by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Diet
10 Ways To Sneak Some Extra Fruits And Vegetables In Your Family’s Diet
We all know by now that we should be eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Even though this is sometimes said to be 7 or 9 or even ten servings by professionals, who can’t seem to make up their mind – so I say get between 5 and 10 and you know you’re doing your best J
But knowing and doing are two different things, aren’t they? Sometimes it is just not easy to get them all in there. We are constantly tempted to fill up on convenience and junk food. If your family is anything like most, they’d much rather fill up on a bag of chips or a bowl of rice or pasta instead of trying an apple or a plate of steamed broccoli. So we will have to get creative. Here are a few ideas to sneak some extra vegetables and fruits in your family’s diet.
- 1. Start the day with a breakfast smoothie. All you have to do is throw some fruits, and/or veggies, low-fat yogurt, or plant milk and ice in a blender. You may also want to add a scoop of protein powder in there for good measure. Just blend for a few seconds and you have the perfect breakfast ready to go. I like to sip mine in a thermal cup on the way to work. To make it even more appealing for your kids, use some frozen yogurt or a scoop of home-made fruit ice cream in the smoothie. They won’t believe that you are letting them have ice cream for breakfast.
- Dried fruit makes an excellent snack any time of the day. Add some small cartons of raisins to your child’s lunch box, pack some yogurt-covered raisins in your husbands briefcase and keep some trail mix sitting around for snacking. You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. My family loves banana chips in their breakfast cereal and on yoghurt. This is of course best if you make these chips at home s then you know they aren’t coated full of sugar.
- Add some fruits and vegetables to your family’s sandwiches. You can add some banana, sliced apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a sandwich slice – I use vegan chicken slices -but you may use chicken or turkey- with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and anything else they will eat. You can even make a sub shop style vegetable sandwich by combining several different vegetables with some vegan mayonnaise and vegan cheese on bread.
- Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, some cheese and croutons as well as several choices of salad dressing along with the lettuce and let everybody create their own perfect salad.
- Let them drink their fruits and vegetables. Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices in the fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack. Get creative. You could start family cocktail hour by pouring everybody a glass of his or her favourite juice over ice. Add some straws, cocktail umbrellas and sit together to talk about how everybody’s day went.
- Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots of fresh or frozen fruit. Yum!
- Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks. You can cut apples into slices and top them with peanut butter or cheese. Cube cheese and serve with grapes. Cut up some fresh veggies and serve them with ranch dip. Do fun things, be creative like – ants on a log. Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter on the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle raisins on it (wow, fruit and vegetable in one snack).
- Try some new fruits and vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your family’s curiosity. With a little luck their curiosity will outweigh their initial apprehension to trying something new. You could try artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, star fruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department of your local store.
- Make a pot of vegetable soup or a stew that’s heavy on veggies and easy on the meat or better still go meat free. Both of these make some great comfort food when the weather gets cold.
- Start my Veggie Day. Each family member gets to pick a vegetable one day of the week. They qualify to pick a vegetable as long as they tried each vegetable the week before, otherwise they lose a turn and Mom gets to pick.
Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and vegetables in no time.
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Here is another tip:
Keep stocked up! – As now that everyone in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure you always have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available and ready to snack on.
by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Diet
7 Ways to Make Alkaline Diet Benefit You
The premise of an alkaline diet is that the nutrients found in supplements, alkalising foods, and water can bring the body back to balance. These vitamins, minerals, and herbs infuse the body with new energy, vitality, and better health.
Alkaline foods and water must be consumed in order to provide nutrients the body needs to neutralise acids and toxins in the blood, lymph, tissues, and cells.
Now, not all acid in the body is bad, of course not, Acids are needed for digestion and some forms of energy production. But things need to be balanced.
When pH balance inside the body is out of balance the body tries to correct that sensitive pH balance. That process shows up as uncomfortable symptoms, including colds, flus, allergies, diseases, viruses, and bacteria.
When the pH level in our body is unbalanced, almost any area of the body can be affected. For example, when the nervous system is affected as the result of unbalanced pH balance it shows up in the form of the depression. When the cardiovascular system is affected, we could have heart disease or experience other heart-related problems, including thickening and hardening of the arteries, coronary heart disease, pain or discomfort in the chest, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart failure. When muscles are affected, we often feel fatigue and lack of energy. When skin is affected by improper pH balance, we age quicker than normal.
Alkaline Diet Benefit
When the body’s pH level is in balance, the body reaches ideal weight and corrects negative health challenges naturally.
Transition to a more alkaline healthy diet requires a shift in attitude towards food. The important point to remember is that small changes go a long way. Add more alkaline foods to your diet gradually.
7 Sure-fire ways to make alkaline diet benefit you:
1) Reduce the consumption of sugar and products made from sugar, including soda pop, pies, ice cream, jello, jams & jellies, artificial juices, puddings, doughnuts, corn syrups, , sweetened drinks, cookies, breakfast cereals, liqueurs, mixed drinks.
2) Avoid processed foods and condiments including ketchup, salad dressings, pickles, luncheon meats, canned fruits, breads, relish, cheese dips, peanut butter, prepared seafood, canned soups, hot dogs, sausages, sweetened yogurt.
3) Avoid cooking and heating foods and drinks in microwave.
4) Avoid dairy, meats, fried foods and fast foods.
5) Increase your consumption of raw vegetables and raw fresh fruits (without sugar). You should include raw vegetables in every meal. If your breakfast is so small that you only eat toast or cereal, stop eating toast and take fresh fruits or vegetable juices instead. If your lunches are usually consisting of sandwiches, try to substitute it with a raw salad or a vegetable juice. Have a large salad before you eat a heavy entree at dinner. This way, you will be sure to eat all of the salad instead of finding yourself too full to finish it.
6) Grains form the base of a balanced diet and are important in maintaining the alkaline balance in the body. Grains are great source of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients, including folic acid, fibre, carbohydrates antioxidants and phytoestrogens. The Department of Food and Science and Nutrition at University of Minnesota determined that consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease. By eating grains, you can eat less but feel full. Grains should comprise about 20% of your diet.
7) Don’t forget to hydrate. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of good quality water each day. Add liquid minerals to increase the quality of water.
If you follow these easy 7 steps it will allow you to create the proper alkaline balance within your body.
Creating the proper alkaline balance within your body will bring you increased quality of life. You’ll start seeing immediate improvements in your health. Your energy will increase, your concentration will be stronger. You’ll build strength, stamina, and resistance to diseases. Your entire body will function more efficiently just like it was meant to do.
Remember balance in all thingsJ
by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Health, Mind
5 Tips For Uniting Your Body, Mind, and Soul
Do you know what it takes to unite your body, mind, and soul? If you did, do you realise that you would be able to achieve the balance that nearly everyone wishes they had in their lives? Do you know what you need to do for yourself in order to bring about this balance?
Part of uniting these three elements of your person is knowing what makes you passionate. Knowing what makes you passionate will help you get in touch with your soul, to feel creative energy, to feel truly alive. Spiritual or creative passion can help you to achieve those feelings. Whether it’s through faith, music, or some other type of artistic expression, you must find what will awaken your soul in order to strike balance in your life.
Here are some tips to guide you:
What are your goals for the future?
What would you like to ultimately achieve in your life?
Is it spiritual enlightenment?
Is it social status?
Or is it merely to be the best person you can be, and make a contribution to society?
What is important, though, is the process by which you attain your ultimate goal. That is what will generate your passion.
Try to focus on the positive, and do not dwell on the negative.
Recall your accomplishments and good deeds. Doing this will help keep you positive and keep your spirit up. If you constantly remind yourself of your mistakes, you will find it harder to succeed down the road, and your mind, body, and soul will work against you.
Meditate – You’ve heard of finding your happy place right?
This form of meditation helps you take your mind and spirit to a comfortable place that fills you with happiness. This is an ideal thing to do when you are in the middle of a stressful day at work or with the kids; it provides the perfect opportunity to regroup.
Spark a change.
Plan a vacation, even if it is just for a weekend. Nothing does the body, mind, and soul better than a little change of scenery. Go where you will be happy and be able to let loose and have some fun. Try it on your own. It might sound scary, but you will be surprised at how relaxed and refreshed you will be after a weekend all to yourself!
Try some daily affirmations.
Pick three things that you can say out loud in the mirror that will help you stay centred, positive, and focused. Saying something often enough has the power to make it true for you. Remember not to dwell on the negative, focus on the positive.
Three basic affirmations that you can work from include:
I am safe and secure, happy and healthy.
The Universe gives me everything that I need.
My income will continue to increase.
I hope this helps you to get started on finding the happy place within and uniting mind, body and soul and coming into a peaceful alignment.
Blessings
by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Health, Mind
Yes, You Definitely Need A Hobby
There usually comes a time in a person’s life when he or she becomes aware of how little they do for themselves in their free time.
And it’s absolutely normal to question yourself because we are programmed to want to know, learn, do more and grow as individuals.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re wasting your free time and all your friends look happier than you, then maybe you need a hobby.
What went wrong?
The importance of hobbies
Don’t take it the wrong way, but you probably just got lazy and sloppy.
A lot of people struggle with finding a hobby because of their tight schedules and busy daily routines.
But you can always find half an hour for yourself and your hobby of choice.
Remember when you were a kid, and you used to do all these new and exciting things?
You’re an adult now, and you have a job, maybe kids, maybe a dog that needs walking and… less and less energy, perhaps.
This is the right time to start thinking about giving a little bit more than you expect of yourself to start a project, class, sport, or whatever you feel will make you happy.
What can it do for you?
Having a hobby or even a couple of enjoyable side activities can prove to be extremely beneficial for the well-being of both your mind and body.
In other words, it could make you way happier than you are now.
Think of hobbies in terms of “How can I manage my free time in a way that will allow me to spend less time on the couch and more time doing enjoyable activities that will fill me up with energy?”
Engaging in such activities, big or small, will make your day seem more meaningful and put a smile on your face.
It’s easier said than done, right? Well, It’s not that hard, actually! All you have to do is start somewhere.
To know where to start, however, you need to be aware of the things you like doing or used to do, and more importantly, the things you always wanted to try but never pushed yourself enough to do so.
The idea behind having a hobby is to make yourself feel happier. The way this works is for you to find something you’re good at and own it.
Because truth be told, we like doing things that get us recognition, especially from ourselves.
All of this may sound like It’s going to cost lots of money, right?
There are actually a couple of hobbies that you can start with to get your blood pumping and ready for the bigger things.
Starting small
If you don’t have a big budget, but still want to make yourself partake in new things you can try starting with smaller hobby choices.
Things like starting a Youtube channel or Instagram profile can help you get started with finding your new and exciting hobbies.
The way this helps is that you start to think about time management and finding those extra 30 minutes for something that tickles your fancy.
Not only does this make you go more public, but it also helps with finding out what you may be good at.
Partaking in sports is always a great idea for your body and mind to rewind after, or before, a long day. Yes, it may take a little more time than other hobbies to go to the gym, or for a run, but you won’t be sorry for sure.
Reading, writing, and learning new languages are all great and cheap activities that help you grow as a person, grow emotionally, and feel more fulfilled as an individual amongst peers.
Alternatively, you can always combine some of these activities or do others, but the bottom line should be doing things you like for yourself.
If you don’t, then who will?
Take your time to find enjoyable activities outside of work and school – Find your own means of enjoying the mind and body you have been blessed with to their full potential.
by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness
Why you SHOULD hire a personal trainer
Hiring a personal coach comes with a lot of benefits, and the truth is, you should definitely consider hiring one!
It doesn’t matter if you are an absolute beginner or preparing for a bodybuilding or powerlifting competition.
Having a coach means you will have a person who supports you in the most challenging moments of your training career.
Sure, having your loved ones nearby might be helpful, but if they are not into the sport, the chance they know what’s going on in your head is minimal.
That’s why having a person who has gone through all of this might be helpful.
In today’s article, you will learn why it is crucial to hire a personal coach.
Hiring a personal trainer as a beginner
Remember the first time you entered the gym.
How did you feel? Were you nervous?
Did you have someone with you?
You’ve probably gone with a friend who was more experienced than you.
He showed you some of the basic movements, and he directed you throughout your training.
Now, imagine that from the first day at the local gym, you had a coach.
The coach was a professional who took you from the door, explained the workout, and guided you through the session.
In fact, he was there for each one of those sessions.
He showed you the proper execution of the exercises, which is one of the essential things when entering the gym for the first time.
He created a plan for you and taught you how to stick to it and be as effective as possible to achieve your goals.
If you haven’t hired him and trained with your friend instead, you might still have gotten the same results.
However, if you don’t pay, you don’t pay attention and may easily lose focus from the task at hand.
Paying for a personal coach makes you more dedicated to succeeding because you’ve put some of your hard-earned money into this.
From our experience, people who favor personal trainers progress faster than others who train alone or with friends.
Hiring a personal trainer as an advanced lifter
You may ask yourself – “Why would I need a coach when I already know what I’m doing?”
Think for a moment for every professional athlete out there.
They have been training all their lives.
Do you think they don’t know how to train efficiently?
If you have decided to prepare for a powerlifting or bodybuilding competition having a personal trainer with you might be one of the best investments in the world.
When you are prepping for the stage, you are not only physically tired but also mentally.
If you have a person who takes care of your fitness plan and diet, then it is just one burden less on your shoulders.
Moreover, having a person who has been through all of this might play a role in your ranking.
Perhaps, he can make some change in your posing, play with the food in the final hours to minimize water retention, or just be there with you for moral support (which btw can also reduce water retention).
All of this would make a difference for you if you didn’t hire a coach.
Hiring a personal trainer out of boredom
“Boredom?” You’ve read that right.
Many busy individuals are tired of the same routine every workout.
A lot of these people quit because they just get bored.
A personal trainer will help mix up the training a bit. He can add some Tabata workouts, training outside, or even make you try new equipment.
He can get you out of the weight loss plateau with a combination of those mentioned above.
Getting through a plateau will motivate you even more to chase that dream physique of yours.
While some of us can stick to a program that works and has proven to bring results, some people seek variety.
Experimenting with different workouts every session might be the key to leveling up their performance in the gym after a long day at work.
Takeaway message
A personal coach can lead you throughout your training and shorten the path to your dream physique while teaching you the proper execution of every movement and healthy eating habits.
If you are competing, he can also be your biggest support during your preparation and the final and most vital hours before the stage.
A personal trainer can also switch up your boring routine and make you excited about your next session.
So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to a local professional!
