It’s been 3 years since the blog was created! Woah does time fly by. We all had some great discussions on previous blog post over the past years and I want to make this year even better. I am asking for your feedback on topics that you would like to read about in the future. If you have any other recommendations that can improve the blog, I want to hear those too. I really appreciate all of my readers and want to make your experience on the site as interesting as possible.
It’s always interesting to see the studies done on processed foods and how they compare to natural whole foods. In the photo above the watermelon aged as time went by representing that it is a natural food from the earth. On the flip side, the burger and fries did not age as time went by and as a matter of fact it looked exactly the same 180 days later.
When we eat processed foods like burger, fries, vending machine foods, cookies, chips, soda etc our bodies have a hard time processing the food as energy therefore stores the food as fat and toxins in the body.
Foods that are natural, whole and from nature like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and lean meats are better absorbed by the body and used as fuel for energy.
Why not look good from the inside out rather than from the outside in. Incorporating more natural food in the diet helps improve skin tone, eye sight, improve chronic diseases, and helps with sleep patterns.
I use to have bad skin before eating more natural foods and would be so focused on buying skin care products and going to see the dermatologist to apply chemicals to my skin. Nothing would really work, I saw a little improvement but didn’t get the results I wanted. When I started eating foods like spinach, broccoli, carrots, nuts, berries and fruits and drinking water I started to notice that my skin tone improved drastically. Blemishes were gone, oily skin reduced, and pimples didn’t appear anymore.
What kind of improvements have you noticed while eating whole foods?
Remember eat to live and not live to eat. Correct the issues starting from the inside out and make this a great year to improve your health!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and your families! This has been a fun and exciting year and I wanted to express that I am really happy to have all of you in my fitness and health community. It really means alot to know that I can and have inspired so many across the globe and can help people accomplish challenges they didn’t think were possible.
I made a post on 2013 goals and it was great to see that many of you have come so far and want to achieve so much in the future. Just know that you can accomplish anything you dedicate yourself to. Remember to have a positive support group, patience, and don’t let anyone hold you back. Its your life and you deserve it to yourself to live it to the best possible. Make 2013 your year and shoot for the **STARS**
Thanks again for supporting and promoting the blog! I appreciate every single comment posted even If for some reason I don’t respond. Truly means alot!
On behalf of LJAY HEALTH, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for following and reading my blog. I am thankful to have all of you as a great support system and fitness family! Enjoy your feast, workouts, family etc!
Share with us, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
Multi vitamins, green tea, vitamin C, B vitamins, omega fish oils and the list goes on and on. You can walk into any health food store, or a vitamin shop and find shelves of nothing but dietary supplements. The picture above are my very own supplements that I take on a daily basis and have taken for years. Some other supplements you see there is alfalfa which helps to cleanse the liver, cinnamon that is a natural blood sugar stabilizer, and garlic which helps to improve cardiovascular functions.
Many people feel that supplements are a waste of money and have no true benefit but I believe otherwise through personal experience. Taking supplements in conjunction with nutritious meals have helped to improve my overall workout endurance, strength and not to mention my handsome looks If you do or don’t take supplements I would like to hear your feedback and take on it. Please share with your fitness family!
So why do people take supplements?
I personally take supplements to help ensure I am getting all of the nutrients my body need on a daily basis. It is also convenient for me to take the supplement rather than eating the food that carries the vitamin. Also being a vegetarian I have to make sure I am receiving adequate amounts of B vitamins, calcium and iron since these vitamins are found in meats.
Some people may also have the need to take supplements because their bodies lack the production of it. For example, someone may have a iron deficiency and therefore they need to take an iron supplement to make up for it.
What is the downside to taking supplements?
Supplements should not be taking in place of eating natural foods. The bulk of our daily vitamins and minerals should come from real foods and not in the form of supplements. Supplements, especially depending on the kind can be expensive and may put a dent in your wallet after while. In my opinion, our health is definitely worth the investment and I believe we have an opportunity to prevent serious illnesses and diseases that might be faced later in life through intake of natural foods and supplements.
Digesting Supplements
When taking supplements try and take only 2-3 at one time and wait 1-2 hours before taking another one. The reason is that our bodies can only use a certain amount of nutrients at one time. The excess comes out through the urine and is generally darker than usual. Most supplements come in the form of a pill some small, medium and large depending on the type. Many supplements are now being made in powder form that can easily be blending or mixed in with water or a soft drink.
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.
New York just passed into legislation to ban the purchase of more than 16 ounces of soda at one time. This means that restaurants, movie theaters, street vendors and other establishments are not allowed to sell more than a medium sized drink. As this is great news to help take control of the major obesity issue that America is facing, what will stop buyers from simply going back to the venue and purchasing another beverage?? Will this hurt businesses financially due to restricting their sells on product? How will locals of New York city feel about this?
What are your thoughts on this legislation? We have freedom speech but no freedom to purchase now. And still we can walk into a store and buy as much as alcohol and beer as we want…..
Whole heartily I understand the reasoning for this ban however there are other ways to take control and help people to eat and live healthier. Peer groups, more education boards, community outreach, mandates on beverage suppliers to remove certain chemicals and syrups.
And why New York city? This is major tourism city that people visit and when they do they want to have fun and enjoy themselves and not be restricted on the size of the drink they can order?
Mayor Bloomberg in a interview with Dr. Gupta stated “this is a personal issue for me”. However, to me smoking and tobacco is a much bigger issue than drinking a large soda. Lets fry this big fish first and then work our way down.
Decided to make a video to give an update on the 30 Day No Refined Sugar Challenge we started back on July 23, 2012. Thanks to everyone who joined the challenge with me. Please comment and let me know how you feel and how the overall experience was for you!
I was doing some research and came across an article on McDonalds and thought to myself “When was the last time I ate there”? Thankfully I could not remember the last time I ate fast food at all. It seems like everywhere you go there is a McDonalds restaurant on the corner. Now they are in hospitals, colleges, airports, and even churches.
I remember watching a documentary Super Size Me and it was very interesting but sad of all the negative health effects that Morgan Spurlock developed just by eating fast food all those times, not to mention all the weight he gained as well. He put his health on the line just to educate and demonstrate how our bodies react to these foods. If you haven’t seen the documentary I highly recommend it.
Fast food costs are inexpensive and tastes very good, but the negative effects on physical health last much longer. With the high-calorie meals come more fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar — and therefore fewer vitamins, minerals and other nutrients — than in healthier foods. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans reports that these eating habits create nutritional deficiencies along with weight gain. The health problems that stem from overweight and obesity alone can severely limit lifestyles and shorten life spans.
Fast food can be the biggest contributer to obesity. Fast foods are loaded with fat and calories. Ordering without limits may have negative effects on your health and weight. Hamburgers with multiple patties, cheese, bacon and mayonnaise may exceed the 65mg fat limit recommended by the USDA for the whole day.
Many drive-through foods and drinks have high sugar content, including milkshakes, 62g of sugar, and colas, 44g, in 16-oz. servings as per the USDA. Fast foods contain high amounts of cholesterol and salt, two nutrients that contribute to cardiovascular health problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report a direct link between sodium intake and negative effects on blood pressure, and note that Americans consume most of their sodium in processed and restaurant foods.
What have fast food companies done to make things better?
Fast food companies are developing healthier options to meet the desires of healthier consumer needs.. Many fast food chains now offer healthy options including low-fat, low calorie foods; fresh foods; bottled water; and salads made with fruits and vegetables. Some stand-outs in fast food nutrition include low-fat salads and sandwiches and grilled chicken.
Other healthier options have been added to many fast food menus. Low-fat yogurt, fruit cups and wheat buns can replace some of the higher fat and lower fiber meal options. However, these healthy choices have the ability to take a wrong turn when mixed with unhealthy selections, such as fried chicken and high-fat dressing on the salads, cookies, candies or high-sugar granola mixed into the yogurt or whipped toppings on the fruit. Stick with the food in its most natural form to get the highest nutritional benefit from it.
Thanks for reading LJAY HEALTH
References
USDA: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sodium Fact Sheet
USDA: Nutrient Database
AHA: Eating Fast Food
Office of the Surgeon General: Overweight Consequences
There can be some confusion when it comes to choosing whole wheat or whole grain and the differences between the two. Whole grain and whole wheat look very similar. Sometimes I cannot tell the difference between the two without tasting them. Whole grain has a richer taste than whole wheat does. Whole grain has a more darker texture than whole wheat does.
One of the main differences between whole wheat and whole grain is the process used to prepare the grain flour. With whole-wheat flour, the grain has gone through a refining process that has removed some of the nutritional value . However, whole-grain flour does not go through this refining process, and maintains the natural level of nutrients.
I have done some research and created a chart which distinguish both at a glance.
All in all, in my opinion Whole Grain bread wins in this battle. Some may argue, however eating any food that hasn’t gone through a refining process is always better over processed food in my eye. Also for those who want to try and minimize sugar spikes will choose whole grains over whole wheat.
AHA
Bodybuilding.com
CNN Health
GNC
I really appreciate all of my readers and want to make your experience on the site as interesting as possible. 
