Lauren's Corner

Talking about incorporating fiber into out diet and busy lifestyles is anything but exciting reading, however, I feel that it is an important subject to touch upon. So I will attempt to keep this article short and informative by giving all of you just some of the important facts and some of my personal tips that help me effortlessly add the recommended daily amount of fiber into my diet.

Guidelines On Fiber Intake

Both the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine suggest that healthy adults consume between 20 – 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. But the sad fact is that the average Americans intake of dietary fiber falls short of only 12 – 18 grams per day. In summation of this paragraph, we need to better educate ourselves to the benefits of living a fiber rich, healthy lifestyle.

So many of the foods that we eat on a weekly basis can easily be tweaked to increase your grams of fiber. Before long you will naturally be choosing the better source for meals that are rich in fiber. I have recently made these easy changes to my diet. For instance, when shopping for groceries or eating out I have simply substituted my old way for new.

Here is a list of 10 smart ways to a healthier you:

1. Have at least 6oz. daily of nuts. ( Walnuts, Almonds, Unsalted pumpkin seeds, etc...)

2. Change your bread choice from white breads to whole grain and natural breads.

3. Eat organic natural oatmeal for Breakfast. When choosing a breakfast cereal look for bran flakes or choices that include dried fruits, nuts and flaxseed.

4. When preparing your fruits and vegetables make sure to wash them thoroughly and leave those skins on. So much of the natural fiber is stripped away when we peel those apples and potatoes.

5. Look for the "green" in everything! It’s a great color and mostly everything green is a natural food source with lots of fiber and nutrients. A great choice would be spinach, broccoli, Cabbage, Green Salads such as Romaine or Green leaf lettuce. There are so many great choices here, be open to taking a walk down the produce aisle and trying something new!

6. Look for things like orange juice and soy milk, that have be enriched with fiber. For the Pasta lovers who prefer to be on a low fat, Higher Carb diet, make the big step to change from all the white pasta to the new whole grain, extremely high in fiber pasta. Two great name brands to try is the Italian Brand of 'Barilla' and the American Brand of 'Hodgson Mills.' With just a 2oz. dry serving, there is an unbelievable 6 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. The great thing about getting used to this pasta is the great texture and it is virtually impossible to over eat! It fills you up with half the portion size due to the fiber content and whole grains. Also, don’t forget to love your beans! These are always low in fat and high in fiber. ( Kidney, Garbanzo, Lentils, Black Beans and Navy Beans.) are just a few for example. They are so easy and delicious to use in salads, soups and chili. Just about anything is enhanced with beans.

7. Change your choice of white rice to natural brown rice. Many of the brands at health food stores and conventional grocers have long grain and brown Basmati that have not been processed to strip away the fiber kernels.

8. Chances are that anything processed has limited fiber. When thinking about having a snack, throw away that doughnut or bag of chips and eat a fiber rich apple or banana or snack on trail mix instead. For those of you that just need something sweet, choose a natural bran muffin or bowl of natural granola with fresh fruit and yogurt.

9. Visit a bookstore and purchase a book on Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle. Many of these books have extensive lists of Fiber Rich Foods.

10. Follow my recommendations to ensure you have the best fiber alternatives to help you attain those 20 – 35 grams of fiber per day that your body needs!

Are you getting enough fiber? High Fiber Diet has dietary fiber information on more than 6000 foods. Armed with the information on High Fiber Diet, we hope you'll be able to make better dietary decisions.

Have a healthy day!

When we think about health, we focus on the food that we eat and the exercise that we do. One thing that definitely gets neglected, and is one of the most critical factors in living a healthy lifestyle, is the air that we breathe.

We spend money on exercise equipment, gym memberships, organic foods, vitamins and supplements, but how much do we invest in our air quality?

Thankfully, air quality can be addressed and improved with a relatively low-cost investment. The Nano O2 Air Purification system offer an economical and state of the art solution for improving air quality.

It’s been proven that an increased flow or intake of clean oxygen helps to increase the body’s metabolic rate. With better air / fuel, the body is able to raise its metabolism.

Are their pets in your home? Do you live in a high pollen / allergy aggravation area? Do you have children in your home? Is there a smoker in the home? All these environmental conditions decrease the quality of the air that we breathe. Think about all of the hair and dander that our pets shake off their bodies on a daily basis. Every day we are breathing that in, and our body has to dedicate resources and energy to dealing with these intruders into our lungs, rather than focus on burning energy efficiently to improve muscle conditioning and blood flow.

Consider also that one of the most prolific breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses are the schools where we send our children. All those kids packed in a classroom together, or playing together, exchange colds like they might exchange pieces of paper. Of course, where do our kids bring these viruses and bacteria? Kids bring them back home, where they mutate, becomes stronger, and lay the whole household low with sickness.

When given the opportunity we should take these sickness agitators out of the air. Let’s not give them the chance to mutate, make our children even sicker, and knock out the whole family. With it’s patented PCO or Photo-Catalytic Oxidation technology, the Nano O2 air cleaner can devastate airborne bacteria and viruses.

Not to be mistaken or confused for an air filter, a more accurate description for the Nano O2 should be Air Purification System. Air filters only trap the dust in a filter media rather than kill or eliminate the bacteria. In effect, they just suspend it. The Nano O2 seeks out and destroys molds and bacteria by sterilizing the air and eliminating the source of the contamination rather than just holding, or possibly even spreading the contamination throughout your home

Another often over looked factor in our general health is the quality of our sleep at night. How often is deep sleep paused because of allergic interruptions? The Nano O2 can all but eliminate allergic aggravators from the air, and help provide a deep full night’s restful sleep. Deep sleep is the critical time for our body to build and repair cellular tissue. The Nano O2 kills 98% of molds, fungus, yeasts that can wreak havoc within the respiratory system.

The best part of the Nano O2, is the relative low cost of ownership when compared with other air cleaning products. The Pharmatropic Nano O2 has the ability to clean the air effectively in larger spaces without the need for multiple units.

This unit is great if you have a gym or an exercise room since the Nano O2 can clean the air of sweat and body odors. Just plug the unit in, turn it on, and you can let it run for 3 years without any maintenance or filters changes required.

I've got some great news for you to close this message. Today you can get a 30-Day Trial (with free shipping) of the Nano O2 Air Purifier for only $1! How's that for a no-lose deal. ;-)

Have a healthy day!