A Practical Approach To Healthy Eating

A Practical Approach To Healthy Eating

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Our physical bodies have laws that are governed by proper nutrition. Nevertheless people have a hard time sticking to a healthy diet. By applying the principles of how a habit is formed we can develop healthy eating habits that lasts a lifetime.

I have been doing push-ups five days a week for over 25 years. My arms are pretty strong but it did not happen overnight. I did not do push-ups for a couple weeks or months and then stopped. I had to make push-ups a habit if I wanted to continuously get the results I have.
Exactly the same holds true with healthy eating. You will never be healthy, eating healthy foods occasionally. You have to make healthy eating a habit if you want to obtain nutritional health. People jump on the “band wagon” of healthy eating when they read books or view websites that talk about nutrition. While many of these books and websites tell you what you should eat in-order to be healthy, they fail to teach you how to make healthy eating a habit. Thus in a short period of time when temptations come, people fall right back into their old unhealthy eating habits.

What is a Habit? According to Webster's dictionary a habit is “a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance.”

Can you see that if we simply apply this principle to healthy eating we will be on our way to vibrant health?

Bad Eating Habits:

Bad eating habits do not develop overnight. For most people these habits began forming when they were kids. Thus one reason why many adults have a hard time breaking their bad eating habits is because these habits have been a part of their lifestyle for many years.

Why Do We Eat Food?

There are two main reasons why we eat food. One is to supply fuel for our body. The other reason is for pleasure. Unfortunately some of the foods that gives us pleasure are unhealthy.

Most people make their food selections based on what they see, smell or taste. Look at these three sentences: That pie sure looks good! That pie sure smells good! That pie sure taste good!

Notice that all three statements involve food and pleasure. However the food that is producing the pleasure (in this situation the pie) may or may not be good for you from a nutritional standpoint. That is why we need to be wise in our food selections and not simply leave it up to our sense of sight, taste or smell.

Eating Healthy Can Be Enjoyable:

Some people think of eating healthy as being boring and tasteless. I think that one reason they feel this way is because most of the commercial ads we see promote foods high in calories, fat, or sugar and only a small percentage of food advertising is done for fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Thus if there was more nutritional education, more and more people would find eating healthy to be pleasurable and tasty.

How Healthy Eating Habits Changed My Life:

In 1998 my wife finally talked me into going to the doctor to get a check-up. I was not feeling sick but she clearly said that it was a good idea to get a yearly physical examination. Thank God I listened to her.

I have been athletic all my life. I run 18 miles a week. So when I went to the doctor I was not expecting to hear the bad news he gave me. He told me I had borderline diabetes.

Diabetes can be very dangerous if not treated. It is one of the leading cause of death in the United States. It is a disease of the pancreas that causes the body to stop producing the insulin it needs to regulate blood sugar.

My doctor told me that I did not need to be put on medication, however he suggested I start reading some books on healthy eating. That was the beginning of my path to healthy eating habits that turned my health situation around. Today I can honestly say that I am in excellent health. I feel great, I sleep great, people tell me that I do not look my age, I maintain a healthy weight, I do not take any type of medication, my blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is normal, my cholesterol is normal, my immune system is strong, and the list goes on.

It is great to be in good health and I thank God for it. However I do not believe that I am healthy because of chance. I strongly believe that one main reason that I am healthy is because I take personal responsibility for my health. Making healthy eating a habit is a great part of this responsibility. Our physical bodies have laws that are governed by proper nutrition. If we violate these laws by consistently eating unhealthy foods, we are going to get sick.

Connections and Similarities between Ayurveda and the Raw Food Diet.

Connections and Similarities between Ayurveda and the Raw Food Diet



By: http://skybluecross.com

The word, Ayurveda, is from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, and literally means "Knowledge of Life".
The Ayurvedic approach to life involves listening to and addressing the unique needs of your body, recognizing and balancing your mental and emotional states and deepening your connection with your spirit, your essential self.

The raw food diet is based around the principle that eating a diet high in raw food will normalise and alkalise your body. This, in turn, connects the mind with the body; thus, Ayurveda and the Raw Food diet are very similar.

This article will hopefully provide a brief guidance on how you could connect the two in a way that is optimal to your health.

In Ayurveda, the idea is that you eat according to your ‘dosha’; vata, pitta and kapha.
Vata is composed of the elements of air and ether
Pitta is composed of the elements of fire and water
Kapha is composed of the elements of water and earth

Vata types are generally thin and find it hard to gain weight. Vatas need to get sufficient rest and not overdo things, as they can tire easily.

Pitta types are generally medium sized and well proportioned. They also tend to be intelligent, with a sharp wit.

Kapha types tend to have sturdy, heavy frames. They are prone to gain weight easily. They often tend to have a positive outlook on life.

So, what does this mean, and how does it apply to you?
In Ayurveda, it is believed that each person is governed by one dominant dosha and you should eat according to that dosha. However, this article is concerned with Ayurveda and Raw Food, so I will only mention the foods that coincide with both these diets.

Vata
Balances: Sweet fruits, apricots, avocado, bananas, berries, grapes, melons, asparagus, beets, cucumber, garlic, radishes, zucchini.
Aggravates: Dried fruits, apples, cranberries, pears, watermelons, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, raw onions.

Pitta
Balances: Sweet fruits, avocado, coconut, figs, mango, prunes, sweet and bitter vegetables, cabbage, cucumber, okra, potatoes.
Aggravates: Sour fruits, berries, bananas, plums, oranges, lemon, pungent vegetables, garlic, onions.

Kapha
Balances: Apples, apricots, berries, cherries, cranberries, mangos, peaches, pungent and bitter vegetables, broccoli, celery, garlic, onion.
Aggravates: Sweet and sour fruits, bananas, coconut, melons, papaya, sweet and juicy vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes.

There are many suggestions in Ayurveda, which are very easily translated to a Raw Food Diet.
Such suggestions are:

Eat mainly seasonal fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains
Eat according to your constitution, or dosha
Fast for one day every two weeks
Establish a regular eating routine
Eliminate or limit caffeinated, carbonated and alcoholic beverages from your life
Drink herbal tea, fruit and vegetable juices

Diets that Can help to Reduce Rheumatic Pain and Inflammatory Conditions

Diets that Can  help to Reduce Rheumatic Pain and Inflammatory Conditions

By: http://skybluecross.com/
How you can get better from rheumatism with some simple diet measures.
Inflammation is a major component in most Rheumatic pain conditions or rheumatic diseases, therefore it is adviceable to eat a good amount of food that reduces inflammation and reduce the consumption of food that contains inflammatory agents. Here are some simple dietary advices that may help reduce rheumatic conditions:

THINGS YOU SHOULD EAT TO REDUCE RHEUMATISM

Fish, espesially fat fish, fish oil, olive oil, walnut oil and raps oil should be a part of your diet. The fat in these types of food, omega-3-poly-unsaturated fat or omega-9-poly-unsaturated fat, reduces inflammation. However, if you add these type of oils to your diet, you should reduce the intake of other types of fat, so that you do not get too much fat.
You should also eat much vegetables, since also these make a body chemistry that reduce inflammation.

THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT EAT TOO MUCH OF

Do not consume much soya oil and corn oil, since these types of fat increase inflammation. Most food you buy that is ready to eat from the factory or restaurant contain these types of fat. You should therefore reduce the consumption of food you do not cook yourself.

Bread, cereals and products made of corn or cereals also increase the inflammation responce, especially if they contain wheat. Wheat causes a special type of inflammation in the intestines called celiac disease in some individuals, but may also trigger inflammation of non-celiac type. However, full-corn cereals and full-corn bread are valuable types of food, so you should not stop eating them. But if you eat bread or corn products at every meal, you should reduce your intake of these and eat more potatos, beans and peas.

THINGS YOU SHOULD IDEALLY NOT EAT AT ALL

You should absolutely not consume fat that has been chemically altered to give it another consistence. This type of fat has a very negative effect on the health and may be very potent inflamatory agents. Margarine, snacks, fast food and ready made cakes or cookies often contain this kind of fat. Unfortunately this type of fat is also often added to bread. A good idea could be to bake your bread yourself.

Artichokes- A Strange But Healthy Food

 Artichokes- A Strange But Healthy Food

By: http://skybluecross.com/
Artichokes have been around for a long time, but did you know how nutritionally beneficial they are?
Artichokes have been around for a long time. Originally found around the Mediterranean Sea, they were used by the ancient Romans to treat poor digestion.
Somewhere along the line, the Romans realized artichokes also made great appetizers, and they have been a traditional Italian food ever since.

The Latin name for this greenish-purple vegetable is Cynara scolymus. Sometimes called French or Globe artichoke, it's the flower of the plant that is sold in grocery stores. But don't confuse it with the Jerusalem artichoke, which is really a tuber that grows in North America.

One medium artichoke supplies 20 percent of the vitamin C you need for the day. With only 60 calories, it's also a good source of potassium and magnesium, both important for a healthy heart. And like most fruits and vegetables, it's packed with disease-fighting antioxidants that nutritionists rave about.

3 ways artichokes keep you healthy

Steps up digestion.

As it turns out, the ancient Romans were onto something when it comes to artichokes and digestion. An ingredient in artichoke leaves helps your liver form bile - something necessary for good digestion. If your liver doesn't produce enough bile, your food doesn't get broken down properly, and you end up with stomach pains and indigestion.

If you feel sick to your stomach, overly full, and have abdominal pain after eating a normal-sized meal, you may suffer from dyspepsia - a fancy name for poor digestion.

Several scientific studies showed dramatic improvements in people with dyspepsia after being treated with artichoke extracts. You can also get help for your indigestion the way the ancient Romans did - by eating a delicious artichoke with your dinner.

Chokes out heart disease.

Bile from your liver does more than help you digest food. It also helps break down cholesterol from the fat you eat. But a liver that doesn't produce enough bile lets too much cholesterol get by - kind of like the I Love Lucy episode where the chocolate assembly line starts moving too fast for her to keep up. People with liver problems can have high cholesterol even if they eat a low-fat diet.

That's where artichokes come in. Because they can help you make more bile, you might be able to lower your cholesterol by eating them. A study in Germany showed that taking artichoke extract for six weeks caused LDL cholesterol, the bad kind, to fall by more than 22 percent. As a bonus, artichokes might also be able to block some new cholesterol from forming in your liver.

Lowers blood sugar.

Your liver is busier than you might think. In addition to breaking down fatty foods, it also stores extra glucose (sugar) in the form of glycogen and turns it back into glucose whenever it gets a phone call from your blood saying that supplies are too low. This is a great system in a perfectly working body. But some people have faulty phone lines, and their livers work day and night cranking out glucose their blood doesn't need. This overproduction of glucose can lead to diabetes and other health problems.

In animal studies, researchers found that substances in artichokes kept livers from making too much glucose. More studies need to be done, but scientists think artichokes might someday be useful to people with noninsulin-dependent diabetes. In the future, people might use plants, like artichokes, to keep their blood sugar production in check.

Pantry pointers

Choose artichokes with even, green color. Don't buy any that look wilted, dried out, or moldy. Heavy, small heads are best.

Small artichokes are good for appetizers, and larger ones can be used for stuffing with a variety of fillings and served as an entree.

Be sure to trim about an inch off the top with a sharp knife. And then trim about one-quarter inch from the tips of the leaves since this part is inedible and rough on your hands.

Artichokes can be steamed in a steamer basket or boiled in water. They should be tender and ready to eat in about 30 minutes. If you're in a hurry, you can microwave them more quickly. First, rinse them with water to add some moisture. Then wrap each one in microwaveable plastic wrap. For four artichokes, microwave on high for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meaty part at the base of the artichoke is tender.

You can serve these veggies hot or cold. Some people serve a dipping sauce with artichokes. It would be a shame to ruin a lowfat food with a rich sauce, so try a low-calorie, yogurt-based dip.

If you've never eaten an artichoke, you might be a little confused about what part is edible. The outer leaves are hard and a little bitter, but at the bottom of the leaf, where they pull away from the stem, there is a soft, velvety hunk of "meat" that you can eat by gently pulling the leaf through your teeth. After you've nibbled all the leaves this way, you're left with the best part of the artichoke - the heart. This is a soft, nutty-flavored center that can be eaten whole. Just scrape off the soft fuzz with a spoon before you dig in.

Promote Life's Healing Properties with Coral Calcium

Promote  Life's Healing Properties with Coral Calcium

By:  http://www.skybluecross.com
Coral calcium is the most highly dissolvable and easily assimilated forms of calcium (long know to be extremely important in bone health) naturally occurring in the realm of the planet. Long used by alternative and holistic healthcare professionals and practitioners such as chiropractors, naturopaths and acupuncturists, coral calcium is now regarded as an essential supplement to healthful and natural living.

In this day and age of fast-paced living, it is increasingly important to care for the only body we will ever have. We are a highly complicated system of checks and balances and the only way that we can perform at our highest level of efficiency is to make sure that all of our biomechanics are maintained and optimized. Coral calcium helps regulate the alkalinity of our bodies assuring that cell health is maintained by controlling the acidity that we introduce into ourselves by being exposed to environmental and consumed pollutants. By maintaining an alkaline environment in our bodies, we are ensuring continued health and longevity of our tissues, both muscular and skeletal.

Long used in Japanese culture to promote health and longevity, coral calcium is made from surface coral which means that no living coral is endangered in the making of this healthy supplement. We are all becoming increasingly concerned with not only the health of our own bodies, but with the general health of the planet, especially marine life. Not only does coral calcium help promote our own health, it in no way harms marine life as it is harvested from nonliving, above ground coral.

From the time we start walking, we assault our bodies with our physical activities, poor diets, atmospheric pollutants, daily stresses and general abuse. Coral calcium helps to reverse these damages by promoting removal of waste and harmful toxins from the body. By providing highly absorbable sources of calcium and other important minerals, coral calcium helps the body restore itself to optimal levels of health and happiness.

Bone strength and density is huge concern for most women and an ever increasing number of men. The foods we eat, the beverages that we eat and the lifestyles that we lead often sap our bodies of the minerals that we need to support our ever increasing frames. Osteoporosis is an alarming epidemic and is something that we all need to be aware of. Coral Calcium is composed of the a very similar structure and combination of minerals that our own bone structure is made up of. Thus it promotes healing and strength of the very frame of our bodies the we have spent our lives breaking down.

The best part of coral calcium is that it is 100% natural and doesn’t contain any of the scary synthetic additives that many supplements contain that got us into our weakened position in the first place. By following the advice of many holistic healers and supporting your diet with coral calcium, you are helping your body heal itself with the very minerals that it is made up of. An excellent source of calcium and magnesium, coral calcium is proving to be an additional supplement to a healthy diet.

Harmful Consequences of Addictive Foods

 Harmful Consequences of Addictive Foods
 
By: http://www.skybluecross.com/

This article  is to discuss common addictive foods with their harmful consequences on our health.
Most of us are fond of at least one product that has the effect of a stimulant and that eventually becomes an addiction. These products include exercise stimulant drinks (they come in cans and look like cola), fizzy aerated drinks, tobacco, betel nut, betel leaf, strong coffee, strong tea, mahuang (an ephedrine-like compound consumed in china), and alcohol.

Before I tell you why we shouldn’t consume these products, I’d like to deal with the question of why we do consume them in the first place.

There’s no one who doesn’t know that products like these, consumed in excess, can severely harm our bodies. Yet, we still find them hard to resist. The need to eat stimulant food is a simple human weakness that has existed for ages: humans (and many animals) have always indulged in foods that give a sort of emotional high. In clinical terms, this means rapid heart beat, a little sweating, dilation or constriction of the pupils of the eye, a warm flush on the face, and a sense of greater sensitivity, concentration and perception.

These sensations of ‘high’ die down within a few hours, and we are left feeling listless and low. This leads to a craving for that food again, to experience the high one more time. And there we are going round and round in a vicious circle.

The physiology of addictions is as follows:

When you eat an addictive food, it stimulates the hormone like substances found at the end of your nerves, which triggers an avalanche of similar stimulatory substances and you experiences a high. As the substances near the nerves are depleted, you get into the low phase, which leads you to crave that food again. This yo-yo phase of nerve stimulation and depletion leads to a pattern of addiction.

Consuming addictive foods is one of the oldest unhealthy food practices and, despite a revolution in health consciousness; it shows no signs of dying out.

Below are some side effects of certain addictive foods.

Alcohol Addiction: Erosion of stomach and intestinal lining, liver damage, nutritional deficiency.

Tobacco: Erosion of gum and tongue can lead to cancer of the buccal mucosa.

Betel nut: Leads to the discoloration of teeth, erosion of the lining of the mouth, and cancer of the mouth and upper tract. It also leads to heart problems among people who already have a weak heart.

Ma huang: It contains ephedrine and leads to heart problems.

Aerated drinks: High doses of caffeine.

Caffeine and xanthine: Found in tea, coffee. These become harmful only in very high doses; don’t consume more than five cups a day.

Mixed drug reactions: People who consume medications for the heart, hypertension and asthma have to be very careful about the interactions of the drugs with stimulant foods, as mixing the two can be fatal. After years of experience, all doctors know how difficult it is to break the food addictions of their patients. So like them, I can only advise a good compromise. If you can’t break the addiction, then at least you should practice moderation.

Be Healthier With Veggies

Be Healthier With Veggies

By: http://skybluecross.com

The new food guidelines issued by the United States government recommend that all Americans eat between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day. When you first hear that number, it may seem like a lot, but it is actually much easier than you think to fit that many servings of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. For one thing, the shelves of the grocery stores are fairly bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some of the least expensive, most nutrient rich, foods in the supermarket. With all these fruits and vegetables to choose from, it is very easy to make these nutritious, delicious foods part of your daily meals and snacks.

When you take into account how much a serving really is, it is actually quite easy to get five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. For instance, the recommended daily amount actually equates to a quite reasonable two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables every day. When you consider how many fruits and vegetables are available, and how low the prices usually are, it is easy to see how easy to reach this daily goal really is.

One great way to get the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables every day is to take full advantage of the variety of these foods available. Eating the same thing every day quickly becomes boring, so why not pick a variety of fruits and vegetables, in every color of the rainbow and in every conceivable shape, size and texture, to give yourself a varied diet every day.

When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it is important to choose a variety of different colors. This is for more than purely artistic reasons. Different color fruits and vegetables have different types of nutrients, and choosing a variety of colors will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need each and every day.

Finding new recipes is another great way to ensure you get those five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Everyone likes to try out new recipes, and these new recipes may just provide the impetus you need to eat all those fruits and veggies.

New recipes can also provide you the important opportunity to try out some fruits and vegetables you have never tried before. For instance, everyone has eaten oranges, but have you tried kiwi fruit or mangoes? How about spinach or kale? Trying new things is a great way to find new favorites while getting the best nutrition available.

Many people mistakenly think that they do not need to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day if they just take a vitamin supplement. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. That is because fruits and vegetables contain far more than the micronutrients identified by science and synthesized in vitamin pills. While these micronutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E are important to good health, so too are the hundreds of other elements that are contained in healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. These elements are not available in any pill, they must be ingested through a healthy, balanced diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables.

In addition, fruits and vegetables are much less costly than vitamin pills. Fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive, especially when purchased in season and grown locally. In the long run, getting the nutrition you need from the food you eat is much less expensive, and much better for you, than popping those vitamin pills every day.

So don’t forget to get your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It may seem like a lot, but you can meet this quite reasonable goal simply by including fruits and vegetables as snacks, as garnishes, as side dishes and as meals.