Are there better options than bags full of vitamins and pills?

 

One-third of Americans (and an even higher percentage of Canadians) takes vitamin and mineral supplements each day. Reasons include:

1. Our new understanding of the body's requirements for particular chemical nutrients. For example, Vitamin C helps reduce free radical damage in cells.  It's easy to take Vitamin C in capsule form and to assume that it will give you the same benefits as a glass of orange juice. 
2. Our food supply is not as nutritious today as it was in the past.  This is due to large-scale farming which focuses on quantity, shelf life and profit rather than quality and nutrition. 
3.  Our modern lifestyle makes eating a balanced diet more difficult.  Increased stress has also boosted our need for certain nutrients.
We now assume that a vitamin pill will fill in these ‘gaps’ in our nutrition.  It may seem like a simple solution, but they often don't do enough.  And sometimes they just DON'T WORK.  Why is this?

A report in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association concludes that the formula for optimal health isn't in the supplement aisle of a health-food store but in the FOOD AISLE. The American Dietetic Association is the largest organization of professionals that deals directly with your diet. It also has access to the most data and research in the field. So why do they state that foods are better than supplements?

5 Reasons To Use a Food Based Approach

1. Vitamin supplements are limited to what is written on the label. If it lists 20 chemical isolates, that is all you get. In comparison, every whole food has thousands of different micro and macro nutrients. This is why the better (and the more expensive) the supplement, the more factors it has in it.  But the best supplements are whole foods.  An orange, for example, has not only vitamin C but bioflavonoids, beta-carotene, folic acid, fibre, magnesium potassium and many other valuable nutrients. 

2. Foods contain nutrients we don’t fully understand.  Nutritional science is still young. Each day it discovers new phytonutirents which have profound influences on the body. More importantly, nutritional science is only just discovering the relationships between the various nutritional factors: how one factor influences another and how different ratios of nutrients affect the body.  The ‘facts’ of nutrition may change tomorrow, so why should you depend on them today?

3.  Each person has UNIQUE nutritional requirements. These requirements will change over time and in different environments.  If you take this into account and try to prescribe isolated vitamins and minerals it becomes very complicated very quickly. The ‘gaps’ are constantly changing.  You would need expensive professional help to pinpoint the best nutrients for your body.  And they can only determine what your body needs at a single point in time while your needs will change from one day to the next. 

4.  The body absorbs foods best.  Mere decades of nutritional research cannot compete with millions of years of natural evolution. The body evolved to eat real foods. Isolates found in artificial supplements are poorly absorbed and are often eliminated by the body before they can be used.  Many isolates are not recognized by the body as food, and may even be interpreted as toxins. Although certain higher quality supplements offer superior absorption, again, they usually do so just because they are closer to real food.  Unfortunately, they still can't compare with whole foods. Why not give your body what it deserves and eat food instead of pills?

5. Foods have LIFE.  There is something about the aliveness of food that makes it instinctively attractive. Fresh food is always more attractive than leftovers.  People have recently discovered the value of raw foods. This value can be measured in terms of enzymes and specific nutrients, but also in qualities that are harder to measure like energy and vitality.  All of these qualities are important for our physical and mental well-being.  

Health with Real Foods is the Wave of the Future: 

Right now, it is easier than ever to embrace whole-food based nutrition. New knowledge is helping people along this path to health, and we are here to share it with you. Many grocery stores are stocking a greater selection of high-quality foods in their organic sections and new supplements are emerging that are based on whole foods. Some of these supplements will have higher quality and value than the dead pills of the past.  But they still imitate what nature has already perfected.

I don’t know one person whose life has been radically changed by buying a bottle of vitamins or pills.  I do know thousands whose lives have become healthier and more energetic by changing their APPROACH to food.
This approach involves eating more whole, fresh, raw and organic foods as well as eating them in the proper combinations. These are the principles we teach individuals in our various programs that help them achieve healthier lives.

To be fair, the American Dietetic Association did recommend that a few isolated groups could benefit from targeted supplementation. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, people with certain health conditions, and elderly adults may need to fill dietary gaps. But if you are in one of these groups, many of these gaps (like higher iron intake for women) can also be achieved with whole foods.  One just needs to know what to eat, and to be motivated enough to want to improve their health. 

And there’s the rub.  It's hard to know where to look and to put in the effort to make healthier choices.  It's so much easier just to take a pill—one that contends to solve all of your nutritional problems.  But it isn't that easy. Sometimes the harder road is the wiser one; it is the road to better health.  

Feel free to comment on these ideas (below) and share this information with others.

Edited by Michael Fisher

What I usually find with date squares is that they are too sweet. So I have made my own version which are less sweet and taste even better. Find it hard to stop at only one.

DATE SQUARES Wheat-Free

Ingredients:
1 large apple finely chopped
2 cups dates, chopped
1 cup water
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup vegetable fat or butter
1/3 cup rice syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 ¾ cups rolled oats
¼ cup potato flour
¾ cup Brown Rice flour

Directions:
1.   Simmer apple water till soft.
2.   Add dates and simmer till soft.
3.   Mash well.
4.   Add lemon juice and set aside.
5.   In a separate bowl, mix vegetable fat, rice syrup and salt.
6.   First add flour; mix in.
7.   Then add oats, mix well.
8.   Pat 2/3 of the mixture into an 8 X 8 pan.
9.   Spread the date mixture on top of the oat mixture.
10.  Then sprinkle the other 1/3 of oat mixture on top of the dates.
11.  Lightly press down.
12.  Bake in preheated oven at 400º F. for 25 to 35 minutes.

• Oats have lots of manganese, are a very good source of selenium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein & phosphorus.
• 1 bowl of oatmeal a day (3 grams of soluble oat fiber) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%.

As I had promised to share this recipe right away I am posting it before I normally would. These have a dryer texture then the ones with wheat in them and I will be fine tuning this recipe. We will post below this one the Wheat Hermits soon.  Both cookies are not overly sweet which is why we like them.
 

Ingredients:
¾ vegetable fat
4 tbsp sucanat
1 tbsp molasses
¼ tsp stevia
4 tbsp soy flour
1 cup water
1 cup white rice flour
¾ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
¾ cup walnuts
¾ cup sultanas

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.
2.    Combine butter, sucanat, stevia, and molasses until creamy.
3.    Stir in soy flour and water
4.    Then mix in other flours, baking powder, salt, and spices.
5.    Mix in fruit and nuts.
6.    Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten with a fork on a greased baking sheet.
7.    Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices. The darker the cinnamon the better it is.

Benefits of Cinnamon:
•    In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is used for colds, nausea, diarrhea, and painful menstrual periods.
•    It can improve energy, vitality, and circulation.
•    Recent studies have shown that cinnamon maybe have a beneficial effect on blood sugar.

Its never too late to do the right thing!

Wow!!! It actually is 2010.  Can you remember when 2010 seemed so far away?  Now it’s almost mid January.  Were you part of the 40-45% of the population that made resolutions in the first few days?  They probably included goals like eating better, exercising more, and losing weight.

Setting goals like this increases the chances you will actually make it to 2011 in better shape than today. Obviously you want to succeed but how can you make sure you will succeed?  How can you not break the resolutions? How to not give up?

These are valid questions because 97% of resolutions are never fulfilled.  Early failure rates varies from 30% in the first week to 25% in the first month (depending on which study you are referencing) The good news is that if you are still on target right now you are way ahead of the game and even if you already stopped or never started – you can still start today.  Here’s 4 mistakes that cause people to fail and 7 suggestions how to succeed.

Mistake No. 1.   Magic Bullet thinking.   Everyone of course wants to have more energy and look better but just having that desire or writing it down doesn’t magically make it happen. It requires skill and daily perseverance. You have to have a PLAN to make it work on a daily basis. 
 
Mistake No. 2.  Absolute or “all-or-nothing” thinking. People congratulate themselves for being “good” when they're eating well and exercising regularly. But then, the slightest slip can seem like a failure so they feel bad about themselves and the process and give up.  Better to have smaller incremental goals and a plan that acknowledges there will be mistakes made.

Mistake No 3.  Unrealistic expectations 
People commit to making too many big changes at once, something that's incredibly hard to do considering habits seem to be hardwired in our brain. It is easier to make smaller changes but oddly enough Studies have shown that it’s best to change multiple behavior patterns at the same time rather sequentially. This is because each little action that you take reminds and reinforces the other actions.

Mistakes No 4.  Not having a support system. Thinking that you will succeed just by your own dominating force of will has been shown to increase failure. It’s SO much easier when you are being reminded and encouraged by others. This could be as simple as subscribing to this newsletter or joining a group specifically set up to achieve goals (like our 5 week Radiant Energy and Healthy Slimness Course). Sometimes too you need someone that you can relate your troubles to. You can even contact us on this too.  We have certainly been in that situation before and are glad to help.

7 Super Simple Tips to Keep You On a Healthy Track

1. Keep a food diary

Do you have a pen and some paper? Can you write?  It’s that simple.

This was the very first homework we asked participants to do on our Radiant Energy course. We were using it as a teaching tool but writing down what and how much you eat provides awareness, focus and motivation. It clarifies what foods are in your diet and what's missing. You can’t change or improve what you are NOT aware of. One or two weeks is enough.

2 Increase your vegetables (just little more every day)
Do you want to lose 5 pounds?  Eat more vegetables! Do you want to lose 20 pounds?  Eat even more vegetables.  If you want to lose 50 pounds … you get the idea. There is nothing more simple than eating MORE vegetables to lose weight, cleanse and alkalize and balance your systems. Starting off your day with a green smoothie is a fast delicious way to get leafy greens in your system.  Then with a one or two salads and few serving of cooked vegetables you are all set.

3.  Have vegetarian dinners lunches once a day.  Find some bean and tofu recipes that you will enjoy and are easy to prepare. There are some on this site. You will be increasing fibre and reducing saturated fat when you eat less meat.
Here are a few tips that will help:
•    Replace meat with beans or tofu in a meat recipe. Serve tacos with black beans instead of ground meat. Serve vegetarian chili or vege burgers for dinner. Add cubes of firm tofu in stir fries.
•    Make a large batch of minestrone, split pea or lentil soup to have for lunch the next day or freeze it in serving containers for during the weeks to come.

4. Have fruit washed and available.
An apple or a banana is so healthier for you than a bar or a muffin. You know that but you won’t eat it if the bar is easier to get at or you are at work and there is nothing else. Think ahead- it shows you have one!

5. Drink more water
Water is an essential part of a healthy diet. It helps flush waste products from the body, keeps us hydrated and can stave off hunger. Women on average need 2.2 litres (9 cups) a day and men require 3 litres (12 cups). While all beverages count (except alcoholic beverages), choose plain water over sugary drinks, fruit juice and diet soft drinks.
Train your body to drink more water. Drink one glass first thing in the morning, before you brush your teeth. Keep a glass of water next to you when you're at your desk. Drink from it regularly as you're working. Resolve to drink one more cup of water today than you did

6.  Listen to your body

Your body knows itself better than your brain does. Being aware of its messages can help prevent you from consuming too many calories or the wrong foods. Before your meal ask yourself what foods are you attracted to and what tastes. During the meal keep checking in to see if you are still hungry.  Your goal is to stop eating when you no longer feel hungry – you should feel satisfied, not full. A traditional saying is "one third food, one third liquid, and one third empty".  You will digest much better this way and thus be thinner and healthier. Many small meals a day is better than overeating once or twice.

7.  Reward Yourself
 If you don’t reward yourself in some way till you are completely finished your goal – you might not get there. Remember this is a process and you need to enjoy the path too. If its all just struggle maybe you need help in adjusting your plan.  The health systems that have been successful for thousands of years suggest  you should NOT deprive yourself completely– it only causes stress which is bad for your health.   If you find you're starting to slip back into old habits, pull out that food diary to refocus your efforts.  

What are Your Health Goals for 2010?  Feel free to share below.

Feel free to share this article with anyone you feel would benefit.

This special occassion vegetarian dinner is easy to prepare and a balanced meal in terms of acid/alkaline and food combining.  The most time consuming is the nut loaf but it is so delicious that it is worth it and does not take as much time as cooking a turkey.  Also, it is full of protein from all of the nuts and seeds…even my non-vegetarian friends and family like it.

NUT LOAF

Ingredients:
½ cup cashews
½ cup almonds
10 almonds for decoration
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup walnuts (chopped)
1 cup short grain brown rice
1/3 cup soya flour
4-6 tbsp soya sauce
1 onion
2 pieces of celery
¼ cup water
2 tsp basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tbsp flax meal

Directions:
1.    Lightly roast cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in the oven.
2.    Chop and sauté onion and celery.
3.    Chop all the nuts and seeds.
4.    Mix all the ingredients together and moistening with water.
5.    Pat mixture into a well-oiled bread tin.
6.    Decorate top with 10 almonds and line bottom of tin with grease proof paper.
7.    Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.
Serve with mushroom or onion gravy.
   
Usually the problem with cranberry sauce is that it is full of sugar. Here is my version of the popular Cranberry Sauce without any sugar which is no easy thing when is comes to cranberries as they are so tart
Cranberry Sauce (sugar free)

Ingredients:
1 Package whole, organic cranberries (fresh, not frozen)
1 Organic Apple, cored and chopped
1 Cup Apple juice
1/4 Cup Organic, Brown Rice Syrup
1 tsp Stevia (Sunny Dew is best)
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1.    Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and let simmer for a few moments.
2.    Remove and let cool.
3.    Taste and add more Stevia or Brown Rice Syrup if you like it sweeter.

Nutritional Tips: Cranberries are high in vitamin C, and have antioxidant and antibacterial effects in the body.
In clinical studies cranberries have been shown to help maintain a healthy urinary tract and be especially beneficial to the eyes (significantly improve symptoms of cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy)

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON JUICE

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, washed, trimmed, and cut diagonally into 2 inch lengths
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
Dash of Spike seasoning

Directions:
1.    In a large frying pan over low heat, heat the olive oil
2.    Add Asparagus and cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3.    Add Spike and stir cook an additional 1 minute.
4.    Add lemon juice stir well and serve.

Nutritional Tips: Asparagus is full of nutrients!  It is a very good source of vitamin K, the B vitamin folate, vitamin C, vitamin A and also numerous B vitamins (B1, B2, B3 and B6) as well manganese, copper, phosphorus, potassium and protein.

Here is a simple dish to make and have in the oven at the same time as your nut loaf.
BAKED SQUASH WITH VEGETABLES

Ingredients:
1 medium squash
2 sweet potatoes
2 medium carrots
2 parsnips
10 very small onions
3 – 7 cloves garlic, sliced (optional)
1 tsp rosemary
3 tbsp. vegetable oil or butter
Salt to taste

Directions:
1.    Cut carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and squash into 2 inch pieces.
2.    Remove skins from onions and leave whole.
3.    Place all vegetables into a glass casserole dish.
4.    Mix in sliced garlic, rosemary, vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt.
5.    Bake in 450º F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes till tender.
6.    Stir occasionally while baking.

So many of the dips that I find at parties are full of unhealthy ingredients.  These two are full of healthy ingredients, chemical free, sugar free, dairy free, gluten free….and very delicious,

What I like about this raw avocado dip is that it is full of vegetables; adding the celery makes it crunchy and not so rich…healthier.

 

AVOCADO VEGETABLE DIP

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, peeled & pitted
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 – 2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tomato, chopped
Spike Salt to taste

Directions:
1.    Mash avocado.
2.    Add celery and lemon juice and mix in well.
3.    Gently mix in chopped tomato.
4.    Season with Spike salt to taste.
5.    Place in serving bowl on a plate surround with cucumber rounds, slices of radishes and corn chips.

This is a creamy dip that is also dairy free.

BUTTER BEAN DIP

Ingredients:
1 cup Butter beans (cooked)
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
Salt to taste
A few sprigs of fresh Parsley chopped
Olives & Watercress or Parsley for garnish

Directions:
1.    Mash butter beans until smooth and creamy.*
2.    Add rest of ingredients.
3.    Mix together until well blended.
4.    Adjust seasoning to taste (salt, Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic)
5.    Put into a decorative bowl and garnish with olives & watercress.
6.    Serve with corn chips or whole meal crackers.
* you could use a blender, when I developed this recipe I did not have one by choice!

Copyright © Diana Herrington  You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com  or the direct link to this post.

Would you rather take something healthy to the party?  Here are a few recipes that taste great and are fast to prepare.

HOT MULLED CIDER

Ingredients:
2 liters of apple juice
3 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
Juice of one lemon
Grated peel of 1 lemon
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
1.    Put all ingredients in a big pot, preferably stainless steel or pyrex.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 
2.    Do not let it boil or get very hot.
3.    Serve hot. 

CREAMY SUNRIDER CHAI

Ingredients:
4 cups hot water
4 cups almond milk or soya milk or rice milk, warmed
1 bag Calli Cinnamon
1 Fortune Delight – Cinnamon
1 squirt Liqud Stevia* (or to desired sweetness)
Fresh ginger, grated (optional)
¼ tsp ground cardamom or even better cardamom seed crushed.
Pinch of cloves

Directions:
1.    Place Calli bag into hot water and remove bag after steeping approximately 10 minutes.
2.    Add Fortune Delight and Suncare Plus to Calli
3.    Add milk and keep hot.

Great on those cold winter days.

* Suncare from Sunrider is best

Copyright © Diana Herrington  You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com  or the direct link to this post.

Don't Let SAD Get You Down

In winter time when the days are short, many people (mostly women) suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

What was once thought of as a ‘silly mood’ that you should be shaking off  by a bit of positive thinking and some hard work has now been recognized as a real physiological condition with real causes and luckily, real strategies to help.

Winter Blues is the most common kind of SAD.  Its symptoms include:   
•    Depression and/or hopelessness,
•    Anxiety,
•    Oversleeping, 
•    Cravings and Weight Gain
•    Difficulty concentrating and processing

 Everyone experiences some of these at some time so it is worth knowing how to deal with this process.

 

Serotonin – the Big Culprit

All these low mood symptoms are directly associated with low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter. Proper levels of serotonin are created in the brain when there is the proper balance of tryptophan, an amino acid, certain B vitamins, and certain enzymes. It’s creation is also influenced by blood sugars, fatty acids and the proper balance of melatonin – the ‘sleep hormone’.

It’s all in the BALANCE. You can try to ‘fix’ this condition with drugs but that can throw the body balance out and create even worse symptoms. The best solutions involve using whole foods that have been proven for thousands of years to help nourish the body to happiness and simple strategies that bring our daily routine into a more natural rhythm. 

10 Solutions (Fixes):

1. Eat Your Whole Grains
All whole foods have amino acids (proteins) in them in different quantities. For serotonin to be produced you need a higher percentage of tryptophan than other amino acids in your blood stream.  A moderate amount of carbohydrates will create this proper percentage. Whole grains certainly have tryptophan in them and their carbohydrate content also allows the tryptophan to be a high enough % so it can get to the brain where it is needed.  Whole grains also contain B vitamins which help the tryptophan to be converted to serotonin.

The grain that already has the HIGHEST % of tryptophan is buckwheat but most grains work well. They are complex enough and have enough fiber that the sugars are released into your blood stream slowly.  This prevents the energy highs and lows which also complicates your moods. Brown rice is one of those properly balanced grains. For a sugerless tasty brown rice pudding click here. Rice Pudding

2. Eat Your Greens 
The University of Kuopio in Finland conducted a study with 2,313 men for more than 10 years and they found that leafy greens are good for your brain.  Greens are high in almost all vitamins and minerals but they are particularly high in folate – a B vitamin that has been shown to reduce depression. For more about greens click here. Greens

3. Enjoy Your Banana  (and other fruits) 
Even fruits have amino acids in them and bananas are surprisingly high in tryptophan.  That along with its natural sugars makes an ideal situation for creating serotonin.  This is not why monkeys seem so happy but it sure doesn't hurt!  Dates and Papaya are also high in tryptophan, but most fruits have enough to make a difference.  Any food with a sweet taste will have a calming effect on the nervous system beyond its carbohydrate content.

4. Avoid Stimulants & Junk Food (that includes chocolate …sob)
Stimulants like Chocolate and Coffee do create serotonin for a short time but continued use actually interferes with its production by disrupting your insulin levels.  

Ice cream unfortunately is in the same category.  The milk aspect will supply the amino acids and it has the carbohydrates but too much sugar and fats is just a bad combination in the long run. Any of these ‘foods’ taken in small amounts; will not harm you but don’t depend on them for energy or happiness.

5. Eat your Nuts and Seeds  
Most people are low in omega 3 essential fatty acids which have been shown to help increase brain functioning and moods. The brain is after all MOSTY made of fatty acids. A common way to get omega 3’s is with flax seeds and flax oils.  Whole seeds and nuts have the benefit of containing protein and therefore have enough tryptophan to help out. You can learn more about the benefits of almonds, and other seeds and how to sprout them at Nuts & Seeds.

6.  Let the Suuuuun – Shiiiiiiine In
Yes this is much more than a 60’s song title. People with SAD have been found to have higher levels of melatonin than they should during the day. Melatonin’s effects tend to be the exact opposite of serotonin.  It causes the body and slow down and prepare for sleep instead of wake up and be happy.

When your body notices there is no sunlight then the pineal gland signals your brain to convert serotonin into melatonin.  Normally in the morning the pineal gland then signals for your brain to start making more serotonin.  With SAD this cycle has been disrupted because of decreasing daylight hours.

The solution is to add MORE sunlight – by walks outside, drawing back curtains or even using a sun light. The timing of the light is sometimes more important than the amount.
David Avery, professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington, suggests the simplest solution is to use a dawn simulator, a device that creates gradual light, or program your bedside lamp to turn on about 20 minutes before you wake up.

Also nothing can beat a good walk during the brightest part of the day.  This has far more benefits than just your serotonin/melatonin balance.

7.  Exercise    
Exercise is good for so many things that it’s not surprising it helps with your mood. Research has linked exercise with higher levels of serotonin but also increased dopamine levels, which causes relaxation, and endorphins which take away the pain. If that sounds like a powerful combination – it is.

8.  High Quality Protein
One can’t talk about serotonin and tryptophan without talking about turkey.  Many people have heard that the extremely high levels of tryptophan in turkey is what causes that relaxed tired feeling after a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  Many researchers now think this is somewhat of an urban myth.  A turkey dinner certainly would raise your serotonin levels but much of the effect is simply from the HUGE quantity of food consumed.  Your body just needs to focus all its energy on digesting! Turkey and white meats are usually more balancing for your body than beef, port or other red meats. Lowly beans contain extremely high amount of balanced proteins plus provide many other benefits for your body and the environment.

9.  Enjoy your Tea
Nothing is more soothing that a cup of tea during the colder months of the year. Another study from Finland shows that 2,000 surveyed Finns who drank black tea every day reported less incidences of feeling down or depressed compared to Finns who weren’t regular tea drinkers. The study also shows that the theanine naturally found in tea helps calm you down. Herbal teas can have similar benefits depending on the herbs used and they usually don't have caffeine.

10. Get to Bed on Time 
If your serotonin/melatonin balance is messed up one thing you can do is develop routines that TELL your body that you want to go to sleep.  This will start the melatonin cycle early so that it can be finished early and you can enjoy waking up properly the next day.  The old “early to bed, early to rise” saying works.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright ©Randy Fritz You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com  or the direct link to this post.

Are Men Really That Helpless?

Women have known throughout the ages that men are lousy at taking care of themselves.  Now a study by the experts at Stockholm University has proven so. 

Data from a 1990 Swedish Census showed that the factor that was best predictor of a long life for a man was the level his wife's education and NOT the man’s education. This study seems to prove that a wife’s  well intentioned nagging DOES have a positive benefit….IF the woman knows what she is talking about.

The revealing truth is a man will live longer with any woman at his side.  This has been found before in many past research but it was hard to figure out from these studies just which came first – the chicken or the egg. Researchers could always question – do married men live longer than their single counterparts because marriage helps them in some way or is there something about men who live longer that predisposes them to marry? (Perhaps being smarter!)  Now we know for sure it is the woman’s touch.

The trouble with men is that they don’t seem to KNOW how bad they are at taking care of themselves. Given the choice between hooking up with a smart women or a dumb blond a man will most often chose the bimbo because he THINKS he is smart enough for both of them.

Personally I think the real problem is our male ego.  Perhaps we have always known on some level how hopeless we are at so many things but we don’t want to admit it. Maybe the smart women in the study don’t know a lot more about health and nutrition than the less educated ones but they are smarter at getting the men to follow their advice,  or even better – at getting to men to think the advice was the husband’s  idea.

For some reason, I can write about how helpless (dumb) men are – and it doesn't bother me. Perhaps by writing about it – I put a some distance between me and all those 'other ‘ guys.  If you look at this closely, this is just male one-up-man-ship all over again.  And the distance is very small. I had to learn about nutrition and various health strategies because I got myself in trouble, but the fact is, late into my life I am constantly being reminded of how hopeless I am at the most simple of household events. For some reason though, I am happy in my dumbness. It seems to contrast our more noble virtues.  I thought it would be fun to list a few of my KNOWN gaps plus stories I have come across on the net. Please share you own comments and stories below.

5 Plus Ways Men are Helpless (Dumb)

1.  After decades of trying I still haven’t learned how to wash clothes properly. My 20 years old daughter will not allow me to even touch her clothes.  This sounds reasonable with a 20 year old but this started over 10 years ago.

2.  Most women are somewhat horrified by my level of cleanliness. I just don’t get what all the fuss is about. When we have business meetings in my home, one of the business associates, (Diana) comes over an hour early to organize and clean what I think is an immaculate home.

3.  I have friends who think that the way to balance off a meal of pizza and fries or burgers and fries is with equal amounts of coke or beer.  The coke is considered the smart choice because the acid in coke somehow helps digestion.

4. As Shane Watson of the UK times writes,  “Men will only do exercise that results in a calf injury, and only in binges, so they are grey with exhaustion every day for a week, then laid up for the rest of the month" (rather than yoga.) There’s also the “struggle to prevent men walking to work in winter with sopping wet hair, wearing only a shirt; or reminding them not to shut the tea towel in the oven door, because that’s what causes all the black smoke and flames.”

5.  Reasons Why Men are Like Computers: (jokes are usually funny because they are TRUE)

•        They have a lot of data but are still clueles.
•        They look nice and shiny, until you get them home.
•        Even the best are unreliable and insecure.
•        To get their attention, you have to turn them on.
•        Despite years of evolution, they still can't think for themselves.
•        They''ll do whatever you say if you push the right buttons. 

We hope that the health information in Real Food For Life.com  will be a help not only to those dumb men but also to the many women who are trying to take care of those dumb men. Diana's upcoming ebook was made with the beginner in mind. I was very impressed with it.  I don't know what that means. Here is the link to it: http://realfoodforlife.com/randy-reviews-recipe-book/

P.S. The average woman will live longer than a man.  To any guy who is bothered by this – the solution is simple – get married.  If you are already married – start LISTENING your wife!

Got any more stories or ideas?  List them below and we will pick a few of our favorites to acknowledge.

Keep Your Cells Healthy Like a Baby's Cells

Every day in your body 432 billion cells die and are replaced with new cells. This is the key to regenerating your body and staying young. Because of this you could have a better functioning body next year if you want, skinnier, with less pains and more energy ….if you take the right steps.

That 432 billion number is a just a scientific guess by the way. Cells are so small and there are so many in your body (somewhere between 60 -100 trillion) that no one could ever count them individually. This is also why you don’t notice your body renewing itself all the time….but it is.

Examples of a New Body:
•    Cells in our digestive system, from the stomach to the large bowel are replaced every 5 minutes. 
•    The liver is replaced every five months. 
•    A new covering of skin happens every four weeks. 
•    Our heart is replaced every six to nine months.
•    Your liver is capable of renewing and repairing from as little as 25% of its tissue.

 Regeneration is all in the Balance!
We know that we will be getting a new body; the question is whether our new body will be a healthier or an unhealthy one?  The quality of the new cells is dependant on the raw material and environment, on the balance of food and energy  when the replacement cells were being formed.  If you balance these factors properly we call this regeneration. If you feed the body poorly; the result will be cells of an inferior quality this is degeneration. 

The Big 5 Regenerators (Good Guys):

1. Fresh Vegetables – filled with vitamins & minerals, good source of phytochemicals that protect the body from disease & aging. Eat    LOTS. They are the heavy weights in regeneration.
2. Fresh Fruit - filled with vitamins & minerals, good source of phytochemicals that protect the body. 
3. Whole Grains (Brown Rice, oats, buckwheat, barley, millet, quinoa) – great source of vitamins, minerals, some protein & of good fibre.
4. Drink lots of pure water - needed for digestion, circulation of body fluids & joint lubrication.
5. Sleep –Not getting enough sleep may increase the risk of high blood pressure & heart disease.

As you body starts functioning on a healthier basis you might naturally tend to slow down on those things that can interfere with the balance of the body.  Your body can better handle the imbalance . 

The Big 5 Degenerators (Bad Guys):

1. Processed Foods -dead food with calories but almost no nutrients! – fills your liver and body with chemicals.
2. Sugar – depresses the immune system, overworks the digestive system and pancreas, and is full of calories. It’s also highly addictive (as many of us know).
3. Alcohol – toxic to the liver, depletes B Vitamins, depresses the nervous system, and inhibits the bone marrows job of regenerating blood cells. You can have fun and be silly without it.  Again most of us know this.
4. Caffeine (highly addictive) – puts stress on the adrenal glands, negatively affects the nervous system, as a diuretic depleting calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, increases blood pressure.
5. Rancid Fats and Oils (deep fried foods, baked goods) – create free radicals which injure cell membranes, enzymes and DNA.  Stresses the digestive system and liver. Raises blood cholesterol. More calories.

You might notice that the big 5 actually cost a lot less than the degenerators  and some are entirely free. 

The nice thing about regeneration is that you don’t have to think about what your body is doing.  All you have to do is set up the proper conditions and your body will take care of everything else.  A healthy body has the  ability to heal itself of all (or almost all) problems if properly nourished.

The above article is base on a article in a magazine I write for http://www.holistic-health-solutions.com go there to get a subscription.

    

 Copyright © Diana Herrington  You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com  or the direct link to this post.