Archives for August 2013

The paleolithic platter to stay healthy and fit

August 31, 2013 By edschan

Evolution is a natural process and an inevitable happening. Though from the neolithic and paleolithic age, human race has progressed into what we are today, little changes have happened in our body structure and bodily functioning. When new age eating and living habits are considered to be the root of all diseases and bodily injuries happening to us, we are forced to look back to the days when there were less diseases and more healthy communities. This looking back has brought in newer insights on better and improved diets and eating habits that can foster health and fitness without having to forgo tasty food.

The magic diet

The paleolithic diet or the paleo diet as it is popularly known is a walk back into the prehistoric days. It is an attempt to mimic the eating habits of the caveman, as science convinces us that no major change has been brought ever since in our digestive system. The paleo diet aims to eat what the cavemen ate by hunting and plucking from the dense forests he dwelled in. It does not ask us to make our platter free of meat, fish or nuts. Only whole grains, cereals and dairy products have to be left out from our daily food. In short, if the caveman didn’t have it then, you can’t have it now. And if he did, you too can, Simple as that.

The paleo diet not only promises toned down bodies, but it also ensures better health and a muscular body by just eating right. Though the word diet accompanies paleo, it does not advocate staying hungry. Paleo diet is all about eating until you are full and content. The trick is to avoid all those food that are cultivated by humans. Before settling down and civilizing, agriculture was not rampant and whole grains and cereals were not part of the human diet. It is this practice of having included whole grains and their products into our diets that caused obesity and overweight a common menace or an unavoidable evil among humans.

What to avoid

A no sugar diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle. When people switched to diets with no sugar or no processed food substances, it was found to work miracles on their health too. The whole grains and cereals are sources of sugar which gets converted into fat instantly. If these are omitted, the chance of fat development in our bodies reduces considerably. The sugars available from fruits do no harm and the best source of body sugar content.

Grains and cereals are also providers of huge amounts of carbohydrates which is not necessary for the functioning of the human body. Cutting out on the carbohydrates can therefore do no harm and in turn it only serves good. When there is less carbohydrate intake, there is less glucose content in our blood. This means more fat should be burned ensuring a muscular body and improved fitness.

The same is with the dairy products. Only humans consume dairy products all their life. No other species of animals consume milk after a certain level of growth. Human body is not suited for this intake and staying away from it can do no harm but only good.

Eat well

Paleo diet encourages the eating of meat, vegetables, fruits, leaves, oils, eggs, nuts and tubers till your hunger is quenched and you are full. This diet regime has been finding wide spread acceptance all over the world and has had good results on its serious practitioners. So, instead of staying hungry and foolish by depending on difficult diet regimes, eat till your stomach and heart is filled and stay healthy and fit even then. Which sounds better???

To read more on great breakfast ideas and to learn some tasty Paleo Breakfast Recipes visit www.paleobreakfastrecipe.com/.

Eating a Serving of Fish could help Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis reports new Research

August 30, 2013 By Angela

New research is showing a link between the consumption of Omega-3 rich fish and the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis in women. To learn more, click the link below.

Omega-3s tied to lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis: MedlinePlus

10 Nutritional Tips for Infants Every New Parent Should Look At

August 30, 2013 By Jenny Richards

Feeding is the important factor to consider in infantâ€™s growth. When it is the time of breastfeeding, you must take the foods that are rich in nutrients. Then, when infant or baby start to take solid foods you have to select the food carefully to assure growth with good health. Here are the nutrition tips for new born that help you in feeding the infant in a better way.

1. Take food rich in protein, calcium and Iron

During breast feeding take food that are rich in these nutrients. Dried beans, lentils, peas, whole-grain products, enriched cereals, dried fruit and dark leafy green vegetables are rich sources of iron. This food when taken with Vitamin C rich foods like citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes or sweet bell peppers for easy absorption of iron. For proteins you can take dairy products, plant sources, eggs, nuts, seeds, whole grains meat substitutes and more. For calcium take dark green vegetables and dairy products. These foods when breastfeeding will provide sufficient nutrients to the newborn.

2. Take supplements

Health care expert will recommend you to take Vitamin B-12 supplement in some cases Vitamin D supplements in regular basis. Vitamin B-12 is exclusively found in animal products and is essential for the brain development of your baby.

3. Avoid some foods and drinks

While breastfeeding you should avoid alcohol, more than 2 to 3 cups of caffeine, sea foods rich in mercury and any types of drugs that is harmful to health.

4. Give savoury foods before sweet

Always introduce savoury food like vegetable before introducing the sweet foods. Babies always love sweet food than savoury foods. Hence, you should introduce savoury foods before sweet foods. Newborn baby should get familiar with this food before sweet foods. Savoury options include lentils, mashed veges, pureed meats and beans or lentils.

5. Proper Eating

Sit your baby in the high chair in the dining room table with television switched off. Infants or babies will have short attention and you have to divert complete concentration of your baby to eating. When your baby completes 12 month, make sure to have family meals in social and happy environment.

6. Avoid too much milk

Babies drinking more milk are found to be iron deficient. When they maximum concentrates on milk, babies will not get all the nutrients that they have to get from solid foods. When your baby reaches 9 months, give him or her solid food before milk to limit the intake of milk. This will assure a balance between the nutrients from milk and solid foods.

7. Avoid Bottle

Once your baby reach 12 months, it is better to get rid of bottles and to use toddler cup to prevent the child from over drinking.

8. Drink More Water

Water should be best choice in drinks for all children. Soft drink, fruit juice and cordials rich in sugar should be avoided to children.

9. Involvement of Dad

Research and studies shows that dad have strong influence at the time of children eating. It is a good idea to make the presence of dad at the time of eating. If possible give meal to baby with all the family members round the table.

10. Enjoy Feeding

Your presence of mind and activities when feeding plays a great impact on baby nutrition. Always enjoy the feeding and show complete engagement.

Author bio: Lisa is a new mom who enjoys spending time and feeding her 3 months baby. She use baby cloth diaper for her infant and recommends using to all the new moms due to the health benefits it offers.

New Study Suggests Women Smokers face Greater Risk for Lethal Strokes

August 29, 2013 By Angela

The journal Stroke contained the results of a study detailing the increased risks for women who smoke. Click on the link below to learn more.

Women Smokers Face Increased Risk of Lethal Stroke: Review: MedlinePlus

Meditation and Mental Health: Perfect Together

August 28, 2013 By KelliCooper

The simple practice of meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, and many can personally attest to its health benefits. Along with other Eastern practices, it has been gaining popularity in the West and with good reason. The medical community is also starting to take notice, and studies examining the effects of meditation on a variety of mental and physical ailments are validating what others have known for a very long time. As a health writer, and someone who personally has practiced meditation on a regular basis for the last several years, I am familiar with all the positive effects. If you are looking to improve your mental well-being, this is one weapon you should be sure to put in your arsenal.

Observing without Judgment

It has been said that we think tens of thousands of thoughts a day; while I have never personally counted, it seems feasible given what I experience running through my head during my waking hours. We cannot stop ourselves from thinking, nor do we need to. What we can do, however, is learn to observe what is going on in our mind without judging it or getting all caught up in the raging river that is rushing through our minds. There is no better way to accomplish this goal than through meditation. When we learn to observe with greater detachment, we begin to see something wonderfulâ€”that we are not our thoughts, that they are separate from us.

Responding and Not Reacting

On the surface, responding and reacting may seem like two sides of the same coin, but they are completely different actions. Reaction does not involve any sort of thought or reflectionâ€”it is just an automatic response to some outside stimuli. While this can serve us well sometimes, like pulling our hand away from a hot surface, it often leads us to doing things we would be better off not doing, things that we may come to regret, even just a few minutes down the line. Meditation helps us respond, rather than react. It strengthens that space between our thoughts and feelings and that pure consciousness that is our essence. When a negative feeling starts to arise, we can think about what is happening and choose how we will respond. This does all sorts of wonderful things for us, from reducing anxiety to improving how we interact with others.

Realizing the Impermanence of Everything

So much of our mental suffering comes from getting all caught up in a moment, and feeling the need to do something in that instant to make that feeling go away. We know that feelings come and go constantly throughout the day, but on an experiential level, this knowledge gets lost and we are acting on pure feeling in the moment. Meditation helps us tune into the never-ending shift, and when something unpleasant arises, we are able to sit with it better, knowing this too shall pass. Truly grasping this impermanence can keep us from doing things that are not good for us, like eating a whole cake to quell anxiety or writing rambling emails to ex-boyfriends in a moment of overpowering desperation. You can move through the discomfort of life with greater ease.

About the Author:Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about all things health and wellness; if you are in the Anaheim, CA area and in need of a skilled physician, she highly recommends Ronald Glousman.