In our fast paced lives, it is so easy to get away from healthy living. If mom is working, chances are she is bringing in take away fast food ... ]]>

Our diet plays an important part in our over all well being. Some people start eating healthier foods to lower their cholesterol levels, prevent cancer or to lose weight. While others start eating healthier to look younger and some to live longer. The fact of the matter is, eating an all around healthy diet will help deal with all these things and prevent other diseases as well.

In our fast paced lives, it is so easy to get away from healthy living. If mom is working, chances are she is bringing in take away fast food or processed foods that are faster and easier to cook. She may fool herself into thinking that the frozen dinners she has in the micro wave are healthy. After all they have meat, they have veggies and even a desert there for the sweat tooth. Is it really healthy though?

All processed foods after being processed have lost all their nutrients, even if they claim to be fortified with vitamins and nutrients. For a healthy diet think fresh. Fresh fish, meat, poultry, vegetables and fruit. Eat lots and lots of leafy greens as they are choc full of anti oxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and fiber and don’t forget the whole grains and bran’s. If you eat these foods everyday you will have enough vitamins and minerals which you need for a well balanced diet.

A simple guideline for eating healthier is to eat a variety of foods, that way you will know that you are getting all the nutrients you need. Maintain a desirable weight; avoid too much saturated fats and cholesterol laden foods. Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber. Avoid too much sugar and too much sodium and while a little alcohol is fine don’t over indulge. Eat organic that way you know your food is healthy.

Foods other then what you normally eat which you can include in your diet are avocados, they contain healthy fats which improve cholesterol levels, melons are pulpy so fill you up and are packed full of vitamins, figs and bananas contain potassium and papayas have photochemical and antioxidants which fight cancer.

Walnuts contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, green veggies such as broccoli which is proven to boost the immune system and kale. Fresh berries are high in anti oxidants and beans contain protein and anti oxidants. A glass of red wine after dinner helps to fight age related diseases because it contains resueratrol and green tea which has high concentrations of chemicals the body needs. For a little treat you can also eat a small amount of dark chocolate which has a balance of fat which is not harmful to our bodies, but watch it’s high in calories so control your intake. Guava is another fruit that is good to add to your diet as it contains five times the amount of vitamin C then oranges.

Studies have shown that going vegetarian is the best diet to live longer, and you can go another step further by eating your food raw, because when cooking the nutrients are destroyed or leaked out making the food useless. The best way to cook your food and retain nutrients is to stir fry as the Chinese do, but make sure you use a vegetable oil which is healthier.

If you maintain a healthy diet your whole life, you can extend your life expectancy. We all can’t be that good all the time so it can’t hurt to have that cheese burger from take away, just don’t over do it.

5/ Exercise, exercise. It doesn't matter what you do. Be it team sports, walking, running, tennis or just getting on ... ]]>

Ten Ways to Prevent Obesity in our Families

Children are our future and we as parents need to help them attain their highest potential. If we want to have a strong and healthy future.

Today’s diet is high in the simple carbohydrates; sugar and fat. Soft drinks, cakes, candy, and junk food are constantly bombarding our families,it seems to be their daily diet.

Statistics show that heart disease is showing up at a younger age. They are discovering clogged arteries in children as young as 12 years old. Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, asthma is becoming a common occurance. People are beginning to look at these as normal. Well it is far from normal.

A major contibuting factor in these diseases is obesity. So what is a parent to do; the first thing we must do is to educate ourselves.

Here are 10 Ways to Prevent Obesity

1/ Be an example

Children learn from their parents, the first thing you as a parent must do is to show your children that you are willing to change.

2/ Do a Kitchen Clean-up

Get rid of all foods that have refined flour, or sugar in them, and replace with whole foods such as whole grains, whole sugars, eg. raw sugar, honey, or stevia, and foods with as little chemical additives as possible.

3/ Replace soft drinks, and highly sugared snacks, with healthy alternatives. Be creative. Limit sugar intake to 10% of your daily diet.

4/ Limit your dietary fat intake to less than 30% of your total calories, saturated fat should be less than 10%. Avoid all trans fatty acids, such as hydrogenated fats.

5/ Exercise, exercise. It doesn’t matter what you do. Be it team sports, walking, running, tennis or just getting on the trampoline with your kids. Just get your body moving.

6/ Consume at least five daily servings of fresh raw fruits and vegetables, especially dark orange or green vegetables and citrus fruits daily. Six servings of whole grains and at least 3-4 servings of calcium-rich foods, and make sure you get plenty of dietary fibre.

7/ Try to have 6 small nutrient-dense meals a day, rather than 3 large meals. Do not eat after 8pm. Avoid repeated unsuccessful attempts at weight loss (crash dieting).

8/ Included a food supplement, high in vitamins and minerals.

9/ Consume at least 2000 calories of high-nutrient foods. Select low-nutrient foods periodically, maybe once a week, as a sinday. But your daily diet should consist of high quality foods.

10/ Drink at least six 8oz glasses of pure, filtered water a day. Water is the best cleanser.

If you follow this advice, you will not only be preventing obesity but will also; improve resistance to colds and infection, reduce risk of developing heart disease,cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis, increased resistance to stress, maintain a feeling of wellbeing, help prevent premature aging, increased energy to enjoy life and improve emotional and mental health.

"The individual who leads a healthy life avoids that which poisons their ... ]]>

How to live a healthy life

It certainly is an audacious undertaking to try and craft a guide that can provide a substantial answer for this timeless debate. I am however up to the challenge. I must first concede however that I by no means am a perfect example and no matter how long you scour the continents I do not believe anyone on earth is perfect enough to answer all the aspects of this question. That being said let us proceed.

For brevity sake, I am going to assume that for the casual reader “healthy” refers to physical health mainly. In this case there is one area which I believe is the true source of health, and that is nutrition. Nutrition is the greatest weapon we have at our disposal and it is my firm belief that even if one was to be out of shape physically, a healthy diet would still allot for a significant amount of health. At its core, food is the fuel, the very thing from which we can draw nutrients and energy from. It also happens to be a part of your lifestyle you have direct control over.

A healthy life is one that simply pays homage and respect to the amazing vessel that is your body. Think for a moment how many infections it wards off every day. How new skin is shed and regenerated. How it replaces itself constantly. The body is an amazing entity and as such it deserves the very best when it comes to what you throw into it. A healthy lifestyle is one that avoids extremes that take their toll on the body like excess caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and processed food.

I am not going to go into nutrient specific advice on a healthy life in that I believe most people know what works for them. If the goal is fat loss or muscle gain then it is another story, but as far as basic fuel requirements for the human body, I think we can all agree that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and natural meats is a nice place to start. Take some time and use the power of the internet to see just how amazing foods can be in the fight against diseaseCinnamon to treat diabetes, fish oil to lose fat, apples to reduce inflammation, green tea to reduce risks for cancer. It is incredible what is out there!

My friends and I once had to develop a definition of healthy living for a class and this is was the compromise.

“The individual who leads a healthy life avoids that which poisons their body. Artificial concoctions such as high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil do not have a place in this individual’s food. They take the stairs whenever possible. They try to view food not only as a means of pleasure but also as the very thing which powers them. The healthy lifestyle begins and ends with the deep respect and love for the most sacred of physical forms, our own”.

Yes, I realize that borders a bit on the naturopath-psycho regime but the truth is a healthy lifestyle is very simple. We have muscles, use them. We love foods, do not abuse them. We all have consciences that guide us to make moral decisions, we also, in my own opinion, instinctively know which foods are bad for us. Just like in Poker, maybe we are not all dealt pocket aces when it comes to health, but the pot can be won with any hand. Adhere to what we know inside of us as the means to health, and we give ourselves the best chance to live the best we can.