Beware of nutrition scams! 09/23/2009
With Halloween quickly approaching, haunted houses are not the only thing you need to be wary of. Watch out for nutritional products or services that claim to do something that is too good to be true. Most times if someone is selling you something that seems too good to be true, it is. Lately, as I have been doing various nutrition Google searches on nutrition, I have noticed many advertisements for an array of products that claim to do amazing things for you nutritionally. The problem is that the claims are a bit too extreme and the promised results occur practically immediately. One example of this is all the nutritional pills that are capitalizing on the acai berry, or as many like to say, the new "miracle fruit". Some of these pills claim to help you lose weight instantly and drastically increase your health. The fact is that nutrition is not achieved overnight and actually takes a certain degree of work (diet, exercise, etc.). Not only that, but a pill can not match the nutritional benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables. I do not care what anyone says. So the bottom line is, if you are interested in boosting your health, do not fall into the trap of wasting your money on fancy pills and other similar products. They will most likely leave you feeling the same as before...with less money in your pocket. Your best bet to obtain good health is to avoid the quick fix and to focus on building a healthy lifestyle. The next time you visit the grocery store be sure to purchase more fresh fruit and vegetables. If you are looking to loose weight, keep an eye out for citrus foods since they help to flush your system. Also be sure to fill your cart with whole grain type foods, as they are essential for a healthy digestive system. Do your best to avoid pre-packed meals and other products that are high in sodium. Finally, do your best to control your sweet tooth. Improving your diet along with incorporating moderate exercise into your daily routine will leave you feeling refreshed and healthy. Plus you will never have to be tricked by any of those shady nutrition scams again! What is your favorite breakfast cereal? 09/09/2009
When you go to the supermarket it can be quite overwhelming choosing breakfast cereals. As you look at all the yummy sugar cereals you can almost hear your health conscious ringing in your ear telling you to make a healthy choice. It's been said for generations that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it's the fuel your body needs to start the day. With some of the sugary cereals available today you might as well eat a candy bar for breakfast instead. Actually a candy bar might have less sugar than some (joking). HealthCastle.com, which is one of my favorite health websites, just released an interesting interactive feature that allows you to compare certain breakfast cereals. You can take a look by clicking here. Keep in mind that by choosing healthy breakfast cereals it can be a great way to obtain key nutrients. Many are high in fiber and contain lots of whole grains as well. Personally, my favorite cereal is most anything made by Kashi! My wife and i have tried pretty much every type that they make at this point:) Feel free to respond and share your favorites below! 5 Simple Ways to Stay in Shape 09/01/2009
I think that most of us would agree that we could improve on the health aspect of our lives. Whether it be eating better or exercising more, we all have areas that we can improve upon. There is no doubt that when you exercise and eat right you feel much better both physically and mentally. In today's fast paced society, it's not surprising to see how health sometimes gets put on the back burner. The problem for most of us is that we are so busy and unfortunately only 24 hours in a day. I would like to share with you some quick and simple tips that can help to improve your health. Just remember that even the seemly little things add up over time. Both positive and negative. Take time now to improve your health and your body will reward you later. 1) Find creative ways to exercise: Setting aside time everyday to go to the gym or exercise is clearly the best plan, but that isn't possible for everyone. That is why it's important to be creative and find new ways to get your exercise in each day. Here are just a few of my favorites: Take the steps whenever possible. Don't always park in the closest parking spot. Instead of sitting while you are on the phone, go for a walk or pace. Walk or ride your bike instead of driving when possible. Exercise while watching TV rather than just sitting there. Whatever you come up with just stick to it and eventually you will see the results. 2) Develop a routine: Not all of us have time to be the next body building champion, but that still doest excuse you from exercising. Nice try though! Whether it be finding time to exercise each day da or eating the right things, it's very important to stick to a routine. This is a simple concept but can be hard to execute. Pick a physical activity that you enjoy and then DO IT at least 5 days a week. An example of this is going for a walk everyday after dinner. I have found that you are much more likely to exercise each day if you get into a routine. Sure at first it may be hard to get into a routine but after awhile you will miss your daily activity if you are unable to do it that day. 3) Take the stairs! This is one of my personal pet peeves because it's hard to understand why people don't take advantage of the "free exercise" that they gain from something simple like taking the stairs. Forget the elevator and stick to the stairs. While you may think that taking the stairs one day will not make much of a difference. Just think how many calories you will burn after a week, month or year of taking the stairs each day. If you work on the 4th floor you have to go up to get their anyways so why not get some exercise. Don't be lazy and settle for the uncomfortably crammed elevator. Take the stairs and get some exercise. Trust me, it will make you feel better about yourself. 4) Eat "Detox" foods Since most of us do not always eat the most nutritious foods it is important that our body flushes harmful toxins on a regular basis. This prevents long term diseases such as cancer. Here are some basic tips to help naturally detox your body. Be sure to include foods that are high in fiber into your diet. This would include whole grains, nuts, oats and granola just to name a few. Fiber acts like a sponge and sucks up harmful toxins before being excreted from the body. Citrus foods such as lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits have a strong detoxifying effect. Grapefruits are a great food to eat as well for anyone who is on a diet because they actually have an appetite suppressor quality to them. Some other fruits that are strong body cleansers are cranberries, prunes and the acai berry. I would strongly recommend that everyone includes these juices into their diet as well. If you are looking for a natural supplement to take for detoxing i would recommend taking milk thistle. Milk thistle acts as a cleanser of the liver and is very beneficial. Please visit the Nutritional News section of BlenderWizard.com for much more details on the benefits of milk thistle. 5) Healthy Snacking Replace greasy, fatty and sugary snacks throughout the day with something healthy. Substitute soda with water or healthy tea. Try having a grain fruit bar for a mid day snack or a fresh fruit filled parfait with yogurt and granola for a late night snack. Fruit makes a great snacking food. Also eating foods that are high in fiber are perfect too because fiber helps to make you feel more full, which helps to curb cravings. Another trick that i have found is that drinking lots of water throughout the day makes you feel less hungry. Eating healthy snacks is a great way to begin a healthy daily routine. |