Hey, this is my first post on blogger.com
Today i want to talk about health, nutrition and the environment.
First of all i'm not an expert. I'm just sharing some information that I've learned.
One thing that we all love, and need is food.
Food is everywhere, in grocery stores, malls, gas stations, etc.
We all need food for energy and nutrition. but we're not healthy if we're eating the wrong types of foods in our diets.
There are lots of problems like disease, obesity, poor health, cancer and lots of other problems.
But there is always a solution for every problem.
Over 300,000 death per year are caused by poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity.
There are lots of things that cause poor health.
Fast food restaurants, conventional foods, snack foods and more.
Fast food restaurants aren't healthy at all. They use poor quality/conventional foods with all different types of chemicals and pesticides.
I read an article about a 16 year year old who worked at McDonalds. He said the employees use old and dropped food. Probably foods that have been in their refrigerators for months, or even years. He said that they'll have him in they're restaurant from the time that he gets out of school to 11:00AM the next day. It's illegal to overwork teenage employees, at least in his state.
Some of the working managers give alchohol and drugs to teenage co-workers.
Who knows what else they do at their restaurants.
But I'm not meaning any offense towards McDonalds, Wendy's or any other restaurants.
These days nutritional information is everywhere, in books, articles, internet, etc. You just have to make an effort to start looking.
Food And Exercise
It's important to have a good balance between food and physical activity.
Now we all know about Food Pyramids. These days a lot of them are different but contain a lot of the same information.
Here are some important foods that you should be getting in your diet :
Whole Grains
Whole grains contain a lot of healthy nutrients like vitamins, iron, protein, zink and more.
grains : pastas, bread, oats, quinoa, cold cereal, crackers, rice, and more.
Vegetables
Vegetables also contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals as well as other foods like fruits, nuts, seeds, and more.
vegetables
squash, carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, peppers, spinach, kale, greens, peas, cabbages, broccoli, avocadoes and other vegetables.
Fruit
bananas, apples, plumbs, blue berries, stawberries, raspberries, acai berry, mellons, pears, tomatoes, mangoes, oranges, grape fruit, lemons, limes, and more.
Dairy
milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy foods.
Protein
amino acids, fish, poultry, steak, beans, rice, grains, nuts, seeds, and more.
Nuts and Seeds
almonds, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and more.
Oils and Snacks
You should get small amounts of oils and snacks such as : dairy butter, peanut butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil, candy, etc.
You should also try to find healthier snacks low in sugar and cholesterol.
and even make some of your own healthy snacks.
Try searching the web to look at some food pyramids for information on nutrition.
If you gain more calories a day than you burn, then you'll gain about 1 pound a month. that's 10 pounds in a year.
If you want to lose weight then you should reduce calories and increase physical activity.
Another way to lose weight would be to eat lots of foods that contain a lot of fiber.
It's not just about losing weight or how you look, it's about your health and how you are on the inside. Someone can look really big and muscular. They might have huge biceps, abs, etc.
But they could have a lot of serious health problems.
Food and Exercise
It's important to get a lot of physical activity whenever you get the chance.
Here are some things you can do to get in, or stay in shape.
sports : baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, skateboarding, biking, tennis, football, running/jogging and more. You can even do some physical Wii activities like Wii Sports and Wii Fit.
Here are some things you can do in the gym :
Treadmills, exercise machines, Yoga. yoga helps to flex muscles and reduce stress.
Consult with your doctor before doing yoga.
The amount of time that children and teens should get exercise is 30 to 60 minutes.
Try spending at least one hour in the gym each day.
Grocery Stores
Grocery stores are very common in public society.
We all go in and out of public grocery stores to buy food products and other items that we need for our everyday lifestyles.
For food it's important to read labels and make sure that your getting the right ingredients and beneficials before putting the item in your shopping cart.
Labels and Nutrition Facts
You should always read labels and ingredients when buying store-bought items/
these are a few things to look out for when grocery shopping :
Look for foods and beverages low in added sugars.
I do know some healthier sweeteners than sugar.
Stevia :
Stevia is a healthy all natural sweetener that comes from a stevia plant. You can add this to any product made with sweetener.
You can make lemonade with it, desserts, tea, coffee, and more.
You can find this item in your local grocery store. I recommend looking in Kroger.
For more information go to sweetleaf.com
Agave Syrup, also known as Agave Nectar :
Agave nectar is also a good sweetener. It's kind of like honey. this product comes from a spiky plant called the blue webber agave plant.
You can basically do the same thing as the Stevia sweetener.
I really recommend trying this in lemonade. Or even try mixing with the Stevia sweetener. But you don't want it to be too sweet.
For more information about agave nectar go to madhavasagave.com
A can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.
in the US the average adult drinks about 500 cans of soda each year.
Too much salt can increase high blood pressure. Try reducing the amount of salth that you eat.
Try looking for all natural salt shakers to lower cholesterol.
I recommend sea salt. I use sea salt all the time when I'm seasoning a salad or making a dish. It's a really good tasting and high quality seasoning.
Look for foods low in saturates fats, trans fats, and cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart disease.
When a single food item contains over 400 calories, then it is high in calories.
Start buying organic produce and other products.
Organic items and produce are freshly grown without the use of chemicals and pesticides.
Coffee : instead of going to a coffee shop, try making an organic and healthier cup of coffee at home. And if you do go to a coffee shop then make a request.
You can even add a small dosage of stevia or agave.
note : When looking at coffee beans, look for a Fare Trade Certified Organic label.
Ways to save money buying organic
Make lists of all the foods that you need to last at least 1 to 2 weeks before shopping.
And if you start runnig out then make another list of things that you need then go back to the grocery.
Doing this will help to save more money on gas, and save more money when you go shopping.
Try gardening fresh produce
read books and do research about gardening, and then start a fruit and vegetable garden in your back yard.
Buy from local farmer's markets.
Some health food stores have good deals on organic products.
Look for food co-ops and package deliveries online.
Compare Prices.
Print Coupons
This is a website you can look at : couponmom.com
They also have coupon books at Whole Foods.
Buy In Bulk
Try reducing the amount of time that you spend eating out.
Restaurants serve a lot of expensive food. So when your eating out you could be spending that money on groceries.
Reducing the amount of time that you spend eating out would help to lower the amount of money that you spend on groceries.
Make more home cooked meals
How to tell if a food product is organic
One way to tell a product organic would be to look for a USDA seal. Or the item will just say Organic or All Natural on the packaging.
You can also go to Google.com and search "how to tell if a food product is organic"
Meat and Vegetarianism
There are lots of things about meat and vegetarianism that we don't know.
Example : a lot of people think that vegetarians eat only eat fruits, vegetables and bad tasting green smoothies. A lot of people are curious about vegetarians getting protein, vitamins and minerals.
Lots of vegetarians eat all different types of foods that taste pretty good if you ever give it a chance. Just because It's vegetarian doesn't mean it has to taste bad.
The foods that vegetarians eat just have to be Organic or Vegan, wich means it doesn't contain any traces of meat.
They have a food pyramid for vegetarians and vegans.
Here are some things that vegetarians and vegans get for nutrition.
Fruits and Vegetables
Vegetarians have to eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables daily to get vitamins and minerals and energy.
Dairy Substitutes
There are all different types of substitutes that come from different sources. Vegetarians eat a lot of dairy substitutes containing lots of soy, rice, almond, and other different food sources.
Here are some things that vegetarians eat to substitute dairy.
Almond cheese, rice cheese, almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, soy yogurt, tofu, soy mayonaise, and more.
Whole Grains
Pastas, bread, grain flours, rice, millet, oats, hot cereals, cold cereals and more.
Protein
There are all different types of foods that vegetarians get for protein.
foods like these :
Nuts, seeds, vegetables, beans, rice, large amounts of whole grains, soy, amino acids, and more.
There are lots of different substitutes for meats, poultry, beef, pork, some for fish and seafood.
A lot of the substitutes look and taste exactly like meat.
Oils And Sweets
There are lots of sweets for a vegetarian. Most of the sweets will probably be in a health food store, or health food section in a grocery store.
Candies and Snacks :
Cookies, cakes, pies, granola bars, brownies and more.
There are all natural oils too like olive oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil.
Vegetarians also reduce the amounts of oils and sweets that they consume.
To look at a vegan food pyramid go to veganfoodpyramid.com
There are all different types of things that peeople do to animals in factory farms. They do lots of cruel and unsanitary things to animals before slaughter.
They beat animals, give steroids, chemicals, pesticides, and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)
Here are some videos and websites that have information about livestock faring and what they do. You can look at this information on another page and then come back to my blog.
meat.org
goveg.com/factoryfarming.asp
YouTube video searches :
video 1. The Truth Behind Meat by MMGVA
video 2. Meat the Truth part 1 of 8
video 3. Go Vegan For Planet Earth
Vegetarians are very creative with the foods they eat.
Over the years people have created vegetarian substitutes such as dairy products, pizzas, cereals, meats, and more.
I know that I can't convince everyone to go vegetarian, But I think It's important to have some knowledge of this information to get a better understanding.
Did you know that meat is the 1# cause of global warming?
18% of global greenhouse gasses are caused by livestock.
That's more than cars, planes, factories, etc.
In farms chickens are all put together in a small little house.
They walk on manure.
50% of they're diets are made up of whole grains grown with chemicals and toxins.
Cows, pigs and other animals are also treated very cruel.
The things that people do in livestock farms don't only affect the animals, they have an affect on us and the environment.
We're all eating those things that people put in farm animals.
Think about it this way :
Chickens eat grains in factory farms containing chemicals and pesticides, then you eat the chicken containing the toxins. Then those chemicals, mixed with the meat, end up in your system for long periods of time.
This happens especially with beef.
Vegetarianism
A vegetarian is someone that doesn't eat any meat, fish, poultry, or dairy products such as chicken, eggs, beef, steak, or any other meat products.
I'm also a vegetarian.
Here are some vegetarian foods that I like to eat :
For breakfast I'll get a fruit smoothie, or Nature's Path cereal.
For lunch I'll get a piece of pizza, or a tofurky sandwich.
For snacks we'll eat bars, cookies, etc. But we don't snake all the time.
For dinner I'll make stir fries with beans and rice, and sometimes cookies for dessert.
Becoming a vegetarian
There are all different types of vegetarians.
Total Vegetarians : total vegetarians exclude all animal products including beef, pork, seafood, dairy products and honey.
Lacto Ovo vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products.
Pollo Vegetarians eat poultry.
Vegans don't eat or use anything made with animals.
If your considering vegetarianism, then I'd recommend becoming a vegan.
When you do so your not only helping the environment, your helping yourself. And if not vegan then try becoming a total vegetarian.
Doing so will help you to lose weight and get healthier. You'll look better, and feel better. I guarentee it. But this will only happen if you eat right.
4 Steps To Becoming A Vegetarian
Here are some things you can try if you want to become a vegetarian.
giving up meat
These are different phases you can go through to become a vegetarian. You can try giving up meat while substituting it every week untill your a complete vegetarian.
Here are some things you can do.
Cutting Meat Out Of Your Diet :
week 1. cut beef and pork out of your diet.
week 2. give up fish and seafood.
week 3. wait a few days/a week and then give up chicken and poultry.
week 4. give up dairy.
And then after that you're a vegetarian.
And be sure to stay away from any inorganic foods that contain any traces of meat.
Read and do research
There are all different types of information about vegan and vegetarianism.
There are lots of vegetarian cookbooks, guides, and more. You can search the internet, book stores, websites, online shopping stores like eBay, amazon.com and more.
How to Tell If a Product Is Vegan :
When looking at food packaging you'll see a small V on the front or back of the packaging.
note : as a vegetarian it's important to get a lot of vegetables in your diet.
Finding a Health Food Store
To find a health food store you can go to Yellowpages.com, enter your location and type in "health food store"
Here are some different food brands that vegetarians eat.
Meat
Field Roast grain meat, tofu scrambles, Boca burgers and Boca chicken patties, Amy's veggie burgers, Tofurky sausages, Smart bacon and more.
Vegetarian Dairy Products
Organic Rice Dream milk, Lisannati cheese, Daiya cheese, Nasoya, Osoy yogurt, and more.
Grains
Ezekiel grain bread, rice pastas, Nature's Path cereal, Enviro Kids cereal, Optimum cereal, Arrowhead Mills flour and pancake mix.
Oils and Sweets
Alternative Baking Company cookies, agave nectar, Clif Bar, Nature's Path granola bars, Luna bars, Newman's Own organic cookies, Rice Dream ice cream, organic olive oils and
grapeseed oils.
Try not to get too carried away with sweets. Even healthy snacks have an affect on you if you eat too much.
These are only a few substitues that I've mentioned. There are all different kinds of foods and substitutes out there.
For more information on these products go to the following websites :
vegproductsguide.com fieldroast.com bocafoods.com tofurky.com tastethedream.com
lisanatti.com daiyafoods.com nasoya.com soyjoy.com foodforlife.com naturespath.com arrowheadmills.com alternativebakingcompany.com madhavasagave.com clifbar.com lightlife.com
Restaurants
A lot of restaurants serve meats and conventional foods. So it's hard to find vegan friendly restaurants. especially in southern parts of the US. But I'm sure you can find some at happycow.com
So there are all different types of things you can do to be healthy and help the environment. It's just all about making an effort.
Later and good day.
sources :
dosomething.org
ezinearticles.com/The-Truth-About-The-Meat-You-Eat
MovieMediaVirginia@youtube.com
DianaDi@youtube.com
veganfuture@youtube.com
goveg.com
meat.org
theveggietable.com/articles/becomingveggie.html
msu.edu
8/my-mcdonalds-story-the-straight-truth/ at aboutmyjob.com
