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We all know that we should eat more vegetables. Unfortunately for some of us knowing so doesn't actually make us eat more. This is because we are too busy so we settle for food that has little or none at all in them, are lazy, don't like eating them, don't know how to prepare them, etc.

How to eat more vegetables

Some ways on how to eat more vegetables are:

- Acquire vegetables (either purchase or grow your own) so you'll always have it on hand
This is the first thing that you have to do! You can't eat it if you don't have it.


- Have your veggies already prepped (chopped or whatever) beforehand. Basically ready to be cooked or eaten (if you want to consume it raw).

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or

- Purchase already cleaned and washed ones.
This is great if you're busy or lazy (like me). Busy because you won't have the time to prep them and lazy because you won't want to do it.

- Add some to juices and smoothies or use vegetables to make juices (like carrot juice)
This way you won't really taste them (great if you hate the taste of them) and you are getting them.

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- Use vegetables as dips
I make some really delicious dips that are made mostly of vegetables. Two are a roasted eggplant dip and a tomato dip.

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- Learn how to cook vegetables if you don't know how to cook them
If you don't know how to cook them then you might not eat them.


- Purchase your take out food more smartly
Purchase at healthy restaurants, like vegan and vegetarian restaurants- their meals will consist of vegetables and the vegetables can make up most of an individual meal. You can also purchase healthy vegan and vegetarian meals at non-vegan and non-vegetarian restaurants also.


- Start your day off with vegetables, don't wait for later in the day
You can add some vegetables to your omelet.


- Always try to add vegetables to all or at least most of the foods that you cook

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Image via pixabay

We are all aware of the fact that water is beneficial to the body. When it comes to drinking it some of us find it boring or just plain. That's the reason why some people don't drink enough or people turn to sugary drinks. We can make it taste better and more beneficial to the body by adding things mentioned below in our water.

So here are healthy ways to make water even more beneficial/better:

Fruit-infused water

You can create this by adding to your water:

- Fresh fruits
Like:

Chopped: strawberries, pineapples, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, etc.

Whole: blueberries, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, cranberries, etc.


You can even add passion fruit (which I absolutely love) to your water.

How to make it:

1. Cut your passion fruit open and scope out the inside and add it to your water. This smells so delicious.
2. Let it infuse for a while and then strain it to get rid of the seeds (This is what I do). This step is optional.

- Citrus fruits
Like slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange.

Image via pixabay

Image via pixabay

Fruit-juice-infused water

 
Quotes have always been nothing but beneficial to me! Whenever you're feeling down or feel like giving up, etc a quote can make you feel better and even give you the inspiration and motivation that you need. A healthy lifestyle can seem difficult and can be challenging to live. Below are 20 motivational quotes that will inspire and motivate you to live healthily:

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"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." -Mahatma Gandhi

"Health is not valued till sickness comes." -Thomas Fuller

"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil

 "A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier". - Tom Stoppard

"I already know what giving up feels like. I want to see what happens if i don't." - Neila Rey

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up". - Dean Karnazes

"A lot of women like to be super tiny, but I don't want a child's body. I want a woman's body that is

extremely fit". - Ashley Greene

"There is something in sickness that breaks down the pride of manhood". - Charles Dickens

"Eating crappy food isn't a reward - it's a punishment". - Drew Carey

 "Having balanced nutrition is also very important to keep my body in shape and healthy". Cintia Dicker

"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace". - Dalai Lama

"A sad soul will kill you quicker than a germ". - John Steinbeck  

"Look to your health; and if  have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of; a blessing that money cannot buy". - Izaak Walton

"I've shackled myself with the prison bars of ill health". - Terri Guillemets 

"Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well". - Marcus Valerius Martial 

 "All things are difficult before they are easy". - Thomas Fuller

"It is a lot harder to keep people well than it is to just get them over a sickness". - DeForest Clinton Jarvis

"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear".- Buddha

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live". - Jim Rohn 

 "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination". - Tommy Lasorda

Are you looking for ways to remove gluten from your diet? If so, then you might be going down this path because gluten is affecting your health in a negative way or you want to live a much healthier life and you have heard of the health issues associated with gluten. Gluten has been linked to health issues like celiac disease, Dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten intolerance or non-celiac gluten intolerance.

Related: Health effects of gluten

Whether you're doing this permanently or, occasionally, below are tips to achieve this.

All you need to do to achieve this is to do what the statement says below:

A gluten-free diet will require you to replace gluten-containing grains with gluten-free grains. That and also all foods/ food products that are made with these grains. 

Unfortunately, this is not possible every time or as simple as it sounds because:

1. A lot of persons are eating gluten and still don't know it! 
2. Also, it's hard for them to switch to gluten free foods.

More on these!

1. A lot of persons are eating gluten and still don't know it!


- Unfortunately, this is as a result of the fact that gluten is found in some unexpected foods. Soy sauce, pasta sauce, hot dogs, pickles, etc. It is also found in some medications. 

Pasta sauce. Image via pixabay.

TIPS TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Read labels. If the label doesn't say gluten free then they may not be.

• Buy the gluten-free versions of these foods. E.g. buy gluten free soy sauce and so on.

- Then there are persons who don't know what foods they are found in. These individuals might rely on labels to tell them, but unfortunately, some foods don't come with labels or even labels that say gluten free. All some have is the ingredients like wheat and so on. And so if you don't know that wheat contains gluten, then you won't know.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

So, therefore, you need to educate yourself on the foods that contain gluten. Once you know this then you will be able to make the right choices.

You can educate yourself by:

• Researching it on the internet or at a library
• Or you can ask someone

The first step in your learning process can be to find out what are the gluten and gluten-free grains. The grains that contain gluten are wheat, barley, and rye. You can read more on these grains here. So, therefore, foods that are made with these grains will contain gluten.

Some gluten-free grains are:

• rice
• corn
• sorghum
• millet
• teff
• amaranth
• buckwheat
• quinoa
• wild rice
• oats

Pasta and so on are also made with these grains and so they are gluten free. This is discussed below.


- Also, gluten can be in food that you get at a party, restaurant, etc. These foods don't come with labels! Also, you don't know all the ingredients that these foods were made with or if these foods were contaminated with gluten-containing foods that were cooked there also.

TIPS TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Avoid eating out as much and cook your own food. If that's not possible, try to find out all the ingredients that were used in your food by simply asking if gluten ingredients were used. 

• Or eat foods that you know for sure won't contain gluten, but must keep in mind of cross-contamination.

- Cross-contamination
Oats are sometimes contaminated with gluten.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Look for labels that say gluten-free. 

 2. Also, it's hard for them to switch to gluten free foods.

Gluten-containing foods are so tasty, right? Getting rid of gluten from your life can mean getting rid of most of your loved foods! I have to agree that that can be extremely hard, but you can find healthier alternatives. For example, you can give up wheat pasta for buckwheat pasta. The end result, you can still have pasta.
At first, you can try to give it up for a few days a month then a week and so on until you can cope without it.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

Find gluten-free substitutes for your favorite gluten foods like bread, pasta, flour, etc.

Gluten-free flours

• buckwheat flour
• rice flour
• potato flour
• corn flour
• amaranth flour
• banana flour
• chickpea flour
• coconut flour

Food containing gluten. Image via pixabay.

Many many years ago our ancestors were hunters and gatherers and so their diet consist of foods that they would hunt and gather like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc. About 10,000 years ago humans started the domestication of animals and crops and as a result gluten containing grains like wheat became apart of their diet. This wheat however had changed a lot since then.

Some people are living a gluten-free lifestyle these days! The negative health effects that gluten has on their health is the reason why they're eating gluten-free foods. Do you think that you should? For your health? There are indeed health effects associated with gluten! In this blog post, I'll list these health effects. Also, it is important to know that not all persons are affected by gluten the same way and that some persons are not even affected at all.

• headaches
• itchy skin
• eczema
• Dermatitis herpetiformis
• gas
• diarrhea
• constipation
• abdominal pain
• villous atrophy
• anemia (B12 or iron deficiency)
• heartburn
• fatigue
• osteoporosis
• weight loss
• weight gain
• depression

Bread. Image via pixabay.

Gluten is found in so many foods that we consume each day and consequently, we're are always hearing about it! We also even read it off of lots of food labels.

But, exactly what is gluten in food?


Gluten is found in the wheat, barley, and rye grains. So, therefore, foods that are made with these grains will contain gluten.

Gluten is actually two proteins. The proteins glutenin and gliadin are the two proteins that make up gluten. These proteins are found in the seeds of the wheat, barley, and rye grains.


A BIT MORE ON THESE THREE GRAINS!


Wheat, barley, and rye are all grasses and we harvest the grains of these grasses.

Wheat (Triticum spp.)

- Wheat is used in the production of bread, pasta,cereals, etc. 

- Wheat flour is what is used to make these foods. How do we get wheat flour? The seeds of the wheat plants (remember that's where the gluten is found) is grounded to make the wheat flour.  

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

- It is used to make soups, beer, etc.

- Malted barley is fermented into beer and unmalted barley is also used to make certain beers.

 


Do you know how to make a healthy grocery list? If not, then keep on reading!

A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy body. So therefore we need:

• carbohydrates (which include fiber)    
• proteins
• fats
• vitamins
• mineral salts
• water

Nutrients that our bodies need

Image via pixabay.

We are always hearing the word calorie mentioned in association with food. Calorie can be represented by the symbol C. But, what exactly is a calorie? What is a calorie in terms of food? Are calories bad? Why do we need calories?

What is a calorie?
We are all aware that food contains energy. So, therefore, the foods we consume gives us energy. If we are hungry and don't have the energy to do work we eat and we have energy. Calories are the measure of the amount of energy that are released from foods when we eat them. Our bodies break down the foods that we eat and energy is released.


When you're eating foods and drinking drinks, you're consuming calories (with the exception of foods and drinks that don't have calories). How many calories you consume can affect your health in a good or bad way. For obese people, they are consuming way too many calories. Also, consuming too few calories can lead to malnutrition.

An individual calorie requirement may differ from that of another. Factors like size, gender, age, weight, physical activities and metabolism are the factors that determine a person's calorie requirement. For e.g. males require more calories than females and infants require less than both.

Our bodies need calories and we can obtain it from food.
The size or amount of a food does not indicate how many calories a food contains. So, therefore, a large food can contain fewer calories than a smaller food. A small piece of fried chicken will have more calories than a bowl of lettuce and ten pieces of fried chicken will have more calories than one piece.

Fat contains the most calories.

Are calories bad? Why do we need calories?
Calories can be bad if you consume too many. Calories are good, in fact, it's necessary because they are needed by our bodies - we cannot survive without calories. Our bodies use calories to produce energy and heat.


People often dread calories! They often think weight gain when it comes to them. Calories are necessary for our bodies to function, but always keep in mind that too much of a good thing can be bad for us. So, too many calories are bad for us because our bodies store the excess as fats. It will keep adding to that stored fat if we keep eating excess.

Related: The best ways to lose weight

There are natural substitutes for sugar (refined) but you must understand that these substitutes are still sugar and so they must be eaten in moderation. Do you want to know of some natural substitutes for sugar? In this post, I'm going to list some much healthier options (natural substitutes) for sugar so keep on reading.

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What comes to your mind when the word bacteria is mentioned? When we hear the word bacteria we often think that these prokaryotic microorganisms are going to harm us? But did you know that not all bacteria will harm us? The truth is there are bad bacteria as well as good bacteria. These good bacteria are called probiotics and they are needed for a healthy gut and overall good health. There are however different species of probiotics and they are found within the human body.


We form a mutualistic relationship with these good bacteria (probiotics) that live in our gut. This simply means that we both benefit from each other and so we depend on each other.

Bacteria in the gut. Image via pixabay.

Two probiotics are:
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Bacillus subtilis

Where can I obtain probiotics?
Active live cultures of these good bacteria/probiotics are added to certain foods and they cause fermentation to take place in these foods. So, therefore, you can find them in fermented foods. They can also be found in some supplements.

Some fermented foods that contain probiotics are:
                                                       
                                                                 

Yogurt. Image via pixabay.

• yogurt
• kefir
• kimchee
• milk
• miso
• soy
• sour cream
• sauerkraut
• cottage cheese
• dietary supplements

Did you know that we can kill our probiotics?
Yes, we can!
Two ways:

1. The use of antibiotics
2. Unhealthy diets

Read: 10 smart ways to reduce your sugar intake

5 health benefits of probiotics:


Health benefit #1: Probiotics protect us from some harmful pathogens/microorganisms that are found in our bodies. They achieve this by producing substances that hinder the growth of other harmful microorganisms that can cause diseases. So if your good bacteria are killed, then these other bad microorganisms will start to increase/multiply (and eventually flourish) and will in turn harm you. Bottom line they keep bad microorganisms to a limit.

Health benefit #2:
Probiotics are used for the prevention of diarrhea that is caused by taking antibiotics. Diarrhea can occur when you take antibiotics because antibiotics have the ability to kill your good bacteria. 
One such "bad one" is Clostridium difficile and consequently as stated above (health benefit #1) this bacteria will multiply in the absence of the good bacteria. Toxins are released when this happens and will damage the cells lining the intestinal wall and cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. to occur. To prevent this from happening, it is best to take probiotics when you take antibiotics.

Health benefit #3:
The bacteria that are found in our gut (healthy gut) is vital to our well-being! Why? Well, because there is where the absorption of nutrients take place. And these nutrients are needed by all parts of our bodies (cells, tissues, organs you name it) to function. Good bacteria are needed for the absorption of these nutrients.

Health benefit #4:
They help to eliminate toxins from our body.


Health benefit #5:
They are used to produce/manufacture certain B vitamins (such as B6, B12, B3, etc) and  vitamin K from our foods that we eat.

In conclusion, probiotics are vital to our well-being!