Nutrition Health – Raw Food Focus

January 2nd, 2009

Reading Level: Leisurely

For anyone who is wanting to increase his nutrition intake and improve his health, raw food needs to be a major focus.

It is surprising the times one can walk into a health store and see the shelves stocked with a majority of what is marketed as health food. A quick look at the label shows overly processed foods, chemical additives, binders, fillers, and numerous other items or processes that make the food anything but healthy. If you truly want to increase your nutrition intake, improve your health and boost the quality of your life, seriously consider raw foods.

I recently read an article about Paul Nison, author of Raw Food Formula for Health. He is a former Wall Street Trader whose poor health caused him to relocate, change careers, and focus on improving his health. After working on his health with the Hippocrates Health Institute’s plan of an 80% raw food diet, Paul’s health was transformed, convincing him of the benefit of eating raw, unprocessed, and uncooked foods. The health benefits of a raw food diet were so compelling that Paul switched to a career as a raw food chef and author/lecturer about the benefits of raw food.

Why does cooked food put a strain on the body and its digestive system?

As Paul explains in his book, essential enzymes are destroyed in cooked food. A diet of mainly cooked food strains the body by causing it to work at producing enzymes that ought to be in one’s food intake. While a person who eats raw and fermented foods high in enzymes jump starts that body’s digestive process by reducing the body’s need to produce enzymes, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Insomnia – 14 Possible Causes

December 10th, 2008

Reading Level: Leisurely

Insomnia affects multiple areas of one’s life, such as health, weight gain, anxiety levels, relationships, memory, and work proficiency.

A Forbes.com posted an article today on 14 possible causes of insomnia. By identifying possible causes, you can make the necessary lifestyle changes or talk with your physician. Here are excerpts on the possible causes. Please use the link below to read the full article.

Depression And Anxiety - It’s estimated that 40 percent to 50 percent of people with insomnia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. Research shows the connection is present in children, too.

Environment - Some of us are more sensitive to noise. It’s also believed to be better to have a cool rather than warm bedroom. The cooling off effect you experience after drinking warm milk or taking a warm bath helps you feel sleepy.

Marital Strife - Research has shown that married people tend to have fewer sleep problems than those who are divorced. Studies show happily married women had fewer troubles falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings and more restful sleep.

Being With Baby - A University study shows that parents’ sleep and their satisfaction with the infant’s nighttime behavior was worse when the infants spent any part of the night with parents versus those who slept apart.

Medication - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants cause insomnia, talk to your doctor about your prescriptions. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Avoid Holiday Season Overeating

December 1st, 2008

Reading Level: Leisurely

A few tips to avoid overeating during the holidays are always helpful!

Though most everyone overeats at some point in time during the holidays, I came across some articles with practical tips to help one have less weight gain and discomfort.

Robin Miller of Food Network wrote a brief article for the December issue of Consumer Reports on Health. Her tips to avoid overeating during the holidays are:

1. Do not skip meals in anticipation of overeating at a big dinner.

2. Have a few snacks during the day such as fruits and vegetables (The high water content helps you feel full.) or a broth-based soup.

3. Choose less high carb snacks at the party, such as eating nuts instead of chips or pretzels.

4. Stay hydrated. The more you drink, the less food you will eat. This does not include alcohol, though, as alcoholic beverages are high calories devoid of nutrient benefits.

5. Choosing a smaller plate will help you stop when the plate is full.

6. Fill your plate with more vegetables while having very small portions of high fat foods such as mashed potatoes and gravy.

Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Weight Loss through a Good Night’s Sleep

November 5th, 2008

Reading Level: Leisurely

Your weight gain can be caused by a lack of sleep.

An estimated 50-70 million Americans are suffering mentally and physically from a lack of sleep (1). Though eating habits obviously play a role in weight gain, studies have shown that there is a definite relationship between a lack of sleep and weight gain.

Various hormones released during your sleep regulate your weight and appetite.

Leptin, released during sleep, is the hormone which tells your body that it is full and doesn’t need more food. The lower the levels of leptin in your body, the more of the hormone ghrelin is released to increase your hunger (2). The growth hormone is also released during sleep; while this hormone causes growth in children, it controls muscle mass and fat level in adults (1).

A University of Chicago research found definite relationship between too little sleep and increased appetite/weight gain. The people in the study who slept only 4 hours a night had leptin levels decrease by 18 percent. This caused the ghrelin levels, which stimulate appetite, to increase by 28 percent (2). These results should be motivational in getting a good night’s sleep. Many of us just stay so busy that sleep is the easiest thing to cut back on.

If stress is causing your lack of sleep, not putting into action a plan to deal with stress will only add to your weight problems.

Stress increases your levels of adrenaline and cortisol, mobilizing the body’s sugar supply, for the purpose of quick thinking and action in emergency situations. If you live in a frequent or continual state of stress, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »