Home Health

ArticlesDec 16, 2014

Why Breakfast Is More ImportantThan You Think

9 Health Products You Should Incorporate In Your Daily Life

by Mike - Dec 26, 2014

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Nowadays, it is dangerous to go through daily life without ensuring all the necessary steps are taken to safeguard your health. Health has deteriorated over the years despite all the new information gleaned from costly research. It is therefore important for every individual to have a kind of regimen to protect their immune systems from being overwhelmed by diseases.

Here are a few things that you should take into consideration to ensure you have safeguards in place to maintain your health:

Health Insurance

Failing to get health insurance is an accident waiting to happen. Health insurance gives you peace of mind that, no matter what happens, you will not have to fork out millions in case you fall ill. Being stressed about potential medical bills can weaken your immune system making you prone to more diseases.

Fitness and Activity Trackers

There are a lot of fitness and activity tracking wearables available in the market. Two popular ones are the Samsung Gear Fit and the FitBit Charger. These devices help you keep track of your calories, your movement and your heart rate. They are essential in monitoring your health.

Aqua Health Products

Water is very important to our well-being but most people don’t drink enough of it. Water helps our bodies get rid of the toxins released from the cells. Water also nourishes the cells in the body. In use now is ionized water, which is said to restore the acid-alkaline balance in the body; provide more minerals and oxygen; act as an anti-oxidant; and rehydrate the body. This is essential for overall health.

Dietary Products

Vitamins and Supplements are important additions to the daily nutrients received from healthy diets. The purpose of the supplements is to solve any deficiency of particular minerals in your food consumption.

Dairy products are said to improve the health of the bones due to their calcium content. They also provide Vitamin D which nourishes the skin and improves bone mass. Honey provides anti-microbial properties for the skin. Honey also stimulates the growth of Prebiotics which are beneficial bacteria found in the digestive system. Honey is also known for helping in curing sleep disorders.

Food Safety Guides

With the continued rise of new industries, our food supply is at risk of dangerous chemicals. Other times, animals in the ecosystem spread dangerous chemicals and diseases through to the humans and it is important to understand the proper food safety and handling practices in order to stay safe. For example, there are now high levels of arsenic in rice. Arsenic is found in pesticides and can be toxic to the body if ingested. It causes heart disease, some cancers and diabetes.

Exercise Machines

For those who can’t afford to go to the gym, adjustments can be made to the home to allow for home exercises. There are those who have money but are still unwilling to go to the gym. A possible solution would be to purchase an exercise machine for the home. A highly-rated machine right now is the rowing machine. Rowing is said to impact on many muscles on the body. Indoor rowing machines enable you to work your hands, torso and legs. It is a great addition to your health regimen.

Personal Care Products

There are products which are meant to save you from future illnesses. Stress Balls allow you to work out your stress by compressing a ball. The act of squeezing the ball also acts as a form of exercise for the hand which is important as it strengthens your hand and reduces the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome. Insect repellents keep you safe from insects which cause diseases such as mosquitoes. It is important to use sunscreen to prevent cancer due to overexposure to the rays of the sun.

Orthopaedic Supports

Orthopaedic supports can include things like pillows or firm mattresses which protect your body form. If you wake up feeling back pain or neck pain, orthopaedic tools can assist you in either eradicating or managing the pain. Orthopaedic supports can also be used to combat issues such as snoring.

Herbal Cleansers

Sometimes our bodies need to be detoxified. While there are natural products available, you can also opt for medical prescriptions. These products allow you to remove toxins from your body and also cleanse you.

These products are of use to everyone interested in maintaining their health. It is important to make sure that all the natural or medical products taken have been researched to ensure safety before consumption.

Spiritual Health- Does It Make A Difference

by Teresa - Dec 26, 2014

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A lot can be said about keeping your health in top shape. However, by that we tend to mean both physical and mental health with there being a lot of advice on what we should eat, how to exercise, or even how to relax and look after our mind through peaceful means. This does all make a real difference, but there is one area that is often ignored and it too can play an important role with our overall health. That other area is our spiritual health and understanding what is meant by that term and how it can affect you on a personal level is certainly something that needs to be investigated in more detail.

What Is Meant By Spiritual Health?

If you believe that spiritual health purely means a belief in God, then there is more to it than just that. Instead, it is actually more to do with having some form of inner peace no matter how you manage to reach that point within you. While some do indeed turn to religion, for others it can involve meditation, yoga, or living their life via a more holistic philosophy. The key here is to be more settled and that is the main focus of spiritual health.

How Does It Benefit Your Health?

For some, there will still be a sense of spiritual health as being something rather peculiar and foreign, but understanding how it can actually improve your overall health may be even more beneficial for some. You see, it has been shown that feeling more settled in a spiritual sense, whatever that entails, leads to a reduction in stress levels as well as lowering the chances of you developing anxiety disorders or depression.

By achieving this, you will find that your blood pressure will be lowered and this does, of course, mean that your chances of having a stroke or a heart attack will also be reduced. This in itself is a wonderful reason to at least think about your spiritual health, but it can probably be claimed that it will help you more mentally rather than physically.

The Effects Of It On Your Mind.

By finding this calmness within yourself, you will ultimately discover that your mind itself will also settle down. A settled soul will lead to the fog that clouds the mind to clear and allow you to think clearly and to have the confidence when making decisions. It will also encourage your brain to release serotonin, which will calm you and make you feel happier and when this happens your mind will be capable of dealing with new stresses and problems before they are allowed to fester in your head and start to cause problems.

How It Has An Impact On Your Business.

It is very clear that it is entirely possible for you to feel far more at ease with life in general when you have this inner peace and of course this is then going to have some kind of knock on effect for your business. It is accepted that people will be able to produce more when they are at peace with themselves as the adrenaline and brain chemicals that are swirling around the body really does inhibit us in so many ways.

Having a clean bill of health spiritually and the calm feeling that then surrounds you just makes you sharper in the mind, so you ultimately feel as if you can really feel more confident in what you are doing as anxiety and stress will no longer be crippling you. So much of operating a business is to do with the mind, and surely it makes sense to take advantage of anything that can give you that edge?

Spiritual health is something that we should all attain to even if we do not have our minds dominated by the world of business. Your inner soul is important and you can benefit in your life by just having that feeling of being happy within yourself and content with where you are going. The fact that your business can benefit is just an added bonus, but perhaps on this occasion it is more about looking after yourself rather than thinking constantly about your work life?

Gluten Free Diet- Will You Benefit Even If You Are Not Intolerant

by Jamie - Dec 24, 2014

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Much has been written about the gluten free diet in recent years, but the information does tend to be heavily weighted in favour of those people that are intolerant. While this is understandable, there are a growing number of people that are switching to a gluten free diet even though they do not have an issue. You, therefore, need to ask yourself why this is the case and to do that we must look at the impact that gluten can have on our body.

What is gluten?

First, we need to talk about gluten itself as most have heard about it, but few actually know what it is. Gluten is actually a protein composite that you find in both wheat and other closely related types of grain. Basically, it acts like a glue that has the purpose of helping food to really keep its shape and helps the dough to rise. The problem is that gluten is in so many different foods that it can be quite difficult trying to completely eliminate it from your diet. This is especially difficult when you are intolerant to it as this health issue can actually result in you feeling very ill indeed.

Intolerance and the symptoms.

Gluten intolerance means that your body is having an issue with the gluten protein. The small intestine can become inflamed and actually destroyed due to this allergic reaction leading to potentially a whole host of health issues. The extent of the problem can vary a great deal as some people may only suffer from a slight issue where they are merely uncomfortable, but sadly others can suffer greatly and require extensive treatment.

The symptoms associated with gluten intolerance are pretty easy to spot. They mainly surround the abdomen, so you can have abdominal pain, gastrointestinal issues, diarrhea, flatulence, bloating, feeling as if you could vomit, extreme fatigue, and a number of other things. Clearly this is going to be extremely uncomfortable for most people and you can understand why people then switch to a gluten free diet to prevent these symptoms from developing in the first place. It is also known that gluten intolerance can affect you mentally as well since some people can develop changes in mood and the ability to concentrate for any recognisable period of time.

In other words, gluten can have an impact on your health in a number of ways and it can be pretty disabling if you continue to eat it on a regular basis.

The effect gluten has on your body even when not intolerant.

While you may not suffer from the various uncomfortable symptoms as described above, your body is still going to have some kind of reaction to gluten as it is a protein and it is entirely natural for something to happen. It requires our body to expel energy to break it down and to use the apparent goodness that is in it. It can still be the case that it can make you feel slightly bloated and you may also have an issue with flatulence, but not enough for it to be seen as a problem.

It also makes sense that you could improve mentally without having gluten in your diet. This mental fog could be lifted, you will not feel so mentally exhausted either and it is clear how your life could improve in so many ways just by removing this one thing from your diet.

Sports people are adopting a gluten free diet.

A rather interesting sidenote is that there are a number of sports people that have eliminated gluten from their diet and are apparently reaping the rewards. One of the sports that have seen this happening in is tennis and the top players report that they have a feeling of more energy and stamina with the ability to play harder and for longer. This is clearly linked to the way in which gluten can result in fatigue for some people, so if sports stars are benefitting from a gluten free diet, then surely you could as well?

Where do you go now?

So what happens now? Well, the first thing that you might want to do is to have yourself checked out just to see if you are intolerant and are not even aware of it. You should also spend some time actually learning more about a gluten free diet and the kind of food that you can eat. Luckily there are now more gluten free options out there, so life is certainly a lot easier.

The best course of action for you to take is to give yourself a few weeks to see how you feel without gluten and make a note of any changes to your health over those weeks. If there is a positive difference, then stick with it because if you feel that you have more energy and are mentally sharper, then perhaps gluten is not for you.

5 Healthy Desserts Recipes For Festive Season

by Jamie - Dec 23, 2014

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Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies

Ingredients:

4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract
green gel food coloring
star sprinkles
royal icing

Instructions

Preheat 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place egg white, sugar and cream of tarter in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water.

Constantly whisk until sugar as fully dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in peppermint extract.

Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they are a bright white, but still runny. Add in food coloring and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed.

Place meringue in a piping bag fit with a large, open star tip. Pipe 1 inch cones at least one inch apart. Bake for 2 hours. After 2 hours, open the door slightly and let cookies cool in the oven.

Using a small amount of royal icing, attach sprinkles to the top of each tree. Store in an airtight container.

Gluten free vegan frosted chocolate peppermint cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups Sarah’s gluten free flour blend
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
6-7 tablespoons So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

chocolate peppermint frosting

1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
5 tablespoons So Deliciouscoconut milk coffee creamer
1 1/4 cups organic powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
3/4 cup crushed peppermint candies/candy canes

Instructions

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, sift together flour blend, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, mix together powdered sugar, melted chocolate chips, melted coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture. Stir until combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to one hour, just to chill.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll tablespoon-scoops of cookie dough into balls. Flatten to about 1/3″ with bottom of glass jar or fingers (cookies won’t spread much). Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and place on cooling rack to cool completely.

To make chocolate frosting, place chocolate chips and coffee creamer in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on low in 30 second intervals (stirring in-between). Add powdered sugar, vanilla and peppermint extract. Whisk together until smooth and creamy. If frosting starts to get hard, just microwave on low for 15 seconds. Frost cookies with frosting and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. Best served within 1-2 days (peppermint candies may become soft).

Maple-Pumpkin Custards

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup 1% milk
4 large eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup (see Ingredient note)
3/4 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon whipped cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Line a roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel.

Heat milk over low heat in a small saucepan until barely steaming but not boiling.

Whisk eggs and syrup in a large bowl until smooth. Gently whisk in the warm milk (a little bit at a time so the eggs don’t cook). Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; whisk until blended.

Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce (3/4-cup) custard cups. Skim foam from the surface. Place custard cups in the prepared roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until custards are just set but still quiver in the center when shaken, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer custards to a wire rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until chilled.

To serve, top each custard with a dollop of whipped cream

Spiced Nut Clusters

Ingredients:

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup walnuts
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
¼ tablespoon ground cardamom

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the egg white and honey in a medium bowl. Add the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom and toss to coat well. Drop ⅛-cup portions on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until browned.

Let stand on a rack for about 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

Cranberry Spice Tea Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup light butter
¼ cup unsalted butter
⅔ cup Splenda
1tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup liquid egg substitute
1tablespoon orange peel
¼ cup cornmeal
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1teaspoon baking powder
½teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil baking sheet or coat with cooking spray and set aside.

In medium bowl, combine butters, Splenda, and vanilla extract. With electric mixer, beat on medium speed until butter is softened. Add egg substitute and orange peel. Mix briefly.

Add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix on low speed, or by hand, until dough is formed. Add cranberries. Do not overmix.

Remove dough from bowl and divide in half. Roll each half into a log about 1″ in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze approximately 1 hour, allowing dough to chill.

Remove dough from freezer, unwrap, and cut into slices about ¼” thick. Place 1″ apart on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to plate to cool

8 Healthy Alternatives To Processed Home Products

by Jamie - Dec 19, 2014

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Over the years, there have been many inventions that have either improved or simply modified the tastes in our foods. There are others which have aided the cleaning of our homes. Nowadays, there are many processed home products which have either replaced or supplemented the products we used to know.

There has been a great shift in recent times, with people opting for organic products as opposed to manufactured ones. There is a belief that these unnatural products are responsible for the spread of new cancers and the deterioration of health in general. People look back at the time of their parents and grandparents who seemed to have better health stats due to the lack of dangerous chemicals affecting their bodies.

This nostalgia has led some to seek out healthy and natural alternatives to some of the processed home products we find in supermarkets all over the world. Here are a few examples of healthy alternatives:

Raw Honey

Honey is one of the greatest natural products. It contains a lot of nutrients that are said to cure some cancers. Honey also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that can be used to treat wounds. Wounds treated with honey also show less signs of scarring.

One of the best uses that honey offers us is an escape from processed sugar. We all use sugar all the time for all manner of things. It is found in your cakes, in your morning coffee, in your tea and in your sweets. Processed sugar is dangerous, though, in that, it can lead to diabetes and high-blood pressure. These can morph into severe cardiovascular diseases hence leading to death. You can use honey as a sugar alternative. It is not only sweet, but also provides cures against indigestion and stomach ulcers. As a bonus, honey provides vitamins, cough suppression, healthy cholesterol production and other essential nutrients that keep your body healthy.

Home-made chips

Making chips at home is merely meant to stop us from buying the processed chips we get from the supermarket which contain chemicals that are harmful to our bodies.

Fresh Juice and Teas

Fresh juice and green teas are the best alternatives to drinking soda. Research has shown that sodas have a lot of dangerous chemicals and their sugar level content is extremely high due to artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. They also contain addictive elements such as caffeine. The high-sugar levels can lead to diseases such as diabetes. Green teas are known to have anti-oxidising agents and they also help to relieve stress from the body.

Natural Food Colours

It is true that food should be consumed with all our senses and seeing beautiful food makes us really want to have a taste. However, many people take foods that are filled with artificial colours. These processed colours contain petroleum and carcinogenic properties that are better left out of our bodies. It is better to pick foods and different vegetables that can add colour to our meals as well as beneficial nutrients.

Butter and Coconut oil

Cooking oil is essential in our households. However, most cooking oils contain triglycerides which deposit cholesterol in our blood system, which in turn can lead to heart problems. Natural alternatives can reduce this. Opt for butter or coconut oil for your cooking needs.

Natural and Green Cleaning

Most of the cleaning products contain dangerous chemicals that can irritate our eyes and skin, or affect our breathing once inhaled. There are natural alternatives to all cleaning products. You can use water, potatoes, lemon juice and even grapefruits as examples of natural cleaning agents.

Home-made cereal

Cereals can be found in most homes but contain high-sugar content, trans-fat and artificial colours. All these are dangerous and can cause diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers respectively. A better option would be to make your own cereal using millet, oats and other natural ingredients.

Make your own salad dressing

People crave convenience. They therefore simply jump at the chance at having something quickly without expending too much energy. That is the case with salad dressings as well. If you research the ingredients that go into making processed salad dressing, you will not purchase another one anytime soon. There are a lot of syrups, starches, chlorides and extracts mentioned in the ingredients. You are better off purchasing your own ingredients and making a salad dressing at home.

Processed products are dangerous and will continue depriving the body of all the necessary nutrients that can be obtained from natural products. It is better to take care of yourself and take the time to make what you need.

Why Breakfast Is More Important Than You Think

by Jamie - Dec 16, 2014

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Studies show that breakfast is the meal that is skipped most times in the world. People just seem to be too self-absorbed and getting ready to go out, so they only grab a coffee and run out. However, this is absolutely the wrong thing to do because breakfast really is more important than you think, and if you wonder why, then the answer is right here.

Our Body During The Night.

While we sleep, our body is hard at work repairing a lot of the damage that we have caused it during the day. It uses this time to replenish energy, heal muscles, and the rest is always put to good use. However, this does take effort and energy, so our stocks need to be replenished as quickly as possible and that is where breakfast comes into play.

Breakfast provides our body with the nutrients it needs to really help us to not only wake up, but to really get our body going in the first place. Without it, you can actually be storing up a lot of trouble for yourself perhaps not now, but at least in the future, and surely you want to avoid that?

The Health Benefits Of Breakfast.

So let’s look at the actual health benefits of breakfast. It has been scientifically proven that it helps us to actually have a more balanced diet complete with the correct nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, so clearly this is something that is beneficial to your body and general health.

This approach has also been proven to be effective at lowering your cholesterol levels and that can only be a good thing as well. Lower cholesterol levels means you have a lower chance of developing heart disease and your odds of having a stroke will also be reduced.

By eating breakfast you are also stopping yourself from potentially putting on weight. The problem is that your body will react to you fasting as you sleep by slowing down your metabolism. This is a completely natural reaction, but the real problem comes when you miss breakfast as your metabolism will not increase, so you are more likely to put on weight. Breakfast acts like a wake up call to your body and it spurs your metabolism into action, so you actually end up encouraging your body to work as normal rather than being pretty much dormant. It is this action that then means you will find it harder to put on weight throughout the course of the day.

When you have a healthy breakfast it will also vastly improve your ability to concentrate as well as your memory, so clearly that is beneficial for you and your business. It is pretty amazing that just one meal, which a number of people overlook, can have such a profound effect on your mental health. If something as simple as eating your breakfast can improve these two key components, then why would you want to miss it out?

The final main benefit is the extra strength and stamina that you will get from just eating breakfast. This is directly linked to you having a healthy breakfast that is full of carbohydrates and protein to really power you up for the day ahead. How often do you feel sluggish early on in the day and wish that this was not the case? Well, the answer is in eating breakfast.

Remember Your Breakfast.

What is ultimately being said here is that you need to eat breakfast in order to improve your health. Missing it should not be an option because you can damage not only your physical health, but also your mental ability to perform at your optimum level. It is only a small thing to ask of yourself and it does not have to involve a huge breakfast to kick start your body into action. You will have more physical and mental energy and that can never be a bad thing, is it?

Water- How Does It Really Help Your Brain

by Jamie - Dec 16, 2014

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We are all aware of the importance of water for our bodies. Basically, it is common knowledge that without any of it, we will die. However, in this instance we are going to look beyond what it does in the physical sense and instead look at the role that water plays for your brain and mind. To be honest, you might be surprised at what you are going to find out.

The Importance Of Hydration

Staying hydrated means that you stay alive. Without water you are going to start to suffer from a variety of symptoms both physical and mental. Water helps your body to transport vital nutrients and remove toxins and waste from your cells. It helps joints to stay lubricated, it helps provide a lifeline to our vital organs, it helps to cushion and protect our brain, and so much more. Without it, our brain sends out signals to basically shut down various parts of our body in order to preserve the key areas, but clearly as our body dehydrates more and more the harder it becomes for our brain to do this. Sadly, death can then eventually occur.

Your Brain and Water.

We just mentioned how our brain uses water in order to help protect it, but there is so much more to it than just doing that. Instead, water plays such a key role that we just cannot really function that well in any mental capacity, or at least to the level that you are used to. The brain is actually made up of 85% water and it produces the electrical charge that is required for it to work. Your brain also uses water to aid it in the production of hormones as well as assisting with neurotransmitters and are you aware that nerve transmissions actually use up half of the energy that your brain produces? Without water you lose energy, so the impact can be huge all over your body and not just your brain.

The simple fact is that our brain cells require water so they can function the way they should. For them to operate there is a rather fine balance between the amount of water along with certain nutrients and other fluids, but when you are dehydrated this balance is upset and problems can then occur. When that balance is knocked out, your brain can no longer work efficiently and that becomes pretty evident in a number of ways.

The Mental Impact Of A Lack Of Water.

The main ways in which dehydration can have an impact on your mental state of mind and it does not take much to alter things. Just a 1% drop in your hydration levels can impair your ability to think and do various mental tasks by as much as 5%. If you then increase this to 2%, then you could find it more difficult to perform various mathematical problems as well as just generally finding focusing on anything exceedingly difficult.

If you are dehydrated for an extended period of time, then it has been proven that this lack of water will cause the cells in the brain to basically shrink in size and of course this can then have a real effect on how your brain then functions. This increases the period of time where you suffer from that brain fog and clearly this along with memory issues, lack of alertness, and generally not being sharp enough can have a major impact on your business dealings.

Water And Your Business.

Let’s look at this logically for a second. How can you expect to run a business if your brain and thought processes are just not working as well as they should? How can you ever trust the decisions that you make when there may be a chance that you have overlooked things simply because your concentration levels are so poor? How can you be anything other than angry with yourself at the fact that you have basically caused all of this just by not drinking enough water?

It, therefore, makes perfect sense for you to make absolutely sure that you are drinking enough water on a daily basis in order to stay sharp and focused. You will be able to do more, concentrate for longer, deal with more taxing issues, and generally have more energy and who would not want that?

Water helps your brain in so many ways that you cannot overlook the role that it plays. Drink at least eight glasses a day and see the difference it makes to not only your mental health, but also your business life as well.

5 Best Soup Recipes That Beat Cold & Flu

by Julie - Dec 11, 2014

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1.Hearty Mixed Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1½ cups of onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 large squash, diced

1 cup of frozen corn

1½ cups of green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can of white kidney beans (or great northern beans), drained & rinsed

6 oz. of fresh spinach

2 teaspoons of dry basil

1 teaspoon of dry oregano

½ teaspoon of dry thyme

½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

¼ cup of white wine

2 (15oz.) cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes

7 cups of vegetable stock

1 cup of water

1 cup of whole wheat small pasta shells (or you could use whatever you want)

½ cup of parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch Oven or Soup Pot to medium high heat. Pour in olive oil and then immediately add onions.
Sautee until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Next add garlic and sautee for 30 seconds and immediately add in white wine. Scrap the brown bites off the bottom.
Next add in carrots, zucchini, squash, and corn. Sautee for 6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to get soft.
Next add in basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Stir until herbs are combined.
Add in fire roasted tomatoes, water, and vegetables stock.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes to let all the flavors soak in together.
Next add in noodles, kidney beans, and white beans. Cook for 10 minutes, until noodles are done.
Add in cabbage and spinach, stir in until wilted, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top!

2.Garlic and Kale Soup

Ingredients

½ cup wheat berries

2 Tbs. olive oil

3.5 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (1 cup)

10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

¼ cup brown rice vinegar

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 bunch kale (10 oz.), stemmed and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Soak wheat berries in large bowl of cold water overnight.
Heat oil in 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt, if desired. Sauté mushrooms 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and sauté 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar; simmer until vinegar is almost evaporated, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan.
Drain wheat berries, and add to mushroom mixture with vegetable broth and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale, and cook 10 to 20 minutes more, or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3.White Chicken Chilli

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups cooked chicken (I usually use an oven-baked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to save on time), shredded
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 box (32 ounces) chicken broth
Kosher salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1 lime, juice

Directions:

In a large pot, saute the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.
Once the onion is done, add shreds of chicken, Great Northern Beans, corn, green chilies (with juice from can), cumin and oregano to the large pot. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from one whole lime. (You can add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro if you desire. I personally don’t like cilantro so I serve it as a side.)
Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.
Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded Pepper Jack cheese, avocado or tortilla chips

4.Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Ingredients

10 red potatoes, cubed

1 large onion, diced and sautéd in butter

5 cups water

3 Tbsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp ranch dressing mix

2 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 (3oz) package of real bacon bits

1 cup half and half

1 cup Cheddar cheese

1 cup light sour cream

¼ cup chives or green onions

Directions:

Place the first 9 ingredients in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
The potatoes should be tender.
Stir in half and half, cheese, sour cream and chives or green onion.
Heat through and serve.

5.Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
6 cups chopped butternut squash (3 pound squash)
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used granny smith)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock (or more if desired)
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup almond milk

Directions:

Place squash, apples, carrots, onion, garlic, stock and seasoning in a slow cooker on low and allow to cook for 6-8 hours.
Add the almond milk and stir to combine. Transfer the soup to a and blend until smooth (you may need to do two batches), or use an immersion blender to blend the soup.
Add additional stock if a thinner consistency is desired.
Add additional sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some croutons.

8 Tips To Keep Your Heart Healthy

by Julie - Dec 11, 2014

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At times, it is difficult to think about all the internal health problems that we could be exposing our bodies to. Most of the time, we just focus on work and making money to ensure we eat well. Nevertheless, heart problems are becoming prevalent and there are a host of reasons why you should take steps to keep yourself healthy.

Here are a few tips to help you keep your heart functioning to its optimal level:

Avoid Smoking

Smoking is lethal; it says so on the back of the pack of cigarettes. Regardless of the numerous facts that have been presented by the medical community on the dangers of smoking, people still take the risk every time they take a puff. Others leave themselves exposed to secondary smoke, which is also said to have adverse effects on the body. Cigarette smoke introduces carbon monoxide into your body thereby increasing the blood pressure. This makes the heart have to work twice as much to pump oxygen. This extra work rate eventually takes its toll on the heart.

Exercise daily

A few minutes of exercise every day can have innumerable benefits to the body. Exercising keeps your heart working optimally. It also helps the body reduce weight related heart diseases such as high blood pressure due to obesity, heart muscle blockage due to high levels of cholesterol and diabetes.

A fun way to exercise is through dancing. Dancing is not only fun, but will also help exercise your heart muscles. It is also known to burn a lot of calories which is good for your BMI.

Sleep Well

Scientists are continually discovering the benefits of sleeping well and its relation to health. Failure to get enough sleep leads to problems such as lack of concentration and fatigue. However, the most adverse effects include raising your body’s blood pressure, diabetes, growing overweight and even heart failure. You have to make sure any sleep deprivation problems are solved before they affect your body permanently.

Medical Check-ups

Former President of the US, George Bush went for his yearly medical check up and was told that he was going to be admitted into the hospital immediately due to a problem with his heart. Before then, he had kept himself physically fit by exercising every day and going for runs. The doctors were able to treat him but the message from him was clear, that people have to go for a check up for their heart’s sake.

Eat a heart-friendly meal every day

Meals that contain fish, fiber, fruits, vegetables, legumes and low-fat proteins should be incorporated into your diet so that the heart can reap the benefits. Fish contains Omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce the fat build-up in the blood stream. Omega-3 also slows down plaque growth in the arteries thus keeping your heart pumping well. Fiber reduces cholesterol build-up and also prevents overfeeding which can lead to growing overweight. You should also reduce your salt-intake. For all those who love chocolate, it has anti-oxidizing properties that are good for the heart. Chocolate is also said to prevent blood clot formation in the arteries.

Keep Stress and Depression at bay

Stress has adverse effects on the body. It can raise your blood pressure and affect the immune system leaving you exposed to a host of illnesses that can spiral into worse symptoms. Keep yourself busy, be positive about life, have a purpose for your life and make sure you get outdoors and interact with people to ensure you keep stress away. Your heart will thank you.

Moderate Alcohol Intake

It is recommended that one glass of red wine is sufficient for the heart to reap the benefits. Red wine acts as an anti-oxidant and reduces the chances of a blood clot forming. Too much alcohol, however, adds calories and raises blood pressure which is bad for the heart.

Watch your dental hygiene

Recent research shows that oral health can affect the health of the rest of the body. There are many sports professionals who have had long-term injuries cured by treating issues with their dental health. Harvard researchers have linked some types of coronary artery diseases to poor oral hygiene.

These tips will set you on the proper path to keep your heart healthy and functioning at its optimal level.

Home Remedies To Keep You Healthy

by Jamie - Dec 9, 2014

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The cost of healthcare has increased over the years to the point whereby, if you cannot afford it, you have to do everything you can to either prevent illness or to cure yourself using home remedies. Home products contain some of the extracts that are used by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture different types of medicine.

You can draw from the ideas people have of what they use at home whenever they feel the symptoms of illness. These following home remedies contain all the chemicals and supplements that have all the health benefits of manufactured medicine:

Cod Liver Oil

Your parents probably used to force you to take a teaspoon or capsules of cod liver oil when you were young. By now, you most likely know all the health benefits that can be accrued from using this cod fish oil extract. Cod liver oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which has a plethora of usefulness to your body. For one, Omega-3 lowers the blood fats that lead to heart disease. Secondly, it helps to combat joint pains that are symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Omega-3 is commonly associated with being ‘brain food’. It acts as an anti-depressant and is also used as treatment for ADHD in children. Another common use of Omega-3 to the brain is that it is thought to protect against the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Omega-3 also contains Vitamin D which is beneficial to the brain, heart, bones, skin and muscles.

Indian Gooseberry (Amla)

The Amla is a great source of Vitamin C, which is a vital component for the body. Vitamin C protects against infections due to lowered immunity of the body. Vitamin C deficiency leads to a disease called scurvy. Some of the symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency include joint ache, fatigue, weight loss, dry skin, hypertension and dental deterioration. Amla should be eaten raw.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a natural anti-oxidant and it helps in keeping the liver healthy. It also has an anti-viral function that allows it to combat viruses that lead to Hepatitis B and C. Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, nourishes the brain and sharpens the recall function of the brain.

Green Tea

For a long time, green tea has been ridiculed as an old man’s drink. It is therefore interesting to discover that people have been shunning a great remedy for stress. Green tea stimulates the body to produce endorphins, which are neurotransmitters produced by the brain that have a calming effect on the body. Endorphins are more commonly associated with exercising. Endorphins have similar euphoric effects on the body as morphine, and they are sometimes released to fight body pain.

Vegetables and Fruits

They may not all taste good but vegetables are truly important to the welfare of the body. Vegetables contain all the essentials for a balanced diet, that is, vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates. Proteins help to grow muscles and repair any damages to the body. Carbohydrates give the body energy to perform its functions. Vitamins keep the body healthy by providing chemicals that combat heart ailments, dental deterioration, stress, depression, diabetes and cancer. Fiber helps in lining the stomach and providing a base for digestive processes.

Fruits are also beneficial in providing a variety of essential vitamins, which, in turn, provide protection against heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Honey

Not only is honey a natural sugar that can be added to your morning tea, it is also a great source of energy for the body. Honey is broken down easily in the body to provide a quick boost in energy that is essential for the body’s functioning and processes. Honey also helps the body build immunity. It acts as a natural antibiotic and cure, and it is used to treat field wounds and burns. Honey is an anti-oxidising agent and it therefore helps the skin look more vibrant and healthy.

Honey has properties that allow it to combat sinus infections, arthritis and some forms of carcinogens. It can also promote healing as an anti-inflammatory agent, by being used to dress swelling and scarring.

All these remedies are readily available to most people and should be included in the diet to help one avoid going to the hospital. As they say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”