Health Jornal 16

This first journal of this year is highly informational on fitness and nutrition issues. Health also involves mental health and winter is known to cause Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD).  In the future this blog will talk more on your overall health including mental health.

Yo-Yo Dieting is a revolving health trap that can wreck more havoc to your health than keeping the weight. The tips are useful as a guide to end the cycle.

When it comes to Powerhouse Vegetables I'm pretty much ahead of my time. I've always enjoyed vegetables and learned to appreciate even the most dreaded ones.

I also am ahead of the Powerful Superfoods game. I consume some daily and some occasionally.

Heart Healthy Foods can keep the ticker ticking. Along with exercise, nutrition plays a role in keeping the heart beating healthy.

It seems you can Train Your Brain to crave healthy foods.

Still The Best, the Mediterranean Diet is the most beneficial on so many levels.

All about Whole Grains can be an informative introduction on the confusing "whole" products.

Nutrient Shortfalls are a way of life in our daily diets.

If your New Year's Resolution was to lose weight, why not Get Paid To Lose Weight?

If you are exercising and losing muscle, even though you may think you're doing everything right, you could be making Mistakes Costing You Muscle Tone.

Morning is the best time to exercise. There are Tricks To Make Morning Workouts Easier for those considering it.

Foods For Life

Foods can help us find energy, weight loss, concentration and a host of other aspects of our lives. Energy and concentration seem to slow down as the day goes on. Here are 10 foods to help you maintain your focus when you need it most. We usually become sluggish and tired in the early afternoon.


Foods can help us shed pounds and keep the weight off. Try these foods to keep you from adding weight. Start your weight loss first thing with breakfast. Although I prefer alternatives, if you eat cereal, use the ones that help with weight loss.




Metabolism and lack of energy can be fixed with food. These foods will supercharge your metabolism.


Foods can cure cancer and other diseases. No small claim that comes from using the right foods for what ails you!

The Start To The Day

There is a reason why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, since we need energy to fuel our bodies to start our day. We should get into the habit of putting food in our belly within an hour of waking. Breakfast ideas can be simple and healthy.


Breakfast has many benefits that will help us start our day. Since the last meal we ate could have been over 8-10 hours ago, skipping breakfast cause a variety of problems from fatigue, lightheadedness, memory loss, low energy, etc.


If you need ideas on breakfast's healthy foods go here, here, and here.

Health Journal 8

We all know how important oral hygiene is in a healthy lifestyle. Dental hygiene is a healthy practice that can prevent major problems including heart disease. You might want to avoid the mouthwash regiment because it can actually raise your blood pressure. A study that found that mouthwashes were beneficial included the ingredient chlorhexidine, which is not available in OTC mouthwashes in the USA.




Winter isn't over yet, and you can build a strong immune system through your nutrition. Yes, the magic powers of foods is coming to life. What can't foods prevent?


Since February is Women's Heart Health Month, maybe we should eat for a healthy heart.


Foods can even help one manage their diabetes.


When does good healthy nutrition go bad? Well we don't really talk about it, but gas comes to mind. Now you can know the food culprits and how to rectify the problem.


I am not a cereal consumer and don't really recommend or endorse them. If you are trying to lose weight and crave the traditional morning cereal, get the best ones!


Foods communicate with us through their colors. They signal their health benefits to our overall well-being. And their colors communicate their benefits to us. It might be to your advantage to learn the health benefits of the rainbow!

Nutrition Labels Don't Benefit Consumers

In case you haven't seen it yet, nutrition labels aren't actually in the consumer's favor. Manufacturers have found a way to use loopholes to hide their product's hidden "nutrients" that we don't want or need. You have to be a food lawyer to interpret what this label is really saying. I talked about this already.

The sad thing is that the nutrition label is suppose to help us achieve our nutritional goals. But it is very deceiving and has nothing to do with nutrition facts. And although many try, they miss that with a label you include ingredients, too.

I think we are misinterpreting the Sugars and giving them a bad rap. I also believe that a diet of 2000 calories as a model to our nutritional value is deceiving and flawed. When I wrote this I wanted to point out how deceptive labels are and how to cut to the chase.

Sugar isn't exactly a bad thing. Sure it adds to calories, but energy burns them and one can't deny that sugar is energy. Energy can be like a cheetah, quick bursts then drop. You see a cheetah may be the fastest animal on earth, but it can only achieve this for a short period of time. That is how bad sugar works. It peaks and drops quickly. In other words, your energy is short lived.


There are good sugars and bad sugars that supply the good and the bad energy. You want the sugars that run a marathon, meaning pure energy that burns itself out and burns calories. You also must know how to use them to your advantage. You should know your sugar daily requirement and more sugar facts.

Note a healthy sugar: Maple syrup. Don't forget honey. There is also stevia and monk fruit. Stevia may contain alcohol so look for the non-alcoholic variety. I tend to use maple syrup to sweeten certain food. I use about 1/10th of a serving because a little goes a long way.

Vegetables can be eaten in unlimited servings and weight gain is minimal. Legumes are filling and nutritious. Seeds are powerful and promote many aspects of a healthy lifestyle(energy, weight loss, sleep). Fruits are yet the other powerful group, most loaded with sugars that promote weight loss and energy. Calories of these foods usually burn themselves out. The nutrition you get from these foods actually feeds your body both on the outside and inside.

The foods at a farmer's market or produce aisle don't require a nutrition label, ever wonder why? Because you see the ingredient and most would make manufacturers rewrite the label. If the sugar content is high, it isn't a refined sugar. Although some fruits may cause havoc with your teeth, remember to brush afterwards.

Keep in mind that nutrition labels are just a guideline to nutrition. The only things that servings would be of importance is when it comes to fats and sodium, and I'll also include refined sugars. The ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance. So if the second or third ingredient is a sugar, especially a refined sugar, the servings should be enforced because too much can cause weight gain.

More about nutrition labels and how to get the most out of them will be discussed in the future, since data may be changing.

Healthy Facts About Healthy Nutrition

Over the years, I have made and seen many mistakes when it comes to nutrition. I remember the all-you-can-eat salad bars. Most of the healthy ingredients were offset by the unhealthy ingredients. If you used prepared salad dressings, your fat and caloric intake(not to mention sodium) killed the benefits of the healthy ingredients. Then you had the 'extras' that weren't at all healthy like pasta salads and chicken wings!

I usually make my own dressings, with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. The vinegar is mostly balsamic, but I also use red wine, apple cider and even distilled. I like experimenting and alter the flavor by either increasing the oil or the vinegar. My spices are limited or no (sea or Kosher) salt, turmeric, black pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic salt to name a few. If I do buy the commercial dressings, I look for lowest fat, sodium and sugar contents. Stay clear from the bargains because they aren't the healthiest. I also try to only use the serving size, because you run into trouble when you over indulge, as most do.

If you want ingredients for a super salad start here. Although, I prefer my chard and kale cooked, and spinach can go either way, I am not one to use them in my salad. Now, note #9:

No. 9: Iceberg Lettuce

Portion: 1/6 of a medium head
Calories: 10
Carbs: 2 grams
Fiber: 1 gram

Iceberg lettuce may be the most popular of all the salad greens, but it's definitely not the healthiest diet choice. Although the calories may be comparable to other salad greens, the nutrients are not. Still, crispy and inexpensive iceberg doesn't completely deserve its bad reputation. "It has a high water count so it contributes to your daily fluid needs," says McVaugh, "and it is still a vegetable."

 

I always said that iceberg isn't really healthy per se, other than being a good water source that helps you fill up quicker. It shouldn't be eaten alone because it has very little nutrients.

 

Whatever nutrition you are on, you're asking for trouble if your idea of vegetable is the potato with your meat. Vegetables should be what people consume most during their meals. You will notice that most times there is a list of foods that can fight what ails you, vegetables are always on the list. So don't be surprised at the foods that boost your brain power. Speaking about brain-boosting foods, there are more here.

 

If you need to burn fat fast, try these foods. I talked about the importance of fiber, now meet some fiber bombs. If you need energy, try these foods. There are low carb fruits that can help if your diabetic.

 

So most of us have been told our fill on the healthy foods, but what about those to avoid? There are those that appear to be healthy, but aren't. It always pays to look at the flip-side of the coin. When it comes to frozen foods, I try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary, except for frozen veggies. I will admit that at one time they were a staple at work and they did help me stay healthy. I think they are OK if used occasionally because they are usually high in sodium. Here's the best ones for weight loss.

 

Here are facts and fiction about ways to boost your metabolism.

Eggs are a perfect nutritious food but should be limited to four a week.

 

You can bet there will be more to say about healthy nutrition, because it is a central issue for healthy lifestyles.

Boosting Your Mood

Part of a healthy lifestyle is having a positive mood about life. A good place to start is to get a good nights sleep. Get a better nights sleep by changing the foods you eat during the day. If you are feeling down and out try these natural boosters.

Exercise is always a mood booster. If you need tips on diet, exercise and health, sign up for Jillian's newsletter. If you need a personal trainer with resources on health, check out Denise.

Here are foods that can boost your mood. There are also 31 days to boost your mood. It is being proven that foods can alter brain chemistry to boost your mood.

Still your best mood boosters are in the activities. Movement is really a natural booster. Sometimes there are simple solutions.

My personal suggestion as far as a mood boosting supplement would be SAM-e. I do believe that taken correctly on an empty stomach and no food for 30 minutes after taking it, works. There are also other mood boosting supplements that may work. Need more?

9) Foods For Health

When it comes to nutrition, a healthy diet(meaning the foods you eat, not weight loss) isn't as tasteless and boring as it was years ago. Today you can cook, season, and combine a variety of healthy foods to taste delicious.

The World's Healthiest Foods website is an informative reference for all healthy foods. It has useful resources for healthy cooking and healthy eating.

The one thing one should learn to do when it comes to food is to learn how to read a Food Nutrition Labels. Everything has to be taken into consideration such as servings and ingredients, because there are loopholes in disguising what you don't want.

One may assume that peanut butter is a totally great health food. Some are more healthy than others and here is where the label and ingredients come in. Look at this peanut butter. It claims 0 Trans Fats in a serving size of 2 Tbls. This is enough for one slice of bread. My guess is that people tend to use more than one serving size. It has 190 calories per serving and 130 come from Fat. Although the label claims 0 Trans Fats the ingredients contain: HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN).
This is what Trans Fat is made of. How do they get away with it? A serving may be borderline on Trans Fats and they don't have to claim there are any in there. Although it contains sugar, the powder you mix with water PB2 is a much healthier choice.

Dr. Mercola breaks down some facts on some well known, and not so known, health foods. Another useful site for health and nutrition is  Doctor Oz.

I may continue to refer to these and other sites and will supply health links galore. Much like the changing health information out there, this blog is in its initial evolving stages.