Food Life Goodness

Only Now I Realize Why We Have Magnesium Crystals Here

2009-06-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

In this home where I currently live, a ready bottle or box of magnesium crystals are alsways ready. I never had any of it to be honest when I was still in the Philippines. And up to the present, I do not have any idea if this is also sold in the Philippines. Or maybe it is not needed there? I just don't know. But this thing, if we feel something bad in the stomach after we have eaten something here, our relief is by drinking the magnesium.. Of course the crystals are mixed with water dissolving it....giving a sprite/seven-up like flavor. It's not so bad, right?

When I have read something about magnesium online (at www.goals-4-life.com), I decided to share what it says about magnesium. I decided to share it with you and to any reader of this thing or anyone who wants to discover something about magnesium.

As I have read from my source (mentioned above), magnesium is a mineral that is essential to many biological processes that occur in the body. It aids in the body’s absorption of calcium and also plays a key role in the strength and formation of bones and teeth. This means that those at risk for osteoporosis can benefit from taking magnesium.

Only now i have known this... so it means that calcium is useless without the help of magnesium. So what what the use of my daily milk and cheese intake here or before when I never had magnesium? I hope it ws not wasted at all.

Magnesium also is vital for maintaining a healthy heart because it helps stabilize the rhythm of the heart and helps prevent abnormal blood clotting in the heart. Moreover, it aids in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels for it can significantly lower the chance of heart attacks and strokes, and can even aid in the recovery from a heart attack or stroke.

Here is another magnesium goodness. This mineral also helps maintain proper muscle function. It works to keep muscles properly relaxed. Because of its benefits in relieving stiff muscles, magnesium can be especially beneficial to fibromyalgia patients.

Most people do not maintain proper levels of magnesium and yes, I am aware of it. It seems that this mineral is taken for granted. I don't even know what good it does to the body until I have read something from the site I have mentioned above.. For this reason, many people would greatly benefit from supplementing their diet with magnesium and i recommend that you do the same... you have read all the reasons above why you should do so...

Stay Fit Instead of Relying to Diet Programs of Have the Yoyo Effect in Your Body All the Time

2009-05-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Exercising of getting fit is a commitment. And prevention is always better than getting a cure, which means, staying in shape is always better than getting overweight or underweight and later on work it out back to your/one's normal or fit body level. I learned these facts while I was working with my previous organization (or employer) and we were given the chance to join various activities organized by colleagues for either a very discounted fee or for free.

The company/organization actually supports its employees as well in this endeavor as it contains everything inside its compound to further these leisure needs for employeees: tennis court, multi purpose gymnasium that can be transformed into basketball court, inddor tennis court, football field, etc, etc,. There was also various rooms for exercises and other activities like yoga. The fitness room was with the latest equipments ever.

Enough of promoting what the Company has inside as the list is so long. When the fitness instructor, who is also the physical therapist of the organization discussed with us fitness program participants how do we go fit, we touched the topic of dieting. It seems that having a diet program when one is not in the correct shape is not very advisable. Why? It's the yo-yo effect that is very disturbing. Well, from personal opinion, I could sensne what a yoyo effect is.

What is the yoyo effect then. I know what is the yoyo and I presume it's one's weight that goes high and low or goes up and down just like a Yoyo. Consider someone who is fat and wishes to get in fitness level again: that person would exercise much, eat so less and then he or she would achive her goal of lesser weight and fitness level desired. However, since that person is kind of deprived with food and comfort level for a few weeks or days or months, he or she, right after getting fit, would eat much again and sleep much. These activities would make that person again gain weight and he or she would repeat the exercise and diet process again to lose weight.

Do you like that? Fat-thin-fat-thin-fat you? For me, that is not a good idea. Staying fit all through out is the answer. Moderation of food intake, moderation of exercise schedule and level always do great for me. How about you? Have you had a fitness yo-yo?

The Sun of Our Health and Fitness

2009-05-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Living in Gelderland (Netherlands-Germany birder) is warmer than living in the Hague. It’s been almost a month since I was here and my running for three days each week has been consistent. When I ran today, I noticed that people that were also running were with running shorts and racer back running shirts. I was still with sweater and running pants. I realized then that the weather is hotter compared to the previous weeks and when I went home, I also changed to shorts and went out again to work in my garden.

The sun was really hot and I liked it. Living in the Hague did not permit a lot of going out but now that the garden is here, the sun is shining, it would be great to lay down it and be brown again, as brown is my natural color. I feel so pale being in cold every time and always wearing clothes that cover each inch of the skin. I missed my sleeveless and short shorts back in the Philippines.

I was curious what the mighty sun could offer. Thus, I searched around. I understood, from elementary studies that sun offers Vitamin D. However, things might have changed considering a different environment these days: more pollution, more global warming issues, more ozone layer burning, etcetera, etcetera. And indeed I found it! Not only the good stuff but actually more on the negative side of staying under the sun.

I was even surprised to read that even in cloudy day sun can cause damage to us if we are situated in certain locations of this earth. I have not searched yet for Netherlands but for some, the mighty sun can cause cancer of the skin, eye injuries and other illnesses caused by heat. This is of course obvious if we stay a lot under the sun.

What I do is, I run early when the sun is still young and not burning like hell. Then I also have my sun glasses with me all the time. No matter what bad the sun can offer, I still believe that the overall benefit outweigh the negative effects the sun causes. It also feels great when I sweat out with the help of the sun. Personally, I feel more healthy than sweating without it.

What do we do then? Do not stay so long under, moderation is the answer.

Men, Your Anxiety Can Kill You!

2009-03-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

The role of anxiety in hiking heart attack risk also goes beyond the effects of depression, anger, hostility, Type A behavior and other negative emotions. These psychological factors are important in predicting the risk of heart disease, but anxiety is unique. Older men with sustained and pervasive anxiety appear to be at increased risk for a heart attack even after their levels of depression, anger, hostility and Type A behavior are considered.

Although most people think of anxiety as intense worry, it id looked much deeper than this and can be examined in four different measures. The first anxiety scale measured psychasthenia, or excessive doubts, obsessive thoughts and irrational compulsions. The second anxiety scale measured social introversion, or anxiety, insecurity, and discomfort in interpersonal and social situations. The third anxiety scale measured phobias, or excessive anxieties or fears about animals, situations or objects. The fourth anxiety scale, manifest anxiety, measured the tendency to experience tension and physical arousal in stressful situations.

It was found that men who tested at the highest 15th percentile on any of the four anxiety scales, as well as on a scale combining all four, faced an increase in the risk of heart attack of approximately 30 to 40 percent. Those who were found to have even higher levels of anxiety on psychological testing faced an even higher risk of heart attack. This finding held true even after the findings were adjusted for standard cardiovascular risk factors, health habits, and negative psychological and personality traits.

The good thing about anxiety is that it's very treatable, and if someone is highly anxious--if they're suffering from panic attacks or social phobia or constant worry--therapy is available. Although more research is needed about anxiety, it is hoped that by reducing anxiety future risk of heart attack will also be lowered . The subject of the studies/research so far is on men. The role of anxiety provoking heart attacks on women have not been addressed yet. Thus, for men out there, you better be relaxed. Everything will be all right. Don't be too anxious or you'll risk your heart.

Orange Juice... A Sweet Juicy Healthy Drink

2008-03-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here in Italy, they got a saying that orange juice is "Gold in the morning, silver in the noon and bronze in the night".. Simply stated, drink it in the morning... Indeed no one can stop anyone to drink it anytime coz it's really delicious, but the best time to have it is in the morning. I have the freshest of this juice in the morning, harvested the day after or the same day (when I wake uo late...^_^). I never like OJ back then, because the OJ I had back then was powdered and without tatste, only flavorings and preservatives. Here, the oranges are plenty and aunt have few bearing plants of it so we take it for granted... Or else, in the market, it costs a euro or two per kilo.

The images you see here, is when I do my drink in the morning. You wonder why it's quite red? Actually, this one is a different variety than the original orange. This one is called "Sanguena" here, which means "Bloody". I have to admit I like it better than the other variety, which is purely orange. This one is jucier and sweeter. I drink plain orange juice, no water added nor sugar. Hmmm... I am salivating now.. but sorry for me coz it's night here. I need wine to warm myself up.

Believe it or not, OJ can help us alot in many ways. It may not be the best cure, but if we take it, we put protection in our body and make it contain and to have stronger immune system against the following "Bad stuffs":

Asthma
Bronchitis
Tuberculosis
Pneumonia
Rheumatism
Prevent kidney stone
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Arthritis
High blood pressure
Alcohol Addiction
Mucus Secretion

Why? What's in OJ than can help us out? Actually, a lot tht we don't usually know. Some are the following:
1. Betacarotene, another powerful antioxidant that protects our cells from being damage.
2. Calcium that helps protect and maintain the health of our bone and teeth.
3. Folic Acid for proper brain development.
4. Magnesium helps maintain blood pressure.
5. Potassium helps maintain electrolyte balance in the cells, and is important in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system.
6. Thiamin helps to convert food into energy.
7. Vitamin B6 helps support the production of hemoglobin that carries oxygen to all parts of the body.

The Top Five Cancer Causing Foods

2008-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

Another e-mail. The e-mail says that I forward to my friends but since again, as I have said, all of you are my online buddies, I share this with you as well. It is not my position to tell you what to do, eventhough I may make some suggestions in most of my posts. The decision is still with you. I simply present here the facts or my opinion.

Sometimes we know that some foods or drinks are not good for us. However, it is difficult to stop eating or drinking the food and drinks we like or crave for without a strong reason. Now, the following food are believed to be not so good. Why? Now we will see why.

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3.Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Now You know and now you have a choice. Just choose wisely what to eat. Live a healthy and sexy life. Live long!

And I Thought It Was Best With Beaten Eggs!

2008-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

For my twenty-two years of life in the Philippines, I have learned how the eggplants were cooked. The best that I like is the "tortang talong" or the eggplant grilled and peeled then soaked in egg after which, it is fried. This is the one I like so much. The other menu includes talong with other vegetables like the squash/pumpkin and eggplant in the "Pinakbet" (a Filipino delicious vegetable mix). Other ways to have it cooked it is in "adobo"-similar style of cooking, sauted eggplant or eggplant salad (my second fave). I once tasted one menu of eggplant as an appetizer at Buto't Balat Restaurant in Iloilo City (Philippines) and I liked it too. It was (seemed to me) a grated eggplant, formed and baked with oil... or so it seemed.

Why I tell eggplanty things now? Because I have discovered a new way to make it and i tell you that it's really delicious. Of course per my palate! Do you know lasagna? This eggplant menu I'm telling you is purely Italian, prepared like how one prepares lasagna. Now you have a little clue.

When I saw how it was prepared, it seemed weired to me. But after I ate this "Parmiggiana" (this is how it is calle) it suddenly became one of my favorites. It is a layer of grilled eggplants sprinkled with formaggio (an Italian cheese) and thickened with "scamorza" (another Italian cheese but just a little harder than mozzarella). It is then mixed with boiled tomato sauce and then placed in the oven to let it ready. I'll just share with you how it was prepared and you may experiment on it if you get interested. But for me, it is really healthy and delicious. Why? Because it's all vegetable and so much calcium from cheese. Good for those who watch their cholesterol from fats and for those diet conscious. Of course it's good for vegetarians as well.

The Real Deal With Caffeine

2008-02-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Honestly, i don't have any prob;em with this stuff called caffeine. This is because caffe has bad effects on me if I take it. In what way? I palpitate and sometimes shiver, especially if its a very good espresso. Honestly, where I stay at the moment has this perfect espresso as what we may call it. Italians love it and I am here in a purely Italian house and surroundings.

However, after my posting on softdrinks, one that commented about caffeine. Just like anything in this world, there is the two sides for everything. Caffeine may be good and asked by the body for others and may be bad for others lie mewhose body cannot take it. Some levels of being bad of this substance can be also in the long run. It's up to us to balance our health and cravings.

For you to decide if caffeine is bad or good or good for us but we have to keep in mind that we eat or takes for food makes us live and added energy for our systems in the body.

In one part, caffeine can be considered good for the following reasons:

1. This subtance increases alertness and short-term memory, and even alters your mood. The caffeine in a cup of coffee stimulates the central nervous system as it simultaneously lowers the blood sugar and increases the brain's demand for sugar giving the drinker a temporary lift. Thus, it is good for those who feel sleepy but need to be awake and if you are a little pissed off, just take a sip of coffee!

2. Research in the Journal of Sports Medicine showed how caffeine taken two hours before exercise enhanced the performance of athletes in marathon running so if you are an athlete and can tolerate a caffeine intake, it is not too bad for the purpose of your victory.

3. A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Associated reported that men who consume caffeine a day had a 40% lower risk of developing gallstones than non caffeine consumers. I cannot explain how but maybe it dissolves the possible/potential stone-forming substances in the gall.

4. Studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis have up to 80% lower risks of developing Parkinson's disease, have up to 25% lower risk of colon cancer, and have up to 80% drop in the risk of liver cirrhosis.

5. Some researchers believe another compound called "trigonelline" - which gives coffee its bitter taste and its aroma - may be responsible for giving coffee both anti-adhesive and antibacterial properties which help prevent dental cavities from forming. But if it's a very good espresso like here in Italy, the foam stays at the teeth and colors it and you can imagine if you are a regular drinker: This means tootbrush every espresso drink!

For some reasons, caffeine may not be too good for humans for the reasons you read below:
1. Caffeine consumption may lead to insomnia. Now this is the opposite of the good reason number one above. This one you want to sleep but you cannot.

2. Drinking coffee with meals in known to inhibit the absorption of iron and calcium from food.

3.Caffeine also has a diuretic effect and just one cup before exercise will trigger unwanted fluid loss.

3. Within half an hour of drinking one or two cups, the flow of the blood to the brain is reduced by 10% to 20%. Combine that with the low blood sugar, in those who haven't eaten for a while, and you can start having pulpitations, feelings of anxiety or blurred vision. To be honest, these are the symptoms that I feel but even I took coffee just after meal.

4.Withdrawal symptoms can occur after regular consumption of just one-to-two cups a day. Caffeinism, as it is sometimes called, shows up as migraine headaches and sickness.

5. Drinking several cups of coffee a day increase one's susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists found a stong link between coffee and a biochemical marker for the disease and showed that people who drink four cups are twice as likely to test positive for arthritis.

6. In excessive amounts, meaning more than whatever an individual's body can tolerate, coffee can cause nervousness, jitters, and rapid heartbeat. So I guess what I can tolerate is just a little amount. But even the instant coffee, which has been diluted with water made me shiver and pulpitate. Maybe I just have strong caffeine intolerance.

Now that you have seen how caffeine can affect you, you may shift your habit. See the good that it can do to you and balance it with the potential bad effects. As we all know, moderation is a good thing for too much or too less of something is not also good. Moreover, you are the master of your body and for this you know what is best for you. The things above are simple information that may be valuable for your caffeine decision.

How Beneficial and Great Making Love Is!

2008-02-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Fit body, healthy mind, sickness free, healthy lifestyle and habit and healthy food intake make a person contented and have nothing much to ask for. Except to have more sex (to thos who can validly/legally do so)! See below for the BIG WHY and HOW in your mind.

While the impact of sexual activity on health is not a major topic of research, common sense and a handful of studies suggest that sex can be good for the health. So consider these potential bonuses and fringe benefits the next time the opportunity for (safe) sex arises:

Sex is a great erotic exercise. Even though sex probably involves less energy exertion than most aerobic exercise, it can give you a workout, depending upon how vigorous it is. After all, sex, and particularly orgasm, involves the contraction of muscles in the arms, legs and abdomen. Also, the heart and breathing rates rise when one is sexually aroused just as when one exerts energy on the playing field or at the gym. Another bonus is that one will likely to drift off into a deep, luxurious sleep after he/she tires himself/herself out. Since sex requires some stamina, it appears that people who are physically fit may be more likely to have satisfying sex than people who simply shift from their office chair to their couch. Regular exercise can make sex better because it improves muscle tone, cardiovascular fitness and mental health.

Making love results to a happy healthy heart. British researchers who looked at about 900 middle-aged men found that men who had sex twice or more a week had a lower risk of heart attack over the course of 10 years than men who had sex less often. The study was published in 2002 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The cardiovascular boost may be from the sex itself, or may be because men who are in better physical condition have regular sex, so their heart attack risk is already lower.

Women are highly benefited by the love making. One study suggests that sexual activity might prevent endometriosis, a common gynecological condition that occurs when the tissue lining the inside of a a woman's uterus grows in other places, such as on the ovaries or fallopian tubes. This growth can cause pelvic pain and sometimes infertility. The study, published in 2002 in the journal Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, found that women who were sexually active during menstruation were 1.5 times less likely to develop endometriosis than women who didn't have sex during their periods. The researchers also found that orgasm during menstruation lowered risk.

According to study author Harvey J. Kliman, MD, PhD, a research scientist at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, anything that contributes to menstrual debris going backwards into pelvis might increase risk for endometriosis. The contractions of the uterus that occur during sex, and specifically orgasm, may help push the menstrual debris out of the uterus, Dr. Kliman explains.

Not only women are benefited but both parties, yes, also the men. While sexual activity has been thought to increase risk of prostate cancer, newer research, including a study published April 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), indicates that frequent ejaculation might help protect the prostate from cancer. This study supports a smaller Australian study from 2003 that found that that men in their 20s who ejaculated more than five times a week were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than men who ejaculated four to seven times a month. Ejaculating regularly might lower risk because cancer-causing substances get flushed out of the body in the seminal fluid, instead of staying in the prostate.

Why not relieve your stress by making love? Satisfying sexual activity can, of course, be an exhilarating mood lifter. If you're in a relationship, says Carol Rinkleib Ellison, PhD, a San Francisco-based psychologist and author of Women's Sexualities, sex can "bring the relationship into harmony and make you and your partner feel closer, so you feel less stressed and more relaxed." And whether you are having sex with a partner or masturbating, orgasm itself can also help release tension. The surge of a hormone called oxytocin that occurs during orgasm may account for the both the stronger emotional connection and the tension relief. Oxytocin appears to regulate blood pressure and temperature and even relieve pain and promote the healing of wounds. Dr. Ellison compares orgasm to "re-booting" your body and mind just as you would re-start a computer. But she notes that focusing on orgasm too much can be stressful and sometimes self-defeating. Instead, people should think about successful sex as "mutual erotic pleasure in whatever form it takes."

Be Aware What Soft Drinks Can Cause YOU

2008-02-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

Water may not be the tastiest of all drinks but I have to tell you that it is much better than any soft drink. Why? Just continue reading.

The phosphoric acid Soft drink's competes with the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and affects its functions. When the stomach becomes ineffective, food remains undigested causing indigestion, gassiness or bloating. Moreover, kidneys are less able to excrete phosphoric acid when it is in excess giving them extra work to do.

Soft drinks remove Calcium from the body, causing an excess amount of Calcium that tends to be deposited in the kidney, resulting in kidney stones. Drinking too much soda (approximately five cans a day according to a USDA research study) has been shown to upset the body's calcium/phosphorus ratio. Under these circumstances, the body attempts to maintain balance by drawing calcium from bone. Over time, bones can become fragile and more susceptible to fractures.

When one's blod is acidic, it affects the action of glutathione which is an antioxidant enzyme. Phosphoric acid, present in carbonated drinks de-oxidizes blood. In detergent manufacturing industries, phosphoric acid is used to produce water softener. Water softener removes Ca²+ and Mg²+ ion from hard water. In human body, the function remains the same by removing Ca²+ from bones causing osteoporosis. Furthermore, one study from the National Library of Medicine found that the consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid should be considered as an independent risk factor for hypocalcemia in postmenopausal women.

Think twice when you pkan to have a soft drink or any carbonated beverage for that matter.

Flavor Your Heart with Tomato

2008-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

As an Italian trademark, at least seven meals a week are with tomatoes. Be it a sauce with pasta or a pizza, this cute red fruit has always made its presence felt in most meals here in Italy or in an Italian restaurant or even in Pizza Hut!. And since tomatoe sauce and tomatoes are part of my daily diet here (in Italy), I am happy because I know that I am making a big favor to my heart's health. Why?

Just one serving a day of tomato-based foods such as pizza or tomato sauce could lower the risk for heart disease by as much as 30 percent, according to a new Harvard study. The diets of approximately 40,000 women from the ongoing Women's health Study, which was begun 11 years ago to follow women who, at the time, were free from cancer and cardiovascular disease were reviewed and it was found that women who consumed seven or more servings of tomato-based foods a week -- including tomato juice, tomatoes, tomato sauce or pizza -- had a nearly 30 percent reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease compared with women who ate less than one and one-half servings a week. However, further studies are needed to provide very specific results. For more details on this topic, I advise you to visit this page.

Drinking Wine and Your Heart's Health

2008-01-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

The first time I drank wine, all my joints got warm and my ears got a burning feeling. I can attribute these effects to the fact that I was in a tropical country and I was still a child. But today, everything has changed. I never start my meal without a gulp of wine before it. And all my meals are never complete without at least one glass of wine in it.

Aside from the fact that wine helps in heating up the body in the cold European weather here, I have found a study stating its good effects. As published at CNN Healthpage, drinking a glass or two with meals may indeed help to protect against heart disease. Further support for these findings may be found in the fact that the French, who drink a lot more wine per capita than Americans do, have a third less heart disease.

Why is this so? Because wine contains phenolic chemical compunds known as flavonoids. Antioxidants are present as well due to the fact that wine is a product of fruits like grapes. These compounds and antioxidants have shown evidence to have reduce the artery-clogging propensities of low-density lipids (LDL), the "bad" form of cholesterol, as well as inhibit the formation of blood clots. Indeed, wine is good, but too much of anything is bad, so drink moderately.