Give These 10 Power Foods To Give You Energy and Rev Up Your Engine

An Oldie But A Goodie!

Everyday that I write this blog I become more and more aware of how important the right diet is for our overall health, immune system, body weight, energy level, moods and so much more. If you are anything at all like me then you need all the energy you can get to keep up with all the things each day puts in front of you. The below foods will get and keep you going full of energy as well as giving your immune system a nice boost.

Healthy Foods To Give You A Natural Boost

**Berries-Ooooohhhh, I love berries and now I have even more reasons! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are high in vitamin and fiber content, they're an excellent source of antioxidants, compounds that protect our bodies from the stress of day to day living, and fresh berries are kind to the waistline; they are naturally high in water and low in calories. Dried berries also provide excellent nutrition, but since most of the water is missing, their calories are more concentrated and you’ll usually wind up eating more of them.

**Citrus-Citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C; one orange has a whole day’s requirement.They’re also loaded with soluble fiber which lowers cholesterol, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, and helps you to manage your weight.

**Salmon-Cold-water fish, like salmon, mackerel and herring, are premiere sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are fats our bodies can’t produce, so it’s essential we include them in our diet. If you read my post about healthy hair, you will notice salmon was included in that post as well.

**Vegetables-There’s no such thing as a bad vegetable so eat up. Vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, and are a crucial component of any healthy eating plan. Orange and yellow-hued veggies like winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes and leafy greens contain carotenoids, a pigment our body converts to vitamin A. Eating lots of these vegetables will help maintain healthy skin and hair, protect against prostate cancer, promote healthy vision and even provide protection from sunburn. Lycopene, the plant chemical responsible for the ruby red of tomatoes and watermelon, is believed to fight cancer and promote heart health. Green vegetables like broccoli and spinach are sky-high in potent anti-cancer compounds like sulforaphane and quercitin.

**Nuts and Seeds-Almonds, pecans and pistachios are rich in protein. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids. Toss sesame seeds in a meal for extra calcium and vitamin E. Sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are particularly good sources of phytosterols, also known as plant sterols, which promote heart health. These are easy to take with you for on the go energy. I take nuts everywhere and eat them all day. As I have mentioned probably a hundred times-nuts are my number one diet secret!

**Olive oil-Olive oil is an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that may lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol. It contains Vitamin E and antioxidants and is an excellent replacement for unhealthy saturated fats like butter. I take a spoon full of olive oil before eating spaghetti so the bad fats in the pasta can't make me fat. Extra virgin olive oil is also great for healthy skin.

**Tea- Recent studies have shown drinking green tea might boost metabolism, oolong teas can lower blood sugar, and black teas can promote oral health. Tea contains half the caffeine of coffee and packs a punch of polyphenols, powerful antioxidants believed to protect against heart disease, certain cancers and stroke.

**Legumes-Beans, peas, peanuts and lentils are all part of the legume family. Legumes are rich in folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and antioxidants. Their high protein and complex carbohydrates provide steady energy that lasts for hours. Also great for vegetarians (like me) who need protein.

**Whole grains-They’re delicious, inexpensive and packed with protein, B vitamins, minerals and fiber. Some immediate benefits you might notice are stable blood sugar, less hunger between meals, and better weight management.

**Lean Protein-Protein is an important part of every diet and is found in many different foods. Lean protein, the best kind, can be found in fish, skinless chicken and turkey, pork tenderloin and certain cuts of beef, like the top round. Low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, ricotta and other cheeses supply both protein and calcium. I also love extra firm tofu for a great protein!
It is very clear that whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy, and fruits and veggies are essential for so many positive benefits to our health.
ref-The Food Network

3 Super Easy Tips To Speed Up Weight Loss and Say Bye Belly Fat!

My new favorite magazine, “For Women First”, is always such a wealth of helpful and simple ways to do so many things and this latest bit of information on how to rev up your weight loss is no exception. I suppose that the two mini Snickers bars and diet Pepsi I just engulfed (yes before 7:00 a.m.) are going to have to go. Usually I am good and have fruit and green tea but remember that I am a wannabe health nut and we all have those days where the beloved chocolate and diet Pepsi vices are a must-we are all human after all. Hopefully these 3 little tips can help you out!

Eggs, eggs, and More Eggs For Breakfast –Women who eat two eggs each morning shed 65 percent more weight (and 83 percent more belly fat) than those who have a bagel of equal calories, according to a recent study. Eggs are chocked full of protein and stabilize blood sugar while increasing your metabolism by 25 percent for two hours and curb appetite to cut daily calorie intake. I despise eggs but have found if I cover them in hot sauce and cheese I can do it. I wonder if this counts? I think it should since it is all protein, right?

Vegetables At Every Meal-According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adding veggies to every meal helps women to lose 25 percent more weight than reducing fat in their diet. Veggies have low calorie density so you eat more food but consume less calories and are still left feeling full and happy!

Psyllium Powder-Okay so the name does not bring to mind an enticing treat in the least but the people at Yale University research say that by increasing your fiber intake by 5 grams a day (equivalent of ½ tbs of psyllium husk powder mixed into a glass of water or juice) can melt 13 pounds of belly fat yearly. This is apparently double what women lose when counting calories. Fiber has the ability to slow carb absorption and balance blood sugar. If you have a better source of fiber as some fruits and vegetables you could add more of those to your diet as well.

Pharmacy of Nature!! A Fun Email Forward!

A friend of mine at work forwarded this to me in an email and I found it really fun and interesting and thought you might as well. I don't know who wrote this so I cannot give credit where credit is due and I wish I could but I hope you enjoy.......

Nature's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the res earch shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food..

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents c ervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.
Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Absolutely Awesome Aspirin! Car Battery, Calluses, Flowers, Rust and Pimples-Aspirin Cures It All

When I read all the below things that aspirin can do I was really, really shocked! I went out and bought a big bottle and am going to give some of these a shot. I love finding easy and simple remedies for everyday problems so I hope that this helps you too!

Bye,Bye Itchy Bug Bites-Got a mosquito or bug bite that just won’t stop itching? Moisten the affected area and rub an aspirin tablet over the bumps. Aspirin has anti-inflammatory agents that seep into the sore and reduces swelling and discomfort.

Love Your Flowers Longer- If you want your flowers to last longer just drop two tablets of aspirin in the water before adding your fresh cut flowers. The aspirin decreases the PH level of the water which is a breeding ground for bacteria and causes your flowers to wilt sooner. By adding the aspirin it makes your bouquet last longer!

Ciao Calluses!-Just mix 1 Tbs. of lemon juice with five crushed aspirin tablets and apply to your calluses and cover with a plastic bag for 10 minutes. Remove the bag and rinse with warm water. The combo of acids in the lemon juice and aspirin will exfoliate the rough layer of dead skin cells.

Rust Marks Be gone-If you hate the rust marks on your bathroom counter as much as I do just wet the area, smash an aspirin tablet and sprinkle it on the mark then wipe away after 10 minutes.

Poof Pimples To Another Galaxy-This is so easy for those nasty and rude pimples! Simply crush an aspirin tablet, add enough water to make a paste and leave on your blemish overnight. In the morning you should be on your way to clear skin!!!

Dead Car Battery??? Aspirin To The Rescue-Is your car battery dead?? Well make sure you always have aspirin in the car because all you need to do is drop two tablets into the battery. The acetylsalicylic acid in the aspirin will react with the battery’s sulfuric acid to allow a strong enough charge to start your car.

Who knew? Really cannot believe all the great things aspirin can do besides get rid of my headaches. Hurrah for aspirin!

Ref- First For Women-9/14/09

I Am Out For A Couple Days And No More Stinky Fridge The Natural Way!!!

Just a quick note to everyone that I will be away from the computer until next week but will be back on Monday and catch up with commenting and dropping. I will leave you with a quick and fun tip before I go and wish you all a great rest of the week and weekend!!!

Get a Fresh Fridge The Natural Way!

Hate that stinky refrigerator?? Me too! An easy way to get rid of the smell is to cut an orange in half and remove the pulp. Fill the empty half with Tbs. of salt and place it on a plate or dish in the back of the fridge. The salt absorbs stale odors as the orange peel releases a clean citrus scent. I love the smell of oranges!!! Orange you glad you found out about this. LOL!

Heidi

Bite Into Basil Baby!! From Sexy Legs, Pain Relief And Belly Fat Burning To Looking Younger-Basil Has It!!!

I have always been a fan of basil putting it in my salads, and using it to add flavor to many dishes (okay, I don’t cook much so yes, it can be sprinkled on tv, canned and boxed dinners). Really though, basil is very easy to chop up and throw into soups, vegetables, casseroles and just about anything- just look below at all the amazing benefits of a little basil! Mmmmmmmmm basil baby!

Sexy Legs With Basil- Just a couple tablespoons of fresh basil supplies,”60 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K which stimulates the body’s production of thrombin, a clotting protein that obstructs circulation to damaged veins and reroutes blood to larger healthy vessels. Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands discovered that this can cause spider and varicose veins to shrink and fade in as little as six weeks.”

Decreases Appearance of Wrinkles- By having basil on a regular basis you can improve the appearance of wrinkles by 66 percent in as little as 10 days. Basil has high concentrations of flavonoids, which help the body synthesize skin-plumping collagen. Basil is also pumped full of vitamin A and this speeds skin cell turnover to give you that glow we all want!

Basil Burns Fat-Bye, Bye Big Belly-For this alone I will eat basil by the handfuls! According to a study at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, basil has calcium which suppresses the body’s output of calcitriol, a hormone that gives you that increases fat storage in your stomach. The study showed that regular intake of basil melts abdominal fat 81 percent faster. Basil also is full of manganese which is a mineral that stabilizes levels of blood glucose-regulating insulin that staves off cravings and helps to downplay those sugar highs and lows.

Natural Pain Relief- According to research at Michigan State University in East Lansing, a nice big sprinkle of basil relieves muscle pain as well as a standard dose of aspirin. “Eugenol, a component of the herb’s natural oil, inhibits a key enzyme from synthesizing the inflammatory prostaglandins that over sensitize nerves”. I guess in terms I can understand that means it makes the pain go away.

Now, if you are not rushing to the store to get some basil and piling it on and in everything you eat I don’t know what to say. I just threw some in my green tea and it tastes….. interesting. Basil I love you for all you do!

Sex is Good For You! From Cancer To The Common Cold!! No More Excuses!

It seems anytime I mention the word sex in a post I get more page views than ever so without further ado I am going to post once again one of my most popular articles ever!!! Enjoy in every way!

By Anna Magee http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Making love could be one of the few pleasures in life that is genuinely good for you, say researchers.

Not only does a healthy sex life boost mood, but there is growing evidence to show it boosts your physical well-being, too - from increasing longevity to reducing the risk of erectile dysfunction and even heart attack.

Only last month, researchers at Nottingham University concluded that men who kept up a regular sex life in their 50s were also at lower risk of developing prostate cancer. In fact, the research seems to suggest that men - particularly older men - benefit the most from healthy effects of sex. Feel-good hormones help explain some of the benefits, such as mood-boosting, but the explanation is not always obvious. But one thing is clear, and this applies to both men and women: you need to be having sex regularly if you don't want to lose the ability.

Researchers had followed 1,000 men aged between 55 and 75 for five years and found that those who had sex less than once a week at the start of the study were twice as likely to develop erectile dysfunction (see below) as those who had it at least once a week. Those who had sex three or more times a week lowered their risk fourfold. 'Use it or lose it' was the advice given to older men by Finnish scientists recently.

As women get older their oestrogen levels drop, says Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, consultant gynaecologist at the London Women's Clinic and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This hormone is key to a woman's sexual enjoyment - lower levels can make sex uncomfortable, he explains. But American research found that menopausal women who had sex every week had oestrogen levels twice as high as their abstaining counterparts. 'Regular sex increases the production of oestrogen,' says Dr Bowen-Simkins. As long as other symptoms, such as dryness, are not a problem or have been treated, having more sex can decrease the risk of vaginal atrophy which can occur with age, he says.

So what else can a regular love life do for your health?

Heart- Sex can be good for your heart. The idea that men are more at risk of a heart attack during love-making is mostly misconception, say experts. Professor Peter Weisberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, says there is no evidence that men who have sex regularly in their 40s, 50s and beyond are at an increased risk of heart attack. 'As far as the heart is concerned, sex is just another form of exercise,' says Dr Graham Jackson, consultant cardiologist at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital and president of the Sexual Dysfunction Association. 'In fitness terms, it's equivalent is going for a mile-long walk or climbing up and down two flights of stairs. If you're physically fit enough for that, there should be no increased risk during sex.' A study at Queens University in Belfast found that having sex three times a week could actually halve the risk of heart attack or stroke. However, if you are over 50, overweight and unfit, there is a risk to your heart - just as there would be if you suddenly and vigorously took up any form of exercise.

Loving Feeling: A study found those who had sex less than once a month had double the risk of dying prematurely than those who had sex twice a week.

Prostate -Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men, affecting 35,000 a year. Previous research suggested that greater sexual activity was linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer, but findings from Nottingham University (published in the British Journal Of Urology International) suggest the opposite is true: that increased activity is protective for older men. This backs up the findings of a major study five years ago by the National Cancer Institute, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Previous studies have suggested the reduced risk is due to the release of toxins from the prostate gland. 'We can't say for certain that having regular sex can protect older men from prostate cancer, because such studies don't prove the mechanism through which risk is reduced,' says Dr Geoffrey Hackett, consultant urologist at Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield, and former chairman of the British Society for Sexual Medicine. 'But many men who maintain a regular sex life are also likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle in terms of regular exercise and a better diet. That's likely playing a bigger part in their prostate cancer risk reduction.' Bones 'Testosterone levels have been found to increase during and after sex,' says GP Dr Sarah Brewer. 'This may provide some protection against male osteoporosis.' Sexual activity can also protect you against other unwanted changes. Some scientists have linked low levels of sexual activity to structural changes in the penis or testicles which appear to reduce them in size. 'We know that men who don't have regular ejaculations or sexual intercourse have lower levels of testosterone,' says Professor Pierre Bouloux, consultant endocrinologist at University College London and the Royal Free Hospital. And if your testosterone levels fall and you don't get erections, there is some evidence that the penile tissues can lose some of their elasticity, which in turn could make them appear smaller.

Mood-lift: The neurotransmitter serotonin is the body's key anti-depressant and a major reason people smile after sex Mood The evidence suggests that the 'feelgood' effect of making love could be more about chemicals than sexual ability. 'During lovemaking and orgasm, a cocktail of endorphins (the body's natural mood-lifting opiates), neurotransmitters and hormones are released,' says Professor Nadir Farid, consultant endocrinologist and founder of the London Endocrine Clinic. 'Oxytocin, in particular, is a hormone released during and after sex that has been shown to make people more generous towards their partners and can also help induce calm and sleep,' he adds. Oxytocin is called the 'cuddling' hormone because it's released after just 20 minutes of hugging. Women produce four times as much as men, for whom production is inhibited by the prevalence of the hormone testosterone, which drives libido. Another key neurotransmitter is serotonin, says Professor Farid. 'Serotonin is the body's key antidepressant chemical and one of the major reasons people smile and feel happy and relaxed after sex.' Sexually active women in longterm relationships were less likely to be depressed than women who went without sex, according to a study of nearly 300 women by American psychologist Gordon Gallup and published in the Archives Of Sexual Behaviour. Gallup speculated that semen contains several hormones which may have a mood-boosting effect when they are absorbed through the vaginal wall into the bloodstream.

Immunity -Having more sex might increase immunity from colds and flu. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of immunoglobulin A, or IgA, a substance found in saliva and the nasal lining thought to help our immune systems fight colds and flu. In one study, scientists asked 11 volunteers how often they had had sex over the previous month, then measured levels of IgA in their saliva. Those who had sex once a week or less had a slight increase, compared with those who abstained; but those who made love more often had 30 per cent higher levels. Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre and Healthcare Clinical Trials at Cardiff School of Biosciences, is not convinced, though, that sex itself is the key. It's known that stress and anxiety can also make IgA levels go down, so according to Professor Eccles any connection between sex and colds may be related to other factors.

Cold cure? -Having more sex might increase immunity from colds and flu. Longevity One of the largest studies on longevity and sex - conducted on Welsh men - found that those who had sex less than once a month had double the risk of dying prematurely than those who had sex twice a week. 'Sexual activity seems to have a protective effect on men's health,' says GP Dr Sarah Brewer. 'This may be linked with the effects of the master sex hormone, DHEA or dehydroepiandroterone, which is made in the adrenal glands and functions as a building block of other hormones such as oestrogen, testosterone and progesterone. 'DHEA levels rise just before orgasm and ejaculation to three times higher than normal, and some claim this is how regular sex can prolong your life.'

Fertility- For people trying to conceive, one of the biggest myths associated with fertility is that refraining from ejaculation boosts sperm mobility - the rate at which individual sperm can move forwards to penetrate an egg for fertilisation, says gynaecologist Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of Midlands Fertility Services. 'When sperm is hanging around in the epididymis, the long coiled tube in the back of the testes where sperm is stored, it dies off rapidly,' she says. 'Unless a man has a low sperm count, the more often he has sex, then the better the quality of his sperm.' Preliminary results of a small study two years ago, by Australian researchers, found that in men whose sperm showed significant DNA damage, daily ejaculation reduced this damage by 12 per cent. 'When it comes to sex for fertility, having sex little and often - at least every other night - is far better than lots of it on infrequent occasions.'

Well I guess you know what you need to do to stay healthy:)