5 Reasons Why Young Women Should Perform Breast Self Exam

When you're young, breast cancer is probably the furthest thing from your mind. However, it shouldn’t be. Although breast cancer in young women is significantly less common among those from 20 to 39, it does happen. Don’t believe it won’t happen to you, I personally knew a young woman only 21 or 22 who had breast cancer. Finding time to incorporate breast self exam into your monthly schedule is easy when you realize just how important it is.

1. Except for certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women of all ages. Although the most confirmed and noteworthy risk factors for developing breast cancer are gender and growing older.

2. Younger women diagnosed with breast cancer often experience a more aggressive cancer and a lower chance of survival. This fact alone is enough to make early detection and breast self exam crucial for younger women.

3. Generally, screening mammograms are recommended at age 40. Sadly, this occasionally results in younger women not being diagnosed with breast cancer until the cancer is in a later stage, and can lower their chance of survival.

4. Because breast tissue isn't as thick when you're younger it can make diagnosis of breast cancer difficult. For this reason young women should begin monthly breast self exam at age 20, so that you can become familiar with how your breasts look and how they feel, thereby making it easier for you to notice any changes in your breasts.

5. Because the lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in seven for American women, establishing good breast health practices while you are still young can reduce your chance of getting breast cancer at a later stage.

Remember, anytime you see or feel any kind of change in your breast(s) you should see your health-care provider. Only a qualified medical professional can definitively diagnose the cause of breast issues. Breast changes don't always mean breast cancer, but they do mean you should see your doctor.

Steps to Boosting Your Immune System Naturally

Let’s find out how to boost our immune system naturally.

One simple thing that can be done is to try and reduce as much stress in your life as possible. One of the negative side effects of stress is that it weakens your immunity. A form of meditation that is effective is to think about positive things, and this will reduce your stress levels. You can also exercise regularly, as this has also been known to lower stress levels. Both of these things, if done consistently, can make your life much less stressful, and keep your immune system strong and healthy.

Diet and digestive health have long been known to have a direct effect on our ability to fight off colds and flues. The digestive system is very sensitive to stress levels, and when you become stressful your stomach releases more acid than usual. This can lead to acid reflux, or irritable bowel syndrome, both of which indirectly affect the strength of your immune system. Also, it is important to eat properly and reduce your sugar intake as these both affect immune system health.

Eating a healthy diet is important, and you can also supplement your diet with specific types of vitamins that help the immune system. First off, you should take a multivitamin because it contains numerous small amounts of trace minerals your body needs. It has been proven that regular doses of vitamin C do help boost the immune system. Researchers have also found that Vitamin D helps replace vital components needed when we can't get out in the sun as much as needed.

Consider these areas when you want to boost your immune system more naturally. I think if you put these suggestions in to practice you will see that you are not sick as often.


By Elijiah Rampart

8 Tips to Get Rid of Excess Sweating

We all sweat and sweating excessively is just a sign that something isn't right with you.

Below are some tips and suggestions as to things you can do to help your sweating issue:

1. Lose weight - The majority of people who suffer from this type of thing are overweight. Being overweight puts a massive amount of stress on the body and not to mention if you are overweight you are also severely dehydrated.

2. Drink water - Try to consume lots of water throughout the day. Being hydrated will help your body maintain its core temperature and prevent you from overheating will result in sweating. After a meal wait half an hour and then have a nice big glass of water. Try to keep hydrated as much as possible.

3. Eat plenty of fruit - Fruit is also a great way to get more water into you as fruit is water-dense. Fruit also provides the body with a vast amount of vitamins and minerals. Try to eat fruit before every meal as well. This will make sure that once you have eaten your main meal that you are satisfied and aren't seeking out extra food.

4. Cut down your fat intake. Fat is very hard for the body to digest and in a standard diet it can account for 40% and more of our calories. This is ridiculous! We only need around 10% according to the World Health Organization, so reduce it. Easy ways to reduce are to cut out meat and only eat it at weekends.

5. Try to simplify your diet and make sure you practice good food combining. A great book for this is Fit for Life by Harvey Diamond. It will help you combine your food well putting less strain on your digestive system and body.

6. Exercise - Going for even a walk a day will help you and you can always increase this when you have the stamina and enthusiasm.

7. Anxiety - If you suffer from anxiety or your sweating problem has made this worse then it is time to get control of it. There are many programs available to help you calm yourself down in any situation.

8. Give yourself time to relax each day. Relaxing however doesn't include time in front of the TV. Most people think they are relaxing in front of the TV but are in fact not. TV is one of the biggest causes of boredom. Take a nice bath, go for a relaxing walk or do something creative. These will all help you mellow out and balance you.

Once you start changing your life and living a healthier lifestyle, your sweating should disappear - but you may not even notice because you will feel 10 times better than you did in the first place.

What To Eat For Beauty, Brains And Good Health

Healthy eating is the most effective and least expensive preventive health measures we can take.

Here’s our list of Super foods. Tape it to the fridge, and make an extra copy to bring with you when you go grocery shopping. It’s not necessary to eat everything every day, but if you use this list to plan meals and menus, you’ll be eating from among the healthiest foods in the world.

Blueberries: They contain more antioxidants than any other fruit. One cup a day helps improve and preserve eyesight, and prevents cancer, diabetes, and age-related memory loss. Blueberries also contain a compound that has been shown to lower cholesterol as effectively as commercial drugs, with no side effects. Blueberries are the best choice, but strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, purple grapes, prunes and raisins are also good.

Coldwater fish: Salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and sardines contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Two to three servings a week lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer, helps fight arthritis, and has been shown to improve memory, reasoning, and focus. Don’t like fish? Dark green, leafy vegetables, flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, seeds, eggs, and a variety of vegetable oils also provide Omega 3s, but in smaller amounts.

Nuts & Seeds: Walnuts are the #1 nut source of Omega-3s and anti-inflammatory polyphenols. All nuts are high in vitamin E. which prevents and slows cognitive decline, and promotes skin elasticity. Aim for one ounce a day raw or roasted. Good choices include almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed, and non-hydrogenated nut butters like peanut butter and tahini.

Avocados: They lower blood pressure, which promotes brain health. Eating ¼ to ½ a day also provides fiber, minerals, iron, potassium and healthy fat.

Citrus fruit: The Vitamin C in oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes helps in the formation of collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and reduces wrinkles.

Pomegranate fruit or juice: This fruit offers potent antioxidants that protect the brain from free radicals. Pomegranate juice has added sugar (to counteract its natural tartness), so don’t overdo it. Drink two ounces a day, diluted with plain water, or eat ¼ of a fresh fruit.

Tea: Two to three cups a day of freshly brewed white, green or black tea can enhance memory and focus, and provide potent antioxidants, which promote healthy blood flow and halt cellular damage. Studies have found a link between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers.

Dark chocolate: Look for a minimum of 70% cocoa. Unfortunately, more is not better. An ounce a day provides powerful antioxidant properties and natural stimulants, including caffeine, to enhance focus and concentration, and activate mood boosting endorphins.

Yogurt: Research shows that aging is accelerated by unfriendly bacteria in the intestines. Yogurt seems to destroy such bacteria. This might explain the longevity of ethnic groups whose diet contains a lot of yogurt. Make sure the label says “active cultures.”

Legumes: Beans, peas, and lentils are great for your heart, full of antioxidants, low in calories and high in protein and fiber. Black beans have the added bonus of boosting brain power. Eat one cup a day and break a little wind, it doesn’t contribute to greenhouse gases.

Leafy greens: Spinach is a great source of plant based omega-3 and folate, which lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis. Folate also increases blood flow to the penis. Could this be why Popeye was so addicted to it? Eat broccoli, bok choy, kale, and romaine lettuce too.

Pumpkin: It’s not just for pie anymore! It’s loaded with iron, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and beta carotene. Pumpkin’s antioxidants protect cells from oxidative damage that causes aging. One study confirmed that subjects absorbed less fat and calories from their food when pumpkin was included in their diet; another is showing evidence that a substance in pumpkin reacts like ACE inhibitors (drugs used to treat blood pressure and heart disease).

Tomatoes: The red ones contain lycopene, which decreases the risk of bladder, lung, prostate, skin, and stomach cancers. Watermelon, pink grapefruit, persimmon and papaya are good substitutes.

Sprouts: These are a concentrated source of the living enzymes that are lost when we cook foods. As we age, our body’s ability to produce enzymes declines. In addition, sprouts are a highly nutritious source of protein and vitamin C.

Remedies for Pregnancy Vomiting and Morning Sickness

When you first find out that you are going to have a baby, you seldom think of morning sickness. Sometime during the happy early weeks of your pregnancy, however, you will remember all you've been told about the pregnancy vomiting and nausea that three-quarters of all pregnant women must cope with, usually during the first trimester of pregnancy. Enduring nausea symptoms is far from easy for most women and the fact that you are not the only mother-to-be who is suffering doesn't make it any easier. Nevertheless, there are several simple home remedies that can effectively ward off nausea and other symptoms. Prescription medications are also available.

You can expect to experience symptoms about three or four weeks into your pregnancy. Nausea and the bouts of vomiting that typically accompany it will soon prompt you to search for safe, natural cures to help you cope. Although pregnancy vomiting and nausea are exhausting, there is a positive aspect to morning sickness. Compared to women who do not experience these symptoms, expecting mothers who have this condition are at much lower risk of miscarriage and their pregnancies rarely end up in stillbirths.

Several options are available that can help you to cope with morning sickness. The first is an age-old remedy - ginger. This spice root has helped countless pregnant women to go through the first months of their pregnancies. Using ginger to ward off pregnancy vomiting and nausea is simple. Ginger capsules, ginger cookies and ginger candies are available on the market, but most women use ginger in beverage form (ginger ale or ginger tea) and sip it all day long. The effectiveness of this home cure has been demonstrated in studies that compared its results to those obtained using a placebo. Ginger popsicles, regularly used by chemotherapy patients to fight nausea, can also be used to treat nausea. Women all over the world have used ginger to cope with nausea and morning sickness, with no demonstrable negative side effects. Ginger is approved of by doctors and they often recommend it first as a remedy for difficult pregnancy vomiting and nausea problems.

Many pregnancy healthcare providers also advise that you introduce a few basic changes in your eating habits to offset the imbalance of your system. For example, increasing the carbohydrates you eat (dry toast, pasta and crackers) will help alleviate pregnancy vomiting and nausea. Your doctor may explain that vitamin B supplements also ward off many of the signs of morning sickness. Eating lots of carbohydrate-rich foods and taking vitamin B is a natural remedy that is safe for you to use while you are pregnant.

New to this part of the world, acupressure has recently been shown to be an effective remedy for nausea. To use this therapy, purchase one of the special wristbands that stimulate specific points in the wrist area to control pregnancy vomiting and nausea. Acupressure remedies are popular with people who are prone to sea sickness and are very often used by people who travel on boats. If other home remedies don't seem to relieve your symptoms, acupressure may well be the answer to your problems. This nausea treatment is 100% natural, approved of by the medical profession and cannot harm you or your baby.

Your symptoms may be severe and the natural cures described above may not provide the relief you need. In this case you should talk to your doctor about your problems. He or she may determine that your pregnancy vomiting and nausea symptoms warrant prescribing medication. While this option is available, physicians generally only use it after all other options have been exhausted.

By Sue Summerland

Getting Rid of Constipation - 6 Simple Strategies

Everybody experiences constipation at some point in their lives. Now that is no consolation for you if you're currently experiencing this because you are probably in so much discomfort all you are focused on is getting rid of constipation as quickly as possible. As you read through to the end of this article you will learn simple yet highly effective strategies you can implement starting the minute you finish reading that will help you on your quest of getting rid of constipation.

Constipation can become serious if left unchecked as it signals a problem with your digestive system. If you have chronic constipation then you need to pay close attention as it can lead to bigger issues such as hemorrhoids, colitis, diverticulosis and possibly even colon cancer.

Just so you know, many people are constipated and don't know it. This is because we are supposed to have a bowel movement after every meal so if we eat 3 meals a day then 3 bowel movements are supposed to follow. If not, we are constipated and the fecal matter that is not eliminated remains to rot in our intestines which is very unhealthy and can lead to very serious disease.

So here are some things you can do to get rid of constipation:

1. Drink Lots of Water- water helps our bodies to flush toxins out so it is essential that you drink water constantly throughout each day.

2. Drink warm milk or tea- this can help promote bowel movements.

3. Add or Increase Fiber in Your Diet- The best sources are from fresh fruits and vegetables so aside from all of the beneficial nutrients you get from these they also help your body to stay regular.

4. Exercise and Physical Activity- Exercise is so necessary for our bodies for so many reasons. As far as constipation goes I think exercise just helps the body perform better which prevents us from becoming constipated in the first place.

5. Eat Prunes- Prunes are well known to be like a natural laxative. You could also drink prune juice. Prunes are also high in fiber so you could add this to your diet on a regular basis if you suffer regularly from constipation.

6. Probiotics - Probiotics introduce good bacteria back into your intestines that years of taking antibiotics could have removed. They help balance the intestinal tract and restore it to a healthy level.

So there you have 6 things you can and should do or add to your diet to help you to get immediate relief from constipation and to prevent getting it in the future.

Notice that all of these suggestions are all natural and besides having the benefit of being effective against constipation, also have added benefits for your body as a whole which is how you should approach any health issue ideally.

There are many other natural methods of getting rid of constipation but the above should help you get off to a good start.

By Christine Imamshah.

10 Benefits of Drinking Water By Jeremiah Carstarphen

I saw a video on You Tube that said we need to drink at least half our body weight in fluid ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, then you need to drink at least 100 fluid ounces every day. I would buy gallon jugs of water, but I rarely drank the whole gallon in a day. I noticed that the small bottles of water were measure in 16.9 fluid ounces. This was easy to measure.

I started to buy 24 packs of 16.9 ounce bottles of water. I made a goal to drink 10 bottles a day. I only weighed 190 pounds at that time but I knew that since I had severely dry skin then I probably needed to drink much more water than one half my body weights in fluid ounces. I probably drink an average of about eight 16.9 fluid ounce bottles of water each day. Since I started paying attention to the amount of water that I drink I noticed several things within only two weeks.

- The cracked, flaky skin on my legs started to clear up.

- The discoloration around my wrists disappeared completely. (The skin around my wrists had been extra dry and discolored for years.)

- My urine was either clear or light yellow (It was normally dark yellow.)

- The hard calloused skin on my feet started to soften up.

- I am more regular.

- I noticed a dramatic difference in my sexual performance. (There is nothing more devastating to the male self-esteem than the inability to "get it up.")

- I lost about 10 pounds of fat. (I was not trying to lose weight, but I am more ripped than I have ever been in my life!)

Those are just the things that I immediately noticed. I was so blown away that I looked up some of the other benefits of drinking water. Here are 10 benefits of drinking water.

1. Drinking water is good for fat loss. Water flushes out the by-product (waste) of fat breakdown. When there is not enough water to do this job the liver compensates, which diverts the livers attention from its more important job of burning fat. Also you will naturally eat less when you drink more water.

2. Drinking water is good for preventing certain ailments. Some ailments such as fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, and back pain are caused by dehydration.

3. Drinking water can help you to look younger- What? Yes, water is the mythical fountain of youth. Water flushes toxins out of the skin. When you are properly hydrated your skin and muscles are more full and radiant.

4. Drinking water is good for sexual performance. Yes it is true. Your pride and joy, the love muscle, is mostly comprised of water when it is at its peak performance.

5. Water is good for cleansing and detoxing. Spending tons of money on detoxing solutions without drinking lots of water is defeating the purpose, and may do more harm than good.

6. Drinking water reduces the risk of disease- cancer, heart attack

7. Drinking water helps you to recover from injuries quicker.

8. Drinking water will help to boost your immune system and mental acuity.

9. Drinking water increases energy and alertness.

10. Drinking water cushions joints and muscles.

If 75% of your body is water and roughly 90% of your brain, doesn't it make sense to drink plenty of water? Drinking more water is just one thing you can do for better health. When you incorporate drinking more water with other healthy habits you will be well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Walking Increases Blood Flow To The Brain, Study Says

Brisk walking can boost blood flow to your brain, according to a new study from the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.

A team of researchers, led by Rong Zhang, analyzed data they collected over the course of three months from 16 women aged 60 and older. At the beginning of the study, the researchers used Doppler ultrasonography to measure blood flow in the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood and glucose to the brain. They then created specific work out regimens for each participant, which, depending on their level of fitness, added up to an average of 30 to 50 minutes of walking three to four times a week.

At the end of three months, their findings show that blood flow to the brain had increased by 15 percent.

"There are many studies that suggest that exercise improves brain function in older adults, but we don't know exactly why the brain improves. Our study indicates it might be tied to an improvement in the supply of blood flow to the brain," Zhang said in a press release.

The study also found that, overall, the women’s blood pressure decreased by about four percent, their heart rates declined by five percent, and their body’s ability to carry and use oxygen during physical activity rose by 13 percent.

The researchers presented the study at the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington D.C.

The Onion- A True Superfood

The onion: it makes your breath stinky and when you slice one, it may make you cry. But that’s not all the onion does. It turns out that the simple onion is the king of nutritional benefits, and its perks have been known for thousands of years. Historical records reveal that onions have been used as far back as 4000 B.C. as a cure-all for many illnesses. In WW II, the vapors of onion paste were used to reduce the pain and accelerated the healing of soldiers' wounds.

The onion today is no less powerful. Here’s a look at why you should make at least one medium-sized onion a staple in your daily diet.

• Onions are high in sulfur, chromium and vitamin B6, all of which studies show help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. And, according to the Journal of Nutrition, onions also reduce the risk of heart attack and heart failure.

• The allyl proply disulfide in onions is believed to increase insulin in the body and as a result, stabilize our blood sugar level in our bodies.

• According to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the antioxidant quercetin found in onions has been known to prevent colon cancer, and in one study the antioxidants have been shown to cure precancerous lesions in the stomach.

•In a study reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a compound called GPCS found that yellow onions in particular were shown to keep bones from weakening.

• Research published in Nutrition and Food Science reveals that onions act as an anti-inflammatory for the joints. This helps reduce pain caused by arthritis and similar medical conditions.

• Other studies have shown onions act as an antiseptic, fighting infectious bacteria including E. coli and salmonella.


To get the most benefit, purchase well shaped onions that have dry and crisp outer skins. Pass on the ones that are already sprouting, are wilting or have discolored tops. Store onions at room temperature but keep them in a well-ventilated area and way from light to keep their roots from sprouting. Don’t put them together with potatoes because they’ll absorb the moisture and will rot sooner.Stir fry onions or chop and slice them raw (for toppings) to maintain the onion’s impressive nutritional value.

Jogging– Not Good For Weight Loss

Jogging may have a cult following among fitness fanatics, but if you want to lose weight, jogging may not be the ideal kind of exercise, says London-based personal trainer Greg Brookes. Jogging is not the ideal exercise, because the more one runs, the more the body prepares itself for the next run.

The human body is a remarkable machine that has the ability to adapt to almost anything; including jogging.

The more you jog, the more efficient the body becomes at the activity – the body becomes more efficient and so there will be fewer calories burnt as the body adapts better and better to this physical activity.

In fact, in time, the body may even start to hold on to the fat, since fat is one of the body’s more favorite sources of energy.

Another reason why jogging is not to be recommended is that it is bad for the joints; since as much as two and a half times one’s body weight is transmitted through the joints.

While the perception is that any exercise will speed up the metabolism, this may not be true for jogging, according to Brooke, who is of the view that jogging could actually end up doing the opposite.

Tips for a Better Eyesight

Our eyes are two of our most precious possessions which connect us to the world. They express our deepest feelings and emotions, giving life to the wonderful things we see every day. The eyes are constantly taking in information while they are open, working non-stop to help us view the world.

The health of your vision is ultimately governed by the health of your eye muscles. But as we age, all the wear and tear on the eyes will start to weaken the muscles. Also, in today's age of video games, computers, and other electronics; we work our eyes a little too much.

In such cases, the most common way people improve their vision is by wearing prescriptive lenses. But better eyesight without glasses is no longer a dream today. Most people are not aware that you can improve eyesight naturally. Take a look at ways to improve eyesight naturally:

1. Have plenty of fish: Eat oily fish like salmon or tuna at least twice a week. Fish is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which helps to reduce the risk of dry-eye syndrome. You can even have fish oil supplements.

2. Eat raw vegetables: Eat raw vegetables like carrots, broccoli and cucumber as they have Vitamin A which is essential for eye care. You can also drink plenty of fruit and vegetable juice to increase your vitamin A levels. Also, eat spinach as studies have shown that lutein (a nutrient abundant in spinach), may prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

3. Blink Regularly: Blinking is a natural preserver of your better vision. Blinking is your body's natural way of lubricating your eyes and preventing dry eyes. The more you blink the better it is for your eyes.

4. Avoid Stress: When you are stressed, you will find difficult to focus your eyes on a certain object. In other words, avoiding stress can improve your eyesight.

5. Use sunglasses and goggles: If you are working in an industrial belt or swimming, make sure to wear goggle. While swimming, goggles will protect eyes from chlorine, salt and other chemicals used in the water. Wearing safety goggles in an industrial belt will protect your eyes from the flying dust particles or other flying objects. When you go outside, always use sunglasses to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun as well as from the drying effects of wind.

6. Regularly palm your eyes: Rub your hands together briskly to generate heat. Once warmed, place the palms over your eyes making sure to block all light. Breathe comfortably while palming your eyes. Do this for at least a minute, longer if you have the time available to you.

7. Have a chocolate: The dark variety of chocolate offers flavonoids which are important for the protection of blood vessels in the eyes.

8. Avoid staring: Staring is the most commonly practiced bad habit in regards to poor vision. Avoid sitting for long periods of time watching the T.V. or computer monitor. If your job requires you to work at a computer, stop once in a while (every 30 to 40 minutes) and look around the room at some distant point for 30 seconds.

9. Avoid dry air: Air from hair dryers, car vents, air conditioners and fans can make eyes dry, so avoid situations where air blows into your eyes. When you are in a car, point the air vents away from your face, and when you use a hair dryer, try to keep it away from your face.

10. Eye exercises: The goal of eye exercises is to strengthen the muscles on your eyes. These soothing exercises are a great addition to a healthy vision care routine:

• Squeeze your eye lids together tightly. Open, and blink rapidly several times. Repeat once or twice more.

• Try to move your eyes upwards and then roll the eyes. At first you follow clock rotation. After you make one rotation, reverse the direction

• To counteract the tendency to squint, look up while exhaling with eyes half open.

• Hold a pencil at arms length in front of your nose. Now slowly move the pencil towards your nose while focusing your eyes on the pencil.

11. Relaxation: Better eyesight without glasses also can be gained through eye relaxation. Consciously rest your eye muscles every now and then in order to give sufficient rest to the eye muscles.

It is not an easy task to improve eyesight naturally, at the same time it is not impossible. You can have the eyesight you desire using the above natural techniques. Remember eye care is important and not something that should be ignored even at the slightest discomfort.

To Nap Or Not To Nap ?

Taking a nap can have many benefits – it can lessen fatigue and improve relaxation, it can improve alertness and mood, and it can refresh you, improving performance, reaction time and memory, while lowering confusion, and chances of having accidents.

Unless you are one of those people who simply cannot nap in the middle of the day, or if you find that a nap leaves you groggy and disoriented or that it interferes with your nighttime sleep, you should consider taking a nap in the afternoon.

Keep the nap short. The duration should ideally be between 10 and 30 minutes. A longer nap may mean grogginess.

Afternoons are best for taking naps – between 2 and 3 PM is possible. This will not interfere with night time sleep, and this is the time you are most likely to feel that post lunch lassitude. Of course one’s daily schedule and sleep patterns are the best determinants for when you should take that nap.

Take a nap in a quiet, dim and restful place, with a comfortable room temperature if possible.

After a nap, give yourself time to awaken fully before jumping into activity; particularly if that activity is the sort that requires any sharp reflexes of quick responses.

Drinking Water With Meals- Good Or Bad For You?

There is one view that says drinking water with meals aid digestion, while another says that it hinders digestion. So what is the real truth about drinking water with meals – is it good for you or bad for you?

For digestion, food has be broken down and for this it has to be liquified and dissolved. This job is done firstly by saliva in the stomach and then by the digestive juices in the stomach. Drinking water with your meals is not really going to help in the process of digestion because the body is well able to secrete and reabsorb the fluids that it needs to do the job.

What water may do is, it may make it easier to swallow the food, however according to Dr. Braden Kuo, director of the GI Motility Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, this impact is moderate to minimal.

Water doesn’t hinder digestion either, since there is no evidence to show that it dilutes digestive juices. Does it give a feeling of fullness though, making you eat less? Well it could work if you drink a great deal of water right before a meal, which may have the best chance of stretching the stomach and making you feel full.

Celebrity Fitness Secrets- What do they do to look so good?

This is a question most of us have caught ourselves asking, and apart from great genes, these are some of the secrets behind celebrity fitness and weight loss –

• Blake Lively’s fitness secret is fiber. According to celebrity nutritionist Cynthia Pasquella, fiber is what keeps Lively and others looking great; also fiber is great for the digestion and one of the reasons behind those washboard abs.

• Ben Affleck’s wife Jennifer Garner and her trainer Valerie Waters ensure that the pantry is kept clear of unhealthy foods such as cookies, refined flour, and other processed items. Stock only healthy food at home and make sure labels are read properly.

• The secret behind Audrina Partridge’s svelte form is advice from Christine Avanti, chef and clinical nutritionist and the small regular meals she recommends.

• For Jeremy Piven, it is organic, local and sustainable food choices, and a big no-no to packaged food items.

• Sandra Bullock depends upon the Simple Clean Food Plan, which is a food delivery service based out of Los Angeles and this is what helps ensure that she eats small portions of fresh food.

• For supermodel Cindy Crawford, moderation has always been the key – even pizza is not forbidden, but the portion is small, and salad forms the remainder of the meal.

7 Foods that Help in Weight Loss and Enhance Fitness

You may not have associated cheese with weight loss, but there may be some surprises in this list of 7 foods to help you lose weight and keep fit-

1. Full fat cheese can help you lose weight because of its linoleic acid content that helps give a boost to the metabolism.

2. Almonds may be high in fat but they are good fats that help burn fat. Additional almonds are a great source of Vitamin E and help shore up the immune system.

3. Coffee helps to up the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 15% but remember black coffee sans milk and sugar is what will offer benefits.

4. 3 cups of green tea a day can also help boost the metabolism and burn 30 calories extra per day.

5. Chili peppers have long been touted as fat burners because of the chemicals they contain that help burn fat in the body. Even less hot poblanos can help.

6. Eggs, long blamed for causing weight gain can actually help you lose weight because of the amino acid content that helps build lean muscle which will in turn help you lose weight all day long.

7. Portobello mushrooms contain copper and pantothenic acid potassium, all of which can help with weight loss.