The Vegan Lifestyle

There are 3 basic essential nutrients for a healthy body. These are carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. All of these are important for good health. A deficiency of these may result to health problems.

Carbohydrates provide energy to keep us going. Proteins build the body and make us grow. Vitamins and minerals maintain the body and make us glow in good health.

To be healthy, we should eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Most of these nutrients can be found in fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables.

But in our modern world, most of these nutrients are no longer safe for consumption because of chemical pollution from industrial plants. Most of the foods we buy in supermarkets nowadays are processed with chemicals that poison our body and genetically modified which render them carcinogenic and dangerous to health.

A safe recourse is to plant our own organic fruits and vegetables. We can also buy Herbalife products that are natural and safe in case we cannot buy in the market or plant our own organic vegetables.

Carbohydrates are divided into simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are molecules of sugars, while complex carbohydrates are chains of bonded molecules of sugar. Complex carbohydrates are commonly known as starch, and they provide the body a steady supply of energy. Good sources of complex carbohydrates are root crops or tubers such as sweet potato, cassava, yams and others. It is also found in beans, lentils, brown rice,  corn, buckwheat, wholegrain cereals, oatmeals, and many more.

Proteins are important in building the structural components  of the body. It is used to build muscles and organs, to create hormones, to synthesize neurotransmitters for a healthy nervous system, and to strengthen the immune system. They are made up of basic building blocks called amino acids.

There are 20 amino acids, and 11 of these are “non-essential, that is, there’s no need to get these amino acids from our diet because our body can produce them from chemicals that are already present in our body. Some of the non-essential amino acids, such as arginine, cysteine, glycine, and tyrosine are called “conditionally essential” because some people, due to genetic defects, cannot produce these in their body but have to get these from their diet. The 9 essential amino acids are not produce by the body. We take it from the food  we eat.

Good sources of protein are meats, eggs, and dairy products. But due to the exposure of cattle and fowls to various toxic chemicals such as growth hormones, feed additives, and the many preservatives, flavorings, enhancers, and colors in most processed meats, animal protein is no longer safe. Animal flesh meats are carriers of infectious diseases that are easily transmitted to humans. Also animal proteins are heavy proteins that are hard to digest.

Plant-based proteins are light, and are easily digested by the body. They do not ferment easily to cause acidic system that is common in most flesh meats. Good sources of plant proteins are legumes, nut, seeds, grains, cereals, seaweeds, and other green leafy vegetables.

To be in optimum health, we need vitamins and minerals too. Vitamins are organic substances that come from plants and animals, whereas minerals are inorganic elements that come from the earth, soil, and water that are absorbed by plants. Most vitamins and minerals are found in plants such as fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetable. Busy people who have no time to cook can also take Herbalife vitamin and mineral supplements to stay in the best of health.

Practice healthy lifestyle and live longer. You cannot fail to be healthy with it.

Healthy lifestyle involves all good habits in life. It covers the physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspect of life. Healthy lifestyle means living with optimum health. It means living with vigor, joy and zest for life. It is eating nutritious food,  doing regular physical exercise, practicing good habits, having positive mental attitude, and trust in God.

Practice healthy lifestyle and live longer. Eat balanced diet of nutritious food from natural sources. Take Herbalife products and be sure that all you take are from herbs and natural. Avoid processed foods that are loaded with MSG, aspartame, caffeine, alcohol, hydrogenated fats, synthetic enhancers, flavorings, colors, preservatives, and other additives that are detrimental to health.

Have a regular physical exercise outdoor with abundance of fresh air and sunshine. It is good for burning up excess fat in the body. It is good for the proper elimination of toxic waste in the body. It is good for blood circulation to nourish all organs of the body for optimum health.

Maintain personal hygiene. Take a bath daily and feel fresh. It cleans the body and the mind as well. Clean your home and its surroundings, and let sunshine and fresh air come in. They have effective cleansing effects to rid the home of allergens, germs, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that may bring diseases.

Practice healthy lifestyle and live longer. Never use illegal drugs ever, and avoid alcohol and other intoxicating drinks. Quit smoking and stop poisoning your system with hundreds of toxic chemicals and carcinogens. Avoid stress and do not abuse your body. Have a restful sleep for the rejuvenation of your body.

Socialize with your neighbors and other people in the community. Join charity activities and give generously to the poor. It is best for physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. It invigorates the blood, it brings joy to the heart, it brings peace to the mind.

Practice healthy lifestyle and live longer. Take Herbalife products and be in good health. Live your life fully with the best of health to serve God and your fellowmen.

Stop smoking for good and live. God is the owner of our lives, and we are only its stewards. Our body is the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Whoever destroys this temple, God will also destroy. So stop smoking now and stop sinning against God.

Nicotine in tobacco and cigarette is an insidious drug that destroys the body. Cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals including 400 toxins and 43 cancer-causing or carcinogenic substances. Why smoke and poison yourself to death slowly? This is similar to committing suicide which is a sin against God.

Filtered cigarette is just a marketing ploy to deceive people that cigarette is safe to smoke. This process makes cigarette more bitter, and to correct this,  600 chemicals are added to the cigarette. Some of these additives are potent toxic chemicals such as cadmium, benzene, nickel, napthalene, formaldehyde, arsenic, lead, cyanide, DDT, polonium, and many more.

Cadmium is used in batteries. It is carcinogenic and can damage the liver and the kidneys. Benzene, which is used in making dyes and synthetic rubber reduces the red blood count in the body and is harmful to the bone marrow. Large quantities of nickel increase the risk of prostate cancer, nose cancer, larynx cancer and lung cancer.

Napthalene, a common ingredient in mothballs destroys the red blood cells and can cause hemolytic anemia. Formaldehyde, which is used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant is commonly used in embalming corpses. It causes leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer. Arsenic, used in rat poisons, can damage the brain that can result to death.

Cyanide is an extremely deadly poison. It is used in the manufacture of paper, plastics, textiles, and in the developing of photographs. It causes rapid heart rate, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Exposure to large amount can cause low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, lung injury, and respiratory failure leading to death.

DDT is a banned insecticide  used in malaria control that is linked to diabetes, infertility, endocrine disruption, miscarriage, breast cancer, and other diseases. It damages the DNA to start mutation resulting to carcinogenesis. Polonium is extremely dangerous and intensely radioactive element. It is the primary cause of more than 20,000 deaths due to lung cancer in the US every year.

The above chemicals are among the 400 toxins found in cigarettes. These are proven facts that cannot be disproved.  But most smokers are not convinced that cigarette is dangerous to their health because they are still alive after years of smoking.  It is not because cigarette is not harmful to health that you still exist, but because God in his mercy has given you a body with much tolerance and leeway to withstand the abuses that you may ignorantly do to it.

Why poison yourself to death when life is worth living? Your family and loved ones need you. The New Year is coming. This is the high time to firmly resolve to stop smoking for good.  Throw your cigarettes away, and live a healthy life.

No matter how hard it is, if you have the will and determination, you can stop smoking, and be victorious against this addiction. You can use natural and herbal alternatives in lieu of cigarettes. Some medications are also available such as Chantix and Zyban. There is also Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help you quit smoking for good.

Stop smoking now for good, and live a healthy life. Do not wait until you are sick with lung cancer and other diseases. Your family and loved ones are also affected by your smoking. So for their sake, stop smoking now and let the whole family live longer and happy lives.

There are good reasons why I want to be a naturopathic doctor. Since childhood I have seen the plight of the poor who have died in their diseases because of the lack of proper medical attention. I have seen their afflictions, sufferings and miseries. They cannot buy expensive medicines from drugstores; they cannot afford to pay conventional medical treatment.

I want to be a naturopathic doctor so that I can help treat the poor people from their diseases. I have been looking for an alternative medicine school where to get a formal education. I believe that the herbs and other natural treatments used in alternative medicine are much better than the synthetic medicines, radiation and chemotherapy used in conventional medicine.

Naturopathic medicine is the best alternative in treating all forms of diseases. It is the oldest form of medication used by the ancients to treat all diseases effectively through the use of physical manipulation, herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, counselling, and other natural treatment.  Besides being cheaper, it is also natural and safer compared to the conventional medicine.

In a naturopathic college, a would-be doctor is trained how to treat diseases without the use of synthetic medicines that are harmful to the body. Students learn the first of the six principles in naturopathic philosophy - first do no harm, by using only herbal medicine and natural treatment to cure diseases. In naturopathic medicine, students are taught the healing power of nature and the inherent power of the human body to restore itself to health. Diseases are studied at the cellular level and how the mind affects it in order to effectively treat the cause of disease and not the symptoms only.

I want to be a naturopathic doctor in order to save lives. Unlike most conventional medical doctors, a naturopathic doctor treats the whole person by providing flexible health programs. The naturopathic physician is a teacher to his patients, teaching them healthy lifestyle, and instilling in their minds that prevention is the best cure.

Busy people have their physical exercises at home. When schedules are tight, and appointments are hectic, physical exercises are better done at home. And when the weather are inclement too, it is safe and comfortable to do physical exercises at home.

Like most busy people, our family members can barely do a physical exercise. If ever we are fortunate to have the time, it is very sparing and intermittent. Sometimes, upon waking up in the morning, before starting the household chores, my wife, and my mother-in-law do some very light exercises such as stretching the arms and feet, flexing the body, and twisting their hips and spine. And they do these for less than five minutes only.

I do my physical exercise when my back aches or when I feel weak. I had an accident many years ago when I fell from a tall ladder while working in an outdoor advertising agency in Manila. I hit the concrete floor flat on my buttocks, and it hurt my spine. It is well now, but during cold weather, or when I sleeps on soft mattress for long period, my back hurts. When this happens, I usually do the yoga exercises, such as the “twist”, the head stand, the deep obeisance, and other yoga exercises to limber my body. I benefited a lot from these exercises. My backache disappears in less than five minutes when I do these yoga exercises.

Last month, my daughter bought an exercise equipment  called “Time Works”. All of us are using it every morning. It is very effective. All types of physical exercises are integrated in it: sit ups, push ups, the twist, and the exercises for flat abdomen, strong biceps, forearms, thighs, strong hand grips, chest expansion, and others. All you need is 4 minutes  for each setting. If you can still do more than one settings of 4 minutes each, the better. You will burn up a lot of cholesterol from your body, and become stronger, healthy, and physically fit  everyday.

Physical exercises at home are beneficial to all people. They are not only good for our physical health, but are also good in beating  tight and hectic schedules. Physical exercises at home are especially good for the elderly because they are done gradually and without straining. And these light physical exercises are conveniently done in the comfort and privacy of our own home.

There is no inhibition or worry that some people are watching you while doing the exercises. You can lie on the floor, on the carpet or on the bed. You can use many  things at home for the exercise such as the chair for lifting objects to improve  hand grip and develop strength, for push ups to improve the muscles in the chest and forearms, and as an inclined plane for sit ups to flatten the stomach. You can also lean on the wall while standing erect for good posture or as a guide and support while doing the headstand. And above all, you can do these exercises while doing your household chores.

Junk foods are bad for our health. They are loaded with chemicals that are harmful to our body. They are mixed with food colors and preservatives too.

Almost all junk foods undergo a certain process. Most junk foods are deep-fried in hydrogenated vegetable oils. Vegetables oils that have undergone hydrogenation are harmful to the body. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are originally mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids that are artificially converted into a saturated fatty acid by the addition of hydrogen molecules to it. This process is called hydrogenation.

When hydrogenated vegetable oils are heated, they are converted into trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are very harmful to the body, and can cause cancer. That is why it is not safe to re-use frying oils that have been used already.

Junk foods are palatable and delicious. They are mixed with flavorings or food  enhancers to make it taste good. That is why most children and even adults like them very much. The most famous food enhancer is the monosodium glutamate or MSG. This is a free glutamic acid produced from hydrolyzed amino acids from proteins by the use of strong acids as catalysts. This substance is sold in the market with various brand names, the most common of which is Ajinomoto or Vetsin. MSG is very harmful to our body. It causes brain cancer and a host of other diseases. It penetrates the blood-brain barrier and affects the normal functioning of the hypothalamus. This organ of the endocrine system is the controlling center of all neuroendocrine regulation, sleep, wake cycles, emotional control, caloric intake regulation, immune system regulation, and the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Please read my previous article “Dangers Of MSG” to know more about this.

This is the reason why people become obese, and wonder why they become so fat when in fact they often skip their breakfast and other meals in a day. This blood-brain barrier disruption can also cause hypertension, diabetes, strokes, brain tumors, lupus, brain infections, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Other additives in junk foods are food colors, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives. All these chemicals are toxins that poison our body. Do you not wonder why junk foods remain fresh and crispy even after months or year in the shelves? Consider what harm they can do to your body.

Sugar can harm our body. We do not see its  immediate effects, and so we do not believe that sugar can harm our body. Most of us drink our coffee every morning with one or two teaspoons of sugar mixed to it without knowing that sugar can harm our body.

Sugar can harm our body. Most of these sugars are found in junk foods. Processed foods are loaded with sugars and other artificial sweeteners. These sugars can harm our body.

Our body needs sugar. This sugar comes from the food we eat, such as fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables. We think they have no sugar, and so we add refined or granulated sugar on our food. This kind of sugar can harm our body. Refined sugar undergoes bleaching and sulfonation process where sulfur is used. This is a very toxic chemical, and we ingest traces of this poison whenever we consume sugar or other sugar products.

The carbohydrates in our daily diet has more than enough sugar to supply our body. It is initially converted to glucose and then to energy for our body use. Adding more  sugar than what our body needs can cause a lot of health problems for us.

Indeed sugar can harm our body. Most of our foods today are loaded with sugars. Ice creams, cakes, pastries, carbonated drinks and other soft drinks, energy drinks, and many more processed foods.

We are literally surrounded by lots of sugars. No wonder we have a lot of ailments, and we are always visiting the clinics and hospitals to see our doctors. We have been blind to the fact that sugar can really harm our body. We blame our diseases to bacteria, virus and other pathogens except sugar because we do not immediately see  its ill effects.

If you are still doubting that sugar can harm our body, please see this list and know what sugar can do for you health. The following are the harmful effects of sugar to our body:

• it causes drowsiness and fatigue
• it causes acidic stomach
• it causes tooth decay, cavities, and other dental problems
• it causes food allergies
• it causes headaches
• It causes anxiety, depression, and adversely affects the thinking abilities
• it beclouds the mind, and impairs the memory and other brain functions
• It changes the  mineral balance in body fluids
• it  speeds up the process of aging
• it causes  several vitamin deficiencies
• it increases fasting glucose, and increases the risk of diabetes
• it causes hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
• it over stresses the pancreas
• it increases the risk of pancreatic cancer and other forms of cancer
• it increases the systolic blood pressure
• it causes hypertension or high blood pressure
• it increases the risk of blood clots and strokes
• it increases the amount of radicals in the bloodstream
• it increases the risk of bacterial infections  such as diarrhea
• it causes bacterial infections in the colon
• it increases the adrenaline in the blood
• it decreases the production of insulin in the body
• it can cause osteoporosis
• it increases the risk of ulcer diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerate colitis
• it increases the number of triglycerides in the blood
• it reduces the good HDL cholesterol and increases the bad LDL cholesterol
• it increases total cholesterol
• it increases the risk of coronary heart diseases
• it causes obesity
• it speeds up the formation of plaques in the arteries
• it causes cardiovascular diseases
• it causes toxemia or poisoning in the body
• it  causes hormonal imbalances in the body
• it increases the amount of fat in the liver
• it increases the size of the liver
• it badly affects the kidneys
• it weakens the body’s immune system

Indeed sugar can harm our body. If it can destroy our teeth, it can surely easily harm the organs and other parts in our body. It causes hyperacidic system that brings many ailments and diseases.

Good memory is important to everybody. It is an essential part of intelligence. Most people need good memory – in schools, in the work sites, and even at homes.

Why do memory fail?

There are various reasons why people become forgetful. The following are some of the reasons or causes of forgetfulness: senility, alcoholic drinks, unbalanced diet, wrong lifestyle, diseases, lack of exercise, and accidents.

As we grow older, we tend to become more forgetful. This may be due in part to the acceptance as truth of the conventional belief that almost all old people become forgetful.This may be due to the slowing down of the  myriad of processes in the human systems as people grow older. But this belief system is reversible. People can be old and still have sharp, retentive memories.

Drinking liquor and other alcoholic drinks is very harmful to the brain. Thousands of brain cells die permanently during every drinking bout, and they are irreplaceable.

The brain thrives mostly on glucose, a sugar found naturally in honey and sweet fruits. This sugar can also be made artificially from carbohydrates by hydrolysis. For a brain to function excellently, it must be feed with food rich in glucose such as fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. Avoid flesh meats, milk, and sugar. They destroy the memory.

You may wonder why milk and sugar are not good for memory. Milk and sugar combination is not good for memory. When sugar (not from fruits) are taken into the body, the pancreas is stimulated to secrete insulin to neutralize the excess sugar in the bloodstream. This causes a temporary deficiency of sugar, thus starving the brain of needful glucose.

Animal flesh meats are saturated with harmful chemicals, such as growth hormones and feed additives. They also contain stress hormone called 17-hydroxycorticosteroid that blocks the neurotransmitters to the brain. Animal products have chemicals or substances that have mind-altering effects such as thyramin in cheese; tryptamine in fish and sausages, and arachidonic acid. Junk foods and carbonated drinks are loaded with excitotoxins such as monosodium glutamate, aspartame, and caffein that are detrimental to the brain.

Staying late at night, and other forms of insomnia impair the memory, Accidents and diseases too can destroy the memory. And most off all, lack of exercise. Regular physical exercise enhances good blood circulation to the brain to supply glucose and oxygen. Most important, the brain must be trained to memorize regularly. Constant practice makes memorizing easier.

Let us be happy  and live longer. This  is the sole purpose of our striving under the sun. To be happy and to live longer in order to see our grandchildren succeed in their lives – this is the reason for all our perennial endeavors on Earth.

In the primeval days, after Adam and Eve fell from their pristine Edenic state, men started looking for the elixir of youth. Expeditions were sent around the globe to conquer unreach territories and to find the elusive elixir believed to restore man to eternal youth.

All of them searched the globe painstakingly, and have grown old and weary until old age took their lives. Even now, in this 21st century era, some are still searching and hoping that somehow this elusive elixir of youth can finally be found.

Can we really live longer and be happy?

Of course, yes! Regular exercise, balanced diet, healthy lifestyle, and positive mental attitude can restore us to vibrant health, youthful body, and longer life.

To live longer we must be healthy; to stay younger we must be healthy. It is therefore imperative that we strive to be healthy.

How can we be heathy?

To be healthy, we need to eat nutritious food. When we say nutritious, it must contain all the essential nutrients needed by the body for proper functioning. These essential nutrients are found in fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables.

A balanced diet must contain carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables contain all these.

To live longer we must abstain from fleshly meats – they are carriers of communicable diseases, and they hasten us to the grave. To live longer, we should avoid intoxicating liquours that can destroy our liver and other organs of our body. These alcoholic drinks can lead us to petty brawls that can sometimes cost our lives, or to vehicular accidents that can cripple, maim or even result to our untimely death.

To live longer, we must believe in long life. Believing is the most important thing. We must enjoy life and live it with zest. A natural vitality inherent in the body will manifest itself when we believe in good health and hope to live longer. We are what we think. The mind has a tremendous power to make us what we want to be. As we think, we become. Therefore, let us feed our mind with enobling thoughts. Let us think about health; let us think about long life.

To live longer and happy, we must practice healthy living. Let us wake up early in the morning, and give thanks to the Lord who has given us another beautiful day. Have a regular exercise: muscle stretching, walking, jogging, and deep breathing until you perspire. Take a bath, and take your breakfast. Never ever skip your breakfast. Skipping it tends to make one obese, and this can cause a lot of health problems for us. Eat lots of fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables. If possible, if you can afford it, drink lots of fruit and vegetable juices. They are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that can cure many diseases including cancers.

To live longer, we must not abuse our body. We must not gulp or use toxic substances that can destroy our body, such as coffee, cigarettes, softdrinks, ice creams, synthetic food flavors, enhancers and colors, and illegal drugs. These are all the causes of so many diseases and deaths in the world. So avoid them, and live longer.

To live longer, we must sleep on time. Sleep has rejuvenating effects on the body. Sleep before 10 o’clock in the evening. This is the most beneficial time to sleep when the body’s production of melatonin is at its peak. And do not oversleep – it is not good for the body either.

Hot tubs are popular in most American and European homes. In Oriental countries, only the rich and affluent can afford to have hot tubs at home.

The earliest descriptions of western bathing practices came from the Greeks. Their bathing regimens formed the foundation for modern spa procedures. The Greeks established public baths and showers within their gymnasium complexes for personal hygiene and relaxation.

Hot tubs or spas are the modern equivalent of medieval hot springs. The heat from hot springs and the minerals in it were thought to have healing powers and beneficial to health. The  Greeks and the Romans loved to bathe at hot springs, and as the years go by, they extended and made larger hot springs from natural sources for medicinal bathing by enclosing them in large buildings complete with accessories for hygiene and comfort.

The word “spa” was derived from the name of a place in Belgium town called Spa. In 1326, the ironmaster, Collin le Loup claimed a cure by bathing in a chalybeate or iron-bearing spring water located in Spa, Belgium.

In the 16th century, England revived the Roman medicinal bathing in Bath. In 1571, William Slingsby, who had been to Spa, Belgium (which he called Spaw) discovered  a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire and built the first resort in England for drinking medicinal water  which became known as Harrogate. It was in England that the word spa became a generic description rather than a name of a Belgian town.

Our modern-day one piece hot tubs or spas are smaller, portable and much more comfortable. They are incorrectly called as Jacuzzi or Whirlpool tubs in America. Unibody hot tubs or spas come with fittings, parts  and other accessories. One of these is the spa cover which is used to preserve the heat and conserve and save energy consumption.

For all your hot tub or spa parts and accessories need, such as spa filters, hot tub chemicals, spa covers, and spa parts, call and shop at Hot Tub Works.