For several years the topic of gut health and terms like “microbiome” have been quite the “buzz” in health circles. Research shows that there is good reason for this. One very critical reason is that 70-80% of our immune cells are located in the ...
It is very common to see “fat-free” or “low-fat” food items in the supermarkets these days. However, is it a good idea to focus such attention on reducing our dietary fat? The quick answer is yes, but also no. That answer seems confusing, but ...
Your daily choices, some of which may seem small at the moment, can have a huge impact as you grow older, and play a determining factor in your quality of ...
Have you ever felt “kicked to the curb”? That’s what many of us do with side dishes. When preparing meals, we all tend to give most of our attention to the main course. Side dishes usually end up being somewhat of an afterthought. However, really good sides can make or break the entree and serve to bring the ...
Are you hooked on caffeine? You may be thinking, “yeah, and so what if I am? I like my caffeine.” This is no doubt the sentiment of a lot of people since more than 80% of Americans use caffeine regularly. Most of society has accustomed themselves to reaching for some form of caffeine to get ...
Summer is a great time to enjoy delicious, fresh fruit. And one of the best to choose from are sweet, juicy peaches. Not only are these fuzzy fruit good, they are good for you. Peaches are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that offer many health benefits. Let’s consider seven of these benefits.
Water composes approximately 60% of the human body. The brain and heart are over 70% water. Even the bones are more than 30% water. Water is used in the digestion of food and in numerous chemical reactions that take place throughout body. Under normal circumstances, you can only last a few days without water.
Considering how much ...
Aside from being one of the most delicious and versatile vegetables you can choose from to eat, potatoes are packed with nutrition. If prepared in the right way (not deep fried, for example) potatoes offer many wonderful health benefits.
Below are several recipes to encourage your continued consumption of potatoes, in ways that will be most beneficial ...
Potatoes are one of the most delicious and versatile vegetables you can choose from to eat. This vegetable not only tastes good but if prepared right, it can be good for your health.
Here are a few reasons you may want to consider eating more potatoes:
Loaded with Nutrition
Vegetables are generally noted for ...
Are you stressed out? If you are like most people, your answer to this question probably “yes. Sadly, there are many who are challenged with stress and don’t know how to adequately handle it. But, this doesn’t have to be. We can learn to manage stress, especially if we understand the causes and effective strategies for coping with ...
Dealing with Covid-19 the past couple years has reminded us that our health is something that we can no longer take for granted. Many of us have come to realize that in order to be healthy a well-functioning immune system is essential.
Here are four ways you can enhance your immune system and avoid ...
Garlic is used widely as a flavoring in cooking, but it has also been used medicinally for thousands of years. Modern-day research is confirming many long-known health benefits of garlic.
With this in mind, here are seven reasons to start eating more garlic:
Has your doctor informed you that your cholesterol is too high? Understandably you may be concerned about your options. Drugs like statins are usually prescribed for high cholesterol, but many people worry about side effects. You may want to consider natural lifestyle approaches to bring relief.
High cholesterol is a serious matter that can limit your blood ...
No doubt you’ve heard countless times that it is important to get plenty of fiber in your diet. Perhaps you have tried to follow this recommendation but have been uncertain about the importance of fiber and its benefits.
What is Dietary Fiber?
Fiber is the material that plants are made of which your body cannot digest or absorb. It is because ...
Have you tried any new recipes lately? Certainly those “tried and true” favorites that you’ve always relied on bring comfort and satisfaction. Every now and then, however, it’s good to shake things up a little. Do old things in a different way or just try new things. This doesn’t mean to do away with your favorites, but it’s an ...
What kind of mindset do you have? A mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. These beliefs strongly influence how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation. An interesting theory on mindset developed by Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist, distinguishes between a “growth mindset” and a ...
It’s the holiday season once again. A popular song calls it, “the most wonderful time of the year.” For some, hymns such as, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Silent Night, Holy Night come to mind. And for others it is a time to “eat, drink and be merry”. While the holidays should be a joyful time, some ...
Blame — very few of us like to experience it. Often when we say the wrong thing, make the wrong choice, or feel some type of unhealthy emotion, we blame someone else for it — our parents, our siblings, our spouses, our partners, our coworkers, our boss, the government, the church, and the list goes on.
The holiday season is upon us once again. It’s a time to recount the blessings in our life, get together with family and friends, and enjoy good food. Desserts are usually an important part of that good-food lineup.
While many desserts taste wonderful, most of them are loaded down with refined sugar. One of the many lessons ...
Introduction
Beans (legumes) are one of the most versatile and nutritious foods eaten throughout the world. They are inexpensive and offer many potential health benefits. Here are five that may prompt you to start eating more beans:
Heart Health
Making beans a regular part of your diet could improve heart ...
Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. This drug shows up in many places besides coffee and tea — such as soft drinks, energy drinks, pain killers, chocolate, and even bagels.
Fast Facts
Self-control - the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulse. Do you have it? if you are honest, like most of us, you probably struggle in this area. We live in a world where we hear the message, “if you want it, get it.” So the idea of self control ...
Fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber. Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, including flavonoids. Eating a diet high in fruits can reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes.
Although eating fresh fruit is ideal, there are other ways to ...
There is an army at work within all of our bodies — it is called the immune system. Two main factors determine the condition of our immune system; heredity and lifestyle. There is nothing we can do about our heredity, except learn from it. However, we all can do something about our lifestyles. Changing our lifestyle can not ...
Sugar here, sugar there, sugar almost everywhere. From ketchup to salad dressings, energy drinks, breakfast cereals and more, added sugars are in no short supply in foods and beverages. The average American consumes an estimated 22 teaspoons of sugar everyday. These large amounts of sugar can have many negative effects on your health.
In a busy world smoothies are a great way to energize yourself and add more nutrients to your diet. For a long time we’ve known that we should consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Smoothies can be a fast and easy way to do just that!
By the way, even though it is very popular ...
How regular are you? No, I’m not asking about your bathroom habits, though that is very important for good health. The topic of discussion here relates to your daily schedule of habits and the significance of having a daily routine for good health. Regularity means that you have personally-systemized routines for your life. Now before you are too ...
Do ever wonder just how healthy (or unhealthy) you are living? Perhaps you already have some idea about your health status but you are not really concerned about it. You are just too caught up with the “busyness” of life or you know you need to make some improvements, but you’re not quite sure how ...
Are you stuck in the past? As a psychologist, I talk with many people who can’t seem to move forward from the negative experiences of the past. These individuals tend to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about their past – how they were treated by parents, siblings, peers at school, current or past ...
Salads are usually viewed as a side dish — something just to get a few more veggies down and warm up for the main dish. There are however, salads that are more substantial than a side salad. These salads are sometimes referred to as whole meal salads. This is because they are larger in size and can include ...
Would you believe that something as simple as water could help you look and feel younger, boost your energy, and work as an agent to fight disease? Well it’s true. Water makes up approximately 65% of the human body. It is essential for life and we cannot live more than a few days without it.
Water is ...
Dark Leafy green vegetables are an incredible superfood. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. Studies have shown that increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables may help prevent certain diseases.
Benefits of consuming more dark leafy greens can include:
Most everyone knows about the health benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise, but many people overlook the vital role of sleep for good health. Two neurologists from Northwestern University stated in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine: “sleep should be considered as essential to a healthy lifestyle as exercise and nutrition.
Rest refreshes, rejuvenates, regenerates ...
People who have struggled for years with various health challenges have learned in the past year that they are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. Although all who are exposed to the coronavirus may become infected, those who have pre-existing conditions may be placed in its “crosshairs”. This should serve as a wake-up call ...
When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I really need to take care of my brain?” If you are honest, you will admit that this is something that you rarely think about. Believe me, you are not alone! Very few of us focus on caring for our brain – that 2 ½ to 3 lb. organ ...
When the temperature drops outside there’s nothing quite like a hearty stew to warm you up. Stews are like a meal-in-one; just add some bread and maybe a salad, and you have a meal that will bring comfort and stick to your ribs for hours. Here are five delicious stews that will satisfy your cravings. Enjoy!
Lentil ...
It’s the Christmas holidays! This holiday season is one of the rare times when the world focuses on Jesus. It is wonderful that He came and was born as a baby - to bring us salvation. However, in addition to His birth what is also equally important is His life. There is much we can learn if we ...
During this time of a global pandemic, fresh outdoor air is overlooked and under-estimated for the benefits it can offer in helping to support immune-system health.
Unfortunately, it has become increasingly easy to isolate indoors (even before COVID-19), in environments with stale, vitiated air. This practice can be detrimental for not only physical health but mental ...
The holidays are upon us — a time for family, friends, delicious food and counting your blessings. The holidays of 2020 will, however, undoubtedly be different from any you may remember. While the coronavirus may put a damper on travel plans and holiday gatherings, you can still enjoy delicious food and find creative ways to stay connected. Here ...
Would you like to have a better memory? Here are seven steps that may help:
There are many who are searching for happiness. But, what is happiness? And, how do we obtain it? First of all, it is important to define happiness. A simple definition would be “a state of well-being.” Many people may not be diagnosed with depression, so to speak. But if they were honest with themselves, a large portion ...
Some foods simply fill you. Others satisfy you. Still, others fill and satisfy. And then, there are those foods that not only fill and satisfy, but also move you. Soups are this kind of food. There is nothing quite like a delicious bowl of soup to bring comfort and enjoyment. Here are five soup recipes that will soothe ...
Would you believe that there are eight, simple principles of health that can help you live a healthier, more vibrant life? It may sound too good to be true, but there are, in fact, natural principles of health that can help to not only optimize your immune system, but also help you to overcome many health challenges ...
Fear! Anxiety! Most of us have experienced these at one time or another. This is not all bad. There are times when fear and anxiety can be beneficial in that they can motivate us, increase our productivity, and even enable us to protect when faced with danger.
For many, however, fear and anxiety ...
If you were to one day record all of your thoughts, what would you discover? You might be surprised at what you would find. What we think reveals a lot about who we are. This is why the wise man Solomon stated thousands of years ago that “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”1 ...
There are several reasons why starting each morning with a healthy breakfast is important. To begin with, breakfast gives you energy to get things done. Breakfast also kick-starts your metabolism, which helps you to burn calories throughout the day. For this reason, it is actually a better strategy for those who desire to lose weight to eat a ...
Typically when we hear “You are what you eat,” we think of the link between diet and physical health. However, we now know that what we eat also has a powerful impact on our mental state. It is believed that as much as half of what we eat feeds our brain. It’s indeed quite a ...
You have probably heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” This statement has more truth to it than you may think. Your blood is actually made up from what you eat. The book of Leviticus, from the Holy Bible, chapter 17, verse 11, says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” ...
Do you realize the power you have to direct positive changes in your life? There is a guiding agency within the mind, which exercises control over its operation. This agency is the will, and has been called by some the “governing power” in humans. It is the power of decision, or of choice. Most people fail to ...
Have you experienced difficulties or hardships in your life? If you are a living, moving being you are probably answering this question with a resounding “yes”! Most recently, many of us have been faced with a very big hardship – the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has affected us negatively on many levels, financially, socially, and even emotionally. ...
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, much of the world has been on lockdown for the past couple months or longer. While new cases continue to appear, experts believe that the drastic measures taken have helped to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, global economies during the shutdown have taken ...
During this coronavirus pandemic, how much hope do you have? Many are in despair because they have experienced loss on many levels, including loss of loved ones, job security, health, finances, and the list goes on. But the question is, can we have hope even during these difficult times? The answer is, “yes!”
Hope can be defined ...
Our world has been plunged into an extremely sobering time. Globally people are sick, and many are dying from a sinister virus. In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 countries around the world have adopted sweeping measures, including border shutdowns and travel restrictions. Here in the U.S., we are becoming reluctantly (yet necessarily) familiar ...
Gratitude – how thankful are you? We all have the capacity to express gratitude. But, many of us fall short in this area. Psychologists have actually studied the habits of “grateful” people and what they’ve found is quite insightful. In an article on this topic, author Jeremy Smith shares some of these findings. Here is a summary of what he ...
We are truly living in uncertain times. The coronavirus pandemic is impacting everyone from our families, to our jobs, to our schools, to those who are on the front lines in health care. In just a few weeks we have witnessed how the world we once knew has been dramatically altered. Almost everything in our daily life has been ...
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