healthy body tips

Eating healthy can be confusing, time consuming and often costly. In an attempt to simplify the task of shopping, preparing and eating healthy, vitamin rich foods I have prepared a top ten list of items to include on every trip to the local grochery store.
1. Organic Sweet Potatoes- rich in carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
2. Tomotoes- rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber and lycopene
3. Milk- Rice/Soy...rich in calcium, vitamin D and protein. Women in their 20s/30s beware of Soy with the additional hormones. Choose Rice milk instead.
4. Deep Green Veggies- Rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium, folic acid and fiber.
5. Wild Salmon-Chuck full of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Excellent grilled with a lemon/rosemary vinaigette dressing.
6. Brown Rice- high in fiber, vitamin E, B6, copper, zinc and phytochemicals
7. Citrus Fruit- packed with vitamin C, folic acid and fiber.
8. Butternut Squash- a half cup yields 5grams of fiber, vitamin A and C.
9. Green Tea- Rich with antioxidents and catechins polyphenols. Green tea lowers cholesterol.
10. Acai Juice- high content of vitamins B1, B2, B3, C, and E along with iron, phosphorous, calcium and potassium...it's a worthy addition to your cart.

Recently a friend of mine ranted and raved about the benefits of Coconut oil. This is was something new for me, except for a few passing references here and there, that I came across now and then. So I decided to dig deeper for some information on benefits of coconut oil and came out with some gems.



The coconut oil was used extensively as cooking oil in USA, and also as an ingredient in various food products. During World War II Japan occupied Philippines and other North Eastern countries for long years. This cut off the supply of coconut oil to USA. During this period a whole new industry was born around poly un-saturated vegetable oils, which, due to want of availability of good substitutes gained in popularity.



It also served the interests of this industry to condemn the use of other saturated oils like butter oil and coconut oil. Then came the soybean industry, which also denounced saturated oils for increasing blood cholesterol leading to heart related problems.



Since heart problems were on the rise during that period, coconut oil and other saturated oils became the villains.



But, some recent studies find otherwise and show how coconut oil is beneficial for heart and for our health as a whole.


A study was made of the people in pacific regions and it was found that the people there are healthier and lean despite the presence of large fat content in their food!




All the oils are made up of fatty acid molecules. These fatty acids are of three types: short-chain fatty acids(SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids(MCFA) and long-chain fatty acids(LCFA). Our metabolism responds differently to different types of fatty acids.




The majority of the fat consumed by us is made of LCFA. The fats found in meat, milk, or other vegetable oils, all contain LCFA. On the other hand refined coconut oil is made up of MCFA. MCFA lowers the risk of heart diseases and this is what makes coconut oil so beneficial for health.




Poly unsaturated fats are largely responsible for heart attacks in the country. These are used in all the fast food, pastries and other favorite foods of this generation. These oils come in the way of normal functioning of the Thyroid gland and hinder the secretion of hormone in the blood stream.



Coconut oil contains perishable fats, which benefit your health. Coconut oil also benefits the normal functioning of blood platelets, while poly-unsaturated fats make platelets stickier.



Go through the list that I have compiled, of how coconut oil benefits your health. Then make up your own mind.

Coconut Oil Is Good For Your Heart. As I have talked above, Coconut oil benefits heart as it has been shown to help metabolize cholesterol faster, reducing overall levels. A study was done in a culture where coconut oil was used on a regular basis. When these people were moved to a different area and their coconut oil intake dropped, their cholesterol levels got much higher. Thyroid hormone is required for processing and eliminating cholesterol. Any deficiency in the hormone leads to the increase of cholesterol.




Coconut Oil fights Hypothyroidism: Coconut oil stimulates the thyroid gland and helps it in functioning properly. It stimulates the metabolism thereby increasing the energy level of the body.



Coconut Oil Keeps You Young. When the thyroid works properly, it uses cholesterol to make chemicals that are vital for preventing disease and help in slowing the aging.




Coconut Oil helps you lose weight. One more benefit of the coconut oil. As I already mentioned, coconut oil helps improve thyroid functioning. Improper functioning of the thyroid is a major cause of obesity. Cultures that use more coconut oil have less incidence of obesity.




Coconut Oil can prevent cancer. Increased thyroid function has also been shown to reduce the incidence of cancer. Studies have shown the occurrence of cancer to be lower, and in some cases nonexistent in areas that rely on saturated oils. They have also shown that the number of cancer cases increases with the addition of unsaturated oils to the diet.




It can prevent infections. Coconut oil has been found to contain 40% lauric acid. This is a fatty acid that is found in breast milk. The body converts it into a substance that fights bacterial, viral, and protozoal infection in infants. When your body has these chemicals, your immune system does less work and you stay healthy.



As I mentioned at the beginning, Coconut oil has been used in tropical areas and even modern cultures for many years. In areas where people switched to unsaturated vegetable oils, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and other problems have increased. Cultures that still use coconut oil have fewer of these problems.




As you can see, switching to coconut oil for your cooking needs is a great decision. It can help you live longer, and look and feel better. So why not go buy some coconut oil today?




But, you should remember that coconut oil alone is not the panacea for curing all the diseases. It works best when combined with other dietary controls. Always consult an expert before embarking on anything concerning your health.

We all want to look younger, right? That’s why people all over the world spend billions of dollars every year on anti aging products, the products that claim to help them look and feel ten years younger. We buy tons of pills, creams, and crazy gadgets hoping that they’re the one thing that will turn back the clock. The truth is, there’s no real miracle product that will melt the years away, but there are things you can do to slow the aging process.

The most important thing is to have a healthy life style, healthy diet, and a good anti aging supplement for all the vital nutrients we can’t get from our food. Here are a few hints and tips to help you sift through the thousands of products and find the perfect anti aging supplement.

The first step is to find a product that contains the ingredients you want. There are tons of supplements you can take on their own, but it’s best to take them combined. This way you get them in the right proportions so they can have maximum benefit to each other and to you. There are many anti aging ingredients that may be included in a good supplement, here are some important one’s you should make sure yours has.

* Alpha lipoic acid

* Acetyl L-carnitine

* Coenzyme Q10 (this can also be found in skin creams)

* Green tea

* L-lysine

* L-proline

* Ascobyl Palmitate

* Vitamin E

Once you know what ingredients you want in your anti-aging supplements, don’t just go buy the first one you see. Do your research first to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want.

Some tips to help ensure you’re buying a quality product.

Choose an appropriate brand name. Sure brand names you’ve heard of are probably better than random generics, but make sure they also have the right credentials. It’s probably better to choose a company that’s known for quality supplements over your local drug store’s generic brand name.

Find products without additives or fillers. There are no health benefits from them, so find a brand that doesn’t have them

Make sure the product has a certificate of analysis. This means someone else has analyzed the product and said it’s safe.

Find a company that follows the pharmaceutical GMP conditions. The producers of these products operate under higher quality standards, so you’re more likely to be getting a good quality anti aging product; nothing more, nothing less.

Find supplements that use standardized herbal extracts. This is another way to verify you’re getting pure, high quality herbal supplements.

Only supplements won’t do – change your lifestyle too!

Remember, no anti aging supplement is going to reverse the effects of a bad diet, poor lifestyle choices, and self destructive thought patterns. All these show on your face and make you look and become older. In order to truly look and feel younger, you need to combine supplements and other anti aging products with a healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction techniques, and plenty of sleep.

If you live this kind of lifestyle, you’ll be more youthful in no time.