The Benefits Of Yogurt

Yogurt is a popular snack treat for people who are trying to monitor their weight. Did you know that apart from making you lose weight, yogurt has other benefits to your body?

One way to improve your health naturally is by eating an adequate amount of yogurt everyday. Yogurt has live microorganisms called probiotics. These good bacteria help your body works properly. 

Here are some benefits you can get from eating yogurt:

•    Improves gastro-intestinal functions
Since yogurt is rich with probiotics, it helps improve food digestion and absorption. Good digestion and absorption will prevent you from experiencing hyperactive bowel movements and constipation. Yogurt also helps lactose intolerant individuals. It also lowers your risk of getting inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease.
•    Boosts your immune system
Probiotics from yogurt makes your body stronger in resisting harmful bacteria, thus lessening your risk of getting infections. These good bacteria also enhance your body's natural healing process so you can easily recover from illnesses.
•    Regulates your blood pressure
A study have shown that having 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy daily will greatly reduce your risks of getting high blood pressure. Some dairy products are high with dairy fat that is not healthy for your heart. Yogurt is a low-fat dairy product that does not have a bad effect on your heart.
•    Maintains your weight
Because yogurt is low-fat, it frees you from worries of gaining weight. When dieting, it's important that you still get enough nutrients so you don't end up being malnourished. Yogurt contains an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals that you need. With enough yogurt intake, you get enough nutrients without the worries of moving the scales up.
•    Prevents osteoporosis
Yogurt, just like some dairy products have added calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are very important in making your bones stronger. Strong bones will prevent you from developing osteoporosis.

Here are some tips you can follow when deciding on adding yogurt in your diet.

1.    Choose the type of yogurt that you want to take. There are various types of yogurt. Some yogurts contain regular fat, some are fat-free and some are low-fat. You may also want to check the sugar contained in the yogurt. There are yogurts that have more sugar than others. Look at the label at the back of the package. Read and compare nutritional contents of different brands. Doing this will help you choose the best brand in the market.

2.    Make it a habit
You can eat yogurt anytime and anywhere. Make it a point to take some yogurt everyday. Bring some in the office so you can easily have yogurt on your lunch break. You can also put a small yogurt cup in your bag so you can take a healthy snack anywhere.

3.    Substitute other ingredients with yogurt
Yogurt can easily be added to your recipes. Use yogurt instead of ice cream when making a smoothie. You can also try adding yogurt when baking cakes and other pastries. You can easily substitute milk to yogurt.

4.    Make eating yogurt fun delightful
There are numerous recipes that you can follow so that you don't only get to eat the flavored yogurt available on the market. Adding fruits on your yogurt is a good idea and will make your snack even healthier.

A Shot of Wheatgrass Juice Everyday Keeps the Doctor Away

People have taken interest on wheatgrass because of the many health benefits it gives. For the health-conscious individuals, wheatgrass juice is the way to go. If you are planning on taking the natural road to a healthy you, here are some things you have to know to get you started on wheatgrass juice.

What is wheatgrass?
Wheatgrass is the young grass of wheat plant that is dried or juiced. Because it has a high amount of Chlorophyll, it is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that wheatgrass has various curative and detoxifying functions.

Because wheatgrass has increased in popularity for some time now, you can easily buy wheatgrass prepared in various forms. Some bars and restaurants also included wheatgrass juice in their menu.

What are the benefits of taking wheatgrass?

•    Improves metabolism and cares for your heart
Wheatgrass is good for your heart as it  lowers down your blood pressure. It also makes your blood healthier by increasing the red blood cells in your blood. The properties of wheatgrass also reduce the acidity of your blood because wheatgrass is very rich in alkaline minerals. Taking wheatgrass will also help enhance your thyroid functions. It is also said that wheatgrass is effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases like constipation, diarrhea, peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis.
•    detoxifying agent
Because of the presence of minerals and antioxidants, wheatgrass is a very effective detoxifying agent. It also fights off and gets rid of harmful chemicals and other substances that may develop into various types of cancers and other illnesses. Wheatgrass makes your blood healthy and cleanses the liver effectively. Using this to treat tumors and toxins helps patient recover from their illnesses without the harmful side effects of synthetic drugs.
•    Slows down the aging process
Aging is part of an individual's normal growth and development but it doesn't mean that your health should be affected by aging. Taking wheatgrass puts aging on a different level. It does not only slows down the process, but it makes you age healthily by cleansing your body off harmful toxins and keeping your cells healthy.
•    Aids individuals to lose weight
Wheatgrass has fat-burning properties. It also suppresses your appetite. Losing weight doesn't have to mean taking those weight-loss pills or undergoing surgery. A regular dose of wheatgrass will do wonders to your body.

Preparations
The popularity of wheatgrass resulted to it being available in various forms. Now, you can take wheatgrass in powdered juice, tablets or through juice shots.

Some people also decide to grow wheatgrass in their homes so they can always have it easily available to them. Whatever preparations you prefer, the important thing is to be able to have your regular intake of wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass juice is prepared like any other type of juice. Add water and enjoy. You can also add some ice. Juice shots are also available in the market. A 5ml shot is equal to a tablet of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass tablets are taken twice daily.

Wheatgrass has many healthy benefits for you. Take a dose of wheatgrass everyday and start your journey to a healthier you.

Dietary Fiber for Natural Health

When people look at the nutritional content of foods, they tend to concentrate more on calories, protein, fats and vitamins. Most of the time, people forget to consider the dietary fiber content of foods. In recent studies, it was shown that in America alone, less than half of the population gets enough fiber in their diet.

Taking in enough fiber will greatly improve your natural health and well-being. Here are some facts that you have to know about dietary fiber

What is it?
Roughage or dietary fiber is the indigestible part of plants that travels through the digestive tract. In an overview, it helps the body absorb more water and improves elimination of wastes. It also helps in the absorption of nutrients and other chemicals.

There are 2 types of fiber. The soluble fiber is the one responsible for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Because of this, intake of enough soluble fiber will reduce your risk of developing heart diseases and stroke. Insoluble fiber increases bulk that your body needs to maintain the functions of your stomach and intestines. This type of fiber prevents you from experiencing constipation.

What are the benefits of getting enough fiber in your diet?

Bowel Movement and Integrity
Having enough fiber provides you with bulk. It helps you have well-formed and soft stool so wastes can pass easily. With this, you are sure not to have constipation. When you have diarrhea, adding fiber to your diet will help you absorb water and form bulky stools. It is also said that fiber can help relieve patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Having a high fiber diet also reduces your risk of developing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Since fiber helps you pass stool easily. There is no need for straining during defecation. This is one of the ways fiber helps prevent these health conditions.

Regulates Blood Cholesterol Levels
Soluble fiber helps maintain an ideal cholesterol level by reducing the amount of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) in your body. LDL is also called as bad cholesterol. It has also been studied that fiber can also lower your blood pressure. Maintaining a good blood cholesterol level puts you at lesser risk of developing heart diseases.

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
This is one of the reasons that most diabetic patients add fiber in their diet. Getting enough soluble fiber aids in the absorption of sugar in your body. It helps your body absorb sugar slowly so diabetics can avoid sudden peaks on their blood sugar level. Enough insoluble fiber in your body is also said to prevent development of type 2 diabetes.

Aids in Weight Loss
Eating foods with high-fiber content may require you to chew your food longer than you would any other type of food. Because of this, your body is given enough time to think that you are already full. This would lessen chances of over eating. A high- fiber meal will also lower down hunger cravings because fiber takes a longer time to be digested. You feel full longer when you eat food with high fiber content. Fibrous foods also have fewer amounts of calories in them. So no matter how much fiber you eat, you won't have to worry about the number of calories you are taking in.

Fiber is also said to fight off carcinogenic agents, thus lowering your risk of getting certain types of cancer. If you want to improve your health the natural way, adding more fiber to your meals is a healthy idea.