What comes to mind when you think of coconut oil? Tropical breezes or perhaps soothing skin lotion products? For many people, the thought of tropical oils in food products brings to mind ultra rich, fat laden, forbidden desserts, but is coconut oil really as “bad” for us as so many people think? For a generation now, coconut oil has maintained a negative reputation as an unhealthy, artery clogging source of saturated fat and, as a result, this perception has caused many people in Western cultures to miss the boat on one of nature’s most powerful, natural super foods. A well-known study in the 1960’s led health experts of that era to categorize coconut oil as “unhealthy.”

Subsequent media reports furthered the negative reputation and reported on the studies of how tropical oils, (including coconut oil) were full of artery-clogging, heart damaging saturated fat, however, all this attention overlooked one key issue of the study– the fact that the oil used in the study was not the extra virgin variety used for years and years by people groups in the tropics but hydrogenated coconut oil, which produces a dramatically different nutritional makeup.

In the years and advancements following this study, nutritionists now realize that the process of hydrogenation, which includes artificially adding a hydrogen molecules to oil in order to give it a long shelf-life potential, is the culprit, rather than the actual coconut oil. Hydrogenated oils, including canola, corn, and soy contain the “bad” trans-fats and are processed with toxic hexane solvents that are regularly added to mass-produced, packaged food products. The hydrogenation process increased the financial bottom line for food companies while contributing to the slow decline in the general health of westerners, and is linked with trans-fats and associated heart disease that so many physicians and health professionals warn us about.

Fortunately for us, realizing the context of that old study, we now understand that extra virgin coconut oil is very rich in medium-chain fats, also known as “good fats” that doctors recommend, and is perfect to use as a healthy cooking oil that gives us a nutritious and flavorful advantage as an ideal substitute for butter. Nearly 50% of coconut oil is comprised of one of the “good fats” called lauric acid, a rare medium-chain fatty acid found in mother’s milk. Lauric acid is now being shown to have anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties that has researchers believing that, in the future, will become as highly regarded in health circles as Omega-3 is today.

The many uses of coconut, including its oil extract, extend beyond the kitchen to include use for skin care, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, losing weight, enhancing the immune system, maintaining a healthy heart, aiding proper digestion and robust metabolism, maintaining healthy blood pressure, diabetes and cancer prevention, contributing to healthy teeth, hair, and bone strength. These benefits can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties.

For centuries, inhabitants of tropical climates, where native coconut palms are known as “the tree of life”, have realized this and have relied upon the coconut for it’s versatile benefits, which many attribute to their overall good health. So, how about you? Why not include coconut oil in recipes for use as a healthy alternative to butter the next time you are are in the kitchen and give it the opportunity it deserves by allowing it to enhance your health?

To learn much more about the amazing nutritional benefits of coconut oil please visit:
http://www.cookwithcoconut.com

Frank Farmer is a psychologist and fitness/health advocate who has motivated many people in their efforts to improve their health.

Tags: coconut, extra virgin coconut oil, good fats

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Tai Chi

Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers refuse to sit back and accept the limitations of aging. This group is redefining what aging is all about, making a powerful statement and setting a new definition of what life is like beyond one’s 50th birthday. This is the mission statement that is declaring the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are being the new 40.

Here are some tips that can help anyone look and feel better in a short period of time, and can be easily be incorporated into the busiest lifestyle. Maximum results with minimal effort, an equation that works for me!

1. Every day make a juice from equal parts cabbage, carrots, spinach and blueberries or blackberries. For tea add goji berries and chrysanthemum flower to green tea. The berries and chrysanthemum can be purchased at any Chinese grocery/herb store in China town. Full of anti-oxidants, and the benefits of green tea, goji berries have been widely reported in the press. Chrysanthemum is known to benefit and brighten (beautify) the eyes, as well as being somewhat calming and good for headaches
2. Eat a variety of dark green leafy vegetables, fruits, incorporating seaweed, apricots (dry of fresh) and season your food with fresh ginger. This helps in the digestive process, but don’t overdo because too much ginger is not recommended. The Taoist concept of “The middle way” works best. Green vegetables are alkaline in nature and this is extremely beneficial not only for digestion, but for prevention of degenerative diseases.
3. Drink several 8oz glasses each day of boiled water. It may take some getting used to, but the benefits you will feel and see very shortly will far exceed the effort in adapting this habit.
4. One of the major causes of premature aging, and well as causing premature and accelerated aging is stress. One of my teachers believes that stress is the cause of all disease. Yes ALL disease! One of the best remedies is to adapt a few breathing exercises each day. I recommend qi gong, which are easy to learn and fit into the busiest lifestyle.

(It can even be done in a sitting position and be extremely effective). Tai Chi is also highly recommended, but does require a greater learning curve. The benefits of these ancient exercises are practically immediate; you will feel yourself winding down and adapting an objectivity that allows you to deal with stress in ways that will create a greater sense of calm, not effect the body.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Imagine a string from your spine exiting out the top of your head holding you upright.
• Breath from the area below your navel (dantian) slowly and deeply.
• Relax the knees and raise your arms straight up over your head with palms facing upward. Imagine energy, essence from heaven going through the top of your head going down through the body to the soles of your feet.
• Turn palms toward each other and slowly move hands down to the area below the navel.
• Feel the energy between your hands as if there is an energy ball. Move the ball between your hands so the right hand is under, left hand is above the “ball”.

Take the ball and bring to the face, massage the face with the “energy ball” clockwise 10-36 times. You will feel heat or a “static” sensation.

You can use this to beautify and revitalize the face, eyes, skin and hair. This energy ball can also be used on the body above the knees. When you are ending the exercise, return the energy ball back to the area below the naval, the Dantian.

With the wisdom and discernment that the tomatoes have acquired over the years, with a sprinkling of a little Taoist philosophy, these simple tips can easily be incorporated for a lifestyle that lends itself to “REJUVENAGING”. Which is what I like to call the process that counteracts and slows the aging process. These are some simple tips that can be easily incorporated into a busy lifestyle, that will produce excellent results!

Tags: feel younger, healthy eating, healthy living, tai chi

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Tags: acne, insect bites, oily skin, scrapes, splinters, sunburn relief, sunburns, tired eyes, wrinkles

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The reason for including health nutrition supplements to your diet and exercise regiment are two fold. First of all, they will give you all the protein, vitamins and nutrients you need in order for your body to work efficiently enough to burn the excess fat you’ve been carrying. The second reason why it’s a good idea to include health nutrition supplements to your daily routine is that they help you stay on track. You’re less likely to go off your routine, or cheat on your diet, when you’re on a schedule including health nutrition supplements. After all, health nutrition products aren’t cheap so you want to get the most out of them if you’re going to buy and use them.

What Should You Use?

What you use depends on your goals. If you’re overweight and you’d like that lean, muscular look, you should invest in health nutrition supplements that promote the growing of lean muscle mass, such protein powders, creatine or even a natural testosterone booster. You might also want to invest in a good fat burner so that you can burn as much fat as possible in the least amount of time. If, however, you are trying to just slim down, as in you’re obese, just a protein powder and a fat burner will suffice.

Don’t Forget The Multi-Vitamin

No health and diet regimen, program or system should be without a good multi-vitamin. If nothing else, the vitamins are what helps your body run efficiently. They have all the building blocks your body needs to repair itself, to flush out any toxins and to help you turn your body into a fat burning furnace.

You can get all of these health nutrition supplements at your local GNC or other health nutrition supplement store. You can also shop online, where you often can find the best deals. Be careful, however, as health nutrition supplements can be expensive so you want to make sure you’re only buying what you really need. People often take supplements they don’t really need because they feel they’ll make more progress. You’ll just be wasting money. You’re going to see aisles upon aisles, and picture after picture if you’re online, of nutrition protein supplements in every form you can think of: bars, powders, pills and even premixed drinks. You’ll see supplements you’ve never heard of, that you have no idea what they even do; don’t fall into that trap. Just get what you need, a few health nutrition supplements, and save your money for more important things.

Tags: health nutrition supplements (nutrition protein supplem

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You don’t have to eat rice cakes and plain chicken breasts every day get or stay in shape. Good nutrition doesn’t have to be boring. It can eat very tasty meals and still eat correctly, you just have to know how to make good diet food nutrition choices. Good nutrition can be included in your daily routine easily by making a few lifestyle changes. If you’ve been eating the wrong foods for a long time, and suddenly implement good nutrition into your daily routine, you’ll see that you feel better, you have more energy and you’ll also lose that pesky fat you’ve been trying to rid yourself of.

Good Choices

Good nutrition choices are typically found around the outer extremities of the supermarket. Things like fruits and fresh vegetables, whole wheat grains, dairy products, lean meats and more are all found in these outer aisles. The middle aisles are where you find most of your processed foods, such as crackers and cereals and cookies, cakes and pies. These processed foods will do very little for you as far as nutrition goes. So if you want to keep to a good nutrition program, shop on the outer side of the supermarket.

Cooking

To include good nutrition in your daily routine, you should get used to cooking. Cooking your own meals ensures that you know exactly what’s going into the foods you’re eating, it allows you to control your portions, and you can save leftovers for future meals. When you have Tupperware containers filled with leftovers in your fridge, you’re less likely to give into cravings. If you didn’t have those leftovers, and you’re starving, you might be inclined to order a pizza or to get takeout, which could blow your good nutrition plan.

Eating Out

You can include good nutrition in your daily life even when eating out at restaurants. All you have to do is find the section of the menu that provides the healthier items. Many restaurants will include a section like this for people who are health conscious or who are watching their weight. If they don’t, ask the restaurant if they have nutrition facts on a card or sheet of paper that you can look at. By educating yourself on good nutrition, and promising yourself not to give into cravings, you should be able to stay on track even while eating out.

Good nutrition can be exciting and it can be easily included in your daily life. You just have to make a commitment to yourself to stick with it until you hit your goal; and then to stick with it to maintain that goal for as long as possible.

Tags: good nutrition (diet food nutrition)

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In a sense, obesity is the disease of the poor. While many men and women, regardless of profession, are being forced to work longer, faster hours, it is those men and women, forced to work multiple jobs for little pay, who are unable to compensate for this new world. Businessmen can afford gym memberships or better take-out meals at lunchtime.

Secretaries and lawyers can afford the latest, scientifically-proven diet medications, meal plans and nutrition products. But blue-collar workers and hard laborers are at the mercy of fast-food restaurants and sugary drinks, and are unable to afford the price of a healthy lifestyle.

Thankfully, a lot of this is changing. While poorer individuals may not be able to afford gym memberships at high-end health clubs, they can afford the various discount nutrition products now being offered.

Once again, the law of supply and demand can often help the consumer. In the past, when nutrition products were new, rare and unexplored, they were extremely expensive. And while many high-end nutrition stores still sell their brand name products for a lot of money, discount nutrition products are being offered by more and more local drug stores to help poorer individuals compensate for their poor diets.

Living the Life

Discount nutrition products are rarely much different from their brand name counterparts—like other generic medications, they are simply that, generic. The same vitamins and minerals are used in both types of products, and discount nutrition products are now being offered in more forms than just pills.

Bars, powders, shakes and waters with various vitamins, minerals and herbs are being offered at very reasonable rates, and while the bulk of blue-collar diets will not change, discount nutrition products can at least help to reduce vitamin deficiencies and increase metabolism and energy. That way, at least more of the fat and calories can be burned off, and men and women will feel a lot better in the long run. They will sleep better, think better and interact better.

And while the most benefits will only come from exercise and healthier diets, discount nutrition products are at least a step in the right direction. Being healthy is no longer a right only reserved for the rich, nor should it ever be.

Plus, with obesity being considered a disease, many health insurance providers may even cover discount nutrition products under their plans, at least in the case of severe vitamin deficiencies. Men and women should always put their bodies first, and these products are an easy and inexpensive way to start embracing healthier lifestyles.

Tags: discount nutrition products, Nutrition

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If you are one of the millions of people who have decided to start watching what you eat, you probably understand the importance of being able to find chicken nutrition facts. Not all chicken is the same as different brands may have more fat and such in the chicken, which means more fat in your system.

There are some basic chicken nutrition facts that can be found on the Internet but they are really just educated guesses because there is no one set of chicken nutrition facts that are the same for all products.

There are luckily some brands out there that have the chicken nutrition facts printed right on the packaging. For those truly trying to watch what goes into their bodies, these brands are probably the best to go with some the facts are right there in front of you. The same goes for fast food nutrition facts, as it is always better to eat chicken from these places where you have easy access to the chicken nutrition facts. If you are not able to find the exact information in the chain, visiting their website may prove to be helpful.

More Things to Consider

Besides just thinking of the brands to pick from when shopping for chicken, make sure that you are remembering that chicken with the bone and skin tend to be a lot higher in fat then the other kinds. If you are not sure, just compare the chicken nutrition facts from two different brands as see for yourself.

Also, be careful of the serving size that is listed on the chicken nutrition facts, as it is not always the same for every single brand of chicken out there. There are no two brands alike so you really just have to keep your eyes open and pay attention to the small details.

Since the chicken pieces in a package are not the same exact size, the serving size listed on the chicken nutrition facts is going to by weight instead of quantity. This means the only real way to figure out your exact serving size is to weigh the chicken. Only then can you properly use the chicken nutrition facts and be on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Within a few weeks, you are bound to notice the difference that paying attention can make in your life. Not only will be begin to feel better but you will begin to look better as well.

Tags: chicken nutrition facts

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Just about everyone loves food. They love the smell of it (most of the time), and they love gorging themselves with it. Over the years, we’ve gotten incredibly efficient at making tasty concoctions easy and cheap for everyone to enjoy, and thousands of years have culminated in one of the best times ever in terms of eating. However, it has also resulted in the most obese society ever, creating an epidemic which threatens to seriously change accessibility of healthcare across the country. To give yourself a sexy body and become healthy, turn to a food nutrition counter. You can easily find them online, and they’re a cheap alternative to using a dietitian.

Enjoy Great Food and Lose Weight

Just because you want to lose weight doesn’t mean you can’t eat tasty food. Unhealthy eating doesn’t just revolve around what you eat – it deals more so with how much of it you eat. Food nutrition counters deal with both of these concerns, helping you to choose healthier foods, or at the very least eating a healthy amount of decidedly unhealthy foods. Does that mean you can get away with eating only one double cheeseburger at McDonald’s? Not really, but a food nutrition counter will help you find healthy alternatives, and then the occasional cheeseburger won’t do much to harm you, and all the healthy foods you eat will more than cancel out the bad effects of unhealthy foods.

Food nutrition counters will also help you to choose a variety of healthy nutrition products. If you cook, then choosing these products will make your meals more balanced and healthy, instilling in your body fantastic vitamins and minerals for a naturally healthy body. This will make your body a more efficient machine, helping you to lose weight even faster while giving other benefits like boosting your immune system and improving the vibrance of your skin. Food nutrition counters not only help you lose weight, they make you a healthy individual overall.

The best part about them? They’re free to use, and you can easily find them online. Simply make a search for them, and you’ll find hundreds of search hits within seconds. Combine a healthy diet with exercise, and you’ll lose weight the healthy way without using those “miracle” drugs which never really work anyway. Within days, you’ll find that your eating habits will have changed, and you’ll almost immediately feel better and more energetic. Within weeks, combined with exercise, you’ll find that you’re losing weight at a measurable pace. For a healthy body and more confidence, turn to food nutrition counters.

Tags: food nutrition counter *( nutrition products )

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When you start a diet and/or exercise regimen, you should always include some diet nutrition supplements into your routine. Diet and nutrition supplements can describe anything from protein powders, multi-vitamins, protein bars, or anything else that helps you get the nutrients you need while you healthily lose weight. You might think that taking all these diet and nutrition supplements might take a lot of work; but that’s just not true. Health nutrition supplements are designed to be easily included in your daily lifestyle.

Multi-Vitamins

Every diet and nutrition plan should include a good daily multi-vitamin. When you diet, your body can miss out on a lot of nutrients that it needs to remain healthy, to repair itself, etc. A good daily multi-vitamin will replenish what you lose and will give your body everything it needs to grow strong and to effectively lose the weight you’re trying to lose. It will essentially ensure that your body runs like a finely tuned body fat burning machine.

Fat Burners

While you’re taking your daily multi-vitamin, try a fat burner along with it. Just pair them up and pop them at the same time. Fat burners will help your body burn that fat but it will also give you a boost of energy that will allow you to effectively get through your day. Be careful and gradually move up the required dosage. Some fat burners can give you too much energy and can leave you with a lot of anxiety and nervousness. That’s what you don’t want. You want a diet and nutrition supplemental fat burner that will give you the energy you need to get through your day; similar to drinking a cup or two of coffee.

Protein Shakes

Protein shakes will help you get the protein you need to build lean muscle mass; which will burn more calories while you’re at rest. You can, of course, get your protein from food, such as meat, dairy and eggs; but protein shakes are convenient, you don’t have to eat as much food, they often contain other vitamins and nutrients essential to building muscle, and they taste great! Well, the good ones taste great. Some…not so great. But this is one diet and nutrition supplement that will help you conveniently get in all your meals; even if you have to drink some of them.

See how easy it is to include these diet and nutrition supplements in your daily routine? Before you know it you’ll be thinner and you’ll feel better and you’ll be amazed at how easy it was all along.

Tags: diet nutrition supplements (health nutrition supplement

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When you think of good nutrition, you probably don’t think of restaurant eating. Restaurant eating can be bad for your diet or fitness program unless you make good nutrition choices when eating out. You can make good restaurant nutrition choices, you just need to educate yourself on what a good food choice is. When staring at a menu at a restaurant, it can be very easy to be tempted by all the choices. Especially when you see pictures of fattening cheeseburgers and nachos and desserts; staying on your diet is nearly impossible. However, if you know what to look for and what choices to make, staying on your diet can be done even when eating out at restaurants.

Nutrition Information

Many restaurants will provide you with a card or a piece of paper with the restaurant nutrition information on it if you request it. This is a great way to discover for yourself which of the restaurant’s menu items are good to eat. Fast food restaurants and even your sit down restaurants will provide this information, as they know that many people are trying to watch their waistlines. If the restaurant nutrition information isn’t available, you should still be able to make good nutrition choices by studying up on what constitutes a good food choice.

Good Vs. Bad Choices

When you’re trying to watch your weight, or just remain healthy in general, it’s best to stay away from anything fried, cooked with too much oil, anything with a lot of condiments or sauces on it, and anything that has too much cheese or butter on it. These types of foods are very fattening, they can be very high in cholesterol and they can pack many calories into one meal. In fact, many of these types of foods will provide you with all the calories you are required for one full day. And that’s all in one meal.

Good restaurant nutrition choices include things such as salads (watch the dressing), grilled chicken sandwiches, stir fry items and anything that involves more natural ingredients. Often times, restaurants will provide healthy items such as these in a separate section on the menu so that people can make good choices. They will call this section the Heart Healthy menu or something to that effect.

Restaurant nutrition in general is not good for you but by educating yourself on what you should and shouldn’t eat, you should be able to stay on track; even if you are eating out at your favorite sit down or fast food restaurant.

Tags: restaurant nutrition (good nutrition)

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