April 09, 2016

Laughs are one of the best medicines for being not only happy, but also healthy. It helps your body psychologically and physichally; internally and externally.

It helps our cardiopulmonary system. It reduces blood presure and stress, and improves cardiac health. The diaphragm is exercised, so our breathing will be better. As well, the abdominal muscles are excercised while laughing.

In addition, it improves the hormone levels, triggering the release of endorphins. This helps us to finally produce a general sense of well-being in our mind and body.

March 30, 2016

Sugar comes from the sugar cane, a stout tall perennial grass native to tropical southeast Asia that has a large terminal panicle and is widely grown in warm regions as a source, indeed, of sugar. However, there is a huge variety regarding sugars. Depending of the processing of the sugar cane, we may find that they have different colours and some of them are healthier than others.

1. White granulated sugar is one of the world's purest foods. It's 99.9 per cent sucrose, refined from the natural sugars that occur in the sugar cane but with all 'impurities' such as mineral ash and polyphenols completely removed.

2. Caster sugar has the same composition as granulated sugar, but the crystals are smaller so it dissolves quickly.

3. Icing sugar is white sugar ground to a fine powder so it dissolves quickly and makes smooth icing.

All three sugars have the same moderate Glycemic Index or GI of 65, which is much lower than pure glucose at 100.

4. Raw sugar and coffee sugar crystals are made from cane juice and are golden in colour. In nutrition,  they have a few minerals but not enough to give a great health advantage over white sugar.

5. Brown sugar contains 95 per cent sucrose and 5 per cent molasses, which adds a lovely toffee flavour and moistness but no great nutritional benefits over white sugar. 

6. Fructose powder contains the same kilojoules as sugar but, being slightly sweeter, can be used in smaller quantities to achieve the same degree of sweetness. 

7. Glucose powder is a white crystalline powder with a GI at the maximum of 100. It is the standard by which other carbs are ranked. At 100, this means that glucose is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and stimulates a fast insulin response. 

Check the article below to find more information.

March 14, 2016

Liz Noelcke, a health and fitness journalist, said in an article on SparkPeople.com that "alcohol and weight loss are enemies, but an occasional drink can have a place in a healthy lifestyle. In fact, many experts note the potential health benefits of consuming a single drink per day, including a reduced risk for high blood pressure If, however, you are exceeding one drink daily, you might be sabotaging your weight loss plans".

Some facts you should know about alcohol are that:

- It is a substance which is metabolized in a different way than other foods and drinks.

- It causes water loss and dehydration.

- It contains 7 calories per gram and offers no nutritional value.

- It may help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, which can trigger you to eat    more calories the next day. 

- It can lead to heart, liver and stomach damaging problems.

- It actually stimulates your appetite, so it can affect your diet.

February 29, 2016

The frequency with which we eat in a day can influence our metabolism, and therefore, our health. Whereas it is been said that three times is the perfect number of times to eat that is not actually true.

Studies have shown that we have to have 5 foods a day. The first one is breakfast. There are many people who do not have breakfast and studies say that is not actually good! People who do not have breakfast have more tendency to be obese in the future.

The second food has to be in the mid-morning. It can be a snack that would help you not to be very hungry until lunch. Indeed, lunch is the third and the most important meal of the day since we digest a big amount of food to recover the energy for the rest of the day.

It is recommended to have another snack during the afternoon. Then, you will not be starving at the end of the day. The dinner is the last meal of the day, and it should be complementary in nutrients regarding the other foods.

Following these tips, it is necessary not to eat snacks in between foods. Our metabolism has to adapt to a food schedule and we have to be careful of not altering it. 

February 12, 2016

A lot of experts have studied over the last decades how many proteins, carbohydrates and fats we should ingest. However, there is no proper agreement in regards to an ideal percentage in the ingestion of these biomolecules.

Even though, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published in 2003 a review in which there were written recommended percentages. Carbohydrates should constitute from 55 to 75% of the total ingestion. On the other hand, our food should contain from 15 to 30% of fats whereas proteins should constitute from 10 to 15% of our ingestion.

These data, explained the WHO and FAO, can change in regards to the physical activity of each individual.

January 18, 2016

Water is an essential and indispensable element for us. Indeed, it is known that 70% of our body is actually water. This amount of water is rapidly consumed when doing our daily activities, so we have to recover that water reserve constantly. But, how much water should we consume per day?

Although it depends on our age and sex, an adult person should drink between 2 and 2.5 liters a day. This amount of water can also increase depending on how much sport do we practice or other specific conditions like pregnancy.

Within these liters of water, it is included not only the water we drink daily, but also the water that some foods contain. Studies have revealed that more than 20% of the water we ingest comes from food.

A decrease of water in our body can directly affect our health. If we do not consume water on a constant basis, we can get dizzy. In addition, we can damage our brain function because it is proved that we can lose memory.