Part 3 is about oils/fats and yes, you can eat some fats and oils that are very healthy for you, they aren't the kind you will find at your local restaurant drive thru however. Also, unfortunately, some of them you can't even be found at your local supermarket, although, they are becoming more readily available there. The right fats/oils can actually be good for your heart and even help you manage your weight. So lets start covering these miracle fats and learn a little about them:
Flax Seed Oil: Some facts about flax seed oil; it never converts to body fat, not ever, so this works for both the dieter and the hard gainer; never use flax seed oil for cooking, oils high in essential fatty acids are not good for cooking, in fact heat can turn these healthy fats into harmful ones; only purchase flax seed oil in the refrigerated section and they should be in very dark containers; flax seed eaten at meals can increase the nutritional value of other foods. Many of the chronic diseases are classified as chronic inflammation, some of these are heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma; and the good news is that these can be reversed with natural anti-inflammatory foods and supplements and yes, flax seed oil is one of those. Flax seed is effective in lowering cholesterol levels; stimulates the immune system; contains high levels of antioxidants; so consume at least a tablespoon of the powerhouse fat everyday, the perfect way to introduce it into your diet is put it in your morning smoothie.
Omega Fatty Acids: These can be taken in a form of a supplement which if that is your preferred method it needs to be the balanced amounts of 3-6-9, however, as you start eating healthy you will get this balance in some of the foods you eat, so the amount of the supplement will be able to be reduced as you are getting the value from the foods you eat. Omega 3 helps in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, high blood pressure, brain, nervous system, protect again certain cancers like breast and prostrate, they help reduce inflammation by improving the blood flow in the body and also strengthening the joints. Omega 6 also needs to come from our diet and/or a supplement and the conversion of this for the body to use is very limited and is blocked my our on the run lifestyles, such as stress, smoking, ageing, sugar, nutritional deficiencies; which means many of us are deficient in this Omega. The supplement that supplies this fatty acid is evening primrose oil and you need a supplement that has at least 10% GLA and from a reputable company. Omega 9 is essential not a fatty acid, because our bodies can manufacture some of it as long as the other two are present in our bodies, however, they all three work very well together and so the premium supplement would have the three included in it. Omega 9 is what the call Oleic Acid and it lowers the risk of heart attack, arteriosclerosis and can reduce the risk of cancer. Foods that contain Oleic Acid are extra virgin oil, olives, avocados, almonds, sesame oil, pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts.
Olive Oil: This is another oil that should not be used for cooking as when it is heated it looses it healthy properties and it should be extra virgin olive oil. Once again this oil reduces body inflammation, it can also assist in weight loss; it helps you look better by reducing dry, coarse skin, strengthen cracked and weak nails, helps hair to be shiny and sleek; protects your heart; combats cancer; helps with the affects of diabetes.
Hazelnut Oil: It is probably one of the most luxurious of all the above oils, or at least it may seem that way as gourmet chefs around the world use it in their prized recipes. This oil can be heated to 430F, so you can cook your favorite foods in it and it has about the same healthy properties as olive oil, with just a little different taste to enhance your menus, it goes well as a substitute for butter and it also goes great with chocolate.
Just so you will know what other oils/fats are good for cooking I am going to give you two other ones that can be heated to higher temperatures. One is grapeseed oil, which can be heated to 420F and it has all three of the Omega Fatty Acids in it and it also comparable to all the above oils; the other one that can be heated to higher temperatures is coconut oil and it is once again one of the most healthy oils you can cook with and it can be heated to 350F for cooking your foods, it has a very distinct flavor and you would need to like coconuts to be able to enjoy this in your cooking.
These are many options for you to get started on your healthy path to good eating and know that the food can taste good and still be healthy, quite looking for short term answers and fixes, and make long term lifestyle changes.
Thought for the day: "We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden." -Goethe-
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons http://www.spiritedboutique.com
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
October 28, 2007
Ways to Help Eliminate Stress - Part 7
The basic theme of this article is get out and get moving, get whatever is creating your stress in perspective and not let it take over your whole being. This is not the same as running away from it and/or ignoring it, it is just so you don't sit and just sort of stew in what is going on. Also, when you go out and get a change of scenery, so to speak, you are less likely to get depressed and/or moody, just get off the couch which will be good for you mind, body and stress.
Have you noticed when you are stressed your self esteem sort of takes down hill spiral, your hair is not perfect, your clothes fit funny, you drop your keys, or you can not find your keys, traffic is annoying and so on and so forth. Then you do something special for yourself and bingo, you feel better, let that something be eating a good healthy meal, go shopping for healthy, interesting food and fix a super healthy meal that makes you feel special after you eat it, not, like what did I eat that for.
Volunteering can do the same thing for your stress level, there is always someone who is better off than you and much worse off than you, and when you go out and volunteer, you get to see both sides and know that your life is right on. It will give you confidence and an over all feeling of self worth and self esteem. It is all about attitude, it has been said "life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react", and if we are busy contributing to life we will be somewhere closer to the 90% end of the scale. There is all kinds of volunteering, figure out what and where your interests lay and then check out the different facilities that are involved in your interests and go volunteer. Usually most facilities will accept part time and many even drop in participation. Another good idea may to be to find a facility that is involved in the area you always find your self stressed out in, that way you can learn how to see and possibly overcome some of your stress in the situation, if nothing else you can identify when a stress "attack" is coming on.
Watch how you talk to yourself and to others, do you use the words should, must and ought to; do have the feeling you are always last; feeling like you always expect the worst; compulsive about not being late; compulsive of always being late; these are things you can watch for in your behavior and if you are working with others and watching your own behavior, you may get the clue of some of your stress signals. The other people you are working with, interacting with, will be your mirror.
Sometimes the volunteer work can even be done from you home, like making calls to shut-ins and the chronically ill to cheer them up and to just give them a call so they know that someone is thinking of them and cares, this many times helps you more than the person you are calling. Since stress involves a focus on ones self, focusing on the needs of others literally helps shift our thinking and that perpetuates pleasure and happiness.
Volunteer work and helping others can also involve donating money and that works the same way where doing good helps us to feel good and feeling good also makes us more likely to do good.
Then there is the all famous one that anyone can do, and that is give away a smile to just anyone for any reason, and if you do not feel like smiling smile anyway, act as if you are happy and stressfree and you will be, going thru the motions can wake up the emotions.
Thought for the day: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia-
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons http://www.spiritedboutique.com
Have you noticed when you are stressed your self esteem sort of takes down hill spiral, your hair is not perfect, your clothes fit funny, you drop your keys, or you can not find your keys, traffic is annoying and so on and so forth. Then you do something special for yourself and bingo, you feel better, let that something be eating a good healthy meal, go shopping for healthy, interesting food and fix a super healthy meal that makes you feel special after you eat it, not, like what did I eat that for.
Volunteering can do the same thing for your stress level, there is always someone who is better off than you and much worse off than you, and when you go out and volunteer, you get to see both sides and know that your life is right on. It will give you confidence and an over all feeling of self worth and self esteem. It is all about attitude, it has been said "life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react", and if we are busy contributing to life we will be somewhere closer to the 90% end of the scale. There is all kinds of volunteering, figure out what and where your interests lay and then check out the different facilities that are involved in your interests and go volunteer. Usually most facilities will accept part time and many even drop in participation. Another good idea may to be to find a facility that is involved in the area you always find your self stressed out in, that way you can learn how to see and possibly overcome some of your stress in the situation, if nothing else you can identify when a stress "attack" is coming on.
Watch how you talk to yourself and to others, do you use the words should, must and ought to; do have the feeling you are always last; feeling like you always expect the worst; compulsive about not being late; compulsive of always being late; these are things you can watch for in your behavior and if you are working with others and watching your own behavior, you may get the clue of some of your stress signals. The other people you are working with, interacting with, will be your mirror.
Sometimes the volunteer work can even be done from you home, like making calls to shut-ins and the chronically ill to cheer them up and to just give them a call so they know that someone is thinking of them and cares, this many times helps you more than the person you are calling. Since stress involves a focus on ones self, focusing on the needs of others literally helps shift our thinking and that perpetuates pleasure and happiness.
Volunteer work and helping others can also involve donating money and that works the same way where doing good helps us to feel good and feeling good also makes us more likely to do good.
Then there is the all famous one that anyone can do, and that is give away a smile to just anyone for any reason, and if you do not feel like smiling smile anyway, act as if you are happy and stressfree and you will be, going thru the motions can wake up the emotions.
Thought for the day: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia-
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons http://www.spiritedboutique.com
Anti-Aging, Eat Healthy Foods, Live Longer and Feel Better - Part 1
Everywhere we look, read; hear it is all about anti-aging and how we can look and feel younger. I for one endorse the Dove ads, I love my age and every little imperfection I have gathered on my journey called life. However, I am really interested in living longer (which includes being healthy) and feeling better, so I started on this journey of changing my habits of eating and looking into what foods and supplements would make me feel and look better and of course live longer and healthier.
My first reservation with eating healthy was, how can I do this and still live, work and play in this world that rotates around fast food and the on the go lifestyle, so I was interested in what I could carry with me just incase I wasn't at home when it was meal time and avoid that "I'll just go thru the drive thru" syndrome.
Today's topic is going to be about nuts: Not all nuts are created equal, I am only going to discuss the ones that are beneficial (from my research) and that have the most healthy benefits, also please remember that the nuts should be eaten raw and unsalted, and yes, I know that doesn't sound like the roasted, salted deluxe nut mix we are use to, but when you read the benefits you will reap by eating these healthy anti-aging gems, you will just go yummy.
ALMONDS: This nut actually lowers blood cholesterol levels, and 90% of the fats in almonds are unsaturated, they help prevent osteoporosis and the regulate blood pressure; they are considered a well-balanced food. Studies have shown they can contribute to lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic illnesses. Almonds are considered to be the most nutritious of all nuts.
WALNUTS: They are one of the best plant sources of protein. Walnuts have high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, which help in the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation. The suggested amount of walnuts per day is 1.5oz or about 20 halves, eat them in place of other snacks not in addition to and they can remain a very healthy snack.
HAZELNUTS: These nuts are very high in Vitamin E, which again is a protection against heart diseases and cancer; also Vitamin E is an anti-aging supplement both for inside and outside the body. You can also use hazelnut oil for your cooking and salads. It has been said that if cancer is already formed in the body, Hazelnuts then can fight to defuse the harmful cells.
PECANS: This is one the more elegant nuts, and is known best for pecan pie, with that said, this will not include pecan pie, but will give much more healthful benefits. Once again this nut is exceptional to reduce heart disease and coronary artery disease. Pecans are rich in oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil, which can discourage the triggering of breast cancer. Pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts contain the highest antioxidant levels of all nuts.
So the next time you head out the door, or better yet just keep a supply tightly sealed in the car, grab a packet of nuts to munch on and have ready for the kids, wife, husband, friend and who ever else rides in your car to snack on, and you will be doing your body the biggest gift of all and it will thank you by performing in a healthy glowing way and for a very long healthy time.
Thought for the day: "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -Linus Pauling-
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons Spirited Boutique
My first reservation with eating healthy was, how can I do this and still live, work and play in this world that rotates around fast food and the on the go lifestyle, so I was interested in what I could carry with me just incase I wasn't at home when it was meal time and avoid that "I'll just go thru the drive thru" syndrome.
Today's topic is going to be about nuts: Not all nuts are created equal, I am only going to discuss the ones that are beneficial (from my research) and that have the most healthy benefits, also please remember that the nuts should be eaten raw and unsalted, and yes, I know that doesn't sound like the roasted, salted deluxe nut mix we are use to, but when you read the benefits you will reap by eating these healthy anti-aging gems, you will just go yummy.
ALMONDS: This nut actually lowers blood cholesterol levels, and 90% of the fats in almonds are unsaturated, they help prevent osteoporosis and the regulate blood pressure; they are considered a well-balanced food. Studies have shown they can contribute to lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic illnesses. Almonds are considered to be the most nutritious of all nuts.
WALNUTS: They are one of the best plant sources of protein. Walnuts have high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, which help in the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation. The suggested amount of walnuts per day is 1.5oz or about 20 halves, eat them in place of other snacks not in addition to and they can remain a very healthy snack.
HAZELNUTS: These nuts are very high in Vitamin E, which again is a protection against heart diseases and cancer; also Vitamin E is an anti-aging supplement both for inside and outside the body. You can also use hazelnut oil for your cooking and salads. It has been said that if cancer is already formed in the body, Hazelnuts then can fight to defuse the harmful cells.
PECANS: This is one the more elegant nuts, and is known best for pecan pie, with that said, this will not include pecan pie, but will give much more healthful benefits. Once again this nut is exceptional to reduce heart disease and coronary artery disease. Pecans are rich in oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil, which can discourage the triggering of breast cancer. Pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts contain the highest antioxidant levels of all nuts.
So the next time you head out the door, or better yet just keep a supply tightly sealed in the car, grab a packet of nuts to munch on and have ready for the kids, wife, husband, friend and who ever else rides in your car to snack on, and you will be doing your body the biggest gift of all and it will thank you by performing in a healthy glowing way and for a very long healthy time.
Thought for the day: "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -Linus Pauling-
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings Darlene Siddons Spirited Boutique
September 27, 2007
Stress Eraser - Can Stress Make You Fat?
The simple answer to this question is yes? We are going to look at some reasons why this is so and then I want you look into your lives and see if any of these reasons/things apply to you and your lifestyle.
Emotional eating: Now that could really be called stressful eating, when we are lonely, tired, stressed or hit with something that makes us uncomfortable many of us think of food to fix it and make us feel "comfortable". This could also be just the stress of everyday non-stoppable lifestyle and eating on the run and not really watching what and when we eat.
Then there are some of us that when we get stressed we completely loose our appetites, that is because the first chemical produced when we encounter stress is corticotrophin and then the other brain chemicals kick in and that is when we get the urge to eat.
That is why this information is so important to you, so when you are hit with stressful times you know what is happening to your body and you can deal positively with the effects rather than go eat. Go for a walk, do some pushups, go to the beach, listen to some music, do a few yoga poses, meditate, anything that will put your body, mind and soul into balance again.
There are two types of fat that your bodies store, first there is the peripheral fat which stores right below the skin, which might not look as good, as it is the fat that shows up on your thighs and legs, it is not as dangerous though as visceral fat which is stored around the belly. Visceral fat puts you in higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and inflammation.
With this information, you can see that just counting calories and food intake isn't all that counts, yes the food we take in is very important, however, our lifestyle is also very import. With this information you will also know that when you are stressed and feel the urge to eat and know you really aren't and/or shouldn't be hungry, to just wait a few moments and the hungry urge will subside.
What is important is to keep both the food and the stress in complete balance, which will keep our bodies healthy and our minds clear.
Thought for the Day: "He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate. –Henry David Thoreau-
Emotional eating: Now that could really be called stressful eating, when we are lonely, tired, stressed or hit with something that makes us uncomfortable many of us think of food to fix it and make us feel "comfortable". This could also be just the stress of everyday non-stoppable lifestyle and eating on the run and not really watching what and when we eat.
Then there are some of us that when we get stressed we completely loose our appetites, that is because the first chemical produced when we encounter stress is corticotrophin and then the other brain chemicals kick in and that is when we get the urge to eat.
That is why this information is so important to you, so when you are hit with stressful times you know what is happening to your body and you can deal positively with the effects rather than go eat. Go for a walk, do some pushups, go to the beach, listen to some music, do a few yoga poses, meditate, anything that will put your body, mind and soul into balance again.
There are two types of fat that your bodies store, first there is the peripheral fat which stores right below the skin, which might not look as good, as it is the fat that shows up on your thighs and legs, it is not as dangerous though as visceral fat which is stored around the belly. Visceral fat puts you in higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and inflammation.
With this information, you can see that just counting calories and food intake isn't all that counts, yes the food we take in is very important, however, our lifestyle is also very import. With this information you will also know that when you are stressed and feel the urge to eat and know you really aren't and/or shouldn't be hungry, to just wait a few moments and the hungry urge will subside.
What is important is to keep both the food and the stress in complete balance, which will keep our bodies healthy and our minds clear.
Thought for the Day: "He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate. –Henry David Thoreau-
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