COLA AND SOFT DRINKS

Carbonated beverages or soft drinks is something young and old enjoy especially in the summer.  It seems refreshing the moment we drink it, but  the hazard it poses is something worth knowing.  

1. Caffeine and high amounts of sugar in soft drinks can seriously interfere with the digestive process. This means the body does not absorb nutrients from food completely eaten, and even eaten a few hours earlier.

2. Drinking soft drinks while having fever or flu will make it difficult for the body to fight disease.

3. Soft drinks are very acidic, especially Cola and it depletes the body of water. In order to neutralize a glass of Cola, it takes 32 glasses of pure filtered water. It is well known by the medical profession that disease loves acid. If we could get our cells to maintain a normal pH (slightly alkaline), cancer could not grow in our bodies. Cancer can't live in an oxygen-rich environment. Cola drinks make our bodies poor in oxygen

4. The bubbles and fizz in soft drinks can potentially burn human insides. This is caused by the phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide. The phosphorus in the acid upsets the body's calcium-phosphorus ratio and dissolves calcium out of the bones. This can eventually result in osteoporosis

5. Sugar in Cola Soft Drinks will cause an increase in "empty calories" that offer little or no nutritional value. This causes people to eat more because they always feel hungry. Their body is telling them that they need to feed the cells. Never finding the proper nutrients, the hunger becomes a vicious circle resulting in obesity

6. A diet high in Sugar, such as that found in Cola Soft Drinks, will cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket. The pancreas works to level out the high sugar levels by producing insulin. If Soda and Cola Soft Drinks are consumed at a high level on a daily basis, this will cause the pancreas to "wear out", resulting in diabetes.

7. Caffeine in Cola soft drinks artificially stimulate the body and increase the heart rate. This artificial stimulation temporarily arouses the intellect and fatigue seems to disappear, but shortly the "sugar high" dissipates. Caffeine raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, and cause plaque to form in the arteries (cholesterol).

8. Due to the higher sugar content, acidic content, additives, preservatives and dyes in Cola, the  functioning of the digestive enzymes in our stomach is reduced. Less food is digested the rest gets fermented. The undigested fermented food creates odors, gas, and poison, which is absorbed by the intestines, and these toxins lead to diseases.

9. Phosphorus found in Cola Soft Drinks (pH 2.5) renders hydrochloric acid (pH 4.5) in the stomach ineffective. This promotes indigestion, bloating and gassiness. Carbon dioxide is a waste product exhaled by humans, but they ingest it when they drink Soda and Cola Soft Drinks.

10. Olyethylene Glycol is an ingredient used in soft drinks. Glycol is used in anti-freeze in automobiles and as an oil solvent. When Cola Drinks are poured on your windshield in a snow or ice storm, you will discover that it will keep the windshield from freezing over with ice.

See Source for more information :

http://nutrition2success.com/soda.php

http://trendsupdates.com/drinking-too-much-cola-may-result-in-paralysis/

WALKING - ENJOY YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH

One of the things I decided to do when I go for my walk in the Park,  is not to ‘think’ about anything important or worry about anything, what I have to do today or tomorrow or couple of months from now. Not to worry how soon will the one hour at the Park will get over (which I used to do earlier).  It’s important to give the mind some rest and what better way, to silence the mind, when we are exercising and just enjoy every moment of exercising. The mind is ever flowing with a zillion thoughts the rest of the day anyway, right?. LOL

I observe people around me, activities going on around me, the birds, the cats, even the nice exercise outfits people wear. It’s so nice to see the children playing, so carefree, lost in their own world of play. It’s encouraging when I see people much older than me in their sixties, walking with such dedication everyday! It boosts my motivation to exercise. Children are seen playing badminton, volleyball or football, roller skating or just running around. Some people who come to walk, wear perfume. I don’t know why really. You can imagine what happens, when a person is walking fast, sweating and the sweat infuses with the perfume, giving a not so nice odor. But we can’t stop someone and tell him or her about it. That’s down right rude. LOL.

When I began to pay attention, I was able to  feel one with nature, the bright sun shining on me as I walk, the different green trees, the date palms, the bright  bouganvillas, the dried up leaves on the ground fallen from the trees, the green bushes, the green grass in some areas, the desert sand in rest of the places,  the continuous chirping of the birds in the trees, the little sparrows gathered in groups of 4 or 5, looking for food on the ground and when you reach close to them, they fly away to the nearest tree. The sleeping cats who are not bothered by the people passing by except if someone troubles them. Other cats roaming around slowy, not in hurry at all, perhaps its their weight… from the left over food, people leave behind in the Park. Or they don’t have to worry like us humans about rushing through time.

I saw this beautiful bird which is the size of a sparrow  with a bright yellow underbelly and it has a sweet voice. I also saw two small kittens in the Park for two days and some kids playing with them with great excitement. Then I didn’t see them yesterday. I wondered what happened to them. The watchman didn’t seem to know either. My husband told me, I should have called the Animal Shelter the day I saw them. I just figured, the kittens’ mother would be somewhere around so there is nothing to worry. I hope they are fine and the mother cat has hidden them away, as mother cats normally do.

Do you go for walks? You can choose the paved walking area at the Water front by the sea or any nearby Park  or even the Avenues Mall as its so huge.  Enjoy your walk, observe everything around you, listen to nature and be surprised! Walk your way to health

IMPORTANCE OF HAVING BREAKFAST

A lot of people skip breakfast for various reasons. Offices start early in Kuwait, so those who cannot wake up early to prepare breakfast, skip it. Some people are of the wrong notion that skipping breakfast helps you lose weight. “ I am trying to lose weight, so I don’t have breakfast’ is a common sentence you hear.

After dinner, you are off to sleep and the body is devoid of food for hours (say from 10pm at night to 8am next day, that’s like 10 hours). Breakfast means breaking the fast your body was on throughout the night and fueling it with food for energy.  Your body stores up glucose or sugar in your blood. This sugar ends up in your liver and then your liver releases it as energy in bursts throughout the day in the form of glycogen. If you skip breakfast your body will run out of glycogen by mid morning which means no more energy bursts. When this happens your body is like a car that runs out of gas. So if you skip breakfast, chances are you'll feel tired and lacking energy by the time you are at office or school in the morning. You'll have a hard time concentrating and your thinking will be clouded. You'll probably be nervous and irritable as well.

Skipping breakfast is a common strategy for losing weight, but not a smart one. Many people believe that they will lose weight if they skip meals, but that just isn't true; the body expects to be refueled a few times each day, starting with breakfast. By eating breakfast, you wake up your metabolism and get your engine running, burning those calories you need to burn to lose weight, your body gets all the nourishment it requires, your mood is uplifted, your concentration is in its full power, and your productivity is much higher as you have gained the required energy from the breakfast you had. 

Just make sure you don’t have breakfast with fried things or laden with fat and sugar. Here are some healthy breakfast ideas.

1. Brown bread spread with low fat cheese like cottage cheese or low fat-low salt feta with salad leaves, tomatoes, half a glass of orange juice.

2. Cereal like porridge (cooked oats with milk), with few nuts and dates in it or even chopped fresh fruits added to it.

3. Spanish omlette or fried egg with a teaspoon of olive oil (add chopped onions, chopped spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and season with salt and pepper), with or without a slice of brown toast.

4. Yoghurt and chopped fresh fruit and a slice of brown toast.

5. A glass of orange juice, boiled egg and a slice of brown bread (toasted if you wish)

6. Yoghurt and fresh fruit smoothie with chopped nuts (and half a brown toast if you wish)

7. Any traditional breakfast of your country (be sure to check the calories on the internet for the quantity you wish to have in this case and adjust accordingly). Keep a tab on the fat or sugar content and have your traditional breakfast in moderation if it’s on the higher calorie side.

8. Look into your fridge. Be creative and have fun! Make your very own breakfast that includes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Remember that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way to start off your day, Notice how much better you feel through the morning and the rest of the day when you don't skip breakfast. Those of you with toddlers or even school going children must instill in them,  the importance of having breakfast and  get them to have breakfast everday. Breakfast can be between 250 to 300 calories for those on a weight loss diet.