Category Archives: Health Issues

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.

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

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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.

Quitting Sugar

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , , ,

How do you quit sugar? These are some things that work against you: your brain, environment, habits, gut, and friends.

Brain: Sugar is addictive so you are tolerant and then you want more. Eating sugar causes your brain not to know it is full. It also keeps you feeling tired and lethargic. You need to get rid of the mindset that sugar gives you pleasure and that quitting will deprive you.

Environment: This applies to ads you see and the grocery stores. You will need to ignore these. Just seeing foods can make you think you are hungry. Understand the environment you are in and how it can affect your cravings.

Habits: Everyday routines becomes a habit. Your brain tries to conserve effort and you run on autopilot. Don’t eat without being aware of what you are doing. Along with environment, if you live in areas where food is nostalgic or if the area is known for certain unhealthy items, like Philly cheesesteaks, or beignets in NOLA. Don’t react to advertising.

Gut: Sugar contributes to leaky gut. Sugar can alter the microbe proportions in your gut. Fermented foods, prebiotics, and probiotics can be helpful.

Friends: Friends and family can be enablers. To get something sweet, go to fruit.

Restricting processed foods is the key to to stopping sugar.

How Food Affects the Brain

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , , , ,

This TedTalk starts with the precept of sucking all the moisture from your brain to see what is left. So what is left? There are mostly fats, then amino acids and proteins and glucose and micronutrients. Omega 3 & 6 are very important to the brain – gotten from nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

A range of foods helps more than eating the same things all the time. Antioxydants and vitamins, along with trace minerals are also necessary to good brain function.

Carbohydrates are counted together but consist of starch, sugar, and fiber. Oats, grains, and legumes are better choices of carbohydrates so you don’t get that dip that you get from glucose.