by Peter James | Aug 8, 2023 | Health, Nutrition
Maintaining a healthy diet is crucial for overall well-being, and one of the challenges many individuals face is making healthy food choices while eating out at restaurants or shopping at grocery stores. Tempting menus and enticing displays can often lead to unhealthy food decisions. However, with some mindful strategies and awareness, it is possible to make healthier choices without compromising on taste or satisfaction. In this article, we will explore effective tips to boost healthy food intake decisions when dining out and grocery shopping. 1. Plan Ahead: Before heading to a restaurant or grocery store, take some time to plan your meals. Research healthy options available at the restaurant or create a grocery list with nutritious foods. Having a clear idea of what to order or buy will help you avoid impulsive decisions and stick to healthier choices. 2. Be Mindful of Portions: At restaurants, portion sizes are often larger than what we actually need. Consider sharing a meal or opting for a smaller size. Similarly, at grocery stores, be cautious of bulk deals that might lead to overeating. Buying in moderation can prevent unnecessary overconsumption. 3. Opt for Fresh and Whole Foods: When dining out, choose dishes that feature fresh ingredients and whole foods. Look for items that include lean proteins, vegetables, and whole grains. At the grocery store, shop primarily from the fresh produce section and whole food aisles, avoiding processed and packaged foods as much as possible. 4. Read Labels and Ingredients: While grocery shopping, make it a habit to read labels carefully. Avoid items high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and excessive sodium. Look for...
by Peter James | Apr 6, 2020 | Nutrition, Supplements
One of life’s most potent therapeutic agents is actually fungi. You can find many edible forms of mushrooms that can actually be used in the kitchen for cooking within recipe’s. There are also many other mushroom’s present in nature that are not all necessarily safe. Some have phytochemicals and agents within them that are used in extracts for their medicinal potential, meanwhile others have toxins that can be deadly if they are ingested and broken down in the liver. Mushrooms are currently being used for medical research and drug development for people with all sorts of diseases and illnesses. This excitement within the field of mycology has funneled into other areas of study including immunology and oncology. Some of the most promising research most recently has come up through immunomodulation. Herbal medicine which has been in practice for centuries in Chinese eastern medicine assists with balancing out the body when endocrine systems are out of whack. Medicinal mushrooms can be defined as macroscopic fungi, mostly higher Basidiomycetes, which are used in the form of extracts or powder for prevention, alleviation, or healing of diseases and/or for nutritional reasons. It is well-established that mushrooms are adept at immune modulation and affect hematopoietic stem cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer (NK) cells.1 Extensive research over the last 40 years has demonstrated that mushrooms have potent antineoplastic properties that slow growth of tumors, regulate tumor genes, decrease tumoral angioneogenesis, and increase malignant-cell phagocytosis. Additionally, evidence suggests that medicinal mushrooms may safely boost chemotherapeutic efficacy and simultaneously protect against bone marrow suppression.Mushrooms represent a unique branch of botanical medicine...
by Peter James | Mar 31, 2020 | Self-Development
It’s not uncommon for people nowadays to be fixated on the screen and become obsessed with Hollywood, fame, politics, and the attainment of power that high positions may entail. The question to ask oneself is what is most essential? What do you really need for basic living and for a happy and healthy life that contributes to society and builds more meaning in the world? Here is my take, what you really need is food, clothes, shelter, energy, and water as the basic essentials. If you add into the equation tools and household appliances that make life more efficient; you can make your life a lot easier and more fulfilling. We are extremely fortunate to live in a world that has so much advancement in technology and resources that are abundantly available for us to seek out. Go out and utilize what’s available in order to build more quality into your life. In this day and age where there is an abundant amount of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty it is critical to find meaning and commit to a skill that contributes to society. As you become more proficient in one area of expertise or expand to other areas you begin to fulfill your highest potential as a human being. Here is my interpretation of greatness… To become great it takes years of hard work and dedication of grinding day in and day out. This hard work usually involves a lot of behind the scenes stories of trials and tribulations that go uncovered for many years until talent is recognized and properly groomed. In my eye’s the biggest issue that...
by Peter James | Oct 8, 2019 | Fitness, Health
Interval Training If you are a consistent gym goer but struggling with results it is important to look at new forms of exercise. One of the more recent trending forms of exercise has been the “HIIT” which stands for “High Intensity Interval Training”. This form of exercise can be done relatively quickly within a half hour to forty-five minutes time slot during the day. For those who struggle with dedicating enough time to the gym during the week, it helps to have a short workout that burns a lot of calories. HIIT involves a circuit of exercises that are done with very short breaks in between which really helps get the heart rate up higher for an improved calorie burn. The vast majority of circuit training exercises are done between 30-60 seconds with 15-20 seconds of rest in between. Rather than going through a gym session of isometric strength machine exercises and heavy free weights, it helps to incorporate specific HIIT exercises. In fact, it can really help assist with a change of pace in the gym to incorporate endurance and stability exercises and of course a faster pace will increase sweat! When members attend their local gym they typically go for one or more of the following reasons: stress relief, weight loss, increasing strength, building a better physique, or for a fun social atmosphere along with calorie burning. Part of the experience at a gym or studio is to have an enjoyable time while also reaching fitness goals and keeping the body in optimal shape. When you start including HIIT as part of your routine you will feel...
by Peter James | May 19, 2019 | Nutrition
Flash-Freezing Fruits If you happen to grow a lot of your own produce with your own fruit, vegetable, or herbal garden there is often a plethora of extra’s at the peak end of grow season. When it comes to fruits and using them fresh it’s often quite enjoyable to use them right away after they’re picked for the fresh taste. If you want to experience and taste more produce throughout the year, it’s a good idea to flash-freeze some of your fruits from local farmer’s markets or your own garden as a way to preserve nutrients and vitamins. The best way to follow through with this process is to use a baking sheet or tray and place your fruits on this tray inside a freezer and space the fruits apart away from each other. Afterwards you should have frozen fruits that could be stored in a container or placed in freezer bags. Use a marker and label the fruits and the date they were picked or frozen in the freezer. As a result you should have flash frozen fruits that you can use during the upcoming year for nutritious smoothie recipe’s. Some key things to remember are as follows: Wash your fruits and peel the skin offCut out any bruises or ugly spotsIf you have large fruits cut it up smaller so it is more bite sized, so it will blend and break down easier after freezingMake sure to space fruits apart when first placing in the freezer on a traySame protocol can be taken with garden herbs Remember you don’t have to waste extra fruits or keep them...
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