Digestive Health Blunders - The Worst Foods for Your Gut

There is one thing all foods have in common … that is that they will all give you energy. This base definition of a food, unfortunately, doesn't allow for any additional indication of whether the food is good or bad for you! When we eat certain foods, we are aware of the risks to our heart, liver, pancreas, and even the circumference of our thighs. But we rarely think about what our foods could be doing to our humble digestive tract! Today we check out some of the worst foods for your gut health, which whole food supplements are called upon to cure.

1. Chicken nuggets
   Chicken nuggets are a staple for kids around the world … especially in restaurants, where they often won’t eat anything else! Yet they are incredibly hard on the gut. They contain huge amounts of fat -- the breadcrumb coating soaks up a large quantity of oil during cooking.
2. Spicy food
   Spicy food often has quite high levels of antioxidants and other nutrients that our bodies crave. Unfortunately, it can also irritate the lining of the digestive tract as well. A good general rule is to eat less spice if your stomach starts noticing it.
3. Chocolate
   It isn't only your waistline that suffers when you eat chocolate -- your stomach also expands from the inside! Chocolate causes your esophageal sphincter to relax, and stomach acid to make its way back up.
4. Raw onion
   It's delicious on sandwiches, but raw onion can also irritate the lining of your gut. Using whole food supplements and probiotics can help build up numbers of friendly bacteria in your gut and alleviate irritation, according to anecdotal evidence.
5. Ice cream
   Around 80 percent of the people in the world do not naturally produce the enyme lactase, to help them digest lactose, or sugar found in milk. This makes ice-cream, along with cow's milk on cereal, in coffee, in cheese, etc, quite an irritant to the digestive system.
6. Raw broccoli and cabbage
   Strong as they taste raw, some people like to eat them this way because they are supposed to have more antioxidants. The annoyance they are to your gut due to gas buildup can be avoided by just blanching them slightly.

Fucoxanthin and Dieting

The New Year's resolution to lose weight can sometimes by hard to stick to for the whole year. Many of us start off the first month with the ambition to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. Most of us then lose momentum and give up because we are not hitting that weight goal at the end of the month. This does not have to happen; by taking advantage of many of the great natural weight management products on the market can help achieve those weight loss goals.

We all know that there are many basic steps that we can take in helping us win the battle of the bulge. The three most important rules to follow are eating healthier, exercising on a daily basis and taking a whole food multivitamin. Sometimes though, this is not enough to really help speed up our metabolism and we need some help, such as a weight management product.

One of the newest ingredients that is being added in many weight management products is called fucoxanthin. This is very different from many other stimulant-type metabolism enhancers that are found in many of the popular weight management products. Fucoxanthin has been clinically proven to be a non-stimulant thermogenic. Unlike caffeine, ephedrine or guarana, fucoxanthin can be taken without the worry of it raising the blood pressure drastically or speeding up heart rate. This is because it bypasses the nervous system and does not cause one to feel shaky or hyper like many of the other more common ingredients in weight loss products. The ingredient fucoxanthin also has antioxidant properties which help the body fight off toxins and free radicals in the body.

Weight management products that contain fucoxanthin help aid in reducing the amount of visceral fat. Visceral fat is the fat that covers organs in the abdominal cavity. This fat is commonly found around the liver. Excessive visceral fat is now becoming a major health risk because of the diet habits in the United States.

FucoThin is a weight management product made by Garden of Life that contains fucoxanthin. This product can help aid the body in reducing that amount of visceral fat in the body. Garden of Life products are all natural and only made from the highest quality of ingredients.

By taking better care of our bodies, we can win the battle of the bulge. Eating a healthy diet, exercise and taking whole food vitamins can help improve our health. Following these simple rules can help one to not break that resolution.

6 Most Effective Foods and Whole Food Supplements for Digestive Health

Our digestive system is perhaps one of the most undervalued in the entire body! We realize how important our circulatory system is, and we notice immediately if there is any disturbance in our nervous system. Even the endocrine system, despite having the least known name, gets more press than our poor old gut! However, the body is a unified symbiotic whole, and you can't ignore any system more than the others. Today we are looking at some great foods and whole food supplements for protecting your digestive health.

1. Soups and bone stocks
   Many people have absolutely no idea that one of the most detrimental changes in our diets comes simply from using artificial stocks, rather than animal bones, for our soups. The integrity of your digestive tract is built up with these anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory soups. You can make them with turkey, duck, chicken, beef or lamb bones.
2. Smooth Food 2 by New Chapter
   These vegan capsules encourages bowel cleansing, helps soften stool to increase ease of elimination, and also provides nutrients for proper digestive function.
3. Coconut oil
   Did you know that despite the fact that coconut oil is pure fat, its strong antimicrobial properties do wonders for your gut? They help relieve the symptoms of Crohn's disease and candida, and can also help combat viruses.
4. Omegazyme Ultra Ultimate Digestive Blend
   This Garden of Life product is formulated according to alternative medicine principles to help increase digestive tract health. It contains digestive enymes, cofactros for these enymes, as well as trace minerals.
5. Salmon
   Salmon is a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, those wonderfulsubstances that seem to cure any manner of ailments. While this is available in supplement form, unfortunately you can’t use capsules to get all of your daily nutrient requirements … which is why we're recommending the real deal!
6. Primal Defense Ultra Capsules by Garden of Life
   These vegan capsules not only help maintain digestive health, but support the immune system and brain function also. This particular brand has been shown to dissolve more completely than other brands of whole food vitamins.

Sun Exposure During the Winter Months

Many of us now understand the importance of protecting our skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. When someone mentions putting on sunscreen before they go outside, many of us associate this with the summer months. The truth is, we also need to take care of our skin during the winter months. With the growing concerns of skin cancers, many of us are now applying sunscreen even during the winter months when enjoying outdoor winter activities. This is very important since sunlight can reflect off of the snow, making it easier to get sunburned when skiing or sledding with kids.

Much of the aging that occurs is caused by exposure to sunlight. A great way to keep skin healthy is to apply sunscreen such as one of the great MyChelle products. Using a good sunscreen can help avoid those uncomfortable sunburns and reduce the signs of aging of the skin.

Not only applying sunscreen helps the skin during the winter months, but also keeping the skin hydrated helps. Many can achieve this by using natural skin care products such as a good quality lotion and applying it every day. Drinking plenty of water, eating right and taking whole food supplements can also help to keep the skin healthy and hydrated. After all, the skin is the largest organ on the body. It just makes sense to take care of it no matter what life has in store for us.

Taking natural organic whole food supplements not only nourish the body, they also help the immune system in fighting off those cold and flu bugs. By taking supplements and vitamins is another step for keeping skin healthy not only during the winter, but also all year long. Combining sunscreen, keeping the skin hydrated with lotion and drinking plenty of water will help avoid many of the skin conditions that can occur during those colder months. This can be dry itchy skin due to chapping or sunburn. That is why it is important to take care of the skin.

By taking basic care of our skin can help us to avoid many of the problems that can occur when exposed to sunlight during the winter months. Remember that hydration and sunscreen is key in helping our skin to remain healthy during all those fun winter activities.

4 Favorite Savory Recipes with Garden of Life Coconut Oil

When you think of coconut oil, if you’re anything like me, then lazy days on the beach as a teenager come to mind. Slathering yourself with SPF4 and rotating slowly might have hurt those shoulders afterwards, but the scent was heavenly! Little did I know it might have done more for my physique (in a healthier way!) if I'd used an edible form rather than a tanning formulation. Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a versatile whole food supplement that can be used in a huge range of dishes -- today we look at four of our favorites 'a la carte' that can utilize it.

Mussels with Thai Red Curry

Nothing can put your imagination on a tropical Asian beach faster than the combination of seafood and coconut flavors. This recipe calls for both coconut milk and butter -- you'll use your Garden of Life Coconut Oil in place of the butter rather than the milk. As a bonus, this one is really fast -- it is designed as a first course, and you could throw it together while your guests or family are waiting at the table.

Cold Curried Carrot and Coconut Milk Soup

Sounds odd, tastes delicious is the general verdict on this recipe! You can sauté your scallions and onion as well as the gingerroot in the coconut oil, rather than in ordinary butter if you like. It helps create a more comprehensive flavor.

Seared Salmon and Thai Vegetables

You can use the coconut oil in cooking the rice in this recipe -- there are no heavy sauces to weigh you down, so the Garden of Life whole food supplement is as healthy as its context, in this recipe! There's a bit of prep to do and a few seasonings to buy, but it should become a weekend favorite.

Coconut and Red Lentil Soup

Dhal is a South Indian staple, and this version of the recipe uses coconut milk to create a filling meal with a silky texture. You can simply add a little Garden of Life coconut oil to the recipe, or use it to sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and spices to bring out their flavors.

You Put the Lime in the Coconut … 4 Yummy Ways to Use Your Coconut Oil Supplement!

And we guarantee that none of the ways to use your coconut oil whole food supplement contained in this article will make you call the doctor and wake him up, saying "Doctor! Ain't there nothing I can take … to relieve this bellyache?"

Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

This ultra-healthy dietary oil can be used in place of butter for cooking and spreading on your toast. It is more quickly converted to energy that standard milk-butter is, and enhances the thermogenic capacity of the body. It is free of trans-fats, helps maintain healthy levels of cholesterol and is both vegetarian and organic. We are looking at different ways you can incorporate it into your daily diet.

Frying

In terms of preserving antioxidants, frying is actually quite a healthy way to cook your food. Boiled vegetables and fruits have lost up to two-thirds of their antioxidant potential … and frying with Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil makes it so much healthier!

On bread and toast

Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil has the consistency of butter … so you don’t need to make every sandwich an adventure into Texas oil country to enjoy the benefits of coconut oil over butter throughout the day. It goes beautifully with exotic flavors in your sandwiches, and even along with peanut butter for your toast in the morning.

In baked products

With the same consistency and a similar fat content to butter (just a change in the way the body processes that fat), Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a healthy substitute for butter in baking. You can use it to grease cake tins and muffin trays, rub it together with sugar and blend with egg for moist and delicious cakes, blend it with flour to create a beautiful breadcrumb texture for scones, and much more.

Sauces

All the best sauces are also the most buttery sauces! You normally have to go easy on the sauce if you are trying to improve your health - but if you make your own with Garden of Life Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, you get to indulge. From a creamy béchamel to delicious carbonara, coconut oil in place of butter creates a fascinating and addictive flavor.

Arrrgggh! Meditation and Herbal Supplements for Stress Relief

Stress is a common disorder nowadays. Our bodies are designed to experience stress as a survival mechanism - but when the stress continues well past the point where our evolutionary ancestors would have either escaped the saber-tooth tiger, or been eaten, our bodies don’t cope very well. Removing stressors is a big part of the equation -- but in the meantime, help your body get back to the state it was in before that fight with your boss, or the close call on the freeway, with one simple whole food supplement and one simple technique.

Meditation

There are a hundred different ways to meditate. One method that is recommended for the reduction of stress is the mindful meditation method, where you focus solely on the present moment, and let thoughts of the past and the future go altogether. Here is a guide:

• Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably. The floor is good, but a chair is fine if you have knee or back problems.
• Tell yourself that you will be meditating for a certain amount of time. Start with five minutes, work your way up to ten, fifteen, twenty and thirty minutes. Let your brain know that it does not need to worry about things or sort them out in this time. There will be plenty of time for that afterwards -- you will simply be focusing on the task at hand.
• Set a timer so that you aren't disturbing your meditation by constantly worrying about the clock. Your mobile phone most likely has a convenient timer.
• Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing. Notice how it feels to breathe in, and then to breathe out. See how there is a pause in between each breath. You might like to use a breathing pattern -- there are several recommended ones, like breathing in for a count of 3, holding for 3, breathing out for 3, holding for 3.
• If your mind wanders, don’t beat yourself up. Just bring your attention back to your breathing. It doesn’t matter how many times you have to do this -- all you have is time. As the minutes go by it will get easier.

Whole Food Supplements for Stress

Stress sets off complex chains of reactions in your body and disturbs metabolic processes. Times of stress are more critical than all others for getting the nutrients you need, and often the residual bodily stress of the disturbance means that it takes longer to recover from a stressful event because 'you still don’t quite feel right'. We recommend New Chapter Rhodiolaforce 300 -- it uses rose root to help with adaptive stress management. The herbal supplement also helps with cognitive performance, cardiovascular function and immune boosting.

Don’t just sit there and take stress -- there are simple and easy ways to get rid of it!