I’ve been seeing restaurants serve water with sliced lemons in pitchers and I must say, I love it better than ordinary water. It feels more refreshing and it felt like you are getting healthier because you know that it contains vit C. But what really are the real benefits of lemon water and why we should start to drink it daily?

1. Good for the tummy. It aids in digestion especially when put in with warm water. Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently. Lemon acts as a blood purifier and as a cleansing agent. The intake of lemon juice can cure constipation.
2. Excellent for Skin Care. Lemon, being a natural antiseptic medicine, can participate to cure problems related to skin. Lemon is a vitamin C rich citrus fruit that enhances your beauty, by rejuvenating skin from within and thus bringing a glow on your face. Daily consumption of lemon water can make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin. It acts as an anti-aging remedy and can remove wrinkles and blackheads.
3. Aids in Dental Care. Lemon water is used in dental care also. If fresh lemon juice is applied on the areas of toothache, it can assist in getting rid of the pain. The massages of lemon juice on gums can stop gum bleeding.
4. Cures throat infection. Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections, sore throat and tonsillitis as it has an antibacterial property.
5. Good for weight loss. One of the major health benefits of drinking lemon water is that it paves way for losing weight faster, thus acting as a great weight loss remedy.
6. Controls high blood pressure. Lemon water works wonders for people having heart problem, owing to its high potassium content. It controls high blood pressure, dizziness, nausea as well as provides relaxation to mind and body. It also reduces mental stress and depression.
7. Assists in curing respiratory disorders. Lemon water assists in curing respiratory problems, along with breathing problems and revives a person suffering from asthma.
8. Good for treating rheumatism. Lemon is also a diuretic and hence lemon water can treat rheumatism and arthritis. It helps to flush out bacteria and toxins out of the body.
9. Reduces fever. Lemon water can treat a person who is suffering from cold, flu or fever. It helps to break fever by increasing perspiration.
10. Acts as blood purifier. The diseases like cholera or malaria can be treated with lemon water as it can act as a blood purifier.

Article from lifemojo.com

I was in awe when I watched this video for the first time and I’ve watched this quite several times already. Anyway, just want to share this to you, my readers for healthier us this year!

Let him be our inspiration.

When I was in college, I was young and reckless but when I reached the age of 34, I started thinking of my health more. Having a family gave me a stronger motivation to watch what I eat and I used to really love sweets. Ice creams, chocolates, Starbucks frappucinos, sodas and the likes, name it and I indulged on it once in my life but now is a little more different. I eliminated these stuff in my diet, of course, I wouldn’t be scared if a friend offered me a frappucino treat or someone gives me a dark chocolate to taste, it’s just that I will not go out of my way to buy it myself and have it regularly. I guess the key is avoiding it and honestly, I am not craving for any of it and not having a sweet tooth helps too.

With my continuous researching and learning more of the vegen diet, I discovered the disadvantages of too much sugar in the body…. (In a nutshell)

The “glycemic index” is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. On the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body.

One of sugar’s major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the immune system. This is not something you want to take place if you want to avoid disease.

So start eliminating sugar in your diet now! How? Here are a few suggestions:

• Remove the temptation of added sugars from your home so you’re less likely to stray from your sugar-free diet.
• Check the labels of some of your favorite snacks to ensure that they’re low in sugar or sugar-free.
• Eat foods that have complex carbohydrates, which include naturally occurring sugars in foods that contain fiber like fruits and grains.
• Eat meals and snacks regularly to control your blood sugar.
• Carry a refillable water bottle with you throughout the day so you’re not tempted by the hidden sugars in soda, juice and sports drinks.

Let’s be healthy! Enjoy life and be positive all the time. God bless.

Organic produce is really expensive especially in my country. I feel frustrated often because when I buy what we want to get in the grocery, most organic items are limited and very much expensive so, I try my best to follow EWG’s Dirty Dozen app.

It lists the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticide residue and it also includes the list of fruits and vegetables which have the lowest amounts of pesticide residue. I am not a 100% health freak but with my age and my aim of making myself and my family healthier, I try my best to follow this app if I can but if I can’t find anything organic from the Dirty Dozen list, I consciously wash each produce twice, I know, I’m a nut case.

Mom gave Dad progressive eyeglasses for his birthday, my mom and I are both Optometrists by the way. Anyway, I’m 35 now and I am not scared of wearing reading glasses when I reach 40 but somehow, I wish I will be a little late when it comes to wearing it. I have patients who just started using reading glasses at 43 or even 46, and that is really nice to experience. Anyway, now that I am more conscious of my well being, I am more aware of taking care of my eyes too.

Here are some ways:

1. Resting Tired Eyes – It is very hard to take breaks especially when the workload is full and you have no time for it but make a conscious effort to rest your eyes by taking breaks throughout your workday. We might forget to take this breaks so an alarm sounding on from your phone can be very helpful to remind you to even close your eyes for 10-15 minutes every 1-2 hours of work. But the best way to relax your eyes is to go outdoors, natural light can be very beneficial and looking at far objects is most relaxing to the eyes. Consciously blink all the time, it helps lubricate your eyes, too much work with computers and exposure to airconditioning can dry your eyes quickly.
2. Prevention and Protection – Check your working area at home or at the office if those places are both properly lit. Anything improper can contribute to eye strain. If you will spend time infront of the computer, might as well plan ahead. If you need to write something, better use a microphone to dictate the words rather than typing and staring at the monitor all the time, you can also write everything down and collect your thoughts first before going infront of the computer so you will have less time on it.
3. Lastly, always consult your doctor. A yearly check up is proper but if I have patients who have prescription especially those wearing high powered lenses, I prefer seeing them twice a year just for follow ups.

I have no problem is a friend is taking xenadrine ripped to lose weight, that is her decision and I will respect that but as a friend I am also an advocate to advise her to consider other methods or maybe combining her method to another one to make it more effective. I am juicing and so far my weight loss is slow but steady. I am now 109 lbs. not that I am bragging but I never felt better since March 20, when I started juicing more and eating more fruits and veggies. Anyway, there are a lot of benefits of juicing and I think more than losing weight, I find these benefits more important…

Specifically, the recommendation was to eat five servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day, and their reasoning was simple: a diet high in fruits and vegetables will prevent or cure a wide range of ailments.

Breast cancer, cancer of the colon, esophagus, stomach, lungs, ovaries, and rectum – pick and ailment these days, it seems, and researchers somewhere are searching for chemicals in plants that will prevent them, or offer a cure. These plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, are the cutting edge of nutritional research because they hold the keys to preventing some of our most deadly diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, as well as some of our most common, like asthma, arthritis, and allergies.

I took the time to make a wrap last week for my husband and I took these ingredients and search some benefits of each ingredient.

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps
Iceberg Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Zucchini
Celery
Ground Almonds
Guacamole

Here are some of the benefits:

• The most significant health benefits of whole grains are their role in preventing chronic disease.
• Low in saturated fat and cholesterol (practically none) it’s a good source of iron, vitamin B6, K, A, and C. Furthermore, iceberg lettuce is high in dietary fiber, and contains traces of omega fatty acids, which is important for allover health.
• Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men.
• Onions are a very rich source of fructo-oligosaccharides. These oligomers stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. In addition, they can reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon.
• The dietary ?ber in zucchini helps lower cholesterol by attaching itself to bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because ?ber binds so well with bile acid, thus crowding its ability to immediately digest fat, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid.
• Celery leaves has high content of vitamin A, whilst the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty essential amino acids.
• Almonds are one of the most nutritious nuts around. They are dense in vitamins and minerals that help keep your body healthy. In addition to providing a hefty dose of protein and fiber, almonds also contain the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. They also contain vitamin E, zinc, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. While almonds do have fat in them, but it is monosaturated fat, which is the type that is great for your heart (also found in olive oil and salmon).
• Avocado, the main ingredient in guacamole, is a rich source of healthy fat. There are 15 g of fat in one-half cup of guacamole prepared in a traditional manner. The majority, or 10 g, is monounsaturated fat, the California Avocado Commission says. There are only 2 g of saturated fat, and no cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats decrease harmful LDL cholesterol, raise beneficial HDL cholesterol and lower your risk of stroke and heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

I know I will be making more version of this.