Depressed? Here's How to Eat Your Way to Happiness

Pigging out is among the most common habits of people who are depressed. But if you opt for nutritious goodies proven to help you battle away the stress and depression, you'll be breathing HAPPINESS in no time.

Though ice cream and other sugary treats are not on the list, don't fret as these healthy snacks promise to leave you not only feeling lighter, physically and emotionally but also looking better.

Citrus Fruits (lemons, oranges...)
Vitamin C boosts the mood by reducing the levels of stress hormones in the body. To better keep your calm at tough times, get your regular dose of this vitamin.

Leafy Veggies
Folic acid, the main ingredient found in these leafy veggies has been proven to enhance blood flow to the brain and reduce the melancholic feeling.

Nuts
What better way to go nuts- than over nuts? (Korniks! hehehe)
Though a self-indulgent pleasure (being high in fat), nuts do their good share in upping the ante of your aura. Rich in magnesium, Vitamin E, and arginine (an amino acid) these little wonders reduce blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels lead to mood swings, so if you often get caught in such storms, watch the sugar!

Fatty Fish Friends
Our fatty fish friends like tuna, salmon, sardines and mackerel are great sources of DHAs or omega-3 fatty acids. This mood-boosting ingredient not only lowers the chances of depression but also the risks of age-related memory loss. The American Psychiatric Association even recommends the intake of omega 3s for patients going through therapies and medication to ward off depression.

Dried Cherries
The magnesium, Potassium and vitamin C in dried cherries work together to restrain the body from responding to stress. Rich in antioxidants, dried cherries also promotes better health for your brain cells, avoiding memory problems and your body in general--which according to a TV ad will "Look young and feel young".

Healthy Eating for Finicky Kids

One of the greatest dilemmas of parents are growing finicky eaters. Yes, growing—they are and therefore they need the best nutrition they could get to support every single cell which are hopefully, happy.
So how do you motivate your darling little monsters to eat smart? A very good question indeed, as most parents still mistake “eating right” with “eating a lot”. And this should not be so.

Here are some helpful tips to get picky toddlers to enjoy healthy food and in time develop a well-rounded diet:

* The best probable way to introduce new, healthy food to children would be showing them that you, yourself take delight in devouring such food. As known to most, children are very fond of imitating what elders often do, so having regular family meals is a great way to train children to start eating right.

* Aside from serving healthy food at the dining table, parents should also consider stocking up healthy food. As kids, specially younger ones, would consume what they would find readily available at home, keeping healthy goodies like yogurt, peanut butter, fruits, whole-grain crackers and cereals, cheese, etc. would prompt children to take on them.

* Creativity and Participation. Be more creative in preparing meals. Create interesting shapes, choose more colorful fruits or veggies, use celeries as edible spoons, and the list of fun things for kids goes on, let your imagination run wild. It would also be delightful for kids to be helping out in the actual preparation of meals and surely make them anxious to take on something that they themselves made.

* When introducing vegetables to children, be patient and never battle over food. Out of good intentions, some parents try to bargain healthy meals by reward schemes or bribes. It is not good to make children eat healthy food because there would be some treats afterwards. Eating healthy should be established as something pleasurable and eventually a routine.

* For stubborn kids, continually offer healthy meals and gently encourage them to take one bite. If they don’t like it, do not force them. Stopping at the first bite would make food tasting less scary for them.

* And when all else fails, get sneaky. Bake carrot cakes, zucchini breads. Turn fruits and vegetables into frothy smoothies or shakes. Top meals with sliced fruits or shaved vegetables.

And a very important point that parents should keep in mind is that, the battle should be with bad nutrition and not with your kids. Don’t be resentful and make your kids feel guilty out of not wanting the healthy food that you have been preparing. As with most anything in life, patience is your key to successfully enticing kids to eat healthy.

Health Benefits of Coffee – Part 2

Way back in the not so distant past, health buffs have had coffee along with other no-nos in their delicate diets believing that it poses many problems to the body. But with the recent breakthroughs which have not only debunked infamous myths about coffee intake but also proved coffee to have numerous health benefits, it has gained its way back into being among the favorites. In moderate amounts of up to 4/5 cups a day, you are not only taking pleasure in absolute coffee indulgence, you are also taking certain measures in caring for your health.

Coffee and Cancer

With the rising number of cancer acquisition and deaths each year, extensive studies have been focused on diets. Coffee, being one among the world's most popular beverages, has been a subject and the results were astounding. Aside from caffeine, coffee beans also contain other substances that falls under the classification of antioxidants that protect body cells from damage.

• Liver Cancer

Coffee has been proved to inversely act with cirrhosis. Since cirrhosis is a common health problem that marks the start of liver cancer, coffee has potential effects on liver cancer.

• Bowel (colorectal) Cancer

Several studies point out the significant role of coffee in lowering the risk of bowel cancer. Drinking coffee leads to an increased movement of food within the bowel, making them less exposed to cancer-causing substances released in the colon. The production of these substances, known as bile acids are also reduced.

Diabetes

Chemicals contained in the substances making up coffee beans lower blood sugar thus resulting to the finding that regular to heavy coffee drinkers are half as likely to acquire Type 2 diabetes that those who do not drink coffee. According to Diabetes and Genetic Epidemiology Unit Professor Tuomilehto of the University of Helinski, Finland; “As Type 2 diabetes rarely appears before the age of 40 and many older people stop or lessen coffee drinking, dietary advice may soon be developed that includes coffee as a safe and useful drink in a diabetes prevention programme”.

Parkinson's Disease

Numerous evidences have collectively been gathered to prove that coffee consumption lessens the risks of Parkinson's Disease. Even those who are already suffering from the disease can greatly be benefited by drinking coffee as it helps relieve the symptoms as well protect the nerve cells.

Other than major and deadly health risks, coffee can also be beneficial in many ways. It offsets the damages caused by other bad habits including drinking and smoking. Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies indicates that "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't." Evidences also proves that coffee may be used as immediate, short-term remedy for asthma and headaches. It can even be used as mood-enhancers while preventing cavities.

Health Benefits of Coffee – Part 1

A great number of people could never imagine not having that steaming cup of coffee to start their day. The delightful aroma, the taste, the invigorating caffeine lift and pleasure of sharing the experience with someone dear; makes coffee among the world's most loved beverages. And to make coffee more tempting, science experts have discovered a whole lot of health benefits of drinking coffee.

Coffee and Hydration—Myth Debunked

In the past, many exercise and health experts have not been promoting coffee in belief that coffee, together with other caffeinated drinks, causes dehydration and does not add up as source of daily fluid intake in the diet. The truth behind this myth is that the mild diuretic effect that coffee has results to increased frequency in urination but does not actually contribute to the further bodily fluid loss. In fact, coffee even counts among the average amount of liquid needed by our body to maintain balance in body fluids. According to Professor Lawrence Armstrong, “Caffeinated fluids contribute to the daily human water requirement in a manner that is similar to pure water”.

Antioxidants in Coffee

For the past years, coffee has been viewed as just a worldly indulgence that can only cause dangers to health. One of the greatest mistakes was focusing studies on the main and more popular substance of coffee-which is caffeine. A recent scientific discovery proved the significant presence of antioxidants in coffee beans. These compounds have long since been known to help prevent the chances of acquiring cancer and heart disease, two of the world's dreaded and largest killers.

Coffee Helps Relieve Headaches

The everyday stresses in each individual's life has been conjuring many problems, specially in health. One of the most common among complaints are headaches. One good news is that a new study reveals that a cup of coffee may help alleviate the pain. When pain killers are taken, caffeine increases the medication's effect by improving their absorption. Vascular headaches are often caused by dilation of the blood vessels and one substance to constrict them, aiding to counter the pain in the head is caffeine.

Coffee at Work

Since people are naturally not nocturnal, chances of impaired performance that increases human error during night shifts is higher. Most of those that work on graveyard shift are at their lowest point in terms of energy. Alertness is one very important factor specially for those who are expected to give critical decisions on such short notice. This is where coffee helps. Coffee heightens the senses and increases concentration by perking up sleepy heads. Two huge cups of coffee can significantly help maintain greater performance levels for up to five to seven hours.