Daily Habits

Fitness, Health Issues, Healthy Eating

We came across this article with some tips for weight loss. Many have been told before and they will likely be out there again because they just make sense. Here are the tips:

1. Eat protein for breakfast. Protein can help fend off cravings and make you feel full.
2. Drink water. Start your day off with a glass or two of water and continue to drink it through the day.
3. Weigh yourself daily. Seeing the numbers can motivate you or help you with restraint throughout the day.
4. Get some sun. Vitamin D is important and it can boost your mood.
5. Stay aware and focused. Don’t eat when you are bored or just unmindfully.
6. Try to get some exercise. It is better to get it in the morning.
7. Bring your lunch to work. Eating out and add many more calories than you need.
8. Sleep longer. Try to get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep minimum.
9. Change the way you get to work. Use your bike, walk, or public transportation if you can.
10. Track what you eat. There are many ways to keep a food diary.

A few small changes can go a long way.

Reading Food Labels

Healthy Eating, , ,

Sometimes reading food labels can be overwhelming. Sometimes it seems they use a secret code to make you believe something that might not be true. Let’s look at some of the more common labels and what they mean.

Organic:
This is the label that has the strongest standards. It must include environmental sustainability without the use of synthetic fertilizers and industrial pesticides. The animals under this label must also be fed with products that are organically produced. Organic dairy and eggs must also come from animals that are fed organically. This is by nature non-GMO. This type of listing also requires verification and inspection.

Non-GMO Project Verified:
For animals, the feed they eat is required to be 99% free of GMO residue. Non-GMO does not mean it is organic. This doesn’t address the chemicals used in feed or pesticides. This classification also requires verification and inspection.

Certified Naturally Grown:
This label, created by farmers, did not want to go through the certification that organic goes through. The verification and inspection are done by Certified Naturally Grown farmers.

Source
FoodPrint

EEE Virus Threat

Health Issues, ,

By now you most like have heard of the new Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus. It can cause encephalitis, a brain infection. Only a few cases are reported annually but about 30% of those die and many survivors end with neurological problems.

It is spread by mosquitoes and birds. It feeds mostly on birds but is transferred to humans by mosquitos. Horses are susceptible as well. There aren’t that many reported cases right now but there was a recent death in MA.

The incubation period is 4-10 days. Symptoms depend on age and some other factors. Symptoms include chills, fever, malaise, arthralgia (joint pain), and myalgia (muscle pain). It can last 1 to 2 weeks. In infants, symptoms can abruptly appear but take a little longer in older kids and adults. Other symptoms include fever, headache, irritability, restlessness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, cyanosis, convulsions, and coma.

There is no vaccine available.

More information

Alternative Ways to do Intermittent Fasting

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , ,

There are other ways to do intermittent fasting than the way we have spoken of before.

Easy Intermittent Fasting: 12/12 – You can eat within 12 hours and fast for 12 hours.

Medium Intermittent Fasting: 16/8 – This is the one we have mentioned where you fast for 16 hours and eat all your food within 8 hours.

Extreme Intermittent Fasting: Fat fast + 16/8 fasting. 95% of your calories in the eight hours are fat such as butter, MCT oil, coconut oil, bulletproof coffee.

Carbs: Which are Which

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Carbs are basically sugar molecules. The faster the carb, the higher they are on the glycemic index scale. This affects your blood sugar so you want to eat the carbs that are lower on the glycemic index. You can combine fast carb items with fats and protein to slow down the effect.

Choose the lower glycemic items such as brown rice vs white rice; choose sweet potatoes over instant; choose whole grain cereals over flakes.

Here is the glycemic index chart spoken of in the video.