Health Tips and Tricks

Foods to help keep your skin clear
Please remember that these are not instant fixes. Eating these will help but not instantly. Give it some time, I'd say a few months in order to see if this will work. 




Sweet potatoes (acne)
leafy greens like spinach (acne) 
kale (acne) 
carrots (acne)
cantaloupe (acne) 
chili peppers (acne) 
raw oysters (acne)
turkey (acne)
pork loin(acne) 
beef sirloin (acne, dry, dull skin) 
1 T flaxseed (acne, dull, dry skin) 
chicken (dry, dull skin)
tuna (dry, dull skin)
wheat flour (dry, dull skin)
cornmeal (dry, dull skin) 
avocado (dry, dull skin) 
salmon  (dry, dull skin)
asparagus (signs of aging) 
strawberries (signs of aging)
papaya (signs of aging) 
pineapple (signs of aging) 
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What to do when you have a Sore Throat 
Sore Throat? I'm sure you thinking Now what? Or your going to grab for that Tylenol PM or NyQuil. I have some super easy ways to get rid of that stubborn sore throat fast!


Tip #1 *I recommend this one* 
At the first sign of a sore throat I take Slippery Elm Bark by Natures Way (I believe I bought it for around $5.00) I take 4 370mg pills in the morning, 3 370 pills in the afternoon and in the evening I take 3-4 370 mg pills. The recommendation on the bottle is to take 4 pills 3 times a day. But be careful. Don't take Slippery Elm Bark with any other medicines because it may affect their absorption.  Because you can't take any medicines with Slippery Elm bark It's very important that while you're taking the medicine you healthy and right, Making sure that you UP your Vitamin C levels. Because without that multivitamin you need to get your vitamins and minerals some way so you need to eat really healthy when taking this medicine!


Tip #2
Gargle with warm salt water 3-6 times daily. You can gargle with it as much as you want. 


Tip # 3
Adding honey and/or lemon to tea can help soothe the throat. 


Tip # 4
Make a throatsicle. Here's how http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_synopsis/733?section=feature&title=homemade%20remedies (Scroll down the bottom)

Hopefully these 4 tips help. Out of all of them Tip #1 has been extremely helpful for me and I take the Slippery Elm bark at the first sign of a sore throat and within a day (if not sooner) the sore throat is gone! And as usual before you take ANY medicine talk with your doctor to make sure it's right for you!
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Foods to buy Non Organic:
Avocados
Bananas
Pineapple
Kiwi
Mango
Papaya
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Onions


If you notice, Most of these foods have an outer skin layer, Making the inside (which is what you eat) clean. So with these 10 foods it's ok to buy non organic. But remember my trick Ask yourself this question "Am I going to eat the skin?" If you answered yes, you need to buy it organic, If you answered no, then knock yourself out and buy it non organic.
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Foods to buy Organic: 
Meat
Milk
Coffee
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Peppers
Spinach
Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes


Ask yourself this question "Am I going to eat the skin?" If you answered yes, you need to buy it organic, If you answered no, then knock yourself out and buy it non organic. Hope this helped!! Email me with any questions you may have at healthfreak101@rocketmail.com 
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What to Look for in a Granola Bar

Here are some guidelines to finding that perfect granola bar!

1. There should be no more than 15g of sugar
2. Make sure it has at least 2.5 g (or more!) of fiber
3. At least 5g protein
4. At least 25% of the DV(daily value) for calcium

So you may be asking why do I need to look for these things in a granola bar? Well as we all have been taught breakfast is the most important meal of the day AND it's the best meal to "sneak in" at least half of of the DV of alot of vitamins, minerals, etc. Also alot of granola bars are high in fiber which is good. Granola bars are a good way to get in your daily amount of fiber. But you have to be careful about granola bars because some companies load on the sugar that's why I said make sure that there's no more than 15g of sugar. And finally the protein portion. If your a vegetarian this is crucial. In the morning you need protein to perform at your best. I really hope this helped some of you all. I thought since school was starting soon this would be the perfect time to blog about this. Email me with any questions, comments or concerns you may have!
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Get Whiter Teeth!

Ok so I feel like more and more people ask me easy ways to whiten your teeth, So I thought I would just blog about it ;). First of all the minimize the staining aspect, don't eat or drink anything that stains your teeth such as coffee, blueberries, etc. Only eat/drink these staining substances if your going to be brushing your teeth afterwards orrr if you eat strawberries afterwards. Yes you heard me....Strawberrries. Strawberries are amazing for your health and your teeth :) Strawberries help lift the stains off your teeth, revealing those gorgeous pearly whites! Also you can try whitening strips. Crest makes some good ones. If you have sensitive be careful, you may want to pass or Crest makes some especially for sensitive teeth, so you could try those out as well. Also in conjunction with the whitening strips you should try a whitening toothpaste. I reccomend Crest 3D white, it works well on it's own but I haven't tried the strips with the toothpaste...yet. I really hope this helped and as usual if you have any questions e-mail me at healthfreak101@rocketmail.com
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Foods that Cause Heartburn (Heartburn Triggers)

First and foremost if you suffer from heartburn, learn what your triggers are and avoid them.

Here is a list of all the "Heartburn Trigger" foods that I've found:
-Acidic foods (Oranges, grapefruits, Tomatoes and tomato products and Citrus fruit juices)
-Fatty or greasy foods (Whole-milk dairy products[including cream], Chocolates, Fried food)
-Spicy Foods (Mexican, etc.)
-Nuts
-Alcohol
-Drinks with Caffeine (Coffee, Soda etc.)
-Some herbal teas (such as peppermint)

Make sure that after you eat (no matter what it is) you DON'T lay down. This allows the stomach acid to creep up your esophagus creating as we know it painful heartburn. Also don't overeat and try to avoid late night snacks and meals.
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7 Worst things for your teeth

1. Soft Drinks- Whether its diet or not they take away minerals from your enamel due to their high acid content.

2. Sports Drinks- This might be surprising to a few. Sports Drinks can do alot of damage to you're teeth. So remember only drink them when you NEED them to replace lost electrolytes and make sure you brush your teeth after drinking one.

3. Sour Candy- Sour candy is much harder on your teeth than regular candy. It's the sour component. They have more unnecessary acids that help erode the teeth.

4. Energy Drinks- These are the second worst drinks for your teeth. (The first is sports drinks) These will help erode your teeth.

5. Fruit Juices- Mainly targeting citrus, apple, and berry. These have tons of acids which wear down your enamel. But remember these do have vitamins and antioxidants so make these juices a once in a while treat or an everyday treat if you brush your teeth after drinking them.

6. Fruit- Oranges, lemons, berries and limes have acids that will permanently damage your enamel. An easy way to fix this? Eat fruit with a meal instead of by itself, It help minimize the long term enamel effect.

7. Vinegar- Vinegar is in alot of foods now a days including salad dressings, sauces, potato chips and pickles. Teens are especially at risk of tooth erosion because their teeth haven't matured yet.

So make sure you brush your teeth afterwards! Or if you can't brush your teeth afterwards make sure you sip it fast.