The majority of the nutrients that the body needs come from outside the body. We can make some amino acids and other building blocks ourselves within the body cells, but not enough to sustain us, and not without proper nutrition. When it comes to getting proper nutrition, food is the primary tool we need to use.

Nevertheless, the world of supplements is big business because many people see them as a tool to help improve their health. In some case, they may be right. If you are at risk for diabetes, a little supplementation may help you fight back. (...)>

Read the rest of Using Supplements for Diabetes Prevention (415 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: chromium, diabetes, magnesium, multivitamin, supplements, vitamin e

Read the rest of Prevention is the Cure: Cancer Fighting Super Foods (442 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: broccoli, cancer, dark chocolate, strawberries, super foods, tomatoes

And, since skin is your largest organ, when you’re not feeding the inside of your body well, it shows on the outside of your body, via the skin.

So, if you’re feeling rather blah and your complexion is starting to show the strain, forget your makeup counter—check your kitchen! You’ll find the secrets to healthy, beautiful skin right there on your counter. What no veggies in the house?! Get thee to a farmer’s market at stock up on some skincare items.

By changing your eating habits, your skin’s health will improve right along with the health of your entire body. (...)>

Read the rest of Get Your Summer Glow from Skin Healthy Super Foods (481 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: fish, goji berries, skin care, super foods, vegetables, yogurt

It’s a wonderful cycle to get caught up in! Work out, lose fat, build muscle, burn more fat. Other than doing your exercises routinely, there are foods you can eat to help build muscle tissue. Let’s take a look at what sort of super foods will help build muscle.

The Magic of Muscle For Weight Loss

As we age, we lose muscle, especially when we reach the age of forty and over. But, muscle is important. It helps to strengthen our framework. The same calcium that strengthens the bones also builds the muscle that the frame is attached to.

Muscle weighs more than fat. It’s important to realize that especially when you are losing weight. If the scale comes down slowly, don’t worry. You are sculpting a more beautiful, healthier body with lean muscle. And, that lean muscle needs more energy to operate. That’s one reason why muscle burns fat for energy. Yes, even when you are not lifting dumbbells, your muscles are at work burning fat for you. What more could you ask?

Building muscle requires a nutritious diet. Muscle needs protein, calcium, and a host of other nutrients to grow. That is where super foods come in. (...)>

Read the rest of Muscle Building Super Foods (351 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: building muscle, eggs, flax seed, nuts, steak, super foods, turkey

We’re counting down the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health! (...)>

Read the rest of Count Down the Top 10 Power-Packed Foods for Good Health (613 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: super foods

Broccoli is misunderstood and under-appreciated, but this superhero of super foods can do more for you in one cup than other foods can in several servings. Keep reading and perhaps you’ll gain new respect for this SUPER super food. (...)>

Read the rest of The Benefits of Broccoli — The Super Hero of Super Food (442 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: antioxidants, broccoli, detox your body, digestion, potassium, super foods, vitamin a, vitamin c

Remember when you used to sneak your Brussels sprouts to the dog under the table? Well, Fido got the better part of the deal. Here’s why.

Green is good. Green foods are filled with nutrients that improve not only overall health but the health of your heart and immune system. Green foods also lower cholesterol, improve brain health, and improve emotional and mental health. Better health and improved mood? We all could use that!

There is an abundance of green all around you, but if you’re wondering how to choose green super foods, here’s a primer:

1. Start with the produce section. Fresh is always better than processed. Whenever you can, eat green super foods raw. The majority of nutrients are unlocked that way.
2. Frozen is next. Steam them to preserve as many nutrients as you can.
3. Canned green super foods should be a last resort since processing removes much of the nutrients you’re looking for.
4. Some folks also like to use a juicer. Even if some vegetables don’t taste good to you, you may enjoy them in a juice mixed with other vegetables you do like. The downside to juicing is that you don’t get as much fiber as eating the whole food.

Now, about that Super List of Super Green Foods… (...)>

Read the rest of Green Super Foods (262 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: edamame, green tea, spinach, super foods, wheatgrass

Super Foods Help Your Heart Do What it Does

The heart is the muscle of the body. Many love poems have been written about it and people cry from the proverbial ” broken” heart, but in real life, it is a force to be reckoned with. The heart is charged with pumping blood to the entire body. It uses the blood vessel superhighway to do that. It is an involuntary muscle controlled by the brain.

How well the heart does its job doesn’t just depend on how well the brain is working but how well we feed the body. Vessel clogging foods like trans-fats, sugars, and foods devoid of nutrients all contribute to the demise of the heart. When vessels are narrowed by clots or plaques, blood pressure rises. That means that the heart has to pump that much harder to get the same amount of blood throughout the body.

Imagine if your vessels were a garden hose. Plaques and other obstructions can be represented by a knot in the hose. You’ve seen this in cartoons. The pressure builds up behind the obstruction until something gives, usually the hose bursting at the knot or the source. That could be you blowing a vessel or damaging your heart.

If you are headed in that direction, there is something that you can do. (...)>

Read the rest of Heart Healthy Super Foods are Worthy of Love (323 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: heart health, super foods

The Skinny on Cholesterol

On the whole, cholesterol isn’t a bad guy. It just got a bad name. Cholesterol is used by cells to maintain the integrity of their membranes. The brain uses cholesterol to help improve memory. It is a packaging system for hormones and other substances that travel from place to place through the blood. So, as you can see, it has an importance in the body that can’t be denied.

The problem comes when we have an unbalanced cholesterol level. Certain cholesterol molecules, namely HDL cholesterol, or the ” good cholesterol,” help to keep the blood vessels clear, preventing plaques from forming on the walls. Other cholesterol molecules, LDL and Triglycerides, can cause problems in high amounts. They can form plaques and clots that narrow vessels and lead to conditions like stroke and embolism.

Overall, it is a good idea to maintain the balance of these three cholesterols in the blood. That means a change in the makeup of your food plate. Some foods that contain a lot of fat also contain the wrong type of cholesterol. Many people struggle with their ideal cholesterol numbers, often you can simplify the whole process and get a healthy balance just by eating right. This leads us back to how do we find cholesterol-fighting super foods?(...)>

Read the rest of Take it Down a Notch with Cholesterol-Fighting Super Foods (305 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: avocados, cholesterol, fish, nuts, oats, super foods

We now know what super foods are so it is time to define antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that fight free-radical damage in the body. This begs the next question: What are free radicals?

Here’s the down and dirty explanation. The body uses food nutrients at a cellular level to drive certain reactions that goes on in the body. This is called cellular metabolism or respiration. Free radicals are by-products produced by these reactions. In the body, these substances bump into organs, vessels and everything else, damaging them in the process. That is why the body ages, and not always so gracefully.

Free radicals can come from not only the body but also the environment. Pollution, smoking, stress, drugs, alcohol, and other sources all feed into the damage that causes us to age. Antioxidants help by neutralizing the effects of these rogue particles. You are less prone to disease, wrinkles, age spots, arthritis, and the list goes on.

Now to the point you’ve been waiting for: What foods can you eat to get the most antioxidant benefit? (...)>

Read the rest of Eat a Rainbow of Antioxidant-Packed Super Foods (439 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: antioxidants, super foods

The Realities of Weight Loss

Why can’t we seem to take it off? The real answer lies in what we eat. To get your weight loss journey on track switch from processed foods to simple things like super foods. Super foods are packed with power.

Super foods have specific qualities that make it easier to lose weight.

1. They fill you up with fiber. If your belly is full, you don’t want any more food.
2. They change your desires. If you change your palate by avoiding sugary foods, then sweet treats won’t have the same appeal. In fact, when you start craving sweet summer strawberries instead of gooey strawberry shortcake, then you know you’re on your way!

It is not easy to lose fat. It takes roughly a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose a pound. That sounds like a lot, but when you are eating foods that are high in nutritional value and low in calories—ie: the super foods—the weight will feel like it is literally melting off. And, you get the benefit of super nutrients strengthening your body at the same time.

Here is a list of our favorite super foods for weight loss. (...)>

Read the rest of Jump Start Your Diet With These Weight Loss Super Foods (365 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: apples, eggs, oats, peppers, sardines, super foods, whole grains

This hidden ” miracle” is called antioxidants. They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. But what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. (...)>

Read the rest of Harness the Power of Antioxidants to Keep Your Body Young (398 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: aging, antioxidants

What are super foods?

That’s the million dollar question, or rather, the 100-year-old question. Super foods do what those ” miracle” products can’t — and they do it naturally. How did your ancestors manage to live long, healthy lives without all the powders and potions? It wasn’t just because they stayed fit by working from sunup to sundown. The food they ate had a lot to do with it.

Unlike the much-hyped powders, pills, and potions said to cure what ails you, super foods aren’t ” super” because they are filled with additives and other proprietary substances that the manufacturers keep secret. These foods are ” super” because of just how uncomplicated they really are.

Super foods, as they have been dubbed, are actually foods that are nutrient dense but contain no additives or preservatives. (...)>

Read the rest of What are Super Foods? Discover the Secret Benefits of Real Food! (350 words)

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Fruits and vegetables have been touted for two decades as potent cancer-fighting foods. Although new research has tarnished this image, they still pack a punch against high blood pressure, heart disease, and other chronic conditions, reports the June issue of the Harvard Health Letter.

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended 20 years ago that people eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases, research results have been chipping away at that notion. (...)>

Read the rest of Fruits and Veggies Not Enough to Protect Against Cancer, says the Harvard Health Letter (224 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: cancer, Harvard, research, vegetables

While we all of us strive for sustainable weight loss, not all of us make it, and that’s where various little ‘helpers’ come in. One of these is a supplement called linoleic acid.

European studies show that a daily dose of 3.4 g of linoleic acid helps people maintain weight loss over time. In the study, conducted in Norway last year, 125 people were put on the supplement after having lost an average of nine per cent body fat the previous year. Most people who took the supplement, unlike the control group, sustained their body fat loss. Of course, less body fat and more muscle has some very significant benefits; basically, the more muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism. A person with more muscle will burn more calories even if he or she is just sitting still, because muscle burns calories and fat. (...)>

Read the rest of Can Linoleic Acid Help Sustain Weight Loss? (308 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: Linoleic acid, research, supplements

The wine-making process can enhance the natural healing powers of a specific fruit or herb. For instance, wines made from dark berries not only retain the natural qualities of those fruits but also amplify their antioxidant properties many times over.

Elderberry is well known for its ability to inhibit cold and flu and it is valued by healers as a remedy for its antiviral and antibacterial properties.  Elderberry Wine is also a powerful antioxidant, made more powerful by the fermentation process.

Blackberry, besides being a powerful antioxidant, is historically used as a strengthener of the gums and and fortifier.  Blackberry is also used for diarrhea, skin rashes and minor sore throats.  It is a powerful agent against cancer-causing free radicals.  And, along with other purple-colored berries, it helps improve vision, especially at night. (...)>

Read the rest of Medicinal Wines and the Bounty of Berries (36 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: berries, wine

I.V. administered EDTA chelation therapy is not recognized by the FDA and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find practitioners. But, EDTA chelation therapy has been a an alternative to heart surgery and has helped rejuvenate and heal people from a number of conditions including heavy metal poisoning, which can include some of the following symptoms: Extreme fatigue; feelings of extreme hot or cold; numbness of the hands and feet; loss of coordination; impairment of speech, vision and hearing; muscle weakness’ rashes and mental fogginess.

In dire cases of arteriosclerosis and cancer, the I.V. form of EDTA chelation is usually a better alternative to oral chelation, but for general maintenance and the removal of metals and some environmental toxins, a few simple dietary additions can be made to help naturally chelate toxic metals. (...)>

Read the rest of DIY Chelation Therapy through Food and Supplements (439 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: burdock root, cat's claw, chelation, cilantro, detox your body, garlic, heavy metals, supplements

Stress caused by mental exhaustion results when the mind keeps working even when the physical body is at rest. If stress is caused by a specific limited event, like a near miss on the freeway, although a bit shaken, the mind recovers once the event is over. But, if the stress is caused by a daily anxiety or goes on long-term, then that is what’s known as negative stress. It’s very real and it can jeopardize your good health.

A failed marriage, loss of job, constant nagging by a co-worker or spouse can cause unremitting stress where the body reaches the stage of mental exhaustion. Chronic mental exhaustion leading to negative stress can be caused by a relationship or a situation that makes you miserable, money problems, living in a high crime area or dealing with any other on-going event that makes you feel financially or physically threatened.

Luckily, the body knows how to fight stress using a superficial energy that can be replaced with good nutrition, exercise and relaxation techniques.  (...)>

Read the rest of The Power of Antioxidants to Relieve Stress (528 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: antioxidants, stress

On a low carb diet you will find that you get hungry quicker, so you will need to incorporate snacks into your diet in order to help hold you over until your next meal. If you’re worrying that you’ll overeat, have no fear. When you know which snacks are best for a low carb diet, your body will continue burning fat even though you’re consuming food.

Low Carb Snacks to Keep In Your Panty

There are certain foods you will want to have on hand at all times. You will find that you may need a handful of nuts or a celery stalk with peanut butter to curb your appetite until the next meal, so keep stocked up on a few of your all time favorites snacks. Try some of these tasty goodies, and then pick 4 or 5 that you love and stock up on them. Be sure to switch them out every couple of weeks to keep the variety flowing:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Dill pickles and cheddar cheese
• Whole Almonds
• String Cheese
• Cottage Cheese and blackberries
• Low sugar beef or turkey jerky
• Cheese and apple slices
• Raw veggies with low carb spinach dip
• Low carb dip or spread rolled up in a piece of lunchmeat
• Pork rinds with low carb dip
• Zap pepperoni slices in the microwave for pepperoni ìchipsî
• Sugar free yogurt with blue or black berries
• Lettuce roll-ups: roll veggies and lunchmeat in lettuce leaves
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber slices
• Mushrooms with cheese spread inside
• Sugar free fudge pops

If you like to cook, then it’s worth searching out some tasty low-carb recipes. Many of these snacks can be made ahead of time. Try these quick and easy low carb snacks: (...)>

Read the rest of Awesome Ideas for Low Carb Snacks (121 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: low carb, snacks

There is no way around it, diabetes is a challenging health condition both for doctors and patients. In diabetics, the body is unable to produce the insulin it requires to function properly.  Unstable insulin levels lead to a whole host of health problems that affect other systems throughout the body. For instance, diabetics experience problems with wound healing and, if poorly controlled, diabetes can lead to problems with eyesight and the kidneys, too.

Much of American society is already at risk for diabetes and the risk increases every year. One of the major contributing factors for diabetes risk is obesity. Although designed for diabetics, the diabetic living diet can be beneficial for anyone trying to manage or avert the diabetic risk factors.

Diabetic Living and Better Homes & Gardens promote the diabetic living diet. It is designed to help diabetics’ live healthier lives and also to try and help those who are border line to avoid developing the disease.

What do I do on the Diabetic Diet?

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to go about eating on a diet plan. What exactly does healthy mean for you? On the diabetic living diet, that question is answered so you can follow it with minimal problems.

Those with diabetes need to manage their blood sugar. The best way to do this is through the foods that you eat. It has been said that losing even ten percent of your body weight can reduce your risk of diabetes. The online tools that accompany this diet teach you how to eat both at home and away, what to eat, how to shop for foods and when to eat. Nothing is left to chance here.

People often wonder about the types of foods they will be eating. There are over 500 recipes in the database of Better Homes & Gardens for you to choose from.

But, we are putting the cart before the horse. The first thing that you will do with this diet is provide information online to help those medical professionals behind the diet to assess your risk of diabetes and how much weight you need to lose to fall into a healthy range. From there, they customize an eating plan just for you. Also, you have access to online support whenever you have questions. (...)>

Read the rest of Managing Blood Sugar with the Diabetic Living Diet (106 words)

© Healthy Journey 2010. | More articles: diabetes, diets