Diet Proof Your Fridge

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

When you’re trying to eat healthily, the key to success often lies in preparation and organisation. After all, if you come home from work to find nothing in the fridge to make a healthy meal, that’s when you’re most likely to phone for a fattening takeaway. And if when you open your fridge, all you see is calorific treats, then temptation is hard to resist.

One way to ensure you stick to your healthy resolutions is to organise your fridge cleverly. It’s not just what you put in your fridge but how you organise it that can make all the difference. Here’s how…

 

 

Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Keep your healthiest snacks at eye level in the fridge so that they are the first thing you see when you open the fridge door. Keep treats at the back or in boxes so that you’re less likely to grab them without thinking.

 

 

Healthy Leftovers
If you’ve made a healthy dish for an evening meal and have some leftovers, package them into single serve boxes so that you can easily take them out for quick and healthy lunches.

 

 

Be Prepared

When you’re feeling peckish, it’s often easier to grab a biscuit or packet of crisps than it is to prepare a healthy snack. Make things easier by pre-cutting fruit and veg into sticks or bite sized pieces so that you can quickly make a fruit salad or raw veg snack when you’re hungry.

 

 

Be Inspired

Don’t let the outside of your fridge go to waste – it’s a great place to stick reminders to help with your healthy eating goals. You could stick a calendar of seasonal vegetables on the outside, or a weekly meal plan to give you inspiration when you’re wondering what to cook. Alternatively, keep a list of healthy snack ideas so you’re reminded of different options when you start reaching for the chocolate.

 

 

Organise, Organise, Organise
Often we have a fridge full of food but when we open the door we still struggle to know what to cook. One way to make things easier is to keep your fridge neat and tidy. Have separate compartments or Tupperware boxes for different types of food – for example, keep all your cold meats together in one box and all your cheeses in another. You can then easily see what is available and plan healthy meals around the ingredients you already have.

 

 

Stay Fresh
Have you ever noticed how unhealthy food seems to stay fresh for longer than the healthy stuff? Quite often that’s because the unhealthy options are packed full of artificial preservatives to make them last longer. It can be disheartening to plan a healthy meal only to find that your salad or vegetable ingredients are past their best. The solution is to make sure fresh ingredients are stored correctly – for some things this may mean removing plastic packaging to stop the ingredients from sweating, whilst other things may last longer if stored in Clingfilm or in a plastic box. A salad crisper is often the best place to store fresh salad ingredients and some fruits will last for longer if kept in the fridge once ripe.

 

For more information about healthy eating, visit: www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating

Categories: fridge, Healthy, Healthy Eating, healthy meal, healthy snack, ingredients, nbsp, nbsp nbsp, organise, organise organise, stay fresh

Kitting Out a Student Kitchen

 

For many students, food is simply fuel – a quick snack grabbed from the corner shop before lectures, or a late night kebab after a night out. But student food doesn’t have to revolve around quick fixes and junk food. Nor does it have to be toast and pot noodles. With a little planning, you can kit out a kitchen so that students can eat healthily, quickly and cheaply. So whether you’re soon to become a student, or are a parent helping your own children prepare for their first few years away from home, here are some things to consider:

 

Size Matters
Most student kitchens are small and you may be sharing your space with several other people, so before you start buying lots of equipment and ingredients, find out how much space you will have. If space is limited choose equipment that is multi-purpose – for example mini casserole dishes that can double up as serving bowls or weighing scales that include a mixing bowl.

 

Communal Cooking
It can be tempting to buy useful kitchen kit as a gift for a student who is leaving home for the first time but it’s often better to wait a week or two and find out what their housemates already have. After all, there is little point six students turning up on day one, each carrying a brand new slow cooker but with no can opener between them. Communal cooking is a great way to keep costs down and it’s sociable too. You can make better use of supermarket two-for-one deals and buy in bulk without worrying about ingredients going off before you’ve had chance to use them.

 

Keep it Simple
Between classes and socialising, there probably won’t be much time for cooking so buy ingredients and equipment that help create quick meals. If you keep a few packets of rice, pasta and tins of tuna and tomatoes in the cupboard, you’ll always have the basis of a quick and easy meal. If you’re never sure exactly where you will be at mealtimes, it’s wise to buy tinned goods rather than fresh ingredients – then you don’t need to worry about food going mouldy before you’ve used it.

 

Get your Five-a-Day
When you are studying and partying hard, looking after your diet can sometimes fall to the wayside but it’s really important to stay healthy when at university. Common illnesses get passed around really easily and so you’ll need to keep your immune system in tip-top condition and that means getting your 5-a-day. Invest in a cheap blender and you can make tasty soups and smoothies that are cheap and nutritious. Alternatively, buy a slow cooker for creating huge casseroles – it’s the perfect way to use cheap but healthy ingredients to feed a crowd of hungry students.

 

Everyday Essentials

Here’s a quick list of the everyday essentials every student kitchen needs:

• A small and a large saucepan


• Frying pan


• Measuring jug


• Mixing bowl


• Wooden spoon and spatula


• Sieve


• Chopping board


• Can opener


• Cheese grater


• A general purpose kitchen knife

…and of course most important of all, a corkscrew!

 

Once you’ve kitted out your student kitchen, you just need to decide what to cook. Take a look at www.studentrecipes.com for inspiration.

 

Categories: communal cooking, everyday essentials, Food, ingredients, kitchen, mixing bowl, student, student kitchen, students

Losing Weight: Five Tricks With Natural Ingredients

Losing weight requires a two-fold approach using both diet and exercise to manage your weight and make permanent changes. Quick fixes that involve rapid weight loss result in a rebound effect where you could end up gaining more weight than you initially lost. Here are six tricks to improve your diet and decrease your appetite.

 

1) Coffee

Coffee contains caffeine and acts as a natural stimulant. Adding coffee to your diet can increase thermogenesis, which affects your bodies ability to burn calories to create both energy and heat. However, be careful when consuming coffee with excess sugar and sweetener.

 

2) Scents

Try using a vanilla scent to ensure that you feel full. If you smell vanilla before eating, your body naturally feels fuller and relaxes you so you take more time eating and enjoying your food. The scent of vanilla can also help you if you have a sweet tooth by reducing your cravings for chocolate and other sweets. Vanilla doesn’t have to be expensive when bought in bulk and wholesale at places like Vanilla Mart.

 

3) Green Tea

Green tea increases your metabolism because of compounds known as catechins. These antioxidants are associated with an increased metabolism and helps give you energy while making you feel fuller throughout the day.

 

4) Vegetables

Vegetables like carrots, celery and even potatoes contain large amounts of fiber and minerals that are needed to keep your body running at peak efficiency and to maintain a feeling of satiety. By incorporating vegetables in your diet, you can prevent hunger before it starts and help maintain that feeling of fullness so that you don’t gorge on fatty and empty calorie foods.

 

5) Water

When you’re hungry, try drinking a glass of water before reaching for the chips in the pantry. Water can help make you feel full and often when you’re thirsty you crave foods. The body is made up of mostly water and adding additional water to your diet can help to flush out toxins and keep you healthy. Of course, you can also overdo it, so keep your water intake to 8 to 10 glasses per day to prevent side effects.

 

Avoid the gimmicks and get started on your path to weight loss by burning more calories than you take in, exercising daily and incorporating these ingredients into your life to motivate you and make obtaining a healthy weight a part of your life.

 

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing about health and wellness and spending time with her dog, Max.

 

Categories: ingredients, losing, Natural, Tricks, weight

How to Get Bikini Ready In Time For Summer

It may seem hard to believe, as you look out of the window at the rain lashing down yet again, but summer really is just around the corner. In no time, you’ll be packing away the big bulky sweaters and getting out the skimpy tops and, shock horror, the bikini.

 

There’s no point in starting your weight loss and fitness regime when the summer has already arrived – the time to do it is now, whilst you still have time to get in shape before shedding the layers. Not only that, but eating right and exercising is great for your wellness and wellbeing, which should help to get you through the winter months with the minimal amount of colds and coughs.

 

There’s no point in starving yourself though; research has shown time and time again that starvation-based diets end up having quite the opposite effect. If you try to follow a very restrictive diet you are likely to break down and start overeating, putting on more weight than ever before. Instead, try to make one small change every week, and by the time the summer comes you will find that you have naturally lost weight and also that you are following a cleaner, healthier diet, and enjoying all the associated benefits.

 

The first step should be to eliminate processed foods. These foods make you crave more food than your body actually needs, and are not good for you. Take a look at the ingredients list on the food that you eat. You should aim to buy foods that have minimal ingredients, and definitely don’t have long lists of things, including additives that you don’t know how to pronounce! Ideally, you should go for the sections of the supermarket that have no ingredients label at all, such as fresh meat, fruits and vegetables.

Categories: bikini, fitness, foods, ingredients, nbsp, Summer, time, weight

A Basic Guide to Choosing the Best Anti-Wrinkle Cream

There are so many anti-wrinkle creams on the market that it can be difficult to know what to look for – gels, lotions, serums…where do you begin? There are specific ingredients you should be on the hunt for that could spell the difference between looking your age and knocking ten years off your appearance. Because wrinkle creams are over-the-counter, they aren’t classified as drugs so they’re not required to undergo any scientific research to prove how effective they are at what they claim. The best anti-wrinkle creams are rich in active ingredients that can offer you even modest improvements in your skin. Retinol is a popular ingredient in good creams now, as it is an antioxidant that can offer great effects. This vitamin A compound neutralises free radicals that break down your skin cells and lead to wrinkles. Another powerful antioxidant is vitamin C which helps to protect the skin from the damaging effects of the sun. More chemical sounding that some of the other ingredients, hydroxy acids are powerful anti-wrinkle substances that remove the upper layers of old and dead skin to revitalise your complexion and encourage the growth of new skin cells. Tea extracts, from green to black, have anti-inflammatory properties that could benefit your skin enormously. Grape seed extract is commonly found in wrinkle creams and is yet another antioxidant, along with niacinamide that reduces the water loss to improve the elasticity in the skin. Lastly, coenzyme Q10 could help to fight the wrinkles in the delicate eye area and protect the skin from the sun.

 

Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categorises creams and lotions as cosmetics, they don’t have a medical value. As such, they don’t undergo the same levels of testing as other products do. When you’re looking for a new anti-wrinkle cream, you should consider a few points to guide you to one that is not only safe for your skin but also offers you results. To begin with, look at the cost – it doesn’t directly relate to the effectiveness and you could be paying far too much for something that isn’t necessarily working. Bear in mind that non-prescription creams have lower concentrations of the aforementioned active ingredients, so if you do get any results, they will be short lived from such products. You need to keep up a regular routine if you want to see results from a product, so this means using it every morning as part of a cleanse, tone and moisturising programme. Be sure to read the fine print to see if there are any potential side effects that you need to be aware of, such as burning or skin irritation. And remember that just because a product worked for your friend or sister, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you necessarily.

The best way to protect your skin from wrinkles is to prevent them early on. This means taking precautions against things which lead to wrinkles. For example, avoiding the sun will help you to protect your skin from the damaging UV rays – always wear an SPF and stay out of direct sunlight when the sun is at its most powerful. You should also keep your skin hydrated by drinking plenty of water – experts recommend between six to eight glasses every day. If you smoke, you should quit – not only is it bad for your skin, but it also brings with it a number of health risks such as lung cancer and heart disease. And lastly, be sure to take good care of your skin with a regular routine that ensures it is hydrated and moisturised at all times.

Categories: active ingredients, anti-wrinkle, creams, ingredients, regular routine, skin, skin cells, skincare, wrinkle, wrinkle cream, wrinkle creams, Wrinkles

Three Simple Kitchen Ingredients to Improve Your Wellness

If you are looking to improve your wellness through diet and nutrition, there are three key ingredients that you should not ignore. These common household staples can make a real difference to your wellbeing, if taken on a daily basis. They are: garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar.

 

When used every day, these three simple products could actually cure many common health problems. You could either take them alone or you can mix them together, and you can either take them ‘neat’ on a daily basis or you can simply ensure that you include them as ingredients in things that you cook on a daily basis.

 

Apple cider vinegar is packed full of minerals and has trace elements of calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, chlorine, copper, sulfur, silicon, iron and fluorine. It’s also rich in vitamins A, C and E as well as B1, B2 and B6 and is packed with amino acids and beta carotene. It has been used for centuries as a cleansing agent and healing elixir.

 

It can boost your metabolism, reduce your cholesterol, regulate your blood pressure and improve your circulation. It can also help with allergies, sinus infections, flu, acne, chronic fatigue, sore throats, gout and arthritis. It’s great for breaking down fats too and can be used for weight loss.

 

Garlic is well known for lowering bad cholesterol. It can help your body to prevent the formation of fatty deposits within the arteries, thus warding off heart disease. Regular garlic can also help you to fight off colds and other infections.

 

Honey is great for boosting the natural energy reserves and supporting a healthy immune system. It is frequently used as a very effective remedy for the symptoms of a cold such as sore throat, cough and respiratory problems.

Categories: apple cider, basis, cider vinegar, daily, daily basis, garlic, health, improve, ingredients, kitchen, nbsp

Forget Eating Your Greens, Opt For a Rainbow Instead

‘Eat your greens’ may have been the sentence most commonly heard around the dinner table when you were younger, but there’s a new rule to follow now – eating the rainbow. It seems that avoiding the reds, oranges and purples in our diet could mean that we’re missing out on a range of vital nutrients. By eating the rainbow, we ensure that our bodies get everything they need to stay healthy and strong. Fruit and vegetables contain numerous phytochemicals which act as antioxidants that are used to fight off disease, keep us looking young and to maintain strong bodily processes. They are used to ‘mop up’ free radicals which are molecules that can cause damage to the body if they’re left in the body. As a result, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables could keep your body healthier for longer, helping you to prevent heart disease, cancers, cataracts and even premature ageing. Researchers have found that the phytochemicals could also offer other health benefits, so on top of your five a day you also need to make sure you get a range of colours into your diet as well.

Eating a range of colours doesn’t just mean that you’re getting a range of nutrients – it also means you’ll be able to add a range of textures and flavours to your diet as well. You may think you’re limited when it comes to ingredients that have bright colours, but there’s more to choose from than you think. With red as your inspiration, why not choose between cranberries, cherries, apples, rhubarb, radishes, tomatoes, peppers and red grapes? These ingredients contain lycopene, which is a carotenoid, as well as anthocyanins which give fruit and vegetables their distinctive red colour. They also have high levels of vitamin C, which is great for your immune system. These ingredients can help to protect you from certain cancers, in particular prostate cancer. Our bodies absorb lycopene more easily when the foods have been heated, so eat tomatoes and such ingredients cooked rather than raw.

Green vegetables are easier to find, but you don’t need to limit yourself to spinach. Lettuce, cucumber, cress, courgette, mangetout, apples and kiwi fruit all count towards as well. These contain chlorophyll and nutrients such as iron and calcium. They also contain lutein which is helpful for protecting your eyes. Purple foods could be anything from raisins, red onions and aubergine to blackcurrants and blueberries. These contain anthocyanins which keep the heart healthy and lower the risk of strokes. Researchers have also found that the nutrients within purple and blue foods could help to improve your balance, short-term memory and co-ordination. Lastly, orange and yellow foods can come from oranges, grapefruits, pumpkin, sweetcorn, squash, peaches and pineapple. These are great sources of vitamin C, as well as being loaded with beta carotene. Most yellow or orange foods help to protect your eyes and skin, as they enable the body to convert beta carotene into vitamin A. Eating the rainbow may seem daunting at first, but as long as you ensure that you eat a varied selection of fruit and vegetables every day, you’ll be on track to getting your daily dose of these health-boosting nutrients. If you’re in doubt, why not have a smoothie in the morning, which you can load up with delicious and healthy ingredients? Add a few portions to your dinner and have a piece of fruit as a snack, and you’ll be reaching that five a day goal more easily.

Categories: beta carotene, eating, fruit, ingredients, nutrients, range, vegetables

Why Herbal Supplements Aren"t Right for Everyone?

Botany has played a great role in medical purposes. Botanicals, also known as herbal supplements are available easily today. Ginkgo will improve your memory. Flaxseed can help lower your cholesterol and Echinacea can prevent cold. But are these supplements really good for your health?

 

Firstly, herbal supplements aren’t subjected to the scientific scrutiny or strictly regulated like the other medications. There is no approval required from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for producing and supplying botanicals in the market. Secondly, many herbal supplements that are termed natural may have drug-like side effects that can harm your body system. Hence it is advisable that do a thorough check before consuming any supplements. Have a word with your doctor before you buy botanicals. Be extra careful if you are a heart patient, pregnant or breast-feeding.

 

Is it safe?

Herbal supplements are regulated by FDA. However, as mentioned above, the rules and regulations are not as same as for foods and drugs. It falls under dietary supplements category. Here are the rules for dietary supplements.

 

The manufacturer of herbal supplements doesn’t need an approval from FDA before putting the products in the market. Besides, companies can claim that their products support health, address nutrient deficiency, linked to body functions – only if they include a disclaimer that the FDA hasn’t evaluated the claim.

 

It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to practice a quality oriented production and that the supplements should be processed timely. In order to maintain the quality of the supplements, the regulations are intended to keep the unwanted ingredients away, avoid contamination such as lead and pesticides out of them. This also makes sure that the right ingredients are used in proper required amounts.

 

It is the FDA’s responsibility to monitor the safety of dietary supplements, once they enter the market. If the FDA finds a particular product to be unsafe, it can take action against the manufacturer and the distributor. FDA will issue a warning and can also take the product off the market.

 

Such regulations ensure the good quality of herbal supplements and give you the assurance of picking up a product from the market without any worry. However, these rules don’t guarantee that the herbal supplements available in the market are beneficial or safe for everyone. Various ingredients are used while composing these products. These active ingredients can have a strong impact on your body and can be a threat to life. For instance, if you are on medication and you start consuming herbal supplements, the reaction can even be fatal.  Hence, it is advisable that you consult your doctor before you start taking any herbal supplements.

 

What are the ingredients?

For this, the FDA demands that the manufacturer should include the following information on the label of the products:

 

Name of the herbal supplement

Name and address of the manufacturer or distributor

Full list of ingredients – either listed beneath or in the Supplement Facts Panel

Active ingredients, serving size and the amount

 

In case you are unable to understand the ingredients or anything else on the package of the herbal supplement, speak to your doctor or a pharmacist.

 

The simplest way to understand such things is to compare the ingredients listed on the product package by using the Dietary Supplements Labels Database, available on the National Library of Medicine’s website. You can check the products name, uses, active ingredients and the manufacturer’s name. However, it is important that you understand your body and its functioning before you in take any herbal supplements available in the market today.

Categories: active ingredients, dietary supplements, herbal, herbal supplement, herbal supplements, ingredients, Safe, Supplements, supplements aren, supplements nbsp

Skin-Savers That Won’t Leave a Dent in Your Pocket

We all know the importance of keeping our skin smooth by exfoliating regularly, but it can be a costly routine. So why not use the ingredients found in your kitchen cupboard to make a skin-saving scrub that takes next to no time and won’t cost you a penny! Whether you’re baring skin in the summer or trying to fight drier skin in the winter months, regular exfoliation will ensure that your skin always looks its best. It will help moisturiser sink in more easily, helping you to maintain hydrated and soft skin all year round. And, best of all, they’re chemical free and won’t irritate your skin. Here are five recipes for sugar-based scrubs that will rid your skin of that dry, flaky texture to reveal silky smooth skin beneath.

Simple sugar scrub

The basic formula consists of half a cup of regular granulated sugar and enough olive oil to dampen the mixture. If you want you can add a few drops of an essential oil to scent the mixture, but the basics will remain the same. This is an inexpensive scrub that will soften your skin after just one use, using ingredients you can find at home. It is also easy to make up fresh batch whenever you need it, so the ingredients can work their magic on your skin with only a moments notice.

Homemade sugar scrub

Combine half measures of white cane sugar with half of vegetable glycerine to moisten the sugar. Avocado oil will work just as well if you don’t have vegetable glycerine. Add to this a small amount of aloe vera gel or vitamin C crystals. You can also add a couple of drops of essential oil, if you’d like. Combine these ingredients for a great and easy scrub that really offers results.

Banana body scrub

Bananas are great for your skin so make the most of those lingering in your fruit bowl with a nutritious scrub. Mix one ripe and mashed banana with three tablespoons of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract. Smooth onto your skin and then rinse off to reveal a smoother and brighter skin texture.

Brown sugar scrub

Whisk one cup of brown sugar with one cup of granulated sugar, ¾ cups of almond or hazelnut oil, two teaspoons of powdered cinnamon, two teaspoons of ground ginger and two teaspoons of ground nutmeg. Add in 40 drops of cadomom oil, mix thoroughly and use straight away. This is a great scented mixture and easy to mix up in a flash. You can vary this by adding in a different essential oil if you’d prefer, but the cardamom is great for adding a heady scent that complements the other ingredients perfectly.

Gentle scrub

If you have sensitive skin, this is the one for you. Mix a quarter cup of sugar with one chopped fresh tomato and two tablespoons of plain yoghurt or sour cream. The yoghurt has a cooling effect on the skin, whilst also being mildly acidic so it’s great for creating a smooth texture. This is gentle enough that you can use it on your face, as well as on your limbs. The ingredients here are readily available so you can make this easily throughout the year – it’s especially refreshing in the summer months when you’ll really want to show off the results of your efforts. A scrub is great if you’re hoping to get a tan, as it provides a smooth and even surface, so remember this recipe when the warmer months arrive.

Categories: anti-ageing, brown sugar, essential oil, granulated sugar, ingredients, scrub, scrubs, skin, skincare, Sugar, sugar scrub, vegetable glycerine

How to Use Body Wraps to Shed Those Unwanted Pounds

Body wraps are the new popular weight to help you shed weight. They are believed to be a safe way to boost your wellness and wellbeing, and you don’t have to slog it out for hours down at the gym in order to squeeze into that favourite outfit, if you play your cards right.

 

Many people, women in particular, believe that these wraps will help them to shed unwanted pounds, and spas across the world offer a variety of different wraps, including things like mineral salts, seaweed and ivy extracts.

 

In truth, when they are combined with an exercise regime and a diet plan, wraps can help you to shed unwanted pounds, especially those in the form of cellulite. They can also help to improve the skin tone and to trim down your tummy, bum and thighs. They’re not even necessarily hugely expensive, as you can do them yourself at home and save yourself hundreds of pounds.

 

All you need to do is look around the home to see what ingredients you have to make a wrap with. You can use things such as sea salt, Epsom, aloe vera, essential oils such as sage and lavender, sunflower oil, chamomile, rose petals and clay. All of these ingredients can be found at health food stores and you may even have some of them lying around at home.

 

To make them into a wrap, puree the ingredients into a smooth paste and then spread it onto your body. The application part can be really messy so make sure you are lying comfortably on a mattress that has been spread with old towels. When the ingredients are on, wrap yourself in plastic wrap and try to relax whilst listening to some gentle music. After the rest period, you should unwrap yourself, gently wash off the materials and then have a drink of water.

Categories: body, body wraps, ingredients, nbsp, pounds, shed unwanted, unwanted pounds, Wrap, wraps

Doggy Diet: How to Ensure Proper Nutrition for Your Pet

There’s no denying the importance of nutrition to family wellness, but what about the wellbeing of your furry little friend? It’s just as vital for your dog to eat well if he’s going to live long and avoid wellness problems, and so you need to ensure you’re making the right food buying decisions. The next time you’re in the pet food aisle, ask yourself the following questions:

 

1. What does the label say? Although commercial brands of pet food are more expensive, this generally means they meet strict government ingredient standards and are more digestible for your dog. Make sure the label states that it meets these standards, and as well as a clearly listed expiration date.

 

2. What are the ingredients? The breed and age of your pup will affect the quantities it needs of certain ingredients, but this should include a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. When it comes to proteins, you need food that is high in meat content and low in grain content. The fats should come from chicken or beef rather than general “animal fat” as this means the meat is healthy and easily digestible. Processed grains are really harmful to man’s best friend, so instead go for whole grains, such as oatmeal, brown rice, and barley.

 

3. Is there enough variety? Your pet needs variety to ensure his diet is balanced and that he is happy and satisfied. This means rotating three or four foods containing different meats, and giving your dog an occasional treat of a small amount of fresh meat, vegetables, rice, plain yogurt, and plain pasta.

 

4. Is it going according to schedule? Dogs thrive on routine, so you need to know the proper amount of food to be given and the time and frequency of meals. Set specific feeding times and locations.

 

5. Is the diet age-appropriate? As puppies are still growing, they need to be fed more often. Give four meals a day to puppies aged eight to 12 weeks, three meals up to the age of six months, and reduce it down to two meals for dogs aged six to 12 months. Most adult dogs can be fed once daily, but this might need to be two small meals per day if your dog is a larger sized breed.

Categories: diet, Dogs, Food, ingredients, meals, nbsp, nutrition, pet food, Variety

Which Foods Can Help You Beat Stress?

Thanks to longer working days, busy social lives and hectic daily schedules, we are now more stressed than ever. But you can forget what you’ve heard about stressful eating being a bad thing – it isn’t the eating, but rather what you’re eating that counts. Stress can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, so it’s vital that you combat it early before it takes its toll on your health. These foods could be great as a healthy addition to your diet, as well as helping to combat those stressful scenarios which creep into your daily life.

 

Almonds, pistachios and walnuts

Nuts are packed with great health-boosting ingredients, including vitamin E, B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. B vitamins help your body to cope with unpleasant events, and you only need a quarter of a cup to get your daily dose. Vitamin E also bolsters the immune system which helps you fight off diseases which tend to take over when you’re stressed. Walnuts and pistachios can help keep your heart from racing when things get stressful, so a handful of these when you’re getting pent up could control your cardiovascular health. Studies show that a handful of pistachios every day can keep your heart healthy by calming it down when it needs it most.

 

Avocados

Guacamole, made from fresh avocados, is far better for your health than ice cream, as it can satisfy your craving for something creamy and rich, as well as reducing frantic feelings. Loaded with monounsaturated fats and potassium, avocados can lower your blood pressure – ideal in stressful situations.

 

Skimmed milk

If you’re restless or suffering with insomnia, warmed milk can calm you down quickly. This is because calcium can calm muscle spasms and ease tension, as well as just one glass calming PMS symptoms, anxiety and irritability. Studies show that women who drink four or more servings of skimmed milk each day have a 46 percent lower risk of pre-period symptoms than those who didn’t.

 

Oatmeal

Carbs may be seen as the enemy by those looking to lose weight, but they do have a positive effect on your health in some ways. They help the brain to make more serotonin which is the same relaxing chemical which is released when you eat dark chocolate. The more slowly you absorb the carbohydrates, the more steadily this chemical is released which can result in you being calmer and less stressed.

 

Oranges

Oranges are loaded with vitamin C, and this is well known for boosting your immune system. Studies suggest that people who have a higher intake of vitamin C feel less stressed overall, so they can be a great way to combat the anxiety when you’re facing a stressful situation.

 

Salmon

Omega-3 fatty acids are the enemy of stress hormones, as they protect against cortisol and adrenaline from geysering. They also protect the heart from heart disease, which can be affected by stress. If you don’t eat fish, such as salmon and mackerel, you can get omega-3s from nuts and seeds. Try adding a handful to salads, top your cereal with some, or even snack on them instead of your usual biscuits and crisps mid-morning.

 

Spinach

Magnesium is great for calming the mind, lowering stress and keeping your body in a state of ease so you can tackle those stressful situations. Spinach is great for dealing with this, helping you to fight off fatigue and migraines too. You can add it to soups and pasta sauces, add a handful to smoothies for a health boost, or even substitute lettuce for a handful of spinach leaves in sandwiches or salads.

Categories: blood pressure, fatty acids, Food, heart disease, ingredients, skimmed milk, Stress, stressful situations

Be Bigger and Better: The Lies Behind Sex Enhancement Drugs

Ever since, in 1983, erectile dysfunction (ED) was determined to be a physical problem rather than a matter of mental well-being, male enhancement drugs have saturated the wellness market. With so many pharmaceutical companies offering a safe and natural solution to your sexual health needs, you’d be forgiven for falling prey to some pretty massive myths that they perpetrate. Let’s take a look at the promises that pharmaceutical companies make and fail to keep.

 

1. You need penis-enlarging drugs to be better at sex.

As the saying goes, it’s not the size of the ship; it’s the motion in the ocean. Even if it seems that every guy at the gym could have a thriving career in porn, you’ve probably got a warped sense of what’s normal. The average penis is five to seven inches when erect, and English researchers have found that 85% of women are happy with their man’s penis size, so ditch the drugs.

 

2. The drugs will help your sex life.

A report published in Mayo Clinic revealed that there is no scientific research to show any kind of non-surgical penis enlargement drug or treatment works. Whether it promises a better orgasm or more inches, there is no evidence to back up that claim. Even exercises that lengthen your penis have been shown to reduce the strength of your erections.

 

3. Male sexual enhancement herbs are 100% safe.

Just because herbs occur naturally, it doesn’t mean they’re safe. ‘Horny Goat Weed’ can actually cause heart arrhythmias, a nosebleed and vomiting, while ‘Ginko Biloba’ increases chances of internal bleeding. No matter the herb, you should consult your doctor first.

 

4. All ingredients are listed correctly.

Supplements aren’t required to label all the ingredients, and so you never know exactly what you’re taking. Enhancement aids advertised as “all-natural” have often be found to contain traces of Sildenafil, what is commonly known as Viagra.

 

5. You will be happier if you try the product.

This is the lie behind all male sexual enhancement aids, but the truth is that good sex isn’t just about your penis size or the duration of your erection; it is about connecting with your partner and understanding how to reach satisfaction using just what you have. Plus, enhancement aids always come with risks, including nerve damage, torn blood vessels, penile deformity, unstable erections, loss of sensation in your penis and loss of proper functioning. Is that going to improve your sex life or make you happier? Maybe it’s best just to stick with what the good Lord gave you!

Categories: enhancement aids, ingredients, Myths, Penis Size, pharmaceutical companies, Sex Enhancement Drugs, sex life, sexual enhancement

How to Determine Which Skincare Products You Actually Need

There’s a jungle of skin care products out there, with everything from anti-wrinkle creams and BB serums to cleansers and exfoliators, but what do you actually need to take care of your anti-ageing wellness? Here’s some sound advice for your wellbeing-centred skin care regime.

1. Don’t go overboard in the beginning – Your new moisturiser may be amazing, but that doesn’t mean you should rush out and get the matching serum, cleanser, mask and eye cream. You should use a product for at least three weeks, in case it irritates your skin. That way, you’ll be able to pinpoint the problem without wasting your money on loads of products. Plus, using too many strong products may overload your skin and cause sensitivity and inflammation.

2. Test it out – Most brands are often happy to give you a sample before you buy, so you can test whether it’s going to work for you, or irritate your skin. If you find that the sample does irritate your skin, try other samples of moisturiser and look at which ingredients the irritating ones have in common.

3. Don’t mix and match – Check the ingredients on your skin care products, and make sure you’re not combining any ingredients that react badly together. Never put vitamin C with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), copper peptides or retinol, and never put retinol with benzoyl peroxide or AHAs.

4. Use what you need – The products you need depend on your skin type. If you have acne-prone skin, you need a cleanser that helps remove oil and dead skin, an oil-free sun cream, a glycolic product and one that contains salicylic acid. If you have normal or combination skin, you need a cleanser, an anti-ageing serum which contains peptides and hyaluronic acid or vitamin B, a moisturiser with SPF, and an exfoliator twice a week. For sensitive skin, make sure your cleanser doesn’t contain sodium laurel sulphate because this can cause irritation, and opt for a perfume-free moisturiser, SPF50 sun cream and a weekly enzyme mask.

5. Use the right thing at the right time – Serums are especially formulated to penetrate deeply, so should be used before a moisturiser. Moisturisers should be applied before make-up, to keep your skin hydrated and protected against the elements. Primers should be used after a moisturiser and before foundation to even out your skin tone and help make-up go on smoothly, or you can use a tinted moisturiser instead to give a sheer wash of colour instead of foundation. A BB cream can act as a primer before foundation or be worn on its own, and a CC cream is for use instead of foundation.

Categories: ingredients, moisturiser, skin type