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Healing Takes Time—And a Nutritionally Boosted Diet

Proper nutrition is always best practice. But when you’re wounded, it’s imperative that you pay extra attention to your diet if you want to heal more quickly. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has recently come forward with updated dietary recommendations.

Eat Well, Feel Well Sooner

On a daily basis, the foods you choose to ingest play a factor in how you feel. But if you are hurt and your body is wounded, you actually need to up your nutritional game.

Most wounds, when they remain uninfected, heal pretty quickly, especially if they are minor cuts and scrapes. However, wounds that are, large, too close to bone, or become badly infected will require medical care.

Your body will require boosted nourishment for healing the injury. Nutrients can be depleted from weeping wounds. In order to promote healing from any serious wound, your body will need an increase in vitamins, minerals, proteins, and hydration.

Healthy Healing Dietary Recommendations

The nutritional “wound healing” recommendations of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are fairly similar to what most health experts suggest. Here is an overview:

1 ) Eat an ample amount of calories, proportioned properly between proteins, vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains, and good fats. Your dinner plate should be half-filled with green vegetables. A quarter should be protein. The last quarter should be shared with good carbs and good fats.

Some good veggies: broccoli, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus

Some good proteins: fish, chicken, turkey, tofu, grass-fed beef, and lentils.

Some good carbs: brown rice, quinoa, beets, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Some good fats: milks: coconut, almond, soy, and rice; flaxseed oil, avocado, and nuts

2) Aim for at least 80 grams of protein. (20-30 grams each meal plus 10 or more for each snack.)

3) Stay hydrated. Drink water, milk: almond, soy, coconut, or rice, fresh-squeezed juices. Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they tend to dehydrate.

4) If you’re diabetic, work with a dietician to keep your blood sugar levels controlled.

Vitamin Recommendations

The Cleveland Clinic proposes upping your intake of protein, vitamin A and C, as well as Zinc to promote wound healing. Here are some suggestions for foods high in those specific vitamin and mineral content.

Vitamin A: Dark green, leafy veggies, liver, fortified cereals, carrots, and orange and yellow veggies.

Vitamin C: Berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage

Zinc: Beef, kidney beans, oysters, shrimp

For other updates on best health practices, check out www.GetThrive.com

 

 

An Ancient Superfood You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

There’s an incredible Superfood that’s been around for thousand of years. You may not know about “horse gram” yet, but you will want to!

No Horsing Around

Horse gram is actually a nickname. And it will soon make sense why. It’s the most protein-rich legume in existence. Racehorses for centuries have been fed this lentil because it’s low in fat, abundant in complex carbs, and offers maximum physical performance from its nutrient-dense composition.

Sounds too good to be true? Indian cuisine will tell you this is the real thing—and for people too! Horse gram in Tamil is called Kollu, and in Hindi, it’s labeled as Kulthi. You can find this Superfood under those monikers at health-conscious markets as well as Indian specialty food stores.

A List of A-mazing

Aside from the health benefits for animals and humans, horse gram is a practical, beneficial, plant-based food, which can be easily grown, maintained, harvested, and profit the earth. In this climate of uncertain weather and crop conditions, Kollu requires very little water to sustain itself. This lentil is virtually drought-resistant.

Where to continue? There are so many positive health components to this organic food; it’s tough to decide which ones are the most outstanding. As far as nutritional content, horse gram ranks high in protein, iron, and calcium. It’s low in sodium and lipid content. It digests very slowly. This is amazing for those who want long-lasting energy, not a lot of sugar and not a lot of fat. Sounds like a gift from the heavens.

Fancy terms like polyphenols and flavanoids are good words. Horse gram is wealthy with these—they are antioxidants—and may help thwart cancer.

A Bean for a Human Be-ing

Horse gram, because of its phenol content, can attack fat. Isn’t that great news? Additionally, it can lower blood sugar after a meal. This is incredible information for those identified as diabetic or obese. (Horse gram slows down carb digestion—thus reducing insulin resistance.)

CanaGel Melts

If you can get beyond the name and the taste, horse gram will work you wonders.

In fact, there are countless, incredibly delicious recipes using Kollu. You just need to find a palatable way to ingest this Superfood, just as you had to when you first discovered Quinoa and Kale. Remember those days?

Medicinal Properties

Horse gram has been used for countless centuries to combat the common cold. That sounds nice—and tame. But check this out: Eastern medical texts use horse gram for relief (and cure) of asthma and bronchitis. It’s a natural expectorant.

Get this too: Horse gram can help disintegrate kidney stones. It also helps with other urinary conditions. How about heart disease? Yes! Check that one off. That’s a biggie. Jaundice? No problem. Horse gram can cure that. How about high cholesterol? Done! “Silly” other ailments like conjunctivitis, hemorrhoids, bad gas, and PMS have also been squelched by ingesting horse gram.

If this isn’t a Superfood, then what really is?

There are many yummy recipes you can find online that incorporate horse gram. Even if the name turns you off, don’t neigh at its health benefits. Yes, I went there. Next, I’m off to the market to get some horse gram to make a delectable, curry soup. How will you incorporate your horse gram tonight?

 

Newest Research on Healthy Aging Reveals Carbs Matter

Australian researchers have discovered that dietary fiber from carbs and other sources extends good health while aging.

Growing Old Healthier and Longer

Scientists from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research conducted a decade-long study of successful aging. They defined the term as being able to avoid: chronic disease, cancer, dementia, depression, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory ailments.

The findings from the study were published in The Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. The lead author of the paper claims, “…the relationship between carb intake and healthy aging was significant…” Those who ate proper amounts of dietary fiber avoided most chronic pitfalls of aging and remained most healthy overall.

The Study and Surprising Results

The diets of 1,609 participants aged 49 and above were studied. The scientists factored the peoples’ intake of total carbs, fiber from carbs, total fiber, and sugar. After a 10-year follow-up, the results were surprising. Those who had the highest intake of fiber or total fiber had an almost 80 percent greater chance of living a healthy, long life.

Those who had the highest sugar intake levels were more apt to suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and dementia. The researchers reported that cereals and bread are good for our diet, as long as there is sufficient fiber content.

How to Do Carbs Math

We’ve all been taught to count carbs. The problem is that our food labels are misleading. The total number is not as important the “net” number of carbohydrates.

Take the total number on the label under the carbohydrate listing. For example, 20 grams. Subtract the listed amount of fiber, let’s say it’s 5. Your net carbs will be 15. You want that number low, but you want a high fiber count. Fiber carbs are not fattening—you can digest them!

Non-fiber carbs are fattening because they’re not as filling, not easily digestible, and mostly turn into sugar.

Also, beware of sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, maltitol, and lacitol. They appear to keep the sugar content down on the label, but they don’t in reality. They can metabolize into sugar. Additionally, those sugars can be listed as fiber content, but they are not. Labelling laws are lax and loopholes are discovered and used widely in our American food industry. The good news is, however, we are learning more about nutrition and healthy living every day. Live long and eat fiber!

Www.GetThrive.com has a wide selection of food and health related articles that may address some topics that have piqued your interest. Click here to read on…

 

 

What Do Detox and Wraps Have in Common?

Today’s Special Menu:

One of the latest trends amongst celebrities and health connoisseurs is to get wrapped like a sandwich and detoxify!

Saunas are So Yesterday

Saunas have long been recognized as a tool for detox and relaxation. Deep sweating has a bazillion proven health benefits. While sitting in a sauna, surely, you will sweat, big time. In addition to healing advantages, it creates a wonderful feeling from endorphins that release naturally.

Also, your core temperature rises. This, in turn, increases blood circulation, which can speed up the body’s natural healing process. Using heated infrared wraps, however, increases core temperature—but you don’t sweat like you would in a sauna.

Wrap with Benefits

This relatively recent trend takes sauna sessions to a whole new level. Clients are now, instead, wrapped in infrared sauna blankets. They lie in a makeshift bed, get burritoed up, and their core body temperature rises. There’s no sweating like in a sauna.

Founder of a new East Coast wrap facility, Ms. Berlingeri, explains that “Your body uses sweat as a way to cool down.” When the air is hot, you tend to sweat out minerals. But if the body isn’t trying to cool down as much, the amount of sweat decreases.

In a controlled environment, where the air is not hot, but your core body temp is raised, the detox reaction will be different. Berlingeri, along with others promoting the fad, claim that toxins are still released, but from a different source. She argues that water molecules vibrate, pulling toxins from fat cells.

Celebrity Testimonials

Whether you like them or not, their skin looks gorgeous. There are bunches of celebs who endorse the infrared wrap as a viable detoxification method. The session is aptly nicknamed an “urban sweat lodge.” Native Americans understand the benefits of deep sweat, but who knows if chiefs of yore would find this method legitimate.

Nonetheless, celebrity figures such as: Selena Gomez, Demi Moore, the cast of Orange is the New Black, and all of the Kardashian clan have partaken in the wrap—many of whom endorse the process as a method for attaining improved inner and outer beauty.

The Pundit Side

Raising core body temperature will, of course, fight off some evils. After all, that’s what a fever is all about, right? Whether wrapping yourself in an infrared blanket will burn away fat is something else to consider.

This technology was originally devised in France to help fuse broken bones. After many trials, it was discovered that the process burned a lot of calories. But that’s because the body was tricked into thinking it had a fever.

This is not a fix for weight loss. In fact, it may not be safe for those who suffer from high blood pressure. On the other hand, if one is hydrated properly before and after, who’s yet to say if this isn’t a remarkable, healthy, newfangled way of detoxing?

Immune Shroom
Immune Shroom

Summer Is Coming – Exercises To Lose That Belly Fat!

Summer is fast approaching and winter’s belly fat is still flopping around the mid section in all its miserable glory.  Feeling the heavier side of wobble is disheartening, especially when reaching for that swimsuit.  Don’t give up, determination, healthy eating and exercise will prevail.

 

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG

This is where it gets interesting!  Many people have been doing the exercise all wrong.  Workouts have either been sporadic or involve tummy crunches and lunges in desperation to squeeze that fat away.  The crunches are ideal after the pudge starts to slide off, as it will help tone muscle.  However, before concentrating on toning up, there is a crucial kind of exercise to do for at least 30 minutes a day:  high impact.

 

Elevating the heart rate moves oxygen and blood into our muscles, which in turn work more efficiently.  Noticing the difference in your mobility and stamina will happen over a couple of weeks.  Once muscle productivity and stamina increase due to heart rate elevation, fat will start to burn off.

 

NEW AND EXCITING WAYS TO GET RID OF BELLY FAT

The tummy stores the fat, but the key to slimming down is working out the entire body not just the middle.  There are many fun and thrilling exercises that will assist in improving the heart rate and increase muscle mass, as well as a few that will support the high impact moves like yoga or Pilates.   (Any form of high impact exercise will require checking with a physician, before undertaking any of the following suggestions)

 

  • The Tracy Anderson Method. Its difficult to stay motivated with the same old run, swim or cycle ride, so try something new, dynamic and that the Hollywood stars are hooked on.  Tracey Anderson, a dancer turned weight loss/fitness trainer, has come up with an exercise routine that will get the heart pumping, whilst concentrating on smaller core muscles to lengthen and give definition. Tracey, TAM, has video streaming classes, which are amazing, motivational, exciting, and well worth the monthly fee.
  • Burn60 is a full body high impact workout lasting 60 minutes. Increasing endurance, speed, and strength, they claim that a person will see a difference in two weeks with an average of 500-900 calories burned each class.  They are currently only based in California, USA but you can stream their workout videos .  Burn60, is fun and will test you to your limit.
  • A combination of music and high impact routines produces Pound. A unique way to combine physical and emotional influence to get a person fit.  The 45-minute class uses a specially designed lightweight drumstick (called Ripstix) as a prop to combine yoga, Pilates, cardio and muscle conditioning to music.  Kirsten Potenza, co-creator of Pound says “its about how your body feels not just about the way it looks”.

 

TYPES OF EXERCISES THAT GET THE BODY MOVING

This is a fun, highly energetic workout that will get hearts dancing, the wobble melting away and the mind happy.

 

  • Pilates is a great way to strengthen core muscles as well as improving posture, strengthening abs and back muscles. Combining posture and high impact exercise is the perfect combination.
  • Trampoline workout. Find that inner child and go jump on a trampoline. This exercise for adults is fun, gets the heart pumping and the muscles jumping into shape. LEKFIT has fabulous online classes, and there is no need to even leave the living room.

 

Adding an exercise which is different, fun and engaging, will elevate the mood, the body, and how the swimsuit fits, minus the rubber ring, before the pool even opens.  To read more on this subject and more, please visit getthrive.com

 

RESOURCES

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045809

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/89/4/1043/4596712

 

 

Is Butter Bad for Your Health?

Your Health

For years we’ve been told butter is bad for our health, but some substitutes may be worse. Here’s better news:

Funded Butter Study

A research team from Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy recently conducted a study on butter. It was funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and collected data from over 600,000 people from 15 different countries. The findings suggest that butter may not be as unhealthy as we’ve been led to believe.

Study senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian explains, “…butter should neither be demonized nor considered back as a route to good health.” In essence, the doctor is adding a disclaimer to the statement “butter is fine.” It doesn’t provide any real nutritional or health benefits. But, if eaten in small quantities, it doesn’t appear to create any significant rise in the risk of heart disease.

Churning the Fat

Butter is fattening. Per tablespoon, the delicious dairy-derived spread contains 100 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 7 grams of saturated fat. It’s the saturated fat that’s dangerous to heart health when eaten in abundance. There are other fats and oils that have just as many calories, but contain the “good” fats. Furthermore, butter contains a minimal amount of nutrition. But no doubt, butter is yummy.

The study found that eating butter was not associated with heart disease when consumed in small portions. However, it warned that on all other counts, butter is still a high-fat, high-calorie food.

What’s Better than Butter?

When talking health-wise as a spread, you still have a large variety of tasty options that are better than butter. Any monosaturated fat product is going to be healthier. Foods offering omega-3 fat sources are also good choices. A short list includes: flaxseed, coconut, and extra virgin olive oil, peanut and/or almond butter, salmon, and avocado.

What’s Not Better?

Unhealthier choices than butter include any product with hydrogenated or even partially hydrogenated oils. These contain trans-fats, which can ultimately be deadly. More than minimal amounts of sugar and starches can be worse for you than eating butter. High saturated fatty foods such as red meat, dark poultry meat and certain cheeses are also in the unhealthier than butter category.

Treating yourself to a teaspoon of butter on a warm roll or melting a small dollop in the pan to scramble with your egg whites is fine. Keeping the bad fats at bay (or to an extreme minimum) will not affect your overall health—especially if you eat mindfully and exercise habitually.

How To Lose Belly Fat For Women

What happened to the days where skin used to ping back into shape and eating a burger with fries had little effect on the circumference of the pants?  Sad to say those days are long gone and the reality of shifting the middle jiggle is a living nightmare.  In desperation to return to the leaner side of the tummy bulge, liposuction and even fat freezing has become popular.  However, quick fixes will not change that spare tire without some heavy duty planning and determination.  Get ready to tighten that belt and put those high wasted mom jeans back in the closet.  Warning: This belly-off advice may lead to dancing through the veggie isles whilst ignoring and laughing at the candy section.

 

THE DANGERS OF BELLY FAT

Studies show that belly fat has a link to genetics and depending on the body makeup, governs where the weight is stored or lost.  Women going through menopause are also prone to obtaining belly fat, due to the drop in estrogen levels. The fat dispenses from the buttocks and thighs, and it heads straight for the belly.  Visceral is the harmful kind of fat that is stored in the abdomen and wraps itself around the internal organs.  This fat should be taken seriously as it may cause the following problems:

 

 

Levels of a protein called Fibroblast growth factor-2, are found in visceral fat, where the FGF2 has the potential to stimulate these cells into tumors.  According to the Washington University School Of Medicine, belly fat can affect the outcome of women surviving kidney cancer.  Cancer sufferers who have substantial visceral fat have the average survival rate of 3 ½ years, compared to those who had little fat surviving 10 years or more.  There has not been any link of visceral fat and the length of cancer survival in men.

 

CONTROL THE BELLY FAT AND LOWER THE HEALTH RISK

According to research at the Mayo Clinic, a greater risk of death comes from having a large amount of belly fat, rather than a higher BMI (Body Mass Index).  So what to do to control this deadly fat?  First of all, there is no quick fix or fad diet that will solve this condition.  Lifestyle change and determination will not only help eliminate unsightly fat, but the dangerous fat too.

 

The following list will help keep the belly fat at bay:

  • Get rid of sugars. Choose whole fruits not fruit juices and view those fruits as sweet treats.  Eating too much sugar slows down or shuts off the lepton response, encouraging the feel of hunger.
  • Fat intake should consist of natural fats, like low fat plain yogurt, avocado, nuts, and olive oil.
  • Choose leaner proteins like salmon, skinless chicken, tofu, legumes.
  • Stay hydrated with water, to help detox and clear the body, as well as keep hunger under control.
  • Keep stress under control. Our body produces more cortisol when we are stressed and this hormone may influence weight gain.
  • Exercise at least twenty minutes a day can relieve stress, raise the heart rate and help combat the fat.  Try stomach crunches, leg lifts and weights for toning and high impact exercise to raise your heart rate (consult with a doctor or a professional before trying a new form of exercise).  Pilates or yoga are ideal for toning muscles, correcting posture and obtaining core strength.
  • Getting enough shut eye is extremely important, to keep hormones under control. Lack of sleep can activate ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite.
  • Drink less alcohol
  • Eat more soluble fiber like blackberries, avocados, split peas, black bean, lima beans broccoli, Brussel sprouts, oat bran, lentils, peas etc.

 

Vanity aside, belly fat is a potential killer and losing even a small amount of fat can lower the risk of disease and literally leave you feeling lighter.  With an unwavering mindset and strict rules, the spare tire can be lost at the side of the highway while racing away from health hazards to a new healthier and better body.

 

To read more on this subject visit getthrive.com

 

RESOURCES

Harvard Study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3473928/

Belly Fat Workout

 

 

8 Weight Loss & Belly Fat Resources

HOW TO GET RID OF BELLY FAT

Belly fat is an uninvited guest that can lead to some pretty horrid health problems.  Banish the muffin top and start to feel fit and fantastic with these simple steps.

https://getthrive.com/how-to-get-rid-of-belly-fat/

 

EXERCISES TO LOSE BELLY FAT

Belly be gone, with simple exercises that will help rid the bulge and gain the muscle.

https://getthrive.com/exercises-to-lose-belly-fat/

 

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY

Get a grip and regain control of the belly fat.  How does mind and body have a connection to the jiggle around the middle!

https://getthrive.com/how-to-lose-weight-quickly-reduce-anxiety-shed-pounds/

 

EXCERCISES TO LOSE BELLY FAT FOR MEN

Is jelly belly still sagging around after all the exercise?  It may be because it’s the wrong kind of work out!

https://getthrive.com/exercises-lose-belly-fat-men-wrong-type-workout/

 

WEIGHT LOSS USING RESISTANCE TRAINING

Gain strength and shed that weight.  The advantages of resistance training are impressive, not only for shape and definition, but health too.

https://getthrive.com/weight-loss-using-resistance-training/

 

5 SUPER EASY WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Stop with the fads and stick to the basics.  How adding a number of easy additions to a daily routine may help with losing weight.

https://getthrive.com/5-super-easy-ways-to-weight-loss/

 

TROUBLE LOSING FAT

Protein is a friend of the body and an enemy of fat.  Increase the correct protein, resulting in a leaner body.

https://getthrive.com/trouble-losing-fat-then-youre-probably-not-eating-enough-protein/?platform=hootsuite