The Importance of Drinking The Right Amount of Water Everyday

What is the most essential nutrient do we need in order for us to actively participate in chemical reactions; lubricates and cushions joints, eyes, spinal cord; aids in body-temperature maintenance and serves as the solvent for many small molecules? The answer is WATER. Many of us just think that water is for quenching our thirst but in reality it is the most important nutrient in our diet. It is very important to drink the right type and amount of fluid to stay healthy especially when our body excretes more sweat during hot season and hard days work
Amount of Fluid Needed Each Day
If you are one of the many people who find it hard to drink the recommended six to eight glasses of water a day, don't lose hope. Most fruits and vegetables contain up to 95 percent water, and many meats and cheeses contain at least 50 percent. A key point is NOT to wait until you're thirsty. If you're thirsty, it means your body has already lost more water than it should have, and it's urging you to fill up the tank. An easy way to check your fluid status is to look at the color of your urine. It should be a very pale yellow. If it's a dark yellow, it means that you're not drinking enough.
Type of Fluid Needed
Water -- First and foremost, our bodies need water. Juice and milk have a high percentage of water, but they also contain calories. If you're watching your weight, drink water. Avoid caffeinated beverages such as most sodas and regular coffee, as caffeine actually causes the body to lose water. The same goes for alcohol.
If you exercise during hot weather, you may prefer a sports drink. Sports drinks contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which are lost in sweat. The salt also makes us thirsty, causing us to drink even more. Juice and soda aren't absorbed as easily during exercise, so save them for before or after your activity.

The Power of Salt

We know that slat are just mere condiments use for cooking but in the other aspect of its component, it has several benefits to our body. Below are some of the uses.

1. Salt has been given a bad rap in terms of how it affects health. However, salt does heal some conditions as well. Here's how to go about using this natural substance.

2. Salt is good for relieving body aches and pains. Dissolve the salt in water and use for soaking the body or the aching body part.

3.Salt is good for sore throats. Dissolve salt and gargle several times during the coarse of the day; or dip a towellete in the saline water and wrap around the throat.

4. Salt is also good for cleaning or flushing the sinuses. There are several ways of doing so. One way is to use a syringe and filling the nasal

5. Salt can be use as face exfoliant. Just combine an amount of salt and honey in a bowl, mix it well and gently rub it on your face. Wash with water and wipe off with dry cloth.

Going Easy On Your Pancreas

Most people with acute pancreatitis recover completely. But even if you experience no lingering symptoms, it is still important to take necessary steps to keep your pancreas healthy as possible. Below are some of the important things to remember:

1. Avoid alcohol. If you can’t voluntarily stop from drinking an alcohol, seek treatment for alcoholism. Because abstaining may or may not reduce your pain but it will reduce your risk of dying from the disease. That is why it is important to really stop from drinking alcohol.
2. Eat smaller meals. The more you eat, the greater the amount of digestive juices your pancreas must produce. Instead of large meals, eat smaller but eat frequently.
3. Limit fat in your diet. This will help reduce loose and oily stools that result from a lack of pancreatic enzymes. You should eat healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources.
4. Follow a high-carbohydrate diet. A carbohydrate gives you the energy to help fight fatigue. Try to get most of your daily calories from complex carbohydrates found in grains, vegetables and legumes.

The Magic of Lemon Grass

Lemon Grass also called as oil grass, fever grass or citronella grass, works well as medicine in some parts of the world. Lemon grass is not only an excellent stuffing ingredient and food flavoring in fish and poultry dishes, it is also used to flavor wines, sauces, salad and spices. This tropical fragrant grass, with an aromatic citrus flavor and tinge of ginger can be an answer to your medicinal, cooking and drinking needs.
Medicinal Uses:
1. Gaseous Distension. Boil 1 tbsp of dried or 2 tbsp of fresh chopped leaves in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Strain, drink while warm.
2. Diarrhea. Boil 10 leaves in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes. add a tablespoon of sugar and a piece of crushed ginger. Take the solution after each loose bowel movement. For adults 1 cup 3x a day, babies 1 tbsp 3x a day, 2-6 yr old 1/4 cup 3x a day, 7-12 yrs. old 1/2 cup 3x a day.
3. Diuretic. Make a 20% decoction of leaves. Drink 1/4 glass of decoction 3x a day.
4. Mosquito Repellent. topically apply the juice from pounded leaves.
5. Aromatic Bath. Boil 4 handfuls of leaves in 1 liter of water for minutes. Add enough water to make it lukewarm. good for the sick and for mothers who have just given birth to use for bathing.
6. Mouth Wash. soak 2 tablespoonfuls of chopped leaves in 1 glass of hot water for 30 minutes. Strain. Use the infusion as mouthwash.

Lemon grass has 65-85% citral that contains active ingredients like myrcene citronella, citronellol and geraniol. The study found out that citral causes cells to 'commit suicide using apoptosis a mechanism called programmed death" A drink with a little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube. Teh success of their research led them to conclude that herbs containing citral may be consumed as a preventive measure against certain cancerous cells.

Research also showed that the antibacterial and anti fungal properties of lemon grass help improve skin by reducing acne and pimples, and at the same time act as muscle and tissue toners. Citronella, known for its calming effects helps relieve insomnia or stress.

Lemon Grass Drink

Lemon grass, as an herbal tea is a good cleanser that helps detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder and the digestive tract. Below is the procedure:

What you need:

4 cups water

1/2 cup fresh lemon grass tops, chopped

sugar to taste

Calamansi (optional)

What to do:

1. Add lemon grass to boiling water

2. Turn off heat and let solution stand for 8 to 10 minutes

3. Strain, squeeze calamansi, sweeten to taste and chill

4. Serve with ice

Happy New Year

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Hi everyone, hope you have a very prosperous year this year! Happy blogging.

Watch What You Eat!

The kind of food or diet that you have has an impact of having a beautiful skin. The reason is that the diet for overall health slows down the physiological mechanisms of aging in all tissues including the skin. Having a good diet will result to having a beautiful, radiant skin and healthy body as well. Below are some of the guidelines.

1. Balance and variety- this is usually imply a diet that contains all necessary nutrients within a certain optimal range. It is usually selected in such a way as to prevent protein malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. And the simplest way to achieve this is to follow the following suggested foods.
1. Consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within the energy needs.
2. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day.
3. Consume 3 or more ounce equivalents of whole grain products per day. At least half of the grains should come from whole grains.
4. Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low fat milk.
2. Fruits and Vegetables – Fruits and vegetables are important in preventing premature skin aging because they contain a wide variety of antioxidants. These antioxidants help protect skin from damage by free radicals which are especially rampant in the skin due to environment exposure. Be sure that fruits and vegetables are fresh and minimally cooked since heat inactivates most antioxidants if overly done.
3. Fluids – A well moisturized skin is less prone to developing wrinkles. Drinking plenty of fluids or 6-8 glasses throughout the day ensures proper hydration of the body and helps reduce skin dryness. Remember, coffee and sodas are not a good substitute for water because they contain caffeine which is diuretic- a substance promoting the excretion of water through urine. And also do not drink too much fluid 2-3 hours before bedtime because this may cause morning inflammation and excessively stretch your skin.
4. Calories – The desire to have or retain youthful skin is to watch your calorie intake and avoid weight gain. Always keep in mind that gaining and losing weight may have negative effects not only on the skin but on the overall health as well.
5. Cooking. Watch out in cooking your food! Every time a food is heated up the rate of reactions of degradation and oxidation of nutrients jumps up dramatically. In other words, cooking depletes food of many essential nutrients and antioxidants and increases the content of oxidative by products or free radicals which resulted to consuming less essential nutrients and more aging promoting free radicals. Just a reminder for everybody to reduce cooking time, avoid deep frying, grilling and cooking in large amounts of oil and avoid continuous opening of cover because it will evaporate the nutrients to the air.

To ensure that all essential nutrients are consumed in an adequate amount, it is advisable to consume a wide variety of foods.