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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

 

 

4 Ways to Treat Yourself at Home and Feel Rejuvenated

So often we don’t make time for ourselves; that includes taking care of our body, mind, and spirit. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself with a little free time at home, give these inner and outer beauty activities a shot.

DIY Pampering

Yes, consider yourself lucky if you have the time and means to get treated like you deserve. But if you’re life is like most—busy, complicated, and spending time taking care of others—you will need to make a conscious choice to make time for yourself. Choose an activity below and see how good you can feel by treating yourself to something just for you.

Scrub

  1. Dry Brush. Take a soft-bristled brush and make contact with your bare skin, over every inch of your body. Dry brushing will invigorate your skin. Some dermatologists suggest using a circular motion from one area to another. Other specialists recommend brushing straight in one direction as if it were a mane of hair. Regardless of your technique, the overall consensus is that ultra-fine bristles are best.

The massage definitely improves circulation. It also stimulates the lymphatic system, which will help flush toxins from the body. Exfoliation will scarf off the dead skin cells, leaving the epidermis in better shape to receive hydration, thus moister skin. After dry brushing, treat yourself to a warm shower and after, apply coconut oil to your skin.

Glow

  1. Organic Facial. Create a concoction made from fresh produce. Ingredients like lemon, strawberry, olive oil, and honey are often used in organic mask mixtures. A simple favorite is to beat an egg yolk and then add-in half a ripe avocado and blend well. Start applying at the chin, moving up towards your forehead, leaving space around your eyes and mouth. Leave on for about 20 minutes and then rinse with cool water.

After, take the inside of the avocado, the peel, and massage your face with it. The peel has oil, which contains humectants, and is a natural moisturizer. You can leave that on, or rinse off.

Chill

  1. Create a Meditation Space. You want to meditate and a quiet spot to relax, but it doesn’t exist. Yet. All you need to do is pick a spot in your home, preferably one that is not heavily trafficked. It can even be a corner or a closet! Starting with a seat—it can be a pillow, beanbag, or a blanket covering the floor. Then make whatever space is around your “seat” clean and beautiful.

Keep the lighting soft. Paint with warm colors. Decorate your space with objects that are meaningful to you. Go ahead and enjoy your creation. Hopefully, you’ll get to visit daily.

Prepare

  1. Freeze, Cook, or Bake. Being able to feed yourself a healthy, delicious food is satisfying to your entire being. Taking the time to do or make something special will go along way. One thing you can do is take your fresh produce, wash, cut, and then freeze. Slice bananas, chop spinach, cut stems off the berries—you get the picture. Your supply will be ready when you want to make that last-minute smoothie!

Look up (or check your bookmarks) for that Mediterranean dish you’ve been wanting to cook. Check out recipes for muffins, bread, or cakes. GetThrive.com has gluten-free ideas for treats and breakfast suggestions, too. Pour your joy of food into your creation. Revel in the experience when you get to eat it!

For more tips on reducing stress and making your life simpler and healthier, check out www.GetThrive.com

 

 

 

Is This The Least You’ll Weigh All Year?

According to a semi-global study, late October and early November are peak times for  “best” weights for Americans. It’s right afterwards, during holidays, that we tend to grow larger (and we don’t mean taller.)

Tighter Clothes: Post-Holiday Woes

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published its findings from a three-country study. The weight loss-and-gain of Americans, Germans, and Japanese folks were observed. Around this time of year, late fall, Americans weighed in at their lowest compared to the rest of the year.

In Germany and Japan, the results were the same. Thousands of participants were tracked using wireless scales. In all three countries, the participants’ weight rose within 10 days after Christmas Day. The heaviest day for mostly everyone in the study was around New Year’s Day.

Holiday Feasting

The common thread between all three countries is that a major holiday falls in a similar time period. Each of those holidays is celebrated with food—and lots of it. In America, of course, there’s Thanksgiving. In Germany, it’s Christmas, and in Japan, Golden Week.

Although the greatest weight gains were observed through November and December, the study also showed that there was significant weight gain around other major holidays as well.

Some Good News

It isn’t all downhill for our waistlines after the winter festivities. On a positive note, the study showed that up to half of the weight gain was lost pretty quickly after the holidays.

The Other News (…Not so Encouraging)

There’s a reason why gyms do amazing business after the first of the new year. Everyone signs up wanting to shed the extra weight they recently acquired. According to the study, the bummer news is that about half of the weight that was gained in the winter tends to stay on until summer (and sometimes beyond.)

More Self Control Needed?

If you don’t mind (or truly enjoy) being part of this statistical study, then don’t give any of this another thought. Eat, be merry, and worry about it later.

If, however, you really don’t want to gain weight during the holiday season, some serious mindful eating will need to come into play. Food celebrations will be all around you, tempting you. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, pies, rolls, egg nog, the list can and will go on… You will need to make some hard and fast choices.

Will you nibble here and there, so you won’t feel deprived? Or will you eat very healthy, smaller portions most of the time in order to indulge yourself a small bit? Or will you kick up your exercise regimen in order to burn the extra calories?

Clearly, the less you gain, the less you have to lose. Keeping that in mind, don’t stress—just try and make the healthiest decisions and stick by them. Enjoy your comforts and the people in your life. That will feed your soul well.

Can Migraines Be Caused By Germs in Your Mouth?

Many migraine sufferers are convinced that certain food and drinks trigger their episodes. There may be more to this picture, which involves germs.

Who’s Got a Filthy Mouth?

Certainly, there are various reasons causing the onset of a severe headache. However, a recent study showing a connection between mouth bacteria and nitrates may shed some light on why some people suffer from oftentimes debilitating, migraine headaches.

It is entirely true that nitrate consumption can have adverse symptomatic and physical affects. But how come it doesn’t affect everyone the same?

Understanding Nitrates

Nitrates are a type of salt used to preserve meats and other consumables that can grow dangerous forms of bacteria. In the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of brouhaha surrounding the peril of nitrates found in deli meats and bacon, for example. There are also nitrates in wines and some chocolates.

But get this: Only a small percent (maybe 5%) of nitrates we ingest come from processed meats. Our largest consumption comes from vegetables—around 80%, to be more accurate. Leafy greens, cabbage, beets, and other plants contain nitrates from our soil, water, and nitrogen in our air.

Nitrates to Nitrites

Meat producers back in the early 1900s discovered that sodium nitrate  changes composition when it interacts with germs. They realized that when they added nitrate to the meat and then it combined with the growing bacteria, it became sodium nitrite. Nowadays, producers simply cut to the chase and just add synthetic nitrite.

All the medical and media coverage about the dangers of nitrites is because when it’s heated over 265 degrees, it becomes a carcinogen. So the USDA has limited the amount of nitrites utilized in food products.

Here’s Where The Mouth Germs Fit In

Just as nitrates convert to nitrites from bacteria on meat, so the same do the nitrates we eat. Green leafy vegetables that naturally contain nitrates become nitrites when they mix with the bacteria in our mouths. Does this mean we shouldn’t eat veggies? Absolutely not.

First of all, our bodies store those naturally formed nitrites in our cells until the molecules become nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a necessary compound, which benefits blood flow and maintains healthy blood vessels.

The Migraine Study

The results of the analysis made by the American Gut Project was just published in a journal from the American Society for Microbiology. By examining saliva and fecal matter from over 2,000 participants, the researchers concluded that those who suffered migraines had significantly higher levels of certain microbes. They basically had more germs in their mouths and digestive tracts.

Whether those particular microbes came from nitrites shows a link, but nothing was cause-and-effect definitively.

Trigger Point Therapy Self Massage Tool
Trigger Point Therapy Self Massage Tool

How This May Help

Once again, this study reminds us how important it is to keep balance in our gut microbiome. We can give up processed meats and wine (maybe not chocolate), but we definitely shouldn’t omit vegetables for fear of nitrate overconsumption.

If you suffer from migraines, try removing foods and beverages that have added nitrates from your diet. See if that makes a difference. Additionally, get good rest and make a commitment to reducing your stress levels. A good life includes a pain-free one.

If you’re interested in other articles about health, food, fitness, and overall wellbeing, check out www.GetThrive.com

 

Doctors “Prescribing” Fresh Foods From Food Banks

Food Banks in the US are stocking more nutritious foods for their clientele.

These organizations across America help the homeless and those with low incomes to eat affordably or for free. Food banks, in association with local farmers, are offering more fresh produce these days. And doctors are collaborating with food banks, prescribing fruits and vegetables to improve overall health.

Feeding America

Feeding America is a nonprofit organization who took a survey of 200 food banks. They discovered that one-third of households participating in food banks have at least one member who is diabetic. More than 50 percent have a member with high blood pressure.

When questioned, 55 percent of the families responded that they would love to have fruits and veggies, but felt they couldn’t afford them. They may get their wish soon. Over 30 food banks in the Midwest refuse to accept “sweets” into their supplies. They are trying to carry healthier foods like lean proteins and produce as opposed to grains and empty-calorie foods.

Doctors Partnering

Chicago-area clinics, for example, have hosted events where truckloads of fresh foods are brought in. The Chicago Food Depository provided over 100,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables over the past year. This helped feed over 3,000 families.

Doctors in Idaho with low-income patients are beginning to add pantries in their clinic. They can “prescribe” fresh foods on the spot. In Delaware, a family can get up to 25 pounds a month from the local food bank with their doctor’s prescription.

Cost-Worthy

Food banks get their food from sources that they’d otherwise throw in the trash. (It’s perfectly fresh, but it may not look the “right” color or shape for commercial sale.) Additionally, money received from donations help purchase food for the facility. Nutritious foods can cost more, but researchers are examining the benefits of preventative spending. A family who eats better (so it’s hoped) will have fewer medical bills and less work-loss due to illness.

Currently, a clinical study is underway measuring if proper nutrition offered at food banks can help those with diabetes. In five years, the amount of fresh produce that’s become available in food banks has doubled. From July 2015 through June 2016, over one-billion pounds were distributed throughout the US.

It looks as if we’re heading in the right direction—food-wise and health-wise.

For more info on nutrition, best health practices, and current medical studies, check out www.GetThrive.com

CanaGel Melts

 

Improve Your On-the-Road Eating Habits

Business travel and road trips can prove to include poor eating habits. There are ways, however, to make your meals and trips heart-healthier.

Take Out

One study recently revealed a significantly higher risk of developing atherosclerosis disease amongst business travelers. Atherosclerosis is a slow, steady, clogging of the arteries. The main culprits in this social business diet are large meals mainly consisting of high-fat foods and lots of alcohol.

Being that cardiovascular disease causes over 17 million deaths annually, it behooves us to be aware of what we’re putting in our bodies. Granted, it’s not just poor eating habits that lend to our risk of heart disease. Lack of exercise, sleep and overwhelming amounts of stress also contribute.

Three Courses

The study examined the health effects of three different types of eating plans. One plan was the Mediterranean diet, which consisted of fruits, veggies, fish, legumes, and nuts. Another was the Western diet, which included red and processed meats, dairy products, and refined grains. And the other, the social-business plan, looked a lot like the Western diet but included more unhealthy snacks and excessive amounts of alcohol.

The results were recently published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology. According to fMRI and ultra-sound test results, those who ate the “business” diet revealed a “significantly worse cardiovascular risk profile” than the Mediterranean diet folks.

Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine
Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine

On the Road Again

It can be tough avoiding fast foods when you’re on the road. And sometimes they can seem appealing—until you’re finished with the meal and feel regretful and gross. Here are some tips for making your road trip or business trip healthier overall:

– Drink more water

– Drink less sugary beverages and limit alcohol consumption

– Carry around snacks like nuts, low-sugar granola, fruit, and baby carrots

– Avoid red meat; substitute grilled poultry or fish

– Salads are great—keep the dressing healthy and low-fat

– Plan your meal ahead. Figure out when, where, and what, beforehand. With everyone running around, getting “hangry”, you’re bound to make impulsive food decisions.

– If you’re driving, keep a small cooler in the car filled with non-sugary drinks and crunchy raw veggies

– Get good rest. Meetings don’t need to go late into the night. Also, for safety’s sake, you don’t want to be driving when you’re tired. While traveling, “early to bed, early to rise,” is a wise choice.

– Take brisk morning walks. Use hotel swim or gym facilities. Carve out time during the day (even a few minutes) to move your body. Driving and working all day without stretching is awful for your posture (back and neck, too.)

If you’re the kind of person who eats well and lives a healthy lifestyle at home, there’s no reason you can’t continue those behaviors while on the road. Coming home feeling like you need a vacation or a detox isn’t any fun. Safe and restful travels…

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

 

 

How to Improve Your Wellbeing and Become a Home Juicer

Are you tired of feeling physically uncomfortable, mentally foggy, and downright disgusted? Making changes to your diet has been found to radically reverse poor emotional health, the inability to lose weight, and even chronic illness. Home juicing just may be the catalyst you need to help restore your health—and maybe improve your overall wellbeing

Man Cannot Live on Juice Alone

The concept of juicing at home does not mean you give up on “food.” Juicing is a practice whereby you remove the juice from whole fruits and vegetables, often combining them into a refreshing beverage. This process provides vitamins and nutrients you may not be receiving otherwise. However, a superior juicing recipe may also include the pulp, seeds, and/or skin of your produce so that you garner other important elements such as fiber and minerals.

Why Juice?

The purpose of juicing is to provide valuable compounds your body needs and craves in today’s toxic world. Whether we realize it or not, we are bombarded with pollution. It’s very difficult to avoid the poisons traveling through our air, soil, and water at home and in the environment. We need extra doses of beneficial nutrients to combat toxins and protect our precious cells.

Vegetables and fruits contain flavonoids and anthocyanins. These are compounds that help guard our cells from damage. Extensive and/or chronic cellular damage can lead to cancer, heart disease, inflammatory disease, and other unwanted physical ailments. Ingesting anti-oxidants are essential nowadays for keeping the peace within our body.

Polluted Body?

If you know you’re eating fast food over twice a week, not exercising more than twice a week, drinking alcohol, smoking, and not sleeping enough, you can pretty much count on toxicity within. You may already be feeling the signs:

-always tired

-can’t lose weight

-get sick often

-have unexplained pain in joints

-constant gas, heartburn, constipation, or diarrhea

Your poor system is probably suffering from inflammation. You may even notice outward signs like poor skin color and texture, more wrinkles, tooth or gum pain, and no energy.

What To Do

You may try gathering information from trustworthy Websites such as GetThrive and VeryWell. Also, check with medical practitioners you trust. Ask friends or co-workers who juice and inquire about their experience.

Another idea is to look up some popular recipes for juicing at home. It’s simple and not very time-consuming. Make a commitment to juicing at least once a day for a month. Remember, it took a long time to get sick. Be patient with your healing process. Not far off, you may start noticing:

  • clearer, brighter skin
  • a calmer tummy
  • weight loss from bloat
  • fewer food cravings
  • a stronger immune system
  • more energy
  • overall more contentment

If adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet can improve your physical and mental health, why not try it?

Juicing can be used as a cleanse, a health boost, and a supplement to your regular healthy diet. Always check with your health care provider before embarking on any significant dietary shift. And also, health experts suggest including protein, low carbs, and good fats into your non-juicing meals.

A healthy diet, exercise, and a positive attitude significantly reduce your risk of contracting or developing disease. So think, adding juicing just may improve your internal and external health—a bonus to your overall wellbeing.

Dr. Dave Campbell Commentary

Juicing is one part of a healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle that provides nutrients and is low in calories. It is also a habit that tends to foster other health optimizing habits. Juicing takes time, effort and energy. Spending a few extra minutes a day washing, scraping, cutting and then plopping the fruits and veggies into the juicer will make you think twice later-on when a high-calorie, poorly nutritious, sugar-laden food is calling your name from the fridge. Juicing takes a bit of work. Why waste it on dessert.  Juicing has a myriad of positive health benefits and essentially no downside. When combined with good tasting, filling and well-balanced foods, regular modest exercise, and keeping a lid of unhealthy lifestyles like smoking and drinking too much, feeling better is surely just around the corner.