DHA Supplements

DHA is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid normally found in deep water fish. However, pregnant women should not consume excessive fish or seafood. The only method of acquiring adequate quantities of omega-3 is through a supplement rich in fish oil. The DHA supplement is a vital element required to completely develop the brain and nervous system. This is especially important for neurological development and specific cognitive functions, which include memory and concentration. DHA maybe the one supplement that can actually give your baby a very intelligent start to life.

Krill Oil

Krill oil contains an abundant supply of omega-3 fatty acids. These are important nutrients required by the body for the development of a healthy heart and critical neurological functions. Krill are small creatures that resemble shrimp, and they provide astaxanthin, which is an extremely strong antioxidant. It works best when combined with omega-3 fats found in fish oil and natural foods. However, consuming fish while pregnant is not appropriate for everyone.

Certain types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which is potentially harmful. Examples of fish likely to be tainted with mercury include canned tuna, tile fish and king mackerel. Krill oil is a viable alternative. It is a safe way for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids without worrying about mercury contamination or other pollutants. The purified form of krill oil is an especially attractive option because it can be consumed without any concern for safety.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium is a powerful mineral, which the body can use for a variety of purposes during pregnancy. It assists in the formation of fetal teeth and bones. It is also an active ingredient in breast milk production, blood pressure and heart regulation. Calcium supplements provide additional amounts of this nutrient when food supplies do not meet the woman’s increased requirements.

The heart is filled with magnesium. Magnesium will help develop the organs and tissues in the fetus. Magnesium should be taken with calcium because it helps the body absorb calcium. A diet high in calcium but low in magnesium can actually hurt the body.

During pregnancy, the body utilizes calcium stored in the bones to form the skeletal system. This is why it is vital to take a calcium supplement and eat foods rich in calcium and magnesium. Common calcium-rich foods include broccoli, collards, kale, parsley and citrus fruit. Taking a supplement for calcium and magnesium helps you to get enough rest, which also provides the immune system with a boost.

Vitamin D Pills

Supplements should never be consumed as a replacement for a healthy diet; however, they do assist in ensuring that the body has all of the raw materials necessary to form healthy nerves, bones, tissues and organs. Along with DHA, Vitamin D assists in the development of healthy brain and bones, and it controls the quantity of calcium released into the bloodstream. It also transfers sufficient quantities of the vitamin to the developing fetus during the initial months of pregnancy. Vitamin D can be ingested through a variety of delicious and healthy foods. Tuna, mackerel and salmon are ideal sources of vitamin D. Small quantities are also present in cheese, liver and egg yolks. The greatest source of vitamin D will always come from the sun.

Ginkgo Biloba

The leaf extract from Ginkgo Biloba provides a variety of benefits without any known side effects. It is helpful to pregnant women suffering from high blood pressure, concentration problems or bad circulation. Gingko Biloba also boosts the woman’s overall immune system. This can prevent her from falling victim to various infections. Consider taking supplements to enhance health and wellness during pregnancy. Ginkgo Biloba is being researched by Nu Skin to see if there’s any benefits the vitamin can offer to the skin.

In Conclusion

Always consult with your doctor before actively taken on any supplement while pregnant. Taking all vitamins listed out may be too much. Having a healthy diet, while taking a supplement daily, that includes these vitamins, is the most ideal recommendation. Every women is different and every pregnancy is different and that’s why it’s important to consult your doctor. What might work for one, may not work for another.

The post Krill Oil and Other Vitamins to Take During Pregnancy appeared first on A Much Better Way.

DHA Supplements

DHA is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid normally found in deep water fish. However, pregnant women should not consume excessive fish or seafood. The only method of acquiring adequate quantities of omega-3 is through a supplement rich in fish oil. The DHA supplement is a vital element required to completely develop the brain and nervous system. This is especially important for neurological development and specific cognitive functions, which include memory and concentration. DHA maybe the one supplement that can actually give your baby a very intelligent start to life.

Krill Oil

Krill oil contains an abundant supply of omega-3 fatty acids. These are important nutrients required by the body for the development of a healthy heart and critical neurological functions. Krill are small creatures that resemble shrimp, and they provide astaxanthin, which is an extremely strong antioxidant. It works best when combined with omega-3 fats found in fish oil and natural foods. However, consuming fish while pregnant is not appropriate for everyone.

Certain types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which is potentially harmful. Examples of fish likely to be tainted with mercury include canned tuna, tile fish and king mackerel. Krill oil is a viable alternative. It is a safe way for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids without worrying about mercury contamination or other pollutants. The purified form of krill oil is an especially attractive option because it can be consumed without any concern for safety.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium is a powerful mineral, which the body can use for a variety of purposes during pregnancy. It assists in the formation of fetal teeth and bones. It is also an active ingredient in breast milk production, blood pressure and heart regulation. Calcium supplements provide additional amounts of this nutrient when food supplies do not meet the woman’s increased requirements.

The heart is filled with magnesium. Magnesium will help develop the organs and tissues in the fetus. Magnesium should be taken with calcium because it helps the body absorb calcium. A diet high in calcium but low in magnesium can actually hurt the body.

During pregnancy, the body utilizes calcium stored in the bones to form the skeletal system. This is why it is vital to take a calcium supplement and eat foods rich in calcium and magnesium. Common calcium-rich foods include broccoli, collards, kale, parsley and citrus fruit. Taking a supplement for calcium and magnesium helps you to get enough rest, which also provides the immune system with a boost.

Vitamin D Pills

Supplements should never be consumed as a replacement for a healthy diet; however, they do assist in ensuring that the body has all of the raw materials necessary to form healthy nerves, bones, tissues and organs. Along with DHA, Vitamin D assists in the development of healthy brain and bones, and it controls the quantity of calcium released into the bloodstream. It also transfers sufficient quantities of the vitamin to the developing fetus during the initial months of pregnancy. Vitamin D can be ingested through a variety of delicious and healthy foods. Tuna, mackerel and salmon are ideal sources of vitamin D. Small quantities are also present in cheese, liver and egg yolks. The greatest source of vitamin D will always come from the sun.

Ginkgo Biloba

The leaf extract from Ginkgo Biloba provides a variety of benefits without any known side effects. It is helpful to pregnant women suffering from high blood pressure, concentration problems or bad circulation. Gingko Biloba also boosts the woman’s overall immune system. This can prevent her from falling victim to various infections. Consider taking supplements to enhance health and wellness during pregnancy. Ginkgo Biloba is being researched by Nu Skin to see if there’s any benefits the vitamin can offer to the skin.

In Conclusion

Always consult with your doctor before actively taken on any supplement while pregnant. Taking all vitamins listed out may be too much. Having a healthy diet, while taking a supplement daily, that includes these vitamins, is the most ideal recommendation. Every women is different and every pregnancy is different and that’s why it’s important to consult your doctor. What might work for one, may not work for another.

The post Krill Oil and Other Vitamins to Take During Pregnancy appeared first on A Much Better Way.

DHA Supplements

DHA is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid normally found in deep water fish. However, pregnant women should not consume excessive fish or seafood. The only method of acquiring adequate quantities of omega-3 is through a supplement rich in fish oil. The DHA supplement is a vital element required to completely develop the brain and nervous system. This is especially important for neurological development and specific cognitive functions, which include memory and concentration. DHA maybe the one supplement that can actually give your baby a very intelligent start to life.

Krill Oil

Krill oil contains an abundant supply of omega-3 fatty acids. These are important nutrients required by the body for the development of a healthy heart and critical neurological functions. Krill are small creatures that resemble shrimp, and they provide astaxanthin, which is an extremely strong antioxidant. It works best when combined with omega-3 fats found in fish oil and natural foods. However, consuming fish while pregnant is not appropriate for everyone.

Certain types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which is potentially harmful. Examples of fish likely to be tainted with mercury include canned tuna, tile fish and king mackerel. Krill oil is a viable alternative. It is a safe way for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids without worrying about mercury contamination or other pollutants. The purified form of krill oil is an especially attractive option because it can be consumed without any concern for safety.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium is a powerful mineral, which the body can use for a variety of purposes during pregnancy. It assists in the formation of fetal teeth and bones. It is also an active ingredient in breast milk production, blood pressure and heart regulation. Calcium supplements provide additional amounts of this nutrient when food supplies do not meet the woman’s increased requirements.

The heart is filled with magnesium. Magnesium will help develop the organs and tissues in the fetus. Magnesium should be taken with calcium because it helps the body absorb calcium. A diet high in calcium but low in magnesium can actually hurt the body.

During pregnancy, the body utilizes calcium stored in the bones to form the skeletal system. This is why it is vital to take a calcium supplement and eat foods rich in calcium and magnesium. Common calcium-rich foods include broccoli, collards, kale, parsley and citrus fruit. Taking a supplement for calcium and magnesium helps you to get enough rest, which also provides the immune system with a boost.

Vitamin D Pills

Supplements should never be consumed as a replacement for a healthy diet; however, they do assist in ensuring that the body has all of the raw materials necessary to form healthy nerves, bones, tissues and organs. Along with DHA, Vitamin D assists in the development of healthy brain and bones, and it controls the quantity of calcium released into the bloodstream. It also transfers sufficient quantities of the vitamin to the developing fetus during the initial months of pregnancy. Vitamin D can be ingested through a variety of delicious and healthy foods. Tuna, mackerel and salmon are ideal sources of vitamin D. Small quantities are also present in cheese, liver and egg yolks. The greatest source of vitamin D will always come from the sun.

Ginkgo Biloba

The leaf extract from Ginkgo Biloba provides a variety of benefits without any known side effects. It is helpful to pregnant women suffering from high blood pressure, concentration problems or bad circulation. Gingko Biloba also boosts the woman’s overall immune system. This can prevent her from falling victim to various infections. Consider taking supplements to enhance health and wellness during pregnancy. Ginkgo Biloba is being researched by Nu Skin to see if there’s any benefits the vitamin can offer to the skin.

In Conclusion

Always consult with your doctor before actively taken on any supplement while pregnant. Taking all vitamins listed out may be too much. Having a healthy diet, while taking a supplement daily, that includes these vitamins, is the most ideal recommendation. Every women is different and every pregnancy is different and that’s why it’s important to consult your doctor. What might work for one, may not work for another.

The post Krill Oil and Other Vitamins to Take During Pregnancy appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Jon Roberts, Flickr.com

We have reached a point where people are so accustomed to processed, denatured foods that they don’t even recognize food in its natural state. This was highlighted in a television episode of Jamie’s Food Revolution program where kindergarten children could not spot a tomato.

One reason for the growing decline of health in the United States is a general lack of knowledge about fresh foods and how to cook from scratch.

It may be time to go green literally and enjoy the benefits of knowing where your food comes from. Perhaps, it’s time for you to grow your own food.

7 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

Here are 7 reasons why you may just want to take up backyard gardening:

1. It’s good for the planet.

By growing your own organic food, you’ll be contributing to the environment. The use of pesticides and herbicides pollute air, soil, and water, and the air is also polluted by fossil fuels as it’s transported by refrigerated trucks to grocery stores around the country.

2. It’s good for your wallet.

You will spend less money at the supermarket. Instead of filling up your shopping cart with processed foods, you’ll fill up your pantry with fresh food grown from your own garden.

It costs less than a buck to buy a packet of seeds. Heirloom seeds are the best. These non-hybrid seeds come from the best growers. Since these are dried seeds, they can be used for years.

By learning to can and dry your produce, you can enjoy preserved fruits and vegetables after the growing season.

3. It’s good for mind and body.

If you don’t enjoy regular exercise, you probably don’t spend any time stretching, doing aerobics, or lifting weights. However, as a gardener, you’ll be doing all three as you weed, water, plant, and harvest your own food. Not only does gardening make exercise fun, but your children may also enjoy working on the garden with you.

Additionally, the fruits of your labor will provide your family with vitamin-rich, high-fiber foods during dinner. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, young children who eat homegrown produce are twice as likely as other preschool children to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

What’s good for the body is also good for the mind. By gardening, you’ll learn to relax, enjoy the fresh air, bask in the sunshine, and calm your mind.

4. It’s good for your taste buds.

There is a big difference between fresh fruits and vegetables from your own backyard compared to those you buy in a grocery store. The produce you grow will be bursting with flavor while the produce you buy will be bland. This huge discrepancy is due to the use of herbicides and refrigeration, as well as how long it sometimes takes for the produce to get to your grocery shelf.

Here are three tips for growing a vegetable garden that will give you a tasty selection of vegetables for your salad: first, ensure that you expose your vegetables to the right amount of sunshine; second, plant your vegetables in good soil, and third, wait patiently for Mother Nature to do her work.

5. It’s good during a food crisis.

When produce is being pulled off the grocery shelves because of contamination issues at a farm, manufacturing facility, or transportation company, you won’t be affected. While the rest of the country is panicking over the latest spinach scare, you’ll be serving your family double helpings of fresh, clean spinach over dinner.

6. It’s good for reducing food wastage.

It’s not always easy to detect spoiled foods when you buy them in large bags at the grocery store. It’s hard to notice the moldy mushroom at the bottom of a cardboard box when the fresh ones cover them up. It’s also hard to eat all the vegetables you enthusiastically buy, and some may be rotten by the time you get to them. With your own garden, everything will always be fresh. It’s estimated that the average American family tosses rotten fruits and vegetables worth $600 a year.

7. It’s good for your self-esteem.

It’s hard not to take pride in growing your own garden food. Patiently caring for your plants will give you an amazing sense of accomplishment.

The good news is that you’re not alone. There has been a 200% spike over the past few years in gardening in America. Awareness about the benefits of avoiding artificial ingredients in foods is growing, resulting in a corresponding interest in backyard gardening, community gardens, and gardening organizations.

The post Should You Grow Your Own Garden? appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Jon Roberts, Flickr.com

We have reached a point where people are so accustomed to processed, denatured foods that they don’t even recognize food in its natural state. This was highlighted in a television episode of Jamie’s Food Revolution program where kindergarten children could not spot a tomato.

One reason for the growing decline of health in the United States is a general lack of knowledge about fresh foods and how to cook from scratch.

It may be time to go green literally and enjoy the benefits of knowing where your food comes from. Perhaps, it’s time for you to grow your own food.

7 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

Here are 7 reasons why you may just want to take up backyard gardening:

1. It’s good for the planet.

By growing your own organic food, you’ll be contributing to the environment. The use of pesticides and herbicides pollute air, soil, and water, and the air is also polluted by fossil fuels as it’s transported by refrigerated trucks to grocery stores around the country.

2. It’s good for your wallet.

You will spend less money at the supermarket. Instead of filling up your shopping cart with processed foods, you’ll fill up your pantry with fresh food grown from your own garden.

It costs less than a buck to buy a packet of seeds. Heirloom seeds are the best. These non-hybrid seeds come from the best growers. Since these are dried seeds, they can be used for years.

By learning to can and dry your produce, you can enjoy preserved fruits and vegetables after the growing season.

3. It’s good for mind and body.

If you don’t enjoy regular exercise, you probably don’t spend any time stretching, doing aerobics, or lifting weights. However, as a gardener, you’ll be doing all three as you weed, water, plant, and harvest your own food. Not only does gardening make exercise fun, but your children may also enjoy working on the garden with you.

Additionally, the fruits of your labor will provide your family with vitamin-rich, high-fiber foods during dinner. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, young children who eat homegrown produce are twice as likely as other preschool children to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

What’s good for the body is also good for the mind. By gardening, you’ll learn to relax, enjoy the fresh air, bask in the sunshine, and calm your mind.

4. It’s good for your taste buds.

There is a big difference between fresh fruits and vegetables from your own backyard compared to those you buy in a grocery store. The produce you grow will be bursting with flavor while the produce you buy will be bland. This huge discrepancy is due to the use of herbicides and refrigeration, as well as how long it sometimes takes for the produce to get to your grocery shelf.

Here are three tips for growing a vegetable garden that will give you a tasty selection of vegetables for your salad: first, ensure that you expose your vegetables to the right amount of sunshine; second, plant your vegetables in good soil, and third, wait patiently for Mother Nature to do her work.

5. It’s good during a food crisis.

When produce is being pulled off the grocery shelves because of contamination issues at a farm, manufacturing facility, or transportation company, you won’t be affected. While the rest of the country is panicking over the latest spinach scare, you’ll be serving your family double helpings of fresh, clean spinach over dinner.

6. It’s good for reducing food wastage.

It’s not always easy to detect spoiled foods when you buy them in large bags at the grocery store. It’s hard to notice the moldy mushroom at the bottom of a cardboard box when the fresh ones cover them up. It’s also hard to eat all the vegetables you enthusiastically buy, and some may be rotten by the time you get to them. With your own garden, everything will always be fresh. It’s estimated that the average American family tosses rotten fruits and vegetables worth $600 a year.

7. It’s good for your self-esteem.

It’s hard not to take pride in growing your own garden food. Patiently caring for your plants will give you an amazing sense of accomplishment.

The good news is that you’re not alone. There has been a 200% spike over the past few years in gardening in America. Awareness about the benefits of avoiding artificial ingredients in foods is growing, resulting in a corresponding interest in backyard gardening, community gardens, and gardening organizations.

The post Should You Grow Your Own Garden? appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Jon Roberts, Flickr.com

We have reached a point where people are so accustomed to processed, denatured foods that they don’t even recognize food in its natural state. This was highlighted in a television episode of Jamie’s Food Revolution program where kindergarten children could not spot a tomato.

One reason for the growing decline of health in the United States is a general lack of knowledge about fresh foods and how to cook from scratch.

It may be time to go green literally and enjoy the benefits of knowing where your food comes from. Perhaps, it’s time for you to grow your own food.

7 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

Here are 7 reasons why you may just want to take up backyard gardening:

1. It’s good for the planet.

By growing your own organic food, you’ll be contributing to the environment. The use of pesticides and herbicides pollute air, soil, and water, and the air is also polluted by fossil fuels as it’s transported by refrigerated trucks to grocery stores around the country.

2. It’s good for your wallet.

You will spend less money at the supermarket. Instead of filling up your shopping cart with processed foods, you’ll fill up your pantry with fresh food grown from your own garden.

It costs less than a buck to buy a packet of seeds. Heirloom seeds are the best. These non-hybrid seeds come from the best growers. Since these are dried seeds, they can be used for years.

By learning to can and dry your produce, you can enjoy preserved fruits and vegetables after the growing season.

3. It’s good for mind and body.

If you don’t enjoy regular exercise, you probably don’t spend any time stretching, doing aerobics, or lifting weights. However, as a gardener, you’ll be doing all three as you weed, water, plant, and harvest your own food. Not only does gardening make exercise fun, but your children may also enjoy working on the garden with you.

Additionally, the fruits of your labor will provide your family with vitamin-rich, high-fiber foods during dinner. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, young children who eat homegrown produce are twice as likely as other preschool children to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

What’s good for the body is also good for the mind. By gardening, you’ll learn to relax, enjoy the fresh air, bask in the sunshine, and calm your mind.

4. It’s good for your taste buds.

There is a big difference between fresh fruits and vegetables from your own backyard compared to those you buy in a grocery store. The produce you grow will be bursting with flavor while the produce you buy will be bland. This huge discrepancy is due to the use of herbicides and refrigeration, as well as how long it sometimes takes for the produce to get to your grocery shelf.

Here are three tips for growing a vegetable garden that will give you a tasty selection of vegetables for your salad: first, ensure that you expose your vegetables to the right amount of sunshine; second, plant your vegetables in good soil, and third, wait patiently for Mother Nature to do her work.

5. It’s good during a food crisis.

When produce is being pulled off the grocery shelves because of contamination issues at a farm, manufacturing facility, or transportation company, you won’t be affected. While the rest of the country is panicking over the latest spinach scare, you’ll be serving your family double helpings of fresh, clean spinach over dinner.

6. It’s good for reducing food wastage.

It’s not always easy to detect spoiled foods when you buy them in large bags at the grocery store. It’s hard to notice the moldy mushroom at the bottom of a cardboard box when the fresh ones cover them up. It’s also hard to eat all the vegetables you enthusiastically buy, and some may be rotten by the time you get to them. With your own garden, everything will always be fresh. It’s estimated that the average American family tosses rotten fruits and vegetables worth $600 a year.

7. It’s good for your self-esteem.

It’s hard not to take pride in growing your own garden food. Patiently caring for your plants will give you an amazing sense of accomplishment.

The good news is that you’re not alone. There has been a 200% spike over the past few years in gardening in America. Awareness about the benefits of avoiding artificial ingredients in foods is growing, resulting in a corresponding interest in backyard gardening, community gardens, and gardening organizations.

The post Should You Grow Your Own Garden? appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr.com

Being a vegan can be a very physically rewarding and emotionally satisfying experience. At times it can be a very socially challenging lifestyle. Being a vegan is not always respected and it’s not always understood socially.

As humans when we’re not familiar with something or if we don’t understand it we can become guilty of labeling it with a negative label. The truth is once we understand it, our perception changes. Oftentimes once we understand the benefits of something we once declared as ‘strange’  our respect for it will grow. When your perception changes, your conversion begins.

There are many really impressive benefits to becoming a vegan. If you’re a lifetime vegan you’ll experience all of these benefits at one point in your life. The benefits aren’t just self-centered either, you’ll notice benefits to being a vegan that will help the world outside of yourself.

Here’s a list of twelve benefits that most true vegans experience:

1. Disease and Aging Prevention – The vegan diet is packed with powerful antioxidants and healthy proteins. The vegan diet strengthens the immune system and attacks free radicals – the rogue molecules responsible for accelerating disease and aging – at the cellular level. Nu Skin has an antioxidant scanner which measures the amount of antioxidants in the blood. Vegan foods are proving to bring in more antioxidants in the blood. This is helping prevent all sorts of diseases and physical problems.
2. Weight Loss – Traditional diets are based exclusively on cutting calories, eating less, or only eating specific foods. These diets can cut the weight and make you appear slim. However, they may not be actually making you healthier. When you go vegan you will take in more food that offers calories which are richer in vitamins and nutrients. Having vegan-focused foods can jump-start  a sluggish metabolism, make you thin, while making you healthier as a human.
3. Body Fuel – Energy drinks have taken off over the last decade because people are usually in need of that energy boost. Coffee is as popular as it is not just for the taste but for the obsession over more energy. Going vegan means having more plant-based proteins. More greens which are packed with chlorophyll. More foods that don’t slow the body down. Foods that actually process better and help the body better convert fats into energy. Vegans don’t need energy drinks or caffeine to get the energy internally. This is a motivating factor.
4. Low Quality Meat –  Store-bought meat and dairy are laced with antibiotics, hormones, bacteria and animal waste. Common sense says it must be a rare fluke, but the reality is that the FDA allows a small amount of creepy contaminants like rodent hair and animal feces to sneak into the general food supply – no warning labels required. When you’re a vegan you never have to worry about consuming low-quality meats. lets face it, most meat is poorly made and will usually add no value whatsoever to the body.
5. Animal Cruelty – Factory farms value efficiency and profit margins over animal rights. Now that the prevalence of animal cruelty in factory farming has been widely publicized, plenty of meat eaters are going vegan to raise awareness and fight for reform. Animals feel emotion. They feel pain. They’re happier when they’re treated better. Veganism supports this. Just because they taste good doesn’t mean we have to kill them.
6. Human Cruelty – Meat plants and slaughterhouses with high-volume outputs are notorious for putting underpaid migrant workers at a high risk for injury and disease. Not supporting the products they make is one way to support human rights in the food industry. Vegans stand against human cruelty.
7. To Detoxify – Processed foods are packed with pesticides, preservatives and carcinogens. Even fish – widely promoted as a safe source of healthy protein – easily absorbs the high concentrations of chemicals found in its environment. Based on eating organic foods from responsible growers, veganism is the ultimate non-toxic diet.
8. To End Hunger – The large amounts of grain and other valuable crops fed to farm animals on the food production line can instead be used to ease the global hunger epidemic. The more people cut back on meat today, the more nutritious and affordable food can be saved tomorrow.
9. To Eat Deliciously – Most large food manufacturers choose longer shelf lives and artificially lower calories over flavor. Free of preservatives and lab-made additives, veganism offers a return to the way food is supposed to smell, feel and taste – a win-win for every palate. Vegan focused foods are really good.
10. To Live Longer and Leaner – Meat-free men live about nine years longer than meat eaters, while their female counterparts gain about six years, according to long-term research findings from California’s Loma Linda University. The same group of scientists, using statistics that date back to 1958, also found that vegans weigh on average 30 pounds lighter than people who eat meat.
11. Global Warming – Greenhouse gas emissions from large-scale food production are a major contributor to global warming. Because veganism promotes sustainable agriculture, it’s a popular lifestyle choice for people who take pollution and climate change seriously.
12. To Be Happy – Red meat and processed foods not only increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, but they also affect the brain, making it more prone to anxiety and depression. Research shows brain-boosting vegan foods can reverse the damage by naturally lifting brain fog and reducing stress levels.

Hopefully, these reasons will clear up your doubts about vegans. After all we’re people that just want to live a healthier and happy life. Many of us want animals to have the same privilege.

The post 12 Reasons You Should Consider Going Vegan appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr.com

Being a vegan can be a very physically rewarding and emotionally satisfying experience. At times it can be a very socially challenging lifestyle. Being a vegan is not always respected and it’s not always understood socially.

As humans when we’re not familiar with something or if we don’t understand it we can become guilty of labeling it with a negative label. The truth is once we understand it, our perception changes. Oftentimes once we understand the benefits of something we once declared as ‘strange’  our respect for it will grow. When your perception changes, your conversion begins.

There are many really impressive benefits to becoming a vegan. If you’re a lifetime vegan you’ll experience all of these benefits at one point in your life. The benefits aren’t just self-centered either, you’ll notice benefits to being a vegan that will help the world outside of yourself.

Here’s a list of twelve benefits that most true vegans experience:

1. Disease and Aging Prevention – The vegan diet is packed with powerful antioxidants and healthy proteins. The vegan diet strengthens the immune system and attacks free radicals – the rogue molecules responsible for accelerating disease and aging – at the cellular level. Nu Skin has an antioxidant scanner which measures the amount of antioxidants in the blood. Vegan foods are proving to bring in more antioxidants in the blood. This is helping prevent all sorts of diseases and physical problems.
2. Weight Loss – Traditional diets are based exclusively on cutting calories, eating less, or only eating specific foods. These diets can cut the weight and make you appear slim. However, they may not be actually making you healthier. When you go vegan you will take in more food that offers calories which are richer in vitamins and nutrients. Having vegan-focused foods can jump-start  a sluggish metabolism, make you thin, while making you healthier as a human.
3. Body Fuel – Energy drinks have taken off over the last decade because people are usually in need of that energy boost. Coffee is as popular as it is not just for the taste but for the obsession over more energy. Going vegan means having more plant-based proteins. More greens which are packed with chlorophyll. More foods that don’t slow the body down. Foods that actually process better and help the body better convert fats into energy. Vegans don’t need energy drinks or caffeine to get the energy internally. This is a motivating factor.
4. Low Quality Meat –  Store-bought meat and dairy are laced with antibiotics, hormones, bacteria and animal waste. Common sense says it must be a rare fluke, but the reality is that the FDA allows a small amount of creepy contaminants like rodent hair and animal feces to sneak into the general food supply – no warning labels required. When you’re a vegan you never have to worry about consuming low-quality meats. lets face it, most meat is poorly made and will usually add no value whatsoever to the body.
5. Animal Cruelty – Factory farms value efficiency and profit margins over animal rights. Now that the prevalence of animal cruelty in factory farming has been widely publicized, plenty of meat eaters are going vegan to raise awareness and fight for reform. Animals feel emotion. They feel pain. They’re happier when they’re treated better. Veganism supports this. Just because they taste good doesn’t mean we have to kill them.
6. Human Cruelty – Meat plants and slaughterhouses with high-volume outputs are notorious for putting underpaid migrant workers at a high risk for injury and disease. Not supporting the products they make is one way to support human rights in the food industry. Vegans stand against human cruelty.
7. To Detoxify – Processed foods are packed with pesticides, preservatives and carcinogens. Even fish – widely promoted as a safe source of healthy protein – easily absorbs the high concentrations of chemicals found in its environment. Based on eating organic foods from responsible growers, veganism is the ultimate non-toxic diet.
8. To End Hunger – The large amounts of grain and other valuable crops fed to farm animals on the food production line can instead be used to ease the global hunger epidemic. The more people cut back on meat today, the more nutritious and affordable food can be saved tomorrow.
9. To Eat Deliciously – Most large food manufacturers choose longer shelf lives and artificially lower calories over flavor. Free of preservatives and lab-made additives, veganism offers a return to the way food is supposed to smell, feel and taste – a win-win for every palate. Vegan focused foods are really good.
10. To Live Longer and Leaner – Meat-free men live about nine years longer than meat eaters, while their female counterparts gain about six years, according to long-term research findings from California’s Loma Linda University. The same group of scientists, using statistics that date back to 1958, also found that vegans weigh on average 30 pounds lighter than people who eat meat.
11. Global Warming – Greenhouse gas emissions from large-scale food production are a major contributor to global warming. Because veganism promotes sustainable agriculture, it’s a popular lifestyle choice for people who take pollution and climate change seriously.
12. To Be Happy – Red meat and processed foods not only increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, but they also affect the brain, making it more prone to anxiety and depression. Research shows brain-boosting vegan foods can reverse the damage by naturally lifting brain fog and reducing stress levels.

Hopefully, these reasons will clear up your doubts about vegans. After all we’re people that just want to live a healthier and happy life. Many of us want animals to have the same privilege.

The post 12 Reasons You Should Consider Going Vegan appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr.com

Being a vegan can be a very physically rewarding and emotionally satisfying experience. At times it can be a very socially challenging lifestyle. Being a vegan is not always respected and it’s not always understood socially.

As humans when we’re not familiar with something or if we don’t understand it we can become guilty of labeling it with a negative label. The truth is once we understand it, our perception changes. Oftentimes once we understand the benefits of something we once declared as ‘strange’  our respect for it will grow. When your perception changes, your conversion begins.

There are many really impressive benefits to becoming a vegan. If you’re a lifetime vegan you’ll experience all of these benefits at one point in your life. The benefits aren’t just self-centered either, you’ll notice benefits to being a vegan that will help the world outside of yourself.

Here’s a list of twelve benefits that most true vegans experience:

1. Disease and Aging Prevention – The vegan diet is packed with powerful antioxidants and healthy proteins. The vegan diet strengthens the immune system and attacks free radicals – the rogue molecules responsible for accelerating disease and aging – at the cellular level. Nu Skin has an antioxidant scanner which measures the amount of antioxidants in the blood. Vegan foods are proving to bring in more antioxidants in the blood. This is helping prevent all sorts of diseases and physical problems.
2. Weight Loss – Traditional diets are based exclusively on cutting calories, eating less, or only eating specific foods. These diets can cut the weight and make you appear slim. However, they may not be actually making you healthier. When you go vegan you will take in more food that offers calories which are richer in vitamins and nutrients. Having vegan-focused foods can jump-start  a sluggish metabolism, make you thin, while making you healthier as a human.
3. Body Fuel – Energy drinks have taken off over the last decade because people are usually in need of that energy boost. Coffee is as popular as it is not just for the taste but for the obsession over more energy. Going vegan means having more plant-based proteins. More greens which are packed with chlorophyll. More foods that don’t slow the body down. Foods that actually process better and help the body better convert fats into energy. Vegans don’t need energy drinks or caffeine to get the energy internally. This is a motivating factor.
4. Low Quality Meat –  Store-bought meat and dairy are laced with antibiotics, hormones, bacteria and animal waste. Common sense says it must be a rare fluke, but the reality is that the FDA allows a small amount of creepy contaminants like rodent hair and animal feces to sneak into the general food supply – no warning labels required. When you’re a vegan you never have to worry about consuming low-quality meats. lets face it, most meat is poorly made and will usually add no value whatsoever to the body.
5. Animal Cruelty – Factory farms value efficiency and profit margins over animal rights. Now that the prevalence of animal cruelty in factory farming has been widely publicized, plenty of meat eaters are going vegan to raise awareness and fight for reform. Animals feel emotion. They feel pain. They’re happier when they’re treated better. Veganism supports this. Just because they taste good doesn’t mean we have to kill them.
6. Human Cruelty – Meat plants and slaughterhouses with high-volume outputs are notorious for putting underpaid migrant workers at a high risk for injury and disease. Not supporting the products they make is one way to support human rights in the food industry. Vegans stand against human cruelty.
7. To Detoxify – Processed foods are packed with pesticides, preservatives and carcinogens. Even fish – widely promoted as a safe source of healthy protein – easily absorbs the high concentrations of chemicals found in its environment. Based on eating organic foods from responsible growers, veganism is the ultimate non-toxic diet.
8. To End Hunger – The large amounts of grain and other valuable crops fed to farm animals on the food production line can instead be used to ease the global hunger epidemic. The more people cut back on meat today, the more nutritious and affordable food can be saved tomorrow.
9. To Eat Deliciously – Most large food manufacturers choose longer shelf lives and artificially lower calories over flavor. Free of preservatives and lab-made additives, veganism offers a return to the way food is supposed to smell, feel and taste – a win-win for every palate. Vegan focused foods are really good.
10. To Live Longer and Leaner – Meat-free men live about nine years longer than meat eaters, while their female counterparts gain about six years, according to long-term research findings from California’s Loma Linda University. The same group of scientists, using statistics that date back to 1958, also found that vegans weigh on average 30 pounds lighter than people who eat meat.
11. Global Warming – Greenhouse gas emissions from large-scale food production are a major contributor to global warming. Because veganism promotes sustainable agriculture, it’s a popular lifestyle choice for people who take pollution and climate change seriously.
12. To Be Happy – Red meat and processed foods not only increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, but they also affect the brain, making it more prone to anxiety and depression. Research shows brain-boosting vegan foods can reverse the damage by naturally lifting brain fog and reducing stress levels.

Hopefully, these reasons will clear up your doubts about vegans. After all we’re people that just want to live a healthier and happy life. Many of us want animals to have the same privilege.

The post 12 Reasons You Should Consider Going Vegan appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Aside from being a little bundle of joy, one of the funniest things about having a baby is taking pictures. The thrill of capturing that perfect moment and subsequent re-living of that moment is something every mother can probably relate to. The problem is getting good baby pictures is really hard. Even when you spend the money and hire a professional sometimes your baby decides he or she wants to ruin the occasion.

Also I’m prefacing this assuming you have a decent camera in hand. For the sake of brevity I am not going to get into any technical stuff with these tips, or bore you with camera specs and features. But it is worth noting that the camera used absolutely does affect the quality of pictures. Here in Australia I frequent this local camera hire (camera rental for you non aussie’s) store quite a bit to try different cameras. Which if you are really wanting to be available to catch candid pictures of your baby, you are going to want to own a decent camera and I definitely recommend trying before buying.

Also for the sake of transparency all the pictures used in this article were taken with the Cannon 60D. Which I chose after renting a bunch of different cameras, and found that the 60D was a good medium of price vs options. If you are interested in choosing a good DLSR camera I frequented this guide when making my decision.

Anyway, so let’s move on, I compiled a big list of tips from myself and other pro’s and paired them down to the 5 in my opinion most underappreciated and non-technical tips.

Without further ado

1 – Have your camera around at all times.

This one is pretty obvious right? You never know when your baby is gonna have the priceless smile or candid moment so naturally it makes sense to have your camera ready and nearby. This is true, but there is another reason why you want your camera around constantly. You want your baby to get used to seeing the camera and become familiar with it. The more familiar your baby is with your camera the less he/she will be distracted by it when you’re trying to capture that perfect moment. If your baby is cracking that perfect smile and all of a sudden there is a shiny new big black object in his/her face they are going to stop smiling and get curious. Thus effectively ruining your photo.

2 – Mentally note what times of the day your baby is the happiest.

Granted this tip is geared toward catching your baby smiling, not when your baby is being adorably grumpy. However, smiles tend to be what we want to capture and every baby tends to have times of the day it is the happiest. Once you begin to understand your baby’s personality you want to especially apply tip #1 during the times statistically your baby is going to be beaming with smiles. I personally have gone a step further and created an alert on my phone for the “happy times” to remind myself to get my camera powered up and ready. It seems easy to remember but when you’re handling errands and the stress of life all while taking care of a baby, you tend to forget things. Then what generally happens is your baby will start lighting up with smiles and you will be frantically running around your flat trying to track down your camera, a charged battery and a good lens only to miss your photo opportunity.

3 – Place an Object for a Sense of Scale

Babies grow freakishly fast, but since we see them so much we tend not to notice how big they are becoming. When taking pictures try to frame them in with something to illustrate a sense of scale. Revisiting pictures and gaining that feeling of nostalgia is what makes pictures so valuable. You will want some objects to remind you of how small your baby was when viewing old pictures.

4 – For Outside Photos, Shoot Early or Late

Without getting into boring technical lighting lingo, just know that mid-day lighting makes everyone look bad, and will total ruin the glow of your baby’s skin. If you want to capture some outside shots plan for early morning or right before sunset.

5 – Candid Moments

For the average mother winning a photography award is not on the bucket list, the whole point of pictures is to capture a moment, a personality, a feeling so it can be re-lived at a later date. Although it can be fun to frame, prop and plan a really good photo, I have learned the funniest photo’s to look at down the road are the most candid ones, even if they aren’t technically a “good” photo. But with a decent camera, knowing a few basics and following tip #1 like a religion, you will be able to capture the best moments. And hopefully the picture itself won’t be too shabby as well!

The post 5 Better Baby Photos Tips appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Aside from being a little bundle of joy, one of the funniest things about having a baby is taking pictures. The thrill of capturing that perfect moment and subsequent re-living of that moment is something every mother can probably relate to. The problem is getting good baby pictures is really hard. Even when you spend the money and hire a professional sometimes your baby decides he or she wants to ruin the occasion.

Also I’m prefacing this assuming you have a decent camera in hand. For the sake of brevity I am not going to get into any technical stuff with these tips, or bore you with camera specs and features. But it is worth noting that the camera used absolutely does affect the quality of pictures. Here in Australia I frequent this local camera hire (camera rental for you non aussie’s) store quite a bit to try different cameras. Which if you are really wanting to be available to catch candid pictures of your baby, you are going to want to own a decent camera and I definitely recommend trying before buying.

Also for the sake of transparency all the pictures used in this article were taken with the Cannon 60D. Which I chose after renting a bunch of different cameras, and found that the 60D was a good medium of price vs options. If you are interested in choosing a good DLSR camera I frequented this guide when making my decision.

Anyway, so let’s move on, I compiled a big list of tips from myself and other pro’s and paired them down to the 5 in my opinion most underappreciated and non-technical tips.

Without further ado

1 – Have your camera around at all times.

This one is pretty obvious right? You never know when your baby is gonna have the priceless smile or candid moment so naturally it makes sense to have your camera ready and nearby. This is true, but there is another reason why you want your camera around constantly. You want your baby to get used to seeing the camera and become familiar with it. The more familiar your baby is with your camera the less he/she will be distracted by it when you’re trying to capture that perfect moment. If your baby is cracking that perfect smile and all of a sudden there is a shiny new big black object in his/her face they are going to stop smiling and get curious. Thus effectively ruining your photo.

2 – Mentally note what times of the day your baby is the happiest.

Granted this tip is geared toward catching your baby smiling, not when your baby is being adorably grumpy. However, smiles tend to be what we want to capture and every baby tends to have times of the day it is the happiest. Once you begin to understand your baby’s personality you want to especially apply tip #1 during the times statistically your baby is going to be beaming with smiles. I personally have gone a step further and created an alert on my phone for the “happy times” to remind myself to get my camera powered up and ready. It seems easy to remember but when you’re handling errands and the stress of life all while taking care of a baby, you tend to forget things. Then what generally happens is your baby will start lighting up with smiles and you will be frantically running around your flat trying to track down your camera, a charged battery and a good lens only to miss your photo opportunity.

3 – Place an Object for a Sense of Scale

Babies grow freakishly fast, but since we see them so much we tend not to notice how big they are becoming. When taking pictures try to frame them in with something to illustrate a sense of scale. Revisiting pictures and gaining that feeling of nostalgia is what makes pictures so valuable. You will want some objects to remind you of how small your baby was when viewing old pictures.

4 – For Outside Photos, Shoot Early or Late

Without getting into boring technical lighting lingo, just know that mid-day lighting makes everyone look bad, and will total ruin the glow of your baby’s skin. If you want to capture some outside shots plan for early morning or right before sunset.

5 – Candid Moments

For the average mother winning a photography award is not on the bucket list, the whole point of pictures is to capture a moment, a personality, a feeling so it can be re-lived at a later date. Although it can be fun to frame, prop and plan a really good photo, I have learned the funniest photo’s to look at down the road are the most candid ones, even if they aren’t technically a “good” photo. But with a decent camera, knowing a few basics and following tip #1 like a religion, you will be able to capture the best moments. And hopefully the picture itself won’t be too shabby as well!

The post 5 Better Baby Photos Tips appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Aside from being a little bundle of joy, one of the funniest things about having a baby is taking pictures. The thrill of capturing that perfect moment and subsequent re-living of that moment is something every mother can probably relate to. The problem is getting good baby pictures is really hard. Even when you spend the money and hire a professional sometimes your baby decides he or she wants to ruin the occasion.

Also I’m prefacing this assuming you have a decent camera in hand. For the sake of brevity I am not going to get into any technical stuff with these tips, or bore you with camera specs and features. But it is worth noting that the camera used absolutely does affect the quality of pictures. Here in Australia I frequent this local camera hire (camera rental for you non aussie’s) store quite a bit to try different cameras. Which if you are really wanting to be available to catch candid pictures of your baby, you are going to want to own a decent camera and I definitely recommend trying before buying.

Also for the sake of transparency all the pictures used in this article were taken with the Cannon 60D. Which I chose after renting a bunch of different cameras, and found that the 60D was a good medium of price vs options. If you are interested in choosing a good DLSR camera I frequented this guide when making my decision.

Anyway, so let’s move on, I compiled a big list of tips from myself and other pro’s and paired them down to the 5 in my opinion most underappreciated and non-technical tips.

Without further ado

1 – Have your camera around at all times.

This one is pretty obvious right? You never know when your baby is gonna have the priceless smile or candid moment so naturally it makes sense to have your camera ready and nearby. This is true, but there is another reason why you want your camera around constantly. You want your baby to get used to seeing the camera and become familiar with it. The more familiar your baby is with your camera the less he/she will be distracted by it when you’re trying to capture that perfect moment. If your baby is cracking that perfect smile and all of a sudden there is a shiny new big black object in his/her face they are going to stop smiling and get curious. Thus effectively ruining your photo.

2 – Mentally note what times of the day your baby is the happiest.

Granted this tip is geared toward catching your baby smiling, not when your baby is being adorably grumpy. However, smiles tend to be what we want to capture and every baby tends to have times of the day it is the happiest. Once you begin to understand your baby’s personality you want to especially apply tip #1 during the times statistically your baby is going to be beaming with smiles. I personally have gone a step further and created an alert on my phone for the “happy times” to remind myself to get my camera powered up and ready. It seems easy to remember but when you’re handling errands and the stress of life all while taking care of a baby, you tend to forget things. Then what generally happens is your baby will start lighting up with smiles and you will be frantically running around your flat trying to track down your camera, a charged battery and a good lens only to miss your photo opportunity.

3 – Place an Object for a Sense of Scale

Babies grow freakishly fast, but since we see them so much we tend not to notice how big they are becoming. When taking pictures try to frame them in with something to illustrate a sense of scale. Revisiting pictures and gaining that feeling of nostalgia is what makes pictures so valuable. You will want some objects to remind you of how small your baby was when viewing old pictures.

4 – For Outside Photos, Shoot Early or Late

Without getting into boring technical lighting lingo, just know that mid-day lighting makes everyone look bad, and will total ruin the glow of your baby’s skin. If you want to capture some outside shots plan for early morning or right before sunset.

5 – Candid Moments

For the average mother winning a photography award is not on the bucket list, the whole point of pictures is to capture a moment, a personality, a feeling so it can be re-lived at a later date. Although it can be fun to frame, prop and plan a really good photo, I have learned the funniest photo’s to look at down the road are the most candid ones, even if they aren’t technically a “good” photo. But with a decent camera, knowing a few basics and following tip #1 like a religion, you will be able to capture the best moments. And hopefully the picture itself won’t be too shabby as well!

The post 5 Better Baby Photos Tips appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Gavin Stewart, Flickr.com

There are lots of reasons to want to protect the environment and to preserve the planet. Maybe you’re passionate about animal rights and habitat conservation. Maybe you’re simply tired of paying huge power and other utility bills. Whatever other reasons you might have for wanting to preserve the planet, we can probably all agree on at least one: we want our planet to be able to sustain our families for generations to come.

The last thing you want is for your kids, grandkids or even great great grandkids to have to live in a world that looks more like the planet Wall-E was patiently organizing than the one we live in now. That means that we need to work hard and do our parts to preserve the planet or, even better, make the planet a healthier place to live. Here are some simple and affordable ways to accomplish those goals.

Choose Things That Last

It’s true: things that are built to last are going to cost more at the outset than their cheaper plastic compatriots. Instead of worrying about what you’ll spend now, think about how much you want to spend over time. For example: when buying storage containers for leftovers, glass costs more but they last for years and years, whereas most plastic stuff needs to be tossed after a few months. A cast iron skillet costs a lot more than the cheap non-stick pan but a cast iron skillet can be used for generations and that non-stick thing will need to be replaced next year. Buy things that you won’t have to throw out, but that you can pass down.

Buy Used Whenever Possible

We live in a consumer “have to have the new thing right now” culture. This has had a surprising effect on our thrift and secondhand stores. These days the thrift shops are packed full of perfectly good stuff, and the prices for these things is going way down because they need to be able to get rid of it, to make room for all of the suddenly non-fashionable stuff that gets dumped into them every week or two. Scour these thrift shops for the things you need before you try to find them new in your favorite big box store. You’ll save a bunch of money and keep tons of merchandise out of landfills.

Switch to Energy Efficient Alternatives

Right now most of our power comes from fossil fuels. Scientists have already made fantastic progress with this: solar, wind and geothermal energy have all come a long way in the last decade. Even so, the more power you can save, the fewer fossil fuels will be burned and the longer the supply will last (hopefully until the alternative energy science advances to the point of making fossil fuels obsolete). Buying energy efficient products, like LED lights instead of incandescents, more than makes up for the initial cost and helps reduce our dependency on landfills.

Using What You Have

Most people, when they read those words, think of having to get creative with the objects in their homes. In this case we’re talking about using the sustainable things the planet is already giving you. For instance, you can reduce your dependence on the municipal water supply and reduce soil erosion by collecting your rainwater and using it for things like watering your lawn, washing your car, etc. Planting fruit trees and veggie gardens helps keep the soil on your property nutrient rich, improves air quality and provides you with fresh food–reducing your need to drive to the grocery store (and the need for that food to be transported to a convenient shopping location).

What’s really interesting is just how many opportunities, big and small, there are for us to do our parts to keep the planet safe and healthy. Most of them are even incredibly simple to do. Heck, there are probably a half a dozen things you can do right now, without even leaving your house!

The post Give Your Kids The World appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Gavin Stewart, Flickr.com

There are lots of reasons to want to protect the environment and to preserve the planet. Maybe you’re passionate about animal rights and habitat conservation. Maybe you’re simply tired of paying huge power and other utility bills. Whatever other reasons you might have for wanting to preserve the planet, we can probably all agree on at least one: we want our planet to be able to sustain our families for generations to come.

The last thing you want is for your kids, grandkids or even great great grandkids to have to live in a world that looks more like the planet Wall-E was patiently organizing than the one we live in now. That means that we need to work hard and do our parts to preserve the planet or, even better, make the planet a healthier place to live. Here are some simple and affordable ways to accomplish those goals.

Choose Things That Last

It’s true: things that are built to last are going to cost more at the outset than their cheaper plastic compatriots. Instead of worrying about what you’ll spend now, think about how much you want to spend over time. For example: when buying storage containers for leftovers, glass costs more but they last for years and years, whereas most plastic stuff needs to be tossed after a few months. A cast iron skillet costs a lot more than the cheap non-stick pan but a cast iron skillet can be used for generations and that non-stick thing will need to be replaced next year. Buy things that you won’t have to throw out, but that you can pass down.

Buy Used Whenever Possible

We live in a consumer “have to have the new thing right now” culture. This has had a surprising effect on our thrift and secondhand stores. These days the thrift shops are packed full of perfectly good stuff, and the prices for these things is going way down because they need to be able to get rid of it, to make room for all of the suddenly non-fashionable stuff that gets dumped into them every week or two. Scour these thrift shops for the things you need before you try to find them new in your favorite big box store. You’ll save a bunch of money and keep tons of merchandise out of landfills.

Switch to Energy Efficient Alternatives

Right now most of our power comes from fossil fuels. Scientists have already made fantastic progress with this: solar, wind and geothermal energy have all come a long way in the last decade. Even so, the more power you can save, the fewer fossil fuels will be burned and the longer the supply will last (hopefully until the alternative energy science advances to the point of making fossil fuels obsolete). Buying energy efficient products, like LED lights instead of incandescents, more than makes up for the initial cost and helps reduce our dependency on landfills.

Using What You Have

Most people, when they read those words, think of having to get creative with the objects in their homes. In this case we’re talking about using the sustainable things the planet is already giving you. For instance, you can reduce your dependence on the municipal water supply and reduce soil erosion by collecting your rainwater and using it for things like watering your lawn, washing your car, etc. Planting fruit trees and veggie gardens helps keep the soil on your property nutrient rich, improves air quality and provides you with fresh food–reducing your need to drive to the grocery store (and the need for that food to be transported to a convenient shopping location).

What’s really interesting is just how many opportunities, big and small, there are for us to do our parts to keep the planet safe and healthy. Most of them are even incredibly simple to do. Heck, there are probably a half a dozen things you can do right now, without even leaving your house!

The post Give Your Kids The World appeared first on A Much Better Way.

Photo Credit: Gavin Stewart, Flickr.com

There are lots of reasons to want to protect the environment and to preserve the planet. Maybe you’re passionate about animal rights and habitat conservation. Maybe you’re simply tired of paying huge power and other utility bills. Whatever other reasons you might have for wanting to preserve the planet, we can probably all agree on at least one: we want our planet to be able to sustain our families for generations to come.

The last thing you want is for your kids, grandkids or even great great grandkids to have to live in a world that looks more like the planet Wall-E was patiently organizing than the one we live in now. That means that we need to work hard and do our parts to preserve the planet or, even better, make the planet a healthier place to live. Here are some simple and affordable ways to accomplish those goals.

Choose Things That Last

It’s true: things that are built to last are going to cost more at the outset than their cheaper plastic compatriots. Instead of worrying about what you’ll spend now, think about how much you want to spend over time. For example: when buying storage containers for leftovers, glass costs more but they last for years and years, whereas most plastic stuff needs to be tossed after a few months. A cast iron skillet costs a lot more than the cheap non-stick pan but a cast iron skillet can be used for generations and that non-stick thing will need to be replaced next year. Buy things that you won’t have to throw out, but that you can pass down.

Buy Used Whenever Possible

We live in a consumer “have to have the new thing right now” culture. This has had a surprising effect on our thrift and secondhand stores. These days the thrift shops are packed full of perfectly good stuff, and the prices for these things is going way down because they need to be able to get rid of it, to make room for all of the suddenly non-fashionable stuff that gets dumped into them every week or two. Scour these thrift shops for the things you need before you try to find them new in your favorite big box store. You’ll save a bunch of money and keep tons of merchandise out of landfills.

Switch to Energy Efficient Alternatives

Right now most of our power comes from fossil fuels. Scientists have already made fantastic progress with this: solar, wind and geothermal energy have all come a long way in the last decade. Even so, the more power you can save, the fewer fossil fuels will be burned and the longer the supply will last (hopefully until the alternative energy science advances to the point of making fossil fuels obsolete). Buying energy efficient products, like LED lights instead of incandescents, more than makes up for the initial cost and helps reduce our dependency on landfills.

Using What You Have

Most people, when they read those words, think of having to get creative with the objects in their homes. In this case we’re talking about using the sustainable things the planet is already giving you. For instance, you can reduce your dependence on the municipal water supply and reduce soil erosion by collecting your rainwater and using it for things like watering your lawn, washing your car, etc. Planting fruit trees and veggie gardens helps keep the soil on your property nutrient rich, improves air quality and provides you with fresh food–reducing your need to drive to the grocery store (and the need for that food to be transported to a convenient shopping location).

What’s really interesting is just how many opportunities, big and small, there are for us to do our parts to keep the planet safe and healthy. Most of them are even incredibly simple to do. Heck, there are probably a half a dozen things you can do right now, without even leaving your house!

The post Give Your Kids The World appeared first on A Much Better Way.

via jencu, Flickr.com

Women who have recently given birth to a child will surely be looking for natural ways to lose weight in the aftermath of the pregnancy. Instead of resorting to harsh pharmaceuticals that can do more harm than good, individuals can instead adhere to the following tips to gradually drop those extra pounds. They should be eminently happy with their bodily appearance within a few months, and family members and friends will be impressed with the changes. Here is some tried-and-true guidance for shedding that unwanted fat.

Consume Super Foods Regularly

Most new mothers have an easier time eliminating fat when they commit themselves to a diet rich in super foods. Nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables will provide the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to continue functioning optimally. Most nutrient-rich foods, in fact, are also low in unwanted saturated fats. Stellar super food options will likely include the following:

• Grilled fish
• Kale, spinach and other leafy greens
• Citrus fruits
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans and whole grains
• Greek yogurt

Improved diets are relatively easy to come by. A well-stocked pantry that is chock full of super foods will bring on weight loss without much extra effort, which is exactly what most women will be looking for.

Opt for the Stairs

Post-pregnancy weight need not be lost by extreme measures. In fact, a few tweaks to the daily routine can be vital. Women might choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator at every opportunity. Choosing more distant parking spaces can also help. A deficit of 40 or 50 calories each day can accumulate quite handsomely over several weeks, and moms will be able to return to the thin figure they had enjoyed nine months previously. Nature walks, light jogs and short jaunts to the grocery store in the town center can also burn calories. The American College of Sports Medicine has shown that a few short bouts of exercise can be just as effective as longer blocks.

Breastfeed

There is evidence that women who breastfeed may return to their pre-pregnancy weights more quickly. While more peer-reviewed studies are needed, women who nurse their infants will be able to add a few hundred extra calories to their daily meals, which means they will have an easier time keeping their blood sugar levels up. Individuals who breastfeed will thus have a better chance of avoiding yo-yo dieting, which can tear healthy eating plans apart before they’ve had a chance to work. Personal physicians can help moms set up an infant-feeding plan if twins or even triplets have been born.

Products that Help

The world is filled with endless amounts of products that help with weight loss. Most tend to not work as well as they claim. It’s important to be careful when buying any weight loss product. The products that do work are the gym related products. Like ab machines, or tangible products that you have to work into your skin. For pregnancy I’ve known a few moms who have seen cellulite go away with the galvanic body spa. The most important thing is to do your homework, although these companies can seem profit hungry some of their products really do help women lose weight.

Choose Strength Training over Cardio

Long cardio workouts are a post-pregnancy trap. Running for multiple hours each day on a treadmill will certainly make the heart healthier, but it will not have much of an impact on stubborn body fat. Shorter bursts of strength training can be more efficient. In fact, building muscle mass will make it easier for women to lose fat. Rowing machines, weight machines, resistance bands and even Pilates classes can have a much larger impact, which is especially important for moms who are likely to be busy caring for their newborn child during most of the day.

Consider Patience a Virtue

Ultimately, the quest to lose that stubborn pregnancy weight should always lean toward moderation. When women devote themselves to healthy foods and short blocks of physical activity, the fat should eventually be drawn off the body. Engaging in breastfeeding and remaining as hydrated as possible should also help. Within a few months, a perfectly sculpted body can be shown off once again.

The post Naturally Fighting Off Pregnancy Weight Gain appeared first on A Much Better Way.

via jencu, Flickr.com

Women who have recently given birth to a child will surely be looking for natural ways to lose weight in the aftermath of the pregnancy. Instead of resorting to harsh pharmaceuticals that can do more harm than good, individuals can instead adhere to the following tips to gradually drop those extra pounds. They should be eminently happy with their bodily appearance within a few months, and family members and friends will be impressed with the changes. Here is some tried-and-true guidance for shedding that unwanted fat.

Consume Super Foods Regularly

Most new mothers have an easier time eliminating fat when they commit themselves to a diet rich in super foods. Nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables will provide the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to continue functioning optimally. Most nutrient-rich foods, in fact, are also low in unwanted saturated fats. Stellar super food options will likely include the following:

• Grilled fish
• Kale, spinach and other leafy greens
• Citrus fruits
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans and whole grains
• Greek yogurt

Improved diets are relatively easy to come by. A well-stocked pantry that is chock full of super foods will bring on weight loss without much extra effort, which is exactly what most women will be looking for.

Opt for the Stairs

Post-pregnancy weight need not be lost by extreme measures. In fact, a few tweaks to the daily routine can be vital. Women might choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator at every opportunity. Choosing more distant parking spaces can also help. A deficit of 40 or 50 calories each day can accumulate quite handsomely over several weeks, and moms will be able to return to the thin figure they had enjoyed nine months previously. Nature walks, light jogs and short jaunts to the grocery store in the town center can also burn calories. The American College of Sports Medicine has shown that a few short bouts of exercise can be just as effective as longer blocks.

Breastfeed

There is evidence that women who breastfeed may return to their pre-pregnancy weights more quickly. While more peer-reviewed studies are needed, women who nurse their infants will be able to add a few hundred extra calories to their daily meals, which means they will have an easier time keeping their blood sugar levels up. Individuals who breastfeed will thus have a better chance of avoiding yo-yo dieting, which can tear healthy eating plans apart before they’ve had a chance to work. Personal physicians can help moms set up an infant-feeding plan if twins or even triplets have been born.

Products that Help

The world is filled with endless amounts of products that help with weight loss. Most tend to not work as well as they claim. It’s important to be careful when buying any weight loss product. The products that do work are the gym related products. Like ab machines, or tangible products that you have to work into your skin. For pregnancy I’ve known a few moms who have seen cellulite go away with the galvanic body spa. The most important thing is to do your homework, although these companies can seem profit hungry some of their products really do help women lose weight.

Choose Strength Training over Cardio

Long cardio workouts are a post-pregnancy trap. Running for multiple hours each day on a treadmill will certainly make the heart healthier, but it will not have much of an impact on stubborn body fat. Shorter bursts of strength training can be more efficient. In fact, building muscle mass will make it easier for women to lose fat. Rowing machines, weight machines, resistance bands and even Pilates classes can have a much larger impact, which is especially important for moms who are likely to be busy caring for their newborn child during most of the day.

Consider Patience a Virtue

Ultimately, the quest to lose that stubborn pregnancy weight should always lean toward moderation. When women devote themselves to healthy foods and short blocks of physical activity, the fat should eventually be drawn off the body. Engaging in breastfeeding and remaining as hydrated as possible should also help. Within a few months, a perfectly sculpted body can be shown off once again.

The post Naturally Fighting Off Pregnancy Weight Gain appeared first on A Much Better Way.

via jencu, Flickr.com

Women who have recently given birth to a child will surely be looking for natural ways to lose weight in the aftermath of the pregnancy. Instead of resorting to harsh pharmaceuticals that can do more harm than good, individuals can instead adhere to the following tips to gradually drop those extra pounds. They should be eminently happy with their bodily appearance within a few months, and family members and friends will be impressed with the changes. Here is some tried-and-true guidance for shedding that unwanted fat.

Consume Super Foods Regularly

Most new mothers have an easier time eliminating fat when they commit themselves to a diet rich in super foods. Nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables will provide the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to continue functioning optimally. Most nutrient-rich foods, in fact, are also low in unwanted saturated fats. Stellar super food options will likely include the following:

• Grilled fish
• Kale, spinach and other leafy greens
• Citrus fruits
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans and whole grains
• Greek yogurt

Improved diets are relatively easy to come by. A well-stocked pantry that is chock full of super foods will bring on weight loss without much extra effort, which is exactly what most women will be looking for.

Opt for the Stairs

Post-pregnancy weight need not be lost by extreme measures. In fact, a few tweaks to the daily routine can be vital. Women might choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator at every opportunity. Choosing more distant parking spaces can also help. A deficit of 40 or 50 calories each day can accumulate quite handsomely over several weeks, and moms will be able to return to the thin figure they had enjoyed nine months previously. Nature walks, light jogs and short jaunts to the grocery store in the town center can also burn calories. The American College of Sports Medicine has shown that a few short bouts of exercise can be just as effective as longer blocks.

Breastfeed

There is evidence that women who breastfeed may return to their pre-pregnancy weights more quickly. While more peer-reviewed studies are needed, women who nurse their infants will be able to add a few hundred extra calories to their daily meals, which means they will have an easier time keeping their blood sugar levels up. Individuals who breastfeed will thus have a better chance of avoiding yo-yo dieting, which can tear healthy eating plans apart before they’ve had a chance to work. Personal physicians can help moms set up an infant-feeding plan if twins or even triplets have been born.

Products that Help

The world is filled with endless amounts of products that help with weight loss. Most tend to not work as well as they claim. It’s important to be careful when buying any weight loss product. The products that do work are the gym related products. Like ab machines, or tangible products that you have to work into your skin. For pregnancy I’ve known a few moms who have seen cellulite go away with the galvanic body spa. The most important thing is to do your homework, although these companies can seem profit hungry some of their products really do help women lose weight.

Choose Strength Training over Cardio

Long cardio workouts are a post-pregnancy trap. Running for multiple hours each day on a treadmill will certainly make the heart healthier, but it will not have much of an impact on stubborn body fat. Shorter bursts of strength training can be more efficient. In fact, building muscle mass will make it easier for women to lose fat. Rowing machines, weight machines, resistance bands and even Pilates classes can have a much larger impact, which is especially important for moms who are likely to be busy caring for their newborn child during most of the day.

Consider Patience a Virtue

Ultimately, the quest to lose that stubborn pregnancy weight should always lean toward moderation. When women devote themselves to healthy foods and short blocks of physical activity, the fat should eventually be drawn off the body. Engaging in breastfeeding and remaining as hydrated as possible should also help. Within a few months, a perfectly sculpted body can be shown off once again.

The post Naturally Fighting Off Pregnancy Weight Gain appeared first on A Much Better Way.

via Torsten Mangner, Flickr.com

Once a woman gets pregnant, her body experiences changes starting at conception. An average gestation (pregnancy) lasts approximately forty weeks or 280 days and is broken into three trimesters. The calculated due date is estimated by the first day of the last menstruation. Many women don’t give birth on the due date, rather birthing anywhere from three weeks early to two weeks later.

Health during your pregnancy is crucial and a prenatal multivitamin pill aids this in addition to preventing numerous birth defects. Another option is prenatal DNA testing. With current cell free DNA testing, all that is required is a drop of blood from the mother to test for trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edward Syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome). The tests are ordered by your healthcare provider and are available in his or her office just 5 days after the lab receives the original sample.

1st Trimester

The first trimester makes up the first twelve weeks of gestation. A lot of changes take place in the body, such as morning sickness. Once the sperm first meets the egg, they create a fertilized ovum, split into a blastocyst and journey through the fallopian tube into the womb. Roughly five days afterward, the blastocyst embeds into the womb and becomes an embryo and placenta. The fetus develops within the amniotic sac inside the womb. The fertilized egg becomes a fetus after eight weeks, shaping arms, legs, and digits. The brain expands, eyes take form and external genitalia come out by the 12th week.

2nd Trimester

The second trimester comprises weeks 13 through 26. Morning sickness typically lessens, fetus movements may start to be experienced and the woman starts to show. The baby’s head becomes in proportion to to the body, bones solidify and around 26 weeks the fetus appears a great deal more like a human baby. The babe can hear and swallow. Lung maturation increases between 20 and 25 weeks. Between 26 and 28 weeks, the baby’s eyes open and hair comes out on the head and body. The central nervous system matures as well. The baby becomes viable (meaning if it were to be birthed they would have a chance of surviving) by 23 to 24 weeks.

Third Trimester

The third trimester comprises the rest of the pregnancy. The baby spends most of the third trimester maturating and developing organs. The baby spends the final two months readying for birthing. The changes are not quite as dramatic as they were during the first 2 trimesters. The baby gets into vertex presentation (head downward place) approximately 28 to 34 weeks. Breech birth (buttocks-down positioning) happens in a low percent of pregnancies, generally necessitating a cesarean delivery. Amniotic fluid volume achieves its highest degree by 36 weeks. Braxton Hicks or false labor (contractions that don’t mean labor) may happen in the late second trimester to early third trimester. Women who have had previous babies might not drop till labor begins.

Knowing what to expect will alleviate worries and help you cope with the changes occurring in your body. A healthy pregnancy can be assured with a combination of knowledge, proper diet and prenatal and genetic testing.

The post A Pregnancy Trimester Guide for a Healthy Pregnancy appeared first on A Much Better Way.

via Torsten Mangner, Flickr.com

Once a woman gets pregnant, her body experiences changes starting at conception. An average gestation (pregnancy) lasts approximately forty weeks or 280 days and is broken into three trimesters. The calculated due date is estimated by the first day of the last menstruation. Many women don’t give birth on the due date, rather birthing anywhere from three weeks early to two weeks later.

Health during your pregnancy is crucial and a prenatal multivitamin pill aids this in addition to preventing numerous birth defects. Another option is prenatal DNA testing. With current cell free DNA testing, all that is required is a drop of blood from the mother to test for trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edward Syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome). The tests are ordered by your healthcare provider and are available in his or her office just 5 days after the lab receives the original sample.

1st Trimester

The first trimester makes up the first twelve weeks of gestation. A lot of changes take place in the body, such as morning sickness. Once the sperm first meets the egg, they create a fertilized ovum, split into a blastocyst and journey through the fallopian tube into the womb. Roughly five days afterward, the blastocyst embeds into the womb and becomes an embryo and placenta. The fetus develops within the amniotic sac inside the womb. The fertilized egg becomes a fetus after eight weeks, shaping arms, legs, and digits. The brain expands, eyes take form and external genitalia come out by the 12th week.

2nd Trimester

The second trimester comprises weeks 13 through 26. Morning sickness typically lessens, fetus movements may start to be experienced and the woman starts to show. The baby’s head becomes in proportion to to the body, bones solidify and around 26 weeks the fetus appears a great deal more like a human baby. The babe can hear and swallow. Lung maturation increases between 20 and 25 weeks. Between 26 and 28 weeks, the baby’s eyes open and hair comes out on the head and body. The central nervous system matures as well. The baby becomes viable (meaning if it were to be birthed they would have a chance of surviving) by 23 to 24 weeks.

Third Trimester

The third trimester comprises the rest of the pregnancy. The baby spends most of the third trimester maturating and developing organs. The baby spends the final two months readying for birthing. The changes are not quite as dramatic as they were during the first 2 trimesters. The baby gets into vertex presentation (head downward place) approximately 28 to 34 weeks. Breech birth (buttocks-down positioning) happens in a low percent of pregnancies, generally necessitating a cesarean delivery. Amniotic fluid volume achieves its highest degree by 36 weeks. Braxton Hicks or false labor (contractions that don’t mean labor) may happen in the late second trimester to early third trimester. Women who have had previous babies might not drop till labor begins.

Knowing what to expect will alleviate worries and help you cope with the changes occurring in your body. A healthy pregnancy can be assured with a combination of knowledge, proper diet and prenatal and genetic testing.

The post A Pregnancy Trimester Guide for a Healthy Pregnancy appeared first on A Much Better Way.