In the 7th century, the Buddhist monks discovered gluten, while kneading wheat flour with water to make a dough. Gluten is found naturally in grains and binds together two separate proteins found wfithin the grain. Gluten consists of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, and is commonly found in wheat, barley and rye. As it is insoluble in water, it can be obtained by washing away the associated starch and used as a leavening agent. An important source of protein, gluten is found in foods in their natural state and also as an additive in low protein foods.

Gluten Allergy and Intolerance

Gluten allergy results from being gluten intolerant. Gluten intolerance is often mistaken to be a food allergy, but it is actually an inherited autoimmune disease. It causes gastrointestinal distress to the immune system, leading to damage of the small intestine. Gluten intolerance is also called as celiac disease and has no cure but can only be prevented and managed by following some dietary rules. There are several types of gluten intolerance, each varying in their symptoms and severity:

Silent celiac disease: This is difficult to detect, as there are no external symptoms, but it can cause a substantial amount of intestinal damage.

Refractory celiac disease: A rare intolerance, in which the symptoms show no improvement, despite one being on a gluten-free diet for months. Some medical practitioners consider this form of intolerance to be a cancer.

Collagenous celiac disease: This is a fatal type of intolerance that accumulates a large amount of scar tissue under the intestinal lining that is characterized by diarrhea, emaciation and anemia.

Latent celiac disease: This type of intolerance does not show any external symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain, though it can cause damage to the intestines.

Gluten-Free Diet

Once diagnosed with gluten allergy, all it takes to ensure good health is precaution to take gluten-free diet. Though most foods are gluten-free in nature, they no longer stay free, when cooked with gluten. The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all companies to list food allergens on their labels, but unfortunately these labels do not tell consumers everything. You can ensure a complete gluten-free diet, if you buy fresh food and cook it yourself. Following are a list of gluten-free foods:

Grains and Flour: Gluten-free bread, biscuits, cakes and flour, made from whole grains are easily found in the market.

Fruit: They are naturally free, however you must be careful while cooking or buying prepackaged fruit, as their preservatives could have gluten. Fruits are best eaten raw.

Vegetables: Like fruits, vegetables are also gluten-free in their natural state. It’s the cooking medium that can add gluten to the vegetables. It is best to steam, boil, saute and even stir fry them using a gluten-free medium.

Dairy: Most milk products are gluten-free, but one must check the ingredients while purchasing cheese, butter and yogurt.

Meat and poultry: They are also gluten-free but the commercially prepared meat and poultry products have gluten in them. While cooking at home, it’s best to use gluten-free flour to make gravy for your food.

Foods Containing Gluten:

According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), two million Americans suffer from gluten allergy. It is believed that genetics has a major role in gluten intolerance. As said earlier, only prevention can aid in managing this allergy. Following is a list of some foods, one must avoid:

Barley
Rye
Wheat
Oats
Bulgur
Durum wheat
Semolina
Emmer/Farro wheat
Matzo flour
Udon
Spelt

Untreated gluten intolerance increases the risk of other autoimmune diseases including cancer. It could also lead to malnutrition, diabetes, lupus etc. It may seem a daunting task to differentiate between gluten and gluten-free foods, but the list for the latter is longer and it just takes a little awareness and planning to lead a healthy life.

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A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.



Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

C elery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? …. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.



Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries



Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.


Onions look like body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes

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(It is not the water that affecting you but the chemical releasing from the bottle)

How to avoid this:
Check on the bottom of the bottle there is a triangle sign and there will be a number on it. If the number is higher than or equal to 5 –> then this bottle is safe to reuse.

If the  number is under 5 it will release the chemical that causes cancer.

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Green tea has been a regular staple of cultures in China, Japan, and the Middle East for centuries. It’s only in recent years that the U.S. and other countries have begun drinking green tea and researching the health benefits that other countries have suspected for decades.

Green tea is made from the leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis, a large shrub that grows freely throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. There are many different varieties of green tea, which can be quite different depending on growing conditions, processing methods, and the time of the year the tea is harvested. The tea is processed with minimal oxidation from unfermented leaves. In tea processing, highly fermented leaves contain a lower polyphenol content and more caffeine. Green tea, which is not fermented, has a high amount of polyphenols and is very low in caffeine.

The polyphenols in green tea-chemicals packed with antioxidants-are what pass along the health benefits. The polyphenols found in green tea are believed to be more potent than vitamin C, and they are responsible for green tea having a somewhat bitter flavor. Green tea also contains alkaloids such as theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline, which are responsible for its stimulant effects.

In recent years there have been many reports about the various health benefits to be realized by drinking green tea, based on anecdotal reports and historical accounts. But researchers are now beginning to study in earnest the benefits of green tea, and especially polyphenols, in preventing and combating disease in humans. Hundreds of researchers the world over have studied and published findings supporting evident that green tea may be responsible for numerous health benefits, some of which are described below. Scientists recommend that just 10 ounces a day is all you need.

Reduced cancer risk
In countries such as Japan, where the population consumes green tea on a regular basis, studies have shown that cancer rates are lower. Although research has not proven that green tea is specifically responsible for these lower rates, researchers think polyphenols can help kill cancer cells and stop the creation of new cells and blood vessels that supplement tumors. Numerous studies have shown that drinking green tea regularly reduces the risk of bladder, ovarian, breast, stomach, colon, lung, esophageal, skin, and colon cancer.

Heart-healthy benefits
Studies indicate that green tea can help prevent atherosclerosis, the plaque buildup in blood vessels that increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Polyphenols help keep blood vessels clear, which reduces blood pressure. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not allow teamakers to use labels claiming that green tea reduces the risk of heart disease, many research studies have proven that antioxidants—which green tea is packed with-help keep arteries clean and healthy. Research also shows that green tea lowers cholesterol.

Weight loss
Green tea may help speed up the body’s metabolism, helping to burn calories more quickly. One study showed that the caffeine in green tea, combined with the polyphenols and antioxidants, improved weight loss for overweight and moderately obest people. Some researchers believe that the catechins in green tea-substances in the polyphenols – are responsible for the fat-burning effects green tea seems to deliver.

Diabetes
Studies in animals and humans have shown that green tea may help prevent Type I diabetes and slow its progression after diagnosis. People with Type I diabetes do not produce enough insulin to convert the glucose and starches in their blood into energy needed. Green tea has been shown to help regulate glucose tolerance in the body.

Liver and bowel diseases
Green tea seems to protect the liver from damage by over consumption of alcoholic beverages and viral hepatitis. Green tea also helps reduce inflammation caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

There are numerous anecdotal reports of studies showing that green tea consumption can also help prevent or treat neruological ailments such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Nutritionists believe these reports may be due to the fact that the catechins in green tea increase the blood levels of norepinephrine, a chemical that speeds brain processes and may protect against memory loss. Green tea is even a good antiseptic for relieving itching and swelling. Just soak a cotton ball in it and apply the tea to blemishes, sunburns, scrapes, insect bites, scratches, or puffy eyelids.

With so many potential good effects and almost no potential harmful effects, what are you waiting for? Get those green teabags out, get the teapot started, and drink your way to good health!

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Ok here are some easy tips on how to make homemade fruit and vegetable juices:

1. You’ll need an inexpensive juice machine.

2. All fruits and vegetables should be juiced raw.

3. Small seeded fruit, such as watermelon and pears, may be juiced with their seeds with the exception of papaya and apple seeds. Orange and grapefruit seeds might impart a bitter taste to your juice. Remove the large pits from fruits like peaches and nectarines, etc.

4. Peel all fruits and vegetables that are not organically grown because the peel is where most of the chemical residues can be found. While most skins of organically grown fruits and vegetables may be left on, with the exception of waxed produce, the skins of pineapples, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits and papaya should be removed.

5. Choose fresh ripe produce. Rubbery vegetables, bruised fruit, wilted greens and over or under-ripe fruits will produce juices that are neither tasty nor healthful.

6. Cut the fruits or vegetables into pieces that will fit into the mouth of your juice machine. Turn the juice machine on and push the pieces through the mouth of the juicer. As you juice, pulp will collect in a large receptacle. If you don’t clean the pulp out right away, it will develop a sour odor and tiny gnats and fruit flies may appear after 8 to 10 hours.

7. It is best to drink freshly made juices within one day.

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Skipping: Get a simple skipping rope and get started on your fitness regime. Skipping is an excellent way to workout at home. You can start at a slower speed and lesser count and keep on increasing the count and the speed day by day.

Aerobics: Aerobics is an extremely enjoyable form of workout and if you have taken aerobics classes you know that you can easily do it at home yourself! For those who haven’t taken any prior training, you can pick up some simple tips from the Internet and get started!

Yoga: Yoga is an excellent way to workout at home since there is no equipment required to practice it. However if you have never tried yoga before it is better to read some books and articles or even get the DVDs which will guide you to get things right.

Stair Climbing: Climbing the stairs always seems like a pain – but the fact is that it is a great way to burn those calories and flex your muscles! In case you are looking for an easy way to work out, then climbing the stairs would be a great exercise for you. To increase your stamina, you can slowly increase the number of repetitions after every week or so.

Jogging at Place: If you thought you needed a treadmill to walk or run at home then let me tell you that you can even jog in place so that you can flex your leg muscles. You can even do it while you are watching television or listening to music.

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Physical activity is absolutely necessary for the maintenance of a good health. A certain amount of daily exercise is essential for keeping ourselves fit and fine.

Here are the top ten reasons to exercise:

To Look Good
I am sure each one of you will agree with me on this. All of us want to look good. We all want to be in shape. Regular exercise is the key to a healthy look and an attractive body. Internal health is the key to a pleasant external appearance.

To Reduce the Risk of Heart Diseases
Daily exercise helps in strengthening of heart muscles. It helps maintain desired cholesterol levels. Daily physical activity reduces one’s chances of stroke and the risk of heart disease.

To Lower Blood Pressure
Daily exercise lowers blood pressure and improves blood circulation. Exercise helps in reduction of excess body weight and thus helps lower the blood pressure. Exercise results in the burning of calories. If supplemented with proper nutrition, exercise is sure to prevent obesity.

To Reduce the Risk of Diabetes
Daily exercise helps reduce the fat percentage of the body, thus reducing the risk of diabetes.

To Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis
Regular exercise promotes bone growth. It strengthens the bones and tissues of the body and helps in increasing the bone density. Thus, exercise serves as an effective means to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

To Increase Longevity
Daily physical activity is the key to a long life! Regular exercise helps in the prevention of obesity, which is one of the important factors responsible for many severe diseases. Exercise helps in reducing the risk of diabetes, blood pressure and heart diseases. Research has shown that people engaging in a daily physical activity live longer than those who do not exercise at all.

To Improve Balance and Reduce the Risk of Injuries
Exercise is found to improve the balance and coordination of the body. As regular exercise strengthens the muscles and connective tissues of the body, the risk of severe injuries is reduced to a great extent.

To Remain Productive
Regular exercise reverses the natural decline in the metabolism that sets in after the age of thirty. Those who exercise regularly are found to remain more productive and energetic during the day. Increased energy levels help remain active during the day. A 30 minute-exercise every morning can help a person feel fresh throughout the day.

To Increase Overall Strength
Exercise is found to increase overall strength of the body. Rigorous exercise brings about an increase in stamina of the body. It also increases body’s endurance, thus resulting in an increase in a person’s physical capacity.

To be Happy
Higher energy levels resulting from exercise help a person in remaining fresh and happy. Following a suitable exercise program can add some fun and brightness to the day. Being active greatly causes a reduction in tress levels. Exercise is believed to generate ‘happiness molecules’ in a person’s body, thus helping him/her stay happy.

The importance of exercise cannot be stressed enough. The top ten reasons to exercise should convince you of the importance of including exercise in your daily schedule. Have you decided to do it? I hope you have.

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1. Make exercises like swimming, cycling, jogging or walking as part of your life. Follow it every day and make sure that you spend some time on it. Make it a part of your life and no matter what happens you should not skip it.

2. If you get bored of doing exercises alone then find a friend to accompany you. Try to go in a park for walk or try the outdoors. If this doesn’t help then try different exercises on different days, this will keep you busy and you won’t get bored.

3. Try to avoid smoking as much as possible. Chances are that if you smoke you won’t lose weight and if you do lose weight you will not be able to maintain it.

4. Get up early and do your exercises in morning.

5. Dontt weigh yourself every day; this will put you in a doubt. Weight loss does not happen in a day or two. It requires a couple of weeks.

6. Keep a strong focus and be determinant in losing weight. The more willing you are the more interest you will take in losing weight. Don’t give up at all; it takes time so you need to have patience.

7. Dont try to look for shortcuts; you will see a lot of ads on TV claiming to lose weight. Don’t fall for them always stick to a good and healthy plan. Ask people to give you honest suggestions about the schedule that is effective.

8. Have faith in your body and use healthier food. Don’t go for any un-natural steroids or other nutrition’s. Eat healthy food and take fewer amounts of sugar and fat.

9. Avoid junk food as much as possible and cook your own food. Use healthy vegetables and meat, this way you know what you are eating.

10. Build your body muscle and maintain it, weigh your body once a week and it will give you a good idea about the amount of weight you are losing. Even if you are not losing any don’t get frustrated, give it more time and then look for results.

Another thing to remember is that weight loss is a tricky business and it can take well over a month to be effective. There can be times in which a particular exercise shows result for one person but for others. Its not working. Dont get panic in this situation as every person has a different body structure and it can take different amount of time for people. Keep yourself focus, maintain your schedule and follow it with consistency. Try not to skip your work out sessions.

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1. The first thing to do to avoid gaining too much weight during pregnancy in the first place. Is it possible? Of course, you don’t have to gain weight too much and too quickly. But you must not be on diet either. To be on diet during pregnancy is dangerous for the baby and you must not do that. However, you don’t have to eat too much. Some of the mothers are still in good shape although they are pregnant since they know how to take care of themselves. You can do that also.

2. Exercise during pregnancy and after pregnancy. A lot of women misunderstand that you can not exercise when you are pregnant. You can if you use the right type of exercise. You should do that if you do not want to be fat after pregnancy. The right type of exercise will strengthen your body. It will help prepare your body to meet the heavy task of having a baby inside you.

Exercise after pregnancy will be a lot easier and less complicate. You must do that to recover your body as soon as possible.

3. Have proper menus and food to take during and after pregnancy. We talked about don’t eat too much earlier. We have to also talk about having balanced meals all the time that you are pregnant and when you have delivered. Make sure that you have all the groups of food with the right quantity. It is hard to practice but it will be very helpful in the long run.

The three tips are given here in order to reduce the chance of gaining too much weight during pregnancy. The tips include having right quantity of food, having the right exercise and having the balanced menus. All three are important for you not only to lose weight after the pregnancy but also keep you to be a healthy mother. They are not difficult to proceed and you can enjoy doing them.

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Healthy eating should be thought of as a lifestyle change and not a short term diet. Rather you want to eat healthy in order to lose weight or just improve your health these quick and easy tips will get you started.

Healthy Tip #1 – Less Sugar

Refined sugar is a processed ingredient that gives you no nutritional value. These empty calories can add up fast and can make you go over your calorie intake limit. Too many calories will lead to weight gain. Try to minimize treats high in sugar or look for the sugar free versions of your favorite sweets.

Be aware of the sugars in your drinks as well. A regular flavored soda has about 100 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. Drink diet pop, or better yet, water. Studies have shown that people who switch to diet drinks and water instead of regular flavored sugary drinks lost up to 20 pounds in one year with just this change in their lifestyle. Fruit drinks can also be high in sugars and calories so minimize these to just one 8 ounce glass a day.

Healthy Eating Tip #2 – Protein with Every Meal

Be sure to get protein with every meal. Protein requires more energy to digest which means you are burning more calories to process these foods. Your protein can come from eggs, beans, lean cuts of meats, fish and even tofu.

Protein not only helps burn more calories but helps to build lean muscle mass. The more lean muscles you have the higher your basal metabolic rate. This is the rate at which your body burns calories while doing everyday normal activities including sleeping. Your metabolic rate is responsible for 60% to 70% of the total calories you burn in a day.

Healthy Eating Tip #3 – Natural is Best

Eating foods in their most natural state will give you the most “bang for your buck”. Meaning you will get a higher nutrient value from the foods in their natural state. Foods that have been processed lose some of their nutritional value and often increase the fat and/or calorie content.

For example, a large apple has 110 calories, 0 fat grams, 29 carbohydrates, 5 grams dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein. However a large glass of apple juice has approximately 150 calories, 0 fat grams, 36 grams of carbohydrates and 0 grams of dietary fiber and protein. So you can see that in the processed juice state there are more calories and carbs and less dietary fiber and protein.

Healthy Eating Tip #4 – Select Whole Foods

While eating foods in their most natural state is best there are times when you will need processed foods. Breads and pastas are good examples of foods that cannot come in a natural state as they don’t grow on trees or in the ground. When selecting these processed foods you should find whole grain versions.

When foods are made with 100% whole wheat you are getting more nutritional value that foods made with processed wheat. Wheat in its natural, unrefined state has many nutrients including dietary fiber and is a great addition for your healthy eating lifestyle.

Healthy Eating Tip #5 – Variety is the Spice of Life

You want to make your food selections varied and full of nutrients. Adding lots of different kinds of foods will help you stick to your healthy eating lifestyle and keep it interesting.

There are over 40 nutrients that you should be getting each day. No one food item can provide all of these nutrients, so make your meal plan varied and rich with nutrients. Remember to get the vegetables and fruits in with each meal. A variety of fruits and veggies will give you lots of nutrients and these are generally lower calorie foods.

Be sure to get your calcium needs as well with dairy products. Just select low fat or fat free products like skim milk or fat free yogurt. Studies have shown that people who get 3 to 4 servings a day of low fat dairy products lost more weight than those who did not include dairy in their meal plan.

These are just a few tips to help you make small changes to your lifestyle. By making these simple changes you are on the road to healthy eating for life.

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