Misconceptions Lead to Nutrient Deficiencies for Many

Think you're eating well? Misconceptions lead to nutrient deficiencies for many!

(BPT) - The good news? Americans think they are eating well; in fact, 60 percent say they eat a very healthy diet. The not-so-good news? Perception and reality may not be aligned.

Only 6 percent of Americans report eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, reveals recent research from supplement maker MegaFood. The discrepancy leaves a huge nutritional gap to fill.

The survey results highlight another knowledge gap between Americans and healthy eating - you can eat plenty of healthy foods, and still not get the recommended daily allowances of key nutrients.

For example, 52 percent of survey respondents say they think they get enough vitamin B6 in their diets. B6 is found in foods like bananas and avocados, plays an important role in producing fuel and energy, and is critical for optimal function of the brain, nervous and immune systems. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say 30 million Americans are deficient in vitamin B6.

Multiple studies have shown many Americans don't get the recommended amounts of needed nutrients every day, yet two-thirds believe they can get all the required nutrients by eating a healthy diet, according to the MegaFood survey. As a result, the belief they don't need a multivitamin is the top reason two in five people don't take one.

"My experience consistently shows me that a large number of Americans live high-carb, high-sugar, caffeine-overloaded, stressed-out, no-exercise lives," says Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, herbal medicine and dietary supplementation, and author of National Geographic's "Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and More." "We may have good intentions when it comes to eating well, but the truth is that many of us fall short of an ideal diet - and even when we do our best to eat well, it is extremely difficult to get all the nutrients we need on a regular basis with diet alone."

What you can do

It is possible to take steps to improve nutrition. Dr. Low Dog offers these tips:

* Know the nutrients you should be getting and the recommended daily amount for each. The National Institutes of Health provide online tables for recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals, based on age and gender.

* Do your best to eat a balanced diet; it delivers health benefits beyond vitamin sufficiency. Be sure to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

* Supplement your good eating habits with a quality multivitamin. Eighty-one percent of consumers realize that not all multivitamins are the same. MegaFood makes a line of multivitamins formulated to support the health of men and women during various phases of life. They're made from real food from real family farmers. The line is gluten-, soy-, GMO- and dairy-free, and tested to be free of pesticides and herbicides.

Log onto my website www.HaveHealth.org.  I am a Distributor for Metagenics science based supplements and can help you choose the best supplement for yourself.  Read about Essential Oils and the many health benefits of Young Living essential oils of which I am also a Distributor for.  Feel free to email me, from my website, any questions you may have.  Best of health to you............... HaveHealth and live a healthy lifestyle !

Quick Exercise Tips

Quick Exercise Tips for Your Everyday Routine

Work, household chores, errands, playtime, dinner, laundry—with so many things to do and not many hours in the day, finding time to exercise is difficult. To help you fit in the physical activity your body craves, we’ve rounded up some simple, quick workout routines you can fit into your daily schedule. With these fast exercise ideas, you’ll be able to stay moving even when you don’t have time to hit the gym.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” –John C. Maxwell

Sleeping Beauty Leg Exercise

Wake up and warm up with this in-bed exercise! Lie on your back and lift your legs about 6 inches off the bed. Keep your abs tights, back flat, feet together, arms to your sides, and knees straight as you use your feet to draw small circles in the air without touching the bed. Do 20 circles clockwise and 20 circles counterclockwise.

(Calf) Raise the Bar

Brush up on your calf raises while you brush your teeth! Start flat-footed and raise to your toes until you get a tight flex. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

At-Work Workout

If you have a desk job, it’s important to get up and move at least every 2 hours. Do some standing stretches for your arms, neck, back, and legs; squat a few times; or walk around your floor or building. The movement helps your body and helps you clear your head and stay productive!

Traffic Jam Session

Stuck in 5 o’clock traffic? Turn up the radio and move to the beat. You’ll burn some extra calories and make the wait a little more fun. For an extra boost, add some ab, glute, or thigh flexing. Just make sure you keep an eye on the road and remember safety first!

In the Hot Seat

Start by sitting up straight. Squeeze your glute muscles and pulse 50 times. Rest for 5 seconds and repeat until you feel a good burn. Take your desk workout a step further and work your thighs too! Place your feet on the floor with your legs together. Press your knees in so you feel your inner thighs working. Pulse 50 times and repeat as desired.

Playtime Meets Gym Time

Make exercise fun for the kids! If you have a baby, hold a plank position on your hands for 30 seconds while your hover over him or her. Lower into a pushup and kiss your baby on the forehead. Come up and repeat as many times as you can. Give your legs some attention by doing wall sits as you read your children a book or review their homework.

Torch Calories—and Grime

Burn calories while you clean the carpet. Push the vacuum only as far as your arm extends and return it to your body without moving your feet. Switch arms every 5 minutes. This quick push-pull motion targets your arm muscles and burns up to 100 calories in 30 minutes! The heavier your vacuum, the more strengthening this exercise is. Use the same method of mopping and sweeping—you’ll burn up to 100 calories in 30 minutes while mopping and 100 calories in 45 minutes while sweeping. Burn a few extra calories and clean the baseboards too!

Burn Calories, Not Dinner

Take advantage of your downtime during dinner! Do some push-ups against the counter while the vegetables cook or jumping jacks while you wait for the water to boil. Do 3 sets of 20 reps of one or both exercises.

Walk Around the Block

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, and a walk around the block is fun for the whole family. Take your kids, spouse, or dog for a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood. This is a great after-dinner activity to beat a post-meal crash. Plus, you can spend time with your family and stay moving.

Sunset Salutations

Unwind after a long day with a few calming or rejuvenating yoga poses. Pair your practice with your favorite essential oils such as Frankincense, Lavender, or Stress Away™. 

Bonus Tip

Remember to hydrate all day to make your moves most effective and keep your body healthy. Add Vitality™ oils to give your water an extra splash of flavor!

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Tips For Better Eating Habits

     Considering the bulging waist lines of 36.5% of the population in the United States (CDC statistic on obesity), it is obvious that sticking to a healthy eating plan is a challenge for many people. If you are having problems sticking with that resolution that you set in January, here are some simple tips to help you start to create new and healthy eating patterns.

·           *Calories count. It's not low fat vs. low carb. You can eat fewer calories by eating less food (which is why you can lose weight on any diet that restricts entire categories of foods or limits portion sizes), but you may get hungry and gain it back. Fat has 9 calories per gram, but protein and carbohydrates have only 4 calories per gram. This means that when you eat less fat, you consume fewer calories without having to eat less food. Eat less fat and fewer simple carbs. To achieve a one pound weight loss per week, 3500 calories should be subtracted from your normal weekly caloric intake. To do this, reduce your normal daily caloric consumption by 200 to 300 calories per day and increase your physical activity with a goal of burning an additional 200 to 300 calories per day.

·            *Be accountable for what and how much you eat, keep a food journal for a month or at the very least a few weeks to be aware of what, when and why you are eating. Paying attention to physical cues and signals can help you determine when your body is cuing you to eat due to hunger as opposed mental or external cues. Ask yourself, "Am I really hungry or am I eating because it is there, it smells good". 

·           * Do not restrict foods! There are bad foods but there are­­ also inappropriate portion sizes!  If you neglect certain food groups, you'll end up craving those foods and binge eating. You also miss out on vital nutrients. 

·           *Weigh and measure foods for at least a month but at the very least 2 weeks to be aware of serving sizes and portions. Serving sizes and portions have gotten so distorted over the years in restaurants and the like, that most people are completely unaware of what a single serving actually looks like!  Most restaurant servings are 2-3 times single serving sizes. 

·          *Don't skip meals. Eating 5-6 times a day not only stimulates your metabolism but will keep your blood sugar level. By consuming five or six daily meals, your body will also convert less off the food you eat into fat and maintain a constant blood-sugar level, making you less likely to experience periods of low energy. Be careful not to simply eat the same sized meals you eat now, but more often - or you might actually gain weight and raise your cholesterol.

·           * Be positive. Recognize irrational thoughts. Focus on the things that you have done right and the positive changes that you have made. 

·           *Lose weight in a way that enhances your health not in a way that detracts from it. 

·          *Avoid trans-fatty acids and partly hydrogenated fats ("bad fats"). They may increase the shelf life of certain food products, but they decrease the shelf life of people who eat them. 

·           *Eat fewer "bad carbs" like sugar and white flour. They are low in fiber, so they are a double punch if you are trying to create healthy eating habits: a lot of calories that don't fill you up, 

·          * Eat more "good carbs" like fruits, vegetables, legumes and unrefined grains (such as whole-wheat flour and brown rice). They are rich in fiber, which slows absorption and fills you up before you take in too many calories.

·           *What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude. With few exceptions, those protective antioxidant and health benefiting substances are found in good carbs, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. 

·           *Eat less red meat. It’s loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. 

·           *Begin by making moderate changes in your diet. If you want to lower your cholesterol level or weight even more (or if you have heart disease and want to reverse it), you may need to make bigger changes. 

·           *Choose quality over quantity. Smaller portions of good foods are more satisfying than larger portions of junk foods, especially if you pay attention to what you're eating.

Lemon Essential Oils

Lemon Essential Oils
Use Lemon essential oil:

To eliminate odors. Diffuse this refreshing and energizing scent anywhere musty smells tend to arise. Put 2–3 drops on a cotton ball and place at the bottom of the diaper or garbage pail to keep things fresh.

To freshen surfaces. Add to natural household cleaners before wiping down dirty surfaces.

In your beauty routine. Add to skin care products to reduce the appearance of blemishes or add to conditioner or DIY hair masques to bring out hair’s natural shine.

Lemon Vitality
Use Lemon Vitality:

In the kitchen. Create custom dressings or marinades with a few drops or substitute 1 drop of Lemon Vitality for 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in your baking.

As a supplement. Add 1–2 drops to a vegetarian gel capsule and take as needed.

On the go. Before you head out, add 2–3 drops of Lemon Vitality to your glass water bottle.

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