Choose Healthy Foods to Fit your Lifestyle

A Healthy Lifestyle

There are several diets that all lead to successful weight loss if you follow them exactly as they are designed. That doesn't mean every food that fits into a diet is healthy, and it does mean you have to change your eating patterns to fit the diet's rules. We feel like failures because we lose weight and then return to our old eating patterns. The weight we worked so hard to lose comes back and we return to a diet. We lose the weight once more, and go up and down and up and down. We become slaves to the diets.

Rather than worry about the mirror and the scale, let's think about our lifestyle and our health. Being healthy doesn't mean you have to be a size 4 or a size 2. It means feeling good physically and emotionally. It means having energy and enjoying every day. It isn't difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle, feel great, and still have room for the occasional treat. Let me show you how.

Good Foods To Eat

The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so choose more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.

Any pasta or baked goods should be made from whole grains. Avoid white breads and noodles because they are made from flour that has had much of the nutritional content removed and the high starch content in white bread will affect your blood sugar as quickly as regular sugar. Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as well. An apple is good for you, an apple pie really isn't.

Shop for lean meats and don't forget the fish. The omega 3 oils in ocean fish are often deficient in our diets, so serve seafood 2 or 3 times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison are healthier than higher fat beef. Processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of junk in them you don't want in your body, but if you love these meats, find healthier versions sold at health food stores.

Remember to eat a variety of foods because some people become sensitive to foods they eat frequently. Try different grains, such as spelt, as a substitute for wheat and try rice milk or almond milk in place of cow's milk. Eat new foods you think you may not like...it can be a lot of fun.

Stick to water as your main beverage, and avoid sodas (both sugary and diet). If you get tired of plain water, add a slice of lemon or lime to add a touch of flavor. For kids, try some fruit juice jazzed up with carbonated water. Some herbal and green teas may add great benefits to your health, but avoid too much caffeine.

Assess Your Lifestyle

Once you learn which foods are good for you, you need to look at your eating habits. If the foods you eat are not healthy, you might want to work within your habits and current lifestyle conditions, since they are usually tough to change. Consider these questions, then read on for tips to help you add healthy foods:

• Do you eat because you are bored, sad, or happy?
• Do you snack in front of the TV without even giving it much thought?
• Are most of your meals eaten at home or in restaurants?
• How often do you eat fast food?
• Do you like to cook?
• How often do you grocery shop?
• Do you skip breakfast or lunch, then overeat later in the day?
• How big are the portions you consume?
• Do you crave sweets?
• Are there foods you won't give up?

Solutions For Snackers

If you are an emotional eater, keep the junk food like potato chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, and candy out of the house. Keep healthy snacks like fruits, crunchy vegetables with dips, or nuts handy. If you absolutely feel the need for a treat, then purchase a small piece of high quality chocolate or your favorite treat and enjoy it, just don't buy any to bring home.

The same tips are helpful for those who enjoy TV snacking at home. If you don't want to give up nibbling while while watching your shows, keep low calorie foods close by, because it is very easy to eat too much when you are entranced by your favorite drama, football game, or cooking show.

Tips For Eating Out

It is difficult to maintain good health if you eat out a lot. Those salads might not be as appealing as a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Restaurants frequently serve huge portions of food too, much more than you need. If you can't hold your resolve to stick to the salads, compromise; pick out an appetizer that you love, combine it with a salad or a cup of soup, and skip the larger entrees. You can also share a meal or take half of it home. Dying for desert? Order as small a size as possible, or maybe just one scoop of ice cream, rather than a larger, heavier desert. Try a dish of mixed berries topped with nuts and a small bit of whipped cream. Be careful with the after-dinner drinks as well. Maybe just one glass of wine with your meal. If you eat a lot of fast food, you have found out how difficult it is to feel good and stayhealthy.Some places have added salads and some better choices, but it really isn't a good way to eat. Keep fast food dining to a minimum, don't go with the super sizes, and choose places that offer more fresh ingredients.

Eating At Home

If you hate to cook, all that fresh produce you bought may just rot in your refrigerator. Depending on your budget, you might prefer to purchase prepared foods from markets that specialize in healthy, whole foods, or even hire a personal chef to prepare meals that only need to be heated and served. If you have a tighter budget, perhaps you can set aside some time on weekends to prepare meals and freeze them to be reheated later that week.

It is important to be prepared if you are going to eat good foods at home and not run out for fast food after work. Unfortunately grocery shopping can be very tedious. Set aside enough time to do your shopping for a few days' worth of healthy food and ingredients. Make a list and stick to it. Don't go shopping when you are hungry, and once you are at the store, stay away from the junk and the processed food aisles. Buy lots of fresh produce and choose lean meats and fish. Stay away from processed meats, fake cheese products and avoid the snack aisle. Better yet, shop for organic products whenever possible. If you have no choice but to shop infrequently, choose frozen fruits and vegetables over canned, as they retain more of their nutrients.

Don't Skip Meals

If you skip breakfast, you may find that you lose energy by midmorning. Rather than skipping breakfast completely, split it in half. Eat a small breakfast early, such as an egg, small serving of oatmeal, or some yogurt. Have a small snack on hand such as raisins and 10 or 12 almonds to eat at midmorning. This split breakfast is a much better solution than reaching for coffee or candy bars to perk yourself up.

Control Portion Size

Our stomachs really aren't that large. Without stretching, the stomach will hold about 2 cups of food, but because the stomach will stretch, it can hold considerably more food than we need at any given meal.

When you eat at home, serve your meals already dished up on individual plates rather than family style at the table. You will be less likely to reach for "seconds" that way. At restaurants, ask for "take home" containers and take half of your meal home. Avoid buffets, unless you are very disciplined. It is way too tempting to load up 3 or 4 plates plus dessert!

Tame Your Sweet Tooth

Curb your cravings for sweets with fruits and stay away from sugary snacks and pastries. These treats have lots of calories, are loaded with unhealthy fats, plus some people seem to become addicted to these high carb foods. If the fruits and berries aren't sweet enough for you, add just a bit of Splenda, or stevia, but try to wean yourself off of these products. Your taste buds can learn to love fresh fruit without the added sweeteners. Avoid sodas and try iced herbal teas, or ice water with lemon or lime. If you miss the carbonation, add some fruit juice to carbonated water, as I mentioned earlier.

Things You Won't Give Up

Do you feel like you can't live without your chocolate, or your mornings just can't begin without a cup of coffee? If there are foods you won't give up, enjoy them in smaller amounts. Buy one tiny high quality piece of candy and enjoy it, but don't buy a bag full of snacks to take with you. Love your coffee? Stick with just one regular sized cup, instead of a giant 20 ounce cup. You can also switch to decaffeinated coffee, or at drink a blend of half regular coffee and half decaffeinated coffee. Limit other treats or favorite foods that aren't healthy, try to limit them to one time per week, or search for healthier versions at natural foods markets.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

If you can't transform your unhealthy diet over night, don't despair. Most people can't. Start implementing some of these ideas, even just one at a time. Every change you make will be one step in the right direction.

Keeping It Simple

Poor Eating

• Battered and deep fried foods.
• Sugary treats.
• Processed meats.
• Greasy snack foods.
• White bread and refined pasta.

Good Eating

• Green and brightly colored vegetables.
• Fresh fruits.
• Lean meats and fish.
• Nuts, raisins, and healthy snacks.
• Whole grain breads and pasta.
• Cook with healthy oils like canola and olive oils.

Great Eating

• Raw or lightly steamed vegetables with no heavy sauces.
• Organic fruits and vegetables.
• Organic, grass fed beef, bison, and poultry.
• Cold water oily ocean fish.

• Variety of foods including fruits, vegetables and different types of whole grains.
• Add even more healthy oils like walnut or flax seed oils.
• Get more of your proteins from plant sources like nuts, seeds, and legumes.

By nutrition.about.com

Lavender aromatherapy

Being able to breathe in instant calm and relaxation from this fantastic plant is truly one of natures wonderful gifts. Lavender's calming, relaxing, stress relieving, and healing properties have become very popular around the world today for good reason, with the hectic lives many of us have come to lead.

Why is lavender aromatherapy so popular today? It is considered by many to be a natural, alternative remedy for a variety of common ailments ranging from anxiety, headaches, to insomnia. It is believed that lavender can ease stress, induce relaxation, refresh, and even invigorate. For the skin, lavender oil is often used to treat fungal infections, sooth wounds and sunburn, even insect bites. If you haven't experienced the amazing effects of lavender yet, try it for yourself and see what all the fuss is about! It's no wonder it is so widely used in today's skin creams, bath products, hair products and perfumes. Lavender is the ultimate, multi-purpose flower herb. You can even cook with it!

Not only is Lavender a beautiful and hardy plant to grow in the garden and use throughout your landscape, there are so many uses for this fragrant flowering shrub! The beautiful plant grows wild in France, Italy, Corsica, and Yugoslavia. Today, Lavender is grown and harvested throughout the world. The use of lavender for healing can be traced back to the Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans of ancient times. The Romans regularly scented their bath water with lavender, in fact the Latin name Lavare means "to wash." In England lavender is widely used lavender to scent drawers and clothing and as a natural insect repellent. Moths and fleas do not like lavender!

Aromatherapy, simply stated, is the practice of using herbs, flowers, and essential oils extracted from them for healing, relaxing, and balancing the mind, spirit and body. Smell is one of our most powerful senses. What we smell can have a profound impact on how we feel.

Lavender essential oil is extracted from the plant through steam distillation. The flowers, leaves and stems are steamed, releasing the fragrant oils. Some common uses for lavender essential oil are:

-To scent bath water, add a few drops to bath to enjoy the relaxing and soothing aromas of this wonderful flower, and delicately scent the skin.

-To soothe skin irritations such as sunburn, insect bites, eczema, minor cuts and scrapes, even for athletes foot. Pure lavender essential oil is one of the few essential oils that can be applied undiluted directly to the skin a few drops at a time to soothe the skin and promote healing. (while there are no noted side effects to lavender oil, it is possible some people may have an allergic reaction to lavender oil.)

-To ease headache and tension, apply a few drops to your temples and rest quietly. Lavender eye pillows are also helpful for this purpose.

Lavender is commonly prescribed by aromatherapists to help reduce stress, anxiety, insomnia and mild depression. It is often referred to as a mood balancing herb that possesses a sedative and calming effect. It can also have an uplifting, refreshing and rejuvenating effect on the psyche. Lavender pillows, eye pillows, bath salts and floral waters are a wonderfully easy way to enjoy the soothing effects of lavender aromatherapy. All you have to do is relax, breathe in the scent, and enjoy! There is nothing difficult or complicated about it. If you haven't experienced the wonderful effects of the scent of lavender for yourself, get shopping! There really isn't anything like the fresh, potent scent of lavender.

Lavender sachets will fill your drawers and closets with a fresh clean fragrance, (and repel moths at the same time!) Use lavender as a natural air freshener instead of the chemical filled products saturating the market today. Walk into your house after a long, hard day and smell the fresh bowl of dried lavender buds on your coffee table. Kick off your shoes, sit back and place a lavender eye pillow over your eyes. Pamper yourself by sleeping with a lavender filled pillow. Our goal is to help you do just that-pamper yourself with this wonderful gift from nature. Life is so short, enjoy every breath!

It is often cautioned that pregnant and nursing women, and cancer patients should not use lavender. It is also recommended that people using medications such as tranquilizers and pain killers use caution to avoid extreme drowsiness.

By lavenderfanatic.com

Infertility

What is infertility?

Most experts define infertility as not being able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. Women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile.

Pregnancy is the result of a complex chain of events. In order to get pregnant:

• A woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation).
• The egg must go through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb).
• A man's sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way.
• The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).

Infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps.

Is infertility a common problem?

About 12 percent of women (7.3 million) in the United States aged 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Is infertility just a woman's problem?

No, infertility is not always a woman's problem. In only about one-third of cases is infertility due to the woman (female factors). In another one third of cases, infertility is due to the man (male factors). The remaining cases are caused by a mixture of male and female factors or by unknown factors.

What causes infertility in men?

Infertility in men is most often caused by:

• problems making sperm -- producing too few sperm or none at all
• problems with the sperm's ability to reach the egg and fertilize it -- abnormal sperm shape or structure prevent it from moving correctly

Sometimes a man is born with the problems that affect his sperm. Other times problems start later in life due to illness or injury. For example, cystic fibrosis often causes infertility in men.

What increases a man's risk of infertility?

The number and quality of a man's sperm can be affected by his overall health and lifestyle. Some things that may reduce sperm number and/or quality include:

• alcohol
• drugs
• environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead
• smoking cigarettes
• health problems
• medicines
• radiation treatment and chemotherapy for cancer
• age

What causes infertility in women?

Problems with ovulation account for most cases of infertility in women. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a woman is not ovulating normally include irregular or absent menstrual periods.

Less common causes of fertility problems in women include:

• blocked fallopian tubes due to pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy
• physical problems with the uterus
• uterine fibroids

What things increase a woman's risk of infertility?

Many things can affect a woman's ability to have a baby. These include:

• age
• stress
• poor diet
• athletic training
• being overweight or underweight
• tobacco smoking
• alcohol
• sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
• health problems that cause hormonal changes

How does age affect a woman's ability to have children?

More and more women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to have children. Actually, about 20 percent of women in the United States now have their first child after age 35. So age is an increasingly common cause of fertility problems. About one third of couples in which the woman is over 35 have fertility problems.

Aging decreases a woman's chances of having a baby in the following ways:

• The ability of a woman's ovaries to release eggs ready for fertilization declines with age.
• The health of a woman's eggs declines with age.
• As a woman ages she is more likely to have health problems that can interfere with fertility.
• As a women ages, her risk of having a miscarriage increases.

How long should women try to get pregnant before calling their doctors?

Most healthy women under the age of 30 shouldn't worry about infertility unless they've been trying to get pregnant for at least a year. At this point, women should talk to their doctors about a fertility evaluation. Men should also talk to their doctors if this much time has passed.

In some cases, women should talk to their doctors sooner. Women in their 30s who've been trying to get pregnant for six months should speak to their doctors as soon as possible. A woman's chances of having a baby decrease rapidly every year after the age of 30. So getting a complete and timely fertility evaluation is especially important.

Some health issues also increase the risk of fertility problems. So women with the following issues should speak to their doctors as soon as possible:

• irregular periods or no menstrual periods
• very painful periods
• endometriosis
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• more than one miscarriage

No matter how old you are, it's always a good idea to talk to a doctor before you start trying to get pregnant. Doctors can help you prepare your body for a healthy baby. They can also answer questions on fertility and give tips on conceiving.

How will doctors find out if a woman and her partner have fertility problems?

Sometimes doctors can find the cause of a couple's infertility by doing a complete fertility evaluation. This process usually begins with physical exams and health and sexual histories. If there are no obvious problems, like poorly timed intercourse or absence of ovulation, tests will be needed.

Finding the cause of infertility is often a long, complex and emotional process. It can take months for you and your doctor to complete all the needed exams and tests. So don't be alarmed if the problem is not found right away.

For a man, doctors usually begin by testing his semen. They look at the number, shape, and movement of the sperm. Sometimes doctors also suggest testing the level of a man's hormones.

For a woman, the first step in testing is to find out if she is ovulating each month. There are several ways to do this. A woman can track her ovulation at home by:

• recording changes in her morning body temperature (basal body temperature) for several months
• recording the texture of her cervical mucus for several months
• using a home ovulation test kit (available at drug or grocery stores)

Doctors can also check if a woman is ovulating by doing blood tests and an ultrasound of the ovaries. If the woman is ovulating normally, more tests are needed.

Some common tests of fertility in women include:

• Hysterosalpingography: In this test, doctors use x-rays to check for physical problems of the uterus and fallopian tubes. They start by injecting a special dye through the vagina into the uterus. This dye shows up on the x-ray. This allows the doctor to see if the dye moves normally through the uterus into the fallopian tubes. With these x-rays doctors can find blockages that may be causing infertility. Blockages can prevent the egg from moving from the fallopian tube to the uterus. Blockages can also keep the sperm from reaching the egg.
• Laparoscopy: During this surgery doctors use a tool called a laparoscope to see inside the abdomen. The doctor makes a small cut in the lower abdomen and inserts the laparoscope. Using the laparoscope, doctors check the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus for disease and physical problems. Doctors can usually find scarring and endometriosis by laparoscopy.

How do doctors treat infertility?

Infertility can be treated with medicine, surgery, artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technology. Many times these treatments are combined. About two-thirds of couples who are treated for infertility are able to have a baby. In most cases infertility is treated with drugs or surgery.

Doctors recommend specific treatments for infertility based on:

• test results
• how long the couple has been trying to get pregnant
• the age of both the man and woman
• the overall health of the partners
• preference of the partners

Doctors often treat infertility in men in the following ways:

• Sexual problems: If the man is impotent or has problems with premature ejaculation, doctors can help him address these issues. Behavioral therapy and/or medicines can be used in these cases.
• Too few sperm: If the man produces too few sperm, sometimes surgery can correct this problem. In other cases, doctors can surgically remove sperm from the male reproductive tract. Antibiotics can also be used to clear up infections affecting sperm count.

Various fertility medicines are often used to treat women with ovulation problems. It is important to talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of these medicines. You should understand the risks, benefits, and side effects.

Doctors also use surgery to treat some causes of infertility. Problems with a woman's ovaries, fallopian tubes, or uterus can sometimes be corrected with surgery.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is another type of treatment for infertility. IUI is known by most people as artificial insemination. In this procedure, the woman is injected with specially prepared sperm. Sometimes the woman is also treated with medicines that stimulate ovulation before IUI.

IUI is often used to treat:

• mild male factor infertility
• women who have problems with their cervical mucus
• couples with unexplained infertility

What medicines are used to treat infertility in women?

Some common medicines used to treat infertility in women include:

• Clomiphene citrate (Clomid): This medicine causes ovulation by acting on the pituitary gland. It is often used in women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or other problems with ovulation. This medicine is taken by mouth.
• Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG (Repronex, Pergonal): This medicine is often used for women who don't ovulate due to problems with their pituitary gland. hMG acts directly on the ovaries to stimulate ovulation. It is an injected medicine.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH (Gonal-F, Follistim): FSH works much like hMG. It causes the ovaries to begin the process of ovulation. These medicines are usually injected.
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) analog: These medicines are often used for women who don't ovulate regularly each month. Women who ovulate before the egg is ready can also use these medicines. Gn-RH analogs act on the pituitary gland to change when the body ovulates. These medicines are usually injected or given with a nasal spray.
• Metformin (Glucophage): Doctors use this medicine for women who have insulin resistance and/or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This drug helps lower the high levels of male hormones in women with these conditions. This helps the body to ovulate. Sometimes clomiphene citrate or FSH is combined with metformin. This medicine is usually taken by mouth.
• Bromocriptine (Parlodel): This medicine is used for women with ovulation problems due to high levels of prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone that causes milk production.

Many fertility drugs increase a woman's chance of having twins, triplets or other multiples. Women who are pregnant with multiple fetuses have more problems during pregnancy. Multiple fetuses have a high risk of being born too early (prematurely). Premature babies are at a higher risk of health and developmental problems.

What is assisted reproductive technology (ART)?

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a term that describes several different methods used to help infertile couples. ART involves removing eggs from a woman's body, mixing them with sperm in the laboratory and putting the embryos back into a woman's body.

How often is assisted reproductive technology (ART) successful?

Success rates vary and depend on many factors. Some things that affect the success rate of ART include:

• age of the partners
• reason for infertility
• clinic
• type of ART
• if the egg is fresh or frozen
• if the embryo is fresh or frozen

The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC) collects success rates on ART for some fertility clinics. According to the 2003 CDC report on ART, the average percentage of ART cycles that led to a healthy baby were as follows:

• 37.3% in women under the age of 35
• 30.2% in women aged 35-37
• 20.2% in women aged 37-40
• 11.0% in women aged 41-42

ART can be expensive and time-consuming. But it has allowed many couples to have children that otherwise would not have been conceived. The most common complication of ART is multiple fetuses. But this is a problem that can be prevented or minimized in several different ways.

What are the different types of assisted reproductive technology (ART)?

Common methods of ART include:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) means fertilization outside of the body. IVF is the most effective ART. It is often used when a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man produces too few sperm. Doctors treat the woman with a drug that causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once mature, the eggs are removed from the woman. They are put in a dish in the lab along with the man's sperm for fertilization. After 3 to 5 days, healthy embryos are implanted in the woman's uterus.
• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) or Tubal Embryo Transfer is similar to IVF. Fertilization occurs in the laboratory. Then the very young embryo is transferred to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transferring eggs and sperm into the woman's fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the woman's body. Few practices offer GIFT as an option.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is often used for couples in which there are serious problems with the sperm. Sometimes it is also used for older couples or for those with failed IVF attempts. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to the uterus or fallopian tube.

ART procedures sometimes involve the use of donor eggs (eggs from another woman), donor sperm, or previously frozen embryos. Donor eggs are sometimes used for women who can not produce eggs. Also, donor eggs or donor sperm is sometimes used when the woman or man has a genetic disease that can be passed on to the baby.

By 4woman.gov