I'm sure that many of you have already heard many of the statistics concerning what we call chronic diseases. For those of you who don't know chronic disease is defined as a "incurable illness or health condition that persists for a year or more, resulting in functional limitations and the need for ongoing medical care". This definition goes so far as to include cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even allergies and asthma. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006 chronic diseases were five of the top six causes of death in the United States, of these nearly 80% of those caused by cardiovascular disease and cancer (over 50%) could have been prevented by a healthier lifestyle (1). We hear all the time about how our schools are getting less and less healthy and the obesity rate in children is increasing. Over nine million of today's young people are obese or over weight, and it has been predicted that this nearly 1/4 of all American children will be overweight by 2015. The issue with this shows itself in the health of the nation. It has been proven that excessive body weight has a very high probability of leading to chronic diseases later on in life as well as a general decrease in the quality of a person's life.
Now what I'm doing here is not saying that we should all be super skinny, that's not the point here at all! However, if anything other than numbers can be taken away from this then I hope that people understand that it is very important to monitor your health, a healthy lifestyle is something that we can all live with and is something that is, thankfully, becoming more and more popular throughout the nation. Hopefully, we can decrease these percentages of overweight and obese children, and a great example that is set for them by their parents. I also understand that a healthy lifestyle isn't always possible or easy. But I will tell you that if you are willing to put just a little more effort into making homemade meals and eating closer to the correct portion size can make a big difference. At my house we have meatless mondays (well, I'm vegetarian so I'm always meatless, but none the less) and even just trying new foods and replacing some of the unhealthy snacks with healthier ones or even no snacks when we realize we are bored and not hungry. Why not give it a try? It will not hurt if it is done right! Keep that in mind!
Good luck and good health to you all! :)
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Getting A Good Night's Sleep
Sleep (n): "a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended", this is the definition given to us by dictionary.com. This is great to know and all, but what about getting a good night's sleep? Are there directions on how to do that?
Actually, there are. You can Google search 'how to get a good night's sleep' and follow the links that show up. Or there's always my favorite, Pinterest, where you can always find something on how to get a good night's sleep. But what I'm going to do is give you some things that have helped me to earn a restful night's sleep, it may not work every night, but if I follow these tips then I tend to feel more rested when I wake up.
First off, electronics. This is something that I have heard again and again and never really paid it much mind until I found that I wasn't sleep through the night: turn off your electronics and don't use them within at least 15-20 minutes of trying to fall asleep. There are studies saying longer, but for me the 15-20 minutes works just as well. I have found that if I just read part of a novel, a short story, or 3-4 poems (depending on length) before bed instead of checking Facebook for the last time or checking on my ebay site, I get a much better night's sleep and am more likely to fall asleep faster.
Secondly, exercise. Again this is something that my parents tried to tell me for years and I barely acknowledged: do something physical during your day. In other words, engage in a regular exercise routine. This is where what you do during the ret of your day can affect how you sleep. If you sat around at a computer all day, chances are that you won't get a great night's sleep since your body is still full of the energy you gained throughout the day from eating. So, seriously, exercising has more than one benefit!
Thirdly, food and drink. Let's face it, more the majority of people, if you drink a cup of coffee right before bed you aren't going to get a good night's sleep, same with eating chocolate or cake or any sort of high calorie food. So, just don't go there! Instead, how about having a Naked juice, or some water. It's important to not go to bed on a full stomach or an empty stomach, both can cause a disruption in sleep. Plus, a full stomach, don't you get that feeling like you just don't want to do anything? Well, sleep is included there! On the other hand, with an empty stomach, your stomach keeps you up growling all night, begging for food! Not to mention you feel like you haven't slept at all when you get up the next morning. The moral here is to eat healthy before bed and don't over indulge or under feed yourself.
Fourthly, your bed. Well, your bed being the mattress and pillows and blankets. If these aren't comfortable then you are in for a long night of tossing and turning. Even in college dorms, it's better to be safe and to get a nice mattress cover to go over those thin and uncomfortable dorm mattresses, I know that's what I did! Face it, if your pillow is too hard or too soft, then there is no way you are going to be comfortable enough to sleep.
All of these factors are going to be different based on the individual person and that is acknowledged. I have a friend who used to sleep without a pillow because the pillows didn't work for him to sleep, and another who claims that a cup of espresso helps him to sleep at night. Every person is different and that's what makes up the human race. So, sleep on my fellow human beings!
Actually, there are. You can Google search 'how to get a good night's sleep' and follow the links that show up. Or there's always my favorite, Pinterest, where you can always find something on how to get a good night's sleep. But what I'm going to do is give you some things that have helped me to earn a restful night's sleep, it may not work every night, but if I follow these tips then I tend to feel more rested when I wake up.
First off, electronics. This is something that I have heard again and again and never really paid it much mind until I found that I wasn't sleep through the night: turn off your electronics and don't use them within at least 15-20 minutes of trying to fall asleep. There are studies saying longer, but for me the 15-20 minutes works just as well. I have found that if I just read part of a novel, a short story, or 3-4 poems (depending on length) before bed instead of checking Facebook for the last time or checking on my ebay site, I get a much better night's sleep and am more likely to fall asleep faster.
Secondly, exercise. Again this is something that my parents tried to tell me for years and I barely acknowledged: do something physical during your day. In other words, engage in a regular exercise routine. This is where what you do during the ret of your day can affect how you sleep. If you sat around at a computer all day, chances are that you won't get a great night's sleep since your body is still full of the energy you gained throughout the day from eating. So, seriously, exercising has more than one benefit!
Thirdly, food and drink. Let's face it, more the majority of people, if you drink a cup of coffee right before bed you aren't going to get a good night's sleep, same with eating chocolate or cake or any sort of high calorie food. So, just don't go there! Instead, how about having a Naked juice, or some water. It's important to not go to bed on a full stomach or an empty stomach, both can cause a disruption in sleep. Plus, a full stomach, don't you get that feeling like you just don't want to do anything? Well, sleep is included there! On the other hand, with an empty stomach, your stomach keeps you up growling all night, begging for food! Not to mention you feel like you haven't slept at all when you get up the next morning. The moral here is to eat healthy before bed and don't over indulge or under feed yourself.
Fourthly, your bed. Well, your bed being the mattress and pillows and blankets. If these aren't comfortable then you are in for a long night of tossing and turning. Even in college dorms, it's better to be safe and to get a nice mattress cover to go over those thin and uncomfortable dorm mattresses, I know that's what I did! Face it, if your pillow is too hard or too soft, then there is no way you are going to be comfortable enough to sleep.
All of these factors are going to be different based on the individual person and that is acknowledged. I have a friend who used to sleep without a pillow because the pillows didn't work for him to sleep, and another who claims that a cup of espresso helps him to sleep at night. Every person is different and that's what makes up the human race. So, sleep on my fellow human beings!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
A Balanced Breakfast...Nutella or Peanut Butter
A balanced breakfast is usually advertised as a glass of orange juice, a piece of fruit, and a piece of toast with some sort of topping. The two most common toppings for this toast are peanut butter and Nutella. I'm here to try and figure out which one is healthier. Now, I agree they are both very tasty and I enjoy them both (together they are magical!). I'm using regular Nutella and creamy Skippy peanut butter with a serving size of 2 tablespoons each. Lets compare, shall we?
Nutella
Calories: 200
Calories from Fat: 110
Total Fat: 12 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Peanut Butter
Calories: 190
Calories from Fat: 140
Total Fat: 16 grams
Protein: 7 grams
I didn't expect to have one be clearly more healthy than the other, but in my opinion, it seems that the Nutella is a bit better since fewer of the calories are from fat. He body does need a certain number of calories per day, and getting them at breakfast is a perfect time. There are studies out saying that breakfast should contain more studies than the rest of your meals. Nutella also has fewer grams of fat per serving by quite a few, and fat is something that many people, especially Americans, eat too much of. I would probably also go for Nutella as far as taste goes! However different people have different tastes, so I won't be judging on that aspect :P For instance, I had a discussion with someone from school who was a firm believer that peanut butter is better. I'm open for debates!
What are your opinions on these two toppings as far as a balanced breakfast go?
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