10 Easy Wellness Tips to Improve Your Nutrition
A good way to lower your risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes is to eat a steady diet of vegetables, grains, legumes, fruit, and dairy products with occasional servings of beef, poultry, and fish. This is good nutrition.
Butter is better. Margarine often has hydrogenated fats which you don’t need. Margarine also has artificial flavors, colors, etc. It’s better to eat moderate to small amounts of butter than margarine.
Want to add iron to your diet? Prune juice is high in iron. As a bonus, it’s also high in potassium. Think of prune juice as good nutrition!
Want to eat nutritious foods? Check out broccoli! Broccoli is low in calories and high in nutrition.
Beans, lentils, and dried peas are good sources of edible fiber. This translates to foods that are good for you if you want to lower your cholesterol level. This translates to better nutrition.
Having a burger? Skip the cheese and the bacon. These two foods add about 250 calories to your burger and add a good deal more saturated fat and cholesterol.
Thinking about your heart health? Eat fish once or twice a week. as good nutrition.
On a diet? You can cut your calories by about half if you’ll eat your chicken without the skin. This will also cut your fat content by about two thirds.
Skip the fruit containing dry cereals. Most of them don’t have much fruit in the cereal. If you want to eat cereal with fruit, add fresh fruit yourself. Your cereal will taste better, look better, and be more nutritious.
Go for the popcorn. Popcorn has fewer calories and fat than potato chips which makes it more nutritious!
Thanks for reading this article! Hopefully you’ll find tips you can use for more nutritious eating.
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Thanks Again
Thurman Greco
10 More Wellness Tips for Better Health
One of the most important wellness tips a person can use is the suggestion to take a few minutes out of every day to relax. A break every day for a few minutes will lower blood pressure, encourage good health and healing, and promote balance. Go Breaks!
Parsley is a popular garnish. Well, I eat the garnish! Parsley is both delicious and nutritious. So, I just can’t bear to throw it out. Join me in this habit.
Cut down on the salt. Add a few drops of lemon juice or substitute other herbs and spices. This can be one of your most important wellness tips!
Add avocado to your sandwiches and salads. Avocado is both delicious and nutritious. It’s high in nutrition and low in calories so that makes it a real bonus in your meal, and a practical wellness tip.
Read the Yogurt label because not all yogurts are created equal. If you want flavored yogurt, add your own. You’ll be eating fewer additives when you include fruits instead of purchasing the yogurt already filled with high sugary jams. Choose a yogurt with no artificial colors, artificial flavors, or no artificial anything.
Steam your veggies instead of boiling them. You’ll end up serving food which tastes better and has more vitamins and minerals.
Want to serve fruit with your cereal? Add your own! Many fruit containing cereals have little or no fruit in them. (This wellness tip is almost too easy!)
Avoid commercial dips. Your homemade dips will taste better and will have fewer additives. They will have fewer calories and fat, too.
Plain popcorn has fewer calories and fat than potato chips.
Drink water before, during, and after exercise.
Thank you for reading these wellness tips! Hopefully you’ll be able to use some or all of them. Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Thanks again for reading this article!
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
10 Wellness Tips for Better Health
Wellness is something we should all be interested in. We can all increase our health awareness through wellness..
Following are ten easy things you can do to promote your wellness.
Not all muffins are created equal. Read the labels so you choose a muffin which is more nutrition and less junk. Look for a muffin which has less than 500 calories and at least contains whole wheat flour in addition to eggs, butter, and other healthy ingredients.
Like baked potatoes? To get the most nutrients from your favorite food, eat the skin too. Ounce for ounce, the skin is where you’ll get more fiber, iron, potassium and B vitamins. This is wellness in action!
Eat foods rich in vitamin C every day. Besides oranges, the best sources of vitamin C are asparagus, blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, kale, mustard greens, peppers, strawberries, and tomatoes. These foods help protect against cancer and other diseases.
While you’re at it, eat at least five other fruits and vegetables daily. Make sure these five servings are high in antioxidants.
If you’re concerned about urinary tract infections, drink ten ounces of cranberry juice cocktail daily. While this won’t substitute for medication, cranberry juice cocktail taken daily will help reduce infection rates over time.
Looking for low-fat cookies? Try fig bars. They’re both low in fat and high in fiber.
Like to bake cakes and brownies? You can reduce the fat in the recipe when you substitute applesauce or fruit puree for the oil, margarine, or butter in the recipe.
Low-fat milks are not created equal. If your concern is fat content, go for nonfat or 1 %.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are tasty, nutritious snacks. Frozen bananas, strawberries, strawberries are delicious!
Try a new fruit or vegetable every month. At the end of a year, you’ll know a lot more about food than you do now. And, the chances are that you’ll have new favorite foods!
Read labels on frozen breakfasts. Some are very high in fat. Others are also very high in calories. Go for the less fatty products.
So! Here you have ten suggestions with a bonus thrown in for good measure. I’ll be sending along other easy wellness tips along in coming blog posts. Hope you enjoy them all!
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Thanks again!
Thurman Greco
Your Sleep as a Spiritual and Healing Event
angel with cat
For all that’s written and spoken about sleep, we all know on some level that sleep is a complex, spiritual event necessary to maintain our health and keep the body and soul together.
I was recently quite ill with a “sinus infection of global proportions” as described to me by a healing friend. My first tip off was when I decided on a Wednesday afternoon that I suddenly needed to rest. Fortunately, I followed my body’s demands and crawled in bed. I promptly went to sleep and woke up on Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning, I was quite tired but felt better. I drank a lot of water, ate fresh fruit, and made it to the doctor’s office on Monday to find out what my problem was. Within a couple of hours, I had had enough blood tests, x-rays, and other scans to learn that I not only had the enormous sinus infection but I also had pneumonia.
I also had a physician who was angry at me, a daughter nurse who was angry at me, and several other medical professionals who were angry.
I doubt if I’ll have this experience repeat itself again. And, I’m certain that this sleep, while highly therapeutic, may have needed some breaks for hydration, etc.
Nevertheless, I’m also convinced that, on some level, the sleep helped my situation.
I was fortunate because I fell asleep without trouble. Sleep is not always available to people who are ill or suffering with troubled health for whatever reason.
And, sometimes people are ill and need nothing more than a good night’s sleep to make things better. So, encouraging a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is a good thing. Sleep, experienced regularly, is important for wellness and good health in general.
What provision do you make for a regular sleep schedule which includes enough sleep every night? Are you able to include enough hours to offer therapy to your self and lifestyle?
Is your pillow adequate for the job?
Truthfully, I’ve blogged many times and will blog many times more about all the things a person can do to get enough sleep. Keep after your sleep until you are able to support your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
The first step involves honoring your self and your need to sleep well in order to live well.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please refer it to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Artwork provided by Jennette Nearhood
Your Sleep Sanctuary
heart with wings
Better sleep includes getting enough sleep at night and waking gently in the morning. That’s what alarm clocks and cell phone alarms are for. Use them to remind you to begin to calm down in the evening and to gently wake you in the morning.
Sleep Encouraging Techniques for you
As you journey down the path toward a better night’s sleep, don’t think of your bedroom as just a bedroom. Think of it as your sleep sanctuary.
Some people report they get to sleep easier if they use a diffuser with a lavender essential oil. You may want to try this. Lavender is one of the most popular and calming essential oils out there but not everyone likes it.
If you like lavender, you can use it knowing that studies find lavender essential oil improves your mood, decreases the heart rate, lowers the skin temperature and blood pressure a bit.
A bonus here is that lavender is not one of the most expensive essential oils. So, this may be an economical solution for you.
Do you have any plants in your bedroom? If not, you may want to add one or two. They purify the air as they reduce mold, filter toxins, release oxygen at night. And, plants are fun to look at.
Lower Lighting is Important for a Good Night’s Rest.
As you prepare for sleep each night, lower the lights in your sleep sanctuary. Bright lights just before getting into bed can trick you into wakefulness. You need light as you get ready for bed, but you just don’t need so much.
When You are Ready to go to Sleep, Turn out the Lights.
Then, when you get into your bed, set your intention. My intention is always for a deep, healing, relaxing sleep so that I will wake up refreshed in the morning when it is time to get up.
Follow your intention with a short breathing exercise .
Begin this sleep breathing by getting comfortable in your bed. Take a deep breath and hold it for an extra moment. When you release this breath, focus on releasing all tension and worries. Blow them far away. With the next breath, let go of any discomfort your body is holding. With every exhale, focus on the word “relax”.
Breathe in peace…breathe out relax.
Hold your breath for a moment and then repeat: Breathe in peace…breathe out relax.
Now, breathe in peace…breathe out relax.
Finally, enjoy your final peace breath and then breathe out relax.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Healthy Kitchen
Our lives are often over full with too much going on. We’re all busy. Working. Caring for children. Running errands. Studying. Volunteering.
Where is the time to shop for and prepare a leisurely, healthy meal?
Food can often be therapeutic. But, sometimes it’s hard to serve a healthy, healing meal to someone. when everyone is overworked, underpaid, short of time, and out of space.
BUT…
there are things that can be done to make your kitchen healthy and the meals easier.
Begin by making your kitchen a place where you want to be. Are the walls a color that you like? Is music that you like available in your kitchen? Do your utensils work?
If the answers to your questions were “no”, it’s time to try to make your kitchen a place where you want to be. Tackle one thing at a time and the room will soon be your favorite place.
Review your recipes. Do you have a few recipes for meals that are nutritious, delicious, easy to prepare, and fun to eat? If not, be on the lookout.
What you need is an arsenal of easy-to-prepare meals which you can rely on. Start with a few slow-cooker recipes which you can use during the week. This way, you can load the slow-cooker with ingredients before you leave for work, turn on the cooker, and return home at the end of the day to a delicious meal.
Do you have a favorite casserole recipe? Prepare this dish on your day off and then have it ready to eat the next evening.
Eat together as a family at least three times a week…more if you can. Make eating together non-negotiable.
Get your family members to help with the meal. Setting the table, washing the dishes, taking out the trash can all be done by family members.
I’m living proof that it is possible, even easy, to cook and serve healthy, nutritious, delicious, clean food that is easy to prepare and doesn’t cost a fortune.
When you work at this, you’ll soon have a kitchen that everyone enjoys. Your food will be delicious, easy to prepare, inexpensive, and fun.
Thanks for reading this post!
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Thurman Greco
Healthy Lunch
Do you sometimes have trouble getting through the afternoon? Maybe it’s time to invest in a healthy lunch.
A healthy lunch doesn’t have to be just an extension of an already over packed morning. A healthy lunch should be a respite from the confusion and stress of the morning leading up to the lunch hour.
TAKE A WALK – Whether you work in an office, factory, retail outlet, or home, walking is a good way to make your lunch a bit more enjoyable and healthy. Your lhealthy lunch walk doesn’t have to be long. Nor is it a substitute for food. It is a chance to change your environment and move your muscles for a few minutes.
TAKE A POWER NAP – Five or ten minutes devoted to putting one’s feet up and closing one’s eyes can change your life. No kidding. A few minutes sleeping in the middle of the day makes a lot of difference in the remainder of my day. And, it can make the same difference in yours.
MAKE YOUR LUNCH HEALTHY. Healthy, clean food can make a world of difference in how you function in the afternoon. Basically, that means you eat foods that are food. Boycott chemical laden lunches which are low in nutrition and high in calories and toxic additives.
GET AWAY FROM YOUR DESK. No matter how stressful things are, physically remove yourself from your desk for at least fifteen minutes. Take a walk. Chat with a couple of working colleagues. Make a personal call or two. Your goal is to take yourself away from the desk physically, mentally, emotionally for a few moments.
DO YOU RUN ERRANDS? Walk them if you can. The exercise you get on your lunch break will refresh you physically, mentally, and emotionally.
ARE YOU ON A DIET? Start a lunch group where you eat with other colleagues who are also interested in weight management, health, and nutrition. You can enjoy the group socially as well as support each other as you lose weight.
YOUR HEALTHY LUNCH BEGINS WITH A HEALTHY BREAKFAST. It’s much harder to eat a healthy lunch if you’ve skipped breakfast and are hungry and craving high-fat, high calorie, high carb foods. A good breakfast which includes whole grains and lean proteins will serve you well throughout the morning.
INCLUDE A HEALTHY SOUP. A healthy soup will include the protein and fiber you’ll need to get through the afternoon. The ideal soup will be broth based and will make you feel full while not wasting calories.
LEAVE YOUR BUILDING. GET OUTSIDE. Whether you are running errands, power walking, or visiting with friends, make sure you walk outside your building for a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths. Be outside. Is it raining? Snowing? Broiling hot? Whatever is happening outside your building, spend a couple of minutes experiencing this day. Enjoy a couple of minutes of this escape to recharge!
No matter how stressful your day, consider how best to use your lunch time.
Go for it!
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Healthy Investments
Every day offers new opportunities to make healthy investments in ourselves. And, for me, the best investment I can make is the investment I make in my good health.
Below, I’ve listed some new things you can choose from to invest in your own good health. Enjoy!
MOVE FOR 30 MINUTES! This can be a quick walk during the day, or a trip to the fitness center to hop on a treadmill for thirty minutes. Or it can mean a bike ride or a dance class or a yoga session. But, whatever you choose, the important thing is you choose to move for at least thirty minutes every day. This healthy investment will pay for itself in dividends many times over.
BRUSH YOUR TONGUE for one minute every day. Your breath will smell better and your mouth will thank you.
KEEP A CALENDAR. Make a healthy investment in a smoother running day. The best way I know to get your day organized and your life simplified is to keep an appointment calendar. It doesn’t have to be large or elaborate. But, to keep track of where you’re expected to be each day can reduce stress because you’ll be less likely to forget an important appointment.
BREAKFAST IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. Don’t skip it.
TAKE A VITAMIN. Just choosing which vitamin to take each day can be stress inducing. But, there are a few guidelines which can simplify the job. For starters, skip the time-release formulations. They may not be good for you and sometimes they elevate the price. Select a vitamin which doesn’t have a lot of additives such as sugars, artificial colors, preservatives. Skip chelated minerals. Vitamins are healthy investments.
GET ALL YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS AT ONE PHARMACY. Pharmacists offer good advice on many illnesses and diseases. Developing a relationship with your pharmacist is a good healthy investment. A pharmacist can be a good source of information for you. But, only if you get all your medicines from the same place. Otherwise, the pharmacist may not be completely aware of your situation.
TRY TO HAVE THE LEAST STRESSFUL DAY POSSIBLE. This means that you begin by promoting a calm attitude. Can you have a stress free commute? Begin each day by completing a to-do list for your day. Be as specific as possible. Print this list out on brightly colored paper (so you won’t lose it).
SCHEDULE SOME READING TIME. Spend at least fifteen minutes each day keeping up with activities in your areas of interest and work.
SLEEP IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN EXPERIENCE. Make sure you schedule enough sleep in every night. I know I keep writing about sleep but, honestly, it’s one of the most important things you do. When you sleep, your brain, your organs, your skin perform functions that are not done when you are awake. Sleep is essential and enough sleep is important. Sleep is a healthy investment.
KEEP HYDRATED. When we’re stressed, we forget to drink enough liquids. Liquids keep you awake, alert, refreshed, as well as prevent disease. So, drink up! Drink water, teas, juices. But, mainly, drink water throughout the day.
So, here you have the health lineup for the week. Hopefully you’ll find things that you can use to be healthier in your daily life.
Thanks for reading this blog post! Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
I’ll be suggesting more options for healthy living soon. Thanks for reading .
FINALLY, the second edition of “A Healer’s Handbook” is out. Hope you enjoy it!
Hope to hear from you soon! You can order “A Healer’s Handbook” at http://www.thurmangreco.com.
Healthy Results
In this blog post, I deliberately chose lifestyle changes which will offer you multiple health benefits. This is part of a series of healthy lifestyle tips to improve your life. Here are some new ones for you to choose from. Try them out. Some will work for you for a while. Others will be habits you’ll adopt and live with. These are all positive changes to improve your life.
GROCERY SHOPPING? – Choose whole, natural foods rather packaged or processed foods.
TAKE YOUR VITAMINS AND MINERALS daily. Choose ones that you need to supplement your diet. A nutritionist helps me choose the best supplements for my lifestyle situation, body type, age, and health. Think of your daily vitamins as a sort of wellness insurance policy. It’s hard to get all the nutrients we need each day. Vitamins make the job a bit easier.
SET YOUR ALARM to go off 15 minutes earlier each day. That way, you can slowly wake up . You’ll have a few minutes to stretch your arms, legs, hands, toes, feet, ankles, legs, neck and back. This will bring extra oxygen to your entire body and get your day off to a good start.
MAKE YOUR MORNING DECISIONS THE NIGHT BEFORE. That means you choose what clothes you’re going to wear the night before. Choose what you’re going to eat for breakfast. The more decisions you make the night before, the easier your morning will be.
KEEP A TO-GO CORNER where you put all the things everyone is going to need as they run out the door. This will include keys, wallet, book bags, gloves, hats, and whatever else will be needed.
CHOOSE A SHOWER. It’s healthier than a bath.
DRINK A LARGE GLASS OF WATER. You wake up each day dehydrated and you’ve been fasting all night so the water is good for you.
LISTEN TO FIVE OR TEN MINUTES OF QUIET MUSIC EACH MORNING. You’re probably going to hear people talking all day long. A few minutes of quiet music is helpful preparation.
KEEP YOUR BREAKFAST ROUTINE EASY. Healthy breakfasts can include granola, whole grain cereals, cottage cheese, yogurt, hard boiled eggs. Try spreading apple slices with peanut butter. Don’t forget the blueberries! Substitute peanut butter for butter.
TREAT YOURSELF TO DARK CHOCOLATE AS A TOPPING FOR YOUR CEREAL.
Dark chocolate has lots of antioxidants to keep your arteries healthy.
Thanks for reading this blog post.
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UPDATE: The second edition of the Healer’s Handbook is officially published and available. You can purchase it online at thurmangreco.com.
Thanks for your support. Without your continued support, there would be no second edition of this book! Thanks again!
Thurman Greco
Healthy Small Steps
There are, literally, thousands of things all of us can do. It’s the small changes which add up to meaningful health improvement. I’m offering a group of changes in each blog post which you can choose from. Choose one new thing each day if you can.
My grandmother used to say to me: “You take care of the nickels and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Healthy Small Steps are the same thing. Add healthy habits or lose unhealthy habits a day at a time to change your life for the better.
Substitute A BOTTLE OF WATER for that daily soda. Water is cheaper and wonderful for your urinary health. Don’t like water? Choose tea. There are many flavors out there without sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, in the lineup of ingredients.
Spend five minutes every day STRETCHING. You can do this while you’re watching TV. Your joints and muscles will thank you.
Put OLIVE OIL in your salad dressings. Your food will taste better and your body will be appreciative. My olive oil is organic and comes from California. It tastes delicious. It’s nutritious. Organic olive oil is a clean food. My salads are yummy.
Do you eat cereal? Sweeten it with CINNAMON instead of sugar. Your blood sugar levels will improve a bit.
Give yourself a TREAT! Call a friend to chat. Buy yourself a flower. Have a luxurious bath with scented soap. These are all simple, inexpensive ways to reduce stress in your life.
Add a POWER NAP to your day. Spend just a few minutes each day with your feet up, your eyes closed, breathing deeply, relaxing. The remainder of your day will go easier for you!
Switch to WHOLE GRAINS. Whole grain breads and cereals taste better and offer better nutrition. What’s not to love about them?
Sniff a sprig of ROSEMARY. This will give your brain a treat. You’ll be more alert and you’ll enjoy the scent. If you can’t get a sprig of rosemary, try putting a drop of rosemary essential oil on a tissue as a substitute.
QUIT SMOKING. Okay. This one may not be so easy, but the benefits are HUGE. Go for it!
Get a good night’s SLEEP. Okay, this one may not be so easy, either. But the benefits are also HUGE. For starters, schedule enough sleep time in every daily schedule.
Try some of these tips. Lifestyle changes have multiple health benefits. I’ll be sending more along in the next blog.
And, thanks for reading this blog post.
BOOK UPDATE: The second edition of “A Healer’s Handbook” should be out this week! And, I’ve begun volume 2!
I thank all of you for this. If no one were reading this book, this blog, there would be no need for a Volume 2.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network.
Thanks again
Thurman Greco
