Eat the Pumpkin, Don’t Just Carve It

With Halloween just around the corner the stores are stocking up with Pumpkins for you to buy. Instead of carving the pumpkin for Halloween decoration it is also beneficial to eat it as well. Pumpkins are high in fiber, low in calories and fat and a good source of vitamins. Below are the many health benefits of eating pumpkin and pumpkin seed!

Benefits of Eating Pumpkin

Pumpkins Keep Eyesight Sharp

A cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains more than 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which aids vision, particularly in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Pumpkins Aid Weight Loss

Pumpkin is an often-overlooked source of fiber, but with three grams per one-cup serving and only 49 calories, it can keep you feeling full for longer on fewer calories.

Pumpkin Seeds Can Help Your Heart

Nuts and seeds, including those of pumpkins, are naturally rich in certain plant-based chemicals called phytosterols that have been shown in studies to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol

Pumpkins May Reduce Cancer Risk

Like their orange comrades the sweet potato, the carrot and the butternut squash (to name a few), pumpkins boast the antioxidant beta-carotene, which may play a role in cancer prevention, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Pumpkins Protect The Skin

The same free-radical-neutralizing powers of the carotenoids in pumpkin that may keep cancer cells at bay can also help keep the skin wrinkle-free, Health magazine reported.

Pumpkins Can Help After A Hard Workout

Ever heard of bananas being touted as nature’s energy bar? Turns out, a cup of cooked pumpkin has more of the refueling nutrient potassium, with 564 milligrams to a banana’s 422.A little extra potassium helps restore the body’s balance of electrolytes after a heavy workout and keeps muscles functioning at their best.

Additional Benefits 

Prevents Kidney Stones – Have 5 to 10 grams of pumpkin seeds every day. This stimulates the kidneys and prevents the formation of calcium oxalate stones.

Depression – Pumpkin flesh contains L-tryptophan, a chemical compound that triggers feelings of well-being and happiness. Having pumpkin as a part of your daily diet can keep your spirits high and prevent depression.

Diuretics – Pumpkins are natural diuretics. These help in flushing out the toxins and unwanted waste material from the body, leaving you refreshed and healthy.

Promotes Prostate Health

For you men over 50 helping carve pumpkins this Halloween, be sure to save those seeds.  Pumpkin seeds help promote a healthy prostate and minimize the issues such as urination problems due to an enlarged prostate.  Prostate problems are most common in men over fifty.

Better Bones

Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc and are a great natural resource for this much needed nutrition.  Low levels of zinc are one of the links to osteoporosis.

Arthritis Relief

In a recent study pumpkin seeds showed the same anti-inflammatory benefits as the non-steroid drug indomethacin.  The good news on these results is that the pumpkin seeds did not have the same negative effect of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in the lining of joints like the anti-inflammatory drug.

7 Healthy Tips

Maintaining a healthy lifestyles can sometimes be frustrating due to all the different directives from doctors, healthy experts and family members and friends. I came up with 7 quick healthy tips that you can focus on to help improve and maintain your overall health and well being. Always remember that portion control is everything, too much of even healthy food can be a negative impact on your health.

1. Eat a balanced, Healthy Breakfast. Typically breakfast should include protein, complex carbs and healthy fat. Studies show that people who eat a regular breakfast maintain their weight and have a lower risk of diabetes. Try and avoid breakfast bars as many of them have too much sugar, too many calories and little protein. Try to include boiled eggs, make a protein shake mixed with protein, milk of your choice, and fruit, or some cut up fruit to take with you if you are rushing in the morning. Drink a cold glass of water as soon as your wake up to hydrate your body from the water loss through perspiration while sleeping. Have a handful of nuts including almonds, cashews, walnuts.
2. Boost Cardiovascular Health with Physical Activity. Only 30 minutes of physical activity a day can improve cardiovascular health, reduce LDL cholesterol and help normalize weight. Some ways to increase your daily activity could be to park furthest away from your work building, or store. Use a bike for transportation, jump rope whenever possible. I keep a jumprope in my car at all times Take the stairs instead of the elevator if it’s a short flight. 
3. Get at least six to eight hours of sleep. Avoid caffeine before bed. Close your eyes and do deep breathing exercising for 10 minutes. In yoga we practice breathing exercises all the time and it helps me to renew my mind and calms me down. Breathe in your nose and out your mouth, take deep breathes frequently especially when working out. Turn your phone on vibrate to avoid being disturbed while you are sleeping. If you have a hard time sleeping take a few caps of Melatonin (a natural sleep aid) before bed.
4. Eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetable a day. Veggies and fruits are high in fiber and contain a large amount of antioxidants. These foods help protect you from heart disease, cancer and many other illnesses. I cant remember the last time I was sick or had to use my health insurance I eat fresh produce, organic when possible.
5. Lift weights. Lifting weights helps increase bone density and lower body fat which increases metabolism and lower heart disease risk. If you are new to lifting weights, get a personal trainer to show the ropes or buy fitness magazines for different routines. Practice air squats, lunges, pushups and pullups. I have posted some videos on my youtube account with some of the routines. Youtube account name=ljayhealth Stair climbing, jogging, running and other workouts requires your body to work against gravity also boosting strength and endurance.
6. Stay Hydrated.  You all have heard or know you are supposed to get in at least eight glasses of water per day. However if your exercising you should have more than this. Staying hydrated keeps you mentally focused and help maintain blood pressure, improves physical performance. During work days I keep a jug of water with me and drink it constantly throughout the day. When I workout I sip of water frequently. Try and avoid drinking too much caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and increases the body needs for water. Foods high in water like fruits and vegggies count towards  your daily water intake!!! If you are not a fan of water, adding lemons to enhance the water taste may help you increase your water intake.
7. Wash your hands. I previously posted a article on germs and their negative effects. Germs are everywhere and they are surrounding you right now. Washing your hands frequently helps to prevent you from becoming sick from bacteria and flu like symptoms. Wash your hands after leaving the restroom, pumping gas, opening and closing doors and typing on your computer. Avoid from touching your face, rubbing your eyes and licking your fingers. Use hand sanitizer while in the gym, and wipe down the equipment after your are done working out.  According to HandHygiene, during a 16 hour period we touch our face at least 250 times per day, 7500 times a month, and 90,000 times a year.

Following these tips daily will help prepare you and get you on the road for living a healthier lifestyle! Thanks for reading as always. -LJAY HEALTH

My New Healthy Snack

I have always been a fan of hummus but didn’t really know what to put it on. I was trying different things but I though about what would be the healthiest so I was testing out veggies and the best veggie in my opinion that taste great with hummus is Celery. Celery is a great vegetable for fiber, vitamin A and C. Celery is also low in calories.

Some other vegetables that taste great with hummus as tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and carrots. Try them out today and become one step closer to living a healthier lifestyle!

Highway vending machines

When on the road try and stay away from these highway rest stop vending machines. The vending machines have nothing but processed sugary foods that are nothing but bad for you. Some of these food items are:

Potato chips
Snickers bar
Skittles
Ice cream bars
Sodas
Cookies and much more

These foods are not only bad for our health but also bad for our pocket books. A good thing to remember before you travel is to prepare your own snacks so that you don’t get hungry while on the road. This will help you trim your waist line as well as your wallet.

Sugary drinks

Be cautious of the types of liquids you are consuming and how much. Some of these drinks exceeds our daily max sugar intake.

My Starbucks Addiction-Keeping it Healthy

I love Starbucks coffee, I go at least 3x a week and sometimes 4x a week. People always ask me how do I stay in shape with drinking so much Starbucks coffee and always going there. The truth is; it is easy to keep in shape with drinking Starbucks coffee but only if you drink the right thing.  I keep it simple when ordering coffee, regular black coffee with soymilk and 1 splenda packet. Taste amazing. This is so much better for you than drinking a iced latte or frappucino.

If you drink at Starbucks and you want to keep it healthy here are some good tips:

• Never add whip cream (if your coffee comes with whip cream ask them not to add it)
• Save your self calories by avoiding the Venti cup size, go with the tall or grande cup size instead
• If you need sweetener, use splenda instead of pure sugar.
• Substitute regular milk for soymilk (If you don’t like soymilk  simply choose no fat milk for you coffee)
• Stay away from the danishes and sweet snacks at the counter
• When ordering, always ask for you preferred coffee to be “light”. Choosing “light” will substitute the whole milk for low fat milk, removes the whip cream, and it doesn’t add sugar.

If you can follow these tips you too can stay in shape and still enjoy the great taste of Starbucks coffee.