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Quinoa(KEEN-wah) is considered one of the best grains on the market and is considered to be a “superfood”. Quinoa is high in protein(8 grams per cup), high in fiber(5 grams per cup), and a good source of iron, zinc, vitamin E, and selenium. It also qualifies as a complete protien containing all the essential amino acids including lysine.
Quinoa dates back more then 5,000 years to the Incas of South America. The Incas use to refer to it as the Mother grain. Then in the 1500’s the spanish conquest nearly distroyed all the crops. The grain still grew wilded and some villagers still used it. Over the last hundred years the the production of Quinoa has re-emerged. The demand for Quinoa has spread worldwide and now is even being cultivated in the United States.
Today you can find Quinoa is most stores and it comes in a variety of colors, such as white, yellow, gray, red and black. White and red quinoa are the most common in the United States.
When using quinoa you want to rinse it good to remove its slightly bitter coating. Just rinse it and rub it between your fingers and repeat til the water runs clear. You can use it for breakfest in like a porridge, in salads, and as a substitute for rice and other whole grains.
Another nice thing about this grain is that is its a friendly grain for those eating gluten-free.
With the warmer weather most of us are outside more doing different activities. So this is the time we need to wear sun screen to protect us from the uv rays that can damage our skin and increase our risk of skin cancer. But one thing some of us may for get is that we should becareful all year round of the sun and use sun screen all the time when we are doing activities outside.
Sun screen isn’t the only thing we should do to protect ourselves but it is one of the easiest things we can do to protect ourselves and is a good first line of defense. So how does it work? Sun screens work by either absorbing , reflecting or shattering the uv rays.
Sunscreens provide either physical or chemical protection from UV light.
• Physical sunscreens form an opaque film that reflects or scatters UV light before it can penetrate the skin. These sunscreens contain ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Original formulations of physical sunscreens remained white when applied to the skin. Newer formulations blend more with your skin tone and are less noticeable.
• Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays before they can cause any damage. They contain one or more ingredients, such as avobenzone or oxybenzone, which absorb UVA or UVB rays. For broad protection, chemical sunscreens often contain more than one ingredient to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. A newer over-the-counter sunscreen contains mexoryl (Anthelios SX) and offers protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.
All sunscreens products include an SPF, which stands for sun protection factor. The SPF number is a measurement of the amount of UVB protection — the higher the number, the greater the protection. Currently, there’s no standard rating system that measures UVA protection.
SPF is not an indication of how much time you can spend in the sun. For example, if you use a sunscreen with an SPF 30 rather than one with an SPF 15, it doesn’t mean you can stay in the sun twice as long. In reality, an SPF of 15 filters out about 93 percent of the UVB rays; SPF 30 filters about 97 percent of UVB rays. The beneficial effects of sunscreen decreases over time, so after a few hours the difference between the two may be even less.
Don’t rely on the SPF factor to decide how long you’re safe in the sun. And don’t count on your skin to tell you when you’ve had too much sun. It may take up to 24 hours for a sunburn to develop fully.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that, regardless of skin type, a broad-spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays), water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 should be used year-round.
Not all sunscreens are the same. Be sure to:
• Select a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Broad-spectrum products provide protection against both UVA and UVB radiation. Look on the ingredient labels for oxybenzone, sulisobenzone, avobenzone (Parsol 1789), ecamsule, titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.
• Watch for added ingredients that may irritate your skin. Some sunscreens contain fragrances, preservatives and other ingredients that cause skin reactions in some people. If you have sensitive skin, look for sunscreen that doesn’t contain potential allergens, such as fragrances or dyes, and is specifically designed for your type of skin.
• Understand labels. Look for sunscreens labeled “water resistant,” which offers some protection against washing off in water or when perspiring heavily. Sunscreens can no longer be labeled “waterproof” because all sunscreens wash off to some extent. Other terms that can no longer be used on sunscreen product labels include “sun block” (no product actually blocks all UV rays) and “all-day” (no sunscreen lasts all day).
• Make sure any product you use actually contains sunscreen. Many tanning oils and lotions don’t. Products that don’t contain sunscreen are required by law to clearly indicate that on the label.
So how much does a person need to put on? Well most people use sunscreen too sparingly. A liberal application is 1 ounce — the amount in a shot glass — to cover all exposed parts of the body. If you have a 4-ounce bottle, you’ll be using about one-fourth of it for one application. Be sure to rub the sunscreen in well.
To maximize protection, apply sunscreen liberally 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, or sooner as needed.
Lets all remember to put on sun screen before we go out and do all those activities that we enjoy to do outside cause we all know that we hate it when we get sun burned. So enjoy the outdoors and make sure you take the right precautions to enjoy every minute of it.
We all have stress to deal with everyday. Things like work, kids, money and lots of other things add to our stress. If we don’t reduce our stress it can dangerous to our health. We all know that stress causes all kinds of health problems both mental and physical. Things like skin, nail and hair problems, weight gain,weakend immune system, mood changes, increase drug use and a host of other things. It is important that we do what we can to be physical and mentally healthly.
So what can mental relatation do to help with stress? So much of stress is based on worry about the future. If you can relax and reduce the anxiety by being in the moment. So if we can focus on the moment and deal with that instead of what might be of could be, we can handle the problem better. This may not seem like the best way to do things but reducing stress can help you is lots of way.
So how can you do this? There are may different to mentally relax. So are easy and some take a little more work and practice.
To start you can simple find a quite place where you can settle down and just think of something you like. Relaxing music can help give you something to focus on. The point of this and the other ways to relax is to not think about anything. To stop worrying about things and being over loaded with daily activities.
Meditation is another great way to relax. Mediation is more involved and takes practice to maxuimize its benifits. One way is to do a mental body scan that employs a technique of moving though a focused, mental tour of the body.
Another exercise is deep beathing. With this exercise you beathe in and out keeping your mind focused on your center or lower body. By keeping your focus on your center and repeating it ten times or so can help you relax.
Another way to relax is to engage the 5 senses. This can be a simple exercise to relive stress. What you do is find something that you can do to engage all 5 senses. You focus on your sense and think about. For exsample sit on a park bench and focus on the way it feels, the smells of the flowers, the sound of the birds, etc. This keeps the brain calm.
All in all what ever way you find to mentally relax the benifits can help you in so may ways and the ones around you.
Herbal tea’s can help you feel better. For along time now we have known that green tea is good for you but what about the other one’s out there. There are some other one’s you might want to try.
To boost your brainpower try lemon balm tea. Lab test have shown that this herb increases the activity of acetylcholine in the rain which is a neurotransmitter linked to focus and memory. In a test the tea was given to some students before an exam. The students felt calmer and found it easier to concentrate verses ones that were given a placebo. In another study it was found that even the scent of lemon balm can reduce nervousness and agitation by an amazing 33% leaving you calmer and more clear-headed.
The scent of peppermint is already known to be energizing but now studies show that inhaling its vapor is effective as soothing sinus pain. The vapor has natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatory compounds that can relax constricted and inflamed sinuses. Peppermint tea can also ease digestive problems and help with irritable bowel syndrome.
Rose hip tea is a mellow tea made from the seed pods of roses. In a study, arthritis patients given the tea everyday for 3 weeks saw amazing 37% reduction in their symptoms. The tea also helps improve t-cell production and contains 30 times more healing vitamin c compared to an orange.
For women having menstrual cramps they should be drinking chamomile tea. Chamomile tea has been known to help with relaxation, but now researchers have found that it can help relieve menstrual pain. Drinking five cups a day for two weeks significantly raised a women’s level of glycine, an amino acid that relieves muscle spasms that cause cramps. The levels will remain high for up two weeks after they stopped drinking the tea.
Do you have high blood pressure? You may want to try hibiscus tea. In a study people who sipped three cups a day for six weeks lowered their blood pressure by and average of seven points. The tropical hibiscus flower is rich in anthocyanins; plant pigments that help fight off free radical damage, dilate blood vessels and improve circulation. You can find this tea in store as a red zinger tea.
Rooibos tea makes you look and feel younger. The African tea is loaded with more antioxidants and minerals including iron, zinc and calcium then green and white teas. The tea made from South Africa’s red bush plants can help reduce cell damage that leads to wrinkles and sun damage.
In the midst of a recession, people are always looking for ways to save money, and the luxuries are the first things to go. Crossing organics off your grocery list may seem like the easy way to save money but it’s not necessary.
While a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed organics don’t offer superior nutrition, there are other health benefits to an organic diet.
Eating organic means you will be ingesting fewer pesticides, and it’s also the only way you can ensure your family is not eating genetically modified foods. Equally important is the simple fact that, organic farming protects farm workers who’d otherwise be exposed to toxic and potentially lethal pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. Supporting organic farming also means fewer chemicals end up in our waterways, a source of drinking water for many Americans.
So how can cash-strapped consumers afford organics?
The first step is to avoid purchasing too much of a perishable food item. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away more than 25 percent of the food they purchase. That’s like throwing away 25 percent of your food budget, which could largely make up for the increased cost of most organics. One of the simplest ways to stretch your dollar and waste less is to purchase produce at a local farmer’s market, where prices are often cheaper than at supermarkets and food is at its freshest–so everything will last longer once you get it home.
As temperatures grow cooler and the grocery store becomes your only option, there are lots of other ways to keep your grocery bill in check. Coupons (http://www.naturallysavvy.com/free-ecoupons) are easy money saved, and lots of stores are highlighting sales as a goodwill effort to help out their customers. Make the most of these bonuses and be willing to adjust your meal plans to accommodate big sales you find when you’re grocery shopping.
There’s no time like a recession to cut out fast food and heavily processed foods from your diet. You may resort to an inexpensive meal deal for some quick savings, but you’re better off without it. Highly processed foods offer little or no nutritional value, and they won’t help your body cope with the stress of the times. Skip the pre-packaged lunches and those ready-in-five-minutes side dishes, and you’ll have more money for healthy organic foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
If your budget simply won’t allow a fully organic diet, there are some options. The Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists (http://www.foodnews.org/) identify which fruits and vegetables carry the most and least pesticide residues. The Organic Center has also created lists of fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide risk per serving, with separate lists for domestically grown produce and imports. If you can only afford some organics, consult both of these lists and create your own must-buy-organics list to tuck in your wallet or store on your cell phone.
Organic dairy is preferred for its lack of hormones and antibiotics. Most cows treated with hormones are also heavily treated with antibiotics to manage infections caused by their milk-heavy udders dragging on the ground. As a cheaper alternative to organics, an increasing number of non-organic but hormone-free dairies are labeling their products “hormone-free” or “rBST-free” to appeal to consumers who want to avoid hormones but not spend the extra money for organic.
Whether you manage to eke out a full organic diet or just focus on key organic foods throughout this recession, eating organics supports an industry that is healthier for your family, your fellow Americans, and the wildlife that is often harmed by the agricultural chemicals that enter their ecosystems.
In our fast paced times with stress and tension around every corner it is more important then ever to do things to relax and relieve stress. Yoga’s gentle stretches and rhythmic breathing have been shown to lower stress hormones and increase calming hormones. It’s no wonder yoga help a host of stress related ailments.
A recent West Virginia University study found that yoga helped people with chronic lower back pain and reduce tension, reduce thier discomfort by 42%.
Harvard pros found that daily yoga helps insomniac unwind, enabling them to fall asleep 30% faster and reducing nighttime waking by 35%
Yoga can boost hormones that help prevent migraines. In one study, regular yoga cut the frequency and severity of episodes by as much as 70%.
Some Yale researchers say that thrice-weekly yoga can lower blood pressue, pulse and risk of heart disease.
Using yoga can help a person reduce stress and and feel better. You can join a yoga class in your area or get a video and do in in your own house. The thing is that what ever you do the more we can reduce stress the better we can feel and interact with kids and people. Live will and happy.
Body mass index (BMI), which was established in 1998 by The National Institute of Health, is used estimates a persons body fat and health risks.Body mass index (BMI), which was established in 1998 by The National Institute of Health, estimates a persons body fat and health risks. For most people, the BMI provides a more accurate estimate of a persons weight-related health risks over the standard height and weight tables or weight alone.
The BMI estimates your percentage of body fat using your height and weight. Based on this estimate, if your BMI numbers are at or above 25, you are considered unhealthy and could be at an increased risk of having higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, diabetes and risk of heart disease and stroke.
Please keep in mind that the BMI is only a guide and is not perfect. BMI does not consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass to provide a more accurate assessment of your overall health. For example, if you are physically fit, your BMI may be high or if you have low muscle mass, BMI may underestimate your body fat. Also, if you have excess abdominal fat, BMI may inadequately evaluate your health risks.
Therefore, please use the BMI as an estimate only of your body fat and health risks. We recommend you consult with your doctor to receive a more accurate evaluation.
Well its the start of a new year and time to make those resolutions of thing to do. Well as we know we always make big plans and we start out with the best intentions, but by the middle of the year we have stopped doing our resolutions. So this year I say we make those resolutions but lets make them easier to maintain. Instead of things that are hard to keep going do simple things to start to be healthier and feeling better. Lets all start with eating better. Lets eat things and make meals that are better for us instead of taking the short cut of junk food and fast food. Do this but making it fun by trying new things and include your family or significant other. Talk to everyone and make it a joint thing. This will make it easier and it includes everyone and increases the communication between everyone. Then you can add things like walking, hiking, biking, etc. Try to keep it away form things that cost to much. I say this because of the way the economy is now a days. Money is tight for a lot of people and it you have to spend to much you will not do it. Use your imagination to come up wit things to do things to increase your communication with your kids, family and significant other. Its the start of a new year lets make it the start of a better future for all. Form all of us here at Diet and Wellness we hope everyone has a great year now and going forward. Be looking for new pages this year as we try to bring more info to everyone to make everyones lives better.
“When making tuna salad, use 2 percent Greek yogurt, about 75 calories for half a cup, instead of mayonnaise, about 450 calories for half a cup. Greek yogurt has the same texture and creaminess as mayonnaise but far less fat and calories. I use the tangy Greek yogurt as a lower-cal replacement anywhere I’d regularly use sour cream or mayo.”
— Leah Sipher-Mann, The Nutritionista
In the “danger” zone:
* The season is really all about sharing time with people you love. So when you arrive at the party – or the guests have all arrived at your house – make people the priority and socialize before you eat. Catching up with friends and family, instead of standing by the buffet table, helps you stay away from the food.
* It’s tempting to graze your way through tables laden with appetizers, traditional holiday dishes and yummy desserts, but doing so makes it hard to manage how much you’re actually eating. Instead of grazing, make yourself a plate – use a small plate or napkin so that you won’t be tempted or able to overload – fill it with a few favorites and some guilt-free fillers, and then walk away from the food.
* Alcohol adds empty calories and may encourage you to overeat. Reduce your alcohol consumption by sipping low calorie beverages. Or, alternate alcoholic drinks with low-calorie or calorie-free soft drinks or water. Even better – skip the empty calories altogether and have a few more bites of your favorite foods instead.
* Keep things in perspective. You can eat cheese and crackers any time of year. Save your calorie allotment for foods you really love that you can’t get at any other time of year. Spend your calories indulging in beloved holiday fare, but avoid snacks that could trigger overeating like nuts and cookies
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