The DO’s and DON’Ts of summer alimentation

Saturday
Jul 19,2008

First of all, this goes out mostly to people who live in places with 4 seasons, but also to those who live in very a warm climate. The Russian summer, for example, is very different from the Australian summer. These may seem as no brainers (I have to admit, most of them seem so to me), but I decided to write this after I noticed that really many people don’t really know what’s good for them when “things get hot”. The fast food culture has spread its long dark wings and whether we want to admit a lot, not that many of us eat healthy.

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Summer is the favorite season of most; whether this love is caused by great weather, vacation or mini skirts, one thing’s for sure: nobody wants to have a summer spoiled. A lousy summer alimentation is a top candidate at ruining your summer and also your health. Here are just a few things you should look for and look out in this wonderful season.

The DOs

Natural liquids

The first thing which summer requires from you is drinking more liquids than you would do in the rest of the year. This is caused by the heat which causes dehydration. Having enough fluids means you can work at full capacity and find pleasure in almost everything you do. In general, you should drink at least 2-3 l of liquids, but not everything works so you should really be careful what you drink. Here’s where this liquid could come from:

  • Natural juices;
    Credits
    summer is the natural time for many fruits (cherries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, oranges, bananas, etc), and this juice not only is great for hydration, but it’s also very healthy, containing numerous vitamins your body needs to feel good. It’s the healthiest thing you can drink and the biggest step you can make towards a better summer and a better health.
  • Fruits;

    if you can’t or won’t make juices, there’s still something you can do, just as good: eat fruits. They also contain the same liquids and vitamins and just as the juices are, they’re really tasty. What you should do is resist the temptation of eating them really cold. It may seem good, but what you’re really doing is applying big termic variations to your body, which is not helping you at all.
  • Tea;
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    it’s a miracle maker since the dawn of manking. Every civilisation used it, and for good reason. Mint and green tea could be helpful as they have a soothing action, but any tea is good. Also, especially in extreme heat, people used to drink warm black tea, because it prevented sweating, thus the body remained hydrated for a longer period of time.
  • Water; tap water is great when you don’t have any of the above, but it’s recommended that you have a bottle of water with you wherever you go. Just be careful where you put it (especially in the car) as it could get really hot.
  • Light food

    Now more than ever is the right time to think about what you eat; you have quite a lot of alternatives and it’s time to give up the barbeques and stakes, and instead go for salads and other lighter food, especially because your appetite is mostly lower in the summer. Here’s what you could eat:

  • Vegetable salads;
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    if you’re thinking they’re not tasty, now more than ever is the time to change your mind. Tomatoes, salad, cucumbers, potatoes, everything is at its best now; and you don’t have to use just veggies, actually it’s great to add something else. Some olive oil (no pun intented), pepper, cheese (any kind), they all do wonders both for the taste and the nutritional qualities.
  • Cakes;
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    especially fruit cakes are a must in this time of the year. We all want something sweet once in a while, and this is the best way to suit our needs. Also, learning how to do this will almost definitely be a skill that will help you further along
  • The DONT’s

    Now that we took a look at the good things, let’s browse the “enemies”, which can really ruin what could be a fantastic summer, and could have a big impact on your health and mood too.

  • Alcohol; perhaps the biggest enemy of summer, alcohol can have a series of detrimental effects on you; and since summer is all about partying, alcohol is often in the center of attention, and people tend to forget the dark side of the coin. First of all, it was made by a process of boiling (or something similar), which makes it penetrant and makes it “dry out” your inside, without you even feeling it. Also, we tend to be less resistant to its effects in the summer, especially because dehydration.
  • Cigarettes; quitting smoking is not really as hard as you’d imagine. Every moment is a good time to start quitting (because it’s recommended that the quitting process is not done at once, but in steps), but summer could give you the mental boost your need. Ever felt that you just can’t get enough air because of all the heat?? Cigarettes amplify all that, because one of their first effects is to reduce lung efficiency and your ability to make effort and resist in harsh conditions.
  • Stakes and other “heavy” foods (fast food included); do I really need to say anything else here ?? Eating pork, sausages, stakes, and any other such food is virtually a mood killer, making you feel tired and sweaty. They’re really bad for your health too, as I’m sure you already know.


  • Credits for this great pic

    So after we draw the line, it’s obvious that what we’re supposed to be eating and what we are eating are definitely not the same thing; as a matter a fact in most cases they’re not even in the same league. What you need to understand is that you have to keep a balance, meaning that even if you can’t eat all healthy all the time you really should at least avoid succumbing to unhealthy foods, as it the one you are doing harm to is yourself. So without further ado, go and have the best summer you can possibly have, you’ve probably earned it.

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    Saturday
    Jul 19,2008

    Now will you ever rest your head?
    You end up feeling mostly dead,
    Pretending you’re the last one,
    Hiding with your eyes shut tightly,
    all the way to the hospital.
    ~The used~

    I’ve recently found myself in the very unpleasant situation of spending quite some time in a hospital bed. As most of you must know, this can prove to be one of the must difficult moments in your life as there are a lot of things that can literally drive you insane. So this is why after getting here you must make a choice; we’re going to picture it metaphorically. Let’s say you can do 1 in 2 things: either take the blue pill, relax (as much as possible) and try to handle things as well as you can, being positive about it or take the red pill and just make everyone’s life, including yours, harder. So learn to take the blue pill!

    1. Optimism

  • The red pill- having a serious condition can prove to be challenging and difficult not to mention extremely unpleasant. It’s very easy to become nervous and to get angry from virtually everything or even worse, to become depressed. So you can end up spending your time reproaching things to everyone including yourself or just counting the minutes until you can finally go home. Falling into a total apathy or becoming a shrew will help nobody so try not to fall into this trap no matter how easy it is.
  • The blue pill- Remember that you are there to receive treatment and to recover so in the end it’s for your own sake. Keep in touch with friends and family and remember that they may feel even worse than you by knowing your situation. Keep them positive too by smiling, being active and telling funny stories about all the odd things you came across in the hospital: it does miracles! Always keep in mind the fact that soon you will be healthy again and try to fill your time so that you will not find yourself looking at your watch continuously. Keep your mind positive by reading, talking to the people around you or having short walks if possible.
  • 2. Interacting with people

  • The red pill- suddenly finding yourself in the same room with other people and losing much of your intimacy can prove to be rather tricky especially as many can prove to have very unpleasant habits and reactions. You can end up easily having fights over nothing or you can just as well become isolated from them. Your neighbor eats all night long, some other one has a poor hygiene, one of the patients has noisy children who come visit way too often…As your patience is put to the test you will do nothing but to increase the gravity of your situation as everything will seem unbearable to you. You can keep the others awake so that you can read as a revenge, but that will do no good for anyone.
  • The blue pill- none of us is perfect and you may just as well annoy the others with your behavior. So learn to accept them and that might easily make the situation better. Usually people are very talkative in the hospitals mostly because they tend to be bored. Starting a conversation can be very easy. Talk about your family, work, whatever makes you feel good talking about. Sharing is also something that makes hospital life pleasant, however don’t stare at your neighbor’s cookies and don’t try to convince a patient to eat something if he or she is on a diet- your good intentions might not turn out very well in this case. Respect the others and their condition and you will receive the same treatment. Giving a hand can also be great for your state of mind!
  • 3. The doctors and the nurses

  • The red pill- as you don’t seem to recover as fast as you would want to, you start making suggestions and giving all kinds of indications. Complaining all the time and asking for special attention won’t work as you are not the only patient in the hospital. By making them stressed you will only make more problems and even if they are professionals they can easily become a little subjective when it comes to you. They are humans after all! Asking questions is very good but exaggerating and putting their knowledge to the test won’t work. Also if you are not satisfied it’s very easy to start gossiping and talking behind the doctors’ back. But words can travel fast…
  • The blue pill- be polite, interested in your treatment and always ready to give a hand. A “Thank you!” from time to time is something that should become a personal rule to follow. Don’t lie about your condition and follow the rules, there is a point for them! Whenever something is not clear ask- not everyone has thorough medical knowledge and it’s not a shame to want to know more.
  • Either way, you should relax, as relaxing helps the body fight the disease and try to not make a tragedy out of it, as it helps you more than everyone else; when you are finally back home remember to take the blue pill from time to time- a good state of mind, politeness and better social skills can do nothing but to help you!

    Insomnia? just a bad dream!

    Wednesday
    Jun 18,2008

    I’m wide awake in my kitchen
    It’s dark and I’m lonely
    Oh, if I could only get some sleep
    Creeky noises make my skin creep
    I need to get some sleep
    I can’t get no sleep….
    ~Faithless~

    Tired of staring at the ceiling for endless hours night after night? Frustrated because others can sleep without any problem? You’re definitely not alone as more and more people suffer from sleep disorders. Insomnia is caused most of the times by unhealthy habits which affect people’s ability to sleep. So this is why a few changes in your schedule should be enough to sleep again and to be more healthy and productive.
    - Create a sleep schedule in order to wake up at about the same hour everyday. Waking up one day at 6 AM and the second day at 12 AM will do nothing but to affect you in a negative way. If your work schedule is flexible choose an hour to wake up and this will also allow you to do other things around the house or just to spend more time doing something pleasant.
    - Don’t stay in bed more than you used to before having insomnia! This way your body will not be tired and it will be more and more difficult to fall asleep. Choose an activity which is not too challenging instead such as walking, or going out with your friends. Read the rest of this entry »

    Thursday
    Jun 12,2008

    People, when things go wrong
    As they sometimes will
    And the road you travel
    It stays all uphill
    Let’s work together
    ~Canned heat~

    Spending six or seven hours five days a week in a group of 20 or even more people can prove to be a little tricky sometimes as conflicts become something regular. Especially as we grow up, they tend to become more complex and relations can be easily influenced in a negative way. Of course, sometimes you feel that you can’t take it any more. It’s normal, but remember that by having the right attitude from the beginning, you will find the hours you spend with the others pleasant and even relaxing.
    1. When you are new in a group the best thing you can do is to meet the others, begin a conversation and introduce yourself. Still, try not to exaggerate and try to spend the first days noticing what the others like end dislike before getting too personal. Try to learn something about them before offending anyone by mistake. Try to keep the conversation neutral!
    2. Everyone has their own role in a group. One can be the clown, another one the hard-worker and so on. Try to be as balanced as possible and to create an image of yourself. You mustn’t expose very much, but try not to create a fake image of yourself; it won’t work. If you are not the party starter don’t try to act like one, it’s ok. This is who you are and you should not try to change it or lie about it.
    Read the rest of this entry »

    Fight Your Phobias!

    Saturday
    Jun 7,2008

    You’re so afraid of what people might say
    But that’s okay cuz you’re only human
    You’re so afraid of what people might say
    But that’s okay you’ll soon get strong enough
    ~Nelly Furtado~

    Many people complain about having a phobia, but in reality, what they experience is a simple fear caused by the preservation instinct. A phobia is much more than this, as it’s irrational and can affect one’s life completely. But no matter how severe a phobia is, it’s not impossible to cure. However, this is not a matter of medication, as their effect lasts only for a short period of time, it’s a matter of will and of knowing yourself.
    Although there are strange fears such as the fear of snow, clocks, numbers or sitting which are less frequent, other fears such as the fear of being ridiculed, social phobias or the fear of failure can be found in many individuals.

    The Fear of Crowds And Open Spaces (Agoraphobia)

    It is experienced by quite a lot of people and even more claim to feel bad physically in such situations. It manifests itself through nausea, sickness and trembling but also psychologically through an unexplainable and very strong fear of traveling alone in a plane or bus or even of crossing a street or a bridge. Does this situation sound familiar? Don’t be ashamed! Therapy is not for mad people so don’t be afraid to talk to a specialist as soon as you’ve acknowledged you have a problem. Moreover, don’t let the others pamper you, so try to travel alone, at first on small distances and then more and more. It’s not impossible to fight your own fears! This fear can also be caused by childhood experiences so finding the exact cause can also help! Read the rest of this entry »

    Monday again? No problem!

    Wednesday
    Jun 4,2008

    Every other day, every other day,
    Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
    But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
    You can find me cryin’ all of the time
    ~The Mamas and the Papas~

    We all hate Mondays, that’s a fact. Just thinking about this day can cause head aches to any student or to anyone having a job. Maybe this is why this day is the least productive of the whole week. So how about a little change of attitude in order to be more successful?

    1. Remember that it’s all in your mind and the way you see this situation affects all your behavior. So don’t spend your Sunday thinking about the fact that you will start work again, that you’ll have classes and that it will be hard to do everything! Be positive and optimistic about it as there is nothing particularly scary about a Monday.

    2. Get yourself a head start - knowing that the second part of any Friday isn’t too productive you could use it to make a plan for the following week so that your Monday morning will be less agitated. Then, by cleaning your desk and arranging your papers you will find your Monday start a lot easier and you will improve your work. Read the rest of this entry »

    Sunday
    Jun 1,2008

    Nightmares made of hash dreams, the devil in my shoes
    What have I done wrong?
    Yeah nothing can go right with me it must be that i’ve been smoking too
    Long
    ~Placebo~

    What makes you start smoking again? Anger? Stress? Boredom? Tiredness? The first two are universally known to make people return to this bad habit. Each of these make you want to kill for a smoke, but cigarettes do nothing but to increase stress and to affect your health and even social relations. Learn to handle these situations and not to turn to cigarettes!
    1. Take care of yourself! By depriving your body of smoking, assure that it won’t suffer because of this. Try to have a balanced diet and choose healthy, nutritious food. Ask a specialist about what you should eat and about what you should avoid. Fresh fruits and vegetables should help you the most! Give good quality “fuel” to your body and drink more water to be hidrated. Avoid drinks which have too many chemicals as you need to purify your organism. Take vitamins as nicotine has emptied your body of nutrients, in order to recover faster. Still, ask your doctor for a recommendation!
    2. Give up caffeine! Drinking coffee in a time like this might make you nervous even angry so try reducing the quantity of coffee you drink every day. Even a simple coke can have unsuspected effects so you may even give up on it totally for a while. These two habits are usually associated so you may gain a lot more by forgetting about both of them!
    3. Take a warm bath! It’s an excellent way to relax and to get rid of stress. Add just a little salt and it will be perfect! Relax and think about something pleasant. A little time spent like this everyday may bring even more benefits to both your body and mind.
    4. Have a massage! If you can’t go to a specialist or you don’t have the time for that ask a friend or your partner to help you with that. You will also have time for a little chat and you will forget about how much you need a cigarette. Keep this habit in the future too as it’s pleasant and useful. Remember: even 15 minutes can do miracles! Read the rest of this entry »

    5 Lessons for a Happy Life

    Saturday
    May 31,2008

    A guest post by Shilpan Patel, from success soul

    If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a month — get married. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.
    - Chinese Proverb

    While driving on the highway, I stumbled upon a billboard that read, “Be happy now”. I, for a moment, felt jolt of happiness in my body. It was inexplicable but the feeling was real.
    I pondered along the way about happiness and its sources. Where it comes from? I started feeling nostalgic. My mind started wandering into the past in an intense search for the traces of happiness. It was exhilarating thought to find the roots of happiness that lie nowhere but in my own thoughts and the ability to react to different circumstances.
    I have a habit of writing a journal. The journal tracks my life. It tracks my setbacks, it tracks my success and it certainly tracks my happy days. I went through the journal to capture the lessons of happiness that I can share with you.

    Lesson # 1: Make someone happy:
    A successful surgeon practices surgery daily; a successful lawyer practices law daily. To become happy, you need to make someone happy. Engage in random acts of kindness. Try to serve others with your time and money. Making someone happy makes you selfless. I have always felt happy when I do not expect any return for the service I rendered. It always makes my day fulfilling.

    Lesson # 2: Become debt free:
    Debt is an imprisonment to our happiness. It shackles our ability to think and pursue true happiness. Imagine if you are living by paycheck to paycheck, it is hard to have anytime for things that bring happiness when you have to work to make money to pay debt without any relief. You can cut out fat from your spending to work towards paying off your debt. If you start living life of simplicity, you will accentuate your freedom from the debt-ridden life.

    Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have, it depends solely upon what you think.
    - Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) American writer.

    Lesson # 3: Choose to be positive:
    Our ability to choose our thoughts allows us to think positively. If we learn how to replace self-limiting thoughts with affirmations, we develop habit of positive thinking. For instance, replace self-limiting thought of - “I do not have enough time to enjoy time with my family.” with “I have plenty of time to spend time with my family”.

    Lesson # 4: Be transparent:
    I constantly remind myself that to earn trust from friends and family, I have to remain transparent about my actions. I have to show honesty and sincerity in the pursuit of happiness to get support from my alter ego. I have to show her that I’m committed to her pursuit of happiness as much as I’m to mine. Develop transparency with the attitude of showing all your cards to others involved in your life. They will in turn show you their cards; together everyone wins.

    Lesson # 5: Live a simple life:
    The modern day life is an entangled web of complexity. We live with cell phones, laptops, and pagers. These devices are convenient and they definitely add flexibility to work anywhere in the world. However, we pay steep price for these conveniences. We clutter our minds with information overload. We tend to ignore our inner voice of simplicity to feel true happiness. We tend to ignore the pristine value of our time with family; we definitely ignore the pearls of joy in sharing our laughter with our children. I’m not advocating that we give up on our pursuit of the burning desire, I’m suggesting that we shall always be mindful about de-cluttering our physical as well as mental space to live for a happy, fulfilling life.

    Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
    - Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism.

    Photo Courtesy of Smugmug

    Thursday
    May 29,2008

    We don’t need no education
    We don’t need no thought control

    ~Pink Floyd - Another brick in the Wall~

    These days I am kinda busy - you know, exams are close. I think everybody felt at least once that there are too many things to do and the time just isn’t enough, so one post about time management and good practices when studying should be useful.

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    Create a good environment! If you can go to library and stay there it is very good - there you have the motivation and the atmosphere that helps you concentrate better. Of course, there are cases when you can’t use that space - for example if you have something to talk you can’t do it there. Your room can be a good solution too, but here you have more temptations Read the rest of this entry »

    Monday
    May 26,2008

    Oh lord it’s a dogs life
    Oh lord it’s a dogs life dogs life
    I’m feeling Kinda Irie
    It’s bubbling inside me
    Straight up it’s a dogs life
    ~Kottonmouth kings~

    Dogs seem to be the perfect animals for every family so maybe it’s time to bring one to your home too! By simply following a few pieces of advice you will get a perfect companion for you and the ones you love.

  • Talk to a veterinarian
  • A specialist can give you the best information you need about certain breeds and can help you make the best choice without being subjective as dog breeders can prove to be. You can also find out about what diseases the breed is most likely to have, and how to prevent and protect against them.

  • Ponder family’s daily routine.
  • Are you or is someone else home frequently enough to feed, walk and take care of the pet? That’s not even half of it - a dog needs to feel loved and wanted, and they’re really dependent on their feelings. Also, think if the animal has enough place to run, and do all those things that if absent, make the dog unhappy.

  • Think about your family, and talk to them!
  • If there are small children in your home, choose a breed that is known to be fond of children preferably not a very large one. Check for allergies, aggressivity, among others. Also, a surprise puppy can be just fantastic, the best present in the world! But if somebody is allergic, or doesn’t like puppies… wouldn’t be that much of a surprise Read the rest of this entry »