Tips to keep your skin healthy and acne free

September 29th, 2011 by cooldude

Everybody longs for a healthy skin and here are some vital tips on how to keep your complexion glowing and acne free. Firstly, follow a balanced and healthy diet. Your meal structure must be rich in green veggies and fresh fruits. Avoid the junkies as much as possible.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday. Water will keep the body hydrated, supply it with the needed moisture and eliminate out all the harmful toxic substances from the body. Exercise regularly since a daily workout enhances blood circulation and causes the effective expulsion of the unwanted chemicals and toxins from the body through perspiration. It also reduces hormone imbalance that might otherwise lead to acne issues.

Avoid the ill habits like smoking as it’s very harmful for the skin. Then, always go for the oil free cosmetic products as the oil based ones are dangerous for acnes. Lastly, you must take sufficient sleep at night as while we sleep the body would cleanse out our system from the previous day toxins.

Importance of Omega 3 Fatty acid

September 22nd, 2011 by cooldude

Omega-3 is the vitamin which is very much essential in any one’s body. This acid will make your body more fit and free from many diseases. These acids could not be produced in your body so you have to orally take it.

It is used to treat many mental disorders and repair some neuronal damage. The omegs-3 will be helpful in controlling blood pressure. This acid would be essential in brain power that would increase your memory. It is also very good for your skin and hair. The omega-3 is a vital component in a child’s growth. This acid is mostly found in many fishes.

This acid is also found in walnuts, green salads, pumpkin and many other grains. You can also take in capsule form that would be very much helpful in avoiding heart and cancer problems. You should make sure that this acid should be included in your daily meal to make your body grow and healthy.

Learn to keep your high blood pressure under control

September 14th, 2011 by cooldude

High blood pressure can be life-threatening. A lot of people suffer from high blood pressure. You need to exercise regularly to keep your blood pressure under control. Exercise for at least thirty minutes everyday.

Controlling your diet is very important if you want to keep your high blood pressure under control. Avoid foods that have high fats. Have lots of fruits, whole grains and dairy products which have low fat content. Do not add extra salt to your diet. Salt contains sodium which makes the body retain water. Reduce the sodium levels in your diet as much as possible.

Take medicines regularly if your doctor has suggested any. Go for regular check ups to the doctor. Stress also increases blood pressure. Thus try to keep your stress levels low. Do yoga, meditation and tai chi to keep yourself stress free.

Once you see the results of following all the steps do not discontinue. You need to continue maintaining your balanced lifestyle to keep high blood pressure in control.

Food to increase your body potassium level

September 6th, 2011 by cooldude

Potassium is one of the most important minerals for our body. It controls BP, maintains water balance in the body, regulates our body pH, basicity, acidity and keeps the brain in order. What more, potassium also helps to regulate our cardiac activities, boosts up nerve reflexes and aids in effective digestion.

There are a various foods which are rich in potassium. These are whole grains, turnips, fish, molasses, cider vinegar, citrus fruits, avocados, bananas, tomatoes, yoghurt, oranges, poultry, potatoes and their skins, apricots, green leafy veggies like lettuce and spinach and meat. However, dried apricots come with more potassium compared to the fresh ones. And, 1 large orange everyday supplies you with around 1/8th of your daily potassium need.

Though we all need to intake the mineral within a range of 2,000 to 3,000 mg every day, yet there are some people who needs to consume more. These people are women taking oral contraceptives, chronic drug addicts, athletes and people living under constant stress.

Healthy eating and nutrition

May 11th, 2011 by Nutrition expert

Nutrition basics

For mastering nutrition basics you should understand various food groups and become aware of calories and roles played by specific nutrients in healthy diet. You can consult your doctor or dietitian for getting personal dietary advice which considers your health status, your lifestyle, and your likes and dislikes of food.

Healthy diets

If you wish to adopt a healthy lifestyle regarding diet you can go through healthy diets given in magazines as well as cookbooks, making sure to get one that includes a various foods from major food groups such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy products, nuts and seeds, along with healthy fats.

You should consider health risks. If you have high blood pressure you should follow a diet with low salt and saturated fat, and have more vegetables, fruits, whole grains along with healthy fats in your diet. For getting personal advice, you can talk with your dietitian.

The Food Nutritional Chart- A guide for healthy eating habits

May 7th, 2011 by Nutrition expert

The food nutritional chart is useful as a guide in choosing healthy meal choices. A food nutritional chart gives detailed information about various foods from different groups recommended on food pyramid. A food nutritional chart shows number of calories present in certain foods, amounts of carbohydrates, fats and sodium. These major categories are further divided into subgroups, based on food complexity level on nutritional chart. Amount of fiber and sugars is specified alongside total carbohydrate amount because fiber and sugars have different effects on blood glucose level of a person, and this information is necessary for correctly controlling blood sugar levels or for taking correct amount of medicine. Fats are further divided in saturated fats and unsaturated fats, and trans fats.

Food nutritional charts seem complicated at first, but information provided is very useful for consumers and is simple if you understand some key concepts like differences in types of fats, the importance of different carbohydrate types.

About food and nutrition

May 2nd, 2011 by Nutrition expert

Due to growing awareness about correlation between debilitating diseases and poor diet, many people have started taking measures to maintain a healthy and well balanced diet. Unfortunately, nutritional needs of your body are not completely met by meals alone. There is a debate about the necessity of taking diet supplements. Some people believe that intake of diet supplement is necessary to provide needed nutrient amount which is not obtained from food sources. The key is identifying which minerals, vitamins and nutrients are deficient in your body. You can identify this from your diet or by consulting a physician.

The food which we consume goes through various processes contributing to the decrease in its nutrient value. Farming methods use fertilizers and chemicals to get a high yield which is followed by washing as well as packaging. It undergoes through many processes to make it clean but not nutritious enough for your body’s needs.

Proper food for maintaining a healthy body

April 28th, 2011 by Nutrition expert

For maintaining a healthy body you should eat proper food. Health experts have recommended having fiber intake of 25 – 40 grams for maintaining a healthy body. The fibre is necessary for proper functioning of gastrointestinal tract, maintaining useful bacteria level in intestine and cholesterol reduction. Fibres are of two types such as soluble as well as insoluble. Soluble fibres are psyllium and flax which absorb water to create a feeling of satiation to control food intake. Fibrous vegetables and fruits are great sources of fibre and have low calories.

Natural vitamins have more benefits and are less expensive. Natural foods are beneficial for your body as compared to those foods grown using pesticides or fungicides, or are genetically engineered. Cooking food at high temperatures can reduce proteins present in food up to 50 percent; destroy about 60 to 70 percent of the vitamins which are important for building as well as maintaining health and energy.

Some concerns about Canned Food

April 27th, 2011 by Nutrition expert

We are concerned whether essential nutrients are present in canned food. Several university studies confirm that canned vegetables and fruits provide dietary fiber and nutrients similar to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Another concern is about loss of important nutrients during canning process. But for some foods, the cooking process helps to increase some important nutrients. In processed sweet corn, due to heat processing antioxidant activity and lutein level is increased which helps for fighting disease and preserving eyesight.

There is no need to be concerned whether canned foods have more sodium. Many vegetable products are available in no-salt and low-salt alternatives. Also you should not worry whether canned foods have more preservatives because vast majority of products are free of preservatives and are natural. Many canned foods are thermally processed. The vegetables and fruits are picked when they are ripe to retain flavor and nutrients and cooked without preservatives to keep them natural.

Diabetes and eating healthy

April 26th, 2011 by Nutrition expert

Diabetes is a serious disease which results in blood sugar as your body is not able to turn food into energy due to lack of enough insulin. High glucose levels may damage your heart, eyes, kidneys, legs, nerves, and feet. You can get diabetes if you are overweight, or not doing exercise regularly. To control and manage diabetes you should have a healthy lifestyle and eating plan. You should eat more fruits, grains, vegetables, and fewer amounts of meat, fats and sweets each day. You should be physically active for preventing weight gain and improving sugar control in blood.

You should eat various types of foods for getting a balanced nutrient intake required by your body consisting of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. You should eat foods with fewer high fats. You should have minimum 5 servings of vegetables and fruits every day to get more fiber. You should avoid fruit juices, sodas, fruit flavored drinks which contain high sugar.