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Sodium healthy or unhealthy?

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Salt has been valued highly for as long as mankind can remember, to the point in which people used to use it for trading with others around the globe. Salt was a significant factor as to why early humans settled around the coastlines. As Mark Kurlansky explains in his book, A World History of Salt, “salt is so common, so easy to obtain, and so inexpensive that we have forgotten that from the beginning of civilization until about 100 years ago, salt was one of the most sought-after commodities in human history.”

 

Salt has kind of been put into the same bracket of saturated fat in which its been deemed unhealthy for so long that we believe it to simply be true, but like saturated fat we’re finding out that there is more to it than just the blanket term that it’s unhealthy. Just like the controversy saturated fat has stirred up, sodium seems to have been solely blamed for hypertension, heart disease and strokes often being referred to as the single most harmful substance in the food supply. Yes, the average American consumes on average 10 grams of salt a day of which 75% comes from processed foods meaning its table salt-sodium chloride which lacks all the other elements that a sea salt or Himalayan salt would provide us with like potassium, sodium’s synergistic electrolyte.

 

I’ll share later how in otherwise healthy individuals low salt intake actually causes an increase in all causes of mortality when in fact salt intake reasonably higher than the RDA proves to be health promoting.

 

Sodium for athletes and how athletes need for salt is higher

 

Sodium is an electrolyte and the body needs an adequate amount of electrolytes in a balance to work optimally. When we exercise we tend to lose a tremendous amount of salt via our sweat ducts and only replacing our sweat with neat water isn’t optimizing our potential for performance.

 

Electrolytes are chemical substances that become ions in solution and acquire the capacity to conduct electricity. Electrolytes are present in the human body, and the balance of the electrolytes in our bodies is essential for normal function of our cells and our organs. Most commonly known electrolytes are sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and magnesium

 

“Studies in Canada at McGill and McMaster Universities have concluded that unless one has a specific and serious condition that would preclude them from taking in salt, then salt intake will produce no negative health problems, and could actually be health promoting. As a matter of fact, only 10% of hypertension cases have a known cause, and in almost all of these cases, the cause was either genetic or stress related” See the list below for potential causes of high blood pressure, which are easily modifiable lifestyle factors.

 

When athletes or even health-conscious people begin to train hard and for prolonged periods of time or even for twice a day sessions we begin to sweat a lot more losing vast amounts of water and sodium along the way. Couple this with cleaning up our diets and moving towards a much healthier diet with a lot less processed foods which is a good thing, but as we begin to drastically lower our salt intake we may notice a drop in performance, increase in fatigue levels as a result of table salt being put into most processed foods.

 

So why is sodium so important for athletes?

 

Sodium and potassium work in synergy with each other to keep the integrity of the cell intact, sodium being outside the cell and potassium inside the cell. We use a method called the sodium-potassium pump to transfer the electrolytes to the cell membrane when needed. This process directly impacts on blood volume and therefore blood pressure as well as many other functions within the body. But blood volume and pressure is important for athletes during exercise because they help supply the muscles with adequate amounts of oxygen, and nutrients when under pressure to keep performance high as well as remove waste products away from the area that is likely to prolonging fatigue. Hence if we have lower than optimal levels of sodium we would have less oxygen and nutrients getting to the muscles and a higher accumulation of waste products than optimal.

 

Potassium has some very crucial roles within the body and relies on sodium to become effective and vise versa, hence the need to maintain an electrolyte balance between these two synergetic electrolytes. When we have the correct balance of potassium and sodium water balance is regulated, which prevents from water retention within the cells, the acid-base balance in blood and tissue is maintained. In nerve cells, sodium potassium influx aids the electrical potential, which results in the conduction of a nerve impulse and finally movement including regulation of the heartbeat.

Potassium also plays roles within energy metabolism such as synthesis of protein from amino acids, plays a role within carbohydrate metabolism playing an active part in converting glucose to glycogen for energy to be stored in the liver for future energy. Our kidneys continuously excrete potassium regardless of how much we have within our body, hence the importance of striving to keep this electrolyte within the diet if you want a healthy body.

 

For athletes who want a rapid exchange of nutrients/electrolytes to keep performance high due to the high demand, it’s essential to have adequate levels ingested. Active transport of potassium into the cells is shuttled in by sodium via active transport, but this is a metabolically expensive process so if we’re lacking the needed nutrients the thyroid has the ability to slow down our resting caloric expenditure and BMR because we can’t process this metabolic pathway at the rate needed to sustain the level of output desired creating fatigue and decreased performance, as an athlete this is terrible news but easily fixed with correct nutrition planning both acutely and long-term.

 

The bodies main loss of sodium is via sweat glands, athletes with high outputs will find they lose high amounts of sodium everyday especially athletes who train twice a day and use sauna’s and steam rooms for recovery. Having large losses of sodium signals the release of the hormone aldosterone to be released, which is a stress hormone, released by the adrenal glands. It aims to conserve sodium loss and promote potassium excretion to balance homeostatic regulation of electrolytes through the kidneys, saliva and sweat glands. This is the hormone responsible for water retention or loss, bodybuilders or athletes doing water cuts want to influence this hormone to dehydrate or make weight for shows or competitions, it also plays a huge role on blood pressure as aldosterone effects blood volume by controlling sodium and potassium levels. Aldosterone is part of the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, which directly affects blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs work by inhibiting aldosterone’s secretion, the net result being increased sodium excretion and potassium retention. The case of the athletes with high outputs and low sodium intakes drinking neat water tends to exacerbate the problem. The persistent loss of sodium eventually becomes chronic and potassium ends up leaving the cell to replace sodium producing a dysfunctional cell ultimately causing muscle weakness, cramp, flat looking physique and lethargy.

 

The way in which water retention works is water follows sodium because sodium is positively charged and water is negatively charged. In the presence of aldosterone, sodium is held onto by the body and not secreted; the water follows the sodium into the cell causing water retention as a result.

 

It can be the case that the fatigue from dieting and intense training can be improved by introducing sodium into your protocol. If you’ve been dieting for weeks it can be expected that fatigue will accumulate due to the hypo-caloric intake but ensuring sodium levels will be a good precaution. If you’ve been dieting for a long period of time and sodium is at a favorable level and you’re no longer losing weight it could be time to introduce a diet break to give the body a break and rebalance hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, and thyroid etc.

 

Water and sodium needs for an athlete should consist of your body weight in KG x 0.033 = water in liters you should drink each day and 2 grams of sodium per day per liter of water that you drink.

 

Athletes new to taking sodium may experience some initial water retention but if the sodium and water intake levels are consistent this will dissipate over time and the benefits in physique and performance will be noticed. There is a small percentage of the population that has a hypersensitivity to salt and will have a dramatic change to blood pressure with a variation of sodium within the diet, these people are no different to individuals with nut allergies or lactose intolerance and should not be the rule regarding sodium intake but the exception. This being said you must pay attention to your blood pressure when you begin to increase sodium within the diet to ensure you’re not one of these hypersensitive types and that you’re not using table salt as your chosen source to get sodium in, remembering that these guidelines are for athletes performing at high intensities potentially multiple times per day.

 

Sodium and blood pressure

 

Sodium has been related to high blood pressure for a long time now, and high blood pressure is extremely dangerous increasing the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease and stroke with 1 in 4 people suffering from hypertension. Sodium and blood pressure levels have been increasing worldwide along with the increase in processed foods that carries the salt. Some additional changes were also noticed that play a role in hypertension is body mass index, stress, lack of physical exercise, decrease potassium consumption, lack of sleep and smoking rates. All of these factors contribute to hypertension, not just salt intake, even though the Paleolithic man consumed very little sodium we’re finding that higher sodium intakes are correlated to higher life expectancy as seen in the Intersalt study.

It clear to see here also that a low sodium intake even puts you at a higher risk of mortality as our body works extremely hard to conserve sodium when intakes are low as many important metabolic functions won’t work in the absence of sodium and here is were aldosterone comes in to conserve sodium and stop it from being passed through the urine.

 

Aldosterone is not something you want consistently high levels of either, as it’s associated with increased inflammation, kidney disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

 

Low sodium = Increases in aldosterone = Blood vessel constriction via nitric oxide = Increase blood pressure

 

The traditional route is to use ACE inhibitors to block RAAS pathway and bring blood pressure down, but adequate sodium levels could do this for you in the correct dosage balanced with the correct cofactors, so I’m promoting that we use diet and lifestyle factors as well as what your doctor suggestions to keep you healthy.

 

The exact amount of sodium that you actually need is hard to say as we all have different rates of sweat and lifestyle factors that cause us to lose sodium. Some sodium wasting effects are exercise, coffee, low insulin level (keto), temperature, medications or diuretics or illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea. In these circumstances, you may need to autoregulate your intake, as normal doses may be inadequate for your needs but be sure to use a mineral dense salt not table salt.

 

High blood pressure from salt increase can usually be explained by a potassium deficiency, as you can see below in the table from Sodium intake and prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke in Korean adults study as sodium levels increased so did potassium levels with no ill effects. Likely due to most of their salt intake coming from salting vegetables.

 

 

Here is a list of tips to help support you if you suffer with hypertension:

 

Potential causes of high blood pressure

1)   Dehydration

2)   No/low salt (mineral salt i.e. Celtic or Himalayan salt)

3)   Too much table salt i.e. sodium chloride

4)   No green leafy vegetables and fruit for potassium

5)   Low vitamin D

6)   No/low exercise

7)   Highly refined carbohydrate diet

Easy fixes to high blood pressure

1)   Increase water intake to 2-4 liters a day depending on size, exercise, and climate

2)   Have adequate levels of mineral salt (we lose most of our sodium via sweat so pay attention to our activity levels)

3)   Increase fruit and vegetables in the diet

4)   Exercise

5)   Supplement vitamin D if exposure to sunlight is low

6)   Increase omega 3’s from fish, algae oil, walnuts and chia seeds

7)   Cayenne pepper, garlic, and ginger have all shown to have positive impacts on hypertension

 

 

There are people out there who are hypersensitive to salt and see an increase blood pressure as sodium increases within in diet. These people should consider monitoring their intakes much more closely and check blood pressure regularly to monitor what their upper limit of sodium per day actually is. These people are just a small group of the population similar to people who are lactose intolerant or have a peanut allergy, they just have to identify themselves as being hypersensitive and take practical steps around their diet to compensate for this sensitivity. This information is not to replace that of your doctor but to support diet and lifestyle factors that you may implement, always consult your doctor before taking drastic action.

 

References

 

1)   https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/salt-and-our-health/

2)   http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1311889

3)   https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/25/1/1/238666

4)   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14497326

5)   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618115000475

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How to stay Healthy as the weather gets Colder

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It’s that time of year again when we welcome back crisp mornings, short days, and colourful leaves. Winter is the favourite season for many, but for others, well, it’s not so straightforward! If you have been allergic to winter in the past, how about trying to think of the season as a fresh start for some healthy habits? Stow away the bikini and flip flops and embrace all the benefits that this time of year has to offer, from seasonal produce to walks in the cold, crisp weather. And, you can even challenge yourself to celebrate Christmas like a health pro, by enjoying the foods but not over-indulging!

Here are some of our best tips on how to enjoy your healthiest winter yet!

Get your flu shot

This is a no-brainer, and it’s not too late yet! We are all vulnerable to getting pesky and hard to shake viruses at this time of year, and you don’t want to spend a whole week cooped up at home, suffering from aches and pains, headache and endless sneezes. The best way to protect yourself from getting the flu is by heading off to your local pharmacy or GP for your annual shot. And no, getting the jab will not give you the flu; only protect you from getting it!

Think beyond Jack-O-Lanterns

Halloween may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you should forget pumpkins for another year! The pulp of this autumn staple is packed with vitamins A and C, and its tasty seeds (which you can toast) contain a substance that can actually help lower your cholesterol. With all the potential health benefits of pumpkin, it would be a shame to limit them to just a spooky decoration! Why not find a recipe to make a pumpkin pie, bake them into muffins, or add them to soups, stews, or a salad? Your winter body will thank you.

Give the Common Cold the Old Heave Ho!

We all dread getting a lingering cold at Christmas; it can leave you feeling really miserable and stuffed up. Regularly washing your hands will lower your risk of contracting this illness; it is the single best thing you can do to prevent viruses. It is also important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, your immune system will thank you for it! The foods you eat can also help prevent cold. Stick to plenty of fruits and vegetables to pack in those vitamins and minerals, and save all those festive sweet treats for special occasions.

Get Outside and Workout!

Now, we know that it’s all too easy to curl up and hibernate indoors until the weather gets warmer again! But we implore you to stay moving – did you know that spending time outdoors increases your vitamin D levels, which is crucial for maintaining your good mood throughout the winter? Join a team sport, or take in the changing scenery on a bike ride, run or hike. You could even consider getting outdoors to rake leaves, or replanting your garden to give it that Christmassy feel – it all burns calories, after all!

Buy In-Season Veggies

Now is the perfect time of year to take advantage of the nutritional powerhouses that are available in the form of Beets, Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts at this time of year. And we haven’t even mentioned Kale, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower and Squash! An abundance of tasty and versatile vegetables makes it easy to reap the health benefits of a plant-based diet, such as diabetes prevention, and control of blood pressure and heart health.

Give Back

It’s a time of year when giving back and being grateful for what we have is naturally awakened in us, as another year draws to a close. But, did you know that adopting an “attitude of gratitude”, and volunteering, are actually really good for your mental health? Giving takes many forms, big and small, so the opportunities are endless. Give your co-workers a sweet surprise by baking some sweet treats for the office, volunteer to collect some coins for your favourite charity, or make plans to volunteer for a few hours at your local homeless shelter; the need for extra hands is always great at this time of year.

 

Dr Seth Rankin is the Founder of London Doctors Clinic

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4 Ways to Stay Healthy

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One of the things you will want to do is remain as healthy as possible. This can allow you to get more out of life and enjoy the good things it has to offer. Another reason to work towards the best health possible is that doing so will set a good example for your children. There’s no doubt your kids are watching some of the things you do each day and practicing good health habits is ideal.

Here are some top ways to stay healthy:

Get off drugs

Being healthy as naturally as possible is a great place to start. It’s no secret the fewer drugs you introduce into your body, the better you will feel and the better for your long-term health, as well.

For instance, it can be easy to get addicted to painkillers if you deal with an enormous amount of pain during an injury or another sickness. However, taking drugs that you can live without is one of the best ways to remain healthier.

It’s a good idea to consider places such as Georgia Drug Detox if you need to work with professionals in this area to assist you in eliminating your need for drugs. This is sure to improve your health in the long and short run when you do so.

Choosing the right foods

It’s no secret that eating nutritious and healthy foods can be the key to living a longer and healthier life. The foods you consume on a daily basis will determine your overall health.

It’s important to work to keep your weight under control and avoid the possibility of being obese. The most efficient way to make this happen will rest in counting calories and trying to stay in the right calorie range for your weight and height.

Some top healthy food options include all types of fruits and vegetables. These can improve your overall health and provide you with the right amount of nourishment each day. According to information from Fruit & Veggies – More Matters, only 33% of the adults are meeting the recommendation for fruit consumption.

Don’t forget to rely on the right sources to get the protein your body needs, as well. Some of your best options include chicken, tuna, and lean meat.

Stay active

Keeping your body moving and getting strong is the key to enjoying the best health possible. This can be done by engaging in a variety of exercises that can work to strengthen your heart rate and work to lower your blood pressure.

Some of the top activities you can enjoy that will allow you to get optimal results in include walking, jogging, strength training and many various cardio type exercises. Be sure to check with your doctor to ensure you’re healthy enough to begin an exercise program to work towards better health.

Enjoy meditation

Taking time to stop and breath is one thing you may do on a daily basis. However, enjoying a session of meditation can be the key to getting more out of life and working to drastically improve your health.

Enjoying this quiet time can be the key to renewing your spirit and your mind. This is essential to have the good health your body craves on a routine basis. Be sure to enrol in classes to assist you in learning the many techniques to allow you to get the results you want.

The key to having the health you want and need will largely rest on the things you do each day. This will add up and assist in a better well-being with continual use. Set the example your kids want to see by getting started today for a life you will love living!

 

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Vitamin B against Memory Loss and for Healthy Body

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According to a study carried out by British researchers on patients related to Alzheimer, taking high doses of Vitamin B in 2 years, the official results has just unveiled that vitamin B can prevent memory loss and even support healthy body. More specifically, the tablets used for researched people, “TrioBe Plus”, contain the high amount of Vitamin and are not available commercially. After the study, the revealed results have proven that Vitamin B can play an essential role in the prevention of memory loss and other brain problems.

 

Proper digestion


Vitamin B Complex is considered as a vital nutrition for proper digestive function, production of hydrochloric acid and supports in the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In addition, Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6 are also of great importance to digestion. Moreover, lack of vitamin B can result in the dysfunctional digestion and insufficient essential nutrients.

 

Nutritionists suggest taking Vitamin B as a Complex in daily life

 

The symptom of dysfunctional digestion

 

Healthy nervous system

Vitamin B Complex is also good for the proper functioning of the nervous system. As a result, the lack of any of the B complex vitamins will cause anxiety, stress, along with depression.

 

Depression can be started due to the lack of vitamin B

 

Vitamin B Complex contributes to the good nervous system

 

Energy production of the body


Vitamin B1 acts as a necessary part of helping convert the carbohydrates eaten into glucose. Vitamin B2, B3, B5, B6 and Biotin are also vital at the cellular level to effectively transfer glucose to energy. One more thing, the shortage of any of above vitamins may lead to the reduced energy production, lethargy, as well as fatigue.

 

Vitamin B which can be found in lots of fruits and food in the market helps reduce stress and enhance a healthy life

 

Healthy hair, skin and nails

The skin, hair and nail continuously develop, and the body requires Vitamin B Complex to assure the health of such above growing cells. Consequently, the inadequacy are able to be blamed for such problems as dry skin, dermatitis, wrinkles, rashes, acne, hair loss, along with weak nails.

 

Biotin can help support healthy hair, skin and nails

 

Wrinkles are a by-product of the aging process

 

 

Related links:

Vitamin B

VitaminB -12 – Cobalamin

VitaminB Complex Deficiency

Louis Brown lives in California, where he enjoys writing articles on a variety of subjects, especially lifestyle. By trade, he is a user interface designer.

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5 Healthy Snacks You Should Avoid at All Costs

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Truth be told, a lot of people are confused when it comes to identifying snacks that are really healthy. Even popular labels like “sugar-free” and “organic” tend to mislead us. You should know that not all claims are true and are made for the sake of enticing you to buy. More often than not, these conflicting health messages are the reason why you haven’t reached your optimal health.

If you want to keep your body fit and energized through snacking, you must know which snack foods are disguised as healthy so you can start avoiding them. The best part is that you won’t be led astray because we have compiled a list of these seemingly healthy snacks.

Do you want to know what these foods are? Read on.

1. Breakfast cereals

Think that a sugary bowl of colorful breakfast cereals can replace a balanced breakfast? You might want to reconsider. While a lot of cereal boxes include the labels “fortified with vitamins” and “whole grain,” they do you more harm than good.

Nearly all breakfast cereals have high sugar content and are loaded with refined carbohydrates. Since they’re refined, a lot of their nutrients are stripped off. They also contain preservatives to last longer in stores.

2. Rice cakes

During the 1990s, rice cakes were considered as great diet snacks for people who wanted to lose weight. Rice cakes can easily be mistaken as less sugary than our favorite cookies and chocolates because of their plain appearance.

Don’t be deceived by the looks of rice cakes. They are classified as high-glycemic foods and have a glycemic index of 91. This means that eating them for snacks leads to a spike in your blood sugar levels. If you’re looking to be more healthy and productive at work, rice cakes are a terrible choice.

3. Pretzels

Pretzels are really tasty and portable. No wonder, people eat them during lunch breaks or while traveling. However, pretzels are void nutrition and are as unhealthy as the dips, coatings, and flavorings that accompany them.

According to Kate Patton, a registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic, pretzels are high in sodium, sugar, and calories. Therefore, when eaten repetitively, this snack raises your blood pressure and puts you at risk for diabetes and obesity.

4. Fruity gummies

Various brands want you to think that their newly advertised pack of fruity gummy snacks contain a handful of vitamins from fruits that nourish your kids. Busy parents commonly fall for this staple snack to save them from preparing a healthy snack themselves.

We’re sorry to break your bubble but fruit chews contain harmful ingredients such as colorings and preservatives. Digging deeper, fruit chew snacks have high fructose corn syrup that puts you at risk for chronic diseases. Always choose natural, organic fruits!

5. Energy drinks

How many times have you been promised by a certain energy drink to boost your mental and physical performance? Although you would actually feel these benefits, at the end of the day no one can deny that these are still commercial products that contain high sugar and high caffeine.

If you aim for more powerful workouts and better performance during work days, why not choose a cold glass of water and munch on a natural protein-rich and fiber-rich snack instead? There are countless, delicious options like bananas, berries, tuna, and oatmeal.

Conclusion

To transform your dietary habits for good, swap unhealthy packaged snacks for natural ones. Get started by making nutritionally dense snacks easily accessible in your home. Make time for food preparation. If you need to be reminded of healthy snacks that aren’t really healthy, feel free to check this list again!

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Would you call these healthy food choices?

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A couple of weeks ago, my 6 year old daughter brought a letter home from school.  It was one of those promotional letters that so often make it into school bags.  This time it was a Department of Health leaflet promoting healthy eating via their ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign.  Now although we do have lots of treats in our house, food is something that we take quite seriously, as we have a history of severe eczema and food allergies.  So when Miss T asked if she could send off the form at the bottom of the leaflet, I was very proud of the fact that she was taking an interest in what foods she should be eating to stay healthy.

The idea behind this particular promotion is to make it easier for your family to choose healthier options.  They send out money off vouchers so that you can start swapping your unhealthy food habits for more healthy alternatives.

A week later Miss T was very excited when she got back from school and found a letter personally addressed to her.  Ripping it open she pulled out the letter and the attached money off vouchers.  As she can read quite well now I asked her to tell me what they had sent us.

Looking a little puzzled she said, “Mummy I think they have sent us the wrong things!”

Our money off vouchers

Wondering what she was talking about I took a look at the vouchers.  Here is the list of ‘healthy alternatives’ that we received money off vouchers for:

  • 600ml of Pepsi Max
  • Uncle Ben’s microwave in the pot snacks
  • Robinson’s Fruit Squash
  • Flora Light margarine
  • A tin of sweet corn

Ingredients for Pepsi Max:

U.K Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Phosphoric Acid, Flavourings (Including Caffeine), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Citric Acid.Contains a source of Phenylalanine.

Now I realise that they are trying to promote a diet with a lower sugar and fat content but REALLY?!!!  This is such a dumbing down of a ‘healthy’ diet it makes me very sad.  How can they honestly promote Pepsi Max as a healthy choice?  Why is there no money off fresh foods with maybe a link to a quick and easy recipe?  Aiming this promotion at primary school children and their families and then implying that these are healthy choices just seems absolutely bizarre.

To be honest I’m not that keen on a ‘low fat’ option anyway, especially when it’s aimed at children.  Admittedly there are good fats and bad fats, but the fat in food makes you feel fuller and so it takes you longer before you are hungry again.  Certain fats are important for everything from making hormones to absorbing fat-soluble vitamins.  When manufacturers strip fat from foods to make them ‘low fat’ they are usually left with quite a tasteless product.  So what do they do?  They add more sugar so that the food is palatable.  So in fact many low fat foods actually end up containing the same, if not more calories than the ‘normal’ version.

I do really appreciate that this promotion is aimed at families who may not be making the right food choices, which can be for many reasons – from lack of money to time constraints and that these vouchers are there to help us all make a step in the right direction towards making healthier choices.  It would have just been so much nicer to have seen this opportunity being taken to promoting fresh, REAL food.


 

 

 

Everything For Eczema

3 Tips for Incorporating Healthy Living Into your Family’s Life

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If you have a family, you will want to do all you can to keep them healthy. This will take the right amount of effort on your part and know-how. It’s important to understand how and why you will want to be a bit more diligent at maintaining the health of your family. Of course, you will want to avoid being sick at all costs and dealing with medical issues that are more likely to arise when you don’t care for your health. It’s ideal to know some tips that can allow you to add more health to your day.

Tip #1: Have family meetings

One of the things you will want to do is to pay close attention to all the members of your family. If you have teenage kids, it’s important to look for signs of potential drug use.

The first thing to do to ensure your kids remain as healthy as possible may rest in having a drug intervention. This can address an issue of this magnitude and work to decrease the chances of it causing a major issue later on in life.

You’re sure to have much more success by getting the support you need from professionals in this field. Many of these individuals can be found and are ready to provide the expert advice you need if this situation does arise.

Tip #2: Buying better foods

It can be tempting to purchase junk food at the store, but this won’t help you have a healthier life. It’s imperative that you eat foods that nourish your body and allow you to feel your best each day.

The next time you go to the grocery store, you will want to shop for healthier food choices. This obviously could assist with weight loss for yourself and loved ones eating out of the same fridge and cabinets. Taking time to add vegetables and fruits to your cart can be one of the ideal ways to enable everyone under your roof to be healthier.

You should also work to get in the necessary amount of protein each day by adding lean meats that can allow you to do so. Keep in mind that studies show women should eat at least 46 grams of protein per day and men should have 56 grams daily to maintain health and feel good.

Tip #3: Join a gym

One of the top things to do may be to take the time to look at local gyms in your area. In fact, you may get a discount if you have a large family that wants to join.

There are numerous health benefits to joining a gym, and some of these are listed below:

1. Equipment – Being able to have instant access to all types of equipment that is expensive to own is ideal. This may be the key to getting in a good workout and being as healthy as possible.

2. Swimming pool – Most gyms have a pool that can allow your family to relax and have fun. This is a great way to spend time together and get in your exercise.

3. Entertainment – The cost of going to a movie or out to eat can get pricey. However, if you have a gym membership, you can simply go there to have time outside of the house.

4. Personal training – You may need a bit of extra guidance when it comes to getting healthy and fit. The good news is that you can consult with a fitness expert that can help your family get in the best shape of their lives.

The key to having the highest quality of life possible is taking care of your health. All of your family members are certain to appreciate the effort you put into making this possible. There are numerous benefits of doing all you can to feel your best and taking care of your family is sure to be high on your list of priorities. You can help your entire clan enjoy better health and feel more energized to tackle each day when you make this one of the things you put lots of effort into making happen. Get started today for allowing your family to be healthier tomorrow.

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What healthy sleep habits should you adopt?

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If you want to remain healthy, and retain your levels of concentration, you need to make sure you get the right amount of sleep. Different people require different amounts of sleep, but the average adult generally needs between seven and nine hours each night. In today’s hectic world, it can be tempting to try and manage with as little sleep as possible; this is not a good idea.

We are going to discuss the problems that you can have if you do not get the regular sleep that you need. We are also going to give you some tips on how to make sure your sleeping habits are healthy.

What happens if you do not get the sleep that you need?

When you go to sleep at night, your body takes the chance to restore itself. This is also the time when new things you learned that day are solidified in your memory. Sleeping also gives your brain a chance to re-energise. All of these functions are vital, if you want to remain healthy, and function effectively.

If you have trouble getting to sleep, your sleep is disturbed or you wake up too early, these functions may not be completed as they should be. This means that you begin the next day feeling tired. Your memory of the previous day may be vague and you may struggle to concentrate. This lack of concentration is especially serious if you get behind the wheel of a car, or if you operate machinery in work.

Hopefully, this information helps you to see just how important good quality sleep is.

Habits you should adopt to help you sleep

If you think you may be suffering from a sleep disorder you should seek medical advice. There are also habits you can adopt to make it easier for you to get a healthy amount of sleep.

  • Adopt a regular sleep pattern. It’s not always possible for you to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, but you should try to do so as much as possible.
  • Make sure your mattress is fit for purpose. If your mattress is worn out it’s important to buy a new one. Check out mattress reviews, such as these, to find one that suits your needs.
  • Adopt a relaxing bedtime routine. This could include features such as taking a warm bath.
  • Switch off the electrical equipment in your bedroom. It can emit blue light which has an adverse effect on sleep.
  • Make sure the room where you sleep is as dark as possible. You can even use blackout curtains if you need to.

All of these tips are useful if you need help sleeping. Hopefully, you can how important it is to adopt healthy sleep habits, to help your body and your brain. Sleep should always be a vital part of your life and you should never try to manage without getting enough.

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Best Apps for Healthy Sleep for You and Your Children

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Sleep deprivation is a worldwide problem of our time. Although the recommended amount of sleep is 8 hours daily for adults and about 10 hours for school-aged children, an average grown-up barely sleeps 6 hours a day. As for teenagers, various social pressures conspire against the proper amount of daily rest. This can lead to exhaustion, impair memory and cognitive abilities, and affect overall well-being. Luckily, technology is not only able to interfere with our sleep (we all indulge ourselves to social networks and YouTube video-hopping late at night), but also to offer us a remedy.

Sleep as Android

This is the most versatile and multi-functional application of its kind, that tracks everything you need to know about your sleep. The most important and usable feature, however, is sleeping patterns tracking – based on your movements and other data analysis, the app chooses to wake you up during the optimal sleep phase, which makes the awakening process easier and less stressful. Besides, the alarm is gentle and customizable. The app also keeps sleep deficit stats and offers sleep advice. On top of that, it can help with detecting some alarming symptoms of sleeping disorders, such as sleep apnea or sleep talking.

Twilight

If you have a hard time falling asleep or your children get too excited while using their phone or tablet before the bedtime, the probable cause may be the harsh blue light coming from the screen. This cold-hued glow, to put it simply, reminds our brain of the daylight and keeps us awake. Even the calm activities such as reading from the tablet screen can delay your going to sleep by an hour. Twilight solves the problem by adjusting your screen to the time of day and reducing blue light emission at night. When the app “thinks” that the sun is already down (it collects data about your GPS location), it dims the screen and applies warm orange and red filters, to imitate the sunset colors and prepare our brain for going to sleep.

Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep

Sometimes all we need to peacefully fall asleep is slowing our mind down a bit. Our days are full of stirring sounds – traffic, door slamming, furniture rolling, dogs barking, and sirens wailing. The app imitates the sounds of natural environment – birds singing, rustling of the grass, ocean waves, the wind, rain and thunder – whatever makes you comfortable and relaxed. There are many “white noise” machines and ambient music generators created to accompany us in the arms of Morpheus, however, this one offers only pure nature sounds and no music, which has the most wholesome effect on the psyche. It’s good for various purposes: to lull you to sleep, to help you relax when you feel stressed or tense, or even to wake you up in the mildest and most placid way possible, as it allows to use tracks from the app as the alarm and ringtones.

Pumpic

The most common reason why children have troubles falling asleep nowadays is their keenness on gadgets and digital. Sleeping is boring, whereas online life is buzzing 24/7 – they play games, they chat with friends, they share everything that happens to them during the day through the social networks. If you feel that maybe your child is growing dependent on their phone and that online activities interfere with their bedtime, you may opt to block the most distracting apps altogether. Pumpic has the variety of monitoring and blocking features that will help you to keep the cyber life of your child within the reasonable limits.

Yoga for Insomnia

This app offers you a guided series of yoga poses emphasizing the right way of breathing. The experience aims specifically to help you in overcoming insomnia. Traditional hatha yoga has a wholesome effect on your body and sets the right mood for sailing away to sleep. If you have never done yoga before, you may want to try Core Yoga app first. Nevertheless, Yoga for Insomnia is quite suitable as well. Your children may try it also; however, it is strongly recommended that they do the exercises under your guidance.

Dream Journal

Dreams are the reflection of our psyche, our worries and wishes. Sometimes people have reoccurring unpleasant dreams and this can affect their sleep and general state. To clear your mind and put your dreams right, you can keep a dream journal. It also helps to train your memory and to keep your brain fit. Luckily, now there is an app for that too. In Dream Journal you can track reoccurring patterns and elicit key moments that need interpretation. Though it is a very intimate process, you may choose to share your dreams with the community by posting them on the Dream Wall and read the dreams of other people from all over the world.

These apps will not solve all your sleep-related problems, but will definitely help you and your children to keep a proper regimen, cope with stress and avoid distractions after bedtime. The rest is up to you. Sleep tight and have nice dreams!

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5 Healthy Activities That Are Actually Enjoyable

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Do you ever feel like all the things that are fun for you have over the years been proven bad for your health or waistline? We hear you. But it might delight you know that things aren’t actually as bad as all that. We’ve compiled a list of things that manage to be healthy and enjoyable at the same time. Read on!

1. Massage.

Guess what made it to the list of top fitness trends in 2016? Mobility rollers used to massage and relieve muscle tightness. And who doesn’t enjoy a soothing massage? Getting a massage releases dopamine and serotonin into your system, which makes you feel relaxed and sleepy. So a massage is a good remedy for feeling stressed out. But that’s not the only benefit. In fact, Mayo Clinic Staff has a whole page dedicated to listing its benefits. Some of which are as follows:

  • anxiety and headache relief
  • stress-related insomnia cure
  • injury strain prevention
  • injury strain recovery
  • joint pain cure
  • myofascial pain cure
  • and more!

You’re getting a dose of good health served to you each time you book a massage.

2. Singing.

You love singing in the shower, and you’d do it more if you could. Well after reading this, you will have reason to do it more. According to an article in Time, scientists have long been trying to find out why singing elevates your spirits. So far, here’s what they have come up with: When you sing, you release endorphins and oxytocin, both of which are pleasure hormones. Singing regularly is shown to lower levels of cortisol, which is a stress-related hormone. So basically, if you want to have less stress and feel more pleasure, go on and belt out a tune.

3. Sleeping.

In a poll conducted way back in 2009, sleep was voted to be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Are you nodding your head? It’s hard to accurately describe that moment of waking up feeling completely refreshed. It’s a feeling as close to holy as many of us will come. As you probably know without needing to be told, sleep is a vital need of the human condition. It’s so important that sleep deprivation is considered a form of torture. Lack of sleep has been connected to memory impairment, health deterioration, and is said to impact longevity.

Beautiful woman lying and sleep on the snowy bed

The benefits of sleep are improved memory and cognitive function. It is also during sleep that the body releases hormones that activate muscle repair. Instead of hitting that snooze button, try to go to sleep a little earlier tonight. The hours before 12 are prime sleep hours and contribute to that refreshed feeling we talked about earlier.

4. Laughing.

Have you heard that saying, the one about laughter being the best medicine? There’s a bit of truth in this one. Not only is relaxing with your favorite comedy show a good time for you, but it is also a very healthy activity. It might even be on par with eating well and getting in your exercise. When we laugh, our physiology changes. We breathe faster, and we get more blood and oxygen shooting through our body. According to WebMD, it’s similar to a mild workout. What’s not to like about laughing more? Nothing.

5. Hugging.

In a study done by Carnegie Mellon University, it was found that people who were hugged had a greater resistance to the common cold. How does that work? Some studies point to oxytocin aiding immune function. And hugging releases oxytocin, that feel-good chemical, in your body. Oxytocin also lowers your stress levels, which naturally can help you have a more enjoyable day. It also spreads endorphins through your body, whose job it is to soothe pains and aches.

Go find someone to hug! It not only benefits you, but also the person you hug, too! They’re getting the same boost to their nervous system and will have a better day because of it.

What with these 5 enjoyable and healthy activities you can indulge in, daily life is looking better by the minute.

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