What's Your Excuse For Not Eating More Fruits & Vegetables?

By David Butler

Everyone is aware of the fact that fruits and veggies are
excellent for the body, due to their abundance of fiber and
disease-fighting nutrients. Mom said we should eat plenty of
them every day and we knew she was right, but did we pay any
attention?

An unpleasant visual to call up is us driving with one
finger on the steering wheel as we cram greasy French fries
and hamburgers in our mouth while washing it all down with a
chocolate shake. Although, we may not be making that pit
stop every day, we still make bad choices for convenience
like grabbing a bag of chips instead of an apple or banana.
The fruit is just as fast, but so much better for us.

If it's simple you want, why not try some watermelon,
grapes, or a cantaloupe? Fruit only needs a quick wash and
it's ready to snack on. Another example might be veggies
such as carrots or celery soaked in a light dressing.
Research has shown that we don't eat enough of the
low-calorie, wholesome broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and so
we are overweight and disease-prone. Nutritional experts
hope to wake us up to healthy eating and inspire us with
five-a-day campaigns that remind us that we should be eating
at least five servings daily of vegetables and fruits.

In the beginning, five servings per day appears like a lot.
Fruit at breakfast is a practical idea to work in one extra
serving of fruit to start the day. Fruit on cereals,
waffles, or pancakes is another idea. Apples or bananas make
great portable snacks.

Veggies are very easy to get in during the day. It's easy
and smart to have a salad for lunch. When you have lunch or
dinner out, order a sandwich made with lettuce, tomatoes and
sprouts. You can add vegetables to baked goods, or use them
as ingredients in stews and soups, and with sauces for meat.


Do you like peanut butter? Add some celery with it. Kids
especially love this snack. Toss some raisins on top as
well! Cheese and celery make a nice snack too. Sometimes
kids are reluctant to try new fruits and vegetables. But
keep giving them different kinds to try. A lot of well
meaning parents will tell their children that they must
first clean their plate of vegetables before they can even
think about dessert. The problem here is the psychology this
creates. You're basically communicating the idea that
vegetables are something unpleasant to 'get through' so you
can move onto the sweet stuff in live. Think about how
different everyone's health would be if we didn't see our
vegetables in this manner.

Carrots after you finish all of your pudding!? Juice is
another simple way to increase your fruit and vegetable
consumption. The downside of juice is that it lacks fiber.
You don't get that benefit of vegetables and fruits when you
drink them. It also kills your appetite. How many times have
you seen a child drink a large cup of juice and then refuse
to eat, claiming they aren't hungry? Juices also often have
more calories than the fruit they come from.

The benefits to your health of fruits and vegetables are
obvious. Research has shown us that people who consume the
recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day have
about half the chance of contracting 14 different types of
adult cancers than those who don't. By eating more
fruits and vegetables you can lower the risk of heart
attack, stroke, and adult blindness.

This is information that everybody should know;
nevertheless, we can come up with millions of excuses for
not eating properly. One excuse that people use is that it
costs a lot to eat healthy, and other people say that it
just takes too much time to prepare healthy foods. What
excuse keeps you from eating the way you know you should?


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How To Keep Muscles And Joints Healthy

In today's busy life and routine, what we often don't care
about is the health of our body. Taking care of our body is
not about just going to a doctor when we feel sick, but
taking action to prevent problems from occurring in the
future. We most often ignore our muscles and joints, and
then end up having to pay the price by spending large
amounts on surgeries or treatments we would not have needed
in the first place.

Our joints are responsible for important functions in our
body. They help in keeping the bones intact. They require
just as much care as other parts of our body like our teeth
or eyes. Our joints are the point that allows our bones to
bend flexibly. The muscles are attached to the bones with
tendons, so that as the bone moves, the muscle moves as
well. As we grow, the muscles get stronger and stronger
with exercise, enabling us to provide more energy
and power.

The most widespread problems that cause muscle or joint pain
are arthritis, muscular dystrophy, osteoporosis, repetitive
stress injuries, tendinitis, and strains. I will explain all
of these briefly, and then talk about what could be done to
prevent them.

Arthritis is when the joints become inflamed and there is
difficulty moving them. It is most common in older people,
but even children have been known to develop arthritis.
Osteoporosis causes the tissue in the bone to get weaker and
brittle thus making it easier for the bone to break. This is
most common in women and even in younger girls who reduce
their body weight to an unhealthy one. Muscular dystrophy is
inherited and causes the muscles to get weaker and break
down over time. Repetitive stress injuries are those
injuries that are caused by too much stress being placed on
one part of the body. This usually happens when the same
movements are made again and again. An example of this is
tennis elbow, which is caused by playing too much tennis or
carpal tunnel from typing on a keyboard for too long.
Strains and tendinitis can occur in all ages, and occur
usually when a muscle has been overstretched. This is most
commonly caused by not warming up properly prior to a
workout.

The best way to prevent most of these problems is to
exercise. Exercising thirty minutes every day is the
minimum, but we should aim for more. Care should be taken to
warm up and cool down after every workout to prevent any
muscle from becoming strained. It is important that we
stretch all our muscles so that our body can stay healthy
for a long time.

Another way to obtain stronger muscles is to keep body fat
levels down. Large amounts of fat make the muscles lose
their elasticity with the passage of time, and this can reduce
our resistance level and make us weaker. This mostly occurs as
we grow old, and the best precautionary measure is to watch our
weight and not let ourselves become overweight. Increasing blood
circulation is another way in which we can keep our muscles healthy,
as blood flow helps the muscles.

Having a balanced diet that includes all the basic vitamins
and nutrients is another way to prevent our joints and
muscles from troubling us. Taking in a minimum of three
servings of dairy products provides the body with adequate
calcium to help rebuild the bones and prevents osteoporosis.


Make sure you watch your health now, so that you can prevent
problems and stay healthy as you get older.

Quick Weight Loss Begins With A Sound Diet

When you're ready to lose weight shoot for the first 10
pounds. Your first focus is to pay attention to the amount of
food you're eating. Eliminate those unnecessary sugar and
fatty foods from your meals while making delicious meals and
snacks that keep your palate happy.

A not difficult, balanced and flexible weight loss program is
best. Plan to focus on the first 10 pounds of weight loss
and the rest will follow.

One of the top secrets to lose weight is to keep track of
everything you eat and drink. No need to estimate calories
just write down the type of food or beverage and the amount.
Cut your fat intake in half, that means half as much
margarine or butter on toast, vegetables and your muffin,
half the mayonnaise on your sandwich, and half the oil in
the pan when you saute foods. You get the idea!

Use skim milk and make a habit of drinking tea. If you insist
on using whole milk at least use two percent milk in your
diet. This helps cutting down on your fat intake.

Be certain to include legumes, peanut, cottage cheese,
chicken, fish, eggs or yogurt. Try to curb your sugar treats
to a few times a week max. Eat one or more meatless lunches
and dinners each week.

Eat at least two servings of fresh fruit every day. Choose
whatever type of fruit is in season. Instead of fruit juice
for breakfast or snack, drink water. Add a slice of lemon or
lime for zest. Include two servings of vegetables with lunch
and dinner, for a total of at least four servings per day.

Kill the thought of eating food or snacks while watching
TV. Many studies show that people watching TV and eating
tend to eat more and opt for higher calorie snacks high in
fat and sugar.

Don't consume liquids teeming with calories by drinking them.
That means cutting out soda and high-calorie fruit juices and
drinking tea or water instead. Plan ahead what you are going to eat.
Last-minute planning tends to veer you off your diet.

What Are The Top 5 Energy Foods?

Many of us find that we are a bit low on energy, especially
if we are dieting or we have had weight loss surgery.
Dieting seems to take a lot out of us because we are consuming
less food, we are not taking in caffeine like we used to,
and there is also the fact that the body can be deprived of
certain nutrients. Although many dieters feel that they are
eating the right foods, the question is if they are eating enough
of the right foods and if they are taking a dietary supplement
to help them along.

The dietary supplement

A good dietary supplement is great to take each day so that
you can have more energy. However, it cannot work alone in
providing your body with the natural nutrients it needs to
create an adequate amount of energy to help you through your
day.

However, a good supplement that will help you along will
contain Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin,
Vitamins B6 and B12, Folate, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid,
Calcium, Iron, and Phosphorus. Some supplements are now
including tri-Amino blends that include L-Taurine,
L-lutamine, and L-Carnitine. These are great for helping
provide a little extra energy.

Foods

And now that you know a dietary supplement can't do it all
on its own, it is very important that you be made aware of 5
good energy foods and vegetables that will help in providing
you with the energy you need. It doesn't matter if you are
on a weight loss mission, have had weight loss surgery or if
you just want to have more energy, these are foods that you
should eat because they work in making you healthier.

Those 5 foods are:

1. Wheat and barley - Anything containing these two food
items will be high in energy. This explains why runners and
other athletes will eat pasta the day before a competitive
event. However, this is not something that you should eat a
lot of. You must portion this. If you have had weight loss
surgery such as lap band, this is something that your doctor
will review with you.

2. Fruits - Take into consideration that the earth bears
fruit and fruit is good for us. High energy fruits include
bananas, strawberries, and pineapples. Stick to the organic
fruits, which have not been treated with herbicides,
pesticides and other chemicals.

3. Vegetables - Amongst vegetables, some of the most high
energy foods that are great for those on weight loss endeavors
are green leafy vegetables. Cabbage and spinach have been
pinned as the two that create the highest degree of energy.
Use the same criteria when acquiring vegetables as for fruit above.

4. Chicken - Chicken is high in protein and is great for
weight loss. However, it must be skinless chicken or it will
defeat the purpose.

5. Yogurt - Dairy is the tricky one for the fact that it is
the dairy foods that are high in fat that provide the most
energy. However, you can have yourself a cup of yogurt and
provide yourself with some extra energy. There are dairy
products out there that will enable you to energize and
still achieve weight loss.

A balanced diet

It mainly comes down to having a balanced diet. If you have
lap band surgery or another weight loss surgery, your doctor
will talk to you about portions and eating the right foods.
Even if you are trying to lose weight the old fashioned way,
the success lies in the foods that you eat. You also have to
exercise and consider weight loss support.

These two things make for a super weapon against weight
gain. In the meantime, you will shed the pounds and have the
energy to do it, which means a better quality of life for
you.