• Take a break from what you are doing
  We use our heads to think most of the time, so remember to give your head a rest. Headaches can sometimes be your body’s sign that you’re doing too much and need to slow down, so listen to what it’s telling you.
• Breathe deeply
  When your head hurts, stop, relax and take some deep breaths. Don’t underestimate the ability of the breath to calm your body and move energy and stress through it that may be stuck and causing pain. In fact, this is a good practice for every day, whether you’re experiencing pain or not.
• Eat healthy
  Begin with a good breakfast, which some people feel is the most vital meal of the day. You should also maintain a balanced diet throughout the day, so you can maintain consistent energy and blood sugar levels.
• Cut out the caffeine
  Caffeine can boost your energy and wake you up, but using it excessively (or even at all, for some people) can also cause tension headaches and leave you feeling nervous and irritable. This is another instance when it’s beneficial to listen to what your body tells you. If you have a reaction when you drink coffee, simply eliminate it. Herbal teas are good substitutes, as are roasted grain drinks that simulate coffee taste. You can buy these from the health food store.
• Say no to additives
  Food additives, such as artificial colors and flavors, can trigger headaches. There’s even some evidence that large doses over time may cause more serious problems, such as strokes and seizures. There’s no reason to ingest these additives and they can be easily avoided if you stick to natural foods, with an emphasis on “live” substances, such as fruits and vegetables.
• Apply a cold, wet cloth
  Cool down your aching head by using a towel that has been soaked in cold water and wrung out. If you have the patience to wait, you can also place the wet towel in the freezer before applying it to your head.
• Look to your mouth
  Toothaches and other mouth-related problems can definitely cause headaches, because the nerves that cause tooth pain are obviously centered in the head. Although there’s nothing that can be done — other than go to the dentist — once tooth problems are in full swing, you can do plenty to prevent them. Having the proper dental supplies on-hand — like a good sonic-powered toothbrush, dental floss and dental picks — and using them every day can help ensure you never have a tooth-related headache.
• See an eye specialist
  Vision problems or eye strain can sometimes be the cause of headaches, so if you have consistent headaches that don’t seem to have any other cause, get your vision checked. To lessen the financial stress going to the eye doctor can generate, check out your medical coverage to see if you’re covered. Some medical health plans have eye care coverage options, so know if yours does before you go.

If you don’t know what’s causing your headaches, you can assess which of the above factors are relevant to you by keeping a diary that lists which activities you’ve done during the day and what foods you’ve eaten. Patterns will probably surface quickly as you keep the diary, which will give you a good basis for knowing how to treat your headaches.

Photo by Mike Johnson

1. Increasing stamina and physical performance during exercise
A study conducted at Northumbria University, U.K,  found that beet juice had a very surprising effect on a group of male cyclists. The cyclists were tested to see how long they could cycle for before starting this experiment. They were then given 8 oz. of beet juice every day for two weeks and tested again to see if there was any difference in their cycling performance. Amazingly, on average the men could cycle 12 percent longer! Researchers attribute at least part of this effect to the abundance of nitrates found in beet juice. Nitrates slow down the rate at which oxygen burns within our muscles and consequently increases the length of time they can perform exercise before fatiguing.

2. Promoting liver health
Beet juice is one of the best vegetable juices for the liver because of its high content of an antioxidant called betaine. Betaine stimulates the liver cells to function optimally and to clear out toxins. When the liver is functioning at its best our whole body benefits greatly, because the liver is the main detoxification organ that clears all kinds of toxic chemicals out of our bloodstream. Betaine also protects the cells of the liver, the gall bladder and the bile duct from oxidative damage.

3. Treating anemia and restoring red blood cell levels
One of the major juicing benefits of beets is the rich content of iron. Iron is essential for building red blood cells, because it is the atom that sits right at the center of a red blood cell molecule. If we get low on iron, our red blood cell account will diminish accordingly. For this reason, drinking fresh beet juice daily is a great choice for those who have anemia, are menstruating or who have just given blood.

Beetroot Juice Recipes

Beet juice is quite concentrated, so it’s critical to dilute it with water or other juices. This is important, because ingesting too much beet juice or even too many beet greens can cause fever or chills, dizziness, hives, temporary paralysis of the vocal chords or increased heart rate. Beets are also high in oxalic acid, so you should avoid them altogether if  your stomach is easily irritated or you have osteoporosis, kidney stones, rheumatoid arthritis or gout.

But don’t let the warnings scare you away from beet juice; it can be incredibly beneficial when enjoyed in moderation by healthy people. What is moderation? While you assess how your body will tolerate it, begin with one tablespoon per day. After a few days, work up to one to two ounces per day, depending on how your body reacts. Let any reactions be your guide to whether you should modify the amount. To make sure you know just exactly how much beet juice you’re getting, juice the beet first and set the juice aside before you put the rest of the ingredients into the juicer.

And one last common sense precaution: try to use organic ingredients when you make juice. That will allow you to get more of what you need and less of what you don’t need, like pesticides.

Keeping the above caveats about quantities in mind, here are some  juicing recipes that will allow you to get all the benefits of the mighty beetroot:

Simply healthy

The amount of beet juice you can tolerate, plus

• 6 carrots

Sweetie

The amount of beet juice you can tolerate, plus

• 4 carrots
• 2 Fuji or Gala apples

Variety pack

The amount of beet juice you can tolerate, plus

• 1 Fuji or Gala apple
• 1 pear
• 3  carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 parsnip
• 1 small piece each of ginger and salsify root (approximately 2 inches long for each)

Zingy detoxifier

The amount of beet juice you can tolerate, plus

• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 radishes
• 1 slice Spanish onion
• 1 lemon
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 Tbs. cider vinegar

These healthy beetroot juice recipes are just starting points. Feel free to adjust the ingredients and quantities to suit your taste, remembering to always keep the way your body feels in mind and let that be your guide.

Photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian, border by Helga Stolzenwald

You might also be interested in these other healthy recipes from MyOnlineHealthArticles.com:

• Blueberry Recipes with Antioxidant Power
• Broccoli Recipes
• Asparagus Recipes
• Garlic Recipes with Antiviral Power
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay
• Recipes to Control Blood Sugar

Image via Wikipedia

Regular consumption of blueberries has been found to be immensely beneficial in maintaining lifelong health. In fact, it wouldn’t be going overboard to say that anyone who wants to maintain their health naturally should eat blueberries regularly. This is because they’re low in calories, yet they have a huge antioxidant effect on the body that promotes good health, staves off aging and is even believed to have a role in cancer prevention. They also provide plenty of dietary fiber, manganese, and vitamins  E and C, all of which are essential to general wellness.

And what better way to get the benefits of blueberries than to grow your own blueberry bushes at home? That will not only save you money, but it also guarantees that the fruit will be fresher than store-bought and free of pesticides and fertilizers.

Most people don’t know that there are actually many different types of blueberries. Some are tiny, while others are considered to be giant-sized (little giant blueberries). Some blueberry bushes grow more easily in cold climates, while others do better in warmer climates. Below is just a handful of the different types of blueberries that you might want to consider for your own garden:

Barkley
One of the most popular types of blueberry plants is the Barkley. The blueberries produced by this plant are known for being large and sweet, and providing an excellent mid-season harvest.

Bluecrop
Bluecrop blueberries are a light blue and are quite large. They’re sometimes referred to as “giant blueberries” due to their size. They’re the leading variety used on commercial farms and are known to be fairly easy to grow.

Blueray
The Blueray bush is also known for its light blue color and large size. Bluerays are one of the most popular at-home blueberry bushes and are very popular throughout the Northeast and Midwest.

Collins
Collins bushes are another popular type of blueberry bush, and unlike the others mentioned above, they’re known for producing medium-sized berries. They’re also more more low-maintenance and firm and have a very sweet flavor.

Coville
Coville blueberries have a light blue color and are available later in the season. Like the Collins, they’re medium-sized. If you want blueberries all season long it’s a good idea to have a variety of early- to mid-season bushes, plus some Covilles. That will give you blueberries once your other bushes have passed their harvest season.

Earlyblues
The name says it all with the Earlyblues blueberries: they produce early in the season. They’re also light blue in color, sweet in taste and are often used for blueberry pies.

We’ve merely skimmed the surface here by discussing only six of the more popular types of blueberries. If you decide to grow your own, you should definitely research the different types and how to grow them, and then choose one or more that’s known for growing well in your region.

Regardless of which type you choose to grow, you should be consuming blueberries on a regular basis. Their nutritional qualities are so great and they taste so good that you can’t afford not to eat them!

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate blueberries into your diet, try these easy healthy blueberry recipes. You might also be interested in our other healthy recipes:

• Asparagus Recipes
• Broccoli Recipes
• Garlic Recipes with Antiviral Power
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Control Blood Sugar
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay

• Papaya
  This healthy fruit is an excellent acid reflux natural remedy. It’ s loaded with an enzyme called papain that can help promote proper food digestion and hasten the muscle tissue renewal process. It also contains potassium, which provides a healthy bacterial setting for your intestines. Papaya is an important component of your acid reflux diet because it can also provide your daily supply of vitamin C. It’s best to eat the fruit itself, but there are also papain pills available at the health food store.
• Cherries
  This lovely tiny fruit is a perfect natural treatment for a variety of illnesses and diseases, heartburn included. Cherries are rich in antioxidants, which can do a great deal to help heal the damage that acid reflux can do to the muscle tissues of your stomach. Apart from being rich in antioxidants, cherries are also great sources of vitamin C and potassium, and they can help promote proper digestion and restore the health of your stomach. You can either eat the cherries or drink cherry juice to get these healthful effects.
• Ginger
  This root crop has been used in many cultures for generations because of its ability to soothe the stomach. As with papaya, there are supplements available that contain ginger as an active ingredient. But there’s still no substitute for the real thing. You can boil it and drink the juice, adding honey to taste, or simply chew on a small piece of the root. If you find either of those objectionable, try organic ginger candy or ginger tea.
• Apple Cider Vinegar
  Although it might seem strange to treat a painful condition like heartburn with an acid, there is anecdotal evidence that apple cider vinegar can be a beneficial treatment for acid reflux. Try taking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. of water and honey to taste with meals and before bed to see if that relieves your pain. Some people choose to add approximately 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, to treat the mouth sores that sometimes result from the acid. Another method to address mouth sores is to just drink the apple cider less frequently until the sores heal.

Although these are safe food-based home remedies for acid reflux, you should carefully monitor how they work for you. The same can be said of anything you put in your body — no matter the source — because everybody is different. If one of these approaches doesn’t work, experiment with others until you find the solution that’s right for you.

When most people hear the word “fat,” they think about its negative aspects: obesity, fattening food, high cholesterol and heart disease, among others. While it’s true that some types of fats and oils that are bad for our health, there are some we should actually go out of our way to incorporate into our daily diets. These healthy fats actually play an important role in overall health and well-being, because having enough of them can increase your energy, help you gain muscle weight and allow your body to perform key functions. They have these far-reaching effects because they impact the functioning of your cells, skin, brain, heart, nerves, lungs, eyes, digestion and organs. How’s that for motivation to pay close attention to the types of fats you put into your body?

There are actually four main types of dietary fats: saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and trans fats. Interestingly, all fats — regardless of the type — have nine calories per gram. There are other characteristics that differentiate them though. Here are some brief details about each and why you should either stay away from them or incorporate them into your diet:

Monounsaturated fats
Lets start out on a positive note and talk about monounsaturated fats, which can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. These beneficial components are definitely on the list good fats you should include in your diet, especially if you replace saturated or trans fats with them. Monounsaturated oils are typically liquid at room temperature but begin to turn solid when refrigerated (olive, canola, peanut, sesame and sunflower oils are some examples). This type of fat is also found in foods like avocados, seeds, nuts and peanut butter.

Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats are the next category of fats that are actually good for you. They include the Omega-3 group of fatty acids you’ve probably heard about. These are considered “essential fatty acids” because it’s something your body can’t make and therefore must get through your diet. Polyunsaturated fats can be found mostly in sunflower seeds, fish, corn, soybean, walnuts, leafy greens and flaxseed oils.

Saturated fats
Saturated fats are typically associated with bad fats — and for good reason. Eating a lot of saturated fats can raise your LDL, or bad cholesterol level. It also raises your risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). So how much is too much? The American Heart Association recommends keeping your saturated fat intake at no more than seven percent of your total daily calories. And if you need any more encouragement to steer clear of saturated fats, they’ve also been linked to increased breast and prostate cancer risk. Major sources of saturated fats include red meat, vegetable oils that are solid at room temperature (palm, palm kernel and coconut oils, for example) and dairy products.

Trans fats
The granddaddy of all bad fats are trans fats. Unlike all the other dietary fats just mentioned, trans fats are not essential and therefore there is no reason for anyone to consume them. In fact, they actually raise levels of bad LDL cholesterol and lower levels of good HDL cholesterol. Sources of trans fats include margarine, candies, cookies, vegetable shortenings, fried foods and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Now that you know the difference between good fats and bad fats, you can make better choices in your diet. Better yet, you can make sure you’re actually eating more of the right kind of fats to keep your body functioning at it’s optimal level. Remember, though, moderation is key. Even the most healthful ingredients can be detrimental if consumed to excess.

Article by Jeff Masterson of Weight Gain Network; photo by Duygu Agar