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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 (while still being relatively small). 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

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Acid reflux or heartburn, which is technically known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), is a truly troubling condition. If you’re suffering from it, you already know how painful and uncomfortable it can be. But there are more reasons than just pain relief to seek home remedies for acid reflux. If you ignore the condition and choose to just live with the pain, your LES (lower esophageal sphincter) will become more and more damaged over time and eventually reach a point when repair will become difficult. The good news is that there are natural heartburn remedies that not only don’t require drugs; you can purchase them right at your local grocery or health food store! Here are four of these time-honored acid reflux natural treatments:

• 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

We all want to teach our children good health habits, but that can sometimes be easier said than done. Giving your kids an understanding of good nutrition, introducing them to healthy foods and providing alternatives to junk food are some of the fundamental elements for healthy living. But nutrition is only half the equation; it’s also important to teach kids to be physically active to keep them from gaining unhealthy weight and allow them to burn off extra energy and stay calm.

Fitness doesn’t have to be fancy

With today’s fitness boom, parents can sometimes get caught up in thinking that fitness has to be fancy. This causes them to worry about trying to find the “best” exercises for children and determining how long they should maintain that exercise. But children don’t have to run on a treadmill or swim for a mile to get the exercise they need. As has always been the case, the best forms of exercise for children come through normal play.

With the lure of inside activities like DVDs and video games, however, kids today may resist a healthy level of play. The activities that seemed so normal to us when we were children may have to be “programmed in” to this generation. If that’s the case with your children, try something as simple as taking them outdoors and letting them run around. If they’re not enthused about playing outdoors, go out and play with them. Games like kick ball or tag are great ways to get started, and will allow you to participate in a natural way. Trips to the park can also encourage outdoor physical activity, because your children may be more likely to be active when there are other kids around or there’s equipment for them to play on.

Sign ‘em up

Organized activities are also effective means to bring more activity to your children’s lives. Sign them up for baseball, football, dance, gymnastics, or any other activity they enjoy. This is good for them both physically and socially, because they get to burn energy while they work on building friendships and learn sportsmanship — all of which will help them throughout their entire lives. Just make sure that they actually want to do the activities, and that their participation doesn’t wear you down in the process. Driving kids from one extracurricular activity to another, week after week, can get difficult over the long haul. If possible, arrange for carpooling before you sign your kids up for activities, so you won’t have to give up due to exhaustion and cause disappointment.

Walkabout

Another good method for sneaking in much-needed exercise for your kids (and you!) is to take daily walks. But they don’t have to be just any old walks. Make them more interesting by bringing a digital camera to capture sites along the way, or just point out and discuss  interesting plant-life, birds or bugs. You can even read about nature at home and then look for real-life examples as you walk. If you make these walks into routine family outings, you’ll build deeper relationships while instilling habits that will last a lifetime.

Remember, children need the same things as adults to remain healthy and fit: good nutrition and exercise. When those two components are consistently in place for the entire family, life will be much happier and healthier as a result.

Written by Don Porter of Ultimate Fitness Gear, Getinsanity and start getting ripped.

Image by Mike Schmid via Flickr

When it comes to losing weight, there’s no question that eating the right foods and getting appropriate exercise is exponentially better than taking weight loss pills or having surgery. People tend to lean towards these unnatural approaches, though,  because they can’t seem to incorporate working out in gyms or health clubs into their hectic schedules. If they were able to implement some very easy exercises to do at home that would help them stay lean and in optimal shape, they would probably find it much easier to stick to a fitness regimen.

The following is a simple program for fitness training at home that’s easy to implement, because almost all of use have already done these exercises at sometime in our lives. They’re powerful home fitness training options, yet they don’t require special equipment or expertise. In spite of their low-tech approach, these three exercises will yield a great return in terms of overall fitness:

• Squats
  Your glutes all the way down to your feet are the largest muscle group in your entire body, and the mighty squat is the perfect exercise to help develop that entire area. To do a squat properly, stand straight up with your feet about shoulder distance apart. Squat down and then come back up at least ten to twenty times for about two to three sets. To avoid injuries, make sure to stretch and warm up before you start this routine. Also, make sure your back is straight when you squat down. If you’re new to doing squats, you can hold onto the back of a chair or place your palms on a wall for balance.
• Push Ups
  Push ups are considered the best chest exercise at home. They’re great for conditioning and strengthening your upper body (i.e., chest, shoulders, arms and triceps). Perform about 20 push ups for two to three sets to build the muscles of your pectorals, shoulders and triceps.
• Jumping Jacks
  Jumping Jacks are a whole-body cardio workout that you can do in your backyard, garage, basement or even your living room. Do twenty to thirty jumping jacks for three to five sets. The swinging of the arms will target your upper body and the jumping movement of course, is for your lower body.

It’s important to note that you need to pay attention to your body when it comes to any form of exercise. The number of squats, push ups and Jumping Jacks, and how many times you repeat each set of them, are just general recommendations. If an exercise feels like it’s straining you too much, honor that. Remember, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to fitness. And staying in good shape isn’t just about exercise, what you eat also is obviously a factor. Read our fitness nutrition article for more information about what to eat to enhance your fitness training at home.