Jan 11, 2010

You mean I can eat FAT?!

Yes you can!!!  Now, hold your applause.  Not all fats are created equally.  That's right, there are good fats, bad fats and evil fats.  Bad fats not only make you fat, but they aggravate your cells causing inflammation and they raise your bad cholesterol.


Saturated fats are the bad fats. They are solid at room temperature.  They are not "evil" because you can eat them in moderation.  Your body does produce cholesterol from saturated fats but we all need some cholesterol.  Not all cholesterol is created equally either.  There is bad and good cholesterol.
You will find saturated fats (named so because the molecules are "saturated" in hydrogen) in animal products such as whole milk, butter, cream, red meat, eggs, coconut, coconut oil, peanuts and avocados.

Unsaturated fats are the best fats for you.  They are liquid at room temperature.  Unsaturated fats will raise your good cholesterol, make you feel fuller, decrease your chance for heart disease and much more.
You will find unsaturated fats in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, grains, almonds, canola oil and peanuts.  

You may have noticed that peanuts are under both lists.  Peanuts do have both fats and are still healthy for you! Should you go eat a truck load of peanuts??? No!  But you should eat a few handfuls a week.  Avocado's are high is saturated fat for a fruit, however they are still much lower than animal products and I would still recommend you eat them weekly.  Not six a day.  It's all about moderation with fats and eating a lot more of the good fats.

Trans fats, the evil fat.  Trans fats are processed fats.  That means they were made in a beaker in a lab (they can also occur when you burn your oil).  Never, ever eat trans fats.  They are so evil in fact, that they raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol.  They wreak havoc on your cells and create inflammation.  Inflamed cells are sad cells that cause you pain and suffering.  Trans fats also make you fat!  So please, for the love of Pete, do not eat them. You can find trans fats in anything with hydrogenated oils.  Even if the packaging says that it has "0 trans fats" it may have .99 of a gram of it and they are still allowed to say it has "0 grams". It is best to read the labels and stay away from anything with hydrogenated anything in it.      

There are 2 kinds of cholesterol.  
Bad cholesterol: LDL  Limit Saturated fats and banish trans fats.
Good cholesterol: HDL Eat more mono-unsaturated fats to raise your good cholesterol.

Here is your grocery store and dieting cheat sheet to fats:

Good
Unsaturated fats, (Mono and Poly Unsaturated.) Vegetation sources of fats. Raises good cholesterol, prevents heart disease. Decreases cell inflammation.

Limit 
Saturated fats, animal and dairy sources.  Raises bad cholesterol, contributes to heart disease.  

Bad.
Trans fats, anything with hydrogenated oils.  Lowers good cholesterol and raises bad cholesterol.  Aggravates cell inflammation.  

-Val

Jan 7, 2010

Walking


Walking has so many health benefits.  It can help you loose weight, ease depression, curb your appetite and get you places!  The left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot action stimulates both sides of the brain.  Walking also releases endorphins for a great mood pick-me-up.  If you walk for 30 minutes or more a day, it can definitely help you loose weight. Especially if you walk briskly and up and down inclines.  Running can be really hard on your joints and can cause you to release adrenaline.  Adrenaline can cause hardening of arteries overtime.  Walking does the opposite, it calms, relaxes, releases happy hormones and keeps you fit.  Here are some articles on the benefits of walking.

  http://walking.about.com/od/healthbenefits/Benefits_of_Walking_How_Walking_Reduces_Health_Risks.htm

Happy walking!

-Val

Jan 5, 2010

Vertigo


When I was about 24 I developed a severe case of vertigo and let me tell you, it was awful. One of the worst things I have ever dealt with. If you have ever suffered with a severe or mild case, you know what I am talking about. I was dizzy all the time, REAL dizziness and it was worse when I would lie down, so that didn't help. My ears rang constantly and felt more plugged than I have ever experienced. I walked leaning sideways...usually to the left which caused me to run into walls and doors frequently. I couldn't drive, I couldn't even stand to be in a moving car. It went on for weeks and weeks. I saw a doctor about it but he didn't think I had vertigo because I told him I was having a hard time grasping pencils and doorknobs. I knew he was wrong...go spin around and around then try to use your motor skills and tell me it isn't a little more than difficult...PLUS I had EVERY vertigo symptom in the book. Since then I have mild spouts of vertigo every now and then. Here is an exercise I do that really helps. It also helped to finally break up the vertigo I was having then too. I would suggest you try it even if you are unsure if you are having vertigo or dizziness from something else, like an inner ear infection etc. You will want somebody to help you that can watch a clock for you and tell you when it is time to "roll". Lie on your back, flat on the floor with your face pointing up towards the ceiling. Have your helper time you in this position for one FULL minute. When the minute is up, have your helper let you know by saying something like, "roll" "ok" "over" or whatever you choose. Now, turn your HEAD ONLY to the right but keep your body laying flat on its back. Hold your head in this position for one FULL minute again. When your helper says "ok" roll your face flat onto the floor and your body onto its belly. If you do not like your face in your floor, use a blanket. Again, hold here for one minute. When this minute is done, turn your HEAD ONLY to the RIGHT again, but leave your body on its belly. When this minute is through, roll your body back onto its back with your face facing upwards once again. Repeat this WHOLE pattern for THREE full body rolls. Holding a minute each. Each body roll will amount to 4 minutes, so 12 minutes total. Once you have completed this, do the EXACT same thing again but this time you will roll your head and your body to the LEFT. The entire exercise takes over 20 minutes. This will help the little inner ear bones to align better helping to or completely relieve the dizziness. It helps me every time. Good luck!

-Liz-

Jan 3, 2010

Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV


LOVE THE STUFF! It is an amazing, natural product that fulfills a lot of needs. First of all, I am not talking about the cheap stuff you buy at any store. I am talking about the raw, unfiltered type that still maintains the "mother" of the vinegar, all the good old natural parts that have not been filtered out through processing or heating. My favorite brand is called Bragg. You can find it in many health food stores and even some typical grocery type stores carry it, you just have to look around. It is more pricey than some cheap brand but hey, you get what you pay for and it is like the difference between buying yourself a dollar store doll or a real name brand Barbie...I pick the Barbie LOL. So, what is it good for? I will share what I have used it for with great results...but there is also loads and loads of uses listed online you can look into as well.


First, a beauty tip using Bragg ACV. Now, this one is tough but the benefits are SO worth it. I started drinking 1 Tablespoon of Bragg ACV every morning. It has been a health product for many years for many reasons so I thought I would try it. Here is what I discovered after only 3 days on it. For myself personally, my skin was AMAZING and I mean it. No joke, it was SO clear and SO bright and just looked a lot younger. After some research I found it contains some anti-aging properties and boy does it! Next, I noticed I had NO MORE heartburn which is a constant problem for me. I took it every morning and NO heartburn throughout the day...at all. It is also supposed to be good for heartburn and boy was it truly! It is not the best tasting stuff and it really has a kick. I mixed it with a little apple juice every morning and just drank it down as fast as I could. It is what a really strong apple ale might taste like in my personal opinion and pretty nasty...but it was only two or three swallows worth and I found the benefits worth it. I also have found 1 tsp of honey mixed with 1 tsp of Bragg ACV warmed and swallowed is really quite a good cough suppressant.


The next thing I like using the ACV for is cleaning. It works great as a cleaner on counters and floors and in your bathroom. Just use it straight, no diluting, in a spray bottle and let it evaporate back into the air after you are done cleaning with it.


Last but surely not least, I use it on my horses hooves. It is a great antifungal and kills the thrush in the hoof very well when an infection is present. With all of that said, I would recommend giving it a try! Read up on its uses and maybe you will find something it does for you that really works! I love the stuff and always have some on hand.

http://bragg.com/products/acv.html



-Liz-

Jan 2, 2010

Healthy Sleep Habits




Sleep is important to being healthy. I don't think most people realize how important.  Lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain and hormonal problems, not to mention grouchiness.  The same is true for our little ones.  (Men, Don't stop reading just because you don't think the child rearing isn't up to you...  If you want a happy, healthy wife and mother of your children you will want to share this with her.)  I once lived next to this strange couple who would put their baby to bed at around 6:00PM.  They swore that they just put him in his bed and he would go to sleep by himself and sleep all night... Same for naps.  They would just put him in his crib and leave the room.  No crying, no rocking, just a happily obliging baby would lie down and sleep.  I asked them how this was possible. I had no kids of my own at the time but knew this wasn't normal.  They said they read and followed a book called Healthy Sleep Habits: Happy Child. (by Marc Weissbluth) I never wrote down the name of the book, I just remembered it years later when I was pregnant with my first.  I read it while I was pregnant and thought the ideas were sound.  You can't really do anything about a baby's sleep habits the first 3 months of life.  But around 3-4 months you can start implementing the directions in the book and 2 out of 2 times it has worked for me!  My 4 month old baby goes to sleep all by himself at nap time and bed time.  He sleeps a 7 hour stretch at night and then another 4 hour stretch in the morning plus 3, 1-2 hour naps during the day.  My oldest did the same.  Guess what!  They sleep longer and longer until they are about 2 years old.  This is why I have time to sit down and write coherent blog posts.  LOL.  You can literally buy this book online for $1 plus S+H.  So, what do you have to lose but some quality time with your baby, listening to them scream and cry when you both should be sleeping?!


-Val          

High Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie, No protein powder

This smoothie recipe has NO protein Powder.  Protein powders contain very high amounts of free glutamate (MSG) and they make a lot of people...