Murdering Metabolism: A crime against your body

 For example, you are not consistent with dieting like you have been in and out of losing weight program, over the years; you gain and lose weight interchangeably. Has it something to do with ruining your diet? Does it mean a problem or just a common misconception?

It is nothing else but impossible. Diet could not be ruined. There may be noticeable shifts in the body composition that is regarded as one of the things people refer to when they talk about their metabolism being "ruined" by dieting but this is only a natural component the so-called “burning of calories.”

If one hopes to bring his or her metabolic rate up and soaring, one of the best things you can do is regain some of that lost muscle by adding weight training to your routine. With this, metabolism would be faster and attaining the lighter weight you have now is easier.

In the dieting world, this phenomenon of gain now, lose weight later is called “yo-yo” effect. There are specific positive actions you can make in order to work with any metabolic concern you may have as a result of your dieting history. Every person differs, so have the freedom and sensibility to gauge your needs and put into consideration all the factors especially how your metabolism is like.

Most people experiencing the trouble of the yo-yo effect have been trying to lose weight using a low-fat diet. However, this is not the correct approach. Low-fat diets are generally high in carbohydrate diets, and they just have this imaginary guarantee that your body will consistently give high levels of insulin. The fact is: the body does not burn fat when there are high levels of insulin.

The thought of metabolism being destroyed is of falsity. Metabolism is by fact, a phenomenon that starts in the womb and ends in the tomb. We just need to take good care of our health and see to it that our metabolic rate or metabolism as a whole is not unknown to us.

Through it, we could take strides to a life of good health and satisfaction. And we must be cautious in dieting or else…

Herbal Medicine And Natural Healing

What we do not understand we tend to reject. Herbal medicines, acupressure, acupuncture, natural medication, and healing are some of those. And we dance along because if things cannot be explained by scientific methods, it cannot be true.

Definition of health varies from person to person. To some it means that nothing is really serious, for some it means not getting any worse, for other it is the visit to the doctor every year to get a nod of "all clear". Seldom did it mean zero health problems. And so we get by with taking aspirins and painkillers and live with aches and pains that we associate with certain infective bug, overwork, or ageing.

The problem with chemically formulated drugs and medicines is that, one; it remedies a part of the body but destroys another, often the liver. Two, it has questionable benefits that simple observation will tell you that if the medication prescribed by the physician is not getting the desired result, an alternative prescription will be given (a physician that has a reputation for having a higher batting average will be called as "good" and so will the physicians fees be). Third, when a part of the body fails to normally function caused by the drug, it will be termed as side effects. Fourth, when the body acclimatizes to the drug prescribed, we are in effect sentencing our body to a lifetime of medication. Fifth, behind all the advances claimed, it does not really increase the average lifespan. Like the rest of the world, we still are satisfied if we hit the magic mark of seventy years. Sixth, it is so expensive to be a hit and miss thing which often it really is. Scientific claims will be otherwise but everybody can claim. Result though will tell you differently.

For most of us, it has not been recognized that there is an alternative to a life sentence of medication. That there are medications not only to cure whatever ails but to build the reserves and boost the system so that ailments are reversed naturally. When the system is made healthier and reserves are built, we could in part avoid the doctor whose typical remedy is give us drugs, when drugs will not work, chop parts of our body, and prescribe drugs more.

In the ancient world, our forebears have already recognized that there are only two kinds of plants, that which is good for food and that which is better for healing. Even animals know this. Our house pets like dogs, cats, and chickens will forage for a particular grass of herb when they are not feeling well. Sooner this is vomited and the animal heals. In eastern cultures, these natural methods have been the basis for healing. Their life average expectancy is not longer than seventy years but ours is not longer either. The difference lies in the money, the trouble spent and for the most part, the absence of chronic pains and suffering.

Herbal medicines, natural medication and healing do just that. Relieve the suffering and health anxiety naturally so we have time to enjoy more of life without the drugs that gives temporary eight-hour solutions until the pain strikes again.

The Benefits of Yogurt

Yogurt is a popular snack treat for people who are trying to monitor their weight. Did you know that apart from making you lose weight, yogurt has other benefits to your body?

One way to improve your health naturally is by eating an adequate amount of yogurt everyday. Yogurt has live microorganisms called probiotics. These good bacteria help your body works properly.

Here are some benefits you can get from eating yogurt:

• Improves gastro-intestinal functions
Since yogurt is rich with probiotics, it helps improve food digestion and absorption. Good digestion and absorption will prevent you from experiencing hyperactive bowel movements and constipation. Yogurt also helps lactose intolerant individuals. It also lowers your risk of getting inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease.
• Boosts your immune system
Probiotics from yogurt makes your body stronger in resisting harmful bacteria, thus lessening your risk of getting infections. These good bacteria also enhance your body's natural healing process so you can easily recover from illnesses.
• Regulates your blood pressure
A study have shown that having 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy daily will greatly reduce your risks of getting high blood pressure. Some dairy products are high with dairy fat that is not healthy for your heart. Yogurt is a low-fat dairy product that does not have a bad effect on your heart.
• Maintains your weight
Because yogurt is low-fat, it frees you from worries of gaining weight. When dieting, it's important that you still get enough nutrients so you don't end up being malnourished. Yogurt contains an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals that you need. With enough yogurt intake, you get enough nutrients without the worries of moving the scales up.
• Prevents osteoporosis
Yogurt, just like some dairy products have added calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are very important in making your bones stronger. Strong bones will prevent you from developing osteoporosis.

Here are some tips you can follow when deciding on adding yogurt in your diet.

1. Choose the type of yogurt that you want to take. There are various types of yogurt. Some yogurts contain regular fat, some are fat-free and some are low-fat. You may also want to check the sugar contained in the yogurt. There are yogurts that have more sugar than others. Look at the label at the back of the package. Read and compare nutritional contents of different brands. Doing this will help you choose the best brand in the market.
2. Make it a habit
You can eat yogurt anytime and anywhere. Make it a point to take some yogurt everyday. Bring some in the office so you can easily have yogurt on your lunch break. You can also put a small yogurt cup in your bag so you can take a healthy snack anywhere.
3. Substitute other ingredients with yogurt
Yogurt can easily be added to your recipes. Use yogurt instead of ice cream when making a smoothie. You can also try adding yogurt when baking cakes and other pastries. You can easily substitute milk to yogurt.
4. Make eating yogurt fun delightful
There are numerous recipes that you can follow so that you don't only get to eat the flavored yogurt available on the market. Adding fruits on your yogurt is a good idea and will make your snack even healthier.

How music helps you get better sleep

Music has been proven to improve a person's life. For some, it is an outlet for their creative side. For others, it serves as a medium to express themselves. To some people, it serves as a source of their inspiration and hope while for others, music serve as their ultimate relaxing treat. But for people who battle out things just for them to get better sleep, music definitely is their best option.

People who are having problems to get better sleep are finding ways to get that most-coveted "treat". Some try exercises while others resort to other alternative means such music. Why? because music itself can lull them into deep slumber when chosen properly.

The power of music

To be able to avoid the distraction brought by this simple sound, people who are having a hard time sleeping have found a way to fight it off using music. Of all the so many kinds of music out there, people—especially those who are just beginning—are having a hard time choosing which one would suit the practice.

If you are one of those who would want to use music as a tool to get better sleep, here are some guidelines in choosing the music that may help you achieve that purpose:

- make sure that it doesn't have lyrics. In choosing music that will help you get better sleep, it is always best to choose one that has no lyrics because it can only distract your concentration. If you find plain rhythm boring, try to play something that has lyrics that your don’t understand so you don’t have to think what the song is saying. Aside from distracting your thoughts through the words you understand, music with lyrics will also encourage you to sing along which will totally shatter your concentration.

- relaxing music with soft rhythm is always advisable. For starters, this type of music will do you good because it will help you clear your mind and focus on something. But, if want something better, you can choose music that have faster rhythm and beats or anything that your truly enjoy because this can no longer distract you.

- do some experiments. Although soft and relaxing music is always advisable, try to play other types of music. Who knows? You might find better concentration of you play something that you truly enjoy.

- try simple and soothing music is sure to focus your attention. If you don’t have the luxury of time to experiment on types of music to be played during meditation, then try surefire hits, which are simple and soothing music. Some of these may include classical sounds, sounds from the nature such as clapping of thunder, sounds of big waves, sounds of insects, and the wind. Other alternative options may also include simple instruments including tibetan singing bowl, flute, sitar, and tamboura which are known to have meditative inducing qualities.

When choosing music that may help you get better sleep, it is very important to keep in mind that the type you should play must induce you to deep concentration and into deep sleep. You can download the music that you like from various sites in the Internet and burn in a CD. But if you burn have a portable MP3 player, it is best to upload the music there so you can listen to it anytime you to sleep.

Get better sleep the natural way

Some people are really born to have a hard time to get better sleep. While there are those who were able to develop this problem because of unhealthy practice. Either way, the problem still lies that one is having a hard time lulling into that good slumber.

The best way to go about it is that first, one needs to address the problem of sleeping. These include knowing the reasons why that person is having a hard time sleeping. The focus areas should include the personal issues, status at work, health conditions, and sleeping environment.

1. Personal issues. The may include stress factors that affect the overall emotional state of a person. If one if stressed by personal issues, it will be harder for him or her to get better sleep because that person is thinking too much. If it's possible to address these problems and problems immediately, it would really help a person to get better sleep. If not, one should seek help from professionals so he or she can cope with the issues and will have better chance of getting sleep at night.

2. Status at work. Studies show that more and more people are having a hard time sleeping because of their status in work. With the overall global crisis that the world experiences now, it is only common for people to worry about their security. If you think that this is one factor that won't let you get better sleep at night, then now is the right time to face it and be prepared for the worse. If you are prepared that no matter what happens, you will still have your job or you are confident that you can easily find one, then you will have peace of mind and will lead you to sleep better at night.

3. Health conditions. Some people are able to develop sleeping disorders without them knowing. These sleeping disorders are usually caused and triggered by so many factors. If you are having hard time sleeping and you think that the reasons are something that you can no longer control, then it is best to seek professional help.

4. Sleeping environment. This is also among the things that affect the overall sleeping state of a person. If you have bad sleeping environment, then the tendency of your body is to resist sleeping.

The natural way

In the market today, there are so many products and even medication that promise to help one get better sleep. But, these artificial substitutes may have a side effect. To avoid further complications, it is best to try sleeping techniques the natural way. Some may include routines that will only help you get better sleep but help improve your overall health as well.

The first thing that you could do is to develop and practice good sleep hygiene. These include eating the right foods that can help you sleep better and avoid those that affect sleeping patterns. It also includes having regular exercise and avoiding napping in the afternoon so you will sleep well at night. You may also want to develop a routine that will help you sleep better such as doing relaxing activities before your bedtime such as taking a warm bath, reading, or writing in your personal journal.

To get better sleep, you can also try soundproofing your room to avoid unnecessary noises, adjusting the lights so you will be more comfortable, getting into a comfortable sleeping position and practicing deep breathing to relax your senses.

Probiotics and Natural Health

In the world of medical advancements and improvements, natural health has taken the interests of many health-conscious consumers and practitioners. Probiotics, in particular, have weaved its way in the area of natural health. Many studies have been done to know the effects of probiotics in your body.

Not all bacteria are bad for your health. In fact, a number of good bacteria are present in your body. Probiotics are the good microorganisms similar to those that are present in your digestive system.  When taken in adequate amounts, these will greatly improve your health. You can get probiotics by taking dietary supplements or by consuming foods that have probiotics in them.

There are many benefits and purposes of probiotics. Some of them are as follows:
• To treat some diseases
• To boost your immune system
• To improve general wellness
• To prevent certain illnesses.

Here are some common health conditions that probiotics are known to help prevent and treat:

• Diarrhea – The presence of probiotics in your body will greatly improve your digestion. It is said that probiotics are very effective in treating diarrhea that is caused by Rotavirus. Probiotics regulate absorption and improve the time that the food travels through your intestinal tract.
• Vaginal Yeast Infections – A study have shown that there have been great improvements on the cases of patients with Candida (Yeast) infections and who took probiotics than those who didn't. The good bacteria decrease the pH levels of these participants.
• Inflammatory bowel disease – Probiotics alter your intestinal environment to prevent the condition from worsening. These good bacteria help prevent a relapse of Crohn's disease and help patients on remission from Ulcerative colitis
• Constipation – In older individuals, probiotics can help prevent the occurrence of constipation by improving their digestion.
• Cancer – By boosting your immune system, probiotics can help prevent certain types of cancer.
• Other diseases such as atopic dermatitis on children, and infections caused by H. pylori and Clostridium Difficile.

With the many benefits of probiotics, it is not surprising that people are easily convinced to take them. Keep in mind though, that probiotics also have some mild side effects, like bloating. You have to only take them in the right amount. People who have low immune system should consult their doctors first before taking in probiotics. Some good microorganisms, while beneficial to healthy individuals, may not be beneficial to those who already have a low immune system.

Taking probiotics to improve your general health is greatly beneficial. They help you absorb and use the nutrients that are already present in your body like calcium, vitamin B, iron, copper and zinc. Your immune system will also improve when you have an adequate amount of probiotics as they regulate antibodies and lymphocytes, which are known to fight harmful bacteria and protect you from serious illnesses.

Good bacteria are vital to your body. Probiotics will give you all the help you need to improve your natural health, but remember, anything that concerns your health must always be consulted to your doctor. There are no taking chances to a healthy you.

Balance, Variety, And Common Sense

Every day one or two health foods are flooded into the market claiming superior health benefits. Almost every month, bookstores will stock up on books that sell health and dieting programs. On the TV, exercise programs and exercise machines are advertised to keep healthy and fit. The fact is all of these works, the question is, is it really needed?

The Exotic Sounding Foods
You would have heard of the Acai berry, fig leaves, bitter melon, green tea, and so many other exotic sounding foods. Do they work? They do, but so does other foods. There is nothing wasted on Gods earth. The proof of that is when the excitement for these foods wanes, another food will crop up, the benefits overstated, and orders will start coming in increasing the demand, spiking prices for the products until a new one appears. Is it worth it? Well, that depends on how deep the wallet is. The truth is that every food that is natural has its own benefit that when examined closely will always reveal special properties that are waiting for an advertiser's attention. The properties then could be highlighted depending on current health and commercial climate. The carrot consumed like crazy some years back due to it beta-carotene property is now relegated to the background in place of "new food discoveries". In today's stiff commercial competition, the point to remember is that when it sounds too good to be true, then probably it is not.

The Fad Foods
Everybody loves to have a good figure and wants six-pack abs, everybody, and why not. When the figure is good, employment is easier to find, earning potential increases, the body feels light, looks so much healthier, younger, and energized.

What is wrong with fad foods is that it is not telling us the whole truth. If Halle Berry for example gave birth last week and appear today on TV with the same figure, everybody will be curious. The TV host knows that and so the question that would be asked is the diet that keeps her figure "bathing suit" perfect. Whatever answer Halle Berry gives will get the audience's attention and telephone will start ringing for orders. What will not be mentioned is that stars maintain a host of dieticians, physicians and exercise guru's working for the sole purpose of keeping the image of the star and maintaining it. The diet may be true but it is only a part of the whole regimen of things observed to make the star look good on camera. Rests also are monitored, exercises are supervised let alone food intake, to keep the star healthy.

Eat, exercise, rest, and work.
The natural things that we do provided it is kept on a good balance are always the best. It has kept people alive for thousands of years; it will keep the person healthy for many more. Eat a variety of food. All food is good provided the person eats variety and strives for a balanced diet. Exotic sounding and foreign delicacies and specialties are not required nor needed. Food grown in every region is sufficient and balanced for the needs of people living in that region. The key in maintaining natural health is balance, variety, and common sense.

How foods affect you to get better sleep

People who are busy with their work are usually the ones who are having problems in sleeping. This is because the exhaustion and their hectic schedule keeps them from getting better sleep on daily basis. If you are one of those who are having trouble sleeping due to too much work, it is now time to reflect what might be causing these and address it properly.

One of the things that hinder people from getting better sleep is the set of foods that they eat. This is because these foods might contain ingredients and other properties that can really affect the person's chemical balance. If you think that the foods that you are eating affects you in getting better sleep, try assessing your food intake for one day.

What you can do is list down all the foods—including the drinks—that you have taken in for one day and make an assessment after that day. In this way, you can track down which are the foods and drinks you have taken affect your sleeping habits especially at night. The following are just some of the list of foods that might lead one to troublesome and uncomfortable sleeping at nighttime:

1. Too much food intake. This is considered as the major culprit why many people—especially those who don’t have sleeping problems before—are having a hard time sleeping all of a sudden. Experts say that if a person have overeaten, the tendency is that the stomach will have a hard time digesting it. Too much food may also affect the how the digestive system work and may even cause clinical conditions such as ulcer if done regularly.

2. Foods that contain too much fat. Experts say that people are eating foods that have too much fat are prone to not sleeping well at night because it creates a lot of digesting work for the stomach. If one wants to get better sleep, he or she should cut down on foods that are too rich or fatty so there will be lesser work for the stomach especially at nighttime.

3. Too much spicy or acidic foods. These sets of foods can very much affect one's sleeping habits especially at nighttime. If one eats too many sets of spicy foods especially at night, it can lead to troubles in the stomach and even heartburn which makes it harder for you to lie down and get better sleep at night.

4. Too much alcohol intake. Some people say that alcohol may help one to get better sleep but on the contrary, it doesn’t especially if he or she has taken too much of it.

5. Foods that contain caffeine. These are another set of culprits for people who are having trouble sleeping. If you are prone to not sleeping, it is best to avoid foods as well as drinks that have high caffeine content such as coffee, chocolates, sodas that are caffeinated as well as teas. To get better sleep, it is best to not consume these for a while. Or if you really cannot do without these, try minimizing your consumption even for a couple of days. Once you get your sleeping pattern back, you may go back to consuming these but only to limited content so you would not go back to having sleeping problems again.

Foods To Eat To Stay Healthy

Over the years, people have become more and more conscious about which food to eat to stay healthy. Over the years too, several recommendations have been advised. To this end, books were written, keep fit programs were sold and advices followed. The average lifespan though stayed the same, seventy years, much the same as centuries ago.

What are the foods to eat to stay healthy? Everything but in moderation

Doesn't it sound very much like what the Hebrew book says?" Lifespan of seventy years", "all food have been cleansed", "avoid gluttony?" Through all these years, this has never been challenged. This fact remained sure and true. If ever, several adverts have already claimed superior benefits of their weight reducing, health-inducing product. What the adverts succeeded at was over-selling and over- highlighting their claims but never challenged this fact. But that is always true with commercialism. In this age where cents and dimes are often the rule of the day, there is no compunction to oversell a product to the point of using scare tactics for the targeted consumer to get their attention and possibly draw out their wallets and part with their money.

Do not fall for fad foods. If they were true, some of them should have stayed on in the market and have grown in market share as far as food choices are concerned. Nothing has and nothing will, because the price paid is too high for the benefit received and people eventually could see through that.

Instead eat food that tastes good. Eat all foods that are recommended in the good old food chart. The body needs sodium, it helps cleanse the body and prevent diseases. The body needs fat. Fat insulates us from the elements and helps keep our body lubricated as machines are lubricated. Fat also keeps our skin supple and feeling younger. Have protein in the diet, you cannot do with less of it especially when in the healing and during the growing up years. Calories are needed to maintain energy levels so is sugar. But then everything has to be taken in the right amounts and quantities. Everything in moderation

The problem is not the food; the problem is the attitude towards food. It is the preference of one food group over the other that keeps the system unbalanced and wanting of nutrients that weakens the body. It is the lifestyle that prevents us or allows excuses not to eat right but have fast food as the usual recourse.

Aside from the food groups that have been classified by science, there are only two types of food in nature that are provided to us. One is food for nutrition, the other are food for medicine and healing. Examples of these are garlic, turmeric and other herbs too many to mention. Every food has its own function and counter action. Spinach has oxalic acid and oranges have counter effects bad for certain blood types, eating raw exposes us to certain microorganisms etc. Nonsense, every food has properties different and tends to counter balance another food.

In an effort to sell a product, a brand, or an idea, what results is a scare that effects in limiting us with food choices often to those that we do not enjoy. The limiting of food choices keeps on evolving that if everything that is heard or advertised is listened to, nothing is worthy of eating anymore.

Every region on earth will always provide a balanced food source for that region. Foods grown in the US are different from those grown in China. But when examined closely, the tastes may change but the same balancing effect in the diet is present, anywhere in the world. That should tell us something. The earth provides everything for our enjoyment and health. Anyone who is not trying to sell anything will say the same thing, "that we should eat all the food groups in correct quantities and proportions". That way we enjoy life, that way we stay truly healthy.

Learning To Listen To What Your Body Tells You

When a poet and king once sang, "Our bodies are beautifully and wonderfully made oh God", he knew what he was saying. One of the wonderful things that our bodies could do is healing itself. We need intervention from time to time but the body, when treated right has the ability to correct itself. Often, all it takes is to listen to what the body is telling us.

Sure there is nothing much we can do when our body is already shouting for the nearest comfort room or the stomach is rumbling for the next meal. Often times though, when there is pain, like a headache, the normal course of action is to reach out for a bottle of painkiller to mask the pain so we can function.

Listening to what our body is telling us would prevent a lot of illnesses from getting worse. When there is a headache, there is something wrong done to cause the pain. Taking painkillers is a good but temporary solution, the next step though and more permanent is to know what caused the pain. Not being able to identify that will make us grab the painkiller in another six to eight hours. Every ingestion of a tablet or a capsule puts our liver and our colon in danger. Chemical residues that were components to its manufacture will stay in the liver and overtime will clog the colon that will produce other more serious illnesses. Learning to listen to the messages that our body tells us is that important.

There are many other things that our body is trying to tell us. Being sleepy, feeling sluggish, increasing weight or weight loss, body temperature, mood swings, blood pressure, and pulse rate are among the few that could be observed and could be measured with certainty. When that happens the body is telling us that something is not working well. Taking energy drinks, resting, relaxing, taking antacids are few of the things that are normally done but all these have temporary effects. When the feeling of sluggishness for example persists, no amount of energy drink could restore the body to functioning normally. All the palliative measures taken are temporary solutions that do not cure the illnesses. It only masks the effects and masking the effects could be terribly dangerous.

What cures the illness is the identification of the cause of the pain or discomfort and if it is not a medical emergency, the avoidance of repeating the same thing to happen again. It is a conscious effort to sit back, think a while, and deciding on matters that will work best for the body and those that will not. Taking temporary measures and dependence on it will make matters worse.

When we learn to listen to what the body is telling us, our dependence on costly interventions and help from health care professionals will be minimal aside from lessening the introduction of chemicals to our system.

Why You Need Vitmain D

When Johnny objects to a soap-and-water scrubbing, it is usually because he just doesn't like it. He would be on much sounder scientific, though dubious domestic, ground, if he simply told his mother: "Excessive bathing with soap removes from my skin the sterols which, if exposed to the ultra-violet irradiation of sunlight, would be converted into the Vitamin D I need for normal bone growth."

Not that Johnny would get very far, for bathing is a well-established social custom and quite indispensable for getting along with people. It is true, however, that oily substances in the skin are removed by soap scrubbings, and that these are the very materials which are changed into Vitamin D by the action of the sunlight. You can have a coat of tan that speaks of hours lying in the sun, yet the vitamin benefits of the sunshine may have been largely lost if you conscientiously bathed yourself before exposure. Too, the deeper your tan, the less sunshine vitamin you get, for the pigment shuts the vitamin-producing rays out from the skin.

For that matter, the benefit of sunbathing in city regions is probably overrated, from the vitamin point of view. Dust, smoke, and invisible urban effluvia may effectively curtain off the ultra-violet wavelengths of sunlight, which are the only ones that help your skin manufacture Vitamin D.

Practically, therefore, you will do well to get Vitamin D by other sources than suntan, although as an adult your needs for the vitamin are considerably less than the requirements of children. The particular virtue of Vitamin D is its masterly control over the distribution of calcium and phosphorus in the body—minerals which not only are the major building-blocks of bones and teeth, but which also play vital chemical roles in the body's functions.

Strangely enough, a relationship of Vitamin D to myopia (nearsightedness) has recently been demonstrated in animals. Lack of the vitamin and therefore of proper calcium and phosphorus metabolism has, in animals, weakened the outer coats of the eye and changed its refractive properties. The experimental animals were puppies, but a human application is not improbable.

It is babies, however, who are most seriously affected by Vitamin D shortages. They develop rickets, a disease in which deformed bones are exhibited as bowlegs, knock-knees, swollen joints, distorted pelvis, chest and spine. So important is this vitamin to infants that their diets always include cod liver oil or other concentrate, and the doctor's orders should be faithfully followed.

You can get a good deal of Vitamin D from ordinary foods, but the chances are you don't. Peanut butter, milk, graham crackers, cereals, and a vast number of other foods commonly used by children, are now available with Vitamin D artificially added. These are usually good investments. Oily fishes—tuna, salmon, herring, sardines—are the best sources among common unfortified foodstuffs. Eggs and butter also contribute small amounts.

The easiest way of securing Vitamin D is to use fortified milk, many varieties of which contribute a full day's vitamin quota per quart. Concentrates such as viosterol are potent and relatively inexpensive. Any surplus that you build up during exposure to summer sunshine is stored for doling out through the winter.

Get Better Sleep-Part 1

Sleep is often the most overlooked part of a healthy living lifestyle. Proper sleep can help prevent becoming sick, decrease stress and have a positive effect on your state of mind. With these benefits in mind I will be posting a weekly article on how to get better sleep and help you achieve your healthy lifestyle goals.


More often than not, how to get better sleep is among the common questions that working people think about. This is because they rarely experience it because of too much stress or being too busy in their work. If you are one of those who are having problems when it comes to sleeping, here are some of the ways that can help you get better easier:

1. Develop better sleeping habits. Like everything else, developing good habits helps a person accomplish a certain task at hand. For those who are prone to not sleeping well at night, it would be best to start developing good habits that would help him or her get better sleep. Good sleeping habits might include daytime routines such as eating the right foods, exercise, and enough napping in the afternoon. Experts say that eating the right foods would help a person be lulled into sleep without so much hustle. If one wants to get better sleep, he or she must avoid eating foods that contain ingredients that stimulate the nerves and the senses such as those with caffeine content. To help the body relax, enough physical activities such as exercise should also be done at day time so it will somehow exhaust the body and let it crave for rest at night time. Although napping is good to some people, it can be bad to those who are having sleeping problems because they have a tendency to "over nap" that which will eventually affect their sleeping at night.

2. Enough amount of daily exercise can help a person to get better sleep. Aside from health benefits, regular exercise also helps a person get better sleep especially at night. This is because it lets the body work just enough so it would want to rest at night. Strenuous activities such as workouts are not really necessary if one is not used to it. Simple exercises such as brisk walking or light yoga activities are enough to help to get better sleep at night.

3. Come up with you own personal sleeping plan. Above anybody else, you should be the one who knows your body. If you are having problems sleeping at night, you are the first person to identify what is the problem and try to address the issues properly. If you are having trouble sleeping, analyze what may be the problem. If it is something that you can handle, try to do the things that will help you overcome it. You can do this by coming up with a personal sleeping plan that will really work for you. You can plot the activities that you can do and try to implement them during nighttime. If the specific plan doesn’t work today, try another set of sleeping plans the next night and then another one for next, next night. By doing this, you can discover the techniques that would work for you.

4. Create a good sleeping environment for yourself. If one wants to get better sleep, the easiest way is to create a comfortable, nice, and cozy sleeping environment. If you are having trouble sleeping and you have tried all the techniques available but those did not work, why not try re-arranging your bedroom. Figure out is something inside your bedroom that hinders you from getting better sleep. Check if your bed still suits the needs of your body and if not, try replacing it. Check if there are some things that catch your attention and makes it hard for you to sleep, if there are, try removing them for a while until you are able to sleep better.

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Natural Health – Balance, Variety, And Common Sense

Every day one or two health foods are flooded into the market claiming superior health benefits. Almost every month, bookstores will stock up on books that sell health and dieting programs. On the TV, exercise programs and exercise machines are advertised to keep healthy and fit. The fact is all of these works, the question is, is it really needed?

The Exotic Sounding Foods
You would have heard of the Acai berry, fig leaves, bitter melon, green tea, and so many other exotic sounding foods. Do they work? They do, but so does other foods. There is nothing wasted on Gods earth. The proof of that is when the excitement for these foods wanes, another food will crop up, the benefits overstated, and orders will start coming in increasing the demand, spiking prices for the products until a new one appears. Is it worth it? Well, that depends on how deep the wallet is. The truth is that every food that is natural has its own benefit that when examined closely will always reveal special properties that are waiting for an advertiser's attention. The properties then could be highlighted depending on current health and commercial climate. The carrot consumed like crazy some years back due to it beta-carotene property is now relegated to the background in place of "new food discoveries". In today's stiff commercial competition, the point to remember is that when it sounds too good to be true, then probably it is not.

The Fad Foods
Everybody loves to have a good figure and wants six-pack abs, everybody, and why not. When the figure is good, employment is easier to find, earning potential increases, the body feels light, looks so much healthier, younger, and energized.

What is wrong with fad foods is that it is not telling us the whole truth. If Halle Berry for example gave birth last week and appear today on TV with the same figure, everybody will be curious. The TV host knows that and so the question that would be asked is the diet that keeps her figure "bathing suit" perfect. Whatever answer Halle Berry gives will get the audience's attention and telephone will start ringing for orders. What will not be mentioned is that stars maintain a host of dieticians, physicians and exercise guru's working for the sole purpose of keeping the image of the star and maintaining it. The diet may be true but it is only a part of the whole regimen of things observed to make the star look good on camera. Rests also are monitored, exercises are supervised let alone food intake, to keep the star healthy.

Eat, exercise, rest, and work.
The natural things that we do provided it is kept on a good balance are always the best. It has kept people alive for thousands of years; it will keep the person healthy for many more. Eat a variety of food. All food is good provided the person eats variety and strives for a balanced diet. Exotic sounding and foreign delicacies and specialties are not required nor needed. Food grown in every region is sufficient and balanced for the needs of people living in that region. The key in maintaining natural health is balance, variety, and common sense.

Dietary Fiber for Natural Health

When people look at the nutritional content of foods, they tend to concentrate more on calories, protein, fats and vitamins. Most of the time, people forget to consider the dietary fiber content of foods. In recent studies, it was shown that in America alone, less than half of the population gets enough fiber in their diet.

Taking in enough fiber will greatly improve your natural health and well-being. Here are some facts that you have to know about dietary fiber

What is it?
Roughage or dietary fiber is the indigestible part of plants that travels through the digestive tract. In an overview, it helps the body absorb more water and improves elimination of wastes. It also helps in the absorption of nutrients and other chemicals.

There are 2 types of fiber. The soluble fiber is the one responsible for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Because of this, intake of enough soluble fiber will reduce your risk of developing heart diseases and stroke. Insoluble fiber increases bulk that your body needs to maintain the functions of your stomach and intestines. This type of fiber prevents you from experiencing constipation.

What are the benefits of getting enough fiber in your diet?

Bowel Movement and Integrity
Having enough fiber provides you with bulk. It helps you have well-formed and soft stool so wastes can pass easily. With this, you are sure not to have constipation. When you have diarrhea, adding fiber to your diet will help you absorb water and form bulky stools. It is also said that fiber can help relieve patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Having a high fiber diet also reduces your risk of developing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Since fiber helps you pass stool easily. There is no need for straining during defecation. This is one of the ways fiber helps prevent these health conditions.

Regulates Blood Cholesterol Levels
Soluble fiber helps maintain an ideal cholesterol level by reducing the amount of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) in your body. LDL is also called as bad cholesterol. It has also been studied that fiber can also lower your blood pressure. Maintaining a good blood cholesterol level puts you at lesser risk of developing heart diseases.

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
This is one of the reasons that most diabetic patients add fiber in their diet. Getting enough soluble fiber aids in the absorption of sugar in your body. It helps your body absorb sugar slowly so diabetics can avoid sudden peaks on their blood sugar level. Enough insoluble fiber in your body is also said to prevent development of type 2 diabetes.

Aids in Weight Loss
Eating foods with high-fiber content may require you to chew your food longer than you would any other type of food. Because of this, your body is given enough time to think that you are already full. This would lessen chances of over eating. A high- fiber meal will also lower down hunger cravings because fiber takes a longer time to be digested. You feel full longer when you eat food with high fiber content. Fibrous foods also have fewer amounts of calories in them. So no matter how much fiber you eat, you won't have to worry about the number of calories you are taking in.

Fiber is also said to fight off carcinogenic agents, thus lowering your risk of getting certain types of cancer. If you want to improve your health the natural way, adding more fiber to your meals is a healthy idea.

A Shot of Wheatgrass Juice Everyday Keeps the Doctor Away

People have taken interest on wheatgrass because of the many health benefits it gives. For the health-conscious individuals, wheatgrass juice is the way to go. If you are planning on taking the natural road to a healthy you, here are some things you have to know to get you started on wheatgrass juice.

What is wheatgrass?
Wheatgrass is the young grass of wheat plant that is dried or juiced. Because it has a high amount of Chlorophyll, it is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that wheatgrass has various curative and detoxifying functions.

Because wheatgrass has increased in popularity for some time now, you can easily buy wheatgrass prepared in various forms. Some bars and restaurants also included wheatgrass juice in their menu.

What are the benefits of taking wheatgrass?

• Improves metabolism and cares for your heart
Wheatgrass is good for your heart as it  lowers down your blood pressure. It also makes your blood healthier by increasing the red blood cells in your blood. The properties of wheatgrass also reduce the acidity of your blood because wheatgrass is very rich in alkaline minerals. Taking wheatgrass will also help enhance your thyroid functions. It is also said that wheatgrass is effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases like constipation, diarrhea, peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis.
• detoxifying agent
Because of the presence of minerals and antioxidants, wheatgrass is a very effective detoxifying agent. It also fights off and gets rid of harmful chemicals and other substances that may develop into various types of cancers and other illnesses. Wheatgrass makes your blood healthy and cleanses the liver effectively. Using this to treat tumors and toxins helps patient recover from their illnesses without the harmful side effects of synthetic drugs.
• Slows down the aging process
Aging is part of an individual's normal growth and development but it doesn't mean that your health should be affected by aging. Taking wheatgrass puts aging on a different level. It does not only slows down the process, but it makes you age healthily by cleansing your body off harmful toxins and keeping your cells healthy.
• Aids individuals to lose weight
Wheatgrass has fat-burning properties. It also suppresses your appetite. Losing weight doesn't have to mean taking those weight-loss pills or undergoing surgery. A regular dose of wheatgrass will do wonders to your body.

Preparations
The popularity of wheatgrass resulted to it being available in various forms. Now, you can take wheatgrass in powdered juice, tablets or through juice shots.

Some people also decide to grow wheatgrass in their homes so they can always have it easily available to them. Whatever preparations you prefer, the important thing is to be able to have your regular intake of wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass juice is prepared like any other type of juice. Add water and enjoy. You can also add some ice. Juice shots are also available in the market. A 5ml shot is equal to a tablet of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass tablets are taken twice daily.

Wheatgrass has many healthy benefits for you. Take a dose of wheatgrass everyday and start your journey to a healthier you.