Boost Your Fruit And Vegetable Intake

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The fact is when it comes to vegetables and fruits, many of us simply aren’t getting enough in our diets. It is very easy to cook a burger, order something for delivery, and it’s even easier to use cheap microwave meals and not even consider the consequences.

However, we really should be making an effort to improve how we eat. Not only to ensure our bodies have everything they need in terms of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients but because it is better for us mentally and physically too.

Who doesn’t want to see a large improvement in their amount of energy, mental health, and even the bags under your eyes slightly disappearing? These are just some small tweaks you can make to pack more of the good stuff in on the daily.

Not everyone can do this without an expert on hand, so perhaps you might consider a macrobiotic counselor.

Suck it Up

This isn’t going to be easy, but unless you start changing the way you prep your food, you are actually going to struggle with this. You have to have a conversation with yourself and decide what is more important. Become dedicated to yourself and the improvements that you can see from making some slight changes to your diet. Don’t make excuses like you don’t like the taste of water, or you don’t really enjoy apples. 

Because if that’s the case, you can flavor your water, and apples are not the only fruit that you can choose from. Become dedicated to it.

Suck it Up, Part Two

One of the most convenient ways is to have a huge amount of fruit and vegetables; like a smoothie. You can make them super tropical and pack them with pineapples, oranges, mangoes, and papaya. Or you can have something super green and have a mix of apples, spinach, cucumbers, and even kiwi. You can add powders on top of your smoothies with added nutrition if you need it.

Tapas

If you are staring at a plate that is filled with vegetables and fruit and all you want to do is eat some noodles and fries, then you’re going to struggle. However, if you make the whole process more interesting and turn everything into a tapas-style meal, you are going to pick and munch a little bit more and not really notice. 

Put on a spread packed with gherkins, sliced tomatoes, artichokes, olives, stuffed peppers, and even cucumbers. Leave the bowl on the table, and as we are natural grazers, the chances are you are going to double down on your portions without even noticing.

Meal plan

This may potentially be the most important thing that you can do. Every week before you do your weekly shop and certainly before you are hungry, start meal planning. This way, you will buy the things you need for each meal, and with that in mind, you would be less tempted to grab things on the go or order takeout. There is also the option of ordering full delivery boxes with everything you need to make the meals. 

Just remember when you open your fruit and vegetable intake, you are actually doing an incredible thing for your body, and you will see the results in your skin hair and nails in no time. So dedicate this to yourself.

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A Great Framework: Building Healthy Bones

As humans, we all benefit from a decent amount of structure. The greatest example of a structure in us, as people, is our bones. We may not be able to see them, but like depression and other internal issues, we feel them, but they’re not necessarily seen. So, what is the best way to build healthy bones, especially as bone density tends to weaken as we get older?

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Boost Your Calcium Consumption

Yes, it may be obvious, but while people think that calcium is all they need to build healthy bones, this is not the main solution! The key is to pair calcium with vitamin D, as well as other key nutrients, like magnesium. If you have a diet rich in leafy green vegetables this will be a big help, but if you are struggling to fight a losing battle with a bone condition like osteoporosis, you may want to supplement your healthy diet. You can look at the AlgaeCal reviews on Amazon and see that a lot of people who are fighting osteoporosis or osteopenia have a lot of praise for it. However, remember that supplements aren’t a cure just by itself. You need to make sure you have the adequate diet in place to get the benefits of a wide range of nutrients, like vitamin K as well as Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin.

Delve Into Your Family History

If you have any concerns about your bones, you may want to do some research into your family history to see if there are any issues in your immediate family, such as a parent or a sibling. If you have any close members of the family who have had osteoporosis, you are more likely to develop it yourself.

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Start Exercising!

It appears to be the cure all for many health issues, and your bone health is one of those. If you start to integrate weight-bearing exercises into your workout routine, such as running, skiing, or jump rope, these have been shown to keep the bones strong. It's also beneficial to start resistance training, by doing weightlifting or starting at home with body weight exercises.

Cut Down On Your Vices

Yes, unfortunately all those things that we like to consume to excess aren’t particularly good for our bones. Not just nicotine and alcohol, but caffeine has a big impact on how our bodies can absorb calcium. So it's is recommended to cut back on your caffeine intake, but not give up on it entirely, just as long as you have more than your adequate share of calcium in your diet, not just from milk, but leafy vegetables.

Get Out In The Sunshine

As previously mentioned, vitamin D has a sufficient impact on our ability to absorb calcium. If there isn't much sunshine where you live, and you can't get the recommended 10 to 15 minutes in the sun three times a week, you can get your vitamin D intake through shrimp, sardines, egg yolks, or tuna.

Building our bones as a strong framework for our body is a priority. It's what will make us run faster and feel much more vibrant. So it's important for you to take control of your bone structure now.

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Small Oversights That Are Damaging Your Health

Staying on top of your health is difficult these days. You can try to do all of the basic things that keep you healthy, but that isn’t always enough. There are so many things that can have an adverse effect on your health that you hadn’t even considered. Regardless of what you do, if you don’t realize that you’re making these mistakes, you could end up developing health problems a few years down the line. In order to help you keep on top of things, watch out for these hidden health mistakes.

Working Too Much

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Most of us are working too much these days. Hours are getting longer and holidays are few and far between. We’re all getting emails sent straight to our phones and tablets so it feels like there’s no way to escape. If this is you, you could seriously be damaging your health in a number of ways. Firstly, spending so much time rushing around working makes it far harder for you to find the time to eat properly and get some exercise. The second problem is that if you’re burning the candle at both ends, you’re going to be incredibly stressed out. High stress levels can lead to serious mental health issues, as well as damaging your physical health later in life. Without taking proper time out to relax, this stress will only get worse until it becomes too much to handle and you’ll do yourself some serious harm.

Being Too Clean

Being clean is obviously good for your health. If you don’t clean yourself and your house often enough, you are exposing yourself to more germs that can make you sick, however, you can take it too far the other way. There are so many antibacterial products out there and people tend to think that they’re good for you. But the truth is, if you’re using them too much, you could be doing yourself more harm than good. Your immune system benefits from small amounts of bacteria because it gives it a chance to build its strength and better resist disease. If you’re using antibacterial cleaning products all of the time, your immune system will be weak and you’ll be more susceptible to illness. Recent research has actually found that increases in allergies are linked to an increased reliance on these kinds of antibacterial cleaning products. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it all, but make sure that you aren’t going overboard.

Your Home

Your home could be a source of chemicals that are making you ill without you even realizing it. If you live or work in an older building, you could be exposed to asbestos which can cause serious illness in the long-term. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is usually caused by asbestos exposure. If you’ve been affected, you could have a case for compensation. Contact a mesothelioma law firm to see whether you have a case. You could be awarded the money that you’ll need to have it removed and make your house safe again.

Radon is another dangerous chemical that could be leaking into your house without you realizing. It tends to affect older houses that have damaged foundations. Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer so if you’re being exposed to it, you need to know right away.

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Eating Too Little

When people are dieting, they often make the mistake of eating too little. Instead of changing their habits and making them healthier, they just start cutting down on the amount of food that they eat. This doesn’t make you healthier, it just means that your body isn’t getting all of the nutrients that you need. You should be eating the same amount that you normally would, but make sure that you’re eating fresh ingredients that are actually good for you instead. If you aren’t getting enough calories, your immune system can suffer so not only are you lacking in nutrients, but you’re also going to be more likely to get sick.

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Washing Vegetables

It’s a common myth that you need to wash all of your vegetables before you use them. It’s true that you need to wash a lot of them because they haven’t been washed already and they’re coated in bacteria. However, any products that are packaged are usually pre-washed. If you are unwrapping them and throwing them into the sink, you’re probably covering them in all sorts of bacteria that’s sitting in the sink and making them far dirtier than they were to start with. Always check the labels before to see whether they’re pre-washed or not.

All of these small mistakes can quickly add up and seriously damage your health, so make sure that you avoid them. 

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The Top 10 Minerals And Vitamins We're Not Getting Enough Of

In a world where the focus on our health has dramatically shifted towards it, it’s hard to comprehend why we’re still not getting the vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Partly, we are not to blame; a change in how we grow our food, from the vegetables to the animals, has meant that some of the essentials are lost without us totally realizing it. Our need to eat foods which have been processed and our desire not to wait for meals (hello, drive thru!) has also lead towards a deficit.

So what are we actually missing out on - and how can we go about reversing this?

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Magnesium

This inorganic mineral is responsible for a lot happening within your body. It helps conduct the structure of all of your bones, as well as being required for the synthesis of DNA. It can be found in green, leafy vegetables and legumes, so if you’re adding these to your diet then you should be getting your RDA in abundance. Some cereal brands have also started adding it to their product to ensure that you’re getting a healthy dose in the morning.

Sulfur

Once upon a time, when organic farmers were the norm and you would rely on your pet cow for both dairy products and the manure to spread on your crops, sulfur was a regular part of our diet. Nowadays, with the introduction of fast farming and a whole load of change to where our food is coming from, we aren’t getting as much as we need. Sulfur helps with disease resistance, increasing enzyme production within your body to fight off any unwanted illnesses. You can buy sulfur crystals to help your body get back right, or start tracing your food; knowing exactly where it comes from and the process used to create it is a good first step to take.

Fluoride

We are actually getting more access to fluoride than ever before, with certain water companies adding it to our regular flow so we don’t even notice that we’re getting it. However, a lot of people are purposely not ingesting it as it’s not an essential nutrient. It helps to protect against things like tooth decay, which can be a real concern later on in life. You don’t need a lot of it - too much fluoride is definitely a bad thing, but allowing a little into your water and toothpaste will really help with the condition of your teeth and bones.

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Vitamin K

This is the vitamin that is most well-known for the effects that it has to the clotting of your blood. Our blood needs to be able to clot once we bleed, else we just won’t stop bleeding - it’s as simple as that. It works hand in hand with Vitamin D, and if you have been tested for deficiency in either Vitamin K or D, you will be deficient in the other one too. It is a fat-absorbed vitamin, so you need to be eating a good amount of fat in your diet to feel the benefits from it. If you have eradicated fat from your diet entirely, then there is a high chance that your body is operating on a deficit. Vitamin K is important for the prevention of such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer’s, as well as osteoporosis and diabetes. It is naturally occurring within green plants, so ensuring that your plate is full of them either at lunch or dinner time is a great way to go about getting more of this vital nutrient in your system.

Potassium

Potassium can be found in so many yummy foods that it’s actually harder to avoid it than it is to remind yourself to eat foods that contain it. If you have been experiencing things like dehydration, headaches and menstrual cramps that are hurting a bit more than they normally would, this can often be attributed to a lack of potassium within your diet. It is required to keep your vital organs functioning, so the more you can get, the better. It’s famously found in bananas, but the levels of potassium in this fruit compared to avocados, sweet potatoes and wild-caught salmon is considerably lower. That doesn’t mean that you should stop eating bananas, though - they’re a natural mood-booster as they help to release the dopamine hormone, giving you a buzz.

Sodium

More commonly known as salt, sodium is something that we need in our diet. However, too much of a good thing can turn into being bad for your body with this mineral. The more potassium that you take in, the more it will help with the breakup of sodium in your body. We do need a certain amount of salt to help our blood flow, as well as helping our nerves and muscles to work as they should. It can be easy to go overboard, as a lot of our food already contains the RDA for salt intake. If you know that you’re not getting as much as you need, the symptoms can be quite clear; you may just be having headaches, but more severe cases can see a drastic reduction in the stability of your mental health, as well as seizures.

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Vitamin C

A lack of Vitamin C can cause a condition called scurvy to occur; typically associated with 18th century sailors which resulted in bleeding gums, intense bruising and blood spots appearing on the skin, it had appeared to have been completely eradicated … until cases were reported in Australia last year. Our diets are lacking in the fruits - such as oranges - which are big providers of this natural disease-fighter.  We definitely need to be trying to get it into our systems as much as we can.

Iron

Iron deficiency anemia is unfortunately on the rise currently due to poor diets. This means that your body isn’t producing as many blood cells as it should. The result of this is that those who are suffering from a lack of iron are more prone to become fatigued quickly, becoming pale in complexion and having an increase of headaches. The less common symptoms include a desire to eat non-food items such as paper or clay; this is due to your body reacting in a way to get you to ingest more iron from any means possible. There are certain tablets that you can take for it (especially within pregnancy, where you may be prescribed medication by your doctor), as well as drink supplements that contain a good amount to get you back to rights.

B Vitamins

There’s no such thing as Vitamin B - just a whole host of vitamins that fit under the umbrella! Each one plays a very important role, mainly centered around the nervous system and the functions of the skin. Folic acid counts as a B vitamin, which pregnant women are recommended to take to help with the development of their baby. These vitamins can be found in everyday foods like dairy and cereals.

Vitamin E

Not much is spoken about Vitamin E, but it’s still an essential for your body. You don’t need to eat it every day, as your body is clever enough to store it for the future on the days that you have ingested a lot. It can be found in foods such as seeds and nuts, so snacking on these throughout the day can really help to boost your Vit E levels. It helps to keep your eyes and skin healthy, as well as teaming up with the other vitamins to help fight against diseases - so what’s not to love?

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The Secrets Of Good Health

Lots of us work hard to achieve that natural, healthy glow look. We spend hundreds on makeup and hair products to help create the illusion of vitality and youth. But naturally healthy skin and hair are signs that we have been looking after our bodies well. We know it’s a great look to have, so how can we have it naturally?

Good health doesn’t just offer us good looking skin and hair. Healthy eyes shine brightly, making them more attractive too and good health gives our immune system a boost. This can mean fewer days being ill because nobody looks good with a cold! Another sign of good health is an abundance of energy. We have focus and drive. We can leap out of bed in the morning feeling good about the world.

Good health is easy to achieve in theory, but the discipline and commitment you need to maintain it can be quite a challenge. This time of year makes it particularly tough to do because of all the parties and festive meals. However, everything in moderation is a good motto to have. Don’t deny yourself that glass of wine, just don’t do it every day and enjoy the flavor of the foods you love without filling up on them. 

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We all know a good diet is essential to good health. But not many of us know what goes into a good diet. Generally speaking, a variety of fruit and vegetables each day is a good start. You also need protein from lean meat or beans. Calcium is essential for good teeth and bones. Contrary to some beliefs, you need certain fats in your diet. Fats from some fish and nuts are very good for you and we all need a healthy amount of carbohydrates.

Sometimes it’s hard to get everything we need from a regular diet. Vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements can help. You can find a wide range of options with Tiens products online to help give you an idea of what you might be lacking. We’re all different, and we all have different diets and different needs. You can always speak to a health care professional or nutritionist to give you advice about your specific requirements.

Regular physical activity is essential to good health. It keeps the circulation going and encourages our natural bodily processes. Sitting for long periods can be very detrimental to our health. We just weren’t built for it. Keep your body moving as much as you can. Even a short walk every hour or so can be beneficial and always rehydrate with plenty of water. 

The final key to good health is good quality sleep. You don’t need lots of it, but seven to eight hours every night is beneficial. The body renews itself, and the mind carefully files away all your sensory input and memories efficiently. This aids concentration, memory, and good mental health. It can also help you maintain good emotional health, as good sleep promotes calm and balance.

Cheers to staying healthy and well all year round!!

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