Tag Archives: Healthy

5 Brain Foods for Healthy Snacks : Brain Foods

Article by Lynn Chavarria

Brain foods are so important to both adults and children. Many people focus on sugar rushes that may give you a burst of physical energy, but it is short lived while it plays havoc on your brain function.

What you eat does affect your brain performance. You can subdue your brain activity by snacking on high-carbohydrate foods and consuming sugars, or you can enhance your brain attentiveness by including brain foods as healthy snacks in your day to day diet.

The secret of increasing your brain power is to eat brainfood regularly, to be physically active and to do mental exercises from time to time.

Here are some foods that will enhance your brain activity…

Blueberries–Research has proven that consumption of blueberries can reverse memory loss and this food is even used to treat mental-related disorders and diseases. They make a great snack that people of all ages enjoy.

Tomatoes–Tomatoes are a wonderful snack and they come in so many varieties. While some may not like a sliced tomato, cherry tomatoes, pear tomatoes and grape tomatoes are hard to resist. Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant the shields the body against radical damage to brain cells.

Walnuts–Walnuts are high in Omega 3 fatty acid which contributes to the health of your nervous system. You can also get this nutrient from fish which also contains iodine to improve your brain’s clarity and focus. Fish may not make an easily accessible healthy snack, but walnuts are easy to keep around for snacking.

Peanuts–Peanuts are a fabulous source of vitamin E, minerals, amino acids and carbohydrates which combined are known to sharpen one’s memory. They are great to snack on alone, or mixed with other healthy snacks in a trail mix.

Broccoli–Broccoli is an excellent source for vitamin K. It is considered a brain food because of its ability to improve or restore cognitive activity. It is commonly recommended to people who have experienced brain injury.

Learning to feed your brain with healthy snacks such as these will improve your energy, your cognitive ability and your mental alertness. Staying mentally and physically active combined with this eating style will drastically improve your quality of life.

Lynn Chavarria is a Registered Nurse and the co-owner of Best Healthy Snacks. You will find more information about brainfoods and other healthy snacks on her website.










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Keeping Your Mind And Brain Healthy : Brain Foods

Article by Connie Limon

Mental activity can keep your mind sharp. Continue to learn and challenge yourself and your brain continues to grow.

Review the following tips to help challenge your brain to continual growth:

* Learn to play a musical instrument* Play scrabble or do crossword puzzles* Interact with others* Switch careers or start a new one* Start a new hobby with crafts, painting, wood-working* Learn a foreign language* Volunteer* Travel* Stay informed about world news* Read

Taking classes that interest you or just reading more can help you maintain memory longer as you age.

Staying physically active increases blood flow to all parts of the body, including the brain; exercise may even promote cell growth in the brain. Exercise makes you feel more energetic and alert. Just recently I started a membership at a local fitness center. I am amazed at how much better I feel after over one month of daily activity in the fitness center. I walk at a moderate speed on the treadmill for 60 minutes everyday. I started out just five minutes per day, then added one minute each day thereafter.

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables protect and nourish brain cells. Antioxidants may also help prevent cholesterol from damaging the lining of your arteries and slowing blood flow to your brain. Foods high in antioxidants include:

* Oranges* Berries* Broccoli* Spinach* Carrot* Sweet potatoes* Tomatoes

You are more likely to gain the health benefits of antioxidants from eating whole foods than by taking supplements.

Heavy drinkers for many years can experience permanent brain damage. Heavy drinkers are also at a higher risk of developing memory problems and dementia. If you drink alcohol, do so moderately. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start. Moderate drinking means for women anyone 65 or older, one drink daily. For men under 65, no more than two drinks daily.

Some evidence shows that “moderate” alcohol consumption may prevent memory loss; this is not clear how. If you already do not drink, don’t start just for this reason.

Try to keep stress to a minimum. Chronic stress may cause your brain to release hormones that can damage the brain. Chronic stress can also make you feel depressed or anxious. These are feelings that can interfere with your memory.

Protect your head when doing exercise such as riding a bike. Head injury can increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Smokers may have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease as people who never smoked. It is never too late to stop smoking. You can still reduce risk of memory loss later in life.

If you have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, talk to your doctor, he or she may be able to suggest ways of preventing the disease that would prove helpful to you.

Keeping regular doctor appointments is a good way to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol level and blood sugar level as well as to be sure your thyroid gland is functioning normally. These are easy ways to know what is going on inside your body.

Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.

Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet.










Vitamins : The 9 Must Have Vitamins For Healthy Hair

Article by Kristy Klien

Hair is one of the most important aspects or features of a person’s beauty and appearance. Hair makes you more charming when combed in a stylish manner. But there are numbers of hair problems, which lead either in their loss or their fading the original color. Often, these problems occur when you do not take a diet rich of necessary vitamins, which are vital for hair growth. You are required to consume the food that are rich source of vitamin B, B3, B5, B6. This is because vitamin B is one of the most vital vitamins for healthy hair. However, the deficiency of any of these vitamins may cause the hair loss or premature graying of hair as well as many other problems of hair.

Here, we provide you with the necessary information of various vitamins required for hair and different sources of essential vitamins.

Vitamin A:

Vitamin A helps in producing the healthy sebum in your scalp. Vitamin A can be obtained from meat, fish liver oil, eggs, spinach, broccoli, cheese, apricots, carrots, cabbage, peaches, and milk. The advisable daily dose of this vitamin is minimum 5,000 IU. But if this vitamin is taken more than 25,000 IU daily, that may cause hair damage or some other serious health hazards.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is useful for nurturing the health of hair and skin. Vitamin C can be obtained from pineapple, strawberries, green peppers, leaf vegetables, citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, cantaloupe, kiwi, tomatoes, and potatoes. The advisable daily dose of Vitamin C is 60 mg.

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is useful in nourishing scalp circulation. Vitamin E is obtained from green leaf vegetables, soybeans, nuts, raw seeds, wheat germ oil, and cold pressed vegetables oils. The daily advisable dose of this vitamin is up to 400 mg if this vitamin is taken in excess it can increase the blood pressure or can reduce the clotting of blood.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin):

Vitamin B3 helps in promoting scalp circulation. The common sources of vitamin B3 are meat, fish, turkey, chicken, wheat germ, and brewer’s yeast, daily dose advised is upto 15 mg. If taken more than 25 mg daily, may cause temporary heat sensation through dilation of blood cells, which is also known as niacin flush.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid):

Vitamin B5 helps in preventing the graying and loss of hair. This vitamin can be found in egg yolk, milk, organ meats, whole grain cereals, potatoes and brewer’s yeast. The daily dose advised is between 4 to 7 mg.

Vitamin B6:

Vitamin B6 helps in creating melanin, which provides color to hair. It also helps in preventing the hair loss. The foods that provide vitamin B6 are organ meats, egg yolks, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and brewer’s yeast. Daily advised dose of Vitamin B6 is 1.6 mg. However, an excess dose may result in numbness of hands and feet.

Vitamin B12:

This vitamin also helps in preventing the hair loss. The sources of Vitamin B12 are milk, fish, chicken, and eggs. The advised daily dose of Vitamin B12 is 2 mg.

Biotin:

Biotin is also called vitamin H. it helps in preventing the hair from losing its color and it also controls baldness. Biotin is obtained from whole grains, milk, rice and liver.

Zinc: Zinc helps in proper functioning of immunity system. The scarcity of zinc in your food may result in baldness and scalp problems.

Kristy is a professional hair stylist and writer for My Hair Styling Tools a leading supplier of the Best Hair Straighteners Visit us at: http://www.myhairstylingtools.com










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Healthy : Nutrition to help you stay focused : Brain Foods

Article by quadhealthy

To help you stay focused, you need a diet rich in iron, B vitamins folate, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids because brain cells require twice the energy of the other cells in the body. Proper nutrition is very important for maintaining brain function and mental abilities, such as focus, memory and concentration.

Nutrients needed by brain cells :

Iron The relationship between the level of iron in the body and the brain’s ability to focus first examined in 2001. In a study of the Agricultural Research Service, led by Mary J. Kretsch, foods rich in iron can help to concentrate and focus.

Iron-rich foods such as wholemeal bread, green vegetables, nuts, fish, meat, poultry, pasta and cereals.

Folate Folate is a B vitamin necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids and long chain fatty acids that are essential for brain function. For pregnant women, folate-rich foods such as melons, bananas, orange juice, strawberry, lemon, spinach, asparagus, dried beans, split peas, rice cereal and it is very important. If pregnant women folate deficiency, it can increase the risk of babies born with disabilities.

Vitamin B-6 Vitamin B-6 is a healthy brain food because of this vitamin can change food proteins into amino acids necessary for the production and synthesis of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. According to dieticians, a third substance that makes the brain to focus on in a long time.

Foods rich in vitamin B-6 include peanut butter, walnuts, soybeans, peanuts, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, tomato juice, tuna, eggs, fish, beef, chicken and potatoes.

Antioxidants Fresh fruits and vegetables can keep oxygen flowing to the brain that can help to focus. Foods that contain antioxidants such as grape, pomegranate, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, oranges, lemon, pineapple and oranges. Vegetables rich in antioxidants that is chili, kale, and red cabbage.

Glucose Only fuel your brain cells use is glucose. Glucose can be obtained from complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, oatmeal and wheat bread products. These foods are an important part of the brain food. Because, the brain can not store glucose and requires a constant supply of blood.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Your brain needs omega-3 fatty acids to strengthen the relationship between the cells. These foods are essential brain food because the body can not make omega-3 fatty acids. You can find the content of these substances in fish, walnuts and flaxseed.

for more detail please read: Nutrition to help you stay focused

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Healthy Foods : Brain Foods

Article by D. Bryan McDermott

Healthy Foods

Are these 10 Healthy Foods, Really Healthy?You are taking care to only eat healthy foods that are not going to add inches to your waistline. Or eating healthy to take care of your heart. This is of course very wise.

But you may be doing yourself more harm than good.

Why do I say this?

Let’s take a look at the 10 so called healthy foods below:

� Brown Bread � Olive Oil � Wine � Fish � Chicken � Juice � Cheese � Honey � Milk � Low Fat

Brown Bread

Of course brown bread is better for you than white bread. That’s a fallacy. Unless you are eating Wholemeal or Wholegrain bread, you are doing yourself no favours. What happens is, while being processed all the fibre and other nutrients are lost, so telling yourself brown bread is good for you, means you are just kidding yourself.

Olive Oil

Now olive oil is an essential part of the Mediterranean Diet because it is better for you than margarine or butter. Due to it containing monounsaturated fats it is great for your heart. But too much is not going to look after your waistline.

Wine

Wine and other alcohol is often recommended as having health benefits, especially for the more mature person. Yet unless women stick to one glass and men to two glasses a day, it will be counter productive. Meaning any health benefits will be wiped out.

Fish

Fish is good for you, even considered ‘Brain Food’. As it is low in saturated fat and being full of protein, fantastic �� hmmm is there a problem?

Unfortunately, it can often be contaminated due to pollution. Eg fish like tuna, mackerel etc while full of Omega 3 fatty acids, that the heart needs to stay healthy, may also contain high amounts of mercury. And mercury is a poison.

Your better choices would be wild salmon, sole and bass. Another good choice is shellfish and canned sardines.

Chicken

A piece of chicken is considered a lean meat. But if you eat it with the skin still on it, then you are not eating healthily.

Also do not eat fried chicken. If your choice of meal is some KFC with Chips, yes it’s delicious especially when you eat the skin, that’s where all the flavour is. But bang goes your diet. Maybe that kind of meal should be regarded as a treat, just for once in a while eating.

Which is healthier?

A crispy chicken sandwich or a plain hamburger?

The hamburger has less calories and less fat.

Juice

Apple, cranberry or orange juice contains so many calories per serving that you can almost see your waistline expanding.

Cheese

Cheese may be full of protein, but it is also full of saturated fat. Only if you eat low or half fat cheese and that in moderation can you hope to win the battle of the bulge. Instead of eating cheese, make a healthier choice and eat some turkey breast.

Honey

As honey is considered a natural sugar, it is thought not to count in the calories stakes. But even if it is natural, it is still a sugar. So not having much by way of nutrients in it, you would be better to leave it alone.

Milk

Milk is said to be good for us. After all babies have nothing but milk for the first few weeks of their life and look at how they thrive on it.

But as we are weaned off milk, we then find there are different kinds of milk.

(a) Semi-skimmed (b) Skimmed (c) Whole Milk

So whole milk should be avoided if you want to stay true to your slimming diet.

Low Fat

A certain delicious biscuit, is advertised as having only one gram of fat, sounds good doesn’t it? But the manufacturers needed to increase the sugar in them in order to keep them delicious. More sugar means more calories. If you have the will power to only have one biscuit then you should be fine.

How Can You Eat Healthily?

If you want to eat healthy foods, be sure to read the labels to see just what you are putting into your mouth. And also take into consideration, how you cook / prepare your food.

You can visit his Healthy Foods Blog here!

Mr. McDermott is a Research and Development Professional. He is extremely knowledgable in nutrition.You can visit his Healthy Foods Blog here!

http://Healthy–Foods.blogspot.com










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10 Top Healthy Foods To Keep You Fit : Brain Foods

Article by John DiFazio

Healthy eating and physical fitness go together, but there are no magic foods that cause you to be one hundred percent healthy by just eating the one food. No, you need a variety of foods from each of these food groups each day. It’s also important to watch the portion size so as not to overeat. Make your mealtimes pleasant and relaxed occasions and your healthy foods will work effectively with your healthy emotions to give you a healthy body.

Berries

You may like all types of berries or just one or two favorites, but you can never go wrong by adding a few fresh berries as a quick energy snack or frozen berries made into a luscious smoothie in place of calorie laden desserts. Berries are high in vitamin C across the board, but some are high in other nutrients as well. Choose ripe blueberries for vitamin C and heaps of anti-oxidants for the health of your circulatory system. Gogi berries are less well-known but are wonderfully rich in many of the nutrients your body needs to be nutritionally and physically fit.

Citrus

The foods of the citrus family are widely recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C. Choose fully ripe citrus fruits for the best nutritional value and choose citrus as near to the tree as possible. Tree ripened fruits picked at the peak of perfection and consumed with hours of picking give you the top nutritional rating. Try grapefruit for breakfast. Add a dash of fresh squeezed lime to your salad as a dressing and enjoy slices of orange with coconut in a light honey dressing for dessert.

Vegetables

The variety of vegetables is amazing. For people who are vegetarian or vegan, choosing vegetables to be part of a nutritionally sound diet is a way of life. Your vegetable group provides many of the minerals required in a good diet. For example, you may realize that potassium is necessary for healthy nutrition. Many people claim the benefits of potassium found in a single banana. But did you know, you can also get adequate potassium in your diet by eating a stalk of broccoli? Try a salad of fresh young spinach topped with pine nuts and stirred with lightly cooked penne’. Feta cheese and a light vinaigrette dressing to create the perfect light luncheon meal.

Whole Grains

Like many other of the best foods, choosing only one type of whole grain for your meals doesn’t provide all the variety you need to be nutritionally sound. Often, mixing two or more whole grains together will give you complete proteins. For example, brown rice and wheat kernels with a spicy seasoning are a popular dish in many countries.

Salmon

Salmon is lean fish and nutritionally one of the best fish choices. It is rich in Omega-3 oils that are noted as helping improve the functioning of the brain. Salmon baked whole with just lemon or lime as a seasoning makes a fantastic main dish or a hearty luncheon featured menu item. Salmon is also commonly found in chilled seafood dishes.

Legumes

A legume is the name for a variety of fruits with a single dry seed. Legumes are sometimes called pods. Examples of edible legumes are soybeans, peas, dried beans and peanuts, among others. Legumes are rich in iron and high in fiber, making them excellent nutritional choices. Peanuts are a type of legume that have been used to make hundreds of different products some edible and others with various types of helpful uses.

Nuts and seeds

Nature has packed a lot of goodness into small packages. Most everyone has heard of walnuts and pecans which are very good nutritional products, but did you realize that flax seeds are brain food–containing critical non-meat sources of the Omega-3 oil.

Lean proteins

The keyword here is lean. Americans eat far too much protein compared to the rest of the world. Cut down of portion sizes–three ounces will provide all the needed protein needed for your day. Also, trim all visible fat from your protein source. Alternatively, use non meat substitutes such as the complete proteins found in vegetable dishes like beans and brown rice.

Tea

Depending on the type of tea you prefer, you can get an energy boost from a cup of green tea, or the calming effect of chamomile tea. Get going with mint teas or start your day with Earl Grey Breakfast Tea. Herbal teas are soothing, tasty and good for you. Non herbal teas will help you to stay alert when you need help to function.

Olive oil

Olive oil is probably the healthiest substance you can use to keep fat in your diet. You can use it on your salad, mix it with a little vinegar to create your own, or fry other foods in the hot oil. Just make sure that the temperature is not too hot so that the oil is broken down.

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Healthy Eating…Healthy Foods…Longer Life : Brain Foods

Article by Mike jacobs

Visited The Herb Shack Lately?It’s critical to watch the portion size so as not to overeat. BerriesYou might like all sorts of berries or just one or two favorites, but you are able to never go wrong by adding a few fresh berries like a quick energy snack or frozen berries made into a luscious smoothie in place of calorie laden desserts. Berries are higher in vitamin C across the board, but some are high in other nutrients as properly. The foods from the citrus family are widely recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C. Pick fully ripe citrus fruits for the most beneficial nutritional value and decide on citrus as near towards the tree as possible. Attempt grapefruit for breakfast. Add a dash of fresh squeezed lime to your salad as a dressing and enjoy slices of orange with coconut in a light honey dressing for dessert.VegetablesThe wide variety of vegetables is amazing. For men and women who are vegetarian or vegan, choosing vegetables to become part of a nutritionally sound diet is often a way of life. For example, you might realize that potassium is required for wholesome nutrition. A lot of folks claim the positive aspects of potassium found inside a single banana. But did you know, you’ll be able to also get adequate potassium inside your eating habits by eating a stalk of broccoli? Try a salad of fresh young spinach topped with pine nuts and stirred with lightly cooked penne’. Feta cheese and a light vinaigrette dressing to produce the ideal light luncheon meal.Entire GrainsLike several other of the very best foods, selecting only one particular kind of entire grain for your meals doesn’t offer every one of the selection you’ll need being nutritionally sound. Usually, mixing two or much more entire grains together will give you complete proteins. For instance, brown rice and wheat kernels using a spicy seasoning are a popular dish in numerous countries.LegumesA legume is the name for a wide variety of fruits having a single dry seed. Legumes are sometimes known as pods. Examples of edible legumes are soybeans, peas, dried beans and peanuts, among others. Legumes are rich in iron and higher in fiber, making them superb nutritional choices. Peanuts are a type of legume that have been used to make hundreds of distinct items some edible and others with different varieties of helpful uses.Nuts and seedsNature has packed a lot of goodness into small packages. Most everyone has heard of walnuts and pecans which are quite very good nutritional items, but did you recognize that flax seeds are brain food–containing critical non-meat sources of the Omega-3 oil.Lean proteinsThe keyword here is lean. Americans eat far too much protein compared towards the rest in the world. Cut down of portion sizes–three ounces will provide all of the essential protein necessary for your day. TeaOlive oilOlive oil is most likely the healthiest substance you’ll be able to use to keep fat in your diet plan. You’ll be able to use it on your salad, mix it using a little vinegar to develop your own, or fry other foods within the hot oil. Just make sure that the temperature isn’t too hot to ensure that the oil is broken down.

Your brain represents just 2% of your body weight, but demands 20% of your resting metabolism. Learn how to feed it properly! mental.healthguru.com