Choosing Healthy Drinks

By Jermaic Honsher

Many people are starting to make healthy meal choices, including healthier drink options. A healthy beverage should revitalize and refresh your body without adding unwanted fat or calories.

Water. Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Everyone should drink plenty of water throughout the day to prevent headaches, body aches, and fatigue that is associated with dehydration. Drinking water helps keep your body functioning at optimum performance. Water also acts as an appetite suppressant. If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you will find that you will eat less and lose weight.

Cranberry juice. Not only are cranberries packed with vitamin C, studies show that drinking cranberry juice can help prevent bladder and urinary tract infections. Cranberries contain an ingredient that prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder, making this little red berry not only tasty, but pretty useful too. The antioxidant properties in a glass of cranberry juice can help rid your body of harmful free radicals and and help reduce inflammation. Avoid sugary cranberry juice cocktails and choose 100% natural cranberry juice instead.

Green tea. Well known for its wealth of antioxidants, green tea can also block the over-production of harmful enzymes in your body that act as precursors to cancer. Replace your morning cup of coffee with a steaming cup of antioxidant-rich green tea instead. Natural compounds in green tea have been found to help regulate blood sugar levels by increasing insulin activity, promoting glucose metabolism and blocking glucose absorption.

The following sugary, calorie packed drinks are very popular, but. They are also some of the unhealthiest drinks available.

Fancy coffee drinks. Your local coffee shop may try to entice you with a tasty caffeinated treat that features full-fat dairy products, chocolate, sugary syrups, artificial colors and flavors. These drinks often have as many calories and fat as a fast food meal.

Summer cocktails. Don't be tempted by fancy drinks with a little paper umbrella. It's probably the healthiest ingredient in many popular summertime drinks. Sweet summer drinks like margaritas, daiquiris, and pina coladas are packed with calories due to the alcohol and sugar.

Smoothies. Don't be lured by the health claims made by some smoothie makers. Many smoothies claim to be healthy but the added fat and calories tell a very different story. Sugary juices, full-fat dairy products, and other extras make this drink a high calorie mistake. - 30246

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How To Choose The Best Wrinkle Cream

By Daniel da Silva

There are so many wrinkle creams on the market for someone to choose from. This being said, it is important that you do a bit of research on the different wrinkle creams before you choose the one that is best for you. Most of the creams you find will help in the reduction of wrinkles, however, you should still choose carefully. Some of the products out there simply don't follow through with the claims made.

What are wrinkles? A wrinkle is actually just a sign of someone aging that is actually visible. The process of skin aging might be able to be delayed however you can't stop it completely. The market of anti-aging products is lucrative. There are many different women as well as men that purchase many different products on the search for the one that really works.

There is a good bit of information about different creams. However, this being said there are also a good bit of misconceptions. One misconception that is quite common is the one where people think that just because their friend has great results with one cream that they will get the same results. This is not true. You should not expect that the result will be the same for you as it was for your peers. You need to do some shopping to find one that will work the best with your skin type.

There are many new creams that are being developed each day on the market. Different creams have different technologies and ingredients. This being said, not each one will work for you.

There are many different creams on the market today that are taking off in popularity. When you start looking for a cream you will probably be taken back by the amount of creams that are out there as well as the different creams by different brands. You need to find out your skin type and how severe your wrinkles really are. This will help you in the process of choosing the best cream for your needs. - 30246

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What Is The Big With Anti Aging Formula Products?

By Phil Bray

Beauty is supposedly something that is meant to come from the inside, however with the array of anti aging formula products that are on the market, this thought seems to past the minds of many people. It is not the point that the world is vain, everyone wants to be able to look their best regardless of what their age is.

Everyone wants to be able to put their best face forward regardless of what they are doing. Since there truly is no magical way to turn the hands of time backwards a lot of people try to go for the next best thing different products that will assist them with keeping a younger appearing demeanor.

There are a lot of obvious cosmetic reasons why someone would want to appear to look younger than they are. However, a lot of people are finding that in order to obtain a good job in this current fluctuating job market if you look younger, you are sure to land something great. In fact, this is something that is inspiring people to want to look younger than their age.

With the state of the economy still at a shaky place, finding employment can be a task within itself. There are a lot of people that are presently at a mature age stature that find themselves having a horrific time trying to find a job. One reason is because a lot of employers are actually hesitant to hire people that are of an older age stature on top of someone that is young.

Employers will look at your age, and although they can not discriminate against you based on your age there are some that actually still do. However, if you can show that you not only look young for your age, but can perform your job a lot better than any young person could ever dream of doing, there is a chance you may land your dream position.

As we begin to age, there are certain things that prohibit us from performing our normal day to day duties like we used to. This is a common thing, and although our bodies may be aging we definitely do not want to show this age progressing trend on our faces. So many people turn to an anti aging formula in order to take care of references to their age.

There are many different formulas that are available on the market. All of the formulas promise to deliver results better than their competitors. However, most of the time you will not be able to determine the results that the formula will deliver until you have actually used it.

You should keep your eyes open for a few ingredients that should be included in the formula that you are opting to use. Your going to want your formula to consist of vitamin e, and aloe. Both of these substances have proven their worth for skin related issues.

The job market is still difficult to break into. If you do not want to pass up your chances of securing a great position with a prospective employer you definitely need to consider the anti aging options that you have. - 30246

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Face Lift Techniques - The Different Options Available Today

By Fiona Lewis

You can find lots of various face lifts available depending on the result you are searching for. Discuss your best options the best options for you, considering the results you want to achieve. No matter if you want slight changes requiring little healing time to a major transformation, this procedure can revive the confidence in your look.

You can classify face lifts into four groups. One face lift type is a standard or lower type. This type of face lift is completed through one of the following methods. One way to achieve this type is through an S shaped incision made close to the ear. The other way to achieve this is through an incision that extends from the temple, rather than starting at the ear. The doctor may utilize liposuction to remove additional fat before separating the skin from tissue. Then the doctor will tighten the muscles and the skin and will suture the incisions. This procedure tightens up the lower face and neck.

Another kind is called a mid face lift. This targets the cheeks and lower eyelids. A few incisions will be made in the muscle tissue and the doctor makes the area taut.

A mini-lift is another category. The mini-lift is being chosen by more and more people, because the recovery is very quick. In this version, minor incisions are made in precise spots. A mini-lift is great for tightening up little areas, but if you want something larger done, this may not be the best procedure for you. However, these methods can find those hard spots and you could be in and out of surgery quickly.

The last category of face lifts are thread lifts. This technique is for people experiencing the beginning signs of aging. This is a very radical approach to the face lift as it is possible to do without pain killers. The way it is performed is that a thread, regular or polypropylene is placed through tiny incisions and is attached to muscles beneath the skin. The thread is utilized in order to bring the skin into a new, tighter placement. As this surgery can be done while you are fully awake and alert, you may view the results and chat with the doctor during the procedure. Once the threads are connected, they are concealed under your skin and don't usually result in any scarring.

The first three techniques can also be done with endoscopy, or inserting tiny cameras into the areas so that the doctors can diminish scarring and improve the doctor's visual capabilities during the treatment. Your doctor can go over all the different procedures with you and is sometimes able to use computer imaging to display likely results from various techniques. Either option you choose, it will give you a more youthful appearance and can increase confidence in the way you look. - 30246

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Facial Massage Techniques - 3 Great Reasons to Massage the Face

By Tess Rainey

In this article we will look at the benefits of some facial massage techniques. The 3 reasons discussed below will not only enhance your appearance and reduce your stress, but they will also help the rest of your body function better.

1. Prevent Blemishes and Unclog Pores: Since first impressions are so important, the face is usually something people spend a lot of time on, and yet it is usually the last place on your body that gets treated with respect and love. Because it is the first thing people usually see, most people want their face to look its best, which for women usually means makeup and product used on a regular basis. This can take its toll on your skin, and trying to look beautiful can often have opposite results.

A facial massage will undo some of the damage mentioned above and will finally give your face the treatment it needs and deserves. Doing this will help you achieve the ultimate look you have been after, and usually in a less intrusive manner. Facial massage techniques help unclog pores and prevent blemishes so in the end you won't have as many "imperfections" to try and cover up anyway.

2. Prevent Wrinkles and Strengthen Facial Muscles: Did you know that there are muscles in your face that can be worked just like any other muscle in your body? They are a little more fragile than other muscles, but if done correctly, a facial massage can help strengthen facial muscles and even prevent a double chin.

By pampering yourself with a facial massage every now and then, you will see fewer wrinkles and look younger too. This type of massage shouldn't last for more than 20 minutes; you don't want to stretch or lengthen the facial muscles.

3. Increase Circulation and Reduce Impurities: To increase circulation and reduce impurities, use soft, circular and upwards motions. You'll see the difference in your appearance you will probably even feel the difference throughout your body.

Your ears are a great example of this as they are pressure points that can stimulate the rest of the body; so you can help your body work better by massaging them and pulling them back at the end of a facial massage.

The above article looked at many benefits of facial massage techniques. Not only will facial massage unclog pores and prevent blemishes, but it can help prevent wrinkles and strengthen facial muscles too. And if the massage is done right, and for less than 20 minutes, it can also increase circulation and reduce impurities which will help you age gracefully and feel younger.

Want to learn more? - 30246

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Reishi Hot Water Extract vs. Alcohol Extract

By Dr. Markho Rafael

Medicinal mushrooms have been immensely popular in Asia for millennia. Today, Americans are waking up to these powerful nutraceuticals. In the wake of this new awareness follow issues of product quality claims made by competing brands.

All medicinal mushroom species are plagued by this. Most fiercely debated is red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), the most popular of all medicinal mushrooms. So this article will primarily focus on that species, but it's generally applicable to all species of medicinal mushrooms.

An obvious caution is to stay away from cheap, mass-produced reishi. It may be merely dried and pulverized. In order to be medicinal, the mushroom cell-wall has to be broken down. Mass-produced reishi may be mostly inert and ineffective.

But even among the truly effective therapeutic brands, which are plentiful, there are important differences. Each seems to claim superiority over other brands, not surprisingly, because why else would anyone buy them? This article aims to clarify the confusion of conflicting and sometimes misleading information that is out there.

Below are three common methods for extracting medicinal compounds from reishi. Each method results in different compounds. All groups have been shown to have therapeutic effects in scientific studies.

1. Water Extraction, Hot (polysaccharides and more)

2. Alcohol Extraction (triterpenoids, etc.)

3. Fermented (arabinoxylanes, etc.)

Polysaccharides have been shown to possess powerful anti-tumor qualities through enhancing the immune system and by inhibiting blood profusion through tumors. They are also strong antioxidants. [1]

Through alcohol extraction, we get triterpenoids, a large group of lipids with many sub-groups. Research shows triterpenoids help regulate clotting, blood pressure and cholesterol. More importantly, they are the anti-inflammatory compounds that are the reason why reishi often gets recommended for arthritis, asthma and allergies. [1]

Finally, by fermenting the red reishi, the original medicinal compounds break down to form new compounds with unique healing properties. These "secondary metabolites" have among other things been shown to be immune enhancing and help regulate blood sugar, as well as having unique anti-tumor properties. [2]

This article is intended to give general guidelines to help you choose an effective reishi product, not to recommend any particular brand. But there are at least two reishi companies on the market which both state only hot water extract is useful while alcohol extracts are of no value.

They do that, of course, because they wish to sell their products. However, there is no scientific validity to those claims. All three extraction methods listed above yield important medicinal compounds.

To determine if a brand of reishi (or Ganoderma) contains all the important medicinal compounds from the mushroom, find out if it utilizes both alcohol and hot water extraction. An additional plus would be if it also includes fermented reishi.

Last but not least, remember to look at the form the reishi comes in. If the reishi is able to dissolve completely in water-based drinks like coffee, it's a safe bet that it only contains the water-soluble polysaccharides. An excellent choice as far as coffee goes but an incomplete reishi supplement because it does not include the anti-inflammatory triterpenoid compounds.

On the other hand, alcohol tinctures can actually contain both water soluble polysaccharides and alcohol soluble triterpenoids. The way you know is that the polysaccharides will fall out of solution because of the alcohol, and will make the tincture cloudy. That's alright though; you just need to shake before you take. Capsules and tablets may be one or the other or both. The only way to know is ask the manufacturer or read their information.

[1] Boh B, Berovic M, Zhang J, Zhi-Bin L, 2007. "Ganoderma lucidum and its pharmaceutically active compounds." Biotechnology Annu Rev 13:265-301.

[2] Tang YJ, Zhang W, Zhong JJ. "Performance analyses of a pH-shift and DOT-shift integrated fed-batch fermentation process for the production of ganoderic acid and Ganoderma polysaccharides by medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum." Bioresource Technology 2009 Mar;100(5):1852-9. - 30246

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Banish Those Wrinkles For Good

By Nigel James

To look younger, is everyone's hearts desire. But wrinkles stop a person from looking young, revealing the fact that he is older. As old age shows itself, the human body requires the right amount of nutrients. If these essential nutrients and vitamins are not supplied in the right proportion, the body shows tell tale signs of aging in the form of wrinkles.

A well balanced and nutritive diet results in well balanced skin. A wrinkle is a specific crease of skin of the face, caused as a result of old age and lack or essential nutrients. Wrinkles hang loose, thus marring the aesthetics of the skin.

Today, people are caught up in the rat race, and as a result they fail to take care of their bodies. A young skin tends to have enough fat tissue to make the face well-rounded. But as a person gets older, the shrinking fat tissue cannot keep up with the growth rate of the skin, giving the facial skin a shriveled look.

The daily grind subjects a person to a lot of activity and anxiety, resulting in aging of the skin, and setting off of wrinkles. The work and toil makes the skin loose its suppleness, thus showing the brittle bones underneath.

Moreover, additional everyday activities such as eating, chewing, frowning, smiling, also has an effect on the skin, leading to wrinkles. A proper nutritious diet, relaxation, medication and a balanced schedule can always help to reduce wrinkles.

Various creams and lotions are available to help curb the aging process. Sunscreen is commonly used to reduce aging of the skin and thus helps in prevention of wrinkles. Cleansers are available to keep the skin clean and reduce any type of irritations on the skin. Moisturizers are available to help you get rid of any unevenness in the skin and also help in firming up the skin. AHAs (fruit acids or Alpha Hydroxyl) help keep the skin in shape and give a shine to the face. Facial exercises are quite beneficial to help curb the formation of wrinkles.

Scientific research tells us that the rate, at which skin cells renew themselves at young age, slows down with age. This results in uneven and greasy looking skin. Also, due to the decreased water holding capacity of the skin, it loses its plumpness, resulting in wrinkles.

While wrinkles are a natural phenomenon and they will happen eventually, we do have at our disposal a number of remedies at hand that can help curb the development of these wrinkles. All this is possible thanks to the growth and development in medical science. A number of companies have come out with various products that contain DNA and RNA, that are beneficial in combating the growth of wrinkles and delaying the ageing process. Natural proteins such as collagen and elastin are also used widely as they help in rejuvenating the skin. Ceramides are also used to help hydrate the skin, and prevent it from shriveling up due to dryness. - 30246

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