gesundheit

We are all talking about health. It is, apparently, the most important aspect in life - to be healthy. You want it, you need it, you have to be it, but what does health actually mean? Does it mean to exercise regularly and eat fresh food, like it  does for most people? What about smoking? Can you be healthy while working out, eating fresh, and smoking? What are you saying - you need that cigarette? It calms you down, helps you to cope with life - oh, shut up. Why did you start in the first place? No, idea - well, I thought so. So, healthy + smoking = ain't gonna work for a long time. So we solved that one; what about food? I think we all agree on fast food as not being healthy for us at all. But what about dairy products or raw food? Some experts say that eating and drinking too many dairy products can overacidify your body and cause headaches, mood swings and digestion problems. I always thought they are good for my bones and brain., but I can't my body, can I ? I want to know, what is healthy food then? Can I really only eat vegetables, fruits and meat to be healthy? What are you saying vegetarian over there- meat is not even healthy? - Antibiotics, stressed animals? Jeez, I'm getting really frustrated here. Can I, at least, have  my cup(s) of coffee and a little croissant? One cup is fine without milk but wheat, especially wheat pastry and bread are bad for me? Okay, I give up. Now see, this is why I'm so confused when I comes to being healthy. I read and heard so much about what
to do and eat, and what not that I'm really insecure about this. Talking about insecurity: I don't have a scale, so I honestly don't know about much I weigh (for real), but some magazines take the BMI to categorize peoples' health. The three main categorize are underweight (≤ 16,0), normal weight (18,5–25,0), and overweight (25,0–30,0). If you are curious which one of these three you are, check here. But this just focuses on the weight, nothing more. I can have a normal weight but not be healthy, right? For instance if I drink too much alcohol, or smoke, watch a lot television but at the same time don't eat lot - I still have a normal weight. I looked at the longman dictionary to get closure and it says: "physically strong and not likely to become ill or weak; used to describe an attitude, feeling, or behaviour that is natural, normal, and sensible" . That's an answer I can accept, healthy meaning not getting sick a lot. What's the opposite of sick - right, healthy. So, that makes sense. But still, what do I have to do to not get sick, to be healthy?   

 
Let's listen to some experts:

 

 What do students my age advice people:
 


What does health mean to you?
 


So, I heard vitamins help you preventing sickness. Here are the most important vitamins you need to be healthy:  

Vitamin A
Talk about your overachiever: This antioxidant boosts immune systems, improves vision, cuts risk of heart disease, and may slow skin aging.
Food? large carrot or sliced cantaloupe 

B Vitamins
The eight B vitamins help maintain metabolism, muscle tone, and a sharp mind, says Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., a nutrition professor at the University of Maine at Orono. Most important for young women is B9 (folic acid), which keeps red blood cells healthy and guards against cancer and birth defects.
Food? most fortified breakfast cereals, whole-grain breads, asparagus, and beans.

Where does it say: eat cookies?

Vitamin C
Despite its rep as a cold fighter, C has never been proven to prevent or cure the sniffles. But the antioxidant is believed to boost your immune system and help prevent heart disease, prenatal problems, and eye illnesses. It even helps wounds heal faster and fends off wrinkles.
Food? citrus fruits, vibrant veggies, red pepper, broccoli. 

Vitamin D
The vitamin du jour, D could be something of a wonder drug. Docs believe it can reduce your risk of breast cancer by as much as 50 percent, and it may offer protection from both ovarian cancer and diabetes. More happiness: D helps calcium absorption and plays a central role in muscle function.
Food? Milk, orange juice, and salmon, Sunshine! 

Calcium
Two words: strong bones. "Women start losing bone density in their twenties," say experts. "Calcium is your single best defense, and you should start taking it now." The mineral also helps build strong teeth and nourishes your nervous system.
Food? Yogurt, milk, and cheese do pack calcium, but not an ideal amount. 

Iron
Too little of this mineral can spell anemia (a lack of red blood cells) and a weakened immune system. Iron is also particularly important for women with heavy periods.
Food? some breakfast cereals, iron-rich foods like red meat. You might want to pop a pill to reach the daily amount. Just talk to your doc first; too much can be harmful.

What does health mean to you? Do you have any tips for me?
Leave a comment below...

Julia

Secret weight loss tips

Now. Summer is on its way and bikinis are waiting to be worn. Since they are enemies to most women, I started looking for some easy weight loss tips to help you/them feel more confident wearing bikinis. I have to say, I'm not a big fan of any last minute 20-pound weight loss tips. Train and work. That's the only way you'll get a bikini body that lasts longer than a week. I find it pathetic when women suck in their tummies at the beach. If you hadn't eaten that burger, you wouldn't have to walk around like a penguin with exaggerated posture. Just be confident about it. Anyway, I found some tips I haven't heard of before. So, I thought I just share them with you.

Exercise
To amp up your workout intensity, keep your core temperature down. Don't heat up the room - no hot yoga! The cooler you train, the harder you train. Drink cold water while you exercise or put a few drops of peppermint oil on your wrists before you start; it enhances your power. 







Tea time
Tea time is great for several reasons: it helps curb appetite, burn fat and boost your metabolism. A caffeinated tea or caffeinated product gives you extra energy for your workout to burn even more calories. Because you know, the more calories you burn, the more you can eat for dinner. ;)





Blue
Have you noticed that the main colors you find at fast food places are orange, yellow and red? These colors stimulate appetite. So, use blue: blue glasses, blue place mats, blue plates and have blue items in your dining room. The whole idea is that it helps you eat less; cooler foods decrease your urge to eat. 




Portion control 
Get yourself a muffin tin and make your quiches, muffins and tars in this tin. Don't waste time counting calories. This way, you know the approximate calories per serving; it's automatic portion control.






 
Spicy food
Spicy food not only boosts you metabolism, it also decreases your appetite. Just add pepper, pepperoni, garlic or cayenne powder to your meal. When they are extremely spicy, you naturally will eat less. So, heat it up!








Chopsticks
It takes 20 minutes for you to feel full. If you're hungry and eating fast, you have a tendency to let your eyes be bigger than your stomache. Eating with chopsticks or your non-dominant hand helps you to eat slower and notice when you're full.







If I spark you eating your meal with blue sunglasses and chopsticks out of a muffin tin this summer, I won't be surprised then. If you got interested in this tips and want more, just search for them on youtube. There are many 'experts' who can provide you with further information.
Julia



Source:
Slim for life by Jillian Michaels

Let me go to Prison, I want good food

Have you ever wondered what prison food actually tastes like? Since the average person has probably not spent much time in prison, we can only assume what kind of food is served. It’s not surprising that prison food is a highly debated topic, as American taxpayers are paying millions to feed its inmates. The main function of the food served in prison, as mandated by law,  is to be nutritious and affordable. While the food does not have to be of the highest quality, there does have to be enough of it for everyone. In fact, the biggest issue concerning food in prisons is portion control, an important factor in preventing conflicts since unequal portions can cause massive fights to break out.

In order to ensure no food or packaging material is transformed into weapons, food must be carefully checked before being served; no bones, aluminum foil or saran wrap are allowed. To ensure inmates cannot access these materials, food is either cooked in the prison’s kitchen or supplied by a special prison food company. Either way, the average cost per meal is about $2.25 per inmate per day. A typical breakfast consists of cereal, toast, jam, jelly, doughnuts, coffee, tea, and fruit. Lunch may be spaghetti with meatballs, salad with dressing, bread or rolls, brownies, cake and milk. The dinner menu consists of meat loaf with gravy, fried rice, collard greens, white bread and butter, jelly and milk.

Many people wonder though, why do we bother to make sure that prisoners receive such good care when there are low income families in America who struggle every day just to survive? Prisoners are people who have committed crimes and therefore do not deserve a five-star meal; they are locked up to be punished. Inmates on death row even have the privilege of choosing anything they want for their last meal. While food may comfort inmates, it certainly does not make taxpayers feel any better.

As some of my readers may know, I am a student at the University of Graz. This is an article I wrote for an online food magazine along with other colleagues. Have a look at the food magazine. 

If you have any tips on how I can improve my writing, please leave a comment below.
I really appreciate it!
Julia

World Clocks

Okay, we all know we need to reduce waste and act environmental friendlier. We should separate our garbage, not throw food, especially leftovers, away easily, and buy organic groceries. I have been taught to do so since kindergarten and I, more or less strictly, focus on fulfilling these tasks. But when I stumbled across the World Food Clock it really hit me. I take the world for granted - the environment, the food I am able to consum, being able to flush drinkable water down the toilet, drive a car or use a bus, travel and so on. Basically, everthing I ever saw or consumed. When I looked at these numbers on the screen, I got really angry. Humans believe to possess this world. They buy land and claim to own it, reform it, and abuse it to serve their needs. What egoists! (including me). I get it, yes, we need food, it has to be produced somewhere, the world's population is raising - but do we really need mass production or genetically modified crops and seeds, which harm our agricultural fields and contaminate water. Why do field workers have to die because of pesticides so that our fruits and vegetables in the stores are fresh longer and look like as if they are made of plastic. Why do we buy imported products when our farmers struggle to sell their products? Ok, I know I don't have an answer and I assume you probably don't have one either but it really aggrevates me. There has to be a balance between give and take. We can't just overfish our sea and then dispose our trash there. It doesn't work like that. Nature has been on this plant first and we just come and ruin this planet. But we all know, nature seeks revenge and will win, provided that we don't destroy ourselves with nuclear bombes first. The hurricans, earthquakes and storms are just little warnings. Alright, let's calm down a little. 
See for yourself and take a look at the World Food Clock.
 
 






 




I'm normally very sceptical with statistics and numbers and rarely trust them. You know, how easily they can be faked or manipulated.
This one, however, is provided with reliable sources. 

The World Food Clock itself is a great interactive infographic. It draws from four different reports — State of Food Insecurity in the World and Food Wastage Footprint by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Global Food Report from the Institution for Mechanical Engineers, and the Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme — and breaks down the numbers and statistics to give a second-by-second look at exactly how food much we produce, consume and even waste.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekquinox/world-food-clock-reveals-vulnerability-warming-climate-000204541.html

There are 'island' of plastic swimming in the sea. Smaller islands are about the size of Texas. 

 

 Amazing, considering the average age a human being lives, isn't it?
For full size see here

Got interested in these clocks? Well, me too. Want to know how many divorces there are in the US right now? How many cereal, vegetable or fruits there are produced in this very second? How many new babys are born today?

This is the fantastic World Clock:
World Clock by Poodwaddle.com

Last but definitely not least:

The hunger clock
 
I won't give you a whole lecture on how unfair it is that people even have to suffer from hunger when there is an systematic overproduction of food. I know, you know it. My favorite ones are those obese ones who complain at a store when their favorite cookies are out of stock. I mean, really?
Ok now, I always tend to be to general. So, let me ask you (and me) some questions:
How much money did you spend on food for your pet this year and how much money did you donate to children suffer from hunger? Do you support any global food aid programs or any food charity in your area? Maybe if everybody did, these numbers wouldn't be so terrible.

To be clear, this is not about first world problems like dieting, anorexia, to fulfilll the female ideal of beauty, dieting pills, the I-need-to-get-a-bikini-figure hype, the what-should-I-cook-today problem; this is about people dying from hunger.


I put the image here because I know some readers don't like to (and won't) open links.
Those numbers are not accurate, so I really suggest you have a look at the actual clock.

World Hunger
7,234,043,262	current total world population
891,105,111	undernourished people in the world right now
1,591,398,425	overweight people in the world right now
530,466,142	obese people in the world right now
22,120	people who died of hunger today
4,218,173	people who died of hunger this year
Economics
$ 344,213,949	money spent due to obesity related diseases in the USA today
$  85,055,404	spending on food purchased and then tossed by US households today
$ 3,954,905	spending on global food aid today
$ 25,713,119	amount that would allow to feed the hungry today
$ 136,737,401	spending on weight-loss programs and products in the USA today
$ 1,185,224	food aid budget spent on domestic processing and shipping today
$ 692,420	revenue for four large US agribusiness corporations derived from food aid programs today
$ 33,629,166	spending on pet food in Europe and USA today
Food
94,943	tons of food wasted in America today
19,781	tons of global food aid provided today
80%	percentage of harvested corn, grains, and soy beans fed to animals in Europe and North America
78%	percentage of malnourished children who live in countries with food surpluses
90%	percentage of hungriest nations on earth that are net exporters of food to rich nations (36 out of 40)

If some of my readers actually look at the clocks or think about this for second, this is all I want to achieve with this post; raise awareness.
Thank you,
Julia