SELF HEALTH + HEALING

If you think you have a parasite, don't worry. You're not alone, they're more common than you think.

 

Yes, we all have parasites. It’s practically impossible to not come in contact with them; they are in just about everything, from food to carpet. However, having parasites does not necessarily mean they are negatively affecting you.

 

Parasites will always exist; they are part of the cycle of life. Even healthy individuals have them, the difference is that they are not doing harm; instead, they are doing their job

If the word chia brings up a mental image of a clay creature sprouting hair, you are not mistaken. But the seeds responsible for sprouting fuzz on Chia Pets are also an excellent source of anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Who knew? "

 

For women, the RDI of omega-3s is 1.1 grams (1,100 mg) a day, so if you're looking for a new source that's vegan, gluten-free, and easy to consume, you'll want to pick up some of these seeds immediately. One ounce of chia seeds (about two tablespoons) contains 137 calories, one gram of saturated fat, 11 grams of fiber, four grams of protein, 177 milligrams of calcium, and 4.9 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Aside from offering omegas, when chia seeds come in contact with water, they bulk up just like flaxseeds do. So when you eat them, they make you feel full. This means not only will they prevent you from overeating, but they'll also improve your digestion.

The Mediterranean diet offers many benefits to personal health as well as our environment. It is a lifestyle that enhances the quality of our lives.

 

While I usually maintain a very healthy eating regime (organic whenever possible, superfoods, and I steer clear  of gluten, dairy and sugar cane), I vowed to adopt a Mediterranean diet once back in the United States. I say “adopt” because the Mediterranean diet is not a diet in the traditional sense at all, but more of a lifestyle.

 

Traditionally characterized by vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds, olive, and lots of extra virgin olive oil, and fish, this way of eating not only involves a low consumption of processed food, processed carbohydrates, sweets, chocolate, and red meat, but a state of being. The atmosphere and mind set are equally important. People enjoy long relaxed meals instead of fast food, warm climate, a sea breeze full of negative ions, and blue skies full of potential with stupendous clouds, worthy of Instagram. The pace of life in the region differs considerably from the ‘western world.’

 

As you probably know from the very particular way you take your coffee, not all sweeteners are created equal. The market is booming with sugar substitutes: From saccharin-sweetened Sweet'N Low to aspartame-sweetened Equal, there are plenty of ways to make your cup of joe a bit less bitter. For fewer calories, many choose these sugar alternatives and put up with an artificial flavor or a funky aftertaste.

It's no wonder Americans have grown accustomed to these various sweetening options: More than 78 million U.S. adults are obese, and sugar-dense foods and beverages may be a major contributing factor. We're in search of a sweet but healthy solution.

Stevia, an FDA-approved sweetener, attempts to be the answer."

"No matter how healthy we are in our "normal" lives, most of us tend to loosen the reigns a little bit (or a lot) during the holidays. If you have a tendency to get into that all-or-nothing mentality, you might just wake up on January 1st wondering where all your healthy habits went."

Personally, I relate to this: I have a super addictive personality, so when I get into something, I have a tendency to go all in. With a little experimentation, though, I've found that it doesn't have to be so extreme. If you put a little intention into your self care, you can continue to show up for life in a vibrant, energetic state—even during the season of endless indulgences!

For the first time, researchers show how a plant-based diet, stress management and other lifestyle changes may lead to longevity.

 

It’s not quite the Fountain of Youth, but it may be the river that leads to it. In a paper published in the journal Lancet Oncology, scientists found that a small group of men who made changes in the way they ate and handled their emotional needs showed longer telomeres in their cells.

 

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/16/eat-better-and-stress-less-itll-make-your-cells-and-maybe-you-live-longer/#ixzz2f7lYpROG

"You've probably read dozens of posts telling you which foods you should be eating, but I'm actually going to tell you some delicious ways you can incorporate them into your cuisine!

Here are five of my favorite healthy foods — AND the ways I like to enjoy them. Read on for great health and great taste: 

"A new study finds breakfast, lunch, and dinner are not created equal"

 

.By Douglas Bair

 

Breakfast has long been touted as the most important meal of the day—even if some choose to skip it. And lately, it seems more and more research has jumped on the breakfast bandwagon with a recent study coming from Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

 

The 12-week study examined two groups of 93 obese women who were restricted to a daily 1,400-calorie diet consisting of a balance of carbohydrates and fats. Each group’s diet split those calories differently among three meals throughout the day: Some women were assigned to consume 700 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch, and 200 calories at dinner, while the numbers were reversed for the other group (200 at breakfast, 500 at lunch, 700 at dinner).

 

These foods can help decrease the risk for heart disease.

 

Foods high in sodium and saturated fats, although tasty, can be responsible for heightened blood pressure, according to the World Health Organization. Pizza, fried meals, cakes and bacon are just a few of the many types of foods that contain high levels of saturated fats.  

 

"You eat those things, and the particles of saturated fat get into your blood and make it thicker – more like grease and less like water," Neal Barnard, founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, told U.S. News and World Report in 2014. "So the heart has to push to get this sludgy blood moving, and that's why blood pressure goes up." 

 

Fortunately, foods that can help reduce blood pressure naturally exist, and they're all around you. 

Let’s get this out of the way up front. Wheatgrass juice does NOT taste great! It tastes like grass, as you may have imagined by it’s name. It’s earthy and and pungent and although some that drink it often say it is sweet(ish), it’s definitely an acquired taste."

 

I have never met someone who actually likes the taste of wheatgrass the first time they try it – myself included. That first sip, usually taken too slowly because of the cautious nature of the drinker, lingers a tad too long on the tongue, making that first experience even worse. You’re better off simply throwing back that shot!

 

The taste is not WHY you should drink wheatgrass, though. You should try it and drink it because of it’s really good for you – a true elixir of health and repair.

- See more at: http://fitlife.tv/why-you-need-to-add-wheatgrass-to-your-healing-supplies-original/#sthash.wrCyUVma.dpuf

 

There are so many opinions when it comes to clean eating. We break it down for you with a few important and key points. Such as should protein be cut out?

 

When it comes to diet and fitness, one of the most popular terms you hear is eating “clean.” 

This term means more than just washing off your fruits and veggies.

Clean eating means you’re supplying your body with nutritious, healthy foods in order to keep vitamins and minerals in your body. And doing this is obviously healthy. After all, you’re giving your body exactly what it needs.

However, this isn’t a for sure way to building muscle or even to lose fat. In fact, you could eat only clean foods your entire life and still have that skinny fat look, with minimal muscles.

Simple and natural ways to beat sugar cravings with l-glutamine, b-vitamins, chromium, sleep, meal planning, protein & exercise.

 

Based on the number of candy bar commercials that exploit apparently insurmountable sugar cravings that can only be alleviated with the help of a candy bar… sugar cravings seem to be a big problem. After all, you aren’t yourself if you don’t eat a packaged candy bar. (sarcasm)

 

Sugar cravings can certainly be a problem, and many people struggle with them. With a modern lifestyle that often includes processed foods, irregular sleep schedules, artificial light and lack of movement, hormone imbalance is a growing problem and cravings are a growing symptom.

By now it's almost universally accepted that a well-maintained and balanced diet is one of the most important things a person can do for their own health. Unfortunately, when it comes time to translate words into action, sticking to a diet seems to fall apart just as often as it succeeds.

A lot of the time, this can be due to either a lack of direction or a lack of enjoyment--or even a combination of the two. Without direction, a prospective dieter can be left with just a vague notion of "eating healthier," which can be easy to disregard without concrete steps to follow. Likewise, a purposeful diet that consists only of bland or uninteresting foods may be healthy, but can oftentimes be far from motivating.

Fortunately, there's a solution to both of these problems: superfoods. These are foods that both taste great and provide numerous health benefits to your body."

 "If you suffer from depression or mood disorders you may be deficient in one of these nutrients."

 

Depression and mood disorders are devastating health problems today. When you go to your doctor, their answer is often a prescription for one of the various popular anti-depressant drugs.

 

Many doctors do not investigate for metabolic or nutritional deficiencies that may be the ‘real problem’ for your depression. Patients have no idea why they feel so awful or where to start looking for the answer. They expect their doctor to give them real solutions. Instead they get drugs as the easy fix. Drugs are not an easy fix because of the serious side effects that come with taking them.

 

A new report finds that some supposedly healthy foods are actually laden with sugar.

 

It's Friday! After a long week of work, you're probably ready to curl up on the couch with a big box of doughnuts. But having read Gary Taubes' expose in Mother Jones on the sugar industry'sterrifying campaign to convince the American public that sugar won't kill you, maybe you'll reach for a "healthier" option instead—like a green Odwalla "Super Food" smoothie.

 

Not so fast. According to a new report by Credit Suisse, you might be better off eating a doughnut than some of the stuff marketed as healthy. Here are nine surprising foods that have more sugar than a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which, at 10 grams, seems saintly in comparison:

Dr Mike Hart propose nutrition and diet plans, muscle and fitness with information on shaping muscle mass, weight training and sports nutrition .

 

There are countless nutritional myths in the health industry. The unfortunate truth is that once a theory becomes “accepted as scientific evidence”, it becomes re-written until it is accepted as undisputed truth. However, some of these theories may not stand the test of time. Governmental organizations aren’t likely to make a public announcement stating, “In light of new evidence, we must regretfully inform you that what we have advocated as healthy food is actually unhealthy”.

 

I will attempt to reveal 8 nutritional myths that may not only surprise you, but may allow you incorporate the facts into your life to make more informed decisions towards a healthier lifestyle.