Getting enough fiber?

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Is it really that hard to get enough fiber in your diet? It may be if you eat junk food rather than what God intended you to eat.

Carrots, apples, beans, even some bread products you can buy right off the grocery shelf have considerable fiber. Don't like real food? Then don't read this.

The human body was designed to have a certain amount of fiber. You will notice that cereal products now brag that the ingredients include fiber. Usually the cereal fiber is accompanied by tons of sugar, artificial color that you should not eat, and additives you can't spell. Don't eat this junk-eat real food! There is plenty of it to go around.

One of the easiest ways to get enough fiber is to add two pieces of fruit or vegetables to your menu daily. Many whine about not wanting to do this, but it is so simple. An apple, a few grapes, some cucumber with your salad-these all add up to give you the fiber you need to live a healthy life!

Some adults will actually complain that if they eat correctly they will have to go to the bathroom, and they don't have time for all that. What? Would you stop changing the oil in your car and let it run inefficiently because it is not worth your time? You are as important as your car! Just do it....and quit your whining.


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Healthy Lifestyle Changes to Avoid Allergies

Can you avoid allergies by living a healthy lifestyle? There is much research to prove having a healthy immune system may help you avoid allergies. So what are you to do to help your immune system, and does this mean all allergies will disappear?

You may be able to avoid some allergies by improving your lifestyle. Smoking, drinking alcohol and other habits that stress your immune system may cause you to have more allergies than others do. Are you willing to make the changes needed to feel better. What about the allergies you can't avoid?

If you are currently allergic to grass, pollen, ants-you may need extra help. Don't throw away the epi-pen. If you have allergies you will be exposed to beautiful green things that make you sneeze, itch, or swell as long as you live on this planet.

Think about this for a few minutes: Are you willing to add a few healthy foods to your menu to possibly improve your immune system? Will you take a few minutes each day and exercise enough to give your immune system a lift? These things are simple but can help you have less reaction to some things that bother you now.

Improving your immune system will probably not help you outgrow your allergy to chocolate or wool. However, a stronger immune system could help you have less reaction to seasonal changes. This would be a big help to most of us.

Need help understanding how a healthy lifestyle will help you live a better life? Read our other posts on health issues.


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Eggs on the menu?

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If you purchase eggs on a regular basis you no doubt realize they can expire at some point. Eggs cartons must have a use by date stamped clearly on the carton.

What you may not know is there is also a code that states what date the eggs were packed. You should see this information along with a USDA seal, which tells you the plant where the eggs were gathered has been inspected.

The code you are looking for contains three numbers. If the eggs were collected on the 12th day of the year-January 12th-the code will read 012.  A carton of eggs the is stamped 365 was packed on the last day of the year-December 31st.

The code is based on the Julian calendar, so 30 days would equal a month.

Another tip about eggs and freshness I was told about 100 hundred-If you are not sure an egg is fresh-Fill a medium size bowl with water, and place the raw whole egg in the water. If it sinks to the bottom, the egg is fresh. If it floats-toss it! Don't ever think you can eat eggs that are not fresh and not get sick. It is too big a risk to take to save one egg.

Healthy Ways to Get Fit

I had the opportunity to listen to a lively conversation between two women who were striving to lose weight. One woman had a baby recently, and decided she would like to improve her appearance. Another woman had struggled to lose an extreme amount of weight, and she proudly shared some of her experiences.

The woman who had lost weight mentioned a pill she uses, which I won't mention. I do know that this pill can be purchased over the counter, and has some unpleasant side effects. For instance, if you eat anything with fat in it, you may experience anal leakage. What! Who would sign on for this?

After the dieting woman left, I suggested the woman who had not started her life change yet choose another path. Here it is: Eat one serving of fruit before each meal. If you do not like fruit, then eat a serving of vegetables before each meal.

Sound too simple? It works for millions of us. Eat the food GOD gave us and put down the toaster pastry!

The woman who is choosing to use food to get healthy will be starting a new blog! When she does, I will be sure to keep everyone in the loop by giving her link here.


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Healthy Food For a Healthy Life

What exactly is healthy food? Can food be healthy? A person can be healthy, and healthy people often use the expression healthy food, but it is incorrect. And what foods will help you maintain good health? Why do some eat terrible foods and appear to be healthy?

It seems some just have the genes that will allow them to abuse their body in any way they want, and they survive with clear skin and great biceps! For the rest of us, foods need to be consumed that are fresh, clean, and grown in good soil. How do we know if the food we purchase is any of these things? We don't.

Maybe we should grow our own food. It is getting a little late in the year, so it may be the time to think about winter crops. What grows well in your area in the cool weather? Something to think about. With the economy the way it is, maybe we should all do it to help our budgets!

It seems we can't possibly eat all the foods we need to get the nutrients required to be healthy. Many people like to juice, or use supplements. For me, both work. I don't take the supplements I like daily, but I do take these often.

Some feel we should puree extra vegetables and add these to soups or casseroles so that we would be getting more nutrients. Maybe I'm a bit lazy, but that is not something I am willing to do very often. I prefer to eat vegetables raw, or steamed a little.

Be sure to eat what fresh produce you can. There really is no replacement for food. And eating food is more enjoyable than swallowing pills.

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Healthy Lifestyle Changes

If you only had to make one change to have a healthier life, would you do it? If you were to make a change, what change would you be willing to make?

For some the simple addition of a serving of fruit once a day could make a big difference. Does that seem too simple? Well, consider this: If you are now eating less than 7 servings of fruit each week, adding 7 servings of fruit to your week would mean you were getting the fiber, nutrients, and all the goodies the fruit has to offer that you were not getting before.

What if fruit isn't your thing, but maybe you could tolerate another vegetable serving each day. Do it! At any age it is a good idea to add some more healthy items to your menu. It doesn't have to be a big deal. Just one more serving of any vegetable you like every day.

If you are a real pain about food, and can't see yourself eating anything that is good for you, think about juicing what's good for you. I'm not much into juice myself, but I do understand many survive nicely on the liquid form of the foods I would prefer to chew!

One side effect you should be prepared for is this: You may find you begin to lose weight. If you are already thin, your may notice you have more energy! Oh, and you may find your finger nails are healthier, and so is your skin.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

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Best food choices.

How can we get the best food for the money we must spend? This can be a tough choice in different areas of the country.

At certain times of the year we find some fruits are plentiful, and therefore more affordable. It just makes sense to buy things when they are in season. Also, it is thought by many that local produce is best for us. The shorter the shipping distance, the fresher the produce. There is also the belief that buying foods grown in the soil where you live is a better choice for your body. While volumes have been published about this, I know it is more about what was in the soil where our ancestors lived, and where you were born, where your parents were born...........ah, that is another blog by itself.

When the season for the best fruit is over in your area, look for some that has been shipped across the country. If you can't find these at an affordable price, resort to frozen items that are of U.S. origin. For us, frozen is a better choice than buying products that have been grown outside of the United States. This is a personal choice, but one based on fact. If you research what is used in other countries to preserve freshness, you may turn such foods away.

During the winter many use canned foods because others are too expensive. While purists will have a fit, to me it does not matter so much. Millions of people have thrived before us by doing this, so we should be fine.

One thing to consider if you have the stamina is canning some items while they are available. You don't have to grow your own crops to do this. In many areas there are orchards, or produce companies who are willing to give you a quantity price. Purchasing some bushels of fruits or vegetables several families enjoy, and sharing the items can be cost effective.

If canning items is not for you, freezing some may be simpler. Not sure how to get started? Ask one of the oldest people in your family. Or, search the Internet for some of the easiest ways to do this. It may actually be fun!



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Who's hungry?

Do you feel you are hungry more often than you would like to be? Many of us eat out of habit, rather than because we are hungry. Why is that?

We are taught from birth when it is time to eat. From our first breath, someone begins to control when we will eat, if we will eat, what we will eat. How can we have a healthy lifestyle if we have always had to eat by rules we did not make? How can we have a healthy lifestyle is we are always hungry?

Being hungry does not mean we have to eat. Usually if we wait a few minutes that little gnawing feeling in our stomach will subside. This is especially true if you are responding to the habit of lunch being at noon, and supper being at six, just because someone else said so.

Some doctors will tell you that no more than five hours should pass between meals. Or, at least you should have a little something. What is this little something they speak of? For some it is an apple, or half of a banana. Others will be happy with a few crackers and some nuts. No one can say what will satisfy you-this is something you have to determine.

One thing I am fairly certain of is this: Eating or drinking a bit of something that is nourishing before a meal will help you avoid eating too much. Eating too much is not really a weight issue so much as it is a health issue. How so? What are you doing to your internal organs if you eat too much at each meal? How does you pancreas, liver, stomach, handle what you are giving it?

Try eating small amounts several times a day if you feel you are hungry more than you want to be. At meals be sure to include at least two high fiber filling foods. Salads, vegetables, and fruits before the meal can help here. Actually, salads, vegetables and fruits can be the meal for most of us.

Now, go get a snack!



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Best foods to help us avoid strokes and heart attacks?

Strokes can happen at any time after birth. Actually, strokes can occur before birth. Those of us who have not had to deal with heart disease or other serious health problems are blessed. Why would someone say that?

With the foods we typically eat on a routine basis, it's a wonder we survive. Humans were not meant to eat the plastic we have come to call food. If you are one of the many who relies on less than fresh foods to survive, here is a very small thing you can do that may help you.

Tomatoes in the form of a juice, or as a base for any meal is thought to be a life saver. Once processed with heat, tomatoes release lycopene. If you do not use tomato sauce on a regular basis, you might think about just adding a bit of tomato based juice to your menu.

What if you had one serving of tomato juice in some form each day before you did anything else? This would keep you from forgetting, and in just a short time it will become a habit.

But-the information could be wrong. And here you will be adding vitamin C and other wonder-
ful nutrients that come from the tomato. That would be a shame. Your new habit could actually help you avoid the common cold, and a host of other things you would rather skip. This might work out well for you!

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