Tag Archives: Healthy food

5 Significant Benefits of Healthy Living

Posted on January 30, 2018 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

Living in the 21st cent is fraught with stress for the majority of individuals, regardless of age, gender, and nature of occupation or profession. The maximum stress results from trying to achieve the perfect work-life balance which seems elusive for almost all of us. Your normal lifestyle goes awry as you make every effort to establish the equilibrium that is appropriate for you.

In the process, you end up cultivating bad habits that you find very difficult to get rid of. But if you are a health-conscious individual, you are acutely aware of the significance and indispensability of healthy living. You know that neglecting your health will cost you heavily in the long run and in the worst case scenario might compel you to take premature retirement.

Healthy living is the sum total of healthy habits including consumption of balanced meals, exercising regularly, and abstaining from smoking or drinking. Developing good habits and sticking to them calls for nurturing a strong will and altering the mindset which many find an uphill task. Nevertheless, you must be prepared to make some degree of sacrifice if you wish to live healthy and live long. Following are the five ways you stand to benefit by leading a disciplined lifestyle.

1. You stay healthy and feel good

You will not be able to work efficiently if you do not feel good and vice versa. That there is a psychosomatic connection between the mind and the body has long been established. Healthy living promotes the smooth release of endorphins which are cerebral chemicals responsible for making you feel relaxed and spirited.

In order to encourage the production and secretion of endorphins, you’ll need to take nutritious and balanced diets, indulge in physical activities, and keeping yourself socially active. If you follow the abovementioned healthy habits on a regular basis, you’ll not only look better but feel better as well. And feeling good about yourself can go a long way in boosting your self-esteem and confidence.

2. Your weight is kept under a leash

It does not need to be emphasized that working out routinely and eating right not only prevents you from becoming obese but also lets you stay fit and trim. If Mayo Clinic is to be believed, staying in good physical shape keeps you from becoming overweight. Walking, cycling, swimming or jogging for 45 minutes to 1 hour daily will keep you slim as well as help stimulate the immune system, boost energy levels, and better cardiovascular health.
There are a few habits you can cultivate easily and will require a minimum effort like climbing the stairs rather than rushing into an elevator, walking the last 2-3kms to your home and so on. On the other hand, never skip breakfast which is the most important meal of the day but instead feast on fruits and vegetable preparations. Limit intake of fast and processed foods as much as you can.

3. You feel energetic throughout the day

The necessity of sticking to a balanced and nutritious diet and exercising habitually are also essential for keeping yourself energetic all through the working day. Include generous amounts and portions of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grain preparations, and dairy products containing minimal fat in your everyday meals. Alternatively, maintaining a consistent workout program comes in handy for furthering endurance and building lean mass which in turn furnishes you with sufficient energy for healthy living.

4. Boosts the capacity of your immune system in combating diseases

Consuming healthy and wholesome foods regularly implies that your metabolism is good and the immune system functions effectively thereby keeping lifestyle diseases and disorders at bay. Routinely exercising means the cells, tissues, muscles, cartilages, and bones in your body remain consistently mobilized.

5. Existence is prolonged

Healthy living is tantamount to leading a disciplined life which in turn implies holding onto good habits that ultimately betters your longevity.

You can contact Dr. Jeanne Decuypere at 727-449-8080 or log in at www.decuyperechiropractorclearwater.com if you are interested to be tipped about healthy living.

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Posted in Health, Healthy living, Nutrients, Weight loss, Workout | Tagged health, Healthy food, healthy living, Obesity, Weight Loss | Comments Off

The Best Breakfast Foods

Posted on January 9, 2018 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

We are what we eat. This famous proverb is especially relevant for breakfast, which sets our food rhythm for the whole day. Therefore, it is very important that it is not only tasty and satisfying, but also useful and balanced. It is not difficult to prepare a healthy breakfast, and it will not take so long as it may seem at first glance. The main thing is to know the basic rules of a healthy breakfast.

According to doctors, breakfast should be no later than 10 am, while you should use half the daily calorie rate. It is believed that the eaten for breakfast is completely burned during the day, which means that it is not postponed by the body for future use. Adhering to the rules of a healthy breakfast, you will always be in great shape and a wonderful mood, and stomach diseases will never bother you.

Many complain that in the morning they can not force themselves to eat, limited only to a cup of strong coffee. Say, the body has not yet woken up and rape it with food there is no need. This is a misconception. Firstly, the absence of hunger in the morning often indicates that in the evening you had a dense supper, or even snacked something for a dream to come. Naturally, in the morning the organism still digests your evening diet and does not want to add work to itself. Secondly, if you do not feel hungry, this does not mean that your body does not need useful substances, proteins and carbohydrates, in order to have the necessary energy reserve for the whole day. This means that a healthy breakfast should not be rich in fats, but with proteins and carbohydrates, and carbohydrates should be “slow”.

Based on all the above, you can derive the basic rules of a healthy breakfast.
Your breakfast menu should include cereals, fruits and dairy products. The latter is a valuable source of useful minerals and animal proteins, so necessary for the body. Fruits will supply the body with vitamins, and cereals will replenish the energy reserves.
Useful are only those dairy products that have not been defeated. They should have a low fat content, not a complete absence of fat. Otherwise, the food will be extremely poorly absorbed by the body.

You do not need to eat too much. The excessively hearty breakfast can do almost more harm than its complete absence. By lunchtime you will want to eat even more, and then there will be no more rules for healthy eating. This is because the excess amount of carbohydrates that have got into the body, causes the release of insulin into the blood. He, in turn, eats sugar, transforming it into fat. As a result, the body begins to need even more carbohydrates, and we want to eat even more.

Food and healthy breakfast

The most suitable products for breakfast are bread from wholemeal flour, buckwheat, oatmeal, dry breakfast without sugar. True, this does not mean that you should give up a beloved and traditional buttered sandwich. It’s just not as useful as we would like. Much better properties in this regard have eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, sour-milk products. You can include in your morning ration a small piece of boiled meat or ham, but avoid eating sandwiches with smoked sausages there will not be much benefit from this. All this goes well with different porridges, and you do not need to think that such a breakfast will be superfluous. Instead of the usual cup of coffee, drink freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice or brew tea, in which you can add a small amount of honey.
One of the best products is muesli. If you take raw muesli, refill them with milk and add pieces of fruit, then you will get the most that neither is a healthy breakfast!

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Posted in Health, Healthy living, Nutrients, Weight loss, Wellness | Tagged Breakfast, Food, good nutrition, healthy, Healthy food, Organic Product | Comments Off

Heart Health Benefits of Avocados

Posted on November 14, 2017 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

A good majority of health-conscious men and women are of the opinion that avocado, variously referred to as alligator pear, has an unusually high concentration of total fats, rendering the fruit’s consumption unsuitable for heart health. Yes, it’s true-every 100g of the fruit contains 14.66g of fat-but 67% of its total fat content comprises monounsaturated fat in the form of oleic acid, the same type that abounds in oil extracted from olives. Nutritionists, dieticians, and health experts continue to emphasize on the significance of monounsaturated fats for maintaining the health of the heart. Avocados are also endowed with minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers that make the fruit’s consumption beneficial for cardiovascular health.

Monounsaturated Fats
Avocado, scientifically called ‘Persea Americana’ together with all its known variants and cultivars, release about 670kJ of energy per serving which is much higher than similar servings of most fruits. No wonder then that the fruit is rich in vitamins C, E, and K and numerous B vitamins. However, avocadoes have a very good concentration of total fats, mostly in the form of monounsaturated fats.
Each 100g serving of avocado contains 9.80g of monounsaturated fat and 2.13g of saturated fats. From the perspective of health, especially heart health, monounsaturated fats are most effective compared to polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats not only help raise HDL (good cholesterol) levels in the bloodstream but also significantly lower ‘bad cholesterol’ or LDL.

Potassium
All varieties of avocado are plentiful in minerals, particularly potassium. Two of the most popular varieties, ‘California Hass’ and the Florida ‘Choquette’ contain 507mg and 351mg of potassium respectively. The amount of salt as well as the type and quantities of dietary fat consumed together with the frequency of physical exertion programs have a considerable bearing on the blood pressure, if the AHA (American Heart Association) is to be believed. It is estimated that about — Americans are plagued with hypertension or high blood pressure.
Following a DASH (dietary approach to stop hypertension) diet, comprising food items and preparations loaded with potassium, calcium, and magnesium will go a long way in effectively bringing down blood pressure. Potassium, along with the other vital minerals, contributes towards muscle relaxation and on its own, counteracts the adverse effects of excessive sodium content in the body.

Dietary Fibers
All food items and beverages imbued with nothing less than 5g dietary fiber in every serving are classified under foods abounding in dietary fibers. In this respect, a 100g serving of Hass avocado in raw form, supplies 6.8g of dietary fiber to the body while an identical serving of the ‘Choquette’ variety delivers 5.8g. An adult female needs about 21g of dietary fibers on a daily basis which implies that a single serving of avocado will cater to approximately 34% of that requirement. Dietary fibers, along with monounsaturated fats, are instrumental in reducing abnormally high LDL levels.

Vitamin E and B-Vitamins
Avocadoes contain copious proportions of the B-vitamins, B-5, B-6 and Niacin (B-3) and Folate and eating the fruit regularly promotes energy metabolism which in turn encourages formation of new cells and DNA. Consuming food items containing an abundance of Folate and B-vitamins also brings down homocysteine levels.
For leading a disease-free and healthy life, you can talk to Dr. Decuypere by dialing 727-449-8080 or log in at www.decuyperechiropractorclearwater.com for more details.

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A Healthier Heart Equals A Healthier Brain Later In Life?

Posted on October 10, 2017 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

Studies recently published by the American Heart Association in combination with scientific findings by Michael Bancks, Ph.D., of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL have tested and found that how you treat your heart today, can significantly impact your quality of life and your brain functionality as you age.

Anyone serious about maintaining a healthy heart – and mind – should first consider the following seven steps which might “guarantee” a healthier life, you, and increased overall happiness.

1. Firstly, watching and maintaining a healthy blood pressure is at the top of the list. This means not only watching the foods that you eat, but also your physical activity levels (see more below), overall stress levels, and how you manage each.

2. The advice of properly managing your cholesterol is not something new, although it is a piece of health advice that is being pushed on the public and broadcasted more aggressively in recent years. And believe us, this deserves a place at the top of the list, as it can mean the difference between life and death – or your susceptibility to a heart attack!

3. Monitoring and taking care of your blood sugar we know it sounds simple, and unfortunately, a lot of people assume that if they just avoid sweets, coffee, and soda that they’ll be just fine. But the truth is, there are plenty of fruits and other healthy foods that can just as easily raise your blood glucose (sugar) levels to unhealthy heights. Worse, doing so consistently over the years can harm both your heart, and in turn your brain reducing performance, and overall longevity of the human body aging process.

4. Being more active – Who could forget this? Research has shown that those who exercise more frequently, even a simple 15-30 minute walk once a day or every other day will dramatically their overall health, and happiness. Walking also serves as an excellent way to reduce stress or even quit bad habits like smoking and drinking (see more on this below.) Taking care of your muscle and bone growth today can make the aging process and your body all the more happy, and likely to be still properly functioning by the time you’re 40 or 50 years old.

5. Finally, quit smoking. We know it sounds easier said than done, but stopping today can make a world of difference for how you feel, and the ways which you grow tomorrow. Protect yourself from a wide range of various likely cancers you can develop by smoking, and breathe better in just a matter of weeks by quitting today!

Be Happy, and Be Healthy!

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Posted in Alternative Treatment, Exercise, Health, Healthy living, Wellness | Tagged Healthy food, Obesity, Sugar, Weight Loss | Comments Off

6 Foods Which Can Be Potentially Damaging for Your Metabolism

Posted on February 21, 2017 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

Up till now, it was generally believed that a large variety of foods or food items that titillated the taste buds the moment you tucked into them ultimately led to your putting on weight. However, recent studies and researches on the health effects of consuming these foods have indicated that these items could also take a toll on your metabolism as well. Hitherto, the perception that predominated amongst dieticians, nutritionists, and health-conscious individuals was that weight loss or gain resulting from purported healthy food was exclusively dependent upon thermodynamic laws.

Simply put, you tended to put on weight if your daily calorie intake was higher than the amount you expended. But if the current trials are to be believed, equal calorific amounts of specific food items say margarine or soda, inside your system, may not affect you in the same way, unlike what was previously thought. Following are six distinct food items whose consumption will not only boost up your calorie balance but also have other adverse effects.

1. Soda

Soda never makes it to the diet chart of any individual who swears by healthy living. The carbonated drink has earned a bad name owing to its presence of an artificial sweetener called HFCS or high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS is not only a cheap but also a detrimental sweetening agent that is used in a range of soft and fizzy drinks as well as processed foods.

As per findings of the studies, sugar when consumed in the form of fructose can be more damaging for health when compared with consumption of other sugar forms like glucose or sucrose (in equal quantities). HFCS can be a risk factor for causing obesity due to its adverse or negative impact on metabolism. Drinking soda-based beverages regularly lead to ‘metabolic syndrome’ making you highly susceptible to suffering from stroke, diabetes or heart disease.

2. White Bread

White bread is one highly treated or processed food that your body finds easy to break into smaller fragments and digests. This is so because fibers which help boost the metabolic mechanism are absent in white breads-the substance or element is done away with during the processing stage. No extra calories are expended or burnt by your body during the digestion or ingestion process which ultimately brings down the normal functioning rate of your metabolism. If your body doesn’t burn the extra or unspent calories, these get converted and stored as fats. You’ll be better off consuming healthy food items that have been made out of whole grains of rice, wheat, barley instead of ones that don’t contain any fiber.

3. Margarine

In the pecking order of fats, trans-fats also called trans-fatty acid are worse than saturated fats owing to their potential to spike up the LDL cholesterol level thereby putting you at high risk of suffering from strokes and CAD. Following FDA’s directive to clearly label the ingredients of processed food items way back in 1999, most of the foods laden with trans-fats have been removed from the racks of departmental stores. Nevertheless, baked foods and margarine blocks or sticks contain a reasonably high level of trans-fats that can cause insulin resistance. Developing a resistance to insulin, which plays a key role in metabolizing carbohydrates and fats may ultimately lead to slowing down of metabolism.

4. Vegetable or Canola Oil

Canola oil which was previously promoted as healthy food is now being considered as a harmful ingredient that might actually decelerate the metabolic process owing to its high content of omega-6 fatty acids.

5. Farm Reared Apples

Vegetables and fruits grown in farms where a high level of pesticides and fertilizers are used can cause metabolic changes leading to fat buildup. Though organic food items including apples are more expensive, consuming the same would keep you in good health and save your visits to the clinic.

6. Farmed Beef

Farmed beef, in the long run, can turn out to be more damaging to the health, compared to beef obtained from livestock that has been fed on grass. Farmed beef contain antibiotics that drive away from both the bad and good bacteria from our guts. And there is a strong correlation between gaining weight and alteration in the bacterial structure of the gut.

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Why is Oatmeal Healthy?

Posted on July 26, 2016 by owner

Why is Oatmeal Healthy? The wonders of oatmeal are often repeated in literature on good grains, but the short recommendations often do not explain why a hearty bowl of the breakfast favorite is actually good for you. The fact is that oatmeal contains soluble fiber which takes a longer time to leave the stomach and can help you feel fuller for a longer period of time. This alone has benefits when it comes to stopping overeating and controlling one’s weight. With a growing number of people facing issues with being overweight or obese, this is a benefit that should not be overlooked.

Even a half cup a day of oatmeal can be enough to get many of the health benefits associated with it over the longer term. The solubility of the fiber in oatmeal allows it to absorb water to make it even larger and more viscous as it moves through the gastrointestinal system. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, acts as a bulking agent and does not have the same dynamics within the intestines.

The soluble fiber in oatmeal can also help with another related condition to being overweight- hyperlipidemia, or excessive LDL cholesterol levels (LDL is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol). Some studies suggest that the impact may be as much as 10-15% in terms of a reduction in LDL for those who regularly consume oatmeal. The fiber content may also be associated with benefits when it comes to reducing blood pressure and in turn also reducing cardiovascular risk.

Even the American Heart Association recommends a diet that is high in fiber (25-30 grams per day) and oatmeal can help reach that target. Recent data shows that only half of Americans reach that amount currently!

The great thing when it comes to oatmeal is that there are many different types as well as ways in which to consume it, making it more likely that you will find a way that is palatable to your tastes. Steel-cut oats contain the whole oat grain, which rolled oats are dehulled and steamed. Both have a unique taste. Instant oats are similar to rolled oats except that they are steamed for a long amount of time. Whatever you choose, there are many great recipes out there which can make it a delightful treat- just make sure you are not choosing products or recipes that have too much added sugar as that can negate some of the health benefit! This is especially a concern with the instant varieties available in grocery stores, but can be true of any oatmeal dish.

Once you find a low-sugar dish of oatmeal that you like, you can work it into your daily diet and will hopefully start to see results over time. The best time to consume the oatmeal is in the morning from the perspective that the GI impacts will be compounded with consumption earlier in the day. This goes perfectly with the accepted use of oatmeal as a breakfast food. Try adding different fruits to the dish for added flavor and nutrition.

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