Body
It's important to take care of our body. But how? Improving our physical health begins with a more positive outlook on diet and exercise. It means both a better understanding of and relationship with food and physical activity.
Key Facts on Antioxidants
Most of us have already heard that antioxidants are good for our health, that they can help combat signs of aging, and that they can be found in green tea. But beyond these facts, we’re still left wondering what exactly they are and what exactly they do inside our bodies. First, what are they? Antioxidants are specific vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that have the ability to combat damages from free radicals. More on that later. Basically, foods and drinks with vitamins like E, C, and A, minerals like copper, selenium, and zinc, and phytochemicals such as lycopene (1), have free-radical-fighters (i.e. antioxidants) in them. Keep in mind that this is…
The Importance of Counteracting a Sedentary Work Life
Over the past two years of working at a desk job, my lifestyle has been the most sedentary it has ever been. If I don’t intentionally exercise, my main physical activity would be walking to or from a parking lot. Outside of that, I would spend most of my day sitting or standing. Why is this relevant? Unless your job requires physical activity, your lifestyle is probably similar to mine. It’s innately sedentary. And with all the technological advances and automation of physical tasks, this is unavoidably becoming more common. As a result, sedentariness is very much built into the fabric of most of our days. But it was never…
Is There Such a Thing as Drinking Too Much Water?
It’s been said that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. But is that the case for water? Is there such a thing as drinking too much? Well, yes. Water is surprisingly among the things you can have too much of. Yes, it has many benefits. It enables our bodies to function and our organs to run properly. So, it’s easy to rationalize that the more of it you drink the more of those benefits you get. But not so fast. The whole point of this post is to increase awareness and mindfulness. On a medical point of view, let’s consider when too much of something…
How Much Water Do We Really Need to Drink per Day?
It’s a question you’ve probably asked or wondered about. How much water do you need a day? You may have heard that it’s eight glasses. But where does that idea come from? Is it even accurate? And is there a danger to having such a rule? Where does the minimum water intake recommendation come from? The idea of a minimum requirement for how much water we must consume was first introduced in the 1940s. The National Academy of Science published their recommendation of 2.5 liters of water a day. An arbitrary amount that had no grounds. That recommendation has since evolved to the standard of eight glasses. However, more and…
The Truth About High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Most people generally care about their health. Living a long healthy life, having fewer doctor’s visits, and reducing the risk of major preventable diseases are things anyone would want. However, we sometimes undermine our health without realizing it. Could that be the case when we consume foods containing high-fructose corn syrup? First, what is high-fructose corn syrup? High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose-fructose, is a sweetener made from corn starch. Scientifically speaking, all starches are made of chains of linked sugars. In 1957, a couple of scientists discovered the enzyme, glucose isomerase, which breaks linked sugars into sugar glucose, a syrup 2. The enzyme also turns the glucose…
How to Restore Your Relationship With Food and Never “Diet” Again
There’s a reason most people who lose weight through dieting eventually gain it back. It’s because their relationship with food was unhealthy. After all, an unhealthy relationship with food is what leads to unhealthy eating habits. Conversely, a healthy relationship with food leads to healthy eating habits. The key to a healthy relationship with food is to go back to the very beginning—restoring the relationship we had with it when we were young; before we ever obsessed over our weight, counted calories, did keto, or whatever the new diet trend happens to be. Instead, we listened to our bodies and not a restrictive diet plan. We enjoyed good taste without…
