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Archive for July, 2010

Have you ever been worried about what the beauty creams contain that you are rubbing on your face? Have you ever wondered whether you can make natural beauty products at home? To be honest, it does not matter how many times manufacturers write ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ on their labels, the only means that you will know that you undeniably are getting natural beauty products is by making them yourself.

Making your own natural beauty products at home will have two clear advantages: it will help the environment and it will save you money.

How will it help the environment? Well, most commercial cosmetic products have detergents and toxins in the cream. You put the cream on some cotton wool and then on your face and you throw the soiled cotton wool in the basket. But where does it go from there? Into the sea? Into the ground? Into the air in smoke? Who knows?

How will it save you money? It will save you money because the natural beauty products you make at home will be created from household items, such as powders, oils, fruit and vegetables.

The most common items that you will use to concoct your natural beauty products at home are: avocados, bananas, eggs, milk, olive oil, Epsom salts, yoghurt, oatmeal, brown sugar and real mayonnaise. There are others too, but this is a good start. Beeswax, you may not have, but you can buy it in drug stores or health food shops.

It is surprising how resourceful olive oil is. It can be rubbed directly into dull, lifeless hair to perk it up and it will put moisture back into dry skin. If you have dandruff or dry patches of skin on your elbows, rub in olive oil regularly. It is also beneficial for cuticles, knees and feet. Just rub it in with your fingers.

Olive oil also makes a good exfoliant. Mix olive oil and brown sugar into a thick paste and exfoliate before a shower or a bath. By the way, the soap that you use is critical too. It should be mild and unperfumed. It is better to spend a little more on your soap because it has such a lot of contact with your whole body.

Olive oil is great at binding items together or making them runny enough to rub in. If you are having problems with dry skin, mash a banana and mix a little olive oil into it. Rub this onto your face and leave to soak in for as long as you like, then wash off. The same goes for avocado. If you have a small skin problem of any kind, you could try smearing the inside of a banana skin on it and eating the banana.

These are just a few instances of natural beauty products that you can make at home without spending a lot of money or wasting a lot of time. A quick search on the Internet will reveal hundreds more recipes for how you can make natural beauty products at home.

Your dog’s well being is as tied to its nutrition as yours is. Dogs, just like humans, have specific nutritional needs. It is very important to be aware of your dog’s needs and feed him or her the best diet possible.

Not all commercial dog foods are alike. In fact they can be quite different in their contents. There is such a huge selection of brands and types, how do we know what is best for our dogs? Forget about advertising hype or price. Just because they say it is good for you dog, doesn’t mean it is so. Also, just because the food is expensive, doesn’t make it a good choice either. So how is one supposed to know? To start with, here are a few quick ways to check if the dog food you are using may not be right for your dog.

* The dog is often ill

* The dog gets worms frequently

* The dog has severe flea problems

* He seems to have no energy

* He seems to be restless

* His coat is dull and not soft

* His shedding is excessive

* The dog burps a lot

* The dog has bad breath

* He has gas problems

* His stools are large and/or loose

* He doesn’t seem to like his food

* His teeth are dirty and brown

All of these conditions can occur in all dogs from time to time and would be considered normal. However, if several of them occur on a regular basis, it could be time to take a look at his diet.

Dogs are Carnivores!

Dogs are meat eaters and not vegetarians. Dogs need meat! One only needs to look at a dog’s teeth to know they are born meat eaters. Their teeth are not like ours. They are designed only for tearing meat apart. They don’t have the flat, grinding teeth we do which are made for grains. No digestion takes place in the mouth like ours does, and all the enzymes in his digestive system primarily have the ability to break down and digest meat and raw foods. Yes, your dog is a carnivore!

Protein

Protein is the dogs most needed nutrient! Dog food packaging shows the amount of protein in the food. Not only is the percentage of protein in the food important, but the source of the protein is important. Unfortunately, the protein found in dog food can come from any source. Protein from plants can be included in the protein content.

Labeling laws require that the most common ingredients be listed first. So if the first few ingredients are plant in nature, you can be sure that is where much of the protein is coming from. Much of the protein in dog food may be coming from wheat, rice, soy, and corn. Dog food manufactures use these plant sources for protein because they are cheaper. But your dog is a carnivore who NEEDS protein from animal sources!

Protein Deficiencies in Dogs

If your dogs are deficient in proper proteins, he or she may show the following symptoms:

* Aggression

* The development of epilepsy

* The development of cancer

* Bladder, liver, heart, or thyroid problems

* Tail Chasing

* Being timid

* Excessive shedding

* Bent or crooked whiskers

* Vomiting or diarrhea

* Lack of appetite

* Slow healing wounds

Dogs that are extremely active need more protein from animal sources than do dogs that are inactive. House dogs that spend most of their time inside can get by with more grain based protein in their diet than active dogs.

It is the amino acids of proteins which your dog actually needs. Unfortunately heating food destroys some of these amino acids. All dry and canned foods have been heated during manufacturing. Dogs should be giving an amino acid supplement to make up for this loss of quality in the amino acids. Ask your vet for advice on this.

Puppies and Protein

In a dog’s first year of growth, he needs almost twice as much protein than an adult dog. This is because muscles and other tissue are primarily built with amino acids. Even a short period of time in a dog’s first year without proper levels of protein can result in problems later in the dog’s life. The correct food is absolutely important during the puppy’s growth year.

When buying puppy food, it is very important that two of the first three ingredients be animal proteins and not plant proteins. It is even better if the first two are both animal proteins. Foods with two or more plant proteins in the first three should not be fed to the puppy.

Carbohydrates

Dogs also need carbohydrates. But not many are needed to stay healthy! Carbohydrates are used by the dog for proper stool consistency, some energy requirements, and proper thyroid function. Too many carbohydrates in a dog’s diet result in large, smelly stools, bad breath, sore gum’s and tartar on the teeth. Rice, oats, and barley are the best choices for carbohydrates. Foods with soy are not advised because of how it slows absorption of other nutrients. You may ask yourself how wolves, dogs’ direct ancestors, and/or wild dogs would get their carbohydrates.

Dogs need so little carbohydrates that in the wild they would get them from the digestive tracts of the animals they would catch and eat. Mice and rabbits will almost always have partially digested carbohydrates in their system. And yes, when our dogs catch a rabbit, NOTHING is left. They eat the whole thing…fur, bones, insides…everything! We are always glad to see when they have caught one because we know they are getting some good nutrients in the most natural way.

Fats

Dogs also need fat in their diets. Fats are either polyunsaturated or saturated. When dry dog foods are made, fat is sprayed on them. Fat not only makes the food taste better (just like it does with our food). Saturated fat comes from animal sources and unsaturated fat is plant based. Too much saturated fat can lead to loss of energy, dry skin, and heart problems. Too much animal fat may cause the dog to become fat, increase the likelihood of mammary gland tumors and can lead to cancer in the digestive system.

Polyunsaturated fats in dog food come from flax seed oil, safflower oil, wheat germ, and olive oil. This fat is needed for the dog’s skin and coat health. Also, too little plant fat can lead to belly or thigh lesions, itching, poor blood clotting, skin ulcers, and improper growth.

Vitamins

Dogs, just like humans, need vitamins too. Vitamins B and C are water soluble and A, D K, and E are fat soluble. The water soluble vitamins are the most fragile and are often destroyed in the heating process of foods. There is some debate about a dog’s need for vitamin C. Dog’s, unlike humans, produce vitamin C (just like we produce vitamin D). But there is some research suggesting that what a dog produces is not enough. This is especially true for puppies. You should talk to your vet about your dog’s vitamin needs. He may suggest a vitamin supplement. Along with the vitamin supplement, a mineral supplement may also be advised.

Water

A dog should have access to fresh water at all times. The only time this rule should be modified is when house breaking a puppy. Then you can limit the dog’s water intake in the evening so he can make it through the night.

Commercial Dog Food versus Natural Foods

A dog’s most natural food is raw meat. They can digest raw meat in about 5 hours. But it can take over 15 hours for a dog to digest a meal of dried dog food. This is because they have the correct and needed enzymes to digest raw foods.

They do not have enough enzymes to rapidly digest dried foods. So the dry food sits in their stomachs until enough enzymes can be sent to the stomach for digestion. Many experienced dog owners wholeheartedly embrace the idea of giving their dogs all natural foods. The draw back to this is that it can be expensive and requires considerable time. If one is interested, there are many books available on the topic of cooking for your dog.

We like to offer our dogs a compromise. We give them plenty of people food during the week, and we hope this helps better balance their diets. We give them a lot of eggs (including the shells), milk and cheese, chicken parts, meat, and other meat and dairy products they seem to like. You will find that there are some things your dog won’t digest well.

If a dog will eat them, it is fine to give your dog any and all kinds of salad ingredients such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and lettuce …all in small quantities. Again, just experiment in small amounts to see what your dog likes and can digest well. But don’t overdo it on the pure people food. Just a little bit will go a long way for them. But give them as much meat as you can. Buy an extra t-bone next time for your canine! And remember, there is no need to cook it for him!

Bones

One of Storm’s greatest joys is chewing on a giant ham bone! He can spend hours and hours on one. And he will not stop until the whole thing is gone. Yes, he will keep chewing until the entire bone is gone! The nutrients in the bone are great for him, and chewing on one keeps his teeth clean! When it comes to chicken bones, we have mixed emotions. For the past ten years we always gave our dogs chicken bones. They love them!

At Thanksgiving time, the dogs would get the “remains” of the boned turkey. We never had one single problem. After all, when one of our dogs catches a rabbit, they eat the whole thing. There is nothing left of the rabbit. However, in the past few months we have been reading more and more about the dangers of cooked chicken bones. They have been known to puncture the digestive tracts of some dogs. So we have stopped giving them the chicken bones just to be safe. Some vets say that uncooked chicken bones are fine since they won’t splinter.

A low carb diet plan is a very essential component of a weight loss program. A low carb diet not only helps you to lose weight it also prevents you from gaining that weight back. When combined with proper nutrients and vitamins, a low carb diet plan can give you a healthy food free from risks of heart diseases, diabetes and even some forms of cancer.

But it is very difficult to control the urge of switching back to calorie rich food. But what if some foods are available that tastes the same but don’t contain high calories? In this article we shall attempt to find some suitable substitutes for these high calorie food items.

Bread

Okay, so the first item to crop up in our list is bread. For some people it is really difficult to live without bread. At the same time, it is really difficult to find proper substitutes of bread. One of the substitutes which you can opt for is special low carb bread. Now this is not easy to find, but provided you find one, always see how many carbs it contains.

Low carb tortillas and crisp breads containing high fiber are also good substitutes. Less glycemic breads are not converted to sugar easily as are finely ground breads.

Pasta

While alternatives for bread are not easily found, the alternatives for pasta are easy to find and use. You have the spaghetti squash, the shirataki noodles and low carb pastas. You can also make a less glycemic pasta by cooking 100% whole grain pasta in a slightly firm way. Also try to take small helpings of pasta as this would help in reducing the carbs.

Cereals

Readymade cereals are highly processed to make a high carb package. There are some low carb cereals but not many and you might have to do some searching before you can get your hands on one.

Potatoes

Unprocessed food items like potatoes contain high glucose and so they should be avoided. It is not easy to find a perfect substitute of potatoes but you can try with mashed cauliflower. Celery root is also popular.

These are some of the substitutes which can help you to counter high calorie foods in your low calorie diet plan.

You start off the New Year announcing, “I’m going to lose 30lbs this year”. It seems appropriate; a new year, a new resolution means a new you. “Right?” says your wellness coach, “Maybe not.”

Let’s take a look at where you are focusing your energy. Are you focused on the outcome goals (things you don’t have direct control over) or are you focused on performance goals (things you directly control)?

It’s something thousands of people do every year. What are you really accomplishing this year that you didn’t last year? Wait, I know, this year you’re going to keep the weight off (outcome goal). But, how likely is that to happen? You start off great. You go walking, running, you’re eating healthy, get lots of rest and drink plenty of water. But before the geese fly north for the summer you get bored with being healthy. Now you start to let negative thoughts creep in. Things like: “It’s too much work to make lunches the night before”, “I’m too tired to get out of bed to exercise in the morning”. Before you started you set yourself up for failure because you either reach your goal or you don’t; even though you didn’t have direct control. Performance goals on the other hand are more realistic goals. These are things we have direct control over.

For example; if you don’t eat breakfast, don’t exercise, eat a bowl of ice cream every night a 9pm the outcome is that your weight will go up. You didn’t directly cause your weight to go up, it happened because you didn’t control your performance. Consistently control your performance and you influence your outcome.
Ask yourself a couple of questions. How does it feel when you miss your expected weight loss goal for the week or month? Do you feel like giving up on your resolution? Yes? Then how much different would you feel if you focused on a realistic lifestyle change (performance goal)? You decide what you are willing to change about your lifestyle. Let’s use breakfast as an example. You’ve determined that you don’t eat breakfast everyday and that it is something that you should start doing in order to be healthier. You’ve been to the market to stock up on cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. Now you’re into your second week when you realize you left the house without eating breakfast. What now? Do you feel like you failed or do you simply eat breakfast the next day? I’m willing to bet that if you simply started fresh again the next day, that you wouldn’t feel too bad. However, if you weighed yourself and didn’t lose as much as you wanted to, that you would be ready to give up. You can fill in any example to satisfy the same scenario; exercise, snack choices, lunch menu, portion size, etc.

Keep in mind that the problem with outcome goals is that it doesn’t mean that you’ve made any realistic changes to your lifestyle habits and choices. So that once you meet your goal, you start to believe that you can go back to living the way you did before you reached your goal. Once you do, your weight, in this scenario, starts to go back up.

Change lifestyle choices and you change a lifestyle habit. Make a healthy habit and you’re healthier for the rest of your life!

Scott Andrews is a wellness coach with more than a decade of experience as a health care professional. For more information contact him at: sandrews@wellnesscoachesusa.com

In stumbling upon amazing deals while browsing for beauty products online, the first thing a wise consumer always asks is this question: Why is the price so low? If you find yourself in the same situation, don’t count yourself as lucky just yet. If you continue to read the offer, you will then find out that these items are actually discontinued beauty products. This means that production of these items has been stopped by the manufacturer, who is now trying to dispose of the products for a small profit. When dealing with discontinued beauty products, consider the following before making a purchase:

1. Research as to why these products are no longer in production. This is the first and most important factor that you have to consider prior to spending money on discontinued beauty products. One of the most common reasons why a certain manufacturing company ceases to produce a specific line of product is because they do not pass quality standards, with the use of harmful ingredients most likely to be blamed. For instance, some manufacturing companies in China were put out of business by authorities because for the use of harmful ingredients (i.e. lead) in making cosmetic products. Such discontinued beauty products are toxic as they will do you more harm than good.

2. Consider the possibility that a new line of products has emerged to replace the old ones, resulting in the discontinuation of their production. Once you have it confirmed that this is the reason why these cosmetics are being sold at such a low price, then you can go ahead and make a purchase. They are not harmful to your skin, after all. Great deals on this type of discontinued beauty products are too good to pass up.

3. Do additional research. There can be plenty of other reasons why a store will sell discontinued beauty products. Knowing the reason as to why the manufacturing of these items was put to a stop can help you reached an informed decision.

Here are five simple ways to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.

1. Use smaller plates and mugs

From a young age, we have been conditioned to finish all the foods on our plates. But the oversized plates and mugs we’re using everyday are not helpful for weight loss; they just encourage us to eat more rather than less.

If you’re used to using a standard size plate for your meals, replacing it for a smaller plate can go a long way in helping you control the amount of foods you eat. This simple psychological trick works very well; not only that it makes you eat less but you won’t feel any difference in fullness, as most times an empty plate has become a signal to your stomach that it is full.

While you’re out getting your new and smaller plates and mugs, also remember to choose the lighter colors. According to experts, the portion size of our foods would look larger on a lighter colored plate compared to darker colored one. This shows that human eyes are in fact easily fooled.

2. Portion control

Ask anyone who has succeeded in losing weight and you are like to hear the words “portion control”. It’s key to successful weight loss but it needs you to have good habit and discipline to be able to control your food portion. Replacing your plates and mugs to smaller size won’t do anything to help if you don’t have the habit to control the amount of foods you eat.

There is no easy way to calculate the portion size of certain foods; what you need is just some common sense. You can cut the calorie intakes by 50% anytime – just eat half. For example, if you normally use oversized mug for your coffee, make an effort to take only half of the mug as your quota. It will be difficult at first, cutting your foods or drinks by half, but you will get used to it if you really have the will-power to lose weight.

3. Eat slowly, chew your food properly

It takes time for the message to travel from your stomach to your brain telling you that you have had enough to eat. Chewing your food properly and eating slowly gives your mind time to process. Stop eating the moment you feel full. This is a good way to stop yourself from overeating.

4. Choose low calories foods.

Example of low calories foods include steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and salad with dressing on the side. Choose chicken or fish over red meats; and choose whole grain bread and eat one serving only.

5. Choose sugar-free drinks

Instead of sugar sweetened drinks, order plain water or unsweetened iced tea. Not only do you need water to keep you hydrated throughout the day, but it can also give you that feeling of fullness which can help you avoid having to snack. When you do exercise, always keep a small bottle of water with you at all times. This way, you will be able to keep hydrated and forget about those sugar sweetened drinks.