1. Start the day with a breakfast smoothie. All you have to do is throw some fruits, low-fat yogurt and ice in a blender. You may also want to add a scoop of protein powder in there for good measure. Just blend for a few seconds and you have the perfect breakfast ready to go. I like to sip mine in a thermal cup on the way to work. To make it even more appealing for your kids, use some frozen yogurt or a scoop of ice cream in the smoothie. They wonÂ’t believe that you are letting them have ice cream for breakfast.

2. Dried fruit makes an excellent snack any time of the day. Add some small cartons of raisins to your childÂ’s lunch box, pack some yogurt-covered raisins in your husbandÂ’s briefcase and keep some trail mix sitting around for snacking. You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. My family loves banana chips in their breakfast cereal.

3. Add some fruits and vegetables to your familyÂ’s sandwiches. You can add some banana, sliced apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and anything else they will eat. You can even make a sub shop style vegetable sandwich by combining several different vegetables with some mayonnaise and cheese on bread.

4. Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, some cheese and croutons as well as several choices of salad dressing along with the lettuce and let everybody create their own perfect salad.

5. Let them drink their fruits and vegetables. Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices in the fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack. Get creative. You could start “family cocktail hour” by pouring everybody a glass of his or her favorite juice over ice. Add some straws, cocktail umbrellas and sit together to talk about how everybody’s day went.

6. Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots of fresh or frozen fruit.

7. Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks. You can cut apples into slices and top them with peanut butter or cheese. Cube cheese and serve with grapes. Cut up some fresh veggies and serve them with ranch dip. And of course thereÂ’s ants on a log. Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter on the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle raisins on it (wow, fruit and vegetable in one snack).

8. Try some new fruits and vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your familyÂ’s curiosity. With a little luck their curiosity will outweigh their initial apprehension to trying something new. You could try artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, star fruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department of your local store.

9. Make a pot of vegetable soup or a stew thatÂ’s heavy on veggies and easy on the meat. Both of these make some great comfort food when the weather gets cold.

10. Start “My Veggie Day”. Each family member gets to pick a vegetable one day of the week. They qualify to pick a vegetable as long as they tried each vegetable the week before, otherwise they loose a turn and Mom gets to pick.

Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and vegetables in no time.

Here is another tip:

Now that everyone in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure you always have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available and ready to snack on.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Susanne Myers together with Christine Steendahl, owns and publishes the Healthy Menu Mailer. Each week, we provide you with 7 dinner recipes. Sign up for a free sample menu at www.healthymenumailer.com/sample-newsletter-signup.html

Don’t be fooled by his clever disguise. D is no vitamin. He’s a steroid hormone, slipping through your body under guise of a vitamin. And he doesn’t have dozens of functions, like vitamin C or vitamin E, just one vital mission – to mineralize your bones!

Mineralization is a key objective of every body. Imagine if we all had flabby bones. The world would look like a Salvador Dali nightmare. Vitamin D saves us from having flabby bones.

More importantly, vitamin D saves us from having brittle bones. He prevents us from rickets and osteomalacia by balancing the calcium and phosphorous in our blood. Ooh, that D is a clever one. Not only is he a master of disguises, but he is a master chemist, constantly monitoring, measuring and balancing the mix so it just right to ensure everybody has strong and healthy bones.

Word on the grapevine is that 30% to 40% of hip fractures in elderly people are the result of insufficient vitamin D. So we caught up with D, and managed to slip away with a rare interview transcript:

“D, some of your fans can’t get enough of you. What should they do?”

“Get plenty of sun. That is the key. Where the sun touches your skin, that’s where I will be.”

“But, D, what about people who can’t? What about people in the far north, or those who wear head-to-toe clothing or who are stuck indoors?”

“If you find yourself overdressed in a dungeon in Mongolia, get a good multi-vitamin supplement.”

“D, that’s a wonderful idea.”

“Or drink lots of milk, fortified with me, of course. Some breakfast cereals are fortified with me, too. I also hang out in a lot of saltwater fish, like tuna and sardines and herring and salmon. And I love to slip around in the ol’ cod liver oil.”

“So if we can’t get enough sun, milk and fish will do the trick.”

“That’s right, but be careful about milk products. Not all of them are made with fortified milk. I make no commitment to be there if they are not.”

“What about the supplements, D?”

“A good multivitamin supplement should do it for most people. Get a liquid supplement, cause those pills just don’t digest. You just end up flushing me down the toilet…ooh, I hate that feeling.”

“Yuck.”

“And you shouldn’t need a specific vitamin D supplement, because it is possible to overdose. And you wouldn’t want too much of a guy like me around.”

That was all we could slip through the lines. But I think we learned a lot about what it is like to live the life of a secret vitamin. To our hero, vitamin D, we offer our best wishes. May everybody get plenty of vitamin D to keep their bones strong and healthy for many years to come.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit David Leonhardt’s website selling Essential Nectar all-natural discount vitamin supplements. Read more nutrition information or read about Essential Nectar’s nutritional supplements ingredients list.

But what is our responsibility in the nutrition game? Do we understand what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill those requirements, and how to look for real nutritional value in our foods?

I’m not sure that nutrition has been successfully addressed in its own right. We hear nutrition in relation to our vitamin intake, our fortified cereals and milk, and in the context that we need “nutritional value” from our food choices. But what really is nutrition when applied to our daily bodily functions?

Today, we must determine how much nourishment we need, how much physical exercise we need, and how best to accomplish those ends. Calorie needs, nutritional needs, physical needs, and education about those needs now is information we should all understand, at least as it applies to our individual self.

If you will visit your local doctor, library, or fitness center, there is massive amounts of information available to help educate and to help you make good health choices, no matter what the age group.

Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, in our ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with all itÂ’s necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes.

If you were to take a cross section of the population, and check for adequate levels of the most used and fortified vitamins and minerals, you would probably find that as high as 80% or the population is lacking in a least one of the vitamins and minerals.

Now, that doesnÂ’t sound too bad, until you stop to think, what if itÂ’s calcium? A calcium deficiency brings on osteoporosis, a deteriorating of the bone. This disease alone costs millions in medical expense to the population.

Can you see how a little more cooperation and open-minded participation on the part of our medical field could result in far fewer health problems? It would also have provided the general population with a viable way to discern their nutrition, vitamin and mineral needs, accurately.

So how do we determine that we are providing the essential nutritional needs? That knowledge comes by educating ourselves about what our individual needs are, the needs of our family, and then taking that knowledge and applying it to the foods we buy, that we prepare, and that our families consume.

Quite often, our vitamin and mineral needs outweigh our caloric needs. In those instances, we turn to manufactured vitamins and minerals to fill the gap. This is a part of our nutritional needs, also.

Nutrition is one of the most complex areas to gain useful knowledge about, because there are so many components, and because each person has their own individual needs.

Women needs differ from those of men, and older womenÂ’s needs differ from those of a young girl. As we age, our needs constantly change; therefore continual education about nutrition is a fact of life. The nutritional needs of a cardiac patient are different than those of a healthy, middle-aged hiker.

Can you see the complexity of the situation now? What we really need is to develop a scale that determines the nutritional needs of our bodies on a cellular level, so that as we age, as our physical condition changes, or our health changes, we can recalculate our needs, based on cellular changes and content in our body.

Individuality is the key to understanding each personÂ’s nutritional needs, and then working to educate us is the key to fulfilling those nutritional needs. Good nutrition should be the ultimate goal of every person alive.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Nishanth Reddy, is an author and publisher of many health related websites. For more information on how to be fit and healthy visit his website at www.fitness-wellness-guide.com

First, I want to remind everyone that the premise of this site is Unhealthy Soil = Unhealthy Plants and Animals = Unhealthy People.

With that in mind, let’s discuss meat, fish and meat substitutes. I just read an article by some well meaning person who was bragging that chicken and soy are good for you – WRONG!

If you consider how our ancestors developed in the last 10,000+ years, you will realize they ate non-chemical meats, berries, and nuts – things that they could forage. They ate deer, buffalo, birds and other types of meat. The common thing all these meat sources shared was that they were grass fed and loaded with Omega III’s and other beneficial fatty acids. However crude it was, they also caught fish. If they were inland it was fresh water, but if they were close to the ocean it was sea food.

The land was also untouched and the grasses and other plants grew and died and went back into the soil year after year. Because of this, the meat from the animals and fish in the streams (or sea food) were loaded with trace minerals. The nuts and berries were also loaded with trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and enzymes. With this combination, we had healthy soil, healthy plants and animals, and healthy people.

Fast forward to the present – what do we have today? Grain-fed chemical beef, chemical chicken, cancerous fish from fresh water, toxic sea food, no trace minerals from fruits and vegetables, and genetically engineered grains grown with toxic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

We see all kinds of articles suggesting that chicken is healthier than beef. Before you get all warm and fuzzy with this thought, think about the things that go into the average cattle and chicken diets before they get to your grocery shelves.

In my next newsletter IÂ’ll talk about these diets and what the cows and chickens go through before you bring them home for supper. It will not be appetizing.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dr. Robert Bard OD is a licensed optometrist and has been for many years. For the past 20 years, he has been researching the effects of toxic chemicals on the environment, animals and people. He has become an avid reporter and speaker covering topics on toxic chemicals as they relate to food, disease, medicine, water and land. Along with his wife Judy, he raises miniature Hereford and Lowline cattle, as well as goats that are grass fed without drugs or chemicals. He also restores hay meadows and pastures with organic fertilizers. For more information, visit Dr. BobÂ’s site at www.drbobthehealthbuilder.com and sign up for his free weekly newsletter.

To function properly, your body must have the correct combination of nutrients:

Carbohydrates. They are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Proteins. Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. They also function in the creation of hormones. Like carbohydrates, excess protein is stored as fat.

Animal and vegetable are the two major types of proteins. Too much animal protein can cause high cholesterol, as it is high in saturated fat.

Fat. Strange as it may seem; fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthy, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat.

Vitamins. These are also required nutrients. Different vitamins perform different tasks within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that you need your body to perform. It has also been noted that certain vitamins can prevent disease.

For example, vitamins A, C, and E, also called antioxidants, can assist with the prevention of coronary artery disease by keeping build up from occurring on artery walls. Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Folic acid assists with production of red blood cells. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot.

Minerals and trace elements. These are another nutrient your body requires. Both are used in many different body processes. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, your body just needs a tiny amount. Salt is one final nutrient your body requires. You should not consume more than 2400 milligrams per day, though, as it might raise your blood pressure.

You should follow several guidelines to create a well balanced, nutritional diet. First, try to consume two and one half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day. When making your selections for each day, be sure to choose a good variety. A good rough guide is to eat as many different colors as possible, this will help you to select from all five vegetable subgroups at least four times per week.

You should eat at least three ounces of whole grain products each day. At least half of your grain intake should be whole grain based. Milk should also be part of a healthy diet. Consume at least forty-eight ounces of low fat milk or milk products on a daily basis. Your total fat intake should only be between ten and thirty percent of your calories. Most of the fats you consume should be in the form of unsaturated fats, as saturated fats can do much to damage your health. Meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products should all be lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Less than ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats, and you should always try to avoid trans-fatty acid.

Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be a regular part of your diet as should potassium rich foods. Alcoholic beverages should only be consumed in moderation.

Excellent nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Edwina Hanson is a vegetarian. You can get her free 127 page cookbook entitled "Delectable Vegetable Dishes", which contains over 300 nutritional and tasty recipes, by going to www.vegetarian-and-vegan.com.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), stroke is the third leading cause of death in women. Every year an estimated 97,000 American women will die as a result of stroke. Statistically, every 53 seconds stroke will victimize someone in America. Of an estimated 600,000 stroke victims each year about 160,000 die as a result. There is, however, an easy way to drastically reduce these statistics.

Findings in a 14-year-long study of nearly 80,000 American women indicate that eating a 3.5 ounce serving of fish, two to four times a week, lowers stroke risk by 27 percent. The more fish consumed, the more impressive the percentages. Although few large-scale studies have examined this particular issue in men, experts say there is no biological reason results of such studies would differ.

The American Medical Association (AMA) published the study results in their January journal, 2001. There is conclusive evidence that consumption of fish high in omega 3 fatty acids hold significant health benefits, including reduced thrombotic infarction — a type of stroke where a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain, resulting in destroyed brain tissue. (Blood clots are responsible for more than 80 percent of all strokes.)

Fish are a high source of omega 3 fatty acids, nutrients that help prevent the formation of clots, or “platelet clumping.” They do this by making blood less “sticky.” As a result, risk of thrombotic stroke is lessened, as well as risk of embolic stroke, where the clot forms elsewhere in the body before traveling to the brain.

Conducted at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, the study revealed that women who ate fish once a week reduced stoke risk by 22 percent; two to four times a week by 27 percent, and five or more times a week by 52 percent. Unfortunately, the average American woman only consumes about 1.3 servings of any type seafood weekly, at an average of 3.5 ounces per serving. Women are not eating enough fish!

Penny Kris Etherton, Ph.D., a heart disease researcher at the State University in Pennsylvania, has long extolled the virtues of eating fish for health purposes. “I clearly tell people to eat fish and shellfish regularly to lower the risk of heart disease.”

National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President, Richard E. Gutting, Jr., agrees. “The benefits of eating fish continue to mount as more studies are conducted,” he noted. Gutting also said that women of all ages “should enjoy the variety and great taste of fish and seafood on a regular basis.”

How the fish is prepared is important, as omega 3 fatty acids can be destroyed by heat, air, and light. NFI recommends not overcooking the meat and the use of low fat cooking methods: baking, broiling, poaching, steaming, stir-frying, grilling, or sautéing. Cook just until the point of doneness for maximum benefit. Avoid deep-frying, as it not only destroys more omega 3, but also adds to the total fat content.

If eating fish isn’t your cup of tea, you might try fish oil supplements. Most experts do not advise the routine use of fish oil supplements, however, for two reasons:
1.) possible side effects — fishy breath, gastrointestinal upset, and easy bruising. 2.) a false sense of security derived from taking fish oil for heath purposes, when the diet itself may be unhealthy.

Besides fish and fish oil supplements, other good omega 3 fatty acid sources include canola oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, certain nuts and vegetables, and tofu. However, one would have to eat at least several times the normal amount of any of these other sources to gain the same benefit from one regular size serving of fish.

Institute of Food Technologist, Joyce Nettleton, D. Sc., R.D. suggests that because eating fish alone won’t compensate for unhealthy eating habits, “fish and other shellfish should be eaten as part of a low fat diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.”

Besides boasting stroke resistant benefits, the fatty acids of omega 3 act as “health heroes” against hypertension, breast cancer, and depression. Other benefits include: less chance of developing heart disease, lower risk of heart attack even where heart disease does exist, lower blood pressure, possible improvement of kidney function in severe diabetes, and possible improvement of certain inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, psoriasis, and kidney disease.

In addition, nutrients found in healthy, uncontaminated fish help to insure proper development of fetal brain, eye, and nervous tissue during pregnancy. But, caution should be taken.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a recent consumer advisory, pregnant women should not consume shark, swordfish, or king mackerel or should limit consumption to not more than once a month.

These large predator fish could contain higher levels of methyl mercury than the FDA limit for safe human consumption — 1 part per million (1ppm). Over consumption risks damage to the fetal nervous system. Even fresh water predator species such as pike and walleye have been found to have methyl mercury levels in the 1ppm range.

While it’s true nearly all fish contain trace elements of mercury, larger, older and predator fish accumulate the highest levels and pose the greatest threat, while younger fish caught after only one season in polluted water have less. Even so, a variety of fish and other seafood that offer a naturally low fat source of protein can be an important part of a balanced diet for mothers-to-be.

According to one FDA advisor, pregnant women can consume up to 12 ounces of cooked fish each week: shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish or farm raised fish. Farm raised rainbow trout are most likely fed high protein foods containing a combination of soy and fish meal which make them an even better source of omega 3 fatty acid. Seven ounces of canned tuna can be safely consumed each week by pregnant women and nursing mothers if no other fish containing mercury is eaten.

Despite FDA warnings for pregnant women, the results of the survey hold wonderful news, and women should be greatly encouraged. We now have scientific proof that there is a positive step available toward reducing the risk of stroke. Even if you don’t like fish, consuming just one 3.5 ounce serving one or two times a month can reduce risk of stroke by 7 percent.

Certain kinds of fish are more beneficial than others. For instance, because Alaska is relatively unpopulated there is little industry to pollute the streams and ocean. Lack of pollution combined with the earth’s water and air circulation patterns make Alaska’s pristine waters, and consequently its seafood among the cleanest in the world.

Numerous studies support this assertion. In 1998 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did a survey of seafood from the waters of Cook Inlet, located near Anchorage, Alaska. Results indicate that fin fish and shellfish caught in Cook Inlet were cleaner than any the EPA had ever tested. In addition, plentiful Alaska Salmon, one of the richest natural sources of omega 3 fatty acid available, are not among the publicized “endangered” varieties of salmon.

Although light meat fish such as perch, flounder, and whiting have only about 0.5 grams of omega 3 fatty acid per 4 ounce serving, fish varieties with dark meat such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and bluefish contain roughly three times the amount of protective stroke reducing omega 3 fatty acid. Fresh tuna, striped bass, and rainbow smelt are also rich sources. So if you’re going to limit fish intake, a dark meat fish is your best choice.

Whether for purposes of hobby or health, fishing is relaxing and something the whole family can enjoy together. This fun “sport” has the potential to enhance your health and your marriage.

So, go ahead! Get a fishing license, grab a pole, and hit the shoreline. Eat “the fruits of your labor” five times a week to reduce stroke risk by as much as 52 percent. Then brag about the “big one” that got away!

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit Susan’s website A 2 Z of Health, Beauty and Fitness for more information on health, nutrition, longevity, beauty, fashion and fitness.

*** This article can be freely used as long as a link to “A 2 Z of Health, Beauty and Fitness” health.learninginfo.org is provided.

Watch the sugar
This is a biggie. Eliminating refined sugar from your childÂ’s diet in the early days can help the child develop a taste for savory flavors, which in the long run, can help them enjoy a wider variety of foods, without having such a sweet tooth. In addition, a low sugar diet can help ensure that your child maintains a proper weight. So, keep the cookies and candies away. Use fruit and yogurt as dessert. Remember, if your child has not been exposed to sugar, she wonÂ’t miss it.

Feed whole grains
Stay away from white flour. Most American diets are painfully low in whole grains, because we are a “white bread” society. Try using wheat breads, oats and other whole grains instead.

Keep the beverages simple
Milk, water and juice are enough. Soda and sweetened drinks will work their way in eventually, but put it off as long as you can. In addition, watering the juice down a bit can help reduce the calories and sugar content. Plus, it minimizes the risk of your child having a stomach ache from too much juice.

If at first you donÂ’t succeed, try again
Keep reintroducing healthy foods, even if they are not met with applause the first time around. The rule in our house is that you have to try any food you donÂ’t like every six months. ChildrenÂ’s tastes change, and what they didnÂ’t like a few months ago might just taste better, so keep trying.

Evaluate the family eating habits
As your child grows, she will be spending more time eating what the rest of the family eats, so it’s important that your eating habits be good, too. Are you serving a wide variety of foods? Think color – too much white food has a lot of calories, and not a lot of nutrition. Green, yellow, red and orange foods should be on your table on a regular basis.

Establishing good eating habits for your child is one of the best gifts you can give her. It will set her off on a lifetime of health and well being. Remember, the best way to get your children to eat well is to be a role model. They will eat the way you eat, so set a good example.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sarah is a 41 year old wife and mother of two boys and one girl. She spent many years as a manager in the corporate world, and gave it up to be a stay at home mom. www.infantresources.com”> Click here now and get her incredible baby minicourse – absolutely free.

The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

Learn about healthy balanced diets, and various types of diets for many needs.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

For vitaminsdiary.com . Your ultimate nutrition centre! Also learn about many nutrients and dont forget to visit our herbs section at www.vitaminsdiary.com/herbs.htm .

Meal planning also depends upon several factors like the number of people eating, meal times, special dietary concerns, budget, available foods, recipes on hand and likes and dislikes of everyone who will be eating. Begin by choosing foods and recipes that you like and know how to prepare well and that fit into everyoneÕs dietary plans. If one or more people have special needs, like diabetics, plan ahead for substitutions either in the food preparation or food substitution for that individual or for those individuals.

There are a few things to note when making meal choices and menu planning. First, some foods may be advertised a certain way, but that doesnÕt mean you canÕt experiment. For instance, eggs and sausage can be served for dinner, not just breakfast. And waffles can be made from healthy wheat grains and eaten for lunch with fresh fruits instead of sugary syrup and heavy butter for breakfast.

Add variety, too. Have other family members jump in and prepare meals some nights and on weekends. Kids enjoy making macaroni and cheese, so host mac-n-cheese night on Wednesdays, for example. Then alternate different vegetable combinations, colors and textures to vary the menu on a weekly basis (no need to let boredom take over on Wednesdays with the same routine!)

To help with family food budget concerns, clip coupons from newspapers, weekend inserts, and any place you can find them. Downloaded coupons from the Internet to save money, too, from places like CoolSavings.com and CouponCart.com. RefundingMakesCents offers an affordable subscription to a neat print magazine for coupon deals, trades and lots more, with a secret code to their website for Internet coupon-codes for lots of online companies like Amazon.com (cookware) and Barnes and Noble (cookbooks).

Also note seasonal food selections for savings. Create menus and meals based upon whatÕs on special that week or month. Hint: stock up and store or freeze special-priced items and family favorites when possible and storage room and the budget allows. But donÕt over do it. With convenience stores and supermarkets for food shopping in practically every neighborhood anymore, there is no need to hoard. An old saying, ÒHaste makes wasteÓ might apply if you see a great buy, purchase multiple items, then let them become outdated and have to toss them out.

One fun way to save is by trading coupons and working out food deals with friends, family, neighbors, your church group and anyone else whoÕd like to join in. Food cooperatives and farm markets available in your area may offer special pricing to groups or large purchases. So team up for better purchasing power and split everything up between group members. If youÕre not into that much organization, go one-on-one with a neighbor, other friend or relative. Buy a huge bag of potatoes, onions, oats, and / or other foods, then share.

Here is one special item to note with regards to dietary planning. ItÕs unfortunate, but fast foods, especially those that are high in fat content (fried, greasy foods), are often cheaper than good, healthy food choices. For example, lean beef costs more than high-fat beef; cereals high in nutritional value are often priced much higher than the low-cost, sugary brand names. And low income and homeless people are particularly victims of this situation, many times needing to turn to the less healthier food choices for survival. So whenever possible, your plans might want to include donating a portion to homeless shelters and churches who would probably be more than willing to take extras off your hands.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health expert from Nashville, TN. Visit www.popular-diets.com/ for more great nutrition, well-being, and vitamin tips as well as reviews and comments on popular diets.

This potent weapon is not new. It’s well known by many health experts.

So what is this key resource to help you enjoy better health?

It’s making your own fresh fruit and vegetable juices. When you juice fruits and vegetables, you make delicious drinks that will contribute to increased energy and enhanced health.

Why is juicing so effective?

Here’s how this wonderful health weapon works: juices are absorbed almost immediately into your body, thus supplying needed vitamins and minerals. Cooking vegetables removes a lot of their nutritional value, but juicing saves these vitamins and minerals. So you get mega-doses of vitamins and minerals.

Let’s say you make a carrot-apple drink from one apple and four carrots. Imagine sitting
down and eating all those at one time in their original state! But you get the vitamins and minerals from the fruit and vegetables in their juice and it’s living! That’s because the vitamins and minerals have not been destroyed by the pasteurization process used to make juice sold
in stores.

How do you get the maximum health return from juicing?

Start your day right by drinking freshly-made juice. It’s wise to drink it before you eat and then wait about ten minutes (before eating the rest of your breakfast) to give your body a headstart as it absorbs the life-giving fluid into your bloodstream.

Don’t let the juice sit around, but drink it within minutes of making it to retain those precious vitamins and minerals.

You can also add to your fiber intake by using the pulp in muffins and bread. Just add the pulp of your favorite fruits and vegetables to your recipe and you’ll have a moist taste-bud pleasing treat!

How are fruits and vegetables prepared for juicing?

First wash them. Cut out any bad spots that you wouldn’t want to eat. You usually don’t need to peel fruits and vegetables.

What are some popular juice recipes?

1. Carrot Juice

Carrots are a favorite for juicing purposes. Put them through your juicer one at a time and don’t peel them.

Carrot drinks taste great all by themselves, but you can also use them as a base for other fruits and vegetables too. Carrots and apples taste wonderful together. Children love this combination taste treat!

2. Celery Juice

Celery should be cut into 3-4 inch sections and fed into your machine at a steady pace.

3. Fresh Apple Drink

Just cut the apples into pieces that will fit into the feeding chamber. You don’t need to core them, although you might want to do so.

4. Melon Thirst Quencher

You’ll need to remove the rinds but not the seeds. Most varieties of melons are great for juicing.

5. Combo Drink

Add all different kinds of vegetables together, including tomatoes. It’s fun to experiment!
But don’t put in vegetables or fruit that you don’t like to eat because your beverage won’t taste good to you.

What kinds of juicers are available?

1. Centrifugal-ejection machines

These are good for most uses.

2. Low-speed masticating juicers

These do a better job juicing spinach and wheatgrass.

3. Twin gear juicers

These machines work in two stages. First the fruits and vegetables are crushed and then the juice is pressed out. You get a higher quality drink because of this process, but twin gear machines are slower than the other juicers.

4. Citrus juicers

If you’re just squeezing lemons, oranges and grapefruit, this is the one for you.

The better the machine, the longer the warranty. The inexpensive juicers aren’t made to withstand daily use. A powerful motor extracts juice faster with less strain. Centrifugal juicers should have a motor rating of at least 450-watts. Machines that use a slow, grinding motor speed (masticating and double-auger models) don’t need as much wattage.

If making your own energy-packed juice isn’t in your arsenal of health weapons yet,
it should be.

Step up your energy to a much higher level by juicing your way to vibrant health!

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Patricia Wagner offers health tips & newsletter to help you live a more energetic
lifestyle. She is also an artist, so be sure to view her original
landscape art.