5 Foods That Boost Your Energy

August 24, 2010

Filed under: blood sugar, breakfast, endorphins, energy, exercise, fibre, healthy diet, healthy food, protein, zinc — Tags: blood sugar, calcium, energy, fiber, oats, protein, serotonin, vitality, vitamin, vitamin b, zinc — Amanda @ 5:03 pm

During a summer heat wave it becomes harder and harder to feel energized. After a long hot day most of us just feel like slouching on the couch or having a nap. Here are some foods that will promote energy production,help you retain more energy, and leave you feeling rejuvenated.

1. Oatmeal - The fiber in oatmeal helps you to get a long stream of energy. This is a healthy food because it makes digestion easier on your body and also stabilizes your blood sugar levels. The complex carbohydrates in oats are not like the simple carbohydrates that turn into fat and make you feel drowsy. Instead they are absorbed more slowly into the body therefore stabilize blood sugar levels and provide you with lasting energy. Oats contain vitamin B which helps to transform carbohydrates into energy that your body can use.

2. Nuts – Nuts like peanuts and almonds are packed with protein that gives you lasting energy. Snack on almonds during the 2pm slump and add peanut butter to your oatmeal for optimum energy.

3. Water – It’s not a food, but it’s the most important item on this list. Without water, your body can’t even generate energy. Water allows your body to digest, transport, and absorb nutrients. If you are dehydrated, your body cells can’t function to efficiently receive nutrients. This leads to fatigue. Try to drink as much water a day as you can to keep yourself hydrated and energized.

4. Pineapple – The fructose in pineapple breaks down quickly for an instant energy boost while the fiber slows down digestion and gives you long lasting energy. In addition the manganese and thiamin are both crucial to energy production and the vitamin B6 helps the body create the hormone serotonin that boosts your mood! Pineapple can also prevent dehydration – a main cause of fatigue in most individuals

5. Yogurt – Yogurt will give you an immediate boost of energy because it is easily and quickly absorbed into the body. The high protein levels in yogurt ensure that it will give you long lasting energy. Yogurt is full of calcium, protein, zinc, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, phosphorus, tryptophan, and molybdenum.

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August 23, 2010

Bad Foods for Your Bones

Filed under: broken bone, healthy diet, healthy food, healthy living, immune system, osteoporosis, osteroarthritis — Tags: bones, caffeine, calcium, caltrate, coffee, healthy, immune system, vitamin A, vitamin D — Amanda @ 9:38 pm

Bones have an important role in our bodies. They help control muscle movement and make us into the vertebrates that we are. Keep your bones healthy by drinking plenty of milk and by exercising on a regular basis. You can also try to stay away from these substances that are damaging to your bones.

Salt - For every 2,300 mg of salt you eat, you will lose 40 mg of calcium. This is a big deal considering that the average American has around 5,000 mg of salt every day (double the recommended daily intake) due to processed food and fast food.

Soda - Soda is a complete bone killer. The carbonation in soda comes from phosphoric acid. These acids will cause twice as much calcium to leave your body through urination, meaning your calcium levels will be compromised as a result of your need for a sugary fix. Not to mention there is no nutritional value in soft drinks!

Coffee - The caffeine in coffee is known to suck the calcium out of bones. For every small/medium sized cup of coffee you consume, you lose 6 milligrams of calcium. It’s not a lot, but can do some damage if you tend to drink large amounts of coffee without making up for it with fortified drinks like milk and juice. Try to limit your coffee intake to control your calcium levels.

Alcohol - Alcohol prevents your body from absorbing bone building minerals that you eat. Chronic drinking prevents bone-building cells from re-building damaged and eroding bones. Alcohol makes your bones weaker and slower at healing after a break or fracture.

Carrots? - Apparently too much vitamin A can actually affect your health. Vitamin A is essential for good vision and a healthy immune system, but the average diet is already naturally high in vitamin A. If you add multivitamins to your diet then you are actually getting way more than the recommended daily dose of 5,000 IUs. Too much vitamin A has been linked to bone loss and an increase in the risk of hip fracture. Experts believe that excessive vitamin A can trigger an increase in osteoclasts (cells that break down bone). In addition they also believe that vitamin A can interfere with vitamin D, a vitamin that is important to preserving bone.

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August 12, 2010

High Heels are Dangerous to Womens Health

Filed under: arthritis, back pain, osteroarthritis — Tags: arthritis, back pain, calcium, chronic pain, high heels, knee pain, osteoarthritis, posture — Amanda @ 4:35 pm

This is not new information, doctors have been warning women against heels for years, but it is important for women to know that high heels, thick or thin, can negatively affect the health. Orthopedists have been warning women for years about how high heels can cause many conditions such as arthritis, chronic knee pain, and back problems. Several studies have been conducted over the years to show women the health hazards associated with wearing high heels.

Apparently women who wear heels on a regular basis are at a greater risk of developing knee osteoarthritis and joint degeneration. Specifically, the higher the heel is, the greater the risk.

In 1998, researchers at Harvard linked high heels, exclusively very narrow stiletto heels, to knee osteoarthritis. This disease is categorized by the breakdown of cartilage surrounding the knee and is a painful degenerative joint disease. In 2001 the researchers decided to look at wider heels to see if they are also harmful to women’s knees. The study concluded that wider heels actually increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee as much as, or even more than narrow heels. Researchers suggest that wide heeled shoes give women the feeling of stability and comfort, which in turn allows them to wear them all day long. The extra support does make them better for your feet, but just as bad for your knees.

Other studies used sensors and cameras to measure the force acting on the knee joints and the shock waves travelling up their bodies from the heel strikes caused by flats, two inch heels, and 3.5 inch heels. As the heels got higher, the compression inside the knee increased. Heels two inches and high changed the join positions at the ankle, hip, and trunk. These changes will inevitable alter posture and put strain on the lower back.

Even though it takes a long time to start feeling the effects of osteoarthritis, it comes suddenly and cannot be cured. 80% of Americans suffering from arthritis have osteoarthritis, and there are over 300,000 artificial knee replacement surgeries performed every year due to knee osteoarthritis. The study concludes that low-heels (1 inch) or no heels are best for protecting yourself against osteoarthritis of the knees.

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July 12, 2010

6 Tips for Migraine Relief and Prevention

Filed under: headaches — Tags: calcium, calcium deficiency, headaches, health, migraines, omega 3, pain medications, topamax — Amanda @ 8:59 pm

Migraines affect the lives of over 28 million Americans. The world health organization estimates that there are 303 million people worldwide who suffer from migraine headaches. These headaches are intense and can even disrupt peoples lifestyles. They seem to be caused by changes in the level of the hormone serotonin which shrinks the blood vessels. When serotonin levels are low, the blood vessels swell. The swelling can cause pain and migraine headaches. Here are some tips on how to prevent and relieve migraines.
1. Omega 3 –The tissue surrounding the brain becomes inflamed when you have a migraine and omega 3 lessens the cells reaction to inflammation. Take omega 3 everyday to help lessen migraine pain.

2. Calcium– Calcium deficiencies can increase migraine symptoms. That’s why women are more susceptible to having migraines. Most women have low calcium levels during ovulation. The hormones that regulate calcium react with the high hormone levels causing low calcium levels and triggered migraines.

3. Preventative measures – There are several preventative prescription medications that are used to treat migraines. Topamax, for example, is a medication that prevents migraines from starting. Topamax cannot, however, treat a migraine that has already begun. There are other pain medications available for a migraine that has already started. Despite what you believe, over-the-counter medicines like Motrin and Excedrin are both great at reducing the pain of a migraine.

4. Ice Packs – Freezable neck pillows are perfect for wrapping around your neck where your migraine hurts. Ice packs work too. Migraines are different than regular headaches. In a normal headache, your blood vessels get smaller and tighter. With migraines, they expand and become more open. Putting ice on a migraine constricts the blood vessels helping the pain, but if you put ice on a regular headache you might find that it becomes worse.
5. Sleep – Sleeping your migraine off is the easiest way to get away from the pain. Sleep is often the best remedy for any minor illness.

6. Exercise – Exercise will improve your overall health – and the length and severity of your migraines. Many people who suffer from chronic migraines find that exercise makes their headaches more manageable and less painful.

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June 21, 2010

5 Reasons Why You Should Take Multivitamins

Filed under: health-tips — Tags: arthritis, calcium, cancer, folic acid, high cholesterol, menopause, pregnancy, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamins — Amanda @ 6:02 pm

The food quality on the market today is not like it used to be and the human body needs a specific amount of vitamins to function properly. Since we get most of our vitamins from the food we eat, sometimes a multivitamin is needed to compensate for the vitamin deficiency’s in our diets. If you aren’t convinced that multivitamins are a necessity, here are some other reasons why you should take them.

1. Our bodies need to use more nutrients than normal to detoxify and eliminate substances from environmental pollution in the air, water, and food. The antioxidants including vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E are likely to decrease at a more rapid rate due to this pollution.

2. The busy schedules of our lives are contributing to our lack of vitamins. Our wavering eating habits, lazy chewing, eating on the run, and stress are causing poor digestion. This makes it hard for our bodies to take in all of the nutrients from our food.

3. Certain health conditions can increase your need for vitamins. During pregnancy, a woman’s body requires more folic acid and during menopause, they are more susceptible to calcium deficiencies. In addition, the use of pharmaceutical drugs can increase the body’s vulnerability to vitamin deficiencies since most medications reduce essential nutrients in the body.

4. The food industry isn’t helping our vitamin deficiencies. Modern agricultural techniques are leaving the soil deficient of minerals causing the food grown there to share the same deficiencies. After the foods have been harvested, they are often stored for long periods of time and transported great distances. This depletes the food of important vitamins. The processing, preserving, and cooking involved with our food doesn’t help either. This also contributes to nutrient depletion and makes it difficult for us to be nutritiously satisfied from foods alone.

5. Vitamins and minerals will improve your overall health. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Beta Carotene, and Vitamin B6 have all been proven to help in the treatment of high cholesterol, arthritis, birth defects, and even cancer

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