5 Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress

Life is stressful enough without allowing the physical environment - air quality, lighting, noise, and other controllable factors - to intensify day-to-day stress. Especially in the Fall and Winter is where you experience less daylight and more mood swings.

The great thing about environmental stress is that in most cases we can control what is in our environment that is causing the stress. Take these five steps to eliminate environmental stressors that might cause stress and tension in your work and home life.

1. Increase your activities during natural light. Natural light elevates the mood and helps maintain a regular internal body "clock". Especially during the fall and winter we experience a substantial decrease in natural daylight. If you're indoors, try working next to a window and allow as much sunlight as possible to enter your space. If you work in an office without windows try buying a natural sunlight lamp. These lamps can help with Seasonal Affective Disorders as they provide a natural sunlight spectrum for health and well being. Prolonged exposure to artificial lighting in any setting can be an environmental stressor.

2. Ban tobacco smoke. Constant exposure to tobacco smoke and its toxins can be a persistent environmental stressor and lead to respiratory problems and other symptoms.

3. Evaluate your furniture arrangement. Arrange your furniture so that you don't feel cramped. Remember you are more productive in a relaxed environment. Also, is your furniture arranged so that you inviting constant interruptions from visitors? If you can, move your furniture from the line of sight of potential visitors so that you can focus better, accomplish your goals, and decrease stress.

4. Frequently Change Your Ventilation or Air Filters. Your office or home is full of ingredients found in cleaning supplies, upholstery, carpeting, adhesives, and in chemicals. Devices such as copy machines, printers and computers all contribute to poor air quality. Combine that with working in an office building where you can't open windows it makes the situation ten times worst for the occupants. In extreme cases, individuals may become physically ill from these pollutants, and even moderate doses can cause coughing, a scratchy, burning throat, and other symptoms.

If you are concerned about poor air quality in the office speak with the building maintenance crew and see how often they change the air filters. In most cases, if you explain in a friendly why you are concerned they will make an extra effort to change at least the filter in your area. Also you can buy a personal air filtration kit at any appliance store to make your life easier. Open windows At home to allow air circulation. Also frequently change your home air filter.

5. "Bring the Green In." This is a term my wife, Joy Fisher-Sykes, uses to say that natural colors make us more relaxed. Color has effect on your mood and energy level. It is generally agreed that blue and green are very relaxing colors. On a personal basis these might not be the colors that relax you. You decide on the amount of color you're comfortable with and the shades that most appeal to you. For example, bright yellow would tend to irritate me it may work just fine for others because of its brightness. Experiment with colors that will work to minimize stress for you.

Remember, these are all environmental factor that you can change to work for you. Just recognize what works for you and take the first steps to decrease stress.

Source : Ed Sykes / Article Emporium

Why Dental Braces Care is Important

When this happens, gum disease would eventually take its toll on your remaining teeth. It is therefore extremely important to know about the tools you'll need and the correct procedures you should observe for dental braces care. Doing so will help you keep your natural teeth longer and prevent gum diseases that may exacerbate your dental problems.

Tackling Metal Braces

If your dental condition was such that metal braces were required, then you have to take note of a few tips on dental braces care. Brushing your teeth would now take on a new different meaning - and it won't be easy, as it would involve a lot of extra tools and of course, a longer period of time.

It also won't be enough to brush and floss your teeth twice a day, because metal braces require dental braces care after each meal and snack. There is always the possibility that food particles would get lodged in some cranny between the braces and your teeth, and it's really important to dislodge those before they wreak havoc to your teeth and gums.

Special Tools

The implement you would normally use is an angled toothbrush to be able to reach the corners under the braces. Many brace wearers prefer electric toothbrushes for dental braces care for two primary reasons: One, because it takes such a long time to clean the teeth that electric toothbrushes are the most logical choice to keep from getting exhausted while cleaning; and two, because these brushes feature a rotary movement which is best for cleaning braces.

Aside from the toothbrush, you'll also need a floss threader, of course, plus stimudents, dental picks, or other interdental devices. These tools work well under the brackets and help dislodge food particles that refuse to come off during brushing.

A waterpik can also be used to reach those areas that toothbrushes and dental picks can't. After a waterpik blast, remember to rinse your mouth thoroughly.

Dental wax is also an important element in dental braces care. It provides soothing relief to the sensitive inner cheek and the lips which are often chafed by the braces rubbing against them. Dental wax is thus applied on the surface of the brackets to minimize the soreness. These cost less than $2 for 5 strips but are quite necessary for pain relief, and some even come in a refreshing mint flavor.

If you're wearing Invisalign invisible Braces, though, you won't have as much problems. Your dental braces care would only involve avoiding eating or drinking beverages other than water with them on and cleaning your clear braces thoroughly before putting them back on.

Dental braces care finally involves regular visits to your dentist every 3-6 months for a more thorough cleaning - that is, let the professional take care of whatever it is you've missed.

Source : Dana Whiteford / www.ezinearticles.com

5 Tips How to Choose Quality Supplements

All supplements are not created equal, but with so many different supplement brands on the market, knowing which brand to purchase can be confusing. Here are a few things to look for when buying vitamin and mineral supplements.

1. Look for the USP Seal of Approval

The USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) is a reputable organization that tests vitamins and supplements to ensure that products: contain what is stated on the label, the supplement doesn't contain harmful contaminants, the supplement will actually break down and release ingredients into the body, and that the manufacturer uses good quality control practices when producing its supplements. If a supplement passes the rigorous testing of the USP, the manufacturer can add a "USP Verified" label on the supplement packaging.

2. Read the Supplement's Ingredient List

Just like with food nutrition labels, most supplement labels will list:
a. How much of a nutrient is in each serving
b. % DV (percent daily value)
c. Percentage of RDA (recommended dietary allowance)
d. Other herbs and phytochemicals included, listing quantity per serving and which part of the herb the ingredient is taken from (root, stem, leaf, etc.)

e.If there is a manufacturer proprietary blend which is made up of two or more botanicals, the weight of the total blend must be listed

Be leery of products that do not list the ingredients or what percentage of the DV and RDA they contain.

3. Check the Expiration Date

Supplements become less potent over time. Choose supplements with the longest shelf life, and avoid buying supplements that will expire before the whole package can be used.

4. Avoid Supplements which Contain Megadoses

Unless recommended by a doctor as a medicine, supplements marked as "therapeutic" or "extra strength" are not needed. Also, some supplements tout as much 2000% of the DV of certain vitamins. Choose supplements that provide no more than the RDA for any ingredient.

5. Beware of Medical Claims

Avoid products that list something too good to be true on the label. The FDA does not permit supplement manufacturers to claim their products cure or prevent disease. For example, a product cannot claim to prevent cancer. The FDA does, however, allow claims in regard to the function of the product, such as "maintains cholesterol."

To ensure effectiveness of a vitamin or mineral supplement after purchasing, store supplements according to the storage requirements listed on the package since a supplement may be less effective if not kept in the right place. Some supplements need to be refrigerated, while most should be stored in an area that is cool and dry. Avoid storing supplements in a cabinet above the stove or refrigerator. Although a refrigerator is cool on the outside, the motor of the refrigerator still emits heat.

Source : Jennifer Murray / www.suite101.com

Healthy Tips : Eating Cereals For Breakfast

Cereal is the name given to those seeds used as food (wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, etc.), which are produced by plants belonging to the vast order known as the grass family. They are used for food both in the unground state and in various forms of mill products.

The grains are pre-eminently nutritious, and when well prepared, easily digested foods. In composition they are all similar, but variations in their constituent elements and the relative amounts of these various elements, give them different degrees of alimentary value. They each contain one or more of the nitrogenous elements, gluten, albumen, caseine, and fibrin, together with starch, dextrine, sugar, and fatty matter, and also mineral elements and woody matter, or cellulose. The combined nutritive value of the grain foods is nearly three times that of beef, mutton, or poultry. As regards the proportion of the food elements necessary to meet the various requirements of the system, grains approach more nearly the proper standard than most other foods; indeed, wheat contains exactly the correct proportion of the food elements.

Being thus in themselves so nearly perfect foods, and when properly prepared, exceedingly palatable and easy of digestion, it is a matter of surprise that they are not more generally used; yet scarcely one family in fifty makes any use of the grains, save in the form of flour, or an occasional dish of rice or oatmeal. This use of grains is far too meager to adequately represent their value as an article of diet. Variety in the use of grains is as necessary as in the use of other food material, and the numerous grain preparations now to be found in market render it quite possible to make this class of foods a staple article of diet, if so desired, without their becoming at all monotonous.

In olden times the grains were largely depended upon as a staple food, and it is a fact well authenticated by history that the highest condition of man has always been associated with wheat-consuming nations. The ancient Spartans, whose powers of endurance are proverbial, were fed on a grain diet, and the Roman soldiers who under Caesar conquered the world, carried each a bag of parched grain in his pocket as his daily ration.

Other nationalities at the present time make extensive use of the various grains. Rice used in connection with some of the leguminous seeds, forms the staple article of diet for a large proportion of the human race. Rice, unlike the other grain foods, is deficient in the nitrogenous elements, and for this reason its use needs to be supplemented by other articles containing an excess of the nitrogenous material. It is for this reason, doubtless, that the Chinese eat peas and beans in connection with rice.

We frequently meet people who say they cannot use the grains, that they do not agree with them. With all deference to the opinion of such people, it may be stated that the difficulty often lies in the fact that the grain was either not properly cooked, not properly eaten, or not properly accompanied. A grain, simply because it is a grain, is by no means warranted to faithfully fulfil its mission unless properly treated. Like many another good thing excellent in itself, if found in bad company, it is prone to create mischief, and in many cases the root of the whole difficulty may be found in the excessive amount of sugar used with the grain.

Sugar is not needed with grains to increase their alimentary value. The starch which constitutes a large proportion of their food elements must itself be converted into sugar by the digestive processes before assimilation, hence the addition of cane sugar only increases the burden of the digestive organs, for the pleasure of the palate. The Asiatics, who subsist largely upon rice, use no sugar upon it, and why should it be considered requisite for the enjoyment of wheat, rye, oatmeal, barley, and other grains, any more than it is for our enjoyment of bread or other articles made from these same grains? Undoubtedly the use of grains would become more universal if they were served with less or no sugar. The continued use of sugar upon grains has a tendency to cloy the appetite, just as the constant use of cake or sweetened bread in the place of ordinary bread would do. Plenty of nice, sweet cream or fruit juice, is a sufficient dressing, and there are few persons who after a short trial would not come to enjoy the grains without sugar, and would then as soon think of dispensing with a meal altogether as to dispense with the grains. Even when served without sugar, the grains may not prove altogether healthful unless they are properly eaten. Because they are made soft by the process of cooking and on this account do not require masticating to break them up, the first process of digestion or insalivation is usually overlooked. But it must be remembered that grains are largely composed of starch, and that starch must be mixed with the saliva, or it will remain undigested in the stomach, since the gastric juice only digests the nitrogenous elements. For this reason it is desirable to eat the grains in connection with some hard food. Whole-wheat wafers, nicely toasted to make them crisp and tender, toasted rolls, and unfermented zwieback, are excellent for this purpose. Break two or three wafers into rather small pieces over each individual dish before pouring on the cream. In this way, a morsel of the hard food may be taken with each spoonful of the grains. The combination of foods thus secured, is most pleasing. This is a specially advantageous method of serving grains for children, who are so liable to swallow their food without proper mastication.

Source : Jack Sands / www.GoArticle.com

Free Ebook for Download : High Blood Pressure: Down You Go! (PDF)

The Facts You Should Know About High Blood Pressure And Lowering It Naturally.
Alvin Hopkinson had published many hypertension articles online previously and this is the first time he has compiled some of his best written and highly-read articles into a simple-to-read ebook. Here are some of the contents you will find in his ebook:

1. What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure?
2. Understanding Blood Pressure Readings - Easy Reading
3. Common High Blood Pressure Medications - Know These 8 Types
4. Diets To Control High Blood Pressure
5. Natural Cures for High Blood Pressure - 5 Simple and Effective Steps
6. Natural Remedies For High Blood Pressure - 7 Effective Ways

Click on the link below to download the ebook:-
High Blood Pressure: Down You Go! (PDF)

Source : www.getfreeebooks.com

Free Ebook to Download : 101 Steps To Better Health

More than any other time in history, people are all vying to have the best, healthiest body possible. The health and fitness industries are making billions of dollars every year on herbal supplements, fitness equipment, gyms, and special diets. If you watch TV or read magazines, there are always some intriguing ads and commercials asking for money for products to help you get into shape. While many of these options are good and healthy, others you should stay as far away from as possible. Recently popular over-the-counter diet supplements have been in the news, after a number of deaths were associated with the main ingredient used in many of these pills.

Now that you are ready to make a commitment to take care of your body, both internal and external, it is critical to your overall health that you do it the right way. In 101 Steps To Better Health, you will find tips for both health and fitness that will help you lose weight, discover ways to maintain a better healthier lifestyle, and be in the best shape of your life - all the smart way!

101 Steps To Better Health is divided into two categories. One for health, which focuses on herbal supplements, weight loss, dieting, rest, and everything you need to know about taking care of your body on the inside.

The other section is fitness, which has both internal and external benefits. On the outside, fitness includes weight lifting, running, sports, walking, things you can do to enhance, tone, and build muscle. However, fitness also has benefits for the inside such as great cardiovascular benefits among others.

101 Steps To Better Health isn't just about looking better. If you have a high stress job or, as many of us do, work long hours, you need to be in good physical condition. You owe it to yourself to learn to live healthier, you owe it to yourself to get 101 Steps To Better Health today!

101 Steps To Better Health is delivered in PDF format and is viewable on any computer. All you need is Adobe Reader which is available free and already on most computers.

Details
The ebook can be downloaded here
101health.zip

How To Boost Your Metabolism

Do you have a "slow" metabolism?

The truth is, no one has a slow metabolism the way you might think. But there's good news - anyone can speed up their metabolism! (Keep reading to find out how you can give your metabolism a boost)

The metabolism is one of the most understood processes of the human body. You may have even made the mistake of thinking it was a body part! (It's not) And the lack of information is leaving people confused.

Each year, tens of millions of people attempt to retake control over their health and the shape of their body; and each year, tens of millions of people feel that they've "failed" because, try as they might, they just can't speed up their metabolism.

This book is the antidote to that way of thinking and feeling, because the perceived failure is not a failure in any of these hard working dieters and exercisers (of which you may be one). The failure is with the medical and nutritional sector as a whole, which has simply not provided people with the information that they need to know in order to speed up their metabolism!



Who Else Wants To Boost Their Metabolism To Levels Never Experienced Before And Shed Pounds At A Rapid Pace?

The best time to start changing your financial habits for the better is when you are faced with a lack-of-cash emergency. Suddenly your faced with the fact that something needs to change if you are ever going to be financially free.

Within my 51 page guide, "How To Boost Your Metabolism," you'll discover the truth on how to speed up your metabolism with simple changes to exercise, diet, and daily life. The report is 100% downloadable and you can be reading in just minutes from now...

...here is just SOME of the information you will find inside:

* What metabolism is and what metabolism isn't. (Page 8)

* How metabolism helps you (in ways you've never thought of). (Pages 8-11)

* The truth behind calories and how your body deals with them (it's the same with fruit as with ice cream). (Pages 11-14)

* How anyone can speed up their metabolism by making changes in these 3 areas of their life. (Page 18)

* The place to start when trying to boost your metabolism through exercise. (Page 19)

* Why jogging isn't enough to boost your metabolism and lose weight by itself. (Page 20)

* The secret to burning more calories while you sit around doing nothing. (Page 21)

* Interval training as your secret weapon for fitness (and burning extra calories). (Pages 22-25)

* How the most health-conscious add variety to their fitness routines (for better results). (Pages 25-28)

* How wine with dinner can help you lose the battle over your metabolism. (Pages 29-30)

* Why getting just the right amount of sleep can help your metabolism grow strong (Plus 6 tricks for getting to sleep on time). (Pages 30-32)

* Will learning to relax turn into one of your best weapons for fighting a slow metabolism? The truth is revealed... (Pages 32-33)

* Why most people are wrong about how they look at calories. (Pages 35-37)

* How to stay within your calorie limit and still get the proper nourishment. (Page 37)

* The secret to eating more to weigh less. (Pages 37-38)

* Experts choose to eat early in the day for this reason. (Page 39)

* Breakfasts that will only make you more hungry later - and you should avoid. (Page 40)

* This type of food takes more energy to breakdown (burning more calories) - and you should get your hands on some. (Page 41)

* Why a trip to the grocery store can be an adventure even for the health conscious. (Page 41)

* The truth about carbohydrates (once adored by weight watchers)! (Pages 42-43)

And there's MUCH more - guaranteed!

Details
The ebook can be downloaded here
How_To_Boost_Your_Metabolism.zip

5 Techniques to Cope with Stress in your Life

We all go through it sometime or another; this intruder called stress. It is part of life and we all feel stressed at some time. Too much stress can be harmful and is possibly the first cause of ill health today. How we interpret and deal with stress is a crucial factor.

Allow us to explore 5 techniques to deal with the stress in your life in a healthy and efficient way.

1. Discuss the troubles you are going through with acquaintances, loved ones or a professional person. "Bottling" it within will only produce more troubles later on. There are many support groups with people experiencing similar problems.

2. Exercise is important for relieving your tension. Exercise stimulates the delivery of certain chemical substances in your brain, called neurotransmitters. These substances help your body to react to stress. People who improve their exercise habits change in their mental attitudes which give them the building blocks to better cope with the stress.

3. Listening to your preferred music is great way of bringing down stress and relieving anxiety.

4. Healthy meals can become a crucial ingredient in restricting your tension. See to it that you eat three meals a day and make it an attempt to keep off caffeine and sugar. Natural stress supplements are also available. In addition to being safer than prescription medication; natural stress relief can be just as effective if not more so. Consult with your health care professional.

5. Sleep deprivation can cause stress. Go to bed early. Seven to eight hours sleep can make all the difference.

Confronting stress can be difficult. Every day it may seem you are forced in every direction, trying to adapt to others. The foremost precedence is to take care of you. You are the thread which holds your family together. If you are stressed, you won’t be much good to anyone.

Take a break every so often. Do something that you desire to do; whether it be purchasing a new outfit or going to a movie.

Some solitude is just as essential to you as it is for everyone else. Consider yourself as a gas tank; sooner or later you will conk out . Laughter is now thought to be a tremendous stress reliever. Didn’t our granny tell us that years ago.

Laughter Yoga clubs are springing us and is currently referred to as the "latest exercise craze" .

It is a good idea to acknowledge the kind of situation that causes you to feel stressed so you can learn to recognize it before it materializes and address it in your own way. You may even learn to look a the situation differently next time.

Overcoming and indeed surviving what life throws at us is a never-ending challenge, but if we change stress into a positive energy then it’s a great help. Remember, everyone needs some stress, its only when it becomes overwhelming, relentless and damaging that you need to correct the balance, look after yourself better and make move to reduce its impact on your life.

Life is too fleeting; and stress can shorten it further. Nothing is more significant than your health or frame of mind. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said. "No one can make you a victim without your consent. " She is right; it is, after all, up to you.

Source : Lynn Zingel / www.ArticleBiz.com

Breast Milk And How It Is Made

If you've every been pregnant or if you are pregnant now, you've probably noticed a metamorphisis in your bra cups. The physical changes (tender, swollen breasts) may be one of the earliest clues that you have conceived. Many experts believe that the color change in the areola may also be helpful when it comes to breast feeding.

What's going on

Perhaps what's even more remarkable than visible changes is the extensive changes that are taking place inside of your breasts. The developing placenta stimulates the release of estrogen and progesterone, which will in turn stimulate the complex biological system that helps to make lactation possible.

Before you get pregnant, a combination of supportive tissue, milk glands, and fat make up the larger portions of your breats. The fact is, your newly swollen breasts have been preparing for your pregnancy since you were in your mother's womb! When you were born, your main milk ducts had already formed. Your mammary glands stayed quiet until you reached puberty, when a flood of the female hormone estrogen caused them to grow and also to swell. During pregnancy, those glands will kick into high gear.

Before your baby arrives, glandular tissue has replaced a majority of the fat cells and accounts for your bigger than before breasts. Each breast may actually get as much as 1 1/2 pounds heavier than before!

Nestled among the fatty cells and glandular tissue is an intricate network of channels or canals known as the milk ducts. The pregnancy hormones will cause these ducts to increase in both number and size, with the ducts branching off into smaller canals near the chest wall known as ductules. At the end of each duct is a cluster of smaller sacs known as alveoli. The cluster of alveoli is known as a lobule, while a cluster of lobule is known as a lobe. Each breast will contain around 15 - 20 lobes, with one milk duct for every lobe. The milk is produced inside of the alveoli, which is surrounded by tiny muscles that squeeze the glands and help to push the milk out into the ductules. Those ductules will lead to a bigger duct that widens into a milk pool directly below the areola.

The milk pools will act as resevoirs that hold the milk until your baby sucks it through the tiny openings in your nipples.

Mother Nature is so smart that your milk duct system will become fully developed around the time of your second trimester, so you can properly breast feed your baby even if he or she arrives earlier than you are anticipating.

Source : Jodi Siena / www.goarticle.com

Healthy Tips : Water – Vital for Hot Weather Survival

Water is vital for hot weather survival. One of the most important aspects of survival is staying hydrated, and that’s even more important when the temperatures are soaring. This means you need to know about storing and purifying water. If you know how to store water before a power outage occurs and how to purify water after an event, you will be in good shape for any wide-spread power outage.

To prepare to survive a disaster you will need to store water. The first step is to thoroughly wash plastic, glass or enamel lined containers. Two-liter soda bottles also make ideal water-storage containers. Seal the water containers tightly, label and store in a cool, dark place.

Stored water lacks oxygen, making it taste "dull". Adding oxygen by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers will improve the taste of the water. Remember to rotate the water out every six months, using what you’ve stored and refilling the bottle with fresh.

During a survival situation, you will want to purify all water before drinking it or using it for cooking or medical purposes; contaminated water can cause dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis. Boiling is the safest method of purifying water, which means, during a wide-spread power outage, that you will either need to boil your water on your barbecue or build a fire somewhere safe.

All you have to do is bring the water to a rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Then let the water cool down before using. Again, you can improve the taste by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers to add oxygen to it.

Ordinary household bleach will also kill germs. Use the kind that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Don't use scented bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners. Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let sit for at least a half an hour. If the water does not have a slight bleach odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes or so.

Another way to purify water is to distill it. Again this involves boiling the water, so you need to have a safe way to build a fire. Use a large kettle and fill it halfway full with water. Tie a cup to the handle of the pot's lid so that the cup will hang right side up when the lid is on the pot. Make sure that the cup is not dangling into the water.

Boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips into the cup from the lid is distilled and safe to drink. Needless to say, this is not an easy way to get safe drinking water for a lot of people.

Depending on how long the power outage lasts, you will probably need to employ all three methods. Because keeping hydrated in hot weather is your best way to keep yourself and your family safe, you should have a plan before disaster strikes and make sure you have the necessary items available beforehand.

Source : C.L Hendricks / www.ArticleBiz.com

Healthy Tips : Drinking Coffee And Dieting

Most people fail to calculate the amount of fat and calories found in many drinks featured at a coffee shop. They may be packing on the pounds without realizing that their morning double latte is what is causing most of it. They may be paying attention to the foods they eat but many drinks you can get from a coffee shop will have plenty of calories in them.

It is possible to have the best of both worlds though. Since most coffee shops offer plenty of selection you don't have to struggle too much to get something that can meet your needs. As the staff behind the counter what they would recommend if you are having trouble figuring it out on your own.

One of the easiest ways to choose something that is low in fat and low in calories is to simply switch to regular coffee. This may be quite a change if you have been enjoying flavored drinks and cappuccino each morning for quite some time. You don't want to get regular coffee though and then load it up with flavors, creamer, and sugar. That is going to defeat what you are attempting to accomplish.

You will find though that many coffee shops offer delicious premium coffee. It is going to be much better than what you can make on your own at home. They may have some specialty blends they offer as well so you can get some variety. Ask about low fat creamers and sugar substitutes so that you can still have something that tastes good to drink. Very few people enjoy their coffee plain.

There are plenty of options for you so don't get stuck on just one. If you try one type of coffee to cut calories and it doesn't meet your standards, try another one. You may struggle initially because these drinks don't taste as sweet as what you have become accustomed to. However, it a short span of time you will get used to the change and even start to enjoy it.

How many times a day do you order a drink from a coffee shop? You may find you need to cut out a few of those stops each day. It can become quite a habit if you have a coffee shop in walking distance of your home or your office. Even if you are drinking low fat or low calorie drinks, the number of them will certainly add up rapidly.

The size of the cups of your coffee need to be taken into consideration as well. You will notice that most coffee shops offer several sizes for your convenience. Cutting back one size can really make a difference over the course of a week and a month. Some people like to go with the bigger size as it is only a few cents more but do you really need it?

If you aren't sure what all is going into the drinks you order at a coffee shop, take the time to ask. Be respectful though and don't do this during a busy rush time of the day for them. This will affect their ability to serve other customers waiting in line. Going to the coffee shop is very common but make sure you are making good choices there if you are concerned about your weight.

Source : Karyn Lewis / www.isnare.com

Healty Tips : How to Know What Vitamins are Best for You

Most of the supplements on the shelves of health-food shops, drug stores and supermarkets contain "vitamins" that are man-made chemicals and "minerals" that are ground up rocks or mineral salts.

For example, most of the "vitamin C" sold in the US is ascorbic acid. This is a man-made chemical found nowhere in nature. There is no ascorbic acid in an orange, tomato or broccoli, or any fresh fruit or vegetable.

Ascorbic acid is manufactured in chemical plants by applying heat and pressure and additional chemicals to glucose (sugar), which converts the glucose to ascorbic acid. Not exactly like drinking orange juice, is it?

Ascorbic acid, being a chemical, isn’t absorbed or utilized the same way as food, and can often upset the stomach and digestive tract because it is an acid.

Vitamin C as it is found in nature is not acid - it is neutral! The acid taste in oranges and other citrus fruits is caused by their citric acid content.

Some companies will combine ascorbic acid with other chemicals to "buffer" it (make it less acid). This results in the "sodium ascorbate" or "calcium ascorbate" forms of ascorbic acid. The bottom line is that these forms of "vitamin C" as well as most other "vitamins" you find on store shelves, are man-made chemicals. They are nothing like the true vitamins found in fresh fruits, vegetables and meat.

Now, let’s take a look at the "minerals" that are available on store shelves. For example, 70% of the "calcium" supplements sold in the US is calcium carbonate. This is factually finely ground up limestone rock, seashells or coral. Only 4-7% of calcium carbonate taken as a supplement is actually absorbed by the body. Calcium carbonate is sometimes combined with other chemicals to try and improve this very poor absorption rate.

Regardless of the many different chemical forms calcium carbonate can get changed into, none of them are the same as the calcium found in a cabbage. Not even close!

These man-made chemical vitamins and ground up rock and mineral salts are called "USP" vitamins and minerals. (USP stands for United States Pharmacopoeia, which is a set of standards these vitamins and minerals are measured by.)

You may also come across vitamins and minerals that are labeled "food based". These are USP vitamins and minerals that have been physically mixed in with alfalfa or soy or some other food. This mixing with food is done in an attempt to increase the absorption of these chemicals and ground up rock into the body. That is why you often see "take with food" on their labels. Occasionally these "food based" products will be labeled "organic". This simply means that the alfalfa or soy the USP chemicals were mixed in with was grown organically.

Today you can find vitamins and minerals dissolved in liquid form. If the product is made with USP vitamins and minerals, you’re just pumping man-made chemicals into your body.

When you place a cabbage plant in the ground, its roots grow down into the soil and rocks, and they pull up from the ground calcium and other minerals in a form that you and I can’t eat.

Then through the normal life processes of the plant, it converts these minerals into a part of the plant body itself. Now the calcium has actually become a food we can eat, and our body knows how to absorb and utilize it.

To be effectively absorbed and utilized, vitamins and minerals must be the way they are in food.

Source: Bob Held / http://www.ArticleBiz.com