Natural or Organic?

The term "Health Foods" include natural and organic grown fruit and vegetables, various pills and herbs. Some of these foods are nutritionally good and some such as herbs and ginseng are unproven. The term "Health Food" is very misleading since it implies that all other foods are unhealthy.
Vegetarianism: There is nothing nutritionally wrong with being a vegetarian, in fact most nutritionist recommend this type of diet because it is high in diet fibre, low in fats, more fruit and vegetables. Many vegetarians eat eggs and drink milk, on the other hand some don't use animal products at all and are as far as known very healthy.
Whole Foods: Whole foods are better than refined foods. This means that wholewheat bread and flour are healthier than white bread and flour. Choosing unrefined rice and maize rather than refined. Brown sugar is very little different from white sugar.
Organic Grown Foods: Most farmers and gardeners fertilize their soil with sulfate of ammonia, potash and phosphate ect. They also add manure and compost as much as they can find. Advocates of organic farming claims that the use of chemicals is artificial and that foods that are grown naturally are more superior. In fact there is no difference between them. Organic farmers avoid the use of chemicals, weed killers and pesticides. A few tasting trials that were carried out, could not distinguish which are organically grown and inorganically fertilized foods. Nutritionally they are the same.
Sea salt: Most salt comes from underground mines and is highly purified. It usually have some magnesium carbonate (a harmless mineral salt) added to make it flow freely. Sea salt contains natural Iodine.

Honey: Honey is simply sugar and water with very small traces of several vitamins and mineral salts. The food value of a teaspoon of honey is the same as a ¾ teaspoon of ordinary table sugar.
Cider Vinegar, Kelp, "Live" Yogurt and Ginseng: Cider vinegar is made of re-fermented cider, meaning, it is made in a similar way as wine vinegar. Nutritionally it provides a few calories and nothing else.
Kelp is a seaweed and a source of iodine which is an essential nutrient with a few mineral salts of lessor importance. It has no special food value.
"Live" Yogurt contains the bacteria which turned the milk into yogurt, whereas ordinary yogurt has usually the bacteria killed by pasteurisation. If it was made of full cream milk instead of skim milk powder, it would have tasted better and of nutritional value, not because of the bacteria that are still alive. The bacteria do not survive inside the human intestines and do not provide any benefits.
Ginseng is the root of a bush that grows in China and Korea. A vast range of magical properties is attributed to it, again no evidence or truth that it works has ever been found.
Balanced Vitamins: Most health shops sell tablets of balanced vitamins that have been extracted from wheat, yeast or liver instead of being synthesised in a factory. They were balanced so far as the wheat plant or the yeast or the animal's liver were concerned BUT they are not balanced for Human needs. Wheat contains very little B2. Vit B1 in yeast extract steadily falls while it sits on the shelf. The B vitamins in the liver extract will depend on how the animal was fed.
Herbs: Herbs have a mystical appeal since they were used as medicines for centuries. Some of them have no effect, some contains poison like Comfrey and Rhubarb and some contain small amounts of drugs like Fennel. Some modern medicines are extracted from herbs, quinine was originally extracted from tree bark. Pleasant drinks can be made from some herbs, leaves and petals but they have no beneficial effects.
Healthy Eating at a Restaurant: Is it Possible?
If you and your family love to eat out, you may think that this lifestyle is not good for a healthy diet. In many cases, you would be correct. You can still enjoy eating out at restaurants and maintain your healthy diet. It's all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutritional value of the food you eat and what your body needs to stay physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.
When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the alcoholic drinks section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many "bad" calories, which is not good for your body. The exception to this rule is when it comes to wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass.
Skip the appetizer menu, unless it's a salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave for more. Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and chicken wings. Simply focus on the main course or if you must indulge, share a single serving with someone at your table.
Choosing the main dish is very important. Look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided and pass the potatoes and onion rings. Instead order side dishes like green salad and vegetables or ask for just the main course when possible.
Remember that portions is everything. Try to order from the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie-bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start, so that you are not tempted to eat the entire plate, which is usually enough for two or three portions.
SKIP the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers. If you have to have desert share or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts at restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! Of course, on special occasions, it's alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptations around you.



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How Much Fruit is Too Much Fruit?

Raspberry Ketones for Weight Loss

There has been a lot of talk about raspberry ketones this year thanks to a mention on the Dr. Oz show. With a discussion of the benefits of these ketones, the stores couldn't keep them in stock. Things have settled down a little since then, but they are still extremely popular.

Raspberries, like all fruit, are good for you as part of a healthy diet. Raspberries have a special benefit that not many fruits provide. That is, raspberries can provide ketones to our bodies.

The problem is raspberries contain such small quantities of ketones that you could eat until you're full and only receive a tiny benefit of the ketones from raspberries. That's why supplements are beneficial; they contain a concentrated form of ketones extracted from raspberries.

What are ketones?

Ketone enzymes occur naturally in our bodies. Ketones (ketone bodies) are the result of our bodies metabolizing fatty acids. If we do not consume enough carbohydrates to provide our bodies with the sugar energy (glucose) it needs, it breaks down fat for energy and ketones result from this process. Our bodies will then use ketones instead of glucose for the energy it needs.

What is ketosis?

When our bodies are in ketosis (elevated ketone levels), we feel less hungry and eat less than we would if not in ketosis. While in ketosis, our bodies are burning fat as the main source of energy. Our brains use glucose for the energy it needs. But when glucose is not available our brains switch to running on ketones since they can't burn fat for energy.

What are raspberry ketones?

Raspberry ketones are a compound found in, and derived from, raspberries. They are what give raspberries their unique aroma. They are a natural dietary supplement that boosts our body's ability to burn fat and lose weight, naturally.

Raspberry ketones help our bodies produce and release adiponectin. Adiponectin is secreted from fat tissues and from our liver and is a protein that helps regulate our metabolism. Higher levels of adiponectin are associated with lower levels of body fat.

They are an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect against cell damage (oxidation) and help fight off diseases.

When taken as part of a healthy diet and exercise, you can expect good results from taking raspberry ketones. This would be the most beneficial way to go about making a healthy change in your weight. You can rely solely on the ketones, but you will have longer lasting and better results if combined with a healthy diet and exercise plan.

Some of the benefits of raspberry ketones are:

Benefit #1:They help our bodies produce adiponectin.

Benefit #2: They are an antioxidant.

Benefit #3: They are all natural (the raspberry ketones).

Benefit #4: Assist with the elimination of fat.

Benefit #5: They boost metabolism.

So far to date, there have not been any studies done on the effects of raspberry ketones on humans. Japanese scientists did a research study on mice and found raspberry ketones to significantly increase the burning of stored fat and inhibit fat from being stored.

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The Benefits of Poo - How Many Times a Day Do You Go?

Let's have a bit of fun today and talk about something so rarely spoken of... Poo!

When I ask my clients to talk to me about their daily habits on the toilet, most get embarrassed and wonder why I'm asking.

Simply put... If you are not going to the toilet frequently, you are not releasing toxins.

Let's just say... today, you woke up and had your morning bacon and eggs. Then you go to work, sitting behind the wheel of your car in traffic. An hour later you show up and the food has just sat in your tummy.

Then you have your morning coffee on the way into work because you need that hit of caffeine to get your day started. You get to work and take the lift up to your floor and then sit behind your desk typing away at the keyboard.

You get a bit hungry and decide to have a pastry that the office has brought in for the staff. Then sit back down again.

Off to lunch where you have a sandwich that likely has more bread than fillings and remember the sugary sauce you add to it so that it tastes better.

Then back to the desk.

For your afternoon tea, if you remember to move away from your desk to eat it, is a piece of fruit.

Are you getting the picture? Eat... sit. Eat... sit.

Now, where in the day was the toilet stops? I am amazed at how many people think it's OK to spend even one day without going poo! Never mind the lack of water in people's diets, and consequently a lack of urination.

So why is it important to frequent ourselves at the toilet?

To EXPEL SH#T! Excuse my language but that's what you are doing! You take in all this food and please remember that food is not something we should eat just because it tastes nice and we are emotional beings, so we must eat to suit our cravings.

Food is a source of energy. Once the body has gotten what it needs out of the food, then the rest needs to be eliminated. When you don't eliminate it, then you get a build up of toxins in your body and your colon.

The toxic build up can actually cause decay in your body. This decay can attract viruses and bacteria and all sorts of yucky bugs to the area. When the yucky bugs are there many of the good bacteria that keep our system clean, gets killed off.

Imagine an animal killed on the street with bugs flying around it and eating it from the smell of the decay. That's what your insides can start to look like! YUCK! No Thanks!

All of the build up and bugs can lead to disease and sickness. The first symptoms may be fogginess, forgetfulness, restlessness, fatigue, and lack of endurance and energy.

So, in order to keep your insides healthy, you MUST POO! Going to the toilet a couple times a day is a GREAT thing! Also remember that you must drink water to flush out your system as well. If you don't have enough water in your body, then the fluids that move your food through get sticky and it makes it more difficult again for your body to flush out the toxins.

How can you keep your insides clean?

To start with, eating a diet high in fibre is part of a healthy lifestyle. This doesn't mean go out and buy some high fibre shake to get your bowels moving. Eat things with roughness that will clean you as they move through! Eating fruit and veggies is nature's way of cleaning you.

Exercise!

Get up and move and things inside of you move! You know you should do it. The question is, "Are you?"

To fast or not to fast?

The thought of not eating for some people sounds like the craziest, stupidest thing you can do. I know it did to me when I first heard about it. The more that I have learned about fasting, the more I understand it's wonderful benefits, if it's right for you.

The most common fasts that I have seen are...

Water fast, where you don't eat anything and only drink water and...

Juice fast, where you don't eat solid foods, but can juice anything and also drink water.

They can be done for different durations depending on the results you are after.

If a fast seems like too much for you, then you can do a cleanse.

There are multiple ways to cleanse. All of them should eliminate anything processed. That also means no added sugars to anything. All the ones that I have seen eliminate dairy as well. This leaves you with eating yummy fruits, vegetables and proteins.

The reason for doing your cleanse, will determine how far you take it.

For either a cleanse or a fast, please speak to a healthcare professional before you start to make sure that it is safe for you. Look for naturopaths or dieticians who specialize in this area or who have worked with these in the past.

The benefits to fasting or cleansing are amazing!

You will regain vitality, have glowing skin, can help with eczema, headaches, pains in the body, and respiratory and circulatory conditions, kick starts weight loss, increases your metabolism, boosts your energy and so much more.

I will give you fair warning from personal experience... Although these are the benefits and they do come eventually... The first few days can be horrible. Your body is releasing all the toxins and dead smelly stuff filled with bugs into the system to get it out. By doing so, it's likely you will feel worse before you feel better. Trust me though, it's worth it, so stick with it!

Colonics and Enemas... What the heck are they?

Okay, so this gets into messy territory. I know many of you don't want to imagine something being stuck up your bum filling with you with water so that you can have it all flow back out again. But you just did!

It took me a long time to get the courage up to actually try this. Since doing it, I'm a huge fan!

The difference between the two is simple. With a colonic, there is a tube gently placed up your bum and water is moved through so that it gets all the way through your colon. As it is happening, your faeces is happily moving through another tube and out of you, so you will not see or smell it. This is administered by a qualified practitioner.

You can do an enema at home with a kit that you can buy online or at some chemists. It only gets to the lower part of the colon. You allow the water to go up and let it sit for a while, then you go to the toilet and let it all come out. My husband and I did this together for the first time... Let me tell you it was a bonding experience.

At first it's a bit uncomfortable, having the pressure of water inside of you, but the results are wonderful!

My tummy is flatter, I feel clean, have more energy, my skin gets a glow back, I am more focused and my overall sense of well-being is lifted. It truly only takes 30 minutes at home, if you do an enema, and is well worth it!


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All About Jackfruit You Should Know

Are you looking for unique fruit to mix with your drinks or dishes? Go to local supermarkets and buy a jackfruit. You probably never knew about this fruit before, but once you taste it, you will love it.

Jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. Later on, it spread early to other parts of India, Southeast Asia, the East Indies, and Philippines. Besides being planted in those areas, it is also planted in central and eastern Africa. In Brazil and Surinam, this fruit is increasingly popular. In tropical areas, it is even a common garden tree.

If you do not have any idea about this fruit, just imagine durian, but in larger shape. Do not get surprised on its size since it is known as the largest edible tree-grown fruit on earth! Can you imagine fruit which size is 350-900mm in length and 250-500mm in diameter? The weight even can reach 80 pounds!

When you first experience tasting this fruit, you may think that the smell is unpleasant. The fully ripe smell is "sharp", although it can not be compared to durian. The fruit is unusual as it is borne on the main branches, the trunks, and occasionally even from surface roots of the tree. The tree grows to an enormous size, like a large eastern oak, so it looks sturdy and massive.

When the fruit ripens, the exterior part, or the skin, turns into green or yellow. After peeling the skin, you will find large edible yellow bulbs with sweet taste. Before peeling a fresh jackfruit, you better oil your knife first because it is very sticky.

Jackfruit is often cooked for main course dishes, desserts, soups, drinks, ice creams, fruit salads, and even chips. For main course dishes, people tend to cook it when unripe and immature, but they use the fully ripe ones for desserts. It is also available canned in sugar syrup, or frozen. Some manufactures worldwide also produce dried jackfruit chips which have unique taste. You can even roast and boil the seeds!

Jackfruit contains many vitamins and minerals. It can help prevent cancer since it contains isoflavones, antioxidants, and phytonutriens. It can also help cure ulcers and indigestion. It is also good for your diet since it is a source of dietary fiber. Now, go to local markets, get a jackfruit, and mix it with your dishes!


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Nutrition Pyramid Clarified

The nutrition pyramid is now called USDA's My Plate. It's a huge improvement over the confusing and hard to understand pyramid from before.
My Plate
My Plate looks just how it sounds, like a plate. The plate is split in half down the middle. The left hand side is half vegetables and fruit, and the right hand side is half grains and protein. There is a small cup of dairy to the top right corner of the plate.
It's a simple update to its predecessor, My Pyramid. And, it utilizes something that we use on a daily basis, the plate, to show exactly how it needs to look.
The Advantages
The one great advantage of My Plate is that it clearly defines how you need to select your food groups. One half is vegetables and fruit. The other half is grains and proteins.

There aren't any measurements to take, or needing to weigh any portions. You see the relationship of the different food groups, and know what to put on your plate.
Also, it's easy to remember. With My Pyramid, I couldn't recall how many servings of each food group to incorporate into my meals. There was just too much information to remember.
The Disadvantages
The picture may be a little too simple. Let's say I was presented with the My Plate visual.
Okay, I can see how my plate needs to look like. But what kind of fruits and vegetables? Do fried pickles and caramel apples count? (Of course not.)
What about white rice and a fatty porterhouse steak? I can make my plate look like the picture, but with what kinds of foods?
When you go to USDA's website, they give more information as to what kind of foods to eat for each category, but that information is not found in the picture. As with any food nutrition guide, it's very useful to use common sense.
Foods that are fried or soaked in butter are not the healthiest for you, even if there is some glimmer of a vegetable hidden behind the breading. Sticking with foods that are lean, fresh, and wholesome are your best bets.
Another disadvantage I find with the My Plate visual is that there is no account for exercise and activity. Maybe the USDA could add a stick figure walking after the meal? Or, running towards the plate?

Nutrition is 75% of the equation to lose weight, but exercise plays a role too. When you include exercise into your daily routine, you'll find it easy to lose pregnancy weight and keep it off too.
All in all the My Plate is a huge improvement over the My Pyramid. The nutrition pyramid had too much information to process.
Use the My Plate picture to build your meals, and remember to stick with the fundamentals of sound nutrition. Lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy are the building blocks to any meal.

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Astonishing Health Benefits of Coconut Water

Coconut water, especially tender coconut water, has incredible health benefits. It is a tasty and invigorating low-calorie natural drink. Here are some of its amazing health benefits.
For a glowing skin
Got dry skin? While skin texture is mainly hereditary, there is a lot you can do to improve it. Not many are aware of the benefits of coconut water when it comes to skin care. The liquid, considered the purest after water, helps skin to absorb water, making it look more young and supple.
Give you an energy boost
It is a good source of carbohydrate and gives you an energy boost. It can also eliminate stomach problems like heartburn, gastroenteritis and acid reflux. This is a healthier choice than any other fruit juices because it is almost entirely fat-free and sugar-free. So you can have it almost every day.

Rehydrates the body
This drink is the best to quench thirst. In case of fluid loss due to excessive sweating or vomiting, this juice helps to rehydrate the body.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Coconut water is rich in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium content and can control high blood pressure. Potassium can balance out the harmful effects of sodium, thereby helps to lower blood pressure. Drink fresh coconut water twice a day and see the results.
Heart Tonic
Tender coconut water is good for your heart. It can lower 'bad' cholesterol and increase high-density lipoprotein or the 'good' cholesterol levels, thus reducing heart disease risks.
Improves blood circulation
It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to improve blood circulation. Thus, it helps reduce plaque formation in the arteries and lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Cure for hangovers
This is also a great natural remedy for hangovers. Alcohol dehydrates your body, while this coconut juice replenishes the electrolytes in the body and boosts hydration.

Promotes Weight Loss
Coconut water is an ideal drink for weight loss. It is low in calories and easy on the stomach. In fact, this light and energizing drink has various enzymes that aid weight loss. Drink a glass of coconut juice every day to lose weight. However, do not drink in excess as eventually it may add more calories than you want.
Treats Headaches
Dehydration is the cause of most headaches. Coconut water can supply electrolytes to the body and boost hydration. Low levels of magnesium can cause migraines. This is rich in magnesium hence it can cure migraines. Studies also suggest that magnesium can help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.

Coconut water is a delicious and refreshing low-calorie natural beverage.


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