Monday, June 23, 2008

Health Benefits Of Coconut

Health Benefits Of Coconut

by: Laura Ng

Coconut cream / milk

Coconut cream is widely used in curries, desserts and cakes. That's because it enhances the aroma and tastes of the dishes and can be obtained easily and cheaply.

It has a thick, paste-like consistency and when diluted, it is called coconut milk.

However, people avoid coconut cream because of its high fat content. Especially those who want to lose weight.

But do you know that it is good saturated fat which can be easily metabolised or turn into energy fast? That means it does not cause blockages in our arteries.

I'm not suggesting you to indulge in coconut cream, but rather than avoid it altogether, it is alright to eat in moderation.

The principle fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk.

When converted to monolaurin, it boosts your immune system and protects your body against many viruses, including hepatitis C, herpes and even HIV! It also promotes normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones.

It also has important anti-carcinogenic and anti-pathogenic properties which helps to prevent cancer. More importantly, coconut cream is less likely to cause weight gain than polyunsaturated oils.

Never know coconut cream can be so good right? Canned or packaged coconut cream is available in supermarkets.

It must be refrigerated once opened and does not last more than a week. Also, do not freeze coconut milk as this causes it to curdle when you next use it in cooking.

Try different brands of canned coconut milk to find the one to your liking. Those with thick cream floating on top of the can with the watery milk below it are proofs that they are not artificially homogenized.

Virgin Coconut oil

Extracted from fresh coconut milk and meat, virgin coconut oil has such an aromatic and flavourful taste that it is used in many

Just like coconut cream, coconut oil reduces bad cholesterol unlike polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower and safflower oils.

It contains least calorie count among the category of monosaturated oils.

You ladies out there got to know this ! Surprise, surprise ! Coconut oil does speed up metabolism and aids you in shedding off the excess fats !

People of traditional cultures, such as the South Pacific Islands and the Philippines where coconut and palm oils are plentiful, suffer lower rates of obesity and health problems.

Look at our society today - we pile high on our plates food equally high in carbohydrates and polyunsaturated oils which increase our risk of heart diseases and diabetes.

Yet we complain about our weight and poor health. It's a shame ! However, coconut oil is different from other animal oil.

Studies have found that it aids in lowering blood pressure and regulate thyroid dysfunction. Unlike refined oils, it does not turn rancid easily and become toxic to our bodies.

If you have damaged hair, try using coconut oil on your hair and scalp. It has been proven to be a more effective treatment for damaged hair than mineral oil and sunflower oil.

That's because coconut oil is the only oil among the three which effectively reduces protein loss in hair.

Virgin coconut oil is an excellent beauty care product too.
Here are some benefits :

1) it penetrates and moisturises the skin

2) minimise damage from sun exposure that causes sagging, wrinkling and blemishes

3) removes dead skin cells, producing an even texture and glow

4) heals damaged or diseased skin Sometimes, wonderful remedies can be within your reach and in abundance, only if you look hard enough. In this case, it is the Coconut.

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_6659.shtml

Fitness Health Tip

Fitness Health Tip
by: Mary Rose

Everybody dreams of being healthy, beautiful and fit. The first fitness health tip is to believe that we are what we eat.

Eat healthy and one will be healthy and beautiful. Healthy eating means eating three regular balanced meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and making sure that each meal is a combination of carbohydrate and protein foods.

Meals should include cereals, pulses, milk or curd, eggs, chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables. There is a fitness health tip which may come as a pleasant surprise and that is- Adding sugar is not a crime.

Three to four teaspoon of sugar a day is permitted if one is not diabeticFinally, the whole secret of fitness and weight control rests on how much oil is consumed daily and how much fatty foods are eaten in a day.

The normal requirement is 2-3 or 3-4 teaspoons oil per person per day. One may indulge in richer food twice in a week. Another fitness health tip is that the major reason for an overweight and unhealthy body is a change in lifestyle.

Today we don't walk anywhere, and hop into and out of cars. We also spend a lot of time sitting in front of television and computer.

This is one reason why people in their 20's and 30's suffer from hypertension, heart diseases and diabetes.

Everybody from six years and above must ensure that a regular exercise session is fixed in the daily routine.

A 20-30 minutes walk must be taught and practiced as regularly as brushing the teeth and bathing.It is also important to avoid too many soft drinks and packed juices which most of us prefer and stock in our refrigerator.

It not only increases our body weight but also harms our teeth and skin. Rather we should resolve to drink plenty of water.

To conclude, there is no magic wand to achieve healthy, beautiful and fit body.

It is imperative to keep a watch on what we eat.

Keep the diet well balanced, regular and complete with salad and fruits. Make sure that one is active throughout the day and follow a regular fitness program that is in sync with the age, body and health

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_7027.shtml

Natural Weight Loss for Good Health and Well Being

Natural Weight Loss for Good Health and Well Being
by: Jennifer Kays

Weight loss is becoming an unhealthy obsession dealing with body images, but in some cases can improve health and fitness. When weight loss is a result of eating healthy, exercising and/or taking natural weight loss supplements in contrast to synthetic prescription drugs with the risk of harmful side effects, weight loss can be effective, rewarding, and greatly improve overall health.

Extra weight, especially extra fat on a person's body, applies significantly increased stresses on the heart, joints and back. These stresses can be extremely detrimental to one's health. Healthy weight loss can reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arthritis and other health problems, as well as generally extending an otherwise average life span.

Recently, the scientific root cause or explanation of obesity has been revealed as being part of one's physiology. The internal functions of an obese person are different than those of a healthy person, and cause intense hunger pains and food cravings.

Natural weight loss supplements can help counteract this constant hunger and lead to healthy weight loss. Unbalanced hormones are a common cause of weight gain, therefore taking natural hormone balancers and herbal supplements would help to create a healthy weight loss regimen.

Restoring your health allows you to lose weight naturally, without excess frustration and effort. It's all about losing weight from the inside out. Emotional issues always accompany change, especially changes in our bodies e.g. natural weight loss.

Weight loss affects our perception body image, our sense of identity i.e. who am I?, and how we feel about ourselves in general. Weight loss also effects our social relationships in that there may be people in our family or social contacts that are emotionally invested in our remaining the same i.e. overweight with all that it symbolizes e.g. friendliness, non-threatening, protective, jovial, helpful, etc.

Beyond our physical health, it can be said that "size matters" cognitively and emotionally to ourselves and others. Eating and food have come to symbolize being accepted, being cared for and comfort. Having the support of others in our efforts to naturally lose weight and regain our health is a huge advantage.

We have been "conditioned" to fear any kind of loss, including weight loss. Especially if what we may lose is something with which we identify i.e. use to tell us who we are. The emotions of fear, anger, anxiety and depression effect our weight.

We often tend to "stuff our feelings" or numb these emotional feelings or stress by overeating. We may even overeat, thinking that will ease the physical discomfort caused by excess weight e.g. physical pain, lack of sleep, and lack of energy caused by moderate depression.

To improve our overall health and support us through the process of natural weight loss and the emotional dynamics around it, we can take advantage of natural sleep aids, natural depression relief and natural pain relief health care products.

Our weight and health is greatly dependent upon our having a healthy digestive system or metabolism. Our digestive system converts, on a cellular and muscular level, the foods we eat, eliminates toxins, and uses and stores glucose for energy.

Natural enzymes trigger hunger signals and facilitate absorption of nutrition. Good digestion with the help of natural enzymes aids in the conversion of fat to muscle.

Allergy and sensitivity to food, parasites, yeast overgrowth and emotional stress are signals of digestive disruption and inflammation. Natural essential fatty acids work to reduce intestinal inflammation, decrease harmful acids, help the liver process proteins that grow muscle, balance hormones and facilitate the elimination of toxins.

Natural essential fatty acids help clear our digestive system of heavy metals, harmful bacteria, pesticides that we are increasingly encountering in our environment. Essential fatty acids along with natural fiber help us clean out the intestinal debris that harm our health and often lead to weight gain.

Essential fatty acids also help our brain's neurotransmitters to function properly in order to deal with stress, emotions, and cravings that can lead to overeating and weight gain. Natural amino acids are the building blocks that make up proteins.

Next to water, protein makes up the greatest part of our body weight. Amino acids help increase metabolism, build muscle, ease moderate depression, and help burn fat. Natural antioxidants help carry more oxygen to cells and muscles to help increase energy, burn fat, build muscle and process the foods we eat.

Hormone balance is essential for natural weight loss. Our metabolism slows as we get older because of the decrease or imbalance of hormones.

This contributes to weight gain. Hormone balance also helps us deal with stress that leads to weight gain. Proper hormone balance helps to decrease cravings and binge eating. There are many natural hormone balancing products available, e.g. natural progesterone, promensil, soy isoflavones, essential fatty acids and hormone balancing formulas.

Our metabolism's primary task is to nourish our brains. We need healthy neurotransmitters to help us curb craving, ease depression, and deal with stress that lead to weight gain. Balancing our natural brain chemistry has a calming effect and allows us to feel a sens of well being and safety.

There are many natural health care products to help balance brain chemistry, e.g. essential fatty acids, natural depression relief products, natural products to increase serotonin, and more.

When our brain feels well and safe, it is prone to change our metabolism from calorie saving to calorie burning. Our bodies were designed to move and be active. Movement requires muscle activity. Muscle activity uses the glycogen supply found in our muscles.

When this glycogen supply stored in our muscles is used, our body is forced to use stored fat as an energy source.

Using this stored fat through movement and exercise, results in natural weight loss. There is no reason for us to become athletes to accomplish natural weight loss.

Low impact exercise like swimming, walking, etc, can be done slowly and without strain. In order to lose real weight rather than "water weight", it is important to drink extra amounts of water when exercising.

Drinking more water will also help our digestive system and metabolism to use and eliminate extra weight.

Remember, the first objective, accomplished through natural weight loss, is to improve our physical and emotional health.

This involves having a healthy digestive system, a healthy emotional system and a healthy nutritional system.

We can build these healthy systems with natural vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, natural digestive aid, pain relief aid, natural sleep aids, natural emotional and mood aids, essential fatty acids and many more helpful natural health care products.

We need to concentrate on improving our general health, feeling good, and living well through natural weight loss, rather than constantly comparing ourselves to someone else's idea about appearance from some magazine.

Physical and emotional health is primary. Appearance may be important to us, but it is secondary. Through natural weight loss, we can live well and live long

source http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_6817.shtml

Health Benefits Of Tomatoes

Health Benefits Of Tomatoes
by by: Tim Sousa

Did you know that tomatoes were once considered poison? It's true, the tomato is a member of the nightshade family, and was at one time considered to be toxic.

Tomatoes were first eaten in the U.S. in the early 1800's, when a gentleman by the name of Robert Johnson shocked his hometown by eating a basket of tomatoes in the middle of town. When he didn't die, or even get sick from the tomatoes, they became a part of the American diet.

We now know that tomatoes are not toxic, and in fact are quite nutritious. First of all, tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C, which is quite beneficial, as you've probably heard.

Vitamin C helps the body to produce collagen, an important protein skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helping to prevent cell damage by free radicals.

Tomatoes also contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Studies have shown that men consuming 10 servings of tomatoes a week cut the risk of prostate cancer by 45%. Lycopene also lower the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer, and inhibits the growth of other types of cancer cells. Lycopene may also help older folks remain active.

Coumaric acid and chlorogenic acied are also found in tomatoes. These two compounds are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines, which are formed naturally in the body, but are also a strong carcinogen in tobacco smoke.

Tomatoes may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate. Niacin has been used for years to lower cholesterol. Potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure. And vitamin B6 and folate are used by the body to convert a dangerous chemical called homocysteine into more benign compounds.
Vitamin K, found in tomatoes helps to maintain healthy bones. Vitamin K1 activates a protein in the bones called osteocalcin, which anchors calcium inside the bone. Without enough vitamin K, bone mineralization is impaired.

When you buy tomatoes, be sure to buy the ones with the brightest red color. This indicates high amounts of beta-carotene and lycopene. Lycopene is found in the cell walls of the tomato, so by cooking it in a bit of oil, more lycopene is fully released.

Also, cooking the tomato in a bit of olive oil helps your body to absorb the lycopene. If all you can find are canned tomatoes, that's fine. Cooking and canning don't cause tomatoes to lose any of their nutritional value. So cooked and processed tomatoes are just as beneficial as fresh tomatoes

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/food_and_drink/article_1091.shtml

How To Make Your Liver Burn Fat For You Automatically

How To Make Your Liver Burn Fat For You Automatically
by: Rajesh Shetty

The main function of liver is to convert food to energy, and produce chemicals and enzymes necessary to burn fat.

Liver stores iron reserves and vitamins and minerals and makes bile to digest food. It also manufactures cholesterol.

It filters and detoxifies – alcohol, wine, harmful drugs, stores energy or glucose and removes the poisons and toxins that you breathe.

Your Liver is the key organ responsible for breakdown of fat.

It is a common fact that large percentages of overweight people have malfunctioning livers.
The liver produces bile, a byproduct of blood filtering. Bile leaves the liver and is stored in the gall bladder.

When fat is eaten, the gall bladder releases bile to emulsify the fat into tiny droplets.
Without bile, fat digestion is impossible.

Since the liver is the key organ for fat digestion you must make an effort to keep the liver in very good health if you want to loose fat.

You can take care of your liver in the following manner.

Avoid unnecessary drugs.

Avoid alcohol.

Dont mix alcohol with drugs and medication.

Please be careful when using aerosol cleaners, wear a mask if possible.

Increase intake of high-fibre foods such as fresh fruits & vegetables, whole grains, breads, rice and cereals.

Avoid rich desserts, snacks and drinks.

Avoid steroids as it causes fatty liver.

If you need a natural solution for rejuvenating your lever, I recommend Aloe Vera to you.
Aloe Vera has been highly recommended by Ayurveda for rejuvenating the cells of the lever.
You must be aware that the extract of Aloe Vera has been used world wide by the cosmetic industry for rejuvenating skin cells.

Ayurveda practitioners have utilized the same cell rejuvenating property of aloeVera in India since ages.

Aloe Vera is a plant belonging to lily family that grows upto 2-3 feet tall. This plant grows mainly in hot climates.

The gel in the leaves is used for internal consumption.

Aloe Vera gel supplies the nutrients required by the internal organs of the body and speeds up the healing process. It contains the following nutrients:

Vitamins B12, C, E And Beta carotene.

Enzymes, the life force of any living being, helps to digest the foood.

Contains 20 essential Amino acids required by the body as the essential building blocks for protein.

Contains minerals like iron, manganese, potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, zinc, magnesium.
Contains powerfull anti-inflammatory agents known as plant sterols.

Contains Lignin, this is a woody substance which allows Aloe to penetrate the skin.

Salycylic acid in Aloe acts as an anti-inflammatory which helps to break down the dead tissues.
Contains natural pain killers known as Anthraquinones.

Saponins are the soapy substances which have anti microbial action.

Aloe Vera strengthens the bodies immunity and gets rid of all the sludge and waste material from areas of the bowel and liver. It supplies the liver with all the required nutrients and regulates its functioning and repairs it from inside.

Once the liver starts its normal function, fat dissolves automatically

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_2200.shtml

Boost Health And Wellness With Vitamin Supplements

Boost Health And Wellness With Vitamin Supplements

by: Darrell Miller


It is possible to boost health and wellness with vitamin supplements if you keep an eye on your recommended daily allowance (RDA).

It is possible to overdose on some vitamins, especially vitamin A if you are pregnant, but generally a once daily vitamin supplement does you a lot of good.

Many people suffer from one type of vitamin deficiency or another and that deficiency is determined by many different circumstances.

It could be because you are on a diet that restricts your food choice so that your intake of nutrients is not what it should be.

The human digestive system has been designed for an omnivorous diet, so those that eat meat and neglect their fruit and vegetable intake will ten to be deficient in some of the fat soluble vitamins.

Vegans will be deficient in those vitamins that are unobtainable from vegetables. A prime example is vitamin B12. However, there is nothing wrong with opting for one dietary regime or another if you are aware of the potential deficiencies, and make up for them with supplements.

Vitamin D deficiencies are particularly common, especially amongst those that get little exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is formed in the skin by the action of sunlight, and people who live in the higher latitudes in particular tend to suffer from deficiencies: much more so than residents of Florida or California! However, it is not just in vitamin D that many people are deficient.

Vitamins are essential to your body for proper health and fitness. Vitamins are chemicals that have been identified as being essential to human life, and without them you cannot survive.

You can live with certain deficiencies, although much depends on the vitamin. Many are antioxidants, without which you will age quicker and suffer from many unpleasant conditions.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that are generated by both the body’s metabolism and environmental agents. Pollution such as smoking, traffic fumes and pesticides can generate free radicals, as can sunlight which is generally associated with good health; and Vitamin D of course. Free radicals are compounds that possess unpaired electrons.

Electrons normally travel in pairs, but occasionally a compound can lose one of its electrons and is rendered unstable. It immediately begins to look for a new mate, and a favorite source is from the cells of our bodies.

In stealing electrons from body cells, free radicals destroy the cells and accelerate aging. They also oxidize the low density lipoproteins that taxi cholesterol around the blood, and cause it to deposit its cholesterol in our arteries creating a condition known as atherosclerosis.

This is a narrowing of the arteries through the arterial walls being thickened by the cholesterol, and in severe cases they can even become completely blocked. This is a very serious condition that near the heart can cause cardiac failure, and in the brain can cause a stroke.

The antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, therefore, are very important to us for this single property, let alone all the others that they possess that are also beneficial to our health.

It is important that your body is well supplied with all the vitamins it needs, especially the water soluble ones such as vitamin C that are not stored in the body. Vitamin supplements are a good way of maintaining a balanced daily vitamin intake.

They affect every part of your body from healthy toenails to healthy hair on your head. They also affect your digestion, your blood and circulation system, the way your brain works, the development and maintenance of healthy bones, skin and muscle.

In short, they are essential to just about every part and function of your body. Without them you would not exist.

People can generally boost their health with vitamin supplements, and even those that generally feel fit would likely benefit from a regular course of vitamins and minerals during the winter months.

People are no longer subject to the forced seasonal depletion of certain vitamins and minerals due to the non-availability of certain fruits and vegetables in winter time, but a supplement will help them to survive the winter with fewer colds and other viral and bacterial infections.

There are some supplements, however, that should be taken with care under certain circumstances. Pregnant women in particular, while taking a good supply of folic acid, should avoid a vitamin A supplement that could harm the growing fetus. The same is true of liver that is very rich in vitamin A.

Anybody suffering from a specific medical condition should seek their physician’s advice if taking or intending to take a supplement that involves them exceeding the RDA for any vitamin or mineral.

The body of evidence indicates that those eating a properly balanced diet with plenty fruit, vegetables and protein from both animal and vegetable sources, should not need any supplements.

A balanced diet will provide you with all the vitamins you need, but most people do not eat a balanced diet, not only Americans but generally throughout the world. The American diet tends to be rich in fats and low in fruit and vegetables, and it is certainly true that this type of diet is one that is usually used as an example when vitamin and mineral deficiencies are discussed.

However, it is not only in America, since many other cultures are taking up the fast food solution to working parents that have little or no time to cook for their families.

The result is a salt and sugar rich diet that is lacking in amino acids, antioxidants and the vitamins that are needed for general good health.

Apart from those diets made by choice, even if for understandable reasons, many people cannot eat a balanced diet, and others are on diets for weight loss that are restrictive in the range of foods that they eat.

Women and children dressed from head to toe in black robes for religious reasons are prone to vitamin D deficiencies, their children being especially prone to rickets.

All of these require vitamin supplements of one type or another. Supplementation can be taken as individual vitamins or as a mixture of various vitamins and minerals.

Whether you belong to one of these groups or not is immaterial: you can boost your health and wellness with vitamin supplements if you take them regularly, and combine your vitamin intake with the right amount of exercise for your age. All physicians are agreed that good health is a combination of nutrition and exercise

Laying a Good Foundation for Health

Laying a Good Foundation for Health

by: Paula Muran

In the western medicine world, we have lost touch with the basic concept of true healing. We substitute a band-aid for a cure and wonder why we don't feel better.

People get ill for many reasons. Each diseased state tells us that we are ignoring some part of self, and change is necessary.

While many factors contribute to healing, and it happens on many levels, all require attention throughout the entire healing practice.

Ignoring the body-mind (emotions and thoughts) would not provide adequate and long-term good health.

Physical symptoms like headaches, swollen glands, sneezing and colds, including more serious diseases like cancer, communicate that there is a disturbance in the emotional fabric of our being. Negative emotions like fear, doubt and worry stop the normal flow of energy.

These emotions undermine us, and over the course of our lives cause unexplained and crippling diseases that end up controlling us.

The physical body falls apart because we fall apart emotionally.

Recent scientific studies have shown that emotions sabotage everything—from simple success to kidney failure.

When we don't care for the "whole self," the physical body simply mirrors those effects.

Over the course of time, emotions like fear, anger and confusion take their toll. Repressed anger diminishes the functions of the liver.

Hopelessness and despair play havoc with the gall bladder.

Fear plays havoc with the kidneys, relationships and success. Confusion on the other hand, keeps whirling thoughts spinning, creating a cloud of chaos around us and we become imbalanced and ungrounded.

Head colds for instance, are a direct result of emotional confusion. Long-standing negative emotional beliefs deteriorate the entire physical being. A constant string of repetitive negative words weaken and actually exhaust the physical body.

To heal we must feel. We must identify the root emotional cause of the disease. This process lays down a new foundation for good health and begins with a new attitude about being healthy. Any negative emotion causes us to stay stuck in a false perception about our self.

How do we identify negative emotions? The easiest way to identify negative patterns is to see them in family members and friends. Examine other people's behaviors. Notice all the things you like about them and all the things you don't like, especially the things that make you angry, envious or jealous.

The people around you are actually reflections of you. What you see in another person that bothers you or angers you is a part of yourself that has not yet been loved and healed. Begin by criticizing your dearest friends.

By doing this practice of looking at the faults of friends and family you get in touch with the parts of you that are out of balance and seek healing.

This simple exercise offers you an opportunity to look deeply at your own emotional concerns and patterns. Once you locate personal limitation it's time for change. Emotional patterns are created when you place a judgment upon an experience.

To change, we must stay conscious of our feelings in situations. Stay calm, make no judgment—simply feel the energy. For example, let's take anger because anger is one of the most profound emotions and is easily felt. Imagine yourself in an angry situation; stay completely present and deeply feel the anger.

Don't judge it—simply feel it. Now, love the feeling that anger produces. Anger can be motivation. It can be passionate.

Change the negative charge that anger produces; begin to embrace and love the feeling of anger instead of repelling it.

Next begin to dialogue with the anger. Yes, that is correct, strike up a conversation with anger. Ask it questions like, "What are you teaching me?" or "Why am I so angry all the time?" Permit the answers to come into your conscious mind.

As they do, you realize what the true issue is. Sometimes in that moment of realization the anger pattern can release.

Other times it might take a few more conversations for the anger to release. This method allows the energy constriction caused by anger and other emotions to release.

Any blocked energy begins to flow giving the physical body a chance to heal. Even though healing begins with the emotions, the physical body must be strong enough to support the emotional body.

Supplements: Supplementation is important because food chemicals, pesticides and a hurried lifestyle play havoc on our systems. Take no more than five different supplements daily. I prefer liquids including Green-Magma and other green drinks. If you don't feel immediate results, they are not working. Water: Only 5% of the American population gets sufficient water each day.

Diet drinks, high corn-syrup drinks and coffee do not count towards proper hydration; in fact these drinks cause gastrointestinal inflammation, kidney and liver problems and an acidic environment. To properly hydrate drink at least half of your body weight in purified water by the ounce each day.

For example if you weight 150 lbs. you need 75 ounces of purified water daily. Exercise: The number one killer today is a stagnant lymph system caused by a lack of exercise. Take a walk around the block or take a yoga, chi-kung or Pilate's class

source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_7156.shtml

Drink Your Way To Good Health

Drink Your Way To Good Health
by: Steven Godlewski

If you really want to have great health, you can drink your way to it. Water is the substance of life.

The majority of people on earth are dehydrated, and they don't even realize it. In fact, nutritionists report that about 80% of the people on earth are dehydrated.

Before you assume that you are not in that group, because you don't feel thirsty, you need to realize that thirst really has nothing to do with dehydration.

You may also believe that you get enough water because you drink beverages that have water as an ingredient, such as coffee, tea, and sodas.

Even though these beverages are made with water, when they are ingested, they actually cause us to lose water!

You don't need other beverages - what you need is water. Those other beverages should be a once-in-a-while thing, not a daily thing!

Even though we can't survive under water, we are water oriented. 70% of the earth is covered by water, and two-thirds of our bodies consist of water.

Approximately 83% of our blood is water, 75% of our muscles are water, 22% of our bones are water, and 74% of our brains are water.

Our brains even float around in water! With these percentages, it should be obvious as to why we require water to live.

The water in our bodies is lost every minute of every day - through sweat, tears, and urination - and simply through our pores.

You are losing water right now, at this very moment, and it needs to be replaced. If you increase your water intake to eight glasses per day, in about a week's time, you will notice that you have more energy, your mind is clearer, your skin is healthier, and your food digests easier.

Water will help you lose weight, remove toxins from your body, and help you absorb nutrients and vitamins. Not just any water will do, however.

You should avoid drinking tap water. Go with bottled water that has been purified or better yet, choose bottled spring water that is all natural.

Tap water generally is full of toxins that you don't want in your body. Furthermore, aside from your daily eight glasses of water, you should drink one glass of water for every cup of coffee or tea you have, as well as for every soda, and one glass of water for every cigarette you smoke - if you do smoke, and one glass of water for every glass of an alcoholic drink that you have.

If you have unhealthy habits, you may find yourself drinking a great deal of water each day to combat the ill effects of those unhealthy habits

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_6288.shtml