Food That Will Boost Your State of Mind

By Jennifer Matlack

 

For the longest time, I swore I wasn’t a morning person. As soon as I ate my routine breakfast of a toasted bagel with butter, I had to pinch myself to stay awake.

Recently, I discovered my heavy lids and endless yawns were not a predisposition, but rather a result of my diet. “Carbohydrates have a relaxing effect,” says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., director of the women’s health program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and coauthor of The Serotonin Solution. “And eating too many will make you sleepy,” she says.

Instead of feeling drowsy, I could actually rise and shine in the morning? Absolutely. And you can, too, if you’re mindful of what you eat.

“Your diet ultimately has an impact on how you feel,” says Mary Beth Augustine, R.D., a dietitian at the Continuum Center for Health & Healing in New York City. Banish three unsavory moods by eating the right foods.

Mood: Stressed Out or Tense
You’re running late for an important meeting; you’re working on a tight deadline; you’re waiting for medical results from a serious test. No matter the scenario, strained situations can produce similar physiological reactions in your body. “Your blood pressure rises, your heart rate in-creases and your body makes glucose to give you the energy you need to get through,” says Augustine. There’s also a rise in cortisol, a hormone that, when released over time, can lead to heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Foods to reach for:
Complex carbo-hydrates, such as legumes, whole-grain breads and cereals, and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn.

Why it works:
“Carbohydrates destress you by increasing the production of serotonin,” says Dr. Wurtman. This key chemical in your brain improves mood, increases emotional energy and relieves pain.

Keep in mind:
Simple carbohydrates that are refined or processed, such as doughnuts and cookies, up serotonin production faster than complex carbohydrates by quickly releasing glucose, which further increases the brain’s ability to produce serotonin. But by choosing a jelly doughnut over a whole-wheat pita pocket you’ll pay a hefty price in weight gain and compromised healthy eating goals. In addition, for serotonin to tranquilize, carbs need to be eaten on an empty stomach and, surprisingly, without protein.

By the way…
If you experience irritability brought on by premenstrual syndrome (PMS), then you have all the more reason to consume complex carbohydrates. Dr. Wurtman advises eating a baked potato or drinking PMS Escape, a carbohydrate-based beverage that decreases anxiety.

Akilah M. El, N.D. is a Naturopathic Doctor and certified Master Herbalist with a private practice in Atlanta Georgia and Berlin Germany. Join Dr Akilah El on Facebook and Twitter

For More Health Tips Like This Check Out Our Health Tips Page

Myths and Facts About Losing Weight

With so many facts and fiction about fat loss, it is not surprising that people get confused which advice to follow. Although this article is not intended as an exhaustive source of information about what is true and what is false about fat loss, we hope that it will help you to distinguish myths from facts.

Myth: Don’t drink much water, you will get fat.

Facts: Natural water has absolutely no calories, so it can’t be converted to fat. Actually, water dissolves fat. Besides, water is vital for the proper functioning of your body. If there is a relation between drinking much water and weight, it is a very indirect one and water can’t be blamed for that. When you drink water and it stays in your body, it’s absolutely logical that your weight will be higher but after a couple of hours, when water normally leaves your body, you will not have more fat because you have drunk water.

Myth: Exercise makes you eat more.

Facts: Sure, when you exercise, you lose energy but that does not mean that right after going out of the gym you must head to the restaurant. Experts often recommend that you neither eat, nor drink gallons of water at least 2 hours after physical activity. So if you don’t eat after you have been exercising, you will not gain weight.

Myth: Diet only is enough to lose fat.

Facts: Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that. After you have been on a diet for some time, even if there had been positive results, there is always one point when even if you don’t eat at all (which is absolutely not recommended), your body refuses to use more of its fat reserved and you can’t lose a gram more. At this point, or even better from the very beginning, you must include exercise, because diets alone can’t burn enough fat.

Myth: There are magic diets and pills.

Facts: Too good to be true. Magic diets like „eat this and this and 10 a.m. sharp, don’t eat this and this and you will have the body of a god“ are really naive and besides keeping your mind busy through the day, other positive results are unlikely. The same applies to pills. Unless you have a serious metabolism disorder, which is a medical condition and needs to be treated by doctors, not by you, pills are not the lazy way to great body.

Myth: When you exercise hard, you can eat whatever you like.

Facts: This is the opposite to the dieting myth but the grain of truth is the same. Even when you exercise hard (2 or more hours a day) you still need to take into account what you eat and when you eat it. 2 hours of active exercising might burn enough fat but if you have a giant pizza and a huge bottle of Coke after that, forget about the positive effects of the stay in the gym – you will still have fat (though presumably more muscles as well).

Myth: You can lose fat only in a particular region of your body.

Facts: If you have seen many people with thin legs and a fat belly, or the opposite, more likely it is so not because they want it but because this is their body structure (which they probably don’t like at all). When you lose fat, this happens in a pre-defined order. First, fat disappears from the face and the breasts. The belly and the hips come next. The thighs and the upper-arm usually are the last ones affected and for many women these areas never become fat-free.

Myth: Diets and exercise are universal.

Facts: People are different and diets and exercise are not an exception. While there are universally true facts about dieting and exercise, more often than not, successful and sustainable fat loss is achieved when you are hard-working and diets and exercise are tailored to your needs.

Myth: You can lose fat once and forever.

Facts: This hardly ever happens, though there are cases when one has been fat during puberty and as an adult his or her weight is in the norm. But for adults, losing fat means a constant struggle to maintain the achievements, so you can’t rely on the fact that you will make some efforts, drop your excessive weight and then there will be no need to do anything.

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Dr Akilah El  is a certified personal fitness trainer, nutritionist  and also holds a PhD degree in Naturopathic Medicine. She has been helping people all lover the world successfully achieve their weight loss and fitness goals for over 10 years. To learn more about how you can benefit from her easy to use weight loss and fitness programs go to: http://www.celestialhealing.net/weightlossintro.htm

The Health Benefits of Eating Fruit

Fruits are such a delight to the senses. Of all the foods available to us, fruits are the most attractive, delicious and enjoyable. Of all natural foods, that is, the foods we can eat in their natural state, fruit is the food we are most attracted to and that first entices our senses. Humans are born with a natural instinct for sweet foods and in nature, that instinct naturally draws us to fruit.

When we are hungry – and I mean really hungry – fruit is often the most satisfying food we can eat. Is there anything better than to devour a delicious ripe mango on a hot summer day? Or to bite into a luscious, freshly-picked apple? Or to enjoy a sweet, juicy ripe orange? Is there any man-made dish that can beat the perfection of a fully ripe cherry?

Fruits have been consumed by human beings going as far back in time as we know, where as grains, legumes and dairy products have only been cultivated for 10,000 years or less, which is just a breath in the life of humanity. Anthropological studies have shown that fruit has been an important part of the human diet for hundreds of thousands of years.

Fruit has always been recognized as one of the healthiest foods there is. In the minds of most people, fruit is seen as a healthy food we should eat more of due to its vitamin content. But even when realizing the exceptional nutritional qualities of fruit, very few people actually give it the place it deserves in the diet. Fruit is still eaten as a “snack” or a “dessert,” but is rarely seen as a staple food. In the mind of the masses, fruit is a “healthy snack” but not something that can really sustain a hard-working man, like meat or bread. They don’t realize that fruit should be a staple in the diet, and has been for thousands upon thousands of years, long before bread and rice were cultivated, and long before cheese, sandwiches and twinkies were invented.

Fruit eating offers many benefits:

* Fruit is the best source of the natural sugar needed for energy.
* Fruit is packed with vitamins, and still represents the best source of vitamins in any food.
* Fruit is packed with anti-oxidants.
* Fruit is easier to digest than grains. Fruit is basically pre-digested. Digesting ripe fruit hardly requires any digestive enzymes, and is thus less taxing to the body.
* Fruit is alkaline forming (whereas meat, fish, grains and legumes are acid-forming).
* Fruit contains an abundance of pure water.
* Fruit is easy to eat. It doesn’t require much preparation.
* Fruit is beautiful. All of our senses are nourished by fruit, not just our taste buds.
* People who eat lots of fruit live longer. A study published in the British Medical Journal (September 2001), showed that fresh fruit offers the best bet for a long life. The results of a study showed that frequent fruit eaters had a 32 percent lower risk of dying from cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, and a 24 percent lower risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, than those who ate fruit less than once a day.
* Fruit contains lots of fiber, which is necessary for optimum digestion.

How To Eat Fruit

Natural Hygienists have known for a long time that fruit doesn’t combine well with other foods. The reason is that fruit contains simple sugars that require no digestion. Thus, they will not stay for a long time in the stomach. Other foods, such as foods rich in fat, protein and starch, will stay in the stomach for a longer period of time because they require more digestion. So if you eat fruit after a meal, the fruit sugar will stay for too long in the stomach and ferment. This is why people experience digestive trouble when eating fruit that way. They then blame that particular fruit for their trouble and claim that they are “allergic” to it.

Natural Hygienists have been recommending for a long time that fruit be eaten alone with no other foods. They have also recommended eating melons alone and avoiding mixing acid fruits with sweet fruits such as bananas. These are great recommendations, but can be definitely be simplified.

Many people have a difficult time eating a meal of fruit alone. They’ll eat a meal of melon and not so long after they’ll be hungry again, for the simple and obvious reason that melons are not calorie dense. Eating a small cantaloupe (200 calories) is not going to sustain you for very long. But because they have read somewhere that mixing melons with other fruits is not allowed, they’ll try to wait until the next meal to eat something else and then will often in the meantime overeat on dried fruits and nuts to compensate.

The solution to this is very simple: since fruit digests so fast, it is possible to eat fruit before any other food. You can, when you are hungry, eat as much fruit as you care for. One type of fruit only would be ideal. Then wait a little bit, 20 – 30 minutes, and have any other food you desire. This can be a salad, a little avocado with tomatoes, some nuts, or anything. It can be cooked food too. If you’ve been trying to follow food-combining rules without success, this new information could be very valuable to you.

The same goes with mixing other fruits together. You can eat all the melon you want, and then, if you are still hungry, eat another type of fruit to satisfy your appetite. It is not necessary to eat melons alone if they are eaten before another foods. You can even have melon and then have an avocado after. The only thing that is important to remember is to have the fruit first – not after, and ideally only have one variety at a time.

In Conclusion

A great way to eat more fruit is to make fresh fruit smoothies. Smoothies need not to be complicated to be tasty. For example, I like to blend bananas with water and have that as a smoothie. When I make that smoothie, I will blend a few bananas with about 1 cup of water and drink it after my exercise session. I also like blending mangoes with other fruits. For example, mango blended with papaya or peaches is amazingly delicious.

Frozen bananas go pretty well in all sorts of fruit smoothies. Try, for example, blending a few frozen bananas with a little water and some fresh berries. You’ll be amazed by the taste.

I hope that this article will encourage you to incorporate more fresh fruit into your diet. In conclusion, remember the following formulas:

Fresh fruit + more exercise + less grains and refined foods = better health and energy

Less fat + more fruit + more green vegetables = even better health and energy

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Akilah M. El, N.D. is a Naturopathic Doctor and board-certified Master Herbalist with a private practice in Atlanta Georgia and Berlin Germany. Join Dr Akilah El on Facebook and Twitter 

For More Health Tips Like This Check Out Our Health Tips Page

Is Coffee Good or Bad For You?

Many have said that our country literally runs on coffee. In my opinion, many people are addicted to large amounts of the energy from caffeine that coffee provides, causing us to feel extreme ups and downs in our nervous system.

Caffeine is a highly addictive compound that many people have come to depend on for the perception of increased energy. Caffeine keeps you going by preventing the chemical adenosine from telling the brain it’s time to relax.

The result is a surge of unnatural energy; but over time, the brain becomes accustomed to the threshold and requires even greater amounts of caffeine to provide the same increase in alertness. This is what makes caffeine products such as coffee so addictive and it explains why the lines at coffee shops are always so long.

Did You Know? Over 70% of the world’s coffee supply may be contaminated with toxic pesticides and chemicals. It’s estimated that just one cup of coffee contains thousands of chemicals, many of which are gastrointestinal irritants and cancer-causing agents. Also, The high heat used in roasting coffee beans causes the natural oils to turn rancid, further contributing to its chemical load.

That said, I always try to provide you with the good and the bad and talk about the key factor with consuming any potentially toxic food or beverage. Ever since I talked about the dangers of drinking energy drinks, I frequently get questions asking me if drinking coffee in moderation ( 3-4 cups weekly) is OK.

So I did a little research (keeping an open mind) on the health benefits, as well as the negative health effects of drinking coffee. I must be honest and say I do enjoy a cup of organic coffee from time to time but when I do drink coffee I always take 1 capsule of MegaHydrate before I drink it, to help neutralize any potential toxins or volatile oils.

I will leave it up to you to determine whether or not you should drink coffee after evaluating the following research.

The Benefits to Drinking Coffee

Organic, high-quality coffee has been shown to provide some health benefits.

1. Antioxidants – Organic Coffee is full of antioxidants which help reduce oxidation, cell damage, and aging.
2. Parkinson’s Disease – Studies from Saaksjarvi et. al show that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease.
3. Type 2 Diabetes – Other studies show that coffee consumption make protect us against type 2 diabetes.
4. Liver, Gallstones & Kidney Stones – There is a small amount of evidence that coffee may also protect us against cirrhosis of the liver, gallstones, kidney stones
5. Cognitive Function – Caffeine is a stimulate. Drinking coffee has been shown to increase mental attention in the short term. Some have even suggested that by drinking coffee, we can better cognitive function.
6. Alzheimer’s Disease – Some studies show that habitual coffee drinking may protect us against developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life

 

The Dangers of Drinking Coffee

And now, here’s a list of the negative effects of drinking coffee.

1. Heart Disease – There is controversial scientific evidence linking coffee consumption to heart diseases. Some studies even state that “consumption is associated with significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease.” These same studies have shown a cholesterol-raising effect in some of the chemical compounds of coffee, such as determines, cafestol, kahweol and plasma homocysteine. This may be of-set by some of the antioxidants, but the overall agreement is that coffee may adversely effect the heart.

2. Blood Vessels – Coffee disturbs the functioning of blood vessels, both in turgidity and tone.
3. Cardiovascular System – Coffee affects our nervous system, heart rhythms and has been consistently linked to irregular heartbeats. It may also adversely affect blood pressure.
4. Osteoporosis – Coffee drinking should be heavily avoided by people at risk, or who have Osteoporosis. Studies show a link between drinking coffee and urinary calcium excretion.
5. Heartburn – Many people report that coffee increases heartburn.
6. Sleep Disturbance – Coffee, particularly in the evening or at night, can lead to sleep disturbance.
7. Dehydration – Drinking coffee depletes water reserves in the body.
8. Addiction – While the FDA recognizes caffeine as “safe,” it is still a drug, as it significantly alters the nervous system, leading to addiction over time.
9. Extreme Withdrawal Symptoms – You may experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to give up coffee. This can lead to headaches, irritability, body aches, and other more extreme symptoms

Does Coffee Have A Laxative Effect?

Drinking excess caffeine can dehydrate the body and interfere with digestion. Caffeine also interferes with the absorption of magnesium, which is critical in maintaining regular, healthy bowel movements. Coffee over-stimulates the digestive system and can induce a temporary laxative effect, causing the bowels to expel waste before they have the chance to process and utilize vital water and nutrients.

This frequently could lead to a constant state of dehydration and malnourishment among coffee drinkers. This effect is not only due to the caffeine in coffee-the same effects are seen in people who regularly drink decaffeinated coffee.

Coffee is also highly acidic and can lead to an overproduction of stomach acid that can irritate the intestines. Unbelievably, decaffeinated coffee has been shown to trigger even more acid production than regular coffee. This over-production (when combined with coffee’s laxative effects) can cause too much stomach acid to move into the intestines. All this acid can potentially cause damage to the intestinal lining.

NOTE: The best form of coffee is organic, high-quality, and freshly ground. The good parts of coffee that contain antioxidants come from the first brew, when the water passes over the grounds. In a pot of coffee, the first cup or two that comes out has the essential elements that may benefit us. The other 6 cups are less healthy, as they are mostly the acidic, volatile oils and caffeine.

This is the part of coffee that is harmful for the intestinal lining and body. If you drink the first extract by drinking it in the form of espresso, where a small amount of water is rushed over the beans quickly, this allows you to have all the great flavor without the over-extracted volatile oils and caffeine. From my observation, I have seen that most Americans load up on lattes. I am astonished by the fact that, more and more, coffee beverages are sounding more like deserts. Pass on the heavy cream, sugar, whipped cream, chocolate sauces and Italian syrups.

 What About Coffee Substitutes?

If you would like to kick the coffee habit, try substituting store-bought coffee with natural grain coffee.

Grain coffee is to coffee as herbal tea is to tea, and grain coffee is naturally caffeine and toxin free. Grain coffee is a ground mixture of grains, nuts, and dried fruit and provides only natural flavors. Grain coffee is available in regular drip coffee-maker and instant brands.

These coffee substitutes come in a variety of flavors: vanilla nut, java, hazelnut, chocolate mint, almond amaretto, etc. A great way to transition to grain coffee is to mix it with regular coffee as you scoop the dry grounds into your coffee filter.

So if you normally use 4 scoops of ground coffee, then try 3 scoops of coffee with 1 scoop of grain coffee for the first week. Continue to transition gradually until you have eliminated your consumption of regular coffee altogether.

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To learn more about the harmful effects of caffeine please visit our webpage here www.celestialhealing.net/caffeine.htm

The 8 Time Slots When You’re Naturally At Your Best

It’s not just your energy level or weight that fluctuates over the course of a day. Did you know that your brain obeys its own rhythm too? It’s based largely on your human clock, sleep pattern, exposure to light, and genetic makeup—and getting in a groove with its tempo can make you healthier, happier, and have more energy.

As cutting-edge research shows, you can burn more calories from exercise, work more efficiently and improve concentration, and even have better sex by learning how to synch up to your circadian rhythm and brain’s power hours. Here’s your daily guide.

7 to 9 AM: Best for Passion

“The perfect moment for bonding with your spouse is right when you wake up,” says Ilia Karatsoreos, PhD, a neuroscientist at Rockefeller University. The reason: Levels of oxytocin (aka the “love hormone”) are sky-high upon waking, making it the best time for intimacy of all kinds.

These are the hours to strengthen your relationship with the most important people in your life. Wake up feeling frisky and need more than just cuddling? Your husband’s brain is on nearly the same wavelength; British researchers found high morning oxytocin levels in men gradually decreased as the day wore on.

Tap into it: Make love or cuddle. Tell your partner how much you love him. Call your child at college (so long as it’s not the weekend!). Pen a thank-you note to a friend.

9 to 11 AM: Best for Creativity

Your brain now has moderate levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which in reasonable amounts can actually help your mind focus, says Sung Lee, MD, secretary of the International Brain Education Association. It’s present at any age: A University of Michigan study found that college students and retired adults were both mentally quick in the morning—but among older subjects, sharpness declined in the afternoon.

Because you’re primed for learning, take on tasks that require analysis and concentration. “From middle age on, you’re more alert early in the day,” says Carolyn Yoon, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Michigan who worked on the study. Schedule discussions that involve personal or family matters, as others will be sharp during these hours as well.

Tap into it: Develop a new idea. Write a presentation. Brainstorm solutions to challenges, large or small. Have an important convo with your doctor.

11 AM to 2 PM: Best for Tough Tasks

By now, levels of the sleep hormone melatonin have dipped sharply from their late evening and early morning peaks. This means you’re more ready to take on a load of projects, according to German researchers. They found that reaction time and the ability to accomplish several to-dos were strong in the middle of the day.

Tear through that list—because of your mental quickness, this time of day is best for taking action. One tip: Cross items off one at a time, says René Marois, PhD, director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University. Attempts to juggle tasks simultaneously put additional demands on your brain, making you more likely to lose concentration and make slip-ups.

Tap into it: Plow through voice mails or e-mails. Give a presentation to a client or boss. Iron out a tough problem with your spouse.

2 to 3 PM: Best for a Break

To digest your lunch, your body draws blood away from your brain to your stomach, says Lee. Aim to eat lunch closer to 2 PM, as the midday meal can make you wish there was a couch to crash on close by. Your body’s circadian rhythm (the biological “clock” that regulates sleep and wakefulness) is also in a brief down phase during this time, according to a Harvard study.

Steer clear of your workload and play around on Facebook or flip through magazines. If you’re at work and need to fight off drowsiness, take a quick, brisk walk around the block or drink some water—both will get blood moving away from your belly and toward your head. “Water increases vascular volume and circulation, promoting blood flow to your brain,” he says.

Tap into it: Meditate or pray. Read for pleasure—Web sites, magazines, or newspapers. Go for a stroll.

3 to 6 PM: Best for Collaboration

“The brain is pretty fatigued by now,” says Paul Nussbaum, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and author of Your Brain Health Lifestyle. That doesn’t mean you’re stressed, however: University of Michigan scientists found that cortisol levels usually decline in women by late afternoon.

Although your brain is not as sharp as earlier, you’re more easygoing, so plan a low-pressure meeting for now. If you’ve already left work, pick an activity that is as different from your job as possible, suggests Nussbaum. Exercise is a perfect one: Studies show that grip strength, manual dexterity, and other physical skills are at their strongest by evening, but if you work out too late, the residual adrenaline may interfere with sleep for some people. A gym session right before dinner solves the problem.

Tap into it: Brainstorm with coworkers. Strength-train.

6 to 8 PM: Best for Personal Tasks

Between these hours, researchers have found that the brain enters something called “wake maintenance,” when its production of sleep-friendly melatonin is at an all-day low. As a result, chances of getting tired now are next to none. Studies also show that your tastebuds are lit up during these hours because of circadian variations in hormone levels.

Keep your energy up by exposing yourself to the last of the day’s serotonin-stimulating sunlight. Now may be a good time to walk the dog or walk yourself to the grocery store. And because you’re now more alert but no longer at work, direct your renewed burst of mental energy toward your husband and kids and maybe some friends; you’re bound to be pretty engaging about now.

Tap into it: Run errands. Clean a long-overdue room in your house. Enjoy quality time with your family members. Whip up a delicious meal.

8 to 10 PM: Best for Relaxing

There’s an abrupt transition from being wide awake to feeling sleepy as melatonin levels rise quickly, report Australian and British researchers. Meanwhile, levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter tied to perkiness, start to fade. “Eighty percent of serotonin is stimulated from exposure to daylight, so now you’re slowing down,” says Rubin Naiman, PhD, sleep specialist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine.

Now’s the time to ease into relaxing, “mindless” activities (save the crossword puzzle for the morning). “By nightfall, when your brain is tired, this is a good way to bring yourself down, like walking a lap or two after a big workout,” says Naiman.

Tap into it: Unwind by watching a funny movie. Try a low-key, repetitive activity, such as knitting.

10 PM onward: Best for Snoozing

Your brain is looking to knit together all it learned today, which it does during sleep. Your top priority should be getting a full night’s rest. Sleep can inspire insight: In one study, more than half of those taught a task thought of an easier way to do it after 8 hours of sleep. Adjusting lighting can help: Dim the rooms you occupy after dinner to let your body know the day is ending, suggests Naiman. In a few hours, your brain will be ready to start all over again.

Whatever helps you get to sleep—and it may take adjustments over time—follow your routine consistently. Just make sure you sign off early enough so you get the 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye recommended for optimal health and energy.

Tap into it: Curl up with a good book. Write in your journal. Drift off while reading something you want to remember in the morning.

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www.healingpowerhour.com