Before you let your kids eat all of the candy that they want and then sneak some yourself, make sure you know what is inside the wrapper.
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Are You Enjoying The Haloween Candy?
Before you let your kids eat all of the candy that they want and then sneak some yourself, make sure you know what is inside the wrapper.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Simple Rules for Healthy Eating
The sense of taste is responsible for our enjoyment of food. Weight problems and other physical imbalances are due to loss of enjoyment from food. If we could truly enjoy food, we would never have a weight problem. The following awareness techniques maximize the enjoyment of food, improve digestion and metabolism, and increase energy and vitality:
1) Whenever you eat or drink anything, however little it may be, make it a rule to sit down.
Food can only be digested properly when we eat in the sitting position. To eat while in the lying position impairs blood and lymph flow throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and eating while walking or standing causes indigestion.
2) When you eat, don't do anything else such as listening to the radio, watching television, reading or driving a car.
A major reason for having taste buds on the tongue is that the brain can receive signals as to what type and quantity of food is entering the digestive system. This enables the body to produce and release sufficient amounts of various enzymes required for the digestion of the food. If we didn't have such a facility, our digestive system would secrete enzymes indiscriminately which would be a wasteful action the body cannot afford. When we turn our attention to anything else but the food we are eating, our taste buds cannot make sufficient 'conscious' contact with the various foods and their tastes. This restricts the release of the appropriate digestive enzymes for each particular taste and reduces AGNI, the digestive fire. It also confuses the body for it will no longer know when the saturation point for a particular type of taste, such as salty or sweet, has been reached. Hence, foods cravings begin to emerge which are linked with insufficiently digested and absorbed foods, as well as with the lack of pleasure hormones, normally secreted when food is eaten with full attention. Since eating is an act of enjoyment, we might as well do it with an undivided mind. As a golden rule, everything we do with joy and attention is beneficial, and everything we do with displeasure and lack of attention generates problems.
3) Eat only when the stomach is empty.
Otherwise you interfere with the enjoyment of food. When the stomach is still full or is in the process of digesting food, the taste buds are desensitized to prevent a person from eating. Natural hunger only occurs when the stomach is empty. On the other hand, false hunger or food cravings emerge when the basic natural rules of eating have been violated for a long time and emotional imbalances exist; both these causes override or suppress the normal signals of satiation coming from the stomach and taste buds. The urge to eat food while the stomach is still digesting, is often connected to occurrence of gallstones in the liver and gallbladder and disappears once they have been removed through a series of liver cleanses.
4) Do not put food into your mouth till the previous bite has gone into the stomach.
The process of eating is a unique opportunity to practice mindfulness and patience. By chewing the food until it has been masticated enough to produce a sweet tasting liquid, greatly enhances the enjoyment of food and keeps your attention on the present moment, which is the key to all happiness. Mahatma Gandhi advised people to 'drink' their food and 'eat' their drinks. Eating and drinking in this way is one of the most powerful methods of overcoming emotional problems in life.
5) Do not speak while there is still food in the mouth.
When you speak while there is food in your mouth, you tend to swallow before it is properly masticated, and you miss out on enjoying your food. It is better to speak only when there is no food left in the mouth. For your first helping, take about two cupped hands full of food. This will fill up two thirds of your stomach; the rest is empty space that is needed to propel the food and mix it with digestive juices. If you are still hungry, wait for five minutes. If the feeling of hunger has not subsided by this time, you may take some more food. Leaving the table slightly hungry is a good method to increase one's will power, determination and self-confidence. Completely filling the stomach leads to indigestion, dullness, lethargy and food cravings.
6) Make certain to have all the six tastes of food at least once a day.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Sweet taste, for example, is the dominating taste in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and many nuts. Pungent taste is found in most spices, such as pepper, ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, etc. Sour taste occurs in fermented foods, vinegar, lemon, and other citrus fruits. Salt is best taken in its natural, unrefined state, as sea salt or rock salt. Astringent taste is found in beans, lentils and walnuts, persimmon and also in green, unripe bananas. Blood-cleansing herbs or teas generally taste bitter. Bitter taste is also found in lettuce, broccoli, and leafy green vegetables, as well as in cocoa, coffee, tea, and beers.
If the body receives all the six tastes, i.e. sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter, it will be stimulated to produce many of the important nutrients itself and thus remain balanced. The sense of taste is our body’s supreme judge to know whether certain foods are right for us or not. Situated in the taste buds of the tongue and in coordination with the constantly changing requirements of the body, the sense of taste controls our natural instinct and desire for healthy food.
This can effectively help to reduce food cravings and prevent nutrient deficiencies. Be careful not to eat more than 3-4 main ingredients in one meal at a time or have more than one type of starch or protein in a meal.
Some Tips for Better Taste
There are two methods to improve the performance of our taste buds and to lubricate and sensitize them for greater enjoyment of food:
1. When your tongue is coated white or yellow, clean it with a tongue scraper or a tablespoon every morning after awakening and every evening before going to bed. This removes sticky AMA (with billions of bacteria) from your taste buds.
2. Swish 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold pressed and unrefined sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth cavity for 3-4 minutes every morning, and perhaps also in the evening before bedtime. The oil draws and absorbs toxins and microbes from the throat, tonsils, ears, eyes, blood, chest etc. Then spit it out and rinse your mouth with water.
When the tongue is clear and the taste buds are unobstructed, we tend not to overeat because the natural satiety level or satisfaction from food is reached more easily. Those who tend to overeat or smoke cigarettes have dull taste buds. They have a 'high-flavored' threshold, which means that they need much stronger and more stimulating foods to be satisfied; this may lead to food cravings and substance addictions.
1) Whenever you eat or drink anything, however little it may be, make it a rule to sit down.
Food can only be digested properly when we eat in the sitting position. To eat while in the lying position impairs blood and lymph flow throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and eating while walking or standing causes indigestion.
2) When you eat, don't do anything else such as listening to the radio, watching television, reading or driving a car.
A major reason for having taste buds on the tongue is that the brain can receive signals as to what type and quantity of food is entering the digestive system. This enables the body to produce and release sufficient amounts of various enzymes required for the digestion of the food. If we didn't have such a facility, our digestive system would secrete enzymes indiscriminately which would be a wasteful action the body cannot afford. When we turn our attention to anything else but the food we are eating, our taste buds cannot make sufficient 'conscious' contact with the various foods and their tastes. This restricts the release of the appropriate digestive enzymes for each particular taste and reduces AGNI, the digestive fire. It also confuses the body for it will no longer know when the saturation point for a particular type of taste, such as salty or sweet, has been reached. Hence, foods cravings begin to emerge which are linked with insufficiently digested and absorbed foods, as well as with the lack of pleasure hormones, normally secreted when food is eaten with full attention. Since eating is an act of enjoyment, we might as well do it with an undivided mind. As a golden rule, everything we do with joy and attention is beneficial, and everything we do with displeasure and lack of attention generates problems.
3) Eat only when the stomach is empty.
Otherwise you interfere with the enjoyment of food. When the stomach is still full or is in the process of digesting food, the taste buds are desensitized to prevent a person from eating. Natural hunger only occurs when the stomach is empty. On the other hand, false hunger or food cravings emerge when the basic natural rules of eating have been violated for a long time and emotional imbalances exist; both these causes override or suppress the normal signals of satiation coming from the stomach and taste buds. The urge to eat food while the stomach is still digesting, is often connected to occurrence of gallstones in the liver and gallbladder and disappears once they have been removed through a series of liver cleanses.
4) Do not put food into your mouth till the previous bite has gone into the stomach.
The process of eating is a unique opportunity to practice mindfulness and patience. By chewing the food until it has been masticated enough to produce a sweet tasting liquid, greatly enhances the enjoyment of food and keeps your attention on the present moment, which is the key to all happiness. Mahatma Gandhi advised people to 'drink' their food and 'eat' their drinks. Eating and drinking in this way is one of the most powerful methods of overcoming emotional problems in life.
5) Do not speak while there is still food in the mouth.
When you speak while there is food in your mouth, you tend to swallow before it is properly masticated, and you miss out on enjoying your food. It is better to speak only when there is no food left in the mouth. For your first helping, take about two cupped hands full of food. This will fill up two thirds of your stomach; the rest is empty space that is needed to propel the food and mix it with digestive juices. If you are still hungry, wait for five minutes. If the feeling of hunger has not subsided by this time, you may take some more food. Leaving the table slightly hungry is a good method to increase one's will power, determination and self-confidence. Completely filling the stomach leads to indigestion, dullness, lethargy and food cravings.
6) Make certain to have all the six tastes of food at least once a day.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Sweet taste, for example, is the dominating taste in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and many nuts. Pungent taste is found in most spices, such as pepper, ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, etc. Sour taste occurs in fermented foods, vinegar, lemon, and other citrus fruits. Salt is best taken in its natural, unrefined state, as sea salt or rock salt. Astringent taste is found in beans, lentils and walnuts, persimmon and also in green, unripe bananas. Blood-cleansing herbs or teas generally taste bitter. Bitter taste is also found in lettuce, broccoli, and leafy green vegetables, as well as in cocoa, coffee, tea, and beers.
If the body receives all the six tastes, i.e. sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter, it will be stimulated to produce many of the important nutrients itself and thus remain balanced. The sense of taste is our body’s supreme judge to know whether certain foods are right for us or not. Situated in the taste buds of the tongue and in coordination with the constantly changing requirements of the body, the sense of taste controls our natural instinct and desire for healthy food.
This can effectively help to reduce food cravings and prevent nutrient deficiencies. Be careful not to eat more than 3-4 main ingredients in one meal at a time or have more than one type of starch or protein in a meal.
Some Tips for Better Taste
There are two methods to improve the performance of our taste buds and to lubricate and sensitize them for greater enjoyment of food:
1. When your tongue is coated white or yellow, clean it with a tongue scraper or a tablespoon every morning after awakening and every evening before going to bed. This removes sticky AMA (with billions of bacteria) from your taste buds.
2. Swish 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold pressed and unrefined sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth cavity for 3-4 minutes every morning, and perhaps also in the evening before bedtime. The oil draws and absorbs toxins and microbes from the throat, tonsils, ears, eyes, blood, chest etc. Then spit it out and rinse your mouth with water.
When the tongue is clear and the taste buds are unobstructed, we tend not to overeat because the natural satiety level or satisfaction from food is reached more easily. Those who tend to overeat or smoke cigarettes have dull taste buds. They have a 'high-flavored' threshold, which means that they need much stronger and more stimulating foods to be satisfied; this may lead to food cravings and substance addictions.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Green Tea May Defend Against DNA Damage
The antioxidants in green tea have long been believed to help reduce cancer risk. Now scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong may have discovered why: Drinking green tea appears to reduce the DNA damage that can cause a cell to become cancerous.
Eighteen healthy volunteers drank either two cups of 1% green tea or water every day for four weeks; after a six-week washout period, they switched substances. Body fluid analysis showed a 20% drop in DNA damage, according to results published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
What About Nutrition For Babies & Toddlers?
These are things I wish I’d known in the first year after my oldest child was born! Breast milk is best, no formula comes even close to it, and soy milk/formula is not a good option. The formula companies would have you think otherwise, but the toll on children’s health due to their marketing strategies is incalculable.
Until about the time the baby’s eyeteeth come in, your baby’s body does not produce digestive enzymes needed to break down cooked foods. So, nursing until 18 months is ideal. If you must supplement breastfeeding, consider raw goat’s milk (ask at health food stores and explore health-related co-ops in your area to find a raw goat milk provider), and mashed bananas. Raw goat milk is closest to human milk, and it contains enzymes (unlike pasteurized milk). I would still choose homogenized and pasteurized goat milk over cow milk.
Don’t feed your baby formula and powdered/processed cereals. As you introduce foods, consider making your own baby food by mashing regular food rather than purchasing the refined products sold in jars as “baby food.” I never fed my last three babies a single thing labeled as “baby food,” and they were much better off for it.
In the first two years, introduce mostly veggies (few fruits) to keep your baby from developing a taste for only sweet foods. Never feed your baby or toddler refined sugar; this will be highly detrimental to her health and will create an acidic climate in her body, making her prone to infections. This includes sugar-added yogurt, sodas and sugared drinks, fruit juices, and treats made with sugar.
And you will notice that if you eat right during pregnancy (especially drink my green smoothie and granola throughout the pregnancy), your baby will have a taste for good food because of the nutrition he received during gestation and breastfeeding!
“My kids won’t eat . . .” is something I hear a lot. I think a lot of the difference between me and this statement is a difference in parenting philosophy. Feel free to reject this, but “old school” is how I was raised, and it’s working with my own children, who eat a green smoothie every afternoon, and a heaping dinner plate full of salad every night, before having the rest of those meals. The philosophy is that I’m in charge of their nutrition, we all eat ONE meal (not several different ones, according to preferences), and they can have the REST of the meal when their salad or green smoothie is gone. If they don’t want the smoothie, fine, but they go hungry for that meal. My kids rarely, if ever, choose to go hungry. No drama, no begging, no paying them to eat a vegetable . . . eating the good stuff is simply required if they want other food.
You may say that your kids are just “picky” and I must be lucky to get four who will eat anything. Not so: I have ONE child who would always eat anything. My youngest two kids are “picky,” and the oldest one tried that personality trait out, earlier in life. But we set limits and boundaries, and eventually they figure out that eating the raw veggie part of the meal is required, not optional. They also figure out through repetition that they like how they feel eating so many raw vegetables.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
HEARTBURN
Heartburn is a common condition that results from what is claimed to be an excess amount of acid in the stomach. Billions of dollars are spent each year on over-the-counter remedies for this condition.
Increased acid production in the stomach is usually attributed to the expansion of the stomach wall that results from eating an excessive amount of food. Symptoms of excess stomach acid are not caused by a particularly low pH of the secretions. The most common causes of heartburn are the failure to reduce the rate of secretion, which results in a large quantity of gastric juice, and a delayed emptying of the stomach.
Heartburn can also occur if the mucous lining of the stomach is not able to protect the stomach wall from the acid. The stomach needs mucus to protect itself from the acid- and protein-digesting enzymes. Two commonly used herbs that enhance the body’s ability to produce mucus and protect the gastrointestinal tract are Slippery elm and Marshmallow root.
The major goal of both prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies is to reduce or eliminate the production of hydrochloric acid and protein-digesting enzymes. These products relieve symptoms but severely compromise normal digestion and interfere with the delivery of nutrients to the body that is necessary to maintain health.
Antacids prevent digestion in the stomach and transfer the entire stress of digestion to the pancreas. Plant enzymes, on the other hand, relieve the pancreas of some of its digestive burden by reducing the amount of pancreatic secretion required. The digestion accomplished by plant enzymes occurs early enough in the digestive process to trigger a reduction in this secretion. Thus, plant enzymes have the ability to lower stomach acid secretions without compromising the digestive system.
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