How to Buy Healthy Foods
We are constantly bombarded with news about how unhealthy the American diet has become and most of the know we need to make some changes. But where do we start?
A good place to begin is by learning about what is in the foods we currently purchase. Next time you head to the grocery store, take a look at the label before you toss that package in your grocery cart. Don't be fooled by claims such as "healthy" or "low-fat" on the front of the package. Check the nutrition label to make sure that these claims are true.
What the nutrition label tells you
The first thing to be aware of when reading a nutrition label is the serving size. In an effort to make the food appear more healthy by being lower in fat or calories, food companies will sometimes list an extremely small portion size. So be aware of what they are calling a portion size.
The next thing listed on the nutrition label after the serving size is the calorie amount and the "% Daily Value" column. The "% Daily Value" is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. You may need to make adjustments if your calorie intake is more or less than 2000 calories per day. An ingredient is considered low if it is 5% or less, and high if it is 20% or more.
Underneath the calorie section is the fat content section. Choose foods that are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Try to keep your cholesterol intake to under 300 mg per day. Below the fat content section is the information on carbohydrates, fiber and sugars. Try to reduce your consumption of additional sugars. These can be listed as glucose, sucrose or fructose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthy sweets such as grapes, apples, and strawberries.
On juice containers check to see how much real juice they actually contain. Some juices only contain 10% juice, the rest is sugar and water. Select products that contain 100% juice. When choosing breads, look for those that contain 100% whole wheat. If the first ingredients listed are "unbleached wheat flour," or "unbleached enriched wheat flour" then it is not whole wheat.
What to look for
Try to choose foods that have 5 g or more of fiber per serving. Fiber can help with digestion, and regularity. It can also help to lower the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. A high fiber diet can also help with weight control, because the fiber helps one to feel fuller, more quickly. Choose foods that have high levels of healthy vitamins and minerals. Look for high levels of iron, calcium and vitamins A and C.
Ingredients on the package will be listed in order. The ingredient in the greatest amount will be listed first and the smallest ingredient will be listed last. Avoid those foods that list enriched ingredients or sugars first.
By paying attention to what we buy at the grocery store and learning to read labels, we can all take an important step towards a healthier life.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Saturday, February 16, 2008
A good place to begin is by learning about what is in the foods we currently purchase. Next time you head to the grocery store, take a look at the label before you toss that package in your grocery cart. Don't be fooled by claims such as "healthy" or "low-fat" on the front of the package. Check the nutrition label to make sure that these claims are true.
What the nutrition label tells you
The first thing to be aware of when reading a nutrition label is the serving size. In an effort to make the food appear more healthy by being lower in fat or calories, food companies will sometimes list an extremely small portion size. So be aware of what they are calling a portion size.
The next thing listed on the nutrition label after the serving size is the calorie amount and the "% Daily Value" column. The "% Daily Value" is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. You may need to make adjustments if your calorie intake is more or less than 2000 calories per day. An ingredient is considered low if it is 5% or less, and high if it is 20% or more.
Underneath the calorie section is the fat content section. Choose foods that are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Try to keep your cholesterol intake to under 300 mg per day. Below the fat content section is the information on carbohydrates, fiber and sugars. Try to reduce your consumption of additional sugars. These can be listed as glucose, sucrose or fructose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthy sweets such as grapes, apples, and strawberries.
On juice containers check to see how much real juice they actually contain. Some juices only contain 10% juice, the rest is sugar and water. Select products that contain 100% juice. When choosing breads, look for those that contain 100% whole wheat. If the first ingredients listed are "unbleached wheat flour," or "unbleached enriched wheat flour" then it is not whole wheat.
What to look for
Try to choose foods that have 5 g or more of fiber per serving. Fiber can help with digestion, and regularity. It can also help to lower the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. A high fiber diet can also help with weight control, because the fiber helps one to feel fuller, more quickly. Choose foods that have high levels of healthy vitamins and minerals. Look for high levels of iron, calcium and vitamins A and C.
Ingredients on the package will be listed in order. The ingredient in the greatest amount will be listed first and the smallest ingredient will be listed last. Avoid those foods that list enriched ingredients or sugars first.
By paying attention to what we buy at the grocery store and learning to read labels, we can all take an important step towards a healthier life.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Pomegranates Pack a Healthy Punch
What exactly are Pomegranates? You may have read of this formidable fruit in the pages of Greek mythology or even encountered references to it in bedtime stories. Pomegranate has been called various names such as Granada and Chinese apple. It's humble origins trace through the Middle East and Asia. Pomegranate trees in modern times have become a nice backyard decorative feature with their lovely round fruit that can occasionally be found in your local super mart.
Why Pomegranates? In fruit or in juice form, pomegranates just taste good. If you don't like drinking red wine and regret that you don't get its health benefits, pomegranate juice is a great alternative. Its antioxidant power is better than those found in cranberries, green teas and red wines. This means that you have a better way of fighting the effects of free radicals, aging and even the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Should you drink pomegranate juice? Not only does it taste delicious, but studies have found out that pomegranates are good for your heart and blood. This means that you have a better chance of preventing clogged arteries, heart disease and bad cholesterol. Pomegranate juice also helps fight cancer and regular intake could lower the PSA levels.
Is the pomegranate fruit good for me? This fruit not only supports heart health, but it is also low in calories, with only around 100 calories and 25g of sugar per fruit. That's Not All! Pomegranates are also a great source of potassium, vitamin B and Vitamin C which are good for your body's immune system. Plus, this fruit is rich in fiber so you don't have to feel guilty in having a bite.
Pomegranates are seasonal fruits and it's nearly impossible to find a fresh one that's out of season. This is not a reason why you shouldn't get its health benefits - just substitute juice. Just remember that when you buy pomegranate juice, always go for 100% natural - minus the sugar. Not only are pomegranates delicious, but it is your natural alternative to a healthy you.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Why Pomegranates? In fruit or in juice form, pomegranates just taste good. If you don't like drinking red wine and regret that you don't get its health benefits, pomegranate juice is a great alternative. Its antioxidant power is better than those found in cranberries, green teas and red wines. This means that you have a better way of fighting the effects of free radicals, aging and even the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Should you drink pomegranate juice? Not only does it taste delicious, but studies have found out that pomegranates are good for your heart and blood. This means that you have a better chance of preventing clogged arteries, heart disease and bad cholesterol. Pomegranate juice also helps fight cancer and regular intake could lower the PSA levels.
Is the pomegranate fruit good for me? This fruit not only supports heart health, but it is also low in calories, with only around 100 calories and 25g of sugar per fruit. That's Not All! Pomegranates are also a great source of potassium, vitamin B and Vitamin C which are good for your body's immune system. Plus, this fruit is rich in fiber so you don't have to feel guilty in having a bite.
Pomegranates are seasonal fruits and it's nearly impossible to find a fresh one that's out of season. This is not a reason why you shouldn't get its health benefits - just substitute juice. Just remember that when you buy pomegranate juice, always go for 100% natural - minus the sugar. Not only are pomegranates delicious, but it is your natural alternative to a healthy you.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Easy Meditation Techniques Are Best For Beginners
The idea of searching for easy medication techniques may sound odd to a person who has understood the true meaning of meditation. However, until a person reaches that level, meditation often seems very tough and confusing.
More often than not, one learns all about medication just by mediating. Hence, if you are a beginner, it is natural to search for something that can be called 'Easy meditation.'
As confidence increases, one begins to understand what meditation is all about. One is then in a position to understand the complicated language used by experts. Once this level is reached, all meditation techniques become easy.
What Exactly Is Meant By Easy Meditation?
To meditate without any difficulty, it is imperative that you remain comfortable. However, you should not be so comfortable that your body simply relaxes and goes to sleep.
Your body should be in a comfortable position but should not be so relaxed that your mind becomes lethargic. Meditation involves strenuous mental activity and your posture and environment should facilitate such activity.
Secondly, one should opt for those medication techniques that do not involve too many exercises which are difficult to remember and follow. For meditation to be easy, it should consist of simple exercises which can be easily remembered.
Just log onto the web and search for different meditation techniques for beginners. Choose a technique which seems most convenient to follow. Try it and give it your best shot before judging its effectiveness.
More often not, meditation techniques for beginners recommend meditating in short bursts. You may meditate three times a day for not more than five minutes each. This helps you get used to the concept of meditating.
Further, it ensures that your meditation does not affect your daily schedule, many persons put in so much time in the beginning that they lack time to do other things. Soon, they quit meditation due to lack of time.
A person who meditates properly will find a drastic rise in his productivity. However, until your productivity improves, it is sensible to meditate for short periods.
As one gets used to meditation, the time period goes on increasing until one finds that meditating for hours together is not a problem. In fact, a person who manages to focus on a single purpose for so long will do other jobs a lot faster than before.
Easy meditation techniques often involve mindless repetition of a chant, thought or phrase. This does lead to boredom and the person's mind may be dulled by the constant and repetitive actions.
However, this is best for beginners who put in too much effort to block thoughts from their mind only to find that the mind is never at rest. They often quit saying they never thought meditation would be so 'hard'.
To ensure persons do not miss out on the fantastic benefits of meditation, the mind is gradually brought under control with the help of repetitive actions and thoughts. Easy meditation is perfect for those who feel meditation is too tough for them.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Saturday, February 2, 2008
More often than not, one learns all about medication just by mediating. Hence, if you are a beginner, it is natural to search for something that can be called 'Easy meditation.'
As confidence increases, one begins to understand what meditation is all about. One is then in a position to understand the complicated language used by experts. Once this level is reached, all meditation techniques become easy.
What Exactly Is Meant By Easy Meditation?
To meditate without any difficulty, it is imperative that you remain comfortable. However, you should not be so comfortable that your body simply relaxes and goes to sleep.
Your body should be in a comfortable position but should not be so relaxed that your mind becomes lethargic. Meditation involves strenuous mental activity and your posture and environment should facilitate such activity.
Secondly, one should opt for those medication techniques that do not involve too many exercises which are difficult to remember and follow. For meditation to be easy, it should consist of simple exercises which can be easily remembered.
Just log onto the web and search for different meditation techniques for beginners. Choose a technique which seems most convenient to follow. Try it and give it your best shot before judging its effectiveness.
More often not, meditation techniques for beginners recommend meditating in short bursts. You may meditate three times a day for not more than five minutes each. This helps you get used to the concept of meditating.
Further, it ensures that your meditation does not affect your daily schedule, many persons put in so much time in the beginning that they lack time to do other things. Soon, they quit meditation due to lack of time.
A person who meditates properly will find a drastic rise in his productivity. However, until your productivity improves, it is sensible to meditate for short periods.
As one gets used to meditation, the time period goes on increasing until one finds that meditating for hours together is not a problem. In fact, a person who manages to focus on a single purpose for so long will do other jobs a lot faster than before.
Easy meditation techniques often involve mindless repetition of a chant, thought or phrase. This does lead to boredom and the person's mind may be dulled by the constant and repetitive actions.
However, this is best for beginners who put in too much effort to block thoughts from their mind only to find that the mind is never at rest. They often quit saying they never thought meditation would be so 'hard'.
To ensure persons do not miss out on the fantastic benefits of meditation, the mind is gradually brought under control with the help of repetitive actions and thoughts. Easy meditation is perfect for those who feel meditation is too tough for them.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Meditation and Its Benefits
Meditation is rooted in Eastern culture and has been practiced for thousands of years by different cultures throughout the world. The term meditation encompasses a wide variety of techniques and practices, including mindful meditation, transcendental meditation, and guided meditation. The various forms of meditation implement techniques such as focusing attention on an object, a word, or the breath. A specific posture is sometimes used but not necessary.
Meditation is easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and can be done most anywhere. Stress reduction is often experienced after just the first session. For long-term health benefits, most research agrees that a mere 20 minutes a day is all that is needed. However, even 10 minutes a few times a week can make a difference.
The regular practice of meditation contributes to both psychological and physiological health. Meditation brings the brainwave pattern into an alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes healing. Meditation is used as a form of relaxation, to promote mental acuity, to promote psychological health, to aid in treatment in various physical disorders and diseases, and for overall mind/body health.
The psychological benefits of meditation can include:
* Decreased anxiety
* Decreased depression
* Decreased stress
* Decreased moodiness and/or irritability
* Increased emotional stability
* Greater creativity
* Increased learning ability
* Increased memory
* Increased vitality
* Increased happiness
The physiological benefits of meditation can include:
* Lower heart rate, resulting in a reduced workload on the heart
* Increased blood flow
* Lower levels of cortisol, a corticosteroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland that is connected to stress levels
* Reduction of free radicals, an unstable molecule within the body that can cause tissue damage and lead to disease
* Lower blood pressure
* Lower cholesterol levels
* Improved air flow
* Decreased muscle tension, thereby reducing tension headaches and various pain conditions.
* Increases activity of natural-killer cells, thereby improving the function of the immune system
* Increased exercise tolerance
* Increased serotonin production, which may help relieve insomnia
* A decrease in the intensity of some symptoms associated with various chronic illnesses
Much research has been done to back up the beneficial claims of meditation. Some of that research follows:
In order to determine exactly what part of the brain meditation acts on, researchers at Harvard Medical School used an MRI to monitor the brain activity of participants while they meditated. The research found that meditation activates the sections of the brain in charge of the autonomic nervous system, which controls body functions such as digestion and blood pressure. Since these functions are often compromised by stress, it makes sense that meditation would benefit stress-related conditions such as heart disease and digestive disorders.
Jon Kabat-Zin, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and director of the Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic, recorded the brain waves of stressed employees of a Madison, Wisconsin firm. Kabat-Zin found that people who meditate shift their brain activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex of the brain to the calmer left frontal cortex. This shift decreases the negative effects of stress, anxiety, and mild depression. Kabat-Zin also noted that the amygdala, the section of the brain that processes fear, became less active.
In a separate study by Kabat-Zin, patients with chronic pain conditions participated in mindful meditation for an eight-week period. Seventy-two-percent of those patients experienced at least a 33-percent reduction in pain. Sixty-one-percent of patients felt their pain had been reduced by a minimum of 50-percent.
The arthritis self-help course at Stanford University employed meditative techniques as a key element of their program. More than 100,000 people with arthritis have taken the 12-hour course to learn meditation-style relaxation exercises. Graduates report a 15- to 20-percent reduction in pain.
The journal Stroke published a study of 60 African-Americans with atherosclerosis, divided into groups that either did or did not practice meditation for six to nine months. African-Americans were specifically chosen for this study because they are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as are whites. The study participants who meditated showed a marked decrease in the thickness of their artery walls. Contrarily, the participants who did not meditate showed an increase of their artery walls. The reduction of artery wall thickness in the meditation group could potentially decrease the risk of heart attack by 8-percent and the risk of stroke by 8- to 15-percent.
A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine had 90 cancer patients practice mindful meditation for seven weeks. At the end of the study, the patients reported significantly less depression, anxiety, anger, and confusion. They also had more energy and fewer heart and gastrointestinal problems.
Researchers at the Maharishi School of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, studied a group of people who had meditated for four months. At the study's closing, the researchers determined that the group produced less cortisol (the so-called stress hormone) and were better able to adapt to stress in their lives.
While it helps to know and understand the research, you need not wait for research to back up a specific claim. Meditation almost always offers at least some benefit and has never been linked to any sort of health complications.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
Meditation is easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and can be done most anywhere. Stress reduction is often experienced after just the first session. For long-term health benefits, most research agrees that a mere 20 minutes a day is all that is needed. However, even 10 minutes a few times a week can make a difference.
The regular practice of meditation contributes to both psychological and physiological health. Meditation brings the brainwave pattern into an alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes healing. Meditation is used as a form of relaxation, to promote mental acuity, to promote psychological health, to aid in treatment in various physical disorders and diseases, and for overall mind/body health.
The psychological benefits of meditation can include:
* Decreased anxiety
* Decreased depression
* Decreased stress
* Decreased moodiness and/or irritability
* Increased emotional stability
* Greater creativity
* Increased learning ability
* Increased memory
* Increased vitality
* Increased happiness
The physiological benefits of meditation can include:
* Lower heart rate, resulting in a reduced workload on the heart
* Increased blood flow
* Lower levels of cortisol, a corticosteroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland that is connected to stress levels
* Reduction of free radicals, an unstable molecule within the body that can cause tissue damage and lead to disease
* Lower blood pressure
* Lower cholesterol levels
* Improved air flow
* Decreased muscle tension, thereby reducing tension headaches and various pain conditions.
* Increases activity of natural-killer cells, thereby improving the function of the immune system
* Increased exercise tolerance
* Increased serotonin production, which may help relieve insomnia
* A decrease in the intensity of some symptoms associated with various chronic illnesses
Much research has been done to back up the beneficial claims of meditation. Some of that research follows:
In order to determine exactly what part of the brain meditation acts on, researchers at Harvard Medical School used an MRI to monitor the brain activity of participants while they meditated. The research found that meditation activates the sections of the brain in charge of the autonomic nervous system, which controls body functions such as digestion and blood pressure. Since these functions are often compromised by stress, it makes sense that meditation would benefit stress-related conditions such as heart disease and digestive disorders.
Jon Kabat-Zin, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and director of the Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic, recorded the brain waves of stressed employees of a Madison, Wisconsin firm. Kabat-Zin found that people who meditate shift their brain activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex of the brain to the calmer left frontal cortex. This shift decreases the negative effects of stress, anxiety, and mild depression. Kabat-Zin also noted that the amygdala, the section of the brain that processes fear, became less active.
In a separate study by Kabat-Zin, patients with chronic pain conditions participated in mindful meditation for an eight-week period. Seventy-two-percent of those patients experienced at least a 33-percent reduction in pain. Sixty-one-percent of patients felt their pain had been reduced by a minimum of 50-percent.
The arthritis self-help course at Stanford University employed meditative techniques as a key element of their program. More than 100,000 people with arthritis have taken the 12-hour course to learn meditation-style relaxation exercises. Graduates report a 15- to 20-percent reduction in pain.
The journal Stroke published a study of 60 African-Americans with atherosclerosis, divided into groups that either did or did not practice meditation for six to nine months. African-Americans were specifically chosen for this study because they are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as are whites. The study participants who meditated showed a marked decrease in the thickness of their artery walls. Contrarily, the participants who did not meditate showed an increase of their artery walls. The reduction of artery wall thickness in the meditation group could potentially decrease the risk of heart attack by 8-percent and the risk of stroke by 8- to 15-percent.
A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine had 90 cancer patients practice mindful meditation for seven weeks. At the end of the study, the patients reported significantly less depression, anxiety, anger, and confusion. They also had more energy and fewer heart and gastrointestinal problems.
Researchers at the Maharishi School of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, studied a group of people who had meditated for four months. At the study's closing, the researchers determined that the group produced less cortisol (the so-called stress hormone) and were better able to adapt to stress in their lives.
While it helps to know and understand the research, you need not wait for research to back up a specific claim. Meditation almost always offers at least some benefit and has never been linked to any sort of health complications.
posted by Healthy Life at 11:32 PM
