Tips for Good Nutrition

“You are what you eat. What would YOU like to be?” ― Julie Murphy, Nutrition Across A Lifetime

 Step toward a healthier lifestyle is to understand how                

our diet affects our health. Once we have this base,  or foundation, we can then begin to find the proper balance in our diet to attain proper nutrition and the exercise needed to personally achieve   proper physical health.Deficiencies, excesses,           and imbalances in diet can negatively impact health, which may lead to diseases such as cardiovascular   disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and other debilitating maladies. Many common  diseases and ailments can often be avoided   or prevented with proper nutrition and exercise.

Avoid skipping  meals. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When you skip a meal, your body recognizes that it doesn’t have food to convert into energy. At that point your body goes into “survival” mode, slowing your metabolism and storing excess food or glucose as FAT. If your body is routinely fed, it will increase your metabolism, breaking down the fat since it thinks it doesn’t need it anymore.Try to have your lunch or dinner at   SHAPE A  - Mangaldan

 Six common tips.

1. Drink water. Water is essential to achieving a healthy diet. Avoid soda and sweetened drinks. The Mayo Clinic recommends that men consume 3 liters (about 13 cups) and women should consume at least 2 liters (about 9 cups) of water per day.
2. Eat lean protein. Aside from water, protein is the most prevalent material in your body. Research also indicates that increased dietary protein (not necessarily a “high protein diet”) may reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing “bad” LDL Cholesterol and raising “good” HDL cholesterol. Protein helps keep muscles strong, and contains the building blocks for most of the enzymes in the body. These enzymes drive the metabolic rate of our bodies. Good sources of lean protein include dairy products, soy products, meat (lean meat is also an excellent source of iron), fish, and poultry.
3. Choose more whole grains. Most people eat less than half the amoun   of fiber needed each day. Choosing whole grains, such as whole wheat   breads and high-fiber cereals will help you achieve your fiber needs. By   increasing the intake of fiber, you reduce your risk of diseases such as colon   cancer and heart disease. Fiber also makes you feel full while helping to control  your blood cholesterol and blood sugar.
4. Eat more vegetables and fruits. A healthy diet should contain at least five   servings of vegetables and fruits each day. Fruits and vegetables are naturally high in vitamins, minerals, fiber,  and they are low in calories. Fruit and vegetables  are critical to proper nu  Make sure they are part of your daily menu. Fruit is   also an excellent choice   for in-between meal snacks too.  
5. Exercise. 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week is the standard recommendation.   Consistent exercise will decrease your risk  of diabetes, heart disease, and   prolong your life. Walking, swimming, jogging  weight lifting, bike riding, and    aerobics are all good examples of exercises   that will improve your overall health.
6. Vitamin and mineral supplements are also commonly suggested in  addition to the steps in the above list. The suggestions listed above  are general in scope and nutrition needs will vary from person to person.If you are concerned about your diet and health  please consult your physician.

"There are seven main types of nutrients that the humanbody requires in order to maintain proper health. Those major nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. It is important for all seven of these nutrients to be consumed on a daily basis in order to build and maintain health. Poor health is generally caused by imbalanced nutrition, either through excess or deficiency and a lack of exercise, which, in turn, negatively affects the entire body and all of its functions.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the

Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure

or prevent any disease.

Health Benefits of Lemongrass

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a plant. The leaves and the oil are used to make medicine.

It is used for treating digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, achy joints (rheumatism), fever, the common cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs and as a mild astringent.

It is  anti-microbial, anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties.

Lemongrass is named such but has no connection with lemons except that it has a strong lemon-like aroma and taste.

It is a tropical herb that grows as a long, thin-bladed, green grass in a bush with scallion-like base, and used widely in Asian cooking.

As with all grasses, lemongrass is very fibrous and cannot be eaten as it is. You can juice it using a masticating juicer, or make tea of it. It has tremendous health benefits that are especially helpful when consumed during a juice fast/feast or when on a detox program as it helps rebalance the intestinal flora.Nutritional Benefits

Do not let this humble grass deceive you. It is packed with so much goodness that it can help improve so many chronic conditions. Nutrition-wise, it is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and manganese; with minute traces of the B vitamins

From the leaves and stems, citronella oil is obtained for making insect repellent, soap, perfumery and flavorings.

Learn how to make lemongrass-ginger tea here.

Health Benefits

Lemongrass has long been widely used in Asian countries for its medicinal properties and also in culinary.
What makes it so effective in many medical condition is that it has certain anti-septic compounds that effectively kill the harmful micro-organisms (bacteria, yeast, fungal, parasites, etc.) in the digestive tract, YET preserving the beneficial bacteria.
For a healthy digestive tract, lemongrass is made into therapeutic tea that is drunk regularly to see its efficacy:
Anemia:  Thanks to its high content in iron, which is essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin (the protein in red cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body) lemongrass is helpful for various types of anemia, especially those resulting from iron deficiency.
Anti-cancer:  A study was done to show that lemongrass contains citral, an anti-cancer property that could cause cancer cells to die, yet preserves the healthy tissues. However, this does not mean that drinking lemongrass juice/tea alone will heal your cancer; it helps.
Anti-inflammatory and anti-septic:  Due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties, lemongrass juice can be used as a valuable aid for treating arthritis, gout and inflammation of the urinary tract.
Bacterial or fungal infection:  Thanks to its anti-septic properties, drinking lemongrass tea for a season helps to eliminate the bad micro-organism, detoxify and purify the blood, keeping bacterial, fungal or yeast infections in check.
Balsamic action:  Due to its content in volatile oils, lemongrass has a beneficial, balsamic action on the respiratory tract. So it can be used to relieve the symptoms associated with flu, cold and hay fever.
Detoxifying:  The anti-oxidant, anti-septic and diuretic effect of lemongrass make it an important ingredient to be included in the diet when detoxifying. It helps to cleanse and purify the liver, kidneys, bladder, pancreas and increases blood circulation. The diuretic effect helps carry out the toxins from the process to be eliminated effectively.
Diabetes:  The purifying and cleansing effect of lemongrass tea help to cleanse/detoxify the pancreas and improve its functions, thus lowering blood sugar level in diabetics.
Digestive health:  Lemongrass helps regulate intestinal function and motility due to its anti-microbial properties. It helps to kill bad bacteria and parasites, repopulate the good bacteria in the colon, thus assisting to improve digestive-related problems like: indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, intestinal bloating, flatulence, stomach spasms, vomiting and cramps.
Gastritis or Heartburn:  A warm mug of lemongrass tea can be very soothing when having gastritis or acid indigestion. Drinking the tea therapeutically will gradually reduce the recurrence of both gastritis and heartburn.
High blood pressure:  The high potassium content promotes diuresis, thereby helping to lower and regulate blood pressure. Regularly drinking lemongrass tea is encouraged.
High cholesterol:  Lemongrass has an anti-cholesterol and anti-atherosclerosis action. It helps reduce both the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine, as well as the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol in the blood, thus preventing one of the first steps in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
Insomnia:  Insomnia happens due to internal chemical imbalance or nervous disorders. The purifying activities and calming effect of lemongrass help improve sleep.
Nervous system:  Magnesium, phosphorous and folate are important nutrients needed for healthy functioning of the nervous system. They help improve concentration, memory and the brain’s ability to process information.
Purifying action:  Perhaps the most characteristic action of lemongrass is its purifying effect on the whole body, since it helps eliminate toxins from the body by enhancing the cleansing of the colon.
Skin health:  When blood is purified, circulation is improved, skin health will follow suit. Regularly drinking lemongrass tea helps to improve acne problem, eczema and psoriasis.
Weight loss:  Drinking lemongrass tea helps to melt fats in a detoxifying manner. The diuretic effect helps carry out the wastes in high volume, effectively and quickly, resulting in weight loss.

Consumption Tips
Lemongrass is used widely in Asian cooking. It is usually crushed or pound to release its nice lemony aroma that adds fragrant to foods. It can be used to prepare soups, broths, curries, sauces, tea, as well as cut into thin slices and added to a variety of salads.
It is also best for guyabano leaves.



The leaves, stem and bulb of lemongrass can be used for their various health benefits. To benefit most from it, make and drink lemongrass tea, as the essential oils and phytonutrients are leaked into the boiling water that is the tea.
Phytonutrients do not get destroyed by heat.
Learn how to make lemongrass-ginger tea here.

Some people apply lemongrass and its essential oil directly to the skin for headache, stomachache, abdominal pain, and muscle pain.

By inhalation, the essential oil of lemongrass is used as aromatherapy for muscle pain.

In food and beverages, lemongrass is used as a flavoring. For example, lemongrass leaves are commonly used as “lemon” flavoring in herbal teas.

In manufacturing, lemongrass is used as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics. Lemongrass is also used in making vitamin A and natural citral.

How does it work?

Lemongrass might help prevent the growth of some bacteria and yeast. Lemongrass also contains substances that are thought to relieve pain, reduce fever, stimulate the uterus and menstrual flow, and have antioxidant properties.

How to propagate lemon grass

Take a lemon grass cut a small thin slice off bottom. Then put in bottle of water. Change water every couple of days. In but two weeks u will c roots appear. Those r not the main roots. Wait till u c brown like roots then plant in pot with soil. Water good. And u will hv fresh lemon grass when u need it. Plants get big and bushy. So I recommend to grow it in large pot or good soil in ground. Keeps mosquitoes away as well.