Nutritional Facts About Probiotics

Do you know why you should be using probiotics? Probiotics has been around for a long time and there are still some people that are not updated with probiotic benefits to health.

One dictionary defines Probiotics as a substance that promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut. They contain microorganisms or bacteria that bring benefits to the host organism. The concept of using bacteria for good health is as old as time. Its popularity began 5000 years earlier.

Centuries earlier, people fermented milk products and they contained probiotics. In Persia, people believed that Abraham of the Old Testament owed his longevity to fermented milk. Even French King Francis I was cured after consuming yogurt in 1500s.

The theory behind probiotics is that the human body is host to many microorganisms and bacteria called gut flora, which are necessary for health. Probiotics plays an important role in nutrition especially since the microbial populations have been modified by the use of antibiotics and other substances, which are designed to eliminate germs and diseases.

In 2002, probiotics were defined as ‘live microorganisms that when consumed in sufficient amounts would convey health benefit to the host’. Simply put, when eaten in adequate amount, they can benefit your intestines.

Considered as beneficial bacteria, a probiotic can boost your immune system by regulating lymphocytes and antibodies, protect your heart and prevent constipation, especially in the elderly. This can be done by regulating the intestinal transit time, with the consumption of the live microorganism.

There are studies conducted across the world showing probiotics improves the availability of nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper and phosphorous. In addition, pediatric research studies discovered that some strains like the Lactobacillus GG in Culturelle capsules can help in reducing the rate of acute diarrhea and shedding of rotavirus. Babies who drink formula containing the live microorganisms are reported to have 25% reduction in diaper rash.

If you have been suffering from lactose intolerance, drinking probiotics supplements or consuming probiotics products like yogurt may help improve your condition. Yogurt contains bacterial strain which produce lactase enzymes. Thus, children who have intestinal infection and adults who have lactose intolerance can tolerate yogurt because of the active culture present.

The Probiotics Acidophilus are known to support the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestine and colon to decrease the conversion of bile into cancer-causing substances. Although the microorganisms are present all throughout the human body, they particularly thrive in the intestine. If the presence of bad bacteria is threatened or balanced by the presence of good bacteria, you can be assured of having a healthy digestive system.

However, if the bad bacteria are invading your intestines, health problems are likely to occur. That is why many people are including probiotics-such as the lactobacilli-in their diet. The live microorganisms can restore the balance of bacteria in your intestinal tract.

Yogurt and sauerkraut are just among the many foods containing the good bacteria. On the other hand, you can also benefit from prebiotic. The prebiotic which is a substance that cannot be digested can make their way into your digestive system and thus promote the growth of good bacteria.

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5 Myths Of Detoxifying Your Body

Detoxification has been practiced for centuries in cultures throughout the world. A vital part of Chinese and Auyervedic medicine the concept of detoxifying your body is becoming more mainstream and I am hearing others talk about it more and more. But there are some misconceptions floating around about detoxification so I wanted to write an article on this subject to help clear up a few things.

1. You need to fast in order to detox. 
This could not be further from the truth. Detoxifying is about resting, cleaning and nourishing your body from the inside out. There are detox programs out there that require fasting like "Master Cleanse" a 10-day fasting program where you consume only lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. But these are totally ineffective and one of the worst things you can do for proper detoxification. Fasting causes your body to do the exact opposite of flushing toxins out of your body and instead it holds on to fat tissue in particular, which is where you store most of your toxins. Another factor to consider is when you are properly detoxifying and flushing the toxins out and are not replacing that newly created space in your cells with nutrients your body will likely grab onto another toxin. Your body needs a specific set of nutrients found in whole organic natural foods in order to perform a proper detox.

2. If you eat healthy you do not need to detox. 
We are exposed to more and more chemicals every year. There are over 3,000 chemicals added to our food supply while over 10,000 chemical solvents like emulsifiers and preservatives used to process our food. Even if you eat healthy you are still exposed to toxins in your environment that are impossible to control. Eating healthy is great but if your cells are full of toxins your body cannot absorb the nutrients of all the healthy food you are eating. A cell is a singular space, so if its holding onto a toxin by definition it cannot hold a nutrient, you can't get two things into a single space. To get the most of your healthy food you should aim to detox every 3 months to keep your body absorbing all the good vitamins and minerals so that your body can be healthy and strong.

3. There is no real benefit to detoxing. 
Toxins accumulate in your body over time. If you think about it for even a second the concept of flushing toxins out of your body makes complete sense. We as a society take in an enormous amount of toxins every day then eat food that does nothing to help nourish and cleanse the body and instead puts more toxins in the body. Toxins stay trapped in our bodies contributing to the obesity epidemic, cancer, heart disease, auto immune disorders; I could really go on and on for pages about the damage toxins have on your body. When you are putting so many toxins in your body it would only make sense that a regular detox is necessary and essential to your health. Detoxing allows your body to unlock and eliminate these harmful toxins before they build up in your body.

If you experience; fatigue or are constantly tired, bloating, cravings for are continually snacking, get headaches or migraines, have allergies or skin disorders, are anxious or depressed, or have digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation, stomach aches, and indigestion then you absolutely would benefit from detoxing. These are all signals your body gives you that it's on toxicity overload and needs attention.

4. Detox is expensive and should be done in a clinic.
Detoxing is very affordable and you do not need to be supervised by a medical professional while cleansing. If you have a health concern as always you should discuss it with your health care professional. You should not detox if you are pregnant or nursing and is not recommended for children.

5. Detox is just for the liver and colon. 
Your liver is the second largest organ in your body performing over 500 tasks! Obviously when you detox you are cleansing your liver and colon but that's not all. You are also cleansing your digestive system, your body tissues, and cells. Cleansing removes toxins and impurities from your whole body restoring and rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit.

Detoxifying your body is essential to the overall maintenance of your body on the inside for optimal long-term health. After detoxing you'll notice you feel lighter, more energetic, and clear minded. You may notice your eyes are brighter and your complexion is radiant. These are all amazing signs that your body is healing itself from the inside out.

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Diet And 'Acne Food' Explained

Why is diet so important for you to have clear and beautiful skin? Eating right will always help the health of your body. In fact, many diseases today are related to bad eating habits. So what is "acne food"? Essentially, foods that help your immune system, which then helps skin health too. When eaten, this acne food will help ensure that you have clear skin. It can be thought of as one of the pimple remedies that you do not apply onto the skin, but works internally instead.

A change in diet may clean you from the inside. It is commonly known that foods low in nutrition do not do your body any favours. The fact is that a pimple is, essentially, an infection. It appears red and inflamed due to inflammation triggered by acne bacteria. We can help our bodies fight off (and even prevent) these infections by ensuring our immune system is as strong as possible.

Acne food combines natural sugars and fats. If you eat something like a garden salad, then an avocado (for example) is a must for the fat component. In the same way, sugars with cold pressed olive oil and olive oil with orange juice will stabilize blood sugar level and discourage the break out of pimples and acne.

Also, an acne food diet consists of plenty of water and fresh juices that will help you to get rid of toxins. A balanced diet cuts out all excessively fatty and oily food like french fries, pizzas, potato chips, and processed foods, since they do not help the body. It should be noted that, despite the myths about these foods causing acne, the reason to avoid them is actually because they do not add to the body's nutrient intake. Fresh fruits, whole grained foods and plant based foods that are rich in minerals and vitamins are "acne food" that will help to benefit the overall health of acne sufferers, and your skin will show it.

Since an "acne food" diet consists of foods rich in nutrients a good example of an acne food snack would be a salad comprised of things such as well-ripened fresh fruit, tomatoes, cucumber and avocados, prepared with extra virgin olive oil, and even sushi (raw fish). It is said to be ideal if you consume 2 egg yolks and 50gms of raw fish a day (it is 5 egg yolks and 100gms of raw fish for a man). This type of acne food has redundant protein and can increase blood protein level in your body.

Often people in search of "pimple remedies" find only disappointment instead of true help. The fact is that information is the BEST of the pimple remedies. The reason's because it is in understanding skin that one can get rid of zits long-term and truly get clear skin.

By shifting the focus away from merely discovering how to get rid of zits to the bigger picture of understanding skin, it becomes much easier to not only get clear skin, but also keep it healthy.

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How To Stay Motivated With Weight Loss

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, the most important thing isn't diet or exercise. It's motivation. If you can keep motivated, you can meet your goals, become more physically fit, and live a healthier lifestyle.

Unfortunately, most of us have problems staying motivated. Sure, it's easy to decide to diet and exercise and stick to it for a couple of weeks; but eventually, nearly all of us get to a point where we lose our focus and give up.

When this happens we not only gain back whatever weight we may have lost, but we often put on even more pounds than we had before we started. This can be a real blow to our self-esteem and make it even harder for us to try to lose weight in the future.

The good news is that it is possible to find ways to stay motivated and keep focused on your weight loss goals - once you know how. When you achieve this level of focus, you will not only lose weight now; you'll find that it's much easier to keep the weight off in the long term.

They provided us with a bunch of tips that have worked in the real world to help the people they've worked with to stay motivated, and we are happy to pass them on to you.

• Realize that your subconscious is the biggest thing holding you back from staying motivated. On a conscious level, you know you want to lose weight - but your subconscious may not be on board. It is filled with negative thoughts that expect failure. So, you need to change your subconscious expectations for yourself. Most of us have a negative inner dialogue going on, but that dialogue can be changed. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop them in their tracks and replace them with positive thoughts. Over time, this will become automatic and it will stop your subconscious from sabotaging your weight loss and healthy living efforts. Breaking the subconscious chains that are holding you back from real weight loss is the most important thing you can do.

• Find a diet buddy, and set them up on speed dial on your phone. The two of you can work to support each other. When you feel tempted to break your diet or skip out on the gym, give them a call and let them talk you into doing the right thing. Be there for them in the same situations. Between the two of you, you both have a much better chance of sticking to your weight loss and exercise plans.

• Stop focusing on how hard it is to lose weight. If you are constantly thinking about how much work it is to lose weight and stay healthy, this will fill your brain with negative thoughts. That's not good. Don't let yourself focus on the negative. Instead, keep in mind all of the benefits of losing weight. Make a list if you have to! By focusing on the positive, you'll be much less tempted to go off your weight loss plan.

• Every week, take a picture of yourself in the mirror. Then post this picture someplace where you will see it every day. Keep adding new pictures every week. By actually seeing how much progress you are making, it will be much easier for you to stick to your goals - because you'll be able to visualize the results.

• Start a blog about your weight loss goals. By writing once or twice a week about what you are doing, you'll be able to keep track of your progress and work out your inner demons. You'll also get people to comment on your blog and encourage you to stick to it.

• Reward yourself every so often. Set a simple goal - say, losing five pounds. When you make that goal, go out and buy yourself something really nice. Get your favorite author in hardcover instead of waiting for the paperback to come out. Buy your favorite movie on Blu-Ray. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's something you like that you wouldn't normally buy for yourself.

• Don't give up if you have a slip. Look, nobody is perfect. We aren't machines. Sometimes we are going to screw up and have a slice of chocolate cake. It happens. But don't treat it like the end of the world. Many people figure that once they've gone off their diet once, they might as well give up. Don't! Instead, try to figure out why you were tempted and spend a little extra time in the gym that week.

• Try to find ways to make working out fun. Just sitting alone in the gym on a stationary bike is not very inspiring for most people. It's boring and easy to give up. Why not pick up a new sport? You'll end up making new friends and by playing a game, you'll be having fun while burning off calories. And you'll keep doing it because you won't want to let your team down.

• If you have a partner, have lots of sex! Sex not only feels good, but it burns off calories. More importantly, it releases the same endorphins into your body as eating chocolate. And here's something you may not know - when you start to lose weight, your libido will improve and you'll experience much more sexual satisfaction. Women in particular have reported becoming more orgasmic the more weight they lose.

• Keep temptation out of your home. When you are alone watching television is when you are most likely to break down and cheat on your diet. Go through your cupboards and get rid of temptation food. Then go to the grocery story and buy a lot of healthy food. Throw out all your takeout menus. Without temptations surrounding you, you will be much less likely to break your diet. Your moment of temptation will pass and you'll stay motivated and on track.

• Create an upbeat playlist for your iPod. It's been shown that people who listen to fast, upbeat music while they work out have more positive associations with exercise and are less likely to stop doing it.

• Subscribe to blogs of other people who are trying to lose weight and get in shape. Reading about other people's weight loss struggles will help you realize you are not alone. Plus, you may gain some surprising weight loss tips and be able to share your experiences with other people as well.

These tips are not particularly hard to incorporate into your life, and they have worked to help thousands of people stay motivated so that they not only lose weight but also keep it off.

You can start slow and add one tip a week into your life, and over time you'll finally start seeing the body you've always wanted staring back at you in the mirror.

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Meditation And Weight Loss For A Healthier New You

Meditation and weight loss for a healthier new you, is not really to hard. Here is some information to help you get started.

Most of us have heard or read that meditation is good for us. Some have even tried meditation once or twice, but not getting the hang of it they have given up. Meditation offers us many benefits, one of which is that it can help us stay true and focused on our weight loss program. The way it does that is that it helps reduce stress, calming our inner selves. A little stress is o.k. But for those of us that are weigh challenged, extra stress can lead to extra eating. 

Comfort foods are called comfort foods for a reason. When under uncontrolled stress, it is very easy to turn to your favorite comfort foods to hide the uncontrolled feelings of stress you are having. The problem is, for most of us with a weight problem, those foods tend to be the fattening ones. That ice cream cone or that tripe cheeseburger with fries may take our minds away from the stresses of the moment, but it only lasts for a short time, if at all. Most of the time we are fighting with our mind while we eat the comfort food. We know we will be unhappy later in the day for allowing ourselves to eat all the junk food, but at the moment it seems we have no control over it.

Meditation can help us avoid or control the original stress and this in turn will help us avoid the eating binge. There is a simple breathing meditation that you can do that will help stop your mind from all the noise that is causing you to stress. Most books tell you that you want to think of the breathing as you do it. You think of breathing in, while breathing in and you think of breathing out as you breath out. It is a very simple meditation and it does work. The object is to bet your mind to slow down and think of only one thing, stopping all that clutter that is continually going on in our minds.

Our minds are constantly being bombarded with thoughts and all that noise is stressful. We have upwards of 10,000 thoughts a day. So many that we are numb to them and don't even realize that we are always thinking. You want to reduce those thoughts to only a single thought. Quite the chatter. Once we do this, we should be much better able to handle the stress and the urge to eat without thinking.

Breathing deeply helps us release tensions.

How to meditate to help control your weight program starts with setting aside time to meditate. It need not be long when you are first starting. 5 to 10 minutes, a couple of times a day is OK. After you have been at it for a while, you will want to do a short breathing meditation whenever you feel the urge to eat the wrong foods or to eat at the wrong times.

When you first meditate, elevate your posture to make yourself aware. I like to focus on smells when I do a breathing meditation. Of course it won't work if you are setting right outside of your favorite fast food establishment. So, find a quit spot to meditate. As you breath in focus on the smells, and picture what your breath is telling you about your surroundings. Breathing in gives your mind and body good energy, while breathing out is letting go of bad energy.

You will find other thoughts drift into your mind while doing this. When this happens, gently bring your mind back to your breathing. Once you start feeling the benefits of meditation it will become a lifetime habit. You will find yourself more in control of your eating and stop eating because of stress.

You will find that you no longer care for junk food. You will want to feed you mind and body healthy foods. As this happens, you should start to see the extra pounds disappearing. You will discover a whole new you.

Meditation isn't the only answer to losing weight but it can do a lot to make the journey easier.

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High Fiber Foods: A Rich Source For A Healthy Life

Fiber rich foods are the way to go in today’s hectic and inappropriate lifestyle. When the consumption of junk and unhealthy foods is on all-time high, fiber rich foods help you greatly to maintain a balance in your diet and lead a healthy life.

It’s no surprise that fiber forms to be a vital part of a healthy diet. However, consuming foods high in dietary fiber can be more beneficial than just keeping you healthy. Eating fiber rich foods can lower the risks for stroke; heart disease and diabetes besides enhancing the health of your skin and helping you lose weight. 

Unfortunately, in today’s time when one needs to eat healthy foods as a result of stressful and unhealthy lifestyle, majority of the people don’t include fiber rich foods in their diet. Given are some tips wherein you can count on the several benefits of fiber that help you feel good and prevent you from serious diseases.

What’s Fiber?

Fiber, the other name for which is ‘roughage’, is the part of plant based foods (nuts, beans, fruits, vegetables and grains) that the body is unable to break down. It passes through the body without getting digested, thus keeping the digestive system clean and healthy, facilitating bowel movements and throwing cholesterol and harmful chemicals out of the body. There are primarily two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble one doesn’t dissolve in water. It’s bulky fiber that helps prevent constipation and is found in wheat cereals, whole grains and vegetables such as celery, carrots and tomatoes.

On the other hand, soluble fiber gets easily dissolved in water and helps control levels of blood sugar and lessen cholesterol. Oatmeal, barley, nuts, beans and fruits such as berries, apple, pears and citrus fruits are some good sources of soluble fiber.

Fiber with several health benefits

Many expert nutritionists have highlighted how consuming a fiber rich diet can boost the immune system and how it forms to be a good source of nutrition for children as well. Some benefits are highlighted below:

Digestive Health

Eating dietary fiber helps normalize bowel movements by bulking up stools and letting them easier to pass. This helps relieve and prevent both diarrhoea and constipation. Getting fiber in abundance also tends to lessen the risk for gallstones, diverticulitis (inflammation of intestine), kidney stones and also offer relief from irritable bowel syndrome.

Diabetes

The risk of type 2 diabetes can be considerably lowered by consuming a fiber rich diet, especially insoluble fiber from cereals. If you already have diabetes then consuming soluble fiber may help control blood sugar levels by delaying gastric emptying

Skin Health

Consuming fiber rich diet can flush toxins out of the body which affect the health of the skin. Skin tends to be healthy when the flow of blood is good as a result of lesser toxins in the body.

Fiber helps Weight Loss

Besides helping in digestion and preventing constipation, fiber adds bulk to your diet, an important factor in both losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Adding bulk lets you feel full earlier. Also, since fiber stays in the stomach for a longer period than other foods, the feeling of fullness stays with you for quite some time, letting you eat less. Foods such as vegetables and fruits that are rich in fiber tend to be low in calories, thus by adding them to your diet; it’s quite simple to cut calories.

Eating fiber rich foods has been the first preference of many nutritionists when it comes to weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Due to its numerous health benefits it should be your first choice as well during your daily meal.

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Effective Natural Plant Based Foods To Boost Immunity

Natural plant based foods are the effective ways to boost immunity health. They provide power to the body to fight against diseases to maintain health and well being.

There are so many diseases around humans that they are prone to in life. These diseases affect their general well-being. The life has become so stressful that it is difficult to control diseases. It is suggested to take care of the health and protect against diseases by building immunity. Immunity is like building a wall that protects the body from diseases. It fights against diseases and does not let the system to be affected. There are so many medicines that are prescribed for every small problem as the body gets affected by disease. It is important to understand that there are natural plant foods that can help protect the body from several diseases. It gives power to the body to fight against diseases. There are immunity boosting foods that help the body to be well protected. These simple plant-based foods should be included in the diet for the best results.

The use of cod liver oil is healthy option for immunity problem. It helps to increase the immunity without any side effects it should be regularly included in the diet after meals. It is used as healthy tonic for positive results. It is one of the simple immunity boosting foods. Regular usage will help to show results without any side effects. It helps to give special antioxidant properties. It also gives antiviral properties. Regular use will detox the body. It will cleanse the system. 

The use of jasmine leaves grinded and dried to make into powder is healthy option for immunity. It should be mixed with warm water and consumed for positive results. It is used as healthy tonic for results. It is one of the popular immunity boosting foods. Regular usage will help to show excellent results without any side effects.

The use of pumpkin seed made into a powder after drying and adding basil leaves is healthy to increase immunity it should be included in the diet and consumed after meals for effective results. It is used as healthy tonic for positive results. It is one of the popular immunity boosting foods. Regular usage will help to show results without any adverse effects. It helps to give special antioxidant properties. It also gives antiviral properties. Regular use will detox the body. It will cleanse the system. 

The use of leaves of tulsi should be consumed every morning to increase immunity. It has positive results on the body. The regular use followed by warm water detox will help the body. It is used as healthy tonic for excellent results. It is one of the natural immunity boosting foods.

The use of fig leaves is healthy for the body. It is used as healthy tonic for excellent results. It is one of the popular immunity boosting foods. Regular usage will help to show results without any adverse effects. It helps to give special antioxidant properties. It also gives antiviral properties. Regular use will detox the body.

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