Count Your Blessings

It is often we take for granted the blessings that we have.

For health, relationship or financial reasons, or something else, you feel miserable and very unhappy. But, when you take stock of what you actually have, you will quickly realize that you are very fortunate and blessed in many ways. For example, you may have a job, a supportive family or friend. Even you have none of these, at least you have a roof over your head. And there are millions of people in the other part of the world now living in huts or temporary shelters only.

 

There is a great quote from Eddie Rickenbacker, a fighter pilot in WWII who had to ditch his plane in the ocean. Eddie and his crew floated on a raft for 3 weeks in the ocean without food, or fresh water. When they were finally rescued, Eddie said, "for the rest of my life, if I have a roof over my head and food, I will never complain about anything."

 

And so it is a great habit to take inventory of the good things you have been blessed with on a regular basis. You will feel happier and complain less.

Flaxseed - a powerful food against cancer

Flaxseed is one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There is some evidence that it may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes..

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Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary healthy reputation to three of them:

·        Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.

 

·        Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

 

·        Fiber - flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types. 

 

The health benefits of flaxseed include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) levels. It also helps lowering blood triglyceride and blood pressure and keeps platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.

 

In addition, lignan metabolites can bind to estrogen receptors. This may help the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer. At least two of the components in flaxseed seem to contribute to this, says Kelley C. Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada. 

 

In animal studies, the plant omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed, called ALA, inhibited tumor incidence and growth.

 

Also, the lignans in flaxseed may provide some protection against cancers that are sensitive to hormones without interfering with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Lilian Thompson, an internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto, says some studies have suggested that exposure to lignans during adolescence helps reduce the risk of breast cancer and may also increase the survival of breast cancer patients.

 

Lignans may help protect against cancer by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.

 

Some of the other components in flaxseed also have antioxidant properties, which may contribute to protection against cancer and heart disease.

Not all saturated fats are bad

Not all saturated fats are bad. For example, coconut oil is highly saturated. It contains as much as 92 percent saturated fat. But this saturation makes coconut oil being healthy for us.

 

Coconut oil contains three medium-chain fatty acids—lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid—in a combination that’s beneficial to human health.

 

Bruce Fife, author of The Coconut Oil Miracle, says that “because saturated fats have no double-carbon bonds—the weak links that are easily broken to form free radicals—they are much more stable under a variety of conditions”.

 

Alternately, exposure to heat, light or oxygen can damage polyunsaturated oils. Non-saturated oils, like olive oil, that have been oxidized, can oxidize the food we add these oils to. The resulting free radicals have been linked to numerous health ills.

 

The reason coconut oil is superior to other saturated fats, he explains, is that its medium-chain structure does not raise blood cholesterol levels, or promote “blood stickiness” that can lead to blood clots.

 

Cardiovascular benefits are just one of coconut oil’s health properties. “When coconut oil is eaten, the body transforms its unique fatty acids into powerful antimicrobial powerhouses capable of defeating some of the most notorious disease-causing microorganisms,” says Fife.

 

“The unique properties of coconut oil make it, in essence, a natural antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiprotozoal food”

Some foods and temperatures help you have a trim body

Avocado
Avocados are the perfect fat burning food because they are high in fiber (11 to 17 grams for each Avocado) and that helps us feel full longer. Besides, they also contain mono-unsaturated fats which target and reduce belly fat.

 

Additionally, mono-saturated fats trigger the release of the hormones in our body that are responsible for burning fat. 

Brussel sprouts
Brussel Sprouts can accelerate the function of our pancreas which results in the release of hormones that have a cleaning effect on our cells.

Carrots
Carrots contain carotene which turn into Vitamin A and vitamin A that helps initiate the fat burning response in our body. It is also high in fiber.

Beets 
Beets are a powerful diuretic that have the ability to rid our body of hanging body fats while also purifying blood corpuscles that can control fat sediments.

 

Chili Peppers
Chili Peppers contain a capsaicin nutrient that causes a thermal burn. Capsaicin can melt away fat cells while also causing us to burn more calories.

 

Cabbage

The sulfur and iodine content of cabbage can assist in melting down fat in our stomach and waistline areas.

 

Meanwhile, research suggests that cold temperatures (for example, turning the temperature down to 66° overnight) result in a significant increase in brown fat in our body (brown fat is prevalent in lean people) and help boost metabolism. So, try to keep cool!

Vegetarian diets may reduce heart disease

Many people choose to follow vegetarian diets. There can be many health advantages in doing so. For instance, vegetarian diets tend to be low in saturated fats and rich in natural antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, which can have a wide range of benefits throughout the body.

 

According to recent research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who regularly consume nuts and legumes may reduce their risk of heart disease.

It was found that subjects who regularly consumed nuts were 24% less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack and 22% less likely to suffer a nonfatal heart attack compared with subjects who did not regularly consume nuts. Regular nut consumers also had a 13% reduced risk of diabetes compared to non-regular consumers. However, there was no significant correlation observed between nut consumption and stroke risk. 

Regular exercise helps people with clogged arteries and elderly with disability

Regular physical exercise is good both for our mental and physical health, not even to mention the financial payoff of reduced medical expenses. 

Although getting regular exercise is important at all ages, the benefits can be especially pronounced as we grow older. What many people don't realize is that you don't have to be an exercise fanatic or "gym rat" to realize significant health benefits; even moderate-intensity physical activity such as home-based walking ca n yield significant rewards. For example, people with poor circulation in their legs may benefit from a home-based walking plan. 

According to a recent study on patients with peripheral artery disease, it was found that patients with home-based walking exercise increased their six-minute walk distance from baseline to 12-month follow-up from 355.4 meters to 381.9 meters. 

In another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that getting regular exercise can help protect elderly adults against physical disability. The study involved 1,635 sedentary men and women aged 70 to 89 years who had physical limitations but were still able to walk 400 meters within 15 minutes without sitting and without the help of another person or a walker at the beginning of the study.

After an average of 2.6 years, subjects were evaluated for levels of major mobility disability and found that those elderly men and women who took part in a structured, moderate-intensity physical activity program had significantly less mobility disability than a control group who didn't exercise.

According to the study authors, “these results suggest the potential for structured physical activity as a feasible and effective intervention to reduce the burden of disability among vulnerable older persons.” And this can translate into a huge difference in quality of life.

Iodine deficiency common among pregnant women

According to the journal Pediatrics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, many women of childbearing age are marginally iodine deficient and should be taking a supplement containing adequate iodide but only roughly 15% actually do so. 

Iodine is important because its deficiency, per se, can interfere with normal brain development in the offspring. Iodine is required to produce thyroid hormone, which has a crucial role in brain development. Thus adequate iodine is especially important in prenatal and neonatal nutrition. In addition, its deficiency increases vulnerability to the effects of certain environmental pollutants, such as nitrate, thiocyanate and perchlorate.

Iodine deficiency was widespread in the US presumably due to increased consumption of processed foods, which are prepared with non-iodized salt. It is now estimated that approximately one third of pregnant women in the US are iodine deficient.

According to the Academy, pregnant and breastfeeding women should use iodized salt and take a supplement that includes at least 150 micrograms of iodide. Combined intake from food and supplements should be 290 to 1,100 micrograms per day. 

The Academy also recommends that pregnant and lactating women avoid excessive exposure to excess nitrate, which is most commonly found in cigarette smoke and contaminated well water, and thiocyanate, which is in cigarette smoke. These chemicals can exacerbate the effects of iodine deficiency.