healthy diet Plan:

Benefits of a healthy diet

Fruits and Vegetables:

Health Benefits: Reduce risk for stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer, reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, help decrease bone loss and reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

Nutrients: No fruits or vegetables have cholesterol, and most are naturally low in fat and calories, Vegetables are a great source for potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C, Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure, Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections, Vitamin E helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty acids from cell oxidation, Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy.

"Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress." -Mohandas Gandhi

New Year Health Tips

New Year Health Tips

Today, I am going to share few of the very interesting articles on New year health tips for everyone.

While i was surfing online for the best new year health tips for the coming year 2015, I could see few articles that makes me to publish on my health tips blog so that people would be benefitted from reading and following those tips.

Health Tips for a New Year 2015

20 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

Once we have put some thought into our vision for the future, and set goals that are based on health rather than perfectionism, then the following simple steps can help you develop and maintain the resolve to achieve your goals.

1. Be realistic.
2. Aim for self-improvement and learning.
3. Line your goals up with your priorities.
4. Set a realistic time frame for change.
5. Focus on self-care and nurturance through the change.
6. Develop your patience.
7. Be honest with yourself - change requires commitment.
8. Look for ways to reduce stress, as it will undermine your discipline and your health.
9. Be prepared to try something new.
10. Be prepared to learn from your mistakes.
11. Celebrate the small steps.
12. Be curious and open to the learning.
13. Look for balance in life.
14. Stay focused.
15. Use self-care and self-reflection to help you accomplish your goals.
16. Look for others who share your goals, and support each other.
17. Have 'safe' people who will encourage you during your highs and lows.
18. Take actions to commit to good decision making.
19. Be non-defensive and open to examining poor decision making.
20. Have some fun along the way - joy can fuel positive change.

Top 10 Healthiest New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain.

Read more Top 10 Healthiest New Year's Resolutions

15 health tips for the new year

Year after year we make resolutions to exercise regularly, eat well, and give up smoking and other bad habits. Following such basic rules can cut heart disease risk by 80 percent, diabetes risk by 90 percent and cancer risk by 50 percent, according to the Harvard Nurses' Health Study.

Read more 15 health tips for the new year

9 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

Want to downsize your figure? Start downsizing your dishes. Studies show using smaller plates and bowls promote weight loss because they help to curb overeating.

Read more 9 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

8 Tips for Making and Keeping Healthy New Year's Resolutions

If you are the type of person who makes but never keeps New Year's resolutions, these suggestions can help you make healthy -- and attainable -- goals this year.

    1. Don't abandon the idea of setting resolutions because you have broken them in the past. You may need to simply readjust the type and number of goals you're setting for yourself.

    2. Do be realistic. A resolution to run a marathon by year's end is likely unrealistic for an inexperienced exerciser. Likewise, resolving to stop all your unhealthy habits at once is likely to fail. Pick a safe, attainable goal with a realistic time frame. For example, if your resolution is to eat healthier, begin by eliminating one unhealthy food from your diet at a time, not all unhealthy foods.

Read more 8 Tips for Making and Keeping Healthy New Year's Resolutions

5 Diet Resolutions for New Year

Are you making bold resolutions on January 1 to "eat right" -- whatever that means? Stop trying to overhaul your entire diet in a day! Resolve to think small and you can reach any diet goal -- one focused step at a time. Why not start with these simple tips?

Read more 5 Diet Resolutions for New Year

10 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Chances are at some time in your life you’ve made a New Year’s resolution — and then broken it. This year, stop the cycle of resolving to make change and then not following through. If your resolution is to take better care of yourself and get healthy, you will have a much better year if your resolution sticks. Here are 10 tips to help you get started.  

1.  Be Realistic

The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to NEVER eat your favorite food again is setting you up to fail. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.

2.  Plan Ahead

Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.

3.  Outline Your Plan

Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have that piece of cake. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your “bad” will affect your goal.

4.  Make a “Pros” and “Cons” List

It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

5.  Talk About It

Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best-case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

6.  Reward Yourself

This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to eat a better diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn’t contradict your resolution. If you have been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, reward yourself with new fitness clothing or by going to a movie with a friend.

7.  Track Your Progress

Keep track of each small success. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, focus on losing the first five. Keep a food journal to help you stay on track, and reward yourself for each five pounds lost.

8.  Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take one day at a time.

9.  Stick to It

Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

10. Keep Trying

If you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

Read more 10 Tips to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

10 Better-for-You New Year’s Resolutions

Making a New Year’s resolution this year? If it’s to lose those pesky 10 pounds—for the sixth year in a row—why not consider making a new, more doable resolution with equally big health payoffs? Take your pick of these 10 attainable resolutions that you can actually tackle this year.

Read more 10 Better-for-You New Year’s Resolutions

100 Ways to Start Your Year Off Light

Healthy Tips for the New Year

With the new year comes new expectations and goals, often accompanied by the fear of falling off the resolutions wagon by month’s end. Make this year different. Put aside over-blown resolutions and commit to making small changes all year to make this year your lightest ever. The benefits: Lose weight, put a bounce in your step, get some calm in the kitchen, and become a healthier you without feeling deprived.

Read more 100 Ways to Start Your Year Off Light

Dental Health 101: Ten Tips for Parents of Kids with Smiles

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month - a time for parents to focus on healthful habits and practices to ensure that their children enjoy a lifetime of beautiful smiles and healthy well-being.

“Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases, and can cause problems that continue into later life,” says veteran San Antonio cosmetic dentist Dr. Edward Camacho, DDS. “The dental health of a child should be a top priority for parents, starting even before a baby is born.”

Dr. Camacho offers these ten tips for parents:

1) Get the true picture – Everyone understands that you should take care of your teeth to avoid toothaches, maintain your looks and keep dental bills at bay. Many people, however, don’t understand how crucial oral health is to our total health picture. Tooth problems can lead to diabetes, heart disease, systemic infections, an inability to eat or speak properly and other maladies – some life-threatening. Crooked or crowded teeth can contribute to gum disease that can eventually lead to tooth loss. Straight teeth are no longer just for looks.

2) Dental health starts in the womb – By the second trimester of pregnancy, a baby’s teeth are forming. To make sure development is normal, mom should consume generous amounts of foods containing calcium, including dairy, products, whole grains and leafy greens.

3) Avoid baby bottle tooth decay – Don’t use the nursing bottle as a pacifier, or let the baby fall asleep with a bottle containing any form of carbohydrates. Even human breast milk can lead to tooth decay if it remains in a baby’s unrinsed mouth. A better option is to give the child a bottle of water. Never dip a pacifier in sugar, honey or anything sweet. Mothers can also transmit the bacteria that cause tooth decay to their infants through kissing, sharing cups or utensils. It is recommended that new mothers chew gum, consume mints or candy with xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar. Xylitol reduces the amount of a specific type of bacteria (strep mutans) that causes tooth decay. Spry makes xylitol sweetened gum, mint and candy.

4) Protect the baby teeth - Although they’re only with the child for a few years, baby teeth serve an important role in the development of the mouth, serving as space-savers and guides for permanent teeth. Loss of baby teeth can lead to crowded or crooked permanent teeth. Baby teeth are also important to the normal appearance of the face, proper nutrition and speech. And, of course, cavities and infection can affect the child’s overall health.

5) Tooth brushing – Even before a child’s teeth begin coming in, you should develop the habit of cleaning your baby’s gums after feeding, using a damp cloth or gauze. When the first tooth arrives, usually between the ages of 6 and 10 months, you should switch to a small soft-bristle brush. Take care to brush behind the teeth and around the gum line, using just water without toothpaste. From ages 2 to 6, add a small amount of toothpaste – no more than the size of a pea (Spry makes an infant tooth gel with xylitol which reduces bacteria that cause decay). Until about age 7, parents should handle the tooth-brushing, or at least personally supervise. Make sure the kids learn proper brushing techniques, using a circular stroke to reach all surfaces.

6) Flossing – As soon as your child has two teeth touching, you should begin flossing between the teeth. It’s as necessary as flossing for adults, and introducing the practice early will teach the child the proper habits of tooth care.

7) Tooth-friendly diet -- Parents should train their children early toward a healthy diet that has limited candy, soft drinks and other sweets that can fuel the development of cavities. Cheese is an especially healthy snack, because it adds calcium, stimulates saliva production and counteracts chemicals that can eat away at tooth enamel.

8) Prevent decay with xylitol-New research suggests that products containing xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar, can prevent tooth decay and even Otis Media (ear infections). Oral bacteria do not use Xylitol therefore no acid is produced to eat away at enamel. Xylitol also reduces the quantity of caries causing bacteria creating additional protection between meals as well as inhibiting the bacteria from sticking to the teeth. Look for products that only use xylitol as the sweetener. (Young children should avoid non-liquid products such as gum, mints or lozenges until they can effectively chew or suck long enough to gain a benefit without swallowing or choking.)

9) Visit the dentist regularly – Parents should take their children to the dentist by their first birthday, and then continue twice a year. This is also a strategy session to work out a plan for lasting dental health. Ask about dental sealants that can protect teeth against decay. Make the trips fun, so that the kids learn that the dental office isn’t a place to be afraid of.

10) Don’t let small problems become big ones – A toothache is a sign that a cavity has reached an advanced stage. It might also indicate a more serious problem, such as a cracked tooth, an infection, jaw problems, etc. Parents should inspect their kids’ teeth regularly, paying attention to anything unusual, and encourage children to be aware of the first twinge of pain or any changes in their mouths.

“Poor dental health can affect everything from overall physical wellbeing to appearance, self-confidence and emotional health,” Dr. Camacho said. “It’s critical that parents understand the importance of the life skill they are passing along to their children.”

Source http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/02/prweb5071474.htm

Peanuts - Health Benefits

Peanuts - Health Benefits

Family: Fabaceae
Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), also referred to as groundpeas or groundnuts, are an annual herbaceous legume with an indeterminate growth habit.  As these alternate names imply, this unique plant produces its fruit (peanut) below ground.  Once the small yellow flowers are self-pollinated, the fertilized ovary elongates into a “peg,” which grows downward and penetrates into the soil.  Peanuts develop underground at the ends of the pegs.  The peanut seed is referred to as a kernel and the outer shell is called a pod or hull.

1. Nutrients dense 
HIGHEST in folate, niacin, panthothenic acid and many amino acids (including arginine).
VERY HIGH in fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, thiamin, vitamin E, and choline.
HIGH in calcium, iron, copper, manganese, selenium, riboflavin, and vitamin B6.

2. Heart health 
May help to lower serum triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol levels.
High in plant protein which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and to lower blood pressure.

3. Weight control and weight loss 
High protein and fiber content promotes a feeling of fullness more than high carbohydrate snacks.
Harvard researchers have shown that it may be easier to lose wright on a moderate fat diet that included peanuts and healthy oils versus a low-fat diet.

4. Diabetes 
Low glycemic index
Emerging research has shown evidence that foods with low glycemic index values may keep blood sugar and insulin levels in optimal ranges and may be beneficial in reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

5. Cancer 
Contain cancer-fighting compounds such as resveratrol and beta-sitosterol Beta-sitosterol has been shown to inhibit breast, prostate, and colon cancer cell growth.