Are there ways to help one stay young? Ancient mythology credited food as one of the keys to anti-ageing. Greek Gods consumed ambrosia, a food which conferred youthfulness.
Youthfulness comes from good health and physical attractiveness. Hence, delaying ageing also means deferring degenerative diseases and ensuring effective functioning of all body systems. Instead of anti-ageing or preventive ageing, one should aim for healthy-ageing or living longer and healthier.
The mantra for healthy-ageing is called the defensive nutrition paradigm. This stresses on making food choices that maintain a healthy level of body fat and weight, maximize support for organ systems and prevent chronic diseases. This paradigm, coupled with regular physical activity, is the 21st century ambrosia.
Have foods rich in phytonutrients, omega-3-fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, fibre and probiotics. Also, legumes, lean meats, low-fat dairy and fermented foods.
Today even science has proved that an individual, by practicing certain scientific methods like kriya yoga, can arrest decay in the body.
Physicians, recommend at least 10 minutes of exercise daily, keeping busy, thinking positive and a good night’s sleep. Sleep on your back to avoid wrinkles, abandon sugar. Substitute coffee with green tea, drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day and stop smoking, some simple tips.
Can aging be slowed down? Ayurveda helps. Excessive or under-utilization of the senses of the body, unwholesome diet and lack of mental peace accelerate aging. Periodic detoxification (panchakarma), natural supplements (rasayanams) and anti-degenerative therapeutic procedures retard aging.
Apples, strawberries, grapes and raspberries have anti-aging properties. Both bell and chili peppers contain antioxidants and have much Vitamin C. Have a handful of nuts every day. Sprouts are a great source of protein and Vitamin C. The healthy bacteria in yoghurt aids immune function and its calcium content helps burn fat.
Squalene, found in olive oil, is rich in Vitamin A and C. Vitamin A weakens age spots and reduces environmental damage. Vitamin C protects skin from sun, pollution and water. With the right focus, you can feel young forever!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Importance Of Antioxidants
Antioxidant Green Tea
Tea has been treasured through the ages for its mellow taste, delicate aroma and amazing health benefits. To stay focused during hours of meditation, monks are known to have relied on the power of green tea.
Now tea has become fashionable all over again, attracting health conscious consumers seeking a more natural and healthy lifestyle. And for good reason: Tea is loaded with powerful phenolic antioxidants that can, as part of a well-balanced diet, help promote wellness. Exciting research indicates that tea even has the potential to speed metabolism and promote weight loss.
Antioxidant Amla
When free radicals encounter cellular molecules such as lipids, proteins and DNA, they knock out electrons from these molecules as well and damage them. When the body is under the onslaught of free radicals, it is said to be in oxidative stress.
Some free radicals arise normally during metabolism. Sometimes the body’s immune system cells purposefully create them to neutralise viruses and bacteria. However, environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can also spawn free radicals.
Normally, the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. Of particular importance is that free radical damage accumulates with age.
Amla, is one of the most potent antioxidant herbs. Amla is one of the major herbs used in a well-known rejuvenative Ayurvedic formula Chyvanprash. It is said that Chyvanprash can bring back youth and grace to an ageing body and provide renewed vitality in the young.
Amla is widely used in traditional medicine to treat many diseases and it owes its health benefits to its powerful antioxidant property.
The extract of Amla has been found to improve glucose metabolism in diabetes. Treatment with extract of Amla brought about effective normalisation of blood sugar levels in diabetes. Administration of the extract of Amla to diabetic subjects improved body weight gain.
Extracts of Amla have been shown to protect the skin from the damaging effects of free radicals, non-radicals and transition metal-induced oxidative stress. Amla is suitable for use in anti-ageing, sunscreen and general-purpose skincare products.
So next time you see the word “oxidative stress”, think of Amla, It can help you build a firewall against the onslaught of free radicals
List of Foods High In Antioxidants
The following is my short-list for Antioxidant-rich Foods. Try to incorporate as many as possible into your daily diet. And remember, organic, raw, fresh and local is always best:
• Corn
• Lime
• Kale
• Lemon
• Dates
• Cloves
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Prunes
• Mangos
• Almonds
• Carrots
• Wheat Germ
• Pomegranates
• Barley & Rye
• Black Currant
• Oranges
• Sweet Potatoes
• Raw Nuts & Seeds
• Whole Grain Brown Rice
• Barley & Rye
• Spinach
• Apricots
• Broccoli
• Cinnamon
• Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Artichoke
• Green Tea
• Pineapple
• Red Beets
• Coconut Oil
Tea has been treasured through the ages for its mellow taste, delicate aroma and amazing health benefits. To stay focused during hours of meditation, monks are known to have relied on the power of green tea.
Now tea has become fashionable all over again, attracting health conscious consumers seeking a more natural and healthy lifestyle. And for good reason: Tea is loaded with powerful phenolic antioxidants that can, as part of a well-balanced diet, help promote wellness. Exciting research indicates that tea even has the potential to speed metabolism and promote weight loss.
Antioxidant Amla
When free radicals encounter cellular molecules such as lipids, proteins and DNA, they knock out electrons from these molecules as well and damage them. When the body is under the onslaught of free radicals, it is said to be in oxidative stress.
Some free radicals arise normally during metabolism. Sometimes the body’s immune system cells purposefully create them to neutralise viruses and bacteria. However, environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can also spawn free radicals.
Normally, the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. Of particular importance is that free radical damage accumulates with age.
Amla, is one of the most potent antioxidant herbs. Amla is one of the major herbs used in a well-known rejuvenative Ayurvedic formula Chyvanprash. It is said that Chyvanprash can bring back youth and grace to an ageing body and provide renewed vitality in the young.
Amla is widely used in traditional medicine to treat many diseases and it owes its health benefits to its powerful antioxidant property.
The extract of Amla has been found to improve glucose metabolism in diabetes. Treatment with extract of Amla brought about effective normalisation of blood sugar levels in diabetes. Administration of the extract of Amla to diabetic subjects improved body weight gain.
Extracts of Amla have been shown to protect the skin from the damaging effects of free radicals, non-radicals and transition metal-induced oxidative stress. Amla is suitable for use in anti-ageing, sunscreen and general-purpose skincare products.
So next time you see the word “oxidative stress”, think of Amla, It can help you build a firewall against the onslaught of free radicals
List of Foods High In Antioxidants
The following is my short-list for Antioxidant-rich Foods. Try to incorporate as many as possible into your daily diet. And remember, organic, raw, fresh and local is always best:
• Corn
• Lime
• Kale
• Lemon
• Dates
• Cloves
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Prunes
• Mangos
• Almonds
• Carrots
• Wheat Germ
• Pomegranates
• Barley & Rye
• Black Currant
• Oranges
• Sweet Potatoes
• Raw Nuts & Seeds
• Whole Grain Brown Rice
• Barley & Rye
• Spinach
• Apricots
• Broccoli
• Cinnamon
• Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Artichoke
• Green Tea
• Pineapple
• Red Beets
• Coconut Oil
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
LIVING LONGER WITH POSITIVE THINKING
If you want to live a longer life, start with positive thinking. Learning how to be an optimist can make your heart and your mind healthier. A positive thinker is always better equipped with a significantly stronger immune system, as it increases your white blood cell count which helps you fight off infection and disease. Specifically, if you're optimistic towards your life, the world would become a beautiful masterpiece of art, or else, the world would appear scary and horrible for those who have more negative thought patterns.
Positive Thinking: Tips for Maintaining Optimism
"To maintain positive thinking you need to pay attention to basic needs such as getting enough rest, proper nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and heath care. It means keeping your life in balance. Here are some tips for keeping a positive outlook:
• Let it out. Keeping feelings of sadness, anger, or guilt bottled up inside is unhealthy. Talk to a friend or loved one. Write it on a piece of paper and burn it after reading it aloud; or shout it out but get your feelings out in the open where you can deal with them and complete with them forever.
• Replace negative thinking with positive thinking. "People who are optimistic are able to reframe negatives into positives. Practicing this kind of positive spin will eventually make it automatic. Since there are no absolute truths, consider your life story. Do you want it to be a positive one or a tragic one?
• Learn to deal with stress. Some stress is inevitable. Learn to handle it in a positive way. "Exercise sheds stress, releases endorphins, helps you focus, creates personal empowerment, and boosts the immune system. Having a good social support system, accepting change, and keeping life in perspective are other ways people can deal with stress and maintain positive thinking.
• Be a survivor. Life is both magic and tragic. We all have to face loss, failure, and disappointment sometimes. People who are optimistic find a way to recover. They develop resilience. Life is a series of recoveries. When you understand this premise, you believe that you will get through your obstacles and emerge stronger with experience and empowerment to navigate the next challenge.
• Create time for fun. Positive thinking and joy go together. Instead of an endless to-do list, pursue a creative hobby to fill any loss or grief you are experiencing. Activate your sense of fun. Laughter is your inner treadmill and it breaks negativity instantly. Laugh on small things, spend time with kids or pets, have fun.
• Take good care of yourself. People who are optimistic don't neglect their physical health. To enjoy anything else in the whole world, whether a meal, a car, a house or a relationship, you need to be healthy first- and if it’s that important, let’s do some additional effort to keep it right.
Positive thinking and optimism really do contribute to a longer, healthier life. Avoid the false sense of optimism offered by drugs and alcohol. These solutions to stress only cause more problems in the long run. Positive thinking provides its own rewards, so take responsibility for your thoughts. As the great William Shakespeare once wrote, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
I realize it is not how long you live but how intensely you live, in terms of appreciating your life and living life to the fullest, living positively.
Positive Thinking: Tips for Maintaining Optimism
"To maintain positive thinking you need to pay attention to basic needs such as getting enough rest, proper nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and heath care. It means keeping your life in balance. Here are some tips for keeping a positive outlook:
• Let it out. Keeping feelings of sadness, anger, or guilt bottled up inside is unhealthy. Talk to a friend or loved one. Write it on a piece of paper and burn it after reading it aloud; or shout it out but get your feelings out in the open where you can deal with them and complete with them forever.
• Replace negative thinking with positive thinking. "People who are optimistic are able to reframe negatives into positives. Practicing this kind of positive spin will eventually make it automatic. Since there are no absolute truths, consider your life story. Do you want it to be a positive one or a tragic one?
• Learn to deal with stress. Some stress is inevitable. Learn to handle it in a positive way. "Exercise sheds stress, releases endorphins, helps you focus, creates personal empowerment, and boosts the immune system. Having a good social support system, accepting change, and keeping life in perspective are other ways people can deal with stress and maintain positive thinking.
• Be a survivor. Life is both magic and tragic. We all have to face loss, failure, and disappointment sometimes. People who are optimistic find a way to recover. They develop resilience. Life is a series of recoveries. When you understand this premise, you believe that you will get through your obstacles and emerge stronger with experience and empowerment to navigate the next challenge.
• Create time for fun. Positive thinking and joy go together. Instead of an endless to-do list, pursue a creative hobby to fill any loss or grief you are experiencing. Activate your sense of fun. Laughter is your inner treadmill and it breaks negativity instantly. Laugh on small things, spend time with kids or pets, have fun.
• Take good care of yourself. People who are optimistic don't neglect their physical health. To enjoy anything else in the whole world, whether a meal, a car, a house or a relationship, you need to be healthy first- and if it’s that important, let’s do some additional effort to keep it right.
Positive thinking and optimism really do contribute to a longer, healthier life. Avoid the false sense of optimism offered by drugs and alcohol. These solutions to stress only cause more problems in the long run. Positive thinking provides its own rewards, so take responsibility for your thoughts. As the great William Shakespeare once wrote, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
I realize it is not how long you live but how intensely you live, in terms of appreciating your life and living life to the fullest, living positively.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Fountain Of Youth
When I saw the recent photos of Stacey Dash I was speechless. We all remember Stacey as Dionne the rich girl sidekick to Cher Horowitz in the 1995 mega hit and cult classic Clueless. Stacey Dash was born in the Bronx, New York, on January 20, 1966. Stacy knew that she wanted to act, and from an early age began to act professionally. She made regular appearances on "The Cosby Show" (1984), "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990), and also "St. Elsewhere" (1982). At 22 she made her feature film debut in Moving (1988), playing Richard Pryor's teenage daughter.
This beautiful actress seems to almost be frozen in time. She has always played characters that were much younger than her actual age, which is 42! Yes, she is 42. From the natural look of her face and body it doesn’t appear that she’s had any plastic surgery and is aging quite gracefully. This just proves that women over 40 are no longer limited to overweight, wrinkles or lack of energy. Way to girl girl! Enjoy the pics!
A lot of people get older and they just start to feel a little bit different,they say I'm just old, weak, less energy...... I would say it all lies in your thoughts and spoken words. Look at Stacy, she is definitely a role model, lets not give up the fight,even if its against the time. You can still get look good, feel good, healthy and beautiful. Why shouldn't you fight it?" I am sure it's worth the effort.
Love Yourself
1. Stop all criticism: Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
2. Don't scare yourself: Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure (mine is yellow roses), and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.
3. Be gentle and kind and patient: Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient
with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you
really loved.
4. Be kind to your mind: Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change the thoughts.
5. Praise yourself: Criticism breaks the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.
6. Support yourself: Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends, and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.
7. Be loving to your negatives: Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So. lovingly release the old negative patterns.
8. Take care of your body: Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.
9. Mirror work: Look into your own eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say: "I love you, I really love you!"
10. LOVE YOURSELF - DO IT NOW! Don't wait until you get well or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin NOW - do the best you can.
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