Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Moses Vega on Unsplash It’s becoming a well-known fact that texting can ruin your posture and ultimately take a toll on your body. Spinal doctor Kenneth Hansraj recently published a paper in the journal Surgery Technology International about the hunched-over position we often …
Photo by Oliver Hale on Unsplash There are a few things that we keep rather close to us, but unfortunately we don’t clean them or change them regularly enough! A great example is your pillows and sheets. Pillows and Sheets Let’s be honest – most …
Are you having trouble falling or staying asleep at night? Your diet could be to blame. We all know caffeine before bed is bad news for your sleep quality, but there are some other major culprits in your diet that might be causing you to toss and turn. Dietitian Shelly Redmond, R.D., author of “Eat Well and Be Fabulous”, named some of the foods that you should eliminate to get a great night’s rest.
Caffeine. Coffee and soda are well-known caffeinated drinks you should avoid before bed. However, some other foods and products contain caffeine as well, such as several OTC medications and most kinds of tea. Check the labels on your medications to be sure they don’t contain caffeine, and choose a decaffeinated tea if you’re heading to bed soon.
Fluids. Staying hydrated is very beneficial for your body, but drinking too much water before bed will having you running to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This disrupts your sleep cycle and may cut into your REM sleep as well. Try to avoid drinking fluids 60-90 minutes before your usual bedtime to make sure you actually spend all night in bed.
Aged & Fermented Foods. An amino acid called tyramine is found in many aged and fermented foods, such as aged cheese, smoked fish, and cured meats. Tyramine stimulates your brain and might leave you feeling wide awake.
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Tomato-Based Products. Acidic foods and spicy dishes tend to cause heartburn and discomfort overnight. Redmond advises staying away from canned tomatoes and other spicy foods with a high acid content at least three hours before bed.
Alcohol. At first, alcohol might seem like a great way to relax and fall asleep. However, many studies have shown that alcohol actually causes us to wake up frequently, and it also disrupts your REM sleep. Stick to just one glass no more than one to two hours before bed.
Sleep vitamins can be an extremely helpful tool for anyone who is not getting a full, restful night’s sleep on a regular basis, which can disrupt many areas of your life and your everyday routine. What’s more, sleeplessness is also connected to muscle loss, weight gain, and poor overall health and well-being, among a variety of other health issues. Stress can be a key factor, so there are many vitamins available that work by naturally relaxing the brain before you go to sleep at night. For example, L-Theanine is one of the best natural stress relievers and relaxants. It imparts a restful and relaxing state, calming your mind and body without any unpleasant side effects as often seen in other sleep medications. Natural vitamins can be a key factor in feeling your best and keeping your health intact when a restful night’s sleep is not possible on your own because of stress or any other influences in your life.
Some reports suggest nearly half the world’s population suffers from vitamin D deficiency, which is unsettling news given that a lack of this important vitamin has been associated with a host of serious conditions: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and even depression, not …
Most of us try to stay away from the inevitable ‘F’ word – FAT. But what we tend to forget is that certain fats are good for us and essentially needed in the body. Healthy fats are needed to support metabolism, cell signaling, the health …
Chocolate is one of nature’s most powerful super foods. In its natural form, it contains a wide variety of minerals, vitamins and antioxidant flavonoids that offer great health benefits. But the benefits of chocolate are generally reversed when milk, cholesterol from milk solids, and/or an enormous amount of refined sugar are added. Cocoa is naturally bitter in flavor so chocolate bars require a lot of sweetening. When cocoa is cooked, it becomes even more bitter.
According to a new study published by Columbia University Medical, a concentrated cocoa drink that contains plant compounds called flavanols (a subclass of flavonoids) seems to have a positive impact on reversing the impact of aging on the memory.
In their research, the team tested 37 healthy volunteers aged 50 to 69 who either drank a high-flavanol diet (900 mg of flavanols a day) or a low-flavanol diet (10 mg of flavanols a day) for three months. Everyone received functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans along with a memory test at the beginning, and again after the three months.
The results of the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, was led by Dr. Scott Small. “If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old,” stated Dr. Small. In addition, the flavanols that appear to aid in memory health can also support a healthy heart. “This very small trial highlights some possible effects of flavanols found in cocoa beans over a short time period, but we’d need to see much longer, large-scale studies to fully understand whether a diet high in these flavanols could boost cognition in old age,” said Dr. Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Chocolate in its natural form (without the additives) includes essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc, as well as the Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid. In addition, it has polyphenols similar to those found in wine that offer excellent antioxidant protection. These beneficial antioxidants increase circulation to the brain and heart, improving healthy blood flow. They also help to reduce the blood’s clotting function, potentially decreasing your risk of blood and cardiovascular related health issues. Together, these agents help improve various areas of health such as circulation, energy and mood. Flavonols appear to be the substances in cocoa that are responsible for boosting heart health and keeping blood pressure in the normal range. These substances appear to improve the bioavailability of nitric oxide from the cells that line the inner wall of blood vessels:
Cocoa may increase blood flow to the brain, according to new research published in the Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment journal. The researchers suggest that long-term improvements in brain blood flow could impact cognitive behavior, offering future potential research into a healthy aging brain, increased memory and lowering risk for debilitating events. In a scientific study of healthy, older adults ages 59 to 83, Harvard medical scientists found that study participants who regularly drank a cocoa flavonol-rich beverage had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks. In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers found both short and long-term benefits of cocoa flavonols for brain blood flow, offering future potential for the one in seven older Americans. Scientists speculate that maintaining an increased blood flow to the brain could slow this cognitive decline.