Healthy Food

Going on a diet can be a good thing; however, there are so many newfangled diet styles out there that you just do not know which ones work and which ones are just fads.

But regardless of whatever dieting system or style you are an advocate of, there are ten kinds of food that you should be ingesting a lot of to keep yourself trim, healthy and beautiful.




Top 10 Healthy Foods

Fruits Research proves that eating at least 5 portions of fruits each day has very real health benefits. It can help to prevent heart diseases and some cancers.

Essential fatty acids (EFA). Essential fatty acids, also known as the good fat, is needed to keep the cells of the body functioning properly. EFA also helps improve the condition of the skin and makes the hair and fingernails grow healthier.

Garlic. Garlic is high in antioxidants and is a kind of food that is widely known to prevent cancer. Garlic also helps lower the body�s cholesterol levels and reduces blood pressure as well.

Green tea. Green tea is full of antioxidants that help prevent specific kinds of cancer from developing in the body. It also pumps up the immune system and helps lower the levels of cholesterol in the body.

Green vegetables. Vitamins A and E, as well as fiber and iron, are found abundantly in green, leafy vegetables. Vitamin A retains the moisture in the eyes, the skin and the mucous membrane, while Vitamin E helps maintain the skin's elasticity. On the other hand, fiber improves digestion, and iron is needed for the production of red blood cells.

Milk. Milk is the best source of calcium and vitamin D for the body. Calcium combined with vitamin D is good for keeping the bones and teeth strong, and it prevents diseases like osteoporosis. Milk also has vitamin B2 and B12, which coaxes the body to produce more red blood cells. Red blood cells bring oxygen to the cells. Having a healthy supply of red blood cells swimming in the blood stream keeps the hair and skin looking healthier.

Soy. Soy also has cancer-preventing antioxidants as well as Vitamin E and amino acids. It helps the skin retain its smoothness and elasticity.

Vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts the immune system and makes the body less vulnerable to disease. Vitamin C is also an important key in the body's collagen production, collagen being a chemical that keeps the skin elastic and wrinkle-free.

Yogurt. Yogurt is also a good source of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B. Aside from these, yogurt contains friendly bacteria that assists in digestion, hydrates the skin and clears the immune system.

Chocolate. Yes, you read it right. Chocolate is an essential food to eat to keep beautiful. Chocolate encourages the production of endorphins and serotonin, hormones that generate a nice and pleasant feeling for the body.

 You look beautiful if you feel beautiful.

Do not forget water! Water keeps the body hydrated. When the body is hydrated, the skin becomes smooth, supple and youthful. The hair has more shine and bounce when there is enough water in the body, and the nails are stronger. Water also flushes out the waste and toxins out of the body.

Sugar

The Dangers of Sugar

To a certain degree, we all love our sugar, even though we do not have a sweet tooth.

We love them in our cakes and cookies and ice cream. We love them in our chocolate bars and moccachinos and iced caf- lattes with whipped cream. Sugar is sweet, and sweet feels nice and good.

But as our mothers always tell us, too much of a good thing can spoil it and make it a bad thing. Nothing can be a better example of this than sugar, because too much sugar is just bad for our body.

Why is too much sugar bad for the body? Here are ten different reasons why we should all keep ourselves from going on a sugar high.

Tooth decay. We all know this, as this is something that has been ingrained into our minds by our mothers since our very childhood. We have been taught to brush our teeth after every meal and before we go to sleep because when sugar is left on our teeth, especially after a binge on ice cream, it causes our teeth to decay faster.

Gum disease. Another thing when we let sugar sit on our teeth is that it can also lead to gum infection. Because of the way our body reacts to different kinds of infection, gum infection can in turn lead to inflammation of the coronary artery.

Unstable blood glucose. Eating too much sugar causes our blood sugars to go haywire. When the sugar levels in our blood fluctuate, they lead us to feeling fatigue and exhaustion. Headaches and mood swings are also apparent when the blood glucose is unstable. Moreover, the more sugar we take in, the more unbalanced our blood glucose becomes, and the more sugar our body craves in order to fix the imbalance it perceives.

Obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This is also somewhat of a common knowledge for all of us. Sugar in the blood that is too much for the body to consume completely is stored as fat. Too much fat in the body can lead to obesity, and obesity is known to trigger diabetes and heart disease.

Malfunctioning immune system. The bacteria and yeast that are present in our blood stream feed on sugar and cause them to multiply. If there is an imbalance in the growth of these bacteria and yeast, our immune system may not be able to handle it. It could, therefore, weaken.

Chromium deficiency. Ironically, too much sugar in the body causes the body's ability to regulate sugar levels to go on strike. This is because most of the sugar we eat is already refined and lacks chromium, the chemical needed to help manage the levels of sugar in our blood.

Nutrients. Consuming sugar makes the hunger pangs go away. That is why we are often told not to eat sweets before a main meal. When we take in too much sugar, we do not feel the need to eat food that contains more of the important nutrients that our body needs, such as vitamins, iron, calcium and magnesium. There is a difference between feeling full after every meal and gaining the nutrition you need from every meal.

Stress. When we eat too much sugar, we go on a sugar high because of the energy boost we get from the sugar consumption. But this sugar high is only temporary; our energy level takes a plunge afterwards. When this happens, the body releases hormones to bring the sugar level in our blood back to optimum level, and these hormones include the stress hormones: adrenaline, cortisol and epinephrine. These hormones make us irritable and stressed out.

Aging. When we eat too much sugar, the process called glycation can occur. When this happens, some of the sugar we consume sticks to the proteins in our body, causing our body tissues to lose their elasticity. It is not just our skin that is affected, but also our internal organs. The faster that the body loses its elasticity, the faster aging occurs.

Cognition. Too much sugar in the body also affects our mind's ability to learn and recognize.

Thus, before you pop that chocolate bar into your mouth, think again. How much sugar have you had today? 

Standing Forward Bend Yoga

Standing Forward Bend Yoga workout is a good way to start your yoga session. As it helps to stretch the muscles and warm up in preparation for the Sun Salutation Vinyasa and benefits.

Instructions Standing Forward Bend Yoga

* Bring the feet together, big toes together

* Bend the knees, draw the abs in, and fold forward from your hips

* Bent the knees as much as you need until your chest rests on thighs

* Hands on the floor outside of the feet

* Lift and widen the sit bones

* Fold and deepen over hips

* Shoulders are lifted away from ears but soften the shoulder blades down into your back

* Let the head hangs and release the back of your neck.

* Bend the knees

* Forearms or hands on thighs.

* Hands clasp behind legs or hold opposite elbows.

* Wide leg forward fold

* Gorilla Pose.

Benefits of Standing Forward Bend Yoga 

* Stretching your hips, calves, and hamstrings

* Strengthening your knees and thighs

* Improving digestion system,

* Helping to cure insomnia, headache, osteoporosis, asthma, high blood pressure

* Relaxing the mind.