Guest Blog: Don’t Break Your Healthy Eating on Vacation!

Guest blogger: Cole Millen

I have been contacted by Cole Millen, an avid traveler and foodie. Here is a post he wanted to share with us. Thank you Cole for considering my blog.

Don’t Break Your Healthy Eating on Vacation!

Just because you are taking a break and going on vacation does not mean you should take a break from eating healthy. While it can be easy to reach for fast food or high fat snacks, a little planning and savvy thinking can help you to make the right choices when you are on the go!

At the airport:

Airports are full of unhealthy foods but if you look around you can find places with fresh fruit, water, and salads. In fact, use your downtime to walk around your terminal and get a little exercise. Use the stairs instead of the escalators! Get your blood pumping before you are stuck in an airplane for a few hours.

Most importantly, make sure to bring along some healthy snacks of your own that will curb your appetite and keep you from grabbing one of those high in sugar and fat items. These snacks can be dried fruits, vegetables, or even nuts!

At the hotel:

One of the most important parts of your vacation is finding the right hotel. After all, you are living there for the time being. It is important to make sure that your hotel offers the appropriate amenities and services that can accommodate to your healthy lifestyle. I have had trouble with this in the past but found that doing a little research beforehand can go a long way. On my most recent trip out west I found a great site that listed reviews for hotels in Las Vegas regarding not only their amenities and services, but also on the restaurants in the surrounding areas. This made it easier than ever to plan out my trip and to eat right while in and out of the hotel. 

Stop by a grocery store before you get to the hotel to grab some healthy foods. Almonds, fruit, yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs are great for giving you an energy boost before you venture out for the day. Pack a few portioned out snacks and bottles of water in your bag when you head out so you aren’t left hungry and reaching for fried foods or sugary snacks. Also, ask your hotel to not stock the mini bar or to not give you a room service menu. They are there to accommodate you, so let them! Even better, look for places and hotels with a healthy edge before you go. Plenty of hotels now offer gyms, yoga studios, and healthy menus for their guests! Treat your vacation as a mini-spa getaway!

At the restaurant:

Speak up when choosing a place to eat with your group. Try to find a place that has healthier options and scope out their online menu before you go. When in doubt, choose lean protein with veggies for a side. Avoid carbohydrate-rich (and calorie laden) entrees and ask for your dish without heavy sauces or oils. If you’re totally lost, look for entrees that have lots of vibrant colors. Usually foods that are bland colors (whites, tans, browns) are the ones with the most.

calories and fat. Also, be weary of tempting restaurant salads. They can sometimes pack in as many as 1500 calories!

Above all, try to drink lots of water when you travel. Flying and restaurant foods are very dehydrating and can leave you zapped of energy. Also, try popping a multi-vitamin and fitting in a little exercise when you can. It may be tempting to let go of your diet when you travel, but it will likely leave you feeling sluggish and disappointed with yourself. Eating healthy and taking care of your body should be an all time habit, not just when it’s easy.

– Cole Millen

Cole Millen is an avid traveler and foodie who never forgets that life’s best memories are made through real life apprehension of legitimate “experiences.”

Having a Baby… Juice Juice Juice

It has been such a long time since I last posted on the blog.

I gave birth to a healthy handsome baby boy. Throughout my pregnancy I juiced every single day. Green juice, apple juice, carrot juice, and different combinations of juice all ran through my veins and replenished my system and that of my baby. He was born and could hold his head up and I still do believe that his strength is directly related to the juices I have been consuming. I focused on fetal development and requirements and juiced ingredients that would help boost my health and that of my growing baby in me.

My Baby Boy

I want to share some juice recipes that would help those who are planning to get pregnant, and those who are already going through their journey at being pregnant.

To Those Who are Trying to Get Pregnant

First thing I want to share with you is a detox. It took me a while to get pregnant and I read somewhere that a cleanse can help reboot my system. I did a four day juice fast (read my blog post about it here). A month after the cleanse and healthy eating I got pregnant. All you got to do is try to eliminate sugars in your diet. Eat healthy food and if you have the will to go vegan for a few weeks then go ahead and do that. As for me all I did is I went on a juice fast for 4 days. I eliminated caffeine from my system and all sugars. I ate a lot of greens. I exercised daily and drank lots of water and fluid.

Here are a few juice recipes that help with fertility.

This juice has a ton of vitamins and minerals. It is high in iron, calcium and is alkalizing. Drink this blend to nourish the reproductive system and enrich your cells, boosting your fertility and chances of getting pregnant (Natural Fertility Info).

To Those who are Pregnant

During the first trimester, the embryo becomes a fetus with all organs fully formed. Taking these dramatic changes and developments in your womb many things are also happening to your body to be able to accommodate the needs of the baby. One of the well known physical side effects is nausea. Here are a few juice recipes to help you through the first trimester.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During the second trimester you are most energetic and happily pregnant. Now that all the major organs and systems have formed in the fetus, the following six months will be spent growing. This means that you require a lot of vitamins and nutrients to help the growing fetus in you. I drank a lot of grapefruit and green juice during that time. Here are a few recipes:

In the third trimester heartburn kicks in. More growth happening to the fetus and lungs are developing and maturing. I started to feel heavy and easily tired during the last few weeks. To keep your energy up and to help you through what is to become of your life try these healthy recipes.

To Those Who Gave Birth

Enjoy motherhood, stay healthy and juice on

—-

Rasha Nasser Khalil 

 

Guest Blog: Fighting Cancer with Better Nutrition

Guest Blogger: Jilian Mckee

I have been contacted by Jilian Mckee, an author in “The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.” Bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the organization, Jillian McKee has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. Jillian spends most her time on outreach efforts and spreading information about the integration of complementary and alternative medicine when used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatment. (Read more)

Here is an article Jilian wanted to share with us here at Cognitive Dimension. Please check out her very interesting and informative blog posts (here) and share.

Fighting Cancer with Better Nutrition

After being diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer or another disease whose effects or treatment cause considerable debilitation, you may have to reconsider certain aspects of daily life including exercise or nutrition. Both exercise and nutrition remain important parts of life while undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. For many cancer patients, exercise is something that doctors should monitor and adjust as your condition changes. Nutrition may require supervision as well, but with this, you can retain some independence while still having a significant impact on the way that you feel and recover.

How Food Can Hurt

Many of the foods that people commonly eat have been linked quite definitively to cancer risks. Anything high in saturated fats, such as meat-based dishes, desserts and processed foods, can increase cancer risks. Often, it is not the food itself, but the way in which it is prepared that causes problems. From example, most doctors would admit that sea food is generally healthy. However, when it is breaded or dipped in oil, it is now just another possible cancer risk.

If you have already been diagnosed, continuing to consume these dishes will contribute to ill health and deter the proper functioning of your body. Foods that are low in fiber or high in refined sugars are also bad for you. Low fiber makes it difficult to clear your digestive system while high sugar content can lead to diabetes. That is the sort of complication that you do not need during cancer treatment.

How Food Can Help

The right items in your diet can do more than just provide you with delicious meals during treatment. Food can have a very beneficial effect on your general health. The right meals can assist you during therapy by increasing your body’s ability to withstand the more difficult treatments and help you to rebuild tissues that were damaged by radiation or chemotherapy. Below are some of the most key nutrients.

• Carbohydrates

These nutrients provide your body with energy. Proteins and fats are also fuel sources, but your body prefers to convert carbohydrates into energy. Sugar is a carbohydrate; however, try to incorporate a high quantity of complex carbohydrates, from wheat bread and whole grain pastas, into your diet instead. These sources of energy will break down slowly in your system and lessen the damaging effects of large amounts of sugar.

• Proteins

Protein is critical for rebuilding tissues. Your muscles and your organs are all made from a variety of proteins. Your body can synthesize most of these proteins, but there are nine amino acids in which it can only acquire through diet. Many people assume that meat is the primary source for protein. Meat often has a high fat content and can be very unhealthy. Protein should be obtained through plants such as beans, fruits, and vegetables or from nuts.

• Fats

Some fat in your diet is required, but much less than the average person in a developed country now eats. Keep the calories from fat in your diet beneath 15% if possible. Unsaturated fats are best, which are not closely linked to many health problems.

• Fiber

Fiber is not a nutrient like the others so it does not function as an energy source. However, fiber plays an important role in creating bulk while digesting. This allows your body to dispose of wastes without hurting itself. Insufficient fiber can lead to digestive issues and cause damage to your intestines. Diverticulitis, the formation and infection of pockets in your intestinal tract, is a result of a lack of fiber.

Advice from a registered dietician about your diet will prove beneficial after a diagnosis of cancer. They can help in planning meals in order to feel better while undergoing treatment. Much of the decision-making will be up to you, though, as you plan your daily menus.

Written by Guest Blogger: Jilian Mckee

Check out Jilian’s blog: http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/jillian/

 

Juice Recipes for Weight Loss

Who wouldn’t wanna shed a few pounds?

I do not believe in diets… I believe in the approach.

If you adopt a healthy approach and lead a lifestyle full of healthy nutritious food and actively working out you will automatically lose weight and keep it at bay.

Healthy eating and working out are the two essential ingredients for looking and feeling good.

Here are a few juice recipes that will aid in the process of weight loss.

Carrots, Tomato, Broccoli and Cabbage have essential ingredient that will help you digest your food quicker and speed up your metabolism. read more here

Try juicing celery, a beet, spinach, zucchini and cucumber. Your system will clean itself out. You will feel refreshed.

Watermelon and Cantaloupe with a kick of ginger will provide your body with essential nutrients and aid in weight loss. No to mention its refreshing taste on the palate.

Someone should come up with a superhero carrot cartoon character. Carrots are full of so many nutrients and help in preventing and reversing so many diseases. Carrots, Celery, Apple, Spinach and Lemon are to be juiced together and consumed quickly so that all the nutrients would pass through your system and help your cells replenish and stabilize.

Good luck juicing

Check out my other juicing blog posts:

Juice Recipes to Lower High Blood Pressure

Juice Recipes for Pregnancy

Juice Recipes for Aliments

Detox Juice Recipes

Jay Kordich – Juice Recipes

Green Juice Recipes

–

Rasha Nasser Khalil

Putting Things in Perspective

Ever since we learned how to talk, it was imperative to tell people how old we were, “I am Two”,  “I am three and a half”. Of course, when children say it, it sounds so cute. As we get older, we start measuring things in the same exact way we did as children, using years, days and months; which seems the only normal way of doing things.

We make this much money a year, we will retire at this age or in this many years. All seemed going smoothly until we discovered that animal years are different from that of a human. For instance, a 14 years old dog is considered to be like an 82 years old man in human years. So when we look at a dog that is 14 years old, he might be thinking “This human is more like a dinosaur, he is at least 200-250 years old”, right?

So we just did a comparison between two living organisms, the human being and the dog. We can definitely expand the list to include mammals, fish and all sorts of other species.

Now the fun part begins. I think by now you might have an idea of what I am proposing. Let us compare our human years to the years in heaven. Are they the same? Are they different? Well, what if they’re different. What if one day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth? What if one day equates to 100 or a million years?

Now here’s where the scary thought really is. What if God has a day off?

If our time here on earth is relatively equal to heaven’s time, then we risk an entire 24 hour without any divine interference due to God’s day off. Think globally now! Galaxies, planets etc… Everything is hanging by a thread.

If our time here on earth is vastly different from heaven’s time, then what? If our earthly 100 years equate to one day, and that happens to be the day God decided to have a day off, then what? Then the fun begins. Do you really want to be around on God’s day off?

You would pray to God, but he’s not listening because it’s his day off. Try praying in a 100 years when he’s available.

P.S: I am not saying that God has a day off. I am not trying to insult anyone, but I’m simply trying to put things in perspective. Be grateful to what you have.

Juice Recipes to Lower High Blood Pressure

After having covered general juice recipes such as: Green Juice Recipes, Jay Kordich – Juice Recipes, Detox Juice Recipes, Juice Recipes for Ailments, and Juice Recipes for Pregnancy, I think it is time to start posting juice recipes for specific ailments.

Here are some juice recipes that may help you combat high blood pressure…

Celery is one of the most important vegetables we have to use daily. Celery provides a natural way to lower blood pressure. Drink celery juice as much as you can… If you cannot tolerate its bitter taste mix it with a bit of orange juice (which would also give you a vitamin C kick.) Read more here.

Beat High Blood Pressure with Beet. A recent research study discovered that drinking just 500 ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. Read more here.

Lemon juice with water is such a refreshing and quenching drink, especially in the hot summer days. Adding Lemon juice to your water will help alkalize your system and is also shown to lower blood pressure… even if it does nothing, why not change the taste of your water from time to time

Juice 1/4 cantaloupe and blend in a banana and enjoy the yummy effect… both ingredients have potassium which will help reduce high blood pressure.

Green juice is mainly beneficial to all ailments and will definitely improve your overall health and stamina.
All of these vegetable juices make the blood more alkaline and can help remove cholesterol deposits on arteries that lead to the heart. Read more here.

Last but not least, the quatro super juice ingredients Kale, Celery, Carrot and Beet. Juice the ultimate ingredients and you’ll not only combat blood pressure but you’ll conquer all aliments and regain your full health and vigor.

–

Rasha Nasser Khalil

Once Upon a Time… (1)

Once upon a time on a not too far galaxy from here… As a matter of fact I can take you there. Really! it’s just around the corner. If you want we can go there right now. Even better, I will give you directions.
From this location, keep going straight until you hit the second stop light, you make a left. In less than half a block you will see a grocery store, you walk into it, around the middle of the second aisle, on the third shelf from the bottom you will see the Galaxy I was referring to. Just so no one gets confused, it’s the regular plain Galaxy bar, no nuts, no caramel. Anyway, on that specific galaxy was a coupon with a discount and I bought it… The End.

– Raghid Khalil Khalil