Quick boost for healthy eating
There are so many books on dieting and everyone has a plan or a pill. The bottom line is that it takes eating right and exercise to lose those extra calories that are stored in the body. But, I found a book that talks about a trick to boost healthy eating, a trick in the sense that it takes a big problem and breaks it into smaller, more manageable steps.

The book is “The No-Grain Diet” and it is not for weight loss, but for getting healthy.It explains in great detail how the grains and sugars we eat train the body into expecting them, almost like an addiction. But, if you can stop eating them cold turkey for ONLY 72 hours, you will lose your cravings! I tried it and it worked. After 3 days I could look at chocolate cake and TAKE it or LEAVE it. It was awesome. The cravings for cake seem to come back a little at “that time of the month”, but I can do without grain most of the time. And if I fall off the wagon and eat a bunch of cakes and cookies, I can do the 72 hour “cleanse” again and VOILA, they don’t tempt me anymore.

So, here is the recipe – it’s easy to understand, difficult to be faithful to, but you only have to do it for 3 days: Fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, fish. No sugar, wheat, processed food (because they usually have wheat or gluten), no fruit juice (corn syrup and fructose are sugar), no cookies, cakes, pudding, bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, rye, barley, etc. After the 3 days, you can eat rice, oatmeal and some small amounts of real cane sugar or stevia, but the main point is that after this point, it won’t be as difficult because you won’t have to fight the cravings!

Don’t worry about fat or calories for now, this is one step at a time.  And once you don’t have to fight those wheat cravings you will lose weight natiurally because wheat and sugar are so full of empty calories. Eating only fruits, veggies, meat, fish, and nuts, you will automatically cut alot of calories from your diet.

For more info, I read the book “The No-Grain Diet” and the “recipe” is explained fully by Dr. Joseph Mercola.  This website http://www.paleodiet.com/ has numerous suggestions, recipes, scientific research articles and other helpful information.  There is something for everyone on this comprehensive collection of “Caveman” diet information.

Eat healthy, Be healthy.

Take care of yourself,

Valerie Johnson

http://www.4naturalwellness.com/Services.html

Regular enjoyment of eating nuts as part of a well balanced diet can protect your heart and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In moderation, eating nuts can also assist in managing your weight. Containing a wide range of important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, nuts will naturally help in assisting your overall general health.

High in Fat. Yes, but Healthy!

Simply because nuts contain a high fat content doesn’t mean they are unhealthy. In fact, nuts contain a great source of good fats, both monounsataurated and polyunsaturated, which have been proven to be essential for regulation of blood cholesterol.

Nuts that contain high levels of monounsaturated fats include macadamias, cashews, almonds, pistachios and pecans.

Nuts that contain high levels of polyunsaturated fats include walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts and brazil nuts.

Fibre in Nuts

Eating nuts constributes fibre into your diet and eating soluble fibre will keep you satisfied for longer periods. The dietary fibre contained in nuts will also help to lower blood cholesterol and is an essential ingredient to maintain healthy bowel function.

Folate in Nuts

One of the B Vitamins, Folate is associated with heart health, cancer protection and a lower risk of birth defects in newborn babies. Vital for good health, and to provide additional folate in your diet, include hazelnuts, chestnuts, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.

Magnesium in Nuts

The mineral magnesium is essential for good nerve and muscle function and assists in strengthening bones. By including an average serve of 30g of brazil nuts, almonds and cashews will provide more than 75% of the recommended daily intake for magnesium.

Zinc in Nuts

This mineral is necessary for many processes in your body including strengthening the immune system as well as healing and protecting your skin. Consuming one third of a cup of cashews, almonds and pecans will provide you with more than 15% of your recommended daily intake.

Selenium in Nuts

Essential for a well functioning immune system and thyroid gland, Selenium will also protect cells from damage in your body. Particularly rich in selenium are brazil nuts, with just two providing all your daily requirements of selenium.

Antioxidants in Nuts

Antioxidants contained in nuts include flavonoids as well as a compound calld luteolin. These anitoxidants are known to assist in slowing down the ageing process and also protect your body from a variety of lifestyle related diseases.

Arginine in Nuts

The building block of protein, arginine is an amino acid that maintains the health of your blood vessels. Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts and pistachios all contain good sources of arginine.

Plant Sterols in Nuts

Plant sterols are substances that reduce cholesterol absorption from the gut. Plant sterols are found in tree nuts such as pistachios, cashews, almonds and pecans. Consuming these nuts will contribute this important ingredient into your diet.

Recommended by health authorities around the world, including more plant foods in your diet is vital for good health. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds are all plant foods which protect you against many of the lifestyle related issues seen today. One of healthiest diets in the world today is experienced by the people of the Mediterranean who include plenty of plant foods and nuts daily in their diet.

Ensure you include nuts in your diet today to maintain optimal health.

The majorities of baby boomers are looking for a way to loose weight and lower their cholesterol. Both of these are two important factors in heart disease, which still remains the number one killer in the United States. The good news is that you can dodge heart disease through your food choices. Below are six foods that can help boost your heart health.

Many studies have proven the variety of health benefits given by fish, ranging from joint inflammation in arthritis sufferers to brain development in babies. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish support circulation and improve blood vessel function. Researchers have also determined that omega-3s can prevent heart-attack deaths as they stop the electrical disturbance that causes death and half of all heart attacks are due to these arrhythmias. Each week, you should eat one to two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish such as an Alaskan salmon, anchovies, herring or mackerel. By baking or poaching these fish at low heart you can help to preserve the omega-3s. For vegetarians, omega-3 rich flaxseeds can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, or salads. For those who don’t care for fish there are omega-3 oil supplements available as well.

Have you ever wondered why oatmeal is so good for you? In your body, this gluey beta-glucan, which is soluble fiber, binds to bile acids found in the intestines and stomach and excretes them as waste. In order to make more bile acids, the liver needs cholesterol and takes it from the blood. This results in lower blood cholesterol levels. You need 3 grams of soluble fiber each day to reduce your cholesterol by five percent. A cup and a half of cooked oatmeal is a good size serving that can be jazzed up in flavor with frozen berries, non-fat plain yogurt, almonds and much more.

High-glycemic foods like potatoes, white bread, and white rice should be avoided because you get a harmful burst of glucose and insulin that’s harmful immediately after eating them. These bursts tire out the pancreas in the long run and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Research also shows that having high-glycemic foods at one meal will make you even hungrier and eat more at the next, which is why these foods are associated with weight gain. People with excess fat are much more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if there are no other risk factors. Because of this, focusing on true grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and barley and choosing them over refined grains as much as possible.

Nuts are important for their unsaturated fats and their ability to help lower cholesterol. Walnuts actually contain omega-3 fatty acids, while almonds boost calcium, helping the heart muscle to contract, and Brazil nuts have selenium, which is a heart-protective antioxidant. About one ounce each day of nuts is good for you, but they do have a lot of calories so make sure to go easy on them. If you have a nut allergy, topping you salad with olives is a good alternative, as they contain unsaturated fats.

Beans also contain soluble fiber like oatmeal which helps to reduce cholesterol and keep arteries clear. By choosing the protein from beans instead of meat, you can cut back on saturated fats which raise cholesterol. Eating beans four to five times a week is recommended, as they can be added to a lot of meals. If you don’t tolerate beans well, try adding kombu, a sea vegetable, to them to help break down the components that cause gas. Your body also does adapt to beans over time, so try building up your bean servings slowly. Food enzymes can help reduce gas as well so don’t forget to take your enzymes.

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and other berries all have strong antioxidant properties that can help fight heart disease and are also low in calories and high in fiber. Eating two cups of fruit each day for general health is recommended, but you should eat as many berries as you can tolerate. Free radicals can break down cholesterol that is flowing in your blood and make them sticky so to deposit on the arterial walls of your blood vessels. Fight this with antioxidant rich foods to reduce cholesterol build up.

Eating healthy is one step in boosting heart health and overall cardiovascular health. Exercise is also important in keeping your body strong and vibrant so one can live a healthier longer life.