Natural Health Solutions

Natural Sleep, Good Learning, Good Life

Natural sleep is free and has zero health drawbacks. In my opinion, it is the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim.

We fall asleep for the brain to get a chance to  rebuild memories stored during the day and associate these with previously learned things.

Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, the amount that studies show is ideal. If you’re up-and-at-’em on less, don’t sweat it. Some people are just wired that way.

Listen to your body and it will tell you what you need to wake up feeling good. So if that’s six hours, then get six hours. If you need eight hours to not feel the 2pm lull, then make sure you get to bed early .

continue reading »

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Nothing’s Better Than Simple Shallots In Vinaigrette

Nothing’s better than simple shallots in our vinaigrette that we  enjoy on almost any salad.  It is fresh and very easy to prepare. I have really enjoyed making salads with fresh ingredients from the garden.

If you haven’t ventured into the land of homemade salad dressings yet, I encourage you to give it a try.  Personally, it gives me great satisfaction to make my own, and I love knowing what is in it – no weird ingredients I can’t pronounce…unless it’s shallots.

Simple Shallot Vinaigrette

1 small shallot, peeled and finely diced (about 2 Tablespoons)
2 tablespoons White wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place diced shallot, vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.  Let sit for 15 minutes (this allows the shallots to sweeten).Transfer to a jar.  Add pepper, mustard and oil.

Put  lid on jar and tighten.  Shake jar until vinaigrette is blended.  Of course you may whisk in the oil while the shallots and vinaigrette are in the bowl, if you prefer.  I just always use a jar.  It seems easier to me.

You can also use red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice in place of the white wine vinegar.  Although I have not tried these variations yet, I expect they would both taste great. continue reading »

Technorati Tags: flavonoids, health benefits, osteoporosis, salad dressings, shallots

Lose Weight. It’s Zucchini Season!

According to NutritionData.com, zucchini is a five star choice for weight loss, owing it to the sense of fullness it gives and a high nutrient content.

Zucchini has many nutritional qualities. Folate, Potassium and Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Copper, Manganese, Thiamine, Niacin, Pantothenic acid and Zinc.

A zucchini has more potassium than a banana. Zucchinis contain 95 percent water; a small one has about 25 calories.  Substitute zucchini for a baked potato and save more than 100 calories.

It is low in calories (only 25 calories per 100 grams of zucchini), saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and is a great source of dietary fiber. Fiber is particularly important for those people who suffer with food allergies and related gastrointestinal conditions.

According to NutritionData.com, one cup of cooked zucchini has a nutrition content of

• 10% of the RDA of magnesium,
• 40% of Vitamin A and
• 14% of Vitamin C.

All three are among our top immune-boosting nutrients that we try to emphasize in our diet. Besides, Vitamin C and lutein found in zucchini are very good for eyes.

And don’t forget: the darker the zucchini, the greater the nutrients and minerals, so look for those deep green colors. Zucchini can be substituted for many vegetables in your favorite recipes. It works well in soups, salads, sauces and egg dishes. It works especially well in Italian dishes.

For most recipes it is not necessary to peel zucchini. The peel is where you get most of your vitamins. Zucchini is bland in taste and usually takes on the flavor of other ingredients. It is usually seasoned with oregano, basil, tarragon, garlic or dill

Here are some quick ways to use zucchini that will make them stars. continue reading »

Technorati Tags: delicacy, dietary fiber, Weight Loss, zucchini

Exercising More, Aging Less & Enjoying Life More!

Regular exercising, even initiated late in life, can help slow down the aging process. Inside all of our cells are fragments of DNA called telomeres – which basically help cells stay healthy. New research has demonstrated that aerobic exercise can help lengthen the life of those important pieces of DNA.

Telomeres are strands of DNA at the ends of your chromosomes that protect them from damage. The progressive and gradual erosion of telomeres leads to aging on a cellular level — think of them as a kind of biological clock. In fact it may be the most accurate biological clock we have. Once your telomeres drop below a certain level you simply die of “natural” causes.

As telomeres shorten more, cell death occurs. These cell deaths are associated with serious disease and premature aging. The leading anti-aging research is on how to prevent telomere shortening and develop therapies to lengthen telomeres, as many experts believe that lengthening telomeres could actually turn the biological clock backward.

However, exercise has been associated with preventing telomere shortening, so it is clearly a very powerful anti-aging strategy. A recent study in “Circulation” (a journal published by the American Heart Association) observed the makeup of telomeres in four groups of people:

• Healthy young non-exercising participants (average age 20)
• Middle aged non-active individuals (average age 50 years)
• Young professional athletes (average 45 miles running per week)
• Middle-aged athletes who had been active since adolescence (average 50 miles running per week).

Data that was obtained from 100 subjects showed that the group of older individuals who had exercised regularly since childhood had less erosion of their telomeres compared to non-active individuals of the same age. continue reading »

Technorati Tags: aerobic exercise, aging, exercising

Coconut Water: Fights Fat & Boosts Your Immunity

For more than 4,000 years, coconut water has been considered as a natural source of nutrition, wellness, beauty and hydration.It is unique, full of minerals and nutrition and has been used for the very ill.

“It’s a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It’s the fluid of life, so to speak,” says Mr. Morton Satin, Chief of FAO’s Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Management Service.1

“It’s the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream. Now modern science has validated its effectiveness.”

Coconut water is a tasty and delightful treat after a hot and sweaty workout and it is popping up everywhere.  Gyms, yoga studios, and natural food stores are all realizing its great benefits . So what in the world is so good about coconut water and why is it so healthy for you?

Basically, coconut water is like natural Gatorade. Like Gatorade, it contains water, simple carbohydrates (or, sugar), and electrolytes (or, minerals).Compared to a sports drink made with refined sugars, artificial flavoring, and blue food coloring, I’d say coconut water represents a solid upgrade.

It contains no fat and is very low in calories, about 50 calories for one cup, most of them from natural sugars. In addition to water and sugar, coconut water also contains some minerals such as potassium and magnesium.  In fact, as the websites will all tell you, coconut water has more potassium than a banana! continue reading »

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Biking Linked To Weight Loss

Biking for as little as five minutes a day can help women control weight as they enter middle age, a new study suggests.

“Bicycling is an answer to weight control,” says the lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Lusk, Ph.D., a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston.

Riding a bike is ideal for weight loss because it burns a lot of calories. Riding at a moderate speed (12 – 14 mph) you will burn approximately 235 calories per half hour.

Depending on your body weight and the intensity of your ride, you will probably burn some where between 400 and 500 calories on a one hour bicycling trip. Walking just can’t beat these numbers, and riding a bike is way more fun.

Biking is a fantastic way to have fun, get great exercise, and reduce your carbon footprint. It is an adventure — whether biking to work or the store — or peddling long-distance for miles and miles. A side benefit is that I find I do some of my best thinking and creative problem-solving while riding my bike.Besides burning calories, cycling will give you amazing legs. You’ll tone up your quads and calfs quickly, and look amazing in shorts.

As both the large (quadriceps and hamstring) and small (calf) muscles of the legs work, they become stronger and more developed. The beauty of developing more muscle is that it not only makes the body look leaner and stronger, but it raises the resting metabolic rate.

The higher your resting metabolic rate, the more calories you burn even at rest. So eight hours after your bike ride, sitting on your couch, you’re still burning extra calories!

Make sure you’re making a perfect circle when you pedal to get the maximum muscle benefits. Push forward and then down with your quads and then pull back using your hamstrings. Use your calfs and hips to pull up and back.

You can expect to burn mega calories by biking; but like anything else, it depends on many factors. Your weight, the terrain, your exertion level, and how long your ride, will all have an impact your total calorie tally.

The chart below will help you get an idea of what’s at stake: continue reading »

Technorati Tags: biking, burning calories, heart rate, Weight Loss

Eat Your Peas – Natural Remedy For High Blood Pressure & Kidney Disease!

“Eat your peas,” I tell my children, as Mom once told me. Peas, once viewed as a starchy vegetable, are now being recognized as nutritional blockbusters, with healthful amounts of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins wrapped in a low-fat, cholesterol-free package.

Peas flaunt twice the protein of most vegetables, so they’re the ideal substitute for fattier protein fare, providing an excellent strategy for controlling your fat intake and keeping that waistline in check.

Their fiber, mostly insoluble, aids intestinal motility and may help lower cholesterol. Of the myriad nutrients peas provide, iron is particularly important since it’s hard to find non animal foods with much of this blood-building nutrient.

Besides the fact that peas are loaded with vitamins like A and C, and with minerals like phosphorus and iron, they’re exceptionally low in sodium.

In fact, a half cup of frozen peas contains just 5 percent of the daily recommended value of sodium (about 2,400 mg a day is what’s recommended, a figure most people exceed in the course of a day, or in the case of some restaurant dishes, in the course of a dinner course!).

The low sodium content may explain why peas are so great for lowering one’s  high blood pressure.  That’s just me speculating, though.

Canadian researchers have found that proteins in common garden peas can help fight high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The new research focuses on the yellow garden pea, a mainstay pea variety. continue reading »

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Walking: Is It Intense Enough To Reap The Most Health Benefits?

Walking is a popular form of exercise, but may not be enough to experience significant health benefits. In most cases, even if you’re out of shape your body will quickly adapt to your walking routine and will require a greater challenge to reap the most benefits.

You’ve got to do more than light exercise and move towards the inclusion of regular moderate activity, and don’t be shy to interject an occasional period of time at the vigorous level. You should  pick up a pace which is fast involving the workout of the entire body but that pace should be within comfortable range and should not exhaust you in a couple of steps.

Most exercise works just fine for people under 30, but after that your growth hormone dramatically starts to drop. You can actually increase your growth hormone naturally through specific types of exercise. But nearly ALL common types of exercise done in the United States by those over 30 do not generate growth hormone naturally.

Regular cardio, aerobics and even most all strength training do NOT increase growth hormone because they are not exercising the super fast muscle fibers. There is no magical pace or speed that triggers your body to make growth hormone. It is all personally relative and dependent on your fitness level.

That is why some can achieve the benefits by alternating walking with faster walking.   However, as you become more fit, it will become necessary to increase the exercise to the same type of exertion or until “out of breath” response is achieved as when you were less fit.

By starting out at the appropriate intensity and gradually increasing your pace and duration as your body allows, you’ll be able to reach your fitness and health goals safely. continue reading »

Technorati Tags: growth hormone, recumbent bike, walking

Cauliflower: Your Natural Health Solution To Weight Loss

Cauliflower is packed with minerals and vitamins for better health and weight loss. It is a very nutrient dense vegetable and is low in fat, high in fiber, folate, selenium and vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for the manufacturing of collagen, the protein which forms the basis of connective tissue. Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells.

In fact, one-half cup of cooked cauliflower provides almost half your day’s worth of vitamin C. As an added bonus, cauliflower also supplies vitamin A, calcium,  magnesium and potassium. Eating cauliflower helps maintain a good cholesterol level, keeps bones healthy, strengthens the immune system and can act as a blood detoxifier.

Cauliflower is as versatile as it is healthful and is a great addition to any meal and is an ideal weight-loss companion for meatless meals. Its strong flavor allows it to stand alone without meat or other fatty foods. And if you’re really hungry, raw cauliflower makes a wonderful snack.

1. Simply rinse and cut then serve with low-fat cheese or ranch dip and you’ve got a crowd pleaser every time!

2. Or, try cutting the florets down to one-inch pieces and spritzing them with olive oil, and lightly salt and pepper.

Then roast the in a cooking pan at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes. The cauliflower that comes out is quite soft, slightly sweet, and mildly caramelized. It is           perfect for dipping in homemade hummus! This basic recipe can be adjusted to your taste, and you can get lots of different effects by using different spices and                   seasonings.

3.  Best of all, the combination-cauliflower spiced with turmeric-is absolutely delicious! The way to prepare it is to cut cauliflower florets in quarters and let them                   sit    for 5-10 minutes.

This allows time for the production of phenethyl isothiocyanates, which form when cruciferous vegetables are cut, but stops when they are heated.Then sprinkle             with turmeric, and healthy saute on medium heat in a few tablespoons of vegetable or chicken broth for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and top with olive oil,              sea salt and pepper to taste. continue reading »

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How To Burn Body Fat: Workout Exercise Before Breakfast-Natural Health Solution

Have you tried to burn body fat by workout exercise before breakfast in the morning when you first wake up.

The reason you burn fat better is because your body has been without food for several hours and you do not have carbohydrates available when you first wake up. This is our natural health solution for weight loss.

When you exercise your body need carbohydrates for energy but will instead substitute your body fat for energy , which improves your fat burning ability.

Several studies suggest exercising while your body is low on food may be a good way to trim excess fat. In a recent paper, European researchers found that cyclists who trained without eating burned significantly more fat than their counterparts who ate.

“When you exercise (without eating), fat is broken down more quickly in the muscle,” said Andrew Greenberg, director of the Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University.

“Science is finally catching up with what smart runners have always known,” said Ron Maughan, a professor of sport, exercise and health sciences at Loughborough University in Britain.

“If you have a long, hard run without breakfast once a week, that hard run will train you to burn fat,” he said. “And for the rest of the week, have plenty of carbohydrates so you can train hard.”

Maughan cautioned against doing too much exercise on an empty stomach. continue reading »

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