How do you create healthy recipes for your kids that they will actually enjoy? Not the easiest task always. We all know that eating healthy is a requirement of staying fit, but it an be a daunting task when you have one or more children.

Kids have very peculiar tastes. One day they need peanut butter and grape jelly, the next they can’t eat anything but pizza! Some kids absolutely love the sauce on pizza, but they won’t touch spaghetti because it has tomato sauce on it! They can be strange at some times, but they are still your kids. How do you deal with it? Well hopefully we will offer some ideas here. (more…)

Use this avocado nutrition information for heart healthy eating.  Using proper food combining you can boost the bioavailable nutrients in foods you may already be eating.

How about some avocado in your salad?

It turns out that avocado nutrition offers a lot more than just good, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to your diet.  Adding either a half or a whole avocado fruit to meals in combination with vegetable-based foods aides in carotenoid absorption.

And why does this matter?

Carotenoids are found in fruits and vegetables in the pigment.  They’re responsible for vitamin production in the body (specifically retinol, or vitamin A) and for producing antioxidants. (more…)

To have the health of your dreams, you need to spend more time dreaming. Research shows that one of the best ways to improve your health tomorrow is to get a good night’s sleep tonight – at least 7 – 8.5 hours. That may sound simple enough, but the fact is that Americans have racked up a huge “sleep debt” through the years. On average, people living in the United States get at least one hour less sleep per night than they did 20 years ago. After several days, weeks or months of sleep debt, we have trouble concentrating and making important decisions about everything from our job to homework and paying bills.

The director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, Maryland was recently quoted as saying that sleep is just as important to our overall health as a healthy diet and exercise. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many health-related problems including chronic fatigue and obesity. It’s also blamed for an increased risk of causing an auto accident. You can’t do your best driving on the road without a good night’s sleep!

Sleep is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of our daily routine as far as the maintenance of health and prevention of disease is concerned. After all, sleep is when the body regenerates itself, thereby making it ready for a whole new day of activity. It gives your body a chance to rebalance itself. People who sleep well feel better, look younger, live longer, and are more energized and motivated throughout every physical and mental challenge of every day. (more…)

“How eating Seasonally and locally supports you most nutritiously and healthfully”

18 Raw Recipe Tips before you get started on your Recipes

Before you get started on a recipe, here are a few basic points to keep in mind:

Your ingredients should be raw, of course (raw carob powder, raw tahini, raw almond butter, unpasteurized miso, and so on). A few recipes call for items that are not raw . These can be used for flavor, if desired or ommitted.

Use Organic produce when possible.
Wash all produce.
Peel what needs to be peeled (for example, bananas, avacados, jicama, papayas, and any waxed produce); otherwise, leave the peel on (for example, carrots, apples, and unwaxed cucumbers).
Remove large, hard seeds, such as those as of dates and prunes, and also some smaller ones, such as those of citrus fruits and papayas.
Remove woody stems, such as those as figs and apples.
Use pure water in any recipe that calls for water (or for soaking).
When a recipe calls for soaking nuts or seeds you’ll typically soak them in twice as much water as their dry volume. Large nuts are generally soaked from eight to twelve hours. Small nuts and seeds are generally soaked from four to six hours. Rinse nuts and seeds in a colander after soaking, and drain them well and quickly before using them. Discard the nut soak water in the garden or use it to water plants. It is not for consumption. Dried fruit should be soaked in a small amount of water (just enough to cover) until it is tender. The soak water can usually be included to add moisture to a recipe. Certain recipes may deviate from these guidlines.)
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Shopping at a “brick and mortar” store has its advantages, such as the products being right there in front of you. However, the internet provides much more than that. Browsing vitamins and supplements online provides additional information about the products, as well as great prices and a larger inventory than many walk-in stores. Shopping online offers convenience, privacy, and a broader selection of products with savings rarely found at your local store. Through the internet, you can find suppliers for items you use every day and even unique items that you may be interested in trying. Another benefit of shopping online is the ability to obtain information on a variety of similar supplements that may be closely akin to the product you already use.

In recent years, the sale of health supplements has increased as more people have become aware of the health benefits they provide. A growing percentage of supplement sales are occurring online. Internet shoppers are rewarded for their patronage by the numerous health supplement discounts and loyalty programs that are relatively easy for buyers to find. (more…)

Most of the times, the necessary body building diet that can drive our training into the thresholds of success is not exactly what we would rather eat if we were let to choose. Yet the healthy foods you must eat, the dieting schedules you must keep and the consistency you must observe are not only good for you muscle pursuit but also for your health.

Like most conventions, even dieting for a body building program sometimes becomes a bore and we feel very low emotionally. We loose the psyche to cook and eat the same, same food over and over again, without breaking the trend and buying some fries and chocolate once in a while. This very eventuality is what makes it hard to diet, the fact that we are limited in what you should eat. Were there no limitation and no requirement, say for example what you eat is all that is available, you would not be bored or lustful to eat the junk anyway. (more…)

Weight is almost a constant obsession with Americans. We fear the scale, and judgmental stares. We secretly believe that being overweight or obese is because of our lack of self control. Sometimes we become angry at ourselves or depressed because of our weight. Body dysmorphic disorder is a condition that is common in the United States. This is manifested by a person’s fixation on their physical appearance and small or nonexistent flaws. This is considered a psychiatric disorder that is growing in prevalence. Surveys show that more than 85 percent of Americans believe that they should lose weight.

However, sometimes we reach a point where we have little control over our weight. Of course we need to be healthy. We should work to avoid obesity or get ourselves safely out of it, because it is a serious danger to health. But other than that: exercise regularly, eat nutritiously and balanced meals, take a good multivitamin, and give yourself a break. There are many factors about our weight such as genetics and environment that we cannot control. Many people will never have the body of a model no matter how hard they work for it and that is all right. Most models are airbrushed and starving. (more…)

Achieving a healthy diet is one of the most important tasks during pregnancy. Your body is creating an entire new body for your baby that needs essential vitamins to get started. If you are not fortified with these vitamins, either you or your baby will go without, causing weakness or complications.

As you plan your diet, don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep your cells hydrated and your entire body running smoothly. Water and milk should be your first choice when considering a beverage. When you are pregnant you will need to eat more calories than usual, but make sure they are rich with the substances you need to stay strong. (more…)

If you’re like most people, conquering your cravings is one of the biggest challenges you face in your fitness and weight loss journey. As soon as the word “diet” crosses your lips, you may start craving all the junk you know you’re not supposed to eat. The secret is eating the right foods to help calm the cravings instead of the wrong ones. Add these 7 easy-to-find, tasty foods to your meal plan, and take control of your appetite before it takes control of you!

Appetite Suppressing Foods #1: Protein Shake
This is the key ingredient of how I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and have kept it off for over 15 years. Meal replacements do not have to be bland to be effective. This is the ultimate fast food – 1 minute in the blender with milk and fruit, that is it. Not only will you suppress your appetite, but you will get all the nutrition of a well balanced meal without the calories. There is a reason why this works and a plate of pancakes with syrup does not. (more…)

Calories can seem to sabotage our diets on a daily basis. Working out for 30 minutes can burn up to 350 calories but it just take half a cup of your favorite coffee drink to put those calories back into your body. Cutting 100 calories from your diet on a daily basis might be much easier then you thought. From blotting the grease off your favorite piece of pizza to skipping the whip cream on your favorite drink will diminish those extra calories in a jiffy! Before you know it your calories will be gone and so will your saddlebags. Dr. Pousti has put together a list of 20 ways you can cut 100 calories from your diet and look amazing for the rest of summer.

1. Go for regular coffee with sugar free splenda and non-fat milk and skip the calorie packed Frappuccino.
2. Instead of eating a whole bagel try splitting it with a friend and consume half the calories.
3. Make your eggs with egg whites only and still get your protein without the fat and cholesterol that is found in the yolk.
4. Say no to cheese on your sandwich.
5. Skip out on the croutons when eating a salad.
6. Eat a turkey burger instead of a regular burger.
7. Order your hamburger protein style, no bread just lettuce wrapped around the meat and veggies. (more…)