Posted by admin on February 18th, 2010 — Posted in Nutrition + More
Give us a minute of your attention to tell you about 1800Baskets — an innovative web store created to cater to your gift-giving needs from market leaders. And there’s more — they have international distribution, so wherever your intended recipient might be, you’ll be able to get their gift to them without problems. Gourmet gift baskets on sale from the 1800Baskets.com store include all sorts of excellent treasures for any event, occasion, or holiday. Among their specialties is gourmet food. Using meat, cheeses, crackers, and fruit, they create platters to delight the tastebuds. Of course, it isn’t just food; as we’re sure you know, meals are only made better by the drinks that accompany them — and hence 1800Baskets.com will typically include excellent wine to round things off.
If you require something sweeter, they still have several gift baskets you might browse amongst as well. Everyone loves sugarplums, right? Maybe you’d prefer a basket only featuring candy, but they might be only part of your selection — after all, everyone has their own favorite snacks. Treats such as e.g. cakes can be equally scrumptious and can offer a little variety which will enliven your basket. Even those of us with a sweet tooth pay attention to health concerns et cetera. Consequently, they have made sure to introduce a selection of hampers intended to yield a sweet taste which don’t use refined sugar. Taking into account the tropical gift selections cheese and fruit boxes, and the more focused baskets of pears there’s a broad spread of options. You could instead go with a spa hamper, featuring anything you might need for a luxurious soak in the tub. A number of the packages are designed with the holiday season in mind. Using decorative packages they collect trinkets, mints, crackers, treats, cookies and others for gifts and decoration. The look can vary, from formal packages intended for workmates and work events to full-blown Santa Clauses your family are sure to enjoy. Anything that is done for Christmas can be done for every major holiday, and more beside — birthdays, signing a contract, anniversaries, weddings, and even funerals.
Sending their products to all, wherever you ask worldwide, they confidently guarantee to send out the finest gifts possible. You can send a box to anyone, and with 1800Baskets’ top quality, provider network, and customer service, you will know that what you paid for is exactly what will actually arrive.
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Posted by admin on February 4th, 2010 — Posted in Misc, Nutrition + More
All it needs is a look at the numbers to see how popcorn stands in America’s perceptions. A stunning 1.000.000.000 pounds of unpopped kernels passed over the counters of American vendors in a single year. And over 1.000.000 pounds come from the Popcorn Factory, pre-prepared as popcorn favors, popcorn balls, gourmet popcorn and tins of popcorn, each year. In addition, it’s also kosher certified, leaving it open for all.
Available in all your favorite flavors and a variety of presentations, they can provide you with all the popcorn you could want. Just like they have ever since 1979. It takes the finest fixings to make top quality popcorn, so the Factory trawls through home grown corn to buy the very best. Following that, corn oil pops the kernels to permit flavors to infuse right into the flesh. And that fresh taste? To maintain it, straight after popping, the popcorn is rapidly sealed up and sent out.
Their speciality tins will give you plenty, in 2.5 and six gallon sizes and packed full. There’s enough in one of these to last you and your friends for several films or supply a number of company employees. Plain, of course, and buttered - but you can also find them on offer in banana cream pie or white chocolate raspberry. But if that’s not your thing, they offer different options; notably a range of boxes and smaller tins. As with most gift ideas, these can be embellished to suit the reason they’re being given. If none of these will quite do, investigate getting the package personalized with an appropriate image, personal note, or simply the recipient’s name. Know what you’re after? You might place a big order. You could alternatively choose a sampler or even an assortment.
Should you desire more, but want to keep that range of flavors, you can always put a tower together. Comprising a number of boxes placed on top of each other and tied together, they can be ordered with premade deals or alternatively mix and match to your tastes. Popcorn in virtually any flavor you might want can be ordered from them. And with their decoration we promise you they’re great gifts. You’ll find no smarter way to make someone happy anywhere in America.
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Posted by admin on January 6th, 2010 — Posted in Nutrition + More
What is a healthy diet? It’s not about counting calories, measuring portions or cutting carbs. You won’t really find a healthy diet on the lite menu at your favorite restaurant and you certainly won’t find it at the local fast food joint. A healthy diet is all about what you eat rather than how much you eat.
If you think the latest fad diet is your panacea to health, you are in for a big surprise. Losing weight, staying healthy and getting back into shape after many years of diet neglect is not about fads or eating in some radical new way for six to twelve weeks and then going back to the way you used to eat.
The best thing you can do to keep yourself healthy is to eat a healthy diet…all the time, not just when you want to lose weight. Eating healthy is a long-term lifestyle choice, something you need to do for your entire lifetime.
But what is a healthy diet? Is it what we have been lead to believe - milk for strong bones and teeth, protein in the form of lean beef or chicken and maybe a “healthy” microwave dinner if we are “on the go.” Unfortunately this diet is what is identified as the Standard American Diet or the SAD.
And what’s so wrong with the SAD?
Well, has it made us a healthier people? Are we better off as a nation because of it?
With all of the health studies, advanced health care, the war on cancer dating back to the 70’s, and the most advanced technology available on the planet we have to ask ourselves why do we still need to spend $1.3 trillion a year on health care in the United States. Why aren’t we getting any healthier?
Other pertinent questions about your health beg for answers such as, why after more than 30 years since the “War On Cancer” was declared, do we still have an increasing cancer rate. Yes, we have many more people surviving cancer but the rate at which people are getting cancer is increasing. We have come a long way in taking care of sick people, but we haven’t made any progress as a nation in preventing those people from getting sick.
Why do more than 15 million people in the United States have diabetes? Why do we still have more heart problems today than we did 30 years ago? Why is more than 50% of our population on some kind of prescription drug?
We spend more per person on medical care than any other nation in the world. Why is this happening in a country that seems to be able to solve nearly any technological problem? Why can’t we solve our medical problems? How would life be different for us if we were to be a nation of healthy individuals?
The secret to a healthy diet and a healthy life is living food - fresh vegetables, fruit, juices and green leafy salads. The answer to a healthier you is summed up in three words, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Living a healthy life and having a healthy family is all about eating a healthy diet, every day of our lives!
Alan LeStourgeon along with his wife Jean run the web site www.ezHealthyDiet.com where they explore what it means to eat a healthy diet, have a healthy home and live a healthier life.
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Posted by admin on December 25th, 2009 — Posted in Fitness For All, Health Infos, Nutrition + More
Green tea skyrocketed in popularity after Oprah Winfrey had Dr. Nicholas Perricone (of The Perricone Prescription) on her show discussing the benefits of replacing coffee with green tea. He said you could lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks just by switching to green tea!
Here’s the science behind why coffee is bad for you, according to Dr. Perricone:
Coffee (and it’s not the caffeine) can result in elevated levels of cortisol and insulin, leading to weight gain. Remember, elevated insulin puts a lock on body fat. If you substitute green tea for coffee, and do nothing else, your insulin levels will drop and consequently body fat will fall rapidly.
His exact words on the Oprah show were:
“Coffee has organic acids that raise your blood sugar, raise insulin. Insulin puts a lock on body fat. When you switch over to green tea, you get your caffeine, you’re all set, but you will drop your insulin levels and body fat will fall very rapidly. So 10 pounds in six weeks, I will guarantee it.”
Dr Perricone is a highly respected author of numerous health and diet books and has also written a specific green tea diet book about the numerous benefits and health benefits of the Oprah Green Tea Extract Diet.
The Green Tea Diet Book was called “The Perricone Prescription”. A large group of folks declare that it was his very emergence on the Oprah Winfrey Show that actually produced the now famous Oprah Green Tea Diet.
It became so famous and created such a craze due to one specific conversation between Oprah and her Green Tea Diet supporter. In that exchange Dr Perricone was questioned about a speech in his book that alleged that if you replace coffee with Green Tea you can lose up to ten lbs in just 6 short weeks.
Dr Perricone replied with his Green Tea Diet philosophy as follows:
“When you switch over to green tea, you get your caffeine, you’re all set, but you will drop your insulin levels and body fat will fall very rapidly. So you can lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks, I will guarantee it.”
No wonder hollywood celebs like Courtney Cox, Oprah Winfrey, Matt Lauer, Usher and even Paris Hilton avidly follow Dr. Nicholas Perricone expert recommendations.
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Posted by admin on December 23rd, 2009 — Posted in Nutrition + More
Fannie May ascribe their incredible success to outstanding quality and good customer service. This well-known chocolate company first opened its doors in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, and during 85 years of trade it has turned into one of the most popular sweet shops in the United States.
Fannie May’s gift of blending quality ingredients in the perfect way made them such a favorite with the public they grew to just under forty eight branches in just fifteen years. During the second world war rationing, the stores were temporarily shut, because they refused to depreciate the quality of any chocolate. Luckily for us, many of those traditional recipes are even being used and on sale today. Almost as exquisite as their scrumptious chocolates are the decorative presentation boxes they arrive in. Stunning gift boxes and tins add that extra flourish to make a present anyone will be overjoyed with. You could send a single box or tin for anniversaries or as a thank you, or even order a huge hamper loaded with treats for friends, loved ones or business contacts. There are a selection of different gifts on the internet site, or you can ask for particular favorites and just choose how you want them to be wrapped. Fannie May now have franchises not just in the US but in numerous other countries all over the world. So you can place an order from your desk and have your gift box delivered anywhere. There are a few items that are not suitable for shipping during the summer, nevertheless Fannie May has the business network to deliver all sorts of gifts all over the world. Special dietary needs are not any problem. Cakes and other goodies are on offer not to mention luxury chocolates with no sugar added. If you are catering a large event like a wedding, individual table gifts and wedding favors are a specialty. Pick up the telephone or contact Fannie May online for more details.
Fannie May has become such a popular chocolate maker because of its commitment to produce quality candies, its uncompromising customer support and a huge variety. The truth is, the most difficult task is picking from the large array of alternatives on the website. With every sweet treat imaginable from mints to eggnog creams to select from, you’re guaranteed to find exactly the ideal gift.
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Posted by admin on July 15th, 2009 — Posted in Health Infos, Internet Product Resources, Nutrition + More
The Champion Juicer is an interesting juicer because it falls somewhere between the usual realm of centrifugal juicers and mastication juicers. Most masticating juicers are designed to cater to the super health-conscious juicer and therefore are meant for wheatgrass. For the same reason, they are often cold-press juicers (200 RPM motor or less to avoid oxidation). However, the Champion Juicer is not designed for wheatgrass and its motor runs at 1250 RPMs. Thats definitely more than 200 RPMs but its also much slower than the 5000 RPMs of some centrifuge juicers. And so, Champion Juicers seem to target their very own segment. That segment might be rigth for you!
The RPM of the motor is actually a great way to illustrate where Champion falls on the spectrum. They don’t want to be the healthiest juicer out there, but healthier than centrifuge juicers, but not as slow as cold-press juicers. Therefore, if youd like to juice for a healthier lifestyle but dont have the extra time to spend juicing or you dont intend to juice wheatgrass, a Champion Juicer is a great choice for you.
Champion Juicers are very durable juicers. They were built to last, which is probably why Champion offers a 10 Year Warranty. Theyve had mostly the same design for more than 50 years, and it has stood the test of time. They only have 2 different models- the Household and the Commercial version. The only important difference is that the Commercial version has stronger ball bearings and is meant to be run for longer periods of time. So, if you tend juice in large bulks or you have some form of a business that you plan to use the juicer for, the commercial version would be a good idea. Both versions come in 4 different colors (White, Silver, Almond and Black) of a painted metal body. The metal aspect makes them easy to clean and difficult to stain. Like all masticating juicers, they can be used to homogenize foods for more creativity in the kitchen.
If youre thinking of getting a Champion Juicer, go to www.PurelyJuicers.com for a great deals and free shipping on all juicers.
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Posted by admin on July 4th, 2009 — Posted in Fitness For All, Health Infos, Nutrition + More
Achy back? Stiff neck? Constant pain with joint movement? Numerous people would suggest a visit to a chiropractor. It’s true that seeing a chiropractor is a superb means to alleviate neck and joint pain. A trained chiropractor is capable to manipulate and realign the vertebrae that have become misaligned due to bad posture, overuse, or prolonged strain to the area. Most patients feel noticeable relief after 1 - 3 visits.
Chiropractors urge that patients come back, sometimes on a monthly basis to continue their treatment. Why is this? Because work done by
chiropractors offers only short-lived relief from the problem. After a few months,
the vertebrae or joints once again fall out of alignment. In order to have long-lasting relief from the pain, you have to solve the actual problem. What makes vertebrae or joints to become misaligned in the first place?
When a person has poor posture or uses the same muscles on a regular basis, this causes certain muscles to get stronger and tighten then others. These muscles then pull at the vertebrae, bones, and joints causing misalignment. This condition of the muscles is known as a muscle imbalance. When a person visits a chiropractor, he or she does what they can to realign the vertebrae or joints. But if these muscles imbalances still endure, then it is only a matter of time before they literally pull the bones out of alignment again. This is why seeing a chiropractor only offers short-lived relief.
The only long term solution dwells within correcting the muscle imbalances that are present. Properly working muscles should function in conjunction with one another. Contract / relax or relax / contract. If any muscle within a muscle group is in a continual state of rest or contraction, then a muscle imbalance occurs. In order to remedy this, the weaker muscles in the group must be strengthened. This requires proper exercising and strength training, focused specifically on the weaker muscles.
How do you know which muscles to concentrate on or what exercises to do? When it comes to the topic of exercise, a person with back, neck, joint problems must be extremely restrained. Doing the wrong kind of exercise or applying incorrect form can seriously injure the body. That is why in situations like this it is key to first consult your doctor and to have a educated professional assist you along your journey.
The best solution to correct your muscle imbalances is to employ a certified personal trainer who is a corrective exercise specialist. He / She will work with you to strengthen those weak muscles and work out any knots in the tight ones. Once your muscle imbalances are corrected, the muscles will no longer pull the vertebrae and joints out of alignment - thus eradicating back or joint pain.
If you have back, neck, or joint pain, seeing a chiropractor will remedy your pain for now. But if you want long term relief, contact Total Body Solutions.
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Posted by admin on April 8th, 2009 — Posted in Nutrition + More
Calcium is absolutely essential to everyday health. Not only is it important in bone strength, but it plays an important role in blood pressure control, nerve function, and blood clotting. The problem is however, most of us do not get enough of it. An average adult women needs twelve to fifteen hundred milligrams of calcium a day. The average man only needs twelve hundred.
The best sources of calcium are and always have been dairy products - everything from milk and yogurt to cheese. Smaller amounts of calcium can be found in foods like broccoli, oranges, and salmon. There is a such thing as too much calcium though. If you take in too much calcium in a day it can interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc. These are two things that are of short supply in the American diet already.
By monitoring your diet, you can determine how much calcium you may need to supplement. Two basic calcium supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is the most popular supplemental form, it is the cheapest, and you don’t have to take as much of it to get the same amount as you would calcium citrate. If you choose to use a supplement however, it is important that it contains vitamin D as calcium needs vitamin D to be absorbed into the body.
Calcium is now being said to be the key ingredient to losing weight according to recent research. It not only helps with hypertension, it also supports healthy physiology in a way that helps lose excess body fat. There is a major misconception because some feel that if calcium helps lose weight then drinking more cows’ milk and eating cheese pizza is the way to go. That approach to getting your calcium is just horrible thinking. Cows’ milk is associated with all sorts of medical disorders such as asthma and constipation. And just like cheese, it is filled with all kinds of fat. There are far better sources of calcium to help with weight loss. This comes in the form of nutritional supplements. Coral calcium supplements are very good for getting your daily calcium intake without all the fat. Plants like broccoli are filled with the exact form of calcium the body desires. Quinoa is a grain and also contains the calcium needed as well as protein.
Even if you’re not trying to lose weight however, you need calcium. Please don’t fall into that misleading custom and think calcium means milk because that is the last place you want to look. It is actually a marketing myth promoted by the dairy industry. Calcium supplements are far better for you, and plant based calcium such as broccoli is even better. You should work to get calcium from whole foods, vegetables and grains. To keep this calcium you have worked so hard to take in, you should never ever drink soft drinks as they have been proven to strip the calcium right off of the bones in the body.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Calcium
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Posted by admin on March 28th, 2009 — Posted in Nutrition + More
The further on your read, you’ll begin to understand that everyone needs energy and the best source of energy is from carbohydrates. Roughly 50%-80% of your nutritional intake should come from carbohydrates! (not including any special needs cases if a person was carbohydrate sensitive).
Similar to amino acids, when you link various simple sugars together you get carbohydrates with different properties and effects on the body’s blood sugar levels.
Carbohydrates are classified into three categories:
Monosaccharides (glucose, galactose, fructose) are the sugars found in milk and fruits.
Disaccharides (sucrose, lactose) might be found in table sugars and milk sugars. They are a combination of a two simple sugars.
Polysaccharides (complex carbs, starches, fibers) come from whole grains, vegetables, nuts, some fruits and legumes. These are your complex carbs.
When you link different kinds of sugars together, you will get different kinds of products. For example when you combine glucose and fructose you get sucrose (table sugar).
You’ll read a lot about essential amino acids and essential fats but what you won’t read about in any fitness manuals or hear from any fitness experts is the essential carbohydrate. That’s because there is no such thing. There are just different carbohydrates with different properties that affect your energy levels.
Here’s a fact for you: Our bodies can only absorb monosaccharides (simple sugars).
[STOP and realize that complex carbs are just a series of 3 or more simple sugars bound together. As mentioned, complex carbs go by the alias, polysaccharides.]
This means if you eat a complex carb, your body will break down that complex carb into simple sugars and ultimately into blood sugar which can be used for many different functions. Depending on the carbohydrate you just ate and other factors, these carbohydrates will have different effects on blood sugar levels. Specifically how fast they rise and fall.
This ability of a carbohydrate to to raise blood sugar fast or slow is called the glycemic index (GI). The GI was created to track various foods effects on blood sugar at different rates.
The GI’s importance is related to the body’s blood sugar effects on insulin levels. Insulin is the primary hormone responsible for fat storage (along with many other functions). The GI was originally invented with the diabetic in mind because insulin levels can mean the different between life and death in such instances.
If you are still reading, you should at this point understand that complex carbohydrates have a more leveling effect on insulin and longer term energy. Because complex carbs are not continually ’spiking’ the insulin levels, you’ll send less signals to store fat.
Eating the right carbs will give you longer term energy and help to fight body fat storage!
Your probably wondering if there’s a simple example of this so you can skip today’s brief science lesson.
The starch in whole grains is an excellent example of a more complex carb compared to the monosaccharides like refined white flours or table sugars. This is why you always read about “staying away from refined and processed foods” as much as possible.
Now keep in mind that complex carbs require a prolonged digestion time (enzymatic process) and thus provide a slow, even and ideal flow of energy. This avoids any fluctuations in glucose (blood sugar) levels which can affect energy. Complex carbohydrates contain more nutrients and fiber.
Here’s a better overview of where you can find various carbohydrates in foods:
Complex carbohydrates, often referred to as “starchy” foods, include:
* breads
* cereals
* starchy vegetables
* legumes
* rice
* pastas
* some protein drinks
Simple carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals occur naturally in:
* fruits
* milk and milk products
* vegetables
Simple carbohydrates are also found in processed and refined sugars such as:
* candy
* table sugar
* syrups (not including natural syrups such as maple)
* regular carbonated beverages
* refined flours
* some processed foods
Bottom line: You want to get most of your carbohydrate energy from complex sources so that you have a long term energy flow. After a workout, it’s ideal to take in simple sugars to quickly replace glycogen stores.
Copyright 2006 Marc David
Everything you need to know about complex carbs and when to take simple carbs for optimal workout recovery is in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Posted by admin on March 18th, 2009 — Posted in Nutrition + More
Clinical research into the side effects of hoodia gordonii has not been completed at this time. All sources report no unwanted side effects among users of 100% hoodia gordonii products or extracts. Final clinical research should include possible drug interactions, but often there are no such studies into reactions with natural products like herbs. This is important to remember if you are considering a hoodia herb combo like Hoodia Gordonii Plus, but this hoodia comparison focuses on 100% hoodia gordonii products, comparing price, hoodia content and other considerations.
Hoodia XR is a 100% hoodia gordonii is distributed by an American company called Great Herbal Labs. According to their website, they have been in the herbal supplement business since 2001. The first item in this hoodia comparison is price, because this is a major consideration for many people. Hoodia XR 100% hoodia gordonii is currently selling for $49.95 per bottle plus shipping. Customers receive free Fed Ex shipping and a 10% discount when two bottles are purchased at the same time. With three bottles the company offers a 25% discount as well as free shipping. Total price for three bottles of Hoodia XR is $109.95.
Desert Burn Industries sells several different hoodia products, all are 100% hoodia gordonii, but for the purpose of this hoodia comparison, we are looking at Desert Burn ZA 750, which is currently priced at $59.95 per bottle plus shipping and handling. Three bottles cost $149.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling.
Hoodia content or milligrams per capsule is the next item in this hoodia comparison. Hoodia XR 100% hoodia gordonii is a 1000mg time released capsule. Suggested use is one tablet three times per day or as recommended by a healthcare professional. Desert Burn ZA 750, as the name indicates is 750mg. Suggested use is one or two capsules in the morning and one or two in the afternoon, not to exceed six capsules per day. There is no accepted “standard dosage” for 100% hoodia gordonii products. Research by Phytopharm which supports hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant can not be used to establish the necessary amount to achieve results, because the extract that they used for research contained only the active molecule, not the whole plant in powdered form. But, for the purpose of this hoodia comparison, let’s go with 3000mg per day, which is the Hoodia XR suggestion. It is important to note here that according to customer comments, dieters have achieved results with less.
If an individual needs 3000mg per day to achieve results then one bottle (90 capsules) of Hoodia XR is a 30 day supply, but a bottle of Desert Burn ZA 750 (60 capsules) is only a 15 day supply. This hoodia comparison is repeated among other companies selling 100% hoodia gordonii products. Product information and order information may refer to a bottle as a 30 day supply, but when we read the small print, we see that this is not necessarily true.
Both Hoodia XR and Desert Burn have appropriate certifications and licenses which indicate that their products are genuine 100% hoodia gordonii. Both have money back guarantees. Hoodia XR will accept return of one opened bottle per customer if they are dissatisfied for any reason, but customers must call for return authorization and the return authorization number must be written on the outside of the box or the return will be rejected. This completes this hoodia comparison of two 100% hoodia gordonii products.
For more information about 100% hoodia gordonii, visit the Hoodia Info Blog at http://hoodiainfo.blogspot.com
Patsy Hamilton is an editor of the Hoodia Info Blog.
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