Simple Health Cures

    Recent health and nutrition studies are showing that plant foods, especially fruits and veggies, are better for us than we ever imagined. For over a half century we have known that they are bursting with health promoting fiber, vitamins, and minerals,  but in the last twenty years we have discovered that they are also loaded wit an extraordinary group of disease busting agents called phytochemicals. Plant produce these substances to protect themselves against a host of environmental threats from damaging ultraviolet radiation to plant eating parasites. Fortunately, it turns out that these same plant protective substances are good for humans. Several thousand phytochemicals have been identified thus far, and they perform truly spectacular feats in our bodies with the greatest of ease. In fact, the pharmaceutical industry can only dream of producing drugs capable of performing as effectively in our systems as phytochemicals do. What’s even more exciting is that scientists estimate that there are up to one thousand of these chemicals still to be characterized.

Phytochemicals protect our bodies against disease in a myriad of ways, but they are most valuable for their antioxidant, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and immune boosting powers. if you think that you are getting these life preserving chemicals from a supplement or a sport bar in lieu of real foods then be forewarned. These miraculous agents of good health are only found in plant based foods, namely foods not only provides sensory pleasure for your taste buds, but also helps ward off heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal diseases, cataracts, muscular degeneration, as well as a host of cancers. Moreover, because fruits and vegetables boast the highest concentration of phytochemicals, they are the ideal food group for a leaner look and better health overall. So much so, that it is worth taking a closer look at what some of these phytochemicals do for our bodies.

    Most people do not drink enough water. Since 75% of healthy body weight is water, we need to consume a lot of it every day for optimal health. In fact, water is the second most import element to remaining alive. The first is air and the third is food. We can only live for a couple of minutes at most without air, a few days without water, and a few weeks without food.

When you are thirsty it is already ‘too late’. Not to sound overly dramatic, but to put it in a different way, when you are thirsty, your body is telling you that you are dehydrated and need to consume water as soon as possible.

Water is best consumed as water! When I ask clients how much water they consume in a day they may list water, coffee, tea, pop and juice. It’s important to understand that since juice or other beverages are water- based, the body needs to break down the various contents before everything can be properly absorbed, the fiber of fruit in whole juices. Coffee has the adverse effect of being a diuretic, meaning it forces water through you more quickly and it leeches out certain nutrients from the body. So for every coffee you drink, also consume one glass ( 1 cup) of water.

Cell hydration, through drinking adequate quantities of water, is also important for muscle growth and strength.

If you are working out or training for a sport your body may need much more water than someone who is more sedentary.

Drinking lots of water will also assist as an effective appetite suppressant if you are eating to reduce body fat. When on a low calorie eating plan, water can satisfy hunger. To help this process, sip your water to suppress the pain of hunger, rather than drinking it all at once.

Being dehydrated can also promote an increase of body fat. Water contributes to energy storage along with glycogen and can enhance the burning of fat as energy. Without water, extra amounts of glucose ( sugar) remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver where the extra glucose is stored as fat. If you are dehydrated, your body will take water from various cells in your body, including fat cells, and from the liver and kidneys. Without sufficient water, the cells and organs can’t function properly and the body will ultimately burn less body fat as a fuel source.

Conclusion? Get Rid Of Sugar!!!! And Drink Water!!!!

   If you have a weight issue and if you drink soda pop then this is one of the most important tips I can offer you: dump the soda down the drain, right now.

Soda pop is not the only culprit for the rise of obesity in North America, but it’s effects are menacing to the body because of how the body responds to soda pop.

A single, large glass of almost any soda pop contain about 1/3rd of a cup of sugar. Five grams of sugar is one teaspoon. A can of soda contains anywhere from 25-40 grams of sugar or 5-8 teaspoons!

Why is that much sugar is bad for you?

When you drink a full can of regular cola (330 ml) you are consuming 139 “nutrient-empty” calories ( on average). These calories do nothing for the health of your body. They contain no vitamins, minerals or other healthy properties to help your body function.

What’s worse is that consuming cola has no effect on satiety. That means, for example, if you are eating to lose or maintain your weight and if you had a cola with your meal, the cola itself will not make you feel any more full. For many people it is the sensation of feeling full, or satisfied that is the sign to stop eating. If you ate your usual sized meal, let’s say that was 400 calories, and added a 12 oz glass of cola, you will have added an additional 150 ‘empty’ calories will most likely convert to body fat.

Another time when people consume soda pop is during a mid-day snack, often with high sugar or saturated and trans fat snacks like chips, a muffin, breakfast bars or a donut. We might eat these snacks because we feel tired mid- morning and want a quick fix to bring up our energy. The problem is that eating in this way spikes insulin, which is the hormone that triggers our body to store fat. When our insulin comes crashing down from the “spike” we are right back where we started hungry, sleepy and maybe moody. When we get onto this insulin “roller coaster” ride, we tend to increase our total daily calorie intake by 500 calories a day. That’s enough to gain a pound of fat a week.

Without going into a lot of detail, what your body reallly wants when your insulin is low is a balanced meal of protein, healthy fats and nutrient rich vegetables and/ or fruit. This will result in balanced and controlled insulin levels and limit the storing of fat. It may not be what you are used to eating, it may seem crazy, and it may even seem like too much trouble. This is when you have to decide how important health is to you for now and for the long term. I cannot make that decision for you. I would, however, advise you to eat as healthy as you can for the long term benefits.

The final word on pop. it’s not advisable to replace regular pop with water and lemon. You may choose to go “cold turkey”, or to slowly wean yourself off of pop completely.

All things in moderation. This old saying is False. Stop drinking pop!!! Instead of pop, get into the habit of drinking water and green tea.

   This is not a comprehensive list of all the rules of good nutrition, but it is a very good foundational place to start. If you want to successfully change your nutrition habits and have it stick, perhaps try incorporating one new rule per week. That’s only 6 weeks to a new you!!!

   1. Eat a healthy breakfast. This is also the number one rule to help one lose weight. Why? Because your body requires fuel to operate optimally. If you choose not to eat breakfast, you choose to stall your metabolism. Eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism ( fat burning capabilities) for the day.

   2. Eat six times a day. Why? Because your body can only digest and assimilate so much at one time. To get the full advantage of the food you eat, you need to eat more frequent smaller meals. It is true that ” we are what we eat” but it is equally true, if not more so, that ” we are what we assimilate” AND, please do not follow the popular train of thought that you should not eat in the evening. It is perfectly OK, and also necessary to keep your body in fully metabolism state, to eat in the evening, but not closer than an hour before bed. if possible.

   3. Eat God’s fast food and stay away from fast and/ or convenience foods ( canned, frozen, bagged, packaged or “instant” foods). Eat plenty of raw fruits and lightly streamed ( so they are still a little crunchy) vegetables every day. Easy to clean, easy to pack and easy to eat! Try adding a few nuts or seeds and you have a wonderful snack perfect for work or school.

   4. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day: more if you are physically active. Your body is 75% water so it requires water to function properly. Once you start drinking more water you will notice you can think better, you are not as hungry, your joints are not as sore, you have more energy, you feel better overall. If you are not in the habit of drinking water, once you start you will notice that you are thirsty more often. This is a good sign! I have a confession to make: I am not a big fan of plain water. I drink water with lemon juice and Stevia, But I do drink alot of Organic green tea too!

   5. Variety is the spice of life! There is not one particular food that provides everything your body needs but every good food provides something your body needs. It is a combination of all those individual foods and their particular bodily benefits that we are seeking to incorporate into our daily/ weekly diet. It is unrealistic to think we eat throughout the week by eating a variety throughout the week.

   6. Fight the white: Go to town with brown! You will need to stay away from, as much as possible, white sugar, white flour and hard animal fats . These foods have been labeled “robbers” because they don’t contain enough vitamins and minerals for their own digestion.

  Every one has a busy schedule and we don’t have time to workout. the first strategies in improving your health is finding the time to exercise. Doing the same workout over and over can get boring and are unlikely to see the improvements.

   Here some of the ways to maximize your workout:

   1. Be consistent:

   Maintain consistent time for exercise workout. Studies have shown that 60 minutes of a workout is best. You can do at 30 minutes of exercise to experience any benefits of weight loss in the beginning. Slowly you can increase the workout time if you become convenient with 30 minutes.

   2. Maintain proper posture:

   Maintain the proper posture during the workout to burn out the calories. Bad posture may lead to injuries and muscle pain. More importantly, bad posture prevents you from burning calories.

   3. Be cautious:

   If you are exercising for weight loss, consider weight bearing exercising. Non-weight bearing exercises like swimming and bicycling are not as efficient for weight loss.

   4. Emphasize breathing:

   During a cardio workout, check your breathing. During this workout, full breaths will deliver as much oxygen as possible to the working muscles, making them more efficient. When strength training, take full breaths during each exercise, exhaling on the exertion and inhaling as you release. You should never workout so hard that you can’t talk or begin to faint.

   5. Increase your intensity:

   Starting with low intensity, you have to increase the intensity of workout regularly. If you are doing workout with weights, add weights to your cardio routine and you can see the result in three to four weeks. You should feel difficult to talk to the person next to you, if you are doing with the ideal intensity.

   This prevents you from measuring your pulse or heart rate monitor. If you can talk to the person next to you comfortably, then it means you are not working hard enough. But you should not go beyond the limit in increasing the intensity of workout.

   6. Start with walking if you are overweight:

   If you are overweight, start your workout with walking as it is an excellent choice. Once you are fit with walking, you have to increase the intensity of walking.

   7. Do not exercise on empty stomach:

   You should not exercise with empty stomach. your body will not workout efficiently with entry stomach as you may feel tired.

   8. Listen to music or something that motivated To you

    Music is a great reliever. music can make the workout more fun and listening to music gives extra burst of energy to workout hardest.

   9. Swimming:

   Swimming is one of the best exercises working all the major muscle. But it exposes you to large amounts of chlorine which is present in most swimming pools. Select fresh water to swim.

   10. Listen to your body:

   If exercise worsens symptoms, change your workout program or if need: stop doing. As your health and energy improve, you will be able to tolerate larger amounts of aerobic exercise.

   11. Stretches:

   Apart from the aerobic exercises and other exercises, stretching is important for getting more out of your workout. Stretching assists in muscle recovery from strenuous workouts and can prevent pain and discomfort. Your entire body feels more comfortable when you have strong and flexible muscles.

   12. Exercise at right time:

   Exercise when you have the most energy rather than working at a time when you are exhausted completely. Work with your body’s natural energy levels.

   13. Drink plenty of water:

   Water helps you lose weight. It helps fill your stomach to stop your hungry. Your entire body slows down and works loss efficiently when your body becomes dehydrated. It is important to replace the lost water after a workout as working out causes dehydration.

   So you’ve made the decision to lose weight or cut out sugar or start exercising, but it’s no point starting mid way through the day so you put it off until tomorrow. You wake bright-eyed and bushy tailed the next day with all good intentions and then someone or something crops up and puts temptation in your way so you allow yourself just one more day of self indulgence and decide to start again…tomorrow!

The following morning you then convince yourself there is no point starting mid way through the week, so you allow the rest of the week eating everything you can get your hands on and not doing one ounce of exercise because you will start on Monday!

You may be able to relate to this, I certainly can…the problem is that day never arrives, there is always something getting in the way…you may even be a few days into your new healthy regime and had one treat or missed one training session and this sparks a major blow and a promise to start again tomorrow, after eating everything you can get your eyes onto!!!

1. Start Today:

In fact start straight away…As soon as you have made the decision to lose weight, tone up or get fit, don’t put it off. Maybe you have made the decision while eating a packet of chips or eating chocolate. Put whatever it is down, even better throw it out and start straight away. Maybe even put your running shoes on and head out for a walk or run depending on your fitness level.

Whatever you do don’t put it off and have one more treat or even one more day of indulgence, this will make it so much harder for you in the long run. You will feel much better and more in control if you resist temptation from the get go and set yourself on the path to succeed right now.

2. Set A Goal:

It’s much easier to start and stick to something if you have a good in mind. This means actually writing the goal down, telling your family and friends about it and actually visualizing achieving that goal. Take some time out and close your eyes and imagine you have already achieved what it is that you want. How does it make you feel? Who is there? What are they saying to you? And what are you saying to yourself? What can you see, taste, smell and feel?

If emotionally charge your goal you will make it more real and this will give you more motivation to achieve it. Don’t just do this visualisation once, it also part of your daily routine.

3. Prepare:

Sports and fitness models Kelly Rennie and Justine Switalla talks about preparing their meals in advance and always  having healthy snacks, protein and their meals with them where over they go. If you make your meals in advance or at the very least have a plan of what you are going to eat you are less likely to skip meals or grab for something unhealthy as you will be suitably topped up and if not will have something healthy with you to snack on.

If your goal is exercise related you can get prepared by having your exercise gear ready to go when you wake in the morning or take it with you to work so you can go straight from your job to the gym or out for a run, swim or whatever it is you decide to do.

4. Keep Hydrated:

Often people mistake hunger for this! If you have just eaten or it’s less than an hour and a half since you last ate and you still feel hungry, try grabbing for a glass of water instead of a snack and then wait for 20 minutes, you will probably find the hunger subsides

Keep in mind your body needs to be well hydrated to function properly If you are exercising you will be losing fluid through sweat. Our bodies are 75%water so just a loss of 2% through metabolic activity during exercise will have a negative effect on your performance and health.

If you stick to some of these basic rules you will be well on your way to achieving the new healthy you without waiting for a tomorrow that never comes.

   Our lifestyle has a major impact on our health. Having less sleep than we need, the stresses of modern day life and the impact of processed foods do not sustain life. When poor health conditions become visible on the outside, it is highly likely that the internal state of the body will be much worse.

Deteriorating teeth are invariably a symptom of deteriorating health within the body. Although this is not a book on nutrition, the subject is important and we have added our thoughts and suggestions where they may be useful.

Lack of sleep and stress are undoubtedly a contributing factor but the main cause of tooth decay and poor gum condition is the processed foods and the sugars/artificial sweetners and chemicals they contain. These simply don’t benefit the body.

Supermarket Food: Worth Knowing!

It’s worth keeping a regular check on the ingredients of ready-made and processed foods. Supermarkets display hundreds of packaged food products that are undoubtedly part of the nation’s health problem.

Processed Foods Have Several Things In Common:

- Low nutritional value

- High in Saturated Fats and Sugars

- Rich in Additives

…some solely designed to appeal to our child.

Supermarket have became experts at product placement because of the incentive revenue they receive for this. Conveniently placed at eye level or close to the checkout counters for last-minutes impulse buying, ready meals often contain:

- Industrially recovered meats including connective tissues

- The last scraps of meat and offal left on a carcass following slaughter

A typical pudding aimed at school children may contain “approved” additives such as gelling agents, emulsifiers and colorings as well as sodium, phosphate and citrate additives. If you’re not familiar with what they are or what purpose they served it doesn’t really matter. It’s enough to know that they don’t need to be in the food we eat. Whatever happened to real food?

Processed foods command premium and are aggresively marketed as the more processes involved with the production of food, the higher the margin of profitability. If supermarkets sold only fresh local produce their profits would be much lower, but we might all be a lot healthier. Unfortunately we’re well aware how corporate interests impact our well being.

The quality of the food you eat plays a major role in the state of your health, including the state of your teeth and gums. Junk food is fun and convenient to eat occasionally but longer term, the questionable ingredients will make the producers of junk food have much to answer for.

- The long term and primary cause of dental decay is nutritional deficiencies

- These diet included no refined or processed foods and were rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins and especially in “fat soluble factors found in animal fats”

- Upon initial integration with civilization together with the consequence of consuming the ” displaying foods of modern commerce,” the health effects were disasttrous for all the tribes studied

- Dental caries and the development of facial deformities occurred in children born to parents consuming refined and processed foods. The facial deformities included a ‘narrowing facial structure and dental arches,” along with ‘crowded teeth, birth defects and increased susceptibility to infectious and chronic disease’

- Significantly, when some of the tribal members returned to their traditional diets, the deterioration of open cavities ceased and the children subsequently conceived and born, had improved dental arches and no tooth decay

- For modern man to have any hope surviving, the basics of proper nutrition must be incorporated into today’s lifestyle

To keep your gums ans teeth healthy in the face of adversity, blotting brushes, weapons of plaque destruction

   Our body, it knows exactly what it needs. The question is do we understand its language? Haven’t we closed its mouth with synthetic cosmetics, offensive medicines, fast food and stress? If your answer is yes, then very simple, affordable and practical choices will help you in your endeavor to go organic and to deliver your mind and body with health, happiness and beauty. Take a look at these simple ideas for a quick start in organic living.

   1. Recharge Your Sun- The Best Vitamin D Source

   Stay out for at least 2 hours a day. This is the time needed for the body to take its necessary amount of Vitamin D and fresh air. Our Body has its own ways to transform these sunny hours into a feeling of happiness. You may wonder if it is an organic living idea. Yes, it it, if it makes your healthier.

   2. Walk Barefoot

   another simple, but still great organic living idea. Feet have reflex spots. Through them, barefoot walking does an incredible massage of the spleen, liver, adrenal gland and all the other parts of the body that take care for our well- being. It is also a great pleasure, especially if practiced in nature. Walk barefoot whenever it’s possible and prove you are free from pointless fears and prejudices.

   3. Get Some Fresh Air In The Rooms You Live

   Organic living is much about taking the toxins out of our lives, why not the air too. Air all the places you stay. The air outside, despite the pollution is several times better than that at home or office. Moreover, if you practice yoga and do breathing exercises, you’ll learn not only how to get more energy, but also how to neutralize stress.

   4. Give Up The Perfumes. Choose Essential Oils

   Essential oils are the organic the organic alternative to perfumes, creams and even medicines which are full of chemicals and preservatives. Start with lavender, which among its many properties, is mainly known for being antiseptic, relieves burns, excellent for skin care and is also a lovely fragrance.

   5. Read The Labels

   All cosmetic products have a column full of synthetic chemicals with known and unknown side effects on our bodies. Part of the ingredients used in cosmetics is secret due to which they are not controlled and may even be not on the label. So, be careful and search the web to get all the information you need before you buy a product. One of the best places to get that info is skin deep cosmetic database with more than 65,000 products.

   6. Make Your Own Cosmetic Products

   The good cosmetic is the one that you can eat. It is true that it takes time to prepare, but it’s worth it. You May need to buy some of the ingredients at bulk and this may seem quite expensive at first, but think of the quantity that you can produce. At the end of the day, it is cheaper than buying organic cosmetics.

   7. Color Your Hair With Natural Dyes

   Be careful with the hair dyes. Hair dyes are one of the most toxic cosmetic products, which should be avoided especially during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. They contain a number of aggressive chemicals- ammonia, peroxide, p-phenylenediamine (PPD), diaminobenzene, which increase the risk of getting a cancer.

   Instead, color your hair with plant based dyes, chamomile, coffee, rhubarb roots and a lot more that are gentle to your hair and body and also give vibrant and rich colors.

    8. Use Organic (Mineral) Sunscreen

   Sunscreen is made of mineral or non-mineral ingredients, or may combine both. Common mineral sunscreens ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Research shows that zinc oxide is natural and provides excellent sun protection. Mineral sunscreens usually provide better UVA block.

   Note that SPF that is higher than 8 make Vitamin D absorption almost impossible.

   9. Use Fluoride- Free Toothpaste

   Fluoride has little benefits and many risks. The benefits are to the teeth when it’s applied locally;;y. Such application, however, involves many more organs than the teeth, from where the risks arise. There are risks for the brain, the bones, the kidneys.

    Here is a very simple and natural homemade toothpaste recipe that does a great job: baking soda+ essential oils. Different essential oils are for different purposes. Tea tree and lavender is for killing germs: lemon fights the plaque ( use only1-2 drops), peppermint, cinnamon, fennel are the flavor and freshness. Essential oils high concentrated. That’s why always use tiny quantities and make sure it’s a kind that won’t harm with ingestion. You can also add xylitol ( natural sweetener) for sweetness and coconut oil as a base.

    Organic living is not about opening your wallet, it’s about opening your mind. The greatest benefit is being beautiful And Healthy inside out. If adopted, these little steps will take you further where you will start making a difference with greener and more sustainable living.

   Go Organic!!!

    The hidden factor that brings success with diabetes, but is often overlooked is your mindset. This mindset is an unwritten creed that you chose to cultivate and live by. It determines what you choose, how you think and what you believe. Once established it does not easily yield the facts.

If you have diabetes, you might have the mindset that this is a fatelistic episode that happened to you. You might even feel like you are trapped with medication for the rest of your life.

One of the most important things you can do right now is to reexamine your thoughts and feelings about diabetes. This helps to reset your minds so that you fiond the power and the people to lead you forward to success..

You will not reach success with your present mindset, because that is the mindset that brought you to the lifestyle choices that caused your body cells to resist insulin.

I would go so far as to say that the one thing that can bring you to a state of wellness with diabetes is a new winning mindset, where you easily look forward to choosing foods that lower blood sugar.

With a new mindset you can find people and processes to guide you away from your present eating lifestyle: can you envision a mindset that says an apple, a book and a passion to cook and be on your way to choosing foods and activity that reverse your diabetes. Your mindset might even lead you to a coach, who can help you to step away from your present lifestyle and willingly adapt a new lifestyle niche that leads you to success. Many have experienced this and you can do@ Doctors call these people “diet dependent diabetics.”  But as far as I can see, if you don’t need medication, eating to heal creates wellness.

Therefore the single move you can make now is to choose to reshape your mindset for being free of diabetes: and then take the right action necessary to secure it. This requires personnal fortitude. So your doubt and fear is understandable. However, it is well docuented that many have succeeded by taking this road less traveled and opted for natural food healing to overcome their symptoms.

The fact is you will not get well with your eating mindset that brought you to state of diabetes. That mind set helped you believe that sugar is comforting or stress releasing. And that you are powerless about changing your desire and your eating lifestyle, and that you must take medication to accommodate being well.

If you do not have the emotional stamina to give up the foods, drink and mental and physical activity that brought you to diabetes, consider wellness coaching. This will be absolutely comforting as you reset your mindset for better health.

With help you will develop a different attitude and eating style that is much more balanced and healing. Possibly one with your mindset now geared to feeding yourself a more fortifying breakfast less sugary drinks and a well designed eating plan for lunch and dinner…Can you visualize the mindset that say ” my health and wellness first?”

And what do you expect? Is it to success right away or can you visualize taking time to be kinder and gentler with your self - talk, eating and physical activity, until you exceed your new deprived?

Can you itemize the exact benefits that you will enjoy should you take this new path? For example,”I will be healthier and happier! ” I will know a lot more about the blessing and personal benefits of making healthy food choices. I will live the life of a well person, possible without chronic aging illness…

Many have succeeded  with obtaining a normal blood sugar count, just by wisely adopting a healthy eating mindset. This is how it was established that diabetes s metabolic dysfunction that can be easily managed with proper food choices.

Overhauling your mindset about sugar will lead you to a healing mindset that stops fatalistic thinking. If this seems difficult you might consider a wellness coach to help you step away from your familiar eating style and guide you to adapt a new feeding mindset that supports excellent health.

And last but not least, make a list of benefits you get from being a sick person with a chronic disease? Be fastidiously honest with yourself. Knowing this will help you move forward, towards positive change which is the ultimate outcome of examining your mindset.

   Eating right and exercising  are a great way to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle. Sometimes, it’s hard to sift through all of the information available today to find out what’s important and what isn’t when referring to health and wellness. If you’re trying to get back on track or need a refresher, these tips may help you get back into health and fitness and on the road to a healthier lifestyle.

    1. Drink Water: Water is essential for energy and weight loss. The majority of Americans are chronically dehydrated, leading to lack of energy, memory loss and a resistance to losing weight. Water must be present to turn your food into energy that you can use which means your body must be fully hydrated in order to process food correctly and absorb vital nutrients and minerals out of the food you take in. In addition, if you aren’t fully hydrated, your body will hold water if you are not fully hydrated causing a bloated or puffy look and feeling. Make sure to have a bottle of water with you at all times. This should help aid in the process of becoming and staying hydrated.

   2. Limit Caffeine Intake & Liquid Calories: Caffeine can definitely give you your morning jolt and get your body going for the day but it can also hinder you. Limit your daily caffeine intake to 1 glass per day. This will allow for your coffee fix without any harmful side effects. Don’t forget, caffeine is a diuretic which pushes water out of your body. So go easy on the coffee runs and drink water after that first cup!

   3. Eat Healthy, Whole Fresh Foods: Stick to healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and lean protein for your meals. Diets high in sugar, saturated fat and processed foods can throw off your body’s ability to regulate and maintain a healthy pH. Remember to put your meals together instead of buying meals that have already been assembled. Knowing what goes into your food is extremely important in maintaining optimal health.

   4. Avoid Trans Fats: Have you ever wondered why some foods will last in your pantry for a long time? Most of these foods have trans fats in them. Trans fats prolong the self long of items making them able to withstand the test of time in your pantry or cupboard. Watch out for these disease causing agents. Anything listed on a label as ” partially hydrogenated______oil” or hydrogenated oils are considered trans fats.

   5.  Avoid Artificial Sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners may all taste great and lower the caloric content of a food but they are not good for your body. All artificial sweeteners are genetically modified foods and have been chemically altered in some way. Early testing in animals has revealed that these sweeteners may cause brain tumors and seizures as well as a toxic effect in the body. Do you really want to ingest these just because they don’t have calories? Stick to the real thing and ditch the sweeteners. Real sugar not only is healthier for you but it tastes much better!

    6. Try To Eat Most Foods In Their Natural State: Guess what, it’s time to throw out all of the fat free, sugar free and diet food. It’s time to get back to the natural state of your foods. Fat free and Sugar free foods have been altered in some way to reduce the fat or sugar content. The problem is that these two macro-nutrients play a vital role in the chemical process of our body. It’s better to have the real thing versus the fat or sugar free version.

   7.Exercise Everyday: Moving the body is essential for oxygenating the cells. Healthy cells need oxygen and disease cells can not survive in the presence of oxygen. Not only that, but exercise lubricates the joints by spreading Synovial Fluid, a lubricant, throughout the joints. This will make it easier for us to move and continue to move as we age. Not only is exercise a joint lubricator but it also helps us improve balance, improve posture, conditions the heart and lungs and helps maintain muscle and bone strength,