Posts Tagged ‘health’

17
February

10 Easy Ways to a ‘Healthy-Diet’ for Kids

Creating a Healthy Home can be easier than you think.

Creating a nutritionally healthy home is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the health of your child. To start, make smart food choices, and help your child develop a positive relationship with healthy food. Your children will learn their food smarts from your example.

Here are the top 10 tips for getting children to eat healthy food:

1. Do not restrict food. Restricting food increases the risk your child may develop eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia later in life. It can also have a negative effect on growth and development. Also by restricting food you will actually increase the risk of overeating later in the day which will cause weight gain.

2. Keep healthy food at hand. Children will eat what’s readily available. Keep fruit in a bowl on the counter, not buried in the crisper section of your fridge. Remember, your child can only choose foods that you stock in the house, by limiting ‘junk food’ you will, by default, teach your child how to choose healthier foods.

3. Don’t label foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, tie foods to the things your child cares about, such as sports, academics and hobbies. Let your child know that lean protein such as turkey and calcium in dairy products give strength to their sports and academic performance, the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables add luster to skin and hair and the carbs in whole grains will give them energy to play.

4. Praise healthy choices. Give your children a proud smile and tell them how smart they are when they choose healthy foods. Kids thrive on positive reinforcement!
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16
February

Benefits Of Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin) Supplementation

One of the most overlooked supplements on the market is Vitamin B12.Your body needs this vitamin, in combination with other B vitamins, to maintain a healthy nervous system, maintain energy levels and production of good DNA. All very important processes to your everyday existence.

The number one symptom for Vitamin B12 deficiency is feeling tired and lethargic. The B-Complex vitamins play an important role in carbohydrate digestion and energy production. Without all of the proper components this system can breakdown and cause a these symptoms. If left without diagnosis or treatment, B12 deficiency can lead to a serious medical condition, Pernicious Anemia. The symptoms of B12 deficiency include; shortness of breath, fatigue, rapid heart rate, loss of appetite, diarrhea, tingling and numbness of hands and feet, sore mouth, unsteady gait, especially in the dark, tongue problems, impaired smell and bleeding gums. A high intake of Folic Acid can hide B12 deficiency. This condition is easily fixed by adding B12 rich foods to your diet or taking supplements. In most cases, Vitamin B12 should be taken in conjunction with a Folic Acid supplement and a B-Complex vitamin.

Because of changing diets, and highly processed food, there has been a significant increase in Vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is found in red meat, eggs, dairy and fish. There are no know sources of Vitamin B12 in vegetables. At one time it was quite common to feast on organ meat, but you would be hard press to find a fast food restaurant serving steak and kidney pie or liver and onions! The modern diets has led to a decline in nutritionally balanced diets. The highest sources of B12 can be found in mollusks/clams (85 micrograms per 3oz portion) and beef liver (47 micrograms per 3oz portion). Over cooking can lead to the breakdown of the vitamins. If those are not to you your liking then salmon, trout and beef are moderate sources with about 5 micrograms per 3 oz portion. Over cooking these foods can significantly reduce the quantity and quality of nutrients.

If oysters and organ meat are not to your liking then Vitamin B12 supplements will work perfectly well. There are a number of forms of B12, and this list will help you pick the proper supplement for your conditions. When in doubt, contact your doctor or use Methylcobalamin.
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7
February

9 Ways To Feed Your Soul By Simply Walking

We live in a culture that honors Type A, driven behaviors. That includes exercise and for many people, it’s taken away the joy out of simply walking. Instead of seeing walking as something you must do to get in shape, see it as a gift of being alive and let yourself fully enjoy the experience.

1) Walk with deep awareness of how it feels to move your body.
2) Experience the act of walking as if you’ve never, ever done it before.
3) Be aware. Be present in the moment. Really feel your body as you’re moving.
4) Pay attention to how your feet feel with each rolling step on the earth.
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28
January

8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss

Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don’t have to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you to decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism and keeps the self-sabotage at bay. Here are 8 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your life so you too can find weight loss success.

1. Eat more frequently during the day-
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It’s best to have 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less. Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.

2. Watch portion sizes-
Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and rice to ½ – 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.

3. Eat the right fats-
Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega 3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.
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