How To Use Food Pyramid Guide to better your Health?

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For those of you who don’t know, the food pyramid is a carefully drawn up plan of exactly what the human body needs nutritionally. That is, the food pyramid is a guide to help us determine what we should eat everyday. It doesn’t have a set menu of food that you need to eat per day. All it has is a guide that can help you plan your meals so that you get the correct amount of nutrients into your system every day.
The food pyramid will show you the path to keeping yourself f...

How To Use Food Pyramid Guide to better your  Health?

For those of you who don’t know, the food pyramid is a carefully drawn up plan of exactly what the human body needs nutritionally. That is, the food pyramid is a guide to help us determine what we should eat everyday. It doesn’t have a set menu of food that you need to eat per day. All it has is a guide that can help you plan your meals so that you get the correct amount of nutrients into your system every day.

The food pyramid will show you the path to keeping yourself fit and healthy through a steady and healthy diet. Up until recently that’s all the food pyramid did. In 2005 however, the food pyramid as we know it was changed forever, and a more up-to-date food pyramid took its place. Now you’ll find that instead of the two-dimensional food pyramid we’re so used to, it’s become more three-dimensional. To show the added benefits that regular exercise will have on you, a figure running up a flight of stairs on the side of the food pyramid has been added.

Earlier if you looked at the food pyramid you would have seen horizontal lines spanning the food pyramid with the food that we eat the most of, starting at the bottom. The food that we should eat the least amount of, could be found at the top. This is the food pyramid that we all know about and the one that was shown to us when we were in school.

The new food pyramid however, is completely different. Apart from the fact that it’s become three dimensional and has a figure climbing up the side of it, this new food guide has also eliminated the horizontal lines. Instead we can now see lines starting from the tip of the pyramid and radiating downward.

Each of these sections are only as big, or small, as the earlier food pyramid sections were. Only with this new food pyramid, you now know that although you need to eat some food types more than others, even within those food groups there are some foods that you should only eat in moderation.

Additionally you’ll also find that your new food pyramid is color coded. So you’ll get an Orange stripe representing grains; a Green stripe for vegetables; a Red stripe for fruits; a Yellow stripe denoting how much fats and oils you should have; a Blue stripe for the milk and dairy products that you’re allowed; and a Purple stripe showing you the quantities of meats, fish, beans and suchlike that you should eat in a day.

With six colored stripes denoting the quantities of food you should take, and a figure of a healthy person running up a flight of stairs on the side of it, this new food pyramid is definitely better than the old one, and can help you learn more about better eating habits, and a healthy lifestyle.

Super Foods' Super Health benefits

Super Foods' Super  Health benefits
By: http://www.SkyBlueCross.com

We all hear about the many wonderful foods that are good to eat, and good for us. We always hear about eating fruits, and vegetables, and nuts. But that’s a big list to sort through, and wouldn’t it be simpler to have a few super foods that you can always turn to?

We all hear about the many wonderful foods that are good to eat, and good for us. We always hear about eating fruits, and vegetables, and nuts. But that’s a big list to sort through, and wouldn’t it be simpler to have a few super foods that you can always turn to? To help you in your endeavors to lead a healthy lifestyle and a healthy life you can use the list compiled below as quick reference list of 9 super foods. These super foods and 14 others can be found in SuperFoods Health-Style, by Steven G. Pratt M.D.

Apples

Apples are a great food for many reasons including the ability to reduce the risk or heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, and type-2 diabetes. They also benefit the respiratory system by preventing lung cancer and asthma.

By consuming apples your body gets fiber, potassium and antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and polyphenols. Studies show that the real benefit comes from the synergistic interaction between these ingredients.

To take best advantage of apples for your health, eat a wide variety and make sure that you eat the peel, which contains several times more antioxidants than the inside. As they say, eat an apple a day.

Avocados

When you want to help you body absorb more nutrients from the foods you eat, have an avocado too. Fat soluble phytonutrients, like beta-carotene, are more easily absorbed by the body because of the monounsaturated fat in the avocado.

Avocados also help you keep your weight down because they help you feel full, which triggers your body to stop eating. They are calorie rich at 48 calories per ounce, so for best results eat one-third to one-half an avocado two to three times a week.

Dark Chocolate

When you want a little indulgence with your health food, try dark chocolate. It contains lots of polyphenols which lower blood pressure and is a natural anti-inflammatory. You should keep in mind that blood pressure lowering qualities are only in dark chocolate, but not in its cousin, milk chocolate.

In 2000 a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that the affect on blood flow from high flavonol cocoa was similar to taking a low-dose aspirin. These means that dark chocolate could possibly be used to treat ailments like minor pains or headaches.

For the best results use Newman’s Own Sweet Dart Chocolate, as Dr Pratt has found it has more polyphenols than any other dark chocolate he has found. Like avocado, chocolate is high in calories, so shoot for no more than 100 calories a day.

Olive Oil

There has been much discussion lately about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Well olive oil is one of the main components of that diet and its benefits are outstanding. It is a great substitute for other oils and fats and has been shown to reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer, lower blood pressure, and improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

For best results take a tablespoon a day of extra virgin olive oil that is cold pressed and greenish in color. This green color helps you spot high levels of polyphenols.

Garlic

Another component of the Mediterranean diet, Garlic is great for your cardiovascular system. By eating garlic regularly you can reduce your blood pressure, triglyceride levels and your LDL(bad) cholesterol. Garlic also has anti inflammatory agents and antibiotic properties.

To grab all the health benefits of garlic eat one clove several times a week. Raw garlic is best, but cooked is good too. Keep in mind that dried garlic and garlic supplements don’t have the same benefits as fresh garlic.

Honey

Honey is not often seen on many lists of healthy foods, but don’t let that fool you. Eating honey daily increases the amounts of antioxidant in the blood, helps to prevent constipation, and reduces cholesterol and blood pressure.

If you are running low on energy, reach for the honey, not sugar. Honey does a better job of maintaining blood sugar and energy than other sweeteners. And choose dark honeys over light ones, because they are higher in antioxidants and flavor. One to two teaspoons several times a week should do the trick.

Kiwis

If you want extreme quantities of Vitamin C and E that can reduce risk of asthma, osteoarthritis, and colon cancer, and boost your immune system, then grab a kiwi or two. An interesting point to keep in mind is that dietary vitamin E appears to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, and by consuming kiwis, you get vitamin E without the calories that most other vitamin e rich foods contain, like nuts and oils.

Another stellar ingredient is lutein, which lowers the risk cataracts and macular degeneration. To get all the above benefits and reduce the risk of blood clots, then consume one kiwi, two to three times a week.

Onions

For the benefits of onions, you can just reread the benefits of garlic, because they are pretty much the same.

Try to eat dishes containing onions at least three times a week, and make sure that you let the onion sit for 5 to 10 minutes after you cut it open. If you apply heat too soon you will deactivate the thiopropanal sulfoxide, which is the substance in the onion that gives us the most heart benefits. And remember the more pungent the onion, the better it is for you.
Pomegranates

Pomegranates are packed with tons of phytochemicals like potassium, which is great for lowering your blood pressure. Studies also suggest that pomegranates can slow the progression of prostate cancer and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

Instead of fighting with the little pulpy seeds to get your dose of pomegranate, try four to eight ounces of 100% juice several times a week. Be sure to stay away from juices with added sugar.

Health Benefits Of Natural Organic Foods

Health Benefits Of Natural Organic Foods
By:  http://www.skybluecross.com
It’s not everyday that a person has the chance to change the way that they eat. You might try to do so, become healthier and eat healthier but in a great many ways you will be thwarted in this desire. This is why the benefits of organic food can have a far reaching effect on you, more so than you might have thought.

Why do I say this? Because even though you might try to become healthy and change your way of living, it is extremely difficult to do so in many circumstances...

It’s not everyday that a person has the chance to change the way that they eat. You might try to do so, become healthier and eat healthier but in a great many ways you will be thwarted in this desire. This is why the benefits of organic food can have a far reaching effect on you, more so than you might have thought.

Why do I say this? Because even though you might try to become healthy and change your way of living, it is extremely difficult to do so in many circumstances. With the advent of more and more organic foods onto the scene however, it becomes easier to hold to your desire to live a healthier lifestyle. Why? For the simple reason that your healthy eating habits become even healthier when they come in the guise of organic foods.

As you can see, the benefits of organic foods are many and you need only to scratch the surface to start finding them. As you dig deeper you will find there are more and more benefits of organic foods, some of which you might not even have thought about.

So what are the benefits of organic foods? Well, to begin with, organic foods are produced in such a way that there are no chemicals in the growing process or in the case of animals, the rearing process.

No chemicals are introduced into the mix and only natural fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used. In the case of farm animals, only organic feed is given to them, so you can be assured that when you get organic meats or milks and things that the animals too are reared according to organic standards.

There are also other benefits to organic food which includes the exclusion of genetically modified organisms (GMO). GMO’s to put it succinctly are foods which have had their genetic structure modified in some way or other.

While this might seem to yield many benefits in the field of agriculture by providing farmers with larger amounts of useable crops, no one still fully knows what the disadvantages are of modifying the genetic structure of living organisms. You need to look no further to find further such glaring deficits that science only found out about years after their regular and widespread usage, than to look at Lead and how bad we consider that to be.

To that extent, the benefits of organic food far outweigh the dubious goodness of non-organic foods, at least until the jury comes back in on that question. The only problem is the high cost of organic foods – the medical costs that you might incur upon seeing your monthly food bill after going organic might put you off the many benefits of organic food until such time as they become less expensive!


 

Top Home Remedies for Kids

Top Home Remedies for Kids

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Most children at some point in their life will be struck by a problem; this is a sad reality that cannot be avoided. Trying to find the best home remedies that are suitable for children is not always easy; the sensitive little bodies sometimes find that home remedies are not always agreeable. However, if you are careful and always work to ensure you are selective in the ingredient that you choose, you can typically find that it really is possible to use home remedies for children. A bit of well placed effort can produce fabulous results, but knowing which are the best for children is not always easy. We shall dive into some of the most common problems for children and give you a peek at the top remedies for them.

You probably know and realize if you send your child to school at some point they are likely to come home with lice. This is an epidemic that very few children are able to avoid. In order to really ensure you avoid this complication you would need to shave your child’s head and this is not something that most parents are quite eager to do. An affordable alternative to this problem is to instead use either Olive Oil or Mayonnaise to spread across the entire scalp and hair. This would serve to suffocate the lice providing you an extremely effective and affordable remedy.

Another common problem with children is splinters. After all, most parents spend days and weeks of their time asking children to stop playing with dangerous items, put their shoes on and so forth. If you have a splinter that is needing to be removed applying a bit of wood glue to the skin and allowing to dry is a simple and pain free way to get started. Now once the glue actually dries you should be able to slowly lift the glue away from the skin, taking with it the splinter that has been causing problems. This is much quicker, easier and nicer to do than digging around in the skin with a pair of tweezers.

One common crisis that strikes all homes at some point is a burn. Regardless of whether little Timmy walked across hot pavement, little Suzy touched the stove, or even little Mike stayed out in the sun too long. There are so many ways to get burned and kids have a knack for finding them all. In order to really ensure that you are getting the best relief from the burns it is necessary to look towards relief that is soothing. This commonly from the store comes in the form of a gel or lotion with aloe vera included. Rather than spending excessive amounts of money on lotions and gels, buying an actual aloe vera plant is a much better investment.

An alternative to aloe vera if you are out having a picnic or barbeque is mustard though. Both aloe and mustard are extremely effective in helping to eliminate the burning sensation that accompanies a burn and can make it much more comfortable to handle until it can be treated properly. Even better, both of these remedies are safe to use even on the youngest children and are able to easily survive in any household while causing virtually no allergic reactions.

Many children also develop toothaches as well. Of course, most children will wait to develop the toothache until the dentist is closed for the weekend also which means you generally have to wait at least a few days before you are able to actually do anything to protect yourself from the constant cries of pain. In order to relieve the pain your child is feeling and also hold onto your own sanity you can take a small cotton ball and soak it in vanilla extract. This would then be applied directly onto the sore area and allowed to remain for a while. Once this is done, it will typically provide you with a substantial improvement and allow you to function for a while until the dentist is able to see your child.

How to Make Healthy Food Choices

By: http://www.SkyBloueCross.com

It’s Thursday afternoon, you have thirty minutes to get from work, go by the house and pickup Heath, Jamie’s already at basketball practice, oh, and what about dinner? Does this scenario seem familiar? If you’re a working Mom, I can promise that it is a familiar scene.

It’s Thursday afternoon, you have thirty minutes to get from work, go by the house and pickup Heath, Jamie’s already at basketball practice, oh, and what about dinner? Does this scenario seem familiar? If you’re a working Mom, I can promise that it is a familiar scene.

So how do you make healthy food choices, when you only have fifteen minutes to prepare your meals? Well, the first thing you should realize is that quite often, healthy choices do not necessarily equate to two hour meals. You can make healthy food choices that are as quick to prepare or pickup as the unhealthy ones.

For example, sub sandwiches are a healthier alternative than pizza or burger and fries, but do not really take any longer to pickup. Salads can be prepared in just a few short minutes, and provide for the necessary vegetable daily requirement. Don’ care for the usual salad? Make a Waldorf or fruit salad, either way you’ve changed it up a bit, and still provided a health choice. As for the dressing, oil based or vinegar based dressings are much better for you than the cream based, and are really more tasteful.

Okay, suppose salads aren’t what your kids like. What about other prepared foods that are also healthy foods? Healthy Choice is a brand of frozen entrees or meals that take only a few minutes in the microwave to prepare, and are still healthy alternatives. Baked rather than fried is always a better choice, and many supermarkets today offer baked products fresh from their bakery, ready to go.

Still aren’t satisfied? You want a place to go and actually sit down and eat. There are still many healthy alternatives for a family when going to eat at a restaurant. Restaurants that offer buffet style meals are great choices. Thanks to many of the health conscious consumers out there, buffets have added baked, broiled, and fresh food choices to the display.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually always available on food bars, along with broiled or steamed vegetables. Meats are just about as varied, with many of the choices being offered in a fried and baked option. And if you’re up for dessert, watermelons and grapes are just as satisfying as the Boston cream pie.

You can always throw up objections when it comes to healthy eating, the real trick is in realizing it’s your body that will suffer. Or your children that will suffer from the unhealthy choices you make. Why not start with healthy options, set the right example, and you will have children that make health conscious intelligent decisions about their eating.

Okay, now back to our Thursday afternoon juggling act. You’ve dropped Heath at baseball practice, picked Jamie up from basketball, and you have exactly fifteen minutes to make a decision about dinner. As you sit at the red-light contemplating your options, there is a Subway, a Pizza Hut, and a grocery store with a deli in the same shopping center. How can this still be a difficult choice to make?

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read. Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."


 

Cheapest Home Remedies

Cheapest Home Remedies
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With any home remedy, it is extremely important that you understand thoroughly what is involved before you actually get started. Many remedies that might seem to be cheap are actually really expensive, and others that can seem extremely pricy are actually really cheap. In order to actually determine if a home remedy is within your budget you need to first start studying the actual supplies that are called for, but have no fear. Most home remedies are extremely reasonably priced and you can typically find the supplies already around your home.

For the majority of home remedies there will be a few items needed. A basic toolkit will be highly effective in ensuring that you are well prepared for any home remedy that you need to attempt. Some of the most common household supplies work well in most home remedies and can be easily purchased for a very reasonable fee. Never buy anything that you are unfamiliar with and just start mixing, this is particularly true in the event of some household chemicals since you may accidently create a massive dangerous science experiment in your own house.

One of the most common problems that occurs is the presence of a burn of some sort. Most people when they have a burn will reach for a bottle of expensive gel; this is intended to help relieve the pain of the burn and sooth the skin. However, there is a much cheaper alternative. Your first choice is to start looking to items such as aloe vera plants or even within the kitchen such foods like mustard and even milk are wonderful to help. Most people will tend to avoid mustard though due to the color changing that can occur from prolonged usage, however it works wonderfully in a pinch.

Other common remedies include using baby powder to help absorb any excessive sweat as well as soothe chafing skin. This is something that is extremely common especially amongst younger children and is frequently continued on until the child grows up. Most adults do tend to forget about this particular home remedy until they are reminded. Ensuring that an ample supply of baby powder is in the house is typically quite effective in ensuring that there are no problems or complications with a rash or chafing that is unexpected.

Acne is a problem that many adults battle for years. To combat it cheaply, using simple toothpaste at nights is extremely effective. The active ingredients in the toothpaste will work to dry out the acne sore and help to clear it up in just a couple of days. In contrast, most acne treatments are extremely expensive and can require a large amount of money as well as time invested into the treatment plan in order to even begin to see improvements. This is not a process that is always effective for all skin types, but it is still possible to produce at least minor improvements.

The absolute cheapest home remedy that you will find is for headaches. This involves nothing more than your own hands. Millions of people swear by using acupressure to help relieve the excessive pain of headaches. In order to obtain the full benefit it is important to take the time to carefully learn where the pressure points in the hand are. As long as you are clear on the location of the pressure points in the hand you should have great success using this method. It is also important to realize that knowing the correct amount of pressure to use is also vital to knowing the actual placement. With these two key pieces of knowledge, relief from your next headache could be only moments away. There is no reason to suffer any longer from excessive headaches; a free solution is readily available.

As you can see, there are several things that you would typically keep around the house. Some are common remedies and others are much less popular. All of them are extremely affordable and work well to ensure that you are getting the best benefits possible for yourself and your wallet.

Advices for Home Remedies to Use on Children

Advices for Home Remedies to Use on Children
By: http://www.skybluecross.com

We have all been in a situation as parents at one time or another where we wished things had occurred differently. It never fails, just as everything is going badly, something else comes along and makes things substantially worse. This is why many parents find that home remedies for children are not as effective as they would like. In order to improve the effectiveness of home remedies though there are a few things that you can do. The simplest and easiest changes that you can make will work with you wonderfully to ensure that you are able to get the biggest benefit possible. Never try to just rush into home remedies for children though, the results could be disastrous.

If you find that you are quite comfortable using home remedies you will quickly discover that you are able to treat ailments before they are serious. However, for the vast majority of parents, especially new parents you are not extremely comfortable with the idea of home remedies. This is perfectly acceptable, you should never push yourself to use a home remedy for your child that you are not comfortable with. Taking some time to slowly increase your comfort level, as well as talking to your pediatrician about any questions that you might have could be a great way to proceed.

For most new parents especially it is extremely scary to use a home remedy. A good place to start though is with home remedies that are extremely simple and only pertain to small ailments. Never attempt a home remedy that you are uncomfortable with, especially if you are a new parent and are concerned about the actual health of your baby. The simplest home remedies to do for very young children tends to be those that revolve around colds, splinters, diaper rash and other similar problems.

Attempting to treat a serious ailment, such as an ear infection can lead to some serious complications and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. By knowing which ailments are best to treat with home remedies as new parents it will be much easier to find the results that you really want. Never should you attempt any home remedy that you have not researched yourself though. This is extremely important, particularly with babies. You must take the time to actually do some thorough research to ensure that what you are going to give your child is healthy. This can be an enormous safety concern, but should always be followed through upon to ensure you are as safe as possible for your child.

While most parents do start to become much more comfortable using home remedies as their child grows older you should never feel as if you are pressured to do anything. As the parent, you can decide if you want to seek the help of a doctor or seek out the help of a home remedy. The ultimate choice will be entirely up to you, most of the time after you have tried a few simple remedies with your children your comfort level will expand enough to allow you to start moving onto the more advanced remedies, but this should only be done as you see fit. With a carefully planned out home remedy you will be quite excited over your ability to help your child and avoid as many doctor’s offices as possible.