Simple Health Cures

   Alkaline vegetables are an essential part of keeping the acid alkaline balance of our body. In fact, they are the most important part. When following the alkaline diet, vegetables are the most alkalizing food you will eat. Only alkaline drinks, such as lemon water, is what you will have more of.

This is because most other foods have sugar or starch in them, which reduces the alkalizing qualities of the food. For example fruit includes a lot of fruit sugar ( fructose), which makes even alkaline fruit less beneficial than alkaline vegetables.

What Is The Alkaline Diet?

Just a quick recap, following the alkaline diet means to keep your bodies PH level in an alkaline state on an ongoing basis. Generally, the PH Level is measured on a PH scale ranging from 0-14, with 7 being neutral, less than 7 acidic and more than 7 alkaline.

Our bodies function more efficiently when in an alkaline state, the metabolism is improved, our internal organs work effectively, we feel more energized and most people also lose weight until their body arrives at its ” natural weight,” a healthy and comfortable weight level determined by the body itself.

How Do We Alkaline The Body?

The main factors that contribute to our bodies PH level are nutrition and general lifestyle. The more toxins we put into our body through food, drink, stress and a toxic environment, the more acidic our body will be. When we consciously reduce the toxins that enter our body and choose a more alkaline way of life, our body becomes more alkaline and therefore healthier.

Learn The 5 Best Alkaline Vegetables:

Baby Spanach

Broccoli

Green Asparagus

Celery

Rocket Leaves

Baby Spinach- Can be added in salads, on sandwiches or pasta salad, or even green smoothies if you’re choose. It is preferable to eat baby spinach raw rather than cooked as your body will be able to receive more of the nutrients.

Broccoli- Is great in stir fry, as a soup or even steamed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Green Asparagus- Can be steamed, stir fry or even barbecued. Taste delicious with a little bit of good olive oil and Himalayan salt.

Celery- Can be added in salad, stir fry, eaten raw or juiced. If juicing it tastes best in combination with other fruits or vegetables. Try carrot, celery and apple juice for example.

Rocket Leaves- Like baby spinach, rocket leaves can be eaten in salads, with a sandwich or pasta. and even on top of pizza! Be careful when making green smoothies, as rocket leaves can taste quite bitter by themselves.

These are only 5 alkaline vegetables you can add to your diet. There are many more alkaline foods that will improve your health, are delicious and easy to add to your every day life!!!!

   Cardiovascular diseases are the most important cause of death all over the world. Millions of people die every year due to heart attacks and stroke. Lack of physical activities, unhealthy diet, tobacco use, high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, diabetes and family history are the risk factors contributing to cardiovascular diseases. Most of the premature deaths from these diseases can be avoided, if people are aware of the types of the cardiovascular disease risk factors and preventative measures.

Here is the 7 types of Cardiovascular Disease You Need To Know:

Coronary Heart Disease:

Coronary heart disease is a condition caused by plaque buildup in the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen and blood to heart muscle. Fat, cholesterol and other substances in the blood cause plaque. Plaque becomes harder overcome, narrowing your coronary arteries and limiting the flow of blood to heart muscles. The area of plaque can rupture and a blood clot can be found on its surfaces. If the clot becomes large, it block blood flow through the artery completely. This in turn causes chest pain and heart attack. If treatment is not available immediately, heart attack can cause death.

Congenital Heart Disease:

Congenital heart disease is a birth defect and is one of the main reasons for deaths in infants less than one year. Though there are no specific cause for this condition, diabetic mother, family history of this disease, toxoplasmosis, an infection transmitted through contact with cat feces and use of some drugs during pregnancy, intake of cocaine during pregnancy and HIV infection in the mother may contribute to the development of congenital heart disease.

Cardiovascular Disease:

Cardiovascular disease is a condition affecting blood circulation to the brain and causing very low or no blood flow to the affected areas. High cholesterol and inflammation in the arteries causes cholesterol buildup in the vessel in the form of plaque. The black obstructs blood flow to the brain, causing dementia or stroke.

Hypertension:

Hypertension or elevated blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently increased. As the blood pressure is too high, the heart needs to work harder to pump blood. This can damage the heart and result in heart attack, heart failure or stroke.

Peripheral Artery Disease:

Plaque buildup in the arteries that carry blood to head, organs and limbs causes peripheral artery  disease. Overtime, plaque buildup can limit or block the blood flow to the organs. Peripheral artery disease increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease as well.

Rheumatic Heart Disease:

Rheumatic heart disease is caused by rheumatic fever and it can damage heart valves permanently. Fatigue, chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations are the common symptoms of this heart disease. If left untreated, the valve damage can cause heart failure.

Heart Failure:

Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. It is a progressive disorder that causes damage to the heart and weakens the cardiovascular system.

Understanding the types of cardiovascular disease, their causes and symptom’s can help you prevent yourself from them. Proper diet, exercises, quitting smoking and keeping diabetes and blood pressure in control are some of the best ways to prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

    We all know that obesity in children is a big deal in the world today! Weight loss for kids is essential in healthy growing. It is important as parents to make sure your child is doing what is needed to stay at a good weight. There are many ways to assure that happens.

1. First, make sure your child is getting exercise. Today’s world has many video games and TV shows that often keep kids on the couch, or indoors sitting down. Why not get them involved in sports? Sports are a great way to get exercise and keep a healthy weight. They also gain self esteem which motivates them to stay at a weight that makes them feel good about themselves. You don’t have to try and force your child to play a sport. There is a wide variety of sports that kids can get involved in. Many parents overlook sports like martial arts, fencing,  gymnastics, or ballet. Find something your child will enjoy, and it won’t be as hard to keep them involved. There are also ways that you should exercise as a family, what about going for a walk together every night, or going to swim classes? Get involved with your kids, and be creative.

2. Another tip for weight loss for kids is making sure you have your kids eat breakfast everyday. It is said that children who eat a nutritious breakfast daily are less likely to be obese. Stick with fruits, grain cereals, and low fat milk.

3. Routine is also very important, If you have regular eating times, the obese child is less likely to over eat and know that they can only have meals at certain times. We all have busy schedules, but establishing set times for meals will help with obesity in children.

4. People tend to eat out these days, instead of making a home cooked dinner. Try to eat at home, rather than going out. Don’t have time to cooked a meal? Find some simple crock pot recipes you can prepare in the morning, and the meal is ready to eat that evening. Add a bag of microwaveable steam cooked vegetables and you have a healthy meal for your family. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to eat together as a family. Turn the TV off, and not talk about how everyone’s day went or what is happening in each other lives. It may seem awkward at first if you haven’t done this in a while, but stick with it and everyone will benefit.

5. Using smaller dishes and bowls can also help. it makes it so so you cannot fill it up with food as much as with bigger ones. It will look like there is more in the bowl. when really there is less. If you have young children arrange the food on their dish to look like a silly face. The kids will have fun with it, and be more likely to eat those vegetables. Which we all know can help with obesity children.

6. Snacks between meals in the afternoon can keep obese children from overeating in the evening. Limit snack calories. 100-150 calories is the perfect size for a snack. A lot of people eat snacks that are as big as a meal, and that can lead to obesity. Controlling the size of snacks between meals can lead to weight loss for kids, but remember not to give kids snack after your evening meal which should completed by at least 8:00 p.m.

7. Parents are the biggest role model for their child eating habits. If you yourself as a parent eat healthy and follow good nutrition it is likely your child will do the same. Remember every little things helps, and don’t give up. Beat those obesity in children statistics and give your child the future they deserve.

   Any fitness routine must include core strength exercises to be complete. This is true whether you’re a man or a women. While most of us tend to focus mainly on the six pack, strengthening your core does so much more than just make you look good, it can affect the condition of your whole body.

One benefit of having a strong core is that it helps to keep your straight. A solid core workout targets the stomach muscles or abdominal, side muscles, and back muscles. This can prevent injury from incorrect posture.

In addition to helping your posture, core strength exercises assist with lifting and pushing to make performing daily tasks easier. If you are an athlete having strong core muscles will aid you in almost any sport.

And, not to be overlooked is that a stronger core will give you that enviably hot packs, boosting not only your physical strength but your confidence as well.

Some very effective core strength exercises include:

Traditional Yoga Plank- One of the most effective exercises to gain a stronger middle core is planking. While you might be tempted not to try this because it looks easy don’t be fooled. It is a very demanding form of exercise.

Side Yoga Plank- This is a variation of the traditional plank that works your obliques or side abdominal. Add this form of planking to the traditional yoga plank to work your whole core.

Push Ups- The humble push up is essential to our list of core exercise. Remember to improve your core and do push up correctly you must keep your back straight.

Ab Wheel- A basic little ab wheel will really give those abdominal a good workout. Invest in one and add it to your routine.

Leg Raises- Use a horizontal bar to do pullups, raising and lowering your legs. This is especially good for working your lower abs.

Back Bridges- Target your back muscles with back bridges. Having a stronger back will help tp prevent injury from any other more strenuous activities or sports that you engage in.

Standing Shoulder Presses- A personal favorite, standing shoulder presses with a barbell is a wonderful way to stabilize your whole core, using your abdominal to lift the weight over your head.

Renegade Dumbbell Rows- This is a challenging set of core strengthening moves, performing extended dumbbell rows with one are while having the other in a push up stance.

Barbell Dead lift- Use caution when doing a dead lift to prevent injury to your lower back. You must be already strong to tackle this exercise. Be sure to stand fully straight and employ all of your muscles, your arms, your back, your abs and your legs to lift the weight evenly.

Front Squats- Do squats while holding either two dumbbells or a small barbell in front of you using your core muscles to shift the weight.

Adding core strength exercises to your workout routine is not difficult. You are likely using your core in many of your current exercises without even realizing it. By being more focused on working those core muscles you can get a much better workout and a healthier body.

    Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia are reaching epidemic proportions in the United States and other industrialized countries. Even more people are victims of cognitive decline,which affects our everyday lives and may progress over time to full-blown dementia.

Because these diseases are most common in industrialized countries, many scientists and medical researchers believe environmental pollution is a contributing factor. The pollutants that are a by product of our industrial society get into our bodies from the air and water, damaging our brains through inflammation and oxidative stress.

As dementia takes a long time decades, in most cases to show itself, early protective measures are essential to prevent later cognitive decline. Anti-aging scientists believe in that old saying. ” An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Here are four simple nutritional steps you can take to protect yourself from cognitive decline, as well as other damage to your body from inflammation and oxidative stress.

1. Our brains cells communicate with each other via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. As we age, our brains make less and less of these messengers, causing cognitive problems, such as memory loss. The most essential memory neurotransmitter is acetycholine. Our bodies make it from phosphatidylcholine (PC) and other substances.

You can take PC supplements, or use lecithin, an affordable source of PC. Eggs or organ meats are a natural source of lecithin, or supplementing with 5 grams a day of lecithin can supply your basic needs. Lecithin is available in capsule form, or granules, which can be added to your breakfast cereal or a smoothie.

2. Medical researchers believe inflammation caused by environmental pollution is a leading cause of brain damage. In addition inflammation can damage blood vessels even cause strokes. Several studies have shown a link between chronic inflammation and a diet high in omega-6 fats, such as those found in processed foods and unhealthy fats like soybean and corn oil.

Try substituting healthy oils, like canola, flax and olive oil. Add omega-3 fats to your diet to balance out the omega-6 fats. Supplement with a daily high quality fish oil or krill oil that contains at least 500 mg of DHA, the essential omega-3  fat for the brain health.

Two other supplements that can help prevent inflammation are curcumin ( turmeric) and garlic. Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory compound that can help prevent brain damage, and garlic has actually been found to reduce beta-amyloid plaque in the brain as well as being an effective anti-inflammatory supplement. Both are available in supplement form.

3. When free radicals build up, they can cause oxidative stress. Our health especially the health of our brain depends on controlling oxidative stress with a good antioxidants defense. Natural sources of antioxidants include turmeric, berries such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, garlic, apples and tea.  Potent antioxidants supplements include grape seed extract, resveratrol, quercetin and citrus bioflavonoids.

4. Our brains are composed of about 60% fats and require an abundant supply of fatty acids to maintain structure and function. Tops on the list is omega-3 fatty acids, found in abundance in fish and krill oil. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a natural fat that supports brain function and help regulate neurotransmitters that allow brain cells to communicate with each other. As we age, our bodies make less than we need for optimal brain health, so supplements can help fill the gap. Finally, vitamin D is essential for maintaining brain cell structure.

   The One Exercise They Say You Shouldn’t Do!!!

For some reason doctors and other health professionals INSIST on avoiding squats- especially the older you get. They say it’s bad for your knees or you’ll hurt yourself, but in all reality these are huge myths. On the contrary, when squats are performed properly there are a number of benefits you get such as:

Full engagement of your body

More natural lubrication in your jonts

Boosts in strength and stamina throughout your whole body

Increased balance for injury prevention

**However The Most Common Mistakes When Performing A Squat Are**

Arching your lower back

Lifting your heels off the ground

Leaning forward too much

Not going low enough

Bowing your knees in or out

These slip-ups in form will only provide you with aches, pains and injuries, which is why this phenomenal exercise gets such a bad reputation from those who don’t understand it. Here’s what you have to do to correct all these and enjoy the numerous benefits from this highly effective exercise as you go from standing down to a seated position and back up.

1. Make the knees track over the toes, NEVER in or out of the line of your feet!

2. Butt back, head up! This will force your body to sit down into the squat instead of just lowering your upper body forward and off balance

3. Dig through your heels when coming up, as this engages the posterior chain of your body which uses your glutes and hamstrings. These muscles in combination are the most powerful force your body can produce!

4. Don’t forget, NEVER let your lower back arch

P.S. Think of it as sitting down in a chair then standing up!!!!

Squatting can be a bit tough at first, but with practice of proper form, it is one of the most impacting exercises you can add to your workout routine. One thing I would recommended is utilizing stretching along with it, loosening your hip flexibly and hamstrings will give you an extended of flexibility. This not only will boost the amount of weight and work volume that can be completed, but will improve your form along with it while increasing risk of injury as “they say” you face with squatting. Once you master the squat form you’ll also make extensive gains in strength through your legs nearly EVERY  time you do it, which can be huge for many that mentally put themselves down when they don’t see numerical performance improvements.

   Alkaline foods and acid foods have lately been playing a defining role in the discussion of human nutrition. Nevertheless, many people are befuddled about how to deal with yet one more overwhelming health concern. It can be tempting to just steer clear of thinking about the matter rather than sorting through all the facts available, but it doesn’t need to be that difficult. When it comes to determining a healthy ratio of alkaline foods and acid foods, there are a couple of central questions that need to be answered.

   1. What are the differences between alkaline foods and acid foods?

   2. How do you appropriately balance the two?

    These questions are critical due to the fact that our diets touch every other facet of our bodies from energy to behavior, mental capacity, and overall health.

   First, it is generally beneficial to find a resource you trust and simply testing an item with PH paper is not the surest way to measure how it actually affects the body. Alkaline foods are not always alkaline before they are digested. On the contrary, they are categorized by the ash they leave behind in the bloodstream. A perfect example of this is lemons. When you cut a lemon open, you find it to be acidic. Once it is digested, however a lemon actually helps generate an alkaline environment in the body.

   Usually, fruits and vegetables are the best choices for alkaline foods, although they will indeed fall all along the PH balance scale from acid to alkaline. On the other hand, chicken, beef, and pork are practically always going to be acid foods. Obviously, many people get protein and other primary nutrients from meat, so simply doing away with all acid foods is not necessarily a healthy choice. Many acid foods are, in fact, important for our overall fitness.

   As with just about any food related area of interest, the basic theme to proper nutrition is balance. Choosing a healthy proportion of alkaline foods to acid foods is what will keep the body in its finest working shape. Human blood practically always registers between 7.35 and 7.45 on the pH scale. Therefore it is slightly alkaline, since 7 is referred to as neutral.

   In order to keep the body’s pH balance in check. It is beneficial to follow a diet that includes that includes the proper ratio of alkaline foods and acid foods. A good guidelines is to check that 75-80% of the foods and drinks you select are considered alkaline foods or drinks. Because nearly all processed foods, as well as meats and grains, are ordinarily acidic, this means making sure you get a reasonable supply of alkaline foods each day.

   It is also instructive to take into account that coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, stress and even pollution add to the acid formation in the body. Choosing more alkaline foods and fewer acid foods in the diet can help to counteract these unfortunate realities of the world as we know it.

    The vast majority of adults are overweight and obese. Who would the kids learn weight management from? The Centers for Disease Control has stated that pediatric obesity has reached epidemic proportions in a mere thirty years. In 1980, five percent of kids were obese. In 2010, slightly less than twenty percent are obese.

Whatever is going on? There are certain medical conditions and medications that may contribute to weight gain. However, these are rare instances. Our kids, like adults, are overweight because they are eating too much and exercising too little.

Children obesity is diagnosed by a physician or other health care provider by using tools such as the BMI ( body mass index). This is a test to determine body fat in proportion to height, gender, and age. The health care provider may also measure skin fold thickness, waist-to-hip ratio, and water weight.

Childhood obesity must be taken seriously. We’ve been lulled into complacency by cute little phrases like ” baby fat”, ” cherubic”, “pudgy”, ” big boned”, ‘more to love”, and so on. The fact is, there is nothing cute or harmless about fat kids. Their physical and emotional well being are at peril. Let’s look at a few of the risks we’re unwillingly allowing them to take:

- Diabetes

- Heart Disease

- High Blood Pressure

- Stroke

- Asthma

- Sleep Disorders

- Fatty Liver

- GERD

- Joint Disorders

- Depression

- Low Self- Esteem

-Behavior Disorders

- Becoming Obese Adults

How do we “fix” this problem? How do we help our kids achieve a normal weight? Obese children have far different food needs than do adults. They are ” moving targets” in that they are growing and need nutrition to support that growth while at the same time losing excess fat.

The “bottom line” treatment of childhood obesity requires a change in lifestyle. Rather than “going on a diet”, our kids need to learn how to eat “rightly” the right foods at the right times and in the right amounts. What does “right” eating look like?

- More fruits and vegetables

- Reduced Fat Dairy Products

- Three “small” meals per day with healthful snacks in between\

- Whole grain breads, cereals. and pastas

- Lean cuts of meat

- Eliminate drinks that are sweetened with sugar

- Reduce portion sizes

- No eating while watching Tv or using the computer

- Help you child become more active

Childhood obesity is making our kids sick. Let’s take back control!

   The benefits of exercise are seemingly limitless. You already know that exercise is good for you physically. Health and fitness experts and professionals laud the physical benefits of regular exercise, which include improved cardiovascular health, increased energy, strength, and lean muscle mass, weight loss and loss of body fat, reduced risk for developing certain diseases, conditions, and disorders, and just generally into shape and looking good.

But exercise does so much more than simply get you into shape and help you to look good: it can make you feel good, too. Regular exercises affects you not only on a physical level but also mentally and emotionally: in other words, exercises affect mood. Working out on a regular basis has been shown, through a number of studies, to improve your overall sense of well-being, to reduce stress levels while improving your ability to deal with stress and stressful situations, to help you cope with anxiety and depression, to promote relaxation, to increase mental clarity, and even to improve your body language and attention to personal grooming.

But exactly how does exercise accomplish this? First of all, regular physical activity helps to improve mood by increasing your heart rate and then reducing muscular tension, which in turn relieves overall bodily tension, enabling you to relax and feel good. Further, many experts believe that when you exercise, hormone called endorphins ( often referred to as the “feel-good” hormones) are released from the brain into the body, which suppress pain sensations, ease feelings of stress, anxiety, and even depression, and produce a feeling of calm, pleasure, and general well-being.

Levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter within the central nervous system, are also increased during exercise-particularly through engaging in repetitious exercises and movements. Serotonin’s function is to regular mood, in addition to body temperature, sleep, appetite, sexuality, and anger. Therefore, increased levels of serotonin mean an improved mood: conversely, low levels of serotonin are often associated with depression, obsessive-compulsion, and aggression.

Maybe this all sounds a little too scientific. There are other, perhaps simpler and more basic, ways of explaining how physical activity can improve your mood. For example, some people experience getting an emotional boost or “high” directly related to the physical results they see from working out. Basically, they notice their own weight loss or fat loss, their more toned muscle, or a leaner, sleeker shape, and simpler feel better because they know they look better. Others experience an improved mood as a result of taking control of their health by incorporating daily exercise into their lives, and sticking to their fitness plans. These individuals experience a sense of accomplishment in taking charge of their health and fitness, which also increases self-esteem and the higher your self-esteem, the better your overall mood.

Exercises is good for you on so many levels. Consider incorporating it into your life so you can improve your health, look good, and feel good, too.

    OK, So, you have heard rumors before about how the hamburgers in fast food restaurants are made, but have you ever taken the time to really research the subject? Well, I have done it for you and allow me to tell you, I have not had a fast food hamburger in years, nor have I fed them to my family.

In today’s “time crunch” society, one out of every four Americans eats at a fast food place. We reward our children by taking them to eat at a fast food place so they can get their “free” toy: but did you also know that approximately in the past 30 years the percentage of obese people has doubled?

We forget for some reason, that our children’s arteries can suffer the same damage as ours, we seem to think that because they are young they are immune to health issues. I have seen children who basically live off fried foods have an extremely high cholesterol lab result, always supported by thier parents.

One of American’s great staple, besides the hot dog, is the hamburger! The fast food places advertise being cheap and with the serious economic condition of the great majority of the population, that is the place to go: but, studies have shown that low income families that frequent fast food places are more likely to turn obese, this is due to the high fat, high sodium, high sugar contents that those hamburgers are carrying.

Are you also aware that those hamburgers are made up of byproducts or do you think that the hooves, ears, heads and what not’s of the cattle are disposed of? Think again….

Now, regarding those patties, although they come from cattle, the meat from those cattle may originate in foreign countries in South American and travel their way up gathering a mixture of meats from different countries until it reaches the US. It’s no wonder that sometimes those patties will be contaminated with e-coli or salmonella.

We know for a fact that people who become vegetarians have a lower mortality rate than those who are eating highly saturated fats, animals protein, high sodium content and processed meats.

If we learn to eat properly, we can get the nutrients our bodies need from fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Studies keep showing us that it is not about “dieting” it is not about a fad: it is about changing our lifestyle so we can live longer, healthier and happier life’s.