Let’s Be Healthy

Cheap and Healthy Food

You don’t need to spend lots of money or half of your salary just to buy healthy food. There are a lot of ways for you to have a healthy lifestyle. Instead of going to the gym just have simple exercises routine at home, a walk in the morning is really good for your health because it’s a cardiovascular exercise and you can also get Vitamin D that prevents cancer. Well, for the food just shop for those healthy food like green vegetables, oats, whole wheat pasta and grains and a lot more. Here’s a list of healthy yet cheap food.

1. Oats
High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. And they sure are cheap—a dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts.

Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with nuts and fruit in the morning, make oatmeal cookies for dessert.

2. Eggs
You can get about a half dozen of eggs for a dollar, making them one of the cheapest and most versatile sources of protein. They are also a good source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related eye problems.

Serving suggestions: Huevos rancheros for breakfast, egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and frittatas for dinner.

3. Kale
This dark, leafy green is loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, and calcium. Like most greens, it is usually a dollar a bunch.

Serving suggestions: Chop up some kale and add to your favorite stir-fry; try German-Style Kale or traditional Irish Colcannon.

4. Potatoes
Because we often see potatoes at their unhealthiest—as fries or chips—we don’t think of them as nutritious, but they definitely are. Eaten with the skin on, potatoes contain almost half a day’s worth of Vitamin C, and are a good source of potassium. If you opt for sweet potatoes or yams, you’ll also get a good wallop of beta carotene. Plus, they’re dirt cheap and have almost endless culinary possibilities.

Serving suggestions: In the a.m., try Easy Breakfast Potatoes; for lunch, make potato salad; for dinner, have them with sour cream and chives.

5. Apples
I’m fond of apples because they’re inexpensive, easy to find, come in portion-controlled packaging, and taste good. They are a good source of pectin—a fiber that may help reduce cholesterol—and they have the antioxidant Vitamin C, which keeps your blood vessels healthy.

Serving suggestions: Plain; as applesauce; or in baked goods like Pumpkin-Apple Breakfast Bread.

6. Nuts
Though nuts have a high fat content, they’re packed with the good-for-you fats—unsaturated and monounsaturated. They’re also good sources of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and protein. And because they’re so nutrient-dense, you only need to eat a little to get the nutritional benefits. Although some nuts, like pecans and macadamias, can be costly, peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, especially when bought in the shell, are low in cost.

Serving suggestions: Raw; roasted and salted; sprinkled in salads.

7. Bananas
At a local Trader Joe’s, I found bananas for about 19¢ apiece; a dollar gets you a banana a day for the workweek. High in potassium and fiber (9 grams for one), bananas are a no-brainer when it comes to eating your five a day quotient of fruits and veggies.

Serving suggestions: In smoothies, by themselves, in cereal and yogurt.

8. Garbanzo Beans
With beans, you’re getting your money’s worth and then some. Not only are they a great source of protein and fiber, but ’bonzos are also high in fiber, iron, folate, and manganese, and may help reduce cholesterol levels. And if you don’t like one type, try another—black, lima, lentils … the varieties are endless. Though they require soaking and cooking, the most inexpensive way to purchase these beans is in dried form; a precooked can will still only run you around a buck.

Serving suggestions: In salads, curries, and Orange Hummus.

9. Broccoli
Broccoli contains tons of nice nutrients—calcium, vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and fiber. As if that isn’t enough, broccoli is also packed with phytonutrients, compounds that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Plus, it’s low in calories and cost.

Serving suggestions: Drizzle some olive oil in your broccoli and bake it in your oven.

Source: Yahoo

The Easiest Way to Burn Calories

Losing weight calls for routines like exercising and indulging yourself to those healthy and nutritious meals like salads, tuna, whole wheat pasta and rice and a lot more. Well, you should be doing these religiously so you can achieve your goals right away. But wait, you can also try these simple ways in burning and losing your weight even if your working at your office or simply watching a show. Got this from Yahoo and I would share it here.

Burn, baby, burn on the weekends

• Walk at a sightseeing pace (2 mph): 161 calories an hour. Keep abs tight during the walk to help tone them.
• Mow the lawn (30 minutes): 177 calories
• Push a cart around the grocery store (45 minutes): 121 calories
• Plant in your garden: 290 calories per hour (Plus it strengthens your arms and back.)
• Rearrange your living room furniture (30 minutes): 193 calories
• Pack the car for a trip (15 minutes): 56 calories

Work it on workdays

• Go casual: Study participants took 80 percent more steps (translating to 25 extra calories) when they wore jeans to the office versus dressy clothes, research from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse reveals.
• Stand and deliver: Simply staying on your feet revs metabolism and doubles your calorie burn for the day, a study in Diabetes reports. Sitting for a few hours switches off enzymes that capture fat in the bloodstream, but rising reignites them. So try surrendering your seat when possible.
• Take a fitness break: Instead of a coffee run, jog or walk up three flights of stairs—approximately 12 steps per flight. Walk back down; repeat nine times to burn a quick 100 calories.

Healthy Snacks

When choosing your snacks, be sure that it’s healthy and nutritious. Choose the best snack that has great health benefits so you won’t worry with the calories and fats that you intake. Got this article at Yahoo.

Nuts and Seeds Keep You Young
Healthy and appetizing, nuts and seeds are absolutely the best snack of the bunch. Helping yourself to a handful of nuts and seeds every day can improve circulation and muscle tone.

And nuts and seeds are especially full of arginine, an amino acid that helps to combat heart disease, impotence, infertility, and high blood pressure, and it also facilitates the healing process. Additionally, arginine can stimulate the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.

The pituitary releases growth hormones, which begin to decline quickly in humans after age 35. This means that after 35, your hormones start to plunge and you experience some aging symptoms. The skin loses elasticity, the muscle loses mass and strength, the lean body tissue decreases, fertility and virility decrease, and other signs of aging start to set in.

Many nuts and seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, lignants and omega-3 fatty acids, which protect you from heart disease and also from the ravages of aging.

Almonds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, peanuts, and pistachios: mix them in any combination and enjoy! Keep in mind that there are more nutrients in the raw form than roasted. Make sure that the nuts and seeds are fresh and not old and rancid.

An Apple a Day for Heart Health
There are many reasons to eat an apple - or two or three - every day. One study discovered that subjects who ate five apples or more a week had a healthier lung function than those who ate no apples.

And scientists have confirmed that apples also contribute to a healthy heart. Thanks to the fruit’s rich pectin content, eating two to three apples per day leads to decreased cholesterol levels. Pectin also helps prevent colon cancer, one of the top causes of death in adults over age sixty.

Bring On the Berries
In season again, berries are bursting with antioxidants. The enticing red, purple, and blue skins of berries contain bioflavonoids, antioxidant compounds that reduce free radical damage.

These flavonoids are more potent antioxidants than vitamins C and E, and they also help to reduce inflammation - more effectively even than aspirin!

Avocado: Packed with Nutrients
Among the many antioxidant nutrients, glutathione is known as the “master antioxidant.” This naturally occurring compound, found in avocados (as well as asparagus, walnuts, and fish), is made up of the three amino acids glycine, glutamic acid, and cysteine. Glutathione regulates immune cells, protects against cancer, and assists in detoxifying.

A deficiency in glutathione can play a part in diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, low sperm count, and premature aging. Avocados are also a source of L-cysteine, which helps protect your body from the harmful effects of pollution, chemicals, radiation, alcohol, and smoke. L-cysteine may also help boost immunity, protect you from heart disease, and build muscle. It is also useful for combating inflammation and encouraging healthy hair and nail growth.

Pair your avocado with whole-grain crackers or whole-grain crisp breads for a fiber-rich tasty treat.

Apricots for Anti-Aging
One of the staple foods of the famously long-lived centenarians in the Hunza valley of the Himalayas is the apricot. Research has discovered that apricots have the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids of any food.

Carotenoids are antioxidants that help prevent heart disease, reduce “bad cholesterol” levels, and protect against cancer.

Fruit Juices: Good or Bad?

Don’t be too concerned. Recent studies have confirmed that drinking moderate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice does not have an effect on children’s weight. However, fruit juice is high in calories, and — just like any other high-calorie food or drink — too much fruit juice can contribute to weight gain.

If you do give your children fruit juice, choose 100 percent fruit juice instead of sweetened juice or fruit-juice cocktail drinks. While 100 percent juice and sweetened fruit drinks may have about the same number of calories, your children will get more vitamins and nutrients from 100 percent juice.

To ensure your children aren’t drinking too much juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following limits:

• Infants less than 6 months old should not be given fruit juice. However, pediatricians may recommend giving 2 to 4 ounces of juice to infants who are constipated.
• Infants 6 months to 12 months old may have up to 4 ounces a day. Juice should not be given in a bottle, however, to avoid tooth decay.
• Children 1 year to 6 years old may have up to 6 ounces a day.
• Children older than 6 years may have up to 12 ounces a day.

You’re right that fruit juice can be a good source of vitamin C, calcium and other nutrients. Check the label. Some children don’t like eating fruit, so serving juice is one way to get them the two to three servings of fruit they need everyday. Four ounces of juice equals one serving of fruit, but keep in mind that juice lacks the fiber of whole fruit. Although a little fruit juice each day is fine for most children, whole fruit is preferred.

Source: MayoClinic

Children’s Nutrition Tips

Preschoolers are picky eaters. They don’t want this and that but one for sure, they don’t love to eat those veggies prepared on their plates. Well, they have reasons why they choose their food. Anyways, maybe you should prepare something appetizing to their eyes but a nutritious one. Well, here are tips for picky eaters.

Respect your child’s hunger — or lack thereof. Young children tend to eat only when they’re hungry. If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force a meal or snack.
Stay calm. If your child senses that you’re unhappy with his or her eating habits, it may become a battle of wills. Threats and punishments only reinforce the power struggle.
Keep an eye on the clock. Nix juice and snacks for at least one hour before meals. If your child comes to the table hungry, he or she may be more motivated to eat.
Don’t expect too much. After age 2, slower growth often reduces a child’s appetite. A few bites may be all it takes for your child to feel full.
Limit liquid calories. Low-fat or fat-free dairy products and 100 percent fruit juice can be important parts of a healthy diet — but if your child fills up on milk or juice, he or she may have no room for meals or snacks.
Start small. Offer several foods in small portions. Let your child choose what he or she eats.
Boycott the clean plate club. Don’t force your child to clean his or her plate. This may only ignite — or reinforce — a power struggle over food. Instead, allow your child to stop eating when he or she is full.
Leave taste out of it. Talk about a food’s color, shape, aroma and texture — not whether it tastes good.
Be patient with new foods. Young children often touch or smell new foods, and may even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again. Your child may need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite.
Eat breakfast for dinner. Who says cereal or pancakes are only for breakfast? The distinction between breakfast, lunch and dinner foods may be lost on your child.
Make it fun. Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters.
Recruit your child’s help. At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Don’t buy anything that you don’t want your child to eat. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table.
Set a good example. If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child is more likely to follow suit.
Be sneaky. Add chopped broccoli or green peppers to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, or mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.
Keep it separate. If your child isn’t a fan of various ingredients thrown together, you might “unmix” the food. Place sandwich fixings outside the bread, or serve the ingredients of a salad, casserole or stir-fry separately.
Stick to the routine. Serve meals and snacks at about the same times every day. If the kitchen is closed at other times, your child may be more likely to eat what’s served for meals and snacks.
Minimize distractions. Turn off the television during meals, and don’t allow books or toys at the table.
Don’t offer dessert as a reward. Withholding dessert sends the message that dessert is the best food, which may only increase your child’s desire for sweets. You might select one or two nights a week as dessert nights, and skip dessert the rest of the week. Or redefine dessert as fruit, yogurt or other healthy choices.
Expect some food preferences to stick. As kids mature, they tend to become less picky about food. Still, everyone has food preferences. Don’t expect your child to like everything.
Know when to seek help. If your child is energetic and growing, he or she is probably doing fine. Consult your child’s doctor if you’re concerned that picky eating is compromising your child’s growth and development or if certain foods seem to make your child ill.

Restaurant Slimming Tips

Dining out is really challenging for you have to make sure that all you order are less in calories in fat. Anyways, here are some simple tips that you can use when dining out.

1) Think small: Restaurant portions are often gigantic. Scale back by ordering one to two non-fried appetizers instead of an entrée – or consider sharing an entrée with a friend. You can also divide your main course in half and take half home for a future meal.

2) Delete the bread basket: Each slice adds about 100 calories – plus 50 additional calories for every teaspoon of butter or olive oil you add. That said, politely (and immediately!) ask to have the entire basket removed.

3) Lose liquid calories: Beverage calories add up quickly – calories that don’t necessarily fill you up. Try your best to pass on soda, fruit drinks, fruit juice, smoothies, fattening cocktails, and coffee loaded with milk and sugar. Instead, drink lots of water, seltzer, and unsweetened ice tea. For coffee and tea, use skim and/or 1% reduced fat milk – and limit the sugar to 1 packet per cup.

4) Special request: Speak up and ask your waiter for a few substitutions. Request foods which are baked, steamed, broiled, grilled, poached, or roasted….  and ask to replace fatty French fries with a baked potato or side vegetable. Also, request your sandwich on whole wheat bread instead of white, specify brown rice instead of white rice and ask for salad dressing, gravy, and sauces on the side. These minor adjustments translate into major calorie savings.

Source: Joy’s Healthy Bite

Banana

I just got this from my aunt who sent this article thru email. Want to share it here

This is interesting.

After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But energy isn’t! the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:! Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives..

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if yo u suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”

Be Active Everyday

You don’t have to be a sporty type to be an Activater. Going for a walk, doing the housework or carrying the shopping are all effective. Just putting a bit more effort into physical tasks and relying less on labour saving devices is an excellent start.

Walking is one of the easiest ways of being more active. You don’t have to buy special clothing or spend hours in the gym. Walking is free and it’s something nearly everyone can do. Regular, brisk walking actually lowers the risk of heart disease.

Did you know that inactivity doubles your risk of heart disease?

If you’ve been more of a Dolittle than an Activater up to now, don’t try to do too much all in one go. Take it step by step. Gradually build up your activity levels then keep up the good work - because staying fit means staying active.

Source: Food Fitness

Stay Focused, Stay Realistic, Stay Small and Active

The psychotherapy process is basically about making changes. The capacity to make changes is what sets us apart as human beings. It is what keeps us young, vital and contunally learning. Successful goal setting provides the warp and weft of constructive change.

The art of setting successful goals is challenging in its simplicity. Three tips to successful change are:

1. Stay realistic. You have to crawl before you can walk.
2. Think small. Losing fifty pounds is a heck of alot harder than losing one pound every week or two for one year.
3. Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Translate your intentions into actions, behaviors, things to do.

Recalculate goals through observation; observe through doing….it’s the best way to discern where you have been,where you are going, and how best to get there.

Source: Empowered Parents