Holistic Life with Manika

Manika Kashyap

Green Smoothie Recipes Made Easy

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Green smoothies are super easy to make, provide energy and health benefits, and are great for natural weight loss. My favorite benefit is that it is anti-aging and nutrient dense. You will learn top 10 tips to making healthy green smoothies.

I use my Vitamix Blender to make a smoothie every morning that I can sip through breakfast and throughout the day

Green smoothies keeps my energy level up and my hunger at bay. I enjoy a generous healthy smoothie in the morning, then I have a great lunch of my choice, sip on some more of the smoothie between lunch and dinner and have a modest dinner.

You will naturally come to your ideal weight by doing this. We have to stop this epidemic of going on diet pills and yo-yo dieting. Unless there are medical reasons (like hypothyroidism issues which slows down your metabolism), there is no reason that you will not lose weight if you follow simple healthy living rules.

But I digress… back to green smoothie recipes.

Here are 10 tips to get you going on your green smoothie journey:

1. Use one or two fresh or frozen fruits as natural sweeteners. Bananas, sweet ripe mangoes, pineapple, kiwi, pear, berries. The choices are endless.

2. Cucumbers, honey dew, watermelon are great as a base for extra water content.

3. Adding half a carrot or half of a celery stick one way of sneaking in some extra veggies. Again experiment with other veggies.

4. Add ice and/or water to make your smoothie to the consistency you like. I like thinner consistency so I can easily sip with a straw.

5. Choose a leafy green such as spinach or kale, or parsley and cilantro. Herbs have great detoxifying properties so don’t forget those. Rotate your greens and try different ones. Add about one cupful of a leafy green of your choice or start with a smaller quantity if you are new to making smoothies.

6. You can add juices to sweeten them more such as cranberry, orange, and pineapple. Please make sure you don’t add too much, as you get a natural sweetness from the fruits you are adding in.

7. Adding a tablespoon of hemp powder is an awesome way to get some extra natural protein. Hemp seeds/powder is a complete protein, has Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), high in fiber and rich in minerals like iron and magnesium.

8. Please try to buy organic whenever possible. That’s less chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides in your smoothie.

9. I suggest you do invest in a great blender. And I am extremely biased with my Vitamix. It is a powerful blender that most smoothie enthusiasts and raw foodists use for their creations. It is pricy but once you own one, you will never look at another blender. And it will pay for itself many times over.

10. Have fun creating your combinations. Use left over veggies and whatever fruit you have on hand and get creative.

Here are 2 recipe samples for you. Enjoy! Please go to my site for additional green smoothie recipes and other healthiest foods recipes.

Green Smoothie Recipe #1

2 cups honey dew 2 cups, 1 cup spinach, 1 cucumber, 1 tablespoon hemp powder, add some ice or a little water. Blend it in your Vitamix

Honeydew is a great water base and natural sweetener and an excellent source of Vitamin C and Foliate. It is a great base to add to a green smoothie. The honeydew and cucumber together has an incredible refreshing taste.

Green Smoothie Recipe # 2

cranberry or orange juice, 1 orange, 1 banana, 1/2 cup of kale, 1/2 sprig of celery, 1/2 carrot, 4-6 pieces of Ice

Please leave a comment or feedback about this or share your green smoothie recipe experience. I love to hear from my readers.

Jaya Patel has a passion for holistic health and writes about super healthy recipes, natural cures, remedies, non-toxic products, and alternative therapies. For videos and articles, and to get her free smoothie recipe guide, visit her blog at [http://healthylivingbyjaya.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jaya_Patel/1262278

The Secret Ingredient to a Healthy Life

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While in college studying nutrition, my friend heard from a teacher that it is easier for a person to change their religion than to change their eating habits.

But necessity is the mother of invention. When my dad got sick and was hospitalized for cancer, I started researching to learn how to protect ourselves and heal from cancer. While watching “A Delicate Balance,” on Vimeo I heard nutritional researcher T. Colin Campbell describe the results from the largest study ever done on nutrition and cancer as detailed in his book, the “The China Study.”

A friend had given me the book years before but it had been a deal-breaker since it advocated a vegan diet, which meant giving up all animal foods including vegetarian food like cheese and eggs. But in the fight for my dad’s life I was willing to do what it took so I read the book and couldn’t put it down. My first thought upon finishing it was “knowledge is power.”

The premise of the book is that animal protein causes cancer cells to multiply while plant protein causes cancer cells to shrink. This research is backed by empirical scientific evidence and published in scholarly journals. It is detailed in Chapter 3 of the book and would be a compelling place to start your own research. But the research is silenced by lobbyists for the food industry who don’t want this kind of information available.

After reading the China Study and realizing how many ailments are caused by the “Standard American Diet” or SAD, I vowed to go vegan. Turning vegan seemed like an easy choice to protect my health from the dreaded cancer menace.

Although a seasoned vegetarian, I lacked skill making tasty vegan food without cheese and eggs. Committed to the health benefits of a vegan diet, I enrolled in vegan chef school and trained for three weeks with a master vegan chef.

Throughout chef school I lived exclusively on vegan food. The first thing you notice is the amazing energy gained from eating the fresh wholesome food. Antioxidants color the fruits and vegetables which fortify our own systems.

When people inevitability ask where our protein comes from one expert responds, “I get my protein from the same place your protein gets its protein.” Leafy greens, grains, nuts, legumes, beans, seeds are some “whole food plant-based” sources of protein.

And the best thing is that the food tastes magnificent. Cashew cheese, almond milk and coconut butter are staples. Toss tofu cubes with nutritional yeast, tamari and olive oil then bake for savory nuggets. Steam tempeh cubes for 20 minutes – mix with vegan mayonnaise, garlic, onion, basil and parsley. Place in pita for a “mock” chicken salad sandwich.

My passion is well-being and vegan food benefits human health, animal health, and environmental health. Looking for a place to start? Mark Reinfeld of Vegan Fusion offers a series of cookbooks on Amazon.

Nancy Ivey, MA http://www.nancyivey.com teaches yoga for higher education and offers demonstration-style vegan cooking classes or vegan coaching through Skype. Email her at nancy.ivey@hotmail.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nancy_L_Ivey/1604280

 

How To Live A Healthy Lifestyle And Enjoy Life

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Living a healthy life style naturally calls for a healthy body, free from disease and illnesses. It also means that you enjoy a positive outlook about your life, the people in it, and the world.

A healthy lifestyle is one full of energy, without constant stress about aches and pains, and what tomorrow will bring. It’s about living in a healthy body, and enjoying the world around you.

Living a healthy lifestyle is built on these foundational steps:

Staying healthy calls for a healthy diet

A diet rich in fresh, whole foods is essential in a healthy lifestyle. When available, always choose foods found in its natural state. Fruits and vegetables have high vitamin and mineral content. Whole grains like quinoa and whole wheat bread should be consumed instead of less nutritious white varieties.

Vegetables need to make up 50-60% of your total intake of food each and every day. The more vegetables you eat, the less sugar and white flour you will crave and your immune system will help you fight off illness and give you all the energy you need.

Drink plenty of water. The old suggestion of 8 glasses as day is still what you need to keep every cell in your body healthy.

Exercise keeps your heart healthy and your body agile.

Just 30 minutes a day of movement can benefit your health by improving joint stability, increase your range of movement and flexibility, help prevent osteoporosis and fractures and improve your mood while reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean joining a gym. It can be simple things like turning off the TV for an hour and playing outdoors with your kids or taking your dog for a walk.

If you already exercise regular, add an extra lap in the pool, walk an extra turn around the block, do one more set of reps before quitting. Small increases can make a big difference.

Chores like shoveling snow, gardening, raking leaves or vacuuming and sweeping the floor are all considered a form of exercise.

Emotional Health makes all the pieces come together

Your emotional health plays a big part in a healthy lifestyle. Tune into your body to learn what causes you stress. Have a healthy social life by avoiding negative people and situations. Relaxation and meditation help release negative emotions. Listen to soothing music, meditate, breathe deep to help reduce stress.

A healthy lifestyle makes life full and large

In addition to an overall good feeling, a healthy lifestyle has many benefits. A healthy lifestyle makes life worth something to you. When you’re living conscious of your diet, sleep, exercise, and the other people you share the world with, life will take on a new and profound meaning.

A naturally healthy lifestyle can lead to a longer more productive life. You’ll feel less pain, ward off diseases and have energy like you did when you were young.

Living a healthy lifestyle is the only way to live your life, but it isn’t the normal way to live.

Making health, and living a healthy lifestyle, simple and normal for all of us; That’s our passion at ComprehendingHealth.com We give you the information to get healthy, stay healthy, and live the lifestyle of your dreams with free articles, ebooks, links to other great resources, and much more.

Come to ComprehendingHealth.com right now, and join our ever growing conversation about your health and lifestyle.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Mahaffey/947019

Can Drinking Tea Make You Live Longer?

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Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, after water. Asian cultures drink gallons of green, oolong and other teas, and the Brits consume large quantities of black tea. In fact, everywhere in the world, tea is a regular part of life. In many cases, we drink tea because we like it, but as it turns out, it may be extremely healthy for us, too.

Over the years there’s been tons of research on the benefits of tea to our health. And, as we learn more and more, it’s becoming clear that drinking tea may be one of the best things we can do to protect our health and prolong our lives. The University of Toronto Medical Journal outlines the many benefits that drinking tea can offer

Prevention of Heart Disease

Studies have shown that regular tea consumption can actually lower cholesterol levels circulating in the blood. In fact, some studies have shown tea to reduce total cholesterol by as much as 6.5% and LDL cholesterol by as much as 11%. A reduction in cholesterol prevents atherosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries that carry blood become narrowed due to a buildup of plaque. The plaque that builds up in our arteries is created when LDL cholesterol oxidizes.

Prevention of Cancer

Tea has been shown to reduce the risk of several forms of cancer. In fact, tea has been shown to reduce lung tumors by 80% in laboratory mice. Tea has also been effective in human studies on cancer, including breast cancer, colon cancer and gastric cancer.

Weight Loss

Tea has also been shown to be an effective weight loss supplement. Tea increases energy expenditure, promotes fat oxidation and decreases fat storage. Many studies have shown that drinking tea in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise can help you lose more weight than diet and exercise alone.

Improvement in Intestinal Tract Bacteria

Regular tea consumption can help improve the bacteria that live in your intestinal tract; eliminating harmful bacteria and helping beneficial bacteria to flourish. Tea has been shown to reduce the level of H pylori bacteria in the stomach. H pylori is associated with the development of ulcers.

Getting Your Daily Dose

The recommended dose of tea for health benefits is about 30 ounces per day – the equivalent of 2 ½ cans of soda. While this may seem like a lot, it’s easy to consume this amount if you replace some of the other beverages you consume with tea. Consider this:

Replace one cup of your morning coffee with a cup of tea instead – that’s 8 ounces.

Have one bottle of green tea with lunch instead of a bottled soda – that’s another 12 ounces.

For an afternoon break, make a relaxing cup of tea instead of a snack. You’ll save calories and get another 8 ounces of tea.

Have a cup of lavender or mint tea before bed – you’re getting another eight ounces of tea, and you’ll sleep better too!

Which tea is best?

There are literally thousands of varieties of tea available – so much that you may be confused about which you should be drinking. Probably the best tea for you is the one that you like, because if you like it you’ll drink more of it. However, if you’re choosing tea strictly for the health benefits, here are some suggestions to help you choose the tea that will give you the most benefit.

Choose green tea over black – Green tea is unfermented, which means that more of the original anti-oxidants are intact. It is believed that green tea has more health benefits than black tea because these anti-oxidants remain in their natural state. If you don’t like the flavor of plain green tea, there are dozens of flavored green teas. They are just as healthy, and taste great. In addition, you can find bottled green teas that are very convenient when you’re on the go.

Choose caffeinated teas over decaffeinated – Caffeinated teas have the most health benefit. It is believed that the caffeine in tea works with the anti-oxidants to create the maximum effects. Those who are caffeine sensitive might try green tea, as its caffeine content is lower than that of black tea.

Make sure it’s real tea – There are many beverages that are referred to as tea that are not really tea. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal teas, and teas like rooibos and mate are really tisanes -meaning they come from other plants. There’s certainly nothing wrong with these teas, but they don’t provide the health benefits that you’ll find in a true tea.

Drink it the way you like it- Tea retains the same health benefits whether you drink it hot or cold and whether or not you add milk. Just remember to skip the sugar if you’re drinking tea to help you lose weight.

With all the health benefits that we’re discovering about tea, it’s a pretty good assumption that tea may help you live longer. By putting off many of the signs and diseases of aging, you’re also likely to be healthier and more active in your old age. Tea is a natural, refreshing way to improve your health and longevity.

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea [http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea/], white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea [http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long/]) and chai. Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company’s fine line of teas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Stout

Exercise Rx – To Knock Years Off Your Age

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It may be hard to believe, but until 25 years ago most doctors thought vigorous exercise caused a body to wear out, or age, faster. One of the top doctors credited with causing an about-face in that thinking: Kenneth Cooper often referred to as “the father of aerobic exercise”.

Today we know that the key to keep body functions working optimally is to keep going, to maintain a regular and vigorous fitness regime throughout life.

A lifelong fitness plan that stresses bones, builds muscle strength and enhances endurance, coordination and flexibility, can slow, if not bypass, some effects we often associate with aging, and many chronic diseases can be avoided entirely.

For instance, physical conditioning has a profound preventive effect on lung function. Starting at age 30, the ability of our bodies to extract the oxygen we need from the air we breathe begins to slow at a rate of about 1 per cent a year. However, at any age, the conditioned person can use oxygen more efficiently than an untrained person. Thus, in spite of that annual 1-per cent decline, the trained person of 70 has the same ability to pull oxygen into the lungs as an untrained 30-year-old.

Another major benefit of exercise is that it may diminish one’s risk of adult-onset diabetes, the type also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes that usually strikes after age 40. Exercise increases the number of insulin-binding sites in muscles, and since more glucose is then taken into the muscles, the glucose level in the blood goes down. Diabetes, which has nerve-damaging effects, hastens aging by putting people at higher risk for heart disease and blindness, among other complications.

The benefits of maintaining an optimal fitness level are also obvious in preventing osteoporosis, a condition caused by severe bone loss that is considered epidemic in the over-60 population, particularly among women. While the effects of this disorder – loss of height, stooped shoulders, susceptibility to fractures – are not usually apparent until late in life, the bone loss leading up to them may actually begin as early as the teenage years. Although everyone begins to lose bone around 35, you can build up your bone mass significantly in preparation.

Bones, like muscles, say stressed – that is, they must be regularly subjected to weight-bearing activity such as walking, jogging, or playing a racquet sport. To understand the full impact of activity on the lifelong and continuous bone-remodeling process – the absorption of old bone cells and the formation of replacement cells – look at what happens when a person isn’t active at all: For instance, if you were to do nothing but rest in bed for a month, you could lose as much as 4 per cent of your bone mass.

The best-known benefits of the active life are its effects on the heart. The accepted wisdom is that cardiac output declines with age, but it’s not necessarily so. It’s true that the rate of an older heart is lower and the blood-filling volume is higher, but the healthy heart of an active, older person is able to maintain a consistently high output of blood, even during vigorous exercise.

What kind of exercise?

An aerobic workout can reduce your heartbeats-per-minute and thereby the amount of work your heart has to slog out over a lifetime. Your aim should be three to five weekly half-hour to hour-long sessions of continuous, rhythmic exercise that primarily calls on your major muscles – legs, buttocks and back. Running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling are the top options.

Not surprisingly, the guideline that will cue you in to the right aerobic pitch is your pulse – what your heart’s doing. It should be working within your “target heart range” – 70 to 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate, figured by subtracting your age from 220. The longer you work within that range in your workout, the greater the cardiovascular benefits. The major news: Don’t go overboard. Orthopedic problems increase with the number of aerobic workouts a week. Stick to every-other-day workouts as the best way to avoid them.

Slowing the muscle drain

Every decade you lose from 3 to 5 per cent of higher-calorie-burning lean muscle and replace it with lower-calorie-consuming fat, especially in leg and trunk muscles. Thirty to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can head off the fat accumulation, but to combat the muscle loss, you need to supplement your aerobics with two to three weekly sessions of calisthenics or weight training, either on machines or with free weights. If you’re just starting, work with a weight-lifting pro. Weights or calisthenics are particularly important to cyclists and swimmers. Neither sport places stress on bones; hence, neither can protect as effectively against osteoporosis.

Preserving flexibility with stretching

Whether you’re trundling off to aerobics or layering on lean muscle with weights, you should stretch for at least five minutes before and after each workout to maintain the flexibility that otherwise declines with age.

The risks of heavy exercise

Because oxygen plays a role in increased free-radical damage, does heavy exercise increase the risk of cellular aging? Some researchers believe so. Dr. Irene Schnauss, of Munich, Germany, studied this phenomenon in mountain climbers on K-2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in the Tibetan Himalayas. She set up a laboratory at 16,000 feet, and studied the climbers as they attempted to ascend K-2. Dr. Schnauss found that when the climbers’ diets were supplemented with vitamin E they suffered much less free-radical damage during heavy exercise than when their diets were not supplemented with the vitamin. This example of extreme oxygen stress indicates that antioxidant nutrients can help defend against free-radical damage during times of significant exposure, although research has not yet determined whether they will help the body resist free-radical damage under more normal circumstances.

My firm belief is: “Finding a cause leads the way to find a cure”. So, it is basically important to understand everything from its deepest core. And the best way to do so is: Keep on reading to develop and deepen your understanding on health and wellness at GrowTaller4IdiotsDS.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andy_Gibson/2325820