Health Benefits of Eating Breakfast - Reasons For Eating Breakfast

The health benefits of eating breakfast extend throughout your day, making it the most important meal of the day. Consuming a good, hearty breakfast is like priming a pump, to help your body get ready for a full day's worth of activity. Not only does the first meal of the day heat up your metabolism to better burn calories, studies show that the effects of this "jump start" help keep the metabolism working at a higher rate throughout the day. Blood sugar levels rise up and remain higher longer, instead of having a quick drop off that might be generated by eating just high sugar content breakfast snack foods. Skipping this important meal does you no good at all. You will be hungry sooner, eat more later, and not have the good energy to function efficiently.

Additional health benefits of eating breakfast include an increased ability to use your brain, an excellent idea for those younger ones who need to pay attention at school. Some dieters have found that they have better success by flipping their food intake, having dinner for breakfast and typical breakfast foods for dinner. The higher caloric intake at the breakfast meal allows the body to function better all day, and the impact of a good breakfast helps the body become less hungry at later meals. The body can burn off the higher calorie levels all day long, instead of having food sit idle at night, turning into fat with inactivity. Calories burn faster in the morning, following the breakfast meal, and the body metabolism slows down near nighttime.

Being able to eat more food is another of the health benefits of eating breakfast. You can actually eat more with a good balanced breakfast followed by a moderate lunch and lighter dinner. People who skip breakfast eat more snacks during the day, and have heavier meals later. It is easier to incorporate protein, fiber and fruit into typical breakfasts. Breakfast eaters exercise more because they have the energy to do so, making personal fitness a by-product of eating healthy breakfast meals.

Tangible health benefits of eating breakfast include a boost in concentration, energy and productivity levels. Eating high fiber breakfast foods like cereal, fruit, grains, nuts, and yogurt are lower calorie than snack foods like doughnuts or sweet rolls. They give you needed bulk in your diet, last longer, help you feel full and less hungry longer. High protein breakfast foods like eggs, milk, and meats are good breakfast foods, but watch out for the fats like butter and cream cheese. Always take fats in moderation.

Eating breakfast will improve your overall nutrition, and help reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate cholesterol. Breakfast is important to body metabolism by breaking the fast of sleep time; long term fasting does not allow you to produce the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. Extensive studies on this topic have been done by researchers at the Cleveland (OH) Mayo Clinic and Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital.
By Wendy Pan 

7 Habits of Healthy Eating - The Chinese Way

This article offers 7 time-tested habits of healthy eating according to traditional Chinese dietary therapy - habits that YOU can incorporate into your daily life starting NOW. While some of these habits or principles may contradict what you've learnt or been told consider this - traditional Chinese dietary therapy has developed and been refined and trial-and-error tested on literally millions of people over at least 2500 years. Simply put, what works is still in use today - what doesn't was discarded long ago. You don't need to be Chinese or even eat Chinese food. So, start applying some or all of these habits before your next meal and see for yourself.

7 Habits of Healthy Eating

1. Eat at fixed, regular times: Your body likes and responds to regularity, not just in mealtimes, but sleeping and working too. If you doubt this, next time you take a long trip notice what it does to your eating, sleeping and bowel habits. For optimum health and vitality it's important to establish and maintain regular meal times, sleep times and bowel movements.

2. Eat mainly cooked foods: According to Chinese dietary therapy your meals should primarily be cooked and eaten warm. Raw vegetables and fruits, when eaten excessively, cool and weaken your digestive system, causing such problems as bloating, watery stools and lack of energy. Cooking is regarded in Chinese dietary therapy as a kind of pre-digestion process that makes it easier for digestion to occur. Cold, raw foods on the other hand require more digestive power to break them down. Suitable cooking methods are steaming and stir-frying as they cook quickly and lightly while still retaining nutrients.

3. Eat slowly, chew well: Digestion begins in your mouth - eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly before swallowing ensures smooth, complete digestion. Also, don't eat when angry or emotionally upset as it greatly impairs digestion - wait till you calm down, or skip the meal entirely.

4. Don't overeat: Be kind to your digestive organs and bowels and stop eating when you are 70-75% full. Overeating impairs your stomach and intestines causing indigestion, bloating, sluggishness, constipation, putrefaction, gas, weight gain and other problems.

5. Don't drink cold drinks: Consuming cold drinks especially iced ones at any time, but particularly with food, is very bad for digestion. The digestive process requires heat to break down what you eat and drink. Cold is, by nature, slowing and contracting - therefore cold drinks, and very cold foods like ice cream, slow and impede digestion, causing digestive upsets, abdominal pain and discomfort. Instead, drink warm water or green tea. Warm-hot water helps flush out toxins and green tea prepares your digestive system for food. Drink a cup of green tea 10-20 minutes before you eat - this is particularly beneficial if you know you'll be eating heavy foods like meat, or fried foods. Drinking green tea after meals also benefits digestion.

6. After meals take a slow walk: Whenever you leave a restaurant in China the staff thank you for coming then say, "man zou", meaning, "walk slowly". A slow, leisurely stroll after meals for 10-20 minutes facilitates digestion and nutrient absorption. Rubbing your abdomen with one palm on the other in slow circles around your belly button in the direction of your colon also helps digestion. This is also an excellent preventative and remedy for digestive disorders. Do it while standing still, or while taking a slow, leisurely stroll.

7. Do the Ab Lift: If you're looking to lose weight, exercise before breakfast. As you haven't eaten for maybe 10-12 hours, your body relies on its fat stores for energy. One exercise that is highly recommended before meals, and especially before breakfast, is the Abdominal Lift. It's easy to do and takes a couple of minutes only. Basically, it involves using your abdominal muscles to lift your abdomen up and towards your spine, and holding, then gently releasing it. The Ab Lift can also be done an hour after meals to help digestion, absorption and elimination.

By Matthew Scott

Eat, Drink and Look Younger!

Your mother was right when she said "eat your fruits and vegetables"! Your skin is your largest organ and the most exposed to elements both inside and out. You can slap on the most expensive creams, but without knowing the whole story you will be sadly disappointed with the results. The great news is that your skin is one area where you can make a noticeable difference to the way you look, FAST. Incorporating these easy and delicious tips, you can start looking and feeling younger within weeks.

EAT

Foods rich in vitamin A help form and maintain healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, and mucus membranes. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye. Polyphenols, found in berries, play a major role in keeping the skin healthy. Flavonoids are among the most beneficial nutrients that you can derive from plants and plant products. They are antioxidants found naturally in plants. Antioxidant-rich foods include berries, grapes, pomegranate, walnuts, almonds, black beans, cooked tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, whole grains and superfoods such as seaweed. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C. Other great sources of vitamin C include papayas, carrots and citrus fruits.

A mutually beneficial relationship exists between flavonoids and vitamin C. Each substance improves the antioxidant activity of the other, and many of the vitamin-related functions of vitamin C also appear to require the presence of flavonoids. Vitamin C has shown positive results as UVA/UVB protection, decreasing hyperpigmentation (brown spots) and increase collagen production, all factors in aging skin.

For that young, dewy look, you need to seal this water into your skin. To do that, you need to eat healthy essential fats. Not only do they make your cell membranes stronger-which helps prevent harmful toxins from being absorbed-they also keep moisture from getting out. Without plenty of omega 3, 6 and 9, drinking water is like trying to fill a paddling pool with a hole in it. Be sure to include at least one serving of these essential fats per day such as salmon, unsalted nuts, seeds, avocado, and vegetable oils such as canola oil, olive oil and safflower oil.

It's also important to know that a disrupted digestion prevents proper absorption of nutrients, thus starving your skin of the raw material to keep it looking young. Certain foods and supplements can help improve liver function and liver detox systems are enhanced by broccoli sprouts, seaweed, and dark greens.

DRINK

I am sure you have been told a million times to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Well, you are going to hear it one more time. Drinking water regularly can help muscles increase, fat to be lost, and skin to shine, creating a better version of the body you have.

According to the Mayo Clinic, water is used for a variety of functions in the body, such as moistening tissues and protecting internal organs, dissolving nutrients to be absorbed by the body, lubricating joints and regulating body temperature. Water helps the kidneys flush out waste products as well as help in oxygen transport to the cells of the body.

Elderberry and cranberry juices are good choices for their immune boosting and anti-bacterial properties. Avoid high sugar juices, especially from exotic fruits such as banana and mango, because sugar is the ultimate skin-ager.

The polyphenols in red wine and green tea contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that detoxify and help repair cell-damaging free radicals in the body.

PUT IT ON EVERYTHING

Try adding flaxseed, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, honey, lemon and lime to your food and drink to add a punch of flavour that harbors a powerhouse of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, stomach-soothing, and liver-and heart-protecting effects.

Some foods and herbs may alter the effects of some prescription and non-prescription medications. If you have allergies, are currently being treated with medications or have an illness, you should first talk to your health care provider.

LOOK YOUNGER!

5 Skin Care Basics

1. Cleanse and Tone
2. Exfoliate (facial scrubs and fruit enzyme peels work to soften and break down and digest dead skin cells.)
3. Nourish (serums and masks)
4. Hydrate (day and night creams or lotions with hyaluronic acid)
5. Protect (sunscreen and lip balm with SPF 15 or more)

10 Deadliest Skin-Aging Sins

Research shows that there are, in fact, two distinct types of aging. Aging caused by the genes we inherit is called intrinsic (internal) aging. The other type of aging is known as extrinsic (external) aging and is caused by external or environmental factors. Here are some of the worst extrinsic factors.

• Smoking
• Sun exposure
• Sugars
• Alcohol
• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Bad food choices
• Dehydration from lack of water intake, using too hot water or exposure to very cold and hot temperatures
• Harsh cleansers or products containing toxic ingredients
• Lack of exercise. Exercise helps to tone your muscles and get your blood flowing.

By Trudy Albert