Multivitamins and You!
Posted on August 22, 2008 By Joe Fier
Follow the food pyramid and eat your vitamins!
This might sound familiar from the days when your parents would pack your lunch and cook you dinner. Luckily, your parents were right, but there is another essential elements to goes into this equation for a healthy diet. Enter, multivitamins!
Many of us do not realize it through our everyday diets, but the typical person does not eat nearly enough vitamins, through ways of food, each and every day. To fill the deficit of vitamins for the day, multivitamins can be used. Because it is so difficult for the typical eater to fill themselves with enough vitamins, the use of multivitamins can be very beneficial. As these supplements are very good tools to fill the deficits, they should not be used as the only means for vitamin consumption. It is essential to consume as many vitamins as we can from foods because they are the only source we can receive fiber, phytonutrients, and other beneficial compounds.
For example, according to the Dietary Guidelines of Americans 2005, it shows that many adults are deficient in a variety of vital elements:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C (Carotenoids)
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Calcium
Since many of us have a difficult time keeping track of what we’re eating, or don’t even know what to eat, below are some quick tips to follow that will sure be able to assist you when paired up with a multivitamin.
- Eat foods rich in whole grains
- Keep a balanced diet of fruits and veggies (I know it’s been said many times before)
- Stick more to eating lean meats, such as chicken and fish
- Begin looking on the back of a lot of food products… following the Nutritional Facts can help limit a lot in your diet. If it doesn’t immediately limit your diet, like me, it will definitely make you feel pretty guilty for eating so much!!
- Track your caloric intake by using a program, such as CalorieKing.
As multivitamins sound like a great idea to “get on track” and balanced with our nutritional elements, they are not always the all-in-one solution… of course! For instance, multivitamins are not a great idea for those recovering from or have cancer, along with other diseases. Sometimes the various elements of the multivitamins aid a particular disease. Always check with a doctor anytime before choosing vitamins if you are one in this circumstance.
Now that I’ve gone this far with briefly explaining some of the basics on multivitamins, I realized that I originally wanted to write about the type I take. I guess a post in the near future will do for that one!
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Location and Lifestyle
Posted on January 30, 2008 By Joe Fier
During the past month I have been doing a little bit of traveling. Over New Year’s I went to Las Vegas, the other weekend I headed out to Phoenix for a day, and two days ago I drove up the California coast to Santa Barbara. Going around to these various places, you can see the large differences in how people live. Growing up and living my life in San Diego, I have been mainly influenced with the hot health topics and lifestyles that are here in town. As many believe, San Diego and the rest of California have, for the most part, very health conscious people. There are a countless amount of gyms located in every nook and cranny in San Diego, ranging from your basic weights and treadmills to exotic self-defense and boxing gyms. The weather is almost always beautiful out here, allowing for many days of unlimited outdoor exercising and adventures. When I travel outside of San Diego, I instantly notice the changes in people’s lifestyles compared to the location and environment they live in. Many of us don’t realize that where we live directly influences how we live our life.
Travelling to Phoenix
Who would have known that this large of a city could sprout up in the middle of the desert? From the few times that I’ve visited Phoenix, I’ve noticed that there is a great diversity of people that mingle together, just as in any other city. With all of these people around each other, it still seems like there is surprisingly not much to do. The main happenings I noticed were checking out one of the many malls scattered about, play a round of golf, or trying to and get tickets to the upcoming Super Bowl out there. Other than that, the largest thing I noticed were the billboards lining the freeways. Just driving the stretch of Interstate 10, through the heart of Phoenix, I counted five billboards showing the consequences of using meth. These were disgusting images of people that have seemingly ruined their lives with a very addictive and devastating drug. Wondering why there was an overwhelming amount of these advertisements, I asked my friend that lived out there, “What’s going on?!” He informed me that Phoenix is the methamphetamine capitol of America.
My friend is one of the healthiest people I know, and he said he completely struggled when he briefly lived in Phoenix. Because of the normal, hotter than average temperatures and monsoonal weather patterns, running became very difficult for him. He did end up joining a gym to solve many of these woes, but was still depressed that he could not complete his typical daily workouts outside. Another problem that he faced was his free time after work and exercise. He said that many of the people his age (around 24 years old) did nothing but drink at the bars and then do drugs after the bars had closed. He was not able to find a single person that was as health-conscious as he is. This put both a strain on his health and social life as a whole.
Pick Where You Live Carefully
As simple as it may sound, picking where you live will definitely change the life that you’ll lead. Analyze the hobbies that you enjoy and the life that you’ll want for the future. If you see that all of these qualities could be met by living in a particular location, then by all means, choose it! Simply choosing a location because of a job offer can seriously hinder someone’s trek to a happy life. Decide what is most important in your life and proceed from there. Of course, you’ll never actually know the consequences until you experience it yourself. To battle this, ask people that have already lived in these possible future locations. If it is job related, ask some employees that already live there. Also, use the internet and compare which cities fair the best for your particular personality.
MSN’s Health and Fitness site lists the 10 healthiest cities in America, from their own research. Explore this and learn a little about these locations, especially if they are some of your prospective living locations for the future.
Top 10: America’s Healthiest Cities
- San Jose, CA
- Washington, DC
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Oakland, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Orange County, CA
- Denver, CO
- Austin, TX
Photo Credit: Nicholas T
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Stevia: The Best Sweetener, Ever!
Posted on January 16, 2008 By Joe Fier
What the heck is stevia, and why is it so good?! Many of have never heard of it, or at most possibly passed it while in the supplement section of a natrual foods store. Whatever the case, stevia is the next and upcoming large sugar-alternative. It’s a sweetner that Japan has been using in abundance since the early ’70s. They have been using it in products such as Coca-Cola, added in other food products, and have had it set out for table-use at resturants around the country.
So, what is stevia?
Stevia is a scrub that is found in abundance in the subtropical regions of Central America and South America. Some other names that stevia goes by is sweetleaf and sugarleaf. As the name says, the leaves are where all the flavor is found. After previous generations have found the great sweetening qualities of these stevia leaves (about 300 times the sweetness of sugar), it has been used since. Extracts are taken from these leaves and then produced into one of its many forms: liquid concentrates, crystal form, dried and also fresh stevia leaves.
Technically, stevia is a supplement
As of now, stevia is a natural herb that has not been approved by the FDA. Because of this, stevia is sold at stores as a supplement, not a food sweetener. As a supplement and a sugar alternative, stevia is used by people with Diabetes, obesity, and high-blood pressure because of its very low carbohydrate content, being calorie-free, and its ability to actually increase glucose tolerance. Since stevia has not been approved by the FDA, it cannot be sold in food products as a “sweetener”. Since the FDA has labeled stevia as a supplement, if a company were to produce a stevia sweetened drink, it would be have to be labeled as a supplement drink. Because of this, large health grocers such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats hurt because they cannot offer these alternative sweetened drinks in some of its products. Companies are now working to create a slightly altered version of stevia so it can become FDA approved. We’ll just have to wait it out and see when that time comes. In the mean time, go purchase the packets or its other forms and use it as a sweetener for your own creations!
Experimenting with stevia
The key thing that you need to remember with stevia is that it is about 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Don’t forget how much more that really is! When experimenting with stevia during cooking, always be sure to add small amounts at a time and taste-test everything before moving any further with a recipe. It may seem like a pain to try and learn exactly how much stevia equates to that of sugar, but the benefits of having a calorie-free, all-natural sweetener completely outweighs your long efforts. When using stevia in place of previous sugar-included recipes, try and stick with those that include fruits and dairy products. Generally, stevia mixes really well with these food groups because of its texture. Some simple recipes to start off with are baking a batch of chocolate cookies, making lemonade, creating a variety of types of salsa, soups, and so many others.
Give this simple hot cocoa recipe a shot for starters…
(Makes 4-5 servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp of cocoa
- 4-5 cups of soymilk or milk
- 1/2 tsp powdered stevia extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Mix the stevia extract and cocoa together in a medium-sized pot. Add 1/2 cup of your choice of milk to make a paste. Work to thin out the paste by adding another 1/2 cup of the milk. While bringing it to a low boil, add either the honey or maple syrup. Boil all of the ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rest of the milk to your desire of thickness and richness. Add the vanilla and heat the ingredients thoroughly. Be sure to not scorch the cocoa on the bottom of the pan.
Pour, serve, and enjoy!
Photo credit: daxiang
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Are You Sick Or Feel One Coming On, Use Echinacea!
Posted on January 10, 2008 By Joe Fier
Two weeks ago I had a couple of great appointments with the chiropractor and acupuncturist to help straighten my body out. I’ve written some previous posts about the reasons why I visit these experts and how they could benefit many of you. Check out the links a couple of sentences back. Luckily, during these visits was also the time that I began to come down with a rather annoying throat and lung cold. I know it sounds weird that I said luckily, but the acupuncturist actually was able to perform treatments and offer great recommendations to herbs during this time I was getting sick. As I was there, she focused much of the treatment towards my sickness rather than my previous neck problem, which has gotten much better than it was before. The greatest recommendation that the acupuncturist gave me, though, was to purchase and use anechinacea throat spray to help quicken my recovery time. I have heard the echinacea name thrown around by people before but have never actually tried it. When I began using it and realizing that it made me feel almost completely healthy when I sprayed my throat, I became very interested to learn more. Here’s what I found out…
The problems that echinacea could help
- Sore throats
- Coughs and other types of flu’s
- Congestion
- Many minor infections
- Even various skin infections (external, of course)
- Preventative measures during flu season
What echinacea actually does
The echinacea flower has long been used (since early Native American times) for both flu preventions and remedies. As a prevention, echinacea can be taken in one of its many forms during flu season or any other time you think a flu feels like it’s coming your way. During this time, echinacea fights off possible influenza infections and other colds by increasing the body’s natural production of interferon. When a flu does fully hit you and you’re trying to fight it off, echinacea works with a slightly different purpose. When used, it helps to increase the immune system’s ability to stimulate white blood cells, which fight off germs and other diseases. Using this type of method will definitely lengthen the time between flu’s throughout the year and also speed the process of recovery when a cold or flu is in full force.
The various forms of echinacea
- Echinacea/Goldenseal throat spray. This was my personal favorite during my last cold. It offered a direct contact to the sore area and instantly felt much healthier. The largest advantage to using an echinacea spray was that it didn’t leave a numbed feeling like chloraseptic sprays do. Highly recommended for sore throats.
- Echinacea teas. There are various types out there, so check out the labels next time you head to the grocery store. Matt, from our brother-blog, used this form when he was last sick, around the same time. This offers another direct method to feel better, much quicker. I would say this method would be better for colds that are more head and stomach-based.
- Liquid extracts. This is a method that my girlfriend originally tried, and then since moved over to my favorite, the throat spray.
This is a very good form as well because it could be dropped and mixed into water or any other types of drinks. This liquid form, along with the others are great ways to help alleviate pains when you have already become sick. It seems that the liquid-based forms are normally quicker absorbed into the system for quicker relief. - Capsule form. This offers the same benefits as the previous forms. It might not be as quickly absorbed in the system, but it is still a great method to use when you feel a sickness feeling coming or have any other type of infection. Another great advantage is if you cannot handle echinacea’s taste, this capsule form will take that problem away.
Photo credit: zanastardust
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The Power of Magnets and Your Body
Posted on January 8, 2008 By Joe Fier
Hey all. I know it’s about a week late, but I hope everyone had great holidays and an awesome New Year. I decided to take a break during this time to do a bunch of things. It’s been a holiday vacation full of great people, food, relaxation, traveling around, and finally being able to get some things done. The only downer during all of these good times is the cold that I have been battling for the past week. I haven’t had one in over a year and a half, so it was a rude awakening to what I have been missing out on!
For Christmas, I was given something really interesting and unique. Since I come from a family full of golfing addicts, I am constantly surrounded with brand new gadgets and other items that help improve their game. This particular item I was given is called the Trion :Z ionic/magnetic bracelet. It is a simple looking elastic-style bracelet that sits snug around the wrist and acts to improve the balance of the body’s electricity by using magnets. I thought this was a really interesting concept, so I did a little research about it. Check out what I found out and why it might be something for you to look into…
Why to consider wearing an ionic/magnetic bracelet.
Believe it or not, our personalities and ways we live day in and day out are largely influenced by ions. There are positive and negative ions that surround us daily, both having very different effects on our bodies.
Negative ions are generally naturally occurring and are produced by plants, rivers, and the other elements of the great outdoors. These ions influence us to have a generally more relaxed and at ease feeling. No wonder so many of us love to escape to the mountains to camp in the wilderness just to escape the crazy modern life.
Positive ions are the complete opposite. These are ions that are largely produced by the various electronics that surround us each day. Elements ranging from computers, cell phones, factory machinery, televisions, and more add positive ions to our systems. Unfortunately, the positive ion name is deceiving . With the influence of these positive ions onto the system, we feel much more fatigued, stressed out, lose sleep, and have a generally much more difficult time functioning during the day. As we are surrounded by all of these modern elements, our bodies absorb the positive ions and begin to show more influence than the negative ones.
With these two very opposite electric pulls influencing our systems, these new ionic/magnetic bracelets help to balance the two and bring back a much better feeling to the body.
These things might really work!
Finding the balance of electricity in the body and aiding physical and mental functions with the use of magnets have been done since ancient times. Just as with treatments such as acupuncture, magnets help level the chi that the body uses to function to its full capacity. These magnets bring on a healthy and natural way to help alleviate problems that would otherwise be countered with the use of medicines. With these bracelets, the body is brought much closer to its ability to work with as much natural energy as possible.
There are various ionic/magnetic bracelets out there…
I have given my new Trion:Z bracelet a shot because: A. It has a unique design that fully and snugly wraps around with negative ions throughout to help balance the body’s electricity. B. It is much cheaper than the metal and gold ones you see many people wear. And C. It was given to me as a great gift. Check out Trion:Z’s site for more info on their product.
There are the original ionic bracelets, such as the Q-Ray, that offer very similar results. The magnets in these bracelets function a bit differently, but these ones look a little more stylish and supposedly offer a very comfortable fit.
Each of these products are great and natural methods to bring upon energy and balance within your body. For about $30 or less, pick up one of your own and experience it for yourself.
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The Importance of Magnesium In Your Body
Posted on December 20, 2007 By Joe Fier
Many of us have heard of magnesium, but probably only from some crazy high school science class years ago. What many people do not know is that it is vital for the health of our body and its proper functionality. There are many forms that magnesium can be found in so we can easily balance our diets. Check out some of this important information that you’ve probably never known about magnesium and your body.
What is it? About 50% of it is found naturally in our bones, but the rest is located all around our bodies: muscles, tissues, organs, and blood. The body works to try and keep a healthy level and balance of natural magnesium in our system through our blood.
What does it do? There are no solid, agreed upon reasons of why we sometimes experience muscle cramps, but some speculate that it is caused by the dehydration in muscles and lack of vital nutrients after a difficult workout. Magnesium is a bone-building nutrient that is thought to help calm and relax muscles during these times. It’s believed that without the proper amount of magnesium, it will cause muscles to contract and spasm more often than not.
What you should do. If you workout intensely or don’t exercise at all, magnesium is right up your alley. Magnesium is vital for everyone, but deficits can be noticed if you are putting your body through strenuous exercises. Your muscles are prone to cramps and uncomfortableness without a proper amount of magnesium. Intake magnesium daily in one of its various forms to prevent injuries like this from occurring.
Magnesium is essential to over 400 various enzyme reactions and other daily bodily functions. Unfortunately, research has shown that many American diets are deficient in a proper daily amount of magnesium.
Magnesium aids the body with:
- Nerve conditions
- Muscle contractions
- Bone and tooth formation
- Protein metabolism
- And more importantly, heart and circulatory health
How much should you receive per day? It is recommended that a male over 19 years old should consume around 400 mg of magnesium per day. Women of the same age are said that they should eat roughly 300 mg per day. A deficiency of magnesium in a diet can occur and some pretty obvious results could show from it. Some of these are feeling fatigued, a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and weakness. If the deficit continues, it can lead to various muscle contractions, spasms, cramps, numbness, abnormal heart beats, and even a change in personality.
Where can I find magnesium in food? Green vegetables are normally the best and easiest place to eat magnesium in foods. Beans and peas, various nuts, and unrefined grains are also great sources. Sticking to unrefined grains, such as whole wheat foods are much higher in magnesium than flour or white bread products. Some excellent food sources are listed below:
- Halibut (90mg)
- Dry roasted almonds (80mg)
- Soybeans and spinach (75mg)
- Cereal and oatmeal (65mg)
- Baked potatoes (50mg)
Are there other ways to consume magnesium? There sure are!
- I have recently begun to consume magnesium in a liquid form. This is generally much quicker to digest and gets to areas in the body much quicker. I mix mine in water and drink it pretty quickly since the taste isn’t the best, but not anywhere near unbearable. I have chosen this method because it aids my aching muscles much quicker and effectively.
- Pill form. Calcium/Magnesium supplement pills are normally the most popular on the shelf in a nutritional store. They come in this combination because the two work hand-in-hand with each other. As the magnesium helps with muscle relaxation, calcium helps rebuild muscles and control muscle contractions after workouts and other daily activities.
- Powder form is also available. This isn’t nearly as popular, but if used, it can be mixed in with a drink, very similar to the liquid magnesium form.
Photo credit: brokenchopstick
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Take A Vacation To Better Your Life
Posted on December 19, 2007 By Joe Fier
When was the last time you’ve been able to get away from work and have a really good vacation? I’m not talking about a simple weekend out of town, but more like a week or two where you can completely release all worries of work and normal day-to-day life. If this sounds like something you’re in desperate need of, please read on…
Our lives are all made of routines that we do everyday. Sure, sometimes these routines can be very simple, but a combination of them each day can begin to weigh on you very heavily. Without a simple break from the action, our minds become bogged down and slow our normal performance in everyday life. These are the times that we feel overwhelmed and lose the love and passion for what we have centered out lives around. These sorts of situations can occur in our work-life, spousal and friend relationships, and our inner-selves. None of these parts of our lives are lost causes, it just might mean that we need to step away from the action for a little bit and rekindle the thoughts and mindset that we previously had.
Vacations are key
As stress builds throughout the work-year, a lot of us look forward to taking time off during the holiday season. Unfortunately, there are many out there (including numerous people at my work) that insist that they work all the way through. The need for money is normally a cause for such a decision. Sure, this might seem like a very understanding statement, but how could money overvalue the feeling of your body? Without taking these key moments to go on a vacation and release our built up tension, our emotional and physical well-being turns very detrimental.
Those who take regular vacations more often:
- Have less strain on the heart, which leads to a lessened chance of heart disease
- Are much less stressed and have a clearer mind emotionally
- Have much more energy
- Spend much more time with spouses and are happier with their relationships
- Have a much better relationship with their children
- Are more interested and productive when they return to work
Try mini-vacations
A thought that my girlfriend and I have had is to take mini-vacations or getaways on the weekends. Our thought is to take a trip out of town once a month to wherever. This doesn’t need to be anything expensive or elaborate, just something that will get you out of town to free your mind from your typical everyday life. If it’s simply a one night’s stay camping in the mountains, or in a motel, or wherever else, as long you can getaway to release the week’s built-up worries. These trips can be easily saved up for just by putting in about $20 a week by both of you; that shouldn’t break the bank.
On the weekends that you aren’t traveling out of town, try to take a day adventure of your choice. A passion that we both have is to go hiking. Since there are various trails in
Some scary statistics
- In 2005, Americans threw away or sold back nearly 415 million vacation days. This equates to 1.6 million years of unused vacation time!
- Strokes, heart disease, and early mortality have all been linked to overworking and stressing out while on the job.
- Americans put in more hours than the rest of the world. This is a huge hint to start spending those vacation days. For example, the French work 35-hour workweeks, and actually stick to that number.
- Germans work roughly 500 hours over the year. That’s nearly 12-and-a-half weeks less than us in
Try and make vacations a part of your life. Many of us forget about our own time because we’re so used to dedicating the time we have to work for others. There’s a time and place for everything, so choose yours wisely, it will greatly affect your life.
Photo credit: januszbc
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Simple Methods To Sleep Easier
Posted on December 18, 2007 By Joe Fier
Do you often spend far beyond too much time trying to fall asleep? Or, are you never fully calm as you lay in your bed, waiting for those Zzz’s to come?
Many people experience this same sort of problem each and every night. Not being able to fully feel comfortable in bed can be a result of various things. More often than not, stress and anxieties in our lives is what stops us from feeling at peace in the one definite spot that we should. As we get into bed, many think about the problems they’ve experienced over the day, or the list of to-do’s that are needed to be done the next day. Check out what I had to say about keeping stress and work out of your bed from my guest post on DietHack. As our minds travel at a million miles per hour when we’re anxious and stressed, the rest of our body also feels the same tension, if not more. It’s not often realized, but during this time our muscles tense up beyond belief all night long when we feel like this. The end result of this is waking up in the morning feeling very tired and even more stressed throughout the day. Try some of these simple methods to help ease your body when it comes to getting some solid shut-eye…
It’s all in the breathing
When laying down into bed, focus on taking few, but deep and pleasant breaths. Breathe in through your nose, while holding it in for a bit, and then exhaling slowly out of your mouth. While doing this, focus on the slightly cool air passing through your nose, and then the warmer air smoothly rolling out of your mouth. Steve at Brip Blap has a great article that further explains this breathing process, with a slightly different spin. After fully focusing on these deep and slow breaths, you should feel much more eased and grounded. Just as you would take these types of breaths before a speech or any other type nervous situation, they will help settle your nerves and calm your body.
Never forget body control
As you are doing your slow and deep breaths, also take this time to focus on the various muscles all throughout your body. First, begin by thinking of the muscles that make up the face and head region. With a breath in, concentrate on tightening and then relaxing the muscles in your face, tongue, neck, and jaw. After focusing on each of these single muscle groups, exhale, letting go of the deep breath that was within. Continue with this technique throughout the rest of your body, starting from the top and all the way down. Work to tense the muscles and then slowly letting them go to a relaxed position. After extending this exercise to your fingertips and toes, continue the process by adding positive thoughts and surroundings to help put your mind and body at peace.
Remembering how to sleep
To help enhance what you have already done to ease your body, begin to think of the times you’ve had your best night’s sleep. These could be times from your childhood, with your partner you love, or from a vacation spot that was far beyond relaxing. As we spend our times trying to slip into slumber, we often feel even more anxious because of the time that it takes. Use these previous images and memories as anchors to ease the fear of insomnia. While putting the first two steps together, your body should feel much more at home with itself, with the least amount of worry. If you ever feel even the slightest twinge of worry or anxiety enter your mind, quickly erase it with these positive and soothing thoughts from the past.
Watch the food and drinks
Having the proper type and amount of food in you as you go to bed is equally important. It’s never a good thing to go to bed hungry, so that’s beyond the most important tip here. More often than not, the reason why we go to bed with a slight hunger is because we ate an early dinner and then skipped a midevening snack. Without eating this small night snack, our blood sugar level drops and sparks anxiety. Many times this can happen in the middle of the night when your body feels the most hungry, so you will find yourself awakening from sleep. As not every type of food is the best before sleep, try focusing on these simple types:
- A serving of fresh fruit, such as an apple or orange.
- A low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese.
- Any high-carbohydrate, high-protein favorite.
These foods will help relax your mind and body before even entering bed. Your emotions will calm and your whole state of mind will become much more mellow. Although, along with these foods, we must keep in mind of the foods that we would better not have right before jumping into bed:
- Any coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages within 4-5 hours before bedtime.
- Any alcoholic drinks within 3-4 hours. We might think that alcohol helps slow the mind, but as it does this, it also throws off our normal brain-pattern of sleep. This can result in frequent awakenings in the middle of the night with difficulties in getting back to sleep.
On a side note…
I have been very fortunate to be included in three very well-informing help carnivals this week. Please visit each one and read what the many others have to say.
- Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 28
- Carnival of Healing #116
- Weight Management and Fitness Forum - 7th Edition
Photo credit: hamed
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The Buffalo Theory
Posted on December 15, 2007 By Joe Fier
Hey all. It’s Saturday and coming up to crunch time for shopping for the holidays. If you’re starting to feel the pressure, don’t worry, you still have a little bit of time to get that perfect gift. Check out some places online if you’re running out of ideas. See what Matt, over at HowIWillBeRich suggested for some great gifts that won’t break the bank. You can still get those babies shipped quick, so act now!
I know I’m a little off topic for this site, but I’m in the mood to do some relaxing this weekend and taking a breather for the stresses of the past few weeks for me. I’ve been meaning to post this great excerpt from great old TV show, “Cheers” for a long time, more as a joke than anything. I would like to say it’s an awesome theory, but only if it were true. If you’re not a beer drinker, I’m sure you can get creative and apply this to something else in your life.
Ahh, the Buffalo Theory…
“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as
fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the
slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural
selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and
health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the
weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate
as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest
brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates
the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient
machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”
Well there you have it. Don’t get too crazy out there this weekend, but have some fun. Have a good one!
Photo credit: mandj98
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The Scoop On Antioxidants
Posted on December 13, 2007 By Heather Hemingway
It seems to be the new buzzword in the natural food industry. Bottles are labeled with phrases like, “antioxidant superjuice” and “powerhouse of antioxidants”. Advertisers make it appear that nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than getting some antioxidants in your system. With such strong claims, it seems that there is a cause for concern; Are you getting enough antioxidants? How can one boost their antioxidant intake? And why are antioxidants important to begin with?
What is an antioxidant?
Free radicals are a naturally occurring by-product of cellular oxygen use; Free radicals are very reactive molecules that cause oxidative stress within the body by means of an unpaired electron. This solo electron looks to snatch an electron away from other chemicals, thus damaging cells. An antioxidant protects cells from these damaging free radicals. Antioxidants sacrifice an electron to the free radical, slowing, preventing, and sometimes repairing damage caused by free radicals.
Why are antioxidants important?
Oxidative stress caused by free radicals is linked to nearly all chronic diseases, including heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, and various forms of cancer. Free radicals are especially linked to problems associated with aging, such as dulling of the skin and hair. Over time, theoxidative stress builds up and without antioxidants to protect cells, the damage can lead to chronic problems.
Where are antioxidants found?
Antioxidants are found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, meats, and spices, as well, as supplements. It seems simple to get enough with a list like this, right? Unfortunately many foods lose their antioxidant richness in process, so stay close to nature. You can’t beat eating the original source!
There are numerous foods that are naturally high in antioxidants, some of which are known as superfoods: grapes, pomegranates, tomatoes, berries, dark-leafy greens, flax seed, oatmeal, and walnuts.
If you are not the type to eat bowls of raw fruit and veggies all day, there are products out there to help you supplement your antioxidant intake:
As mentioned in prior posts, the acai berry of the Amazon rain forest is delicious as a smoothie; Zola Acai and Amazon Acai by ONE are both great options for adding the superfood to your diet. Tahiti Trader’s Noni juice is another high potency nutritional supplement known for its antioxidant kick and detoxifying abilities.
If you an looking for antioxidants in a less tropical flavor, products like Kagome or First Blush Grape Juice, might be up your alley. First Blush boosts the antioxidant power of varietal grape juice. Purple grape juice has a higher oxygen radical absorbency capacity than white grape, apple, or orange juice. Kagome is 100% pure blend of vegetable and fruit juices, providing a balance of a wide variety of antioxidants in one serving.
How much is enough?
The more oxidative stress, the more antioxidants you should take in to protect your cells. There is currently no official minimum daily requirement established, although it is likely to be determined in the near future.
Eating a balance diet founded in fruits, veggies, and whole grains should be a solid foundation to protect against the free radicals unleashed during the standard metabolic functioning of the body. In the modern world, additional stress is put on the body in the form of environmental pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, car emissions, mass alcohol consumption, and bacterial, viral, and fungal infections; this leads to the production of more free radicals and causes a need for more antioxidant protection.
Taking a supplement, such as grape seed extract or CoQ10, is beneficial for those who live in the city or participate in activities that induce additional oxidative stress.
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