In fact, while the American Heart Association does recommend eating salmon twice a week for heart health and many popular diets have you eating it as often as four times a week to keep calories low and taste high, studies show that to get enough salmon oil for your omega 3 dietary needs, you would need to consume nearly two pounds of the fish each day. Now that’s a lot of salmon! Not only would it get expensive, but you would probably start to develop scales after a week of two of that regimen.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to get as much fish oil as you need without becoming part fish yourself. All you need to do is find a good fish oil supplement and remember to take it each morning. And the best part about that? Fish oil is good for the memory as well! So while you are working on your health, you will also be making it easier and easier for yourself to remember to do the things that are good for you. And as your memory improves, studies show that your stress levels will decrease and your mental well being will also jump dramatically. In short, fish oil can have a positive impact on literally every aspect of your health.

When you are thinking about your New Year’s resolution this year, make the fishy part easy on yourself. Resolve to take a daily omega 3 salmon oil supplement. A good salmon oil supplement provides you with an entire day’s worth of omega 3 in a simple capsule that you can take with breakfast, lunch or dinner – no chewing required. Get started with your New Year’s resolution to be healthier in 2010 right now by accessing http://www.omega-3.us.

Well, there are many ways. Raising them well and providing for all of their needs such as food, shelter, and clothing count. But how would you know that what you are giving them is right for them?

Let’s take food for example. Millions of today’s youth are suffering from many health problems like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and serious self esteem issues. Could we be causing the problems without ever knowing it? What could we be doing wrong?

Research proves that these health complications are caused by poor childhood diet and lifestyle. Can you believe that some parents even serve soft drinks to their babies? Now, can you call that responsible parenting?

Here’s more – recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that many of today’s babies and toddlers are eating terrible diets such as Big Macs, fries, potato chips, cheese curls, cookies, candies, and other junk foods. Are you doing the same with your kids?

And if this doesn’t horrify you enough, take a look at this. Researchers from Tufts University of Medicine found that one third of the children they surveyed haven’t even eaten a single piece of fruit and vegetable all their lives!

It doesn’t surprise me at all to know that more than 25% of preschoolers are overweight or obese. And the worse part is that the percentage continually grows at an alarming rate! Based on statistics, this condition will be much worse in a matter of years. And it may increase cases of heart diseases and diabetes by 80% and 90%, respectively.

See, what comes out of poor lifestyle and unhealthy diet, and how can we solve that problem? We, as parents, have the chance to do something about it, but it should start within ourselves.

Let us be good role models for our children. Let us develop a healthy and active lifestyle, and then teach our children to do the same. Do this and you can be sure that later on, your children will greatly appreciate all the good habits you instilled in them.

Yes, it’s true. Too much oxygen is bad for you. It can trigger harmful chemical reactions within the body and cause damage at the cellular level. Think about what rust and corrosion can do to your car “ that’s a fine illustration of how harmful too much oxygen can be for your body! And that’s primarily the reason why you need to take in dietary antioxidants.

So, what are antioxidants and how can they help you? Antioxidants are the naturally occurring phytonutrients found in certain colorful fruits and vegetables. They protect human cells from the damage inflicted by free radicals, which can range from inflammation, aging, arterial damage and cancer. Antioxidants also protect you against the common cold, flu, and several drug resistant diseases.

This is the reason why the National Academy of Science, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with the Department of Health and Human Resources, all recommend eating nine servings of colorful fruits and vegetables daily.

To determine what foods contain the most antioxidants, the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University conducted their own research. And guess what they discovered? According to the results of their study, berries, apricots, watermelon, carrots, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain the most antioxidants. However, it is interesting to note that some of the most popular fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas and iceberg lettuce did not even make it to the list.

And here’s more – the most commonly used ingredients in some of the antioxidant supplements in the market are also not on the list! Take a note of that important fact. Alpha lipoic acid, ginkgo biloba, grape seed extract, milk thistle, pine bark (pycnogenol), sea algae, and quercetin did not make it to the list!

Be careful when choosing your supplement. Always look to whole food supplements that are sourced from foods you (and research authorities) recognize. Ask youself, “Will I find these ingredients on a salad bar?” And second, “Has anyone ever died from a deficiency of any of these ingredients?”

If you answered “no” to these questions, then consider looking for better choices. And make sure it belongs to the human food chain, and not some hyped-up mystery ingredients that are not proven to live up to its promises.

Okay, first things first. Let’s settle the difference between diet and nutrition. A lot of people get confused between these terms and use them interchangeably, but they are distinctly two different things.

Diet refers to the foods you eat. They can be classified as “good” or “bad” depending on their effects to your overall health. Good foods include nutrient-dense whole foods such as whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, lean meats, fish, and eggs.

On the other hand, bad foods refer to anything that is calorie-dense but nutrient-deficient. These may include packaged and processed foods including processed meat, grains and oils, sweets and pastries, and various snack items, among others. Carbonated and caffeinated drinks such as soda and coffee are also included in this list.

Now that it’s settled, it’s time to define what nutrition really is. Simply put, nutrition is the process whereby the nutrients from the foods you eat are absorbed by the cells in your body. But before these nutrients reach their destination cells, they undergo a lengthy process. Here ’s how it goes.

1. Diet

Everything starts with your diet. Eating nutritious whole foods greatly increases your chances of getting the proper nutrition your body needs. And remember, garbage in, garbage out. What you put in your body will definitely show in one way or another!

2. Digestion

The foods you eat need to be broken down into the smallest parts possible to make sure they are ready for the next stage. And this starts as you chew your food. There are some easy ways to improve your digestion and believe me, doing so will be good for you.

3. Absorption

After the foods are digested and broken down into simple nutrients (simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.), they pass through the intestinal linings and are absorbed into the blood stream. Now, they are ready to be supplied to their destination cells.

4. Circulation

The circulatory system has the primary responsibility of ensuring that the nutrients reach their final destination. If the circulatory system is impaired, such as when you have blood pressure and cholesterol-related problems, your cells may begin to starve.

5. Assimilation

Okay, the nutrients have now reached their target cells. Now, they need to enter the cells for them to be utilized. It doesn’t do any good if the nutrients stay outside your cells, right? So, make sure that your cells are assimilating nutrients properly.

6. Elimination

Now we get to the end of the line, the part where all the waste is eliminated. This stage begins with excretion at the cellular level, and is eventually completed as the waste materials leave the body through the skin, the lungs, the kidneys and the colon.

Hopefully that breaks the entire process down into understandable steps and helps you to see that every stage in this very important process can be improved by eating good, healthy foods.

Your diet has a lot to do with how you live. In fact, the healthier your diet is, the healthier your life will be. And what are the foods that can help you live a healthier life? What else but fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fish rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids!

There’s no doubt about it, vegetables are one of the healthiest foods known to man. Recently, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology reported that elderly people who eat a lot of vegetables do not suffer from cognitive decline as much as those who do not make vegetables a part of their daily diet. Interestingly enough, the awareness, perception and reasoning, understanding, and judgment of vegetable-eating seniors do not fail as miserably as those who do not eat vegetables.

Other studies showed that adding whole grains to the diet significantly reduces the risk of diabetes and helps maintain a healthier weight range for people of all ages. Moreover, research shows that those who eat fatty fish gain all these and more! They have better brain development and maintain better brain functions throughout their lives, and are better protected against obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer, too.

In these modern times, dining in fast food chains and mainly fixing convenience foods for dinner can be very hard to resist. But you need to take your diet a little more seriously, even if it means devoting a little more time and effort into it.

You need to take a more careful approach to your diet, if you want to live a longer, healthier life ahead. You wouldn’t want to enjoy in pleasure and ease for the meantime and then suffer for the rest of your life, would you?

Fixing a nutritious meal does not need to be time-consuming and labor intensive – if you know how to use modern kitchen equipment. And if you still find that cutting your veggies using these modern contraptions is a chore, why not buy some good quality frozen vegetables and cook it with the help of your microwave instead?

As for your fish, you can steam it, broil it, or serve it with a healthy salad dressing on top. In fact, you can do a hundred different ways of cooking it!

There really are a lot of ways to prepare nutritious recipes, and they don’t have to take too much of your time. Pay attention to your diet. Remember that every minute you put in preparing a healthy meal is an investment towards living a healthier, happier life with your loved ones.

Now, isn’t that reason enough to start eating healthy?

Apparently, people living in Okinawa, Japan are considered to be the world’s healthiest people.

And why not? Okinawa has the biggest number of centurions (100 years of age and older), and has the least incidence of heart disease among all the countries in the world.

Okinawans also have 80% less breast cancer and prostate cancer, 50% less colon and ovarian cancer, and 40% fewer hip fracture incidents as compared to those in the US. Given these figures, it is not impossible for Okinawans to live longer than most of us.

Have they found the fabled fountain of youth? Nope. But their secret to having a healthier and longer life is simple enough to follow. In fact, it is so simple that you may find a hard time believing it!

Here’s how they manage to live up to a hundred:

• They have a positive and optimistic attitude. Okinawans believe that everything in life works itself out in long run. They work at their own pace and do not stress themselves out by rushing things to completion. According to the experts, living a stress-free life is definitely good for the health.
• They value strong relationships. Okinawans put a high value on their relationships with family and friends. They often hang out and do fun things with them. And this active and positive social stance provides them with yet another key to a long and healthy life.
• They eat a healthy diet. The Okinawan diet is simple. It consists of nutritious foods like fish which is rich in protein and omega 3 oils and plant foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
• It is also interesting to note that they eat about 500-1000 fewer calories per day as compared to the Americans and people from other modern countries. This reduces their risk of suffering from many obesity-related health problems and increases their chances of living a longer, happier, and healthier life!
• They workout regularly. Okinawans live a very active lifestyle. They often go walking, swimming, and practicing tai chi, their traditional martial arts. And when they are not, you can see them busying themselves up in their gardens!
• They keep away from bad habits. There are a lot of older Okinawans who do not smoke and drink alcohol. No wonder they are a lot healthier than most of us!

However, it is sad that younger Okinawans may not live as long as their ancestors did. Due to the influx of modern influences, most young people now eat modern commercial diet, smoke and/or drink alcohol. And these habits reduce their chances of living long, healthy lives ahead.

The message here is crystal clear. If you want to enjoy a long and healthy life, follow the older Okinawans’ lead. Emulate their ways and you will increase your chances of living up to a hundred!

Abe Lincoln once said, “Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” And for him to be happy despite all his personal, business and political problems must be quite a feat. It may not have been quite easy for him to be a happy person while trying to triumph over his many ordeals, but he did it somehow. How can this be possible? Has he discovered the secret?

To find out what makes people happy, several British researchers interviewed and studied a wide selection of over a thousand men and women. And this is what they found:

Men and women find their happiness in different ways. While most women said that they are happiest when they are with their families, when they lose weight and during sunny weather, mens’ happiness is mostly influenced by their hobbies, sex, and the victories of their favorite sports teams.

But they agree on certain things. However, the same study also revealed that there are certain areas where both men and women considered essential for their overall happiness. What are these? Good health, strong friendships and financial stability, in that order.

And that brings us to the “secret for true happiness”.

So, what is the real key in living a happy life? According to this research, an optimistic and positive frame of mind is the foundation of true happiness! How a person deals with his past, adapts to his present situation and looks at his future plays a vital role in creating a happy attitude.

So, after laying the necessary groundwork, you need to add health, friendships and financial stability to the mix. And finally, throw in some of all the things that turn you on. Finally, you have the perfect formula for true happiness!

Water is a very essential part of our daily existence. In fact, it accounts for about 70% of the human body and is responsible for a number of bodily processes such as digestion, absorption, circulation, and excretion. Now, can you imagine what will happen if you don’t have enough water in your body?

One of the most common consequences of not consuming enough water is dehydration. Dehydration upsets your electrolyte balance and may give way to severe muscle cramps, fainting, chills, and even hallucinations. And I tell you, it’s not something to be taken lightly. Take it from me.

I have been a long distance runner way back in high school and I learned about the importance of drinking enough water the hard way. I was running a race, a very important one at that, and without warning, I passed out at the finish line! If it weren’t for my coach, perhaps I wouldn’t be here anymore.

So, the moral of the story is to drink your water – lots of it! But are you measuring your water intake? If not, how would you know if you’re drinking enough?

Okay, so head off to Wal-Mart and buy yourself a large clear container “ preferably a gallon. Fill it up with pure, clean water in the morning and make sure you drink up to the very last drop before you retire for the night. Don’t sleep until you’ve done so! After a couple of trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you’ll get the idea and develop the habit of finishing the container earlier.

We all need water. It doesn’t matter if you’re an athlete or a couch potato or somewhere else in between. We all use up the water in our bodies and we all need to replace them. That’s a fact so drink up!

Numerous studies prove that a daily dose of healthy laughter is extremely good for you. In fact, it can be as good as exercise or even better than the best medicine!

To illustrate this point more clearly, a research was conducted at The University of Maryland to determine the effect of movies on people’s health. A total of 20 healthy volunteers were randomly selected and were instructed to watch two different types of movies. The first group watched Steven Spielberg’s graphic war movie, Saving Private Ryan, while the other group watched a Woody Harrelson comedy, Kingpin.

The blood flow of each of the subjects was measured before and after watching the films. And the results were simply revealing. Researchers observed that the blood flow of those who watched the war movie decreased by an average of 35%, while those who watched the comedy film registered a 22% increase. Now you can see how laughter could be as healthy as exercise! These findings were reported by Dr. Michael Miller at a major meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Wei Jiang of Duke University also made a presentation at the same meeting about how heart patients’ moods affected their overall health. Dr. Jiang discovered that patients with even mild depression had nearly twice the risk of death by heart failure than those with a more cheerful disposition. Now, isn’t that reason enough to take on a more cheerful disposition starting today?

Well, come to think of it, there’s really nothing new about all these. Some 20 years ago, Norman Cousins, the best selling author of the book “Anatomy of an Illness”, told his amazing story. He recounted how he held on to his faith that he can triumph over a terminal disease. And he did – by employing the therapeutic properties of laughter!

According to Dr. Stanley Tan and Dr. Lee Berk, leaders in laughter research, you can get a lot of other benefits from laughter. These include:

Can you believe that? You get all these health benefits with a daily dose of laughter, which is 100% safe and free, too!

So, what are you waiting for? Start living healthy. Shift to a whole food diet, have a regular exercise routine, and add as many good belly laughs a day as possible. You’ll surely add a lot more healthy years to your life just by doing so!

Researchers found that children between 6 and 18 years old who drink as much as two large colas a day are at a greater risk of suffering from chronic headaches and migraines than those who drank less or none at all. Let’s try to see why this happens.

If you still don’t know, cola drinks are mostly loaded with glycemic sweeteners. Can you believe that s 20-oz. bottle of Coca Cola Classic contains the equivalent of 18 teaspoons of refined sugar? No wonder, colas promote obesity and tooth decay!

And if that doesn’t raise enough concern among you parents out there, let me tell you that these colas also contain very high levels of caffeine (the same 20-oz. bottle of Coke has about 50 mg. of caffeine). We all know that caffeine is a very strong stimulant and it will certainly get your kids to crave for more.

Caffeine combined with sugar is a lethal combination. It doesn’t only alter your child’s brain chemistry resulting in frequent headaches and migraines, it can also bring other far more serious complications such as attention deficit problems and learning disabilities. Are you willing to take that risk?

Simply put, caffeinated cola drinks are one of the worst things you can let your kids have. And the same goes for you, too. So, start on the road to recovery and healthy living. Let your children know that caffeinated colas are not good for them. Have them quit this unhealthy habit before it’s too late.

Oh, before I forget, the caffeine withdrawal process can also bring on those nasty headaches. So, wean yourself or your child off sodas slowly and make sure they are getting the proper nutritional support they need.