Martha's Health Tips

Water.....This natural diuretic should be what you take into your body everyday of your life. Drinking water is very important for good health. It helps ensure that your body knows it is not lacking in water, which allows a flushing out of toxins from your bloodstream into the urinary tract. Your muscles also need water, without it they dehydrate and are not able to function and grow.
As I have stated in my other articles, this blog is not to overwhelm you with do's and don'ts.....there are enough experts out there telling you want you have to do. I would rather just give you some common sense tips that will help you get started and encourage you to keep going. However, water is essential to your overall well being. How much should you drink....half your body weight in ounces of water every day. So if you weigh 160 pounds you should consume 80 ounces of water a day.
Now you may be thinking that is crazy, but lets break it down. If you are at a restaurant or watching an exciting sports game on TV, you are likely to be drinking something...right? Well, most restaurant glasses are either 12oz or 16oz and I don't know about you, but if I'm having a good time, I can easily drink two or three glasses of coke or tea. So if you weigh 160 and you need to drink 80oz....that's only 5 (16 OZ) glasses of pure, refreshing water per day that has alot more benefit to your body than coke or tea.
So get started today, yes, you may have to run to the bathroom more often, but that in itself is letting you know that your body is being flushed of toxins and cellular debris.
I encourage you to avoid chlorinated water, but if possible use water that has been distilled or has undergone reverse osmosis....after all we are aiming to eliminate toxins from your body not add to it.
Till next time...keep up the good work, don't get discouraged and drink your daily dosage of water.

So how many of you think you are doing yourselves a favor when you drink diet drinks that contain Aspartame....well you may want to do a little research on Aspartame before you take your next drink of Diet Coke. This product has been linked to malignant brain tumors. Research has shown that aspartame breaks down in our bodies into some very dangerous chemicals one which is methanol, which is also known as wood alcohol. This one chemical alone can cause you to experience fainting, headaches, nausea and the list goes on. This actually happened to my husband. He used to consume several cans of diet coke throughout the week and he was actually very actively working out. One day he got back to his desk after going to the gym and consuming just one more diet coke and he just passed out and hit the floor.

Some reseach, which has been derived from animal studies, has even indicated that aspartame can trigger lupus, Alsheimer's chronic fatigue, Grave's disease and many other fatal diseases. It appears that too much aspartic acid which is a chemical in Aspartame, attacks and destroys neurons in the brain. Aspartame can also be quite addicting, as it appears that sodas containing aspartame seem to satisfy your thirst and cause you to get thirsty shortly thereafter....therfore resulting in addiction.

So drop the sodas from your list. If you have to wean off from drinking several cokes a day, try heavily icing down a regular soda instead of the diet version. Regular carbonated drinks can create some problems within your body as well, so you want to try and limit yourself.

Knowledge of these cancer causing foods that I have listed in my blog are important to obtain. Many times we don't hear about how diet cokes or other foods can harm us because of the big money being made by the distributors of these products. However, I truly believe that knowledge with moderation is the key. You can have so much information about how bad everything is for you that it can cause you to become fearful or cause you not to even want to try to do something healthy for yourself. You only have one body and this life to use it ......so help it last and take good care of it through healthy choices, knowledge and information, exercise and moderation of all of these....till next time.

In my last blog, I stated I would mention a few foods to avoid from your diet in order to start making healthier choices and control what goes into your body. I have found the saying, "you are what you eat" is very true. What you eat basically controls how your body will function.

I will list just a few foods that in my opinion must be eliminated in order to move towards a healthier you. Here is the list and the reason or reasons you should avoid eating them:

1. Processed luncheon meats. Most of your luncheon meats are high in fat and contain pork which is basically toxic to your body. Pigs are basically scavenger feeders which means they are on planet earth to eat the junk and help clean up our planet but should definitely be avoided by humans. Most all luncheon meats contain a preservative called sodium nitrite which has been linked to cancer. You can find luncheon meat that does not contain any sodium nitrites at your local health food grocer. I enjoy Boar's Head (smile) myself and most but not all of their products are sodium nitrite free.

2.Shellfish. Any kind of shellfish should be avoid. Most shellfish are scavengers and they feed off the bottom of ocean waters. They were created to filter the ocean waters, therefore, many contain mercury and anything else that may be dumped in our oceans......get the picture. Consuming any of these creatures can cause cancer in humans.

3. Any products containing Hydrogenated or Partially hydrogenated oils. These oils are mainly in junk food items such as chips, cookies, crackers etc. They are oils that have been heated to high temperatures for long periods of time and they take on a cancer causing transformation and should be avoided by human....not to mention all these foods are normally high in empty calories that cause your blood sugar to spike and shortly after drop causing you to be hungry again.

There are several other things that we can do to ensure that we are taking care of our bodies and fueling them with the proper nutrition so that you will feel your very best each day. All of us have heard the usual....avoid fat, sugar......fast foods are loaded with this stuff, so try to do your best and be conscious of your choices. Again as I stated in my last blog, preparing your meals at home will help you make healthier choices. I wanted to include some foods that need to be eliminated from your diet because they simply are not healthy at all. In fact they can cause you to develop illnesses that can be avoided if you are simply informed. I don't want to overwhelm anyone by all the do's and don't's of proper eating, but simply give a few suggestions that can be easily incorporated into your hectic everyday lives. More on yukie foods next time.....stay tuned.

Health and Nutrition has always been a topic that I have been interested in learning more about. I have always been a very active person involved in sports, dance and even weightlifting. I have read many articles and books covering health and nutrition and many of the experts overwhelm you with medical jargon, startling statistics and impossible goals. However, I have found that you can start changing your life by implementing a few changes just by understanding a few things. We recently took our kids to SeaWorld for the 4th of July, and my mind was boggled by the overwhelming number of children that are overweight and even worse obese. Simple choices in the foods that we take in everyday can help us to help our children live longer, healthier lives, however, it does take a little interest and education to begin to change our eating habits. One of the first things I would say needs to happen, is that you need to begin preparing your own food. Take control of what you eat by shopping wisely and preparing your own meals. If you do not enjoy cooking, try teaming up with someone you know that likes to cook. Doing this will actually save you money and you will begin taking control of taking care of your body.

On my next entry I will cover a few basic food items you should avoid and the reasons why......stay tuned.