Sodium's effect on your body

Sodium can be found in almost everything we eat, and it is important to know how it effects our body. The concern, is that the vast majority of Americans are exceeding the recommended amount of sodium. Large amounts of sodium can do serious damage, like causing your body to retain water, high blood pressure, and eventually leading to more serious conditions. There are simple ways to avoid extra sodium in your diet. Learning what they are, is the first step to preventing these conditions.

Benefits of sodium
There is not many benefits of sodium, but it is an important necessity for our body. It is an ingredient that we should have in our diet in moderation. The benefit of sodium, is that it maintains water levels in our cells, and helps our nerves and muscles function properly.

Immediate effects 

Most of the effects from sodium are not noticeable. Sometimes though, if large amounts of sodium is consumed, our body will begin to retain water. When the body retains water, it may result in body parts swelling(usually your hands and feet).

Long term effects
Consuming excessive amounts of sodium as we age may eventually lead to  high blood pressure. This is also known as hypertension, which can lead to very serious conditions.  Some of these conditions are heart disease, kidney failure, and even strokes. Hypertension can also affect organs like your brain and your eyes. Due to the negative effects sodium has on calcium absorption, women are at risk of osteoporosis. Studies show that following low sodium guidelines can drastically cut chances of strokes, heart disease, heart attacks, and even death.

Ways to avoid high sodium
 When trying to avoid high amounts of sodium we need to be careful with packaged and canned items. They are packed with sodium, due to its preservative needs. Also, processed foods like enriched cheeses and breads are foods to watch out for. It is very important to check labels and facts on every item you pick up.  Shopping in the produce section and cooking at home, are a couple of recommended ways to avoid unwanted sodium.

Eating natural foods gives us the right amount of sodium without adding anything to it. Avoiding processed and packaged foods as much as we can, will help us avoid harmful side effects. Try tracking your sodium intake for a day. If you stay within 1500 and 2400 mg of sodium you are doing great! Just for good luck, toss that salt shaker over your shoulder, and leave it there!

Related Sources

Benefits & Long term effects:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09354.html

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/salt-sodium

Other Links:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5031469_pros-amp-cons-lowsodium-diets.html

http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/february2010/02012010salt.htm

Grande Black Coffee Please!

Coffee

Many research studies have been done to prove whether coffee is good or bad for us. Like other food and drinks, it has been said that in moderation, it is very healthy. Coffee has many benefits for our body, so I think we should definitely say yes to that morning cup-a-joe! You can fight headaches, speed up your metabolism, and most importantly coffee even fights some diseases and cancers. There of course is a few harmful side affects to look out for, but they are easily avoidable.

The big "con" of coffee
Over-consumption of coffee can lead to most of the negative affects. If you drink excessive amounts of coffee without water, it can cause dehydration. Every time you have coffee, pour yourself a glass of water to go with it. Your sleep can also be disrupted by coffee, if consumed to late in the evening. Try having your last cup of coffee early in the afternoon, and you should have no problems sleeping at night.

Fight headache pains
If you are one of the many people suffering from headaches and migraines, try coffee to help with the pain. Enough coffee from a 16 oz cup is enough to stimulate brain cell activity and constrict the blood vessels, which relieves the headache pressure.  Savor it each morning, or simply have a cup whenever you feel an oncoming headache.

Metabolism boost!
Keeping our weight in check is a necessity for everyone. Drinking coffee is one of many items  that can help speed up your metabolism. Coffee in addition to a healthy active lifestyle can help you burn a few extra calories. Feel empowered knowing that your metabolism is working for you, just by enjoying your coffee.

*Check out some other metabolism boosters listed in the source below!

Fight Disease and Cancer! 
Coffee is packed with antioxidants, and can help us avoid health issues like heart disease and colon cancer. Having two to three cups of coffee a day can bring you close to 1,300 milligrams of antioxidants. Exceeding that can have adverse affects, so moderation is very important. Avoid dressing your coffee up with all of the sugar and creamers. This is only taking away from the benefits and may be causing you more harm. I recommend opting for the all-natural black coffee. It may take a while to get used too, but it's worth it when it gives your body the nutrients it needs.

If you would like to learn more about coffee, please check out the sites below.  You will soon be on your way to becoming a coffee connoisseur!

Related Sources:
Pros and Cons:
http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/12/pros-and-cons-of-coffee-drinking.html

Headache Information:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1275419/Best-cure-migraine-headaches-cup-coffee-two.html

Metabolism Slide show:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism

Fight Disease:
http://www.volcanicacoffee.com/coffee-articles/healthy-coffee.htm

http://www.longevitymedicine.tv/dark-roasting-coffee-beans-can-optimize-its-antioxidant-content/

Other Source:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-health-reasons-to-not-quit-coffee-2460820

Did You Know?

Did you know that lack of sleep can cause weight gain and other health problems. Getting good quality sleep each night allows your body to burn 60-65% of its calories, and keeps you from reaching for unhealthy snacks throughout the day.





Check out How? and Why?

http://obesity.ygoy.com/does-lack-of-sleep-cause-weight-gain/

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/lack-of-sleep-weight-gain

**look for my DID YOU KNOW? section each month. I will fill you in a couple times a month with quick and fun nutrition facts to help improve your health.

Skinny Energy
Caffeine is a large part of how most of us make it through each day. With our schedules being so busy, it is easy to put on a few unwelcome pounds. The wrong caffeine choices may be the one factor affecting your weight negatively. Following nutrition fact guidelines can help us avoid drinking to many calories. Making smart decisions about the energy we feed our bodies is an essential step to a slim figure.


Nutrition Facts:
An important practice for everyone is to compare food nutrition fact labels. Lets say you have green tea with 1 gram of sugar compared to an energy drink with 15 grams of sugar for half the can. After comparing the labels the smartest choice would be the tea. If you skip that quick glance at the facts you may skip the healthier option. When reviewing the nutrition fact labels, important areas to look at and compare is . . .

1. Serving Size (How many ounces per serving?)(compare serving size with the following)

2. Calories
3. Sugar
4. Carbohydrate
5. Ingredient list (less ingredients the better!)

Portion Size:
Overdoing caffiene drinks that are full of sugar and calories is enough to simply explain the extra pounds.  When people drink fluids full of sugar they tend to get a short burst of energy and then crash. This leads to us reaching for another sugary beverage. Soon we have doubled and sometimes tripled the drinks which means we did the same with the calories, sugar, and carbohydrates. If you absolutely cannot give up soda or energy drinks try this option. . .

*Allow yourself six to eight ounces of your favorite drink, with a small handful of almonds. This is allowing you some sugar with an all natural snack, jam packed with energy to keep you from crashing.

"Diet" doesn't always mean "Diet":
Be careful, some diet drinks have been know to actually make you gain weight. It may cause you to reach for more drinks than necessary, or even cause you to feel more hungry than you actually are. Instead of looking for labels that say "diet". Look for labels that say "all natural". Your body will respond to the natural foods better and it will quench your bodies real cravings leaving you satisfied; not hungry!

For more information on diet soda research:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

The Skinniest:
Above all recommendations, replace your usual caffeine beverage with black coffee (meaning don't add anything to it), plain green tea, or plain black tea. With these options you can avoid excess calories and carbohydrates that lead to extra weight. If you have trouble drinking these forms of caffeine, use the above tips to help find the healthiest match.

Also if you have a craving for other forms of caffeine like energy drinks, read this article below. It is very informative and will compare some of the nutrition fact labels from some of your favorite drinks. It will give you a break down of what to look for on the nutrition labels. Also, this will allow you to learn about how they affect your body. Your favorite drink may be on the bad list so please take a look!

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/are-energy-drinks-dangerous

DID YOU KNOW?. . .


. . .That cabbage has more beneficial nutrients than lettuce and they have a very similar taste. Toss a handful of cabbage in tacos, soups, or mix in with your salad for quick nutritious meals.

Cabbage benefits vs. Lettuce benefits!!

http://www.organicfacts.net/nutrition-facts/vegetables/nutritional-value-of-cabbage-and-iceberg-lettuce.html

Three Places to Make Changes

THREE PLACES TO MAKE CHANGES. . .

Forty hours a week we sit at work. One to two hours of television per weeknight. Think about the hours we spend sitting in the car and lounging for no particular reason. After that, do you want to get up and move?

In the car-  We are limited to very little movement when we are in our vehicles. Take this time to meditate and focus on your breathing for stress relief.http://www.articlesbase.com/meditation-articles/zen-driving-meditation-for-busy-people-363291.html Also posture for your core strength is an important area to really think about. For information on how to work on your posture while you are driving take a look at this. http://www.ehow.com/how_5359589_improve-posture-driving.html.


At your desk- We spend a third of our day, five days a week stuck at work. Standing up every so often to stretch can amp your energy. This can even work out kinks in your body that build up throughout the day. If you need some ideas for stretches or exercises to do, check out this link.   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/WL00030. Use your break times to walk around the building and use the stairs so you can burn calories. The weight will soon be melting off and you will have energy to finish each day strong.


In front of the television- The best answer is get away from television and do something active. If you absolutely cannot miss your nightly episodes, then get up and move while you watch. During commercials do combinations of floor exercises or stretching. When your show begins, try walking and jogging in place. Do that for one whole episode a few days a week and notice the change in your body. Here is a great link for different types of exercises that can be done at home. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5200313_types-floor-exercises-do-home.html.

Did You know?

DID YOU KNOW?

Celery has negative calories!? It has such a low amount of energy that your body works harder to digest it. You burn as much or more calories than what is actually in the celery. By eating celery you gain many nutrients without the calories!

For more detail on celery and other food like it:
http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Negative-Calorie-Food-List&id=71441

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/celery.asp



**look for my DID YOU KNOW? section each month. I plan to fill you in a couple times a month with quick and fun nutrition facts to help improve your health.