Freshen your breath

Forget fancy mouthwashes and mini-mints. Keep your mouth clean with a healthy diet that will reduce the bacteria and plaque that causes bad breath.

Pineapple contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that act as a natural cleanser.

Yoghurt reduces plaque and gingivitis as well as stinky hydrogen sulphide. Choose sugar-free options.

Cranberries prevent plaque and bacteria from sticking to the surface of the teeth.

Munching a raw vegetables increases saliva production, whixh helps wash food particles and acid from teeth.

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10 Essential Health Tips

1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!
3. Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.
4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.
5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.
6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.
7. Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.
8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.
9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.
10. Choose Your Parents Well
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.
via: healthfitnesstips

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LOSING WEIGHT TIPS AND TRICKS

BEST DIET BREAKFAST
Say goodbye to bagels. Researchers from Louisiana State University System tracked people on a low-cal diet and found that those who ate two eggs in the morning lost 65 percent more weight than those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories.Plus,the egg eaters’ cholesterol levels didn’t go up. How did they shed the extra pounds? Compared with the bagel group, they felt fuller after breakfast and ate fewer calories during the day.
LISTEN TO LOOSE
Exercising to the right song can help you get fitter. Music helped participants work out longer. The key is to find tunes that get you going. Once you sit down to eat,however, silence is best. A study showed that people munched more when music was playing. (hmmm, is this the reason why almost restaurants have music around).
REFRESH YOUR ROUTINE
No longer feeling the burn from your daily walk? Weight loss may plateau becausemuscle memory kicks in when you do the same exercise over and over. Challenge your body and use up more fuel by giving different muscle groups a jolt. Mix it up: Do some laps in the pool or try some high-intensity power yoga.
GOBBLE BEFORE YOU GULP!
Grab a snack before you sip. Drinking caffeine or alcohol, especially on an empty stomach, encourages insulin to floodgate into the bloodstream. The result is the activation of cortisol, a fat-storing hormone. If you can’t live without your morning latte, drink only after a nibble of healthy fats, it’ll help stabilize your blood sugar levels.

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Comfort in a Cup

Lots of studies have shown the health benefits of tea. It lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, and possibly certain cancers. But does it deliver its most touted benefit: to soothe and calm? To find out, British researchers divided 75 tea drinkers into two groups. One drank four cups of black tea a day, while the other has "placebo tea"which is identical in taste, smell and caffeine content but lacking active tea ingredients. Six weeks later, the groups underwent a stressful challenge. Immediately after,the black tea drinkers had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who'd been drinking the placebo. High levels of cortisol can weaken your immune system; they've also been linked to cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods. So if a bad day has you yearning for a brownie, try sipping tea instead.
from: good housekeeping

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Long Life Secret

Break out the mints Italian researchers recently found that people who eat the most garlic and onions have the lowest incidence of several kinds of cancer. For example, having seven or more servings of onion a week cuts the risk of colon cancer by 56 percent, while eating lots of garlic lowers risk by 26 percent. Scientists aren't sure exactly what substances are responsible for the good effects--lab studies suggest that the sulfur compounds that give the vegetables their bite mAy also be cancer fighters. Don't like that bite? Caramelizing onions brings out their sweetness (use as topping for grilled meat).
from: email

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