How To Stay On The Healthy Path Of Vitality

Often, spiritually guided, inspired moments in our lives end up being just…moments. In other words, despite your excellent intentions, you cleanse and then go right back to eating office cupcakes. You work out for a month and then stop moving at all. You plan to cut off a toxic relationship and then, in a moment of weakness, text that person you know is bad for you.

Why? The truth is that living a healthy, miraculous life—with vitality and grace—requires real commitment and a practice. Without it, even your most soul-directed intentions may falter.

The right tools make these moments more of a mindset and allow you to live your good intentions.

1. Practice radical forgiveness.
When we slip up, we often enter a cycle of guilt that sabotages our progress even more. What if you could learn to forgive yourself on the spot? Forgiveness is a choice you make. In an instant, you can shift from self-hatred and attack to self-love and compassion. Your simple decision to choose to forgive yourself will open the floodgates for peace to set in. Next time you judge yourself for falling off the healthy wagon, simply say, “I choose to forgive myself now.” Then relax into that commitment and let forgiveness take over.

2. “When in doubt, play it out.”

It’s easy to forget about the long-term consequences of small choices, especially when temptation (say, a jumbo frosted cupcake) is right in front of you. Instead of summoning every ounce of willpower to resist the urge, remember: When in doubt, play it out. That’s right. Play out the entire story from start to finish. You pick up the cupcake and eat the whole thing; then, in the heat of the moment, you eat another. Fifteen minutes later, you have a sugar headache that stays with you until the following morning when you feel hung over from the cupcake binge.

Whatever the issue, if you take the time to play out the entire scenario, you’ll be able to talk yourself out of making a mistake. The key is to think your way through the whole story. Not just the fun part where you get a sugar high off of the cupcake. Play the story all the way through to the end when you crash and burn. Your honesty and willingness to remember what is real will save you when you want to relapse into old behavior. This tool isn’t just for sugary temptations. Use it whenever you find yourself enchanted by something that ultimately is not good for you.
3. Do you have permission-giving thoughts?

Do you give yourself permission to do things that you know should be out of bounds for you? Whether it’s downing that extra drink, buying that dress on your maxed-out credit card, or eating fast food, giving yourself the go-ahead ultimately leads to bigger failures. Here’s how to flip that logic: Stop giving yourself permission to partake in the negative behavior. If you make a commitment to yourself that you no longer partake in that activity—“I don’t drink”—then you won’t wind up drunk on a Friday night when you wanted to stay sober. Each time you choose not to give yourself permission to do something negative, you make it easier to do something positive. Making good on your good intentions is a miracle.

How Much Fish Oil Is Safe to Take & What Are Benefits & Risks?

Fish oil is found in fatty fish such as mackerel, tuna, sturgeon, trout and salmon, and also in supplements made from these. Fish oil contains two different omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexenoic, or DHA, both of which have heart healthy benefits. Despite these advantages, be aware that mild and severe health risks are associated with high supplement dosages.

How Much is Enough?

Eat fatty fish twice a week, advices the American Heart Association. A 3.5-oz. portion of fatty fish provides approximately 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids. Get your omega-3 requirements met through food before resorting to supplements; however, if you do take fish oil pills limit your intake to 3 g per day. Discuss possible higher dosages with your physician.
Benefits

Research demonstrates the heart healthy effects of fish oils both for individuals with cardiovascular disease and for those without a history of heart problems. According to the American Heart Association, omega-3 fatty acids decrease abnormal heart beat and heart attack risk, slow hardening of the arteries and slightly lower blood pressure. In addition, fish oils lower blood triglyceride levels by 20 to 50 percent. It is also theorized that fish oils reduce fatalities caused by heart attacks more than the prescription drugs known as statins do.

Risks

Taking fish oil in amounts greater than 3 g is considered unsafe, warns the UC Berkeley Wellness Guide. Mild side effects at this large dosage include nausea, belching or "fish burps," heartburn and diarrhea. Minimize these effects by taking supplements at mealtimes and gradually increase dosage amounts. More severe side effects caused by high dosages include an increased risk for excessive bleeding, stroke, elevated LDL cholesterol levels, immune system suppression and poor glycemic control in diabetic individuals.

Safety Concerns

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding and young children should restrict fatty fish intake due to possible methylmercury content. This toxin is only found in fish meat, thus fish oil supplements are a safe substitute. Individuals allergic to fish should also avoid fish oil or omega-3 supplements manufactured from it. For those individuals with toxin contamination concerns, the American Heart Association advises individuals to cut off fish skin and the underlying fat layer prior to cooking. The benefits of fish oil consumption for older men and postmenopausal women outweigh any risks from possible toxin contamination.
Fish oils are known to interact with certain medications such as birth control pills and anti-hypertensive and anticoagulant drugs. Vitamin E levels can also decrease with fish oil supplementation. Consult your physician if you have concerns regarding fish oil and medication interaction.

Do You Feel Hungry on a Detox Diet?

A “detox diet” is one that is supposed to make your body cleaner and healthier by basically forcing it to release toxins by stopping the intake of harmful substances and by ingesting other substances that are supposed to help the toxins leave. The phrase usually means the food portion of the detoxing only and not intestinal cleanses or other external practices that could be considered part of detoxing as a whole. A typical pattern involves reducing what you eat and gradually adding foods back in. The restrictive nature of a detox diet may be off-putting because it implies you will lack enough to eat, but whether you feel hungry while on it really depends on the specific diet itself.

Identification

Detox diets don’t follow one official structure and range from gentle to severe. One person on a detox diet may be merely replacing processed foods with whole foods cooked from scratch, while another person may forgo all food and ingest nothing but one type of juice for a week. Whether or not detox diets do any good is controversial; institutions like Harvard Medical School and the University of Southern California claim they are unnecessary, while Whole Health MD notes that there are doctors who advocate detox diets and claims patients feel better after undergoing them, even if the effect is merely psychological.

Lack of Satisfaction

No matter what you do, if you are not giving your body enough calories to meet its energy needs, you are going to get hungry. If the detox diet doesn’t provide the calories, your body will set off growling in your stomach until it decides you’re in the middle of a famine. Keep in mind that this is physical, actual hunger, and not just wanting to eat of boredom.

Considerations

Placing yourself on a very restricted -- or basically nonexistent -- diet that is not medically required and supervised can upset your body’s ability to tell if you actually need food. This can make things worse after the detox diet is over for reasons that have nothing to do with toxins. You may feel cleaner, but the lack of food can set off a famine reaction that has you eating whatever you can once the diet is over, even if you’re not physically hungry. Most detox diets don’t last very long, but depending on your personal diet history and how your body reacts to a lack of food, even one week can set you off. If you decide to follow the diet for a long time, as USC Adjunct Professor Roger Clemens says people sometimes decide to do, you risk conditions like malnutrition.

Cautions

There’s nothing wrong with cleaning up what you eat and switching from sugary, fatty foods that have healtno real nutritive value to a much more balanced, nutritious diet. Don’t go overboard, however. All that cutting back on what you eat does -- even for a week -- is place stress on your body and organs. Always check with a registered dietitian first to get an eating plan in place that allows you to transition as smoothly as possible from your previous habits to new menus if you think your diet should be healthier. If you decide a detox diet is something you still want to try, find a doctor who can provide and monitor a diet for you.

How to Help Your Body Metabolize Magnesium Carbonate

Magnesium is an essential mineral that maintains normal heart contraction, nerve functioning and supports the immune system. It keeps your bones strong as part of the matrix that supports calcium. It's also essential for hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body, including the production of energy, the metabolism of carbohydrates and the regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar. Magnesium carbonate is a common supplement used to prevent or treat low levels of magnesium. It’s also an ingredient in antacids and laxatives.

Step 1

Take the prescribed dose of magnesium carbonate on a regular daily schedule so that your body has a constant source. Adults only absorb about 20 to 30 percent of the magnesium they consume, according to Stanford School of Medicine. Sticking with a schedule provides a regular supply that helps offset the low absorption.

Step 2

Watch your levels of vitamin D because it increases the absorption of magnesium. Your skin makes vitamin D from exposure to the sun, so you may not have enough if you limit time in the sun or use sunscreen. Fatty fish, such as mackerel and salmon, eggs and fortified foods, including cereal, milk and orange juice are good sources of vitamin D.

Step 3

Eat enough protein. The body metabolizes less magnesium when dietary protein intake is less than 30 grams per day, according to the National Academies Press. The recommended intake is 46 grams per day for women and 56 grams day for men. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products provide complete proteins, but you can also meet your needs by consuming a variety of vegetables, beans and rice.

Step 4

Avoid taking high doses of zinc, which will interfere with the metabolism of magnesium. Exceeding 142 milligrams per day of zinc decreases absorption and disrupts levels of magnesium, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. The recommended dietary allowance for zinc is 11 milligrams per day for men and ranges from 8 to 13 milligrams per day for women, depending on whether they’re pregnant or breast feeding.

Step 5

Consume enough calcium, but not too much. More than 2,600 milligrams per day of calcium will interfere with the body's ability to absorb magnesium. The recommended daily intake is 1,000 milligrams per day, 900 of which can be obtained just by drinking three cups of milk or eating two containers of yogurt.

Step 6

Monitor the amount and type of fiber in your diet. Magnesium absorption decreases if you eat 14 to 21 grams per day more than the recommended amount of fiber. This is especially true if your diet is high in beans, peas and nuts because they contain phytate that binds with magnesium and prevents it from being metabolized.

Manage Your Stress With Conscious Meditation

One late August afternoon, I found myself smack in the middle of an all-too-familiar horror story: rush hour traffic in LA. Sun beating down, nothing moving, trapped in a sea of frustrated drivers, and running late to an important meeting — I was getting stressed out. Suddenly, an article I read that morning about the Menla Conference (an ultimate living and longevity conference of scholars, doctors, and Tibetan Monks) popped into my head. One of their main topics was the benefit of meditation.

Now, this wasn”t the first thing I had read about meditating. For years, I”d been encountering proof of its many benefits, but I still had not regularly stuck to a routine. Today was the day. Sitting in my car, I decided to try a simple counting and breath meditation. Breathe in deeply, exhale, count, and repeat. Within a minute, I was already feeling better. After five minutes, I was calm and focused. With that short meditation, I was able to completely change my outlook. That was my first real experience at managing my stress with conscious meditation and proof positive that I wanted more meditation in my life.

Since then, I have gone on to use meditation as a powerful healing tool in my life and use it with my clients. It”s a virtual panacea of healing.


5-Minute Meditation

♦ Inhale deep into your belly below the belly button.

♦ Then breathe out. Do this several times. Then on the exhale start counting to 3, 4 or 5.

♦ On the inhale, count back down to 1.

♦ Do this for 5 minutes. It”s that simple!


Challenge Yourself

Commit to 30 days of doing this once in the morning, once in the evening, and at any point when you notice you’re feeling stressed out. If you are moved to do a longer meditation, then do it either in the morning or evening. In a longer setting, continue counting down on the exhale.

Example: Inhale deep into your belly below the belly button. Exhale and count to five. Inhale. Exhale and count to five. Inhale. Exhale and count to five. And so on. The amount of counting you do on the exhale can be random, but should pick up where you left off on the last breath.

One Remarkably Simple Secret to Changing Bad Healthy Habits Forever

Few forces in our lives are as powerful as our habits. If you brush your teeth three times a day and can't imagine going to sleep without clean teeth, that's a habit that will preserve your dental health for a lifetime. If your workday ritual is coffee and a donut every morning, that's a habit that may do you some harm. Good or bad, all our habits have one element in common: Once created they're extremely hard to break.

It's especially true for habits that work against our health, such as those involving caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, unhealthy foods, and exercise--or the lack thereof.  Bad habits are tough to break because of our inner caveman.

"Our DNA has changed very little in 10,000 years. Each of us has the primitive brain of a cave dweller contained within our more developed 21st-century brains. Evans calls this inner caveman "Sneaky Pete." And, when, despite our best efforts, we slip back into old, bad patterns of behavior, Pete is to blame.

When stressed, Pete looks for quick feel-good fixes like caffeine and nicotine, and he seeks to conserve energy by taking in calories and exercising as little as possible. "We live in environments where we have lots of food and very little activity, so this is his ideal environment.

The inner caveman can override the advanced part of our brain, she says. We may try to overcome him with willpower, but that gets us only so far. "Research shows that self-discipline is easily exhausted. The more we use it, the less we have. It's an unreliable resource, which is why self-help is a billion-dollar industry."

What should we do instead? Rather than grapple with our inner caveman we should work with him, Evans says. We typically set out to change our behaviors in a dramatic way, but that's the wrong approach because our caveman brain sees change as stressful. "If you go from zero exercise to seven days a week, that's going to activate Sneaky Pete and he's going to freak out," she explains.

The solution is to make such minor adjustments that the caveman in you doesn't notice them. "Simplify any change you make to where it goes under your stress response. "To the point where you think, 'That's so easy, it's stupid!' Then you'll be able to make successful long-term changes." Standing every time you talk on the phone is an example of one such small change she recommends to her clients.

Another way to circumvent your inner caveman is adjust your environment so that the easiest thing to do is also a healthy thing to do. Evans calls this creating microclimates of optimum default. "Research shows that if we switch from a 12-inch dinner plate to a 10-inch dinner plate we eat 22 percent less without thinking about it," Evans says. "In airports, hunt and gather and put healthy snacks in your bag."

Still feel drawn toward big, dramatic changes rather than small, simple ones? Then consider this: "We've been trying that model for 20 years, and look what's happened? We're more stressed, more overweight, and sicker than we've ever been," Evans says. "Maybe it's time to try something different." Makes sense to me.

Which Is Better For the Environment – Organic or Locally Grown Foods?

Gazing at the vegetables in the market can be a colorful, candy delight for the eyes. But wait, approaching the labels, signs, and stickers on all that produce can change the delight to a confusing day of choices. One says "organic" yet the other says "locally grown." What is the difference? By buying organic grapes from Chili, are we adding a heavy carbon footprint to the planet? By buying from the local farmer down the road that uses pesticides, are we giving too many toxic chemicals too our families? Dr. Edward Group, the founder of the Global Healing Center, presents some simple, helpful guidelines to help sort out those decisions in the market. Choosing organic isn't a cut and dry experience. The simple title of "organic" is an expensive, long process for growers to adhere too. And, we have to eat, so weighing the decision of which process to support is a mixed basket that can still bring family high nutrition while supporting the planet with each step.

The long standing debate between people who care about their health and the health of the environment concerns not only what food to eat, but what kind of food is best to buy.

How do you sort out the differences between local, organic and local-organic foods? Which is better for our health and better for the planet? What the heck does it mean to be organic anyway?

Different people define “local” product different ways. Some say that if food comes from farther than 50 miles away it is not local. Many say 100 miles is the cutoff. Others say it must be within 250 miles to be considered “locally-grown”.

The choice is yours, if you live in a booming agricultural area then you should probably set your standards a little higher. If you live in the middle of a desert, then having your food travel a bit farther to get to you is probably okay.

Organic typically means “Certified Organic”. Growers have to go through a lengthy and expensive certification process overseen by the USDA or other credible certifiers such as Oregon Tilth to be “certified organic.”

Organic foods are those grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and are not genetically modified. For plants, organic also means that farmers don’t irradiate their crops, and for animals it means that they’ve been given only organic feed for a year or more, no antibiotics and no growth hormones. One thing to take into consideration is that farmers may be farming organically, but they may not be certified because of the time commitment certification requires.

Making The Case For Locally-Grown Food

Stringent supporters of local business have pointed out that, organic or not, buying local is better for the environment because sometimes organic foods have to travel long distances, using oil and fuel, increasing CO2 emissions, and increasing their carbon footprint.

Besides reducing your overall carbon footprint, local seasonal fruits, veggies, and dairy may taste better because local crops are harvested when they are the freshest, and they make it to you sooner-ensuring that you are feeding your family the freshest foods.

Considering all of these factors, the environmental cost may outweigh the benefits of buying organic products.

Making The Case For Organic Foods

On the other side of the table, local foods that are not organically grown have all the problems of many other commercially produced foods. They are less nutritious and have fewer flavors. Most non-organic foods maintain high levels of pesticide residue, heavy metals or other harmful contaminants, even after they’ve been washed, and then we ingest it.

Non organic foods have a detrimental effect on the environment because the herbicides and pesticides used leech into the water supply and corrupt local ecosystems.


When Organic Is Recommended

You should make an effort to buy the organic versions of the following foods that retain high pesticide levels. Pesticides are poisons, not something you should be enthusiastic about giving your family!

* Fruits – Apples, Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches & Pears
* Legumes – Peas, Beans & Peanuts
* Berries – Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries & Goji Berries
* Vegetables – Bell Peppers, Celery, Peas & Spinach

How To Save Money on Organic Foods

Produce that doesn’t contain a lot of pesticide residue when properly washed doesn’t need to be purchased at the higher price of organic foods. Many of these are the foods that have a thick skin or husk that will be peeled off prior to eating. Of course, if you are on a strict organic food diet then you should purchase all of your foods organically, and better yet locally whenever possible.

* Must-Peel Foods – Bananas, Pineapple, Corn & Avocados
* Tropical Fruits – Kiwi, Mangoes & Papaya
* Vegetables – Asparagus, Broccoli & Cauliflower
* Seafood – Don’t ever be fooled about something labeled as “organic seafood.” No such thing exists! No USDA certification standards have been established for seafood.

What Should I Do?

Most cities have farmer’s markets that offer a variety of locally produced fruits, vegetables, sauces and meats.Local honey is especially beneficial because it can offer some resistance to allergens in the area. The website Local Harvest is dedicated to helping people find farmers markets and other local, sustainable grown foods.

Support your local growers, find out which ones are selling organically produced foods (certified or not), and encourage more of the local farmers to find alternatives to harsh pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Excellent sources of information on the freshest and best tasting local foods are area chefs

Chefs often seek out the highest quality, lowest cost products and may be able to direct you to fresh food sources that you weren’t even aware of.

Encourage your local grocery store to stock local products, ask specifically for the products that you want and make sure that they honor your request. If not, take your business to someone who will. Whenever possible, you should buy local, organic products.

Growing Your Own Food is the Best & Safest Method!

If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to avoid the organic vs. local debate, you can grow your own fruit and veggies!

Seasonal fruit and veggies are easy to grow in barrels or flower boxes and often don’t require much maintenance and minimal care. What is in season, and when, depends on where you live.

There are many online resources as well as organic gardening books in the local library or bookstore. Garden centers at local home improvement stores often have brochures that talk about organic farming and outline the plants that grow best at what time of year. Every state has acooperative extension office. These provide information on local farming, and they usually have phone numbers that will connect you to people who are more than happy to share their knowledge with you!

10 Ways to Gain More Health and Vitality For Maximum Success

Health does play a crucial part in success. The absence of our health allows us to experience appreciation and gratitude on a whole new level. The presence of health allows us to live a more productive, pain-free life enabling us to get more enjoyment out of life. Being healthy is feeling good about yourself, knowing that you are taking care of your most valuable asset – yourself.

Unless you are living in a bubble somewhere, there will be times when you have to deal with illness. Here are some suggestions to keep you on the road to success at times of illness.
Just because your body is ill, it does not mean you mind or spirit have to be ill as well. It is all about maintaining your positive mental attitude.
If your illness is temporary, see it as temporary. Setbacks in life are common and expected. Keep your sight on your life’s goals and never let temporary illness take you off course.
Focus your attention on anything but your illness. Be active if possible, practice mind control and focus on empowering and positive feelings.
Do something about your illness and work on future prevention. Is this something you could have prevented? If so, how? Make changes in your life if necessary to avoid illness and learn from each experience.

Remember that health is not just the absence of illness; it is the presence of vitality.

Here are 10 ways to help you reach and maintain your ideal health while enjoying life to the fullest.

1) Understand what you are eating
“Let your food be your medicine,” said Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. Many believe that the foods we eat have a significant effect on both our short-term and long term health. We literally are what we eat. If we put garbage in, we get garbage out.

Spend some time and do some research on what you are taking daily, what nutrients and calories do they provide. If you understand your food, you can plan your meal and what to have for the entire day or week to give you the extra energy, focus and clarity that you need.

Eating well begins with learning about foods that have positive effects on your body and mind. Bookstores are loaded with books on this topic. So… Go get one would you?

2) Eat breakfast every day
No excuses because breakfast is your most important meal. Your breakfast should be taken within two hours of waking. Researched has again shows that having healthy breakfast has a long term health benefits. It can reduce stress level, improve your productivity, focus, and your mood and also gives you energy that you needed throughout the day.

3) Eat lunch every day
No excuses. Lunch re-energizes your body and keeps your metabolism active. If you feel sluggish and sleepy after lunch, probably you are taking too much. Consider a moderate size meal, with more vegetables and fruits will keeps you fresh and ready to take on another few hours.

4) Nap likes a celebrities
I discovered that many successful people who are actually nappers. Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, John F. Kennedy, Lee Kuan Yew, Winston Churchill and so on…

I suggest you seriously considering taking daily naps for following few reasons:

a) Nap restores your energy and prevent you being burnout.
b) Nap reduces overall health diseases.
c) Nap makes you more productive
d) Nap restores your alertness

The national sleep foundation recommends a short nap of between 20-30 minutes to achieve all of the benefits above.

5) Drink enough fluid
Practice the habit of drinking plain or mineral water – with ten glasses a day is ideal. Our body are made up of 70% fluid. By keeping yourself hydrated, you revitalize and purify the body. Let me share with you few more great reasons why you should drink more water every day.

a) Water helps energize muscles and reduce muscle fatigue
b) Water helps improve your blood circulation system and keeps your body at a peak performance
c) Water lower down your stresses, migraine and thirst of sugar which may lead to health issue later on.

6) Exercise more
Both of your body and mind need activity to grow stronger. Maintain physical and mental fitness programs that keep you in your best shape. If you’re enjoying most doing together with others, join a membership club or a group workout lesson… It creates momentum and you will be surprise about how fast your progress will be.

7) Lose excess weight
If you are like most Americans, you probably can lose a few pounds. As you lose fat, your body becomes a more efficient “fat burning” machine. Conversely, as you pack on the pounds, it becomes increasingly more difficult to lose the weight.

8) Every day – Let your body out to play
Movement is play for your body. Every day give it a little of what it needs to be happy. It doesn’t matter if walking up the stairs is as much as you can manage; walk up the stairs today. And tomorrow aim to walk up the stairs twice. Or try a few stretches while you’re watching TV. Or race your kids to the end of the street. Or join them on the trampoline for a quick bounce. Start small and build up the expectation that you will move every day – Just as you would brush your teeth.

9) Make healthier choices
Eating well does not have to happen overnight. In fact, I began the process over 2 years ago when I have made dozens of healthier choices such as drinking water rather than diet soda, using olive oil in place of butter, snacking on nuts rather than candy, and other relatively painless dietary changes.

10) Do not neglect checkups
See your doctor on a regular basis. Many health problems are insignificant when taken care of early enough. Do not let your fear of doctors, or the sharp needles they stick into you, keep you from health.
Final Thought

Most people’s definition of success includes some level of health. It is very difficult to enjoy anything, including success, if your mind is continuously focused on your illnesses, pain, heartburn, lethargy, and/or the extra 20 pounds of fat you are carrying around with you. You have full control over many aspects of your health, so take control of what you can do today and live with vitality.

“What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.” – Henry David Thoreau

Health benefits of grape seed extract

Grapes have been used by European and Middle Eastern folk healers for years for their powerful medicinal properties. Scientists have found that the grape seed has the most concentrated form of health benefits from the grape. Grape seed extracts have been shown to improve immunity and prevent cancer.

Every part of the grape plant has been used to improve health. Grapevines have been made into special ointments that were used to treat skin and eye diseases. Grape leaves were used to improve healing time of painful injuries and inflammatory conditions. Unripe grapes were classically used to help the body fend off sore throats, and dried grapes (raisins) have been used to help with constipation and healthy bowel movements.

Grape seed extract has incredible antioxidant power:

Grape seed extract has an incredible antioxidant potential with its flavonoid phytonutrients. These polyphenols include resveratrol and unique oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPC's). The most potent form is in grape seed extract, as it contains 95% OPC's, which is more than any other antioxidant extract.

OPC's help the body produce glutathione, which is the master antioxidant that protects DNA and strengthens the immune system. They also increase intracellular vitamin C levels and strengthen capillaries and thus improve blood oxygen circulation throughout the body. These antioxidants also act to protect soft tissue collagen in the joints and skin from free radical damage and premature aging.

The powerful free radical scavenging effects of grape seed extract protect the skin from UV radiation damage, the blood vessel walls from inflammatory stress and the brain from low oxygen states. Due to the benefits that grape seed extract has on these systems, it has been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer, improve blood pressure and protect against dementia.

Grape seed extract and cancer:

Many studies have shown the benefits of grape seed extract on slowing cancer growth and initiating cancer cell death. Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that the antioxidants in grape seed extract triggered the death of 76% of exposed leukemia cells by turning on a protein known as "JNK" that regulates cancer cell pathways.

Other studies have shown that grape seed extracts help the liver to detoxify from radiation induced poisons and chemotherapy. In addition, they help the liver to detoxify bad estrogenic molecules. By helping the body eliminate these toxic substances, grape seed helps reduce the growth of breast, stomach, colon, prostate and lung cancer cells.

Grape seed extract and Th2 immunity:

The two major parts of our immune system are the Th1 and Th2 systems. It is essential that these systems are both working in a balanced and coordinated manner. Many individuals have a dominance in one of the major pathways.

According to the research of Dr. Datis Kharrazian and other health experts, the components within grape seed extract tend to improve the Th2 immune system. For most individuals, this provides a great immune boost. However, some individuals have a strong Th2 dominance and anything that increases Th2 activity (which also inhibits Th1 immunity) would create a further immune imbalance and could drive further inflammatory conditions.

It is advisable for individuals with Th2 dominant conditions to do a supplement challenge where they intentionally see how their body responds to grape seed extract or another Th2 stimulating compound before they use it indiscretionarily. If it is shown through a cytokine blood test or through a supplement challenge that they have a Th2 dominance, and its works great.

Change Your Lifestyle By Weight Loss

Some people lose weight by strict dieting for a short period. However, as soon as their diet is over, they often go back to their old eating habits, and their weight goes straight back on. Losing weight, and then keeping it off, needs a change in lifestyle for life. This includes such things as:

• The type of food and drink that you normally buy.
• The type of meals that you eat.
• Your pattern of eating.
• The amount of physical activity that you do.

Top tip: ask family or friends to help and encourage you to keep to a healthy lifestyle. Consider a lifestyle change for the whole family.

Before you start

Motivation is crucial
To lose weight and to keep it off, it is vital that you should be motivated, really want to lose weight, and want to improve aspects of your lifestyle. No weight-loss plan will work unless you have a serious desire to lose weight. You may not feel that being overweight or obese is a problem to you. So, you may have little motivation or desire to lose weight. That is fine, so long as you understand the health risks.

Top tip: write down the reasons why you would like to lose weight. Keep referring to this list to motivate yourself.

Set clear goals with a realistic timescale
Based on the recommended rate of weight loss explained above, set yourself a clear weight loss goal with a realistic timescale. Some people aim to get down to a perfect weight. However, this may be a lot of weight to lose for you and you may get fed up about poor progress, and give up. So, you may find it helpful to break up your weight loss goal. For example, you may wish to set yourself a goal to lose 4 kg over the following 4 to 6 weeks. Once you have achieved that goal, you can set yourself another, etc.

For most people, you can start to get health benefits by losing even just 5-10% of your starting weight. For example, if your starting weight was 100 kg, losing 5-10 kg in weight will produce some health benefits for you, even if you are still not at your ideal weight.

Top tip: aim to lose weight steadily, around 0.5-1 kg per week. For most people, health benefits can come from losing the first 5-10% of their weight. This is often about 5-10 kg.

Set yourself an action plan
In addition to setting yourself realistic weight loss targets, it is also helpful to set yourself an action plan. Be realistic and consider what you feel will have the most impact on your weight. For example, if you currently have a piece of cake every day, your action plan could be to reduce this to twice per week only. Your action plan might start with three main goals, and once you have achieved these goals, you can reset your action plan and think about other changes you might be able to make. The idea is to make small, gradual changes that you can stick to for life.

Monitor your current food intake
It is helpful to know how much you normally eat. Try keeping a diary, writing down everything that you eat and drink over a week or so. Include even the smallest of snacks. Are there times of the day that you tend to snack more? Are you eating three meals a day? Are there some snacks that you don't need? You may find it helpful to discuss your diary with your practice nurse, your doctor or a dietician. The simple fact is that, to lose weight, you must eat less than your current food intake (see above).

Top tip: don't forget the drinks. Some drinks contain lots of calories, including alcohol and some fizzy drinks.

Increase your physical activity levels
It is recommended that all adults should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least five days of the week. However, if you are overweight or obese and are aiming to lose weight, if possible you should try to do around 60-90 minutes on at least five days of the week.

Moderate physical activity includes: brisk walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, badminton, tennis, etc. In addition, try to do more in your daily routines. For example, use stairs instead of lifts, walk or cycle to work or school, etc. Avoid sitting for too long in front of the television or a computer screen. Take regular breaks whilst working. The good news is that you don't have to do this physical activity all in one chunk. You can break it up into blocks of 10-15 minutes. See separate leaflet called Physical Activity for Health, which gives more details.

Top tip: build your exercise levels up gradually. If you are not used to physical activity, try starting with a 30-minute brisk walk every day and then building up from there.

Nutrition Facts Of Fruits

Fruits are nature’s wonderful gift to the mankind; indeed, they are life-enhancing medicines packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and many phyto-nutrients (Plant derived micronutrients). They are an absolute feast to our sight, not just because of their color and flavor but for their unique nutrition-profile that help human body free from diseases and keep it healthy!

• Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.
• Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward off cholesterol and fats from the body and to help in smooth bowel movements as well as offer relief from constipation ailments.
• Fruits compose of many anti-oxidants such as poly-phenolic flavonoids, vitamin-C, and anthocyanins.These compounds, firstly, help human body protected from oxidant stress, diseases, and cancers, andsecondly; help the body develop capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very high anti-oxidant values, which is measured in terms of their "Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity" or (ORAC).
• Anthocyanins are flavonoid category of poly-phenolic compounds found in some "blue-fruits" like blue-black grapes, mulberries, acai berry, chokeberry, blueberries, blackberries, and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple pigments. Consumption of fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These compounds have potent anti-oxidant properties that help remove free radicals from the body, and thus offer protection against cancers, aging, infections, etc. Majority of these pigments in the fruits tend to concentrate just underneath their skin.
• Fruit’s health benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, pigment anti-oxidants. Altogether, these compounds help the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting from damage and rejuvenating cells, tissues, and organs. Their overall benefits are manifold! Fruit nutrition benefits are emormous! Including fruits in daily diet, you are protecting yourself from minor ailments like wrinkling of skin, hair-fall, and memory loss to major ailments like age-related macular degeneration (AMRD) of the retina in the eyes, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancers, weak bones (osteoporosis)…etc., and the list of fruit nutrition benefits simply never ends.

Research studies suggest that one may eat any servings of fruits daily. It is recommended to eat at least 2-3 servings of fresh fruits every day.

The term, "one fruit serving" is about 250 g of cleaned, edible-portion of the fruit, excluding discards like peel, seeds, etc.

Include seasonal fruits in the daily diet. Variety of fruits type, color, and flavor should be encouraged to get maximum health benefits. Yellow and orange color fruits are rich sources of a and ß carotenes, zea-xanthin and crypto-xanthin, while blue, black colored like black or blueberries are a good source of poly-phenolic anthocyanin anti-oxidants.

Selection of fruits

To avail maximum fruit nutrition benefits eat organic produce. Many "wild" varieties of berries and "tropical tree" fruits have still not treated with any kind of fertilizers or chemicals and can be readily purchased from local farm owners. Organic fruits tend to be smaller; however, they feature special flavor and richness in vitamins, minerals and stuffed with numerous anti-oxidants.

In the store, however, choose fruits that feature freshness, bright in color and flavor and feel heavy in your hands. Look carefully for blemishes, spots, molds, and signs of insecticide spray. Buy whole fruits instead of section of them (for example, buy a small size watermelon instead of a section of big size melon).

Dry fruits
Dry fruits are rich source of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Consumption of some dry fruits daily enhances the overall bioavailability of nutrients. Try raisins (dried grapes), apricots, dates, figs, tamarind..., which are indeed very good in iron, calcium, zinc, selenium and manganese. In addition, mixing dry fruits with some fresh fruits would help you get vitamin C which in-turn facilitates complete absorption of iron inside the stomach.

How to use fruits?

Barring few fruits like wild-berries, try to wash them soon after shopping. Rinse them in salt water for a few minutes and then wash in cool running water until you are satisfied with complete cleanliness. This way, you make sure that the fruit you eat is rid-off dirt, sand and any residual chemical spray. Eat them while they are fresh, since certain fruits have very short shelf life and their health benefiting properties decline with time. If you need to store them, place them in plastic wrappings or in zip pouches to keep them fresh for short periods until you use them. Eat fruits as a whole without any additions to enjoy their true flavor, taste, and to get maximum fruit nutrition benefits.

Why Use Supplements?

There’s no doubt that a healthy diet is essential for optimal heart health. But there are also a number of factors that make nutritional supplementation an important part of maintaining a healthy body and cardiovascular system.

Diet.

No matter how well you eat, it’s almost impossible to consistently provide your body with the right amount of nutrients day in and day out. You see, actual walking speed isn’t as important as we’ve been led to believe. In a two-week Dutch study reported in the journal Nature,researchers found that moderate activity was actually superior to vigorous exercise for expending energy. However, if you want to use a heart-rate monitor to pace yourself, that’s great—but go no higher than 70 percent of your maximal heart rate. To get a rough idea of your maximal heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Multiply the answer by 0.70; the result is your target heart rate.

Drugs.
Many prescription medications deplete the body of essential nutrients, which can lead to notable deficiencies that can affect heart health.

Age.
As we get older our bodies tend to produce less of certain nutrients, making supplementation crucial.

Exercise level.
Even moderate exercise can generate free radicals—which are known factors in heart disease and other illnesses. But antioxidant supplementation can offset the damaging effects of free radicals.

Must-Have Supplement #1: High-Potency Multinutrient

To provide your body with broad, overall nutritional support, I recommend starting your supplement regimen with a high-potency multinutrient. A quality multi will even out the natural fluctuations in your diet and help offset age- and medication-related deficiencies. Look for a multi that includes all essential vitamins and minerals (especially B vitamins), as well as flavonoids and carotenoids. Get my specific recommendations on what a high-quality multinutrient should contain.

Must-Have Supplement #2: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

In addition to taking a high-quality multinutrient, I believe everyone interested in optimal heart health should supplement with at least 1 to 2 grams of omega-3 essential fatty acids daily. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) help lower your risk of heart disease by promoting normal triglyceride levels; keeping blood pressure in the normal range; promoting normal cholesterol levels; and supporting circulation, blood flow, and blood viscosity (blood thickness). One popular way to get your heart-healthy EFAs is by taking fish oil or other marine animal (krill or squid) supplements, which can be found at health food stores and grocery stores. However, be selective when shopping. Because our ocean waters are getting more polluted, fish can be contaminated with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; and the large factory ships that catch the fish don’t always do a very good job of processing it right away, which means oils can oxidize even before they’re put into capsules. So, look for a fish oil product that can guarantee freshness, preferably one that includes antioxidants such as rosemary extract and vitamin E to ensure stability and freshness. Also, choose a supplement that delivers at least 150 mg of the EFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 350 mg of the EFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Other Supplement Recommendations

Along with my core supplement recommendations of a daily multinutrient and omega-3 fatty acids, I suggest adding certain supplements based on your specific health needs. And everyone with concerns about heart health should take the “Awesome Foursome.” That’s my name for the four supplements I believe are most crucial for energy production inside cells. This is particularly important in the heart, because the heart requires more energy than any other organ in the body. The more energy it can produce, the more efficient it will be.

The Health Benefits of Drinking Water

Water is the main component of the human body. In fact, the body is composed of between 55 and 78 percent water, depending on body size. Adequate and regular water consumption has numerous health benefits. As an added plus, it has no calories, fat, carbohydrates or sugar.

The amount of water you consume everyday plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body. Experts recommend drinking eight to 10 glasses of water each day to maintain good health.Water helps keep the body well hydrated, which is essential because almost every cell in the body needs water to function properly.

Health benefits of drinking water.

1. Relieves Fatigue

If you often feel tired, there is a high chance that it could be due to inadequate consumption of water which makes the body function less efficiently. In fact, fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration.

2. Improves Mood
Research indicates that mild dehydration (even one or two percent lower hydration level of hydration than optimal) can negatively affect your mood and ability to think.

3. Treats Headaches and Migraines
If you have a headache or migraine, the first thing that you can do to get some relief is drink plenty of water. Headaches and migraines are often caused by dehydration.

5. Aids Weight Loss
In a clinical trial, scientists found that drinking two eight-ounce glasses of water prior to meals can help suppress appetite and hence support your weight loss efforts. When you drink water, it fills your stomach and reduces the tendency to eat more.

6. Flushes Out Toxins
Water is an excellent detoxifier as it helps flush out toxins from your body and get rid of waste primarily through sweat and urine.
It also promotes kidney function and reduces kidney stones by diluting the salts and minerals in urine that cause kidney stones.

7. Regulates Body Temperature

An ample amount of water in the body also helps regulate body temperature. The thermal properties of water and its ability to release heat from the body when sweat evaporates from the surface of the skin greatly helps maintain an even body temperature.

8. Promotes Healthy Skin

Water keeps the body well hydrated and improves capillary blood flow, which promotes healthier and younger-looking skin. Water helps replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases the elasticity in your skin.

9. Relieves Hangover

Drinking water works as a simple yet effective way to get rid of hangover as well. Being a diuretic, alcohol causes you to pee much more than you take in. Thus, water helps rehydrate the body and speed up recovery.

10. Beats Bad Breath

Bad breath is a clear sign that you may not be drinking sufficient water. It keeps your mouth moist and washes away food particles and bacteria. It also dilutes the smelly compounds that oral bacteria create.

So, drink sufficient water and also rinse your mouth with water, especially after having a meal or snack to control odors and remove bacteria and food debris stuck between your teeth and gum line.

To conclude, it is essential to make necessary efforts to drink adequate amount of water daily. To derive the various health benefits of water, make sure to drink filtered water. Along with water, also take more fluids and eat more fruits and vegetables that are high in water content.

8 Easy Mindful-Meditation Techniques

According to Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University, the act of mindfulness can be defined as “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment.” Consistently practicing mindfulness techniques can reduce the impact of stress on the brain, improve sleep quality, improve attention and even increase a sense of emotional and physical well-being. You don’t have to be a Zen master to cultivate this state of present-moment awareness -- in fact, it can be quite simple to get into that space. “Mindfulness practice does not mean that you try to act like a perfect person,” says Taso Papadakis, Dharma teacher at Golden Wind Zen Center. “There are many paths to access our inherent human wisdom and wake up into the essence of our own life.” If you’re looking for emotional and physical well-being, give one of these eight simple mindfulness techniques a try.

1. Hold Then Release Tension

Tightly squeeze your hands into a fist, count to 20 and let go. Take all your awareness to the sensations occurring in your hands. Continue to bring your attention to these sensations for as long as you can. Repeat several times and notice how focused your mind becomes and how calm you begin to feel. This can be done anywhere and anytime -- all you need is your mind and your hands.

2. Focus on a Single Object

Pick any object in your line of sight on which to focus your attention. Without judgment, sit and watch the object with curiosity. The easiest things to watch are animals, children, waves, trees and clouds. If you are not in nature, watching the flame of a candle can be a quick, hypnotic way to get lost in the present moment. Instead of using your mind to label, judge and categorize the object, simply bring your attention to it. Observe the object with a heightened curiosity of what it might do next.

3. Truly Listen to Music

Play a song, listening closely to the sounds that arise. Journal about where it takes you emotionally, how it makes you feel, the colors that come to mind and the memories that surface. Listening to music without words (i.e., instrumental) is helpful because it shuts off that part of the brain that is trying to decipher, identify and translate meaning. This in turn helps focus your mind only on the music instead of your grocery list, bills or to-do list.

4. Engage Your Sense of Smell

Smell something strong like coffee beans, lavender or garlic and pay attention to what it does to your nose. Where do you feel it? Does it bring up a memory? An emotion? This will help your mind focus intently on the scent. Taiwanese researchers found that using aromatherapy decreased feelings of stress in the body. Choose a scent that is pleasant: You don’t want the scent of rotten eggs to throw you into a bad mood!

5. Explore Old Tastes in a New Way

Use a cube of ice, piece of chocolate or a mint. Place the food in your mouth and focus entirely on how it feels and tastes on your tongue. How does it feel when you bite into it? What about when you chew it? Or swallow it? What sensations do you notice when it’s melting inside your mouth? You can also do this with your meals. Instead of sitting in front of the TV or talking at a dinner table, sit quietly and eat slowly with detailed attention paid to each bite. This will not only focus your mind, it will also affect how much you eat and how the food tastes. Implementing this kind of mindful eating can lower stress, increase satisfaction and even help you lose weight.

6. Focus on the Sound of Your Breath

Place cotton balls or earplugs in your ear (be careful not to stick them too far in) to heighten the volume of the sound of your breath. As you shut off your connections to the outer world, you will find that your mind starts to focus on the sound of your breath. It’s as if you’re alone in an internal temple that only you can create. Research from Weber State University suggests that when you set aside time to focus on your breath, there is a decrease in the secretion of stress hormones.

7. Take a Meditative Walk

Find a place where you can be alone and walk in nature. If you choose, you can listen to soft, meditative music through your headphones. Begin walking slowly, looking down at your feet to watch each step that is taken. Bring all of your attention to your footsteps. How do they feel with each step? Can you feel the difference in surfaces that you’re stepping on? Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” You will be absolutely amazed what the simple act of walking can do for your present-moment awareness. A sense of calm contentment will come over you as you begin to become even more aware of what the present moment has to offer you.

8. Take a Bath

Taking a bath is one of the most relaxing activities you can do. Fill your tub with warm water and, if you want, some type of scented bubble bath or essential oils. Turn the lights down, light some candles and turn on soft background music. Soak in the warm bath and allow your olfactory system to be stimulated. Focus on the smell for a few moments. Then focus on the feeling of your muscles relaxing as the warm water surrounds your body. Close your eyes and listen to the music in the background. After a few moments, turn your attention to the candles that are lit. To finish off this mindfulness activity, stay in the bath while the water is draining and become aware of how strongly gravity holds us to the earth.

Now that you’ve done a few of these prescribed techniques, branch out and seek unique ways to bring yourself into this mindful state. Dharma teacher Taso Papadakis says, “We are all different in some ways. We have different dispositions, conditioning and chemistry. We don’t all need the same ‘medicine.’ There are many paths available; it takes experimentation and courage.” Take an active roll in controlling the incessant chatter that runs through the stream of your consciousness. By doing so, you will bring peace to your life and the lives of those who surround you.

Positive Emotions Can Strengthen Your Immune System

The wonders of the world can be just as good for your health as they are for your enjoyment, suggests a UC Berkley study.

Researchers have linked positive emotions—awe, contentment, spirituality—with lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteins that signal your immune system to work harder and bolster good health.

In two separate experiments, more than 200 young adults were asked to log the extent to which they experienced amusement, awe, compassion, joy, love, and pride on a given day. Samples of gum and cheek tissue taken that same day showed that those who experienced more of these positive emotions had the lowest levels of the cytokine Interleukin 6, a marker of inflammation that can cause autoimmune disease and depression.

“That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions—a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art—has a direct influence upon health and life expectancy,” says UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, a co-author of the study.

An added emphasis on spirituality and mindfulness may just be enough to get you through this winter happy and healthy.

5 TOP DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR MEN

You may be missing some key nutrients even if you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Here are some vitamins and minerals that may help safeguard your health.

Multivitamin/mineral complex. 

A good one-a-day multi will cover most of your bases on vitamins and minerals. Take it in the morning with breakfast.

Calcium. 

Research confirms that calcium helps you stay lean and boosts testosterone levels. Take 500–600 mg with breakfast and dinner.

 Vitamin D.

This bone builder also enhances calcium absorption. Take 1,000- 2,000IU of vitamin D3 with your calcium.

Fish Oil. 

The essential omega-3 fats in fish oil have been shown to enhance fat burning and increase muscle growth. Plus, they boost your heart health and keep your joints pain-free. Take 2-3 g with breakfast and dinner.

CLA. 

Conjugated linoleic acid is a healthy fat that has been shown to simultaneously boost fat loss and muscle growth and even reduce the risk of cancer. Take 2-3 g with breakfast and dinner.

Add these vitamins and minerals to your diet to ensure that you’re giving your body all the vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats it needs to perform and look its best.

Foods that increase your libido

Climbing into bed with your loved one at the end of a busy day your thoughts may turn to some 1 on 1 time with your partner.  For many people though, those thoughts may be more about wishing you had the desire and energy to make love, than passionate thought s about ripping each other’s clothes off!

There is a sea of information out there on how to improve your sex life, with a range of self-help books, internet sites and DVD’s all discussing lovemaking and relationships. We live in an age where should you desire it; you can become a sensual sex God or Goddess and a relationship Guru.

No matter how many skills you may have now acquired in the bedroom, if your energy levels are too low you are most likely not going to feel like sex.  Making love requires energy; during half an hour of sex men use 120 calories and women 90, which may explain why sometimes we just don’t have the energy.

In order to have a good sex life, it follows that you may want to optimise your energy levels. One of the best ways you can achieve this is by eating a balanced diet. Having enough energy for great sex – what a great reason to eat the best food you can, in the right balance and at the right time!

Apart from a lack of energy sometimes you may experience a loss of libido. If this is an ongoing experience for you and you would like to get your mojo back, the good news is that there are some simple things you could try.

A loss of libido could be linked to a decrease in testosterone, a hormone found in men and women. Low levels are associated with sluggishness, fatigue, loss of interest in sex and brain fogginess. If you would like to increase your levels of testosterone you can increase certain foods in your diet:

Zinc – is important for testosterone production which may explain why oysters, high in this wonderful mineral are renowned for their aphrodisiac properties. Other foods that are high in zinc are pumpkin seeds, pecans, oats, almonds and garlic.

Vitamin D – is a fat-soluble steroid hormone precursor that increases levels of testosterone. Our main source of vitamin D is from the sun, maybe that’s why we tend to feel a bit friskier in the sun! Adding to this with vitamin D supplement is the easiest way to get good levels of this vitamin as excessive sun exposure is linked to higher risks of developing skin cancer.

Saturated fat and cholesterol – are used to make sex hormones including testosterone, which may be why ghee (clarified butter) is used as an aphrodisiac in traditional Ayuverdic medicine.

There are also a lot of everyday foods that are natural aphrodisiacs, helping you to reignite your sex drive, a lot of these are easy to get hold of and incorporate into your diet.

Watermelon – contains citrulline a naturally occurring amino acid which (like Viagra) may help to open up veins and arteries, which is helpful in erectile dysfunction.

Chocolate – contains many amazing chemicals which show a host of benefits for many things including mood, arousal and circulation.

Chocolate has to be one of the sexiest foods out there, eat it, drink it, smell it and cover each other in it. I am sure you get the idea!

Chilies – capsicum is what makes chillies hot. It also promotes the release of chemicals that can raise your heart rate and trigger the release of endorphins, giving you a natural high which can seriously get you in the mood.

As stimulating as chillies are this is not one to start massaging your partner with, as any man that has chopped chillies and then gone to the toilet will tell you! Instead cook a romantic chilli dinner for your loved one and see how hot it gets.

Eggs – maybe not the first sexy food that comes to mind, especially with their sulphurous smell but these really are a power house of nutrients, including B6 and B5 which help balance hormone levels and may reduce stress, both very important to a healthy libido.

Some people claim eating raw eggs before sex gives increases their energy and stamina. Eating raw eggs does carry the risk of salmonella poisoning though, so instead of eating your eggs raw you could try cooking a romantic breakfast in bed.

Maca root – this is a South American root and can be bought as a powder. In studies maca powder has been shown to boost sexual desire in both men and women without any bad effects on sexual hormones.

Make a smoothie with almond milk and add 1 desert spoon of raw chocolate powder, 1 heaped teaspoon of maca powder and a tablespoon of oats, all these foods have been linked to increasing sexual desire.

Just the Facts - About Weight Loss

So many people are fighting obesity today, and despite the many success stories, countless books, endless magazine articles, it seems weight loss, dieting and slimming remain a problem and concern for so many people. If you are struggling with weight control and want to take control of your health problems, too, its important to recognize that healthy weight loss is possible, but requires commitment, dedication and perseverance. Instead on focusing on slim-fit jeans, think about how you want to feel when you can walk up a hill without being breathless, or if you'd like to be able to chase after your grandchildren without worrying about a heart attack! If you're serious about getting healthy and gaining a better lifestyle through weight control, do read on for some tips on gaining a healthy lifestyle. 

1. Concentrate on creating a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, not just a short-term diet - you are aiming for long-term health and a gradual, healthy weight loss. Fad diets cause yo-yo weight loss, which in the long term affect your metabolism and self-confidence.

2. Watch what you eat – 3 healthy meals & 1-2 small snacks is the maximum each day
It's very easy to fall into the trap of constant snacking. Often we don't eat for sustenance, but because we are bored, stressed or just have a snacking habit. Learn to replace empty calories in snack foods with healthy nutritional snacks like nuts and fruits. Keep a water bottle handy, and drink from it all day to stave off hunger pangs.

3. Get up and move (walk, hula hoop, do aerobics or swim) for 30 minutes a day. No excuses!
Exercise not only ensures you burn excess calories, but helps keep your blood circulated, your skin hydrated and your mind active. If you can't find the time for 30 minutes of activity, sneak in 10-15 minutes any time you have the chance, all the small bursts of activity add up!

4. A healthy lifestyle plan, including times for meals, amount of water to be consumed, and type of daily exercise, has proven effectiveness.
Knowing what you have to do in advance helps you be prepared for the natural disinclination to do exercise or choose the healthy food for lunch. Deciding what food you will eat each day, what times to eat, what activity you are going to do, will help you to feel in control of your life, and better enable you to stick to it.

5. Eat in moderation instead of calorie counting. Choose wholesome, unprocessed foods and smaller portions, eating slowly and enjoying the meal.
Calorie counting can be very effective for some dieters, but most people find it too much hassle to keep writing down and working out the calories in every singe meal, snack, drink, etc that they eat. Often, it also makes they overly concerned with every food choice that they make, to the point that meals become depressing and inconvenient, causing them to abandon their efforts altogether. Instead, eat well, but in moderation, choosing smaller portions of food you really enjoy.
Dying for fried chicken? Make it an occasional treat, and pack half away for later. Can't resist the curry? Don't cover your plate with a large serving, but leave plenty of room for healthy accompaniments like vegetables and fruits. Can't refuse the birthday cake? Ask for a small sliver or share with a friend, and take your time eating it.

Drinking plenty of water, both before and during the meal will help you to slow down and eat less, too. Take the time, savour the taste, feel and texture of the meal as you eat it, giving your stomach time to register fullness, and the brain time to enjoy the meal so you can eat less, yet feel satisfied.

Why Breakfast is Important

If you were to go 6 to 9 hours during the day without eating you would be feeling very hungry but if you think about it, this is what you do during the night. If you don’t have breakfast then this ‘fast’ may continue for several hours longer.

Although this rest from food gives your digestion a well-deserved rest, delaying food for so long may lead to overeating when you do decide to eat and cause you to choose sugary foods instead of more balanced options to give you that instant energy hit.

You may also find you play ‘catch up’ with your calories leaving you eating far more than you should late at night, when it is more likely to be stored as fat then used for energy.

Remember – research shows that people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight than those that don’t.

* Low blood sugar levels that may accompany bouts of fasting can cause symptoms of:
Paleness.

* Shakiness and trembling.

* Lack of energy, as a result you will feel fatigue, weakness, and have poor coordination.
* Increased hunger

* Irritability, anxiety, agitation

* You may also have excessive sweating /perspiration.

* Problem in concentrating

* Confusion

The brain in particular may perform better with the instant source of energy it gets from food (eating), so if you want to be working at your full potential then eat breakfast!

Breakfast ideas – for when you have NO time in the morning

Eat your fruits/vegetables nuts and seeds and still get to the office on time!

If you are too busy to make breakfast in the mornings buy a blender that is very easy to use and clean such as the Nutri Bullet.

The great thing about this type of blender is its design. The blender’s container is removable and doubles up as the cup you drink your smoothies from. The blender’s blade is also removable which makes it super easy to clean as there are no ‘hard to reach’ bits.

Why blending rather than juicing can be quicker and healthier:

* You are able to blend whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and so retain all the fibre

* When you juice you have to clean up the pulp (extracted fibre) which is fiddly and messy
When you juice you have to ‘feed’ through the produce which takes longer than blending it
* The Nutri Bullet can be blended with water, not fruit juice, making the smoothies much lower in fructose than smoothies made with fruit juice or juice by itself

*You can add nutrients rich foods such as spirulina, maca and barley grass when you blend and nuts and seeds which will give you essential fats

So you now you have some great ideas to get you started, if your still not convinced then why not try eating Breakfast for one week and see how you feel.

Mouth Hygiene

We all want our teeth to look good and have nice smelling breath but can bad mouth hygiene affect our health?

Digestion starts in the mouth, ideally our teeth should break down our food into a liquid before we swallow it. If you have cracked teeth, missing teeth, sore gums or pain from cavities it is going to be harder for you to chew your food to a liquid, which may lead to digestive problems.

The way our teeth meet, what dentists refer to as our dental occlusion, can have a big effect on our health. If your teeth don’t fit together properly, you may experience problems with:

Grinding
Pain in your jaws, neck, shoulders and even your back
Ringing in your ears
Headaches or migraines – especially in the morning
Pain behind eyes
Sinus pains

Many people have imperfect occlusion but you will be more likely to suffer with this if you have missing teeth.There also appears to be a relationship between bad periodontitis (inflammation and bleeding of the tissues around the teeth) and other inflammatory conditions such as coronary heart disease, insulin resistance and arthritis. Looking after our mouth hygiene prevents periodontitis and inflammation around the body that may be associated with it.

How what we eat can affect our teeth

To keep our teeth healthy we know we need to cut back on sugar but why?
Put simply:

Saliva and bacteria in our mouth forms plaque – this plaque and sugar forms acid – this acid causes tooth decay.

Our teeth can also be exposed to acid through foods; some common acidic foods are:

Wine
Fruit juice
Fruit
Soft/pop drinks and
Vinegar
Fresh lemon squeezed in water

Do not immediately brush your teeth after they have been exposed to acidic foods, hard brushing when the environment in the mouth is acidic may weaken them further; it is better to wait and brush them later, when the mouth has returned to a more alkaline state.

What you can do immediately after eating acidic foods, is to try to neutralise the mouth with something alkaline. You could eat something alkaline such as nuts or drink green tea. Another good tip is to rinse your mouth out with bicarbonate of soda mixed into water; this is a particularly effective thing to do for people who like to start the day with lemon squeezed into hot water, which is acidic.

The following vitamins and mineral will help to maintain the health of your teeth:

Calcium, magnesium (dark green leafy vegetables)
Vitamin D (oily fish)
Phosphorous (pumpkin seeds) – It is very rare to be deficient in this and there would be no need to supplement
Vitamin C (vegetables)

Getting rid of bad breath

The main causes of bad breath are tooth decay and gum disease. You can prevent these by removing any build-up of plaque with brushing, flossing and visiting the dental hygienist regularly.

Bad breath can also be caused by sinusitis (inflammation of the lining of the nose), gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach) and stomach food reflux (heart burn). If you think you may suffer from one of these then speak to your doctor.

You could try chewing gum which has been sweetened with 100% xylitol, to make your breath feel fresher and reduce dental plaque.

Do I need fluoride in my toothpaste?

Fluoride is added to our water and most toothpaste. It is also found in foods such as stewed black tea, coffee, raisins and white wine. Most of us have been brushing fluoride onto our teeth at least twice a day since we grew teeth – is it time we stopped?

Dentist, Mark Breiner in his book about understanding the impact of dentistry on total health says:

‘Fluoride is a poison, and there is enough of it on one standard tube of toothpaste to kill a 20-pound child. It is a waste product of the aluminium and fertilizer industries. When it is introduced into a living body, fluoride acts as an enzyme inhibitor that interferes with cellular functioning’. Breiner, M A (2011) WHOLE BODY DENTISTRY. United States of America: Quantum Health Press.

As fluoride is a poison, applying it topically to the teeth will prevent bacteria growth and cavities but are there safer ways to kill bacteria in the mouth?

Several companies now make fluoride free toothpaste containing ingredients like, bicarbonate of soda, salt or tea tree. Swapping over to these is a great way to maintain oral hygiene whilst avoiding fluoride.