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  • 6 Benefits of Eating Salads

    6 Benefits of Eating Salads

    Salads are one of the easiest must-have meals to prepare. Not to mention, eating salads has countless benefits that will entice you to consume more everyday. Doing it everyday is a good habit to adopt in order to have a healthy lifestyle.

    Most restaurants offer salads and requesting it as a side for your main course is highly available. Even more, you can make salads at home in just five minutes just mix all kinds of healthy greens, carrots, tomatoes, and not-fat dressing. Aside from the common health benefits that the vegetables and fruits can offer, check out some reasons why eating salads is a must-have in your everyday diet plan.

    1. Eating Salads will Give You More Fiber

    Most of the ingredients of salads are high in fiber. Thus, it prevents constipation and reduces the risk of high blood pressure. Plus, it can also stabilize blood sugar levels.

    2. Good for losing weight

    If you are aiming to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight, eating salads is highly suggested. According to Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., eating a bowl of salad will increase your satiety level(feeling full) and reduce the intake of calories resulting to lose weight.

    3. Boosts metabolism

    Salads can boost your metabolism, especially if you love to put some citrus fruits and lean meat on your salad. Citrus fruits and lean meat are natural foods that can suppress the storage of fat cells.

    4. Reduces the risk of getting cancer and heart diseases

    As you eat salad, your body will absorb more phytochemicals that can be found in green leafy vegetables, carrots, and tomatoes. Phytochemicals are responsible for combating cancer cells and heart diseases. Not to mention, these disease-fighter compounds can be found in good fats such as avocado and olive oil.

    5. Builds strong bones

    A salad full of spinach can make your bones stronger because spinach has Vitamin K, which is responsible for improving bone density. So if you want to make your bones stronger, eating salads with vegetables that are rich in Vitamin K is ideal.

    6. Makes your skin more youthful

    Greens in your salads consists of a lot of water. Consuming these can hydrate your skin making it more youthful.

    Eating Salads Improve Your Health

    Eating salads mainly improves one’s health due to the multiple benefits attributed to the different combinations of vegetables and fruits. Not to mention, adding herbs such as oregano, cilantro, basil, and parsley into your salads or dressing can make your bowl of salad healthier and entices you to eat more. Bear in mind that eating salads a day keeps sickness and aging away.

  • Benefits of Plant-based Diet that You Must Know

    Benefits of Plant-based Diet that You Must Know

    Apart from weight loss, a plant-based diet offers numerous health benefits. Plant-based diet focuses more on the quality of plant food and less of animal food consumption. This article will help you understand what is a plant-based diet and its benefits to one’s health.

    The Difference Between Being Vegan and Plant-Based Diet

    Both meal plans have been popular in recent years. Vegan diet pertains to eliminating all animal products to your meals while a plant-based meal plan reduces animal products and focus more on plants.

    “With a plant-based diet, you can decide whether or not you want to consume animal products, and the focus is on eating mostly foods that come from plant sources,” says Dr. Christine Kirlew.

    This type of diet emphasizes the consumption of whole-grain food,vegetables, nuts, and fruits. Usually, it encourages to eat natural foods than processed ones. There are that studies revealed that eating more vegetables without eliminating animal products can make people healthier.

    Incredible Benefits of Plant-based Meal Plan

    A lot of people shifted to a plant-based diet due to its exceptional health benefits in the long-run. Others preferred this meal plan due to the flexibility it offers. Here are the great benefits of the plant-based meal plan.

    1.Lowers the risk of having heart diseases and diabetes

    In the long period, eating more quality of plant improves one’s health and lessen the risk of acquiring heart diseases and diabetes caused by too much cholesterol and bad sugar.

    “Epidemiological data shows that the more plant foods someone eats, the lower their risk for certain chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers,” Taylor Wolfram, a dietitian said.

    2. May help you live longer

    A study from the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that a plant-based diet can lower the risk of mortality to 25%. Moreover, as you focus more on naturally-grown foods, you will more likely to increase health outcomes.

    3. Reducing the risk of acquiring cancer

    “The best way to source cancer-protective nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, is to eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and some animal foods,” the American Institute for Cancer Research said.

    4. Improves Brain Function

    Sticking to a plant-based diet can lessen the risk of having Alzheimer’s disease. Interestingly, according to  Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (2017), “eating an extra 100 grams of fruits and vegetables per day (about one-half cup) led to a 13 percent reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia”.

    5. Improves digestion

    Best foods for the gut are common in a the plant-heavy diet because it is full of fiber. Eating foods that are rich in fiber can improve your digestion.

    6. Boosts Energy

    Most of the plants have vitamins and minerals providing the human body more energy. Plus, plants consist of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and proteins that do not only provide health benefits but can also enlighten your mood.

    Sources:
    (1) https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/scientific-benefits-following-plant-based-diet/
    (2) https://www.simplyquinoa.com/7-amazing-benefits-of-a-plant-based-diet/

  • 5 Natural Ingredients to Boost Metabolism

    5 Natural Ingredients to Boost Metabolism

    One of the best ways to lose weight is to boost metabolism. Metabolism is the ability of the body to burn calories and turn it into energy. One’s rate of metabolism depends on different factors such as age, sex, body, mass, and weight. Here’s a helpful guide that will help you on how to boost metabolism using natural ingredients.

    Natural Foods to Boost Metabolism

    1. Drinking Green Tea

    The most common way to boost metabolism is drink green tea. Since time immemorial, studies revealed that green tea consists of antioxidants that fasten metabolism and reduce one’s appetite. As cited in Cohen’s blog, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin which is a super-natural ingredient of green tea that burn fat and improves metabolism.

    2. Food rich in Vitamin B

    Foods that contain vitamin B can improve one’s metabolism. This vitamin is essential for fats and proteins metabolism.

    Medicalnewstoday recommended foods that attain Vitamin B:

    • bananas
    • baked potatoes
    • eggs
    • orange juice
    • peanut butter
    • peas
    • spinach
    • whole-grain foods

    “The ability to process fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is essential. A healthy metabolism ensures that the body uses these nutrients for energy rather than storing them as fat,” Cathleen Crichton-Stuart said.

    3. Citrus fruits

    Citrus fruits are known for boosting immunity. But these superfoods are essential to increase body’s ability to burn fats. If you’re looking for a healthy snack that will boost your metabolism, citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit are best to consider.

    “You only need 60 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C a day to meet your body’s basic needs, but increasing your daily intake to 500 mg can boost your fat-burning potential during exercise by 39 percent,” Tanya Zuckerbrot said.

    4. Food with Vitamin D

    Foods that has Vitamin D do not only strengthen bones and boost immunity but also speed up body’s metabolism.

    Some studies showed that deficiency of Vitamin D is a risk factor that attributes to obesity. Body with higher levels of Vitamin D enhances to reduce body fat. Plus, Vitamin D suppresses the storage of fat cells.

    Interestingly, Vitamin D can increase the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter affecting one’s moods and sleep. Serotonin controls appetite and improves satiety, reducing calorie intake.

    5. Water

    Water is most natural ingredient in boosting metabolism. It is also the key factor for optimal metabolism.

    One study found that adding 1.5 liters of water to the usual daily consumption of water reduced the average weight and body mass index in a group of overweight women aged 18–23,” Rachel Nall said.

    Importance of Metabolism

    Apart from eating natural foods to boost metabolism, exercising, reducing stress and sleeping can also fasten your body’s ability to convert calories to energy. It is important to remember that metabolism is not only beneficial for people who want to lose weight but for everyone that needs protein, lipids, nucleic acid, and carbohydrates.

  • What Things Will Make You Happier than Money?

    What Things Will Make You Happier than Money?

    Most people strive to obtain work-life balance. Working hard to earn more has been common. But have you asked yourself what things will make you happier than money?

    We do extra work after our full-time jobs to sustain our living. We thought when we have all things that we need and want, we are happy and fulfilled. But a study found out that three things that will make you happier than money.

    1. Exercising

    The majority neglected their health especially when they need to finish something. Little do we know that our body is the greatest asset that we have. Globally known CEOs incorporate workouts in their daily routine because they believe that health is truly wealth.

    The research found out that working out regularly will make you feel good similar to receiving a $25, 0000 annually.

    2. Taking a shorter commute

    In Western countries, sub-urban areas are cheaper relative to places near work areas. But a study showed that longer commute will decrease one’s happiness.

    Another study conducted by Canada’s University of Waterloo also said that people with longer a commute have lower satisfaction level in life.

    “People who spend the most time on the road experience higher levels of stress because they constantly feel hurried. Many of them spend much of their time on the road worrying about all the activities they’re missing,” Amo Morin stated in the article of Forbes.

    3. Building relationships

    Engaging with other people is one of the things that will make you happier than money. At the end of the day, achievements do not matter relative to relationships.

    People will remember people due to their significance in impacting each other’s lives. The happiness that radiated from the people you treasure is more than the tons of money you can attain in your life.

  • Benefits of Eating Green Leafy Vegetables

    Benefits of Eating Green Leafy Vegetables

    Eating vegetables and fruits is one way of strengthening one’s immunity. But, ingesting more green leafy vegetables obtain incredible benefits that most people do not know. To learn more, check out the list of green vegetables that you should include in your daily meals.

    Kale

    Eating kale is best for fighting free radicals that damage cells since it contains high antioxidants such as lutein and beta-carotene. Plus, it is the most nutrient-dense food present in the world. This vegetable is ideal for people who want to lose weight but do now want to compromise a high nutrient consumption.

    According to Gunnars (2018) of Healthline, one serving of kale offers exceptional benefits:

    • Vitamin A: 206% of the Daily Value (DV) (from beta-carotene)
    • Vitamin K: 684% of the DV
    • Vitamin C: 134% of the DV
    • Vitamin B6: 9% of the DV
    • Manganese: 26% of the DV
    • Calcium: 9% of the DV
    • Copper: 10% of the DV
    • Potassium: 9% of the DV
    • Magnesium: 6% of the DV
    • It also contains 3% or more of the DV for vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), iron and phosphorus

    Further, kale is known for containing a high amount of calcium than meat.

    Spinach

    Spinach is commonly encountered when you eat soup, salad and sometimes in sauces. People who are health- conscious love to include spinach in their smoothie. Why? Because it is an alkalizing food that is best to detoxify human body.

    Are you familiar with Popeye the Sailorman, a 90’s TV series? Popeye is a cartoon character that consumes spinach to strengthen him. Spinach is known to be loaded with many nutrients like Vitamin A, C, K1, iron, calcium, and folic acid.

    Romaine Lettuce

    Looking for a vegetable that prevents you from acquiring heart diseases? Romaine lettuce is the best vegetable to consider. It has a high level of potassium which improves cardiovascular health. Folate found in this vegetable can also prevent heart-related complications.

    Even more, romaine lettuce protects the cell from damaging. It is high content in antioxidants that prevents human to acquire diseases.

    Interestingly, based on the article of Medical News Today, romaine lettuce can reduce one’s risk of acquiring cancer because of the presence of folate and antioxidants.

    Cabbage

    Cabbage is an immunity booster vegetable. It obtains Vitamin C which protects the body from getting sick. What’s more, the Vitamin C that is being contained by the cabbage helps the body absorb the non-heme iron that can be found in plant-based food.

    Cabbage can also improve digestive system because it contains fiber. If you are having a problem in your bowel movement, try considering cabbage in your everyday diet.

    Cilantro

    If you are having trouble stabling your sugar levels, Cilantro is the ideal green for your problem. It is best for people who are suffering from Diabetes. It releases enzymes that can significantly reduce blood sugar.

    Apart from reducing blood sugar, this kind of green can protect brain’s health. According to Dr. Lauren Panoff (2019), the anti-inflammatory property found in Cilantro prevents individuals to inhibit brain ailments such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis.

    Importance of Green Leafy Vegetables

    Green leafy vegetables acquire disease-fighting chemicals. Eating these type of vegetables do not only immunize your body ,but also obtain nutrients that enhance the ability to absorb other vitamins and minerals that the human body needed. These vegetables can easily be bought in the market but little do people know about the benefits that these greens can offer.

    Sources:

    (1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/leafy-green-vegetables#section1
    (2) https://shop.ora.organic/blogs/news/how-to-detox-your-body-green-leafy-vegetables

  • Guide for Maintaining a Healthy Diet

    Guide for Maintaining a Healthy Diet

    Do you experience difficulty in maintaining a healthy diet? Well, you are reading the right guide on how to be committed in eating healthy food. There are strategies provided that will help you how on to live and become healthy.

    Why do we need to be healthy?

    Most people strive to live healthily. We do this by mainly eating the right kind of food. We strive to eat good foods to prevent unwanted diseases like cancer, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. This is possible when we can maintain a healthy weight.

    Another factor why we want to be healthy is to obtain more energy that can boost our productivity. With all these reasons in mind, maintaining a healthy diet is not that easy for most of us. Here are a few tips on how to keep yourself dedicated on consuming the right kinds of food.

    Tips on Maintaining a Healthy Diet

    1. Make your environment healthy

    When you are building a habit, it is easier and effective to do it when you have primed your environment. As humans, we often choose options that are obvious to us than being determined. We choose what’s available for us rather than what is not. A good example of this is buying apples. However, when you reached home, you put them inside your refrigerator. With your busy schedule, you have forgotten about your apples.

    Similar to the scenario, if the unhealthy snacks are visible to you, you can put them away and place fruits and nuts instead. When you get hungry, the first thing that you will grab are snacks that are visible. The environment can significantly affect one’s behavior. That’s why you really need to surround yourself with healthy food to consume.

    One thing that will also motivate you to eat healthy food is to cultivate your food. Learn how to plant. With this, you will be able to acquire healthy food easily. Putting your own garden nowadays is therapeutic.

    2. Practice mindful eating

    Some people wanted to maintain a healthy diet because they wanted to achieve a good figure or to lose weight. But the next question is, what’s next when you already achieved your goal? Keep in mind that you should also learn to love the process of doing your diet than acquiring the outcomes.

    A study revealed that obese and fat women significantly lost their weight after they practiced mindful intervention. Mindful eating can be achieved when you enjoy and appreciate eating healthy food.

    3. Learn to monitor the food that you are eating

    As you write the food that you are consuming, you become conscious of what you are eating and this can also remind you that you should eat healthy food. This method helps you to discipline yourself on eating healthy food. A study found out that people who track down their calorie intake lost twice as much weight than those who did not.

    4. Find an accountability partner

    Having a diet buddy to be with you on this journey is fun and effective as well. Grab your workmate, friend, or a family member. Influence the person to live healthy as well. One day you will be surprised that both of you have not just achieved your goals, but both of you also influenced other people who have witnessed your journey.

    5. Learn to adopt the 2-day rule

    A 2-day rule is a method that will discipline you in maintaining a healthy diet. This rule allows you to engulf some unhealthy food and beverages that you like such as pizza, burgers, and alcohol for a day. Some coined it as a “cheat day”. But never allow yourself to skip another day after doing this.

    When you decide to eat some unhealthy food today, make sure to eat healthy meals tomorrow.

    Summary

    Planning to eat healthy food is easy than doing it. As you follow these strategies, do not forget as well on why you are practicing a healthy eating habit. I hope this guide will help you to stick to your healthy meal and snack plans.

  • Fruits that can Boost Immune System to Fight COVID-19

    Fruits that can Boost Immune System to Fight COVID-19

    With the ongoing globally pandemic, Coronavirus (COVID-19), it is very important to boost immune system.

    Some rush to the pharmacy to acquire the most effective immune booster. But you don’t have to spend more money just to boost your immune system.

    Here are some immune-booster fruits:

    1. Apple

    Apple is a good source of vitamin C ,and also rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, and dietary fiber. Eating this everyday will surely keep the doctor away.

    2. Orange

    Citrus fruits like orange is one of the common fruits that can combat viruses. Eating fruits that are rich in Vitamin C can increase white blood cells. Fruits with Vitamin C also have antiviral and antibacterial properties.

    3. Avocado

    Avocado has Gluthatione, an antioxidant that fight free radicals and can build one’s immune system.

    Avocado does not only fight viruses and diseases but also regulates blood pressure.

    “The high levels of monounsaturated fats in avocados can help stop insulin resistance, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels,” as cited in the Rise of the Vegan.

    4. Papaya

    One serving of papaya contains the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C that you should take.

    Papaya is also rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene; phytonutrients and flavonoids. Apart from those, papaya has digestive enzyme that has anti inflammatory effects. Health experts recommend papaya if you have digestion problems because papaya is rich in fiber.

    5. Guava

    Like papaya, guava can also be found in our backyards. Guava is known to be powerhouse of nutrients and minerals. It can fight different kinds of diseases. Guava contains Vitamin C, A, and fiber. Plus, it has calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium,protein, and folate.

    Why Boost Immune System?

    It is important to strengthen your immune system so that you will not easily get sick especially now that COVID-19 is rapidly spreading in the country.

    With strong immunity, toxins in your body will be lessen. Aside from eating immune-booster food. You should also sleep 8 hours a day, get some regular exercise, reduce stress, and get some sunlight.

    References:

  • Black History and Afro Pick, explains by artist Jon Gray

    Black History and Afro Pick, explains by artist Jon Gray

    source

    The power of the Afro pick by  Jon Gray – Small Thing Big Idea, a TED series

    The Afro pick is much more than a styling tool. It’s a major player in Black history, explains artist Jon Gray.

    Small Thing Big Idea, a TED original series, celebrates the lasting genius of everyday objects so perfectly designed that they changed the world around them. (Made possible with the support of The North Face)

  • Philippines wins the Best Diving Destination at World Travel Awards 2019

    Philippines wins the Best Diving Destination at World Travel Awards 2019

    During the 26th World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony on November 28 in Muscat, Oman, the Philippines hailed as the world’s best diving destination.

    Azores Islands, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galagpagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Maldives, and Mexico were also nominated for the said title.

    Our country is home to the highest concentration of coral reef life and astounding variety of marine species. This latest recognition is a validation that the Philippines is truly a premier dive destination,” Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

    Further, as cited in the report of Spot.ph, bagging World’s Best Diving Destination is not a surprise because the Philippines’ archipelago is located in the Corale Triangle. As marine experts explained this triangle means that it is in the center of the center of the marine biodiversity.

    “The World Travel Awards started to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries in 1993,” report stated.

    Respectively, the Philippines also bagged the Asia’s Leading Beach Destination in 2013, 2016, and 2018. 

    Report mentioned that in 2019, the country received Asia’s Leading Dive Destination and Asia’s Leading Tourist Board, while Amanpulo Resort in Palawan was recognized for being the World’s Leading Dive Resort and Banwa Private Island was hailed World’s Leading Luxury Private Island Resort.

  • Which Coffee has the Most Calories?

    Which Coffee has the Most Calories?

    Have you ever wonder which kind of coffee has the most calories? This article will guide you on the calorie count of the common coffees that most people drink.

    A perfect cup of coffee is a great way to begin your day. But it is also essential to track down the calorie count of your go-to beverages, especially when you want to lose weight.

    Here are the calorie count of the common types of coffee that most of the people drink:

    1. Black Coffee

    Among the all types of coffee, black coffee has the lowest calorie count. It only obtain five calories per cup. Unlike other coffee, brewed ones do not have milk fat and sugar.

    2. Instant Coffee

    In the Philippines, instant coffee is the most convenient go-to beverage every morning because of its affordability and accessibility. Based on the article of Molok, this type obtains five calories per cup. However, the Nescafe 3-in-1 coffee that most Filipino prefers amounted 72 calories (See full report here Nescafe – 3 In 1 Instant Coffee Mix).

    3. Iced Coffee

    Iced coffee, on the other hand, has varying amount of calories depending on your add-ons.  Frappuccino has 140 calories while whipped cream obtains additional 100 calories. According to Starbucks, Mocha Frappuccino has 410 calories per  grande (16 fl oz) serving (See report here: https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/426/iced?parent=%2Fd). It is also the type of coffee that has the most calories.

    4. Cafe Mocha

    For other coffee lovers who love their coffee to have a little taste of chocolate, Cafe Mocha is what they prefer. This kind of coffee attained 197 calories yet prepared commercial mocha coffees typically have 250 calories depending on the milk.

    5. Latte

    Tightening pants can also be attributed in drinking latte.  An average small latte with 220 ml of milk has 120 calories and additional 16 for every teaspoon of sugar.

    6. Kopi C

    Another type is Kopi C, wherein coffee is mixed with evaporated milk with sugar, has a calorie count of 90. On the other hand, coffee with condensed milk has 135 calories.

    7. Cappuccino

    What’s more, cappuccino with skim milk has 68 calories while regular milk possess 150 calories. If you’re wondering what’s the difference between cappuccino and latte, the answer is the ration. Cappuccino has lesser milk but has more foam while latte has more milk and lesser foam. (See article here Cappuccino vs Latte Showdown).

    Inducing coffee while studying or having conversation with your friends is not an issue. Too much of anything is bad. That’s why it is important to control what you eat and drink to become healthier.

    Sources: