enjoy them in moderate amounts.

Food allergies on the other hand are a much more serious matter. If a person is allergic to certain foods, such as nuts and happen to ingest them, the immediate intervention of medical attention can be necessary. The negative effects can be immediate and life threatening. Food allergies can produce serious side effects such as rashes and hives or even produce internal swelling that can cut off air passages and even cause death.

It is often common practice for people to refer to foods that they have any adverse reaction to as being foods that they are allergic to. While this might be accepted as a matter of speech, the reality of the two conditions puts them worlds apart. If allergies are not given medical attention from the offset of symptoms, the results can be far more disastrous than bad gas or the flu like symptoms produced by food intolerance.

Allergies are usually discovered by either exposure and reaction to the item or through testing for specific allergens in a lab setting. The best situation to be in is to find out through communication with your health care provider and not by having an adverse reaction to any given allergen.

If you have known allergies, one of the best things that you can do is invest in a medical bracelet with you known allergies listed on in the case of accidental ingestion. They are inexpensive, there use is widely accepted and known, and if you are unable to communicate by speaking can save your life. If you were to ingest peanuts at a restaurant unknowingly, and you had an allergic reaction and was unable to explain your condition to those around you, a medical bracelet would allow those around to summon medical attention with information that could save your life.

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All-Natural Disease Fighting Food List

Jul 17

Posted by James in Food, Nutrition | No Comments

foodbasketWhen people think of medical advice to fight off disease, they usually think of medicine. The problem with this mindset is two-fold. One, medication is usually only administered in response to an disease, and very rarely active in providing preemptive benefit, and two, the negative side effects of most medications should put them at the bottom of our medical care choices and not first.

Most disease is due to incorrect diet, lifestyle choices, or heredity. There is no pill to cure family history. Lifestyle choices are still controlled by the individual, though medication might help in the behavior modification process. Diet, though often aided with herbal or even pharmaceutical supplementation, can never be replaced by these alone. Eating the right foods is the simplest way to fight off disease, aid in healing the body when sickness is present, and is absent of the negative side effects and health risks involved with non culinary intervention. The foods we choose to put into our bodies should be the first suspect for modification, though is usually only discussed as an afterthought or secondary issue.

Many of what ails the body is a direct result of which nutrients we have deprived it. Knowing which foods to eat in order to boost the body’s ability to fight heart disease, high blood pressure, bone weakness and wasting, and even cancer is probably the smartest thing a person could do if they wish to remain healthy and to avoid dependency on drug or other methods of controlling diseases that a healthy might have helped you avoid. I have listed the top ten foods that will do just that. They are all low carb, high nutrient, widely available foods that can help you live a longer and healthier life.

Acai berry- High in antioxidants and vitamin C and A, Acai berries are known as one of the most nutritious foods on Earth. Found in both whole fruit and juice form, Acai berry can cut your risk for heart disease as well as improving the cleansing properties of the body, such maintaining superior colon health.

Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are also high antioxidant veggies, contributing to the fight on cancer and boosting immunity.

Oranges and other citrus fruits such as grapefruit contain not only vitamin C but have also been shown to aid in blood clotting and immunity.

Garlic is a pungent herb that has excellent health beneficial properties. Garlic has shown promise in the reduction of harmful LDL cholesterol levels as well as an excellent home remedy to prevent high blood pressure. It has a long history of herbal medical use as well as being delicious.

Eat nuts instead of simple carbohydrates or fatty meats such as chicken. The Omega 3 fatty acids in nuts are carried into the blood stream and converted to energy much more efficiently than processed breads and pasta, and contains enough protein to act as a meat replacement.

Oats and oatmeal are praise for the ability to lower cholesterol and are a great source of grain in a diabetic diet due to the time released method of affecting blood sugar levels.

Salmon is a natural anti-coagulant as well as a superb source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are shown to help prevent heart disease while providing the body with the much needed supply of fat that it needs without the adverse effects of other fats.

One of the best foods to consume in the war against eye disease is Popeye’s favorite, Spinach. The nutrient leutin has the positive effect of lowering the possibilities of cataracts and other eyesight loss causes.

The antioxidant lycopene, contained in tomatoes protects your body from free radicals and the cell damage that they cause. Though labels on catsup bottles might claim it is an excellent source of lycopene, it is also a severely high source of sodium. Fresh tomatoes are a much better way to get lycopene in your system.

There is one meat that makes the ranks as one of the healthiest foods, turkey. Compared to most meats, turkey is low in fat and calories, but still rich in protein, and in some studies was shown to beneficial as a cancer avoiding super food.

As you can see from the foods mentioned above, there is no need to go hungry, and plenty of healthy choices are available right in your local supermarket that can help lead the way to a longer and healthier life with a lowered chance of future disease.

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